Winepress - June 2020

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 306/ JUNE 2020

CELLAR DOORS

PRUNING WORKFORCE

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

THE WREKIN

HÄTSCH KALBERER

10

this issue...

REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4 6 18 20 22

10 Open for Business

24 26

Editorial - Sophie Preece

From The Board - Jack Glover TasmanCrop Met Report Forgotten Corners - The Wrekin Pioneer - Hätsch Kalberer

Covid-19 slammed the door shut on wine tourism, but several cellar doors, restaurants and tour operators are rallying, to ensure the region is open for loyal locals and domestic visitors.

Generation Y-ine - Samantha White Biosecurity Watch - Sophie Badland Industry News

There’s cautious optimism that the industry can cope with the challenges it faces with winter pruning and associated employment issues, thanks to a collaborative effort from growers, wine companies, Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme (RSE) employers and Government agencies.

18 The Wrekin Argentinian Pablo Cordero spent vintage at New Zealand Wineries, but is now working in Constellation’s vineyards, thanks to industry collaboration. Photo Jim Tannock.

See page 16

18

14 A cut above

Cover:

16

The Wrekin is not certified biodynamic, but buried cow horns, cow pat pits, and the rhythmic - then chaotic - stirring of preparations, according to the lunar cycle, are key to this extraordinary property. “The soil is alive and I think the place is more alive,” says Jan Johns.

20

Winepress June 2020 / 1

3

MARLBOROUGH GRAPE GROWERS SOUGHT MARLBOROUGH GRAPE GROWERS SOUGHT

te Pā Family Vineyards is seeking SWNZ accredited grape

te Pā Family Vineyards is seeking SWNZ growers work with from this year to growers to work withaccredited from this grape year to meet to international meet international and national demand. and national demand.

We’re looking for growers of: • Pinot Noir • Pinot Noir for Rosé • Pinot Gris • Chardonnay • Sauvignon Blanc.

We’re looking for growers of: • Pinot Noir • Pinot Noir for Rośe • Pinot Gris • Chardonnay • Sauvignon Blanc

If you would like to work a fast-growing If you would like to work with a fast-growing Newwith Zealand-owned wineNew company, with awardwinning wine brands, please get in wine touchcompany, with te Pā General Manager Kelvinwine Deaker Zealand-owned with award-winning at kelvin@tepawines.com call the at 035705192 to discuss further. brands, or please getoffice in touch with te Pā Generalthis Manager Kelvin Deaker at kelvin@tepawines.com or call the office at 03 570 5192 to discuss this further.

Achieve even coverage with granulated fertiliser • Ability to accurately measure and apply fertiliser with even distribution.

• Utilise the latest GPS Aerial Application technology.

• Ability to work when ground conditions are not favourable.

CONTACT US TODAY FOR AN OBLIGATION FREE QUOTE

FREE PHONE: 0800 435 448 sales@precisionhelicopters.nz or neal@precisionhelicopters.nz •

2 / Winepress June 2020

www.precisionhelicopters.nz

General Manager: Marcus Pickens 03 577 9299 marcus@winemarlborough.nz Editor: Sophie Preece 027 308 4455 sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz Advertising and Subscriptions: Sarah Linklater 021 704 733 sarah@winemarlborough.nz Wine Marlborough Board: Ben Ensor ben.lisa@clear.net.nz Beth Forrest Beth@forrest.co.nz Callum Linklater callum@csviticulture.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Kirsty Harkness kirsty@mountbase.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.com Stuart Dudley (Deputy Chair) stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove (Chair) tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Tracy Johnston Tracy@dayvinleigh.co.nz Jamie Marfell Jamie.Marfell@pernod-ricard.com Designed by: Blenheim Print Ltd 03 578 1322 Disclaimer: The views and articles that are

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

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

From the Editor WHEN THE Clos Henri offices proved too tight for Alert Level 2 physical distancing, Lara Campbell moved herself into the small wooden church perched amid their vineyards. Now when visitors show up for tastings, she can stow her computer behind a pew, and jump into cellar door hosting. “I pop out of nowhere when people come in,” she laughs. And she’s loving the opportunity to give people a taste of Clos Henri. “It is so nice. It kind of feels like things are turning – quite slowly – back to normal.”

They’re one of many wine companies adapting to life after lockdown, and determined to put out the “open” sign for Marlborough, despite the winter season, the loss of international visitors and a looming recession. When the wheels start turning on domestic tourism, Marlborough needs to be ready, says Wairau River Wines general manager Lindsay Parkinson (see pg 10), who opened Wairau River’s restaurant as soon as Alert Level 2 allowed. “But in reality it is winter, and it’s going to be tough for the next few months.”

“When the wheels start turning on domestic tourism, Marlborough needs to be ready.”

Wither Hills swiftly opened too, with Geoff Matthews saying it was the obvious choice for staff and for Marlborough. “We decided that we couldn’t not do it. It was the right thing to do for the region.” Not everyone is making that choice.

Brancott Estate Cellar Door and Restaurant remains closed and will be focussed on private functions and events when it does reopen. It’s one of a handful of restaurants that won’t be on the wine trail for tourists this summer, but the list of those opening their doors to visitors is great news for the region, as is the push of locals to support them.

Clos Henri is normally shut during winter, but Lara says having her office in the cellar door made opening easy, and a surprising number of people have visited. Meanwhile, they’ve been focussing more attention on their distributor relationships, and focussing on a stronger digital strategy and new online shop, although on premise avenues remain vital to the brand. “Our hearts are with restaurants,” she says. “It feels like for us life is returning to normal, but in a lot of places, they are still in lockdown.” Lara says the crisis has been an opportunity to assess priorities. “We are on premise and that’s where our market lies. Clos Henri and the Bourgeois Family have been supported by restaurants for decades, and we see it as our duty to support them for the decades to come.”

Just one of the many ways wine companies are proving nimble and resilient in a time of outrageous fortune.

SOPHIE PREECE

Winepress June 2020 / 3

EDUCATE

From the Board Our consumers – time to adjust?

JACK GLOVER

ONE THING we have all experienced through the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic is how our behaviours can quickly change, and what impact this has on our consumer decisions. Changes in consumer behaviour have varied across consumer goods and services, and are influenced by the local, cultural, political and financial situation of where the consumer lives. We have certainly seen changes to consumer habits over the past three to four months, and these changes can be grouped into the five consumer progressions: - Focus on preventative health - immunity-boosting, hygiene products (sanitisers/masks), vitamins and dietary supplements and disinfectants.

- Stockpiling grocery essentials - sanitisers, liquid soap, toilet roll, bottled water, dried (pasta), canned, long-life (UHT milk) and preserved food, functional beverages, alcohol, baking ingredients (flour, yeast) and an online sales surge.

- Avoidance of non-essential shops and services - food service closed, international travel restricted and shopping centres, gyms, leisure centres, theme parks etc, closed.

- Home seclusion - virtual living via virtual gyms/online gaming and socialising, home schooling (educational toys/ books), online shopping, home delivery and streaming, wider uptake of technology by older consumers, and cocooning – DIY, gardening, and home as a wellbeing hub.

- A new normal? Globalisation knocked, return of local supply, premiumisation subdued, health paramount, mental wellbeing at forefront, strengthening of online, consumer re-set: city living diminished and working from home a new norm.

4 / Winepress June 2020

For industries now, it is integral to be in touch with what a new normal looks like, and how to reach our consumers as they adjust their behaviours post Covid-19.

The impact will influence macro-environments and legislation, supply chain, channel viability and consumer choices. For each of these we need to consider how our individual and collective business models can navigate this consumer change. For wine, how do we navigate: • The current consumer ‘stay-at-home’ bias or the ‘bond and connect’ need.

• The loss of significant numbers of on-trade accounts and the fragility of this important channel.

• The explosion of online sales, of which alcohol was lagging before Covid-19.

• The threat to premiumisation with diminished spending and the rise of value.

• Safe shopping – a shift to ‘tried and trusted’ brands.

• Counter to globalisation, influenced by lockdowns pushing consumers to shopping more local than ever before.

In 2014, at the Romeo Bragato conference, I spoke on the future of marketing for New Zealand wine. In that speech I suggested “we review the traditional must-haves in our go-to market strategy – a story and distribution – against what consumer we want to engage with, what is happening in their buying environment. Delivering a strategy from this is getting future fit and the consumer is at the heart of this’’.

This seems relevant now more than ever.

