New Zealand Winegrower October/November 2020

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F T H E N E W Z E A L A N D W I N E I N D U S T RY

Pivotal Times

Wine industry adapts to Covid-19

Vintage Labour Growing wine’s workforce

Export Surge

Sales soar offshore

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 ISSUE 124

Domestic Bliss

Offering New Zealanders a warm welcome

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 124

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Issue 124 – October/November 2020

Contents

REGULARS 4

Editorial

Sophie Preece

6

From the CEO

Philip Gregan

42 Bragato Research Institute

Regenerative Agriculture

56 Women in Wine

Penelope Naish

70 Wine Weather

James Morrison

78

Biosecurity

Sophie Badland

80 Not on the Label

Legal Matters with Dentons Kensington Swan

82 Advocacy Watch

ACC Statistics

18

F E AT U R E S 17

Domestic Bliss

Agility and invention have come into play at New Zealand cellar doors, and many wineries are entering the spring season with a sense of cautious optimism.

26 Building a Workforce

New Zealand’s wine industry has an opportunity to find the silver lining in Covid-19, by building its workforce capability and attracting people who may not have otherwise considered the wine industry as a career.

51

30 Sales Surge

Covid-19 has seen a surge in sales of

New Zealand wine, with July exports up 23 percent on the previous year.

“There are some people who are definitely winning at the moment and some people who are suffering,” says New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan.

Cover: Wine touring with Explore Marlborough (pg 24).

Photo Jessica Jones

60 56

64

E D I TO R Sophie Preece sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

CO R R E SP O N D E NTS Wellington Wine Country: Joelle Thomson mailme@joellethomson.com Hawkes Bay: Olly Styles oliverstyles@hotmail.com Marlborough: Tessa Nicholson tessa.nicholson@me.com

Perfect Pivots

Central Otago: Jean Grierson jean.grierson@nzsouth.co.nz

Sophie Preece EDITOR

Canterbury: Jo Burzynska jo@joburzynska.com

A DV E R T I S I N G Upper North Island: Stephen Pollard stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 963 166 Central North Island: Ted Darley ted@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 832 505 Lower North Island: Ron Mackay Ph: 021 453 914 South Island: Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 221 1994

C I R C U L AT I O N & SUBSCRIPTIONS Jodi Blair jodi.blair@nzwine.com Ph: 09 303 3527, ext 0 Fax: 09 302 2969 Mobile: 027 700 2371 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: David Ferguson, Rebecca Williams

MISHA WILKINSON’S description of “pirouetting” through Covid-19 seems apt, given the industry’s need to stay on its toes throughout this pandemic. The founder of Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago is one of the many people in this edition who have stories of innovation and resilience, ever-ready to adapt to meet the market in these extraordinary times. And all that pivoting could be good for us, says Dr Tim Baird of the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce at Lincoln University on page 21. “The current situation might not be all bad as new things come along when people are taken out of their comfort zone,” he notes. “Winemakers are forced to be more innovative and some of these ideas may remain relevant in the longer run.”

Tim’s research into wine tourism and innovation has previously highlighted the need for increased digital marketing, and Covid-19 has certainly given the industry a firm kick in that direction. “Everyone had this ‘oh shit’ moment. Suddenly I need digital and I need it right now,” says digital guru Polly Hammond (page 12) about the busiest period she’s ever experienced.

There’s a “silver lining” in the looming vintage labour crisis as well, says New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) External Relations Manager Nicola Crennan in a story on page 26. “That is to build our workforce capability and attract talented people who may not have otherwise thought about the wine industry as a career.” Industry is preparing to adapt and innovate on that front too, with plans to reduce labour requirements, attract and train local talent, utilise wine school students and collaborate for shared success.

And amid all the uncertainty - and the certain pain being felt by many, including New Zealand’s smallest wineries (page 34) and tour operators (page 24) – are somewhat startling statistics that show the “sweet spot” New Zealand fills in international markets, with July exports up 23 percent on the previous year. That’s of little solace to companies reliant on on-premise sales around the world, says Philip Gregan on page 32. “There are some people who are definitely winning at the moment and some people who are suffering.”

CONTRIBUTORS Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers 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 Inc. or its constituent organisations.

Published every second month. One free copy is mailed to every member of the New Zealand Winegrowers Inc, 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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Jo Burzynska

Joelle Thomson

Tessa Nicholson

Marija Batistich

Jo is a wine writer, sound artist, and curator, who has just finished a PhD thesis on the multisensory experience of drinking wine, which included the effect of sound on the perception of wine characters. In this edition, Jo delves into the impacts of Covid-19 on cellar doors.

The major challenge for vintage 2021 has more to do with a global pandemic than Mother Nature, says Joelle Thomson. “It begs the question of who will be available to harvest the grapes and make the wine, rather than the age-old question of when to pick them.”

Tessa has written stories about almost every aspect of New Zealand’s wine industry, as a onetime grower, longtime wine writer and former editor of this magazine. This month she talks to Penelope Naish about trading city life for a North Canterbury vineyard.

In June this year, a specialist report, commissioned by the Minister for the Environment, recommended the repeal of the Resource Management Act 1991. Dentons Kensington Swan Partner Marija Batistich says the report provides a new direction for resource management law as we know it.

Go to page 17

Go to page 26

Go to page 56

Go to page 80

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From the CEO Philip Gregan

Six months on from March 25; six months to vintage ‘21 PHILIP GREGAN

AT THE time of writing it is just on six months since New Zealand first went into lockdown on 25 March. What a ride that six months has been. Turmoil everywhere, uncertainty abounding, and every day bringing new twists and turns. Six months ago, who would have thought that our wine exports would actually increase in the intervening period? Who would have thought the general election would be delayed? And did anyone think that there would be checkpoints for people moving in and out of the country’s largest city?

So where have we landed after half a year of turmoil?

A few thoughts: • Growers and wineries overall had a very, very good vintage.

That is a big plus for winery marketing efforts over the next year or two.

• Shipments of the new season’s wines, notably Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Rosé, are way ahead of where they were at this time last year. Another plus.

• Whether it is sit down tastings at cellar doors or a renewed focus online, it is clear wineries are responding very dynamically to the commercial realities of the new Covid-19 altered marketing and selling environment.

• Lots of anecdotal reports suggest wineries are getting strong support from locals, but disruption to domestic travel (as happened with the Level-3 lockdown in Auckland) on top

6 //

of the closure of the border, hit the hospitality trade hard in recent weeks.

• Finally, in export markets consumers seem to have responded very strongly to New Zealand wine, turning to it as a trusted, premium source of quality wine across a number of markets, particularly in offpremise.

Overall, the economic impact of Covid-19 probably has not been as drastic (as yet) as was first forecast by economists back in March and April. Let’s hope that continues.

So, there are some positives out there, but there are still some big issues for the industry to confront. For many growers and wineries, the fact the New Zealand border remains closed (or is largely so) will be top of mind given reliance on Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers, vintage specialists and international backpackers as a key part of the industry workforce in past years. In addition, the border closure is stifling international tourist flows, curbing the cellar door and hospitality trade, and preventing wineries travelling to support their brands in-market. And worryingly, change on the border issue looks some time off.

From a labour supply perspective, border constraints are just one part of a complex puzzle, not helped at the moment by the delayed general election which appears to be impacting the speed of decision making. Rightly, the Government has a strong

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Kiwis first employment RSE workers and backpackers. policy, but the reality is that There have been some signs of New Zealanders alone cannot progress from the Government bridge the labour shortfall that in recent weeks, but more is we believe is going to emerge in needed. coming months.

With budburst well We are working closely with underway in many regions, the regions to identify the specific clock is ticking down to vintage issues that are going to arise ‘21. If you have not thought for growers and wineries in each region. Currently that means supporting labour supply surveys “Lots of anecdotal on Waiheke Island and reports suggest in Hawke’s Bay and North Canterbury. We wineries are getting are also supporting strong support a new Labour Supply Coordinator position in from locals.”

Central Otago.

At the national level we are pushing to have our about your labour needs specialist vintage workers through to the end of vintage, allowed into the country, while now is the time. Please contact we are also working with a us or your regional association range of other horticulture and if you think you are going to agriculture bodies to persuade have a labour supply issue in the Government to have the months leading up to and flexibility in policy settings for including vintage.

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News Briefs

Wine Reviews

Iconic festival cancelled THE MARLBOROUGH Wine & Food Festival has been cancelled for the first time in its 36-year history, to help protect the 2021 harvest from the threat of Covid-19. Marlborough Winegrowers Board Chair Tom Trolove says it was a tough decision to cancel the February 13 event, “but the board was clear that in these unprecedented times, it had to prioritise the safety of the harvest”.

The festival celebrates Marlborough’s wine industry on the cusp of harvest, “and that’s a risk”, he says.

Marlborough’s wine industry makes up 77.7 percent of the national grape harvest, and accounts for at least 80 percent of all exports, which are currently worth $1.923 billion a year. A report from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research found that the wine industry made up 19 percent of Marlborough’s GDP. The industry employs 4,850 people – one in five jobs – in Marlborough. “This industry is absolutely vital to Marlborough’s economic health,” says Tom.

A COVID-19 related aboutturn has seen the relaunch of the late Raymond Chan’s renowned wine review services and platform, thanks to a longtime fan. When Queenstownbased sommelier Candice Chow left “hospo” behind to kick off her own wine consultancy business earlier this year, she had plans around themed wine tastings, industry training and wine education. But she soon found herself high and dry with lockdowns and the sudden collapse of the boom town’s tourism industry in the wake of the global pandemic. Candice has an extensive background in hospitality, with over two decades working in both her native Hong Kong and celebrity chefs’ restaurants in Queenstown, backed with Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) study. Candice was always a big fan of Raymond’s writings, and understood and appreciated his palate, although she’d never met him. She had used his online wine reviews extensively and hoped someone would continue his legacy after he passed away last year. A chance conversation led her to connecting with Raymond’s partner Sue Davies, and in May, following the nationwide lockdown, Candice found herself relaunching the website with 100 new reviews, along with over 10,000 reviews accumulated by Raymond. raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz/

Postponing the perfect Sunday TOAST MARTINBOROUGH has cancelled its 15 November event, inviting ticket holders to join them at the 2021 event instead, for the “Best Sunday Ever”. Toast Martinborough Chair Pete Monk says the safety of those at the festival is paramount. “We want

to be able to celebrate Martinborough’s wines with you in fitting style, without any complications or risk. So, given that so much is still uncertain, we have made the call to cancel this year’s event.” Ticketholders can hold onto their pass for the 21 November

Annual Report THE QUALITY of the 2020 vintage is “nothing short of exceptional”, according to the 2020 New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Annual Report.

“Our total 2020 harvest reflects the near perfect growing conditions experienced in most of the country, and a 2 percent increase in planted area to 39,935 hectares,” says NZW Board Chair John Clarke. As of June 2020, and despite the challenges of the past 12 months, New Zealand’s wine industry recorded its 25th consecutive year of export growth, with record exports totalling $1.92 billion, which is a 6 percent increase on 2019. “Our sustained export success, even during a global pandemic, reinforces our international reputation for premium, diverse and sustainable wines,” says John. “This year’s vintage will help the industry to meet the high demand for New Zealand wine.” The 2020 Annual Report is an interactive online format and will not be distributed in print. nzwine.com/annual-report

8 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

event in 2021, or have their ticket refunded now. “We are so humbled by your support for this year’s event and can’t wait to see you all next year.” says Toast General Manager Ariel Codde. “Bring on 2021!” toastmartinborough.co.nz/

News Briefs

Stay Posted NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWERS has released new Sustainability Guidelines for the storage and disposal of broken copper, chromium and arsenic (CCA) treated posts, thanks to the work of an industry group in Marlborough. Sustainability Guardians Programme Coordinator Bridget Ennals says growers often choose to stockpile posts until they can be repurposed elsewhere. When doing so, best practice is to: • Use a single site, rather than several smaller piles.

• Store in a well ventilated area.

• Keep dry, where possible, from rain and moisture.

• Avoid storage on bare ground; store on an impervious surface, where possible.

• Ensure storage is at least 20 metres from waterways.

• Identify storage areas, dates, and approximate post numbers on vineyard plans.

• Never burn treated wood, which leaches toxic fumes Bridget says vineyard developers should insist on quality posts in the first place, then work with harvest contractors to help protect

them “Asking for posts to be supplied dry and just in time for installation is key for new vineyard development… New posts should be stored dry or covered on an impervious surface to limit leaching and information kept on the length of storage and any rainfall events.” nzwine.com/cca-treated-posts

Graham Norton’s Marlborough Sauvignon

Think Pink

THE PROGRAMME is out for the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology’s Rosé workshop, in a jam packed agenda of pink. Smell the Rosés – to be held in Marlborough on 10 November – will bring together experts on the science, marketing, growing, making and tasting of Rosé.

Flavour scientist Jiaming Wang will Zoom in from Labstat International in Canada, to discuss chemical and sensory profiles of the variety. Jiaming’s PhD at Adelaide University was focussed on Rosé, and in 2016 he undertook a research programme into the chemical and sensory profiles of Rosé wines from Australia, which revealed four different styles, and that thiols “could be very important in terms of determining what sensory style your Rosé is”, he says. Jiaming’s presentation at the Rosé workshop will investigate the Rosé wine styles in Australia, from a sensory and volatiles perspective, and will include a “mini tasting” to canvas those styles. He will also look at opportunities – and challenges – for Rosé in the Chinese market, including an overview of which Rosé wine style is preferred in China. nzsvo.org.nz/workshops

GRAHAM NORTON flew solo in blending his Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc this year, with Invivo & Co founders Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron his virtual assistants. Covid-19 meant the talk show host was in lockdown in West Cork, while Tim and Rob were 18,000 kilometres away in Auckland.

But over a two-hour Zoom call, the trio collaborated to create and sign off Graham Norton’s Own Sauvignon Blanc 2020 in a process that Graham likened to “being an air steward who is being talked into landing the plane”.

This is the sixth vintage collaboration between Graham and the Kiwi wine company, but the first virtual blending.

The result was “delicious”, with “that New Zealand zing”, said Graham in the blending footage. “It’s soft and fruity. It’s full but floral-like. It’s sunshine in a glass.”

The business partners are set to produce their 10 millionth bottle of wine this year, having kickstarted the collaboration in 2014, with 14,000 bottles of Marlborough Sauvignon.

Rob – Invivo’s Winemaker - says they always look forward to the “blending date” with Graham. “It’s like he’s a full-time member of the winemaking team.”

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 9

Upcoming Events TO HAVE

Young Viticulturist of the Year It’ll be a battle of skills, knowledge and presentations at the 2020 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year competition national final, to be held at Ata Rangi in the Wairarapa. To meet the finalists, go to page 74.

7-8 October nzwine.com/young-vit

EVENTS ADDED

Young Winemaker, National Final

TO OUR CALENDAR CONTACT SOPHIE@SOPHIEPREECE.CO.NZ

Finalists will blend, analyse, taste, spit and talk their way to the top at the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year National Final, on at EIT in Hawke’s Bay with the awards dinner wrapped up with F.A.W.C (Food and Wine Classic).

To meet the finalists, go to page 76.

6 November nzwine.com/young-winemaker

Winetopia With more than 55 of New Zealand’s best wineries, a full schedule of tastings, talks and new experiences, Winetopia is a veritable vinous wonderland. Check the website for Covid-19 updates.

9-10 October (Wellington) 30-31 October (Auckland) winetopia.co.nz

Marlborough Wine Show judging Judging for the largest regional wine show in the country, sponsored by QuayConnect, considers subregional diversity as well as wines of pedigree, with a Legacy Award for wines consistently produced over a 10year period.

14-16 October marlboroughwineshow.co.nz

First Light Gisborne’s First Light Wine & Food Festival brings TW Wines, Matawhero Wines and Bridge Estate together for a day of superb music, wine and food at Labour Weekend.

25 October firstlightwineandfood.co.nz/

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Rosé Workshop The New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology’s Rosé workshop is a chance to think pink all day long, surrounded by scientists, winemakers and growers devoted to the style. Smell the Rosés will run in Marlborough over a full day, split into four sessions.

10 November nzvso/org/nz/technical-workshops

South Island Wine & Food Festival A great way to start the summer festive season, with more than 40 leading wineries from Central Otago, Canterbury, Waipara, Nelson, and Marlborough gathering at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, along with selection of gourmet food producers and top local restaurants.

5 December winefestival.co.nz

Upcoming Events

Biosecurity Week New Zealand Winegrowers Biosecurity Week 2020 is on from 2 to 6 November, and will give wine industry members an opportunity to assess and improve their biosecurity practices.

• Take the Biosecurity Quiz, or participate in the ‘Snap It’ photo challenge, with prizes to be won • Join the Sustainability Guardians webinar at 10.30am on 3 November to learn more about new biosecurity resources and how they can be used to help protect vineyards from unwanted pests and diseases • Learn how to start putting together a biosecurity plan for your site • Consider signing your business up to the Biosecurity Business Pledge New Zealand Winegrowers Biosecurity & Emergency

Response Manager Sophie Badland says there is ever increasing pressure on New Zealand’s borders from exotic pests and diseases “Implementing biosecurity

best practice in New Zealand’s vineyards and wineries is critical for industry sustainability.”

Further information about Biosecurity Week activities will be posted on New Zealand

Winegrower’s social media channels throughout the week, and on the NZ Wine Kaitiaki group on Facebook.

2-6 November

nzwine.com/biosecurity-week

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 11

Marketing Place

Digital Juice

Covid-19, e-commerce and the risk of digital debt SOPHIE PREECE

POLLY HAMMOND found an unexpected ally in Covid-19, after five years dragging wine into a digital landscape. Locked down in Barcelona, where her daughter is at university, the 5Forest founder was inundated by requests from wine companies desperate to dive into digital. “Everyone had this ‘oh shit’ moment. Suddenly I need digital and I need it right now,” says the Americanborn Kiwi, on yet another late-night crosshemisphere phone call. “I don’t think we’ve had a decent night’s sleep since lockdown.

We have never been this busy.”

But as countries have learned to ‘cope’ with Covid-19, one way or another, complacency has set in for some, with digital put back in the ‘too hard’ basket. “I was kind of shocked,” says Polly, who admits to a “huge bias”, but has seen the value of digital marketing and e-commerce for wine companies. “I live around digital and I see the numbers and I know the impact it is having for wineries who are embracing it.”

When Covid started to bite, sites like wine.com began selling far more than ever, and there was a phase of ‘yeeha! We are going to embrace digital’, says Polly. “We will learn how to do it and we’ll make a plan”.

That was when it was necessary “because you were afraid you would lose your shirt.”

It was great while it lasted, and she’s

12 //

concerned to see some digital dreams shelved, “because it makes us not very resilient”. Many Kiwi wine companies that contacted 5Forests during Covidquarantines were in “digital debt”, meaning they’d invested no time or money in an online presence, except for the website their nephew built them, for example, or an occasional social media post. That meant gearing up for the Covid world required more money and effort. “There was this huge amount of interest and quite a few takers, but probably twice as many people who couldn’t afford to overcome the challenges they have boxed themselves into.”

Digital debt often comes down to a lack of labour, interest and leadership, perhaps an infatuation with hand selling wine, and confusion over responsibility, says Polly.

“There’s an ambiguity around whose job it is to pay for and oversee digital marketing.”

Some are worried they’ll tread on toes if they sell direct to consumer, but Covid-19 provided a perfect excuse to be bold and take advantage of the moment, she adds.

During lockdown, Polly and her team found band aid solutions for some of the slow or no adopters, to give them an online route to market - such as Shopify, which could be overlaid by a more substantial

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

and considered investment down the track.

But the main message to companies was that they must not “silo” digital, she says.

“It has to be part of a well thought out and researched, planned strategic business model.” To do digital right you have to treat it like work, she adds. “People love Instagram and it has built a Rosé market around the world. But to make it work you have to treat it like a proper branch of your brand.”

Without sound business models, perhaps including digital, (though it’s not the answer for everyone, she explains) Polly fears independent wine companies risk losing the “war of attrition” already underway, so they are ultimately “gobbled up”. The New Zealand industry is at a crossroads, she adds. “We have got to decide if we are going to care about, and communicate with, our customers.” Being “wrapped up in our juice” without thought for the market is not working, she adds. “We want to make this thing that is beautiful and artisanal.

But what’s the point if you can’t sell it?

The wineries who are going to succeed are the ones who will look at everything they do.”

Starting in December, Winegrower will run a regular column from Polly Hammond on digital marketing and e-commerce.

The Marketing Place

The Marketing Place Read On

Taking NZ wine to the world: Bringing the world to NZ wine

When New Zealand wine aligns itself with another wine producing nation, it can be a really powerful way to cement our premium position on the world wine stage.

With Covid-19 challenging the ways we bring our story to the world, the international New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) team have been trying out some novel ways to turn heads. Read on… charlotte.read@nzwine.com

Canada Collab On 17 July, we partnered with the Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration at its ‘School of Cool – Homeschool Edition’ virtual webinar series. More than 300 attendees from across Canada participated in a lively debate featuring a dynamic panel of Canadian wine industry professionals.

Master Sommellier John Szabo (pictured) moderated, while Treve Ring, Brad Royale and Véronique Rivest engaged in a debate about the various scientific and interpretive parameters of what it means to be ‘cool’.

Collaborating in China In China, six New World wine producing countries have come together under the New World Alliance banner for a first-of-itskind programme. The New World Alliance is a partnership between Grapea & Co and New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, California and Canada. Mainly a social media initiative, this project aims to promote New World wines, showcase and contrast the similarities and differences between the wine styles, personalities and history of these locations. With multiple strands of activity, including social media, videos and interviews, interactive live streaming, education and more, this project is led by long-term NZW supporters Lu Yang MS, Leon Liang and a wide team of Chinese educators and influencers. This activity is co-funded with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

(NZTE)

NZW, NZTE & Wine.com

NZW, with funding from NZTE, ran a fiveweek programme with wine.com during June and July. The programme allowed New Zealand’s wine industry to maintain its incredible sales increase from March to May, with a shift to the online/direct to consumer channel. While ‘value’ wine saw a large increase during this timeframe, the premium sector ($15 - $19.99) also saw growth, and sales were up 300% on the same period last year. There will be more to come in this space.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 13

ADVERTISEMENT

Dramatic Changes Required

By Chris Henry, Henry Manufacturing Ltd

Chris Henry of Henry Manufacturing has been involved with growing for over 30 years. His contribution has been to develop organically-acceptable fungicides and application methods that support efficacy and good grower outcomes.

These days, Chris’ focus is on supporting research into constraints to growing in a softer way. Two areas of interest are addressed here.

1. Dealing with high-vigour, four-cane Sauvignon Blanc

Dramatic changes to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc growing systems (trellising) are likely to be required if disease is to be controlled with softer chemistries that require good contact with leaves and bunches, says Chris.

“The results of last year’s shoot thinning trial found that shoot thinning alone did not provide for adequate spray penetration.” The report can be found on www.henrymanufacturing.co.nz.

Henry Manufacturing is sponsoring another season of work to find long-term benefits for this industry sector.

Chris continues to be supported by Dr Mike Trought, Mark Allen, Jason Flowerday, Dr David Manktelow, Fabiano Frangi, Will Grigg, and James Jones.

Other key Marlborough players have raised their hand to be part of the team.

“We’re not quitters. We all realise that this type of research is critical for the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc industry, because eventually all pesticides will rely on good coverage to achieve efficacy”.

Trials will take place this season in vigorous vineyards. The team will compare the Scott-Henry system of ‘splitting the canopy’ (see similar example in photo above) with the three and four cane Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) system.

There will also be an overlay of specific ultra-early leaf removal and mechanical leaf removal at various timings.

Data will be collected to define the various canopies using methods such as Point Quadrat Analysis, use of the VitiCanopy App and Lidar, and to assess: • spray deposition at critical times • fruitfulness of this season’s crop (cap and berry counts) • 2021/22 fruitfulness by propagation of single node cuttings • yield and disease

“With subsurface irrigation, mowing alone might work. Look at Mark Allen, Chris Ireland and Mark Krasnow’s presentation at Bragato 2019 disclosing the long- and short-term success of subsubsurface irrigation and technology advances.”

“There is a link on our website to the presentation. The principle is simple, bury the irrigation pipe, water the vines, deprive weeds of water and allow summer to desiccate them. Reliability is high, checking is simple”.

For organic growers the economic advantages are there to move away from the costs of cultivation. For conventional growers with glyphosate resistant rye grass and other weeds, this provides a far better long-term solution than moving to residual herbicides.

An informal trial is being undertaken at one of the canopy management trial sites.

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“Getting economic yields back is very difficult - particularly so organically.”

Always keen to talk I am travelling around New Zealand this Spring, and will be based in Blenheim - as well as Hawke’s Bay - over summer. I would be interested in visiting anyone’s vineyard. Please call, as there are so many small things that can make a substantial difference to vineyard outcomes.

