Airline passenger shot in mid air

You'd think you would be safe from random gunmen when you are flying.

Not so, unfortunately.

A passenger was shot in mid-air after a bullet fired from the ground pierced through the aircraft’s fuselage, Travel Mole reported.

The Myanmar National Airlines’ passenger was rushed to a hospital after the plane touched down at Loikaw Airport in Myanmar.

MNA has now cancelled all flights at the airport.

Myanmar’s military government accused rebel groups of firing on the aircraft.

“I want to say that this kind of attack on a passenger plane is a war crime,” said Major General Zaw Min Tun.

There were 63 passengers on the ATR-72 plane from Yangon.

The male passenger was reportedly hit in the face but is expected to survive.

Major milestone for Coonawarra wine legend

The winds of change have blown vigorously through the wine industry during the 30 years that Sue Hodder has been a winemaker at iconic Wynns Coonawarra Estate.

Climate change, different wine fashions, the acceptance of women winemakers and very different styles of marketing have all occurred during the three decades Hodder has spent crafting thoughtful cool-climate wines, almost a quarter of a decade as head winemaker.

Then there is the switch from cork to screw caps, higher quality oak and far greater attention to what happens in the vineyards.

Hodder's long stint comes despite other opportunities, a fleeting desire to craft wines from her own vines and the tendency for winemakers to seek pastures new after a few years at the one address.

The release this week of a quartet of premium Wynns red wines marks 30 years of Hodder and 40 years of John Riddoch Cabernet, one of Australia's most globally respected high-end wines and a relative bargain at $150 a bottle compared to many rival releases with far inferior pedigrees.

Hodder took over from legendary Peter Douglas as Wynns senior winemaker and has spent over two decades working in tandem with friend and colleague Sarah Pidgeon in a rare all-female winemaking team.

"I find great satisfaction in the fact that we are able to produce quality cooler-climate wines that are collectable, but also accessible and affordable," she says.

"When I started at Wynns in the early 1990s, the fashion was very much towards big, rich, powerful red wines that appealed to the critics of that time, and I'm delighted that medium-bodied wines like the ones that we produce in Coonawarra are very much back in vogue.

"A lot of people dipped into their cellars over the pandemic and it has been gratifying to recieve so much feedback on how some of the older wines have rewarded the people who looked after them, often for decades."

Hodder says that after 30 vintages at Wynns she still enjoys her role, and being part of a close-knit team.

“I still have great joy in walking out the back door to our historic triple-gabled winery,” she says. "While this beautiful building remains largely untouched, we do now use smaller tanks, oak fermenters, different oak barrels, and an optical berry sorter.

"These winemaking tools just enable us to be more confidently creative.

"Our winemaking team has had remarkably few changes over the years – we are a family at Wynns, and our house style remains clear.”

That house style is, for me, confident elegance.

Hodder's wines are always well balanced, impressively structured and immediately accessible, while often destined for a long haul in the cellar.

Hodder grew up in Alice Springs and began her wine career as a viticulturist before moving into winemaking. She joined Wynns in 1993 as a winemaker under the guidance of the ebullient Douglas before being appointed senior winemaker in 1998.

She was named a Fellow of the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO) in 2021 for her outstanding contribution to the Australian wine industry.

I ask her why she has not been tempted, as so many winemakers are, to strike out on her own with a small plot of land and her own label.

"I've been tempted, but I love it here and working with our special team," she says. "I would have lost access to some great vineyards, great viticultural support and our high-tech lab.

"I like being part of a page in history, and Wynns certainly has that great history."



Over 40 years of Wynns John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon it has been hailed as one of just a handful of truly great Australian wines and is named after the pioneer who first plated the vineyards back in 1891.

The new-release 2019 is one of the greatest; judiciously utilising great fruit to produce a stunning wine. I gave it 98 points, and I'm generally at the lower end of the scorings table. It has intense fruit concentration but also a brightness and lightness about it.

John Riddoch Cabernet is made using the top 1% of all the fruit from estate and grower vineyards, many of them decades old.

