Winegrower April - May 2012 by Rural News Group

/ M AY 2 0

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER

ISSUE

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWERS AP R IL / MAY 2012 I SSU E 7 3

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 73

R E GULARS

Editorial

Vintage 2012

Tessa Nicholson

It’s not the summer we will want to remember, regardless of where we were in the country. The La Nina weather pattern has impacted heavily on the grape growing regions – we see how in our vintage preview.

Mechanical Thinning

Into its fourth year, this trial on the affect of mechanical thinning is providing some interesting results. It appears the thinning has an effect on fruit and wine composition.

From the CEO

Philip Gregan

In Brief

News from around the country

34 Bob’s Blog

Bob Campbell MW

40 Sommelier’s Corner

Cameron Douglas MS

42 Money Matters

Marcus Phillips from NZForex

China – Do Your Homework

Potentially this market could be New Zealand’s largest in the years ahead. But doing business here is not the same as doing business anywhere else in the world, as NZ’s Consul General and one market manager explain .

60 Calendar

Wine events happening in New Zealand

62 Research Supplement

The latest science and research projects funded by NZ Winegrowers

FRONT COVER PHOTO: Supplied by NZ Winegrowers.

FEATURES

Sub Regional Break Down – Central Otago

Max Marriott delves into the many sub regions of Central Otago, looking at the history, the terroir and the wines. His in depth profile of the world’s most southern winegrowing region shows how so many good things can come in small packages.

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

FROM THE EDITOR TESSA NICHOLSON

CO R R E S P O N D E NTS Auckland: Joelle Thomson jthomson@xtra.co.nz Gisborne: Marg Willimott marg.willimott@gisborneherald. co.nz Gisborne: Christine Boyce christineboyce@gmail.com Hawkes Bay: Mary Shanahan westclan@clear.net.nz Nelson: Neil Hodson neil@hodgson.net.nz Canterbury: Jo Burzynska joburzynska@talk21.com Central Otago: Max Marriott max@maxmarriott.co.nz

A DV E R T I S I N G Ros Sellers nzwinegrower@xtra.co.nz Ph: 07 827 8648 Fax: 07 827 8631 Mobile: 021 190 3877 www.nzwinegrower.co.nz

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

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

Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers (jointly representing Wine Institute of New Zealand Inc and New Zealand Grape Growers Council Inc). Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/ or its directors or management, New Zealand Winegrowers or its constituent organisations. Published every second month. One free copy is mailed to every member of the Institute, the Council, the New Zealand Society of Viticulture & Oenology and the New Zealand Vine Improvement Group, and to such other persons or organisations as directed by the owners, with provision for additional copies and other recipients to be on a subscription basis.

ISSN 1174-5223

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING

t seems as though every year some new piece of technology is coming to the fore and changing the world as we know it. There has never been a time in the history of man that development has been so rapid or so advanced. Think back 25 years ago, when New Zealand wine was first making its mark in the UK; computers were the size of a small bar fridge. Telephones were stationary items, and there was no such thing as being able to Google up information at the drop of a hat. When wine companies were promoting their wines, they had to do it in person and via traditional media methods. Now in 2012, it has all changed. Computers the size of a small magazine are standard issue, cell phones mean we can be contacted any time anywhere. The Internet has made the world a very tiny place where information can be passed on to anyone in a matter of seconds. Social media has changed the way we think and the way we act. If you think that is too bald a statement, think about what is happening currently in China, a market NZW believes could be one of our largest within a decade. While government control means there is no Twitter in China, there is an equivalent - Weibo and 270 million people currently operate a Weibo account. 47 percent of the average Chinese person’s spare time is spent on Weibo (that by the way is the highest in the world). And what’s more, 97 percent of purchasing decisions are influenced by what a person has read on Weibo. This is no fad, it is not something that only adolescence are into – this is very real marketing at work. At least one New Zealand company is currently operating a Weibo account in China and they are reaping the rewards. Constant messages being sent out, are personalised to the potential consumer,

with news, tasting notes, reviews and general educational blogs. Given the economic downturn, developing new marketing tools can often be the first thing to go by the wayside. Yet history has proved that this is exactly the time that companies should be upping their marketing budget. During the depression, (1930s, not 2008) American car manufacturer Chevrolet decided to increase their marketing budget rather than drop it. At the time they were number five in terms of sales rankings, with Ford having held the number one slot for years. However, as Ford chose not to advertise, Chevrolet began making inroads and within two years achieved number one status. Proctor and Gamble (P&G) produced household products, and despite calls from shareholders to cut advertising during the depression, the company decided to increase spending. Again within a short period of time, P&G went from being a small producer, to a major one – and quickly became a household name. Kellogs breakfast cereals did a similar thing, now look at the size of the company. Just because there is a downturn in the economy, it doesn’t necessarily mean people stop spending. Instead they become more selective, making purchasing decisions based on service, quality, pricing and of course profile of a product. Looking back to the great depression, the loyalty gained during the bad times, tended to stay with consumers far more than the loyalty that had been developed prior. If New Zealand wine wants to retain its image as a quality, specialised producer, then we need to ensure the world doesn’t forget about us. We have to keep our name and our reputation at the forefront, because there are plenty of other countries who will be more than happy to leap into our position if we don’t. ■

FROM THE CEO PHILIP GREGAN

MORE HISTORY IN THE MAKING Under the title ‘A Little History in the Making’ my column in the March 2002 Issue of New Zealander Winegrower commenced ...

“FRIDAY, March 1 and Saturday March 2 2002 … just two more days like any other days, or significant milestones in the on-going history of the New Zealand grape and wine industry? March 1 was, of course, the day on which the Institute, from its perspective, agreed to form New Zealand Winegrowers, a single industry body with aims of promotion, representation and research. On Saturday March 2, NZGGC reached the same conclusion, and on March 3 New Zealand Winegrowers commenced operations.” The road that led to the formation of NZ Winegrowers was long and tortuous. NZGGC and WINZ had co-operated across a whole range of activities in the 1980s and 1990s, but it was only in the late 1990s that the question of joining forces in a formal sense gained some serious momentum. However the formation of NZ Winegrowers was no foregone conclusion. Debates about the costs and benefits of getting together were sometimes heated. ‘We will lose our identity’ or ‘We can’t trust them’ said naysayers. Often it must be said the voices in opposition seemed to

dwell more on the divides of old, rather than looking forward to the opportunities and challenges of the future. However many in the industry were thinking about tomorrow rather than yesterday. Peter Hubscher former Chair of the Wine Institute was one. He said at one stage (if I remember correctly) “If we as an industry can’t get together in the good times, how on earth will we ever survive the bad times?” That view was one that resonated with many growers and wineries. As we all well know we have certainly seen some challenging times since 2002. Supply demand imbalance, the GFC, volatile exchange rates, price pressures ... we don’t need reminding I suspect! As a united body, I like to think we have responded well to those challenges. So from day one the goal was to position NZW to be future focussed. That focus remains a key driver today. It is for this reason that last year the Board decided to conduct the Strategic Review. Ten years on from its formation of NZW it was time to get back to basics. What is NZ Winegrowers trying achieve, how should we be organised to support those

goals? These and other questions needed to be answered to make NZW fit for future purpose – fit to meet future opportunities and future challenges. The Strategic Review recommended a raft of changes to the operations and structure of NZ Winegrowers. The Board, as members should be aware, has agreed all the operational changes, for example the development of a Vineyard Register, implementing Geographical Indications legislation etc. We are now busy talking to Government Ministers and other groups in pursuit of these operational changes. In terms of the big structural issues the Board has agreed a process and timeframe for consultation with members. A Board Committee has been appointed to develop a discussion paper and report to members. One suspects there will be vigorous debate on some of the key issues. That debate should be viewed as a welcome prerequisite to making NZW fit for future purpose. As we get deeper into the process of implementing the Strategic Review it is clear there is going to be changes to the way NZ Winegrowers conducts its business. Some changes

have already been signalled to members. For example we have recently notified the in-principle decision by the Board to discontinue the Brand Fee system, which has helped support export development since the early days of the Wine Guild in the UK in the early 1990’s. This decision was not taken lightly, but after the Strategic Review it was clear it needed to be made. The changes consequent on the Strategic Review means the next few months are definitely not going to be ‘business as usual’ for NZ Winegrowers. Ultimately a new, refocused and revitalised NZ Winegrowers will emerge from this process. We are committed to keeping growers and wineries apprised of developments as and when they occur. To that end in late March members have been sent one Strategic Review Update; others will follow in coming months. These Updates will track our progress in re-making NZ Winegrowers – in positioning it to meet the opportunities and challenges of the next decade. When we look back in ten years time, hopefully we will see that those Updates have tracked a little more history in the making. Best wishes for the vintage. ■

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 5

REGIONAL VIEWPOINT

HOW DO YOU KEEP A REGIONAL ORGANISATION GOING? Most regional organisations begin with a group of passionate and inspirational volunteers wanting to work collectively for the greater good so each and every business individually prospers.

his usually occurs when there are a small number of players, everyone is at the same stage of their business and volunteers are able to contribute the time, and often dollars, needed to establish a regional presence. Most of us can identify these pioneers and without them we would never have the regional strengths and developments we have today. But then things change, businesses grow, time is a scarce resource, funds can’t be split several ways and the success of the region attracts new entrants – some with the same goals and others with new ones, and even some with no goals at all. Competition is greater, objectives are challenged and the roles the organisation plays change, expand and detract. The original stalwarts that showed such innovation in a co-operative style are now the old-timers, the ones that are “stuck in the past” and the new entrants the “upstarts”, the “dreamers who think they know everything” and who have new and different ideas. So, given the multitude of changes and personalities, how do you keep a regional organisation going? Here are a few of my ideas; • Clearly outline the objectives of your organisation – are you marketing and promotional focused? Or is advocacy the biggest driver? Or is it research? What market is the focus? Can you be all things to all people? • Make sure your members know what your objectives are. And keep telling them. Often your wineries and growers think you’re there to do something you’re not – if everyone understands the role you play and how members can work with that, you are half way there. New entrants won’t know so you have to say it again and again. • Ensure your executive or Board has a mix of the new and the experienced. It’s vital

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

Lyn Bevin, Executive Officer Hawkes Bay Winegrowers Association

to have decision-makers with the right skills and experience to provide direction and leadership. Without good leadership you will just waffle along and become less than the sum of its parts. • Check that your members value your activity. If there’s no value, you won’t get the support. Without the support you won’t get the time or funds to contribute to activity and the activity will die. Other organisations will spring up looking to fill the holes they feel are there. • Work with sub-regional groups. They are as much part of your story as the bigger story itself. Work out the roles and boundaries for each regional partner, where you can contribute and where you must stop. The alternative is a muddled and confusing picture that confuses the customer as well as your own members.

• Expect members to contribute as volunteers. None of NZ’s regional organisations can survive solely on funding received. Volunteer activity is a part of every regional structure no matter what the size. The bigger the organisation is and the better funded, means professionals can be employed to deliver services – but this will always be with the input, direction and feedback of volunteer time and membership. • Be patient. This is a long term industry full of passionate, hard-working, gregarious, serious, egotistical and lovely people. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We all actually want the same thing but may have different ideas on how to achieve it. It will take time for a regional organisation to settle, secure a single and workable story, define its roles and determine its future. ■

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IN BRIEF

Auckland

Soljans Easter Berba Festival

The Food Show

There is always a buzz around Soljans when the grapes are being harvested and here’s the chance to stomp to your feet’s content on any of the three Easter days at Soljans Winery, West Auckland between April 7 and 9. Winery Tours 11am and 1.30pm with owner Tony Soljan, $5, which includes sampling of Soljans Reserve wines. Free daily Grape Stomping at 2.15pm; live music and dance and the winery’s award winning café is open.

The Food Show features a vast range of local and international wine, beer, food, coffee, kitchen equipment, gadgetry and advice. There are chef master classes and hands-on learning as well. Diarise these dates and places now: The Food Show Wellington, 11 to 13 May, Westpac Stadium; The Food Show Auckland, 2 to 5 August, ASB Showgrounds; The Food Show Christchurch, 14 to 16 September, CBS Canterbury Arena.

Hawkes Bay Doug Wiser Memorial Scholarship

Cape Kidnapper’s Winemaker Dinner

Kyle Anderson is the latest recipient of the Doug Wiser Memorial Scholarship, established by Craggy Range back in 2004. In memory of American born winemaker Doug Wiser, who died in a tragic kite surfing accident, the scholarship pays for a young American winemaker to travel to New Zealand every vintage. Steve Smith MW, director of wine and viticulture at Craggy Range says Kyle’s enthusiasm and experience stood out on his application. Having studied at University of California – Davis, Kyle completed internships in France and the Napa Valley. He will spend vintage at Craggy Range, and take a two-week tour of New Zealand’s wine regions.

Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter will match wines to New Zealand Masterchef Josh Emett’s cooking at Cape Kidnapper’s resort. For those who want to make a weekend of it, there is an afternoon wine tasting with Walter at the wine cellar on Friday afternoon, 1 June. The dinner is June 2. More information online at www.capekidnappers.com

Josh Emett

Wellington Beervana 2012 New Zealand’s premier beer and food event will be held at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium for two four-hour sessions on

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// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

August 17 and 18. Festival director David Cryer plans to build visitor numbers this year. Check out the new-look Beervana website www.beervana.co.nz

Beverage Formulators New Product Concepts Global Beverage Trends Sensory Stimulators

Marlborough Super Cool Marketing Tool Wairau River Wines has a new marketing tool, one that is turning heads. It’s a restored 1980s American Airstream Excella caravan, which will be used for mobile tastings. When purchased last year

it was in basic original condition, but has been totally refurbished. Painted metallic silver, it has quickly gained the name “silver bullet”. The caravan has already been put to the test, hosting a tasting for a writer from travel guide Fodor’s earlier this year.

