Angove family celebrates 140 years of winemaking

 

Angove Family Winemakers is this year celebrating 140 years of family winemaking, reinforcing its position as one of Australia’s most enduring and progressive wine producers.

Founded in 1886 and now operated by the fifth generation of family members, the South Australian winery has evolved from its humble origins in Tea Tree Gully to be an exporter to over 20 markets. 

The milestone comes as the business continues to sharpen its focus on premium McLaren Vale wines and certified organic production, two pillars driving its current growth strategy.

Chairman John Angove said the anniversary reflects both legacy and forward momentum.

“Reaching 140 years is a proud milestone, but it’s also about what comes next," he said. 

"We’ve invested in premium vineyards, organic production and building a portfolio relevant to today’s consumer.”

Strategic expansion into McLaren Vale over the past two decades, including the Warboys Vineyard and cellar door has underpinned the company’s move into premium wines, with flagship releases such as The Medhyk, Warboys and, most recently, Brightlands leading the charge.

At the same time, Angove has cemented its position as one of Australia’s leading certified organic wine producers, with the Angove Organic, Wild Olive and Naturalis ranges prominent.

Joint Managing Director Richard Angove said the business remains focused on balancing scale with premium growth.

“We have a strong foundation in the Riverland, and the opportunity is clearly in premiumisation and provenance. Building our McLaren Vale base and organic offer are key to that story.”

Remaining privately owned, Angove sees its independence as a key competitive advantage in a consolidating global market.

Joint Managing Director Victoria Angove said: “The wine industry at its heart is about people and community. We have been very fortunate to have had a committed and hard-working team contributing to all areas of the business for so many years. 

"Our shared commitment to delivering consistently high-quality products to our customers strengthens year on year. We’re equally grateful to our great suppliers, partners and of course our customers.”

Leading airline celebrates its 100th birthday

 

Aviation pioneer Lufthansa celebrates its 100th birthday this week. 

The first “Luft Hansa” was founded on January 6, 1926 and had its maiden flight four months later. 

The now global powerhouse was created through a merger of Junkers Luftverkehr and Deutsche Aero Lloyd, the foundation for a success story in international aviation that continues to this day. 

The darkest chapter in Lufthansa’s history was during the Nazi era, when the airline became part of the Nazi regime and played an active role within it. 

Lufthansa is using its 100th anniversary as an opportunity to critically examine its involvement during this time and further address it based on historical research. 

With the re-establishment of the “second Lufthansa” in 1953, the legal foundation of today’s airline group was created. 

In 1955, flight operations resumed, and the journey of the newly founded Deutsche Lufthansa AG began.

"The 100th anniversary of Lufthansa is a moment of pride and reflection," the airline said in a statement. "At the same time, it represents a bold look into the future and the beginning of the company’s second century."

Throughout the anniversary year, Lufthansa will organize a variety of activities and events to honour the history and future of the aviation group.

These include a permanent exhibition at the Lufthansa Group Hangar One at Frankfurt Airport, dedicated 100-year airline liveries, special events, a history book, film and video productions, employee celebrations, customer events, as well as marketing and product campaigns.

The special “100 Years of Lufthansa” emblem will appear on boarding passes, at airports, and onboard Lufthansa flights in many places. 

Outside of airports – including in city centres – a poster campaign will tell Lufthansa’s story.

Besides operating flights under its own brand Lufthansa Airlines, the Lufthansa Group also owns several other airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, ITA Airways and Swiss International Air Lines. 

It is the fourth-largest airline in the world by revenue. 

See https://www.lufthansa.com/

Family celebrates 50 consecutive vintages of an Australian wine icon

Jim Barry Wines is turning the clock back 50 years with the release of its 2023 Watervale Riesling. 

The family-owned Clare Valley winery is commemorating 50 consecutive vintages of its Watervale riesling with a limited-edition label.

The "groovy" 70s-inspired label pays tribute to the popular wine's birth year of 1974.

Sales and marketing director Sam Barry said the winery is proud of how this brand has grown
over the years - and three generations. 

“The Watervale Riesling has been a constant in our portfolio since our winery was built in 1974, and
it is the only wine that we have consistently produced every vintage since then,” Sam said.

“Its success is in its quality and consistency - the consumer knows what to expect every time they open
a bottle." 

Third generation winemaker Tom Barry said that while the style of the wine has evolved over the 50 years, the quality of the fruit has remained the same, and he hopes consumers will love the funky new label. 

