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APRIL 2014

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20 Which wineries rule?

the pick of the Kiwis

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April 2014: Issue 603

Contents features 64

Ameliorating magnesium bioavailability of

GWRDC news

Training & trellising

vineyard acid soils by liming with dolomitic

Fertilisers and nutrition

lime

Bottling, labelling & packaging

It’s fast, furious and (officially) Down Under

news

winemaking

My view: Building the reputation of Australian wine to boost profitability

Tackling microbial failure in problematic wine fermentations using a holistic approach

Who’s Who In New Zealand

Winemakers floating down the river

The cradle of wine looking to rock the export

New yeast approach produces lower alcohol

Regional Roundup: Queensland

2014 a buyers’ market for bulk wines

Top 20 wineries/Top 5 NZ wineries

The rise and rise of Gatt Wines

It’s a dodgy way to do business

Mother, wife and winemaker: multitasking at

scene

wine

grapegrowing

its finest 50

Determining the role of vine balance in driving fruit composition and developing an industry

sales & marketing

‘toolbox’ 54

First steps for high-throughput phenotyping in vineyards

CSIRO’s 2CC team is working on the key to

New year, new look for Tassie wine brand

business & technology

grape ripening 97

Wine talent – it’s a global business

A P R I L 2 014

18 People in research:8 Marlize Viviers What do Bengal tigers, lambs, pheromones and wine have in common? The answer: AWRI Research Scientist Marlize Viviers.

APRIL 2014

It’s not your average career path, but it’s a journey that has taken Dr Viviers from South Africa to Australia and forged a passion for research.

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THE

Dr Viviers completed her studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, starting with a degree in wineries industrial Which rule? chemistry. Honours was followed by a Masters degree and then a PhD in analytical-organic chemistry, The pickin ofthe Laboratory for Ecological Chemistry The kiwis (LECUS) under the supervision of respected Emeritus Professor Ben Burger. “I specialised in the development and application of analytical techniques used to analyse trace amounts of volatile compounds that are used as

cover

regulars

The Top 20 Australian and Top 5 New Zealand wineries is an anticipated annual feature in Grapegrower & Winemaker.

5 99 100 101 102

what's online export snapshot looking forward advertiser index marketplace classifieds

Dr Marlize Viviers, presenting the Fresh Science session at the 2013 Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference

“I always wanted to gain international research experience and Australia is a country that values its scientists and offers

The projects are seeking to better understand why the reductive odours occur and to develop management strategies

In this issue April Publisher and Chief Executive Hartley Higgins Managing EDITOR Elizabeth Bouzoudis EDITOR Andrew Mole editor@grapeandwine.com.au Editorial advisory board Dr Jim Fortune, Denis Gastin, Dr Steve Goodman, Dr Terry Lee, Paul van der Lee, Bob Campbell MW, Prof Dennis Taylor and Mary Retallack Editorial Stephanie Timotheou Contributors Ed Merrison, Jeni Port , Bob Campbell Advertising Sales Chas Barter sales@grapeandwine.com.au Circulation: Melissa Smithen subs@winetitles.com.au Subscription Prices Australia: 1 year (12 issues) $77.50 (inc. GST) 2 years (24 issues) $145 (inc. GST) New Zealand, Asia & Pacific: 1 year (12 issues) $110 (AUD) 2 years (24 issues) $210 (AUD) All other countries: 1 year (12 issues) $174.50 (AUD) 2 years (24 issues) $339 (AUD) Students (Aus only): 1 year (12 issues) $66 (inc. GST) Winetitles Pty. Ltd. 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9500 Fax (08) 8369 9501 info@winetitles.com.au www.winebiz.com.au Printing by Lane Print Group, Adelaide © Contents copyright Winetitles Pty Ltd 2013.

4 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Our Top 20 wineries feature in this month’s issue again shows it will be the nation’s Big Four which will be the benchmark for Australian wine in the vital export market. And any success they are having is off the back of their marque brands. For example, Casella Wines might have recorded another loss but it also chalked up the one billionth bottle of Yellow Tail sold overseas. By any stretch of the imagination that’s a remarkable feat for a country which is still, by and large, a small player in the global wine industry. Incredibly, the past year has been the biggest for Yellow Tail sales, with more than 12.5 million cases sold worldwide, 8.5 million of which went to the US. So wine gluts and economic doldrums aside, there are still significant opportunities out there for Australian wines. Casella told Grapegrower & Winemaker that success says a lot about their capability to produce a strong, consistent product and keep it flowing and their

relationship with our customers and partners around the world. We also look at the Top 5 in New Zealand but this year have taken a slightly different approach speaking to just three Kiwi wineries – small, big and bigger – to provide a more complete picture. This news feature starts on Page 22. Our cellar door focus will finish in May when we present our Top 20 boutique wineries feature. Finally with the eyes of the world on the Ukraine and growing concerns over Russian military movements, we look at neighbouring Georgia and the key role it has played in the wine industry for thousands of years. That report starts on Page 10. We hope you enjoy this month’s issue and as always, if you have any stories or feedback we would love to hear from you. Andrew Mole Editor Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker editor@grapeandwine.com.au

Contributors Ed Merrison is an international wine writer who read Modern Languages at Oxford University, before embarking on a journalism career during which he has lived in London, Paris, Granada, Dublin, Buenos Aires and Melbourne. This is his second Top 20 wine feature for Grapegrower & Winemaker. It starts on Page 22.

Bob Campbell is the author of The New Zealand Wine Annual, wine editor of Cuisine magazine (New Zealand) and a contributor to wine publications in seven countries, including Decanter (United Kingdom) and Sante (United States). An international wine judge he is also founder of The Wine Gallery, a leading wine school in New Zealand. Bob is also a member of our Grapegrower & Winemaker Editorial Advisory Board. His look at New Zealand’s wine industry starts on Page 44 Jeni Port is a freelance wine writer based in Melbourne. The longest serving wine writer on The Age newspaper, she also writes for a number of leading Australian wine publications, including Grapegrower & Winemaker. She is a regular wine show judge, educator and author. Her look at who’s who in New Zealand starts on Page 7.

www.winebiz.com.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

on the grapevine

what’s online

Family-owned winery wins best Aussie wine at China’s biggest show TAYLORs wines has been acknowledged at China’s biggest wine competition, the China Wine and Spirits Best Value Awards, receiving the Australian wine of the year trophy for its 2010 Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet. The Clare Valley producer was one of the best performing Australian wineries at the show, taking home a grand total of 12 awards including the trophy, three double gold and six gold medals across its Promised Land and Estate ranges. These wins follow on from a successful 2013 where Taylors was awarded Australian wine producer of the year at the same show. Au s t r a l i a n w i ner ie s dominated the 2014 competition receiving a total of 351 medals, beating Italy in second (139 medals) and Portugal in third (96 medals). Taylors Wines managing director

Mitchell Taylor said it was a significant coup for Australian wine producers to be recognised in such an important market. “With a burgeoning middle class, China is now the biggest consumer of red wine in the world and holds real potential for Australian winemakers,” he said. “Building our reputation in the Chinese market has been an important part of our company strategy for many years.” The China Wine and Spirits Awards attracts judges from all major purchasing decision makers in the growing Chinese market including wine importers, distributors, wholesalers, restaurant group owners and sommeliers based in China. Contact: Karina Darling. Phone: 61 2 9667 4211. Email: karinadarling@liquidideas.com.au.

Early influence of oxygen investigated A NEW four-year research project by The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) aims to reveal an insight into the timing and amount of oxygen required to benefit red and white winemaking and prevent reductive odours. The project, funded by the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC), commenced in July 2013 and is being led by AWRI research scientist Dr Martin Day with complementary small-scale laboratory work by AWRI senior research scientist Dr Simon Schmidt. Dr Day said the science and technique of adding oxygen in the early stages of fermentation is relatively new in wine science terms and is more widely accepted and used in France than in Australia. “Since we launched this project we’re

finding more people interested all the time, and there seems to be a lot of small-scale anecdotal work and positive results coming through from Australian wineries,” he said. “In the beginning, a lot of the work being done by the AWRI in this area was around oxygen ingress during bottling and from closures, but we’ve definitely moved on in the past couple of years.” The first stage of experiments have begun for vintage 2014 with Dr Schmidt carrying out small-scale ferments in the lab to reflect the extremes of oxygen exposure during normal white winemaking techniques.

April 2014 – Issue 603

This year’s New Zealand grape harvest is underway amid high hopes for a vintage which started earlier than recent years due to a fantastic growing season. “Like many agricultural sectors in New Zealand, most of our grapegrowing regions experienced very favourable growing conditions through summer and into early autumn,” New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive officer Philip Gregan said. Gregan expects the 2014 vintage will provide a further boost to wine exports in the year ahead, reports Winebiz.

Wine exporters cheer the lifting of South Korean tariff The recently negotiated free-trade agreement between Australia and South Korea is expected to spark an increase in Australian wine sales to a country that already has a taste for it. But Australian exporters such as De Bortoli have been hamstrung by trade rules. Australia is the sixth-largest wine exporter to South Korea despite a 15 per cent tariff. But under the terms of the agreement, the tariff will be removed when the trade deal comes into force which is expected within 12 months, reports The Age.

Australian Vintage sees UK bulk wine sales fall but remains optimistic Australian Vintage faced a challenging time in the UK and European markets as bulk wine sales fell, but it remained optimistic over branded sales and is looking to expand its UK distribution. Total wine sales into the UK/Europe market fell by A$5.6 million to A$46 million said the group, posting its half-yearly results to 31 December 2013, reports Harpers.

Contact: Abbey Flanagan, GWRDC. Phone: 61 8 8273 0500. Email: abbey@gwrdc.com.au.

.com.au

Memorial service for Bryan Coombe A Memorial service to celebrate the life and career of Dr Bryan Coombe will be held on Friday 9 May from 4-6pm at the University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Charles Hawker Conference Centre. The service will be followed by refreshments.

New Zealand vintage underway

Australia’s wine industry portal by Winetitles Australia’s wine industry portal by

Please RSVP by Friday 2 May. Contact: Cassandra Collins School of Agriculture Food & Wine The University of Adelaide. Phone: 61 8 8313 6813. Email: cassandra.collins@adelaide.edu.au.

www.winebiz.com.au

Winetitles

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.winebiz.com.au/dwn. Grapegrower & Winemaker

my view Building the reputation of Australian wine to boost profitability As Grapegrower & Winemaker presents its annual Top 20 feature, Andreas Clark, acting chief executive, Wine Australia, writes there are encouraging signs on the horizon, particularly in the premium export market. The Top 20 feature starts on Page 22.

THE operating environment for wine exports remains challenging but there are some positive signs for the sector buried among initial export data for the year. The volume of exports for the 12 months ending February 2014 was down 7 per cent, to 673 million valued at $A1.75 billion. But while the volume was down, there are signs conditions are turning slightly with exports for the year ending February 2014 up on the year ending January 2014. For the first time in six years, the total average value of wine exports for 12 months increased by 1 per cent to $A2.60 per litre. Driving this was a 5 per cent increase in the average value of bottled exports to $A4.64 per litre, the highest average value achieved since the equivalent period in 2008. There was continued growth for exports above $A5 per litre, with the value of exports at $A5-7.49 per litre up by 0.4 per cent, at $A7.50-9.99 up by 5 per cent and at above $A10 per litre up by 0.3 per cent. In contrast, exports at the commercial and commodity end declined, with the value at $A2.50-4.99 declining by 14 per cent and at below $A2.50 by 0.5 per cent. As a result, the value-share of exports above $A5 per litre increased by three percentage points to 37 per cent. While export volumes declined in four of Australia’s five biggest markets, - the UK, US, China and Germany – export volumes in Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore increased. Despite this, there’s a lot of positive sentiment about Australian wine in all our export markets. Wine Australia’s focus is on building on this through educational programs and other initiatives that best support industry’s return to sustainable profitability and help restore value in underlying assets. In North America, Wine Australia held more than 20 events throughout the first quarter across the US and Canada including the Australia Today Road Show – the large-scale trade and media

6 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Andreas Clark: For the first time in six years he says the total average value of wine exports for 12 months increased.

tasting; Gateways to Australia events, in partnership with Tourism Australia, which included three food, wine and travel focused events for media, with chef John Placko, across three Canadian cities; and 15 consumer wine and food tastings in liquor board stores in partnership with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB). In the UK, Wine Australia kicked off the year with the Australia Day Tasting in London, with key European trade personalities heralding the category as a new era for Australian wine. More than 700 trade and media guests attended the tasting, which is considered the most important event for Australian wine in the UK calendar. An estimated 14,000 glasses of Australian wine were raised during the seven-hour showcase. In Europe, Wine Australia created a very striking Australian pavilion at one of the world’s most influential wine trade shows – ProWein last month. Twenty-five Australian producers www.winebiz.com.au

from across nine regions, consisting of some 50 winemakers and principals showed around 250 Australian wines to some of Europe’s leading wine trade and media. This month in China, we’re hosting the annual Wine Australia Grand Tasting and Seminar Roadshow – the biggest Australian wine showcase in China – in Shenyang, Shanghai and Nanning. More than 30 Australian wine producers with over 500 brands from 16 Australian wine regions will show 300 wines to China’s top wine trade and media. On the domestic front, education of the Australian wine trade remains a focus through One Day Wine Schools and both the Trade Immersion and the Sommelier Immersion Programs visits into wine regions. On the consumer front, we’re gearing up for Aussie Wine Month – the biggest annual celebration of Australian wine in the domestic market – which runs throughout May. There’s still time for wineries and wine regions to come up with a creative event, get involved and benefit from this national promotional opportunity. All these initiatives and more will be offered to Australian wine producers and brands and state and regional bodies as partnerships through Wine Australia’s Market Programs latest User-Pays Prospectus 2014-15, which can be viewed at www.wineaustralia.com. We’re also working closely with Tourism Australia as it rolls out its Restaurant Australia food and wine campaign. This provides a major opportunity for our sector to move the promotion of wine into the lifestyle space and to extend our consumer reach. All our wine regions have the potential to benefit from this opportunity. I invite you to join us as we work collectively to ensure there is greater awareness around the world of the quality and diversity of Australian wine. Contact: Andreas Clark. Phone: 61 8 8228 2000. Email: enquiries@wineaustralia.com. April 2014 – Issue 603

Who’s who in New Zealand The land of the long white cloud has most recently morphed as the backdrop for the hugely successful Lord of the Rings franchise. But Jeni Port writes there is a different side to New Zealand and it’s all about wine. NEW Zealand is that small country at the end of the world where its inhabitants drink pints of Sauvignon Blanc while reading JRR Tolkien. . . Sorry, the image is almost inescapable these days, which is why New Zealand wine producers are working hard at moving on. On to profitable new pastures, on from Sauvignon Blanc which has tended to define every New Zealand winemaker, and on to a new international reputation built on sustainable, green credentials. However, in the meantime, New Zealand remains primarily a grower and maker of Sauvignon Blanc. It simply can’t escape that fact. Despite a decrease (0.9 per cent) in Sauv Blanc plantings in 2011, more than half the country’s 33,600ha of vines are of that grape. Pinot Noir is a distant second followed by chardonnay and the next great white hope, Pinot Gris, which has been enjoying significant growth in production and sales in recent years. What it lacks in population (4.489 million) New Zealand makes up for with an enthusiastic domestic wine base, a substantial wine tourism industry and a strong NZ$1 billion export wine market. The Kiwis consume an astounding 21.3 litres of wine a head, 15.1 litres of which is home grown but exports continue to be the industry’s real focus rising ten-fold over the past 15 years and focusing on near neighbour Australia, Britain and the US. It’s a country of small producers with 60 per cent crushing less than 100 tonnes and almost half – 46 per cent – crushing less than 50 tonnes. In 2012 only one producer crushed more than 20,000 tonnes of fruit. So, growing grapes in New Zealand is not like growing grapes in Australia, a fact the Kiwis are always at pains to point out. “There’s always people who can do it cheaper and we’re not at the cheap end of the market,” Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive says. New Zealand wine aims for the higher price bracket and New Zealanders with an average household income of $NZ67,028 (higher than Australians) can afford to go there. Which makes for a vibrant, exciting wine culture.

MOST IMPORTANT WINE BODY New Zealand Winegrowers is the most powerful wine organisation in the country, dealing with everything from funding wine research projects to domestic and international promotions and dealing with government departments. Longtime chief executive Philip Gregan is the experienced spokesman for the group. Its activities are funded via levies on grapegrowers and wine producers and there is considerable attention given to research. The biggest research project is the ongoing $NZ12.7 million Sauvignon Blanc Program with scientists and makers looking at ways to “increase the appeal of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in international export markets”.

MOST SIGNIFICANT RETAILER Popping down to a local independent wine shop is easy to do if you live in Auckland or Wellington, New Zealand’s two biggest cities. April 2014 – Issue 603

The manager: Philip Gregan, chief executive of New Zealand Winegrowers.

Outside those cities you might have more of a challenge, which is possibly why online wine sales are taking off. The most professional of the independents is Glengarry, the country’s largest family-owned liquor retailer started by Joseph Jakicevich in 1940 with wine shops across the suburbs of Auckland (13) and Wellington (3). Many New Zealand winemakers applaud them for their sensible approach to discounting and their support of the local industry. In turn, you are likely to find some of the more idiosyncratic, iconic and hard to procure Kiwi wines on their shelves. Glengarry also has an excellent online wine service and runs the smart deli café, Dida’s, in Auckland.

MOST SIGNIFICANT ONLINE RETAILER Online wine sales are growing with a number of contenders battling it out. Leading the pack is the Fine Wine Delivery Co. founded in 1997 by Jeff and Virginia Poole and boasting the country’s largest single-site retailer (according to its website) with 2500 square metres of storage at Auckland. It has a strong selection of New Zealand and international wines and records customer likes and offers deals as well as wine storage on site and European wine tours. Other contenders are Black Market (blackmarket.co.nz), 

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

news

Short white clouds: Early-morning clouds settle into folds of the hills surrounding New Zealand’s famed Marlborough winegrowing region.

which tends to rely on third party endorsements a nd discounts to generate sales and Wine Direct (www. winedirect.co.nz), which is the go-to stockist for international wines and a particular favourite among Kiwi winemakers.

MOST SIGNIFICANT SUPERMARKET New Zealand winemakers, like their Australian cousins, enjoy a lovehate relationship with the two major supermarket chains which dominate retail wine sales in their country.

Growing grapes in New Zealand is not like growing grapes in Australia, a fact the Kiwis are always at pains to point out The visionary: Sir George Fistonich has been the most influential New Zealnder in wine for 50 years.

8 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winebiz.com.au

“Supermarkets are by definition bad for our industry,” a small South Island producer says. “It’s all about volume and pricing and the death of the small retailer.” The two chains would doubtlessly disagree. New World and the no frills Pak’n’Save discount warehouse are owned by Foodstuff, which posted sales of $8.33 billion in 2012. Rival company, Progressive Enterprises, which owns the Countdown chain, made $5.5 billion in 2012. One of the biggest sore points for Kiwi winemakers is the move by supermarkets into own brands or BOBs, competing head on with the brands of wine producers but at lower prices. Private supermarket wine labels are believed to make up around 14 per cent of the two chains’ business and it’s forecast to rise. Packaging is also increasingly sophisticated, thus blurring the line further. Countdown has more than 2400 private-label products out of around 39,000 and admits 60 per cent of its private label products are imported. Parent company Woolworths (a leader in BOBs in Australia) wants to double that number.  April 2014 – Issue 603

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news Many New Zealand wine makers see New World as the better chain to deal with, principally because each store is independently owned. The stores tend to be smaller, more upscale and fairer in dealing with suppliers. New World also conducts its own annual wine show with national wine judges awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to winning wines which it then promotes on its website and in store. Other supermarkets that take wine seriously are Farro Fresh (Auckland) Scenic Cellars (Taupo), Peter Maude Fine Wines (Auckland), Caro’s (Auckland) and Moore Wilson (Wellington).

BEST RESTAURANT WINE LIST In the past 10 years Wellington has re-invented itself as a great food and wine destination. Logan Brown, in the heart of the city, helps lead the way with a thought provoking contemporary menu highlighting local produce. The wine list is in the same vein offering a comprehensive selection of New Zealand wines while also giving serious attention to the red wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Australia. It’s not a big list, just 230 wines, but it is an exciting list carrying older vintages and some idiosyncratic wines rarely seen such as Hans Herzog’s Zweigelt (Marlborough), Saint Clair Gr u ner Velt liner (Ma rlboroug h) and a Pyramid Valley Pinot Blanc (Canterbury). Logan Brown offers a place for discovery.

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON This year Sir George Fistonich was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. The award joins many, many others for Fistonich, founder of Villa Maria Wines, including New Zealander of the Year (2004 National Business Review), a knighthood (2009) for his services to the wine industry, an induction into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame (2011) and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Wine Challenge Awards. Fistonich is clearly a clever businessman but more than that, for 50 years he has been a leading figure in New Zealand not only producing wines of the highest quality but also guiding the industry in export as well as towards a sustainable future. As CEO of the country’s largest familyowned winery he has always been a hands-on maker involved in the wine process (he has stepped back from it since ’02) and believes in making wine for drinkers not “academic winemakers.”

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New Zealand wine aims for the higher price bracket and New Zealanders with an average household income of NZ$67,028 (higher than Australians) can afford to go there This could help explain why Villa Maria is such a prolific medal winner in New Zealand wine shows. He also has the knack of choosing talented people who go on to do amazing things in their own businesses, people such as Steve Smith MW (Craggy Range), Michelle Richardson (Richardson Wines), Kate Radburnd (C.J. Pask), Kym Milne MW (consultant winemaker) and Alastair Maling MW. Last year a biography, The Winemaker: George Fistonich and the Villa Maria Story by Kerry Tyack (Random House) was released.

MOST INFLUENTIAL JOURNALIST New Zealand is well served by talented wine writers. Despite a strong emerging group of young Gen X and Y writers coming through represented by the likes of Jo Burznska and John Saker, the most influential – and undoubtedly most popular – wine writer in the country is Bob Campbell, MW. Campbell writes, teaches, judges and www.winebiz.com.au

has just about the most fun anyone can have in spreading the word on wine. He was one of the first New Zealanders to attain his Master of Wine (1990), which brought him notice in the international wine world, lecturing to MW students and writing on New Zealand wines for magazines such as Decanter and Sante. His writing style is relaxed and lively. He is author of The New Zealand Wine Annual and wine editor of Cuisine magazine and a contributing writer to The Oxford Companion of Wine, The Slow Food Wine Guide and Michael Broadbent’s The Great Vintage Wine Book. As founder of The Wine Gallery wine school he has seen 20,000 students through his Wine Diploma Course. And he judges too. He is the authority on New Zealand wines with a palate respected across the country and the world. Other influential wine media include Michael Cooper, author of the Wine Atlas of New Zealand and the annual Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide to New Zealand Wines and wine marketer turned wine personality, Yvonne Lorkin, who fronts the television show, Thirsty Work on FoodTV (Sky).

BEST SOMMELIER Sommelier Stephen Wong, a consultant to many of New Zealand’s aspiring new restaurants, has been instrumental in revealing the bigger wine world to New Zealand drinkers. Take his sparkling wine list at the Arbitrageur Wine Room in Wellington. Taittinger and Louis Roederer mix with Codorniu Clasico Cava from Spain and local hero, Quartz Reef Brut from Central Otago. The theme continues throughout the list with challenges set for the novice as well as the experienced drinker. A similar creative flair can be seen on the lists of other clients including Golden Dawn in Auckland and Ancestral Bar and Restaurant, Wellington. Malaysian-born Chinese, Stephen Wong studied law at the University of Otago and was already admitted to the bar when he decided to stay in New Zealand and embark on a major career shift into wine. Wong is credited with having a leading role in introducing natural, organic and biodynamic wines to New Zealand wine lists. Contact: Jeni Port. Email: jeniport@iinet.net.au. New Zealand’s Top 5 wineries - Page 44 April 2014 – Issue 603

Wineries hit the wall – finally After 30 years of surging growth Au s t r a l i a’s w i ne industry finally hit the wall in 2013 according to the 32nd edition of The Australian and New Zealand Wine Industry Directory (WID). Produced by the specialist wine industry publisher, Winetitles, the 2014 Directory lists 42 new wineries for this edition – and 41 closed down, were absorbed into another existing company or requested that their details are not listed. Directory editor Michael Major said the next gain of just one winery left Australia with a total of 2573. The 2014 Directory is celebrating 32 years in print after Winetitles realised the importance of compiling industry statistics, winery contact details and industry suppliers in the one directory in 1983. That year there were just 344 wine

producers listed. In 2014 Victoria has the greatest number of wine producers with 773 listed, compared with 720 in South Australia, 484 in NSW/ACT, 117 in Tasmania, 100 in Queensland and 379 in WA. “Before this year the number of companies listed had been virtually doubling every decade,” Major said. “The 620 companies in 1990 had almost doubled by 2000 to (1197) and in the next decade more than doubled to 2420 in 2010.” “While the rate of growth has slowed, in the past 10 years the Directory has seen an average net gain of 77 wine producers per year.” The 602-page 2014 Directory is the largest to date and includes a comprehensive listing of wine producers, grapegrowers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, universities and education

facilities, writers, wine publications, organisations, events and wine shows and industry personnel – updated annually. Major said as information needs evolve and new media delivery methods are developed, “we constantly stay in tune so WID will be just as relevant and useful in the next 10 years as it has been for the past 30”. “The wine industry has embraced social media and for the first time we have now included Facebook and Twitter addresses in the Directory listings to reflect that.” Purchasers of WID also receive access to the WID Online, and can search listings, via Winetitles website (www. winebiz.com.au). WID is available from Winetitles for A$112.75 in Australia/ New Zealand and A$135.00 overseas. (All prices include postage and include a subscription to the online search engine). Contact: Meredith Norman Phone: 61 8 8369 9509 Email: orders@winetitles.com.au.

Returning to Adelaide July 2015 WISA presents

The National Wine Industry Supplier Trade Show Everything from the Vine to the Glass

Tuesday July 14 to Thurs July 16, 2015

Goyder Pavilion, Adelaide Showground, SA The Australian wine industry’s premier tradeshow will return to Adelaide in a dynamic new format in 2015. WISA will deliver a different experience, targeting those in the industry with a direct operational focus. The event will showcase leading industry suppliers and be complimented with seminars, workshops, social and networking events. For further details contact Kym Jones Exhibitions (Exhibition Manager) P: 08 8177 1499 E: kym@kjex.com.au www.winetechaustralia.com.au or Matthew Moate (WISA Executive Officer) P: 0409 783 221 E: eo@wisa.org.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

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Georgia - the cradle of wine - is looking to rock the export scene With near-neighbour Ukraine in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, Georgia, which shares a Black Sea frontage with it and Russia, also shares a historic connection with the wider world wine industry. In today’s economy the small former Soviet state is relying heavily on its 500 indigenous Vitis vinifera winegrape varieties to make ends meet writes Kym Anderson, The University of Adelaide Wine Economics Research Centre’s Executive Director.

12 Grapegrower & Winemaker

were going to Ukraine and another onequarter to other CIS members, but half are now going to Russia – and the current Crimean unrest means sales to Ukraine have stalled. The current trade situation leaves a great deal of scope and need for Georgia to diversify its wine export destinations, since the whole of Central and Eastern Europe plus the CIS (excluding Russia) accounted in 2005-09 for less than 7 per cent of the volume of global wine imports, compared with more than 90 per cent of wine exports from Georgia.

GROWTH AND EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION Georgia has many suitable regions for growing various winegrape varieties and styles for its traditional markets, but they have yet to be proven for export markets outside the Soviet sphere. Much of the current smallholder production uses traditional organic technology and qvevri (large clay storage vessels), but there was some importation of exotic technologies and varieties from Western Europe in the 19th century, and more following independence from Russia in 1991. One quick way of guessing the potential for expanding further is to look at the share of agricultural crop land under vines. As of 2009, Georgia was ranked fourth in the world at 8 per cent, after Portugal, Chile and Italy and ahead of Moldova and Spain at 6 per cent

Chilly atmosphere: The chill factor in Georgia’s snow-swept vineyards has fallen to a new low with the ongoing unrest with neighbour Ukraine and the involvement of Russia in the Crimea.

Russian embargo Georgia’s wine exports, while declining initially in quantity, have risen markedly in quality (Figure 1). Wine’s average export price was only US$1 per litre in the late 1990s and $2 during 2000-05, but by 2008 it averaged $3.50 and, despite the global financial crisis, was $3.20 in 2011 and $3.60 in 2012 –compared with Australia’s average export price last year of US$2.50. CIS countries continue to dominate as destinations for Georgian wine exports. Until Russia’s export embargo was relaxed in mid-2013, half the exports 4.0

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GEORGIA, A small country wedged between the Black and Caspian seas at the same latitude as the south of France, is reputably the cradle of wine. It has had at least 8000 vintages, is blessed with more than 500 indigenous Vitis vinifera winegrape varieties, and has an enviable reputation for hospitality involving lavish and lengthy feasts (supra). In 2005 wine accounted for almost onetenth of the value of all goods exported from Georgia, making wine exports around six times more economically important to Georgia than are wine exports for France, Italy and Spain. Virtually every Georgian farm grows grapes and produces wine for selfconsumption with family and friends, and some small and medium farm enterprises also sell grapes to commercial wineries. Domestic wine consumption per adult, including from self-production, is 17 litres per year, or about two-thirds of Australia’s despite its much lower income level. For the past two centuries Georgia has also been a major supplier of wine to Russia and other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). However, because very little Georgian wine has been exported elsewhere, it was a major blow when Russia, for political reasons, introduced a ban on wine imports from Georgia in 2006. That shock (compounded by the short war with Russia in August 2008) required Georgian wine exporters to develop markets elsewhere, a task made considerably more difficult by the emergence of the global financial crisis from 2008. Nonetheless, the country’s new Minister of Agriculture announced in November 2011 he wanted to see a neartrebling of wine exports by 2015. Australia’s experience of the past two decades suggests such a rapid expansion would not be sensible. But what would it take to achieve that goal over the longer term? One promising sign is since the

Figure 1: Georgian wine exports (from GWA 2011). www.winebiz.com.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

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and Macedonia and France at 4 per cent – and far ahead of Australia and other New World exporters at barely 0.3 per cent – which means Georgia’s potential for vineyard area expansion may be not very great. Trade data of the past decade reveals Georgia’s strong comparative advantage in wine is second only to Moldova’s. The indicator shown in Figure 2 is wine’s share of national merchandise exports relative to its share of global exports. However, the high value for Georgia has slipped a lot since the Russian import embargo, while those of several other countries have risen significantly during the past decade (most notably New Zealand and Argentina, in contrast to Australia). That strong comparative advantage is also reflected in the share of Georgia’s wine production volume (including noncommercial supplies) that is exported: it grew rapidly over the first half of the past decade to nearly 50 per cent – but then fell sharply with the Russian ban and is only now returning tabove its 1995-99 average of 14 per cent. Being a latecomer to Western markets can have some benefits, in addition to

Figure 2: Figure 2: Index ofcomparative advantage in wine (wine's share of national export divided by wine's share of global exports)

well-known challenges. Recent history shows it has been possible for several New World countries simultaneously to enjoy rapid growth in wine exports, and from very low bases in most cases (Figure 3). In Argentina’s case, the value of its wine exports (in current US dollars) has grown at more than 20 per cent per year since 2001, and New Zealand’s at 25 per cent, following Australia’s 19 per cent per year growth during the 1990s. Those experiences suggest it would be technically possible for Georgia to rapidly expand its exports, if enough other supportive conditions are in place.

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EXPLOITING GEORGIA’S POTENTIAL As already mentioned, Georgia has many natural advantages which could be further exploited in marketing its wine abroad. While those advantages on their own are not enough to guarantee sales in new markets, they can certainly be used to capture the initial attention of foreign wine writers, importers and consumers via a generic ‘Wine of Georgia’ marketing campaign. The advantage of still having the ancient qvevri production style, for example, is a genuine point of difference even if the shares of qvevri wine in Georgia’s labelled wine exports remain small. 

Grapegrower & Winemaker

news WHICH MARKET SEGMENTS?

WHICH DESTINATIONS? The Georgian Wine Association (GWA) has identified four new markets it believes are worth targeting initially: the world’s three largest wine importers (the UK, the US and Germany) plus China. Around half of the import volume of Germany and China is non-premium, compared with just one-quarter for the other three. However, the average price of Georgian exports is a little above the average of the commercial premium category. The GWA’s Development Action Plan suggests aiming for the low end of superpremium sales in all four countries. It recognises the large size of the nonpremium market for bulk wine sales in China and Germany – but sees that just as a way of disposing of unplanned lowquality wine, since non-premium market remains chronically over-supplied globally. The commercial premium segment also has become extremely competitive with very low margins, thanks to the supermarket revolution on the buyer side and, on the seller side of the market, the economies of large scale possible in relatively lightly-populated Australia and other New World countries.

WHICH VARIETIES? Georgia has been blessed with more than 500 indigenous varieties, of which more than half are currently still in production and others are in nurseries. Many of the indigenous varieties have names western consumers would struggle to remember, and have flavour profiles that may be either insufficiently or too different from those of international varieties to be easily marketable. Even the key indigenous varieties considered most likely to succeed abroad, such as red Saperavi and white Rkatsiteli, are produced in styles Western consumers may find not immediately approachable. Some wineries are therefore modifying the styles somewhat, while others are blending them with international varieties.

14 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Since Georgia already has a strong reputation in CIS countries for its semisweet red wine, it will be able to build on that in non-CIS countries, beginning in cities/areas where the CIS diaspora have congregated. It also has shown itself capable of quickly returning to the Russian market as that re-opens – although that market is slowly changing as it gets exposed to wines from non-CIS (including New World) countries.

Figure 3: Georgian and New World wine exports, 1995 to 2012 (US$million).

