THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH
ISSUE NO. 304/ APRIL 2020
COVID -19 LEVEL 4
VINTAGE 2020
Photo: Richard Briggs
wine-marlborough.co.nz
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this issue...
REGULARS
FEATURES
3 4 20
10 Covid-19
22 24 26 28
Editorial - Sophie Preece
From NZW - Philip Gregan Pioneer - Marlborough Winegrowers Forgotten Corners - Falcon Trust Generation Y-ine - David Foes Biosecurity Watch - Sophie Badland
Cloudy Bay's 2020 harvest captured before Covid-19 Alert Level 4. Photo by Richard Briggs
Marlborough wine companies battened down the hatches to get through the 2020 harvest during the Covid 19 Alert Level 4. Companies sent many employees home, and instigated rigorous measures in vineyards, transport, accommodation and wineries.
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14 Harvest 2020
Industry News
Cover:
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Against the incredibly tense background of Covid-19, Marlborough’s harvest yielded excellent fruit. “It will be one of our better seasons,” says Astrolabe’s Simon Waghorn. “One thing we don’t have to worry about is the quality of what is on the vine.”
22 Falcon Trust
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The Marlborough Falcon Trust has released 60 kārearea over the past eight years and 10 birds this season, learning plenty along the way.
Winepress April 2020 / 1
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General Manager: Marcus Pickens 03 577 9299 marcus@winemarlborough.nz Editor: Sophie Preece 027 308 4455 sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz Advertising and Subscriptions: Sarah Linklater 021 704 733 sarah@wine-marlborough.nz Wine Marlborough Board: Ben Ensor ben.lisa@clear.net.nz Beth Forrest Beth@forrest.co.nz Callum Linklater callum@csviticulture.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Kirsty Harkness kirsty@mountbase.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.com Stuart Dudley (Deputy Chair) stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove (Chair) tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Tracy Johnston Tracy@dayvinleigh.co.nz Jamie Marfell Jamie.Marfell@pernod-ricard.com Designed by: Blenheim Print Ltd 03 578 1322 Disclaimer: The views and articles that are
expressed and appear in Winepress are entirely those of contributors and in no way reflect the policy of the Marlborough Winegrowers. Any advice given, implied or suggested should be considered on its merits, and no responsibility can be taken for problems arising from the use of such information. This document is printed on an environmentally responsible paper, produced using elemental chlorine free (EFC), third party pulp from responsible sources, manufactured under the strict ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and is 100% Recyclable.
From the Editor At the end of February, I wrote an editorial on pandemic what-if plans, as New Zealand and Marlborough considered the implications of coronavirus reaching us. A little over a month later, New Zealand is on lockdown, most of us are at home, and wineries are operating swiftly in the strangest harvest anyone has seen. At a time that’s typically about hard work, close teams, sticky handrails and strong camaraderie, we have bare-bones crews, 2 metre minimum gaps between workers, layers of personal protective gear and a vigilant approach to every coming and going. Winemakers have been separated from families, interns have been moved from flats and into vineyard accommodation, hotels and motorhomes, and workplace drinks happen by Zoom, for staff who are stuck at home. And despite all this upheaval, the grapes are getting where they need to be. In the pages of this Winepress you’ll find a bit of repetition - the word ‘privilege’ is used a lot, for example, and so is ‘responsibility’. The wine industry knows how lucky it is to have received dispensation to continue a harvest that began when Covid-19 was an offshore risk, but could have stopped in its Sauvignon tracks had the Government made a different call on March 23, two days before an Alert Level 4 saw non-essential businesses around the country close their doors. The wine industry knows how lucky it is and it has responded with full force, sending many staff home and layering protections on those who remain. “We are really trying to get it as close to perfect as we can, and we are willing to accept that it will make harvesting harder,” says Framingham viticulturist James Bowskill on page 12. “You want to know you are doing the right thing for your employees, your own family and the country,” says Wairau River’s Lindsay Parkinson in the same story. There are plenty of stories not in this edition, like those of vintage workers away from their home countries, some of which are in crisis. Or of Recognised Seasonal Employer vineyard workers, wondering how their families are faring back in the Pacific Islands. I hope we will be able to dig deeper in the next edition, when harvest - and perhaps the Alert Level 4 - is over. Covid-19 has led to a few changes in Winepress too, including the absence of a Wine Happenings page (because almost everything has been cancelled) and pic pages dominated by Pinot Noir (because Sauvignon Blanc’s harvest coincided with lockdown). Finally, this edition of Winepress is digital only, hopefully making it perfect reading for a workforce stuck at home!
SOPHIE PREECE
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From the CEO The virus won’t change; so business must PHILIP GREGAN
ON MARCH 23, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan and chair John Clarke took part in a conference call with Minister for Primary Industries Damien O’Connor, the leadership team of Ministry for Primary Industries, and other primary sector representatives. At that meeting they were advised that the grape and wine industry (along with other food and beverage producers) and all parts of the supply chain may continue to operate during the Covid-19 Level 3 and 4 Alerts as essential businesses, providing all businesses adhere to very strict criteria. There will be zero tolerance of non-compliance, says Philip. “There is one very clear message, and that is that the primary aim of the Government is to do just one thing, and that is stop the spread of the virus. Everything else is secondary to that primary goal.” On March 25, just a few hours after the Government declared a State of Emergency, and hours before the Level 4 Alert came in, Philip took part in a webinar with the Marlborough wine industry to address industry questions. First, he emphasised the importance of stopping the spread of Covid-19. Here are some of his words: We’re in a very privileged position in the grape and wine industry, that we have been designated as essential businesses. With that privilege comes a huge responsibility. In running a business in this new environment, our first responsibility is going to be exactly the same as the Government’s goal - our first responsibility is to stop the spread of the virus. Another way of helping think about that is to assume for a moment that every single person in your business and every other contractor and business you are dealing with has the virus… then think, ‘what can I do to stop the spread of the virus coming into my business, between people coming in and going out?’ The virus isn’t going to change its behaviour, so the industry as operators need to change our behaviours so we don’t spread the virus. What does that mean? What that means is that every business needs to look at every process and every activity and ensure that it is organised in such a way that that activity does not spread the virus, and that the workers’ health and safety is protected. If you have an activity that you cannot modify or change to stop the
4 / Winepress April 2020
“In Marlborough there is heightened risk and heightened sensitivity.”
spread of the virus, then that activity must cease. If it is so important to your business that it would cause you to stop your business, then the response from Government will be very simple - ‘so be it’. We are in a very privileged position and we need to be very, very respectful of the privilege the Government has given our industry. We need to understand that there are other businesses that do not have this privilege. We need to be respectful and mindful of those other businesses and think about how they are feeling. In Marlborough it is perhaps more critical than anywhere else in the county. The wine industry is a dominant economic force in Marlborough and there is great responsibility on the industry to be seen to be doing the right thing - and the right thing is stopping the spread of the virus. In Marlborough there is heightened risk and heightened sensitivity. As an industry we are all in this together. An individual business - if it is not compliant - can not only expect to be shut down by the authorities, it may cause the rest of the industry to be shut down. There is a huge responsibility on every single business in the industry to make sure we are compliant; to make sure we do not spread the virus. If you cannot do that then you have to stop operating right now. For updated information on Covid-19 and the wine industry, check the Covid-19 pages on the nzwine.com site. It has information on the Government’s business support packages, the current situation, practical advice for vineyards and wineries, and Q&As, with information updated as it becomes available
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Covid-19 Timeline • February 19 - ProWein in Düsseldorf postponed • Late February – Harvest begins for some Marlborough sparkling producers • March 13 - Framingham Harvest concert cancelled • March 19 - New Zealand’s borders closed to everyone in the world except for New Zealand citizens and residents • March 21- Alert Level 2 in place • March 23- Alert Level 3 in place • March 23 - Ministry for Primary Industries recognises grape and wine industry - and all parts of the supply chain - as essential businesses, contingent on very strict criteria being met • March 25 - State of National Emergency declared to fight Covid-19 • March 25 – Alert Level 4 from 11:59pm • March 27 – Safe Harvest hotline established by New Zealand Winegrowers (09) 306 5649 • April 3 – Wine Marlborough sends pruning update to members.
