Winepress January 2018

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 277 / JANUARY 2018

ADVOCACY 2018

GOOD WINE

Photo: Jim Tannock

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this issue...

REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

Editorial

7

From the Board - Michael Wentworth

16

Gen Y-ine - Harriet Wadworth

18

The Block - Bladen

20

Biosecirity Watch

22

Industry News

24

ANZ Wine Happenings

12

12

Good Stuff It would be far easier to “count” and define industry good if the companies involved made more noise about what they’re up to.

14

Wine & Food Festival The 2018 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival is as much about celebrating the region’s food as it is its wine, with a new culinary experience to educate and satiate audiences.

14 Can Do

Misty Cove’s Jarrod Englefield isn’t trying to convert anyone from a bottle to a can. “We are targeting people who are going camping, they’re going to have a picnic, they’re going on a boat, and they want convenience.”

16

Cover: Beautiful summer vines. Photo by Jim Tannock

Winepress January 2018 / 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 callum@csviticulture.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Michael Wentworth michael.wentworth@yealands.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.co.nz Simon Bishell simon@caythorpe.nz Stuart Dudley stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Tracy Johnston Tracy@dayvinleigh.co.nz

Printed 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.

From the Editor This month’s focus on Corporate Social Responsibility is a shout-out to the good sorts who are making a difference to their employees, their environment and their community. Countless organisations, exhibitions, sporting activities and environmental initiatives are enabled by wine industry generosity in Marlborough, and often as not it travels under the radar, with an anonymity that make the gift even more extraordinary.

However, this edition is also a call to action - because you can never have too much good stuff. It’s true that Marlborough counts on the wine industry for many of its jobs, a heap of tourism and much of its revenue, with a recent NZIER report showing it accounts for 20% of the local economy. But it’s also vital to remember that the wine industry is absolutely reliant on the land, water, labour, and community goodwill of the region. To retain social licence, the wine industry must take a hefty role in ensuring Marlborough’s wellbeing.

As an organiser of the Marlborough Book Festival, I have experienced wine industry generosity firsthand, with Astrolabe, Dog Point, Cloudy Bay, Spy Valley and Hunter’s giving money, wine, venues, accommodation and assistance where needed, with little enquiry into what they might get out of the deal. Those conversations give me warm fuzzies, and a personal appreciation of what the wine industry does for the region.

But this is about far more than warm fuzzies. It’s about business sustainability, employee attraction, satisfaction and retention, markets and reputation. There is a growing global expectation that corporates will be worthy employers with a conscience when it comes to the community and environment they live and work in. Yealands’ Michael Wentworth explains it as custodianship, and in a world of greater scrutiny, the wine industry better be the best custodian it can.

This year Winepress will run a series called Good Stuff to showcase some of the great initiatives companies are doing in Marlborough. We want to expose all we do well, to inspire the industry to do even better. So if you know of an initiative that’s making this brilliant place even better, please get in touch.

In the meantime, I wish you all a 2018 full of Good Stuff!

“To retain social licence, the wine industry must take a hefty role in ensuring Marlborough’s wellbeing.”

SOPHIE PREECE

Winepress January 2018 / 3

From the Board MICHAEL WENTWORTH

WE ARE all too mindful of how quick the media are to pick up on bad news stories. They have quite rightly published many of the challenges facing our industry in recent times: disposal of grape marc, treatment of RSE workers, and the impact of accommodating seasonal workers on affordable housing in the region.

News of our collective shortcomings has been witnessed globally and, naturally, this has a detrimental impact on the image that so many have worked so hard to establish.

As a result, customers particularly those out of the EU, are increasingly requesting independent ethical audits to be conducted in addition to their regular quality and compliance audits. The scope of the ethical audit is far ranging, including all the global issues you would expect to see relating to fair treatment of staff, but also incorporating the wider supply chain – growers, contractors, suppliers, etc.

Unfortunately, all of the above undermines the great work companies and the industry are doing in the community. A recent report commissioned by Wine Marlborough and conducted by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research identified that the benefits to the region totalled almost $500 million per annum, and accounted for almost 20% of the region’s economy.

What the report failed to quantify was the income from wine-related tourism, but more significantly the benefit the community received as a result of all the charitable work undertaken by the industry. If you think about what the collective 4 / Winepress January 2018

contribution across the industry might add up to - the donation of product, cash and resources, I am sure the total would be worth many millions of dollars annually.

In these times of increasing pressure, group voice advocating tighter controls over liquor sales and

“Don’t be shy in sharing the great work you are doing – with your staff, your customers and the community.”

Michael Wentworth

promotion, there is potential for all the good done in the community to be overshadowed. Regardless of whether your company’s motivation for investment is based on alignment with your core values, or genuinely doing something for the greater good, make sure get your message out there.

Too often we don’t do enough to share all the positive things we are all doing collectively across the industry.

This month’s issue of Winepress is about corporate social responsibility - the numerous benefits of gifting and the good it does across the community.

Regardless of your size, take the time to review what you are doing. What is it you are wanting to achieve? Are there specific areas of the community you would like to support?

But, above all, don’t be shy in sharing the great work you are doing – with your staff, your customers, Wine Marlborough and the community.

Advocacy 2018 The year ahead for Wine Marlborough’s advocacy arm VANCE KERSLAKE

The Primary ITO is one of several training initiatives

WHAT DOES the year ahead look like for Wine Marlborough advocacy? Well it’s the proverbial game of two halves.

Labour and workforce issues are at the forefront of my mind at the moment, and the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP) will be an increasing focus in 2018.

The wine industry in Marlborough faces some real challenges in finding enough workers. These come from the continued growth and expansion of the industry, so in that sense they’re nice challenges to have. It’s like the Māori proverb says: He aha te mea nui o te ao What is the most important thing in the world?

He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata It is the people, it is the people, it is the people So what are we doing about it?

Well the White Paper, Planning for Wine Sector Growth Marlborough 2016-2021, is our guiding document.

Different workstreams tackle different aspects of the challenge. Sue Whiteley

and Sheryl Blick from WineWorks have put up their hands to lead the Workforce Planning and Development workstream. There is important work to do in assessing our current and future labour and skills requirements, and strategies for attracting people to the industry and retaining the ones we have. Some great things are happening, such as the New Zealand School of Winegrowing, starting in February.

There are new Cellar Operations and Applied Viticulture courses at NMIT, and a Viticulture Apprenticeship programme through the Primary ITO. I am leading the Promoting Good Employment Practices workstream and there is ongoing work to ensure employers are meeting or exceeding minimum requirements.

The Immigration Minister has said the “labour market test needs to be tightened up”, which could put pressure on Essential Skills visas.

David Sheard from Constellation is leading a cadetship working group, which demonstrates the industry’s

commitment to employing Kiwis first.

