Winepress November 2018 by Winepress Magazine

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 287 / NOVEMBER 2018

WINE SHOW

GRAPE MARC

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

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this issue... REGULARS

FEATURES

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Editorial

From the Board - Callum Linklater Tasman Crop Report Forgotten Corners - Mill Stream

Generation Y-ine - Sophie Badland Biosecurity Watch Industry News

Marlborough Wine Show The Marlborough Wine Show saw Dr Rengasamy Balasubramaniam (Bala) awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising the scientist’s 30 year commitment to the industry.

Grape Marc Winemakers and grape growers should be as proud of their waste products as they are of the wines going to market, heard industry members at last month’s grape marc meeting.

18 Wheel Opportunities

ANZ Wine Happenings

Cover: Gumboot Epicurean guests sip wine and slurp soup at the historic Riverby Estate, where the Matthews family have farmed for more than 100 years. Their Cicada Marlborough Gewürztraminer 2017 and Riverby Estate Noble Riesling 2016 both won trophies at the Marlborough Wine Show the day before the guests arrived. Photo Jim Tannock

Marlborough could have the best wine cycle trails in the world. But getting cyclists off roads and beside rows is going to require “lateral thinking” from wine companies.

19 Yield Estimates

Bunch counts in Marlborough vineyards are showing good fruitfulness in all varieties, says Villa Maria viticulturist Stuart Dudley, who is seeing two shoots per bud on many Sauvignon Blanc vines. Winepress November 2018 / 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 callum@csviticulture.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.co.nz Simon Bishell simon@caythorpe.nz Stuart Dudley (Deputy Chair) stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove (Chair) tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Tracy Johnston Tracy@dayvinleigh.co.nz Jamie Marfell Jamie.Marfell@pernod-ricard.com Beth Forrest Beth@forrest.co.nz

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

From the Editor In pulling together this edition of Winepress, I was struck by the breadth of Marlborough’s wine industry. From glitzy wine shows to messy grape marc issues, and from cycleway logistics to corkscrew collections, there’s a whole lot going on. Wine links all those facets, of course, and so does the way the world sees us. At a grape marc meeting at Wine Marlborough last month, Philip Gregan spoke of the need to be vigilant in safeguarding our reputation, which makes the country’s wine industry economically viable. “Individually and collectively, Marlborough needs to ensure the management of grape marc has a positive impact on our reputation, not a negative one,” he said. With a packed theatre, plenty of questions from growers and wine company representatives, and possible solutions from the likes of Remarc, it was a heartening reassurance of the industry’s desire to step up to the challenges of dealing with its waste responsibly. Last month was also the debut of the Marlborough Wine Show under its new Wine Marlborough ownership. The show retained the unique attributes established by its founders Belinda Jackson and Margaret Cresswell, including sub-regional judging, a legacy award, the requirement for 95% Marlborough grapes, and the use of varietalspecific glassware. However, there were some new twists, including a relaxed long lunch celebration, which was as much about collegial catch-ups as it was trophy celebrations. The Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award went to the wonderful Dr Rengasamy Balasubramaniam, known to most as Bala, who has spent the past 32 years helping growers better understand their crops. “At the forefront of all of his endeavours, Bala has been a scientist for the growers,” said Marlborough Winegrowers deputy chair Stuart Dudley on presenting the award. Winepress will profile Bala in the December edition, as the beginning of a new Pioneer series, intended to shine a light on the people who have devoted decades to putting Marlborough wine on the world stage. Some of them will be household names in Marlborough, but if you know some legends that might not be on my radar, I’d love to hear from you. The wine industry was also on show at last month’s Gumboot Epicurean, a gourmet tour of Marlborough that included winemakers Te Whare Ra, Riverby Estate and Framingham. Paired with food from the region’s passionate producers, it was a lovely insight into the region. You’ll get a taste from our cover, and can read more in next month’s edition.

“It was a heartening reassurance of the industry’s desire to step up to the challenges of dealing with its waste responsibly.”

