Winepress - May 2015 by Winepress Magazine

Issue No. 247 / May 2015

Off To China

Fermenting Egg

Wine Clubs

#SauvBlanc Day

Photo: Jim Tannock

@marlboroughwine

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In this issue... Regulars

Features

Editorial

4 Report Tasman Crop Met 20

Generation Y-ine Nicola Clark

NZW Export News Top Tweets

- Wine Happenings

News From Home and Away

Editor: Tessa Nicholson 16 Bank Street Blenheim 7201 T: 021 709 571 E: tessa.nicholson@me.com Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd. T: 03 578 1322 WINEPRESS is printed with vegetable oil based inks on elemental chlorine free paper which is sourced 100% from well managed forests and manufactured under ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.

The very first New Zealand made fermenting egg is now in operation here in Marlborough, at Two Rivers Wines. Winemakers Dave Clouston and Ashley Holland explain why they were so keen to purchase the futuristic looking fermenter.

14 Wine Clubs, The Way Of The Future?

A Fermenting Egg

Most wineries now have an online store included within their website. But one wine marketer believes there is more traction and loyalty to be gained by establishing a wine club.

16 Marlborough Man Takes On China

Mike Insley is well known in viticulture circles as the national vit manager for Pernod Ricard. But in March he and his wife Jen left New Zealand and headed to Ningxia in China, for a brand new role.

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25 Business Winners

Focus Labour Solutions came into being just as the global financial crisis hit.Yet seven years later they are not only making their mark in the Marlborough wine industry, they have also been awarded the Chamber of Commerce supreme award for business.

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WINEPRESS May 2015

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From the Editor It is such a relief when vintage finally ends. Especially in a year such as this, that produces no major weather hazards to work around. Although having said that, the drought of 2015 will go down in history as one that awakened the need for accessible water, whether that be from an irrigation scheme, an aquifer or storage pond. With all the fruit in, now fermenting away nicely and some even ready to bottle, the signs are that vintage 2015 will be one out of the box.Yields may be well down when compared with 2014, but that may not be such a bad thing. There is nothing like being in a demand versus supply situation, which is exactly where Marlborough may be this year. What is even better is that this vintage is being touted as an outstanding one. Winemakers throughout the province are lauding the ferments, and promising some iconic wines later this or next year. And given this is the first in a seven-year PGP project for Lifestyle Wines, the first of the low alcohol wines will come on stream, showing just what can be done in this category, particularly with Sauvignon Blanc. It will be interesting to see just how these wines develop and what the market reaction is to them. So now it is back to the drawing board, preparing for next season. Pruning begins, as does planning for updating vineyards. There will be many who have taken note of the threat of leafroll virus, and having marked infected vines, will be rouging them. Others will be planning replanting, with newer clones or even a varietal change. Some will even be preparing for expansion as the industry in Marlborough goes from strength to strength. It is inevitable that the tiny pockets of land that until now have not been home to grapes, will soon be sprouting vines – adding to the premise that the region is almost fully planted. All in all, these are positive signs. So after a frantic few months, dealing with water shortages, powdery mildew, and a condensed vintage, take time out to have a breather and prepare for the next stage of the season. There are plenty of stories this month to catch your eye and interest. Fermenting eggs, taking knowledge of Marlborough to China, why wine clubs could be the way of the future, how the MDC is looking at dealing with future water shortages, and a profile of a young marketer who has wine in her blood. I hope you enjoy!

Jason Yank: jason@astrolabewines.com Rhyan Wardman: rhyan@giesen.co.nz Jack Glover: jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz

TESSA NICHOLSON tessa.nicholson@me.com

WINEPRESS May 2015

Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – April 2015 April April 2015 April Period April 2015 compared to LTA LTA of LTA 2014 GDD’s for: Month - Max/Min¹ 128.4 120% 107.4 (1996-2014) 133.2 Month – Mean² 130.0 117% 111.5 (1996-2014) 126.2 Growing Degree Days Total Jul 14 - Apr 15 – Max/Min 1367.0 104% 1308.5 (1996-2014) 1421.1 Jul 14 - Apr 15 – Mean 1412.8 105% 1342.0 (1996-2014) 1433.4 Mean Maximum (°C) 19.2 +0.4°C 18.8 (1986-2014) 18.6 Mean Minimum (°C) 9.1 +1.2°C 7.9 (1986-2014) 10.3 Mean Temp (°C) 14.2 +0.8°C 13.4 (1986-2014) 14.5 Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 1 Equal 1.2 (1986-2014) 0 Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 0 - 0.2 (1986-2014) 0 Sunshine hours 162.5 87% 187.0 (1930-2014) 123.7 Sunshine hours – lowest 92.1 1938 Sunshine hours – highest 238.5 1958 Sunshine hours total – 2015 968.6 108% 894.6 (1930-2014) 859.1 Rainfall (mm) 52.0 98% 53.2 (1930-2014) 149.8 Rainfall (mm) – lowest 0.6 1992 Rainfall (mm) – highest 173.0 1962 Rainfall total (mm) – 2015 109.0 58% 188.7 (1930-2014) 273.6 Evapotranspiration – mm 64.0 102% 62.8 (1996-2014) 66.9 Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 213.7 96% 223.3 (1996-2014) 169.6 Mean soil temp – 10cm 13.0 +1.1°C 11.9 (1986-2014) 13.5 Mean soil temp – 30cm 15.7 +1.2°C 14.5 (1986-2014) 16.1 ¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures April 2015 weather summary April 2015 recorded above average temperatures, average rainfall and below average sunshine. Temperature April’s mean temperature of 14.2°C was 0.8°C above the long-term average of 13.4°C. Quite a number of cloudy days during April 2015 kept most of the overnight minimum temperatures well above average. However, the days with clear skies did record some warm daily maximum temperatures. Twelve days during April recorded a maximum temperature greater than 20°C. This

WINEPRESS May 2015

was pretty good considering that the average daily maximum for April is 18.8°C. The warmest day was 2nd April with a maximum of 24.6°C The coolest day was 14th April with an air minimum of 1.5°C and a grass minimum of -2.3; this was the only ground frost recorded in April. Sunshine April recorded 162.5 hours sunshine, 24.5 hours lower than average. However, although sunshine hours for April 2015 were well below average they were still considerably higher than the very low total in April 2014 (123.7

hours), and both in stark contrast with April 2012 (228.6 hours) that recorded very high sunshine hours. April 2015 is the first month in 2015 to have recorded below average sunshine. Total sunshine for January to April is 968.6 hours, 74.0 hours above average. Rainfall April recorded 52.0 mm rain, almost the same as the long-term average of 53.2 mm. Rainfall during April 2015 was spread over 10 days, with the highest daily total of 12.8 mm recorded on the 27 April. This was in marked contrast to April 2014 when almost three times the total rainfall was recorded (149.8 mm) and the highest daily total of 52.6 mm was recorded on 17 April 2014. That one day’s rainfall in 2014 was equal to the April 2015 total. Soil moisture Shallow soil moisture on 1 April was 16.5% and dropped to 15.7% by the 5 April. At this water content the topsoil was close to its minimum level, below which pasture is unable to extract any further moisture. The 52 mm rain received from 7 to 28 April boosted moisture in the topsoil from 15.7% to 26.9%. While April’s rain was very welcome it less than half filled the moisture in the topsoil at the Grovetown Park weather station site. The topsoil is fully saturated at approximately 38%. A lot more rainfall is required to refill the whole soil profile over the four months May to August 2015, prior to spring growth getting underway. Drought Update The 10 months from July 2014 to April 2015 recorded 240.4 mm rain. This is the lowest rainfall total for this

period for the 86 years 1930-2015 and only 46% of the long-term average of 519.5 mm. The second lowest total was 2000-2001 with 291.2 mm and the third lowest 1972-1973 with 293.0 mm. These 10 months started with very low rainfall totals in July and August 2014 (Figure 1). Figure 1 indicates the differences between the monthly and cumulative rainfall and evapotranspiration over the 10 months July 2014 to April 2015.

