Winepress May 2017

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 269 / MAY 2017

VINTAGE 2017

ENVIRONMENT AWARDS

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

PURE MARLBOROUGH

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this issue...

REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

Editorial

9

From the Board - Michael Wentworth

6

Tasman Crop Met Report

20

Gen Y-ine - Karen Marchant

22

The Block - Fromm

24

Biosecurity Watch

26

Industry News

28

ANZ Wine Happenings

12

9

Vintage 2017 Vintage 2017 was one of the most challenging Marlborough’s wine industry has experienced.

But rigorous spray schedules and diligent viticulture were rewarded with good clean fruit, say industry members.

Environment Awards Three of the six winners at the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards are from the wine industry, including the Supreme Award winner Dog Point Vineyard.

14 Pure Marlborough Wine

Marlborough’s hard won

reputation is being steadily eroded by bulk wine exports, say the men behind Pure Marlborough Wine.

16 Natural Storyteller Persuading consumers that

Cover: Eradus Wines’ beautiful Awatere Valley vineyard following Vintage 2017. Photo by Jim Tannock

16

22

naturally produced wines are the way of the future is very much about telling and selling a story, says Daniel Honan, the Hunter Valley based journalist behind The Wine Idealist website.

Winepress May 2017 / 1

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

From the Editor “When it is straightforward anyone can do it,” says Nautilus Winemaker Clive Jones (pg 10), following a vintage beset by trials. “When it is more difficult you are relying on your experience, your winery set up and your staff to all come to the party and work a bit harder and try and make the best of challenging circumstances.”

It’s a message that’s come through time and again this season, as viticulturists used every trick in their tool belt to tackle a tough growing year and come through with clean fruit. It was a vintage to test their mettle, along with that of winemakers and their teams, and will serve to make the industry more resilient.

It was also a season to test grower-winery relationships, and not all have withstood the pressure. Wine Marlborough board member Simon Bishell says the lower than normal brix, and rain and disease pressure during harvest required give and take from both sides. Strong relationships saw growers work hard to meet the expectations of wineries, while wineries adapted those expectations in recognition of the year’s limitations.

That compromise was not always achieved, and Simon believes some wine companies will find themselves short of grapes when it comes to Vintage 2018.

“Growers will look to form a relationship with wineries that do treat their growers fairly.”

Regardless of how companies responded to the cards dealt by nature, everyone involved in harvest was in need of post-picking relief. Perfect timing then for the 16 Days of Sauvignon, a celebration of just how good Marlborough really has it. Industry players held daily events to recognise our flagship wine in the lead up to International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 5.

It is a good reminder that seasons come and go – including the occasional gruelling one – but the region continues to be a lucky one, with wines that put Marlborough on the map.

SOPHIE PREECE

Stuart Dudley stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd 03 578 1322

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

Winepress May 2017 / 3

From the Board Sharing Lessons Learned MICHAEL WENTWORTH

I AM sure we have all grappled with the challenges of health and safety reform within our own operations, since the introduction of the new laws back in 2015. The tragedy of Pike River, which ultimately led to the reform of the work place safety act, demonstrated to all industries that we needed to take greater responsibility for our own actions, our workplace and our staff.

Workplace safety is inextricably tied to the culture, leadership and management of any organisation and is fundamentally no different from any other business lesson. Lessons learned from the past shouldn’t only be taken from tragedy, but also near misses or “free lessons”.

Whilst businesses within competitive industries can often keep these lessons to themselves, for fear of reputational damage, the airline business in particular has been a great example of industry collaboration having a marked impact in reducing preventable incidents, resulting in a much safer experience for us all.

Don’t let all the legal jargon and complexities of health and safety law reform prevent you from making a start. It isn’t and shouldn’t be complicated. Your end goal should be getting yourself and your team home safely at the end of the day. At its very essence it’s about thinking about what you do before you do it, identifying potential risks and mitigating them.

If you are new to health and safety rules and looking for some additional support in building or reviewing your own systems, New Zealand 4 / Winepress May 2017

Winegrowers and Worksafe NZ have produced a vineyard and winery guide that is a useful starting point. The straightforward guide outlines your legal Michael Wentworth and moral obligations to your staff and gives a common sense, practical approach to introducing or adjusting your processes. A copy of the guide can be downloaded from the members section of the New Zealand Winegrowers website (www.nzwine. com/members/advocacy/health-andsafety-at-work-act-2015/) Closer to home we have the Marlborough Health & Safety Forum, (www.marlboroughsafetyforum.com), which includes representatives from ACC, the Labour Group and local health and safety specialists, a number of whom are from the wine industry.

The forum meets once a month, but also provides valuable advice and “how to” guides for setting up your own health and safety systems in addition to facilitating training sessions for your team.

In the coming weeks you will hear of an initiative from health and safety representatives from within our own industry looking to share key lessons in safe practices. Much like the workshop sessions run by Wine Marlborough following the recent earthquakes, the

goal is to share lessons learned from past incidents and near misses and the results of new initiatives implemented, with the goal of reducing potential incident and harm across our industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming notices and make sure you get someone from your team along.

Regardless of your level of expertise, get involved. Like any continuous improvement process, half the challenge is identifying what is the standard (best practice) and the balance is about effective communication and bringing everyone along with you. What better way to make some quick gains in your own working environment than by learning from others? Best practice varies over time as new evidence and new possibilities emerge. Collaboration with the “external world” allows for a richer exchange of ideas, where no single business has all the answers. Get involved and stay safe.

Vintage 2017 Photos at Marisco Vineyards

by Daniel Goncalves

Winepress May 2017 / 5

Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – April 2017

April April 2017

2017 Compared

to LTA GDD’s for: Month - Max/Min¹ 119.8 109% Month – Mean² 119.0 105% Growing Degree Days Total Jul 16 - Apr 17 – Max/Min 1361.9 103% Jul 16 - Apr 17 – Mean 1329.5 98% Mean Maximum (°C) 18.5 -0.3°C Mean Minimum (°C) 9.5 Mean Temp (°C) 14.0 +0.6°C Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 0 1 less Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 0 - Sunshine hours 169.2 90% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2017 898.2 100% Rainfall (mm) 131.4 248% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2017 267.4 143% Evapotranspiration – mm 57.5 92% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 181.2 81% Mean soil temp – 10cm 14.2 +2.2°C Mean soil temp – 30cm 16.1 +1.6°C

Temperature April LTA

Period of LTA

April 2016

110.2 113.8

(1996-2016) (1996-2016)

116.1 123.3

1322.9 1355.3 18.8 8.0 13.4 1.2 0.2 187.3 92.1 238.5 896.6 53.2 0.6 173.0 187.5 62.8 222.8 12.0 14.5

(1996-2016) (1996-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016) (1930-2016) 1938 1958 (1930-2016) (1930-2016) 1992 1962 (1930-2016) (1996-2016) (1996-2016) (1986-2016) (1986-2016)

1406.7 1446.2 19.7 8.0 13.9 1 0 238.3 1001.9 25.6 159.6 68.7 211.3 12.4 15.4

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures April 2017 was warm, overcast with high rainfall and calm. However, April was a month of two distinct halves. The first half of April recorded very high rainfall and little sunshine. The second half of April recorded very little rainfall and high sunshine hours.