HOW TO EXPAND EXPORT SUPPLIES? While there appears to be under-utilised capacity in Georgia’s wineries and vineyards at present, that may be more apparent than real. Old Soviet winemaking equipment was designed for large-scale production of low-quality semi-sweet red wine for the Russian market, and much of it is unsuitable for producing wines of sufficient quality to compete in Western markets. Even qvevri production methods may need to be modified to ensure they meet the demanding health standards of wineimporting countries. And most small vineyards would require substantial upgrading (e.g., denser spacing of vines) before they could produce the grapes needed by a modern export-focused winery. Also, the country has a shortage of skilled viticulturists, winemakers, and especially wine marketers capable of working together with grapegrowers. In addition to finance for those investment needs of private firms, funds will be required at an industry level for investing in collective goods and services. These include targeted viticultural, winemaking and wine marketing education plus extension and leadership skills development, grape and wine research and development (R&D), generic promotion of ‘Wines of Georgia’, and more statistical data collection. Given how crucial it is to understand market niches and the distribution system in each country of destination, a rapid expansion of wine exports from Georgia to the West is likely to require attracting foreign investors already familiar with selling into those markets. This is especially so because such experienced firms also are more likely to be at the technological frontier in viticulture, oenology and wine marketing and to be able to access the substantial upfront finance that is required to plant www.winebiz.com.au

new vineyards, construct or renovate a winery, and invest abroad in brand development.

WHAT ROLE FOR WINE TOURISM? The potential to build wine tourism in Georgia is enormous. A start has been made, with some wineries offering cellar-door tastings, but many other components need to be added. They include more hotels ranging up to 4- if not 5-star (with internet access, brewed coffee and dependable hot water), similar-quality restaurants with English-language waiters who know how to serve wine with food (with some at least offering a supra experience), more sealed roads connecting key sites, better road signage with a wine route symbol, information bays/kiosks, wine route maps and booklets in English and other key languages (with sample itineraries and contact details and opening times of each winery’s cellar door and each major restaurant), acceptance of major credit cards, and comprehensive multilingual websites to facilitate pre-tour planning. To minimise travel times between venues, a clustering of cellar doors would help greatly. This is especially so if the cluster included or was nearby accommodation and dining and also near historic sites such as Tsinandali Estate or Alaverdi Monastery (see photo).

THREAT OR OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTRALIA? Clearly Georgia is too small to be a threat to Australian wine exporters, nor will it be looking to compete in our domestic market. But flying vignerons may well find new opportunities there, as may investors seeking the excitement of engaging in an exotic setting on the edge of Europe. Contact: Kym Anderson. Phone: 61 8 8313 4712. Email: kym.anderson@adelaide.edu.au. April 2014 – Issue 603

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regional round-up

Regional Roundup: Queensland Stephanie Timotheou reports on the latest happenings throughout the sunny state of Queensland from a retiring CEO and wine shows to new beginnings and sustainability practices.

Neville retires as Queensland College of Wine Tourism CEO

Farewell: John Neville (left) with new CEO Peter O’Reilly.

QUEENSLAD College of Wine Tourism chief executive officer John Neville has retired after eight years in the top position. Neville, who helped establish the college from the ground up, retired to

his Stanthorpe property in late February, leaving former Cruise Whitsundays CEO Peter O’Reilly to take his place. Neville described the college as a fine wine, saying it had gotten better with age and that he was happy to witness its growth. “For seven days a week this college was my life. I lived and breathed it,” he said. “It’s grown so much and is in a really good position however new challenges are always on the way and I think Peter will bring with him new experience and a different kind of leadership. “I don’t think the college could have matured into what it is today without the support of excellent staff and

it was a pleasure to work with such knowledgeable people.” He said since his appointment in 2007 his highlight was the college’s first vintage under the Banca Ridge Estate label. When the college was launched it was given 18,000 bottles of wine from five Queensland wineries, which was the beginning of a great relationship with the local industry. “Those ties have only strengthened with time and I’m going to miss being so involved with the wine tourism industry.” Contact: Callum Johnson. Phone: 61 7 4631 1856. Email: callum.johnson@usq.edu.au.

Queensland Wine Week’s second annual event really rocks on the Granite Belt QUEENSLAND Wine Week (QWW) is all about giving people the opportunity to taste and discover Queensland wine, meet producers and owners and visit the largest grapegrowing region in the state – the Granite Belt. What started last year by a few wine bloggers as a personal exploration of Queensland wine has morphed and grown into a big celebration of what the state has to offer. Stuart Robinson, who runs wine blog The Vinsomniac, founded the event as a personal initiative and since then has grown it into an annual event with the help of fellow wine bloggers Steve Leszczynski, Michael Ellis and industry consultant Peter Marchant. “It was mainly put in place to focus on my tasting and blogging activity for the week on Queensland wine,” Robinson said. “Our first year was quite low key but there seemed to be great interest beyond the Granite Belt region. “This partly prompted giving it another go and expanding the format to ensure there were a number of opportunities for people to try wines both on and off-premise, like a mini celebration of Queensland food and wine.” The week-long event which was held from March 31 to April 6 encompassed a range of events with the sole purpose of

16 Grapegrower & Winemaker

sharing wines produced in Granite Belt and the South Burnett regions. Wine lovers and enthusiasts attended a range of events during the week from tastings to dinners and road-trips. Ellis, Leszczynski, Marchant and Robinson agreed the event was a great success and they hope Queensland Wine Week will continue to flourish in years to come.

“As we approached QWW for the second year, you could really sense the anticipation building,” Robinson said. “We always seek to improve, to get more people involved and exponentially increase the involvement across all participants. Bring on 2015.” Contact: Stuart Robinson. Email: contact@thevinsomniac.com. Website: www.qldwineweek.com.au.

The team: Queensland Wine Week organisers Nick O’Sullivan, Steve Leszczynski, Michael Ellis, Barnaby Flanders, Stuart Robinson and Peter Marchant. www.winebiz.com.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

Twisted Gum Wines implements sustainable practices in the vineyard Other sustainable practices involve spreading large amounts of mulch under the vines which Coelli said helps suppress weeds and improve soil health and structure. “It also means vines make better use of the rainfall which they rely upon by reducing evaporation.” The Coelli's are joined by winemaker Andy Williams who is also dedicated to sustainable practices which reflects in the wine he produces. As well as using lightweight bottles produced by Owens Illinois (O-I), Williams uses minimal sulphur in his wines. Coelli says this is possible because the grapes are picked by hand in the morning and are immediately crushed before any

BALLANDEAN’S Twisted Gum Wines is dedicated to sustainable practices and its 3ha property is one of the most energy (and cost) effective vineyards in the state. According to Tim Coelli who owns and operates the business with his wife (and agricultural scientist) Michelle, Twisted Gum is operated with minimal technology and machinery. “We do many activities by hand – all pruning, hedging, canopy management and picking is done with no machinery and we don’t irrigate our vines either,” he said. “By not irrigating we control the vigour in the grapevine, producing a nice open canopy which allows breezes and sunlight to help control disease and completely ripen the fruit.”

spoilage is possible. Twisted Gum has also chosen to invest in two solar photovoltaic (PV) systems – a 5kW ground mounted system and another 5kW roof mounted system in its insulated wine storage shed. “This total of 10kw provides more power than we need for our operations, so we export the remainder to the grid,” Coelli says. “Being sustainable is a big part of what we do and we will continue to support the environment in the hopes that most wine businesses do the same in the future.” Contact: Tim Coelli. Phone: 61 7 4684 1282. Email: info@twistedgum.com.au.

Messing about in the winery is paying off in the retail market for Ballandean Estate THE winemaking team at Ballandean Estate has taken on an experimental challenge with different styles and varieties and after literally messing about in the winery, created an integral range for the brand. According to Ballandean Estate client relations manager Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi, the success of the Strangebird Wine Trail in the Granite Belt wine region had been phenomenal and allowed many visitors to taste and enjoy new varieties. “It’s been so exciting to see our 4 0 3 2 Masking e t a rfor e xthe 8 8alternate x 1 8 5 customers varieties in our cellar door” she said.

estate has not looked back,” PuglisiGangemi said. “The wonderful thing about the Messing About range is that it changes each year and our customers now look forward to the new creations with each release. “It has given the winemaking team a renewed enthusiasm and has allowed us to release some very unusual wines such as the popular Malbec/Jacquez blend in 2011 and with the continued success of the 2012 vintage reds, we are excited to see what the range will bring in the future.” Newbie: Ballandean 2012 Messing About Malbec. The range came Contact: Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi. 2 0 1 4about - 0 2when - 1 its 3 winemakers T 1 5 : 5 5were : 1 9 + 1 1 Phone: : 0 0 61 7 4684 1226. simply messing about in the winery. Email: leeanne@ballandeanestate.com. “It means we can continue planting and developing these new varieties with the knowledge that our customers will enjoy and buy them.” Ballandean Estate winemaker Dylan Rhymer said it was apparent some of the varieties made better wines as blends. “After playing around with the different wines, the Messing About range was born and the

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April 2014 – Issue 603

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

A P R I L 2 014

People in research: Marlize Viviers What do Bengal tigers, lambs, pheromones and wine have in common? The answer: AWRI Research Scientist Marlize Viviers. It’s not your average career path, but it’s a journey that has taken Dr Viviers from South Africa to Australia and forged a passion for research. Dr Viviers completed her studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, starting with a degree in industrial chemistry. Honours was followed by a Masters degree and then a PhD in analytical-organic chemistry, in the Laboratory for Ecological Chemistry (LECUS) under the supervision of respected Emeritus Professor Ben Burger. “I specialised in the development and application of analytical techniques used to analyse trace amounts of volatile compounds that are used as pheromones in mammalian semiochemical communication,” Dr Viviers said. “For my Masters I identified the pheromones used for territorial marking by the Bengal tiger. “Then for my PhD (which I completed in 2010) I identified the recognition pheromones that are crucial for the bond formation between ewes and lambs and that enables them to recognise and identify each other by smell.” It was in Professor Burger’s lab, where Dr Viviers said she developed her love for research and for “developing techniques to analyse trace amounts of volatile organic compounds and the application of these methods in the analysis of insect and mammalian semiochemicals, the analysis of air and water pollutants, and in the analysis of volatile organic compounds in indigenous plant species”. After her studies, she continued in Professor Burger’s lab for a 12-month post-doctoral fellowship and then it was Australia’s turn – when she applied for a post-doctoral fellowship at the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) in 2011.

Dr Marlize Viviers, presenting the Fresh Science session at the 2013 Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference

“I always wanted to gain international research experience and Australia is a country that values its scientists and offers many diverse career opportunities for researchers,” she said.

The projects are seeking to better understand why the reductive odours occur and to develop management strategies to help winemakers improve the quality of their wine.

“I also think Australia is a country that rewards hard work and dedication and where you can build a solid career in science.”

“We are a great team of chemists working together to not only identify the precursor molecules to these stinky sulfur compounds, but we’re also identifying the triggers or switches that are responsible for the release of these compounds in wine post-bottling,” she said.

It also helps, she said, as a South African she also shares a love of the sun, beautiful beaches, sport and an outdoor lifestyle so Australia quickly felt like a second home. “Family is also very important to me and I’m lucky to now be closer to my dad who immigrated to Australia many years ago,” she said. An interest in expanding her knowledge and training in other fields of analytical chemistry, prompted Dr Viviers move into wine chemistry. “Luckily chemistry is a universal language and it can be applied in any field of research. And, it helps I love wine, of course,” she said. Currently, Dr Viviers is working on projects focused on understanding the formation of low molecular weight sulfur compounds associated with ‘reductive odours’ in wine.

“Our resent research has shown the central role that metal ions play in the formation of these compounds in wine.” Reductive aromas, she said, can arise at a number of points throughout the wine production chain, and it’s not always possible to prevent the formation of these aroma compounds. “We’re starting to unravel the many factors that contribute to the formation of these faults,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to provide grapegrowers and winemakers with tools and strategies to manage the likelihood of the occurrence of these compounds and in doing so reduce economic impact that ‘reductive aromas’ can have on their products.”

Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, Ground Floor, Industry House cnr Botanic & Hackney Roads Adelaide SA 5000 PO Box 610 Kent Town SA 5071 | T: 08 8273 0500 | F: 08 8373 6608 | E: gwrdc@gwrdc.com.au | W: www.gwrdc.com.au

New sensory tests offer additional wine and consumer insights

been adopted by several wineries seeking early consumer or screening insights. The T-Scale technique was developed by then PhD student Dr Maame Blay, while studying at the National Wine Grape Industry Centre, with funding from GWRDC. Professor Anthony Saliba, principal project investigator, said it’s been gratifying to see several wine companies adopt the scale and use it either formally as part of their assessment, or informally to encourage discussion, especially where the tasters are from different backgrounds (e.g. marketer, winemakers, administrative staff). “Part of the goal at the outset was that we wanted to make the scale freely available for use in Australia, and it is,” Dr Saliba said.

Two new sensory tests could offer wineries cheaper, less time-consuming and simplified solutions to conventional sensory analysis options.

Two new sensory tests could offer wineries cheaper, less time-consuming and simplified solutions to current conventional sensory profiling, such as quantitative sensory descriptive analysis. Napping technique Napping was first developed around 2005 in France, and Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) sensory scientist Wes Pearson believes it could become a very useful tool for wineries. Napping is individual tasters arranging a group of wine samples into a twodimensional space, based on how similar or different they consider the samples to be from one another. Samples which are most similar are placed close together and samples which are very different are placed well apart. Tasters can be asked to group the wines separately by appearance, aroma, or palate (partial napping), or overall, using all aspects (global napping). They can also be asked to supply their own descriptive terms if more information is needed. The results from the individual tasters are then compiled and used to form a twodimensional consensus map – similar to a Principal Component Analysis plot. “We started looking at napping at the AWRI about 18 months ago, and it’s still

considered fairly new and doesn’t quite have the scientific rigour that other sensory descriptive analysis methods do,” Mr Pearson said. “But that’s not so bad, it means we have flexibility and freedom to really use this method in new ways, to test it out with new scenarios … it’s quite an exciting method to work with.” Mr Pearson says while napping isn’t appropriate for all type of sensory projects or research, it does have great potential for shorter or more targeted studies, where timeframes or budgets are limited. “It could be particularly useful as a screening tool – as it’s faster, less expensive and the tasters don’t need to be as highly trained as they would be for quantitative descriptive analysis.” The AWRI recently wrote about the napping technique in its February Technical Review (No 204) titled: Napping – a rapid method for sensory analysis of wines. The article can be accessed from the AWRI website. [Login required, please contact the AWRI librarian on infoservices@awri. com.au if you do not have a username] T-Scale Technique Developed as a PhD project in 2012-13, the new sensory assessment method known as T-Scale Technique has already

“If a discussion or even some training or background is required we can do our best to help out. All we wanted to do was to provide a kind of ‘universal translator’ that allowed people from vastly different backgrounds to communicate their wine preferences and thoughts – whether you are a third generation winemaker or an early career marketer new to wine, you can use the scale and all responses are valid.” The T-Scale Technique uses a new relative preference mapping method, which has tasters rank wine along a vertical axis from extremely dislike to extremely like and along a joined (hence T-shape) horizontal axis of similar to different. As part of the PhD project, the method was further developed and validated at wine show public tasting days. “Other techniques involve more complicated procedures, the T-scale (or relative preference mapping) is straight forward and we define the axes (response matrix),” he said. “As a psychologist my concern with existing scales similar to the one we developed was that the axes are not defined. Part of the complicated analysis that is required includes a step to figure out what raters might have been rating. “Most people in sensory science from a background similar to mine (and understand the limits of human judgement) have concerns about this step. The chance of getting it wrong is just too high – which is why our scale has predefined axes.”

Pilot study investigates more reliable bunch rot assessment method A pilot study to develop a novel method of bunch rot assessment could offer the answer for growers and wineries seeking a reliable, easy and cost-effective disease assessment technique. The 18-month project, undertaken at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre and funded by GWRDC and Charles Sturt University, investigated the method known as Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy. Charles Sturt University Professor of Viticulture and project leader Chris Steel said the study compared ATR-FT-IR to current assessment practices, such as assaying activity of the fungal enzyme laccase, chemical analysis for off flavours (e.g. geosmin) and lateral flow devices based on the detection of fungal antigens as well as visual inspection. “It’s still early days, but the project set out to deliver a proof of concept and I believe it’s done this. We’ve shown the method can differentiate between some bunch rots,” Professor Steel said. “We demonstrated that it can differentiate between Botrytis cinerea and the black moulds, such as Aspergillus niger and A. carbonarius.” Professor Steel said they also used the project to investigate the glycerol and

gluconic acid ratios of the rots, which is a technique used in France to identify the difference between grey mould and noble rot. “Essentially, we are trying to identify a method that is more accurate and reliable than the current methods of walking into a vineyard and doing a visual assessment and less expensive and easier to use than sending samples to a lab for molecular biology tests,” he said. “It’s difficult to assess rot purely with a visual assessment as the fungus is often much worse deep inside the bunch – and unless you break open every bunch it’s hard to get an accurate estimation. “Even the current method of measuring laccase isn’t much more accurate, as not all isolates of the same type of fungi produce laccase and those that do are highly variable.” Professor Steel said the study also began to investigate the levels of when bunch rots began to affect the quality of wine. “Though more work needs to be conducted in this area, the study also provided the opportunity to try and characterise the levels of when botrytis and other rots began to have a notable affect (off flavours, colour change) on wine,” he said. “For example, it could be that using a

A new method for bunch rot assessment developed at NWGIC has shown it can differentiate between Botrytis cinerea (pictured) and the black moulds, such as Aspergillus niger and A. carbonarius.

grape lot with less than 5 per cent botrytis may not have a noticeable effect on wine quality, although this may depend on the intended style of wine. “If we can identify these levels then it could give wineries real options of using otherwise rejected grapes or identify methods in the winery that could fix small faults.”

Post-harvest care and biosecurity key focus of national workshops As vintage comes to an end, GWRDC is rolling out a new national workshop series aimed at helping growers make the most of post-harvest and best protect their vineyards for the long term. GWRDC Research and Development Program Manager Adrian Loschiavo said the workshops were designed to update growers on the latest research and provide useful tips on post-harvest management of vines. Throughout April to May, the workshops will be held in the six states and look at: •

how to manage impacts of extreme weather on vine condition

•

successful strategies for vineyard irrigation and nutrient applications

•

best practice vineyard management in preparation for next season.

“We will have experts, Dr Michael

McCarthy, head of viticulture at the South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide, and Dr Jason Smith, viticulture research scientist at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Wagga Wagga, on hand to translate the latest research into better practice for postharvest management in your vineyard,” Mr Loschiavo said. Biosecurity will also be a key focus of the workshops, introducing the new Biosecurity Manual for the Viticulture Industry and providing information on: •

why biosecurity is important in the vineyard

•

easy ways to protect your vineyard

•

what to do if you notice an unusual pest or disease in your vineyard.

“Specialists from Plant Health Australia and Wine Grape Growers Australia will also be

on hand to provide useful information and resources to help implement best practice in your vineyard,” he said. Dates and locations of workshops Mildura - 3 April Griffith - 4 April Langhorne Creek - 8 April Stanthorpe - 11 April Mornington Peninsula - 29 April Yarra Valley - 30 April Murrumbateman - 1 May Orange - 2 May Adelaide Hills - 5 May McLaren Vale - 6 May Barossa Valley - 7 May Limestone Coast - 15 May Margaret River - 22 May Swan Valley - 23 May For more details visit www.gwrdc.com.au.

Online sales research: Aussie wine’s ‘new era’ in the UK UK wine writer Tom Cannavan, who attended the UK Tasting event, said Australian wine had entered a “new era” in the UK. “There is a growing confidence in the economy stabilising. The Australia Day Tasting (ADT) has had a great deal of energy over the past few years but this January the atmosphere at the event stemming from both visitors and exhibitors was particularly buoyant,” Ms May said.

Hundreds turned out for the recent Australia Day Tasting event hosted by Wine Australia, UK.

Australian wineries could find new opportunities online with recent sales figures revealing a strong and growing UK sales channel, now accounting for 11 per cent of the total value of wine sales. The rapidly growing online wine market has prompted a new GWRDC–funded research project, co-authored by Wine Australia Opportunities for Australian Wine in the On-line Channel in the United Kingdom. Wine Australia Wine Sector Intelligence Manager Peter Bailey said that the UK remained one of the biggest and most important markets for the Australian wine category, however, Australian wine companies have started to look beyond the traditional off-trade channels for profitable opportunities.

The research was undertaken by Wilson Drinks Report and Axis Management Consulting in the UK. They conducted a combination of quantitative and qualitative research, combining market analysis with results from retailer interviews and several consumer focus groups. Wine Australia believes that the sales channel has much to offer Australian wine producers hoping to boost sales especially given the diversity of selection that can be offered through this channel, such as small parcels of wine at higher price points. Wine Australia UK/Ireland/Europe Regional Director Yvonne May agrees saying “the online sector has grown by 470 per cent in the past eight years equating to a compound annual growth of 21 per cent.”

Ms May said while opportunities open up in the UK wine market, the first critical step for Australian wine companies will be a re-appraisal of the category offering, particularly acknowledging the fine wine element. “There’s also current re-evaluation of styles and quality coming out of our mainstream brand owners who continue to innovate, such as the Jacob’s Creek Classic Fiano and Classic Sangiovese, which were released at the ADT,” she said. “At the height of Aussie wine sales in the UK, we had nearly 24 per cent market share. Now, we have 20 per cent market share by volume, which is plenty to keep us going, however, we are seeing interest from a number of the smaller producers who are now actively looking for UK agents.” “Ten per cent of the exhibitors at ADT were producers are new to market and seeking distribution.”

“New market research shows the online channel is growing faster than traditional channels and may offer some upside with potentially higher sales margins,” Mr Bailey said.

“As an example of this, Tesco – the UK’s number one retailer of wine – saw an increase of 51 per cent during the last two weeks of November compared to the same period last year,” she said.

For individual producers, the report identifies some specific recommendations, including providing their distributors with a story that builds the wine’s reputation for heritage, credibility and regionality.

“However, there is very little current intelligence available to assess the size and scope of the opportunity. This project aimed to address this situation by providing insights into the online channel in the UK and assessing the opportunities for the profitable and sustainable growth of Australian wine sales.”

“Outside of wine, the online opportunity shows no sign of stopping and we expect this to be the new norm for wine purchase too.”

For Wine Australia there were also specific recommendations that identified the need to collaborate with major online retailers and build the reputation of Australian red wine in the UK market.

Fortuitously, as new opportunities open up online, Australia is also enjoying a ‘resurgence’ of attention and interest from UK wine media and market.

The report is available on the GWRDC website under final reports.

Final reports now available: NWG 1101

Sustainable Vinicultural Systems

DAW 0901

Completing the Smoke Effect Picture: Systems development to reduce the negative effects of smoke on grapes and wine

GWT 1312

Participation in the 10th Pangborn Sensory Symposium Rio Janeiro, Brazil 11-15 August 2013

WFA 1203

Profitability performance and profit drivers for the Australian wine industry; the relative importance of each driver for different types of wine businessesl and the implications for industy reform

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20Australian wine companies The big guns are still the hottest shots in town Grapegrower & Winemaker's review of Australia’s Top 20 wineries shows the big guns are still getting bigger and are providing the sharp end of Australia’s vital export industry. On the back of which our legions of boutique wineries producing some of the

Contents Wine Australia.......................................... 6 Wine Grape Growers of Australia........... 23 Winemakers Federation of Australia....... 24

world’s most outstanding product are doing their best to enjoy the ride. Business journalist Ed Merrison has spoken to 19 of the Top 20. Unfortunately one on that list declined to take part. Merrison has provided some insightful interviews as to what makes the big boys tick and what they have in place for the next era of the Australian wine industry. In New Zealand high-profile wine identity Bob Campbell MW has given a cross section of the industry. As well as naming the Top 5 Campbell has provided interviews with a small, bigger and one of the biggest operations there. What this feature does show is that Australia’s wine industry remains high on the global agenda, not just in key markets such as North America, the UK and Asia, but also in more targeted markets such as the Netherlands and

Scandinavia. And more importantly, that the decision makers of the Top 20 are determined to ride out the current downturn and make sure they stay there. The statistical tables used in this feature have been generated from the 2014 edition of The Australian & New Zealand Wine Industry Directory, which is now available for purchase. Details can be found at www.winebiz. com.au. In next month’s issue we will take a look at the nation’s boutique industry to complete this profile of our marvellous wine industry. International wine writer Ed Merrison this month presents his second Top 20 wine feature for Grapegrower & Winemaker after speaking to each of the industry’s major players.

Top 20 by revenue:

Top producers by volume (litres)

Top producers by revenue ($)

Treasury Wine Estates........................... 25

Accolade

Treasury Wine Estates

Pernod Ricard........................................ 26

Treasury Wine Estates

Pernod Ricard Winemakers

Accolade Wines..................................... 27

Casella Wines Pty Ltd

Accolade Wines

Casella Wines........................................ 29

Premium Wine Brands

Casella Wines

Australian Vintage..................................30

Australian Vintage

Kingston Estate Wines Pty Ltd

De Bortoli Wines

De Bortoli Wines Pty Ltd

McWilliam's Wines Group

McWilliams Wines Group

Warburn Estate

Warburn Estate Pty Ltd

The Yalumba Wine Company

De Bortoli Wines.................................... 31 McWilliam’s Wine Group........................ 32 Warburn Estate......................................33 The Yalumba Wine Company.................33

Qualia Wine Services

Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard

Brown Brothers......................................34

Zilzie Wines Pty Ltd

Tahbilk Group

The Tahbilk Group.................................35

Garacama Pty Ltd

Kingston Estate Wines

Kingston Estate Wines...........................35

The Yalumba Wine Company

Grant Burge Wines

Grant Burge Wines................................36

Littore Family Wines

Angove Family Winemakers

Angove Family Winemakers................... 37 Qualia Wines Services...........................38 Peter Lehmann Wines............................39 Littore Family Wines...............................40

Angove Family Winemakers

Qualia Wine Services

Wingara Wine Group Pty Ltd

Peter Lehmann Wines

Salena Estate Wines Pty Ltd

Littore Family Wines

Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard Pty Ltd

Zilzie Wines

Berton Vineyards

Zilzie Wines............................................40

Tahbilk Group

Tyrrell's Vineyards

Berton Vineyards................................... 42

Grant Burge Wines Pty Ltd

Garacama (Andrew Peace Wines)

Tyrell’s Vineyards....................................43

Peter Lehmann Wines Ltd

Wingara Wine Group

Taylors Wines Pty Ltd

Beelgara Estate Pty Ltd

Cumulus Wines Pty Ltd

Nugan Estate Pty Ltd

22 The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

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April 2014 – Issue 603

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20 Address supply-demand imbalances by mending the market signals Wine Grape Growers Association executive director Lawrie Stanford sees the current glut as an issue to be addressed at every point in the wine chain and points out only seven of this year’s Top 20 wineries are signatories to the Wine Industry Code of Conduct.

IT is perhaps relevant in a review of the Top 20 wine companies, for WGGA to reflect on what we and these companies agree on. Our guess would be two things; that great wine is made in the vineyard, and correcting supply-demand imbalances in the industry is the number one priority for the industry to ensure a sustainable, profitable future for all in the industry. While great wine is made in the vineyard, it is also true that this result requires specific definitions of what constitutes desired grape characteristics that make great wine, and appropriate rewards for producing grapes that are fit for purpose in delivering these characteristics. Without these things, it becomes a hit-and-miss process that is fraught with argument, uncertainty and bad behaviour where prices are adjusted based on arbitrary grape classifications that have more to do with budgets than the quality of the fruit at the weighbridge. This not only punishes growers, to the advantage of the wine company involved, but also results in waste from a grape intake that doesn’t match consumer requirements, higher processing costs to make it so and less profitability for the wineries. Winegrape price-setting needs to be based on measurable attributes that separate quality from supply/demand influences on winegrape price and send clear signals about requirements for each of these two determinants. Correcting the supply-demand imbalance has been an agreed number one priority in the industry since at least 2005-2006, but still it persists, damaging “Brand Australia”, and resulting in widespread non-profitability. Yet correcting supply-demand imbalances is simple – it requires the market to work. In the wine industry outdated commercial practices distort market signals, subvert market effectiveness and get in the way of industry adjustment. Practices that can be reformed to clarify market signals relate to all April 2014 – Issue 603

Lawrie Stanford. The Wine Grape Growers Association executive director says outdated commercial practices distort market signals, subvert market effectiveness and get in the way of industry adjustment.

facets of commercial dealings – and a number of stakeholders have a role to play, including government, banks, R&D providers, growers and winemakers. Price signals based on desired attributes are part of the solution. Another important element is commitment and adherence to good commercial practices as detailed in the Wine Industry Code of Conduct. The top 20 wineries together account for about two thirds of the national grape intake and probably a higher proportion of purchased fruit. Yet altogether only seven of the Top 20 – and 40 wineries altogether out of some 2000-plus in the industry – have signed the Code. It should be noted the top three according to this year’s ranking are signatories to the Code and were among the earliest to sign up. www.winebiz.com.au

They account for at least a third of the winegrape intake. Perhaps their commercial success is in part due to their willingness to work on their relationship with growers and to recognise that the external challenges that face the industry can be best tackled when growers and winemakers work together – and for that to happen, standards in commercial practices and trust in this area are essential. Contact: Lawrie Stanford. Phone: 61 8 8133 4400. Email: lawrie.stanford@wgga.com.au.

For previous issues of Grapegrower & Winemaker's Top 20 feature, visit our online archive at:

www.winebiz.com.au/gwm

The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 23

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20Australian wine companies Canberra needs to partner wine Winemakers Federation of Australia chief executive Paul Evans has had enough of primary industry in general, and wine in particular, becoming a political football. He says our wine industry is only looking for a hand up, not a hand out. THERE has been a lot of focus on industry policy recently as the new government’s reluctance to provide assistance across a number of sectors has signalled the end, in their words, of the ‘age of entitlement’. As the Prime Minister pointed out late last year, industry transformation in those sectors doing it tough would now need to be led by business rather than government. Like many other agricultural manufacturing sectors with an exposure to exchange rates, the Australian wine industry has faced difficult trading conditions for some time including a high Australian dollar and a decline in global demand. What makes us different, however, is that we have a genuinely globallycompetitive product that is differentiated from competitors and has a hard-won reputation for value and quality. We have shown that we can mix it with the best of them and produce wine across all price points that are as good, and sometimes better, than anything else. This enables us to rightly talk about our industry as being different from car

Point of difference: Paul Evans says what makes wine different is it has a genuinely globally-competitive product that is differentiated from competitors and has a hard-won reputation for value and quality.

manufacturing, Qantas and SPCArdmona when we engage with decision makers in Canberra. Of course industry will continue to lead the activities required for recovery and a lift in profitability. In support of the innovation and marketing efforts of individual wine businesses, WFA has developed an action plan to grow the demand opportunity in traditional and emerging markets and to tackle the oversupply which can be found on our website at www.wfa.org.au. We are now implementing this industry blueprint and believe it will make a difference. Unless this action is taken, especially taking the steps required to grow demand for our wine globally, we believe grape pricing and the profitability of winemaking will continue to suffer from seasonal fluctuations around an already low base. The aim is a structural uplift in returns and margins that will see capital investment in the sector recover to levels that will maintain our global competitiveness and sustain regional jobs and communities. In this regard the sector is not looking for handouts. Our plan is all about taking charge of our own future and continuing the considerable commitment of industry sourced funding already in place to open and develop markets through the Wine Australia Corporation (WAC) which is funded directly by the industry to the tune of $12m in annual industry contributions. However, the priority need to grow demand for our wine comes at a time when the industry resources to do so have been impacted by significant declines in profitability, export performance and annual industry contributions to WAC. Since 2005/06 the industry-sourced revenue base of WAC has been steadily eroded by $4m compared to 2012/13 impacting both core operating capability (including staffing levels and offices in key overseas markets) and the reach and impact of our promotional activities aimed at influencing wine buyers, opinion leaders and consumers. Additional investment is now required and at this point in the recovery cycle to ensure our wine businesses are

24 The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

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supported to take market share back from competitors and to take full advantage of the recent decline in the value of the Australian dollar. WFA believes a minimum of an additional $2m per annum is needed over the next three years to supplement WAC’s operating budget. This short term assistance will provide the incoming Board of the merged statutory authority for the sector (The Australian Grape and Wine Authority) with the means to restore our core marketing capabilities and an appropriate level of global representation. So the in-coming Authority can also undertake the specific in-market activities that are required, further program funding will also be required. We believe this investment, along with the implementation of the other actions by industry, will deliver an uplift in performance and profitability. In turn, this will restore levels of industry contributions and enable the sector to once again meet and self-fund its own marketing needs. In the meantime, we are seeking government support to meet the shortfall. A good recent example of this approach and how targeted one-off support can make a difference was the Australian government’s recent funding of $2.1m to WAC to host Savour Australia 2013 and related activities. WFA believes more must be done to build on the momentum created by this event. Attracting government support will be difficult as we approach a tough May budget. However, we will continue to advocate strongly that we want to work with the government to make the wine sector an example of how they can successfully partner with industry on restructuring to remain globally competitive. As they say, we are seeking a hand up, not a hand out. If you bump into your local parliamentarian anytime soon, help us out by reminding them about why we are different and let them know what’s required. Contact: Paul Evans. Phone: 61 8 8133 4300. Email : paulevans@wfa.org.au. April 2014 – Issue 603

Top

Treasury Wine Estates IN 2013 this feature kicked off with bullish words from then Treasury Wine Estates chief executive David Dearie. He said the global wine market was the most positive it had been for 30 years – and explained why TWE was primed to cash in. Fast forward one year and Dearie’s gone, stepping down in September after announcing what many would take to be the defining moment of his management: a $160m write down on its US inventory. But company chief supply officer Stuart McNab sees it differently. 

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“WHERE CAN I GET TOP QUALITY POST BOTTLING LOGISTICS?”

Stuart McNab

The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 25

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20Australian wine companies Those unhappy headlines don’t disprove Dearie’s assertion the world’s thirst for premium and luxury wine is growing. And the TWE team is “really looking forward” to life under Michael Clarke, the former Premier Foods boss who’s stepped into Dearie’s shoes. TWE reported a 38 per cent drop in earnings before interest, tax and adjustments for the value of vineyards (EBITS) for the first half of 2013/14. This came in at $45.8m from $73.4m in the same period last year, with the company blaming “increased investment in marketing and distribution, challenging conditions in Asia and a number of factors in Australia”. It sold 15.3 million cases worldwide, down 7.5 per cent but translating to net sales revenue of $812m, roughly in line with the previous year. McNab’s confidence for the year ahead is based on the strength and breadth of TWE’s brands and its inventory of sought-after wines. He points to the success of Penfolds, whose 2008 Grange scored 100 points in both Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. But perhaps more telling was the performance of Rosemount, which garnered 310 regional, national and international awards over the year. Product launches spanned the portfolio. Penfolds added a 2012 Bin 9 Cabernet Sauvignon at $30 and a superpremium 50-Year-Old Rare Tawny, while Wolfgang Blass’s 50 years in the Barossa were commemorated with a 2011 singlevineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Greenock. On the innovation side, TWE teamed up with jewellery designer Samantha Wills for the Yellowglen Peacock Lane

sparkling, while Pepperjack introduced two new Barossa Shirazes to go with specific cuts of steak. The company, which has expanded capacity of its Matua Marlborough winery from 15,000 to 25,000 tonnes since buying it outright in late 2012, has extended an important long-term lease on the predominantly Sauvignon Blanc-planted Northbank vineyard in the region.

