Winepress August 2017 by Winepress Magazine

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 272 / AUGUST 2017

VINEYARD BENCHMARKING

RSE CONFERENCE

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

ORGANIC CONFERENCE

CANDIDATE Q&A

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this issue... REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

10 Benchmarking Report

Editorial

From the Board - Callum Linklater

Tasman Crop Met Report

Gen Y-ine - Anthony Walsh

Biosecurity Watch

Industry News

ANZ Wine Happenings

The average yield of 14 tonnes per hectare for 2017 was the third highest recorded for the Marlborough Viticulture Benchmarking model and only 7% down on the highest model yield of 15.1 tonnes recorded in 2016.

12 RSE Conference

Cover: Winter vines in the Awatere Valley. Photo by Jim Tannock

New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is a conversation changer for the global development community, says World Bank senior economist Manjula Luthria.

20 Candidate Questions

In a two month series leading up to New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general election on September 23, four Marlborough wine industry members pose questions for the Kaikoura Electorate candidates.

Winepress August 2017 / 1

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General Manager: Marcus Pickens 03 577 9299 marcus@wine-marlborough.co.nz Editor: Sophie Preece 027 308 4455 sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz Advertising: Harriet Wadworth 03 577 9299 harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz Wine Marlborough Board: Ben Ensor ben.lisa@clear.net.nz Callum Linklater callumandsarah@xtra.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Michael Wentworth michael.wentworth@yealands.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.co.nz Rhyan Wardman (Chair) rhyan@giesen.co.nz Samantha Wickham samantha@ormondnurseries.co.nz Simon Bishell (Deputy Chair) simon@caythorpe.nz Stuart Dudley stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd 03 578 1322

From the Editor A series of labour law infringements have cast a shadow over the reputation of Marlborough’s vineyard contractors in recent months, with negative headlines harming the entire industry. So it was a welcome relief to hear World Bank senior economist Manjula Luthria talk of the “triple win” delivered by New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme (RSE). Speaking at last month’s RSE Conference, which marked 10 years of the scheme, she called it a model for global guest worker programmes, delivering great outcomes for New Zealand industries, for the Pacific Island nations involved and for the seasonal workers themselves. RSE employer Aaron Jay says the speech reinforced to the Pacific Island representatives in the room that the people that come to New Zealand were participating in a scheme that is “well thought out, well audited and well managed”. He says Hortus was once about supporting his family, but “thousands of people now rely on this business.” Despite such glowing recommendations, the RSE conference also came with words of caution from speakers, including Minister of Immigration Michael Woodhouse, who noted that while many RSE employers might “represent the best of the best” in terms of industry standards and employment conditions, there was no doubt that some employers were letting the horticulture and viticulture industries down. “It is simply unacceptable that those employers who breach employment and/or immigration law are still able to recruit from the international labour market and disadvantage those employers who do the right thing.” The labour market is also one of the questions this month’s Winepress has posed to the four Kaikoura electorate candidates in next month’s general election. Members of the industry have devised the questions, which will continue in September edition. Meanwhile, the Marlborough Winegrowers Association election is also coming up, with two grape grower and one winery member sought for the board. Members will receive more information on this in due course, but for the basics, check out Industry News on page 26.

“Thousands of people now rely on this business.” Aaron Jay

SOPHIE PREECE

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.

Winepress August 2017 / 3

From the Board CALLUM LINKLATER

DURING THE final week of June, I attended the second biennial Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference held in Blenheim. The conference was well attended and I think anyone who was there would agree the content and delivery was exceptional. Special mention to the organising committee Bart Arnst, Clive Dougall, Fabiano Frangi, Logie McKenzie, Stephanie McIntyre and Rebecca Reider, who poured so much of their time into making this a successful event. The organic sector is often not taken seriously and seen as a bit of a gimmick by some industry players and governing bodies. But if we go back to the challenges of the 2017 vintage, I think its time for the greater industry to sit up and take notice of organic producers. My family has been toiling away with a biological approach for nearly 20 years and I am proud to call myself a second-generation organic producer. My parents (who were sheep and beef farming at the time) didn’t set out to be organic, but evolved that way. In a nutshell, it got to a point on the farm where they were spending more and more money on stuff that came in 20 litre containers to fix problems they never used to have. This didn’t make any sense, so they took a “back to basics” approach that led them down a path to becoming certified organic. Now that we grow grapes for a living, the same approach applies. My opinion is that we are very complacent as an industry from a growing point of view and the 2017 harvest was an example of that catching some growers out. The game has changed but a lot of growers haven’t adapted fast enough.

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For example, powdery mildew is not the disease it once was – it is much more aggressive now, but some are persisting with the same old approach. I haven’t heard of a single organic grower in Marlborough who had their fruit rejected by their wine company or even had to spend money on contract labour to cut out diseased fruit during the 2017 harvest. I am realistic enough to acknowledge that organics is not everyone’s cup of tea. But the point I am trying to make here is that

“There is a lot of new research and information being published frequently, but my feeling is that many are choosing to ignore it.” Callum Linklater sometimes a well-managed, back-tobasics, less-is-more approach, and a biological system, could pay off, as it did for a few in Marlborough during the 2017 harvest.

There is a lot of new research and information being published frequently, but my feeling is that many are choosing to ignore it. Last year New Zealand Winegrowers put on a Spray Days event that I personally found very helpful. But it wasn’t as well attended as it could’ve been. The new growing season is quickly approaching and if you had a difficult 2017 harvest, now is a good time to research a new approach or reach out for some advice. Don’t feel you are backed into a corner with nowhere to go. If you had a challenging 2017 harvest and felt “you did all you could” or “did everything right” you obviously didn’t, and need to start thinking outside the box. People often ask me, ‘how do you become organic? and I always say ‘there is no recipe. You need to figure out what works for you, but make sure it works.’ Listening to the speakers at the conference echoed my thoughts - there is more than one way to skin a cat, and it’s having successful outcomes that counts. As contract growers we have a responsibility to deliver the best quality fruit to our wine companies as possible. The approaching 2017/18 growing season is a new opportunity to perhaps skin the cat a different way and get a more successful outcome.

All Glass Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc glass SOPHIE PREECE

SIPPING MARLBOROUGH Sauvignon Blanc out of a glass specifically designed for the wine’s unique aromas gets Roscoe Johanson pretty excited. But imagining diners in New York, Tokyo and London doing the same thing is what Giesen’s global brand ambassador is really looking forward to. “The idea for us is that it gives a little bit of ownership to Marlborough and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and it’s another vehicle to get the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc name out around the globe.” Riedel and Wine Marlborough have been working together to find the perfect glass for the region’s Sauvignon Blanc style, to mark 20 years since Riedel’s very first Sauvignon Blanc glass was released. Wine Marlborough is now planning to bring in a shipment of the Veritas Sauvignon Blanc glass, with “Marlborough, New Zealand” branded on the base and packaging, on behalf of companies like Giesen.

