Grapegrower & Winemaker - November 2016

NOVEMBER 2016

Helicopter in the vineyard: Aerial spray solution Analysing your export approach

Sustainable solarpowered wineries

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contents features 47

Irrigation

68

Filtration

73

Oak

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Tanks & Wine Storage

NOVEMBER 2016

Helicopter in the vineyard: Aerial spray solution Analysing your export approach

Sustainable solarpowered wineries

COVER Spring 2016 was the season for getting bogged in the vineyard. In some regions the access issues overlapped the important early-season spray application window.

But help was available in the form of a helicopter.

news

grapegrowing

From the editor .........................................7

The helicopter in the vineyard:.................21

More rumours of Twitter’s death

Aerial spray application solution

New awards make an impact ...................8

Replanting and reworking: .....................24 Winning solutions for Wynns

8

On an elevated stage: Queensland’s Granite Belt ....................... 31 Young Gun: Rachel Steer .........................37 Finding her feet after the storm

Steve Pannell’s new project – as a vineyard owner ............................45 45

On the grapevine ................................... 12 Movers & Shakers...................................14 Regional Roundup: Canberra...................16

regulars 6 What’s online 17 Australian Vignerons:

The Australian Winegrower

82 Ask the AWRI 4 Grapegrower & Winemaker

87 Grapegrower of the month 88 Calendar 89 Marketplace classifieds

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

November 2016: Issue 634 winemaking

business & technology

Analysing your export approach .............50

Managing your social media: .................77

Two striking reds: Claymore and Ian Rush ...........................54

Engagement and sales influence

Consumer concerns: preservatives in wine ..............................56

Sustainable solar-powered wineries .........78 78

Wills and estate planning in private wine and vineyard enterprises.................60 Succession planning: ...............................62 Wine brands in family hands

People & Places: The Artisans of Australian Wine ..............66

sales & marketing

66

Ask the AWRI: Wine consumption and brain health ........82

Fortified’s fresh look ..........83 Peter Dredge and Dr Edge ......................84 Prosecco now a fashion accessory ...........86

PUBLISHER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Hartley Higgins

PRODUCTION Simon Miles

GENERAL MANAGER Elizabeth Bouzoudis

CIRCULATION: Melissa Smithen subs@winetitles.com.au

EDITOR Nathan Gogoll editor@grapeandwine.com.au EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Denis Gastin, Dr Steve Goodman, Dr Terry Lee, Paul van der Lee, Bob Campbell MW, Prof Dennis Taylor, Mary Retallack and Corrina Wright EDITORIAL Daniel Whyntie journalist@winetitles.com.au ADVERTISING SALES Maria Stephenson sales@grapeandwine.com.au November 2016 – Issue 634

WINETITLES MEDIA ABN 85 085 551 980 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9500 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 info@winetitles.com.au www.winetitles.com.au @Grape_and_Wine Printing by Lane Print Group, Adelaide © Contents copyright Winetitles Media 2014.

All Rights Reserved.

Print Post Approved PP535806/0019 Articles published in this issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker may also appear in full or as extracts on our website.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

5

your say what’s Never mind the politics ONLINE Yealands solar installation The Yealands Wine Group has put up New Zealand’s largest solar panel installation at its vineyard in Marlborough as it reinforces its claim to be the most sustainable winery in the world.

The new investment in renewable energy means that Yealands is now capable of generating equivalent to powering 86 New Zealand homes.

Nevertheless, the installation does not mean that Yealands is self-sufficient: the solar panels will generate 30 per cent of the power necessary for winemaking, reports Harpers.

Marlborough sub regions Marlborough has achieved global success with its Sauvignon Blanc, but producers should be working harder to communicate sub regional differences rather than blending across the region, believes one winemaker.

Winemaker Matt Thomson suggested, that a DOC-like system, specific to different sub regions of Marlborough, could benefit the industry, reports the Drinks Business.

World wine output at four-year low Global wine production is expected to fall this year to its lowest since 2012, chiefly due to adverse weather that sharply cut output in France and South America, wine body OIV estimated on Thursday.

Global wine output is set to decrease by five percent compared with last year to 259.5 million hectolitres (mhl), one of the three smallest volumes since 2000, reports Reuters.

Daily Wine News is a snapshot of wine business, research and marketing content gleaned from international wine media sources, with a focus on Australian news and content. To subscribe visit www.winetitles.com.au/dwn.

6 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Despite (or perhaps because of) the most extraordinary White House race in decades, Americans are drinking more wine, and spending more on it. Richard Halstead, the Wine Intelligence co-founder and chief operating officer, provides some US insight.

IT’S DIFFICULT TO KNOW YET whether the apparent transformation of the US presidential election campaign into a version of a reality TV gameshow is having any effect on the wider American economy.

However, judging from a recent spell of fieldwork in the US wine retail sector, the recent television theatre of the Trump v Clinton television debates appear to be boosting Americans’ consumption of wine – though it’s not clear whether they are drinking in celebration of such a dramatic contest or drowning their sorrows at the lack of substantive policy debate.

The televised showdowns between the presidential candidates have been a ratings phenomenon, with the first and third debates drawing 83 million and 72 million viewers respectively.

Many of the viewers used the debates as an excuse for social gatherings, swelling the takings of liquor store owners in a crucial early autumn period prior to the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush which does not normally have a strong marquee event of its own.

Away from the politics-related social drinking, the American wine market remains in remarkably good shape. The various measures of volume and value available show that the US is consuming more wine than ever before, and spending more on it.

According to our upcoming US Landscapes report (due out in early November) American consumers appear to be diversifying their varietal tastes away from the traditional Chardonnay/ Merlot axis.

While those two varietals still lead the pack in terms of usage rates, Chardonnay has fallen from 58% usage in 2014 to 48% today, and Merlot has seen similar decline in its audience.

At the same time a small but growing niche of Americans are being turned on to varietals such as Albarino and Verdejo in whites, and Sangiovese and Carmenere in reds.

The sparkling wine market is also moving into undiscovered territory. In 2015 Americans drank nearly 20 million www.winetitles.com.au

Away from the politics-related social drinking, the American wine market remains in remarkably good shape. The various measures of volume and value available show that the US is consuming more wine than ever before, and spending more on it. cases of sparkling, up from 16 million in 2010 and 14 million cases in 2005.

Almost all of the growth has accrued to imported sparkling, and the lion’s share of this has gone to Italian Prosecco.

It’s got to the point where a number of influential market observers are talking about sparkling wine being an ‘everyday’ drink for several million US drinkers, supplanting still wine both before and with meals.

It is not all good news though. Our tracking data is showing a small decline in involvement (the extent to which consumers care about the category), while average spend by occasion is flat or slightly down.

Of particular concern will be the decline in informal food-led on-premise occasions, where the preponderance of exciting drinks in adjacent categories – craft beer, cocktails, and now craft cider – are eroding wine’s traditional dominance in this area.

You can find out more with Wine Intelligence’s US Specialist & Independent Retail report, visit: wineintelligence.com

November 2016 – Issue 634

from the editor

Nathan Gogoll Editor

More rumours of Twitter’s death I’VE BEEN WONDERING whether the Twitter founders feel a bit like Alfred Nobel who, if you believe the story, created the Nobel Prizes after reading his own obituary.

There seems to have been plenty of people willing to call it… Twitter is dead… apparently. (Of course, Paul Smart had all this covered just a couple months back when he looked at the decline in Twitter engagement around wine industry events.)

I’ve been interested in this social media platform, without obsessing over it, since I started out in April 2010. It had a work account I was running from an old Mac. No smartphone action, not many photos, not a lot of interaction and not a very interesting effort, to be honest.

But as an industry journalist it was a valuable tool for me, because wineries and wine communicators had already jumped on board. And because a lot of the interaction was in-house banter (still often is, to he honest).

People were sharing what they were up to in the winery and celebrating their success (whether that was a positive review or a new distribution deal), but it was generally being broadcast to a bunch of industry mates who were happy to offer a backslap in the form of a ‘like’ or a ‘retweet’. I remember watching the Teusner Wines account (then being driven by Dave Brooks) and thinking every winery was going to need somebody matching that level of involvement.

Even when there wasn’t much to report, the Teusner account still managed to give you a Barossa weather forecast and a comment on interesting cloud formations. Simple stuff, done well.

These were the days before notifications flashed up on your phone (or at least, before I used Twitter on my phone or knew anything about notifications).

Being a bit quicker to work out to the best way to communicate through the platform gave Tuesner an advantage… and attracted a big number of followers (still an envious 13,500).

But has part of the reason for the November 2016 – Issue 634

so-called demise of Twitter come about because people are too focused on the numbers? If I look at what I’m doing with the magazine account I have to admit I’m guilty of looking at the total number of followers, rather than the engagement rates, when I try to work out whether there’s any real value.

It’s all good when you first create your account, because your follower numbers rise steadily and every extra one boosts your connection into this digital community. However, I think the early growth in follower numbers often distracts from the actual engagement level.

But if you look at your follower number and compare it to similar accounts, you only get a snapshot... not the whole picture.

Yalumba – 13,100 Twitter followers Penfolds – 18,000 followers Holden – 20,700 followers Target Australia – 21,600 followers Jimmy Barnes – 64,800 followers The Age newspaper – 711,500 followers Today, I can look at the analytics for the Grapegrower & Winemaker Twitter account and see about one-third of my posts get an ‘engagement rate’ of less than two per cent. It’s actually quite rare that I do anything interesting enough to push above 10 per cent.

I can also see across the 12 months to the end of September, my tweets averaged almost 10,000 impressions per month.

But the trouble is… I don’t get to compare these numbers with any other accounts.

And I’m also not sure it really matters for the way I use Twitter – as an information source and a way to connect with as many people inside the industry as possible.

Perhaps I would have to pay much more attention if I was using Twitter more as a method to drive subscriptions, or as a bonus content outlet for our advertising partners. But at the moment it’s a more of a social interaction that keeps me in touch with people right across Australia and New Zealand. www.winetitles.com.au

If you are running a personal account for social reasons, the rest of this column probably isn’t going to be much help. But if you’re running a work account then I reckon you’d better keep concentrating… because something happened late in October that made me take a different look at the value of a Twitter.

I noticed a strange re-tweet in my news feed from what I thought was the Hay Shed Hill winery account.

When I asked the rest of the editorial team if they had seen the same thing, I discovered there was a ‘real’ account @HayShedHill as well as a fake, a rip-off, @HayShedHIll (the only difference being a lower case ‘i’ and an upper case one).

The real account has a similar looking set of numbers to our magazine account, yet this level of interaction was obviously seen as influential enough for somebody to replicate and use for ‘click-bait’.

I have to assume there was money changing hands, or else why bother with the fake account?

It would not have been a pleasant way for Hay Shed Hill to find out how valuable its Twitter presence had become.

However, as stressful as the discovery must have been, Twitter had removed any reference to the fake account within a few hours.

Because it wasn’t my account caught up, I’ve been able to see the silver lining… if online scammers were able to capitalise on a fake Margaret River wine account, it reaffirmed a couple of things: • There is real value in a legitimate wine business Twitter account; and • There must surely be ways for the legitimate account to create more value from the platform.

I encourage people running their business account to recognise the first point and try and work out how to how to make the second point a reality.

And to get you started, you should turn straight to Page 77 and read Lynda Schenk’s 10 tips to help you get serious about social media.

Enjoy the read.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

7

news

New awards make an impact THE NEW AWARDS of the Wine Industry Suppliers Australia (WISA) were handed out across six categories at an event that attracted a big crowd to the National Wine Centre in October.

The ‘Wine Industry Impact Awards’ (awarded in grapegrowing; winemaking; packaging; distribution and logistics; marketing and communications; and tourism categories) replaced the WISA ‘Supplier of the Year’ program, highlighting engagement between suppliers and their clients and attracted 22 nominations.

The judging process short-listed 12 finalists, and the category award winners were: • Eco Trellis and Byrne Vineyards (Grapegrowing); • Seeley International (Winemaking); • Blue H2O Filtration and Vinpac International (Packaging); • Wineworks Australia (Distribution & Logistics); • Bottle Shop Concepts (Marketing & Communications); and • Getaways SA (Tourism).

More than 300 industry leaders from right across the viticulture and wine value chain attended the awards presentation, which was hosted by Corrina Wright from Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards.

CATEGORY WINNERS Grapegrowing: Eco Trellis and Byrne Vineyards combined in a commitment to cost savings and environmental benefits with the introduction of eco-friendly steel posts, clips and strainers that minimise vineyard maintenance and repair requirements.

Judges comments: “With significant infrastructure investment and the time required to change practices in the vineyard, it is important to deliver solutions that can be easily integrated into existing systems. This allows improved outcomes for growers, especially considering the levels of economic activity they add to the regions in which they operate.”

Winemaking: Seeley International took the honours with its Climate Wizard CW-80 indirect evaporative cooling technology to maintain ideal conditions in barrel halls, thereby reducing excessive evaporation of wine.

The technology delivers direct benefits

8 Grapegrower & Winemaker

David Evans, WISA chair and Scholle IPN development manager.

in terms of environmental outcomes and cost savings in the wine maturation process.

Judges comments: “Winemakers are often challenged by environmental and climatic issues from the vineyard through to the finished product. Wine producers also operate in a highly competitive market place and they need to continually improve quality while remaining pragmatic on costs.”

Packaging: An innovative partnership between Blue H2O Filtration and specialist wine packager Vinpac International saw the companies take out the Packaging award.

They collaborated on the introduction and validation of a reliable and userfriendly apparatus that is semi-automated and provides more information than traditional technology for bottling filtration processes.

The novel filterability system has been adopted by other wineries and packaging facilities in Australia while also generating international interest.

Judges comments: “A clever and sophisticated approach to a problem by looking at it from a completely different and non-traditional perspective.”

Distribution & Logistics: Wineworks Australia was recognised for a specialist focus on the total logistics requirements across the full product cycle of wine production. This expertise has resulted in lower capital and labour costs and higher levels of customer service, particularly allowing smaller to medium sized wine manufacturers to operate at levels commensurate to those of larger national and global companies. www.winetitles.com.au

The judges noted Wineworks Australia delivered outstanding distribution and logistics applications to improve the capability and competitiveness of their Australian customers.

Marketing & Communications: Bottle Shop Concepts earned this award for its approach to creating memorable consumer experiences that are fun and engaging. In their carefully researched, planned and packaged events, Bottle Shop Concepts play a significant role in introducing new wine drinkers to Australian brands to add value to the industry.

Judges comments: “An ongoing challenge for wine producers is finding ways to build their brand and to connect directly with consumers. Cutting through the clutter and noise to build brand awareness is critical.”

Tourism: SA was honoured as a tourism provider delivering quality, tailored experiences for visitors to South Australia’s wine regions. The company has demonstrated exceptional marketing skills and innovation in the support of customers while strengthening partnerships with wineries.

Judges comments: “Wine tourism in Australia is undergoing a significant shift from being production focussed to consumer centric. Consumers are venturing to regions and cellar doors through event led experiences. The integration of food and complementary tourism products, such as tours and associated accommodation, are adding competitiveness and capability to wine producers.”

November 2016 – Issue 634

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news Partner Update

SIMEI is warming up its engines.

The international event of reference for wine technology is becoming increasingly global The 27th edition of the International Trade Fair for Winemaking and Bottling Technology will be held from 11th to 15th September 2017 in Munich as part of an internationalisation project alongside drinktec.

The organisers of SIMEI, the world’s leading event for winemaking and bottling machinery and equipment organised by the Unione Italiana Vini since 1963, are already working on the 27th edition, which will take place from 11th to 15th September 2017 in Munich, Germany. The key words, as always, will be innovation and technology.

Numerous innovations on the agenda, starting with the location. In 2017, the event will move from Italy, where it will return in 2019, to Germany, to forge a fruitful and mutual synergy with drinktec, the international trade fair for beverage and liquid food industry equipment. This union, which enhances the complementarity of the two events, creates a unique platform that crosses both sectors, offering operators and visitors the best of technology all round. SIMEI will also be implementing the proposals of drinktec, creating a unique and specialised centre for the wine sector covering over 20 thousand square metres. As is customary, it will gather the best operators for wine technology who will be exhibiting machines and equipment for the production, conditioning, storage, bottling and packaging of wine, spanning from logistics to services.

“This agreement between the Unione Italiana Vini and Munich Exhibition Centre – Antonio Rallo, Chairman of the Unione Italiana Vini, explained - is part of an internationalisation project and stems from the need to offer advantages to users from both worlds, SIMEI and drinktec, creating synergies of obvious interest. Our regular operators will have a new pole to explore different markets and other sectors of the beverage industry, thereby reaching new visitors and buyers. The public and drinktec operators will therefore meet our operators that have always stood out in the field of wine technology.

SIMEI will return to Italy in 2019 with the idea of repea-

AWAITING SIMEI 2017

USEFUL INFORMATION DATES 11-15 September 2017 PLACE Munich, Germany – Messe München Exhibition Centre PARTICIPATION • exhibitors: complete the form and follow the instructions in the section “2017 application form” on the official site www.simei.it/en or apply online on www.drinktec.com/ simei • visitors: information in the section “Visitors” on the official site www.simei.it/en ting this partnership, strengthening its potential, always looking for the best solutions for companies”.

SIMEI has always been the only international point of reference dedicated to operators and companies in the wine sector. This role was confirmed in 2015 by the presence of top international players and several delegations of buyers visiting from the US, Australia, Chile, Spain, Brazil and Tunisia. The growing number of visitors to the last edition, held as usual in the Fiera Rho exhibition centre in Milan, Italy, provides further confirmation thereof.

Here, 31,000 professional trade visitors from 90 countries came together with over 600 high profile exhibiting companies.

Once again, therefore, SIMEI will be a high profile international event both in terms of technology and training, with a very diverse and complete range of products and events able to show operators, visitors and the world market the best that the industry has to offer.

The Simei Road Show begins. You will find us at: China Brew & Beverage: Shanghai, 11-14 October 2016 Braubeviale: Nuremberg, 8-10 November 2016 Intervitis: Stuttgart, 27-30 November 2016 Vinitech: Bordeaux, 29 Nov-1 December 2016 Enomaq: Saragozza, 14-17 February 2017

ADVOCACY

London Wine Fair: London, 22-24 May 2017

10 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

ADVOCACY

ADVOCACY

WORLD LEADER IN WINE TECHNOLOGY

27TH EDITION INTERNATIONAL ENOLOGICAL AND BOTTLING EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION

ORGANIZED BY

11th-15th September 2017 Messe München - Germany

SUPPORTED BY

www.simei.it www.drinktec.com/simei

on the grapevine $10,000 Tasmanian viticulture fellowship announced

Fran Austin

FRAN AUSTIN of Delamere Vineyards has been announced as the sixth recipient of the $10,000 Dr Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Award, presented by the Alcorso Foundation.

Austin will undertake a study tour of

Champagne to investigate the vineyard, winemaking and marketing practices of this benchmark sparkling wine region.

In particular, Austin will explore the specific economic a nd environ mental sustainability of Champagne growers/ producers and the relationship they have with Champagne Houses.

These relevant learnings will be shared with the diversity of Tasmanian sparkling wine business and production models in Tasmania. Potential linkages between Tasmania and Champagne will also be explored during the travel.

Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies welcomed the announcement of Austin as the 2016 Don Martin Fellowship recipient.

“The Alcorso Foundation has instigated this valuable program to support the development of individual wine professionals and, through them,

the broader Tasmanian wine sector,” Davies said.

“With sparkling wine representing a third of Tasmania’s wine, this is key area of focus for the sector and the insights Fran obtains from Champagne are expected to be of particular relevance to Tasmania’s sparkling wine producers.”

The $10,000 Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Fellowship was initiated by the Alcorso Foundation to commemorate influential Tasmanian viticulturist, Dr Don Martin. The Alcorso Foundation has partnered with the state’s peak wine sector body, Wine Tasmania, to deliver this Fellowship.

The Fellowship is available to Tasmanian-based wine professionals to encourage research via study-based travel or new localised research projects across viticulture / oenology that benefits the broader sector.

A farewell to a founder: The Family of Twelve’s Richard Riddiford has died RICHARD RIDDIFORD, one of The Family of Twelve’s founding members and first chairman, has died.

Riddiford helped put the Martinborough region on the world wine map and spent twenty five years

nurturing Palliser Estate into a worldclass producer.

He led industry initiatives including

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Toast Martinborough and his brain-child Wellington’s highly respected Pinot Noir conferences.

For his outstanding contribution he was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000 and in 2010 was inducted into the NZ Wine Hall of Fame and last year was inducted as a Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers.

Clive Weston of Nautilus Estate, who knew Riddiford for 26 years, described him as, “a visionary, a straight-shooter, and very modest”.

“He achieved a great deal, but never

bragged about it. He earned a lot of respect,” Weston said.

The Family of Twelve said Riddiford would be missed, but his legacy will live on in every vintage and at every Family gathering.

Riddiford had the vision and passion to see that as a family the grouping could be strong, different and above all enduring.

Riddiford was passionate about wine, people, about Martinborough, Palliser and his beloved dogs.

The Family’s new chair Judy Finn of

Neudorf Vineyards is settling in well to her new role since taking the reins in August as the group’s first ever woman chair.

Finn has been a driving force in the evolution of New Zealand’s quality wine industry and a true pioneer in Nelson.

On accepting the chairship Judy commented that, “the joy of being part of this group is the camaraderie, the viticultural and oenological intelligence and best of all, the sharing of a memorable story over a glass”. The role of chair is rotated periodically.

Giesen Wines awarded world’s best Pinot Noir GIESEN WINES has been awarded the Champion Pinot Noir Trophy at the highly respected 2016 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), in the UK. Together with the Pinot Noir Trophy, Giesen Single Vineyard Ridge Block Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 also won an Outstanding Gold medal. IWSC awarded only two Outstanding Gold medals and only one Gold medal – all of which went to New Zealand Pinot Noir.

This is the second consecutive year that a New Zealand wine has won the IWSC’s Pinot Noir Trophy (formerly known as the Bouchard Finlayson Trophy) amid fierce competition from 90 winemaking countries.

Now in its 47th year, the IWSC was the first competition of its kind, set up to seek out and reward the world’s best wines. The competition is known for the formidable reputation of its judging process that takes seven months.

Marcel Giesen, who co-owns Giesen Wines with brothers Theo and Alex, says the win is hugely exciting for the family and is testament to a decision seven years ago to replant the Ridge Block vineyard.

“It brings great pleasure to our family and the Giesen team. There’s always a lot

of talk about awards and trophies but this one is the ultimate for us so far and really makes us sit back and think how far we have come. We’re absolutely thrilled.”

It is the third time in a decade that the Marlborough region has won the IWSC champion Pinot Noir trophy (also in 2006 and 2007).

The Giesen owned organic Ridge Block vineyard was a low performing Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vineyard, but a consultant French soil expert advised Giesen Wines that the vineyard’s soil was best suited to Pinot Noir and Syrah.

In late 2008 Giesen ripped out the 8.5 hectares block and left the land fallow for a year. Ridge Block was replanted in high density 1.5 metre rows as a wholly organic, Pinot Noir and Syrah vineyard.

Today it has 40,000 vines, instead of the former 20,000.

“This high density planting creates intense competition that pushes the vines deeper into the soil to find nutrients and water. Such competition naturally reduces crop sizes. Along with our active thinning of fruit yields, this results in flavour intensity, structure and complexity,” Giesen said.

“Everyone thought that we were crazy

pulling out Sauvignon Blanc… we even questioned it a few times and it was a hugely expensive project.

“The careful planning in the establishment of Ridge Block has resulted in the balanced growth of the vines that can sometimes take years to manage. The wines from this young vineyard already show depth and structure unexpected in vines so youthful and we’re excited to see how it develops over the coming years.”

Levantine Hill Estate flying high with Qantas Levantine Hill Estate’s wines have been chosen by Qantas to be served at their most exclusive lounges across Australia – including its first and business international lounges.

The news comes on the back of recently being served inflight in the first and business international cabins with Qantas.

“We are proud to have our wines now being served by our national carrier in their lounges and inflight.

The magnificent surroundings of Qantas lounges and their relaxed and November 2016 – Issue 634

welcoming environment is the perfect chance for travellers to experience and enjoy our wines,” said Samantha Jreissati, Levantine Hill Estate managing director.

“It was particularly pleasing to be associated with an iconic Australian brand like Qantas. We are proud of our commitment to excellence which we benchmark against the best in the world and now it’s wonderful to be working closely with a global leader in the aviation industry which is so proud to support Australian wines.” www.winetitles.com.au

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movers & shakers Sileni Estates appoints new chief executive officer SILENI ESTATES has announced the appointment of CEO Nigel Avery to lead the New Zealand winery.

Nigel Avery has recently returned to New Zealand from the United States and his role as CEO of Sileni Estates’ US operations. He has been involved in the family business in various capacities since its inception in 1997, but joined full time in 2008 as General Manager of New Zealand and Asia.

Sileni President, Sir Graeme Avery, says Nigel has significant experience across the wine industry and brings a valuable mix of leadership, strategic skills and financial experience to the role.

“These characteristics and Nigel’s experience within the business make him the perfect candidate to lead the next phase of our growth strategy. I’m confident the business will continue to flourish under his leadership,” Avery said.

A qualified accountant, Nigel has also had a colourful sporting career. He represented New Zealand in track and field,

bobsleigh and weightlifting, competing as part of the Olympic weightlifting team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and winning two Gold and a Silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to build on the success that Sir Graeme and the team have achieved to-date. Under his leadership the company has grown from a production of 4,000 cases in 1998, to more than 750,000 cases today, exporting to more than 80 markets around the world,” Avery said.

Sir Graeme says he’s delighted to have his family involved in the continued success of the business with both sons, Nigel and Simon, in management positions within the company.

“Nigel has been a key member of the team since we began and is perfectly positioned to lead us forward and manage our daily operational requirements.

“I will continue in the role of president, focused on the strategic direction of the company and new business development opportunities.”

Nic Bourke appointed as winemaker at Hugh Hamilton Wines

HUGH HAMILTON WINES have announced that talented winemaker Nic Bourke has joined the team.

Nic brings to the team experience and passion and his appointment reflects the importance Hugh Hamilton Wines

place on the never ending quest for outstanding, quality wines.

The Hamilton family has the longest continual presence of grape growing and winemaking in the country and 2017 marks the 180th anniversary of the Hamilton’s arrival in SA. “Nic Bourke is one of the most passionate winemakers I have met, which is why he will fit in well here – if you’re not fired up and into thriving outside the square, the relationship won’t last,” said Mary Hamilton CEO, and sixth generation of the Hamilton family.

Bourke studied winemaking at the University of Adelaide but is adamant that the real learning happened under the tutelage of several world class winemakers in McLaren Vale.

“I choose to work in McLaren Vale because I believe that it is the best wine region in the world,” Bourke said.

“I am extremely privileged to now work with fruit from the Hamilton vineyards, some of the best vineyards in the region.”

Natalie Fryar joins Kreglinger Wine Estates HIGHLY COVETED sparkling winemaker Natalie Fryar has joined forces with premium winemaker Kreglinger Wine Estates as Sparkling Winemaker.

She’ll be charged with overseeing the sparkling program including the Ninth Island, Pipers Brook and the Kreglinger brands.

“I’m so excited to be working with some of the best sparkling fruit in Australia found right here on the estate at Pipers Brook,” Fryar said.

“It will be my honour and challenge to oversee the sparkling program and from what I’ve experienced already wine lovers are in for a real treat with our upcoming releases.”

There’s been plenty of hype surrounding Tasmanian wine in recent years, and Fryar said this will only continue to grow.

“The rise of the national and international reputation of Tasmanian sparkling wine and the growth in market share for Tasmanian sparkling wine is proof that it matches it with the

very best in the world,” Fryar said.

“And it’s not just the critics and sparkling wine advocates who are saying this, it’s what everyday people who really love a beautiful glass of wine are saying.”

Kreglinger Wine Estates CEO John Hosken said there were exciting times ahead.

“When it comes to winemakers, few come better credentialed than Natalie Fryar and we are thrilled she has joined the Kreglinger Wine Estates team,” Hosken said.

“Natalie’s appointment coincides with recent investment in our vineyards quality program lead by well-known viticulturist Ray Guerin.”

“We’re confident that the vineyard program and Natalie’s appointment will have an immediate and long-lasting impact on our wines and we are looking forward to showcasing our portfolio with our customers and consumers.”

Looking for more articles, visit the Grapegrower and Winemaker article archive at: www.winetitles.com.au/gwm 14 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Waimea farewells Trudy Shield and welcomes a new winemaker TRUDY SHIELD, Waimea’s long-term winemaker is set to soon retire.

“Trudy has put her heart and soul into Waimea wines for 12 and a half years and has really helped put Waimea on the map. We wish her all the best in her new lifestyle and look forward to seeing what the next chapter ahead brings her,” said Waimea’s General Manager, Ben Bolitho Hamish Kempthorne will take over as the Head Winemaker; fresh from handling winemaking duties with Giesen Wines

and Yealand’s Estate in Marlborough.