SOPHIE PREECE

Winepress November 2018 / 3

From the Board CALLUM LINKLATER

WE ARE all now into the thick of another season, which is always evolving and changing. The challenge is to be open minded enough to evolve with it to meet consumer demands and expectations. As an organic contract grower I am frequently being asked about organic production, even more now than five or eight years ago, which could be a sign of how things are evolving. I believe there are many benefits from growing organically in the vineyard, but in recent years, as demand for an organic product increases, those benefits are showing up on the bottom line too. The OANZ market report that came out earlier this year stated that organic wine exports have risen 13% since 2015 and are now worth $46 million. I would call this pleasing progress from an industry that not long ago thought of organic production as gimmicky. The report also points out that only 4.6% of vineyard land in this country is certified organic, but on the wine lists in New Zealand’s top restaurants, organic wine makes up 30% of the choices available to diners. What I find even more pleasing about this growth is that it isn’t grower or winery led, but it’s being driven by consumers - people are voting with their wallets. In 2018 we now have a generation of consumers (and possibly the next generation too) who are educated about where their food (and wine) comes from and how it is produced. They are also very environmentally conscious and happy to pay a few extra dollars for a product that is certified organic. There is no quick fix to meeting this demand, due to the three year conversion period to gain

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organic certification in the vineyard. The organic wine sector in this country is lucky to have an organisation called Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ), chaired by Jonathon Hamlet from Villa Maria, with Stephanie McIntyre doing some fantastic work raising the awareness of organic wine and telling a cohesive story on our behalf. In September we had Organic Wine Week, with events held around the country celebrating New Zealand’s organic wine success to date. There were dinners held at Arbour here in

They are also very environmentally conscious and happy to pay a few extra dollars for a product that is certified organic. Marlborough but also at renowned restaurants such as The Grove in Auckland and Shepherd in Wellington. Huckleberry’s, Commonsense and Glengarry also got behind Organic Wine Week to help give consumers a taste of organic wine.

In 2017, OWNZ put on a conference in Blenheim specific to the organic wine sector. Its success far surpassed anyone’s expectations (delegate or organiser), and as a result there will be another one held in June 2019. There will be a range of fantastic presenters from New Zealand and abroad, so keep your ear to the ground for when you can register. It’s really pleasing to see this kind of support behind such a small but exciting sector of the New Zealand wine industry. If you or your company aren’t already a member of OWNZ, then I would encourage you to sign up. I don’t talk about organic viticulture much unless I am asked to, or someone is genuinely interested in having a conversation, because there are still many unfair and untrue stereotypes associated with it. But as we evolve our businesses and move forward I see organic wine production being a sensible option for growers and wine companies. Do what is right, not what is easy.

Forrest Focus Marlborough needs to guard against complacency, says new board member SOPHIE PREECE

BETH FORREST’S first vineyard memories are of dragging a marked white stick around an empty paddock, showing her parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents where to plant their vines. She was four years old, her brother was seven, and Forrest Estate’s apple orchard was slowly but surely transforming. Beth recalls her little brother Sam plonked in a bin at harvest time, and her grandmother’s “best” homemade scones and jam, as a welcome break from picking grapes. “I was a complete daddy’s girl,” she says of the early days of John and Brigid Forrest’s wine dream. “If I could be on the tractor with dad, I was happy.” Nearly 30 years on, Beth is general manager for Forrest Estate Wines, a new member of the Marlborough Winegrowers’ Board, and a determined cheerleader for the region’s wine industry. There’s energy and passion in the region, but there’s also a complacency, she warns. “We need to focus the energy and enhance it and push Marlborough forward. We need to be more than anyone expects.” That includes finding a space in a new world of millennial consumers, amid the excitement around craft beer and boutique gin labels. Wine has a “classic”, old-school following, and there’s respect for that, she says. “But you also have to get on board and be funky and cool at the same time.” In her own range, she sees Forrest as neoclassical ballet and The Doctors’ label, with its low alcohol wines, as

interpretive dance. That’s about respecting wine’s roots, but evolving to meet the desires of the market, she says. Beth knows a bit about the new school - at 33, she fits neatly in the millennial age bracket. But she also understands traditions, having grown up in the region’s nascent wine industry, hands-on in the field. “We were brought up outdoors. School holidays were about working the vineyard. You were allowed the weekend off when school finished, then it was in on Monday at 7.30, to report to the crew.” In her late teens she turned her back on any thoughts of a career in the wine industry, or of following her mother into medicine. Instead she chased a love of landforms and climate, and went to Otago University to study geography and biology, throwing in the double major at the request of John, in case she changed her mind about winemaking. “Some element of me was still a very good child,” she laughs. At the end of her degree, Beth considered postgraduate study and a sojourn on Antarctic ice flows, but instead went back to her roots, and studied wine at Roseworthy. From there it was two vintages at Peregrine in Central Otago, as well as vineyard work in the summer, then a stint as