Roscoe says the company will take the glasses into its export markets, give them as gifts and promotional Roscoe Johanson with the perfect Sauvignon Blanc glass items, have them for customer and involved a series of workshops distributor tasting events, and also with winemakers from 15 leading use them to support restaurants that Marlborough wineries, comparing list Giesen wines. “It also allows a glass shapes and attributes. The sommelier to tell the story when original Sauvignon Blanc glass had they see that glass at the table, with a great results in the workshops, but was Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc poured out performed by a couple of other in it.” glasses, and in particular by the Veritas. The glasses will also be sold Wine Marlborough need sufficient through the retail arm of Giesen’s pre-orders in order to proceed the cellar door, so wine visitors take away shipment, and they will be allocated on Marlborough wine and the perfect a first-in-first served basis. The trade glass to drink it from, consolidating price for Marlborough wine companies the impression of the region on their is approximately $12 per glass, with a palate. “I think it’s stunning,” Roscoe minimum order of 24 glasses. says of the glass. “It’s very elegant and For more information contact it really works with the aromas and Harriet Wadworth at harriet@winewith the wines I have tried in it.” marlborough.co.nz The process of finding a new glass for the region’s flagship variety

The MWGA election is coming. Part 1 (voting declaration changes) will be emailed soon from Wine Marlborough and Electionz (iro@electionz.com) This is your chance to change the ‘authorised voter/ elector for your company and is important if you wish to stand for the board

Winepress August 2017 / 5

Temperature and frosts

Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – July 2017 July July 2017 2017 compared to LTA GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ 4.4 45% GDD’s for month – Mean² 18.9 81% Mean Maximum (°C) 13.2 +0.1°C Mean Minimum (°C) 2.8 +0.2°C Mean Temp (°C) 8.0 +0.1°C Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 13 2.1 less Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 7 0.4 less Sunshine hours 157.0 98% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2017 1423.3 103% Rainfall (mm) 62.4 99% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2017 405.4 108% Evapotranspiration – mm 36.4 101% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 189.1 82% Mean 9am soil temp – 10cm 7.5 +2.7°C Mean 9am soil temp – 30cm 8.9 +1.8°C

July LTA 9.6 23.2 13.1 2. 7.9 15.1 7.4 159.8 119.6 230.8 1377.2 63.0 9.9 174.1 374.6 35.9 231.8 4.8 7.1

Period of LTA

July 2016

(1996-2016) 7.4 (1996-2016) 31.4 (1986-2016) 14.1 (1986-2016) 3.3 (1986-2016) 8.7 (1986-2016) 12 (1986-2016) 2 (1930-2016) 190.9 1996 1952 (1930-2016) 1514 (1930-2016) 34.8 2014 1998 (1930-2016) 357.5 (1996-2016) 50.3 (1996-2016) 285.4 (1986-2016) 5.9 (1986-2016) 8.3

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures 2GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures Table 2: Weekly air temperatures and frosts for Blenheim during July 2017 Total Total Mean Mean Ground Air Max Min Mean Diviation Frosts Frosts 1-7 July 12.3 3.4 7.8 -0.2 2 2 8-14 July 12.7 3.0 7.8 -0.2 3 0 15-21 July 14.0 2.4 8.2 +0.2 3 2 22-28 July 14.4 4.4 9.4 +1.4 2 0 29-31 July 12.2 -1.9 5.2 -2.8 3 3 1-31 July 13.2 2.8 8.0 +0.1 13 7 Long-term average 1986-2016 13.1 2.6 7.9 15.1 7.4

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The mean temperature for July 2017 of 8.0°C was 0.1°C above the longterm average. The first and second weeks of July were below average, whereas the third and fourth weeks were above average (Table 2). The final three days of July were the coldest days of the month, with very similar minimum air and ground temperatures on each of the three days. The morning of 31 July just pipped the 29th and 30th, to record the lowest minimum temperatures. These last three days of July all recorded minimum temperatures well below the coldest temperatures in July 2016. 29 July – Air minimum = -1.9°C with 8 hours below zero, Grass minimum = -6.5°C 30 July – Air minimum = -1.7°C with 10 hours below zero, Grass minimum = -5.2°C 31 July – Air minimum = -2.0°C with 7 hours below zero, Grass minimum = -6.8°C July 2017 recorded 13 ground frosts with an average temperature of -3.5°C and 7 air frosts with an average temperature of -1.2°C. July 2016 recorded 12 ground frosts with an average temperature of –2.9°C and 2 air frosts with an average temperature of -0.45°C. Sunshine Blenheim recorded 157 hours sunshine for July 2017; 98% of the long term average. Total sunshine hours for Blenheim from January to July 2017 were 1423.3; 103% of the long-term average. While the sunshine hours in July 2017 were close to average they

were considerably lower than in July in the previous four years (2013 to 2016), each of which recorded well above average sunshine. Blenheim was the sunniest town in July 2017. However, at the end of July Blenheim was sitting in third place for total sunshine hours for 2017. Whakatane is in first place 38 hours ahead of Blenheim and Richmond is in second place only 7 hours ahead of Blenheim. Rainfall Total rainfall of 62.4 mm in July was 99% of the long-term average. Blenheim escaped the high rainfall experienced in some other regions in New Zealand in July. Rainfall was recorded on 13 days during July. However, of the 62.4 mm received, 78% was recorded on only two days: 15.6 mm on 1 July (25%) and 33.0 mm on 20 July (53%). Total rainfall in Blenheim for the seven months January to July 2017 is 405.4 mm, 108% of the long-

term average. The previous four years (2013-2016) have all recorded well below average rainfall in July. It is worth noting how sheltered the central Wairau plains are from the high rainfall received in some other parts of Marlborough. The Marlborough District Council website summarises rainfall from 38 locations and the rainfall totals from these sites indicate the wide variation in rainfall that occurs in Marlborough; e.g. Rainfall totals for July 2017 and comparison with the Blenheim total: Molesworth 66.8 mm (107%), Waikawa 140.5 mm (225%), Branch River 145.5 mm (233%), Kenepuru Head 266.4 mm (427%), Rai Valley 325.4 mm (521%). http://hydro.marlborough.govt.nz/ environmental Soil Moisture Graphs of soil moisture for a vineyard in Rapaura have been included in Met Report on previous

occasions. Figure 1 displays the deep soil moisture (150-180 cm) at the Rapaura vineyard over the past four seasons. Soil moisture at this depth is an indicator of how well the soil moisture recharge is progressing over the winter months. This deep soil moisture doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally start increasing until May at the earliest (blue line 2014) and sometimes not until September (purple line 2015). It takes a lot of rainfall to fill the upper 150 cm of the soil profile before drainage filters down to the 150 to 180 cm depth. Even with 131 mm rain in April 2017 the deep soil moisture showed little increase. It is only in July 2017 that the deep soil moisture has increased from 20 to 25% (orange line). 379 mm of rain was recorded at this site between 1 April and 31 July 2017. However, the graph indicates that the deep soil moisture still has the capacity to increase by another 5%, in order to reach 30%, where it was