Bolitho is very pleased with the appointment of Waimea’s new Head Winemaker.

“Alongside his winemaking background and achievements (including recently winning the ‘World’s Best Pinot Noir’ at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London with his 2013 Ridge Block Pinot Noir) Hamish has a background in music, skiing, windsurfing and cycling so we suspect will fit right into the Nelson lifestyle nicely,” Bolitho said.

Hunter TAFE wines shine at wine awards HUNTER TAFE’s Intuition wine has achieved great success at the Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Show 2016, amongst a field of 315 wines.

The following wines won awards at the presentation dinner held at Crowne Plaza, Pokolbin, on Thursday night: • 2014 Intuition Hunter Valley Merlot - Gold Medal and Trophy • 2014 Intuition Hunter Valley Shiraz (not yet released) - Silver Medal • 2015 Intuition Hunter Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Bronze Medal Hunter TAFE wines have also found success in the competition in previous years, winning five trophies (Best in Class) and five gold medals in the past five years.

Institute Director of Hunter TAFE, Christine Warrington, said that the outcome was impressive given that Hunter TAFE had entered only four wines in the competition, which attracts entries from over sixty Hunter Valley vineyards.

“This tremendous result is testament to the achievements the teaching and learning staff of Hunter TAFE’s Kurri winery,

which reached its 21st anniversary this year,” she said. “This continuing achievement shows Hunter TAFE’s capability to provide winemaking theory and practical delivery that is unique in NSW. Our winemaking students should be very proud of the result.”

Winemaker, part-time teacher and technical officer in the Viticulture and Winemaking section of Hunter TAFE, Geoff Broadfield said the Diploma of Viticulture students’ passionate contribution was integral to the quality of the wine. “The students help produce these wines as part of their Diploma of Viticulture course, in two units called ‘Monitor a Winemaking Process’ and ‘Evaluate Wine’. The students’ hard-work and commitment makes mine and the other teachers’ job easy,” he said.

Domestic alcohol consumption slumps to a 50-year low IBISWORLD HAS REVEALED that in 2016-17, domestic consumption of alcohol per capita is expected to reach the lowest level for 50 years – part of a trend of consistently declining alcohol consumption that has played out over the past decade.

Beer brewers have struggled, with negligible export exposure forcing them to rely on limited domestic demand.

Meanwhile, many wine makers have found new growth as export demand for Australian wines booms, particularly in Asian markets.

Rising middle class incomes in China are also expected to contribute to strong demand growth over the next five years.

As a result, China is anticipated to overtake the United States as the largest importer of Australian wine.

IBISWorld expects per capita alcohol consumption will decrease by 0.8% over 2016-17, to 9.37 litres per capita. This trend is forecast to continue, with alcohol consumption in Australia expected to fall to 8.54 litres per capita by 2023-24, down from 10.57 litres in 1990-91.

“Domestic per capita consumption of beer, wine and spirits has slumped to a 55 year low, largely as a result of government legislation and increasing health consciousness among consumers,” said Andrew Ledovskikh, IBISWorld Senior Industry Analyst.

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Regional round up: Canberra Canberra International Riesling Challenge THE 17TH CANBERRA International Riesling Challenge featured an outstanding collection of wines from eight countries with a record number of medals awarded.

The ‘best wine’ of the 2016 Challenge was awarded to Ferngrove Wines from the Frankland River region in WA for the 2016 Off-Dry Limited Release Riesling.

Australian wines were very successful in the dry and medium dry styles Rieslings whereas Germany excelled with the sweeter styles.

Ken Helm, the Chair of the Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC), said the increased appetite and awareness

of consumers in quality Rieslings will be met with the release of these wines to the market.

“It is indeed an exciting time for Riesling across the world,” Helm said.

More than 500 Rieslings from 243 wineries and eight countries assembled in Canberra for a week of tasting, judging, master classes, seminars and the biggest consumer tasting of Rieslings in Australia.

The Challenge had record entries from Austria and Australia and the largest number of entries from Germany and the USA since 2009.

Seven Judges from Australia, the

USA and Germany led by John Belsham, assessed the wines over three days. The competition was extremely high with little evidence of faults in the wines and the dominance of clean, well-made wines made the judges’ job of differentiating the best wines even more difficult.

Chairman of Judges, John Belsham, an international winemaker of Foxes Island Wines NZ, said it is very pleasing to see winemakers taking advantage of outstanding vintages, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, and using their experience and skill to produce wines of the calibre seen in the 2016 Challenge.

Sunlight into wine... and power GALILEO ONCE SAID, ‘Wine is sunlight, held together by water’ and all winemakers’ love a bit of sunshine.

But there are new reasons to value the sun, with the development of a large solar farm on three hectares leased from the Mount Majura Vineyard.

As some of the winery’s least vineyard-suitable land, it was not being well utilised, but is now the site of Mount Majura Solar Farm, capable of generating up to a nominal 2.3 mW of power into the electricity grid.

While only five per cent of the size

of the Royalla Solar Farm south of Canberra, this one will be owned by the community, investors pledging up to $10000 each towards its construction and maintenance. So far around 400 people have registered as investors with more being welcomed.

The flagship farm is predicted to earn more than $360,000 a year in revenue from selling electricity to the energy networks, its profits shared among the project’s investors.

The solar farm will contribute to the ACT’s 100% renewable energy target,

providing 1.9 gWh of electricity each year or the equivalent amount of energy to power 250 Canberra homes.

It will house more than 5000 solar panels, mounted on ‘self-powered’ singleaxis tracking technology that maximises the sunlight intercepted, allowing the panels to follow the sun as it moves east to west through the sky.

Two important steps remain in the completion of the project. Installation of solar panels in a separate system on the winery roof to allow much of the winery’s energy needs to be met sustainably.

chairman of judges, Sebastian Crowther the head sommelier of the Rockpool Group.

“There’s a lot of new, very innovative styles getting produced all around Canberra now. It’s come a huge way and there’s an old generation which has forged a path and did such a great job but there’s a new generation now which I think is starting to produce some exciting stuff too,” Crowther said.

Crowther said while Canberra’s

signature varietals, Shiraz and Riesling, still shone at the judging, there had been a lift in the quality of other varietals such as chardonnay and pinot noir.

“I think one of the most exciting classes at the show is the alternative red varieties, these are like not the mainstream grape – your Gamay, Grenache, Tempranillo.

It’s a catch-all category that has all these really delicious, really interesting stylistic wines in them which are very exciting.”

2015 vintage still king JUDGING AT THE RECENT Canberra and Region Wine Show confirmed the strength of the 2015 vintage, with Ravensworth Wine’s 2015 Shiraz Viognier earning the ‘champion wine of the show’ award.

The show had a record breaking year with 321 entries just beating last year’s 319, which organisers say is proof that the show is growing steadily.

There were a number of local and interstate judges, led by this year’s

Murrumbateman pioneer shines again KEN HELM HAS WON the Best Wine of Show for his 2016 Helm Wines Central Ranges Riesling at the 17th Australian Cool Climate Wine Show held in Murrumbateman.

Other trophy winners included: Orange’s 2015 Colmar Estate Single Vineyard Block 1 Chardonnay (best Chardonnay);

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Tasmania’s 2015 Home Hill Wines Estate Pinot Noir (best red wine of show); and Margaret River's 2014 Preveli Wines Cabernet Sauvignon from (best Cabernet Sauvignon of show).

The show had more than 560 entries from 82 wineries from all states of Australia and the Australian Capital www.winetitles.com.au

Territory. Adrian Marchioro, the chair of judges, said it had been a challenging show, estimating the judges had tasted more than 700 wines over five-and-a-half days.

The Australian Cool Climate Wine Show is dedicated to showcasing the unique wine styles produced from cool climate wine regions.

November 2016 – Issue 634

National framework for a strong national voice

The Newsletter of Australian Vignerons

November 2016

It’s Raining Again….

This edition of The Australian Winegrower is being formed following one of the wettest starts to the growing season since the 2010 / 2011 wet year.

What a departure from earlier in the year at the AWITC, when I was raising concerns about water shortages for irrigators in the present season. Having said that, there are still some irrigators who despite having flooded properties are unable to access 100% or their allocation. That must be incredibly frustrating.

There are many stories about growers dealing with disease prevention as a result of the prolonged rain, with real challenges caused by flooded and waterlogged ground limiting vineyard access. According to reports that we have received, in most cases the rain has been seen as a positive, boosting soil moisture levels and providing assistance for leaching irrigation. Our thoughts are with those not only in the wine industry, but everywhere who have been adversely affected by inundation and flood damage.

pure coincidence when I was born. I am not the biggest bloke going around, and my father has never tired of the line:

Coping with the vagaries of climate is a major challenge with all types of farming in this country. Fluctuations in weather patterns are part of the landscape, and wide ranges in rainfall are part and parcel of growing grapes in Australia. Consider the following chart of rainfall at Tanunda in the Barossa Valley from the Bureau of Meteorology. The raw data shows that there have been fluctuations between wet and dry seasons since rainfall data was first recorded back in 1868.

“In a drought year, you are lucky just to get your seed back”. Cheers.

The red line in the chart above shows the long-term mean annual rainfall, at 547mm. The driest year was 1967, by

There are clear wetting and drying cycles over periods of approximately 30-year intervals, but with some variation. It is

This data becomes more interesting looking at the cumulative sum chart, or subtracting the mean rainfall from each annual reading, and then taking the cumulative sum of the resulting number.

This highlights differences around the mean, and in the case of rainfall shows trends between wet and dry cycles. See the “Cu-Sum” chart (above).

interesting that this variation and that wetting and drying cycles have been occurring for a very long time. It is worth remembering this when considering long-term climate influences. This country has had a variable climate for as long as records have been collected, and this variability is something that stakeholders in a primary industry must be prepared to deal with. So as some industry members most recently deal with flooding, it is certain that we will in future be dealing with water shortages and droughts. That’s Australian farming.

Level 1, Industry House, National Wine Centre Cnr Botanic and Hackney Roads, Adelaide, SA 5000 Telephone (08) 8133 4400 Fax (08)8133 4466 Email info@australianvignerons.com.au Website www.australinvignerons.com.au

Australian Vignerons News

Vineyard Consultants One of the topics covered in this edition of Grapegrower and Winemaker is vineyard consultancy. While the vast majority of consultants that operate in the wine industry are of high quality, I couldn’t help thinking of some previous stories of bad consultants. Like the old commercials for Caltex, claiming that “oils ain’t oils”, careful choice is needed when selecting paid advice, to ensure that the result is worth the investment.

Both examples are from many years ago, and names have not been provided for obvious reasons. They do not involve well – established and reputable consultants, which is an important point.

The first instance relates to a person I know employed as a crop scout. He had just started a new job, and early on he was sent to check out a patch with another scout who had been in the role for some years. By the time he had finished his pass through checking for diseases and pests, he returned to the vehicle to find the other guy sitting there twiddling his thumbs, impatiently waiting. The new bloke was given a bit of a bagging, and asked why he took so long. He explained that he went right through his half of the patch, checking thoroughly every few rows to make sure that he would not miss any serious problems. After hearing from the older scout that this was not necessary, he then explained that he had found some serious levels of scale in that part of the patch. The older guy suddenly looked worried. Despite being paid to regularly monitor that patch, he had never inspected that particular section before, and as a result he had missed a serious pest incursion. The grower had suffered some blemish and vigour problems as a result.

The second example relates to some growers who went to buy fertilizer from a chemical reseller, and in doing so showed the in-house agronomist the fertigation program that had been provided by a particular consultant. It was unlike anything that the company agronomist had ever seen for wine grape production, with large rates of nitrogen late in the season, and high rates of potassium of potassium. The agronomist knew that he has seen something similar years before, but couldn’t remember where. After searching through some old notebooks, he found the original source of the nutrition program. It was a generic fertigation program for table grapes. The goal in table grape production is almost the opposite of wine grapes, with large berries of low acidity preferred. The consultant in question was not only offering a generic off the shelf nutrition program and charging for it; but was encouraging a result that would have been the antithesis of good wine production.

Both of these incidences are appalling examples where bad advice or poor service can lead to a poor outcome. It is very important, in particular where you are paying for advice or a service, that the provider is competent and accountable. There are many consultants and advisers working in the wine industry at present who are very good at what they do. It is important to have confidence in the professional people that you engage.

Paying for sound advice is a wise investment. Paying for bad advice or bad service is something that no one can afford.

Update on Progress with Australian Vignerons Following much planning and discussion with involved parties, the proposal to form Australian Vignerons and the changes to the WGGA Constitution to allow this to happen was presented at a special general meeting on the 8th September. As reported elsewhere in these pages, the meeting involved prolonged discussion about issues relating to the proposed changes, (and some issues that were less related), but culminated in a unanimous vote of the seventy nine members present in favour of proceeding with the changes. It is

fair to say that there is some trepidation about changes proposed, with varying levels of support. The vote, while unanimous, was made in with some reservation in many cases. However, there seems to be general agreement that the proposed changes have merit.

One Member made the observation that the ideal situation would be to have direct election of the board of the national body from the grower base.

He also suggested that we might be facing another vote in a few years’ time,

as the current option would be in need of improvement by then. While a direct election of board members might seem to be an “ideal” situation, it is perhaps not a feasible option for Australian producers at present. Direct election of an independent board is the way that the New Zealand Winegrowers’ election system works. Unlike New Zealand, Australia has a more complex situation due to having state legislation to deal with as well as national considerations.

The WGGA executive committee considered this option among many others during the strategic assessment process, and the model for Australian Vignerons that was presented at the special general meeting was chosen as the best option for the Australian Industry.

The next phase is to continue discussions with the prospective members, and come to an agreement about nomination and election of the independent skills – based board, and agreement about the proposed proportional voting model. By the time this report has been published, we should be well down the track with that process.

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Alternative Industry Models There has been considerable information circulated about “new industry models”, and Jeff MacDonald from Collaborative Farming Australia spoke at the 2014 WGGA annual general meeting on the topic. There are different types of new models, such as where a company that previously were solely growers of fruit diversify in to winemaking; or other models where the corporate structure of a winegrowing business is changed. Some successful examples include collaborative framing arrangements, where a number of farmers combine their operations into one single large unit, and therefore gain efficiencies. An example how three separate vineyard businesses might combine under a collaborative model can be shown as follows:

for the new collaborative entity. Those who do work for the new entity can be paid as employees for an agreed rate, and those who do not can obtain an income and have their time freed up for other things. Once the entity pays for cost, any remaining profit is distributed according to a shareholder agreement.

Vineyard businesses are more complex than broadacre farming operations, with additional factors to consider, not least is the fact that it is a perennial crop. There are other considerations such as different grape varieties, contracts with different wine companies, possible winemaking arrangements, geographical location, and water licenses and allocations. However, the area that might be effectively serviced by a harvester can still be used to set an ideal “cell” size. The logical progression for the combination of three vineyard businesses shown above to reach that ideal cell size would be to secure additional vineyard area.

Before transition to a collaborative entity:

Following expansion to achieve ideal cell size:

There are a number of obstacles to the successful change to a collaborative venture. Firstly, the operation of the business must be treated primarily as a business to generate income, rather than just a lifestyle. This means that every operation performed in the vineyard must be assessed on the ability to generate income and add value. Slashing a vineyard to “make it look tidy” may no longer be a consideration.

Following transition:

This concept has been adapted from broadacre farming, where collaborative models have been in use for some time.

The driving concept is to structure a business to be as close as possible to an efficient “cell” size. A cell size is the size of an operation that will effectively utilize the main constraining operation and the associated machinery to its full potential. In the case of broadacre farming, the cell size is the maximum size that a harvester can operate to effectively and efficiently harvest the area under management. It is typical for farmers to have a large amount of capital tied up in farm machinery that is unused for most of the year. It therefore makes sense to maximize the area over which that machinery is used, without overcommitting and being unable to harvest the crop. A broadacre farming business would determine the ideal size of farm required to achieve this efficiency, and then either buy or lease additional area to achieve the desired result.

Older, unreliable farm machinery that is surplus to requirements can be sold, and new, core critical machinery will typically be leased. Land and water entitlements that are owned by individual members of the entity can be leased to the entity at a commercial rate. Importantly not all members need to work

The concept of the primary focus being on operating a business rather than “owning land” is a departure for many, and may be difficult for many growers to deal with. Similarly, the decisionmaking involved in running a farm of any type in Australia and dealing with the harsh and variable climate is something that engenders pride, and some growers may be incapable of transitioning to a business where operational decisions being made by other people. This can especially be the case in family businesses, where traditional farming practices are challenged by new methods, or where there may be differences about management options.

That is one critical difference between the whole collaborative farming structure illustrated above, and a simpler deal where machinery is shared. The important difference is evident when a disease event threatens, and preventive sprays are needed. In a machinery sharing arrangement there will be arguments about which property gets protected prior to the weather event, and which one is exposed to greater risk and possible increased cost of post-infection fungicides. In the above collaborative arrangement the decision of which patches receive the preventive sprays are made on the basis of the best option for income of the entity as a whole.

There is another benefit of the collaborative farming arrangement in the ability to facilitate succession. It is becoming

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Australian Vignerons News

less common for growers’ sons and daughters to decide to follow them into the wine industry, with the average age of Australian grape growers steadily increasing. A collaborative structure allows transfer of ownership of the business and allows growers to act as shareholders, transferring in or out of a wine growing business. It also allows growers wishing to exit the industry to cease operating a vineyard and effectively leave the industry yet still continue living in their home. Another possible benefit is that some entities have found that leasing machinery is revenue positive, as the balloon remaining at the conclusion of the lease is often lower than the resale value of machinery when it is changed over.

The option of collaborative farming may not be suitable for everyone, but it can have the potential to increase the resilience the efficiency and therefore the sustainability of businesses. It also has potential in succession planning, and help to facilitate those wishing to leave the industry a way to do so without having to sell the family house, and therefore not have somewhere else to live. Many of the considerations in taking up collaborative farming models are cultural rather than financial, but these are often the most important. Anyone interested in pursuing collaborative farming would be wise to seek an experienced finance expert familiar with the topic, or to speak to other growers and farmers who have undergone the transformation.

Joint Venture Arrangements As previously mentioned, part of the reason for Australian Vignerons embracing a more “whole of industry” focus is that there is decreasing separation between the growing and making of wine. This has perhaps long been the case in the cool and temperate regions, where a vineyard owner is more likely to make their own wine and proudly promote their own brand. I have noticed in my travels that there appears to be a more “integrated” or “whole of industry” approach in these regions, where those making and growing wine feel and behave as business partners, and part of the same community.

This “culture” for want of a better term is less prevalent in warm inland regions, where there has historically been more distinction between “growers” and “makers” of wine.

More growers are now becoming winemakers. Some are making the transition to try to access a greater margin, albeit most times at greater risk. Others feel that they have little choice, often as the result of failing to secure a reliable sale for their wine grapes.

A joint venture arrangement can often have the benefit of the entities growing the fruit, making the wine, and selling the wine all sharing some risk. Typically a deal will involve each venture partner declaring the cost of growing or processing for their part of the supply chain. These costs are covered first when the wine is sold, and then all the venture partners share in any remaining profit.

This is a clear departure form the more traditional arrangement where a grower would sell fruit to a winery, and be paid a market value for the fruit. Unless there is a robust method of ensuring that the fruit is purchased for a value that accurately reflects the value of the resulting wine, inaccurate market signals may be conveyed to the grower. Moreover, there is often perceived to be little incentive for the grower to be engaged in the wine outcome, in particular where there are large blends in question, or there is not an adequate reward for producing high value fruit.

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Under the above joint venture arrangement there is a strong incentive for all parties to strive to produce the outcome that creates the greatest value for all. It also has the potential to enhance the export reputation of Australian wine when all parties are aligned and striving to produce the best fruit, and then the best wine that they can.

Other Business Relationships Relationships between growers and wine companies have often been strained during recent hard times as the imbalance between supply and demand of wine and wine grapes has constrained margins. In a past life as a vineyard manager I often grew frustrated at demands from various grape purchasers to constrain yields, with the pursuit of quality wine the main reason. This was despite the fruit from the vineyard where I was employed continually achieving quality grades in the top 10% for the region. I felt that my performance as a grower was being constrained according to regional average, rather than judged on results that I had achieved. The end result was downward pressure on my ability to make a profit.

It is therefore encouraging to learn that there are wine companies that are willing to take a different approach with their growers. I am aware of a case where one wine company is happy for their growers to achieve slightly higher yields than the district average, in order to ensure that they have a chance of making money. There is a suspicion that many other vineyards in the region may have been low yielding due to a high incidence of Eutypa infection. This means that there is likely to be inconsistent distribution of fruit throughout the vineyard, and that ripening will be uneven. If patches are low yielding through uneven distribution of fruit, it is unlikely to be an outcome that produces the best wine result. If, however, vines are producing a moderate yield and all vines are consistently producing similar yields, there is more chance of even ripening and achieving a good wine outcome.

The key is balance. Vines that have a balance between crop load and vegetative growth have the best chance of producing a quality outcome. The yield results for the 2016 vintage are testament to this. Many regions produced yields close to or above the long-term average, but quality was uniformly praised as being good to exceptional.

Dare to be Different Consistent with the whole of industry approach that led to the introduction of Australian Vignerons, we embrace the concept of breaking down barriers between the growing and making of wine. The wine community will only achieve its best if there are open, transparent and mutually beneficial business relationships between those growing the fruit and those making and selling wine.

It will be good to see more in the wine community engaging in different business relationships, in particular where there is sharing of risk and reward, and that reward is determined by the results of those who strive to be the best that they can.

This approach encourages innovation, and is typical of those experimenting with new varieties, new clones, or matching varieties found in similar climates in overseas regions. Creating mystique and appeal around Australian wine can only help to raise demand, add value, and as the old saying goes, “the rising tide floats all boats”.

grapegrowing

The helicopter in the vineyard: Aerial spray application solution Spring 2016 was the season for getting bogged in the vineyard. In some regions the access issues overlapped the important early-season spray application window. But help was available in the form of a helicopter. Nathan Gogoll reports.

FRANK NICHOLLS, from O’Connor Vineyard Services, based at Sevenhill in the Clare Valley, said he remembered an old image on the wall of one of the local ag supply stores of a helicopter in action on Christmas Day 1992.

And when he couldn’t get his usual spray units into the vineyards after heavy September rain, he started connecting the dots.

“I’m also the vice president of the local flying group, so I knew we were lucky enough to have a helicopter based in the region,” Nicholls said.

November 2016 – Issue 634

“Ashley Dickson from County Helicopters was already set up to do some spraying of vegetables around Virginia, so it was just a matter of a phone call to see if he was available and work out the details.”

Nicholls ended up covering about 100 hectares of his clients’ vineyards across the Clare Valley and other wine companies based in the region followed suit, another vineyard in Langhorne Creek also made use of the County Helicopter service.

“We put on sulfur and Mancozeb and

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it went on really well,” Nicholls said.

“The calibration is just like any other spray unit, but the helicopter moves a lot quicker.

“The concentration rate goes right up.

We were putting out 4.8kg of sulfur and 2.4kg of Mancozeb per hectare and that was going into 50 litres of water.”

Nicholls said there was a ground crew following the helicopter, which enabled it to land close to the vineyard to re-fill the spray tank and minimise the turnaround time.

The only extra process involved was

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grapegrowing providing a decent map of the vineyard that included all of the obstacles – powerlines, for example – the pilot needed to steer around.

“The cost was pretty reasonable, our ground rigs operate at $50-$55 per hectare and the aerial work was around $63,” Nicholls said. “Given it was the helicopter or nothing, no protection, it was a pretty easy decision.

“I think it provided us with about onethird to a half as good as the coverage as the ground rig. From my point-of-view it was a pretty good job. It was the right call at the time – and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

Nicholls said the helicopter spray application attracted a fair bit of interest throughout the Clare region and once the image was featured in the local newspaper (The Northern Argus) the word started to spread.

But there was one question from other grapegrowers about the aerial application, ‘did the products have approval for aerial application in a vineyard?’.

Those familiar with chemical labels would recognise there is very rarely any mention of aerial application… essentially because it is not common practice.

However, some products such as Macozeb do have aerial application approval for use in other crops – which does suggest that permission for use in a vineyard setting could be obtained.

However, as growers and vineyard managers know, the label is legally binding – which could mean a permit is required before carrying out anything that departs from the label.

Marcel Essling, the senior viticulturist at the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), said he recently received some advice from Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) to clarify the situation in South Australia.

If a label has directions for aerial spraying and the product is registered for viticulture then the permission extends, from what I understand, to viticulture as well,” Essling said. “In some cases the label is specific about which crops the aerial spraying applies to.

“In Victoria they take a similar position but in NSW unless the label provides directions for aerial spraying then it is not permitted. The APVMA leave it up to the states.”

The specific advice: In general, aerial application of an agrochemical such as elemental sulphur (e.g. Thiovit Jet) is permitted in South Australia unless the label specifically prohibits aerial use.

For any product, the user should check

22 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Photo: Steve Schiller

The cost was pretty reasonable, our ground rigs operate at $50-$55 per hectare and the aerial work was around $63. Given it was the helicopter or nothing, no protection, it was a pretty easy decision. the label to determine whether aerial application, instead of ground application, will result in the contravention of any mandatory instructions on the product label (see definition below).

Contravention of a mandatory instruction on a product label is an offence under the Agricultural and Veterinary Products (Control of Use) Act. A check of the Thiovit label, as an example, indicates aerial application does not obviously contravene any mandatory instructions on the label.

Specific mandatory instructions: (1) For the purposes of the definition of mandatory instruction in section 3(1) of the Act, an instruction on an approved label for containers for a registered agricultural chemical product or a registered veterinary chemical product is a mandatory instruction if— www.winetitles.com.au

(a) it uses the words “must”, “must not”, “may not”, “do not”, “not to be used”, “not for use” or “use only”; or (b) it contains a statement that the product is for use only by a person who has specified qualifications.

The photo (featured here in this article as well as on the cover) was taken at the Hughes family Riesling vineyard at White Hutt, north of Clare.

“They are some of my clients, I had rung them to let them know this was the option I was recommending and, like most of our customers, they were pretty understanding of how important it was,” Nicholls said.

“Some of the vineyards we cover have had four spray applications before flowering, but most have seen three – including the initial one from the helicopter. So I’m pretty confident we’ve got a good handle on our fungicide application.”

There’s certainly no worries from the clients, with winemaker John Hughes already looking forward to getting access to great quality fruit from his parents White Flat vineyard.

“Crops definitely look up, I’m seeing three bunches per spur,” Hughes said.

“But I think it will be a later season which, if anything, should improve the quality through an extended ripening period.”

For the Riesling Freak winemaker, this has him contemplating the sort of autumn you might experience in Germany – a long ripening period to draw out all the delicate fruit expression in the Riesling.

November 2016 – Issue 634

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Replanting and reworking: Winning solutions for Wynns Stuart Sharman and Allen Jenkins have driven a program of reworking and replanting at Wynns Coonawarra Estate. As two of the key people in the Wynns vineyards, the Grapegrower & Winemaker sought their feedback on the reworking and replanting program they have implemented.

REPLANTING Question: Tell us about the replanting process.

DURING THE PAST DECADE, Wynns has progressively replanted 25 per cent of our planting. This plan has been undertaken in a strategic manner to address undesirable varieties, low yielding or poor fruit quality sites, and sites where we believe an increased return to the business can be achieved through a redevelopment.

Once vines are removed and the site is levelled, we conduct detailed soil surveys which guide irrigation design, row orientation and rootstock selection. When these variables are known and managed, we then prepare the soil, install irrigation and trellis systems and plant when seasonal conditions are favourable for a healthy survival rate.

Secondly, we will consider vine age, historical wine supply achievements, current genetic material, soil type and forward demand requests for key varieties from the region.

Thirdly, we will consult extensively with our winemakers to understand where they believe the market trends, potential style changes and varietal mixes, are heading so we can make an informed decision on when and what to replant so that it fits our future market requirements.

Stuart Sharman, Wynns Coonawarra Estate vineyard manager:

Allen Jenkins, Wynns Coonawarra Estate viticulturist: His passion for viticulture was fostered more than 30 years ago when he combined qualifications in agriculture and education to teach viticultural components of the winemaking and marketing courses at Roseworthy College.

Today, he continues to find leading the talented Wynns viticultural team a rewarding role.

“We have a profound respect for our heritage, each other, and the precious environment that is Coonawarra,” Jenkins said. “There is an intense focus on the needs of the vine, on implementing new and courageous viticultural techniques, and on unravelling the endlessly complex web of interactions involved in growing the perfect grape.”

24 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Q. Can we explore the different factors, which inform what vineyards can be replanted, in more detail? We review a number of factors when we are considering replanting an established vineyard. If we are seeing yield and fruit quality decline and it continues to occur even after we have intervened, we will initiate research into replanting those vines.

The ‘estate’ vineyards comprise about 900 hectares of vineyard, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz the key varieties. The management such a big operation has benefitted from ‘continuous improvement’ principals widely used in line manufacturing, being adapted to viticulture.