National Carter & Associates joins Amcor In a move that further extends its commitment to the New Zealand market, Amcor Australasia’s Beverage division has acquired local glass distributor, Carter & Associates. As the major distributor of Amcor glass wine, champagne and spirit bottles in New Zealand for six years, Carter & Associates has a customer base including some of the region’s most prestigious wineries. “These are exciting times in the New Zealand wine industry and we’re very pleased to be getting more directly involved,” said Brian Lowe, Group General Manager of Amcor Australasia’s Beverage business.

“Local wineries have been purchasing Amcor’s glass products for many years through Carter & Associates as our major distributor in the region – now we look forward to continuing these great relationships and working more closely with these customers,” he added. The entire Amcor Glass range is now available to all New Zealand wineries in all available colours. For all product enquires, contact Jim Conroy on 021 800 211 or visit www.amcor.com. ■

Correction In last issue’s In Brief, we incorrectly identified the photo of the David McIntosh Scholarship winner. The photo was labeled as being David McIntosh, where as it was actually the winner, Cameron Trott. We apologise for the mistake.

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 9

VINTAGE 2012

VINTAGE UPDATE I

t could well go down as the summer that never took place. The 2012 vintage has been affected by cooler than average temperatures and unseasonal conditions that have affected more than one wine growing region. Those conditions have impacted on yields across the board according to New Zealand Wine CEO Philip Gregan. “At this stage, based on our recent Pre-Vintage Survey of wineries, our current estimate is for a

harvest of around 300,000 tonnes of grapes, down from the record 328,000 tonnes in 2011.” Mr Gregan noted however that pre-vintage estimates of crop size are not an exact science. “With the variable crops that wineries have reported, this makes crop estimation more difficult than normal. Accordingly, the harvest could be up to 20,000 tonnes smaller or larger than our current estimate.”

Auckland In Auckland the harvest began on target, says Melba Brajkovich

from Kumeu River Wines, which had 52 pickers and a little Pinot Noir and Hunting Hill Chardonnay in, as at mid March. “We’re quite happy but we’ve only just touched the tip of what we’re going to pick; not even a fifth. So there’s a lot to come in yet,” said Brajkovich. “There was a lot of rain on some other grapes, though, so it’s probably a bit early to ask but if this weather stays as it is, it will be fantastic,” said Brajkovich, on a sunny early autumn day.

All regions are facing a later than normal start to vintage, due to the unseasonable summer. Photo: NZW

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

Gisborne A typical La Nina season cloudy and wet with less sunshine hours and heat, means the Gisborne vintage is running about seven to ten days later than normal says Gro Co general manager and viticulturist Warwick Bruce. “At this stage the grapes are holding up well. The looser bunches, and combination of high acids and pH, and sugars on the low side is helping.” “Grape picking started in the first week of March for companies

producing sparking wines.” Gisborne Winegrowers president John Clarke desscribed the yields as average for the region, over most varieties; “Better than last season,” he said. The weather over the next few weeks will determine how the vintage will be remembered, with all growers hoping for blue skies and warm temperatures from here on in, to ensure the fruit reaches maximum ripeness.

Hawkes Bay An uncharacteristically cool season that delayed fruit ripening in Hawkes Bay promises to deliver up good flavours for the region’s wines. At the beginning of March it was stacking up as a particularly good vintage for Chardonnay, aromatic whites – apart perhaps from Pinot Gris – Merlot and Syrah. The growing year got off to a promising start. Frosts didn’t pose a threat and there was a good fruit set throughout the region. However, as the season progressed the Bay rarely turned up the thermostat. Chris Howell says it was the coolest summer he had experienced in the 15 years he has been growing grapes at Maraekakaho and his figures for the number of

growing degree days support that view. At the end of February, Chris had recorded 910 against an average of 1083 for temperatures above 10 degrees. A summer characterised by cloudy days and reasonably warm nights did not boost the brix, but those conditions have helped in developing flavours. And with looser bunches and less rain than last year, growers haven’t had to struggle with periods of infection and were feeling happy with the quality of their fruit as they headed into vintage. “Chardonnay should be really good,” says Chris. “The aromatics are going to be outstanding, with good flavour/acid balance. Syrah, if it can hang out long enough, should be very good.” Vintage was expected to get underway two weeks later than usual, starting with Pinot Noir for methode champenoise at the beginning of the third week of March. It will continue into May with late Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and grapes for late harvest wines.

vested this year, says Helen Masters, winemaker at Ata Rangi in Martinborough. “We had quite a cool spring, which has meant high variability in the cropping levels.” While it’s mostly Pinot Noir that will be reduced in quantity terms; Chardonnay looks to be “okay, though not high”, while Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc appeared to be more in line with usual cropping levels, Masters said. The saving grace of Martinborough winery, Murdoch James, may be a reduction of about 30 per cent of the anticipated Sauvignon Blanc crop, due to cool weather, says winemaker Carl Fraser. He expects an even greater reduction in Pinot Noir this year. “We’ve certainly had a slow season but this year’s grapes have vibrant acidity. “Our ripeness levels may have been saved by poor flowering in December, which really reduced our crop levels. And with a very cool summer that’s turned out to be a really good thing.”

Martinborough

Marlborough

This year’s vintage is late. Whatever the weather over the next few weeks, it will largely define the quality of grapes har-

Prior to December it looked like Marlborough would be on track for another larger than average vintage in 2012. But the

weather never came to the party, instead heralding in very cool December conditions, which impacted on flowering across many varieties. Temperatures rose again for a few weeks in January, but since then, Marlborough has very much lived up to the nation’s name, of land of the long white cloud. There were less sunshine hours in Marlborough in February than there had been in the 80 years previously. The average temperature was down and while rainfall and wind were below average, it was the lack of warmth and sun that has impacted on the upcoming vintage. Yields are estimated to be 10% down on the long-term average, and when compared with the heavy yields of recent years, they are between 25 and 30 percent down, (depending on just where in the region you are). Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were most affected by the cool flowering conditions and although Sauvignon Blanc numbers are also down, some of that has to do with careful vineyard management back at pruning, as growers strove to keep within expected yield caps. Vintage itself is up to two weeks behind average, but it also

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has to be remembered that Marlborough has had some very early vintages in the past five years. The great fear for many growers is, will the fruit reach optimum soluble solids, before the region is hit by an autumn frost? When the weather bomb hit New Zealand in early March, it brought snow to the mountains to the west of the province – a frightening reminder that wintry conditions can strike at any time. Given the window has been pushed back in terms of starting harvest, there is no leeway in this region at the other end, for fruit to hang out there, unless of course a very late Indian summer appears on the horizon. There are many in the region keeping their fingers crossed

for that to happen.

Nelson Rain in December during flowering has had a significant impact on crop size with most growers reporting a reduction of between 20% and 40% on what they would consider normal yields. After Nelson’s flood event in December the weather in January and the first half of February was perfect; hot and dry conditions with moderate daily breezes - the perfect antidote to the earlier rains. However the cooler than average end to February and into March has had an impact on flavour profiles. Most growers spoken to are reporting a medium to light fruit

crop that is pretty much diseasefree and appears to be ripening nicely. But the challenge for all growers in the region is going to be the slow development of flavour intensity and natural sugar levels in the crop if the variable weather continues as forecast. Harvest is due to start at about the normal time, although for some it may be a touch later than in previous years. Vineyard management and location, along with the ability of winemakers to extract full flavours from the fruit delivered to them, will be critical factors in the quality of the final product delivered by a challenging 2012 wine grape harvest.

Canterbury/Waipara Waipara and Canterbury may

have not experienced some of the extremes seen elsewhere in the country this season, but it has still been “one of the most challenging for a long time”, according to Chairman of Waipara Valley Winegrowers, Gwyn Williams. “Its cool wet nature has been the dominant factor from the beginning, resulting in variations in the crop especially in bunch and berry size,” he noted. “The number of bunches varies per plant and unit area varies as well, with people working hard to manage these crops both for volume and quality.” Volumes are likely to be down by around 25%, with the harvest currently looking to start approximately two weeks later than average.

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“The vines have had to cope with early frost events, poor flowering and prolonged fruit set stage,” reported Dom Maxwell from Greystone. “Growing degree days are now starting to lag behind the 2010 vintage which finished warm and very dry, but with the easterly patterns we are seeing, chances of sunny dry weather appear low.” But it’s not all doom and gloom as disease appears low and wineries are reporting small bunches and berries, and consequently the potential for good wine. “Definitely the season will be later than most of the vintages in the last five years,” commented Lynnette Hudson at Pegasus Bay, “but if the season finishes like

2010, we will be ecstatic: there is great potential for the white wines and great purity of flavour due to the longer hang time and excellent natural acids.” As in Waipara, Canterbury has experienced a cooler than average growing season. No early frosts and a warm and wet spring, got things off to a good start, with flowering ahead in some vineyards. However fruit set appears variable and humidity has created disease pressure.

Central Otago Central Otago, at least early on, escaped the ravages of the big wet summer unscathed. In fact, December was one of the driest

for a long time, with a welcome string of 30+ degree days over the Christmas break. There was also less wind than usual, and these conditions resulted in an ideal, quick flowering with strong berry set (except for those sites – mainly high altitude – adversely affected by the freakish snow/frost event in early November). It wasn’t until mid January that Central gained its first real rain (roughly 20mm), which was followed by more two weeks later. It wasn’t altogether unwelcome, especially leading into veraison. Conditions were looking ideal – a great summer with warm conditions, good fruit set, plus disease-free, healthy and open canopies. But on the 23rd of Feb-

ruary, Central Otago saw rain. A lot of rain. Up to 7 and a half centimetres poured onto the vineyards over 24hours, which either ballooned those berries with enough cell elasticity, or split those berries incapable of stretching. Suddenly average-sized bunches became oversized bunches. All was not lost – the level of splitting was negligible at best – but it did open the door for some late season botrytis pressure, which we’re now seeing after four more (smaller) rain events leading up to the middle of March. The one saving grace is that, with the season earlier than average (though not as early as 2011), there is a finite window for that rot to proliferate. ■

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RESEARCH UPDATE

MECHANICAL THINNING What impact does mechanical thinning have on fruit and wine composition? TESSA NICHOLSON

hree and a half years of trials into the impact of mechanical thinning on grapes funded by New

Zealand Winegrowers, has thrown up some interesting results. One of the major ones being, that mechanical thinning appears to reduce the incidence of botrytis –

which long term could be a major saving for growers in terms of sprays and disease management. There have also been some revelations in terms of what impact

the regime has on fruit development, soluble solids and the ensuing wines. In the Marlborough trials, fruit was considered from four differ-

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ent scenarios. An un-thinned control, a lightly machine thinned, a heavily machine thinned and a hand thinned, where fruit bunches were removed from the top cordon. Dr Mike Trought from Marlborough Plant and Food Research, says during last year’s trials on Sauvignon Blanc, it was obvious that a few weeks after the vines had been thinned, the berries were generally smaller when compared with the non-thinned control block. “This occurred within the first two weeks, (after thinning) and that reduction in berry size carried on through to harvest. By then the machine thinned berries were significantly smaller than the nonmachined. Was this because we

had taken the big berries off, or was something else going on?” Close inspection of the fruit taken off, showed that it wasn’t larger berries being removed. So more monitoring was undertaken this year, which showed the vines appeared to be showing some signs of stress immediately after the thinning machines had gone through. “We noticed that the shoots, particularly on the Pinot Noir, had curled over,” Trought says. “It looked as though the vines were being slightly water stressed. The following day though, they had recovered.” After measuring the berries on

the machine thinned and comparing them with the berries on the control, it became apparent that there was a significant reduction in berry growth rate on the vines thinned.

“So what we are hypothesising is apparent water stress has stalled berry growth. If you were looking at Merlot or Pinot Noir, then maybe smaller berries could be an advantage.”

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NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 15

RESULTS OF MECHANICALLY THINNED COMPARED TO UN-THINNED Mechanically thinned vines produced smaller berries. After thinning, berry growth was reduced. While later to start ripening after thinning, mechanically thinned fruit reached required brix level earlier. There were less thiols in wines made from mechanically or hand thinned fruit when compared to the un-thinned control. Phenolics were virtually the same. Mechanically thinned had higher acids and methoxypyrazines. There was no significant difference in wine complexity and typicity between mechanically or hand thinned and nonthinned fruit when the fruit was harvested at the same soluble solids. ■

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In terms of fruit yields – there was a significant difference between the treatments. The control vine had 16 kg of fruit (these were bigger than average vines on the Wairau Plains.) The light machine thinned had 12.5 kg of fruit. The heavily thinned vines had 9.5 kg. Hand thinning had 12kg of fruit. What was interesting was bunch numbers for each block weren’t significantly different. The weight difference was due to smaller bunches caused by the smaller berries and the removal of some berries and parts of bunches during thinning. While the machine thinned blocks were initially later to begin ripening, they caught up by harvest, and reached required brix levels much earlier than the control, un-thinned block. Trought says wines were then made, to determine if there were any significant differences between the fruit composition of machine thinned, hand thinned and non-thinned. All fruit was picked at 21 brix, with the hand thinned block being the first to reach that level. The machine thinned reached 21 brix four days

later, and then the control block 11 days after that. Acidity wise, it was the hand thinned fruit that had the highest levels. The phenolics of the machine thinned were virtually the same as the control and just slightly higher than the hand thinned. “Interesting though,” Trought says, “was the effect the thinning had on thiol concentrations – those passion fruit concentrations that come through in the wine. The control wine had significantly higher thiols than in any of the thinning treatments. We don’t know why, but there are two possibilities. We know that thiols tend to increase with time and we have data that shows the thiol concentrations in the wines that are harvested late, tend to be higher than the ones harvested early, even at the same soluble solids. “We also know thiol concentrations are influenced by the level of disease, particularly botrytis.” The finished wines were then exposed to a group of experienced winemakers and viticulturists. They were all asked to rate each wine over a range of parameters such as stone fruit, tropical, green capsicum, astringency to acid. “One of the significant results

was that hand thinning resulted in significantly higher green capsicum and acidity characteristics when compared particularly to heavily machine thinned.” The acidity of the wines show statistically very little difference

in the machine thinned when compared with the control and generally were lower than the un-thinned control. In terms of astringency, it was highest in the hand thinned, lower in the machine thinned and lower still

in the control. “So reducing the crop load on your vines increases the acidity and methoxypyrazine concentrations of that fruit, at the same soluble solids. The idea that you will reduce acidity by taking fruit off, is a mistake. The reason for this is the thinning treatments you are imposing are having a greater effect on the sugar accumulation than you are having on the rate of acid degradation . You are getting to the target soluble solids earlier before the acidity or the methoxypyrazines have had a chance to degrade away.” Perhaps one of the most

important aspects of the panel undertaking the tasting, was their ability to define whether or not the wines were “typical” examples of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Trought says while typicity is always a subjective issue, trends can become apparent when asking a group of 20. The outcome? Well the mechanically thinned wines showed no significant levels of difference in complexity or typicity when compared with the control wines. Future research, funded by New Zealand Winegrowers and Sustainable Farming Fund, will once again see wines made from the trial and control blocks this year. However for the first time those trials will also include Merlot, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. ■