PROTECT

ROSE FAMILY ESTATE 1978

SUPPLIERS OF:

RESTAURANT open 7 days Morning Tea/Coffee 10am - 11.30am Lunch served 11.30am - 3pm Meeting room available

n Vineyard posts & strainers n Quality timber products n Utility buildings - designed for your needs n Locally owned n Working towards the betterment of Marlborough

TOP DEALS ~ TOP SERVICE 163 Hammerichs Road, Blenheim Ph 03 578 0221 Fax 03 578 0251 sales@rapauratimber.co.nz

www.wairauriverwines.com

Winepress June 2020 / 5

MET REPORT Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – May 2020

May May 2020

2020 Compared

to LTA GDD’s for: Month - Max/Min¹ 47.6 79% Month – Mean² 60.5 83% Growing Degree Days Total July 19 to May 20-Max/Min 1421.6 103% July 19 to May 20 - Mean 1484.0 104% Mean Maximum (°C) 16.5 -0.1°C Mean Minimum (°C) 5.4 -0.4°C Mean Temp (°C) 10.9 -0.3°C Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 6 0.6 less Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 0 1.4 less Sunshine hours 187.5 106% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2020 1170.8 107% Rainfall (mm) 81.6 141% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2020 125.8 52% Evapotranspiration – mm 45.8 100% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 159.5 73% 9am mean soil temp – 10cm 7.9 -0.9°C 9am mean soil temp – 30cm 10.9 -0.4°C

May LTA

Period of LTA

May 2019

60.5 73.2

(1996-2019) (1996-2019)

90.0 100.3

1382.5 1428.5 16.6 5.8 11.2 5.4 1.4 176.2 114.7 214.1 1089.9 57.9 13.5 182.6 243.3 45.7 217.4 8.8 11.3

(1996-2019) (1996-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019) 1969 2015 (1986-2019) (1986-2019) 1936 1948 (1986-2019) (1996-2019) (1996-2019) (1986-2019) (1986-2019)

1590.8 1632.3 18.6 7.1 12.85 2 0 214.6

1258.8 55.0

241.6 53.7 213.0 11.0 12.6

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures Temperature May’s mean temperature of 10.9°C was 0.3°C below the long-term average (LTA). May 2020 was a month of two very distinct halves temperature wise.

The weekly temperature data in Table 1 indicate that the first two weeks of May were very warm. The first half of May recorded a similar mean temperature as Table 2: Weekly temperatures, rainfall and sunshine during May 2020

the whole of May 2019; i.e. May was on track to be one of the warmest on record. However, temperatures in the second half of May were well below average and dragged the overall mean temperature for the month down slightly below average. May 2020 is only the sixth year in the past twenty years (2001-2020) when May has recorded a below average mean temperature. How is that possible when the long-term average is only over the 35 year period 1986 to 2019?

The answer is that May temperatures in the 15 years from 1986 to 2000 (average 10.9°C) were significantly cooler than in the 20 years 2001 to 2020 (average 11.4°C).

Frosts Six ground frosts were recorded during May and no air frosts. In contrast May 2019 only recorded two ground frosts.

This is the highest number of ground frosts since 2015, when eight were recorded.

Wind-Run May 2020 recorded average daily wind run of 159.5 km; far lower than the long-term average of 217.4 km (19962019). This is the lowest average daily wind-run for May for the 25 years 1996 to 2020.

Sunshine Blenheim recorded 187.5 hours sunshine in May, 106% of the LTA.

Mean Max Mean Min Mean Ground Rainfall Sunshine

(°C) (°C) (°C) Frosts (mm) (hours) 1st - 7th 17.9 (+1.3) 8.0 (+2.2) 12.9 (+1.7) 2 38.4 35.6 8th - 14th 19.0 (+2.4) 6.9 (+1.1) 13.0 (+1.8) 0 0.2 50.9 15th - 21st 15.5 (-1.1) 3.3 (-2.5) 9.4 (-1.8) 2 0.0 58.1 22nd - 28th 14.8 (-1.8) 4.6 (-1.2) 9.7 (-1.5) 1 41.2 30.7 29th – 31st (3 days) 13.2 (-3.4) 2.2 (-3.6) 7.7 (-3.5) 1 1.8 12.2

1 – 31 May 16.5 (-0.1°C ) 5.4 (-0.4°C) 10.9 (-0.3°C) 6 81.6 (141%) 187.5 (106%) LTA 1986-2019 16.6 5.8 11.2 5.4 57.9 176.2 6 / Winepress June 2020

While this total was above average it was well below the May 2019 total of 214.6 hours, the highest on record 19322020. Blenheim has recorded 1170.8 hours sunshine for the five months January to May 2020, 107% of the LTA. Figure 1 displays sunshine hours for May over the 89 years 1932 to 2020. The graph indicates that sunshine hours can vary markedly from year to year. The yellow 10-year moving average line indicates that some decades have experienced higher sunshine hours in May than others. The

Let us hope that the trend of half the previous year’s rainfall for the five month period does not continue in 2021.

Soil Moisture After four months of low rainfall from January to April 2020, the shallow soil moisture at the Grovetown Park weather station on 1 May 2020 was only 17%. There was very little moisture in the topsoil on 1 May. In contrast the average soil moisture on 1 May (2003-2019) is 29.3%. The May rainfall of 81.6 mm significantly boosted moisture in the topsoil

Figure 1: May sunshine hours and trend for the 89 years 1932 to 2020

red trend line shows that despite the marked variation that can occur from year to year, May has become sunnier by approximately 20 hours over the 89 year period.

Rainfall Blenheim recorded 81.6 mm rain in May, 141% of the LTA. The first and last weeks of May recorded almost all the month’s rainfall (Table 1). The four months January to April 2020 all recorded much lower than average rainfall. At the end of April Blenheim had recorded only 44.2 mm rain for the year to date, compared to the long-term average of 185.4 mm; i.e. there was a rainfall deficit of 141.2 mm rain in the first four months of 2020. May is the first month in 2020 to have recorded above average rainfall. The rainfall totals for the five month’s January to May in the past three years are markedly contrasting.

• Total rainfall for the five months January to May 2020 was 125.8 mm, 52% of the LTA. • Total rainfall for the five months January to May 2019 was 241.6 mm, 102% of the LTA. • Total rainfall for the five months January to May 2018 was 452.8 mm, 191% of the LTA.

from 17% on 1 May to 34.1% on 31 May. However, average soil moisture (0 to 35 cm) for the whole month of 28.9% was below the long-term average of 32.4%.

Figure 2 displays the shallow soil moisture at the Grovetown Park weather station. The graph was last included in Met Report three months ago at the end of February. At that stage the soil moisture was sitting on about 15%, close to its absolute minimum value. The 2018/19 soil moisture line was also at a similar very low value at the end of February 2019. However, 94.6 mm rain in March and 80.2 mm in April 2019 quickly boosted the shallow soil moisture up well above average. The 2019/20 line indicates that shallow soil moisture remained close to minimum through until mid-April 2020, six weeks longer than in 2019.

There was a slight increase in soil moisture with 13.8 mm rain on the 17/18 April. However, soil moisture didn’t rise substantially until 38.4 mm rain was received between 2nd and 5th May. That boost to soil moisture declined in the two weeks from 9th to 16th May when no further rain was received. A further 41.2 mm rain on 24/25 May gave the shallow soil moisture a further substantial boost.

Winepress June 2020 / 7

It will take a significant amount of rainfall over the winter months to recharge the whole soil profile. Perennial plants such as grapevines and fruit trees draw most of their

Rainfall March to May 2020 recorded 117.0 mm rain, 77% of the LTA. This was marginally over half (51%) the rainfall for autumn

Figure 2: Shallow soil moisture (5-35 cm depth) at the Blenheim weather station

moisture from the top two metres of the soil profile. In seasons with a dry summer and autumn it takes a long time to recharge the deeper soil moisture layers.

2019 of 229.8 mm.

Temperature

Autumn Summary – March to May 2020 Sunshine

March to May 2020 recorded a mean temperature of 13.4°C. This was 0.2°C below the LTA (1986-2019). This is the coolest autumn since 2012.

March to May 2020 recorded 654.9 hours sunshine, 110% of the long-term average. This is now the third highest total on record for the 89 years 1932 to 2020. March to May 2019, with 651.5 hours sunshine was pushed down into fourth place.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research Marlborough Research Centre

8 / Winepress June 2020

PROTECT

Plan Appeal

Photo Jim Tannock

THE BATTLE to retain existing rules around water allocation in Marlborough is to continue, with a Fish & Game appeal to the Marlborough Environment Plan. Wine Marlborough advocacy manager Vance Kerslake says the appeal will go to the Environment Court, where Wine Marlborough will support the Marlborough District Council in defending the plan’s provisions for water allocation.

“We think the status quo is a good, scientifically-based water regime. It doesn’t provide as much irrigation water as some grape growers might like, but has to be carefully balanced against the sustainability of the resource and the environment,” Vance says. “We think there’s a good sustainable regime in place at the moment. Fish & Game obviously have a different point of view.”

Vance says the appeal was “unwelcome but not unexpected”, and the Marlborough Winegrowers board had set aside a budget for the appeal process, on top of the “significant amount” spent on expert submissions in the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP) hearings.

He says the provisions of the plan, announced in February, were generally supported by Wine Marlborough, which has not submitted any appeals. “The most important things to us were irrigation water and frost fans, and on those fronts we achieved our objectives. A number of the other things that we submitted on in the hearings were suggested improvements, and they weren’t necessarily picked up,” he says. “But we don’t see those as having major impacts on the industry.”

However, he kept an eye on other appeals, flagging those that could impact on the wine industry. At this stage Wine Marlborough has resolved to join several appeals to protect the wine industry’s position. “In some cases we are joining the appeal process to support the decisions that

were made and in other cases we are joining the process to support the appeal of the decision.”