Sharman explained the over-arching philosophy of ‘continuous improvement’ is to develop “a culture where open-minded thinking and challenging the norm is encouraged and rewarded”.

“We have been implementing and applying CI practices at Wynns … and you can see the benefits from practical problem solving and time management to engaging the 30-member viticulture team.”

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

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If we are seeing yield and fruit quality decline and it continues to occur even after we have intervened, we will initiate research into replanting those vines.

SINGLE VINEYARD

Q. Did you find there was a certain vine age where decisions need to be made?

Generally from aged 40-50 years old, we are seeing vine health decline to a level that requires intervention to ensure the financial viability of that particular vineyard.

Q. Have you been taking cuttings from the best performing vineyards to propagate?

We have been observing and measuring vine performance from some of key vineyards for the past 15 years. This monitoring program has contributed to Wynns being able to plant what we would consider more genetically superior, and commercially available, vines. Our 15-year assessment program has been measuring, yield, colour, tannin, vine health and vine balance.

Q. Did the success rate of replanted vineyards improved as you worked through the process? Or, in other words – did you get better at it?

Like all operations and tasks in viticulture, there are plenty of opportunities to learn and finesse our thinking; replanting or redeveloping vineyards is no exception.

RE-WORKING Q. Was any testing done to find out whether there was either widespread eutypa or botrysphaeria infections (or both)?

Eutypa was certainly present in many of the vines we reconstructed, and we were very aware of the importance of removing as much of that infected wood as possible, and treating those sections of the plants promptly.

However we believe the gradual decline of the reconstructed vine performance, beyond the 10-year life of the redevelopment, is likely to have resulted from the trunk disease, so regardless of the precautionary actions we took it did not ensure the long term success of reconstructed vines.

Q. When the first patches of vines were cut back; how quickly did these return to producing the quantity and quality you wanted?

Generally we found the reconstructed vines returned to an acceptable yield and quality standard within three-to-four years of being re-worked and subsequently performed very well for another 10+ years however, post this timeframe, we have seen fruit yield and quality declines.

Q. How did you stagger the project across different vineyards, so overall production wasn’t greatly impacted?

Our approach has been to determine the poorest section within a selected site, complete a canopy reconstruction exercise, and then wait until that area has achieved vine balance and is behaving as we expected. This process would result in generally only a quarter to a third of the site being removed from production at any given time.

26 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Throughout Coonawarra’s history, cuttings from Wynns vineyards have been in high demand around Australia, due to their provenance. Wynns holds some of Australia’s most important Cabernet vineyards, and this is acknowledged and reflected through our single vineyard wines: a special wine released each year, made from (and named after) the top performing vineyard on the estate. Wynns released the first single vineyard wine in 2004 with the Wynns Harold Cabernet 2001 as this was recognised as being a stand-out vineyard. It is a great privilege for the winemakers to choose the wine for each release, while reflecting on the season which has allowed that vineyard to shine. As the collection grows, we gain powerful understanding from these vineyards.

Q. What were the costs of the restructure where when you started – and have you found more efficient ways of doing things?

As we’ve progressed through our vineyard redevelopment program we have seen a considerable improvement in the efficiency of the tasks undertaken and the removal of potentially higher risk, labour practices.

We have worked closely with the teams to carefully consider and improve the way the teams complete their work and understand where the risks are and how to remove them. The success of this approach resulted in Wynns being recognised with a Works Safe SA Award in 2009.

Q. We hear anecdotes of trunk diseases being more prevalent in vines that were planted in the late 90s (or vineyard that are about 20 years old) – is that what you’ve observed?

We have observed trunk diseases across vines of all ages, particularly where the vines have had some form of canopy rejuvenation.

Q. Have you used any layering? And did you get any advice on getting the best from this process?

Layering is a very common vineyard re-establishment practice across the world and our activities are in line with vineyards in Europe and elsewhere.

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

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2016: A sensational vintage for Australian fine wine Jake Stacy, Deloitte senior analyst, looks at the importance of supply side considerations in a re-balanced industry and provides an overview of what many in the sector are calling a ‘sensational vintage for Australian fine wine’.

THE WINE INDUSTRY has experienced significant volatility over the last decade and, at times, widespread hardship and poor profitability. The emergence of certain recent macroeconomic structural changes has finally created positive signs.

The key structural drivers behind these shifts include the weakening Australian dollar, the emergence of new export markets (or improved access to existing markets) underpinned by Free Trade Agreements, strengthening consumer demand in some key market segments and a rebalancing of supply and demand towards the equilibrium.

Overall, the near-term industry outlook has improved which is reflected in Wine Australia’s 2016 Vintage Report.

The upsurge in demand for premium grapes, combined with average prices across all varieties at their highest level in seven years, is welcomed news for the industry. This may have been helped along by the rebalancing of the current industry supply and demand position.

TOWARDS SUPPLY/DEMAND EQUILIBRIUM Up until 2006/07, wine production in Australia has consistently outstripped demand/sales. The oversupply led to a build-up of inventory, peaking at almost 2 billion litres in 2005/063, and the highly publicised ‘glut’ which hampered the industry’s profitability for years after.

Although the severe drought in 2007 helped to reduce inventory levels in the late 2000s, a significant imbalance between supply and demand was still present.

In 2009, after stating that “structural surpluses of grapes and wine are now so large that they are causing long-term damage to our industry”, a group of key industry bodies announced the Wine Restructuring Action Agenda which identified an urgent need to reduce wine inventories and production capacity in order to rebalance supply and demand, and made recommendations on how best to achieve this.

Since then, total vineyard area has significantly reduced, yields have been lowered, less wine has been produced and wine inventories have been drawn down to more a sustainable level.

Couple this with a relatively consistent level of sales/demand since 2008 (which is

28 Grapegrower & Winemaker

now generally consistent with production levels) and the emerging Asian export markets and it appears as though the historical imbalance between supply and demand is now less significant than in previous years.

Although surplus inventories still remain in 2016, rebalancing supply has helped average prices reach the highest level achieved across all varieties since 2009 (as shown in the 2016 Vintage Report), placing the industry in a much better financial position in 2016.

IMPORTANCE OF SUPPLY Although supply is now generally consistent with demand on a total production basis across all Australian wine grapes, the situation can be drastically different when assessed on a by-region or by-variety basis.

Furthermore, the supply situation can become even narrower when also taking into account specific grades of fruit particularly with respect to the supply situation for ‘premium’ fruit of a specific variety from a specific region.

For example, Barossa Shiraz continues to be one of the most highly sought after grapes in Australia and due to low yields in 2013 and 2014, Barossa Shiraz fruit was labelled by Austwine in 2015 as being in a state of undersupply.

This is a critical factor to consider for producers and wholesalers targeting a specific wine (whether that be by grade, variety or region), particularly those looking to cash in on the next wave of growth opportunities presented by Asian export markets.

Now that the 2005/06 wine glut has been substantially reduced and new sources of demand continue to emerge, it will be critical for wine producers to secure adequate supply.

However, ensuring security of supply is never straightforward in the agricultural industry. One common approach is to enter into medium to longterm contracts with growers. Although such arrangements may assist, they can create other risks such as location specific seasonal or disease risks, variability of quality risk, contract pricing risk, and a reduced ability to adapt to the everchanging preferences of the consumer.

With so much hype around unlocking new markets and creating additional demand for Australian wine, it will be www.winetitles.com.au

critical for participants in all parts of the supply-chain to ensure they have adequate supply arrangements to satisfy demand. Wine producers need to seriously consider that they may only be one low yielding vintage away from a situation of severe undersupply.

As an example, if weather conditions or disease were to impact an upcoming vintage in a similar way to what occurred in 2006/07, where total crush volume was down by 32% due to drought, producers would need to closely consider the impacts such a supply-shock could have.

A weakened level of supply will have an even greater impact on those producers who rely upon consistency of specifically chosen regional and/or varietal fruit where the supply/demand position is already much tighter than other parcels of fruit.

In such circumstances: Would a small vintage affect the producer’s ability to satisfy predetermined sales contracts?

If the producer cannot secure adequate supply to service these supply contracts, will this affect their ability to maintain their relationship and agreements with key distributors?

Furthermore, will the producer be forced to forge sales opportunities in new growth markets to focus on satisfying demand in existing markets?

In a typically highly demand driven market, it is critical that these supply side considerations are assessed by industry participants with as much scrutiny as the demand side.

Those who do not may find their situation a lot more challenging if next year’s vintage is not as ‘sensational’ as we have seen in 2016.

References

Wine Australia Vintage Report 2016 Wine Australia Results of the 2015 Wine Production, Inventory and Domestic Sales Survey Winemaker’s Federation of Australia Wine industry must confront the reality of oversupply Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education The Wine Glut Wine Australia Wine facts, Supply and Demand Imbalances Austwine State of the Industry Report, as presented at the SA Winegrape Growers Summit 2015 Data from 2005/06 – 2014/15: Wine Australia Results of the 2015 Wine Production, Inventory and Domestic Sales Survey November 2016 – Issue 634

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grapegrowing

Behind the rise in Australian winegrape prices A season to test the best of us What madness this season has already brought! Record September rainfall across many regions and tornadoes ripping down power poles causing an entire State to shut down - what’s next?

I recently heard that weather forecasters are unable to predict the weather more than seven days in advance with any degree of certainty. Nevertheless, Indian Ocean Dipole measurements back in June and July did predict well above average spring rainfall. Its advisable that growers take note of these predictions and be mindful of incorporating them into their planning.

August and September were particularly challenging months for broadacre farmers. They experienced a great start to the season with fantastic crop potential across all states, followed by massive rainfall that caused the demand for fungicides and insecticides to skyrocket.

Disease infection limited yield in crops where it normally would not be an issue and crops required more frequent spraying. For example, legume crops that normally receive only one fungicide needed four or five to prevent ascochyta and botrytis wiping out the crop.

You may wonder why I am talking about cereal-cropping issues in a viticulture-focused article. I am attempting to promote the idea that forward planning and early communication on product demand can assist in ensuring your best chance of securing product supply. It may come as a surprise, however, the supply chain for some products can take months to secure volumes above the normal forecast levels.

Let me give you an example. In September, a grower rang me after a downy mildew event had occurred in his area. His vines were only at four-leaf stage, but he was looking to apply RIDOMIL GOLD® PLUS to be proactive and stop any early infection. When he went on to describe his downy mildew strategy for the 2011 vintage, I wasn’t surprised to learn that he harvested a relatively healthy crop compared to many neighbours in that difficult year. His secret was early planning, securing product, and applying good chemistry in a preventative manner.

Bear in mind I am writing this a few weeks ahead of publication and the sky may remain blue from now to harvest! However, what I do know is that many companies like Syngenta have sold out of some products due to the unprecedented demand from broadacre crops.

If you are reading this and are still pondering the idea of securing that extra volume of product, I would suggest you speak to your reseller!

Vine Talk is compiled by Dave Antrobus, Syngenta Solutions Development Lead dave.antrobus@syngenta.com 0429 133 436 30 Grapegrower & Winemaker

THE AUSTRALIAN WINEGRAPE INDUSTRY has experienced a ‘red dawn’ according to Rabobank, with prices rising from their 2011 lows, particularly for red wine grape varieties sourced from more premium growing regions.

Life has returned to Australian wine grape prices, with China driving much of the recovery in market conditions.

Marc Soccio, Rabobank senior analyst, said “life has returned to Australian wine grape prices, with China driving much of the recovery in market conditions”.

The latest Global Wine Quarterly report from Rabobank has: • Taken the pulse of the Australian winegrape market; • Kept an eye on the Northern Hemisphere harvest – which appears set to fall on the short side; and • Looked at the headlines from China as the country continues its development in the global wine trade environment.

Highlighting the key role of the China/Hong Kong market in Australia’s wine grape price recovery, the performance of the Chinese market remains a key barometer of future red wine grape market condition. The premiumisation trend in other major markets is also a factor, namely in Australia’s domestic market, as well as in the US and Canada.

Overall this has led to a marked shift in demand for red varietals from premium temperate climate regions such as the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra, and premium cool climate regions such as the Mornington Peninsula and Tasmania, especially relative to fruit from more commercial warm inland regions.

“Fortunately, most of the market developments that saw wine grape prices bottom out in 2011 are no longer at play, including the high Australian dollar, and we are starting to see sentiment in the industry recover from a time when the national average wine grape price more than halved, to $413/tonne,” Soccio said.

OTHER KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE REPORT Global wine export trends remained flat or down for many of the major wine-producing countries around the world. This trend is set to continue into next year as global production falls back, and countries will have worked through any stock overhangs from 2015.

The Northern Hemisphere harvest looks set to come in below last year’s levels across Europe’s big three, on top of a particularly light Southern Hemisphere harvest.

The rebound in imports into the Chinese market continues to deliver attractive growth for many of the world’s major wine exporters in 1H 2016.

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

On an elevated stage: The Granite Belt Nathan Gogoll spent a couple days in the Granite Belt in October. He found a vibrant wine industry, lots of interesting projects and plenty of characters. He said he shouldn’t have been surprised.

THERE ARE SOME MISCONCEPTIONS about the Granite Belt that need to be addressed.

They don’t grow pineapples and bananas at the end of the vine rows.

Far from it. In fact, the region is well known for its apple, vegetable and stone fruit crops.

It’s not a hot and humid region.

Actually, the Granite Belt is the coldest region in Queensland, and the locals refer to winter as ‘brass monkey’ season*. It doesn’t get to wear an official ‘cool climate’ tag as the MJT is 21.5°C (Mean January Temperature) which is on par with the Barossa and the heat degree days number is about the same as McLaren Vale. However, there are some vineyards planted at more than 1000m elevation.

They make poor-quality, sweet wines.

This is way off the mark. A quick glance at the number of capital city wine show medals awarded to Granite Belt wines reinforces the quality coming out of the region.

Well, the wines are probably cheap.

Not necessarily. Thanks to a very strong percentage of wine sold direct to consumers, there’s not a lot of downward pressure on the prices. It’s not hard to find wines in the $10-$20 range; but there are also gold medal and trophy winning wines available from $30 up to $130.

There wouldn’t be any good winemaking facilities up there.

Apart from the host of small producers that have everything from new flotation options for clarification; through to their own bottling lines, capable of handling Methode Traditionelle sparkling. The Queensland College of Wine Tourism is also based in the region. And there an accredited laboratory on hand offering enzymatic test kits, export certification and wine microbiological testing services.

We’re still waiting to see if anything good will develop up 4640_Kusabi_Grapes 2016-10-13T10:41:34+11:00 there.

A three-dimensional map of Sirromet’s vineyards at Ballandean.

Hang on, there are 50-year-old vineyards, families with three generations in the game and the history of viticulture in the region dates back to 1870s and the influence of a Catholic Priest, Father Jerome Davadi – who seems most likely to have been the region’s first vigneron and winemaker.

So let’s leave those misconceptions behind us as Nathan Gogoll introduces you to some of the key people and projects of the Granite Belt.

RAY COSTANZO, GOLDEN GROVE ESTATE WINEMAKER: The family vineyard and, as a result, the winery is focused on alternative varieties: Tempranillo, Durif, Mataro, Malbec, Vermentino etc.

“The alternatives have just worked really well for us,” Ray said.

Tempranillo is something Ray believes suits the region – and can help show the diversity on offer.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

31

grapegrowing “Everyone does it differently and everyone does it well,” Ray said. “We’ve got a 15-year-old block that produces bloody good fruit. I just wish we had more.”

The Golden Grove winemaker admits he has changed his winemaking style in recent years. Some of this has been a result of increasing popularity and needing to release new vintage wines earlier than planned.

“I always wanted to make a bigger style, I wasn’t chasing the Joven version,” Ray said.

“But I guess that’s been a victim of our own success. We have been releasing wines a bit earlier than I really wanted to… which has resulted in a different style – more fruit driven.

“So I’ve had to relax my winemaking.”

Ray admits he has found his “happy place” making delicious dinner wines.

“I have done a complete 360 on what I used to be like as a winemaker,” he said.

And he’s happy to give credit to a number of “positive influences” he’s had along the journey, including Steve Webber and Peter Fraser.

Ray’s father, Sam, has a really simple explanation for how the family property came to be involved with the alternative varieties.

“We are not afraid to do things,” Sam said.

So when Sam met Richard Smart and he found out about the Sicilian origins of the Costanzo family, he didn’t hesitate to suggest Nero d’Avola and Vermentino.

“I asked Richard to write the names down for me – and I rang Bruce Chalmers the next day,” Sam said. “I asked if I could get some Nero bud wood, because I’ve always been able to propagate, my father taught me. And then we ordered grafted Vermentino.”

However, it’s not all alternative at Golden Grove Estate. There is also a 70-year-old block of Black Muscat and some Shiraz that will turn 50 in a couple vintages. The health of these blocks is encouraging, but viticulture isn’t always easy in this part of Queensland.

One of the headaches of the Granite Belt region is the treat of hail damage in summer – apple orchards in the region are often protected by expensive, overhead net protection.

Unfortunately, Golden Grove Estate was hit hard on Christmas

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Eve 2014. Most of the 2015 crop was wiped out. But true to the family’s willingness to try something different, Ray bought fruit from interstate and there was still plenty of vintage action in the winery.

Sam has been trying to push the flowering period for his Nero d’Avola back a few days because he’s worried about fruit set when the flowering is impacted by cold weather.

“I’ve done some trials with late pruning, only taking the spur back after the first burst,” Sam said. “This has delayed budburst by between 10 days and two weeks, which then delays flowering.”

It is clear there’s a real passion for the industry shared across the father-and-son combination.

“Raymond is dedicated – we’re all dedicated,” Sam said.

DYLAN RHYMER, BALLANDEAN ESTATE WINEMAKER: Ballandean Estate, owned and operated by the Puglisi family, is literally just across the road from Golden Grove. The winery crushes between 200 and 250 tonnes, on average, each vintage.

The fruit is sourced from two blocks, one on the winery estate property and another just down the road, near the Ballandean township.

There are more stories here about the challenging climate, again, not due to heat and humidity but frost and hail. The estate block Nebbiolo crop was damaged by frost in the lead-up to the 2014 vintage and was hit by hail before vintage 2015.

Rhymer said the cool weather that sets in toward the end of vintage also impacts inside the winery.

“It’s another challenge; it’s cold by the end of vintage. A lot of our reds go through malo in tanks with tank warmers,” he said.

Granite Belt vintages can be quite drawn out – it’s not unheard of for grapes to be picked late in January and in some seasons to wait until early in May. “Usually the last for us is the Nebbiolo or the Cabernet around Anzac Day,” Rhymer said.

The Ballandean Estate winemaker said there are a lot of very adaptable winemakers and wine businesses in the region.

“We do a lot of experimentation, especially with the weight and structure of our wines,” he said.

“A few years ago the talk around Stanthorpe and the Granite

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Belt was all about having an identity as a region and the talk was Verdelho. There was a bit of a push, but there were also a few of us who didn’t really want to be restricted to any one variety or style.

“I think our winemaking is quality focused, but there’s a lot of room for experimenting.”

The Ballandean Estate cellar door is one of the most visited in the region and the winemaker said between 90 and 95 per cent of the winery’s production is sold direct through the tasting room and the mailing list.

There’s a similar high percentage of direct sales across most of the region’s wineries.

“The region has a really high cellar door to winery ratio,” Rhymer said.

“At Ballandean we have a focus on hand-selling and introducing people to things they haven’t seen before with a bit of global perspective as well.”

Rhymer said a customer base that arrives in the region with few preconceptions is a benefit to the region. The region is no more than three-hours’ drive from Brisbane and the Gold Coast and the peak season for visiting is actually winter, when the cold weather is the big drawcard. People actually enjoy having to rug up in big jackets, gloves and scarves and book accommodation where they can light a fire.

BRAD HUTCHINGS SAVINA LANE: There a brand new cellar door overlooking some old vineyards at Savina Lane, owned by Brad and Cheryl Hutchings. The wines are made from the estate-grown fruit and the owners are very keen for the wines to express the terroir.

“We want to capture the essence of what the varieties do in this patch,” Brad said.

“The Granite Belt is never really going to have the real gutsy reds, but we find people really love the style of our red wines.

We’ve even have people come in here saying ‘we don’t usually drink reds’ and they leave with a coupe bottles of ours.”

The signature varieties on the property are Fiano and Graciano and the new cellar door has been built in an elevated position looking across the rows.

“It’s a pretty nice view,” Brad said. “And essentially, it has become part of the marketing for us.”

4724Surround_Grapes 2016-10-13T11:21:23+11:00

The tasting room has been built above a wine cellar that will house barrels stacked three high; two pallets of finished wine on top of each other (with a capacity for 60,000 bottles); and leave room for special events with key customers.

It wasn’t the simplest of projects, with six weeks of blasting required to make a big enough impression into the rock (and given the name of the region you don’t have to guess which type of rock it was).

The whole set up has set a new benchmark in the Granite Belt and apparently other wineries are now making plans for improvements for their own tasting room facilities.

Direct sales are vital to the Savina Lane business model, the ‘inner circle’ club was launched at the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show in 2014 and was on track to reach its maximum of 500 members at this year’s show. The members get a six pack delivered every six months and, combined with other direct orders, this usually results in the ‘sold out’ sign hanging on the front fence and the cellar door being closed for a few months of the year.

VINEYARD FOR THE FUTURE: One of the more recent projects, and more nationally significant, has been the start of the ‘vineyard for the future’ project at the Stanthorpe campus of the University of Southern Queensland. The ambition is to establish a broad selection of varieties (four of each for more, eight of each for varieties that will be in high demand for cuttings) that have been virus tested, clonal selected and own-rooted.

Peter O’Reilly, Queensland College of Wine Tourism chief executive officer, said there is a precision viticulture focus in the vineyard – which makes it a great education tool – and there are lots of good reasons to have this sort of “reservoir of vineyard material set aside”.

There’s also a big focus on alternative varieties.

“Alternative varieties are so important to Queensland, it’s not just another game for us – it’s the main game,” O’Reilly said.

“We’ve thrown in everything we could get our hands on. And we’ve started planting to get ahead of the curve.”

One of the region’s best know winemakers, Mike Hayes from Symphony Hill, is a huge supporter of the college and its vineyard project.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing “This college, singularly, is the best thing to happen to the Queensland industry,” Hayes said. “We need to nurture it, be a part of it and develop with it. The scope here is incredible and up here in Queensland we don’t have all of the tradition to prevent us from thinking outside the square – we’re not restricted.

“There’s a big focus on the education here and everyone in the region is on board and wants to see it work.”

The Symphony Hill winemaker said the trials of alternative varieties never seen in Queensland before is exciting and he sees plenty of options to explore, pointing to Georgia, Croatia and Slovenia as more potential sources of varieties that may offer potential in Australia.

The ‘vineyard for the future’ already has 46 varieties planted – and is supported by Wine Australia – and everybody involved at the winery on the campus is looking forward to making micro batches of wine from them.

Adam Chapman, Sirromet chief winemaker.

ADAM CHAPMAN, SIRROMET WINES WINEMAKER: This is a ‘Granite Belt producer’ with a twist – the winery is set on the fringes of outer suburban Brisbane, in Mt Cotton (almost the same distance from Stanthorpe as the Brisbane Airport – about 240km). However, Sirromet is a big player in the region – with 100 hectares under vine it represents nearly one-fifth of the total plantings.

Although the winery is removed from the region it’s cellar door is still one of the best marketing propositions the region has. The Mt Cotton location is 30 minutes from the Brisbane CBD and less than one hour’s drive from Caville Avenue, in the heart of Surfers Paradise.

(Editor’s note: When you consider how close most of the 2.5 million tourists visiting Queensland each year will be to the winery at some stage during their visit, it’s not hard to understand why the place was jumping when I visited on a Wednesday morning.)

Tourism is big business at Sirromet. There are tours available in Mandarin and Japanese, as well as masterclasses offered with a Mandarin-speaking, WSET-qualified host.

While there are vineyards and wineries within a manageable drive, winemaker Adam Chapman doesn’t have the luxury of a concentrated industry base close at hand.

“We are isolated. I can’t just pop into the winery next door for a chat – and I can’t call another winemaker from just up the road to come in and taste some wines with me,” Chapman said.

But the team at Sirromet has looked at this situation with a ‘glass half full’ view – and has become an approved program presenter of Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Through his own involvement in the training, Chapman said his “world wine knowledge” has improved dramatically. Chapman is now one of the educators in the Level 1 and 2 courses held at the winery and Bree Boskov has recently been appointed to help run the Level 3.

Chapman said many people involved in the industry would not be aware that many Granite Belt vineyards are planted at elevations twice as high as you find in the Macedon Ranges and Eden Valley.

“The high elevation doesn’t necessarily make it better, but it does make us different,” he said.

He has been doing some interesting work on soil profiles and mapping that helps him to plot vineyard performance and understand the potential influences. He’s had some very clever people help overlay data onto three-dimensional maps that can have different characteristics turned on or off and be viewed from all angles.

He hopes it is the beginning of a user-friendly system that could be adopted by others across the region.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Hassall has also been involved in an ongoing Shiraz clonal trial, which the Granite Belt Wine and Tourism Association managed to secure Queensland Wine Industry Association funding for.

The project involves several sites planted with different clones side-by-side (Just Red has 1654 and PT23). Hopefully the insights from the trials might make it into these pages in the future.

PETER MCGLASHAN, RIDGEMILL ESTATE WINEMAKER:

Tony Hassall poses in the snow in his Just Red vineyards, winter 2014.

TONY HASSALL, JUST RED WINES: The Just Red Wines story started when the Hassall family relocated from New Zealand 20 years ago; first planted vines in 1999; saw both the first vintage and a terrible family tragedy in 2003; and survived as a side project while the winemaker spent several years as a Wine Industry Development Officer with the Department of Primary Industries.

Tony Hassall used to call Whakatani, Bay of Plenty, home and even owned a commercial vineyard and winery in New Zealand. But after completing a viticulture/oenology diploma through Lincoln University he started thinking about having his own vineyard and winemaking operation.

“We started looking around and the Granite Belt really appealed to us as having great potential,” Hassall said.

With the site secured, Hassall set about acquiring more qualifications (a Master of Science degree in agriculture – his thesis compared organic with conventional viticulture). He landed a job as an accountant for the local council, based in Warwick, and still found time for his vines on the weekend.

“But I eventually gave up my ‘day job’,” Hassall said.

“We’ve seen the industry really take off here since we arrived. When we first got here there might have been 20 cellar doors, but that has jumped to 50.

“Most of us sell nearly all our wines direct to our consumers through our cellar doors and through various events and shows we attend.”

The Just Red vineyard are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Viognier (into a Shiraz Viognier, so still technically ‘just red’) and Tannat.

Hassall see’s great potential for the Shiraz Viognier blend as well as his Tannat – which he came across in his days with the DPI near the Sunshine Coast.

“I’d been looking around and thought Tannat might be a good variety to try, then I came across it at Eumundi – which would have to be one of the most humid, wet places possible to grow grapes, but it was coping.”

The variety has relatively open bunches and thick skins, a good combination for mildew resistance.

“Tannat really holds its acid as well, I’ve never had to do any acid addition with ours,” Hassall said. “It’s got quite a good blending potential and in France you generally see it with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It adds a lot of tannin and colour to a blend.

“We got a local group together to do a Tannat tasting and it included wines from France and Uruguay as well as a couple Granite Belt examples,” he said. “Ours stood up really well; in fact we thought it did better than the international benchmarks.

November 2016 – Issue 634

Although he has about 20 years’ experience working around the Granite Belt – and 12 with Ridgemill – Peter McGlashan is still a rising star in the region.

A hospitality background was as strange introduction to work in the vineyard, but when McGlashan met Martin Cooper (who, at the time, had just bought the Ridgemill property) he was looking for an all-rounder.

Cooper is originally from Melbourne and only made it to the Granite Belt for the first time in 2004. He admits he was “blown away” by what he found – and within a few days had purchased what was the Emerald Hill property.

“Martin hired me and asked if I could run the cellar door the answer was ‘yep, I can do that’. But when he asked about the winemaking it was more like ‘I can probably do that’,” McGlashan said.

Ridgemill Estate has six acres of estate vineyard and the winery is building towards a 25-tonne production; the property is completed by the cellar door and accommodation facilities.

It turns out that winter is peak season for visitors, when the main attraction for some people is the opportunity to put

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing

Peter McGlashan, Jacob Vaness and Martin Cooper at Ridgemill Estate.

on their winter gloves and scarves or head indoors and light a roaring fire.

The cellar door tasters get to sample a traditional Aussie variety (Chardonnay) as well as a couple of alternatives (Saperavi, Tempranillo and Verdelho).

The Chardonnay has attracted strong wine show results though McGlashan’s ambition to work with the cleanest and most-balanced fruit he can access.

“Pete’s prepared to have a go – and that’s really good to have as the owner,” Cooper said.

One of the areas McGlashan ‘had a go’ is having a big impact across the region. Together with Jim Barnes he created the idea for an ‘alternative variety wine trail’ which has evolved into the ‘Strange Bird’ touring map.

“On quiet days or Sunday afternoons Jim and I would exchange phone calls and emails, brainstorming how we could find something to help us sell these wines to people who we were struggling to sell to,” McGlashan said.

