New Zealand Winegrower Oct-Nov 2014 by Rural News Group

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER

2014

ISSUE

OCTOBE

OV E M / N B

Party over, suckers!

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWERS OC TOB E R / NOVEM BE R 2014

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 88

R E GUL A R S

Editorial

Sustainability – Where to Now?

Tessa Nicholson

At the Romeo Bragato conference, the issue of Sustainable Winegrowing came under scrutiny. While the success of the programme cannot be denied, the big question was – where to from here? And how do we get our story out to consumers in a meaningful way?

From the CEO

Philip Gregan

FEATURES

In Brief

News From Around the Country

Future Leaders Look Forward

Sommelier’s Corner

Cameron Douglas MS

The Future Leaders forum at the Bragato conference was one of the highlights for all those attending. The four young men delivered some thought provoking and succinct suggestions of how we prepare the wine industry for the future.

Alex Corban – An Industry Visionary

In his 89 years, Alex Corban did more for the New Zealand wine industry than nearly everyone else put together. NZ Winegrower looks back at this remarkable man’s achievements and remembers how much he gave to an industry he loved.

30 Young Guns

National Young Viticulturist Competitors

Bob’s Blog

Bob Campbell MW

Not On The Label

Legal Matters with Marija Batistich – Bell Gully

91 Calendar

Wine Happenings in New Zealand

Our International Markets

Research Supplement

The latest science and research projects funded by NZ Winegrowers

Each of our major export markets offers opportunities for New Zealand wineries. But the message from the international marketing team is, think carefully about where you want to place your export emphasis.

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 joellethomson@vodafone.co.nz Gisborne: Justine Tyerman justine.tyerman@clear.net.nz Hawkes Bay: Mary Shanahan maryshanahan173@gmail.com Nelson: Neil Hodson neil@hodgson.net.nz

A DV E R T I SI N G Sales Manager & Upper North Island: Stephen Pollard stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 09 913 9637 Mobile: 021 963 166 Central North Island: Ted Darley ted@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 07 854 6292 Mobile: 021 832 505 Lower North Island: Mark Macfarlane Ph: 04 234 6239 Mobile: 021 453 914 South Island: Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 03 376 5552 Mobile: 021 221 1994

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 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 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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WE ARE DOING ALRIGHT

trail on fantastic product and quality. My here was an increasing sense of sense is that the optimism in the industry optimism at this year’s Romeo is very strong. You are doing it off your Bragato Conference. From the 500 own creativity, using science, research, delegates, through to the speakers, marketing and a brilliant product with the Prime Minister to the board of New Zealand Winegrowers, there was a feeling of world-class winemakers. That is the New Zealand story.” quiet satisfaction at having made it through So we are doing alright – but the some tough times. message to come out of Bragato was; we The theme of New Horizons was could do even more, because there are accurate, as the conference dealt with the many countries lining up behind us, all too issues of where we are heading and what keen to take our place. we have to achieve to get there. It was a That was evident in all the discussions case of not looking back and wringing our around sustainability. hands at bad times In our feature article, that have been, Where to From Here? rather a case of (page 10) we delve into looking forward the potential for our to a very bright Our wines are holding their sustainable programme. future. own against some of the best in While we led the world The the world. New Zealand wines with Sustainable Honourable John across the board are doing Winegrowing and Key, who opened fantastically well. have 94 percent of the the conference, industry involved, there was quick to is more required. point out that Does the word the New Zealand sustainability even mean anything to the wine industry is a benchmark for other consumer? I had to agree with one of the industries. delegates who asked why there was no “Everything that was wrong with mention of legacy in our sustainable story. New Zealand, was personified in the Especially given the process is all about wine industry years ago,” he said. “It was leaving a legacy for the next and future a very closed environment – fortress generations. New Zealand. But look at the industry Could something along the lines of today – our wines are holding their own New Zealand Wine – A Sustainable against some of the best in the world. New Legacy be a way of getting that message Zealand wines across the board are doing across? fantastically well. Why? Because the wine Yes the New Zealand Wine Industry is industry realised it just could not succeed doing alright. In fact we are better than if it didn’t lift its game. So you ripped out alright – but none of us can rest on our your plants, you fundamentally produced laurels. We need to keep breaking new better quality stock and now you have ground and ensuring we remain at the top Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir – grapes of the pack. ■ that the world wants to buy. You blazed a

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

FROM THE CEO PHILIP GREGAN

REMEMBERING…

riginally, this article was going to be all about the future. All about the Structure and Governance workshops currently under way. And how important the issues being discussed at those workshops are for the future of your industry organisation and for the industry as a whole. But then I heard the very sad news of the passing of Alex Corban OBE. The life and achievements of Alex are detailed elsewhere in this issue, and I won’t attempt to catalogue his outstanding accomplishments here, but very briefly … Alex was one of the giants of the New Zealand wine industry. Working in the family business he was both a pioneer and an innovator. He was the first tertiary trained winemaker in New Zealand, and he led the change to vinifera based table wines. He was an innovator with temperature controlled fermentation, stainless steel tank technology and the Corban company was the first exporter in the modern era. In terms of industry organisations, Alex made a huge contribution in the lead up to the formation of the Wine Institute, he served as its inaugural Chair, and he played a key role in preparation of the industry development plan in the 1970s In short, few in our industry are ever likely to make the mark that Alex Corban did. A few days before his passing, Alwyn Corban called me and said he was sending through a document that Alex had just completed in July on the industry - “Tall Oaks from Little Acorns”.

Tall Oaks is a compelling read. It forces the reader to contemplate how far the New Zealand wine industry has come, and the vision, drive and sheer hard work that it has taken to get the industry to where it is today. The battles that pioneer winemakers fought against prohibition, incredibly restrictive licensing laws, outdated standards and the convoluted path to forming a national wine industry organisation, are almost best seller stuff. The modern industry that we have today stands on the shoulders of all those who have gone before and all the battles they have fought, won and lost This is something we should never forget for if we do it will be to the peril of the industry. The battles of the past place into context the challenge and issues we currently have. Virtually no access to the domestic markets and hostile governments meant the wine industry was an outsider in previous times. Today, gener-

ally, governments want to help as our sector plays an increasingly important role in the economy … exports of $1.3 billion and growing by the day. Within the context of remembering where we have come from… it was an honour to be present at the recent Bragato Conference Dinner where Hermann and Agnes Seifried (Seifried Estate) and Richard Riddiford (Palliser Estate) were inducted as Fellows of New Zealand Winegrowers. The standing ovations that our three new Fellows received from the Bragato dinner audience was testimony to the high esteem in which the new Fellows are held by the industry. Hermann and Agnes, and Richard join a list of industry Fellows that is a real who’s who of the development of the modern wine industry. From the likes of Alex Corban, George Mazuran through to Mate Brajkovich, Peter Babich, Ross Goodin and others, the list of Fellows and Life Members is a tes-

tament to the benefits that vision, drive, determination and service have brought to the long-standing benefit of all current grape growers and wineries. It was also a privilege at Bragato to hear the thoughts of some of the young, up and coming industry leaders. The young leader’s session on the final day of the Conference was a clear indication that vision and innovation were not just hallmarks of industry pioneers but are strengths alive and well in the members who will take the sector through to 2050 and beyond. Step by step, innovation by innovation, our predecessors in the industry have built and bequeathed the modern New Zealand wine industry a great legacy – a reputation for highly distinctive world class wine. It is up to all of us now and in the future to build on that legacy, to pass on to the future an even better New Zealand wine industry. ■

Young Leaders.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 5

FROM THE CHAIR STEVE GREEN

ROMEO BRAGATO ADDRESS

ast year when I talked with you I noted there was a new sense of optimism in our sector. That optimism was borne on the back of a very special 2013 vintage, higher grape prices and strong sales. One year on, confidence is even stronger. In our recent member’s survey, 89% of growers and wineries indicated that they viewed the business outlook as okay or better, a 2% rise on last year. Renewed confidence has been built on a number of developments; Marlborough got the worst the Seddon earthquakes could throw at them. Yes there was damage but they got on with the job and processed our largest vintage ever Vintage 2014 was a record for the sector and overall promises very high quality And consumer demand and export sales have been stronger than ever, reaching $1.3 billion, up 10% in the past year – and up $1 billion on a decade ago. Market driven optimism is giving rise to significant new investments. Vineyards are being

planted, (at least 3.5 million vines this year according to the 2014 Nursery Survey), and wineries have expanded. These developments will help drive exports towards $2 billion over the next five years or so and much more after that. As an industry we should be proud of these developments. Wine is now New Zealand’s seventh largest goods export. New Zealand earns more from wine than it does from icons such as cheese, butter or kiwifruit. All this is very positive, a real turnaround from the recent past. That turnaround has occurred because as winegrowers you have stuck to the basics, growing quality grapes and crafting world class distinctive wines that meet the needs of our consumers wherever they may be. Focusing on your core responsibilities has enabled New Zealand wine to enhance its international reputation. That reputation is what makes grape growing and winemaking an economic activity in this country. Without it we would all struggle to survive.

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The issue of reputation is so fundamental to our future prosperity, the message bears repeating time after time after time. Reputation is what we are all about. As growers and wineries virtually every action we take in our vineyards, in our wineries and in the market has the potential to impact on the reputation of our grapes, our wine and our industry. How we grow the grapes, how we treat our land and our employees, the records we keep, how we promote our products, all these and many more impact on our reputation. We must always remember that our consumers are not buying our wines because they are cheap, but because of their reputation. It is that reputation that gives us 18% of the market in the UK over £7, second only to France. It is that reputation that made the performance of our industry stand out so much compared with all others in the recent Rabobank report. It is that reputation that supports billions of dollars of investments in the industry and it is that reputation that will decide

our future. How you grow your grapes, how you make your wines and how you present the finished product to the public are all matters that have the potential to impact - good or bad – on your, on our reputation. That is a big responsibility for us all. For a secure future we must all continue to invest in that reputation. Simply taking advantage of it short term will not bring long-term security. Fr o m a N e w Z e a l a n d Winegrower’s perspective, as your representatives, we are continuing to work closely with the government on implementing the Geographic Indications regulations and managing the risks around bulk wine exports. I have to say, progress has not been as fast as we wanted, but progress is being made. The government has recognised our submissions and is now working out the best way to act on the requests we have made. This is good news, but I can assure you that until these matters are settled to your, to you satisfaction, we will not rest. ■

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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LETTERS

Researching Wine Producers Dear Editor, My name is Humphrey Walker and I am an Honours student in Environmental Management (previously known as Natural Re s o u r c e M a n a g e m e n t ) a t Massey University. Currently I am conducting producer-oriented research with a focus on the wine industry. The week of the 20th of October, an electronic survey from Massey University will be sent out to wineries around the country. It will be asking owners, general managers, vineyard managers and winemakers to participate in an

entirely anonymous and brief online exercise. Research from the wine producers perspective is lacking in New Zealand. This research investigates how the viewpoint of wine producers and the preferences expressed by customers, relate on the topic of sustainable vineyard management. Understanding this relationship could provide the New Zealand wine industry with valuable insights into optimising vineyard management strategies for both market and non-market returns. Complex economic techniques will be used to

analyse the survey response data and a copy of the completed report will be made available to all respondents. It is very important for this project and for the prospect of further wine producer research, that people make the effort to respond. What you think matters, not only to you but to your industry! We have made considerable effort to compile a contact list of wineries however due to your privacy agreement with NZW we can only draw on publicly available contact information. In many cases we could only acquire front of house emails

such as ‘info@blogwine.co.nz’. Please make every effort to ensure your administrative team is aware of the impending Massey University email and to forward it on to the relevant team members at your winery. If you do not receive an email and would like to participate please contact the Institute for Agriculture and Environment at Massey University, Palmerston North 0800 MASSEY. I would like to thank NZW and Villa Maria for their assistance and thank all respondents for their participation. Humphrey Walker

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IN BRIEF

INTERNATIONAL BRIT’s 2015 Sustainable Winegrowing Competition This is the only international sustainable winegrowing award of its kind, and attracts a large number of organisations from around the world that are taking a leading role in “ground to glass” sustainable programmes. The competition is run by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT). Entries are now open and don’t close until January 15. The entry form is available online and consists of 18 high-level self assessment questions focusing on the three tenants of sustainability; environment, social and economic, plus a 19th subjective assessment – wine taste. For more details and to download the application, visit the web site 2014 International Sustainable Winegrowing Application.

NATIONAL Sustainability Videos Two sustainability videos that highlight the story of the NZW programme, were launched at the Romeo Bragato conference. Both are stunning reflections of the industry, the countryside and the people who are doing the hard yards on the ground. As part of ensuring the story gets out there to the market place, the videos are being promoted on social media and will be used at overseas marketing events. They can be viewed on the NZW YouTube channel. Feel free to promote them to customers in all our markets, given they succinctly tell the story of what sustainability actually means and why it is so important to the New Zealand wine industry.

AUCKLAND Baby Doesn’t Stop Work Congrats to well known wine writer Rebecca Gibb, who celebrated the birth of her first son, a few weeks back. But becoming a mum hasn’t stopped Rebecca from her wine work. She has re-launched her website www. rebeccagibb.com, which now includes wine tasting reviews, as well as blogs and articles. All solicited samples are reviewed at no cost and accessible to all. You can contact her on rebecca@ rebeccagibb.com

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

HAWKE’S BAY Top Vintage Up For Auction Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers expects 2013 wine lots will help boost fundraising efforts for Cranford Hospice at its charity wine auction on November 8. Established 22 years ago, the annual event has raised more than $2m for the region’s hospice. Forty wineries are donating auction lots this year, many of them one-offs. Other lots expected to attract spirited bidding will be a large landscape painted by Freeman White and a seven-day holiday package for up to 12 people in a luxury villa in Vanuatu. Te Mata Estate chairman and patron of Cranford Hospice John Buck says most of the lots are 2013 wines – an amazing vintage that will define Hawke’s Bay for years to come”. The auction is to be staged at the Hawke’s Bay Racing Club, a move from the Hawke’s Bay Opera House which has been closed for earthquake strengthening.

MARTINBOROUGH Craggy Range Winning Pinot Craggy Range’s single vineyard 2012 Te Muna Road Pinot Noir has won ‘Best Pinot Noir’ and ‘Best New Zealand Pinot Noir’ Trophy as well as a gold medal at the 2014 Wine 100 Challenge in Shanghai. Only 37 out of the more than 600 entries from 10 countries gained golds. Three other wines from the Gimblett Gravels vineyard located in Hawke’s Bay also won silver and bronze medals at the awards announced in mid-July.

Out of Court Settlement A protracted dispute between the Napier City Council and Mission Estate Winery has been settled out of court. The dispute was triggered in 2006 when the council invoked the Public Works Act to take 1.5 hectares from the winery to realign Puketitiri Road. A valuer, acting for the council, put the land’s value at $168,000 but an independent valuation obtained by winery owners Marist Holdings (Greenmeadows) was for $320,000. The Land Valuation Tribunal ruled in Marist Holdings’ favour, assessing the value of compensation at $306,000. The council appealed to the High Court which ruled that the matter be reheard and advised both parties to engage new valuers. In August, the parties agreed to settle the matter out of court.

CENTRAL OTAGO Wine Spectator Wine Award For Excellence Millbrook Resort’s award-winning restaurant The Millhouse has received the prestigious Wine Award for Excellence by US Magazine Wine Spectator for the third year running. The influential magazine’s 2014 wine awards applauds restaurants with a wine list of over 100 that accurately match the restaurant’s food and character. Millbrook Resort’s food and beverage manager Russell Heron said the win once again reflected the restaurant’s attention to detail and ability to “create beautiful food harmonised with wine that perfectly complements the flavours”. “We’re constantly searching for new and exciting wines to add to our list, which has an impressive array of organic and sulphate free wines and well-loved classics. We also incorporate rare vintages and more traditional French varietals such as Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Viognier, which is unusual for a New Zealand wine list,” said Heron.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 9

ROMEO BRAGATO

SUSTAINABILITY – WHERE TO NOW? TESSA NICHOLSON

nto its 20th year, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand is at a crossroads. That’s the general message to come out of the Romeo Bragato conference, where the issue of sustainability was a central theme. Chairman of the NZ W sustainability committee, Gwyn Williams told the conference that “we have probably stalled in our progress.”

While this country was the first in the world to introduce a sustainable winegrowing programme, and despite the fact that 94% of the industry participates in it, we need to do more if we want to keep ahead of the opposition. “The warning is that others are on the move around the world. There is big investment and big commitment to it. In

New Zealand, we would lose our advantage if we do not move from here.” It was a sentiment echoed by a large number of the speakers, from Fabian Yukich to James Dicey, James Millton to Mat Goddard. What has been achieved in the two decades the programme has been running, now needs new impetus to move forward. Williams said it was important

for all in the industry to be a part of the planning for the future.

Where have we come from? In 1995 a group of like minded individuals within the wine industry established IWP (Integrated Winegrape Production) a holistic vineyard programme. This later changed its name to Sustainable Winegrowing

The reputation of New Zealand wine is irrevocably linked to our sustainability story. PICTURE MISHA’S VINEYARD, SUPPLIED BY NZW.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

New Zealand. In 2002 the wineries were brought into the fold with a sustainable winery module. The aim was for 100% of New Zealand wineries and growers to be either a part of Sustainable Winegrowing or some other similar audited programme by 2012. The carrot to induce people was offered in 2007, when brand owners had to be a sustainably accredited member by 2012, if they wanted to take part in NZW marketing programmes or enter their wine into a NZW supported wine show such as Air NZ or Bragato. T h e t a ke - u p h a s b e e n significant, with 94% of the industry now part of the sustainable programme.

environment, where we find ourselves with all the standards that are out there – and the OIV was the most internationally credible one available at the moment. Yes it may be an imperfect document, but it is the best we are able to use.”

Where to from here? That is the question that dominated the Bragato proceedings. And there were plenty of suggestions. Does the word sustainability mean

right thing to do. “I remember in the early 2000s travelling to the market, and you didn’t talk about the environment or sustainability. You probably would have sent everyone to sleep if you had. That has changed. You travel anywhere in the world now, and customers want to know if the wine you are offering is sustainable in terms of being ethically produced, and made without a whole lot of chemicals poured into it.” Yukich went on to say that

Where are we now? It hasn’t been an easy road to get to where we are right now. Only last year Sustainability was the area that caused the most concern among members, during the annual survey. There was constant criticism about the scorecard and spray diaries software and the lack of flexibility. WiSE was introduced earlier this year as a direct response, allowing individuals to decide whether to answer just the compulsory questions, or to take their practices that little bit further. Those compulsory questions are based on the OIV sustainability guidelines – given this is the only internationally accepted sustainability guideline catering for wine production. Sustainability committee member James Dicey said there are a large number of other standards out there in the market place – but the OIV standard was the best to align with. “There isn’t an alternative that has international legitimacy and buy in from as many people as the OIV document. There has been a review conducted on the

James Dicey.

anything to the average consumer? Why is it so important to keep moving forward? Should there be different levels included within the programme? Are we conveying the sustainability message clearly enough? Fabian Yukich said when the original programme was established, many people joined up because they thought it was the

complacency could be the bogeyman of the future. “If we say let’s just keep on doing what we’ve been doing and everything will be okay, we will lose our competitive edge. Our future economic strength, your income, depends on us being world leaders. We are too small to be anything else.”

There were suggestions that the concept of sustainability is too hard to define. One conference member asked why there was no reference to “legacy” within the message we send out to the market. “To me legacy means what I leave behind is better or at least no worse than what I inherited. I want to hear the word legacy come into our terminology somewhere.” It was a point that gathered plenty of support, and one which the committee is likely to take note of. As mentioned above, the sustainability programmes instigated in South Africa, Chile and California, may not be as encompassing as New Zealand’s is, but they appear to be gaining the attention of consumers and media alike. Our sustainability story is now into its 20th year, and the media and consumer could be forgiven for thinking, ‘okay, but what’s new?” “We have had 20 years of building the foundations of our programme,” Yukich said. “But things can change very quickly. You can be on top of the world one day and the next you can be history. We need to maintain that competitive advantage and the only way we can do that, is to be at the front. We need to lead in today’s world, as things are changing at a far faster rate than they were 20 years ago.” There were suggestions that those who are doing more within their vineyard or winery, should be achieving more kudos, than those who are only doing the bare minimum. Could now be the time to introduce a Qualmark type system, where there are levels of sustainability, bronze, silver and gold? That is something the committee will have to ponder as the industry moves forward. ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 11

ROMEO BRAGATO

FUTURE LEADERS O

ne of the highlights of this year’s Bragato conference, was the Future Leader’s presentation. Four young members of the wine industry were asked to give their views on the future for New Zealand wine. Two were viticulturists, one a winemaker, the other a marketer. The general feeling after their presentations was; this industry is in good hands, if these guys are anything to go by. Here are the abridged speeches given at Bragato.

Stuart Dudley – Marlborough Viticulturist Villa Maria As has been widely discussed,

the industry is in an enviable position, with continuous growth in our markets, strong brand perception, a clean green image, all controlled by large group of passionate people.