assistant winemaker at Indevin in Marlborough, which she says gave her great insights into running a smooth operation. “My dad always told me, and I always pass on to wine graduates, that you need to work somewhere big to understand good processes,” she says. There was work in Oregon, then Spain, which she loved, time in the Loire (“where I went to discover more about Savvy but fell in love with Chenin Blanc”), then in Kent making English sparkling wine, and four years working at Lawson’s Dry Hills, back in Marlborough. Then in 2015, she decided she was ready to return home. It was an “eye opener” to work on the family estate, and to recognise the passion and care that comes with that, she says. “It has your name on it. Your childhood work is out there.” And while Beth returned for the winemaking, she has loved the challenge of being general manager for the past year, overseeing everything from grape growing and winemaking to sales, logistics and the cellar door. “It is nice to try and bring it back together as a cohesive unit for us,” she says. “I have discovered I thrive on the challenge.”

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MET REPORT Temperature

Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – October 2018 October October 201 October 2018 compared LTA to LTA GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ 118.3 114% 103.& GDD’s for month – Mean² 118.4 106% 111.5 Growing Degree Days Total Jul – Oct 18 – Max/Min 205.8 109% 188.0 Jul - Oct 18 – Mean 252.5 105% 239.7 Mean Maximum (°C) 19.0 +0.7°C 18.3 Mean Minimum (°C) 8.4 +0.6°C 7.8 Mean Temp (°C) 13.7 +0.6°C 13.1 Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 2 Equal 2.1 Air Frosts (0.0°C) 0 Equal 0.1 Sunshine hours 266.1 116% 229.0 Sunshine hours – lowest 140.7 Sunshine hours – highest 299.6 Sunshine hours total – 2018 2070.2 103% 2003.6 Rainfall (mm) 33.8 57% 59.5 Rainfall (mm) – lowest 2.3 Rainfall (mm) – highest 161.0 Rainfall total (mm) – 2018 693.4 128% 540.0 Evapotranspiration – mm 107.7 105% 102.1 Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 229.6 77% 296.3 Mean soil temp – 10cm 12.6 +0.6°C 12.0 Mean soil temp – 30cm 14.8 +1.2°C 13.6

Period of LTA

October 2017

(1996-2017) (1996-2017)

121.1 126.1

(1996-2017) 228.7 (1996-2017) 271.0 (1986-2017) 19.2 (1986-2017) 8.6 (1986-2017) 13.9 (1986-2017) Nil (1986-2017) Nil (1986-2017) 247.4 1983 1969 (1986-2017) 2038.9 (1986-2017) 32.4 1961 2001 (1986-2017) 553.4 (1996-2017) 109.7 (1996-2017) 241.4 (1986-2017) 13.7 (1986-2017) 14.8

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures

October’s mean temperature of 13.7°C was 0.6°C warmer than the longterm average (LTA). October probably didn’t feel like a warm month as there were a number of ups and down in weekly temperatures as indicated in Table 2. The seven day period from 12 to 18 October was cool, with a mean temperature of 11.4°C, 1.7°C below the October LTA mean. However, the next seven days from 19 to 25 October were very warm, with a mean temperature of 16.5°C, 3.4°C above the October LTA mean. The warmest maximum temperature of 25.9°C was recorded on 20 October 2018. The coolest minimum temperature of 1.2°C was recorded on 13 October 2018. In five of the six years 2013 to 2018, the October mean temperature has been well above average (2014 below average). However, in the 11 years 2002 to 2012, the mean October temperature was never above average. Frosts

October 2018 was warm, with well above average sunshine hours and well below average rainfall and wind-run.

Two ground frosts and no air frosts were recorded in October 2018. No ground or air frosts were recorded in October 2017, the only year from 1998 to 2018 not to record a ground frost in October.