The current incarnation of the project is built around an easyto-follow map and information about 10 alternative white and 15 alternative red varieties. There are 30 wineries involved and the information provided on each variety includes a phonetic guide to pronunciation; information on the origin; typical wine characteristics; as well as food matching suggestions.

McGlashan said the work on the Strange Bird project has been a positive community builder.

It is recognised as a valuable tool for the region.

“Strange Bird is just such smart marketing and it helps plant the seed,” said Peter O’Reilly. “Alternative varieties are going to be important for Australia, but hugely important for Queensland and the Granite Belt.” * A ‘brass monkey’ was a plate used by artillerymen to stack cannonballs onto. In especially cold weather the plate would shrink and the cannonballs would roll off. Which is the real reason behind the saying ‘it’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’.

BCH1006GGWCL_FA 2016-09-07T11:20:43+10:00

36 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

young gun

Rachel Steer: Finding her feet after the storm Rachel Steer balances vineyard, office and winery work, along with all the big responsibilities of her own young family. Daniel Whyntie tracked down the Chapel Hill viticulturist to find out more about the early stages of her career in the industry.

from 1991 to 2007 helped the Australian WHEN RACHEL STEER arrived at viticulture and wine industry more than Chapel Hill as the viticulturist it was like triple in size, reaching revenues of $5 she entered the industry from a hole in billion in 2007. the clouds; coming down from the clam “It was really a great time to come into and clear sky right before the storm. the industry, there was a lot of excitement “I came into the wine industry when and people were putting a lot back in to it was really booming and rode the wave the industry,” Steer said. right to the bottom… Which wasn’t really “People had money to spend, in the way I planned it,” Steer said. development, new equipment, lunches, “When I was completing high school dinners, and functions; all those things the wine industry was really booming. you can do with money, getting people Living in the Adelaide Hills it was easy together and getting the best for your to get caught up in the enthusiasm.” winery.

Steer was attracted to the industry “Growers were optimistic and during a time when Australian wine everyone just had this positive attitude.” styles were popular and local brands BCH1006WVJAR_FA 2016-09-05T12:17:28+10:00 For the generation that came into the had strong international support; which

industry when Rachel did it must have being impossible to imagine it any other way. But things changed.

“It’s great to see the industry picking up again and the positivity returning, I think there are exciting times ahead of us now,” Steer said.

“It just feels like we’re coming out of the tunnel now, we are just getting optimistic again.

“I feel the ones who made it through were the ones who knew how, who knew how to work on a shoestring budget.”

To avoid ending up stockpiling too much inventory Steer and the team at Chapel Hill needed to carefully control their production and significantly cut

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37

young gun through the post vintage process,” Steer said.

“The whole thing is one process, and it really benefits both sides to be involved and know what’s going on in the other.”

I believe that ‘balanced vines make balanced wines’ so I really focus on soil and vine health.

We do all we can to ensure that the vines have every opportunity to produce the best fruit. back on the grapes brought in from other growers.

“After the GFC our wine sales just dropped off. We still felt like we were making fantastic wine, but we couldn’t afford to produce a commercial range.

“And that mid-price range is tough at the moment and still hasn’t picked back up completely, the sub $20 price range is where the market is now,” Steer said.

ONE PROCESS Being able to be so involved in the decisions made across the whole process, from vine to wine, is why Steer jumped at the opportunity to head to the Chapel Hill winery in McLaren Vale as their viticulturist.

“Within a small company like ours there is the opportunity for me to be involved in the whole winemaking

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process from the vineyard, right through to the finished product.

“I am able to follow my parcels of fruit right through the winery and into bottle.

It really helps my viticulture to have this complete picture of the process,” Steer said.

This is actually her second stint with Chapel Hill. Steer completed her university Honours project at the winery in 1998 and was then offered a job as the assistant vineyard manager, a role she spent two years in before moving to Orlando, based in Langhorne Creek.

“The winemakers do everything with me, they make regular visits; at pruning time, bud bursts; so they know everything that’s going on in the field.

“We then make the vineyard picking decisions together and then I go with them to tastings, and work with them

VINE

Steer’s proudest achievement at Chapel Hill has been the success of her eutypa re-working program, which began in 2012 after the trunk disease had already caused significant problems for the winery’s 20-year-old Shiraz and Cabernet vineyards. Steer decided drastic action was needed.

Removing the infected arms had proved unsuccessful in controlling the disease, while machine harvesting and the wounds left by the use of electric snips had increased the winery’s exposure to eutypa dieback.

“We mapped out our fields by variety and how susceptible they were. We mapped over 10 hectares to have it to the point that it was manageable.

“It divided into roughly hectare blocks to look after, that we managed individually, getting to target specific blocks. It would be too unmanageable to try and handle everything,” Steer said.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Then Steer ditched the snips and picked up a chainsaw, cutting back everything below the infection then dragging the infected pieces into a pile to be burned.

“We tried a mulcher experiment but we had concerns with all the stuff flying around, you would get big chunks flying out and there was just to many chunks and pieces to go and pick up plus things like spores from the disease. Now we chainsaw, drag and burn,” Steer said.

FINDING THE BALANCE While Steer feels very lucky she has the chance to balance office and vineyard work; along with the opportunity to taste the results in the winery; she also juggles her role alongside family commitments (she has two children, aged six and three).

“The bulk of my time though is spent chasing and tidying up after my two girls!

By the time the children are dropped off at childcare and school and I have made it to work I am ready for a coffee.

“Chapel Hill is flexible, I’ve had to shorten my work hours to be able be there for drop-offs and pick-ups and Chapel have being amazing with that,” Steer said.

Steer describes her life in bursts, with words like “Chaotic!” or “Busy!”, but like the industry she is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“At the moment, it’s hard, but once they are both at school and have the same drop off it will be all good,” Steer said.

Everything seems to be heading towards a better balance. And Steer knows all about the importance of balance.

“I believe that ‘balanced vines make balanced wines’ so I really focus on soil and vine health. We do all we can to ensure that the vines have every opportunity to produce the best fruit.”

November 2016 – Issue 634

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing

Iconic Gimblett Gravels wine company for sale THE VINEYARDS, winery and business assets of Pask Winery, in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, have been offered for sale either as a going concern or as individual assets through Colliers International.

Pask owns just over 58 hectares of vineyards in the sought-after Gimblett Gravels and a winery on Omahu Road.

The company’s wines have consistently enjoyed gold medal and trophy success in the UK, Australia, Asia, USA, Canada and New Zealand across a range of varietals and wine styles.

Mike Laven, rural and agribusiness broker at Colliers International, who is handling the sale with colleague Hadley Brown, said the sale presents “a rare opportunity to purchase very special vineyard holdings and a fully integrated winery business, with a strong reputation for quality”.

The sale includes part of the original 40ha block purchased and planted in grapes by Chris Pask in 1981.

This was the first vineyard to be planted in the 800ha Gimblett Gravels winegrowing district, according to Brown.

“When Pask bought the land 35 years ago, the area was regarded as the poorest, least productive land in Hawke’s Bay,” Brown said.

“It wasn’t much good for grazing sheep and little would grow on the gravelly soils. Chris was the first person to see the potential of the area for viticulture.”

Today, there is fierce competition to purchase vineyards in this very limited premium wine area.

Based on this, the brokers expect strong local and international interest in the assets of this high-profile wine business.

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“We will be talking to potential offshore buyers, who will be interested in buying Pask as a going concern due to strong growth in demand for red wines in their markets,” Laven said.

“For Hawke’s Bay wine companies, this is a rare expansion opportunity in the Gimblett Gravels winegrowing district and those companies can buy individual vineyards or all four.”

Pask’s four vineyards are planted mainly with red varietals. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Franc make up about 75% of the planted area, with the balance in white varieties.

The 800 tonne capacity Omahu Road Winery houses the cellar door tasting facility, offices, laboratory and full winemaking facility through to bottling and warehousing.

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$30 million for ‘Rural R&D for Profit’ opens for round three RURAL RESEARCH and Development Corporations (RDCs) across the country are encouraged to apply for up to $30 million in new funding for cutting edge research to boost productivity and returns across the agricultural, fishery and forestry industries.

Barnaby Joyce, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, recently announced the opening of Round 3 of the Federal Government’s Rural Research and Development (R&D) for Profit program.

“The Coalition Government knows how critical R&D is to productive and profitable industries and with new opportunities opening up in global agriculture, through the Coalition’s various free trade agreements, producing high quality food to match consumer tastes and preferences is paramount,” Joyce said.

“A previous project funded under the program, the Multiscale monitoring tools for managing Australian tree crops project led by Horticulture Innovation Australia, uses the latest imaging and robotics to help mango, avocado and macadamia farmers to predict fruit quality and yield, and to monitor the health of their trees.

“The Smarter irrigation for profit project, led by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, aims to boost the profits of 3000 cotton, dairy, rice and sugar irrigators by achieving a 10 to 20 per cent improvement in water use efficiency.

“Meat and Livestock Australia are also delivering a project that uses advanced measurement technologies such as x-ray and 3D digital imaging to more accurately determine meat yield and eating quality across the beef, sheep and pork industries.

“Consumers are benefitting at the supermarket with a selection of avocados with less bruising, the perfect head of broccoli for your family, sweeter oranges with less acidity and juicy mangoes for your summer salad, just some of the results achieved through rural research and development.

“Advances made in the agricultural sector are great examples of how RDCs, researchers and producers getting together and

AT A GLANCE • A pplications are open for Round 3 of the Federal Government’s ‘Rural R&D for Profit’ program; • U p to $30million in funding is available; • R esearch and Development Corporations apply for funding in a partnership arrangement; and • Applications close 6 December 2016.

identifying common challenges and areas of research produces tangible results for the producer as well as the consumer.

Round 3 projects will need to address one or more R&D priority areas: • Technology to enhance innovation of products, processes and practices across the supply chain; • Biosecurity to improve understanding of pest and disease pathways; • Soil, water and managing natural resources to manage soil health, improve water use efficiency, sustainably develop new production areas and improve resilience; and • Adoption of R&D focusing on flexible delivery of extension services that meet producers’ needs.

“Fostering industry and research collaboration is a key focus of the programme and RDCs must team up with one or more RDC, research or industry partner. Strong collaboration across sectors will promote innovation and growth for the industry as a whole,” Joyce said.

Applications close 6 December 2016. For more information on key dates and how to apply visit www.agriculture.gov.au/rd4profit

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Marketplace: Vineyards change hands KINGSTON ESTATE WINES has expanded its national presence in the viticulture industry, purchasing two separate vineyard properties in two distinctly different regions.

The Lake Marmal Vineyards in central Victoria, were reportedly acquired for more than $3.5 million, while an announcement about the purchase of the Wrights Bay Vineyard, near Mount Benson in the Limestone Coast, followed within a few days.

Located in Boort, about 100km south of Swan Hill, Lake Marmal Vineyards comprises almost 300 hectares planted to 172 hectares of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is a current supplier to Treasury Wine Estates and there is a grape supply agreement in place up to and including the 2018 vintage.

Kingston Estate Wines, owned by the Moularadellis family, has purchased the vineyard in order to secure future supply - in line with its business growth objectives.

A statement from the winery said management was “delighted to have added the beautiful Lake Marmal vineyard to our family of vineyards”.

The vineyard was actually established on a site selected in 1880 by a Swiss immigrant called Francesco Moresi who identified the spot as ideal for viticulture due to its red/brown soil over limestone along with a consistent warm dry climate.

CBRE’s Phil Schell and James Beer, who negotiated the sale on behalf of Lake Marmal Vineyards Pty Ltd, said the property represented an attractive opportunity to gain a footprint in the growing wine industry.

“Lake Marmal is a highly productive vineyard that was established in 1998 with the objective of supplying a substantial quantity of fruit to Treasury

42 Grapegrower & Winemaker

We received a strong level of enquiry for the property, which is evidence of the continued strengthening of the sector.

Wine Estates,” Mr Beer said.

“The site was originally selected for its favourable climate, soil profile, ability to be managed efficiently, expansion capabilities and its strategic location with regard to numerous processing facilities.”

Mr Schell said the level of interest in the property highlighted the viticulture sector’s recent resurgence.

“We received a strong level of enquiry for the property, which is evidence of the continued strengthening of the sector, given that the acquisition also represented an opportunity to secure a significant quantity of fruit,” Mr Schell said.

Lake Marmal Vineyards benefits from a 648 megalitre water entitlement, numerous structural improvements supporting the operations and quality purpose-built operational infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Wrights Bay Vineyard – which is a short distance from the ocean at Mt Benson, has been a significant supplier of high quality grapes to the winery for the past 15 years.

The Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz have previously supplied large portions of the Kingston Estate range blends, with parcels of the Shiraz often included in www.winetitles.com.au

the reserve wines.

“We are seeing a significant increase in demand for super premium wines in our export markets and this vineyard will enable us to build on this, creating wines with additional diversity and flair,” the winery said in a statement.

“Adding this wonderful vineyard to our portfolio of properties within the Limestone Coast ensures a consistent supply of this highly prized fruit, something the winemakers are very excited about.”

In other vineyard expansion news, Mt Bera Vineyards, has secured an 80 hectare livestock, lifestyle and horticulture land parcel near Gumeracha for more than $1million – with plans to establish vineyard on the property.

Located in the Adelaide Hills region, the property has been maintained as a breeding cattle operation across 40 hectares and also has an extensive vegetable production. The property has previously produced apples and pears.

There is a 144 megalitre water entitlement and supporting irrigation infrastructure, includes a quality family home offering picturesque views of surrounding river red and blue gum trees and neighbouring vineyards.

CBRE’s Phil Schell, who sold Hills Fresh on behalf of the Newman family, said the property’s position next door to Mt Bera’s existing vineyard was instrumental to the sale.

“Mt Bera Vineyards saw an ideal opportunity to expand its current vineyard operations with the addition of a circa 80 hectare landholding immediately next door,” Mr Schell said.

“The property will significantly expand Mt Bera’s footprint in this fertile region, helping support its long term business growth strategy.”

November 2016 – Issue 634

Vinehealth Australia announces new board A NEW BOARD for Vinehealth Australia has been appointed following an independent selection process, with Roseanne Healy elected as chair.

Healy has broad experience of the wine and grapegrowing industry and has been re-appointed for a second term on the board.

She is joined by three new members, Anna Hooper, Prue McMichael and Andrew Clarke, as well as three continuing members Marc Allgrove, Nigel Blieschke (both reappointed for a second term) and Ashley Chabrel (reappointed for a third term).

The board also includes acting executive director of Biosecurity SA, Geoff Raven, and University of Adelaide viticultural expert Dr Cassandra Collins.

Healy said the new members joined the Vinehealth Australia board at an important period for the organisation as it strengthens its leadership in wine and grape biosecurity.

“A strong board and management team with a great diversity of skills and clear vision will ensure that Vinehealth Australia continues and elevates the

organisation’s impressive legacy through a national focus on vineyard protection,” she said.

“We will be working closely with operators, government and the community for the purpose of generating ‘biosecurity buy in’ to protect the longterm future of one of our state’s most important industries.”

A key role of the board is to oversee implementation of the organisation’s five-year strategic plan which is aimed at safeguarding South Australia’s $1.78 billion wine industry well into the future.

Healy is an experienced chair and director with considerable expertise in strategic planning and corporate governance. She is a former CEO of SA Great and has held commercial and industry board appointments in the wine and grapegrowing sectors, both regionally and nationally.

The three new board members all have extensive industry experience. Hooper has expertise as both a winemaker and vineyard manager. She owns Cape Jaffa Wines in the Limestone Coast region where she is also active on various

industry bodies.

McMichael is a plant pathologist whose career has focused on biosecurity and plant health management in horticulture and viticulture. She has worked as a consultant and serves on a range of industry and government committees.

Clarke is the chief viticulturist for Yering Station in the Yarra Valley and has first-hand experience in managing phylloxera. He is a member of various regional biosecurity committees and was a 2015 Nuffield Scholar.

ABOUT VINEHEALTH AUSTRALIA Vinehealth Australia (formerly the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of SA) is a statutory body funded by South Australian vineyard owners to protect South Australian vineyards from diseases, pests and other conditions that may affect vine health.

Its role is to develop and advocate policy, as well as provide current research and best practice measures to help ensure that farm-gate hygiene practices are integrated into daily vineyard operations in South Australia.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing

‘Vineyard of the future’ project THE TEAM behind the KLIMA cane pruning system has decided to ‘put their money where their mouth is’ with the design and construction of their own ‘vineyard of the future’.

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KLIMA directors Marcus Wickham and Nigel George, both experienced in the viticulture sector, have begun replanting a 10Ha site.

Replanting this site gives the pair a perfect chance to “swipe the board” or “push the reset button”. And they intend to do all of the things they wished they had of done when first developing the vineyard 20 odd years ago.

But this will not be a rushed project, in fact the workload has been mapped out across a seven-year time frame.

“We started last year with two rows and we have just planted the next 10 rows,” Wickham said.

“Our goal is to design and construct the world’s most efficient vineyard. By efficient we mean the lowest possible annual operating costs while delivering the highest quality fruit possible to our customer.”

No doubt there will be some clever initiatives from the KLIMA designers – whose system incorporates the cane pruner, clip system and vineyard pruning process.

The business has already been built around training operators and managers to get the most from the cane pruning system, including a comprehensive list of tips and tricks to optimise productivity throughout the season.

The KLIMA system is now being used extensively throughout Australasia with outstanding results.

You can keep up-to-date with the progress of the ‘vineyard of the future’ online (www.klima.co.nz). Across the project the team plans to showcase the best and the latest labour saving devices and products, both from KLIMA and other like-minded suppliers.

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

Photo credit: Richard Lyons

Steve Pannell’s new project – as a vineyard owner ACROSS 37 VINTAGES, including nine in Europe, Steve Pannell has spent plenty of time in vineyards and wineries pondering: “Why do I love wine? Why do I love making wine? What is it exactly that makes a great wine?”

“I think all great wines obey a set of rules, and the most important of these is that wine should have a sense of place; the best possible expression of terroir,” Pannell said.

“Put simply, a wine should taste like it comes from somewhere specific; unique and impossible to replicate. And with this being the case, it gives a winemaker greater direction and purpose, and drives everything that you do.”

The recognition of the importance of place has driven Pannell’s latest project – Koomilya – wines made from a property he purchased four years ago in the McLaren Vale region.

“The property is hidden away at the dead end of Amery Road. It includes 13 hectares of vineyards and over 15 hectares of native bush and scrub; with a creek line that flows through the heart of the property,” Pannell said.

November 2016 – Issue 634

www.winetitles.com.au

“The scrub and creek line have a moderating influence on the microclimate of the property. The cool air from the 161 hectare Hardy scrub which sits above the property flows down the creek line in the evenings; keeping the nights cooler.

“The native bush hills to the north and west protect the vineyards from the strong and often hot winds in summer.

“I know this sounds crazy, but there is something spiritual about this place. I get immense satisfaction spending time there, and find it calming and cathartic.”

Pannell said he first visited the Koomilya vineyard in December 1994, not long after he started working with BRL Hardy and had taken responsibility for the Tintara winery, when it was one of the premium vineyards contracted to Hardys.

The vineyard is wedged between the original Upper Tintara vineyard which was planted by the famous Dr Kelly in 1862, and the Hope Farm or Seaview vineyard which was established in the early 1850s by George Manning.

“We don’t know exactly when the Koomilya vineyard was planted, but our Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Photo credit: Richard Lyons

neighbour Colin Kay says grapes have been planted there for as long as they can remember,” Pannell said.

“My guess would be sometime in the late 1800s.”

Just a year into his tenure at Hardys, the 1995 Eileen Hardy Shiraz he made claimed the Jimmy Watson trophy – and a major component of that wine was sourced from the Koomilya JC Block.

“Yes, the vineyard can grow amazing fruit, but funnily enough it’s the land and its beauty which has an almost spiritual attraction for me,” he said.

“Out of the hundreds of vineyards I have visited around the world, this was the vineyard I fell in love with and most wanted to own.”

It was back in 2004 when Pannell approached Don Cant, the then owner, with a proposition… “if he ever

considered selling the vineyard I would be interested”.

Eight years later, towards the end of 2012, Cant agreed to sell the 35 hectare property to Steve and Fiona.

In October the first wines made by Pannell from the property were released: the 2013 DC Block Shiraz and 2014 Koomilya Shiraz.

“No two wines have meant more to me,” he said. “This is probably the reason why I feel like a father seeing his children off on their first day of school, nervous, anxious, excited, but most of all extremely proud.

“These wines have strength, intensity, and glorious grape tannins, which wind the palate together, almost like a double helix. The complex structure pulls you straight through.

“They illustrate what I’m hoping

I know this sounds crazy, but there is something spiritual about this place.

I get immense satisfaction spending time there, and find it calming and cathartic. modern McLaren Vale Shiraz will be, which harps back to a tradition of what it looked like in the 1960s, without all the artifice of winemaking. These wines look and taste like they could only come from Koomilya.”

With the attention on place, Pannell said the protection of regional, vineyard, and even single block characteristics becomes the most important factor in his winemaking decisions.

He believes the focus must be on “growing the wine” – which means working the vineyard to reduce the need for winemaking tricks, such as acid addition or excessive oak regimes.

Pannell said the Koomilya vines are pruned hard, reducing the need for excessive irrigation and resulting in a lower yield but a more balanced vine, and a better expression of place.

Photo credit: Richard Lyons

46 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

Supplier Update

Irrigation

The clip you can apply and forget about: Simple and effective

GRAPEGROWERS and vineyard managers are always looking for the simple solutions that make managing their vines easier and more efficient.

When it comes to setting up irrigation lines, they are looking for an easy and quick fastening and application system. The AgriFast system from Eclipse Enterprises has everything they are looking for.

Eclipse has been the Australian and New Zealand distributor for AgriFast/SIMES for more 20 years.

AgriFast/SIMES are based in Pamplona northern Spain and are a leading manufacturer of Horticultural, Rural, and Industrial fastening products.

Eclipse Enterprises (Australia) Pty. Ltd. is an Adelaide based company run by Leon and Con Atsalis. One of the products includes the E-Series Irrigation Clips.

These are quality products that are used to attach the Irrigation Poly to the wire. The clips are made of a 2mm highgrade galvanized wire that comes in a range of sizes to cover 13mm to 25mm tube.

The clips are in glued strips of 36 clips so that they can be loaded into the magazine on one of our applicators.

These tools are a well-made professional tool with spare parts available. Tools and clips are made by AgriFast/SIMES in Pamplona Spain.

Due to the clever clip design and high grade galvanization of the wire they are highly resistant to harsh working conditions and guarantee that they will stay in place for 10+ years. Clips that were applied 15+ years ago are still in place.

Basically you apply the clip once and forget about it.

Job done.

Application is a breeze as they take less than half of the time to attach as other manual methods, and the clips themselves are very competitively priced compared to the alternatives.

For further information, a quote or direction to our nearest stockist, please get in touch with the Eclipse team: P: 08 8351 8611 E: info@eclipseenterprises.com.au

1 Marlow Road, Keswick, SA 5035 P: (08) 8351 8611 F: (08) 7225 1993 E: info@eclipseenterprises.com.au - www.eclipseenterprises.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

www.winetitles.com.au

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Cloud-based irrigation data management

WATERFORCE HAS SELECTED VODAFONE to supply its global SIM and cloud-based data management services in a deal that will clear the way for the irrigation company to scale its SCADAfarm innovation overseas.

SCADAfarm is an Internet of Things (IoT) innovation that allows farmers to control, monitor and manage their irrigation and pump systems remotely across Vodafone’s network.

By incorporating Vodafone’s global SIM, SCADAfarm becomes operationally compatible with telecommunications

networks in 70 countries around the world – significantly boosting the New Zealand company’s export opportunities.

WaterForce CEO Ron McFetridge said: “Efficiently managing and monitoring irrigation and other farming systems has become increasingly important for local producers and their counterparts across the world. This is particularly true of the younger generations because they expect these processes to be digitised.

“They are looking to companies like WaterForce to provide innovative IoT solutions that make it easier for them to add value to their farms, increase productivity and assuage impact on the environment.”

In four years, the SCADAfarm product has evolved from an innovative irrigation system with remotely controlled pivots, to include sophisticated pump station metering and data monitoring capability.

Using the system, farmers can efficiently irrigate their land and collect useful environment data, which then informs key aspects of their farm’s entire operation.

In its partnership with Vodafone, WaterForce will shift its data management services into the cloud – boosting security and end user experience, and eliminating the need for continued investment in expensive IT infrastructure.

“We already use Vodafone’s secure network, but by moving our data management services to the cloud, we’ll make our end customers’ experience even more robust and seamless,” McFetridge said.

Who are you looking for?

AUSTRALIAN WINERIES SEARCH AND FILTER FUNCTIONS

• Geographic Indication Zone & Region • Wine producer name & brands • Average annual Tonnes Crushed • Varieties used in production • Export markets

ORDER TODAY: Visit: www.winetitles.com.au Call: +618 8369 9522 Email: orders@winetitles.com.au

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48 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Supplier Update

Wet weather hasn’t dampened demand for Toro’s new Hippo Clamps AUSTRALIA MAY HAVE experienced one of its wettest years on record, but that hasn’t stopped irrigation experts across the nation lining up to get their hands on Toro’s new Hippo Clamps.

Before hitting the market this month, a handful of industry professionals had the chance to test out the clamps for themselves.

And despite the wet weather hindering some installation attempts, the feedback has already been very encouraging, as Leon Larson of Darling Irrigation has found.

“It’s been a challenging season for many farmers this year. I haven’t seen such a wet winter in years — but customers are still stocking up on Hippo Clamps in anticipation for the drier months,” Larsen said.

“We’re already selling Hippo Clamps by the thousands. Customers are happy to test them out because they’re confident in the Toro brand.”

Larson has a wealth of expertise in irrigation, and supplies a range of customers across the domestic, commercial and agricultural field.

He is already highly impressed with the Hippo Clamps, and predicts they will be very advantageous to experts across the agricultural space.

“What really stands out for me is the distinct colouring on Hippo Clamps,” Larson said.

“The colour-coded system makes it really easy to identify clamp sizes.

“I can tell by the quality of the workmanship the colours wouldn’t fade over time either, which is another great bonus.”

One of Larson’s long-standing customers, Agri Australis (a subsidiary of the Ferrero Group) are also on schedule to trial the Hippo Clamps on their hazelnut plantation in New South Wales.

Project manager, David Busnello, is particularly eager to see the unique

positive lock system in action.

“Hippo Clamps are a massive improvement from anything we’ve ever used before,” Busnello said.

“The latching mechanism is very intuitive, which is something other clamps lack.

“The positive lock means we can hear when the clamp is locked into place, and once it’s locked in, it’s locked tight.”

These innovative stainless steel irrigation clamps provide a quick and secure fastening solution for LD poly pipe and drip tube systems.

Manufactured to the highest standards, Hippo Clamps are guaranteed to last.

To learn more about Toro’s new Hippo Clamps or request a free trial, please visit www.hippoclamps.com.au or contact your local Toro dealer.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

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REQUEST A FREE SAMPLE hippoclamps.com.au 1300 130 898 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Analysing your export approach: Data can help enter markets strategically In the past financial year the value of Australia’s wine exports reached $2.11billion. With the aim of finding practical pieces of advice to help your export strategy, Daniel Whyntie sat in on a recent Wine Communicators of Australia. The ‘Export Update’ was held in conjunction with Wine Australia and offered insights into various support services available to the industry.

SELECTING EXPORT MARKETS Mark Rowley, Wine Australia’s senior analyst, said the first thing to do “is actually pick a market”.

“This could be as easy having a contact in India, for example, but if you wanted to use the data for a strategic approach we’ve got a lot of information you can actually use,” Rowley said.

Wine Australia has support mechanisms to assist the decision making throughout the export process; the resources they invest in are freely available to all stakeholders and are the ideal place to start when looking to choose your market or explore any

50 Grapegrower & Winemaker

opportunities.

They collect and provide data on what countries are shipping wine; where they are sending it; what is selling; as well as information on price points, varietal and wine style.

Once the wine arrives in a market data is gathered on who is buying the wine, importers, distributors, the consumer perceptions of Australian wine and choice queues when they select a bottle of wine off the shelf.

The first step is to look at the export data and develop a strategy that you think will be a winner; for instance If you are looking for a market where www.winetitles.com.au

Shiraz Cabernet is growing at above $20 per bottle, you could quickly go through the data and shortlist a few markets to look at.

You could also flip the strategy around if you have a Yarra Valley wine you might look for a market that’s growing, but doesn’t have a lot of Yarra Valley wine in it; generally speaking though, growth is what people are looking for throughout the world.

FINDING A BUYER “Step two is planning your way into the market, and finding a credible buyer,” Rowley said.

November 2016 – Issue 634

GLOBAL DEMAND FOR PREMIUM WINES DRIVES EXPORT GROWTH FOR THE YARRA VALLEY INCREASING GLOBAL DEMAND for premium wines has put Victoria’s Yarra Valley squarely on the map as one of Australia’s top 15 Geographical Indication (GI) regions - and Victoria’s only region to make the top 15 - according to Wine Australia’s September quarterly Export Report.

