NZ Winegrower 9 April 2013

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 79

54 RE G UL A R S

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Editorial

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Pinot Noir 2013 Special

Tessa Nicholson

From the regionality of the event, the authenticity of our Pinot Noirs, through to some sage if somewhat tongue-incheek advice from Sam Neill – we follow up on the highly successful event held in Wellington earlier this year.

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From the CEO

Philip Gregan

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Regional Viewpoint

James Dicey - Central Otago

8

In Brief

News from around the country

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Sommelier’s Corner

Cameron Douglas MS

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Bob’s Blog

Bob Campbell MW

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Calendar

Wine Happenings in New Zealand

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Research Supplement

The latest science and research projects funded by NZ Winegrowers

FRONT COVER: Seifried Estate, Nelson SUPPLIED BY NZ WINEGROWERS

FEATURES

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Grape Vines in Demand

It has been some cold dark years for the vine nurseries in New Zealand. From boom to gloom almost overnight. Now they are having to gear themselves up again, as demand geos through the roof.

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End of an era

After 37 years of directing wine shows, 21 of those at the helm of The Easter Wine Show, Terry Dunleavy has stepped down.

He reflects back on the changes he has seen during his tenure, both regionally and style wise.

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Not on the Label – Legal Matters

We introduce a new feature this issue, with Marija Batistich, Senior Associate at Bell Gully. Marija will provide a legal perspective on issues relevant to the wine industry. This issue she looks at the Resource Management Act.

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 3

E D I TO R Tessa Nicholson tessa.nicholson@me.com

FROM THE EDITOR TESSA NICHOLSON

CO R R E SP O N D E NTS Auckland: Joelle Thomson jthomson@xtra.co.nz Wairarapa: Barbara Gillham barbarag@value.net.nz Gisborne: Christine Boyce christineboyce@gmail.com Hawkes Bay: Mary Shanahan maryshanahan173@gmail.com Nelson: Neil Hodson neil@hodgson.net.nz Canterbury: Jo Burzynska joburzynska@talk21.com Central Otago: Max Marriott max@maxmarriott.com

A DV E R T I SI N G Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 03 376 5552 Mobile: 021 221 1994 Stephen Pollard stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 09 913 9637 Mobile: 021 963 166 www.nzwinegrower.co.nz

C I R C U L AT I O N & SUBSCRIPTIONS Lorraine Rudelj lorraine@nzwine.com Ph: 09 303 3527 Fax: 09 302 2969 New Zealand Winegrowers PO Box 90 276, Auckland Mail Centre, New Zealand

PUBLISHING & P R E - P R E SS Rural News Group PO Box 3855, Auckland 1140 Ph: 09 307 0399 Location: Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Publisher: Brian Hight Managing Editor: Adam Fricker Production: Dave Ferguson, Rebecca Williams

Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers (jointly representing Wine Institute of New Zealand Inc and New Zealand Grape Growers Council Inc). Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/ or its directors or management, New Zealand Winegrowers or its constituent organisations.

Published every second month.

One free copy is mailed to every member of the Institute, the Council, the New Zealand Society of Viticulture & Oenology and the New Zealand Vine Improvement Group, and to such other persons or organisations as directed by the owners, with provision for additional copies and other recipients to be on a subscription basis.

ISSN 1174-5223

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

I

in expected grape hauls.” t was a headline to strike fear into They quoted Alastair Maling MW of the hearts of the New Zealand wine Villa Maria as saying the best bet is for a industry, even if there were many “moderate sized harvest”. Which is far shaking their heads at its validity. closer to the reality, than the headline “Baking summer sparks warning of mentioned above. wine glut”, claimed the New Zealand If anything though, that headline does Herald during the month of March. Really? remind all in the industry that the situaWith the largest regions in the country tion can change quickly and New Zealand still to even to begin harvesting, what is has to beware that it doesn’t slide back it that the Herald reporter knew, that the into an over supply situation. Especially wine industry didn’t? when there is increased pressure on vine The reporter went on to say that the nurseries throughout the country. (See driest conditions experienced in years, story Grape Vines across the in Demand – page country, had 18). Major comprovided “outAs the end of vintage 2013 draws closer, panies are looking standing grape growers need to be aware of just what at expanding, growing condivineyards are now tions”. Well that their winery partners require for 2014. selling and prices is true. There are beginning to are winemakers rise.

Growers are also looking at vineliterally salivating at the potential of this yard maintenance, in terms of replacing year’s vintage, thanking the weather gods diseased and dead vines, after four years for providing constant heat, and disease of little or no replanting.

As people far free conditions. But it takes a little more better informed than I am are warning, than the perfect summer to ensure a crop any expansion of the industry in the near capable of creating a glut. future needs to be market led, and not It appears the reporter was basing the foolhardy speculation. headline on the fact yields are likely to be While there is little likelihood of vast bigger than they were in 2012. That again tracts of land being developed into vineis no surprise. That vintage was much yards in the next few years, (due to a lack lower than expected. It would have taken of vines), what is already planted needs a spectacular weather event in December to be managed carefully. As the end of last year to see crop levels drop lower than vintage 2013 draws closer, growers need to the 269,000 tonne harvest of 2012. be aware of just what their winery partners So was it just a case of grandstanding, require for 2014. in order to make a story? Maybe. The Pruning to two, three or four canes unfortunate result of that though, is that this winter will play a big role in what the our overseas markets picked up on it potential yields are likely to be next year. within a matter of hours.

So decisions made in the next two to Thankfully though, the headline was three months are vital for the immediate countered in articles such as the one from future. decanter.com, which said; “More forecasts A glut this year? I think not. But let’s are for a bigger harvest than the record ensure that four letter word doesn’t come low in 2012, although there is not yet a back to haunt us next year, or the year more accurate prediction. Initial signs after, or anytime in the future. ■ show a lot of variation between vineyards

FROM THE CEO PHILIP GREGAN

NURSERY SURVEY 2013 AND FUTURE GRAPEVINE PLANTINGS

N

Z Winegrowers and the NZ Viticulture Nursery Association recently released the results of the 2013 Nursery Survey. The Survey looks both back and forwards – back to confirm the deliveries of grapevines in 2012, and forward to the forthcoming 2013 planting season.

The Survey tells us that in 2013 well in excess of two million vines will be shipped out of nurseries to vineyards around the country. While the Survey does not tell us definitively whether these vines are for replanting or new planting, the chances are that at least some of the vines will be for new vineyard developments.

The results from the Survey are significant because it seems clear that 2013 will mark the first significant investment in new vineyards since 2008. And if the anecdotal reports are to are believed 2014 will likely see an even greater level of planting material shipped out of nurseries.

This expansion of the vineyard area is an obvious sign of the increased confidence that is starting to emerge in the sector on the back of an improved supply/demand balance. In practical terms our producing area is effectively fixed through to 2016 at the same time that we are seeing continuing strong demand for New Zealand wine in key export markets. No wonder new vineyards are starting to be

planted.

The renaissance in vineyard plantings prompts a number of thoughts:

Being demand led Let’s hope any new vineyard planting now and into the future is strongly demand led with a well thought out business case behind it.

There is no doubt some plantings in the pre 2008 period were highly speculative and this undoubtedly contributed to some of the issues our sector faced in the period after 2008.

The Vineyard Register The importance of having accurate vineyard data was one of the compelling lessons for NZ Winegrowers after the events of 2008, as despite our best endeavours our vineyard data prior to this seriously underestimated the vineyard area. Pre-2008 we tried to generate accurate data voluntarily through the Vineyard Survey, but it is apparent that a measure of compulsion is necessary if the industry is to have available to it accurate data on the vineyard area and where those vineyards are located (this being an absolute necessity in the event of any bio-security issues in the sector). The Vineyard Register is the NZW response to this issue. The 2012 Vineyard Register showed 34,643 hectares producing in 2013 rising to 34,953 hectares by 2015. The Vineyard Register 2013 will be

open for members to update shortly and we urge all members to ensure their data is accurate.

The Grafted Grapevine Standard It is some years now since NZ Winegrowers and the nurseries developed the NZ Grafted Grapevine Standard. The aim of the Standard is to ensure high health planting material is available for the industry in order to limit the spread of viruses and other vine diseases.

Accordingly growers and wineries are urged to use only certified material in their vineyard plantings.

Vine Replacement With close to 35,000 hectares of producing vines, growers and wineries will have the need for an on-going vine replacement programme.

If an assumption is made around an average vine life of 20 years, that represents a replacement programme of 5% of the vineyard area each year which would equate to 1,750 hectares per annum.

Before any new plantings, this is a significant annual investment by the industry into future vineyard health.

Finally, how much more land is there in Marlborough?

This is a question that a number of wineries have posed in recent months as they

contemplate the continuing lift in international sales for New Zealand wine.

This is an important question for the industry as a very significant part of our success over the past two decades has been driven by Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

If the potential for vineyard expansion in Marlborough is limited – and every flight into Marlborough certainly provides a visual image that this is the case – it poses some interesting questions for the industry.

When will Marlborough be fully planted? What will happen to demand for grapes from other areas when Marlborough is planted?

Does this represent an opportunity for vineyard developments in other regions? What does this tell us about the future for New Zealand wine - value vs volume?

The results of the 2013 Nursery Survey are a welcome sign of investment in our industry’s capital resources.

Planned well these investments will contribute very positively to the development of the industry over the next decade or two.

But the Nursery Survey 2013 also raises some interesting questions about the future direction of New Zealand wine over the long term - questions that the sector will need to answer in due course.

Best wishes for the vintage. ■

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 5

REGIONAL VIEWPOINT

THE POWER OF COLLABORATION J A M E S D I C E Y – C E N T R A L O TA G O W I N E G R O W E R S ’ A S S O C I AT I O N P R E S I D E N T

T

he Central Otago Winegrowers Association (COWA) created a wholly owned subsidiary company in 2002 called Central Otago Pinot Noir Limited (COPNL). The purpose of the company was to focus on promoting the Central

in the ability of our local producers to collaborate together to tell the regional story as a primary objective and their own stories as a secondary objective. It doesn’t always work in this order and not everyone participates but enough of the brands (including

“Keeping an open dialogue between members and being as inclusive and as welcoming as possible is required, as is making sure we are all telling the same story and working to the same broad goals.”

Otago region and Pinot Noir wines emanating from the region. Member brands of COPNL run a number of events each year, primarily focusing on key trade and influencers. They range from inbound events meant to showcase our region and wines, to joint road shows to domestic and overseas markets.

I would suggest that COPNL has to a large extent succeeded at its mission in raising the consciousness of local and international trade and media about Central Otago Pinot Noir, and that this has filtered to consumers as well. A lot more work is required to continue to spread the word and develop the association between Central Otago and Pinot Noir.

The strength of this model lies

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well established and successful brands) do, for it to be a successful model.

The root of this collaboration lies, we like to believe, in the pioneering spirit that is still pervasive in this most difficult of climates to grow grapes in. In the beginning the only way to successfully grow grapes and make wine was to work together to overcome challenges and this has extended into the sale of wine and regional promotion.

We are currently extending this model as a regional organisation in a number of different directions; collaborating on developing an integrated tourism model with the local councils and tourism providers and promoting this to the tourist trade, working at engaging

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

with the local authorities so we have an effective lobbying presence (particularly relevant with the new alcohol changes foist upon the local bodies), trying to work with the local community so they understand and support our wine industry and working to create collaborations between small growers and between brands (such as a mentorship program).

Maintaining the level of collegiality that’s necessary for collaboration to work is difficult and has to be actively worked at.

In an increasingly mature and competitive market where your colleagues are also competing for listings on wine lists and shelf space can lead to negative and destructive behaviour. Keeping an open dialogue between members and being as inclusive and as welcoming as possible is required, as is making sure we are all telling the same story and

working to the same broad goals, albeit in different ways and on different paths.

Short term thinking in terms of the bottom line is important in today’s new financial reality, but the development of viable brands that will stand the test of time, takes time and protracted effort and the same applies to Central Otago Pinot Noir. The continued collaboration of the local brands and wine companies working together will be a critical success factor in our region. ■

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IN BRIEF

Auckland Correction In the last issue of NZWinegrower, we made reference in a story to the first New Zealand Pinot Noir to win a gold medal. Michael Cooper kindly let us know, we had the wrong wine. He states: The claim that St Helena Pinot Noir 1982 won the first gold medal in New Zealand for Pinot Noir is one of the industry’s most enduring myths. It won the first South Island gold medal for Pinot Noir.

The claim seems, unfortunately, to originate from winemaker Danny Schuster (a quick Google search makes this pretty clear.)

Babich Pinot Noir 1981, estate-grown at Henderson, won a gold medal at the New Zealand Easter Show Competition in 1983 (held in February 1983). St Helena Pinot Noir 1982 won a gold medal at the National Wine Competition 1983 (held in November 1983).

Waiheke Pioneer Honoured

National Wine-Searcher News The world’s biggest wine search engine is not based in Silicon Valley or Seattle but the Auckland suburb of New Lynn. The Wine-Searcher search engine lists more than 5.5 million wines, along with prices from almost 40,000 merchants around the world. Jancis Robinson MW calls it “the most successful, and seriously useful, price comparison website.”

In April 2012, Wine-Searcher became a lot more seriously useful, launching a free-to-use news and features section about wine and the wine industry.

“While most people use Wine-Searcher for price comparison, we’re also building an enthusiastic readership for our editorial content,” said Editor Rebecca Gibb. “We aim to rival the online offerings of Decanter and the Wine Spectator.”

Gibb adds: “With our first birthday coming up, we thought it was time to tell the New Zealand wine trade that they have this source of information on their doorsteps and hope that we can support each other.”

Regular contributors to Wine-Searcher include award-winning writers such as Tyler Colman a.k.a Dr Vino and W.Blake Gray in the United States, Jane Anson and Sophie Kevany in Bordeaux, and Kerin O’Keefe in Italy. New Zealand journalist Rose Hoare provides features from London and Paris.

A weekly Wine-Searcher newsletter is published each Friday. Sign up on the Wine-Searcher homepage.”

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Kim and wife Jeanette.

The University of Auckland honoured one of the greats of the New Zealand Wine Industry, and the recipient of the NZWinegrower Personality of the Year, 21011, Kim Goldwater. Kim who was a student at the University back in the early 60s, was one of six internationally celebrated graduates, ranging from science and innovation to the visual arts, to be honoured at a gala dinner on March 1. Kim and wife Jeanette have not only helped place Waiheke Isalnd on the wine map, they also made a unique $4 million gift to Auckland University in 2011, which allows their winemaking operation to become a new centre for the University’s wine science programme.

The other graduates honoured were Dr Jillian Evans, Norman Godden, Honourable Jim McLay, Andrew Patterson and Simon Denny.

The Winemaker Unmasked Waiheke Island winemaker Chris Canning has released a novel called “Finding Albert Strange”. The Hay Paddock Winery winemaker has set his story on a calm and cloudless autumn morning when the Saville family sets out to join the celebrations on the country’s most important day of the year, only to discover that the one thing that matters is missing. The book is available now on Amazon and Kindle Books.

Hawke’s Bay

Nelson

Waipara/North Canterbury

New Executive Officer

Three Tie for Best Cellar Door

Riesling Event Brings a Message From God

James Medina is the new executive officer of Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc., taking over from Lyn Cheyne (Bevin) who filled that role for the last 11 years.

With an extensive background in business strategy, sales and marketing, Medina is keen to utilise his many years of food and beverage industry experience to continue growing the Hawke’s Bay brand.

An American, Medina moved to Auckland in 2002 for a threeyear stint as a consultant senior business manager for Progressive Enterprises Ltd. He returned to the USA, but not before he and his wife, Linda Baylis, had targeted Hawke’s Bay as their wedding venue.

In 2011, the couple moved to Hawke’s Bay where Medina was employed at Unison Networks as the company’s business development manager.

A keen wine consumer, he is studying for a wine marketing diploma at EIT. “The wine industry is a huge driver for Hawke’s Bay in terms of economics, tourism and employment,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with and have impact on so many businesses and so many people.”

Gaining a 100% score in anything is a major coup, so when three Nelson Cellar Doors all achieved that perfect mark in a mystery shopper survey, there was great celebration. The mystery shopper looks at cellar door and staff presentation, the service experience, the information given and

whether the visit was a positive experience. Nelson WineArt General Manager Gisela Purcell says the results show there are not only great cellar doors in Nelson, but the best offer a fantastic experience to visitors.

The three that tied for Best Cellar Door 2013 were; Brightwater Vineyards, Fossil Ridge Wines and Rimu Grove Winery.

It was one of those surreal moments, according to Angela Clifford of Tongue and Groove Wines in Waipara, and coordinator of Summer of Riesling. During one of the events being held in Christchurch, on the edge of the Red Zone, who should walk past, but a Nun in full blue attire. Anyone who is old enough to remember the famous Blue Nun Rieslings of the past will understand the significance of such an event.

“When Paul Grieco came up the idea of Summer of Riesling (In New York) there was a lot of iconography associated with it, quite religiously orientated,” Clifford said. But the big one was a Blue Nun. So when she walked past, it was like a real life Summer of Riesling miracle, right there.”

Especially, as the photo shows, there was very little in the way of places to visit, given the Rolling Riesling event was held amongst Christchurch city’s rubble and renovation. ■

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 9

PINOT NOIR 2013

REGIONALITY WINS PALATES JOELLE THOMSON

T

his year’s Pinot Noir 2013 conference had arguably the strongest, most unifying theme of any Pinot Noir event yet – ironically by dividing the conference in three, the country’s winemakers showed their most unified front.

The key message?

Regionalization rocks.

The overriding theme of Pinot Noir 2013 was regionalization, which meant there were three main venues, each focusing on

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a geographic zone. I say ‘zone’ rather than region because one of the zones paid homage to three regions and was further divided into sub-regions.

The three zones were Central Otago, Marlborough and ‘Pinot Pioneers’. It was the latter that spanned the most widespread area, stretching from the wines and their makers from Martinborough, the Wairarapa, Nelson and North Canterbury inwards from Waipara and north of there

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

to Omihi and other surrounding areas.

This regional focus at Pinot Noir 2013 enabled attendees – including exhibitors – to go to individual areas where they could delve into the wine styles in depth and talk to their makers. It also allowed New Zealand’s largest wine region, Marlborough, to put a more cohesive Pinot Noir foot forward than it has had the chance to do at previous such events.

Not only were locals convinced

but – more importantly – international guests and visitors were able to see, taste and talk in depth about the promise of this vast region, without being distracted at the same time by sexier regions which have forged a clearer path with Pinot prior to now.

And yet a problem remains. If Marlborough is going to succeed with Pinot Noir the way it has with Sauvignon Blanc, viticulture has to change. It’s not enough to have the top winemakers reduc-

Some may speak of range.

Others of quality.

All speak of

Dorien Vermaas from Staete Landt Wines in Marlborough.

ing their cropping levels to make outstanding wines.

The region’s growers also need to recognize the impact their focus has on what ends up in the bottle. It’s clear from tastings that the regions with the lowest cropping levels also happen to be those with the most consistently high quality Pinots.

Martinborough is in the heart of the Wairarapa’s wine scene and makes approximately two thirds of the wines in the region; but only accounts for 2.8 per cent of New Zealand’s total producing vineyard area and the region’s average yield is even lower - just 1.6% of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir grapes each year come from Martinborough. The quality across the board in this region is arguably higher than from any other area.

