Winepress - January 2023

Photo: Jim Tannock

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this issue... 6

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Wine Festival

Next month’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival will be a “stellar” event after a tough couple of years for the industry, says Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens. 8

Happy New Year Winepress gleans insights into the year ahead from those grappling with challenges - from short labour to skyrocketing costs - and leveraging opportunities, including stellar demand for our flagship variety.

16

Seddon on Track

Wine Happenings

Cover: Jamie Marfell and his classmates planted some of the region’s earliest vines, on a Montana vineyard neighbouring their Fairhall school. Nearly 50 years on, the winemaker looks back at a transformative industry. Photo Jim Tannock. See page 14.

A new cruise ship steam train excursion from Picton to Seddon is a huge leap for the Awatere Valley community and economy, say Tūpari Wines general manager Olivia Doonan.

Photo Richard Briggs

General Manager: Marcus Pickens 03 577 9299 or 021 831 820 marcus@winemarlborough.nz

Editor: Sophie Preece 027 308 4455 sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

Marketing and Communications: Sarah Linklater 021 704 733 sarah@winemarlborough.nz

Events Manager: Loren Coffey loren@winemarlborough.nz

Advocacy Manager: Nicci Armour advocacy@winemarlborough.nz

Advertising: Joanna May advertising@winemarlborough.nz

Grape Grower Directors: Andrew Nation nationa@gmail.com

Anna Laugesen anna@craiglochart.co.nz

Michiel Eradus michiel@eraduswines.co.nz

Nigel Sowman nigel@dogpoint.co.nz

Tracy Johnston tracy@dayvinleigh.co.nz

Wine Company Directors: Beth Forrest beth@forrest.co.nz

Damien Yvon damien@closhenri.com

Gus Altschwager gus@akwines.net

James Macdonald james@hunters.co.nz

Jamie Marfell Jamie.Marfell@pernod-ricard.com

Designed by: Blenheim Print Ltd 03 578 1322

Disclaimer: The views and articles that are expressed and appear in Winepress are entirely those of contributors and in no way reflect the policy of the Marlborough Winegrowers. Any advice given, implied or suggested should be considered on its merits, and no responsibility can be taken for problems arising from the use of such information.

This document is printed on an environmentally responsible paper, produced using elemental chlorine free (EFC), third party pulp from responsible sources, manufactured under the strict ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and is 100% Recyclable.

From the Editor

MY WORD for 2023 is looking a lot like ‘locavore’. This editorial comes in the wake of lunch at the Cachito X Spy kitchen takeover at Spy Valley Wines. Sated by delicious wine and food - devoured amid vines in a range-wrapped, viewdrenched valley - I’m reminded of the win-win of living in Marlborough. It’s got all the ease of a provincial town, while offering food and wine experiences envied by our metropolitan neighbours - whether that’s a pop-up feast in the Waihopai Valley, vineyard restaurants, Marlborough Sounds resorts, or cellar doors scattered across the region.

Thanks to hard work and stubborn resilience, these food and wine gurus have weathered the toughest of times and come out shining. And in some waysdespite the painful tourism hiatus - Marlborough seems better than ever if you’re looking for a summer outing, with the likes of Forrest and Rock Ferry Wines holding regular music events, Spy Valley talking of a monthly restaurant pop up, and Cloudy Bay - the masters of visitor experiences - kickstarting their summer with Jack’s Raw Bar in a new and improved cellar door. South Marlborough wine producers are also working hard to showcase their subregion through cellar doors, including steam train excursions for cruise ship passengers to Seddon (see page 16).

Next month, of course, all our best wine and food will come to one place for the 36th Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, with a new location at Renwick Domain and a fresh perspective, after two years of pandemic cancellations. The festival is truly part of the legacy of Marlborough’s wine industry.

That legacy is a major focus this year, with August 1973 marking 50 years since Montana Wines planted their first vineyard in the Brancott Valley, launching an industry that would put Marlborough - and New Zealand - on the world’s wine map. A few years later Jamie Marfell - these days Pernod Ricard’s New Zealand group winemaker - would plant some vines as an 8-year-old, as part of a class trip to a vineyard near Fairhall school. Nearly five decades on, photographed in that same vineyard, Jamie says the region’s wine industry remains exciting and fast paced (see page 14). “You still can’t predict the future.”

He’s right of course, but you can take a punt, which is what we’ve asked some Marlburians to do in this edition, looking at opportunities and challenges in the year ahead. Read our wary welcome to 2023 on page 10 of this edition.

SOPHIE PREECE

From the Board

The Marlborough Wine & Food Festival

DAMIEN YVON

OUR FESTIVAL is back, and as an industry and a community we are all thrilled to have this major local event on the 2023 calendar. In the past few weeks the region has been very buoyant about having many visitors from around the country and overseas experiencing the fine products we craft, our friendly hospitality, and the unique environment we live in. The return of the festival will certainly contribute to attracting visitors to the region as it has done so well for decades.

The important news is that the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival is moving site. While Pernod Ricard and Brancott Estate have been extremely generous in offering access to their magnificent place, we all accept this was not an opportunity we would retain forever. We are certainly appreciative of their contribution over many years, which has helped build the reputation of the festival and of Marlborough wine.

Renwick is welcoming the festival from 2023. After a careful process of site selection, Renwick Domain became an obvious choice as a location for this heritage event. All great wine regions of renown around the world have a wine village and, as a premium wine region with worldwide reach, it is important Marlborough does so too. Renwick has been rightfully named as the heart of Marlborough’s wine country, as a place of reference for our industry, our community, and our visitors.

I would like to give credit to the Marlborough District Council and the local Renwick Smart and Connected steering groups for the great efforts and investments they have put into the village in recent years, to make it more welcoming for visitors and more enjoyable for the local community, through the development of signage, cycleways, and beautification.

As an industry supporting the festival, this is our opportunity to help build the identity of Renwick as central to our industry. One would admit the village needs further

improvements to make it more welcoming, with a stronger wine identity. However, I believe we should keep the vision of Renwick as the heart of Marlborough’s wine country, embracing every opportunity – including the festival – in order to progress towards that goal.

The team at Wine Marlborough is working hard to make the new site a great venue for the festival, taking on board this major change to foster new ideas and offer improvements to the event, to better meet visitor expectations and enhance their experiences. I very much look forward to seeing it all happen successfully on February 11 next year. Long life to the festival and Renwickyou can do this!

“Renwick has been rightfully named as the heart of Marlborough’s wine country, as a place of reference for our industry, our community, and our visitors.”

Damien Yvon

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Festival Returns

Heritage event at the heart of Marlborough wine

KAT PICKFORD

MARLBOROUGH’S WINE industry will host the country’s longest running wine festival next month, with the buzz of vintage 2023 just around the corner. More than 30 of the region’s wineries will showcase their wines at the 36th Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, including newcomers Rimapere Vineyard and The Uncommon Wine of New Zealand, who will join festival stalwarts including Hunter’s Wines, Forrest Wines, and Wairau River Wines.

Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens says these wineries have been part of the Marlborough wine scene since its early days and are woven into the festival’s heritage and its reputation as a premier event. “This will be a stellar event after a tough couple of years for the industry,” he says. “Wineries, chefs, caterers and bands are ready to celebrate what’s special about our region – amazing wine, delicious food, and friendly people.”