Table 2: Weekly weather data during October 2018

Growing degree-days (GDD)

Mean Max Mean Min Mean Rainfall Sunshine (°C) (°C) (°C) Deviation (mm) (hours) 1st - 7th 18.4 10.1 14.3 (+1.2) 0.0 61.4 8th - 14th 17.3 6.7 12.0 (-1.1) 6.0 57.3 15th - 21st 20.5 8.1 14.3 (+1.2) 0.0 74.2 22nd - 28th 20.7 8.8 14.7 (+1.6) 22.4 60.6 29th – 31st (3 days) 16.8 8.6 12.7 (-0.4) 5.4 12.6 1st – 31st 19.0 8.4 13.7 (+0.6) 33.8 266.1 October 2018 (+0.7) (+0.6) (57%) (116%) October LTA (1986 – 2017) 18.3 7.8 13.1 59.5 229.0 LTA – Long Term Average

The GDD graph (Figure 1) has been restricted to the period September to December in order to highlight some of the differences between recent seasons during these four months. Once the latter four months of the season (January to April) are added on the Y axis scale needs to become larger and it gets difficult to see the differences between seasons for September and October. 2011/12 has been included as the most recent cool season. 2013/14 is

October 2018 weather

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Figure 1: Normalized growing degree days for Blenheim: days above (+) or below (-) the long-term average for the period 1 September to 31 December

included as the warmest season from September to December, even warmer than last season. The 2017/18 season really stood out from all other seasons from January to April 2018 (not shown). September 2018 recorded a mean temperature equal to the long-term average and the GDD deviation line (black) ended up close to zero at the end of the month. The October 2018 GDD line is reflective of the cool week from 12 to 18 and the warm week from 19 to 25, previously described. However, with the overall mean temperature above average, the GDD deviation at the end of October was higher than at the start of the month. Last year it was not until the end of October and early November 2017 that the season started to have some really warm temperatures. NIWA’s Climate Outlook for temperature seems to be have been a bit of a moving target over recent months, The chance of above average temperatures for Nelson/ Marlborough in the September to November Outlook was 40%. The October to December Outlook was less certain with only a 25% chance of above average temperatures. The November to December Outlook is back up to a 40% chance of above average temperatures. One year ago the November to December 2017

Outlook was also for 40% chance of above average temperatures and that prediction was fairly accurate. So if the current temperature prediction at the beginning of November 2018 is accurate the 2018/19 GDD line could well follow the same upwards trajectory as the 2013/14 or 2017/18 lines. However, the 2018/19 line is at a lower point at the beginning of November. While temperatures / growing degree days over the whole season have a major bearing on the timing of the main phenological events (flowering, bunch closure, véraison and harvest) you need to bear in mind that the main determinant of vine yield is the temperature over the relatively short flowering / fruit set period, not the temperature over the month’s preceding or following flowering / fruit set. For a large proportion of Marlborough’s grape crop it is the temperatures in the second and third weeks of December that are critical in determining yield at harvest. Sunshine October 2018 recorded 266.1 sunshine hours, 37.1 hours more sunshine than the LTA; i.e. an additional 1.2 hours sunshine per day. Total sunshine from January to October 2018 was 2070.2 hours,

103% of the LTA. Although Blenheim recorded high sunshine hours it was only the third sunniest town in New Zealand during October. Napier was the sunniest with 275.7 hours, followed by Whakatane with 268.2 hours. Of interest is that Richmond recorded only 245.3 hours sunshine in October, 20.8 hours less than Blenheim. At the end of September Richmond was leading Blenheim by 23.6 hours, for the 2018 total to date. However, at the end of October, Richmond’s lead has been cut to only 2.8 hours. So with two month’s left in 2018 the sunshine race is between Richmond and Blenheim. Whakatane is in third place but too far behind to make up the difference. Rainfall Blenheim recorded 33.8 mm rain during October, 57% of the LTA. However, total rainfall for the first 24 days was only 6.0 mm, recorded over the 11th and 12th October. 27.8 mm (82% of the month’s total) rain was recorded over five of the last seven days of October. The highest one day total was 18.8 mm recorded on 25 October. Total rainfall for January to October 2018 of 693.4 mm was 128% of the long-term average of 540.0 mm. What the rainfall total for 2018 to date doesn’t show is that total rain for September and October 2018 (70.0 mm) is only 62% of the long-term average for these two months (112.2 mm). Soil Moisture Topsoil moisture was 33.9% on 1 October 2018 (Figure 2). However, with only 6.0 mm rain recorded in the first 24 days of October the soil moisture fell steadily to 21.5% on the 24th. The loss of 12.4% moisture between 1 and 24 October was about 50% of the available topsoil moisture at the Grovetown Park weather station; i.e. field capacity is approx. 38% and permanent wilting point about 14%. This topsoil moisture loss from an actively growing grass sward (lawn/ pasture), is very typical in Marlborough

Winepress November 2018 / 7

during October, when little rainfall is recorded. Up until 24 October the 2018 soil moisture line was tracking downwards in almost identical manner to the 2015 line. However, the 27.8 mm rain between 25 and 30 October boosted the moisture by 4-5% and in early November the soil moisture was at a very similar point as it was in 2017. In 2015 and 2017 rainfall was very low from October to December and the shallow soil moisture was close to its minimum by late November. The late October 2018 rainfall will have given about a week to 10 days delay in the downwards trajectory of the shallow soil moisture, unless substantial rainfall is received in early November.