Mean Mean Mean Deviation Maximum Minimum 17.8 10.7 14.2 +0.8°C 18.0 9.8 13.9 +0.5°C 18.3 9.0 13.6 +0.2°C 19.9 7.5 13.7 +0.3°C

Rainfall (mm) 52.6 76.0 1.4 0.0

Sunshine (hours) 19.3 25.5 53.4 64.3

19.2 18.5 (-0.3°C)

12.5 9.5 (+1.5°C)

15.8 +2.4°C 1.4 14.0 +0.6°C 131.4 (248%)

6.7 169.2 (90%)

18.8°C

8.0°C

13.4°C

187.3 hours

6 / Winepress May 2017

Rainfall April 2017 recorded 131.4 mm rain, 248% of the long-term average. This is the fifth highest April total on record for Blenheim for the 87 years 1930 to 2016.

The data in table 2 indicate that 128.6 mm of April’s rainfall was recorded in the first two weeks. Nine of the first 14 days of April recorded rainfall. The second half of April was dry with only two of the 16 days recording rainfall. 1.4 mm was recorded on the 15th and another 1.4 mm on the 29th.

Sunshine

Table 2: Weekly weather data for Blenheim during April 2017

1 – 7 April 8 – 14 April 15 – 21 April 22 – 28 April 29 – 30 April (2 days) April 2017 Long-term Average 1986-2016

The mean temperature of 14.0°C was 0.6°C above the long-term average.

However, with overcast weather in the first two weeks of April the maximum daily temperatures were below average and the minimum daily temperatures were above average (Table 2); i.e. the daily range in temperature was 7.7°C compared to the long term average daily range for April of 10.8°C. Clearer skies from 15 to 30 April meant that the daily maximum temperatures were higher and the minimum temperatures lower, with a daily range in temperature of 10.3°C. No ground or air frosts were recorded during April 2017. The coldest minimum temperatures were recorded on the morning of 10 April, with an air minimum of 4.7°C and a grass minimum (ground frost) of 0.1°C. The hottest day was 2 April with a maximum temperature of 25.8°C.

52.9 mm

The data in table 2 indicate that from 1 to 14 April only 44.8 hours of sunshine were recorded, or 51% of average. In complete contrast the 16 days from 15 to 30 April recorded 124.4 hours sunshine, or 125% of average. The first two weeks were very overcast associated with the high rainfall.

Season Weather Summary (September 2016 to April 2017) The April Met Report always contains a summary for the eight months of the growing season, September to April.

The data should allow you to compare

the season just completed with the long-term average and with some other recent seasons. Further daily data or monthly summaries for the Blenheim and Dashwood weather stations can be found on the Marlborough Research Centre website: www.mrc.org.nz You may be scratching your head wondering how it was possible for the 201617 season to be as warm as, or warmer than the four seasons 2012-13 to 2015-16. Figure 1 also indicates that the growing degree day deviation line to the end of April has ended up at a very similar point for the last four seasons. How is this possible when summer wasn’t the greatest and the ripening of grapes this year was later than in the previous three years? Summary of 2016-17 season weather parameters and how these may have affected ripening – Part 1 The following commentary was compiled by a number of Plant & Food Research staff and included in VineFacts Issue 26 on 6 April 2017. Hopefully it may offer some insights into what was happening with some of the weather parameters in the 2016-17 season, and how these affected the ripening of grapes.

Growing degree days (GDD), which are directly derived from the mean temperature are a simple means of comparing cumulative heat during a season. Figure 1 plots the difference in total GDD to any point in the season from the long-term average (LTA) total to the same point in time. The reason we use the difference in GDD from the LTA is so that you can see warm and cool periods during the season and be able to relate these to the grapevine phenology. By including the GDD graph in VineFacts and Met Report very regularly there may be a general impression that leads the reader to think that phenology/ ripening/ accumulation

of sugars etc. is largely driven by seasonal warmth (GDD). However, it is worth reminding readers that temperature is just part of the “maturity equation”.

Maximum and Minimum temperatures in the 2016-17 season The growing degree day line (Figure 1) does not show the contribution that the maximum and minimum temperatures make towards the GDD. In some seasons or during parts of a season either the maximum or minimum temperature may be further above or below average.

Whichever one is further from average will be making a stronger contribution to the GDD. Figure 2 shows the cumulative difference between the maximum daily temperature and the LTA and the minimum

daily temperatures and the LTA for the 2016-17 season; i.e. it shows if either temperature is further above or below average. If the line is sloping upwards the temperature is above the LTA. If the lines are diverging it means that one or other of the temperatures is further above or below average than the other.

Figure 2 indicates that the current season has been one where the daily minimum temperatures have been further above average than the daily maximum temperatures. This is especially evident from mid-February through until mid-April 2017; i.e. over the ripening period from véraison to harvest. The maximum daily temperatures in March/April were largely below average, whereas the minimum daily temperatures were largely above

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

Table 4: Mean temperature (September – April) for Blenheim for the last six seasons, contrasted with hot and cold seasons, and with the long term average (1986-2016) Season Long-term

average 89-90 97-98 92-93 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 Mean Temp (°C) 15.10 16.11 15.99 13.56 14.62 15.34 15.59 15.55 15.49 15.57

Hot Hot Very Cold Cold Warm Warm Warm Warm

Table 3: Monthly weather summary for Blenheim, for the 2016-17 growing season in comparison to the long-term average (19862016)

LTA 16/17 LTA 16/17 LTA 16/17 LTA 16/17 LTA 16/17 LTA 16/17 LTA 16/17

Rain Rain Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean GDD GDD ET ET Sun Sun

Max Max Min Min

mm mm °C °C °C °C °C mm mm hours hours Sep 52.8 26.4 16.2 16.1 6.0 7.2 11.1 11.6 51.5 62.1 71.6 63.8 191.8 164.9 Oct 60.4 58.6 18.3 19.3 7.8 8.4 13.1 13.9 99.2 124.8 101.8 115.3 228.5 233.9 Nov 50.5 86.4 19.9 20.5 9.4 10.7 14.7 15.6 140.4 167.7 123.3 126.6 240.9 232.3 Dec 47.3 20.2 21.9 21.7 11.6 11.6 16.8 16.7 209.5 207 139.7 153.7 248.8 253.0 Jan 45.2 27.2 23.4 23.9 12.7 12.9 18.1 18.4 246.7 260.5 140.3 181.5 261.8 282.0 Feb 44.2 61.8 23.2 23.1 12.4 12.9 17.8 18.0 220.6 223.6 111.5 121.9 227.0 246.3 Mar 39.2 47.0 21.5 20.9 10.5 11.8 16.0 16.3 187.7 196.4 100.3 84.7 231.3 200.7 Apr 48.2 131.4 18.8 18.5 8.0 9.5 13.4 14.0 105.2 119.8 63.1 57.5 190.5 169.2 Total 387.8 459.0 1260.8 1361.9 850.3 905.0 1820.5 1782.3 Mean 20.4 20.5 9.8 10.6 15.1 15.6 % of LTA or deviation 118% +0.1°C +0.8°C +0.5°C 108% 106% 98%

Winepress April May / 7

average; i.e. the two lines were diverging.

The overcast cloudy weather in March and the first half of April 2017 meant that the daily range in temperature was well below the LTA. In the 2016-17 season the daily minimum temperature has made a stronger contribution to the GDD than the daily maximum temperature.

Figure 3 for the previous season (201516) shows a different trend. The maximum temperature line is higher than the

minimum temperature line, indicating that the maximum temperature made a slightly stronger contribution to the total GDDs than the minimum temperature.

Sunshine One of the main drivers of ripening is sunlight. For grapes to ripen the leaves need sunshine to produce carbohydrates.