The difference between rainfall and evapotranspiration is known as the water deficit. It is essentially the amount of water that would need to be applied from irrigation to keep a pasture actively growing. The water deficit for the 10 months July 2014 – April 2015 is: Rainfall 240.4 mm - Evapotranspiration 940.1 mm = Water Deficit 699.7 mm. The long-term average is: Rainfall 522.6 mm – Evapotranspiration 921.1

Figure 1: Monthly and cumulative rainfall and evapotranspiration and cumulative water deficit for Blenheim, for the 10 months July 2014 to April 2015

mm = Water Deficit 398.5 mm These data indicate that the water deficit for the 10 month period July 2014 to April 2015 was 301.2 mm greater than average (175% of average). Season Weather Summary (September to April) The following tables summarize the weather data for the 2014-2015 season and contrast it with previous seasons. Total rain for the 2014-2015 season of 220.8 mm was 56% of the longterm average of 391.4 mm. This is the fourth lowest total on record. The lowest seasonal rainfall for the 85 years 1930-2015 was recorded in 2000-2001. However, as previously explained, July and August 2014, prior to the start of the 2014-2015 season were also very dry. Table 4 indicates that four of the last five seasons have recorded well above average temperatures. Of the 18 seasons from 1997-1998 to 2014-2015 only four have been below average. However, the seven seasons immediately prior to 1997-1998 in the early 1990s, were all cooler than average (1990-1991 to 1996-1997); data not shown.

Table 2: Monthly weather summary for the 2014-2015 growing season in comparison to the long-term average LTA 14/15 LTA 14/15 LTA 14/15 LTA 14/15 LTA 14/15 LTA 14/15 LTA 14/15 Rain Rain Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean GDD GDD ET ET Sun Sun mm mm °C °C °C °C °C °C mm mm hours hours Sep 54.1 41.0 16.2 16.5 5.9 7.0 11.1 11.8 51.9 63.9 72.3 66.7 191.4 196.7 Oct 63.7 22.4 18.2 19.1 7.8 6.9 13.0 13 98.8 93.1 99.7 103.6 225.2 270.0 Nov 52.2 16.6 19.8 20.8 9.4 9.4 14.6 15.1 139.7 148.0 121.2 142.8 237.9 293.1 Dec 49.9 31.8 21.9 22.2 11.7 12.3 16.8 17.3 209.8 226.0 139.2 126.6 248.0 222.6 Jan 44.6 4.4 23.4 24.3 12.7 13.2 18.0 18.8 244.8 271.8 140.0 143.8 261.6 297.0 Feb 47.1 15.2 23.1 23.5 12.3 11.4 17.7 17.4 218.5 208.4 108.8 117.1 222.9 264.4 Mar 39.4 37.4 21.5 22.3 10.4 11.2 16.0 16.8 185.8 209.3 100.5 98.5 230.4 244.7 Apr 45.3 52.0 18.8 19.2 7.9 9.1 13.4 14.2 104.0 128.4 62.5 64.0 192.2 162.5 Total 391.4 220.8 1253.3 1348.9 844.2 863.1 1809.6 1951.0 Mean 20.3 21.0 9.7 10.1 15.1 15.5 % of LTA or deviation 56% +0.7 +0.4 +0.4 93% 102% 108% Table 3: Rainfall summary for the Season Long-term average Rain (mm) 391.4 Rank (1930-2015)

last four seasons and lowest totals 14-15 13-14 12-13 11-12 220.8 462.4 319.9 430.6 4th 65th 19th 58th

on record 10-11 00-01 72-73 33-34 97-98 425.8 176.6 190.6 191.8 242.5 57th 1st 2nd 3rd 5th

Table 4: Temperature summary for the last four seasons and warmest seasons on record Season Long-term average 14-15 13-14 12-13 11-12 10-11 34-35 74-75 89-90 80-81 97-98 Mean Temp (°C) 14.99 15.55 15.59 15.34 14.62 15.49 16.28 16.16 16.11 16.00 15.99 Rank (1930-2015) 14th 12th 25th 59th 19th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

WINEPRESS May 2015

The average temperature for the growing season (September 2014 to April 2015) was 15.55°C; 0.56°C above the long-term average. In Met Report one year ago I described how the 20132014 season was essentially a season of two halves.Very warm (Sept-Dec 2013) followed by average to cooler than

average (Jan-Apr 2014). This is indicated by the red GDD line for 2013-2014 in Figure 2. The 2014-2015 season was also very much a season of two halves. The black GDD line for 2014-2015 indicates that temperatures were fairly average through until mid December. From mid-December 2014 onwards the

average temperature was consistently well above average through until early February 2015 and then again for the first half of both March and April. Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Figure 2: Normalized Growing degree days for Blenheim: days above (+) or below (-) the long-term average for the period 1 September to 30 April

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WINEPRESS May 2015

THIS YEAR WILL IT BE YOU?

From The Board Samantha Wickham Ready, Aim, Fire In business, as with most things in life, our actions are the direct result of decisions we make either on a proactive or a reactive basis. Reactive decisions can scale from the mundane (the filling up the tank with petrol when the warning light appears) to full fire-fighting mode (the my access to water has just been cut off so I need to truck in water regardless of cost to save my crop). On a similar scale, proactive decisions can range from the small to the large, but often these choices fall under a larger umbrella of a bigger master plan that ultimately factors in a certain degree of risk mitigation. Reactive decisions curb our losses, proactive decisions move us towards a target. Whatever shoes we wear on any day of the week, we walk through the day making either reactive and/or proactive decisions. As grape growers, I am sure it is difficult to forget the choices made in reaction to either/both the water shortage and/ or the disease pressure brought on by powdery mildew from the vintage 2015 growing season. Yes, you did it. You got through it. Your crop is in the tank. Time to recover and put down your fire extinguisher. As tempting