It’s important to develop a longterm ... program for invigorating the perception of Australian wines in the international market and driving up demand … from entry level right up the luxury chain It’s also purchased two sites with a combined 53 planted hectares in the Upper Yarra for its Coldstream Hills brand. Then got its “first toehold in Tasmania” with the acquisition of the White Hills vineyard in the Tamar Valley. Those 83 hectares are planted to

Sauvignon Blanc and the key varieties of Burgundy and Alsace. McNab’s also excited about the imminent launch of a new domestic and export warehousing and logistics network located in Adelaide. Set up by TWE and fourth-party logistics company Trebuchet, it’s close to road, rail and shipping links, as well as TWE’s production and storage facilities. McNab sees it as a convenient, costeffective successor to the former Foster’smanaged network and says it will benefit others in the industry who’d like to get involved. On the subject of costs, McNab is thankful the dollar has started to “head in the right direction” but adds: “We really have to see it down at 80c to 85c for a while to see benefits in export markets.” The UK and Ireland are still big markets for TWE’s Australasian offering, while Matua Sauvignon Blanc is achieving 50 per cent year-on-year growth in the States. Even so, the US is a region where McNab wants to see “much more promotion to highlight Australia’s high quality and value for money” wines. Canada is TWE’s next biggest market, followed by Asia, where EBITS plunged 64 per cent in the first half, largely put down to austerity measures in China. McNab says Savour Australia was effective in showcasing the quality and range of Australia’s offering, though perhaps hampered by a short gestation time. “I think it’s important to develop a long-term, three- to five-year program for invigorating the perception of Australian wines in the international market and driving up demand for our wines from entry level right up the luxury chain,” he says.

Pernod Ricard Winemakers LIKE the creek snaking through the new logo of Australia’s biggest seller of branded bottled wine, Pernod Ricard Winemakers simply doesn’t stand still. And this is what Australian managing director Brett McKinnon loves most about his company. McKinnon counts Jacob’s Creek’s new brand identity unveiled in January as the defining moment of his year. “It’s more contemporary and premium and the biggest evolution we’ve had in 30 years,” he says. It’s not just the logo that’s changed for this company that sold 6.6 million nine-litre cases worldwide in 2013. The past 12 months have also seen the launch

26 The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

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of three wines to match Asian foods: red Lamoon for Thai dishes, white Wah for sushi and most recently red Wah, designed with a chef who specialises in Japanese red-meat dishes. The low-alcohol Cool Harvest range has expanded to take in Pinot Grigio, while Fiano and Sangiovese have been slotted into the Classic range. There’s also been work on creating a new tier for the separate St Hugo brand. “Certainly we have it in the pipeline to launch a couple of wines above the current range,” he says. “If all goes well we’ll bring those out later this year.” McKinnon sees more scope for Jacob’s Creek Twin Pickings, the light, fresh April 2014 – Issue 603

Top whites with a sweet twist of Moscato that hit shelves in August. They’ve been “well received” in Australia and there’s a chance they’ll soon be seen in the UK, US and New Zealand. The Kiwis were also the first to experience pop-up project Blend by Jacob’s Creek™. This invites members of the public to chat to a winemaker and create their own blend, taking home a bottle or two when it’s done. “With the technology, it’s as good as anything you’d walk away with from a bottling line,” says McKinnon. People will also get the chance to vote online for the best red and white blend, with the winning wares available for purchase from major retailers. McKinnon says this and Twin Pickings are examples of the company’s move to more targeted promotions and products. “If you look at where growth in wine is globally, a lot of it comes from innovation. We’re obviously trying to bring people into the brand but we also have a big existing customer base, so we want to keep that balance.” Jacob’s Creek has stuck to its guns on pricing at the potential expense of volume. “There’s almost no market globally where we haven’t pushed up prices in the past 12 to 18 months,” says McKinnon. The brand had a tough time of it in the important UK market in the first half of 2013/14, while the US has also slipped very slightly in the past year. Canada and China have gone well in recent times, while emerging markets have given great encouragement.

April 2014 – Issue 603

Accolade Wines

Brett McKinnon

“India, Russia and Poland are going very strongly for us and that looks set to continue,” he says. McKinnon thinks Australia is showing greater diversity and quality than ever, as demonstrated by Savour Australia. And he’d like to see another such event – with a clear theme and purpose – in 12 to 24 months’ time. He’s also happy about the shape his portfolio’s in. “I keep being pleasantly surprised at how strong our brand is and how well received some of the things we do are by consumers, the trade and the media. “That gives us a lot more confidence to deliver more innovation going forwards.”

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LIKE Mitch Johnson, Accolade had a successful Ashes campaign. But unlike Mitch and his Mo, the company gained popularity in the UK, where Hardys is currently the number one wine brand. “It was a great summer for us as we commenced our sponsorship of Cricket Australia with Hardys,” says Michael East, general manager for Asia Pacific. That deal coincided with the 160year anniversary of Hardys, a milestone commemorated with special dinners in Australia and the UK. It was also accompanied by a portfolio-wide refresh complete with new, premium packaging for the brand and the Australian launch of the William Hardy range. But East is keen to point out Accolade isn’t putting all its energy into old names. It’s in the process of releasing two new premium brands. The first is Eddystone Point from Tasmania. Produced by the Bay of Fires team and drawing fruit from the Derwent Valley, East Coast and Coal River Valley,

The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 27

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20Australian wine companies Chile’s agility in establishing free trade agreements has given it additional advantages in addition to its low cost of labour Michael East

this range will comprise Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling. It’s also reincarnating Starve Dog Lane, with two lines under the label coming out in 2014: the South Australian Collection and the Regional Collection, this latter sourced from Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley. These will be followed further down the track by a third, higherend tier including the fondly remembered Shiraz Viognier. East sees these as evidence of Accolade’s “much stronger innovation program” compared to last year. He’s also confident the company can reinvigorate the cask-format table wine market. “It’s a tired area of the category that requires innovation to make it more relevant to consumers,” he says. “Pack size and superior quality wine can deliver this.” The softening in the Australian dollar also gives grounds for hope at Accolade, which exports to 80 countries. “Naturally we hope there will be

improvements in the exchange rate that would support our export capability, but we’re not relying on it,” says East. As well as lifting Accolade’s earnings profile, it could also even the playing field with Australia’s key competitors. “Chile’s agility in establishing free trade agreements has given it additional advantages in addition to its low cost of labour,” he notes. East says the UK market has performed extremely well for Accolade Wines in the past year, while continental Europe, New Zealand, Asia and North America will continue to be the next most important regions in the coming 12 months. Winning over the key retailer groups in this last region represents the biggest challenge for Australia, according to East. “At present it’s extremely difficult to gain new listings and distribution in the States, limiting the opportunity to promote to consumers. Brand Australia doesn’t have the positive feeling it enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s. We have

to persevere and I’m sure the quality, diversity and value Australian wine offers to the consumer will ultimately win through. “ On this point, East says Savour Australia was a great success in getting key influencers from the US, Asia and Europe to look at Australia with fresh eyes. “The only way to follow it up is by being persistent and continuing to develop markets. We look forward to the next Savour in the next 18 months as we can’t afford to rest on our laurels.” On balance, he feels more optimistic now than he was 12 months ago. “Our access to, and sales of, premium wine have increased in the past year and I believe this growth will be sustained again this year. “The coming year won’t be easy – the marketplace growth will be modest but that growth will come from wines at more than $15, so margin and profit mix will be improved.”

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Casella Wines A BILLION. That’s the key number for John Casella. Not $11.9m, the extent of the company’s second loss in two years, following a $30m shortfall for 2011/12. A billion – the number of bottles of Yellow Tail that have been sold around the world since the product hit the shelves 13 years ago. “I think it says a lot about our capability to produce a strong, consistent product and keep it flowing, and it says a lot about our relationship with our customers and partners around the world.” The past year was the biggest ever for Yellow Tail sales, with more than 12.5

million cases sold worldwide, 8.5 million of which went to the US. That nudged up revenue from $334.5m to $344.5m. But Casella has also been busy diversifying his offering this past 12 months. Most conventional are the icon wines launched under the Casella 1919 label at an RRP of $100. The first releases were a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from 2006. The plan is to make these wines with the best grapes at Casella’s disposal, so the make-up may change from year to year. The Yellow Tail line has been extended to take in a 5 per cent-alcohol sangria that’s doing “exceptionally well” in the US and Australia. Along similar lines is Bondi Rd, a Sauvignon Blanc spritzer at the same alcoholic strength that comes in a pack of four 275mL bottles, available in Original, Elderflower and Mint and Ginger and Green Tea flavours. “It isn’t a category that’s well understood, but this gives people the opportunity to enjoy a high-quality

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The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 29

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20Australian wine companies grape-based product rather than a spiritbased one,” says Casella. The company’s held its nerve on pricing and has no immediate plans to change things, though the lower dollar has given a welcome confidence boost for customers and backers. After the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and Japan are Casella’s biggest markets. He makes about three full trips a year taking in the US, Europe and Asia, and stresses a great amount of the company’s success is down to excellent relationships with distributors, notably W.J. Deutsch & Sons (US), Diageo (UK) and Vins Philippe Dandurand (Canada). Casella maintains Yellow Tail is as

relevant now as ever and serves as a prime example to other producers who want to get a good return. “We need to be proudly Australian. Forget about the high cost base. We’ve got to look at how we make our wines more interesting, more tasty and better looking. The market hasn’t changed. “No matter what the price point is, people want boldness and a point of difference.” The company has enough retained profits and support from financiers to cope with two annual losses on the trot. But Casella hopes to end this year in the black. “The intent is always to be profitable

and to be in a position to reinvest. Once you fade, you often don’t come back,” he says. Profitably is the number one challenge for everyone in the wine industry, he adds. But he’s more optimistic now than he was a year ago, and reflecting on the road from nowhere to a billion bottles drives that faith. “I’m at a place I’d never thought I’d be. I never thought I could bring the family company to the size it is or have a brand as big as this,” he says. “We need to be clear, firm and resolute in building new products and line extensions and building relationships that are the foundation of a good business. I’m confident we can do that.”

Australian Vintage

THE dollar’s easing has also eased Neil McGuigan’s mind. Wait a few months and he’s sure the benefit will show. When UK supermarkets start purchasing next year’s bulkwine supply, Australia will have a rosier look about it. “They can make the margin they require in the £5 area that’s the sweet spot in the UK,” says the chief executive of Australian Vintage. “The dollar will provide great opportunities all over the world in some of our traditional markets and places like the US where we’ve been unable to hit the sweet spot in terms of price.” AV in February announced a first-half net profit of $4m, up from $3.3m for the same period the previous year. Australian bottled sales rose 15 per cent, boosted by a 29 per cent jump for the Black Label range. Canada, the company’s third largest market, was also strong, while revenues crept up in Europe and the UK, this latter being AV’s number one export customer. The exchange-rate shift gives McGuigan heart that full-year profit will be “significantly higher than last year and in line with market expectations” – putting it between $11m and $12m. AV’s cost base is “relevant and under control” but the quest for efficiency goes on. It’s determined to find ways to make its yield and sales forecasts more accurate and is working “aggressively” to get fruit to the right point of ripeness and quality at the same time in order to streamline processing. Attention to the bottom line doesn’t mean product lines are neglected. The company impressed again in competitions, with the 2005 McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon winning champion white at the International Wine Challenge, where McGuigan was again crowned best white winemaker. “These awards give our salespeople, retailers and consumers confidence in our brands, which means more distributions and 30 The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

Neil McGuigan

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April 2014 – Issue 603

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20 more people tasting our wines,” he says. “We’ve been working for a long time on overdelivering at every price point and that’s starting to come to fruition.” This, indeed, is McGuigan’s mantra and this month sees the launch of The Philosophy, a $150 Clare Cabernet Shiraz, to honour it. Also new this year are McGuigan ranges Expressions ($14) and Founders ($20), including a first Yarra Valley Pinot Gris and McLaren Vale Cabernet Shiraz. Tempus Two has added a Prosecco and Tempranillo (both $25) and Nepenthe an Altitude Shiraz and Altitude Tempranillo, marking the CEO’s conviction Tempranillo, like Chardonnay and Shiraz, could be fantastic for Australia because it works in warm and cool climates. McGuigan Black Label is about to adopt a new Semillon Blanc in the old White Burgundy mould, while the Short List range will sport a Barossa Montepulciano.

De Bortoli Wines “EVER so slightly cautiously optimistic.” That’s how Leanne De Bortoli sums up the family’s mood. It might be a few notches down from gung ho, but at least it’s an improvement on last year. After a couple of years of belttightening and a reported full-year loss of $24.7m for 2011/12, the weakening of the dollar has offered a welcome chink of light. Behind the scenes De Bortoli has continued to improve infrastructure at its Griffith facility, including a new bottling line to boost quality control and give greater scope for packaging. But the major strides have taken place in the product sphere. The company has added an off-dry Riesling and Syrah/Gamay blend to its La Bohème range, put out a rapid sellout Pinot Blanc under its Vinoque label, launched Villages Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley at $20 each, unveiled varietal Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese BellaRiva wines and

April 2014 – Issue 603

Awards give our salespeople, retailers and consumers confidence in our brands, which means more distributions and more people tasting our wines

McGuigan is “sick and tired of people treating wine like a commodity”. In an attempt to help them better appreciate it; he’s teamed up with Australia’s Lyndey Milan and UK

refreshed the packaging for its estategrown wines. “When our grandfather first started the business, he had the mentality of providing wines people wanted to drink. If there was a market, he’d make it,” says Leanne of the restless innovation. “The beauty of our company, with the mother ship in NSW and our holdings in King Valley and here in the Yarra, is that we can keep doing that.” Making wine is one thing; making money is another. And De Bortoli is finding the latter just as tough as anyone. “It’s almost like you have to work harder for those same dollars. It’s not a case of ‘if you build it, they will come’. I think you’ve just got to be proactive and that means getting out there to consumer tastings and putting wine into people’s mouths, engaging with trade and sommeliers.” With its finger on the pulse of changing tastes, De Bortoli remains “dynamic” in the digital space, mindful of the popularity of shopping online and also the need to communicate with consumers. “We’re very active in social media. That’s been holding us in good stead. For not much outlay, you can get really good exposure.” Leanne’s brother Victor is the man charged with building exposure in overseas markets. As De Bortoli export director, he thinks the US will recover to reclaim number two spot behind the UK. At the moment, it’s not even in De Bortoli’s top five, which instead www.winebiz.com.au

Masterchef presenter John Torode to promote food and wine pairing. He and Torode have co-created recipes, a food-friendly Semillon and a competition where UK-based consumers win a trip to Australia to dine in the vineyard with McGuigan wines and food cooked by Torode. McGuigan found Savour Australia “very positive and effective” and would like to see a structured follow-up in two to three years. In the meantime a drip-feed promotional campaign is essential. This would have 35- to 50-person teams from key export markets – first the US, say, then UK, then Japan and so on – coming out every four months for a 10-day immersion in Australian wine, taking in a slightly different set of regions every tour. “That way there would always be some influential wine people, somewhere in the world, talking about Australia,” he says.

Leanne De Bortoli

I think you’ve just got to be proactive and that means getting out there to consumer tastings and putting wine into people’s mouths, engaging with trade and sommeliers

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20Australian wine companies features Sweden, Japan, China and the Netherlands. Victor also believes China will continue to grow despite austerity measures there. The change in the dollar has had an immediate impact on margins, bringing the company “closer to a sustainable position”. “We would be reluctant to adjust prices at this point as we try to consolidate from

McWilliam’s Wine Group

“THE wine industry is without doubt the toughest industry I’ve worked in,” says McWilliam’s chief executive and former Ticketek boss Robert Blackwell. “There are opportunities but you have to work extra hard to capitalise on them.” And work hard he has. In his three years at the helm the team he has

a tough period of holding shelf position at challenging margins,” Victor adds. Leanne says of their current position: “I don’t think we can ever be complacent but we feel we’re trying to hit the mark with what people want.” Setting aside the issue of oversupply and the resulting squeeze on grape prices and potential margin, Victor would say

the same about Australia’s current form. “I actually think we’re regrouping nicely,” he says. “I thought Savour was great. For me it showed everyone at Australia is very much alive, enthusiastic and ready to do business. I believe Australian wine is in a great position. The wines are world class and have never been better.”

“brought the key brands home”: Mount Pleasant firmly planted back in the Hunter, McWilliam’s in NSW, Brand’s Laira in Coonawarra and Evans & Tate in Margaret River. That’s created a rock-solid platform on which to promote regionality and simplified the narrative for customers across the world. The company has also pulled right back from buyer’s own brand wines and “quick-moving bulk wine” sub-$10. Instead its focus has shifted to $15-$30 wines and exclusives for consumers and gatekeepers. Thus Evans & Tate and Coles have come up with E&T and Strange Bedfellows, while Brand’s Laira Barrelman has been developed for independents. Staunchly traditional Mount Pleasant boasts a white field blend and off-dry Semillon under its cellar-door-only B Side label.

area. We want to attract people so they come on a life journey with us while also keeping in touch with existing customers,” says Blackwell. He’s also keen to bring new blood into the business “to ask questions of us all”. Bryan Currie, who was at McWilliam’s in the ’90s, has been drafted to Hanwood and Mount Pleasant has welcomed Jim Chatto – and his dreams of Pinot Noir. The company’s also brought in some “FMCGtype” people as it continues to finetune its supply chain. Blackwell says dollar volatility has created uncertainty in export markets, which won’t get a real boost until we see the Australian dollar at 83c to 85c. McWilliam’s is doing “OK volumes in China” and Canada has overtaken the US as number-one customer. China’s been earmarked as the secondlargest export opportunity but right now Blackwell, who used to run his own business in the States, is bullish on the

The heritage of the family business is wonderful and we keep it inside all we do, but you’ve got to make changes to be relevant and contemporary

Robert Blackwell

“To have a strong relationship with customers now it really has to be on an innovation platform,” says Blackwell. “Quite frankly I think this is the way the strong get stronger.” All four brands have had a facelift, in packaging and online. “Wordy” labels are out; pictures are in – though sacred flagships such as Lovedale and O’Shea have been left alone. “The heritage of the family business is wonderful and we keep it inside all we do, but you’ve got to make changes to be relevant and contemporary.” The digital makeover landed McWilliam’s the Wine Communicators of Australia award for best website. The four up-to-date, user-friendly sites include video, interviews and social media addons. “It’s a very deliberate strategy to put people resources and dollars into this

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US and is ramping up efforts there. “They know us; Australian wine has a very good reputation. When they decide to spend, it’s the most dynamic economy in the world.” While Australia gave a good account of itself at Savour Australia, Blackwell thinks it would be more effective to invite delegates who can tell Australia what the world wants. “I’d like to hear experts on innovation, people who can share data, who understand consumer needs, even people who’ve lived it and failed. If I got two days of that, I’d be in paradise.” Still, Blackwell is happy with progress at McWilliam’s. “Putting out new products always entails risk. We’ve had an exceptionally high success rate, which enables us to do more. Plus I’m really optimistic about export opportunities.” April 2014 – Issue 603

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The Yalumba Wine Company

IF Robert Hill-Smith could see past Groundhog Day, he might well glimpse a bright future. “I’m no more or less optimistic than I was 12 months ago. The dates have changed but the outlook hasn’t,” he said. “The industry’s dealing with more

Robert Hill-Smith April 2014 – Issue 603

20 Warburn Estate

WE regret to report that despite several weeks of requests and discussions – by phone and email – Warburn Estate declined to be interviewed for this feature.

variables, margin compression is everywhere and consumers and the trade are faced with ever more complexity around choice. I don’t see a lot changing.” Hill-Smith says the industry needs the likes of Treasury Wine Estates and Pernod Ricard Winemakers on top form. That way they’re more likely to invest and show leadership. He’s also concerned the peak national bodies lack the resources they need, due in part to the impact of low tonnages in a statutory levy system. This in turn affects investment in compliance, thought leadership and marketing. “Regional bodies are far better equipped to deal with regional issues than national bodies are to deal with national and internal issues, and that’s a real problem. The dynamics of the industry are still out of whack,” he says. Another manifestation of this imbalance is oversupply. Hill-Smith thinks a number of unprofitable players have stayed in the game because it’s not their primary investment, distorting market conditions for full-time investors. “I hate seeing growers getting low prices and going out of business but wine companies can’t act in a way that penalises them in the marketplace.” He’s also worried about the prospect of wine destined for China either staying in Australia or being returned to be relabelled and sold here. From a product perspective, HillSmith thinks fresh aromatic varieties will continue to do well and hasn’t given up hope that Riesling will take off. He also foresees growing demand for quality sparkling wine such as Prosecco and believes Pinot Noir and “serious Chardonnay” will continue to grow in stature, while Shiraz and Cabernet will also stay strong. “Quality wines with a story, which express class and regionality, will continue to find a mark,” he says. To this point, Hill-Smith heaped praise on Savour Australia but warned a worthy sequel must come soon to take full advantage. “It galvanised the industry and www.winebiz.com.au

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20Australian wine companies energised all sectors. The mood is there and most of the gatekeepers who attended are ready to do something to stand up and support us in their own markets. “However without a budget to follow it up and continue that momentum, we might fall back to where we were.” Meanwhile Yalumba is working on reinforcing its own story and product mix. Last year it debuted Eden Valley Roussanne, a variety connected to the original family vineyard. We’ll also see a “very exciting” new single-vineyard

10 Brown Brothers

IF you can’t treat yourself to a facelift on your 125th birthday, when can you? That’s what Brown Brothers chose to do with its 1889 wines, the range of classic dry wines renamed to commemorate its founding year. “The previous label had been used for 15 years,” explains chief executive Roland Wahlquist. “The new one is a big departure for Brown Brothers. It’s much more relaxed and inviting than it was in the past and we’ve had very good consumer feedback.” There’s also a youthful look to its new product launches. The introduction of Prosecco in piccolo format aims to attract newcomers to a wine that “has a lot of growth to come”. Wahlquist also sees mileage in bridging the gap between sweet and dry wines, and has been pleasantly surprised by the success of the new Moscato/ Sauvignon Blanc blend. The company came into the year with a spring in its step following a strong 2013 vintage. At the time, Brown Brothers was growing 40 different varieties on eight vineyards across two states. Wahlquist says they all performed well. “I can’t remember the last time that happened. It gave us real confidence.” But the changes wrought since then have gone further than mere window dressing. A renewed focus on its best wines has seen that vineyard tally cut from eight to six, with one site in the King

Shiraz from 2010 and a first-time release of a northern Barossa Shiraz called Paradox, made from 100-year-old bush vines. Late-release, $150 Cabernet/Shiraz blend Yalumba The Reserve will be given more prominence and there will be some museum releases of other top wines. Yalumba’s also been experimenting with clones across a number of varieties and will this year be replanting the best material on a commercial scale. Yalumba celebrates its 165th year in 2014 and Hill-Smith takes strength in the

mere fact of survival. The “loyal, smart and successoriented” people around him also promise good things to come. “I think we’re on the cusp of a new story and a new beginning because of the investment we’ve been making in the vineyards and in our winemaking, as well as having more confidence in who we are and what we can do,” he says. “We now have a determination to take ourselves to market in a way that we’re entitled to, as a leader rather than as a member of the pack.”

Valley and another in Tasmania sold off. More recently Brown Brothers established a joint venture with Clare Valley-based Taylors to distribute the wines of both companies in New Zealand. The company, Taylor Brown, went live in February. “We’re very excited about it,” says Wahlquist. “We’ve got a similar culture and this gives us economies of scale that we really couldn’t achieve on our own. New Zealand is our number one export market and this will help us grow there.” This emphasis on its most valuable markets has also led Brown Brothers to scale back activities in Europe. The dollar certainly hasn’t fallen enough to persuade Wahlquist to redouble efforts in those markets or to delve into new ones. Although the likes of China and Singapore, its fourth and fifth largest export customers, continue to offer grounds for optimism. “We do see the Asian markets are where our best prospects are and where we expect to get the most growth over the next five years. We have a wide range of wine styles and have something to suit most palates. Those markets want consistency and we’ve been there for some time.” Wahlquist sees “massive and modernised” European producers as being the main threat to Australia’s share in most key export markets. Even so, he thinks Savour Australia did a good job of reminding the world what a fantastic wine producer Australia is. “Now it’s really up to producers to build on that momentum and reclaim some of the higher-price points in markets around the world,” says Wahlquist. “We haven’t spent enough time talking about top-quality wines.” And then there’s another area where Wahlquist thinks more work is needed. “The biggest challenge for the wine industry is one we still haven’t really dealt with. The oversupply is not going to correct itself,” he says.

“The unviable producers really need to exit the market. They’re just making it more difficult for those with fundamentally sound businesses.” Overall, the changes the company has made have left Wahlquist quietly optimistic. “The business is in better shape. For the first six months trading in the domestic market has been good and we’re very confident about where we’re heading.”

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Roland Wahlquist

The unviable producers really need to exit the market. They’re just making it more difficult for those with fundamentally sound businesses April 2014 – Issue 603

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The Tahbilk Group “FOR the past four or five years there’s been nothing but financial black sky and serious headwinds,” says Alister Purbrick. “But during the past 12 months we’ve seen a little blue sky and over the next year expect more blue sky and maybe a little ray of sunshine might creep through occasionally.” Tahbilk’s chief executive doesn’t have to think hard when asked whether his optimism’s grown. It finally feels like the tough costcutting decisions made some years ago are paying off. “The really big issue for the Tahbilk Group over the past three to four years has been getting our demand and supply projections balanced. We turned a corner in this respect after the 2013 vintage and stocks are now below our sales projections. In the current environment, that’s a very healthy position to be in.” Over the past year, the Group has engineered minor price rises and increased sales at home and abroad. And it’s beefed up the IT system behind the Tahbilk Wine Club, resulting in “better database segmentation and more succinct offers” going out to members. Purbrick’s also excited about the recent launch of Tahbilk’s new carbon neutral-branded wine, The Tower.

20 Sweden’s the first overseas customer to receive the range, which comprises a Shiraz and a Chardonnay Viognier blend. The Tower wines have “taken off like a rocket” and are available domestically as a Dan Murphy’s exclusive, marking an effort to work more strategically and successfully with the chains. Also on the home front, the group welcomed some key brands to its distribution arm, The Wine Company. Tyrrell’s signed up for Victoria in February, while the portfolio has also taken in the likes of Pirramimma, Paulett and New Zealand’s Yealands Estate. “This should increase sales by 45-50,000 dozen overall, which will be a significant internal profit driver,” says Purbrick. The Tahbilk Group, whose top five export markets are the UK, Sweden, Canada, US and China, was in an export holding pattern this time last year. The weakening Australian dollar has caused a rethink. “We’re getting on the front foot again,” says Purbrick. “We’re focusing on all of our best markets bar the UK, which is problematic for us at the moment, though still important.” He’s also set to push a little harder in China and Asia more generally. “We’re certainly selling at the top end, but where we’re looking to grow market share is at the mid-range regional wine level. Our Tahbilk, McPherson and Four Sisters brands are all active in that area.” France is having a big impact in some of Australia’s emerging markets, such as China, and Purbrick thinks Australia needs to be wary of the Old World giant. “It’s got the same dominant varieties and a similar wine offering to us and, what’s really scary, is starting to get its mojo back.”

Alister Purbick

April 2014 – Issue 603

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So what about Australia’s mojo? Purbrick can’t see the industry as a whole making a concerted recovery until it rids itself of the oversupply problem. He thinks it’ll take a few more years for this situation to resolve itself, when a sustained period of low returns for grapegrowers forces a mass exodus from the industry. On the other hand, Purbrick feels Australia has sharpened its competitive edge, thanks in no small part to Savour Australia. He’d like to see a follow-up in 2015. “There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s been a great morale booster. We’re feeling better about our place in the world of wine. Now it’s really up to us as individuals to get out and about and capitalise on the momentum that Wine Australia has created for us.”

Kingston Estate Wines ASK Bill Moularadellis what defined the last year and the response is immediate: his winery crushed more than 100,000 tonnes in 2013. But it’s not about the number. “The real achievement is the significant sales footprint we’ve been able to create internationally. We’ve really come to terms with the changing international environment and instead of resisting the change, embraced it. Retail consolidation is a reality and must be seen as an opportunity, not a threat.” The growth has been made possible by a long-term, stable team with genuine expertise in its field. It’s also entailed increasing capacity along every part of the chain. On the product front, Kingston continues to rely heavily on Shiraz and Chardonnay. It’s also shown a commitment to Petit Verdot, and has acquired a large vineyard in Coonawarra to add premium regional Cabernet and Shiraz to its offering. Moularadellis, who exports 95 per cent of his production and counts the EU, UK, North America and Asia as his biggest customers, says the “rise and plateau” of China has been a big disappointment for the industry. He describes the lack of a free trade agreement, such as that enjoyed by rival

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20Australian wine companies Chile, is a “significant disadvantage”. And points to the success of such arrangements with Korea and Japan and says FTAs with China and the EU are essential. Moularadellis also urges policy change on WET, to restrict rebates to packaged wine from bona fide producers to retailers with a turnover of less than $10m. He blames the current system for encouraging some 1000 new producers into the industry during one of its most challenging periods, and says it’s led to further industry fragmentation instead of the consolidation one might have expected in the face of the changing retail landscape. “The majority of these new producers and many longstanding ones have turned their backs on international sales to focus on the domestic market, motivated principally by the WET rebate,” he says. “It’s the addiction preventing our industry from fully developing its international sales opportunity. We must wean ourselves off it.” Growing the export opportunity is Australia’s priority, and it must happen at both the commercial and premium level. Moularadellis points to the fact that only around 10 per cent of Australian exports by volume are priced above $45 a case. “You can’t expect someone on the other side of the world to buy a premium wine unless there’s a story and someone selling it. You need the origin, the place, the terroir but you also need more people to project their personality and passion.” Moularadellis views Savour Australia, and especially the tie-in between Wine Australia and Tourism Australia, as a useful starting point. However, he says it needs to be vigorously followed up by Wine Australia and individuals in all segments of the industry. Moularadellis is given heart by the crop of emerging winemakers who show pride in their wines and sites – and who are keen to share their passion with the world. “The young guns are really answering that call and I see great strides being taken by some fresh young people who head out on aeroplanes and pound the streets like the old guard did 20 years ago. “They might be small producers but they have great energy, vision and vitality. They’re the future of Australia.” Kingston is also well placed to take advantage of new openings, says Moularadellis. But clearly there will be

Bill Moularadellis

hiccups on the way and standards will have to keep on rising. “You always need to provide a higher level of energy and activity to maintain your relative position.”

was caused by a failed brand-building partnership in China. Burge has moved on from that letdown, and is encouraged by steady growth in Canada and good results in Europe. Particularly Britain. “We’ve stuck with the UK, making very little margin on 30,000 cases sold to restaurants and regional retailers. But we’re in it for the long haul.” Burge sees New Zealand as the fiercest adversary in export markets and a shining example of what Australia needs to do. “They’re kicking butt. They’ve made a huge name for themselves with a cohesive, coherent message and have managed to keep their cool, clean, green image while holding onto higher price points.” Meanwhile, Australia’s been suffering from a lack of profitability and a resulting tendency to look inwards. “People haven’t been focused on thinking forward but instead of how to save their companies. We need everyone to be cohesive, making money and pouring it into marketing ourselves as a word-class brand.” He thinks the image projected by Savour Australia is the right one, and would love to see another such initiative in 2015. Even in conservative mode, there’s plenty going on. The company’s followed up its refresh of the Fifth Generation range with a new, more premium look for its $19 to $25 Vineyard range built around various Barossa blocks. Burge is

We need everyone to be cohesive, making money and pouring it into marketing ourselves as a wordGrant Burge Wines class brand

AN optimist by nature, Grant Burge is in conservative mode. This time last year he was confident when many were cautious. But three financially-challenging vintages have taken their toll on the fifthgeneration winemaker, who grows up to 55 per cent of his production. “Our vineyards have let us down in a yield sense, which has cost us a fortune and lifted the bottom-line cost of our product dramatically. Our margins have dropped and it’s had an impact on profitability.” The company increased sales by 9 per cent in 2012/13, buoyed by a domestic sales hike of 19 per cent. Which was then offset by a 10 per cent decline in exports, much of which

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also keen to keep pushing Tempranillo. He sees it as a good variety for the Barossa and even wants to create his own Rioja. “We’re doing a lot of research. It’s not some fad thing. We want to do it well and make sure it’s sustainable in a market sense.” Another big move was February’s merger between his distribution arm, Vignerons of the World, and its counterpart at the Rathbone Wine Group, Four Seasons Fine Wine. “Irrespective of how good the wine and brand are, you have to have incredibly efficient ways of making grapes into wine and getting on the retail shelf. Burge & Rathbone Fine Wine Merchants is an incredibly April 2014 – Issue 603

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Grant Burge

April 2014 – Issue 603

compatible fit as a sales organisation,” says Burge. The changes don’t end there. Burge has now completed a four-year replanting program, switching many whites to reds. Now the attention shifts to the winery, which he promises to “massively transform” over the next three years with new technology. He’s got permission to redevelop the red fermentation facility in Tanunda, and sparkling wine is also in focus. Sales in this area have grown at around 20 per cent a year for the past 10 years. But working with such large quantities of mostly whole bunch-pressed fruit presents challenges, especially with cooling. “We’re trying to revolutionise the whole process, which we’ve done in theory,” says Burge. “This will be a world first. We’ve hit on something that’s going to be very exciting.” However, conservative for Burge certainly doesn’t mean going into his shell. “Despite my pessimism, I’m still carrying on with experiments and innovation in the winery. I’ve been in the industry 45 years and I still love it. It’s my life.”

www.winebiz.com.au

Angove Family Winemakers JOHN Angove sounds at one with McLaren Vale. The cellar door, opened in 2011, is something of a symbol of home and hope. “It’s continued to be a very successful front door for us here, giving us some real geographic identity in the mind of the consumer. That was certainly a defining activity.” The company has developed a microwinery, built to handle small parcels of specially earmarked fruit. It’s been tweaked this year to better enable it to handle four- to six-tonne batches and will continue to be developed over the next couple of years. In homage to home, the team is also working on more single-vineyard

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20Australian wine companies McLaren Vale wines. These are destined to be cellar door exclusives to teach visitors about subregions such as Willunga and Blewitt Springs. There are other things in the pipeline, too. Noting strong growth in organic wine, Angove has already got a Sauvignon Blanc that’s “doing well” and a further addition to this range will be unveiled later this year. The past year has also seen the launch of Alternatus, a $25 range exploring the “emerging variety and style opportunities” of McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean climate. It comprises Tempranillo, Grenache, Fiano and Vermentino and will be available through cellar door and selected restaurants. “Fiano and Vermentino are a long way from being mainstream, but if we niggle away we will see results,”says Angove. He can’t hide his excitement at the warm reception for the mid-priced Long Row wines. “We put them out there with some trepidation about the quite unusual packaging, but it works. The Riesling clone we have dates back nearly 100 years to our Tea Tree Gully vineyards and works very well in the Riverland. Likewise Sauvignon Blanc works well in our sandy soil, particularly when picked early in the season. They’ve both had amazing accolades.” Notwithstanding his enthusiasm for these products, Angove’s level of optimism has barely shifted since last year.