It’s no coincidence that the quality is high where the yield is low. The opposite can be said for places where prices are low, quality is rising but the best wines still come from just a small handful of producers. Yes, there will always be cheap wine and it has to come from somewhere, but since it is now clear that top quality Pinot Noir can be made even in regions which have tradi-

tionally focused more on quantity than quality, surely it’s time for growers as well as winemakers to get behind top shelf Pinot potential.

Regionality worked exceptionally well in other ways for Pinot Noir 2013 too.

By shining the spotlight on the Pinot Pioneers – the group of winemakers from Nelson, North Canterbury and the Wairarapa – the historical impact these individuals made was highlighted.

There are many more stories to be shared – historic and contemporary. And just as in that most important Pinot Noir region of all (the word ‘Burgundy’ was all but banned at the event), regionality is a limitless theme. Roll on Pinot Noir 2016 and another focus on regionality; to delve deeper into the differences Pinot Noir has as it expresses itself in different areas, climates, aspects, soils and altitudes.

The last word goes to one of the first Pinot pioneers; Hermann Seifried from Nelson, who says planting his first Pinot Noir grapes in 1973 was not hard; “It was bloody hard.” ■ jthomson@xtra.co.nz

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 11

REFLECTIONS ON AUTHENTICITY JO BURZYNSKA

F

Finding a true voice

orget the “B” word and just be yourselves: a message repeated by a number of international commentators at Pinot Noir 2013. Now New Zealand’s Pinot Noirs are coming of age, it was suggested that there was no longer a need for producers to reference Burgundy, rather aim for authenticity in their own wines and communicate this effectively.

“I’m beginning to hear authentic voices,” stated keynote speaker, the British Burgundy expert, Jasper Morris MW, who spoke of having the confidence to tell one’s own story rather than have it told.

“This is shining through.”

In being a largely natural product and one for which provenance is also extremely important in its highest examples, the concept of authenticity is highly relevant to wine. But just what makes a wine truly authentic and how to apply the concept to the country’s Pinot Noirs was something explored at the conference.

“The new generation of consumers see through stories that

the impresario winemaker that produces wines to brief and the promise of exceptional wine

Mike Bennie

are generated,” claimed Australian wine writer, Mike Bennie in his keynote speech on the subject, citing examples of “the idyllic location of a vineyard that might not be idyllic for winegrowing;

based on third party endorsement”.

“These things are hackneyed,” he said, urging wineries to “find the story: don’t create it” if they’re to come across as

authentic. However, given the youth of our wine industry and its vineyards, many are still trying to find their voice and the confidence to use it.

Moderating the main New Zealand regional tasting, UK wine critic, Tim Atkin urged his fellow panellists to avoid using the “B word” – Burgundy, maker of some of the world’s greatest Pinot Noirs, which are used as benchmarks for many working with the variety around the world.

Here in New Zealand it’s not been uncommon to hear winemakers describe attributes they consider positive in their own Pinots as “Burgundian”, while some have actively sought to emulate their French counterparts. However, as stressed by Bennie, you can’t be authentic if what you’re making is a copy.

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Evidenced by a tasting of the hundreds of examples poured throughout the event, New Zealand’s own Pinot Noirs are really starting to develop their own distinctive characters: from the country’s Pinot producing regions and sub-regions, right down to individual blocks.

Authenticity is found in wines that express their own roots.

They’re not trying to be Burgundies, they don’t have their identities distorted by winemaking artifice or dulled by chemicals and they’re made by people connected to the vines and not a marketeer constructing counterfeit brand stories.

This tendency to defer to Burgundy, whose wines have been telling their own story for centuries, doubtless stems from the fact that New Zealand’s winemakers are still discovering what their vineyards have to say, especially as the signature of a site for Pinot Noir tends to emerge in older vines.

“How long does it take for a vineyard to have a voice that transcends that of the winemaker?” asked local Pinot pioneer, Escarpment’s Larry McKenna at one of the event’s regional discussions.

“Our oldest Pinot vineyards are about 30 years old, while in France vines that are under 50 years old are still considered young. It’s the next generation which will see the best of them.”

fessionalism of the conference, describing Burgundy as a region where “collectivism doesn’t exist”. From her speech that followed it could be deduced that New Zealand’s youthful status and approach as a Pinot producing nation may be no bad thing.

“There’s lots of individualism in Burgundy, which is based on the establishment of the AOC [appellation d’origine contrôlée – France’s system of geographical denominations] in Burgundy in the 1930s, which is a major handicap for starting to think collectively and asking questions” she maintained. “Burgundy may be an old vineyard area that’s 2000 years old, but to me they’ve just started the process very recently.

“A global imaginary of excellence is a very successful story but we have to learn that any cultural stories are of a specific time, but can change as competition is changing and the global markets are changing,” she added. “When you have vineyard that is so sedimented and so archaeologically presented, the idea of change and innovation is much more difficult and can be an obstacle.”

Communicating authenticity

New Zealand may have the edge on Burgundy when it comes to cooperation within the industry, but how should its individual players approach their own authenticity?

Speaking at a lunchtime session the Tokyo-based Australian ex-pat, Ned Goodwin MW used the personal analogy of his youth-

had the meaning flogged out of it and saw it coupled with products whose claims to authenticity were highly questionable.

Not only has defining the meaning of authenticity become difficult now, but using it has as well. This was something highlighted by the humorous but telling video of interviews compiled

“Pinot Noir is not about perfection, it must boast ‘duende’ [magic]. It’s the search for an ideal, not authenticity.”

– Ned Goodwin MW

ful pains when as an Australian boy he at first aped the characteristics of his Japanese peers until he found his own path. “Pinot Noir is not about perfection, it must boast ‘duende’ [magic],” he went on to claim. “It’s the search for an ideal, not authenticity.”

Authenticity as a term has also become tarnished by negative associations after it was adopted by marketers seeking to attract a new group of consumers who’d been left feeling empty and disconnected by the hyper consumerism of the past. It subsequently

by Bennie, in which leading figures within wine struggled to find appropriate words when asked to define and discuss it.

In Bennie’s film, Banjo Harris Plane, the sommelier at Melbourne’s Attica restaurant neatly summed this up, likening people speaking about their own authenticity to those who have to tell you that they’re classy: “If you have to say ‘I’m authentic’, there’s no need,” he concluded, “as your actions show who you truly are and what you’re truly doing.” ■ joburzynska@talk21.com

Ned Goodwin MW

Lessons from Burgundy Burgundy has its own challenges, as outlined by social anthropologist, Marion Demossier, who has made this complex region the focus of research, specifically on how its wine community relates to the notion of terroir and their collective sense of identity.

Demossier started her presentation by saying that the Burgundians could learn a lot from New Zealanders due to the pro-

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 13

CREATING TERROIR WINES TESSA NICHOLSON

I

rrigation is the antithesis for terroir wines, especially in New Zealand, according to Emmanuel Bourguigon, a soil expert from France.

Many in the wine industry will know of Emmanuel’s parents; Lydia and Claude who established LAMS, a French independent lab for soil analysis. Emmanuel is following in their footsteps and is now a director of the company.

He also has a good understanding of New Zealand conditions having completed his PhD here.

At Pinot 2013, he spoke about the need to create terroir wines from the ground up. And to help achieve that, irrigation must be carefully considered.

“Irrigation can be a problem if you want to achieve the highest quality in your grape,” he said.

“The vine is a very resilient and adaptive organism. It is capable of growing in some very harsh environments. I have seen vines in Turkey and Lebanon where they get very little water a year, yet they produce without irrigation. They are thriving with beautiful foliage and nice grapes.”

He went on to state that irrigation is not always compatible with terroir wines. Mainly due to the fact, that like most organisms, the vine is basically lazy. It will always try to find the easiest way to survive.

“It will always try to find the best compromise between energy expended to get to a resource and the benefits that resource offers.

Your job is to help the vine do that.

14 //

If it doesn’t get heaps of water, it will naturally spend more energy in root growth, to get the roots deep down into the soil for water.”

Whereas irrigating, particularly established vines, will ensure a mass of fine roots just beneath the surface.

“They are all in the first 40 to 50cm of soil and that’s a problem.

Especially in New Zealand because you have very young soils. Some of your soils would have been cultivated for only 200 years, compared with Europe where the soils have been cultivated for thousands of years.

“The most fertile horizon in the soil is the first 30 – 40cm where Emmanuel Bourguigon

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

you have the organic matter. If your roots stay in that horizon, they are going to get access to a lot of food and water. Irrigation tends to increase that. The pitfall is you will develop a big canopy.”

Emmanuel went on to explain that for many that might seem like the right thing to achieve “World-wide in the last 15 years there has been a tendency to increase the surface furniture of the vine to get more photosynthesis going on, therefore more sugars in grapes and an increase in aromatic concentrations. That’s valid if you are in a region where the sun is your limiting factor.

But in a place like New Zealand,

where most wine growing regions get amazing sunshine hours, photosynthesis is not your limiting factor.”

There is also the point that the bigger your canopy, the less minerality within the grapes themselves.

Encouraging the vine to develop deep taproots will ensure less of the growth goes into canopy development.

There are many growers that would say the soil make-up won’t allow the vine to delve deeper, particularly in areas with hard formations within the structure. Emmanuel said that theory doesn’t give the vine much credit.

“Vines can blast their way

through substantial matter within the soil. Basically a plant can go around obstacles like a stone for example, or find cracks within layers and then develop fine roots within. As the roots get bigger, they break apart those layers.”

Given the organic matter is contained within that first layer of 30 – 40cm, he said the soil is far more homogenous than the deeper horizon.

“Try to picture the soil as you go deeper and deeper. The more your nutrient signature is going to be. It is easy (for the vine) to get carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It puts the leaves out there and photosynthesises and bingo sugar synthesis. However in the soil the vine is going to pick up over 20 elements. So we are talking diversity here. All these nutrients and vital elements are essential in the bio chemical reaction you get within the tissue of the plant.

You will not get these from the atmosphere, so you want the roots to go down into the C horizon.”

organic material, but strong in terms of a nutrient signature. It is Emmanuel says, heterogeneous.

Which is important in the long-

The deeper the vine’s roots go, the more individual the wines will be.

This is the area of soil, which is 80 – 90cm deep. It is poor in

term goal of achieving individualistic wines, that represent their

unique environment.

While Emmanuel said this was an “easy” way to help develop terroir wines, there was a longer option as well. That would involve creating a collection of clones that have adapted specifically to New Zealand conditions.

“You should start thinking about your own mass collection.

With Pinot Noir it is easier than with other varieties, as it is less stable. It does show some genetic variation among clones and over time you could start finding vines that are different from the others and start selecting them. Over 20 or 30 years you will achieve some selection that will be truly adaptive to New Zealand conditions.

Not clones that are selected in Burgundy conditions. Reverse selection is possible, but it will take time. To me you have the tools to do it, it’s just a matter of starting it.” ■

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PINOT ACCORDING TO SAM W

hile Pinot Noir 2013 provided plenty of food for thought, there were also the lighter moments, such as Sam Neill’s opening address. Very much tongue in cheek, he provided a synopsis of advice he had given to a male friend who was considering planting a Pinot block. The 10 pointers are worth repeating.

1. You are clearly barking mad, clinically insane. Seek medical help as soon as you can.

2. As it was a chap I was offering advice to, I said; Since you are approaching middle age, know that two things are now inevitable for you as a wine producer. One you will acquire a ride on mower.

Two you will have an enlarged prostrate in the future. On reflection the ride on mower is more fun than the prostrate, so buy a good one.

3. In spite of what you may have been told, every bottle of Pinot you produce, you will have to sell three times. Firstly you have to persuade your distributors to distribute your wine. Then you need to help your distributor sell that bottle of wine to the retailer or restaurateur. Thirdly you will need to persuade the punter to buy that bottle of wine from the retailer or restaurateur. Then having gone to the trouble of selling your bottle of wine three times, you will not make any money from that bottle.

4. Once you have joined the world of Pinot, know that you will get to work with some of the very best people you can imagine.

Creative people, bon vivants, conversationalists, mystics, philosophers, people of the land. Try not

16 //

too annoy them too much. And remember this is not a competitive thing. In New Zealand we mix at events like this in a spirit of collaboration not competition. Your neighbour’s success is your success as well.

5. You will be required to attend far too many dinners and functions than you can possibly survive healthily. Give your liver a titanium coat now while you can.

6. Remember they don’t call Pinot Noir the heartbreak grape for nothing. Expect to fall impossibly, hopelessly in love with all things Pinot. It’s the folly, the glorious seductiveness, the immense satisfaction. And you must be pre-

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

pared to have all your dreams shattered again and again. Your worst fears will be realised, your nights sleepless and you will be racked with nightmares. You will need courage, strength, knowledge, flair and a capacity for immensely hard work.

7. Learn humility, less you have humility thrust upon you. Distrust good reviews and try to ignore bad reviews. All wine criticism is subjective and all critics fallible.

8. Beware of scientists doing studies and wowsers. Red wine is good for you, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

9. Probably the most important thing of all, you must try to avoid

the word passion, as in passion for Pinot. It is an over used word and should be reserved for the sort of heightened emotion that can happen between two people that may possibly result in the discarding of trousers. If you are a grower of Pinot, you may lose your shirt, but you are unlikely to lose your trousers.

10. Give thanks to all those that have led the way before you. To the countless generations of Burgundian monks and peasants that developed the grape and learnt to deal with it. And to the pioneers in New Zealand. Tread carefully because you are honoured to tread in their footsteps. ■

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INDUSTRY NEWS

GRAPE VINES IN DEMAND TESSA NICHOLSON

T

he good news is – vine nurseries are back in business after four years of having their backs to the walls.

The bad news is – if you want vines for this year and haven’t yet ordered, then you are likely to be out of luck.

In what has been a major turnaround, New Zealand’s vine nurseries, at least those that have survived, have been inundated with orders as the wine industry

18 //

gears up for the near future. Back in 2009, those same nurseries hit what one owner describes as “a brick wall”. After years of exponential growth, the massive crops of 2008 and the ensuing over supply meant no one in the industry was interested in purchasing vines. Maintenance in the form of replants dried up. New developments were non-existent and the nursery business was the first to feel the pinch.

As Geoff Thorpe, Managing

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Director of Riversun says; “The nursery industry is effectively the seismograph needle of whatever industry we are involved in.

Whenever people are really positive there is a shortage of plants but as soon as they get nervous, the first thing they turn off is new planting.”

While 2008 was one of the biggest years ever for nurseries, (due to pre orders of plants prior to that year’s vintage) 2009 was one of the worst. And it got tougher still

in the years that followed.

Back in 2005 there were 30 nurseries feeding the wine industry. By 2008 that had dropped back to 25. Currently there are only five producing certified vines! (Riversun, Misty Valley, Vineyard Plants, Ormond Nurseries and Stanmore Farm).

As for staff levels, they have been decimated even further.

Ormond Nurseries General Manager Ben Wickham says his company’s staff levels dropped from 70

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 19

to five . Riversun’s dropped from 60 permanents (and 250 seasonal) at its peak to nine.

Given no orders were coming in after 2008, stock that had been grafted had to be disposed of. There was no need for grafted vines, so the many rootstock blocks were ripped out and the nurseries hunkered down in the hope things would improve in the future.

That improvement began emerging mid last year, following hard on the heels of the lighter than expected 2012 vintage. And ironically, given the over supply was created by Sauvignon Blanc, the demand currently is for that exact variety, according to Thorpe.

“In the lead up to the crash Sauvignon Blanc was probably 70 per cent of what nurseries were grafting.

Post the crash, you couldn’t give away Sauvignon Blanc vines.

That has now changed around to where this coming grafting season, 65 – 70 per cent of our orders are for Sauvignon Blanc again and

20 //

there is going to be a shortage of vines.”

Admittedly, each of the nurseries is starting out from a very small base, given the downsizing that has occurred during the past four years. And that is not likely to be remedied overnight due to the lack of rootstock now available for grafting.

“We are severely restrained by the lack of rootstock supplies,” Wickham says. “It has been quite a transition, it’s like trying to hit top gear, when you are stuck in first. It will take us a while to get there as rootstock takes two or three years to really crank up again.”

So what has caused the major shift? There are a number of reasons, according to those involved.

The lack of replanting/maintenance within vineyards since 2008, being one.

“The vine has an average lifespan of say 20 years,” Rex Sunde of Misty Valley says. “Every year about five per cent of vines, (Sauvignon Blanc at least) need to be replaced. But from 2009 to 2012,

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

most people didn’t or couldn’t afford to replace those gaps in their vineyard. It wasn’t such a big issue when growers were facing yield caps. They didn’t need to fill those gaps in, because they were able to reach their cap without them. But all of a sudden in 2012, they didn’t reach their cap levels and those gaps among the vines became far more noticeable.”

The smaller than expected 2012 vintage, which created a shortage of supply is another reason.

“Two or three major players within the market saw they were likely to be short of grapes within the next two or three years,” Wickham says. “They could see long term that they needed to do some planting, otherwise they would be short of grapes. If the increase in demand for wine continues at 8 – 10 per cent per annum over the next three or four years, we are going to be desperately short.”

And the other reason is the overall global shortage of wine combined with increased consumer demand.

“In 2012, global production was down by nine per cent,” Thorpe says. “France alone was down 20 per cent - that is the equivalent of 200,000 of their hectares not producing. Yet there has been increased consumption, especially in North America and Asia.”

So in terms of New Zealand, the nurseries are desperately trying to regroup. But it’s not an easy task. Firstly rootstock for grafting has to be produced – which as explained before, can take years.

Rootstock cuttings are currently a third of what they were in 2008.

“At the height of the industry there were between 15 and 18 million rootstock cuttings available to the nursery industry for grafting,” Thorpe explains. “Now there is only an estimated six or seven million. While that may sound like a lot, that only equates to enough saleable vines to plant around 1500 hectares a year of new vineyards and 500 hectares of replants over the next four years. For an industry of 35,000 hectares, enjoying strong growth in export demand,

that is a serious constraint.”

There is one saving grace to this lack of rootstock – it means there will not be the insane speculative plantings that occurred between 2005 and 2008.

“We are seeing genuine interest from major players, not speculative interest,” Wickham says.

Most of the speculation during the 2000s centred on Marlborough, but Thorpe says there is unlikely to be a repeat of that planting frenzy.

“There is just not the land and water availability for many more of those large scale developments in Marlborough, and besides the major banks are likely to be much more cautious this time around.”

Which means some growers and wineries are now looking outside of Marlborough for future developments. Sunde says they have received enquiries for a significant order for Sauvignon

Blanc for a new development planned in Hawke’s Bay. Gisborne is another that is showing signs of growth, driven by Indevin and Lion Nathan for their Lindauer brand. And while Sauvignon Blanc makes up to 70 per cent of current vine orders, there is also a lot of interest in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

Looking forward – nurseries are warning growers and wineries to be prepared to wait. Orders for certain varieties this winter are already full. There are waiting lists with most companies for 2014. If those tentative orders are confirmed, then the next date available for new orders will be winter 2015. That’s a situation the wine industry hasn’t faced since the late 90s.

Wickham says all the nurseries are cautious about the surge in demand, especially given the tough times of the past.