He expects the Environment Court process to take years to work its way through the system. In the meantime, existing regimes for water allocation will continue.

Harvest Remuneration Survey 2020 Wine Marlborough is running a survey of wineries about remuneration (pay and benefits) for harvest staff in Marlborough. Advocacy manager Vance Kerslake says the purpose of the survey is to help Marlborough wineries benchmark local industry remuneration rates and trends. “It’s a small investment of your time - the 2019 survey was only 10 questions short and took around 10-15 minutes to complete.” The survey is confidential and Vance is the only person who will see individual responses. The answers are collated, averaged and sent back to the contributing companies, in an anonymous format - no company names appear in the results. If you are interested in taking part in the survey, please contact Vance on advocacy@winemarlborough.nz

Winepress June 2020 / 9

GROW

Opening Marlborough A warm welcome from cellar doors SOPHIE PREECE

Photo Marlborough Tour Company

COLLABORATION IS key to reviving cellar door operations, say tourism experts in Marlborough, following the Covid-19 lockdown. As doors slowly open to locals and visitors, Destination Marlborough general manager Jacqui Lloyd is encouraging companies to work together.

“Every hotel chain, every tour company, every region will be promoting their products. We are encouraging operators to collaborate by creating offerings that are unique to Marlborough, to stand out from the crowd.”

Historically, 65% of Marlborough’s tourism spend has been from the domestic market, with Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch the biggest hitters, and Canterbury the largest of the three. With summer promising a drop in cruise business and international visitors - assuming New Zealand’s borders remain closed - the region needs to look after locals and tempt more domestic spend, with Christchurch, Nelson and Tasman self-drive visitors a key market, Jacqui says.

Wine Marlborough marketing and communications manager Sarah Linklater has been working with cellar doors, Destination Marlborough and New Zealand Winegrowers to support wine businesses opening their doors to locals and domestic visitors, and to “think of new ways to work”. Regular Zoom meetings have enabled wine companies to seek or give advice, as everyone adapts and shares their experiences, she says. Wine Marlborough has also created a cellar door page on its website, to provide information on opening hours.

By Queen’s Birthday weekend, 19 cellar doors had opened or set an opening date. Many have started out by appointment only, testing the waters of operating under 10 / Winepress June 2020

Alert Level Two, says Sarah. “It’s certainly not business as usual.” Of the 33 cellar doors published on the annual Wine Trail Map, 13 usually reduce or close their cellar door over winter, “so having 19 businesses open in some capacity this winter is a great step, given the challenges they face,” she says. Some cellar doors cannot open, because they are too small to allow for seating and distancing, and others have opened on limited hours, or under a new model.

Wairau River Wines, for example, opened its restaurant as soon as it could, but has not enabled wine tastings, instead using that space for more restaurant tables. General manager Lindsay Parkinson says the team were well organised and ready to open when Alert Level 2 allowed them to do so, with contact tracing and table spacing all managed. They also promoted their morning menu, taking into account the gap left by the closure of the Vines Village Café.

Opening was “first and foremost” about maintaining work for staff, he says. It was also about supporting their many loyal customers “who in the past two weeks have turned up and been really happy that we have opened”.

Finally, it was about ensuring Marlborough is open. “I think that is the trickiest thing from a cellar door point of view.

If you don’t open, then tourists won’t book. But if you are open, it is a bit of time until you get some momentum.”

When the “wheels start turning” in domestic tourism, Marlborough needs to be ready, he says. “But in reality it is winter, and it’s going to be tough for the next few months.”

Companies that are opening are looking to support – and be supported by – their local communities, says Sarah.

Tupari Wines, for example, is doing complimentary tastings

Helen Woodward Resource Management Consultant For all your resource consent application

Roundwood Limited

and monitoring needs

Water-Discharge-Land Use

Suppliers of Quality Roundwood

For Experienced, Local, Prompt Service

Contact:

Contact Helen at

Grant Cathcart Phone 03 313 8339

Email: h.woodward@xtra.co.nz Mobile: 0272 111154

fax 03 313 3767 mobile 021 511 460

roundwood@mcalpines.co.nz

For Expert Viticultural Property Advice

PHOENIX

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Warm and Chilled Glycol Systems Design & Build Mechanical Services Heat Recovery Systems S/S Wine and Juice Lines Water Treatment and Filtration

021 177 2669 “Over 15 years experience serving the Marlborough wine industry”

WWW.PHOENIXMECHANICAL.CO.NZ

ALEXANDER HAYWARD LTD Registered Valuers, Property Consultants, Arbitrators Specialising in all aspects of Vineyard and Winery Valuation, Including Specialist Plant and Machinery Contact: Dave Stark Lex Hayward

B Ag Com, FNZIV, FNZPI Dip VFM, FNZPI, AAMINZ

Experienced in all South Island Wine growing Regions

Ph 03 5789776 Fax 03 5782806

Level 1, 20 Market St, BLENHEIM email valuations@alexhayward.co.nz

Winepress June 2020 / 11

GROW

and wine sales at the The Station’s Thursday pizza night in Seddon. Companies are collaborating within and beyond the wine industry and “thinking outside the square”, she says.

At Wither Hills they’re in fact thinking inside a square, with a QR code developed in-house to make for better tastings. Wither Hills originally opened only its restaurant during Alert Level 2, but by Queen’s Birthday weekend were ready to get back into cellar door tastings. Guests are seated and given an overview, before tapping into the QR code on the tasting notes, which brings the winemaker to their device, “with a running commentary describing the wine”, says Lion’s Wine national operations director Geoff Matthews.

Some of Wither Hills’ restaurant and cellar door staff worked in mail order sales through lockdown, and others were involved in weekend meal deliveries, which Wither Hills rolled out in Alert Level 3 and will continue through Level 2. He says opening was about staff, locals, and Marlborough in general. “We decided that we couldn’t not do it. It was the right thing to do for the region.” And it’s been busier than he expected: “I have been pleasantly surprised.”

Whitehaven’s new customer experience manager Samantha White (see Generation Y-ine, pg 22) is swiftly adapting the cellar door operation to create “memorable tasting experiences” for local and domestic visitors. She says it is an opportunity to develop unique and personal offerings, and is collaborating with other cellar doors and businesses to offer experiences, such as bed and breakfast with a wine experience as part of the offering.

Framingham opened its cellar door a week into Alert Level 2, having first touched base with Wairau River

Nelson market A group of six Nelson women ready to “burst their bubble”, came to Marlborough for Queen’s Birthday weekend which included a wine trail on bikes with Explore Marlborough. “We wanted to get together and get out of lockdown,” says organiser Suzy Kirk, who also wanted to support businesses close to home. They began their day at Whitehaven, biked on to Framingham, and lunched at Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen.

12 / Winepress June 2020

“When you head to one of the strongest wine regions in the world, you expect it to be open.”

Tom Trolove to ascertain learnings from the first week. Managing director Tom Trolove, who is also chair of the Marlborough Winegrowers board, says working collaboratively is “second nature” to New Zealand’s wine industry. “It seems such a natural thing to do - to get together with the rest of the industry and say, ‘how are we going to solve this problem?’”

The decision to open three days a week - or by appointment - was relatively easy, because they had staff keen to work, and are traditionally open year-round. That’s partly to provide a destination for wine tour operators in winter, Tom says. “I always thought, ‘if we look after the tour operators, they will look after us in the peak times’. And that seemed to work.” Framingham had more than 35,000 people through its cellar door last year, including huge numbers of cruise ship customers. In the new world of Covid-19, they’re instead getting a mix of locals and some vintage workers, finally able to experience a taste of the region.

Framingham has changed its normal operation for Alert Level 2, with seated zones and a menu, so visitors can “build” their own tasting for $10. Tom says the team felt it was important for Marlborough to be welcoming for locals, and for visitors that might choose it as their winter destination. “When you head to one of the strongest wine regions in the world, you expect it to be open.”

Explore Marlborough owner Karen Walshe says the winter season is always quiet in Marlborough, “but there are still a few enquiries coming through, so it is good to have a small selection of cellar doors reopening”. However, she is concerned about what Marlborough will look like after the winter hibernation. “We have already been notified by a couple of the winery restaurants or cafés that are apparently not planning on opening again. Marlborough cellar doors and in particular the restaurants - have been fully booked for most of the two previous summers. If we are to rebuild Marlborough tourism and the Marlborough brand then we need to be open and ready to go from September onwards and have the capacity to cater to our visitors.”

Karen says the people who come to Marlborough for wine are “our biggest brand fans, and our best advocates”. If they arrive to closed doors and a scant selection of cellars and restaurants to visit, Marlborough is not making the most of one of its best promotional resources, she says. “We need to put our consumers and brand advocates at the heart of our decisions moving forward.”

Karen hopes cellar doors will coordinate if only

GROW

opening a few days a week, to ensure there’s a good offering available whenever visitors are looking for a trail. “It will require a team approach from wineries, tour companies, accommodation providers, Wine Marlborough and Destination Marlborough.”

