New Zealand Winegrower April-May 2022

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER

NEW ZEALAND

Winegrower Official magazine of the New Zealand wine industry

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NEW ZEALAND WINE INDUSTRY

Vintage 2022 Regional update

Young Viticulturist

Meet Sam Bain

Women in Wine

Natalie Christensen

The Family Business APRIL/MAY 2022 ISSUE 133

Intergenerational gems in New Zealand’s wine industry

APRIL/MAY 2022 / ISSUE 133

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NEW ZEALAND

Winegrower Official magazine of the New Zealand wine industry

Regulars

ISSUE 133 – APRIL/MAY 2022

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Editorial Sophie Preece

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From the CEO Philip Gregan

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The Profile Nicholas Brown

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Postcard Nigel Greening

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Point of View Dave Sutton

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Wine Weather James Morrison

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Social Pages International Women’s Day

Women in Wine Nat Christensen

Advocacy Matters Free Trade Agreement

Features 2022 18 Vintage With vintage 2022 and

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Covid-19 both rolling through the country this autumn, wine companies are pulling out the stops to keep wine workers well while the vital business of harvest shifts up a gear.

Family Business 24 The From a grandfather making

wine at the edge of a kauri swamp, to a kid skateboarding over a winery crush pad, the stories of New Zealand’s familyowned wine companies weave brightness and texture into the fabric of our industry.

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COVER PHOTO Max Bicknell works alongside his dad Brian at Mahi winery in Marlborough, in one of the many rich and varied family wine stories of New Zealand. “Wine is very much a part of you,” says Brian, as they head into vintage 2022. “The work life balance is that this is our life, and we love it.”

Photo Jim Tannock. Go to page 28

Bain from Villa Maria, 40 Sam Hawke’s Bay, is the 2021 Sam Bain

Corteva New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year. “I’ve finally got it,” he exclaimed after the January competition, which was postponed twice due to Covid-19 restrictions.

EDITOR Sophie Preece sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz CORRESPONDENTS Wellington Wine Country: Joelle Thomson mailme@joellethomson.com Hawkes Bay: Olly Styles oliverstyles@hotmail.com Central Otago: Jean Grierson jean.grierson@nzsouth.co.nz Canterbury: Jo Burzynska jo@joburzynska.com ADVERTISING Upper North Island: Stephen Pollard stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 963 166 Central North Island: Lisa Wise lisaw@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 027 369 9218 Lower North Island: Ron Mackay Ph: 021 453 914 South Island: Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 221 1994 CIRCULATION & 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 & PRE-PRESS 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 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 ISSN 1174-5223

From the Editor Mōhio ai koe ki te huarahi kei mua i a koe.

Our dream has a purpose, and our dream has a history.

This is one of the whakataukī used by Wakatū to express the ethos behind their mahi, including on the land used to grow grapes for Tohu Wines. “We’re in the legacy business,” says Rōpata Taylor, explaining that everything Wakatū does is on behalf of the whānau that own it, the land they belong to, and the generations yet to come. “Longevity is what it is all about for us, ultimately.”

Tohu is one of the many rich and varied family wine stories in New Zealand, and this edition touches on only a handful, ranging from the century old story of Babich - seeded by a teenage immigrant on the kauri gum fields - to two generations of Greywacke, moving from Kevin Judd’s scant knowledge of wine when he set off for Roseworthy College after high school, to the wealth of understanding he is now passing to his son Alex.

Our cover shot of Brian and Max Bicknell says a lot, I think. Amid the pressure, anticipation, anxiety and hard slog of the 2022 vintage, there’s a father and son growing their future together. “Wine is very much a part of you,” says Brian. “The work life balance is that this is our life, and we love it.”

There are dozens of extraordinary family wine stories not in this edition, or in the succession feature we ran last year. And right now, of course, many of them are knee-deep in a Covid-challenged vintage. So this theme will continue in subsequent Winegrower Magazines, exploring the family businesses that look back in order to step forward.

Mōhio ai koe ki te huarahi kei mua i a koe.

Sophie Preece EDITOR

Contributors

Maike van der Heide

Jo Burzynska

Joelle Thomson

Maike is a freelance writer, proofreader and many other wordrelated things. Living in Marlborough, those words often revolve around the region’s fascinating wine industry.

A wine writer and academic, Jo was a judge in the 2022 Gourmet Traveller New Zealand Winemaker of the Year awards. In this edition she profiles the winner, Nicholas Brown of Black Estate.

Journalist, author and wine writer, Joelle also works as a wine adviser in Wellington. Writing remains her first passion and in this edition she talks to Nat Christensen with the hum of vintage in the background.

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FROM THE CEO

From the CEO

Working to combat cost increases PHILIP GREGAN Currently headlines are referencing the re-emergence of inflation, the bogey that plagued the New Zealand and global economies in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then there have been one or two inflation spikes but, all of a sudden, price increases are big news with inflation at levels not seen in the past 30 years (stats.govt.nz/ indicators/consumers-price-index-cpi).

While our growers and wineries will be impacted by general cost increases like other industries, there are a couple of issues (specific to our industry and related ones) that are a significant focus of New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) activity: excise which has been a long-standing concern, and now the Container Return Scheme.

Excise Excise has long been a major issue for anyone selling wine in the domestic market, as it is a significant cost for producers and increases each year in line with the rate of inflation. It is an issue that we raise with officials and politicians on an ongoing basis.

Now with inflation at a 30 year peak the outlook for the upcoming excise increase is even more daunting.

For the December 2021 calendar year inflation was 5.9%. Apply that rate to the current excise rate of $3.11 for table wine, and you get an excise increase of 18.3 cents per litre, or $1.65 per case (12 x 750ml bottles).

But unfortunately, it could be even worse than that, given inflation is currently increasing, not decreasing. So, imagine if March year end inflation is 7%; the excise increase would be 21.8c per litre, or $1.96 per case - all that on top of the excise rate already being paid.

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A 7% increase would lift the total excise on table wine to around $29.94 per case.

Fortified wine, of course, is a whole level higher.

We have written to the Government outlining the negative impact this would have on our industry, and requested it not proceed with the indexation. Apart from

“With inflation at a 30 year peak the outlook for the upcoming excise increase is even more daunting.” anything else we believe the increase will have a damaging impact on the hospitality industry which is already struggling with the lingering effects of Covid-19. We think the time is right for individual members to also have their say about the impact this increase will have on them. Have your say in writing to g.robertson@ministers.govt.nz Container Return Scheme However, excise is not the only governmentimposed cost increase producers are facing.

One of particular concern is the Container Return Scheme (CRS) which has the potential to add another 20c per bottle to the retail price of our products. This was revealed on Sunday, 13 March, when the Government announced a consultation on Transforming Recycling – Container Recycling Scheme.

NZW has been heavily involved in

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

consultation on this proposal in recent years, with many related industry partners and packaging companies. In our view, we have prevented a compelling case to exclude bottles from the new CRS (see what we have been up to at nzwine.com/crs).

The process leading to the Government’s announcement has been fraught, with a pilot study on a CRS launched in the midst of consultation on waste reform legislation.

The proposal is to impose an extra cost on all containers of 20c per container (plus administration costs) and then to pay that back when the product is recycled.

In developing the proposal, the Government has ignored the very positive rates of glass recycling. We agree with the goal of improving recycling, but do not believe a ‘back to the old days’ scheme like this is the way to go. Some simple steps like separation of waste streams (i.e, ending co-mingling in council refuse collections) would be a much better first step, rather than imposing a new tax.

Submissions on the consultation document close on 4 May. We will be making a detailed submission on the proposal and will circulate this to wineries in advance of the close-off date. For details on the government proposal see environment.govt.nz/assets/publications/ Transforming-recycling-consultationdocument.pdf Given the costs to wineries will be significant, we urge members to make a submission on the proposals. How to make a submission is detailed at the government website.

For more information on excise or the CRS, please contact me philip@nzwine.com or Sarah Wilson sarah.wilson@nzwine.com

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NEWS BRIEFS

Terry Dunleavy’s Legacy

China Market Manager Vanessa Wu has been appointed as New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) China Market Manager, based in Shanghai. “Since Natalie Potts left her role as NZW Asia Market Manager last August to return to the United Kingdom, we have evaluated how NZW can best support our members in the region,” says General Manager Marketing, Charlotte Read. “We have confirmed we will retain an in-market presence in China and continue to support opportunities in the rest of Asia from New Zealand.”

Prior to joining NZW two years ago as Asia Events Manager, Vanessa (pictured) gained significant project and event management experience working at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), primarily focussing on the New Zealand wine programme jointly run by NZW and NZTE. Vanessa was seconded to NZW as Acting China Market Manager for six months in 2019 and is well poised to support the future growth of New Zealand wine in the region.

UK Free Trade Agreement New Zealand’s historic free trade deal with the United Kingdom is “very positive” for the New Zealand wine industry, says New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan. “The UK is New Zealand’s second largest export market for wine, with exports valued at over $400 million over the past 12 months. The agreement will reduce trade barriers on New Zealand wine exports to the UK, which will make a big difference for many within our industry.” For more on the detail, go to page 62.

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

Putting the “bubble” in Hunter’s sparkling wine is just one thing Jane Hunter has to thank Terry Dunleavy for. “His legacy intertwines with us in quite a few ways,” she says in the wake of the industry stalwart’s death in March, aged 93.

Terry, who was awarded an MBE in the 1990 Queen’s Honours list for services to the wine industry and community and made a Fellow of the Wine Institute of New Zealand in 1996, was inaugural Chief Executive of the New Zealand Wine Institute and played a major role in taking the New Zealand wine industry to the overseas market, says Jane. He was also the founding editor of Winegrower Magazine.

Jane clearly recalls the 1988 London Trade Fair, in which New Zealand played host, in an “absolute coup” for New Zealand wine, brought about by Terry’s work. “He could talk people around,” she says. “And he never gave up, he was totally persistent.”

He and her late husband Ernie were great friends, thanks in part to Ernie being Irish and Terry’s Irish background, and would head off on New Zealand sales trips to Australia, “with Terry leading the gang”, she says. When Ernie died and she took over at Hunter’s “he was fabulous to me”, she adds. “He prodded me into doing things I didn’t want to do. He talked me into giving speeches and getting on other committees.” He was “always there” for her and many others, with “lots of words of wisdom”, Jane says, adding wryly that she certainly didn’t take them all on, “but it was good to have another view”.

In 1993 Terry called to tell her he had a “fabulous” name for sparkling wine, but no one was interested. When Jane realised the name – Mirumiru – meant bubble in Māori, she loved it and trademarked it, but has always considered it “Terry’s little baby”, she says. “Between Tony Jordan who did the wine and Terry who came up with the name, really it’s a brand on its own for us. It’s been fabulous.”

Tony Laithwaite of Laithwaites Wines and The Sunday Times Wine Club, says New Zealand wine owes a lot to Terry. “No other wine country had anyone with that ability to convince you that you were the most important person he knew.”

“The imprint of Terry Dunleavy is all across the modern New Zealand Wine industry,” adds New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan. “He was a driving force in getting New Zealand wine exposed in international markets and developing the reputation that is at the core of our success.”

NEWS BRIEFS

Blind Ambition

A true story of the against-all-odds Zimbabwean Wine Tasting team, who competed in the World Wine Tasting Championships in France in 2017, is on in New Zealand theatres. The documentary tells the story of four refugees who become South Africa’s top sommeliers, then form Zimbabwe’s first ever wine tasting team and set their sights on the coveted title of ‘World Wine Tasting Champions’. The work won the Audience award at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival.

Young Viticulturist Sam Bain from Villa Maria, Hawke’s Bay, is the 2021 Corteva New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year. “I’ve finally got it,” he exclaimed after the January competition, which was postponed twice due to Covid-19 restrictions, and finally held in a secret location in Marlborough, to mitigate risk after a move to red in the Covid traffic light system. “Thanks to the passion and determination of the amazing Young Vit Community we managed to run the competition safely and avoid postponing for a third time” says Nicky Grandorge, National Co-Ordinator. “It has been immensely uplifting to have everyone come together and pull out all the stops, so the 2021 national finalists could finally get together and compete.”

Jess Wilson from Whitehaven Wines in Marlborough came second and Courtney Sang from Obsidian, Waiheke Island, came third.

The other contestants were Albie Feary from Ata Rangi, Tristan van Schalkwyk from The Boneline and Katrina Jackson from Chard Farm.

To read more about Sam, who is Vineyard Manager of Spring Hill Vineyard, go to page 40. To see photos from the event, go to page 43.

Organic Success

Bart Arnst

All the finalists of the 2022 Gourmet Traveller New Zealand Winemaker of the Year award were organic winegrowers, with the title awarded to Nicholas Brown of Black Estate in North Canterbury.

“My philosophy is to enjoy and celebrate the process and where possible connect with nature,” Nicholas told Jo Burzynska for her profile on page 46 of this edition.

“Each season is different, so if we can be in sync with the season, hopefully we can help vines grow, harvest fruit with good ripeness, ferment grape juice into wine, and ultimately bottle wines that are delicious and have an appropriate natural balance.” Organic stalwart and Organic Winegrowers New Zealand board member Bart Arnst, of organic label The Darling, won Viticulturist of the Year, and Nick Mills of Rippon – also organic – won the leadership award. Sam Rouse, of organic producer Dry River, won the Young Winemaker award. Jo, who was one of three judges in the awards, says the fact all the winners work organically “is testament to the value of this practice for creating some of the country’s most expressive and exciting wines. This not only highlights its adoption by some of our most skilled and thoughtful wine growers and makers, but the success of organics more widely in Aotearoa.”

Bohlaboration As part of the celebrations for Boh Runga Jewellery’s 15th anniversary, Boh is launching a ‘Bohsé’ in ‘bohlaboration’ with Ant Moore Wines. “Bohsé is best paired with new season fruits and cheese, beach sunsets, cosy nights in, and your most favourite friends. It’s for raising a toast and enjoying with those that you love to be with the most,” say Boh. Ant says creating Bohsé with Boh and her creative team was a fun and inspiring process. “I think people will love Bohsé and I can’t wait to see what we come up with together in the future.”

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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Upcoming events

XXXXXXXXX

To have events added to our calendar contact sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz Due to uncertainty around COVID-19, there may be changes to some of these events. For more information, please use the contact supplied or go to ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/wine-grower

Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand 1–31 May nzwine.com/en/trade

May the source be with you this May as we celebrate New Zealand’s top three exported white wine varieties. It’s International Sauvignon Blanc Day on 6 May, Pinot Gris Day on 17 May, and Chardonnay Day on 26 May. Each day is a great opportunity to get to the source of some of New Zealand’s best wines, and to celebrate with our producers as well as our global fan base. This white wine trifecta coincides with New Zealand Winegrowers’ Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand campaign (see page 16).

Christchurch this winter. The Winetopia events will feature up to 60 leading wineries in each city and an all-star (and all-Kiwi) cast of presenters. “More than anything, Winetopia is a fantastic community of wine lovers,” says Winetopia founder Rob Eliott. “Some in the community make the wine and some simply enjoy it, but we’re all passionate about discovering the good stuff.”

• Auckland (20-21 May) at Shed 10, Queen’s Wharf • Wellington (1-2 July) at TSB Arena, 4 Queen’s Wharf, Wellington Central • Christchurch (26-27 August) at the new Te Pae Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre

Grape Days Saint Clair Vineyard Half 7 May vineyardhalf.com

Run or walk through autumnal vines in the wake of vintage 2022, in a stunning half marathon through Marlborough vineyards.

Held the day after International Sauvignon Blanc Day, this is a beautiful (if breathless) way of exploring the region so famous for the variety.

13–17 June nzwine.com/grape-days

Stay up to date with Bragato Research Institute research at the upcoming Grape Days events around the country. The three events in Hawke’s Bay (13 June), Marlborough (15 June) and Central Otago (17 June) will present a selection of New Zealand’s most exciting wine research.

Corteva Young Viticulturist

June–July nzwine.com/young-vit

Winetopia

20-21 May; 1-2 July; 26-27 August winetopia.co.nz

Winetopia presented by Singapore Airlines, New Zealand’s biggest celebration of wine, is heading to Auckland, Wellington, and

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The 2022 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year regional competitions will be held throughout June and July, with education days around the country during May. The national final will be held on 31 August and 1 September in Marlborough.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

2021 Young Winemaker National Final 22 June 2022 nzwine.com/young-winemaker

The postponed 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year National Final is now set to take place in Central Otago on Wednesday 22 June, giving the finalists time to get through vintage and refocus on the competition.

Jordan Moores (photo top), Peter Russell (middle) and Ben McNab will compete at Amisfield Winery, with the Awards Dinner to be held at The Canyon at Tarras Vineyard, Bendigo.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Green Wine Future New Zealand Winegrowers will host the Oceania leg of the global Green Wine Future conference, to be held virtually in May. The four-day event aims to be the most important and ambitious conference for the wine industry in tackling the most pressing issues affecting our society. Read more with organiser Pancho Campo on page 12. More than 100 speakers from around the world will speak on sustainable initiatives and strategies that can help mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis in the world of wine.

Among them will be actor and Central Otago Pinot Noir grower Sam Neill (see page 15), and New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) General Manager, Sustainability, Dr Edwin Massey, who will join a panel discussion, led by Master of Wine Andrew

Millton Vineyards

Caillard, on Government’s role in tackling climate change. In a podcast leading up to the conference, NZW’s Nicky Grandorge will speak to Diana Hawkins, from the Responsible Hedonist, on New Zealand’s Women in Wine initiatives.

For more information on the event and speakers, go to nzwine.com/green-winefuture.

23-26 May nzwine.com/en/trade/events/greenwine-future/

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Green Wine Future conference Sustainability, climate crisis, biodiversity, wine tourism, regenerative viticulture and energy efficiency are just some of the topics on the table at Green Wine Future, which will run virtually from eight different parts of the globe, from 23-26 May. We talk to Pancho Campo about why it’s so important to get the world of wine on track for a greener future.

You organised the first World Conference on Climate Change and Wine, held in Barcelona, in 2006. How has the wine world’s response to climate change evolved in the 16 years since?

We have come a long way since 2006, there is much more awareness, and nobody denies the climate crisis anymore. It has become obvious that we are facing the most challenging times in history, for our society as a whole and for each industry.

Unfortunately, the problem of the climate crisis has been politicised, and there is a tremendous fragmentation and lack of unity when it comes to adopting the right policies and strategies. Sadly, many organisations, nations and multinationals

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tend to give more importance to their economic interests even if it goes against the environment. On the other hand, the wine industry has shown tremendous leadership because numerous initiatives have started around the planet, including conferences, research projects, foundations, associations, etc. These are trying to find tangible solutions to the climate crisis and for protecting our planet. What we need is to work together, more united, and put more pressure on politicians and policy makers to do the right thing.

How does this conference address the change in perspective? And what will it tackle?

In the original conferences and the initial editions, most of the focus was placed on climate change, or global warming, as it was known in those days. This year we are focussing on many more aspects, such as sustainability, biodiversity, carbon footprint, sustainable tourism, marketing, consumer perception, economics, sustainable working conditions and many others. I have insisted to the scientific committee, led by David Furer as the programme director, that the

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

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event must provide tangible and proven solutions, keeping in mind both adaptation but especially mitigation. We have learned a lot since the conference started 16 years ago on what the industry needs, and which are the most relevant topics. The way in which we are approaching the conference is rather innovative. We have asked our speakers to provide us with video footage of the topics they will be talking about to have a much more visual and practical conference.