Lower sunshine hours mean fewer carbohydrates are produced. The ripening

Table 5: Sunshine hours for Blenheim for February and March

February February

Sunshine Sunshine as

hours % of LTA 2012 133.6 59% 2013 291.1 128% 2014 241.4 106% 2015 264.1 116% 2016 289.3 127% 2017 246.3 109% Long-term average 227

March Sunshine hours 192.5 255.0 232.8 244.2 241.9 200.7

March Sunsine as % of LTA 83% 110% 101% 106% 105% 87%

231.3

Total Total Sunshine Sunshine as hours % of LTA 326.1 71% 546.1 119% 474.2 103% 508.3 111% 531.2 116% 447.0 98% 458.2

Figure 2: Cumulative difference between maximum temperatures and the long-term average and minimum temperatures and the long-term average for Blenheim: 1 September 2016 to 30 April 2017

phase of Marlborough Sauvignon blanc normally begins in the second or third week of February when vĂŠraison occurs and continues through until mid- to late-April for later ripening blocks. Total sunshine hours for both February and March are summarised in Table 5, for the six years 2012 to 2017, and compared with the long-term average.

The data in Table 5 indicate that 2013, 2015 and 2016 all recorded well above average sunshine hours in both February and March. The sunshine hours recorded in these three years were exceptional, and we need to remind ourselves that such sunny conditions cannot be expected every year. As well as above average sunshine hours in those three seasons the total GDD were also above average. In complete contrast February and March 2012 recorded only 71% of average sunshine, and approximately 200 hours less sunshine than 2013, 2015 and 2016. Figure 1 also reminds us that 2012 was also a very cool season.

In the current season sunshine hours were above average in February but well below average in March (41.2 hours less sunshine in March 2017 compared to March 2016) and also well below average in the first half of April. What this tells us is that during the main period of ripening in 2017 that low sunshine was slowing down the ripening of grapes.

The second half of this commentary will be included in the June issue of Winepress.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Figure 3: Cumulative difference between maximum temperatures and the long-term average and minimum temperatures and the long-term average for Blenheim: 1 September 2015 to 30 April 2016

8 / Winepress May 2017

Harvest Headaches Good viticulture rewarded in the challenging Vintage 2017 SOPHIE PREECE

Photo by Daniel Goncalves

VINTAGE 2017 was one of the most challenging Marlborough’s wine industry has experienced, with the major November earthquake, inclement summer, and extraordinary January winds, followed by a series of major rain events during a drawn out and humid harvest.

It was a rough ride that resulted in lower brix, disease pressure, and reduced harvest expectations for many. However, Wine Marlborough Chairman Rhyan Wardman says growers with rigorous spray schedules and diligent viticulture were rewarded with good clean fruit. “Yes, the brix are not as high as those historically achieved, but for me this year was about the cleanliness of the fruit and the purity of the aromatics and the flavours. For me we had to preserve that at all costs,” he says.

Marlborough has been dealing with seasonal variation for four decades, and can produce excellent wine in a challenging vintage as well as a good one, he says. Now the task for the industry’s sales force is to get

that message to the market, which may seek to leverage off news of a tough year. “It’s so important that when there is anchoring and posturing, that we can cut though that as an industry and

“For me this year was about the cleanliness of the fruit and the purity of the aromatics and the flavours.”

Rhyan Wardman say, ‘have a taste of this. It has good typicity, is slightly lower in alcohol and has all the hallmarks and cues of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’.”

Rhyan says the naturally lower alcohol levels likely to be produced from the vintage “dovetail nicely” into New Zealand Winegrowers’ Lifestyle Wines lower alcohol project.

Meanwhile, it has been a “fabulous” year for Marlborough Pinot Noir and Chardonnay picked before the humidity and rain.

He expects total yields to be down 10% from the New Zealand Winegrowers pre-vintage estimates, but the industry at large has proven itself resilient. “For many there is an acceptance that this is agriculture and every so often you will get a challenging year, and so you will have prepared for it. I think we’ll come out and take this as a bit of a learning curve, but be proud of what was collectively achieved.”

Dog Point’s Ivan Sutherland calls this one of the most “testing” growing years he has experienced, adding that viticulturists “have really earned their money”, along with vineyard managers and viticultural staff. Good practices, including balanced crops

Winepress May 2017 / 9

adjusted for the conditions, meant his company and many others harvested at “desirable parameters” before the big rain, and he’s seen plenty of good fruit head into the winery, including some “outstanding” Marlborough Pinot Noir.

“What I am saying is that the recent rain event hasn’t had an impact on all of the fruit that will come out of this valley, and there was some very high quality fruit harvested,” he says.

However, he has concerns that all wine companies will carry the stress of the season when it comes to the market, regardless of the quality of the wine. “It would be disappointing for this vintage to get a rap like 2008, when there were outstanding wines, but because rain came at the end and it was hard to harvest, everyone got tarred by the same brush.”

Mariso Vineyards Winery General Manager Matthew Mitchell says picking early was the key to this season. “Fortunately most varieties have shown good flavour, with balanced acids at low brix.”

Forrest Estate’s John Forrest says companies knew at flowering that the harvest was running later than a typical year, and many chose to drop more fruit in order to enable ripening before autumn weather cooled. Sauvignon Blanc crops of 9 to 12 tonnes a hectare, which were once typical of Marlborough, were likely to have ripened before the worst of the rain events, he says. He and a number of other viticulturists also set about leaf thinning in March, to expose fruit and reduce disease, and also to remove the new flush of autumn shoots, to enable the vines to put energy into ripening fruit.

Nautilus Estate Winemaker Clive Jones says 2017 is the most challenging vintage the company has been through in a long time, and the longest vintage it has ever had. The company began with sparkling on March 1 and did not finish until April 23, during which time the team worked hard to take in as much fruit as they could at optimal times. “We challenged ourselves big time in the winery. We smashed our

10 / Winepress May 2017

previous record in terms of a 24-hour intake I think three times this vintage.”

And “there are some absolute highlights”, he says, including sparkling wines that came in close to optimum ripeness and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that look like some of the best Nautilus has ever made.

While not all the fruit was picked at typical brix, Clive Rhyan Wardman is confident the wine will reflect the company’s experience. “We seem to do better in the slightly more challenging season anyway. When

“We seem to do better in the slightly more challenging season anyway.

When it is straightforward anyone can do it.”

Clive Jones it is straightforward anyone can do it,” he says. “When it is more difficult you are relying on your experience, your winery set-up and your staff to all come to the party and work a bit harder and try and make the best of challenging circumstances.”

Clive says one of the big things about such vintages is managing risk and making judgment calls on when

fruit is picked, whether that is before or after a rain event. “How you respond to these sort of seasons probably is a good indication of how you are tracking.”

ANZ’s Rob Simcic says over the past five vintages no two years have been the same in terms of production.

However, what is unusual about this vintage is the extraordinary late season weather conditions creating complications with disease pressure and ripening challenges. “This has impacted a number of growers who have been unable to harvest a portion of, or in some rare cases, all of their fruit.”

Rob says last year’s bumper season saw many growers bank the financial returns of Vintage 2016, by using surplus revenue from the strong growing year to reduce debt. Seasons like 2017 pay off that kind of approach, “as those growers will find themselves in a relatively strong position to cope with what will undoubtedly be a tough year”, he says.

Wine Marlborough board member Simon Bishell says there will certainly be some growers “feeling some pain”.

But farming is a long-term game, he says. “We had a good year last year and for the vast majority of growers, if we took a rolling average over the past two years, you’ll still come out ok.”

Vintage Overview Wine Marlborough grower representative Simon Bishell says a poor flowering period from early to mid-December was a blessing for some growers, with naturally lower crops in varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which consequently had more chance of ripening before the rain events over harvest.