Making the list for the first time in June, continued growth has seen the Yarra Valley retain its 12th ranking by value of bottled exports, recording a 38% increase to $14.6 million in the September report, and hold its spot as generating the second highest average value per litre of $12.38, up nine per cent from October 2015.

The Wine Australia report shows overall Australian wine exports continued to grow, with more than half the value growth being in wines of $10 per litre and above FOB (Free on Board), reflecting the ‘increasing demand for premium Australian wines in most regions around the world, particularly Northeast Asia’.

De Bortoli Wines has witnessed this growth first hand with exports of its own Yarra Valley wines growing by 94% in the same time frame, reinforcing the family-owned winery’s ‘sense of place’ philosophy that wine should taste of the region where the grapes that made it are grown.

Victor De Bortoli, Executive Director of De Bortoli Wines, manages the business’s export arm and points to the Yarra Valley’s maturing vineyards being in the ideal position to respond to global consumer demand for wines that reflect the quality and taste of their provenance.

“The Yarra Valley is primed to deliver on demand for premium wines because many of the region’s local vineyards have come of age and can deliver the quality expected to meet growing international tastes – in fact the Yarra Valley is selling everything it can make,” says Victor.

“It’s exciting to see this is translating into sales, especially when you look at the value per litre figures in the Wine Australia Export Report. There’s no doubting the region is becoming regarded as among the most respected in Australia for producing top quality wines.”

As Australia’s seventh largest wine exporter, De Bortoli Wines has experienced an increase in demand for its premium quality wines worldwide, most notably in Asia which has grown 42% since 2014. With demand so high, the business has seen for the first time the entire stock of De Bortoli’s most premium Pinot Noir and

“The best place to look is the industry specific and detailed export market guides produced by Wine Australia which provide high level information on taxes, regulations and cultural impacts on the market.”

It is also good to be aware of Austrade’s services at this point, they have an ‘export readiness indicator’ on their website and export market guides; though more broadly focused than Wine Australia’s.

Both Austrade and Wine Australia have offices around Australia as well November 2016 – Issue 634

Chardonnay was allocated for sale prior to being released to the market.

Victor De Bortoli added the fact that the Yarra Valley is increasingly becoming a sought-after tourist destination for international visitors was contributing to the region gaining recognition for its wines.

“Our Yarra Valley Cellar Door has seen a surge in numbers of Asian visitors in particular over the last three years as they clamber to gain an authentic Yarra Valley wine experience. Melbourne is so close and many international visitors are interested in seeing for themselves where their food and wine comes from, so they love to come the Yarra Valley and explore.”

as in the key overseas markets to help you; offering advice in conjunction with locally based colleagues in markets overseas to assist with the very basics of international market selection.

Some of the most-commonly asked questions are centred on the search for the right partner, or finding the right importer.

Austrade can work with you to develop an ideal profile of who your partner is off shore and work with their locally based colleagues to help navigate the market. www.winetitles.com.au

If you are getting approached by potential partners Austrade can help steer you through the who’s who; with the locally based colleagues providing information on international business culture and etiquette and building networks and contacts with the key decision makers and buyers locally.

Outside these guides Wine Australia carries other sources of the importers and distributors in market; for instance if you’re looking into Asia the Debra Meiburg Asian market Guide lists all the Grapegrower & Winemaker

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It is useful to use this data to base your projections for your next year’s sales, and here again you can prove your business case to your overseas partners and say this is actually a place we need to sell more wine next year. key importers and distributors in a range of Asian markets.

There are other online sources out there, such as at bestwineimporters.com, where you can buy lists of importers and distributors to start looking at who the ideal partners are you want to make contact with.

SEAL THE DEAL Data can also help you to finalise your deal with any potential buyers and answer any questions distributors might ask.

There are two main ways to use the data here, first is to put forward your business case; sales data and projections are an integral part of the sales pitch.

Calculating what your Freight on Board (FOB) price needs to be to get that ideal gross margin can be difficult, on top of factoring in what the importers, retailers, distributors all need to make along the way.

Wine Australia has calculators on their website that will help you track where all the dollars are flowing, allowing you to let the distributor know exactly how much wine you’ve got to sell and how much they will be making out of the deal.

You can also use the data to help convince the distributor they need your wine by, depending on your market, using Wine Australia’s sales data or where it’s lacking export data.

Here you can show that the category you’re selling the wine into is actually in growth; for instance a Shiraz category above $20 is up by 20 per cent but that distributor doesn’t actually have any of

EXPORT APP TO HELP THE WINE JOURNEY Efic and the Export Council of Australia (ECA) have joined forces to launch a first-of-itskind export focused app. The Export Essentials app has been designed with new and growing exporters in mind, with a focus on small and medium businesses.

“Both Efic and the ECA are focused on helping Australian SMEs achieve export success.

With that in mind we developed an app with need-to-know information at their fingertips.

Export Essentials will help Australian businesses take the right steps on their export journey,” said Andrew Watson, Efic executive director of export finance.

The application is filling the export information gap for Australian SMEs providing key details often overlooked by businesses when planning to export. From checklists and calculators, to understanding how to manage currency risk, Export Essentials will continue to be updated on a regulr basis to provide businesses with the help they need to develop export strategies and opportunities.

“Exporting can be a complicated business, especially when you’re new to the process or entering a new export market – the Export Essentials app is designed to empower new and less experienced SME exporters with the tools and information they need to achieve their export goals,” said Watson.

“We encourage new exporters to seek professional advice when starting their export journey. It’s important to understand the steps and risks, and critical to get help from the experts – the likes of Austrade, ECA, and legal and accounting professionals.”

Former Federal Minister for Small Business, Bruce Bilson says the evolution from an Australian SME to an exporting SME can be daunting, “there are so many questions that a SME needs to ask itself when planning to export, or enter a new export market”.

“Export Essentials is a resource that provides useful, practical and actionable information and supports SMEs to get their ambitions underway. There is nothing else like it.”

To download the free Export Essentials app, visit the Apple or Android app store and search for ‘Export Essentials’. that wine, you can prove to them there missing out on an opportunity.

MONITORING YOUR EXPORTS AND FUTURE PROJECTIONS The next step in using data is to monitor those exports; your buyer is going to be telling you what’s happening in market so it’s a good cross reference to make sure what they’re talking about is actually what’s going on.

“It is useful to use this data to base your projections for your next year’s sales, and here again you can prove your business case to your overseas partners and say this is actually a place we need to sell more wine next year,” Rowley said.

Similarly data is excellent for setting benchmarks and exploring new potential products; so if you’re shipping in Shiraz, is there place for a Riesling as well?

Here you can benchmark against similar players in the Australian market and do some forecasting.

Most of these strategies are fairly common sense but the word data can be daunting; we hope this gives you some

ideas of practical and simple ways to employ your data and other resources to build strategies that get the most from your export business.

If you’re looking for which markets are growing for which variety; or where is organic wine in demand; or even which consumers are going to be more open to trying new products like wine in a can; then the export data and advice from the analysts at Wine Australia and Austrade is the place to go.

If you need to do some calculations on what to price your wine head over to the pricing calculators, or if you need to know who to meet to showcase your wine then you go to those market guide.

Just remember to export wine you need to go through Wine Australia and Austrade anyway, so take advantage of all they have to offer while you’re there.

In the next edition, Whyntie will present follow-up articles with more specific information as well as updates from key export markets.

Looking for more articles, visit the Grapegrower and Winemaker article archive at: www.winetitles.com.au/gwm 52 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Partner Update

On the run-up to SIMEI@drinktec 2017

ADVOCACY

ADVOCACY

Two leading Italian wine producers explain why SIMEI@drinktec is an event not to be missed There is great anticipation for SIMEI, the most important international trade fair for wine technology and bottling, which is due to be held from 11th to 15th September 2017 in Munich. An opportunity not to be missed to see the manufacturing excellence and innovation in machinery and equipment in this industry, as we are told by two leading Italian wine producers, who will be in the first row at SIMEI@drinktec to find out about what is new in this 27th edition.

Ernesto Abbona - Marchesi di Barolo Tradition and technology, an inseparable combination.

Tradition means knowing how to conserve the soil, depositary of the quality of our wines and the place where they grow and shape their characteristics. Everything else, while maintaining the identity of the product, is constant innovation, both in agricultural practices and in the work in the cellar, in order to achieve the quality required by increasingly demanding markets.

Why is SIMEI an event not to be missed?

You always find what you are looking for at SIMEI in terms of innovation and processes. And not only. The best part is that while wandering through the stands you also come across unexpected things: solutions, the result of the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs and researchers, which you would not even imagine existed.

The 2017 edition will be in Munich together with drinktec, what do you expect?

Being in Monaco will be an excellent opportunity both for us in that we will be able to extend our sales area and for exhibitors who will be able to introduce themselves to new markets. This will make them even more international and their products, by increasing their sales area, will become even more competitive. We will all benefit from this because the wellbeing of a company in its local area promotes the wellbeing of the area itself with positive repercussions for everyone.

Quirico Decordi - Vinicola Decordi How important is knowing how to innovate in the wine field?

In a rapidly changing world, technological advancement is a critical success factor for a company in order to conquer increasingly competitive markets. Innovation is decisive and being up to date is essential. Therefore, an event like SIMEI where you can find everything you need to innovate, restructure and grow is not to be missed.

The SIMEI@drinktec Road Show begins. You will find us at: Braubeviale: Nuremberg, 8-10 November 2016 Intervitis: Stuttgart, 27-30 November 2016 Vinitech: Bordeaux, 29 Nov - 1 December 2016 Enomaq: Saragozza, 14-17 February 2017

November 2016 – Issue 634

27TH EDITION INTERNATIONAL ENOLOGICAL AND BOTTLING EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION

ORGANIZED BY

11th-15th September 2017 Messe München - Germany

SUPPORTED BY

www.simei.it www.drinktec.com/simei

A very much anticipated event...

Absolutely. I’ve been to all the editions ever since I was a child and now I go back with my employees and technicians.

SIMEI gives a complete overview of the best technology that exists in the wine field. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that at SIMEI the machines are physically present, which makes it possible to experience their functioning and operation directly.

What do you expect from next year’s event SIMEI and drinktec together?

SIMEI has always been a very busy event and promises to be the same in Munich too. The fact that it is to be held with drinktec will renew the success of the event and will bring it to the attention of potential new clients and markets before it returns to Italy in 2019. SIMEI is a trade fair that we really feel is ours and, not surprisingly, the top producers are Italian.

USEFUL INFORMATION DATES 11-15 September 2017 PLACE Munich, Germany – Messe München Exhibition Centre

AWAITING SIMEI@drinktec 2017

London Wine Fair: London, 22-24 May 2017

WORLD LEADER IN WINE TECHNOLOGY

PARTICIPATION • exhibitors: complete the form and follow the instructions in the section “2017 application form” on the official site www.simei.it/en or apply online on www.drinktec.com/simei • visitors: information in the section “Visitors” on the official site www.simei.it/en

www.winetitles.com.au

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Two striking reds Daniel Whyntie reports

wow this is something special,” Roberts said.

While carrying the Liverpool logo, the wines will be sold in the domestic market with the partnership used as a platform to launch the wine and highlight its quality – rather than target the UK market.

“He seems a genuine beautiful bloke, he’s got good qualities and this wine has to represent him. In that sense I think it’s him and in the other sense it showcases how I perceive Claire Shiraz, I let the fruit shine and it’s big and bold and I want it to be really intense,” Roberts said.

So what does Ian think of the wine that bears his name?

“I think when you taste it you want it to be something different, something striking, and soon as I tasted that I felt it was something quite powerful,” Rush said.

CLAYMORE WINES brought Liverpool legend Ian Rush to the Clare Valley to launch their new Signature Series Shiraz, part of their association with the club launched in an industry first last year.

Rush is Liverpool’s highest ever goal scorer and one of the most famous players who ever played; best described in number, 346 goals in 600 games for the club.

But this is Rush’s first foray into the world of wine so Claymore are guiding him through his rookie year.

“I’m more of a football man than a wine man so I’m taking advice from claymore really, if you get into the winery and all that, hopefully in four of five years’ time instead of Cliff Sears (ex-Liverpool coach) you’ll get Claymore putting you on the right track,” Rush said.

SCOUTING THE STAR Claymore first approached Liverpool in 2015, before an official tour club through Australia from Adelaide to Brisbane. They spoke with the regional supporter’s representative asking to be put into contact with the clubs big wigs in the UK to see how they could be involved.

“It was a dream come true for Anura (Nitchingham, Claymore Wines founder) and we couldn’t miss being part of it.

“So we went through the process of having chats with Liverpool mid vintage, I was out on grape harvesters on the phone to them having a chat about what we can and can’t do, they thought it was hilarious the vision of me sitting in the field at night time,” Carissa Major, Claymore general manager said.

The original agreement had Claymore hosting a pop up bar on the banks of the River Torrens, a luncheon with club legend Dietmar Hamann and a number of interstate and local trade in VIP suites before the game.

“That worked really well for us, in regards to a lot of trade engagement, but we felt we were missing out on direct to consumer,” Major said.

“We didn’t have a wine club at the time so the conversation about a longer term partnership was on the potential to build a differentiated direct to consumer program. It just sort of makes a broader conversation and makes are products more accessible.”

Claymore has worked to make the

54 Grapegrower & Winemaker

WALKING ON most of the opportunities association with such a big club brings.

“It’s almost limited a bit by imagination, Liverpool is very much a family club and they treat their partners that way to,” Major said.

“Their international partner summit is an amazing networking opportunity, the whole information sharing with some very large international companies.

There’s a lot of potential doors that can be knocked on and opened but at the end of the day we just now feel like we’re just part of a bigger family.”

The partnership is currently set to last for three years, after which Claymore are ideally looking to renew.

“At its very foundation it’s a point of differentiation for us, obviously it opens up other opportunities, broadens our consumer base and the capacity to increase our brand profile but none of that is available if it wasn’t something that nobody else is doing. We’re doing something that no other wine brand has ever done,” Major said.

THE WINNING COMBINATION The design and style of the wine was left up to Claymore and Winemaker Marnie Roberts.

“I knew I had to not mess it up, I used the term a few times, just seeing these ‘giant hand grenades’ of intense flavour and fruit and colour and I just thought www.winetitles.com.au

The surprising partnership was born out of Anura’s love for the club and his dream of one day handing over a bottle of his own red to the famous Reds.

This inspired the creation of the ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ Grenache Shiraz Mataro, still a long way from formalising a partnership.

“We struck up a relationship really naturally because Anura is a fan, he went to boarding school in Liverpool right through to university. This was when Ian rush was a key player, and being a striker is probably the glamour position on the pitch and every young man wanted to be the best goal kicker Liverpool ever had,” Major said.

That wine was released in 2004, when Claymore were a very different company.

“Today 12 years down the track, our production is exponentially bigger, we were making two or three thousand cases in 2004 we are now up to 20-25 thousand cases annually, so we’ve seen a massive period of growth in those last 12 years,” Major said.

Still firmly at the boutique end of the industry that growth was essential to Claymore being able to build a successful partnership with an entity like Liverpool.

“From a simple commercial realisation that if you’re a 5000 case brand and you’re distributing primarily direct to the consumer you’re not going to generate enough income to get return on investment,” Major said.

November 2016 – Issue 634

Raise a glass to

the future Redox is pleased to announce that it now has enzymes available to the Australian wine industry.

AB Enzymes is part of the Associated British Foods group and sister business to AB Mauri who currently offer the maurivin™ wine yeast range. AB Enzymes superior range will be available for the 2017 vintage, with technical support provided by AB Mauri.

Sales contact debbie.shah@redox.com Tel: +61 (0)402 321 292 Technical contact tina.tran@abmauri.com.au Tel: +61 (0)420 309 480

winemaking

Consumer concerns: Preservatives in wine Greg Howell and Annie Baldwin, from Vintessential Laboratories, tackle wine preservatives in this article.

They clarify some issues and debunk some myths.

PRESERVATIVES ARE USED in most wines, and consumers appear to be becoming more concerned about chemicals in general and preservatives in particular. So what is the current message that is given to the people who drink your products and can you clarify that message to alleviate some of their concerns?

the following sulfur dioxide producing compounds:

WHY ARE PRESERVATIVES USED?

As a sidenote, it is worth pointing out that ‘sulfite’ is spelt as ‘sulphite’ on the FSANZ website. However, the wine industry uses the ‘sulfite’ spelling as this is the form designated by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). To explain why we use the sulfite spelling, consider this quote from a very reputable source “when IUPAC decided that element 16 should be spelled as ‘sulfur’ … there should be no argument about whether there should be a ‘ph’ in there or not. It is not a question of American or Oxford English spelling, it is a given name — and ‘correcting’ such a name to a different spelling is wholly inappropriate”.

Preservatives in wine are used to avoid spoilage by oxidation or microbial growth and so extend its shelf life.

Unlike other beverages, for example milk, juice, and a lot of beer, wine is rarely pasteurised due to the impact on aromas and flavours from heating the wine to elevated temperatures. Preservatives are used instead of pasteurisation to retain the inherent qualities of wine.

The main preservative used is sulfur dioxide. In wine this additive exists in three forms: sulfite and bisulfite ions and as sulfur dioxide molecules. The relative proportions of these three entities are pH dependent.

Several different additives can be used to provide the active sulfur dioxide/ sulfite molecules in the wine. The main additive used in the wine industry is potassium metabisulfite. Sulfur dioxide gas can also be used.

Other preservatives such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sorbic acid are also used as preservatives in wine, although these are much less commonly used.

Ascorbic acid is used occasionally as an antioxidant in white wines, whilst sorbic acid is used to inhibit yeast growth in sweet white table wines, although it is not used in red wines due to the potential to create geranium taint. We will focus now on the more commonly used and controversial preservative sulfur dioxide.

CLARITY OF LANGUAGE To ensure a simple and straightforward message is given to consumers it is recommended that you are clear about the language you use. For example, we often hear winemakers and laboratory staff talk about adding sulfur, doing sulfurs, the sulfur content etc. This is technically incorrect and so can lead to unnecessary confusion.

Sulfur in its pure elemental form is not added to wine, we do not do ‘sulfur’

56 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Name

A typical test set up for measuring sulfur dioxide content of wine.

testing. What is done is that ‘sulfur dioxide’ or ‘sulfites’ are added and we test for ‘sulfur dioxide/sulfites’. In this context the terms sulfur dioxide and sulfites are interchangeable.

Using the expression ‘sulfur’ instead of ‘sulfur dioxide’ or ‘sulfite’ is therefore misleading. Sulfur, the element which is a yellow powder, is used in the vineyard to spray vines; this is a totally different material to the sulfur dioxide/sulfites used in the winery as a preservative.

It is no wonder we have consumers who are confused – the chemistry is complicated, however we are adding to the confusion through our own lack of clarity when we talk about these materials.

The preservatives we employ and how we use them on labels are regulated by the independent statutory agency Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). The FSANZ website lists food additives in the ‘Alphabetical Food Additives’ list. On this list are www.winetitles.com.au

Code

Sulphur dioxide

220

Sodium metabisulphite

223

Potassium metabisulphite

224

Potassium sulphite

225

I’M ALLERGIC TO PRESERVATIVES! The increasingly heard comment “I’m allergic to preservatives” is of serious concern. A recent review article looked at adverse food reactions from wine consumption. It stated that “sulfur dioxide will only cause an adverse reaction in sulfite sensitive asthmatics, which comprise approximately 1.7% of all asthmatics”.

According to Asthma Australia one in 10 people in Australia are asthmatic.

This infers that approximately one person in 500 will be likely to have an adverse reaction from sulfites in wine, which makes it much rarer than selfreported comments from consumers would suggest.

Further, the FSANZ website states: “Most food allergies are caused by peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish and shellfish, soy and wheat, and these must be declared on the food label however small the amount present in the food.”

By not mentioning sulfites as a major allergen risk, it indicates that the statement ‘I’m allergic to the preservatives in wine’ really doesn’t make a lot of sense.

November 2016 – Issue 634

There are some wines in the marketplace that are sold as ‘preservative free’ wine. These are wines that have no sulfites or other preservatives added.

They are much more easily oxidized or spoilt by microbial action than normal wines and so have a much shorter potential shelf life. However there is a group of consumers who do seek out such products.

The rise of the ‘natural wine’ movement also appears to be an indication of the interest in preservative and additive free wines. By not using preservatives, natural and preservative free wines require a lot more vigilance in the winemaking process with regard to air contact, microbial content and concentration of metabolites such as sugars and malic acid to avoid spoilage.

LEVELS OF SULFITES IN OTHER FOODS FSANZ did a study to determine the level of sulfites in parts per million (ppm) in some foods and beverages, the highest levels were: Dried apricots

2097 ppm (mg/kg)

Dried apples

1252

Sausages, beef

275

Limits of sulfites in ppm (mg/kg or mg/L) permitted in some foods and beverages (2) are: Dried fruit

3000

Sausages

500

Wine, sugar <35g/L

250

As can be seen there are other foods that contain a lot more sulfur dioxide than wine.

It is highly recommended that your cellar door and other staff who are dealing directly with consumers are well informed on this contentious matter. The areas for training that we suggest are: • Why preservatives are used in wine; • What preservatives are used in your wine; • What levels of preservatives are in your wines and how this compares to the maximum level allowable; • What other foods contain sulfites and typical levels in those foods; and • What proportion of people are sensitive to these preservatives.

CONCLUSION Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about additives, particularly preservatives, in food, and wine is

no exception. It is vital that the wine industry gives the correct message to consumers to help remove unwarranted doubts. To achieve this, winemakers and cellar door staff are advised to use the correct terminology when talking about commonly used preservatives such as sulfur dioxide, and to have a better knowledge of what preservatives are used, why they are used and at what levels they are present in your wine and in other foods.

References

Rankine, B; Making Good wine, Macmillan Australia, 2004, pp 159 - 160 www.foodstandards.gov.au Nature Chemistry, 1, 333, 2009, editorial Stockley, C. S; Johnson, D. L; “Adverse food reactions from consuming wine”, Aust J Grape Wine Research, 21, s1, 2015, pp 568 - 581 Asthma Foundation, www.asthmaaustralia.org.au

Greg Howell founded Vintessential Laboratories in 1995. He can be contacted by email on greg@vintessential.com.au.

Annie Baldwin works at the Vintessential lab in Orange NSW. More articles on related topics are available on the Vintessential website: www.vintessential. com.au/resources/articles/

Storage - Fermentation Stainless and Mild Steel Fabrication

TANKS & CATWALKS Jury Road, Berri SA. Ph 08 8582 9500 Ivan 0429 697 219 Mark 0408 822 434 jma@jmaeng.com.au www.jmaeng.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

www.winetitles.com.au

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Passionate winemaker and fun workmate A new generation of yeast protection

Increase yeast vitality Increase yeast ethanol tolerance The highest level of sterols within the GO Ferm product range No more oxygen addition worries with white and rosé ferments Improves yeast aroma precursor use

Lallemand Australia Pty Ltd 23-25 Erudina Ave, Edwardstown, SA 5039 AUS Tel: +61 8 8276 1200 | Fax: +61 8177 1802 Email: australiaoffice@lallemand.com Lallemand Oenology: Natural Solutions that add value to the world of winemaking

58 Grapegrower & Winemaker

ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S bestcredentialed winemakers died in October.

Neville Falkenberg has been remembered by his colleagues, friends and family for his passion for the wine industry.

Across his career, Falkenberg influenced the wines and styles of Tollana, Penfolds, Chain of Ponds and Ross Estate (now Hemera Estate) before he started his own winemaking consultancy business. He spent more than 25 years based at Penfolds Nuriootpa and was a key figure in the start of the Penfolds Yattarna project, sometimes referred to as the search for a ‘white Grange’.

“Neville was a loveable larrikin. He was a great winemaker of both red and white wines and his Rieslings in particular, were outstanding,” said Kym Schroeter, Penfolds senior white winemaker. “His winemaking was innovative and he was ahead of his time stylistically. Neville was also a great bloke to have in our team; he was a lot of fun and enjoyed entertaining us.”

Natasha Mooney, from La Bise wines, worked with Falkenberg early in her career – at Penfolds in the early 1990s – then again this year for Amadio Wines.

“Neville had an amazing knack with Chardonnay to be able to read the wine at each different stage of the winemaking process and tell you exactly where the wine was going and where it would end up,” Mooney said. “I think this is difficult to do.

“He worked with the fruit that he had and build character around it, his ability to use 100% new oak and still have the fruit shine made a real impression on me; he did this with timing of oak and lees management.”

Mooney said “the man had passion and he was not afraid to show it!”.

“I was always impressed when tasting with him and I always learnt something, she said. “This year he made some amazing Kangaroo Island Chardonnay, its going to be an impressive wine.”

Alex Peel, 1847 Wines chief winemaker, was another to benefit from his time working with Falkenberg – at Ross Estate.

“As a winemaker he was brilliant,” Peel said. “He had a real sense/feel for the wines he was making and would just make little tweaks as he was going, just to steer them in the right path, rather than try to change them. He was always keen to experiment with something new www.winetitles.com.au

and you could sense how this excited the passion in him.”

Peel admitted he had been worried when he first found out he would be working with Falkenberg, being concerned the “big name winemaker” might arrive with a “his way or the highway” attitude.

“It was totally the opposite. He allowed me to keep the cellar running as it was, with guidance when needed,” Peel said.

While Falkenberg had a reputation for making excellent white wines, Peel soon found out he was a very handy red winemaker as well.

“I remember him telling me that ‘a great wine will be as good at threemonths-old as it will be at 10-years-old’.

Basically saying that a wine can’t be changed to be great after years of ageing, it must be great from the start. Something that I hold to this day and believe to be an important part of my winemaking style.

“Personally he was great to work with.

Always keen for a joke and had smile on his face. During vintage he would go to the local bakery and bring in pies and pasties for the cellar guys – accompanied by some dill cucumbers, which were a passion of his also.”

Aside from his winemaking talents, Falkenberg will be remembered for a love of fishing and family.

“Anything to do with being on the river, he loved,” his son Jace told the Barossa Herald.

“When I was growing up, he loved to take us yabbying and fishing, and going to the shack to find yabby spots.”

His sense of humour is something he will also be remembered for; Jace said his father had always been a “bit of a jokester”, always up for a laugh.

Falkenberg grew up on the family vineyard at Light Pass, in the Barossa, so it’s no surprise he made his career in the viticulture and wine industry.

The wines he made collected numerous accolades and he was also recognised the Barons of Barossa ‘winemaker of the year’ the first time this award was handed out, in 1998.

He passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in October.

Falkenberg was 58.

Editor's note: Thanks to the Barossa & Light Herald, for access to part of their obituary ‘Wine mentor, master’, published 18 October 2016.

November 2016 – Issue 634

The wine show celebrating Italian heritage FIANO AND MONTEPULCIANO stood out in a new wine show – the Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards. The inaugural results were recently announced, highlighting the increasing quality and popularity of wines produced from Italian grape varieties grown in Australia.

More than 200 wines – all made with Italian heritage and Australian style – were entered into the show from across the country and were collected into an impressive range of 26 different varietals/blends/styles, including: Prosecco, Moscato, Arneis, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, Friulano, Aglianico, Lagrein, Nero d’Avola, Primitivo, Sagrantino and Dolcetto.

The judging panel was led by Sophie Otton (wine journalist, sommelier and consultant); supported by Sue Hodder (Wynns senior winemaker) and Mark Protheroe (Grossi Restaurant Group head sommelier); and from all accounts they had a very enjoyable job on their hands.

“The Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards was not only an exciting new development for the wine show calendar, but also extremely rewarding for the judges,” Otton said.

“Of the 200 wines entered, the quality of the candidates in their varietal fields was very impressive, beautifully made wines in both richer Australian style and the more restrained European tradition.”

A few styles in particular tantalised the judges. The Rosé class was described as “a great selection of well-made wines”; while Nebbiolo “rocks, with intriguing gold medal wines of both new and old world styles”.

Sangiovese was the class with the highest number of entrants and the judges were delighted by the overall quality describing the group as “very stylish”.

“The best wines demonstrated what great food wines these varieties can produce, with unique aroma, flavour, texture and structure,” Otton said. “This is arguably one of the main reasons why there is such a burgeoning growth and interest in Italian varietal wines in Australia.”

Out of the vast array of wines entered into the wine show, it was the wines that won the top Trophies which shone a light on the two “stella” classes of the 2016 show, and the varietals that are currently capturing the hearts and tastebuds of Australian winemakers.

The white variety of Fiano, a grape with a long history in the Campania region of southern Italy, produced a highly contested class with several gold, silver and bronze medals awarded.

While Montepulciano was the standout red variety, being described by the judges as “a very strong class, showing the potential of the variety when viticulture and winemaking align”.

Unique aroma, flavour, texture and structure. annual wine show) offered an additional two shows within one: the inaugural Riverina GI Wine Show - with entries limited to wines from the Riverina Geographical Indication (GI), and the Riverina Wine Show Open Classes - open to wines from all across Australia.

