Global investment giant puts its trust in Australian wine

Global Investment giant BlackRock has bought more than $250 million worth of shares in Australia’s largest wine company in recent weeks.

Treasury Wine Estates, which includes Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Seppelt and Rosemount Estate in its portfolio announced to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) this morning that BlackRock had increased its stake in the company to 8.32%.

Those shares are valued at more than $1 billion Australian dollars. This followed a buy up of 7.3 million TWE shares by BlackRock in December, taking its stake from 6.21% to 7.22%.

US-based BlackRock is the world’s largest investment manager and manages about $7 trillion for its investors around the globe.

It initially purchased almost 38 million TWE shares – 5.14% of the company – in March 2017 when the share price was a little over $12 before increasing its holdings to 6.21% in April 2019.

TWE’s share price has rallied in recent weeks from $16.13 on January 3 to $17.47 this morning but is still down on its six-month high of $19.17 on September 20 last year.

The BlackRock investment announcement follows news that it would shift its focus towards sustainability-focused companies in 2020.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said his firm would make a series of moves to place sustainability at the centre of its sustainability approach.

The bulk of Treasury Wine Estates’ premium Australian brands produce wine in South Australia.
TWE announced a $419.5 million profit for the financial year to June 2019, up 16% on the previous year.

The company also announced in August it would spend up to $215 million at its Wolf Blass Bilyara winery in the Barossa Valley over the next 24 months to expand production, processing and storage infrastructure.

The investment is part of TWE’s “premiumisation strategy”, which also includes buying production and vineyard assets in the Bordeaux region of France.

Australian wine exports for the 12 months to June 2019 increased by 4% in value to $2.86 billion over the 12 months, driven by exports to China and a return to growth in the United States.

All change as one of Canada's most famous attractions reopens

The Canadian city of Vancouver is one of my favourite places on the planet - in fact I am well overdue a visit given the number of new attractions opening in the British Columbia city in 2020. 

Vancouver is a dramatically beautiful waterfront city that is brilliant for walking, eating, drinking and shopping - as well as offering ocean and ski pursuits within a couple of hours of each other.

One of the city's key attractions, the Sea to Sky Gondola, will reopen next month after being closed for six months after a vandalism attack. 

In the meantime, 30 new cabins have been installed on the new 4.4 kilometre main haul rope that arrived from Switzerland at the end of October. 

The reopening will take place on February 14 in time for the Family Day long weekend with 50% off lift tickets all weekend. 

“We are opening earlier than anticipated and the task has been huge," says Kirby Brown, the Sea to Sky general manager.

"Our amazing team rose to the challenge and have done everything required to get us back up and running as quickly as possible so we can get back to connecting people with nature and the beauty of Squamish.

”The fact that the main haul cable was completely severed was, and still is, shocking, and the investigation with the RCMP is ongoing. We want our guests to know, however, that they can travel to the summit on the Sea to Sky Gondola with complete confidence.” 

Vancouver is also welcoming new restaurants, hotel revamps and renovations, and exciting new tours for 2020. 

Self-Guided Food Tours is a new company launching a series of online food tours where guests get to explore the city’s vibrant culinary scene using only their phone and their stomach. 

This unique experience costs only $7, and after payment users are sent a link that guides them to the full tour. The tours include an interactive map, insider tips, points of interest, history and stories, and foodie recommendations. The cost of food samples is not included, however, the full-paid tour grants access to discounts at the tour recommended food stops. 

The Fairmont Pacific Rim (above), at 44 storeys one of Canada's landmark hotels, is undergoing some exciting changes, including the unveiling of a Taschen Library retail store, located on the second floor. 

This is only the second Taschen hotel retail library location in Canada, housing a collection of over art-inspired 275 titles. 

The luxury hotel will also be celebrating its 10th year anniversary this February, commemorating its introduction to Vancouver during the iconic 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. 

New eateries to try in Vancouver include Seaside Provisions, which was as a part of the Shipyard Commons renovation last summer and is the official restaurant for the new Seaside Hotel. The restaurant focuses on small plate tapas and locally sourced regional creations. 

The 1931 Gallery Bistro is located above the Vancouver Art Gallery’s lobby with a focus on wholesome ingredients, while Say Mercy! will open later this month on Fraser Street.  The website describes Say Mercy! as “Italian as seen through the lens of American barbecue”. 

Old Bird promises “Vancouver meets badass Chinese street food” on Main Street , while Brass Fish Tavern in the Marine Building will be helmed by well-known chef Clement Chan. 

Why Scott Morrison's tourism message is all wrong

For a guy with a long history in tourism marketing, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is disturbingly lacking in nous when it comes to sending a positive message.

Just as Morrison's government launched a mass media campaign in Britain at the time of the year when Australia is most prone to bush fires - a poorly-timed campaign that proved disastrous and was partially abandoned - now he's trying tell the world that Australia is open for tourism. 

Fully recovered from fires, plagues and pestilence. 

This at the same time as The Washington Post is headlining: "In Australia people are rushing to hospital is cities choked by smoke".

Scomo personally intervened when the US State Department published a warning saying American tourists should "exercise increased caution" when flying down under.

The advice has now been changed to "exercise normal precautions".

And he's told the world that Australian tourism is "open for business".

"There's a bit of a misconception overseas that the entire continent has been affected," he said.

"You can still go swimming on the reef, and still be visiting Kakadu."

All of which is absoutely no use if you've booked a stay at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, on the NSW South Coast, or have been planning a few days shopping in Melbourne - which yesterday had the worst air quality of any city on the planet. 

Or visiting Sydney, where the air quality is "hazardous". Or going to the races, when meetings in Melbourne and the Yarra Valley were cancelled.