The Accommodation workstream has made great progress. The Marlborough District Council has made land available for development and there are approximately 1,000 beds in the pipeline for seasonal workers in purpose built accommodation. This should free up rental accommodation in Blenheim, making it easier to recruit staff from out of town. Encouraging more rental and affordable housing development will be a focus in 2018.

The Marlborough Urgent Care centre has opened, which is a big step forward for the Pastoral Care workstream. With low unemployment in Marlborough and RSE numbers tapped out, we need to look further afield at other options like the Pacific Access Category and New Zealand Seasonal Work Scheme. Good recruitment and good pastoral care are important to get the best out of these opportunities.

You only have to read the comments section on Stuff.co.nz to Winepress January 2018 / 5

see that not everyone loves the wine industry in Marlborough. Some of the criticism seems unfair or ill-informed, but the truth is perception equals reality. That’s why the Adoption of Socially Responsible and Sustainable Practices workstream is so important.

Losing social licence to operate can put the brakes on future development, like we’ve seen with marine farming in the Marlborough Sounds. Getting it back can be a long, expensive process, as we’re seeing with the Fonterra charm offensive on TV. We will be working with Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand (SWNZ) to develop the People Pillar aimed at ensuring the wine industry has a positive impact on employees and local communities.

We are also encouraging contractors to sign up for audit and certification programmes like those run by New Zealand Master Contractors.

The Marlborough Environment Plan hearings will be a big focus in 2018. The plan sets out what you can do on your land, how it can be

developed, and how resources such as water are managed, so it’s a pretty major concern for the industry. It combines all the plans required by the Resource Management Act into a single planning document for Marlborough and it’s the first time this has been done anywhere in the country. Wine Marlborough wants the plan to strike a balance between providing the necessary environmental protections, while allowing Marlborough’s wine industry Vance Kerslake to continue to thrive and grow. We will be presenting evidence work plan of course. There’s treated at the hearings and coordinating with timber posts, the proposed pyrolysis other like-minded organisations that plant, winery wastewater and grape have similar perspectives on the plan. marc, EU moves to ban glyphosate, Water allocation and use is a key topic and responding to any government we are focussed on. We want to ensure policy changes for immigration or that the economic and social impact employment - and those are just the of any water policy is considered things I know about at the moment! alongside environmental protections.

These aren’t the only things on the

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Good Business Corporate Social Responsibility in Marlborough’s wine industry SOPHIE PREECE

“WE WORK, live and play in Marlborough,” says Stephen Leitch of SWE (Southern Water Engineering).

“We want to make it a better place for our staff, our clients and our future generations.”

Stephen and his company could be the poster child for Sustainability, with a growing fleet of electric bikes, social and environmental reporting, remuneration above the living wage, a series of awards and certified sustainability ticks, carboNZero status, a wealth of community commitments and a cool $24,000 donated to Kiwi Can in Marlborough each year.

The company is an inspiration, says Graeme Dingle Foundation Marlborough regional manager Kelvin Watt, who organises the Kiwi Can programme in 12 schools across Marlborough, promoting key soft skills and values to over 2200 kids every week. Beyond SWE’s financial contribution, its management and staff dig in to help out, says Kelvin. “For me there’s almost a mentoring aspect in seeing SWE’s operations. Stephen and the team really get the big picture, about being part of a community. It’s not just about the bottom line.”

Abbie Reynolds, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council, says that big picture is increasingly important and “the lens of sustainability” can help businesses navigate an increasingly uncertain future, thanks to the likes of climate change. “If you want your business to have longevity then you need to be able to navigate more than the finances. You need to be able

to navigate the needs of SWE’s Mike Cooper at Kiwi Can at Whitney Street School stakeholders, the needs of the natural environment and the needs of involved in our business.” Simon says society.” practicing environmental and social Consumers are demanding it responsibility is an important way for and so are investors, she says. “Our the business to “demonstrate integrity purpose as an organisation is to help and authenticity”, so they support businesses be their best for New organisations that share the same Zealand and increasingly that is the philosophies. lens they need to use if they want Yealands Estate Chief Operating to maintain their social licence or Officer Michael Wentworth says attract people or capital…And that’s Corporate Social Responsibility is more than just performing financially about being a good custodian, and - it’s also about what you do for the walking the talk of the company’s core environment and what you do for values, including sustainability. That people.” heightens the region’s worth, while Wine Marlborough General also feeding into labour attraction, Manager Marcus Pickens would like satisfaction and retention, as well as to get a handle on whether the wine markets and reputation. industry’s role in Marlborough’s Yealands supports the Department environmental and social wellbeing of Conservation (see case study pg is commensurate with its size. “We 9), Sustainable Coastlines and the know from a recent NZIER report that local community, and organised work the wine industry accounts for 20% groups and donations to help out of the local economy, but quantifying Seddon and Ward after the November its broader impact is a tougher task.”

2016 earthquake. Michael notes that It would be far easier to “count” these are not branding opportunities and define industry efforts if the and are clearly differentiated from companies involved made more noise the company’s other sponsorship about what they’re up to, but more arrangements, such as the Yealands often than not their work falls under Classic Fighters at Omaka, which have the radar, aimed at community good a marketing imperative. He believes not brand promotion. the wine industry does “a hell of a lot” “We don’t do it for the recognition,” on the quiet, and believes more of the says Whitehaven General Manager good news stories need to be told.

Simon Toneycliffe. “We do it An email enquiry by Winepress because we want to see families less to just a dozen wine companies last fortunate than our own benefit from month revealed their support of our involvement, or to help groups hundreds of arts, sporting, educational, with an association to families environmental and social organisations Winepress January 2018 / 7

WI TH HO LD IN G

ZE RO

in Marlborough or across New Zealand.

Add to that copious donations of wine for school fundraisers, and it’s a dizzying list. There are also the winery led environmental projects, which see staff and funds used to promote the restoration of wetlands, protection of waterways or extension of biodiversity, and the social projects involving time and money.

The initiatives include Spy Valley’s wetlands restoration, and role as Gold Sponsors of the Life Education Trust for more than 10 years, Mud House’s role as a Rimu sponsor of the Kaipupu Wildlife Sanctuary, Seresin Estate’s assistance for more than 15 art initiatives, and Cloudy Bay’s annual support for the Marlborough Book Festival and the New Zealand String Quartet. Wairau River Wines has sponsored Blenheim Musical Theatre for a decade and Whitehaven produces special release magnums solely for fundraising groups, is a major supporter of the ASB Theatre, and has just signed up as sponsor of LegaSea, a sustainable fisheries management organisation.

Lawson’s Dry Hills supports yachting, The Sisters supports Dress for Success and the Marlborough Women’s Triathlon, and Hunter’s sponsors the NBL Basketball team, which includes coaching time for Marlborough kids, along with an array of other initiatives. Villa Maria has sponsored several arts and sporting groups over the past three decades, and offers cadetships for local youth to provide work experience and further

education, while Sir George Fistonich has been the Vice Patron for the Children’s Charity since 2010. Kono supports a range of causes, from fashion and the arts through to sports and the Māoriland Film Festival. “We Stephen Leitch love being part of a vibrant community and getting involved where we can, says Chief Executive Rachel Taulelei.