Call Chris Henry on 027 294 1490 email chris@henrymanufacturing.co.nz www.henrymanufacturing.co.nz

NZW Fellows

Jolly Good Fellows DR JOHN Forrest, Dr Rengasamy Balasubramaniam and Alwyn Corban have been made New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows, in recognition of their “outstanding contribution”.

John has spent a career putting his curiosity, intellect and self-proclaimed “Scottish pigheadedness” to good use, with a constant drive to grow and improve New Zealand’s wine industry. He admits he’s ruffled plenty of feathers along the way, “but I try to do it for the genuine good of the advancement of the industry”. John worked in neuroscience and gene mapping before he and his wife Brigid founded Forrest Estate in 1988, planting their first grapes in Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. He was on the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Research Group for 15 years, during which time he helped create Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand and the Bragato Conference. John was co-founder and an irrepressible force behind the New Zealand Screwcap Initiative, a founding member of Appellation Marlborough Wine, and a key player in the Lighter Wines Research programme.

He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Marlborough Wine Show.

Alwyn Corban

Dr Rengasamy Balasubramaniam

Dr John Forrest

Rengasamy (known in the industry as Bala) came to New Zealand to do his PhD in 1979 and by 1986 was working in wine research in Marlborough.

In the years since, he has played a remarkable role in New Zealand’s wine industry, including in the development of Smartfax in 1997 (now VineFacts) and the Botrytis (Bacchus Infection) Model. In 2000 he started work for Delegat, using his research knowledge to help landowners convert to grapes. Delegat had a “head start with its 10-year growth strategy, and it was a win-win for company and landowners”, Bala says. “Being in a position to help others gives you enormous satisfaction.”

Bala was also a key figure in the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology (NZSVO)

for more than 20 years, including 10 years as president. Bala is a life member of the NZSVO and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Marlborough Wine Show.

Alwyn Corban hails from one of New Zealand’s founding wine families, which started when Assid Abraham Corban purchased land in Henderson, Auckland, in 1902. Alwyn is the eldest son of Alex Corban who was inaugural Chairman of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and one of the first Fellows of the wine industry. Alwyn studied winemaking at UC Davis, California in the 1970s then worked in Australia, France, Germany and New Zealand. In 1981, in partnership with the Glazebrook family, he established Ngatarawa vineyard

and winery in Hawke’s Bay, pioneering wine production in the Bridge Pa Triangle. In later years he and his cousin Brian Corban grew Ngatarawa to be a successful medium sized New Zealand winery. Alwyn has served extensively on industry bodies at national and regional level, including New Zealand Winegrowers, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers, Hawke’s Bay Vintners, and the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Charitable Trust.

For several years he was Chair of the NZW Research Group, and Ngatarawa was among the first five vineyards to trial the New Zealand Sustainable Viticulture programme. Alwyn was instrumental in establishing the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction and the Hawke’s Bay China Wine Marketing Group.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 15

The Focus Pivotal Times

Domestic Bliss

Cellar doors innovate. Pg 17

Misha’s Vineyard

Cellar door centre stage. Pg 22

Wine Guides

Tour operators struggle. Pg 24

Vintage vs Covid

Growing a workforce. Pg 26

Export Surprises

Wine sales surge. Pg 30

Findex Report

Challenges for small players. Pg 34 Yealands Estate; MarlboroughNZ

The Focus

Open Doors Agility, invention and opportunity at cellar doors JO BURZYNSKA

Forrest Estate MarlboroughNZ

AS WINERIES enter the spring season, many opening cellar doors after a period of Covid19 closure, the mood appears one of cautious optimism.

More locals sipping wine al fresco among the vines appears a growing reality, while some socially distanced modifications have promoted more engaged

encounters at cellar doors. If international tourism remains suppressed in the longer term, however, the agility and innovation fostered in this

period may prove essential for cellar door survival.

A range of wineries across the country revealed differing degrees of Covid-19 fallout

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The Focus

following the first lockdown, dependant on both the nature of the businesses and region.

Some cellar doors have reduced their hours over the winter months, while others opted to close temporarily. And for those with higher overheads or dependent on international groups, major rationalisation of business models have had to be undertaken.

Seating restrictions at Level 2 have created further limitations, while present challenges have exacerbated some existing issues.

Alcohol licensing applied to cellar doors was raised by several wineries as problematic, especially for those that have had to close their restaurants, effectively removing the food required by the on-licence that allows wineries to charge for tastings.

Wineries that were able to estimate the impact of Covid19 reported around 40 to 50

Cloudy Bay Marlborough NZ

percent downturn in their cellar door business. This played a role in the closure of award-winning winery restaurants at Elephant Hill and Pegasus Bay. Some of the biggest losses have been felt

by Central Otago wineries,

with Thomas Moschetta at the Kinross cellar door - which represents five local wineries - reporting “a huge drop in visitors”, firstly through the absence of the international market, and more recently from Auckland.

Mother of invention “If lockdown happens, we adapt,” says Gibbston Valley Wines’ Christopher Keys. “But nothing replaces the buzz of a full restaurant, or the swift vitality of cellar door chat.

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The Focus

A Smooth Landing SOPHIE PREECE

BEFORE COVID-19, The Landing relied on international visitors for 80 percent of its luxury stays, with guests paying a premium for three nights at the beautiful Bay of Islands vineyard. But domestic visitors have more than made up for the loss, says Marketing Director Sarah Hull, who’s found they’ll stay more like six to eight days and then return for more. “That’s been a really nice change for us.” The domestic visitors also buy much more wine along the way, says Sarah. “International guests can only take so much with them, whereas the domestic

guests take wine with them and then continue to order more.”

Peter Jones, The Landing Wines General Manager, says it’s not just the accommodation guests tipping the scales in domestic tourism’s favour.

“There are people out there who would be in the south of France right now. And they are looking to have an experience they would have over there, here in New Zealand.”

The Landing team have played to their strengths, with new “curated experiences” that celebrate the property ’s extraordinary location at the edge of the sea, vineyards that

climb rolling pastures, and a stunning new winery and cellar door. They’ve innovated and adapted, says Peter, explaining that day guests can now be picked up by boat for a cruise through the bay, before being taken for an open-top Land Rover tour through the vineyards, where they can talk to the viticulturist, glass of wine in hand.

Where guests once drove a long gravel road for an hour-long visit, The Landing now gives them a three to five-hour “full experience”, including barrel

tastings and a two course lunch. “We are looking at the kind of people who think nothing of dropping $500 or $600 on an afternoon of golf,” Peter says. “The day experiences are proving really successful in terms of how the cellar door is working, because they are the ones leaving having spent $2,000 on buying wine from us,” he adds. “ Whe you provide something which they will always remember, then those spending limits that you had thought about are gone.”

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The Focus

the place.” Nevertheless, the forced period of reflection has already revealed a silver lining for some wineries. Christopher observes that incorporating more tables into the sit down service at the cellar door has

encouraged a more al fresco focus, which appears to have worked in the winter months and should come into its own in the summer. Waipara’s Black Estate made a virtue of the Covid-related limitations by opening a popular cellar door pie cart “to invite people to enjoy “If lockdown happens, the cooler temperatures and tastings outside with we adapt.” space and fresh air… the simple pleasure of nature post lockdown”, resulted in “better interactions, says Penelope Naish (see pg more personal tastings [and] 56), who has witnessed strong better flow in the cellar door”, domestic interest from both while his colleague, Katerina local and North Island tourists.

Cerna, notes that it’s provided In the Wairarapa, Schubert the opportunity to introduce has had to expand its outdoor new packages and products, seating to accommodate such as wine and cheese tours. an influx of visitors. “The At Clearview, where the “cel- Wa i ra ra p a h a s a g re at lar door has been trading very advantage of having Wellington well”, Matt Kirby has found the close by,” reports Kai Schubert. seated format has permitted “a “People who would usually have more structured tasting with spent some time and money in almost better engagement”.

Europe or other long-distance Seating restrictions have destinations are now visiting

the Wairarapa and also not afraid to buy a case or two of more expensive wines.” For him this has resulted in “a significant increase” in visitors, largely from Wellington, and from Auckland when travel has been permitted, that has “more than compensated for the usual flow of visitors we would have had from overseas in winter time”.

In Hawke’s Bay, Pernod Ricard has just reopened its Church Road cellar door after temporary closure. As 75 percent of its trade comes from domestic tourism, Pe r n o d R i c a r d ’s B r e n t Pilcher is looking forward to “trialling new experiences and offerings to suit the local market”. In Marlborough when the Brancott Estate Cellar Door reopens, the loss of international tourism means it will do so as “a new, fit-for-purpose space that will cater exclusively for private functions and events,” says

Brent. “We believe that being agile and able to adapt quickly will underpin navigating and operating in the new normal.”

Wineries with more significant declines in foot traffic have seen some success through engaging in greater digital activity, with loyal customers in their databases proving invaluable. A number of wineries have also taken their tastings online. “We did virtual wine tastings which are accessible via the tasting notes on our website,” explains Hunter’s Jane Hunter, in Marlborough. “And if there were to be a worst-case scenario, we would make more use of these to replace visits to the cellar door. They’re linked with our mail order and we have seen sales come from these.”

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innovative thing you can do to keep people engaged,” advises Dr Tim Baird of the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce at Lincoln University. His research specialises in wine tourism and innovation, which has previously revealed the need for increased digital marketing and the value of winemaker interaction in cellar door experiences. “The current situation might not be all bad as new things come along when people are taken out of their comfort zone. Winemakers are forced to be more innovative and some of these ideas may remain relevant in the longer run.”

Flexibility in cellar door operations appears crucial at this point. At Pegasus Bay, à la carte dining has been replaced by private hire and their own public events at its cellar door restaurant space, such as regular Sunday lunches with a guest chef. “It’s actually been quite refreshing to do something quite different and this model also reduces the impact of potentially going in and out of alert levels on our business,” says Pegasus Bay’s

Ed Donaldson. At Elephant Hill, where the restaurant ceased to be viable due to its high dependence on international tourism, Andreas Weiss confirms that it will re-open. However, its focus will shift to “enhancing the cellar door experience for local and national visitors” through wine-driven food pairing.

All wineries spoken to considered their cellar doors would survive in the short term, albeit while facing evolving challenges. In Central Otago, Cerna predicts a return to peak and shoulder seasons, with more competition from national summer destinations, as well as Pacific Island travel when this reopens to Kiwis.

However, the prospect of no international tourists in the longer term is creating far greater unease. “When the borders reopen tourists will need to be convinced that it’s safe to return,” says Tim. “However, the way New Zealand has managed the pandemic means we will be in a lucky position in comparison to many other winemaking countries.”

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The Focus

Misha’s Vineyard Cellar door centre stage SOPHIE PREECE

AS THE wine world pivots through Covid-19, Misha Wilkinson prefers to pirouette.

It’s a fitting response for a classically trained ballerina and opera maven’s daughter, who named the Misha’s Vineyard range for all things centre stage, from The High Note Pinot Noir to The Starlet Sauvignon Blanc.

While the wine company’s export markets have been hollowed out by the pandemic, Misha has been “shocked” by the resilience of her Cromwell cellar door, which typically relies on inter n at ion al visitors for 75 percent of its custom. She was naturally “very concerned” when New Zealand’s borders closed, but says July and August provided a higher turnover than the same two months in the previous year, with fewer people, but a higher spend.

“Kiwis are coming in and chatting and have time to hear the stories. They are connected and buy more wine,” she says.

“People are here for a good hour

22 //

and that has been incredibly surprising - we didn’t expect that at all.”

It’s not the first time she and her husband Andy have had to adjust to a slip twixt cup and lip, despite meticulous business plans and marketdriven decisions. “I don’t think we have ever known what it is like to sell wine in easy times,” says Misha, who launched their label in 2009, in the midst of the global financial crisis (GFC). “Thank goodness for our marketing skill set.”

Misha’s Vineyard began as a passion project for the couple, who spent 17 years living in Singapore, working in marketing and sales while playing in travel, wine and food. They approached the wine project with detailed business planning, choosing Central Otago for its Pinot prestige, and the 57 hectare site - looking over Lake Dunstan for its capacity to carry its own winemaker, viticulturist and equipment. Planting began in

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Barrelling Along in Cromwell

MISHA’S VINEYARD is one of four tasting rooms on the 4 Barrels Walking Wine Trail, established to guide visitors and locals along an 8km loop of Central Otago scenery, orchards and wine producers. The trail visits the Misha’s Vineyard, Aurum Wines, Scott Base and Wooing Tree Wines cellar doors, with an illustrated trail map allowing people to take it at their own pace.

2004, with varieties chosen to suit the Asian market, which they considered neglected by most New Zealand wine companies, in a range to perfectly match a lingering degustation, because “that’s who we are and what we do all the time”.

They wooed their ideal winemaker (Olly Masters) and distributors, then launched in Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Japan in 2009, as per their strategic plan.

“What we didn’t count on was the GFC, which really hit hard,” says Misha. They were seeking distributors just as distributors were shedding wine labels, in what proved a “make or break time”.

Misha’s Vineyard made it, and in 2017 they opened a cellar door in Cromwell, deciding that despite their export focus, they could tell their stories direct to visitors.

“We had a very clear vision of what we wanted to create,” says Misha, explaining that the “rubber hits the road” when someone walks in, tastes the wine and gains an impression of who they are, from the stage names of their wines to the homage they pay to the Chinese gold miners who once worked Bendigo seams. “We had a very clear business plan of what we would do, and the experience we wanted to offer.” Education was a big part of that, with stories of the wines, but also

The Focus

the history of the region and background on New Zealand’s wine industry, she says.

They resolved to open every day, and to have an extensive list of wines available, including reserves. Informed by their own travels to the world’s greatest wine regions, they wanted to shed any barriers to a good wine experience, and avoid the intimidation people may feel around tasting wine, by using the stories of opera, ballet, gold miners and vines to open doors to the essence of their brand.

They also made themselves accessible, with an office above the cellar door, so visitors can hear the stories from the people behind the wine, which is something Misha has always loved in her wine experiences in New Zealand and abroad.

They overachieved on their financial objectives, “which was a nice surprise”, garnered

consistent five star reviews on Tripadvisor, “which makes us really happy”, and were named a finalist in the inaugural New Zealand Winegrowers Cellar Door of the Year competition in 2019. The same year, Misha’s Vineyard won the 2019 Central Otago Business Excellence Award, with judges calling the operation “a textbook case of excellent business practice”, w h i c h w a s “e s s e n t i a l l y

faultless”.

Then in February this year, Covid-19 blew their export market out of the water, as the premium hotel restaurants they relied on stopped ordering.

Exports starting “trickling back” in July, but it’s been an “enormous impact”, says Misha. “There are some bright spots though – our China distributor says they have 70 percent of their business back.” That’s buoyed by China’s strong domestic tourism trade, but the likes of Hong Kong and Singapore are feeling it a lot more. “We have had to pirouette,” she says. “We have done some sales to markets we don’t normally sell to and picked up some opportunities in the US.” They also sold some fruit rather than make it into wine, and sold some inventory during Covid-19. “Fortunately, Central Otago’s harvest was at a late enough stage that we could see what was happening and

made some of those decisions early on. And in New Zealand, orders have started to look a bit more normal.”

Meanwhile, the performance of the cellar door has been a welcome surprise, says Misha, who thought their only lifeline might be New Zealand opening its borders to Australia. Instead, Kiwis visiting Queenstown for skiing have made the one-hour journey through the Kawarau Gorge to visit tasting rooms in Cromwell. “People talk about one in 10 visitors making that trip, but Kiwis are more likely to because they have their own transport – whereas the overseas tourists will stay close to Queenstown,” she says.

“There are not a lot of people around, but they are engaged.”

She’s aware the ski season will have buoyed the visitor numbers, and hasn’t stopped worrying yet. “We’ll see how things go. We are in uncharted territory.”

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The Focus

Wine Tour Woes Tough times for wine tourism guides BRENDA WEBB

Explore Marlborough. Photo by Jessica Jones

BOOK INGS FOR premium wine tours “vanished” when New Zealand’s borders closed, say operators struggling under Covid-19. “Overseas wine tourists were a huge boost to our economy by generally staying longer and spending more,” reports Phil Parker of Auckland Fine Wine and Food Tours. “That high-end slice of the market has instantly vanished, possibly for years.

Ninety percent of my typical Auckland wine tour clients were inbound tourists.”

Operators could remodel their businesses to appeal to the domestic market, but finding a sweet spot that suits both parties is not always easy, says Phil. Operators could not continue to charge rates that were unaffordable to the average New Zealand domestic tourist, but “likewise, Kiwis should appreciate that we can’t run a business that makes a loss”, he says. “Sure, your mate Dave who knows a

24 //

bit about wine can take you to Kumeu but are you getting a premium experience?” Phil can’t see borders opening for 12 to 24 months and believes the lucrative trans-Tasman bubble is also some way off.

“Many operators are thinking seriously whether they have a future and I’m one of them.”

In Marlborough, most operators have seen their businesses drastically affected. Karen Walshe, who runs Explore Marlborough cycle vineyard tours from Rapaura Rd, Marlborough’s iconic “golden mile” of wine, lost 90 percent of her custom overnight. “It’s pretty dire to be totally wiped off the planet like that,” she says. “We are just hanging in and waiting to see what happens and really hoping next summer might pick up. But that is looking less likely with the rest of the world slightly chaotic. It’s a constantly moving space and so hard to plan for.”

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

The light at the end of tunnel is the prospect of a busy future once New Zealand does reopen, and Karen says it is up to operators to use the time now to productively plan for that.

“It’s a good opportunity to start looking at how Marlborough tourism as a whole can plan for a busy future – it will come back, we just don’t know when.”

While New Zealanders are travelling domestically, they are a tiny percentage of the wine tourism market and, generally speaking, don’t do guided tours, bring their own bikes and spend less, Karen says. “We are trying hard not to pre-judge it, and my view is that we just have to get out there and build the New Zealand market and try to earn enough money to cover costs”. The hardest part was trying to remain available for the domestic market which could be fickle, she says. “You can either shut your business down or stay open – you can’t put a tourism business into

hibernation.”

Being ex-navy has been a godsend for Jess Daniell and Dean Fielding who own and run Marlborough Wine Tours. Dean is still in the naval reserves and has taken up a role managing a quarantine facility in Auckland.

“We went from having 70 people a day and seven vans on the road to nothing,” says Jess. “There is no way we could have survived without Dean’s wage.” The company had a high profile on travel websites such as TripAdvisor and therefore it had to keep active. “You can’t just shut – you have to keep going,” she says. “And you’ve still got the overheads.”

Marlborough traditionally has busy summers and quiet winters, and most operators adapted to that, she says. “We all had such a good summer– the problem will be not having any fat from this coming summer to get through next winter. That will be the critical time.”

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The Focus

Vintage Update

Covid-19 cuts labour force JOELLE THOMSON Villa Maria

W INE COMPA NIES, large and small, are grappling with the potential shortage of a reliable labour force for vintage 2021, with borders closed to international workers. While some industry members say that will impact their ability to hand harvest quality wines, and leave wineries short on cellar hands, companies are swiftly adapting to look local.

“Often we lose a lot of young winemakers to overseas wine growing areas,” says Hawke’s Bay Winemaker Daniel Brennan of Decibel Wines. “I think there are many folk still in the country who can help, but this impacts larger and smaller wineries in

different ways.”

A strolabe W inemaker Simon Waghorn is taking precautions to ensure machine harvesting can be done on hand-pick blocks, “if necessary”. That means checking machinery access to the blocks, and compatibility of row spacings and topography to machine harvesting, he says.

He hopes workers stranded in Marlborough from last harvest may be allowed to work in the vines or winery for vintage 2021. “Otherwise, it might be a case of all hands to the pump, with office staff or permanent vineyard staff and growers press-ganged

Building a workforce NEW ZEALAND’S WINE industry has an opportunity to find the silver lining in Covid-19, says Nicola Crennan. “That is to build our workforce capability and attract talented people who may not have otherwise thought about the wine industry as a career.” Government is sending “strong signals” to the wine industry to look to the New Zealand workforce to meet seasonal labour needs, she says. “Based on this, we believe that the high border exceptions threshold will remain. We have to rethink parts of our workforce, and become more self-sufficient in terms of personnel.” NZW is talking to training institutes and universities, “who are as excited as we are about the amazing courses and careers we can offer to New Zealanders”, Nicola says. “Producing New Zealand’s world-class wines creates numerous career opportunities, and people could get a taste through helping out with harvest or vintage.”

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The Focus

Wine courses prepare for vintage 2021 SOPHIE PREECE

C OV I D -19 I S c reat ing “amazing opportunities” for wine and viticulture students, says the head of Hawke’s Bay’s viticulture and wine science school. Sue Blackmore, from Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), says closed borders will make wine students far more valuable to companies during vintage, and vintage experience more valuable for students.

“We have to enable these students to get out into industry as soon as possible… to hit the ground running.”

The school has been working with wine companies in Hawke’s Bay to ascertain needs for the 2021 vintage, and has responded with two additional fees-free programmes, including a basic cellar operations course, which will give students enough knowledge to kick off their first vintage, undertaken as part of the qualification. The school has also made plans to enable more students in its wine and viticulture programmes - including all but the first year of its degree course - to work a full vintage.

The students will provide a premium resource to wineries short of experienced cellar staff, and the students will have invaluable opportunities to build contacts and experience, says Sue. EIT will launch its fees-free Certificate in Cellar Operations (Level 3) in January, with the hands-on one-semester programme culminating in vintage at a Hawke’s Bay winery. “We are basically trying to help people get into the industry who want a taste of it without doing a degree,” says Sue. “Hawke’s Bay wine companies are very keen to be part of it.” The new programmes join the existing fees-free Graduate Diploma in Oenology, for those who already have a science-related qualification or industry experience, and Graduate Diploma in Viticulture (Level 7), both available online or on campus.

Covid-19 has seen enrolments

boosted, as people out of work look to a career change, says Sue. “Before the courses were fully announced, we were getting enquiries.” She’s also seeing more interest from school leavers and careers advisors, who thought it was “amazing” to have a paid vintage amid the study.

“It’s not only fees-free, but they will get paid and get instant hands-on experience.”

Meanwhile, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT), has developed a new delivery of cellar hand training which includes condensed training options in January to ensure skilled students are on hand for vintage 2021.

From now on, the Level 3 and Level 4 Cellar Operations programmes will enable more trainees to study while they work within industry. Classes will pause for up to eight weeks of vintage, and students will be assisted in finding a paid practical vintage placement. Pam Wood, NMIT’s Curriculum Manager for Primary Industries, says that gives the students excellent hands-on experience and offers

support to vineyards and wineries. NMIT also offer an online delivery of Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking, Level 7, which allows students nationwide to study from the wine region they work in, she says.

Wine Marlborough Advocacy Manager Vance Kerslake says the evolving courses are evidence of necessity breeding invention. “Wine schools like NMIT are working hand in hand with wine companies, for the good of the students and the industry - which can really do with their help.”

Lincoln University is also working to address the labour crisis affecting all New Zealand’s primary industries, including wine, says Practical Work Coordinator Barbara Nicholson.

Teaching times for third-year students can be rearranged so they can complete their academic requirements and their practical work by starting the semester a month early, she says. “This means that they can have an extra-long break and go and work on a vintage, then come back and complete their academic work.”

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 27

The Focus

Escarpment

into cellar work.” Either way, the company is looking to reduce the throughput of handpicked fruit in the winery, “as it is more labour intensive and disruptive to winery workflow”, he says. “We don’t want to exacerbate the issues of staff shortages.”

Nicola Crennan, External Relations Manager for New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), says the looming threat of a seasonal labour shortage offers plentiful career opportunities in both vines and wineries.

“NZW is aiming to help members attract new workers to the wine sector to ensure there are sufficient personnel in place to grow and bring in the 2021 crop, and beyond.”

The industry body is also lobbying Government to offer visa flexibility to seasonal vineyard staff and skilled winery workers who came for vintage 2020 and were stranded in New Zealand by Covid-19. “We know there are many New Zealanders who will

28 //

need jobs, but we don’t think there will be enough to fill the gap. Experienced international workers will be vital to help train and supervise harvest and vintage workers.”

NZW has issued the 2020 Approval in Principle (AIP) letter of support and encourages employers to apply for AIP status as a way to employ international vintage specialists already in New Zealand, says Nicola.

“Immigration New Zealand has also restarted processing essential skills visa applications for people already in New Zealand, so that is another option to add to your vintage workforce.”

The border closures will impact on the employment of Reco gnised Seasonal Employer (R SE) scheme workers from the Pacific Islands, who have become a mainstay of the vineyard labour pool, through the growing season, harvest and winter pruning. Up to 7,500

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

RSE workers remain stranded in New Zealand, having come in for the 2019/2020 summer and winter season. Nicola welcomes recent repatriation flights to Pacific nations, saying “we hope all the workers who want to get home are able to”. NZW is also working on a plan for employers to be able to provide managed isolation and quarantine facilities, once the border is able to open for returning RSE workers.