THE BARE FACTS In 2005 there were 30 vine nurseries feeding the wine industry.

In 2013, there are 5.

During the heydays, there were between 15 and 18 million rootstock available for grafting.

In 2013, there is between 6 and 7 million. That is enough to support the equivalent of 1500 ha of new development and 500ha of replant/annum.

Staff numbers at surviving nurseries have dropped by more than 80%.

65 – 70% of current orders are for Sauvignon Blanc.

Other varieties of interest are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

Waiting lists for major varieties now exist for vines wanted in 2014 and orders are being taken for 2015.

It takes three to four years for new rootstock mother blocks to develop, for grafting to come on stream.

“We never want to go back to that 2005 – 2008 situation. We are much more cautious now and we will be producing to orders only for the next five to 10 years. We won’t be cranking up to full steam as we

were in the heyday. We want to do what we can do and do it well.”

Thorpe puts it even more succinctly; “We are older, wiser and battle scarred. None of us is going to go crazy.” ■

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VINEYARD NEWS

LEAFROLL VIRUS VERSUS MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY TESSA NICHOLSON

A

s more and more growers become aware of the impact of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (leafroll virus), action is increasingly being taken to remove infected vines. There is, however, a note of caution required. For those growers with limited exposure to leafroll virus there is a risk they may confuse the visual symptoms of the virus with those of mineral deficiencies such as magnesium.

Vaughn Bell from Plant & Food Research in Hawke’s Bay has been working with NZW as part of their jointly funded research programme with the Sustainable

Farming Fund. The focus of the research has been to develop control strategies for this economically important virus. Now into its second three-year term, the project has previously restricted its research activities to Hawke’s Bay and Martinborough. Both regions have vineyards where leafroll virus has adversely impacted on vine performance (e.g. delayed fruit ripening, reduced yields and elevated berry acidity), and with no known cure, the only means of control is to remove the infected vine. However, such actions are costly, involving not only removal and replanting, but also the down-

The leaf on the left is magnesium deficient. The leaf on the right is from a Leafroll Virus Type 3 infected vine. Note the differences.

22 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

time before the replacement vine is fully productive.

Given these factors, growers need to be sure that the vines marked for removal are in fact infected with leafroll virus, and not expressing visual symptoms of a mineral deficiency – particularly magnesium. The reason for any confusion is understandable once you realise that in both cases, the visual symptoms of the virus and the deficiency appear in the leaves of the vine from mid-summer onwards.

“The differences between them are often very subtle,” Bell recently told a group of Marlborough grow-

ers. “However, when you place the leaf of a magnesium deficient vine beside the leaf of a vine with leafroll virus, the difference is stark.”

In the case of a magnesium deficient vine, the leaf colour has a pinkish/orange tinge in the inter-vein, while areas immediately beside the main veins remain green. Leafroll virus symptoms visually express in the inter-vein areas, and are typically a dark red. Areas close to the main veins remain green. For those vines that have been infected for several years, the margins of leaves also cup downwards, hence the reference to ‘leafroll’.

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Classic signs of Leafroll Virus Type 3.

While in Marlborough, Bell visited a number of Pinot Noir blocks.

In one of those blocks, the grower had tagged a large number of vines he suspected as being infected with leafroll virus.

“I would say his identification of the virus was correct for just 50% of the tagged vines. Across the 20 rows monitored, 236 vines had been tagged as being infected with leafroll virus, when they were actually expressing symptoms of magnesium deficiency.”

If the grower had not been alerted to the differences, those vines would have been removed later this year – incurring a significant financial cost for no good reason.

“I accept that making the correct diagnosis can sometimes be confusing, particularly if growers have minimal experience of leafroll virus, but it’s critical they not remove healthy vines,” Bell said.

The confusion isn’t helped by the fact that both the virus and deficiency start to express visual symptoms during the summer months. If at all practicable, this is the time Bell says, that growers need to be out in their blocks monitoring for signs of leafroll virus.

“The timing of when you look for the disease is really important.

It is present now, (mid March at the time he spoke in Marlborough), but as time goes by, the number of symptomatic vines

24 //

in your vineyard is likely to progressively increase. The timing of the visual symptoms though, depends on what time in the previous season the actual vine became infected. There is a lag phase of 12 – 18 months, maybe even two years from the point at which a vine is infected with the virus, and the point at which the visual symptoms start to express in the leaves. If you can only go into a block once, then make it as late in the season as you possibly can.”

Bell urges growers to be mindful of rogue frosts defoliating vines in April and therefore impeding accurate identification before monitoring has concluded. “Ideally, you want to identify as many of those infected vines as you can, so that they can be removed in the winter immediately following identification.”

Bell said it is critical to get on top of the virus as soon as possible, which means identifying the symptomatic vines this season, not waiting until next.

There was a further issue that was discussed with the growers at the Marlborough field-day – and that was the potential impact of bird netting. Bell said it was much easier to observe symptoms of leaf virus through black netting compared with the white netting, so if at all possible, he urged growers to attach black nets to red berry varieties (Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvi-

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

gnon, Merlot etc) whilst deploying the white nets onto white varieties, where visual identification of leafroll virus is not undertaken because of the inability to accurately identify symptomatic vines.

Leafroll virus is spread by mealybugs, which are present in all North Island wine growing regions. While surveys in recent years have been limited in the South Island, there is growing evidence that mealybugs are also present in some Marlborough vineyards, although research planned over the next three years will advance understanding of this important aspect. While removing infected vines is one way of slowing down the spread of leafroll virus, controlling mealybug numbers is also vital. In emphasising the point, Bell spoke of three blocks in Hawke’s Bay that had been infected with leafroll virus.

“One block started out with 10% virus incidence in 2009.

By 2011, the disease spread had infected 37% of vines in the block, with the decision made to remove all the remaining vines in mid 2011.

On the back of that, there was, on average, one to two mealybugs per leaf from vine inspections undertaken in March 2010 and 2011, respectively. Mealybug numbers of that magnitude are not conducive to successfully controlling leafroll virus.

“In the second block, virus

incidence was 16% in 2009.Currently, virus incidence is 45% but by the end of the 2013 season it will probably be closing in on 50%. In 2011, there was, on average, 1.5 mealybugs per leaf. The spread of leafroll virus has been so rapid that the entire block is due to be removed in July 2013.

“In another block leafroll virus incidence was also 16% in 2009; however, by 2012 it had reduced to 0.4%, with an average of just three mealybugs found for every 100 leaves inspected. The critical difference between these two blocks was not the virus identification or vine removal strategies – in both blocks, these tasks were undertaken well. What most distinguished the blocks was the abundance of the mealybug vector – high numbers where virus control failed; consistently low numbers where control succeeded.”

The take home message from the Marlborough workshop was – remove all infected vines and maintain mealybug populations at consistently low numbers.

Implemented together, both protocols will help prevent a future epidemic. ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com Note: Issues related to leafroll virus identification are specifically covered in the grower Fact Sheet “Leafroll symptoms on red varieties” (NZVE 101) available via the NZW website (www.nzwine.com)

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EASTER SHOW

END OF AN ERA JOELLE THOMSON

On completion of the Diamond Jubilee Easter Wine Show, Terry Dunleavy reflects on 37 years of directing wine shows

T

he 60th Easter Show Wine Awards mark a turning point for New Zealand wine in more ways than one; after 21 years at the helm of these awards, Terry Dunleavy MBE, FWINZ, is to hand over the reins as director.

The awards dinner at ASB Showgrounds on 16 March marked the end of an almost unbroken run of 37 years in charge of national wine competitions for Dunleavy.

Prior to commencing his 21year stint as director of the Easter Show Awards in 1993, Dunleavy directed the National Wine Competition from 1976 to 1991; it changed its name to become the Air New Zealand Wine Awards in 1985.

“Competitions have been crucial to the emergence of New Zealand as a serious and unique quality player in the world of wine. The Auckland A & P Association began it in 1953 when it made wine judging a feature of its first Easter Show.

Then this was carried further in 1959 when the Department of Industries & Commerce introduced what was to become the National Wine Competition, and later the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, which I managed from 1976 to 1991,” says Dunleavy.

“I became national sales manager for Montana Wines late in 1971, and one of my first duties was to organise our entries for the 1972 Easter Show,

26 //

41 years ago.

“In those days, half the entries were fortified wines, sherries and ports, with table wines being mostly labelled Hock, Moselle or Sauterne, if they were white, and Claret or Burgundy if red. Varietals such as Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Muller-Thurgau were just starting to appear.”

Dunleavy says the changes since then have been revolutionary.

“Fortified wines and hybrid grapes have disappeared to be replaced by a growing array of Vitis Vinifera varietals, which our grapegrowers and winemakers have learned to produce in styles that proclaim New Zealand’s unique cool climate growing environment and have taken our exports from nothing to over $1.2 billion in value in what the rest of the wine world regards as an amazingly short time.”

In tandem with the growing importance of medals and trophies at major national competitions, the standards of wine judging have also improved over the years to match and influence the quality of wine production in New Zealand.

“Sam Harrop MW, the expatriate Kiwi who has been co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge of London for the past six years, joined our Easter Show panel as deputy chair for the first time this year,

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

and told me that our New Zealand judges are equal to any in the world,” says Dunleavy.

One of the most impressive areas of growth since he began directing wine shows has been the clear emergence of readily identifiable regional and even sub-regional differences in taste and style as vine age kicks in.

This has been exemplified by the distinct profiles of Sauvignon Blanc from Wairau and Awatere in Marlborough, as well as Pinot Noirs from Martinborough and Central Otago.

“While the emergence of newer varieties such as Tempranillo, Albariño and Gruner Veltliner signal new opportunities, there has been a welcome revival of older varieties such as Chardonnay and especially Riesling. Top French wine writer Michel Bettane told me three years ago that it would not be many years before Central Otago would be better known for the quality of its Riesling than its Pinot Noir,” Dunleavy says.

“Also still largely unsung are the quality of our bottle fermented sparklings and our sweet whites; in both cases we have an exciting future.”

The challenge now for the Easter Show Wine Awards is to make their results more relevant to New Zealand consumers and also to help Kiwis become as nationalistic in their support of local wines as their Australian and French counterparts are.

“I have some ideas on that score that I am discussing with the people at the ASB Showgrounds. For now, I hand over the management of the Easter Show Awards to the experienced and capable Shona White, who is a superb manager of judges and judging, and she will be assisted by my son Paul as deputy director with special responsibility for marketing and sponsorship. So I can be confident that the Easter Show Awards will continue to go from strength to strength.” ■ jthomson@xtra.co.nz

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 27

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Two stalwarts of the New Zealand wine industry were inducted into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame, at the recent Diamond Jubilee Easter Wine Show Vintner Jane Hunter CNZM, OBE is the first woman to be inducted, and is joined by writer, educator Bob Campbell MW.

Jane Hunter PIC Known as the First Lady of New Zealand wine, the latest accolade follows a long list of achievements for Jane Hunter. It is 30 years since she arrived in Marlborough, to take up the position as national viticulturist for Montana Wines. In 1984 she married Ernie Hunter, who died just three years later. Jane decided not to sell Ernie’s legacy, instead opting to take over the managing director’s role of the fledgling wine company. She has been at the helm ever since.

She received an OBE in 1993 for her services to viticulture and in 1997 came further recognition with an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Massey University. In October 2003, Jane received the inaugural Wine & Spirit Competition Women in Wine Award (UK), an international accolade recognising the contribution she has made to the wine industry in New Zealand and overseas. In the 2009 New Year’s Honours list Jane received a CNZM (Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to the viticulture industry.

More recently Jane was recognised in the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s World Class New Zealand awards, when she received the manufacturing category of the awards which recognise New Zealanders who make an outstanding contribution to New Zealand’s economic development.

Jane has served on the Board of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and was a foundation director of the New Zealand Wine Guild, the export arm of the then Wine Institute of NZ. She has also served on the New Zealand 2000 Task Force Board, Horticulture Research Board, NZ Trade & Enterprise Board and Plant & Food Research Board.

28 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Bob Campbell MW Described as a wine educator, international wine judge, wine writer and bon vivant, there is no doubt Bob Campbell has played a major role in the emergence of New Zealand wines. His educational classes alone have seen more than 22,000 people in New Zealand and Singapore learn to appreciate wine’s subtleties.

A self-deprecating man, Bob, came into the world of wine through accounting, first of all for Montana. Ironically the same year Montana began planting in Marlborough – was the same year Bob joined the New Zealand wine industry.

He went on to work for a number of major companies, including Nobilos, Villa Maria and Corbans, where he opened the company’s export office in LA. For 13 years he worked within the wine industry, finally heading out on his own in 1986 to establish a wine school. He achieved his Masters of Wine in the same year.

For the past 27 years, Bob has taught, written, judged and promoted New Zealand wine. He is constantly asked to judge overseas, and his popular wine school is due to open in Beijing and Shanghai in the near future.

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AROMATIC SYMPOSIUM

GRUNER YET TO FIND ITS GROOVE JOELLE THOMSON

T

he word Gruner is German for green, but that’s no excuse for it to taste like Sauvignon Blanc, said Austrian winemaker Markus Huber at the Aromatics Symposium in Nelson, in January this year.

The visiting Austrian was the guest winemaking speaker at the three yearly symposium and, this time, the spotlight was on Gruner-Veltliner and Riesling.

Once destined for a career in pro-

by high levels of terpenes, the Gruner-Veltliner grape has low levels of terpenes. Most of the fruit aromas present in GrunerVeltliner are ester-derived compounds or fatty acids. For this reason, Huber generally ferments Gruner-Veltliner between 19 and 22 degrees; at the upper end of white wine ferment temperatures.

He says most Gruner-Veltliner grapes in Austria are grown on fertile soils on low or mid sloping sites. By contrast, Riesling - which

duce into the vineyard nursery.

But there are ticks in its favour.

For a grape which is so sensitive to its environment, Gruner has a surprisingly thick skin, so is relatively resistant to botrytis; making it clear favourite for dry white wine rather than the sweet versions it is occasionally capable of.

It has taken Huber several

years to get his winemaking head around this grape, which can behave very differently according to how it is grown and vinified.

Stainless steel is the classic choice of maturation vessel. For reserve wines, however, aging often takes place in large casks; usually in Austrian oak or in Acacia. Lees contact can have an influence

While Austria and New Zealand both share white winemaking strengths, there is a world of difference between GrunerVeltliner from Austria and those produced in New Zealand - so far. fessional football, Huber changed tack in 2000 when he took up the reins at his family’s winery; focusing strongly on Gruner-Veltliner – which now makes up almost 80 per cent of the wines he produces.

Aromatic grapes and wines are close to his palate - he also specializes in Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat - and yet Huber does not subscribe to the view that Gruner is by nature a strongly aromatic grape.

“It has aromas like all grapes but it is not in the same way aromatic as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or other aromatic grapes,” Huber says.

Unlike Riesling, which is often driven – particularly as it ages –

30 //

is far more drought tolerant – is grown higher up on slopes in many parts of Austria.

At first glance, Gruner-Veltliner sounds like the perfect white grape fit for New Zealand: it ripens and flowers later than Chardonnay and earlier than Riesling.

Like New Zealand’s viticulturists, Austria’s grape growers struggle with relatively high rainfall and the resulting fungal challenges this brings. And since Gruner-Veltliner is over sensitive in the vineyard – it has low to no tolerance for downy and powdery mildews and is easily affected by chlorosis and drought – it can make for a surprisingly difficult child to intro-

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

One of the highlights of the Symposium was guest speaker Markus Huber.

PHOTO MAX MARRIOTT

but this is where styles begin to diverge. If the green fruit, yellow apple and citrus tastes which characterize Gruner-Veltliner are to be enhanced, then lees work should be avoided, Huber says.

When European wine laws were revised in August 2009, GrunerVeltliner was given PGI status - Protected Geographical Indication – which means at least 85 per cent of the grapes used in its production must come exclusively from one geographical area. It also means its production must take place in that geographical area. It must also possess a specific characteristic which is attributable to that zone and must be made from either Vitis vinifera grapes or a cross of a vinifera grape and another Vitis species.

A premier cru classification for Gruner was introduced for the first time in 2011 with the adoption of the Erste Lagen – which

is defined as ‘quality wines from specific regions’.

Of the 250 million litres of Gruner-Veltliner made in Austria each year, a fifth is exported and a little is organically grown – not easy in a country assailed by relatively high rainfall in some regions.

While Austria and New Zealand both share white winemaking strengths, there is a world of difference between GrunerVeltliner from Austria and those produced in New Zealand - so far.

While the wines produced here are undoubtedly clean, fresh and well made, they have generally – in my mind - not reached the balance of their European counterparts. On paper, Gruners from both countries can look similar in terms of their acidity, alcohol and structural make-up, but in the glass the taste is vastly different.

Aromatic Symposium attendees were polarized by the

IN THE AUSTRIAN VINEYARD Austria produces about 250 million litres of wine each year; 50 to 70 million litres is exported. It is home to approximately 20,000 grape growers who on average tend a relatively small 2.26 hectares each. About 20% of Austrian agriculture is organic, despite which organic wine makes up just 3-10% because of the country’s relatively high rainfall.

Gruner-Veltliner is the flagship of the Austrian wine industry, covering more than 30% of the country’s total vineyard area.

Compare that to New Zealand which has only 37 ha of producing Gruner Veltliner, according to NZW’s 2012 Vineyard Register.

Markus Huber, 34, won ‘best white wine producer’ in 2006 at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition.

stylistic differences. While many symposium attendees praised the rapid change in style of New Zealand Gruner-Veltliner over the past couple of years, others – myself included – saw little discernible change in taste in that time. While the local wines are fresh and clean and impeccably well made, most of them do not

yet express the clear varietal definition that characterizes the best Gruners from Austria.

New Zealand Gruner-Veltliner varies widely from north to south too, but the wines are - as more than one delegate said at the symposium – still a work in stylistic progress. ■ jthomson@xtra.co.nz

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 31

SYMPOSIA IMPACTS ON NEIL HODGSON

F

ollowing the sensational success that was Pinot Noir 2013 in Wellington, Nelson winemakers hosted their third symposium focussing on two aromatic varieties; relative newcomer to the New Zealand wine scene, Gruner Veltliner and Riesling.

Riesling has shared the stage with Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris at previous symposia and it is worth exploring the benefit, or otherwise, of such events as well as discussing the changes in New Zealand Riesling in recent years.

Events like Pinot Noir New Zealand and the Aromatics Symposium along with similar events in Hawke’s Bay focussing on fuller red wine styles and the celebration of Pinot Noir in Central Otago, walk the fine line between a great social event and an overly cerebral ego-driven talkfest.

Pinot Noir 2013 walked that fine line with precision for four days and Nelson’s Aromatics Symposium provided the opportunity for winegrowers to engage and learn from internationally renowned producers who have decades and even centuries of information to pass on.

While it is always great to taste and discuss outstanding examples of any particular variety it is the focus the behind-closed-doors workshops provide that will lead to improving the production of

32 //

Riesling is a tough sell to anyone who hasn’t tried it before. Easy sell to fellow wine-trade people though! every variety of wine made in New Zealand.

As noted above Riesling has been a focus at all three Nelson Aromatic Symposia with past guest speakers including Geoffrey Grosset and Ernst Loosen as well as commentators Andrew Caillard MW, Tim Aitken MW. This year Marcus Huber and Jaime Goode were keynote speakers.

