Things are certainly looking good for Hawke's Bay's wine industry.
There have been a few announcements by our top wineries in the past few weeks that can only boost our economy and the marketability of local wines on the international stage.
In today's paper, we report exclusively that Trinity Hill has brought in an American investor, Charles Banks, as a partner. This is a shrewd move because he is a well-known wine producer in the United States and can get Trinity Hill on to his distribution networks there. There are also plans to build a new boutique winery specifically to showcase Trinity Hill's top-end reds. These announcements were made at the Trinity Hill Friends and Family Gala dinner at the weekend.
It follows on from other developments in our wine industry, including Auckland-based companies Delegat's Group and Villa Maria planning new wineries in the Bay and a $500,000 grant from the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust, to promote local wines on the Chinese market.
The local industry must be doing something right if big companies and outside investors are willing to pour money into this region. There is no question our wines are good and the more we can get the word out, the better for local producers. It could also be good for tourism, as wine lovers are known to be enthusiastic travellers and we could see more connoisseurs visiting the Bay than already do.