Meanwhile, it is developing a case study for a border exception for skilled vintage workers, who, to be deemed as an ‘other critical worker’, need to have unique experience and technical or specialist skills that are not readily obtainable in New Zealand, she says.

“We are working on that as a priority and will keep members updated on its progress.”

NZW is also creating reliable 2020/2021 workforce supply and demand data, so wineries can predict accurately what labour is available to meet their needs.

Clive Jones, Winemaker for Nautilus Winer y in Marlborough, says he may need to review the hand pick programme at Nautilus for next year, subject to labour availability.

“I certainly see this as quality compromise but, given a lot of our hand pick happens early in the season, I am confident we will be able to get the majority done,” he says. “We use a contract gang and will likely have to take a cooperative approach with other wineries to ensure fair access to the limited labour supply.”

It seems “very unlikely” the border rules will relax, meaning any potential overseas vintage workers would have to be in quarantine for two weeks prior to starting work, he says.

“Given we only need these workers for about six weeks, it

seems unlikely that the extra cost and time for quarantine will be justifiable for both us and the worker.” Clive hopes visa extensions will be granted to some workers stranded in the country from last vintage.

“This seems a very practical solution but will need support from Immig ration. T he majority of our vintage team is usually from New Zealand but one or two experienced internationals helps out a lot.”

Over in the Wairarapa, one of New Zealand’s smallest wine regions, Nga Waka Winery General Manager Mick Hodson predicts Covid19 will have little impact on the 2021 harvest and vintage work following.

“We are sorted for winery staff and are confident that our contractors, Wall Horticulture, will be able to supply the staff we need for hand picking.”

Hawke’s Bay winemaker and niche Chardonnay producer Tony Bish says premium and super premium Chardonnay grapes have to be handpicked, so he plans to beef up his team of family, friends and local volunteers, RSE workers are in short supply.

Decibel’s Daniel Brennan says there are “phenomenal machine harvesters” that will help take the pressure off, “but there will always be premium wines and vineyards that can’t use machine harvesting, like our Martinborough Pinot block, and we’ll have to rely on hand pickers”. Pruning and spring work labour force is not currently an issue for Decibel, he adds.

“Of course, Mother Nature is a key factor. If we can basically pick whenever we want, then it probably won’t be an issue.

In fact, we had easier access to pickers in Martinborough in 2020, when the weather was perfect during lockdown, than we did in 2018 when there was intermittent rain.”

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The Focus

Sales Soar

Wine exports defy expectations SOPHIE PREECE

Staete Landt

COVID-19 HAS seen a surge in sales of New Zealand wine, with July exports up 23 percent on the previous year. The “big picture” is that overall retail and supermarket sales have “more than compensated” for the fall-off in hospitality and specialist markets, says New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Chief Executive Philip Gregan. But that’s of little solace to companies reliant on on-premise sales around the world, he adds. “There are some people who are definitely winning at the moment and some people who are suffering.”

When Covid-19 reared its head earlier this year, NZW revised its budgets, based on a 10 percent reduction in wine sales in the March through June period, and from June 2020 to January 2021. They also did a “pretty ugly” worst case scenario budget based on a 25 percent reduction in sales for the same period, says Philip. Instead, the March to June period saw export sales

30 //

increase by 6 percent, and July numbers show a jump of 23 percent on the previous year.

The export statistics also show an early move to vintage 2020 exports, with 8 million litres of 2020 Sauvignon Blanc in June, and 14 million litres in July, when just 4 million litres of 2019 Sauvignon were exported. “That was in line with our pre-vintage stock levels,” says Philip, referencing “record low levels” of stock going in to vintage 2020 and a January NZW survey revealing medium to large wineries were keen to bring in a larger crop. They got their wish, because with wine deemed an essential service in the Alert Level 4 lockdown, along with good yields and great weather, the country bought in its largest ever crop in tonnes, with 457,000 tonnes of grapes, up 11 percent on 2019.

Despite the good sales to date, including in 2020 Rosé and Pinot Gris, all wine companies – whether winning

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

or suffering – have uncertainty in common, says Philip. “If you ask them what they think about the future, their response is the same – ‘we have no idea’.” While the signs to date are looking positive, “every month is going to be critical going forward”, he says.

Rabobank Senior Wine Analyst Hayden Higgins says the buoyant export data likely shows increased retail demand flowing through to exports, with the greatest boost to companies that can provide good volume. “New Zealand wines often sit at a pretty good price point – premium but not super premium,” he says. The lift in bulk volumes this year could indicate companies looking to get more wine sold early on, in order to secure cash flow, whilst meeting increased retail demand offshore. But he notes that packaged wine has hardly dropped as a result of the increase in bulk exports, and the price per litre has risen for both categories. “That’s

what you want to see.”

The story to date has been “very positive”, but companies will be keeping a watchful eye on markets, especially as waves of Covid-19 reappear around the world and slow the return to on-premise in some markets, says Hayden. There’s also a question around what will happen when government economic stimulus packages run out in New Zealand and Australia. No-one has a crystal ball, but everyone will be watching markets carefully, he says. “Demand could soften in the future, which means we might sell a little bit less or value might come back to continue selling the same volume… Our advice is ‘keep a watch on the market’, because there is downside risk as the economic recession unfolds globally,” he adds. “The best case outcome is that we are wrong.”

Hunter’s Managing Director Jane Hunter says earlier in the year her team was

The Focus

Sauvignon Blanc in a sweet spot SOPHIE PREECE

COVID-19 HAS given Constellation Brands New Zealand a boost in the US market, as consumers fall back to strong brands they trust, says Managing Director Simon Towns.

The company’s ecommerce sales are “hundreds of percent up” in the US, retail sales are buoyant, and the past 12 weeks has seen a 10c to 12c lift, year on year, to an average price of $US13.91 per bottle.

New Zealand’s market is experiencing some trading down, as is the Australian market, to a lesser extent, Simon says.

“But in the US you are still seeing premiumisation in this time… the higher price points are growing more rapidly than the lower price points.”

Simon says the company was confident early on that exports should meet or exceed their original plans, as long as the supply chain remained stable.

“The US had already been in some form of lock down in different parts of the country, but it was very clear that the off premise channel was open for business and the ecommerce rate of penetration for beverage alcohol was increasing rapidly.”

They had also seen evidence from

the United Kingdom and Europe that large and strong brands were faring well, offering consumers “a sense of comfort and loyalty in brands they know and trust”. Constellation Brands New Zealand harvested over 48,300 tonnes of grapes in the 2020 harvest and proceeded as usual, with Kim Crawford wines bottled in New Zealand, and Nobilo and Monkey Bay shipped out in bulk, to be bottled by the company in the US. Meanwhile, Constellation Brands as a whole upped the ante on its ecommerce, which was already a focus, but has been “accelerated” by Covid-19.

Simon says the global company’s ecommerce sales have gone up “hundreds of percent” during the pandemic, via three tier ecommerce (producer to distributor to retailer) and the digital platforms of bricks and mortar operations.

The third ecommerce arm is directto-consumer (DTC), and in July Constellation Brands increased its stake in that game by buying Empathy Wines, a digital wine brand and DTC platform, powered by consumer insights

and content-driven digital marketing.

Ecommerce has always been strong in the US, but beverage alcohol didn’t have much penetration – until now, Simon says.

As an example of the massive opportunity in digital in the US, one ecommerce player Constellation works with experienced increases in trading, day on day, through April and May, with all of them better than their previous best days, which were New Year’s Eve and the Superbowl.

Simon notes that the US wine market will likely change when the recession bites, but believes the “sweet spot” of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc category - “which gives consumers exceptional quality at an affordable price” - will ensure continued growth.

“We very much see our role as the biggest exporter of New Zealand wine to the US to be maintaining those price points.”

But he fears the favourable exchange rate will make it tempting for some New Zealand players to push through more volume at a lower price. “I really hope we don’t see people putting prices down.”

Winemaker Anthony Walkenhorst

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 31

The Focus

Yealands

“apprehensive”, as very little of Hunter’s wine is sold into supermarkets in their export markets. “With restaurants and other hospitality outlets closing as countries went onto lockdown we were

“There are some people who are definitely winning at the moment and some people who are suffering.”

constantly re-forecasting our sales projections,” Jane says.

“However, as time has moved on we have been pleasantly surprised to see that our preCovid projections are being met and our distribution channels in various countries have

32 //

been quick to diversify and find new ways to connect with customers.”

She says they are missing face to face contact with distributors and customers, “but like others we are making the most of Zoom to keep in touch and to do tasting sessions to introduce the new vintage wines”.

Jules Taylor says exports have been very unpredictable for Jules Taylor Wines since the beginning of the year, “with some worryingly quiet periods followed by some surges and then back again month by month”. She says distributors seem to be running stock down more than usual before replenishing. “Our major export market is the US, and we sell through a fairly balanced mix of restaurant and retail customers. Obviously, the

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

restaurant side of the industry has been doing it very tough with sales well down and increased costs to operate, but this has been offset by increased retail and take home sales.”

She says it has been a difficult environment for her importer and distributor teams to operate in.

“Forecasting has gone out the window, but overall we are about where we would normally be at this point in the year.”

Yealands General Manager Sales, Liam Kelly, says the company took a “mildly conservative view of demand” as Covid-19 hit, knowing their on-premise channels would be most severely impacted.

They also knew off-premise sales would spike, but their initial forecasts have been exceeded, with Yealands Sauvignon Blanc in the UK and US growing at twice the rate of the category, he says.

The most consistent demand has been from the Asia Pacific and Europe regions, “where we have both developed and developing markets for the Yealands brand”, he says. “The US and the UK have been the most volatile as far as demand fluctuations, but overall we’re seeing the New Zealand wine category outperforming the total wine category in almost all markets, which has been really encouraging.”

Liam says the company is confident about the future of the New Zealand wine market and has strong plans for growth of Yealands Wine Group brands within it.

“No doubt we’ll need to remain agile as this pandemic continues to throw challenges our way. But I think even pre Covid-19, volatility is the norm in the global marketplace.

“So you have to equip your people and business to deal with it.”

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The Focus

Findex Report Covid-19 a big hit to small wineries SOPHIE PREECE Misha’s Vineyard

LOSING BOUTIQUE wineries to Covid-19 would be a blow for New Zealand’s wine industry, say the authors of a new report into challenges for small operators.

“We don’t want to be referenced as a one stop shop for large retail brands,” says lead author Alistair King, a wine industry specialist with accounting firm Findex.

“New Zealand needs to maintain a diversity of offerings and rich ecosystems of wineries.”

Covid-19 Wine Industry

Support was commissioned by the Ministry for Primary Industries, to consider what can be done to protect vulnerable smaller wineries from failing as a result of the pandemic, prioritising the most efficient, feasible, cost efficient, and promptly deployable options.

Alistair and his team interviewed representatives from 17 small companies across New Zealand’s main wine growing regions. Many of

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them began the 2021 financial year with budgets anticipating deteriorating trade over the next 12 to 18 months, despite operating successfully before Covid-19. Given the pressure the pandemic has placed on those viable businesses, more marginal wineries will be struggling “to a far greater extent”, the authors warn.

The dramatic decline in the on-premise wine sales channel has had a significant impact on

small, premium wine brands reliant on that trade. This segment struggled to access major grocery and off-premise chains before Covid-19, and that has become even harder throughout the pandemic, says the report. It highlights the production split in the New Zealand market, with Sauvignon Blanc accounting for 76 percent of New Zealand’s production and 85 percent of its wine exports.

The remaining 24 percent of

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The Focus

production is dominated by higher cost and higher price varietals, made by smaller wineries. “These varietals are growing in inventory and are in a potential oversupply situation” says Alistair.

Looming labour shortages, due to border closures, were another major challenge, as was the need for digital tools for communication and as a pathway to the consumer, says the report.

“Reliable high-speed internet connectivity has never been more critical, as lockdowns required wineries to focus on direct to customer channels, which relied heavily on websitebased sales platforms, video conferencing and digital data upload.” However, many of the companies spoken to for the report said they lacked the time and money to make any significant investments in digital.

Possible remedies include continued support of domestic tourism and buy local campaigns, and the opportunity to raise awareness among New Zealanders of the quality of New Zealand food and beverage products, the report says. “This would help wineries maintain margins on domestic sales through a far greater appreciation of the value of our locally produced food and beverage products.”

Companies interviewed also believed increased support to streamline logistics and international supply chains would help them weather the storm created by the closure of the international tourism market.

“Smaller wineries we spoke to who need to sell direct to consumer are faced with direct shipping post order, which is slow and at a high cost per unit or scrambling to arrange the correct distribution channels in export markets,” says Alistair.

A collaboration between New Zealand Trade and Enter prise and industr y

could be explored, “to provide compliance and logistical support in key export markets to allow smaller New Zealand food and beverage producers to market direct to consume and ship from dedicated localised warehousing quickly direct to market at higher margins”, the report says.

Small wineries have a critical role to play in an economic recovery, particularly across rural and regional New Zealand, says Alistair. “This will only be possible if wine businesses survive the short to medium term cashflow threats they are facing and are able to maintain productivity.”

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) External Relations Manager Nicola Crennan says the report findings are “on point” and summarise what the industry body has been hearing from members. Speaking at a webinar after its release, she said NZW was working within a Labour Action Plan to make wine “the industry of choice” in New Zealand (see page 26).

The advocacy team has been engaging with Government agencies, other horticultural bodies, regional wine bodies and wine schools to ascertain the extent of labour challenges and to find the workers needed for the coming season.

NZW Marketing Manager Charlotte Read, also in the webinar, said NZW is supporting domestic tourism initiatives and Buy Local, and had its own Visit the Vines campaign.

The marketing team had been successful in “storytelling” around New Zealand food and beverage, with good uptake by journalists here and abroad.

NZW is working closely with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and looked forward to the launch of the Made with Care food and beverage campaign, Charlotte said.

To see the webinar, go to nzwine.com/ members/marketing/webinars/

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 35

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The Science

Pinot Programme Productivity, quality and Pinot Noir SOPHIE PREECE

Escarpment

A MACHINE learning algorithm could help change the face of New Zealand Pinot Noir, by offering data-based decisions for optimal Pinot production. That’s one piece of a complex project looking to upset the traditional quality vs quantity “seesaw” of Pinot Noir production, says Dr Matias Kinzurik, Bragato Research Institute Research Programme Manager.

Matias, who has led the programme since it began in 2017, says hundreds of years of tradition govern the way growers and winemakers view Pinot Noir, with small crops seen as essential. The fiveyear Pinot Noir Programme involves research from vine to glass, and glass to vine, in order to “break” that position, by enabling increased Pinot Noir yields at high quality parameters, he says. “If we understand what quality is, could we produce more wine at high quality?”

The programme has two main objectives, starting with an understanding of what Pinot Noir quality means to both consumers and experts.

“It is not as clear-cut as it is for other varieties of wine,” says

38 //

Matias, referencing a recently published study from Dr Wendy Parr of Lincoln University, who worked with experts and consumers to ascertain perceptions of quality (see sidebox).

The study had several key findings, including a link between herbaceous notes and lower quality Pinot Noir. A subsequent project will dive into specifics around that herbaceous descriptor, then ascertain the chemical signatures behind it, while also drilling into the chemistry behind positive flavour or in-mouth attributes, says Matias.

The research found that

colour has a “huge influence” on the perception of quality, especially when it comes to consumers, who are “all about the colour”, says Matias. While wine colour was not a major driver of Pinot Noir perceived quality when it came to professionals, the ability to see the wine did influence tasters’ judgments.

The second main objective of the programme is to use an enhanced understanding of quality perception to produce higher quantities of premium Pinot Noir, says Matias. Plant & Food Research (PFR) in Blenheim has done two years

The complex study of Pinot Noir quality QUALITY AND complexity are linked when it comes to experts’ perception of Pinot Noir wines, according to a study led by Dr Wendy Parr of Lincoln University. Wendy’s peer-reviewed study, which is part of the five-year Pinot Noir Programme, will be published in the November 2020 issue of Food Research International. The research found a positive correlation between quality and complexity, and that varietal typicality was virtually synonymous with perceived quality. Wine colour was not a major driver of Pinot Noir perceived quality for the exports, but the ability to see a wine’s colour did influence tasters’ judgments.

To read more on the research, go to page 96.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

of vineyard trials, to compare crop loads and subsequent wine quality, although the third year of work was derailed by Covid19, delaying those outcomes for a year. Meanwhile, PFR in Auckland is developing Pinot Noir berries in the lab – picked before veraison and placed in a Petri dish, to better understand the development and chemistry of the fruit.

The final piece of technology, being developed

by Lincoln University, is the algorithm, which will bring it all together, and use the collected data on quality perception, yield parameters and Pinot Noir chemistry, to provide a decision-making tool.

If the overall quality of New Zealand Pinot Noir increases, the reputational gain will allow companies to sell wine at a higher price, says Matias.

“Then if we can break the yieldquality seesaw, there are larger volumes to be exported and sold at a higher price.”

The five-year Pinot Noir Programme received $1 million in funding from New Zealand Winegrowers and $9.3m from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Endeavour Fund.

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The Science

Lighter Touch Prophet’s Rock

BRAGATO RESEARCH Institute has signed an agreement on behalf of the wine industry to participate in the $27 million Lighter Touch Programme, alongside other industries including kiwifruit, onions and citrus. The aim is to create new growing methods and crop protection measures that reduce chemical use, and spur greater production. The collaboration is funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) through its Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund, which will contribute $10.8m, with a further $16.2m coming from the horticulture, arable and wine industries over the programme’s seven-year life.

A g r i c u l t u re M i n i s t e r Damien O’Connor says the project is aimed at boosting sustainable hor ticulture

production and New Zealand’s Covid-19 recovery efforts. New Zealand has “a great story to tell” because its growers are among the most efficient and sustainable in the world, he says. “Our high-value overseas consumers want to know the story behind their food. They want greater assurances that the food and fibre they buy is produced in a sustainable way – and they’re willing to pay a premium for it.” The project will see the horticulture, arable and wine industries work together in a way they never have before, he says. “This project will enable these sectors to achieve much more, and in much a shorter time, than if each worked alone. This is exactly the sort of collaboration I hope other sectors will embrace.”

Bragato Research Institute (BRI) Chief Executive MJ Loza says the programme is in line with the wine industry’s focus on operating more sustainably. “The pan-industry New Zealand Inc approach taken with this new project is important, given the national and global importance of reducing our environmental footprints.”

Until recently, Viticulturist James Dicey represented the BRI on the industry reference group, providing “connectivity” to the wine industry. He says the value of the programme is largely strength in numbers, because as a unified front the horticultural industries involved can work with agrichemical companies to promote the introduction of more modern chemistry,

with a lighter environmental touch than the “old chemistry” currently available. James says it is a costly exercise for those companies to invest in rigorous trials in New Zealand, which is “so damned small”, but the collaboration could create a critical mass. The various indusry groups will also liaise on integrated pest management perspectives, and how to deal with pests and diseases effectively. The apple industry, for example, has taken organophosphates “off the table” and are using much lighter chemicals because of a more sophisticated and integrated control programme, James says. The New Zealand Winegrowers board recently removed organophosphates from the spray schedule for SWNZ certified vineyards.

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Science

Organic start-up Bart Arnst at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference

VINEYARDS C AN be organic from the get-go, says viticulturist Bart Arnst, following the development of Belmonte Vineyards in Marlborough last year. In a recent Organic Matters magazine, Bart shares the case study of the former BioGro certified feijoa orchard, which was converted to two hectares of vineyard, without conventional intervention. “Establishing a vineyard organically means that organic status can be maintained on land that is already certified organic,” he concludes.

Bart’s clients were keen to maintain the organic status, and his Organic Matters piece navigates the journey to f lourishing vineyard, beginning with soil tests and solid fertiliser application.

The ground was then ripped to a depth of 60cm in multiple directions, he says. “The goal of this was to pull up as many old roots as possible (a partial success), and also to break up the typical compaction that can happen in horticultural soils.”

42 //

The soil was worked with a stiff tine cultivator, which left a very clumpy finish, with several passes picking up roots and old irrigation, he says. In May 2019, he sowed a seed mix of beans and lupins from Kiwi Seed, followed immediately by a Cambridge roller which pressed the seeds into the soil.

“We chose leguminous cover crop species in order to fix nitrogen, with a focus on bulky crops that would add organic matter back into the ground”.

The cover crop was left to grow over winter and in early spring, they flattened the cover crop with a crimping roller, before bringing in stock to forage, “breaking up the crop residues and adding their own fertiliser”, says Bart. “We then worked the ground to a finer tilth to allow marking out for plants and posts.”

The vineyard was planted in mid-October, using ‘Hi-Stem’ tall vines from Ormond Nurseries and Woodshield posts throughout the vineyard.

They also put in subsurface irrigation, aiming for

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

placement 30cm out from the vines, at 30cm depth, although that accuracy was frequently foiled by remaining tree roots.

B ar t says s ubs ur face irrigation reduces weed competition by targeting water to the vine roots rather than surface weeds, and also requires less maintenance.

“We also believe we’ll use less water over time, because we’re not losing irrigation water to evapotranspiration on the surface.” He initially ran irrigation for six hours per week, in a single application, using a space to check it was reaching the vine roots.

The vineyard has two wires, with a lower fruiting wire that is stapled and a foliage wire that is clipped. Strong bamboo was attached to both wires, and plants were singled down to one shoot, trained up the bamboo. “The bamboo proved sturdy enough to activate the sensors on our weeder, protecting the vines during cultivation,” says Bart. “Once growing tips reached the first wire, we began delateralling,”

he says. Once growing tips reached the second wire, the team began to remove laterals between the first wire and the second. “When left too long, the vine tops got too heavy, and on occasions the tape securing the vine let go,” says Bart. “In these instances, when delateralled, the vine was rewrapped along the fruiting wire.”

By March 2020, when Bart wrote his piece for Organic Matters, the vineyard had been weeded twice with an undervine cultivator and once by hand. Using good strong vines, the right amount of water – with less weed competition due to it be subsurface - and the benefit of spring rains, set the vineyard up for success, he says.

“Everyone visiting the vineyard has been impressed with the growth.”

To read the full story on the organic establishment of Belmonte Vines, read Bart’s piece in the Autumn 2020 edition of Organic Matters, the magazine of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand-organicwinenz.com

The Science

The Bragato Trust ROMEO BRAGATO continues to make his mark on New Zealand’s wine industry, 125 years after he first offered advice on the prospects for viticulture. The Bragato Trust granted a total of $23,000 to seven wine and viticulture students last year, with 45 grants worth $240,000 since the trust was established in 2008.

Trust Chair Kevyn Moore, who is a past president of the New Zealand Grape Growers Council (NZGGC), says the grants are a lasting recognition of the foresight of Bragato. The Bragato Trust was established following a $380,841 bequest from the estate of Jan Colville, the granddaughter of Romeo Bragato.

It has been supplemented

with a number of donations, including from the NZGGC and New Zealand Winegrowers, and is now valued at around $1.1 million.

The charitable trust provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and research fellowships for students of viticulture in educational institutes and universities in New Zealand, to gain further qualifications or experience in viticulture.

Over the past 25 years, Kevyn has researched and written a comprehensive history on Romeo Bragato, who left Italy as a young viticulturist in 1888 in order to become part of Australia’s new world wine industry. By 1889 he was a Victorian Government Viticulturist and in 1895 (100 years

Romeo Bragato, left, with Assistant Winemaker James Andrews at Te Kauwhata in 1902

before the first Romeo Bragato Conference was held in Marlborough) Romeo visited New Zealand at the request of the Prime Minister Richard Seddon. He subsequently produced a report entitled ‘Prospects of Viticulture and Instructions for Planting and Pruning’, which was presented to the New Zealand Government.

In 1902 the Government persuaded Romeo to come to

New Zealand again, says Kevyn in his biography. This time he came to stay and became Government Viticulturist with the Department of Agriculture.

Kevyn says Romeo’s mark on the industry - through his work, the conference named for him, the trust that remembers him and the annual Bragato Student Exchange between New Zealand and Conegliano, Italy - is huge.

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The Science

OnGuard Wineries set for seismic shakes SOPHIE PREECE

FOUR YEARS after the Kaikōura earthquake, Marlborough wineries are far better prepared for a big shake, says structural engineer Will Lomax. The founder of the Onguard seismic tank system says the 2013 Seddon earthquake was a wake-up call for wine companies and insurers, but the 7.8 magnitude Kaikōura earthquake in November 2016 really got their attention. “That has caused a step change. I think people realise now that doing nothing is not an option,” says Will. “We see a whole different attitude to winery protection. There are millions of dollars’ worth

of product sitting in a tank, as well as health and safety risk and environmental risk.”

The Onguard system was designed after the Seddon event, and is based on replaceable sacrificial fuses within anchors at the base of tanks.

Onguard’s structural engineers design the entire tank system so that when an earthquake hits, the fuses take the brunt of the energy, protecting other elements of the system, including catwalks, Will says. After 2013, several wineries retrofitted or rebuilt using Onguard, and all of those systems came through the Kaikōura earth-

quake safe and sound, he says.

