Winepress - July 2017 by Winepress Magazine

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 271 / JULY 2017

GRAPE DAYS

ORGANIC CONFERENCE

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

GRAPE MARC

YOUNG WINEMAKER

Service agents for Amarillo

this issue... REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

Editorial

Tasman Crop Met Report

Gen Y-ine - Kelly Reed

The Block - Shalev Vineyard

Biosecurity Watch

Industry News

10 Grape Days

From the Board - Nick Entwistle

Powdery mildew stole the show at Grape Days 2017. Audiences also heard about the vintage numbers and experience, biological controls and optimising spray coverage.

16 Boundary Lines

Kaikoura is a jewel in Marlborough’s crown, and the wine industry would be foolish to give it away, according to a number of attendees at the Wine Marlborough Geographical Indications consultation meeting.

18 Organic Conference

ANZ Wine Happenings

Cover: A beautiful barrel shot by photographer Jim Tannock

There were no “silver bullets” but plenty of “light bulb moments” at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough late last month

20 Good Marcs

Marlborough’s wine industry may get top marks for its wastewater and grape marc disposal this vintage, in a welcome improvement on last year’s result.

Winepress July 2017 / 1

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

From the Editor HOW DO earthworms impact on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) in the soil? This audience question at last month’s Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference (pg 18) spoke volumes to me about the value of the subsurface science being conducted across New Zealand, and the appetite of New Zealand’s winegrowers to put it in action. The question could have been aimed at Dr Hayley Ridgway, who spoke about how viticulturists can enhance the AMF in their soil, and all the reasons they should. Or it could have been for Dr Nicole Schon, whose research reveals just why armies of earthworms are so important. Over the course of three days, 30 speakers educated and entertained an engaged audience on all things organic, and many of them dug deep to reveal the importance of soil health for today’s wine and future generations. The stage was set up with a quote from organic grower and winemaker James Millton that we are not standing on dirt, “but the rooftop of another Kingdom”, and that message was driven home time and again by scientists, viticulturists, growers and wine writers at the event. Along with a healthy environment, healthy soil was bound up with the notion of terroir, and the organic and biodynamic community’s confidence that their wines could better express place because of the abundant world of microorganisms beneath their vines, along with the unique natural yeasts and beneficial insects among them. The relationship between science and practice in New Zealand’s wine industry was also in force at Grape Days, earlier in the month, where science conducted in the vines was reported back to the growers, to enable a better response to pest and disease incursions. Next month there is Bragato, giving the wine community further insights into their soil, vineyards, wine and markets. Meanwhile, the country’s wine science is about to take another step forward, with The New Zealand Winegrowers Research Centre now at the establishment phase. “We’re seeking world-leading research for grape and wine production that cuts right across the entire value chain,” says Simon Hooker on pg 21.

“Many of them dug deep to reveal the importance of soil health for today’s wine and future generations.”

SOPHIE PREECE

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

Winepress July 2017 / 3

From the Board NICK ENTWISTLE

WHAT WILL the Marlborough wine industry look like in five, 10 or even 15 years? What challenges will we be facing in the vineyard? What wine styles will we be producing in the winery? And who will we be doing business with in the marketplace? These are questions for the next generation of industry leaders, whose task will be to build on Marlborough’s success as New Zealand’s premier wine region, through innovation and progressive thinking, while continuing to tell our unique stories and promote our exciting wines. The opportunity to identify, develop, challenge and support these future industry leaders is central to Wine Marlborough’s vison for the future. Casually termed the Future Leadership Programme, the aim is to bring together existing events and initiatives, and develop new programmes that will ensure we provide a solid framework for the development of future leaders across all sectors of our industry. The continued success of the long-established Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year competition is testament to this event’s relevance in this regard. The rigorous selection process, combined with difficult competition challenges has proven key to showcasing Marlborough’s top viticultural talent, with the reputations and careers of winners and competitors alike benefitting greatly from their participation. Similarly, the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year competition has gone from strength to strength since inception in 2015, this year joining forces with media sponsor Cuisine magazine 4 / Winepress July 2017

to help further promote and raise the profile of competitors. Feedback from past champions has been that the broad reaching exposure that accompanies the title is equally as valuable as the prizes and cash on offer. Both competitions have the potential to accelerate the careers of participants and in many cases help winners gain wider industry recognition. The challenge of pitting themselves against the best of the best has helped many competitors gain the confidence to take on greater employment and educational challenges, with many going on to become respected leaders and advocates for the wine industry. Wine Marlborough continues to support second year NMIT Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking students with up to two annual scholarships, a scheme that has been helping recipients complete their studies since 2004. The success of our local training institute is evident in the number of highly talented individuals graduating each year, ready to service the growing demand for skilled employees and researchers in our sector. So too at a high school level is the commitment to the future, with widespread support for the proposed New Zealand School of Wine, planned in conjunction with development of the new Marlborough combined colleges. The opportunity for Year 12 students from any secondary school in Marlborough to gain skills in wine production, viticulture and wine business will ensure those wanting to continue on with tertiary study or start a career in the wine industry already have one foot in the door.

Future business and marketing leaders are also key to our continued success in overseas markets. Cultivating the creative collective by promoting innovation and forward thinking will create opportunities for Marlborough wines internationally. Cross industry collaboration and business development programmes can provide insight into the strategies of our closest neighbours, while learnings from international winemaking bodies will ensure we remain competitive offshore. Wine Australia’s successful Future Leaders scheme has been operating since 2006, with 91 individuals graduating to date, many of whom have gone on to feature in regional and national steering committees and boards. Succession planning is critical to the long-term success of any business or industry, without which we risk losing the competitive advantage and reputation our founding growers and winemakers worked so hard to develop. In the absence of a national programme, Wine Marlborough is committed to forming our own cohesive strategy for fostering our future leaders. The questions of tomorrow may be difficult to answer today, however the innovators, creative thinkers, trailblazers and future leaders of tomorrow will have no trouble in answering them, if we equip them with the skills and knowledge they will require today.

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Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – June 2017 June June 2017 2017 compared to LTA GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ 6.1 30% GDD’s for month – Mean² 24.5 69% Growing Degree Days Total July 16 to June 17-Max/Min¹ 1410.0 101% July 16 to June 17 – Mean² 1465.4 100% Mean Maximum (°C) 14.1 +0.3°C Mean Minimum (°C) 3.5 = Mean Temp (°C) 8.8 +0.1°C Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 10 2.1 less Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 1 4.4 less Sunshine hours 162.7 108% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2017 1266.3 104% Rainfall (mm) 18.4 30% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2017 343.0 110% Evapotranspiration – mm 33.5 101% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 181.3 80% Mean soil temp – 10cm 7.9 +2.0°C Mean soil temp – 30cm 9.7 +1.5°C

June 2017 mean temperature was close to average. June recorded 10 ground frosts and one air frost. Sunshine was slightly above average. Rainfall and wind-run were well below average.