Without wine in Marlborough, what happens to the Giesen Sports Centre, the Forrest Estate Grape Ride, and the Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon? “We believe this sponsorship has been huge for Marlborough in general bringing in a large number of visitors to the region as well as encouraging people to be active,” says Saint Clair’s Sarina Ibbotson.

The list above is a fragment of the donations, sponsorship and environmental or social drives listed by the wine companies contacted, and just the tip of the iceberg if the rest of the industry is taken into account, including the companies that support growers and wineries.

Labour contracting company Hortus is another big player in Kiwi Can, with owner Aaron Jay lifting

their contribution as the business grows. Donations to that and a dozen other causes - many of them to do with kids - add up to about $30,000 a year, and they generally (happily) go over the budgeted amount, he says.

As the business grows so should its community input, says Aaron.

Lion’s Geoff Matthews, who is on the board of the Marlborough Graeme Dingle Foundation, says enduring financial success can only be achieved by generating ongoing societal value, while treading as lightly as possible on the planet. “It means operating in a transparent and responsible way so we can create value for Lion, our partners and the communities we operate in.”

In 2018 Winepress will run a series entitled Good Stuff, starting in February with a story on SWE. Please email sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz if you know of a great yarn.

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Case Study No. 1 - Lion • Kiwi Can: Lion is a major supporter of the Graeme Dingle Foundation and the Wither Hills team takes part in various activities to fundraise for the foundation, including using the Wither Hills venue for the Chef’s Night Out. • Wetland: For the past 12 years, Wither Hills has run a wetlands regeneration project at the Rarangi Wetlands, which occupies a 50 hectare section of the vineyard.

• Employees: This year, Lion won the Work Life Balance Award for its Lion Flex initiative, and more recently won the Gold YWCA Equal Pay Champion Award for its work to close the gender pay gap.

Case study No. 2 - Pernod Ricard Winemakers • Responsib’all Day: Around the world, 18,500 Pernod Ricard employees devote a day each year to an action related to sustainability and responsibility engagement. In Marlborough this year, the team planted 1,200 native plants and shrubs, released and mulched 7,500 plants, constructed a picnic area and 500m of walking track to help restore the Grovetown Lagoon.

• Conservation Volunteers: Partnership with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ) has led to significant environmental outcomes, including at the Para Wetlands.

• Marlborough Falcon Trust: For the past seven years, the team has contributed to the rehabilitation and breeding of falcons in the Marlborough region, donating more than $500,000 to the Marlborough Falcon Trust. The Brancott Estate Vineyard is also home to a conservation and breeding aviary, providing a safe haven for injured and rescued native birds.

• Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand – In New Zealand, Pernod Ricard Winemakers has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40%, has a long-term wetland restoration project and Tui to Town

Photo by Matt Scutt

plantings, and recently won The Drinks Business international award recognising its efforts to preserve and enhance biodiversity.

• Volunteer leave days: Every employee is entitled to one volunteering leave day each year to work with a charity or community organisation of their choice.

One employee has planted 1,500 trees at the vineyard wetland in Blenheim through Trees That Count.

• Marlborough Good Stuff: Brancott Vineyard hosts the Fairhall School Duathlon annually and also makes vineyard areas available to the Woodbourne Half Marathon, the Brancott Duathlon, and the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival.

Case study No. 3 – Yealands Estate • Environment: An ongoing relationship with the Department of Conservation, through which Yealands funded all the interpretation signage on the Queen Charlotte Track and gives a contribution from product sales to pest protection work in the Marlborough Sounds.

• Coastlines: A lengthy relationship with Sustainable Coastlines, which primarily involves donated product.

Yealand’s staff have also been involved in a number of beach clean ups.

• Community: Donation of Grab & Go emergency packs to Seddon and Ward residents after the 2016 Earthquake. As part of Yealand’s Christmas activities, the entire team participated in six Seddon-based community activities, which included building community gardens and painting local amenities.

Winepress January 2018 / 9

Corporate Social Responsibility - so, what makes a responsible business?

DAVID TAYLOR

The Financial Times defines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as, “a business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders”.

I would like to share some insights and examples on how CSR activity can bring positive benefits to a business, its employees and to communities. Let’s start with, “what’s in it for me?” Well, a lot actually. Adopting a CSR approach can bring enhanced brand recognition, greater customer loyalty, heightened reputation, motivated staff, a competitive advantage and, ultimately, higher financial returns. Businesses that do nothing risk being marginalised because some customers not only prefer giving their business to responsible businesses, they may insist on it.

So who is driving it? Those born between 1981 and 1996, dubbed ‘Millennials’, have a somewhat different outlook to earlier generations. Some 62% of them want to work for a business that makes a positive impact, half prefer purposeful work to a high wage, and 53% would work harder if they were making a difference to others.

Ignoring this thinking risks your business being denied access to a pool of talent. Conversely, engaged and motivated people will help lift efficiency and productivity, reduce staff turnover and lift bottom line performance.

Businesses need to be clear about what their values are, how to demonstrate those consistently and embed them as a keystone in their operating culture. Playing at it, or making fluffy statements, will not cut it - employees, customers and stakeholders will see it for what it is and the effect will be counterproductive.

Around 10 years ago the NRL Bulldogs had a tarnished reputation both on and off the field. The then Chief Executive, Todd Greenberg, knew things had to change. “We can’t lie to ourselves any longer - perception is reality,” he said. “People’s perceptions about the club need to change and the only ones that can do that are us.”

Greenberg thought teaming up with Camp Quality, a nonprofit organisation that helps children and their families living with cancer, would be easy. He would carry the Camp Quality logo on team shirts, at no cost to the charity, and show the public how the Bulldogs cared.

Camp Quality was initially wary about linking their charity with the club but together they worked out a plan underpinned by every player having a genuine desire to turn things around. Bulldogs players and staff committed to share hundreds of hours with the children and families of Camp Quality. Players organised clinics where a session of kicking and ball drills might give way to a morning of games and water fights. The positive impact touched

10 / Winepress January 2018

not just the children, but the parents. On camps, players bunked with their buddy every night, and had to know when and how to administer daily medicine. Over the next few years the club’s reputation came full circle.

While I was working at Lloyds Bank, one very successful initiative was to team up with a senior school in a deprived area and buddy up around 20 year 12/13 students with Lloyds staff, who acted as their mentors.

The students worked on a career project designed to help them set a path for when schooling ended. The mentors facilitated some very creative work experience sessions and each student presented to a judge panel at a dinner and awards event, where their parents were the guests of honour.

