Latest news with #BarossaValley
Globe and Mail
09-07-2025
- Science
- Globe and Mail
A toast to Richard Smart, who made the wine world a better place
When Australian grape expert Richard Smart toured Niagara vineyards in 2008, he was surprised to see cabernet sauvignon vines planted. 'I regard you all as extraordinary optimists,' Smart told members of Ontario's wine industry during a presentation at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University. ''Why do you do it? All the other cool climate areas grow more whites and early- to mid-season varieties.' A founding father of Canadian wine still has work to do Known widely as 'The Flying Vine Doctor,' Smart and agricultural engineer Mike Robinson released Sunlight into Wine in 1991, which quickly became an essential reference for grape growers around the world. The 96-page volume explains how canopy management of a vineyard, particularly arranging the grape vine's shoots and leaves to expose grape clusters to sunlight, helps produce better quality grapes. Smart also served as viticultural editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine over the course of five editions. His research, writing and lectures helped transform grape growing around the world and resulted in better wines for consumers to enjoy. Smart passed away July 2 after a long battle with cancer. He was 80. Three refreshing rosés to kickstart summer Following stints in the Barossa Valley in the 1970s and New Zealand in the 1980s, Smart started his own viticultural consultant business in 1990, working with clients in more than 30 countries. In Niagara, he helped Don and Elaine Triggs establish Delaine Vineyard (a contraction of the couple's name) on the Niagara River Parkway and served as a professional affiliate with the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University. While Smart's canopy management advice helped propel winemakers to commercial and critical success, rising temperatures and climate change require growers to embrace a different mindset today. The development cycle of grapevines finishes more quickly today. In warmer regions, ripening and harvest have shifted from cooler autumn to warmer summer weather. Hot regions face the biggest risks from climate change, he explained. Smart told attendees at the Wineries for Climate Protection conference held in 2011 in Barcelona he suggested that Bordeaux growers may wish to plant the heat-loving grenache grape. 'I may live to see it happen,' he said.
ABC News
02-07-2025
- ABC News
SA Water to face penalty over botched reservoir drainage incident
SA Water is facing a criminal penalty for causing "serious environmental harm" when an engineer ignored a water quality test result while draining a Barossa Valley reservoir for maintenance work, a court has heard. The water utility — which is wholly owned by the SA government — appeared in the Environment Resources and Development Court over its actions when draining the Warren Reservoir, about 10 kilometres from Williamstown, in May 2023. The court heard that a test result indicating poor water quality during the draining procedure was "not given much credibility" and "ignored", allowing the escape of grey clay silt and "a significant smothering event for the downstream habitat" of the South Para River. A lawyer for SA Water told the court the maintenance work was scheduled to replace the reservoir's original valves, which had been installed when it was built more than a century ago during World War One. Dr Victoria Gilliland, for SA Water, said the maintenance works were "necessary" to replace the aging and unreliable valves, because only the middle of its three intake valves was "safe to operate". She said the "very thing" the maintenance works were trying to prevent was what happened, when the bottom could not be immediately closed to prevent further damage to the surrounding waterways. She said there was a known difficulty with closing the bottom valve, but there was no immediate attempt to close it when the poor water quality test was reported. "Ultimately there is no dispute that what happened is that that reading was ignored and no action was taken in relation to that reading," Dr Gilliland said. She told the court SA Water admitted "mistakes were made" but had immediately reported the event and spent almost $1 million on remedial works — including ongoing testing. Dr Gilliland said the corporation had immediately pleaded guilty and urged the court to impose a fine "at the lower end of the scale". The court heard SA Water had two prior convictions for environmental breaches, in 2004 and 2009, but that procedures had improved since. Stephanie Wilson, prosecuting, said samples taken after the incident found recently deposited grey clay silt almost 30 centimetres deep in areas closer to the reservoir. She said the slurry was also detected almost 3 kilometres into the South Para River. Ms Wilson told the court SA Water had a lack of contingency planning which may have prevented the environmental harm, and should have acknowledged the initial poor quality water reading. She said the engineer overseeing the project had explained that "she wasn't sure whether the samples were being taken accurately due to it being a shallow site and that she planned to retest … the following day". But, Ms Wilson said by the following day, the reservoir had drained completely. She said SA Water also knew that once opened, the bottom of three valves at the reservoir could not be immediately closed, and that efforts to prevent the harm were delayed, in part due to wet weather and the terrain, with a bung not installed for several days. "While it is obvious there were logistical and technical issues hampering those efforts to take action sooner, better understanding of the risk and preparation that took into account the difficult terrain … might have improved the response," Ms Wilson said. She said SA Water were "wholly unprepared for what occurred". Senior Judge Michael Durrant will impose a sentence on a date to be set.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Delegat Group names Murray Annabell permanent CEO
