Winepress - March 2019

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 291 / MARCH 2019

VINTAGE 2019

FUTURE CLIMATE

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

SAVVY TECHNOLOGY

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Helping grow the country

15

this issue...

Photo: Richard Briggs

REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

14 Climate Change

6 24 26 28 30 32

Editorial

From Wine Marlborough Marcus Pickens Tasman Crop Met Report - Rob Agnew Industry Pioneer - Jane Hunter

Industry News ANZ Wine Happenings

New Zealand’s wine regions can expect more extreme rainfall events, intense storms, wildfires and droughts in the future, says NIWA scientist Chris Brandolino.

24

15 Toitū 2020

Generation Y-ine - Caitlin McIntyre Biosecurity Watch - Sophie Badland

18

If we can’t be doing the same thing on the same land in the same community and on the same planet in 100 and 1,000 years, then it is not sustainable, said Riversun managing director Geoff Thorpe at Sauvignon 2019.

18 Fresh Festival

The 2019 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival was a stellar celebration of the region’s wine, produce and people, with a nostalgic backdrop of entertainment.

26

Cover: Marisco’s Emma Marris is always on the lookout for technological advances to adopt in the winery and vineyards. Read about the correllation between innovation and financial returns on pg 16. Photo Jim Tannock.

Winepress March 2019 / 1

For Expert Viticultural Property Advice

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2 / Winepress March 2019

General Manager: Marcus Pickens 03 577 9299 marcus@wine-marlborough.co.nz Editor: Sophie Preece 027 308 4455 sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz Advertising: Harriet Wadworth 03 577 9299 harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz Wine Marlborough Board: Ben Ensor ben.lisa@clear.net.nz Callum Linklater callum@csviticulture.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.com Simon Bishell simon@caythorpe.nz 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 Beth Forrest Beth@forrest.co.nz

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

From the Editor Marlborough District Council (MDC) hydrologist Val Wadsworth tries to avoid the word drought when describing Marlborough in late February. However, that’s becoming a struggle, given the long list of water rights switched off across the region, some almost continuously since late January. “It is tracking very much the same as 2001, but it’s about 20 days earlier than that,” says Val. “Shut-offs in 2001 started in mid to late February, whereas the shut-off this year started in late January, early February.”

The Wither Hills are bleached to a white gold, some vineyards are trucking water from town to try and save their vines, and aquifers are steadily depleting.

The level of the Wairau River is a one in 10 or 20 year event, he adds. “We are not far different to the levels we got to briefly in 2015. But that was only about eight days, whereas those Wairau guys are up to 22 or 23 days and there’s nothing on the horizon.”

Those with no access to surface water rights have been dipping into their wells instead, and the Ben Morven aquifer, an alternative for some Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme users, has dropped 7 metres since the middle of January. Some companies are moving water from one site with water to another without, while those without wells or water rights are looking to town supplies, with the Marlborough District Council issuing permits to seven trucking companies to fill tankers and take water to vineyards. MDC Operations and Maintenance Engineer Stephen Rooney says an average of 560 cubic metres of water a day, seven days a week, have been taken since February 12, with the firms charged $1.80 per cubic metre to cover infrastructure costs. Of course, by the time it’s reached the vineyard, the water has cost the wine companies a lot more than that.

While he might avoid the word drought, Val is very fond of the word dam, and hopes that this year’s dry will be a good reminder to companies to invest in storage. He’s been pleased to see that new big developments up the Wairau Valley all come with a storage component, but more needs to be done across the region.

“People are saying, ‘can you get away with 20 days?’ But I would say those on A Class water rights should start with 30, and consider 60.”

That’s one of the messages Steve Smith MW, got across at the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration (see pg 12) when he urged New Zealand’s wine industry to prepare for the massive challenges of climate change. “We need to harvest the water when nature gets it, but does not need it to sustain the environment, then reticulate it to our vineyards at the time we need it.” That might be expensive, “but when you have more than $5 billion invested in the vineyards of Marlborough, it is prudent and necessary”.

Marlborough Winegrowers chair Tom Trolove, who sat through the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan water hearings in February, says he once thought the limitation of growth in Marlborough’s wine region was plantable area or labour availability. However, this year has made him reconsider. “It really feels that what is going to stop us growing further is water.”

SOPHIE PREECE

Winepress March 2019 / 3

From Wine Marlborough MARCUS PICKENS

THE RANGE of Wine Marlborough’s activities has probably expanded at a similar pace to the industry at large, or ever greater. Like many of our colleagues, there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done. This particularly rings true as we emerge from the major events we delivered in January and February - the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration 2019 and the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, which has just had its 35th year.

Everyone in our small team has been involved in the execution of these two successful events. I won’t detail the events themselves as these are covered in more depth in this month’s Winepress. But I do want to reflect on the character traits we have developed for our organisation. We developed these as ideals we want to see from board level down. They are: • Respected • Grounded • Focused • Innovative • Courageous These simple words took time to land on and when we developed them collectively, we wanted them to carry weight and be a living document that we aim to almost live by.

Events and event delivery is intense - it’s recognised as the fifth most stressful job you can do. The environment is highly pressured, and involves varied tasks, including project management, logistics, finance and business, health and safety, speaker co-ordination, and sponsorship. The list goes on, with the requirement of professionalism at all times, and a calm and composed exterior on show.

What pleased me so much was that at the end of this pressurised 4 / Winepress March 2019

period, the team at Wine Marlborough spontaneously brought up our culture traits and rattled through them, showing real understanding of them.

We believe we demonstrated our culture to our members, our guests and others involved in the event.

The event managers, along with the temps we employed to assist us at Wine Marlborough, all held their cool, problem solved hundreds of things per day and helped deliver some outstanding events. I am very proud of them all.

Another separate task where we’ve stood up and demonstrated our strategic plan’s objectives has been through the recent Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan’s Water use and Allocation Hearings Volume 1: Chapter 5 - Allocation of Public Resources hearings, to give it its official title.

With a large focus of Wine Marlborough being on the two bookend events outlined above, the organisation has also had to dedicate a significant amount of human resource (and cash) to ensure our position of endorsing the Marlborough District Council’s recommendation that the current river flow level cut-offs for irrigation roll over into the new Marlborough Environment Plan.

Hearings were held in late February, and while it will be some time before the hearings panel come back with recommendations, we believe Wine Marlborough has presented a strong argument for retention of the status quo, and has delivered on our objective of protecting Marlborough’s wine brand, in particular in taking a leadership role in issues impacting members.

We commissioned independent

Photo by Richard Briggs

evidence on the damage that raising the river flow rate trigger levels would do in a viticultural, hydrological and economic sense. We also had an ecologist at the hearing to present evidence that while there would be some gain ecologically, the river (our main focus was the Wairau River due to Fish and Game’s evidence focussing on this also) is in a good state. The river “is estimated to be the 10th most fished river in New Zealand and is cited as the most important sports fishery within the Nelson Marlborough region and recognised as a nationally significant fishery”. That comes directly from evidence given by Fish and Game, and would indicate there are good fish stocks here.

Wine Marlborough advocacy manager Vance Kerslake has led the charge in this, supported by Gascoigne Wicks (Quentin Davies) and Wilkes RM (Steve Wilkes) in particular, as well as Opus (Dr Jack McConchie), The Agribusiness Group (Stuart Ford), Pattle Delamore Partners (Laura Drummond) and Wine Marlborough board members Tom Trolove, Stu Dudley and previous chair, Owen Glover.

Thank you to all involved in our key activities for January and February, and all the very best for harvest.

Employment Matters Protecting the industry and its employees IF IN doubt about your contractor’s employment standards, it’s time to ask some questions. That’s the message from New Zealand Winegrowers chair John Clarke as New Zealand’s wine industry races into vintage, then pruning. “I believe we need to own this problem and make sure our colleagues are owning it too,” he wrote in a letter to members earlier this year.

“If breaches of minimum employment obligations keep occurring in our sector we risk losing public and government support. That will hurt us all.”

John says the vast majority of the sector follows the rules. “But irresponsible contractors would not threaten our industry’s reputation if every winegrower actively checked

that their contractors are complying with the basics of employment law.”

Growers who suspect their neighbour has engaged a “dodgy contractor” should have a “quiet word with them” so they think to ask a few questions too, he says. “Let’s all do what we can to ensure the wine industry remains the industry of choice for workers.”

Contractor spot-check - an easy guide: The simplest way to vet your contractors is to engage one that is already formally accredited and audited in some reliable way, for example: • With current status as a Recognised Seasonal Employer under the RSE Scheme • With current membership as a Master Contractor • With a current certification to NZ GAP/Global GAP and GRASP If your contractor does not have a certification, it is not hard for you to check yourself. Pick a random group of your contractor’s workers and require your contractor to show you evidence that they each meet these minimum legal requirements: Written Contract: Check that each worker has signed a written employment contract. If they are a seasonal worker, this should normally be a fixed-term contract, not a casual contract. Don’t be fobbed off by claims of privacy issues. You are not asking to read the contract. All you need to see is that there is a written contract, and that it has been signed by the worker.

Entitled to work: Check that each worker is entitled to work in New Zealand for the duration of their contract.

Proper records: Check that their time/piece work, wage, and holiday records are being systematically kept. Ask the workers themselves if they agree the records are accurate, or if they have any concerns.

