News
Australian Wine Exports Continue to Shift to Bulk Shipments
May 7, 2012 - 09:57
A volume decrease of 7% has been recorded for Australian wine exports in the last 12 months. However, we have seen the average value of both bulk and bottled wines increase. This includes the volume of bulk wine shipped in the higher priced brackets, such as the $1.00+/L segment rising, whilst exports dropped in the lower <$0.50/L section. The shift towards exporting in bulk versus bottle is shown in recent figures as bulk shipments have overtaken the volume of bottled shipments for the first time. These factors remain consistent with many producers bottling their goods in-market.
Source: Wine Australia – Wine Export Approval Report – MAT March 2012
Posted in: Australia
London International Wine and Trade Fair
May 2, 2012 - 10:15
The Ciatti Company will once again be attending the London International Wine and Trade Fair.
Please come and see the Global Ciatti Team at Stand Q6.
Posted in: USA, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Argentina, Australia, South Africa
A Land of Flooding Plains
April 10, 2012 - 10:01
One of the main grape growing regions of Australia, the Riverina area, has been subject to widespread flooding affecting vineyards, wineries, homes and livestock. There are concerns for the grapes left on the vines after 160mm of rain in early March. Growers were frantically pumping water from their vineyards as they attempted to pick the remaining good material from the vines, but they faced challenging conditions accessing muddy crops with heavy machinery. While many growers were able to pick the remainder of the reds after the waters receded, there is concern about the quality of the wine due to botrytis infection in some fruit.
Posted in: Australia
2012 Bulk Wine Prices on the Rise
March 7, 2012 - 10:38
Speculation continues about the size of the 2012 crop from Australia, with various mixed reports. Due to grape price increases buyers should expect a rise in bulk wine cost. The level of increase remaining uncertain until the reds are picked and final figures tallied. Many suppliers are reluctant to give definite prices and available volumes. Exceptional quality is expected for this vintage due to favorable weather with little humidity or rain and warm days and cool nights resulting in strong varietal character.
Posted in: Australia
Ciatti Company at Prowein, Germany 2012
March 1, 2012 - 11:24
The Ciatti Company Stand is in Hall 6, Stand 6F35 at Prowein 2012. We look forward to seeing you there!
Posted in: USA, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Argentina, Australia, South Africa
Fingers Are Crossed For A Good Vintage
February 13, 2012 - 16:19
The Australian harvest is well underway and yields are expected to be down by 5 – 10%. Many growers are hopeful that that the weather conditions will remain reasonably dry for the remainder of the season albeit long-range forecasts predict above average rainfall for February and March. The main concerns are how much above average, and whether long periods of humid conditions will follow, negatively effecting quality. Currently, quality expectations are high and all are optimistic for the 2012 crop.
Posted in: Australia
Picking Has Begun for the First Grapes of the Season
January 13, 2012 - 09:51
The 2012 vintage is fast approaching as some wineries have begun picking the first grapes of the season - Chardonnay Sparkling Base. Early indications show that crop levels are low, however these sparkling base grapes are low baume fruit and do not have the sugar weight of many other varietals due to be picked in the coming months. While disease pressure is still evident in a number of the grape growing regions, the outlook for the expected crop is more optimistic compared with this time last year. Less rainfall and less humidity have boosted confidence but all are wary that the outlook for the next two months predicts above average rainfall. Growers will need to be ever vigilant with their spray regimes if the rain comes to prevent disease outbreak like last year.
Posted in: Australia
Growers' Concerned about a 2011 Vintage Repeat
December 19, 2011 - 09:49
There are mounting concerns regarding disease pressure for the upcoming vintage. Whilst many growers are tackling the issue with preventative sprays, some regions are bracing for a repeat of last year’s conditions. This concern is caused by outbreak of downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis that plagued the 2011 vintage. Riverina Shiraz crops are expected to be down by 20-40% in 2012. Adelaide Hills reported patches of downy mildew along with northwest Victoria.
New Zealand: A massive increase in the supply of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc reduced wine export prices to a new low. New Zealand’s wine exports are worth over NZ $1 billion however, the value per litre has reduced significantly from circa $9.00/L in late 2008/early 2009 to $6.28/L in September of this year, equivalent to $4.71 per 750mL bottle. Although wine exports have more than doubled in the past 4 years, the decreasing value per litre of Sauvignon Blanc is due to the large volume of wine available as well as the increasing number of lots being sold as bulk and moved into cask or lower-end buyers-own-brands. This is further exacerbated by multinational companies shipping their material overseas in bulk and then having it bottled onsite.
Posted in: Australia
Wine Exporters Shift to Bulk Shipments
November 8, 2011 - 09:39
The recently released WEAR Report has shown that a record high number of companies exporting wine are choosing to send their wine in bulk, rather than bottled product – 48% bulk vs 51% bottled. Several factors have been attributed to this change, including environmental and economic reasons, economies of scale, the high Australian dollar and an increasing number of buyer-driven private labels. This shift to bulk exports has also caused a negative impact on the dollar value of wine exported from Australia because the packaging component is no longer included in the FOB value.
New Zealand is still generating interest for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and stocks are still available around $2.75/L. Forward contracts for 2012 are being looked at, however it is still very early in the season to determine potential crop size for 2012.
Posted in: Australia
Wine Tax Change a Hot Topic
October 14, 2011 - 15:27
Due to falling sales, Australian wine producers have been seeking new markets. Sales to the UK are down 6% and sales to the US are down 19% over the past year. The potential altering of the wine tax continues to gain much press as the October Tax summit approaches, and by changing the tax on wine to the same as beer, Australia would see a decline in cask sales and overall consumption. However, the government has no plans to alter this tax even though many lobby groups want this to be discussed and altered at the summit.
Early indications are that the 2012 harvest look healthy with unlimited water allocations and sufficient sub-soil moisture from early season rains point to reasonable crop levels; there is currently also good cane growth in vineyards.
New Zealand: Healthy volumes of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc are available but there are limited red opportunities and upward pressure on Pinot Noir.
Posted in: Australia