Delegat Group has formally appointed Murray Annabell as its new chief executive officer, effective from today (1 July). He was made acting CEO earlier this year, following the departure of managing director Steve Carden at the end January. Annabell has been with the New Zealand-based winemaker for over 20 years, including the last 13 years as chief financial officer, according to a New Zealand stock exchange filing. According to the Oyster Bay brand owner, he has had "a pivotal role in shaping Delegat's financial strategy and supporting our senior leadership team". In a statement, the company's chair Jim Delegat said 'after an external search, we are thrilled Murray has accepted the Chief Executive Officer position. "Murray's extensive knowledge of our business and the global wine industry, combined with his proven leadership, are critical to the company's continued success at this important time.' Riki Maden, currently group financial controller, will take the position of acting chief financial officer whilst Delegat looks for a replacement. In April, the Barossa Valley Estate maker lowered its profit forecast for 2025, blaming the impact of US tariffs on sales. In a New Zealand stock exchange filing at the time, the company said the US move to place a 10% tariff on all imports into the country had led to 'significant uncertainty expressed by our US distributors regarding forward shipments for Q4 (April – June 2025)'. 'This uncertainty has led to a revised global case sales and profit guidance,' it said. Delegat cut its projection on operating net profit after tax to $47-50m for the FY25 year, down from the previous forecast of $55-60m. Delegat's financial year ends on 30 June. It is also projecting global case sales of 3,182,000 for the year, a 5% fall from prior estimates and 12% lower than previous year's sales. "Delegat Group names Murray Annabell permanent CEO" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside US pop star Katy Perry's heartbreak hotel - while ex Orlando Bloom was living it up at Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos' wedding
Katy Perry has secreted herself away in a five-star vineyard retreat in South Australia amid her split from Orlando Bloom. Reports emerged last week the US pop star, 40, who is currently Down Under amid her Lifetimes Tour, had separated from the actor, 48, after nine years together. Now, as the Lord of the Rings star lives it up in Europe, Katy has opted for quiet serenity at The Louise in Barossa Valley, 80km from Adelaide. The luxury retreat is known for its serenity, scenic views and fine wine, proving to be the perfect hideaway for Katy as she nurses a broken heart. A stay at The Louise includes a gourmet breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and snacks, and dinner at the on-site Appellation with matched wines. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Katy would also enjoy free use of the lodge facilities which include a wet-edge lap pool, fitness centre and sauna. Earlier last week, it was revealed Orlando and Katy officially called it quits after dating for nine years. At the time, a source told Us Weekly, 'Katy and Orlando have split but are amicable,' while also adding the separation has been 'not contentious' thus far. 'Katy is of course upset but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life,' they said. The Teenage Dream hitmaker - who is currently embarking on her Lifetimes Tour - was previously married to Russell Brand from 2010 until their divorce in 2012. The insider further added the reported breakup had been 'a long time coming' and their relationship had also been 'tense for months'. In the wake of the separation, Orlando whisked himself away to Venice to attend the star-studded nuptials between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez this past weekend. The actor was spotted mingling with a number of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Sydney Sweeney. Orlando was also spotted living single life as he headed to another lavish party on Sunday. He danced the night away following his recent split from fiancée Katy as a guest on the swanky superyacht alongside 450 other VIPs, including the likes of Naomi Campbell, Kendall Jenner, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum. Fresh from three days partying at Jeff and Lauren's Venice wedding extravaganza, Orlando headed on board Ritz-Carlton's gleaming 794ft Luminara for its inaugural cruise from Rome. On board, Orlando was spotted dancing behind a glamorous partygoer as they were treated to an intimate Ellie Goulding gig. The actor first sparked up a romance with Katy in early 2016 - and he later popped the big question in 2019. They welcomed their daughter Daisy in 2020. Orlando was previously married to supermodel Miranda Kerr from 2010 until their divorce was finalised in 2013. The former couple are also parents to son Flynn, 14.