The inclusion of Huber as a premium producer of Gruner Veltliner is obvious but what did Goode have to offer? Understanding your market and selling wine is just as, if not more, important as making it and Goode’s topic ‘Riesling – Has its time come?’ brought some focus to this.

With events like The Summer of Riesling and the New Zealand Riesling Challenge, is the variety’s popularity increasing, or do producers in love with the variety just think it is? Is its popularity increasing only to a limited market - experienced wine lovers?

It is a variety that offers too many wonderful options to make it easily understood by wine drinking consumers as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris are. I make the difference between wine drink-

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

ing consumers and wine loving consumers because it is the latter that are growing the demand for Riesling.

Being the master of social media interaction and looking for quick yet insightful response, Goode posed two questions to wine merchants via Twitter – “Is Riesling a tough sell? Who buys it?” The sample of responses shown here are both interesting and confirm what we already know but don’t know how to overcome.

• I’ve served dry Riesling blind to consumers v Chardonnay, Sauvignon + PG. Usually does poorly.

• Still has “it’s too sweet” tag, but if they taste it they buy • First question from the “general¨ public is always “is it sweet?”.

• Because I love Riesling I will always try get a bottle or 2 into someone’s mixed case. Not the easiest sale generally a food match.

• Yes, and it is mostly drunk by us.

• Locally, generally foodies and wine club members. Still has a “granny’s wine” tag attached to it. Pity!

• Yes, smart sommeliers and clever consumers who care about eating and drinking, not showing off.

• Riesling is a tough sell to anyone

who hasn’t tried it before. Easy sell to fellow wine-trade people though!

• Yes a tough sell. No-one really buys it, except geeks.

• I have met ‘consumers’ who like and buy dry Riesling. They are a rare breed indeed.

• Like GV, ok for open minded consumers. Not understood by mainstream and worth remembering that most wine is bought with ‘what will “they” like’ in mind.

So Goode’s Twitter research reinforces the general understanding that it is only wine lovers who buy Riesling consistently as an option, rather than being talked into buying it at a tasting of some sort.

One answer to Goode’s social media research brings me back to the outcomes of the symposia – “First question from the general public is always, is it sweet?”

After the second Aromatics symposium Loosen said “... Great producers have certain things in common and in mind - to produce great wine and great wines have lots of things in common - concentration, finesse, deep complexity. It doesn’t matter what wine you want to produce if you have this model in your head, then the work starts. Fiddle around trying to get a little bit better each year and then at the end you find your holy grail. Then find the best way to market it.”

Grosset a few years back said; “Good winemaking can allow good expression.” When talking about expressing the place the wine is made he said we should; “Use the knowledge gained from experience to define those places.”

Winemakers in New Zealand have tried a number of things in recent years. They have “fiddled around” with Riesling trying to find a style that expresses the essence of the variety in New Zealand.

We have seen wines with very high residual sugar and plenty of acidity to try and balance the sugars, resulting in the main, in wines that taste sweet and have a very sharp unripe acid finish – unbalanced! We have seen dry wines with little flavour and we have seen beautifully balanced

wines with expressive fruit flavour, low residual sugar and ripe acidity.

It is my general observation that, when tasting a range of Rieslings now, compared to those of six years ago, the influence of Grosset and Loosen on local production is astounding. Winemakers here have taken the wisdom passed on by these two gentlemen at the winemaker’s only tastings and vineyard visit workshops and embarked on a journey to produce Rieslings that are finely balanced and an expression of regional New Zealand.

But the challenge remains ‘how do we sell it?’ I think that is also a journey and is a question we will be trying to answer decades from now. ■ neil@hodgson.net.nz

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PHOTO MAX MARRIOTT

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 33

MARKETING NEWS

WINNING STREAK LEE SUCKLING

H

arnessing a wine label with a sporting brand is a goal for many New Zealand wine companies.

Jack Glover of Mud House tells Lee Suckling how it’s done.

As official wine supplier to Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) for the America’s Cup in San Francisco 2013, Mud House is again set to have its wines savoured on base exclusively for the four-month period that the team will be in the San Francisco Bay for the challenge. The wine label was also an official supplier to ETNZ at the 2007 America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain.

There’s a difference between official ‘supplier’ and ‘sponsor’, though, Mud House global sales

34 //

and marketing manager Jack Glover explains.

“Being an official supplier isn’t a consumer awareness effort. Our name won’t be on the uniforms.

This is about aligning with a team we believe in, in an appropriate sport, and building relationships at corporate level.”

Glover is of the view that there is a fine line of appropriateness for association between liquor and sport. “You need to think about the emotion of the sport first, and what its values are. Motor racing, for example, is something Mud House wouldn’t want to target for obvious reasons.”

The alignment of brand values is key in associating an alcohol brand with a sporting event

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

or team. “Look at Steinlager and the All Blacks,” Glover says. “They have very clear, patriotic brand values, and are a natural fit for each other.”

What is not appropriate is dependent on the brand. One wouldn’t see Tui supporting a tennis open, nor would Lindauer associate itself with rugby. The brands have aligned with rugby and horse racing, respectively; making clear differentiation between the type of lifestyles their brands support.

While a sponsor of a sporting event would typically have a strong, public-orientated visual impact, Mud House’s role as an official supplier will be more incognito. “Being a supplier

allows us to reach out to trading partners,” says Glover. “So long as we have approval from the Team’s marketing and supplier relationship staff, our relationship allows us to leverage the association at a domestic and international level.

“Domestically that means not just distributors but a consumer promotion throughout leading supermarkets. Internationally, it’ll enable us to engage with US wholesalers and show them what our product is ‘all about’ at Emirates Team New Zealand events.”

Mud House’s association with Team New Zealand began before its re-brand to ETNZ, which took place in time for Valencia in 2007.

“One of our owners felt passionate about the Team and it wasn’t

dealing with a wine partner at the time,” Glover says. “Our relationship started small, and is now a robust contractual affiliation.”

When any wine label is looking to get involved with a sporting event or team, Glover recommends three considerations.

“You need to first decide what the commercial gain would be,” he says. “Then look at brand equity gain, and weigh the two up.”

The third consideration is how a wine will be used for trialling purposes. “So if your wine is poured at every event over a six week period, what opportunities will that allow, and what are the potential benefits?”

In addition to ETNZ supplier and sponsor functions, Mud House will host two functions at the San Francisco base, where its winemaking team will be present to communicate the strengths of the wine and facilitate tastings.

The legalities around supplying the Team are “pretty standard” from a liquor licensing point of view, as the responsibility is with the event manager and caterer, Glover says. There are legalities around providing stock in the US, however – one can’t simply have wine sitting there for months – and Mud House is working with US wholesalers to ensure no issues arise come ETNZ’s arrival in San Francisco.

The biggest consideration, and one that will involve the most planning, Glover says, is understanding how a label’s beverages will be enjoyed. “As for any event, you need to understand how much control you have over this, and how influential you can be with the caterer,” he says.

“It’s essential to make sure the wine is presented correctly, and that it respects the sponsors and other suppliers’ products.

Importantly, of course, is making sure you won’t run out of stock. In working closely with the caterer, you’ll be able to educate the catering staff about the product.

“This doesn’t just mean knowing the Mud House story, what flavours are present in the varietal, or where Waipara is… it means, for example, you can educate staff on the mitigation of temperature issues – so if the Pinot Noir is slightly too warm, they’ll know it.”

Such relationship cultivation extends to tangible aspects of supplying, too. “You can ensure the vessels for serving are perfect, or at least make sure the caterer knows what kind of stemware needs to be used with which wine.

You might even be able to influence the caterer’s uniforms [to fit with a brand’s lifestyle ideals].”

It should be relatively smooth sailing for Mud House, as it has overseen the process of supply-

ing ETNZ before. It knows how to get the product to the base, how to serve it correctly, and how to bring feedback home to improve next time. “And we’re lucky that we’re only dealing with one caterer in San Francisco. If we had multiple caterers and multiple sites, consistency gets a lot more difficult.”

While becoming a sponsor - which comes with widespread consumer recognition - comes at great financial investment, becoming an official supplier is more cost efficient, and perhaps even more beneficial as a longterm marketing effort. “The ETNZ events should have a high-profile calibre of people, and that will allow exposure to VIPs,” Glover says. “If we win the Cup and the Team and executives are sitting around the San Francisco Bay drinking Mud House, they’ll take those memories away.” ■ lee.suckling@gmail.com

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 35

SOMMELIER’S CORNER CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

NEW WINE STORIES

O

n the eve of what seems like a stellar vintage for all New Zealand wine regions the potential for outstanding examples of newer varieties like Gruner Veltliner, Albarino and other aromatic varieties is exciting. Fellow Sommeliers and I are salivating just thinking about the high quality wines of this vintage, the wide and varied selection to taste through will be challenging and hopefully very rewarding.

Earlier this year I had the honour of speaking at the Aromatics Symposium in Nelson.

The brief was to examine, discuss and even challenge the idea that new aromatic varieties have a future in New Zealand. And could any of these new varieties be stars. Gruner Veltliner in particular was highlighted for discussion. It also happened to be the subject of another key speaker - wine maker Markus Huber from Austria.

Two key flights of Gruners’ were tasted with benchmark Austrian examples first. The

eight wines were both tasty and educational with a clear range of expressions presented. I learned that any hint of Sauvignon Blanc aromas or flavours in a Gruner Veltliner wine was not favoured and that if oak was used - no evidence of such should be on the bouquet or as a palate flavour.

uniqueness of Gruner Veltliner.

Another variety that is storming the medal charts currently is Albarino. With trophies and gold medals on the increase this Spanish variety seems to be achieving early wine stardom and with it plenty of restaurant wine listings to support

Of the many challenges that new wines like Gruner Veltliner and Albarino have is to both maintain a steady interest on and off premise while the refinements to taste and texture come with vine age.

The eight locally produced examples followed. These wines too had a clear range of expressions, but perhaps with a narrower band of descriptors to select from.

Two key messages came from tasting through these wines: firstly that New Zealand is producing its own version of Gruner Veltliner. Secondly, while we might share some similar climatic conditions and even some similar soil profiles we cannot repeat or express the Austrian

this fame. Sommeliers too are embracing the idea of offering something new and interesting, so there is potential for some of these wines to have more than just a fleeting moment on wine lists.

Both Gruner and Albarino could easily be rising star varieties for the New Zealand wine industry. Gruner with its natural bouquet of tree fruit, a touch of tropical (pineapple tin), radish, snow pea, chalk and other soil like suggestions and a racy chalk

like texture defines a wine with memorable characteristics.

Albarino is both fragrant and fruity with a little bit of a sting on the nose from ripe and not so ripe stone fruits and citrus; on the palate the wine typically has a lush beginning and then the stone fruit flavours turn into citrus with a sweet then sour transition across the palate.

Of the many challenges that new wines like Gruner Veltliner and Albarino have is to both maintain a steady interest on and off premise while the refinements to taste and texture come with vine age, site selections and wine making techniques moving the styles closer to their overseas counterparts without compromising the New ‘Zealandness’ in each.

We actually achieved this 30 plus years ago when the journey and story began with the Sauvignon Blanc variety. Sauvignon Blanc is still doing amazingly well, evolving and changing. Is there room for one or two more white wine stars? ■

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RESEARCH NEWS

WINE QUALITY AND THE WINE SHOW SYSTEM ROD CHITTENDEN. SENIOR LECTURER, H A W K E ’ S B AY I N S T I T U T E O F T E C H N O L O G Y

S

amples of all red wines in the 2011 and 2012 Hawke’s Bay A&P Mercedes Benz Wine Show were analysed through the Tannin Portal for colour, total phenolics and tannin.

The results of these analyses were compared to quality of the wines.

Quality was simply determined by the judge’s scores or more simply the medals the wines obtained.

Wines that were not awarded medals were excluded because this group would include faulty wines and would be deemed lower quality for reasons other than colour and phenolic levels. Medal wines represent sound fault free examples.

A rather confusing picture came out of this.

Mean concentrations for tannin were calculated for five variety/blend classes of red wine entered into the 2011 and 2012 HB A&P Wineshow. (See Table 1 below.)

For both 2011 and 2012 the

Merlot class gold medal wines average higher tannin concentrations than the silver and bronze wines. This pattern is repeated with Merlot dominant wines but to a lesser extent. With Syrah the tannin concentration does not seem to be as significant a factor in wine quality perception, although in 2011 gold averages were greater than silver and bronze.

The 2012 results for Cabernet dominant and other blends show greater average concentrations for gold and silver awarded wines compared with bronze, although the reverse of this was found for the 2011 Cabernet dominant blends. Overall in both years, gold and silver awarded red wines tended to average higher concentrations of tannin than bronze medal wines in most red categories. The exceptions to this being Cabernet dominant blends in 2011 and Syrah both years, where clearly other quality parameters than tannin concentration were

Table 1. Average Red Wine Tannin Concentration

By Class and Year (g/L epicatechin) 2011

2012

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Merlot

1.22

1.15

1.7

1.3

1.43

2.09

Syrah

1.14

1.29

1.44

1.27

1.12

1.25

Merlot Dominant

1.3

1.25

1.5

1.34

1.65

1.61

Cabernet Dominant

1.77

1.64

1.44

1.62

2.2

2.13

Other

1.53

2.08

N/A

1.33

1.61

2.23

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Table 2. Average Ratio Red Wine Pigmented Tannin/Tannin 2012

Gold.Silver Ratio

Bronze Ratio

Merlot Dominant

1.79

1.84

Cabernet Dominant

2.25

1.93

Merlot

2.55

1.99

Syrah

2.16

2.08

Other Blends

2.64

1.92

important in the quality assessment of the wines.

Degree of anthocyanins-tannin co-polymerisation has been linked to softer less aggressive expressions of tannin in wines (see article last issue). Next, pigmented tannin/tannin ratios were analysed to determine if this was a factor in the Syrah and Cabernet dominant medal results for 2012.

(Table 2 above.) No data is available for 2011.

The ratios of pigmented tannin/tannin were essentially the same for the gold/silver awarded wines compared with bronze in the Syrah and Merlot dominant classes.

The gold/silver wines had a higher average ratio than the bronze wines for the Merlot, Cabernet dominant and other blends classes. Overall the gold/ silver awarded wines tended to have higher pigmented tannin/ tannin ratios compared with bronze awarded wines, if a difference existed.

These results indicate that tannin concentration and degree of

polymerisation of pigment must be contributing factors to quality perceptions of Hawke’s Bay red wines. However, it is clear there must be other unrelated factors that play a significant role in the perceived quality of Hawke’s Bay red wine.

An analysis of wine judge’s scores for each red wine class and each year correlated with wine colour and tannin was undertaken, (see Table 3 overpage).

These results showed that both in 2011 and 2012 there is some positive correlation between judge scores (quality of wine) and wine colour, this is not surprising and reinforces previous research.

However, there appears to be no clear correlation between judge scores and tannin or total phenolics concentrations in the wines, although some patterns were noticed. The classes’ Merlot, Merlot dominant and Cabernet dominant showed stronger correlation between wine quality score and tannin/phenolics than between wine score and colour in both 2011 and 2012.

10mm 20 Table 3. Correlations between Wine Judge Scores with Tannin, Colour and Phenolics in HB Red Wines from 2011 and 2012 HB A&P Wine Shows 2011

Tannin

Pigment

Phenolics

Merlot Score

0.58*

0.26

0.57

Syrah Score

0.16

0.59

0.30

Merlot Dominant Score

0.46

0.28

0.44

Cabernet Dominant Score

0.39

0.33

0.41

Other Blends

0.73

0.57

0.68

2012

Tannin

Pigment

Phenolics

90

Merlot Score

0.48

0.35

0.50

100

Syrah Score

0.29

0.49

0.33

Merlot Dominant Score

0.33

0.28

0.26

Cabernet Dominant Score

-0.03

0.28

-0.04

50 60 70 80

110 120

Albariño

* Correlation Coefficient.

What does this mean to the Hawke’s Bay winemaker of red wine?

Tannin concentration is important to quality and gold/ silver awarded wines tend to have higher average tannin concentrations, determined to be in the 1.2-2.2g/L range depending on variety blend and year. (Could this be the Hawke’s Bay ‘tannin sweet spot’?)There is also some indication that pigmented tannin development in the wines leads to higher quality. However, it seems that factors other than mouth feel (tannins and structure) and colour are as important in determining Hawke’s Bay red wine show quality scores.

These may include acidity, pH, fruit expression, alcohol and oak.

Lattey et al.(2010) determined what sensory attributes most drive consumers and expert acceptance (quality perception?) for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines in Australia. The following is a brief description of some of their findings and what it may mean for the winemaker of Hawke’s Bay red wines.

Acceptance ratings of 12 wines by 203 consumers were analysed.

Liking scores showed five groups of consumers based on similar liking patterns generally showing an association between liking the intensity of ‘confectionary’, ‘floral’, ‘red berries’ and ‘fruit flavour’. Those wines that were least liked generally were less intense in these categories and more intense in ‘smoky’ and ‘bitterness’, and to a lesser extent ‘hotness’, ‘black pepper’, ‘leather’, ‘barnyard’, ‘bandaid’ and ‘metallic’ attributes. However there were sub groups that showed other liking and dislike patterns. One group disliked ‘green flavour’ and ‘acidity’ and another liked characters such as ‘drying’, ‘adhesive’, and ‘surface texture’.

Experienced wine tasters (67 winemakers) tasted 10 of these 12 wines and no significant overall correlation was found between the winemaker’s scores and the consumers. Wines considered higher quality by the winemakers were darker in overall colour, higher in ‘red berry’, ‘mint’, ‘pepper’, ‘spice’, ‘woody’, ‘coconut’, ‘vanilla’, ‘fruit flavour’, ‘surface texture’, ‘drying’, ‘adhesive’, ‘hotness’ and ‘persistence’. These

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 39

indicate the more richly flavoured wines being higher in fruit oak and astringency. Winemakers scored wines lower in quality if they were high in ‘vegetal’, ‘coffee’, ‘smoky’, ‘earthy’, ‘leather’, ‘reduced’, ‘barnyard’, and ‘bandaid’. Wine makers had a slight positive acceptance for ‘bitterness’ whereas consumers were strongly negative for this attribute. ‘Woody’ was negative for consumers and positive for winemakers.

What the study highlights is the

difference between consumer and highly trained experienced experts regarding what characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are drivers of quality.

The winemakers generally regarded the bigger wines with higher hotness, astringency, fruit and oak as of higher quality and provide a contrast to the preferences of the consumers tested.

What to draw from this? The markers of quality in Hawke’s Bay

With Syrah the tannin concentration does not seem to be as significant a factor in wine quality perception.

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

red wines remain undefined at this stage. However, it seems that experts ( judges) prefer to award higher scores to wines that are bigger and contain higher tannins.

Perhaps the other positive attributes identified in the Lattey et al (2010) study such as hotness, fruit and oak are also playing an important role as markers of quality in HB red wines. ■ I would like to acknowledge technician Melissa Annand (EIT) for her

accurate and precise analyses, Bob Dambergs (AWRI) for help with early data analysis and Malcolm Reeves (EIT) for help with the tannin distribution chart, Figure 1 in Part 1.