That news has spread globally, along with images of Melburnians and Sydneysiders wearing face masks to protect them from aerial toxins and of tennis players at the Australian Open collapsing and struggling to breathe,

Several players in Melbourne struggled to complete their qualifying matches due to severe heat and stifling air quality.

Slovenian player Dalila Jakupovic was leading in her match against Switzerland’s Stefanie Vogele at Melbourne Park, but was forced to quit after falling to the ground in a coughing fit. 

Australian Bernard Tomic and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard had to call medical timeouts due to issues from smoke inhalation.

Across town at Kooyong, Maria Sharapova called off an exhibition match with the German Laura Siegemund after both players found it hard to breathe.

What Scomo and his team of climate-change deniers seem not to understand is that images of the Australian Open qualifying and Sharapova's stand quickly spread around the world.

Via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, international television channels and even gold old steam radio. Folk from Winnipeg to Vladivostock are aware that you can't breathe the air down under and still have fresh memories of those horrific bushfire images, burning animals and people in tears. 

And most potential tourists are not able to distinguish between Melbourne and Mallacoota. It's all Australia to them.

They've rung family and friends here and heard some horrible stories.

Such scenes as they've seen on TV are not something you forget in a hurry. But instead of letting the dust - and the smoke - settle for a week or two, Scomo is at his blustering best.

Any overseas tourist arriving in Melbourne today, or on Kangaroo Island, the Adelaide Hills, Gippsland or the New South Wales south coast will find scenes ranges from distressing to devastating.

Far better to wait a week or two - both for tourists and Australia's motor-mouthed leader - before attempting to spread a positive message. Trying to be positive is understandable - but it is all in the timing.    

British travellers warned about the bloody obvious

Travellers to Thailand would have to be lunatics to drink water straight from the tap.

I always use bottled water in Thailand - even for brushing my teeth.

Now the water is tasting even worse as the country heads for its worst drought in four decades.

A prolonged period without rain has led to some sea water entering the Bangkok fresh water supply, which is affecting tap water, Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has told travellers.

"This issue may continue for several months," said the FCO. "Thailand's Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (Bangkok) advise that there is no risk to public health from drinking tap water but salty water can affect people in higher risk groups, such as those with kidney disease.

"If you are concerned about the risks to your personal health, you should drink bottled water and/or get medical advice."

Some water from Bangkok taps currently tastes salty as levels in the Chao Phraya river have become too low to keep sea water out. Water in the metropolitan area comes from two main sources: the Chao Phraya River and Mae Klong River, neither  of which is fresh, clean mountain stream.

I was actually surprised that any Brits at all have been drinking Thai water (although, come to think of it, it might explain their election results).

The World Nomads website has long advocated: "Don't drink tap water in Thailand, stick to boiled or treated water.

"For the same reason you don‘t drink the water, take care when you‘re swimming in it. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that gets into your body through cuts and abrasions when you're swimming, kayaking, and white water rafting. Also known as swamp fever, it was first recognised as an occupational disease of sewer workers.

"If you have a cut, make sure you treat it with disinfectant and stick a plaster over it."

Chinese thirst drives Randall to buy another vineyard

Chinese thirst for Australian wine continues with Australian wine baron Warren Randall boosting his grape supply for sales to China by purchasing a vineyard in Australia’s largest grape-growing region - the Riverland.

The Randall Wine Group has acquired a 310-hectare property, which includes 86 hectares under vine. The company plans to soon plant additional vineyards on the site, which will produce fruit to fuel booming Chinese sales.

The purchase takes the Randall Wine Group’s holdings to more than 3300 hectares in South Australia, which it says makes it “the largest private, luxury vineyard holder” in Australia’s leading wine state.

RWG last year announced 760 hectares of new purchases in Barossa, 140 hectares in McLaren Vale and further vineyard acquisitions in Langhorne Creek and Currency Creek.

RWG also owns vineyards in the Coonawarra, Clare Valley and Eden Valley regions of South Australia.

The 60-year-old Glen Devlin vineyard in the Riverland is 10km upstream from the town of Waikerie and is principally planted with shairz and cabernet sauvignon.

The Riverland, in the east of the state near the banks of the River Murray, is the nation’s largest grape producing region, contributing about a quarter of Australia’s annual crush.

RWG’s flagship winery Seppeltsfield opened a wine chateau in China in 2017 in a joint venture with Minquan Jiuding Wine Company Ltd.

RWG Executive chairman and proprietor Warren Randall said the Riverland vineyard was acquired to supply the “One Pound Per Acre” brand, one of the fastest-growing Australian wine brands in China.

He said it was the first time the company had bought a vineyard to supply a specific brand.

“All other acquisitions over the last 27 years have been to supply luxury bulk wine supply contracts,” he said.

In the 12 months to June 2019, Australian wine exports to China (including Hong Kong and Macau) reached a financial year record, increasing 7% in value to $1.2 billion.

Australia last year also overtook France to become the number one imported wine category in mainland China by value.

Direct flights launch from Avalon to Bali

Avalon, Melbourne's second airport, is to gain another international airline customer.

Citilink Indonesia will begin flying daily from Melbourne Avalon to Bali from January 24. 

Citilink, which is the low-cost subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, also flies to Perth from Bali and will fly 178-seater Airbus A320 neo jets on the route. 

It was established in 2001, set up to operate shuttle services between Indonesian cities

"We're excited to be able to make one of Australia's most beloved holiday destinations a more affordable and easier experience," said Avalon Airport CEO Justin Giddings.

"Bali is our most requested international destination and one that we have been actively pursuing for some time."

Avalon Airport only launched its first international scheduled flights a year ago when AirAsia relocated to the airport, and it recently secured flights to Vietnam with fast-growing budget airline Vietjet.