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EXPORT NEWS

CHINA – DO YOUR HOMEWORK TESSA NICHOLSON

ew Zealand’s Consul General and Trade Commissioner in Guangzhou believes the more you learn about China, the more you discover you don’t know. Pat English says it’s important for any wine company wanting to develop that market, to understand it is evolving a lightening speed. “We like to say that when you have been in China for a week, you can write a book. When you have been here a month, you can write an article. After six months, you can write a very good letter. After 12 months, you can introduce an expert on China. The more you learn, the more you realise you have to learn.” And to learn, you need to be visiting the market on a regular basis. “You don’t have to be an expert in the language, but you do have to understand the business customs. And you can’t do that from New Zealand. You have to be here on a regular basis, transacting with the people and the market.” Given the evolution and the fact New Zealand doesn’t have a high profile in the Chinese market, English believes there is a need to also think outside the traditional forms of marketing your product. “Hotels and restaurants may not be the best way to sell, as it is a well trodden path. If they have 30,

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

40 or 50 wines on their list, how do you stand out? Retail is difficult as it is often low end. In major supermarkets margins are low, their terms and conditions aren’t great and its hard to make money there. Some people I know who have been very successful here are selling through events, rather than the traditional outlets.” By events he means, major sporting, corporate or government functions. “One company just did a deal to supply $250,000 worth of wine to one company. Another (New Zealand) wine company was the only wine supplier at a Top 500 Hotels conference. Through their distributor and connections, they have had a very good result, from just one event.” Given the tariffs for New Zealand wine came off at the beginning of the year, New Zealand now has a competitive advantage no other nation (with the exception of Chile) has. Companies will still have to pay VAT and Luxury Tax, but other countries exporting to China will pay on top of that the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tax of 27%. “So we do have some competitive advantage on price alone But we have to be able to understand the system they work with. I can’t emphasis enough the Five Ps. Proper preparation prevents poor

performance. China is a hard place to do business, but there is potential for returns if the business case stacks up. Do your homework. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is, and remember China is not a market for low hanging opportunities.” One wine company that has been exporting to China for 12

years is Villa Maria, which was the very first wine in the Summergate Wines portfolio back in 2000. (Summergate Wines is now one of China’s largest independent wine importers.) Charlotte Read is the Asian/Middle East Market Manager and spends up to three months a year in China alone. She agrees with English, that being

on the ground is paramount to growing your business. But she says wine companies also need to realise that growth won’t happen overnight. “If you talked to the partners in Summergate Wines, they would say the China wine story is a 10 – 20 year vision. New Zealand makes up only 1.5% of the Chinese market,

and if you stripped out the foreign hotels, ex pats and foreign visitors, there are probably not a whole lot of people drinking New Zealand wine. We have really got to get to that next level of awareness.” Read also believes promoting New Zealand wine as the “cool” or “hip” wine to drink, is going to be important going into the future.

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 19

“We need to make the New Zealand wine brand really aspiration because now in China, they want to look good. They drink with their eyes. The label has to look good and it’s got to support the feeling that they are sophisticated by drinking wine. And we have to create an awareness of white wine.” Both Read and English say there is a real opportunity to promote New Zealand’s white wines in the hotter regions, particularly to women. “In Decanter recently there was an article that showed white wine drinking (in China) is on the rise. It grew by 19% last year and will grow by 70% by 2015,” Read says. “That is really positive for New Zealand and the story we want to tell. It pains me that in the mid-

dle of a Shanghai summer, where it could well be 35 degrees and high humidity, you will see people drinking a glass of red wine because that is what they think wine is. I think it would be very good to do a campaign on the fresh coolness of a Sauvignon Blanc on a summer’s evening.” (Interestingly 75% of Villa Maria’s sales to China are white wines.) With 12 years experience in the market, Read says the company has learnt some important lessons. Number one being active in the market place on a regular basis is essential. Number two, you have to be able to sell your wine through your label. “Busy labels with too much going on are least preferred. It’s the more simplistic, more classic, more old world looking labels that

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// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

are going to succeed.” Also while having a Chinese back label is mandatory, Read says don’t forgo your English version. “Because there is a fear in China of adulteration, they will pay a premium for imported product they know is authentic. If you go to too much trouble to translate into Chinese, there is the possibility of people thinking you have some link to China. It’s a funny one, as in the west we need to have a bit of communication on the back label, as that is part of the buying process. But at this embryonic stage of the wine market development in China, authenticity and an assurance the wine is from a foreign company is what they are looking for.” Read’s other piece of advise is to ensure you take responsibility

for your product going through the distribution chain. She says every company exporting into China needs to be asking the right questions. “Once that wine gets to China, where is it going? Is it going into a restaurant, or is it going onto a shelf in a wine shop? We are all brand guardians of the New Zealand wine image, so we all have to take a responsible stance. The last thing we want is for a 2011 Sauvignon Blanc to not be shifted until 2014, because it won’t be selling the best of what we are about. I hear a lot of people taking the short term opportunities. I really hope for the health of the New Zealand premium brand, long term, that people will make more responsible choices.” tessa.nicholson@me.com ■

MW PROFILE

MEET SAM HARROP MW JO BURZYNSKA

ounding a biodynamic domain in France, shaping the wine portfolio of a major British supermarket and gaining the Master of Wine qualification are just some of the achievements of New Zealander, Sam Harrop MW’s CV. He’s also managed to find time to co– author a recently published book on “Authentic Wine”, which is not only testament to his dynamism, but also to the sensitively pragmatic and holistic course he’s been charting through some of the

more complex waters of the world of wine. Harrop’s early education earned him a degree in commerce and it was holiday work in the vineyards of Stoneyridge in Waiheke Island, which prompted him to embark on a career in wine. After studying for the graduate diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, he joined Villa Maria, working in wineries across the North Island. California was Harrop’s next port of call. At boutique Sonoma

estate, Littorai, proprietor Ted Lemon’s natural approach to winegrowing stirred Harrop’s first interest in a subject that went on to influence much of his work to date. Harrop then made the move to the UK in the mid-nineties, where he’s still based, to take up a position of wine buyer/maker for the quality British supermarket chain, Marks & Spencer. He was working with wineries that supplied the supermarket, on blends, product development and bring-

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// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

ing underperforming wineries back up to speed. Around this demanding role, Harrop studied for and passed the Masters of Wine qualification aged 28. “I came over as a fresh Kiwi via California and Australia eager to learn and not knowing much about the wine world apart from New Zealand,” recalls Harrop. “I was overseas for much of first four years at Marks & Spencer and needed to kick start my education and the Master of Wine was the obvious choice.”

If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, while still with the supermarket, he went on to establish his own property, Domaine Matassa in partnership with Kiwi school friend and fellow winemaker, Tom Lubbe. It was here in the South of France’s Cotes de Catalans and then expanding through the purchase of more vineyards, into the Coteaux des Fenouillèdes, that Harrop had free reign to explore his interest in natural winegrowing. All 12 hectares of the estate is farmed biodynamically, with its wines made with minimal intervention and sulphur additions. By 2004 Harrop decided it was time to cut himself adrift from Marks & Spencer and left to start his own consultancy business, working with wineries around

the world, including projects in Portugal, Spain and Southern France. Recent years have seen Harrop step back from consulting on expensive wines to focus on assisting wineries in struggling regions to make good affordable wines and get these to the market. With the publication last year of Authentic Wine: toward natural and sustainable winemaking which he co-wrote with Jamie Goode (see review page 51), writing became a new string to Harrop’s bow. “We wanted to write something that covered aspects such as terroir; viticultural models such as organics, biodynamics and Integrated Pest Management; additives etc that addressed scientific concepts in winemaking using layman’s terms to help consumers learn more than what was

Sam Harrop

provided in other wine books,” Harrop explains. Harrop takes a pragmatic and objective stance on this subject

that’s so close to his heart. While in Central Otago he praised the region’s sensible adoption of more natural methods. “They’re bot-

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tling stable wines, whereas a lot of winemakers are going wrong by embracing techniques that are too natural and are losing site expression,” he states. “Faults and secondary winemaking characters can override site expression, which can cause as much homogenisation as commercial practices.” However, faults of the right kind at appropriate levels are no bad thing according to Harrop, who has made this controversial and relatively unexplored area the subject of his next book, which he’s currently researching. This interest in imperfection is something Harrop started to investigate in his MW dissertation on brettanomyces and its role in highquality Syrah. “This book will be looking at the positives and negatives of faults, such as reduction, brett and oxidation in making bad and good wine, and trying to shed some light on the chemistry and science,” Harrop divulges. “In some great Burgundy there’s clearly a sulphide component that could contribute to minerality,” he elaborates, adding: “It’s not the silicon enhanced Venice beach style perfection that I and many of my peers are looking for in quality and maximising potential in our wines. It’s something that’s slightly different that adds personality: if it’s too clean and perfect it can be fantastic but not quite as good as something that’s slightly flawed.” Harrop is drawing on experience and data that he’s collected on faults over the past six years as co-chairman at the world’s largest wine competition, the International Wine Challenge (IWC). This has allowed him to annually encounter 1600 to 1800 faulty wines from its 20,000 entries. “I’ve got some incredible infor-

mation that’s come out of that,” he enthuses. Interpreting these statistics in relation to NZ’s wine show success, Harrop suggests it may be time for the wines from his homeland to embrace a bit of dirt. “NZ performs best in the IWC in terms of number of medals per entry and fewest number of faults per entry: it seems there’s a direct correlation with the number of faults a nation has per entry and how they perform in terms of medals,” he says. “New Zealand gives itself a great chance of winning competitions and pleasing the market by making clean wines which express the fruit that it has so much of, but where they don’t perform as well as France, Italy Spain and even Australia is getting those top trophies,” he adds. “It seems that these top wines have a little imperfection in the terroir concept. But it’s a fine line. If you’re playing with this more non interventional approach and getting more character in a wine you’re also getting more faults, which can work against you.” As he continues to write alongside his consultancy, Harrop is well positioned to promote his theories through their actual application. “Writing the book with Jamie has been a journey, but it’s been great,” he concludes. “I’ve had to think a lot about authenticity in the context of my ongoing work and will be encouraging all wineries I work with to embrace many of the authentic winegrowing practices outlined in the book.” “It’s not going to be easy, as every winery has different resources and commercial positions,” he admits, “but you’ve got to push them in the right direction towards an ideal.” joburzynska@talk21.com ■

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

HEAD OF SALES AND MARKETING Peregrine Wines is a highly awarded premium wine producer based in Central Otago Since inception in 1998 Peregrine has been successfully developing both strong domestic support and expanding export markets. This ongoing development in both onshore and offshore activity has created an exciting opportunity for a talented person to be based in Central Otago and head our Sales & Marketing functions. This is a new position that will further enhance the current tight-knit and talented management team and will be instrumental in the next phase of the development of this company.