Marlborough Tour Company Group chief executive Abbe Hutchins says restarting Marlborough’s visitor economy isn’t just a matter of reopening the cellar doors as normal. “With the heavy focus on domestic tourism for the immediate future, Marlborough is competing against every other region for the domestic dollar, so it needs to work hard to differentiate itself from others – particularly other wine regions – who are hungry for business.” Reliance on Marlborough being the country’s largest wine region isn’t enough, she says. “The real opportunity for regional and cellar door experiences is to look beyond simple wine tastings to really deliver on brand experiences that reflect a winery’s – and the region’s – brand.”

In the past year, Marlborough Tour Company hosted more than 10,000 international and domestic visitors at cellar doors throughout the region. “While there’s a significant drop in visitors to the region now, they will be back,” Abbe says. “We’re using this time to focus on enhancing core products, and to develop and test new products.”

Wine Marlborough has a live cellar door map which is the most up-to-date source for opening hours. Go to winemarlborough.co.nz/visit/

Loving locals Marlborough’s Guy and Nikki Jacobson were out at Wairau River Restaurant with their children Ella and Toby at Queen’s Birthday weekend, having already visited with friends when it first reopened. “We woke up this morning hungry and thought, ‘right, let’s go’,” says Guy. The restaurant was already heavily booked, but they happily slipped in for an early booking.

PCL AD Winepress 2016.pdf

1

15/07/16

3:21 PM

PROVINCIAL COLDSTORES LIMITED

Let us take care of all your controlled Temperature storage requirements: ◆ Custom controlled area ◆ Approved Transitional Facility for unloading of Imported Containers

C

M

◆

Over 60,000 cubic metres of storage spread over two sites.

CM

◆

Chilled storage available during vintage for handpicked grapes.

MY

◆

Sophisticated monitoring equipment ensures your product is kept at the optimum temperature.

◆

We could lease you a small room for your exclusive use to suit your particular temperature requirements (0 o C to + 30 o C).

◆

We store bottled wine, barrels of wine and new plants

◆

Individual rooms available to grow new budwood.

Y

CY

CMY

K

awaiting the opportune time to plant.

“the coolest place in Marlborough” Old Renwick Road, Blenheim Tel: 03 578 2648 Fax: 03 578 2546

www.provincialcoldstores.co.nz

Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen is open Thursday to Sunday

Gouland Road, Spring Creek. Tel: 03 570 5944 Fax: 03 570 5955

Winepress June 2020 / 13

CELEBRATE Alistair McIntosh from New Zealand and Josie Maher from Constellation. Photo Jim Tannock

Wines to Vines Vintage crew cracks into pruning SOPHIE PREECE

MARLBOROUGH WINE companies are working together to ensure stranded vintage workers can stay employed while in New Zealand.

That’s seen 24 New Zealand Wineries staff – most of them “locked out” of their home countries – able to work in Constellation Brands’ vineyards over winter, says New Zealand Wineries chief operating officer Alistair McIntosh. “I don’t know what we would have done otherwise. We certainly wouldn’t have left them to be chucked out of accommodation with no money to live on, but we had run out of work in the winery.”

New Zealand Wineries came to the end of the pressured Covid-19 vintage with dozens of international workers and no work. Some could return home and those on working holiday visas could change employers, helping fill the expected shortfall of pruners this winter. But those workers on skills shortage visas, accessed via an Approval in Principle (AIP) from Immigration New Zealand (INZ), are only able to work for a single employer at a single workplace over a set time period.

Lobbying from the likes of the 14 / Winepress June 2020

Marlborough Labour Governance Group (see sidebox) saw the Government offer more flexibility for vintage workers to stay on for winter pruning, but Alistair’s remaining crew – most of them from South America were still unable to switch employers.

“They basically said ‘yes, you can employ them as vineyard workers’, which doesn’t work for us because we don’t own any vineyards.” So he set to work finding a labour supplier or vineyard owner he could contract his team too. “We want to look after them,” Alistair says. “We are very grateful that they come every year and we are not going to let them be hung out to dry because of Covid. They are part of our business and part of our family.”

Pablo Cordero is from Argentina, which has its borders closed due to Covid-19. He says being able to shift from vintage work at New Zealand Wineries to vineyard work at Constellation has been a lifeline. “To be honest, it’s really important,” he says, unsure how long it will be before he can get home. And he’s loving the work. “This is a great job - you are outdoors and in contact with plants,” he says. “It’s really good times.”

Constellation Brands’ Head of Viticulture Stephen Bradley had already diverted 50 Drylands winery staff into vineyards for the pruning season. With some vineyard contractors unable to access their winter Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) staff from the Pacific Islands, they were reliant on summer RSEs already in the country, who were expected to work at a slower rate. With that in mind, Constellation budgeted for a more costly pruning season, with winery staff added to the mix, to ensure the completion of their 2000plus hectares of Marlborough vines. As it turns out, the summer RSE workers are faster than anticipated, and he is confident the vineyards will soon be ship shape and prepared for the next season.

Alistair says Constellation has been “brilliant” in helping the stranded vintage workers out, but the battle is not over, with the dispensation from INZ only valid for six weeks following the drop to Alert Level 2. The MLGG are working to get that extended, Alistair says. “If they don’t, then these guys are out of work again. And the vineyards lose staff.”

EDUCATE

Pruning Solutions BRENDA WEBB

AWATERE GRAPE grower Guy Lissaman is “cautiously optimistic” that the industry can cope with the challenges it faces with winter pruning and associated employment issues, thanks to a collaborative effort. The chair of the Marlborough Labour Governance Group (MLGG) has spent the past eight weeks working closely with representatives from Wine Marlborough, Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme (RSE) employers and Government agencies, to ensure concerns surrounding winter pruning were met.

Guy only took over as chair three months ago ironic timing, given the chaos surrounding Covid-19 had yet to unfold. As it did, he quickly found himself having regular Zoom and phone call meetings with key players in the industry to ensure challenges were met and overcome. “We had to work through it all collectively and collaboratively,” he says. “It was a very diverse group and we all recognised that we needed to find a workable solution and work towards a common goal.”

Historically, the group’s role centred around overseeing the RSE worker numbers allowed into the region. With Covid-19, the goalposts immediately shifted, with summer RSE workers unable to return to their home country and the skilled winter pruning gangs unable to come in. “We were 1,200 workers short and faced going into pruning with only half the experienced workforce available,” Guy says.

There ensued a huge effort to negotiate a way forward, bearing in mind the RSE worker needs as well as the number of Kiwis who might be ready and willing to work. While this created opportunities for the industry, there were plenty of issues to deal with, says Guy. “What the group had to navigate was balancing the needs - we still required a core group of RSE workers, but saw other more permanent roles becoming available for Kiwis - for example supervisors, machinery operators and support people.”

The situation constantly changed as the crisis unfolded, and Guy praises the way the RSE employers adapted. “Once Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Immigration New Zealand and the RSE unit gave permission for RSE workers to transfer from other regions where summer work was finishing, to Marlborough, the picture started to improve from mid-April,” says Guy. “There are workers still being transferred to Marlborough for winter pruning, which requires visa variations and suitable accommodation arrangements.”

Combined efforts paid off with the current shortfall of RSE workers now believed to be around 150 to 200. “Right now, we can only plan for the immediate future,” he says.

“We will have to stocktake regularly over the winter to see

Photo Jim Tannock

whether we are on target to finish the region’s pruning by the start of spring.”

Guy praises New Zealand Winegrowers, who worked closely at a higher level with Government agencies such as MPI to address “bigger picture” issues during Covid-19 lockdown, and also the RSE employers who were facing enormous challenges under huge pressure. “They were staring down a big dark hole – they are responsible for providing workers to prune 70% of Marlborough’s vineyards,” he says. “They’ve worked as a very cohesive group, which is amazing when you consider they are all separate businesses and competitors in the contract labour market.”

And while they have a much less experienced workforce this winter than they would normally have, there is ongoing training and extra supervision available to help get workers up to speed. “This winter is all about flexibility and that may involve alternative pruning methods such as mechanical stripping and spur pruning,” says Guy. “No doubt it will take longer to get the job done and winter pruning has started up to three weeks early to spread the workload.”

The key message for grape growers is to work closely with their vineyard labour contractors and help out where they can to ensure pruning is completed on time, says Guy. “We also have an opportunity to employ displaced Kiwis who are looking for work and are work fit. The next challenge is to see that the first groups of summer RSE workers are safely repatriated home once borders re-open and flights resume.”

Winepress June 2020 / 15

EDUCATE

Linking You Student business tackles employment BRENDA WEBB

A GROUP of enterprising Marlborough Girls’ College students is filling a unique role in matching unemployed youth workers with employers to fill job vacancies in vineyards. Linking You is a youth recruitment agency formed by five Marlborough Girls’ College students as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme in their business studies course. Chief executive Grace Howard said all five students had either worked in vineyards or were from viticultural or grape growing backgrounds.