Minimum pay: Check that all the workers always receive at least the minimum hourly wage (including those on piece rates), and are getting holiday pay for working on public holidays.

Paid breaks: Check they are given paid rest breaks and, if on piece rates, that these are paid at least at their minimum pay rate.

If your contractor resists, you can assure them that these spot checks are now the standard, expected industry practice in the New Zealand wine industry. More detail on all of these requirements can be found in the NZW Working for You guide to employment requirements and engaging contractors

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Winepress March 2019 / 5

MET REPORT Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – February 2019

February February 2019 February Period February

2019 Compared LTA of LTA 2018

to LTA GDD’s for: Month - Max/Min¹ 248.0 110% 225.2 (1996-2018) 244.1 Month – Mean² 246.0 113% 217.3 (1996-2018) 234.9 Growing Degree Days Total Jul 18–Feb 19 – Max/Min¹ 1166.1 114% 1026.9 (1996-2018) 1228.8 Jul 18–Feb 19 – Mean² 1201.4 113% 1058.9 (1996-2018) 1253.0 Mean Maximum (°C) 25.0 +1.8°C 23.2 (1986-2018) 23.6 Mean Minimum (°C) 12.7 +0.3°C 12. (1986-2018) 13.9 Mean Temp (°C) 18.9 +1.1°C 17.8 (1986-2018) 18.8 Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 0 Equal 0.00 (1986-2018) 0 Air Frosts (0.0°C) 0 Equal 0.00 (1986-2018) 0 Sunshine hours 289.3 127% 227.5 (1986-2018) 226.4 Sunshine hours – lowest 133.6 2012 Sunshine hours – highest 298 1968 Sunshine hours total – 2019 607.2 124% 489.4 (1986-2018) 470.0 Rainfall (mm) 8.0 16% 48.9 (1986-2018) 181.4 Rainfall (mm) – lowest 1 1973 & 1983 Rainfall (mm) – highest 181.4 2018 Rainfall total (mm) – 2019 11.8 12.5% 94.6 (1986-2018) 261.8 Evapotranspiration – mm 151.0 134% 112.4 (1996-2018) 122.4 Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 237.5 95% 251.3 (1996-2018) 236.9 Mean soil temp – 10cm 19.2 +0.9°C 18.3 (1986-2018) 19.0 Mean soil temp – 30cm 21.7 +1.1°C 20.6 (1986-2018) 21.3 ¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures February 2019 was very warm, sunny and dry and calmer than normal.

Temperature The February 2019 mean

temperature of 18.9°C was 1.1°C above the long-term average (LTA). Very slightly warmer than February 2018.

The first three weeks of February were very warm (Table 2). However, the fourth week of February saw a marked

cooling in temperatures. This last week of February dragged the mean temperature for the month down by 0.6°C. The hottest day in Blenheim during February 2019 was the 5th with a maximum of 31.7°C (+8.5), minimum of 20.3°C (+7.9) and mean of 26.0°C (+8.2). The coolest overnight minimum temperature during February 2019 was 7.4°C on the 8th. Five days during February 2019 reached 30°C. The last time February recorded five days above 30°C was in 2001. February 1990 recorded six days above 30°C; the highest on record for Blenheim.

Summer temperatures One year ago I stated that “the 2017/18 summer (December to February) will be remembered as one of the warmest on record for Blenheim”. The same can now be said of the summer of 2018/19.

December 2018 recorded an above average mean temperature, but as it was fairly overcast with slightly above average rainfall, December will not be remembered for great summer weather.

However, January and February 2019 produced stunning summer weather for those on holiday. The mean temperature for the 2018-19 summer was 19.0°C (Table 3). This is now the 4th equal hottest summer on record for Blenheim (1932-2019).

Readers may be surprised to know that daily maximum temperatures over summer in Blenheim do not often exceed 30°C. The LTA data for the 72

Table 2: Weekly temperatures, rainfall and sunshine during February 2019

Mean Max Mean Min Mean

(°C) (°C) (°C) 1st - 7th 24.6 (+1.4) 13.6 (+1.2) 19.1 (+1.3) 8th - 14th 28.1 (+4.9) 12.8 (+0.4) 20.5 (+2.7) 15th - 21st 25.4 (+2.2) 12.5 (+0.1) 19.0 (+1.2) 22nd - 28th 22.0 (-1.2) 11.7 (-0.7) 16.9 (-0.9) 1st – 28th February 25.0 (+1.8°C ) 12.7 (+0.3°C) 18.9 (+1.1°C) LTA 1986-2018 23.2 12.4 17.8 6 / Winepress March 2019

Rainfall (mm) 0.2 0.0 0.0 7.8 8.0 16% 48.9

Sunshine (hours) 61.7 93.3 70.5 63.8 289.3 127% 227.5

years 1947 to 2018 (Table 4) indicate that December only reaches 30°C one year in three, and January and February each average approximately one day above 30°C. The individual years listed in Table 4 are years with a high number of days above 30°C. The 2018-19 summer has been exceptional in that it recorded 16 days above 30°C; six more days than the previous highest total of 10, recorded in the summer of 1989-90. Ten days above 30°C in January 2019 was double the previous highest January total.

Sunshine February 2019 recorded 289.4 hours sunshine, 127% of the LTA. This

is the third highest February total on record for Blenheim (1930-2019).

Despite December 2018 recording well below average sunshine hours, total sunshine hours for the three months of summer (2018-19) were above average (Table 5). The summer of 2018-19 is the ninth sunniest on record (1930-31 to 2018-19). The monthly sunshine totals over summer were very different to the 2017-18 summer.

December 2017 recorded well above average sunshine, January 2018 well below average sunshine and February 2018 average sunshine. The opposite was true in 2018-19 with low sunshine in December 2018, high sunshine in January and February 2019.

Table 3: Monthly mean temperatures over summer

Long-term 1934-35

Average Mean

°C °C December 16.9 20.1 January 18.2 20.6 February 17.8 19.9 Mean 17.6 20.2 +/-LTA +2.6

Hottest on

record

2017-18 Mean °C 18.7 20.7 18.8 19.4 +1.8 2nd hottest on record

2018-19 Mean °C 17.4 20.7 18.9 19.0 +1.4 4th= hottest on record

Table 4: Blenheim summers with high number of days over 30°C

LTA Days 1967- 1969- 1970- 1977- 1989- 2000- 2017- 2018 above 1968 1970 1971 1978 1990 2001 2018 2019 30°C December 0.35 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 January 1.17 3 4 2 5 4 1 2 10 February 0.93 5 2 3 2 6 5 2 5 Total 2.45 8 7 7 7 10 7 6 16 Long-term average (LTA) = 1947-2018 Table 5: Sunshine hours over the summers of 2017-18 and 2018-19

December January February Total

Long-term 2017-18 % of 2018-19 % of Average LTA LTA 249.9 319.1 128% 213.2 85% 261.9 243.6 93% 317.9 121% 227.5 226.4 100% 289.4 127% 739.3 789.1 107% 820.5 111%

Table 6: Rainfall for the summers of 2017-18 and 2018-19

December January February Total

Long-term Avarage 46.7 45.7 48.9 141.3 mm

2017-18 % of mm LTA 21.6 46% 80.4 176% 181.4 371% 283.4mm 201%

2018-19 mm 53.6 3.8 8.0 65.4 mm

% of LTA 115% 8% 16% 46%

Rainfall February 2019 recorded 8.0 mm rain, 16% of the LTA. This is the 9th lowest February rainfall total on record for Blenheim (1930-2019). The February 2018 rainfall total of 181.4 mm is the highest total on record.

Total summer rainfall in 201819 (Table 6) of 65.4 mm was only 46% of the LTA. This is the sixth lowest summer rainfall total for the 88 years 1930-31 to 2018-19. This is fairly remarkable given that rainfall in December 2018 was above average.

The contrast between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 summer rainfall totals is also remarkable.

The highest one day rainfall over the three summer months of 2018-19 was 25.0 mm recorded on Christmas Day. There were only five rain days over the 65 days from 26 December 2018 to 28 February 2019. Total rain over these 65 days was only 11.8 mm.

This is close to the lowest rainfall total over a 65 day period on record.

However, there have been other previous drought years that have recorded low rainfall over a much longer period of time; e.g. the five months (151 days) from November 2000 to March 2001 recorded only 56.6 mm rain.

Wind Run Average daily wind run for February 2019 was 237.5 km, 95% of the LTA (1996-2018). The 14 years 20062019 have all recorded lower than average wind-run during February.

In contrast the nine years 1997-2005 all recorded above average wind-run during February.

Shallow Soil Moisture Average shallow soil moisture (5–35 cm depth) at the Grovetown Park weather station for February was 13.9%. This is the lowest average moisture level recorded for February for the 17 years 2003 to 2019. In contrast, February 2018 recorded 27.7%, the highest average soil moisture for February.

Potential Evapotranspiration Potential evapotranspiration

Winepress March 2019 / 7

for February was 151.0 mm, 134% of Februaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LTA. While the summer evapotranspiration totals over the four years are very similar, the monthly totals differ quite markedly between seasons (Table 7).

Potential Water Deficit Potential water deficit (Table 8) is the difference between monthly rainfall received (Table 6) and potential monthly evapotranspiration lost (Table 7). Potential water deficit for February 2019 was -143.0 mm. This is the largest February water deficit for Blenheim over the 23 years that we have recorded it (1997-2019). The lower the negative number, the larger is the water deficit.