Lloyds granted each family an allowance to help with some glitz and glamour for the night. The confidence each student displayed at the dinner and awards night was very special. I recall a single mother tell me that she had feared how her daughter would manage on leaving school.

She was intensely shy, had no confidence in herself and believed she had no self-worth. The programme changed all that and her daughter not only believed in herself but she intended to show the world what she was capable of.

In a nutshell, building some CSR in your business can have many benefits; it need not cost much and can often have a positive multiplier effect on the investment in time, or cost.

David is Managing Director of Positive Potential (www. positivepotential.co.nz)

Retrunking Drastic measures to tackle trunk disease SOPHIE PREECE

VILLA MARIA is taking a proactive stance to trunk disease, by cutting vines at the stem to retain the root but lose the rot.

After three years of smaller retrunking trials in Marlborough, the company has stepped up to a 16-yearold Sauvignon Blanc vineyard that was hitting target yields and had low levels of visible symptoms, says Viticulturist Stuart Dudley. Despite the outward show of good health, “destructive assessments” revealed significant trunk disease, spreading quickly, he says. “We think if we left this much longer, in five to 10 years we probably would have had to replant the whole block.”

Around 10% of the vines had to be replanted, but the rest were cut at the trunk below the infection, so a single shoot could be grown on the deep roots. With “the engine” of a 16-yearold vine, but a single shoot instead of 50, the plants are flourishing and will yield a reduced crop next year. Stuart

says that’s particularly useful in an organic vineyard, as this one is, because replanting new young vines can be difficult.

“With this, the vines take off quite happily.” He says the outcomes from this trial block will inform the company’s plans for other older larger scale blocks The project was seeded at an Adelaide conference on trunk disease where Stuart and Villa’s Viticulture Project Manager, Emma Taylor, sought more information on the threat to New Zealand’s wine industry, using information gleaned in Europe and Australia, the latter of which has big issues with Eutypa.

“Our industry is quite young and we are a bit naïve to think we won’t get the same issues,” says Stuart. “We

have the same conditions and we have the fungi present. The vines are just a bit younger.” He says Sauvignon Blanc is particularly susceptible and older vineyards are already showing visual symptoms, which likely indicate a much larger problem below the surface.

Going forward, better pruning techniques, including improved hygiene, will reduce the risk of trunk disease. “Ten years ago, these practices were not as good. But with new plantings, there’s the opportunity to be proactive from the start.”

Vine Science Understanding visual cues for trunk disease could help growers better manage infections in the future, says a wine scientist. Dion Mundy of Plant & Food Research Marlborough is working on a new a trunk disease project searching for canker clues in foliar symptoms. “Part of the reason why we are doing these projects is to gain a better understanding of which symptom might be the best predictor,” he says “And is it the tip of the iceberg? If you see symptoms in two out of a hundred, do you actually have 20 that are infected?”

The research should help growers make better longterm decisions about whether a vine should be retrunked or replaced, says Dion. “We are trying to build information so the growers can make informed decisions.”

The average vineyard age in Marlborough is between 14 and 15, and studies have shown that trunk disease

symptoms begin to show at about 15 or 16 years on cane pruned vines, says Dion. However, in a previous decadelong study of a vineyard, some vines showed symptoms from the beginning of the study to the end, others revealed no symptoms “then dropped dead”, while others showed symptoms and also died.

The new study will involve a single season assessment of vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, with visual symptoms recorded over summer, biopsies taken before harvest and then destructive assessments taken after vintage, with the trunks chain sawed to expose the rot. One vineyard in each region will have 100 vines given visual and biopsy assessments each year for three years, with the destructive assessment done at the end of three years. “The idea is to see if there is any correlation whatsoever,” says Dion.

Winepress January 2018 / 11

Wine & Food What’s in store for next month’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival?

ORGANISERS OF the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival expect another sellout event next month, with a tastier offering than ever before.

Wine Marlborough Events Manager Georgie Leach says 2018’s festival is as much about celebrating the region’s food as it is its wine, with a new culinary experience to educate and satiate audiences. “With Marlborough’s great wine comes amazing food, so we have developed a new concept with four local partners, so that we can focus on the actual produce.”

Some of the country’s top chefs will present Regal Marlborough King Salmon, Cloudy Bay Clams, Kono mussels, and Origin South Lamb, with culinary great Martin Bosley in the MC seat, she says. “The chefs are a fantastic way to tell the stories of these amazing Marlborough producers, sought after by some of the world’s top restaurants.”

12 / Winepress January 2018

Festival Committee Chair Lucy Walter says the synergies between Marlborough’s wine and food are worth celebrating properly. “When you think of mussels, clams and salmon, you think of Sauvignon Blanc.

When you taste Marlborough lamb, it’s always going to be better with a Marlborough Pinot Noir.”

She says the festival is about showcasing the whole region, from its wine and food, to its landscapes and people. “We want to take everything that is so iconic about Marlborough – all those things other regions wish they could claim – and wrap them up with great entertainment at Brancott Estate’s stunning vineyard. And people really do love it, whether they are working or playing on the day. People from other parts of the country (and beyond) think of it when they think of Marlborough. And locals are proud of what it says about where we live and what we do.”

Around 8,000 people attended the 2017 festival, and Georgie says ticket sales are tracking towards another full house this year. “That’s wonderful for the community and great for the wineries and food producers involved.

Because of what Marlborough has to offer, it should be a sell out every year.”

What to expect on February 10 - 40 wonderful wineries - 30 fantastic food stalls - One culinary tent with four local producers - Six bands, including the NZ All-Stars performing Marley: Celebrate the Legend - A cover band to wrap things up (thanks to popular demand) For more information go to www. wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz

The volunteers

The buzz

Marlborough Wine & Food Festival

The bands

Photos by Richard Briggs

The wineries

The friends

The millennials

The fans

Winepress January 2018 / 13

Can do The Mavericks at Misty Cove SOPHIE PREECE

Andrew Bailey with Misty Cove’s cans. David James Photography

A HOT day, a big sea, full sails and a cold can of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a lovely image, unless you’re wed to the notion that good wine only comes in a bottle.

Misty Cove’s Jarrod Englefield is hoping wine prejudice will lose out to wine portability this summer. “We’re not trying to convert you from bottle to can,” he says, with the Embezzler Pinot Noir in one hand and the Charlatan Sauvignon Blanc in the other. “We are targeting people who are going camping, they’re going to have a picnic, they’re going on a boat, and they want convenience.”

Those people are not likely to be looking for a certain vintage (which Misty Cove cans don’t carry) and nor will they necessarily swirl and spit.

However, they will know it’s a good and reliable representation of the variety and region, he says. “With beer, people trust a brand and buy it because they know what they will get. We are 14 / Winepress January 2018

doing the same thing with the cans.”

Jarrod emphasises that Misty Cove is a bottle producer, with 99.9% of its wine in glass, and the canned wine is the same brew, packaged differently.

He also notes that the list of typical questions (will it have a taste taint?