However, other crops that traditionally flower closer to Christmas, including those in some of the region’s fringe areas, had a “great flowering”, leading to a larger crop load. At flowering it was apparent that harvest dates were running behind by around five days, on average, making balanced crops even more important, says Simon, who did yield adjustments on more than 50% of his vineyards.

“We know where we can comfortably sit to be able to ripen things in time for a good wine style,” he says. Anything over and above that and growers risked fragmenting the relationship with their wine company and exposing themselves to the season, increasing the risk of unripe fruit and adverse weather conditions.

A grey December was followed by strong January winds, which were “a big spanner in the works” for viticulture, he says. At that time of year, especially in the face of a powdery mildew incursion, growers are already busy spraying, trimming and defoliating, and could hardly spare the time to fix trellis damaged by the wind.

He also believes the wind had an effect on the vines and their ability to assimilate carbohydrates at that time of year, meaning they went into “survival mode” instead of ripening fruit. “It’s common to get windy days, but it blew a lot during the night too – it often blew harder during the night than it did during the day.”

The wind made sprays less effective against powdery mildew. And even where the infection was controlled, the skins had been weakened, which increased the risk of botrytis. Simon says the first big rain event in mid-March “lit the fire” as berries split and allowed the introduction of

Simon Bishell

botrytis spores. “And every rain event since then has been pouring more petrol on the fire,” he says.

“We probably had 20% of our average annual rainfall in the four weeks leading up to and through vintage, which is not why we traditionally grow grapes in Marlborough.”

There was also unwelcome humidity in the mix, with warm nights in lieu of the cool chill Marlborough expects in autumn.

Fruitfed Supplies representative Blair McLean says powdery mildew was a major issue in the humid growing season, when windy conditions foiled good spray coverage.

The powdery can make skins “soft and ruptured”, which makes fruit more susceptible to botrytis infections through the wet harvest. Blair says some late season soft chemistry products had performed well, “so we have been selling a lot of those to try and lessen the botrytis for our clients”.

A mealy bug incursion added to a season Blair believes is probably the toughest in 20 years, without even taking into consideration the November earthquake that damaged many Marlborough wineries. “Some of my clients call it gruesome.”

Compromise builds good relationships Marlborough’s grape harvest has tested industry relationships, and found some of them wanting, says Wine Marlborough board member Simon Bishell. “I think the wash-up of the 2017 vintage will be interesting when it comes to grower-winery relationships.”

The grower says compromise is vital to getting through such a testing season with good fruit and good wine. “Growers need to be able to do everything they can, that the wine company reasonably asks of them, to make sure the crop comes in at an acceptable condition.”

Meanwhile, wine companies also needed to be prepared to soften their standards and general parameters in years of exceptional circumstances, he says. “This year most

wineries have foreseen the challenging conditions and have picked grapes slightly earlier than usual to limit disease incidence.”

However, he has also heard reports of wine companies rejecting fruit because the contract states 22 brix and they’ll take nothing lower. “That is pretty disappointing to hear,” he says. “The wineries need to be prepared to compromise in these seasons that are out of the ordinary…

Otherwise what will happen is next year those wineries may find they won’t have the grapes available to meet market. Growers will look to form a relationship with wineries that do treat their growers fairly.”

Winepress May 2017 / 11

Environmental Accolades Dog Point take top spot at Environment Awards SOPHIE PREECE

THREE OF the six winners at the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards are from the wine industry, including the Supreme Award winner Dog Point Vineyard.

The Fairhall wine company took the top accolade at last month’s awards ceremony, with judges commending the company’s work to create native bush, open parklands, productive orchards and woodlots alongside the organic vineyard, calling it “a great example of biodiversity and commercial success in action”.

Dog Point also won the Landscape and Habitat Enhancement category, while Tohu won the Wine Industry Innovation category, sponsored by Wine Marlborough, for its extensive research into organic methods of controlling brown beetle. (See Winepress, September 2016) The Business Innovation category was won by Southern Water Engineering, which designs, builds and installs irrigation, water storage and waste disposal systems, with a focus on conserving water in Marlborough vineyards.

Awards co-ordinator Bev Doole says it is “particularly pleasing” to recognise the three award winners’ approach to issues facing the whole industry - water use and management, removal of shelter belts and loss of biodiversity, as well as market demand for less pesticide use. “They are three great examples of companies that are leading the way in finding solutions rather than focusing on business as usual.”

12 / Winepress May 2017

Dog Point Vineyards, owned by Margaret and Ivan Sutherland, is the largest organic vineyard in New Zealand, with 110 hectares of the 200ha property planted in BioGro certified vines, and the rest devoted to pasture and plantings. Judges said that as more shelterbelts were bulldozed to make Dog Point viticulturist Nigel Sowman amid extensive way for vineyards on the native plantings at Dog Point Vineyard.

Wairau Plain, the extensive and diverse plantings at the property were “truly inspiring”. would dearly like to see more plantings Ivan says biodiversity is something around”, he says. “It’s a beautiful region the couple have felt strongly about we have here and we don’t have to since they took over the Dog Point have just a monoculture of grapes. We property in 1991, and cleared out can have vines with aesthetic plantings three truck and trailer loads worth of done in a nice way.” rubbish, before looking at the areas The Cawthron Marlborough they could plant. “And we will carry it Environment Awards are held every on. We haven’t finished yet.” two years to showcase businesses and They chose the organic approach community projects that protect and to reduce the use of sprays and enhance the environment. Bev says improve the environment they were looking ahead to the 2019 awards, the working and living in, rather than for organisers would be keen to see entries marketing reasons. Improved fruit that tackle the “thorny issues” of grape quality was another key objective. But marc disposal and what to do with markets, and those in Scandinavia broken vineyard posts. in particular, are now requesting The wine industry-related that the label recognise the organic winners will be showcased at a field certification, reflecting a global trend day on Thursday May 25, at Dog towards knowing where food comes Point Vineyard, Fairhall. Times and from and how it is grown, he says. programme details will be emailed The Sutherlands are “not big” out through the Wine Marlborough on shows and awards, but decided database. to enter the Environment Awards in order to demonstrate what can be done to create and protect a greater biodiversity in the region, “because we

Power Play

TAKING CLAYVIN vineyard off the grid has been good for more than just the environment, says Giesen Viticulturist Kurt Simcic, standing beneath 10 gleaming photovoltaic solar panels. “It changes the way people are doing things. It brings a lot more care and ownership into the property.”

The organic Wrekin Rd vineyard made the move to self-sufficiency late last year, when the company was faced with a $30,000 tab to obtain power for the smoko shed, because the previous power source – an adjoining house – was no longer available.

The cost to put in solar was about the same, kick starting a series of transitions at the site. A backup diesel generator is on hand to charge the battery bank in high-use periods or if cloudy skies do not generate enough power. But the gloomy summer has proven the perfect test case, with the charge sufficient throughout, as long as power is conserved through efficiencies.

Another key element is the collection of winter rainwater from a new shed to fill two 30,000-litre water tanks. The tanks mean the company can avoid drawing on its well or the Southern Valleys irrigation scheme, and is ready for a future transition to biodynamic certification, says Kurt.

“It brings a lot more care and ownership into the property.”

Kurt Simcic A new composting toilet building, clad in timber and decked out with a stylish oak barrel basin, has replaced the portaloo at the vineyard, and staff are using downtime to landscape

Kurt Simcic

around it, when they’re not feeding the Clayvin chickens and building a new run for them, or tending to the vegetable garden.