Lattey, K. A., Bramley, B. R., and Francis, I.L. (2010). Consumer acceptability, sensory properties and expert quality judgements of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines. Australian journal of Grape and Wine Research, 16, 189-202.

REGIONS CENTRAL OTAGO

WINE AND CHEESE PETER OWENS

W

ine and cheese are natural partners and have gone hand in hand for centuries.

But taking that pairing a step further are two Central Otago businesses, who are not so much matching their cheese with wine, they are actually combining the two. One handcrafted cheese, some local Pinot Noir – and voila you have a classic combination in one mouth watering product. It’s the best of both worlds, a cheese that not only has the marbled effect of being combined with the wine, but also the taste of two distinctive products all in one.

Given the tough times the wine Balls 1 has 3/7/13 11:22 AM 2 industry undergone inPage recent

years, it is not surprising that winemakers have begun looking outside the square for new marketing tools. For John and Chris Cockroft of Clyde Village Vineyard overlooking the mighty Clutha River, they have discovered an extremely novel one.

The Cockrofts learned, through family, of a wine-soaked Italian cheese being sold in the world-famous Borough Market near Southwark Cathedral in London. They discussed the feasibility and technique with Robin Greer, who with his wife, Lois, is the proprietor of Retro Organics at Tuturau in Eastern Southland.

He believed he could produce a cheese made with Pinot Noir wine

and not just by soaking the cheese over a long period.

The Greers have no problems dealing with new concepts. They have come from sharemilking to now operating their own organic dairy foods plant and marketing their dairy products all around New Zealand.

While the method developed to produce marbled Pinot Noir cheese is still a secret between the Greers and the Cockrofts, Robin does admit that the Cockrofts’ Clyde Village Pinot Noir is added to a specially selected cheddar cheese.

Robin himself describes the end product as “a real wine lover’s cheese”. And despite the warnings C

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CM

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he had from experts he talked to, he found the process of blending a lot easier than he had been led to believe.

The cheese takes about six months to mature before it is ready to be eaten. By that stage, it is marbled throughout with the distinctive colours of Pinot Noir and what is more important, there is a real wine flavour—and not just a hint on the palate.

Retro Organics are now marketing the cheese throughout New Zealand and the Greers believe there is a market for it among selective cheese consumers and wine buffs. They expect it to also appeal to consumers, wanting “something different”. ■

K

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 41

REGIONS HAWKE’S BAY

BUILDING A NICHE MARY SHANAHAN

B

outique wine businesses could pick up some cues from Philip and Terry Hall, an enterprising British couple who took over a small winery in the heart of Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels soon after the global economy started roughing up.

Purchasing Unison Vineyard in 2007, the Halls appreciated the challenge that lay ahead.

Determined to outflank the recession that continues to hobble even the most experienced operators in the wine industry, they continue to add value to their business by identifying and building on niche competitive advantages of site and situation.

Of their progress in 2013, Philip says: “We’ve made huge strides when we could have taken the easy option, doing one project a year.”

While the Halls had no experience of winemaking when they moved to New Zealand, they did bring considerable business nous as well as commitment to their new career direction.

Philip had spent the previous 16 years with ASDA, a subsidiary of the American retail giant WalMart, and as head of resources, he filled a very senior role.

Terry’s background is local government and human resources management. Having done her first degree in business with hotel and catering management, she went on to postgraduate studies in human resources management.

Busy lives meant the couple were seeing little of one another, and Philip also wanted to spend more time with sons Luke, now 15, and Oliver, 12. Checking out New Zealand, they quickly tar-

42 //

geted Hawke’s Bay as the place to be. Philip enrolled at EIT to study for a Certificate of Grapegrowing and Winemaking and recognising Unison as a good fit for their needs, they snapped up the winery soon after it came on the market.

The business model they took over was to make half the tonnage into wine, selling the balance of the fruit to generate cash flow.

“One year, the cheque didn’t come in for the grapes we’d sold,” Philip says, “and we also nearly got caught with someone else going into receivership. As a result, we

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

decided never to sell grapes to anyone again.”

As he points out, Unison has the facilities to utilise all its fruit and is now making more margin by selling part of its production as bulk wine. Happily, prices have almost doubled in the last two years.

“We don’t believe in going down the discount road. Once you start, you’re chasing your tail for ever and a day.”

The Halls, along with other Hawke’s Bay producers, are building export ties with China and,

happy with their distributor, they are hoping that this market will become huge for them. They are also selling into the USA and Singapore and looking at Australia.

In 2011, they set up a bottling and labelling facility for their own use and to meet the needs of small producers like themselves.

“We checked with other local wineries first to see if they would use the services and they said they would,” Committing $650,000 to the project, the Halls imported state-of-the-art plant from Italy,

“We got the bottling machine right for what we wanted to do – small runs,” says Philip Horn.

Terry and Philip Horn on the terrace outside their cellar door.

housing it in a specially modified on-site building.

“It’s going to be a hole in the balance sheet for a year, and we will have to get over that.”

The financial commitment is already proving worthwhile, however, and Philip expects that side of the business will get bigger every month.

Unison is a member of the Hawke’s Bay Boutique Winemakers – an association that encompasses about a dozen of the region’s owner-operators producing less than 10,000 cases a year.

Through their cooperative efforts, the group is able to target niche marketing opportunities such as mini wine and food festivals held at different members’ cellar doors each month over the busy visitor season. By working together, the association can wield greater buying power “to even things out a bit with the big boys”.

Opening an eatery had been on the Hall’s to-do list from the outset, but the pair held off when they saw that other wineries were closing their restaurants. Having determined what food busi-

nesses do best in Hawke’s Bay, they launched their family-friendly Unwined Café on the 8ha property shortly before the New Year.

The Halls have worked up their own recipe to make their eatery a success.

As a point of difference, Unison’s blind ginger beer tastings are proved popular with children, sober drivers and pregnant mothers.

Taking advantage of Hawke’s Bay’s recently established Wineries Ride, Unison links up with Terry’s sister, who runs a bike hire business and will deliver bicycles and trail maps to the 8ha property.

Wanting to build on their location in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District, Philip has floated the idea of Unison also selling neighbouring producers’ wines.

Philip says it’s important that small owner-operators don’t have all their eggs in the one basket.

With that philosophy, it seems likely that the Halls will continue hatching new ideas aimed at sustaining and growing their business. ■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 43

REGIONS CENTRAL OTAGO

CENTRAL YOUNG GUNS MAX MARRIOTT

Central Otago is a beautiful place and a very desirable location to work. The spectacular scenery is an obvious attraction, but so too is the outdoor mecca that this playground boasts, in addition to the highly sought-after, premium wines. It’s no surprise then that staff turnover throughout the region is very low, much to the chagrin of temporary visitors and those wishing to relocate south.

Michelle Dacombe

Comparatively, Central Otago is a young region too, both domestically and certainly internationally.

Pioneers planted vineyards and made the first wines just three decades ago, and it was only in the ‘90s that plantings gained real momentum. As a result, some of the former young guns have continued without interruption or change at the helm for some time.

Within those organizations, there

are new young guns coming up through the ranks who have long forged reputations having lived and worked in the region for years. And yet, they can slip under the radar somewhat, even to those in the region.

So consider this an exposé of sorts, where we delve into a quick Q&A with a selection of just some of these up-and-coming young rockstars (or ragamuffins?).

Age: 31 Title: Supervisor at Felton Road How long have you worked in Central Otago? Off and on since 2005 What brought you to Central Otago?

I first travelled here with friends while cycling around the South Island, which is when I got my first vineyard job.

Where have you travelled in wine to get here? The majority of my work has been in Central Otago since inception. I plan to travel to the US this year for a vintage.

What do you enjoy most about your job? I love meeting people from all over the world who also work in the wine industry; learning from them and broadening my perspective about grape growing. The day-to-day work is great because I’m outside and surrounded by this beautiful landscape.

What do you enjoy most about Central Otago? The climate makes it easy to live here and the views are amazing.

44 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

When you’re not making wine or growing grapes? I’m probably at home in the garden, learning how to keep bees and hanging out with my chickens.

It sucks when.... I get homesick.

Your ideal Pinot? I have a soft spot for those grown in Central Otago; I enjoy the fruit forward characteristics and silky texture.

Favourite wine? Usually the one I’m drinking.

Which world region excites you most right now? I plan to travel to the US this year, so I’ve been reading up on natural wine production and organics in California.

Future aspirations? I still have a lot to learn, but very much enjoying the path that I’m on and who knows where it will lead. ■

Duncan Gibson

Age: 28 Title: Assistant Winemaker at Peregrine Wines.

How long have you worked in Central Otago? On and off since 2003.

What brought you to Central Otago?

Mountains, lakes, snow, rivers, Ferg Burger and Pinot.

Where have you travelled in wine to get here? After finishing the BVO at Lincoln my pilgrimage of harvests began: France (Burgundy) four times, Italy (Piedmont and Tuscany), Germany (Mosel), USA (Napa), Australia (Hunter Valley and Barossa) and of course NZ (Hawkes Bay and Central Otago).

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The variation in my job gives me the most satisfaction. Every season is different, and every day there is something different happening from entertaining guests to cleaning tanks, there is never a dull day.

What do you enjoy most about Central Otago? I enjoy the wines we produce; Pinot is a passion for me and I think we do some great stuff here. Central Otago is one of those places

that is about lifestyle in every respect, getting on my bike after work and biking for ten minutes without seeing anyone is very nice!

When you’re not making wine or growing grapes? Brewing beer in my man cave has become one of my biggest hobbies. Beating fellow winemaker Sam Hambour’s Pilsener at the Wanaka A&P Show – leaving him $20 out of pocket – has been a highlight.

It sucks when.... The winery fridge has no beer in it.

Your ideal Pinot? Elegance, funk and a sense of place.

Favourite wine? It changes like the wind, but at the moment Elio Altare from Barolo is one of my favourite producers.

Which world region excites you most right now? Barolo – the division of crus (not dissimilar to Burgundy), the balance of tannin and acid and the ability to age.

Future aspirations? Continuing to make wine, enjoying life and travelling to wine regions that make great wine. Maybe like every dreamer it would be nice to have my own winery one day (but until I win Lotto)... ■

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 45

Shannon Foley

Age: 32 Title: Vineyard Manager at Rippon How long have you worked in Central Otago? Since 2007, at Rippon Vineyard.

What brought you to Central Otago?

Initially the snow, but now the wine Where have you travelled in wine to get here? I opened a small restaurant in the UK in 2003, selling wine and writing wine lists, and after a visit to Champagne I realised I wanted more involvement in the production side. I did a harvest at Kumeu, started studying at EIT, and finally got a job in the vineyard at Rippon.

What do you enjoy most about your job? Heading to the winery during harvest after a day’s picking and seeing all the year’s efforts finally coming together, and talking to people about what I do.

What do you enjoy most about Central Otago? There is so much on our doorstep – beautiful mountains, rivers, lakes and a great winegrowing community.

When you’re not making wine or growing grapes? Swimming, biking, running.

It sucks when.... You think you have done all you can to conquer powdery mildew and it still rears its ugly head.

Your ideal Pinot? One that speaks of its surroundings and is grown with care and respect.

Favourite wine? Where to start... It could be the Sauternes we had with Foie Gras in France, the Emma Rippon we drank from the bottle while camping on the beach in the Catlins watching the sunset, the Burgundy we randomly opened at a bbq last summer... all happy memories.

Which world region excites you most right now? Central Otago, where else?

Future aspirations? To travel to other winemaking regions and get some more experience, not necessarily at harvest (although that is always interesting), but to learn more about how other regions deal with things in their growing seasons.

■

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Age: 37

Sarah Bain

It sucks when.... You drink too much wine and are too hungover to go biking or climbing.

Title: Assistant Winemaker at Burn Cottage How long have you worked in Central Otago? On and off since 1999.

What brought you to Central Otago?

Snowboarding.

Where have you travelled in wine to get here? From vineyard hand to management, to winery internships to assistant winemaker.

What do you enjoy most about your job? Being part of the vineyard and winery – getting to follow the entire process through from planting to bottling.

Your ideal Pinot? Site expressive and complex.

Favourite wine? At the moment... Gruner and Grenache – separately .

Which world region excites you most right now? I’m watching Canada with some interest.

Future aspirations? Grow and make my own wine, work less and play more. ■

What do you enjoy most about Central Otago? The weather (this doesn’t include the winter fog in Cromwell), the people and the landscape.

When you’re not making wine or growing grapes? Biking, climbing, drinking wine.

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BOB’S BLOG BOB CAMPBELL MW

Making a splash at Pinot 2013

Pinot Noir Safari It’s great to be able to taste a wine in the vineyard from whence it came while the viticulturist or winemaker talks about the link between place and taste. Dog Point, Terravin, Villa Maria, Ballochdale, Auntsfield, Greywacke, Fromm, Spy Valley, Nautilus and Churton invited me and 31 other wine critics to join them off the beaten track on tour of their Marlborough Pinot Noir vineyards. The moderately intrepid journey in 4X4 vehicles took us from the Awatere Valley across wide rivers and eventually to the Wairau Valley. One vehicle stalled midstream but the safari was otherwise incident-free. An entertaining and mind-expanding experience.

It’s all Chinese to me English grape variety names seem pretty tame next to the Chinese version. The Chinese name for Sauvignon Blanc, for example, translates to “Lingering romantic thoughts”. Chardonnay sales will no doubt be helped by “More gorgeous than the most beauteous cloud”, while Gewurztraminer should get a leg up with “Glowing, glorious nectar of Gods”. I’m not sure who christened Riesling “general thunder” but they probably did the variety no favours.

Felton Road Chardonnay vertical Whoever said that Central Otago was not the right place to produce Chardonnay (perhaps it was me) hadn’t tasted Felton Road Block 2. Surgeon, golfer and wine collector, Ian Civil, raided his cellar to offer a vertical of Block 2; plus a few bottles of Block 6, Elms and Bannockburn; back to 2003. For the most part these are beautiful wines: poised, high energy Chardonnays with great intensity and power. There were no duds. My top vintage was 2006. I wish I had a few bottles.

Reassuringly expensive Sauvignon

I’ve attended the four Pinot events held in Wellington since 2001.

The latest, at the end of January this year, was definitely the best. The emphasis was on New Zealand wines with only a sideways glance in the direction of Burgundy. That’s a good thing. In previous years we have paid a greater degree of homage to the benchmark as well as looking at Pinot Noir from other countries. We are now making world class wines in a recognisable Kiwi style. That’s worth celebrating.

Spectacular weather also made a contribution to the success of the event. Delegates queued to jump off a high ramp into a cooling Wellington harbour. I was not among them – but Nick Mills fromCentral Otago was.

48 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

No one argues with the notion that New Zealand makes the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc but if that is correct surely we are under-selling our flagship wine? Top examples of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume sport three-figure price tags while few local Savvies creep over the thirty dollar mark. Foxes Island recently launched their oak-aged “Lapine” Sauvignon Blanc (the wine doesn’t declare the variety on the front label) with a price of $55 and very good it is too. Pernod Ricard has gone one step further with the release of their Brancott Estate Chosen Rows 2010 Sauvignon Blanc at the reassuringly expensive price of $80.

To put that in perspective they offered the wine in a lineup of seven stellar Sauvignon labels, including four French classics. Although it wasn’t my top wine Chosen Rows Sauvignon Blanc didn’t look out of place in that company and certainly offered the strongest varietal statement of them all. The company has committed considerable investment in developing the new style rejecting trial wines made in 2009 and 2011 for not reaching a high enough standard, although the 2012 wine looks promising. Pernod has set the pace but I expect others will soon follow their lead. Perhaps the 2013 vintage will produce other high-flying wines?

A decade of Te Muna To celebrate a decade of vintages Craggy Range offered a vertical tasting of Te Muna Pinot Noir dating back to the first vintage in 2002. The wines showed a very strong sense of place with a character that I describe as “metallic minerality” clearly evident in every wine. Director of wine and viticulture, Steve Smith MW, explained how the vineyard soils were littered with volcanic rocks carried there by river. The rocks are high in iron and a host of other minerals that have leached into the Te Muna soils.

These, Smith believes, are at least partly responsible for the unique character of the wines although he confesses that it is a scientifically unproven theory. It all made perfect sense to me.

Riedel eyes Central Otago Pinot Noir Riedel has produced different glasses designed to bring out the best in red Burgundy, Oregon Pinot Noir and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. You’d expect them to look pretty similar but they are each quite different.

Georg Riedel, a tireless promoter of his excellent glasses, staged a fascinating comparative tasting (same Central Otago Pinot Noir in 14 different glasses) in Queenstown for the benefit of selected local winemakers and a handful of wine critics. By popular vote the top-scoring glass was the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir glass which will probably become a template for the design of a Central Otago Pinot Noir glass in the future.

I rated the Riedel Vinum Pinot Noir glass highly (I recently bought 24 of them) but the Riedel Chardonnay glass, which looks quite similar, was one of my lowest scoring glasses. The same wine tasted completely different when sipped in each.

Glasses matter.

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 49

WINEMAKING NEWS

MAKING WINE

BY ROWS JOELLE THOMSON

W

hen it comes to key ingredients, those used to make Pernod Ricard’s new Brancott Estate Chosen Rows Sauvignon Blanc are not exactly what you would call mainstream.

They include a grape grower’s Pinot Noir philosophy - two canes, shoot thinning, hand leaf plucking, one bunch per shoot - a maverick winemaker’s aim to create an ageable Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and a champagne press.

Add wild yeast fermentation into the mix and welcome to the first commercial vintage of this country’s newest Sauvignon Blanc: Brancott Estate Chosen Rows.

The wine carries a RRP of $80 and was released in March this year after four years of trials and over a decade in gestatation.

Pernod Ricard chief winemaker Patrick Materman says he’s had it in his mind for the best part of

10 to 15 years to make an ageable Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. It wasn’t till 2008 that it got momentum. The idea was tabled formally and the experiments began.

Materman’s main aim was to create a wine with weight, aging potential and funky flavour dialled up. The thiols and green characters took a back seat and were turned right down - to low.

“I was looking for complexity with textural interest and layers of flavour, to create a wine driven stylistically by palate weight and concentration by introducing more savoury elements than we usually see in Sauvignon Blanc. Certainly the potential to create ageability in such a wine was one of the key things I was after,” Materman says.

“We unpicked every step of the process and so out of those discussions in 2008 we employed Denis Dubourdieu from the University of Bordeaux. His technical knowl-

Brancott Vineyard.

50 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

edge was excellent so we got him out to New Zealand and, just prior to the 2009 harvest, we talked about the winemaking technical aspects and many of the things that independently we thought we should be looking at. His endorsement of what could and couldn’t work was great.”

The biggest challenge was in the experimentation.

“Fundamentally I think we got most of the things we were aiming for in the first year through use of cuves and wild fermentation but then in 2010 we fine tuned the percentages of the wild yeast component.”

Important as the fine tuning

of percentages was, its inclusion was imperative, says Materman.

“I think the use of wild fermentation and some of the characters that delivers create a bit of noise to the wine – that got dialled up from 2009, which was an incredibly tight and citrus wine.

By contrast, it was a little austere and ended up needing too much explaining whereas the 2010 explains itself.”

While there will be vintage variation to a degree, Materman envisages he will be making the wine to a style. If the vintage is problematic, it simply won’t be made; for instance, there will be no Brancott Estate Chosen Rows from 2011 so the wine will leap straight from its first launch year of 2010 through to 2012.