Can it still age?) and answers (no; yes) are similar to those faced by the screw cap initiative 16 years ago. “We knew the questions that would come to us and we were prepared. If I put it under the table and poured it, you wouldn’t know it was in a can.”

Jarrod says Misty Cove is the first New Zealand wine producer to sell wine in a can, but American wine can sales are worth more than $20 million. He and Misty Cove co-founder Andrew Bailey did a lot of research on Underwood, with its “pinkies down” wine campaign, which shed light on how successful the market can be.

For Misty Cove, which is made in Marlborough, but has historically been

exported to Europe, the cans represent an opportunity to differentiate the brand from the multitude of options on supermarket shelves. “Joe Public will either say ‘I have never heard of them’ or ‘oh yeah, they produce wine in a can,” Jarrod says.

The names and labels of The Charlatan and The Embezzler, along with The Hustler sparkling wine, are designed to be edgy, grab attention not pretention, and to differentiate from Misty Cove’s bottle labels, he says.

It’s not the first time the duo have taken a maverick approach to the wine industry. They were both playing cricket in the Netherlands back in the 2000s and had established a business importing and distributing New Zealand wine. With around 15 New Zealand wineries on their list, they rapidly learned that margins were slim, due the cost of getting the wine into export markets. The business was a success, but dealt in boxes only, getting

wine by the case into specialist stores and restaurants, says Jarrod. “It was good, but we wanted to grow faster.

Basically, we couldn’t get our wine into restaurants as a house pour because it was too expensive.”

So they decided to make a wine that wasn’t. Andrew had studied winemaking at Lincoln University and Jarrod was a marketing major, so they pooled their talents and created their label, named for the low-lying cloud that settles across the Marlborough Sounds.

Then they “worked backwards” to launch their first Misty Cove Sauvignon Blanc in 2007, designed and priced to meet the market. “If you look at the Marlborough industry and typically at New Zealand as a whole, it is quite traditional,” says Jarrod. “You buy land, plant vineyards, make wine and then push it in to markets.”

They took a different route, looking at what price the wine needed to be to make it into glass pours and at how much they needed to earn, then at

the cost of the fruit and winemaking, and finally at how they could get the dry freight costs down by shipping it to Europe for bottling. “We hit this price point and it went crazy. Instead of moving cases, we were moving pallets into each restaurant every two to three weeks. All of a sudden the whole market changed.”

As well as getting wine in house pours, they moved into specialist wine stores with bottles under 10 Euros.

“As soon as we broke those barriers, you could just see things speed up.”

As Misty Cove earned a name for cool climate wines made with old world techniques, customer demand led to more varieties, leading to the launch of a Pinot Noir in 2011, and ultimately to higher tier wines, including a barrel aged Sauvignon, an organic range and the Fifth Innings Pinot Noir.

Meanwhile, the sales moved beyond Europe and into the United States and Asia as well.

In those export markets, New Zealand wine was a small proportion

of the shelf space, so Misty Cove had a noticeable place. However, when Andrew and Jarrod moved back to New Zealand with their families in 2015, they could no longer rely on Marlborough roots to differentiate them on the market. “You go into the supermarket in New Zealand and there’s a lot of saturation,” Jarrod says.

“It’s a beast of a market, so where’s your point of difference?”

They have continued to grow, with last year’s turnover double that of the previous 12 months, largely because of continued export growth. The New Zealand market is a slower burn, but Jarrod is hopeful the cans will give the company a higher profile, leading people to the bottles as well.

“I suppose we are just trying to do things a bit different,” he says. “We hope they’ll buy a can and think, ‘who produces this?’ Once they dig they’ll find there’s a hell of a lot more to us than the cans.”

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Winepress January 2018 / 15

Generation Y-ine HARRIET WADWORTH was literally on her way home to Marlborough when she found the perfect job waiting for her. Sitting in the departure lounge at Sydney Airport, she scanned a list of vacancies and found Wine Marlborough’s Communications and Marketing Coordinator role.

“It was bizarre, but really good timing,” says the 26-year-old, more than two years on. “I had been speaking to my sister about a role in the wine industry, with marketing and a bit of a tourism focus, and Wine Marlborough had been one of the things we talked about.”

Harriet grew up on a sheep and beef farm beyond Blenheim and studied design in Dunedin, before working in Fashion Week in New Zealand and Australia. She then moved to Sydney to get her teeth into marketing and sales with Global Events and Marketing.

She enjoyed the interactive and events side of that role, learning to communicate with people in different situations while retaining a creative impact.

However, after two years she was ready for a stint at home. The Wine Marlborough job made that short stay a long one, and she’s jumped in to the array of challenges it brings, from dealing with growers, wine companies and workshops, to hosting wine media or influencers from around the world, and running promotional campaigns.

“It’s a good balance of being organised and communicating, with a bit of events work and creativity as well.”

Over the past two and a half years, Harriet has helped grow the International Sauvignon Blanc Day from a regional trade event to a public campaign with local, national and international impact. This year’s event 16 / Winepress January 2018

on May 4 will be even bigger and better than ever, she says, having received fantastic feedback from consumers and wine companies after 2017’s 16 Days of Sauvignon.

She has also worked hard to increase communication with cellar door operators, with end of season debriefs and a revamp of the Wine Marlborough Cellar Door of the Year Competition. This saw mystery shoppers give feedback on the region’s 34 cellar doors, choosing two top spots, as well as Marlborough’s two Cellar Door Personalities of the Year. “It’s about focussing on the positive and

“It’s about focussing on the positive.”

Harriet Wadworth celebrating the people and places that are so important to the reputation of Marlborough,” she says.

Harriet has witnessed the transformation of the region since growing up on a farm near Brancott Rd, which was then dominated by sheep, not vines. These days she spends plenty of time amid the wide

expanse of vineyards now spanning that stretch of road, helping organise next month’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, or perhaps occassionally taking wine writers on a visit to the Brancott Estate Restaurant and Cellar Door.

She says being raised in a farming environment, which has similar regional and national bodies to the wine industry, has been influential in her focus. “That helped quite a lot in my understanding, from a grower or member point of view, the importance of an industry body like Wine Marlborough.”

Meanwhile, she’s been helping with the new format of the WineWorks Marlborough Wine Race, including the addition of the Wine Marlborough Twilight Series yacht races that preceded it, and coordinating the sale of the new Sauvignon Blanc glass, made by Riedel and branded with Marlborough.

With never a dull moment, Harriet loves the breadth of her role, whether that means sailing in the Marlborough Sounds or liaising with growers across the region.

Wine Race Grower Brenda Webb shares the view from her yacht Bandit, which carried Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc in last month’s Wine Race.

SUNSHINE, SALT water and Sauvignon Blanc. December’s WineWorks Marlborough Wine Race across Cook Strait provided all of that, although the Sauvignon Blanc was kept securely locked until the yachts crossed the finish line in Wellington Harbour.