Kurt says the model is working well for the environment, the staff and the “whole story” of Clayvin, and may see Giesen installing solar in other parts of the operation, including the office block, winery and cellar door.

“It’s got the company thinking about alternatives to power.”

Winepress May 2017 / 13

Pure Marlborough Wine New scheme to safeguard Marlborough wine’s reputation SOPHIE PREECE

From left, John Buchanan, Tim Heath, Ivan Sutherland, James Healy and Clive Jones.

MARLBOROUGH’S HARD won reputation is being steadily eroded by bulk wine exports, say the men behind a proposed authentication programme for the region’s wine.

With a working title of Pure Marlborough Wine, the scheme would see member wine companies allowed to utilise a brand that recognises a wine as being 100% Marlborough fruit, bottled in New Zealand, and produced under certain yield thresholds, says Dog Point Vineyards co-owner

Ivan Sutherland. “The key to this is about preserving the integrity of Marlborough wine and the authenticity of what we are producing,” he says.

Yield caps, to be set after consultation, need to have “teeth” for the programme to have credibility, but also need to be realistic, so that producers of lower priced wines – from higher crop loads – can be part of the scheme, he says. “But what we are saying is to be a member of this it would not be acceptable to have the

ridiculous cropping levels we have heard of.”

Average Marlborough cropping levels for Sauvignon Blanc have moved up “substantially” in the past few years, with the 10 tonnes per hectare recorded a decade ago sitting closer to 12 tonnes per hectare now.

Dog Point winemaker James Healy says some of the growers behind crop loads of greater than 15 tonnes per hectare should not be growing wine at all, “they should be growing peas

Support for Pure Marlborough Wine The Pure Marlborough Wine initiative has been welcomed

by Marlborough accountancy firm WK, which is providing initial accounting and advisory support free of charge.

Director Hamish Morrow says the wine industry is a huge contributor to the local economy “so an initiative such as this, that helps maintain and enhance our reputation as a premium producer of high quality wines, is positive.”

The firm hears “occasional rumours in the industry of alleged misrepresentation of Marlborough Sauvignon

14 / Winepress May 2017

Blanc,” Hamish says. A recent Fair Go story, which highlighted Australian wine being sold under labels associated with Marlborough, suggested current labelling practices “are probably not going far enough in some instances”, he says.

“It is great to see collaboration for the enhancement of the Marlborough brand and we commend the group for putting the initiative together - the challenge will be in the execution getting enough momentum to make it stick.”

and corn”. He says the consequence of the high crop loads are “thin” wines that are damaging the reputation of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Ivan says anyone who advocates “extraordinarily high yields” has obviously not travelled and been in the international wine market place.

“You will never convince the trade, the general consumer and media that excessively high cropped vines will produce nice wine.”

John Forrest, of Forrest Wines, says feedback on the international market is that “Marlborough wines aren’t what they used to be. People could (once) rely on a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc absolutely.” A vine pushed past certain parameters cannot carry the intensity people expect of the region’s flagship wine, he says.

Bulk wines are responsible for 38% of New Zealand’s wine exports and John says as that portion “rapidly” approaches 50%, “the elephant in the room is clearly what happens to that wine and how do we guarantee its

“The key to this is about preserving the integrity of Marlborough wine and the authenticity of what we are producing.”

Ivan Sutherland authenticity once it leaves these shores unbottled?”

He says all wine regions have a bulk wine component, but the greatest ones also have “self-controls” built in to ensure the authenticity and quality

of the product. “We are proposing a relatively sensible and more modest start to that.”

The trio believe the initiative is overdue, but a previous iteration, driven by Ivan and John in 2011, received a lukewarm welcome from the industry. In contrast, a meeting held at Cloudy Bay on one of the darkest day of this year’s harvest, as heavy rain threatened vines, still drew a strong crowd of supporters. “I thought we would get a real grilling. But everyone was positive, positive, positive,” says John.

The scheme has 31 companies signed up, while others, including large companies, have expressed interest in learning more, he says. Clive Jones from Nautilus and Tim Heath from Cloudy Bay have joined the committee, which also includes fellow founder John Buchanan, of Mount Riley Wines.

The group hopes to have 50 members when the incorporated society is set up later this month.

Winepress May 2017 / 15

Natural Storyteller Australian food and wine writer Daniel Honan will be bringing his passion for natural wines to Marlborough next month BRENDA WEBB Daniel Honan

PERSUADING CONSUMERS that naturally produced wines are the way of the future is very much about telling and selling a story, says Daniel Honan.

The Hunter Valley based journalist, whose website The Wine Idealist promotes organic and biodynamic produced wines from Australia and New Zealand, uses the huge success of Farmers’ Markets as an analogy.

“They are almost a cliché really, but they work,” he says. “People go along and buy their vegetables and meat there because it makes them feel good. They go home and cook a meal and enjoy the whole process of knowing where the produce has come from and that it was grown or raised in an organic way. They enjoy the taste, the aroma, the texture, but most of all they know it has been grown mindful of sustainable principles.”

The same attitude and “feel good” factor needs to be converted into wine buying to persuade the consumer to go for an organic or biodynamic option, says Daniel, who will present at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough next month, thanks to sponsorship from Wine Marlborough.

Daniel’s own foray into the world of organic wines began almost by accident. The former BBC journalist was in London and tasted a wine that happened to be biodynamic. “I was turned on by this wine – it took on a life of its own,” he says. “It was 16 / Winepress May 2017

delicious – number one was the taste and pleasure I got from that bottle.”

These days Daniel is devoted to making today’s generation aware of the benefits of consuming naturally produced wines. His presentation at the conference will include ideas about encouraging more people to switch to organic wine, which he admits is challenging, especially given that conventional wines are often cheaper.

“I want to try and give an insight into how producers can communicate their message more effectively. We need to convince the consumer about the advantages and get them to understand that bottle of organic wine.”

It could be difficult arguing that an organic wine tasted better than a conventional one, because taste was subjective, according to Daniel.

Producers needed to put forward their case that growing and producing a wine naturally was much better for the environment.

“As far as I’m concerned that’s the main reason – the environmental sustainability. Producing wines sustainably is a very soft way of managing and growing a crop – it’s very kind to the earth and that’s the message we need to get across.”

Making consumers aware of the processes involved in producing organic wine and getting their passion across is key, he says. “We need to explore the intricacies of producing

biodynamic and organic wines and involve the sommelier, the distributor, people at the trade shows – we need to sell the philosophy.”

While Daniel sees winemaking as a “fairly simple process”, vineyard practices are fundamental and people working in the vineyards and making decisions are integral to the production, and their stories need to be told as well. “It’s a fascinating story - these people out there driving tractors, dealing with soil and canopy management, coping with adverse weather at critical times, working out how they are going to get the best fruit - they are all part of this.”

Marlborough is already world famous for its pungent Sauvignon Blanc and the next logical step is persuading people about the advantages of naturally and sustainably produced wines, says Daniel. They contain fewer chemicals, are produced in a natural way, and most of all are kind to the environment. “It makes you feel good and that’s what it’s all about.”

Tickets are on sale for the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, to be held in Blenheim from June 26 to 28. To learn more go to www.organicwineconference.com Wine Marlborough is organising a post conference dinner for Daniel.

If you are interested in hosting let the Wine Marlborough team know.

Winepress May 2017 / 17

Frost Fighter A new weapon in frost fighting SOPHIE PREECE

BRUCE KOLLER knows well the pain of a frosty morning, after three stricken years resulted in the sale of the Canterbury blackcurrant farm he co-owned Three helicopters were not able to save his crop from the -3 degrees Celsius hits, and he began searching for a solution that didn’t rely on an inversion layer.