Profitability is the biggest challenge facing the industry and he doesn’t see a smooth path to better returns. The lower dollar has at least brought a slight psychological boost at the possibility that exports will turn around. As things stand, the company’s opened up a new opportunity in Russia. “We hope in time it will be another interesting market,” says Angove. “Meanwhile in China we continue our two-stream approach. One is the corporate brand building, which is slow and steady. We’re putting in the hard work but I think we have a reasonably good reputation. The other is buyer’s own brand, which has been fast and furious but has slowed down somewhat.” Angove thought Savour Australia was effective in giving the world a “better and more sophisticated view” of the nation’s wine. But he’d like to see the industry do more to get behind Wine Australia in order to keep things going. “We need to slot Savour Australia in as a biennial event, so like ProWein and other international wine events it becomes a fixture on the calendar. This is vital, because if you do something only once, it just gets forgotten. You have to keep it up.” Angove booked his ticket to ProWein early because “we need to be out there” if exports are about to turn around. But he also has a lot of irons in the fire, and that’s some cause for comfort.

15 Qualia Wine Services

YOU get the impression nothing is wasted at Qualia Wine Services. Efficiency is a buzzword for executive director and winemaker John Pezzaniti. A tripling of the crush from 17,000 tonnes four years ago to 52,000 in 2013 shows just how fast the business is growing. Investment in the winery has played its part, with additional cross-flow filtration and a move to up the front-end crusher from 50 to 100 tonnes per hour. But more than anything, Qualia’s made it big by staying small. Pezzaniti

John Pezzaniti

says its dynamism is down to a personal and professional approach. A year ago, Mildura-based Qualia’s sales were split evenly between domestic and exports. Now exports are back up to 70 per cent, with more than two thirds of that shipped in bulk. Europe has seen the biggest jump over the past year. The company’s reeled in new customers in the shape of Belgium, Sweden and Russia, while the UK is also showing growth again following “a couple of slow years”. Pezzaniti is “pretty happy” with the

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John Angove

“Our products range from St Agnes to Stone’s Ginger, Long Row to McLaren Vale. Then there’s the distribution and agency business. “We’ve got a lot of fishing lines out there trying to catch something. That diversity is a fairly strong plus for us.”

customer base and distribution in China, which is principally showing a thirst for Shiraz and Cabernet. He’s had to source more region-specific fruit from places like Clare Valley and McLaren Vale for his Asian customers, whose interest lies at the premium end of the spectrum. The UK in particular is showing a growing taste for his Fiano. Qualia views South Africa as its most formidable rival in Britain, while Chile vies with the Rainbow Nation as number one competitor in the rest of Europe. Pezzaniti reckons the Australian dollar would have to fall to around 70 cents before it gave a lift to producers. But that doesn’t bother him. “The problem with a lot of things is that people get too focused on price. Price is the last thing you should be worried about.” Qualia’s got employees on the ground in all key export markets but Pezzaniti travels constantly throughout the year. “We’re all about building a face-toface model, sitting down with customers April 2014 – Issue 603

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20 and seeing what they want,” he says. “It’s not just low cost; it’s about products and services and how flexible you are as a supplier. It’s more about stronger ties for longer-term relationships with customers. “If you can give them constant supply at a reasonable price that won’t fluctuate and at the quality they ordered, it takes the pressure off their end.” One of the challenges undermining these efforts is oversupply and the lack of sustainability among the Australian grower base. “When overseas markets read about that, it puts downward

Peter Lehmann Wines IT’S obvious what defined the past year: the death at age 82 of founding father Peter Lehmann in late June. “It was a truly sad day here for the company, for Barossa and the Australian wine industry. He contributed so much,” says chief executive Jeff Bond. “PL established a company with strong values that it’s lived by since it started. His legacy will be for those values to live on after him.” The company has continued to stick to its guns, and Bond is more confident about the future than he was a year ago. “I’m pleased to say we’ve continued with the momentum we’ve had. The domestic market continues to be a good story for us, with strong growth here against a tough background.” The decision to deal directly with the chains is paying off and the company is “unlocking good growth” on the directto-consumer side. It’s achieved its goal of boosting its Futures club membership from 2500 to 10,000 and has welcomed more young customers to the brand, with 25-to 39-year-olds increasing from 24 per cent to 32 per cent of the total core consumer group. It’s also rebalanced the male/female split; with aromatic varieties like Pinot Grigio winning back some of those who abandoned Barossa Semillon for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The company is building on the wines April 2014 – Issue 603

The problem with a lot of things is that people get too focused on price. Price is the last thing you should be worried about it has as it continues to implement its long-term strategy. It does have one new project on the go, though. Called The Steward, it’s a premium single-vineyard Bordeaux blend that will be the company’s first carbon-neutral wine. Bond says the company has its “shoulder to the wheel in export markets” where sales have declined slightly. This has been the first year of selling icon and ultrapremium tiers into the US and shipments and depletion rates have gone according to plan. “We’ve got to make that stick,” says Bond. “We’ve also got a larger focus on China. We’re building the business from the ground up and don’t see that providing an instant return. We’re looking to get the benefits over five to 10 years.” Bond praises the South Australian Tourism Commission for its Barossa campaign and likewise thought Savour Australia created a great platform for wine producers to work from. But he says it’s up to individuals to get out and follow up on the messages. He sees New Zealand as both a key competitor and a role model in how to get a clear, simple message to cut through to overseas markets. Australia’s task is all the more difficult because it fell out of favour at about the same time the Kiwis moved in. “The higher dollar may have done more damage than we first thought in terms of buyers’ awareness and shelf space,” says Bond.

The domestic market continues to be a good story for us, with strong growth here against a tough background www.winebiz.com.au

pressure on prices,” says Pezzaniti. On balance, though, he’s comfortable with the situation at Qualia and says he’s more optimistic than he was 12 months ago. “That’s based on the relationships we’ve built over the past year and the growth we’ve had with these customers,” he says. “A lot of that comes down to the fact that although we’re a big producer we’ve got a small team, and buyers are dealing with a small number of people, perhaps even just one person. That focus is important.”

“It takes a long time to win back the hearts and minds of consumers and retailers.” But the reality, says Bond, is that wine is a high-cost industry with ongoing structural issues. “We’re not going to get an automatic sales uplift. We’ve got to get our head under the bonnet and try to figure out how to make our operations more productive.” He feels his organisation understands this reality and has taken tough decisions to deal with it. Hence the optimism – and the warning that ever-smarter thinking is needed. 

Jeff Bond

The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 39

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20Australian wine companies

Littore Family Wines “VOLATILITY" would be Andrew Byers’ watchword for the past year. “For us, it’s been much more a case of consolidation,” says the commercial manager at Littore Family Wines. “The wine industry has changed significantly at our price points over the past 12 to 24 months. There’s been a great deal of flux. The main issue in the marketplace, especially with overseas buyers, is with the volatility of the Australian dollar and mixed messages from the market. They don’t know what the correct price of Australian wine is, so it’s hard to get them to commit to long-term agreements. Volatility is in their thinking.” That explains why there have been no “great leaps forward” for the Geelongbased business. Even so, it’s continued to grow in each of its top five export markets. One of the largest is Russia, where Littore is the number one Australian brand, accounting for 35 per cent of Australian wine sales in this market. “It’s been a 10-year slow build for us but the Russians continue to love our wine and there’s still room to grow,” says Byers. The company hasn’t been immune to the slowdown in the Chinese market though the impact has not been as severe as for higher-end brands. “It’s still been a reasonable year for us. The growth rate has declined but we’re still growing,” says Byers. Here in Australia, the main focus remains private- and exclusive-label wines but there is a five- to 10-year plan afoot to gradually build up regional brands around the Littore Family Wines name. It’s been about eight years since the company last concentrated on its own premium labels. “Since then we’ve been focusing on large-volume, commercial entry-level wines,” says Byers. “But that’s not all we can do. We’re just dipping our toe back in the water. We’re not looking for big numbers or anything like that; we’re just looking at something different.”

From an industry perspective, Byers thinks issues surrounding the use of the WET rebate need to be dealt with. “It’s the elephant in the room. The rebate system needs to be tightened so it serves its original purpose of increasing diversity in the industry, promoting cellar door sales and regional employment. “It’s not there to allow companies to sell at a loss and then use the rebate to make a profit. That just drives down prices across the industry and no one ends up winning.” Littore sources the vast majority of its fruit from its vineyards in the Murray Darling area. Shiraz is the top seller, followed by the usual suspects of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

It’s (WET rebate) not there to allow companies to sell at a loss and then use the rebate to make a profit. That just drives down prices across the industry and no one ends up winning Moscato has plateaued somewhat over the past nine months after taking off about a year and a half ago. “We’ve also seen a big surge in sales of Pinot Grigio over the past 12 months, particularly in the UK and in the domestic market,” says Byers. The company doesn’t often dabble in domestic bulk. “We go into the market and work with buyers and retailers to look for long-term deals, which we can do because we have our own vineyards. That way you can lock in the price for fruit, tonnes per hectare and baumé, and can do so for multiple vintages.” If volatility was last year’s word, 2014 has a better one: optimism. “I think there’s a fair bit of hope out there that the declining value of the dollar and our value proposition can allow us to get more traction,” says Byers. “An end to the volatility would allow us to get our forward plans going. If we can do that, we’ll get more punch in the marketplace and it’ll be good for all of us.”

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18 Zilzie Wines

ANDREW Forbes and the team crushed 43,800 tonnes at their Mildura winery in 2013. That was 5000 more than the previous record vintage and a long way from the 10,200-tonne crush with which they started 15 years ago. With 90 per cent of the production presold, Forbes is proud to have played a part in realising his family’s long-term goal. “We’ve managed large-scale capital expansion and grown the business on a balanced pathway and in a climate that’s been quite difficult,” he says. The business is split 50:50 between domestic sales and exports. Some 15 per cent of production goes out under Zilzie’s own brand, all of which is bottled in Australia. “What’s kept us relevant is we continue to observe and adapt our business and distribution models both at home and in exports,” says Forbes. “We’re open-minded about finding new and innovative routes to market.” This past year the company took part in a Victorian government initiative aimed at developing opportunities in emerging markets such as India. Forbes is somewhat sceptical of industry herd mentality; while Brand Australia has “huge relevance” to Zilzie, he doesn’t see much future in large groups “trying to hunt down the next big thing”. “You’ve got to look at your own business model and develop a strategy for applying it to meet the needs of the market. People who jump on a bandwagon without a long-term strategy and business plan, and with the wrong relationships and wrong distributor, find that things go wrong very quickly.” Over the past 18 months Forbes has brought a number of new key roles into the fold including a winery operations manager as he continues on his path to maximise efficiency. “You can have the best machinery in the world, but unless you have the right people, you can’t execute your strategy,” he says. As Zilzie continues negotiations on current vintage wine, the currency continues to be problematic. Forbes is yet to see any real gains from the overall softening of the dollar and is April 2014 – Issue 603

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20 Andrew Forbes

What’s kept us relevant is we continue to observe and adapt our business and distribution models both at home and in exports

cautious about future movements. “Due to the nature of our business, a lot of my pricing is set for a 12-month period, so it’s very much about what’s happening at the time.” Meanwhile, the more favourable currencies of South Africa and Chile – allied to their trade agreements – make them key competitors in Forbes’s eyes. But there’s another enemy within: Forbes thinks Australian producers and commentators who speak in imprecise and unhelpful terms about oversupply and environmental factors place doubts

in buyers’ minds over pricing. The UK, China, US and Canada are Zilzie’s biggest export customers and remain the focus of its attention. Of these, China’s the one that’s moving up as the company is rewarded for its slow, steady efforts to build relationships. Zilzie recently released a high-end wine called Ferghana (“heavenly horse”) with a label commissioned from a famous Chinese artist, to commemorate the Year of the Horse. More generally, it’s finding this market particularly receptive to its premium

Regional Collection, comprising classics such as Barossa Shiraz, Coonawarra Cabernet and Yarra Valley Chardonnay. A Pinot Noir remains on the to-do list for this particular range, while Zilzie has enjoyed success elsewhere with Pinot Grigio, Moscato and Sauvignon Blanc. “I would say I’m more confident in the future than I was 12 months ago,” Forbes concludes. “Relationships, quality of product, operating procedures; you’ve got to tick all these boxes. We certainly see a future in what we’re doing.” 

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20Australian wine companies

Berton Vineyards

WHEN the Australian dollar finally started to show some leniency, it provided Bob Berton with his defining moment of the past year. “It created a light at the end of the tunnel. Most of us are struggling with exports, and when it came back we saw some benefit to hanging in there.” That respite hasn’t changed the way Berton goes about his work, though. He says there’s still too much volatility and uncertainty over Australia’s place in the wine world. “It’s pretty much business as usual,” says Berton. “What we’re doing now is just changing some of our processes, trying to automate some things so we can move more quickly. “The rest is about tidying up the winery, keeping our costs under control and being smart about what we’re doing.” He’s pleased to have built up his Shiraz stocks to strike a sought-after balance between whites and reds. Overall, sales are likely to remain equally spread between domestic and exports, while the split between own brands and Berton’s labels continues to be about 60:40. Roughly 95 per cent of what the company makes goes to big chains in Australia and agency importers abroad. Over the past year, Berton Vineyards has enjoyed reasonable growth in the UK and China, seen “exciting” progress in Sweden and scored small-scale success among Pacific islands and New Zealand. Italy has emerged as the key competitor in the company’s main markets, though France remains a formidable presence and “sleeping giant” – and Spain can’t be ignored. At the same time, Berton Vineyards is too busy ploughing its own furrow to worry about these guys. Similarly, while he applauds the sentiment of Savour Australia, Berton feels companies like his are somewhat remote from the concept. “We need prestige and personalities in this industry but the warmer inland areas which are producing the day-to-day wines don’t have so much kudos.” Now in its tenth year, Berton Vineyards is not looking to push into unknown

markets nor force new products into existing ones; what it’s after is “orderly, natural growth”. “For us it’s always a slowly, slowly approach,” says Berton. “Our greatest asset is relationships with people who, even in midst of certain crises, have stuck by us and us by them.

What we’re doing now is just changing some of our processes, trying to automate some things so we can move more quickly Bob Berton

“We’re probably not good marketers in the classic sense but we’re prepared to bide our time and let our products make their way. If I look back at the great brands, there’s not a lot of fuss about them; they grew quietly. They weren’t discounted; they stood quietly on the shelf and earned respect over time. We as an industry set ourselves targets that are challenging and in setting them we sometimes make poor decisions about what the long-term brand is going to be.” Looking at that long-term picture, Berton can’t help but worry about the way the odds seem to be stacking up

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against primary producers and secondary industries in Australia. “Farmers have to put up with drought, pestilence and floods but people think they’re environmental vandals. It’s an issue for industry generally. They should be heralded, rewarded and admired rather than constantly being scrutinised and advised to improve by the self righteous.” Even so, he’s feeling more confident about the business than he was this time last year. “The easing of the dollar has given us hope and we’re getting a bit of growth domestically. It’s a reasonable outlook for where we’re going.” April 2014 – Issue 603

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Tyrrell’s Vineyards BRUCE Tyrrell looked at the big picture and it told him to downsize. “We’ve spent three or four months looking at what we’re doing and where the wine industry is going, both domestically and internationally,” he says. “Tyrrell’s will be a smaller company. That means removing ourselves from the under $10 market and out of the house-wine market for on-premise. We want to play in the top and middle, which is where we do very well. “It’ll reduce turnover by around 15 per cent – but with significant improvements to the cost end and better margin.” This move will entail casualties, such as the Mystery Hill and 30-year-old Glenbawn brands. Meanwhile, the $18 Lost Block range was relaunched with a new look back in October, an opening gambit ahead of “a total refresh” across the entire $25 to $40 price range. Tyrrell’s has also switched to a distributor-based model for interstate sales, most recently enlisting Tahbilk’s The Wine Company as its distributor in Victoria. “We’ve always had our own sales force in NSW and we’ll continue with that,” adds Tyrrell. The company has enjoyed ongoing growth in direct-toconsumer sales and expects this to continue, while it’s also been working to build its presence among the retail chains. “They’re not the ogres they’re made out to be,” says Tyrrell. “You’ve got to work with them, and once you have a good relationship they become cheap to service.” Looking further afield, there have been a few developments on the export front. Like most others, Tyrrell’s has seen China soften a bit. But the company is doing a little more in the US and

The world’s still a tough place. The western world is going to have to take a step back in terms of quality of life and salary expectations. It’s unsustainable markets such as Japan are beginning to come good. Tyrrell is also encouraged by opportunities in Central Africa, a “blue-sky market”. To this end, the company has started to do some business with regional hub, Nigeria. Tyrrell doesn’t expect a helping hand from the currency unless it falls closer to 80 cents. In any case, it makes no sense for a company like his to compete on price. “If you want to make or grow anything in Australia, you have to do it very, very well so you can get a premium for the product.” This emphasis on quality is something Savour Australia – and some of the nation’s leading producers – has got right. “If you look at what Treasury Wine Estates has done, it’s really led with high-end brands. The whole of their push and presentation has been at the top end and it’s something we’ve all got to do more of” says Tyrrell. April 2014 – Issue 603

The 2014 vintage has left Tyrrell somewhat heartened. The reds came in “spot on target for flavour and structure” and he’s tipping Chardonnay to be the star after this and Semillon came in with yields 30 per cent up on 2013. But his overall business confidence is on a par with last year. He remains concerned about the anti-alcohol “zealots” but right now they’ve been replaced by the weak economy as his number one concern. “The world’s still a tough place. The western world is going to have to take a step back in terms of quality of life and salary expectations. It’s unsustainable,” he says. “But I think Tyrrell’s is set up for the next 30 years. Hopefully we’ve made all the right decisions.”

Bruce Tyrell

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5 New Zealand wine companies

Time is ripe for change in New Zealand New Zealand wine writer Bob Campbell took a cross section of his country’s wine industry to see what makes it tick on the ground and how every level of producer sees the future of what is really a global industry and in which New Zealand is a small player punching well above its weight. LAST year we invited New Zealand’s top five wine producers to respond to a number of questions on key issues facing the industry. This year we have invited a response from a large, medium and small wine producer to gain a wider perspective. New Zealand has 688 wineries divided into three categories. There are just 15 producers in the largest category, each with annual sales of more than 4 million litres. A further 69 medium-sized producers have sales between 200,000 litres and 4 million litres while 605 sell less than 200,000 litres. An annual survey by accounting firm Deloitte, in conjunction with NZ Winegrowers (NZW), measures the financial health of the country’s wine producers. The main points raised by the latest survey are: • The annual turnover of the NZ wine industry is $2 billion per annum with $1.2 billion from export earnings. It plays an important part in the wellbeing of the NZ economy. • The 2013 vintage was a record harvest of 345,000 tonnes. • Lessons learnt from surplus production in 2008 helped the industry deal with over supply in 2013. • There appears to be continued optimism the industry is making a sustainable recovery from the Global Financial Crisis which coincided with supply imbalance and high external debt levels. That is particularly evident in larger companies with revenue over $5 million where profits before tax ranged from 9.8 per cent to 16 per cent. • Smaller wineries did not fare as well with average losses of 4.4 per cent of revenue for the smallest category and losses of 0.5 per cent for the $1.5m$5m category. • All but one category showed increases in profitability from the previous year, reflecting a general trend for the past three years.

• The results this year for typical banking covenants such as bank-tointerest cover and debt-to-equity ratio are sound for the $5m+ categories which tend to alleviate concerns in previous surveys. That is not so true for smaller wineries with the $0-$1.5m category having the highest long-term debt (as a percentage of assets). • Inventory levels have decreased which corresponds with a lower 2012 harvest and additional inventory sold to meet demand. That is a positive sign given the record harvest for 2013. • Wineries continue to have excess production capacity, continuing the trend from last year. Excess capacity is even more prominent for the smaller wineries. • There is a surprising shift away from export to domestic sales possibly due to the high exchange rate for the New Zealand dollar. The top three issues faced the industry and identified in the survey are: 1. Exchange rates 2. Marketing product overseas 3. Excise and other levies These three issues have consistently rated as the top issues faced by the industry. I invited one winery from each category to respond to six questions inspired by the Deloitte survey. The Villa Maria group of companies (including Vidal and Esk Valley) is a large, quality-focused, family-owned producer with wineries in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. Founder and managing director Sir George Fistonich was happy to answer our questions. In the medium-sized category Craggy Range director of wine and viticulture, Steve Smith MW represents Craggy Range, another family-owned and qualityfocused producer with two wineries in Hawke’s Bay and extensive vineyards in that region as well as Martinborough plus grape contracts from Marlborough and Central Otago. Pisa Range Estate is a small Central

44 The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Top 5 NZ wine companies 1. Pernod Ricard 2. Lion 3. Delegat’s Wine Estates 4. Constellation New Zealand 5. Villa Maria

Otago producer specialising in Pinot Noir since it was established in 1995 with Riesling recently joining its product range. Owners Warwick and Jenny Hawker export to six countries.

According to the Deloitte 2013 survey NZ producers consider the exchange rate as the biggest issue facing the industry. The survey also reports a surprising increase in the latest share of domestic sales, possibly driven by the high exchange rate. How do you manage the continued high exchange rate? Has it caused you to put a greater focus on domestic sales?

Fistonich: We expect the NZ dollar to remain high, therefore we have to ensure our business remains sustainable and profitable even at these high exchange rates which means an ever increasing focus on markets developing premium positioning and continually reviewing the cost base Smith: It’s something you just have to live with and certainly doesn’t put more emphasis on domestic sales as it is a mature market and while we see some growth the future is still export. We just need to ensure the wines are good enough and the brand is strong enough to maintain its position in the market and withstand the currency pressures. Having said that we believe it is overvalued and needs to stabilise at more realistic levels. Hawkers: The high exchange rate is a fact of life. It has the effect of putting our wine at a higher price point in overseas markets than we would like but being a small winery we have little capacity to adjust our pricing if we are to stay in business. So we do our best to focus on quality, giving our overseas customers value for money. The exchange rate hasn’t caused us to focus more on the domestic market. Indeed the increasing excise tax, April 2014 – Issue 603

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5 which we have absolutely no ability to pass on to our New Zealand customers and must therefore be absorbed, acts as a probably unintended “export incentive” for us to keep our focus on markets overseas.

Last year’s vintage was a record 345,000 tonnes. By all accounts this year’s harvest could top that. What do you think is an ideal tonnage for New Zealand? At what level do you think a high tonnage will start to have a negative impact on your business?

Fistonich: A single record vintage generally does not have an overall impact on the industry, however a continuation of record vintages can. It is important the NZ wine industry focuses on reducing crop levels and maintaining the quality reputation we have built up, starting in the UK. Smith: There is no doubt the entire New Zealand industry is affected by what happens within Marlborough with Sauvignon Blanc because to be real that is where the significant growth in volume is going to occur. We have to realise this is an agricultural business and therefore affected by the natural variations in production and quality. The way to manage that is to ensure vines are not over-cropped, quality and character of wine is maintained and wine is not sold within a specific window so annual supply variation can be managed.

Hawkers: In our view the ideal tonnage for New Zealand is one at which our industry is able to sell the wine produced at prices giving a fair return to all steps of the production chain, keeping us all in business and the reputation of New Zealand wine high. When the tonnage goes beyond this point, whatever that is, and our wine is sold in bulk, ending up in the discount bins of supermarkets, irreparable harm is done to New Zealand’s wine brand. We only have to look to what has happened to Australian wine in the US market, for example. Greed and pursuit of short-term gain, if we are not careful, will kill the golden goose.

The Global Financial Crisis, surplus production and the high NZ dollar created a “perfect storm” that damaged the industry, although it is now clearly in recovery mode. A number of producers claim the experience has made them stronger or, at least, more resilient. What lessons does the industry need to take on board in order to avoid a recurrence?

Fistonich: Examine closely all costs associated in running the business and match your grape intake to sales. Keep crop levels at levels that enhance quality. Smith: I guess any business that has survived will obviously be stronger because it meant you had to think harder and be smarter in how you approached your business. The only possible insurance against issues such as this is to ensure the product and brand you

George Fistonich: A pillar of the New Zealand wine industry, Villa Maria’s founder and MD is one of the market’s high-profile figures and biggest producers.

produce is in demand and there is enough margin in the product to withstand the dynamics of a very fast moving world. And of course there is real difficulty if debt levels are too high. 

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5 New Zealand wine companies

Hawkers: See our comment above. We recognise our industry has just been through a “perfect storm” and bulk wine sales have been the saviour for many. And yes, some useful lessons have been learned – if we remember them. But we doubt that will happen, at least for long. This is probably an unfashionable view but we think a key lesson our industry should recognise is free-market economic theory might result in the best allocation of productive resources but it has no regard for such intangible assets as reputation, which are key if we are to sell value-added products rather than commodities.

Do you think NZ should focus on a few key export markets or cast the net wider?

Fistonich: By casting your net wider, you can tend to lose focus and diminish your energy on the major markets which have an overall greater long-term impact on sales. However it is also important to spread your sales risks by selling into smaller international markets to help build the NZ brand story. Smith: Personally I believe there is a danger in casting the net too wide. We need to realise we are a small country and small wine producer. However in a way our major export wine is marketed in a broad manner that can run the

Warwick Hawker: Together with wife Jenny, Hawker is the archetypal face of New Zealand’s 605 boutique wineries, producing 200,000 litres or less each year.

risk of being commoditised. That is a disconnect and not a future I would like to consider as being sustainable, however it is an ingrained colonial mentality within our entire agricultural sector. I really believe there is an incredible opportunity in the US for strong wine brands from New Zealand marketed as if they were from the special place we all believe we have. It is hard work and takes time however it is better than a shotgun export approach that doesn’t necessarily build long term brand equity.

Hawkers: Are you asking should we try to pick winners? To a degree probably yes. As a generalisation New Zealanders have a great propensity to be ever seeking the next “green field” and a lesser propensity to be willing to put in the hard graft of develop existing opportunities. There is some interesting research around on this aspect of the New Zealand character. There will always be new opportunities and as an industry we need to keep alert to them, but we would probably do better and make better use of our limited collective marketing resources if we focused more.

We’ve got an election looming in September. How would you like to see the government support the wine industry?

Fistonich: Reduction in excise tax has been harped on by NZ wine industry negotiations with the Government for many years without success. However Government supports the wine industry in other ways e.g. negotiating Free Trade Agreements for ease of sales into key markets and the recent government/wine industry initiative in life style wine research, pushing the NZ wine industry into being the leader in that potentially important segment of the market. Steve Smith MW: The director of wine and viticulture at Craggy Range with its headquarters in Hawke’s Bay also has an operation at Martinborough and is a grape buyer from Marlborough and Central Otago. 46 The Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker

Smith: A lot of people will talk about excise tax here, but that discussion is terminal, it’s not going to change because it is an alcoholic beverage and therefore will always attract a sin tax. However the government can invest with us and I would have to say has done a great job www.winebiz.com.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

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5 New Zealand wine companies

recently. However the projects are often too short and not ambitious enough. The wine industry can be a figurehead for a collective strategy of producing great natural food from New Zealand. I firmly believe New Zealand’s longterm agricultural prosperity will come from creating a reputation as the world’s leading producer of high quality natural food and wine from our land. There is a real depth to the stories and the potential is significant in an area where the world is becoming more attentive to these issues. So I would like to see a strong long-term government commitment as part of a joint private and public partnership to building New Zealand’s “food and wine” image internationally. It will require significant investment in money and time, but done properly means we will all be better off in every way.

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Hawkers: Recognise the challenges faced by small wineries, especially in developing overseas markets, and give collectives of producers access to the support provided by government agencies such as NZTE. And second, do something about excise tax on wine or at least do something about mitigating the impact

on the small producers so important to the “fabric” of the sector which in turn makes a key contribution to New Zealand’s appeal as a tourist destination. Excise is a great way for government to collect revenue when producers of alcoholic beverages are able to pass the tax on to consumers. But in the case of small wineries at least their competitive situation means this is not possible. The result is that excise is an additional tax on producers of wine rather than, as was the intention, on consumers of wine.

By my count only 29 NZ wines have a domestic price tag over $100. Are we missing the boat?

Fistonich: Yes, there is only a small number of NZ wines which have a domestic price tag of over $100, but in reality the market for NZ wine over $100 per bottle is very minimal and one has to be market realistic. Smith: Yes, but the wines need to have the magical combination of quality, reputation built over time and the ability to seem very scarce (even when they are

not), to play in the fine wine market. That takes real commitment, ability, creativity and tenacity and we just need more producers with those elements and their ambition. Hawkers: Interesting question. To use Bordeaux and Burgundy wines as an example, key factors are reputation, consistent quality and marketing. Both regions have built over centuries a reputation for producing consistently age-worthy fine wines, only available to a select group, packaged well, all of which drives and supports demand at the luxury end of the market. It is ‘provenance’ (product quality) not packaging that commands a high price. Central Otago is only just beginning to get a handle on the ageability of its wines after 25 years – but it is still early days. Possibly this is an area the NZ industry needs to focus more on in the future, revisiting past vintages and telling that story to help build our reputation as producers of fine wines that age well. Contact: Bob Campbell. Phone: 64 9445 1745. Email: bob@bobcampbell.co.nz.

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April 2014 – Issue 603

ask the

Bunches with ripe and unripe berries Q. My Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were going though veraison at the time of the heatwave in mid-January 2014. Since that time, I have noticed that bunches comprise a mixture of small unripe berries and larger riper berries. It looks a bit like ‘hen and chicken’ but I didn’t notice any bunches with this problem prior to veraison. Can you explain what is going on?

The fact that your bunches were developing normally prior to veraison without any signs of ‘hen and chicken’ suggests that what you are observing is a ripening disorder termed ‘sweet and sour’ in 2000 by the late Dr Bryan Coombe. Bryan was tracking the development of single bunches of several grape varieties in his backyard during the 1999/2000 growing season (as he was inclined to do as one of the world’s leading authorities on grape berry ripening). For most bunches in that season, seed and berry development had proceeded normally (with moderate air temperatures) up to the stage when veraison had just started. Then followed an 11-day spell of very hot days and nights beginning on 8 January. Subsequently it became apparent that only the early berries on those bunches were expanding and colouring normally, apparently unaffected by the heat. The remaining berries remained green. During the ensuing week or two when temperatures moderated, the green berries commenced ripening—but bunches had, by that stage, become much more variable in terms of berry ripening. By the end of February, the Cabernet Franc bunch (Figure 11.12a, Coombe and Iland 2004) had 85 per cent of berries coloured but many were deficient in sugar having been derived from those that were green one month before. At that stage, the sugar content of juice from all berries was measured and showed the following: 60 per cent of berries were 13° to 20°Brix and coloured purple, 18 per cent were 9° to 13°Brix and coloured pink, and 15 per cent were 4° to 9°Brix and still green. Nearly all berries were seeded. Bryan speculated that high temperature had damaged phloem tissue in the bunch stems thereby disrupting translocation into the berries. This damage would have been subject to a variable degree of repair. In your case you could confirm that it is not ‘hen and chicken’ by dissecting some of the small berries. You should April 2014 – Issue 603

Possible example of ‘sweet and sour’ disorder in Cabernet Sauvignon bunches, 10 February 2014

find that they have seeds whereas true ‘chicken’ berries are either seedless or have seed traces. Diagnosis of this disorder in this 2013/14 season may be problematical because there appears to have been a high incidence of millerandage* in some regions, particularly for varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, as a consequence of low temperatures during flowering and fruit set in spring of 2013. On 10 February, some bunches were collected from Cabernet Sauvignon vines that would have experienced the same heatwave as your vines at a similar growth stage (Figure 1). The sugar content of juice from 20 individual berries per colour class was measured. The large black berries averaged 21.1°Brix, the medium to large pink berries 16.5°Brix and the small to medium green berries 11.0°Brix. Furthermore, every single berry on both bunches had at least one seed (a sample of dissected pink and green berries is shown in Figure 1). Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that these bunches also have the ‘sweet and sour’ disorder. Asynchronous ripening occurs in every season to some degree—but it is possible that a heatwave at the start of veraison can cause even greater variability within a bunch. www.winebiz.com.au

What are the implications of the ‘sweet and sour’ disorder for fruit composition and sampling? Unlike ‘hen and chicken’ for which the chicken berries ripen just as well as hen berries (and thus have comparable sugar, acid and pH), there will be much greater variability of composition in the case of the ‘sweet and sour’ disorder and thus bunches that appear to be ripe as a whole, based on colour at harvest time, may contain a high proportion of under-ripe berries. You should sample whole bunches rather than just berries for pre-harvest compositional analysis and also ensure that all berries are crushed.