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be able to demonstrate a proven expertise in the marketing and sales discipline desirably be experienced in the wine industry, although not essential have the drive and motivation to build on the progress Peregrine has made to date have the characteristics and personal attributes to work effectively in our management team and continue to project our brand values - be based in Central Otago and - have New Zealand experience as a prerequisite This challenging and rewarding position will assume responsibility for the overall design and implementation of all strategies associated with our marketing programmes and sales systems. In particular, the scope of the role will encompass brand management, product development, managing the staff in the retail, trade and export sales divisions, will head new market development and will be responsible for the maintenance of current market and customer care programmes. An attractive salary along with a suitable commencement date will be established with the successful candidate. Applications along with supporting documentation should be lodged prior to 30 April, and can be addressed in confidence to:

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UK NEWS

NEW ZEALAND IN THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN I

f it’s January it must mean that the NZ Annual Trade Tasting event rolls into London and once again the UK trade get to see what’s new and exciting about their favourite wine country. This year, the New Zealand Winegrowers team took the wise decision to move the date back to January 24th and therefore miss the previously conflicting Burgundy tastings traditionally run during the first two weeks of January. The decision was immensely popular with trade buyers, wine journalists and importers alike and the consequence was that visitor numbers nearly doubled and there was a record attendance. The Nursery Pavilion of Lord’s Cricket Ground was positively buzzing with over 700 trade visitors. David Cox, New Zealand Winegrowers’ Director Europe, explained; “There was a tangible atmosphere in the room all day that oozed vibrancy and chatter. From the moment we opened the doors in the morning to the very end of the evening when we were still trying to explain to Oz Clarke that we all had homes to go to, it was busy, busy, busy but in a good way.” Over 90 New Zealand wine brands were on show and displayed on 65 winery and importer tables and there was a record number of 13 wineries seeking UK distribution. David Cox reported that those wineries seeking part-

nerships were very pleased with the result. “It was like a speed-dating event; we set the room up so that most of those seeking representation were situated on the first few tables in the room and it appeared that many of the visitors made a B-line for them and I think we will be hearing some ‘wedding bells’ for some of them soon!” The consensus from the trade delegates and wine journalists attending was that the UK market’s appetite for New Zealand wine remains extremely strong and that the quality, the innovation and trade propositions were perfect for what’s required today. Wine journalist, Jane Mac-

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

Quitty, said she was pleasantly surprised by the fact that NZW always introduced new ideas to the annual trade tasting. This year she was fascinated, as were all the visitors, by the four self-pour themed tables, especially the ‘Riesling Challenge’ table. The ability to taste through a well-selected array of New Zealand Chardonnays, Bordeaux blends and Sparkling wines as well as enter a tonguein-cheek ‘vote’ for the favourite Riesling in the ‘Challenge’ was hugely appreciated. Another additional attraction was the two master class sessions run during the day, the highlight being Dr. John Forrest’s presentation of a ‘Road Trip’ around the diverse

regions of Pinot Noir. These were well attended by sommeliers and journalists and further endorsed the ‘regionality’ message that is key in a relatively mature market such as the UK. In the days following the ATT the ‘noise’ from tweets, blogs and printed pages was pleasantly deafening and there was no doubt that the UK trade and media gave a huge ‘thumbs up’ to NZ and to the Annual Trade Tasting. In fact, the event provided a platform for Jancis Robinson MW to publically publish her numerous recommendations in her Financial Times article the following month. You can’t ask for much more than that! ■

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MICHAEL BRAJKOVICH MW

NEW CHIEF JUDGE JOELLE THOMSON

here’s more than a little irony in appointing a Master of Wine who doesn’t enter his own wines, to the position of Chief Judge of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. But Michael Brajkovich is one of New Zealand’s most highly qualified wine judges. He has chaired the Bragato

Wine Awards and is a regular on the Australian wine competition circuit. For those who know Brajkovich, the new appointment is a heartening recognition of his quietly understated talents as one of this country’s first to hold the prestigious Master of Wine qualifica-

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

tion; as a member of one of the country’s oldest wine pioneering families and also as maker of one of the country’s most consistently highly applauded Chardonnays. As far as changes to the competition go, nothing major features on Brajkovich’s agenda this year, although he is intent on limiting the number of wines judges are expected to get through in a day. “I’ve always said it’s evolution rather than revolution and Steve (Smith, MW; the previous chair) introduced quite a few good changes in his time. One of the good things which has been done is to split classes up. Some of the classes can contain several hundred wines and you can’t expect any one panel to judge all those, even though we used to try and get through that many.

“Limiting the number of wines anyone is expected to do in one day is important to me,” says Brajkovich. Fresh back from a stint judging in Perth where he got through 220 wines in one day, he is determined not to let numbers creep that high at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. “I see 180 wines as a lot in a single day; 150 is good, but when the wines are big reds then numbers really do need to be kept down. While big classes are quicker to judge because there’s less turnaround time, it’s the fatigue factor in judges’ palates that we want to limit.” He plans to achieve this by judging the larger classes of wines in smaller groups, so gold medals are relooked at by the chair of

judges in a bid to ensure results are consistent across panels. “It’s also important to look at how classes of wines are put together, in terms of what’s appropriate. Over the years the fortified wines have all but gone from our show while Rosé has become popular again and Muller-Thurgau doesn’t exist any more. Evolution is continual but we must try to make sure we encourage small

producers to enter the show. The entry requirements can make that a difficult task and I’d like to see small producers enter more than they currently do.”

To show or not to show? Shows are not to every wine producer’s taste and a lot of people don’t enter, including Kumeu River Wines, which is owned and run by the Brajkovich family.

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“For some people it’s a very good way of promoting their wines and benchmarking. We benchmark our wines in other ways these days. We rely a lot on magazine reviews and the like, but in the early days of our winery we did enter when we were establishing ourselves,” Brajkovich says.

Key for small wineries “For small wineries trying to establish themselves, shows are a very good thing to do. I know back in our history, the 1983 Kumeu River Merlot won a gold, which helped things along a lot. So for us the wine shows served their purpose back then, but we haven’t seen the need to continue with them.

Widening the net “We have a preponderance of

winemaker judges. I would like to broaden that out but the most important thing to the integrity of the show is to have high quality judges. We can’t have people from other sectors of our trade just to make up numbers.” Most years there have been four international judges at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards but this may change. “Personally, I think three is a good number from overseas; whether they come from Australia or elsewhere. It’s always good to get the influence from other parts of the world and I think three people can add enough context.”

Past, present and future In terms of new wine classes, Brajkovich is intrigued by the possibility of a provenance class at the

Air New Zealand Wine Awards; wines of one chosen label are judged across several vintages. “Looking back at the last 10 years, Chardonnay is a very good example of how oak has retreated in terms of what is rewarded and what is acceptable now. We see wines come through in shows now which have been down-pointed because of too much oak, so we’re seeing a lot more elegance and restraint in a class like Chardonnay, which I think is laudable. “We’re also seeing more subtlety and more palate influence rather than just nose in a variety like Sauvignon Blanc. So, instead of just jumping out of the glass with lots of thiols and grassy characters, we’re seeing a lot more elegance, subtlety, delicacy and length on the palate, in terms of our biggest class of wines.”

Looking to the future, Brajkovich says little has jumped out in the past few years, although Viognier is in the niche class and growing in quality. “Verdelho looks very good and Tempranillo has done very well in the past few years, particularly from one producer in Hawke’s Bay.” The two high quality varietals that score consistently high points in wine shows but fail to garner the same commercial appeal are Riesling and Gewurztraminer, he says. “It’s always puzzled me why these two varieties do exceptionally well in wine shows and don’t do so well commercially. I would love to see wine drinkers pick up more Riesling and Gewurztraminer because the quality of both in New Zealand is so outstandingly high.” jthomson@xtra.co.nz ■

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REGIONS CENTRAL OTAGO

SUB REGIONAL BREAK DOWN BROUGHT TO YOU BY BIOSTART Central Otago MAX MARRIOTT

Central Otago is classed as a semi-arid climate, with summer and winter extremes. Tucked in behind one of the world’s most protective rain shadows, the rainfall of the region (or lack thereof) is in stark contrast to the massive falls that inundate the Southern Alps and West Coast, not 50km away. Central Otago is the southernmost winegrowing region in the world and New Zealand’s only true continental climate, located at high altitude. All of these factors and more contribute to Central Otago’s stylistic typicity, the mojo that drives the wines and that impossible x-factor. But delve a little deeper and hidden beneath this shroud of glamour are fingerprints that track back to certain aspects, certain soils, certain temperatures – certain sub-regions – of Central Otago. Vines were first planted in the region – near Alexandra – some 150 years ago, but it was over a century later before the

true potential for grape vines in Central Otago was realized. The likes of Rolfe and Lois Mills, Alan Brady, Ann Pinckney, Bill and Jill Grant, Verdun Burgess and Sue Edwards were the pioneers in the late 70s and early 80s, trialling different varieties in experimental plots that covered the different corners of Central – from Wanaka, to Alexandra, to Gibbston. The first commercial release from the region was Alan Brady’s 1987 Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir. So, like the history of the region, the history of the wines is young and dynamic. Pinot Noir comprises 70% of plantings, with the remainder primarily made up of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. The area of Central Otago is loosely cornered and triangulated by those three sub-regions – Wanaka, Alexandra and Gibbston – with several more in between. Bannockburn, Cromwell, Lowburn, Pisa, Bendigo and Northburn make up the prominent sub-regions,

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

with the lesser known but equally important sub-regions of Queensberry, Ardgour and Maori Pt Road rounding out the northern extremities of Lake Dunstan.

Alexandra The southern-most winegrowing sub-region of Central Otago – and therefore the world – is Alexandra. Rugged schist tors are strewn across the landscape, which is also the driest in Central Otago (approx. 260mm MAR), experiencing massive diurnal variation. The sub-region and its vineyards are essentially split in two; those on the Earnscleugh side of the Clutha River, and those on the Alexandra side. The former are typically lower-lying terraces with shallow, sandy soils over river gravels, with the latter Alexandra side vineyards slightly higher up, with a bit more depth and loam. The wines are often fruity and spicy, rich in aromatics, with a lighter weight structure.

Bannockburn Arguably the most famous sub-region of Central Otago and one of the most densely planted. On crossing the bridge over the Kawarau River, there are three options. Take your immediate left and head to the Cairnmuir side, drive a little way up the hill and turn right onto Felton Road, or continue up the hill and past the pub to the higher altitude vineyards. All three sections of Bannockburn are unique in their own right, almost warranting a sub-sub-regional status. Altitudes range from 250-300m, with the highest GDD rating of Central Otago and warmest mean temperatures on the lower sites. The Cairnmuir side and top sections are quite sandy and gravelly, whereas the Felton side has more loess and more depth to its soils. The result is more perfumed Bannockburn expressions from the lighter soils, with darker fruits, richness and body from the heavier soils.

Bendigo Station

Bendigo Located ten minutes north of Cromwell is Bendigo Station. The unsealed Bendigo Loop Road forms a long arc across the bottom of the sub-region, with several side-road options to climb up to the higher terraces and hills. Very warm and very dry, the aspect and position of the vineyards provide extra sunlight exposure. Well protected from the southerlies, the northerlies have a tendency to rip through, particularly on the higher altitude blocks. The wines are dark fruited, with what have become tell-tale “Bendigo tannins”, providing structural tension.

Northburn Opposite Lowburn, on the east side of the lake, lies Northburn Station next to Bendigo Station . Regarded and recorded as the most central point in New Zealand (greatest distance from either coastline), the sub-region is dry, hot and very sunny thanks

to its north-western aspect. Planted in a wee amphitheatre, there is good protection from the prevailing winds (compared to other regions) and the altitude ranges from 200-250m. The soils are a mixture of worked sluicings, glacial washes and alluvial fans with loess atop schist and greywacke gravels. Similar in typicity to Bendigo, the wines have less aggressive tannins and a mixture of red and black fruits.

they typically comprise sandy gravels with a thin layer of loess, displaying “Bannockburnesque” qualities, with a smidgen more weight and savouriness.

Gibbston The coolest and highest subregion of Central Otago, also with the highest rainfall (approx. 600mm MAR). Gibbston is a narrow valley that sidles the Kawarau River with vineyards planted on both sides of SH6; flat on the bottom terraces, moving

to gently rolling/sloping higher up. The Gibbston Back Road, as its name suggests, climbs up to the back of the region where the higher altitude vineyards are planted (peaking at 485m). Soils are made up of heavier loess deposits over schist rock and river gravels. The wines are often floral, red-fruit spectrum, with strong backbones of acidity.

Lowburn Opposite Northburn on the west side of Lake Dunstan

Cromwell Rainfall here (approx. 400mm MAR) is a little higher than Bannockburn and Bendigo, despite only a short distance between sub-regions. This is mainly due to the closer proximity to the Pisa Ranges. It has historically been the windiest region, unprotected from the northerlies roaring down the lake or the southerlies biting up through the gorge. The soils and sites are mixed and individual (“the vagrant children”), though

The greater Cromwell basin.

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 31

and just five minutes from Cromwell, the Lowburn valley lies nestled at the foothills of the Pisa Ranges. The altitude is moderate – a fraction higher than Cromwell – though significantly warmer than Cromwell. Rainfall is on par, even a little higher, however the soils are heavier, with thicker layers of loess over combinations of schist and greywacke gravels. The aromatics are typically upfront and quite ripe, with red and darker fruits of a moderate structure.

Map Courtesy of saucyhotdesign.co.nz

To Christchurch

Pisa Pisa encompasses a 15km stretch of vineyards on both sides of SH6, travelling from Cromwell to Wanaka, between Lowburn and Queensberry. Rainfall, temperatures and wind are all quite similar to Cromwell, though in recent times temperatures seem a tad warmer and the northerlies can be quite ferocious. Interestingly, despite being such a vast land area, the number of viable sites is low given the lack of north-facing slopes. Soils are predominantly loess over schist and/or greywacke gravels. The wines are well structured, typically darker fruit and medium bodied.

To Queenstown

N W

Wanaka The most northern subregion and arguably the most picturesque, Wanaka is relatively small compared to the more densely planted pioneering regions. Cooler, wetter (approx. 600mm MAR), less sunny and more temperate – thanks to the influence of the lake and proximity to the ranges – it is also quite high up at over 300m altitude. Soils are again loess over schist gravels, however there are also small pockets of heterogenous

Scale: km

mixed-particle soils from terminal moraines of glacial origins. The wines exude red fruit aromas, savoury qualities, structure and complexity.