While the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 festivals was a huge disappointment for everyone, Wine

around the corner and grapes on the vines there is that buzz in the air that visitors love to be a part of.”

The locals only and early-bird tickets “sold out in a flash” and sstrong sponsorship support shows the community is just as excited about the festival as the wine, hospitality and tourism industries, Marcus says. “We’re pleased there is still an affinity with this event because you just never know in this new environment. Everyone still wants to make time for it. It really is a heritage event - it’s been around for so long and it’s a big deal for Marlborough.”

While the festival had a “proven recipe for success”, they were continuing to innovate and introduce new technology and experiences to ensure festival goers of all feathers would continue to enjoy a quality experience, he says. “We are excited about our new offerings in 2023, such as The Lounge experience and a convenient cashless system. We are also rapt with our new, bigger venue at Renwick Domain, with its onsite parking and easy access.”

Marcus Pickens

Marlborough used the downtime as an opportunity for reflection, Marcus says. “We really questioned everything about the festival, looking at why and how we do things, and it all came back round to the original vision - to put Marlborough on the map as a great wine region.”

With vintage drawing earlier with the warming climate, they considered whether it was too much for the industry to host a large-scale event while ramping up for the busiest time of the year. “We looked at changing dates, but weather records show us that weekend is one of the driest of the year - if we don’t take it, someone else will. And with vintage

The popular Culinary Pavilion will be back again this year, with cooking demonstrations by some of New Zealand’s best chefs including Mark Southon, who is “a big fan” of the festival and has featured several times previously, Marcus says.

The festival will be front and centre in the minds of locals more than ever this year, with the new, larger location in the middle of Renwick. It could be a great opportunity for the local community to get behind and build from, he adds. “Fostering a strong wine culture is really important. Every major wine region around the world has its own event, and this is ours. We just need everyone to know that.”

Photo Richard Briggs

“Wineries, chefs, caterers and bands are ready to celebrate what’s special about our region.”

Award-winning music & award-winning wines

Award-winning duo Broods (pictured below) will take the main stage at this year’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, with an hour-long DJ set drawing from their popular albums.

Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens anticipates the Nelson-born artists will be one of the festival’s musical highlights, alongside Coterie – a five-piece band with a reputation for excellent live shows. “Marlborough’s best wine and food is centre stage of this heritage festival, and then we layer on fun and entertainment with great music on multiple stages,” Marcus says.

The line-up has been carefully selected to please festival-goers. “Coterie make soulful rock music that goes just beautifully with wine and food. Niko Walters will also go down a treat and we’re excited to have Sweet Mix Kids booked again this year.” Local band Vagus Plum are also booked to play, with more local Marlborough musicians due to join the line-up.

The Year Ahead

Marlborough’s wine industry has yet to find a “new normal” following nearly three years of pandemic upheaval. As 2023 swings into action, Winepress seeks some insights into the year ahead - from challenges to opportunities.

Peter Jackson – chief winemaker Whitehaven Wine Company

Aside from the continuing vigilance and planning around likely ongoing illness, Whitehaven’s biggest challenge centres on meeting volume demand in a hugely competitive land purchase and grape supply environment. This leads on to a further consideration that we’re particularly mindful of - how do we ensure with increasing vineyard area, harvest intake, and blend volumes, that we maintain, and ideally exceed, our current quality focus and expectations?

There is incredible discipline required by our winery, bottling and shipping teams through the harvest, blending and ongoing bottling cycle, and by the vineyard team through the growing season, harvest and pruning cycle, which has seen once quieter, restorative times of the year increasingly evaporate. Ensuring worker wellbeing and job enjoyment is therefore top of mind and an area that requires constant awareness and action.

Encouragingly, with the increase in demand we are also witnessing consumer willingness to trade up to higher tier wines. We will soon be launching a higher tier product for the US market and have seen increased demand for our higher price-point single vineyard releases, and other varieties outside of Sauvignon Blanc. The opportunity to build the profile and volume of these other varieties, along with the regional story of Marlborough, through our company story and membership of Appellation Marlborough Wine and Méthode Marlborough is energising for our team.

Being transparent with consumers and telling our own personalised sustainability story, in conjunction with the broader New Zealand wine story, also provides an exciting opportunity. Ensuring that we exceed consumer expectations by constantly moving forward in our efforts to, for example, build biodiversity, regenerate land, reduce herbicide use, and roll to more efficient and electric alternatives over time will guarantee our social licence, help attract new customers and invigorate our team, who can see the changes we are making.

As with all wineries the areas of shipping logistics, and labour supply remain a challenge, and there does not seem to be any relief in these areas, in the short term.

“Ensuring worker wellbeing and job enjoyment is therefore top of mind and an area that requires constant awareness and action.”

Peter Jackson

Damien Gillman - general manager WineWorks Marlborough

It is a long game for us; keeping up with the booming demand of the industry, staying on top of supply and labour shortages, all while the business is experiencing rapid growth. We are currently bottling about 200,000 dozen a week, which is breaking our own personal bests. The pressure has been on us since July last year and will continue up to and beyond April ’23.

The last half of 2022 was met with some notable challenges around supply chain issues; (multiple!) road closures, container loading constraints, and glass deliveries. When these are all combined with strong ‘22 vintage volumes, it has created significant pressure on our storage facilities, filling them to maximum capacity. The future venture from Port Nelson to expand warehousing in Marlborough is exciting and will offer the region further capacity and exporting options.

In the face of sustained pressure, our team keeps stepping up to the challenge without hesitation; I am immensely proud of what they have achieved this year. They have been by far the biggest highlight for me. Even though we were flat tack, they were focused on keeping the wine flowing for our clients. The confirmation of a bottling line upgrade to increase capacity in Marlborough is something for us all to look forward to in 2023.

Marcus Pickens – Wine Marlborough general manager

This year we mark the 50-year anniversary of Marlborough’s first commercial wine plantings, in a significant waypoint on our industry’s remarkable journey. Wine Marlborough has done some early work to recognise important facets of the half century since our first plantings in 1973, and how we can build on these to share the importance of this milestone with our members, our community and people around the world who love Marlborough wine.

I believe 2023 offers opportunity to rebuild excitement for Marlborough’s wine industry, by looking back at an incredible 50 years, and also looking ahead. What do we want for our industry in the next 50 years? We know that celebrating the pioneering spirit and innovation of what has been achieved is vital. That will include projects like Tessa Nicholson’s book 50 Years, 50 Stories (see page 15), a celebration and ceremonial aspect, and a legacy project. But the spirit of innovation continues at pace in our industry, so 2023 is also a time to take a future focus.

We can use this milestone as a unique opportunity to build engagement beyond our membership, connecting and celebrating with our wider community, engaging with our local iwi and mana whenua, and improving understanding of the wine industry.

There’s opportunity to put 50 years of Marlborough wine on the global stage as well, tapping into our local communities and global networks to celebrate our stories of people and place. The Marlborough wine industry has achieved a truly extraordinary feat in the past 50 years, and that deserves special recognition. We are keen to lead and support activities around this project and will be sharing our plans as they are developed through the year.

“The confirmation of a bottling line upgrade to increase capacity in Marlborough is something for us all to look forward to in 2023.”