Potential water deficit for the three months December 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; February 2019 was -387.4 mm. This is the second largest potential water deficit for summer, for the 23 years 1996-97 to 2018-19. The largest total of -392.9 mm was recorded in the summer of 20002001.

December 2018, the first month of summer, recorded well below average potential water deficit (-61.3 mm) and in marked contrast to December 2017.

January and February 2019 recorded very large water deficits, in complete contrast to January and February 2018.

Start of harvest 2019 As I write this article on 1 March 2019, vintage 2019 is already well underway. Some wine companies have commented that they have harvested some blocks of Pinot noir for table wine in the last week of February, the earliest start they have ever experienced. Why such an early start, when total growing degree days are lower than last season (Table 1)?

Growing degree days are only one factor contributing to how early a season is. Other factors that play a major role in determining the speed of ripening are rainfall and vine yield.

January and February 2018 had very high rainfall. This meant that the vines

put on a lot more vegetative growth than normal. More vegetative growth meant that carbohydrates would have been diverted away from the fruit, slowing down the ripening process.

Berries also had the ability to take up more water in 2018 with abundant soil moisture available to the whole vine root zone. In contrast January and February 2019 had very low rainfall and vines were not growing as vigorously as in 2018. By all accounts the vine yields are lighter in 2019. We have already noticed that the berry weights are considerably lighter in 2019. I expect that berry number per bunch will also be lower in 2019 due to lower temperatures over flowering in December 2018 compared to December 2017.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre Exclusive importers of

Table 7: Potential evapotranspiration for the summers of 2017-18 and 2018-19

Long-term

Average December 140.3 January 141.9 February 112.4 Total 394.6 mm

2017-18 % of 2018-19 % of mm LTA mm LTA 177.8 127% 114.9 82% 135.6 96% 186.9 132% 122.4 109% 151.0 134% 435.8 mm 110% 452.8 mm 115%

Table 8: Potential Water Deficit for the summers of 2017-18 and 2018-19

Long-term

Average December -94.3 January -97.7 February -72.3 Total -264.3 mm

8 / Winepress March 2019

2017-18 mm -156.2 -55.2 +59.0 -152.4 mm

% of 2018-19 LTA mm 166% -61.3 56% -183.1 -182% -143.0 58% -387.4 mm

% of LTA 65% 187% 198% 147%

suspension and liquid fertilisers Th e M e t Re p o r t wa s s p o n s o re d by

Vi t i c u l t u r e S u p p l i e s S p e c i a l i s t s

0 80 0 855 2 55

Water hearings An update on the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan VANCE KERSLAKE

THE LONG-DELAYED hearings on water use and allocation in the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP) finally happened on February 18 to 26. Wine Marlborough wanted to ensure that the economic and social impact of any water policy was considered alongside the necessary environmental protections.

The PMEP sets out what you can do on your land, how it can be developed, and how resources such as water are managed. It will replace all the Resource Management Act (RMA) plans for Marlborough, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first time this has been done anywhere in the country. For the past 14 months, evidence has been presented to the hearings panel, made up of three councillors - Trevor Hook, David Oddie and Jamie Arbuckle - along with three external commissioners. They are Ron Crosby (a retired local lawyer, currently sitting on the Waitangi Tribunal), Shonagh Kenderdine (a retired High Court judge), and Rawiri Faulkner (iwi commissioner).

A wide range of stakeholders and interested parties fronted up to give evidence at the hearings, from family farms to large wine companies, industry bodies, Fish & Game, environmental groups, the Department of Conservation, iwi and Trustpower.

The Marlborough District Council (MDC) also gave evidence, with staff opening the water hearings and getting a second bite of the cherry with closing comments on the final day.

Wine Marlborough wants the plan to strike a balance between providing environmental protections, while

allowing Marlboroughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wine industry to continue to thrive and grow. We presented evidence on the importance of the wine sector to Marlboroughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy, and emphasised that sustainability is a guiding principle for the industry, and water is a key pillar of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme.

The PMEP essentially proposes the status quo for surface water and Wine Marlborough supported this in our submission. Our biggest challenge was from Fish & Game who want the minimum flow levels on rivers increased, which would significantly impact irrigation. Fish & Game described the Wairau River as being a nationally significant fishery, with its headwaters renowned internationally. We think it is great that an internationally renowned wine industry can co-exist side by side with an internationally renowned trout fishery, which shows that the current system is working well.

The issues where we disagreed with the plan were to do with the IrriCalc water allocation tool. We asked for the plan to enable the ability to take aquifer water to storage, an independent review of the trigger levels for the Wairau Springs aquifers, and we opposed the ballot system when water becomes available.

You can read all the evidence and submissions on the MDC website: www.marlborough.govt.nz IrriCalc is the model council uses to determine how much water you can take and, just as importantly, how much water you can apply per month.

We argued that robust propertyspecific data should automatically take precedence over a generic model such as IrriCalc.

Council is required to implement minimum water levels on aquifers by 2025. The PMEP sets some arbitrary minimum levels for the Wairau springs aquifers but leaves others as a work in progress. We asked for the minimum levels to be removed and said council should defer setting aquifer minimum levels until it has done the science necessary to implement scientifically robust levels.

The panel had a few stern words for the wine industry as well. They asked a number of different growers whether they had built storage, and what provision they had made to protect vines during dry periods. They were critical of the industry for not acting collectively to construct storage (eg the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme), particularly as it has been on notice for some time that more intense dry periods are anticipated. They also criticised the lack of water user groups for most catchments - Awatere being a notable exception - and challenged industry to put in place non-regulatory rationing regimes. The hearings were being held against a backdrop of the driest period in nearly 20 years. I wonder how their comments might have differed if the hearings were in February 2018, when we had 200mm of rain in Blenheim, the highest since records began in 1930.

Vance Kerslake is advocacy manager at Wine Marlborough Winepress March 2019 / 9

Vintage 2019 “Turbo charged” Marlborough harvest kicks off weeks early SOPHIE PREECE

HOT DAYS, low yields and thirsty vines have resulted in a strikingly early harvest in Marlborough. Cloudy Bay started picking Pinot and Chardonnay for sparkling wine on February 16, two weeks before a typical season would kick off. “There is serious potential that we could be finished Sauvignon by the end of March which would be relatively unheard of,” said technical director Jim White one week in.

The record dates were down to a very hot period between flowering and veraison, which continued into ripening, with no southerly change to slow progress. “It has just turbo charged,” Jim said. A poor flowering for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay meant those crops were at 65% to 80% of potential, exacerbating the rapid ripening. However, they were picking on “normal numbers” with good acid and flavour. The first still Pinot Noir was likely to be picked around March 6, well in advance of the March 15 to 18 dates Cloudy Bay usually works on.

Sauvignon Blanc flowering was statistically around average, although the worst in Marlborough since 2012, and that variety was “set up perfectly yield-wise” at around 10 to 11 tonnes per hectare, he said. The lower crop levels and warm dry conditions meant Sauvignon was also ripening quickly, with brix at 16 by February 22. In areas caught short on water, berry size would be smaller, putting a “further lid on yields” and accelerating ripening, Jim said. “We had a super early year in Central Otago last year, when we finished three to four weeks early. And

10 / Winepress March 2019

it looks like we are facing something akin to that this year in March. We would like some more average weather from now on.”

Rob Agnew, Cloudy Bay’s harvest started early. Photo Richard Briggs from Plant & Food Research Water shortages have seen one Marlborough, says there was total rainfall of 261.4mm of Cloudy Bay’s vineyards cut to half its usual water use, while a small in January and February 2018, which was the highest on record. In the same Sauvignon Blanc block is relying on water trucked up to the Waihopai period this year there was a total of Valley. The company’s Barracks vineyard in the Omaka Valley has a dam that is getting it through the season, Jim said. “We are about to build another dam in the Brancott. It’s a pity it’s a year later than it needed to be.”

Marisco winery general manager Matthew Mitchell said he was thankful Marisco has large dams on all of its major vineyard properties. “This has meant we have been able to maintain normal levels of irrigation through the worst of the summer heat.” While every vintage has its “unique challenges”, he is excited about 2019, “as modest yields coupled with a very warm season should translate into ripe flavours with good levels of fruit concentration”.

With no early season disease pressure, “wine quality and style will come down to making sharp, strategic picking 11.8mm, which is the third lowest on decisions”, he said. record. That’s seen water rights and Wairau River was tracking a irrigation restricted for many across couple of weeks earlier than a typical the region.

“There is serious potential that we could be finished Sauvignon by the end of March.”

Jim White

year, and expected to start picking Pinot Noir for Rosé wine around the start of March. Winemaker Nick Entwistle anticipated a relatively spread out harvest for the company, because of the variable weather around flowering, and the subsequent range in crop loads. Sauvignon Blanc yields look on average, but Pinot Noir is down, due to rainfall over the flowering period. “Pinot Noir will be at premium this year. There are low crops but the quality looks really good.”

While growing degree-days are still tracking behind this time last year, the continued dry is “pushing things on”, Nick said. The grapes have had enough water to keep them “ticking along”, quality looks good and disease pressure has not been an issue, unlike 2018 when rain around veraison created issues across the region, he said.