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216 Bedford Road, Renwick, Marlborough High Quality Grape Production In a location well known for producing premium wine grapes, this appealing 12 hectare property features Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, eagerly sought by several prominent wine companies. Grape supply arrangements can be terminated after vintage 2020 but current companies are keen to continue. Clever use of windows, skylights and glass in the attractive four bedroom, three bathroom home produces a warm, light and airy atmosphere throughout while providing stunning views over the stream fed pond to the Richmond Ranges. A large 18m x 7.5m lockable shed with a 4.8m stud and a 16m x 6m shed provide plenty of workshop space and storage for plant and equipment. This is an extremely attractive proposition for anyone looking to secure a source of good quality grapes and an enviable lifestyle.
Land: 12 ha DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY Deadline Sale Date To Be Advised VIEW: nzsothebysrealty.com/MAR10398 TIM CRAWFORD: M +64 21 704 833 tim.crawford@nzsir.com MICHAL WELLS: M +64 21 420 428 michal.wells@nzsir.com
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Winepress April 2020 / 5
MET REPORT Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – March 2020 March March 2020 March 2020 compared to LTA LTA GDD’s for: Month - Max/Min1 170.6 86% 199.3 Month – Mean2 171.2 88% 195.6 Growing Degree Days Total Jul 19 - Mar 20 – Max/Min 1275.3 103% 1232.3 Jul 19 - Mar 20 – Mean 1303.0 103% 1260.7 Mean Maximum (°C) 21.4 -0.1°C 21.5 Mean Minimum (°C) 9.6 -1.0°C 10.6 Mean Temp (°C) 15.5 -0.6°C 16.1 Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 0 - 0.18 Air Frosts (0.0°C) 0 Equal 0.0 Sunshine hours 234.0 102% 230.4 Sunshine hours – lowest 146.7 Sunshine hours – highest 281.0 Sunshine hours total – 2020 788.5 109% 723.3 Rainfall ( mm) 11.2 27% 41.5 Rainfall (mm) – lowest 2.8 Rainfall (mm) – highest 118.0 Rainfall total (mm) – 2020 20.0 15% 133.7 Evapotranspiration – mm 104.2 105% 99.5 Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 200.7 83% 242.4 Mean soil temp – 10cm 15.0 -0.6°C 15.6 Mean soil temp – 30cm 18.3 = 18.3
Period of LTA
March 2019
(1996-2019) (1996-2019)
235.7 231.6
(1996-2019) (1996-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) 1980 1969 (1986-2019) (1986-2019) 1969 1979 (1986-2019) (1996-2019) (1996-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019)
1401.8 1433.0 22.6 12.6 17.6 0 0 225.7
820.5 94.6
106.4 94.5 197.5 17.2 19.2 1
GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures 2GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures Table 2: Weekly temperatures, rainfall and sunshine during March 2020 Mean Max Mean Min Mean Rainfall Sunshine (°C) (°C) (°C) (mm) (hours) 1st - 7th 22.3 (+0.8) 10.2 (-0.4) 16.2 (+0.1) 0.4 47.7 8th - 14th 22.0 (+0.5) 11.0 (+0.4) 16.5 (+0.4) 0.2 60.5 15th - 21st 22.2 (+0.7) 8.1 (-2.5) 15.2 (-0.8) 1.2 62.7 22nd - 28th 20.6 (-0.9) 8.6 (-2.0) 14.6 (-1.4) 7.2 55.2 29th – 31st 17.8 (-2.7) 9.6 (-1.0) 13.7 (-2.4) 2.2 7.9 1 – 31 March 21.4 (-0.1) 9.6 (-1.0°C) 15.5 (-0.6°C) 11.2 27% 234.0 102% LTA 1986-2019 21.5 10.6 16.1 41.5 230.4 Temperature Blenheim’s mean temperature of 15.5°C in March was 0.6°C below the longterm average (LTA). This was the coolest March since 2014. The average daily maximum of 21.4°C was 0.1°C below the LTA. The average daily minimum of 6 / Winepress April 2020
9.6°C was 1.0°C below the LTA. It was largely the cool overnight minimum temperatures throughout March that dragged the mean temperature down. No frosts were recorded during March. The coldest minimum air temperature of 3.3°C was recorded on 18 March and the coldest grass minimum of 1.0°C was recorded on 24 March. The hottest day was 2 March with a maximum temperature of 27.0°C. Sunshine 234 hours sunshine were recorded in March, slightly higher than the LTA. Total sunshine for the first three months of 2020 was 788.5 hours, 109% of the LTA. Whakatane is currently the sunniest town in New Zealand to the end of March 2020. Blenheim is languishing in fourth place 121 hours behind Whakatane. New Plymouth is in second place and Richmond in third place. Rainfall Blenheim received 11.2 mm rain in March, 27% of the LTA. Of the 11.2 mm rain, 9.2 mm fell over the final six days of the month. Total rainfall of 20.0 mm for January to March 2020 (Table 3) is the third lowest total on record for these three months over the 91 years 1930 to 2020. The lowest total of 9.7 mm was recorded in 1939. Second lowest was 2001 with 19.6mm. In stark contrast January to March 2018 recorded 315.4 mm rain, the highest total on record. The low rainfall period began on 21 December 2019, following high rainfall in the first three weeks of December. No rain was recorded in Blenheim from 21 to 31 December. Total rainfall in Blenheim for the 102 days from 21 December 2019 to 31 March 2020 was 20.0 mm. This is the lowest rainfall
Table 3: Monthly rainfall totals: January to March Long-term Average 1939 mm 2001 mm 2018 mm 2019 mm 2020 mm January 44.5 1.5 2.2 80.4 3.8 0.2 February 47.7 1.8 5.6 181.4 8.0 8.6 March 41.5 6.4 11.8 53.6 94.6 11.2 Total 133.7 9.7 19.6 315.4 106.4 20.0 % of LTA 7% 14.7% 236% 80% 15% Lowest 2nd Lowest highest 3rd Lowest total for Blenheim over any 102 day period on record. Table 4 displays the monthly rainfall totals from January to March 2020 across nine of Plant & Food Research’s weather stations in Marlborough. The Blenheim weather station had the lowest rainfall total over the three months, as is normally the case. The stations further inland in the Wairau and Awatere valleys generally record higher rainfall totals than the stations closer to the coast, although the Rarangi station about 1 km from the coast normally records higher rainfall than Blenheim. Minister of Agriculture Damian O’Connor declared a drought for the entire North Island and parts of the South Island (Tasman, Marlborough, Kaikoura, North Canterbury and the Chatham Islands) on 12 March 2020. Although the days have cooled in late March and evapotranspiration has been much lower than in January and February, the drought is still continuing in Marlborough. Blenheim recorded a rainfall deficit of 113.7 mm for the 3-months January to March compared to the long-term average. Marlborough’s
Table 4: Monthly and total rainfall January to March 2020 for a range of Marlborough vineyard weather stations Location Blenheim Seaview Awatere Brancott Central Rapaura Lower Waihopai Valley Top end Marama Rd Awatere Valley Rarangi Upper Rapaura Upper Wairau Valley
Jan Feb Mar Total 0.2 8.6 10.8 19.6 5.0 12.4 9.6 27.0 1.3 16.0 13.2 30.5 2.6 11.4 16.8 30.8 2.8 11.6 22.3 36.7 11.8 11.4 21.4 44.6 2.4 16.7 31.1 50.2 1.7 18.9 30.0 50.6 12.4 16.0 36.9 65.3
dryland pastoral farmers depend on autumn rainfall in order to be able to produce sufficient grass growth for stock prior to grass growth slowing right down over winter with cooler soil temperatures. Marlborough needs a substantial amount of rain during April to break the drought. However, that being said, we also need to be prepared for the possibility that the drought could continue over autumn and
Figure 1: Seasonal water balance for Blenheim: difference between 3-month totals of rainfall and potential evapotranspiration
Winepress April 2020 / 7
