After my opening rant, I thought it was time for a beer - it's not all about wine here!

Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen – 500ml 5.0%abv Dan Murphy’s $5.00

Where does the Australian wine industry stand right now?

A few current climatic conditions: the dollar is as high as a kite, Foster’s Group and Constellation Brands are in tears over the rate of tax on imported wine in the UK, the threat looms of a volumetric tax replacing the current system based on value, making cask wine economically unviable, thus introducing another 200 million litres of modest wine to the stockpile.

In addition it now seems there will be a push by our two beloved supermarket bullies, Coles and Woolworths, to move into wine production.