The Riverina GI component attracted entries across 11 different classes and the judges were delighted to see diversity and high-quality.

“Each and every wine skilfully expressed its individuality and varietal character. It was difficult to choose between them,” Otton said.

The ‘best still wine from Riverina fruit’ trophy was awarded to McWilliam’s Wines for the 2015 Hanwood ‘1913’ Touriga.

The ‘open classes’ recognises the broader interests of many Riverina wineries, which draw fruit from outside the region, and provided a forum for other blends and non-regional wines. The big winners included Pfeiffer Wines (‘best fortified’ with a NV Grand Rutherglen Muscat); Mount Pleasant Wines (‘best popular premium white wine’ with the 2009 Elizabeth Semillon); Casella Family Brands (‘best popular premium red wine’ for the 2015 Young Brute Shiraz); and Tempus Two (‘best still wine of show’ with the 2015 Pewter Poppy’s Block Chardonnay).

Champion ‘wine of show’ and ‘best red wine’: Galli Estate 2015 Camelback Montepulciano (Heathcote) Trophy for ‘best white wine’ and ‘chief judge’s most exciting wine of show’: Juniper 2016 Small Batch Fiano (Margaret River) The results were announced in conjunction with the Riverina Wine Show in Griffith in late September. The first year of the new AIVWA coincided with the 100th anniversary of the settlement of Griffith, during which time the Italian population has had a major influence on the region’s cultural and agricultural development. Indeed, some 60 per cent of Griffith’s population today boast some Italian heritage.

Meanwhile, the 2016 Riverina Wine Show (the 42nd November 2016 – Issue 634

For further information, please contact Kauri AUS Tel: 1800 127 611 Email: info@kauriwine.com

www.winetitles.com.au

NZ Tel: 0800 KAURIWINE Website: www.kauriwine.com

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Wills and estate planning in private wine and vineyard enterprises MANY WINERIES are small familyowned and closely held businesses.

Several generations may be involved in the running and financing of the winery.

This kind of structure raises many issues concerning business succession and transfer of ownership that necessarily involve a number of interrelated estate planning issues.

Wine Lawyer Mark Hamilton

Grope Hamilton Lawyers

LEGAL ASPECTS OF BUSINESS SUCCESSION There are many legal ramifications of passing along a family-owned winery or vineyard. The most important to consider are the taxation consequences.

Commonwealth and state taxes: • Capital gains tax consequences and exceptions; • Stamp duty on transfer of assets; and • Gift duty.

BUSINESS RAMIFICATIONS OF TRANSFERRING YOUR WINERY Many wineries are family-owned businesses that involve many different people.

An extremely important part of business succession planning is determining how to keep all of the key players, family members and non-family members alike, happy and working.

As a winery owner, you must consider several ownership and compensation aspects before attempting to plan for your business succession.

TWO WAYS TO PASS ON YOUR BUSINESS There are really two ways to pass your business to your family: • First, it may be done as an inter vivos transfer (between living people). This means that your successor would take control during your lifetime; • If this is your choice, you must consider how much you want to participate in the business after the transfer, if at all; • You should also consider how financing would be affected by this kind of transfer; or • Alternatively, you could arrange for the business to transfer after your death; and • If you pass the business when you are no longer alive, you must consider how prepared your successor is to continue the business without your help.

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One of the most important issues in business succession planning is your family and their feelings. You will have a more successful plan if the family and key players are involved in as many aspects of the planning as possible.

OWNERSHIP Many people involve their children or other family members in the business.

If this is true for your situation, you must consider who will take over the winery when it is passed down: • Do you want your children to own and operate the winery?

• The choice of how you set up the business could be very important.

In some forms, the winery will not continue in operation at the death of the founder; • Are some of your children more involved in the business than others?

• If so, should they all share equally or do you wish to compensate the other children in other ways?

• This is very important for both a ‘during lifetime’ transfer and a bequest under your will, because there are issues of family and fairness; • You may wish, if feasible, to leave some of the children an alternative bequest from a will or a trust, instead of stock or shares in the business; • Do you have key employees who are non-family members?

• If so, how do you plan to keep them happy after the business has changed hands?

• This is extremely important if the business will be passed at your death; www.winetitles.com.au

• Do you wish to leave them a cash bequest in a will or from a trust?

• Do you want to make them partial or total owners of the business?

This could be done by a stock bonus arrangement, a buy-sell agreement, or by gift; and • This may keep the winery functioning if your family is not interested in taking over.

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT One of the most important issues in business succession planning is your family and their feelings.

You will have a more successful plan if the family and key players are involved in as many aspects of the planning as possible: • Consider family investors and possible desires to sell out or gift shares back into the business; • It is important for them to know and understand what will happen when the business passes; • If a family investor wishes to give up part of the business, he or she should consider making lifetime gifts and bequests in a will or from a trust to avoid taxes; • Consider your children. Do they wish to continue the winery? Do they November 2016 – Issue 634

need more liquid assets to continue operations?

• You may want to utilise a life insurance policy to ensure that your successors have enough cash to keep the winery functioning and meet estate tax obligations; and • If you plan an inter vivos transfer you will also need to consider sources of funding.

• You should be aware that this could well lead to the liquidation of the winery.

BUSINESS SECESSION PLANNING – A CHECKLIST 1. Buy/Sell Agreements i. Maintains control and ownership and orderly liquidation mechanism upon agreement of shareholders; ii. Sets expectations of shareholders; iii. Events causing sale of shares and transfer of control: - Disability; - Retirement; - Other. iv. Funding of shareholder or company payment obligations; v. Mandatory or optional purchase. vi. Valuation mechanism; vii. Other provisions.

INTESTATE SUCCESSION (NO WILL OR PLAN)

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Without business succession planning, 3:41 27/08/2015 pm 3:41 pm and estate planning in general, your estate will pass according to the rules of intestate succession.

This could lead to unexpected and disastrous results: • If you are survived by both a spouse and descendants, the spouse receives all of your property; • If there are surviving children but no spouse, the children will equally share the funds; • If there are no surviving children or a surviving spouse, the property will go first to surviving parents, or if none, to their descendants; • If there is no family, all property will go to the state (after payment of any creditors); and

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1

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2. Reconsider Entity Structure i. Taxes in connection with transfer of ownership; ii. Recapitalisation or restructure of ownership interests; iii. Reorganise management.

3:41 pm

compensation to non-owner minority-owner management; ii. Incentives.

or

4. Considerations for Sale to Unrelated Buyer i. Existing management does not want to take over winery after founders retire; ii. Children of founders are not interested in assuming ownership or management of the company; iii. Evaluation continued viability of the business in anticipation of founders’ retirement.

GET LEGAL ADVICE This is a complicated topic requiring proper advice and careful deliberation.

Mark Hamilton of Grope Hamilton Lawyers provides specialist national legal services to the Australian wine industry. He has a lifetime of wine sector experience through his involvement with Hamilton’s Ewell Vineyards. He can be contacted on (08) 8231 00898 or 0412 842 359 or by email at mhamilton@ gropehamiltonlawyers.com.au. Or visit www.gropehamiltonlawyers.com.au.

3. Retention of Key Employee i. Management buyout or equity

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FERMIVIN yeasts are selected in collaboration with wine growers and technical institutes. They are then cultivated, dried November 2016 – Issue 634 www.winetitles.com.au and checked in our factories to ensure their authenticity, high performance and quality.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking

Succession planning: Wine brands in family hands When family businesses tackle succession plans with patience and honesty – great solutions can be found.

But it’s never a simple process. In this ‘roundtable’ discussion, three senior members of significant wine brands discuss the process for their families.

Q. What are the strengths of the business that have made it achievable to pass from one generation to the next?

Alister Purbrick: Tahbilk (Nagambie) Alister was to be Tahbilk’s first fully qualified winemaker. Trained at Roseworthy, he worked at Mildara Wines before being lured back to Tahbilk as CEO by his grandfather.

Aged just 24, he faced a glut of light wines, outdated methods and haphazard quality. A new cellar and modern techniques revitalised the white wines, but Eric convinced him to retain the fruit driven, multi-layered style of the reds. Alister has since modernised the management, diversified the company, served on wine industry bodies and developed the wine club, heritage and eco-tourism, the Nagambie Lakes Wine Region and First Families of Wine marketing strategies.

John Duval: John Duval Wines (Barossa) John has an international reputation few other Australian winemakers have ever achieved. He also has a family heritage of four generations of South Australian vignerons.

In 2003, after 28 years with Penfolds, including 16 years as chief winemaker, John started his own wine brand. Utilising old vine Barossa Valley fruit, his wines reflect the terroir of the Barossa and his handcrafted attention.

Amy Burch: Burch Family Wines/Howard Park Wines/MadFish Wines/Marchand & Burch (Margaret River) Amy is the general manager at Burch Family Wines and is very hands on in the business. Her networking and marketing skills combined with her attention to detail ensures that the Howard Park experience is always exactly as it is intended.

Alongside wine, Amy is also passionate about design and was instrumental in coordinating the construction of both the Howard Park Denmark and Margaret River wineries. The Denmark winery was completed in 1997 and the Margaret River winery in 2000.

62 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Alister Purbrick: To my mind, succession has nothing to do with the strengths or weaknesses of a business. It’s all to do with whether a family is committed to the concept of continued ownership of a multi-generational business.

The Purbrick family is committed to continued ownership of Tahbilk and has taken a number of steps to ensure that this will happen regardless of the wishes of future generations of family, for example, the Tahbilk company constitution states that shares in the company can’t be sold to non-family members i.e. anyone who is not genetically linked to the Purbrick family.

Amy Burch: Howard Park celebrates our 30th anniversary this year, 1986 – 2016. It’s an achievement when we think back at the early days of Howard Park and only two wines were produced the Riesling and the Cabernet Sauvignon, to here we are now.

Jeff has dedicated many years developing our vineyards.

We have deep intellectual knowledge and respect of each of our vineyards and what quality of fruit we have and this gives us confidence in the strength of our brands, for Howard Park, MadFish and our newish endeavour Marchand and Burch.

I’ve worked on building our brand presence, our wines have become very personal for us and has knitted us together as a family as we together pursue this intensive and rewarding passion. Our family has picked up on this and it’s our family life that wine revolves around. It’s catching.

Every time we travel to the east coast, we realise that we are a strong family brand, and the next generation can build more on this.

John Duval: The business has developed a strong brand identity, largely based on the long term relationships and credibility that I have been fortunate to develop through my 40-plus years in the wine industry. In particular, John Duval Wines has extensive distribution networks set up both domestically and internationally. This means that the business

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

Alister Purbrick

Amy Burch

is not reliant on any one market and, for a small family brand, has considerable brand exposure in key global markets.

Q. How did the succession planning process start in your situation?

AP: The Succession process was ad hoc for the first four generational transitions the last of which occurred in 1979 with John Purbrick’s (third generation) management handover.

The Tahbilk board decided in 2008 that our family needed to be more professional with succession planning matters and this led to a number of workshops involving three generations of family members (third, fourth and fifth) where it was agreed that a family constitution needed to be created.

More workshops followed and, ultimately, a new constitution was unanimously agreed by all family members which came into existence on 27 August 2010, appropriately, during Tahbilk’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

The constitution deals with matters such as family values, leadership, succession, education and conflict resolution and contains a family code of conduct. It also verbalises a number of family policies on matters such as dividend payment, employment and drugs and alcohol.

The family now conducts an annual family meeting, which includes partners/spouses, and elects a family council which is responsible for overseeing the family’s business interests and giving advice, as appropriate, to the Tahbilk and Tahbilk Group Boards.

AB: The succession planning started once the adult children chose to work with us. It was sort of inevitable as they would choose to work with us; however they had to have that same

John Duval

passion and love working in wine. It’s a demanding occupation.

The next step is to us to develop their strengths. What special talent can bring to our work and develop those in the area of their skill sets? All three of them had worked at different jobs before joining us.

There is a great deal of learning to take place and time will only tell.

Jeff and I are slowing grooming and fuelling their passions.

As after a few years they may still decide this is not for them.

It’s not meant to be a life sentence. It has to be a natural desire that spark, an appetite for hard work. Of course we are firm in the belief that we do we pass on to future generations our legacy of Howard Park Wines in the best condition we can and when the next generation want to step up we will assist in all ways.

It’s happening now.

JD: The process started a few years ago when I starting thinking about my future involvement in the business and communicated my desire to slowly reduce the amount of time I was committing to the business. Informal discussions around the family dinner table over a few glasses of wine followed where I indicated that there was an opportunity for my three sons to get involved, if the interest was there.

Q. How long did the process take?

AP: The process took around two years to complete.

AB: This process is always ongoing, and at some point when the time is right, we hand over bit by bit.

Jeff is slowly handing over to Natalie key aspects of wine production, she is currently operations manager. The process is to support and grow together.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

63

winemaking Integral to the success of the next generation’s succession is a strong senior management team who believe in the family as key to the success and personality of our wine company. This group is one that is confident in their talent and who can happily mentor the next generation. The strength of any succession is the acknowledgement of the senior managers of the company who value working for a family company and respect that at some stage there will be another family member at the helm.

We are fortunate that our key people are on task and very supportive.

JD: The process has only just begun… However, the first step of the process has still taken several years. Once I communicated that there was an opportunity to become involved, each of my sons, Tim, Ben and Jonny, thought about their own careers and whether John Duval Wines was the right fit for them – and whether it was the right time to come back to the family business.

Once Tim indicated a potential desire to leave his legal career to come back to the businesses, more formal meetings were held with our accountants to discuss the financial position of the business, and to shape the potential role that was available within the business.

Q. Were there any hurdles to jump?

AP: By utilising the services of an expert facilitator who conducted the workshops we were able to address all issues raised by family members in a constructive and unemotional manner.

It was an enlightening process and, one of the unexpected benefits, was that the family members who were not employed at that time within the Tahbilk Group gained an in depth

understanding of the various businesses that the Group is involved in which has served the family well since.

AB: External advice is beneficial as you need an independent opinions and ideas. We’ve set up a small board with two external representatives meeting about five times a year. Family members are on the board and the process is quite formal. This has been helpful for good governance and the external directors bring their own special skills.

We have also used eternal resources to work through fiveyear strategic plans with all the senior managers and family members working in the company. This process has been great.

The more information flow and communication between all parties, to train all in the company to work as a team, the better.

So it’s not only about family succession but all senior managers’ succession as well.

All good managers do have to have an exit plan, and train for this eventuality.

JD: Planning for the future is never easy, so rather than tackle everything at once, we broke the process down into a series of ‘stages’.

Stage one, where we are at the moment, involves Tim being an employee in the business only. Tim’s core role is more commercial in nature, rather than being focussed on winemaking/production.

As such, his targets and key performance indicators relate more to the marketing, sales and commercial activities of the business.

However, he is still learning and closely involved in the production aspects of the brand including vintage and bottling.

Further on down the track the next stage of succession planning will be to discuss succession in ownership of the business.

Q. During the process did you consider how the customers/consumers might react?

AP: This was a confidential and private process which had absolutely no bearing on our personal or company’s relationship with customers and/or consumers.

AB: Well once the next generation start appearing at tastings, trade functions, wine industry functions, starts to speak on behalf of the company and slowly becoming the face of the company, it happens. This is where family wine companies have an advantage as the family name is the same and there is a huge sense of continuity … the story is rich and full.

JD: Naturally each party has their own expectations.

I sought guidance from external advisors in respect of the role that could work for a family member within the business, a suitable salary and also how best to frame the succession planning process.

Seeking external advice and then sharing and communication this information within the family helped to manage these expectations.

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Q. How did you spread the news about the succession?

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64 Grapegrower & Winemaker

AP: We have not had a family management succession since 1979 but there will be a succession within the next five-to-10 years.

AB: It’s a natural thing and people in the company see it coming... we haven’t yet made the transition, we are getting to that time.

JD: I sent out a press release to the key clients and customers of the business spreading the good news. I followed this up with a personal phone call to key people such as our distribution partners.

All positive feedback. In one case a distribution partner expressed relief as one of their principals was recently forced to sell their business owing to a lack of succession planning.

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

Calabria Family expands with an extra Riverina winery This acquisition is a new chapter for our family and we are very excited to extend our reach to new and existing markets globally within the wine industry.

CALABRIA FAMILY WINES has announced it has acquired ownership of a large Riverina facility located in Griffith for an undisclosed sum.

Calabria Family Wines have purchased the site to assist with storage and production facilities. The transaction which is scheduled to settle later this month, includes purchase of the winery, cellar door and warehousing.

The original winery was built by the Italian company ‘Cinzano’ in 1976, which later became the ASX listed Cranswick Estate. In 2006 the world’s third largest winemaker The Wine Group (TWG) purchased the site. The winery, includes more than 18 million litres of storage capacity, 3,000 square metres of cold store warehousing and 22,000 tonnes of crushing capacity.

November 2016 – Issue 634

“This acquisition is a new chapter for our family and we are very excited to extend our reach to new and existing markets globally within the wine industry,” Calabria Wines General Manager Michael Calabria said.

The purchase follows the Calabria family’s recent diversification into the Barossa Valley where it operates three premium vineyards and a cellar door which will be opened in 2019.

The purchase of the TWG site means Calabria Family Wines now has a total storage capacity of more than 40 million litres and has two bottling lines with the capability to produce over two million cases annually pushing Calabria to become one of the largest family-owned wineries in Australia.

Calabria Family Wines Sales and Marketing Manager Andrew Calabria said he believed the winery’s distribution reach provided an opportunity to increase sales across its export markets, as the company exports 70 per cent of its production to 38 different countries.

“We are fortunate to have a great footprint in export markets and this expansion allows us to concentrate on supply for our brands which have been growing at a significant rate,” Calabria said.

Calabria Family Wines was established

by Francesco and Elizabeth Calabria in the Riverina in 1945.

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A U S T R A L I A

A U S T R A L I A

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65

people & places

The Cargo Club, a music club set in a disused railway yard.

The Artisans of Australian Wine: A London trade tasting with a difference IN SEPTEMBER Wine Australia hosted a trade tasting that may have changed the way the UK wine trade views modern Australian wine.

Oz Clarke was heard to say the tasting was the most important thing Australia had presented in the UK in 20 years.

Giles Luckett, the principal consultant at Soup to Nuts Digital, agreed. “It reminded me of my earliest encounters with Australian wine when audible gasps and excited chatter were common reactions,” he said. “It’s been years since I was so blown away by any tasting and

Lucy Willson, Bremerton, Langhorne Creek

66 Grapegrower & Winemaker

I couldn’t agree more with Jamie Goode’s assessment that Australian Wine has got its mojo back.

“The Artisans of Australian Wine event was a revelation,” Luckett said.

“The wines were as brilliant and bold as the personalities who created them, the honesty with which they were presented utterly refreshing – no side, no marketing spin, simply a ‘this is what I do, what I believe in and the wines I like to drink’.

“It was a no-holds barred presentation of wines of often arresting brilliance by

David Bowley, Vinteloper, Adelaide Hills www.winetitles.com.au

winemakers who are concerned with wine, not brand.”

London’s Cargo Club made for a relaxed and unusual setting for a tasting (Cargo is music venue in a disused railway yard) and the audience included everyone from Masters of Wine, internationally acclaimed critics such as Steven Spurrier, Charles Metcalfe and Oz Clarke to leading sommeliers like Stephen Nisbet and Giovanni Giannini.

Luckett said he was not the only person in the room who found the wines revelatory.

“Other seasoned tasters were taken aback by the quality and sheer innovation on show,” he said.

“What we witnessed at the Artisans was the emergence of something special.

A new chapter in the Australian wine story, a story I will be closely following.”

More than 40 Australian wine brands were involved and visiting winemakers included Sue Bell (Bellwether Wines), Brendon Keys (BK Wines), Taras Ochota (Ochota Barrels), Patrick Sullivan (Patrick Sullivan Wines), Sarah Morris and Iwo Jakimowicz (Si Vintners), Wayne Ahrens (Smallfry Wines) and Con-Greg Grigoriou (Delinquente Wine Co).

November 2016 – Issue 634

Gareth Belton, Gentle Folk, Adelaide Hills.

Brendon Keys (BK Wines, Adelaide Hills) and Patrick Sullivan (Partick Sullivan Wines, multiregion Victoria).

Tom Keelan, The Pawn Wine Company, Adelaide Hills

Sue Bell, Bellwether Wines, Coonawarra-base with multi-region focus.

Adam Castagna from Castagna, Beechworth November 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 634

Taras Ochota, Ochota Barrels, Adelaide Hills. www.winetitles.com.au

Grapegrower & Winemaker

67

winemaking Supplier Update

Controlling CO2 and O2 in wine IN THE WINE INDUSTRY there are many applications that require the addition or Filtration removal of gases.

The control of both carbon dioxide and oxygen is paramount in both the product and any make-up fluids to prevent spoilage or changes to the product.

While there are existing methods used to control the levels of both carbon dioxide and oxygen in the wine manufacturing process, these do not always exhibit the finer control demanded in various situations.

A product that is relatively new to the market, 3M Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors provide the perfect solution to control these gases.

In addition other potential applications include nitrogenation and carbonation.

3M Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors are widely used across a variety of industries and use a microporous hollow

fibre membrane to add gases to, and remove gases from liquids.

Liquid flows over the outside of the hollow fibres while a vacuum, strip gas, or both in combination, is applied to the inside of the fibre.

The membrane is hydrophobic and allows direct contact between the gas and liquid stream without dispersion and by varying the relative pressures it is possible to add or strip gases very accurately.

In a winery 3M Membrane Contactors offer the opportunity to control CO2 and O2 in-line during wine transfers or to make final adjustments before bottling or export loading.

They can be used to remove oxygen whilst simultaneously adding CO2 to the wine which is a major advantage over existing technologies Another benefit is the precise control that can be achieved, for example rather than sparging large CO2 bubbles into a liquid Membrane Contactors diffuse the

CO2 into the wine at a molecular level producing a much more controlled level of CO2 in the end product.

As a result less CO2 is required to achieve the same level of carbonation.

The design of the contactors is compact and modular allowing for a wide range of flows and the flexibility to expand the system in the future.

The low pressure drop through the system means they can often be used in-line on existing systems without the need to upgrade the pumps.

This is another exciting new technology for the wine industry that with a large number of potential applications.

There are many other applications in the wider beverage industry that also require the addition or removal of gases.

For further information or to discuss your own application please contact: Paul McNicholas at 3M P: 0418 984 433.

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www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 634

winemaking

This ‘legend’ has more than 70 vintages of experience AT 89 YEARS OF AGE, d’Arry Osborn – a third-generation vigneron and current d’Arenberg managing director – has been named the 2016 South Australian Legend of the Vine by Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA).

AN AWARD to recognise an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian wine industry was recently presented to d'Arry Osborn in front of an audience of industry peers and corporate guests.

Osborn joined a prestigious list of ‘legends’ that includes James Halliday (also the WCA Patron), and the award doubles as a life membership of the WCA. The new legend has only ever known life working in the family winery. His grandfather purchased the d’Arenberg property in 1912, his father built the winery in 1927, and in 1943 at the tender age of 16, Osborn left school to help his father on the land, making fortified wine for export to England.

At that time Clydesdale horses were relied on in the vineyards, steam powered the winery pumps, and Osborn refined his skills through trial and error, as well as by sourcing tips from his neighbours.

When his father died in 1957, Osborn assumed full control of the business, and in 1959 he launched his own wine label named in honour of his mother, Helena d’Arenberg, who died shortly after she gave birth to him.

He was also prepared to add a bit of flair to the job (something that seems to have been passed on to the next generation of the family) and one of the examples was his habit of wearing dinner shirts in the winery during vintage, which, in his words “gave the reds more elegance”.

It was Osborn’s decision to put the red stripe on the label, inspired by happy memories of school days wearing

70 Grapegrower & Winemaker

It is hard to imagine a more honest, gentle and open man or one who is more passionately devoted to maintaining the integrity of the wine industry in general and McLaren Vale in particular a crimson-and-white striped tie. Today that red stripe proudly adorns every d’Arenberg bottle, exported to more than 60 countries.

Osborn’s ongoing commitment to the wine industry has been obvious since he joined the Wine and Brandy Producers Association of South Australia in 1958 – he held the positions of treasurer, vice president and president, and is an honorary life member; for 28 years he was a councillor on the South Australian Chamber of Commerce; he was a foundation member and chair of the McLaren Vale Wine Bushing Festival; and chair of the McLaren Vale Winemakers Association.

Being elevated to ‘legend’ status isn’t the first time his achievements have been formally recognised: In 1978 Osborn was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal; in 1995 he became a patron of the Australian

www.winetitles.com.au

Wine Industry; he received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2004; and claimed the Business SA’s Industry Champion Award in 2014.

On Osborn, James Halliday once wrote: “It is hard to imagine a more honest, gentle and open man or one who is more passionately devoted to maintaining the integrity of the wine industry in general and McLaren Vale in particular”.

It’s not likely this latest accolade will inflate the ego of this humble vigneron.

Osborn will be 90 in December but he remains as committed as ever to the family business. He still collects the mail and does the banking daily; and if he’s not to be found with a cup of tea at his desk, reading emails on his iPad, then he’s likely to be mowing the lawns at cellar door.

November 2016 – Issue 634

Supplier Update

Australian perlite supplier

GEA Westfalia Separator Australia Pty Ltd

AUSPERL IS A SPECIALIST mineral processing business operating perlite quarries, and crushing and processing plants in Australia and New Zealand.

Many wineries refer to “earth” without differentiating between perlite or DE. Perlite filter aid is classified by the US EPA as a “Generally Recognised as Safe” (GRAS) substance. Perlite is chemically stable and inert. In comparison, Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is listed as a human carcinogen and must be handled and disposed of accordingly.

Meeting the flow rate and turbidity demands of Australasian winemakers.

As a GRAS substance perlite is non-hazardous and the spent filter cake can be used as a compost amendment or as an animal feed amendment.

Further, perlite is thirty percent lighter than DE significantly reducing wear and tear on operating equipment.

The family-owned business has produced perlite filtration media since 1993. Only high-quality perlite ore is selected to produce a complete range of products that are uniquely capable of meeting the flow rate and turbidity demands of Australasian winemakers.

These products can replace all DE grades, right down to the very finest particle sizes. With our AP10 and AP20, AUSPERL can filter down to -1ntu.

The processing facilities are ISO9001 approved and the products comply with all Halal, Kosher and related regulations.

AUSPERL operates from a 12,000 square metre primary manufacturing facility in Padstow, NSW. This has been acquired to allow for the continued growth and development of our product range to meet our vision of providing engineered mineral solutions for all our clients.

This facility supports the regional warehouses located in Griffith, Mildura, the Riverland, Adelaide, Margaret River and Perth which offer fast and efficient service to our clients.

AUSPERL has reconfigured the packaging to meet WHS requirements, as well as offering 15kg bags, and can provide bulk bag decanting solutions to allow your team to operate in a dust free filtration environment.

AUSPERL has continued to strengthen its commitment to the wine industry. The team of 60 personnel not only provide the technical support when you need it but also give you the satisfaction of comfort to know that every wine region in Australia and New Zealand is well catered for, as well as markets in Asia and Europe.

In order to more fully service the industry, AUSPERL Chemicals Pty Ltd has been established and is the appointed agent for the diatomaceous earth products offered by SHOWA (Japan) and the cellulose range offered by Creaclear (USA).

When time is precious, and you need it done now, and done right, choose AUSPERL. November 2016 – Issue 634

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GEA Mechanical Equipment GEA Westfalia Separator Australia Pty Ltd 47 Northgate Drive, Thomastown, Victoria 3074 Phone: 03 8877 9924, Fax: 03 9464 5455 Mobile: 0408 322 524 Email: kevin.dawe@gea.com, www.gea.com

engineering for a better world

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking

Vintage job listing boost INCREASED WORK COMMITMENTS arise every vintage which means all hands on deck.

More often than not, that requires adding new staff members across all areas of the winemaking process – from vine to bottle.

Harvesting can begin around January and continue all the way through to April, but this year with the cool and wet spring conditions it won’t be a surprise if some regions are still in action into May. Generally though, casual employment becomes available between February and April.

Most positions will be in the regional areas of Australia but there may be some prospects back in city locations.

The variety of roles for prospective employees is expansive – vineyard workers, cellarhands, winemakers, laboratory technicians, cellar door and even sales & marketing personnel to name a few.

Wineries require people from a vast range of backgrounds.

The various work duties can be demanding and present employees with challenging responsibilities but the industry also certainly rewards with high job satisfaction.

The seasonal opportunities provided from working through a vintage period suit many people looking for flexibility and diversity.

Numerous wineries even operate 24-hours-a-day, seven-daysa-week during the vintage period.

At the same time, the invaluable experience that can be gained from the many opportunities on offer over this period can also be of great benefit to all aspiring wine professionals wishing to pursue careers within this exciting industry.

Employers can assess their employees’ skills and understanding of the industry, along with work ethic, during this period which can be of crucial assistance to considering them for future employment and potentially on full-time basis.

