Viña Santa Rita's chairman, Baltazar Sánchez Guzmán, has had a varied career, but his passion lies in the wine company he began with, writes Arabella Mileham

From her bolthole in McLaren Vale, where the first buds of spring are dotting the landscape with ­vibrant colour, Mary Hamilton is throwing metaphoric hand gren­ades. It's something she has been doing most of her life. As a budding student politician at the University of South Australia, she shunned the embedded party structure to run as an independent and be elected student president.

There's a better and uber-convenient way to sip wine while tailgating this football season. Or, while tearing up the bocce court. Or, while floating down the Russian River, which was the inspiration behind Sans Wine Co., a Napa Valley-based company that's elevating the wine-in-a-can trend.

VinExpo, the largest wine exhibition and promotion in the world, has launched a new section called VinExpo Explorer. VinExpo CEO Guillaume Deglise announced in Vienna, Austria recently that the 2018 event will come to Sonoma County for a two-day experience Sept. 23 to 25.

Results of a new online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults who recently visited California wine country were released on September 21, offering insights to wineries and local wine associations in understanding and enhancing the experience of visitors to wineries and regions.

Jackson Family Wines has just bottled its first single-vineyard Chardonnay from its property in South Africa.

John Peller, Chairman & CEO of Andrew Peller Limited, commented "We are excited to confirm the Tinhorn Creek acquisition as well as the closing dates for Black Hills and Gray Monk Estate Winery.

Japan's younger consumers are turning more to casual settings to drink wine, according to new research.

Leading online marketing platform Beverage Trade Network has announced the speaker line-up for the 2018 International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show (IBWSS) in London.

Fine wine is now the best-performing collectible of the world's wealthy collectors, with values soaring 25 percent over the past 12 months, according to a new report

Fine wine has surpassed classic cars, art and jewellery to become the world's best performing collectible, with values soaring 25 percent over the past 12 months, as buying picks up among wealthy Chinese.

"Wine Country Women of Napa Valley" spotlights 65 local females and is set to release on Oct. 24.

The next time you're drinking a beer, raise a toast to the barbarians.

"The competition for festivals is harder and harder every year," said Russ Novak, the event's brewery coordinator. "This year we put out a concerted effort, tried to get as many local breweries as we could."

US editor W. Blake Gray delves into Harlan's 200-year plan.

Top stories: Champagne has delivered the earliest harvest for over half a century, mirroring many other regions as Europe's 2017 harvest comes in.

Champagne producer Bruno Paillard has said that anyone in the wine industry who denies the effects of global warming is "as stupid as Donald Trump".

Unbeknown to many, the UK wine industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy, generating £9.1bn in total contribution to the public purse, employing 170,000 directly and a further 100,000 in the supply chain. And this isn't a new phenomenon; globally, the UK has played a central - but often overlooked - role in the world's wine industry from as far back as the Middle Ages, with British companies paving the way for the establishment of a truly vibrant and dynamic industry.

Small-batch craft distiller Durham Gin is set to boost production and launch its first whisky after receiving a cash injection from a local business fund.