The project involved them making a video outlining their goals and objectives and while it was initially just a business studies assignment, the girls opted to take it further and launch the agency. Linking You will be promoted through social media, including Instagram. The five – Grace, Zoe Blackman, Summer Harmon, Millie Wensley and Rose Banks - came up with the idea of a recruitment agency primarily aimed at the viticultural industry due to their interest in the wine industry and the need for youth employment. “Most of us have worked in vineyards,” says Grace. “The wine industry is such a huge part of Marlborough and many young people plan to make a career of it, either owning a vineyard or a winery, and we felt we understood the industry from a grassroots perspective.”

The girls felt they could bridge the gap between unemployed youth and employers after a survey showed a disconnect between the two. They also felt that their age – they are all 17 - would help them relate to unemployed

16 / Winepress June 2020

From left, Millie Wensley, Rose Banks, Grace Howard, Summer Harmon and Zoe Blackman

youth. Linking You targets the 14 to 18 year old age group.

It is conscious employers need to be flexible with working hours, with some students only available before and after school and at weekends. “There is a real need for young people in the vineyards – they are young and fit and very hungry for work and very adaptable and willing,” says Grace.

Their aim is to make the recruitment process a smooth one for both employer and employee by developing a personal connection with businesses and would-be workers.

The students see themselves as helping to develop the next generation of the workforce. “With Covid-19 we realised a lot of vineyard workers would be affected with the travel ban and saw a need for a recruitment agency to supply youth workers,” says Grace. The group has spoken with industry and employer representatives, including Vance Kerslake from Wine Marlborough, and has had a positive response so far.

EDUCATE

Pruning 101 KNOWING A cane from a cordon is of course key when wielding loppers in a vineyard. So the Primary Industry Training Organisation (ITO) is creating an online resource for green pruners in Marlborough vines this winter. Training advisor James Crockett says the webinar tutorial will look at grapevine anatomy, as well as vineyard terms, vine health and good pruning techniques. “There’ll also be information on how the plants grow and how they respond to pruning, and also how to keep vines healthy and avoid diseases through pruning.”

Covid-19 restrictions mean Marlborough has lost a chunk of its normal winter workforce, with growers and labour contractors looking to employ inexperienced pruners. Wine Marlborough approached the ITO

James Crockett

to ask whether one of its unit standards could be used to provide a foundation training course, which contractors and supervisors could then build on out in the field.

James says the beauty of the course is that prospective pruners can dip into it to get key information before seeking or starting work. But they can also use the course to get a foot in the door to a viticulture apprenticeship through the ITO. “This can be a pathway to a complete qualification, and hopefully it will help attract more people to the industry.” Funding from the course has come from Wine Marlborough, New Zealand Winegrowers, and New Zealand Master Contractors.

For more information on the webinar contact James at james.crockett@ primaryito.ac.nz

Revolutions Rotational Post Driver models with telescopic masts •

Ideal for vineyard work

•

Will drive 2 rows at once

•

Telescopic mast pulls out posts

•

Will mount onto orchard tractors, skidsteers and excavators (rear mount model) See our videos on FB, You Tube and our website

Revolution Postdrivers NZ www.revolutionpostdrivers.co.nz ph 0800 957 868 mob 0274 957 868 Winepress June 2020 / 17

GROW

Forgotten Corners

Jan Johns in a hillside block of Chenin Blanc*

A “natural” next step at The Wrekin SOPHIE PREECE

A YOUNG cow frolics in a paddock in the upper Brancott Valley, then gallops to the fence to see the treats in store.

Gracie is no ordinary Jersey, admits Jan Johns, whose raised her from a calf and considers her part of the family.

And though looking like she’s not got a care in the world, head cocked in expectation of warm words and fresh hay, Gracie plays a remarkable role at The Wrekin, as the sole source of poo buried in cow horns.

The Wrekin is not certified biodynamic, but buried cow horns, cow pat pits, and the rhythmic - then chaotic - stirring of preparations, according to the lunar cycle, are key to this extraordinary property. On the surface, visitors to The Wrekin see a happy cow and a picturesque

Live streaming?

“The soil is alive and I think the place is more alive.” patchwork of vines, interspersed with an olive plantation and duck-laden pond, park-like hillsides of oaks and sequoia, groves of native trees, and a backdrop of golden hills, where Jan and her husband Andrew farm beef and superfine merino.

But beyond the naked eye are vine roots that dive deep, thanks to being mostly dry-farmed; a supercharged microbiology, thanks in large part to Gracie’s poo preps; a line of buried barrel and brick compost brews, metamorphosing manure, eggshell and basalt; and a thriving earthworm population beneath the vines . “The soil is alive and I think the place is more alive,” says Jan. “The soil is better and we think the grapes are better.”

The Johns bought the land 21 years

Jan Johns ago, moving from city lives to satisfy Andrew’s life-long desire to go farming.

They were drawn by the sculpted tawny hills, by an 1873 homestead that recalls the days of settler farmers, and by 2,000 olive trees, which seemed a good prospect at the time. They soon realised the romantic dream of growing olive oil was a world away from the reality, although the olive harvest is now a key event in their calendar, with friends and family gathering beneath the trees.

Fortunately, the land had much more to offer than olives and grazing.

They’d not long been at The Wrekin when Ivan Sutherland – a pioneer of Marlborough’s wine industry –dropped

A healthy stream reflects a healthy vineyard.

Water Quality Scientist Steffi Henkel can provide you with information about stream health and the effects of land use activity on stream water quality. Steffi can also advise you on how to monitor water quality in your stream. The Council regularly monitors the water quality in our rivers.

Check out Marlborough’s water quality data at: www.lawa.org.nz Steffi Henkel Environmental Scientist

DDI: 03 520 7411 steffi.henkel@marlborough.govt.nz www.marlborough.govt.nz

18 / Winepress June 2020

GORW

Andrew home from a sailing mission in the Marlborough Sounds, and looked at the gentle hills around the homestead. “He said ‘you should put grapes in here’,” says Jan. They hooked into research, talked to winemakers and, in 2001, planted 10 hectares of Pinot Noir, determined to develop the land without disturbing the fragile soil structure. Viticulturist Jeremy Hyland helped in the design, carefully selecting an elaborate array of 10 clones and numerous root stocks to mitigate the variation of slopes, row direction and aspect. He’s continued to do that as The Wrekin has expanded into other varieties – Chenin Blanc on a hill above the pond and Chardonnay in a space ceded by olives - with rows and varieties selected according to contour and aspect. The variance means they also need to pick selectively, with the 2020 Pinot Noir harvest stretching over three weeks, or more. “It is definitely one of the most complex vineyards in the country,” says Jeremy, who clearly adores its every corner.

Jan has always been interested in organics, but didn’t start working towards certification until 2012, because wine companies weren’t interested in organic fruit, associating organics with “messy” vineyards and bad wine, “and all that carry on”, she says. “In those days people thought orange stripes down vineyards were cool.”

That was still the case when she attended a biodynamics course to extend her own knowledge, and was urged on by an inspiring lecturer, who explained that it wasn’t enough to do organics for herself, “we had to do it for society”. Although Jan was already well down the “pathway of organics”, The Wrekin needed some “oomph” to get certified, and to delve deeper into biodynamic practices, she says. “And Jeremy is the oomph I needed.”

The viticulturist has been involved since 2001, but joined the Johns full time in 2017, a year before organic certification. He had long been “intrigued” by biodynamics, and spent

The biodynamic Barrel Compost supercharges estate-grown manure, egg shells and basalt.

time with New Zealand’s biodynamic godfather James Millton while working in Gisborne. “But I never had the time to do it - I never made the time to do it,” Jeremy says. A health scare in late 2015 gave him that time, and also made him look differently at the other places he’d worked, and the fruit he’d sampled over the years. “Now I feel queasy when I smell chemicals.”

He notes that organic certification can be achieved “by doing nothing” except excluding chemical inputs. At The Wrekin, “nothing” has certainly been powerful – with no earthworks, no water (unless vines are in peril) and no chemical inputs since 2012. But biodynamics is about stepping up from that, and working to improve, says Jeremy. “I felt it was the natural way to go - the next step, if you like.”

So he brought his ‘oomph’ to the operation, and in turn is fed by the enthusiasm of the owners, staff and visiting vintage workers, and by the classes of biodynamics students who come to see the work being done at The Wrekin. “The energy feeds off itself,” says Jan. And the proof is in the pudding, with a 2018 survey revealing The Wrekin’s earthworm count higher than any other organic vineyard in the country.

Fromm winemaker Hätsch Kalberer (see pg 20) has used The Wrekin fruit for the past three years, and also makes The Wrekin Pinot Noir for the Johns’ own label. He calls the Upper Fairhall Valley vineyard

one of the rare estates that is not a monoculture. “There’s a vineyard here and a vineyard there, and a lake between - it’s very thoughtfully put together.” The parcels from The Wrekin were the most “immaculate” fruit he saw in the 2020 vintage. “You can see that there is someone at the other end that really cares.”