However, in some parts of the region, where water restrictions are biting, increased sugars are due to “shrivel” rather than ripening, he said.

Some vines appear to be “shutting down”, and their grapes will not accumulate any more sugar. “It will be interesting to see what the quality is like.” The rain event on February 24 was welcomed by growers, and another “small” rainfall would be fine in the lead up to harvest, he said. “But once we start picking we won’t want any more.”

Visiting his vineyards in the leadup to harvest, Framingham viticulturist James Bowskill said there were “no big surprises” out there. “The blocks are thirsty, but all our vineyards have really good water rights.” However, a couple of blocks he manages would use more water if they could, he said.

“That has not affected yield, but has definitely affected canopy density.”

By late February, James was preparing to pick two Pinot Noir blocks, starting three weeks earlier than typical. Both blocks had very bad flowering due to “dodgy” weather, and have good canopies with low crop.

The company shoot thins all its Pinot,

“and there are a really good number of bunches, but they just don’t weigh anything”, he said. “They are quite sugar ripe. I don’t know if the flavours will be great, but we can’t leave it for higher brix.” Two new vintage staff would hit the ground running on the first day of harvest. “It’s a small pick… and I think it will be another 10 days before anything else, so they have some time to come up to speed.”

Rob Agnew said total growing degree-days from September 1 to February 26 were behind last year, largely due to December 2018 being quite a lot cooler than December 2017.

However, heat accumulation is only one factor in ripening, and “not very important from veraison to harvest”.

The speed of ripening was largely governed by yield, and early reports indicated that Pinot Noir yields in 2019 are up to 30% down on 2018, he said.

The “other major factor” was rainfall and soil moisture in January and February 2019 compared to 2018.

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Paradise Threatened Sauvignon 2019 - Steve Smith MW on battling climate change SOPHIE PREECE

Photo Richard Briggs

NEW ZEALAND’S wine industry needs to invest in more dams, more science, better rootstock, and higher value wines in order to combat climate change. “We have time, as long as we start acting now,” Master of Wine Steve Smith told the audience at Sauvignon 2019, speaking of the threat to a “Nirvana” for Sauvignon Blanc.

“The big picture is, there is no other place in the world that is long and skinny, situated at sweet latitudes for agricultural production, that is more than 1,000 miles away from its nearest big island or continental neighbour, that is surrounded by a temperate ocean and has beautiful fertile soils,” he said.

12 / Winepress March 2019

The industry’s unique selling proposition was thanks to “our place”, he added. “This is not a bullshit terroir story. It is an absolute fact of life.” A combination of environmental factors, including the big bang, continental drift, and the Kaikoura orogeny gave New Zealand, “a Nirvanalike environment” for producing flavoursome, healthy, refreshing fruit.

But NIWA’s report on the impending impacts of climate change, produced for the New Zealand Winegrowers Research Centre, warns that things are going to change. “What does 2050 look like? It’s going to be warmer all year, with an increase of hot days and heat waves in summer,

before veraison,” Steve said. It would be dryer in spring and wetter in February and April, vines would use more water, and there will be more energy in the system, creating hefty crop loads.

“From a risk point of view, we are getting more water when we don’t need it - September through November - followed by less rainfall when we do need it - December and January interspersed with periods of warmer rain when you absolutely don’t want it - potentially February and April.

This will occur at a time of increased heat waves, maximum temperature and lower relative humidity, creating a potential double whammy impact on wine style.”

The risk for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is that the wines will be water stressed and hot over January, February and March, which can do damage to the delicate aroma, flavour and acid compounds that define the region’s wine style, he added. “Stressing Sauvignon Blanc in that period is almost the worst thing you could do, if you want to make the wines we want to make.” There will also be increased disease risk by 2050, particularly for powdery mildew and botrytis. There had been “glimpses” of these future prospects in the 2017 and the 2018 harvests, “which were some of the most challenging vintages in recent times”.

Only those suffering from CCDD (Climate Change Denial Disorder) could deny that change was coming, he said, apologising to Republicans in the audience, before showing a video on “a rapidly spreading disease that attacks the neurons, making it impossible to comprehend basic words like ‘world’, ‘melting’, ‘not’, ‘good’, and ‘science’”.

Despite the scale of the challenge faced by the wine industry, Steve remains positive, because those not in the grip of CCDD have time to prepare. Speaking on the morning

“Stressing Sauvignon Blanc in that period is almost the worst thing you could do.”

Steve Smith MW that the Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme was shut off, he said that the ability to take water in 2050 would be constrained by availability and social

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licence. “We need to harvest the water when nature gets it, but does not need it to sustain the environment, then reticulate it to our vineyards at the time we need it.” That might be expensive, “but when you have more than $5 billion invested in the vineyards of Marlborough, it is prudent and necessary”.

The industry also needs to invest in science around the efficient use of irrigation, rather than turning on the tap based on guesswork, and to go back to rootstock research, using genetic technology to capture the traits vines will need, he said.

Meanwhile, increasing gross margins through higher value products would help protect the sustainability of the wine industry under climate change scenarios. “We should embrace and invest in the challenges,” he concluded.

“Our children and grandchildren deserve that from us.”

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Winepress March 2019 / 13

Hot Topic The extreme consequences of ‘business as usual’ SOPHIE PREECE

NEW ZEALAND can expect more extreme rainfall events, intense storms, wildfires and droughts in the future, NIWA principal scientist for forecasting Chris Brandolino told grape growers and winemakers in Marlborough in late January. “There will be big rainfall events and then a lot of nothing for a while. Big rainfall events, then a lot of nothing for a while. That’s not good.”

Speaking at the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology (NZSVO) technical workshop on a sweltering day, Chris explained the future impacts of climate change, and those already occurring.

“What it means is more binge rainfall,” he said, comparing the phenomenon to a child allowed 10 hours on a device each week, but using it all up in one day. “It’s the same with eating habits. Do you have one big breakfast with 2,000 calories in it? Or do you spread it out over time?”

Climate change will bring a change in annual rainfall, which will fluctuate depending on site, he said. “But what will really change will be the binge.”

Chris presented outcomes of the New Zealand Winegrowers Research Centre’s Climate Change work with NIWA, modelling climate change scenarios and predictions for New Zealand’s wine regions. The results showed two different emissions scenarios for Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago in 2040 and 2090, as well as tools to mitigate the impact. “Ultimately the goal here is to have a toolbox that has adaptation strategies,” he said.

Scenario 1 was the result of “business as usual”, while Scenario 2, the mid-range modelling, assumed 14 / Winepress March 2019

an up-scaled global response to greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris agreement.

“What will happen if we do something and what will happen if we don’t do NIWA principal scientist for forecasting Chris Brandolino at anything?”

Sauvignon 2019. Photo Richard Briggs asked Chris.

By 2040 there will have been warming in He also showed the number of all four regions, with mean annual hot days, 25˚C and up, under each temperatures going up by a degree scenario, with Marlborough’s 2090 or degree and a half under either ‘worst case scenario’ map a burning red for the months of December, January and February, indicating 15 or more days of 25˚C or hotter. It’s a slightly diluted tangerine colour for November and March, indicating 10 to 15 days of high temperatures.

In either scenario, the region is facing changing harvest times and durations, changing demand for water resources, increased risk from pests and diseases, and opportunities for new varieties and potential expansion of vineyards into areas currently considered marginal. In the long term, there will be fewer frosts, although Marlborough may not experience that in the shorter term.

Chris also touched on climate scenario. “But it’s really by late in change forecasts with guests at the this century, by 2090, when we see International Sauvignon Celebration significant differences, particularly 2019, where he mainly spoke of specific in the business as usual scenario,” he climatic influences on New Zealand’s said. In Marlborough that could mean wine regions. temperatures 4.5˚C higher than they are now, compared to up to 2˚C hotter in the medium scenario.

“There will be big rainfall events and then a lot of nothing for a while...That’s not good.”

Chris Brandolino

Toitū 2020 Riversun’s 1,000-year view of sustainability SOPHIE PREECE

WHEN RIVERSUN Nursery embarked on Toitū 2020, it started with a reclaimed definition of sustainability.

“If we can’t be doing the same thing on the same land, in the same community and on the same planet in 100 and in 1,000 years, then it is not sustainable,” managing director Geoff Thorpe said at Sauvignon 2019. Now every step of Toitū - meaning eternally sustainable is assessed through that lens.

Geoff announced at the conference that the company is now CarboNZero accredited and that it came in at a fraction of the cost he had expected. “It is 0.1% of our gross revenue. That is about half a cent a vine,” he said. To put that in perspective, the pending rise in the minimum wage will cost Riversun 15c per vine. “With all the scaremongering and rhetoric we hear that going carbon neutral will kill the world economy, I couldn’t believe how cost effective it was,” he said. “It really begs the question, what are we all waiting for?”

Riversun launched its sustainability programme in 2013, but it was seeded many years earlier when Geoff was on an eight-month sabbatical with his family in Burgundy.

“I had always worried about what we are doing to the planet, and by then I was getting pretty freaked out. The evidence is pretty overwhelming,” he told the audience, sharing some horrific home truths.