Figure 1: Soil moisture from 150 to 180 cms depth in a Rapaura vineyard with deep alluvial soil

Winepress August 2017 / 7

in late August 2013. In most seasons this deep soil moisture stays relatively high until mid-December and then steadily decreases through until April. The yellow line indicates that there was a short sharp increase in the deep soil moisture in mid-November 2016, in response to 90 mm rain recorded between 10 and 14 November. Without that large dump of rain in November, the 2016-17 soil moisture line is likely to have followed a course slightly below the 2015-16 line. Soil temperatures

in the level of soil moisture at certain times during July 2017. Wetter soil is able to store a lot more heat than dry soil. As previously detailed, July 2017 recorded nearly double the rainfall of July 2016. On 2 July after 16 mm rain the 10 cm soil temperature was 9.6°C and the topsoil (5-35 cm) was saturated at 42% moisture. With little further rain in the following two weeks the topsoil moisture dropped to 37% and the 10 cm soil temperature dropped to 5°C on 17 July. After 33 mm rain on 20 July the shallow soil moisture peaked at 46%,

which is well above field capacity, and the 10 cm soil temperature again rose to 9.5°C. By the end of July with little further rain and further heavy frosts the 10 cm soil temperature had again dropped to 5.1°C. So July 2017 saw a bit of a roller coaster of shallow soil temperatures. Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

I was somewhat surprised to see that the average soil temperatures at 10 and 30 cm depth for July (Table 1) were well above average and also well above what they were in July 2016. How is it possible to have much warmer than average soil temperatures when the air temperature and number of frosts were very close to average? The answer lies

Health Hub A talking point for health and safety SOPHIE PREECE

A MARLBOROUGH health and safety consultant is establishing a “health hub” for the region’s wine industry to share their workplace incidents anonymously. “The concept is that we learn from our mistakes,” says Glen Omvig of Fortify Ltd, who laments the “cone of silence” businesses pull down over health and safety events. “We need to be sharing our learning experiences.” As well as the email-based hub, which he hopes to have ready by the end of September, Glen is working towards a basic health and safety standard for tradespeople in the Marlborough wine industry. He says trades he works with have reported a huge variance in health and safety protocols from company to company,

8 / Winepress August 2017

and a “collective and cooperative” approach will create a safer industry with uniform standards. “If you talk to any of the contractors the message is pretty clear – the health and safety culture crosses the spectrum from not very good to good.” He is looking for feedback from contractors and companies – large and small - in order to develop standards around contractor management, agreed sets of guidelines for safety and the basics of site audits and feedback. Glen says the wine industry works

in compressed periods, with an influx of tradespeople at certain times, “so it is critical that the industry has its health and safety rock solid, because whenever there is pressure and time constraints, safety can be one of the first things that takes a hit”. For more information on the Health Hub or Trade Safety Guidelines contact Glen on glenzone@hotmail.com 0224107467

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The Benchmark Costs are up and profits down, but growers remain optimistic SOPHIE PREECE

PROFITS WERE well down in Marlborough vineyards this vintage, according to Marlborough’s 2017 Vineyard Benchmarking Report. The report, released by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), shows a profit before tax of $11,600 per hectare, which is a 22% drop on last year’s near record profit of $14,820 per ha. But while fortunes slumped against the previous year – due to a 7% drop in yields, a 3% drop in price per tonne, and a 3% increase in working expenses –profits were still 25% up on the 2012 to 2016 average. And the 2017 average yield of 14 tonnes per hectare was 12% higher than the five-year average. Fruition’s Greg Dryden, who runs the programme under contract to MPI and NZW, says the move in margins is related to yield caps relaxing over the past four years, leading growers to actively target larger crops. “With good fruit set conditions they know they can produce reasonably high yields and usually still achieve quality parameters.” However, that strategy can hurt in years like this, “when ripening conditions are challenging in the latter part of the season”, he says. Winery damage from the November 2016 Kaikoura earthquake caused logistical issues this vintage, and “untimely” rain events in April brought “significant harvesting challenges”, the report says. Main season and later Sauvignon Blanc blocks were generally harvested “on

10 / Winepress August 2017

condition” rather than target brix, and the average brix for the MPI’s Nick Dalgety and Fruition’s Greg Dryden and Jim Mercer model growers was 19.5, may be less crop thinning and canopy compared to 21.6 in 2017. Nonetheless, management next year if we get a winemakers expect some “excellent” 2017 wines, and particularly good Pinot different season.” *The Marlborough Vineyard Noir, the report states. Model seeks to typify an average The model average price was vineyard for the region, and is based $1830 per tonne ($1755 per tonne for on 30 producing hectares, using data Sauvignon Blanc), which is 3% down and interviews from 47 vineyards, on 2016 but 3% up on the five year including 10 in the Awatere Valley and average. Average contracted prices four that are Bio-Gro certified. were roughly the same, and the reduction was largely due to penalties 2018 Yield Predictions around quality, with seven of the 47 growers suffering penalty clauses of Sauvignon Blanc yields are likely between $100 and 300 per tonne, the to be near average in Marlborough report says. next year, according to a The price for 2018 is budgeted to prediction model for the variety. stay “about the same” as the $1930 However, Marlborough Plant & forecast (but not realised) for 2017, Food Research Senior Scientist leaving growers “cautiously optimistic” Dr Mike Trought says yields will about the future, with expectations be impacted by the quality of the of an average yield of 13.2 tonnes per wood that is being laid down. “If hectare. they are on the thin side because Expenses in 2017 were 19% higher of the high yields last year, it than the 2012-2016 average, due might be on the low side. On the to increased botrytis and powdery other hand, if there was really mildew control costs, and rising good vegetative growth, it could general labour costs, the report says. be on the high side. The quality of Expenses might “plateau” at this the wood retained is important.” level, says Greg. “I don’t think it will Bud burst also has the ability to go any higher and I don’t think it will confound the model’s findings. significantly decline. Extra powdery “We have had a cold winter which mildew sprays are with us and labour will encourage good budburst rates have increased over the past and probably encourage uniform few years, so they are solid. But there budburst as well.”

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RSE conference Learning from the past and planning for the future SOPHIE PREECE

LAST MONTH’S RSE Conference in Blenheim balanced speeches of celebration with words of caution, as speakers from New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and beyond marked ten years of the seasonal labour initiative. “The 10th anniversary provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate the success of the scheme, as well as focus on what is needed in order to sustain the scheme’s success into the future,” said Minister of Immigration Michael Woodhouse at the opening of the two day event. The scheme began in 2007, with around 65 RSE employers and a national cap of just 5,000, he said. “Today, there’s more than 130 RSE employers and the national cap has more than doubled to 10,500.” The scheme was now regarded as one of the best circular migration schemes in the world, “and without the dedication and willingness from employers to try something new back in 2007, we wouldn’t be here today celebrating its 10th anniversary”.