“I would have thought two years out of three we should be easily able to achieve what we’re looking for.”

The biggest surprise along the way have been the diversity of style that can be achieved from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

“We’ve traditionally used vineyard sites to create most of those differences but I think this wine here has a bit more winemaking input, although in some ways it’s less hands-on winemaking.”

The hands on part began in

the vineyard. Grapes were hand picked to tone down the thiolic influence, which might be immediately attractive in a wine but don’t necessarily allow it to age that well. And from 2009, Materman found it interesting that the best wines he made all came from grapes grown on Brancott Vineyard – “That shows that the age of the soils give more palate weight.”

While the new wine’s name, Chosen Rows, implies there is a small collection of superior vineyard rows to select from, Materman says the wine won’t literally always be those particular rows.

It will, however, be row selection.

For the first release, approximately 60 per cent of the wine was treated to a wild ferment and the use of large format oak was key to the wine’s style. Stainless steel was used to add a bright fruit driven component but the majority of the wine was treated to cuve

to build palate weight and texture.

Another important component was extended lees contact postferment; the 2012 was on lees for 10 and a half to 11 months.

The result is a wine with a low pH of just over 3 and acidity over 8 grams. Both are a bid to help the wine’s ageability. And the use of the champagne Coquard press was to take advantage of its gentle treatment, which results in relatively low levels of phenolics.

There were 3,500 bottles of Brancott Estate Chosen Rows made; nearly half of which – 1500 bottles – will be sold in New Zealand, the rest will go to Australia, the UK and US. As for what’s next, it’s not exactly hard to guess.

“I would love to see this approach being applied to Pinot Noir and it’s the obvious next variety to do it with.” ■ jthomson@xtra.co.nz

Patrick Materman and friend.

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 51

NOT ON THE LABEL LEGAL MATTERS WITH MARIJA BATISTICH SENIOR ASSOCIATE BELL GULLY

T

he Government has been busy in the RMA space, recently releasing two discussion documents.

“Improving our resource management system” proposes a number of reforms including to provide greater national consistency and guidance, ensure there is more efficient and effective consenting, and have fewer resource management plans. A paper on “Freshwater reform 2013 and beyond” proposes changes to the planning process and the establishment of a national objectives framework for water. All of these proposals are likely to have implications for the planning and consenting framework that applies to the wine industry.

Efficient and effective consenting The Government proposes Councils will be able to provide an “approved exemption” for technical or minor rule breaches of the plan. This should reduce red tape and provide a quick and cheap approval process.

There is also a proposal for regulations to direct non-notification for some activity types.

In respect of those resource consent applications that are non-notified, Councils currently have 20 working days to make decisions. It is proposed that this be reduced to 10 working days for those that are most straight forward. Again, there may be an opportunity for some activities related to grape growing and wine making to be classified as “straight forward” and this would certainly be expected for a number of rural activities.

Further amendments to the consenting process could include

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limiting the scope of submissions and third party appeals to allow consent hearings to be more focused and consequently more time and cost efficient. The Government also wants feedback on the merits and risks of changing appeals to the Environment Court so they are by way of rehearing instead of de novo (heard afresh).

This means that the appeal would not be treated as a new hearing but the Court would have some ability to choose to rehear certain evidence. If adopted this would put greater emphasis on the need for robust evidence at the Council hearing.

Fewer resource management plans The Government proposes that all councils will have a single plan in place within five years with consistency provided by a new national planning template developed by the Government.

This will be particularly useful for those wine makers and grape growers with operations in multiple districts.

If district and regional councils group together to jointly prepare their single plan then the Government proposes a streamlined plan development process with limited

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

rights of appeal if certain criteria are met. This includes one set of rules per area so that the single plan enables effective catchment management and brings material efficiency/cost gains. The only ability to appeal council decisions would be if the council did not accept the recommendation of the independent hearings panel.

Collaborative planning process The Government proposes to amend the RMA to provide a collaborative planning process that councils may choose when preparing freshwater planning instruments. This involves appointing a collaborative stakeholder group with representatives from the community and parties that have a major interest in the water body who provide advice to the council.

A hearings panel would then hold a hearing with Environment Court rigour. As for joint single plans, appeal rights would only be available where the council deviates from the recommendations of the hearings panel.

National objectives framework The Government proposes to establish a regulated National

Objectives Framework that requires all water bodies to meet the minimum state for ecosystem health and human health for secondary contact. In addition to this establishment of some national bottom lines, the Framework would include a set of values a water body can be managed for (such as irrigation or swimming) with associated minimum states set at a national level. The values chosen for each water body would be a local decision. Once in place this Framework will affect how water is managed throughout New Zealand. ■ The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Natasha Garvan, Solicitor at Bell Gully in preparing this article.

Sound interesting?

This will be regular column seeking to keep you up to date with legal developments with a focus on resource management and environmental issues but will also cover employment queries, succession planning and other topical issues facing the industry. Please do not hesitate to let us know if there is something of particular interest that you would like us to cover. Contact Marija on marija. batistich@bellgully.com

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WINEMAKING NEWS

NATURAL WINE: IN VOGUE, OR VIN ROGUE MAX MARRIOTT

N

ot since Michel Rolland’s slick, French Mafia, meritorious portrayal of micro-oxygenation in the documentary Mondovino has a wine moniker swept so surreptitiously across the globe.

Natural wine: this phrase – these two words – are enough to rouse commentary from even the most ardent, taciturn of individuals. It’s a misnomer that has been championed by various trend-setting, leftist, anarchist wine writers (at least, that’s what it seems?)

and the movement as it were has gained massive traction through the on-premise sector. If you’re not nodding your head by now and already opining various sentiments, extricate yourself from thy rock and pay close attention.

Firstly, let’s clear the air. Yes, “natural wine” is an ambiguous term that does little to validate those who are credibly practising the craft (according to criteria set by no recognized industry body), versus those who are liberally basting their marketing hyperbole

with the term on their own recognisance. However, just as “conventional viticulture” is a God-awful term used to differentiate standard viticulture from organic and biodynamic viticulture, it’s a term that people usually understand and can relate to. When we delve into a discussion about natural wine, most would understand a loose definition for the phrase, or at least agree that it constitutes a desire for wines that speak of their origins and are both grown and made in a way that minimizes

WE HAVE MATCHED A FINE SELECTION OF LEGAL EXPERTS TO COMPLEMENT YOUR BUSINESS. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Marija Batistich PUBLIC LAW Simon Watt HEALTH & SAFETY Tim Clarke FOOD STANDARDS Tania Goatley CORPORATE STRUCTURE Gavin Macdonald To access the full breadth of our team, please contact Marija Batistich in the first instance on 09 916 8809 or email marija.batistich@bellgully.com W W W. B E L L G U L LY. C O M

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

additions and intervention.

Central Otago natural winemaker Yoshiaki Sato says natural wine is “wine made with minimum handling and no additions (except for trace amounts of sulpher prebottling) basically, wine made only of organic grapes, with as little human disturbance as possible.”

Wine writer Mike Bennie – Australia’s Digital Communicator of the Year and the man who recently convened Australia’s first unofficial natural wine festival, Rootstock, elaborates on the natural

Photos: Max Marriott

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 55

wine term.

“I prefer not to define any catchphrase given to umbrella categories of wines. Natural wine, to me, draws a line in the sand that unnecessarily creates an‘us-andthem’ kind of delineation. There are many producers who consider themselves ‘natural’ that don’t consider labeling themselves as anything, and likewise those who are more interested in creating discourse about the umbrella category by stating their winemaking and viticulture manifesto.

“If you were to colour in the dots for ‘natural wine’, however, you’d likely encounter mantra about organic or biodynamic viticulture, no industrialised

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machinery use (like RO machines etc), indigenous yeast fermentation, less new oak, minimal sulphur additions (if at all), gentler handling of fruit and interest in minimal intervention between vine and bottle.”

One of the shadows often cast over natural winemakers by their industry counterparts is the propensity for these wines to be cloudy, dirty and sometimes faulty. Whilst this may be true, the same can be said for conventional producers. The discourse and backhanded quips all seem part of the cycle right now, however the future may see a meeting of paths whereby winemakers of all types and philosophies will slowly

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

merge and draw on one another’s ideas. Sato encapsulates this idea well.

“In the last 10 years, it wasn’t hard to find stinky, faulty natural wines. But now, with change and a strict consumer that doesn’t accept bad wines, natural winemaking is being funnelled up a precise path to make clean wine the natural way. We shouldn’t allow the consumer to accept faulty natural wines, so we have to make clean wines. Since natural wine is a big movement, for me it can’t be ignored.

“At the moment, the conventional winemaker and the natural winemaker are moving in their own ways, but as time goes on,

they make take inspiration from one another’s methods.

“Natural winemakers have to make clean wine, but other winemakers have to make wine more naturally. The market demands it.”

Fellow winemaker Jeff Sinnott is a little more cynical about the natural wine movement, “Let’s start by saying that natural wine must by definition come from a single site made by a good bastard. Anything else is unnatural as the ‘voice of God’ is clouded by mixing sites and varieties. At the expense of creating much ado about nothing I must declare an interest in above all things ‘naturalness’ in wine. That is to say, for a wine to be an articulation of site, there needs to be a respect for the vines, the land, the season and the maker. Clearly to exclude this human element is absurd. Has anyone made wine from the wild vines self-propagated along flight paths of migratory birds? Defining a wine as natural is almost as absurd as pronouncing a wine as best in show where the image of the perfect wine in the minds of the judges is often at odds with the tastes of the consumer.

We need to be careful in differentiating reckless or irresponsible addition in wine, or the opposite, which in my view is just as big a crime. This is where the drinkability factor is at odds with what some perceive ‘natural’ wine to be. We are often led by the notion of what we like to believe of something rather than the reality of what is actually happening. It was interesting talking to a well- known journalist at the recent Pinot conference about acid additions – he seemed quite taken aback when I suggested that a vast majority of the wines he was enjoying were acidified in some way. Here he was appreciating a rational but not excessive approach to amelioration. I for one would rather carefully trial, and add based on sensory and

   

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and vitriol will settle down and we will just return to wine, not labelled as natural or otherwise.”

Mike Bennie signs us off with some insightful words of wisdom about the doors that natural wine can open and the continuing evolution of this stylistic pursuit.

“The discussion surrounding natural wine allows for greater conversation between consumer/ purveyor and producer by forcing concepts. It’s a complex thing to enunciate, but natural wine gives context for grape variety and process of production – it forces a conversation about vineyard, viticulture and winemaking while suggesting to consumers that there may be things added to wine, or vineyard, that they can opt to not consume in their wines, regardless of the debate around the detriment of those additions. Certainly the gentler hand in winemaking allows for vineyards to speak more truly of their personality, regardless of natural or not, so that association is a good thing too.” ■ max@maxmarriott.com

   

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analytical evidence rather than stick to a doctrine for the sake of purity and end up with something that no-one wants to stick in their mouth. In other words we need to separate the fact from the bullshit.”

Proponents of natural wine often extoll the “nothing added, nothing taken away” slogan, and it’s this fostering of the vineyard identity that excites people most.

Stuart Knox, 2012 Sydney Morning Herald Sommelier of the Year and manager of Fix St James wine bar and restaurant in Sydney, believes there is genuine interest and curiosity for natural wines in the marketplace.

“The short answer is I like them a lot. To me they’re a unique group of wines that are only loosely defined as a style.

I appreciate the lack of artefact that they possess. Certainly I think the idea of natural wines is appealing to the consumer, much as organics in food is appealing.

However I don’t use natural as a selling point, it’s just part of the narrative. I think the buzz, hype

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 

Phone (09) 3729155 Email : rsf@rd2.co.nz Web: www.rd2.co.nz Available through all good Ag retail stores

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 57

BUSINESS NEWS

DEMAND LEADS TO EXPANSION MARY SHANAHAN

T

hree, even two years ago, there was a lack of development and further investment in the New Zealand wine industry. That has changed, on the back of the 2012 lower than expected yields. Now there is a rush to shore up land and fruit for the future, especially from some of the major players.

Delegat’s Group is one that is currently expanding. The Group has significantly increased its Hawke’s Bay holdings with the $8.5-million purchase of a 61-hectare vineyard in Gimblett Gravels and is looking at buying more bare land in Marlborough. The latter is to feed the increasing sales in North America.

In terms of Hawke’s Bay, the family-owned company has bought the vineyard and winery formerly established by Matariki Wines and Stony Bay Wines, which are both in receivership.

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Receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers have put the amount owed to creditors at about $11.2 million. Unsecured creditors, owed about $136,000, are unlikely to be paid.

With the Matariki purchase, Delegat’s now owns 500 hectares of vineyard in Hawke’s Bay. That includes the region’s largest single vineyard planting – a 283ha property that was progressively planted and is now in full production in Crownthorpe.

The newly purchased vineyard west of Hastings is predominantly planted in Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. In Kirkwood Road on the western outskirts of Hastings, the adjoining winery has a processing capacity of 600 tonnes – which doesn’t make it large enough to handle the 2000 tonnes of fruit coming off the Crownthrope property.

At the time of the Gimblett

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Gravels purchase, Managing Director Jim Delegat said the group was continuing to grow long-term demand for its branded wines and investing in high-quality vineyards that supported its supply requirements.

Over the last six months Delegat’s has also bought two properties in Marlborough – a 121-hectare vineyard in the Wairua Valley and 91 hectares of bare land in the Awatere Valley, and is not ruling out buying more ‘bare land”.

Delegat told Stuff NZ that the distribution of its wines in America had opened up substantially.

More than 50,000 cases of Oyster Bay wines would be sold in California this year, and the company was already the number one New Zealand wine in Florida.

“We’re the biggest selling Sauvignon Blanc in New York now,” he told Stuff.

Meanwhile Foley Wines Chair-

man Bill Foley is also looking to buy more vineyards in Marlborough. Last year Foley Family Wines merged with the NZ Wine Company, taking control of the Grove Mill winery and brand. The company already owned Vavasour and Clifford Bay Wines in Marlborough and Te Kairanga Wines in the Wairarapa.

Foley has said he would prefer to own vineyards, rather than buy fruit on contract and is looking at buying up to a few hundred hectares of vines in the Marlborough region. Currently Foley Family Wines own close to 40 per cent of the fruit it processes. They would like to increase that to 66 per cent.

The emphasis will be on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Foley has not ruled out expanding into Hawke’s Bay either, saying there is potential to venture into Bordeaux blends in the future. ■

INDUSTRY NEWS

LIGHTER BOTTLES T

he country’s only glass container maker, O-I, has launched a new 750mL lightweight Burgundy wine bottle which is almost 10% lighter than its predecessor but retains its premium look and feel.

M anufactured at O-I’s Auckland plant, the bottle’s weight has been reduced from 450g to 407g and has been adopted by local wine brands Saint Clair Family Estate, and New Zealand Vineyard Estates - producers of Mud House and Waipara Hills wines.

Improvements to the bottle’s design deliver environmental benefits including: A 9% reduction in CO2 per container and; A 9% reduction in water per container.

O-I New Zealand’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Andrew Sharp, said the new bottle has been designed to offer a standout lightweight alternative for a range of New Zealand wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and aromatic wines.

“Our lighter 407g Burgundy bottle will appeal to local wine customers in search of a packaging option that supports their own environmental programmes and helps to secure export opportunities,” he said Saint Clair Family Estate chose to package its Vicar’s Choice 2012 Sauvignon Blanc in the 407g bottle to support the company’s export business.

“O-I’s new bottle provided us with a lighter alternative

Efficiency starts here...

particularly suited to export markets such as Canada which only accepts wine in bottles weighing 420 grams or less,” said Liz Chapman, Production Manager, Saint Clair Family Estate.

New Zealand Vineyard Estates’ use of the lightweight bottle for its Mud House and Waipara Hills ranges complemented the company’s broader efforts towards improved sustainability across its business.

“We’re always open to exploring new innovations in the wine industry and our use of this bottle has helped us to improve our sustainable position in a global marketplace,” said MJ Loza, CEO, New Zealand Vineyard Estates.

“It has also minimised our environmental impact, by reducing glass use and improving transport efficiencies.

“O-I’s lightweight bottle also reduces the weight of cases providing health and safety benefits to our domestic and export partners, something I’m sure they’ll value highly.”

The newly packaged New Zealand Vineyard Estates wines will be available for purchase at all leading liquor stores in the coming weeks. The Saint Clair Family Estate wines will be exported to Canada. ■

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BRAUD 9000L SERIES A

fter 35 years of excellence and innovation and over 13,000 machines produced, New Holland is revolutionizing the world of machine harvesting with the 9000L range of six models, offering professionals a new vineyard management tool.

Since first introduced in 1975, BRAUD grape harvesters have delivered the best harvesting quality and productivity. Today the new BRAUD 9000L series continues to be built around proven BRAUD design DNA. The SDC shaking system with flexible rear rod fixation and quick front engagement softly shakes and detaches the grapes.

The NORIA basket system revolutionized the mechanization of grape harvesting and continues to offer the best respect for the vine and harvest. The proven NORIA with its polyurethane baskets ensures a full respect of the vines and harvest with no ground losses.

Refined and developed, these proven BRAUD systems are now matched to a larger conveyor system, high performance cleaning fans and the best destemmer system. The result is improved cleaning and performance.

The new common rail electronic engines and IMS Intelligent management system offer outstanding fuel economy which has been certified by French homologation specialists UTAC in comparison tests between existing VL6080 and new BRAUD 9080L harvesters.

IMS - Intelligent Management System, developed by BRAUD Coëx engineering, the IMS system was awarded a silver medal at SITEVI 2009. In work, IMS will constantly monitor the demand

More Power, More Performance The six model BRAUD 9000L series are powered by ultra-efficient Fiat Powertrain Technologies 4- or 6-cylinder common rail electronic engines. Output ranges from 141hp(CV) to 175hp(CV).

Coupled with engines that are engineered to run on 100% biodiesel (subject to conditions).

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

on the engine. In light load conditions, or at the end of a row when the operator switches off the shakers and fans, IMS will vary the engine speed to precisely match demand but with no impact upon performance. This saves fuel, with no need for any operator input and reduces the fuel consumption by 35% on average.

In addition to these new performance features in terms of power, there is also a new hydraulic Anti-Skid, which provides more traction in difficult conditions,

and a Soft-Steer system, which automatically monitors wheel speed and manages oil flow to the traction motors, which results in very tight turning capabilities, with minimal disruption to the soil at headlands.

Quieter And More Comfortable The Intelliview™ III in-cab display has a touch screen interface to make setting machine functions faster and simpler, which offers customizable pages to suit

specific operations.

The system offers full ISO BUS control to enable the IntelliView III screen to be used as the interface to operate a range of compatible equipment. This includes sprayers and multifunction implements. This saves the need for separate controls and reduces the time to switch between jobs.

The machines are fitted with two external cameras as standard and a third can be added to enhance visibility and view machine functions. Images are displayed on a dedicated colour monitor that fits to the top of the IntelliView III screen.

The new “all-in-one” multifunction lever integrated into the fully adjustable armrest, controls travel speed and direction; the new Automatic Height and Levelling system; the harvesting head and the control of multifunction implements.