Damien

Gillman

“I believe 2023 offers opportunity to rebuild excitement for Marlborough’s wine industry, by looking back at an incredible 50 years, and also looking ahead.”

Marcus Pickens

Julia Frew - Pernod Ricard Winemakers employment relations and performance partner

The wine industry’s strengths are our incredibly skilled and passionate people, and the ongoing demand for our beautiful products. As in every industry, we have the challenge of keeping staff and recruiting new ones. There is some great work happening on developing new staff, but the big question is - are there enough people? If we do need to fill gaps from overseas, immigration is a significant hurdle for most. The new accreditation scheme and processes, plus requirements such as the median wage rate for some visas, as well as the cost to travel to New Zealand, are all challenging.

So if getting people in from overseas is hard, what else can we do? We need to rethink the old ways of working and throw a lot of time and energy into understanding our people. What will encourage them to stay and be productive

Nicci Armour – Wine Marlborough advocacy manager

Reflecting on the past few years and looking ahead to 2023, there is a vague sense that the frenetic pace we felt may settle down somewhat. This is a welcome relief after the relentless pressure experienced by people across all parts of the wine sector. Everyone dug deep to continue managing their businesses, teams, and livelihoods through a time like no other.

and engaged? We need to really listen to our people to try to help address what bugs them or communicate why we can’t. We need to genuinely have an open mind in regard to flexibility. In the past, part-time roles or job-sharing may have seemed just too hard, but if we don’t consider things like this now, we will end up with too few staff, instead of a slightly trickier roster to manage.

It’s important for us to dedicate time and the right people to recruitment and onboarding. There is nothing more upsetting than getting a new person onboard, only to find out they were ‘sold’ a different culture to the reality, or they are left floundering when they start and leave before you even reach the next season. I genuinely believe we can be an industry of choice, but it will take the majority of us to be open to new ways of working, to see our people as unique individuals, and to put time and resource into meeting what they value and need the most.

While people in the wider community are returning to their pre-pandemic lives, it’s important we acknowledge that things are not entirely back to normal. The ripple effects of Covid-19 are still being felt, and our industry still has challenges to face. On top of travel, tourism, and supply chain challenges, we are facing a global labour and skills shortage, a gamut of regulatory changes coming down the line, and the threat of a recession. We can be sure that more change will need to be navigated in 2023.

Despite the constant change, we are an extremely resilient industry and collaboration across the sector and the community has helped us through. We can recognise the challenges we face while grabbing the opportunities with both hands. To do this well, there is value in carving out time to pause and reflect. A colleague recently shared insight from Digby Scott, who suggested that “doing our best work involves periods of discovery, not just relentless delivery”.

The year ahead is an important time for people in the industry to connect, to step out of the day-to-day (even briefly), and to reflect. We’ve been constantly switched ‘on’ over the past few years and building in some downtime is essential. 2023 marks 50 years since the first commercial grape plantings in Marlborough and it’s the perfect opportunity to take a breath, consider our opportunities, and ground ourself ahead of the next half century.

“We can be sure that more change will need to be navigated in 2023.”

Nicci Armour

“We need to really listen to our people to try to help address what bugs them or communicate why we can’t.”

Julia Frew

Olivia Doonan - Tūpari Wines general manager

‘Challenge always brings opportunity’ has been a repeating theme for many in recent years. For the South Marlborough community, earthquakes, road closure, droughts, floods and Covid have featured in the list of large-scale challenges. These challenges led on to the multitude of logistics, staffing, and structural obstacles that developed as our world rebalances into the reality of pandemic and climate change - all thrown in on top of all the normal human complexity. It has been a fascinating and invigorating time finding a balance between pivots and developing longer term strategies.

As a small family business the ability to scale back, and then up again as required, has been invaluable to Tūpari Wines. Currently there are positives on most fronts for our wine business. Tourism, local trade and export have all recently experienced some constructive developments. The changes we’ve made over the last few years are coming together and we are feeling cautiously optimistic.

The Cellar Door Steering Group is a new initiative from Wine Marlborough and Destination Marlborough that I love. More conversations, opportunities for collaboration, and a coordinated community will make our industry and region stronger, more resilient and more fun. The Marlborough Flyer steam train bringing cruise passengers out to Seddon has coincided with the development of the South Marlborough Wine Group. This is an off-shoot of the steering group and includes wine brands that don’t have cellar doors - who knew there were 18 wine brands with their roots in South Marlborough? The steam train cruise visits and the South Marlborough Wine Group are both opportunities for us to build our region and connect - it will be interesting and exciting to see how they unfold. Creating South Marlborough as a destination, rather than just the long drive between wine and whales is something that really fires me up - watch this space!

It was an honour and privilege to be elected Mayor of Marlborough last October. I’m excited by the opportunities ahead to champion our region with vision and pride. Marlborough has endured immense challenges recently - two major storms had a severe and costly impact on our roading network, particularly in the Sounds. This is on top of border closures, a pandemic recovery, and labour and supply chain cost rises and disruptions. Despite this we have continued to work together, emerging as a stronger, more connected and united province.

I remain excited by the strength and potential of Marlborough’s people and primary industries. Our viticulture, agriculture, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries have been the foundation of our continued strong economic performance. With research and innovation in these sectors moving at pace, I believe they will continue to adapt and thrive, remaining cutting-edge and world leading.

Marlborough’s just released Economic Wellbeing Strategy 2022 – 2032 also identifies areas of new economic opportunity right here on our doorstep - in wine, wood processing, aviation and aerospace, and in our emerging sectors of film and screen, science and tech, and the Māori economy.

Last year council put its money where its mouth is by increasing investment in economic development. That funding is already boosting start-up support, tech programmes, Smart+Connected collaborative industry workstreams, and intelligence gathering from the economists at Infometrics.

The new strategy has a focus on improving wellbeing and productivity, involving industries working together towards a single vision to solve sector-wide challenges and to explore opportunities. It’s an exciting time to be looking forward and seeing how we can all work smarter through collaboration, innovation and embracing new technologies. We are living in times of great change globally and Marlborough needs to be prepared. Working strategically, we can build on our strengths, increase our resilience and embrace future opportunities. To find out more about the new strategy go to bit.ly/3UhG2Qv

Nadine Taylor - Marlborough Mayor

Nadine Taylor

“The changes we’ve made over the last few years are coming together and we are feeling cautiously optimistic.”

Olivia Doonan

Olivia

Doonan

and Brigid Hammond

Sarah Wilson – NZW general manager advocacy and general counsel

In 2023, I’m looking forward to trade and market access developments that could have substantial benefits for winegrowers. The NZ-UK Free Trade Agreement is expected to enter into force next year, although the exact date is not yet known. Along with the removal of tariffs on New Zealand wine, the agreement contains a wine annex that will grant producers additional flexibility in winemaking practices and labelling. The NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement isn’t likely to take effect until 2024, but will offer additional flexibility once it does.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is also supporting New Zealand’s nominee for director general at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), which is an important organisation on scientific and technical matters for the grape and wine sector. Dr John Barker has extensive knowledge of the industry, and a deep commitment to its long-term sustainability in a changing world. The election is being held in June.