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The RSE scheme had led to Hortus RSE employee Judah Woyo. Photo by Jim Tannock better quality and more productive workers, as well as a more stable law are still able to recruit from the workforce for the horticulture and international labour market and viticulture industries. As a result, many disadvantage those employers who do businesses had been able to grow the right thing.” and expand. However, the industry In February of this year, the had to be mindful of the size and Government announced standmanagement of the scheme going down periods, so that employers who forward, he said. flout the law can be banned from While many RSE employers might recruiting further migrant workers for “represent the best of the best” in terms a time. Since then, only four of the of industry standards and employment 53 employers stood down have been conditions, there was no doubt that from the horticulture and viticulture some employers were letting the industries. horticulture and viticulture industries “That, combined with the results down, said Minister Woodhouse. of a recent joint agency operation That was particularly evident in undertaken by Immigration New Marlborough, with recent complaints Zealand, the Labour Inspectorate and made to the Labour Inspectorate about IRD, which found that the level of employers not meeting their minimum non-compliance that was uncovered employment standards obligations, was a considerable improvement on he said. “It is simply unacceptable past operations, tells me that we are that those employers who breach heading in the right direction as far as employment and/or immigration compliance goes,” the minister said.

RSE scheme a global game changer New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is a conversation changer for the global development community, says a senior economist at the World Bank. Washington based Manjula Luthria, who works on labour mobility issues, spoke glowingly of the scheme at last month’s RSE conference, saying it was a model that other countries could emulate. “You have really delivered a triple win - for the receiving communities, for the sending countries and for the migrants themselves. You should be very, very proud of doing that.” Immigration schemes around the world are mostly focussed on getting the “best and brightest” migrants, locking out those that most need them, she said. “With that backdrop, temporary mobility programmes offer the only hope, as the only politically palatable and feasible way for those who are less skilled to be able to access rich country developed markets, where prosperity is accessible.” However, guest worker programmes around the world seldom delivered on their potential promise of economic gains, she said. “So much so that there is reticence even around talking, leave alone adopting, guest worker programmes. But you have turned that around and I want to congratulate you.” Watching how the RSE had delivered some of the gains from mobility “to those to whom doors are traditionally locked” was a huge area of interest in the development community, she said. The ILO describes the RSE scheme as a model for other countries to follow for promoting safe and orderly mobility, representing rights of workers and the needs of employers, she reported. “It takes a lot for the ILO to say that.” Meanwhile, The World Bank described it as one of the most effective development programmes ever to be evaluated. “So I want to say thank you to New Zealand and the Pacific, all the stakeholders – governments, private sector and various others who have created this and turned this into a bit of a game changer actually,” Manjula told the audience. “Because I can offer your example to say, ‘it can be done’.”

Manjula Luthria

RSE employer Aaron Jay said the talk was a reminder of all the good the scheme does. “Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees. I know I am running a good business. I know the scheme is absolutely outstanding and I know the scheme is changing lives in the Pacific Islands but also in New Zealand. There are 51 permanents who work for our business that wouldn’t necessarily be in the positions they are in if it wasn’t for a reliable workforce and the industry being as big as it is. And that’s all come about because of the RSE scheme.” Aaron said the speech reinforced to the Pacific Island representatives in the room that the people who come to New Zealand were participating in a scheme that is “well thought out, well audited and well managed”. It was vital that RSE employers continued to look after RSE, by respecting the huge responsibility it puts on them. “The business has changed from me trying to support my wife and baby girls at the time, into a business that is a vehicle for people to better their lives and give their families something that generations before them have never had – medicine, education, a home, stability. Thousands of people now rely on this business.”

Winepress August 2017 / 13

Vineyard Robotics SOPHIE PREECE

CHANGING THE way vines are trimmed could enable robotic yield assessment and management, targeted spraying and grape harvesting in the future, says a robotics expert. Jamie Bell spoke at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough about the rapid development of technology in orchards, “and the simple ways robotic technologies can be applied to vineyards and winegrowing”. Jamie is doing his PhD at the University of Auckland, working on the Multipurpose Orchard Robotics project, which aims to create harvesting and spraying robots. That project is a four-year collaboration between private company Robotics Plus, the University of Auckland, the University of Waikato and Plant & Food Research, to automate the harvesting and pollination of kiwifruit and apples. He also leads another team adapting systems to include broader horticulture and crop tasks, including canopy management and yield estimation.

The conference audience saw an automated vehicle and targeted sprayer in a A robotic kiwifruit harvester. Photo by Matthew Seabright kiwifruit orchard, using algorithms for flower concept plan for a robotic vineyard detection, stereovision for depth trimmer, which would mimic existing perception and vertical range finding scans to ascertain the block’s geometry. leaf plucking and trimming practices, but would create a “pergola of leaves” They also saw video footage of an above the berries, providing shade automated vehicle with a robotic from the sun overhead, while retaining harvesting hand, which came with clear visibility for a robot trundling some shortfalls due to no sense of down the row. With such a system, touch, Jamie admitted. “So the robot yield estimation across an entire crop doesn’t really know when it is rubbing up against something or to slow down, could be “feasible and possible” using the latest detection technology, Jamie based on what it is touching.” said. Yield management could also be He said autonomous vehicles had enabled, along with harvesting in some been researched a great deal over the cases. past 20 years, and were being put to The concept drew strong support use for various tasks, including adding from the audience, including sensors for yield estimation, or adding organic viticultural advisor Bart mowers, spray attachments, tow bins Arnst. “Just because you are organic or work platforms. Harvesting and or biodynamic doesn’t mean spraying might be slower, but with autonomous driving, the job gets done, you shouldn’t be embracing new technology,” he says. he said The audience were also shown a

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Underground Sources Subsurface dripline irrigation (SDI) allows grape growers to use less water more precisely, says irrigation expert Jamie Zapp. Speaking at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough late last month, the Queensland based agronomist from irrigation firm Netafim said one of the key drivers of SDI is the lower application of water. Without evaporation on hot soil surfaces, “all the water is available to the roots”, he said. The SDIs also avoid the “very large pulse of water” from surface dripline irrigation, which can saturate the root zone. “Instead a low application is closely matched to the plant’s uptake.” Finally, having soil in “the Goldilocks zone of moisture – not to wet and not too dry” - means the plant’s roots can pull up more dissolved nutrients from the soil. A SDI system also means less clutter under the vines and therefore less entanglement risk, Jamie said. One downside is that an SDI farm may look dry, so he advocated soil moisture monitoring tools, to understand what is happening under the surface. Leaks and blockages are also far more difficult to detect, so more flow metres and pressure gauges are required. Villa Maria Vineyard Manager Ian Ewart says installing SDI has taken plenty of time, money and effort, but it’s well worth the trial and error. Villa has used SDI across a total of 20ha of new vineyards in the Awatere Valley, with another 21.5ha booked in for spring this year. It has also retrofitted subsurface irrigation on an established 4ha vineyard on Old Ford Road. Ian says the two new vineyards are being set up for organics, and will go through conversion as soon as practical. The SDI promises to negate the costly wrangles between machinery and higher driplines in organic blocks, he says. “The machinery catches it, the harvester catches it, the sheep catch it and you end up with endless amounts of repairs on your irrigation.” Another reason to head underground is water security,