as this recovery period may appear, it is an Eve’s apple. Now is the time to recalibrate your long-term goal target, refine your cadence between being reactive and proactive decision makers. A comfortable start, at this point, would be to spell out a clear long-term objective as a grape grower. It can be as simple as keeping your vineyard profitable with minimal stress. Once your target is defined, create or reevaluate your road map to get there. Is your vineyard healthy? How old are your vines? Are you growing the right cultivar for your particular site? Perhaps it is time to implement, or investigate the prospect of implementing, a replanting programme. Keeping this past vintage in mind, how can you mitigate the risk of water shortage in years to come? Was it stressful when your water was shut off? Was it difficult sharing a well with your neighbour? Maybe it is time to look at water storage options. Financially, these topics may feel overwhelming at first, but with the right guidance and the right roadmap, you can plan the time it will take to make these large decisions financially viable. Be proactive about your spray programme. Admit, perhaps, that you

don’t know everything. Get yourself a support group of consultants and field representatives and be open to listening. We are never too young/old/ experienced/inexperienced/ugly/pretty to learn. Don’t berate yourself for your reactive choices but reflect on what the experience has taught you. Educate yourself, in order to prepare yourself, for similar events in the future. Are there going to be hiccups? Yes. Are you going to have to keep making reactive decisions due to unforeseen circumstances? Definitely - we are of course dealing with a changing climate and a biological crop. Light crops due to poor flowering are not the evidence of poor management, but a reminder that we are all subject to a larger power over which we have no control. Have faith that with the right road map built upon the proactive decisions you make now (while there are no burning fires to put out), there are allowances for the unexpected. The arrow, in time, will hit the target.

WINEPRESS May 2015

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WINEPRESS May 2015

VINES AVAILABLE FOR SPRING 2015 VINES AVAILABLE FOR SPRING 2015

A Fermenting Egg TESSA NICHOLSON

Concrete fermenting tanks are nothing new. And containers such as Amphora, also used to ferment wine, go back thousands of years. But concrete eggs – well they are new, in New Zealand at least. The very first concrete fermenting egg arrived in Marlborough a little over six weeks ago, and is already full to the brim with Sauvignon Blanc juice. Two Rivers of Marlborough is the proud owner of the FermEgg, the very first to be produced here in New Zealand by NZ Tanks, based in Hawke’s Bay. Looking very much like something from the future (think Dr Who and his Tardis), the FermEgg is in fact drawing on ancient technology to create better, more textural wines. It is something Two Rivers’ owner and winemaker Dave Clouston and winemaker Ashley Holland have been striving for in recent years. Ashley, who hails from America has had experience with similar eggs in her home country. Keen to employ one here in Marlborough she convinced Dave to look at importing one of the two international options. “We looked at the Nomblot option out of France as well as the Sonoma Cast Stone out of California,” she says. “But the cost of freight was prohibitive. Then Tony Bish sent out an email saying he was the representative for this new egg being

produced here in New Zealand, which we have gone for.” What is it though about an egg shaped concrete container that got both her and Dave excited? In essence, the egg offers supercharged lees contact. The end result is more texture in the wine, increased mouth feel and retained fruit flavours without any oak character coming through. “Before we were aging the wine in neutral barrels, but it is very hard to keep them in good condition and not pick up a cheesy oak barrel character,” Ashley says. “I love how the flavours change over that period, with small

Ashley Holland and Dave Clouston with their pride and joy – Marlborough’s first concrete egg.

amounts of oxygenisation coming in through the staves (of the barrel) but what I disliked was the sappiness that we also got. With the Egg we still have an oxygen transmission rate of somewhere between stainless steel and oak, but without that old oak character.” Because the Egg is made from concrete, there is a porousness that allows oxygen into the wine. But what makes it so different to a steel tank or an oak barrel, is that the wine moves passively by itself, due to the shape of the fermenter. Dave says he expects it to preserve the fruit flavours and aromatics of the Sauvignon Blanc while also increasing

WINEPRESS May 2015

minerality. Which is why they have chosen to use the Egg for their Altitude Sauvignon. “We treat our Altitude fruit very differently in the vineyard. It is severely shoot and crop thinned. In fact it is about as diametrically opposed to standard Sauvignon Blanc as it could be. We full leaf pluck, the fruit is exposed as we are trying to burn off the pyrazines. We use less irrigation and it has a longer hang time to gain a riper profile.” At the time of talking to Dave and Ashley, the juice had been in the fermenter for only two weeks and already the winemakers were noticing differences. “Already we see more savoury characters, which we notice compared to the barrel components. The easy way to describe that, is there is more of the matchstick, gunflint character,” Dave says. “Even after two weeks it is very gutsy,” Ashley adds. While Two Rivers are using the Egg for their Sauvignon Blanc, both winemakers agree that it would add something special to nearly all the varieties grown in Marlborough. “As a new world, we moved to preserve fruit in our wine. This though is going back to more texture. I think it would work really well on Pinot and it would also work well on Chardonnay. Then again Riesling and Pinot Gris would also

WINEPRESS May 2015

be interesting. I think it will add a level of sophistication to the wine – regardless of variety.” The Altitude Sauvignon Blanc will remain in the Egg until February next year – and then Dave says they will be able to compare the finished product with the barrel fermented Sauvignon they have also put down. “It is going to be bloody interesting to see what it does. I can’t wait.”

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WINEPRESS May 2015

Does Tax Take Too Much Time? HON TODD MCCLAY, MINISTER OF REVENUE At a time when you can use your cell phone to order a movie or buy a plane ticket the Government thinks that Inland Revenue can do much more to make your tax simpler. Businesses say it takes too much time to do their tax and takes them away from doing their work. And it costs too much to run. As taxpayers you pay for that too. Our tax system is recognised as one of the best in the world, but the way we manage it needs to improve. Over the next couple of years, the Government will consult on ideas to understand your views before we settle on what to do. These changes will affect all New Zealand businesses and individuals. Right now we are giving an overall picture of how tax could work in the future, and more detail on how we can use digital technologies to simplify tax. What could this mean for you? As an example, in the future the Government proposes that accounting software

would be able to exchange information directly with Inland Revenue, so that: • More accurate PAYE, GST and related information could be provided to Inland Revenue automatically – with less time needed to fill out forms • Provisional tax could be managed more like PAYE and calculated as you earn your income. There are also some ideas around helping small businesses get their tax right from the start. How could exchanging information directly with Inland Revenue benefit winegrowers? I think that these ideas would mean you can spend less time filling out forms, and more time on your business, but we

need your feedback. It’s time to make the tax system that is easy for you. Join the discussion Go to makingtaxsimpler.ird.govt.nz for more ideas, see what others are saying and give your views. • Discussion on Better digital services closes on 15 May 2015. • Discussion on Making tax simpler, a Government Green Paper closes on 29 May 2015. For paper copies email policy. webmaster@ird.govt.nz (subject line: Making tax simpler documents) or phone 0800 587 243.