They include the fact that when he was born in 1957, the world population was 2.8 billion. “Now it’s 7.7b and well on track towards 10b, so it’s almost tripled in my lifetime.” Since the start of the industrial revolution, the world has lost 80% of its indigenous forests, with humans still knocking down

20,000 hectares a day. Around 33,000ha of land is lost to desertification daily, while Geoff Thorpe. Photo by Richard Briggs salinisation of soils, acidification of oceans, coral bleaching ability to pay our bills for an extended and the devastation of wild fish stocks period of time’.” all seem like very good reasons to Demand returned “with a “freak out”. vengeance” in 2012 and they Eight million tonnes of plastic immediately got back into their organic is washed into the oceans each year, programme, superseded by Toitū in the world drills and burns 100 million 2013. The company has since rid itself barrels of oil every day, and the of herbicides, synthetic sprays and subsequent heating of the oceans over artificial fertilisers from its 40ha field the past 150 years, due to contributions nursery operation, moving instead to to the greenhouse gas effect, is the organic solutions, including natural equivalent of one Hiroshima bomb fertilisers, compost and resting the going off every second of that time. land every third year. They also “If that’s not bad enough, over the looked to the problem of the 200 odd past 20 years it’s been at a rate of four kilometers of non- recyclable black Hiroshima bombs every second,” he poly-mulch film used each year, and said, asking whether the sweltering have trialled sustainable alternatives, temperatures during Sauvignon 2019 including fibre mulch, straw and were any surprise. “genuinely biodegradable” plastic film.

On the family’s return to New Geoff anticipated the programme Zealand in 2008, they launched a would have positive environmental “big hairy audacious goal” (BHAG) to gains and some negative economic make Riversun organic by 2012 and consequences, but soon discovered biodynamic by 2015. No grapevine that the organic spray programme nursery in the world had attempted to halved the cost in the nursery. achieve that, Geoff said. However, the Furthermore, converting to organic mission was almost immediately foiled, sources of nitrogen allowed them with a 60% increase in Sauvignon to not only save money but also to Blanc production in one year eventually eliminate the need for any coinciding with the global financial nitrogenous additions to the soil. crisis “crashing onto the shores of Geoff finished his presentation New Zealand”. That was a “devastating by encouraging all those present to perfect storm”, and New Zealand’s 30 start looking at every aspect of their grapevine nurseries dropped to four. businesses and daily lives through Those that survived suffered a 90% the Toitū lens. “It is not as hard as fall in business, “so the sustainabilitymany would have us believe, and our focussed BHAG suddenly became ‘the grandchildren will thank us for it.”

Winepress March 2019 / 15

Growing Smarter Innovation at work in wine SOPHIE PREECE

INVESTMENT IN technology is reaping rewards for New Zealand’s wine industry, with a correlation between smarter operations and improved financial performance.

That’s the finding of the 2018 Wine Industry Benchmarking and Insights survey report, which reveals that innovation is helping companies deal with environmental change, staffing pressures and improved customer experiences. “We are increasingly seeing businesses investing in technology and innovation, which is leading to better business decisions,” says ANZ’s general manager for commercial and agri, John Bennett.

The report, titled Growing Smarter, was produced by Deloitte and ANZ, in conjunction with New Zealand Winegrowers. It tracks the financial results of 36 survey participants, accounting for 44% of the industry by litres of wine produced.

Investing in technological advancements in plant and equipment was identified as important to 94% of those surveyed, with companies adopting digital tools to improve customer and staff experience and engagement, and to drive improved business decision making.

ANZ food and beverage specialist Rob Simcic says larger wineries are leading the trend, with the likes of Marisco (see sidebox) adopting new technology in the winery, vineyard and market. They include innovations that will help them manage the challenges of climate change on large-scale vineyards, “so they can act quickly and ahead of time in order to maximise the quality of their wine”.

16 / Winepress March 2019

Some technology, such as companyowned Marisco’s Emma Marris. Photo Jim Tannock mechanised increasingly seeing digital tools being pruning, might be out of reach used to help drive decision making and for smaller companies lacking the improve staff engagement.” scale to justify the investment. But The report says stronger returns highly accessible digital innovations are being achieved by wineries that are already boosting efficiency prioritise innovation spending, but and financial returns for smaller questions whether financially strong companies, “and in fact they are wineries invest in technology because leading in some of the social media they can afford it, or have more to tools”, he says. invest because of innovations already The “realisation” now is that all businesses require some form of digital applied. The answer, it says, is a bit of both. strategy, “and we most often see that Smaller wineries, while often play out around the interface with constrained by “relatively weaker cash customers”, he says. “But we are also

Profitable business All five winery tiers in New Zealand had profitable results in 2018, according to the 2018 Wine Industry Benchmarking and Insights survey report. That has only happened twice before during the 12 years of the survey, with 2014 and 2016 similarly buoyant.

Deloitte partner Peter Felstead says larger wine companies, with more than $20 million in revenue, showed the largest average profit after tax of 18.7% of revenue in 2018, with greater variability among smaller wineries, which generally achieved lower returns.

There was a 1.8% lift in average prices received by New Zealand wineries last year, after sales outstripped supply during 2017. Prices per litre ranged from NZ$3.96 per litre for bulk export wine, NZ$8.47 per litre for packaged exports and NZ$10.34 per litre for supply into the domestic market. In terms of New Zealand’s wine exports, 80% is bought by just three markets – the US, UK and Australia. However, the price for New Zealand wine exported to the Asian markets of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan is twice the average export price. These Asian markets account for just 2.5% of our wine exports, indicating significant growth potential, the report says.

“Furthermore, with reduced tariffs brought about by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Canada (already New Zealand’s fourth largest export market) and Japan (the 10th largest) are shaping up as top candidates for growth opportunities.”

flows and retained earnings”, have the strongest intentions to increase innovation spending, suggesting there are potentially cost-effective and innovative solutions on the horizon “for the myriad of challenges wineries are facing”, Rob says. “Such challenges

include staff availability and cost, health and safety, and optimising or overcoming biophysical - including water - factors in the winery and vineyard.”

Not all innovations “need to cost the earth”, he says. “The number

eight wire mentality has served New Zealand pretty well, so over the next five years I expect we’ll see the emergence of both home-grown and internationally developed technologies - which makes for a very exciting time in the Kiwi wine industry.”

Next Generation - Marisco Winery “You can’t afford not do to it,” says Brent Marris of the investment in technology at his ‘new generation’ Marisco winery. “It’s all about the future.”

The winery, built in 2010 with state of the art innovations from the dairy, steel and wine sectors, has continued to evolve, to ensure efficiency and productivity across the business.

Next generation in more ways than one, Marisco has Brent’s daughter Emma Marris as production winemaker, bringing a millennial eye to the technology advancements available.

“By using the latest technology, we’re able to make good decisions more quickly, to reduce our environmental footprint and produce the finest quality wines for our customers,” she says in the 2018 Wine Industry Benchmarking and Insights survey report.

Marisco is used as a case study for the report, with a video showcasing the technology used in the vines and

winery. That includes GPS tracking on the harvesters, linked to a computer in the lab. There’s also temperature control in the winery, managed from a computer or smartphone app, meaning winemakers can access analytics while on the move.

“We’re still pushing boundaries,” says Emma in the case study. “I am constantly looking at what is out there and what we can use to improve the way we make our wine.”

Technology means the company uses less water, produces less waste and requires fewer people to run it. It also means the challenges of climate change, with compressed harvests and unpredictable weather, can be somewhat mitigated by more accurate data collection, enabling cleaner logistics and sharper planning, she says.

“It’s exciting to be part of such a revolutionary time, technology-wise, in the industry.”

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Winepress March 2019 / 17

Fresh Festivities Wine & Food Festival 2019 SOPHIE PREECE

THE 2019 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival was a stellar celebration of the region’s wine, produce and people, with a nostalgic backdrop of entertainment. “It just keeps maturing, from the look of the festival to the mood of everyone there,” says Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens, of the well behaved crowd of 8,000 which enjoyed great weather, wine and food. “It’s a bit more grown up now, and that’s how it should be. It’s Marlborough’s best day out and locals get behind it, as a sophisticated and fun day.”

Multinational labels rubbed shoulders with boutique ones, and classic styles of Sauvignon Blanc shared space with small batch reds and Rieslings. Fromm winemaker Hätsch Kalberer has been pouring and talking wine at the festival for 20 years. Speaking as he poured “Riesling, Riesling, Riesling”, he said it was a “brilliant” day. Greywacke’s Kevin Judd, who attended his first Marlborough Wine Festival in 1986, found a lot of interest in Chardonnay at this year’s event, as well as Riesling. “It is refreshing to have an environment where not everyone is expecting to drink Sauvignon Blanc.”

But for Chris Darling, the festival was a great opportunity to expose the depth of Sauvignon Blanc, with three different styles on offer at The Darling site, and a number of people trying them all. They sold less wine than usual, but made more money, thanks to a bigger interest in “higher end” wines, he says. “There were a lot more questions, I found, and people were asking for the story behind the 18 / Winepress March 2019

Marlboroughs Top Home Cook. Photo by Richard Briggs

wines, which is nice.” The Darling’s big ‘organic’ sign was a calling card for many, and the Arnst range of unfined, unfiltered wines were popular, says Chris. The festival is a great opportunity to get “instant feedback”, he says. “You do get to see what people say about your wines. They are not shy in coming forward with what they think about it.”

