Has the way we fly changed forever?

Social distancing will not work at major airports during peak periods, Heathrow Airport CEO John Holland-Kaye has said.

Holland-Kaye has said a common international standard of airport safety measures is needed within a month to save the northern hemisphere summer season and to safeguard jobs, Travel Mole reports.

The Heathrow boss called on British Prime Minister PM Boris Johnson to take a lead, arguing standard social distancing won't work because it would cause a kilometre-long queue for each flight.

In a Daily Telegraph column, he wrote: "Forget social distancing - it won't work in aviation or any other form of public transport, and the problem is not the plane, it is the lack of space in the airport.

"Just one jumbo jet would require a queue a kilometre long."

He told the Press Association domestic news agency: "It's just physically impossible to socially distance with any volume of passengers in an airport.

"Social distancing does not work in any form of public transport, let alone aviation."

He said a better solution is needed to make air travel safe. "The constraint is not about how many people you can fit on a plane, it will be how many people you can get through an airport safely."

He said a "package of measures" needs to be in place that is practical, medically proven and builds confidence.

He suggested health checks on entering a terminal, with passengers who are displaying high temperatures receiving further checks to ensure they can fly and said surgical face masks "'may become the norm".

He added contact between passengers and airport staff would need to be lessened and "fantastic levels of hygiene" maintained.

Wolf Blass and a very unlikely wine collaboration

Aldi supermarkets are known for some excellent value wines at cheaper end of the market.

I know several serious wine lovers who pick up some sneaky Aldi bargains - particularly among the imports. 

Many of the Australian wines in the Aldi range go by generic names like One Road, The Tudor or Blackstone Point. 

These are "own label" wines made specifically for Aldi, often by winemakers who do not want their names revealed in case their own brands are devalued.  

New to the Aldo range for winter, however, is a wine from one of the most famous names in the Australian wine industry.

The 2018 Wolf Blass Exclusive Release Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon is made specifically for Aldi but still carries the Wolf Blass label. It is currently an Aldi exclusive for a limited time - until August. 

It is a typical Wolf Blass blend - shiraz 60%, cabernet sauvignon 40% - with fruit sourced from three different South Australian regions: the Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.

I thought the wine would be good value for $25-30, my wife went to $35. 

It has, dare I say it, smarter packaging than the regular Wolf Blass wines. This is a smooth, easy drinking number - and hard to stop at one glass. 

Medium-bodied. soft, fruity but nicely layered, structured and well balanced with dark fruit to the fore, it stood up very well to a lamb and harissa pizza.    

Under-fire Flight Centre backs down on refunds

Under-fire travel agent Flight Centre has confirmed it will waive all cancellation fees where third party suppliers have cancelled their services because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A revised cancellation and refund policy issued by the company on Saturday also provides for an additional credit of up to $200 per person (based on the booking amount) for customers who leave funds on file for future bookings.

"The decision to waive fees will impact our business, nevertheless we have heard your feedback and we believe this step is the right one for the current economic conditions where stand-downs and job losses are a daily occurrence for many Australians," the company said in a statement.

Flight Centre said the revised waiver followed ongoing discussions with customers and regulators, including the ACCC, and will apply retrospectively to bookings cancelled as a result of Covid-19 on or after March 13, 2020 for which a Flight Centre cancellation fee was charged. 

It does not apply to fees or conditions that airlines and other third party suppliers impose.

The company was under fire for offering credits rather than refunds for cancelled trips. 

It said its staff would continue to perform the time-consuming task of processing refunds and following up with individual suppliers on customers' behalf. Refund requests will be processed in date order, The Travel Daily reported. 

A stellar Hill of Grace is unveiled

I don't think I have ever paid $865 for a single bottle of wine. 

But if were to pay $865 for one bottle then I hope it would be of the quality of the new 2015 Henschke Hill of Grace, which will be released on May 6. 

It is, quite simply, a stunner. A rare 99/100 from me. 

Demand always exceeds supply when it comes to Hill of Grace - and the reason is simple. Hill of Grace is a single-vineyard wine, which means the fruit can only come from one unique vineyard in the Eden Valley of South Australia. 

The Hill of Grace is made from 100% shiraz from vines that were originally brought to South Australia by early settlers and planted around 1860. 