Subsurface irrigation install at Villa Maria

Ian says. “We live in a very hot and windy part of the Awatere and it’s very hard to keep water in the soil.” He also expects to see fewer weeds on the surface, allowing for greatly reduced herbicide use before conversion. It will also allow the option of undervine mowing, rather than cultivation, after conversion, “which is better for the soil and faster with fewer passes”. Ian says plenty of growers have attempted and rejected subsurface irrigation over the years, but the technology has moved on significantly. That said, the past year has seen him and his team frequently rethink and refine their system, to ensure it is as practical and reliable as possible. That includes factoring in plenty of safeguards, so they can see whether it is working correctly. Ian believes the hard grind is now over, and is heading into spring with confidence. The method of putting SDI into the ground of the next block should cost half as much as when they were experimenting, he says. For more information on SDI, contact Jamie Zapp at jamie.zapp@netafim.com

Winepress August 2017 / 15

Election 2017 In the lead up to New Zealand’s general election on September 23, four Marlborough wine industry members have posed questions for the Kaikoura Electorate candidates. Next month’s Winepress will ask about research and biosecurity. This month it’s skills shortages and New Zealand’s clean green image and ethical reputation. How would your party address the skills shortage in Marlborough? (Michael Wentworth of Yealands Estate) Richard Evans – ACT ACT continues to be a proimmigration party, honouring our heritage as a nation of immigrants. We support business’s rights to employ as they see fit and would improve points values for confirmed job offers and discourage use of points to force onto specific regions or industries. ACT recognises Government is too slow to react to “shortages” and should understand that businesses are better positioned to determine where and what skills are required. The ACT party would partner with rural industry to ensure less government interference on property rights, less tax to enable effective rural business spending, less red tape to enable full use of rural resources and be pro-active in free trade to enable growth and innovation. Richard McCubbin - Green The wine industry in Marlborough relies heavily for labour on RSE scheme workers who are a welcome 16 / Winepress August 2017

part of the Marlborough scene. These positions are vital but relatively low skilled. The Green Party supports this scheme but it is vital that there is continued close monitoring of their wages and conditions to avoid any hint of unfair exploitation. At the same time sustained efforts must be maintained to attract New Zealanders into the industry, especially those jobs requiring higher skills such as supervisors, managers and wine makers. Stuart Smith - National The Government has recently announced a strategy which will focus on providing young people in the regions with greater access to work readiness programmes, training, education and direct access to employment. The result will be a pool of employable young people, working for regional employers, which in turn will support economic growth in each region. The Government is committed to ensuring our immigration settings best support the economy and labour market, to help industries to grow. Employers will continue to be able to hire migrant labour if they can prove there are no New Zealanders available to do the job.

Janette Walker – Labour Labour will ensure that there is a mix of access to genuinely skilled migrants when they are needed and investing in the education and training for young people in Marlborough. Labour will introduce an Exceptional Skills visa for highly skilled talented people, and introduce a KiwiBuild visa for construction firms who train a local when they hire a worker from overseas. Labour’s Regional Skills visa will assist regional economies who need for migrant workers. Labour will support local youth so they are able to train, work and stay in their region through our Ready for Work programme which ensures all young people who are able, will be in work, training or education. Marlborough’s wine industry relies on New Zealand’s clean green image and ethical reputation. How would your party protect and enhance each of these? (Rhyan Wardman, Wine Marlborough Board Chairman) Richard Evans – ACT ACT recognises the potential positive effect the values of property rights and free market can have in enabling property owners to add value to their clean green image, resulting in a combined positive to New

Zealand’s image. Our region has good examples of this and each one has tales of how bureaucracy hindered their development. ACT will push for property rights to be valued in the Resource Management Act (RMA) and will push for change to the RMA to allow property owners to enhance their businesses without the often formidable cost of obtaining consents for a myriad of things. Richard McCubbin – Green The unfortunate reality with the ‘Clean ,Green’ image is that in so many areas it is an empty marketing slogan where the reality does not match the promise .The Green Party aim would be to strive to make it an honest reality. Our main platform is to work with the wine industry to promote the target of half of New Zealand’s production becoming certified organic by 2025, both by short-term loans and guarantees to producers making the switch to organics and by redirecting funding for research into the development of

organic systems, design and practice. We would strengthen minimum sustainability standards such as the Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand standard. Our ethical reputation would be enhanced by these changes. Stuart Smith - National All vineyards and wineries should be a part Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand or an organic or biodynamic system that is independently audited and approved. All employers need to guarantee that their records are adequate and up to date in order to ensure that their employees are fairly paid. It is vitally important that employers should meet the minimum law requirements and using contractors does not detract from their responsibilities. The vineyard managers of tomorrow are likely to be the pruners and wine lifters of today. We need to ensure ethical and fair practices are passed on in order to protect New Zealand’s reputation.

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Janette Walker – Labour Labour believes in a proactive, collaborative approach with all sectors of primary industry, in order to ensure the sustainable utilisation of our natural environment not only has the capacity to sustain businesses, but also to generate economic and social gains. Government must provide the legislative framework required to protect our natural environment and labour practices. Sustainability is seen as a cost burden, limiting willingness to invest in conservation, environment and sound labour practices, which overseas customers demand. The industry has an obligation to its growers, suppliers, customers and workers to behave in an ethical, socially responsible manner.

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NuPoint Increased efficiency through real-time data SOPHIE PREECE

THE RAPID growth of Marlborough’s wine industry has increased the need for sophisticated data collection, says the founder of a cloud-based tracking and scheduling system. Marlboroughbased Lance Nuttall says NuPoint uses inexpensive hardware to send information on company vehicles back to a cloud-based system, where users can view their status and generate reports of all activities. “We can connect to a wide range of vehicles and implements carrying out a multitude of tasks such as spraying, harvesting and mowing. This allows us to capture valuable working data used for billing, such as distance, area, time and product usage,” he says. “Traceability is also a very important part of NuPoint.” The system also provides a platform to create, schedule and send jobs out, says Lance. “The operator receives the job on any smart phone or tablet. They get detailed information including a map of the area they will be working in, which is overlaid on Google Maps.” By giving the operator greater job detail and visibility, they can carry out their tasks with improved safety and greater confidence, he says. “It really does reduce any potential for error or mishap.” Operator and user feedback is key to the system’s success, says Lance. “You sit with an operator and they will say ‘it would be neat if you could do this’ and we think, ‘that’s actually a really good idea’. Having the operators’ buy in is most important.” Marlborough company JTC Viticulture has the company’s black boxes in more than 20 of its vehicles, including tractors, harvesters and

18 / Winepress August 2017

Lance Nuttall

trucks. Owner Jason Tripe says they use the technology extensively to track vehicles, communicate instructions to staff and provide proof of placement to clients. “We like the level of accuracy it brings to our operation.”