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WINEPRESS May 2015

MDC Focuses on Drought Issues TESSA NICHOLSON

With the recent drought and its impact on the Southern Valleys still being felt, what are the chances of getting any water storage system established in the future? When the SVIS was being planned, there was debate about the merits of a community storage facility to accompany it. The over-riding consensus was no, it was too expensive an option at that time. And in 2015, due to the costs, it is unlikely the consensus will have changed. That’s the opinion of those involved in administering the scheme, the Marlborough District Council’s Assets and Services department. Manager Mark Wheeler says that doesn’t mean the council has not taken note of the issues raised during this year’s drought. He says discussions are already underway on how to mitigate those issues, as we move into the future. The Council has had on-going correspondence with all members of SVIS, with three surveys relating to water storage being sent out in recent years. The latest one was last year, where 385 letters were sent to users. Only 122 people responded to the survey relating to water storage. Of those only 55 indicated interest in MDC producing a storage scheme – 14 percent of the total. “But that was before the situation we had this year, so that figure may have changed somewhat,” Mark says. Any dam or reservoir would be extremely costly and given it would have to be a user pays initiative, it would require a high level of support from potential users before any further investigation could go ahead. Mark says back in 2008, the sub committee of Assets and Services considered four separate water storage options.

• To create a dam similar to the Delta, that would be able to feed all of those in the Southern Valleys for 21 days. The cost was estimated at $5 million. • To create a smaller storage facility, namely a lined pond at the intake of the river, also providing water for up to 21 days. Again the cost was around $5million. • Utilising what was surplus water at the Delta Dam, (which has now gone) and feeding that down into the SVIS scheme • Then a smaller pond in Guernsey Road was also considered. “All of those things were considered and at the time the Southern Valleys Committee did follow up some of the costings with surveys, but we didn’t have enough people willing to pay for it. So it sat,” Mark says. “But the committee always felt that it would take a situation like what happened this year, to highlight the storage issue.” In the meantime a number of growers in the area have created their own storage facilities, to be used for frost protection and provide a back up if the SVIS is turned off. But what about those that have no such facility? “We know a lot of them have their own wells and there are quite a few using those wells ahead of Southern Valleys. So they actually have storage, underground storage if you like. Most were still able to use those wells even when the Wairau was shut off. Not all, but most. “What we need to look at now, is for those that don’t have their own wells, (and no storage facility at this stage)

would it be feasible for them to have some form of access to the aquifer during emergencies?” However this solution becomes complicated due to the National Policy Statement – 2014. This was instigated by the Government to combat the increasing over allocation of fresh water throughout the country. Marlborough along with three other grape growing regions has an over allocation issue – which doesn’t mean the actual drawing of water is more than available – just that if everyone was to draw on their maximum allocation it would severely compromise the Southern Valley aquifers. This means no more water rights can be allocated from the aquifers until that over allocation situation is righted. The MDC is currently working on that exact issue and until that is resolved, no one without an allocation right can draw on an aquifer for any reason. Basically there are a number of regulatory issues that need to be sorted, before any move forward can occur Mark says. “Up until now we have been looking at an engineering solution using current reticulation. And that is not something we have totally rejected, but it is hard to see it being economic. So now we are looking at the regulatory framework, for those who haven’t got any emergency storage. But there is no quick answer, this is long-term stuff. And it needs a cooperative solution.”

WINEPRESS May 2015

Wine Clubs, The Way Of The Future? TESSA NICHOLSON

Wine Clubs may be the way to increase “foot traffic” in terms of wine sales, according to wine marketer, and author Bruce McGechan. Bruce is an expert on selling wine on the internet and author of the books Wine Marketing Online (2013) and How to Sell Wine Online (2011). He was in Marlborough a few weeks back explaining how companies can increase sales traction and consumer loyalty via the instigation of a wine club. “I am seeing how eCommerce as a percentage of sales is not growing as fast as wine clubs. Why? Well retail purchase in store gives a person immediate gratification. They don’t buy off our websites because they want it right now,” he explained. “There are higher freight and fulfillment costs. And there is the frustration of buying on line and the fear of on-line credit card fraud.” He said it is also difficult to gain “foot traffic’ on a web site, given the plethora of wineries your own company is competing against. Many consumers who purchase wine on-line will do so via a generic company selling a wide variety of brands. Which means it is extremely hard to provide your own story to the end consumer. Overseas these factors have led to a direct increase in wine clubs, which Bruce says have grown exponentially in Australia for example in the past six years. “In Australian in 2009,

WINEPRESS May 2015

20 percent of wineries had a wine club. Now we estimate that around 60 percent have some sort of one.” So What Is A Wine Club? Bruce says there are various structures and not all are successful. For example some wine companies have a club that consists of an email being sent out on a regular basis, whether that be monthly, quarterly or six monthly, with special offers, or details on wine to purchase. “But that is not really a wine club.” The next one is a discount club, where consumers are encouraged to join the website and by doing so gain discounts.

“This is often prompted by email marketing and the consumer logs into the website and once logged in they become a member getting a discount. They might purchase one wine or 12 wines once or twice a year. But it’s not really a wine club.” Moving down the list of what may or may not be a wine club, Bruce says you come to the wine club that requests credit card details – this is the distinguishing factor. “When you have the credit card details (to be stored securely in a payment processor) and people have said we will buy wine regularly from you – that is a wine club. Those two things are the key elements of a wine club; a commitment to get regular wine and the handing over of credit card details.” Another term for a wine club could be continuity club – given once you have members signed up, you also have consumers receiving and paying for regular amounts of wine, on a continual basis. “You send out certain wines on certain dates of your choosing.” Which Bruce says is far more cost effective than sending out one or two bottles ordered on-line via your website, ad hoc. “Why have a wine club? Higher margins,” he

says. “When it comes down to it, that is the key one. We are trying to boost our profit through having higher margin sales.” Wine Club Structures Firstly the wine company needs to establish how often it wants to be sending out wine club member’s product. Are you able to provide a monthly service? Or is it best to stick to two monthly, quarterly or every six months? Then you have to offer club members a choice of products. Are they interested in receiving white wines, red wines or a mixture of both? What number of bottles do they want to receive? Two, four, six, eight or a dozen bottles? What price range are they interested in? Are they keen to receive “special” wines that are under allocation? How often do they want to receive their wine? These are all structures that need to be confirmed prior to sending the first delivery.

While many may think offering discounts would be mandatory, Bruce said it isn’t necessary. Instead he believes in offering club member’s special benefits. They get the opportunity to access new releases, single vineyard wines, small parcel wines, plus the chance for tours if visiting the cellar door, or attend member only events such as tastings. How To Sell Wine Club Membership The number one place to promote a wine club is via the cellar door. But staff need to be trained to “respectfully and naturally sell” this to visitors. Bruce said the rough estimate is that two percent of visitors to the cellar door will sign up to a wine club, but given the on-going sales this is a very positive outcome. “In America, the average spend by wine club members is $480. In New Zealand you could expect that to be around the $300 mark on an annual basis.”

The second way to sell the clubs is via events – such as the Wine and Food Festival. Follow this up with email marketing, or direct mail and phone sales. Regardless of which way you sell it, you have to ensure that you are offering the consumer benefits – “these need to be well sold. Make sure the wine club is well advertised, especially in the cellar door. And make sure there is an opportunity to sign up on the spot. “The aim basically is to sell cases, rather than just individual bottles.” Which makes sense given how many tourists visiting cellar doors do not have the ability to travel with their wine. By signing up to a club, they can ensure they have a nice “surprise” package arriving on a regular basis.You as a company gain a new loyal consumer, a regular form of income and a chance to promote your brand to a wide spectrum of individual consumers.

