Latest news with #Penfolds
The Age
6 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Qantas faces fleaquent flyer accusations after couple's journey ends with bite-covered ankles
Qantas told us that it had looked into the concerns and was not able to find any evidence of fleas on its aircraft. Nor had other customers complained. 'The 5000 frequent flyer points was provided to the customer as a gesture of goodwill, not compensation,' Qantas said. 'On average, aircraft are sprayed with pest control treatments every 45 days.' The last word then goes to Gibson, who's now done quite a bit of research on these fleas and has serious doubts the airline's actions would have addressed the issue. 'The fact is, Kathy got onto the plane without bites and got off with them,' he said. I dreamed a PMO dream On Tuesday, CBD brought word about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's chief of staff, Tim Gartrell, taking a somewhat dim view of political staffers posting about their jobs on social media. Gartrell's friendly reminder in an all-hands meeting last week came after a flurry of posts from departing PMO staffers toasting their heroic work in the Labor government, which he clearly must not have enjoyed. But those leaving Albanese's employ aren't guided by any directive from above. In fact, hours after our item ran, former strategic communications director Katie Connolly produced her own LinkedIn farewell dump, including a picture of her hugging the PM. A coincidence, we are sure. 'Some kids dream of being famous or going to space. I dreamed of working for a Labor Prime Minister. And I'll be forever grateful that dream came true,' was the glowing caption. As for just how many staff have departed the prime minister's office right after securing a landslide victory and immense second-term mandate, CBD hears the number is close to 20, although the exact figure is in dispute. And while most of those leaving are women, a PMO source reminded us that most of Albanese's staff are female, so it tracks. The same probably can't be said about the other side of politics, who tend to do everything in their power to discourage women from getting involved. Wine and dine Before Anthony Albanese's all-important meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the prime minister attended a business lunch in Shanghai on Monday. The PM was accompanied by a smattering of Australian corporate titans during the Shanghai leg of the trip, including billionaire mining magnate turned clean-energy evangelist Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, Rio Tinto's Kellie Parker, Macquarie Bank's Shemara Wikramanayake and BHP's Geraldine Slattery. Before the meetings, Chinese state media praised Albo for taking a more co-operative approach to Sino-Australian relations than the Morrison government, which presided over a diplomatic deep freeze with Beijing. The biggest sign of the thaw was on the lunch table. Last year, China removed a series of tariffs it placed on Australian produce in 2020 in retaliation towards then-prime minister Scott Morrison's call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. China's wine tariffs (Penfolds was hit with a 175 per cent tariff) crippled the $1.2 billion export industry for Aussie wineries. On Monday, it was Australian beef and seafood for lunch in Shanghai. There was also wine by Penfolds (a brand with an oversized footprint in the Australian political landscape), including a $150 a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from grapes grown in the Shangri-La region of China's Yunnan province. Talk about teaming with the theme. It was a situation unthinkable five years ago, when Canberra's National Press Club served up Australian beef and barley to a top Chinese diplomat in an act of culinary trolling. Rupert and the Don Where there is sport, money and politics can't help but stick their noses in. A few months after from his infamous sofa-sitting appearance in the Oval Office, billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch joined US President Donald Trump in his box at MetLife stadium in New Jersey to continue what we term their 'frenemy bromance' and watch the pride of London, Chelsea FC, stun Paris Saint-Germain in the final of FIFA's inaugural Club World Cup, its latest fake tournament to further bloat the international football calendar. For Trump, it marked one year since an assassin's bullet grazed his ear and changed the course of American politics. He spent the occasion hanging out with Murdoch, former NFL star Tom Brady and FIFA's ghoulish president-cum-Dr Evil lookalike Gianni Infantino. Expect a repeat experience next year when the United States co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with trade war enemies Canada and Mexico. Murdoch, meanwhile, knows better than anyone how to use sport to expand power and influence. News Corp built its fortune in Britain thanks to the UK government handing it exclusivity on the Premier League, which turned it into an irrepressible, multibillion-dollar global juggernaut.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Flea in the ointment as Qantas passenger alleges flight bites, airline offers points