It is interesting to note that of the six years 2012 to 2017, total rainfall from October to December was only slightly above average in 2016, in all other years rainfall was below to well below average. The prediction for November 2018 to January 2019 is for 35% chance of average and 40% chance of below average rainfall. Wind October 2018 average daily windrun was 229.6 km. This was 77% of the October mean (1996-2017) of 296.3 km. There were only four days during October that recorded above average wind-run. Of the 12 years 1996 to 2007 only three years recorded below

average wind-run during October. However, of the 11 years 2008 to 2018, nine years have recorded lower than average wind-run during October; i.e. October has recorded a lot less wind in the past decade than in the previous decade. The four months October to January are traditionally the windiest months in Blenheim. However, the October trend with less wind in the last decade also applies to November, December and January. Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Figure 2: Shallow soil moisture (0-35 cm) at the Grovetown Park weather station in Blenheim

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Good Show! Marlborough Wine Show celebrates people, place, provenance & Pinot

PINOT NOIR was the pick of the bunch at last month’s Marlborough Wine Show, taking three major awards. Villa Maria’s Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Noir 2015 won the OI Wine of the Show, while a flight of Villa Maria Single Vineyard Southern Clays Pinot Noirs - 2012, 2015 and 2017 - took the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award. “It was pleasing to see that this

year we had Pinot Noir that stood up in this space,” said chief judge Jack Glover. “That quality consistency over a number of vintages of Pinot Noir is showing a coming of age of our vineyards and our winemaking.” The third Pinot triumph was for the Tohu Rore Reserve Pinot Noir 2017, which won The Coterie Trophy for Wine of Provenance, for a wine “that shows

where it is from,” said Jack. The show is unique in a number of ways, beginning with its wines being at least 95% Marlborough grapes, and the sub-regional separation in assessing some varieties. It’s also the only show in New Zealand in which judges taste wines in varietal-specific glassware. A Marlborough Wine Show Long Lunch, catered by Simon Levy and the

Trophy Winners for Wine Marlborough Show 2018 OI New Zealand Wine of the Show - Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Noir 2015 Methode Marlborough Trophy for Champion Sparkling Wine - Hunter’s Miru Miru Reserve 2013 The De Sangosse Trophy for Champion Riesling - The Sounds Marlborough Riesling 2018 The Wine Marlborough Trophy for Champion Other White Varietal - Forrest Chenin Blanc 2017 The Label and Litho Trophy for Champion Pinot Gris Wither Hills Pinot Gris 2018 The Wine Brokers New Zealand Trophy for Champion Gewürztraminer - Cicada Marlborough Gewürztraminer 2017 The WineWorks Trophy for 2017 and older Champion Sauvignon Blanc - Giesen Single Vineyard Fuder Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc 2015 The WineWorks Trophy for 2018 Champion Sauvignon Blanc - Peter Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2018 The Ormond Nurseries Trophy for Champion Chardonnay 2016 - Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay 2016

The Ormond Nurseries Trophy for Champion Chardonnay 2017 - Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay 2017 The Scenic Hotel Marlborough Trophy for Champion Rosé - The Sounds Rosé 2018 The Classic Oak Products Trophy for 2015 and older Champion Pinot Noir - Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Noir 2015 The Classic Oak Products trophy for 2016 Champion Pinot Noir - Summerhouse Marlborough Pinot Noir 2016 The Classic Oak Products Trophy for 2017 Champion Pinot Noir - Isabel Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 The Wine Marlborough trophy for Champion Other Red Varietal - Giesen Single Vineyard Clayvin Syrah 2016 The Barrel Finance & Logistics Trophy for Champion Sweet Wine - Riverby Estate Noble Riesling 2016 The Marlborough Museum Legacy Award - Villa Maria Single Vineyard Southern Clays Pinot Noir 2012, 2015 and 2017 The Coterie Trophy for Wine of Provenance - Tohu Rore Reserve Pinot Noir 2017

