Grape Grower & Winemaker February 2024 Freeview

FEBRUARY 2024

MIXING IT UP GRAPE VARIETIES FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE

2024 TRACTOR REVIEW

Decoding digital security

2024 ANNUAL THEME: STRATEGIC PLANNING | ISSUE THEME: BOTTLING & BOTTLING LINES

contents February 2024

ISSUE 721

THE AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND GRAPEGROWER & WINEMAKER

FEBRUARY 2024

MIXING IT UP GRAPE VARIETIES FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE

FEBRUARY 2024

2024 TRACTOR REVIEW

Decoding digital security

2024 ANNUAL THEME: STRATEGIC PLANNING | ISSUE THEME: BOTTLING & BOTTLING LINES

Cover: The February issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker features our bumper 2024 Tractor Review, examining the best of the best in vineyard workhorses. Turning to alternative approaches, we look at worm-powered wastewater cleaning, plant-based fining agents, and grape varieties for the changing climate. Young Gun Stephanie Helm talks smoke taint and sexism, and Ilga Horvat covers the essentials of quality recruiting.

REGULARS 5

What’s online

11

International briefs

5

12

In this issue

R&D at Work

76

Producer Profile: Gerald Naef

79

Calendar

79 80

Looking Back

36 NEWS

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

7

SALES & MARKETING

6

8 10

Marketplace classified

Pernod Ricard launches “passion project”, granting four winemakers creative license New Kiwi OIV Director General’s ambitious agenda

Cracking the case for non-glass wine bottles One Grape & Wine Sector Plan draft details industry priorities

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68 72

Recruitment essentials: How to hire the right person for your business

FEATURE Demystifying the matter of digital security FEATURE A lighter, bright future

GRAPEGROWING 16

50

28 36

SPECIAL FEATURE 2024 Tractor Review

Climate change and the Australian mix of winegrape varieties Australian-first regenerative certification announced

WINEMAKING 38 45 50

55 59

28

Plant-based alternative fining agents, with an option to avoid microplastic

FEATURE Worm-powered innovation cleans up winery wastewater Young Gun: Stephanie Helm

Behind the Top Drops: Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz

Chilled Summer Reds Uncorked: a fresh spin on spare grapes

64 February 2024 – Issue 721

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NATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE WINE INDUSTRY SINCE 1963 Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins

Hans Mick Editor

General Manager: Robyn Haworth Editor: Hans Mick h.mick@winetitles.com.au Associate Editor: Sonya Logan s.logan@winetitles.com.au Editorial Advisory Board Denis Gastin, Dr Steve Goodman, Paul van der Lee, Bob Campbell MW, Dr Mary Retallack and Corrina Wright Editorial: Meg Riley m.riley@winetitles.com.au Advertising Sales: Louise Reid sales@grapeandwine.com.au Production Tim Coleman Creative Services Tim Coleman Circulation: subs@winetitles.com.au Winetitles Media ABN 85 085 551 980 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9500 info@winetitles.com.au www.winetitles.com.au E @winetitlesmedia D @winetitles Q @winetitlesmedia C linkedin.com/company/winetitles-pty-ltd Printing by Lane Print Group, Adelaide ISSN 1446-8212 Printed on FSC Certified Paper, manufactured under the Environmental Management System ISO 14001, using vegetablebased inks from renewable resources. © Contents copyright Winetitles Media 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Print Post Approved PP100004140 Articles published in this issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker may also appear in full or as extracts on our website.

A

s vintage gets underway early in some Aussie regions and attention becomes increasingly focused on the vines, this February issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker provides guidance to operators when it comes to those vital workhorses: vineyard tractors. We invited leading tractor suppliers to put forward their latest and greatest models to help those who may be looking to upgrade their machinery. Our 2024 Tractor Review starts on page 16.

With the weather continuing to confound and irritate many – with temperature and moisture levels swinging erratically throughout our so-called ‘summer’ – we present research from the University of Adelaide on getting the ‘national mix’ of Australia’s winegrape varieties right in the face of the changing climate. Read more from page 28.

Heading into the winery, we learn more about plant-based alternative fining agents, with a focus on microplastic-free options (page 38). Meantime, Sonya Logan investigates the surfacing of vermifiltration in the wine industry, an environmentally friendly process that utilises earthworms to treat winery wastewater (page 45). We speak to Canberra district winemaker Stephanie Helm for this month’s Young Gun column (page 50), while we learn the story of Yarra Yering’s Underhill Shiraz for Behind the Top Drops (page 55).

Journalist Meg Riley lifts the esky lid on what could be a fresh spin on spare grapes: chilled summer reds (page 59).

HR contributor Ilga Horvat provides her expertise to wine business operators on ‘navigating the recruitment maze’ (page 64). We also discover more about the latest innovations for digital security (page 68) and the ongoing adoption by wine producers of alternative bottling formats (page 72).

There’s plenty more inside too – enjoy the read!