Further reading:

Coombe, B.G. (2000) Letter to the Editor. Aust. N. Z. Wine Ind. J. 15(2): 13. Coombe, B.G. and Iland, P.G. 2004. Grape Berry Development and Winegrape Quality. Dry, P.R. and Coombe, B.G. (eds.) Viticulture Volume 1 – Resources. 2nd edition. Adelaide: Winetitles: 210-248. Iland, P., Dry, P., Proffitt, T. and Tyerman, S. 2011. The Grapevine – from the science to the practice of growing vines for wine. Adelaide: Patrick Iland Wine Promotions. * Hen and chicken is often used as a descriptor of poor fruit set when the term ‘millerandage’ is preferable. Millerandage refers to the condition when there is an excessively high proportion of seedless berries and live green ovaries relative to seeded berries. It is, along with coulure (excessive shedding of flowers and young berries resulting in relatively few berries), a symptom of poor fruit set. Grapegrower & Winemaker

grapegrowing Vine balance is driving fruit composition and developing an industry ‘toolbox’ A team of university, CSIRO and industry researchers are chasing the grape industry’s Holy Grail – producing more with less – and without affecting consistency and quality. THE Australian wine industry needs to consistently and sustainably produce high quality fruit, whilst minimising inputs, to remain competitive in the international market. This is the ultimate industry challenge, and one that is becoming harder in the face of climate change and rising costs. Vine balance, or the relationship between the amount of shoot growth and developing fruit, is considered central to the production of winegrapes to meet market expectations. A number of management practices (pruning, fruit removal and physical canopy manipulation) can be implemented to control canopy size, canopy structure and crop load, hence vine balance, for the purpose of optimising fruit quality. Viticultural researchers have developed a number of indices that give an indication of vine performance and vine balance, which relate to the likelihood of a vineyard producing wine of a targeted style and quality. However, difficulty in reliably assessing the impact of these measures has meant adoption by industry is low, or often informal and subjective. Both research and grower experience have shown differences in crop load and/or vine balance can strongly influence berry composition, but information on how to consistently achieve desired outcomes for sugar, acids, colour and tannins is lacking. A mechanistic understanding of how changes in the source to sink ratio (canopy size to crop load) can affect berry composition, together with a suite of grower tools to easily assess that ratio, would greatly enhance our ability to use vine balance to target a given market. Vine balance and yield variability were identified as a priority research area in the Grape and Wine Research and Development five-year Strategic Plan 2012-2017. As a result, two projects were funded in this area were funded in 2013; a University of Adelaide managed project which aims to optimise vine balance in Australian vineyards through the development of a toolbox for industry and a joint CSIRO/ NWGIC project seeking to improve industry capacity to manage the yield and wine quality relationship through understanding

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the influence of vine carbon balance on berry composition. Both projects are run separately and include other collaborators, but share an Industry Reference Group and assist each other with some joint trial work to examine methods and technologies that can be used to achieve balanced vines.

THE PROJECTS Optimising vine balance in Australian vineyards: developing a toolbox for industry to ensure best practice, sustainability and profitability For each variety, region and season there exists an optimum vine balance (when vegetative growth and fruiting load are in equilibrium) that delivers the best possible fruit quality for a desired wine style. However, the link between canopy management, vine balance indices and wine quality has not been clearly understood. The use of novel technologies may advance the understanding and practical application of these relationships and concepts. This project has two main objectives; • Determine canopy parameters that indicate optimal vine performance and wine quality and evaluate how effectively these can be manipulated using management techniques and; • Develop an accurate, inexpensive, labour saving smartphone based toolbox for assessing vine balance infield and deploy this toolbox to the industry. Findings from this project will allow growers/managers to refine management options (such as irrigation and canopy management) to ensure optimal grape quality, whilst reducing labour and input costs. The robustness of these tools will be benchmarked across a range of varieties and regions, and management trials. The ‘infield’ assessment toolbox will be used to inform management decisions throughout the season in order to improve vine balance and hence wine quality. The development of accurate and inexpensive infield tools is possible through the use of smartphones together with digital imaging and automatic analysis algorithms. These techniques have recently been developed and now require formal evaluation in research and commercial vineyard situations. The toolbox can be used to aid vine management in order to improve vine balance and hence wine quality. A smartphone based ‘toolbox’ offers an easily accessible platform for deployment and future development that can be delivered directly to industry. This form of partnership with research institutes and industry will help to validate these technologies and accelerate their adoption by the industry.

PROJECT UPDATE - FIRST SEASON Vine performance parameters have been measured in canopy management trials established by Treasury Wine Estates in the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Padthaway and Great Western wine regions. Commonly used management practices such as leaf removal, shoot thinning, kicker canes, irrigation and cover

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April 2014 – Issue 603

crops were applied to manipulate canopy architecture. In addition, 50 indicator sites in the Barossa, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills have been selected to also monitor vine performance. The vine parameters measured at both canopy management trials and indicator sites will then be correlated to berry and wine quality assessments. These experimental trials are also a test-bed for newly developed technologies that will be evaluated against more established techniques. An example of these technologies is the Canopy Architecture App developed at the University of Adelaide (Figure 1, Fuentes et al. 2012). This application uses digital imaging Figure 1. A. Upward looking image of a grapevine canopy obtained using an iphone 4S used for and automatic analysis algorithms to analysis. B. App home and output screens as seen on an iPad. estimate leaf area index (LAI) and canopy porosity. This technology is in the beta testing stage of development and has been used across all experimental Hilltops (NSW). Each trial is fully replicated and is utilising the trial sites to test, evaluate and complete development with an same canopy/crop management techniques to manipulate vine aim to release to all stakeholders later this year. balance. The management techniques used in the current season were early defoliation at E-L stage 19, late defoliation and crop Improving industry capacity to manage the yield thinning, both at E-L stage 32 (Figure 2). and wine quality relationship through understanding The intent of these treatments was to increase or decrease the influence of vine carbon balance on berry the balance between crop load and canopy area, relative to composition untreated control vines, at each site and generate differences Vine balance is, in essence, a source-sink interaction; the sufficient to impact ripening and berry composition. relationship between carbon fixation (via canopy photosynthesis) Standard analytical techniques for determining sugars, and the utilisation of that carbon in growth and fruit production. anthocyanins and tannins are being used in combination with The over-arching aim of this project is to determine just how modern molecular biology techniques, which will target key vine balance affects fruit composition and the extent to which genes that encode for rate limiting steps in the synthesis of these it does so, thereby providing the Australian wine industry with compounds. the knowledge required to manage the yield, grape composition Wines will be made using fruit from each management and wine quality relationship more effectively. technique at each site and also analysed using existing To achieve this we have established field trials using a analytical techniques to ensure that any differences observed single variety (Shiraz) in three winegrape growing regions in fruit composition actually translate to differences in wine across three states: Langhorne Creek (SA), Sunraysia (VIC) and

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April 2014 – Issue 603

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Figure 2. Vine balance treatments: (Left) early defoliation at McWilliams, Hilltops, (Middle) crop thinning at Deakin Estate, Sunraysia and (Right) late defoliation at Cleggetts, Langhorne Creek.

composition. To complement these field trials, an experimental system has been built at the NWGIC in Wagga Wagga to specifically examine the effects of carbohydrate supply and carbon balance on fruit composition (Figure 3). The system is based on six large transparent chambers designed to enclose the canopy of large mature potted grapevines and reduce whole vine photosynthesis by lowering the CO2 concentration of incoming air. When compared to control vines in chambers supplied with air at ambient CO2 concentration, the system allows the effects of carbohydrate supply on berry ripening and composition to be separated from effects of fruit exposure or temperature. By reducing photosynthesis through regulation of CO2 supply rather than permanently removing fruit or some of the leaf area, transient periods of

carbon ‘stress’ can also be applied at different stages of berry development. When combined with berry sampling and analysis of berry composition and gene expression, the sensitivity of berry composition to changes in carbohydrate availability can be established. The vines are also of sufficient size for small-scale ferments to be made from each vine at harvest. As a whole, the project will be able to directly link changes in expression of the genes responsible for anthocyanin and tannin formation with changes in vine balance due to direct manipulation of the canopy or crop, as well as separate out any indirect effects of that manipulation through changes in bunch exposure. This knowledge will provide a number of additional benefits, including assessment of techniques to manipulate vine balance and early season indicators

of fruit quality, to assist within-season decision making on crop/canopy manipulation. The concurrent collection of results across three regions, representing three states, will ensure that such application of the resulting knowledge is broad and of benefit to most growers. Contact: Cassandra Collins. Phone: 61 8 8313 6813. Email: cassandra.collins@adelaide.edu.au. Everard Edwards. Phone: 61 8 8303 8649. Email: Everard.Edwards@csiro.au. University of Adelaide: Cassandra Collins, Roberta De Bei, Stephen Tyerman and Matthew Gilliham. CSIRO Plant Industry: Everard Edwards, Mandy Walker and Peter Clingeleffer. National Wine and Grape Industry Centre: Jason Smith, Bruno Holzapfel and Celia Barril. Treasury Wine Estates: Paul Petrie, Catherine Kidman, Amy Richards, Catherine Wotton, Jana Shepard, Suzanne McLoughlin, Bethany Collins University of Melbourne: Sigfredo Fuentes Other Industry Collaborators: DJs Growers Postgraduate students: James Hook, Dylan Grigg, Luciano Caravia, Devin Methven, Paula Chodin Param, Industry collaborators: Wingara Wine Group, McWilliams Wines, Cleggett Wines.

Acknowledgements: The authors gratefully acknowledge the grape growers who have allowed access to their vineyards for this research and to all grape growers and winemakers through their investment body the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation.

References:

Figure 3. Whole vine gas exchange chambers with CO2 scrubbers in bird-proof enclosure at the NWGIC.

52 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winebiz.com.au

Fuentes, S., De Bei, R., Pozo, C. and Tyerman, S. (2012) Development of a smartphone application to characterise temporal and spatial canopy architecture and leaf area index for grapevines. Wine and Viticulture Journal, November/December, 56-60.

April 2014 – Issue 603

grapegrowing

Initial steps for high-throughput phenotyping in vineyards German researchers are expanding the winegrape industry’s ability to harness accurate phenotyping to provide winegrape growers with more objective measurement tools in their search for breeding better grapes.

At a glance: • In breeding programs up to now phenotyping of grapevines in vineyards is being carried out only by the use of visual inspection. • Automated sensor-based technologies in vineyards is a promising opportunity to increase the quantity of phenotyping samples. • Determination of grapevine phenology or yield estimation using images comprises more detailed detection and the survey of small plant features. • In contrast to visual inspections in the vineyard, semi-automated image analysis approaches need less human labour and deliver valid results.

ACCURATE phenotyping is a key tool within the scope of plant breeding. A plant phenotype comprises morphological and physiological features and reflects genotype-environment-interaction. In particular, with regard to resistance breeding of grapevine, phenotyping of diseases is possible under lab or greenhouse conditions using leaf discs or potted grapevines, e.g.1. Phenotyping of single plant phenology (e.g. time of bud burst), determination of yield parameters (e.g. berry size, number of clusters per shoot), and identification of grape and wine quality are similarly important in grapevine breeding. The investigation of all stated traits requires grapevine plants which have been cultivated beforehand in the field for several years. In breeding programs up to now phenotyping of grapevines in vineyards is being carried out only by the use of visual inspection – i.e. estimating traits by applying the BBCH scale (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und CHemische Industrie) or OIV descriptors (International Organisation of Vine and Wine). The BBCH scale is a common system used to identify growth stages of grapevines2 and the OIV descriptors are used in order to evaluate traits, e.g. the berry size3 accordingly. It is not only time consuming and laborious, but also expensive and subjective. Its biggest limitation, however, is the problem of phenotypic data acquisition on several hectares at a time of rapid plant development,

54 Grapegrower & Winemaker

thus permitting a broad and detailed evaluation only for limited breeding material. The application of automated sensorbased technologies in vineyards is a promising opportunity to increase the quantity of phenotyping samples, to improve quality of recording, and to minimise error variation. Certainly, the implementation of precise sensor-based screening practices to receive grapevine characters combined with increasingly efficient genotyping techniques (e.g. marker-assisted selection – MAS) will greatly enhance the efficiency of grapevine breeding. Currently, the application of robotics or comparable platforms in vineyards is especially known from precision viticulture, e.g.4. Published studies aimed at sitespecific vineyard monitoring, targeted spraying and vineyard management. Sensor-based phenotyping of grapevines often intended for the discovery of water stress or the determination of leaf canopy5. Nevertheless, the determination of grapevine phenology or yield estimation using images comprises more detailed detection and the survey of small plant features, e.g. single berries in grapevine clusters.

QUESTIONS The present study aimed at the investigation of initial steps in order to enable high-throughput phenotyping in vineyards by using images and depth maps. www.winebiz.com.au

Therefore, a phenotyping platform should construct in order to capture images in vineyards with increased throughput. Form image-based phenotyping two important phenotypic traits of grapevines should be investigate: bud burst and berry size. Novel automated technologies will be tested within this scope using one colour image per grapevine with a black artificial background or one 3D depth map per grapevine which avoids the application of an artificial background.

FIELD SET UP Field experiments for image-based phenotyping were conducted in 2012 one day before harvest (BBCH 89) and three times after bud burst (BBCH 10) in 2013. Traditional Vitis vinifera cultivars (including among others Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Dornfelder) were used from the experimental vineyard of the Geilweilerhof located at Siebeldingen, Germany. A Prototype-Image-AcquisitionSystem (PIAS) was constructed. It is a four wheeled handcart equipped with a commercial available single-lens reflex (SLR) camera or a unit of industrial cameras, high precision GPS system (RTK-GPS) and a laptop. The camera was fixed in the middle of PIAS with a distance of at least 1 m from grapevines. Images were captured in front of the plants by dragging PIAS between grapevine rows.

EXPERIMENTS Four major experiments were conducted: • Experiment (a): Detection of bud burst at BBCH 10 o (a1) semi-automated (Figure 1a) – one colour image with real background o (a2) automated (Figure 1b) – one colour image with black artificial background o (a3) automated (Figure 1c) – four monochrome images with real background – Depth map computation for background identification • Experiment (b): Determination of April 2014 – Issue 603

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IMAGE ANALYSIS For phenotyping grapevine traits images were analysed by applying different software tools. The tools were developed using MATLAB 7.5 (MathWorks, Ismaning, Germany). The quantification of shoots at BBCH 10 (experiment (a1)) was conducted by using Trait Quantification Tool (TQT). Visible buds/shoots in images were marked by mouse clicking. For the determination of the berry diameter (experiment (b)) the Trait Size Tool (TST) was used. The edges of visible berries were marked manually with three evenly distributed points by mouse clicking. These three points define a circle which is automatically fitted through them. The diameter of the circle (i.e. the berry) is automatically measured in mm (coloured labels which were fixed on the wires in the vineyard were used as reference scale in the images). For the automated method three classes were predefined: ‘background’, ‘cane’ and ‘shoot’. First of all, images were automatically segmented into ‘background’ and ‘foreground’. Therefore, the black artificial background (experiment (a2)) or 3D depth maps were used.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION High-throughput phenotyping requires the automation of data recording and data analysis. This is carried out both at the laboratory and the greenhouse scale, e.g.6. Particularly for perennial plants like grapevine, high-throughput phenotyping in the field is rather new and challenging. In a stepwise process an interdisciplinary network was built up which involved the construction of a Prototype-ImageAcquisition-System (PIAS) in order to capture standardised images in the vineyard. In addition, several image analysis tools were developed and were validated. Image-based quantification of green shoots: In the first experiment (a1) colour images were used for quantification of shoots. Single images of grapevines were captured with real background at two time points. All images were analysed by applying Trait Quantification Tool (TQT) in order to validate the quality of the quantification results. The analysis of grapevine images which were taken at the beginning of bud burst (first date) showed that results from 49% of images (R2 = 0.49) correlated positive and an average of 76% of the real counted shoots

56 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Figure 1: Image-based phenotyping by using semi-automated (interactive) and automated image analysis of the phenotypic feature bud burst at BBCH 10. A) The application of TQT in experiment (a1) enables the capture of one colour image with real background. B) The artificial background in images of experiment (a2) was used in order to segment the image into ‘foreground’ and ‘background’. Thus, one colour image per grapevine is required for image analysis. C) The real background in images of experiment (a3) required the acquisition of four monochrome images per grapevine, following by the calculation of depth maps in order to distinguish between ‘foreground’ and ‘background’. The depth maps were used for image classification. In order to visualise the procedure the depth map was referred to one monochrome image and the ellipses were plotted on the image. (Original figure [8] with kind permission of the publisher)

were visible in the images (Figure 2a). The quantification of shoots in images from date 2, i.e. six days after date 1, offered the best and most exact results for this early stage of grapevine development with a positive correlation of R2 = 0.81 and an average detection rate of 94% (Figure 2b). The reason for the increasing accuracy of the results could be explained by the morphology at this early stage of development. At the beginning of BBCH 10 the shoots are predominantly small, grow close to the cane and not evenly upwards www.winebiz.com.au

and have similar colours (yellowish, light green, beige or brown) compared to the cane. Thus, the probability increases that buds or small shoots from the backside of the cane are not visible in the images, thus resulting in a lower detection rate. Due to this, it is important to capture images a few days after the first detection of BBCH 10, preferably when the shoots are visibly green and the average size is approximately 2cm. In this way, the detection of shoot development at BBCH 10 and the vitality of plants could be April 2014 – Issue 603

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Figure 2: Quantification of green shoots from grapevines at BBCH 10. Images were analysed by using Trait Quantification Tool. A) Quantification results at date 1. B) Quantification results of images which were captured six days after date 1. (Modified figure [8] with kind permission of the publisher)

determined by analysing images. In grapevine breeding the number of shoots (buds) can be used to characterise individual genotypes from breeding populations, e.g. to receive information about the length of internodes, vital shoots and phenology. The utilisation of PIAS enables the recording of image data (4500 plants in six hours) from a large number of grapevines in a short period of time. Subsequent image analysis permits the quantification of shoots for about eight images per minute on a standard computer (depending on image quality). Currently, phenotyping of bud burst is being carried out by visual inspection applying the BBCH scale and the quantification of shoots is not feasible in regular grapevine breeding programmes. In contrast, the present image acquisition method allows image-based phenotyping of a clearly increased number of plants. An automated prototype tool was developed in order to replace the TQT and reduce time for human labour. The tool was tested for the detection and quantification of shoots, with the classes ‘background’, ‘cane’ and ‘shoot’ being used for classification. It was assumed that the class ‘cane’ was defined as a thin elongated object in images with minor diameter and that the class ‘shoot’ could only be found close to the class ‘cane’. Within experiment (a2) the automated method was tested for colour RGB images from different grapevines. An average shoot detection rate of 65% was observed

58 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Figure 3: Sparse depth maps lead to false classification results. Specific software detected both types of background with absolutely different properties (sky = far away; grassland = nearby). Sparse depth maps led to errors during image classification, i.e. if shoots were not present in depth maps (white arrows), these shoots were consequently not usable for image classification (black arrows). (Original figure [8] with kind permission of the publisher)

in comparison with data using TQT. Furthermore, a false-positive rate of 25% was detected. No correlation was found between the number of shoots in images and the number of shoots counted directly in the vineyard. The detection of the background in images by computer vision procedures is much more practice-oriented compared to the carrying of an artificial background. Thus, monochrome images were captured by using a camera unit (experiment a3). The depth calculation allowed for the generation of depth maps. In depth maps the distance of every pixel in an image is assigned to the cameras optical centre which enables the separation between ‘foreground’ and ‘background’ in an image also automatically. The detection rate of the class ‘shoot’ was on average www.winebiz.com.au

63% but the false-positive rate increases to an average of 40%. The low detection rate combined with a high false-positive rate is thus not acceptable for a phenotyping procedure. Different reasons were determined which probably increase the false-positive detection of traits in images or depth maps. In vineyards, the wires, pheromone capsules, residues of old wooden vine tendrils, binding material or labels proved to be the most often observed sources for false-positively detected ‘shoots’ because these objects are also often localised close to the cane in the same plane as the real shoots. However, such false-positive ‘shoots’ could be used as negative training examples due to the fact that it is impossible to remove most of these objects from the vineyard. April 2014 – Issue 603

Additionally, the depth maps were identified as another basic reason for inaccuracy (see Figure 3). The used specific software tracked pixels with vague disparity information as pixels with no disparity which resulted in sparse depth maps. Disparity information was computed from points even when the homologous points could clearly be identified in all four monochrome images. This was not the case for homogeneous, non-structured or repeated structures such as plain sky, very dark spots or the wire frame. The sparse depth maps led to false classification results during image analysis. Consequently, shoots which are not present in depth maps (white arrows in Figure 3) are not detectable during image interpretation (black arrows in Figure 3). Hence, adverse illumination (e.g. shadows or overexposure) and artificial objects (e.g. wire frames or trellis posts) increase the possibility for incorrect classification, resulting in low detection rates combined with high falsepositive rates. The application of flashes, however, could improve the quality of images (no shadows and fine colour saturation), in turn leading to improved depth map calculation and an increased detection rate because colours could be used as supplementary information (e.g. the green colour of ‘shoots’ and the brown colour of ‘canes’). Improvement of the high-throughput image recording was achieved by the expansion of the camera unit with one additional colour camera. This also allowed for the consideration of colours within the automated image interpretation. Contactless determination of berry

April 2014 – Issue 603

size: The interactive tool TST was developed for contactless and noninvasive determination of the mean grapevine berry size in images. Diameters of the manually marked berries were automatically measured in mm utilising a predefined scale (Figure 4a). In order to validate the results of TST, reference data were acquired using the fully automated image analysis software BAT. BAT enables the fast and precise, imagebased determination of the diameter from individual berries placed on a specific plate7. The average berry size measured with TST showed an overestimation of up to 1.8 mm in comparison to the measured sizes applying BAT (Figure 4b). Nonetheless, a positive correlation of R2 = 0.97 was found between the observed berry size applying BAT (destructive) and TST (non-destructive). Hence, differences in berry size of 1mm could be detected in an easy and non-invasive way by capturing one colour image directly in the vineyard.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Within the present work initial steps were investigated in order to enable highthroughput phenotyping in vineyards by using images and depth maps. First of all, a prototype system was built for image capture in an experimental vineyard with increased throughput. In order to phenotype important traits (shoots at BBCH 10 and berry diameter) the captured single colour images were analysed by applying two interactive tools: Trait-Size-Tool and Trait-QuantificationTool. In contrast to visual inspections in the vineyard, semi-automated image analysis approaches need less human labour and deliver valid results.

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To reduce human labour an automated prototyping tool was developed in order to detect shoots after bud burst at BBCH 10 automatically by using 3D depth maps. Based on more or less sparse depth maps and lacking colour information a falsepositive detection rate of up to 62% was obtained. Reasons for this were discussed. The regarding points should thus be eliminated during image capture. Further improvements were discussed in order to increase the accuracy of the automated framework for future work. The approaches presented and the implementation of the stated improvements facilitates an automated, image-based phenotyping in vineyards with high-throughput, more precise objective data and decreased error rate. Contact: Dr Katja Herzog. Email: katja.herzog@jki.bund.de. K. Herzog, Julius Kühn-Institut - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof, 76833 Siebeldingen, Germany R. Roscher, Department of Photogrammetry, Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Nussallee 15, 53115 Bonn, Germany M. Wieland, Department of Geodesy, Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Nussallee 17, 53115 Bonn, Germany A. Kicherer, Julius Kühn-Institut - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof, 76833 Siebeldingen, Germany T. Läbe, Department of Photogrammetry, Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Nussallee 15, 53115 Bonn, Germany W. Förstner, Department of Photogrammetry, Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Nussallee 15, 53115 Bonn, Germany H. Kuhlmann, Department of Geodesy, Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Nussallee 17, 53115 Bonn, Germany 

Grapegrower & Winemaker

grapegrowing

VINE TALK

Late summer rain across many grape growing regions has meant a lot of weeds have either germinated or are primed, ready to go. Following this, the main question we are receiving from growers is, “How should I tackle these weeds?” The principal reasons for controlling weeds are to conserve soil moisture and reduce their competition with the vine for sunlight and nutrients, so the compelling answer is to spray now. Waiting for subsequent germinations and doing one big clean up, or hoping that weeds die from lack of follow-up rain can work against this principal reason. There are also other very valid reasons for keeping the vineyard clean at this time of year. These include reducing the feed source and shelter for vermin (particularly mice), keeping air circulating in the vineyard to reduce the incidence of disease, and just making it easier leading into autumn and winter for pruning and general management. If you are planning to use residual herbicides over the winter period, the reasons for spraying now are even more compelling. Residual products are a lot more effective when applied to bare soil. Large weeds, a dense mat of weeds or a thick carpet of decaying weed matter often leads to poor results from products that would otherwise offer extended weed control. If you decide to spray now with a knockdown, the key thing to remember is that your spray should always target weeds when they are small. Big weeds are harder and more costly to control. At this time of year, use herbicide rates towards the higher end of the label recommendations to help control any larger or more difficult-to-control weeds. Use plenty of water for good coverage. Looking longer term, using only knockdown herbicides to control weeds can lead to the development of herbicide resistance. It can also change the composition of your weed population. If you have identified that your vineyard contains glyphosateresistant weeds, or has received a lot of glyphosate applications over the years, introduce herbicides with different modes of action. Other knockdown options include SPRAY.SEED, REGLONE, glufosinate ammonium or a tank-mix of amitrole/GRAMOXONE. A double-knock strategy is a good option, especially for dense and large stands of weeds including annual ryegrass. A doubleknock is when two sprays with different mode of action (such as glyphosate and SPRAY.SEED) are sprayed in succession, 1-14 days apart. The application of pre-emergent residual herbicides in winter and spring is a good follow-up strategy that will complement any program if set up well. Good pre-emergents include pendimethrin or oryzalin. A mixture of different herbicide modes of action, along with non-chemical weed management practices, should be incorporated into your program. Finally, always remember to seek professional advice for your specific situation.

Vine Talk is compiled by Scott Mathew, Technical Lead, Syngenta scott.mathew@syngenta.com 0428225597 60 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Figure 4: Determination of the grapevine berry diameter. A) Image detail with manually marked berries. B) Comparison of berry size from different cultivars ‘Dornfelder’, ‘Pinot Blanc’, ‘Pinot Noir’ and ‘Riesling’. Light-grey - reference data from BAT; dark-grey – data from TST. BAT – Berry Analysis-Tool; TST – Trait Size Tool. (Modified figure8 with kind permission of the publisher) R. Töpfer, Julius Kühn-Institut - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof, 76833 Siebeldingen, Germany

Acknowledgements This article is a modified version of the original scientific paper - with kind permission of the publisher VITIS – Journal of Grapevine Research. This work was supported by the AgroClustEr: CROP.SENSe. net (FKZ 0315534) and PHENOvines (FKZ 0315968A) which are both funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the scope of the competitive grants programme Networks of excellence in agricultural and nutrition research.

References

1 SCHWANDER, F.; EIBACH, R.; FECHTER, I.; HAUSMANN, L.; ZYPRIAN, E.; TOPFER, R.; 2012: Rpv10: a new locus from the Asian Vitis gene pool for pyramiding downy mildew resistance loci in grapevine. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 124, 163-176. 2 LORENZ, D. H.; EICHHORN, K. W.; BLEIHOLDER, H.; KLOSE, R.; MEIER, U.; WEBER, E.; 1995: Growth Stages of the Grapevine: Phenological growth stages of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. ssp. vinifera)-Codes and descriptions according to the extended BBCH scale. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 1, 100-103.

OIV; 2001: 2nd edition of the OIV descriptor list for grape varieties and Vitis species. http://www.oiv.int.

4 BERENSTEIN, R.; SHAHAR, O. B.; SHAPIRO, A.; EDAN, Y.; 2010: Grape clusters and foliage detection algorithms for autonomous selective vineyard sprayer. Intelligent Service Robotics, 3, 233-243.

DIAGO, M. P.; CORREA, C.; MILLAN, B.; BARREIRO, P.; VALERO, C.; TARDAGUILA, J.; 2012: Grapevine Yield and Leaf Area Estimation Using Supervised Classification Methodology on RGB Images Taken under Field Conditions. Sensors, 12, 1698817006.

GRANIER, C.; AGUIRREZABAL, L.; CHENU, K.; COOKSON, S. J.; DAUZAT, M.; HAMARD, P.; THIOUX, J. J.; ROLLAND, G.; BOUCHIER-COMBAUD, S.; LEBAUDY, A.; MULLER, B.; SIMONNEAU, T.; TARDIEU, F.; 2006: PHENOPSIS, an automated platform for reproducible phenotyping of plant responses to soil water deficit in Arabidopsis thaliana permitted the identification of an accession with low sensitivity to soil water deficit. New Phytologist, 169, 623-635.

7 KICHERER, A.; ROSCHER, R.; HERZOG, K.; ŠIMON, S.; FÖRSTNER, W.; TÖPFER, R.; 2013: BAT (Berry Analysis Tool): A high-throughput image interpretation tool to acquire the number, diameter, and volume of grapevine berries. Vitis, 52 (3), 129135.

HERZOG, K.; ROSCHER, R.; WIELAND, M.; KICHERER, A.; LÄBE, T.; FÖRSTNER, W.; KUHLMANN, H.; TÖPFER, R.; 2014: Initial steps for high-throughput phenotyping in vineyards. Vitis 53 (1), 1-8.

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April 2014 – Issue 603

CSIRO working on key to grape ripening IT has been a hot summer for Dr Chris Davies and Dr Christine Böttcher. Sweltering day after day in Adelaide’s more than 40°C (peaking at 44.5C°) heat at CSIRO’s Waite campus would take its toll on anyone. But it is all part of the job for these two scientists. They are looking at how berry development is controlled and how to mitigate some of the negative effects of climate change on grape ripening. Research scientist Böttcher joined CSIRO as a post-doctoral Fellow to work with Chris’ research group in 2008. Originally from Germany, she had completed her doctorate at the RuhrUniversity Bochum. “I came straight from completing my PhD and I had never worked on grapes before,” Böttcher said. “I wanted to do something applied, where I can see my research has an outcome that helps industry,” she said. CSIRO receives applications from all over the world for its post-doctoral fellowships and Böttcher said it had a good international reputation in the scientific community and she was happy to move to Australia to take up the position. Davies agreed working with good people and the collaboration at CSIRO contributed to make his career enjoyable. “I like discovering new things and the excitement of being a biological detective, then using the knowledge to make improvements and the feeling that we’ve done something useful,” Davies said.

April 2014 – Issue 603

Hot stuff: Dr Chris Davies and Dr Christine Böttcher battled through one of the hottest Adelaide summers on record to explore the impact of climate change on grape production.

He is a team leader and has more than 25 years’ experience and completed his doctoral thesis on plant viruses and small pathogenic, self-cleaving RNAs (ribonucleic acid) with Professor Bob Symons at the Biochemistry Department of Adelaide University. “I started working in labs then went back to university, studying with Professor Symons in the Biochemistry Department’s heyday,” Davies said. “Molecular biology was very new then. We were at the forefront of the RNA world when that was a brand-new discovery. It was a very vibrant department,” he said. “I then completed my post-doctoral studies at the Sainsbury Laboratory at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, working with Sir David Baulcombe on plant RNA viruses.”

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In 1991, Davies returned to Australia and began working on tomato fruit biology at CSIRO, first in Sydney, then grape berry biology in Adelaide. For both scientists, it was at CSIRO they started applying their knowledge to grapes. “Grapes are interesting to work on, they do things differently to other plants and there are opportunities for exciting discoveries,” Davies said. The interesting work they are now doing is researching grape berry ripening and the effect of altered ripening on flavour and aroma compound levels. Davies leads a group studying molecular mechanisms of plant growth regulator action related to the timing and rate of berry ripening. Böttcher explained they are working on how to manipulate ripening. “White winegrapes used to ripen before red grapes. Now they may need harvesting at the same time, which causes problems for growers and winemakers.” Controlling the timing of harvest can assist to manipulate the sugars and flavour compounds as well as optimising timing to get the best fruit quality and minimise wastage. “Grapes are an international commodity and the wine industry is important commercially, as well as culturally and socially,” Davies said. Contact: Chris Davies. Phone: 1300 363400. Email: enquiries@csiro.au.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

Some of Australia’s finest Sources of inspiration from every wine region

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Intriguing complexity rewards investigation

HUGH

M S T RO N

– 2002 – SOUTH AUSTRALIA

CRAIG

JAC

KSON

– 1991 – SOUTH AUSTRALIA

A rewarding challenge for the more refined palates, the ‘Hughie’ can make a slightly abrasive first impression but quickly mellows once given a bit of air. There are complex hidden depths here that gradually open up and reveal a veritable encyclopedia of flavour from which ample grace notes constantly emerge.

MARK

OL D S ACK

– 1988 – SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Strength of character shines through Intense with a high level of concentration, Craig Jackson nevertheless retains a subtlety that brings out the best in any accompaniment. Likely to blend in harmoniously and unassumingly at a tasting, but can also make a surprisingly forceful impression after a couple of glasses.

CHRIS

DERSON

– 1984 – SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Getting better with every passing year Coming from a classic vintage and ageing superbly, Mark Goldsack features on many winemakers’ ‘Best of…’ lists year after year. Undoubtedly one of South Australia’s finest, this very appealing product of the Riverland sets a fine example with a robust and resounding style.

Another South Australian classic McLaren Vale – like the other South Australian winegrowing areas – has a rich heritage and here’s another very distinguished example of what long breeding can produce: a subtle, elegant experience that is never brash or confronting but can prove unforgettable.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

GRAHAM

AT C H E R

– 1997 – SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Savour the classic rewards of maturity In viticulture, nothing produces quality more surely than time. Best appreciated after dinner, but highly enjoyable at any time of day. This longtime favourite of local winemakers has a richness that comes from many seasons coping with the difficult conditions and thriving when better times come along.

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RICK

O R B U RY

– 2007 – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

First impressions may deceive There is a complexity about this flagbearer for the Swan Valley and Margaret River that discerning judges quickly come to appreciate. Grown on an exposed north-facing slope refreshed by Indian Ocean breezes, the Horbury balances light initial roughness with a smooth, gentle finish.

VICTORIA CRAIG

WHITE

– 2005 – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

TIM

WILKIE

– 2003 – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Clare Valley character plus extra sunshine

SHANE

White by name, but not by nature. Like all the best cabernet/merlot blends, this robust product of the Clare Valley has gained a softer edge after relocation to the West. Further mellowing can be anticipated, but aficionados still relish the occasional hints of underlying astringency.