June LTA

Period of LTA

June 2016

20.4 35.5

(1996-2016) (1996-2016)

30.1 51.0

1402.8 1463.9 13.8 3.5 8.7 12.1 5.4 151.2 91.8 205.2 1217.4 60.6 8.0 154.9 311.6 33.2 226.6 5.9 8.2

(1996-2016) (1996-2016 (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1930-2016) 1981 1959 (1930-2016) (1930-2016) 1974 1943 (1930-2016) (1996-2016) (1996-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016)

1531.9 1600.6 15.4 4.8 10.1 10 1 153.4 1323.1 76.8 322.7 37.9 204.0 7.3 9.4

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures Table 2: June 2017 weekly temperatures and frosts for Blenheim Total Total Mean Mean Ground Air Max Min Mean Deviation Frosts Frosts 1-7 June 12.8 4.6 8.7 = 0 0 8-14 June 15.1 3.7 9.4 +0.7 2 0 15-21 June 15.4 1.9 8.6 -0.1 5 1 22-28 June 13.0 4.0 8.5 -0.2 2 0 29-30 June 13.4 2.6 8.0 -0.7 1 0 1-30 June 14.1 3.5 8.8 +0.1 10 1 Long-term average 1986-2016 13.8 3.5 8.7 12.1 5.2 6 / Winepress July 2017

Temperature and frosts Blenheim’s mean temperature in June was 8.8°C, 0.1°C above the longterm average (LTA). The average daily maximum temperature of 14.1°C was 0.3°C above the LTA, and the average daily minimum temperature was equal to the LTA (Table 1). The second week of June was slightly warmer than the other weeks, but on the whole the weekly temperatures throughout the month were fairly even (Table 2). Although the mean temperature for June 2017 was slightly above average, June 2017 was considerably cooler than in 2014 and 2016. June 2014 mean temperature was 10.8°C, 2.1°C above the LTA and second warmest June on record. June 2016 mean temperature was 10.1°C, 1.4°C above average and the sixth warmest June on record. June 2017 recorded 10 ground frosts, two less than average. As well as the 10 days on which ground frosts were recorded, there were another eight days in June when the ground temperature was between 0 and -1.0°C; i.e. below zero but not quite cold enough to be recorded as a ground frost. A ground frost is any temperature less than or equal to -1.0°C. Rainfall Blenheim recorded 18.4 mm rain in June 2017, 30% of the LTA. Up until

Figure 1: Blenheim rainfall for the 12 months July 2016 to June 2017 compared to the longterm average

29 June the rainfall total was only 9.8 mm and Blenheim was heading for one of the lowest June totals on record. However, 8.6 mm of rain was recorded overnight on the 30th June. For the seven years 2010 to 2016 June recorded above average rainfall. June 2017 is the first year since 2008 to have recorded well below average rainfall.

recorded well below average rainfall as indicated in Figure 1 (July, August, September, December, January, June). Three months recorded well above average rainfall (November, February and April). Three months recorded close to average rainfall (October, March and May). Total rainfall for the 12 months July 2016 to June 2017 was 608.6 mm. This is 95% of the long-term average (641.1 mm). While this is slightly below the long-term average it is much higher than in the two previous years (July to June) both of which recorded well

below average rainfall. July 2014 to June 2015 = 347.4 mm (54% of LTA) July 2015 to June 2016 = 491.2 mm (77% of LTA) During the late winter and early spring of 2016 (July, August, September) it looked as if Marlborough was headed for another season of low rainfall. However, average and above average rainfall in October and November 2016 prevented the onset of a summer drought. These two months proved vital for the 2016-17 season given that rainfall in December 2016 and January 2017 was well below average. Seasonal Water Balance

A reminder that potential water deficit is the difference between monthly rainfall and potential evapotranspiration. It is a bit counter intuitive, but a larger negative number means that the water deficit is higher; Rainfall for the 12 months July 2016 i.e. more water is being lost from the to June 2017 system by evapotranspiration than is Monthly rainfall over the 12 being gained from rainfall. The graph months July 2016 to June 2017 has been of potential water deficit was presented highly variable. Six of the 12 months earlier in the year. It has been updated to include the full 12-month period Figure 2: Potential water deficit for Blenheim from July 2016 to June 2017 compared to the July 2016 to June 2017 long-term average (Figure 2). The red line for 2016-17 indicates that the accumulated water deficit for 2016-17 has been higher than the LTA (orange line) for most of the year. It was not until the very high rainfall in April 2017 that the cumulative water deficit for 2016-17 came back close to the LTA. With low rainfall in June 2017 the month had a water deficit of -15.1 mm. June normally has a positive water deficit of 38.3 mm; i.e. rainfall normally

Winepress July 2017 / 7

exceeds evapotranspiration in June, but it didn’t in June 2017. Sunshine Blenheim recorded 162.7 hours sunshine in June 2017, 108% of the LTA. Total sunshine for the first six months of 2017 was 1266.3 hours; 48.9 hours higher (104%) than the long-term average (1217.4 hours). Four of the first six months of 2017 have recorded above average sunshine hours (January, February, May, June). March and April recorded lower than average sunshine. Unfortunately these two months with well below average sunshine coincided with the ripening period of Marlborough’s grapes. Low sunshine and high rainfall both contributed to slow ripening of the grapes.

Wind Average daily wind run for June 2017 was 181.3 km, well below the LTA wind-run for June of 226.6 km (19962016). Average wind speed was 7.6 km/hr compared to the LTA of 9.4 km/hr. 2017 started out very windy in January (336 km average daily windrun). However, the five months from February to June 2017 have all recorded well below average wind-run. February

recorded 239 km wind-run (71% of January’s total). Wind-run in March (181.1 km), April (181.2 km), May (183.5 km) and June (181.3 km) has been incredibly consistent and only 54% of wind-run in January. Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research – Marlborough Research Centre

Wine Marlborough’s Silver Secateurs competition is on Sunday August 6 at Yealands Estate Vineyard in Grovetown. Photo by Richard Briggs

8 / Winepress July 2017

Sentek Soil Moisture Probes

Readily Available Water, Field Capacity & Stress

Root Activity

Waterlogging

Irrigation

Onset of water stress

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Readily available water

“Stepping” showing varying rates of daily water use

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jimmercer@fruition.net.nz Winepress July 2017 / 9

Vintage 2017 Marlborough harvest 6% down on 2016 SOPHIE PREECE

MARLBOROUGH’S 302,396 tonne grape harvest is lower than preseason predictions but higher than many expected, given the challenging season. The New Zealand Winegrowers Vintage Survey 2017 clocks a national harvest of 396,000 tonnes, down 9% on last year thanks to a windy growing season and wet harvest, which put disease and ripening pressure on growers. Chief Executive Philip Gregan says the reduced harvest will lead to more “muted” export growth in the year ahead, but wineries are confident the year’s wines will deliver on the quality front. “At this stage we are confident the 2017 vintage wines will add to New Zealand’s reputation as a premium producer of cool climate wines.” Marlborough’s harvest was down 6% on the bumper 2016 yield, but still made up 79% of the national crop. Its yield included 263,381 tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc, which is 92% of the national 285,862 tonne harvest of that variety. Giving a vintage overview at Grape Days last month, Cloudy Bay Viticulturist Matt Duggan said nature had done a “stellar job” of reminding growers they are farmers. Marlborough had enjoyed a long run of wonderful vintages and “very kind autumns”, but Vintage 2017 offered no “get out of jail free cards”, he said. “It was a season that didn’t follow the rules.” Matt told the audience that a vital lesson from the season was the importance of risk management strategies for the future. “Another 10 / Winepress July 2017

Photo by Richard Briggs

take home message is learn from your experiences. Stop and think and then think some more, then make changes to strategies moving forward.” One of Cloudy Bay’s vintage developments was the widespread use of mechanical shaking for botrytis control, he said. “It is now going to become a staple botryticide in our programme, even when yield reduction is not required.” Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens says the harvest numbers are not far behind

the large 2016 harvest, despite the challenges of the large November earthquake and a series of atypical weather events. Rigorous vineyard management and careful harvest decisions had ensured the fruit reflected Marlborough’s hallmark characteristics, he says. “Winemakers are reporting that there is good quality in tank and barrel. They’re looking forward to getting them into market when they’re ready.”

Code of Conduct New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Chief Executive Philip Gregan says vintage pressures highlighted issues around grape contracts, with feedback from growers and wine companies throughout New Zealand. As a result the NZW board has decided to investigate a code of conduct, based on the Australian Wine Industry Code of Conduct, which provides a common wine grape supply contract framework and a dispute resolution system to manage disagreements over price or quality assessments. Philip says the New Zealand code would need to be voluntary, as the Australian one is. “We are hoping it will provide some useful guidance for wineries and growers in future years.” Following this year’s harvest, Wine Marlborough board member Simon Bishell said the vintage had tested grower-winery relationships and some would not remain intact for the next season. He supports a code of conduct, saying anything that can ensure that contracts were fair to both parties would be good for the industry. “I will certainly endorse anything that will help alleviate those problems.” The NZW board plans to release a New Zealand code of conduct at the Bragato Conference in August.