The Land There is a limited amount of the traditional vineyard areas left. I say the word traditional as this is constantly subject to change. We as an industry have constantly pushed the boundaries, higher, further and in new remote areas. Thirty odd years ago the Awatere Valley, Gimblett Gravels and Martinborough were all considered non-traditional and non-

ley Stuart Dud

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

viable, and look at them now. The restricted availability of traditional vineyard land will push a new wave of pioneers out into new regions, pushing the boundaries as those of our past have done. With these new plantings will come new varieties, styles and management techniques, all of which will have to be flexible to deliver the wines of the future consumer.

Water One only needs to look at the current political environment to recognise the importance this country and its people place on water. The Dairy industry is currently in the spotlight, however we need to ensure when the attention comes on us we can proudly stand by our practices. With restrictions on water availability there will be a need for better application and monitoring, which in turn will bring more compliance. As we are already seeing, there will be an increasing number of storage dams required, and in time it will be likely that another “Think Big” scheme like the Southern Valleys water system (Marlborough) could be required to open up more land. I do however feel the biggest advancement may be made by moving away from our common rootstocks, almost all of which are designed to be low vigour and spoon fed water and nutrition. Many international regions with a dryer climate than us survive without irrigation, something we seem fearful of doing.

Sustainability It cannot be understated the value of having an industry body that has installed a system by which we grow our grapes sustainably. There is no other direction for the industry to go and we are currently ahead of the pack, thanks to the foresight of a few individuals.

However we need to take the next step. Within the relatively short lifespan of our industry we are already seeing resistance to herbicides and fungicides, and significant degredation of soils, our most valuable asset. We need to move towards working with our vineyards, not fighting them. There is a great opportunity for us to become the first “residue free” wine industry, a goal which is not beyond our reach, with a significant part of us already there or close to it.

Innovation: A successful future requires it. New technology will be an ever increasing part of how we manage our vines. To maintain competitive advantage we will need to continually look for new ideas to reduce costs and increase quality, while maintaining our image. Although the number 8 wire attitude will help us in some ways, the real advancement will come from our research teams and technical experts. Viticulture and the wider industry has to continue to invest heavily in research. As the innovators uncover the secrets of our vines, new machines, products and techniques will be born.

the America’s Cup back in 1995, through to last year’s rather disappointing finish, Caine had some valuble points to make. (Just think Team New Zealand, when reading this.) The good news is we are still in the race, and our reputation is solid. We led it for some time, but recently the wind has been taken out of our sails. It could be worse, but it could be a whole lot better. So how do we get back, so we can stay in front? As we look forward to the race, there will be a lot of changes and there are a number of Mega trends that are upon us, that will change the way we operate our business.

What will the world look like in the future? Well there will be 8.3 billion of us by 2050, which means we will need 35% more food, 40% more water and 50% more energy. More than 20% of the people will be over the age of 60. There will be 50 billion users of internet connected devices, mobiles and computers. How will this change the way we do business? And a huge shift in GDP from G7 countries to E7 countries. Will

these countries even like Sauvignon Blanc? Do they even like wine? How do we build a competitive boat as an industry and as businesses in light of these trends? We need to build competitive luxury business brands and a meaningful international New Zealand brand. As an industry and a producer, the boat is our brand and we all compete in the race to sell wine, to make a profit for our shareholders. To build the brand, we need to recreate value by building from the solid foundation that our forefathers have done such a great job of. So where does this opportunity lay?

Three areas we need to improve on. Firstly excitement and innovation as an industry and as a business. As we look forward, mobile and internet devices are going to completely change the way we do business. They already are. Online sales are huge and are growing all round the world. If you haven’t heard about digital currencies, they are going to be part of our future. The likes of Britcoin, if you haven’t heard about it, I encourage you to do some

People: Viticulture will require an increasing number of highly qualified people to ensure quality and growth goals can be achieved. This can only occur through investing in these young people, training them and having them learn from the experienced practitioners. Young people will be our future, so we need to ensure we attract the right ones, and give them all the resources they need to help the industry take the next step.

Caine Thompson, General Manager Pyramid Wines Using Team New Zealand as a metaphor, from the winning of

pson Caine Thom NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 13

research. Our company started using and accepting Britcoin about six months ago and now it equates for about 10% of our on-line sales. Machine drones – there is a lot of potential here and there is excitement that New Zealand can lead in this space, all driven by mobile devices. In terms of exciting we need to look at other coutnries for innovation. What’s hot, what’s not? What can we learn from others? What are the somms writing about, what excites them? New varieties and new sites. Have we found the best sites yet? Probably not, because we are such a young industry. New business models, shared resources, cooperative buying, paired groups. Viticulturists and winemakers always get together to talk about what they are doing. What about executives, marketers, CEOs - how often do they get together?

Luxury positioning Our reputation going forward will not be built on premium Sauvignon Blanc. We need to play our best hand always. In order to sell large, we need to promote and sell the elite as a country. We need luxury brands and products north of $100 a bottle, but it needs to be honest. It needs to have integrity and purpose. We need to build competitive business brands, and a meaningful national New Zealand brand. To build that brand we need to recreate value with three key measures: Excitement and Innovation while always staying curious

Finest quality New Zealand has a huge opportunity to lead the world with residue free wine production. It is something that has a lot of meaning and is tangible to consumers. Biodynamics and Organics will continue to grow and lead the charge. They will have a competitive advantage in the market in the

14 //

long term. The natural winemaking movement will continue to rise, especially among Generation Y. You can see this at events like Rootstock. This younger generation is our next consumer group. So we came bolting into the race in 1995, we fell over for a while, we are getting there, but we need to keep pushing. To get better, to be better. As the job is not done yet.

Jack Glover Sales and Marketing Manager Mudhouse Wines Simply put marketing is the promoting and selling of products. The future of marketing New Zealand wine is a pretty big topic and we must review where we have come from. We got an inspiring view from the 2014 fellowship inductees, Herman and Agnes Seifried and Richard Riddiford, and the position our industry is in as a result of these pioneers is enviable. We must also look closely at what the key factors are that impact on our industry right now so that we can identify the areas that we can control or influence in the future. All factors that influence the growing, making, marketing and selling of our wines are interrelated and impact on each other. However there are only a few that we can have significant influence upon to help shape our future. This is the media, the market place and our consumers. By the nature of our geographical limitations and the global thirst for our wines we are a demand lead industry. The important thing to note here is that we need to be in touch with what is driving that demand and for us, this is the consumer. The traditional influence on the consumer and their buying habits has been by way of the media and the market place. Our drinkers have been fed review

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Jack Glover after review, award after award and been merchandised in retail and the on trade environments to death. But the consumer is shifting and the current consumer is making better, more informed and tangible wine choices in a market that is more open, segmented, diverse and information saturated than ever before. Does this mean that consumer demand can start influencing their traditional influencers? If yes then we need to be more relevant to this consumer and focus more on where they are engaged to augment the future of New Zealand wine. This means getting our businesses future fit to be in a position to talk to our consumer. Review the traditional must haves in your go to market strategy – a story and distribution – against what consumer we want to engage with, what is happening in their buying environment and the movements in our categories. In addition to this we need to focus – where you focus is where you grow. Delivering a strategy from this is getting future fit and the consumer is at the heart of this. Lastly we need to test this regularly to stay future fit and improve. New Zealand wine is demand

lead, not supply – so don’t ignore the consumer, they aren’t loonies, they are the future.

Braden Crosby – Winemaker Borthwick Estate Look at the future, and the word millennials keeps occurring. Millennial is the word that strikes fear into the heart of any employer and marketer. These are the future winemakers and wine consumers, the future taste makers and fashion creators. But in two years time, these millennials will not be drinking mass produced wine. They will be drinking craft beer, lots of it, and the better and more interesting the brewing process, the more they can’t get enough of it. Which makes you think. I love craft beer and I think the craft beer producers have got one over us in the wine industry. Pro-active rather than reactive thinking has led them to captivate a whole new market with their forward thinking innovation and experimentation in production techniques and packaging. The future for all industry is in creativity and innovation. Apple do it so well, imagine if New

with an increasing awareness of the social issues, especially around the potential harm from alcohol, and the safety of our product. Fo o d s a f e t y a n d a n understanding of what is going into our wines will become a bigger issue in the future. We have to be careful before we are forced to list ingredients on the label. The key to developing consumer awareness is to promote transparency in our winemaking practices and educate the consumer and winemakers.

sby Braden Cro Zealand could replicate what Apple has done. What would that even look like? Sauvignon Blanc is great, but how do we move beyond this to the next level. In the future we will see great technological advantages driven by winemakers and consumers. Yeast selection, winemaking te c h n o l o g y, l a b o r a to r y equipment, but some of the most important improvements in winemaking will be in our ability to create wine in a more sustainable and environmental fashion. Sustainability is no

longer a by-word for an annoying scorecard. We need to lead the charge as our size gives us the opportunity to be more dynamic than other larger wine producing countries. We are going to up the ante and in winemaking, this means greater efficiency in power and water usage and reduction in waste. We are becoming more attuned to our environmental impact and coming to terms with how we interact with our environment. Developing an environmental concience goes hand-in hand

Education We are seeing a rapid increase in the training level of our industry, but it would be great to see a higher level of education at a technical and scientific level. And in business as well. It would be great for universities to think about running short courses to keep up skilling our labour pool. Diversity of skills in the workplace will become imperative…because what is the winemaker’s job again? Making wine is a start, but the modern winemaker will need to have more divergent talents, such as scientific technical knowledge, business, marketing and social media skills. We will need to not only be able to do a tannin assay,

but tweet about it at the same time. And I don’t want to be overly controversial, but pay rates are one area that is going to be an issue going forward. We all have passion, but when you have studied for 3-4 years, have a degree and 2-3 years’ experience, you need to be renumerated appropriately, and I fear some people may leave the industry if they cannot get a living wage at the start of their career. Who are the people who are taking over the reins of our winemaking enterprise? The ability to buy into the wine industry for a young winemaker is daunting, and most probably unaffordable. We need to think about succession planning to ensure we maintain our eclectic, diverse mix of business models. It is a competitive world out there, but it doesn’t need to be survival of the fittest here at home. Let’s look out for the younger generation. Not only are we the ones who have to fund the pensions of all the retiring winemakers and viticulturists, but because when New Zealand’s winemaking is strong, we will all be better off. ■

The future of the New Zealand wine industry is in good hands if our future leaders are anything to go by. Photo Mount Riley Marlborough. PHOTO SUPPLIED BY NZW.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 15

WINE AWARDS

2014 BRAGATO WINE AWARDS TROPHY RESULTS

■ Champion Wine of Show and Bragato Trophy Winner Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2012 Keltern Vineyard – Hawkes Bay Phil Holden ■ Richard Smart Trophy Winner and Reserve Champion Wine Mudbrick Reserve Syrah 2013 Mudbrick Vineyard – Waiheke Island Nick Otto ■ Friedrich Wohnsiedler Trophy Winner and Champion Riesling Wither Hills Cellar Release Kerseley Riesling 2012 Kerseley Vineyard - Marlborough Wendy and Owen Glover ■ Brother Cyprian Trophy Winner and Champion Pinot Gris Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Gris 2013 Blackenbrook Vineyard - Nelson Daniel Schwarzenbach ■ Champion Gewürztraminer Bladen Gewurztraminer 2013 Paynters Road - Marlborough Keven and Kerry Tilly ■ Champion Other White Wine Elephant Hill Viognier 2013 Te Awanga, Gimblett and Triangle Vineyards – Hawkes Bay Jon Peet

■ Champion Dessert Wine Saint Clair Godfrey’s Creek Reserve Noble Riesling 2013 Woodbourne Farm Ltd Marlborough John and Lynne Walsh ■ New Zealand Wine Cellars Spence Brothers Trophy Winner and Champion Sauvignon Blanc Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 O’Dwyers Farm Vineyard - Marlborough James Jones ■ Champion Sparkling Wine Osawa Prestige Collection Méthode Traditionelle Brut NV Osawa Wines – Hawkes Bay Brent Stone ■ Bill Irwin Trophy Winner and Champion Chardonnay Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2012 Keltern Vineyard – Hawkes Bay Phil Holden ■ Champion Rosé Wooing Tree Rosé 2014 Wooing Tree Vineyard – Central Otago Geoff Bews ■ Mike Wolter Memorial Trophy Winner and Champion Pinot Noir Bald Hills 3 Acres Pinot Noir 2013 Bald Hills Vineyard – Central Otago Blair Hunt Grower Extraordinaire – Phil Holden Of Keltern Vineyard, Hawke’s Bay

16 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

■ Tom Mcdonald Memorial Trophy Winner and Champion Classical Red Wine Mills Reef Reserve Merlot Malbec 2013 Mere Road, Trust Vineyards – Hawkes Bay Paul McEvoy ■ Alan Limmer Trophy Winner and Champion Syrah Mudbrick Reserve Syrah 2013 Mudbrick Vineyard – Waiheke Island Nick Otto

STUNNING WINES W

ith 539 wines entered into the Bragato Wine Awards this year, there was plenty to make the judging panel smile, as Chair of judges Ben Glover reports. Let’s look at the Objective of the Bragato Wine Awards as written in your entry form: To give recognition to viticultural excellence and to recognise the influence of grape growers and their vineyards in creating the unique qualities of New Zealand wines, by judging the wines made from grapes grown on such specified vineyards What a perfect objective because it actually tangibly means something. I just wonder if we have all

forgotten what we could actually use this show for and it’s results in the drive to show our diversity, our regionally, our depth, and our passion in making wine from lovingly kept vineyards. Think about those words excellence, recognition, growers, unique qualities all essentially attributed to single vineyard expression. It is a perfect time to start delivering more layers; of where we stand, our places, our people, our vineyards, promoting their vineyard names and the passionate growers, their individual stories of these vineyards, to add further depth to our, let’s face it, routine generic marketing campaigns.

This is what I hear all the time in market - what is next, what is behind this, who is the person who did that, where did this come from? This is exactly why our LCBO friends are here this week - to explore this haphazard story of the smaller wine grower and their ‘soil’ to in turn deliver to their customer a richer spread of what is ‘New Zealand’. We as an industry need to work out what this show is for - this is not a commercial show. It lacks the love, kudos, and sponsorship of say the Air NZ Wine Awards! It suffers from the snotty nosed forgotten younger kid syndrome – and yet WE own both shows. What this show does do - is it

rewards and awards excellence and recognition to Single Vineyard and Domaine owned wines, without a case QTY restriction, to the vineyard and grower. It is a vital piece of learning for the industry, judged by peers to champion excellence recognising the unique qualities in wine growing. The next challenge is how we use this and how we communicate it! We have made some small changes this year to be truer to the Bragato objectives, by judging where we could - regionally and sub regionally, and we have some ideas looking ahead to deliver a more relevant show for all within the Bragato Objectives. ■

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 17

OBITUARY ALEX CORBAN

A WINE INDUSTRY VISIONARY MARY SHANAHAN

lexander Annis Corban was a 20 th century visionary and a pioneer of the New Zealand wine industry. The Corban name has long been synonymous with the industry and, as a grandson of the pioneering patriarch, Lebanese immigrant Assid Abraham Corban, Alex had winemaking deeply embedded in his DNA. Alex grew up to make his own significant contribution to New Zealand’s wine scene. He was a third-generation Corban winemaker, and the many positions he held include founding chairman of the New Zealand Wine Institute, president of the New Zealand Wine Council and director of five companies associated with the industry. Recognition for his achievements came with an MBE, followed by the OBE in 1978, honorary life membership of the New Zealand Society of Oenology and Viticulture and the 1990 New Zealand Commemoration Medal. He was among the first to be elected a Fellow of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and an inductee of the New Zealand Winemakers’ Hall of Fame. Gro wing up among an extended family that worked the vineyard established in Henderson in 1902, his first ‘job’ was as a toddler following the hand harvesters to pick up berries that had fallen to the ground. “The primary lesson I learned about grapes,” he said of this expe-

18 //

rience, “was that the crops from each variety were hard-workedfor, once-a-year commodities needed for wine and were not to be wasted.” An uncle, Dr Corban Corban, influenced Alex’s decision to enrol for a Bachelor of Science (Botany) at the University of Auckland. He interrupted his degree studies, however, to complete a winemaking qualification at Roseworthy in two rather than the four years usually required for the programme. He was the first New Zealander to study at the highly-regarded Australian institution. The trans-Tasman experience convinced Alex of the limitations of New Zealand’s widely cultivated hybrid grapes and he considered the appropriate vinifera varieties would do well in our cooler climate. And as winemaker for the

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

then family-owned business A A Corban & Sons, he saw no future in producing bulk wine styles. That put him in the vanguard of the push started in the early 1950s to make quality table wine for domestic and export markets. He adopted an innovative approach to winemaking, working closely with his brother Joe, Corban’s vineyard manager. In 1953, Alex claimed the top award in the Easter Show wine competition – the first such show in New Zealand – with Corbans Reserve Sauterne 1951. Influenced by German styles, he crafted Riverlea Riesling from Muller Thurgau grapes. Characterising that as “a wine-Columbus pioneering endeavour”, he believed his vinifera wines from the 1957 vintage spearheaded New Zealand’s classical wine era and

introduced many to the joys of table wine. Alex introduced the Charmat process, employing secondary fermentation in the tank to create the sparkling wine Premiere Cuvee that was launched to celebrate 60 years of family involvement in the industry in New Zealand. Other innovations included the use of cultured yeasts, cold pressure fermentation to enhance flavour and aroma in table wines, back-blending and the use of stainless steel tanks for fermentation and storage. Alex saw his drive for quality vindicated as this country’s reputation for making “bloody awful” wines gave way to international recognition for our increasingly sophisticated winemaking. He insisted the much improved wines shouldn’t have European names or be promoted with images that included mountains and snow or dirt floors and cobwebs. “Our wines, with their own identifying names, have since earned a better and enduring oenological identity. They have done and achieved more in a few decades than the estates of Europe had achieved in centuries.” As an industry leader, he was committed to industry unity, although that wasn’t always forthcoming in a field of endeavour renowned for its individualism. His leadership style was also to encourage wine education, international networking and peer comparison to benchmark and improve the quality and standing

of New Zealand wine. Alex Corban died on September 7 aged 89.

Leaving his Mark T E R R Y D U N L E AV Y

My personal association with Alex began in 1972, when as a newly recruited senior executive at Montana Wines, Frank Yukich appointed me as the Montana representative on the Wine Council of New Zealand, one of the then three wine organisations in the country. The other two were the Viticultural Association of New Zealand, chaired by George Mazuran, with Mate Brajkovich as his deputychair, and the Hawkes Bay Wine Grower’s Association, chaired by Tom McDonald. As chairman, Alex, was the Wine Council’s principal link with politicians and government bureaucrats. It was not unusual,

on issues relating to the industry for the three chairs, Alex, George Maz and Tom to be together in a Minister’s office. Alex decided that the time was propitious for an industry approach to the government for a review of the levels of import duties on overseas wines to afford more protection to our own New Zealand wines. This led to a series of tri-partite meetings to prepare our case, and an appearance in Wellington before the then Tariff & Development Board. As a sideline to these meetings, there was a revival of discussions in years earlier about the formation of a single organisation to be known as the Wine Institute of New Zealand. One thing led to another, and by 1975, all three organisations agreed to a novel constitution that allowed for three categories of membership, small, medium and large, based

on annual sales volumes, with a voting system that ensured that no one category could overpower the others. Who was to become chairman among the three capable and strong-minded chairmen: Alex, George Maz or Tom? Tom cast a quizzical glance across to George; George nodded, and I can’t remember which of them said: “It has to be Alex.” A year later, the legislation had been passed, the provisional executive became permanent; Alex was re-confirmed as chairman where he remained for the next three years. When the Government changed in 1975, and National introduced a system of industry development plans, Alex wrote ours in its entirety. In retrospect, it had only one fault: the forecasts that Alex calculated as to the vol-

umes and values of wine that New Zealand would export in the future, though decried at the time as being overly optimistic, turned out to be much less than what we actually achieved. Another aspect of Alex’s character was his constant and ready willingness to help competing winemakers. No one was better able to identify even the slightest defect in a wine; but it didn’t stop at that: he was able to explain in detail how the defect could be rectified, and avoided in future. So now, Alex Corban passes into history. But for those of us who had the pleasure and the privilege of knowing him, and working with him, and being the recipients of comments about wine that he was always willing to impart from his unfathomable well of knowledge, he will never pass from our memories ■.

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NZW NEWS

POSSIBLE GOVERNANCE CHANGES TESSA NICHOLSON

t is now 12 years since the Grape Growers Council and the Wine Institute merged but the time may be ripe for New Zealand Winegrowers to become the sole entity. You can be forgiven for thinking that it already is, given NZW oversees all issues relating to growers and wineries. The truth of the matter is though, that the Grape Growers Council and the Wine Institute are still legal bodies, that feed into NZW. Chairman of the Board, Steve Green says currently NZW is an unincorporated society, without any power of its own. “It has no legal entity and no legal identity. We want to give the members the opportunity to consider dissolving the two existing organisations, (Grape Growers and Wine Institute) and merge into a single one.”