“They can start to see efficiencies or lack of. It really opens their eye to what is happening out in the vines.” Lance Nuttall The real-time data has allowed the company to better utilise its assets, because it has a handle on who is

where and when, and how much of their job is complete, so it can move machinery more efficiently, Jason says. Another key advantage is the health and safety information that can be relayed to employees along with task allocations, with hazards marked up on the site map, and the ability to locate staff and equipment at any time. “That’s a lesser talked about but very important benefit that we get from it.” With several major companies now using the technology, Lance decided to move to Marlborough from Dunedin this year. He says New Zealand leads in the development of vineyard technology and places like California (where he has a large pilot project running) and Australia (where 100 NuPoint devices are in action) look here to see what’s going on. “That’s why I am here, right in the heart of it.”

Wine School Marlborough colleges launch New Zealand School of Winegrowing SOPHIE PREECE Photo by Richard Briggs

THE NEW Zealand School of Winegrowing (NZSWM) has been given the green light, following a funding boost from New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW). The school, which is a collaboration between Blenheim’s two colleges, Wine Marlborough, NZW and a number of Marlborough businesses, vineyards and wineries, will be launched for the 2018 school year, with Year 12 students from Marlborough Boys’ and Marlborough Girls’ College offered a one-year Certificate in Viticulture and Wine. Marlborough Boys’ College assistant principal James Ryan, who has helped drive the initiative over the past three and a half years, hopes the schools will follow on with a second year’s University Entrance programme in due course. However, he stresses that the main goals are to increase the number of students gaining Level 2 NCEA while helping meet the growing demand for the likes of operators, block managers, lab assistants and cellar hands in the local wine industry. James says the certificate programme will take “sound theoretical knowledge” and apply it directly to real life context, with traditional subjects taught in an industry specific setting, both in class and in the field. In undertaking wine analysis, for

example, students may learn about titration and pH analysis, or apply maths’ calculations for product additions. Students will also get on-thejob training, mentoring and work placement, growing their career pathways in grape growing and wine production. James says it is about “contextualising” students’ learning, so they are educated for a life beyond wine, but are also primed for careers in a vibrant and growing industry. The Marlborough Grape Producers’ Cooperative (MGP) has supported the concept since discussions began and Wine Marlborough has helped the schools develop the business plan over the past year. However, it took a recent funding agreement with NZW to enable the school’s first intake, says James. “We have received just enough funding for 2018, but we don’t want to be in the position of running on the smell of an oily rag,” he says. “We are really excited about this, but there is still work to do.” The schools will seek more funding to guarantee the future of the programme, and would ultimately like to see it self-sustaining, he adds. The school surveyed students last year and had approximately 60 people express an interest in the new programme.

The course is in both schools’ recently released curriculum handbooks for 2018, and Jame is already getting emails from parents interested in knowing more. He says the schools have worked with industry in designing the course and are liaising with Lincoln University, NMIT and the Trades Academy to ensure it fits “seamlessly” with other education providers. “We are completely open and we realise we are just part of it.” For more information contact James Ryan, 0278082451 or jamesr@ mbc.school.nz The Certificate in Viticulture and Wine will cover: • Viticulture and viticulture management practices • Wine production • Business principles • Machinery operations • Leadership and team building Participants will also undertake: ¤ The Growsafe programme ¤ A first aid certificate ¤ A driver’s licence programme ¤ Health and safety and emergency response training ¤ Level 2 NCEA units

Winepress August 2017 / 19

Sailing Away Calling for crews in this year’s Wine Marlborough Twilight Series SOPHIE PREECE

THERE’S A change of tack in this year’s WineWorks Marlborough Wine Race, with a series of “mini races” in the lead up to the big event on December 1. All entrants in the race to Wellington can also enter the Wine Marlborough Twilight Series, held in the Marlborough Sounds on three Friday evenings before the main race. Wine Marlborough will host media, trade consumers and influencers over the mini race series, ensuring the wine companies involved get increased exposure, says marketing and communications coordinator Harriet Wadworth.

The series will also get teams in The 2016 WineWorks Marlborough Wine Race tune for December’s Cook Strait Crossing, ensuring there’s Harriet says feedback from previous great grinding and spiffing spinnakers years means there will not be a when the yachts make their way to the consumer event across the Strait, and capital, delivering Marlborough wine wine companies will celebrate with to thirsty Wellingtonians. their crews instead, perhaps joining In previous years the cargo Waikawa Boating Club for the prize has been restricted to new season giving at Chaffers Atrium or arranging Sauvignon Blanc, based on the a winemaker’s dinner with restaurants traditional Beaujolais Nouveau, in that serve their wines. which the first Beaujolais wines were delivered from France to England. Registrations are now open. For more But this year wineries can enter any information contact Harriet Wadworth or all of their labels, in a reflection of at harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz the diversity of the region’s offerings.

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Strong Competition Impressive skills at Young Viticulturist of the Year competition THE BAYER Young Viticulturist of the Year competition is growing in both numbers and standard, says National Coordinator Nicky Grandorge. “The calibre of the contestants is increasingly high, which is fantastic for the future of the New Zealand wine industry.” Seven young Marlborough viticulturists and one from Nelson competed in the regional competition last month, testing their theoretical knowledge, practical talents and interview skills at Giesen Wines’ Wallace Vineyard. They then braved a large audience at the awards dinner at Wither Hills, speaking on subjects from robotics to Irricalc, and from bottling overseas to battling vine disease. Constellation vineyard manager

Anthony Walsh (see pg 22) took out the Marlborough title at the regional competition, having gained highest points in the Biostart Hortisports, speech and practical sections. It was the 29-year-old viticulturist’s fourth try for the local title, and the last year he was able to compete, due to the age limit. Matthew Gallop, also from Constellation, took out second place and Shannon Horner from Marisco came third, while Laurie Stradling (front in photo) from Kaimira Estate in Nelson also achieved a very high standard, becoming Nelson’s Young Viticulturist of the Year. He and Anthony, along with four other regional finalists from around the country, will go on to compete at the national competition in Marlborough

on August 29, held during the Bragato Conference. The winner of the national Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year will take a prize package of $2000 cash, a $5000 AGMARDT travel scholarship, a Hyundai Santa Fe for a year, wine glasses and a leadership week, where they will meet some of the top leaders in the New Zealand wine industry. The national winner will also go on to represent the wine industry in the Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition.