As soon as they had certification, people like Hätsch were “knocking on our door”, Jan says. “I didn’t know that would happen.” She converted to organics for philosophical reasons, “but now it’s expected premium wine will be organic”. Their three original clients - Whitehaven, Jules Taylor and Astrolabe - are all making organic wines from the 2020 vintage, and she's excited that winemakers now turn up to stir a preparation, and talk thoughtfully about the moon and microbiology.

Jan loves the science behind the biodynamic principles they follow, “which I didn’t understand before”, and the sharing community it has attracted.

“They are expansive outward thinking people, who are also caring for the planet,” says Jan. “Biodynamics is way more about soil science and taking it to the nth degree than we ever thought.

And it just makes sense.”

Margaux Demalle stirs Preparation 500

Winepress June 2020/ 19

CELEBRATE

Industry Pioneer Forging a path for the love of fine wines SOPHIE PREECE

HÄTSCH KALBERER was 22 when he rejected the church and Swiss military service, unable to identify with either.

“I just wanted to clean up all the things I didn’t like,” says the iconic Marlborough winemaker, four decades on. Such quiet non-conformity rather defines Hätsch’s role in New Zealand’s wine industry, starting at Matawhero in 1982, when his wine passion and palate impelled founder Denis Irwin to ignore a glaring lack of formal qualification.

By 1986, Hätsch was running the cellar at Matawhero, and by the early ‘90s he had joined Georg and Ruth Fromm to plant an extraordinary vineyard of reds amid Marlborough’s burgeoning sea of Sauvignon Blanc. In the years since, he has grown Fromm’s enviable reputation for fine wines, including Pinot Noir, Malbec and Syrah, along with a Riesling Spätlese that draws hoards of Millennials at the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival.

Going against the grain is not about being arrogant, or preaching a new way, says Hätsch with gentle certainty.

“You just do things you believe in.” And for him there’s simple motivation: “The whole thing I have been doing for the last 38 years comes out of appreciating fine wines.”

Hätsch grew up in the east of Switzerland, just 10 minutes’ drive from the Fromm family’s winery in Malans, although he and Georg didn’t cross paths during several vintages worked in the village. Hätsch’s love of wine was indulged when he quit compulsory military service in 1977, was subsequently taken to military court, then swiftly sacked from his office bound Government job. The courts eventually found his dismissal unlawful, but by then Hätsch was happily self-employed, spending two thirds of his time contracting back to the department that fired him, and the remaining third travelling, doing an annual vintage, and buying interesting wines.

20 / Winepress June 2020

“The whole thing I have been doing for the last 38 years comes out of appreciating fine wines.”

Meanwhile, the Cold War was increasingly concerning him. “I thought, ‘I need a bit of distance from that’. I honestly thought that some madman in power would eventually push the red button.” In January 1982, he bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand (“anything further away would have been on the way home again”) with a plan to move on to work in Australia.

He set off for Hawke’s Bay to explore winery opportunities, “but of course there was no one just waiting for someone with no qualifications”. He ended up in an apple orchard instead, first as a picker and then in the packhouse, and at the end of the season found a vineyard pruning job. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but nor did anyone else there”, says Hätsch, describing New Zealand viticulture as “rather poor” at that time.

Meanwhile, he visited wineries throughout the North Island, including Matawhero in Gisborne, where his screeds of tasting notes worked as a foot in the door. Denis Irwin, who died in April this year, came to Hawke’s Bay to meet with him and Hätsch recalls the two sitting on apple boxes talking about wine, and Matawhero’s need for a European palate. “He just gave me a chance,” says Hätsch. “It was quite a learning curve, but hugely exciting to be part of the beginning of our industry as we know it today.”

Hätsch stayed at Matawhero for nine and a half years, starting as a “cellar rat” in August 1982, working his first vintage in 1983, and in charge of the winemaking

Hätsch Kalberer

CELEBRATE

by 1986, when Denis moved to Australia. “I considered my whole time there as an extended apprenticeship in winemaking,” he says. “I grew up with wild yeasts and rather unconventional winemaking in a new world sense. And we made some really good wine.”

In those days Te Mata and Matawhero stood out above the rest of New Zealand wine, says Hätsch, who saw many trained winemakers around the country having to deal with poor fruit from over cropped vineyards to make “technically decent” wine. When Georg Fromm sought him out in the late 1980s, to discuss plans for a block of bare land in Marlborough, Hätsch saw the opportunity to learn about old world viticulture, “which ultimately would improve wine quality”. He and his partner Lavinia moved to the Wairau Plain, and in 1992 Fromm took root, with close-planted rows in a patchwork of varieties and array of clones, as Hätsch “cherry picked” new plant material when it became available.

They knew not all eight varieties would work, and some were dropped over the years, including Sangiovese and Montepulciano, which ripened in 1998, but struggled in most years. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were too herbaceous, foiled by the same characters that work so well for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and while the Merlot grew well, the market did not want it from Marlborough. That left Syrah, Malbec and Pinot Noir, grown on the plains and climbing hallowed hillside vineyards like Clayvin, which Hätsch and Lavinia helped plant in 1992, together with original owners Mike and Jo Eaton.

Vavasour and Villa Maria were already making Syrah in Marlborough, although both had abandoned the variety by the time Hätsch made Fromm’s first in 1996, and “for quite a while” he was the only winemaker in Marlborough doing it. These days there are “a few committed wineries” growing Syrah, and growing it well, he adds. “They are all about transparency, finesse and elegance, with restrained concentration rather than being heavyweights.” It’s a marginal grape for the region, “but I also remember that practically all the benchmark wines of this world come from marginal climates”. It means you don’t always have a “so-called great vintage”, he says. “But you always have transparency of vintage variations and much better clarity.”

Expressive wines come from climates that don’t always offer generous conditions, “and that is very exciting”, he adds.

The same applies to the Malbec, which is also harvested two or three weeks later than the Pinot Noir, and makes “very exciting wines for us”.

Pinot Noir was always a more secure bet in Marlborough, but Fromm’s 1994 Reserve Pinot was a “turning point” for the region, says Hätsch. “Until that point there was no noteworthy Pinot made in Marlborough. I think a lot of people looked and thought, ‘if Fromm can, we can’.” People changed the way they grew their Pinot, with appropriate viticulture, crop levels and attention to site selection. Today he looks at hillside vineyards like Churton,

Dog Point and Clayvin (now owned

by Giesen), and sees an array of Pinots, each with a unique identity.

“They have character.

They speak of special sites and they speak of people who want more than just a nice generic Pinot,” says Hätsch.

“They want to be expressive and allow expression.” He welcomes a departure from uniform wines that might tick all the boxes and earn high marks, citing one of his favourite Burgundy producers in noting that the greatest wines are never perfect.

In the years Hätsch has been in Marlborough, he has seen it grow in mass “industrial plantings” but also with “huge positive changes on the fine wine side”. Meanwhile, the vines have aged and so has he, with both factors contributing to the subtelty , finesse and refinement of Fromm wines. “I don’t look for the obvious to impress,” he says. “That is age of vines of course and also us having a better understanding and knowing a little bit more what these vineyards can do. Beautiful wines don’t need to be loud.”

Hätsch turned 65 earlier this year, and while he’s not looking at retirement yet, he plans to lighten his load a little.

“I think as long as I am of any value here, I will probably be involved for a bit longer.”

James and Annie Millton have known Hätsch “since the time he walked down Riverpoint Road in 1982 and joined Matawhero”. James describes him as “a man who is precise (Swiss to the point) that white wines (particularly Chardonnay) had to be dry and with full malo, and reds had to be warm, textured and complex”. The 1989 Matawhero Bridge Estate Cabernet Merlot is “quite probably the finest wine produced in New Zealand,” says James. “This is testament to the skill and drive which Hätsch has to make a classic wine.” Hätsch is a “genuine classic cultured gentleman”, whose knowledge of food is mouthwatering, collection of wine “profound”, and thirst for opera deep, “which shows such an intoxication for the truly fine pleasures in life”, says James. “And as a finale, there is always a cigar, but not just any cigar.”

Winepress June 2020 / 21

CELEBRATE

Generation Y-ine Whitehaven hospitality runs in Samantha White’s blood SAMANTHA WHITE took over the helm at the Whitehaven cellar door just weeks before Covid-19 closed its doors. But the new customer experience manager is swiftly adapting Whitehaven’s Vines Village operation to meet Alert Level 2 requirements, while creating “memorable tasting experiences” for local and domestic visitors. The new landscape – with borders closed to international visitors - is an opportunity to develop unique and personal offerings for those closer to home, says Samantha, excited to be continuing the legacy her parents established 26 years ago.

In the 1990s, Greg and Sue White decided to shed corporate lives and explore the Pacific on their 48-foot yacht Chanticleer, meaning Samantha spent the first six months of her life on board. In 1992, the White family sailed into the Marlborough Sounds to avoid the Pacific cyclone season, and set a new course in their lives. When Samantha was two, in 1994, they founded Whitehaven, naming their wine company for the importance of family and the calm port they’d found in the region.

Twenty six years later, Samantha has returned to the family business, joining the cellar door in early March to cover a maternity leave position. She had helped establish the cellar door in 2015, so swiftly found her feet this season, joining a high-performing cellar door heading towards a record March in terms of visitor numbers and revenue. But within weeks, Covid-19 saw the doors shut on the thriving operation.