Green says currently NZW has no financial accountability. That role flows back to members via the two separate arms of the organisation. Board Deputy Chair and Chair of the Grape Growers Council, John Clarke says there was always the intention to bring the two organisations into one, when NZW was formed in 2002. “But they didn’t want to take that step straight away, instead they went with a memorandum of understanding (MOU). So 12 years down the track, we still have that and it is working. But we could formalise it and we should for all the reasons Steve has talked about.” In terms of financial accountability, both organisations currently levy their members separate of each other. While those two streams of funding go into one pool overseen by NZW, the report-

Chair and Deputy Chair of NZW Board, Steve Green (left) and John Clarke.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

ing back to members is separated out. Growers receive one set of accounts, Wine Institute members receive another. There is no overall picture of how much NZW has spent as a group. “If you are not a member of both organisations, you only get half the story,” Green says. “But the key point we want to make, is this is a process of consultation, first and foremost.” There is no pre-conceived idea of how any new structure would look, Green says, as it has to be up to members not the board itself. “At the end of the day, it will be the members who will make the decision, it will not be the board.” Meetings were held around the country in September, ( just as NZWinegrower was going to print) with members encouraged to provide feedback. And this is

no quick fire decision making process either. Any new structure is unlikely to be in place for 12 to 15 months. “We will back up our public meetings with some pretty extensive information on the website, and we want to hear from as many members as possible,” Clarke says. “After the public meetings we will call for written submissions. We hope to get those from companies, individuals and regional associations,” Green added. “Then having received those, we will ask if anyone wants to be heard. The sub committee will come round to hear those, and then we will report back to the board and the board will come back to members with a formal proposal. Then there will be another process in terms of ratification.” While the processes are quite involved, Clarke says the end result is unlikely to even be noticed by those outside the industry. “Anybody who deals with NZW, whether that be in a marketing sense or whatever, won’t see any difference.” The governance issue was highlighted back in 2011, when PwC undertook a review of NZW. Clarke says basically “this is unfinished business and the board has spent a lot of time and energy developing some options about the future shape of the organisation.” Both men say it is important members educate themselves about the options, so when the time comes they can make a wellinformed decision. ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com

NZW NEWS

THREE NEW FELLOWS T

hree long-term and influential members of the wine industry were inducted as Fellows at the recent Romeo Bragato conference. Agnes and Hermann Seifried of Nelson were extremely popular recipients of the Fellowship. To a standing ovation they took to the stage to be presented with their medals, by NZW Chair Steve Green. The Seifrieds are true pioneers of the Nelson wine industry, establishing their first vineyard in 1973. Born in Austria, Hermann arrived in New Zealand in 1970 – having been brought here by the Apple and Pear Board to make commercial cider. Meeting Agnes within a matter of months of arriving here, and marrying her a year later, Hermann made the momentous decision to stay in New Zealand, preferably in Nelson. The couple bought land in the Moutere Valley and began the long, arduous task of establishing a vineyard. Over the next four decades the couple expanded, added a winery, and a restaurant/cellar door and became one of the iconic wineries of the

New Fellows Richard Riddiford, (left) and Agnes and Hermann Seifried.

Nelson region. The third recipient of a Fellowship was Richard Riddiford, the founder of Palliser Estate Winery in the Martinborough region. Riddiford is well known in his neck of the woods, especially for being the driving force behind the extremely popular Martinborough Food and Wine Festival.

But he has also played a role in the NZW board, originally as a member of the NZW Export Board, then as a board member of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and finally as a member of NZW, when it formed in 2002. But for many he will be best known for championing Pinot Noir and helping to bring it to

the attention of the world, via the highly successful Pinot Noir celebrations. He was the Committee Chairman for the inaugural event in 2001 and continued in the position for the 2004 event. Steve Green said all three new Fellows had made an outstanding contribution to the New Zealand grape and wine industry. ■

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CORRECTION

MICRO FOR WINEMAKERS Last month in the article Micro For Winemakers, provided by Kirsten Creasy, we printed an incomplete graph of microbes. We apologise for that, and this issue, print the full graph. YEASTS Microbe

Substrate

Comments

Hanseniaspora

Fermentable sugars

Distinctly ovoid to lemon-shaped under the

uvarum / Kloeckera

Requires B vitamins from the

microscope; can be responsible for

apiculata

must

increased levels of VA, esters

Pichia

Anaerobic- Sugar OR

Can be responsible for undesirable levels of

membranifaciens,

Aerobic - EtOH, acids

acetaldehydes and acetates post ferment but

Pichia anomala

can also produce positive esters during fermentation

Zygosaccharomyces

Fermentable sugar, preferably Metabolises sugar and malic acid, can

bailii

fructose

increase acetic and succinic acids.

Brettanomyces

All sugars (as low as 0.275g/l

Can increase acetic acid, volatile phenols.

bruxellensis

could support a population)

Sugars include trehalose, galactose, possibly

or EtOH

cellobiose LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

A group of bacteria who utilize sugar and malic acid; require low – zero O2 conditions Microbe

Substrate

Comments

Lactobacillus

All sugars, malic acid

Depending on the pathway, a combination of Lactic acid, EtOH (homo-fermenters) and acetic acid (hetero-fermenter) will be produced. Di-acetyl production can be high.

Oenococcus oeni Pediococcus

Fermentable sugars, malic

Preferred MLF bacteria; can produced

and citric acid

higher levels of acetate, EtOH

All sugars

Can lead to increased di-acetyl, biogenic amines (homofermenter so no acetic acid production) ACETIC ACID BACTERIA

Aerobic group of bacteria that produce high levels of acetic acid and ethyl acetate from the breakdown of sugars or EtOH Microbe

Substrate

Comments

Glucanobacter

All sugars

Not as EtOH tolerant, so more prevalent in juice

Acetobacter

All sugars, EtOH

Will lead to increased levels of acetic acid, aldehydes

22 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

WINE NEWS

RED WINE PHENOLICS KIRSTEN CREASY

henolic chemistry is one of those deliciously complex systems that is proving difficult for scientists to fully resolve. This is largely due to the very reactive nature of phenolics and their ability to combine and recombine in many different structures throughout the fermentation and aging process. Another issue that obscures the phenolic conversation is the very real differences in our body chemistry reacting to these compounds. Some people cannot taste bitterness or enjoy a level of bitterness in their wines that others would find overwhelming. While we are all very aware of what certain Brix / TA / pH combinations feel like, we do not have this same understanding for varying levels of phenolics. H o w e v e r, m e a s u r i n g

phenolics in the vineyard or during ferment is a good way of building up a history of your own sites as well as providing an analytical backbone to your tasting perceptions.

Red wine phenolic family You can see in Figure 1 the general layout of the phenolic family. However, it is important to note, that nothing is ever as straight forward or as simple as it might seem! In red wines we are predominantly concerned with the flavonoid family, which is broken into three main groups – flavonols, flavanols and anthocyanins. Flavonols are primarily associated with mouthfeel and flavour and are found in the skin and stems of grapes. The most widely known flavonol is

Quercetin. There is such a strong correlation between sunlight exposure and levels of quercetin, that it is used as a vineyard marker for fruit exposure. Current research suggests that one of the roles that flavonols play during fermentation is to co-pigment with anthocyanins. Although this is not that stable, it does allow the anthocyanins to be bound early in the fermentation, until a greater pool of flavanols is extracted that will form a stronger bond and stabilize the colour. Increasing the percentage of whole bunch in your ferment, can increase your quercetin levels, which may lead to better, more stable colour in the long term. Although it is rare, it is worth mentioning that excessive levels of quercetin can lead to a precipitate but the trigger conditions for the instability are not known at this point.

Flavanols are primarily associated with bitterness and mouthfeel and are found in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. There are 4 groups of flavanols, but the two most common are catechin and epicatechin. These monomers are the basic building blocks of tannins. At fruitset, the tannin concentration is very high to discourage predation, with skin tannin accumulation finishing just before veraison. Seed tannin continues to accumulate up to 2 weeks post veraison commencing. Seeds are the primary source of catechin and as a seed ripens and hardens, extraction of the catechins becomes more difficult. The pool of seed tannin is reduced and this in turn reduces the amount of saliva protein / tannin interactions, leaving you with the perception that the seeds are

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 23

‘riper’ as they seem less bitter and astringent. It requires the heat and alcohol of ferment to extract these seed tannins. Time on skins in post ferment maceration can significantly increase your level of catechin. Flavanols are involved in the most important reaction in phenolic chemistry – forming stable bonds with anthocyanins to form polymeric anthocyanins. These compounds are resistant to SO2 bleaching and pH associated colour change. Anthocyanins are the source of colour in red wines. They are found in the skins, although some varieties will have red juice as well. Anthocyanins start accumulating in the berry at veraison and production can be affected by the environment, including temperature and light exposure. Of the 5 types of anthocyanins, malvidin has the highest

concentration in grapes. Anthocyanins are highly reactive to SO2 and to pH. During fermentation, it is generally accepted that most of the colour is extracted in the first few days and the concentration decreases

great indicator of where your phenolics have come from. It provides the ratio of seed to skin tannin which can then be used to modify how the fruit is processed, time on skins or timing and type of cap management in order

Phenolic chemistry is one of those deliciously complex systems that is proving difficult for scientists to fully resolve.

thereafter. They are involved in a number of different reactions during fermentation – self association, co-pigmentation and polymerization, where they bond with flavanols to provide stable colour. Catechin / Tannin Ratio is a

to provide consistency over vintages. Although grape samples can be analysed and provide the C/T ratio, it is best to wait until the very early stages of ferment, when the sample is more likely to be homogenous. These analyses are particularly useful when you

‘feel’ the phenolics are less ripe and are a great way to develop your internal calibration for your sites, wines and vintage variation. Most winemakers who use this regularly will know the ratio they are seeking for each wine and will actively measure it through ferment until the desired level of extraction is reached at which point they will press off. It is important to note that these bonds and changing structures are happe ning continuously - in the berry, in ferment and during wine aging. Add on top of this the range of possible winemaking decisions, it is no wonder the picture is often unclear about what is happening to the tannins in our wines. In the next article, I will give an overview of how fruit health, processing and other winemaking practices can impact on phenolics. ■

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YOUNG VITICULTURIST

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF TESSA NICHOLSON

fter his best friend took out the title of Young Viticulturist of the Year last year, Paul Robinson was more determined than ever to win this year. The 27-year-old assistant vineyard manager for Villa Maria in Hawke’s Bay is no stranger to the national competition. This year was his fourth time competing – but as the heading says, his persistence paid off. Against stiff competition from four other competitors Robinson was finally able to hold the trophy aloft, and walk away with a bevy of prizes. Born in Taranaki, his early years were spent on dairy farms, many miles away from any substantial wine region. With horticulture his favourite subject at high school, he was always motivated towards that field. “I knew I wanted to do something along those lines. By the 7th form I was thinking about whether to study or just go and work. I looked at a few different options, and the degree at EIT in Hawke’s Bay was one of them.” The bonus of studying in the beautiful Bay was one of the deciding factors Robinson said, although he admits that he wasn’t completely sure that he had what it took to be a viticulturist. “I thought I would give it the first year and see how it goes,” he said. “But fortunately I got a job with Mal McLennan (Mai Mai Creek Wines) during the weekends and when I wasn’t studying. I think that was when I decided it was the right move. There was a lot of theory in that first year of the degree, so it was nice to be able

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Paul Robinson

to put it into practice.” During the third year of the Bachelor in Viticulture degree, Robinson applied for and got a viticulture cadetship with Villa Maria. He hasn’t looked back since. “It was an awesome move and I was fortunate to move into some different roles and work my way up. After a few years I decided I wanted to get more hands on experience in the running of vineyards, so I went to work at our Omahu Gravels vineyard under

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Phil Holden. I was there for two seasons and it was nice to learn more hands on running of the vineyard.” In 2012 he undertook an exchange to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in America for a few months. “It was our winter and their harvest, but it wasn’t like I did a vintage there, instead I spent the time in the vineyards, doing the harvest.” When he returned to New

Zealand he took on the role of vineyard foreman for the Joseph Soler vineyard, Villa’s organic property bordering Gimblet Gravels. With the company planning further expansion in the Hawke’s Bay, Robinson says there are exciting times ahead. “With all this development going on, there is a lot happening and a lot of different stuff. And the company is keen to expand with organics as well, which is something I am pretty keen on.” A tiger for punishment is how some people would view Robinson’s decision to take part in the national competition for four years. While the prizes are substantial, (including $5000 travel from NZSVO, $2000 spending, and a 12 month lease on a brand new Santa Fe), he says it was more about the competition this year. “I have come second and third before, and for the last few times it has been so close. Just a few questions answered correctly could have seen me do better, and I think it was really close again this year, so it’s nice to be on the right side of it this time. “And the fact that Matt (Fox) won it last year, he’s my best mate, it has been nice to even things up.” Robinson will go on to represent the wine industry at the upcoming New Zealand Horticultural awards, which will take place in November. In second place at the competition was first time entrant Mike Winter from Amisfield Wines in Central Otago. ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com The Young Viticulturists feature in Young Guns on page 30.

SOMMELIER’S CORNER CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

ADVANCED CO2

ne of the trickier sections of a wine list to rationalise and generate a steady profit from is sparkling wine - especially Champagne. Champagne listed at around $25 to $35 a glass is only really competing with other sparkling wines at the same or similar price point. Occasionally there is a promotion to generate sales or a rare still wine is opened for fun at $35 to $50 a glass. High quality wines like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, riding high on the popularity wave and at price points of $9 to $18 a glass remain wine list ‘by the glass’ leaders. A wine often sells because of its relative affordability. The usual price resistance thresholds for ‘by the glass’ wines are $10, $15 and $20 - the venue, target market and venue style will dictate the level. As the wine knowledge of the public expands, social media and smart phone Apps assist their will-

ingness to try new and interesting ‘other’ wine styles increases. Champagne, at its higher price point, may slip down the sales graph on two levels – price and instant web reviews. New Zealand Methode Traditionnelle wines are not only growing in number they are bridging the gap on price point and for an increasing number of producers - the quality is outstanding. At a recent Wine Educators Conference tasting in Seattle the response to six New Zealand sparkling wines was overwhelmingly positive - “Where can I get this wine from” was a common post presentation question. Knowledge is power. Selecting and promoting a reliable, cost effective sparkling wine section will mean Somms paying more attention to what is available on the market, regular staff tastings to gauge potential and special promotions that encourage more customers to participate.

Staff may not push Champagne by the glass for example because of a lack of confidence in their ability to describe, or even open and pour it – and they may not be familiar with the characteristics of any or just a few. Champagne is arguably last on the list of staff tasting opportunities because of its high wholesale cost. Locally produced examples do however offer fabulous value. I love Champagne, it is delicious, and I will always say yes to a glass and even a bottle when prompted. Others however still view it as a ‘special occasion’ treat, rather than an everyday indulgence. Two changes in the market are altering this perception: an increasing number of grower Champagnes at much lower wholesale prices are filtering into the country; and the increase in availability and quality of New Zealand bottle fermented examples.

High quality New Zealand bottled fermented sparkling wines are now available with many challenging the Champagne throne - Cloudy Bay Rosé, No1 Family Estate, Highfield Estate and Akarua are fine examples of this. These are wines with bold and expressive bouquets, complex autolysis development, an explosive fine bubble. With the launch of the Methode Marlborough (MM) group on September 1st 2013 this has further enhanced the presence of New Zealand bottled fermented wines to locals and tourist tasters. With a dozen producers already on the MM list, wine and beverage programs in New Zealand restaurants are set to become a lot more interesting and competitive. In some that I have viewed the New Zealand sparkling wine section is equal to or outnumbers their French counterparts. ■

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 27

REGIONS GISBORNE

LOOKING JUSTINE TYERMAN

inegrowers need to ask themselves some hard questions at times, says the newly-elected president of Gisborne Winegrowers’ Association Al Knight. “If your vines are not producing as they should, ask yourself ‘is it the variety, the site or the management practices?’ ” says Knight who took over the leadership of the association for a two-year term on August 13.

opportunity out there and we have so much to offer. We just need to keep lifting the bar on the regional perspective and concentrate on quality and consistency.” Knight is looking forward to being a spokesperson for the region and ensuring the focus is on the sustainable growth of Gisborne’s wine-growing industry. He has served seven years on the Gisborne Winegrowers’ Association committee and was elected

“We need to unify and pull together as a region.” “Some growers are stubbornly committed to what’s in the ground, regardless of the results,” he says. “Growers need to look at their varietal mix, see what the market is demanding and be bold and forward-thinking in their decisions. It requires courage to take a critical look at your operation and see what’s going well and what’s not. There’s nothing wrong with doing the same thing if it’s working well . . . but it’s unsustainable to continue on a path that’s not productive. “Some businesses that have diversified into horticultural crops, probably don’t look at their specific crops in enough detail. Growers need to examine each entity, not just treat the operation as a whole,” he says, speaking from experience as the operations manager of Vigneto, a company that owns and manages vineyards, kiwifruit and a labour contracting operation. “New Zealand only supplies around 1 percent of the world’s wine market but there is a huge

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

as vice president of the group in 2012. He’s an alternate on the New Zealand Winegrowers’ board and also on the Sustainable Winegrowers’ committee. Knight says his broad career experience and the wide range of crops he deals with equip him well for the position. He is working with a larger committee (15 rather than 10) than his predecessor Doug Bell, and says this shows the huge enthusiasm for winegrowing in the Gisborne region. “It’s a youthful committee sprinkled with experience,” says the 44-year-old. “It’s so heartening that people want to be on the committee and do their bit. Sub-committees will be formed to cover marketing, seminars and training, research and financial aspects.” Looking ahead, Knight says the relationship between wineries and growers needs to be strong in order to ensure that Gisborne as a region can demonstrate its quality and diversity. “The partnership goes both

FORWARD ways. We need to make sure our growers are well-educated and informed so that we can deliver a quality product to the wineries. And from a vineyard perspective, production needs to be economically sustainable. “Gisborne is unique because we can grow so many diverse varieties, and grow them well. Our winemakers are well-versed in different varietals. We do aromatics and Chardonnay well, and have top-quality Merlots,” he says. “We need to unify and pull together as a region while aligning ourselves with the objectives of NZW, not going off on our own tangent.”

Knight says New Zealand wineries are now in position to fulfill and grow export markets on the back of 2014’s 445,000 tonne vintage. “With enhanced marketing initiatives and New Zealand wines building a reputation for delivering on quality, there is increasing optimism that the record vintage won’t be detrimental to the industry overall. In my opinion, we should see grape prices at least stabilise heading into vintage 2015. And I would imagine there will be some increases across some varieties and regions.” ■ justine.tyerman@clear.net.nz

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YOUNG GUNS

Brought to you by

THE YOUNG VITICULTURAL GUNS Six competitors took part in the National Young Viticulturist of the Year competition, with Paul Robinson from Hawke’s Bay taking out the title. We feature four of those competitors in this month’s Young Guns. (Dan Manuge from Nelson featured in a previous Young Guns in June/July). How Long Have You Worked In Hawke’s Bay?

always something good to wash it down with as well.

The frost alarm goes off

I’ve worked here for around nine years, and have been full time with Villa Maria for almost seven.

When You’re Not Making Wine Or Growing Grapes?

Hawke’s Bay Syrah and Chardonnay at the moment. Looking forward to more of the 2013 wines coming out soon as well.

What Brought You To Hawke’s Bay? I moved here after High School to study Viticulture at EIT in 2005

I play rugby during the winter and touch during the summer. I love my sport so the sport channels get a good work out as well. It Sucks When….

Your Favourite Wine?

Which Wine Region Excites You Most Right Now? Hawke’s Bay for sure. We do a lot

Where Have You Travelled In Wine To Get Here? I’ve spent time with Villa Maria working in our Marlborough and Auckland wineries over a few vintages, and have worked a harvest in Washington state in 2012. What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job? There’s always a lot going on and it’s great to be involved with a lot of new developments happening at the moment. I also enjoy being involved with, and continuing to expand our organic vineyard area. What Do You Enjoy Most About Hawke’s Bay? The climate here is great. We can grow a wide range of produce for most of the year so there’s always great fresh food around the region, and with a lot of top wineries and brewery’s, there’s

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PA U L R O B I N S O N AGE - 27 A S S I S T A N T V I N E YA R D M A N A G E R , V I L L A M A R I A , H A W K E ’ S B AY

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

of varieties really well here and it’s great to see more vineyards being planted around the place which bodes well for the future of the wine industry. Future Aspirations? To keep enjoying what I do. Improving my skills and knowledge in the industry, and hopefully be managing a vineyard. ■

How Long Have You Worked In Central Otago? 18 months What Brought You To Central Otago? Amisfield. Great Pinot Noir and snow. Where Have You Travelled In Wine To Get Here? After graduating from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology I worked at Muddy Water vineyard in Waipara, before moving to Central Otago. What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job? Harvest. There is a lot of satisfaction in delivering good clean fruit to the winery. What Do You Enjoy Most About Central Otago?