It can be an ideal opportunity for individual wineries (large or small) to generate greater community involvement and improve local employment circumstances in the process.

Well, vintage is renowned, especially overseas, for bringing people together and celebrating the industry’s successes within respective communities.

However, some employers might simply look to international travellers to fill these short-term roles.

Overall, the outlook for growth within the wine industry throughout Australia and New Zealand is promising which is encouraging for those offering positions and those wishing to pursue such employment.

Therefore reaching those potential employees is crucial.

Take stock of your employment needs, especially for vintage, and visit Australia’s and New Zealand’s leading wine jobs site www.winejobs.com.au which can bring you together with top industry professionals.

It’s easy to post a job ad too.

Enter the code PROMOVINT17 when prompted to receive a 50% discount across any of our pricing options.

Visit www.winejobs.com.au now or for more details email jobs@winetitles.com.au

Seeking NEW staff?

Ensure you are reaching the right target market in the most efficient way.

Our jobs site www.winejobs.com.au is the ideal platform to find your perfect candidate from within the wine industry.

Specifically developed for Australian and New Zealand wine industry professionals, www.winejobs.com.au offers the easiest and most cost effective method for employers and recruitment firms to list job vacancies across various fields.

All Winejobs ads also appear on Daily Wine News (emailed Monday to Friday) for 5 days and shared with our numerous followers in social media.

Consider this exposure to your target market: • Reach qualified candidates • Job postings start from only $65 for one week • Posting a job opening is EASY, simply visit winejobs.com.au • Searching is FREE created and managed by

72 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Winejobs ads now also posted on Facebook and LinkedIn for extra reach. facebook.com/winejobs linkedin.com/company/ winetitles-pty-ltd

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ü Averaging 18,000 page views on www.winejobs.com.au each month while our main company website; www.winetitles.com.au receives around 70,000 page views per month ü Over 12,000 Daily Wine News subscribers – the wine industry’s most trusted and widely read e-newsletter ü More than 1,400 Twitter followers

This means that qualified people will be viewing and responding to your job listing.

Posting a job ad takes only minutes and appears online immediately.

November 2016 – Issue 634

Barrel hygiene and wine quality Oak

Murray McDonald, Wine Barrel Cleaning director, reports.

THERE ARE VARIOUS steps to the wine making process that contribute to the end result and the quality of a wine.

Crushing, fermentation and ageing are some of these crucial steps.

Within these crucial steps is the wine making hygiene program. The way barrels, tanks, vats and bottling lines are sanitised impacts wine quality. Placing importance on wine making hygiene allows winemakers to control the risk of their wine being spoiled by wine associated yeasts, bacteria and microbes.

There is also a difference between sanitising and cleaning. Sanitising refers to a “deep clean” where microorganisims are eliminated. When it comes to sanitising barrels, two of the most common ways are through the use of chemicals or through high temperature.

With taste being crucial to producing a good wine, using chemicals can be seen as an unpleasant way to deep clean tools and equipment that come in contact with wine.

High temperature steam vapour on the other hand is a natural cleaning agent and as long as the steam vapour is produced at a high temperature, this will thoroughly disinfect barrels and ensure barrel hygiene, among other benefits.

Here are some key components of the wine making process and how barrel hygiene within each of these steps can impact wine quality:

CRUSHING AND PRESSING When crushes are used to mechanically press grapes to separate the juice, one of the reasons for this is to separate

unwanted colour and tannins from the wine, particularly for white wine. When these machines are given a thorough deep clean, it ensures the wine making equipment is left sterilised and won’t contaminate another batch.

CLARIFICATION During this stage, when wine is transferred into a different vessel, such as a barrel or tank, if the new vessel isn’t clean it can mix “old wine” with the new wine and impact wine quality.

Particularly with barrels, old wine can get trapped deep within the pores of the oak. Hot water rinsing a barrel won’t remove these impurities. Using a high temperature steam vapour process will go where water can’t and kill impurities such as brettanomyces.

AGEING As this is the final stage of the wine making process, it is important not to undo all the hard work by placing wine into bottles, tanks or oak barrels that are contaminated or not deep cleaned.

Just like placing wine into a vessel for clarification, if there is any old wine that is trapped within the vessel, it can impact the intended taste of the new batch.

Murray McDonald is Director of Wine Barrel Cleaning and specialises in the supply of wine barrel cleaning solutions.

Wine Barrel Cleaning’s machine manufactures are fourth generation winemakers and bring specialised wine knowledge to their barrel cleaning solutions. Visit www.winebarrelcleaning. com.au

...when ...wh w en tradition wh tra r dition meets ra tts the t highest standard of quality...

Family owned and enriched by the history and experience of three generations of coopers Saint Martin is used by the highest quality references overseas and the finest wines in Australasia.

Jason King Territory Manager E jking@saintmartin.com.au M +61 (0)400 255 788

Garry King Director - Export E gking@saintmartin.com.au M +61 (0)439 766 777 T +61 (0)8 8358 5657 F +61 (0)8 8358 5658

www.tonnelleriesaintmartin.com November 2016 – Issue 634

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking

2016 Len Evans Tutorial “The most exclusive wine school in the world.” James Halliday A WINEMAKER has earned the title of Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial for the first time since 2009, breaking the recent hold of sommeliers and representatives from the trade on the award.

Stuart Hordern, Brokenwood senior winemaker, claimed the honour on ‘home soil’ in the Hunter Valley.

Hordern becomes only the second Hunter Valley based attendee to dux the week-long Tutorial, following Liz Silkman (nee Jackson) in 2006.

As Dux of the 2016 course, Hordern has now been guaranteed judging positions at two of Australia’s most premier wine shows, the Sydney Royal Wine Show and the National Wine Show in Canberra.

Len Evans Tutorial Trustee, James Halliday noted that Hordern judged exceedingly well across the four varietal sections and was the highest placed scholar on the Shiraz Dissertation.

Hordern will be flown business class to Europe with invitations to the greatest wine houses.

The 12 successful applicants for the 16th Len Evans Tutorial, were put through their paces from October 31 to November 4.

The group was described as being of “extraordinary calibre” when it was announced.

Each year, the Len Evans Tutorial welcomes some of the most elite professionals in wine, vineyard, research, hospitality and sales from across Australia to develop their wine appreciation

The forest is our vineyard.

The cooperage is our winery.

Crafting partnerships is our passion.

At World Cooperage, our story is rooted in family values, technology and innovation. We maintain a long-term vision for every aspect of our business — most importantly, to craft enduring partnerships with wineries around the world.

www.worldcooperage.com

Stuart Hordern

with the nation’s top wine experts over the week. The scholars stay at Tower Estate and utilise the conference room at Tulloch cellar door for the judging sessions.

Many of the greatest, rarest and oldest wines are opened, tasted and scrutinised in this one extraordinary week when 12 young(ish) leaders in their field are put to the sternest and most rewarding wine course of their lives.

2016 Len Evans Tutorial scholars: • Adam Clay, Penfolds winemaker • Peter Dillon, Handpicked Wines senior winemaker • Peter Fraser, Yangarra Estate Vineyard GM/winemaker • Kate Laurie, Deviation Road winemaker/owner • Luke Jolliffe, Stella Bella Wines senior winemaker • Addy Lam, Black By Ezard head sommelier • Ramon Arnavas, Stokehouse Brisbane head sommelier • Simon Black, Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove winemaker • Penny Jones, Bay of Fires winemaker/manager • Paul Beaton, Aria Restaurant head sommelier • Wes Pearson, Australian Wine Research Institute senior scientist • And Stuart Hordern The Tutorial program is designed to define the demands of wine show judging and to define quality by exposing the scholars to the great wine styles of the world. A team of tutors will put the scholars through their paces.

The tutors include Ian McKenzie, Michael Hill Smith, Vanya Cullen and James Halliday as well as past scholars Tom Carson, Jim Chatto, Sarah Crowe, Liz Jackson, and Tyson Stelzer.

Scholars from the past 15 Tutorials are now gracing the judging benches at all major wine shows across Australia.

The title of Dux has previously been attained by Adam Cotterell, from Melbourne’s City Wine Shop; Matt Brooke, sommelier Melbourne’s Crown; Lak Quach, from fine wine distribution company Cellarhand; Ned Goodwin, Tokyobased MW; Liam O’Brien, Melbourne-based sommelier; Stuart Halliday, sommelier; and Adam Wadawitz, winemaker.

For more information about the tutorial, visit www. lenevanstutorial.com.au.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Tool to target profitable margins WINE AUSTRALIA has launched an updated and improved Gross Margin Ready Reckoner.

The Gross Margin Ready Reckoner is a free and confidential business planning tool that allows wineries to run different production and market scenario simulations to determine the most relevant price point for their wine in a specific export market.

Wineries can model the impact of changes in product mix, pricing, markets and distribution strategies on their profit margins.

Andreas Clark, Wine Australia chief executive officer, said the Gross Margin Ready Reckoner will help to improve the competitiveness of Australian wine internationally and support the success of Australian wine businesses.

“Exports have always been critical to the success of the Australian wine sector. Currently, 60 per cent of wine produced in Australia is destined for export and in the last financial year, the value of our exports reached $2.11 billion,” Clark said.

“The Gross Margin Ready Reckoner will help our sector to get the most from export opportunities as it provides a benchmark with the most suitable price point in a specific market, based on the individual business needs of a winery.

“The tool calculates profitability under different business scenarios across production and the supply chain, using information from the individual winery, as well as benchmark and tax data generated from a number of sources.”

The Gross Margin Ready Reckoner was first developed in 2007 by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia and Wine Australia.

Working with Deloitte, Wine Australia has completely updated the Gross Margin Ready Reckoner to include the latest grape pricing, tax regimes, general cost updates and changes to tariff rates arising from Australia’s free trade agreements.

The tool bases its calculations on pre-populated averages and estimates across the supply chain in order to create a basic benchmark.

To create an individual benchmark report, the Gross Margin Ready Reckoner poses specific questions over three steps: • Winegrape origin and variety; • Destination market; and • Wine production and storage costs.

Wineries can adjust the inputs on the comparison screens to examine the impacts of changes to input costs such as exchange rates, shipping and route to market.

The tool calculates profitability under different business scenarios across production and the supply chain, using information from the individual winery, as well as benchmark and tax data generated from a number of sources.

ēvOAK’s Precision Fire Toast Series is crafted using a proprietary toasting system allowing each stave to be toasted over an open-oak fire, just like a barrel, with state of the art controls to ensure consistency. Staves are in 360˚ rotation, turning at key points during the toast to achieve full flavor development. Resulting flavors are richly nuanced across the toast gradient and consistent for every stave.

Visit www.oaksolutionsgroup.com

Oak Solutions Group Mark Roberts, Oak Specialist 04 0920 0737 mroberts@oaksolutionsgroup.com

The Gross Margin Ready Reckoner can be accessed at rr.wineaustralia.com.

November 2016 – Issue 634

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking

WineWorks is right in the ‘sweet spot’ As a group we handle over 120 million bottles every year and our warehouses hold more than 60 million bottles of wine at any given time. Our bottling equipment caters for both large runs and also those wineries wanting to bottle smaller parcels of wine.

NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST, independent wine bottling and warehousing provider, WineWorks, officially opened its new multi-million dollar facility in Onehunga in October, and at the same time celebrated a 21-year business milestone.

The new state-of-the art plant was more than eight years in the planning. It took almost 12 months to construct and covers two hectares. One of the tallest buildings in Onehunga, it is located in what Tim Nowell-Usticke, WineWorks managing director, called the ‘sweet spot’ of the wine industry’s supply chain.

“Here we have easy access to rail, the port, the airport, industry suppliers and supermarket distribution centres. In addition, the country’s only glassworks is just down the road, and New Zealand’s largest wine market is right on our doorstep,” Nowell-Usticke said.

WineWorks and its national team of 340 staff provide services to over half the wineries in the country, through operations in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough.

“Marlborough may be the engine room of the New Zealand wine industry, and certainly Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay are the great places to grow wine, but Auckland is where New Zealand’s wine industry was founded and where the country’s biggest wineries are headquartered. We need to be here.”

Nowell-Usticke said the Auckland plant is an evolution of technology compared with WineWork’s other plants as it houses the fastest wine filler in New Zealand, which at full speed can bottle enough wine to fill two 20-foot export containers every hour.

“We have the latest technology in bottling and in satellite racking storage. As a group we handle over 120 million bottles every year and our warehouses hold more than 60 million bottles of wine at any given time. Our bottling equipment caters for both large runs and also those wineries wanting to bottle smaller parcels of wine,” Nowell-Usticke said.

Over the decades WineWorks has grown with their customers.

“They have got bigger, and so, therefore have we,” NowellUsticke said. “It’s a true partnership, where we work very closely together on multiple touch points. Our relationships are based on faith and trust. One of our company values is that we must consider the customer in every decision we make.”

WineWorks is recognised internationally for its processes,

and its filling lines have been confirmed by independent audit as being in the top three of all bottling lines sampled throughout Australasia. These lines achieve very low levels of dissolved oxygen pickup, a key criteria for winemakers to judge bottling quality.

In addition, WineWorks currently carries 14 international certifications, the result of quality work recognised through an arduous annual audit program that secures global relationships with the likes of BRC, Tesco and Walmart to name a few.

It was a somewhat different scenario 21 years ago, when Nowell-Usticke first decided to develop a ‘behind-the-scenes back shed’ to support the wine producers of Hawke’s Bay. A qualified engineer by trade and from a farming background in Central Hawke’s Bay, Nowell-Usticke returned to his hometown of Hastings after intrepid journeys ultimately led to him to working in food packaging facilities in Australia. He returned home in 1995 to raise a family and was also driven by a desire to establish a regional food-processing plant.

“I wanted to take a primary product and by processing it, add value to that product. I wanted that increased value to be captured by the region, to enhance regional prosperity,” he said.

“WineWorks was a way to help keep vitality, jobs and wealth in the region where it was produced.”

It was 21 years ago Nowell-Usticke discovered a young and vibrant grape growing industry, and he knew that by providing the mechanical process of bottling, wine warehousing and distribution along with other complementary services, WineWorks would enable wineries to focus on their core business.

“Today we provide the infrastructure to support a thriving wine industry,” he said. “We add industrial expertise, allowing wineries to focus on what they are good at, and what makes them prosper – growing, making and marketing great New Zealand wine to the world.”

In addition to the services it initially offered, WineWorks services now include wine transportation, laboratory checks and worldwide distribution. The company also supports elements of the winemaking process particularly for sparkling wine and makes and bottles other beverages like cider and soft drinks at its Hawke’s Bay facility.

“We offer industrial expertise, commitment, and targeted investment typically unavailable to individual wineries. We work in partnership with them to minimise the investment, effort and worry they need to expend on that part of their supply chain.”

Now the 21-year milestone has been celebrated, and with the new plant open, Nowell-Usticke and his team are focussed on consolidation. Further expansion is not a current consideration.

“We have been through 21 years of growth and change, and with the Auckland plant now operational it’s time to concentrate on continuing to provide the levels of service our customers have come to expect over those years,” he said.

“The New Zealand wine industry is going from strength to strength. We have a unique product to sell to the world, and WineWorks will continue to support the industry over the next 21 years and beyond.”

Looking for more articles, visit the Grapegrower and Winemaker article archive at: www.winetitles.com.au/gwm 76 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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November 2016 – Issue 634

business & technology TOP TIPS:

Managing your social media: Engagement and sales influence Lynda Schenk, Purple Giraffe consultancy founder and Wine Communicators Australia executive officer, has compiled 10 ‘top tips’ to help your wine business get serious about social media.

THE WINE INDUSTRY has been one of the slowest industries to adopt internetbased technologies with the majority of wineries having small or non-existent social-media profiles.

Wineries can no longer afford to ignore social media as a platform to communicate to their audience. The big opportunity for wineries is to build relationships directly with their consumers.

Social media marketing is the building of relationships through a social networks of fans, followers and connections using relevant and interesting content that allows wineries to reach and engage with more people and to drive sales. Today, consumers expect more than the mere product, they want stories and they want engagement.

While wine writers have some influence over wine consumption their influence is reducing in popularity. The number one reason people purchase a wine is from a recommendation. Social media offers an opportunity for consumers to make peer recommendations of your wine through their social networks.

The Winemakers Federation of Australia agrees that “it’s important to remember that engaging through social media isn’t the same as making online sales. You aren’t dealing with people who have specifically come to you to buy something; you’re simply making conversation and building relationships.”

Social media relationships, like any relationship, are not built over night.

Expect six-to-12 months to see an impact on sales. Allow time to grow your network, build credibility (social currency) and loyalty. Respond quickly to messages to be a trusted source. If you receive any negative messages, take the responses off-line to a more private forum and seek satisfaction and delight in the resolution.

There are many options available to wineries to build their social platform.

We do not recommend you go out and learn all of them and start marketing your brand across many platforms. In reality, wineries only need to focus on one or two. Make a decision on which November 2016 – Issue 634

platform to used based on what is right for your winery and which consumers you wish to attract. But if you decide to start be sure to you stay consistent.

Social media is here to stay. We are a long way past social media only being for the young, early adopters and big business. Today social media is the norm and it should be part of the marketing strategy of every business, no matter what size. If you are not using social media, you are at risk of being out of touch.

Traditional marketing was more about monologue, having one way conversations coming from advertising. There isn’t any interaction with billboards, TV or newspapers advertisements.

Modern marketing is all about content and having conversations with your target market. Engaging in dialogue with people is about creating a two-way, value-adding conversation with people who are interested in what you do. It’s about helping your followers, friends or connections, listening to what they have to say, and letting them know about useful, relevant information.

10 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET SERIOUS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA: 1. Know your target market Social media users are a diverse bunch, representing all age groups, genders, hobbies and tastes. Knowing your target market is critical to understand what type of images and voice to use in your content.

2. Select the platform that is right for your business Don’t be overwhelmed by the options, you really only need to focus on one or two platforms. Make a decision on which platform to use based on what is right for your business and which consumers you wish to attract.

3. Stop counting likes, friends, followers, connections The number of people who are connected with you isn’t as important www.winetitles.com.au

as the message you are trying to convey.

Concentrate on the community you have and care about what you are doing for them.

4. Write original content Get busy writing, share knowledge, add value for your connections and become an ‘expert’ in your field.

5. Use Images Whoever coined the phrase, a picture tells a thoughts words, was ahead of their time. Be clever about how you use images and other media, your social audience will appreciate your efforts.

6. Be consistent Approach social media methodically and with the same care as you give to the rest of your business success. Be socially responsible and reliable for your followers.

7. Think long term Results don’t come overnight. You need to invest at least six-to-12 months of consistent, relevant content to see any returns.

8. Tailor campaigns You can focus your attention on the people you most want to target by selecting preference based profile information and online interests.

9. Measure results Control your costs and how to measure your ROI.

10. Join communities Connect with like-minded, similar communities who share similar interests.

Creating a community is very important in the social media space. Serious social media is not one sided.

If you want more advice about social media marketing for your winery business, contact Lynda at Purple Giraffe.

P: 0400 811 002 E: info@purplegiraffe.com.au

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Tanks & Wine Storage

Sustainable solar-powered wineries Ian Jeffery is a semi-retired mechanical engineer with more than 40 years’ experience in mineral processing, winery and food engineering. In this article Jeffery expands on a previous article on the uptake of solar technology across the wine industry.

THE UPTAKE OF SOLAR POWER by wineries and the potential great future for both solar power and energy storage has been discussed in a previous article (Next gen sustainable solar wineries, Issue 623, December 2015). However, this article will expand further on the solar power uptake by wineries. The aim is not to be an all-inclusive list of wineries with solar power installations, but to briefly describe some representative installations.

YALUMBA WINE COMPANY In 2016 the Yalumba Wine Company, Australia’s oldest family owned winery is installing a 1.4MW Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system. The largest PV system installed in any Australian Winery - by comparison in 2015 Tyrells had installed 350kW, De Bortoli 230kW, d’Arenberg 200kW. “As Australia’s largest private owner, operator and developer of renewable energy generation we welcome the opportunity to help Yalumba enhance its already impressive track record of sustainability,” said Andy Vesey, AGL managing director and CEO. “The solar system is expected to help Yalumba reduce its energy costs by approximately 20 percent each year.”

YEALANDS ESTATE In 2016 Yealands Estate expanded its PV installation from 100 to 411 kW (Making it New Zealand’s largest solar panel installation). A reduction in annual emissions of 172 Tonnes of CO2 and generation of 30% of the power needed

for winemaking is expected. Yealands has developed a reputation as a leader in sustainability (winning a number of environmental sustainability awards).

In July 2015, Peter Yealands sold 80% of the company for NZ$89 million to Marlborough Lines – a local electricity operator that provides power to some 24,500 customers in the South Island region.

The power for Marlborough Lines is generated through wind and hydroelectric stations in the South Island and geo-thermal plants in the north Island.

FETZER VINEYARDS, CALIFORNIA “A few decades ago, in a whole different world, many people regarded the folks at Fetzer Vineyards as a group of wayout hippies, extolling far-fetched ideas like ‘sustainability’ and ‘environmental responsibility’. But things change. The world changes,” said M.V. Wood at 2016 Unified wine & Grape Symposium.

Fetzer is regarded today as a world leader in sustainable winemaking.

A significant element of Fetzer’s sustainability program for the past 20 years has been renewable energy and solar PV electric power generation.

Taken from CALIFORNIA Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Website on Fetzer Vineyards renewable energy: • The electricity for Fetzer’s main winery operation is from renewable sources of energy, through a contract with Three Phases Renewables. This contract was started in 1999; Fetzer was the first wine company to adopt a green power contract. (The renewable

energy sources from the contract include solar, wind, geothermal and small-scale hydroelectric power.)

• In 1999, a 40 kW solar photovoltaic array of panels was added to the administration building providing the majority of the building’s energy needs.

• In 2006 Fetzer installed a 899kW solar array. It consists of 4300 panels, and covers 75,000 square feet and has a potential capacity to generate 1.1 million kwhr/year. (This array has a potential capacity to generate approximately 80% of the energy used to run the bottling facility.

MIGUEL TORRES SA Another winery with a strong commitment to sustainable winemaking and a history of high achievement in this area is Miguel Torres SA. The managing director and chief winemaker (Miguel Torres) has committed much of his own personal fortunate to the wineries sustainability program.

From Top 10 Green Initiatives, by Lucy Shaw 2015, The Drink Business: “Fellow green pioneer Torres is also hot on reducing carbon emissions via environmentally friendly modes of transport – the companies head honcho, Miguel Torres Sr., drives a hybrid car and has bought around 50 for his staff to use.

A positive advocate for protecting the plant against climate change.

Torres has donated 9 million pounds Stirling of his own money to environmental issues.

Manufacturers of TAYLORMADE Tipping Bins - Tipping Tanks - Slot Drains - Wine Tanks Leaders in the Design and Manufacture of Wine Making Equipment Taylors Engineering (Blen) Limited Liverpool St Riverlands Estate Blenheim New Zealand Phone Conway Taylor: +64 (3) 579 4783 Email: sales@taylormadenz.com www.taylormadenz.com 78 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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November 2016 – Issue 634

“Climate change is a reality, I’m astonished to see the speed at which it is taking place. Everyone should make a contribution to fight against this threat” he says”.

Renewable energy at Miguel Torres SA: • Torres Pas del Pendes winery has 670 kW of Solar PV panels that provides 11 per cent of the winery energy needs; • Solar hot water panels provide 50% of bottling hot water requirements; • Torres produces 2600kW of electricity at its main facility using a biomass furnace that consumes vineyard and forest prunings and winery grape marc. Electricity consumption is reduced by 10 per cent and gas consumption by 80 per cent. The CO2 emission is reduced by 1300 tonnes of CO2 per year. Torres also has biomass furnaces in Chile, Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

• Torres has developed a Pyrolysis Reactor. It subjects vine stalks to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen to produce biochar. This high carbon content product allows stable storage of the CO2 captured by the vines and can be used as fuel or reincorporated into the vineyard, contributing to an increase in the biological activity of the soil and its fertility; and • Miguel Torres Chile is working with others, on designing and installing ‘solar polygeneration’. The design will combine solar hot water panels with hot water storage, a biomass boiler, winery waste solar dryer and absorption refrigeration. Grape Marc, pruning’s etc. will be dried in a solar dryer and burnt in a biomass boiler to produce hot water and electricity.

Additional hot water will be generated using solar hot water panels. The design will include significant hot water storage. The solar hot water panels, biomass boilers and stored hot water will be used to power an absorption refrigeration system. This refrigeration system will be able to provide all the winery refrigeration needs 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-aweek during vintage.

SOLAR ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION Absorption refrigeration designs (VAR) have one major difference to the vapour compression refrigeration (VCR) common through-out the wine industry. In an absorption refrigerator the compressor is replaced by a pump, generator and absorber. The condenser, evaporator and expansion valve are identical to typical winery VCR systems and operate in the same manner.

November 2016 – Issue 634

AT A GLANCE

Ian Hunter, the South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation; Andy Vesey, AGL managing director and CEO; and Nick Waterman, Yalumba CEO, on one part of the roof space that has been utilised for the 1.4mW solar project.

Yalumba solar project milestone Yalumba recently announced it had reached the half-way point of a solar installation.

Nick Waterman, Yalumba CEO, said the key winery leaders had a firm view they are the custodians of the business for future generations “and solar is another step in our sustainable viticulutre and winmeking practices”.

Waterman sid the 5500 panel, 1.4mW system would supply 20 per cent of the Angaston winery’s power requirements and is set to be turned on by the end of 2016.

He highlighted the work of the Yalumba engineering team, lead by Jesse Auricht, as well as the valuable partnership with AGL. Andy Vesey, AGL managing director and CEO, said it was the largest solar application in SA and the largest winery installation in Australia.

“The amount of electricity that will be produced will be the equivalent to the energy used by 350 Australian households,” Vesey said.

Ian Hunter, the South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, said reneweable energy solutions are important for businesses like Yalumba.

“It is clear the future will be carbon constrained,” Hunter said. “But there are opportunities and potential benefits as the transition accelerates. Being early adopters will help businesses make strategic investments and creat jobs.

“We have strong credentials in SA for our renewable energy and certainly strong wine credentials in this state as well - this project has some nice synergies.”

Electricity used to power typical VCR systems is replaced by heat. Absorption refrigeration can be powered by hot water boilers, biomass furnaces, solar hot water panels etc.

CONCLUSION Use of solar electricity is increasing in the wine industry. Expect to see further expansion from both a commitment to sustainability and reduced costs of solar PV modules. Professor Roger Boulton predicts Solar PV module costs with halve in the next six years and halve again in the following six years.

Four long-term strategic thinking visionary winemakers committing to improve both their environmental and financial sustainability have been described in this article. My December 2015 article in this magazine discussed other wineries with a similar philosophy. www.winetitles.com.au

There are many more wineries with a similar philosophy worthy of study and discussion.

REFERENCES

1. ”Yalumba installs largest solar system at an Australian Winery”, Winetitles Media, October 2016 2. “Yealands completes New Zealand’s largest solar panel installation”, The Drinks Business, October 2016 3. “Fetzer Vineyards joins world’s leading regenerative wineries at COP21, ground-breaking climate change conference in Paris”, Fetzer Vineyards, December 2015 4. “CCSW-Certified Participants, Fetzer vineyards/ Bonterra vineyards”, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.

5. “Torres & Earth”, www.torresearth.com 6. “The Universidad De Talca Participates in Innovative Project, Solar Plant for Sustainable Production of wine Inaugurated”.

7. “Next Gen Sustainable Solar Wineries”, I. Jeffery, Aust. & NZ Grapegrower & winemaker, December 2015.

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people & places

The forum attracted a large crowd to the National Wine Centre.

Wine Packagers of Australia 2016 Forum IN MID-SEPTEMBER packaging suppliers from across Australia gathered at the National Wine Centre, in Adelaide, for the Wine Packagers of Australia second annual forum. The theme was ‘our wine industry – one supply chain’.

David Hutton, the chair of Wine Packagers of Australia (WPA) and Vinpac International general manager, delivered the opening address before handing over to Nathan Gogoll, Grapegrower & Winemaker editor, who was the MC for the day.

Presentations included: • A joint glass manufacturing presentation from Justin Becker, Orora Glass, and Brian Langley, O-I Australia; • An update from the Flexible Packaging & Label Manufacturers Association from the president Mark Easton (who is also the Impresstik Labels sales and marketing manager);

• A case study on label application pressure delivered by Paul Grafton, Vinpac International, on behalf of WPA; • 'A day in the life of a contract packager’ presentation by Jamie Roehr, Vinpac International and Peta Ingall, Portavin; • A presentation by Cherise Conrick on behalf of Australian Graphic Design Association; • The launch of the WPA’s digital wine label size app www.

SizeMeUp.com.au; and • A lively Q&A session.

For more information about the Wine Packagers of Australia, visit wpa.org.au.

Wine Tank Specialists

32 SPEY STREET, INVERCARGILL 9810 • Ph 03 214 4817 • Fax 03 218 3354 • Email andrew@crownsheetmetal.co.nz 80 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Valuable discussions between members during a break in the program.