To further enhance the operator experience and reduce maintenance downtime, all harvester head grease points are grouped at a single point, and a fully automatic greasing system is available.

Destemmer Evolution All BRAUD 9000L models can be fitted with the new evolution destemmer as optional, but it is fast becoming the normal specification for New Zealand operators.

It is fitted on the top of each hopper; the system delivers the best harvest quality.

The evolution destemmer eliminates on average 20% more harvest impurities than the system employed in previous generation models and an advanced trap removes the majority of stalks, leaves and MOG (material other than grapes), after which a dedicated MOG transfer auger discharges this material to

the ground.

Maintenance of BRAUD 9000L harvesters has been both simplified and reduced.

Advanced new materials, sealed bearings and a smoother conveyor path make looking after these new generation harvesters less expensive and more straightforward.

When the destemmer is not required, its rotation direction can be reversed from the cab. To direct all harvested material into the collection hoppers.

Less Water And Time The new picking head is designed to make it easier to clean; the wash time has been reduced by up to 30%. To offer further savings, a semi-automatic wash system is available from the factory. This further reduces wash times and reduces water consumption by up to 30%.

Row Tracing System (Rts) Night harvest becomes easy for the operator with the optional Row Tracking System (RTS). RTS can be specified with New Holland GPS guidance to automatically track the worked rows. These worked rows are displayed on the IntelliView III screen, enabling the operator to quickly identify the rows which are still to be harvested.

All the work data can be stored on a USB memory stick for traceability, and downloaded to the office computer using the necessary software.

These new machines are already operating in New Zealand, and are providing some very impressive results in terms of efficiency and quality of operation. ■ New Holland is imported in New Zealand by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

WHAT MAKES YOUR VINEYARD SPECIAL? M

ost vineyard owners would like to think their vineyard has something special or unique about it, whether that be the flavour profiles, site and terrain or how it is located within a certain micro climate. This is commonly known as the vineyards “terroir” and includes all the influences affecting your vineyard.

The main players when we think of terroir are; climate (rain fall, sunshine, wind etc), soil type (stony, clay based, limestone), ter-

rain (flat, sloping), row orientation and so on.

There are many different influences effecting how individual vineyards produce what they do.

Apart from using irrigation, climate is generally what we are handed on a seasonal basis.

The next on the list is soil.

The overall health of grapevines is driven from the soil up and although soil types vary widely from vineyard to vineyard and block to block the fundamental principles of healthy soils are the

Ross Wright of Golden Bay Dolomite.

same. To achieve a vine that grows well, is more resistant to pests and disease, does not show deficiencies through the season and produces desired flavour profiles, the soil nutrients must be in balance. This allows the vine to take up what it wants when it wants it.

Using the Albrecht system of balancing soil nutrients the term “feed the soil, let the soil feed the plant” is used. The soil is the plant’s stomach and to be working properly must have the desired percentages of 25% air, 25% water, 45% nutrient and 5% humus. The nutrient make up of the main cations are - Calcium 60-70%, Magnesium 10-20%, Potassium 2-5% and sodium 0.5-3%.This then provides an environment in which soil biology can thrive.

With clean herbicide strips and fertigation/folia feed approach’s we need to be careful that the nutrient rich soil is not being ignored.

Plants are designed to take up nutrients from soils with help from the micro organisms that live there; these organisms can

increase plants access to nutrient by many hundreds of times while also supplying valuable Nitrogen.

If we look at the minerals required for a balanced soil then calcium is king! It is the most important fertilizer element and makes many other elements more available.

Magnesium works hand in hand with Calcium when determining soil structure (Calcium loosens soil, Magnesium tightens it) and is also very important for photosynthesis and aids in Phosphate metabolism.

Achieving an ideal soil structure and Calcium / Magnesium levels in your soil is not as hard as you would think, a soil audit using Neil Kinsey (the leading authority on the Albrecht system in the world today) from KinseyAg in the USA and an application of Golden Bay Dolomite, a calcium / magnesium carbonate found only at Mt Burnett in Golden Bay can easily address any requirements your soil may have.

For more information contact www.goldenbaydolomite.co.nz ■

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CALENDAR APRIL 7 – 10: Vinitaly – Verona, Italy

12-13: Marlborough/Nelson Primary Industry Sector Conference, “Innovation and Collaboration”– Rutherford Hotel - Nelson

MAY 2: NZW Board Meeting. Auckland – venue TBC. Info – Lorraine@nzwine.com

11: Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon - Marlborough.

Details at www.vineyardhalf.com

13: New Zealand Wine Fair – New York

16: New Zealand Wine Fair – San Francisco

28 – 31: International Cool Climate Wineshow – Victoria, Australia

AUGUST 24: Romeo Bragato Wine Show Judging – Blenheim

27: Chardonnay – Ripe for a reboot – Marlborough Vintners Hotel, Blenheim. Details at www.nzsvo.org.nz

28 – 30: Romeo Bragato Conference. Convention Centre, Blenheim

NOVEMBER 1 – 3: Marlborough Wine weekend – Details to be confirmed

JUNE: 11: NZW South Island Grape Day – Convention Centre, Blenheim

13: NZW North Island Grape Day – Hawke’s Bay – Hastings Opera House

16 – 20: Vinexpo – Bordeaux France

18 – 20: Spiegelau International Wine Competition – Blenheim

28 – 30: Good Food and Wine Show Sydney – NZW participation

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 63

WHERE

EVENT

ATTENDANCE

AUDIENCE

Canada

New Zealand Wine Fair – Vancouver

W, A, NZW

T, M, C

29 April

Canada

Winnipeg Wine Festival

W, A, NZW

T, M, C

1-4 May

Canada

New Zealand Wine Fair – Quebec City

W, A, NZW

T, M, C

6 May

Canada

New Zealand Wine Fair Montreal

W,A,NZW

T,C,M

7 May

Canada

New Zealand Wine Fair Toronto

W,A,NZW

T,C,M

9 MAY

USA

New Zealand Wine Fair New York

W,A,NZW

T,M

13 May

USA

New Zealand Wine Fair San Francisco

W,A,NZW

T,M

16 May

China

New Zealand Wine Fair China – Hong Kong

W,A,NZW

T,M,C

21 May

China

New Zealand Wine Fair China – Shanghai

W,A,NZW

T,M,C

23 May

China

New Zealand Wine Fair, China – Beijing

W,A, NZW

T,M,C

28 May

T,M,C

30 May

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W,A,NZW C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

EVENT DATE 2012

K

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STATISTICS

MAJOR NZ VINEYARD AREAS PRODUCING HECTARES

PRINCIPAL EXPORT MARKETS

Region (Actual)

2012

2015 (forecast)

% of Total

Marlborough

22,587.3

23.017.7

66%

Hawkes Bay

4,841.4

4,938.5

14%

Otago

1,786.7

1,791.9

5%

Gisborne

1,616.5

1,586.2

5%

Waipara

1,034.5

1,082.2

3%

Wairarapa / Wellington

941.9

943.5

3%

Nelson

962.6

1,015.4

3%

Auckland / Northland

319.77

315.7

1%

Waikato / Bay of Plenty

16.1

10.2

0%

National Total

34,269.5

34,952.8

MAJOR VARIETIES IN MAJOR AREAS New Zealand’s total producing vineyard will increase by only 0.5% over the next 2 years. This table shows the variation for major varieties (in Ha), with % change and percentage of total in 2012.

Variety

2012

% producing area

2015

Sauvignon Blanc

19,929.8

58.2

20,214.7

57.8

Pinot Noir

5096.4

14.9

5175.1

14.8

Chardonnay

3120.9

9.1

3164.0

9.1

2396.2

7.0

2399.7

6.9

Merlot

1195.9

3.5

1245.4

3.6

Riesling

719.0

2.1

746.2

2.1

Syrah

354.1

1.0

400.6

Gewurztraminer

331.3

1.0

311.4

1 0.9

Cabernet Sauv

284.8

0.8

323.7

0.9

Viognier

160.8

0.5

146.5

0.4

Malbec

130.2

0.4

143.9

0.4

0.3

108.9

0.3

1.3

572.7

1.6

Cabernet Franc

111.6 438.7

Total

34,269

34,952.9

PRODUCING AREA IN HECTARES BY SIZE - NUMBER OF VINEYARDS Region

0-5

5.01-10

Aklnd / Nthlnd

60

13

Canterbury Gisborne

10.01-20

3

20.01-50

0

50.01 and over

16

6

2

0

1

20

30

25

13

7

75

56

57

32

21

Marlborough

190

291

210

181

100

Nelson

45

37

12

6

3

Otago

80

61

26

15

3

2

1

1

_

_

12

16

3

6

4

Waipara Wairarapa / Wgtn National

Country

Litres $ Fob Average Average (m) $/L 2013 $/L 2012

United Kingdom

50,917

USA

42,678 273,551 6.41 6.80

Australia

49,834 371,179 7.45 7.27

Canada

7,009 75,979 10.84 11.33

Netherlands

4,623 27,486 5.95 6.08

Denmark

0.898 5736 6.39 6.87

Ireland

2,056 14,360 6.98

282,152

5.03

8.11

Japan

1,149 13,675 11.90 11.58

Germany

1,945 10,050 5.17 7.34

China

2,446 29,907 12.23 11.77

Hong Kong

1,579

20,236

12.81

12.75

Singapore

1,206 15,370 12.74 12.72

Finland

0.182 1,625 8.92 9.57

Norway

0.174 1,141 6.54 8.97

Sweden

1.521 12,596 8.28 8.23

1

Hawkes Bay

Waikato / BoP

Exports for the 12 months to end of November 2012 (Moving Annual Total)

% producing area

Pinot Gris

All other varieties

Exports up again

61

16

10

8

3

561

527

349

261

143

Others

Total

5,059 49,492 9.78 9.77

173,281 1,204,540

6.95

6.74

*(npr = not previously recorded separately) *n.c. = no change

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 65

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT Information and Updates on NZ Winegrowers Research Programmes.

Associate Editors: Dr Simon Hooker, General Manager Research and Innovation

A regular feature at the back of each issue of WineGrower to inform industry people about research projects being undertaken for their benefit. Newly approved projects (when available) are briefly summarised in the first section ‘Introducing New Projects’. Longer reports in the section headed ‘Progress Reports’, will describe what has been achieved so far. Scientists in charge of each project have been asked to make these reports reader-friendly rather than to follow the usual format of scientific papers. When completed, each project will be reported in full detail, with references, on the website: http://winenf.nzwine.com/research:asp

LIST OF PROJECTS Photo supplied by NZW

QUALITY WINE STYLES FOR EXISTING AND DEVELOPING MARKETS Manipulation of methoxypyrazine (MP) levels in Sauvignon Blanc wine through leaf and rachis additions Plant and Food Research (Claire Grose) Influence of juice pH on thiol production Plant and Food Research (Claire Grose) Identification of natural genetic variation in grapevine contributing to pathogen resistance Lincoln University (Chris Winefield) The development of a functional genomics tool for the capture and characterization of transposon mutants in Vitis Vinifera (PhD Scholarship) Rod Bonfiglioli Scholarship Lincoln University (Darrell Lizamore) Investigation of perceived minerality in white wine Lincoln University (Wendy Parr) Identification and quantification of chiral volatile compounds in New Zealand wines that affect aroma Lincoln University (Roland Harrison) Sensory effects of defoliation timing and method on Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon

66 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) (Mark Krasnow) PESTS AND DISEASE Implementation of Virus Elimination Strategy Various (Nick Hoskins – Project Manager) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Review of New Zealand and other related trunk disease information Plant and Food Research (Dion Mundy) Managing Botrytis in New Zealand Viticulture Vino Vitis Ltd (Ruby Andrews) Botrytis decision support (BDS) industry training & botrytis sampling protocols Plant and Food Research (Rob Beresford) Understanding causes of slip skin Plant and Food Research (Rob Beresford) SUSTAINABILITY/ORGANICS Organic Focus Vineyard Project Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (Rebecca Reider) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Effects of undervine vegetation

management on grape quality, vine performance, grape composition, and soil properties Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) (Mark Krasnow)

COST REDUCTION/INCREASED PROFITABILITY New opportunities for sustainable grape thinning Plant and Food Research (Mike Trought) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Reduced berry size and Botrytis tolerance through trauma to the vine Plant and Food Research (Mike Trought)

PROGRESS REPORTS

Evaluating pruning wound treatments for management of eutypa dieback in grapevines Mark Sosnowski - South Australian Research & Development Institute and Dion Mundy The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited 11 105 Introduction Eutypa dieback is emerging as a major disease of grapevines, along with botryosphaeria dieback, in New Zealand and threatens the sustainability of the wine industry. The disease occurs worldwide, causing significant economic losses to wine industries in other countries. It is caused by the fungus Eutypa lata, which infects vines through pruning wounds, colonises wood tissue and causes dieback of cordons, stunting of green shoots, leaf distortion and eventually kills vines (Figure 1 and 2).

In a project funded by New Zealand Winegrowers which concluded recently, a pilot evaluation of pruning wound treatments for the control of eutypa dieback was conducted in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. The aim of the project was to generate preliminary efficacy data and to develop a proposal for further research to develop management strategies for eutypa and botryosphaeria dieback in New Zealand.

yard in Hawke’s Bay to evaluate the efficacy of five fungicides as pruning wound protectants against E. lata (Table 1), using methods developed in Australia. Treatments were selected based on results in trials from Australia and with industry advice in New Zealand.

In July 2011, 1-year-old canes were pruned to two-buds (Figure 4) and treated with Folicur® (0.3, 0.6 & 1.5 ml of formulated product/L distilled water), Proline® (0.5, 1 & 2.5 ml/L), Comet® (0.5, 1 & 2.5 ml/L), Nando® (1, 2 & 5 ml/L) and Systhane™ (0.06, 0.12 & 0.3 ml/L) or distilled water as a control (Table 1, pg68).

Figure 1. Dieback symptoms on spurpruned Sauvignon blanc vines.

Treatments were applied liberally, with a paintbrush, to wounds within 2 hours of pruning (Figure 5). Each wound was inoculated twice with 500 E. lata spores, 1 and 3 days after treatment (Figure 6). A non-inoculated control was included to determine the incidence of natural infection.

One year later, in July 2012, canes were harvested from vines and returned to the laboratory at the Marlborough Research Centre where they were tested for the presence of viable E. lata. Bark was removed from each cane and the exposed wood was surface sterilised

Figure 2

Figure 2. Foliar symptoms of eutypa dieback on Sauvignon blanc.

Methods A field trial was conducted on Sauvignon blanc vines planted in 2003 at the Paritua Vine-

Figure 1

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 67

Table 1: Fungicides evaluated in the grapevine pruning wound trial.

Product

Active Ingredient

Activity Group

Manufacturer

Folicur®

Tebucanozole (430 g/L)

Demethylation inhibitor (DMI)

Bayer CropScience, Auckland, NZ

Proline®

Prothioconazole (250 g/L)

DMI

Bayer CropScience, Auckland, NZ

Comet®

Pyraclostrobin (200 g/L)

Qinone outside inhibitor (QoL) BASF, Auckland, NZ

Nando®

Fluazinam (500 g/L)

2, 6-dinitro-analine

Nufarm Ltd, Auckland NZ

Systhane®

Myclobtanil (400 g/L)

DMI

Dow Agrosciences, New Plymouth, NZ

Figure 3. Pruning Sauvignon blanc vines in Hawke’s Bay.

in bleach for 10 minutes and rinsed in sterile water. Canes were cut into small chips taken from each side of the margin between live and dead wood tissue. Wood chips were placed on agar and incubated on the laboratory bench for 7 days and then assessed for presence or absence of E. lata cultures (Figure 7).

Efficacy was based on the mean percent recovery (MPR) of E. lata from the treated canes by isolation on agar and presented as mean percent disease control, which was calculated as the reduction in MPR as a proportion of the inoculated control.

Results E. lata was recovered from 68% of untreated and inoculated control wounds, with only 5% recovery from naturally infected controls.

Folicur and Proline were the most effective treatments, providing around 50% control of eutypa dieback when applied at 1.5 ml/L compared with untreated and inoculated wounds (Figure 7). Comet, provided 25-31% control when applied at 1-2.5 ml/L. Nando provided 25% control when applied at 5 ml/L. All other

68 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

application rates of these fungicides did not provide significant control of E. lata infection.

Systhane did not control E. lata infection at any of the rates evaluated.

Conclusion

Figure 4. Applying treatment to pruning wound with a paint brush.

Folicur and Proline were the most effective pruning wound treatments in the Hawke’s Bay field trial. Both products contain the Demethylation Inhibitor (DMI) fungicides tebuconazole and priothioconazole, respectively.

They were most effective when applied at five times the rate registered for foliar application on grapes in Australia (1.5 ml/L). In recent South Australian trials, Folicur and Prosaro (tebuconazole + prothioconazole) provided effective control of eutypa dieback at 0.6 and 1.5 ml/L. Variation in results is common with field trials where conditions can vary greatly between seasons and locations. Based on past experience with field trials, double inocula-

tion with a total of 1000 spores per wound will ensure sufficient recovery in controls so that the efficacy of treatments can be determined with statistical confidence. In the vineyard, natural infection was only 5% in the current study and, based on Australian field trials, can range up to 15%.

Therefore 68% recovery of E. lata from inoculated controls in the field trial represents extremely high disease pressure and the degree of control under conditions of natural infection could be expected to be much greater. In early work on E. lata in apricots, it was suggested that wounds were more likely to be exposed to approximately 10 spores under natural condi-

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 5. Inoculating treated wounds with spores of Eutypa lata using a pipette Figure 6. Cultures of Eutypa lata growing on agar from wood chips cut from treated canes.

tions. Research in Australia is currently being conducted to determine the relative efficacy of treatments at lower inoculation concentrations, using a detached cane assay in the greenhouse.

Comet (pyraclostrobin) and Nando (fluazinam) provided some control of eutypa dieback at the higher rates in the current study, but less than that of Folicur and Proline.

In South Australian trials, these fungicides provided varying degrees of control and it is likely that the relative efficacy under natural disease pressure will be much greater. Systhane (myclobutanil) was not effective at any of the rates tested, which confirms results in Australia, therefore this product will not be included in further New Zealand evaluation trials.

Funding is currently being sought from New Zealand Winegrowers and the Ministry for Primary Industries to expand this research and develop strategies to reduce the impact of trunk diseases.

The new project proposes to deliver recommendations for practical application of pruning wound treatments using tractor-driven sprayers, along with advice on optimal timing of application and a range of effective treat-

Figure 7. Mean percent control of eutypa dieback on Sauvignon blanc vines inoculated with 1000 Eutypa lata spores per wound, following application with fungicides at different rates (ml/L) to pruning wounds in the Hawke’s Bay field trial. Folicur® (tebuconazole), Proline® (priothioconazole), Comet® (pyraclostrobin), Nando® (fluazinam) and Systhane™ (myclobutanil).

ments to provide chemical and non-chemical alternatives for growers. Economic analysis will provide decision support for growers and encourage adoption of practices for the benefit of the wine industry.

The project will build scientific and technical capability in New Zealand for grapevine trunk disease management.

Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the New Zealand wine industry for their financial support through New Zealand Winegrowers.