It Sucks When…. It clouds over on a frosty morning and we don’t get a chance to thaw out. Your Favourite Wine? Amisfield Pinot Noir……but I enjoy a good Riesling. Which Wine Region Excites You Most Right Now? Central Otago continues to

impress, but there are some great things happening in Waipara from young companies such as Greystone, Black Estate and Terrace Edge. Future Aspirations? Build a wine business of my own…....when I win lotto. ■

The great lifestyle. We are within a stone’s throw of the lake and there are four top ski resorts only an hour from Cromwell. The apricots are pretty good too. When You’re Not Making Wine Or Growing Grapes? Skiing.

MIKE WINTER AGE 28 A S S I S T A N T V I N E YA R D M A N A G E R - AMISFIELD

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 31

How Long Have You Worked In The Martinborough Region?

What Do You Enjoy Most About Martinborough?

2 and a half years working in the Wairarapa

It’s nice and quiet, with lots to do in the outdoors.

What Brought You To Martinborough?

When You’re Not Making Wine Or Growing Grapes?

A change mostly and to be closer to where I like to go tramping as I have a family hut close by which I like going to when I can.

I’m working in my garage on my car or tinkering/building something around the house.

Where Have You Travelled In Wine To Get Here?

There are early starts for spraying or during the frost season where sleep becomes non existent.

I started in the Hawke’s Bay working for a small grower (Fernhill Holdings) and then moved to Delegats Gimblett Road vineyard before moving to the Wairarapa What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?

J E F F E R Y FA R R E L L AGE: 29 A S S I S T A N T V I N E YA R D M A N A G E R , CRAGGY RANGE TE MUNA V I N E YA R D , M A R T I N B O R O U G H

Being outdoors and not being cooped up in a cellar somewhere. Being able to grow premium quality grapes for awesome tasting wines.

How Long Have You Worked In Marlborough?

When You’re Not Making Wine Or Growing Grapes?

I have been here for 10 months now

When I’m not working I’m still growing grape on my own vineyard…. There’s no getting away from it. Other than that I love traveling around the South Island tramping, fishing and relaxing with my partner.

What Brought You To Marlborough? The people, amazing wines, the outdoors (e.g. the sounds) and the job opportunities. Where Have You Travelled In Wine To Get Here? I have travelled all around Italy, Germany, Poland and Switzerland as part of the Romeo Bragato Exchange Scholarship. What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job? The thing that I enjoy the most is that I get the opportunity to see multiple growing regions and growers, which allows me to be exposed to a wide range of management techniques and get to know some really amazing growers. What Do You Enjoy Most About Marlborough? The wide variety of wine styles and vineyards. Also I love the fact Marlborough is the gate way to the South Island as I haven’t travelled into the deep south much.

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It Sucks When….

Your Favourite Wine? Dessert wines in general, Martinborough Pinot, a nice aromatic. Which Wine Region Excites You Most Right Now? I have to say the Wairarapa don’t I? Future Aspirations? To become a vineyard manager down the line for a premium wine grower somewhere in the country that interests me at the time. ■

It Sucks When…. The rain hits three quarters of the way through a prefect harvest Your Favourite Wine? Doctor Loosen Riesling Which Wine Region Excites You Most Right Now? Marlborough, because it has huge potential for growing Pinot Noir, especially in the Southern Valleys. As a company we grow a large proportion of Pinot under high density, which is resulting in some pretty amazing wines. Future Aspirations? To keep progressing on within Giesen Wines and look into studying a post grad in business and communication. ■

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OAK AND SAUVIGNON BLANC JOELLE THOMSON

ew Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has never been bigger than it is right now – constituting a whopping 75% of the national 2014 grape harvest - so what is the future of this powerful white wine for this country?

Oak is making its presence felt in an increasing number of Sauvignon Blancs made everywhere from Central Otago to North Canterbury and from Marlborough to Hawke’s Bay. Some winemakers refer to – and label them - as fumé, but there Russell Hooper and Sarah Inkersell of Fairbourne Estate.

is a subtlety in these wines, which belies the old fumé blanc moniker. Malcolm Rees-Francis from Rockburn in Central Otago has been making a fumé blanc style of Sauvignon Blanc since 2009, when he called it Three Barrels Sauvignon Blanc. In 2011, he used the word fumé blanc on the label for the first time because the name more closely reflected the actual style of the wine. His inspiration came from the oak fermented flagship wine of Dog Point winery in Marlborough; Section 94 made by Ivan Sutherland and James Healey. He was also inspired by a Chenin Blanc from the Loire; a Vouvray. Rees-Francis retains a handsoff philosophy towards the Rockburn fumé blanc that he makes and while wood plays a large part in the wine’s elevage, his intention is not to add wood flavour. “The fruit is pressed then run

Patrick Materman

into barrel with no sulphur and no inoculation for the ferments in barrel. It remains for a year and a half in barrel before going through malo’. I give it lees stirring in barrel because I like that expression in the wine.” Sulphur is added prior to bottling. Oak plays an increasing role in a number of New Zealand high

priced Sauvignon Blancs from large and small wineries. Brancott Estate Chosen Rows is a 100% oak influenced Sauvignon Blanc made from grapes grown on the Brancott Estate vineyard in Marlborough. “There are degrees of oak but we’ve being moving towards larger format oak and away from small new barrels – which we used about

12 years ago - because we felt they compromise fruit expression,” chief winemaker Patrick Materman said. “For a number of years we used 3% to 4% barrel fermentation in new to one year old barrels and even that, to me, compromises fruit expression. “We’re more comfortable now using larger format oak to give

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richness to the wine and give it more savoury complexity; such as the 500 litre puncheons we use for the Brancott Estate Letter Series B Sauvignon Blanc.” Like a growing number of New Zealand winemakers, Materman is also using fuder; 4000 litre horizontal oak vessels, which provide very little oak flavour impact in the wines. Russell Hooper and Sarah Inkersell of Fairbourne Estate in Marlborough began trials with oak fermented Sauvignon

Blanc in 2009 in order to develop complexity on the palate. “We bought a few Sancerres and we could see there were some obviously oaked styles from the Loire Valley, but the wines that we held in the greatest admiration were the ones that had a real sense of place and a little bit of an earthy character rather than being intensely oaky,” says Hooper. “We are not aiming to make a wine that is all about the winemaking influence. We want to give Fairbourne an oak component and give it more breadth on the mid palate; a little more textural complexity. We are very conscious when we put that blend together that we don’t smell or taste the oak in a very obvious sense.”

Origins of the name fumé The word fumé is French for smoky and is shorthand for Blanc Fumé; the local name for Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire Valley, France. The words Fumé Blanc were coined by the late US winemaker Robert Mondavi, who visited the Loire in the 1970s, and turned the words around the ‘wrong’ way.

He was looking for a new marketing strategy for Sauvignon Blanc, which was not selling in the States, until he changed the words round. It worked. Sales of Sauvignon Blanc took off when the name fumé blanc was applied to them, and New Zealand winemakers soon followed suit once Sauvignon Blanc was a part of the wine scene here. In the 1980s and early 1990s, a little oak became a lot of oak in Sauvignon Blanc and the trend largely languished, until a few savvy (excuse the pun) producers began experimenting with wines such as Cloudy Bay Te Koko and Dog Point Section 94.

Will Fumé Blanc make a comeback? Peter Cowley, co-winemaker with Phil Brodie at Te Mata Estate in Hawke’s Bay, has produced an oak influenced style of Sauvignon Blanc since 1986. He produced relatively small quantities of a wine called Te Mata Fumé Blanc for two years as an experiment. That wine later evolved to become what we now know as Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc; a wine which is arguably stylistically more inspired by the great dry whites of Bordeaux. It has been 100% barrel fermented since 1994 and, like Bordeaux’ dry whites, it is made with a proportion of Semillon (approximately 10%) and –

unlike Bordeaux – a smidgeon of Sauvignon Gris (4% to 5%). All the grapes are fermented in barrels, about 25% of which are new. “It’s quite a lot of oak for Sauvignon Blanc but the time in barrel and the lees contact make it work,” Cowley says. “I’ve always had a dilemma about whether to increase the amount of Semillon in the blend but then we would have to label it that way and New Zealanders are not overly familiar with or sympathetic to Semillon, so we retain 85% Sauvignon Blanc for those reasons.” Cowley is a fan of dry white Bordeaux and is also impressed by the new wave of New Zealand fumé blancs being produced today; “In my view they are better than they used to be; less oak, better integration, more balance, but I don’t think we’ll see fumé blanc making a major comeback.” Conversely, Materman says that most Sauvignon Blanc producers he knows of are playing around with varying levels of oak in their whites; “you can have that Chosen Rows style which is about hand harvest and some oak, but our choice with that wine is to not have the oak showing. Rather, it is part of the richness of the wine. It almost bridges the gap between Chardonnay lovers and Sauvignon Blanc lovers. ■ joellethomson@vodafone.co.nz

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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SCIENCE PROFILE

THE SCIENCE OF WINE – MAT GODDARD TESSA NICHOLSON

hen Dr Mat Goddard arrived at Auckland University back in 2005, it didn’t take him long to realise his skills, gained over more than a decade, could be well used by the New Zealand wine industry. Goddard has played a major role in isolating differing yeast strains within vineyards throughout the country. His world-first research has shown these yeasts impact greatly on the distinctiveness of individual wines. A self confessed biology fan, British born and bred Goddard initially chose marine biology and

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applied zoology for his under graduate degree in northern Wales. “I had no plan, but I loved biology at school. I had also just started scuba diving, so I thought; biology and scuba diving – marine biology.” In his second year, he says he became fascinated and more aware of concepts around evolution and ecology, which led him to continue his studying once his degree was complete. “I was interested in understanding how disease works. Why do you get different diseases in different places and what might the genetics be underpinning that?”

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

At Leicester University he undertook his Masters, focusing on the genetics of tuberculosis. “It fitted exactly with my interests to combine evolution and disease and parasites. So the genetics of a pathogen seemed an interesting thing.” It was this stage of his study that Goddard says he learnt the finer details of micro biology and how to grow bugs on plates in the lab. But it wasn’t enough to satisfy his growing desire to understand the world of genomics and evolution. “I really wanted to understand how genes control and evolve, and

make pathogens or parasites. I managed to gain a PhD position at Imperial College in London and this is where I learnt about yeast. Apart from doing its magic in the wine industry and the beer industry, yeast are also a very powerful and well used model research organism for research scientists. Thousands of laboratories around the world use yeast to understand how cells work and the genetics that define how cells work. So for my PhD I looked at the evolution of parasitic genes in yeast, because they are a good organism to study life in general.” So far, his masters has taught him micro-biology and then his PhD utilising yeast, taught him to understand genetics. But as he says, none of this applied to wine – not yet anyway. “Then I moved on to conduct a Post Doctorial Fellowship, again at Imperial College. I was told by my boss at the time to go away and test fundamental questions in evolution, that was my remit. One of the big questions in evolution is why organisms bother reproducing sexually, why bother having sex.” The mind boggles at such a subject, I have to admit, but Goddard, with a hearty laugh explains. “It sounds like an ridiculous question, because the obvious answer is for reproduction. But there are two ways organisms can reproduce, either sexually or asexually. And on the face of it the asexual mode of reproduction, is more efficient, less costly and not as complicated. So why doesn’t the simpler easier way to reproduce

out compete the more complex and convoluted way? It’s a question that has been around for hundreds of years in biology. One idea is that perhaps the advantage to sexual reproduction lies in the fact that it produces variation and that is a good thing because it allows organisms to adapt more rapidly to changing environments for example.” That theory may be okay, but testing it becomes much more difficult, as Goddard was quick to realise. “What organisms are you going to use to undertake an experiment like that? Yeast, because they are one organism that you can control whether they have sex or not,” Goddard explains. “I conducted experimental evolution. I propagated these populations over hundreds of generations in a defined environment, and tested which of the sexual or

asexual evolved most rapidly. I found that the sexual populations outcompeted the asexual.” This was ground breaking stuff, one of the first experiments that answered the age-old biology question about why asexual reproduction exists. But still it is a world away from defining yeast populations in vineyards throughout New Zealand. Although as he points out, all those gained skills from micro biology to genetics and understanding yeast populations was helping him to get to that position. “Essentially not only here in New Zealand, but around the rest of the world, the understanding of the ecology and evolution of the microbes associated with vines and how they make wine, has been uncharacterised and un-described. “Wine science traditionally has been born out of the organic

chemistry discipline. Classic wine science is describing the chemical composition of a juice and the chemical composition of a wine. To date most people that have studied wine and the microbiology of wine are breaking down the microbes and understanding a single enzyme and how a single strain of yeast might convert a specific sugar to something. But there has been no complementary approaches to understand the holistic, eco system of wine from an ecological level. Without wanting to overstate, we have definitely led the way on that front. We are at the forefront of wine ecology, why these microbes are where they are, how they vary in space, why they do what they do and how they plug into the rest of the eco system.” However, despite the outstanding results so far, Goddard is adamant that they have only just scratched the surface.

“We were the first to know why Saccharomyces converts juice into wine, but there is still a hell of a lot on the fermentation process from an ecological process we don’t understand. How these different microbes interact and compete, cross talk with each other during fermentation, we don’t have much of an idea about. But the big programmes we are looking at at the moment with NZW, is how different types of vineyard management options affect the ecology of the vineyard and how that flows over into fruit quality and wine quality.” Which is likely to be another first for Goddard and his team at Auckland University. One that could yet again change the scientific understanding of wine and wine growing not only here in New Zealand but throughout the world. ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 39

WINE AWARDS

WINE SHOW’S HISTORY Joelle Thomson looks at how New Zealand’s major airline became involved in the country’s largest Wine Show.

his year is the 29th anniversary of Air New Zealand as the sponsor of the country’s best-known national wine awards, which prompted the founding editor of New Zealand Winegrower, Terry Dunleavy, to recall how the relationship began. The sponsorship officially began in 1985 but its seeds were sown in the 1950s when Dunleavy was the editor of the Samoa Bulletin. At the time, the Tasman Empire Airways Ltd (TEAL) began an air service from Suva, Fiji, to Papeete. The service flew via Satapuala in what was then Western Samoa and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands with its Solent flying boats. TEAL based a crew in Fiji for the fortnightly return service between Suva and Papeete, which became internationally famous as the Coral Route. One crew member was a former English ship’s

steward, Dennis Marshall. With stopovers in Samoa each way, passengers and crews were accommodated in Apia, so Dunleavy and Marshall got to know each other well. The two men’s paths crossed occasionally after Dunleavy returned to New Zealand in 1958. “By the time, I took office as CEO of the Wine Institute in 1976, and duties which included taking over from the Department of Industries & Commerce, the running of what was then known as the National Wine Competition, Denny had risen through the ranks to be Cabin Services Manager of the airline which had changed its name from TEAL to Air New Zealand,” Dunleavy says. “The lead sponsor (of the wine show) in 1976 was the Tourist Hotel Corporation (THC), which used to provide one of its hotels as the venue for the judging, and

Chief of Judges Michael Brajkovich with two of the international judging team last year, Dan Berger and Madeleine Strenwreth MW.

a Saturday night awards dinner, confined to a limited number of selected guests. My first involvement in its management was 1975. Dunleavy was in charge of the awards for 1976, and the general management of THC had passed to Tony Young, who agreed that the chateau could be the permanent judging venue from then on. “From 1977, we conceived the idea of an industry seminar the following weekend, where we were able to fill the whole of the chateau with wine people. And so it went on until 1984, and one of the first decisions of the newly elected Lange-Douglas Labour Government was to sell off THC, which withdrew its sponsorship of our competition,” says Dunleavy. “From 1976 to 1984, Air New Zealand’s involvement began by providing air travel for a chief judge from Australia. This later expanded to more distant coun-

tries such as Britain and US. In 1982, Norman Geary became CEO of Air New Zealand. One of his early appointments was Norman MacFarlane as assistant general manager, with a portfolio that included cabin services, including wine related matters. When Denny told me that MacFarlane was interested in a closer association with New Zealand wine, I suggested the airline could sponsor a trophy for the champion export wine.” It was agreed. When THC withdrew its sponsorship in 1984, Dunleavy’s first port of call was Air New Zealand. “Denny Marshall’s support of my suggestions to Norm MacFarlane of the mutual benefits that could flow from what I proposed as the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, was a major contribution to the resultant agreement, and the rest is history – and a happy history at that.” ■

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REGIONS MARLBOROUGH

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ith close to 24,000 hectares of vineyards in Marlborough, the time is right to identify just what is planted, and where. That’s the view of Wine Marlborough’s GM Marcus Pickens and Cloudy Bay winemaker, Nick Lane. Both are behind a project to produce a map of all the region’s vineyards, identifying each block by variety, size, age and clone. “Twenty-four thousand hectares means Marlborough is now a significant vineyard region,” Lane says. “But we don’t have any real visual maps to show the world our story.” There are generic maps produced by the Marlborough District Council (MDC) that show the region’s plantings, but there are no finer details that tell the story of what varietals are planted where. “Having a varietal wine map is of communal benefit for the whole of Marlborough’s wine industry. This would be a way to highlight our diversity, given it will be a very powerful visual tool,” Lane says. The initial idea of a varietal map, came after Pinot Noir 2013. Lane says the Marlborough members who took part in last year’s event, produced a large topographical map of the region, with each of the Pinot blocks of the Marlborough contingent highlighted. Visually, it was an impressive statement, which received a considerable amount of attention from visiting media. Now he says, it is time to take that idea a step further. Marcus Pickens says in terms of telling the story of Marlborough, visual tools are vital. “We have so many visitors to the region, who can see vines everywhere, but when it comes to

identifying just where our Pinot plantings are, versus our Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, or even Sauvignon, we have nothing to show them.” The inputting will be undertaken by wineries, rather than growers and all the digital mapping will be handled by District Council staff. Ownership of vineyards will not be highlighted, and the more detailed information of varietal and clonal information will remain under the control of Wine Marlborough. Lane says this is not a statistical study or a land use survey of the region. “It is not a device for any body or organisation to analyse or derive conclusions from. And it is not a map designed to show ownership of any producer or grower and it will not be traceable.” Besides providing a significant marketing tool, the map would also have other benefits. In time the vineyard details could overlay water, soil and climatic maps, as well as topography. It could also provide the ability to detail the age of the region’s vines, which is a useful tool when marketing certain varieties such as Pinot Noir. It is hoped the map will be close to 100 percent complete within the next 12 months and be available to highlight the region in time for the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc celebrations, to be held in Marlborough. Trying to explain how vast the plantings are in Marlborough has always been a difficult task, Pickens said. “People we host, both local and international literally can’t fathom just how much of Marlborough is dedicated to the wine industry,” he said. “Whenever I mention that we have over 23,000 hectares, the

MARLBOROUGH Glenfield

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reaction is a blank look. I honestly believe I could say we have 2,300 hectares and I would get the same blank look. I thought it would be interesting to see if we could overlay those 23,500 hectares on a map of say Wellington and Auckland.” He asked Malcolm Jacobsen, the MDC staff member involved in the digital mapping, if that was possible. The end result was so astounding, that neither Jacobsen nor Pickens could believe the result. The findings were consequently double-checked and triple checked. Jacobsen’s initial results proved to be correct. Those findings are impressive. ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com

Hillcrest TAKAPUNA Hauraki

Birkdale

Highbury West Harbour

Belmont

Northcote

Devonport Te Atatu Peninsula

Massey

AUCKLAND

Westmere Lincoln

Newton

Waterview

Henderson

Parnell

Epsom

Kelston

Avondale

New Lynn Hillsborough

ONEHUNGA

Mellons Bay

Beachlands

Howick Cockle Bay

Oranga MOUNT WELLINGTON

MOUNT ROSKILL

North Titirangi

Glen Innes Service Layer Credits: Source: Esri, Remuera DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, Tamaki Greenlane USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, Farm Cove swisstopo, and the GIS User Community

ONE TREE HILL

Wesley

Glen Eden

Glendowie

Eastern Beach

Morningside

MOUNT ALBERT MOUNT EDEN Sunnyvale

Orakei

Newmarket

Pakuranga

Southdown

Lynfield Waima

Titirangi Mangere Bridge

OTAHUHU Favona

East Tamaki

Otara Middlemore Mangere

µ 1:150,000

The accompanying material has been released by Council from its information repositories.Council does not accept any responsibility for the initial and ongoing accuracy to the material. It is the responsibility of the recipient to make such checks as the recipient considers appropriate to ensure accuracy. Services layers are schematic only and actual positions and level should be confirmed from Councils’s hard copy records.

PAPATOETOE

Marlborough Vineyard Area (23,000 hectares) Compared to Auckland

Printed By: mja1@ NC4060 Date: 8/09/2014 File Name: S:\Mja1\WorkingDrafts\2014\WineMarlborough\CityComparisons\VineyardAreasSatellite.mxd

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 43

BOB’S BLOG BOB CAMPBELL MW

DEFINING TERROIR A winemaker invited me to talk to his winemaking, viticulture and sales staff about wine tasting language. It was really a calibration exercise so when they use a term such as “mineral” they all understood exactly what was meant by it. For instance one person thought mineral referred to texture while another thought it was a taste. That was easily fixed. We tasted a glass of Perrier mineral water next to a glass of pure rainwater. The salty difference was mineral. We also tried to define the character of individual vineyards by tasting three vintages of one wine from each, a fascinating exercise that resulted in a vineyard profile everyone contributed to and agreed on.