“The 2019 John Riddoch is certainly amongst the best wines we have made at Wynns Coonawarra Estate," says Hodder. "It was a brilliant vintage and has produced a fine and medium-bodied wine from an optimal growing season.”

The other wines in the 2022 Wynns Premium Release launching on Wednesday are the superb-value 2020 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon ($50), and the 2019 vintages of the Michael Shiraz ($150) and the Davis Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($80), that uses fruit sourced from Hodder’s favourite vineyard. All are of exemplary quality.

# Wynns Coonawarra Estate was established in 1951 with history dating back to the late 1800s. It is the region's pre-eminent wine producer, and largest single vineyard holder.

See www.wynns.com.au

Time to crack down on Australian airlines taking their customers for a ride

It is time for action.

If you buy food that is rotten you are entitled to your money back. If you purchase of bottle of wine that is corked then you are entitled to be reimbursed.

If an airline leaves you stranded, or downgrades you with no explanation, then you apparently have no consumer rights in Australia.

If Qantas, Jetstar or Virgin Australia dud you then you are supposed to cop it and shut up.

As our airlines hoist their prices sky high, and deliver increasingly poor service, what action is the Government taking?

None at all that I can see.

Which just isn't good enough. Time to pressure MPs to get something done.

Four recent examples of egregious behaviour, not to mention those poor souls left stranded in Bali.

1. Two gold Qantas frequent flyer members, both about to hit platinum, are vowing to never again fly with the Spirit of Failure. The two were booked to fly together from the US back to Australia. One was told she has the option of accepting a downgrade, or flying on another day.

No ifs or buts, take it or leave it. And they reported that Qantas service agents were ungracious and unhelpful .

Qantas told them that because their travel had already commenced they would only refund Australian $1500 for the change of class - the real value is $3000.

2. Another regular Qantas frequent flyer in the wine industry reported that Qantas has lost his checked luggage three times in the last month. Compensation: zero.

3. Food writer John Lethlean was among those left in the lurch this week by Jetstar, which cancelled a flight from Singapore to Australia with zero notice. 

Passengers already at the airport were told at midnight to find their own hotels after the flight was rescheduled for 24 hours later. But it is Grand Prix weekend so you there are precious few hotel rooms - and those that are available cost $800 a night. Tough. 

4. Legal eagle Greg Barns is another disgruntled customer, despite being a platinum flyer with Virgin Australia. 

He says he was told there were no upgrades available on a flight, but was then sent email asking if he'd like to bid for one. 

 Barns points out that Virgin charges $160 to change a flight but doesn't mind cancelling flights itself - with no compensation.

Enough is enough. Our elected representatives need to act, no matter how much influence the little Irish fella and the American lady have over them.

Women in wine roar into the spirits space

The team behind the Australian Women in Wine Awards have diverted - just a little bit - to produce their first gin under the name of Hear me Roar.

It will be the first gin anywhere in the world where 100% of profits will go to assist women to flourish and succeed in their chosen profession in the wine industry.

The gin is the second incarnation of the Hear me Roar brand (they use all lowercase characters for the name), with the AWIWA releasing a shiraz under the label in 2019.

The shiraz was a sell out and almost $40,000 was raised and distributed to women involved in wine across the country.

Hear me Roar is currently in production and available for pre-order via the AWIWA website with an expected release in mid-November.

The brand name is a clear and deliberate reference to the iconic Helen Reddy song released in 1971 and taken up more widely as a rallying cry for change.

As per the Hear me Roar shiraz in 2019, all proceeds from the sale of the gin will go towards scholarships, mentoring programs and professional development for women in wine.

Information on how to apply and the selection criteria will be made available early in 2023.

AWIWA Board member and winemaker Rebekah Richardson, who is also owner and distiller at Lucid Distilling, is excited to be the maker of the gin with a purpose.

"Having been in the wine industry for over 25 years, I love that I can give back and help support other women coming through." Richardson says. "I feel it is our responsibility to do what we can to be the change we want to see.

"I love the energy that the Australian Women in Wine advisory board brings to this project and I feel fortunate to be surrounded by so many fantastic women who are not only colleagues, but also friends.

