Cover: In the October issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker, we head over to Central Otago, where one vineyard applying raw sheep’s wool undervine leads to surprising results. Delving into the world of winery equipment we uncover innovations in the Barossa, from Treasury Wine Estates’ state-of-the-art barrel handling system to Dorrien’s recently unveiled expansion. Sarah Rasheed lays out the importance of marketing strategies and Linda Blackett explores why HR policies matter for small businesses
REGULARS
6 What’s online
6 In this issue
8 Winetitles insights
18 International briefs
19 R&D at Work
42 Ask the AWRI
82 Producer Profile: Sue Hodder
83 Looking Back
83 Calendar
85 Marketplace classifieds
NEWS
7 Australian wine triumphs at China roadshow
8 NZ Winegrowers launches roadmap to 2050, aiming for emissions reduction of 90%
10 Orange Wine Region unveils cheeky new brand identity
11 New general manager of research and innovation for Wine Australia
12 Adelaide Hills turns hat trick at cool climate wine show
14 Spritz to success: Yarra Valley winemaker takes out Endeavour award for Small Supplier of the Year
15 WA shines at the 2024 Perth Royal Wine Awards
16 Duxton to sell two NSW vineyards
17 Australian Wine Research Institute nominated for international innovation award
GRAPEGROWING
24 FEATURE Selective harvesting, selectively: Why more winemakers may choose to machine harvest delicate whites
30 FEATURE Shear innovation: Unwanted wool acts as mulch to rescue suffering vines
37 FEATURE Organic chitin-based biostimulant offers potential benefits to soil and vines
40 Paraquat and diquat herbicides under review by the APVMA
WINEMAKING
48 FEATURE Equipped for success: Wineries look to the future with intended purchases of new and improved equipment
52 FEATURE Inside Dorrien Estate’s grand expansion
59 FEATURE State-of-the-art ‘barrel claw’ offers more efficient and safer cellar handling
63 FEATURE Hand-held biosensor technology adoption on the winery floor
66 Young Gun: Luck or Lauren? Peter Lehmann’s Young Gun winemaker
BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
72 “Cooperation over competition”: Cool climate wine shows exchange judges to strengthen bonds
73 Why HR policies and procedures matter
77 FEATURE The importance of a marketing strategy
79 FEATURE Digitalisation a significant driver for market success
SALES & MARKETING
80 FEATURE New light-weight bottle for prominent Clare Valley Riesling
81 Coles to trial rebranding selected liquor stores to Liquorland
New general manager of research and innovation for Wine Australia
Wine Australia has announced the promotion of Dr Paul Smith to the position of general manager of research and innovation.
Dr Smith was previously Wine Australia’s senior research and innovation program manager and replaced Dr Liz Waters who was recently promoted to chief operating officer.
In his new role, Dr Smith will have oversight of co-investment of industry and Commonwealth funding into research, development and adoption activities to benefit Australia’s grapegrowers and winemakers.
“I am excited to bring my experience in leading research projects, teams and managing a portfolio of complementary projects to this role,” said Dr Smith. “I’m particularly passionate about maximising the innovation aspects of the investments we make by realising value from the research that forms a foundation for practical, profitable
Dr Paul Smith
outcomes for the Australian grape and wine community.”
Dr Smith joined the Wine Australia team in 2017, taking a critical role in the research and innovation portfolio after a 14-year tenure with the Australian
Wine Research Institute where he managed teams of grape and wine researchers.
Prior to this he completed postdoctoral research at CSIRO Molecular Science and the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Flinders University. Dr Smith has a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Flinders University.
Wine Australia CEO Dr Martin Cole said he was “delighted” to announce Dr Smith’s new role.
“Over the past few years, Paul has been instrumental in guiding continued advancement of the research and innovation responses to the critical issues identified by the sector,” said Dr Cole.
“His leadership within Wine Australia’s team will be important to delivering valuable outcomes to levy payers across the breadth of R&I priorities and ensuring that these outcomes are adopted in the practices along the sector’s value chain.”
Yarra Valley winery takes to the sky’s global stage with Qantas partnership
Yarra Valley winery Hirsch Hill has announced a major supply partnership with Qantas Airlines, a collaboration that the winery said marks a significant milestone as the business undergoes a “considerable growth phase”.
A selection from Hirsch Hill’s ‘Toolangi’ range is now available on an array of domestic and international flights, in select Qantas lounges worldwide and for purchase through the Qantas Epicure Wine Club; exposing the Hirsch Hill brand to millions of passengers who travel with the airline each year.