Whitehaven’s cellar door reopened under Alert Level 2, but Samantha says closed borders and the ever-evolving Covid-19 situation has required her to quickly reposition

22 / Winepress June 2020

the space as a destination for a New Zealand audience, “whereas prior to lockdown, international and cruise ship customers made up 80% of the cellar door’s visitors”. There are vintage workers and tourists still in the region as a result of being stranded when New Zealand’s borders were closed, but Samantha expects the number of international visitors to slowly diminish as stranded internationals return home.

She is investigating ways to target local visitors and domestic tourists to generate foot traffic to the cellar door. She is also collaborating with other cellar doors and businesses to provide package experiences, such as bed and breakfast with a wine experience as part of the offering. “It’s about making sure we cater to their customers.”

The Vines Village Café closed for good during Alert

CELEBRATE

Paying it forward During the Covid-19 lockdown, Whitehaven purchased $10,000 worth of vouchers from local hospitality providers, to donate to essential workers who remained at the front line. Sue White, who is Whitehaven’s managing director, says the idea was to generate some income for hospitality businesses from day one, and to support essential workers. “It’s basically a way to pay it forward and thank frontline staff who have provided services and help to us all through the lockdown.”

Level 4, so the Whitehaven cellar door is already providing light bites for its guests, while exploring more substantial food options such as platters of local produce. Other addons that will create a unique stop for visitors are also in the pipeline, including the chance to pair tastings with food, or to do comparison tastings of, for example, different styles of Sauvignon Blanc, says Samantha. She may be new to the cellar door role, but notes that everyone is new to the transformed landscape of Covid-19, “so it’s kind of perfect timing”.

Tastings at Whitehaven are currently by appointment only and can be booked online.

Start fresh with

DIGESTER

Reduce overwintering disease by recycling crop waste » Digester stimulates naturally occurring soil microbes that rapidly decomposes crop residue back into useful nutrients and humus » Speedy decomposition removes the overwintering disease inoculum

25 25 years

» Available from leading Horticultural Suppliers.

1994 – 2019

Call 0800 116 229

BIOS 011 Digester Advert Half Page Landscape Update.indd 2

biostart.co.nz 10/2/19 5:10 pm

Winepress June 2020 / 23

PROTECT

Biosecurity Watch Improving Wine Sector Biosecurity SOPHIE BADLAND

THIS MONTH, we focus on two simple things winegrowers can do to help improve biosecurity for the New Zealand wine industry.

These are purchasing vines certified to the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Grafted Grapevine Standard, and completing the Biosecurity Vineyard Register by June 30 each year.

The Grafted Grapevine Standard The NZW Grafted Grapevine Standard (GGS) was developed in 2006, in conjunction with an advisory group that included nursery representatives, industry practitioners and scientists.

The purpose of the GGS is to assure growers, viticulturists, winemakers and other stakeholders that GGS-certified vines are high-health vines which meet the following standards.

True to type Scion and rootstock material has been tested (either via DNA testing at an approved laboratory or by a qualified ampelographer) and verified as true to type to the varietal level.

Testing for grapevine leafroll associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) All mother vines are tested in the first year of use for GLRaV-3. After the first year, as long as they are free of virus, nurseries move to an annual plan which must test at least 30% of scion

material and 20% of rootstock material.

A rotational testing plan means all scion mother vines are tested once every three years, and rootstock mother vines once every five years.

Some end-of-process testing is also carried out on finished vines prior to lifting as an extra precaution.

Vine health Nurseries producing GGS-certified vines must demonstrate to the auditors that they undertake best practice to minimise the risk of spreading fungal pathogens, which can cause trunk disease and young vine decline.

Pruning wound protection must be applied to all cuts, pests and disease monitoring must be undertaken in source blocks, tool hygiene protocols implemented, and a soil management plan must be in place.

Documentation and Management Systems Nurseries must have and follow documented procedures for producing grafted vines, based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system or other equivalent risk analysis standards. All aspects of the nursery operation involved in the production of GGS-certified vines are audited annually by independent auditors.

Physical specifications GGS-certified vines must meet a set of minimum physical specifications.

There are requirements that must be met for the graft union, stem length, roots, number of buds, curvature, thickness and flexibility, among others. Some nurseries also sell second grade vines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; these are vines that are produced according to the GGS but fail to meet one or more aspects of the physical specifications and are therefore not certified.

The processes required to produce GGS-certified vines go a long way towards mitigating any biosecurity risks that may be associated with the purchase of new vines, and NZW recommends growers use certified vines for all new and replacement plantings. However, the GGS is not a guarantee of complete freedom from pests and diseases. Growers still need to be checking certified vines upon receipt of orders from their nursery and, if any issues are suspected, act quickly to contact the nursery to resolve them. When inspecting new vines, choose a sample size that is appropriate to the size of the order, and select samples from multiple boxes. A copy of the GGS and a summary fact sheet can be found on the nzwine.com website.

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT .

Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 24 / Winepress June 2020

GROW

The Biosecurity Vineyard Register Often known as simply the Vineyard Register, this is an essential tool for the wine industry in the event of a biosecurity response. Keeping your vineyard details in the register and updating them annually ensures that if a new pest or disease arrives in your area that could threaten your vines, you will be contacted as quickly as possible, included in important communications and kept informed of the progress of any response that may be occurring.

The Biosecurity Vineyard Register is due to be completed by June 30 each year. While not a Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) submission, the Biosecurity Vineyard Register must be completed before a vineyard can be SWNZ-accredited.

The register asks vineyard owners to provide details of vineyard name, size, location, planted varieties and estimated future plantings. Ideally, vineyards should be registered as soon as they have been planted even

Vines certified to the Grafted Grapevine Standard are produced in a way that reduces the risk of contamination by pests and diseases.

if they are non-producing, as they can still be affected by pest and disease incursions.

The Biosecurity Vineyard Register report, published annually, is used to collate key industry statistics that

are used for a variety of purposes.

The NZW marketing team uses them when communicating with trade and media, and the data is also used to inform other resources such as the New Zealand Wine textbook, varietal guides, and regional guides. Over time, the data collected in the reports also provides a clear record of the growth of the industry and allows trends and changes in varieties and regions to be identified.

The 2020 Biosecurity Vineyard Register is currently open for completion, due by June 30, 2020.

If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet registered your vineyards this year, go to nzwine. com/members/industry-reportsstatistics/biosecurity-vineyardregister-reports/ and follow the links.

If you need assistance, send an email to vineyardregister@nzwine.com, or contact Jim Herdman, biosecurity advisor, on 027 644 8010.

TAKING ORDERS FOR 2021 AND BEYOND FOR ORDERS AND ENQUIRES PLEASE CONTACT

BRUCE CORBAN Phone: 027 290 9231 bruce@corbansnurseries.co.nz www.corbansnurseries.co.nz

Winepress June 2020 / 25

EDUCATE

Industry News Wine Marlborough Update VANCE KERSLAKE Winter pruning, RSE numbers, advocating for vintage staff on temporary work visas and relaxing rules for backpackers have been priorities over the past month. Marlborough Winegrowers joined a number appeals of Marlborough Environment Plan decisions. The Environment Court process is likely to take several years (Pg 9). Wine Marlborough contributed to the Marlborough economic recovery response plan released late May. We are also supporting the set up of an interim-Regional Skills Leadership Group in Marlborough (i-RSLG). The i-RSLG will identify what is happening in the Marlborough labour market and advise government on the workforce and skills needs in the region to support the Covid-19 response.

A Marlborough District Council legal review has advised that using tanker water for emergency irrigation from the Blenheim urban supply is not allowed under the council’s resource consent. In the past, council has allowed water to be taken from hydrants in Blenheim for irrigation use during a drought or when the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme has been shutdown due to low river flows. Tanker operations companies will be advised that previous permissions have been rescinded.

The next Marlborough Winegrowers meeting with Council is on 25 June 2020. If you have any issues you want Wine Marlborough to raise with council email Vance, Wine Marlborough advocacy manager, on advocacy@winemarlborough.nz Upcoming Events With Covid-19 pressing pause on many events, Wine Marlborough is running a series of online webinars and seminars to ensure members stay abreast of new information. Upcoming in June and July: • Vintage 2020 Webinar - what lessons learnt from the extraordinary Covid-19-affected vintage will you take into vintage 2021 and beyond? Wednesday June 17.

• Winter Pruning Webinar - latest information about winter pruning in Marlborough. Thursday June 25, 10:30am.