Before Anthony Albanese's all-important meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, the prime minister attended a business lunch in Shanghai on Monday. The PM was accompanied by a smattering of Australian corporate titans during the Shanghai leg of the trip, including billionaire mining magnate turned clean energy evangelist Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, Rio Tinto's Kellie Parker, Macquarie Bank's Shemara Wikramanayake and BHP's Geraldine Slattery. Before the meetings, Chinese state media praised Albo for taking a more co-operative approach to Sino-Australian relations than the Morrison government, which presided over a diplomatic deep freeze with Beijing. The biggest sign of the thaw was on the lunch table. Last year, China removed a series of tariffs it placed on Australian produce in 2020 in retaliation toward then prime minister Scott Morrison's calls for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. China's wine tariffs (Penfolds was hit with a 175 per cent tariff) crippled the $1.2 billion export industry for Aussie wineries. On Monday, it was Australian beef and seafood for lunch in Shanghai. There was also wine by Penfolds (a brand with an oversized footprint in the Australian political landscape), including a $150 cabernet sauvignon from grapes grown in the Shangri-La region of China's Yunnan province. Talk about team with the theme. It was a situation unthinkable five years ago, when Canberra's National Press Club served up Australian beef and barley to a top Chinese diplomat in an act of culinary trolling. Departure lounge CBD brought word on Tuesday about Anthony Albanese's chief of staff Tim Gartrell taking a somewhat dim view of political staffers posting about their jobs on social media. Gartrell's friendly reminder in an all-hands meeting last week came after a flurry of posts from departing PMO staffers toasting their heroic work in the Labor government, which he clearly must not have enjoyed. But those leaving Albanese's employ aren't guided by any directive from above. Coincidentally, hours after our item ran, former strategic communications director Katie Connolly produced her own LinkedIn farewell dump, including a picture hugging the PM. 'I dreamed of working for a Labor prime minister. And I'll be forever grateful that dream came true,' was the glowing caption. As for just how many staff have departed the prime minister's office right after securing a landslide victory and immense second-term mandate, CBD hears the number is close to 20, out of a 60-ish person team, although the exact figure is in dispute. While most of those leaving are women, a PMO source reminded us Albanese's staff are majority female, so it tracks. The same probably can't be said about the other side of politics, who tend to do everything in their power to discourage women from getting involved. Best of frenemies Where there is sport, politicians and business leaders can't help but stick their noses in. A few months after his infamous sofa-sitting appearance in the Oval Office, billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch joined US president Donald Trump in his box at MetLife stadium in New Jersey to continue what we term their 'frenemy bromance' and watch Chelsea FC stun Paris Saint-Germain in the final of FIFA's inaugural Club World Cup, the latest fake tournament to further bloat the international football calendar. For Trump, it marked one year since an assassin's bullet grazed his ear and changed the course of American politics. He spent the occasion hanging out with Murdoch, former NFL star Tom Brady and FIFA's ghoulish president-cum-Dr Evil lookalike Gianni Infantino. Expect a repeat experience next year when the United States co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with trade war enemies Canada and Mexico.
Sky News AU
03-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Winemaker releases alluring set of Barossa drops with 'the full Penfolds treatment'
Jason Barrette is the only winemaker I know who can launch a surface to air missile. The former Army veteran who walks with a limp has released an alluring set of Barossa wines made unashamedly in the Penfolds style. The release is under 56-year-old Barrette's own label, Camino Wines. His first foray into winemaking began at Magill Estate in Adelaide at the spiritual home of Penfolds. Under the tutelage of Penfolds winemaking commander-in-chief Peter Gago, Barrette rose to be a senior winemaker handling the A grade fruit and assisting Mr Gago in making top-tier wines like Grange, St Henri and Bin 707 while being in charge of the cellar reserve range. 'Gago was my boss and my mentor and became a great friend,' Mr Barrette said. He said Mr Gago was a stickler for detail and had an enormous capacity for work. Some mistakenly regard Mr Gago as a mere figurehead because of his frequent globetrotting to host dinners and show wine to critics in key markets in Europe, the US and Hong Kong. Even some within his own company Treasury Wine Estates saw Mr Gago as a figurehead, even though he was hands-on during all phases of the winemaking, Mr Barrette said. He remembers he once went to the winery at 11.30pm after a long flight because he was excited to taste the new ferments. 