Winepress November 2018 / 9

crew from his Christchurch restaurant Inati, celebrated the 38 gold medal wines as well as 18 trophy winners. MC Tom Trolove, chair of the Marlborough Winegrowers board, told the audience that the awards and lunch were a celebration of the industry’s people as well as its wine. “As we grow and get bigger it gets harder to do what we are doing now…What used to happen by osmosis, we now have to make a conscious effort to make happen.” The awards saw Dr Rengasamy Balasubramaniam (Bala) awarded the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising a huge commitment to the Marlborough wine industry since he joined MAF, later to become HortResearch, in 1986. In presenting the award, Marlborough Winegrowers deputy chair Stuart

Dudley, who at the beginning of his career was mentored by Bala, said he could not think of a better person to be acknowledged. That seemed a common sentiment, as the room stood and cheered to recognise the scientist’s impact on the region’s wine industry. “He was the go-to man for a large number of people in the world of viticulture and there was hardly a viticulture seminar in those early days, where Bala did not present vital information that was readily absorbed by the industry,” Stuart said. “At the forefront of all of his endeavours Bala has been a scientist for the growers, providing them with knowledge and skills to help them flourish and Marlborough to grow as an internationally acclaimed wine region.”

Bala was involved in the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology (NZVSO) for 21 years, and was president for 10 of them. On stepping down last year, he was made the organisation’s second ever life member. Bala told the Wine Awards audience that he was one of the “back office guys”, and not at the forefront of taking Marlborough to the world. However, when he looked in his “magic bag”, referencing a handy Hermione tool (from the Harry Potter books) which holds a lot in a little, he realised that in fact it was laden. The December Winepress will profile Bala, to kickstart a new Pioneer series on people with a long and rich history in the region’s wine industry.

Photo on previous page : Villa Maria viticulturist Stuart Dudley stands to accept the Wine of the Show award. Photo Richard Briggs. Photos on facing page, clockwise from top left: International judge Matt Lamb; Shige Kimura and Jamie Goode; stewards track the entries; Tohu’s Bruce Taylor with The Coterie Trophy for Wine of Provenance; Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Dr Rengasamy Balasubramaniam (Bala); The Villa Maria team with the top trophy; Chief judge Jack Glover; Varietal-specific glassware. Photos by Richard Briggs.

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Future Proofing Breathing space for major marc operation SOPHIE PREECE

A company looking to transform grape marc into bio-nutrient fertiliser says the initiative could help futureproof the wine industry’s reputation and cost structure, with good environmental outcomes. Remarc’s Warren McNabb told a grape marc meeting in Blenheim last month that the industry will face increased costs from changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme, as the government amps up New Zealand’s response to climate change. Meanwhile, fertiliser has become a geopolitical issue, complicating New Zealand’s “dangerous addiction” to synthetic fertiliser use, he said. “We have to realise there are some really big changes coming that will affect the industry.” Reducing traditional fertiliser use by transforming grape marc waste into a Remarc resource will help mitigate the impact of those changes, and help protect the region’s reputation, Warren said. “The goal with Remarc is to have a carbon neutral, locally produced biofertiliser, which will hopefully improve marc disposal compliance and soil sustainability benefits.” Remarc - which is a joint initiative between Warren McNabb’s renewable energy company, Energy3 Limited, and Marlborough wine company Indevin - plans to process the grape marc through a fully contained anaerobic digester, which utilises the nutrients, organic matter and carbon in the grape marc to produce a rich natural fertiliser. The final product will be available to grape growers, at a lower cost than synthetic fertiliser, but other