Winepress July 2017 / 11

Powdery Problems Powdery mildew stole the show at Grape Days 2017 SOPHIE PREECE

GOOD SPRAYER set up is a vital weapon against powdery mildew, says a wine industry researcher who has compared infection rates across the country. Speaking at Grape Days in Marlborough last month, Andrew Blakeman said vineyards with low to no disease may hold important management lessons for those struggling to control powdery mildew. The New Zealand Winegrowers Powdery Project team is working with 10 vineyards - spread across Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough - to benchmark the practices and outcomes of each. Site visits in February of this year found infection levels ranging from 0% to 20% on leaves and 0% to 47% on fruit. The researchers recorded those rates and looked at the effectiveness of the management practices at each vineyard, including canopy size and density, sprayer set-

12 / Winepress July 2017

up, spray programme, and the grower’s thoughts on powdery mildew control. Andrew says there were five issues of concern among several of the vineyards, including using eradicants without protectants, and allowing extended spray intervals, both of which resulted in extended periods without protection. Some vineyards were using sulphur without a wetter, reducing potential spray coverage, and seldom using a single-site fungicide, “which research recommends as part of an effective spray strategy”. However, Andrew says the most obvious difference between the high and low infection vineyards, and in fact the only trend visible in the benchmarking, was the sprayer set up and technique. “Poorer spray set up gave higher levels of disease.” The growers involved have agreed to make changes over the next year, but Andrew says time is of the essence.

“We don’t have to wait 12 months to make a difference.” The infection levels of the 10 vineyards will be assessed again prior to harvest 2018 and compared to 2017 levels, with findings to be presented at Grape Days 2018. Known weapons against powdery mildew: • Manage canopy well before the disease sets in • Get chemical timing correct • Make sure you are using the appropriate chemicals • Ensure your sprayer is set up correctly • Use the best spray technique For detailed information on the Grape Days event, including full presentations, go to the members section of the New Zealand Winegrowers website - www. nzwine.com.

Mind the Gap SOPHIE PREECE

MARLBOROUGH’S WINE industry has two distinct eras: before powdery mildew (BPM) and after (APM), says Constellation’s National Technical Viticulturist. Joanne Brady spoke about sprayer capability at Grape Days Marlborough, addressing growers’ balancing act of efficiency and effectiveness, complicated by a myriad of external factors, including weather events, staff sickness, annual leave and equipment failures. The trick to getting through was to plan, communicate, execute, track and review, starting with an early plan that has chemicals, spray timing and withholding periods established up front and fixed until the end of the season. While an unfashionable

notion, the battle against powdery mildew required calendar-spraying techniques, she said. “All our chemistry is preventative, so you can’t wait until you have something to get rid of it - it’s too late. With powdery, all the research has shown you need to start early.” Joanne displayed one of the “spray boards” used by Constellation to align spray plans and execution on their blocks. The whiteboards are kept in a highly visible place and have the vineyard blocks on the X axis and the spray rounds on the Y, with target spray dates written in on the grid in black. The actual date of spraying is written alongside in green, if it’s on target, but in red if it’s not. During that “five months of hard slog”, everybody sees the board and knows

the expectation, and any discrepancies can be investigated, Joanne said. “You’d be amazed that making the plan visible has positive results…It gives at-aglance status.”

“You’d be amazing that making the plan visible has positive results.” Joanne Brady Joanne stressed that growers needed to know the capability of their resources, so heading through the season they should track against the plan and highlight any gaps to better understand risks and resources. “Plan, track and review. It’s not a one-season deal; it’s a work in progress.”

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Winepress July 2017 / 13

Small & Mighty Biological control can pack a beneficial punch SOPHIE PREECE

VINEYARDS HAVE secret weapons living among them, but many growers have little idea they are there, says a mealybug expert. Plant & Food Research (PFR) Senior Scientist Vaughn Bell says parasitoids like Anagyrus lay their eggs in mealybugs. When the eggs hatch, the young parasitoid larvae slowly but surely eat the host alive from the inside and the next generation of parasitoids eventually emerge from the dead mealybug to begin the “search and destroy” cycle all over again, he says. It’s the perfect mealybug control agent, but at less than 2mm in length, parasitoids and their positive influence on mealybug numbers in vineyards is “unseen and largely underappreciated”. Worse yet, by spraying vineyards at the wrong time, growers can severely disrupt the effectiveness

Anagyrus fusciventris, a parasitoid of vineyard mealybugs. Photo by Vaughn Bell of Plant & Food Research.

of biological control, Vaughn says. “This is a natural ecosystem function. Don’t destroy it with the mid-tolate-season use of insecticides that are highly disruptive to all insects, including parasitoids.” Vaughn told attendees at Grape Days Marlborough that by controlling mealybugs with insecticides in spring, as recommended by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), growers can avoid the use of broad-spectrum products late in the growing season, “thereby minimising disruption to biological control at a critical time”. There’s much to be learned about the parasitoids, including whether they feed on plants, on the mealybugs, or on both, and NZW and PFR are undertaking new research into

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biological control, says Vaughn. The Grape Days talk also touched on other control options for mealybugs, which pose a severe risk to the sector by spreading grapevine leafroll virus. NZW recommends two pre-flowering insecticide applications. One is the insect growth regulator, buprofezin (e.g. Applaud, Mortar), which, as a contact insecticide, requires thorough vine wetting, good coverage, and good run-in into the cracks and crevices on old vine wood. The second active ingredient, spirotetramat (Movento), is systemic, meaning it travels through the vascular system of the vine. Vaughn emphasises that in either case, adherence to label recommendations is essential for good mealybug control.

Good Guide NEW ZEALAND Winegrowers has published a simple reference guide to ensure the wine industry is following best practice when it comes to its workforce. “New Zealand Winegrowers is committed to fair treatment of all of our workforce – whether they are employees and seasonal workers you hire, or contract workers you engage through a contractor,” the guide’s preamble reads. “How contractors operate on your property can have serious implications for your business and reputation. So it’s important to take a few simple steps before engaging them.” The guide includes a checklist of steps that wine companies and growers can take to ensure contractors are treating their workers fairly, with all due employment entitlements. The checklist includes a question on whether the contractor is a Recognised

Seasonal Employer (RSE) and/or a Master Contractor, in which case they will be audited regularly. There are several more questions growers should ask of contractors who are not affiliated with either scheme, such as “Have you taken reasonable steps

to be satisfied that the contractor is a legitimate operator?” The full checklist is available at https://www.nzwine.com/ members/grow/compliance/people/ working-for-you/

Checklist – an extract from the NZW Guide What questions should I ask a contractor? To protect your business it’s a good idea to satisfy yourself that the contractor: • Can demonstrate they will comply with employment obligations • Can demonstrate their workers are allowed to work in New Zealand – you can ask to see passports and permits or use the tool VisaView to check • Can demonstrate they will comply with health and safety requirements • Are properly set up as a company, sole trader or other legal entity • Have public liability insurance • Have complied with all Inland Revenue obligations – ask to see a current Certificate of Exemption and/or a letter of compliance • Have not had actions taken against them for breaches of employment obligations – check the MBIE website. If the contractor does not provide the information or is evasive you should reconsider whether to engage their services.