On the home front, for those winegrowers with a cellar door (or who are considering one), Stuart Smith MP’s private member’s Bill was recently drawn from the ballot. NZW would welcome the changes the Bill proposes, which would allow winery cellar doors with an off-licence to charge for tastings, without needing to spend the cost and time to acquire and maintain an on-licence.

Stuart Dudley and Callum Linklater – Vit Management

Ltd (VML)

Overall we can see continued pressure in the industry around labour and resourcing, which will impact current operations, as well as new development and expansions around the province.

Increasing costs are affecting our business, and others, across the board. The surge in interest rates means the price of financing is challenging, while costs of fertiliser, sprays, labour, machinery and diesel have all gone up. There’s not one aspect of the business that hasn’t had an increased cost in recent times and unfortunately, we expect the costs we face to continue to rise this year, which in turn will affect our pricing.

On the other side of the coin you have a wine industry with good demand around Sauvignon Blanc, and a continued appetite for industry growth, which means there’s plenty of work available. Although there is additional work and opportunity out there, a major constraint is simply finding the people and equipment to get it all done on time.

When it comes to labour, we’ve been lucky to have experienced Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers, but with a large influx this season, there’s a lot of inexperience on the ground. It’s great that they’re here, but it takes time and resources to get people trained and up to speed. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of competition for RSE workers, both with other industries in New Zealand, and other countries like Australia.

Increasing wages for workers is another pressure on business. It is good to see people earning more money, but it again puts a lot more cost on business to get that work done. What has been good is recently we have been able to hire quite a few people from outside the industry, including a mechanic, school leavers, and hospitality workers. To successfully bring them across we have to create a great work environment that they enjoy, and remunerate them accordingly. Given the nature of the work and high cost of equipment, there is a significant investment in time and resourcing needed to train new staff.

On the bright side we are coming out of a pretty tough time with Covid, and as the industry continues to mature, I think there’s plenty of opportunity out there. For us that includes the fact that smaller owner operators can seldom justify owning their own machinery now, because of the cost of buying and maintaining the plant. The challenging times has taught us valuable lessons in efficiency, being aware of innovations that can help us achieve more with less.

Sarah Wilson

Stuart Dudley and Callum Linklater

Hadley Hayward – Registered Valuer with Alexander Hayward Limited

As Registered Valuers we provide independent, professional market value and rental advice to winegrowers, wine companies and investors. We are students of the market, using a mix of science and art to analyse market trends and reflect them in our advice.

From our perspective, as valuers looking at the viticulture market, the largest challenges facing winegrowers, wine companies and investors are labour supply shortages and increasing costs. These are being felt across the board and are sharply affecting the profitability per hectare of vineyards. Factors such as vine age and productive potential are also becoming increasingly important as vineyard replanting, due to vine age, requires significant capital expenditure, along with a drop in production while the new vines are established. Wine companies face the additional challenge of ongoing supply chain disruption which, in some instances, is impacting the ability to get product to market.

In Marlborough we have seen record prices being paid by wine companies for vineyards without a grape supply agreement that have proven productive capacity. The prices paid by these wine companies are beyond what a prudent winegrower or investor would rationally pay because wine companies can achieve a higher return per hectare than a regular winegrower could by turning the grapes harvested into wine. A high proportion of the demand in the viticulture property market at the moment is being driven by securing fruit supply into the future.

Opportunities for winegrowers are capital gains as their land and vines appreciate and, if they do not have a grape supply agreement, that their fruit is in high demand (particularly Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough) so they’re able to achieve higher than district average prices on the spot market. With most borders reopened, opportunities for wine companies include being able to visit with overseas stakeholders to market New Zealand wine again, and capitalising on growth markets abroad as the world opens back up.

Tanya Pouwhare – chief executive, New Zealand Ethical Employers Don’t anticipate that the future is going to be the same as today. Especially if that involves people. Our future workforce will be more diverse and will expect ‘worth’ equally as ‘pay’ from the service they give.

We need to be brave and make decisions today, and then have courage that we will make it through tomorrow. Push out past your comfort zone - everyone has the capacity to learn new things, to change, regardless of age or experience. True confidence is living in uncertainty. A winner isn’t the one who makes the best decision or looks the best every time; a winner is who just does the next thing. Forward motion. Step forward and eat the consequences. If it implodes, take action and move forward. That’s life. As good as it gets. You’re winning! When something ‘bad’ happens there will always be something of value that surrounds the event, the meeting, the decision, that can help you grow. When shit hits the fan, ask yourself – ‘what can I learn from this? What am I going to do next?’ Otherwise, it’s a wasted opportunity. The key foundations that allow people to function efficiently are body, relationship, and environment.

• Eating well and exercising should be less about aesthetics and more about how your key structural systems function their best. Don’t become sludge mentally or physically - you know better. And prioritise sleep, it’s totally underrated.

• How you relate to other people can be a gauge on how you’re coping mentally. Don’t push people away. Even a half hour with that ‘annoying friend’ can positively affect your brain function. Humans are wired for connection.

Tanya Pouwhare

• How you treat your kids, your home, your friends, your office, your land, will be reflected back to you. What you give, you receive. Climate change is a globally individual responsibility. If you don’t know how to make better choices, learn.

The goal is not the perfect experience - that doesn’t exist. Life is fleeting - you don’t have time for that. You can’t get wasted hours or days back. Meet it all, as it comes, and learn to tolerate whatever happens. The struggle is real, but we underestimate our ability to do difficult stuff. Lastly, you are who our community needs. Exactly as you are. Be kind. And hold nothing back.

“You are who our community needs.”

Hadley Hayward

Marlborough Wine - 50 years

In August 1973 an audacious move changed the future of Marlborough, and of New Zealand’s wine industry. In the first of a series on 50 years of Marlborough wine, TESSA NICHOLSON talks to Jamie Marfell about a region transformed.

Jamie Marfell was 8 years old when he took on his first ‘role’ with Montana. It was late in 1975, when he and his classmates were asked if they’d like to plant a few vines on one of the company’s early Marlborough vineyards, neighbouring their Fairhall school.

Fifteen years later he was the company’s trainee winemaker, intrigued by a “young and exciting industry”, and remains with the operation today, as Pernod Ricard’s New Zealand group winemaker. Marlborough’s wine industry continues to be exciting and fast paced, 50 years after Montana’s first plantings in the Brancott Valley, and

48 after got his hands on a vine, says Jamie. “You still can’t predict the future.”

The winemaker grew up on a property at the end of Brancott Road, and recalls watching the development of vineyards, as infrastructure, fences and lucerne were removed from a nearby farm in August 1973. “Dad thought they were mad; they didn’t know what they were doing,”

Jamie Marfell in Fairhall, on the site of one of Montana’s first Marlborough vineyards.

Photo Jim Tannock

Jamie Marfell, aged 8, helps planta Fairhall vineyard.

“That’s the exciting thing about it. Things have moved so quickly. And it’s still developing and evolving.” Jamie Marfell

he says. “You have to remember Marlborough was a very poor farming community at the time. It was the mass scale of what they were doing that everybody considered mad. But those big blue tractors were interesting.” The brandnew Ford tractors were enough to set tongues wagging

50 Years; 50 Stories

There are countless stories of Marlborough’s wine industry, from intrepid pioneers to sensational Sauvignon Blanc. But wine writer Tessa Nicholson is working to create and curate a selection of 50 stories from the past 50 years, spanning the first plantings in 1973 to the Covid and climate challenges faced by the industry today. Her book, 50 Years; 50 Stories, will be released in August, marking half a century since Wayne Thomas and Frank Yukich took a stab in the ground, quite literally, and seeded the region’s modern - and phenomenal - wine industry.