He and Fred Phillips have spent the past six years developing and testing their frost fighting Heat Ranger, which sits in one spot and has a top that rotates every three minutes to spread a “blanket” of warm air 30°C - from the nozzle, covering a 250-metre radius. “This is a world first which reduces the risks for growers

and financiers, and everyone else involved,” says Bruce.

He says trials in Waipara in recent years have had excellent results, with the machine able to protect a grape crop from a -3°C frost for seven hours, “when wind machines in the area Bruce Koller and Fred Phillips with the struggled”.

Heat Ranger The duo have partnered with Harvest Electronics to gain a better understanding of how the Heat knowledge all the time.”

Ranger impacts on a 20 hectare block.

The company now has a Temperature sensors are spaced at Heat Ranger in place at a Forrest 50m intervals through the vineyard, Wines’ vineyard, at 1224 Kaitunaat crop height, 2.5m and 5m from Tuamarina Rd, and will hold a series the ground, “so we know what is of demonstrations in the lead-up happening all the time”, says Bruce. to the spring risk period. For more “Each frost event is graphed and information, go to www.heat-ranger.

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A Cellar Summer A busy season for cellar doors, despite earthquake damage BRENDA WEBB

MARLBOROUGH’S CELLAR doors have had a busy season, thanks in part to the 43 cruise ships that visited Picton, up from 35 last year.

Allan Scott Wines took advantage of the good cruise season, with organised tailored winery tours and tastings for that market. Hospitality Marketing Manager Kylie Cornelius says passengers, and especially those with a specific interest in wine, pre booked on board, so numbers were known in advance.

She says Kaikoura’s earthquake had an impact early in the season, with a drop off in domestic visitors.

However, events such as Easter’s Yealands Classic Fighters had extended the season and helped to boost visitors at cellar doors.

Whitehaven Cellar Door Manager Karen Marchant says the 2016/17 summer was definitely busier than previous years, with a noticeable increase in visitor numbers, especially on cruise ship days. English, European and American visitors made up the bulk of visitors to Whitehaven’s Vines Village cellar door, although the domestic market was also strong.

Wairau River enjoyed one of its best ever summer trading periods, despite less than ideal weather and the closure of State Highway 1 due to

the Kaikoura earthquake, says General Manager Lindsay Parkinson. “Our Rosé has been particularly popular this year, along with the old favourites Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.”

January traditionally means more domestic tourists, and particularly people enjoying holidays in the Marlborough Sounds, with more international visitors in February and March, he says.

Marlborough Book Festival A winemaker interviewing a beer writer in a winery serving beer is just one of the highlights of the Marlborough Book Festival from July 28 to 30 this year.

Eleven authors will visit the region to talk history, novels, comics and poetry, while a special session at the Spy Valley cellar door will involve four of the country’s best feature journalists talking about their craft. Spy will also host a session with Zephyr winemaker Ben Glover interviewing beer writer Alice Gellatly, with Renaissance Brewery supporting.

The readers and writers festival calls on plenty of support from the region’s wine industry, with Cloudy Bay, Spy Valley and Hunter’s providing venues, Dog Point Vineyards and Cloudy Bay offering gorgeous accommodation for the writers, and Astrolabe’s Jane Forrest-Waghorn serving as one of the event’s interviewers.

New Zealand Winegrower editor Tessa Nicholson has been involved in the event since it began, and this year will interview award-winning writers CK Stead and Catherine Chidgey, among others. Tickets and programme are available at www.marlboroughbookfest.co.nz.

Winepress May 2017 / 19

Generation Y-ine After spending nearly eight years in a high-flying career, Whitehaven’s Cellar Door Manager now has her feet firmly on the ground BRENDA WEBB

ANYONE WHO knows Karen Marchant’s welcoming face at Whitehaven’s tasting room is aware that the Cellar Door Manager is grounded. But her first choice of career was anything but.

Karen, the oldest of five children, grew up at the family farm at Port Gore in the Marlborough Sounds, where the entire clan was homeschooled by their patient mother Diane. Schooling over, Karen left home and did an adventure tourism course at NMIT in Nelson, then worked for Sounds Air in both Picton and Wellington as administrator before switching to Air New Zealand as dispatcher.

“The weather in Wellington was miserable and I hadn’t seen the world…I was feeling a bit trapped,” she says. Emirates was hiring at the time and the hot and sunny Middle East beckoned. Karen was one of a handful to make it through the recruitment process and headed to Dubai. “Flying with Emirates sounded fun, different and glamorous and it was to an extent, but it was also quite a lonely lifestyle,” she says.

Karen worked her way up to senior flight steward and was acting purser on the 380 Airbus, responsible for 25 crew, when she realised she missed her family and Marlborough too much to ignore. “Eight years of living in a transient environment out of a suitcase was enough. I really wanted to get back to Marlborough,” she says. “My phone 20 / Winepress May 2017

bill was horrendous – I was calling home every day.”

She returned to Marlborough and was soon lured into the burgeoning wine industry. While living offshore, she had gone halves in a piece of land in the Wairau Valley with her dad Cliff Marchant, which the family planted in Pinot Noir, hand-picked and made into wine themselves.

Tasting the finished product made Karen realise that Marlborough wine

“This valley wouldn’t be nearly as pretty or as productive without the grapes.” was definitely her calling and when the job came up at Whitehaven, she didn’t hesitate. “I particularly liked the fact that it was 100% Marlborough – it sounded like a company I could work for.”

Whitehaven opened their cellar door at The Vines Village complex

in April 2015 with Karen in charge, implementing systems. In the two years since, she has seen the cellar door, wine tourism and entire industry grow.

She loves the industry with a passion and anyone who has come across her will vouch for her enthusiasm, knowledge and bubbly personality. “Marlborough is different today to how it was when I was growing up and I think it is better for it,” Karen says. “This valley wouldn’t be nearly as pretty or as productive without the grapes.”

While wine comes first careerwise, she is still involved with aviation – hardly surprising given the family pedigree. While growing up at the remote Port Gore farm, trips away involved travelling in the family Cessna so flying is second nature. Cliff has just retired as an Air New Zealand 777 pilot, after a career spanning more than four decades, while Diane was cabin crew with the airline. Karen’s brother Paul is second officer on the Air New Zealand Dreamliner, sister Nicky is an aircraft engineer in Christchurch, Chris is a pilot with Pelorus Air (which the family partowns) and Mike flies the PC12 for Sounds Air, which the family also partowns.

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The Block Both weird and revered, Fromm Vineyard has made its mark SOPHIE PREECE

“WE ARE the weirdos,” says Fromm General Manager William Hoare, in the midst of the company’s 26th harvest.

And it’s certainly true that from day one, when Swiss couple Georg and Ruth Fromm, along with Pinot Noir expert Hätsch Kalberer, planted Pinot Noir and Syrah in Sauvignon country, they set themselves apart from the masses.

In a region of tractor-wide rows, they caused a commotion with their narrow lines of vines, all of which required hand tending. And at a time when most growers considered a block of 20 acres as one soil type, they studied the variance of their soils at Fromm, and matched the soils to varieties they thought would work best.

The vines were raised under an organic philosophy and irrigated sporadically - emulating rainfall - in adolescence, before being left to find their own water. “Some of the vines haven’t been irrigated in 16 years,” says William, who likes to compare vines to people, needing care and attention when little, then autonomy as they age.