Find the best people for your business

Winepress July 2017 / 15

Moving Lines SOPHIE PREECE

Kaikoura’s coastline. Photo by Dean Crowley

KAIKOURA IS a jewel in Marlborough’s crown, and the wine industry would be foolish to give it away. That was the consensus at a Wine Marlborough consultation meeting held last month, to discuss the boundary for the region’s Geographical Indications application. “From a marketing point of view Kaikoura is a fantastic story,” said Astrolabe’s Simon Waghorn, calling it “nonsense” to exclude the iconic parcel of land along the Pacific coastline. The Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006, due to come into force on July 27, will enable local and foreign Geographical Indications (GIs) for wines and spirits, such as Marlborough, to be registered in New Zealand for the first time. The Marlborough wine industry’s existing geographical boundary follows the lines of Marlborough’s old provincial boundary, which runs to the Conway River, south of Kaikoura. However, a Wine Marlborough board subcommittee recently proposed a new boundary line, along the south 16 / Winepress July 2017

side of the Clarence River catchment, because that area would capture all existing plantings. The group believed the smaller area would better define Marlborough as a wine growing region. Simon, who led Wine Marlborough’s GI initiative when it began back in 2008, said by excluding Kaikoura, but including the Marlborough Sounds and the region’s southern high country, the industry might expose the application to criticism and contention. New Zealand Winegrowers General Manager Advocacy, Jeffrey Clarke, ran through the processes around the GI application for the group. He said either option would be “justifiable” for the application, given that the former was a well recognised existing area and the latter a river catchment. However, the application can been challenged by individuals, so most regions are choosing non-contentious existing boundary lines, he said. Jeffrey clarified rules around the GI, including the ability of wine companies to still have their non-

registered sub region –Awatere Valley, for example – on the bottle, alongside the Marlborough GI. Sub-regions could be recognised as GIs at a future date. However, current EU rules specify that only one GI can be used on a label, and this could become problematic if a wine company wanted to use the subregional and Marlborough GI. That was a subject that would be high on the list of discussion points in a free trade deal with the EU, he said. Jeffrey emphasised that the GI was about telling the story of Marlborough wine and recommended keeping boundaries big, inclusive and established. “Keep your eye on the big picture. It is about the story for the consumer.” Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens says the board will discuss the application, including the boundary, at its meeting this month.

Winepress July 2017 / 17

Land Lovers The Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference SOPHIE PREECE

THERE WERE no “silver bullets” but plenty of “light bulb moments” at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough late last month. Over the course of three days 30 speakers, 100 wine companies and a myriad of global examples challenged, educated and entertained the audience on all things organic. The conference swung seamlessly from wine writers to winemakers, from scientists to practitioners, with each speaking passionately about a tendril of the industry - whether the power of mycorrhizae to enhance vines, or the ability of cows to ascertain aura, with all the yeasts, earthworms, biodiversity, and robotics in between. Some talks were undeniably dry (if essential), like keeping sulphur under 100, while others were enticingly racy, like winemaker Michael Glover on “chasing great”, with the compelling analogy (and sound track) of a Formula 1 racing car. Many reiterated that there are heavy challenges with organics and no easy silver bullet solutions, but that there is also a huge amount to be gained from better protecting the environment while better reflecting the terroir. Several speakers talked of “light bulb moments” that motivated an arduous conversion to organic or 18 / Winepress July 2017

biodynamics, or simply led to a change in tack, perhaps to save water through subsurface irrigation or reduce vigour through undervine mowing. Organic Winegrowers New Zealand’s (OWNZ) Bart Arnst says setting the programme was about showing the links between scientists and practitioners, from lab to land, and energising the industry as a result. “Sometimes we get caught up in our own little space. But you get together with a bunch of people with similar philosophies driving towards the same thing, and you feel the energy.” He started the conference with an elaboration of its theme - Liquid, Life and Label. “Liquid - water, wine, blood, sweat, tears. Life - on the ground, underground, above ground, you, your family and staff, and the life of wine. And the label - who, why, how, now, the story, consumer interface and integrity.” It was a passionate introduction to an event that merged science, practice and idealism, all washed down with great wine and delicious food at the post-seminar social functions. Jonathan Hamlet, who is Regional Viticulturist for Villa Maria Hawke’s Bay and Chair of OWNZ, says the conference revealed the wealth of “really solid science” in New

Zealand, helping progress organics and biodynamics. It also showed that organic growers are willing to push boundaries once they have confidence gleaned from their own experiences or those of others around the world. “They are good examples to the rest of the industry that we can be more sustainable and grow with more respect to our natural resources and staff too.” In his own seminar on Villa Maria’s goal of having half its company-owned vineyards organic by 2020, Jonathan said the conference audience was drawn together by a common goal. “We want to grow exciting fruit and craft exciting wines that really express our unique terroir and take them to the world.” Another Hamlet was referenced in the course of the first day, to indicate all that has been learned, and all that is still awaiting elucidation amid the world’s vines. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” There will be coverage of individual speakers at the conference in the August Winepress. The conference sessions will be available on the Organic Winegrowers portal of the www.nzwine.com site.

G R E A T

GRE Organic Standard New Zealand’s organic industry needs to work together to ensure the Government sets a national standard for organics, says BioGro New Zealand’s Chief Executive. Speaking at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Donald Nordeng said the country urgently required a common standard to protect the organic industry from trade restrictions. “My concern is that without unity, some of us - if you are certified under the Organic Farm New Zealand system, perhaps under the Demeter system, perhaps under the Assure Quality Domestic Standard or the BioGro Domestic Standard - could lose Donald Nordeng access.” There are currently no specific government regulations for the use of the word “organic” in New Zealand and BioGro, along with other organic organisations and certification bodies, wants to see a single national standard to protect organic businesses. “We as an industry have to come together to work on it. It won’t just affect winegrowers. It will affect the entire organic sector,” Donald told the audience at the conference. A unified approach is required to give government a “single voice and single request” so bodies need to decide to “agree to disagree” on some aspects, but to commit to a national standard, he said. A week before the conference, Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) hosted a field trip for the Government’s Primary Production Select Committee, to push for an organic standard in New Zealand. In wrapping up the conference on day three, Organic Winegrowers New Zealand Chair Jonathan Hamlet agreed that it was time for a national standard. He says OWNZ is playing an active part in that process, and it was time for the industry to put pressure on New Zealand Winegrowers “to speak for our voice and protect what we hold dear”.

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From hippies to hipsters SOPHIE PREECE

The story of New Zealand’s organic wine is not getting through to the market, according to several speakers at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference. This means that while health conscious consumers might pay $8 for a single organic capsicum, they are less likely to choose an organic wine. Wine writer Yvonne Lorkin conducted an informal survey in Hawke’s Bay prior to speaking at the event, and relayed the overwhelming result that people had little knowledge of organic wines and scant faith in their quality, and were therefore unwilling to spend their wine dollars on them. “You can’t assume that everyone knows the things that you know and that they are as informed as you,” she told the audience, lamenting the lack of simple organic labelling and organic sections in the supermarket, leaving consumers unaware of the burgeoning industry. In the words of one of her respondents, “organics overall needs a facelift. Get away from the hippy and into the hipster.” Yvonne gave some sound advice on tapping into the millennial market, which is rich with potential for small organic wine companies. “They drink a lot of wine. They are responsible for 27% of wine consumed in the US, second only to the baby boomers at 41.4%.” She said they are more likely to use social media when learning about wine, and more willing to embrace smaller wineries with an interesting story behind them. “They are into organics and they are really game to try groovy new varietals or hybrids that their parent might be suspicious of.” However, most of New Zealand’s organic wine companies need to sharply lift their social media status if they want to tap into that market, said Yvonne. “Some of you are pretty slow.” Small companies should look at how other wineries engage with their public, and “seriously get your story out there”. She lambasted website home pages that didn’t explain the people behind the label, and give easy contact details instead of email request boxes, which she described as “so year 2000 and so rude”. Today’s consumer (millennial or not) wants instant gratification and instant connection, she said. “They want actual names and phone numbers.”