into winter. The drought of 2000/2001 began in November 2000 and did not break until 16 June 2001. Over the seven and a half months from 1 November 2000 to 15 June 2001 (227 days) only 106.4 mm was recorded; 28% of the LTA of 373.5 mm. The seasonal water balance (Figure 1) is the difference between the 3-monthly totals of rainfall and evapotranspiration. In mid-November 2019 the water balance was close to average. By mid-December 2019 the water balance had fallen well below average. 58.2 mm rain from 15 to 20 December 2019 brought the deficit back up closer to average. The water balance line fell sharply during February 2020. However, at the beginning of March 2020, although the seasonal water balance was well below average it was still higher than at the same point in March 2017 and 2019. The graph highlights how far below average the water balance lines were in February and March 2017, 2019 and 2020. It was not until mid-March 2020 that the 2019/20 water balance line dropped well below the 2017 and 2019 lines. It was at this point in mid-March 2020 when the three month rainfall total was only 10 mm. On 19 March 2020 the 3-month water balance was -392.8 mm; 162.4 mm lower than average. The rise in the 2019/20 line at the end of March 2020 was partly due to some rainfall and partly due to lower than average evapotranspiration. Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre
Spy Valley harvest, 2020
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Boundary lines are indicative only
The vineyards, including a total landholding of approximately 46.64 hectares (38.32 hectares planted) across three titles within the Gimblett Gravels area. The award-winning wines are produced from the fruit of the three standalone vineyards. All parcels are offered in one line or individually. With flexibility key to the shareholders’ ongoing commitment to the investment made in the brand and ultra premium wines, the vineyards are offered with the added option of long-term fruit supply contracts of up to 95 tonnes. Land Area
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Spy Valley harvest, 2020
Pruning Update A letter from Wine Marlborough Dear Member As harvest continues in Marlborough, grape growers minds will be turning to thoughts of winter pruning. New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) and Wine Marlborough, along with the Marlborough RSE employers, have been working closely together to give you the best information as soon as we can. Because labour supply will be tight, the Bragato Research Institute will be releasing a range of materials about different vineyard management and pruning options you will need to consider for this winter, and what the research says about those options. There are many moving parts that will affect the Marlborough labour supply for this winter, due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19, and we do not have all the answers yet. However, there are a few things we want to let you know now. • There is going to be a shortfall in the number of RSE workers available this winter. We do not know the exact gap yet. • NZW is managing the relationship with key government agencies and asking government to promptly provide flexibility around arrangements for RSE workers – whether that be summer RSE workers staying in New Zealand, or RSE workers moving between regions. NZW are also seeking confirmation that existing joint RSE arrangements will continue. • NZW is also seeking flexibility for vintage workers on AIP or Essential Skills visas who may wish to stay on for pruning, and to allow tourists/backpackers to work (either on new or extended working holiday visas, or otherwise). 10 / Winepress April 2020
• NZW has also asked the Ministry of Social Development what assistance the government could provide, for example to support the training of untrained New Zealanders who have been displaced from work. The answers to the above questions and further efforts to establish and verify the gap in the winter workforce will help us determine the available supply of workers this winter. You can help reduce that gap by utilising more local staff than you normally may. The COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions affect what work can be done by “essential businesses”. NZW has released an updated Q&A for operating as an Essential Businesses document, (nzwine.com/en/covid19/practicaladvice-for-vineyards-and-wineries/) which includes more detail about what work can and can’t be done by essential businesses during Alert Level 4, and on observing the 2m rule. Key points to note include: • A vineyard may reasonably conclude that, in the circumstances, it is essential to start pruning before Alert Level 4 finishes. If you reach that conclusion it will be important you have made notes on your decision making, in case you are challenged later. • Remember the rules of social distancing still apply as workers travel to your workplace and the 2m rule will need to be strictly observed at all times by everyone on your property. • If you still haven’t registered as an essential business, and decide that you need to start pruning during the Alert Level 4 period, you should register now. If you still haven’t registered as an essential business, and decide that you need to start pruning during the Alert Level 4 period, you should do so. Guidance and links to register are here (or at mpi.govt.nz/covid-19-essential-primary-sector-serviceregistration/) However, it is essential that all parties get their systems and procedures in place to keep their workers safe and meet MPI requirements before commencing any pruning work. We therefore recommend allowing time to finish the grape harvest and for the grape vines to shut-down post harvest before pruning could begin after Easter on a schedule that suits you and your contractor.
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These are unprecedented times and for the Marlborough vineyard to be pruned effectively this winter we will need to be flexible in our approach and work collaboratively as a Marlborough wine industry, and also with the Marlborough RSE employers and vineyard contractors and Government agencies, to achieve this. We will be updating you all again soon, in the first instance with information from the Bragato Research Institute. We are available to you. Please talk to or email
Wine Marlborough hits the home work Sarah Linklater had been at her Wine Marlborough desk for just seven weeks when the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 saw her pack it up again. Now the organisation’s new marketing and communications manager is working flat tack from home with her two young children, ensuring Marlborough members have all the information they need through this complicated period. “It’s an incredibly unique and challenging situation for everyone, but it’s great to work with a passionate and dedicated team and to see what their true colours are,” she says. Sarah’s first week at Wine Marlborough was the lead-up to the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival and she was impressed to see how the team handled that “pressure test”. In Covid-19 there is the same “keenness and commitment” within the Wine
Vance Kerslake (advocacy@winemarlborough.nz) advocacy manager at Wine Marlborough, who will be coordinating the Marlborough winter pruning response. Thank you. Wine Marlborough & New Zealand Winegrowers Wine Marlborough sent this letter to members on April 3, 2020. To sign up to the Wine Marlborough e-newsletter - a source of valuable updates please email: sarah@winemarlborough.nz Marlborough team and Marlborough Winegrowers’ board, she says. “We are all in this together, that is very clear.” Sarah and her husband Callum are involved in the wine industry through their family business Windrush Vineyards, so have a panoramic view of the impact of the shutdown, from harvest to communications. At the very start of the response, it was agreed Wine Marlborough would take a support role to New Zealand Winegrowers, to ensure communications are clear and consistent, while being available to Marlborough members. “There is a lot I have learned and a lot to make sense of at the end of this challenging period, but I’m looking forward to using this experience to be able to deliver more for you, our members in the future,” Sarah says. “This will make us all stronger and hopefully show how collaborative we can be in times of challenge.”