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WINEPRESS May 2015

Marlborough Man Takes on China TESSA NICHOLSON

The differences between Marlborough’s wine industry and Ningxia in China may be vast. But Mike Insley believes there are some startling similarities as well. Former National Vineyards manager for Pernod Ricard in New Zealand, Mike is now making himself at home in Ningxia, where he has taken on the role of Technical Manager for Pernod Ricard’s Helan Mountain Vineyard. The multi national corporation has close to 400 hectares of vines at the base of Mount Helan, growing mainly Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Mike’s job will be to oversee the growing development of the vineyard and in turn the quality of fruit. “We are doing a major redevelopment at the moment. The original vines were planted around 15 years ago, and we have removed probably two thirds of those already. We are starting from scratch again, looking at what options we have for pruning and training systems. We are also changing from furrow irrigation to drip irrigation.” When Mike first joined the Marlborough wine industry it was 1989. The industry had been going just 16 years. Within a matter of a couple of years, major replanting was undertaken, as the vines on their own roots became susceptible to phylloxera. In many ways, he says, his move to Ningxia mirrors his early career highlights. “Ningxia is kind of where Marlborough

WINEPRESS May 2015

was when I started. There is some name recognition and there are some good wines coming out of the region. I look at what happened from the mid 80’s in Marlborough to where we are now, and the potential for Ningxia is similar. To be part of something like that again is tremendously exciting.” However there are a number of hurdles in his way before the world recognition Marlborough has gained, is mirrored in Ningxia. This is where the vast differences between the two growing regions come into play. Number one – the soils – which Mike says are nothing like those in this part of the world. “You are right on the edge of the Gobi desert, so there is a lot of sand in the soils. The other major influence is the Yellow River which is right next to Ningxia. So you have sands and silts, but mainly it is very free draining and has very low organic matter. We are talking under half a percent of organic matter. Building up the soils will be one of the challenges.” Another challenge will be dealing with the winters, where temperatures drop to minus 20 deg Celsius. Being so arid, the

cold almost freeze dries anything left above soil, meaning all the vines have to be buried over winter. Before that happens, the fruit has to be harvested and the vines pruned, which has to happen in some cases within a few weeks. “Harvest is in September/October and by mid November there are some very severe frosts happening. So between the last of the Cabernet coming off in mid October, you have until the 15th of November to get the vines pruned and tucked away for winter. It’s a different way of doing things for me, that whole burying process.” Mike says the vines which grow on a single trunk that stands around 1.8 metres tall with spurs coming off the trunk from the 400mm mark, need to be pushed over towards the ground and buried under a mound of dirt. That is done by a mechanical plough, which can cause other problems. “The vines can die over winter, but they are more likely to be damaged by being pushed over or uncovered. The trunks are at risk, from cracks which

“Single Dragon” pruned Merlot vines in the Ningxia grape-growing region, recently excavated after being buried for the winter.

become an entry point for disease, or from being literally snapped off.” Once he has his head around those two issues, soil and burying, Mike says he will have to look at introducing drip irrigation. Up until now the vineyards have been irrigated by furrowing, where canals from the Yellow River are opened up, flooding the land. But with water becoming such a valuable and endangered resource (just like Marlborough), the move to drip irrigation is the only way forward. Although just how the drip lines will cope in the severe winters, is an unknown quantity he says. While the replanting is occurring, there are no major efforts to change the varietal mix in Ningxia. Having already made a name for itself with its Bordeaux varieties, Mike says the only real changes are likely to be clonal, rather than varietal. “Again it’s a bit like Marlborough. We have honed in on what we think works up there, from the viticultural, production and marketing point of view. Now we will concentrate on the clonal mix. We might do a little bit of

experimentation to broaden the variety mix, but there aren’t a huge range of varieties available.” Obviously labour is unlikely to be an issue, given the vast population of the area, (Mike has 80 – 90 vineyard staff covering the 400 hectares), but he doesn’t believe that will always be the case. “The new vineyard is being designed with some degree of meachanisation in mind – headlands with the ability to turn machinery on, a trellis system that is more like our cane pruning while still retaining the ability to be buried over the winter.” Already the company has moved from backpack spray units to a tractor drawn sprayer, in an effort to get more consistent applications. There is one mechanical harvester in the area, but Mike says it wasn’t used much last year, given the handpicking costs work out to approximately $30- $40 a tonne. In Marlborough the average cost for hand picking is around 10 times that. With a huge number of challenges in front of him, there is one that stands out more than any other – and that is

creating quality fruit. “It will be making sure that people understand what a good job and a high quality job looks like. And that everything is in place to achieve that. You put a vineyard in for the long-term and ideally what we are planting today is gong to be there in 30 or 40 years time. We need to future proof that and make sure we get it right from day one.” When asked if he was apprehensive about the big move – as the only foreigner within the Ningxia team, he replied; “Nervous? Yes. But also very excited.” With his contract to China being between three and five years, Marlborough hasn’t said goodbye to Mike and his wife Jen forever. He says they will make a number of trips home every year, and always intend to return to the region at some later date. Mike Insley will be providing regular articles on the Ningxia wine region, for Winepress in the months and years to come.

WINEPRESS May 2015

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#SauvBlanc Day 2015

WINEPRESS May 2015

Generation Y-ine – Nicola Clark, Spy Valley It would be fair to say that wine runs in Nicola Clark’s blood. Not only is the industry the only one she has been involved in since she was a schoolgirl working weekends and holidays at Highfield Estate. But also because her grandfather was the renowned early winemaker for Montana Wines – John Clark. That’s some pedigree. She even has her late grandfather’s wine collection to add to that prestige, many of them early 1980 bottles of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling Sylvaner. These days Nicola is the marketing manager at Spy Valley Wines and the Chair of Méthode Marlborough. A long way from the dishwasher she was at the age of 15. Originally from Gisborne, she and her family moved to Marlborough in 2000. Her mother came from this area and there were a lot of relations in the province to make the move for the young teenager much easier than it could have been. While her only goal at school was “to grow up and marry an All Black”, she did have a plan B, which was a university degree from Canterbury. Initially it was going to be a degree in accounting – but after six months of endless boredom, (her words not mine) she changed tack and took on marketing and management papers. In her third year, one of the assignments in International Marketing was to take a subject and come up with a plan on how to implement that product into a foreign market. The three subjects the students could chose from were; cars, cell phones or the screwcap initiative. “I decided I knew a little bit about wine, so the screwcap initiative seemed like the obvious choice.” The year was 2005 and the fait acclompi of screwcaps dominating the New Zealand wine industry was