WINE AUCKLAND ROCKS The successful launch of a new wine festival attracted 60 wine producers and a large audience of wine interested consumers. An unusual and effective feature of the show was continual wine lectures on a host of subjects by Nick Stock from Australia, Shelley Lindgren from the US and Rebecca Gibb and I from New Zealand. It reinforced my view that a lot of people are keen on learning more about wine.

A GRANGE VERTICAL I’m a member of a small Devonport wine club called “Encore du vin”. We acquired a couple of cases of Penfolds Grange spanning the 80s and 90s. Our first tasting of eight wines from the eighties was, for me at least, slightly disappointing. The wines were all good but not spectacularly good. For $700-$1000 a bottle I expect spectacularly good. A few months later we tasted eight wines from the 1990’s. As a group they were much better. All were fighting fit and the youngest wine, 1998, was truly spectacular. I learned three lessons: old is not always best, corks are an obsolete closure and Grange does deserve its iconic status – in some years.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

BLASS’ BIRTHDAY BASH

SIX NATIONS COMPETE Travelled to Sydney to judge the Six Nations Wine Challenge, my favourite wine show featuring the best wines from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina and the US. The results are embargoed until 8 October when you will find the winning wines on the website http://boutiquewines. com.au/6-nations-wineFrom left to right Fabricio (Argentina), challenge/ What I am allowed Eduardo (Chile), Michael (South Africa), Bob (NZ), Huon (Australia), Judith to say is that New Zealand (organiser) and Dan (USA). won four trophies, earned six 2nd places, 10 x double golds and 23 x gold medals. We also did pretty well in the overall country ratings but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait unto 8 October to find out how well.

Back to Sydney for a tasting of Wolf Blass wines, both latest releases and library stock, and an evening dinner to celebrate the 80th birthday of Wolf Blass ( (the man, not the brand). The wines were great and Blass was in fine form with the energy and exuberance of a man 20 years younger than his years. The dinner was held in a banquet room on top of the David Jones department store. The guests were all required to wear a bow tie, the Blass trademark. It was lots of fun.

PINOT GRIS I was invited to speak at an NZSVO Pinot Noir conference in Blenheim. My topic was “NZ’s place in the Pinot Gris world”. In the past year Pinot Gris has been this country’s fastest growing export wine. Largest markets in order are Australia, UK, Canada and the US. I contacted wine critics in each of those markets and asked them a few questions to assist my presentation. Their contribution raised some interesting questions, most notably “should we extend the brand with the introduction of the term “Pinot Grigio”, a dry, light and less expensive version”. There is a risk that such a move would result in a loss of prestige and profitability while driving up export sales. Another view is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. My research resulted in a depressing statistic for Riesling lovers from Tim Atkin MW in the UK. Tim advised that Germany now exports more Pinot Gris to the UK than Riesling.

RADIO WAVES Whenever I hear wine critics Yvonne Lorkin and Belinda Jackson chatting about wine on the radio I feel a stab of envy. I had a radio slot for a couple of years with Kim Hill. I miss the immediacy, the interaction and the spontaneity of radio. Writing a wine column is hard slog by comparison. Today I have to settle for an occasional chat with Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB when regular wine critic, John Hawkesby goes on holiday. Thankfully he holidays long and often.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 45

REGIONS HAWKE’S BAY

VILLA MARIA’S $30M PLAN MARY SHANAHAN

illa Maria is very close to finalising plans for a $30m winery and vineyard development on its Te Awa site west of Hastings. The family-owned company is working through the building’s functional and structural design, especially for wine tanks, before seeking final resource consent sign-off from the Hastings District Council. The staged development will be progressed in line with demand. “Given the existing capacity within the group, we are comfortable to build the first stage in 2016,” says executive director Fabian Yukich. In what will be a significant investment for owner Sir George Fistonich, the first stage is expected to cost $15 million, and the same amount is earmarked for future stages and vineyard

development. The expansion is aimed at meeting growing demand for Villa Maria’s Hawke’s Bay-grown wines, particularly red wines from the Gimblett Gravels into Asia and also wines from its organic vineyards. Although Villa Maria is “extremely happy” with the quality of its Hawke’s Bay wines, Yukich says the new winery will definitely help in lifting them to another level, particularly in challenging vintages where quick turn-arounds for grape transport can be crucial. “From a quality perspective it makes sense to crush and ferment the grapes in a winery right next to the vineyards.” Villa Maria has about 400 hectares within 10kms of the Te Awa site opposite Roys Hills on Highway 50.

The company has been active in the Hawke’s Bay region since the 1970s, with Vidal Estate and Esk Valley Estate continuing to operate as boutique wineries. Yukich says Villa Maria expects they will retain their individual identities. “Winemakers Gordon Russell at Esk Valley and Hugh Crichton at Vidal Estate have evolved their respective wine styles over quite a period of time.” In more recent years, the company has built up its portfolio west of Hastings, including Te Awa winery and its 50ha vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. Terra Vitae also has established vineyards flanking Highway 50, west of the Bridge Pa Triangle at Maraekakaho, supplying Villa Maria. Te Awa Farm, as the winery was originally known, was founded by

Te Awa Restaurant.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

the Lawson family and the design of the cellar door and restaurant takes its lead from Hawke’s Bay’s rural architecture. The business was renamed Te Awa after its purchase by American tycoon Julian Robertson, who sold it to Villa Maria last year. Yukich says Te Awa will continue to be a landmark for the region’s wine tourism. “The final outcome will complement rather than clash with the rustic Hawke’s Bay ambience. “When we bought the winery, it already had a renowned wedding and corporate function business. We definitely see this continuing – in fact, with the return of chef Stephen Tindall the winery restaurant is really growing.” Villa Maria has been extremely positive about the future of the Hawke’s Bay winegrowing region for many years and it continues to be so, says Yukich. “The increased demand for red wines in Asia and the amazing results we have had in our wine shows, not only for Merlot/Malbec/Cabernet red wines and Syrahs, but also our Chardonnays, reinforce this positive view.” New varieties such as Arneis are also showing promise in the Hawke’s Bay climate. “This new winery is about creating a better operational facility close to our grapegrowers, much the same as we have done in Marlborough over the last decade and a half.” ■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com

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BRAGATO 2014

Romeo Bragato himself would have been proud, as the conference named after him attracted hundreds of delegates. The two and a half day event in Blenheim was the largest for a number of years, with tickets to the Bragato Wine Awards dinner selling out weeks in advance. From seminars, to wine tasting, research to new Fellows, the 2014 conference was a big success.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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REGIONS WAIRARAPA

TK winemaker John Kavanagh (left) and viticulturist Dave Shepherd.

TK’S NEW WAVE

A new owner, new winemaker and new oak regime are heralding in a new wave of quality at Te Kairanga in Martinborough as Joelle Thomson discovers.

ild, windswept and remote – and that is just the southern Wairarapa coastline, where the relaunch of Te Kairanga wines took place mid year at Wharekauhau Lodge. On a cold winter’s day, it is also an accurate description of Martinborough; a small town and wine region with a name for high quality, generally. Te Kairanga is one of Martinborough’s oldest wineries and its quality had taken a nose dive in recent years. Now Te Kairanga,

also known as TK (because it is easier to pronounce in export markets), has had an overhaul, due to a renewed focus on both high quality and on being a Wairarapa winery, which reflects its location in the wines it produces. The winery and the luxury Wharekauhau Lodge are now owned by North American rich lister Bill Foley, who founded Foley Family Vineyards in 1996. The winery was founded 30 years ago, making it one of the oldest wine brands in Martinborough, but its wines had fallen

from favour, says winemaker John Kavanagh, who took over the winery reigns two years ago, after Foley’s purchase of TK in 2011. “One of those reasons was that grapes were purchased from other regions and branded as Te Kairanga wines, which sent a slightly confusing message out to fans of Martinborough wines,” Kavanagh says. There were also issues inside the winery, which left a less than pleasant taste. Kavanagh believes he has solved these now too, thanks to months of cleaning and

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

a complete overhaul of the barrel hall, in which he has replaced the 228 litre barrels previously used for Chardonnay with 500 litre puncheons. The new barrels remain French but because they are larger, the ratio of oak to wine is lower proportionately. This means that oak marks its flavour stamp more subtly on the Chardonnays. The Pinot Noir will remain in 288 litre barriques but the amount of oak will be significantly lower than in days gone by. The vine age of the company’s own vineyards is a mixed bag.

Although the winery was established in 1984 and many of the vineyard land dates back this far (in terms of its first vines being planted), none of the original vines remain. This is due to two main factors. Firstly, there was a change in focus from the types of grape varieties that were first planted and, secondly, some vines were planted on their own roots and had suffered from both phylloxera and leaf roll virus. The mix of varieties in the vineyards has changed and diseased vines had to be completely removed, both of which mean that TK’s oldest vines are now 25 years of age. The youngest are just 10 years old. “I am a great believer in old vines, especially after working at Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson where I worked with grapes from great older vines. For this reason I ferment grapes from older vines separately to the younger vines in order to pinpoint the different characteristics, with a view to enhancing what we get,” Kavanagh says. The grapes he uses also come from vineyards that represent a broad range of locations in Martinborough. There are vines directly around the winery but there is also a significant 50 hectare block at Ruakakaputuna; about 20 minutes’ drive south of Martinborough township and at 110 to 180 metres above sea level. This vineyard experiences both cooler and hotter temperatures in summer in the extremely sheltered valley in which it is planted. “When other Martinborough vineyards are experiencing frost, the Ruakakaputuna vineyard is often several degrees above zero and experiencing its own microclimate warmth,” says Kavanagh. To date, this hidden valley has provided a reliable steady source of grapes for what Kavanagh describes as

“well priced” Pinot Noir; not top end, in other words, but of reliably ripe and consistent quality. Kavanagh says they now hand harvest all of the white grapes; with the exception of Sauvignon Blanc. “This is a costly exercise, but one that results in better quality wine because the flavours overall have more chance of showing at their most intense and cleanest.” Martinborough is a small wine region that has made a large impact with its top quality wines in the past. This new era for Te Kairanga can help the region as a whole to sustain this high quality name that its best producers have forged and fought hard to retain with their wines. ■ joellethomson@vodafone.co.nz

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VINEYARD NEWS

DO YOUR VINES MEET CERTIFIED STANDARDS? TESSA NICHOLSON

s the New Zealand wine industry emerges out of the doldrums of the past five years, there are larges tracts of land being prepared for development and/or replanting. Millions of vines will go into the ground this year alone, and millions more will be planted in the next few years. If you are one of those planning on development or replanting, you need to be sure that those vines you have purchased meet Grafted Grapevine Standards (GGS). Established by NZW back in 2006 the GGS provides certainty for anyone purchasing vines; that they are certified true to varietal, meet vine physical specifications, have associated management systems and are free of Leaf Roll Associated Virus 3 (GLRaV-3). While the first three factors are vital in terms of traceability for growers, it is perhaps the last one that needs to be considered most carefully. GLRaV-3 is a devastating disease, and the most widespread of all among wine grapes. It

reduces a vineyard’s capacity to produce premium products as it delays ripening, reduces yield and depresses berry sugar content. It will eventually kill the vine completely. Spread by mealy bug, it has already had serious consequences in Hawke’s Bay’s wine industry and is emerging in greater numbers in places such as Marlborough, Martinborough and Gisborne. The only way to ensure that you purchase vines that are GLRaV-3 free, is to buy from a nursery that is GGS accredited, and in New

Suppliers of Certified Vines “Still taking orders for grafted vines for delivery next year” BUT BE IN QUICK Kate Gibbs (B.Hort.Sci) STANMORE FARM LTD RD1 Te Horo, Otaki Ph 0800 STANMORE or 027 440 9814 Email: grapes@stanmorefarm.co.nz Web: www.stanmorefarm.co.nz

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Zealand there are only five that are. They are Ormond, Riversun, Misty Valley, Stanmore Farms and Vineyard Plants. No other nursery can guarantee that the mother material and budwood is virus free. Ben Ormond, the Chair of the Vineyard Nursery Association (VINA) says the process to become accredited is rigorous, adding to the protection for those wanting to ensure their vines are virus free. All accredited nurseries are audited on a regular basis by Assure Quality. The number of nurseries operating in New Zealand dropped dramatically from 30 in 2005 to just a handful in 2010, due to the downturn in the industry following 2008/09’s surplus. But in the past two years as the industry has recovered, a number of nurseries have started up again, in an effort to meet growing demand. But the fact remains, only five on those currently operating have the GGS accreditation. Wickham says anyone purchasing vines without the protection

of GGS, is placing their future in jeopardy. “The dangers are that they don’t know how much leaf roll there is in the vine, or when the rootstock was last tested. Can a person not certified supply all the information to ensure that your vine is clean? What assurances can they provide?” He said VINA is concerned that people in a rush to get vines into the ground, will ignore the potential dangers that could emerge in a few years time, particularly as GLRaV-3 becomes more prevalent throughout the country. It is a case of buyer beware. “The whole vineyard is based on known quality, you need to know what you are planting is going to be able to provide that quality. To save 10 or 20 cents per vine initially, could actually cost you thousands further down the line.” To learn more about the Grafted Grapevine Standards, visit the NZW website’s members page. ■

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Kevin Bowler (left) and Philip Gregan sign the MOU at the Romeo Bragato conference.

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ourism New Zealand and New Zealand Winegrowers have joined together to promote New Zealand as a visitor destination and premium wine producer internationally. The CEOs of both orgnaisations signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the recent Romeo Bragato conference. Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says that the MOU will see both parties work together to leverage and enhance each other’s international profiles. “There is no doubt that wine is a natural fit within New Zealand’s offering for international visitors so it is great that we’ve been able to secure a partnership with New Zealand Winegrowers to maximise our activity offshore. NZW’s Phillip Gregan says visitors that have a winery experience while in New Zealand spend more than $814 million annually, exploring the diverse regions and enjoying the world class wine New Zealand offers. “This partnership with Tourism New Zealand will allow us to jointly reach important customers in our key markets to increase wine exports and tourism to New Zealand.” The MOU aligns with Tourism New Zealand’s work to market special interests – with wine tourism having been identified as a growth sector which the organisation will increase efforts and focus, driving effective and relevant promotion within its key markets offshore. ■

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LOOKING BACK

FROM COLD DUCK TO ALBARINO PETER SAUNDERS

2000 to 2010 – A decade of maturity. ‘If the last twenty years saw some accelerating change in the wine industry, the next 10 years will show the past as slow motion.’ These are paraphrased words of Peter Hubscher on his retirement .

e was right. This decade from 2000 saw New Zealand wine change in accent from grape variety to export volume, from local consumption, to off-shore income. In market terms, Australia shot up in

the volume of New Zealand wine taken, ahead of the United Kingdom. The US was also catching up in interest and New Zealand figured for the first time in the potentially huge Chinese market. In export terms, Sauvignon

One wine company to emerge during the 2000’s, was Marlborough’s Yealand’s Estate..

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Blanc bounded ahead. The world was pleased and enjoyed this variety, while thankfully supply in Marlborough was just keeping up – most years. In total, exports moved from 20 million litres in 2000 to 142 million litres in 2010. Huge growth in a decade – 700 per cent. On the local market, New Zealand Pinot Gris shot forward, pushing itself ahead of Chardonnay. Pinot Gris plantings began in the late 1990s but increased through the next decade to record 1800 hectares in the Winegrow-

ers Annual Report 2010 although many drinkers and retailers were unsure of its place, its style. Sauvignon Blanc took the helm in the 2000s, with Hawke’s Bay reds perhaps second at a fair price for the quality they offered. Pinot Noir was noticed and achieved a niche at an average price the other varieties could not claim. This was the decade of consolidation yet again. It was not as if the world had overlooked New Zealand; in fact the quality and interest in New Zealand wine had exceeded all expectations, meas-

MS1502

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Pinot Gris emerged on the scene as a varietal during this decade.

ured by column-inches in the international wine press. This was reflected in on-going vineyard growth, the planted vineyard in 2010 was 33,500 hectares, double what it had been at the start of the decade. Despite a world-wide economy which saw an Asian crisis on top of a separate Japanese crisis, an oil crisis, an American slow-down, a global financial crisis from 2008 on and a rising New Zealand dollar, sales remained strong. Corporate interest was also high. Constellation moved in with major investment. Allied-Domecq was sold to Pernod Ricard in 2005. A dozen smaller names arrived from overseas, adding colour and quality. Locals were also adding to the growing number of wineries or brands in New Zealand as well as expanding existing vineyards and wineries.

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The impact on the New Zealand market was to create a very competitive environment. As the number of wineries shot towards 700, there were at least another 100 brands available also. Second labels, e.marketing, alternative price points all created a little confusion amongst the consumer, faced with so many brands and names. The winery representative and the wine distributor also found a lot of competition at each price point. This became territory for the supermarkets, used to shifting volume at low margins and with extensive store traffic. Their impact was to see the established traditional liquor trade wither. Liquorland became part of Foodstuffs, Cellarmasters closed down. A few game souls (Kingsley Wood at First Glass) became specialist, ‘destination’ wine shops. While Pinot Gris grew, Cab-

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

ernet Sauvignon decreased in its planted hectares. Considering the growth in overall planted volume, Chardonnay held its own. Pinot Noir doubled its planted volume through the decade. Gewurztraminer did well, nearing 1000 hectares in 2010 while Riesling, regarded as ‘unpopular’, managed a small increase in plantings. So it was Sauvignon Blanc which took the largest growth reaching 17,000 hectares in 2010, a four-fold increase through the decade, a large percentage in Marlborough. Yet Canterbury (including Waipara) managed to double their volume from a low base and Central Otago also managed to double its size although the record-keeping of this region (narratively) has tended to be on the low side of reality. The 2000-2010 decade was as exciting and as fast moving as the two decades before it.

If there was a single highlight for this period, perhaps the gold medal went to Central Otago Pinot Noir. Its impact as an appellation (or G.I.) can be recognised as a massive step, not through public relations as much as simple wine quality, true fruit flavours not destroyed by oak, allowing complexity to grow and expand with the extra year or two in the bottle. Yet would this have been possible without the outstanding success and recognition of Sauvignon Blanc over three decades? Call it a sobering thought, a reality or part of New Zealand’s heritage to become a vital part of history with time. Sauvignon Blanc opened doors. In a decade of maturity, growth on a more solid base than ever, Sauvignon has been a spine on which many varieties and regions can be duly thankful to cling on to. ■

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EXPORT NEWS

OUR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Each of our major international markets offers opportunities for New Zealand wineries. But the message from the marketing team is, do your homework before you send your wine away and think carefully about just where you want to place your emphasis. The NZW international marketing team was present at the Bragato conference, providing updates on individual key markets and the pitfalls to beware of. In a year when exports have grown to $1.3 billion, there still appears to be plenty of room for growth. Asia Natalie Potts, based in Hong Kong is the Asia Marketing Manager. And while we tend to think China when we think of Asia, there are plenty of other countries that this region encompasses.

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For example, Potts’ portfolio covers 40 countries and 4.2 billion people. But of those 40, New Zealand sells wine into around 25 countries. And of those 25, only four are importing more than 1 million litres a year: China, Hong

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Kong, Singapore and Japan. While volumes may not be anywhere near as high as those going into the UK, US or Australia, the value is generally double. Which makes these markets worth considering. Potts said there are signs that

the Chinese downturn in the sale of premium wines, (due to a Government crackdown on gifting) is beginning to lift. “The general consensus is that the market is rebalancing and the next 18 to 36 months are really cru-

Natalie Potts

cial for cementing your position in the market.” She said the top tier cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou are by far the most sophisticated in terms of infrastructure and consumers, but they are also the most competitive. “Once you get away from these big cities, into the tier two, three or four cities, which have millions of people, things can get a bit more complicated in terms of logistics,

delivery, transport, language barriers and brand building. But having said that, there is much less competition, so there are opportunities there.” Potts also mentioned the partnership with NZTE in Mainland China, which brings benefits such as language skills, market intelligence and resources to tackle such a large market. If China with its 1.4 billion people is just too much to handle, what about Hong Kong? “It is just under double the population of New Zealand, in an area the size of Auckland,” Potts said. “It is a compact city, fast paced, with a 24-hour way of life, dominated by finance. Everyone wants to show off how much money they make, show off their status, and wine and food really play into that.” Singapore is another burgeoning market, one that

is smaller than Hong Kong, with a different cultural mix. “It tends to be a gateway and a trend setter for South East Asia. A lot of companies use Singapore as a hub, using its logistics and distribution strengths to get wine into Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.” New Zealand wines exported to Singapore have seen double digit growth in both value and volume, and we are now the second-largest new world country in terms of imports by value, behind Australia. Japan in different to the other Asian markets she said, given it is quite traditional. “It is a very individual market, which can be off-putting if you are looking to export for the first time, but if you are looking to diversify your Asian distribution, it has some strong opportunities for New Zealand wine.” In summary, Potts said Asia is a

high priced market which provides opportunities to make margins. “It’s fast paced, and the consumers really want to learn and understand what you are doing. But it is very competitive and your wine will not sell itself - you need to be in the market and you need to give face time. It can be complicated and cultural and language barriers do need to be overcome.”