Wellbeing Companies need to look out for the mental wellbeing of their workers in the stressful Covid-19 period, says Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens. The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand has a free call or text number - 1737 - with trained counsellors available to speak in confidence. The Rural Support Trust (ruralsupport.org.nz) can be contacted on 0800 787 254.
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Covid-19 Harvest-20 A vintage like no other SOPHIE PREECE
MARLBOROUGH WINE companies have battened down the hatches to get through harvest, as Covid-19 shuts down the country. On March 23, wine operations were categorised as essential businesses, allowed to operate through the Government’s Level 3 and 4 Alerts, contingent on strict criteria being met. Companies that had not already done so sent many employees home, and instigated rigorous measures in vineyards, transport, accommodation and winery, says Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens. “We’ve been really impressed at how seriously people are taking it. There has been a been huge adoption of new ways and rapid change.” On March 25, hours before Alert Level 4 came into action, Framingham viticulturist James Bowskill said the company had split into shifts, with no contact in accommodation or at work. That was combined with “really rigorous” hygiene measures in all areas and scrupulous record-keeping of people’s movements to and from work. “We are trying to be as transparent and open with interns as we can. To keep them in the loop and emphasise how
12 / Winepress April 2020
Spy Valley’s morning meeting has moved outside, ensuring good physical distancing. Photo taken before Alert Level 4
serious it is, and how important it is to do all we can and keep everybody safe,” said James. Framingham’s vintage team is from overseas, so the company is supplying accommodation through the shutdown. “They were in flats around town and as of tonight they will be in accommodation close to the winery,” he said. James said machine harvest was relatively easy to do within the stringent Covid-19 rules, including a minimum separation of 2 metres between people. Handpicking is a different story, but he planned for pickers to exceed the 2m isolation gap, and to communicate more by phone, while ensuring gloves, masks and other personal protective gear is in place. “We are really trying to get it as close to perfect as we can, and we are willing to accept that it will make harvesting harder.” James’ own young family are in different accommodation from him over the harvest and lockdown period. He said Framingham’s crew recognise how fortunate they are. “That’s why we are really trying to do everything we can to keep everyone as safe as possible. We are not taking it for
granted at all.” Rose Family Estate has moved most of its winemakers and vintage crew into hotels or cottages for the duration of harvest. Anyone previously sharing accommodation with a worker or workers from other wine companies is now in isolated accommodation, and so are any staff who were cohabiting with people who could be vulnerable to Covid-19. “We went to the next level and removed them as well,” said chief executive Lindsay Parkinson on March 28. “What that has meant is they are a bit closer to the winery, and we have more control over them.” The company is doing all supermarket shopping for the crew, and vintage meals are being managed by Tane Malcolm, chef at Wairau River’s restaurant, which is closed. Operations in the winery have been adapted to meet government criteria, with the already stringent requirements of the company’s British Retail Consortium (BRC) certification “ramped up another few notches”, to protect the staff and stop the spread of Covid-19., said Lindsay. It had been an “unsettling” start to harvest, with many unknowns,
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Photos from the Cloudy Bay harvest, taken before Alert Level 4. Photos Richard Briggs
Winepress April 2020 / 13
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and he was looking forward to the crew getting into the new routine, and “pushing through for the next couple of weeks”. The changes include having an extra full time cleaner at the winery, so that whenever there are staff in the winery there is a cleaner disinfecting surfaces. They are also assessing how they manage visiting contractors, such as electricians doing critical work, having visited other wineries. He hopes Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) inspectors will visit all wineries in Marlborough, so the industry can ensure everything that can be done, is being done. “You want to know you are doing the right thing for your employees, your own family and the country.” Lindsay is questioning what will happen to the vintage workers after the harvest finished. Generally at the end of harvest there is a period of “little things” to be done, which are not essential and may not be allowed for under the lockdown. “That’s something we need to start thinking about - as to how to look after them in that period. We are a small enough team and they become part of our family.” Online wine sales prior to the lockdown were strong as people stockpiled, and he expected another surge as people reached the bottom of those cases. There have also been “very good sales” in the retail environment in Australia, the UK and America. “We have already seen some urgent requests for stock to get moved through to export markets,” he said. However, there will be further pain down the road. “At the moment there’s a honeymoon period where it’s all new, but I’m sure it will be a tough time ahead.” The company is not promoting itself online, and is being very careful with social media posts, given the privilege of being able to operate. “We are bloody lucky,” he said, comparing New Zealand’s situation to South Africa, which initially had its harvest shut down, although that decision was subsequently overturned, allowing them to continue.
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Fruit quality is looking good and, weather willing, harvest would be completed in two weeks, he said. “Hopefully the weather plays its part in the next few weeks as well. We’ve had a lot to deal with and we don’t need bad weather as well.” That said, Covid-19 makes a few rainstorms “look like a walk in the park”, he added. “I have had easier weeks in the wine business, but I believe we are doing the right thing.” Villa Maria has created motorhome villages on site at its Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay wineries, with 75 motorhomes in Marlborough alone. Villa Maria’s global public relations and communications manager Sarah Szegota said that ensures a secure base for any of the team unable to assure the company that they could effectively self-isolate at home. “In a number of cases, some of our staff have chosen to live on site regardless.” Comfort and hygiene are “non-negotiables”, with each motorhome connected to electricity and plumbing, said Sarah. The company recognises its “incredibly privileged position”, in being allowed to continue to operate under Covid-19 Alert Level 4, albeit under very strict guidelines, she added. “We are being exceptionally careful to minimise the risk of our operations spreading the virus over the period of the lockdown.” On March 24, Spy Valley managing director Amanda Johnson said 98% of the company’s administration, sales and marketing, and operations staff were now working from home, bottling had ceased for vintage, and the company had been practicing enhanced hygiene and physical distancing for at least 10 days. They all recognised the “huge privilege and responsibility they carry for the staff and community to act with the utmost duty of care to stop the spread”, she said. The cellar door closed on Monday, March 16 and the site is now closed to all but essential visitors, who must sign in and follow strict protocols. Spy Valley is also practicing contact
tracing, “in case it is needed”, including daily diaries, she said. The focus has been on looking after the health and well-being of Spy staff, she explained. With that in mind, a staff Whatsapp group has been designated for humour only, including a daily quizz, “which is bringing some light relief and keeping us all connected, she said. “I have been overwhelmed with the resilience and commitment from our team coming together to support each other.” By March 27, the push for social connection from self-isolation had ramped up to Friday drinks via Zoom for the team working from home. “It was fun to have a laugh with the team in these challenging times.” On the plus side, harvest is looking “so good”, with grapes in “perfect condition”, Amanda said. “It would be a big celebration in normal circumstances, now it’s just heads down and managing for a healthy and sustainable outcome for the whole community.” Marcus says it had been extraordinary to see the industry adapt so swiftly and so well to a harvest unlike anything anyone had imagined, and end up with fruit where it’s meant to be. “You take the most pressurised time of year for a wine company and then totally upheave it, throw it around and make it land back together in the same order. It’s incredible, really.”