WINEPRESS May 2015

still a few years off. “I chose to base my paper on the market of Ireland – only because I knew they drank a lot of alcohol,” she jokes. “It wasn’t really a strategic plan I have to admit.” Ten years on and she can’t quite remember what her implementation plan was – but given she passed the course, and emerged with a degree in marketing and management, she must have done something right. Just what she was going to do with her degree was uncertain to begin with. She wanted to come back to Marlborough and tourism or the wine industry seemed like a natural fit with her qualification. So prior to her end of year exams, she began looking for opportunities. With an old wine map she sat down and marked out what wineries she would like to work for, if a job came up. One of those was Hans Herzog. Her Mother wasn’t quite sure that she would ever be able to get a job there, and Nicola admits she tried to deter her to save embarrassment. She needn’t have bothered, because Hans and Therese were coincidentally looking for someone at the time Nicola was looking for a job. The two came together and she was employed as office administrator and PA to Therese. For someone who had grown up with New Zealand wines, the job at Herzogs opened up a brand new world. A world where the history and depth of wine took on new meaning. “I had always known New Zealand wine, but when I worked at Herzog I suddenly realized there was far more to this product than the little bit I knew. And for someone

like Hans, who had come from Europe, yet was so enthusiastic and appreciative of New Zealand and our amazing climate, my thoughts were influenced on just how special Marlborough is.” That specialness was reiterated during her OE, when she and her former partner headed to the UK to work. Nicola got a job at a winery called Three Choirs in Gloucester, where she helped manage the wine shop, the restaurant and did every other job asked of her on the estate. “It reinforced just how lucky we are in Marlborough. Going from here to their winery, which was very marginal in terms of weather conditions, just proved how amazing our winegrowing region is.” And like so many homesick Kiwis, it was the weather and a bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that convinced her it was time to come back to this part of the world.

She walked straight back into a winery job, having been interviewed in the UK by David Dew who owned Riverfarm Wines. She arrived back in Marlborough on a Tuesday and was working on the Saturday at the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival. The year was 2010. She has worked every festival since. These days she is marketing manager at Spy Valley – a job she says is based around communication. “I see my role as making sure people know what we do and what we are about. I think a lot of people perceive us to be a lot bigger than we actually are. So it is important to ensure they realize we are a smallish family company, we are not a

corporate and we are not owned by foreigners. We have our own vineyards and everything is made here on site. That is an important aspect, not only to us but to consumers and visitors as well.” She is also the chair of the 18 month old

Méthode Marlborough, a group of producers who are collectively pushing the quality of the Méthode Traditionelles made here. It’s important not to confuse Méthodes with sparkling wines. They are very different and that is something the Marlborough group is all about. These producers put time and effort into these wines. They are made in the traditional Champagne style, where the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, followed by riddling and disgorging. All the wines are aged for at least 18 months. There are many including well known viticulturist Richard Smart who believes New Zealand should be pushing this style of wine far more than it currently is. Nicola agrees, but admits it has to be done in a careful manner. “It is a slow process and an expensive one. To make a traditional Méthode, you are talking two and a half years after vintage before you have a product to take to the market. Given time is money, it makes it very expensive and you have to be patient. But now that New Zealand has built its backbone on Sauvignon Blanc, there is a little bit more freedom to play around and experiment with wines that do take that little bit longer. We need to be able to build up steady demand and know we can match that demand with supply – that’s why patience is key.”

Nicola Clark – with an array of wine from the present and the past. WINEPRESS May 2015

Helping Vanuatu TESSA NICHOLSON

So far the Marlborough wine industry has raised more than $33,000 to help Ni Vanuatu rebuild their lives after the devastation of Cyclone Pam. Friday March the 13th was indeed a black day for the small archipelago, as a force five cyclone tore through the main island and wreaked even more havoc on the smaller outlying islands. For one Marlborough man, surviving the wrath of Pam in Port Villa was bad enough, but seeing how much it affected his friends and workers on Tanna Island was something, that more than a month later still makes him choke up. Jono Bushell who along with Jason Kennard owns VinePower, has been working with the Ni Vanuatu via RSE for eight years. Together the pair have done more than just employ workers from Tanna Island to work in Marlborough’s vineyards. They have also established major employment

The Tanna Coconut Mill before Cyclone Pam. 22

WINEPRESS April 2015

opportunities on the island itself. In recent years they have helped establish a coffee plantation and a coconut industry on the island to provide employment for the local people. They have also built Tanna Farms Oil Mill. Late last year the Mill was operational, turning the plentiful coconuts from trees that cover the island, into virgin oil that has an international market. As a guest speaker at a Wine Marlborough fundraising dinner, (having travelled back from Vanuatu especially) Jono spoke about what greeted him and Jason, when they finally made it to Tanna a week after the cyclone hit. “Our factory – our pride and joy, had been picked up and blown 70 metres and was just a ball of steel. When we

saw it, we had glazed eyes and were choked up. The love the work, the time we put into it, had been completely annihilated in just one night. It was pretty devastating. The landscape looked like it had all been burnt, but it was the wind damage, it completely stripped everything. “The other major concern for us was our workers. We have 20 people working for us in Tanna. Ten are working in the coffee plantation, which was severely damaged although salvageable. We checked on all the staff and made sure they had food and water. One of the things we really noticed is that even through all of this, they still had a smile. They have lost everything, but still smile.” With pictures that showed the damage

This is what Jono and Jason faced, when they arrived in Tanna. All that was left of the mill was a concrete slab and a ball of twisted steel.

all too clearly, Jono’s presentation made it very obvious that the Ni Vanuatu need as much help as they can get to get back on their feet. That help was given a massive boost, by the money raised at a charity auction and dinner. Scenic Hotel provided a three-course meal, free of charge. Every cent of the $95 ticket price went into the fundraising.

Wineries throughout the province provided not only wine for the tables, but also for the charity auction, with a large number of items going for $500 or more. The highest price paid on the night was $1300 for a degustation meal at Gibbs Restaurant. In total the night raised $21,000, to add to the $11,000 already raised locally. Money can still be donated via the

bank account established by Wine Marlborough. If you are keen to donate, here are the account details. Account Number: 06-0601-018290303 Account Name: Cyclone Pam Relief Reference: Please include the words “Help Heal Vanuatu” in the reference field and your name/business if you wish.

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WINEPRESS April 2015

NZW Export News – February 2015 Key Points • MAT February 2015 export value is $1.371 billion, up 7% on the previous year. • MAT February 2015 exports are 197.5 m. litres, up 8% on the previous year; packaged exports are +1% for the period and other exports are up 25%. • Average value MAT February 2015 is $6.84 per litre down 4% on the previous year; packaged export value is $8.23 per litre down 2% on the previous year. NB: WECS, which is the source for volume data in this Report, moved to a different software system in October 2014. This has affected the data in this Report. Going forward the new software will deliver better alignment with the Statistics NZ value data as WECS data will now record the date of shipment from NZ, not the date of certification. Short term and unavoidably this means, in comparison to previous data,YTD and MAT February exports are understated by 3.6 m. litres, all of which is packaged product. In the Report reference to ‘adjusted WECS data’ means the data includes this 3.6m. litres Total Export Volume & Value • MAT February 2015 total value of exports is $1.371 billion, up 7% on the previous year. • YTDFebruary 2015 total value of exports is $951.9 million, up 5% on the previous year. • Total value of February 2015 exports was $101.7 m. down 2% on February 2014. • MAT February 2015 exports are 197.5 m. litres, up 8% (15.0 m. litres) on the previous year. Based on adjusted WECS data, exports are 201.1 m litres up 10% (18.6 m. litres). • YTD February 2015 exports are 141.2 m. litres, up 7% (9.7 m. litres) on the previous year. Based on adjusted WECS data, exports are 144.8 m litres up 10% (13.3 m. litres). • February 2015 exports were 15.2m. litres up 2% (0.2 m. litres) on February 2014.