The vineyard lies opposite an old Lutheran church known as Gnadenberg, or Hill of Grace in English.    

Cyril Henschke made the first single-vineyard wine from the vineyard in 1958, using hand-picked grapes vinified in open-topped fermenters.

The grapes, lovingly tended by viticulturist Prue Henschke, were matured in quality French and American hogshead oak barrels for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Nowadays, the Henschke wines are produced using organic and biodynamic farming methods. 

Winemaker Stephen Henschke describes 2015 as a "fairytale" vintage that perfectly suited the old vines and their heirs. 

He calls the 2015 "a vintage graced by a luminous moon" with full moon the optimal time for harvest under the biodynamic calendar.

So what is the wine like? 

Well, it tastes expensive. The aromas are inky but pure; the flavours complex and elegant with dark fruits, subtle spices, quality oak and silky tannins coming together in a symphony of flavours that are delicious now and will cellar for 30 years or more. 

If Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had been a winemaker rather than a composer, he would surely have created something magnificent like this. 

A truly special wine that would make a magnificent Mother's Day present. 

              

All positive: cruise industry desperate to rebuild reputation

The cruise industry has been battered by its involvement in the the Covid-19 pandemic, but has plans to fight back. 

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is to establish a social media campaign to help rebuild the industry’s reputation, with the entire sector urged to participate and promote positive cruise messages in the face of recent adverse coverage, Cruise Weekly reports. 

Speaking to members yesterday in an online webinar, CLIA MD Australasia Joel Katz said:“We need to be telling people that cruising is neither the cause, nor the source, of Covid-19. 

“This is a social virus that thrives anywhere that people come together - this is why gatherings are banned and restaurants are closed."

Katz said ongoing negative news stories about the industry were inevitable in the current situation. 

“There’s no point in driving ourselves crazy about things we can’t control - we need to come together to combat the negativity to the best of our ability,” he said. 

CLIA’s maritime policy team is working to develop baseline health protocols for the resumption of the global cruise sector as soon as possible, covering items such as stringent screening, on-board medical facilities, protocols, crisis management and more. 

“Once we know what those changes are, that will give us information you can get out to your customers to give them confidence that they can cruise again,” he said. 

Social media assets are being developed for agents to share, with Katz urging the industry to tag any posts with #wearecruise to create a unified message. 

“We have a tough road ahead, these messages are going to be important to restart the industry...at the end of the day whether you’re a travel agent or a CLIA executive partner, your voice is just as important in building an echo chamber of positive messaging.” 

Changing of the guard at Brokenwood

It is the end of an era at benchmark Hunter Valley wine producer Brokenwood with the announcement that managing director and chief winemaker Iain Riggs will be stepping down from both roles at the end of June. 

Riggs has been a key figure in the Australian wine industry for all of the 30+ years I have been involved and you won't find a nicer or more inclusive person. 

A Brokenwood press release says the Brokenwood board has agreed that “it’s time to pass the baton to the extraordinarily capable team that is Riggsie’s legacy". 

But part-owner Riggsie won't be leaving Brokenwood completely - he’ll remain a director and, as a consultant, he’s agreed to continue to provide Brokenwood with his experience and expertise whenever needed.

Riggs has led the rise and rise of Brokenwood since the mid-1980s, turning what was originally a hobby farm to an icon Australian winery. This year was his 35th vintage in charge.

Riggs oversaw the development of Brokenwood's spectacular cellar door and restaurant complex at Pokolbin and in 2003 was awarded the Graham Gregory Award for outstanding service to the NSW wine industry. 

He was the 2013 Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine winemaker of the year and was honoured with the Len Evans Award for Leadership. 

Today he is chairman of trustees of the Len Evans Foundation that conducts the prestigious week-long Len Evans Tutorial, and is the current chairman of the Shanghai International Wine Challenge. He has a long wine show history dating back decades.

In June of 2018, he was named as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his significant service to oenology as a winemaker, to the development of the Australian wine industry, and to the promotion of the Hunter Valley region.

He was the driving force behind Brokenwood’s flagship wine, the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and its promotion as a unique single vineyard shiraz. 

The Brokenwood legacy looks in good shape, with Riggs having put together a talented team headed by Stuart Hordern and Kate Sturgess.