Villa Maria’s motorhome village in Marlborough
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Photos of a Hortus team helping with the Windrush harvest, taken before Alert Level 4. Photos by Richard Briggs
Winepress April 2020 / 15
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Vintage Vibes A home harvest for Astrolabe Arabella Waghorn picking at Astrolabe Farm Vineyard Photos by Finn Scott-Kelly
SOPHIE PREECE
HARVESTING ASTROLABE Farm Vineyard was a case of staying in the bubble for the Waghorn family, who handpicked the block adjoining their home. “It’ll essentially be the family from here on in,” said owner and winemaker Simon Waghorn on March 25, hours before the Alert Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown. The rest of the office team were already working at home, with the company supplying laptops to anyone without one, and Simon was the only person spending time at the company’s Rapaura Rd base. Astrolabe is relying on “another bubble” for the harvesting of other blocks, and Simon is visiting the contract winery at allocated times. There, he can taste ferments in the lab, with samples labelled and left for him in little flask bottles, then go around and smell the ferments in isolation. “All my winemaker instructions will then be done remotely, with scanned emails and things like that,” he said. “In this kind of world the technology is brilliant.” Being a small wine company makes the complications of Covid-19 less tangled, he added. “It’s a lot easier to get the message through - not 16 / Winepress April 2020
having to herd as many cats.” However, it is still causing “major anxiety” for all production facilities and harvesting gangs. “Everyone is hell-bent on making sure no one gets sick, but we also don’t want to be closed down because of bad protocols.” Simon said everyone he is speaking to is “100% committed” to doing the right thing. “It’s amazing how well the message has caught on.” Meanwhile, the fruit is looking excellent, he said. There had been plenty of water in the early season and vineyards had “coped pretty well” with the prolonged dry period that followed. The subsequent fruit was “very, very clean - probably the cleanest it’s ever been, with good sugar and flavour coming up.” Acid levels were quite high and crop levels very good across all varieties, Simon noted. Powdery mildew had put pressure on the region, with a “real battle” to get through that, but there had been no winemaking issues, he said. “We have very healthy fruit that could survive a tropical cyclone at this stage.” Speaking five days later, following three days of rain, he said vineyards were still in good condition, with the rain relatively light and cool, and followed by breezy
conditions, allowing fruit to dry off. “Personally it will be one of our better seasons,” he said. “The only flies in the ointment are market conditions and the virus, and what it might do to harvest logistics and everything else. Those are major anxieties, but one thing we don’t have to worry about is the quality of what is on the vine.”
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Heads & Tails Distilling the essentials SOPHIE PREECE
IN A world struggling to make heads or tails of Covid-19, a Marlborough distillery is making both. Ben Leggett and Simon Kelly have moved the Elemental gin distillery into hand sanitiser production, redirecting the ethanol previously used for their Roots Dry Gin into Heads & Tails sanitiser instead. Ben has already created 500 litres of the product - named for the cuts made when distilling gin - and will direct all of it to Marlborough public health and emergency services, as well as wineries in the middle of harvest. The demand from the public has also been intense, but he says Elemental had to prioritise. “The public has soap and quarantine; services often have neither.” More than half of the initial batch was made according to a World Health Organisation recipe, with 80% alcohol, some glycerol and a small amount of hydrogen peroxide. But, with the additional ingredients now in short supply, the remaining 220l are made up of 80% ethanol. The systems and safety protocols necessary for Ben’s gin production - which uses ethanol from Fonterra, created as a by-product of whey - made it “a no-brainer” to make sanitiser during the Covid-19 crisis, he says. But getting the necessary cosmetics certification, as well as ingredients, labelling and packaging, is a different story. Distillers can no longer source ethanol for gin, but also struggle to get hold of it for sanitiser, such is the demand, he says. The production so far is from the
Ben Leggett with his latest product
"The production so far is from the heads and tails off his gin production, which when combined is around 80% alcohol and “gin scented”.
with his certification, Ben will be able to produce and sell Heads & Tails for a reasonable rate, thanks to the Government’s decision to drop excise tax for those making sanitiser. He says demand has been huge since he and Simon posted their plans to social media, with emergency and health service providers clamouring for sanitiser, as well as members of the public. He had 800 30ml bottles ordered at the time of writing and hopes to be able to meet some of the public demand when that packaging, along with more ethanol, becomes available. But the best advice is to stay home, he says. “And remember, sanitiser is still no substitute for a 20-second solid hand wash with soap.”
heads and tails off his gin production, which when combined is around 80% alcohol and gin scented. “I’m using all of the stocks I have of that, including any leftover gin.” Once his next delivery of ethanol arrives, along Winepress April 2020 / 17
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Leefield Station New Waihopai winery opens its presses TESSA NICHOLSON
A DEDICATED Pinot Noir cellar, tunnels appearing like works of art, a design that allows for massive expansion, and a 25-year-old winemaker at the helm. These are just some of the exciting aspects of Marlborough’s newest winery, which opened its presses in time for the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc vintage. Leefield Station Winery is a multi-million dollar facility that, when complete, will be able to process 20,000 tonnes of fruit. The majority of that will come off the property, which has 500 hectares of vines and another 250ha to be planted. Owner Brent Marris says there’s no ability to expand his Marisco Waihopai River Winery, which processed its first vintage in 2010. Leefield Station is therefore about futureproofing - both in terms of prospective expansion and climate change, he says. Up until this year, the Waihopai River Winery could take between 30 and 35 days to process all the company’s fruit, but once Leefield Station Winery is fully operational, the processing time will drop to around 16 days, providing more flexibility and control in tough times, Brent says. “That means we don’t have to take in any compromised fruit if we end up with cyclones or unexpected weather conditions.” There were groundbreaking designs at the Waihopai River Winery, but they’ve evolved further for Leefield Station, he says. In particular, the underground tunnels, which house all services, are more revolutionary, says winery general manager Matt Mitchell. “They are slightly wider because of the sheer size of the building, and effectively we have half as many tunnels for twice as many tanks.” He describes the design as “very skeletal as you look down. To me it is beautiful, like a work of art”. The tunnels free up the above cellars, keeping space clear, with all services 18 / Winepress April 2020
punching up into tanks and hidden beneath the skirt, unlike conventional winery designs. In total, 65% of the finished winery will be underground, including the barrel hall, with a dedicated, gravity fed Pinot Noir cellar above. This is a first for Marisco Vineyards, allowing the company to concentrate on small batch, high quality Pinot Noir. “That was a key driver for us,” says Matt. “We have gone for a design that will allow us to concentrate on very small, handcrafted batches, with all the top technology.” Brent was adamant the winery had to fit in with the iconic Leefield Station. “At the end of the day, I would like the property to still be a sheep and beef station enhanced by vineyards, not dominated by a winery. That was super important.” All soil excavated for the tunnels and barrel hall will be used to create artificial rolling hills around the winery, planted with natives. The corten steel roof, emulating the surrounding landscape with its earthy colours, disguises the winery until you arrive at the front door. Sustainability is a focus for Marisco Vineyards and solar panels on the roof provide power, while all winery waste (including effluent and marc) is reused on the station. Meanwhile, a 330 million litre dam supplies irrigation and winery water. With Leefield Station Winery’s first vintage now underway, the other striking feature is who is leading the charge. Brent’s daughter Emma Marris, just 25, is excited by the opportunity the new development offers for future vintages. “I could never have imagined this - to be so closely involved in the design, build and ongoing operation of a second innovative winery for Marisco. These are exciting times.”