The US With David Strada and Ranit Librach Now the world’s largest wine market, The US offers opportunities, albeit with the exchange rate, less value than Asia. David Strada, based in San Francisco says things have been changing rapidly over the past 20 years. “If you go back to the mid 1990s, there were about 1800 wineries selling wine and there

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 59

David Strada

were about 3000 distributors. At the current time, there are probably over 9000 wineries selling and merely 675 distributors. Of those 675, 10 of them sell about 60 percent of all wine. So that has really narrowed the channel of distribution.” However New Zealand is one of four countries that has seen growth in the terms of exports. Along with Italy, France and Portugal. “Growth has been steady and is continuing. We have every reason to believe that will continue into the future,” Strada said. There are currently 11 primary markets. They are; LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas,

Seattle, Denver, Boston, Metropolitan New York, Washington DC and South Florida. “The secondary markets are something to look at though,” Strada said, “mainly because the competition may not be as intense.” Those second tier cities are; Portland, San Diego, Phoenix, Honolulu, Kansas City, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, St Louis, and Louisville. In terms of who our wines are competing against, Strada said never underestimate California. Given they produce about 60 percent of all wine consumed in the States, they have a major influence. “They set the pace in the US and also with what they have available, they set a lot of the pricing as well. “We are just coming off two of California’s largest ever vintages. I am expecting that will add some pressure to pricing. So you need to be aware of that.”

Canada with Robert Ketchin and Anik Gaumond Another very large country, one that according to Marketing Man-

The NZW International Marketing team. From left: Natalie Potts, Natalie Corkery, Sarah Shepherd, Chris Stroud, David Strada and Robert Ketchin.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

ager Robert Ketchin, will require time and effort. But the rewards can be there, if you understand the structure and get the right strategy to fit your winery or brand. Despite being a wine country itself, more than 70 percent of all wine consumed is imported. New Zealand wines make up 2 percent in volume of the market share and 3 percent of value, placing us in 9th position in terms of imports. The great news for New Zealand is we have the fastest growth of all countries, a staggering 12.5 percent compared to the overall market growth of just 2 percent. (MAT June 2014). Ketchin said it is important for exporters to understand the structure of the wine market and the monopoly system. “Liquor boards are much the same across Canada, and only one province doesn’t have a monopoly and, that is Alberta. They all have a very systematic approach, providing two channels for you to sell your wine through. The General List, which is for the bigger winery brands that can supply 10,000 to 50,000 cases. Then there is Specialty Wines, premium wine referred to as Vintages in Ontario, which is ideal for smaller export-

Robert Ketchin

ers, wanting to sell parcels of more exclusive wines as little as a palette at a time.” The liquor boards account for a large percentage of the wine business in each province. Ketchin said they have buying teams, who are reviewing hundreds of products being submitted for each call, but may be looking at buying only half a dozen products. “They will look at price, quality, any wine ratings which are very important and the performance of your agent,” he said. In each province, there is an alternative channel, where agents buy in the wine to a private stocking warehouse and then sell it to the restaurants or private wine

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shops. This is known as direct selling. The most important factor to add to the equation is the importance of selecting the right agent representative. “Most agents know how to sell into one or two of these channels well, but the fact is very few are able to do it nationally and do them all well. So you have to look at your strategy and ask yourself where you want to sell your brand. Take your time, do your homework on selecting the right agent for each provincial market.”

The UK and Europe with Chris Stroud and Sarah Shepherd Our oldest and perhaps most successful market, the UK is a country quite at home with our wines. And while it has dropped from being our number one export market, it is still vitally important.

ment, mean the average price of alcohol in this part of the world is 178 percent higher than the EU average (at 7.72 Euros). “But New Zealand is doing well. We still have the highest price at €9.95 and the value has risen 23.2 percent. (The tax increase will have impacted on that price.)

Chris Stroud

Marketing Manager Chris Stroud said 72 percent of all wine purchased is through the off trade and the rest is on trade. New Zealand volumes are not growing in any significant way. But the value is, with the average price of New Zealand wines being £7.34. What’s more the growth in value of our wines above £7 pounds is also seeing staggering growth. In terms of Ireland, increased taxes imposed by the Govern-

In Mainland Europe, New Zealand Winegrowers are working in partnership with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise and are targeting three focus markets to concentrate our activities: Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden.

Germany Stroud said despite the reputation of a low priced market, there is a definite trend of increased spending at higher price levels in both the Off and On Trade. 8% of the volume is purchased above 10 Euros but this represents 21% of

the value. The signs show that this huge market is moving slightly in the direction of more expensive products. There are definite niches for New Zealand to make inroads; the specialist stores, the on trade and online are growing areas where spend is higher. “It is a fragmented market, there are few national importers so you may need to have two or three importers, depending on the areas you are concentrating on.

The Netherlands As with Germany, Stroud says there has been good growth in the Netherlands, primarily in the off trade market. But it is very price sensitive. “There is a wide network of specialised wine and liquor retailers, but not many national distributors. The other thing to know about the Dutch market, is

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importers may also export to other (mainly) European markets. So it is hard to gauge the actual size of the Netherlands market by itself.” While they have good brand awareness when it comes to wine, they are “a little bit more circumspect about paying more for a brand, when they know own wine labels can do the job.” Natalie Corkery

Sweden The only route for New Zealand exporters to the off trade is through Systembolaget a Government controlled monopoly. “The way they operate is to issue tenders for a particular style of wine, based on price and volume,” Stroud said. “They do not have an import license, so you need to have an importer to get your wines into Sweden. Then they will have to sell to the Sytembolaget or the on-trade. The key to listings therefore is to establish a successful partnership with local agents and distributors.”

Australia More than 28 percent of New Zealand’s wine exports head across the Tasman to Australia, making it our biggest market. It is also often the starting point for many companies getting into the export game, Natalie Corkery said. With such a thriving wine industry of its own, it is not surprising that imports are miniscule, compared to overall consumption. In fact only 15 percent of all wine sales are imported, and New Zealand makes up almost two thirds of that figure. “There is very strong pressure from the local wine industry,” Corkery said. “Domestic wine dominates and it is highly competitive between imports and domestic sales, and also between states. Local producers are increasingly threatened by the growth of imports, particularly from New Zealand.” Retail volumes account for

81 percent of all sales, with two supermarket chains dominating – Coles and Woolworths. They are believed to distribute and sell more than 70 percent of the wine sold in Australia. “Both distributors and the supermarket chains have invested in the creation of private wine labels and it is estimated that this sector represents around 20 percent of the off trade wine market in Australia.” In terms of where the wine is being consumed, NSW and Victoria are the two largest markets, and this is where New Zealand producers have traditionally concentrated. Corkery said Brisbane and Perth may be smaller markets, but they are becoming more “engaged” with wine and present strong opportunities for the future. In terms of average prices in the off premise, she said New Zealand wine continues to perform well, higher than domestically produced and other wine imports, with an average price of $13.28 per bottle, up 5 percent on the previous year. “Market entry is traditionally via a distributor model. Competition is strong, despite there being more than 150 distributors nationally. We are seeing an increase in distributors working together or merging.” If you are an exporter looking at expanding or a producer looking to export for the first time, there is a full range of information available on the NZW member’s website. ■

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

RUSSIAN POTENTIAL TESSA NICHOLSON

hile the Russian export market is so small it doesn’t warrant a mention in the NZW export statistics, it could well be a potential for the future. With a population base of more than 143 million, and the largest country by land mass, Russia offers opportunities for an array of export products, wine among them. And despite pre conceived ideas regarding Russians drinking only vodka, it is a country where wine is readily accepted. According to The Russia Landscapes 2014, prepared by Wine Intelligence, Russia is the ninth largest wine market in the world and within the two largest cities of Moscow and St Petersburg, there are almost 6 million people who consume wine on at least a semi regular basis. “The number of Russians who drink foreign wine two to five times a week has seen a big jump between 2012 and 2014,” the report states. “Wine drinkers are cutting back on traditional Russian favourites of vodka and beer.” The report goes on to state that those consumers are also becoming more adventurous in their wine choices. “Most don’t find imported wines to be a particularly expensive beverage and they are eager to make new discoveries. The proportion of consumers that feel confident in their wine knowledge is racing upwards; meanwhile the percentage of those who feel they lack wine know-how is edging downwards.” While it appears from statistics available, that two thirds of wine consumed in Russia, is in fact pro-

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duced locally, the rise in imports is an indication that the population is beginning to experiment with product from the rest of the world. Even the ban on imported food from certain countries, implemented by President Vladimir Putin in August, will not impact on wine. Interestingly, that consumable product was not included in the long list highlighted in the ban. Even if it was, New Zealand would not be affected, given the consumable ban did not include this country. While so much emphasis has been placed on the potential of China, it appears that Russia has flown under the radar somewhat. And maybe it is time to rethink that, given in 2013, Russia imported nearly 500 million litres of wine, which is 16% more than it did in 2012. The value of that wine was US$1.2 billion, according to a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report. “Industry experts and market analysts have stated that the Russian wine sector is growing and holds significant growth potential driven by a new generation of younger wine drinkers with higher

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

levels of disposable income,” the report continues. “According to market analysts the wine market is forecast to grow at a value Compoud Annual Growth Rate of 2.8% from 2012-2017.” Those regular wine consumers have definite tastes it appears with sparkling wine being the most popular. “More and more Russian consumers are buying sparkling wine for different occasions. According to industry contacts, in 2013, the sparkling wine category exceeded 25% share of the overall market. Still wine accounted for nearly 60% of the volume. In 2013, there was a 3% growth by volume for sparkling wine, 2% growth for still rose wine and a 1% increase for both dry red and white wines.” And while Russia may be similar to China in the fact that they are opening their doors to the wines of the world, they do not appear to be as hung up on French Bordeaux in the same way. It is Italy that is leading the imports, with a 28% share of the market (a massive 31% increase over the previous year), followed by France with 22%.

One New Zealand company that has seen that growth of wine consumption first hand is Marlborough’s Saint Clair. Owner Neal Ibbotson says they were approached by a Russian distributor initially, who has helped them grow their market. “Like any market if you are lucky enough to have a good distributor, sales normally grow.” He says initially they had to establish the distribution, but in the past five years “sales are building annually.” “There is an initial registration process that you go through for each wine, but its not excessively rigorous.” Sauvignon Blanc is the company’s most favoured variety, as it is in other parts of Easter Europe, an area that Ibbotson describes as a growth area for Saint Clair. What’s more the Russians are very taken with New Zealand as a whole. “Last year we were visited by a party of 12 of our agents from Russia, and after a glorious day in the Sounds and some good Kiwi hospitality, they declared Marlborough to be God’s country.” ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com

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IN THE VINYEARD

BIODYNAMIC SEED SOWN AT A YOUNG AGE JUSTINE TYERMAN

ne of Rory Grant’s earliest memories of biodynamic practices is his mother ordering his father to disrobe before entering the house after spraying his citrus orchard with “fish tea”. “I was eight or nine at the time and remember Dad being right into making his own biodynamic sprays,” says the vineyard manager of Millton Vineyards and Winery at Manutuke, near Gisborne. “He used to make a brew out of old fish carcasses and seaweed. You can imagine what that smelt

like! I recall mum ordering him to leave his clothes outside the door,” says Grant. “Looking back, although I was pretty young, what dad was doing must have had an impact on me. I saw the health of the trees and saw that the smelly sprays worked. I don’t think dad ever used chemical sprays. So the biodynamic seed was sown in me at a young age,” says 30-year-old Grant who has worked for biodynamic vineyard pioneers, James and Annie Millton since 2002. At the age of 10, he went on a family trip to the Gold Coast and

the Hunter Valley. Most kids of that age were into the theme parks and beaches but for Grant, the highlight was visiting vineyards and listening to what the viticulturists and winemakers were talking about. “I was fascinated by the whole process – seeing the grapes growing on the vines and then seeing the wine in the bottles.” He didn’t think much more about the wine industry until he left school in 2001. “There were two options on the table: a building apprenticeship or

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

the viticulture and winemaking course at Tairawhiti Polytechnic. I chose the latter. “As soon as I got stuck into the practical side of the course, I thought ‘This is for me – I’ve found my passion in life’. Again, it was the process I fell in love with. We had our own vines and followed the cycle through from pruning to winemaking.” At the end of the course, Grant got a pruning job at Milltons and then a full-time position in the winery and vineyard. “I’ve been here 12 years now

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and every time I think of leaving and doing the big O/E, James and Annie offer me another position.” However, he has worked overseas in that time. “When I was 24, I decided it was time to move on so I went to work for Cullen Winery, a biodynamic vineyard in the Margaret River area of Western Australia. “But when I got there, it didn’t have the right feeling and we hardly ever saw the vineyard owner.” He also did three vintages at Masut, an organic winery in California. In 2009, Grant spent time at Taruna, a Rudolf Steiner-based training centre in Hawke’s Bay where he studied organic and biodynamic theory and practice. “It was really cool and something I had always wanted to do, seeing I was working with New Zealand’s biodynamic pioneers.” Grant took over as manager of the five Millton vineyards in 2011, on the cusp of the two worst harvests James and Annie had ever experienced. “2011 and 2012 were a huge challenge but all our hard work and biodynamic practices paid off. Our fruit held up better against botrytis and slip skin than others

in district, which was very encouraging. The conditions in 2012 were appalling. We had 28 days of rain in March and April that year. It was relentless. Then along came 2013 which was the best-ever vintage, followed by 2014 which was also very good but with challenges from weather and disease. “I learned a lot in 2014 especially regarding the importance of timing jobs in the vineyard.” In addition to 30 hectares of grapes, Milltons have 10 hectares in cattle, red shorthorns from Taruna. “Cattle are a hugely important factor in biodynamics,” he says. “They look after etheric energy and are very grounded animals. They produce the manure for our compost teas, imparting this energy into our teas and soils.” Bees are also very important in a biodynamic vineyard. And with the current push for sustainability in New Zealand, Grant believes Gisborne is “a huge step along the way” as there’s no need for irrigation due to the soil’s fertility and ability to hold water. “Exciting things are happening here – there’s lots of enthusiasm and new varieties.” ■ justine.tyerman@clear.net.nz

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 67

REGIONS HAWKE’S BAY

ALLERGIES NO HINDRANCE MARY SHANAHAN

oana Park owner Dan Barker has turned a minus into a plus in making wine at his boutique winery in Hawke’s Bay. For a winemaker, an intolerance to sulphides might be considered a drawback – “I sneeze like a little girl, and my eyes get itchy” – but it’s one of the reasons the winery has gone down the low allergen pathway. “We don’t put additives in our wines. It’s about making wine with grapes and only grapes,” says Dan, who has also been a flying winemaker for Baillie-Grohman Estate in Creston, British Columbia, for some years. Moana Park’s white wines are fined using bentonite and, as he points out, aluminium silicate is basically mud. That removes the risk of protein haze and, settling “pretty hard”, it is filtered out. “Reds get nothing, so you may find tartrate crystals and a bit of tannin at the bottom of a glass of the matchless Moana Park Reserve Syrah 2013,” says Dan, proudly pointing out his limited edition wine as it rolls off the winery’s recently acquired bottling line. A jovial personality, he clearly relishes thinking outside the square. The former Aucklander majored in computing for his Bachelor of Science and, running restaurants in the city, he says he was always around wine. In pursuit of a more handson career, he moved to Hawke’s Bay—“the fine wine capital of New Zealand” – and enrolled in the

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Bachelor of Wine Science, combining EIT studies with working at Corban’s, Matariki and Sacred Hill. “I valued those opportunities,” he says. “It was about applying what I had learnt to the product.” In 2004, Dan won the top student wine trophy at the Hawke’s Bay A & P Show’s wine awards and that same night he was offered the job of winemaker at Moana Park. Four years later, he and wife

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Kaylea bought the business, which is based in Puketapu. They also own vineyards in Gimblett Gravels, which is where they live. The Puketapu block is not the best viticultural land, he concedes. But from a tourism perspective, it is well-located for the cellar door circuit. That vision is driving changes that include the creation of an on-site wetland and further tree planting to enhance the former

woolshed, now housing Moana Park’s cellar door and offices. The Barkers are a match made in commercial heaven. Kaylea, who was already dating Dan when she joined the winery team, has a Bachelor of Business Studies and Bachelor of Computing Systems. Dan says handcrafting wines without the use of additives calls for a savvy team. He and Kaylea believe in nurturing talent and support and encourage staff in their studies. It’s clearly a formula that works. Moana Park won Decanter’s best Viognier in 2010 and 2011, a judging that attracts something like 15,000 entries, and the business is mobilising to meet ramping up demand from the Chinese market. From 2500 cases in 2008, the winery’s production increased to 25,000 cases this year. However big it grows, however, it seems unlikely that Moana Park will lose its alternative approach to winemaking under the Barkers’watch. Having pulled out old Sauvignon Blanc vines behind the winery, the 10ha block is about to be planted in Viognier and Chardonnay but will also include two hectares of experimental varieties such as Arneis and Gruner Vetleiner. “That’s for fun and for the cellar door,” says Dan, “tiny blocks to make small batches of wines.” New Zealand, he believes, “is so set on single varietal Sauvignon Blanc. So we want to have a bit of fun.” ■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com

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NZW NEWS

LEAFROLL3 APP N

ew Zealand Winegrowers’ Virus Elimination Project, co-funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund (MPI), has released a free-to-download app, designed for mobile devices. This initiative forms part of a wider Technology Transfer programme push by New Zealand Winegrowers. The app means all the tools are now easily accessible if you are wanting information in a hurry, while in the field or vineyard. Ruby Andrew, who manages the project’s communications says given most people these days have a smart phone or tablet, and are accessing information on them during the day, this communication method is timely.