Tessa, who has been writing about wine since 1996 - first as The Marlborough Express wine writer, then as editor of both Winepress and New Zealand Winegrower Magazine - says that for all the research and knowledge that went into the decision to bring vines to Marlborough, there was also a lot of “bloody good luck” involved. Quoting Mark Allen, who is one of the recipients of this year’s Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award, she says there was plenty of serendipity behind the initial plantings and the ascendency of Sauvignon Blanc. “Otherwise we could be drinking Müller-Thurgau.”

Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens says 50 years is an impressive and important milestone to celebrate, not least because of all that has been achieved in that period. “Fifty years is a fleeting period in the wine world, and the fact that Marlborough has achieved so much in terms of quality, reputation, innovation and global recognition - while transforming the region’s economy - is truly remarkable.”

We’ll share some of the stories from Tessa’s book in Winepress throughout the year, reminding us of the entrepreneurism, audacity, camaraderie, hard work, and “bloody good luck” that’s helped make our region what it is.

throughout the province, with 23 ordered from Lucas Ford in Blenheim, along with two trucks and a water tanker.

Despite getting a job in a vineyard when he was 15 - “I was paid $2.50 an hour and thought I was rich” - Jamie didn’t consider a wine career while completing his science degree. New Zealand didn’t have a winemaking and viticulture course, “and no one even considered it back when I was at school”, he says. But soon after graduating, he realised the “mad” enterprise was transforming the region.

And the changes he’s seen since 1990 have continued to be immense, including moves by Montana and its subsequent owners into areas not considered viable when he became a trainee, including the Awatere Valley. “We were never going there,” he says. “That bridge, a lack of infrastructure and water, meant we never seriously considered the Awatere until 1999, when Montana purchased 227 hectares on the southern side of the Awatere River to plant with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.” They were not the first to move into the Awatere, but the development did give the area credence and many of the larger corporates followed suit, says Jamie. It wasn’t long before the Awatere was larger than Hawke’s Bay in terms of plantings.

The transformation of the region, and the speed at which it’s happened, “is pretty amazing”, he adds. “That’s the exciting thing about it. Things have moved so quickly. And it’s still developing and evolving.”

“It was the mass scale of what they were doing that everybody considered mad.”

Jamie Marfell

Steaming On

South Marlborough on track for wine tourism

KAT PICKFORD

A NEW cruise ship steam train excursion from Picton to Seddon is a huge leap for the Awatere Valley community and economy, Tūpari Wines general manager Olivia Doonan says.

Following a successful trial run in October last year, in which cruise ship passengers took a 90-minute trip to Seddon aboard the Marlborough Flyer steam train, there are 16 more trips planned from later this month through to the end of the cruise season in mid-April. In Seddon, passengers are treated to a slice of rural Kiwi life, including meeting some cute farm animals and quirky pets, and enjoying a taste of Awatere Valley wine.

Olivia, who is part of a group of Awatere Valley residents working to revitalise the town, says after much adversity, the community is excited to welcome more people into their corner of Marlborough. “This is a massive thing for Seddon, a huge opportunity for us to build on what we’ve started and cement us as a destination town, like Picton or Havelock.”

South Marlborough’s communities have been in rebuild mode since the destructive earthquakes in 2013, which caused significant damage to land and buildings, with many red-stickered as a result, deemed too dangerous to

enter. These communities were impacted again by the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, but ultimately the devastation helped unite the people of south Marlborough, and they are now stronger than ever, Olivia says. “Seddon really is a village of heart, we are a fantastic community that’s been through adversity and grown stronger, together,” she says.

“Through the adversity, we’ve been given some amazing opportunities and we now have some great facilities, the Early Childhood Education Hub, the Yealands Awatere Memorial Hall and the Flaxbourne Heritage Centre in Ward, which recently started construction. Now it’s a case of building on that momentum and spreading the word about what an amazing place south Marlborough is.”

In recent years, the Awatere Valley community has worked with Destination Marlborough and the Marlborough District Council to create a destination vision for Seddon, says Olivia. “It was fantastic for South Marlborough to be included in community development talks and go through the process of understanding who we are and what we offer, and then building on all those different ideas to create a sustainable tourism proposition for our community.”

Destination Marlborough general manager Jacqui Lloyd says the opportunity to work with Seddon and the

wider South Marlborough communities, from the Awatere Valley to the Clarence Valley, arose from the local Make it Marlborough campaign, funded by The Economic Action Marlborough (TEAM) Group set up in 2020 to offset the impacts of Covid-19.

Since then, Destination Marlborough has been working with the Seddon community to get new tourism products off the ground and a Wine Development Group has also been established to look at future opportunities. “With the Whale Trail coming there are operators and businesses in South Marlborough who can see the opportunities and are thinking of ways to develop new ideas and products to share some of these previously inaccessible areas with visitors, it’s really positive,” Jacqui says.

The first cruise ship steam train trip was an “incredible experience”, she says. “It’s an experience unique to this region, riding a heritage steam train through Marlborough farming and wine communities and enjoying a small event on the village green in Seddon, cruise ship passengers absolutely love this sort of thing.”

Pounamu Tourism Group managing director Paul Jackson, who operates the Marlborough Flyer service, says the community in Seddon has thrown itself behind the

opportunity to create a Seddon experience for cruise ship passengers in conjunction with the Marlborough Flyer.

“Seddon welcomed us with open arms and made extraordinary efforts, driven by Olivia Doonan. The first cruise ship excursion… was a trial run of sorts and was a resounding success, with cruise ship passengers thoroughly enjoying the experience of visiting a quintessential, small town in rural New Zealand. The boutique farmer’s market, vintage cars, farm animals, entertainment and hospitality from the locals, was a reception that the passengers really appreciated and enjoyed.”

Paul and his team have been working closely with the KiwiRail team for many years now and he was pleased to have been able to schedule a number of departures which work with cruise ship schedules across the season, while navigating around other rail traffic such as the Coastal Pacific and freight trains. If the trips are popular with cruise passengers this year, he hopes the steam train experience will continue in the future.

Meanwhile Seddon has been continuing to develop its tourism proposition with the domestic market, as well as international visitors. Olivia says Seddon’s Market on the Green, which is held on the second Sunday of every month, has been a great way to pull the community together and showcase local artisans and their craft and produce.

The next step is to develop an all-weather market, because while rain wasn’t usually much of a problem in Seddon, the winds can be brutal, she says. Another project on the cards is designing an interactive heritage sculpture walk in Seddon to showcase the valley’s history, from its ancient geologic development to the recent development of the wine industry.

“It’s pretty exciting for South Marlborough. We’ve got some amazing stuff down here, now it’s about how we share that with other people,” she says. “Not just sustainably but regeneratively, so we can make this place even better for everyone.”

Next Generation Viticulture

Growing profitability and sustainability

DR DAVID ARMOUR

A NEW research project aims to transform the way New Zealand grows grapes. The Next Generation Viticulture programme has been co-developed by Bragato Research Institute (BRI) and a programme development steering group, including viticulture practitioners, to re-evaluate traditional vineyard trellis and rows to create an advanced canopy architecture and management system. The new system aims to deliver a step-change in productivity while maintaining or enhancing wine quality and environmental integrity.