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Plan Stand Sustainable future with Environment Plan SOPHIE PREECE
MARLBOROUGH’S NEW environment plan satisfies many of the requirements of the region’s wine industry, while protecting water, soil and landscape sustainability, says Steve Wilkes of Wilkes RM. Steve submitted on the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP) on behalf of Marlborough Winegrowers, and says it has changed little through the submission process, with “no substantial changes to the plan that we consider worth appealing”. The PMEP decision document
The PMEP, which was notified in 2016, changed the rules around the size and location of dams as a permitted activity.
was released in a ceremony at Omaka Marae in February, after two years’ work by the hearings panel, submitters and Marlborough District Council (MDC) staff. More than 1300 submissions were made on the plan, covering more than 17,000 individual submission points in support of, or in opposition to, the notified provisions. Among those were submissions from Marlborough Winegrowers, relating to surface and ground water allocations, frost fans, bird bangers, the reasonable use model for allocating water, and afforestation flow sensitive sites. There were also submissions from groups including Fish & Game, who sought to lower the minimum flows in many of Marlborough’s rivers, which would reduce the reliability of irrigation abstraction for primary producers, says Steve. However, none of the Fish & Game submissions regarding minimum flows were successful, and the new plan, which is open to appeals until May 8, 2020 (a date extended due to ramifications of Covid-19) contains surface and groundwater provisions largely the same as the notified proposed plan provisions, says Steve. The introduction of trigger levels for ground water abstraction, as required by the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management, also remained unchanged, he says. However, a timeframe of 2024 has been set for the MDC to implement a programme
of investigation in order to establish minimum flows and/or trigger levels for the Wairau Aquifer freshwater management unit (FMU). This will also include a review of the minimum levels already established for Wairau Aquifer Urban Springs FMU, Wairau Aquifer Central Springs FMU and Wairau Aquifer North Springs FMU. In last month’s Winepress, Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens said the PMEP decision was a relief, but should be considered “a wake-up call, not a victory”, with water scarcity an ongoing challenge due to the pressure of climate change and regulations. “Now is the time to invest in storage, and implement better conservation and efficient use of the resource,” he said. Steve says he came to the conclusion through the hearing process that the Hearings Panel “felt that generally the viticulture sector has been slow to appreciate the need for, and to plan for, water storage”. The PMEP, which was notified in 2016, changed the rules around the size and location of dams as a permitted activity, with 20,000 m3 dams permitted in the WAMP, subject to conditions, but the PMEP dropping that to 5000 m3. Those rules, as with all water related provisions, had immediate effect, and have not changed through the hearing process, says Steve. Rules around frost fans were unchanged from the original provisions, as were bird banger rules.
Steve Wilkes at the 330,000m3 Leefield dam
Winepress April 2020/ 19
CELEBRATE
Growers Unite Four decades of Winegrowers Association SOPHIE PREECE
ON APRIL 9, 1980, a group of Marlborough grape growers decided to join forces as they grappled with a budding new industry. That meeting, 40 years ago this month, resulted in the Marlborough Winegrowers Association, and changed the face of the country’s wine industry. Founding member Phil Rose says there were few growers back then, mostly harvesting Müller-Thurgau, “and we were all new to the game”. There were around eight Montana growers in town, he says. “Some of us had 20 hectares, some only had four.” Bill Walsh was inaugural chair and Phil vice chair of the association, which was incorporated in June that year. The first meeting, held in May 1980, covered spray regulations, grape prices and the risk of phylloxera, which John Marris spoke to, including a push for the restriction of movements of grape cuttings. According to the minutes, John emphasised the “vital importance” of the issue to Marlborough, noting that it would cost Montana, for whom he
20 / Winepress April 2020
worked, $15 million to change to grafted cuttings. Joe Corban then spoke to the inaugural meeting, giving insights into “facets of the wine industry of interest to the association”, and on the workings of the Wine Institute. By the second meeting in June, the opportunity for a Marlborough Wine Festival was raised by Hamish Young. Phil says that led to various scenarios trialled over several years, including one at Waterlea Racecourse and another that moved around wineries. “It was very much in its infancy in those days.” Phil, the founder of Wairau River Wines, was chairman when the association was faced with the feared incursion of phylloxera, an aphid that feeds on the roots of grapevines, and the board looked to isolate the properties impacted. Having a united body was incredibly important when it came to dealing with the incursion, and the association developed and
Phil and Chris Rose
implemented a strategy, he says. “At the end of the day the number one thing was to replant Marlborough in resistant rootstock... Those were interesting times.” The issue “shook” growers. “We didn’t ever think it would land on our doorstep as quickly as it did.” The association was a “whole different beast” to today’s organisation, says Phil. “In those early days it was them and us, with the Wine Institute representing the winemakers and the local associations - whether they be Auckland, Hawke’s Bay or Gisborne - representing the growers.” Marlborough growers had a unified front when the Grape Growers Council and Wine Institute formed the peak body New Zealand Winegrowers, he says. “We are now one, but at least we had our side half organised when it all came together.”
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MARLBOROUGH’S ORMOND Nurseries has bought Villa Maria’s Vineyard Plants in Hawke’s Bay, including Vine Test Lab. The sale takes effect from August 31, and Vineyard Plants will close after the vines grafted in 2019 are harvested, graded and despatched to clients. Vine Test Lab - one of only two laboratories in New Zealand focussed on testing grapevines for the presence of Grape Vine Leaf Roll 3 - will continue to operate in Hawke’s Bay for the 2020 testing season, and will be moved to Ormond Nurseries in Marlborough in time for the 2021 season. The sale involves all of the unique clonal material that Vineyard Plants owns, including Field Selections from the award winning Twyford Gravels and Graham vineyards, Chardonnay Montie - a Chardonnay selected from Montrachet in France - and three clones of Albarino, which recently arrived in New Zealand from UC Davis in the United States. Vineyard Plants was established in 1999 to meet the needs of Villa Maria’s developments, and those of its growers, says Villa Maria Chief Executive Justin Liddell. “After 20 years in the nursery industry we feel very comfortable to hand this on to Ormond Nurseries Ltd, for whom it is their core focus.” Ormond Nurseries, run by the Wickham family, was the first nursery to develop HISTEM Vines, and Villa is confident in sourcing its vines from the company going forward, says Justin. “Ormond Nurseries Ltd are world leaders in propagating top quality, grafted grape plants and have an excellent understanding of what it takes to grow quality vines from scratch.” Ormond Nurseries General Manager Marcus Wickham says there are many synergies between Vineyard Plants and Ormond Nurseries. “Not only are both companies family owned with loyal industry relationships, but they have been proven to be innovative and committed to the future of the industry with both being sponsors of the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition”.
