Andrew Bennett

Just when you had become used to screw caps on wine bottles, Margaret River winemaker Palandri this week unveiled the latest innovation in wine packaging.

It’s on again; the biggest and most keenly awaited wine event on the local calendar – the Margaret River Wine Region Festival.

A group of the most influential hoteliers in the country sat in Sydney’s Hilton Hotel recently and confirmed what many of Perth’s Sunday session devotees and midweek revellers already knew; the Brisbane Hotel is the best hotel in the country.

The Margaret River region will host the MasterCard World Wine and Travel Summit from November 13 to 17.Speakers include Richard Cartiere, a respected US wine journalist whose Wine Market Report,

In a climate where the state’s microbrewery stocks are surging ahead and consolidating across Perth, it is worth noting that the Western Australia’s most isolated brewery is quietly and efficiently going about its work.

Corey Diamond says there are two standards of coffee in Western Australia – his, and everyone else’s.

Simon Devlin may have put cigars on the map in Western Australia, but his new venture may stamp his authority over the luxury good on a national scale.

Gary Beadle is at the top of his game. The Luxe Bar general manager has just scooped the pool in the highly contested 2006 WA Suntory Cup, beating a field of Perth’s elite bartenders.

It’s an exciting time of year for all those involved in the wine industry, with retail shelves stocked with the first offerings from the 2006 vintage and wine journos writing reviews intended to entice and inspire consumers.