The programme is designed to address major headwinds facing our industry, affecting businesses small and large, around the rising cost of producing wine while harvest yields and bottle prices remain largely static. It will require a fundamental shift in the way we think about growing grapes. Based on the success of system redesigns in other premium New Zealand horticultural crops (kiwifruit, apples, and cherries) and the assessment of typical current vineyard architectures, we believe that a step-change improvement in the productivity of current grape growing system is achievable. These approaches and success are our model to re-design vineyard canopy configurations.

We’re structuring Next Generation Viticulture differently from past programmes. The intention is to deliver outcomes and impact to industry from the outset, and 90% of what we do will be in growers’ vineyards, while redesigning the production system, providing the principles, guidance and scientific support, alongside industry’s implementation in their own businesses – from the vineyard to finished wine.

We’re really excited about the opportunity this programme represents. Not only are we creating a system that aims to provide intergenerational sustainability of the industry by increasing its profitability, productivity, and sustainability, but we’re also creating a platform for automation. By re-designing our grape trellising system, we have the opportunity to design out parts that we may not need, make it a more attractive place to work – and unlock opportunities to further automate grape growing.

Our estimate is that new canopy configurations will be ready for industry adoption before the end of the programme in 2030. This timing is important because

it parallels the likely adoption of new clones from the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 programme, and coincides with ongoing replanting. With new clones and new planting systems, the industry is positioning itself to make the most of the opportunity afforded by the replanting window.

We hope the research programme could help diversify New Zealand wine by increasing the profitability of varieties that are at risk of being replaced by Sauvignon Blanc during this replanting window.

The programme is intended to be funded from a balance of New Zealand Winegrower (NZW) research levies, coinvestment from New Zealand wine companies and the Ministry for Primary Industries, through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund.

The research programme aims to officially start in the 2023 growing cycle, but we’ve already kicked things off at a pilot scale, with a great supportive group of industry stakeholders and the establishment of small trials to test and demonstrate the principles underpinning a canopy system re-design. Talking about the concepts is one thing, however getting out in the vineyard and talking in front of some very different looking vines creates that deep sense of a real possibility. This possibility to change the way we grow, while retaining our commitment to quality wines that continue to show their New Zealand character.

We are seeking industry co-investors who are interested in supporting this opportunity or hosting a trial. Please get in touch with BRI if you’re interested in participating. David Armour is Bragato Research Institute programme manager. david.armour@bri.co.nz

“It will require a fundamental shift in the way we think about growing grapes.”

Dr David Armour

AI in Vines

As part of a series on entrants in the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards, ANNABELLE LATZ meets a machine delivering brains and brawn.

A smart and hardworking autonomous machine is nearing the end of its development stage, after four years of vineyards trials in Marlborough. Blenheim-based company Smart Machine started work on OXIN in 2019, developing a multi-use autonomous machine for mulching, herbicide spraying, mowing, canopy trimming and leaf defoliating, able to work around the clock.

“It’s nice to be able to solidify the design,” says Smart Machine Chief Executive Andrew Kersley. “It’s what we will progress with to the wider industry.”

OXIN was the brainchild of Walter Langlois, following discussions with Pernod Ricard about technology to tackle labour shortages. As an owner of a Marlborough vineyard, and of Machinery Services, Walter is technology and industry “savvy”, and took some ideas to Andrew and his business partner Nick Gledhill, whose product and mechanical design company had developed tech for Machinery Services for more than a decade.

machines to be fully electric, but the technology is not there yet… We’re on that journey and positioned to be ready.” Meanwhile, Smart Machine has developed another machine that is electric, currently working on orchard tasks.

There’s also exciting potential in OXIN’s data collection, offering valuable insights into the vineyard environment. Smart Machine currently captures and uses information

The trio presented a plan to Pernod Ricard, which came on board as a development partner, allowing them to launch Smart Machine, work on the proof of concept, then evolve its functionality, says Andrew. The wine company has been an invaluable partner, trialing OXIN in vineyards, buying machines, training operators and integrating the technology into their operations, he says. “We wouldn’t have got anywhere near where we have without their support.”

Autonomous driving is just part of the solution, with OXIN’s functional operations and data collection the bigger challenge. “It’s about both the implements and having the feedback to know they are doing the job they should, as well as the machine and its ability to navigate the environment safely.” A lot of the research has been about learning “hard lessons” in the field, with the complexity and difference of vineyards making the task “especially difficult”.

These days Smart Machine has 23 staff covering machine and implement design, prototype, testing and manufacturing. Among their roles is working to make as many operations electric as they can, and to ensure the base OXIN - currently diesel operated – can transition to electric operation when possible, Andrew says. “We would like these

on what jobs have been done, where and when. “But there’s huge potential to use that information more,” Andrew says, noting that over 1000 data points per second could be used to build yield prediction models, for example. Smart Machine is collaborating with other tech providers, such as Cropsy, to tap into those opportunities.

Meanwhile, they are looking from Blenheim to the world, because “the problems we are trying to solve are not unique to viticulture or New Zealand”, says Andrew, noting R&D support from the likes of Callaghan Innovation and Ministry for Primary Industries, while New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is helping OXIN go global.

Through multi-tasking and machinery efficiency, OXIN could result in up to 40% fuel savings, alongside other environmental benefits, such as less compaction due to fewer passes with a lighter machine, and less water and chemical use due to precision application.

Andrew says the team works to constantly reduce their operation’s environmental footprint, and he welcomes the opportunity to participate in the Marlborough Environment Awards. “Everyone needs to change and improve if we’re going to become sustainable.”

Nick Gledhill, Walter Langlois and Andrew Kersley

Through multi-tasking and machinery efficiency, OXIN could result in up to 40% fuel savings, alongside other environmental benefits.

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Generation Y-ine

Endless opportunities in wine industry

KAT PICKFORD

AFTER MANY years attending the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival with friends and family, O’Shea Bailey is excited to be a part of the team organising Marlborough’s biggest event.

The 25-year-old started her role as Wine Marlborough events assistant in September last year and hit the ground running, with the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year competition, Marlborough Wine Show, and Celebration Long Lunch giving her a taste of what’s to come in February. “It’s certainly been a dive straight into the deep end, in terms of the number and size of the events we’ve been organising,” O’Shea says. But Wine Marlborough events manager Loren Coffey has been great to work with “and the whole team has been super helpful and welcoming”, she says.

experience for O’Shea, there is an element of the unknown for everyone this year, as the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival is being held at the Renwick Domain for the first time.

But after two years of cancelled events due to the global pandemic, everyone was ready and raring to go,

O’Shea was born and raised in Marlborough, and previously worked as a cellar hand at Indevin and Marisco’s. Her stint in the wine industry was only intended to fill a gap year after graduating from Marlborough Girls’ College while she decided on a career path, but she enjoyed herself so much, she stayed on. Six years later, it felt like the time was right to try something new, she says. “I’ve been wanting to do something like this, so the events assistant role is the ideal opportunity to gain some experience and insight into the events and marketing world, before committing to studying.