Thanks also to Matthew Ayres (SARDI) and Bruce West (PFR) for technical assistance and Richard Menzies and Jarrad Catley (Paritua Vineyard) for field trial support.■

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 69

Tools for manipulating Sauvignon Blanc wine flavour and aroma: harvest and processing of grapes Grose C, Martin D, Trought M, Agnew R, Stuart L, Haycock S The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Marlborough Wine Research Centre, Blenheim 11-118 The classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wine is a combination of tropical-passionfruit aromas and green-herbaceous characters. The varietal thiols, 3MH and 3MHA, are significant contributors to the tropical aromas, whereas methoxypyrazines, IBMP and IPMP contribute

Methoxypyrazines – herbaceous, green capsicum

Thiols – tropical, passionfruit

to the green characters in the wine.

The balance between thiols and methoxypyrazines helps to define the unique style of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and the typicality of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with the wines exhibiting more intense flavours of green capsicum, tropical and passionfruit than Sauvignon Blanc wines produced in other countries. The balance between these green and fruity flavours is essential to the concept of a typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wine.

Grape harvesting and processing methods can both have substantial influences on Sauvignon Blanc wine aroma and flavour. Our research carried out during the 2011 vintage has shown that thiol concentrations were affected by harvest processing and pressing.

This trend continues in the 2012 New Zealand Winegrower funded harvest and processing

70 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

research. Grape processing methods can elevate or reduce the intensity of thiol and methoxypyrazine-related flavours in the finished wine and can be used to manipulate the thiol:methoxypyrazine ratio to produce a desired wine style.

This current New Zealand Winegrowersfunded, Harvest Processes trial aims to determine the extent to which harvest and grape processing technologies affect the sensory profiles, overall complexity and the typicality as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc of the final wines produced. Using an additional vineyard site to build on existing harvest technologies research carried out in 2011 will speed up these investigations. The additional vineyard site, which was chosen as a contrast to that used in 2011, has increased the volume of data collected for the 2012 vintage period, providing robustness and verifying results from previous SBII Harvest Technologies trials. Our goal is faster delivery of information and new tools to aid winemakers to select the appropriate grape processing method to achieve a desired wine style.

In a second series of experiments, the effects of juice oxidation during harvest and processing on the thiol concentration of Sauvignon Blanc grapes were investigated. These experiments tested the protective oxidative properties of sulphur and ascorbic acid addi-

tions to harvested grapes, and the subsequent effects on wine chemistry and aromas.

Sauvignon Blanc grapes were sourced from two vineyards sites in Marlborough. A site predicted to deliver high thiols (Dillons Point, located in Lower Wairau) was used in 2011 and 2012. A potentially low thiol site (Benmorven, located in the Southern Valleys) was included in 2012. Two winemaking trials were undertaken in collaboration with St Clair Family Estate.

Trial 1: Influence of harvesting and processing of grapes on chemical and sensory properties of Sauvignon Blanc Five grape processing methods were investigated. Grapes were either (1) hand harvested-whole bunch pressed, (2) hand harvested-crushed and destemmed and given three hours of skin contact time, or (3) machine harvested. These three treatments were pressed in a small-scale 8-hL commercial airbag press. The fourth treatment, using the Marlborough Wine Research Centre (MWRC) standard processing protocol, was pressed in a 200-L hydro press. For the fifth treatment, grapes were commercially processed and a juice sample taken from St Clair Family Estate winery tank after pressing and cold settling.

Juice was returned to the research winery for fermentation.

8-hL airbag press

200-L hydro press

Wine was fermented in triplicate batches using the MWRC’s standard Sauvignon Blanc winemaking protocol. Wines have been chemically analysed, and sensory evaluation was undertaken by a panel of wine industry professionals from Marlborough in December 2012.

Methoxypyrazine concentrations in the finished wine varied between the 2011 and 2012 vintages. In 2011, methoxypyrazine concentrations were low at the Dillons Point site (Table 1). Methoxypyrazine concentrations were low around the Marlborough district as a whole in

2011 and this trend was seen in other experimental work conducted across the district. In 2011 when methoxypyrazine concentrations were low, grape processing had a greater influence on wine methoxypyrazine concentrations.

The trend was for harvest processes that generated more extensive maceration of the grapes (in the case of the machine harvest and tank treatments), or longer skin contact, to have higher methoxypyrazine concentrations. In contrast, when concentrations were higher in 2012, the mode of grape processing had little

effect on methoxypyrazine concentrations in the finished wine.

Thiol concentrations for the Dillons Point site were similar in both the 2011 and 2012 vintages. In 2012 there were differences in thiol concentrations between the Dillons Point and Benmorven sites, with Benmorven wines having lower thiol concentrations. This result was consistent with the Benmorven site being identified as having low thiol potential. Wines made from whole- bunch pressed grapes, irrespective of site, had low thiol concentrations. Increas-

Table 1: The effects of grape processing on thiol and methoxypyrazine concentrations for Dillons Point 2011, 2012 and Benmorven 2012

Variable

Thiol 3MH (ng/L)

Thiol 3MHA (ng/L)

Thiol concentration (nM/L)

Treatment

Whole Bunch

Crush-> Destem

Machine Harvest

Tank Sample

MWRC Protocol

2011

349.7

2873.7

3257.7

5846.3

4119.3

Dillons Point

2012

569.3

4790.7

3513.0

5835.3

3933.3

Benmorven

2012

280.3

1042.3

883.0

1814.7

1805.7

2011

103.0

1569.0

1652.3

2868.7

2113.0

Dillons Point

2012

280.0

2798.3

2301.0

3419.3

2177.7

Benmorven

2012

69.0

503.7

405.7

696.3

715.0

2011

3.2

30.3

35.7

59.8

42.7

Dillons Point

2012

5.8

51.6

39.2

62.9

41.7

Benmorven

2012

2.5

10.6

8.9

17.5

17.5

2011

0.9

1.4

2.7

2.8

2.0

2012

15.9

17.4

16.4

17.6

17.7

2012

13.3

11.8

11.4

15.7

13.2

Methoxypyrazine IBMP Dillons Point (ng/L) Benmorven

Year

3MH = 3 mercaptohexanol, 3MHA = 3-mercaptohexyl acetate, IBMP = 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine, MWRC = Marlborough Wine Centre

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 71

Table 2: Wine analysis for 18-L oxidation ferments.

Treatment

25 ppm sulphur 100 ppm ascorbic acid

65 ppm sulphur

Tank sample

Rep #

pH

Titratable acidity (g/L)

3MH (ng/L)

3MHA (ng/L)

Thiol concentration

1

3.31

10.68

5887

3008

60.92

2

3.31

10.61

6508

3276

67.07

3

3.30

10.51

6521

3261

67.08

1

3.29

10.63

2605

1292

26.74

2

3.29

10.62

2462

1253

25.45

3

3.29

10.53

2566

1332

26.67

1

3.18

11.56

6075

3502

65.12

2

3.18

11.62

5558

3279

60.01

3

3.18

11.53

5873

3477

63.48

3MH = 3-mercaptohexanol, 3MHA = 3-mercaptohexyl acetate.

ing grapes maceration and skin contact time during harvest and grape processing increased wine thiol concentrations.

Preliminary results from the Harvest Technologies trial, where press fractions were fermented in 700-ml volumes, showed that juice collected from different press fractions (free run, heavy press and combined press samples) resulted in differing thiol concentrations in the finished wines. Thiol concentration was highest in the free run press fraction when grapes had been crushed or machine harvested before pressing. Where grapes had been whole-bunch pressed, thiol concentration was greater in the mid to heavy pressed fraction.

Trial 2: Influence of juice oxidation on sensory and chemical properties of Sauvignon Blanc Two vineyard sites were used: Dillons Point (high thiol), and Benmorven (potentially low thiol) site. Grapes were harvested and two additions, either potassium metabisulphide only (65 ppm) or sulphur and ascorbic acid (25 ppm and 100 ppm respectively) were made to the gondolas after machine harvesting. Grapes were then transported to the winery in 10-T trucks, where the grapes were commercially pressed. Samples of free run and pressed fraction juices were collected during the press cycle, along with a combined free run and press sample. Three replicates, each of 700 ml of juice, were fermented using the MWRC standard winemaking protocol.

Larger volume (18 L) wines were made from the combined press fraction (free run/press) from the Dillons Point site, along with a stand-

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NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

ard commercially grapes processed sample (tank sample).

Preliminary results from the Oxidation 18-L ferments (Table 2) suggest that sulphur and sulphur/ ascorbic acid treatments may produce wines of differing thiol concentrations. An addition of low sulphur (25 ppm) and high ascorbic acid (100 ppm) to harvested grapes appeared 18-L fermentation vessels to increase thiol concentrations in the wine and produced similar thiol concentrations to those in the commercial tank sample. For the commercial tank sample, St Clair Family Estate standard sulphur and ascorbic acid additions were added. High sulphur additions (65 ppm) added to harvested grapes produced wines of lower thiol concentrations. Sensory analysis of wines by the Marlborough industry winemaker panel was carried out in December 2012, and 700-ml fermentation vessels results are currently being analysed.

The project demonstrates collaboration flavour of Sauvignon Blanc wine, to produce a with commercial wineries such as St Clair Fam- desired wine style that meets product specifiily Estate, extending opportunities for future cations and brand needs. commercial research winemaking.

Grape harvesting and processing meth- Acknowledgements ods can both have a substantial influence New Zealand Winegrowers for providing on Sauvignon blanc wine aroma and flavour. industry research funding Decisions on harvest methods and grape proSaint Clair Family Estate for providing the cessing protocols represent some important vineyard, grapes and juice used in this project tools that the industry can use for manipulating Marlborough industry winemaker sensory the thiol:methoxypyrazine ratio, and thus the panel.■

Grapevine leafroll disease a serious problem for winemakers Nick Hoskins 12 100 On the international scene, New Zealand is a small producer of wine, accounting for less than 2% of world production. Because of our relatively high costs, cool climate, and distance from markets, our production is aimed at quality high-end wine. While the “New Zealand” brand is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, our red wine production of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Bordeaux blends has gained considerable recognition on the world stage.

Anything that has the potential to jeopardise wine quality is a serious threat to the industry, and Grapevine Leafroll Disease has this potential. One virus in the Leafroll group is particularly debilitating to red grape varieties: Grapevine Leafroll-associated Virus Three (GLRaV-3) causes significant reductions in yield, impedes sugar accumulation, and affects colour and tannins in red wine.

Worse, GLRaV-3 is rapidly spread by mealybug, and New Zealand has two known species of the vector: Pseudococcus citrophilus and P Longispinus.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), the national industry body, has funded research into GLRaV-3 for the better part of a decade.

Recognising the need to control the spread of this virus in premium red-wine-growing areas, NZW applied for and received a grant from Ministry Of Primary Industries (MPI) in 2009 to establish the “Virus Elimination Project” The project combines development of practical management tools, “current best practice” that growers can implement today, a district-wide mapping component to monitor the spread/success of the interventions, and a science component to research and develop new “best practice”.

Thanks to New Zealand Winegrowers and NZIHAS I travelled to California in June 2011 to attended the American Society for Enology and Viticulture “Grapevine Leafroll and Vitivirus Disease” workshop. Following the successful 2009 -2012 “virus elimination project” a new project NZW/MPI funded project “Sustainable virus free vineyard, replants and beyond” commenced in June 2012, this new project enabled be to travel to University of

California Davis (UCD) in October 2012 to attend the 17th Congress of the International Council for the Study of Virus and Virus like diseases of the Grapevine (ICVG). Below are some of the more relevant notes from these conferences and field trips.

Characteristic reddening and leaf rolling symptoms GLRaV-3.

Overview of grapevine viruses, their characterisation and symptoms: Professor Giovanni Martelli (University of Bari, Italy) There are two major infectious virus diseases of grapevines: the aforementioned Leafroll Disease and Rugose Wood. A third disease is emerging and concerns Graft Incompatibility.

The Leafroll diseases GLRaV-1, GLRaV3, GLRaV-4, GLRaV-5, GLRaV-6, GLRaV-7, GLRaV-8 and GLRaV-9 all belong to the genus Ampelovirus, and all are characterised by leafrolling symptoms and reddening or yellowing of leaves.

The ampeloviruses are all transmitted by mealybug species and soft scale insects. There is still some question regarding the taxonomy of GLRaV-7 and GLRaV-8, but the rest demonstrate the characteristics of true ampeloviruses. In the future, GLRaV-4 may include the relatively similar viruses GLRaV-5, 6, and 9, leaving us with three ampeloviruses GLRaV-1, GLRaV-3, and GLRaV-4.

Grapevine Rugose Wood Complex is a “disease of combination”, and wood symptoms (pitting and grooving) develop only after grafting. The viruses involved in this complex comprise two genera: (1) Vitivirus – Grapevine Virus A (GVA), Grapevine Virus B (GVB), and Grapevine Virus D (GVD), and (2) Foveauvirus – Grapevine Rupestris Stem Pitting-associated Virus (GRSPaV).

The Vitiviruses GVA, GVB, and GVD can be transmitted by insect vectors. The Foveauvirus GRSPaV does not have a recognised vector.

Four syndromes within the Rugose Wood Complex have been categorised on the basis of their differential responses: (1) Kober stem grooving (KSG), (2) Corky bark (CB), (3) Rupestris stem pitting (GRSPaV), and (4) LN33 stem grooving (LNSG).

Graft Incompatibility (an emerging disease) involves GLRaV-2, a species in the genus Closterovirus. GLRaV-2 is not transmitted by insect vectors. It induces mild leafroll symptoms with associated graft incompatibility symptoms; its severity depends largely on the rootstock and scion combination. Rugose Wood is also an agent of graft incompatibility.

Graft incompatibility Symptoms in vines infected with GLRaV-2, In New Zealand.

Leafroll transmission and field spread in the Napa valley: Rodrigo Almeida (University of California, Berkley.)

Mealybug transmission of Grapevine Leafroll-associated Viruses In the Napa Valley, transmission of GLRaVs is by Planococcus ficus (vine mealybug) and Pseudococcus longispinus (longtailed mealybug). Almeida reported that GLRaV-4 and 9 (for which no vector transmission evidence had previously been available) are mealybug transmitted. He also reported there appeared to be no vector virus specificity in mealybug transmission or GLRaVs. In other words, different mealybug species could transmit GLRaV-3 and one species Planaococcus ficus transmitted five GLRaVs. Further comparative transmission work needs to be done to

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013 // 73

establish the efficiency with which the various roguing scenarios, (5) vineyard replacement, GLRaVs are transmitted and to establish the (6) late vector-mediated GLD infection. vectors for GLRaV-2 and GLRaV-7.

Atallah’s key findings were in line with a Transmission of GLRAV-3 by vine mealybug New Zealand study conducted by Nimmo Bell This study indicated that vine mealybug in 2006 and Sutton McCarthy in 2011 (funded transmits GLRaV-3 in a semi-persistent man- by New Zealand Winegrowers). ner, with first instars proving to be more Losses ranged from $25,000 per ha over efficient vectors than adults. Virus acquisi- the 25 year lifespan of a vineyard (for 30% yield tion occurred with a one-hour inoculation access period, and vine mealybugs lost infectivity four days after acquisition. Virus was not transmitted by infected females to their progeny.

Diversity of GLRaV-3 in the Napa Valley Fifty symptomatic plants from the Napa Valley were DNA sequenced and amplified. The study identified four strains of GLRaV-3 and concluded that there is little evidence to suggest that strains are increasing and that these four have likely been present in the Napa valley GLRaV-3 infected vine showing unripe (light coloured) fruit on symptomatic portion of the vine. for several decades.

What Leafroll viruses are spreading in the reduction and no quality penalty) to $42,500 Napa Valley per ha (for a 50% yield reduction and 10% penTwo hundred and sixteen samples were alty for poor quality fruit).

Growers would benefit from paying a 25% tested for GLRaV-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9. Of them, 80% were infected with GLRaV-3, followed premium to purchase certified vines (free from by 11% with GLRaV-2, while the remaining 9% GLRaV-3) at planting as this had the potenwere mixed infections of GLRaV-3 and GLRaV- tial to limit losses to $1,850 per ha over the 1, 4, or 9. A further 468 samples were tested 25 year lifespan of the vineyard (assuming no for genetic variants: of the 65% positive for new infection from neighbouring vineyards).

GLRaV-3, seven variants were found, three of Removing infected vines from vineyards which represented 71% of the positives. The with GLD incidence lower than 25% reduced work did not support an epidemic-like spread financial losses to a range of $3,250 to $25,000 of any novel GLRaV-3 species or variant in the per ha over the 25 year lifespan of the vineyard.

Napa valley.

It was more cost effective to replant vineyards that were greater than 25% infected.

The use of a 10% quality penalty suggests Economics of Leafroll Disease: Shadi Atallah (Cornell University) that wineries are underestimating the impact Atallah presented an economic survey of of virus.

10 vineyards in the Finger Lakes region of The Role of Mealybug Vectors: Kent Daane New York with a history of Grapevine Leaf- (University of California, Berkley) Daane summarised research on in leafroll roll Disease (GLD). Respondents provided information about perceived ranges of GLD spread and showed some very good distribuprevalence, magnitudes of yield reduction due tion maps and data on the introduction of the to the disease, control measures adopted and vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) to Calipenalties incurred for fruit quality. Various fornia. Discovered in 1994 in table grapes in scenarios reflected the impact on cash flow Coachella Valley, vine mealybug had spread of one acre of vineyard over a 25-year lifespan. to 17 counties in California by March 2004.

The scenarios included: (1) no GLD, (2) no The rest of the USA has the more benign grape disease control, (3) GLD prevention through mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus). The vine vineyard establishment with certified vines, (4) mealy bug, however, is much more virulent

74 //

NZ WINEGROWER APRIL/MAY 2013

than other species and is a very good vector for GLRaVs: 700 eggs per female and an ability to overwinter underground. Vine mealybug is not present in New Zealand, a very good reason to ensure suitable border controls are effective.

National Clean Plant Network: Deborah Golino (University of California, Davis) Golino outlined the work of the (NCPN), established in 2008 with federal funding. The NCPN provides vine propagation material free from known viruses. It also provides an extremely good diagnostic service and maintains a clean foundation collection, Foundation Plant Services (FPS). Clean material is an important factor in eliminating the spread of virus and the cornerstone for many of the state vine certification programmes. In contrast, New Zealand nurseries maintain their own collections (and, in some cases, their own diagnostics) of “clean” propagation material, a growing number are now complying with the voluntary “New Zealand Grafted Grape Vine Standard”.

Foundation Plant Services: Field trip Susan Sim walked us through the process of eliminating virus through tissue culture, producing laboratory plants produced from the apical meristem tissue that is free of the virus. These test tube plants are then grown in temperature and humidity controlled cabinets until they are ready to move to a green houses.

Peter Cousins guided us through the United states Department of Agriculture germplasm repository and multiplication blocks where much of the clean stock is grown to supply the industry. Interestingly 25 million vines planted in California 2011 of which only about half were clean stock.

Most of these plantings are field grown rootstock rootlings that are planted then grafted in the field. There was no data on how many of these rootling were grafted using clean stock scion material.

New Zealand’s work on dealing with Grapevine Leafroll Disease and its spread is up to date and possibly further ahead at the vineyard or grower level than is the case with our American counterparts. This is largely due to the efforts of New Zealand Winegrowers, the late Dr Rod Bonfiglioli and the scientists at Plant & Food Research. ■

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