Wine Marlborough’s event manager, Georgie Leach, says the organisers work to ensure the event is relevant and appealing to all of the industry. “It’s a platform for big, medium and small sized producers to come together and showcase our wines to the world. We always want to make it accessible, because this is Marlborough’s big day out.” There was far more than wine and food on offer, with two wine master classes, and competitions like Fashion in the Vines and Marlborough’s Top Home Cook. “We want to continue to give people something new and with a Marlborough focus,” says Georgie. “To showcase the people and products of the province.”

Chef Mark Southon and TV personality Mike Puru each teamed up with a home foodie in the first cookoff. The two teams simultaneously

lifted the lid on a box of mystery ingredients, including a fillet of Ōra King salmon, then had 45 minutes to show their talents, spurred on by the enthusiastic commentary of celebrity chef Annabelle White. In the next segment, fellow celebrity chefs Karena and Kasey Bird, each paired with a home cook, revealed their ingredients, which included Kono mussels and Kiwa oysters. Lucy Walter, who won her cook-off with a little help from Karena (see photo above) says it was fantastic fun. “We both agreed to keep it simple, because there were so many fresh ingredients.” They made a salsa for raw shucked oysters, before steaming open their mussels with wine. “The mystery box provided and I think we used pretty much all the ingredients,” says Lucy.

Georgie says the festival’s reputation continues to grow. “We get a huge number of comments from people saying they are planning their trip through New Zealand and want to make the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival part of their itinerary.” About 10% of ticket holders are from overseas, who get a fantastic “snapshot” of Marlborough wine on one day, she says.

Cheers Nana!

Giving the Wine & Food festival a little more sparkle SOPHIE PREECE

Julie Ibbotson. Photos by Richard Briggs

A 104-YEAR-OLD wine muse was centre stage at Saint Clair’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival site, as visitors were introduced to “Nana Dawn”. Julie Ibbotson says her grandmother, whose portrait was hung above the counter, is “an incredibly positive and inspirational lady”. Dawn was at her home in Dunedin during the event, but the wine created in her honour, a Méthode Traditionnelle named Saint Clair Dawn, was poured at the festival for the first time. “It is a prestigious wine and generally only available via the cellar door,” says Julie.

“Having the photo of Nana Dawn within the Saint Clair tent was a great way to tell the story and show respect to an amazing lady.” A highlight of her festival this year was seeing people’s faces “light up” when they tasted the wine and heard the story, she says.

“Lots of people raised their glasses to say ‘cheers’ to Nana Dawn.”

Julie, whose parents Neal and Judy Ibbotson established Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994, started attending the

festival as a young adult. After a gap of several years travelling and living overseas, she returned to Blenheim, and the festival, five years ago.

Her “stand out memories” over the years include the moment a huge

“Lots of people raised their glasses to say ‘cheers’ to Nana Dawn.”

Julie Ibbotson inflatable halo, branded Saint Clair, escaped its anchor and floated into the sky “never to be seen again”. She recalls the hay bales used as seats in the early days, and the straw fights that inevitably erupted on the dance floor

at the end of the day. “We routinely had a family friend who would drive a small bus of friends and family to the festival and pick us up at the end.

There were at times people that we didn’t know on the bus on the return journey - that was always interesting.”

Saint Clair’s monk walk became a familiar sight at the festival. Site staff, including Neal and Judy, dressed up in purple robes and, linked by a woven rope, strolled among festival-goers handing out water and vouchers for wine tastings. “At the end of the day we used the rope for large skipping contests amongst the crowd which were rather entertaining,” Julie says the company continues to attend the event to support Marlborough and its wine industry.

“We like to be involved in a popular, highly regarded and well respected event,” she says. “And we like to share our wines and tell our story to as many people as we can.”

Winepress March 2019 / 19

Festival 2019

20 / Winepress March 2019

Blooming Beautiful Farm meets festival SOPHIE PREECE

THE WINNING site at this year’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival was an idyllic rural scene, plucked straight from Astrolabe Farm in Grovetown. “It’s to remind people that we live on this vineyard and then Jane Forrest-Waghorn with Arabella and Simon Waghorn and the Astrolabe site we make wine,” said Jane Forrest-Waghorn at Photos by Finn Scott-Kelly. the festival, where Astrolabe won best site for the second time in four years. “This is how we live.”

Visitors sat on rattan chairs and were served at rustic wooden counters or a farmhouse table, surrounded by wreaths of wild flowers and grasses plucked from between the vineyard rows, from the meadow by the pond, and from the Waghorns’ adjoining vegetable garden.

With a backdrop of dark Astrolabe embossed wallpaper, the scene was “all in all completely charming”, said site judge and interior designer Simone Hill. “With an almost a country fete feel, visitors were compelled to stop for a while, and shelter from the sun under an umbrella with a glass of something delicious.”

Jane says 90% of the people working on the stall were family, and visitors could try any of Astrolabe’s 17 wines, while meeting the people behind them, including her husband the winemaker, Simon Waghorn, and her daughter the marketer, Arabella.

Arabella is also Jane’s partner in design, and the duo made the wreaths themselves, using a base of wet sphagnum moss before hanging them on the walls, or leaning on antique easels. Jane and Simon have won the top spot in the past with a Whitehaven site, and in 2015 Astrolabe won best site for a library theme, with a wall of old books set in a cosy reading area, a haven amid the bustle of the festival.

It’s always a big effort, which is why the company attends one festival every two years, allowing them to relax and enjoy the day on the alternate dates, says Arabella, who has been coming along since she was 4 or 5 years old, before the festival was an age restricted event, and has worked at the site since 2008.

“It’s about being part of the Marlborough community,” says Jane. “We are part of this and we are proud of that.”

Winepress March 2019 / 21

Mechanical Shaking It’s worth checking your technique and timing for mechanical shaking MARK ALLEN

THE UPTAKE of mechanical shaking, predominantly for botrytis control and to a lesser extent crop reduction, was widely adopted this growing season.

But whilst many are doing a great job, a few could be doing much better.

The focus has been on other varieties apart from Sauvignon. In Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, many vineyards mechanically shook Chardonnay and Pinot Gris prior to Christmas. In Nelson, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir have been shaken. In Marlborough, the response to shaking Pinot Gris we know is outstanding, with up to 80% reduction in botrytis.

We have also seen Pinot Noir shaken, which we know reduces botrytis but also evens up the berry size increasing the skin to juice ratio.

There are currently two research programmes underway. The first trial, conducted by Plant & Food Research, is a five-year project that will study the influence of mechanical shaking on berry morphology and susceptibility to botrytis bunch rot. It will investigate the use of a range of physical, omics and microscopic approaches. While the effect of mechanical shaking on botrytis severity is clear, the mechanism behind it is not.

The second trial, conducted by Mark Krasnow and me, is a oneyear project comparing mechanical shaking with and without flowering and pre-bunch closure botryticides in Sauvignon Blanc. My early trials have shown the outcome could be very promising. We will also compare three different timings for shaking 22 / Winepress March 2019

one early pre-Christmas, soon after flowering, a second in mid-January at an average bunch weight of 30 grams, and a third in late January, at an average bunch weight of 50–65g.

While most operators understand the importance of timing in relation to extracting the most amount of floral trash and unset berries, quite a few don’t. The trials, since they began in 2011, and the data I have collected over the last five years, clearly show that the more trash that can be removed prior to bunch closure, the more effective the reduction in botrytis severity at harvest.

The key points are: 1. Small green berries: To remove as many undetached small green berries as possible (see photo). Research shows that these small green berries are the worst source of infection. They are encapsulated as the bunch closes, and then detached and die deep inside the bunch. As sugars rise and infection occurs, the bunch implodes from the inside.

2. Timing: Physiologically, the small green berries are far more effectively removed when the bunch weighs between 45 and 65g. The inertia as a result of the shaking is far more effective at that range of bunch weights.

The main mistakes being made are: 1. Timing: Operators are starting too early. The unset berries, if

shaken too early, don’t come off.

2. Harvester configurations: Stripped down harvesters only need three pairs of rods, but they need to be in the right position.

The lowest of the top pair of rods need to be 50 millimeters above the top bunch line for trash only. Any higher, and the trash removal is far less effective. For crop thinning, the top rods can be dropped closer to the bunch line.

3. Simple tools: Every harvester should have a white tray or some form of indicator board that can be placed on the ground for the operator and grower to assess whether the harvester settings need adjusting. Every harvester should also have canvas or plywood sheets covering the conveyor belt track to guide all the trash onto a white tray for assessing trash volumes.

We are incredibly fortunate to have stumbled across a cultural technique of botrytis control, and it is attracting worldwide attention. But we need to really focus on upping the ante in the field, by improving our precision understanding and application of mechanical shaking.

Winepress March 2019 / 23

Industry Pioneer New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow Jane Hunter has Marlborough wine in her DNA SOPHIE PREECE

PEACOCKS PREEN in a London rooftop garden, while wine experts suspiciously sniff and swirl Sauvignon Blanc. It’s an image Jane Hunter describes in Technicolor detail as she recalls an evening in 1988 when New Zealand wine played host at the London Trade Fair, turning the world’s somewhat startled gaze to a small Pacific nation.

Standing in the Kensington gardens in her second year at the helm of Hunter’s, Jane witnessed a “pivotal” point in New Zealand’s wine history, thanks largely to the skillful string-pulling of Terry Dunleavy, then chief executive of the Wine Institute of New Zealand. “I don’t know how on earth he did it,” says Jane of the three-day hosting rights he secured for the trade fair, which saw New Zealand wine poured at every event. “It was absolutely incredible.”