'During vintage he is at the winery at 5am. He is at work before anyone and the last to leave. 'Although he does a lot of travelling, he is always down there to taste when the grapes come. 'We tasted twice a day. 'With Peter I learnt more in my first 12 months at Penfolds than I did in four years at university. The passion he has for Penfolds runs through his veins. 'Gago is one of the top five winemakers in the world. What he does for the Australian wine industry is amazing. He elevates everyone's wine in the eyes of the world.' Mr Barrette said Camino was the culmination of 20 years of winemaking in Europe, the US and Canada. 'Camino is a celebration of every vineyard I've worked in, every lesson I've learned, and every story I've had the privilege to tell,' he adds. His first collection features seven wines, including 2024 Barossa Valley Tempranillo, 2024 Adelaide Hills Grüner Veltliner, 2024 Barossa Valley Grenache Blanc de Noir, 2023 Adelaide Hills HSV Chardonnay, 2023 Centenary Vines Barossa Valley Grenache, 2023 Barossa Valley Grenache Rosé, and the flagship 2021 Paradigm Vineyard Marananga Shiraz. The flagship Camino 2021 Paradigm Vineyard Marananga Shiraz makes a bold statement about where Barrette sees his new venture. It's a powerful yet poised Shiraz from 80 to 100-year-old vines in the heart of Marananga. It's next door to Torbreck's famed Laird vineyard. His leading wine shows a marriage of dark plums, dried herbs and spice on the nose with underlying cedary oak. The palate is plush, generous, and structured, finishing long with earthy ironstone notes. 'It's had the full Penfolds treatment,' he said. The fruit is picked at optimum ripeness, and he chose AP John Coopers American oak barrels to store it. And Mr Gago would approve. 'I've had a lot of experience working with fruit from Marananga. 'When I was at Penfolds and later at Paulmara Estates and now with my own brand.' Mr Barrette was an air defence artillery specialist in the Army. 'I'm a World War I buff and went backpacking with a group of my Army mates to Gallipoli and the Western Front. In Europe I fell in love with the food and wine culture. 'Later I had a serious training accident when I fell from a great height at Woodside (Army base in South Australia) and ended up with a 12-inch plate and 13 screws in my leg. 'Twenty operations later there was less opportunity for me to deploy on active service.' Injury sidelined him from the second Gulf War. He quit the Army and a week later went straight to Adelaide University to study winemaking.
West Australian
24-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Treasury Wine Estates warns of weaker performance from money-maker Penfolds
Treasury Wine Estates has warned investors to expect a weaker performance from its flagship Penfolds label as it spends up big on marketing to re-establish its presence in China while sales in the US falter. In an investor update to the market on Tuesday, the company said it now expects earnings for Penfolds in 2025-26 to record low to mid double-digit growth — down from a previous forecast of about 15 per cent. It is still expected to make up the lion's share of earnings. 'Following the focus on re-building distribution in China through F25, customer inventory holdings across several of Penfolds' other key markets are below historic levels while depletions remain strong, most notably throughout the rest of Asia,' the update said. 'This is expected to support the delivery of Penfolds' global growth expectations in F26.' For its Treasury Americas division, TWE said economic uncertainty and weaker consumer demand had been reflected in declining wine consumption trends across key sales channels throughout the second half of the current financial year, a softer market more pronounced at the below $US15 ($23) price points. The company also revealed a new operating structure to take effect from July 1 that will pour its budget-friendly offerings — including Speaking Pig, 19 Crimes, Wynns, Lindmans, Blossom Hill and Wolf Blass — into a new division called Treasury Collective. TWE also announced plans to launch an on-market share buyback for up to 5 per cent of its issued capital as part of its full-year results update in August. The update comes just weeks after the company announced it would need to find a new path into the Californian market after its local distributor said it would cease operations later this year. The shock decision by Republic National Distributing Company is a serious blow for the winemaker, with the shuttered distributor responsible for about 25 per cent of TWE's sales for its Americas division and 10 per cent of total group sales.
AU Financial Review
24-06-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Penfolds owner won't compromise on price as earnings wobble
Treasury Wine Estates has no plans to cut prices for its flagship Penfolds range, saying demand for premium wines remains solid, while blaming a weaker profit outlook on the cost of additional staff hires to boost sales. Departing chief executive Tim Ford said the company would spend an extra $10 million to expand its sales force in China – the biggest market for Penfolds, which generates almost 60 per cent of Treasury Wine's profits.