Green work or green wash? How does the modern consumer tell the difference and what’s your message to the industry?

These are two biggies at this year’s conference and that is why we have joined forces with Greenpeace. There’s too much green marketing and green washing out there. On the other hand, unfortunately the perception of many consumers is that organic and sustainably made wines are more expensive and of less quality. There will be panels addressing the issue of green washing plus a keynote by a representative of Greenpeace and we are tackling the issue of consumer perception, marketing,

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UPCOMING EVENTS

promotion, and so forth, from different angles and by several experts. But most importantly, we are trying to involve the retailers, sommeliers and the people working with the consumer. Sustainability and the climate crisis must take into consideration what the consumer wants, as well as what restaurants, supermarkets and shops need. Sustainability without the consumer and the retailers on board is a dead end.

What does the global wine industry need to do to authentically and effectively address climate change, within in the sector and beyond?

Adaptation, but most importantly mitigation. Too many efforts are directed to adapting vineyards and oenological practices to a changing climate but that is not going to solve the climate crisis.

Mitigation is what really is going to have the long-term effects, but this requires new policies and that we all adopt a new way of thinking about our planet and our environment. Mitigation is about reducing our carbon footprint, making more and better use of renewable energy, reducing the use of water, promote biodiversity, implement sustainable practices at all levels, promote green premium initiatives, develop a sustainable business model, etc.

Unfortunately, many people believe that by producing organic, biodynamic or natural wines they are fighting the climate crisis, which is a misconception and not enough.

What are some great examples of change in New Zealand and around the world?

Unfortunately, I have never been to New Zealand but visiting your country is at the top of my list. In fact, one of the documentaries that we are recording for the Planet Future Foundation will take me to your country in 2022, provided the pandemic allows us. New Zealand is highly regarded internationally as one of the most sustainable nations and your wine industry has made a name for itself when it comes to the production of environmentally friendly wines. Changes that are being implemented around the world that I believe are helping the environment and to fight the climate crisis include a much better use of the hydric resources. Wineries are using more and more renewable energy and regenerative and organic viticulture are being widely used. But what I personally believe is the most important change is that

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Pancho Campo with former United States Vice President Al Gore at the Porto Climate Change Leadership Summit, 2019

the industry, in general terms, does not deny climate change anymore, like when we started the conference, and is willing to consider changing its practices to more sustainable ones.

What are you most excited about when you look ahead at the Green Wine Future conference?

There are many aspects of this conference that have motivated Mike Wangbickler, David Furer, and I, who are the three partners behind the event. Firstly, the fact that it’s going to be a truly global event broadcast from eight different time zones - it’s a challenge but very exciting.

Secondly, knowing that we have managed to reduce considerably our carbon footprint by not flying people around the globe and not using large conference centres with tremendous energy waste gives us a sense of satisfaction because we are being coherent with the topic of the conference. But I think what excites me more is that during Green Wine Future we will officially present the Planet Future Foundation, which is a project of mine that I have tried to launch for the longest time and finally it has seen the light. It’s my crusade to contribute to the fight against the climate crisis and my legacy to my children and to our society.

What speakers should we look out for?

The wine professionals attending the event, from New Zealand and other parts of the world, can be sure that they will find the latest information on environmental issues and the climate crisis, solutions and strategies that are being implemented around the world, inspiring speeches, and presentations. We have more than 100

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

speakers, most of them the leading names of the wine industry but also experts from other areas of business and society because we believe it’s important that we learn from other industries, and we share knowledge that could be applied in the wine industry. Having the likes of legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle and actor Sam Neill (see facing page) is a real honour; as well as different ministers and dignitaries, politicians and leaders from the most important organisations.

What do you hope speakers at a Green Wine Future conference 2032 will be speaking about?

I worry about the future because the values of our politicians, policy makers, CEOs of many large corporations and governments are not necessarily the ones that will address the climate crisis the way it should be. I wish that in these 10 next years the abovementioned people finally tackle this crisis from the four angles any such issue should be addressed: the science, the economy, the political and the sociological and not giving more importance to one above the other.

I wish that our industry, our leaders, and our society accept that it is time to act, that we cannot wait, that we drop our personal interests, setting aside our differences and learning to work together to solve the biggest threat that humankind has ever faced. I honestly wish in 10 years we could be discussing the success of the measures and actions being implemented and how to continue on the right path. Unfortunately, after seeing how many leaders have behaved with the pandemic or the war in Ukraine, I am not so optimistic anymore.

Green Wine Future 23-26 May greenwinefuture.com

UPCOMING EVENTS

Green Wine Future with Sam Neill Environmental sustainability is a subject close to Sam Neill’s heart. His organic, holistically managed Central Otago vineyards are steadily being planted in bird-beloved natives, while Sam is a member of the Sustainability Council of New Zealand, a trustee of the New Zealand Nature Fund and a patron for Waitaki First. The globally renowned actor and proud proprietor of Two Paddocks described as a “very, very small company, utterly obsessed with Pinot Noir” – is one of the speakers lined up for the upcoming Green Wine Future 2022.

How long since you were last in Central Otago, and when will you be there next?

“I literally haven’t been home for a year.

But it is with great relief and excitement I think I can confidently say I will be home in about three weeks. In time for vintage. I have felt very bereft in my absence.

Why is making great Pinot in this place such a passion?

Look I’ve said this before, you can really like many places but you can only love one place – and that place for me is Central Otago. Coupled with that, there is the extreme good fortune that the place I love best is one of the best places in the world to grow the wine I love best.

You have said sustainability needs to be a priority for New Zealand. What are the most pressing sustainability issues when it comes to wine?

My view is that we should be doing everything we can to produce wines with the smallest carbon footprint possible and in a way that benefits rather than harms the environment. This may sound preachy, but to me (I was in Australia for both the fires and the floods) it’s just common

Sam Neill at the Last Chance Vineyard in Earnscleugh

sense. Climate change is the greater threat to us as a species than anything we have known before. With the possible exception of Mr Putin.

What has Two Paddocks done to reduce its environmental impact?

For one thing, we put a lot of energy and time into planting native trees. I have a giddy affection for native birds, and I plant for them as much as for anything. In the last year or so we have planted about 2,500 trees and shrubs, the vast majority of which are natives. Growing wine surrounded by the chimes of tūi, bellbirds and grey warblers: that to me is bliss.

On a more mundane level, we have a comprehensive composting programme which includes all winery waste. And we are extremely mindful of soil health; no super phosphate, no herbicides, no insecticides, etc.

When did sustainability become so important to you?

Good question, and I think this goes back pretty much to the Vietnam days.

When I left university I worked for an agricultural contractor for a short while.

We were aware of the horrors of Agent Orange in Vietnam and imagine how I felt when I realised we were spraying the same thing, effectively, over gorse in the deep south. There is nothing new about environmentalism, but I think that was the signal moment for me.

Green wash or authentic stories - can consumers tell the difference?

I hope so. I hate to say, we have in New Zealand been inclined to bullshit about

a number of things for a while now. The whole ‘Green Clean New Zealand’ slogan is demonstrably fallacious and at one point I think as many as 60% of New Zealand rivers were undrinkable but also unswimmable. For a kid that grew up swimming and drinking in gin-clear Otago rivers, this is profoundly depressing. I really wish we were clean and green.

But we have to do a lot to get there.

Wine producers have to be part of that story.

You travel the world making movies, and right now you’re in Los Angeles, preparing for the launch of Jurassic World Dominion later this year. You’ve been in Italy recently shooting Assassins Club and before that The Portable Door. How do you balance that life with being a Pinot-growing citizen of Central Otago, accompanied by a ukulele and pet pig?

I try to balance things as best I can between my two lives, but Covid has upset many plans and often over the last two years. Fingers crossed we will get back to something like normality. In terms of balance, life on the farm is about as different as life on a sound stage as you can imagine, and I like that balance to be roughly 50/50.

What will your winegrowing legacy be?

Well, I’ll be dead so I guess I won’t be caring too much. But at this stage, I’d like to think that Two Paddocks will be a sought after, highly valued wine producer still, in 100 years’ time.”

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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The Marketing Place Taking NZ wine to the world: Bringing the world to NZ wine

New Zealand Wine Week 2022

The New Zealand Winegrowers marketing team recently concluded another successful New Zealand Wine Week campaign. Despite Omicron changing the activity scope to virtual only, we were very pleased with the coverage with an Estimated Advertising Value of $91,000 and reach of 4.2 million.

In addition to the two hero webinars led by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) - ‘The Business of Wine in New Zealand – 2022 and Beyond’ and ‘Pinot Noir Masterclass; An Exploration of our Subregions’ - we were delighted others joined the New Zealand Wine Week platform. The Wines and Spirits Education Trust hosted a webinar entitled ‘Emerging varieties and trends in the New Zealand wine industry’, and Appellation Marlborough Wine hosted a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc tasting led by Oz Clark of the Three Wine Men. There was also an Instagram Live session hosted by United States-based journalist Lauren Mowery focussing on Hawke’s Bay. We continue to employ new ways to reach our audiences and were excited that our first foray into Instagram reels to showcase our wine regions achieved total views of 43,000, with total reshares of 260.

Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas led the Pinot Noir masterclass, examining the subregions of New Zealand, and we sent out more than 150 wine sample kits to key trade and media across Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA. Articles from participants will feature on the media section of our website as they are released.

The Business of Wine webinar was led by Richard Siddle of The Buyer. The full write-up can be found at the-buyer.net/insight/newzealand-future-opportunitiesand-challenges. Having leading wine commentator Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank provide his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities for New Zealand wine in the US was a key highlight.

We were also honoured for New Zealand to be the first regional partner with Pix, a new wine discovery platform founded by Paul Mabray, and Rob McMillan

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

armed with the high calibre editorial team of Felicity Carter (ex Meininger’s International Editor) and Erica Duecy (ex SevenFifty Daily). New Zealand was featured across their homepage collections for the duration of the week, as well as Instagram and LinkedIn. There is no cost for wineries to be listed on Pix and we Paul Mabray encourage all to get involved.

We will be running another campaign with them in May, so make sure you’re on board before that.

Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is calling all white wine lovers to pour themselves a glass of New Zealand and celebrate New Zealand white wine this May. The theme of the month, ‘Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand’, comes at a time when New Zealand’s top three exported white wine varieties are internationally celebrated with International Sauvignon Blanc Day (6 May), International Pinot Gris Day (17 May) and International Chardonnay Day (26 May) all falling in May. NZW will be running a series of digital activations during the month, including submitting a proposal to the Unicode Consortium to create a white wine emoji, says Charlotte Read, NZW’s General Manager, Marketing. “We hope that by requesting the white wine emoji from the Unicode Consortium, it will shine a spotlight on the breadth of white wine that New Zealand produces, as well as result in getting the emoji that has long been missing from the keyboards of digital devices.”

For more information on how to be involved in the Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand campaign, contact marketing@nzwine.com

The Social Place

XXXXXXXXX

Q&A with ??????? Hill Sharon from The ??? Intrepid

The c-word It’s safe to say certain words starting with ‘c’ haven’t always had a good reputation.

The latest c-word – Covid – is a modernday, less controversial, yet equally hardhitting example.

On the positive side, C is certainly the letter of choice in the world of marketing and business catchphrases: ‘customer’ and ‘consumer’ are both vital to thriving businesses, as well as ‘care’, ‘compassion’ and ‘consideration’ for wellbeing, and ‘community’ and ‘connectedness’ to link us all up globally.

But the ultimate c-word that glues all of these terms together, that tells our story, that communicates the messages, that sells the dreams, and ultimately products and services, is ‘content’.

C is for content Over the past several decades, content as a business workstream has been slowly but surely growing in power and in importance in marketing and communications disciplines – and across general business to a lesser extent. You only have to look through the job vacancies to know its current popularity – every second marketing job contains the word.

When I got my first private sector job with a well-known ‘start-up’ of 200 staff as their very first content manager, many people asked if I was in human resources, helping people feel at one with themselves and ‘content’ with their job.

‘Nope’, I said, ‘I’m telling the company’s story’. End of. And start of, and everything in between.

Why your story is key Without a story, your business is just a name, and a product or service just fills a need or want. When a customer experiences the story behind what they’re ‘purchasing’ it creates a relationship, fosters an emotional reaction and helps the consumer connect with the brand.

Your story justifies your customers’ investment. It puts a face to the name. It makes the experience richer, and it makes that organisation, product or service stand out from the rest, making it that much more attractive and desirable.

What is content?

‘Content’ used to refer simply to words – on your website, in your annual report, in presentations and on printed material.

Over time the words have been joined by images, videos, podcasts, reels, stories and so much more, often combining a variety of sensory touch points.

Channels where content is absorbed by consumers hungry for more have multiplied to include many more (mostly digital) platforms including social media, YouTube and LinkedIn, right down to your wine label.

Rich content is best Never has content been so valuable, so in demand, so vital to everyday business and life. And never has the demand for authentic, rich content been so high as companies seek to better communicate their brand story.

Our audiences are disturbingly critical.

They know if you copy and pasted from

another post, they know if you spent two minutes at 4.48pm pulling it together.

Take the time, put in the mahi, do it well, and your audiences will know and appreciate it.

If you want authentic content your customers will love, don’t give the job to your admin person, your accountant or lawyer, or your teen (unless they’re truly a whizz) as something they fit in around their day job. Give it to someone who has content skills, knows your business and the essence of your brand (or has the skills to get to know it), who can do it properly and give it the attention it deserves.

Well worth the investment If there’s one thing you invest time and money in for 2022 and beyond, it’s content.

Rich, authentic content.

• Create a content plan that fits your goals and desired outcomes – not just on social but across all channels and touch points.

• Get dedicated resource (a person/people) to implement the plan.

• Evaluate what works and do more of it.

Most importantly, don’t stop – lock it in and carry on.

If you don’t have the capacity or skills to do it in-house, then talk to someone who does.

It’s simple in theory but takes dedication in practice. Start small, stay consistent, be true to your brand, and build up from there.

Your customers will thank you for it.

Sharon Hill is a Director and Content Specialist for The Intrepid theintrepid.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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REGIONAL UPDATE

Vintage 2022 The Covid-19 vintage of 2020 and labour-tight chaser of 2021 were merely a warm-up for 2022, with Omicron’s peak running in painful parallel to harvest. There’s welcome weight to crops across the motu, and above average yields looking likely for Sauvignon Blanc in particular, but inclement conditions are causing harvest headaches for some.

SOPHIE PREECE

Auckland “Once again a great year for Auckland,” says Tony Soljan in mid-March, a little more than quarter of his way through the region’s harvest. “We only had a burst of rain in February and fortunately things dried up straight afterwards”, he says, happy with “a great summer” that’s continued into harvest.

Soljans also gets grapes from Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough “and we’re just moving down the country now”, says Tony. “We are growing varieties where we think they grow best.” That process begins

with Chardonnay and Pinot Gris from Auckland, “with good tonnage but not over the top”. Soljans has worked to isolate the winery and their hospitality venue, but he says Covid-19 and the loss of staff to isolation “is a challenge we could do without”.

New Zealand needs a good year, with “good quality across the board”, says Tony, in his 62nd vintage. “I have seen a few ups and downs,” he notes with a laugh. “Every one is different.”

Tony Soljan

Gisborne “She’s a very challenging season,” says Mark Thompson from Gisborne, where Omicron has hit his winery crew and rain has hit the vines. “It pretty much started once the new year rolled around and we got an extra 350 to 400mm of rain between January and February,” says the Client Winemaker at GisVin and Chair of Gisborne Winegrowers. “That has caused some major issues in some of our thinner-skinned varieties – Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürz. There’s been a lot of splitting and a lot of rot.”

Meanwhile, he has an eye watering 70% of his staff off with Covid, “with a lot of people going down with it and coming back up again”.

Harvest kicked off in the last third of February and by mid-March, when we speak, he has had three weeks of growers “screaming out” for their fruit to be picked.

“One of the things we have been doing is basically picking blocks on condition rather than ripeness, so the worst affected blocks get prioritised.”

Thankfully the winery toolkit - even with a hollowed-out workforce - has mitigated most of the disease issues, with “beautiful clean ferments”, says Mark. “We have managed to do some pretty amazing stuff in the winery… and produce some pretty good wines we think.”

Mark, who is originally from Hawke’s Bay, but worked at Margaret River before arriving in Gisborne in 2017, has had four good years in a row and wondered why people talked about Gisborne being a tough place to make wine. “I’m finding out with this one.”

Photo by Richard Briggs

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

REGIONAL UPDATE

Hawke’s Bay “It’s a bit of a challenging season for sure, and I know multiple regions will probably say that as well,” says Paul Robinson, Hawke’s Bay Viticulturist for Villa Maria.

After ending 2021 with a “pretty solid crop” across all varieties, in a happy step up from light 2021 yields, “we were just looking for a dry stretch of weather leading into harvest, which up until the middle of February we got”, he says. “People were pretty optimistic.”

That good run ended in mid-February, with five days of botrytis-fuelling rain forcing the untimely pick of some early ripening Chardonnay crops. Fortunately, “the heavens cleared” and reasonably cool weather followed, limiting the spread of botrytis to later blocks, a couple of brix

“The later sites have definitely been the shining light.”

Paul Robinson behind, where it “crept in”, but didn’t take hold, says Paul. “The later sites have definitely been the shining light,” says Paul.

“Those Chardonnay blocks look bloody great.”

Speaking on 19 March, he says Villa Maria has harvested the lion’s share of its Hawke’s Bay fruit, with all the whites in and harvest moving onto the reds, “which have held on pretty well”, says Paul. “It feels good to have three quarters in the tanks,

especially now that we have blocks we’ve picked when we wanted to. The early nerves have shaken off a bit.”

But the harvest is “drawn out” and won’t be finished until well into April, Paul says.

Until then, he is hoping to pick what he wants when he wants “and not have our hand forced again”.

And he hopes to be able to do that with as many of the team still on board as possible, “and not have that Covid influence forcing people to be away”.

Hawke’s Bay is in “a pretty good position to finish strongly”, Paul concludes.

“The weather will have the final say on that. We can only play with the cards we’ve been dealt, and hopefully it’s a good run to the end.”

Wairarapa The 2020 vintage seems “easy” compared to all that 2022 is throwing at the industry, says Jannine Rickards, Winemaker at Urlar and Huntress, and joint Chair of Wairarapa Winegrowers.

The region is dealing with labour shortages, Omicron and a very wet February, with much more work for the small and tired teams this harvest. “Staying positive is the aim of the game,” says Jannine.

“We are all doing our very best to harvest the crop in the best condition we can with what teams we have.”

Speaking in late March, as the Pinot Noir harvest progresses, Jannine says the brix are mostly just there, but crop is being dropped to ensure the best fruit comes in, “so volumes will be small again for the Wairarapa”.

That’s a hard blow for a region that experienced a 30% drop in yields in the 2021 vintage.