“I definitely want to work in the wine industry,” she adds. “It’s a lot of fun and there are endless opportunities - plus it’s the perfect industry to work in if you’re living in Marlborough.” While events and marketing is a whole new

she says. “Everyone, from the organisers to the wineries and the community, is looking forward to getting together again, celebrating together and all supporting this amazing industry.”

She admits to a bit of “FOMO” in not attending with friends and family this year, “but I’m super excited about the lineup and I’m sure I’ll still have a chance for a bit of a boogie while I’m racing round with my clipboard”.

Along with fine weather, her biggest hope is that everyone enjoys the event. “I can’t wait to see everyone smiling and having a good time,” she says. “The best part of this job is seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces and hearing their positive feedback. It’s a nice feeling knowing you’ve been a part of organising a successful event.”

“Everyone, from the organisers to the wineries and the community, is looking forward to getting together again, celebrating together and all supporting this amazing industry.”

O’Shea Bailey

O’Shea Bailey

Generation Y-ine

Strong start for young winemaker

KAT PICKFORD

A MUSCAT produced by Marlborough Boys’ College student Lucas Strong went down well with judges at the Marlborough Wine Show in September, earning him the Gingko Trophy 2022.

The Gingko Trophy, an award by Te Pūkenga (NMIT) and Wine Marlborough, is given to the best student entry at the Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, each year.

Lucas, who has just finished his final year at Marlborough Boys’ College, was surprised to learn his wine had won top marks in the student wine category, but is thrilled to have such an auspicious start to his career.

While he has grown up around grapes, it wasn’t until recently that Lucas realised a career in wine was something that he could pursue. School wasn’t holding his interest, so he opted to take the introduction to winemaking course through the Trades Academy programme at Te Pūkenga every Thursday.

The students were given an opportunity to try their hand at winemaking and made all their own decisions, from choosing the variety and harvesting the grapes, through to bottling the wines. Lucas chose the Muscat grape variety because he enjoys dessert wines. He was employed at Babich Wines as a cellar hand during vintage, but had some help from a classmate to ensure his first wine didn’t fail in his absence.

“I’d come in and make sure everything was running okay; we stopped it with residual sugar remaining, to create a sweet wine style,” Lucas says. “It was pretty high in brix, high enough for a sweet wine, but not quite high enough for a dessert wine, although I still thought it was pretty good.”

The wines were judged blind against all other ‘alternative whites’ and Lucas’ Muscat received 89 points out of 100, one point off a silver medal. Te Pūkenga wine tutor and academic coordinator Ngarita Warden says three wines received bronze medals in the student category at the wine show, and “amazingly”, all three were made by Trades Academy high school students.

Close behind Lucas was Spencer Holmes, who was awarded 87 points for his Pinot Gris, and Jack Fransen and Galesau Roebeck, who received 85 points for their Verdelho.

Wine Marlborough advocacy manager Nicci Armour presented Lucas with the Gingko Trophy last month and a week later, flushed with his recent success, Lucas had finished up at school and was working full time at Babich Wines.

It’s a great outcome for someone who wasn’t thriving at school, he says. “I’m really happy that I went to Trades Academy, I found learning about the winemaking process and getting some industry experience fun.”

Next year he intends to begin studying the Bachelor of Winemaking and Viticulture at Te Pūkenga, while continuing to work at Babich Wines. “It’s a fun environment and a really good experience for a young person,” he says. “Vintage work suits me because I like staying up late, everyone is super friendly and the people that run the place are good people, it’s a nice place to be.”

“Vintage work suits me because I like staying up late, everyone is super friendly and the people that run the place are good people.”

Lucas Strong

Biosecurity Watch

Improving Wine Industry Biosecurity Preparedness

SOPHIE BADLAND

NEW ZEALAND Winegrowers and Bragato Research Institute are working with Onside to develop a pilot solution to improve the New Zealand wine industry’s preparedness and ability to respond to a biosecurity incursion. During the pilot, growers will download and use Onside’s app to collect and store information about the movements of plant material, equipment and machinery on and off their property. The insights from this data will be shared on an anonymous basis with New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) in order to better model, track and predict pest and disease spread. The pilot will help identify optimal surveillance and intervention measures to inform the efficient management of endemic pests like weevils, and guide preparedness for the containment and eradication of foreign incursions like Xylella or brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), should they arrive in New Zealand.

About Onside

Onside is a New Zealand-based agritech company providing a range of digital tools to rural business owners, supporting greater efficiency, productivity, and better on-farm biosecurity outcomes. The Onside app eliminates the need to keep paper records for visitor management, health and safety compliance, and on-site task management; it can all be digitised, updated and reported on in the app, saving time and resources.

The Biosecurity Pilot Project

Thanks to NZW and Bragato Research Institute (BRI), the technology-based recording system will be a feature available for free to winegrowing users of the Onside app. Anyone not already using the app can also download it for free to participate in the pilot project.

When visitors and contractors check in to a property using the app, they’ll be asked some additional questions relating to the movement of biosecurity risk items, such as vineyard machinery, equipment and plant material. These questions are designed to fit into the information

The Onside app eliminates the need to keep paper records for visitor management, health and safety compliance, and on-site task management.

already being requested by properties using Onside and should not be onerous for users to complete. Establishing an anonymised, comprehensive picture of the networking between properties allows modelling of the likely spread of a pest or disease throughout the network and informs the best places to undertake surveillance, monitoring, and intervention in the case of an incursion.

How to get involved

We are looking for properties to get involved early in this project to help with testing and provide feedback. If you’d like to be involved, please contact biosecurity@nzwine.com.

Keep an eye out for BMSB and other unwanted pests

The BMSB risk season is in full swing, with interceptions of live bugs at the border having already occurred. NZW reminds members to keep an eye out for BMSB in the vineyard, and if you’re importing anything from overseas, make sure to unpack it in an enclosed space and do a thorough inspection of goods and packaging. If you find anything unusual, take a photo and report it to the Biosecurity NZ hotline (0800 80 99 66), or upload it to the Find-a-Pest app for identification.

Grapevine Red Blotch Virus detected in Australia

As noted in last month’s Biosecurity Watch, grapevine red blotch virus has recently been detected in Australia. While this doesn’t necessarily increase the risk to New Zealand, it highlights again that there is a possibility it is already here as well, undetected to date. The symptoms are similar to those of grapevine leafroll associated-3 virus, except the margins of leaves do not roll downwards and the veins can turn partially or fully red, including in white varieties. More information is available on the updated NZW fact sheet at nzwine.com/media/22822/grapevine-red-blotch-virus-fact-sheet.pdf. If you suspect you’ve found a grapevine with red blotch disease, samples should be sent to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Plant Health Environment Laboratory to confirm diagnosis. This testing is generally free, and the NZW biosecurity team (contact biosecurity@nzwine.com) is happy to help organise this for NZW members. Alternatively, the lab can be contacted directly by emailing pathogentesting@mpi.govt.nz.

Biosecurity Team Update

Jim Herdman, our fantastic biosecurity advisor, is taking extended leave for 2023, and will rejoin NZW in 2024. NZW is currently recruiting for someone to take on the role while Jim is away – watch this space. A huge thanks to Jim for his work and commitment to promoting better industry biosecurity outcomes over the last three years – we hope you have a great break!