That earthquake caused around $300 million dollars of damage in Marlborough’s wine industr y, and lives would have been lost had it not been the middle of the night, says Will. In the years since, Onguard has been busy designing and installing systems, replacing fuses where necessary, and retrofitting tanks with sacrificial anchors.

The company also does a lot of work in the United States (which Will says is woefully unprepared for earthquakes) and has more than 20,000 units worldwide.

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A new complementar y system – Tygr Eye – activates with seismic movement to any liquid storage tank, and beams the information up to a database in the cloud, says Will. “So after an event you can log into the database and check on the condition of your inventory of tanks. If there has been movement, it will tell us what the movement and impact was.” That information is very useful to insurers, “because typically after an event someone turns up with clipboards”, he says. “Now we can give them the information in a matter of minutes.”

The Science

PhD Précis Ghouse Peera’s grapevine phenological models SOPHIE PREECE

Ghouse’s PhD - Developing grapevine phenological models in response to environmental and management factors - is supervised by Dr Amber Parker, Dr Mike Trought and Professor Don Kulasiri at Lincoln University.

FROM TASTING the world’s hottest chilis to analysing grapevine phenology, Ghouse Peera has long been fascinated with plants.

The Lincoln University PhD student is in the third year of research into a project modelling grapevine phenology under different topography and management – including pruning techniques - from budburst to target sugar concentrations.

He says the work, which considers key phenological and growth events, including budburst, leaf appearance rate, and shoot growth, will

help improve vine phenology and yield predictions and allow for more understanding of the impacts of climate change.

“We can use them as an anchor to predict what is going to happen, so we can be prepared and choose suitable cultivar options towards the future.”

Ghouse is from South India, where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture. He then worked as a chilli breeder, doing germplasm evaluation by sampling the likes of Scorpion, Viper and Ghost

peppers, in order to give them a pungency rating before they were used in hybridisation.

From there he worked with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), joining a biofuel project that had him breeding and analysing the performance of high biomass pearl millet cultivars for forage quality traits, and growing a passion for plant physiology.

That led him in turn to his PhD at Lincoln, where Ghouse has two trial sites, with one a hilly Pinot Noir block in Waipara, and the other a “relatively

homogenous” Lincoln University vineyard site, also planted in Pinot.

His work is part of the Precision Grape Yield Analyser (GYA) project, led by Lincoln Agritech Limited with project partners of Lincoln University, University of Canterbury, Plant and Food Research and CSIRO. The programme receives major funding from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment through an Endeavour programme. The GYA also has financial support from the Bragato Research Institute.

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The Science

Regenerative Research Understanding the market for regenerative agriculture

Millton Vineyards

T HE BR AG ATO Research Institute has joined a research initiative studying the global market potential of regenerative agriculture. The project was launched earlier this year by Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and recently broadened its outlook to the wine sector. “This research will provide the sheep, beef and wine sectors, as well as the wider food and fibres sectors, their first large-scale, evidence-based picture of the potential market upsides – or downsides – of regenerative agriculture,” says B+LNZ Chief Executive Sam McIvor, talking of a “massive global surge” in interest about regenerative agriculture in recent years.

There are diverse views around what regenerative agriculture means, and it is “critical” industries understand what consumers think and how influential players are acting, he says. “Understanding these factors helps us to better understand potential demand, and whether there are opportunities for New Zealand to leverage it. We want to get ahead of any opportunities so farmers, and now winegrowers too, can be best placed to take advantage of them.”

Michelle Barry from the

46 //

Bragato Research Institute says findings from the research could guide future vineyard management practices “and evolve brand messaging across the wine industry”. Michelle says it will be interesting to see what level of understanding exists in the marketplace when it comes to regenerative agriculture, and to learn more about consumers ’ expectations.

MPI’s Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund is the

main source of funding for the project. “Regenerative agriculture is receiving a lot of attention lately,” says MPI’s Director Investment Programmes Steve Penno. “This research will provide valuable insights into what consumers think regenerative agriculture is, and whether they’re willing to pay a premium for products that are produced using regenerative practices.”

Research will focus on consumers, industr y and

experts in key red meat and wine export markets - the US, UK and Germany. It will also explore local attitudes toward regenerative agriculture among farmers, processors, winegrowers and others, to understand their views on its potential, and how it could be incorporated within the existing value chain.

Results are expected in early 2021 and will be shared across the red meat and wine sectors.

Our Land and Water NEW ZEALAND’S wine industry is taking part in a regenerative agriculture research project run by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research and funded by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge. Michelle Barry from the Bragato Research Institute says the “think piece” aims to develop a framework for future regenerative agriculture research in New Zealand.

According to Our Land and Water, the project will look at how to combine academic knowledge with the ways farmers and land managers know and appraise their whole system. The project will also identify what farmers, investors and agribusinesses need to measure, so they can communicate how their farming approach benefits their customers, communities and regulators.

The project won’t look at specific

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

regenerative agriculture practices, but will focus on how scientists and land managers can measure the outcomes of regenerative farming activities. That includes measuring profitability, productivity, food quality and safety, animal welfare, social wellbeing, land and water quality, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The research team will also identify gaps in scientific knowledge about regenerative agriculture. The project will result in a research framework to be used by the Ministry of Primary Industries to inform future investment decisions for regenerative agriculture research. The report is expected to be made public in December.

To learn more about the Our Land and Water regenerative agriculture project, including a webinar from project leaders Dr Gwen Grelet and Sam Lang – go to ourlandandwater.nz/regenag

The Science

APPLY LESS, ABSORB MORE. Spinning Cone Column AN APPETITE for low alcohol wine is driving technology changes in New Zealand’s wine industry, says Vintech Pacific Wine Technologies Managing Director Guy Rutledge. Vintech introduced new spinning cone column (SCC) technology to New Zealand in late 2019, enabling the production of Giesen 0% Sauvignon Blanc, and other forays into near-zero alcohol wines.

This year demand has amped up again, as companies tap into a growing market for very low alcohol wines that resemble their full alcohol counterparts, says Guy. Vintech has a small unit at the Hawke’s Bay Wine Company, which is almost fully booked until after Christmas.

It is also building a new plant at Riverlands in Blenheim, where the latest technology – a large capacity GoLo vacuum distillation unit - will be located. “This will enable Vintech Pacific to produce both low and no-alcohol wines for the market, in volume,” Guy says. The Riverlands facility will also house new evaporator technology, for the production of high-quality grape juice concentrate.

The SCC technology is in effect an advanced form

of distillation. “However, rather than subjecting the wine to high temperatures, the process occurs under vacuum” says Guy. Rapidly spinning cones housed within the vacuum column create a vapour-thin film of wine. As a result, the wine only reaches temperatures around 35-45C and then only for around 25 seconds. “Combined with Vintech Pacific’s expertise in winemaking for low and no-alcohol wines, this opens up a new market for all New Zealand wine producers,” he says.

“Spinning cone technology is widely used in food and beverage applications overseas, such as beer, coffee and the production of flavour essences... In fact, our precommissioning trials in New Zealand showed that SCC can effectively capture valuable aroma compounds from must during fermentation and keep those compounds stable, allowing them to be reintroduced to the wine at a later time, such as at bottling.” Vintech Pacific has also brought in ReSoul Aroma Capture technology, which extracts aromatic compounds during fermentation.

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The Science

Modelling Change DR MIKE TROUGHT

U NDER STA NDING A ND anticipating how climate (long term) and weather (short term) influences the future development of grapevines is necessary if the correct management decisions are to be made. Dr Junqi Zhu, of Plant & Food Research, recently described how mathematical models can be used to predict grapevine yields in the current season, while Dr Amber Parker, from Lincoln University, looked at the longer-term consequence of climate change.

Speaking at a seminar in Blenheim in August , Junqi explained how a yield prediction model, which is part of a wider computergenerated “virtual” vineyard, can be used to capture the effects of environment , management, and training system on plant and berry g ro w t h . T h e m o d e l l i n g process enables researchers to test climate and innovative management treatments on vine development, without the cost of expensive field experiments. The outcomes of the model can then be validated using field experiments. At the same time, the model provides growers with an estimate

48 //

of potential bunch number and yield 12 months before harvest, enabling pruning to be adjusted to meet yield targets.

The first part of the model improves on the Sauvignon Blanc yield prediction model widely used by the industry from 2009. Unlike the old model, which uses mean daily temperatures over fixed time periods, the new model, which uses data from long-term trials starting in 2005, incorporates several other climate factors, including rainfall and maximum temperatures, and can be adjusted to reflect the date of flowering. The bunch number prediction for the vineyards used to develop the model was within 10 percent of the 2020 harvest with yields being within 5 percent of prediction. The current bunch number estimate for the 2021 harvest ranges from 103 to 111 percent of the long-term average.

Amber took a long-term view, asking the audience “with future predicted changes in climate, which grapevine variety will you be planting in 30 to 50 years’ time?”

Her presentation started by describing how data from

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Alsace has shown that the dates of flowering, veraison and harvest have advanced by between 23 and 35 days in the past 70 years. She emphasised how valuable long-term records were in anticipating future changes and while, of shorter duration, data collected by Plant & Food Research scientists (as part of the Sauvignon Blanc research programme and New Zealand Winegrowers ’ VineFacts initiative), over the past 15 years demonstrated advances in phenology similar to those in Alsace, with flowering and the date at which fruit reached a sugar concentration of 200 grams per litre (~20.7 oBrix) advancing over the past 10 years by three and two days respectively. Phenological models developed using large, long-term, European data have been validated using Marlborough observations.

T he models provide an opportunity to investigate how increasing temperature, as a result of climate change, may influence the suitability of grape varieties in different New Zealand regions. For example, a 2 or 4C increase in warming may result in most current vineyard regions

becoming less suitable for Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc production, and assuming the rate of temperature increase does not slow (under emission scenario RCP 8.5) the Marlborough region becomes more suitable for varieties such as Merlot and Grenache. Vineyard strategies (eg, reducing the leaf area: fruit weight ratio) to delay phenology and ripening were discussed. Modifying current vineyard management may provide tools to maintain current varieties and style in the medium term.

Both presentations emphasised the importance of keeping, and then using, long-term vineyard records. By understanding how weather events today influence the developing vine, we can anticipate both short-term (eg , yield in the coming season) and long-term (eg, replanting decisions) and make better informed management decisions.

Mike Trought is a plant physiologist, Adjunct Associate Professor at Lincoln University, and Honorary Fellow, Plant & Food Research. He developed the Grape Yield model previously used in yield predictions for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

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The People The Balance

Clive Paton. Pg 51

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Photo by Lief Carlsson

The People

The Balance

Forty years pairing wine and conservation at Ata Rangi BALANCING A life of wine with a passion for conservation comes naturally to Ata Rangi’s Clive Paton, who spends mornings at his Martinborough winery and afternoons in his native forest. “I love planting things, I love the bush, I love the people who love the bush,” says the icon of New Zealand wine and trees.

It’s been 40 years since Clive gave up sharemilking to plant 5 hectares of stony paddock in 1980. “I decided to buy a piece of land on the gravel terrace and to become a winemaker.”

He was raising a daughter on his own, so couldn’t go away to study, but was in good company in the region, with four other Martinborough wine

pioneers all learning on the ground, he says. “We all shared information and equipment until we got our own wineries.”

A few years later, Clive’s sister Alison bought a 2ha block adjoining his own, and the Pinot Noir plantings there helped forge Ata Rangi’s international reputation. But Clive had spent part time on his grandfather’s Waikato farm when he was growing up, surrounded by trees, and longed to get more than vine roots in the ground. “In town, I was at the point where I was needing to chop down trees in order to plant trees. So I began to search for a piece of land to cover with natives.”

He found it when looking at

potential land for a vineyard management of Ata Rangi, he expansion, and discovered says.

120ha of neglected bush at If Pinot Noir is his wine the back of the property. of choice, it’s another red “Straightaway, I knew I beauty that wins his heart in wouldn’t find another piece the bush. A few months after of land like it so close to buying the property, a friend Martinborough,” says Clive of his “We have a vehicle to beloved “bush block”, which has have a bit of influence f lo u r i s he d ove r through Ata Rangi.” the past 18 years, thanks to fencing, pest control and planting. Clive of Clive’s went up the ridge and and the Ata Rangi crew have discovered rātā, “which were planted around 75,000 trees, thought to be totally extinct in including 1,500 rātā. While the the area”, Clive says, lamenting plantings are mostly native, the devastation possums wreak there are also durable eucalypts on the species. “One day I went and other timber species, which up there just before Christmas play a role in the sustainable and the rātā were flowering.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 51

The People

There would’ve been 500 tūī in there. It was like walking past the Cake Tin when there was a game on - a huge roar. It was incredible. So, I decided to propagate them and start planting through my areas.”

Clive soon joined forces with the Project Crimson Trust, which was founded in 1990 to protect and plant pōhutukawa and rātā, but now acts as champion for all native species. “The board from Project Crimson Trust came for a field day in around 2005, and I was so inspired by their work,” he says. “Some became very good friends. I’ve never looked back.”

Conservation provokes a similar camaraderie to the Pinot industry, he says. “You have to be slightly crazy to be a Pinot Noir producer, and it links everybody. It’s the same in conservation. Once you know people are interested in the environment, you become friends pretty quickly.”

Ata Rangi’s “Crimson” is a younger vine Pinot Noir named for the trust and sold in support of its work. Ata Rangi has also supported Project Crimson’s Trees That Count project, with more than 350 native trees funded for planting groups across New Zealand. The cellar door and wines are also a valuable tool for inspiring others, says Clive.

“We have a vehicle to have a bit of influence through Ata Rangi, with thousands of individual customers who’ve come across our love of rātā and pōhutukawa.” Many of them have left the cellar door with a baby rātā to plant. “It’s part of our marketing - but more than that, it’s who we are.”

Clive received the ONZM for his services to the environment in 2012 and the Loder Cup in 2014, but is far from done in

his conservation work.

The Aorangi Conservation Trust he founded looks after around 40,000 hectares behind his own bush block, and the Pūkaha to Kawakawa Alliance group he helped establish provides connectivity between organisations such as the Department of Conservation and Greater Wellington Regional Council, and works to secure funding for conservation work across

the Wairarapa region.

“We’re not going to see the change in our lifetime, but we’re setting it up for our children and grandchildren to keep going,” he says. “It’s a multi-generational problem, and solution. We can never repair the damage done, but we can have a pretty good crack at making things a lot better, and at looking after what we have left.” treesthatcount.co.nz

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The People

Wellness in Wine

Learning care from Covid-19 SOPHIE PREECE

THE COVID crisis has helped sharpen focus on employee wellbeing, says a wine industry health and safety consultant.

Rebecca Condon, of SHR Consulting, says the enhanced care and attention required during the 2020 vintage has helped soften New Zealand’s “harden up” culture, which could drive people to go to work with a cold or while battling the flu.

It has also served to improve communication channels for staff in some companies, and to propel stronger health and safety procedures, she says.

Health and safety was already in a process of change, says Rebecca, referencing a ‘Safety II’ philosophy geared towards care rather than simply preventing accidents. “It’s much more about people and, how do

54 //

we care for people?” That ethos came to the fore during Covid19, with care becoming a major priority, and has continued for some companies since the first lockdown earlier this year ended. A number of wine companies recently sent staff on a course run by the Mental Health Foundation, which looked at improving wellbeing in the workplace. Rebecca says it’s a topic she is increasingly asked about by the companies she works with.

Doing better for work wellbeing may come down to company culture, she says.

“Do you have a culture where people feel supported and where people can speak up if stress is impacting on their health?” Staff can have a lot going on outside work, and

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

are not robots able to leave the personal at home. “It’s about having a workplace where people can raise the issues in a safe way and say ‘I have stuff going on’, so the business can support them and they can continue to do their job.”

Covid-19 may have enhanced that ability in some companies, because health discussions became common in the workplace, along with conversations about fears of children going to school, for example. “That opened up a safe space for people to talk about those things, which flowed on to businesses.”

Recent years have also seen wine companies, in general, abide by their legal requirement to do health checks each year, to ensure anyone working around

a hazard, such as loud noises, are protected sufficiently. She says some smaller wineries are not doing it and might not be aware of their obligation, “but what I am seeing, which is great, is a lot of business going beyond the bare minimum”.

The goal now is to ensure companies stay on track in working to ensure wellbeing at work, whether by improving communication channels or pushing the hygiene messages ramped up because of Covid19, says Rebecca. “We must do all we can to ensure we don’t allow complacency to creep in when it comes to our fight against Covid-19 and our commitment to maintaining a work environment where our people feel safe and supported.”

The People

Covid fuels wellness programmes

A RECENT Villa Maria staff survey will help inform the company’s wellbeing programme, says Health and Safety Manager Sue Lahood. “The mere fact that we got close to 60 percent completing the survey shows how important it is.” Sue says the survey will help draw a “bigger picture” for the company and evolve existing health and safety work. It was already underway before Covid-19, but the pandemic “really highlighted that we need to get cracking on this”, says Sue. The survey was “really simple” and asked what was important to staff in terms of wellbeing, what they had planned for their own personal journey, and what Villa Maria as an organisation could do to help. The main concerns raised by staff were mental and financial wellbeing, which was unsurprising, says Sue, noting that the responses reflected not only the individual concerns, but also risks to a partner’s job security, for example, or around their children’s future opportunities.

Sue joined Villa Maria in December last year and was swiftly thrust into the highly charged Covid-19 harvest, where Villa Maria established ‘van villages’ in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough to keep its vintage teams isolated and safe.

“We had to get the grapes in, but we also had to keep people safe. It was really challenging, but it was also really amazing to see how everyone pulled together to get on with the job,” she says. “We were all solution focused and everyone prioritised getting the job done while keeping people safe.”

Villa Maria recently rolled out an app via its Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider, which offers information on everything from nurturing relationships and finances to maintaining a healthy mind and body. Sue says there has been a slight rise in EAP contact this year, although that could in part be due to the company’s increased promotion of the scheme during the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, including visits to each site from an EAP representative.

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SAVERGLASS AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd 289 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA 5000 PO Box 6537 (Halifax Street), Adelaide SA 5000 Tel. : (08) 8232.0770 / Fax : (08) 8232.0880 www.saverglass.com / info@saverglass.com

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SAVERGLASS AUSTRALIAPty PtyLtd Ltd SAVERGLASS AUSTRALIA 289 Flinders Flinders Street, Street, Adelaide SA 5000 5000 PO Box Box 6537 6537(Halifax (HalifaxStreet), Street), Adelaide SA 5000 5000 Tel.: Fax:: (08) 8232.0880 Tel. :(08) (08)8232.0770 8232.0770 / Fax 8232.0880 www.saverglass.com www.saverglass.com//info@saverglass.com info@saverglass.com Paul Paleologos: pnp@saverglass.com.au pnp@saverglass.com.au Paul Paleologos: Sally Sally Arnold: Arnold: sjt@saverglass.com.au sjt@saverglass.com.au SAVERGLASS NZ Ltd SAVERGLASS NZ Ltd St Auckland PO Box 8020 Symonds PO Box Auckland Tel.: (09)8020 522 Symonds 2990 / 021St580 104 Fax: 09 522 2994 Tel. : (09) 522 2990 / 021 580 104 Fax : 09 522 2994 www.saverglass.com / krb@saverglass.com www.saverglass.com / krb@saverglass.co.nz

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 55

The People

Women in Wine Trading urban plans for vineyard dreams TESSA NICHOLSON

WHEN SHE was younger, all Penelope Naish wanted was a job in the city. “I grew up wanting to work in an office because I spent all my life with plants and soil,” says the co-owner of Black Estate Wines in North Canterbury and co-chair of Pinot Noir NZ 2022. “Then I married a soil guy, unknowingly.”

Pen (the daughter of a fifthgeneration horticulturist) met Nicholas Brown (the soil guy) when she was 17, on Christmas Eve at iconic Christchurch bar Dux de Lux. “I thought, he looks cool, but then the pub closed… I met him properly back in Dunedin when we were both uni students.”

When Pen finished her degree, she moved to Auckland – the city she had longed for – and Nicholas stayed on in Dunedin for a further year.

“Then he came up to join me and that is how he got into the wine industry, because he took any job he could get at the time, which just happened to be as a sales cadet for Montana.” That led to an all-encompassing love of wine for both Pen and Nicholas, and saw him head to Lincoln University to retrain as a winemaker.

Pen went to Amsterdam

56 //

for work , and she and Nicholas would meet up when he travelled for northern hemisphere vintages. She was on extended leave for an Italian vintage, when struck by an epiphany around rural living. “We lived in Tuscany for two months at Isole e Olena vineyard,” Pen says. “I was a lawyer at the time, but I thought, I could live in the country, this is a good life.”

After returning to New Zealand, she jumped at her parents’ idea of co-investing in some land. “My parents had seen Nicholas’s passion for wine and my interest in business, so they were keen. Nicholas was the only one in the family who knew anything about wine, and he was adamant that North Canterbury was the region to be, with its soils and climate.”

Black Estate was purchased in 2007, just weeks after Pen and Nicholas’s daughter Sylvia was born. Pen continued to work part-time as a lawyer in Christchurch, but every weekend she and Nicholas would head to the vineyard to work, supporting their brother in law Alistair - the sole paid employee of the project while Sylvia slept in the back of the truck. “Everyone says,

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

‘when you get into business, if you knew what was coming you would never do it’,” says Pen. “But when you have an opportunity like we had, you have to say ‘yes’. Even though you may be pregnant or wondering how you are going to fund it all. That was probably the best lesson in life - to just take it on and never look back.”

After five years of to-ing and fro-ing, plus the arrival of second child Arthur, the family finally moved to an apartment onsite, next to a simplistic cellar door and restaurant, built to take in views of vines and mountains. Pen had no hospitality background and admits she and Nicholas were far more focussed on the wine and terroir than potential visitors. “Dad was really into wine tourism, which at the start we were not that fazed with,” she says. “But we appreciated that we would have much better cash flow if we could sell our wine direct to customers on site, and we loved the local food community we had met.” Her motivation was the brand, she adds. “We had just come out of the GFC (global financial crisis) and I knew that for a small vineyard to start to get known, it would

be helpful to have a hospitality space.”

Pen didn’t realise how hard it would be, or how dynamic, but once the doors opened, she found her niche.

“We surrounded ourselves with friends and people who knew what they were doing and let them teach us. It was challenging but fun.” She took to it swiftly, and since opening in late 2012, Black Estate has taken out Cuisine’s Vineyard Restaurant of the Year twice, won two hats and received numerous other awards.

Then along came Covid 19.

Having endured the GFC, the Christchurch earthquakes, and the Kaikōura earthquake, the pandemic that saw all of New Zealand go into lockdown for six weeks could well have been the last straw. But instead of throwing in the towel, Pen and the team began looking at ways of changing their approach to visitors. A week before the country came out of lockdown into Alert Level 2, which allowed restaurants to open again, they came up with the idea of opening a pie cart on site. “That was so people who were concerned about being too close to others could still enjoy a delicious organic pie that our

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The People

Pen and her two children during last year’s harvest at the Black Estate Netherwood vineyard, which includes their winery and home.

chef has perfected, with a glass of wine and the joy of nature.

They can sit outside and take in the view of the mountains and the vineyard.”

With a fire, rugs and hot water bottles keeping the chill at bay, the idea has been a roaring success and has welcomed more of the community to drop in. So much so, that it will remain an integral part of Black Estate’s restaurant in the future. “It has resonated with people, the ability to get out into the

58 //

countryside for lunch, but not have to book or commit to a full three-hour lunch,” she says. The a la carte menu continues to operate within the restaurant as well.

And while international tourism is off the cards for some time yet, Pen says the surge of domestic travelers has been a boon. “We are really surprised there are all these people from Christchurch and wider New Zealand coming up who have never been before or even heard of us. We thought

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

we were pretty well known by now. From a marketing point of view, that is something I would share for everybody’s business never take for granted everyone knows you exist, just because you have been around a while or have won awards.”

Pen believes cellar doors and wineries have a once in a lifetime opportunity to educate New Zealanders during this uncertain time of international travel. “They are so proud of us and they love supporting local.

If your winery and cellar door is

genuine and you have someone lovely there to chat about what you are doing on your land, it is an amazing opportunity to educate and share your story.”

Meanwhile, Pen is hanging out for Pinot Noir NZ 2022, postponed by a year because of Covid-19. The hard work has been done, the foundations laid and international guests are ready and waiting to come once the pandemic is over, she says. “It’s going to be a hell of a party.”

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The People

The Guardians

Fabian Yukich is a wine industry stalwart, an environmental champion and a pretty decent concrete layer. In the first of a series celebrating Sustainability Guardians, Sophie Preece talks to the Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers’ Environment Committee.

FABIAN YUKICH was four when his mother gave him an empty biscuit tin and a stick to bang it with, in his first bird scaring job.