Another lesson was to have a shopping cart on the site, so companies can sell direct to consumers, because no one wants to email to enquire about pricing, she said. “Find a 12 year old – they’ll install it for you.” And make sure that cart offers wines in single bottle form, with the shipping costs of doing so easily accessible. “Insisting on people buying six bottles isn’t cool. It’s greedy and it’s lazy and it’s risky and it puts people off.” Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ) Chair Jonathan Hamlet commented that a common theme of the conference was a general lack of understanding about the quality of organically grown grapes, due partly to a lack of unity in getting the word out. “We are not shouting out loud enough,” he said. OWNZ had its first marketing event in Europe this year, which was successful and would be repeated, while plans are afoot for a domestic campaign as well. Organic consultant Bart Arnst says many wine companies using organic and biodynamic fruit don’t proclaim that on their bottle because their main driver is the increased quality rather than organic status. But while the wine world was cognisant of the quality of organic wines, the general consumer may not be getting the message. “Everyone has their own approach. But I think we need to collectively work out how we can let consumers know that there is a really strong movement out there.” He says the migration of some larger companies towards organics, including Villa Maria and Babich in New Zealand, will result in lower priced organic wines that are likely to attract price-driven consumers, and broaden the market for the organic industry.

“You can’t assume that everyone knows the things that you know and that they are as informed as you.” Yvonne Lorkin

20 / Winepress July 2017

Research Institute Marlborough to be base for world leading wine research THE WINE industry’s $12.5 million bid to establish a new research centre in Marlborough has moved into the establishment phase, with the recent signing of a contract between New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). The New Zealand Winegrowers Research Centre (NZWRC) will be based in Blenheim, and will run as a limited liability company, owned by New Zealand Winegrowers Inc. Dr Simon Hooker, NZW General Manager Research and Innovation, says that although the centre is

based in Marlborough, the strategy is to continue building a research programme with a national focus. “We’re seeking world-leading research for grape and wine production that cuts right across the entire value chain.” The contract signing follows negotiations that began almost immediately after the Government announced in October 2016 it would allocate $12.5 million in funding over four years for the venture. The centre is part of an initiative by MBIE to support innovation in the regions and is supported by the Marlborough

Tracy Benge

District Council, which has set aside $75,000 for establishment and a further $150,000 in co-funding each year from 2017 to 2022. Dominic Pecchenino, Peter Holley and James Dicey have been appointed as directors and NZW’s Tracy Benge has been appointed as NZWRC Development Manager.

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Groundbreaking The startling impact of November’s earthquake on Marlborough’s water resources SOPHIE PREECE

THE MAJOR impact on some Marlborough aquifers from the Kaikoura earthquake is part of a widespread Victoria University study. The seismic waves from last November’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused significant change to the deep Southern Valleys Aquifers, with ground water levels shooting up by metres in a few moments, says Marlborough District Council (MDC) Groundwater Scientist Peter Davidson. The Southern Valleys Aquifers are partly formed of compressible clays, and the pore spaces shrink when shaken, so that groundwater “has nowhere to go but upwards”, triggering a rise in well levels, says Peter. As an example, he uses a 170m deep well at Benmorven (pictured), where groundwater levels rose by almost 6 metres and have not returned to their pre-earthquake levels. In contrast, there was a “temporary and negligible effect” on shallow aquifer systems, such as the Wairau Aquifer, where gravel is “locked together and incompressible”, says Peter. “MDC is continuing to work with GNS Science and researchers at Victoria University to explain

22 / Winepress July 2017

the impacts of earthquakes on groundwater or wells, and how aquifer structure or the presence of bedrock influences the response.” Victoria University PhD student Konrad Weaver has collected hydrological data from throughout the country to get a handle on the impacts of the Kaikoura earthquake. He says it is the most extensive New Zealand earthquake hydrological data set ever compiled, with 492 borehole sites and 131 river sites, among other data collections. Meanwhile, the wet spring and

summer also made their mark on Marlborough’s aquifers, with above average groundwater levels for much of Marlborough this autumn, and the highest ever observed at some MDC monitoring sites. Peter says river flows and rainfall both contribute to aquifer recharge, with levels of each dependent on an individual aquifer’s structure and location. “The Rarangi Shallow Aquifer is predominantly recharged by rainfall falling on the land surface whereas the Wairau Aquifer is mainly recharged by losses of Wairau River channel water.”

Watermark – A Benmorven well The blue line in the plot shows the sudden rise in pressure with the November earthquake. The graph shows aquifer elevation in millimetres above mean sea level for records dating back to 1999. The horizontal axis shows the water year from July to July with each season over-plotted on a daily basis. The green line is the mean elevation over that period, the grey line features the 2015/16 water year, and the three bands represent low, normal and high values for that particular day.

Environment Plan SOPHIE PREECE

WATER ALLOCATION, the reliability of irrigation abstraction and reasonable irrigation use remain key issues for the wine industry as the proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (MEP) process continues. The period for further submissions closed on June 23, after which the council began to review all original and further submissions. Resource management expert Steve Wilkes of Wilkes RM lodged further submissions on behalf of Wine Marlborough last month, to support or oppose original submissions as required. Key areas of focus were the importance of reliable water resources and the existing use rights of frost fans and audible bird scaring devices for the

industry. Steve says the submission also supported Pernod Steve Wilkes Ricard’s original submission on the proposed irrigation calculation model IrriCalc. The wine company and Wine Marlborough have questioned the model’s robustness, he says. “We support the concept of reasonable use. However, any model that is used to determine reasonable use, must be scientifically robust and groundtruthed and consider matters such as wind run, row spacing, grape variety and canopy density.” Issues around forestry, where

it impacts on the wine industry, were also reiterated in the further submission. Council staff will now assess the 1308 original submissions from 1302 parties, as well as the further submissions, and form a report for the hearings committee. Hearings are planned to start in November. Steve says it is likely that specific parts of the proposed MEP will go on to the Environment Court.

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A Good Marc Marlborough’s wine industry has responded well to issues around grape marc SOPHIE PREECE

MARLBOROUGH’S WINE industry may get top marks for its wastewater and grape marc disposal this vintage, in a welcome improvement on last year’s result. Marlborough District Council Environmental Protection Officer Rachel Neal says inspections of 23 wineries revealed “no real issues” this vintage, apart from one incident of ponding, which was resolved within 24 hours. The result was “fantastic” and somewhat surprising, given the significant rain events over harvest, she says. “I think people are generally more aware of the things that can happen if it’s not managed properly.” In 2016, the region produced an estimated 48,500 tonnes of grape marc - the seeds, stems, skins and pulps left over from the winemaking process – up from 35,000 tonnes in 2015. A report to the council’s Environment Committee in winter last year said less than a quarter of the 34 rural wineries monitored for winery wastewater disposal were compliant. Council issued a number of abatement notices, due to the discharge of grape marc and leachate onto land or water, and went on to charge five entities for alleged offences under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). Since then, the council and New Zealand Winegrowers have undertaken an education campaign to ensure wine companies understand their obligations under the RMA and the new Marlborough Environment Plan rules. Rachel says her team have received many more requests for

24 / Winepress July 2017

information, with companies checking on rules and ensuring that Mike Poff with composted soil on a Giesen vineyard any existing or new destinations for their grape marc are compliant. “We heightened awareness, as had last provided the new rules before harvest year’s industry failings. The council’s and have gone through any questions prosecutions of alleged offenders had with them prior to the inspection. helped change behaviour, but he hopes We have also told them to get in that is a one-off show of force. “We’d touch if there is anything they don’t hate council to fall into the trap of just understand.” Rachel will receive all the prosecuting to get results.” sampling results from wine companies He says it is excellent to see this month and will present a full industry taking a more vigilant report to the Environment Committee approach to its waste streams, and in October. believes it is representative of a greater Wine Marlborough General awareness of the need to mitigate Manager Marcus Pickens says grape environmental impacts. “We need to marc has “been on the radar” for some look at ourselves pretty hard and think time, but recent large vintages had ‘where can we improve?’”

Case Study: Giesen There have been some major grape marc initiatives over the past year, including Giesen Wines’ new compost pad. Senior Viticulturist Mike Poff says the 50 by 25 metre pad, the size of an Olympic swimming pool, is bunded and has a leachate reticulation system to protect the environment from any runoff. While the company already had a bunded facility, the huge new pad allowed it to take all 3000 cubic metres of grape marc out of the winery this vintage. That will now be blended with other carbon-based products, including prunings that have been collected from the company’s vineyards and mulched before being added. “It is a major undertaking,” says Mike. “What has traditionally been a waste stream for our business, we see as an excellent opportunity to add organic matter to our vineyards.” Mike says the system has been set up with much consultation with the Marlborough District Council, to ensure it can act as a model that others can follow in the future. “We are now ready to blend it, and will have it composted by the end of September, so it can go out on the land.”