The epic Cook Strait race is loosely based on the Beaujolais Nouveau, in which newly released Beaujolais is raced across the English Channel.

Marlborough’s version, organised by the Waikawa Boating Club, is a celebration of the region’s newly released Sauvignon Blancs, as well as other varieties this year. Wineries provide crew and enter their wines which are placed in a locked box and handed to the skippers at the race briefing.

There are of course far easier ways to cross Cook Strait – flying or by ferry.

The fact that more than 300 people on 39 yachts opted to sail across shows how exhilarating and challenging sailing can be.

Cook Strait is notorious for strong currents and unpredictable winds but December’s race was near perfect with flat seas and a fair breeze. The mass start off Tory Channel entrance provided a wonderful spectacle as the yachts battled to be first over the line.

It was a lovely reach across the open sea with our crew taking turns on the helm while others enjoyed the sunshine on the weather rail. Bandit

Sophie Stevens (left) and the crew on Bandit during the WineWorks Marlborough Wine race. Photo Pete Oswald.

was midfield until many of the fleet Nothing to do then but delve into became becalmed in the shadow of the fridge and taste some of those the North Island. We could see their delicious Sauvignon Blancs we’d risked predicament, so stayed out wide and life and limb for! it was incredibly exciting to round Handicap results: Barrett Reef with the leaders.

Rapport (St Clair) 1, Flying Machine The sail up Wellington Harbour (Isabel Estate) 2, Vanquish (Wither was enthralling, as the leading bunch Hills) 3. exchanged tacks up to Point Halswell when it was a drag race to the mark.

Fickle winds cost us several places but we were delighted to be 10th across the line, finishing seventh on handicap.

It was a quick race this year with Satellite Spy, carrying Nautilus 2017 Sauvignon Peter Oswald on Bandit during the WineWorks Marlborough Blanc, taking line Wine race. Photo Pete Oswald. honours in 4.12.02.

Winepress January 2018 / 17

The Block A tiny cellar door with a giant reputation SOPHIE PREECE

IT’S NEARLY 30 years since Chris and Dave Macdonald parked their Anglo caravan on 8 hectares of bony land in the Wairau Valley and hung a solar shower in the nearby pine trees.

On any days off from work in Wellington, Dave would ferry over with their dog and set to with his shovel, planting vines, learning from neighbours, and wondering what they had let themselves in for.

“Looking back, we would have done it so differently,” says Chris, who travelled over frequently, with their baby Blair in tow, to toil alongside Dave. “In hindsight, we should have been sensible and stayed in Wellington and made money for a while. We would have paid people to put the vineyard in and then moved down here.”

Fortunately they didn’t, which is why Bladen has the kind of story that sets them apart from the crowd. It’s the kind of story that helped make them Wine Marlborough Cellar Door of the Year in November, an accolade shared with Hunter’s, and saw Dave heralded as Marlborough’s joint Cellar Door Personality of the Year.

While embarrassed by the awards, he says boutique outfits like theirs play an important role in Marlborough, providing authentic human stories and personalised hospitality. “I have been doing this for a long time and what I have discovered is that the more people can actually relate to you and your story, the more you develop a common bond.”

Bladen’s story begins when Dave and Chris were in their early 30s and working in Wellington, he in computer operations and she as a hairdresser.

When Chris became pregnant, they looked at their lives and decided on a

18 / Winepress January 2018

change, says Dave.

“To start fresh, get out of the city and buy some land.”

The couple loved Bordeaux reds and good food, and cooked up an image of planting their own vineyard and passing it on to their children one day. On New Year’s Day 1989, they set off on a road trip with $80,000 and a dream. They went north, but rejected Martinborough (too windy), Gisborne, and Henderson (too populated), amongst others.

Then they set off south, renting a caravan in Grovetown and driving to Nelson. “We were shooed out of

“We knew this vineyard was best suited as a boutique winery producer.”

Dave Macdonald there because we looked like travelling gypsies,” says Dave. On their way back through Marlborough they went to the Wine & Food Festival, where everyone was friendly and welcoming, he says.

“It was like, ‘this is it’.”

Finding a region was one thing, but getting the land was quite another.

The Wairau Valley was dominated by apple orchards, but several vineyards had been planted and there was

increasing interest in the land. So while various real estate agents took them to potential blocks, “we kept being gazumped”, Dave says.

After 10 months they finally found and bought a block of sheep country down Conders Bend Road, which had a slight roll, a stream through the middle, and the stony riverbeds they knew were perfect for vines. “With our experience looking at land in Rapaura we knew the Golden Mile of grapes had to be below the terrace and on this side of the river,” says Dave.

The sellers also offered them vines at $1 a piece, along with a contract to supply Grove Mill. They were hesitant to plant the 2.4ha of ungrafted Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Semillon, but the temptation to get started was too great, and by Labour Day of ‘89, they were planting.

The Semillon never ripened and the Gewürztraminer was “knackered” by phylloxera by 2004, but they still have most of the Pinot Gris, now desperately in need of a replant, says Dave. “We get probably a tonne or 1.5 tonnes to the acre. But we have the oldest Pinot Gris vines in Marlborough, and we would like to hold on to that mantle as long as we can.”

The couple soon realised that if they wanted any sort of income from the land they needed more vines, so bought the old Anglo and parked it on a rise, using it as a cottage for the days they could commute and plant, starting with a hectare of Riesling.

They slogged on, and when

Chris became pregnant again in 1992, took it as a sign they should move to Marlborough permanently, but continue the commute back the other way, says Dave. “We are always factoring in where our life was at. Blair needed to go to school and Deni was about to be born.” For the next seven months, he worked the vineyard in Marlborough and the job in Wellington, before eventually quitting the capital.

In 1997 Dave and Chris set up their own label, naming it Bladen for their children. “We had a potpourri of varieties,” says Dave. “And we knew this vineyard was best suited as a boutique winery producer.” So that’s what they became, making small volumes of six varieties and sharing their story and wine through a warm welcome and a tiny cellar door, always staffed by Chris or Dave, and eventually by the kids too, when home on university holidays. In the 20 years since in the cellar door began only five people have worked there, with the fifth being the recent addition of Chris’s brother John.

That personal touch remains key to Bladen’s success and it’s remained the essence of the business, despite export sales of 10,000 cases, says Chris. “What you see here is our heart of hearts. This is our passion and what we do in the office brings in our income.” Of course, the two frequently intersect, because many of the people

who visit the cellar door and meet the owners continue to buy Bladen when they return home, and tell their friends as well.

Chris and Dave work to make that process as easy as possible, so that visitors from the UK, for example, can buy the wine at the cellar door without taking it on their travels. The purchase goes through Hard to Find Wines, so that it is waiting for the customer when they get home. “Those people go home and the orders keep coming in,” says Chris. “They also tell their friends to come and visit us, so it keeps building and building.”