WINEPRESS May 2015

Export Value per Litre All wines • February 2015 average value was $6.08 per litre, down $0.80 per litre on February 2014. • YTD February 2015 average value is $6.62 per litre. • MAT February 2015 average price is $6.84 per litre, down 4% or $0.25 per litre on MAT February 2014. Packaged wines • Excluding unpackaged wine from the data, the February 2015 average value was $8.30 per litre, up $0.05 per litre on February 2014. • YTD February 2015 the average price is $8.18 per litre. • MAT February 2015 the average price is $8.23 per litre, down $0.12 per litre (2%) on MAT February 2014. • MAT February 2015 prices are up 5% to the UK, but are down 3% to USA & Australia, and 6% to Canada.

(5.0 m. litres). • MAT February 2015 packaged exports are led by the USA +12% and Canada +8%. • Exports of packaged wines YTD February 2015 are 87.2 m. litres, down 3% on the previous year. Based on adjusted WECS data, exports are 90.8 m litres up 1%. • February 2015 packaged exports were 9.3 m. litres, down 10% on February 2014. • Other (non-packaged) wine shipments MAT February 2015 are 67.3 m. litres up 25% (34.1% of export volume). Non- packaged shipments growth is led by Australia (+50%). • Non-packaged exports YTD February 2015 are 54.0 m. litres up 30% (12.5 m. litres) on the previous year. • February 2015 non-packaged shipments were 5.9 m. litres, up 29% on February 2014.

Export Volume by Country of Destination • In February, for the major markets, exports were up 47% to Australia but were down 4% to the USA and 36% to the UK. Canada was down 8% for the month, while performance of other markets was mixed, with the best performers being Denmark and China. • YTD February 2015 growth is led by the USA +11% with UK +9% & Australia +6%. Shipments to Canada are +10% on last year. Netherlands & Denmark are the other best performers. • MAT February 2015 growth is led by the UK +12% and the USA +11%, with Australia is +4%. Canada shipments are +9% for the year. Performance of other tracked markets is mixed with Denmark the strongest performer +37%.

Exports by Variety/Style • In February 2015 Sauvignon Blanc exports were 13.2 m. litres, up 4% from the previous year, accounting for 86.8% of export volume. Of the Sauvignon Blanc exported in February, 12.9 m litres was from Vintage 2014.

Export Volume by Packaging Type • Exports of packaged wines MAT February 2015 are 130.2 m. litres up 1.1% (1.4 m. litres) on the previous year and are 65.9% of total export volume. Based on adjusted WECS data, exports are 133.8 m. litres up 4%

Performance of other styles was uniformly weak in February. • YTD February 2015 Sauvignon Blanc exports are 123.9 m. litres up 9% on the previous year. Performance of other styles is mixed with Pinot Gris the strongest performer. • MAT February 2015, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 170.6 m. litres up 9% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is mixed with Pinot Gris +23% the strongest performer. • Production of Sauvignon Blanc in 2014 is estimated to have been 231.1 m. litres, 36% up on the previous year. Shipments of vintage 2014 Sauvignon Blanc since release are 120.9 m. litres or 52.3% of estimated production – this is a lower share than at the same time after vintages 2010 - 2014.

Business Winners TESSA NICHOLSON

They may not have known much about the wine industry seven years ago, but that hasn’t stopped Focus Labour Solutions from taking out a major business award. Focus Labour Solutions Ltd (FLS), is a small contracting business, which supplies labour to vineyards throughout Marlborough. Despite only being a few years old, the company took out three awards at the Chamber of Commerce Business Awards earlier this year, including the Supreme Winner. For owners Barbara Mortensen and Craig Mill, it is a long way from where they began back in 2008 – just prior to the worst recession experienced for a number of decades. Both Craig and Barbara are imports to Marlborough, attracted here by the lifestyle, rather than the wine industry itself. But wanting a challenge, they decided to establish a labour contracting business, that would focus on high quality. “At that time there was a big demand for workers,” Craig says, “ and we were pretty good at organising things, so we thought let’s give it a go. It was a challenge and we were pretty ignorant I have to admit.” Realising that early on, they knew they needed to learn more about the wine industry, so off the two went to night school to study viticulture. “That was a big ask, going back to school,” Craig admits. “But we learned more about (the industry) and it has gone from there.” Then it was a case of getting vineyards to supply workers to. They began by approaching vineyard managers, with a number offering them small blocks to have a go at – and as Craig says, it moved quickly from there, to the full vineyard. Word of mouth ensured they had a steady supply of work coming on stream. “We realized pretty quickly that there were enough big contractors to do

the major stuff,’ Barbara says. “But we wanted to do something different, so we focused on quality. We didn’t want to get too large. We do have some large clients, such as Spy Valley and Lawson’s Dry Hills. But the important thing for us is that all our clients are like us, they have skin in the game. And they are as passionate about quality as we are.”

With help from Wine Marlborough’s Seasonal Labour Coordinator, Focus Labour Solutions quickly attracted a secure workforce. Seven years after setting up, some of their original staff members are still employed by them. And for both Craig and Barbara, it is about Kiwis first, despite being RSE accredited and having close to 20 Vanuatuans employed under the scheme. With 13 permanent staff, the company employs anywhere between 60 and 100 casuals during the year, of all ages from 17 to 65. And there is no intention of growing exponentially Craig says, as that would interfere with their hands on quality focus. “We want to stay at a manageable level,

but having said that we would like to increase our client base by another 30 percent.” Youth Employment Programme Another side of FLS is the relationship they have with WINZ establishing a Youth Employment Programme. Craig says the pilot programme, which ended in February, was highly successful. Ten young people aged between 17 and 25, were brought down from the North Island, with Craig and Barbara aiming to teach them how to become good employees. Accommodation, pastoral care, and life skills were taught to the workers over a four-month period. Each worker was subjected to similar rules that RSE workers are – they had to be alcohol and drug free and if they broke the law they were out of the programme. Craig says the results have been fantastic. “We had 10 young people and eight are still here working. It is one of the biggest success rates of any such programme in the country. We had hoped that we would get a 50 percent success rate, but instead we got 80 percent.” Barbara says one of the great advantages of bringing the people into Marlborough, is it removes them from their previous environment, allowing them a completely fresh start. “We didn’t expect these young people to fall in love with the wine industry – but we did want to teach them how to become a good employee.Yet many have fallen in love with the industry as well, and have retained full time jobs.” While the programme was a pilot, both Craig and Barbara are keen for it to become a permanent fixture of FLS.