• Vintage 2021 – webinar - what to plan for and options to consider in a world still recovering from COVID-19, 1.00pm, Wednesday 01 July • The six-day vintage week – seminar: the advantages of a six or seven-day vintage roster and how to make the change, Wednesday 29 July, time TBC, MRC Theatre 85 Budge Street To RSVP for any of these events email advocacy@ winemarlborough.nz Pinot Noir NZ 2022 New dates have been set for Pinot Noir NZ, which was to be held in Christchurch early next year, but will now move to February 2022. Executive Officer Rachael Fletcher says the event is global in nature and the Covid-19 pandemic meant it had to be put into “hibernation”, to allow more certainly around international travel and the hospitality sector. “We are really excited about telling the story of New Zealand Pinot Noir, but we firmly believe it is something that needs to be face to face and glass to glass,” she says. “This is not the kind of event that can go solely digital. The cornerstone of this celebration is bringing the global wine community together, to spend time with us on our shores, experiencing the best in kiwi hospitality.” The executive committee will 26 / Winepress June 2020

continue to develop the themes of the celebration, which will evolve in the light of Covid-19 and its impact on the wine industry here and around the world, she says. “There will be some incredibly interesting conversations to be had, and the event will be more important than ever for New Zealand Pinot Noir.” The event is scheduled for Tuesday February 15 to Thursday February 17, 2022.

Young Vit and Winemaker on!

The Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year 2020 will be held in Marlborough on July 23, following an Education Day on June 23. And the National final will be held in Wairarapa on August 7 and 8. Marlborough’s Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year 2020 will be held at NMIT Marlborough campus on September 16, with the national final on in Hawke’s Bay on November 6. Both competitions were postponed due to ramifications of Covid-19, and New Zealand Winegrowers’ Leadership and Communities Manager Nicky Grandorge says the events are needed more than ever, “to come together, work together, strengthen our industry’s future and have some fun”. Corteva Agriscience is the new naming rights sponsor for the Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition, and will share the knowledge of its viticulturists with the contestants at the education days,

EDUCATE

VINEYARD MANAGER - SEDDON An exciting opportunity exists to manage one of Marlborough’s iconic vineyards which produces numerous trophy and gold medal wines.

Vin Olympics. Photo Richard Briggs

at the six regional Young Viticulturist competitions, and at the national final. Tonnellerie de Mercurey is embarking on its sixth year as naming sponsor for Young Winemaker of the Year, which has three regional competitions before the national final. For more information and entry forms, please contact Nicky Grandorge, at nicky.grandorge@nzwine.com or 021780948 Trade Credit Insurance The Treasury’s New Zealand Export Credit (NZEC) has had a surge in enquires regarding trade credit insurance, which may cover losses if overseas buyers fail to pay New Zealand exporters. Thomas Sheng, from NZEC, says the majority of enquiries have been from the wine and horticulture sectors, with exporters concerned their overseas buyers may not be able to pay them due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

In response, NZEC has streamlined its assessment process for “top-up cover” coinsurance with four of the commercial trade credit insurers operating in New Zealand. “I understand it has been a good vintage season, but it will only be good if the wine exporters will have the certainty of getting paid,” says Thomas. The hope is that the initiative will give the exporters more confidence to trade, “and support them on the road to recovery”.

The “top up” arrangement provides additional capacity to private insurers if they can’t provide the full credit limit that exporters require, he says. “Under this new process, we will be able to match your primary insurer’s limit, up to a $1 million additional limit.” For limits above $1m, NZEC will apply its normal process, which includes obtaining a buyer’s financial statements.

NZEC will also apply a commercial risk premium on each top-up policy. The top-up cover arrangement complements NZEC’s short-term trade credit insurance, which provides insurance on creditworthy buyers where the private sector is unable to provide any cover.

For more information, go to exportcredit.treasury. govt.nz/news. Alternatively, you can contact Thomas Sheng on 04 8907207 or thomas.sheng@treasury.govt.nz

The Seddon Vineyard is an incredible site positioned on terraces on the southern banks of the Awatere river. Managed by Villa Maria and owned

by Terra Vitae Vineyards Limited, the current vineyard area is comprised of 230ha with an additional 64ha to be planted this spring. This is a wellresourced vineyard producing world class wines.

The successful person will need to be an experienced vineyard manager with a stand-out track record in running an efficient operational model.

You’ll have a natural enthusiasm for viticulture, a passionate leader with a willingness to invest time to coach and develop people.

In addition to your remuneration, other benefits that may be attractive to you include access to a modern and comfortable family sized home, large garaging, a swimming pool and easy access to the local primary school bus.

Don’t miss this opportunity to join a great team of innovative viticulturists and wine makers.

To apply, please visit our Villa Maria careers page and submit your CV: www.villamaria.co.nz. For any queries please feel free to contact Stu Dudley on 021 316 291.

For more opportunities with Villa Maria Estate, feel free to check out our career page for other available opportunities.

Organic Products Bill The Organic Products Bill, currently with the Primary Production Select Committee, aims to increase consumer confidence in purchasing organic products, increase certainty for businesses making claims that their products are organic, and facilitate international trade in organic products. Organic Winegrowers New Zealand coordinator Rebecca Reider says New Zealand’s organic community has long pushed for regulation. “Most of the countries that we trade with already have solid laws in place protecting their organic industries. This bill will be key in ensuring New Zealand’s reputation as a high-integrity organic producer on the world stage.”

Winepress June 2020 / 27

EDUCATE

The Buzz Villa Maria and Countdown are working together to encourage more Kiwis to plant wildflower seeds in their gardens, and are highlighting the importance of bees to Aotearoa’s unique biodiversity. Villa Maria became a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand in the mid-1990s, and is continuously trialing ways to reduce its impact on the environment. Chief executive Justin Liddell says quality wine comes from vines nourished by healthy soils and balanced ecosystems. “For us sustainability begins in our vineyards and continues in every aspect of the winemaking process. We have planted more than 700kg of wildflowers in our vineyards every year to attract beneficial insects and encourage biodiversity.

Food waste from our Auckland and Hawke’s Bay facilities goes to worm farms based on site, which helps to produce fertiliser for our vineyards. Grape skins left over from our winemaking process in Hawke’s Bay are turned into compost and used on our vineyards. Our biggest waste streams are effectively recycled or returned to the soil to nourish it,” he says. “We have a goal of zero waste to landfill

by 2025. We’re also leading the way on mitigating our impact on the climate and for over 10 years we’ve been reducing our carbon emissions from things such as waste and energy.” As a result, Villa Maria has reduced their carbon emissions by 36% per bottle of wine in the last 10 years and has a goal to reach a 50% reduction in five years’ time. There are plenty of other initiatives, such as trialing native grass plantings in the vineyard to manage weeds, switching to renewable energy such as electric forklifts in the warehouse, and investigating alternatives to treated wooden posts in the vineyard, he says. “We know our customers care about the environment, and so do we. Being environmentally responsible is inherent in the long-term view we take of not only our business, but the wine industry as a whole.”

Meals for Mates Pernod Ricard in New Zealand pledged 2,000 meals to hospitality workers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meals for Mates was offered last month to impacted hospitality staff across New Zealand to the value of $30, providing two meals per person for up to 1,000 people, to be delivered during a week in mid-May. Eric Thomson, Pernod Ricard Winemakers director, says restaurant, bar

28 / Winepress June 2020

and catering partners are the “lifeblood” of the industry, “and we want to help the teams of people that create these places for consumers to come together... They have given us so much, now let’s help them. We want to encourage the community, where possible, to continue supporting their local hospitality businesses so as many as possible can remain open.”

Spray Schedule The New Zealand Winegrowers board has decided to withdraw organophosphates and carbamates from the Spray Schedule. The 2020/2021 season will be the last season where these products are permitted to be used.

Organophosphates and carbamates will not be listed for use in the 2021/2022 season.

Family ties Astrolabe Wines is inceasingly in the hands of the next generation, with Libby Waghorn Levett now general manager. She steps into the role previously held by her mother Jane Forrest-Waghorn, and joins her sister Arabella Waghorn (brand manager and winemaking apprentice), her cousin Sophie McLernon (business development and regional sales manager), and her father Simon Waghorn (winemaker and director). Arabella’s partner Finn ScottKelly also works at the company, assisting in marketing and managing business systems. Jane and Simon founded the Marlborough wine company in 1996 and Libby says she’s excited to build on the work her parents have done over the past 25 years, “and to work alongside my family to make wines we’re really proud to share”. She is also looking forward to tackling the challenges emerging out of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the new landscape that awaits on the other side. “It has really made us take a look at the way we work and the way we engage with our industry community. It feels like we have been in fast-forward for the past few weeks, and we have been working hard to make sure Astrolabe keeps pace while staying true to our roots as a small, premium, family-run wine producer.” Jane will continue to work alongside Libby as owner and director.

PROTECT YOU R B US INE SS

superior earthquake protection Tectonus storage tank seismic hold downs offer multi cycle protection without downtime. No sacrificial parts / Achieve â&#x20AC;&#x153;Râ&#x20AC;? Factor of 1.0 or higher / Simple installation / Each unit is performance tested / Lower foundation costs.

www.tectonus.com 0800 767 4700

TOTAL CONTROL With Quantum Mist™ vineyard sprayers, you have all the control.

Reliability  Energy efficiency  Coverage  Drift reduction  Want even more? Quantum Mist vineyard sprayers are now fitted with the industry-leading new QM-420 fan with dual spray ring and optional upwind/downwind fan speed compensation to give you total control.

Freecall 0800 106 898 Email sales@croplands.co.nz croplands.co.nz