“What we have found with old

22 / Winepress May 2017

vines like these – in the New Zealand sense of old vines – is that the vintages don’t affect them so much, if we have a hot dry year, because the roots are so deep and in so many layers of soils,” he says.

Now, 26 years after the first vines were planted – including those that are now New Zealand’s oldest single vineyard Malbec – Fromm continues to be “weird” in all the right ways, and

“Syrah is a really interesting variety for Marlborough.”

William Hoare revered for the wine it produces.

Winery logistics are handwritten, cover crops are hand sown, Clydesdales are used for spraying some vines (“in the quest to make a

great natural wine”, says William), and compost is a serious business.

The team mixes woody matter, grape marc, vine clippings and cow poo from the estate’s cattle, then covers it to compost, creating valuable bacteria for the vineyard.

It’s not used like a garden compost, to simply feed the soil, but delivers a microbiology that allows the vine roots to better access nitrogen, potassium and other nutrients in the soil, he says.

Those soils, sitting on the plain between the Omaka and Wairau rivers, excited Georg and Hätsch from day one, says William. “Thousands of years ago when the Wairau would flood and the Omaka would flood, it would flow back in to the Fromm site, so you have gravel, silt, clay, gravel, silt, clay.”

They have since dug down four metres and found the layers all the way, in a structure similar to that of the plains beside the Rhône River.

Like the Rhône Valley, these soils are perfect for Syrah, and, teamed with rigorous viticulture and careful winemaking, have served Fromm well.

“Syrah is a really interesting variety for Marlborough,” says William. “Cool

climate Syrah is really trendy and the world is loving it…The peppery, spicy almost meaty characters we get from it are pretty exciting.”

Most of the company’s Pinot Noir comes from the clay soils of the Southern Valleys, from which Fromm makes wines that are amazing in the new world sense, says William.

Meanwhile, the Pinot Noir from Fromm Vineyard on the plains are “pretty amazing wines in the global sense”, he adds.

Like the Syrah, all the vines are shoot thinned back to six shoots each side then one bunch per shoot, with a

“We are a generation ahead in terms of vine age.

That’s what is special about Fromm.”

William Hoare focus always on crafting the best wines the land can deliver. So that while it’s common to hear that Fromm doesn’t make wines typical of Marlborough, their typicity – thanks to unirrigated, low cropped vines in nurtured soil with unique microbiology – is a true

Fromm General Manager William Hoare

reflection of the region.

Over the years some of the early planted varieties have been replaced, with Riesling planted on the stonier soils, Merlot, which tended to ripen at low brix, replaced with Pinot Gris, and Syrah planted in place of Cabernet, says William.

In a 25-year lineup of Fromm wines, the age of the vines is easily perceived, he adds. “You can see when they were young they were big and black and tannic… As they have

evolved, from 1999 onwards, they have got softer and longer in the palate.”

While many in Marlborough now recognise that Georg and Hätsch were insightful, not crazy, and look to emulate the style of planting, the age of the vines will always set Fromm apart.

“If you did it now – and a lot of people are copying it – we are a generation ahead in terms of vine age. That’s what is special about Fromm.”

Winepress May 2017 / 23

Biosecurity Watch A new partner in biosecurity decision making DR EDWIN MASSEY

APRIL WAS a key month for the future of wine industry biosecurity.

On April 6, the Minister of Primary Industries approved the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) application to join the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) for biosecurity readiness and response. NZW is planning to sign the Government Industry Agreement Deed later in May. Joining GIA was a key objective in the NZW Biosecurity Strategy approved by the Board in 2016. Once the deed is signed, NZW will be able to represent the wine industry, sitting at the table with the Government, to make joint decisions on: • Which biosecurity responses the industry will participate in • How biosecurity readiness work should be prioritised • What share of readiness and response costs we are prepared to pay Joining GIA also means closer engagement between the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and industry on improvements across the full scope of the biosecurity system, and an increased ability to work across the horticultural and plant based production sectors to secure better biosecurity outcomes.

Signing the deed marks the end of

a journey that began in 2009, leading to last year’s successful members referendum and the beginning of a new phase, where the wine industry and the Government will share biosecurity objectives and set out joint work programmes to achieve them.

While it is important to recognise the work that has gone on to get to this point, the work that will make a difference to members in the vineyard and in the winery starts now.

The GIA system: Operational Agreements and improved readiness for high priority pests Once NZW signs the GIA Deed, as partners we can then enter into discussions about Operational Agreements for specific pests. The preparation work done in advance would mean that decisions on how to respond are pre-agreed. This provides more certainty that high priority pests will be found and responded to in an appropriate time frame, and that the response will be cost effective.

Operational Agreements will differ on a case-by-case basis and, as well as developing specific response plans, readiness work could include promoting public awareness, research into improved response tools or agreeing transition points

to move from response to long-term management.

NZW will focus its resources to develop Operational Agreements for our highest threat biosecurity risks.

These threats will be our top priority.

First on the list: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) is the wine industry’s most unwanted pest, due to the potential impacts it could have on production and wine quality. NZW has joined the BMSB Council and is currently negotiating with the Crown and other industry organisations to agree a cost shared work programme to improve readiness for BMSB. Negotiations are proceeding relatively quickly and the BMSB Council intends to have an Operational Agreement completed in time for the next BMSB high risk season, commencing in September 2017.

While negotiations are still ongoing, the Operational Agreement will likely prioritise the development of: • An effective response plan and response exercises • Promoting public awareness • A coordinated research programme

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Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 24 / Winepress May 2017

Taken together, this range of work will help to mitigate the risk of BMSB establishing in New Zealand and will be an important step towards protecting the sustainability of the wine industry.

NZW was able to join in this negotiation because the organisation had submitted its GIA application prior to Christmas 2016. If we had not been so far advanced towards joining GIA, we would have only been granted observer status on the BMSB Council and had no say in determining what the readiness priorities should be.

Shared priorities/shared costs Under GIA, industry and Government share the costs of readiness and response activities. The proportion of cost share is set for each Operational Agreement that is signed based on the assessed benefit to both parties. However, the Government has committed to funding a minimum of 50% of the readiness and response activities for any Operational Agreement.

Where there is more than one industry group involved, the industry cost is split between these groups.

Where an industry group is considered to be a beneficiary of response activities, but they have not signed the deed, the Government will levy that group for their share of costs regardless. However, they will have no

say in decisions that are made.

Industry groups that participate in GIA can set fiscal caps for responses so that costs are controlled. In GIA it pays to belong.

It is likely that over time, NZW will consider signing other Operational Agreements with MPI for Operational Agreements will help to improve our readiness for our specific pests.

These are likely highest risk threats like Flavescence Doree to be for pests which, like BMSB, if they arrive in organisations to engage with New Zealand, are going to have a government in biosecurity activities. serious impact on members’ continued Signing the GIA Deed will mean viability. You can find the list of the the wine industry can partner with industry’s most unwanted pests and the Government to make decisions diseases by visiting the New Zealand that maximise the protection to Winegrowers’ member site (nzwine. members afforded by New Zealand’s com/members) under Sustainability > biosecurity system. This is a significant Biosecurity. All readiness costs agreed step forward helping to ensure the to in Operational Agreements will be sustainability of the wine industry. funded from existing levies.