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Young Guns Celebrating up and coming winemakers WINE MARLBOROUGH is once again running the Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year competition, to encourage emerging industry leaders throughout New Zealand. In the past two years, the Young Winemaker finals have been held during the Bragato Conference in August, alongside the Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year competition. However, Wairau River Winery Operations Manager Nick Entwistle, who helped establish the competition in 2015, says organisers decided a unique standalone model would help extend the winemaker event. The 2017 regional events have been split into North Island (August 18) and South Island (August 25), to enable all regions to get involved,

regardless of their size. The final will be held in Auckland on September 20, in partnership with Cuisine magazine, which will help promote the Jordan Hogg achievements of New Zealand’s “top Seresin Estate’s Assistant Winemaker young guns”, says Nick. to Operations Winemaker since the He emphasises that entrants competition, and considers the win don’t need to have winemaking titles, a great boost to his CV for the future. as many cellar hands have a wealth of He talks of moving from an industry skills ready to be put to the test, but newcomer, starting out and trying to may not have had the opportunity to make a name, to suddenly having great showcase them yet. “This is a great industry and media exposure. “It’s chance for them to prove themselves such a great title to have.” against the best of the best.” For more1information contact Last year’s national winnerPCL AD Winepress 2016.pdf 15/07/16 3:21 PM georgie@wine-marlborough.co.nz Jordan Hogg has been promoted from

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Generation Y-ine Kelly Reed has traded in her briefcase for some gumboots SOPHIE PREECE

KELLY REED’S father often reminded her and her sisters, growing up on their farm in Tolaga Bay, that “being a girl is not a disease”. The refrain, followed by “just get out and do it”, was mostly used to get them working on the farm, but it sowed a seed of bloody-minded determination in Kelly. “When someone tells me I can’t do something, I go ‘grrrr, I am going to do it’,” says the NMIT student, who won Constellation Brands New Zealand’s annual viticulture scholarship last year. Kelly is now in the second year of a Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking, but it’s been a long journey. She graduated high school with plans to join the police force, study podiatry or head to university to become a teacher. She chose teaching, but in the summer holidays waiting for her course to start, began working at the local bottle shop, inadvertently derailing her plans. Her boss at the time was constantly introducing her to new wines, building on an interest already sown by Kelly’s grape growing

28 / Winepress July 2017

godfather. She went on to work at a bottle shop while at university, and was eventually handed the wine department. As she learned more about what she was selling, Kelly realised she could do a better job than some of the sales reps she met with. So, much to her parents’ horror, she gave up teaching plans and continued to work in retail, looking out for repping opportunities. A job as a merchandiser with Nobilo, later owned by Constellation Brands, opened the door to more opportunities, and she moved up to a role as sales cadet. When her manager was promoted, he recommended Kelly for his job, despite “push back”, because she was deemed too young and inexperienced, she says. That was fuel to her determination, and she took on the role with gusto, covering the wider Waikato region and indulging her competitive spirit. Kelly was frequently told she gave buyers too much information, but she was determined to share detailed descriptions of a wine and

“When you finally want to be a grown up, you’re going to study viticulture.” Kelly Reed. its characteristics, vintage by vintage. “I was just being passionate about our product, so they could tell the consumers,” Kelly says. She spent a year working with Ingham Enterprises, to get key account experience, but was recruited back by Constellation Brands to work on Foodstuff Auckland accounts. “For me it was give me, give me, give me more. I like this.” Kelly learned as much as she could on the sales side of things and from the winemakers she spent time with. She then went to Australia with Accolade (“I have always been motivated by the next job”) and became a field sales manager in Queensland, with her team covering a vast area, before moving to Adelaide in a national direct-toconsumer role. There she spent her weekends and

holidays visiting and helping out in vineyards and wineries for free, nurturing her interest in everything wine. Then in 2015, she made a New Year’s resolution to move back to New Zealand and trade in her briefcase for gumboots. When packing up, Kelly found a letter she wrote when she was 25, addressed to her 15-year-old self. “It said, ‘when you finally want to be a grown up, you’re going to study viticulture’. It had always been there, but I kept getting an opportunity and going for it.” She chose NMIT for her studies because Blenheim was somewhere new to live, and she loved the idea of being immersed in a wine region and getting a balance of practical industry work and theory. As well as making her own wine and working two vintages in one season, Kelly has worked with boutique producer Huia during her studies, which is a perfect fit with her deep interest in organic viticulture. This summer she also worked in three different Constellation Brands’ vineyards as part of her scholarship, learning about the rigorous systems and practices of a corporate producer, as well as the technology available. Kelly has been impressed at how much help NMIT students get from those at the coalface, and is looking forward to next year’s research assignment, in which she will assist an industry project. “I am hoping to find someone that wants to do research in the vineyard, because the vineyard is where I want to be,” she says. “Viticulturists have a much better office.” As well as organics, Kelly has an abiding interest in alternate varieties. She says Sauvignon Blanc has an enduring and vital role in Marlborough, but it shouldn’t be all the region can do. “I don’t think we need to replace it and find ‘the next big thing’, but I think it’s fun to have something else on the side to keep things interesting.” The salesperson in her also sees that as a tactic to attracting and retaining interest. “You bring in a shiny toy… and the hardest thing is that everybody wants it.”

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The Block

The Forlong family are breaking the mould with their vineyard developments and wine label SOPHIE PREECE Bruce with one of the recycled vineyard posts in a steel sleeve at Tirosh vineyard

A DISTANT chug drifts down the Wairau Valley, as if an old steam train is passing along the base of the Richmond Range. Get closer and the sound is revealed to be a huge hydraulic hammer driving steel pipes into the rocky soils of Tirosh Vineyard, so that recycled vineyard post can be slipped inside. Bruce Forlong has spent the past two years developing this system, which involves a series of machines he has created or converted, having realised he could vastly reduce the waste produced by the region’s wine industry. Each hectare of vineyard uses around 550 posts, and thousands of chemically treated posts are broken in Marlborough each year, leading to stockpiles on many blocks. For Bruce, who is an engineer-cum-grape grower, it was a problem screaming out for a solution. He says the bottom part of vineyard posts are put under far more pressure than the top, and with sprayers, rollers and harvesters all 30 / Winepress July 2017

whamming into them during the season, “they have a hard life”. His thick steel bases protect the posts, enhancing the strength of the vineyard infrastructure and also ensuring there is no contact between the treated post and the soil. The first machine in his system slightly flares the end of the pipes, which Bruce imports from China. The second is like a huge pencil sharpener, with whirring blades that trim the bottom 30cm of damaged vineyard posts, so they can slip into the steel sleeve, leaving the wire attachments in place, ready to be clipped on. Bruce is careful not to take much core material out of the recycled posts, with the machine just cutting corners, “so it’s still very strong”. The third machine is the pole driver, with its hydraulic hammer. Bruce imported the machine typically used to ram in roadside barriers - from China, having talked to its manufacturers about several adaptations that would make it fit for

its new purpose. Two key advantages are the swivel action, which allows his vineyard team to fit posts on both sides of a row, and the remote control, which allows them to step back from the hammering action. They use it to forge a hole in the unforgiving soils of the river terrace, liberally sprinkled with rocks, with the sleeve fitted over the spike before driving it in, with half above and half below the ground. The technology is being used to replace damaged posts at Tirosh but the Forlong’s new Shalev vineyard has been established entirely with the system, using 17,000 recycled posts, says Bruce. “I didn’t have to ask very far and I got truckloads and truckloads.” He wanted to see how the vineyard would stand the test of harvest before spreading the word about his concept. However, with only two damaged posts over the 2016/2017 season, Bruce is more convinced than ever. The steel sleeves are just one of the many engineering initiatives in