Adrian Van Drunen, Avery Dennison Asia Pacific, enjoys a glass of wine at the conclusion of the day’s formal proceedings.

Peta Ingall, Portavin, helped present ‘a day in the life of a contract packager’.

FINEWELD STAINLESS STEEL Manufacturers of Quality equipment for the Wine Industry > Storage and Settling Vats > Variable Capacity > Transportable Tanks > Grape Receival Bins > Conveyor Systems > Installations > Valves > Manways > Fittings

Nathan Gogoll helped steer the Q&A session.

17 TOVA DRIVE, CARRUM DOWNS, VIC 3201

Ph: 03 9775 0339 Fax 03 9775 0338 Email: info@fineweld.com.au Paul Grafton, Vinpac International, delivered one of the forum case studies and also introduced the SizeMeUp website.

November 2016 – Issue 634

www.fineweld.com.au

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ask the Wine consumption and brain health RESEARCH HAS RECENTLY been conducted on the effects of alcohol (and specifically wine) consumption on brain function, such as cognition and the risk of dementia. This column provides responses to some of the more common questions in this area.

WHAT IS COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND DEMENTIA? THE COLLECTIVE SCIENTIFIC term for the mental processes of thinking, remembering, reasoning, judging and learning is ‘cognitive function’.

Mild cognitive impairment is any early symptom of dementia.

Dementia is a form of cognitive impairment where a person loses the ability to think, remember and reason due to physical changes in the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is one specific type of dementia.

Dementia usually occurs in people aged over 65 years and it is the leading cause of disability in this age group.

In 2016 in Australia, three-in-10 people over the age of 85 and approximately one-in-10 people over 65 have dementia. Of those who have dementia, approximately 75% have Alzheimer’s disease. Currently there is no cure and the number of people with dementia in Australia is expected to be approximately 900,000 by 2050 (AIHW 2012, Alzheimer’s Australia 2016).

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND DEMENTIA RISK? Health behaviours which maintain healthy cognitive function include the consumption of fish and vegetables, moderate physical activity and moderate alcohol consumption.

Moderate alcohol consumption can be considered as 10 to 20g alcohol per day, which is equivalent to one to two standard drinks per day.

Most scientific studies show that there is a j-shaped relationship between the amount of wine consumed and cognitive decline or dementia risk, where dysfunction and risk increases above approximately 60 g alcohol per day or six standard drinks per day. Long-term heavy alcohol consumption also amplifies the risk of cognitive impairment and developing dementia associated with ageing. This is because the brains of people aged over 65 years is more sensitive to the toxic effects of the alcohol, which acts both directly and indirectly on the central nervous system of the brain.

The Dubbo Study of the Elderly which followed 2,805 Australian men and women aged 60 years and older living in the community for 16 years, showed that moderate alcohol consumption was one of the lifestyle factors associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia (Simons et al. 2006).

This was in addition to regular physical and leisure activities especially daily gardening, and mental activities such as reading, playing board games and playing musical instruments.

The study also showed that heavy alcohol consumption should be avoided.

The j-shaped relationship is also shown for younger and middle aged alcohol consumers. There is no data to suggest that long-term moderate alcohol consumption exacerbates agerelated cognitive decline and impairment. An analysis of 15 scientific studies also suggests that moderate alcohol consumers later in life may have a 47% reduced risk of any dementias compared with abstainers.

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ARE THE EFFECTS OF WINE ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND DEMENTIA RISK DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES? An analysis of 143 scientific studies that differentiated between the different types of alcoholic beverages suggested that wine was more protective than beer and spirits, although this finding was based on a relatively small number of studies.

Wine consumers were also found to have better physical as well as mental health.

Proposed biological mechanisms are related to the effects of ethanol and phenolic compounds from wine on blood lipids and blood flow factors There are also potential effects on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a chemical released by nerve cells in the brain to send signals to other cells such as those associated with memory. Phenolic compounds also decrease the amount of the peptide amyloid-β in the brain, which is a core component of the plaques found in brains affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

There appears to be a relationship between the neuroprotective and cardio-protective effects of moderate wine consumption, given that reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease also lowers the risk of cognitive decline.

Atherosclerosis refers to the build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances (plaques) in and on artery walls, which can restrict blood flow. These plaques can burst, triggering a blood clot. Although atherosclerosis is often considered a heart problem, it can affect arteries anywhere in the body.

CAN ANY NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON THE BRAIN BE REVERSED? Certain ‘cognitive impairments’ such as damage to short-term memory is reversible when alcohol consumption ceases. Studies suggest that alcohol acts on chemicals in the brain which transmit signals between brain cells to control learning and memory. If heavy alcohol consumption continues for decades, however, damage to short-term and prospective memory (the ability to remember) may be irreversible and a brain disorder called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome may develop where, without the ability to form new memories, new information is not remembered for more than a few seconds.

For more information about effects of wine consumption on human health, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

References and further reading

Alzheimer’s Australia. 2016. https://www.fightdementia.org.au/about-dementia/ statistics Australian Institute Health Welfare (AIHW). 2012. Dementia in Australia. Cat. no.

AGE 70. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Simons, L.A., Simons, J., McCallum, J., Friedlander, Y. 2006. Lifestyle factors and risk of dementia: Dubbo Study of the elderly. Med J Aust. 184: 68-70.

Stockley, C.S. 2015. Wine consumption, cognitive function and dementias – A relationship? Nutr. Aging. 3: 125-137.

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November 2016 – Issue 634

Georgie James Photography

Fortified’s fresh look ST LEONARDS VINEYARD, an historic winery in the Rutherglen wine region, has added some colour and intrigue to its range of compelling fortified wines with the release of three HIP SIP wines.

The first wine to launch was the Tawny in April 2016 and two more wines have recently been added to the range – HIP SIP Muscat and HIP SIP Muscadelle.

“HIP SIP was designed to inspire consumers in a creative way on the delights of fortified wine,” said Angela Brown, St Leonards Vineyard sales and marketing director.

“Providing suggestions of how and when to enjoy fortified wine has engaged our consumers.

“The range provides the ability to

enjoy the wine in a creative way.”

The concept was developed by Brown, together with Dan Murphy’s, and designed by Melbourne agency Spinach Advertising.

“The team at Spinach helped bring the concept to life and we used a local St Kilda tattoo artist to design the tattoo imagery,” Brown said.

“The bottle is a 350ml size – which was the perfect size to bring our creative to life and appeal to our target ‘millenial’ audience. The bottle was supplier by Savourglass, France. The labels were printed by Multi Colour Griffith. The bottles are hand filled and labels hand applied.”

Brown said Hip Sip had exceeded the

forecast sales performance by about five times in the first year. “The wines are at the forefront of the fortified promotional activity at two of Australia’s largest liquor retail banners – Dan Murphys and BWS .

The ranging opportunities were achieved by the design and product meeting the objective of regenerating fortified wine’s appeal and bringing new consumers to the category. “ HIP SIP Muscat has aromas of raisins, candied peel and spice with notes of sweet butterscotch. HIP SIP Muscadelle has a blend of tea-leaf and spice on the palate with toffee notes. Both wines are perfect for enjoying on their own, pairing with chocolate desserts or mixed into modern and classic cocktails.

Bottling Line Solutions

Bottle National 03 9555 5500 SA & WA Sales 0401 560 550

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Label

Pack

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sales & marketing

Peter Dredge and Dr Edge There’s a bit of a Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde thing happening with one of Peter Dredge’s wine projects from Tasmania.

Nathan Gogoll reports.

THE DR EDGE PINOT NOIR is a superpremium Tasmanian wine that wears a distinctive label that features both an original artwork and a custom designed, slightly-disjointed typeface.

While he’s still easily counted in the younger age bracket of winemakers, Peter Dredge admits he’s had plenty of time washing tanks and scrubbing floors (with the stereo blaring) to “daydream about future labels, music, wine travels, girls, whatever”.

This label has its roots in this daydreaming, but has been carefully constructed together with Damian Hamilton, from Cornershop Design.

“When I approached Damian about the brand, I was at a stage in my career where I felt I had the confidence to break away stylistically from the wines I had been making for other people or companies,” Dredge said.

“I get paranoid quite often and think

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it’s all a bit narcissistic basing a brand on yourself to this sort of depth but I guess that’s true to the Mr Hyde theme too, right?

“So I put the story of alter egos and the artwork to Damian. He and his team at Cornershop provided typography for the brand, layouts, colour themes etc. and the rest is history.”

Dr Edge was actually the first nickname Dredge was given in the cellars of Petaluma in 1998.

In the years following the first job in a winery, Dredge said he received a terrific winemaking education – but admits the guidance he received on the development of the importance of the label and packaging didn’t quite meet his expectations.

“The brand managers of the wines I made seemed to quit or resign on an average of 10 months, usually when we were just getting a bit of continuity

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going,” Dredge said. “Rebrand, re-launch, resign… repeat.

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just me. It seemed pretty common among the larger wine companies. It was, and is, such a competitive, high-input environment at the ultra-premium level for such a small chunk of the market.”

Dredge said his work with Hamilton had been integral to the label reaching a standard that has been recognised as finalist in both the ‘packaging’ and ‘design crafts’ categories for the 2016 Australian Graphic Design Association Awards.

There’s also a philanthropic ambition for the label, Dredge would like to see Dr Edge develop as a non-profit brand, donating all profits to a mental health awareness charity.

“I was introduced to Damian by some mutual friends in London in 2005,” Dredge said.

November 2016 – Issue 634

“It was a brief encounter but over the years as social media and Damian’s presence in the wine sector grew, I knew I could approach him with confidence with almost no degree of separation.

Yes, I had a core idea of what I wanted to do; friends and partners with opinions; but none of us are professionals. Damian tied it together with his Cornershop team.

He knew when to say, ‘hey, you don’t go to the Dr and prescribe your own medicine,’ when I got a bit too passionate and lost site of the best branding solution.”

Hamilton said he was approached with a brief that included the name, artwork, alter ego and mental illness story and charitable initiative.

“Our role was to bring the brand to life, based on this story, and complement the portrait artwork,” Hamilton said.

“The typeface was custom designed; cut out of paper then made digital. For each application, such as the labels, every letter is meticulously positioned by eye and stacked precariously to represent Dr Edge’s unbalanced personality.

“Throughout the research process we were inspired by experimental type design that was raw and rough and reflected a fractured personality. We discovered relevant examples from album covers to Nike posters. We experimented and explored several typographic directions and presented Pete a couple of concepts as options. We all agreed that the most original idea was the one that was chosen.

“The entire project was conducted via Skype, phone and email. Our relationship on a project like this and working from different states is integral. Pete trusted

us and valued our expertise, so it was a great process, experience and outcome.”

There’s another link back to the daydreaming while cleaning tanks… when the stereo was blaring some of the most important music to Dredge came from “an experimental, instrumental hiphop album a friend introduced to me to in 1996”.

The albu m, and its artwork, became a firm favourite. And the pipe dream was to have that piece of art, or something similar, for a label one day. It was 15 years later the dream came true.

“I purchased an original piece by the album artist from a gallery in Bristol in 2013 after years of looking and hoping,” Dredge said. “Two years later I had permission from the artist with discussions going ahead on more pieces for future wines. I’m still pinching myself.”

The wine was released only a few months ago, but is already sold out/fully allocated.

“It was only 200 dozen and on top of that I had to release it earlier than I’d liked,” Dredge said. “It needed time to settle in bottle as it was a bit funkier than I’d hoped under screwcap, but cash flow

was/is super tight – the reality for any business just starting up, especially in the wine industry I’d suppose.”

The Dr Edge label will remain solely Pinot Noir for now. Dredge said the 2016 will be a Tasmanian sub regional blend, like the 2015, but he will also bottle small volumes from the ‘north’ of the state (Tamar Valley); the ‘east’ (East Coast); and the ‘south’ (Derwent Valley) for “those who wish to explore a little deeper into sub regional Tasmania”.

With the north, east and south releases, the total production of the 2016 Dr Edge wines should reach about 500 cases and is expected to be released in September 2017 (cash flow permitting).

Top Solutions

National 03 9555 5500 SA & WA Sales 0401 560 550 November 2016 – Issue 634

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Prosecco now a fashion accessory BROWN BROTHERS recently announced a new collaboration with iconic Australian accessories brand MIMCO on two new sparkling wine releases.

Sharing a commitment to unwavering style, local provenance, and an imaginative spirit, the partnership sees the release of two limited edition Brown Brothers Prosecco bottles (Prosecco and Prosecco Rosé) featuring the signature MIMCO ‘Supernatural’ motif.

Launching in-store from September 2016 and drawing on the accessory brand’s signature collection, the limited edition bottles feature hues of matte black, alabaster and rose gold.

Caroline Brown, the public relations manager at Brown Brothers, said the winery was “extremely excited about the partnership with MIMCO, one of Australia’s most iconic fashion brands”.

“For the spring/summer party season we are thrilled to present our

beautiful limited edition Prosecco bottles to our customers,” Brown said.

“Prosecco is emerging to be one of the most popular sparkling wines and by partnering with MIMCO it’s now the perfect accessory for the party season.”

Sarah Rovis, MIMCO managing director, said the brand “put a lot of thought into who we partner with and it’s exciting to collaborate on a creative project that allows us to explore other avenues of design”.

MIMCO is part of the Country Road Group and designs accessories collections. It has more than 120 stores across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Core categories are handbags, small leather goods, jewellery and shoes, and are supported by the categories of watches, sunglasses, hair accessories, hats and scarves.

MIMCO’s brand philosophy is ‘Accessible Luxury Designed with Quirk’. The brand is dedicated to engaging with their customer through emotion and surprise, and has built a strong following through their loyalty and social media channels.

Hailing from Brown Brothers’ Banksdale Vineyard in the King Valley of Victoria, Australia’s premium region for growing Prosecco, the Brown Brothers Prosecco collection consists of two varietals, Prosecco and Prosecco Rosé.

The limited edition Brown Brothers Prosecco and Prosecco Rosé designed by MIMCO are available from leading liquor retailers (RRP $18) and brownbrothers.com.au for a limited time only.

Humble Vine Creates a Great Impression for its Wine For the Humble Vine brand the use of quality packaging is a critical step in the production chain according to Barbara Gallo, the winery’s Administration Manager.

“Packaging is very important to us especially for our exports. The carton has to be high quality to travel the distance and cope with all the handling.

“The Chinese market has a heightened perception of quality so if the carton is the first touch point it needs to have a premium look and feel.

“Earlier this year we started using Abbe Corrugated as our carton supplier. There were two motivating reasons: the quality of its cartons and its new digital printer, Impression.

“Digital print was new to us and we have been very impressed by the results – the images are sharp and the colours are rich. When comparing to litho it’s right up there, yet it’s more economical to print than litho and offers the same quality and great aesthetic result.”

With its export market growing exponentially the family-owned business located in Wahring, Victoria has now moved its packaging across to Abbe Corrugated.

“We take so much care with the wine we produce it makes sense to show it at its best.”

“For our Humble Vine range the quality of cartons is vital as a low-grade board can swell and collapse in humid conditions in certain export markets. The cartons we have purchased from Abbe Corrugated have stood up to this.

Contact us now!

Abbe Corrugated Pty Ltd 03 9301 8888 (VIC) Austcor Packaging Pty Ltd 02 957 7555 (NSW) impression@abbe.com.au www.abbe.com.au

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November 2016 – Issue 634

industry profile

Dave, Paul, Steve, and Chris Liebich.

Steven Liebich Liebich Family Vineyards Riverland SA 230Ha across seven vineyard sites, stretching from north of Waikerie through to the Cadell Valley.

Also 8ha of citrus.

Tell us about your role: I’m the business manager and Cadell Valley Vineyards manager. Also a member of the Riverland Viticultural Technical Group.

Can you tell us more about the challenges of your career in the industry so far?

The biggest challenge was no doubt the 2011 vintage with the pest and disease levels that year. Looking back though, it was probably the turning point of our business.

Dad was still in charge and was struggling with a succession plan that was going to be fair, but enabled us to keep the business together without having to go our separate ways and lose efficiencies.

The wet season meant that there were plenty of industries meetings and by attending them I started to build some great connections, none better than Jeff McDonald from Collaborative Ag who implemented business structures and policies into our collaborative operation. This not only helped Dad November 2016 – Issue 634

with his succession plan, but is also enabling our business to become more professional and more efficient. Jeff is now our independent chair at Liebich Family Vineyards.

What part of your job do you find most rewarding?

Being in business with my three older brothers, it is great to be able to share our successes and achievements over a family barbecue. It's always nice to get feedback from our customers that our fruit is of great quality and they want more the following year.

I have also found that since I have become more involved in the business side of things that I have been able to meet some great positive people within the industry.

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the fact that I have helped grow our business through some of the toughest conditions the industry has seen for decades… with low commodity prices and water restrictions.

I am also proud of how the branding, and web site www.liebichfamilyvineyards. com.au is developing, something I don't think we see enough of in the Riverland.

Why not be proud of what you do, and promote your business and the region.

Are you confident about the future of the viticulture and wine industry?

I wouldn’t be doing what I'm doing if I wasn't confident in the industry. We have www.winetitles.com.au

to understand that the wine industry has its ups and downs and I firmly believe that with the lower Australian dollar and new markets opening up, particularly Asia, that the wine industry is heading in the right direction.

What are the current challenges you are facing?

There is no doubt that water security is our greatest challenge, without it there is no industry. Having a strong value chain where all stakeholders are profitable, from the vine to the bottle is always a challenge.

Where do you go for support on these issues?

I think it’s important to read as much information as you can get so you can make good decisions. The internet has become a great way to source information, also going to industry meetings is a valuable tool for networking and getting your name out there. We are also lucky to have a number of progressive young growers who are involved with the Waikerie Footy Club, so we quite often bounce ideas around over the bar after a good win.

How important is the Grapegrower & Winemaker magazine a source of information?

The magazine is a great way to see what’s happening within the industry in different areas and regions. We always have a copy on the coffee table or in the staff room.

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calendar

looking back We step back in time to see what was happening through the pages of Grapegrower and Winemaker this month 10, 20 and 30 years ago.

November 2006 The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation has suspended the export license of a New South Wales winery.

The suspension followed Chinese rejection of a shipment of red wine from Red Earth Estate Vineyard, Dubbo.

Of 840 cases forwarded by REEV to Shen Zhen, Chinese authorities found that 22 cases of the wine contained higher than acceptable levels of preservative sulphur dioxide. The acceptable level for that wine is 250ppm whereas the rejected wine showed readings of up to 380ppm.

The breach has been described as a “rare event”, however, it comes as a timely warning to all in the industry.

“Australia has an extremely high reputation that must be protected,” a spokesperson for the AWBC said.

November 1996 The volume of Australian wine shipped to the United Kingdom during the 12 months beginning October 1995 and ending September 1996 rose 41% compared with the previous year- a growth rate not experienced in this market for more than two years.

According to the latest statistics compiled by the Australian Wine Export Council, 68.4 million litres of wine were approved for export to the UK during the survey period; making the UK Australia’s largest export market with 49% of total exports volume.

Exports to Australia’s sixth largest market, Ireland, also continued to climb, rising 25% to 3.8 million litres.

November 1986 The Australian Wine and Brandy Producers’ Association is worried about the continuing downturn in sales of packaged wine.

The associations corporate affairs manager, Mark Mckenzie, said sales of bottles, flagoons and casks grew by only 1.4% in the year end of September with the backbone of Australian wine market, white table wine, recording only a growth rate of 1.3% over the same period.

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Australia & New Zealand November 2-4 (JD) Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show Mildura, VIC. www.aavws.com

19-20 La Dolce Vita Wine and Food Festival King Valley, VIC. www.winesofthekingvalley.com.au

4-6 Effervescence 2016 Relbia, TAS. www.effervescencetasmania.com.au

20 (JD) 47th Eltham Wine Show 2016 Bulleen, VIC. www.amateurwine.org.au

10-13 Taste of Auckland Auckland, NZ. www.tasteofauckland.co.nz 14-18 (JD) The National Wine Show of Australia Canberra, ACT. www.rncas.org.au/nationalwineshow 17-19 Margaret River Gourmet Escape Margaret River, WA. www.margaretrivergourmetescape.com.au

20 Malmsbury Village Food and Wine Fayre Malmsbury, VIC. www.malmsburyvillagefayre.org.au 20 Toast Martinborough Wine, Food & Music Festival Martinborough, NZ. www.toastmartinborough.co.nz 22-23 (JD) Adelaide Hills Wine Show Adelaide Hills, SA. www.adelaidehillswine.com.au

December 2 Barossa Generations Lunch Tanunda, SA. www.barossa.com

3 Burnbrae's Black Tie BBQ Mudgee, NSW. www.burnbraewines.com.au

International November 2-6 EXPO DRINK & WINE Bucharest, Romania. www.targdevinuri.ro

16-18 ENOEXPO Kraków, Poland. www.targi.krakow.pl

3-6 Ottawa Wine & Food Festival (Fall Edition) Ottawa, Canada. www. ottawawineandfoodfestival.com

17-19 3rd Xiamen Fine Wine Show Xiamen, China. www.wineinternationalltd. com

6-10 Great Wine Capitals Global Network International Conference 2016 Rioja, Spain. www.greatwinecapitals.com

27-30 INTERVITIS INTERFRUCTA HORTITECHNICA Stuttgart, Germany. www.messe-stuttgart. de/intervitis-interfructa

8 Salon des Grands Vins Blancs de Loire Paris, France. www.mon-viti.com/content/ salon-des-grands-vins-blancs-de-loire-2016 JD = judging date CD= closing date

For a comprehensive list of events, visit www.winetitles.com.au/calendar

Winetitles Calendar Australia’s most comprehensive wine industry related local and international events and courses – available online! Search for conferences, trade shows, competitions, courses, festivals & Australian & international wine shows. www.winetitles.com.au/calendar www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

Marketplace

All advertisements also appear on www.winetitles.com.au/classifieds/ ge nta

Vi

Go with the site that leading wine industry companies use.

November 2016 – Issue 634

2017 Tasmanian Grapes Wanted Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Gris Pinot Noir Chardonnay All other Varieties Please Contact, Fred Strachan 0407 341 437; fstrachan@pipersbrook.com

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT Maria Stephenson on (08) 8369 9513 or

WINE PRESS SERVICING • Preventative maintenance & breakdown repairs for all makes and models.

• 24/7 coverage during vintage • Large inventory of spare parts.

• Membrane replacement.

• PLC upgrades and design improvements.

Electrical & mechanical expertise.

03 9455 3339 • www.rapidfil.com.au

m.stephenson@winetitles.com.au www.winetitles.com.au

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Marketplace

Accolade Wines Australia Limited, Aravina Estate, Australian Vintage Ltd, Barwick Wines, Beltunga, Bests Wines Great Western, Bremerton Wines, Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard Pty The Wine Industry’s Leading Online Job Site Ltd, Campbells Wines, Casama Group Pty Ltd, Cellarmaster Group, Charles Melton Wines, Clover Hill Wines, CMV Farms, Coriole Vineyards, Delegats Wine Estate, Delegat’s Wine Estate Limited, DogRidge, Edgemill Group, Fanselow Bell, Five Star Wines, Fowles Wine, Fuse Wine Services Pty Ltd, Gemtree Vineyards, Glenlofty Wines, Harry Jones Wines, Henry’s Drive Vignerons Pty Ltd, Hentley Farm, Hope Estate, Hospitality Recruitment Solutions, Howard Park Wines, Hungerford Hill Wines, Inglewood Wines Pty Ltd, Innocent Bystander, Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Jim Barry Wines, KarriBindi, Kauri, Kingston Estate Wines Pty Ltd, Kirrihill Wines Pty Ltd, Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard, L’Atelier by, Aramis Vineyards, Leeuwin Estate, Make WInes Australia, McWilliam’s Wines Group, Memstar, Mondo Consulting, Moppity VIneyards, Moxon Oak, &Nadalie australia, created managed by Nexthire, Oenotec Pty Ltd, Options Wine Merchants, Orlando Wines, Ozpak Pty Ltd, Patrick of Coonawarra, Plantagenet Wines,

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JOHAN CZANIK N CZANIK

NT ACCOUNTANT

• Viti & Wine Business Modelling • Activity-Based Costing • Project Accounting

CHALLENGE YOUR MARGIN Full-colour logo

Full-colour logo

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A full-colour logo stands out and commands attention.

If printing in four colour process, use the specified CMYK colour breakdowns outlined.

only colours to be used for the logo are CPA Blue CMYK process coloursThe (full-colour)

A full-colour logo stands out and commands attention.

The only colours to be used for the logo are CPA Blue and CPA Yellow. It is important that you ensure the following colour specifications are taken into account when placing orders with printers and suppliers involved in the reproduction of the CPA public practice logo.

Wherever possible, use the specified solid PMS colours and quote the PMS numbers to your printer.

Yellow. It is important that you ensure the If printing in four colour process,and useCPA the specified following colour specifications are taken into account CMYK colour breakdowns outlined. when placing orders with printers and suppliers involved in the reproduction of the CPA public practice logo.

Wherever possible, use the specified solid PMS colours and quote the PMS numbers to your printer.

CPA Blue The logos available on the website are already formatted Y 0% K 10% to these specifications and should not be altered.

0421 438 169 johan@acuman.net.au www.acuman.net.au C 100% M 60%

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The logos available on the website are already formatted to these specifications and should not be altered.

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PMS colours Johan Czanik is a CPA Accountant

B 145 print requirements allow, use the specified Whenever solid PMS colours outlined.

CPA Yellow

Whenever print requirements allow, use the specified solid PMS colours outlined.

R 245

G 212

B 16

CPA Blue Coated stock (PANTONE® 661c) Uncoated stock (PANTONE® 662u)

CPA Blue Coated stock (PANTONE® 661c)

Web colours

Uncoated stock (PANTONE® 662u) CPA Yellow

CPA Yellow

CPA Blue

Uncoated stock (PANTONE® 109u)

K 10%

Contract Winemaking for 2017?

C 0%

M 15%

Y 100%

K 0%

Welcome to The Craft & Co Farm - a 40 acre vineyard, winery, cellar door & cafe located only 40 mins from the Melbourne CBD. This facility boasts quality, new gravity-fed processing equipment, crossflow filtration capacity, and with space available for up to 70 tonnes this coming Vintage. Great atmosphere with a small group of young winemakers and potential to tap into a newly developed onsite cellar door. Make your own onsite or utilise our contract winemaking services.

R 0

G 53

B 145

G 212

B 16

CPA Yellow R 245

Web colours

CPA Blue

Web# 003f7e

Coated stock (PANTONE® 123c) Uncoated stock (PANTONE® 109u)

VINE GRAFTING Web# 003f7e

Coated stock (PANTONE® 123c)

Y 0%

CPA Blue

Full colour logo for public practitioners

R 0

C 100% M 60%

CPA Yellow

RGB colours

K 0%

CPA Blue

Full colour logo for public practitioners

CPA Blue

CPA Yellow

Web# f8c800

CPA Yellow

Web# f8c800

CPA Australia public practice guidelines 6

CPA Australia public practice guidelines 6

Bruce Gilbert 0428 233 544 Brian Phillips 0417 131 764

All enquiries welcome...

The Craft & Co Farm 170 Riverend Rd, Bangholme, VIC 3175 ph: 0411 697 912 winery@thecraftandco.com.au thecraftandco.com.au/the-farm/

Marketplace

*SP-only

Ring Ashley or Angelo for demonstrations or any participating New Holland dealer.

Ashley Barratt – 0419 833 606 • Angelo Dicesare - 0408 856 418 Summertown Ph (08) 8139 7200 • Adelaide Ph (08) 8139 7250 Narracoorte – (08) 8762 0123 • www.braud.com.au

brucethegrafter@gmail.com www.brucethegrafter.com

90 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Model – SB64 Build Year – 1998

Head hrs- 3813

Build Year – 2001

Engine hours – 2445 Head hours – 802

Build Year – 2002

Build Year – 2004

Model – G120 Build Year – 2001

Model – G108

Model – G140

Hours – 2551

Hours –7419

Model – G170 Hours –5937

Head hrs – 3546

Build Year – 2000

Head hrs – 1836

Machine hrs – 3987

Hours –3210

Head hrs- 2059

Model – G120

www.winetitles.com.au

November 2016 – Issue 634

Want the latest wine business information at your fingertips?

PRINT & ONLINE

2016 OUT NOW! • 8,000 Industry listings • 9,000 Personnel • 3,000 Wineries • 5,600 Wine brands • 2,000 Grapegrowers • 1,800 Buyers’ guide listings • 330 Distributors & retailers • 220 Writers & media

PLUS

+ Statistics + 2015 Overview + Calendar of events + Wineshows + Courses + Organisations

CONTRACT WINEMAKERS - NEW 2016!

To order your copy: Ph: +618 8369 9522 E: orders@winetitles.com.au Visit: www.winetitles.com.au

Proven solutions using crossflow filtration with ceramic membranes.

www.dtpacific.com | info@dtpacific.com | + 61 3 9924-4040 | @DellaToffolaPac