Subscription Prices Australia: 1 year (12 issues) $95.50 (inc. GST) 2 years (24 issues) $175.00 (inc. GST) New Zealand, Asia & Pacific: 1 year (12 issues) $133.50 (AUD) 2 years (24 issues) $255.00 (AUD) All other countries: 1 year (12 issues) $210.50 (AUD) 2 years (24 issues) $405.00 (AUD) Students (Aus only): 1 year (12 issues) $76.40 (inc. GST) Digital: 1 year $65.50

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February 2024 – Issue 721

2024 TRACTOR REVIEW

TRACTOR OF THE YEAR 2024, BEST OF SPECIALISED WINNER - LANDINI REX4-120 GT

and orchard tractors,” reads the statement of the jury listing the reasons for achieving the award.

operator gives consensus, the steering wheel will automatically adjust the direction along the row.

Tractor of the Year is an international award established in 1998 that is given annually to the best tractors on the European market by a group of independent journalists specialised in agricultural mechanisation. The international jury is made up of 25 journalists from 25 different countries representing different editorial projects, including print magazines, websites, TV shows, social media and more.

The standout feature is the RoboShift transmission, boasting an electroactuated robotic system that operates on both the three speeds under load and the four base gears. All of this is complemented by the APS function Auto Power Shift - for automatic gear shifting with adjustable responsiveness.

The Dynamic version for Landini REX4, stands for an autonomous driving system that allows, with the help of hood-integrated sensors, automatic parallel driving between orchard or vineyard rows.

The multifunction SmartPilot joystick simultaneously controls the transmission, PTO engagement, engine RPM, and electro-hydraulic distributor.

“With the Landini Rex4-120 GT Roboshift Dynamic, Argo Tractors has raised the bar for specialized vineyard

When entering into the vineyard, on the 10’ DSM will appear the button for autonomous driving and after the

The ‘Zero Shock System’ cabin suspension, combined with the suspended cabin and axle, ensures

It is with great pride that we announce that Landini has won the well-deserved award Tractor of the Year 2024 for the category ‘Best Of Specialized’ with its latest model REX4-120 GT RoboShift Dynamic.

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The Advanced Driving System (ADS) is already set up to integrate with assisted guidance systems for precision farming operations.

Completing the package are the Fleet & Diagnostic Management monitoring package, the Isobus system for implements management, and agronomic technologies.

February 2024 – Issue 721

grapegrowing

Strategic Planning

Climate change and the Australian mix of winegrape varieties

By Germán Puga and Kym Anderson Wine Economics Research Centre, University of Adelaide Introduction It has long been claimed that Australia’s mix of winegrape varieties is less than ideal for expressing and exploiting the terroir of its various wine regions.

Hickinbotham (1947) believed seven decades ago that Australia’s hot regions were not focused enough on varieties from warmer parts of Europe. Four decades ago Dry and Smart (1980) suggested that if the addition of acid had been outlawed in Australia, its hot regions would have been forced to at least add ‘improver’ varieties to their mix. More recently, McKay et al. (1999) felt that varieties from the hotter parts of Italy were under-represented in Australia. That same comment could be applied to varieties from other warm 28

Grapegrower & Winemaker

countries such as Spain, Greece and Cyprus. Questions are again being asked about the appropriate mix of varieties in Australia’s cooler regions as they gradually warm with climate change (Smart 2020).

It is also notable that the national mix of varieties is becoming more concentrated on a few key (French) varieties, the so-called ‘international varieties’. In 1990, the top ten varieties accounted for three-quarters of Australia’s total vine bearing area, but now just the top five account for that share. Four of those top ten in 1990 were French, while now eight of the top ten are French, raising the share of French varieties from around half to 90%. Over that same period, the bearing area share of red varieties rose www.winetitles.com.au

from 38% to two-thirds. These trends are similar to those in other New World countries, such that Australia’s mix of varieties is becoming less distinct from the rest of the world’s (Anderson and Nelgen 2020ab, 2021; Puga and Anderson, 2023) – notwithstanding the considerable media attention given to ‘alternative’ or ‘emerging’ varieties (Anderson and Puga 2023a).

The purpose of this study is to examine the changing mix of winegrape varieties in Australia to address the question: In light of key climate indicators and predictions of further climate change, how well-suited are the winegrape varieties planted in Australia’s wine regions, and what is the nation’s vulnerability to further climate change?