Jannine says the season was set up to be a cracker in terms of volume for the region, which naturally crops lightly, before February weather pressure changed the scene. Now it’s a varied outlook across the region. There is some shrivel due to “decent heat” after the early February rain and other sites further north have some botrytis pressure, she says. “It depends on location and site.” The region’s industry is working collaboratively, keeping in touch with each other and sharing labour where they can, with a WhatsApp chat group working well, she adds. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I think a decent social gathering will be needed to connect in person once we make it to the other side.”

Urlar’s 2021 harvest

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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REGIONAL UPDATE

Marlborough After a 2021 vintage with disappointingly empty tanks, some Marlborough wine companies are grappling with the opposite problem. “We will be at capacity,” says Marisco Vineyards owner Brent Marris, looking at yields 5% to 10% above estimates.

Reasonable flowering and a wet, warm summer have amped up bunches for Marlborough growers with “typically heavier crops than we have seen for a long time,” says Brent, who has their Waihopai Valley and Leefield Station wineries to spread fruit across, but still has a contingency “plan b” should capacity not be sufficient.

Along with the quantity sorely needed by companies with clamouring markets and empty cellars, the quality looks promising he says. “With the weather being as dry as it has been at the start of harvest, we are starting to kick in with balanced fruit flavours that we were used to from years gone by.”

On 17 March Brent’s daughter Emma, a Marisco Vineyard Production Winemaker, says they’ve harvested some Rosé, fruit for Sparkling, and hand picked Pinot Noir

20

Handpick at Lawson’s Dry Hills in Vintage 2022. Photo Jim Tannock

and Chardonnay from town sites - two weeks ahead of the Waihopai Valley home vineyards - as well as a little Sauvignon Blanc. Their sights are now set on the Sauvignon onslaught with new plantings coming on stream alongside the abundant yields of established blocks.

Emma says the disease pressure brought

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

on by summer rain events has been eased by weeks of dry weather with several forecast deluges dissipating before they hit.

Afternoons of cool easterly breezes have also helped ease disease anxiety. Meanwhile the team have been busy mowing undervine grass, which is more abundant than usual at this time of year, to mitigate the risk of

REGIONAL UPDATE

heavy autumnal dew.

The above average crops couldn’t have come at a better time, following Marlborough’s 2021 vintage with the region’s yields 21% down. “Our tanks are empty and our warehouse is becoming increasingly empty,” says Brent, adding that extra plantings and a heavy crop, “that looks super solid as far as flavour and structure are concerned”, means they can let their buyers know “with confidence” that they will be able to supply more this year. They aim for their first shipment to leave in early June, a month earlier than a typical year.

As well as meeting current markets there are plenty of new opportunities, says Brent, noting that it’s not just Sauvignon Blanc the markets are clamouring for. “It’s Pinot Gris and Rosé; it’s right across the board, which is pretty exciting.” There’s enthusiasm for a “revitalisation” of Marlborough as a region, “and where Sauvignon Blanc has been short, we’ve seen them switch to other varieties and that’s been exciting for us”, he says.

Jules Taylor of Jules Taylor Wines is also eager to get more wine to “thirsty” markets.

“We just need to get on, get it harvested, get it all blended.”

It’s going to be a rush to get the

“I think there’ll be a greater than normal sense of relief when we get through this vintage.”

Clive Jones Sauvignons, in particular, into bottle, she says. “Ideally it would have been nice to have an earlier vintage, because it wouldn’t have put so much pressure on. But that’s part of working in an industry where Mother Nature rules the roost.”

As it is, Ma Nature has served up a cool ripening period which is pushing harvest later than it’s been for several years. But a mid-March start is actually more typical than recent years of early harvests, and the Sauvignon Blanc will likely be “more the Sauvignon we know”, she says. “It’s had a longer time to ripen, so more hang time on the vines, and it has great potential”.

Speaking on 17 March, she says it’s a “waiting game” with high and punchy acids “hard on your teeth and your belly” in the cool autumnal conditions. But sugars are beginning to accumulate and acids to ease, she says. “They’re green but they’re really

intensely green. That to me bodes well that when it ripens, it’s going to be packed full of flavour.”

February’s rain has resulted in big berries and bunches, and “as a whole, the crop, and especially the Sauvignon Blanc, is going to be above average”, she says. “It’s going to be a game of chess to get it all harvested and into a tank.”

It’s “super hard” to be patient, Jules adds, “I just want to pick a block of Sauvignon Blanc just to have it fermenting and smell those first hints of what’s to come. For me that’s when vintage has started - when you get those aromas when you go into the winery.”

Over at Nautilus, Winemaker Clive Jones has also started harvest by 17 March, “chipping away” at Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and bubbles, as well as a small block of young Sauvignon. “It looks like a season where we might be able to get most of the small blocks and hand picks in before the real focus on Sauvignon for the finish,” he says.

The cool autumnal period means ripening is moving relatively slowly, which is positive from a flavour development point of view, but tough on peace of mind.

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21

REGIONAL UPDATE

“At this stage there’s no need to rush, but there’s a degree of risk”, he says, noting the potential impact of Covid-19 on workforces, and the danger inclement weather could pose to disease levels. “I think there’ll be a greater than normal sense of relief when we get through this vintage.”

It’s been very dry since repeated February downpours raised botrytis red flags, he adds, “so we have had a reasonable start to the harvest. But it’s only mid-March, so there’s still quite a long way to go yet”.

There’s a balancing act at play between, “how long can we wait before we really pull the trigger and crank into it?” Clive says, noting that several wineries have kickstarted harvest early.

“Some of it may well be for low alcohol wines, but I suspect some is to get something in the tank.”

When it comes to space for the higher-than-average yields, the Nautilus winery is empty going in, without any of the wine they would typically carry over from the previous vintage, “so we are as prepared as we can be for a large harvest”, says Clive. “And we expect to get close to full at the end of it. At this stage we should have enough room.”

North Canterbury North Canterbury’s warm start to the season was curtailed by cold come the new year, with growing degree days plummeting to the long-term average from January.

Mike Saunders, Chair of the North Canterbury Wine Region Committee, says above average rainfall in January and February and means vines are vigorous and healthy on the cusp of harvest, with big grapes and big bunches bringing potential for yields well above estimates made earlier in the year.

That’s good news for a region hit hard by frost in the 2021 vintage, Mike says on 18 March, three days before Greystone’s harvest was to kick-off for 19.5 brix pét-nat.

Mike Saunders However, the Company Viticulturist for Greystone and Muddy Water Wines is concerned by the long stint of cool days dragging out the ripening period, as growers work to deal with botrytis infections from the repeated rain events. He’s pleased to see organic methods at play, with companies busy thinning canopy to increase air flow, but has fingers crossed for hot days, ripe bunches and full tanks. “If we can get some sunshine onto the fruit we have and get it in the tank, we have a great chance of making some amazing wines.”

Mike says companies have been dealing with Covid infections responsibly, and the region has not been hit badly by the Omicron outbreak to date. Greystone has critical service status, which means their workers have an exemption from close contact isolation requirements, if they return daily negative tests. He hopes that dispensation, as well as the care being taken in the region’s wineries, will get them through the harvest with enough people on the job.

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REGIONAL UPDATE

Central Otago

Matt Connell

The season has been kind to Central Otago grape growers, and yields are up on the average crop anticipated earlier in the season.

Flavours are good too, says Matt Connell, of Matt Connell Wines in Cromwell, who was named Champion Winemaker of the Show at the recent New Zealand International Wine Show.

“We winemakers say every vintage is the best one since sliced bread, but this one is looking good. The weather has been pretty good to us.”

Speaking in late March, Matt said the Sparkling harvest was well underway, and Chardonnay was kicking off, with Rosé set to start soon. A long flowering period has led to more variation in the white varieties across the board, which will mean managing harvest to ensure unripe fruit is left in the vineyard.

“Some of the trees are thinking about changing colour slightly, but things are pretty green,” says Matt. Rain, “on and off ”, has kept crops fresh, “but there’s been no hard cold snap quite yet, which is good”.

The main concern in Central, as in the rest of the country, is the “unknowns around Covid for everyone”, he adds. In Central Otago, where a large proportion of the harvest is hand picked, the challenge of securing and retaining labour is a major preoccupation, with the threat of Omicron exacerbating the issue. “There’ll definitely be a lot more machine harvesting than there has been historically,” says Matt.

But crews and companies are digging deep on learnings from 2020, adding rapid antigen tests to the toolkit, breaking up teams into smaller bunches to mitigate risk, and “going the whole nine yards”, he says.

While some bigger companies will begin their Pinot harvest soon, the main pick would begin in early April and wind up with later fruit out of Alexandra, Gibbston and Wānaka in mid-April, says Matt, anticipating harvest rolling through into May. The trick, as always, is not to panic, he says. “It’s ripening nicely and it’s up to us not to stuff it up.”

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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The Focus 26 I

Tohu The whānau growing wines

28 I

Mahi A shared life of wine

29 I

Seifried Growing together

30 I

Babich Four generations of influence

33 I

Te Mata A treasured legacy

THE FOCUS

The Family Business From a grandfather making wine at the edge of a kauri swamp, to a kid skateboarding over a winery crush pad, the stories of New Zealand’s family-owned wine companies weave brightness and texture into the fabric of our industry.

An extended family at Greywacke SOPHIE PREECE Alex Judd’s memories of growing up amid Marlborough vines include being stuck in the backseat of the car while his dad took photos from its roof. “They’re not always the most positive,” he admits, recalling his brother hitting him while Kevin Judd hollered at them to stop shaking the car.

But growing up in Cloudy Bay’s iconic vineyard, with his winemaker father intrinsically linked to the brand, undoubtedly shaped his understanding of winegrowing, Alex says from Greywacke, the label forged by his parents in 2009.

Alex spent nine years in Wellington after leaving school in Blenheim in 2011, becoming a barista, studying for his WSET, thriving as a Noble Rot sommelier, then marketing for a small wine company.

Three years ago, he began to yearn for a life out of the city and talked to his parents about opportunities in the family business.

Now he’s studying for a bachelor’s degree in winemaking and viticulture, tackling his third vintage, and preparing for a second 2022 vintage in Italy.

Kevin says he and Kimberley never pushed their kids to be part of the business, and their other son, “has almost no interest at all in winemaking”. But growing up on Matthews Lane certainly gave them unique insights. “Both of the kids were at the winery a lot, hanging around, looking at things.

Smelling things. You can’t get much more entrenched in the scene than that, can you?”

In contrast, Kevin was green when he attended Roseworthy College straight out of school, unlike most of his peers, who’d worked in the industry or were from winemaking families. He’d moved from England to suburban Adelaide aged nine

“Both of the kids were at the winery a lot, hanging around, looking at things.

Smelling things.”

Kevin Judd and was attracted to wine by his talent with science and desire to work outside.

After three years at Château Reynella in McLaren Vale, the 23-year-old cast around for opportunities to be head winemaker and, finding none in Australia, moved to New Zealand with Kimberley.

Three years later, in 1984, they were about to leave again, “when David Hohnen walked into the scene”, says Kevin. Both men were intrigued by the possibilities of Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, and Cloudy Bay was born. For a long time, the company was like a big family, says Kevin. “We were all mates and we all used to drink far too much together, and everyone knew everyone’s deep dark secrets.”

Twenty-five years later, when Cloudy Bay was bought by the Moët-Hennessy group and Kevin created Greywacke, a handful of that “extended family” moved with him. The ethos of the family business is about more than the Judds, says Alex. “At the end of the day we are a team. We want the best for each other and for our whole family. It’s not just mum and dad and myself… It’s everyone who works with us.”

There are challenges in being a small family-run business, including a lack of “financial grunt”, says Kevin. But it’s definitely doable, “as long as you are making really good wine and you have a point of difference, and you are not aspiring to take over the planet with volumes”.

Meanwhile, a family-owned business means you can “focus on what you deeply believe in and not be chasing the ultimate profit for shareholders”, he says. “David Hohnen used to say that profit should be reward of a job well done, not the things you chase. I love that concept.”

Everyone at Greywacke has their idiosyncrasies but seem to get on regardless, he adds. “I think Alex is a pretty straight shooter; I hate bullshit and airy-fairy crap.”

It seems to work, agrees Alex. “Obviously we don’t see eye to eye all the time.” But his father “wouldn’t dare” take him on a photography jaunt. “I have my own car, thankfully, these days.”

Facing page - Alex and Kevin Judd. Photo Jim Tannock

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

25

THE FOCUS

The whanau behind Tohu Wines

SOPHIE PREECE

Rachael is with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in Dubai, Mike’s a technology entrepreneur based in the United States, and Garry is an administrator in Nelson.

Separated by chasms of oceans and circumstance, these four are united by whānau, whakapapa and tūrangawaewae, and by the bottle of Tohu they’ll likely pour for friends, proudly showcasing wines made on their behalf.

“The great thing about being part of such a big family is there are so many brand ambassadors the world over, championing what we do,” says Rōpata Taylor, General Manager (People and Culture) at Wakatū Incorporation, which is owned by around 4,000 shareholders and their families, who are descendants of the customary Māori land owners of the Whakatū (Nelson), Motueka and Mōhua (Golden Bay) rohe.

Everything Wakatū does – including Kono, its food and beverage arm, and Tohu Wines, the world’s first Māori-owned export wine company - is on behalf of that whānau, the land they belong to, and the generations yet to come, says Rōpata. “We’re in the legacy business… Longevity is what it is all about for us, ultimately.”

Wakatū moved into vineyard development in the Awatere Valley in 2002,

Rōpata Taylor

with what is now Whenua Awa, then in the Moutere Hills in 2005, developing Whenua Matua on land handed down through generations. These days Whenua Awa, poised above the Awatere River, is being steadily planted with pockets of native species, and Whenua Matua’s stunning vineyard shares space with a flourishing wetland, native plantings and increasing populations of native birds.

The company’s progression into vineyards in the early 2000s made perfect sense to Rōpata, talking of the “magic” of wine “when climate meets land and meets the human endeavour”. That coming together “in wonderful ways” is what terroir is all about, “and that is a good way to understand our approach to what it is we are doing and why we are in the wine industry,” he says. “We are an intergenerational legacy-based organisation,

so wine just made lots of sense on lots of levels… Fundamentally for us, it is about people and place and the particular climate we have in Te Tauihu, the top of the south, to make these fantastic wines.”

Speaking at Pinot Noir NZ 2017, Rōpata explored the concept of tūrangawaewae when it comes to Whenua Awa and Whenua Matua, describing the sense of “belonging” to a place and acknowledging a “reciprocal responsibility”. The relationship between people, water and land is at the heart of everything Wakatū does, “and that’s what we have tried to reflect and what we have done with our wines”, says Rōpata.

“It’s about us being authentically true to ourselves.”

In 2020 Wakatū launched its Whenua Ora programme, which is focussed on the mauri or wellbeing of the whenua and its people. Its priorities are to connect and

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Whenua Awa. Photo by Kate Macpherson

re-connect whānau to their whenua and wai, transition from conventional farming practices to tikanga-led regenerative practices, and to be zero waste to landfill by 2028 and zero carbon by 2050.

It’s a “modern manifestation of intergenerational values that go back a long time”, says Rōpata, recognising that obligation to place, to the broader family, and to those who are not yet born. “Trying to pass forward the legacy of the land to the next generation and the generation after that is one of the drivers behind Whenua Ora.” The other driver has got nothing to do with people, he adds.

“It has got to do with the reverence we have independently for the natural world and the right of the natural world to exist independently of us and humanity. The mountain has a right to be a mountain and the river has a right to be a river. And Whenua Ora is about recognising the right of the environment to just be, with no reference to any use that we might have for it. It’s just recognition of the mana and respect we have for the natural world.”

Meanwhile, for the likes of Mike in the US, Garry in Nelson and Rachael in Dubai, the accolades afforded Tohu wines engender a lot of pride. “I hear from a lot of our family about how it makes them feel, when our wines win awards,” Rōpata says, reflecting that media coverage when Māori businesspeople and businesses are successful is a positive counteraction to the negative discourse many Māori have endured in New Zealand.

“Wakatū and Kono have worked hard to ensure the way we present our culture in the wine sector is truly authentic and culturally appropriate,” says Rōpata. “That we are not appropriating our culture, that we are not commercialising our culture; that we are culturalising our commerce, so to say.”

It is an important distinction to make, he adds. “That’s about where the power lies, and in our case, we have empowered ourselves to determine how we present ourselves, and how we reflect it. So that’s an important element to our people as well.”

The wine made by Wakatū is all about family. “If there was a commonality that is shared by all of the owners - all of the whānau of Wakatū - it is that we are in this together,” says Rōpata. “This is something we were born into and something that we will pass on to those who follow us. That sense of something enduring is very much part of everything we do.”

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THE FOCUS

A shared life at Mahi MAIKE VAN DER HEIDE

When Max Bicknell unexpectedly found himself in charge of an upstate New York winery - its winemaker trapped in Australia

by Covid-19 - his dad’s scrawled notes in a textbook proved a lifeline.

The 25-year-old realised then how much he’d learned “through osmosis” growing up around his parents’ Marlborough winery, Mahi, and how much more he could glean from his father Brian Bicknell. “There were a lot of emails and phone calls to dad asking for advice. He sent me his battered and taped-up copy of Making Good Wine

by Bruce Rankine, which he used when he was studying in his 20s, and so being able to read through that and seeing notes that he’d taken... that was quite cool.”

When he returned the textbook in person in mid-2020, it marked the beginning of Max’s involvement in a family business that until then had been a “slow burner”, says Brian, who established Mahi with wife Nicola in 2001. “When we got Mahi going, there was never any pressure or consideration in terms of succession... As they grew up, it wasn’t something we talked about,” he says of Max and his sister Maia, who remains involved in “big picture” decisions from Auckland. “The best things happens when you don’t plan for it.”

Max’s childhood memories were of mum and dad picking during the school holidays, the red ferments being the perfect

28

Max and Brian Bicknell during the 2022 vintage. Photo Jim Tannock

warm temperature for a swim, teenage years around vintage crews, plunging, and occasionally bud rubbing.

He left home, got a law degree, travelled and worked in hospitality, and father and

“The best things happens when you don’t plan for it.”

Brian Bicknell son met in far-flung locations, attended tastings together in London, and slowly unfurled future possibilities while sitting by a canal in the Netherlands.

The lack of pressure to join Mahi, says Max, had an opposite effect. “That clarity, of it being entirely my own choice, that’s the really nice part of it. By that being entirely my own decision, without the pressure from mum and dad, has made me much more

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

enthusiastic about it all.”

For buyers and consumers, the authenticity of a family business, and the continuity, appeals greatly, says Brian, who has worked with some distribution partners for decades, across 16 countries. “We see a real appreciation, that there is succession...

It’s not something we’ve gone out to do actively, it’s worked, and this idea of a longterm business is really interesting.”

“We’re not doing it for the marketing spin,” adds Max. “It’s how we see the wine industry and it works for us, and we’re lucky that it translates into the market.”

Back in the winery, where Max works in every aspect of the business from mowing to big picture decision-making, discussions about whether to separate work and family life quickly led to the realisation that “that’s not how it works”, says Brian, and that the father-son relationship would simply evolve. “Wine is very much a part of you...

The work life balance is that this is our life, and we love it.”

THE FOCUS

A rich story at Seifried MAIKE VAN DER HEIDE

Splitting firewood before school, placing plastic caps over 1,000 corked bottles an hour, afternoons on the tractor, and pruning instead of playdates were all part of growing up in Nelson wine pioneer family, the Seifrieds.

