Wine Industry News

See Peter at Italian Week Brisbane | Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Join Master of Wine, Peter Scudamore Smith as he explores with guests a fantastic experience discovering Italy from the point of view of an expert wine and food connoisseur. ‘Taking people’ through the regions of Tuscany and Piemonte, the Master of Wine will deliver an exclusive experience for lovers of wine and food. The presentation will be followed by wine and food tasting to savour amazing wines and mouth-watering gastronomic delights.
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The Fruit is Ripe April 2011

A new study has revealed the region’s most mature wine market. Kerry Heaney uncorks the story.

Hong Kong is is emerging as the “most mature wine market in Asia” according to the latest study of global markets by Vinexpo, the world’s leading wine and spirits showcase, which takes place in Bordeaux from 19–23 June.

Staged in Asia every second year, the expo’s annual survey of the worldwide wine and spirits market shows that Hong Kong’s wine consumption doubled to nearly 35 million bottles a year from 2005 to 2009. That’s about 4.5L per person a year, the highest amount in Asia, ahead of Japan with 2.4L and Singapore with 2.1L.

Just as the Silk Road was the link between Asia and Europe in the Middle Ages, Hong Kong is now the undisputed hub for fine European and New World wines destined for East Asia, according to Peter Scudamore Smith, a wine analyst at Uncorked and Cultivated.

“The repeal of import duties by the Hong Kong authorities to zero in 2008 kick started an avalanche of fine-wine auctions from Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Zachys, and Acker, Merrall & Condit,” Peter says. “Hong Kong is the conduit for a lot of fine wine headed for China. Hong Kong’s refrigerated storage infrastructure is more highly organised than that of mainland China, ensuring that the expensive cellars of China-based collectors/investors do not deteriorate from poor storage.”

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Uncorked and Cultivated takes over where I left off | TasteTravel Blog | 22 March 2011

For several years I organised and personally escorted tours abroad, with most of my tours being to regions in Italy. My area of specialisation was food and wine and without doubt the best places to visit in Italy for gourmet style tours are in Tuscany and Piedmont regions. The tour here is combining the best of Toscano and Piemonte, mi scusa but I like to use the Italian names they roll off the tongue beautifully.

Master of Wine Peter Scudamore-Smith is the perfect person to consider as tour host if you are thinking about a tour. Peter is a friend of long-standing (should never say old friend) and his background before he became a premier winemaker and Master of Wine is food science. There is nothing like having a food and wine person design a tour, it is the way I used to do it. Another similarity is that he is keeping the numbers limited to 12 people. Small numbers work well as you are always treated like a guest or even family and particularly when you go along with someone who knows his business so well.

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CITY BEAT: Uncorked and Cultivated
James McCullough | The Courier-Mail | 22 March 2011

IT'S PRETTY hard to turn a dollar in the embattled local wine industry these days.
The Kiwis are still dumping cheap sav blanc on Brisbane like the Germans threw bombs in the blitz and the major supermarket chains are inviting local wine producers to put wine in their shops at hugely discounted prices.

Nonetheless, one of the few masters of wine in the country, Peter Scudamore-Smith has embarked on a bold new Brisbane business venture he hopes may provide dividends and provide a bright spot on the gloomy wine outlook. His business was launched at Il Centro last night.

Scudamore-Smith, who helped businessman Terry Morris with his Sirromet Winery in its early stages, has decided to create his own company, Uncorked and Cultivated, educating Aussie wine lovers about the joys of grapes in Europe.

Specifically he has established a company to take punters to, initially, Italy, for an inaugural wine and food tour in September this year with more trips on the drawing board.

It's a bit like one-time Bike Style founder and keen cyclist Lawrie Cranley who now runs cycling treks for the upwardly mobile in France, Italy and other places. Bikestyle Tours, does good business particularly around the time of the Tour de France.