Minor Regions Queensberry, Ardgour and Maori Pt Road comprise

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

the minor sub-regions at the northern end of Lake Dunstan, split between SH6 and SH8 by Maori Pt Road itself. Whilst the vineyards of Queensberry and Ardgour are relatively new plantings, some of the vineyards on Maori Pt Road are well established. Maori Pt Road and

Ardgour are typically lumped in with Bendigo (the Ardgour Valley vineyards do sidle Bendigo Station) and Queensberry often with Pisa. However, these regions are unique in their own right, which is the reason for their separate inclusion here. max@maxmarriott.com ■

CENTRAL OTAGO IS ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE PLACES ON EARTH Put aside the winegrowing for a moment and consider the geomorphology – the genesis – of this landscape. What we recognise as the familiar outline of New Zealand is, in fact, just part of a large piece of continent, called Zealandia, which is largely submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean. Some of the rocks have origins of great antiquity (the Greenland group Greywacke found on the West Coast is some 490 million years old), however most of the rocks were formed as accumulations of sediment on the margins of the eroding supercontinent in more recent geological eras. It is these sediments that have been compressed, hardened and cooked to form the hard sandstones and finely-laminated schists characteristic of the region. Zealandia broke away from Gondwana 83 million years ago. Drifting along, largely (if not entirely) submerged, it became the foundations of New Zealand as we know it. Like a switch being flicked, convection processes within the Earth’s mantle rendered the margin between the Australian and Pacific plates active. The collision and compressing that followed along the Alpine Fault – the weaker Pacific plate riding up over the stronger, stationary Australian plate – resulted in the uplift that essentially gave birth to New Zealand, but more importantly in

this context, the Southern Alps. During this great orogeny, rapid uplift was occurring nearby in Central Otago, in the form of the north-west-trending ranges of Hawkun, St Bathans and Kakanui. Disrupting and effectively blocking the natural drainage system of the north-east-trending braided rivers, an ancient Lake Manuherikia was formed whose coverage surpassed all of New Zealand’s present-day lakes put together. The accumulation of sediments – sands, gravels and lignites - and the corresponding coal deposits are actually quite widespread across Central Otago, though tricky to find. Coal Pit Road in Gibbston refers to one such historical site. The deposition of greywacke and schist gravels then filled in Lake Manuherikia as an alternate drainage network was established, in conjunction with the block faulting and rapid rise of the north-east-trending ranges (Pisa, Dunstan, etc). This tectonic uplift and episodic aggradation of rivers is the source of Central Otago’s dramatic, quintessential basin and range landscape. In the last two million years, glaciation has exaggerated these effects through accelerated erosion and climatic fluctuation.

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BOB’S BLOG BOB CAMPBELL MW

PINOT CENTRAL Marketers urge winemakers to give their wines personality and make them more memorable by “telling a story”.

he shorter the story, the more powerful the message. At the Central Otago Pinot Noir celebration in Queenstown in January I spotted a T-shirt with “Pinot Central” on it. That’s really clever. It ranks with the “Wines with Altitude” legend used by Peregrine on my favourite golf cap. Another favourite item of clothing is a T-shirt by Neudorf with the seasonal message “Stuff the turkey, drink Pinot”. Perhaps even more catchy but also slightly controversial is the “Jesus drank Riesling” T-shirt offered at a Riesling conference in Waipara last year. A deeply religious friend told me quite frostily that it is extremely unlikely that Jesus did drink Riesling. I now restrict that T-shit to night-wear. Certainly the most controversial T-shirt in my closet is one given to me by the charismatic Marquis Sauvage, owner/ president of Burn Cottage. The design, featuring a lavatory pan with a hand coming out of it clutching a bunch of grapes, was inspired by a Metallica record cover. Emblazoned on the front of the T-shirt is the memorable phrase “Pinot up your ass”. I asked Marquis why he chose to use such graphics and language to promote his very prestigious Central Otago Pinot Noir brand. He replied that before

finally going to print he showed the design to his mother who thought it “gross”. “That’s when I knew it would work”, said Marquis gleefully.

The world’s biggest wine website gets bigger Easter is the launch date for a dramatically new and exciting website format by Wine Searcher (www.wine-searcher.com ). Wine Searcher will continue to be a very effective wine search engine but will soon become a wine magazine as well.

The best wine ever? I accepted an invitation from Penfolds to taste their new premium release wines at Sydney’s iconic Berowra Waters Inn. The wines were all predictably good although I’m not allowed to tell you exactly how good the 2007 Grange was because that information is embargoed until mid-April. We tasted six vintages of Grange back to 1953 (with an average price of $38,773 according to Wine Searcher). For me the most outstanding wine of the evening was 1962 Bin 60A Coonawarra Cabernet Kalimna Shiraz, a relative bargain at around $7000 per bottle. I’ve tasted this wine once before, thought it sensational then, but the bottle opened at the Penfolds dinner was significantly better than just about any wine

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

Peter Gago, founder of Wine Searcher.

I’ve ever experienced. It still had layers and layers of exotic flavours that were displayed on the finish like a peacock’s tail. James Halliday, sitting next to me, was equally impressed and he probably drinks Bin 60A for breakfast every morning. All wines change with age, many get better and a few are

truly spectacular. This bottle fell well and truly into the latter class. The dilemma facing me now is whether to declare Bin 60A as the greatest wine I’ve ever tasted or whether to let the current incumbent, 1985 Mugnier Musigny, remain in first place. I think I’ll call it a draw.

Fascinating Felton

while their 2008’s were cerebral. Top wine, by a decent margin, was Felton Road 2008 Block 5.

I play golf with surgeon, Ian Civil, a man with a serious wine cellar and modest drinking habits. Once a year Ian invites a few friends to indulge in a vertical tasting of a distinguished New Zealand wine followed by dinner. Ian has been a fan of Felton Road since flying from Vancouver to Auckland in the late nineties with Felton Road winemaker, Blair Walter, in the seat next to him. The theme this year was a comparison of five different Felton Road Pinot Noir labels from the 2008 and 2009 vintage. I expected the wines from the highly regarded 2009 vintage to look considerably better than those from the large 2008 vintage but that certainly wasn’t the case. While the 2009 wines were all delicious with drop-dead gorgeous textures and seductive ripe cherry and plum flavours the 2008’s were more aromatic and more complex with appealing savoury nuances. In a word Felton Road’s 2009 Pinot Noirs were sensual

Wine With Food Or Food With Wine? I visited Brown Brothers in Milawa, Victoria, a 15000 tonne family winery that started in 1885. Vintage began with 200mm of rain in just 10 days and was in Felton Road full swing when I was there. Rumour has it that the Hunter Valley vintage is a thrive in Marlborough and the Prosecco brand is already washout this year. established with the cafe set. They were furiously Brown Brothers call their harvesting Prosecco grapes cellar door restaurant “The which looked to be in pretty Epicurean Centre” for good reagood condition. After visiting son. Their brilliant chef, Doug their moderately cool, high Elder, works with a team from altitude Prosecco vineyard and the winery to prepare magical tasting the deliciously delicate wine and food combinations. and dangerously drinkable Instead of ordering a dish and wine I couldn’t help wondering its accompanying wine I simply whether winemakers shouldn’t be producing a similar wine here. ordered an entree and main by picking a favourite wine without I feel sure the variety would

first checking the dish it was matched with. My order of 2011 Chardonnay came with Duck sausage, shave cuttlefish, cabbage and mint, preserved lemon aioli. It was a brilliant dish and a brilliant match. I ordered 2010 Tempranillo and received a main dish of Stuffed loin of rabbit, pork belly, mustard fruits, buckwheat polenta and pear. Also brilliant. ■

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

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// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

onsumers are increasingly looking for lower alcohol wines that are fruity and “more refreshing”, Jancis Robinson MW claimed at the eighth International Cool Climate Symposium in Tasmania, held at the end of January. Drinking trends have shifted away from “bodybuilder” wines towards those from cooler climes, she added, which is good news for New Zealand producers. But what is cool climate?, asked Dr Andrew Pirie, in his opening presentation. The traditional French evaluation of cool climate stretches the limits – as far as Bordeaux, he told delegates. The existing indices for measuring climate and the current boundaries were not relevant to Tasmania. Pirie proposed a classification for measuring cool climate by averaging the mean daily temperatures over seven months of the growing season. Any region sitting in the 14-16C range is cool climate with Marlborough sitting at 15.2, Martinborough at 15.3C and Central Otago 15.4. In comparison, the Mosel figure is 14. 2C and Alsace 15.1. Sustainability has been a key issue for New Zealand Winegrowers, which is planning to step up its communication strategy this year. The Australian Wine Research Institute’s Karl Forsyth emphasised New Zealand’s environmental advantages over many other winemaking regions. Energy generated by hydroelectricity in New Zealand generates just 215g CO2 per kilowatt hour vs 1350g

in coal powered Victoria. Forsyth emphasised wineries should focus on refrigeration in the winery in a bid to reduce winery emissions. “10% of a wineries emissions could potentially be saved by adjusting cold stabilisation techniques, whether that’s moving toward electrodialysis or improving the efficiency of cooling systems.” Further information on improving refrigeration systems can be found on the AWRI site. Offsetting is a popular way to reduce your carbon footprint. In the future, this may be possible by using marc as livestock feed. The University of Melbourne is researching the effect of tannin found in marc on methane production. Preliminary results have found that these tannins can reduce methane production in livestock, which is a significant contributor to global warming compared to the wine industry. New Zealand researchers were out in force at the conference, presenting information that local producers can apply in the vineyard. Logan et al’s study is most relevant to Waiheke and Hawke’s Bay producers, trying to understand the factors involved in the production of the black pepper-like aroma in Syrah, rotundone. It reveals that vines with lower croploads produced fruit with less than half the rotundone concentration than vines with higher croploads, so those who do not like the black pepper spice in their Syrah should consider lower yields. Leaf removal was also found to reduce rotundone production

SYMPOSIUM by one-fifth. Another Auckland university study (Makhotkina et al) concluded that the shelf life of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can be improved by storing at cool temperatures. It has been found that a Sauvignon Blanc stored at 5C shows a 20% loss of the compound responsible for the sweaty/ passionfruit like aroma over a 12-month period; the same wine stored at 18C loses 60% of those aromas. While New Zealand and host Tasmania are likely to benefit from a greater demand for “refreshing” wines in the short to medium term, there was a consensus that even cool climate producers should be taking global warming seriously: Peter Dry claimed grow-

ers in cooler climates should now start planting varieties suited to warmer climes including lesser known varieties like Erbaluce and Manzoni Bianco, to prepare for increasing temperatures in the future. Indeed, climate change is happening: who’d have thought a cool climate symposium would be held in England? But in two years’ time, the wine industry will descend upon Blighty for the next conference. And with increasing discussion around viticulture in Denmark and Norway, it is not improbable that Copenhagen or Oslo will be the hosts of a cool climate symposium in the not too distant future. rebecca@rebeccagibb.com ■

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NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 37

ECONOMIC NEWS

WINE INDUSTRY UNDER SIEGE

hat’s the phrase used in the recent Markham’s wine industry business confidence survey. Under siege from adverse weather conditions, bulk wine sales, volatile exchange rates, a lack of confidence in government policy and the vagaries of fruit supply and demand. National spokesperson of the chartered accountancy group, Graeme Rhodes, says the trading conditions for the January 2012 quarter were actually worse than

the participants has predicted when surveyed 12 months earlier. While many wineries remain “carefully optimistic” about the year ahead, nationally the poor weather conditions have impacted on fruit volumes, with lower yields expected, particularly in Marlborough. However the reduction in volume has had a positive effect with a number of grape growers without contracts this year now being able to secure supply contracts.

“For many growers with existing agreements, the lower yields may mean a drop in income,” Rhodes said. “The flip side is that some growers are securing multiple year deals from wineries to ensure continuity of supply which affords them a previously nebulous certainty of income.” On a bright note, 44% of respondents nationally are trading profitably, up from 38% that predicted they would be when surveyed in January 2011. But

with more than half of businesses surveyed reporting their business was not profitable due to being in the early stages of development (26%), margin pressure (14%), pricing and increased costs (12%), and a lack of capital (12%), it is clear that the difficult trading environment remains,. The biggest threat to the industry identified by respondents, is the volatile and high exchange rate, impacting export profitability.

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19/03/12 11:53 AM

SOMMELIER’S CORNER CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

MISTER CABERNET, MASTER MERLOT AND WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Seems like cooler weather is going to come early this year (not entirely sure it ever left – but kind of hung around in the wings …) and many restaurateurs and their kitchen team will be revising their food menus to make use of what is left of the current season, bridging this with a selection of dishes that excite and ease us all back into winter.

his will also be the time when wine lists and Somms are going to be tempted by just-released Cabernet and Merlot based wines, as well as exciting Syrahs. The opportunity to remind your reps and clients of your full bodied and elegant red wines should be seized right now. Wines based solely on Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc grapes often display a bold personality, with flavours of dark berries, olive, cigar box, dusty earth and charred/toasty oak. Alcohol can be high-ish, adding weight. In the hands of a skilled wine maker with a keen sense of ‘oaktrol’ (that’s ‘oak control’) these can be stunning wines, and for me, add up to a wine I would label as ‘masculine’ overall. The ones that display a core of black fruit, robust ‘nail point’ tannins and full-bodied richness can be used to pair with foods of equal power. If oak is an obvious feature (as is generally the case) then charred red meat can distract from the effect of potentially bitter edges and angular tannins on the palate, as well as providing abundant protein for the weight and richness of the

wine to capture. Black pepper, either on the meat or in an earthy sauce, can assist in taming chunky/chewy youthful wines. Wild game meats like pheasant or duck can be unexpected allies to Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc. A more common and potentially robust red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc with Merlot (or vice versa) and maybe other Bordeaux varie-

or broccoli can distract the taster from the tannins, and may in fact reveal a little sweetness in the wine. Try my coffee test – sip on a short espresso, then a recently released Bordeaux blend, add another layer of coffee, then more wine – after another layer of wine and coffee both will seem sweeter and the wine fruitier as well. This demonstrates the way bitterness in food can

Try my coffee test – sip on a short espresso, then a recently released Bordeaux blend, add another layer of coffee, then more wine – after another layer of wine and coffee both will seem sweeter and the wine fruitier as well. ties. Although also masculine in nature, Merlot adds a certain softness, charm and velvety appeal (the Colin Firth of wine). When young and developing, these wines are similar in nature to the straight Cabernet described above, and should be used in similar pairings. Green vegetables with noticeable bitterness such as spinach, eggplant