Better yet, because they have

visited the cellar door and tasted the wines, those brand fans are not blinded by Marlborough’s Sauvignon reputation, and buy other wines in the range, meaning Hard to Find Wines sells as much Bladen Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Riesling, as it does Sauvignon Blanc.

“That’s the biggest reveal,” Dave says.

“People come to Marlborough to try Sauvignon and go away impressed by everything else we do. The bubblies, the Pinots, the Chardonnays, etc.

They realise Marlborough is not a one trick pony. Cellar doors provide that service.”

Winepress January 2018 / 19

Biosecurity Watch Exploring New Zealand’s vineyard virome DR EDWIN MASSEY

THIS MONTH’S column examines the recent research conducted by Plant & Food Research scientist Arnaud Blouin on the New Zealand vineyard virome, and considers some of its implications for the wine industry. This research, sponsored by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), provides insight on the prevalence and impact of viruses in the commercial vineyard estate, helps inform useful conclusions on vineyard biosecurity, and raises a number of important research questions that could help to protect the wine industry’s long-term sustainability.

Virus prevalence One of the most significant results of Blouin’s work is to illustrate just how common plant viruses are in the vineyard. Of the 18 samples taken from the NZW reference collection, 17 samples indicated the presence of one or more grapevine viruses.

One plant was infected with eight different grapevine viruses and two viroids. Similarly, in the commercial estate, samples collected in specific Sauvignon Blanc blocks from both Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay indicated the presence of: • One infection of grapevine leaf roll-associated virus 2 • Three infections of grapevine

leaf roll-associated virus 3 • One new vitivirus in one plant • High incidence of Maculaviruses - 10% of total vines sampled • Very high incidence of Marafiviruses - 59% of total vines sampled • High incidence of grapevine rupestris stem pitting virus • Very high viroids incidence These results are likely to differ from one block to another.

The results highlight the significant variety in the New Zealand vineyard virome and, more importantly, show that with the diagnostic tools that are now available, further sampling of the commercial estate will likely lead to more viruses being discovered. Grapevines and the grapevine viruses they contain have most likely co-evolved over a long time, and it is a false expectation to consider that all the vines in your vineyard will be virus free. Most importantly, these results highlight that the presence of many specific viruses does not equal disease and that, in many cases, plants which contain some viruses can be considered healthy, and still capable of producing the high quality grapes that go into making outstanding wine.

Virus management remains a high priority throughout the wine industry.

The NZW Grafted Grapevine Standard seeks to minimise the probability of infected material being released to the industry. The potential impact of these pathogenic viruses is further minimised by the quality control systems in place at many grapevine nurseries and the standard operating procedures for virus management in many vineyards.

What viruses are not in New Zealand?

This research also highlights that two important grapevine viruses - grapevine red blotch virus and grapevine pinot gris virus - are not present in New Zealand.

Grapevine red blotch virus has not been regularly reported outside North America. Grapevine red blotch symptoms generally occur in late summer as irregular red blotching in leaf blades. The veins of affected leaves can turn partially or fully red.

Symptoms are often confused with grapevine leafroll disease caused by another virus, grapevine leafroll associated virus 3. The primary impact of grapevine red blotch is on the accumulation of total soluble solids.

Typically, infected vines can be as much as 4-5 units lower than healthy vines. In North America, this virus primarily effects red wine cultivars

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT .

Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 20 / Winepress January 2018

such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, but has also been detected in white wine cultivars such as Chardonnay, Riesling, and Grapevine infected with grapevine red Viognier. blotch virus Grapevine pinot gris virus is common in many international wine regions and was first identified in Australia early in 2017.

The symptoms Californian grapevine infected with associated with grapevine pinot gris virus infection include delayed budburst, leaf distortion and mottling, shortened internodes, increased berry acidity and yield loss (reports of up to 80%).

These symptoms are most pronounced in spring and may be confused with cold or herbicide damage. Grapevine pinot gris virus can affect a wide range of cultivars including Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

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Next steps – further research important for improved biosecurity

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Blouin’s research is a great step to better understanding the New Zealand vineyard virome, yet is far from being comprehensive. Further research, and a larger sample size, would help to confirm the prevalence of a range of viruses and the absence of others, like grapevine red blotch virus or grapevine pinot gris virus. Further evidence of absence is important for wine industry biosecurity as it would suggest that if either of these destructive viruses are detected in New Zealand, that this would be most likely from a recent grapevine introduction. From a biosecurity perspective, it is much more cost effective to respond to a recent introduction than a virus that has been undetected for many years.

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Conclusion – being aware of the unusual Often, it can be difficult to tell whether the unusual symptoms you see in your vineyard are caused by plant viruses, or a range of other biotic and abiotic factors. A clear diagnosis is critical. That’s why if you do see something that just doesn’t look right you should catch it, snap it, report it. Call the MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 and call NZW Biosecurity and Emergency Response Manager Ed Massey, 0211924924 edwin.massey@nzwine.com. After all, it’s your asset, and your responsibility to protect it.

nmit.ac.nz/viticulture

Winepress January 2018 / 21

Industry News Agrivit Agrivit’s bright new brand will be highly visible in Marlborough vineyards this season, says General Manager and co-owner Jeremy Watts (pictured). “Every situation and site is different, so whether we’re looking at frost protection, tractors or sprayers, the first step is to visit and assess the site, and to talk directly to the people who manage it.” Jeremy and his partner Clare Kilty, along with Matt and Lynne Broughan of irrigation business Liquid Action, bought Marlborough Tractor Services in June last year and immediately decided to put their own stamp on it.

Jeremy says the new brand is a fresh start for the business, which supplies, customises and services sprayers, frost fans, tractors, post drivers and undervine mowers, and also supplies vineyard and orchard netting solutions.

“We want Agrivit to grow its reputation for customised solutions that take account of land type, land use, and the way a block is managed,” he says.

That may mean supplying “a reputable brand from off the shelf”, but the better and cost-effective solution may be to customise a piece of equipment they already use, or to create something new.

Jeremy says the business is renowned for its undervine Econo Mower, which was developed to meet the needs of Marlborough grape growers and is sold nationwide and abroad. “That’s a great example of what engineers and growers can create by looking at the need and finding the solution.” Now the Agrivit team is working with Power Farming on a Deutz Fahr dedicated vineyard tractor with high oil flow, due for release this year. “The wine industry is changing really quickly, and we have to make sure we keep pace with innovation,” says Jeremy. “That makes this a really exciting time to be in business.”

He has spent the past few months refining his supplier list down to select brands with a proven track record in the region. That includes the Croplands vineyard sprayers, for which Agrivit has the New Zealand contract for building and servicing, Power Farming tractors and machinery, and Orchard Rite Wind Machine servicing. Agrivit will also continue machinery trade-ins, which can often provide the best solution, financially and practically, for a grower, Jeremy says.

“We want Agrivit to grow its reputation for customised solutions.”