AINER

– 2007 – VICTORIA

Science meets inspiration

Climatic extremes provide fine balance Transplanting from Margaret River to the Yarra Valley demands some fairly drastic climatic adjustment. Yet the transition has been smooth in this case. Early results are very promising, with surprisingly little change in character detected so far. A valued product of the west now seems set to flourish in the east.

Packing some punch ALISTAIR

BEYER

Bold, vibrant freshness with a dry finish characterise this very approachable blend of sophisticated chemistry and youthful exuberance. Despite many years of very enjoyable drinking to come, such a clever example of the scientific approach to winemaking is already worth getting to know.

– 2007 – VICTORIA

Unmistakably central Victorian in character: substantial and deceptively high-powered, but will soften with age. Very robust with emerging signs of refinement. You won’t forget an encounter with Alistair Beyer in a hurry and many wine lovers are left raving about the experience.

NEW SOUTH WALES GRAHAM

NICOL

– 1994 – NEW SOUTH WALES

IAN

MASTER

– 2009 – NEW SOUTH WALES

There’s no time like the present! A lush late picking ripe for full enjoyment right now, the pride of Mudgee embodies the joys of life. After years of flavour development, cellaring at this stage would be a criminal waste. Our advice: track down Graham Nicol and prepare to spend a few hours engrossed in pure quaffing pleasure!

Steadily climbing towards a distant peak Despite showing abundant youthful promise and drinking well already, the McMaster won’t peak for a good many years yet. Complex fruit undertones are already much in evidence with very low acidity, so great things are predicted by many good judges. One to watch.

DA R RY L

ETTON TR

– 2012 – VICTORIA

SCOTT

WA R D

– 2005 – VICTORIA

Sparkling South African varietal A bubbly newcomer to the Australian scene already making a big impact. Originally picked in Durban, South Africa for further maturation in NZ, Stretton has an upfront sweetness ideal for kicking off a party. With a drier finish, that vibrant first impression gives way to a subtler appreciation over time.

Giving the market what it wants Someone has to put commercial priorities first, and here’s triumphant proof. What the market wants, the market gets from Scott Ward: blending material sourced from all over the country to meet or exceed expectations straight off the shelf, creating good memories with a signature touch of class.

Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd, ABN 87 000 226 022, 391– 393 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria 3123. Technical Enquiries 1800 804 479. BCH0506

grapegrowing

Ameliorating magnesium bioavailability of vineyard acid soils by liming with dolomitic lime Soil acidity is a complex issue with a high influence on nutrient deficiencies and toxicities, low activities of beneficial microorganisms and reduced plant root growth, which limits absorption of nutrients and water by grapevine in vineyard acid soils. In fact, soil acidity is widely accepted to be an important causal factor of magnesium (Mg) deficiency in vineyards. The application of adequate quantities of liming materials, as dolomitic lime, can mitigate Mg deficiency symptoms. MAGNESIUM is a vital cofactor in the absorption of light energy by chlorophyll. In addition is an enzyme activator and is involved in carbohydrate partitioning of vines. In a physiological sense, Mg deficiency symptoms are firstly detected as an accumulation of starch in leaves (MehneJakobs, cited by Merhaut, 2007), which may be associated with a decreased allocation of carbohydrates from leaves to developing sinks (Fischer and Bremer, cited by Merhaut, 2007). Because Mg is phloem-mobile, Mg deficiency symptoms first become apparent as chlorotic discoloration of the interveinal areas of old leaves. Modern viticulture requires the implementation of efficient, sustainable, and environmentally sound management practices. In this context, liming is an important practice to achieve profitable grape productions in vineyards established on acid soils. Because one of the major consequences of soil acidification is the decline in basic cations, such as Mg, vineyard acid soils need liming to overcome this grape production constraint. Lime or liming materials are any materials that contain calcium (Ca) or

At a glance: • One liming material, dolomitic lime, has been added to soils at three doses: 900, 1,800 and 2,700 kg CaCO3 ha-1. • Mg content in soil exchange complex and concentrations of this nutrient in petioles of leaf samples were investigated during three years. • A significant increase in both soil exchangeable Mg as well Mg concentration in petioles was detected for the higher dolomitic lime dose used. • Data must be interpreted with caution because managing vineyard acid soils is complex from both a scientific and an economic viewpoint.

Mg and are able to neutralise soil acidity (Osman, 2013). However, vine growth improvement by liming materials in acid soils is not only due to the addition of basic cations (Ca, Mg). Liming also produces an pH increasing which reduces toxicity of phytotoxic levels of aluminium (Al) and manganese (Mn) (Fageria and Baligar, 2008). Nutrient interactions at the root-soil interface are an important aspect in mineral nutrition of vines. Thus, knowledge of the positive and negative interaction between essential mineral nutrients is particularly important to plan the management practices to maximise Mg use efficiency.

Because increasing concentration of Ca in the soil decreases vine Mg uptake due to competitive inhibition, when a very low Mg content in an acid soil is detected, the selection of an adequate liming material is required.

LIME DOSAGE Three doses of dolomitic lime (900, 1800 and 2700 kg CaCO3 ha-1) were evaluated over three years (2006-2008) with three repetitions per dose, providing nine subplots. An additional three subplots were used as controls. Usually, a dolomitic lime has a higher neutralising power (expressed as Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE), defined

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64 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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April 2014 – Issue 603

as the acid-neutralising capacity of the material regarding pure CaCO3) than a calcitic lime, because of the lower atomic weight of Mg. The required liming dose depends on several factors: (i) the nature of the soil in which the liming is performed, (ii) the quality of the amendment material, that is, the neutralising power measured as the CCE and the fineness, (iii) the crop management practices, (iv) the cultivated plant species, and, finally, (v) economic considerations (Fageria and Baligar, 2008). The dolomitic lime used in this experiment showed a neutralising value of 101 per cent.

ECONOMIC VALUE Viticulture is a key economic sector in the Spanish region of León, particularly so in the Bierzo Denomination of Origin (D.O.) label. The trial was carried out on a lower midslope on Bierzo D.O. (León, Spain). The treatments were distributed among the subplots in a completely randomised block design. Each subplot was approximately 24m2 and consisted of eight vines planted in a line. The mean annual reference evapotranspiration in the study site (FAO Penman-Monteith) is 922 mm, while the mean annual rainfall is 616 mm; the

With an Agronomy Engineering Degree from Spain’s University of León, Miguel Olego has spent the past eight years focused on vineyard soil fertility and grapevine productivity management with wineries established in several of his country’s Denominations of Origin, including Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Bierzo, Albariño, Valdeorras and Tierra de León. He obtained his PhD in 2012 on the study of nutrient interactions in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Prieto Picudo. Today he is developing work in the area of grapevine mineral nutrition, enhancing nutrient use efficiency and ameliorating soil acidity by liming on vineyard acid soils.

mean monthly temperature varies from 20C (July) to 4.5C (January) (estimation performed for the period 2000-2011). The vineyard acid soil under study (pH in water <4.6 at depth of 0-30 cm) corresponded to an Inceptisol according to Soil Survey Staff (2010). In addition, low concentrations of soil Mg (0.2 cmol(+)/kg) at the beginning of the trial was evident. The research was conducted on the Vitis vinífera L. cv. Mencía variety grafted on a Richter 110 rootstock with an approximate age of 75 years. After the dolomitic lime was added, the effect of the liming on the soil exchangeable Mg (MgS) was monitored for three years (2006-2008). This monitoring was conducted by sampling soil at depth of 0-30cm at

Figure 1: Effect of dolomitic lime on soil magnesium concentrations (MgS). Box-plots followed by the same letter are not significantly different at P = 0.05.

veraison phenological stage (late August). Because the concentration of an essential nutrient in the vine tissue is an important criterion for diagnosis of its deficiency or sufficiency, Mg concentration in petioles (MgP) was also evaluated through leaf sampling (30 petioles per subplot from basal leaves opposite bunches) at veraison phenological stage. The soil and plant data were tested for univariate normality and then subjected to univariate analysis of variance using the general linear means procedure. The statistical analyses were performed using R 3.0.1. (2013).

SIGNFICANT EFFECT There was a significant effect of dolomitic lime dose on levels of MgS (P < 0.001) and MgP (P < 0.05). MgS tended to increase in the sequence Control < 900 < 1,800 < 2,700. These differences were significantly higher in the high lime dose than in the unlimed treatment (Control) and in the rest of dolomitic lime doses (900 and 1800) (Figure 1). Thus, MgS concentration increased progressively with dolomitic lime application rate; 2700 dose exceeding Control treatment by 271 per cent, 900 dose by 117 per cent and 1800 dose by 103 per cent. It is expected the percentage saturation

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

grapegrowing

Dolomitic option: A vineyard acid soil with low availability of magnesium was limed with dolomitic lime.

of bases in the amended soils are higher than in the untreated soils. Thus, a reduction in soil Al concentration is also expected. Based on these soil results, the use of the appropriate doses of dolomitic lime is an effective alternative to alleviate soil acidity and reduce toxic concentration of Al in vineyard acid soils with low Mg concentrations. MgP tended to increase in the same dose sequence as in soil data (Control < 900 < 1800 < 2700). However, only the higher dolomitic lime dose (2,700) was significantly higher

than the unlimed treatment (Figure 2). Thus, 2700 dose exceeding Control treatment by 43 per cent. Romero et al. (2005), established as adequate ranges of Mg sufficiency for leaf petioles of Vitis vinifera L. cv. ‘Tempranillo’ at veraison stage the following levels: 0.73 - 1.10 per cent. The average Mg petiole concentrations were 0.67 per cent (Control), 0.69 per cent (900), 0.75 per cent (1800) and 0.96 per cent (2700). When the petiole Mg concentrations proposed by Romero et al. (2005) were used to interpret the data, only control treatment is below adequate in Mg

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at veraison. In contrast all dolomitic lime treatments are adequate in Mg at veraison. It can be clearly seen in Figures 1 and 2 the dolomitic lime dose of 2700 was by far the most efficient treatment in increasing Mg concentrations in both soil and leaf petioles. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an improvement on vine Mg nutrition was showed in all limed subplots. As one of the most important roles of Mg in vines is its inclusion into the chlorophyll molecule, it may be assumed that dolomitic lime applications on

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April 2014 – Issue 603

vineyard acid soils directly influence a more efficient process of photosynthesis. The latter is likely to lead to higher yield and quality in grape production under acid soil conditions.

CONCLUSIONS Because Mg plays an important role in the activation of many enzymes and also in the process of photosynthesis, an adequate level in the soil is important for producing profitable grape yields in vineyard acid soils. The results from this field trial confirm the desirability of liming vineyard soils with dolomitic lime when a low Mg content in an acid soil is detected, to eliminate exchangeable acidity and promote exchangeable soil Mg saturation. In addition, the trial with dolomitic lime showed a positive effect on Mg vine nutrition. However, this data must be interpreted with caution because managing vineyard acid soils is complex from both a scientific and an economic viewpoint. Future studies on the current topic are therefore recommended. Because dolomitic lime has a lower solubility rate than other classical liming

April 2014 – Issue 603

Figure 2: Effect of dolomitic lime on petiole magnesium concentrations (MgP). Box-plots followed by the same letter are not significantly different at P = 0.05.

materials as calcitic lime, a tillage pass after the amendment is applied on vineyard soil is recommended. Contact: Miguel Á Olego. Research Institute of Vineyard and Wine. University of Leon (Spain). Email: molem@unileon.es Olego, M.A., Coque, J.J.R. and Garzón, J.E. (Research Institute of Vineyard and Wine. University of León. Spain)

References: Fageria, N.K., Baligar, V.C. (2008) Ameliorating soil

acidity of tropical oxisols by liming for sustainable crop production. Advances in Agronomy 99, 345-399. Osman, K.T. (2013) Soils. Principles, properties and management. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Merhaut, D.J. (2007) Magnesium. In: A.V. Barker and D.J. Pilbeam (Eds.): Handbook of Plant Nutrition, 145-181. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, New York, USA. Romero, I., Martin, I., Lorenzo, I., García, C., Villar, M.T., López, D., Ibañez, S., Arroyo, M.C., GarcíaEscudero, E. (2004-2005) Diagnóstico nutricional de Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo en la D. O. Ca. Rioja. Niveles críticos preliminares. Zubía Monográficos 16-17, 41-58. Soil Survey Staff (2010) Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 11th Ed. U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, US.

Mildura Thursday 3 April 2014

Orange Friday 2 May 2014

Griffith Friday 4 April 2014

Adelaide Hills Monday 5 May 2014

Langhorne Creek Tuesday 8 April 2014

McLaren Vale Tuesday 6 May 2014

Stanthorpe Friday 11 April 2014

Barossa Wednesday 7 May 2014

Mornington Peninsula Tuesday 29 April 2014

Limestone Coast Thursday 15 May 2014

Yarra Valley Wednesday 30 April 2014

Margaret River Thursday 22 May 2014

Murrumbateman Thursday 1 May 2014

Swan Valley Friday 23 May 2014

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grapegrowing

It’s fast, furious and (officially) Down Under FMR Group has unveiled its new South Australian showroom and to celebrate, the vineyard machinery and equipment supplier held open house recently with all its products on show – including the all-new ERO Grapeliner 6000 Series grape harvester. Stephanie Timotheou caught up with FMR managing director Chris Clifford to get the low down.

GER M A N Y’s la rgest v i neya rd equipment and machinery manufacturer, ERO-Gerätebau GmbH, has turned its attention to the Australian wine industry. Where it has plans to dominate vineyards across the nation with its latest state-of-the-art grape harvester. The ERO Grapeliner 6000 Series grape harvester hasn’t been on our shores for long, but vineyard managers and operators have already had a taste of what it has to offer. Australasian ERO distributor FMR Group has brought in a small number of pre-release models, two of which are now in McLaren Vale and Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. FMR managing director Chris Clifford officially unveiled the harvester at the company’s new Mount Barker premises for a group of potential customers. The group also had the opportunity to speak with representatives from ERO Germany who attended the launch. At the same time Clifford and his team also had FMR Group’s range of sprayers, undervine mowers, vine trimmers, defoliators and the new HD barrel pruner on show. According to Clifford, the ERO Grapeliner 6000 Series grape harvester is one of the best on the market and many of its features can’t be found on any other harvesting machine in the world.

USER-FRIENDLY FEATURES The standout feature on the Grapeliner 6000 Series grape harvester is its ability to process fruit through a three-step process for purity of sample. The ‘Viti-Select’ - a roller sorting table with a large winery style destemmer

Harvester heaven: The ERO Grapeliner 6000 Series grape harvester at FMR’s new premises in Mount Barker, South Australia.

is combined to select and process the harvested fruit before delivering it into the picking bin via an elevator arm. It also includes three-fold cleaning of the collected crop with a cross-flow jet, leaf rake and lower suction fan combined with a sorting table system to operate in conjunction with the destemmer. “There are other machines which use a sorting table system but they are restricted to harvesting into a bin,” Clifford said.

“They’re not able to harvest over an elevator arm which makes it a lot more efficient, improves fruit handling and is easier for the operator. “If the sorting system is not required, at the touch of a button the fruit is diverted and delivered directly to the elevator.” It also harvests to a single-side elevator rather than double which allows the operator to have a full length cross flow fan operating across the scale plates.

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April 2014 – Issue 603

“This blows all the leaves and canes across to one side which gets removed by a leaf rake while it’s still dry because once the leaves contact the juice, they get sticky and difficult to remove,” Clifford said. The harvester has a maximum road speed of 40kmh to ensure quick relocation to other blocks. In addition to this, the operator cabin is the largest on the market for all-round vision and the floor is made of glass to ensure the operator can see directly onto what he or she is doing. The harvester has up to four television cameras to ensure the operator can see different points at any time as well as an auto steer system and cruise control function. “This ensures the operator can concentrate on making the finer adjustments in harvesting and processing rather than worrying about driving the machine.”

A+ SERVICING According to Clifford, the harvester is one of the easiest to service and access. He says the engine’s mechanical and hydraulic parts are all in one area and shielded from the harvesting zone so in

the event of a fuel or oil leak, it is not going to find its way onto the fruit,” he said. “This season we will have two fully trained technicians who will work with our own team and as there is a full range of spare parts in SA and WA if anything does go wrong it can be rectified as soon as possible.” Clifford said FMR Group responds immediately to customer callouts and offers its services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

NEW LOCATION, NEW OPPORTUNITIES The company has been operating in SA since November and according to Clifford its new premises is a gateway to greater opportunities. “We originally started in downtown Adelaide but we thought Mount Barker was more suitable for freight routes and gives us closer contact with nearby viticultural areas,” Clifford said. Tolley Viticulture general manager and viticulturist Simon Tolley and Treasury Wine Estates national vineyard maintenance co-ordinator and vintrepeneur John Owen are the two

new owners of the ERO Grapeliner 6000 Series grape harvester. Tolley said he decided to invest in the machine due to its lower running costs, versatility of ways the vineyard can be harvested and increased work rates. “Compared to a conventional harvester, I bought the machine for a number of reasons,” he said. “It is going to benefit the business by lowering the cost of machine harvesting due to an increase in harvesting operational needs, as well as higher fruit quality delivered to the winery by lowering the levels of greenness in the fruit. “This is done by eliminating vine leaves, stems and petioles and improved grape picking sample which saves us a lot of time.” Both Tolley and Owen have just started using the machines as they head into Vintage 2014. Contact: Chris Clifford. Phone: 64 21 228 3029. Email: chris.clifford@fmrgroup.co.nz. Simon Tolley. Phone: 61 (0)400 710 677. Email: simon@tolleyviticulture.com.au.

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GRO winetitle 1211.indd April 2014 – Issue 603 3

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11:24 AM Grapegrower14/12/11 & Winemaker 69

products & services

Revolutionary trellising system ‘future proofs’ vineyards TH ER E’s not hing like that classic Kiwi innovation and NZ Tube Mills is the perfect case Training in point. & trellising With more than 70 years supplying steel products to the Australian automotive and Australasian furniture industry, the company had to recover from the double whammy of a declining car industry and tsunami of cheap Chinese furniture imports. So the engineers and designers at the company turned to the vineyard industry as its savior – and may just end up saving the vineyards. NZ Tube Mills national sales manager Steve Pearce says after several years working closely with winegrowers and viticulturists it developed ECO TRELLIS steel posts and wire clips. “Even better, this is not just about us selling steel posts, it is about a complete vineyard trellising system,” Pearce says. “And unlike many of the traditional posts, which are coated with toxic chemicals our product is environmentally friendly,” he says. “The hard work and research at NZ Tube Mills has involved intensive testing of steel posts used in New Zealand vineyards to analyse success and failure rates in extreme weather conditions and determine a safety range for the ECO

70 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Field day: A vineyard with a total ECO TRELLIS setup demonstrates its appeal to both traditional and organic vineyards.

TRELLIS post design. “ECO TRELLIS offers a complete vineyard trellising solution using posts, clips and strainers relevant to site location. “Which makes it the ideal system for both new vineyard developments and the replacement of damaged wooden posts. “Major growth is coming from organic

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vineyard developments in Australia and New Zealand as no retardant chemicals currently used on wooden posts are involved – it also gives vineyards the option to go organic or go back to traditional without any changes needed.” Pearce says ECO TRELLIS offers an ideal alternative and wineries in New Zealand such as Felton Road, Villa Maria

April 2014 – Issue 603

Contact: Steve Pearce. Phone: 64 4 576 1800. Email: sales@ecotrellis.com. April 2014 – Issue 603

A REVOLUTIONARY NEW TRELLISING SYSTEM Eco TrEllis® offers a complete vineyard trellising solution using posts, clips and strainers as relevant to site location. it’s the perfect system for both new vineyard developments and the replacement of damaged wooden posts.

THE ECO TRELLIS® ADVANTAGE • Meticulous research and testing, followed by a comprehensive product-development process in the vineyard. • Environmentally friendly • Strong galvanised carbon steel construction • Cost-competitive with wooden posts • Fully recyclable • Easy to install • Lightweight and safe • Variable clip height • Rolled end with no caps required • Choice of three different strainer systems. The tie-back strainer system is highly recommended.

our sales Engineer, lukas Mojzisek, is based in Melbourne and is available to visit your vineyard to discuss all trellising requirements. conTacT lUKas Today PH + 61 408 573874

ecotrellis.com

and Pegasus Bay are using the product for the development of new organic vineyards. He says Pernod Ricard has been using the system in Marlborough for some time for its organic plantings. “ECO TRELLIS has also secured some major vineyard contracts with its steel posts including Ara Wines in Marlborough and NZ Vineyard Estates in Central Otago,” Pearce added. “In Australia new customers include Henschke Wines and Nova Vita Wines (in South Australia), Frogmore Creek and Jansz (Tasmania) and Griffiths Vineyard (Victoria),” he says. ECO TRELLIS now has two fulltime staff based in Australia to provide technical and sales advice on this new trellising system. Nova Vita Wines Viticulture Manager James Thorpe says the Adelaide Hills-based vineyard sees ECO TRELLIS “as a very good product and looks far superior to any other steel post I've seen in Australia”. “They certainly offer significant advantages over wooden posts in our part of the world,” Thorpe said. “I will be using them exclusively from now on in my own vineyard.” Close up: This shot High-profile South Australian demonstrates how wires are run through the ECO viticulturist Pure Henschke, TRELLIS steel posts. Henschke Wines, said she was “impressed by the affordability of the posts”. “For them to have the complementing end assemblies without having to fall back to CCA-treated posts is a big advantage for us,” Henschke added. The company said the ECO TRELLIS advantage included: • Meticulous research and testing, followed by a comprehensive product-development process in the vineyard. • Environmentally friendly. • Made from high-strength galvanised carbon steel coated with a thick layer of zinc, ensuring high durability against corrosion. • Cost-competitive and fully recyclable. • Simple installation with the flexibility of variable clip height; round profiles allowing easy post orientation; and manual attachment of wire clips. • Lightweight and safe. • A choice of three different strainer systems – conventional, box and tie-back. • Guarantee against any material or manufacturing fault. “Unlike a lot of other posts these are fully recyclable and give you the opportunity to future proof your vineyard because the focus on the environment is only going to get stronger in the years ahead,” Pearce says. “And we've had this product out in the market for a few years now and business is really starting to take off as people recognise the all-round potential of this product.” Pearce says NZ Tube Mills is also a significant producer of food grade stainless steel tubing, which also has a big market in Australia.

EMAIL luke.mojzisek@nztubemills.co.nz

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products & services

New faster, lighter Felcotronic promises productivity THE new Felco 801 electric pruning shear was released onto the Australian market last month and is having an immediate impact. Designed and manufactured in Switzerland, this model extends the range from the powerful Felco 820, which was released here last year. The light, ergonomic design and manoeuvrability of the Felco 801 makes it particularly suited to vineyard and horticultural pruning. The company says a major benefit of the new Felco 801 is its light weight. At just 745g, Felco claims the handpiece is the lightest on the market. It sits comfortably in the hand while the trigger gives highly accurate control of blade movement for maximum precision, efficient cutting and safety. Another innovative feature is trigger-activated shutdown. The cutting cycle is extremely fast, due to the combination of the mechanical engineering system and a high-technology motor.

Cut above: The Felco 801 electric pruning shear is being billed as the lightest handpiece on the market.

The power pack is another significant advance in the design of the Felco 801. A lithium polymer battery is housed in a light and comfortable backpack that sits close to the users body for optimum freedom of movement. The new model uses the same battery pack as the larger capacity Felco 820. The harness is compact and light at 920g with battery – and the power pack is compatible with other models in the Felcotronic range. The unit is activated by a control box attached to the user’s belt and a digital display shows battery life, number of cuts and service intervals. A USB port allows charging of a mobile phone or media player. Blaise Vinot, director of Felco Australia, says he is delighted at the feedback from trials to date. “The new model has undergone extensive trials in Australia over the past two years and reports from users indicate an improvement in productivity of 10 to 15 per cent,” Vinot says. “We believe productivity has become a very important criterion for assessment of new pruning tools and are confident the new Felco 801 will deliver a significant improvement in this area,” he says. Model variants include the Felco 801G, especially designed for left-handers, while optional cutting heads are available for cutting small diameters (Felco 800F) and sheep and goat hoof trimming (Felco 800M). The Felco 801 is supported in Australia by a national network of sales and service agents to ensure prompt, reliable service and parts availability. Felco 801 is available from the following stockists: • Bunnings warehouses • Mitre10 Mega stores • Other Mitre 10 stores • Thrifty Link • Home Hardware • Plants Plus Nurseries - Makit (WA) • Hugall & Hoile (WA) • Independent nurseries • Independent hardwares • Mower shops Contact: Felco Australia on Freecall 1800 730 257.

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April 2014 – Issue 603

grapegrowing

The role of potassium in grapevine function POTASSIUM is present in the vacuole of plant cells where it provides electrical balance for Fertilisers organic and inorganic & nutrition anion uptake. It has a structural role, helping to maintain osmotic balance (turgor) of the non-woody parts of the vine. And is also important in enzyme regulation, protein synthesis, metabolism and grape juice composition. Potassium is present in soil in the following forms: • Slowly exchangeable potassium – potassium fixes to clay in the ‘slowly exchangeable’ form making it gradually available to plants. • Available potassium - potassium held in the soil solution by soil organic matter and non-fixing clay particles in an exchangeable form. Potassium is naturally abundant in most Australian soils, however sandy soils are generally deficient as it is readily leached. There are also areas of heavy clay soils in Western Australia that are naturally deficient in potassium. Low exchangeable potassium values of 0.4 meq/100g or less are usual in acid soils, whereas alkaline soils have higher values of 1 meq/100g or more. Some alkaline soils may have excessively high potassium concentrations.

SOURCES AND LOSSES OF POTASSIUM Potassium occurs naturally in soils in the form of organic materials and can be sourced from applied potassium-rich fertilisers. Potassium can be lost by leaching through the soil profile, immobilised by clay particles in the soil or lost by removal of soil via erosion or runoff. Potassium is also removed from the vineyard in harvested grapes at a rate of approximately 1.6-5kg of actual potassium per ton of fruit.

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74 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Forms of potassium fertilisers Potassium chloride

Muriate of potash (potassium chloride) is usually the cheapest form per unit of potassium but should not be used where salinity is an issue.

Potassium nitrate

Potassium nitrate is a very soluble form that can be used in fertigation.

Potassium sulfate

Sulfate of potash is generally suitable.

MANAGEMENT IN THE VINEYARD In Australia, many soils contain clay minerals that supply potassium in a sustained manner so there is no requirement for additional potassium. However, vineyards planted on sandy soils, which are low in available potassium, and other soils that readily fix potassium in an unavailable form require potassium supplementation. These soils exist in California and it is possible that some Australian soils behave similarly. The application of potassium fertiliser should be based on petiole analysis and visual symptoms on vines. Petiole analysis at flowering may indicate low vine potassium status; however, consider the possibility of RSG/spring fever. If there is no other cause to suspect an actual potassium deficiency in the soil, vines should be closely monitored for any symptoms of potassium deficiency. If symptoms continue to be expressed on mid-shoot leaves after flowering, an application of potassium-based fertiliser should be considered.

APPLICATION OF POTASSIUM FERTILISERS Potassium can be applied either by broadcasting or banding to the soil surface, placement in a furrow, or via fertigation. Potassium supplied by fertigation is relatively efficient. If pre-plant soil analysis indicates soil deficiency (especially if the soils are potassium-fixing) you should do either of the following: • Broadcast or band sulfate along the planting line. A common rate used is (100kg/ha). • Apply as a side dressing to the vine rows. Young vines should not require maintenance application of potassium if

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levels were adequate at planting or if preplanting fertiliser was applied. However, in sandy soils maintenance applications may be required. In soils with very low levels of potassium, an annual application may be required. In this instance, broadcast 100-200kg of actual potassium per hectare of vineyard. When fertigating, use potassium nitrate at about 15kg/ha per application. In soils with low levels of K apply nitrogen at the usual rate (approximately 2-5g per vine per week) with urea, ammonium nitrate or calcium nitrate, and include potassium nitrate in every application.

TIMING FOR EFFICIENT UPTAKE In most of the eastern states of Australia, the best time to broadcast or band potassium is in autumn. Winter rains move the fertiliser into the root zone making it available for uptake during the growing season. In Western Australia, fertiliser is more often applied in spring. Top-up applications via fertigation may be required from around veraison if vines are stressed, otherwise vines may draw on reserves to ripen fruit to the detriment of the following season.

Environmental and sustainability issues Large quantities of potassium are removed from vineyard soils in grapes removed at harvest; however, many Australian soils have large reserves of potassium. Soil potassium reserves should be monitored to avoid unnecessary fertiliser application. Contact: Marcel Essling. Phone: 61 8 8313 6600. Email: rtp@awri.com.au. Reproduced with permission from the AWRI Vitinote

For further information contact Andrew Dawson on jobs@winebiz.com.au or by phoning +618 8369 9523 or post your ad online at winejobs.com.au April 2014 – Issue 603

The only pruning protection for your orchard or vineyard!

• Fungicidal pruning/ wound dressing • Easy to use • Flexible

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N U T R I O L O G Y *

*the science of growing

winemaking Tackling microbial failure in problematic wine fermentations using a holistic approach Researchers Vladimir Jiranek, Michelle Walker together with Jennie Gardner, Joanna Sundstrom and Tommaso Liccioli are tackling the issue of problematic primary (alcoholic) and secondary (malolactic) fermentation from a wine microbiology angle, using a multi-pronged approach to generate superior microbial strains better which exhibit fermentation robustness i.e. fermentation reliability, vigour and reduced nutritional needs. THE quality of Australian wine is dependent upon predictable fermentation outcomes in terms of consistent troublefree completion and where yeast and/or bacterial supplement requirements are easily forecast. However, problematic fermentations, which are either too slow or fail to complete and consequently require significant and costly intervention, are persistently reported by winemakers. It could actually be argued that problem fermentations are increasing in frequency for reasons such as a tendency towards grape musts with altered chemistry, such as higher sugars, due to stylistic or climate changes or the trend of noninterventionalist practices. In our 2010 survey of winemakers conducted as a prelude to this project, up to 8% of fermentations were identified as those with microbiological problems. Extrapolating to Australia’s total production of ~1.1 billion litres (ABS 1329.0; 27-2-12), this equates to a total volume of ~96 million litres with a domestic wholesale value of ~$346 million. Whilst much of this would be salvaged, if a conservative 10% loss in value of this wine occurs due to it being unsaleable or even downgraded, this represents a loss of $35 million. Clearly research aimed at microbial process efficiency specifically within wine fermentation is of great value to the Australian wine industry. Given the multi-factorial basis for problem fermentations and the variety of fermentation outcomes sought by winemakers, it remains unlikely that a single strain of yeast or bacteria will be a panacea for all fermentations. Consequently a more comprehensive palate of application-specific strains is warranted. We sought to directly tackle the issue of problematic (protracted/stuck) primary (alcoholic) and secondary (malolactic) fermentation by producing superior strains of yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which exhibit fermentation

76 Grapegrower & Winemaker

At a glance: • Efficient and cost-effective production of quality wine is critical to the sector’s viability, and is inherently linked to the microbiology of the winemaking process • Approximately 8% of fermentations encounter problems due to microbial failure (http://www.agwine.adelaide.edu.au/winemicro/news/Winemaker_survey_2010_ summary.pdf). Whilst some is made unsaleable because of quality losses, the value of the salvageable remainder maybe reduced through the wine being downgraded. • Improved microbial process efficiency specifically within wine fermentation is possible through the production of robust yeast and bacteria and application protocols and use of fundamental scientific knowledge. • A bioinformatic interrogation of extensive datasets of genome sequences of novel strains, mutant fermentation performance and relevant online datasets has helped to identify genes and hence targets or strategies for strain improvement.

robustness (i.e. fermentation reliability, vigour and reduced nutritional needs) and ideally novel metabolite profiles. In our previous GWRDC funded projects we have produced several improved yeast and lactic acid bacteria with robust fermentation properties under high stress conditions relevant to wine fermentation as well as much related new knowledge. To date, we have a collection of candidate improved strains awaiting allocation to specific winemaking applications. This project (UA11/01: ‘Innovative Microbials’) focused on industry specific outcomes outlined in the GWRDC’s Program 2 – Winemaking Excellence (GWRDC Five Year R&D Plan 2007–12). Specifically, the development of superior microbial strains and applications of these and new knowledge on fermentation management, so to secure and improve Australian wine quality. We have used a multi-pronged approach to generate candidate yeast and lactic acid bacteria based on earlier work, in what is essentially a holistic approach combining yeast and bacterial genomics, strain optimisation and high-throughput robotic screening systems for strain evaluation. Broadly, the research encompasses molecular and ‘-omic’ technologies, www.winebiz.com.au

microbiology, biochemistry and physiology in support of non-recombinant improvement by mutagenesis, directed evolution (DE) and classical breeding. A bioinformatic interrogation of extensive datasets of genome sequences of novel strains, mutant fermentation performance and relevant online datasets has helped to identify genes and hence targets or strategies for strain improvement. Genes associated with stress tolerance; nutrient efficiency and fermentation performance are of particular interest. Ultimately we seek to deliver superior yeast and LAB to enable more reliable and/or distinct winemaking outcomes. The key findings of this study were related to the broad objectives: Yeast genes and biological processes relevant to fermentation

1 Two Fermentation Releva nt Yeast Gene (FRYG) databases were compiled, based on in silico analysis (data-mining) of databases specifically related to winemaking (wine yeast genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomics data). The first, LIT_FRYG, is a collection of genes identified in previously published studies of single stress conditions that are relevant to fermentation. The April 2014 – Issue 603

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Figure 1: Evaluation of low H2S producing wine yeast in 10 L white juice fermentations Three low H2S producing strains were evaluated in 10 L white juice fermentations at 22°C. Strains were compared to PDM, Distinction® and the evolved strain FM16-C7. Strains were initially propagated in YPD, followed by Juice Starter Media with DAP (JSM_DAP). Fermentations were inoculated at 5 x 106 cells mL-1. The sugar utilization profiles (total sugar g L-1) and SO2 (mg L-1) is shown for each fermentation. Values are the average of 3 replicates ± SD. The following juice fermentations are shown in panels: A: Chardonnay, 2010 (180.4 mg L-1 YAN, 18.4 °Brix, pH 3.47, 5.4 g L-1 TA, 8 mg L-1 FSO2, 44.8 mg L-1 TSO2). YAN adjusted to 250 mg L-1 with DAP. B: Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (243 mg L-1 YAN, 18.3 °Brix, pH 3.65, 5.5 g L-1 TA, 3.2 mg L-1 FSO2, 35.2 mg L-1 TSO2). C: Chardonnay 2013 (316.3 mg L-1 YAN, 19.4 °Brix, pH 3.84, 5.2 g L-1 TA, 6.4 mg L-1 FSO2, 43.2 mg L-1 TSO2).