12 / Winepress November 2018

industries have The process of making bio-fertiliser also expressed an interest in accessing given impetus earlier this year when it, said Warren. GrowCo, a company with consent In 2014, Marlborough wine to process 40,000 tonnes of marc, producers collaborated with the closed its doors, leaving many wine Marlborough District Council in companies wondering what would forming the Marlborough Grape Marc happen next vintage. (MGM) group to advance a proposal Warren said the company for an environmentally sustainable use initially focussed on being ready of the wine industry’s waste streams. to go in 2019, but needed industry It considered the Remarc proposal, commitment, resource consent, a but ultimately followed up with the facility and consumer confidence in Australian-based Tarac Technologies, the fertiliser. “This was a challenge to which planned to extract alcohol achieve in nine months.” With a risk from all the grape marc and residuals that it wouldn’t be ready in time for vintage 2019, Remarc has developed a “transition” solution, whereby clients’ marc will be taken to a large unplanted site owned by Indevin, where it can be spread to land. Indevin chief executive Duncan McFarlane says the company is in the process of applying for resource consent for that activity. “We have been working closely with council and our technical teams to ensure what we propose will meet all regulatory and environmental requirements whilst enhancing the land that will be utilised.” Given the “breathing space” offered by the vintage 2019 solution, produced in Marlborough and convert the spent marc into compost and stock the Remarc team will have time to create a pilot plant, and to continue feed. work on creating an organic certified That project did not proceed on fertiliser. The pilot plant will be located commercial grounds, and grape marc at Indevin’s winery at the Cloudy Bay has caused major headaches for the Business Park and is expected to be up region in recent years, brought to and running prior to vintage 2019, says a head by several prosecutions in Duncan. 2016. Remarc’s renewed interest was

“The goal with Remarc is to have a carbon neutral, locally produced biofertiliser.” Warren McNabb

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Composting pitfalls Rocky trail on grape marc journey SOPHIE PREECE

BABICH WINES is “gun shy” of composting its own grape marc, following the failure of its $65,000 Waihopai Valley pad, and a subsequent prosecution. David Babich told an industry meeting in Marlborough last month that the company’s good intentions were foiled by inexperience and poor construction, so that leachate seeped through the clay liner and entered the soils, eventually reaching water bores which supplied six homes, upsetting neighbours and causing the Marlborough District Council (MDC) to act. “We had an intention to recycle and thought we had done it the proper way, but it completely didn’t work out.” However, he believes the Marlborough wine industry will learn to process its winery waste in a sustainable way, given time to grapple with the pitfalls. “I am very confident in this looking good in five years’ time. It will just be a rocky pathway there, while we work out the best way to deal with it.” Babich’s “rocky path” began when it decided to “recycle” its grape marc for the good of its soils, having seen the positive impacts of returning the marc to the vineyards. They chose a site in the Waihopai Valley, close enough to the winery to be logistically viable, but far enough from neighbours to mitigate the odour issues of composting marc. They engaged a construction company to build the pad in 2014 and the next vintage it proved a near perfect solution for 1,000 tonnes of grape marc, with one odour complaint resolved after a visit and advice from the MDC. But a wet 2016 vintage led 14 / Winepress November 2018

to a completely different story, when the rain revealed that the pad was permeable. MDC compliance manager Gina Ferguson said there were many learnings from the 2016 vintage, when council issued several abatement notices to companies in Marlborough, in some cases leading to prosecutions. They were mainly around large-scale storage, she told the group.

“We had an intention to recycle and thought we had done it the proper way, but it completely didn’t work out.” David Babich Key among the learnings is the extraordinarily high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in grape marc leachate, with numbers that make raw sewerage look benign, she said. Leachate tested 20,00070,000 g O2/m3 BOD5, compared to raw sewage, which is 150-400 g O2/ m3. Leachate also contains manganese, although not at amounts that would

David Babich

account for the levels council found in groundwater after grape marc issues in 2016, she said. They soon learned that the leachate works to release the arsenic and manganese that occur naturally in the soil, allowing the elements to travel through the soil and into the water table. This resulted in water supply bores being unsuitable for drinking due to the contamination from the Babich marc pad for up to a year. Babich provided an alternate potable water supply to homes as soon as the cause was ascertained. The Babich marc pit has been “mothballed” and the cost written off, but David says the company, industry and council has learned a lot from the experience. He doubts Babich will process its own grape marc any time soon, but if it did, the company would use a concrete pad, in lieu of a bunded clay liner, and would have a roof on the pit, instead of the cover that proved insufficient in the wet 2016 season. They would also scrutinise contractors’ work to a far higher level, check the clay compaction, and involve the council from the beginning of the process. David says their site selection was based largely on odour, but should also have considered the soil type and location of potable water bores. “What are the sensitivities of the site and if this fails what would that look like and who would it affect?”