“From the age of eight or nine we were given slug guns,” says Villa Maria’s Project Director, 61 years after he first patrolled the family’s Titirangi vineyard at dawn.

The Waitākere R anges vineyard was established by Fabian’s grandparents Ivan and Mandica Yukich in 1934, four years after they immigrated from Dalmatia. They swiftly planted orchards, vineyards and potatoes, and in 1944 I Yukich and Sons sold its first wine. As Fabian’s father Frank and uncle Mate grew the wine business - living on the vineyard with their own families - other crops were replaced by vines, and by 1960 the family had 10 hectares of grapes.

Fabian clearly recalls the wine shop under their house when he was little, and standing on an apple box

60 //

to look after the till. West Auckland was ‘dry’ back then and crowds would flock in for their ‘samples’ on a Friday night, he says. “In those early days for the wine industry it was a social thing.” The area was known to be “quite bohemian”, with more than its fair share of artists, photographers, “and people who lived a little bit alternative”, he adds. “They would turn up alongside the local parish priest, who had come up for a little tipple.”

Meanwhile the business and winery building were growing year on year, with Frank and Mate doing much of the work themselves. In 1961, the sons set up their own company, Montana Wines Limited, and by 1973 the Titirangi winery was “huge”, with a million gallons of storage and a bottling line running 24 hours a day. Fabian worked on the line as a young teenager, including half-night shifts after a day of school. That was “the whole deal” in the immigrant

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

community of Croatians, many of whom were in wine, he says. “Between our house and Henderson there were 10 wineries.” A little further away, at Mangere, his mother Elsie’s brother George Fistonich had established Villa Maria in 1961.

The kids weren’t always willing workers, and Fabian recalls arguing with his cousin over the advisability of shirking work. Fabian knew if they abandoned the cuttings they were laying out they’d inevitably get caught, “and there were always consequences”. The “Dallies” felt pretty hard done by compared to other teenagers who took holidays or relaxed after school, says Fabian, with a laugh. “We had to work so hard.”

As a boy he would watch his father building big five-year plans with a spreadsheet, a pencil and an adding machine.

Once the numbers were down, Frank set to work fearlessly, no matter how “brazen” the plan,

says Fabian. “Everything was just ‘do it’.” In the early 1970s, Frank put a deposit on 1,600ha of land on Marlborough’s Wairau Plain, predicting wines from the region would become world-famous. “He did it all secretly, paying the deposit with his own money,” says Fabian. “He took a massive risk.” By that time Montana Wines had taken on outside investors to fund expansion, and when Frank told the board what he had done, they initially refused to support the move, Fabian adds. “If they hadn’t changed their minds, he would be been bankrupted there and then.”

Fabian left school around the same time as the Marlborough purchase, aged 17, and went to work in the Montana winery at Titirangi, before getting a job in the engineering shop of Ford Motor Company. They offered to sponsor him through an engineering course, but he set off travelling the country instead, driving bulldozers

The People

and laying concrete, before winding up working a vintage for his uncle George at Villa Maria, which by then was a “reasonably sizeable operation”.

After the vintage was over, Fabian went back to work for Frank, who was building his second chain of wine shops around the country. “Frank’s plan for growth was to have wine shops everywhere. We would go in there and lease a building, then turn it into a shop,” says Fabian, who put in 26-hour shifts during that time. “Frank had this amazing energy about him and he dragged people along with him.”

Fabian would visit wine companies to buy bulk sherry, port and wine, then have it bottled under Frank’s own label brands, including Chateau Cellars. He would also travel the North Island to deliver stock, do sales visits to independent shops, bring back empty flagons and occasionally run the shops when managers were on holiday.

Frank resigned from the Montana board in 1977, after he and a group of investors bought Penfolds Wines New Zealand. Fabian went on to work there, with responsibilities across the winery and bottling line, and “that started to grow really, really quickly as well”, he says.

“Frank’s energy was there.”

Fabian project managed the renovations in the Henderson winery, with a role that spanned everything from ordering tanks to laying concrete to put them in place. “You’d do everything yourself,” he says. “It was a good grounding in taking responsibility and getting things done.”

In 1979, he was talked into getting a formal wine education at Roseworthy, back when only a handful of Kiwis went through the college north

of Adelaide. He worked an Australian vintage as Assistant Winemaker under Grant Burge at Krondorf Wines, then returned to Penfolds for a vintage at Henderson, before moving to Gisborne to become onsite Project Manager for the new winery build. He stayed on to become Assistant Winemaker, “but I always gravitated towards the projects”, he says. “I like being immersed in things.”

In the early 1980s Frank saw a paddock of thousands of decommissioned beer kegs in Asia and, acting on a hunch that the time was right for wine on tap in bars and restaurants, immediately bought container loads, says Fabian. “They arrived back at the Henderson winery and people would said, ‘what has Frank done now?’” His father had the kegs converted for wine use, and Fabian moved back to Auckland to establish the operation, starting out with a road trip with a friend to install the kegs for free, under the proviso the establishment would only sell Penfolds wine.

It swiftly grew and Fabian had sales reps in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, managing the sale of bottle and tap wines around the country.

But in the early 1980s Frank lost control of Penfolds and Fabian left the company, going on to run his own business, which included importing components to manufacture electronic flow metres. “I figured out that a lot of sprayers in vineyards and orchards were putting too much chemical on.” That was his first official foray into sustainability, but he says it was always a part of his life, from growing his own vegetables to composting.

In 1998 Fabian went back to Villa Maria, to project manage the winery build in Marlborough, then the headquar ters winer y in

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 61

The People

Auckland, while also taking on the role of National Wineries Manager. The wine industry had grown from $18 million of exports in 1990 to $100m in 1999, on their way to the near $2 billion exported now.

“It went on this massive growth trajectory and we had to keep on expanding our contract grower base and own vineyards and building winery capacity,” he says.

As the industry burgeoned, s o d i d h i s i n te re s t i n sustainability, and when planning the winery, Fabian wrote down a key goal of being environmentally responsible.

Having the words on paper led to a surge in ideas, and in 1999 Villa Maria began its organic journey, leading to BioGro certification from the vineyard to the winery. There was some early push back from within the company, Fabian says, but organics built its own momentum because it drew the

Fabian Yukich with George Fistonich

right people to the business, and they drove the expansion.

Villa Maria now has 30 percent of its own vineyards in organic production, and a goal to have that up at 50 percent by 2030.

In the early 2000s Fabian undertook an electricity audit of all the company’s wineries, kickstarting his interest in carbon emissions.

In 2009 Villa Maria broke new ground in the wine industry by gaining certified emissions management and reduction scheme certification through

Landcare Research, and in the decade since has reduced its emissions by more than 30 percent per bottle of wine. The initiatives only happened because of Sir George Fistonich’s enthusiasm and support of environmental initiatives, says Fabian. “He would challenge things, but under his leadership those projects flourished at Villa Maria. Those things only happen if it comes from the top.”

In 2010 Fabian won the

Sustainability Champion Award at the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network Awards, which shone a spotlight on the work Villa Maria had done and the importance of an environmental focus, he says.

Then in 2012 the company was named Supreme Winner of the Ministry for Environment’s Green Ribbon Awards, and Supreme Winner of the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network Awards.

The same year, Fabian joined the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) board, and immediately went on the Sustainability Committee (now Environment Committee) which he has chaired since 2016. In an editorial in the A pr il 2020 Winegrower magazine, he said the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) programme, which began in 1995, is one of the industry’s biggest success stories. “Across the

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From Left: Baron Philippe de Rothschild (Owner of Château Mouton Rothschild) Frank Yukich, Rob Muldoon, Mate Yukich in the early 1970s at the Montana Titirangi Winery

wine industries of the world, SWNZ is generally regarded as the best certification system and the achievement of having nearly 100 percent industry membership is considered remarkable,” he said.

“Since its inception, SWNZ has had to constantly go where there is no blueprint, and then re-invent itself and redefine its role in a rapidly-growing wine industry and a world with snow-balling consumer interest about how we measure and report our impacts on the planet”. And, he believes it will play an even more “critical” role in the future of New Zealand wine, moving from a “nice to have” to an essential part of the package.

Since last year, SWNZ has aligned its goals with the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development, and the board has made big changes, with a focus on water, waste, pest and disease, climate change and people. They recently added soil to that list, and announced plans to instigate an award to recognise outstanding achievers in sustainability.

The new-look SWNZ will enable companies to tell genuine and authenticated stories to customers and consumers about what they have done to reduce their

carbon emissions, water usage and environmental footprint, Fabian says. “Consumers truly don’t care that we have some fancy words about sustainability in our glossy brochures and we have ticked a few difficult to understand accreditation boxes. They want to hear stories, with authentic facts and figures, about what we have actually done, and continue to do, to help save the planet.”

NZW also has a new Sustainability Guardians programme, to enable members to go further, engaging in peerto-peer learning with other members of the industry and stakeholders to promote sustainability innovation and best practice.

In 2019 Fabian reduced his hours with Villa Maria, but is still a force on the NZW board and represents the wine industry on the Organic Exporters Association. The past 61 years working in wine, beginning with that biscuit tin aged four, has been “an amazing journey”, he says.

“I never would have dreamed that the wine industry would have seen me travel to New York and Bordeaux, and that our wines would be recognised everywhere.

“I think I have been very lucky to be part of it.”

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The People

New Vintage Greg Lane gets back on the tools SARAH ADAMS

GR EG L A N E grew up in Adelaide, surrounded by friends in the wine industry. “Wine was always on the dinner table…

There was always pruning work in the winter holidays,” says the winemaker at Amisfield in Central Otago - Winery of the Year at this year’s Organic Wine Awards.

When it was time to choose a career path, the combination of science and creativity, with the possibility of travel, were major drawcards for studying oenology. Greg did exceptionally well, graduating from the University of Adelaide in 2010 as Dux and with a Bachelor in Oenology with First Class Honours. He was right about travelling, and went on to work in Burgundy, Oregon in the US and Italy, as well as multiple regions across Australia and New Zealand.

64 //

“The learning curve at the bigger end of town is immense, and it really sharpens your focus on the important details.”

“Wine has taken me around the world and introduced me to many amazing people, including my fiancé Sarah, so it has been a good choice I would say.”

Prior to joining Amisfield, Greg was at Foley Family Wines in Marlborough and says working there was “incredibly rewarding”. He appreciated the focus on wine quality within the business, regardless of its scale. “The learning curve at the bigger end of town is immense, and it really sharpens your focus on the important details.”

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

He enjoyed his time with the company, which included winning Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year in 2018.

However, he wanted to follow his passion for Pinot Noir, which was the deciding factor in taking up the winemaker role at Amisfield earlier this year.

“The chance to get back to small batch, premium Pinot Noir winemaking was the ultimate drawcard.” The change to a smaller cellar has presented plenty of new learning opportunities,

including forward planning, “as you don’t have all the levers to pull in the winery”, he says. However, he is confident his team can tackle anything after the 2020 vintage. “I am fortunate to have joined an enthusiastic and experienced winery team who are up for the challenge to make great organic wine,” says Greg. “I have also learnt that my back gets a bit sorer than it used to after a day on the tools.”

A m i s f i e l d ’s o r g a n i c certification was another factor in Greg’s decision to move there. “I definitely believe this is the way forward for all forms of agriculture if we want to be able to continue farming successfully on the same land in 25, 50 or 100 years.”

Amisfield won Riedel Winery of the Year at the recent New Zealand Organic Wine awards. See page 72.

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Bob’s Blog

Ditching Premox

Bob Campbell

PR EM ATUR E OX IDATION (premox) is a scourge that has affected white Burgundy since the mid-90s. It needs to be distinguished from natural oxidation, which occurs in all wines over a long period. The Oxford Companion to Wine (OCW) explains that, “a white wine which has oxidized naturally over a long period is likely to be deep yellow in colour, perhaps browning, with aromas of cooked fruit, sometimes quince, eventually dank, dead fruit, possibly sherrified and acetic.

Typically these negative effects will be immediately apparent on opening and pouring”.

“A prematurely oxidized white wine will also show some advance in the colour, more in the dull yellow range, and this may happen after the bottle has been open for a minute or two. The first danger sign in terms of aroma is bruised apples or furniture polish, which can strengthen considerably with aeration. Aromas of stewed fruit and prunes are common in prematurely oxidized red wines.”

The two causes of premox were quickly identified as poor corks and low sulfur levels.

The mid-90s were the halcyon days for cork manufacturers.

With few alternatives available, demand for cork was at an all-time high. Many winemakers believe that cork quality suffered as a result.

At the same time, climate change was producing riper, softer and more accessible white Burgundies and many producers were using lower sulfur levels so that their wines could be enjoyed earlier.

Kumeu River Winemaker and Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich believes cork is the major culprit for premox.

Corks are variable, which helps explain the varying levels of oxidation that many

white Burgundy drinkers have experienced in a single case. He is dismissive about the theory that premox can be traced back to vineyard management. “I am sure that the type of press used, the soil management, and even the degree of effeuillage will all have an effect on the susceptibility of white wines to oxidise, but if they were so significant, then surely all of the wines in that dozen would have been similarly affected.”

The simple solution to Burgundy’s problem would be to switch to screw caps. When I made the suggestion to a Burgundy winemaker he agreed

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that it would solve their premox woes, but added that screw caps would not be accepted by their customers. An increasing number of white Burgundy makers are embracing Diam closures. “It has been most encouraging to see the likes

of William Fevre, Leflaive, Lafon and Jadot recently embracing the Diam closure,” says Michael. “Whenever we have seen these, the results have been consistently good because there is no oxidation.

The only downside has been

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a wood dust character from some of the early Diams, but with the newer examples, particularly with Diam 30, this is negligible.”

According to Bruno de Saizieu, Director of Commercial Marketing and Vice President

Sales and Marketing for Diam, 60 percent of Grand Cru White Burgundy is now sealed with Diam, while 45 percent of all Burgundy uses Diam. Thankfully premox may, at least in Burgundy, soon be a thing of the past.

Chris Parke Partner Corporate and Commercial

Marija Batistich Partner Environment and Planning

Jenni Rutter Partner Intellectual Property

Charlotte Henley Partner Intellectual Property

Contact us to find out how we can help you

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 67

The Places Wine Weather

A wild start to spring. Pg 70

Amisfield

Organic winery win. Pg 72

Young Guns

Meet the finalists. Pg 74

Biosecurity Update GIA partnership. Pg 78

Legal Matters

Farewell to the RMA? Pg 80

Advocacy Matters

Industry ACC data. Pg 82 Tony Bish

The Places

Varietal Profile: Chardonnay JOELLE THOMSON

CHARDONNAY IS the world’s most popular white wine and one of its most planted wine grapes. But not all Chardonnays are created equal, with clonal variability and diverse winemaking methods. The Chardonnay grape is often referred to as the winemaker’s grape, because it lends itself to such various methods

called it Clevner, Clavnet or Rulander - the current name for Pinot Gris.

These days Chardonnay is the most planted white grape in both North and South America and is grown with more success than any other grape in all wine regions in New Zealand. For one year in the early 1990s, it was New Zealand’s most planted variety, but that position was quickly usurped

by Sauvignon Blanc, “For one year in the which now easily outearly 1990s, it was strips it, with 24,037 hectares compared to New Zealand’s most Chardonnay’s modest planted variety, but that 3,167ha. position was quickly Hawke’s Bay winemaker Tony Bish usurped by Sauvignon (photo facing page) has Blanc.” forged a reputation as a key Chardonnay producer, making ‘Fat ‘n Sassy’ for about $22 of production as malolactic right up to Zen Chardonnay fermentation (a deacidification for approximately $139.99. technique, first and foremost), Tony sources grapes for his top o a k f e r m e n t a t i o n a n d Chardonnays from the drymaturation - or none of the farmed Skeetfield Vineyard, above. which is one of New Zealand’s According to Wine Grapes, oldest Chardonnay blocks, written by Masters of Wine planted in Mendoza Clone Jancis Robinson and Julia (aka hen and chicken, due Harding, and grape geneticist to varying sizes of grapes) José Vouillamoz, Chardonnay and Clone 15. If he could plant was confused with Pinot Blanc it again, Tony says he would until the end of the 19th still opt for Mendoza, due to century due to similarities quality, despite variability between the two. It was often in berry size, but he would called Chardonnet, Pinot Blanc add Clone 15 and Clone or Pinot Blanc Chardonnet in 548 for super premium wines.

France, while the Germans

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 69

The Places

Wine Weather A wild start to spring JAMES MORRISON

Churton

AFTER A relatively mild winter and some record high temperatures late in August, the growing season has kicked off early this year.

The trouble with an early

start is that September is still a month where extreme cold weather can bring back a taste of winter chill across New Zealand, and 2020 has been one of those years. The

Southern Annular Mode index (SAM) has dropped into negative territory over the past few weeks and that signals an increase in westerly winds. Several cold southerly

outbreaks have brought widespread frost since the warm end to winter. The question now is, how long will the wild westerly conditions last, and what will October

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The Places

and November bring?

Is La Niña really on its way?

We are currently watching the main climate drivers to see how things are shaping up for the rest of 2020. The strong westerly conditions are expected to ease somewhat later in October or November, and the main player in this is a weak La Niña pattern. La Niña has still not been confirmed, but there is increasing talk about a summertime La Niña and that we should start to see the effects on our weather from mid to late October.

The models are suggesting that this will not be a strong phase so we can expect a few more windy westerlies right through until early December. The risk of frost should be lower than average in most places and mean temperatures continue to run above average. Sea surface temperatures are running above average and an increase

in the northeast flow may also increase humidity along the east coast of the North Island.

The outlook for October and November: Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay We are expecting temperatures to remain above average for the remainder of the year. Overnight minimum temperatures should start to push above normal, thanks to an increase in northeast conditions, but this may be tempered a little with the occasional southwest change.

Rainfall totals are likely to remain near average with the risk of a humid northeast flow increasing as we move through November. The windy start to spring may not last. We may see short bursts of windy weather but

an increased northeast flow should bring a steady onshore breeze to coastal Gisborne and the Heretaunga Plains.

Marlborough/North Canterbury So far Marlborough and Canterbury have endured some very cold mornings, with the mercury dipping below -4C in the frost hollows of inland valleys.

The second half of October onwards may provide some relief, as onshore winds should increase humidity and help to slow the rate of cooling overnight. We are likely to see further cold nights right through until mid November as the westerly flow weakens and a lighter northeast flow starts to dominate. Overall, mean temperatures are likely to be above average and rainfall totals should be near or a little below average for spring.

BAYLEYS MARLBOROUGH SALESPERSON 2019/2020

Central Otago As northeast conditions start to affect the rest of New Zealand, Central Otago should become more settled through late spring.

A large diurnal range is possible under sunny conditions and some warm day time temperatures are likely in November.

Nights may remain cool at times though and the risk of frost will remain right through until early December. The northeast flow predicted for the remainder of New Zealand is likely to have less of an effect in the far south in terms of cloud and humidity. Winds, however, may become lighter than average.

Mean temperatures are likely to be above average and rainfall near or a little below average.

James Morrison runs Weatherstation Frost Forecasting Ltd -weatherstation. net.nz

BAYLEYS SALES TOP 5% OF PEOPLE 2019/2020

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 71

The Places

Amisfield Organic Winery of the Year SARAH ADAMS

Photo by Richard Birkby

FIVE YEARS after starting their journey towards BioGro certification, Central Otago’s Amisfield has been named Organic Winery of the Year in the NZ Organic Wine awards.

“The consistently high standard of wine being produced at Amisfield is astounding,” said awards founder Luke Thomas of the win.

Winemaker Greg Lane, who joined Amisfield early this year, says the award – along with seven gold medals from nine entries - is the result of hard work from the vineyard and winemaking teams over the past five years, in order to gain organic certification for the 91-hectare estate at the foot of the Pisa mountain range. “In particular, the work done by our vineyard manager Andre Lategan to spearhead the change in our farming is really inspiring, and combined with the sensitive winemaking approach of the previous winemaker Stephanie Lambert, it has allowed the vineyard characteristics to shine through the wines.”

The owners of Amisfield decided to pursue organic

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certification as part of their l o n g - te r m a p p ro a c h to agriculture, with a philosophy of doing what is best for the land and the people who work on it, says Greg. “Amisfield has a large team of staff, and we want to keep them happy and healthy, so the organic approach of discontinuing synthetic chemical sprays or herbicide was the clearest way to achieve both these aims.”

There are plenty of other environmental initiatives beyond organic certification, including a key project to implement mid-row subsoil irrigation, says Greg. In the dry, windy region of Central Otago, this minimises the amount of water lost due to evaporation, delivering it directly to the roots. This allows Amisfield to actively grow a clover cover crop in the mid-row sward, enriching the tough, nutrient deficient soil and increasing organic matter.

“The improvement in soil health since implementing this has been obvious. Healthy soils support plant and vine growth but are also more resistant to erosion and wind damage -

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

two very real issues in Central Otago farming,” says Greg.

In the winery, all wastewater is processed through a series of artificial wetlands that use aquatic plants to purify the water so it can cleverly be reused for vineyard irrigation.

The stunning vineyard is part of a larger farm, with sheep on the higher terraces.

Amisfield is planning to increase biodiversity with native tree planting on the exposed landscape and within unused parts of the vineyard.

The property also has a healthy population of guinea fowl, says Greg.

“In addition to their rambunctious personality, they are very useful at keeping insect pressure at bay as they cruise through the vineyard.”

All Amisfield’s wines are single estate, and enhancing the unique character of their place within their wines’ flavour profiles was another part of the decision to convert to organics.

Greg and the team think organic farming make the vines more in tune with the soil. “We have already begun to see the effect of this in the winery year

on year with greater intensity of flavour apparent, and much clearer differences in character between the blocks.”

There is no denying the demand of organic wine is on the rise, but Greg believes it is due to more than consumers becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits. “There is more and more certified organic wine produced in New Zealand each year, and it’s an approach adopted by many of the most revered New Zealand wine brands… I believe consumers are also making the link between organics and quality, which will only increase demand further.”

Greg is excited at the pros p e ct o f continuing Amisfield’s organic journey. “It is a storied name in the New Zealand industry… I hope that as a team we create delicious wines that increasingly show the unique aspects of our place.”

The 2020 NZ Organic Wine Awards Riedel Wine of the Show went to Peregrine Pinot Gris 2019 and the Sustainable Vineyard of the Year was won

by Muddy Water/Greystone.

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Young Viticulturist Q&A New Zealand’s top young viticulturists will be put to the test at the 2020 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year competition national final in the Wairarapa on 7-8 October. In this Q&A, the six finalists from the regional events share some insights on their journey to the nationals.

Annabel Angland

Lacey Agate

Viticultural Technician at Peregrine Wines, Central Otago Where did you study and what got you into viticulture?

I studied a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University. I chose to study and work in the wine industry as it challenges you to think outside the square and provides a broad range of opportunities and roles, both domestically and internationally - all where you are able to help grow and produce an amazing product.

What would you say to someone considering a career in viticulture?

In my short time in the industry, I have met and worked with some amazing and passionate people, who are always happy to help and share their knowledge. I think our industry is very dynamic and diverse. Everyone shares a connection to what they are producing and sharing this end product. I have thoroughly enjoyed my short time in the industry and am excited about where we are heading.

Vineyard Worker at Bellbird Spring, North Canterbury Where did you study and what got you into viticulture?

I am still studying at Otago Polytechnic. Being outdoors, the people and the challenges.

W hat would you say to someone considering a career in viticulture?

There is an abundance of opportunities, and I am constantly learning. The viticultural community is heaps of fun to work with and they are incredibly supportive of their young people. However, nothing truly beats the solitude and a beautiful vista.

George Bunnett Recently became Field Technician with Irrigation Services, Wairarapa Where did you study and what got you into viticulture?

I studied at Lincoln University in Canterbury.

My passion for the outdoors and working in an everchanging environment is what attracted me the most - no two days are the same.

W hat would you say to someone considering a career in viticulture?

For someone interested in the industry there’s no better way than getting out and giving it a crack. The industry is full of great people doing great things and some pretty sweet spots to work.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Rhys Hall Assistant Manager for Indevin at Bankhouse Estate, Marlborough Where did you study and what got you into viticulture?

I studied plant science at Massey University. I have had an interest in wine since visiting my grandparents who lived in Spain when I was young. But during a summer internship in Hawke’s Bay I was drawn to grape growing.

W hat would you say to someone considering a career in viticulture?

Just give it a go. With a positive attitude, there are plenty of opportunities to make your start in the industry today. Study is important and enjoyable to explore topics in more depth, but if you want to learn a job in the industry first you can bring that experience and context to your studies later. Winegrowing is an ever-changing industry, so it is the place to be if you like a challenge and to be a leader in the agribusiness sector.

The Places

Sam Bain Vineyard Manager for Constellation Brands NZ, Hawke’s Bay Where did you study and what got you into viticulture?

I am currently studying at EIT for a graduate diploma in viticulture. The viticulture industry is so diverse and no two days are ever the same. The challenge of the unknown is what drives me each day.

What would you say to someone considering a career in viticulture?