Youngest sibling Anna says those hours, when “other kids were probably watching telly”, ingrained in them a hardworking, focussed lifestyle modelled by parents Hermann and Agnes, who first planted vines in the Moutere Valley in 1973. Now, all three children have been drawn in to continue that legacy, Heidi and Chris as winemakers and Anna as Sales and Marketing Manager.

They remember dinner table discussions, always about wine, sometimes shared with Austrian or German winemaking interns or an English importer staying in the family home. “You’re surrounded by this chatter about, ‘what are we harvesting in the morning? How’s the Sauvignon Blanc looking? Has that bird netting gone on yet?’... So you’re always kind of in the conversation but not,” recalls Anna.

As teens, during trips to the London Wine Fair, the trio poured wine for buyers and sales reps, seeding relationships that continue today. “Some of these people... we’ve known since we were children. It’s probably quite strange for them,” says Anna.

From left, Anna, Chris and Heidi

As winemakers, Chris says he and Heidi – a trained dentist who still works at a Motueka clinic one day a week – are “at quite opposite ends of the spectrum, which I think is a healthy balance. Heidi has a completely different winemaking style, she’s very technical, she likes the numbers, whereas I’m a bit more like…” Chris begins, “taste it”, Anna finishes.

Hermann, 75, is no longer winemaking but continues to be “the man on the ground coordinating”, while Agnes juggles labour logistics from home, says Chris. “Dad’s as interested in anything - about filtration, spraying and tractors and leaf plucking and packaging, and all these things - as a person in their 20s,” says Chris.

He and Heidi each have three young children, who are soaking in knowledge during regular visits to the winery and vineyard, though Chris reflects their experience of growing up in the family business is quite different. “The business

now is a lot larger, a lot more professional, health and safety is a big issue, there’s a lot of hi-vis, so we can’t have the kids wandering around to the extent that we did when I was a boy.”

Grown it has, but while Chris has watched and admired other businesses expand through mergers, acquisitions and consolidations, he says Seifried’s business plan remains “moderate”, with an eye on the long-term future. Without pressure of “shareholders breathing down our neck”, Chris says they can more easily accept that nature serves up perfect vintage weather one year, then hail, frost and drought the next.

“I think there’s something to be said for these family wineries. In 20 to 25 years’ time, family wineries will certainly still be there and in a very similar fashion to what they are today. We’ll be older and greyer and wrinklier, but I think we’ve got a richer story.”

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THE FOCUS

Four generations of influence at Babich SOPHIE PREECE

Petar and Iva Babić are the “heroes” of the Babich Wine story, having sent six of their seven young sons to forge a life in New Zealand.

It was an extraordinary sacrifice, says their great grandson David Babich, Chief Executive of a wine company forged by the Croatian couple’s son Josip, who came to the Far North in 1910, aged 14, to join four of his elder brothers digging and selling kauri gum.

“It was quite a thing that you might emigrate your children to another country,” says David, imagining Petar and Iva with one child at home, after the second youngest left for Argentina. But they wanted more for their children than an

From left, David, Joe and Peter Babich

impoverished rural existence could offer, even if it meant never seeing them again, he says.

Josip, who had learned the alphabet from Petar, drawn in the ashes of the home fire, spoke no English when he arrived in New Zealand. But he and his brothers had an intrepid work ethic that saw them strive and thrive in their new country.

In 1911 the Babich brothers put a deposit on land in Henderson Valley, and in 1912 Josip planted a vineyard on a terrace above the Kaikino Swamp gum field. Growing and making wine would have been second nature for a boy growing up in rural Croatia, where the family would have had to make wine if they wanted to drink it, says David.

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THE FOCUS

But this was entrepreneurial rather than subsistence, and by 1916 Josip was making and selling Babich Brothers wine.

As well as a lesson in enterprise, Josip’s legacy is one of integrity, says David, recalling a story of his grandfather loading a dozen bottles of wine and riding 40 miles one way to deliver them. “He rode the day to get there, stayed for the wedding and the next day rode home.”

That’s a characteristic David sees echoed at Babich Wines, always striving to go the extra mile. “It becomes a question of what would you do for your customers?”

And he loves that the ethos of the three generations before him lives on throughout the business, either through intent or osmosis. It’s there in their commitment to environmental sustainability, the wellbeing of people within the company, and the relationships with consumers, he says.

“My grandfather was a truly remarkable person. With no formal schooling he was fluent in four languages - Croatian, Italian, English and Māori - taught himself double book accounting and was an avid reader all of his life. In business he believed you always had to over-deliver for whatever price the customer was paying. This

continues as one of the aims of Babich Wines today.”

Josip and his brothers moved to the Henderson block in 1919 and planted a small orchard and vineyard of Pinot Meunier. David’s father Peter and uncle Joe grew up there, joining the business in their teenage years then building a national enterprise with world renowned wines.

“Together, they carved out a partnership enduring 60 years of active involvement in the wine industry,” said David in the February Winegrower Magazine, following Joe’s death.

David was raised “free range” on the home block too, along with his two brothers and cousin André, Joe’s son, who joined Babich as principal in 2018. He recalls tearing around on his motorbike and eeling in the stream, and by the age of 12 was driving tractors and learning to operate a harrow disc.

There was never any pressure to join the company, but David’s education veered towards science, and he decided to train as a winemaker, heading to Roseworthy College in Adelaide in the late 1980s, before joining the family business, starting on the cellar floor. Raised on the stories

Josip Babich

of his great grandparents’ sacrifice, his grandfather’s intrepid spirit, and his uncle and father’s dedication to the business, David is determined Babich Wines will stay true to its legacy. “It’s a great privilege for me to be carrying on the work started by my grandfather over 100 years ago. I have no doubt that he would be pleased with how we are progressing.”

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THE FOCUS

A treasured legacy at Te Mata MAIKE VAN DER HEIDE Toby Buck’s upbringing was a vintnerversion of the classic, hardworking Kiwi farming family - skateboarding on the winery crush pad, working in the cellar after school, picking grapes and planting vines. But it wasn’t until he overheard someone say a treasured early Te Mata Coleraine transported them back to a Hawke’s Bay summer, that it dawned on him the wines his family made each year were something so meaningful.

Raised on Coleraine Estate - first planted with vines in 1892 and purchased by the Buck and Morris families in 1974 – Toby says the next generations have dived in to continue the estate’s legacy. “There’s no stopping the family involvement – we’re as enthusiastic now as we ever were.”

Te Mata’s Amsterdam-based Sales and Marketing Manager joined the company full-time in 2013, while his brothers Nicholas and Jonathan have become Te Mata Chief Executive, and Estate Manager then Chief Executive of Woodthorpe Terraces, respectively.

Wine was discussed at every family dinner with parents John and Wendy, and their normal winemaking calendars punctuated - when Toby was a young teen - with travel through Europe, so exotic nobody at school believed him. “We were in Burgundy when someone from a cooperage rolls up a five-tier cheese

The Te Mata team recreate a photo from 1913

trolley in a restaurant. And I’m a kid from Hawke’s Bay. It was an odd experience to have; a heady experience.”

But there was never any pressure to join the business, where employment decisions are board-approved. “We’re all stubborn people and if you really push us we’d go the other way,” he says. “We all contribute. We’re part of that larger family environment; there are three other families involved, with other parents and offspring working at the winery as well.”

Family continuity is priceless for a true estate production known for reds that “behave in a particular way, that will develop over time”, an “anomaly” in a country famous for its whites.

That “European style, or independent style of winemaking, on a medium to boutique site, every step done on site”, was something John was careful to maintain, Toby says.

He refers to McKinsey Report findings that over 80% of the world’s wealth is

generated by family businesses, with higher levels of investment in research and development, and better shareholder return. Te Mata is a great example, with decades of phased development due to an “insane interest in innovation”, he says. “Te Mata’s technical development is very high precision... We’re looking at 40 to 50 years’ work of many people finally coming to complete fruition now.”

And that’s set to continue. In 2013, Toby’s position as youngest Buck in the winery was swiftly taken by niece Zara, followed by her brother Henry and cousin Thomas. “You don’t get long in the sun,” he laughs. “Our parents have given us a huge amount in our lives with Te Mata estate but it’s the future of Te Mata that’s so exciting. All three brothers involved in our generation. The next coming through. The continuity.” What’s been laid down is incredible, he adds. “The reality is, if we were to leave, we’d want to do exactly the same thing just down the road.”

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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XXXXXXXXX

The Science

2

35 I

Pinot Workshop Dissecting sulphides

36 I

PhD Precis Minoo Mohajer

37 I

Grapevine Improvement Dr Jessica Rivera-Perez

38 I

Smart Startup The Kiwi behind BitWise

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

THE SCIENCE

Pinot Workshop

Virtual gathering ponders Pinot SOPHIE PREECE Sulphides were on the table at this year’s Southern Pinot Noir Workshop, in an online pod event involving winemakers throughout the country. “This is such a massive topic in New Zealand,” says organiser Lynnette Hudson, noting that a ‘Dissecting Sulphides’ presentation from Auckland University’s Dr Bruno Fedrizzi had attendees “mesmerised”.

It’s a “huge topic”, she says. “There is so much we need to take on board and so much we still need to learn and grasp.”

As powdery mildew becomes an increasing problem throughout New Zealand, more elemental sulphur is being used in the vines, making Bruno’s work very relevant, Lynnette says, adding that December 2021 in particular brought “extreme high pressure” for powdery, resulting in ultra-vigilant spray programmes.

That definitely has consequences in the winery, says Rose Family Estate Winemaker Nick Entwistle, who helped organise the Blenheim event. “There is more conversation about the formation of sulphides – both in terms of the trend for increased sulphides in Chardonnay, but then also with the increase in disease pressure from powdery mildew, and the subsequent increased use of sulphur in the vineyards,” he says. “We are starting to see a flow-on effect in terms of fermentation.”

One of the wines tasted at the event had definitely been impacted by vineyard treatments, “and there’s almost nothing the winemaker can do in the winery”, he says.

Bruno’s research – yet to be completed – is

therefore “ground-breaking and timely”, says Nick, who hopes it will provide winemakers a better ability to understand the peaks and troughs in fermentations, and be able to react in a timely manner.

“The ideal is to have a toolkit where you see precursor compounds, which can indicate the potential for an issue down the track and fix it before you get there.”

“There is so much we need to take on board and so much we still need to learn and grasp.”

Lynnette Hudson There was an “excitement in the room” as people recognised that some of the data coming out of Bruno’s work – partly funded

by Bragato Research Institute’s Pinot Noir Programme – could be key to “a really positive change in their decision making”, says Nick. “My vision for New Zealand Pinot Noir is that everyone thinks about this type of research and sees that it is really valuable for them. And it really is.”

The Southern Pinot Noir Workshop is traditionally held in Hanmer Springs, but was adapted to an online event due to the implications of Covid-19 restrictions.

Companies sent Lynnette and Bruno wine samples with sulphide issues, which they tasted and analysed, in order to choose six that best suited the presentation. Samples

were then sent to all the regions involved in the workshop, where pods of up to 30 winemakers and viticulturists gathered to discuss and learn.

The winemakers behind the samples gave a brief description of the issue present as well as the likely reason. Bruno then talked about his findings, before the wines were tasted and discussed by each group, followed by regional reports to the entire online gathering.

Nick applauded the concept of tasting pre-analysed wines, alongside “talking points” from Bruno - such as the ways particular types of sulphides form, whether due to the vineyard, nutrition, temperature or turbidity.

That’s just one of the silver linings of moving online, with another advantage the fact that winemakers could easily attend at a busy time of year, Nick says. “Getting that information quite quickly and succinctly was great.” And Bruno is an excellent ambassador for New Zealand Pinot Noir research, offering insights that winemakers can relate to, he adds.

Lynnette says despite the success of the virtual event, the workshop will “definitely” be back in Hanmer Springs when possible.

There was a great deal to take on board with the 2022 topic, and a three hour session could not do it justice, compared to the potential of four days together discussing the wines, science and individual experiences, she says, also noting the networking value of the Hanmer Springs event.

Facing Page - Nick Entwistle at Rose Family Estate

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THE SCIENCE

Minoo Mohajer

PhD Precis PhD student Minoo Mohajer won Lincoln University’s Three-Minute thesis (3MT) research presentation last year, for her engaging presentation on improving the yield and quality of wine by promoting vine balance. She went on to reach the semi-finals in the Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition in September. In this PhD Precis, we take three minutes with Minoo.

Why should wine growers seek vine balance?

An appropriate balance between leaf area available for photosynthesis (carbohydrate source) and fruit (carbohydrate sink) is essential for optimal and consistent production of yield, and to reach target sugar concentrations by the end of growing season. The timing of phenology and sugar accumulation can be affected by vine balance, therefore changing the balance of compounds in grapes, influencing grape and wine quality.

And how can they achieve it?

There are some management practices that influence the vine balance such as pruning, canopy and crop manipulations (e.g. leaf, shoot or crop removal) during the growing season. Wine grape growers need to decide when and where application of canopy management principles are required.

My research focusses on leaf removal at different times of development, removal of leaves at different positions within the

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canopy, and how this interacts with the environment.

What led you into the science of wine?

My background in plant science and New Zealand! New Zealand’s viticulture and wine industry is highly successful and has International reputation, and my academic background in plant science led me to a new challenge in grapevine research.

How could your studies help improve wine industry outcomes?

Canopy manipulation by leaf removal leads to different outcomes in the time of berry ripeness, yield parameters and berry composition so a better understanding of the effects of different leaf removal practices on grapevine is important for the wine industry.

Tell us about the 3MT For PhD students who work on a specific subject with a lot of data and detailed information, sometimes it is difficult to explain their research in a short time and in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. So 3MT was a challenge for me to find what is exciting about my work and convey it succinctly. I highlighted the outcomes of my research, and the impact it will have.

What did winning mean to you?

Winning is always pleasant and for me,

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it sent two important messages: The first message was that I am learning and developing my presentation and research communication skills, which is a good sign and the second thing I realised was that there are amazing people all around me! People in our department (Wine, Food, and Molecular Science), library staff, and the great supervisory team all supported me a lot.

What support have you had for this work?

This work was funded as part of the Precision Grape Yield Analyser (GYA) science research programme led by Lincoln Agritech Limited with project partners of Lincoln University, University of Canterbury, Plant & Food Research and CSIRO. The programme receives major funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) through an Endeavour programme (LVLX1601). The GYA project also acknowledges the financial support provided through the Bragato Research Institute (BRI). The PhD is supervised

by Dr Amber Parker, Dr Mike Trought and Professor Don Kulasiri at Lincoln University.

To see Minoo’s 3MT go to lincoln.ac.nz/news-and-events/ three-minute-thesis-contestantspresent-their-research/

Dr Jessica Rivera-Perez. Photo by Christian Castro

Science Snippet New scientist supporting Sauvignon research

“I’m really excited to collaborate on such a pivotal project for New Zealand and its exemplary wine industry.”

Dr Jessica Rivera-Perez Dr Jessica Rivera-Perez has joined the Bragato Research Institute’s Grapevine Improvement Programme, developing new and improved New Zealand grapevines.

The molecular research technician brings nine years of leading novel genetic research to the seven-year programme, which is focussed on diversifying Sauvignon Blanc. “I’m really excited to collaborate on such a pivotal project for New Zealand and its exemplary wine industry,” she says.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Jessica obtained her Bachelor of Science and PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Puerto Rico and completed internships in California Polytechnic State University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, before coming to New Zealand in 2017.

Her previous research used innovative molecular techniques to study diets, microbiomes and gastrointestinal diseases preserved in subfossils from ancient civilizations and prehistoric animals.

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THE SCIENCE

Bitwise Agronomy

Kiwi entrepreneur applies deep tech to vineyards TONY SKINNER

Fiona Turner

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Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are an everincreasing feature of modern life, including vineyard management.

At the vanguard of this trend is Bitwise Agronomy, an ag-tech startup that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate video imagery from vineyards to deliver detailed reports on aspects including yield estimation and vine health.

Farmers purchase GoPro cameras, attach them to their existing farm machinery and collect side-on, plant-by-plant imagery as they’re going about their usual vineyard activities such as mowing and mulching. The imagery is then uploaded to the company’s GreenView portal, which identifies, counts and measures the growth stages of vines, and generates tailored insight reports about crop health.

“Entrepreneurs in New Zealand always have to look globally and look outside the box to succeed.”

Fiona Turner The company’s Kiwi co-founder, Fiona Turner, was working in deep tech when the desire for a change of lifestyle saw her purchase a vineyard in Tasmania. She soon realised that her digital transformation background could help solve the problems faced by grape growers and viticulturists. “I was still travelling for work all the time, setting up smart factories, smart cities and the like, and my vineyard was just out of control, because I was never here,” Fiona says. “And I was thinking, ‘just what have I got myself into?’ Then I realised I’ve got the skills to solve this problem for myself. I’m using vision-based technology for tasks like helping to bottle wine – why can’t I use it in the vineyard as well?”

Fiona partnered with fellow “technological polymath” Aran Elkington to develop a proof of concept. They were soon confident enough to quit their day jobs to launch the company – right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bitwise Agronomy secured Pernod Ricard as a launch customer and now supports more than 50 customers across five countries.

For winegrowers, subscriptions start at AUD$2,000 a year, rising to up to AUD$5,000 annually for the larger sites. Through the GreenView dashboard, growers get insights into aspects such as vine disease, veraison, canopy/vine height, and more. Fiona says the overall objective is to economise labour and maximise yield by helping users make data-driven decisions.

Bitwise Agronomy has just finished an over-subscribed seed raising round, netting AUD$2.4 million, and has expanded its staffing base into New Zealand, including a consultant in Marlborough. Fiona herself has since won several awards, including the AI in Agribusiness award at the 2021 Women in AI awards and, more recently, winning the Pitch to Farmers competition at the AdvanceAg conference in Adelaide.

The company is now actively growing throughout New Zealand, with Fiona noting that growers here are open to trying innovative solutions. “New Zealand is really innovative,” she says.

“Entrepreneurs in New Zealand always have to look globally and look outside the box to succeed, simply because New Zealand is so small.

It’s the Kiwi in me that gives me that drive and entrepreneurial spirit for sure.”

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The People 41 I

Young Viticulturist Sam Bain

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Women in Wine Nat Christensen

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The Profile Nicholas Brown

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Man on a Mission Remembering Brother John

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Postcard Nigel Greening

THE PEOPLE

Sam Bain

Corteva New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year MAIKE VAN DER HEIDE In a freshly developed central Hawke’s Bay vineyard, gazing over an expanse of oneyear-old vines he helped plant, Sam Bain has high hopes for the fruit it will bear.

“It’s quite cool seeing the transformation,” New Zealand’s newest Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year says of the Villa Maria vineyard he manages, “from grafted vines to being almost as tall as the post”.

The same could be said for his career, which unexpectedly began with a summer job at Sileni Estate six years ago. Studying accounting and marketing at Otago University at the time, Sam’s experience “sparked the passion to work in the industry”.

Although he grew up surrounded by Hawke’s Bay’s wine industry – and apples – Sam said the opportunities either industry offered were never put on his radar, until that fateful summer. He finished his course at Otago, then returned home to Hawke’s Bay for good, starting as a machinery

operator, and “just worked my way up”.