"The Hear me Roar project is a great way to lift up the next generation of women in our wine community.".

Women represent just under 30% of professionals across the wine industry in Australia and at senior levels, this representation drops to fewer than 10%.

The recipe for the gin was determined by a vote after asking women across the industry to submit what ingredients they thought should be included.

The winner was Tracy Taylor of Southwood Vineyards in Tasmania, and the gin will be infused with her choice of herbals. 

The Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) was founded in 2015 and the advisory bard 2022 comprises Jane Thomson (chair), Jeni Port, Corrina Wright, Rebekah Richardson, Sarah Collingwood, Shirley Fraser and Alexia Roberts.

Longer stays introduced for tourists visiting Thailand

Good news for tourists planning on a longer stay in Thailand, which regular readers will be aware is one of my favourite travel destinations.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced that as of today international travellers to Thailand will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination or ATK test results, and a longer length of stay will be on offer, signalling the completion of the kingdom’s full reopening to international tourism.

Effective from today through until March 31, 2023, the permitted period of stays in Thailand will be extended to 45 days (from 30 days) for tourists from countries/territories entitled for visa exemption, and to 30 days (from 15 days) for those eligible for a Visa on Arrival.

Yuthasak Supasorn, the TAT Governor, said: “Thailand has fully reopened to the world’s tourists with the message, through the Visit Thailand Year 2022-2023: Amazing New Chapters campaign, that our fascinating destination offers something for everyone.

"We invite tourists to come and experience the existing and new tourism offerings in Thailand which, together with the kingdom’s increasing move towards sustainable and responsible tourism, will make for a truly memorable holiday.”

Thailand began a gradual reopening to international tourism from July 1, 2021, with the Phuket Sandbox, Samui Plus, and 7+7 Extension programs.

This was followed by a four-phase reopening timeline from October 2021 to January 2022 in which destinations throughout the country reopened to tourists. On July 1 this year, the Thailand Pass registration scheme was removed.

Thai Airways International recently announced its 2022-2023 winter schedule and is operating flights on 34 European, Australian, and Asian routes with increased frequencies on selected routes.

This includes daily flights between Bangkok and London, Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Manila, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Dhaka, and Karachi.

Image: Silom, Bangkok. TAT.

A chance for Victorian wine enthusiasts to head for the bush

The Macedon Ranges Budburst wine festival returns next month after a two-year absence with an expanded program.

The annual festival will run from Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20.

Being held for the first time since 2019, Budburst will feature over 25 Macedon Ranges winemakers, who will open their wineries and cellar doors to enthusiasts for wine tastings, curated food menus championing local produce, art shows, sculpture walks and live music.

For the first time, the event will run over three days with the inaugural Budburst Blooms on the Friday night that brings pop-up cellar doors from wineries off the beaten track to three hubs across the region.

Budburst Blooms offers wine lovers the chance to speak directly with some of the Macedon Ranges’ more artisanal winemakers while sipping on local drops and grazing on a selection of small bites.

The three Budburst Blooms hubs are Lancefield Lodge in Lancefield, the Victoria Hotel in Woodend and Piper Street Wine Co. in Kyneton.



Over the weekend festivalgoers can choose to travel independently around Macedon Ranges or on board a Budburst Hoppa bus to visit up to five wineries on two dedicated hop-on/hop-off routes.

New for Budburst 2022 is the Daylesford to Kyneton Drive.

This Hoppa bus route shuttles wine lovers between Cliffy’s Emporium in Daylesford and The Kyneton Hotel in Kyneton, visiting event hubs in Trentham and Kyneton as well as Hunter Gatherer Winery.

The other Hoppa route is the Lancefield Loop that departs Woodend Station before weaving its way around wineries in Romsey, Hesket, Newham and Lancefield.

Across the weekend, two festival hubs will be set up at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham and The Kyneton Hotel in Kyneton featuring a line-up of wineries who don’t have physical cellar doors.

Budburst festival tickets start from $30 (Budburst Blooms only) with a range of packages for across the weekend.

Tickets are on sale from today at budburst.com.