WINEPRESS May 2015

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Lex Thomson B.Vit & Oen. is available to assist the winegrower. Grapevine Propagation Specialists

Our field is providing commercially proven clones at a competitive price. Our focus is producing premium grapevines certified to the NZWG Grafted Grapevine Standard.

Marlborough based but ship nation wide Priority service for Repeat Customers Market leaders in ONL ‘Hi-Stem’™ vines

Office: 03 5776354 148 Rowley Crescent, Grovetown, Blenheim 7202 office@ormondnurseries.co.nz

www.ormondnurseries.co.nz

WINEPRESS May 2015

Services include: • Viticulture consultation and vineyard management. • Pruning and training workshops. • Pest and disease monitoring. • Assistance with SWNZ scorecards, audits and the associated record keeping. • Irrigation audits. • Yield assessments. • Fruit maturity sampling. • Specialised pruning. Visit www.vitpractice.co.nz for details about our full range of viticulture services. Ph: 021 230 2348. Email: lexthomson@vitpractice.co.nz

Wine Happenings A monthly list of events within the New Zealand wine industry. To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to tessa.nicholson@me.com

JUNE 10 10 11 23

NZW Grape Day – Marlborough, Bleneim Convention Centre Hot Hawke’s Bay – Auckland – Maritime Museum Hot Hawke’s Bay – Wellington – Mac’s Function Centre, Taranaki Street Wharf ANZ Biz Hub - How to Network and Grow Your Business

JULY 2 3 8-10

Hawke’s Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year – Te Awa Estate Winery Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year Competition Organic/Biodynamic Wine and Viticulture Conference – Blenheim Convention Centre. Register at www. organicwineconference.com 17 Central Otago Young Viticulturist of The Year Competition 24 Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year – Marlborough Research Centre – For more information contact Samantha Young – samantha@wine-marlborough.co.nz 28 Martinborough Young Viticulturist of the Year 30 – August 2: Auckland Food Show – ASB Showgrounds, Auckland 31 Hawke’s Bay Young Winemaker Competition

AUGUST 26-28

Romeo Bragato Conference 2015 – Hastings

SEPTEMBER 4-6

Wellington Food Show, Westpac Stadium, Wellington

AN ODE TO MARLBOROUGH MOTHERS MOTHER’S DAY SUNDAY 10TH MAY

Both our Casual Bistro and Gourmet Restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner this Mother’s Day. We have a special menu available for lunch in both Restaurants. An opportunity to dine with Silver Service without the price tag. Let's face it, Mothers are worth it! Garden Bistro 3 Course Menu with two glasses of wine and choice of tea or coffee $89pp Gourmet Restaurant Homemade bread, 3 Course Menu with two glasses of wine, Petite Fours and choice of tea or coffee $118pp Our normal menus will resume for dinner—the last evening our Gourmet Restaurant is open for the Season! HERZOG’S SEASONAL HOURS

WINEPRESS May 2015

News From Home and Away Festival DVD Anyone visiting the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival in recent years would find it hard to believe that back in 1984 the event attracted just a few hundred people and there were only five wineries in the region to visit. Those original festival goers would probably also have scoffed at the idea that the event would grow to be the longest running festival of its kind in New Zealand attracting thousands of consumers with more than 50 wineries taking part. Or that it would contribute $800,000 to Marlborough’s GDP each year. Which is part of the reason why a DVD focusing on the early pioneers of the event is quickly becoming a slice of Marlborough’s history. So much so that it will become a feature of the Wine Exhibition at Marlborough Museum. The documentary previewed at Top Town Cinemas, prior to this year’s festival is now also available to purchase on DVD. Made by local film-maker Paul Davidson and Wellingtonbased researcher Barbara Gibb, the 50-minute story is made up of tributes, celebrations and nostalgia. The two disc DVD is available from Marlborough Museum or by emailing Paul Davidson at paul@bytesize.co.nz.

Central Otago Pinot Noir In A Glass Of Its Own You know you are wine region of international acclaim, when a 300-yearold glass manufacturer produces a glass specifically designed for one of your wines. That’s what has happened in Central Otago with Riedel Glass releasing a new glass designed to showcase the region’s Pinot Noir. Central Otago joins the likes of Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy who all have glasses created for their unique styles of wine. And for those who are hanging out to try them, they will be available for sale in mid May. Now is it time for a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc glass?

UK Gets First NZ Wine Store It was only last year that Mel Brown’s New Zealand Cellars appeared on-line in the UK. Now the dynamic Kiwi has funding to establish a stand-alone store that will specialise in premium New Zealand wines only. The store will be based in Brixton, south London. This area was the base for a pop-up store operated by Mel prior to Christmas, when £13,000 worth of New Zealand wine was sold in just a matter of hours. The area is going through a regeneration currently, which Mel says makes it ideal for any store selling premium wines. The funding of £35,000 for the store came through the crowd funding platform Kickstarter and 103 percent of the money was raised in just five days. NZ Cellars is not the only one to have achieved a mammoth boost through crowd funding. Invivo Wines launched a campaign in March to raise $2 million to help with expansion. That total was raised in 11 days, with the company now welcoming 439 new shareholders.

 CUSTOM CONTROLLED AREA  APPROVED TRANSITIONAL FACILITY FOR UNLOADING OF IMPORTED CONTAINERS

PROVINCIAL

COLDSTORES LIMITED LET US TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS IN OUR

• Over 60,000 cubic metres of storage spread over two sites • Chilled storage available during vintage for handpicked grapes • Sophisticated monitoring equipment ensures your product is kept at the optimum temperature • We could lease you a small room for your exclusive use to suit your partic ular temperature requirements (0°C to +30°C) • We store bottled wine, barrels of wine, new plants awaiting the opportune time to plant • Individual rooms available which are being used to grow new budwood

Old Renwick Road, Blenheim. Tel: 03 5782648 Fax: 03 5782546 Gouland Road, Spring Creek. Tel: 03 5705944 Fax 03 5705955

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

WINEPRESS May 2015

The all new Farmlands Blenheim store is moving to a location near you soon… …15 Westwood Avenue, Springlands to be precise! Farmlands is all about providing the best rural solutions to our shareholders. That’s what we were set up to do and we’ve been doing it ever since. When you become a Farmlands shareholder you get to share in all the specials and offers we bring you PLUS sign up to be a shareholder from now until 30th June 2015 and receive a $100.00 Farmlands voucher. Call in and visit us for all your Horticultural requirements including: • Viticulture and Horticulture Development • Viticulture and Horticulture inputs • Winery production and cleaning supplies PLUS the Farmlands team is available to cater for all your business requirements including:

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• Retail • Nutrition • Card

• Lubricants • Fuel • Livestock

• Finance • Grain & Seed • Real Estate

For more information contact the Blenheim store on (03) 579 3150. *The voucher will be sent to the proposed shareholder after acceptance as a shareholder by the Farmlands’ Board of Directors. Terms and Conditions apply.

NEW E STOR