If you have any questions about GIA, please contact me to discuss Conclusion at Edwin.massey@nzwine.com or GIA has now become established 0211924924. as the key means for industry

Winepress May 2017 / 25

Industry news Grape Days 2017 This year’s Grape Days should hold plenty of interest for Marlborough growers, following the pest and disease headaches of the recent season. The New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) event, to be held in Marlborough on June 14, will cover the subjects of powdery mildew, botrytis and slip skin, trunk disease, and biosecurity, as well as an array of other NZW research, such as irrigation and wine quality. NZW Chief Executive Philip Gregan will give an update on Vintage 2017 at the one day technical event, which is designed to provide high-level summaries of research with a practical applied focus for industry. The Grape Days programme kicks off in Hawke’s Bay on June 12 and ends in Central Otago on June 16. The Marlborough event runs from 9.30am to 4pm at the ASB Theatre.

For more information or to register, visit the Grape Days website at www. grapedays.co.nz.

Yealands Classic Fighters “I couldn’t think of a better event to get in behind,” says Peter Yealands of Easter’s Yealands Classic Fighters air show. The company signed up last year as the naming sponsor of the biennial event, and Peter opened proceedings last month (pictured). “I think it’s probably Marlborough’s most prestigious event,” he says. “It goes well with our philosophy of innovation and thinking outside the square.”

Real Estate Update The challenging 2017 vintage will impact on the local economy in the short term but all signs are for continued strength in the viticulture market, says Joe Blakiston of PGG Wrightson. “The outlook for continued growth is still positive as larger

26 / Winepress May 2017

companies position themselves for further development and cash buyers from outside Marlborough continue to make enquiry.” He expects a number of established grape blocks to become available post-harvest as is usually the case in the seasonal viticultural market. “Most growers have a long term view of the market and should be well positioned to ride out a poor season.”

Design Win Marlborough’s Whitehaven Winery won the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Pride of Place Awards last month. The award went to Nelson landscape architecture firm Canopy for a design that judges say is a result of collaboration between design professionals and client.

“The design, both landscape and

architecture, is seamless with both clearly understanding the significance and strength of context; the landscape is serene, a minimalist approach, with a limited palette as it picks up the rhythm of its place. Finally, a clever orchestration of external rooms knit back to form a complete structure.”

Garden Gate to Restaurant Plate Bevan Smith (pictured) of Oamaru’s Riverstone Kitchen has taken the concept of gate to plate to appetising extremes. The chef, who will prepare the Organic Feast at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference (www. organicwineconference.com) in Marlborough next month, says the gardens have become a key aspect of his award-winning restaurant.

“It has resonated with people and so much so that it has become a focal point for the restaurant.” The gardens provide a “point of difference” and give people another reason to stop, look, talk to the gardeners and be inspired, he says.

He and his wife Monique established gardens beside their restaurant in 2006, planning to grow specialist herbs and vegetables to supplement those they could source from local suppliers. But their 30% homegrown plan was soon overwhelmed by production, as the fertile paddock their restaurant sat on, along with Bevan’s mother’s green thumbs, proved capable of growing much more, from leafy greens to unusual varieties. “We found we could grow almost anything,” he says.

Meanwhile, they also found that local growers tended to cater to commodity markets, not small and specialist kitchens, “so in the end it was easier to grow everything for ourselves”. It’s

Retiring from a life in the vines Marlborough’s wine industry was just emerging in 1973, when 22-year-old Warren Cairns traded his job in tyres for a job in vines instead. Now, after 44 harvests, he has hung up his loppers, ready to take some time for himself.

Warren says a lot has changed since he began, when vineyard development meant stringing a wire rope across the field, tied to a tractor at one end and a pulley at the other. Staff stood along the line, ready to move the wire when required, while someone on the tractor used a riflescope to make sure it was straight.

When a white flag was waved, everyone would plant their vines along its length, even though in some cases a dip in the land meant the wire rope soared above the plants, he says with a laugh. “It was pretty much a make it up as you go kind of thing. Whatever was needed would be built – there were some very clever engineers in those days.”

Warren spent 41 years working for Montana in its various guises, moving from vineyard worker to vineyard manager, but three years ago was made redundant as part of a restructure. “It’s quite taxing on one’s mental thinking,” he says of the painful

“It was pretty much a make it up as you go kind of thing.”

Warren Cairns

back to basics and common sense, and ticks all the boxes for his customers, he adds. “They want fresh, they want as little intervention as possible, and they want flavour. It all comes together when you have your own garden.”

Tickets are on sale for the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, to be held in Blenheim from June 26 to 28. To learn more go to www.organicwineconference.com Marlborough wine show Judging for the seventh Marlborough Wine Show will take place from October 9 to 11 this year.

Chaired by Jeff Clarke, the team of well-known local judges, plus a guest overseas judge, will evaluate hundreds of Marlborough wines. Organiser Belinda Jackson says a highlight of the event continues to be the Marlborough Museum Legacy Class, “which not

experience. “You get to that age and think, ‘who is going to employ a 63-year old?’”

But Gareth Goodsir at Yealands, who had worked with Warren in the past, was quick to give him a job when he called. He says Warren has been a true asset to the company, with his years of experience invaluable in the vines. “He would never admit to it, but he teaches you bits and pieces along the way and you learn a lot of stuff off him, without him knowing it’s passed on to you.” Warren is a “great sounding board” when it comes to viticulture, “and because he has been around the block so many times with harvest, he never gets flustered”, says Gareth.

It’s been quite a journey, full of interesting people, rapid development and plenty of banter along the way, but Warren is looking forward to retirement. “I have earned a bit of time to myself.”

only rewards excellence, but also consistency of quality over a number of years”. The results will be celebrated at a special industry dinner being held on October 26.

Sauvignon HQ Sauvignon HQ popped up in Blenheim’s Bythell Place, outside Scotch Wine Bar, on April 27, as part of the 16 Days of Sauvignon. The HQ was set up by the Wine Marlborough team and offered information on all the events held throughout the province in

the 16 days leading up to International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 5.

New Zealand Winegrowers also drove a social media campaign to raise awareness of the day, to encourage consumers to celebrate the country’s flagship wine. Global Marketing Director Chris Yorke says New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a $1.3 billion dollar export earner and “a success story worth celebrating”.

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Winepress May 2017 / 27

Brought to you by

Wine Happenings A monthly list of events within the New Zealand wine industry.

To have your event included in next month’s Wine Happenings or Industry News pages, please email details to sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz by May 19. For more information on the events below email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz

MAY 2017 10 Grower Workshop – 160 Paynters Road - register with harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz 13 Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon – Marlborough 25 Cawthron Environment Awards Field Day – Dog Point Vineyards (pg12) 31 Applications close for the Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition JUNE 2017 9 IWSC workshop –Marlborough Research Centre theatre 14 New Zealand Winegrowers Grape Days – Marlborough (pg 26) 26 Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference - Marlborough JULY 2017 6 Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition 2017 – Marlborough 6 RSE Conference – Marlborough 26 New Zealand Winegrowers Marketing Roadshow - Marlborough 28 Marlborough Book Festival 2017 – www.marlboroughbookfest.co.nz

Organic Winegrowing Conference - June 26

Grape Days - June 14

Marlborough Young Viticulturist - July 6

GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINES AND GREAT FRIENDS COME TOGETHER AT HERZOG’S! Come and enjoy Marlborough’s stunning winter days and join us for a casual lunch in the beautiful Bistro gardens or cosy up in front of the open fire for a delicious dinner. All for the love of wine!

And for all you wine aficionados, come and indulge in one of New Zealand’s largest International wine lists!

HERZOG’S BISTRO OPENING HOURS - WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY! LUNCH: 12pm - 3pm DINNER: From 6pm - late CELLAR DOOR Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm, Weekends 11am to 5 pm Hans Herzog Estate | 81 Jeffries Road | Blenheim |03 572 8770 | enjoy@herzog.co.nz | www.herzog.co.nz

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