The world’s largest coffee chain, Starbucks Coffee Company, announced today plans to introduce wine, beer and “premium food” to a handful of its stores in the United States by the end of 2012. Starbucks stores in Atlanta, California and Chicago, have been “carefully selected” in response to “customer feedback for more options to relax in the evenings” for the new menu additions. These stores, along with several others recently announced for the Chicago area, will be the first stores... ...Read more »

The harmonisation of certain wine labelling and food regulation laws in Australia have helped improve the competitiveness of Australian industry, according to a new report from the Productivity Commission. A ‘discussion draft’ report, titled ‘Impacts of Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reforms: Business Regulation and VET’, was released today by the Productivity Commission. The Productivity Commission is the Australian Government’s independent research and advisory body. The... ...Read more »

Researchers from the State of Victoria’s Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have discovered an eco-friendly way to use the by-products of winemaking to improve the quality and quantity of milk production. Scientists at the DPI’s Centre for Dairy Excellence, at Ellinbank, found that supplementing the cows’ feed with the stems, seeds and skins from wine grapes reduced their emissions by 20 per cent, increased milk production by five per cent and increased the healthy fatty acids in their... ...Read more »

A change to the Wine Australia Corporation Act 1980 means that from now on, ‘Sherry’ produced in Australia must no longer be called “sherry” but can be called ‘Cream, crusted/crusting and solera fortified’; and ‘Port’ is now called ‘Vintage, ruby and tawny fortified’. It is also possible for Australian wine-makers to invent their own descriptor or trademark as another option. The change in law was included in an Australian Bureau of Agricultural... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on an application to change the Food Standards Code to allow for food derived from a corn line genetically modified for protection against insect pests. Commenting on Application A1060, from Syngenta Seeds Pty Ltd, FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said, “The corn line is intended for cultivation in regions of North America and Canada, not in Australia and New Zealand.” He said that regulatory approval is... ...Read more »

Australian wine is making a comeback in the U.S. market, according to market intelligence released today by the Australian Government statutory authority Wine Australia. Australia is already the second largest country of origin for imported wines into the U.S., behind France. Wine Australia’s market report for September 2011 showed Australian wine sales for the A$15-19.99 segment were up 23 per cent in the US and wine sales in the A$20+ segment were up 4.6 per cent. Wine Australia’s Regional... ...Read more »

Research published today by market research organisation, IBISWorld, predicts that Australians will spend A$25.4 Billion on alcoholic beverages in 2011-12. According to the research, Australians are increasingly choosing premium alcoholic drinks over traditional beers. The report predicts that alcohol spending in Australia will increase by 15.3% over the next five years, reaching A$29.3 Billion in 2016/17. IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie said that while Australia’s alcohol consumption... ...Read more »

While the Winemakers Federation of Australia (WFA) has said changing Australia’s wine taxation system would be futile, two of Australia’s leading winemakers are taking an opposing stance. In a recent statement, the WFA had said, “Evidence shows increasing price doesn’t stop problem drinkers drinking to excess – it just makes alcohol more expensive for ordinary people who drink in moderation. Cask wine consumers, for example, are generally pensioners, who only have one or two glasses with... ...Read more »

Representing some of Australia’s leading health groups, the Alcohol Policy Coalition (APC) released a paper today challenging a commonly-held belief that red wine is beneficial for preventing cardiovascular disease. According to the ACP’s paper, titled Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease and Alcohol Consumption the potential for any benefit to the heart from red wine is “misunderstood”. The APC paper says that, although red wine contains antioxidants, it is “not a good source of antioxidants... ...Read more »

The volume of grapes crushed for wine in the Murray Darling and Swan Hill regions fell by more than 20 per cent in the 2011 vintage, according to a survey published today by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The Murray Valley, incorporating the Murray-Darling and Swan Hill wine regions, contributes up to 25% of Australia’s wine production for worldwide brands such as Deakin Estate, Jacob’s Creek, Lindemans, Tall Poppy, Trentham Estate and Zilzie. The DPI’s survey... ...Read more »