Generation Y-ine Amber Parker’s grapevine science is aimed at the field and the future. DR AMBER Parker has one foot in the old world and another in the new, uses data from the past to model for the future, and has several questions posed for every one she answers. And that’s just the way she likes it. The Lincoln University Lecturer is an expert in grapevine phenology modelling, canopy management to influence maturation, and the potential consequences of climate change scenarios on wine production, as well as adaption strategies for the future. It’s a career that began with a summer holiday vineyard job during her Bachelor of Science at Canterbury University, where Amber saw biochemistry at work amid the vines. That inspired her to focus on applied science and in 2006 she undertook a master’s degree in France, where she carried out a project modelling the phenology of the grapevine. Amber collaborated with European researchers to develop the Grapevine Flowering Veraison (GFV) model, which uses temperature to determine the timing of flowering and veraison, helping predict the implications of climate change on phenology. She completed and implemented the model during her PhD at Lincoln, while also investigating modelling maturation, through which she continued to work with the French team. She worked in Marlborough as well, researching the phenology response to canopy trimming of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc vines in the region. The study saw her working closely with viticulturists and growers, as well as scientists at Plant & Food Research Marlborough, including her mentor Dr Mike Trought. 20 / Winepress March 2017
On the completion of her PhD, Amber found herself continuing with research in the region as part of a three-year project led by climate scientist Professor Andrew Sturman. That study combined climate models with grapevine phenological models – including GFV - to predict the timing of flowering of Sauvignon Blanc in different parts of Marlborough. She says collaborating with individuals and organisations around the world, from Lincoln and Marlborough to Bordeaux, Avignon and Harvard, allows for far greater achievements. On a practical level, collaboration with European researchers opens up a wealth of historical data, and the opportunity for two vintages in a year. But the various collaborations, here and abroad, also offer a wealth of ideas and a spectrum of models, from the broad brush of the GFV, to the regional insights required by the Marlborough project. In each case, the teams pose questions then find “new and innovative ways to do things that can then be quickly taken up by the industry”, she says. Last year Amber was one of 160 scientists at a conference in Bordeaux, looking at ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change on the wine industry. Earlier, compressed wine harvests and increased sugar
concentration in grapes at harvest time are just two of the significant issues facing wine growers. She says solutions may include a shift in vineyard areas or varieties, or using canopy management techniques to delay ripening. “What we were saying is ‘we know climate change exists, so let’s start looking at potential solutions’,” she says. She finds teaching a “refreshing” part of her work that provides important feedback for research, with students asking questions around the influence of climate change and water resource management, for example. “It gets you thinking about great things,” she says. “Dynamic is the best way to describe it. It’s a lot of fun as well.” The scientist predicts a bright future for New Zealand’s wine industry, with quality wines, strong innovation and a world leading sustainable wine growing programme, along with “dynamic research”. The future of that research is bright too, she says. “There is always the next question to answer, and that leads you to the next question you want to ask.”