www.woodshield.com.au info@woodshield.com.au Call John Mob. 027 249 7668
Winepress April 2020 / 21
EDUCATE
Forgotten Corners Marlborough’s fight to save the kārearea SOPHIE PREECE
CICADAS SING lustily in a Waihopai Valley vineyard, likely unaware of the threat about to take flight. For the past 30 days, a young pair of native New Zealand falcon (kārearea) have chafed at the confines of the hack box holding them, while watching the sky, vineyard and high, dry hills beyond its wired doors. Their appetite at this age - just 75 days old – will favour the easy to catch cicadas, says the Marlborough Falcon Trust’s falconer and aviculturist Diana Dobson, on the sunny February morning of their release. Diana and Lake Chalice brand manager Hannah Harnett open the doors and the kārearea shoot out, a high-pitched staccato call marking their “happiness”, says Diana. “She is saying, ‘hey I am out here; this is my territory’.” Within 20 seconds, they are out of sight, scoping the vines and hills they’ve watched for so long. It will be about five days before the birds return anywhere near the macrocarpa windbreak that holds the Lake Chalice hack box, as they eat cicadas and
Waste not want not
become acclimatised to their new environment, says Diana. “Right now, trust me, the last place they want to come back is to the hack box. They have been looking forward to getting out.” Their desire to fly and hunt is innate, with the chicks taken out of the trust’s aviary at 44 days and transferred to the hack box, where they were fed anonymously from a hole in the back. There’s been no parental guidance, but they know exactly what to do, Diana says. They also know a good thing when they see it, so about five days after their release, when their carer puts dead chicks on a feeding post, they’ll want a piece of it, she says. “If they are here they will definitely
come down and get it.” But sometimes they open the doors to the hack box and don’t see the birds again for years, if at all, says Marlborough Falcon Trust chair Andy Frost, beaming after the release. The trust has released 60 falcons over the past eight years and 10 birds this season, learning plenty along the way. “It’s always exciting when you open those doors and they fly out. You know you have done something right.” This is the first release from Lake Chalice’s vineyard, and marks a new sponsorship era for the Falcon Trust. Brancott has been the trust’s major sponsor since 2012, when the Falcons for Grapes project - which paired predator falcons with pest-bothered
Winery waste monitoring has started and if you’re unsure of your reporting requirements, the Council’s monitoring team can help. Contact Rachel Neal about our winery waste monitoring programme, whether you operate under the permitted activity standards or a resource consent. Rachel Neal Monitoring Programme Co-ordinator
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22 / Winepress April 2020
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vineyards - ended. With its demise, the Falcon Trust moved the remaining aviary birds to a new location on one of Brancott Estate’s blocks, and have since taken in several injured or sick falcons, and worked to rehabilitate birds for release where possible. If the birds are not able to go back to the wild they join the aviary’s resident population, and any offspring are then released to a site that offers sanctuary. Brancott has donated more than $670,000 to the trust over the past eight years, as well as in-kind assistance, and remains the major sponsor. But other companies are now able to help, including Lake Chalice, which is signed up to support the Falcon Release Programme. The sponsorship is a chance to work closely with the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust on the Kārearea Release Programme “to repopulate our native falcon back into the Marlborough wilderness”, says Hannah. “The kārearea is proudly displayed on every bottle of Lake Chalice wine.” Andy says habitats like that of Lake Chalice, and the neighbouring Babich vineyard, are perfect, with plenty to hunt amid the vines, diverse plantings for shelter, and a
backdrop of high country hills. To prepare for the release, Lake Chalice commissioned Marlborough Lines to insulate all the power lines on the property. Electrocution is just one of the perils facing kārearea, which are considered by the Department of Conservation to be ‘threatened - nationally vulnerable’, and number fewer than Kiwi. Cats are a risk too, as are people with guns, despite the fact that the birds are protected and it is illegal to shoot them, says Andy. That means advocacy is as important as the breeding and release programme, with the opportunity to educate people about kārearea and their place in New Zealand, he says. “We want school kids going home and saying ‘Dad, don’t shoot the falcons’.” He and Diana don’t know where many of the juveniles they’ve released are now, but get reports from people who have photographed them and seen the bands that identify them. They know of some breeding pairs, either within the released population, or of a released bird and its wild-born mate. “It’s been a really successful programme,” says Diana. www.mfct.org.nz
Diana Dobson and Hannah Harnett release the juvenile kārearea
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Winepress April 2020 / 23
CELEBRATE
Generation Y-ine David Foes’ passion for Pinot KAT DUGGAN
DESPITE CHOOSING a career in winemaking, David Foes never thought he would end up in Marlborough. “I was a bit of a naysayer about Blenheim, but I love it,” says the Marisco Vineyards winemaker, seven years after moving to the region. “I’m like the town crier - always telling people to come here.” After gaining a post-graduate diploma in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, David spent years working in Central Otago, alternating vintages with work in Burgundy and Oregon, as well as in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley. “I was chasing Pinot,” he says. “When I left uni and worked in Central Otago for those years, you sort of can’t help but fall in love with Pinot.” Marlborough “wasn’t high on the to-do list,” he says. “But eventually, after slaving away for four years in Central as a cellar hand, you realise there’s only probably half a dozen assistant winemaker jobs in the region and a lot of people are trying to vie for them.” David found himself in Marlborough, working for New Zealand Wineries, Yealands Estate, then Marisco Vineyards. “My career has really accelerated since I have been here,” he says. Since moving to the region, David has developed a passion for other wine varieties, including Marlborough’s iconic Sauvignon Blanc, but Chardonnay in particular. “There’s such a diverse range of wines here. I still have a huge passion for Pinot as well, but you sort of have to see a bigger picture when you move to Marlborough.” David’s father was an oil engineer, and the family lived in New Zealand, Singapore and Melbourne. “I actually grew up in Singapore so I’m a Kiwi, but not too Kiwi,” he says. “I’m from nowhere. I moved around my entire life and I didn’t think I would ever be in the same place for so long.” 24 / Winepress April 2020
“My career has really accelerated since I have been here.”
After college, David returned to study environmental management at Otago University, before a change of heart saw him graduate with a Bachelor of Science. During his studies, David worked in hospitality and spent many nights hosting wine tasting events. “I figured [environmental management] wasn’t my passion or what I wanted to do in life.” The Lincoln course confirmed David’s passion for wine, and his career as a cellar hand and later a winemaker began. He feels lucky to be working at Marisco Vineyards, a company with a strong connection to the region, he says. “It’s a growing company and there’s a lot of vision for the future; it’s a company that is ingrained in Marlborough history,” David says. “The winery is also fantastically built… It’s easily the best thought-out winery that I have ever worked in.” Living in Marlborough has also opened career opportunities for his wife Kirstin, a teacher. Two years ago they welcomed their daughter, Hadley, into their lives, and the pair now consider the region home, says David. “You wouldn’t think it with the pattern of my life - you would think we would be moving away. But now we are here to stay.”
