• Decanter magazine’s latest issue declares that Australia is the most underappreciated wine region, and that wines more “elegant” than the country’s “blockbuster” Shirazes are being made Down Under these days. [Decanter]
• Speaking of Oz: Australian wine writer James Halliday will sometimes spend twelve hours a day tasting, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and he recently completed a book called 1,001 Wines Under $20. Side note: The Australian wine industry has grown 150 percent in the last decade. [WSJ]
• More wineries, both in California and Europe, are offering hands-on experiences for tourists to help them learn more about wine-making and how terroir — the combination of soils, location, and climate — affects a wine. [Wine Business]
• Eric Asimov and the New York Times tasting panel delved into recent-vintage New Zealand Pinot Noirs and found them “friendly and approachable,” but “underwhelming,” “lacking a sense of place,” and “boring.” [NYT]
• Chenin Blanc, “California’s other, other white grape,” appears to be making a small comeback. [SFGate]
• Gruet, a winery that specializes in sparkling wine, has become “the standard-bearer of New Mexico’s growing wine industry.” [WineReviewOnline]