That included experience as a cellar hand, but “the concrete jungle and the mundaneness of moving hoses around and those sorts of things didn’t really excite me too much”.

“Now I can branch out and reach out to people, and that helps when you’re so young in the industry.”

Sam Bain Instead, he loves being outdoors, working with different people from different backgrounds. “The love of winemaking is still there but the ability to influence the flavours before they get to the winemakers is probably something

that’s captivating as well.” He also enjoys “just having a season to create that product and then getting to harvest and being able to sit back and reflect on it”.

After almost five years at Sileni, Sam moved to Constellation and finally Villa Maria, where he now works as Vineyard Manager which saw him drawn into pioneering the 160-hectare Spring Hill Vineyard development at just 29 years old.

With his new decade about to start, Sam won the 2021 Corteva New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year just in time.

He first entered the competition in 2020, a lack of confidence putting him off until then. Now, he can’t speak highly enough of the experience. “Just put yourself out there.

It’s not easy, but it’s such a great event, with like-minded people, and the biggest thing is that you’ll gain a lot of confidence in yourself.

Photo facing page Sam Bain at the 2021 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year finals. Photo Richard Briggs

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THE PEOPLE

Sam says another bonus was connecting with people outside of his usual network.

“Now I can branch out and reach out to people, and that helps when you’re so young in the industry.” Thanks to Covid-19, the competition was full of unknowns, from last-minute date changes and even the final’s location.

Held a week after the Government announced a move to the red light setting, the event shifted from its original

“We knew it would work, it’s just that nobody’s ever come out here to try it before.”

Sam Bain Bankhouse location to another sponsor’s smaller vineyard. With few supporters permitted, the quiet atmosphere was a tad “eerie”, says Sam, but those who were there made up for it.

And, being late January, with fruit on the vines, rather than the competition’s usual winter setting, meant things were a little different. “Normally we’re in that time of year when we’re looking at spray plans, what we’re doing with pruning.” That tripped him up a little, “but in the end it was just a different way of thinking”.

Sam says he most enjoys the practical aspects of the competition, such as trellising and irrigation – “they’re just good challenges to push you out of your comfort zone a little bit”. That push paid off, as he also came away with the BioStart Hortisports and the Ecotrellis Trellising Trophy.

Apart from being awarded the title of 2021 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year and trophy, Sam also won a Hyundai Kona for a year, an Ecotrellis travel grant, an educational visit to Australia with Corteva, Bahco golden secateurs and other cash prizes.

Having focussed his 20s on building his career and buying a house in Hawke’s Bay, and with any thoughts of an OE curtailed by Covid, Sam looks forward to using his travel grant towards exploring old world wineries in Europe when he can, tapping into contacts he’s built up during past vintages.

Back on the central Hawke’s Bay vineyard, which has been planted in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, with room left for expansion and “the fiddly” varieties later, Sam is excited to see what the new vines will eventually produce.

With a river down the back and a clay base over rocky ground, Sam compares

Spring Hill to Marlborough’s upper Wairau Valley, and says he jumped at the chance to spearhead a development in a region with precious little desirable land left for grapes. “We knew it would work, it’s just that nobody’s ever come out here to try it before.”

The harvest from the first vines is due next year, with the remaining vines following in 2024. Sam says, with Villa known for its single vineyard collections, “it’ll be quite interesting to see if this area can do something of the kind”.

In the meantime, he’s pursuing his goal of becoming lead viticulturist.

“I’m here for the long haul... It’s a captivating process that no season is ever the same. It’s never mundane or boring, there’s always a new challenge on the horizon, no matter where your vineyard is.”

Photos above and right, The Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year national final. Photos by Richard Briggs

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

THE PEOPLE

Tristan van Schalkwyk

Sam Bain

Katrina Jackson

Jess Wilson

Courtney Sang

Albie Feary

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THE PEOPLE

Women in Wine

Nat Christensen’s Awatere Albariño aspirations JOELLE THOMSON Vintage 2022 is underway as Nat Christensen calls from a warm and windy Marlborough in mid-March. It’s her preferred time of year, with harvest her favourite part of winemaking, but Yealands Wines’ Chief Winemaker acknowledges there’s pressure following 2021’s light harvest. “Yields this year look like they will be up on last year and back to looking more like long-term averages, possibly slightly above.”

The vagaries of vintage keep her on her toes, but also provide constant stimulation, says this musician making her mark on Marlborough’s wine industry. “There is a little disease creeping in, but nothing worrying at this point. It’s looking pretty good, and we are picking Sauvignon Blanc now in the Wairau and into the Awatere at the end of March, which is pretty normal.

In recent years… we were well underway mid-March due to lighter crops and a hot dry season.”

Nat began working at Yealands - one of the biggest wineries in Marlborough - in 2014, after 18 months working for Bodega La Caña in Rias Baixas, northeast Spain, and at a Malaga winery owned by the same company.

“I spent more time in Galicia, but Malaga was really different because there’s always a tension there for growers, between selling grapes to make wine or selling grapes for raisin production, because the climate is so warm. The vines are mostly bush vines whereas up in Galicia it was nearly all pergola systems.”

Nat instantly felt at home in the region, with a climate similar to New Zealand’s.

“Galicia is the traditional home of Albariño and has a very different climate to the rest of Spain, which tends to be characterised by being hot and dry,” she says. “In Galicia, it is very wet in winter, so it’s very green.

This means botrytis potentially can be an issue, which is why the pergola system for training vines can be very good for airflow in this climate.”

It was her second stint in Spain, with the first a vintage in 2013. Both taught Nat about the Spanish white grape that’s such a promising newcomer in New Zealand’s vineyards. “Albariño is an awesome variety and does really well here because our

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Nat Christensen

climate is so similar to that of its native homeland,” she says.

Yealands Wines has planted some at the company’s Seaview Vineyard, a coastal site offering a mineral acidity that parallels vineyards in the Salnés Valley in Galicia. “I think it could potentially be an awesome site for Albariño and it will be interesting to see,” says Nat, excited to explore the variety more in Marlborough.

“I may have tasted a couple of Albariños before I went to Spain, but it wasn’t a big thing here at the time. I’d heard it was a little like Riesling in terms of acidity but when I got there, aromatically it seemed to have more of a Viognier character of almond kernel and its own distinctive character.”

Nat is a classically trained double bass player and originally planned to be a composer and music therapist, before changing tack to blend her music degree with a Master of Science, majoring in industrial organisational psychology. Her first job was in human resources, a role she found soul destroying, and her winemaking

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career was born out of what she coins her quarter life crisis. “My brother was living in Marlborough at the time and suggested I travel to see him and work a vintage. I felt an instant affinity with winemaking. I was so excited and happy to be doing something I loved and found super interesting. There were interesting people from all walks of life, all coming to join in this fascinating experience with all this fruit coming in.”

Her first harvest was at Saint Clair Family Estate, before she embarked on a graduate diploma in oenology from the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay, studying part-time and working full-time.

Pinot Noir was her first love and was key in one of her most influential life and winemaking experiences in Oregon, on a vintage away from Saint Clair in 2010. The culture of the farm to fork mentality she found there encapsulated her ethics and values. “I could relate to it because farmers’ markets were starting to happen in New Zealand, so their strong presence in Oregon really resonated with me and it made so

THE PEOPLE

much sense. It felt like going back to the good way of doing things… It remains incredibly important to me,” she says of the experience.

By contrast, Burgundy remained a mythical place until she visited in 2017, seeing famous vineyards in the flesh and learning how the appellations are laid out.

It’s an experience that she describes as lucky, due to the in-depth tastings she was able to experience at wineries such as Domaine Faiveley and Veronique Drouhin. Her trip was invaluable in terms of learning more about the Pinot Noir grape in the vineyard and in the glass.

If her first wine passion was Pinot Noir, and her newest is Albariño, the vast majority of Nat’s winemaking is devoted to Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a grape she loves because of its hugely expressive nature, she says, amidst the buzz of the 2022 harvest. “I’d like to continue to discover ways of making textured dry whites and different styles of Sauvignon Blanc, because great wine to me is about how wines feel, not just how they smell. It may be a bit of oak work or lees work that is used to achieve texture. It’s an endlessly fascinating process.”

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THE PEOPLE

The Profile Nicholas Brown JO BURZYNSKA

“I definitely feel that I’m growing,” notes Nicholas Brown, when asked to reflect on his two-decade winemaking career, with the past 15 years at North Canterbury’s Black Estate.

“I’m looking after these properties that have really great potential. I’m growing the fruit that comes off them and aiming to get the best we can, so we can reflect these places and make wine in a more natural way.”

As he takes me through Black Estate’s three Omihi properties, his site-driven winemaking philosophy is clear. Inspired by a love of nature, he’s as much involved in the vineyards as the winery. The result has been exciting expressions of Black Estate, elevated by his sensitive and inquisitive approach.

Such achievements led myself and fellow judges Jane Skilton MW and Stephen Wong MW to name him 2022 Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year.

“My philosophy is to enjoy and celebrate the process and where possible connect with nature,” Nicholas elaborates. “Each season is different so if we can be in sync with the season, hopefully we can help vines grow, harvest fruit with good ripeness, ferment grape juice into wine, and ultimately bottle wines that are delicious and have an appropriate natural balance.

“We’re trying to make consistent wines, but they won’t taste the same each vintage,” he adds. “We do embrace technology, when it helps us focus on quality, for example in the winery to allow us to reduce sulphur.

But it’s really about what is happening in the vineyard. The rhythms of the seasons connected to the vine, and using this to show something from our sites, continues to inspire me.”

Winemaking roots Before Nicholas considered winemaking as a career, his connection to nature and the outdoors was evident in his choice of bachelor’s degree subjects: botany and physical education. Holiday work as a vineyard hand at a friend’s family’s North

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Pen Naish and Nicholas Brown

Canterbury winery piqued an initial interest in wine, which led to a job in wine sales with Montana Wines. A desire to get “closer to the wine” then saw him work a busy vintage in Marlborough and discover his passion for winemaking.

Overseas vintages followed at Isole e Olena in Chianti Classico, Napa Valley’s Opus One and Sandrone in Barolo. He returned from these inspired by the wine culture and dedication to quality he’d encountered, and committed to a career in wine. The next step was the postgraduate Diploma Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, after which he became the Assistant Winemaker of Canterbury pioneer, Daniel Schuster.

Nicholas started to carve his own path in 2007 when, with wife Penelope Naish and her family, he bought Black Estate and its established eight-hectare Home Vineyard.

He initially split his time between the estate, and working with Mike and Claudia Weersing at Pyramid Valley to learn from their meticulous terroir-driven approach. In 2013 Nicholas went full-time at Black Estate, which by 2015 had expanded to 24ha with the purchase of two further older vine Omihi properties, Damsteep and Netherwood.

Natural approaches A desire to work in harmony with nature saw Nicholas adopt organic and biodynamic

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practices from the outset at Black Estate.

The estate is currently certified organic with BioGo and working to Demeter accreditation. He’s also played an active role in the wider organics community as a board member of Organic Aotearoa New Zealand and Organic Winegrowers New Zealand. “I want to go even deeper with the biodynamics, using the preparations to get more into the rhythm of the season,” Nicholas enthuses. “I find it really exciting to bring layers of diversity into our properties to enhance them each season, improving soil, plant health and the surrounding ecosystem. I keep learning and trialling things.”

As we explore the steep limestone slopes of Damsteep, the unirrigated and own rooted Netherwood hillside, and finish at the Home Vineyard, Nicholas gives me a taste of some of the things he’s been exploring since we last caught up. As well as keeping up with the latest biodynamic research out of the University of Geisenheim, he’s interested in regenerative agriculture, and has adopted the Simonit&Sirch Method of pruning for greater vine longevity.

His natural and ever evolving approach extends to his winemaking. All his wines are fermented with yeasts propagated in the vineyards. They’re left to settle in seasoned or neutral oak, tank or clay tinaja, with no fining or filtration, or additions apart

THE PEOPLE

from minimal sulphur at bottling for half of his wines. The remainder, which include the recently launched Wildlife range, are additive-free. Removing the inputs, he says, allows him to better understand what remains, such as the vineyard yeasts.

Career milestones Nicholas is modest about his personal achievements. Regularly talking about these in the plural, he obviously considers working with his wife Penelope, her family, and “having a really engaged team” an important context for his own successes.

“Every year that we can produce fruit and stay in business is great. I don’t take it for granted,” he says. “It’s a challenge in any type of farming when dealing with the elements.

But it’s great that people want to work here, and people want to try the wines.”

Continual trial, innovation and improvement is Nicholas’ modus operandi when making the wines of Black Estate. As well as making distinctive single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling, he’s recently been behind some of the country’s most accomplished pétillant naturel. He speaks animatedly of the satisfaction of making wines that resonate with others,

from the single vineyard wines to his more recently developed “early drinking and fun” skin contact Treble Rosé, made from all the red and white varieties grown across the estate.

“Milestones for me are also when we’ve tried something different,” says Nicholas.

“For example, making sparkling wine, or wine with no sulphur, or planting new varieties like Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.” Given all these new initiatives have been underpinned by the informed approach Nicholas applies to every element of his work, it’s perhaps no surprise that these have all proved highly successful ventures.

“Planting this vineyard was also a great experience,” he says, as we look out over the winery block that he established at the Home Vineyard site. “Working with old vines is great for a winemaker, to see that depth and richness in the fruit. But to also establish a

vineyard with your team and to taste the fruit as it comes through, that’s really exciting.”

“We’re challenged the whole time,” he says.

“We think we can still do a lot with Pinot Noir in refining our styles and bring out the essence even more. That keeps us busy, and the fact that there’s a lot of work still to do is exciting.”

So what does Nicholas make of becoming Winemaker of the Year? “It’s given us a moment to reflect on what we are doing which has been valuable,” he says. “It’s been humbling to be nominated with other winemakers I admire and gain recognition from critics I respect. As we approach harvest I am feeling added motivation and excitement to push on and explore what we can produce as a team from these special vineyards. This is an unexpected feature of gaining the Gourmet Traveller Wine award, which I am really grateful for.”

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THE PEOPLE

Brother John

Mission’s pioneering winemaker MICHAEL FITZSIMONS When Mission Winemaker Brother Stuart Cuttance, known to the industry as Brother John, died on 24 December last year, New Zealand lost one of its pioneering winemakers. He was aged 95 and the oldest member of the Society of Mary religious order.

Born into an early settler family in the Haast region of the West Coast, Br John was educated at St Bede’s College and went on to study at Pharmacy School in Wellington. When he joined the Society of Mary in 1954, with advanced knowledge of chemistry, he was appointed to the Mission in Hawke’s Bay, where he became an understudy in the cellars to Br Basil Newman-Watt.

In the early 1960s an opportunity to learn French winemaking techniques arose when the Embassy of France offered him and Br Joseph Lamb scholarships to study

Brother Stuart Cuttance, aka Br John

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THE PEOPLE

oenology and viticulture in Bordeaux.

His winemaking knowledge and expertise was exceptional for that time in New Zealand, says current Mission Winemaker Paul Mooney, who was assistant winemaker to Br John from 1979 to 1982.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s the wine industry in New Zealand was still at a rudimentary stage as it transitioned from the production of fortified wines to table wines.

“Br John learned French, both oral and written, and studied at the University of Bordeaux on wine analysis,” says Paul. “He brought back French winemaking textbooks and applied modern winemaking techniques to wine production. He was very innovative.

He introduced traditional French techniques such as whole bunch pressing and barrel fermentation, as well as carbonic maceration and submerged cap red wine fermentation.

“Both he and Br Joe worked with others in the local industry, sharing the knowledge they gained in France. Br John worked closely with Denis Karza at McWilliams who made the legendary McWilliams Cabernets and Chardonnays. He was one of the few fully trained winemakers in Hawke’s Bay at the time and was held in great respect by other winemakers.”

An example of Br John’s innovation was his development of the first méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine in New Zealand, called Fontanella. Having learned a lot about Méthode Champagne in France, he worked with local engineers in Hawke’s Bay to develop the required equipment to make a method traditional wine. “He had the tool made locally to make the riddling racks necessary for yeast separation as well as the refrigeration equipment necessary for disgorging,” says Paul Mooney. “It was very much a project started from scratch requiring much innovation on a very low budget. A bottle of Fontanella sold for $4 and was limited to two per customer when it was available.”

Br Matt Morris, Assistant Winemaker to Br John in the 1970s, also remembers his generosity in sharing his expertise with other winemakers.

“He was held in great respect by winemakers such as Bob Knappstein, Denis Robinson, Peter Hubscher and Alex Corban to name a few. He was a perfectionist who set very high standards. He was very thorough and could work amid chaos – sometimes created by himself. He was a hard worker and a very physically tough individual.”

The Mission – New Zealand’s oldest winery - was established in 1851 by pioneering French missionaries, and the French influence has always endured. Br John’s French approach to winemaking has been continued to the current day, says Paul. “He oversaw the transition from a cottage industry through to a commercial venture. He was a pivotal man at a critical time for a wine company that has been in continuous operation under the Society of Mary’s ownership for more than 170 years.”

When Br John left the Mission Winery in 1982, he followed his religious vocation in new directions. He taught at St Bede’s and Chanel College in Samoa. Back in Wellington, he gained a SPELD certificate of competence and taught people with dyslexia, autism, and other learning disabilities.

He was then appointed to Wairoa for 17 years where he helped youth with learning difficulties. His last chapter was back in Taradale, where in his 90s he would visit the home-bound who were all younger than him. “He had great compassion for others, especially those less fortunate,” recalls Br Matt. “Wine wasn’t the only passion in his life.”

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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BOB CAMPBELL

Wine etiquette

Bob’s blog

Drink up to fight Covid The current pandemic has generated so many messages of gloom and doom that it’s a pleasure to discover a chink of light in the darkness. The Drinks Business reports that drinking wine could lower risk of Covid infection.

An extensive study of the medical records of 473,957 people tracked alcohol consumption and Covid infection during the pandemic. While noting that “adverse effects of alcohol consumption have been widely documented, the observed relationships between alcohol consumption and diseases are often non-linear, with lowto-moderate alcohol consumption being

The study found that compared with nondrinkers, the Covid-19 risk was 10-17% lower in red wine consumers and 7-8% lower in white wine and Champagne drinkers. protective and heavy alcohol consumption being harmful”. The study found that compared with non-drinkers, the Covid-19 risk was 10-17% lower in red wine consumers and 7-8% lower in white wine and Champagne drinkers.

Beer and cider drinkers, on the other hand, had a 28% increased risk of Covid infection.

The beneficial effect could be the result of polyphenols, which are higher in red wine than in white wine. “Red wine provides additional benefits to other alcoholic beverages, probably due to its higher polyphenolic content, by decreasing blood pressure, inhibiting the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein particles and other favourable effects on the cellular redox state, improving endothelial function, inhibiting platelet aggregation, reducing

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inflammation and cell adhesion, and activating proteins that prevent cell death,” noted the study.