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

find harmony with dry youthful, full-bodied reds. New Zealand Cabernet can show a herbal quality – as distinct from a green/under-ripe character. If this sounds like your wine, suggest pairing it with foods that also have fresh or dried herbs in the recipe. Herbs in food can work remarkably well in taming or

curbing those notes. Bigger, more robust reds can also benefit from a little fat in the food: Cream, oil and butter coat the palate, helping the wine’s texture change, making it smoother and even softer. Try my other test – a teaspoon of liquid cream, swallow, then a sip of your red wine - this measures the wine’s ability to cope with rich/fatty food items. An aged or well-integrated red with a coffee bean, soy or nutty quality can pair successfully with foods dressed with honey soy glaze or nuts to echo these characters in the wine. Try to avoid having hot spicy foods paired with robust and tannic red wines if you can – unless the wine can command palate attention the spices will just agitate the tannins and make the wine seem more bitter/tannic than it really is. Syrah is definitely showing signs of being New Zealand’s new ‘it’ wine – I’m enjoying showing off some great examples locally and especially overseas – it deserves its own discussion, so I’ll make some pairing suggestions in the next issue. ■

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MONEY MATTERS WITH NZFOREX MARCUS PHILLIPS

WHAT IMPACT DOES THE PRICE OF OIL HAVE ON THE NZ DOLLAR?

s importers and exporters exposed to the fluctuating value of the New Zealand Dollar, you cannot help but sit back and wonder how the latest international event may affect your company’s bottom line. Political tension and war in particular are events that can affect currency markets; thus headlining tensions between Iran and the western world in the early months of 2012 could, if they escalate, impact the New Zealand Dollar. By looking back at history we can see the impact on oil prices during times of political tension to find some clarity as to the potential implications for the New Zealand Dollar. Many may wonder what the price of oil has to do with the value of the local dollar, and considering New Zealand is classed as a net importer of oil it is a valid question. Still, according to the Ministry of Economic Development a total 103 petajoules, or 17.9 million barrels of crude oil was exported

The global economy in early 2012 is on tenterhooks, as the European continent struggles to keep its head above water and fears of a Chinese economic slowdown remain. from New Zealand in the 12 month period to September 2011; thus a higher price of oil will result in a greater demand for the New Zealand Dollar. Another important factor comes from New Zealand’s high proportional export volumes to its oil-producing neighbor, Australia. A report published in 2011 by Statistics New Zealand showed 19% of all Kiwi exports found a home across the Tasman and thus a knock-on effect is created; high oil prices leads to a prosperous Aussie economy, which in turn demands more New Zealand exports. In the past, oil prices have reacted to the

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

The correlation between crude oil prices and the rising NZ dollar is obvious.

likes of the Gulf War, the War on Iraq, and events as recent as last year’s Arab Spring. The Gulf war caused oil to spike from near $30 dollars a barrel to near $60; the war on Iraq saw a steady climb from $30/barrel in late 2002 to above $70 in 2006; and last year’s Arab uprising in 18 Middle Eastern countries concerned markets enough to push the price of oil above $100. In the last two cases, charts show the New Zealand Dollar track higher along with the price of oil, breaking 72 cents for the first time since the currency was floated on the open markets in 2005, and hitting new post-float highs above 80 cents around the time of the Arab Spring. Average monthly values of the Kiwi also showed it to trade higher around the time of the Gulf War, peaking in September 1990 at an average for the month of 62 cents. Looking closer at the early months of this year and the increasing tension surrounding Iran, oil prices are once again on the up. Rising 15.8% in February to highs of US$110.53, the Kiwi also peaked above 84 cents as commodities and commodity currencies moved higher. Although importers (sellers of the NZD) are sitting pretty at these levels, the

risk remains of a downturn and the events following the Gulf War are a stark reminder of what effect high oil prices can have on global economies. The recession of the early nineties is widely believed to have occurred largely due to rapidly increasing costs of energy. Economies could not cope with such high manufacturing costs and from there the cookie crumbled. The global economy in early 2012 is on tenterhooks, as the European continent struggles to keep its head above water and fears of a Chinese economic slowdown remain. Increasing oil prices are only going to put further pressure on manufacturing and in turn higher prices will stagnate much needed growth. Although the New Zealand Dollar has remained supported above 80 cents during the first quarter, downside risk remains in the event of the global economic slowdown should oil prices continue to rise throughout the year. Never a friend of the Kiwi, global uncertainty has the potential to send the local unit south and as international events continue to drive markets, importers and exporters are faced with more and more reasons to minimize currency risk. ■

INDUSTRY NEWS

AGRECOVERY COMPETITION

promotion aiming to encourage individuals to make the most of a free recycling programme for 1 – 60 litre plastic agrichemical containers, has begun. Recent media coverage has highlighted that many indiviudals are still unaware of, or are not utilising, recycling solutions for their on-farm waste plastics. This is particularly surprising when some recycling programmes are free to use, says Duncan Scotland of Agrecovery

Rural Recycling. “Agrecovery provides several free programmes, including plastic container recycling and large drum recovery. In addition our chemical recovery programme has funding which means that some chemicals are eligible for free collection while others may qualify for subsidies around collection and disposal costs. “Anyone who recycles eligible containers with the Agrecovery Container recycling programme during April 2012 will go in the

draw to win one of ten $500 vouchers to spend with their preferred rural supplier,” says Scotland. “It’s a useful prize and we hope it will encourage more farmers and growers to get on board and make the most of this free recycling programme. The Agrecovery Container recycling programme is funded by 56 of New Zealand’s leading manufacturers and distributors of agrichemicals, fertilisers, dairy hygiene, animal health and bio-

logical products. Empty triple rinsed plastic containers (1 – 60 litres in size) from these companies are eligible for free recycling at 70 collection sites around the country. “This is product stewardship in action; supporting New Zealand’s clean green image and access to export markets with increasingly high environmental demands.” For full details of participating brands and local collection sites visit www.agrecovery.co.nz or freephone 0800 247 326. ■

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ROYAL EASTER SHOW

Three trophies - Champion Chardonnay, Champion Wine Of The Show – plus winemaker of the year, all went to Brightwater Vineyards of Nelson. Neil Hodgson looks at this small company that has turned heads and highlighted the Nelson winegrowing region.

CHAMPIONS E

very wine grower knows that owning your own vineyard sounds romantic but the reality is quite different. The image of lush green vines, rustic outdoor furniture, sipping a glass of your own wine on a balmy summers evening and having people beating a track to your door to buy just a few of those precious bottles you produce, may be the image but the reality is about 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Behind the romantic image is nothing but hard work, long days and dogged perseverance. A lot of sound business planning

also helps along with a few spare dollars. Many people start out in the wine industry growing grapes and selling them to existing wineries. Two such people in Nelson, Gary and Valley Neale, established Brightwater Vineyards in 1993. The huge amount of research and planning they did paid off when they sold all of their first few crops to one winery. As their production increased they were able to supply others in the industry before stage two of the business plan kicked in, launching their own label. The secret behind selling their first crops was having the right clones of the right varieties, grown to a high standard

and delivered to the winery in pristine condition. Gary and Valley managed to achieve all of this while they were working in other jobs (Gary) and raising two toddlers (Valley). They were smart enough to know they had to listen to people, to be sponges and soak up as much knowledge about the whole industry (not just growing grapes) as they could before launching their own brand. With successful production under way and being happy with the wines they were producing the next step was moving into the export market and their UK distributor wanted them to enter wine competitions, something they had resisted for a number of years. Show success was almost

immediate and the absolute dedication to producing a product of consistently high quality means in the last six years their Sauvignon Blanc has won gold medals every year and their Riesling has been awarded not only six gold’s in the same time frame but three trophies as well. This consistency in quality has been the key factor in them being able to maintain their price points in various export markets; they haven’t had to discount their products and they sell everything they make. When other wineries were introducing second tier labels in order to clear stock, Brightwater Vineyards introduced their upper tier Lord Rutherford range of wines. The romantic image of vineyard ownership may still be a dream but Gary and Valley Neale have built a great business based on quality consumers can consistently rely on. neil@hodgson.net.nz ■

The Winning Team. From left, Winemaker of the year Tony Southgate, viticulturist Dale Springer and Brightwater Vineyard owners Valley and Gary Neale.

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

JOHN BUCK HONOURED Well known Hawkes Bay vigneron, John Buck, OBE, FWINZ, was inducted into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame at the recent Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. Chairman of the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame Trust, Michael Brett, had this to say about Mr Buck.

ohn Buck has made several notable contributions to the New Zealand wine industry, but none as important as his 30-year quest for a Bordeaux-blend that matches the first growth wines of France. His Te Mata Estate has been the standard-bearer for New Zealand Cabernet blend production, persevering with a red wine style that many have put in the too-hard category. In Coleraine he has produced, year after year, a wine that brings international acclaim both to Te Mata and the New Zealand industry. The modern Te Mata Estate story began in 1978 when Buck, who had been working in the wine distribution industry in Wellington and Auckland, and fellow wine enthusiast and competition judge Michael Morris, took possession of the estate which had belonged to the Chambers family for many years. Hawkes Bay was chosen because he wanted to produce Cabernet Sauvignon–based reds and a richer style of Chardonnay. “Hawkes Bay has the potential

to be one of the greatest table wine producers in the world,” he said announcing a 10-year development programme which predicted as much as 50% of production would be exported. Over the years, Te Mata was to add a range of top quality wines to the local and international markets. The outstanding Elston Chardonnay, two Sauvignon Blancs; and more recently a Syrah and a Viognier to challenge any on the market. There is also a second range under the Woodthorpe label. Te Mata Estate wines have not been seen in local wine shows since 1983. But Buck remained close to the industry for many years as wine judge (here and in Australia) and administrator. He helped with the founding and development of Hawkes Bay Vintners when there were only seven wineries in Hawkes Bay. He established the Hawkes Bay Charity Auction which continues today He represented Category I on the board of the Wine Institute of New Zealand in the late 1980s and was chairman from 1991 to

John Buck

1996, a period of great change in New Zealand wine. It was in this time that a strategy vision, with a target of $100 million in exports was launched. Some thought this fantasy but the figure was achieved a year ahead of schedule. As chairman, Buck represented New Zealand at international trade negotiations – in particular with the European Union, gaining New Zealand wines the access they enjoy today. In 1996, the winery established the New Zealand Poet Laureate award and has supported it for many years. And Buck is chairman of the

Hawkes Bay Opera House board. In 1900, he was awarded the Commemoration Medal for Services to New Zealand, in 1996 the OBE for services to the wine industry; in 1999 he became a Fellow of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and in 2001 received an honorary doctorate from Lincoln University, for which the citation read, in part: “Known in the wine industry as a great visionary who also has a remarkable ability to get things done, John Buck set out in the late 1970s to make great red wine. He did it - and established the standard for everyone else in the industry.” ■

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 45

he resurgence of Chardonnay, with 16 gold medals, has been a feature of this year’s 59th Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. Chair of judges, Kate Radburnd, said Chardonnay’s return to prominence was due partly to an exceptional vintage year in 2010, but also to New Zealand winemakers becoming more refined in their handling of the variety with greater finesse in the wines and restraint in oak influence. Top gold medal winning variety with 20 was Sauvignon Blanc. Next in prominence was Pinot Noir with 19 golds. Ms Radburnd was also impressed with the overall standard of Syrah entries, which won 13 golds. Australian deputy chair of judges, Mike DeGaris was impressed by the standard of aromatic whites, especially the

Rieslings and Gewurztraminers, but said that there was still room for improvement in the handling of Pinot Gris. However, there was a notable uplift in the standard of methode traditionnelle sparkling wines which for the first time in the show’s history, won six gold medals. Medal percentages and numbers with 2011 figures in brackets were: Gold medals, 8.8%, 111 (119), silver 15.7%, 198 (261), bronze 39.4%, 497 (536).

Heritage Category The new Heritage Category, in its second year was won by Villa Maria Estate for a trio of three Hawkes Bay reds, Villa Maria Estate Reserve Cabernet Merlot, 2009, 2005, 2001.

Diamond Jubilee Medals Awarded Villa Maria Estate’s Managing

The Rose Bowl for the Heritage Category was this year won by Villa Maria Estate. Pictured here are Terry Dunleavy (general director of Easter Show Wine Awards), Sir George Fistonich, Karen Fistonich, Dave Field and Dave Roper, all from Villa Maria.

Director and founder, Sir George Fistonich, was honoured with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his services to the New Zealand wine industry at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. Along with Sir George, Terry Dunleavy also

received a Diamond Jubilee medal for his services as Director of the Show for 20 years, with a third medal being awarded to Robb Kemp for his 23 years as chair of the Auckland A & P Association’s Wine Committee.