place at Shalev, which in Hebrew means tranquillity. The end-post system is also of Bruce’s designs, with interlocked steel pipes providing a sturdy anchor. And when the time came to fit green sleeves to protect young vines, he found a simple improvement in allowing wires to feed through slots in the plastic, with no need for tie downs. “There was a lot of time wasted by having to do that, and I can basically halve it.” Above the vineyard rows, a gleaming raft of photovoltaic solar panels powers the vineyard, with a 30KW system allowing one pump to “boost” the water brought in from the river to irrigate the vines, and a second pump to take it another 100 metres up to a reservoir tucked over a ridgeline. Come any summer water restrictions, and the power of gravity is all Bruce needs to access that store. Bruce was part-owner of a firm in Auckland when he and his family decided to invest in vines in 2006. “We thought it would be a good quiet investment, but it didn’t turn out to be like that really,” he says with a laugh. In 2013, he and his wife Marian sold their shares and moved to Marlborough with their son Matthew, who took on the role of vineyard manager. Meanwhile, another son, Caleb, living in Los Angeles, took on the task of marketing the wine. They named their brand Hillersden after the historic station that once ran where their vines are now, and developed a story merging the raw aesthetic of the upper Wairau Valley with the sophistication of their urban roots. They also married the natural core of their business with the engineering heart of their family, with the animals depicted on their bottles – a boar, hawk, stag and sheepdog - all overlaid with steam punk art depicting sprockets and gears. It’s a beautiful brand adorned with rich stories. But growing grapes in this corner of the world comes with a myriad of challenges, says Bruce. Tirosh was one of the earliest vineyards this far up the Wairau Valley. “It was an unknown quality really and

Shalev vineyard was developed entirely with steel sleeves and recycled vineyard posts, along with the end posts Bruce developed.

there was a lot of scepticism amongst people,” he says. “We didn’t personally know a lot about developing, so we just took advice and believed what we were told. But it’s much harder than we realised. The springs are cold and the inversion layer is not very well developed, so frost fans have limited value.” The area also gets more rain, putting more disease pressure on growers, but he says tough conditions for the grapes make good wines and the results have been worth the effort. If growing the grapes is one challenge, selling the wine is another, with the label sold exclusively in the tricky US market. Hillersden has five full-time people in the LA area, selfdistributing the label and supporting other states’ distributors. Bruce says they decided to create and sell their own story, and so picked one part of the globe to do it in. “We wanted to try and do it as a low cost trial to see, can we do this? And we’ve had some good success in some ways,” he says. Last month Hillersden took the trophies for top medium dry riesling and top white wine at the 2017 Dan Berger International Wine Competition.

In another departure from standard practice, the Forlongs ship their wine in bulk to the US and bottle there, with the unique ceramic printing they wanted. That has meant getting a dispensation from New Zealand Winegrowers in order to show the wine at the New Zealand wine fairs in the US, because the bottler was not certified under Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, says Bruce. “I said, ‘I am not in the normal mould, but it’s very much New Zealand made and very much sustainable’.” Not being in the normal mould is exactly what leads Bruce to look at vineyard practices in a different way, and see the potential for technology to improve systems, for the environment and the bottom line. In the next year he and Matthew – also an engineer – will leave the management of the vineyard to a specialist company and concentrate on what they love. “It’s not my passion to run a vineyard,” says Bruce. “I’d rather invent and develop solutions.”

Winepress July 2017 / 31

Biosecurity Watch A biosecurity team of 4.7 million: What is the wine industry’s role? DR EDWIN MASSEY

THIS MONTH’S column examines the wine industry’s contribution to Biosecurity 2025: Protecting to Grow New Zealand, the Government’s recently released statement outlining the strategic direction for biosecurity in New Zealand. Biosecurity 2025 emphasises shared responsibility, with government, different industries, local government and stakeholders all taking a key role to help mitigate biosecurity risk in response to mounting pressure from increased trade, more complex markets and supply chains, and rising passenger numbers. In recent months, as part of Biosecurity 2025, we have represented the wine industry on a working group tasked with creating a plan which aims to create a biosecurity team of 4.7 million, so that every New Zealander becomes a biosecurity risk manager and every business manages their own biosecurity risk. Through this involvement, it is clear that the wine industry is well placed to be part of this team due to the growing awareness of biosecurity risks amongst members and their increasing participation in biosecurity activities. Current initiatives to boost participation in biosecurity activities Over the last 18 months

biosecurity has become a key part of New Zealand Winegrowers’ (NZW) activity. Maximising members’ participation in biosecurity activities has been a key objective of the Biosecurity Strategy signed off last year by the board. The three examples below highlight some of the work that is ongoing to increase members’ awareness of, and participation in, biosecurity. Government Industry Agreement Joining the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) for biosecurity readiness and response has been a great step to boost the wine industry’s participation in biosecurity. NZW is now aiming to sign the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) Operational Agreement in July 2017. This agreement will set how the wine industry will collaborate with the Crown and other GIA partners to manage the risks posed by this highest threat risk organism. By signing this operational agreement the wine industry will become a key player in: • Promoting public awareness of the pest • Readiness planning to improve how we can respond to an incursion • Research to develop new response tools including

biological control With a seat at the table, the wine industry can be proactive to ensure the solutions identified meet the specific needs of our industry. Catch it: Snap It: Report it Since launching the Catch it: Snap it: Report it initiative in 2016 we have received approximately 20 reports of suspect biosecurity risk organisms, many from the Marlborough region. These include suspect BMSB, suspect harlequin ladybird and even one report of suspect Chilean Needle Grass. To date, even though none of the potential threats have been identified as actual biosecurity risks, the fact members are reporting anything at all highlights that they are thinking and acting ‘biosecurity’ while out in the vineyard. This is a great result and we encourage all members to continue to Catch it: Snap It: Report It should they see anything unusual throughout 2017. To make it easier, add the MPI biosecurity hotline - 0800 809966 - into your phone’s contact list. Biosecurity at Grape Days: Increasing awareness At the 2017 Grape Days we engaged with over 600 members (including more than 350 in Marlborough) about the risks posed

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT . Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 32 / Winepress July 2017

help inform the risk management decisions you make in your vineyard every day and help to embed biosecurity as part of standard wine industry business as usual. Look for them to be published on the revamped members’ website, www.nzwine.com. Conclusion

Signing of the Government Industry Agreement

by BMSB, Pierce’s disease and glassy wing sharpshooter. During the session the audience got to see safely embalmed BMSB and a glassy wing sharpshooter. These sessions, along with the “Pest of the Month” item in the monthly newsletter “What’s Fermenting”, help keep members up to speed with the latest information about the industry’s most unwanted pests. Increased awareness of these risks enables members to have discussions about biosecurity risk management with their contractors and equipment suppliers, encouraging them to adopt biosecurity risk management practices as part of their business as usual. Having these discussions with others and partnering with them across the supply chain is an important part of protecting your productive assets. Consistent with Biosecurity 2025, it’s these discussions which are the building blocks of creating a biosecurity team of 4.7 million people.

“Have you had that biosecurity conversation with your equipment supplier or your pruning contractors yet?” Dr Edwin Massey

What next? During the remainder of 2017, New Zealand Winegrowers will work to publish finalised vineyard biosecurity best practice guidelines. These guidelines will

This column highlights that the wine industry is already an active participant in biosecurity and that we are building our capacity and capability to manage biosecurity risk. While much work remains, we are certainly ahead of the curve when compared with many other industries. Nonetheless, to reach the targets identified in Biosecurity 2025 we must continue to engage with others throughout the wine industry supply chain, so they are aware that their risk management activities are a critical component of overall industry sustainability. Have you had that biosecurity conversation with your equipment supplier or your pruning contractors yet? If you have any questions about biosecurity please get in touch by phone or email: Edwin.massey@nzwine.com or 02119249124.