“The fruit for this wine was originally sourced from a property owned by my grandparents, Jim and
Nancy Barry, in Watervale,” he said. “When my dad, Peter, and his brothers purchased the historic
Florita vineyard in 1986, production was able to increase considerably.”

“The balance achieved between fruit concentration and acid in 2023 s outstanding.” 

The 2023 Jim Barry Watervale Riesling is available at all major retailers throughout Australia.

UPDATE: I have just tried the wine and it is exceptional value. Classic Clare lemon/lime sherbet characters and refreshingly zingy acidity make it a delicious option on a summer day, or later on with a fish supper. Definitely under-priced with an RRP of $22. 

Handpicked Wines does things a little differently

 

The Handpicked Wines operation is very different to other Australian wine producers. 

For a start, Handpicked sources fruit from vineyards across the country - from the Barossa to Tasmania. 

Owner William Dong and winemaker Peter Dillon follow environmentally sustainable principles and sell many of their wines through their city centre cellar doors in Sydney and Melbourne rather than through more traditional avenues. 

Dong purchased Handpicked's first vineyard - the Capella Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula (above) - a decade ago. 

That anniversary is being marked by the release of four 2021 vintage wines across its the Collection and Single Vineyard ranges.

In the past year, Capella Vineyard has achieved ‘Certified Member’ status from Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) and Organic Certification from the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA). 

“For the better part of a decade, we have researched, trialled and enacted intense regenerative farming practices in the vineyard and surrounding natural habitats that comprise the Capella Vineyard site." says chief winemaker Dillon. 

"We’ve done this to deliver the purest, most expressive fruit possible and give our vines the best chance of being around for generations to come. 

“While I’m proud of the certification for the site, I’m even more excited by seeing Capella teeming with life - down to the highly active soils the vines grow in.”

Capella Vineyard is a small, ultra-premium vineyard site with 5.2 hectares of pinot noir and 1.6 hectares of chardonnay. 

Dong has subsequently purchased a further five vineyards in Yarra Valley, Barossa and Tasmania but says Capella remains the spiritual home of Handpicked's winemaking operations.

The new-release wines include the Collection Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2021 ($49.99) and the Collection 2021 Mornington Pinot Noir ($59.99).

The new Capella Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2021 ($69.99) is from just two blocks - while two blocks also provided the fruit for the Capella Vineyard Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2021 ($89.99). 

My wife was a big fans of the pinots, describing them as "stylish and sophisticated" while my personal preference was for the chardonnays: both lean and mineraly with gunflint characters and with cool-climate food friendliness. 

See www.handpickedwines.com.au.

New York sends a positive message on the 9/11 anniversary

 

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, New York wants to remind the world that it remains a vibrant tourism destination. 

NNYC & Company - the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors bureau for the five boroughs of New York City - said the Big Apple continues to show its resilience and perseverance to the world.

"On this historic anniversary, we honour the lives of the victims, their families and the survivors of the 9/11 attacks," the company said in a statement. 

"We honour the efforts of the first responders who heeded the call and the many who sacrificed their lives in the process. We also honour the recovery workers who stood our city back up in the weeks and months that followed. We will never forget the collective and extraordinary heroism and selflessness.  

In collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, NYC & Company has partnered with the City's arts and cultural community to promote five-borough programming commemorating the anniversary. 

Visit 911memorial.org/citywide to see the calendar of events. 

Additionally, NYC & Company collaborated with the Museum on a 'Tribute of Lights' from dusk on September 11 to dawn on September 12. 

As we look ahead, we do so with a '9/12' spirit of hope and compassion for our shared future. And a "reminder of lessons learned and reinforced, chief among them—New York City always endures and rebounds stronger.”

A special tipple marks an airline milestone

Hayman’s Distillery has been commissioned to craft a special gin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Singapore Airlines flight to London.

The London-based family distiller has fused its London Dry Gin with Asian flavours of kumquat, lemongrass, galangal and Persian lime to create the Singapore Airlines Connoisseur Gin.

The label has been designed to reflect the gold and blue colours of Singapore Airlines, with a gold wax finish, Travel Mole reported.

James Hayman, co-owner of Hayman’s Gin, said: “As the most Internationally recognised independent London gin, we are thrilled to have collaborated with Singapore Airlines.

“It has been great fun working on this gin together and fusing the very essence of London and Singapore to create this delightful gin.” 

Hayman's has been making craft gins for over 150 years.  

The gin is available in the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge at Heathrow Airport, or online for £35 at haymansgin.com.

The airline started the route with three weekly London flights in 1971.

Members of Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer program will be offered the chance to purchase the gin at a discount price.