Most of us will struggle to understand that scientific explanation. However, the bottom line seems to be that wine drinkers, particularly red wine drinkers, may gain some protection from Covid. They should of course stay within the recommended guidelines of alcohol consumption which are two standard drinks a day for women and no more than 10 standard drinks a week, and three standard drinks a day for men and no more than 15 standard drinks a week.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

It was an attention-grabbing headline in Yahoo News. “Three-fourths of people believe the rules of wine are intimidating”. A United States winery, Woodbridge, had commissioned a survey on the respect, or lack of it, shown by wine drinkers for the so-called rules of wine.

Two thousand Americans aged 21 or older took part in the survey. Two-thirds of them believed that there are right and wrong ways to drink wine. Only 17% professed to following the rules, while 89% of Gen Z-ers claim to follow the “rules of wine”. Only 60% of millennials respected the rules and a relatively miniscule 12% of baby boomers bothered “sniffing and swirling”.

The disrespectful boomers drank wine more often than any other group. A surprising three-fifths of those surveyed reported enjoying wine on at least three days a week. When asked about their favourite wine and food pairings, men preferred mac and cheese over other dishes (41%), while women opted for wings (34%). Unexpectedly, 62% of men and 50% of women said they prefer wine over beer while watching sports.

Respondents were more concerned about where they drank wine (52%) than what type of container they drink it out of (42%) and the quality/price of the wine (43%). That surprised me.

Unusual drinking locations proved popular, with 43% enjoying wine in bed, 30% happy to risk dilution by drinking in the bath, and 42% drinking on the beach. The surveyed group appear to be a particularly fun-loving lot. More than a quarter usually drink wine at breakfast or brunch while 26% think that Happy Hour should be before 5pm.

There are two sorts of wine drinkers: the insecure and the very insecure. It is fine to break the rules if doing so doesn’t compromise the pleasure you get from enjoying a glass of wine. Some of the so-called rules, such as sniffing and swirling or drinking the wine with the evening meal, can make a good wine taste even better.

The survey did leave me with an enduring image of a baby boomer drinking a can of wine in the bath with a Big Mac at breakfast.

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Postcard Felton Road’s Nigel Greening writes home from Devon

Nigel Greening

Kia ora whānau!

I’m writing this on the verge of coming home after almost two years of ‘lockout’.

And, of course, that has been our theme: the world had lockdowns while New Zealand had lockout. I had no idea when I got on a plane to the United Kingdom at the end of vintage 2020, it would be two years before I could return, but then none of us understood much about all this.

In some ways this feels like a postcard from the battlefield - a sort of war missive.

But the truth is that everybody is bored with it and would rather get on with life, regardless of it all. Almost everybody I know has had it, a few got properly sick, but none desperately. I dodged the bullet.

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Before I left in May 2020, we had already reshaped our sales plan; cut back distribution to markets that were on-trade heavy, build our direct to consumer (DTC), focus on customer communication - not a barrage, but take a more human tone, talk more about feelings than case prices.

By leaving Blair (Walter, Felton Road Winemaker) in New Zealand and myself in the UK, in theory I could be mobile and in the markets while he ran the shop.

In practice there was quickly no safe travel and nobody wanted to see visitors from elsewhere. But we were taken aback by the surge in demand from online retail and DTC. Everybody seemed to be filling their cellars. Was it boredom because

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

they couldn’t go to work? A sort of siege mentality? Who knows, but there was a definite thirst out there. Vintage 2020 sold out in record time. With no proper job to do, I retreated to my workshop. My escape from wine is luthiery: I make guitars.

I planned a series of semi-acoustic guitars based on a sort of terroir. These would be instruments which came from sustainably felled wood, where I knew the tree the wood came from and the history of that tree. A disease felled London plane tree that lived for a century or more in Berkeley Square in London. A Californian sequoia, storm felled 120 years ago, but 2,500 years old. One of the very first cedar of Lebanon trees planted in the UK, struck by lightning

THE PEOPLE

after 230 years, growing by a royal palace.

So, my planes and chisels kept me sane.

I slowly came to understand that the main symptom of this pandemic has been a loss of future tense. I would watch people all around me make plans, cancel them, make new ones, cancel those. Some seemed to be able to adapt to the idea of living in the present, while many were locked in a desperate need to have a future goal, futile though it might be.

I generally abandoned the idea of anything involving groups of people or travel. I learned to loathe Zoom, though I was forced to employ it. But then an amazing thing happened. In late 2021 things calmed a bit and our French distributor decided to run their portfolio tasting in Paris. I thought of a plan: I could take a ferry from the UK to Santander in Spain with the car. We could have a couple of weeks of electric touring (it’s a Tesla) through northern Spain and western France, staying mainly at selfcatering accommodation; we could be as isolated as we needed to be. As plans evolved, serendipity started to play a part.

I received an invitation to stop for lunch in Bordeaux at a Chateau we know, and

another invitation to address the wine school at Bordeaux University. Then we could do the tasting in Paris and back home by ferry. A holiday! Of a sort. And it worked beautifully. Everywhere was pretty quiet, except for Zaragoza, where there was the festival of the Virgin, creating a massive party.

“I slowly came to understand that the main symptom of this pandemic has been a loss of future tense.”

Nigel Greening It was brilliant to be back in wine country and an honour to be able to talk to the students at the university. But nothing prepared me for Paris. When I walked in that room to see 70 or so fellow wine producers, quite a few of them friends, all laying out their bottles, suddenly the world

switched back to normal. It was incredibly moving; I could see the world coming back before my eyes. About 800 people came from around France that day to taste - for most of them the first such event they had done for close on two years. The buzz and excitement was palpable. Everybody could only enter with proof of vaccinations (the French system is very similar to the Kiwi one) and a great time was had.

That evening about 80 of us took over one of my favourite restaurants in Paris (Le Petit Sommelier) for a raucous dinner of amazing wines and cuisine, everybody giddy with excitement at this opportunity to rediscover normality. I looked around and I was back with my wine whānau: a global tribe, united by the joy that good wine, food and company can bring. No other industry can do this. A brother and sisterhood that is global, driven by a joy of what we make, respect for the endless diversity on offer and the extraordinary people who create it. We are truly blessed.

Kia kaha, Nigel Nigel is owner of Felton Road. See more at longbrookluthiery.com

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THE PLACES

Point of View

The world’s most southerly Cabernet Franc DAVE SUTTON Whenever I hear the words “alternative varieties” in relation to wine, I feel a funny mixture of emotions. The part of me that loves adventure, searches out new experiences, and generally likes to push boundaries gets this little tingle, and I find myself itching to taste that Adelaide Hills Fiano and add another card to the rolodex of wines I carry in the back of my mind.

Then the cynical, cranky part of me kicks in. The one that says, “what are these winemakers trying to achieve here?”

Are they trying to cut through the chatter of an increasingly crowded wine market with a statement so loud that nobody can ignore it? Are they trying to get onto a wine list which already has 32 wines by the glass?

Or are they just so bad at making wine that they need one with zero frame of reference – where nobody can benchmark it against another in its class, because there is no other in its class?

The fair part tells me to give every wine a fair go – to judge on its merits, rather than its pedigree. After all, in 1970 Sauvignon Blanc was considered an ‘alternative variety’ in Marlborough, and many people believed that wine grapes should not be grown in the

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South Island at all. The nature of new ideas is that they start on the fringe and move towards the centre, only to be replaced on the fringes by other new ideas.

Who am I to stand in the way of progress?

All of these voices were clamouring at once on the day we harvested our first Cabernet Franc grapes – the very last day of harvest 2021. Three years earlier, I had been standing on that same vineyard block, sweating in 40-degree heat, and thinking to myself – this site will never grow great Pinot Noir. The year was 2018, and we were in the middle of an exceptionally hot season. Planting had begun in earnest at our Northburn vineyard, and we were sculpting 40 hectares of raw, barren Central Otago hillside into one of the region’s most promising vineyards.

It was work, but this one particular tiny block was proving exceptionally vexatious. It had the hallmarks of greatness – a frost-free north-facing slope, it promised plenty of heat accumulation to ripen in even the most precocious season. Glacial soils guaranteed the vine roots would be able to explore the terroir, hitting the layers of wind-blown loess and paedogenic lime we had discovered

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

during earlier soil surveys. And crucially, the block was protected from the wind.

Tucked down into a gully and surrounded by schist outcrops, this would be one of the few blocks at Northburn which was not being pummelled by a persistent northerly.

I had spent the last 12 months visualising the ripe, black bunches of Pinot Noir that would be coaxed from this soil, and the depth of black cherry and plum that would come from such a lucky site. But 2018 changed all that. Too much heat during the growing season causes Pinot Noir to lose itself. The delicacy and poise, the subtlety – all of this turns to jammy fruit and high alcohol. I knew in that moment that we would need to find a variety that would naturally perform on the site – a variety that needs more heat than Pinot Noir but could still thrive in the cooler, alpine environment of Central Otago.

Enter Cabernet Franc. An ancient grape variety with its origins in the Basque Pyrenees, Cabernet Franc is a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. Its flavour spectrum encompasses all of these, with rich blueberry and cassis, ripe raspberry, and brambly, leafy and peppery notes.

Made in a number of the world’s great wine regions, it is often made in two styles.

The Bordelais use Cabernet Franc as a

THE PLACES

blending partner for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, to add sweet fruit and soft supple tannins to more powerful and rustic components. A riper wine, made for longer aging in new oak, with firm and unapproachable tannins for several years.

Loire vignerons take a contrasting approach, vinifying Cabernet Franc as a single variety wine made for early consumption. Often served chilled, these wines celebrate the fruit and the joyful, bright tannins unobscured by new oak influence. It was this approach that appealed – and so the plunge was taken, 4,000 vines were purchased, and the next winter we planted the world’s most southerly Cabernet Franc vineyard.

I set about tasting wines from all schools of thought and all different regions, from the Okanagan Valley in Canada, the Loire and Bordeaux in France. I tried Cabernet Franc from New York’s finger Lakes region, and from Hawke’s Bay, Waiheke Island and North Canterbury. The wines I loved most were from the Loire school of thought. Bright plentiful fruit, with racy acidity to balance it. Crunchy, fresh tannins that came from the grapes themselves, not from the oak

barrels that they had soaked in. This was the Cabernet Franc I wanted to make – pure, joyful and unadulterated.

And so, when it came to making the wine itself, that was the approach taken.

The grapes were completely de-stemmed, to remove any influence of stem tannin and

“The nature of new ideas is that they start on the fringe and move towards the centre, only to be replaced on the fringes by other new ideas.”

Dave Sutton green characters, with a carbonic period and short hot ferment. Minimal extraction and neutral oak were used to ensure it was the fruit that shone, and not the wood.

It was after the wine had finished malolactic fermentation (MLF) that the

conversation about adding sulphur started.

Typically, red wines are sulphured post MLF to protect them from oxidation, from browning and from spoilage. Increasingly winemakers have been experimenting with low and no-sulphur wines, and typically they are more fruit forward, supple and with softer tannins. Given that this is the style I was aiming for, a trial was in order.

Two samples were taken into sample jars and sealed tight – one with sulphur and one without. Three weeks later the wine was tasted, and it was like night and day. The sulphured portion showed green and herbal notes, hard angular tannins and lighter red fruits. The unadulterated portion showed rich dark blueberry and cassis, tobacco leaf and bright crunchy tannin. The jury was out – this wine would be au naturel.

The result? An alternative wine made in an alternative way. A journey of sorts, that has challenged so many assumptions about what can be done and how. The cynic has had his say, but the bon vivant has won – and the thrill, the tingle and the excitement are all that remain.

Dave Sutton is Winemaker at Central Otago’s Te Kano Estate

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THE PLACES

Uniquely Bannockburn Safeguarding a subregion SOPHIE PREECE Central Otago’s subregional story is globally recognised and locally cherished, says Felton Road Winemaker Blair Walter, welcoming the registration of Bannockburn as a Geographical Indication. “The subregions are a story that has been told about Central Otago ever since I have been here. We talk about the wines from Gibbston or Alexandra or Bendigo, and up until now there’s been no legal definition of what those subregional boundaries are.”

He is familiar with wine lists overseas where New Zealand Pinot Noir is itemised, followed by New Zealand’s regional wines, then a subregional breakdown of Central Otago. “Wine trade and journalists, and wine lovers around the world, are really cognisant of the subregions and potential differences that they might express in the wines.”

The Geographical Indications (Wines and Spirits) Act 2006, brought into force in 2017, provides an international safeguard

for New Zealand’s geographic names, overseen by the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office.

Following the registration of the broader Central Otago wine region in 2018, Bannockburn and other subregions have been working towards registering their individual Geographical Indication (GI) as well.

“Whilst the Central Otago brand name will always be first and foremost for the region, there has always been a concern that subregions may also be exposed to misrepresentation,” says Jake Tipler, General Manager of Central Otago Winegrowers (COWA).

“Our subregions add complexity and nuance to the Central Otago wine story, and we are very keen to see the heritage and uniqueness of these regions protected for the future. Bannockburn will now have a higher level of protection both here and internationally and this registration helps to create a pathway for other Central Otago

subregions to register their GIs as well.”

Blair says Central Otago’s subregions are each unique and separated by significant distances and geological distinctions, including mountains and inland basins.

Development of the Bannockburn GI was assisted by a project in 2016 to map the subregion’s vineyards, down to detail of row orientation and grape variety. “During that process we obviously had to identify where the boundaries of Bannockburn started and stopped,” he says, describing an area framed by the Kawarau River as it exits the Kawarau Gorge and arcs around in front of the town of Bannockburn, before meeting the Clutha River in front of Old Cromwell Town. “It made absolute sense that the Kawarau River was the northern boundary of Bannockburn.” The southern boundary is the 400-metre elevation line, beyond which the land becomes very steep and cold, with little - if any - suitable land for vines, says Blair. “Both of these provide a significant geographical boundary”.

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

THE PLACES

Young Horticulturist For the third consecutive time, a viticulturist has won the Young Horticulturist (Kaiahuone rangatahi o te tau) competition. Blenheim’s Rhys Hall (pictured), who works in the Waihopai Valley as Assistant Vineyard Manager for Indevin, won New Zealand’s 2020 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year and followed up with the national Horticulturist of the Year award in February, following in the footsteps of Viticulturists Simon Gourley and Annabel Bulk.

Rhys has worked with Indevin for five years, moving from vineyard worker, to viticulture technician and then to his current job two years ago.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in plant science from Massey University.

Following the competition, Rhys said he was happy a lot of hard work

had paid off, and planned for his prize money to go towards a trip to France planned for July. “I am taking annual leave to visit vineyards, learn more about the wine, and see how other people are producing around the world. It will be a very educational experience, I am sure. I am so excited.”

Competition chairperson Hamish Gates says the Young Horticulturist competition remains a rigorous event that attracts impressive young people from the wider horticultural industry.

“The aim of the competition is to encourage young people in horticulture to further develop their skills and knowledge and to increase the opportunities for long-term careers in the industry. It identifies tomorrow’s horticultural leaders and is an important event for the primary sectors of New Zealand.”

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THE PLACES

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Wine Weather

Waimea Estates, Chocolate Dog Studio

What’s been going on

JAMES MORRISON Here’s a small snapshot of some of the high rainfall totals across much of New Zealand during February - 140mm at Fairhall, 375mm at Masterton, 248mm at Napier.

La Niña usually means an increased risk of rainfall in the east, and this summer has lived up to the stereotype.

Meanwhile, sunshine totals have been well below average in most eastern areas, with Napier recording just 178 hours in February. Humidity has also been above average and the number of 30C days in the east has been below average, especially about Canterbury. Constant low pressure to the north of New Zealand has meant that the North Island and upper South Island

has been a battle ground as ex-tropical lows run into blocking high pressure systems to the south.

“If you live and work in the east, then you might be feeling a bit ripped off with the summer weather.”

James Morrison If you live and work in the east, then you might be feeling a bit ripped off with the summer weather. Conversely, many who

live in the upper and western parts of the North Island might feel like it’s the summer that never ends, with temperatures well above average for several months now.

We are moving into autumn and the time of change, as the nights grow longer and temperatures start to cool. The questions at the moment are: Will autumn be mild again? Will sunshine remain below average for many in the east? Will we see frost before winter?

Sea temperatures are well above average once again and this will continue through autumn as the La Niña phase slowly winds down. The very warm weather over the upper North Island is likely to continue and

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

it is expected that temperatures will remain above average through until the end of May. The eastern side of the South Island may be an exception, with mean temperatures near or possibly below average in parts. This is mainly due to the increased easterly flow pushing cloud and cooler winds onshore. Cloud cover may continue to keep sunshine hours below average along much of the east coast of New Zealand and that in turn is likely to keep overnight temperatures above average.

IT WOULD BE STINK IF THESE GOT INTO NEW ZEALAND

Outlook for April and May: Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Mean temperatures have been above average through summer, and this is highly likely to continue through autumn. Daytime maximums may be closer to average, but night time minimums should remain above average. Sunshine totals may start to lift close to average through April and into May and rainfall totals should be near average. The only point here is that there is still potential for an ex-tropical low or prolonged northeast flow to produce a heavy rain event.

Wairarapa Less affected by the northeast flow, Wairarapa should see temperatures above average through into late May. Rainfall totals have been extremely high lately, but things are starting to dry out as the region falls more under the influence of high pressure. Sunshine totals should start to lift and be near average for the next couple of months.

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,

Nelson Mild temperatures should continue, and are likely to be above average for the next couple of months. Rainfall may be close to average, but rainfall totals are going to be determined by where the main rain bearing systems come from over the next few weeks. If air pressure remains lower in the Tasman Sea, then there is an increased chance of rain about the Nelson region. Low pressure systems to the east are likely to contribute to drier overall conditions about the Nelson region.

don’t kill it. Catch it, take a photo, and call us on 0800 80 99 66.

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

Marlborough/North Canterbury The upper east coast of the South Island has been at the crossroads of high and low pressure. This has contributed to mean temperatures being closer to average than other parts of New Zealand and in some cases even a little below average. Much of the tropical air has struggled to reach very far south, but the cloud and easterly winds have. These conditions may continue for some time, but temperatures should lift as easterlies become less frequent later in April. Rainfall totals have been about or above average throughout summer, and rainfall should continue to run close to average through into early winter. Sunshine hours may start to lift closer to average by late April.

Central Otago Mean temperatures have been running above average and are likely to keep doing so for the remainder of autumn. Sea temperatures are above average about the lower South Island and this can increase onshore humidity and overnight cloud cover about inland areas.

Rainfall totals have been below average and although this is likely to continue there is still a risk of heavier rain from slow-moving fronts or low pressure systems that deepen in the south Tasman Sea. James Morrison runs Weatherstation Frost Forecasting Ltd – weatherstation.net.nz

Look for black & white banding on the antennae

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

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

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

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THE SCIENCE

Biosecurity Update The Biosecurity Vineyard Register

JIM HERDMAN All vineyards owned by New Zealand Winegrowers members are required to have an annual biosecurity vineyard registration completed each year. This includes all producing vineyards, newly planted vineyards that will produce a crop within the next three years, and any non-productive vineyards that are still in the ground, and likely to be used for commercial wine production in the future.

All vineyards (grower or winery-owned) contributing grapes to wines participating in New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) events and activities are also required to complete the register annually.

Entering vineyard details in the register and updating them each year ensures that if a new vineyard pest or disease arrives in New Zealand, the NZW biosecurity team can contact all growers in the at-risk area as soon as possible. Growers will also be included in communications and informed of any progress if a biosecurity response occurs.