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Some may speak of range. Others of quality. All speak of 59TH EASTER SHOW AWARDS TROPHY LIST O-I New Zealand Trophy Champion Wine of the Show Brightwater Vineyards Lord Rutherford Barrique Chardonnay 2009 Rapid Labels Trophy Champion Sparkling Wine Lindauer Classic Brut NV The Village Press Trophy Champion Gewurztraminer Distant Land Gewurztraminer 2011 Datacom Trophy Champion Pinot Gris Sileni Estate Selection ‘’The Priestess’’ Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2010 Red Badge Security Trophy Champion Riesling Clark Estate Single Vineyard Riesling 2011 Guala Closures Trophy Champion Sauvignon Blanc Villa Maria Single Vineyard Southern Clays Sauvignon Blanc 2011 New World Trophy Champion Chardonnay Brightwater Vineyard Lord Rutherford Barrique Chardonnay 2009 Riedel Trophy Champion Medium Sweet or Sweet Wine Brancott Estate Brancott “B” Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2011 New Zealand WineGrower Magazine Trophy Champion Pinot Noir Two Degrees Pinot Noir 2009 Show Light & Power Trophy Champion Merlot Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Merlot 2010 Auckland Agricultural & Pastoral Association Trophy Champion Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot/Cabernet Blend Church Road Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009 Sky City Trophy Champion Syrah Matua Valley Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2010 United Cleaning Trophy Champion Wine of Other Varieties Coopers Creek SV Hawkes Bay Malbec ‘’Saint John’’ 2010 Novotel Trophy Champion Rosé or Blush Stoneleigh Pinot Noir Rosé 2011 Drinks Biz Magazine Trophy Champion Viognier Coopers Creek Gisborne Viognier 2010 Auckland Agricultural, Pastoral & Industrial Shows Board Trophy Champion Export Wine Waimea Gewurztraminer 2011 Auckland Agricultural & Pastoral Association Medal for Wine Maker of the Year Tony Southgate, Brightwater Vineyards Heritage Rosebowl Villa Maria Estate, for Villa Maria Estate Reserve Cabernet Merlot, 2009, 2005, 2001

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EDUCATION NEWS

NZ SCHOOL OF FOOD AND WINE

Celia Hay

JOELLE THOMSON

hristchurch city may not be home to many who are involved at the front face of the wine industry today but for Celia Hay, founder and director of the New Zealand School of Food & Wine (NZSFW), events last year have meant a major lifestyle change. Hay transferred herself, three children and a successful business to Auckland following the February earthquake. She has spent the months since educating students at a variety of temporary premises while searching for a new home for the school, which finally opened on 23 January. “We are just trying to re-establish following all this change. The decision to move to Auckland has given us the opportunity to reestablish the school out of the Christchurch earthquake situation and I feel very optimistic and excited about the opportunity but it’s been a tough year,” says Hay. Hay began the school in 1995 in Christchurch and was registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority from the beginning. “I always wanted to establish a professional school rather than something amateurish, so

for the first wine courses we started, I had help designing them from Danny Schuster and (the late) Professor Don Bevin,” says Hay. “Don taught champagne and we would always go and visit Danny out at his winery in Waipara as well as the Donaldsons at Pegasus Bay. From that simple start I began to add more content because I realised that there was so much to learn. I was very fortunate for those first 10 years to have Don as a regular presenter and a mentor to me,” she says. Her courses enable people to understand their palates; from 18 year olds upwards. “I’m really keen to get young people to understand how to taste food, in the first instance. And that’s why we have a basic wine course for teenagers (18 years-plus), which can then staircase them into other qualifications so they can go through and ultimately complete the Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications,” says Hay. She began teaching the WSET qualifications in 2004. They are regarded as the essential foundation work prior to considering embarking upon the Master of Wine qualification. “As we progressed with our New Zea-

land wine course, I became more interested in introducing some international content and became aware of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications, so I then had to get qualified myself and sit the exams under my own tutelage. In order to offer an NZQAapproved course, I needed to embed those two programmes in a bigger programme, so I then created the New Zealand School of Food and Wine 12-week course.” jthomson@xtra.co.nz ■ Joelle Thomson wrote this story during 2011, in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes, which triggered the move of the NZ School of Food & Wine to Auckland. From February this year, she has taught part-time at the school, and holds the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Advanced Certificate.

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AS the debate for and against natural wine becomes increasingly emotive, Jamie Goode and Sam Harrop MW’s objectively written Authentic Wine: toward natural and sustainable winemaking is a timely and welcome tome. Goode and Harrop disclose their affinities with their subject at the very start of the book, declaring their position that “wine made naturally is more interesting and tastes better, and natural wine production is more sustainable and respectful of the environment”. However, they then go on to provide a pragmatic and balanced exploration of their theme’s diverse threads, prepared to highlight inconsistencies and gaps in the science that informs their investigation, which as in Goode’s earlier book, The Science of Wine, is explained in layperson’s terms Authentic, rather than natural wine, was the title chosen for the book as the authors wanted to make clear that it covered a far wider area than this one mode of winemaking. Detailed analysis is made of topics ranging from terroir to homogenisation, chemical and physical winemaker intervention to wine faults, carbon footprints to marketing, supported by numerous winery case studies. Biodynamic, organic and sustainable winegrowing are also explored in depth, as is the controversial Natural Wine Movement, which the chapter devoted to it includes a particularly thorough and thought provoking investigation of the use of SO2 in wine. Well researched and clearly communicated, devoid of dogma or mystical musings it makes for nourishing reading for those on either side of the natural fence, or possibly more pertinently, for those currently sitting in the middle. JO BURZYNSKA

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he Central Otago Pinot Celebration – two and a half days of master classes, lunches, tastings and dinners intermingled with debauchery and mayhem – is held two out of every three years (so it doesn’t clash with the triennial Pinot event in Wellington). 2012 marks the 9th such Celebration, and a celebration is exactly what the event successfully achieved.

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that endeavoured to delve into the secrets and intricacies of what makes Central Otago, “Central Otago”. As the southern-most winegrowing region in the world and a locale positioned on the 45th parallel, one might unknowingly expect the Pinots from the region to be on the lighter side, perhaps showing some green tendencies. But nothing could be further from the truth. The first two-hour Master Class touched on why this isn’t the case and how Central Otago is truly quite an oddity and maintains its unique terroir. The continental and semi-arid climate, lack of rainfall, wind stress and humidity (or lack thereof), temperatures and diurnal variation were all discussed in varying degrees of detail, from both a technical and

The Grand Dinner overlooking the Remarkables.

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lay perspective. This introduction was accompanied by three flights of four Pinot Noirs, from the 2005, 2008 and 2009 vintages, acting as cases in point for the accompanying seasonal data. The keynote event of the Celebration – the Grand Tasting, was held at Northburn Station – where Jen Parr (formerly Olssens, now Terra Sancta) delivered the Chair’s Welcome. For the next three hours, delegates were able to taste at their own leisure two wines from each of the 35 participating wineries; the current release, and something a bit older. The longevity and life remaining in some of the aged examples surprised many, with the 2010s also praised for their aromatics and energy. Coaches then whisked everyone away to one of five vineyard lunches, where special chefs had been brought in (including the likes of Pete Gawron of Saffron) to match Central Otago wines (white, red and pink) to fresh, local produce. The more serious, thoughtprovoking and technical part of the Celebration came in the Formal (Burgundy) Tasting held on the Saturday morning and chaired by Nick Mills (Rippon). The elaborate session, included a world-class panel of Tim Atkin MW, Philip Rich (from Melbourne’s legendary Prince Wine Store), Debra Meiburg MW and the star of the show, guest Burgundy winemaker Thibault LigerBelair. A three hour Master Class, it began with an introduction of the topic by Liger-Belair, followed by individual assessment of the six premier cru. The premise for the tasting stemmed from bids by certain winemakers in Burgundy to elevate premier cru vineyards to grand cru status, with the tasting and discussion delving into

this rather political foray and any implications or corollaries it might have with Central Otago. The third and fourth Pinot Noirs of the flight were both from the premier cru “Les SaintGeorges”, located in Nuits-SaintGeorges, which included the wine of Liger-Belair. This particular vineyard acted as a pertinent candidate for such talks about elevation of cru status, though it was interesting to note how different the two wines from this same vineyard were, and whether with such disparity there is a case for promoting (or demoting) vineyards within the AOC hierarchal system. The 2012 Pinot Celebration culminated with the Grand Dinner – held at the Skyline on the very top of Queenstown overlooking the Remarkables. Sparkling on arrival, a gondola ride to the top, a five-course menu courtesy of Johnny Schwass and Brendan Downer, plenty of wine and a charity auction to boot. There were many highlights, but the closing address from Doug Frost MW MS – one of only three people in the world to hold both accreditations (with the other two on his kill list, he jokes) – was a real treasure. He started by proposing a name change to the Remarkables (the “Ridiculouses”), and steamrolled ahead with a speech full of hilarity, Pinot experiences and colourful stories. He recounted how a Californian winemaker had once said to him that “he had discovered the formula for making great Pinot Noir” – and how that statement in itself showed just how far away he was from making great Pinot Noir. The charity auction that followed managed to raise over $30,000 for the Mercy Hospital. Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration 2012 lived up to its namesake. Roll on 2014! max@maxmarriott.com ■

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 55

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// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

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INDUSTRY NEWS

REJUVINATING BARRELS W

hen you consider the cost of a new imported French oak barrique is around 800 euros per unit, extending the effective life of a previously past-its-used-by-date barrel makes good sense. Not only financially, but also environmentally. Vintech Pacific has just introduced the patented, Australian barrel refurbishing technology under the brand Phoenix - Diverse Barrrel Solutions. Through this technology, the life of a used barrel can be extended for up to three years. The Phoenix process is centred on computer scanning of each barrel followed by laserguided cutting to remove the contaminated wood inside the barrel. To ensure the contaminated oak is totally removed, each stave is scanned separately to build an accurate three -dimensional picture of the inside surface.

Following this digital map, a computercontrolled routing tool then cuts up to 8mm off the inside of the barrel to reveal clean oak. Analysis has shown that Phoenix’s precision cutting removes all wine contaminants to expose clean wood while retaining most of the original French oak flavour characteristics. So effective is the process that barrels previously containing red wine can be used for the fermentation and maturation of white wines. After each barrel is checked, infrared toasting to the wine makers specification is applied using another new technology process which removes the risk of variation and blistering and allows the winemakers a choice of toasting styles. At the end of the process, the barrels are recrozed so that new, imported, toasted oak heads can be fitted which are then custom-

branded to meet individual wineries requirement. Over the last 12 months, 26 selected New Zealand wineries provided Vintech Pacific with used barrels to try out the new process as part of a trial programme, and the positive results led the company to go ahead with the development of a specialist Phoenix workshop in Marlborough.

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NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY // 57

INDUSTRY NEWS

WOODSHIELD POSTS GAIN BIOGRO APPROVAL TESSA NICHOLSON

he original grape growers in New Zea- recycled plastic is extruded over both the land began training their vines along cap and the timber post completely sealing rope, attached to Manuka posts. Gen- it, ensuring the posts don’t absorb moisture erations later they moved onto tan- that could cause rotting. alised timber, some now use steel. But more Davidson said the caps provide strength to recently an Australian company has patented the end of the post, meaning they can still be a new look, utilising timber covered with recy- hydraulically forced into the ground – without cled plastic. fear of damage. Not only does the company promise a The posts are advertised as being 40 to stronger more flexible post, they also promise 50% stronger than the bare timber alternasustainability with the posts having recently tive. It is the plastic extrusion that provides gained BioGro certification. that strength. Woodshield Sales Manager Ashley David“Any pressure that comes on is distributed son says the posts inner core is timber, while up and down the fibres inside. Whereas if you the outer layer is recycled plastic, up to 6mm have a tanalised post, with say a knot in it, when thick. The plastic provides a protective layer for pressure is exerted down the post and reaches the timber, completely encasing it and removing the need for the timber to be treated chemically. The plastic protection provides the timber with more flexibility, longevity and strength. Davidson says the idea came from a group of passionate wine drinkers, who just happened to be involved in the plastics industry. They wanted to combine their passion with their job and the sustainable plastic coated timber post was born. “We can go right from taking a dripper tube off a vineyard, recycle it and put it back out on a post. Then in 50+ years, the tested life span of the plastic, you can strip it, chop it up and recycle the plastic again. The wood can be mulched, chipped or turned into firewood, because it is non-treated, no The Woodshield posts are already being used in the wine industry in chemicals to worry about” both Australia and New Zealand. Each end has a cap and the

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

the knot, it will snap or crack. The plastic outer layer allows the pressure to move up and down the fibres, without causing damage.” Davidson said no specialised equipment is required when installing the posts or wires, and despite having to puncture the plastic outer covering for clips and fasteners, there isn’t an issue with moisture getting into the inner timber. “The plastic just closes around any break caused by nailing through it, that’s the nature of the beast. You can hammer it, nail or screw it. The patented system is the first vineyard post supplier in New Zealand to gain BioGro certification, (number 5365.) tessa.nicholson@me.com ■

CALENDAR APRIL 7–9

Soljans Easter Berba Festival

Clyde Wine and Food Festival

Soljans Winery, West Auckland

MAY 11 - 13

The Food Show

Judging Gisborne Regional Wine Awards

Gisborne Regional Wine Awards dinner

Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Last year’s Supreme Winner at the Gisborne Regional Wine Awards: 24-25 May

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

2–5

24 – 26

The 30th and last ever First Glass Wine Options National Final

The Food Show

Romeo Bragato Conference

Cape Kidnapper’s Winemaker Dinner Cape Kidnapper’s Resort. www. capekidnappers.com

ASB Showgrounds, Auckland

Blenheim

Crowne Plaza, Auckland. www.first-glass.co.nz

SEPTEMBER 4–6

10 -12

14 – 16

Spieglau International Wine Competition

New Zealand International Wine Show judging

The Food Show

Blenheim

Auckland

Awards Dinner – New Zealand International Wine Show

CBS Canterbury Arena

Crowne Plaza, Auckland The Food Show: 2-5 August

OCTOBER

JANUARY 2013

FEBRUARY 2013

15 – 17

26 – 28

The Marlborough Wine Show judging

Pinot Noir 2013

Nelson International Aromatic Symposium

Blenheim

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

Wellington

WHERE

EVENT

ATTENDANCE

AUDIENCE

Canada

NZ Wine Fair, Vancouver

W A NZW

MTC

1 May

Canada

NZ Wine Fair, Calgary

W A NZW

MTC

3 May

Canada

NZ Wine Fair, Ottowa

W A NZW

MTC

8 May

Canada

NZ Wine Fair, Toronto

W A NZW

MTC

10 May

USA

NZ Wine Fair, New York

W A NZW

MTC

14 May

USA

NZ Wine Fair, San Francisco

W A NZW

MTC

17 May

China

NZ Wine Fair, Beijing

W A NZW

MTC

22 May

China

NZ Wine Fair, Shanghai

W A NZW

MTC

24 May

Hong Kong

Vinexpo Asia Pacific 2012

W A NZW

MTC

29-31 May

Korea

NZ Wine Fair, Seoul

W A NZW

MTC

date to be confirmed

USA

Pinot Days, San Francisco

NZW

MTC

June 16

NZW

MTC

end of June or early July

W=Winery A=Agent NZW=NZ Winegrowers

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EVENT DATE 2012

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Composite NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012 // 61

STATISTICS

SUMMARY OF KEY INDICATORS

PRINCIPAL EXPORT MARKETS Exports up again

Following is a summary of key indicators at intervals:

1985

1990

1995

2000

2010

No. of Growers

n/a

1128

Figures for the period up to January 2012 show exports are up.

