As predicted here a few days ago, the Hess Group has matched the A$4.00 per share being offered by Allied Domecq in the battle for Peter Lehmann Wines Ltd shares. Previously, Allied dropped the condition that it needed 51% of the company for its bid to become effective. Now it gets interesting! I am presently in the middle of a five-day stay in Adelaide where, in case you are not aware, the drinking water is not exactly as fresh as a Tasmanian mountain steam. Adelaide is significantly downstream from the large irrigation areas on the Murray River that stretch from Swan Hill in Victoria to Renmark in South Australia and beyond, which have been described at times as the ‘kidneys’ of the Murray. There was a time not so long ago when Adelaide hotels would kindly leave a bottle of mineral water in the bar fridge. This gave visitors to the city a welcome and viable alternative to the offerings of the cold tap. Sadly, things have changed, at least in the Hyatt. There’s no complimentary water in sight, but instead your room is festooned with small bottles of branded spring water, each with a A$4 price tag wrapped around their necks. If you’re not used to Adelaide water, there’s no real alternative, especially if like me you keep forgetting to buy some to bring into the room. Every little bit counts these days, doesn’t it?