David Foes
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Biosecurity Watch Greening Marlborough SOPHIE BADLAND
While this column is usually dedicated to biosecurity matters, this month’s focus is on a local biodiversity initiative. Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of living things present in an ecosystem. A healthy, sustainable ecosystem contains a community of many living things with numerous diverse interactions happening between them, in balance with each other and their environment. Much natural biodiversity is lost when land is cleared for vineyards. To help combat this, 2020 sees the launch of Greening Marlborough, a landscape-level planting programme, encouraging growers to plant more
“Research from Waipara has shown that visitors who walked a vineyard biodiversity trail found it enhanced their experience.”
native trees and plants in and around Marlborough’s vineyards. An initiative of the Marlborough Landscape Group, the Greening Marlborough project is supported by the Marlborough District Council (MDC), New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) and Wine Marlborough. How does it work? The MDC, via the Marlborough Landscape Group, are offering dollarfor-dollar funding for growers to purchase native plants to be planted in and around vineyards, to a maximum of $2,000. Growers take responsibility for watering and maintenance of the plants. You can apply online; there is an easy application form on the NZW website at nzwine.com/greenmb or at Wine Marlborough’s site on wine-marlborough.co.nz/greeningmarlborough/ What are the benefits to growers? When vineyards are planted, some of
Marlborough landscape group member Willie Crosse. Photo Jim Tannock
26 / Winepress April 2020
the land that is cleared doesn’t end up being planted in grapes. Areas such as riparian banks and margins, forgotten corners (unmanaged/unused areas), entrances and along driveways, and around vineyard outbuildings are all good spaces to encourage biodiversity in vineyards, and some species are suitable for undervine planting too. • Increasing biodiversity in vineyards by planting native species can have many benefits: • Native trees help to create corridors for native birdlife to move along and are associated with a range of beneficial insect species which can help to control vineyard pests. • If species that grow naturally on the site are chosen and well looked after initially, they will require only very basic maintenance once established, reducing labour input. • Plantings can create shade along the margins of streams and ponds, helping to slow weed growth and provide habitat for invertebrates.
GROW
• Native plantings can enhance the appeal of your site to tourists, visitors and staff, and if done well can set your site apart from others and give it a competitive advantage. Research from Waipara has shown that visitors who walked a vineyard biodiversity trail found it enhanced their experience. They felt more
connected to the winery and some were more likely to buy wine from the site afterwards. Sustainability, biosecurity and biodiversity NZW is fully supportive of Greening Marlborough and encourages members to take advantage of the initiative.
New biosecurity advisor appointed Jim Herdman has been appointed by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) as their new biosecurity advisor. Jim’s last role was with the Marlborough District Council as a senior biosecurity officer, where his work included managing the Chilean needle grass programme, particularly within the Awatere and Blind River areas. Along with other programmes, he worked within the wider biosecurity scene advocating for farm and vineyard biosecurity plans to be included in properties’ wider land management and environment plans. Jim was always impressed by the farmers, growers and landowners who were committed not only to looking after their own assets, but who also look after their neighbours’ interests by instigating good monitoring and pest/weed management programmes. Jim also managed other land-based and marine biosecurity programmes in the Marlborough region. Prior to working for the council, Jim travelled to Africa, Asia and Europe where he volunteered in many countries, taught in schools and worked on various conservation projects. He considers it a privilege to have had the opportunity to see so much of the world, to have met and worked with so different people and to have contributed in a small way to some very worthwhile projects. Between his overseas travels, Jim returned to his home in Renwick several times where he worked within the viticulture industry. Throughout his career, Jim has also maintained an interest in emergency management, and was a long serving member of the Renwick Volunteer Fire Brigade as well as a rural fire officer for the Department of Conservation (DOC) for many years. Jim has been deployed and seconded overseas six times, firefighting
Building biodiversity in Marlborough vineyards should help to make vineyard ecosystems more resilient, and eventually require less inputs, therefore becoming more sustainable and less susceptible to incursions of new pests and diseases.
in the United States and Australia. He has also had operational roles as sector manager in the responses to the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake and 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Jim has worked for the New Zealand Forest Service and DOC in land management and asset management roles. One of his main outputs in these roles was pest and weed management on site-based programmes. During this time, he was fortunate enough to be seconded to Rocky Mountain National Park for six months, where he observed destruction of the native forest due to the pine beetle’s ability to survive and multiply mainly due to climate change. These observations sparked his interest in longer term sustainability and good biosecurity practice. NZW is very pleased to have Jim on board and he is already making a great addition to the biosecurity team. Remember – if you see anything unusual in the vineyard, Catch it; Snap it; and Report it to the Biosecurity NZ hotline on 0800 80 99 66. You can also get in touch with the New Zealand Winegrowers biosecurity team by emailing biosecurity@nzwine.com, or calling Sophie (0277004142) or Jim (0276448010).
Jim Herdman, right, with Marlborough mayor John Leggett during the Kaikoura earthquake response.
IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL
CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT . Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 Winepress April 2020 / 27
EDUCATE
Industry News Greening Marlborough Applications remain open for people wanting to apply for funding from Greening Marlborough, a new initiative to boost biodiversity. Marlborough Landscape Group (MLG) coordinator Bev Doole says the initiative, which is supported by the Marlborough District Council and New Zealand Winegrowers, offers grants of up to $2,000 to help vineyard owners plant riparian strips, boundary lines and other unused or neglected areas. While plantings cannot happen during the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 period, planning for plantings can, she says. “It’s a great opportunity to focus on something positive.” Under the pilot programme, grape growers and wine companies can apply for dollar-fordollar grants to establish native plantings on spaces of any size or shape, and can access planting guides, including species that will thrive in a wetland, for example, or would work along a boundary. The Greening Marlborough application form and information sheet can be found at wine-marlborough.co.nz/greening-marlborough/. For more information, check out page 26.
that it’s a true reflection of the hard work, care and passion of the industry as a whole,” says Villa Maria global public relations and communications manager Sarah Szegota. She believes the documentary is a unique and powerful way to connect people from around the world with Villa Maria’s people and places, and help them better understand the hard work that goes into making wine in New Zealand. People she has spoken to have told her they will never look at a glass of wine in the same way, she says. “If the documentary engages consumers in such a way and allows them to spend an hour with our people and our places, it’s been a success.”
Seasonal Coordinator role disestablished
Grove Mill
Exploring Villa’s Vintage With Marlborough families confined at home, it’s the perfect time to learn a little more about a typical harvest. For a pre-Covid-19 view of Villa Maria’s operations, check out Vintage on threenow.co.nz. The documentary was made by American filmmaker Colin West, and puts key Villa Maria staff under the spotlight, including viticulture cadet Jessica Marston, on her first ever vintage, and Wine Marlborough board member Stuart Dudley (pictured), who is the company’s Marlborough regional viticulturist. The piece captures the vintage process, “peeking behind the curtain of the all-consuming harvest period”, says chief winemaker Nick Picone. “You’ll see the passion and hard work that goes into every bottle.” The filmmakers spent 40 days following the team from frosty early mornings to busy late nights, offering a frank perspective of the massive hours and many pressure points involved in any vintage, including the relatively benign 2019 harvest. “The power of it really is
28 / Winepress April 2020
A change to the typical sources of seasonal labour, and to the ways employers source workers, led Wine Marlborough to disestablish the Labour Co-ordinator position last month. General manager Marcus Pickens says fewer visitors to New Zealand are accessing the Working Holiday Visa Scheme, and the Work the Seasons website (worktheseasons.co.nz) provides a channel for employers to advertise directly to seasonal workers. “The macro labour environment, operating environments and labour governance requirements have all changed in the last few years.” He says it was a difficult decision, and acknowledged Nicolette Prendergast’s contribution to the organisation over the past six years. “We wish her all the best for the future". Rosé Workshop postponed The New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology (NZSVO) has announced the postponement of the Rosé Workshop, which was to be on in Marlborough in July. Organisers hope the event, which will include insights into market influence, viticulture and winemaking, as well as technical trials and tastings, will be able to be held in November instead.
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