Jump in and immerse yourself in the industry, work hard and grab every challenge available to you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about everything and anything. Reach out to companies like Constellation Brands as they always have opportunities available and are looking for new talent in the industry

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Tahryn Mason Vineyard Operator at Villa Maria’s Ihumatao Vineyard; Mangere Where did you study and what got you into viticulture?

I recently completed my Apprenticeship in Viticulture through the Primary ITO What would you say to someone considering a career it viticulture?

I would say pursue it! Viticulture is a thriving, growing industry and needs talented, passionate young people to continue that growth. The work can be demanding at times, but it’s especially rewarding to see your effort represented in bottle at the end of the year. Each season brings its own challenges, and continuously offers opportunities to grow and learn as a professional. We’re very fortunate to have such a strong growing community here in Aotearoa and it’s a real privilege to be able to contribute to that. nzwine.com/young-vit

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 75

The Places

Young Winemaker Q&A On 6 November three of the country’s finest young winemakers will compete for the title of Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year, having already won their regional finals. In the lead up to the National Final, on at EIT in Hawke’s Bay, we ask Ben, Ben and Peter what they love about the industry Ben McNab Assistant Winemaker at Matahiwi Estate; Hawke’s Bay Where did you study and what got you into winemaking?

I studied with EIT and my entry into winemaking is similar to many, I was working retail, selling wine to people who seemed totally mad, talking about wine like it was alive with things like body, weight and balance. I was confused but soon understood. I met winemakers and discovered their passion, driving my curiosity and leading me to work my first harvest. Subconsciously my passion for fermentation and winemaking was

embedded as a young sprocket. I was often allowed to brew ginger beer, the blossoming yeast and carbon dioxide

seemed quite magical and every now and then a bottle would explode. How brilliant!

What would you say to someone considering a career in wine?

Try it, absolutely try it. There are so many avenues in the wine industry where you can explore your interests and figure out how you fit in.

What’s the most challenging aspect of the young winemaker competition?

Time pressure. Each of the modules is limited by time, which often steals my clarity of thought for a moment. It replicates a busy day in the winery, where thinking on your feet is crucial, with instinct and experience coming into play.

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

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The Places

Ben Tombs Assistant Winemaker at Peregrine Wines; Central Otago Where did you study and what got you into winemaking?

Fresh out of high school in Marlborough and unsure on what to do, I signed up for vintage at Wither Hills Winery in 2011.

Absolutely loved the adrenaline of night shift and the mysteries of how basically everything worked. I was fortunate they kept me on for a couple of years after, then I made my way up to Hawke’s Bay to build the theory behind some practical knowledge with a degree at Eastern Institute of Technology.

What would you say to someone considering a career in wine?

HARVEST BINS

Make sure to reach out and have a chat with someone in the industry first. Everyone is willing to help! There’s a massive range of diversified paths to take, so it’s important to find the right one that suits you, then dive in! I think getting a taste for some practical work first is great before committing to study.

What’s the most challenging aspect of the young winemaker competition?

The competition is designed to challenge you, so every aspect is challenging, being well rounded is key. It’s a great way to highlight your weak points so you can build on them for the future.

Peter Russell Production Winemaker at Matua; Marlborough Where did you study and what got you into winemaking?

I studied at Lincoln University and was drawn into winemaking after doing well in chemistry and horticulture at school, and haven’t looked back since!

What would you say to someone considering a career in wine?

I would say it will be the best decision for a job you can make, it’s a dynamic industry

that’s constantly evolving which lets you use all of your skills and develop more and as a bonus you meet some pretty awesome people along the way too. Matua is a small team and we are given opportunity to be involved in all areas of the winemaking which is pretty amazing as we have some awesome vineyards and parcels of fruit we get to make wine with.

What’s the most challenging aspect of the young winemaker competition?

It’s a day where you are constantly challenged and you are competing against the best young people around you so you have to be at the top of your game all day before relaxing by having a drink and a laugh with everyone else. nzwine.com/young-winemaker

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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 77

Biosecurity Update

Biosecurity in partnership: GIA update SOPHIE BADLAND

I N 2 0 17, N e w Z e a l a n d W i n e g ro w e r s b e c a m e a signatory to the GovernmentIndustry Agreement deed for biosecurity readiness and response. The GovernmentIndustry Agreement (GIA) structure allows members to work in partnership with the Government and other primary industry organisations to carry out biosecurity readiness and response work to prepare for or respond to incursions of priority unwanted pests and diseases.

The costs of these activities are (where possible) pre-agreed and shared between the parties under operational agreements.

Activities to date New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is currently a signatory to two operational agreements for the industry’s two most unwanted pests and diseases – the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), and Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterial infection causing Pierce’s disease in grapevines. The board will also shortly consider whether to sign a third operational agreement for the Plant Production Biosecurity Scheme.

NZW has helped to develop this scheme, which seeks to minimise the biosecurity risks associated with the nursery trade. NZW is also likely to be involved with future readiness work planning under the GIA for other high risk organisms for the wine industry, such as spotted wing drosophila and the spotted lanternfly.

BMSB Operational Agreement T he BMSB O p erat ional

78 //

The NZW Board has recently agreed to sign an operational agreement for bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce’s Disease of grapevine. Photo by Edwin Massey, NZW.

Agreement came into effect in 2017.

It allowed the Government (represented by the Ministry for Primary Industries) and industry to come together to plan a programme of readiness work to better prepare for an incursion of BMSB. The BMSB Council oversees the agreement and work programme.

C u r re n t p ro j e c t s a re working to understand how BMSB may behave in New Zealand conditions, testing the suitability of insect growth regulators already available in New Zealand to help control or manage BMSB outbreaks.

Projects also include sourcing insecticide-impregnated netting to help protect crops, investigating biocontrol options such as the release of Trissolcus japonicus (the samurai wasp), and an ongoing public awareness campaign to assist with early detection.

This operational agreement also covers any biosecurity response to BMSB and ensures those organisations which are cost-sharing in readiness and response activities also have a say in response decision-making.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Xylella fastidiosa Operational Agreement In 2018, NZW helped to form and chair the Xylella Action Group, which represents a group of organisations concerned about the potential impacts of an incursion of Xylella fastidiosa. Xylella has several different subspecies and strains, and affects many different host species in different ways, so some organisations were unclear about how their sectors may be impacted should Xylella arrive in New Zealand. These organisations were initially unwilling to sign an operational agreement and commit funding towards readiness work. To address this, the Xylella Action Group pulled together some co-funding and applied for a Sustainable Farming Fund Tere grant to carry out a review of the international literature about Xylella’s impacts on both crop and non-crop host species. Subsequently, a workshop was held for all interested parties, which clarified the likely impacts on various hosts. A gap analysis was also done, identifying an incursion response plan (i.e.

what would be undertaken operationally if there was a detection of Xylella in New Zealand) as the major gap in New Zealand’s preparedness.

This plan is vital to ensure that there is the best chance of eradicating a new incursion of this disease. As a result of the literature review and workshop, the parties agreed to develop an operational agreement for a single piece of readiness work, an incursion response plan, the cost of which would be split 50/50 between government and industry.

The NZW board agreed at its August 2020 meeting to sign this operational agreement, and the work on the response plan is now underway.

The Plant Production Biosecurity Scheme Biosecurity New Zealand, New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated, NZW and the other horticulture and forestry sectors, the Department of Conservation and regional councils have been working to gether since 2018 to develop the Plant Production Biosecurity Scheme (PPBS).

The PPBS is a voluntar y certification scheme designed

IT WOULD BE STINK IF THESE GOT INTO NEW ZEALAND

Most unwanted pest: NZW signed the BMSB Operational Agreement in 2017. Photo from MPI Plant Health and Environment Laboratory

to reduce risks associated with the nursery trade and the movement of plants around the country. It is designed to protect the producer, their customers, the environment and the New Zealand economy.

Under the PPBS, certified plant producers must demonstrate their production is undertaken under conditions of strong biosecurity risk and hazard management. The PPBS will be officially launched and open to all plant producers in late 2020. Funding to run the scheme will come from government and plant industries via an operational agreement under the GIA, as well as par ticipating nurseries. While the Grafted Grapevine Standard (GGS) helps to minimise a lot of the biosecurity risk to industry from grapevine nurseries, NZW considers the PPBS will have wider benefits to growers in that it will help mitigate biosecurity risks associated with the movement of other plants from nurseries who do currently have any biosecurity best practice in place. NZW is also working with the Viticultural Nursery Association (ViNA) and the PPBS governance group to ensure that the GGS achieves equivalence with the PPBS, so that ViNA nurseries can

also become PPBS-certified as easily as possible.

Spotted Wing Action Group Grapes are a key host for spotted wing drosophila, a vinegar fly which attacks ripening fruit on the vine.

At a workshop held recently, NZW and other industry groups likely to be impacted by an incursion of spotted wing drosophila joined forces to form the SWAG (Spotted Wing Action Group), which will spearhead readiness initiatives for this unwanted pest, likely through the GIA. A meeting to plan an initial work programme will happen later this year.

Conclusion NZW values the partnership enabled by the GIA. Being a GIA member gives NZW a direct say in managing biosecurity risk for the wine industry and allows collaboration with government and other industry sectors who have similar biosecurity concerns. This collaboration ensures a united approach to some of the highest-risk threats and enables a lot of readiness work to be done that would likely be beyond the means of any single industry group, enhancing value for the members of all participating primary sectors.

The brown marmorated stink bug is a pest that infests homes, ruins gardens, stinks when crushed, and is almost impossible to get rid of. It could also destroy our fruit and vegetable industries.

It’s not in New Zealand yet, and we want to keep it that way. So if you see one, don’t kill it. Catch it, take a photo, and call us on 0800 80 99 66.

Look for black & white banding on the antennae

For more information (including how to identify the bug) visit biosecurity.govt.nz/stinkbug

Look for black & white banding on the sides of the abdomen

Stink Bugs not shown actual size. (Actual size approx. 1.7cm long)

MPB0160

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 79

Not on the Label - Legal matters with Dentons Kensington Swan

Legal Matters

Is this farewell to the Resource Management Act? MARIJA BATISTICH, PARTNER, AND LOUISE TREVENA-DOWNING, ASSOCIATE, OF DENTONS KENSINGTON SWAN Craggy Range

IN JUNE this year, a specialist report (commonly referred to as “the Randerson Report”) was released recommending the repeal of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). The Report was commissioned by Minister for the Environment, David Parker, and prepared by a specialist panel chaired by a retired Court of Appeal Judge.

The recommendation to repeal the RMA is groundbreaking, but probably not surprising given recent commentary in the lead up to the release of the report.

The Report provides a new direction for resource management law as we know it, starting with the proposal to create two separate sets of legislation.

The key changes are: • S e p a r a t i n g t h e R M A into two new pieces of legislation, one of which will address environmental issues (the Natural and Built Environments Act) and the other for spatial planning (Strategic Planning Act); • Increased control from Government, instead of local governments; • A major streamline of district and regional plans – there are currently over 100 plans in New Zealand, but the report recommends to consolidate these into 14 plans by having one plan for each region

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(similar to the Auckland Unitary Plan); and • Introducing separate legislation to address climate change .

Why the change?

Quite simply, the Report finds that the RMA is not delivering good environmental outcomes.

The Report is not binding on the Government, but if adopted in whole or in part, the Report’s recommendations will directly affect the viticulture industry.

Broadly, we see the proposed changes as potentially of benefit to winegrowers, compared to the current RMA scheme.

The Natural and Built Environments Act (NBEA) is set to take a substantially different approach to that of the RMA, by focusing on enhancing the quality of the environment, housing and achieving positive outcomes to support the wellbeing of present and future generations.

Mandatory environmental limits (bottom lines) would be specified for biophysical aspects of the environment, including soils, freshwater, coastal water, air and habitats for indigenous species. Targets would also be set in order to achieve ongoing improvement of the quality of both the natural and built

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

environments. We expect that this will positively affect winegrowers who are more likely to operate within the targets set by the NBEA, and beneficially contribute to the quality of soils.

Regional and territorial authorities will be required to consolidate all existing district and regional plans into 14 combined plans, one per region. This drafting process will involve the formation of a committee of delegates from each region, a Department of Conservation representative and mana whenua. The public would have the right to make a submission on the combined plans, submissions would be heard by an independent hearing panel. We strongly suggest that winegrowers keep an eye on this process and take up the opportunity to make a submission on the new combined plan within your region.

The new Strategic Planning Act will aim to embed integrated spatial planning across the country. The aim of this approach is to ensure better future planning, including for infrastructure and housing, within regions.

By integrating strategic land-use planning, councils will be required to consider plan decisions as a whole rather

than focusing on piecemeal individual developments. For example, it could potentially direct developers towards alternative locations than ones containing highly productive soil. This is compared to the current piecemeal approach where each single development is assessed on its own without reverting to any wider strategy or policy.

The proposed new legislation to address climate change would look to place a positive obligation on local and regional councils to consider climate change matters when preparing or changing their plans. The impetus for this proposal is to bring the RMA in line with the new Zero Carbon Act, which commits New Zealand to reducing greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050.

It is suggested that any obligations relating to climate change would not come into force until 31 December 2021, to allow time for further national policy direction. In the circumstances this seems an optimistic timeframe.

Viticulture is traditionally a very low emitter of greenhouse gasses. The Productivity Commission recognised that winegrowing in New Zealand is precisely the kind of lowcarbon, high value land use

Not on the Label - Legal matters with Dentons Kensington Swan

that will need to be expanded to achieve a sustainable low emissions future. It will be important to keen an eye on the detail of the proposed legislation as it develops to ensure that it is consistent with the industry’s own expectations and targets.

So far, the overall reaction to the report and its key re co m m e n d a t i o n s f ro m businesses, environmental interests and local government has been overwhelmingly positive. With elections looming in October, it will be up to the new Government to

consider the report and decide which aspects to adopt. While the report is not binding on future Governments, there has been clear cross-party consensus for some time that the current RMA is no longer fit for purpose.

We anticipate that we

will see fundamental change in New Zealand’s resource management legislation in the next few years, and strongly suggest that winegrowers should closely ‘watch this space’ for major changes that will, without a doubt, affect the viticulture industry.

What did submitters say about the proposed National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land?

MARIJA BATISTICH, PARTNER, AND LOUISE TREVENA-DOWNING, ASSOCIATE, DENTONS KENSINGTON SWAN

LATE LAST year the Ministry for the Environment and Ministry of Primary Industries received public submissions on their proposed National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS).

The aim of the NPS is to create clear guidelines protecting highly productive lands, specifically in instances of urban expansion and changes in land use.

A total of 250 submissions were received from a range of stakeholders, including members of New Zealand Winegrowers. A summar y of the submissions was only recently released.

The submissions will influence what the finalised NPS looks like. We have reviewed these and set out some of the key points below.

The NPS proposes that councils use a ‘Land Use Capability; (LUC) system to determine land that can be classified as highly productive. The LUC categorises land into eight classes according to its long-term capability to sustain one or more productive uses. Highly productive land means it has been designated Class

1, 2 or 3 by default.

Some submitters opposed the use of the LUC, generally on the basis that the system is outdated, broad scale, and does not consider all the factors necessary to make versatile soils highly productive.

This point is of particular relevance to winegrowers, as high quality wine grapes can often be found on LUC 4, 5 or 6 soils (i.e. should not automatically be classed into 1-3).

There was also general support for the overall intent to avoid urban expansion on highly productive land where other feasible alternatives exist.

Most submitters agreed that there needed to be some flexibility to allow for urban expansion in certain circumstances.

There was strong and consistent feedback from submitters that rural lifestyle development poses a greater risk to highly productive land compared to urban expansion and is also a much more inefficient and inappropriate use of highly productive land. As such, it was suggested that the NPS include stronger

requirements to protect highly productive land from rural-lifestyle development.

A significant theme in submissions was that most district plans already contain provisions to manage reverse sensitivity effects in rural areas, and the proposed NPS achieves limited improvements in practice. Reverse sensitivity occurs when a new use (i.e. residential) establishes next to an old use (i.e. production), and the new use is ‘sensitive’ to the old use, normally in terms of noise, odour, etc.

Another focus was on the use of the terms “avoid”, “mitigate” or “restrict”.

Submitters said the policy should be strengthened to “avoid” new sensitive and incompatible activities on highly productive land. Strengthening these provisions would assist in protecting the activities of existing vineyard operations.

What’s the next step?

The proposed NPS is not due to be considered by Cabinet until 2021 – so its progress (and prospects) will no doubt be determined by the outcome of the election. We will keep you posted.

MECHANICAL INSTALL

NEW ZEALAND

WALKWAYS & DESIGN • PROCESS & SERVICE PIPING • WINERY SERVICES

Carl Butler • +64 27 807 0533 • www.stainlesssystems.co.nz

STAINLESS SYSTEMS

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 81

Advocacy Matters

On your Behalf.

Advocacy on matters of vital importance to the industry.

Health and Safety - what ACC injury data reveals about our industry SARAH WILSON

With spring’s arrival comes the beginning of a new cycle: a new year’s growth, and new year’s work to grow the grapes and make the wine. That makes this the ideal time to reflect on what you might do differently for the coming season.

If you’re looking for a quick win, you might want to reflect on the fact that over half of all injuries suffered by workers in our sector come from just three causes: • Lifting carrying/strain injuries (23%).

• Gradual process injuries or exposure at work – e.g. to insecticides (15%).

• Loss of balance/personal control (14%).

According to ACC data (analysing all 4,512 winegrowing injuries reported over the five and half years to 31 August 2020) these top three causes of injury were the same for both vineyards and wineries.

So, have a think about your operations, and whether you and your workers are consistently following the best practice guidance to prevent these injuries (see tips).

If you’re confident you’ve got those nailed, then the next most common kinds of injury were: • Object coming loose/shifting (8%).

• Twisting movement (8%).

Where can I find more information?

• New Zealand Winegrowers(NZW) publishes a health and safety guide called ’Working Well’, available at nzwine. com/working-well-guide. An updated version of the guide will be published shortly, which will include more information about wellbeing, and mental health in particular.

• You can find WorkSafe’s website at worksafe.govt.nz.

• Any questions about health and safety requirements can be directed to the NZW advocacy team at advocacy@nzwine.com.

82 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

• Puncture (6%).

• Pushed/pulled (5%).

• Slipping/skidding on foot (4%).

• Other (10%).

While the situation will be different for each business, we have set out some general tips on how to prevent these kinds of injuries.

Tips for lifting or carrying heavy objects • Assess what heavy items in your workplace need to be lifted or carried. How much do they weigh? Are there any specific characteristics about the items that make them difficult to move?

• Use mechanical aids where possible.

• Train your workers in proper techniques for lifting heavy objects.

Consider which items might require more than one person to lift or move them, and create processes for this.

• Store items in a way that will make it easier to lift or move them.

The most frequently used items should be stored at waist height if possible.

• WorkSafe has more information at worksafe.govt.nz/topic-andindustry/manual-handling/ Tips for preventing gradual process injuries/ exposure at work Gradual process injuries can be difficult to monitor, because there may be a long period between exposure and symptoms, or because

Advocacy Matters

they could be caused by a variety of factors. However, this does not mean the hazards can be disregarded and you should still plan to eliminate, isolate or minimise these.

WorkSafe makes the following suggestions: • If the hazard relates to exposure (e.g. to hazardous substances), consider whether there are ways to replace the hazard with a less hazardous process or substance. This approach might also reduce

compliance costs in other areas (for example, you may no longer need a location compliance certificate).

• For noise or other environmental hazards, consider whether there are ways to isolate the risk from workers. For example, you could relocate noisy machinery or install a sound enclosure around the machine.

• If you cannot eliminate or isolate the risk, then you should take steps to minimise it (e.g. by installing a ventilation system, providing appropriate PPE).

New biosecurity levy order in place (with levy set at zero) • As of 11 September 2020, if a grape or wine sale transaction is subject to either the wine levy or the grape levy, it will also potentially be subject to a biosecurity levy, as approved by members in 2016.

• However, the biosecurity levy is initially set at zero (no payment is required).

• NZW will only increase the levy rate above zero if it needs to do so to fund a biosecurity response activity. NZW has funds set aside to manage smaller responses, so in practice this will only happen in the event of a significant biosecurity response. NZW may only raise the levy to a level sufficient to meet its response activity commitments under the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) Deed.

• The other aspects of the levy (record keeping requirements, payment timeframes, etc) are the same as the existing grape and wine levy orders.

• More information, including a link to the full levy order, is available on the NZW member website at nzwine.com/ biosecurity-levy.

If you have any questions, please contact NZW’s Biosecurity and Emergency Response Manager at Sophie.badland@nzwine.com.

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Byrnebuilt Engineering offers a wide range of services including mobile welding, fabrication and vineyard equipment repair.

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For Nth Is/AU, please contact James Vuletic jim.vuletic@providencewines.com Ph 021-920 469

Manufacturers of undervine weeders and a complete range of vineyard interrow cultivation equipment

GEIER ITALY

Australasian importer and distributor Manufacturers of vineyard crawler tractors

www.geier.it Ph Adrian Byrne 021-456 936

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 83

@PALLISERWINE

@ORGANICWINEGROWERSNZ

@MTROSAWINES

Pinot Noir Day We could all do with a little celebration right now, and Pinot Noir Day on the 18th August was the perfect excuse.

We asked Pinot fans to support their favourite winery by raising a glass of New Zealand’s top red wine. #lovenzpinot

@WINERIST

@QUARTZREEFWINES

@NO1FAMILYESTATE

@CAMDOUGLAS

@AKARUAWINES

@COALPITWINE

1372

E NTRIES TO NE W ZE ALAN D W I NE’ S PINOT PE R S ONAL I TY QUI Z

267,195

@CATALINASOUNDS

@BLANKCANVASWINES

@WETJACKETWINES

IMPR E SS IONS OF TH E QUI Z AND FACE BOOK EV ENT

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@BABYDOLLWINES

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84 //

@FLAXMORE_VINEYARDS

@DOGPOINTVINEYARDS

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

@WHITEHAVENWINES

@GIBBSTONVALLEY

Don’t forget to use #nzwine or tag @nzwinegrowers for your chance to be featured.

FOR STATISTICS QUERIES CONTACT EMILY AT EMILY.TUNNICLIFFE@NZWINE.COM

JULY 2020

Key Performance Indicators

Keep an eye on how New Zealand wine is performing both domestically and internationally.

Total Value of Exports

$1.94

Growth Markets fob value

USA

UK

AUSTRALIA

CANADA

GERMANY

CHINA

NETHERLANDS

HONG KONG

Billion

$617.4m 10% $480.3m 7% $370.1m 0.2% $135.7m 8% $64.3m 48% $27.2m 27% $26.3m 7% $14.5m 6%

6%

Packaged Wine Export

Bulk Wine Export

Volume

Volume

156.0 mL

3%

133.4 mL

23%

Packaged Price

Bulk white wine price

3%

4%

$4.02/L

$8.76/L

Domestic Sales, Volume

49.9mL 2%

All figures are for the 12 months to the date specified, figures are in $NZD unless otherwise specified

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 85

Machinery Updates

Nuts and

Bolts

Mark Daniel’s updates on Machinery and Technology

Braud Grape Harvesters MARK DANIEL

THE LATEST Braud 9000 series from New Holland, featuring the 9090L and 9090X models, complements an already comprehensive portfolio of selfpropelled grape harvesters, with the introduction of several innovative features designed to deliver high-quality, clean grapes to winemakers.

The new series maintains features like the Noria crop transportation system, the Shaking Dynamic Control system, and the premium OptiGrape cleaning system, while the 9090X model offers a configuration option including both a sidearm conveyor and a destemmer for maximum productivity.

Designed for vineyards with row spacing of 2.4 metres or wider, the 9090X - the largest in the line-up - features a side-

86 //

arm conveyor system, allowing the harvester to work continuously, while unloading the hoppers on the move.

Adding the optional SOCMA patented destemmer eliminates 99.56& of material other than grapes (MOG) to deliver cleaner, premium grapes to the winery, saving time and labour while improving wine taste and quality.

The washing process now features wireless remote control convenience to provide time savings, with picking head wash time reduced by a unique pre-washing system featuring a strategically positioned water supply pipe, nozzles in key areas, and fewer debris accumulation points.

Power is provided by a FPT Industrial four or six-cylinder Tier 4B HI-eSCR common rail

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

electronic engines, providing 144 to 182 horsepower and configured to run without the need to use an energy sapping EGR valve to meet emission standards.

The operator cabin features the Blue Cab 4 filtration system, alongside the ergonomic multifunction handle to control the harvester, plus standard items such as Bluetooth radio and auto air conditioning.

The IntelliView IV colour touchscreen monitor offers intelligent and intuitive automation to save time and enhance harvesting performance.

When compatible multifunction implements are connected, IntelliView IV automatically sets work pages for easier control and machine management.

The optional RTS system uses GPS technology to map the rows, displaying harvested rows, missed rows and overlaps - said to be particularly useful during night work and spraying applications.