She smiles at the recollection of a “huddle” of Frenchmen in the corner, holding glasses of Wairau wines. “It was all very surreptitious. No one knew that New Zealand made wine.

We were an unknown quantity.”

Jane’s late husband Ernie Hunter had already caught the eye of some, of course, when Hunter’s won the top award at the Sunday Times Wine Festival in London in 1986, and then again in 1987, the year he died in a car accident. They won again in 1988, with Jane then in control. But while that gained attention in the New Zealand wine fraternity, hosting the London Wine Trade Fair was “an absolute 24 / Winepress March 2019

coup”, she says.

More than three decades on from Ernie’s Sauvignon successes, and from that peacock adorned garden on a London rooftop, Jane doubts many people realise the export efforts of those early days by a small group of wine pioneers on high spirits and tight budgets. The exchange rate was NZ$3 to one pound sterling in the late 1980s, so for many of the nascent wine companies, sales trips were about scraping by, while putting on a united front. They were, by nature, “a family of winemakers”, she says.

When the New Zealand Wine Guild was set up by a group of founding directors, including Jane, they continued their collaboration, with any individual wine representative talking first about New Zealand wine, then about Marlborough and finally about their own brand, she says. “I would speak about 20 New Zealand wines and only two of them would be

Hunter’s.”

Other countries envied the cooperation, and that wasn’t all they gained a reputation for. New Zealand wine companies put Sauvignon Blanc on the label, instead of Sancerre, and talked freely about the challenges of the day, including phylloxera, says Jane. “People in the UK would say, ‘are you allowed to talk about that?

We never talk about that’.” The Kiwis were, in a sense, naïve, she says. “We thought, ‘this is what we are going to do and we’re not going to take any notice of what everyone else is doing’.”

These days that collegiality is harder to retain, with the size of the industry and size range of the players complicating connections. “Whilst I think it does everyone good to have the overseas ownership, because it opens huge distribution opportunities, it does mean that you have big companies and little companies,” she says. “They are diverse and looking at things differently.”

Jane arrived in Marlborough from Australia in 1983, aged 29, to take up a role as Montana Wines’ viticulturist. Back then the region had a smattering of vines, 30 hectares of them Sauvignon Blanc and the rest in Muller Thurgau. Even if you could find the grapes you didn’t really want to try the wines, she says with a laugh.

She soon met Ernie Hunter, who was growing Sauvignon Blanc in Rapaura, and when they married, Jane continued her work in Montana’s vines. But in 1987 she was thrown into the role of company chief, putting on a brave face as she stepped into a public

role that didn’t come naturally. In the decades since, she has been a tireless champion for New Zealand’s wine industry, and has seen Marlborough completely transformed. There are now 26,000ha of producing vineyard, the vast majority of them in Sauvignon,

“I would speak about 20 New Zealand wines and only two of them would be Hunter’s.”

Jane Hunter

Women in Wine Award in 2003, and an O.B.E and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to viticulture in 1993. She was the first woman to be inducted to the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her services to the industry. Last year she was one of the mentors in the first year of the New Zealand Winegrowers Women in Wine mentoring programme, sharing a lifetime of learnings.

Late last year, Jane was made a New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow for 2018, and admits the trophy cabinet is getting mighty full. Like many of the industry pioneers, she is now leading the way with succession, giving family members a greater slice of the responsibility. But it’s unlikely she’ll ever step back entirely, “because it’s part of your DNA really”.

and the challenge lies in finding anything but vineyards in the valleys.

Her work to serve the industry earned Jane the prestigious UKPCL AD Winepress

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Generation Y-ine Enter Caitlin McIntyre, stage left SOPHIE PREECE

Caitlin McIntyre at the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival. Photo Richard Briggs

BEHIND EVERY good show there’s a great stage manager, which is why Caitlin McIntyre has traded in the script for the clipboard.

The 18-year-old Marlburian, who worked backstage at last month’s Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, has just moved to Wellington to study stage management at Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama School, ready to launch a career one step back from the curtain, applause and screen.

Caitlin has been besotted with theatre, and planning to study acting at Toi Whakaari, since an introduction to the stage in her Year 11 drama class at Marlborough Girls’ College. But when she was asked to help out backstage at a show in Year 12, she discovered her calling was, quite literally, behind the scenes. “It was a small production held at the school hall, but I quite liked being able to help control the production of the show.” From there she helped manage props at the ASB

26 / Winepress March 2019

Theatre production of Mary Poppins and assisted at dinner theatres, while also acting in shows, including the combined colleges’ production of Grease.

The acting and management sides of theatre give her the same level of reward she says. “It is really hard to explain, but I really like the fact that I have done something to make it all happen.”

Making things happen at the Wine & Food Festival was a steep learning curve, because instead of the structured run sheets and specific sets of theatre productions, the backstage help had to be on their toes, ready to adapt on the fly. “I am used to stage managing where it’s all very rehearsed and everything is very accurate. I noticed with the festival that it’s more ‘go with it and see what happens’.”

That made things a bit more nerve-wracking as the Marlborough District Brass Band took to the stage,

36 gleaming instruments glinting in the sunlight, and opened the day with a boom. “We were really, really pleased,” says musical director Kevin Moseley of starting the day’s entertainment, with everything from Bond to Sinatra. They were followed by Summer Thieves, My Baby, Ardijah, Stellar* and Sweet Mix Kids, while the backstage team ensured everything ran smoothly, before, during and after each performance.

It’s all great experience in the lead-up to Caitlin’s career backstage, where she will be tasked with keeping complex logistics, lost props, confused actors and production hiccups well hidden behind the scenes. “In a lot of productions scenes have gone wrong backstage, where we will be freaking out in the wings, but it’s all fine for the audience,” says Caitlin. “It’s amazing to see how people can miss these little mistakes that mean so much to people backstage.”

Growing Workforce SOPHIE PREECE

THE WINE industry is being urged to join forces with the Marlborough Youth Trust to springboard college students onto career paths.

The Youth Employability Programme (YEP) has been running nationally for three years and concluded its Marlborough pilot last year, with 10 college students graduating with a “Licence to Work”.

This year Coordinator Darlene Purdie hopes to have 30 students and a second mid-year intake. “My goal is to try and get them to understand that actually, you might start off on a lower wage, but there is potential to grow and you can earn good money here in Marlborough.”

To gain their licence, the students do 10 modules on employability skills, 20 hours of volunteer work and 80 hours of work experience, developing their CV along the way, and in some cases getting their first aid certificate and drivers’ licence through the programme. Darlene says the youths in the pilot wanted out of school and into work but needed guidance to prepare them for gaining and retaining a job.

“That means teaching them about employability skills, including attitude,

communication, teamwork, resilience and a willingness to learn, while helping them decide what kind of work they want,” she adds.

Darlene says conversations might begin with the basics, like staying off drugs if you want a job, or not texting your boss as if they are a mate and

“It’s largely about listening to them and valuing them.”

Darlene Purdie telling them you can’t come to work. “A classic is storming off when someone asks you to do something,” she says.

She also delves into digging out the

skills a young person might already have, despite having struggled in the school system. “It’s largely about listening to them and valuing them.

When we write their CVs, there is a lot of eating pizza, while building relationships and trust.”

Darlene says that for industry, the programme is an opportunity to give young people the tools they need to succeed, while helping address the region’s labour and skills shortage.

She hopes more industry groups, businesses and volunteer organisations will get in touch so there is a broader scope for experience in the field. “The more contacts we have, the more likely it is we will find a good match.”

To get involved, contact Darlene on Yep@myt.org.nz or 027 206 4067

Agriculture and Viticulture Machinery Sales & Service Specialists Your Marlborough Power Farming agent for: Deutz Fahr, Kioti, Maschio Gaspardo, Aitchison, McHale and Kverneland For all sales enquiries, contact Jeremy Watts on 021 446 225 | jeremy@agrivit.co.nz 29 High Street, Renwick 7204, Marlborough 03 572 8787 | info@agrivit.co.nz | www.agrivit.co.nz

Winepress March 2019 / 27

Biosecurity Watch Creating a Biosecurity Culture SOPHIE BADLAND

A KEY message in the ongoing Biosecurity 2025 Ko Tātou – This Is Us campaign is that, “it takes all of us to protect what we’ve got”. The New Zealand wine industry has a lot to lose and therefore a lot to protect, with more than $1.7 billion worth of exports in 2018, and a reputation for premium, sustainably produced wines coming from the grapes of more than 2,000 vineyards across the country.

Biosecurity can no longer be someone else’s job – we all need to do our bit.

Everyone in the industry needs to have at least a basic understanding of what biosecurity is, why it’s important, and what their role is as a member of the ‘biosecurity team of 4.7 million’. But how do we make this happen?

A group of Marlborough members recently attended a Primary ITO biosecurity micro-credential course hosted by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW). One of the themes of the micro-credential was the need to ‘create a biosecurity culture’ in the workplace. This is a great place to start.

The key message was that it won’t happen overnight (unless there is a serious incursion, which tends to get people on board in a hurry). But there are some simple measures that growers can start to implement which will not only reduce the risk of biosecurity issues on your own property, but will also contribute to the national

effort to help keep New Zealand free from invasion by harmful pests and diseases.