“In terms of features and benefits, the app talks about things by topic. So you can learn more about the virus, how to assess the symptoms, management steps in vine removal and replants, and how to control mealybug, which spread the disease,” she says. All of the fact sheets have been reformatted for the smaller screen of smart phones, and links are included to the videos, flickr image library and other resources. You can now also take a photo on your smartphone’s camera of something you are unsure about and send it to the Virus Elimination Project team for verification. The free app is able to be downloaded now from Apple and Android stores ■

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CELLAR NEWS

SPIRAL WINE CELLARS JOELLE THOMSON

t’s compact in size, cool in temperature and now available in New Zealand, provided you have a spare $43,000, and then some. The country’s first spiral wine cellar was installed in May this year in a semi-detached villa in Ponsonby, central Auckland. Its owners have no off-street parking, only a small outdoor courtyard area and extremely limited storage space on the property, so the interior underground cellar is ideal for their home. They had saved to renovate and upgrade their villa when they decided to install an underground spiral cellar in which to house their growing collection of New Zealand and European wines. Spiral Cellars New Zealand agent Brendan Clark of Wine & Wood in Tauranga, has been the exclusive distributor in New Zealand for the past two years, having met the owners of Spiral Cellars UK when he worked on their home

72 //

while he was living in the UK. The cellars are manufactured in the United Kingdom in Cannock and Nottingham, so they need to be pre-ordered and shipped to New Zealand prior to installation. From the time of ordering to their arrival here, a cellar will take approximately seven to 10 weeks to land, and Clark recommends ordering prior to excavation so that the physical cellar is on hand to install when the hole has been excavated. The first cellar in this country now provides New Zealanders the opportunitiy to see in pictures exactly what they look like. The temperature of the cellars remains constant due to a cool air filtering system, which flows in through a cold air pipe that is situated about 300ml above ground level in the cellar. The air is piped in from the coolest facing wall. The cellars do not have a controlled unit forcing cold air in; rather the system works via a balancing act

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

of the cool air finding its way in and the warm air finding its way out. “There is nothing mechanical forcing the atmosphere inside to be controlled and that’s the whole idea. It’s very clever because it works without the need for additional mechnisation.” The doors, on the other hand, can be mechanised. They are available as either rectangular or round doors, in glass or solid and overlaid with tiles to sit flush with the existing floor. “You can choose a door that makes it look like there’s something in the floor or you can make it look like there’s nothing in the floor, so the cellar can be closed

off and dark. This is the way it’s supposed to be,” Clark says. There are currently another five spiral cellars being worked on around the country. ■ joellethomson@vodafone.co.nz

REGIONS MARLBOROUGH

EARNING THE PRAISE OF SOMMS TESSA NICHOLSON

small parcel of Te Muna land intended for olives, has turned into a trophy winning vineyard. Julicher Estate’s 2010 Pinot Noir was recently awarded Wine of the Year – Best in Show at the 2014 UK Sommelier Wine Awards in London. It is not the first accolade for this wine, having already picked up gold medals at the London International Wine Challenge and the Decanter Wine Awards last year. For Julicher Estate owners Wim Julicher and Sue Darling, the news of the Trophy was a bit of a surprise. “We were awarded a gold medal in the competition back in January and thought that’s fantastic,” Wim said. “Out importer in the UK was very happy. But the trophy news came a bit out the blue. It’s not just a gold medal – but a trophy and we had to beat some top wines from France and all over the world. It is a fantastic feeling and totally unexpected.” The fact the Pinot was judged by sommeliers as the best in the category, is something that is an even greater bonus Wim said. “It means a lot to us, because these are the people who recommend your wine in restaurants and stores. If people ask for a recom-

mendation to go with a certain meal, and a wine has accolades from the sommelier’s peers, then you have a better chance of them suggesting your wine.” The vineyard the fruit for this wine is sourced from, was never

and Sauvignon Blanc. In 2004 a winery was built on the property, giving Julicher total control over growing and winemaking. (The winemaker is Outi Jakovirta from Finland). When asked when he realised

intended to be anything other than an olive grove. Shortly after the first trees were planted back in 1996, they were hit by a severe frost and more than half of them died. Wim said they decided then that maybe they should be looking at an alternative use of the land, and grapes was the obvious solution. The first Pinot vines were planted in 1998, and followed up with staggered plantings from there on in. As well as Pinot, the couple grow Chardonnay, Riesling

that the 2010 was something a little bit special, Wim said it was at the time of bottling. “We knew that the Pinot and the second tier wine, 99 Rows, were going to be quite decent wines as it was being prepared for bottling. The winemaker was quite happy with the flavours and aromas and we thought, ‘yeah it might be something better than average.’ “2010 was a very nice growing season, we had a decent crop and

the weather was just about perfect at the end.” The win is slightly bitter sweet, given just before they were told the news, Wim and Sue placed Julicher Estate on the market. They said they are getting to the stage when they would like more time to themselves. Having put their “heart and soul” into the business for the past 16 years, the time is now right to move on. “I used to be in the building trade and that is physically hard work,” Wim said. “But the wine game is mentally hard work. Having the worries about the weather, the harvest, the markets and the economics, it is mentally hard to keep it running and trying to do the right thing all the time. So we have decided, enough is enough.” Having more time to themselves will allow them to really enjoy the fruits of their labour, in terms of the wine they have cellared for the future. So given the Pinot Noir 2010 has just won a Sommelier’s Trophy, what does Wim recommend to match it with. “Oh I am a bit of a heathen, I drink a good wine with anything!”■ tessa.nicholson@me.com

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 73

EXPORT NEWS

UK MARKET SOARS New Zealand wine sales in the United Kingdom are going through the roof. Lee Suckling finds out why.

remium New Zealand wine sales have soared in the UK market during 2014. We now sell 18% of all wines sold in the over £7 (approximately $14) price segment, overtaking Australia and now sit behind France. Wine is New Zealand’s seventh biggest export, increasing on average 10 percent per year over the last decade. A 16 percent rise in UK sales for the period has increased New Zealand exports in the over £7 market from 6,854,000 cases to 8,194,000 cases, according to research company Nielson. Total exports to the UK (at all price points) rose 31 percent. Moreover, the per bottle average price of Kiwi wine has also

increased in the UK – up 8.1 percent to £7.34 (previously £6.79). “UK consumers recognise that we produce great wines and are prepared to pay for them,” says Chris Yorke, NZW’s GlobalMarketing Manager. Reports from mid-2014 placed the UK’s economy back to its preGlobal Financial Crisis level, and, according to Yorke, this has had a flow on affect to wine purchasing. “Consumers in the UK have been through a much tougher economic time that we have down here in New Zealand. But now they’re out of it, they’re paying for quality.” Ian Mordon, estate director at Cloudy Bay, understands the value of the UK wine market to New Zealand winemakers. Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay’s novel marketing ploy – at the Chelsea Flower Show

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

began exporting to the UK with its second vintage in 1986. It is still the company’s third largest market globally. Similarly, Villa Maria entered the UK market in 1988. “Our Villa Maria wines developed a loyal following very quickly in the UK, and we’ve benefited from significant and consecutive year on year growth ever since,” says Paul Raper, Villa Maria’s UK market manger. Marketing strategies of New Zealand wine have been diverse over the years, with a focus on education. “New Zealand has a very strong brand in the UK across all sectors, not just wine,” says Yorke. “When you’ve got ‘New Zealand’ on your packaging, you’re already telling

your story.” As global marketing director for NZW he ensures this branding is supported by flying the “right influencers” and UK media to New Zealand for in-country training, and undertaking training in the UK as well. “We let them taste the variety and diversity, and inspire them to continue promoting our wines.” Cloudy Bay’s strategy, too, is hands on. “We classify it as a mature and sophisticated market, so the challenge is to ensure that the next generation of wine drinkers know and choose to drink Cloudy Bay, amongst a plethora of choices,” says Morden. “Part of that is being visible in the right places and distribution

channels. The on-premise channel for us in the UK remains very important for brand building, especially in light of the strong retail consolidation in that market. For that channel, by the glass tasting helps to expose Cloudy Bay to a new audience. Once they try our wine, the evidence tells us that it leaves a lasting impression.” Villa Maria has increased its market profile in the UK with the continual introduction of new products. “We

innovate with new grape varieties such as Sauvignon Gris and Arneis to showcase the breadth and quality of varieties that we can offer,” says Raper. “We offer the consumer the chance to try wines at different price points through our quality tiers.” Audience-targeted marketing has also proved beneficial in the UK. Cloudy Bay, for example, launched the ‘Cloudy Bay Garden’ at the Chelsea Flower Show to specifically entice UK horticultural advocates. Villa Maria has

Villa Maria have introduced a virtual app, that allows consumers to take a tour of vineyards via their mobile devices.

taken a more modern approach, targeting a younger generation by launching a Virtual Vineyard app for UK smartphone users, alongside the addition of Quick Response (QR) codes to Villa Maria labels. The app allows consumers to go on virtual 360-degree tours of Villa Maria sites from afar. It is consistent messaging in the UK about New Zealand wines that has enabled so much success. “NZ wineries have great messages around sustainability, stunning landscape and environment, culture, heritage and family ownership,” says Raper. “The industry has also worked together for ‘brand New Zealand’, which gives an economy of scale for the messages, and such a cohesive approach is not common amongst many other wine producing countries.” ■ lee.suckling@gmail.co

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REGIONS MARLBOR0UGH

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

NEW ROLE FOR EX CHAIR N

ew Zealand Winegrowers former Chairman of the Board, has taken on a new role – as a government MP. Stuart Smith (above), who held the board chair’s job for six years, stood down in 2012. A short time later he announced he wanted to represent the Kaikoura electorate as its MP. With an incumbent candidate, Colin King, already representing the electorate, Smith had to go to the party members in a vote

to replace him. That bid was successful and since early this year Smith has been on the campaign trail in the lead up to last month’s election. Kaikoura is one of the country’s largest electorates, (equating to the size of Israel) covering from the tip of the Marlborough Sounds, right down to Amberley in North Canterbury. It was a landslide win for Smith, who had a majority of 11, 510 over Labour’s Janette Walker, on the night. ■

REGIONS NELSON

TOP CHARDONNAY I

t was the perfect way to celebrate the end of winter – a degustation meal, complemented by a selection of interesting New Zealand and international wines. The Nelson Winegrowers Annual Dinner was held early in September, at the renowned Jellyfish Restaurant in Mapua, with the meal prepared by Chef Mark Mehalski. The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the winner of the Colin Harrison Memorial Trophy awarded annually to the wine judged to be Nelson’s top Chardonnay. Colin Harrison was a big supporter of Nelson wine in the early days. He founded the Taste Nelson Food and Wine Festival, which he organised and ran until his passing away in the year 2001. The memorial trophy was created that year. The trophy was awarded to Brightwater Vineyards 2012 Lord Rutherford Barrique Chardonnay. Valley Neale on accepting the trophy said that Nelson Chardonnays have come a long way in the last 10 years. Many Nelson wineries are now producing great Chardonnays and that Brightwater Vineyards were very proud to be among them. The winning wine was matched with prawn and scallop tortellini with fennel puree, caviar and chive oil. ■

The Brightwater Vineyard team with the Colin Harrison memorial trophy.

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WHAT IS NEW FOR FRESHWATER?

he Government has recently issued the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (the NPS) which replaces the 2011 version. The 2014 includes a number of key changes which aim to improve national consistency in freshwater management.

National Objectives Framework This is designed to provide an approach to establish freshwater objectives for national values, and any other values, which is nationally consistent and recognises regional and local circumstances. The NPS establishes two compulsory national values: ecosystem health and human health for wading and boating. This latter value supports a new objective in the NPS to safeguard the health of people and communities, at least as affected by secondary contact with fresh water. Every regional council must ensure that freshwater objectives for the compulsory values are set at or above the national bottom lines for all freshwater management units (which can be groups of water bodies), unless it is set below the bottom line on a transitional basis and for a certain period of time, or specified exceptions apply. These freshwater objectives (and associated limits) will be part of a regional plan. The NPS includes an appendix setting out a number of other national values including for natural form and character, food gathering, irrigation and food

78 //

production, animal drinking water, wai tapu, water supply, commercial and industrial use, hydro-electric power generation, and navigation. We understand the intention is that the NPS will be amended in the future to identify the attributes of these values (or at least some of them) and the different attribute states so that there is national consistency between regions. At this stage there are only the attributes and varying attribute states for ecosystem health and human health for recreation. For example, for human health for recreation the two attributes are E. coli and cyanobacteria – planktonic. There are four different states for each of these attributes. Attribute state ‘A’ for E. coli provides that people are exposed to a very low risk of infection, whereas attribute state ‘D’ provides that people are exposed to a high risk of infection from contact with water during activities with occasional immersion and some ingestion of water (this state is below the national bottom line). The NPS requires regional councils to follow a set process to develop freshwater objectives for the freshwater management units within its region. This involves the following: Considering all national values and how they apply to local and regional circumstances; Identifying the values for each freshwater management unit, which must include the compulsory values, and may include any other national values

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

or other values that the regional council considers is appropriate; Identifying the attributes that are applicable to each value and assigning an attribute state at or above the minimum acceptable state for that attribute; Formulating freshwater objectives in numeric terms where practicable (the NPS includes numeric attribute states for some attributes), otherwise in narrative terms; and Considering a number of specified matters throughout the process. For example, any implications for resource users, people and communities arising from the freshwater objectives and associated limits including implications for actions, investments, ongoing management changes and any social, cultural or economic implications. We expect members of the public will be able to provide input into the above process through public submissions on proposed regional plans.

Monitoring Plans The NPS establishes an approach to the monitoring of progress towards, and the achievement of, freshwater objectives. Every regional council is required to develop a monitoring plan that establishes methods for monitoring progress towards, and the achievement of, freshwater objectives. This must involve identifying a site or sites at which monitoring will be undertaken that are representative for each freshwater management unit. The monitoring plan must recognise

the importance of long-term trends in monitoring results. It is unclear whether this will form part of regional plans or be a separate document.

Accounting for freshwater takes and contaminants There are a number of provisions relating to accounting for freshwater which take effect within 2 years from the date of entry into effect of the NPS so August 2016. These are designed to improve information on takes and sources of contaminants in order to ensure the necessary information is available for freshwater objective and limit setting and ensure information on resource availability is available for current and potential resource users. There are already requirements for individual users to measure and report on water takes in the Resource Management (Measurement and Reporting of Water Takes) Regulations 2010, but there is no equivalent requirement for discharges. The NPS now requires every regional council to establish and operate freshwater quality and quantity accounting systems for those freshwater management units where they are setting or reviewing freshwater objectives and limits. Winegrowers should take the opportunity to submit on the freshwater objectives and corresponding limits which will be part of a regional plan via the usual public submission process. ■

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REGIONS CENTRAL OTAGO

AN ANNUAL SPRING FLING JOELLE THOMSON

f Central Otago’s insanely beautiful landscape is not enough of a lure for wine media to the region, the annual Central Otago Pinot Noir Limited (COPNL) spring tasting most definitely is. For eight years now, COPNL’s member wineries have pooled their resources and time to showcase their newest wines to national and international media. The first tasting was held in spring 2006 and headlined as a Sneak Peak Pinot Noir Tasting. The name was subsequently changed because not all wines technically met the ‘sneak peak’ category. Many were already bottled and in the market.

Despite the name change, the organisers have retained their aim to showcase as many new Pinots as possible. No whites are included. The tasting reflects the fact that Pinot Noir accounts for approximately 80% of the grapes in the ground in Central. “The rationale is to put in wines that have yet to be, have just been or are about to be released,” says COPNL event manager, Vikki Kircher. “It has become an annual fix on our calendar because the feedback we get from the media is that they want to see these wines in the setting with the identities concealed; it provides a strong look at wine styles,” Kircher says.

If the scenery is not enough to entice wine writers to Central Otago, the wines certainly are. Photo Mt Difficulty, supplied by NZW.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

In 2011 the tasting was held in Auckland, but that was a one-off because Central Otago’s winemakers prefer to host media in the region. “We know that hosting in the region works better because it gives people a great sense of where the wines come from rather than a rented room in Auckland somewhere. It is more expensive but it’s worth it.” Hosting in the region also means the winemakers have easy access to the media for discussions, post-tasting. “There is a genuine feeling of helping your neighbour in Central. We don’t all hang out together; some people do, but if you need

help, then your neighbour is there for you. It’s not a fake thing. We actually do get along and we do cooperate intentionally to promote our wines and the region.” The next big event for the Central Otago winemakers is the Pinot celebration that is coming up in January. This annual event attracts wine media from throughout the world, providing them with the chance to talk to more than 40 local winemakers, visit the many vineyards in the region, and enjoy food and wine matching events. The 11th Central Otago Pinot Celebration is being held in Queenstown from January 29 – 31st. ■ joellethomson@vodafone.co.nz

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PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL

REGIONS MATAKANA

DEFINING MATAKANA AND ITS WINES I

n late July Simon Nash MW was invited to provide an overview of the Matakana region’s wines and help to define the region’s weaknesses and strengths. An in-depth tasting of 39 wines, was followed by equally in-depth discussions with members of the Matakana wine industry. The following is Simon’s views on one of the country’s northern most wine regions. Matakana is not like Marlborough with Sauvignon Blanc. There is no simple single style, character or variety to define the

area. There’s an advantage to this – more diversity, more interest, more room for experimenting. The disadvantage is the flip side to those advantages; a harder character to define due to the diversity. In general terms the wines have a forgiving roundness which is an advantage in most years, but needs careful handling in very good years or the wines will be overly fleshy or lacking in definite structure. Matakana Region Wines can and do have sufficient acidity and balance but the winemakers must always aim to focus on establish-

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GENERAL NEWS OPINION PEOPLE PROFILES REGIONAL UPDATES AND MUCH MORE...

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what I tasted, show the care and focus winemakers have shown to maintain that balance referred to above. Alcohols were kept in check and flavours and acidity well preserved. A very pleasant surprise The Reds – more of a mixed bag, perhaps because the temptations and possibilities are wider ranging. The Syrahs were very good. Less overtly spicy but more richly flavoured and warm and generous than the majority of Hawke’s Bay wines. The milder

winter/summer temperatures with less extreme fluctuations and the clay soils make for richer, rounder wines. A clear regional distinction to build on here! The Italian varietals showed great promise and a possible pathway of differentiation – definitely ones to watch. The Bordeaux Reds – Cabernet driven wines were not completely successful as the wines were still too angular in their character, although time may prove

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otherwise. The Merlot, Malbec, PV wines offer more potential but there is a learning curve to be gone through with these wines. Of the wines shown, most from very good years, the wines lacked some of the finesse, restraint and elegance, which age and experience brings. They could be called diamonds in the rough and display an enthusiasm that great fruit encourages when making them.

Throughout the tasting and in reviewing the tasting notes and the discussions we had, there were certain words and phrases that reoccurred: rewarding, warm, generous, open, approachable, flavourful, diverse surprising, inviting. These words and the characters they define, make up a way to communicate the Matakana story – not a one trick pony region, but a stable of racehorses. ■

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 83

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TASTING IN TAIWAN JUSTINE TYERMAN

isborne is known for magnificent wine . . . made from grapes, of course. But I recently discovered to my astonishment that not all countries understand this fundamental link. Being quite an experienced wine drinker — by which I refer to frequency of consumption rather than implying that I am in any way a connoisseur — I was excited at the prospect of visiting a winery in Taiwan. The unusual labels on the beautiful bottles lined up for tasting at the Nantou Winery should have forewarned me but I blithely ploughed ahead, obeying my motto as a travel writer to try everything that is offered to me in the way of new experiences. The winemaker spoke very little English but proudly poured generous quantities into our tasting glasses, smiling and gesturing for us to sample his products. The first tasted startlingly like onions . . . and upon seeing the puzzled expression on my face, our charming Taiwanese guide Francis Hu confirmed that it tasted like onions because it was Onion Wine. Wandering around the room trying to look nonchalant while pretending to savour the conBuckwheat Advert pot 180x60.pdf tents of myMidlands glass, I found a convenient plant

in which to ditch the “wine”. Ever the optimist, I moved on to the second tasting, which had a picture of plants which looked like herbs on the label. I should have been alerted by this but alas, no. I took a good sip, swallowed and only just managed to maintain a semblance of decorum. It was Herb Wine, a concoction made from Chinese herbs. The pot plant received more close attention and another clandestine watering. The winemaker, encouraged by my apparent rapid and enthusiastic consumption of his products, poured me an even bigger glass of the third wine from a bottle with a picture of an elegant stiletto heel shoe on the label. It was a dark-looking brew which tasted like chocolate, and was in fact Chocolate Wine, made especially for the Japanese palate, young women in particular. Poor pot plant! The final wine had a picture of some exoticlooking fruit on the label which was more promising, I thought — it was Lychee Wine, sweet and quite palatable in a liqueurish way. By way of explanation, Francis said Taiwan was a nation of spirit drinkers, and wine made 1 30/08/14 PM from grapes was1:05 not their forté.

Having sampled four of their best, I can safely say there are excellent trade opportunities for New Zealand wine in that country. Research I conducted later that day suggested I got off lightly — in Taiwan there is also such a thing as Snake Penis Wine. ■ justine.tyerman@clear.net.nz

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WINE NEWS

TAKE ANYWHERE WINE PACKAGING S

ileni Estates will become the first New Zealand winery to design and sell a 100% recyclable, all-in-one glass and bottle. Sileni NANO comes in a unique single-serve package made from multi-layer plastic, making it leak-proof and unbreakable. The company looked to France, to develop the innovative NANO bottle, made from advanced Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), which includes UV light absorbing materials and oxygen protection measures to safeguard wine quality. “Our aim is to create a product that will allow people to enjoy great tasting wine, wherever they happen to be,” Sileni Estates CEO Graeme Avery said. “Many occasions don’t permit glass, or a 750ml bottle is too large, so we wanted to provide an alternative that delivered convenience but didn’t compromise

on wine quality.” “We’ve been working on this product for more than four years. We were unable to find a package we were happy with locally, so we’ve invested in a joint-venture with leading French producer Paul Sapin. For us it was essential to ensure the package was unbreakable, fully recyclable and most importantly, would guarantee the wine tasted great when it reached consumers,” Avery said. NANO is available in a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Pinot Noir and a French Grenache Rosé. The all-in-one glass and bottle contains 187ml of wine, protected with a hygiene seal and has a shelf-life of 24 months. ■

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Some may speak of range. Others of quality. All speak of

Ollie Davidson

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aving skilled staff and being able to get efficiencies out of trained employees is paramount to Constellation Brands NZ, according to the Senior Vice President (Viticulture) Ollie Davidson. “Training has a positive impact on our bottom line” Davidson says. He says every staff member has an individual development plan. “However, this isn’t solely for our benefit, it’s for their benefit too. If an employee puts their hand up for promotion or to highlight an interest, we make sure we can offer them development and training opportunities to help them get there.” Constellation Brands have seen changes in job satisfaction

of their staff too. “To keep your team motivated and interested in the work, you must support their development so if they choose to leave they are leaving with a qualification. That’s been our motto all the way through.” From a wider organisational perspective, the benefits of having trained staff on board are huge. “It is important for our people out there to have a sound knowledge of the job they are doing. The impact of what they’re doing is not just important for the immediate future, but for the longer term.” Ollie believes “training is critical for your workforce.” Visit http://www.primaryito. ac.nz/qualifications/viticulturetraining for further information. ■

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SAVERGLASS NZ Ltd PO Box 8020 Symonds St Auckland Tel. : (09) 522 2990 / 021 580 104 Fax : 09 522 2994 www.saverglass.com / krb@saverglass.co.nz

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 87

WINE NEWS

A SINGLE RESOLVE JOELLE THOMSON

ne of New Zealand’s oldest wineries has launched a new range of premium wines – Matua Valley’s Single Vineyard range. The co-founder of Matua Valley (Bill Spence), the new owners (Treasury Wine Estates) and the winemaker (Nikolai StGeorge) all teamed up at Auckland’s Blue Breeze Inn in August to launch the Matua Valley Single Vineyard series. The reds are all from the outstanding 2013 vintage; a year in which the summer was warm, the weather was dry and the wines are showing superlative intensity and balance. In 2009, St-George made a single

vineyard Malbec for the first time and it was so good that they have since doubled the plantings of Malbec grown on company-owned vineyards. “The difficulty is that Malbec can be variable in maritime climates. “When it’s on, it’s really on; sometimes it is best used as a strong blending component; a role in which it can add great colour, flavour and depth.” All of the new Matua Valley single vineyard wines are sealed with screwcaps. Two of the three whites are from 2014; the Sauvignon Blanc and the Albarino. ■ joellethomson@vodafone.co.nz

PyGanic® from Key Industries has been used extensively as an insecticide in organic horticultural production for a number of years and since last season has been a registered Agrichemical for Grass Grub beetle control in vineyards. Trials and use over the last three seasons has shown that when used at dusk PyGanic® has the ability to kill large numbers of beetles flying into vineyards from surrounding pasture. PyGanic® has a one day withholding period and does not provide any residual activity therefore for optimum results; it is recommended that timing of application is best when beetles are already feeding or when they are in flight. Use a minimum of 1L per ha in a water rate of not less than 300L/ha. Available in 1L and 3.78L containers.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

Winemaker Nikolai St-George.