Also new for the 2020-21 season is the Combi-Grape system. This offers an intermediate harvest quality between a standard destemmer and the well-known Opti-Grape setup.

Available on the Braud 8030L compact harvester, the layout sees a sorting table with specific rollers under a standard destemmer.

In operation, receiving conveyors feed the grapes into the destemmer and stems are expelled at the back of the machine, while free grapes and MOG fall to a sorting table.

This module features open roll-

Machinery Updates

EIGHT WAYS TO SPRAY! A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BETTER VINEYARD SPRAYING WITH BA MARLBOROUGH 1. Service your sprayer in the pre-season to prevent downtime.

2. Watch the weather! Weather can have a dramatic effect on the efficacy of your application. Factors to consider include wind speed and direction, as well as temperature and humidity.

3. Calibration is key to proper spraying, and regular inspections of the spray nozzles are essential to avoid unexpected failure during critical spraying times.

Conduct a sprayer calibration to ensure correct product quantity is being delivered to the crop and is routinely checked.

4. Spray nozzles are a physically small component, but selection is vitally important to vineyard spraying.

There are many considerations and dozens of variations when selecting spray nozzles. It is important these are carefully considered as the implications of improper spray application can be extremely costly if re-spraying

ers that allow the grapes to fall into the hopper, with leaf pieces and petioles guided by the rollers to the side of the machine where they drop to the ground.

Depending on crop variety and differing grapes sizes, the operator can adjust the distance between rollers from 14mm to 23mm, while roller speed can be controlled to adapt the system’s capacity to the yield. For routine maintenance, the sorting table can slide to the side of the machine to facilitate daily washing operation.

is required.

5. Train operators to correctly setup nozzles, fans and the usage of rate controllers. It is important to note that even the best laid plans can still result in less-thaneffective results if the operator is not properly trained, or is not giving the job their full attention.

6. Mix chemicals before adding to the main tank to ensure product is properly dissolved which will decrease the likelihood of blockages or leftover product in the tank.

7. Have a cleaning process in place at the end of each day which will help to prevent the build-up of sulphur on internal and external sprayer components.

8. Regularly test and inspect your pressure gauge, flow meters, nozzles and sprayer output to ensure that they’re still operating at the optimal settings.

This spray guide was created by the team at BA Marlborough, formerly known as Harpers Machinery . For specific advice and assistance find them at bamarlborough.com

Machinery Snippets...

PELLENC LEAF REMOVER A NEW leaf remover from industry specialists Pellenc tracks the canopy by sensor, which automatically manages the tool pressure on the trellising in real time and eliminates damage to the berries. Operated by one person at optimal speeds of 4km/h, the units can be configured in half or full row formats that are mounted to a multi-functional carrier. The machine also offers good visibility, while a cantilever design and reduced weight makes for ease of operation.

AGRISMART PAYROLL SHOWCASED AT the Fieldays Online Innovation competition, the AgriSmart Viticulture Payroll and Cost Management System streamlines the capture of hours worked in the viticulture industry, then integrates the data seamlessly to a built-in payroll system. Addressing the issue of recording time efficiently, particularly for teams of people, can be very tedious, but the system removes duplication of data and errors, while at the same time accounts for paid breaks, minimum hourly rates and piece rates.

www.newholland.co.nz

a winning influence (nz) ltd suppliers of fine corks, barrels, screw caps & capsules

Distributors of European made bespoke screw caps and bottle capsules by Americo Coelho Relvas.

tel 06 879 6074 email info@awiclosures.co.nz www.awiclosures.co.nz Your Imagination Is Our Limit

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 87

Research Updates

Research Supplement Information and updates on Bragato Research Institute research programmes.

Editors Dr Matias Kinzurk and Will Kerner, Research Programme Managers A regular feature to inform industry people about research projects being undertaken for their benefit. Newly approved projects (when available) are briefly summarised and longer reports will describe what has been achieved so far. When completed, each project will be reported in full detail, with references, on nzwine.com

Quality Wine Styles Climate Change Climate case study for Existing and – Managing hail Developing Markets damaged vineyards Lighter wine (PGP) University of Auckland and Plant and Food Research (Various) Jointly funded by NZW and MPI Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) fund.

Breaking the qualityproductivity seesaw in wine grape production (Pinot Noir Programme) University of Auckland, Plant and Food Research and Lincoln University (Various) Jointly funded by NZW and MBIE

Exploring the chemical space in Vineyard Ecosystems (VE) Programme juices and wines University of Auckland (B Fedrizzi)

Prevention of quercetin instability in bottled wine Villa Maria Wines Limited (E Taylor)

The effect of winemaking decisions on polysaccharide content in wine University of Auckland (B Fedrizzi)

Understanding green character in Pinot Noir wine Lincoln University (A Borssato)

88 //

Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

Microbial community and vine responses to increasing temperatures in the New Zealand context University of Auckland (S Knight)

Pests and Disease Optimising management of grapevine trunk diseases for vineyard longevity South Australian Research & Development Institute (M Sosnowski)

Improving remedial surgery practices for control of grapevine trunk disease to increase vineyard longevity Linnaeus (E van Zijll de Jong)

Impact of grapevine trunk fungi in hot water treated planting materials on young vine health Linnaeus (E van Zijll de Jong)

Improving the outcomes of mealybug insecticide use in vineyards Plant and Food Research (V Bell)

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Investigation into the relative abundance and species of mealy bug parasitoids in Gisborne vineyards Plant and Food Research (V Bell)

Harlequin ladybird in vineyards: monitoring a potentially invasive insect.

Plant and Food Research (V Bell)

Sustainability/ Organics Vineyard Ecosystems Programme University of Auckland and Plant and Food Research (Various) Jointly funded by NZW and MBIE

Cost efficient optimisation of weed management in vineyards Thoughtful Viticulture (M Krasnow)

Optimisation of irrigation and water savings in Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay and Merlot Thoughtful Viticulture (M Krasnow)

Potential applications of nanotechnology for wine growing in New Zealand University of Auckland (M Kah)

Future-proofing the wine sector with innovation: evaluation of ground cover, amenity & native plants as potential reservoirs of pathogens of grapevines Plant and Food Research (V Bell)

Viticultural treatments for improving Syrah quality Thoughtful Viticulture (M Krasnow)

A comparison of physical means to reduce rot versus chemical means in New Zealand vineyards Thoughtful Viticulture (M Krasnow)

Cost Reduction/ Increased Profitability Precision Grape Yield Analyser Programme 20162021 Lincoln Agritech Limited (A Werner)

An automated grape yield estimation system – The Rod Bonfiglioli Scholarship Massey University (M Legg)

Electronic Spray Deposition Sensors (ESDS) Lincoln Agritech (Scott Post)

Progress Reports

Figure 1: Photos of a reduced herbicide Sauvignon Blanc vineyard about a month before harvest. Reduced herbicide is on the left and the herbicide control on the right.

VINEYARD ECOSYSTEMS PROGRAMME

Reduced herbicide use – an achievable goal Mark Krasnow Thoughtful Viticulture

WEEDS INTERFERE with vineyard productivity in a variety of ways: they compete with grapevines for minerals and water, and they can also grow into the canopy and compromise harvestability and fruit health. That’s why some type of undervine weed control (either chemical or physical) is carried out in nearly every New Zealand vineyard.

Perhaps not surprisingly, herbicide is the major group of synthetic chemicals currently used in New Zealand vineyards.

Typically, such use involves multiple applications to create

a clean strip under the vines so that weeds do not compete with grapevines over the growing season. Growers adhere to Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) strategies for resistance management, which involve switching modes of action in the products they use.

Despite what current usage indicates, however, there is a growing desire within the wine industry to produce high-quality grapes with a minimum of chemical inputs.

Where herbicides are involved, several issues underpin the desire to reduce and/or eliminate

their application in the vineyard: • Continued reliance on glyphosate and other, stronger herbicides may result in selecting for resistance/tolerance in plant species found under vines. That may, in turn, have an effect on populations of beneficial insects.

• The national SWNZ programme encourages members to use softer chemical and nonchemical controls for efficient and sustainable pest and disease management.

• Regulatory authorities at home and abroad are reassessing and/ or banning the use of

glyphosate.

• Consumers prefer fewer chemical inputs for food production for health and environmental reasons.

Starting in 2017, investigations exploring how to reduce and/ or eliminate herbicide use were undertaken as part of the Vineyard Ecosystems Programme, managed by Bragato Research Institute (BRI) and co-funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE).

The four-year project, entitled, “Weed management in New Zealand vineyards: reducing and eliminating

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 89

Progress Reports

herbicide use”, ran trials in three Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in Marlborough and three Merlot vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. The goal was to test several strategies that vineyard managers could employ to reduce reliance on herbicides.

RESULTS AND BENEFITS Results indicate that reduced herbicide applications – down to a single application early in the season instead of a more typical regime of two, three, or even four applications – is achievable. Reduced herbicide applications in trial plots had no negative effect on yield or fruit composition at harvest when combined with non-chemical weed management.

The potential benefits of adopting such an

approach are substantial: • The development and spread of herbicideresistant weeds could be greatly slowed or stopped with only a minor impact on vineyard profitability.

• Substantial reductions (50-75% less) can be achieved with respect to one of the most widely applied chemical groups on New Zealand vineyards Other treatments were also explored, including the use of compost, cover crops, nonchemical weed control (using mowers and/or cultivation) and, in 2020, subsurface irrigation.

1. HERBICIDE REDUCTION TRIAL (2017-2019) In this trial, a single prebudburst herbicide spray, followed up by either undervine

cultivation or mowing for later weeding passes, was compared with multiple herbicide sprays.

Employing the singlespray strategy reduced herbicide use by 50-75%.

No significant trends (i.e., reductions in yield and/or fruit composition) were observed between the control and the reduced herbicide vines for the following parameters: • Canopy gap • Stem water potential • Berry weight • Brix • Juice pH • Juice titratable acidity, tartaric acid, and malic acid • Juice potassium • Yield and yield components • Bunch compactness and rot The only consistent effect of allowing

undervine vegetation to grow later in the season was a reduction in juice yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) in Sauvignon Blanc at harvest (Merlot showed no differences).

Traditionally, a clean undervine area has been regarded as standard, but attainment may result in additional chemical use or, in the case of organic growers, additional tilling.

Vineyards that followed the single herbicide spray with undervine mowing had substantially more vegetation under the vines later in the season compared to the control (Figure 1).

Becoming comfortable with some vegetation growing under the vines, especially later in the season, will help the New Zealand wine industry to reduce its chemical footprint.

Figure 2: The cover crop mix in late winter (left) and spring (right). The plant species (oats, mustard, plantain, red clover and crimson clover) were allowed to set seed before mowing. The clovers and plantain were persistent in the midrow, even a year after sowing.

90 //

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Progress Reports

Figure 3: A warm spring without appreciable frost in 2018 meant that the cover crops could grow quite large before having to be mowed, adding organic matter under the vines and serving as a mulch to retain water and suppress weeds.

2. HERBICIDE ELIMINATION/YIELD MAINTENANCE TRIAL (2017-2020) Previous work had shown that both undervine cultivation and undervine mowing devigorate vines and reduce yield compared with herbicide.

This aspect of the study looked at additional inputs growers can use to maintain yield when moving to undervine cultivation, which is by far the most common non-chemical undervine weed control method employed in New Zealand.

An undervine cultivated control with no additional inputs was compared with cultivation plus: • Interrow cover crops sown in the winter and mowed and side-discharged under the vines in the spring (Figures 2, 3).

• Small amounts of compost (15 m3/ha) banded under the vines in mid-to-late winter every other year to “top

up” soil organic matter degraded by undervine cultivation (Figure 4).

No consistent differences were found between the additional inputs and the control in the parameters measured in the study (canopy growth, berry growth and development, and yield).

Interpreting the results, however, is challenging.

Cover crops, especially those aimed at nitrogen fixation and compaction relief, could take years to show a measurable effect on grapevines.

They could also provide benefits not measured in this study, such as harbouring beneficial insects and improving soil microbial life or diversity.

Similarly, the amount of compost used in the study was substantially less than many growers employ, especially in the organic sector. This was by design. Compost purchase and spreading undervine are expensive; one of the aims for this project was to reduce

costs to a minimum; thus, a smaller amount of compost, and addition only every other year, was chosen. The results do not necessarily suggest that compost addition isn’t helpful, just that the amount used in this study was less than necessary to produce clear and consistent increases in yield and vigour in undervine cultivated vineyards.

3. SUBSURFACE IRRIGATION TRIAL (2020) Supplying irrigation below the surface of the soil reduces evaporative losses and the amount of water intercepted by weeds. Might there be less undervine growth, and therefore less need for weed control, with subsurface irrigation?

A trial was set up in Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in Marlborough and Syrah vineyards in Hawke’s Bay comparing rows irrigated with aboveground drip irrigation to subsurface irrigation applied at 30

cm depth and 25-30 cm off the vine row to assess vine growth and performance between the two treatments.

Due to difficulty accessing the installation gear and dripline in time, the subsurface treatment was installed about a week after budburst in Marlborough, and several weeks after budburst in Hawke’s Bay. The mole plough caused some damage to roots during installation (Figure 5), and there were concerns that the damage might negatively affect subsequent canopy growth. This was not observed, however, and canopy gaps were similar between the subsurface and the control.

One clear and consistent difference observed in rows with subsurface irrigation was a decrease in undervine weed growth, especially later in the season once regular irrigation had been employed for longer.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 // 91

Progress Reports

Table 1. Undervine bare ground percentage for the subsurface irrigation experiment as measured by using a 625 cm2 quadrat. Values are averages of 10 quadrats per treatment. Shaded values followed by a different lower-case letter denote statistically significant differences at the p=0.05 level.

Vineyard SSB1

Variety SB

SSB2

SB

SSY1

Syrah

SSY2

Syrah

SSY3

Syrah

Treatment

Budburst

Flowering

Veraison

Harvest

Aboveground

2.50%

10.50%

1.00%

0.300% b

Subsurface

2.50%

12.00%

2.80%

21.67% a

Aboveground

85.80%

98.50%

90.80% b

11.00% b

Subsurface

92.90%

98.60%

99.50% a

88.30% b

Aboveground

74.50%

62.30% b

55.00% b

47.70% b

Subsurface

76.00%

74.60% a

76.20% a

81.80% a

Aboveground

97.30%

97.10%

91.10% b

65.490%

Subsurface

95.50%

96.60%

97.20% a

80.40%

Aboveground

76.80%

63.70%

26.80% b

16.30% b

Subsurface

72.20%

69.30%

55.10% a

73.50%a

Table 2. Weight of undervine weeds (g) for the subsurface experiment as measured by using a 625 cm2 quadrat. Values are averages of 10 quadrats per treatment. Shaded values followed by a different lower-case letter denote statistically significant differences at the p=0.05 level.

Vineyard SSB1 SSB2 SSY1 SSY2 SSY3

Variety SB SB Syrah Syrah Syrah

Based on these results, subsurface irrigation may be able to reduce the need for (1) herbicide in conventional vineyards and (2) slow, expensive non-chemical weeding passes in organic vineyards. There was more bare area under the vines with subsurface irrigation (Table 1), and substantially less biomass of weeds (Table 2). The weeds that were able to access irrigation water that wicked up through the soil grew in the rows, where they could be dealt with during a

92 //

Treatment

Budburst

Flowering

Veraison

Harvest

Aboveground

51.11

37.68

68.58 a

55.23 a

Subsurface

55.13

28.22

43.26 b

29.79 b

Aboveground

1.82

0.29

2.51 a

37.46 a

Subsurface

6.87

0.29

0.28 b

3.1 b

Aboveground

15.87

18.65 a

21.29 a

13.62 a

Subsurface

18.89

10.29 b

10.24 b

5.57 b

Aboveground

1.09

1.63

3.98 a

18.55

Subsurface

1.34

1.99

1.11 b

17.36

Aboveground

16.53

13.67

30.02 a

17.93 a

Subsurface

14.57

13.48

18.90 b

7.51 b

regular mowing pass down the row (Figure 6).

There was no significant negative effect on canopy growth, berry size, fruit composition, bunch number, or yield from subsurface irrigation. The lines used (Netafim Uniram) are specifically designed to prevent root intrusion and have vacuum breakers to eliminate soil

Figure 4: A small amount of compost (15 m3/ha) banded under Merlot vines in the late winter.

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Progress Reports

Figure 5: Left: A photo of the installation gear running at a Sauvignon Blanc vineyard, indicating the stage of growth when installation was done in Marlborough. This installation is later than is ideal (during dormancy), as the vine roots are active at this time. Right: A large (approximately 30 mm diameter) vine root severed by the installation.

being pulled into the lines after an irrigation set.

They are, however, about 50% more expensive than traditional aboveground driplines – a cost that could be recouped if undervine weeding requirements were reduced in subsequent seasons. Subsurface irrigation shows potential in several respects: reducing reliance on chemical herbicides,

using water more efficiently, and increasing vineyard profitability and sustainability in the long term.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This article summarises findings from research commissioned by Bragato Research Institute (BRI) for the Vineyards Ecosystems Programme, co-funded by the Ministry of

Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

FOR MORE INFORMATION Members of New Zealand Winegrowers can access the following research report by signing in to the members’ area of nzwine.com (nzwine. com/members/grow/ research-programme/ vineyard-ecosystems/ reports/): • Krasnow M, Zhang T,

Haywood A, June 2020, Weed management in New Zealand vineyards: Reducing and eliminating herbicide use – Final report 19/20 • Krasnow M, Zhang T, Haywood A, June 2019, Weed management in New Zealand vineyards: Reducing and eliminating herbicide use - Annual report 18/19 nzwine.com

Figure 6: Subsurface irrigation grass growth (left) compared with aboveground irrigation (right). Notice the grass growing to the right side of the vine row with the subsurface, whereas it is growing primarily underneath the vine row in the aboveground.

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PINOT NOIR PROGRAMME

The influence of microoxygenation on a young New Zealand Pinot Noir wine Billy Yi Yang, PhD student at the University of Auckland under the supervision of Prof. Paul Kilmartin and Dr Rebecca Deed

FOLLOWING THE 2019 vintage, a microoxygenation (MOX) trial was carried out at the University of Auckland.

Four treatments, consisting of two oxygenation rates (10.8 and 52.4 ppm of oxygen per month), undertaken before or after malolactic fermentation (MLF), were applied to a Marlborough Pinot Noir wine that had just completed primary fermentation. Each MOX treatment was applied for 30 days in a temperature-controlled environment at 15oC. Two control treatments were induced, with or without a delay in MLF, in order to compare the influence of

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malolactic fermentation on the impact of MOX. The different treatments and their abbreviations are defined in Table 1.

The lower oxygenation rate used in this study produced an oxygen input close to that expected over a 6 month period in new French oak barrels, based upon a typical rate of 1 to 2 ppm of oxygen per month.

The rates used in this trial are applicable for commercial winemaking, given that in most cases MOX is applied for a short amount of time to accelerate wine development. It is also worth remembering that the higher

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Table 1. MOX Treatments Applied to the Pinot Noir Wine.

Oxygenation

Before MLF

After MLF

Control

C1

C2

10.8 ppm/month of oxygen

T1

T3

52.4 ppm/month of oxygen

T2

T4

oxygenation rate would be comparable to approximately 2.5 years of wine aging in such barrels. Free SO2 was not detected at the beginning of MOX, due to losses during wine transfer, and was not added at any stage of this experiment, which thus provides insights into wine development when free SO2 does not limit oxygen induced reactions.

A decrease of absorbance at 520 nm and the total colour intensity was found in the control wines, which was not affected by the delay of MLF (C2) (see Figure 1A and 1B). During aging and storage, a loss of wine colour is often observed, which is associated with the decline of free anthocyanin content.

This was also found in the present study, but

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Figure 1. (A) Evolution of absorbance at 520 nm, (B) colour intensity, (C) percentage of trihydroxylated (%Tri-OH) and (D) galloylated (%Galloyl) tannin subunits.

occurred at a much higher rate in the MOX treated wines. At the same time, the wines treated with MOX showed an increased color absorbance at 520 nm and colour intensity, which was notably higher when MOX was applied after MLF (T3 and T4). It has been reported that an increase of red tonality in wines could be due to the formation of polymeric pigments, particularly the anthocyanin derived small polymeric pigments, which make up a large percentage of anthocyanin-based colour. The higher absorbance value at 520 nm was associated with a higher decline of anthocyanins and a large increase of red pigmented polymer (Figure 1A).

During this experiment, the evolution of tannins was examined using some methods that are new to the New

Zealand research scene.

These involved Highperformance liquid chromatography after the samples were treated to an acid-catalysed depolymerisation in the presence of phloroglucinol, while the size of the tannins was also examined using gel permeation chromatography.

Important changes in tannin constitution appear in the percentage of trihydroxylated (%Tri-OH) and galloylated (%Galloyl) subunits, with implications for wine mouthfeel and astringency. The former (%Tri-OH) is regarded as a skin tannin indicator and the latter (%Galloyl) as a seed tannin indicator.

In the present study, an increased in %Tri-OH and a decrease in %Galloyl was found in all treatments (Figure 1C and 1D), which was not significantly affected by the delay of MLF. Compared to the control

wines, MOX treated wines had a much higher %Galloyl but lower %Tri-OH in tannins. It has been suggested that a higher %Galloyl can lead to an increase of tannin hydrophobicity, inducing tannin self-association, to form larger aggregated particles, which could reduce tannin solubility in wine. Previous studies have also shown that the percentage of trihydroxylation and galloylation could also affect the perceived astringency intensity in red wines. In addition, an increase in perceived astringency has been associated with the increase of %Galloyl in tannins, indicating their ability to complex with proteins and peptides.

In the control wines, the results indicate the appearance of timedependent effects that can be related to “softening of tannins” with time, which is often associated with aged red

wines. Further studies are required to determine to what extent sensory astringency intensity is affected by the changes in tannin composition seen in the MOX treated wines. Moreover, wine is a very complex medium and many other factors could also contribute the perceived astringency, such as polysaccharides, in addition to the phenolic composition investigated in this study. Further research is on-going within the Pinot Noir programme to relate these new tannin measures to Pinot Noir mouthfeel sensory properties.

CONCLUSION MOX treatments applied at before or after MLF had shown a significant impact on a young Pinot Noir wine. Higher red tonality and colour intensity was observed, which was not significant different between the two oxygenation rates and the timing of MOX. The causes of increase in the red tonality are not fully understood, but most likely involves various phenolic interactions, which will require further investigation. Compared to the control wines, tannins in MOX treated wines had a significantly higher %Galloyl and less %Tri-OH in tannins, indicting a strong influence on tannin modification. These results impact on wine astringency and on important wine mouthfeel properties of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines. nzwine.com

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PINOT NOIR PROGRAMME

Exploring Pinot Noir’s enigmatic attributes: quality, complexity and varietal typicality Wendy V. Parr*1, Claire Grose2, Duncan Hedderley3, Marcela Medel Maraboli4, Oliver Masters5, and Dominique Valentin6 1 AGLS Faculty, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Institute of Plant and Food Research, Marlborough, New Zealand; 3Institute of Plant and Food Research, Palmerston North, New Zealand; 4 University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; 5Tripwire Wine Consulting Ltd. & Misha’s Vineyard, Central Otago, New Zealand; 6CSGA UMR5170 CNRS, University of Burgundy, INRA, France WHAT IS quality in Pinot Noir wine? What attributes are essential for a wine to be judged high in quality? And what renders a wine low quality?

As part of the national research programme NZW 17-105, perception of quality in Pinot Noir wines is under investigation. Below we report on a recently published study that considered how wine professionals perceive and conceptualise quality in New Zealand Pinot Noir wines, and how quality is associated with the important but somewhat elusive attributes of complexity and varietal typicality.

Preliminary data on this study were reported in New Zealand Winegrower, August/September, 2019.

Vitis vinifera L cv. Pinot Noir produces one of the world’s fine wines, with prices paid being amongst the highest in the world for bottled wine. As a fine wine, the concepts of quality, complexity, and varietal typicality (i.e., a wine being perceived as true to the grape variety) often rear their heads in wine critics’ reviews of Pinot Noir wines. Further, use

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Figure 1. PCA output showing the descriptive rating data of the 18 wines and the 20 attributes plotted in 2-D space.

Each of the 5 wine regions investigated is identified by a separate colour.

Items (i.e., wines and attributes) that are closer in the 2-D space are more closely associated statistically.

of terms such as quality and complexity in wine media, both concepts having been shown by researchers to be considered positive aspects of a wine, can influence consumer purchase and consumption behaviour.

Hence, having some idea regarding what is encapsulated within such terms is an ethical issue as much as it is of interest to wine producers, marketing professionals, and scientists.

PERCEPTION OF A WINE’S ABSTRACT QUALITIES Investigating a wine’s abstract qualities as

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opposed to its more concrete characteristics (e.g. sweetness intensity) is a complex undertaking, not least because it requires consideration of a taster’s cognitive processes (e.g. memories of wines tasted in the past) as well as their sensory processes.