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Gen Y-ine Introducing Marlborough’s Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year

A LOT has changed since Anthony Walsh walked into one of his first classes at Lincoln University and found a table laden with glasses, half of them full of wine and the others with berries. “You had to smell what you wanted to and I remember thinking ‘this is weird - all I can smell is sulphur - it smells like Rotorua,” he says. At 18 years old, with tastes that ran more to Double Brown than Sauvignon Blanc, he pitied the “bunch of plonkers” discussing gooseberry and chocolate. Deciding the course was definitely not for him, Anthony packed his bags and returned to his horticulture degree at Massey University, with plans to work in the glasshouse industry. Fast forward 11 years, and Anthony is Marlborough’s Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year and vineyard manager for Constellation - with 220ha of vines to oversee. Moreover, he’s a wine lover with an appreciation for

22 / Winepress August 2017

tones of capsicum and passionfruit, he laughs. “It’s amazing how much you develop and now it’s really fun to sit down and do wine tasting.” While Anthony’s first foray into viticulture was at the suggestion of a Massey lecturer, who knew the young student’s goal of retiring to his own vineyard, the second was at the behest of his microbiologist brother, who was working in a Marlborough winery by the time Anthony finished his horticulture degree. He convinced Anthony to come down for a holiday and the young horticulturist soon had a harvest job with a contracting company, then work at biodynamic vineyard Churton Estate. That was followed by a vintage job at what was then Kim Crawford at Riverlands Estate, as Anthony prepared himself for an OE. But when Constellation discovered Anthony had a degree in horticulture, they offered him a job in its vineyards and he has

been with the company ever since. Over the past six years Anthony has grown to love Marlborough, which reminds him of growing up in a small country town outside Palmerston North, where his mum waved at everyone she drove past. “I remember coming down here and driving from this block (on Old Renwick Rd) to the next and everyone would be waving at me, whether they knew me or not. I just loved that country attitude and I love the sun. Everyone’s happy and it’s a great industry to be involved in.” He has certainly jumped into it boots and all, having worked his way up from a machine operator to vineyard manager since 2012. In the same period he has entered the Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year Marlborough competition four times, determined to make his mark. Competing publically makes him put his best foot forward, raises his profile in the industry and ensures he

Grow your career keeps current, with major learnings each time he throws his hat in the ring, says Anthony. “Every single time you do the competition it’s always on modern questions. For example, a couple of years ago it was on mealy bug leaf roller virus coming in. Before that, it was about prices, increased land value and irrigation issues. This year it’s all trunk disease,” he says. “When you go to Young Vit you get a 100% upgrade on what’s going on in the industry.” This year Anthony learned even more than in previous years, having put in plenty of study to make sure he made the most of his last chance, because the 29-year-old will not be eligible come 2018. The extra time in the vines and his books paid off, and Anthony took top points in the Hortisports, practical section and speech at last month’s regional competition, earning himself the local title and opportunity to compete in the national final on August 29. While many Young Viticulturist competitors speak of the learnings, raised profile and career opportunities posed by the competition (leading Anthony to ask why many more people don’t enter) he went one step further by finding his future wife on the course. In 2014 he competed against Angela Beattie in the regional competition, by the next year they were dating and in February they plan to wed. Meanwhile the retirement plan is certainly still in place. “I’m not a flower kind of guy, but I see the vineyard as being my retirement garden.”

“It’s amazing how much you develop and now it’s really fun to sit down and do wine tasting.”

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Biosecurity Watch Building a more resilient wine industry DR EDWIN MASSEY

THIS MONTH’S column highlights how building and enhancing wine industry resilience to strategic risks is critical to ensuring its ongoing sustainability. These risks include threats posed by both biosecurity incursions and natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires or flood. To recognise this, the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) board have increased the scope of the biosecurity manager’s role to include responsibility for increasing the industry’s resilience to all emergency management events. The activities set out below highlight some of the first steps underway to achieve this objective. Kaikoura earthquake wine industry response In July, NZW and Wine Marlborough launched a survey to seek feedback from Marlborough members on the wine industry response that followed November 2016’s 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake. The response team took a key role in coordinating communications between the wine industry and central and local government agencies, and providing members with information to assist their decision making regarding repairs and boost their resilience for future events. This involved regular website updates and a member meeting in Blenheim. The review of response activities is an important part of building a more

resilient industry as it will identify lessons from the response and make recommendations on how to improve responses in the future. It has been great to see the feedback rolling in for the survey. Once completed, the review will be provided to the NZW board and Wine Marlborough board for approval. NZW and Wine Marlborough look forward to implementing the recommendations contained in the review to help ensure a more resilient industry. Romeo Bragato 2017 Two sessions at the upcoming Romeo Bragato conference in Blenheim will focus on the importance of industry resilience to biosecurity incursions and adverse events. In session one, Will Lomax, managing director of ONGUARD seismic systems, will highlight learnings from the 2013 Seddon earthquake and the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake regarding wine industry resilience to seismic events. Will’s presentation considers some of the challenges and opportunities to protect the sustainability of winery operations in the face of seismic events. In session two, Steve Gilbert, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) director of border clearance services, and his team will conduct a live demonstration showing how MPI staff inspect high risk agricultural equipment for brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). The demonstration

will highlight how MPI will begin to deploy sniffer dog teams as the latest innovation against these highest threat pest bugs. In December last year, Steve’s team intercepted a used combine harvester that was heavily contaminated with foreign grass and seed. Despite the obvious contamination, the importer had declared the harvester as new. These false declarations are a key source of biosecurity risk. They would occur far less frequently if customers discussed the importance of biosecurity with their suppliers and if biosecurity considerations were written into supply contracts. Having these discussions is one of the best steps you can take to help mitigate biosecurity risk to your business. Conclusion Being prepared is essential to ensure resilience when threatened by unexpected circumstances. Being prepared can put you on the front foot when responding to an emergency management event. We encourage you to attend this year’s Romeo Bragato conference to learn more about creating a more resilient wine industry and what you can do to mitigate risks that threaten your own assets and livelihoods. If you have any questions about biosecurity or preparing for an emergency, please contact me at Edwin. massey@nzwine.com or 021 1924924.

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT . Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 24 / Winepress August 2017

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Winepress August 2017 / 25

Industry News Brexit Trade Minister Todd McClay dropped in to Allan Scott Wines for a magnum of bubbles before a meeting with the UK’s Minister of State Lord Price last month. “New Zealand wine is the best in the world and this will be a friendly reminder,” he said, on meeting with Allan Scott Wine’s Mitchell Gardiner. The Trade Minister says Government is working hard to improve access to the lucrative UK market and that he believes there will be no disruption to wine exports as a result of Brexit. “When I recently met with Lord Price and UK Trade Secretary Liam Fox in London they confirmed New Zealand, along with Australia, will be the first cab off the rank for a new FTA when Britain is in a position to negotiate. I believe a high quality agreement will be of huge benefit to not just the wine sector, but many other goods and services industries as well.” Board Elections Electionz.com will run the upcoming Marlborough Winegrowers Association election, with two grape grower and one winery member sought for the board. Members will be sent information this month on which category they can stand and vote in. Members who pay both a grower and winemaker levy will vote according to which is higher. Voting will close on September 29. Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens hopes the new centralised voting system will induce more members to get involved in the election. He also hopes to see a broad range of nominations. “With New Zealand Winegrowers’ Women in Wine initiative really taking off, we really hope we will see more women put their hand up to be on the board.” For more information on the upcoming election, contact Marcus: marcus@ wine-marlborough.co.nz or 03 577 9299 Winemaker Competition Marlborough’s Young Winemaker competition is getting a shakeup, with 26 / Winepress August 2017

the traditional three-course dinner and speeches replaced by food trucks, bands and DJs. Wine Marlborough Events Manager Georgie Leach says the South Island’s regional Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year competition will wrap up with an event tuned to get the entire Marlborough community involved. “We want to make things a little bit more fun and really celebrate all the contestants who’ve put themselves out there and entered the competition.” She’s hoping the celebration at Marlborough Vintners Hotel on August 25 will draw in the wine community as well as sponsors, contestants and supporters. “They should be behind these young winemakers and the future talent of this region.” Georgie says the organising committee was aware that some strategic and positive changes were required to grow the competition, including the new North Island and South Island regionals and a national final in Auckland, supported by Cuisine magazine.