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BOOK REVIEWS The Truant From Medicine Ivan M Donaldson RANDOM HOUSE RRP $39.99 REVIEWED BY TESSA NICHOLSON

here is a lot of anecdotal evidence that wine and health go hand in hand, and never was that more obvious than in this fascinating book by Pegasus Bay Wines owner Ivan Donaldson. A wine pioneer, in every sense of the word, Donaldson is also a renowned neurologist. He was named as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit just last year, for his services to neurology. He could also have received the same honour for helping to place Waipara on the New Zealand wine map. The Truant From Medicine is a memoir that provides a delightful insight into how he developed both his passions, with considerable help from his wife of 46 years, Chris. It was she who set him on the path to winemaking, with a book given as a Christmas present in 1966. Without Hugh Johnson’s Wine, Pegasus Bay Wines may never have

seen the light of day he admits. “True previously I had rather reluctantly sipped the occasional glass of cheap vinous plonk, but to all intents and purposes I was a wine virgin, and if it had not been for that book I might well have remained one,” he explains in chapter 2. New Zealand would have been the loser, if that had been the case. Instead that one book set him and Chris on a path of wine appreciation, that led to the development of their own label, which now involves three of their four children. The story of how he got to this stage, is interspersed quite liberally with stories of former patients, and their neurological misfortunes. Irreverently funny in parts, the book is also quite self-deprecating. Donaldson never appears to take the credit for any of what he has achieved,

Amisfield Food, wine and stories from Central Otago RANDOM HOUSE RRP $59.99 REVIEWED BY TESSA NICHOLSON

hile Amisfield has its name on the cover, this book provides a succinct history about the development of Central Otago as one of New Zealand’s premier wine regions. The image is of an unrelenting countryside, from the time before Europeans ever set foot on the schist laden soils, through to the gold mining days, the infestation of rabbits, the scrubland that broke many a person’s heart, and the development of a wine industry no one could have predicted. Then the story of how John Darby and Rob Hay set their hearts on creating something special within the Central region. Their perseverance is a story in itself. The purchasing of land deemed to be perfect for Pinot Noir led to Amisfield Farm, sitting beside the Clutha River and below the Pisa mountain range. From here award winning wines have been created.

90 //

But there is more to Amisfield than just great wine – the Bistro, which is 45 minutes away from the vineyard, has long been a destination for tourists the world over, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier this year. Outstanding food complements the wine and many of those signature dishes the Bistro has become renowned for, are replicated within the book. So it is a history of the region, the story of a unique partnership and cookbook all in one. It even goes so far as to explain the working year in both the vineyard and the winery, for those keen to learn more about the processes. Complete with luscious photographs, it is a book to ponder and salivate over.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

instead preferring to forever praise Chris for their successes, both in medical and winemaking ventures. A great read, that will be enjoyed by all walks of life.

CALENDAR OCTOBER

14: Wineworks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race across Cook Strait

JANUARY

16: Toast Martinborough Martinborough

4-6: International Aromatic Wine Competition (Canterbury A&P Show) Christchurch

7-8: Marlborough Wine Show Judging Marlborough

22: Air New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner Hawke’s Bay

22: Air New Zealand Wine Awards Regional tasting Hawke’s Bay

26: Gisborne Wine and Food Festival

24:

Gisborne

Air New Zealand Wine Awards Regional Tasting

NOVEMBER

Auckland

25: Air New Zealand Wine Awards Regional Tasting Marlborough

3: Cromwell Wine and Food Festival Cromwell, Central Otago

29 – 31: Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration 2015

DECEMBER 6:

FEBRUARY

The Christchurch/South Island Wine and Food Festival

Marlborough Wine and Food Festival

14:

Christchurch

1-2: Vinexpo Nippon 2014 Tokyo , Japan

8: Marlborough Wine Show Awards Dinner Blenheim

12 – 14: 7th International Table Grape Symposium Mildura Victoria, Australia

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 91

EVENT

CITY

EVENT DATE

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

Air New Zealand Wine Awards Tasting

Melbourne

25 November, 2014

Gold and Silver Medal winners will be contacted Wednesday 12 November

Air New Zealand Wine Awards Tasting

Brisbane

27 November, 2014

Gold and Silver medal winners will be contacted Wedneday 15 November

Taste

Sydney

12-15 March, 2015

First come, first served

Taste

Perth

1-3 May, 2015

First come, first served

Annual Trade and Consumer Trading

London

20 January, 2015

24 October, 2014

Annual Trade and Consumer Tasting

Dublin

22 January, 2015

24 October, 2014

Pro Wein

Düsseldorf

15-17 March, 2015

24 October, 2014

National Food, Wine & Spirits Fair

Chengdu

23-29 March, 2015

21 November, 2014

New Zealand in a Glass

Montreal

5 May, 2015

21 November, 2014

New Zealand in a Glass

Toronto

7 May, 2015

21 November, 2014

New Zealand in a Glass

Halifax

12 May, 2015

21 November, 2014

New Zealand in a Glass

Vancouver

14 May, 2014

21 November, 2014

To register for these events lot on to nzwine.com/members then click on NZ Wine Marketing. You can also contact the New Zealand Winegrowers Global Events Team on events@nzwine.com or (09) 306 5643.

92 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

STATISTICS

MAJOR NZ VINEYARD AREAS PRODUCING HECTARES

PRINCIPAL EXPORT MARKETS

Region Region (Actual)

2012 2014

2015 2016 (forecast) (forecast)

% % of of Total Total

Marlborough Marlborough Hawkes Bay Hawkes Bay Otago Otago Gisborne

22.903.1 22,587.3 4815.7 4,841.4 1979.2 1,786.7 1602.4

23,287.3 23.017.7 4895.4 4,938.5 2012.3 1,791.9 1615.9

Gisborne Waipara

1,616.5 1266.4

1,586.2 1272.0

5% 3.5

Wairarapa / Wellington Waipara

996.7 1,034.5

1008.5 1,082.2

2.8 3%

Nelson Wairarapa / Wellington

1114.7 941.9

1152.1 943.5

3.2 3%

Auckland / Northland Nelson Cantebury Auckland / Northland Waikato / Bay of Plenty Waikato / Bay of Plenty National Total

372.0 962.6 195.8 319.77 22.8 16.1 35,312.8

374.1 1,015.4 206.7 315.7 22.3 10.2 35,894.4

1 3% 0.6 1% 0.1 0%

National Total

34,269.5

34,952.8

64.9 66% 13.6 14% 5.6 5% 4.5

Exports up again Exports for the year to date to the end of July 2014

Exports for the 11 months to end of May 2013 (Moving Annual Total) (Moving Annual Total) Litres Litres (m) (m)

Country Country

United Kingdom UK

$ FOB $ FOB

Average Average Average Average 2014 $/L $/L 2013 $/L$/L 2012 2011

47,811 51,507

273,830 319,384

4.93 $5.79

USA USA

42,473 48,895

281,135 323,623

6.62 $6.62

6.36 $6.54

Australia Australia

49,460 53,295

368,191 372,292

7.44 $6.99

7.11 $7.44

MAJOR VARIETIES IN MAJOR AREAS

Canada Canada

7448 7,653

80,322 77,611

10.78 $10.14

10.82 $10.76

New New Zealand’s Zealand’s total total producing producing vineyard vineyard will will increase increase by by only only 0.5% 0.5% over over the the next next 22 years. years. This This table table shows shows the the variation variation for for major major varieties varieties (in (in Ha), Ha), with with % % change change and and percentage percentage of of total total in in 2012. 2012.

Netherlands Netherlands

3806 5,042

24,213 34,091

6.36 $6.76

5.78 $6.44

Denmark Denmark

0.792 0.944

5446 6,869

6.87 $7.27

6.55 $7.40

Ireland Ireland

2089 2,399

14,830 17,615

7.10 $7.34

7.55 $7.15

Japan Japan

1129 1,145

13,203 13,429

11.69 $11.72

11.46 $11.70

Germany Germany

1661 2,572

9844 13,919

5.92 $5.41

5.70 $6.07

2366 1,781

28,978 24,051

12.24 $13.50

12.10 $12.44

Hong Hong Kong Kong

1541 1,374

19,940 17,085

12.94 $12.43

12.10 $12.86

Singapore Singapore

1252 1,589

16,066 21,474

12.83 $13.51

12.72 $12.67

Finland Finland

0.163 0.249

1356 2,189

8.31 $8.78

9.73 $8.71

Norway Norway

0.201 0.352

1326 2,893

6.59 $8.20

7.42 $7.45

Sweden Sweden

1.603 1.645

13,425 13,562

8.37 $8.24

8.12 $8.35

Others Others

5,057 6,180

48,820 57,545

9.65 $9.31

9.79 $9.64

186,630,508 1,317,640,924 168,861 1,200,933

$7.06 7.11

$7.09 6.56

Variety Variety

20122013

% producing 2015 area % producing area

% producing 2016 forecast area

Sauvignon Sauvignon Blanc Blanc

19,929.8 20,014.7

58.2

20,214.7 56.9

57.8 20,260

Pinot Pinot Noir Noir

5096.4 5487.9

14.9

5175.1 15.6

14.8 5734.5

Chardonnay Chardonnay

3120.9 3202.3

9.1

3164.0 9.1

9.1 3247.0

Pinot Pinot Gris Gris

2396.2 2402.7

7.0

2399.7 6.8

6.9 2448.8

Merlot Merlot

1195.91245.6

3.5

1245.4 3.6

3.6 1288.5

Riesling Riesling

719.0787.0

2.1

746.2 2.2

791.72.1

Syrah Syrah

354.1408.4

1.0

400.6 1.2

430.1 1

Gewurztraminer Gewurztraminer

331.3333.6

1.0

311.4 0.9

0.9 332.7

Cabernet Cabernet Sauv Sauv

284.8300.5

0.8

323.7 0.9

0.9 314.9

Viognier Viognier

160.8160.4

0.5

146.5 0.5

0.4 158.4

Malbec Malbec

130.2141.8

0.4

143.9 0.4

0.4 144.5

Cabernet Cabernet Franc Franc

111.6 118.6

0.3

108.9 0.3

118.10.3

All All other other varieties varieties

438.7569.6

1.3

572.7 1.6

1.6 625.0

Total Total

34,269 35,182

34,952.9

35,894.4

China China

PRODUCING AREA IN HECTARES BY SIZE - NUMBER OF VINEYARDS Region Region

0-5

10.01-2010.01-20 20.01-50 20.01-50 50.01 & 0-5 5.01-10 5.01-10 over

Aklnd Aklnd // Nthlnd Nthlnd

90 60

Canterbury Canterbury

Gisborne Gisborne

26 20

Hawkes Bay Bay Hawkes

30 24

3 0

Regional 50.01 Total and over

109

2 0

25 12

137

102

7 21

81 75

56 64

5732

22 32

266

203 190

315

291 214

210182

101 181

1015 100

Nelson Nelson

55 45

12 7

118

Otago Otago

100 80

61 28

26 17

153

215

1—

— _

118

Marlborough Marlborough

Waikato // BoP BoP Waikato Waipara Waipara Wairarapa // Wgtn Wgtn Wairarapa National National

—

3 8

10 10

691 561

578

527 372

268 349

145 261

2054143

TOTAL Total

*(npr = not previously recorded separately) *n.c. = no change NZ WINEGROWER DECEMBER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014 2014 // NZ WINEGROWER // 9393

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT Information and Updates on NZ Winegrowers Research Programmes. Editor: 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: www.nzwine.com/members/research

LIST OF PROJECTS Quality Wine Styles for Existing and Developing Markets The pathway of volatile sulphur compounds in wine yeast – The Bragato Trust and NZW Scholarship University of Auckland – (Dr Bruno Fedrizzi - student Matias Kinzurk) Preliminary investigation of factors responsible for variability in tartaric acid additions to Pinot noir Lincoln University (Roland Harrison) 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 pathway of volatile sulphur compounds in wine yeast – The Bragato Trust and NZW Scholarship University of Auckland (Dr Bruno Fedrizzi - student Matias Kinzurk)

Pests and Disease

Sustainability/Organics

Virus diversity in New Zealand grapevines: sequence, ecology and impact – The Rod Bonfiglioli Scholarship Plant and Food Research (Dr Robin MacDiarmid - student Arnaud Blouin)

Organic Focus Vineyard Project Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (Rebecca Reider) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund

Sustaining vineyards through practical management of grapevine trunk diseases South Australian Research & Development Institute (Mark Sosnowski) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Implementation of Virus Elimination Strategy Various (Nick Hoskins – Project Manager) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Virus diversity in New Zealand grapevines: sequence, ecology and impact – The Rod Bonfiglioli Scholarship Plant and Food Research (Dr Robin MacDiarmid - student Arnaud Blouin) Sector weather data licence & tools HortPlus (NZ) Ltd.

Lifestyle Wine (PGP) University of Auckland and Plant and Food Research (Various) Jointly funded by NZW and MPI Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) fund.

94 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

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 Reduced berry size and Botrytis tolerance through trauma to the vine Plant and Food Research (Mike Trought)

PROGRESS REPORTS

Reduced berry size and botrytis tolerance through trauma to the vines Dion Mundy, Andrew McLachlan, Sue Neal and Mike Trought The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited Corresponding author Dion.Mundy@Plantandfood.co.nz 12-106 Trials funded by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW11-101 and NZW10-106) and conducted by PFR over the past five years (20102014) investigating the effect of mechanically thinning grapevines shortly after fruit set have generally demonstrated reduced botrytis bunch rot at harvest compared with that on bunches from unthinned control treatments. We hypothesised that these effects are the result of trauma to the grapevines induced by the vigorous shaking of the trunks and/or the canopy. Trials were started in January 2013 on a Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc vineyard to evaluate the effects of alternative methods of inducing trauma

to vines on the water relations of the vine, and on berry growth and botrytis incidence. December 2013 trials continued this work, comparing an unthinned control treatment with heavy machine thinning (beater speed 450 beats per minute), light machine thinning (375 beats per minute), and a trunk-only treatment (450 beats per minute, with no rods in the canopy). Machine thinning was undertaken shortly after fruit set in early January using a Braud™ harvester at 4.4 km/h. Additionally, a Collard™ leaf plucker was used after flowering in an attempt to blow trash out of bunches. The amount of trash in bunches

on the heavily machine-thinned vines was significantly reduced, to approximately 34% of that in the control bunches at harvest. The Collard and trunk-only treatments also significantly reduced the amounts of bunch trash, but to lesser extents, of 68% and 59% respectively, of that in the control. The same trend was observed for the incidence of Botrytis cinerea in the trash, although only the heavily machine-thinned and the trunkonly treatments were found to have significantly less B. cinerea in the trash than the control. Individual berries were assayed for susceptibility to B. cinerea infection using a standard Plant

& Food Research protocol, in which intact or damaged sterile berries are inoculated with B. cinerea. Control berries were more susceptible infection than berries from the other treatments, suggesting that the trauma experienced by the vines did induce resistance by the berries to fungal infection. However, complex interactions also existed between treatments and inoculation and wounding. The data need further interpretation. This will be described in more detail and included in a final report on the project due in November in 2014. This report will be available on the NZ Winegrowers website.

2403 “Trash placed in container for incubation to determine Botrytis cinerea infection rates.”

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 95

Influence of juice ph on thiol production Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Lily Stuart, Abby Albright and Sharlene Haycock The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (PFR), Marlborough Research Centre, Blenheim Contact: claire.grose@plantandfood.co.nz 12-108

The classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wine style is characterised by a distinctive combination of tropical-passionfruit and green-herbaceous aromatics. Significant contributors to the tropical aromatics are the varietal thiols 3-mercaptohexanol (3-MH), 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (3-MHA) and 4-mercapto-4methylpentan-2-one (4-MMP), whereas the methoxypyrazines 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine

(IBMP), 2-isopropyl-3methoxypyrazine (IPMP) contribute to the green characters in Sauvignon Blanc

plays an important role in the unique style and typicality of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. During fruit processing, as

The trial is now in its second and final year. This research has been made possible by funding from New Zealand Winegrowers.

wine. The balance between thiols and methoxypyrazines

skin contact time is extended, there is an increase in extraction

Figure 1: Effect of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) additions to 2014 Sauvignon Blanc juice on 3-mercaptohexanol (3-MH) concentrations in wine. Error bars represent 5% LSD.

96 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

of potassium from the grape skins, with a corresponding increase in juice pH. Likewise as pressures and duration of grape pressing increase, juice composition changes as potassium concentrations increase and organic acid concentrations decrease. The net result is higher-pH juice from heavy press fractions in the later stages of the press cycle. Juice pH and potassium imbalances can affect viable yeast populations, yeast metabolisms and fermentation rates. These yeast metabolisms and fermentation rates play a role in volatile thiol production, but how much influence they have is still unresolved. The objective of our current project is to determine the influence of changing juice pH on wine volatile thiol production by additions to juice pre fermentation, or

Figure 2: Effect of press fraction additions to 2014 Sauvignon Blanc free run juice on 3-mercaptohexanol (3-MH) concentrations in wine. Error bars represent 5% LSD.

by manipulating skin contact time during grape processing. The trial is now in its second a n d f i n a l y e a r. T h i s research has been made possible by funding from New Zealand Winegrowers. In a first experiment, juice pH was manipulated before fermentation by the addition of varying proportions of a) potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3: 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 g/L) or b) heavy press fractions (0, 10, 20 and 40%) from a commercial press. A second experiment was run in parallel, to assess the effects of varying lengths of skin contact time (0, 1 and 3 hours) on juice pH and subsequent wine composition. Modified juices were fermented under controlled conditions and the resulting wines have been chemically analysed for major constituents, volatile thiols and methoxypyrazines. As expected, increasing rates of KHCO3

a d d i t i o n s i n c re a s e d j u i c e pH and decreased titratable acidity (TA) and tartaric acid concentrations. Addition of

KHCO3 to Sauvignon Blanc juice used in this trial decreased concentrations of the varietal thiols 3-MH and 3-MHA in

wine, a result which is generally consistent with 2013 data (Figure 1). The addition of increasing proportions of press fraction j u i c e to S a u v i g n o n B l a n c free-run juice resulted in corresponding increases in wine pH. Increasing additions of press fractions also significantly decreased free sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentrations in juice post cold settling. As in 2013, addition of hard press fractions to Sauvignon Blanc free-run juice significantly decreased concentrations of 3-MH and 3-MHA in the resulting wine (Figure 2). Skin contact applied to crushed grapes significantly increased juice pH and decreased TA. Unlike in 2013, increasing skin contact duration and the associated increases in juice and wine pH significantly decreased wine 3-MH and 3-MHA concentrations (Figure 3). In 2014, the potassium metabisulfite addition rate across all skin contact

Figure 3: Effects of skin contact duration on 3-mercaptohexanol (3-MH) concentrations in 2014 Sauvignon Blanc wine. Error bars represent 5% LSD.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 // 97

treatments was reduced by 20%, to reduce free SO2 at the time of inoculation. It is likely that improved fermentation conditions and the elimination of H2O2 treatments in 2014 have revealed skin contact treatment effects on wine thiol concentrations more clearly. Again in 2014, KHCO3

98 //

additions and skin contact duration had no effect on the alkyl methoxypyrazine 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine (IBMP) concentrations in the wine. There was also no effect of press fraction additions on wine IBMP concentrations. The potential to manipulate juice pH to optimise wine thiol profiles represents one of a

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

suite of important tools for winemakers to differentiate their products further from the competition and to protect New Zealand’s unique position as the world’s leading producer of premium Sauvignon Blanc wine.

Acknowledgements This work was made possible by funding from New Zealand

Winegrowers - NZW12-108. The work is part of the New Zealand Grape and Wine Research Programme, a joint investment by Plant & Food Research and NZ Winegrowers. Saint Clair Family Estate for providing the fruit and juices used in this project. Colleagues at Plant & Food Research.

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