When a wine’s abstract attributes are assessed, global or synthetic perception is involved; that is, the wine is appreciated and assessed in an integrating way, i.e., as a whole. This type of perception involves multimodal sensory input (e.g. tastes; smells; mouthfeel sensations) combining to form compound

stimuli. For example, an odour and a taste may combine to form what is experienced as a ‘flavour’ by the taster, with neither individual sensation being easily separable or individually describable. Global perception contrasts with analytical perception where a taster attempts to deconstruct the wine into its separable components. In analytical perception, perceiving the separate components such as an odour and a taste does not lead to compounding of the separate elements. In our recent work investigating abstract concepts of

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quality, complexity and varietal typicality of Pinot Noir wines, and in keeping with science-based arguments that valid (i.e. accurate) assessment of such concepts requires domain-specific expertise, we employed experienced wine tasters as our judges. An important aspect of global perception and stimulus compounding is that learning and experience influence how our neurons handle the combining of sensations such as tastes, odours, and mouth-feel qualities. Hence, those deemed to have expertise in a domain such as wine will bring to the task of assessing abstract, global characteristics such as quality an experiential history associated with evaluating the product of interest, namely Pinot Noir wine, in a way that less-experienced people will not.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUALITY, COMPLEXITY AND VARIETAL TYPICALITY JUDGMENTS In our recently published study (Parr et al., 2020), we investigated perception of quality and complexity in Pinot Noir wines, along with association of each concept with perceived varietal typicality. Au contraire to much anecdotal evidence, we demonstrated that for wine professionals, being able to see a wine’s colour and clarity was not a major driver of a wine’s perceived quality. On the other hand, a particularly interesting result was that perception of quality and of varietal typicality were extremely highly corre-

lated (+0.90), suggesting that the wine professionals who served as judges saw these two aspects of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines as virtually synonymous. The specific characteristics important to driving both perceived high quality and good varietal typicality can be seen in Figure 1. The con-

crete attributes of intensity of fruit and floral aromas were important, but dominant were the more global attributes of balanced acidity, overall structure, freshness, elegance/precision, concentration, softness/silkiness and expressiveness of a wine. These results support our hypothesis

that experienced wine tasters bring synthetic or global perceptual abilities to the fore when judging higher-order (i.e., umbrella) terms or abstract qualities of a wine. Interestingly, the two attributes that rendered a wine low quality were based on analytical judgments, namely inten-

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sity of reductive notes and intensity of green characters.

Several viniviticultural factors were investigated in the study, these being wine region, vintage, vine yield, recommended retail price (RRP), and method of production.

This was to consider their importance to Pinot Noir perceived quality. There were very few significant effects, and none directly associated with quality or typicality judgments, conceivably due to the low and unequal numbers of wines in some cells of the analysis. There was however a significant association with quality of the green/herbaceous note, this character linked to low quality wines, and we are following this up in a separate research project. This finding provides an interesting separation between quality and typicality, with neither the green/ herbaceous nor reductive attributes associating statistically with varietal typicality, whereas both were drivers of perceived low quality. Although not statistically significant, there was a clear trend for RRP and vine yield to associate positively with the perceived quality of a wine.

Perception of complexity in the Pinot Noir wines was positively associated with both quality and varietal typicality but neither association was as high as that between quality and typicality. In keeping with judgments of quality and typicality, perceived complexity was driven largely by integrating attributes of

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a wine, namely harmony and balance. The ease with which the separate flavours and sensations of a wine could be separated and identified was not a significant driver of perceived complexity, supporting the theory that perception of complexity involves holistic or global perception, going beyond the individual elements of the wine and their perceptual separability. This leaves open

concerning what constitutes quality in red wines, specifically in New Zealand Pinot Noir wines, and how quality is linked positively to the important, fine-wine attributes of complexity and varietal typicality.

We are in the process of working with our chemistry colleagues in RA 3.1 to associate our sensory data from the study reported above with wine composition data, in the

“We have demonstrated what wine professionals consider important to both have, and not to have, in a quality Pinot Noir wine.” the Gestalt notion that perception of a wine can result in a judge’s percept (i.e., subjective representation of the wine) being greater than the sum of the wine’s parts. Our recent results concerning the nature of perceived complexity in Pinot Noir wines fit with our own prior research concerning perception of complexity in the white wine Sauvignon Blanc, as well as with prior published research investigating the attributes driving complexity in other red varieties (e.g. Syrah; Tempranillo). It thus appears that the important drivers of perceived complexity are similar in red and white wines.

CONCLUDING COMMENTS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS The findings from our recent study have extended knowledge

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first instance with a comprehensive set of volatile aroma compounds.

Although we found few significant effects of the viniviticultural variables investigated, and hence cannot report on the oenological or viticultural sources of our sensory effects, our results to date have implications for wine producers and wine marketing personnel aiming to produce and market high quality, New Zealand Pinot Noir wines. That is, we have demonstrated what wine professionals consider important to both have, and not to have, in a quality Pinot Noir wine.

Finally, we have followed up the current work with a subsequent study in which our tasters focused on Pinot Noir inmouth attributes, notably on the taste of bitter and the mouthfeel qualities generated by the trigemi-

nal nerve (e.g. astringency; body; weight; density; fullness; coarse/ grainy; silkiness; softness), in terms of their significance to judgments of overall quality and varietal typicality. Preliminary results show some interesting effects. In particular, although quality and typicality remain closely related concepts when tasters are focusing on in-mouth phenomena rather than aromatic qualities of a wine, they can also be separated.

Our results show that while overall body was a significant driver of perceived overall quality but marginal to varietal typicality, astringency was more important to typicality perception than to quality. Overall, mouthfeel attributes were more important to varietal typicality judgments than to quality judgments, with tactile attributes such as dry/ puckering and coarse/ grainy, along with the thermal attribute of burning sensation/hot, significantly associating with varietal typicality but not with quality. These results will be reported in full in due course.

REFERENCE Parr, W.V., Grose, C., Hedderley, D., Medel Maraboli, M., Masters, O., Araujo, L.D., & Valentin, D. (2020). Perception of quality and complexity in wine and their links to varietal typicality: An investigation involving Pinot noir wine and professional tasters. Food Research International, 10.1016/j. foodres.2020.109423 nzwine.com

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Fairhall Downs

PINOT NOIR PROGRAMME

Nitrogen status and grape amino acids – an indicator of wine quality?

Scott Gregan, Amber Parker, Rainer Hofmann, Brian Jordan Of all of the mineral nutrients, nitrogen often is the most important in terms of influencing grapevine growth and physiology.

But how much nitrogen is good for the vine and beneficial to grape berry composition? The answer is of course, it depends… on a wide range of factors including cultivar/ rootstock, climate, trellis system, canopy shading and timing and amount

of fertiliser supplementation. In addition, any of the factors that manipulate grapevine nitrogen (and other nutrition), have the potential to significantly influence berry biochemistry and composition and ultimately the composition and quality of resulting wine.

The focus of this article is to highlight the importance of amino acids (as the major class of nitro-

gen containing primary metabolites) and their potential impact on berry biochemistry and wine quality.

THE GRAPEVINES NITROGEN STATUS The vegetative and grape yield responses of the grapevine depend on the initial nitrogen status of the vine prior to supplementation, and subsequent application

of nitrogen will set off a series of reactions that may directly or indirectly impact grape berry biochemistry and result in influencing wine quality.

When a vine’s nitrogen status is deficient, supplementation with nitrogen stimulates nitrogen metabolism, protein biosynthesis and related biochemistry. This generally has a positive effect on vine growth, vigour

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and berry composition.

Conversely, a high nitrogen status can disrupt vine balance, source-sink relationships and canopy microclimate through excessive vegetative growth. Increasing vegetative vigour increases canopy density, which results in a change in the local bunch microclimate and alters a variety of environmental factors including light exposure/ shading, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, bunch temperature and humidity.

Changes to the sourcesink balance, light and temperature in particular have been shown to influence berry biochemistry and grape quality.

The impact of nitrogen application on berry biochemistry and grape composition/quality, is the combination of its direct effect on vine growth and metabolism and subsequent indirect effects due to the influence of vegetative vigour and yield. The main effect on grape quality components is to increase total nitrogen concentration and nitrogenous compounds, in particular, the amino acids arginine and proline, other free amino acids and ammonium.

AMINO ACIDS ACCUMULATE IN GRAPES THROUGHOUT DEVELOPMENT The most dramatic changes in the berries’ biochemical composition, occurs postveraison in the ripening phase and even though the berry approximately doubles in size between veraison and harvest, total amino acid concentrations have been shown to

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Figure 1: The principal sources of nitrogen in the grape berry. The various sources of nitrogen in a mature grape berry, differentially contribute to yeast fermentation and wine quality.

accumulate substantially throughout. Amino acids are important primary metabolites, and of the total nitrogen at harvest, 50-90% is in the form of free amino acids (Figure 1).

Amino acids are therefore one of the major sources of nitrogen in grapes and they are particularly important in the winemaking process as principal sources of nitrogen during yeast fermentation. Amino acids are also precursors of secondary compounds that are linked to flavour and aroma of wine, whether that be directly (such as flavonols and methoxypyrazines) or existing as precursors with then the subsequent aid of yeast fermentation. Amino acids can exist both in a free form and linked together in the form of polypeptides, proteins and enzymes, the latter of which drive all of the biochemical reactions of cells metabolism. Amino acids

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therefore, can be considered at a central junction in grape biochemistry homeostasis and potential wine quality dynamics.

Nitrogen assimilation is the vital biological process in plants in which inorganic nitrogen is incorporated into organic forms, namely amino acids. The majority of nitrogen assimilation is generally considered to occur in the leaves, subsequently exported into berries in an amino acid form. Therefore, given that leaf and shoot removal and other canopy manipulations are common practice in commercial vineyards, any such canopy management or other viticultural interventions have the potential to influence grape berry biochemical composition and ultimately, wine composition and quality.

AMINO ACIDS AND WINE QUALITY POTENTIAL The amino acid profile of

a grape has been shown to be closely related to the wine quality, in terms of compounds that are derived from amino acid precursors. Many studies have shown correlations between the amino acid composition of grapes and differences in wine quality. Some studies have even gone so far to propose that the majority of variations observed in wine fermentative aroma are due to the differences in the must amino acid composition induced by seasonal and geographical factors.

Aside from the effect on fermentation dynamics, amino acids are also the starting precursors for important secondary compounds in grapes including methoxypyrazines, phenolic compounds, thiols, esters, higher alcohols, flavonols and anthocyanins. Many compounds derived from amino acid precursors which play a major role in defining the flavour and aroma profile of a

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wine (thiols, for example), require biochemical modifications by yeasts during fermentation.

Therefore, any differences in amino acid composition of grape juice, that can influence yeast growth and fermentation dynamics, will impact wine quality and sensory composition. Previous studies have identified particular amino acid correlations to difference to wine quality components (Figure 2).

PINOT NOIR RESEARCH AT LINCOLN UNIVERSITY Despite the importance of amino acids in grapevines, their accumulation and regulation in the grape berry is poorly understood and usually inferred through research in other plant species.

More recent research at Lincoln University has shown that leaf removal around the fruiting zone of Sauvignon Blanc grape bunches can significantly decreases amino acid accumulation in the fruit.

This reduction in amino acids was hypothesised to be predominantly due to the effect of an altered source/sink balance and partitioning impacts. Nevertheless, there is little empirical research investigating how the leaf canopy contributes to determining the amino acid composition of the berry and more specifically, elucidating the mechanisms of amino acid accumulation and related secondary metabolic pathways in the grape berry.

One of the fundamental goals of the Pinot Noir programme, is to optimise grape yield and

Figure 2 The amino acid composition of grapes at harvest are correlated to differences in wine quality.

wine quality with respect to vineyard management practices. Consequently, the investigation of biochemical factors in response to management and environmental influences that modify them, is a major component of our research strategy (Please also refer to our NZW article, “Understanding berry biochemistry is crucial to unravelling the Pinot Noir yield vs quality nexus.”

2019). We are therefore addressing this concept of yield vs quality through viticulture-relevant research at Lincoln University.

The accumulation and regulation of key biochemical metabolites (sugars, amino acids, anthocyanins and phenolic compounds) that contribute to yield and berry quality parameters in Pinot Noir production are being investigated by: • Examining viticultural practices that modify competing sinks and leaf area to fruit weight (LA:FW) ratios.

• Examining changes to bunch microclimate through variations in light

and temperature that may alter grape berry biochemistry.

We are currently using a potted vine system for experiments in which we can accurately control light, temperature, LA:FW ratios and soil volume through the use of plant growth chambers and greenhouses.

In addition to measuring physical aspects of vine development (measuring the biomass of roots, shoots, leaves and bunches), we have also collected grape bunches for analysis of the targeted biochemical compounds in the fruit.

This research undertaken at Lincoln University aims to increase the current knowledge of Pinot Noir physiology and biochemistry for the benefit of the New Zealand wine industry; and hopes to identify new opportunities for future research.

A better understanding of amino acid composition and how it is regulated relative to yield and other parameters, will provide opportunities to unlock the potential of

amino acids in the berry to improve wine quality.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING • Bell SJ & Henschke PA (2005) Implications of nitrogen nutrition for grapes, fermentation and wine. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 11, 242–295.

• Gregan SM, Winefield C & Jordan B (2017) Amino acid metabolism and accumulation in Sauvignon blanc grapes – investigating berry composition in response to canopy manipulation.

Acta Horticulturae 1188, 9-14.

• Hernandez-Orte P, Cacho JF & Ferreira V (2002) Relationship between varietal amino acid profile of grapes and wine aromatic composition. Experiments with model solutions and chemometric study. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50, 2891–2899.

• Rapp A & Versini G (1996) Influence of nitrogen compounds in grapes on aroma compounds of wines. WeinWissenschaft 51, 193–203. nzwine.com

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Pinot Noir volatome Krishna Panicker, Dr Rebecca E. Jelley, and Associate Prof Bruno Fedrizzi PINOT NOIR is a popular wine variety that is famously associated with the Burgundy region of France. In New Zealand, Pinot Noir has rapidly taken centre stage as the most widely produced red wine in New Zealand, and overall second only to Sauvignon Blanc.

Despite efforts in trying to expand the aroma chemical space covered in Pinot Noir wines, our understanding of the relationship between the aroma and the overall quality of the wine remains limited.

While Pinot Noir aroma can be described with nuances of red fruits such as raspberry, cherry, and plum, as well as dark fruits such as currant and blackberry, pinpointing specific aroma compounds to their relevant sensory contribution remains challenging.

Particularly challenging is the correlation of data collected using a sensory approach with experimental chemical research data.

In a sensory evaluation we are exposed to a dynamic, complex, timed series of events where aromas reaching the olfactory receptors are starting and finishing, being replaced by other notes, as well as being influenced by the presence of other chemical species. In the chemical analyses of the aroma, we tend to

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obtain a static picture of the total content of the volatile fraction, potentially neglecting whether those molecules were actually able to reach the olfactory receptors or even trigger a sensory signal in a wine glass tasting scenario.

A research group in Spain has optimised a system that is capable of producing wine aroma extracts that generate Gas ChromatographyOlfactometry (GC-O) scores similar to those obtained via orthonasal determinations (in model wine).

This system is based on a flow of inert gas that passes above the wine sample and strips the aroma compounds present in the head space (HS).

The vapours are then trapped on a solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge that is subsequently eluted with an organic solvent to collect the aroma compounds.

The extract is finally injected into a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS) for analysis.

The schematic of this approach and the apparatus that we are currently using in our lab is reported below (figure 1).

One of the key focuses of this project, which is part of the Pinot Noir Programme funded by MBIE and New Zealand

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Figure 1 Experimental apparatus

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Figure 2: Time course evolution of aroma by class of compound.

Palliser Estate

Winegrowers, is to understand the impact of the matrix (i.e. everything that constitutes wine, and in particular the heavy molecules) on the volatilisation and the aroma fraction of Pinot Noir wine.

In our first year, we spent a significant amount of time establishing and optimising the experimental procedure using the aforementioned apparatus.

In particular, parameters such as the wine volume (50 vs 100 mL) and extraction time (30, 60, and 90 min) were considered.

While optimising this procedure, we were particularly interested in studying the time course evolution of the aromas present in wine (i.e. which aroma were stripped by the inert gas first, etc.).

In order to study this, the volatile fraction collected with this purge and trap system was monitored over 90 min in 30 min intervals (Figure 2).

As expected, the extraction time (how long we flush the headspace above the still wine with the inert gas) has a great effect on the class of compounds and their relative percentage recovery; for instance C6-alcohols seemed to be extracted preferentially in the latter 30 minutes considered.

Ultimately, we were able to establish a headspace sampling system, based on the purge and trap of the volatile fraction of Pinot Noir wines.

This system is particularly useful as it has already shown to be effective in explaining orthonasal sensory data and could strongly support the sensory experiments planned within the Pinot Noir programme, as we progress in this endeavour. nzwine.com

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Grapevine trunk fungi in hot watertreated Sauvignon Blanc vines Eline van Zijll de Jong1, Nick Hoskins2 and Geoff Thorpe1 1 Linnaeus, PO Box 1199, Gisborne 4040, New Zealand; 2Vine Managers Ltd, 3Millard Avenue, Masterton, New Zealand IN 2015 a large-scale field trial was established with funding from New Zealand Winegrowers and the Viticultural Nursery Association (ViNA) to investigate preventative treatments for control of grapevine trunk disease (GTD) in young vines. Research at the time had found fungi associated with young vine decline and dieback to be present in grafted vines from New Zealand nurseries. Growers were naturally concerned about the impact these fungi

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would have on vineyard establishment, productivity and longevity.

Hot water treatment (HWT) was being advocated at the time for disinfection of propagated materials. Internationally, the treatment of grapevines was commonly carried out at 50°C for 30 min but in cooler climates such as New Zealand, a treatment temperature of 48°C was recommended to avoid causing mortality of cuttings. Because this treatment had not

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always been found to be completely effective and detrimental to nursery recoveries and vine performance, nurseries were reluctant to implement HWT routinely.

The field trial was established to investigate the effects of HWT at 48 or 50°C for 30 min pre-grafting and/or pre-dispatch on potential fungal pathogens in Sauvignon Blanc MS on Schwarzmann. In addition to isolating the fungi in culture, diagnostic tools

based on quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were developed to measure these fungi inside the vines. Because DNA from both living and dead fungi were detected, these tools could not be used to measure efficacy immediately following HWT but a year after treatment when the DNA from dead fungi was degraded, data collected from another trial showed strong agreement between qPCR and culture-based methods.

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In contrast to nursery recoveries (28-55% vine death in those exposed to a pre-grafting HWT), HWT of Sauvignon Blanc vines was not found under New Zealand conditions to reduce vine strike (percentage of vines that grew in vineyard) or have any lasting effect on early vine growth in the vineyard even though budburst was delayed in those exposed to a pre-dispatch HWT. Fungi associated with black foot disease (Nectriaceae spp.), Petri disease (Cadophora luteo-olivacea) and botryosphaeria dieback (Botryosphaeriaceae spp.) were present in planting materials from the nursery and some differences were detected between treatments at the time of planting and 1 year later.

There were no signs of disease in the Sauvignon Blanc vines after one growing season.

Symptoms of these diseases can take a number of years to develop.

With additional funding from New Zealand Winegrowers, the young vines in the field trial were assessed again in 2019 to investigate the persistence of these potential pathogens and their impact on young vine health after four growing seasons, as well as gain an insight into infection processes occurring in the vineyard.

VINE HEALTH The vines in the field trial were healthy in appearance after four growing seasons (Figure 1). There were no external signs in the above ground tis-

Figure 1. Sauvignon Blanc MS on Schwarzmann after four growing seasons in Marlborough, New Zealand. (A) Canopy and trunk and (B) roots with J-rooting and a second crown of horizontal roots growing close to the soil surface. Characteristic symptoms of young vine decline in (C) longitudinal and (D) cross sections at the base of the rootstock trunk.

sues of the Sauvignon Blanc vines of stunted or weak growth, retarded or absent sprouting, sparse or chlorotic foliage or other symptoms associated with young vine decline (black foot and Petri disease) or dieback disease. Likewise, the occurrence of root rot was sporadic in the sacrificial vines that were examined. Because they had been planted in the stony soils by hand in shallow holes between the permanent vines, the sacrificial vines all had J-roots. Compro-

mised root systems such as J-roots have been reported to predispose young vines to decline.

The only sign of disease in the sacrificial vines was some minor internal staining around the pith which was observed across all treatments at the base of the rootstock and graft union but also in the rootstock trunk.

GRAPEVINE TRUNK FUNGI The populations of 17 species/complexes associated with trunk disease in New Zealand vineyards

were monitored in the sacrificial vines of Sauvignon Blanc in culture and by qPCR. Fungi transmitted from the nursery in planting materials were detected in the vines after four growing seasons. Nectriaceae spp., C. luteo-olivacea and Botryosphaeriaceae spp. which were present in many of the vines at the time of dispatch were still common 4 years later (Figures 2-4). Pre-dispatch HWTs which initially reduced Nectriaceae populations in culture, failed to show any long-

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(A) Culture - Nectriaceae spp.

(B) qPCR - Nectriaceae spp.

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Incidence (%)

Incidence (%)

100 80 60 40 20 0

80 60 40 20 0

Control Pgr HWT Pgr HWT Pdis HWT Pdis HWT Pgr+Pdis Pgr+Pdis 48°C 50°C 48°C 50°C HWT HWT 48°C 50°C

Control Pgr HWT Pgr HWT Pdis HWT Pdis HWT Pgr+Pdis Pgr+Pdis 48°C 50°C 48°C 50°C HWT HWT 48°C 50°C

Treatment

Treatment

Pre-dispatch

Year 4

Pre-grafting

Pre-dispatch

Year 1

Year 4

Figure 2. Incidence of potential black foot pathogens following a pre-

grafting (Pgr) and/or pre-dispatch (Pdis) hot water treatment (HWT) and carbendazim dip of Sauvignon Blanc MS on Schwarzmann.

Data from analysis of rootstock and scion propagation materials (pre-grafting only) or the basal end, graft union and rootstock trunk (pre-dispatch and year 1 only) or crown (year 4) of vines by (A) microbiological culture and (B) quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) of six Nectriaceae species complexes. Vines were tested pre-grafting (green bars, n=40), pre-dispatch (blue bars, n=6), year 1 (orange bars, n=6) and year 4 (grey bars, n=10). Note: qPCR detected DNA from both living and dead fungi immediately following HWT.

term efficacy against these fungi. These fungi were recovered from 4 year old vines exposed to this treatment. Populations of Nectriaceae spp. and C. luteo-olivacea were declining in some tissues.

Botryosphaeriaceae populations were largely unchanged across the different treatments after four growing seasons.

These fungi continued to be only sporadically detected in vines exposed to pre-grafting HWTs. Pruning wound protectants had been applied to the vines from the time they were first pruned in the vineyard and Botryosphaeriaceae spp. and Eutypa lata (eutypa dieback) were absent or rare in the crown of the 4 year old vines. E. lata which was absent in vines at the time of planting, was detected at the graft

106 //

union (≤33% in HWT and control vines) after one or more growing seasons in the vineyard. In mature vines, necrotic wood staining caused by Botryosphaeriaceae spp. and E. lata tends to move down the trunk and the extent to which infections at the graft union contribute to dieback in the scion and their impact on rootstock health requires further investigation.

Not all species associated with GTD are transmitted from the nursery, some were acquired in the vineyard. In addition to E. lata, Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (associated with Petri disease) and Verticillium dahliae (Verticillium wilt) were first detected in the vines after they were planted in the vineyard.

CONCLUDING REMARKS After 4 years in the vineyard the vines appeared

NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020

Figure 3. Incidence of potential Petri disease pathogen Cadophora luteo-olivacea following a pre-grafting (Pgr) and/or pre-dispatch (Pdis) hot water treatment (HWT) and carbendazim dip of Sauvignon Blanc MS on Schwarzmann. Data from analysis of rootstock and scion propagation materials (pre-grafting only) or the basal end, graft union and rootstock trunk (pre-dispatch and year 1 only) or crown (year 4) of vines by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). C. luteoolivacea was not isolated in the microbiological culture. Vines were tested pre-grafting (green bars, n=40), pre-dispatch (blue bars, n=6), year 1 (orange bars, n=6) and year 4 (grey bars, n=10). Note: qPCR detected DNA from both living and dead fungi immediately following HWT.

healthy and there were no signs that they were succumbing to young vine decline or trunk disease even though the fungi associated with these diseases were present in both the HWT and control vines. A number of stress factors have been implicated in the onset of symptoms, in particular water stress, nutrient stress and heavy

crop loads. Ongoing monitoring of the field trial is recommended, at least until the vines reach maturity when the threat of young vine decline diminishes but ideally beyond this stage so the impact of infections at the graft union by fungi associated with dieback in mature vines can be evaluated. nzwine.com

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