The South Island competition will stay consistent to its past format, except for the speeches moving to a panel segment during the day’s events, instead of at the dinner. Tickets to the Young Winemaker celebration cost $35. Limited tickets available via www.wine-marlborough. co.nz/news/ For more information contact georgie@wine-marlborough. co.nz Shake Update New Zealand Winegrowers and Wine Marlborough are seeking feedback from industry on both organisations’ response to the Kaikoura earthquake. “It is crucial we get feedback from the industry for future planning,” the survey reads. “This not only helps plan for our response after an earthquake, but other natural disasters and unplanned industry situations and emergencies.” Celebratory Bubbles The team at Hunter’s Marlborough are celebrating the 20th vintage of their trademark sparkling wine, Hunter’s MiruMiru. Hunter’s has produced Méthode Traditionnelle for more than 30 years, but MiruMiru was first released to market in 1997. Managing director Jane Hunter says the wine has done “exceedingly well” from the beginning, “receiving glowing reviews from the international wine community and winning a huge number of awards”. Women in Wine The first New Zealand Winegrowers Women in Wine function will be held in Marlborough on August 29, just before the Bragato Conference. Speakers at the event include chief executive Sandra Taylor, who is a corporate sustainability expert and wine writer, Jeni Port, a wine journalist, and Nadia Lim, New Zealand MasterChef Winner and

co-founder of My Food Bag (NZ). Sandra, Jeni and Nadia will explore the challenges they have encountered along their careers to date and offer insights into how they overcame them. Tickets to the evening event in the Whitehaven Room of the ASB Theatre are $25. To register, go to the events page of the New Zealand Winegrowers site www.nzwine.com New Chair Warren Gibson is the new Chair of Judges for the 2017 Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The Chief Winemaker at Trinity Hill and proprietor of Bilancia in Hawke’s Bay has been a regular on the judging scene in New Zealand and Australia. The black tie awards dinner announcing the trophy winners will be held in Hawke’s Bay on Saturday 25 November. For more information visit www.airnzwineawards.co.nz ServeWise A simple online learning tool is improving understanding of, and compliance with, the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Health Promotion Agency (HPA) Principal Advisor Drinking Environments, Mark Lyne, says ServeWise was developed last year in response to the call from industry and regulatory agencies for improved standards of training for frontline sellers and servers of alcohol. The free online course provides a basic understanding of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, with a strong focus on intoxication, minors, server intervention and host responsibility. The training is

Pie People The inaugural Great Burleigh Pie Pairing has Marlborough’s wine, beer, cider and pie lovers looking for the perfect combination. The challenge has been established by Belinda Jackson, Fiona Fenwick, Bek Scherp and the Burleigh’s Jane Dickenson. The team of “pie professionals”, together with a few other judges, will taste their way to the Ultimate Pie Pairing winner in late August. Belinda says the competition is all about providing a nourishing team building experience over winter. “They can head to the Burleigh and buy one of every pie and then go back to the ranch, whether that’s a winery, brewery or cidery, get the team together and crack open your various styles of their product and try them all.” Each team can enter one match, so it’ll be a matter of refining the choices down to the one they think is the best, she says. For more information, go to The Great Burleigh Pie Pairing Facebook page

tailored to meet the specific needs of both sellers of alcohol in off-licensed settings, and servers of alcohol in onlicensed settings. Mark says the organisation collaborated with a range of stakeholders in the development of the e-learning tool, including Hospitality New Zealand, bottle stores and regulators. In recent months HPA has also been working with New Zealand Winegrowers, to ensure members understand how ServeWise can be used in the wine industry. The two organisations are working together to review the 2014 guideline for hosting safe and successful wine events, he says. “We are looking to update that with lots more information, including information around ServeWise.” Each ServeWise module takes approximately one hour to complete and is free of charge. To complete the training go to www.servewise.alcohol. org.nz Real Estate Update July has been a month with lots of activity on vineyards, such as pruning, and they are generally looking their worst, says PGG Wrightson Real Estate

Sales Manager Joe Blakiston. Despite that, there is a high level of interest in the limited number of vineyards currently being marketed. He reports the sale of several larger development blocks to corporate buyers at around $25,000 per hectare in fringe areas in the last month, and interest in smaller established blocks in favoured locations. Prices are firm on recent months, with out-of-town buyers again providing most of the horsepower for sales, says Joe. The spring is likely to bring more sales across all viticultural classes of land and sizes, he says. Bragato Registrations are open for the New Zealand Winegrowers Romeo Bragato National Conference in Blenheim on August 30 and 31. Subjects include ripening grapes in challenging vintages, zero waste, New Zealand wine global sales trends and lessons learned in the recent earthquakes. View the full programme online and register at www.bragato.org.nz Winepress August 2017 / 27

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Wine Happenings A monthly list of events within the New Zealand wine industry.

To have your event included in next month’s Wine Happenings or Industry News pages, please email details to sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz by August 21. For more information on the events below email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz

AUGUST 2017 25 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year – South Island Regional Competition – Marlborough (see pg 26) 29 National Final – Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2017 – Marlborough 29 Women in Wine event – Whitehaven Room, ASB Theatre. (see pg 26) 30-31 Romeo Bragato Conference 2017 – Marlborough 30 Bragato Wine Awards Tasting - Marlborough 31 Romeo Bragato Conference Dinner and Bragato Wine Awards Announcements SEPTEMBER 2017 8 Entries close to Air New Zealand Wine Awards 20 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year Competition – National Finals 29 Voting closes in Marlborough Winegrowers Association election (see page 26) OCTOBER 2017 9 Marlborough Wine Show judging

Young Winemaker Competition - August 25

Bragato Conference - August 30-31

Marlborough Wine Show - October 9

GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINES AND GREAT FRIENDS COME TOGETHER AT HERZOG’S! Our cosy and charming Bistro with stunning fare at modest prices - what's not to love? Come and enjoy Marlborough’s stunning winter days and join us for a casual lunch in the beautiful Bistro garden or cosy up in front of the open fire for a delicious dinner. And for all you wine aficionados, come and indulge in one of New Zealand’s largest International wine lists

28 / Winepress August 2017

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