No. of Wineries

n/a

204

358

672

Producing area (Ha)*

5,900

4,880

6,110

10,197

33,428

Country

$ Fob

Average Average

8.0

$/L 2011 $/L 2010

Average yield (t/Ha)

13.2

14.4

12.2

7.8

Tonnes crushed

78,000

70,265

74,500

80,100

266,000

Total production (m.L) 59.6

54.4

56.4

60.2

190.0

Domestic sales (m.L)

42.6

39.2

30.9

41.3

56.7

(litres NZ wines)

13.1

11.7

8.7

10.6

13.0

Export volume (m.L)

0.8

4.0

7.8

19.2

142

Exp. value (m.$NZ fob) 3.0

18.4

40.8

168.4

1041.0

Litres (m)

United Kingdom 60,033

301,741

5.03

5.68

USA

34,660

235,811

6.80

7.19

Australia

50,638

368,117

7.27

7.00

Canada

5,738

64,991

11.33

8.11

Netherlands

4,613

28,048

6.08

7.26

Denmark

1,084

7.450

6.87

5.98

Ireland

2,051

16,647

8.11

8.12

Japan

1.010

11,696

11.58

12.75

0.908

6,666

7.34

7.45

China

1.471

22,597

11.77

10.57

Hong Kong

1.471

18,761

12.75

13.14

Singapore

1.109

14,109

12.72

11.69

Finland

0.277

2,658

9.57

9.24

Norway

0.204

1,830

8.97

8.12

Sweden

1.372

11,298

8.23

8.76

Others

4.757

46,492

9.77

10.17

TOTAL

171,851

1,158,920

6.74

6.90

Per capita consumption:

*estimate of probable total scaled up from actual returns

MAJOR NZ VINEYARD AREAS Region (Actual)

2010 (Forecast)

2012 (from 2010)

% Change Area (2010)

% Total

Marlborough

19295

19570

+1.4%

57.7%

Hawkes Bay

4947

5046

+2.0%

14.8%

Gisborne

2083

2003

-3.9%

6.2%

Otago

1540

1543

+0.2%

4.6%

Canty/Waipara

1779

1828

+2.7%

5.3%

Wairarapa/Wgtn

871

885

+1.6%

2.6%

Nelson

842

880

+4.6%

2.5%

Auckland

550

573

+4.1%

1.6%

Waikato/BoP

147

National total

33428

33600

n.c.*

0.4%

+0.5%

100.0%

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

2010 (Forecast)

2012 (from 2009)

% Change Area (2011)

% Total

Sauv. Blanc

16910

17297

+2.2%

44.3%

Chardonnay

3865

3792

-1.9%

11.3%

Pinot Gris

1763

1764

n.c.*

4.3%

Riesling

986

1009

+2.3%

2.7%

Gewurztraminer

314

290

-7.7%

0.9%

Semillon

185

182

-2.7%

0.5%

Pinot Noir

4773

4828

+1.1%

13.9%

Merlot

371

1403

+2.3%

4.0%

Cab.Sauvignon

519

521

+0.4%

1.5%

Syrah

297

300

+1.0%

0.8%

Cabernet Franc

161

162

n.c.*%

0.5%

Malbec Total

157 33428

161 33600

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

+2.5% +0.5%

0.5%

Germany

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

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT Information and Updates on NZ Winegrowers Research Programmes. Associate Editors: Philip Manson, Science & Innovations Manager • Dr Simon Hooker, Research Programme Manager

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

LIST OF PROJECTS Botrytis decision support (BDS) industry training & botrytis sampling protocols Plant and Food Research Rob Beresford Understanding causes of slip skin Plant and Food Research Rob Beresford Tools for manipulating Sauvignon blanc wine flavour and aroma: Harvest and processing of grapes Plant and Food Research Claire Grose Identification and quantification of chiral volatile compounds in New Zealand wines that affect aroma Lincoln University Roland Harrison A sex pheromone as a citrophilus mealybug monitoring tool (2011-12) Plant and Food Research Jim Walker Potassium nutrition of grapevines Plant and Food Research Mike Trought Early defoliation: carryover and hand versus mechanical Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) Mark Krasnow Residue profile in grapes leaves and sheep meat and offal from leaf plucking in vineyards Agrivet Services Ltd Ben Vlaming Managing Botrytis in New Zealand Viticulture Vino Vitis Ltd Ruby Andrews New opportunities for sustainable grape thinning Plant and Food Research Mike Trought Supported by MAF, SFF

Tendrils as a source of seasonal carryover of Botrytis cinerea in vineyards Plant and Food Research Dion Mundy Supported by MAF Sustainable Farming Fund

Organic Focus Vineyard Project Organic Winegrowers New Zealand Rebecca Reider Supported by MAF Sustainable Farming Fund

Cryopreserved grapevine: a new way to maintain high-health germplasm and cultivar imports with less rigorous quarantine regulations Plant and Food Research Ranjith Pathirana

Unlocking New Zealand Pinot noir aroma through aroma reconstitution approach Auckland University Paul Kilmartin

Improving management of grapevine trunk diseases in New Zealand South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI) Mark Sosnowski The impact of harvest technologies on grape and wine components of importance for protein stability Lincoln University Roland Harrison Understanding the accumulation of fruit based green aromatic methoxypyrazine compounds in Marlborough Sauvignon blanc grape berries Plant and Food Research Jeff Bennett Investigation of perceived minerality in white wine Lincoln University Wendy Parr Fruit yield management of Sauvignon blanc: The use of Mechanical thinning Plant and Food Research Mike Trought The influence of canopy management and architecture of Sauvignon blanc grapevines on fruit and vegetative development Plant and Food Research Marc Greven

Identification of natural genetic variation in grapevine contributing to pathogen resistance Lincoln University Chris Winefield The effect of light on grape berry and leaf biochemistry Lincoln University Brian Jordan Identification of metabolites in high-thiol grape juices Auckland UniServices Ltd Silas Villas-Boas Implementation of Virus Elimination Strategy Various Nick Hoskins – Project Manager Supported by MAF Sustainable Farming Fund The Effect of Post-Harvest Defoliation on Carbon and Nitrogen Balance of High Yielding Sauvignon Blanc Vines Plant and Food Research Marc Greven New Zealand Winegrower Magazine Research Articles Various *Brackets indicate primary contact.

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012 // 63

PROGRESS REPORTS

Yield And Fruit Composition Responses Of Sauvignon Blanc To Mechanical Thinning Trought MCT1, Neal S1, Pineau BC2, Grose C1, Mundy D1, Beresford MK2, Sherman E1, Pecchenino D3, McLachlan A4, Greven, M1, Yilin Jia S2, Jaeger SR2, Gunson A2. 1 The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (Plant & Food Research), Marlborough 2 Plant & Food Research, Auckland 3 Plant & Food Research, Palmerston North 4 Pecchenino Viticultural Consulting, Blenheim

10-106 High quality wine production starts in the vineyard, by producing fruit capable of delivering the finest grape flavour attributes. Thus the ability to mature grapes reliably to optimum ripeness, at any site and across seasons, is important for successful high quality wine production. At the same time, achieving consistent yields is important if the supply chain from vineyard to market is to be managed properly. At least two-fold differences in seasonal yields of Sauvignon Blanc are recorded in New Zealand and this variability, together with seasonal differences in flowering dates and temperature, will affect the likelihood of fruit achieving adequate ripeness in any year. A three-year programme, funded by New Zealand Winegrowers, has trialled the use of machine harvesters to thin Sauvignon Blanc vines to target yields shortly after fruit set. As weather conditions at flowering can have a marked effect on fruit set and final yield, delaying thinning until this time enables growers to assess and moderate the potential yield relatively late in the growing season. The research also investigated the effect that different thinning treatments had on fruit and wine composition and botrytis bunch rot. Targeting yield generally starts at pruning, where knowledge of the vineyard environment and growth in the previous season is used to determine the number of nodes retained after pruning. After budbreak, shoots may be removed to provide even canopy development, and to reduce bunch number to a predetermined target number. Inflorescences or more usually bunches may be removed to achieve a specific yield target. This has traditionally been

// NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012

undertaken by hand; it is expensive and the cost:benefit ratio is seldom economic, unless the fruit value is high. However, based on our research, mechanical thinning appears to be a practical and cost-effective alternative to hand thinning Sauvignon Blanc grapes to achieve target yields. An additional, positive outcome from mechanical thinning was a reduction in the severity of botrytis bunch rot in the crop. In the past three years, mechanical thinning has

resulted in the same or lower observed disease scores as seen in the control, when originally concern was raised that mechanical thinning would result in more disease. This season, 2010-11, possible mechanisms that may have influenced disease observations were investigated, as well as harvest disease percentages. The mechanisms investigated were bunch openness, berry susceptibility to infection and percentage of bunch trash infected with Botrytis cinerea.

Figure 1. The sensory facility at Marlborough Wine Research Centre set up for a wine evaluation session.

Sensory evaluation of the experimental wines was undertaken by a panel of twenty wine industry professionals from the Marlborough region (Figure 1), specifically: a “Control” treatment corresponding to the absence of thinning, and three thinning treatments defined as “Hand thinning”, “Light mechanical thinning” and “Heavy mechanical thinning”. The aim of this part of the study was to determine the extent to which the vine thinning modalities used in the vineyard affected the sensory profile, the overall complexity and the

typicality as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc of the final wines produced. Descriptive sensory analysis was used to determine the sensory profiles of the wines. They were assessed for eight flavour attributes: the four basic tastes (acid, sweet, salty, bitter) and three mouth-feel characters (palate weight, smoothness/roundness, astringent). They were also judged in terms of overall complexity and exemplarity towards the concept of ‘Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’. (Table 1).

Table 1. Mean judgment scores for Sauvignon Blanc wines made using fruit resulting from different vine thinning treatments in the vineyard.

Overall judgment

P value

Control

Hand thinning

Light Heavy mechanical mechanical thinning thinning

Overall complexity

0.281

51.5

46.0

47.5

51.5

Marlborough

0.712

52.0

48.0

48.5

49.6

typically

Note. Judgments were provided on a scale anchored at 0=poor/poor example and 100=very good/very good example. There were no significant differences between the wines. At the aggregate level, results showed that the thinning treatments had no significant impact on the overall sensory profile, overall complexity and typicality as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc of the final wines produced. From a wine industry perspective, the main outcome of this study is to suggest that grape growers might choose whichever thinning protocol is the most cost effective. The practicalities of using a machine to reduce crop load shown by this study add to the range of management choices available to growers. Mechanical thinning had no adverse effect on wine sensory properties, while at the same time reducing botrytis incidence in the fruit at harvest was an important benefit. Further trials are currently being undertaken, supported by New Zealand Winegrowers and the MAF Sustainable Farming Fund, to extend the research to other varieties and using a range of harvester types.

Tendrils As Sources Of Seasonal Carryover Of Botrytis Cinerea In Vineyards Dion Mundy, Plant and Food Research, Marlborough

11-103 A project to investigate tendrils as botrytis inoculum sources in New Zealand vineyards has started. As this update goes to press, spores of Botrytis cinerea per tendril are being counted on the second set of samples from the field, and the literature review is under way. The project is on track to deliver recommendations to growers before next pruning season. With the first set of samples taken at flowering, we investigated the potential number of spores that can be produced from overwintering vine tendrils from seven Hawke’s Bay vineyards and nine Marlborough vineyards. The mean spore density tended to differ between the two regions, and

differed among the vineyards. Tendrils in Hawke’s Bay vineyards tended to be sources of more spores. The spore-producing potential over the two regions ranged from 680 to 6800 spores per cm2 compared with a mean of 9400 spores per cm2 that has previously been reported for Marlborough vineyards. The second sampling of tendrils will determine if production decreases with time and will allow comparisons with other trash types as potential sources of spores. The literature review will be completed by the end of February 2012, so that this

information can contribute to our planned recommendations. We are reviewing papers and reports on Botrytis cinerea sources in vineyards and other horticultural crops worldwide. Some of the older material being reviewed is not presently available electronically, so this information will also be more accessible to the wine industry once it is published.

Acknowledgements More background information on the project can be found in popular article published in Issue 71 of the New Zealand Winegrower (December 2011/January 2012). This is a New Zealand Winegrowers-initiated project, with funding support from MAF Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF project L11/183).

NZ WINEGROWER APR/MAY 2012 // 65

Tools For Manipulating Sauvignon Blanc Wine Flavour And Aroma: Harvest And Processing Of Grapes Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Mike Trought, Rob Agnew, Lily Stuart and Emma Sherman Plant & Food Research Ltd, Marlborough Wine Research Centre, Blenheim

11 – 118 Previous research has shown that grape processing protocols for Sauvignon Blanc can influence flavour and aroma in the finished wine. For example, the characteristic thiol-related flavours of Sauvignon Blanc wine (sweet/sweaty, passionfruit) are lower in wines made from hand harvested, whole-bunch pressed grapes than from machine harvested grapes. Some of these differences may reflect the amount of juice oxidation; others may be caused by the relative extractions of key secondary metabolites in different press cycles. The first part of our project will investigate

// NZ WINEGROWER FEB/MAR 2012

manipulating flavour and aroma of wine by managing exposure of juice to oxidation during grape harvesting. The relationship between the oxidative potential of grape juices and wine flavour and aromas will be studied using commercial-scale grape processing operations, with juices then fermented at the Marlborough Wine Research Centre. The second part of the project will investigate manipulating flavour and aroma of wine by applying alternative processing methods to harvested grapes before pressing.

The project uses commercial-scale grape processing operations with multiple sites and spans two seasons, ensuring that research results will have industry-wide applicability. Project implementation details for the 2012 vintage are being finalised in collaboration with St Clair Family Estate.

Acknowledgements This project has been supported and funded by New Zealand Winegrowers. The assistance of St Clair Family Estate is appreciated.

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