Don’t forget to enter the NZW Biosecurity Photo Competition

Now is a great time of year to get out in the vineyard and test your photography skills. Take a picture of any insect, or grapevine pathogen symptoms, and send it in to biosecurity@nzwine.com with your details and you’ll be entered into our photo competition. Entries are also accepted via the Find-a-Pest app – just make sure you have selected ‘viticulture’ as your sector, and include the words ‘photo competition’ in the comments when submitting your image. There are five $250 prizes up for grabs. Full terms and conditions can be found at nzwine.com/members/sustainability/biosecurity/network/biosecurity-photography-competition-202223/

Industry News

Babich Wines & Sustainable Coastlines

As water quality and ocean pollution become two of New Zealand’s biggest issues, Babich Wines is sponsoring the Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust to support communities around New Zealand to clean and protect local beaches and waterways. “Over our 100-year history, through periods of drought, climate change, and increasing pressure on natural resources, we’ve always understood the importance of a healthy environment,” says Babich Wines chief executive David Babich. “Not just to the industry and the quality of our wines, but most importantly to local ecosystems and communities. Sponsoring Sustainable Coastlines is a really natural fit for us.” The goal of the sponsorship is to support and amplify Sustainable Coastlines’ mission to reduce ocean litter, and inspire change through community engagement and citizen science, he says.

Babich Wines has implemented extensive riparian planting and installed web-based irrigation controllers, to minimise water wastage and improve efficiency. They are also converting vineyards to use underground irrigation for more sustainable water use, and have built a series of large reservoirs to store water during wet seasons for use during the dry summer period. “We’ve always tried to do our bit in our own vineyards and wineries to protect and conserve water resources and waterways for future generations, but the reality is that there are no borders to the environment,” says David. “Starting this sponsorship journey with Sustainable Coastlines is exciting for me personally, it’s great for our communities, and most importantly it’s beneficial for all the plants and wildlife that call our beaches and oceans home.”

OIV Nomination

The government has nominated Dr John Barker as a candidate for the role of director general of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). With more than 24 years of experience in the industry, including 10 years spent as general counsel for New Zealand Winegrowers, John has extensive knowledge of the global wine sector, and a deep commitment to its long-term sustainability in a changing world. Dr Barker’s vision is to grow and strengthen the OIV through engagement and leadership. The OIV is an intergovernmental organisation which issues recommendations on viticulture and winemaking practices. New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philp Gregan says the organisation strongly supports the nomination. “Dr Barker has a deep appreciation of the history and traditions of the global vine and wine sector, but also recognises the current opportunities and challenges that our industry is experiencing today. He has the vision and the commitment to grow and strengthen the OIV, to ensure that it effectively addresses the key issues facing the sector, both now and in the future”

John says it is essential for the global wine sector to have a modern, effective and representative international organisation “so that we can work together on the opportunities and challenges facing our industry like the digital economy, climate change and the role of wine in society”. He will stand for election in June 2023.

National Wine Awards

Isabel Estate winemaker Jeremy McKenzie was named Winemaker of the Show at the inaugural National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand, while Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2020 won the Champion Wine of the Show and New World Trophy for Champion Chardonnay. Chair of Judges Jane Cooper says the wine has “incredible balance”, noting the tension between acid and fruit. “It’s a thrill of a wine, and Jeremy’s understanding and mastery are on clear display. I can’t wait to see what’s next.” The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand was launched this year with the purpose of identifying, celebrating and elevating excellence in New Zealand wine. wineshow.co.nz

Water reservoir at Babich Wines’ Headwaters Vineyard

John Barker

Green Circle waste solution

The Green Circle will run a pilot programme with Yealands Wine Group this year to find better solutions for grape marc and lees waste streams. The project aims to develop better outcomes for the wine industry as whole, with research and development learnings to be freely shared with the industry as they become available. More than 65,000 tonnes of grape marc are produced in Marlborough each year, with much of it green spread. Meanwhile, more than six million litres of lees are produced annually in the region, and processed through local wastewater treatment plants and ponds. Yealands sustainability manager Andree Piddington says the company welcomes the opportunity to “work towards finding a solution to an industry-wide issue, and sharing our learnings as we progress”.

The Green Circles works to reduce primary industry by-products going to landfill, and to reduce the spread of synthetic fertilisers to land, by “upcycling waste streams” using proprietary science and engineering to create carbonbased products. David Savidan, The Green Circle chief executive, says the organisation’s ambition is to provide the viticulture industry with an environmentally sustainable solution, “taking waste streams on a different journey by capturing the valuable nutrients and carbon and returning them back into the local ecosystem”.

Hamish McCallum, head of product development, says that at a time when the social licence of using imported synthetic inputs is being” seriously challenged”, The Green Circle is “developing smart solutions to produce sustainable outputs that can reduce the need for chemically dominant products”. The 2023 pilot will focus solely on Yealands Wine Group grape marc and lees, “as we look to develop operational proof of concept for our science and technology, and develop sustainable products that can be returned to the Yealands operation”, says David. “We intend to use a successful 2023 pilot programme as the platform to develop at-scale solutions for the Marlborough viticulture industry.”

The Green Circle and Yealands Wine Group will hold an industry briefing on its 2023 pilot at the Marlborough Research Centre on February 9. To register interest in attending, email david@thegreencircle.co.nz. thegreencircle.co.nz

Wine Spectator

Three Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines made the Top 100 in Wine Spectator magazine’s 2022 list, with Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2021 coming in at number 13, as the top scoring wine from New Zealand. That is an honour in itself says founder Kevin Judd. “It is also humbling to be sitting alongside so many iconic international wineries.”

The Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley 2020 and McBride Sisters Collection Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021 also made the list of 100, along with Central Otago’s Burn Cottage for its 2019 Pinot Noir from the Burn Cottage Vineyard. top100.winespectator.com/lists

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Enoveneta Zero 433 destemmer $7000 + GST

2 x 960 litre V/C’s with stands (no cooling) $1400 + GST each

2 x 1250 litre fixed tanks with cooling pads $1700 + GST each

7 x white picking bins @ $120 each + GST

10 x double barrel racks @ $100 each + GST

1 x 6000 litre tank with cooling pads $7500 + GST

Avery bin scales $1200 + GST

Spadoni 2000 CE Lees and wine filter with full sets of inserts $10,000 + GST

Earth Filter Model DCBL-80 $8000 + GST

MOBILE WINE BOTTLING SERVICE

Vinpro Nelson Ltd has spare capacity at the moment to undertake either bottling at our warehouse in Nelson or for a minimum quantity we can bring our mobile plant to your winery.

Contact Greg Day for further details

021 227 7669 or greg@heaphywine.co.nz

Wine Happenings

A monthly list of events within the New Zealand wine industry. To have your event included in the February Wine Happenings, please email details to sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz by January 20. Due to uncertainty around Covid-19, there may be changes to some of these listed events. For more information, please use the contact supplied or email sarah@winemarlborough.nz

JANUARY

Forrest Estate Summer Sunday Sessions, 1pm to 4pm until April 23, 2023 (marlboroughnz.com)

Awatere Wine Tasting Summer Series Tūpari Cellar Door, 12.30 to 1.30

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Framingham Wines 2023 Harvest Concert (R18), 6pm to 11pm (marlboroughnz.com)