Starting to build a biosecurity culture at your workplace now will put you in a strong position to protect your assets against any exotic pests and diseases that may sneak through our already strained border systems in the future. What are the first steps?

Raise awareness – the members website is a key source of information • The nzwine.com website has a biosecurity section for members.

This is regularly updated and contains a lot of information about current issues, research, and how to protect your vineyards, as well as posters and fact sheets about pests and diseases. Become familiar with the website and visit it regularly as a way to keep up to date.

• Make sure you are informed about the current ‘Most Unwanted’ pests and diseases for the industry.

Know what to look for, and where to look. Know what to do if you find something unusual. Pass this knowledge on to your staff/coworkers – include it in induction processes for anyone new working on your site. Display posters and fact sheets in communal areas for easy reference.

• Attend a biosecurity workshop or host the NZW biosecurity team at your site to brief your staff and contractors. Biosecurity workshops will be held throughout the year in all major wine regions - check What’s Fermenting and the website for updates.

Regular surveillance • Inspect vines, fruit and neighbouring vegetation regularly for pests and disease (exotic as well as those already present in New Zealand). Ensure staff are familiar with existing crop pests, so they will know when something is unusual. Encourage them to take photos of anything suspect and note the location. Establish a process whereby staff know what to do if they find something – do they contact Biosecurity New Zealand immediately, or do they let management know first? Get staff to put the biosecurity hotline number 0800 80 99 66 - into their phones.

Sourcing new vines • When planting new or replacement vines, ensure you purchase vines certified under the Grafted Grapevine Standard. Inspect the vines (or a representative sample) on arrival before planting, and get in touch with the nursery immediately if you notice any issues.

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Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 28 / Winepress March 2019

Hygiene • Limit vehicle use in production areas – have a designated parking area away from the vines for visitors. Consider using a site vehicle to transport visitors around and having set vehicle pathways.

If possible, wash down vehicles coming onto and leaving your site, to avoid spreading soil, insects and seeds.

• Inspect and clean machinery before it enters production areas. If importing machinery from overseas, open and inspect for pests in an enclosed area before use.

• Train staff in tool hygiene procedures – sterilising hand tools between blocks and moving from least-diseased to most-diseased blocks when carrying out tasks like pruning.

• Footwear – provide a wash station where staff and contractors can clean their footwear before walking amongst the vines. A disinfectant spray such as Virkon is a good option, along with water and tools

or brushes to remove clumps of soil and plant material.

Biosecurity conversations • Make biosecurity a regular part of your day-to-day conversations with staff – take the time to ask if they have noticed anything unusual out in the vineyard. Once engaged with biosecurity, your people are the best source of new ideas to manage biosecurity risk.

• Make use of signage. Having biosecurity signage that clearly states what you want visitors and/ or staff to do when arriving at or working on your site provides a visual reminder that biosecurity is important. Businesses such as The Signmaker (www.thesignmaker. co.nz) stock useful, relatively inexpensive biosecurity signage and can also custom-make signs on request.

• Make a point of talking to contractors regularly about biosecurity requirements for your site, such as wash-down of

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For more information or advice about pests, diseases, implementing biosecurity plans or briefing staff and contractors, contact the NZW biosecurity team, Ed and Sophie, at biosecurity@nzwine. com. More detailed guidelines for implementing biosecurity best practice can be found at https:// www.nzwine.com/members/ grow/biosecurity/protecting-yourvineyards/ And if you find anything unusual, Catch It, Snap It and Report It to the Biosecurity NZ hotline on 0800 80 99 66 and let the NZW biosecurity team know.

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Industry News Feast Marlborough The four-day Feast Marlborough kicks off on Thursday, May 9, with the WK Gala Feast hosted by Arbour at Spy Valley Wines. The event is a marriage of Marlborough food and wine, to the sound of a fabulous list of New Zealand voices led by Anna Coddington. The organising team says to expect “a completely different, multisensory dining experience”.

The foodie foray continues at the Bayleys Friday Night Feast street party in central Blenheim. Then on Saturday and Sunday, Marlborough Underground showcases 12 culinary experiences in unique locations.

Feast Marlborough organiser Chris Shaw says the team has worked to ensure that there is something for everyone’s tastes and price range. “The Marlborough Underground programme ranges in price from $15 to $195 and includes everything from street parties, brunch and BBQ banquets to wild game and foraged feasts and indulgent long lunches in the Marlborough Sounds.”

The programme includes four of New Zealand’s top chefs - Sid Sahrawat, Ben Bayly, Mark Southon and Shaun Clouston - alongside local producers. Sid will bring his award-winning Indian restaurant Cassia to Scotch Wine Bar in central Blenheim and prepare an Indian fusion meal featuring lamb from Marlborough’s Flaxbourne Pure. Also on the Feast menu is a cruise on the Queen Charlotte Sound leading to a four-course lunch at Waterfall Bay, created by Ben Bayly, featuring black garlic from Marlborough Garlic, and matched with organic and biodynamic wines from Seresin Estate.

At Arbour, Mark Southon will collaborate with local chef Bradley Hornby on a menu of foraged ingredients and wild game from Premium Game. Then, Cloudy Bay Vineyard’s Treehouse will host a six-course menu featuring Ōra King Salmon, cooked by Shaun Clouston. “This year’s diverse mix of events is testament to the outstanding food, wine and culinary talent we have across our region,” says Chris. “Feast is set to be an exceptional long weekend of wining and dining here in Marlborough.”

There’s also ‘Dine and Jive’ at Le Café in Picton, a Mills Bay Mussels Sunday street festival in Havelock, and beer and BBQ at 5 Tapped in Blenheim, while the Wine Station pours Marlborough wines. Omaka Marae will offer a unique take on modern Maori cuisine (see image), while Allan Scott celebrates Marlborough produce and The Vines Village celebrates Mother’s Day. For more information go to feastmarlborough.nz 2019 Marlborough Underground programme.

Saturday 11 May • Banquet in the Boom: 5 Tapped • Delicious Collision: Scotch Wine Bar • Destination: Wine Station • Dine and Jive: Le Café, Picton • Gourmet Garden: Allan Scott • Hākari with the Aunties: Omaka Marae • Head in the Clouds: Cloudy Bay Treehouse • Light and Shade: Seresin Estate Waterfall Bay Restaurant, Queen Charlotte Sound • Revive and Celebrate: Saint Clair Vineyard Half Event Party • Rapaura Wild - Foraged – Grown: Arbour, Renwick Sunday 12 May • Flex your mussels: Mills Bay Mussels, Havelock • Mum + Love = Food: The Vines Village Café, Rapaura

30 / Winepress March 2019

Blood, Sweat and Beers After two months of relentless sunshine, the annual Blood, Sweat and Beers mountain bike competition happened to fall on the same day Marlborough received a downpour.

The Winemaker’s Association of Marlborough event has been postponed until after harvest. Photo by Sarnim Dean.

Real Estate Update The severe dry conditions have affected buyer activity through the late summer period and a lower sales volume has been noticed, says PGG Wrightson sales manager Joe Blakiston.

Statistics show only 14 vineyards sold in the 2018 calendar year, almost half the previous year, which he puts down to vendor expectations being generally higher than where the market currently sits. “Despite the dry conditions, a number of development blocks are being offered for sale over the coming months, which will still attract interest from corporate buyers.”

Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards The winners of the 2019 Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards will be announced at the awards dinner on March 22 in Blenheim, with business commentator Rod Oram as guest speaker. The projects judged over recent months include Steamtech Systems, which steam clean wine barrels, saving water and negating the need for chemicals. Judges found that Marisco winery is completely clear of Brettanomyces, which the company attributes to the steam cleaning of the barrels. The judges, including Nigel Sowman (pictured above at Marisco with Steamtech managing director Grant Lewis) were impressed with the efficiency of the cleaning, and significant saving of water. Any wastewater is captured, settled, pH adjusted and then irrigated on to the vineyard headlands.

There were plenty of other innovations up for judging, including a project harvesting an invasive seaweed to make fertiliser. There are 24 entrants across seven categories: Marine; Farming; Forestry; Wine Industry; Landscape and Habitat Enhancement; Community Innovation; and Business Innovation. The awards function will be followed by public field days at the winners’ properties to showcase their efforts and inspire others.

Tickets to the dinner cost $80 and are available on the website www.cmea. org.nz

PINOT GRIS GRAPES WANTED On the back of our stunning run of success we have seen strong global demand across all varieties and in all markets. We’re seeking new supply partners to share in our success. If you take pride in growing quality Pinot Gris in any region, we want to hear from you.

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Winepress March 2019 / 31

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 March 20.

For more information on these events, email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine–marlborough.co.nz

MARCH 8 Framingham 2019 Harvest Concert 22 Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards. See pg 31 for more details MAY 3 9-12 9 10 11 11- 2

International Sauvignon Blanc Day, in Marlborough and around the world Feast Marlborough, at various venues WK Gala Feast, hosted by Arbour - Spy Valley Wines. See pg 30 for more details Bayleys Friday Night Feast street party - central Blenheim Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon- wwww.vineyardhalf.com Marlborough Underground - culinary experiences in 12 unique locations

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Sauvignon Blanc Day - May 3

Feast Marlborough - May 9-12

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