second, SGD_FRYG, is a collection of genes associated with fermentation relevant phenotype terms reported in the Saccharomyces Genome Database (www.yeastgenome.org). 2 Together with data from yeast library screens conducted under winemaking conditions we have defined the laboratory yeast “Fermentome” i.e. genes and/or processes required by yeast to sense and respond to the April 2014 – Issue 603

multiple stresses encountered during growth in grape juice to allow complete and efficient fermentation. The lab yeast “Fermentome” whilst incomplete and needing verification in a wine yeast background, includes a 93 gene Fermentation Essential Genes (FEG) dataset, which are necessary for fermentation completion in high sugar (Walker et al., 2013). 3 A comparison of the FEG dataset to the www.winebiz.com.au

FRYG datasets identified eight genes not present in either the LIT_FRYG or the SGD_FRYG datasets. These genes represent unique targets for further investigation of their roles and associated biological pathways in relation to fermentation, since they have not previously been associated with any fermentation stresses. 4 Preliminary micro scale (1.8 mL) fermentation screening of a yeast Grapegrower & Winemaker

winemaking

L-Malic acid (g L-1)

gene overexpression library has 3.0 identified genes putatively involved in decreasing fermentation duration (i.e. 2.5 positive regulators of fermentation). Laboratory scale (100 mL) evaluation of the putative candidate strains are 2.0 being conducted as part of our new GWRDC funded project UA1302 ‘Fit1.5 for-purpose yeast and lactic acid bacteria’. 5 Vacuolar acidification of the yeast 1.0 Parent cell is implicated in high sugar DE fermentation, with 20 FEG genes 0.5 associated with this biological process. In this study we have 0 examined whether any of the other 0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 FEG genes, when deleted in yeast, Time (hours) lead to vacuolar acidification defects. -0.5 Surprisingly, a further 14 genes not Figure 2: Malolactic fermentation (L-malic acid utilisation) by either a mixed evolved culture (Mix) previously associated with vacuolar from the Directed Evolution SB3 culture at 15% ethanol or the original SB3 parent. acidification were identified when vacuolar acidification was monitored during fermentation. These results further support vacuolar Characterisation of adaptively evolved (AE) strains of yeast and acidification as an important biological process necessary for LAB on lab- and pilot-scale, for improved performance in specific efficient fermentation in high sugar conditions (Nguyen et al. problem fermentations 2013). Novel yeast strains were generated using non-recombinant The data from this study provides a valuable source of genetic methods including sporulation and mass mating, chemical information for future work which will focus on understanding mutagenesis and adaptive/directed evolution approaches. the biological processes important for efficient and complete 6 Sporulation and subsequent mass mating of ~80 wine yeast fermentation, as well as providing targets for directed evolution strains, followed by ~190 generations of adaptive evolution of yeast strains for improved fermentation performance in were performed to generate yeast strains. A relatively small oenological conditions. number of novel strains were analysed for fermentation vigour (~120 strains in micro-scale and seven in 10 L fermentations). An extensive glycerol collection is available for future screening in either juice or chemically defined media for strains of interest. 7 The adaptively evolved FM16 mixed population reported by McBryde et al (2006) was rescreened in juice and chemically defined media to identify new single isolates. Promising strains were tested in 10L white juice fermentations and showed fermentation performance equal to or better than the industry standard, EC1118. Yeast derived aroma compounds, key metabolites and SO2 were analysed and whilst no significant differences were observed, differences were seen between wines made from strains EC1118, L2056 and FM16 evolved strains with higher levels of floral or fruit attributes in the FM16 derived strains. 8 Yeast strains with low H2S and SO2 production were produced through either chemical mutagenesis or by exploiting genomic heterozygosity observed in the wine yeast strains EC1118 and Distinction®. Three of these strains were tested in 10L fermentations with low H2S and SO2 production observed and comparable fermentation performance compared to our fastest evolved strain FM16-C7 (Figure 1). This work was funded in part by a University of Adelaide Wine 2030 award to Dr Michelle Walker. 9 Four malolactic fermentation efficient bacterial strains derived from SB3 were generated by Directed Evolution (DE). Figure 2 shows MLF (L-malic acid utilisation) by parent SB3 and the mixed evolved culture. The four isolates are still to be completely characterised and genome sequencing of these and the parent is underway. 10 Our most promising evolved strain of interest FM16-C7, for which a provisional patent has been applied, has undergone preliminary trials as a rescue strain for sluggish/stuck fermentations. In the 2000 – 14000 L trials, whilst FM16-C7

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April 2014 – Issue 603

was not able to complete fermentation of these stuck fermentations, it was able to reduce the amount of sugar by approximately half and showed no undesirable characters in the fermentations. These preliminary results suggest FM16-C7 may show promise as a rescue strain, however further trials to optimise the conditions needed for full rescue need to be determined.

Miscellaneous During the course of this project, we have modified current spectrophotometric methods for sugar, FAN and malic acid determination to allow for highthroughput, cost and time efficient and reliable determination of these. Potential applications include ‘on-going’ monitoring of fermentations and screening of candidate yeast and bacteria strains. This 18-month project was funded by the Grape and Wine Development Corporation (Project GWRDC UA11/01 ‘Innovative Microbials for Winemaking Excellence’) which concluded in December 2012. A provisional patent (McBryde,

Gardner and Jiranek [No 207704] Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain and methods of use) was filed 28 June 2013 with support of Adelaide Research and Innovation. Eight students have been trained and have contributed to this research during this project as part of the University’s commitment as a teaching and research facility. Research findings are disseminated through course-base lectures, conference presentations, electronic magazines (e-science) and academic and industry journals.

References

GWRDC Five Year R&D Plan 2007–12 (www.gwrdc. com.au/wp-content/.../08/5_Year_R_D_Plan_200712.pdf) McBryde, C., Gardner, J.M, de Barros Lopes, M., Jiranek, V. (2006) Generation of novel wine yeast strains by adaptive evolution. Am. J. Enol. Vit, 57,423430. Nguyen, T.D., Walker, M.E., Gardner, J.M. and Jiranek, V (2013) Appropriate vacuolar acidification in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for efficient high sugar fermentation. in preparation. Walker, M.E. Nguyen, T.D., Liccioli, T., Schmid, F., Kalatzis, N., Sundstrom, J.F., Gardner, J.M. and Jiranek, V. (2013) Genome-wide identification of the Fermentome; genes required for successful and timely completion of fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BMC Genomics, submitted 28.10.2013

Contact: Vladimir Jiranek. Phone: +61 8 8313 5561. Email: vladimir.jiranek@adelaide.edu.au. Vladimir Jiranek: School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, PMB 1 Glen Osmond SA 5064 and Wine Innovation Cluster, Adelaide, South Australia

Looking for more fermentation articles, visit the Grapegrower and Winemaker article archive at:

Michelle Walker: School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, PMB 1 Glen Osmond SA 5064 and Wine Innovation Cluster, Adelaide, South Australia Drs Jennie Gardner, Joanna Sundstrom and Tommaso Liccioli are Research Fellows in Wine Microbiology and Wine Biotechnology (headed by Professor Jiranek) at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide.

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Winemakers floating down the river Flotation has become the next big thing for winemakers in Western Australia’s Margaret River region and Lee Carty says Winequip will have installed 25 systems there by the end of the 2014 vintage. THE Margaret River wine region in Western Australia is well known for the production of high-quality wines with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and aromatic Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blends the flagship styles. As with all regions of Australia and NZ, many Margaret River wineries are looking to new technologies for greater production efficiencies. And all the while improving quality as the launching pad for continued growth in the current winemaking economy. As a result, juice flotation technology is fast becoming the technology of choice for clarification of white juice in the area. The first juice flotation systems in the region were installed for the 2013 vintage, with many winemakers flagging their main concerns as: • Refrigeration demands associated with processing white fruit. • Ever-increasing electricity costs. • Speed of processing. • But most importantly the processing of high-solids varieties such as Semillon. This grape variety in particular can cause many unwanted processing issues due to the high juice solids concentration after pressing. Most Margaret River winemakers report they have to deal

The continuous flotation system in operation at Marlborough in NZ.

with 20-30 per cent solids volumes before fermentation. Juice flotation has since proven to be an incredibly useful tool in the technology toolbox for many local wineries by combating or eliminating some or all of these processing hurdles. Flotation was introduced into the wine industry back in 1988 by the engineering/manufacturing arm of Enologica Vason Group (Verona, Italy) known now as Juclas (Juice Clarification Systems). But these principles have been used for decades in many industries such as water treatment and mining.

THE PRINCIPLES OF FLOTATION While technically flotation is a complex operation, in reality its management within the winery environment is very simple. To summarise the basic principles flotation is a separation technique which exploits the difference in density between solid particles and liquid. The solids present are made lighter than the must by the surface adsorption of injected gas or air. The adhesion of the gas to the solids causes a ‘solid-liquid’ cluster with a lower density than the liquid which causes it to separate and rise to the surface. This process is sped up and made efficient for a winery by forcibly creating floccules by the addition of a ‘flocculent’ such as gelatine or similar colloids with a high electrical charge and high molecular weight. With this process in conjunction with recommended floccules, the dispersed colloidal particles cluster or flocculate as their hydrophobicity increases. The dissolved nitrogen or air that’s introduced directly into the juice under pressure carries these floccules to the surface of the must. And the effect and efficiency of the end result depends on many factors including the surface area of the floccule, surface tension, flow rate, must temperature and importantly the concentration of dissolved gas or air in the must. Juclas has developed three systems which cover flotation technologies for Australia’s largest and smallest wineries. These include continuous flotation systems which as the name suggests, continuously floats large volumes of juice. This consists of large diameter flotation vessels such as

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April 2014 – Issue 603

the one installed in Marlborough, NZ. Batch Flotation systems are available as single pass systems for large capacity and volume processing such as the setup installed at Yalumba Winery in Angaston. Finally, the most commonly systems are the Easyfloat portable units with four sizes enabling processing speeds from 5kL/hr to 50kL/hr and starting at $6500. The Margaret River wine region is fast becoming the juice flotation capital of Western Australia with close to 25 Juclas Easyfloat systems in total to be installed by the end of the 2014 vintage. Many winemakers have indicated the benefits of juice flotation in white juice processing makes these systems a no-brainer, especially when dealing with the high-solids content common with Semillon when juice lees volumes with cold settling can be up to 25 per cent. Now, with flotation and the elimination of the need for static cold settling (as well as must chilling and warming for fermentation), juice lees are mostly around 5 per cent, refrigeration load and associated energy costs are greatly reduced and the RDV filtration of lees is no longer needed, resulting in in faster processing and less downgrading of juice parcels. Dave Johnson, winemaker for Credaro Family Wines

April 2014 – Issue 603

The 50kL/hr Juclas batch flotation system at Marlborough in NZ.

says “the main advantages I see are less SO2 at the crusher, no need to must chill if fruit is picked cold at night, no need to warm the juice for inoculation, no chilling costs for juice settling, saves time as you go straight to fermentation without settling. Also, staffing levels can be condensed as the pressed juice can be floated at your leisure. This means you can be flexible on start/finish times for casual staff and bring them in only when

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you need them equating to overhead savings with overtime or night-shift loadings as you can do the float at your own discretion”. Travis Lemm, Voyager Estate, adds “we’ve been using the flotation unit on Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon batches. The efficiency gains are excellent, juices are turned over in 24 hours from pressing to fermentation, our first season saw Semillon lees loss rates of 6 per cent, compared with 14 on conventional enzyme and four-day cold settling.” Winequip is exclusive agent for Juclas flotation technologies and is the industry specialists in this area with close to 100 installations in Australia and NZ. Contact: Lee Carty. Phone: Australia on 1300 882 850 or Winequip NZ on 0800 699 599. Email: lee@winequip.com.au.

References

R. Ferrarini, M. Bacci, M. Chiodi, E. Celotti (1992), Technological aspects of flotation in clarification and stabilisation of musts and wines, L’enotecnico 7/8, 95-103 R. Ferrarini, R. Zironi, (1992) Flotation technique in winemaking: theoretical principles and plants, L’enotecnico 5, 95-104 R. Ferrarini, R. Zironi, S. Buiatti, E. Celotti (1991), Study on applications of flotation in clarification and stabilisation of musts and wines. Note 1 – effects on must and wine composition. Vignevini 11, 63-67

Grapegrower & Winemaker

winemaking

New yeast approach is aiming to produce a lower alcohol wine Researchers from the Australian Wine Research Institute are investigating a new yeast strain to reverse the natural tendencies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce lower-alcohol wine without impacting on quality and cost. OVER recent decades, there has been a trend towards wines with higher concentrations of alcohol. While such wines are typically fullbodied and rich in ripe fruit flavours, high alcohol levels can negatively affect wine flavour and also increase costs in countries where taxation is related to alcohol content. Health concerns about excessive alcohol consumption have also been raised. For these reasons, the Australian wine industry has supported research which aims to identify practical methods to produce wines with lower alcohol content without compromising quality or increasing the cost of production. While a number of viticultural and engineering strategies have been pursued,

Figure 1. Shiraz grapes fermented by sequential inoculation with M. pulcherrima AWRI1149 and S. cerevisiae produced wines with 1.6 per cent v/v lower alcohol concentration than wine produced with S. cerevisiae alone.

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At a glance: • High alcohol levels can negatively affect wine flavour and also increase costs in countries where taxation is related to alcohol content. • All wine yeast strains are very efficient at converting sugar to alcohol and produce very similar levels of alcohol. • Feedback from industry has suggested sequential inoculation is a practical approach to reducing alcohol that could easily be implemented at a commercial scale. • Harnessing diversity in controlled, inoculated ferments will give winemakers simple, cost effective, low risk strategies for tailoring wines to target markets. a ‘lower alcohol’ yeast would be one of the simplest approaches for winemakers to implement. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main yeast species used to produce wine and there are many strains of this yeast available to winemakers. However, all wine strains are very efficient at converting sugar to alcohol and produce very similar levels of alcohol. Research has therefore focused on generating new S. cerevisiae strains and isolating non-Saccharomyces yeasts (found in spontaneous wine fermentations) that produce less alcohol than traditional wine yeast during fermentation. Non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts are usually present during wine fermentation but are slow fermenters, inefficient at alcohol production and sensitive to moderate alcohol concentrations. These non-conventional yeasts can influence wine style and are widely used for enhancing complexity and flavour profile; however they are generally not able to complete alcoholic fermentation by themselves. The key step taken in this research was taking a sequential approach: inoculating grape must first with a nonSaccharomyces yeast and later with a wine strain of S. cerevisiae. The non-Saccharomyces yeast was allowed to grow and consume some of the sugar before the wine strain was added. The wine strain was then able to finish off the fermentation, but with lower amounts of sugar available for ethanol production, resulting in lower alcohol concentration. In this way, sequential inoculation produced wine with lower ethanol concentration than wine produced by S. cerevisiae alone. Researchers screened 50 nonSaccharomyces yeast isolates, representing 40 species from 24 genera, for their suitability for this type of approach. The four ‘best’ candidates were trialled in sequential inoculations in grape juice, leading to the identification of Metschnikowia pulcherrima AWRI1149 April 2014 – Issue 603

as a yeast that could contribute to reducing alcohol content of wine. In a sequentially inoculated Shiraz wine fermentation, AWRI1149 successfully reduced alcohol content in the final wine by 1.6% v/v (Figure 1). Feedback from industry has suggested sequential inoculation is a practical approach to reducing alcohol that could easily be implemented at a commercial scale. Future opportunities include expanding experiments to pilot- and commercial-scale, as well as investigating additional varieties and measuring consumer responses. Combinations of approaches (e.g. earlier harvest dates combined with sequential inoculation) also have potential for even greater reductions in alcohol. This work is just one example of the great potential in the diverse microbes present in spontaneous fermentations. Harnessing this diversity in controlled, inoculated ferments will give winemakers simple, cost effective, low risk strategies for tailoring wines to target markets. This article is a summary of findings reported in: Contreras et. al. Evaluation of non-Saccharomyces yeasts for the reduction of alcohol content in wine, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (In Press). The paper was also summarised by the publisher of this journal as a featured article: (https://www.asm.org/index.php/ asm-newsroom2/92-news-room/pressrelea ses/92723-specia l-yea st-reducealcohol-improve-wine) Contact: Cristian Varela or Paul Chambers. Phone 61 8 8313 6600. Email: cristian.varela@awri.com.au or paul.chambers@awricom.au.

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Angela Contreras, Paul Henschke, Paul Chambers, Chris Curtin, Cristian Varela, Australian Wine Research Institute, Adelaide. Claudio Hidalgo, Australian Wine Research Institute, Adelaide and Facultat d‘Enologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili. C/ Marcellí Domingo s/n. 43007 Tarragona, Spain. www.winebiz.com.au

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2014 a buyers’ market for bulk wines Just like the global harvest itself, the bulk wine market is subject to vintage variation. Sharon Nagel writes the fifth World Bulk Wine Exhibition, held in Amsterdam late last year, again revealed the international bulk wine trade is one of constant movement. THE PERPETUALLY ghanging face of the bulk wine market almost demands exhibitors, buyers and other links of the wine chain turn out for the annual World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE). Providing valuable insight into the marketplace and using that market intelligence to guide new policies is a fundamental motivation for the event. Last year’s WBWE attracted 175 exhibitors – up 30 per cent on 2012 – and saw visitor numbers jump 40 per cent. The visitor increase was significant because many sellers size the potential for exhibiting before actually taking a booth. “The legitimacy of the WBWE was underscored this year, not only by the attendance of major buyers and sellers, but also by the presence of Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) director general Federico Castellucci,” WBWE French managing director Blandine Philibert-Maret said. “Since the show’s inception, it has accompanied several major changes to the legal and technical framework of the bulk wine market, some of which have occurred through the work of OIV," he said.

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NO SHORTAGE OF WINE Castellucci also said the 2013 global wine harvest was estimated by OIV at 281 million hectolitres, up 9 per cent on 2012. “Italy may have 2-3 million hectolitres and Spain 4-5mhl more than was initially forecast and China is still pretty much uncharted territory in terms of statistics as there is no official data”. International analysts such as Rabobank’s Stephen Rannekleiv have already highlighted the significant role Chinese wine production played in the global market for bulk wines. He said depending on its domestic production China had the capacity to absorb surplus wines from around the world. With 2013 consumption forecast to be stable – though traditionally high end-of-year figures may boost levels – the increased availability of wine last year was patent. Castelluci said that may not all be bad news for producer countries. “The shortfall of wine in 2012 forced prices up which in turn led to a drop in bulk trade of around 2 million hectolitres,” he said. “However, the decline mainly affected countries dependent on cheap supplies, such as Russia. “With the sharp rise in availabilities combined with the downward pressure on prices this year, it will be interesting to see whether this opens up new avenues for exporter countries.”

CHILE, SOUTH AFRICA FILLED A VOID

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the harmonised customs system for wine. Until now all wines shipped in containers containing more than 2L were considered to be bulk, obscuring the real picture by encompassing formats such as boxed wines. A proposal to customs officials in mid-November recommended the creation of a new sub-heading for 2-10L formats with bulk only referring to anything above that. “We had also requested that another sub-heading be introduced for 2-5L formats but customs claimed it would just be too complicated to implement,” Castellucci told the conference. A formal agreement on the new sub-heading is not due until this June but OIV’s director general is confident it will be adopted.

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In 2012/2013 Chile and South Africa took advantage of lower availabilities in Europe to boost market share and raise prices. In Spain bulk prices rose up to 50 per cent in 2012 because of a short crop. According to Rafael del Rey, director of the Spanish wine market observatory (OEMV), the average world price of bulk wine rose to 80 euro cents/litre. Although the huge Spanish crop of 2013, which was up 40 per cent up on 2012, inevitably caused prices to fall, they were unlikely to return to 2007-2010 levels. del Rey also pointed out Europe no longer had a price stabilisation mechanism, which was exacerbating fluctuations. “In the past, up to 8 million hectolitres of wine was distilled in Spain using EU subsidies,” he said. “That has dropped to just 2 mh/l. Bulk exports have now replaced potable spirits/distillation as a means of correcting market imbalances, possibly leading to greater volatility”.

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POTENTIAL CROP DAMAGE IN CHILE It was unlikely 2014 would be as lucrative for Chile as the bottom was expected to drop out of the Spanish market for Chilean wines and Spanish exports will flood into other markets. Many quality Spanish wines at the WBWE were being offered at prices in the range of 40 euro cents per litre, which was only half the price of many Chilean bulk wines. Speculation has emerged over the extent of damage to Chile’s crop following September frosts. “The big Chilean companies were being evasive about the extent of crop loss, claiming it was around 15 per cent, but the growers said it was much, much more,” said Arnaud Escourrou of Chilean bulk firm Portal del Sur, which alone produces around 18 million hectolitres annually. “Volumes may be 30 per cent down on 2013, though damage to some of the whites was estimated at 70 per cent. "This would certainly balance availabilities.”

CHILEAN BULK EXPORTS DRIVEN BY FALLING DOMESTIC MARKET The incentive for Chilean wine firms to expand exports, particularly bulk, was also driven by the flat domestic market. Companies such as brokers Interwine, which handled 30-40 million litres annually and traditionally sells mostly inside Chile, were forced to tap into new markets because of a drop in domestic demand due to larger crops and recovery from the 2010 earthquake.

Huge strides in quality One trend the WBWE throws up year after year is the overall improvement in the quality of bulk wines. Extensive vineyard restructuring programs Europe-wide, bespoke technology for developing quality wines on an industrial scale – as illustrated during the show by French firm PERA - improved transportation conditions and greater international movement of wines enhancing competition between producer countries, have combined to push standards up across-the-board. Also, although the spot market is still used for offloading surplus wines, more and more companies are putting together dedicated bulk strategies aimed at long-term contractual arrangements. The International Bulk Wine Competition organised by the WBWE mirrors the high quality of bulk wines now available in the international marketplace and disproves the widely-held belief that bulk is the antithesis of quality. Interestingly, first-time exhibitor Austwine won four out of the 13 gold medals awarded this year.

“There is more wine available in Chile than in previous years”, confirmed its managing director Leonardo Contreras Vergara. “We’re seeing large quantities of Cabernet or generics for example. Other varieties are up by 10/20 per cent which is comparable to the long-term average.” Driven by new-found demand for Chilean wine in Asia, partly due to free-trade agreements (FTA) and the need to compensate for flat domestic consumption trends, bulk exports reached the same volume by June 2013 as for the whole of 2012. Bottle sales hit a plateau in 2012/13, also causing a shift to bulk. Consequently prices were dropping, with Vergara saying they fell 15-20 per cent for 2013 – although they still remained high by international standards at around $US0.86 a litre.

A LOT OF AUSTRALIAN WINE TO SELL This was certainly much higher than for Australian wines. The WBWE attracted eight Australian bulk exporters last year and entry-level wines for as little as 40 euro cents per litre were common. “Lots of wineries have a lot of wine to get rid of before the new crop,” confirmed Tim Moen, business development executive at brokerage firm Austwine, a first-time exhibitor. “A 1.85 million tonne harvest means there’s a lot of wine to sell and barring a natural catastrophe, 2014 will bring another large crop,” he said. “If so, Australia will stay at the current reduced price for the next 2-3 years. Growers will suffer and margins will be very tight.” However, Moen was buoyed by strong

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World on show: Displays from around the world, including Australia, underlined the increasing value of the bulk wine market.

global demand for bulk wines. “For Australia that means Chardonnay and Shiraz and some dry white and red. “We have seen big demand for Pinot Grigio, especially in the UK. The low harvest in Italy has led buyers to turn to other sources and this has opened new and unexpected opportunities for Australia.” Nevertheless, Moen stresses bulk is very much a buyers’ market at the moment. “There is no pressure for buyers to secure all their volumes this early in the year, they can afford to buy in stages whereas in 2012, for example, it was a mad scramble.”

WAIT AND SEE That was confirmed by Italian behemoth Caviro, the country’s largest co-operative group with 12,000 growers and 2012 sales of 193 million litres. The co-op saw production rise 10 per cent in 2013 – and the price of Italian generics drop from 2012’s average of 60 euro cents to 40-45 cts in 2013. “When people have a clearer idea of the market, prices are likely to fall more,” a company spokesman said. “It’s very much a case of wait and see at the moment. "Everyone is waiting to see what happens with Spain,” said Portal del Sur’s Arnaud Escourrou. “There is speculation though over the quality of 2013 Spanish wine, with low alcohol levels and botrytis,” he added. “France is also the subject of speculation.”

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SERIOUS SETBACKS IN FRANCE

REVOLVING DOOR

Caviro representatives were surprised not to see any French buyers at WBWE 2013, reflecting despite a small 2013 crop France still had enough wine to supply its markets. Although major producer regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy suffered serious setbacks in terms of output – the Bordeaux crop was down 30 per cent – other areas were poised to take their place. “It is a year for us to be clever and produce Bordeaux or Rhone style blends to compensate for their shortfall,” said Val d’Orbieu, export manager Roland Olvers. France’s third-largest wine firm after Castel and Grands Chais de France, Roland Olvers sourced 100 million litres from its own vineyards and bottles and sold a further 200 million. It has been completely restructured over the past couple of years, entailing greater focus on the bulk wine market. “Until two years ago, bulk to Val d’Orbieu meant offloading excess wines. We gradually came to the conclusion there is a market for better-priced bulk, for buyers’ own brands for example,” d’Orbieu said. His viewpoint was echoed by other exhibitors, including Ross Mayfield, managing director at South Australia’s Growers Wine Group: “We’re seeing a big shift to bulk," Mayfield said. "Buyers’ own brands are shifting to bulk and that’s a really big change,” he said.

Val d’Orbieu’s Olvers debunks the myth that buyers are looking for origin and says that the sharp price increases from last year in some French wine regions due to lack of availability may well lead to the demise of some appellations, such as Gascony. For fellow Frenchman Alban Lignier of Loire Propriétés “there is certainly a possibility of actually losing markets due to lack of availability”. “The bulk market is a revolving door”, insisted Olvers. “When the price of NZ Sauvignon Blanc rose then the buyers just went to Chile, and one UK retailer who made the switch didn’t see any drop in sales,” he said. “That’s why France won’t be able to increase prices this year, despite its short crop.” With demand in Europe dampened by the ongoing economic crisis and most of the world’s main producer countries experiencing at least some surplus – with this due to continue at least into the 2014 Southern Hemisphere crop – the market for bulk wine has undoubtedly become a buyers’ market. And yet, as WBWE’s Blandine Philibert-Maret pointed out, “it is still very much a bullish market with plenty of room for growth”. This year’s World Bulk Wine Exhibition will be held in Amsterdam on November 24 and 25.

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Contact: Sharon Nagel is a freelance journalist and translator based in France. Email: nagel.sharon@gmail.com April 2014 – Issue 603

50th Birthday Celebrations

Golden milestone for A&G Engineering A lot has happened in the past 50 years for the winemaking industry – and A&G Engineering has been there for every one of those changes. And like the wine industry A&G Engineering has come a long way since Ron Potter established the stainless steel engineering and fabrication business in Griffith. Today the company is established as the premier provider in the market and there wouldn’t be many wineries in Australia without an A&G manufactured item on their site. Lionel Irving, who started with the company in 1964, now heads a team of more than 100 skilled employees staffing plants in Griffith and Mildura. But even after 50 years in the game he remains as committed and excited about the company as when he first joined the ranks of a fledgling four-man show. “The aim of setting up the business in the first place was a real desire to service the wine industry,” Irving says. “It was all about looking for better ways to process grapes and to make wines

and everything just grew from there.” And has kept on growing. Industry pioneer Ron Potter, credited with the invention of the Potter Fermenter and its subsequent variations sparked a series of innovative contributions to the wine industry culminated in domestic and international recognition. Racking up the prestigious Eureka Prize for Industry and Maurice O’Shea Award along the way. A “family” business in the truest sense, A&G has marked its 50-year milestone at the cutting edge of winery engineering with the appointment of new operations general manager Tom Gallagher. He is Ron Potter’s grandson, and son of longtime director Kerry Gallagher. “We are entering a really exciting time at the moment, with the implementation of our long term vision for, and investment in, servicing the wine industry really starting to pay off," he said. An investment which includes its precision automated manufacturing technology, which is targeted at dramatically increasing quality while

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reducing man hours at the same time. “This manufacturing technology is remarkable. "The standard of product we are producing is far better than anything we have seen in the industry. The end result is we please our customers with price and improve quality at the same time. “We do all types of work; from storage tanks up to 1.1 million litres, to the latest fermentation systems, to catwalks and stairs. “You need industry experience to see those little things, and thankfully with our engineering team we have that in spades. “Our retail outlets in Griffith and Mildura back that up with extensive inventories of stainless steel products including bearings, valves, and fittings, making us a one-stop shop for stainless steel sheet and tube,” he adds. Contact: Tom Gallagher. Phone: 61 2 6964 3422. Email: tgallagher@agengineering.com.au.

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The rise and rise of Gatt Wines Three years after SA itself was founded, Eden Valley was identified (along with the Barossa Valley) as ‘the real cream of South Australia’. But it took another 133 years to really hit its straps with the first vines planted on Eden Springs in 1972, when the High Eden area became established as a prime cool-climate viticultural district. IF GOOD wine begins in the vineyard it did not take much to persuade Ray Gatt to put his destiny in the hands of his viticultural team. And since he took possession of Eden Springs just in time for the 2006 vintage Gatt has remained committed to the theory that the vineyard rules. There’s no argument from chief winemaker David Norman either, who also trusts in the quality of fruit he will receive each year and to which he will add that final magical finish in the winery. Throw in viticulturist Gil Rogers and his team, lovingly tending the vines, and the operation has crystallised into a spectacular success. Not just at the cellar door but on the global stage. It was awarded best Cabernet/ Cabernet blend at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in Hong Kong last year. Earlier this year one of its wines was ranked highest in the world across all major global blind tasting competitions.

BEST IN WORLD Then at last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, Gatt Wines went home with the international trophy for best in show Riesling with its 2008 Eden Springs High Eden Riesling. “It was absolutely fabulous winning this award,” Gatt said. “I’ve been to many award nights around the world but the Decanter

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Awards at the Royal Opera House was the best one I’ve ever been to. “The Brits sure know how to put on a good show.” With little time to reflect the Gatt Wines juggernaut rolled back into SA in September to scoop up four trophies awarded at the Barossa Wine Show: • The Wems Trophy for Best Dry White Riesling one year old and older, class two: 2008 Gatt Wines Eden Springs High Eden Riesling. • The Hahn Corporation Trophy for Most Outstanding Barossa White Table Wine, premium class: 2008 Gatt Wines Eden Springs High Eden Riesling. • The Riedel Trophy for Most Outstanding Single Vineyard Table wine, premium class: 2008 Gatt Wines Eden Springs High Eden Riesling. • The Phil Hoffmann Wine Business Traveller Trophy for Most Outstanding Barossa Table Wine, premium class: 2008 Gatt Wines Eden Springs High Eden Riesling. Gatt said the past seven years since his transformation from wine enthusiast to winery owner have been tremendous and he wouldn’t trade his job for the world.

THE PERFECTIONIST He’s says he’s big on integrity – and that it’s an important part of what he does to ensure a successful business is run in the best way possible. “Integrity carries over to the winery, especially as it now carries my name,” he said.

“Together with my perfectionist nature, this has resulted in the winery having a healthy obsession with quality. “All three of our main varieties have been awarded trophies at international competitions, which is a great achievement.” As the state known for its food and wine, Gatt believes wineries and vineyards located in SA have a big advantage over others. “Here we have ready access to top quality people with years of experience and all the resources required for growing grapes and turning them into wine,” he says. “I imagine some of the more remote wine regions in Australia must be envious of us.” He says the future of Gatt Wines is bright and he looks forward to many more successes and achievements. “In the near future we will be releasing the first vintages of our new varieties – Tempranillo, Grenache, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese,” he adds. “We’ve also been bottle-ageing some terrific Shiraz and Cabernet from 2008 onwards which will take us to a whole new level when released in the next year or two. “Until now we’ve mostly been focused on production and building export markets but in the coming months we will put more effort into making our wines more readily available to people throughout Australia.”

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THE WINEMAKER David Norman says at 510m Gatt Wines is one of the highest vineyards in High Eden. He says as the vineyards, first planted in 1972, are east facing it limits the impact of afternoon sun and heat, and cools off rapidly from mid afternoon. “We have very light, sandy loam soils giving rise to low yields,” Norman says. “But it also gives the fruit characteristics of delicate citrus lime and lemon rather than a powerful aromatic perfume,” he says. “That gives us a very crisp, strong, acid backbone which provides longevity and gives Gatt Wines the ability to age into powerful toasty, citrus-style wines. “We have a mission to produce the best wines possible without exception and we are never satisfied, with every possible avenue of quality improvement being explored. “We have hand harvesting as a standard, use a mechanical sorting table to remove faulty berries, such as raisined and sunburned, as well as any other foreign material. “The wines are then made by gentle pressing, which also gives low yields, then cold settling the juice and racking to cool ferment to conserve the fruit character. “Many wineries do the same so for us the major difference comes from the special attributes of our vineyards.” The High Eden sub-region is remarkable amongst Australia’s winegrowing areas – not only for its attributes of cool climate and high altitude, but for its magnificent landscape. It is largely unspoilt land with a sparse population and no major settlement. Many regard it as Australia’s most picturesque winegrowing area, with sweeping vistas embracing graceful, contoured vineyards on misty hillsides dotted with massive red gums and stands of yacca trees. There are meandering creeks among massive rock outcrops, some of which display ancient Aboriginal art. It is home to majestic wedge-tail eagles and minute, Superb Blue Wrens, and retains a rustic serenity unmatched by neighbouring winegrowing areas.