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Industry News Turangawaewae The Bragato Wine Awards is now limited to single vineyard wines, in a “natural progression” of the competition, says Chair of Judges Ben Glover. The awards are already directed towards vineyards, growers and the notion of turangawaewae, or place, so it is a fitting evolution to “focus on individual wine sites and how they express themselves”, he says. Wines from a single site dominated entries last year, and only 100 of the 550 wines entered in 2016 wouldn’t have been eligible under the new rules, “so we are already moving into that sphere”. Ben says the competition is a good opportunity for smaller producers, who do not meet the case threshold of New Zealand Winegrowers’ other competition, the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, but also appeals to large scale producers with high-end single vineyard wines. Tohu won Champion Sauvignon Blanc in last year’s competition, having also won in 2010. Vineyard Manager Mondo Kopua says the wins are a fantastic acknowledgement of the Tohu Awatere Vineyard (pictured), the viticultural practices behind it and the “collective team”, from vineyard staff and the winery team to contractors and service providers. “As far as I am aware it’s the only award that acknowledges the grower and rewards viticultural excellence. And there’s quite a bit of mana associated with that,” he says. “It’s about showcasing the fruit that comes from the vineyard. That turangawaewae is an expression of this place and what we do here.” The Bragato Wine Awards Tasting is on Wednesday August 30, with the awards announced at the Romeo Bragato Conference Dinner on August 31.

Grape Debate The Colliers Rural Grape Debate is on again in Marlborough this year, with the question: “Is Hawke’s Bay riding Marlborough’s coat tails?”. The November 3 event will see team Marlborough, with Ben Glover (Zephyr Wines), Anna Flowerday (Te Whare Ra) and Bart Arnst (Darling Wines) up against Team Hawke’s Bay, with Tim 34 / Winepress July 2017

Turvey (Clearview Estate Winery), Rod Easthope (Rod Easthope Wines) and Ant Mackenzie (Ant Mackenzie Wines). Tickets are $135 each and include a three course meal and selection of wine. All proceeds will be donated to the Mayoral Relief Fund, to support those suffering hardship from the Kaikoura earthquake. Tickets are on sale from this month on Eventfinda. GIA New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan has signed the Government-Industry Agreement (GIA) deed for biosecurity readiness and response on behalf of the wine industry. “Signing the GIA deed secures the wine industry a seat

around the table when decisions are being made on biosecurity issues,” he says. “Making decisions in partnership with Government provides the opportunity to influence how the wine industry is impacted in the event of a biosecurity response and ensures we deliver the best outcomes for our members.”

Organic Mentoring Enrolment is open for the Organic Undervine Mentoring Programme for the 2017-18 growing season. The Organic Winegrowers New Zealand programme helps growers to learn organic undervine weeding practices with the support of an experienced mentor, over the course of a full growing season. Assistance is available for newly organic growers, as well as conventional growers. The focus is on weeding, but mentors may also offer guidance on related organic practices. For more information and to apply, visit www.organicwinenz.com/ mentor-programme Leadership Awards Nominations are being sought for the 2017 Rabobank Leadership Awards, recognising outstanding leadership among both accomplished and up-and-coming leaders in New Zealand and Australia’s food, beverage and agribusiness industries. The two peer-nominated annual awards – the Rabobank Leadership Award and the Rabobank Emerging Leader Award acknowledge the critical contribution of good leadership to the success

of the food and agribusiness sector. Nominations can be made at www. rabobankleadershipawards.com and close on July 12, 2017, with the winner to be announced at the annual Rabobank Leadership Awards dinner, in Melbourne on October 12. Real Estate Update Pruning and winter maintenance is well underway and PGG Wrightson Real Estate Manager Joe Blakiston says he is seeing a high level of interest in vineyard blocks locally. Out of town buyers range from “cashed up farmers” and Auckland investors, to others looking to enter the industry. “Like the residential marketplace a shortage of listings is a key to the market and any new well-located vineyard with favourable contracts will meet with a high level of enquiry,” he says. Reports of developed production blocks selling around the $250,000 hectare mark will give confidence to both growers and financiers as the impact of the difficult 2017 vintage becomes apparent, Joe says. “All in all we are seeing a continued strength in all viticultural blocks which shows no signs of abating.” Employment Failures A Marlborough based vineyard labour contractor has been penalised $25,000 by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) after a labour inspector found they failed to meet their obligation to keep employment records for a second time. The penalty follows on from an earlier determination by the ERA on 18 November 2015, where KRSVP Limited was ordered to pay $7,500 for failing to provide employees with a written individual employment agreement, or time or wage records. “Keeping employment records is important for proving employees are being provided with all their entitlements, such as the minimum wage,” says Labour Inspectorate Regional Manager Kevin Finnegan. “Following on from the initial ERA determination KRSVP Limited would’ve been well aware of

The Midas Touch There’s nothing quite like a shiny gold label to whet wine buyers appetites, according to data from the New World Wine Awards. Following the announcement of the competition’s 2016 results, nearly 400,000 bottles of the Top 50 wines were sold in six weeks, with a retail value of more than $5.3 million. Some of the Champion and Gold Medal-winning wines sold-out across New World stores in less than 10 days. Lawson’s Dry Hills General Manager Sion Barnsley says the Gold Medal for the Mt Vernon Sauvignon Blanc saw the wine promoted and distributed extensively across New World stores nationwide, which “directly resulted in increased sales”. Chair of Judges Jim Harré (pictured) says wine lovers are increasingly recognising the value of the awards for taking “the guesswork” out of choosing quality wine. “They eagerly anticipate the results of the New World Wine Awards each year, as reflected by how quickly some of the winning wines are snapped up.” In order to be eligible for entry to the New World Wine Awards, wines entered must retail for $25 or less, there must be at least 5,000 bottles, or 3500 for niche varietals, and the wines must be available for sale at New World supermarkets nationwide. This year, which is the competition’s 15th, there has been an addition of new classes for selected New Zealand wines that retail over $25. Judging for the The New World Wine Awards will be done over three days at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium from July 31 to August 2, with results announced later in the year. their obligations, so it’s extraordinarily disappointing to have to take them to the ERA a second time.” Kevin says the situation suggests some vineyard owners are not checking on their contractor’s processes. “Without seeking such assurances vineyard owners won’t know whether those picking and pruning their vines are receiving their entitlements, putting the reputation of the industry at risk.” MBIE encourages anyone concerned about their employment situation, or the situation of someone they know, to call its contact centre on 0800 20 90 20, where their concerns will be handled in a safe environment. Toi Toi Tim Adams has taken over as the new head Winemaker and Viticulturist at Toi Toi Wines, as the company moves in to a new phase of rapid growth. Tim joined the team at the beginning of June and has already been working in the winery, blending wines from the 2017 vintage. He is

impressed with the wine quality yielded from a difficult season. “It is testament to the tremendous dedication to lower cropping levels and quality improvements that the Toi Toi vineyard managers and winemaking team have adhered to over the years.”

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Winepress July 2017 / 35

Brought to you by

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 July 19. For more information on the events below email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz

JULY 2017 16 Bastille Day – Clos Henri Vineyard – 11am to 3pm 26 New Zealand Winegrowers Marketing Roadshow - Marlborough 28-30 Marlborough Book Festival 2017 – www.marlboroughbookfest.co.nz 31 NZW Mealy Bug workshop – 9.30am to 12pm, Marlborough (email mark.eltom@nzwine.com) AUGUST 2017 6 Wine Marlborough Silver Secateurs – Yealands Vineyard at Grovetown 25 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year – South Island Regional Competition - Marlborough 29 National Final – Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2017 – Marlborough 30-31 Romeo Bragato Conference 2017 – Marlborough 30 Bragato Wine Awards Tasting 31 Romeo Bragato Conference Dinner and Bragato Wine Awards Announcements

Marlborough Book Festival - July 28

Silver Secateurs - August 6

Young Winemaker Competition - August 25

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