February 2024 – Issue 721

winemaking

Plant-based alternative fining agents, with an option to avoid microplastic

By Paul K. Bowyer¹ and Galdric Nogues² Introduction Historically, some pretty gross things have been used in wine production, especially in terms of proteinic fining agents, and there is evidence to suggest that residual components of the fining process can persist in wine in some cases (Maury, 2019). The first to come to mind is ox blood (the active component of which is the protein hæmoglobin), followed shortly by fish offal (isinglass), and the byproducts of boiled animal carcasses (gelatine). There are of course more benign animal-based products that are still routinely used by some winemakers in wine production such as egg white (mainly ovalbumin) and skim milk (casein), although these proteins too can be allergenic if present at low levels and a label declaration of their usage will be mandated from 2024 for the EU. These fining agents have been discussed previously (Bowyer 2008, Parts 1 & 2) in terms of their physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics. The use of somewhat unsavoury fining agents such as these was mandated at the time by three major factors: these processing aids were both cheap and readily available, functioned effectively and because no animal-free alternatives existed. No real consideration was given to market requirements in terms of wine processing aids and additives, and it is not uncommon for wine consumers to be very surprised (and more than a little concerned) to find that products of this type have been used in the production of the beverage they were hitherto enjoying in blissful ignorance. A similar sphere of concern surrounds the use of PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone) by some wine consumers (and a growing proportion of winemakers) given that this is a microplastic, and is thus detrimental to the best spaceship we have – planet Earth.

Fast forward to current times and things have moved on a bit. In this article we will explore some options for allergenfree, vegan-friendly, and microplasticfree fining agents, and the depth of development required to deliver effective products to market.

Plant proteins There are typically two offerings when it comes to plant proteins for juice or wine fining: potato or pea (wheat protein is also permissible in the OIV Codex, but since some people are sensitive or allergic to gluten this is not likely to be used by manufacturers). Of these two proteins, the pea proteins tend to be the more organoleptically benign due to the earthy smell intrinsic to potato protein. Pea proteins also tend to be easier to resuspend in water, which can make their use in a winery environment more practical. That said, not all pea proteins or potato proteins are equal, with substantial variations in the quality and characteristics of raw materials, and in order to provide a commercial product of consistent quality and characteristics

significant investment must be made in terms of raw materials analysis and batch selection. To explain this, we will delve into the processes involved in oenological pea protein-based product development.

Aspect Aside from the usual oenological processing aid/additive requirements of solubility, moisture/nitrogen/ash and heavy metals content, any proteins used in wine production must be fit for human consumption (obviously), even though as processing aids they technically do not remain in the wine to any great extent.

A potential product source must also be scrutinised for the presence of any microorganisms and other undesirable residues. Critical parameters examined in the raw pea protein materials are protein content (%), molecular weight and solubility, with the parameters of lower importance being aspect (appearance/ odour) and pH. Table 1 shows some examples of the solid and aqueous dispersions of the commercial product Greenfine Must and two raw material candidates.

Table 1: Greenfine Must and two potential raw material candidates in both solid and suspended states, illustrating the variation observed in raw materials and the need for continual batch analysis with respect to several parameters.

Greenfine Must

Raw material candidate 1

Raw material candidate 2

¹BHF Technologies, Unit 1, 11-13 Wells Rd, Oakleigh VIC 3166. ²Lamothe-Abiet, Z. A. Actipolis, avenue Ferdinand de Lesseps, 33610 CANEJAN/Bordeaux – France 38

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February 2024 – Issue 721

Behind the Top Drops

Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz

In 2023, Yarra Yering’s Underhill Shiraz vineyard celebrated 50 years in the ground. In the same year, in a fitting tribute, the Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz received the Prime Minister’s Trophy for Champion Wine of Show at the National Wine Show of Australia for the 2021 vintage. The 2018 Underhill Shiraz took out the same gong at the 2019 National Wine Show. Unlike its stablemate in the Shiraz-dominant Dry Red Wine No. 2 — where the Shiraz is a blend off six different blocks across the Yarra Yering estate vineyard at the foot of the Yarra Valley’s Warramate Hills and in any year includes components of Viognier, Marsanne and Mataro — the Underhill Shiraz is a single block wine. Yarra Yering’s winemaker and general manager Sarah Crowe revealed to Sonya Logan the story behind this award-winning wine.

What can you tell us about the story behind the creation of the first Underhill Shiraz:

In 1984 Dr Carrodus (our founder) removed some Shiraz vines and replaced them with Pinot Noir cuttings to supplement the Pinot production. After a few years, he realised this left a gap in his Shiraz production so in 1988, when he was offered the neighbouring vineyard to the west of his No. 1 Cabernet vines that was planted to Shiraz, he jumped at the opportunity. Ivan Vlasic, who planted the vineyard in 1973, had named it Prigorje after his home region in Croatia.

Prigorje literally means ‘foothills’ and so Dr Carrodus named this block Underhill in recognition of its former life. The first Yarra Yering Underhill was made from the 1989 vintage.

What I find interesting was that rather than blending this Shiraz into his Dry Red Wine No. 2 label, Dr Carrodus, from the first vintage after acquiring this block, crafted a single block wine from it. This new label would go on to become one of our most well-known wines.

Can you comment on the original intention for the wine with regard to the style?

In March 2023, we hosted some media to taste the entire vertical of Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz from 1989 to 2021. I could see an evolution of the style which was largely connected to the overarching climate through the years.

The early vintages were wonderfully elegant, lightly fruited cool climate style with good energy. A decade later, through the late 1990s and 2000s, the wines grew in largeness — riper fruits with a heavier tannin presence. When I first arrived at Yarra Yering in 2013, the style was one of being quite firm February 2024 – Issue 721

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