THE VITICULTURIST This is what Gil Rogers calls the office. “Our vines are typical old, low-yielding vines typical of the High Eden style with its acid soils,” Rogers says. “When I joined seven years ago I felt the Riesling vines were run down and we did a lot of work on the soil and mulching the vineyard,” he says. “The contours have meant our plantings have gone northsouth, which might not be the absolute ideal but we got in a program of rod pruning to reinvigorate them.” The other focus for Rogers is the soil’s pH, which he tries to run at a borderline 5.5-5.8. All adding up to the overriding goal of not just quality, but premium, fruit. “Although sun is the biggest killer here, we run our canopy at 40-50 per cent compared to the Barossa,” he says. “We harvest between 1.5 and 2.5 tonnes per acre without major additional inputs and we do it all with extra care. “Of course all that care means extra cost but it pays off in the end product.” According to some of the toughest judges in the wine world that’s no boast, it’s just a statement of fact. Contact: Gatt Wines. Phone: 61 8 8564 1166. Email: info@gattwines.com.

April 2014 – Issue 603

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winemaking

It’s a dodgy way to do business As Andrew Mole has discovered, three part-timers with a sense of the ridiculous and a genuine air of joie de vivre may be on the verge of doing something, well, spectacularly dodgy down at McLaren Vale.

At a glance: • Dodgy Brothers says it is not trying to make wines the same way they make them in Bordeaux; it’s more about the general approach they take in France which they are trying to emulate. • The business does not fine or filter; bottling young to show off the vibrancy of the wines, and only using a little bit of new oak. • In 2012 Dodgy Brothers harvested grapes from 10 different properties and crushed only 13 tonnes, with very small ferments to show off the individuality of the sites chosen.

BACK in the early ’90s Steve Vizard’s Fast Forward enshrined the Dodgy Brothers in the native vernacular. Until, as it turned out, Steve proved to be a little dodgy himself. Which begs the question why a bunch of straightforward, (mostly) local lads down around McLaren Vale would brand their fledgling winery with the same dodgy name. So after a quick handshake – and even quicker glance to check I still had five fingers – it was down to business with Wes Pearson, winemaker to the Dodgy Brothers. And immediately there is clearly something dodgy about this character – the expatriate Canadian is more interested in playing ice hockey in Adelaide’s unknown local competition than converting to the more sociallyacceptable Australian Rules. But the biochemist with the Happy Gilmore take on life actually brings something of a serious pedigree to the lofty position of winemaker to the Dodgies. He got established in the local wine industry as a member of the Sensory Group at AWRI after arriving at McLaren Vale in 2008. It’s a long way from his stint as a bum snowboarding in Whistler and keeping (barely) financially afloat as a jack of all trades at a local steakhouse where he also discovered there was more to life than snow.

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IRRESISTABLE COMBINATION Such as food – and even better, the wine which went with it. The combination was enough to get the gadabout off his board and down to the University of British Columbia’s brand spanking new wine biochemistry program. At school he worked at Tantalus Vineyards whenever time and demand allowed, under Aussie flying winemaker and Riesling and Pinot Noir guru Matt Holmes. And after graduation (with his days of snowboarding already fading) was offered a prestigious position as an intern oenologist at the “Super Second” deuxieme cru classé Château Léoville Las Cases in St. Julien, Bordeaux. “They are so super cutting edge there,” said. “Which is why I am busting to get back there for the northern vintage for another go should the chance arise,” he said. “I had another vintage at LLC teed up for 2013 but that year they all had such a horrendous season we decided that it was best to postpone it - but I am still looking for that shot back in the Bordeaux. "But when you are there you feel so connected to the incredible history of wine, it’s another language, another www.winebiz.com.au

approach – the whole process is so elegant. “And when one of these guys talks about terroir he is really talking about terroir, not just someone somewhere else in the world trying to make a French word fit into a foreign marketing program.” Pearson should know. As your standard; or garden variety Canadian, he also speaks French and while he does buy into terroir, he finds it has become “an over-used term in the industry and it’s kind of lost its impact. It’s become just another wine cliché”. “But I’ve tried to take a few things I learnt there and apply them to what we do here. “We’re not trying to make wines the same way they make them in Bordeaux; it’s more about the general approach they take which we are trying to emulate. “We keep everything separate for as long as possible. "Once you put it together, you can’t take it apart. “Another aspect is trying to not necessarily minimise my influence as a winemaker (although that’s kind of it), but to kind of standardise your influence, so all of the fruit is given the same chance to show itself off. “We don’t fine or filter, we bottle young to show off the April 2014 – Issue 603

vibrancy of the wines, we use a little bit of new oak with our Shiraz and our Cabernet Sauvignon, "But for the most part it’s all old and large format barrels. “And the wines are not racked post malo. They get one hit of SO2 once they’re through and a little top up before bottling and that’s all. “I’m trying to find a happy medium between lo-fi, minimalist styles and more traditional styles we’ve seen in Australia over the past 15 years”.

THREE-RING CIRCUS But the winemaker is just one of the Dodgy Brothers, a threering circus perfectly matched with a viticulturist, a landowner with vines and the winemaker. It all began a long time ago when founding Dodgy Brother Peter Bolte and friend decided they were going to make some wine. As a consulting viticulturist, Bolte not only had the knowledge of what quality grapes were all about, he also had the connections to be able to procure some of them. It might sound a smidgin dodgy, but as one of the “large” Australian wine companies would move through picking one of its top vineyards, Bolte was nipping along just in front, clinching a handshake deal with the grower. “How ’bout you leave the last row for me mate and I’ll take care of it,” he ventured. And eventually said grapes seemed to make their way to Bolte’s shed where they were then made into wine. 

Winemaker Wes: Expatriate Wes Pearson has found a new home making wine south of Adelaide and working with AWRI to fund the dream. April 2014 – Issue 603

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

With the advice of a few local winemakers, and some rudimentary winemaking equipment in fear of being heritage listed, the grape crush began. “There was one thing that inevitably happened every time these boys undertook this process though (other than turning grapes into wine, which was also inevitable),” Bolte conceded. “We ended up having a few too many adult beverages.” He said. “This led to the then 13-year-old son of my original partner dubbing us as the ‘Dodgy Brothers’. “If you fast forward – really, not the show – to July 2010 I knew we were onto something, which is when I enlisted the help of Wes (Pearson). “He also saw this potential and the real, much less dodgy, Dodgy Brothers was formed. “Shortly after that the dynamic duo recruited a third Brother in Peter Sommerville, grower extraordinaire and all-around good guy. “The quality of the product has changed but those original Dodgy ideals haven’t: we still like to have a good time, a good laugh or two, and we still seal all our business deals with a handshake.”

BOLTE'S HISTORIC LINK STRETCHES BACK TO BUFFALO The link between Bolte (and his family) and the McLaren Vale district stretches back 177 years to when a little ship called HMS Buffalo pitched up at Glenelg and SA was born. By the early 1840s his family had taken up land in Aldinga where they continue to farm to this day. He began viticulture as a 15-year-old in 1977 and has now completed 35 vintages in the McLaren Vale wine region. During which time he has identified not just the vineyards but the individual rows the Dodgy Brothers like to slip around and cherry pick for their little business. Peter Sommerville gets a dodgy guernsey because he believes the best Australian wines come from the McLaren Vale wine region. Period. Which is why he planted his flag – and vines – there in 2001. A vineyard which has since supplied fruit to some of the region’s leading wine companies. And to Dodgy Brothers of course. Sommerville’s fruit has been used in the 2012 Dodgy Brothers Bordeaux blend of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv and Petit Verdot – wine he says he looks forward to sharing with people “for their enjoyment, not status”. But there is a serious side to the Dodgy Brothers – selling this year’s 900 cases

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of wine. As Pearson pointed out, they all have day jobs so cyberspace is as close as you can get to a Dodgy Brothers’ cellar door. “But it’s worth the effort,” Pearson added. “We hope to experiment a little bit in the next few years with a few nontraditional McLaren Vale varieties, such as Sangiovese or Tempranillo, both of which can make delicious, interesting wines but still fit into our mould of being fresh, young and vibrant. But I think our focus will always be Grenache and Shiraz – after all, you gotta dance with the girl that brought ya’. “I think our overall approach is minimalist, which is the reason we choose the blocks we do – in 2012 we harvested grapes from 10 different properties and crushed only 13 tonnes, with very small ferments. "We really just want to show off the individuality of the sites we’ve chosen. “Winemaking is a great creative outlet for scientists – people who generally www.winebiz.com.au

speaking aren’t normally seen as being that creative. “They can have all their numbers and results and data but still have creative elements involved. “It just seamlessly melds the two disciplines so well and I couldn’t be at a better place to do both. "AWRI has been really supportive of my ‘second job’ and it’s actually worked out really well. “There’s not too many other places in the wine industry where you can take your annual leave during vintage.” Contact: Wes Pearson. Phone: 0450 000 373. Email: wes@dodgybrotherswines.com.

Looking for more winemaking articles, visit the Grapegrower and Winemaker article archive at:

www.winebiz.com.au/gwm April 2014 – Issue 603

young guns Mother, wife and winemaker: multitasking at its finest If it’s not a bird or a plane, it must (almost) be superwoman. Helen McCarthy plays three roles in her daily life and if she’s not attending to her family, she’s producing fine wines at Thorn-Clarke Wines in the Barossa. Stephanie Timotheou caught up with the Young Gun between her hectic schedule to discuss her crazy lifestyle doing the things she loves. WHEN Helen McCarthy’s partner suggested she take up winemaking as a career she took his words literally. The 35-year-old mother and wife had been searching for a career combining art and science and before growing a family of her own, completed a bachelor of agricultural science (oenology) at the University of Adelaide. While it wasn’t easy mixing her two passions, winemaking offered something a little “out of the ordinary” and McCarthy was prepared to jump right on in. As the years progressed she became more experienced and started gaining some recognition from journalists, peers and consumers with a wave of awards. In 2008 she was named the Gourmet Traveller young winemaker of the year and in the same year was crowned the Wine Society member’s choice young winemaker of the year. And since then, the accolades and awards have kept coming. McCarthy recently received the 2013 Wine Society peer’s choice and supporter’s choice young winemaker of the year award which she said has been her biggest achievement so far. But like any winemaker, being great at her job came with many hurdles along the way. She said the hardest thing she’s had to deal with is learning to balance home and work. “Having a baby during vintage last year created quite a challenge for me and my team,” she said. McCarthy described her daughter Adele, who just turned one, as her “vintage baby” and said juggling a toddler and a job was hard on everyone – at home and work. “The main challenge was I wasn’t onsite during the main part of vintage, however I was still able to do the fruit assessment and schedule fruit into the winery,” she added. “It meant the rest of the team really had to step up but I’m happy to say in most cases the team handled everything really well in my absence.” April 2014 – Issue 603

Woman of the world: Helen McCarthy taking in the fresh air at Thorn-Clarke Wines in the Barossa, South Australia.

LEARNING FROM THE BEST McCarthy’s first role was a graduate winemaker with Southcorp Wines where she had the opportunity to learn different techniques from the older, more established winemakers. “Winemakers such as Alan Kennett, Emma Wood, Corrina Wright, Sue Hodder, Paul Lapsley, Michael Schreurs, Peter Taylor, Steve Liernet and Philip Shaw taught me more in a few years than my four-year degree did,” she said. “Later when I joined the team at Taylors Wines I was provided with the opportunity to not only put what I had learnt into practice, but also further develop my skills.”

KISS: KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID McCarthy described herself as “keen, just like the older generations of winemakers” when it came to adopting new and longstanding techniques. “I am very focused on the vineyard to make sure the grapes I have to play with are the best they can be,” she said. “Perhaps the biggest difference is there are many technologies available to the industry that weren’t available back then and whether or not to use them is dependent on the situation.” www.winebiz.com.au

McCarthy said while there were loads of new gadgets on the market, she was not dependant on them and would only get out her latest piece of technology when she felt the need to. “Keep it simple is my mantra – if the older generations didn’t need it back then, why do we need them now?” While she lives by the “keep it simple stupid” acronym, McCarthy admitted she was a sucker for her “i-Things” which she said made her more efficient. “I am a little obsessed with my ‘i-Things’. I have an iPhone, an iPad and an iPad mini,” she said. “Yes it’s a bit of overkill but I use the iPads in different ways. I use them a lot for personal and work things and I also use an RDP app to allow me to log directly into our work server so I can look up and work on anything using my iPad. “I can even access our temperature control system from an app on my phone which is handy.”

BIG ACHIEVER McCarthy said while she hasn’t been in the industry as long as others, she hoped to become a recognised member of it who has been able to add value across the board. “The ultimate goal is to make an impact in one way or another,” she added. “Right now my best advice to young people starting out in the industry is to use all the resources available which includes the people around them.” McCarthy found talking with cellar hands who had been around for years was as useful as talking to winemakers to further her knowledge.

TO INFITINTY AND BEYOND During the past two years McCarthy's career has moved onto a new phase. She said she has learnt more about winemaking and viticulture in the past two years than the 12 before. “I live and work in a region I feel so passionate about and I am loving every minute being able to show the world what the Barossa can do." Contact: Helen McCarthy. Email: hmccarthy@thornclarke.com.au. Grapegrower & Winemaker

sales & marketing New year, new look for Tassie wine brand New Year’s resolutions put in place for 2014 have most likely gone out the window but one wine brand made its a reality with the launch of its fresh, new bottle labelling. Stephanie Timotheou spoke with a range of people involved in the relaunch of Abel’s Tempest by Heemskerk and found out why they wanted a visual change. ABEL’S Tempest by Heemskerk was launched in mid-2010 with distribution focused on Bottling, selected fine wine retail. Now, after four successful years, the brand labelling & is cranking up its distribution and will be packaging available throughout all channels in Australia. Since the Abel’s Tempest range provides wine drinkers with an affordable entry into the Heemskerk offering, the company made the decision to create a stronger visual link between the two brands before expanding its distribution footprint. Regional Brands global marketing director George Samios said this was done to clearly reflect Abel’s Tempest’s place within the Heemskerk family. The new packaging drew on the much-admired sleek, modern design cues of Heemskerk and presented a more premium pack to reflect the quality in the bottle. Produced by The Collective, one of Australia’s leading design agencies, the evocative new imagery depicts the stormy seas and raging tempests of Tasmania’s coastline, establishing a point of difference but equally complementing the linear, minimalist Heemskerk look.

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“It was aboard the flagship Heemskerk that Abel Tasman sighted the west coast of Tasmania in 1642, discovering what was to become one of Australia’s premier cool climate wine regions,” he said. “Along the way Abel’s attempt to reach the shore was thwarted by raging tempests, and it’s these stormy winds that are depicted on the new Abel’s Tempest by Heemskerk packaging.”

THE COLLECTIVE APPROACH The Collective, based in NSW, was briefed in 2012 to radically increase the modernity of Abel’s Tempest’s packaging. Managing director Rowena Curlewis says ongoing projects with the new labelling include all support material comprising gift boxes, brochures and trade support material. “They wanted to reposition Abel’s Tempest from being a stand-alone Tasmanian brand to being more closely linked to the Heemskerk brand we designed in 2008,” she added. Brand spanking new: The Collective creative director Margaret Abel’s Tempest 2012 Pinot Noir Nolan felt the cool grey colour palette of Heemskerk could be used in dramatic photography depicting a storm-tossed sea, capturing both the wildness of Tasmania’s coast and the essence of the brand name.

KEEPING IT RELEVANT Curlewis said while there are many timeless wine labels on the market, it was important a wine brand remained relevant to its target audience. “We do not recommend wine labels change regularly just to stay fashionable if there is no strategic need to change,” she added. “For example, the label we designed for Yabby Lake Vineyard still looks as contemporary and premium as it did when we originally designed it more than 10 years ago.” But if there were dynamics within the market which changed radically i.e. a wine label hadn’t completely connected with its audience, Curlewis said the label should be refreshed to ensure it remained relevant to both the market and its consumers. The typography used on the revamped label is contemporary and the same typeface as the Heemskerk brand is used to help connect the two wine brands. “Tasmania, being an intrinsic part of the Abel’s Tempest brand story, is made as large as the brand name itself,” Curlewis said. “This was quite an unusual approach but one which clearly solidified the connection between brand and region.”

LABEL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

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According to Curlewis a wine label is one of the hardest things to design. “You have a very small area to communicate an awful lot,” she said. 

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April 2014 – Issue 603

New twist on QR codes Orora’s dedication to the wine and spirit industry is building a closer connection between producers and consumers. QR codes are a popular way to increase consumer interaction. Use your smart phone to scan the QR code, and you’ll notice a whole new twist on

1300 2 ORORA www.ororagroup.com stelvin.sales@ororagroup.com

engaging consumers - unveiling additional product and brand information. Recognising this, Lark Hill Wines partnered with Orora to develop Australia’s first QR code on a wine screw-cap. Contact us to discuss Orora’s innovative approach to supporting your business.

sales & marketing With thousands of labels fighting for attention, she said it was important to consider what made a brand different or appealing from its competitors. Her approach was finding out as much as she could about a winery, its history, vineyard and region to work out how she could create a label which was innovative. “One of the other things we consider is for our brands to have the ability to convert the initial consumer attraction into a sale,” she added. While many brands achieve shelf standout, Curlewis said the most successful brands need to have the right combination of cues. “In the premium market shelf standout is not often achieved with a loud, shouting label but often quite the opposite,” she added. “In the whole equation we cannot forget about the wine. It has to be of great quality to match the promise of the label.”

GREATER CONSUMER APPEAL Since its launch the Abel’s Tempest by Heemskerk range has established a solid reputation for producing excellent examples of cool climate

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varieties from Tasmania. Samios said the company wanted to build on its strong reputation and ensure the brand’s consumers continue to be able to recognise and enjoy the wines. “At the same time, we also want to ensure we are leveraging the outstanding credentials of Heemskerk and clearly articulate Abel’s Tempest’s place in the Heemskerk portfolio,” he said. “We therefore believe the new packaging will result in greater consumer appeal overall.” The packaging was showcased at Taste of Melbourne where 6000 wine consumers had the opportunity to view the label and taste the new releases. Samios said the response to the label was overwhelmingly positive and the idea to change it couldn’t have come at a better time. Contact: Rowena Curlewis. Phone: 61 2 9281 5533. Email: rowena@thecollective.com.au. Justine Porter-Rebien. Email: justine.porter-rebien@tweglobal.com.

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Designer’s delight: The Collective director Rowena Curlewis.

April 2014 – Issue 603

business & technology Talent pools have valuable depth for industry As the industry continues to expand its global footprint, the need for a matching approach to talent acquisition becomes critical. This month Stephanie Timotheou looks at talent pooling and how it can be used to attract and filter top people for the job. LEADING organisations are now using talent pools to improve the way they identify and access skilled contenders in the market. According to Human Capital Management Solutions (HCMS) talent pools underpin proactive recruitment initiatives which help organisations select the best pick of the crop. HCMS director Martin Warren says not all roles are created equal and some are more critical to an organisation’s success and growth strategy than others. Which is why he says companies need to talent pool these skills now and in the future. “Being able to plan your work for the future and whether you build or buy will give you a competitive advantage and talent pooling these skills will help you get there,” Warren says.

“The talent you are seeking to hire today or tomorrow needs to be treated with special care.” He says wine companies should see the recruitment of talent as marketing rather than pure employment, which will help potential candidates decide whether or not they are right for the job. “You need to build relationships and demonstrate why they should consider your organisation as a career destination,” Warren says. “Being able to segment your workforce needs and develop messaging aligned to what is important to them both socially and professionally will allow you to engage a great pool of quality candidates. “We are in a world of multimedia – pictures and video can be used to engage your target market to tell your story to potential employees.”

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This is the first in a series of articles from winejobs.com.au to give the wine industry a better understanding of the employment market. COMING SOON! For more information on recruitment advice, job statistics and links to other government and key employment industry sites, visit winejobs.com.au/knowledge-centre.

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business & technology

TALENT POOLING AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT According to recruitment marketing company Employment Office a talent pool could be limited to a specific area of expertise or focused on a broad grouping of individuals capable of performing a variety of tasks. Employment Office managing director Tudor Marsden-Huggins says there are a number of reasons why talent pooling is becoming increasingly important to businesses, including: • To reduce the cost of recruitment: whilst they take time to build, they can eliminate the need to advertise. Marsden-Huggins says recruitment costs could be reduced by up to 50 per cent when using talent pools. • To reduce the time to hire: The work of screening, selecting and prequalifying candidates is done for you, thus reducing the time spent on searching for the right candidate. • To identify quality candidates for the future: having a strong talent pool can help an employer identify potential external candidates before the role needs to be filled. According to Marsden-Huggins, a good talent pool is one that continually connects with talent, updates information and brings in new and diverse talent. Employment Office has been building a sales executive talent pool during the past few months and has already seen a positive impact. “Since we started treating recruitment as a sales process we have been able to funnel talent into one database – our talent pool,” Marsden-Huggins says. “As a result, we have reduced time and costs whilst nurturing and developing relationships with candidates.”

CREATING A TALENT POOL TO ATTRACT THE RIGHT PEOPLE Finding and attracting the best employees can be challenging in today’s competitive environment. According to Marsden-Huggins there are a number of different resources a company can use to develop talent pools, as well as a number of factors to consider. These include:

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www.bamwine.com.au 98 Grapegrower & Winemaker

• Data collection: how a company is going to collect and manage candidate profiles – i.e. the use of an applicant tracking system software. • The use of an ‘expressions of interest’ form: a quick and simple way for both passive and active job seekers to express their interest in working for an organisation. • Regular advertising: posting ads throughout the month will keep a company’s presence in the job seeker market and will result in a steady stream of applications. • Utilising social media to interact with potential employees. • The implementation of Google AdWords to increase brand awareness. “To get the most from your talent pool it is important to put a plan in place to keep your candidates well-informed,” MarsdenHuggins says. “A structured process for reviewing applications within a reasonable time frame should be put in place which includes how often you will communicate with candidates and whether or not you will inform unsuccessful candidates.” Talent pools allow a business to develop candidate relationships and fill positions as they become available instead of scrambling to find the appropriate candidate as a position arises. While it may take time to build and develop, the long term benefits will far outweigh the negatives. Contacts: Tudor Marsden-Huggins, Employment Office. Phone: 61 1300 366 573. Email: info@employmentoffice.com.au. Martin Warren, HCMS. Phone: 61 3 8621 6600. Email: martin@hcms.com.au.

(03) 9771 6400 www.winebiz.com.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

Australian Wine Export Market Snapshot The Australian Wine Export Market Snapshot is prepared by Wine Australia and provides the latest key statistics on exports of Australian wine. Updated monthly, the snapshot looks at the movement in total volume and value

for the past 12 months and then drills down into more detail such as the top five destinations by value growth, movements in container type, colour, winestyle, and price point, and the top five varietal and regional label claims on bottles.

The main purpose of the report is to provide some high-level trends for the Australian wine category. For more information please visit www. wineaustralia.com/winefacts, email to info@ wineaustralia.com or ring 08 8228 2010.

Highlights â&#x20AC;&#x201C; year ended February 2014 Key statistics Total

China, PR

World

Volume ML

36.1

673

Value $AM (fob)

218.2

1749

Unit value A$/litre (fob)

6.05

2.60

Share of Australian export volume %

5.4

100

Share of Australian export value %

12.5

100

1 year volume growth rate %

-16

-7

1 year value growth rate %

-10

-6

1 year unit value growth rate %

5 year volume CAGR % pa

-1

5 year value CAGR % pa

-6

5 year unit value CAGR % pa

-5

Glass bottle % share

Bulk % share

Soft-pack % share

Alternative packaging % share

Red % share

White % share

$A2.49/L and under % share

$A2.50/L to A$4.99/L % share

A$5.00/L to A$7.49/L % share

A$7.50/L to A$9.99/L % share

5.5

A$10.00/L and over % share

11.8

Shiraz and Shiraz blends % share

Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon blends % share

Merlot and Merlot blends % share

Chardonnay and Chardonnay blends % share

Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc blends % share

South Eastern Australia and South Eastern Australia blends % share

South Australia and South Australia blends % share

17.1

McLaren Vale and McLaren Vale blends % share

5.0

2.1

Barossa Valley and Barossa Valley blends % share

3.0

1.0

Victoria and Victoria blends % share

2.3

0.8

Growth

Container type (by volume)

Colour (by volume)

Price points (by volume)

Top 5 varietal label claims on bottles (by volume))

Top five regional label claims on bottles (by volume)

April 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 603

NOTES & DEFINITIONS Prepared: February 2014, updated monthly 1 Alternative packaging includes flagon, tetra, PET and other packaging types 2 The growth in this segment is due to growth bulk shipments as more Australian wine is being packaged overseas for a combination of reasons, including economic, environmental and scale rationale together with meeting the requirements of some customers. The change in share represents percentage point change in share between the current twelve month period compared to the preceding 12 month period. Based on data compiled from the AWBC Wine Export Approval System. Average Value ($AUD) calculated on FOB value. Free on Board (FOB) value includes production and other costs up until placement on international carrier but excludes international insurance and transport costs. Data is based on wine shipped from Australia to the country of destination - in some instances, wine is then transshipped to other countries for consumption. Disclaimer: While Wine Australia makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and currency of information within this report, we accept no responsibility for information, which may later prove to be misrepresented or inaccurate, or reliance placed on that information by readers. Provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 apply to the contents of this publication, all other right reserved. For further copyright authorisation please see the www.wineaustralia.com website

www.winebiz.com.au

Grapegrower & Winemaker

looking forward 2014

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. April 1984 A number of sites are required in Victoria for grapevine cutting source plantings for winter/spring 1984 as part of the Victorian Grapevine Improvement Scheme. Growers who agree to establish vines on their blocks as part of the scheme obtain the rootlings free of charge and receive the benefits of varieties or clones with improved yield and quality characteristics. For these valuable vines growers will be expected to provide good growing conditions with adequate weed and pest disease control.

April 1994 Stormwater and effluent will be re-used to irrigate vineyards and other agricultural enterprises under an innovative housing project being developed in Adelaide’s northern fringe. When completed, the Munno Para Arc will consist of 10-15 nodal villages built over an area between 35-60 square km and set amongst vineyards and small agricultural holdings. The development is reportedly similar to schemes already existing in Bordeaux, France. Expected to take up to 20 years to complete, the project is a joint venture between the Hickinbotham Group, the South Australian state government and the Munno Para Council.

April 2004 The Margaret River Wine Industry Association elected Ron Fraser as its new president. Fraser, from Chapman Grove Vineyard has a compelling vision for the Margaret River wine region. “To people who visit the region or customers who buy the products here and overseas, the name Margaret River must remain synonymous with the word ‘quality’,” Fraser said. He believes the wine industry is key to the success of the region and the MRWIA was ideally placed to play a leading role in its development by supporting a sustainable, competitive and premium wine industry.

100 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Australia & New Zealand April

May

18-21 Easter Performances @ Sinclair's Gully. Nortin Summit, SA. www.sinclairsgully.com

1-3 Agfest Field Days. between Carrick & Bracknell, TAS. www.agfest.com.au

19-20 Brown Brothers Easter Festival. Milawa, VIC. www.brownbrothers.com.au 19-20 Campbells Easter Picnic. Rutherglen, VIC. www.campbellswines.com.au 19 Griffith La Festa - Faces of Australia. Griffith, NSW. www.lafesta.org.au

1-31 Aussie Wine Month 2014. Australia Wide. www.wineaustralia.com 3-4 Bickley Harvest Festival. Bickley Valley, WA. www.kalamundachamber.com 3 Campbells Bobbie Burns Dinner. Rutherglen, VIC. www.campbellswines.com.au

20 Bendigo Winegrowers Festival. Castlemaine, VIC. www.bendigowine.org.au

3-4 Grampians Grape Escape - The Food & Wine Festival. Halls Gap, VIC. www.grampiansgrapeescape.com.au

25 Avoca ANZAC Day Races. Pyrenees Region, VIC. www.countryracing.com.au

3-4 Kellybrook Cider Festival. Wonga Park, VIC. www.kellybrookwinery.com.au

25 Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend Launch 2014. Clare Valley, SA. www.clarevalleywinemakers.com.au

9 (CD) BRISBANE - 2014 Royal Queensland Wine Show. Bowen Hills, QLD. www.rqfws.com.au

25 April-4 May Daylesford Macedon Produce Harvest Week Festival 2014. Daylesford and surrounds, VIC. www.dmproduce.com.au

9-10 Riverina Field Days. Griffith, NSW. www.riverinafielddays.com 14 Wine Industry Label Competition. Sydney, NSW. www.boutiquewines.com.au

27 April-4 May Tasting Australia. Adelaide, SA. www.tastingaustralia.com.au 29-30 (JD) Langhorne Creek Wine Show. Langhorne Creek, SA. www.langhornecreek.com

International April

20-22 VIINIEXPO 2014 Helsinki, Finland. www.messukeskus. com/sites2/Viiniexpo/en

27-30 Wine Masters Challenge - XVI World Wine Contest Estoril, Portuga. www.winemasterschallenge.com

20-22 Wine & Winemaking - International Specialised Wine Exhibition Odessa, Ukraine. www.expodessa.com/english/wine

28-29 International Wine Tourism Conference & Workshop Tbilisi, Georgia. www.iwinetc.com

20-22 WinExpo, WineTech & WineSalon Ukraine Kiev, Ukraine. www.expodessa.com/winexpo

28-30 Ottawa Wine & Food Festival (Spring Edition) Ottawa, Canada. www.ottawawineandfoodshow.com

22 Meininger’s International Wine Conference 2014 Düsseldorf, Germany. www.meiningers-conference.com

JD = judging date

23-25 ProWein 2014 Düsseldorf, Germany. www.prowein.de

CD = closing date For a comprehensive list of events, visit www.winebiz.com.au/calendar

24-26 Sirha Moscow 2014 Moscow, Russia. www.sirha-moscow.com

www.winebiz.com.au

April 2014 – Issue 603

FIND YOUR SUPPLIER QUICKLY WITH OUR April 2014 Advertiser List Supplier

Page

Supplier

Page

A&G Engineering

MEP Instruments

Agnova

MGA Insurance Brokers

Alternative Engineering

102

New Zealand & Australian Frost Fans

AP John

Oblomov Trading Co

102

BAM Wine Logistics

Ocvitti

Omnia Specialities Australia

Orora Closure Systems

Packtron Packaging

102

Bayer Bibber International Braud Australia

62-63 102 9

Bruce Gilbert Vine Grafting

102

Pastro Custom Ag

Columbit Australia

Pellenc Australia

Crown Sheet Metal - New Zealand

Polaris

59, 61

Rapidfil

85, 102

Eclipse Enterprises Aust Eco Trellis

Ryset (Aust)

Felco

Spagnolo Engineering

Fischer Australis

Streamline Cartons

102

FMR Group

Suber Lefort Group

Gori Australia

Syngenta Australia

Inside front cover

Grape & Wine Research Develop. Corp.

Taylors Engineering (Blenheim NZ)

Graphic Language Design

Vine Industry Nursery Association

102

Groguard Australia

Vine Sight

102

IMCD Australia

Vinewright

102

JMA Engineering

Viniquip

Whitlands Engineering

66 25

Kauri Australia

78, 80, 89, 91

KLIMA

Wine Storage and Logistics

Ledgard

Winequip Wood-Shield

Back page 65

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND GRAPEGROWER & WINEMAKER *Australia's largest circulation wine industry trade magazine celebrating more than 50 years of publication. *Now available online to all subscribers. *All Marketplace adverts also appear on Winebiz Classifieds * For advertising enquiries please call Chas Barter on 08 8369 9513, c.barter@winetitles.com.au

Winebiz Calendar

Australia’s most comprehensive list of wine industry related local and international events and courses – available online FREE! Search for conferences, trade shows, competitions, courses, festivals & Australian & international wine shows.

www.winebiz.com.au/calendar April 2014 – Issue 603

www.winebiz.com.au

Grapegrower & Winemaker

101

Marketplace

All advertisements also appear on www.winebiz.com.au/classifieds/

WINE PRESS SERVICING

Winery for Lease

• 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.

100 ton capacity, fully equipped, in the vicinity of Broke in Hunter Valley NSW

Enquiries: 0408 08 4010

VINE GRAFTING

03 9455 3339 • www.rapidfil.com.au

Vine / Tree Guards Cane Support Tabs

brucethegrafter@gmail.com www.brucethegrafter.com

65 x 65 x 480 Most popular vine size

95 x 95 x 300 2 Lt Milk carton size

Bruce Gilbert 0428 233 544 Brian Phillips 0417 131 764 fax 03 5025 2321

Vine Industry Nursery Assoc.

www.vina.net.au VINEYARD SECONDS – EX JUGIONG

• Dripmaster Dripper Pipe • CCA Treated & Hardwood Posts • Strainers & Intermediates Vineyard Removal Specialists – visit our website or call for details.

Tom Stephens 0428 443 263

www.vinesight.com.au

BIRD NETTING 75 x 75 x 400

• Permanent canopy or throw over net • Fully UV stabilised • Cable, wire and all canopy supplies in stock

Staple around for bushier trees 75 diameter x 420

OBLOMOV TRADING CO.

• Low cost protection against spray, rabbits, wind etc. • Long field life of18 months plus • Available in white poly coated cartonboard • Suit vines, trees, olives, citrus etc • Supplied flat in boxes • Just square up and ready to go • Comes with indent cane holder

PO Box 207, Rozelle, NSW 2039 Phone (02) 9660 6845 Fax (02) 9518 8372 e-mail: sales@otcobirdnet.com.au

Visit our website at: www.otcobirdnet.com.au

Streamline Cartons Ph 1800-227866 Fax (08) 8260 2387

Quality Grapevines

www.streamlinecartons.com.au sales@streamlinecartons.com.au Supplying vine growers for the past 8 years

Vintage Overseas?

Paul Wright PO Box 180 Mt Pleasant South Australia 5235 Ph 08 8568 2385 www.vinewright.com.au

To advertise in this

Marketplace

space, contact Chas Barter on (08) 8369 9513 or

Talk to us!

www.bibber.com.au

c.barter@winetitles.com.au

info@bibber.com.au I 08 8374 0077

102 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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April 2014 – Issue 603

Where can I find wine business solutions online?

www.winebiz.com.au • latest wine industry news • leading industry journals & books • classifieds • job postings • vintage reports & statistics • Buyers’ Guide of wine services & equipment • local weather • article archive • directory of wineries, wine shows, events, education courses & so much more T: +618 8369 9500 F: +618 8369 9501 E: info@winetitles.com.au W: www.winebiz.com.au

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