News.com.au
28-06-2025
- News.com.au
Moment that unearthed one of Australia's worst murder cases
When Gordon Drage opened the plastic lid of an old olive barrel inside the abandoned State Bank in Snowtown, a town whose entire population could fit inside your average school assembly hall, he didn't know he was blowing the lid on what would become one of the worst serial killings in the country's history. 'I remember the first one I opened, I could see a semi-mummified foot with some soil on it and the jeans the victim had been wearing,' he recalls on the latest episode of Gary Jubelin's podcast, I Catch Killers. 'I didn't know it'd been dismembered at that stage, I looked in the top and I thought, well, someone's just been shoved in here headfirst and their feet are sticking out.' And yet only hours earlier, when Drage had woken up on the morning of May 20, 1999, he had no inkling of the bizarre and horrific events that were about to unfold. Watch Gary Jubelin's interview with Gordon Drage in the video player above 'I started my shift in Kadina, and my opposite member in the Barossa Valley was on holiday,' 'So when he was on holiday, I would go across and do some jobs in his area, if they urgently needed to be done. So I had this lovely, pleasant country drive across from the York Peninsula across to the Barossa Valley.' Drage had been called out to inspect an abandoned vehicle, and had just arrived at the scene. 'It was just an abandoned car chassis, stripped down to nothing, just dumped at the side of the road,' he recalls. 'So I remember I was looking at that at the time, trying to identify it. And I got a phone call from the bosses in Adelaide who said, 'look, we've got this job at Snowtown. Is there any chance you can be there for 11 o'clock? Because we had a whole team teed up to come, but they've had another murder overnight in Adelaide'.' When Drage arrived, investigators in Snowtown still believed they were working on a series of missing persons cases, and primarily needed Drage's expertise to photograph a number of potential crime scenes. 'They said, 'we just need you to go over there and meet with the rest of the detectives. They're going to take some photos and videos and photograph a house'. They handed me an A4 piece of paper. The top half of that had a list of names, about 10 names. And on the bottom half was a whole list of property. Things like green, three piece leather lounge suites, televisions, that sort of stuff.' Drage was tasked with photographing the car and home of John Bunting (who would later go on to be convicted of several of the murders), in order to ascertain whether any of the missing items were located there. 'No one had any idea of what we were about to find,' he explains, 'at this point, it was just a photo job. And then a detective called me outside for a chat.' A local had been speaking with detectives, and dropped a bombshell. 'He said, this guy's just told us that John Bunting has turned up here in that car that they were going to take, and at one time it was full of barrels, which were full of smelly stuff. And he's told us those barrels are now over at the old State bank.' Drage, who had been due to move to Queensland in two weeks time, had just made the discovery of his career, in a case so disturbing it would become forever entwined with the town in which the discoveries were made. That day, the bodies of eight victims were discovered in the disused bank vault. Two more bodies were found buried in a backyard in Salisbury North, a suburb of Adelaide, with police later linking a further two deaths to the case, bringing the total number of known victims to 12. Eventually Bunting, the primary perpetrator and ringleader, would be convicted of 11 murders and given 11 life sentences without parole. Robert Wagner, a key accomplice, was convicted of 10 murders and received 10 life sentences without parole, while James Vlassakis pleaded guilty to four murders and became a key Crown witness, receiving four life sentences with a non-parole period of 26 years. Mark Haydon was later convicted for assisting in the disposal of the bodies, receiving a 25-year sentence with an 18-year non-parole period. Many of the victims, socially vulnerable people targeted for their social isolation, drug addictions or perceived transgressions (such as being homosexual or pedophiles, according to Bunting's twisted ideology) were known to the killers, who continued claiming Centrelink benefits in many of the victim's names long after their murders. Of all the horrific cases Drage worked in his career, the particular horrors of Snowtown remain with him, even now. He says the realisation that they'd eaten lunch on the floor before opening the vaults and discovering what they were dealing with was particularly disturbing. 'We sat there on the floor and realised the carpet was damp,' he says, 'We then later found out that the reason it was damp was because they had hosed down that floor after killing [one of the victims, David Johnson] the night before.' 'We just didn't know at the time, and that leaves a weird feeling in there,' Drage continues. 'You think, 'I'm sitting on the floor exactly where this person was probably lying at one point before they've put him into a barrel. It's just macabre.' 'There's still an eeriness to the bank. I went back last year, first time I'd been back into that bank in 26 years. And I could still remember it like it was yesterday. Still visualise everything though it's changed a bit inside. A lot of the counters and stuff have gone, but the vault is still there. It was bizarre. It just sticks with you.'