Annual completion of the register by growers enables NZW to maintain an accurate record of vineyard names, locations, planted area, grape varieties grown, and planting density. It also enables estimation of future plantings.

When completing the registration, it is important to ensure the physical address of the vineyard is correct so the location can be verified.

The register is due to be completed by 30 June each year. Ideally, vineyards should be registered as soon as the vines have been planted, even if they are nonproducing, as they can still be affected by pest and disease incursions. The area planted only includes the area under the vines and interrows, not the headlands, driveways/roadways, or buildings.

While the register is not a Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) submission, it must be completed before a vineyard can be SWNZ-accredited.

Individual member’s data is treated confidentially, and only anonymised collated information is released in the form of the Vineyard Report. The 2021 Biosecurity Vineyard Register data is now available online on the NZW members’ website in the Vineyard Report 2022.

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The Vineyard Report is published annually and is used to collate key industry data and statistics. The NZW marketing team uses it when communicating with the media and other trade organisations. It is also used to inform other resources such as the New Zealand Wine textbook, varietal guides, and regional guides. Over time, the data collected in the reports also provide a clear record of the industry’s growth and allows trends and changes in varieties and regions to be identified.

There were two new compulsory questions added to last year’s register, and these will be repeated this year. The first question asks if you have a biosecurity plan in place. This requires a simple YES or NO answer. Biosecurity plan templates can be found on the NZW website, or you can contact the NZW biosecurity team and get a hard copy sent to you.

NZW strongly recommends all vineyards have a biosecurity plan in place to mitigate the risks posed by new pests and diseases.

The other compulsory YES/NO question regards organic certification or if the vineyard is in conversion to an organic vineyard. If you select NO, you can move on. If you choose YES you need to enter the hectares that are Certified Organic and the amount Registered In Conversion to Organic.

You also need to tick the organic certifying body. Organic growers need to complete this section to ensure our records align with those of organic certification bodies. At the moment, organic vineyards are under-reported in the register compared to other organisations’ records.

The 2022 Biosecurity Vineyard Register is currently open for completion and is due to be completed by 30 June 2022.

Completing the biosecurity vineyard register is the simplest action you can take to help manage biosecurity risks in your vineyards.

If you haven’t yet registered your vineyards this year, go to the NZW members website.

If you need assistance, email vineyardregister@nzwine.com

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

2021 Biosecurity Vineyard Register The 2021 Biosecurity Vineyard Register data is now available online in the Vineyard Report 2022.

Some key statistics from the report are: • The 2022 total producing area is 41,603 hectares; a 2% increase on the preceding year • The 2022 total producing area by wine type is: I. White wine – 33,752ha II. Red wine – 7,851ha.

• There are 2,101 active vineyards recorded in the register, with the average vineyard area being 20ha.

• Marlborough remains the largest producing region at 29,415ha - 71% of the total producing area.

• Sauvignon Blanc remains the most significant variety at 26,559ha - 64% of New Zealand’s total producing area.

• Pinot Noir remains the most significant red variety at 5,807ha 14% of the total producing area.

• 57% of the total production area is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at 23,834ha. This in itself could be a significant biosecurity risk.

Diagnostic Laboratory Testing Services and Viticultural Consultants

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is collating a list of viticulture Diagnostic Laboratory Testing Services and Viticultural Consultants to share with our membership. Please note, NZW does not endorse any providers – this will only be a list of services that NZW is aware of, for ease of reference.

Members should conduct do their own due diligence when selecting a provider. If you would like your business or service to be included on the list, please send an email to biosecurity@nzwine.com

THE SCIENCE

A Snapshot 2022 TOTAL

PRODUCING AREA

41,603ha

NORTHLAND 76 ha (<1%) WAIKATO/BAY OF PLENTY 13 ha (<1%)

AUCKLAND 285 ha (<1%)

GISBORNE 1,245 ha (3%) HAWKE’S BAY 4,786 ha (12%)

NELSON 1,082 ha (3%)

WAIRARAPA 1,090 ha (3%) MARLBOROUGH 29,415 ha (71%) NORTH CANTERBURY 1,497 ha (4%)

WAITAKI VALLEY 59 ha (<1%) CENTRAL OTAGO 2,055 ha (5%)

TOTAL PRODUCING AREA BY VARIETY

7,851ha WHITE 33,752ha RED

PRODUCING AREA OF SAUVIGNON BLANC

26,559ha

NUMBER OF VINEYARDS

2,101

AVERAGE AREA OF VINEYARD

20ha

PERCENTAGE INCREASE ON PRECEDING YEAR

 2%

Top Producing Varieties Red Varieties TOTAL 7,851ha

White Varieties TOTAL 33,752ha

PINOT NOIR

SAUVIGNON BLANC

MERLOT

CHARDONNAY

SYRAH

PINOT GRIS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

RIESLING

MALBEC

GEWÜRZTRAMINER

OTHER

OTHER

YOU DESERVE THE BEST BEHIND YOU. 73% 14% 6% 3% 1%

3%

79% 9% 8% 2% 1% 1%

New Zealand farmers are recognised as being amongst the very best in the world. *2022 producing area is based on projections for 2022 submitted in the 2021 Biosecurity Vineyard Register It’s not surprising then, that they insist on the best when it comes to the performance and reliability of the equipment they invest in. For over 50 years, Croplands has been partnering with New Zealand growers to bring out the very best in their operations.

It’s time to invest in Croplands because what you put behind you determines what lies ahead.

croplands.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

61

XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX On your behalf

Advocacy on matters of vital importance to the industry

Sarah Wilson

Free Trade Agreement brings new opportunities On 1 March 2022 New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement with the United Kingdom. The 1,700 page document represents years of hard work by officials, and there are some key wins that will help winegrowers make and send wine to the UK for the future.

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has not yet come into force – this is expected to happen later this year, but there is no guaranteed date. Now that the agreement has been signed, both sides need to follow domestic political processes to get ready for its implementation.

When the FTA takes effect, some key benefits for winegrowers will include: The removal of all tariffs on New Zealand wine Some products will continue to have tariffs for years, but wine will have all tariffs removed completely from day one.

Currently, for a bottle of still wine at 13.5% ABV, tariffs are 9 pence (about 18c in NZD).

To claim this benefit, New Zealand producers will have to complete a declaration that their wine is “originating” (ie, that it is a New Zealand product) and provide it to their importer. New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) will prepare guidance on how to make this declaration, along with a template, before the FTA takes effect.

VAT and excise will not be affected.

A commitment from the UK not to reinstate VI-1 forms The VI-1 forms were recently removed, and the FTA confirms that they are gone for good.

‘One and the same product’ removed The prohibitions on acidification and enrichment, or acidification and deacidification, of one and the same

62

“Some products will continue to have tariffs for years, but wine will have all tariffs removed completely from day one.”

Sarah Wilson product will be removed. Additional limits on how much a wine can be deacidified, enriched or sweetened will also be removed (although a wine must not exceed 20% total alcohol to be classified as “wine”).

More flexibility in labelling While UK labels will look reasonably similar following the FTA, there is some flexibility in the following areas: • Wine of overripe grapes: Provided that a wine has less than 20% total alcohol, it does not have to be labelled as wine of overripe grapes.

• Labelling alcohol content: Alcohol content can now be labelled to one decimal point – it will no longer need to be labelled in half or whole units (eg, it could be labelled as 13.2%, rather than having to select 13% or 13.5%). [The tolerance remains the same] • Multi-variety claims: In order to make a multi-variety claim on a label, 95% must be from the named varieties (reduced from 100%).

Other flexibility in winemaking practices More winemaking practices are aligned with New Zealand’s under the FTA. Some new products will be permitted for the UK market, including carrageenan, fumaric acid, erythorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide (note: there are use limits on some of these products).

Other products have use limits under existing requirements, and those limits will be removed or lessened when the FTA takes effect, such as ammonium sulphate.

While it’s not part of the FTA, NZW would welcome the UK joining the World Wine Trade Group, if it decided to do so in future. This would mean that the UK would permit mutual acceptance of winemaking practices and allow easier access for New Zealand wines into that market.

Find more information Winegrowers can make wine to the new (more flexible) standards now; however, you will not be able to send that wine to the UK until after the FTA takes effect.

This is ultimately a decision for each business, and if you choose to follow this pathway it is at your own risk. There are also additional requirements in terms of record keeping and separating EU wines from non-EU wines. Remember that if wine is made to these new UK requirements, it will not be suitable for the EU market.

Further guidance is on NZW’s website at nzwine.com/members/advocacy

There are some additional areas where the UK and New Zealand Governments are continuing to negotiate, including on a small number of substances that were not able to be finalised before the FTA was signed.

NZW will keep members updated with progress on implementation of the FTA. Our next edition of the labelling and winemaking practices guides (expected late 2022/early 2023) will cover these changes. We will also work with the Ministry for Primary Industries as they develop new Overseas Market Access Requirements to reflect the FTA. If you have any questions, please contact the advocacy team at advocacy@nzwine.com

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

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

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

63

XXXXXXXXX MACHINERY UPDATES

Nuts and bolts

Mark Daniel’s updates on machinery and technology

Quality pruning with KLIMA Pruning is the most labour-intensive task of the vineyard calendar year, but in many regions, it’s been increasingly difficult to find enough staff. While many viticulturists have a preferred pruning method, the common theme usually centres around the cordon remaining and the new wood cut back to three to four buds each season, or the cordon being replaced annually.

In the past, pruners would choose the canes they required for the next season, cut away the waste canes and strip out by hand, leaving the waste material between rows for mulching at a later date. They would then trim up the replacement canes, wrap them onto the fruiting wire and secure them back in position. The largest portion of the pruning operation cost is the removal of waste material, which had to be pulled by hand and mulched later.

In 2001, Nigel George worked alongside Marcus Wickham at New Zealand Vineyard Estates (NZVE), tending to 500 hectares of grapes across Marlborough, Waipara and Central Otago. Until 2007, cane pruning was usually reserved for premium grape varietals and spur pruning was the only way to mechanise pruning. Nigel says most grape growers are aware that continual spur pruning is cheaper initially, but more expensive over time as spur sites diminish, yields and quality drop and cordons need to be renewed at considerable cost.

This brought Marcus to raise the question, “what if we could mechanise cane pruning?” To which Nigel likes to say, “I thought about it for around 10 minutes and replied – ‘yes, we can do this’”. He concluded that if he made the fruiting wires releasable and then made strategic cuts to release the unwanted cordons from the

64

trunk and canes, he could utilise the wires to remove the waste canes and old cordons mechanically.

With the KLIMA system, pre-pruners - a small group of skilled people - select the replacement canes, and the KLIMA then strips and mulches the waste material.

Trimmers and wrappers then trim and secure the canes for the next season.

With average savings of $1,000 per hectare, the system reduces unskilled labour requirements by up to 50%.

In practice, strategic cuts are made to release the unwanted cordons from the wires, from where the system lifts the wires and unwanted material away from the vines and canes that need to be retained. The KLIMA head mulches the waste cordons and canes finely over the vineyard, before releasing the wires back to the ground.

Post-mulching, workers reset the fruiting wires in the releasable clip developed

by KLIMA, ready for the trimming and wrapping process. The trellising wires remain on the vineyard floor ready for the next season’s growth, saving a separate pass to drop these wires to the ground as would happen during manual pruning.

A first prototype was built, and development led to trials in Waipara using control rows to compare conventional and mechanical pruning using the system. In

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

2009, trials in the Marlborough region confirmed the results seen in Waipara during 2008, leading to the commercial release in 2010, alongside the ERO group in Germany being licensed to manufacture and distribute in Europe. The arrival of the KLIMA system in Europe brought with it near instant success, taking out the gold medal for Innovation at the Italian Simei and French Sitevi events in 2011.

During the next three years, development led to the commercial release of KLIMA Generation 2 in 2014, alongside the 2015 purchase of the Wirecare business that had developed clip solutions to allow fruiting and lifting wires to be releasable and then re-attachable. Compared to the first generation, the Gen 2 series machines are lighter, more compact and featured a barrel design incorporated in a single mulching head that rotates/flips to either side.

Following three years of sales in the United States, KLIMA entered into a dealer agreement with Pellenc America in 2018 that, like New Zealand a decade earlier, saw an industry with an ageing workforce, increasing wage costs and a dire need to improve health and safety compliance, says Nigel.

KLIMA has sold around 100 machines in New Zealand and Australia, and about 85% of cane pruned vines in New Zealand use the KLIMA system. With average savings of $1,000 per hectare, the system reduces unskilled labour requirements by up to 50%, he says. Typically, a row of 250 plants spread over a 500-metre run would take two hours to cut up and hand pull, where a KLIMA unit will strip and mulch that same distance in less than five minutes. klima.co.nz

Robust, compact and highly manoeuvrable tractors are a prerequisite for effective operation in orchards or vineyards. These attributes have already been demonstrated in the Landini Rex family of tractors, under a wide range of operations.

Now Landini, part of the Argo Tractors Group, has embarked on a project evaluating electric drive and state of the art electronic control systems, aimed at bringing new levels of productivity and operator comfort to orchard and vineyard tractors. Alongside these key objectives, development will also look at manoeuvrability and efficient fuel consumption, says Giovanni Esposito, Director of Innovation at Argo Tractors. “Our product evolution provides customers with innovative solutions to optimise productivity and improve the quality of their work. The Rex4 Electra – Evolving Hybrid has been designed to further enhance the handling, comfort and ease of use of Rex4 tractors, using technology to guarantee cost-effectiveness but to also keep an eye to the environment and sustainability.”

The EIMA Show technical innovation award-winning prototype Rex4 Electra, which incorporates the brand’s sleek and distinctive Landini family styling, has a 110hp diesel engine coupled to the tractor’s usual transmission. This in-house transmission features electronically controlled shifting between forward and reverse and the three powershift steps, but also incorporates robotised electronic shifting of the mechanical gears, a feature introduced on production Rex4 tractors from early 2022.

Up front, an in-house suspended beam axle features individual electric motors for each wheel, providing full-time four-wheel drive.

The layout eliminates the need for a prop shaft, differential housing and two half-shafts from the driveline, allowing individual wheel ‘torque vectoring’ to pull the front end of the tractor through tighter turns, said to be equivalent to a 15% increase in steering angle. In the orchard or vineyard, this will mean that operators could be able to undertake more sweeping turns instead of F/R shuttling manoeuvres, resulting in increased productivity and less wear and tear on transmission components.

The package also includes an engine-driven generator and lithiumion battery to provide power, with energy recovery technology delivering a “top-up” when the brakes are applied.

A power management system oversees the operation of all devices and controls the generator and motors via their respective inverters, while at the same time, also collecting speed and other data from the mechanical powertrain to ensure the two systems work in harmony.

In trials, the parallel hybrid system, offering instantly available high torque output, has reduced fuel consumption by 10%.

For the operator, the electronics allow ‘fly by wire’ gear shifting from a multi-function joystick, minimising noise and vibration created by mechanical gear shift linkages in the cab. A flat cabin floor gives easy entry and exit, offers a more comfortable driving position compared to ‘straddle’ designs and is supported on two passive suspension elements at the front and two variable rate hydraulic dampers at the back. Sensors detect tractor movement, allowing on-board electronics to continuously adjust between ‘soft’ settings to absorb vibration, which Argo engineers say is reduced by some 15%, and a ‘stiffer’ set-up to combat more pronounced movements on uneven surfaces or travels along a bumpy road.

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

22_NWIN004_1b

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RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

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

Supernatural

Research Supplement

Information and updates on Bragato Research Institute research programmes.

CONTRACTED RESEARCH PROJECTS Quality Wine Styles for Existing and Developing Markets Breaking the quality-productivity seesaw in wine grape production (Pinot Noir Programme) University of Auckland, Plant & 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 (O Powrie) 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) Exploring reductive aromas in Pinot noir University of Auckland (B Fedrizzi) Precipitation of calcium tartrate and other compounds in wine University of Canterbury (K Morison) Effect of bentonite addition prior to cold soaking on Pinot noir wine colour, tannin and aroma profile Lincoln University (B Tian)

Pests and Disease

Sustainability/Organics

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

Vineyard Ecosystems Programme University of Auckland and Plant & Food Research (Various) jointly funded by NZW and MBIE

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

Understanding the global market potential for the adoption of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) in New Zealand.

Beef and Lamb NZ

Central Otago mealybug and grapevine leafroll virus management Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

The effect of herbicide, buffered herbicide and under-vine weeding on soil biological communities and other measures of soil health.

Bragato Research Institute (M Barry)

Weevils in New Zealand vineyards Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

Science review of cover-cropping in vineyards Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

Trunk Disease: Applied research and extension FY22 Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

Cost Reduction/Increased Profitability Precision Grape Yield Analyser Programme 2016-2021 Lincoln Agritech Limited (A Werner) Long spur pruning as an alternative to cane pruning for Sauvignon blanc in Marlborough Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

Climate Change Climate case study – Managing hail damaged vineyards Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson) Microbial community and vine responses to increasing temperatures in the New Zealand context University of Auckland (S Knight) Assessing foliar fertiliser for grapevine frost recovery Bragato Research Institute (L Ibbotson)

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

67

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Subsurface irrigation to reduce undervine weed growth Mark Krasnow, PhD, Director Thoughtful Viticulture Ltd.

Undervine weeds need to be controlled in vineyards because they can compete with the grapes for water and nutrients, and because they can grow up into the canopy where they can compromise harvestability and/or health of the fruit.

Most vineyards currently use herbicide sprays to manage the undervine area. Organic growers, and those that would prefer not to use herbicides for weed control, rely on mechanical means like undervine cultivation, scarification, or mowing.

These weeding implements articulate into the vine row between trunks and posts, and retract when a sensor arm or the implement hit a trunk or post. Since the blades or mowing heads articulate into the row, they can damage irrigation risers if they are not protected. These alternative weed control tools are also expensive to purchase, and cannot be run at the same speed as herbicide spraying, thus increasing labour costs for weed control.

Most vineyards around New Zealand use drip irrigation, which is laid down attached to a wire 150 to 300mm above the ground along the vine row. Water is given by drippers in the vine row, which encourages weeds to grow exactly in line with the vine trunks, where they are the most difficult to control using mechanical tools. The more irrigation, the faster the weed growth, and the greater the need to do weeding passes.

Recently, growers have started to use subsurface irrigation, where the dripline is buried at some distance off the vine row using a modified mole plow.

Subsurface irrigation offers several potential benefits. Burying the dripline allows for all of the irrigation infrastructure to be underground,

68

Figure 1: Root damage when the subsurface lines were installed at budburst 2019.

where it is protected from damage by machinery, grazing sheep, UV, hares, rabbits, and allows for easy hand picking by sliding bins under the vines. Application of the water below the surface increases efficiency because it eliminates evaporative losses, which can be considerable on a hot day. Of course, any repairs are substantially more labour intensive because lines must be dug up. Breakages are very rare.

In order to compare subsurface to above ground irrigation, six vineyards (three Syrah in Hawke’s Bay and three Sauvignon blanc in Marlborough) had subsurface lines (Netafim UniRam) installed 30cm below the surface and 30cm off the vine row in several rows of a mature vineyard. This placement was chosen as it is the most commonly used set up in New Zealand vineyards.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

These lines had the same water delivery rate as the above ground lines, and were on the same irrigation programme. All vines received the same water and fertigation - the only difference was the location of the dripline. Lines were unable to be installed during dormancy in 2019, but instead were put in shortly after budburst, when the Sauvignon blanc shoots were around 1cm and the Syrah shoots around 5cm. This installation is later than is ideal because roots are active at that time of year.