Jeremy Watts

22 / Winepress January 2018

Mixing it up Lawson’s Dry Hills has launched an innovative wine to mark its 25th vintage.

Named after the Māori word Ranu, “to mix”, the 2017 vintage wine is a blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

They say it is a wine that fulfils the team’s desire to be innovative, while embracing the aromatic grape varieties they are famous for. Ross and Barbara Lawson started selling wine under their own label in 1992. A quarter of a century on, Lawson’s Dry Hills has a multitude of accolades, numerous trophies and medals from all over the world, more than 20 export markets and a thriving domestic market. General Manager Sion Barnsley says Lawson’s core team is largely the same as it was nearly two decades ago, and that longevity is a major part of the 25 year celebration.

He says the small, hands-on team is 100% responsible for every part of the business, from the vineyards right through the winemaking process to bottling and distribution.

Good dog!

Do you have a vineyard dog that makes itself useful over harvest, tasting grapes and recognising ripe fruit, or making some other contribution to the business of winegrowing? Destination Marlborough is on the hunt for a good grape dog for a Tourism New Zealand campaign. If you have one in mind, get in touch with Nicky at nickyh@ marlboroughnz.com.

You win Somme Two New Zealand-based sommeliers have been selected to participate in the 2018 New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) International Sommelier Scholarship. Matthew Bocock of the Wholesale Boot Company Restaurant in Wellington and Anna Krykunivsky,

Skin safe workplace New Zealand has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, but fewer than 4% of us get an annual skin check, says the Kiwi founder of the Firstcheck mobile app.

Hayden Laird developed the app to provide remote consultations with local skin specialists, so that people can get suspicious skin lesions checked easily.

The app picked up 10 melanomas at last year’s Mystery Creek Field Days, he says. “For me it just reinforces how critical it is to make it easy for everyone to get checked, as and when they notice something.”

Firstcheck is talking to wine companies about how the app can be used to help protect employees working in vineyards. Dr Mark Foley, from The Skin Clinic in Marlborough, says the app is a cost-effective way for employers to complement their workers’ annual full body skin check and to take a more proactive role in health and safety.

“Those who notice a new or changing mole can rapidly have this assessed.

The dermoscopic images provided with the Firstcheck SkinScope provide important clues not visible with ordinary photos, greatly improving diagnostic accuracy. The earlier a melanoma is detected, the better the likelihood of a good outcome for the patient. Early detection can literally save lives.”

The Firstcheck app is free to download and skin specialists charge $19.95 for the review service. Find out more at www.firstcheck.me from the Imperium Group in Queenstown will join 18 international scholarship recipients at a Sommit event in Nelson and Central Otago.

Hosted by locals, Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas and Master of Wine Stephen Wong, the events are a celebration of the lesser known aspects of New Zealand wine, with emphasis on the facets that resonate with the sommelier community.

Real Estate Update Summer conditions have been perfect for weed spraying and chemical application this season, says PGG Wrightson Real Estate Manager and Salesperson Joe Blakiston. “Flowering is going well and the outlook for harvest looks positive.” He says that has led to a reluctance to put vineyards on the market at present, with the majority of the year’s expenditure pre-Christmas. “The outlook will be for sales through February with

post-harvest settlement.” Joe says odd enquiry still exists for established vineyards in prime areas and development blocks, but new listings are scarce. “The positive outlook for 2017 looks set to roll on into 2018, with the only potential issue being the looming drought. All in all an interesting and satisfying year in viticultural real estate.”

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Winepress January 2018 / 23

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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 January 20. For more information on the events below email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz

JANUARY 2018 30 - Feb 1 Wine Marlborough sommelier and media hosting, including Bach Hop FEBRUARY 2018 10 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, Brancott Vineyard, www.wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz 11 Wine & Food Wind Down, Vines Village, 10am- 5pm 24 Dog Point+ Logan Brown Classic Picnic, 12-5pm, picnic@dogpoint.co.nz 24- 26 Wine Marlborough sommelier and media hosting, including Bach Hop MARCH 2018 9-11 Waterfall Bay Feast, www.seresin.co.nz APRIL 7

Forrest Graperide

Wine & Food Festival - February 10

Wind Down - February 11

Dog Point Picnic - February 24

SPOIL YOUR LOVED ONE AT THE MOST ROMANTIC ESTATE IN MARLBOROUGH...

Imagine watching a spectacular sunset made even more relaxing with a glass of wine in hand and your most significant person aside...

Valentine’s or other, splash out in the iconic Gourmet Restaurant and celebrate in style…

Indulge in our wonderful Tasting Menus prepared by true Masterchefs!

Book now for a Valentine’s evening to remember!

We have indulgence packages ready for you!

81 Jeffries Road | 03 572 8770 | enjoy@herzog.co.nz | www.herzog.co.nz

24 / Winepress January 2018

For a more relaxed bite, head to the charming Bistro and Cellar Door, all within beautiful Mediterranean gardens for a laid-back lunch or dinner!

Need to eradicate powdery mildew?

Now you have a choice

HML32 and additives: with or without copper If copper use is an issue for you, there are choices HML32 with sulphur and HML Silco (adjuvant) is as effective as HML32 with copper and HML Potum (potassium bicarbonate) for suppression / eradication of powdery mildew infection.

Two spray options are shown below. Scan the QR code for the recommended best practice for eradication spray application or go to http://www. henrymanufacturing.co.nz/products/hml-32/research-and-trials/best-practicepowdery-mildew-infection-eradication-2017.pdf

Spray mix Option 1

HML32 (1.25L/100L), Sulphur (label rate) HML Silco (425g powder per 100L, or 540ml liquid per 100L)

Spray mix Option 2

HML32 (1.25L/100L), HML Potum (300g /100L), Copper (45g metallic copper /100L)

Henry Manufacturing Ltd Visit www.henrymanufacturing.co.nz Call Chris Henry on 027 294 1490 email chris@henrymanufacturing.co.nz or contact your local technical advisor.

Available from

PLANTAFOL

®

High Potassium for Wine Grape

READILY AVAILABLE POTASSIUM

ENHANCE CROP MATURITY

HELPS CELL DIVISION AND CARBOHYDRATE FORMATION

VERY HIGH POTASSIUM CONTENT

IT IS MADE ONLY FROM CAREFULLY SELECTED RAW MATERIALS

COMPLETE AND FAST SOLUBILITY

COMPOSTION

N:0 - P:10.75 - K:41.5 B:0.02 - Cu:0.05 - Fe:0.1 - Mn:0.05 - Zn:0.05

All PLANTAFOL products sustain and support crop growth and reproductive stages assuring increased production and quality.

Thanks to its ingredients PLANTAFOL acts on the plants physiology, providing a rapid and complete uptake of useful nutients. www.valagro.com ®

IT IS ENRICHED WITH EDTA CHELATED MICROELEMENTS