Hirsch Hill was founded by brothers Jack and Eddie Hirsch over 30 years ago, but has seen exponential growth in the last few years as the winery has expanded into Hirsch Wine Group, providing endto-end processing facilities for other Yarra Valley winemakers. As demand
for these services continue to increase, the group has looked to expand further, recently purchasing a local chicken farm that will undergo extensive renovations, transforming the existing sheds.
The Qantas partnership marks the beginning of “exciting announcements, signalling expansion ahead”.
According to Hirsch Wine Group general manager, Ben Hirsch, the Qantas deal is the next logical step for the brand.
“This partnership with Qantas is a natural alignment and a hugely exciting opportunity to continue our growth and engage domestic and international travellers who are yet to experience our premium, Yarra Valley wine,” said Hirsch.
“Qantas is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most iconic brands, instantly recognisable around the world as a pillar of quality, so of course, it’s fantastic affirmation for our business to reach this deal and work with an industry leader such as Qantas.”
“Hard work, dedication, and a ‘no shortcuts’ philosophy” are attributed as forming the backbone of Hirsch Hill – a legacy now led by Ben Hirsch and supported by chief winemaker Peter Mackey.
“Hirsch Hill not only showcases the best in Yarra Valley winemaking but also shares a piece of Australian heritage with their audience,” said Mackey. “Each bottle reflects the passion and craftsmanship that have defined the Hirsch family’s journey, offering a true taste of Australia’s vibrant wine culture.”
Selective harvesting, selectively
Why more winemakers may choose to machine harvest delicate whites
Machine harvesting has long been a viable option for winemakers harvesting red varieties due to its efficiencies where both time and cost are considered. Recent developments in the on-board processing capabilities of selective harvesters, combined with increasing cost pressures and labour shortages may also be leading to a rise in the popularity and prevalence of machine harvesting for white varieties. Although historically more delicate whites have been the last considered for mechanical harvesting, with rising temperatures putting whites at higher risk of oxidising and hand-pickers at higher risk of overheating, perhaps there is an argument for the timeliness and efficiency of machine processing for such varieties.
The new ‘normal’ vintage Kerri Thompson is the winemaker at Skillogalee in the Clare Valley, where she is in charge of giving the picking
order. Having worked in the Clare Valley for 26 years, Thompson said she has noticed a shift in the vintage pattern— although no two vintages are the same,
Thompson recalled that the busy period of harvest used to fall in mid-March, often continuing through until the end of April.
Mechanical Harvesters
Winery Equipment
Inside Dorrien Estate’s grand expansion
In July of 2021, Endeavour announced to the public that it was planning a mammoth expansion of its Dorrien Estate winery facilities, after the company separated from the Woolworths Group at the onset of the same month. Located in Tanunda, part of South Australia’s Barossa Valley, the winery renovation planned to increase its production capabilities, although the extent of the expansion was not specified.
In August this year, as part of the Wine Eng Conference 2024, guests were given a first look at the winery’s stateof-the-art operations during a tour of Dorrien Estate’s newly renovated facilities in the Barossa.
Construction finished up in January this year, with the build pushed full throttle to ensure that the finishing touches were
complete before red grapes arrived from the 2024 vintage. After ramifications from the Covid-19 pandemic continued to affect production schedules and price expectations, the red fermentation area was polished off just in time for Dorrien Estate to process the 2024 crush. The winery has been busy ever since.
Travis Haeft, operations manager at Dorrien Estate and tour guide for the Wine Eng visitors, explained that there were at least 35 contractors working on site to ensure that the equipment was ready on time.
With the expansion of the facilities came the need to also expand the number of hands on deck, although the expansion
Hand-held biosensor technology adoption on the winery floor
Winemaker and writer Paul Le Lacheur outlines the benefits of one leading piece of tech that’s growing in its usage in Australian and New Zealand wineries.
It seems inevitable that every time we try to understand the huge volume of information regarding the latest winery biosensors which are now available, we become more overwhelmed with the sheer breadth and depth of options before us as an industry. However, this time around, it’s very clear that the time and money advantages offered by the Sentia hand-held device are with us right now. They are not the stuff of B-grade science fiction movies!
In many cases, although these technologies have already been trialled, tested and immediately adopted by some wineries, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are not exactly ‘sprinting’ to adopt them in the early stages of the life cycle of the product. Larger companies with appropriate economies of scale are the real ‘early adopters’, but they are not alone – by late 2023, around 23 per cent of wineries in Australia and New Zealand were using the Sentia analyser. There have been approximately 1.62 million SO₂ tests using the device and the figure is very similar with respect to acetic acid.
Matthew Walker-Brown is sales account manager with Grapeworks, the distribution company that has formed a representative arrangement with Sentia to supply their products. That
Winemaker Matthew Campbell conducting tests ‘at barrel’ with the Sentia device. Images courtesy of Sentia