Subsurface irrigation did not affect vine growth (Table 1), even in 201920, when some roots were damaged during the installation (Figure 1).

There was no increase in canopy gaps, which would indicate less canopy development. This finding is important in light of the fact these

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Vineyard SB1 SB2 SB3 SY1

Variety SB SB SB Syrah

SY2

Syrah

SY3

Syrah

Treatment

Flowering

Veraison

Harvest

Above ground

56%

10%

28%

Subsurface

56%

11%

30%

Above ground

47%

2%

10%

Subsurface

42%

3%

11%

Above ground

38%

6%

10%

Subsurface

35%

5%

11%

Above ground

36% b

28%

55%

Subsurface

38% a

26%

54%

Above ground

31%

24%

84%

Subsurface

37%

24%

89%

Above ground

36%

28%

55%

Subsurface

38%

26%

54%

Table 1: Canopy gap percentage from the six trial blocks in 2020-21.

Vineyard SB1 SB2

Variety SB SB

SB3

SB

SY1

Syrah

SY2 SY3

Syrah Syrah

Treatment

Yield 2020 (kg/vine)

Yield 2021 (kg/vine)

Above ground

3.39

4.74

Subsurface

2.87

4.70

Above ground

N/D

4.26

Subsurface

N/D

4.72

Above ground

NA

6.11

Subsurface

NA

7.36

Above ground

2.43

2.34

Subsurface

2.83

3.00

Above ground

6.62

4.90

Subsurface

5.84

5.32

Above ground

N/D

6.52

Subsurface

N/D

6.34

Table 2: Yield per vine in 2020 and 2021. SB3 was not added in to the trial until the 2020-21 season. Harvest data could not be gathered in 2020 for SB2 or SY3 due to Covid-19 lockdowns. There were no significant differences at any vineyard in either year.

lines were put in after budburst, when the root system was active and supplying water and nutrients to the new season’s growth. It shows that installation need not be done during dormancy when retrofitting subsurface irrigation in a mature vineyard. Despite damage to surface roots on one side of the vine, there is enough root mass to support the growing shoots. This greatly eases logistics of installation, as the lines must be shipped from overseas and there is limited installation gear in the country, making installing lines during dormancy more challenging.

There was no consistent negative

effect on fruit growth or ripening from subsurface. There was no decrease in yield seen at any site in either 2020 or 2021 (Table 2). These data show that we can farm the same fruit quantity and quality as we do currently, using subsurface irrigation.

Reducing irrigation water in the subsurface could not be done with the existing trial design, but large wine company trials have shown that up to a 30-40% reduction in water is possible with no loss of yield (M. Murray, Grape Days, 2021).

Other wine companies are experimenting with the location of the driplines, some choosing to put

the lines in the middle of the row rather than 30cm off the vine trunks.

The most consistent finding from the trial was the reduction in undervine weed growth when the irrigation is moved off the vine row. Weed growth was measured by placing a 25cm by 25cm quadrat in the vine row between trunks, cutting the weeds inside the quadrat down to ground level, and weighing the biomass.

Early season, before any irrigation is applied, the undervine growth is similar between the treatments. At veraison and harvest, when regular irrigation has generally been carried out for some time, significant

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022 I

69

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Season

Vineyard

Variety

SSB1

SB

SSB2

SB

SY1

Treatment

Veraison

Harvest

Above ground

51.1

37.7

68.6 a

55.2 a

Subsurface

55.1

28.2

43.3 b

29.8 b

Above ground

1.8

0.3

2.5 a

37.5 a

Subsurface

6.9

0.3

0.3 b

3.1 b

Above ground

15.9

18.7 a

21.3 a

13.6 a

Subsurface

18.9

10.3 b

10.2 b

5.6 b

Above ground

1.1

1.6

4.0 a

18.6

Subsurface

1.3

2.0

1.1 b

17.4

Above ground

16.5

13.7

30.0 a

17.9 a

Subsurface

14.6

13.5

18.9 b

7.51b

Above ground

39.6

40.0

72.9 a

73.9 a

Subsurface

40.5

42.7

47.3 b

25.1 b

Above ground

35.4

26.0

9.1 a

41.9 a

Subsurface

40.1

13.1

1.9 b

3.4 b

Above ground

0

3.98

4.7 a

20.5 a

Subsurface

0

2.91

0.3 b

0.9 b

Above ground

4.7

10.7

6.2

21.2

Subsurface

5.6

24.9

8.3

6.6

Above ground

7.5

3.1

27.0 a

36.8

Subsurface

10.2

2.3

8.4 b

29.9

Above ground

16.53

13.67

30.02 a

ND

Subsurface

14.57

13.48

18.90 b

ND

Syrah

2019-20 SY2

SY3

SB1

SB2

SB3

2020-21

SY1

Syrah

Syrah

SB

SB

SB

Syrah

SY2

Syrah

SY3

Syrah

Budburst

Flowering

Table 3: Undervine weed biomass (g per 625 cm2) at various times in the season for the two years of the study. Values in bold from the same vineyard indicate significant differences at the p=0.05 level. Harvest biomass could not be determined at SY3 in 2021 before sheep were put on the vineyard.

differences in undervine weed growth were seen in most vineyards (Table 3). It was not that weed growth was eliminated in the subsurface, but rather that weeds grew off the vine row, rather than directly in line with the vine trunks (Figure 2 over page). With in-row drip irrigation, weeds are encouraged in line with the vine trunks, in an area that is difficult to control via non-chemical means. The 30cm relocation of the weeds encouraged by subsurface irrigation may seem trivial, but in terms of vineyard operations, it’s a

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huge difference. At 30cm off the row, weeds are growing in an area that can be controlled with a disc or rollhacke (8-10km/h tractor speed), rather than a blade or mower head needed to control weeds in line with vine trunks, which operate at much slower groundspeed (2-4 km/h).

Weeds can still grow between the trunks with subsurface irrigation, but they will not receive irrigation when the vines do, thus limiting their growth, and the slow passes needed to control them.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

Subsurface irrigation has the potential to allow growers to be more efficient with water and reduce the need for undervine weed control, however, it is not without its potential drawbacks. Incorrect installation can lead to very expensive repairs, and care should be taken at this critical stage. Monitoring for leaks in the subsurface lines is more challenging than above ground, where they can be seen directly, however, green patches from leaks with subsurface show up quickly. In terms of disposal, above ground dripline can be rolled

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Figure 2: Weed growth in control (left) and subsurface (right) in an undervine mowed vineyard in 2021. Notice the grass growing primarily in the vine row in the control, but off to the side of the vine row in the subsurface.

The relocation of these weeds by subsurface irrigation means they can be controlled more easily and more quickly than in the control.

Figure 3: A red clover cover crop in Central Otago irrigated using subsurface in the midrow. Without irrigation it is too dry most seasons in Central Otago to support cover crop growth in the midrow. (Photo credit Andre Letagan)

up and shipped to the landfill at the end of its life, but recovering subsurface lines will be considerably more challenging. Finally, at 30cm off the vine row the lines are near the tractor wheel tracks, risking soil compaction or line damage from stones.

The 30cm down and 30cm off the row was chosen for this trial because it is the standard in New Zealand.

However, this “standard” was established for new plantings, where growers don’t want the water to be delivered too far from the young vines’ roots. In a vineyard retrofit,

such as in the trial vineyards, the larger root system of the vines means the lines can theoretically be placed much further from the trunks. Lines just need to be placed where they bring water to a pre-existing vine root. This can be much further from the vine trunk and much deeper than the location in this study. How far up and laterally from the lines water moves depends on the irrigation duration and the soil’s texture. The more sand and gravel in the soil, the less lateral and upwards movement there will be. The more clay and silt, the more lateral and upwards movement is possible.

Midrow irrigation would offer the dual advantage of not being in traditional tractor wheel tracks, and allow mowing of the weeds encouraged by irrigation in a traditional mowing pass. With midrow subsurface, specialised weeding equipment would only be necessary to deal with weeds that grow over the winter, or if the season is rainy and they grow undervine.

However, midrow lines would still be in the wheel tracks of harvesters at least once a season in most vineyards. In Central Otago, where it is usually not possible to grow a midrow cover crop because of lack of rain, applying irrigation there allows for the possibility of growing a nitrogen fixing cover crop to help nourish the vines (Figure 3).

There is still much to learn about subsurface irrigation, such as the ideal line location and depth to prevent weeds from accessing irrigation entirely, or the extent of water savings that can be achieved.

However, this technology has real promise for the New Zealand wine industry.

With more and more consumer resistance to herbicide use, and with water availability limiting vineyard expansion in many areas, subsurface irrigation offers new opportunities for growers.

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LIGHTER TOUCH PROGRAMME

General principles for good management practices for growers using biopesticides WHAT ARE BIOPESTICIDES? Biopesticide crop protection products (biopesticides) are a broad category of plant protection products that are derived from natural products, or contain living organisms. Biopesticides can be used to complement conventional synthetic agrichemical products in an integrated pest management (IPM) programme, or as a standalone method, for protecting crops from disease, pests and competition from weeds. Biopesticides include live microbes (such as bacteria, fungi and viruses) and/or their extracts, crude or purified plant extracts, pheromones and other natural biochemicals. Biopesticides work best when incorporated into an IPM programme utilising a range of management measures. They are different to biostimulants1 and biofertilisers2 since they claim pest/ disease/weed control rather than just promotion of plant growth.

Biopesticides are versatile and can be utilised in both organic and conventional crop production.

HOW DO BIOPESTICIDES DIFFER FROM PESTICIDES? The biggest difference between biopesticides and agrichemicals (or synthetic pesticides) is that biopesticides are made from living or naturally occurring compounds while agrichemicals are made from synthetic chemicals. Both types of products offer protection against a wide variety of pests, diseases and weeds. Many new synthetic chemicals are systemic in nature and can be taken up and distributed within the plant whereas most biopesticides act as protectants on the surface of the plant. Therefore, it is important to apply them before pest/disease symptoms appear and make sure that good coverage is achieved.

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KEY BENEFITS OF BIOPESTICIDES Biopesticides are an essential tool in sustainable crop production. They are a key component in effective IPM strategies and contribute to environmentally responsible production systems. Biopesticides may seem more challenging to use than conventional agrichemicals, but they provide many important benefits including: • Biopesticides have a low risk of resistance developing due the nature of their control.

They can be integrated into IPM systems to reduce the chance of resistance occurring to the synthetic chemicals.

Biopesticides complement the use of agrichemical options and can maximise yields and improve quality.

• Biopesticides naturally decay in the environment. In New Zealand most are exempt from maximum residue limits (MRLs) and can be used close to harvest when agrichemicals could leave a residue non-compliant for trade.

To find out which are excempt,

A LIGHTER TOUCH Jeff Smith A Lighter Touch is a seven-year programme jointly funded by industry and Ministry for Primary Industries under the Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures Programme. Fourteen of New Zealand’s horticulture sectors, including the likes of Zespri, Vegetables New Zealand Inc and Bragato Research Institute, along with the Foundation for Arable Research, have come together to work collaboratively on guiding crop protection practices toward an agroecological approach. The programme officially started in June 2020, although the scoping and development of its foundations reach back several years.

One of the programme’s key aims is to address the topic of availability of biopesticides to New Zealand growers, as it was identified in the early stages that a lack of available biopesticides in New Zealand was one particular barrier to adoption into our crop protection programmes.

One aspect the programme is mining into is the regulatory framework for biopesticides to understand where pinch points occur for registrants and what can be done to smooth the pathway to registration – including working with registrants on real life case studies.

Another approach is working out how to develop crop protection programmes that incorporate biopesticides as standard applications.

As part of this approach A Lighter Touch (ALT) have put together the ‘General principles for good management practices for Growers using Biopesticides’. These guidelines are designed as a handy general reference for growers and their advisors on selecting and using biopesticides in their current crop protection programmes.

Jeff Smith is Agroecology Technical Lead of A Lighter Touch: Agroecological Crop Protection to Meet Future Consumer Demands

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

from infecting crops.

Physical action/barrier biopesticides may produce compounds that cause cell leakage, desiccation and death of the target.

Pathogenicity - biopesticides may contain microbes that can infect the target and kill it.

Toxicity - these biopesticides contain microbes that produce a compound/s with direct toxic effect on the target.

Induced resistance: biopesticides may produce microbial compounds that stimulate the crop’s own resistance mechanisms.

HOW TO USE BIOPESTICIDES Misha’s Vineyard

check the MRL food notice at mpi. govt.nz/agriculture/agriculturalcompounds-vet-medicines/ maximum-residue-levelsagricultural-compounds • Since they rapidly degrade, possible risks to humans and the environment are reduced.

Biopesticides are often compatible with beneficial insects. Many biopesticides have zero or short re-entry and pre-harvest intervals (PHIs), offering growers convenience and flexibility in spray timing. Similarly, the PHI is typically shorter following use of a biopesticide. Having shorter periods allows harvest and transport schedules to be better maintained. Growers can also more easily manage differences in MRL limits when choosing market destinations.An IPM strategy that combines biopesticides and agrichemical products will utilise multiple modes of action, meaning that the chance of resistance occurring to any one product is considerably reduced.

Biopesticide products can be as efficacious as agrichemical products, particularly when pest/disease or weed pressure is low to moderate.

However, some biopesticides deliver lower levels of control and more variable performance than agrichemical alternatives. For example, biopesticides might reduce

pest pressure, but not remove the pest entirely. Additionally, some biopesticides take longer to act on the target, but their effects may be longer lasting. Many biopesticides are best used as a preventative and to assist with resistance management.

WHAT REGULATORY APPROVAL IS NEEDED FOR USE OF BIOPESTICIDES?

Storage: It is essential to follow storage instructions on the label.

Because biopesticides may contain living organisms as actives, they may have specific storage requirements that are critical to efficacy, and they can be affected by hot temperatures.

Some products must be used within a short time following purchase and cannot be resealed and stored.

Biopesticides are subject to the same regulations as agrichemical products and need to be held in approved storage facilities.

The regulatory process for biopesticides is the same as for ‘agrichemical’ products. The product must be registered by ACVM and EPA. They can be categorised as biofungicides, bioinsecticides and bioherbicides. Crop protection products making management claims, whether biological or chemical, must meet regulatory criteria to be approved for use in New Zealand.

Application: Biopesticides can be sensitive to environmental (i.e, temperature and moisture) conditions - check labels carefully.

Many biopesticides should be applied in the evening to avoid heat, and some benefit from being applied with UV protectants. Most biopesticides are not systemic or rainfast, so re-application is often needed if there is significant rainfall following application.

HOW DO BIOPESTICIDES WORK?

Biopesticides may need to be reapplied at seven to 10-day intervals.

Biopesticides can be applied using the same equipment as used for agrichemicals but it is very important to clean spray systems very well before use and some are harmed by chlorinated water. Use the specified nozzle to prevent blockages.

Biopesticides can work in several different ways. Some products only have one mode of action, whilst others have multiple modes of action including: Attraction/repellency: Biopesticides may contain or produce compounds that disrupt the normal behaviour of insect pests.

Competition - biopesticides may contain microbes that out-compete plant pathogens for space and other resources and prevent the pathogen

Compatibility: Check label recommendations for adjuvant use and tank mixing partners as live microbes may be affected by other crop protection products.

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Millton Vineyards

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN PURCHASING BIOPESTICIDES: WHAT IS THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT? If the biopesticide is described simply as a crude preparation (plant extract or mix of microbes) growers should ask for more details about the active ingredient.

If the biopesticide is based on a single microbe/pure compound, growers should ask for specific identification, e.g, which specific microbial strain? If the answers are vague – beware.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Growers should not accept vague or overly complicated answers.

Understanding how the product works is the key to understanding how to use it properly and to achieve good crop protection (i.e, management of the target/s).

Cross reference what the company representative tells you with label claims.

WHAT TRIAL DATA EXIST? Reputable companies will have reliable trial data to back up their claims. Do not accept pot trial data

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(poor translation to field efficacy) and be cautious with field data on other crops/targets.

HOW SHOULD THE PRODUCT BE USED? Ask for detailed information on how the product should be used and what other products it is compatible with.

Be wary of vague answers or claims that it can be used exactly like an agrichemical.

Growers should always ensure the use of any biopesticide product is acceptable to the relevant market/ industry body to avoid any potential export issues.

IS THE PRODUCT REGISTERED? All products claiming to control or manage a pest/disease or weed must be registered and as such must have undergone regulatory oversight of stability, efficacy and crop safety.

Find the registration number on the label or search the trade name on the ACVM database here: eatsafe.nzfsa. govt.nz/web/public/acvm-register If it is not registered, seek further advice.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I APRIL/MAY 2022

If something sounds too good to be true – it usually is. Biopesticides are not standalone solutions. They work best when incorporated into an IPM programme utilising a range of management measures.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to gratefully acknowledge permission from the Foundation for Arable Research to use and modify their existing brochure and CropLife International for providing information presented in this document.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide general guidance relating to the use of Biopesticides and is based on information current at the time of publication (December 2021). Information contained in this article is general in nature and not intended as a substitute for specific professional advice around crop protection and should not be relied upon for that purpose.

Soil too salty?

Gypsum is one of those rare materials that performs in all categories of soil treatment: an amendment, conditioner and fertiliser Gypsum in amendment • Displaces sodium binding clay soils • Reduces high soil aluminum levels • Suppresses soil acidification effects of growing crops and prolonged use of acidifying fertilisers

Gypsum in soil conditioning • Reduces cracking and compaction following irrigation and retards soil crusting • Allows soil to dry more quickly after rain or irrigation so that it may be worked sooner • Decreases energy requirements for tillage • Binds organic matter to soil and checks soil erosin • Enhances friendly bacterial action and discourages plant diseases related to poor soil aeration • Condition soil allows for deeper, healthier root development and water penetration

How does it work?

Gypsum is hydrated calcium that replaces sodium in the soil.

The sulphate allows the sodium to be effectively leached out of the soil giving the soil better ability to flocculate and form stable aggregates to improve drainage and soil quality.

Gypsum in fertilising Soil tests throughout New Zealand shows sulphur deficiency is widespread. Although often overlooked, sulphur is needed in at least equal quantities to phosphorus. Many responses in crops are sulphur due to the sulphate radical (SO4--).

• Readily dissociates into free calcium ions (CA††) and sulphate ions (SO4--), major elements

CaSO4 Na+

Na+

Soil Cation Exchange

in plant nutrition.

• Has an approximately neutral pH and can be used in heavy applications without causing

undue alkalinity in soils

Gypsum in water savings

Ca++ Soil Cation Exchange

• Promotes water infiltration, retention and conservation • Allows water to penetrate the soil without forming puddles or logging • Conserves water by stretching intervals between irrigations

leached Na2SO4

• Tests show that farmland treated with Gypsum require up to 33% less water

For more about Natural Gypsum and soil stabilisation visit www.gypsum.co.nz Gypsum_WineGrower_FP.indd 1

18/05/21 7:18 PM

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