Waste not want not COMBINING TWO of Marlborough’s waste streams might be a winwin solution for council and wine companies composting grape marc. The Marlborough District Council’s (MDC) green waste collection - made up largely of woody garden cuttings and clippings - could provide a carbon source for grape marc composting, says council’s solid waste manager Alec McNeil. “This material is a good carbon source on its own or can supplement any local, compliant composting operation at your sites.” Organic Wine Solutions consultant Clive Dougall says good compost is a slow burn, not the rapid bacterial fermentation of nitrogen rich grape marc, which tends to become anaerobic. “If you just compost grape marc alone, with its high nitrogen content and residual sugar as well, you’ll get rapid bacterial growth. That’s what can makes it stink, and be less effective and valuable.” To slow it down, and create a useful and beneficial compost, it needs to contain a large content of carbon matter, available as woody shredded material, which helps to introduce a fungal content, he says. However,

one of the challenges for companies composting grape marc is the scarcity of carbon sources in Marlborough’s wine country. Sawdust is available but is not an ideal solution, because it is often fine, and can make the compost anaerobic again, Clive says. “In an ideal world you want 50/50 grape marc and dry carbon matter, but I’d say 30% shredded wood Clive Dougall of Organic Wine Solutions is a minimum. So if you have 300 cubic metres of Alec notes that the shredded green grape marc you’ll need a minimum of waste has no grass clippings, due to 150 cubic metres of carbon rich waste, issues with herbicides. which can be hard to get hold of. The MDC’s Wither Rd facility has He says being able to access bulk loads of shredded green waste a source from the council is an “interesting opportunity”, and one that available between now and the start of harvest, at a cost $2.50 + GST per organic growers can tap into as well, cubic metre. There is limited volume as long as the compost is monitored available, so it will be sold on a first to BioGro standards. “If it is handled come first serve basis, Alec says. properly it will reach a specified temperature where any chemicals are broken down, and it becomes suitable for an organic user.”

Reputation matters Winemakers and grape growers should be as proud of their waste products as they are of the wines going to market, says New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan. “Individually and collectively, Marlborough needs to ensure the management of grape marc has a positive impact on our reputation, not a negative one,” he said at an industry meeting in Blenheim last month. “We have to make sure as an industry, going into vintage 2019, that everybody has really thought about how they will handle their grape marc.” Philip noted that the reputation of New Zealand’s wine industry, including its sustainability, had huge value when it comes to price per litre. On average people pay

more for New Zealand wines than they do for other wines, in part because they are buying into a reputation, he said. “Without our reputation, New Zealand wine would be uneconomic, given the climate in which we grow grapes.” So while exporting great wine helps build reputation of the country’s wine industry, exporting bad news could see it steadily, or suddenly, eroded. In revealing a grisly montage of online grape marc images and media stories over the past two years, he noted that they were the sort of headlines that should be avoided at all cost. “Because what is news in Marlborough this morning will be news in London tomorrow morning.”

Winepress November 2018 / 15

Waste Watchers Room for improvement in winery waste results SOPHIE PREECE

MARLBOROUGH’S WINE industry has continued to increase its winery waste compliance, with Marlborough District Council staff reporting improved management and awareness of grape marc storage in vintage 2018. However, there’s room for improvement, including reducing the volume of wastewater created, improving grape marc storage, and ensuring good record keeping for the entire reporting period, the council’s Environment Committee heard last month. The 2017/18 Winery Wastewater and Grape Marc Monitoring Report reveals that 40% of the 35 wineries assessed over vintage 2018 were fully compliant with all conditions or rules, giving them a ‘green’ on the council’s traffic light rating system. That was up from 33.3% in 2017 and 23.5% in 2016. No wineries were deemed significantly non-compliant. Eight wineries (23%) were marked yellow for technical non-compliance, meaning there was a minor breach with no-adverse environmental effects. Another 10 wineries (20%) were rated non-compliant with one condition or rule, and six (17%) were rated noncompliant with two or more conditions or rules, totalling 37% orange light, or non-compliant. Environmental protection officer Rachel Neal told the committee that the most common area of orange non-compliance was exceeding the permitted pH range on one or more occasions. Seven wineries were noncompliant in their discharge or storage 16 / Winepress November 2018

of grape marc in a Soil Sensitive Area, falling foul of a new Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP) rule. Another six wineries had minor and substantial ponding. In the three cases of substantial ponding, the wineries involved all took the required corrective actions. Other issues included exceeding the discharge rate, exceeding nitrogen loading levels, odour crossing a property boundary and operating without a resource consent. Council staff visited 24 wineries during vintage to do wastewater inspections, and also asked where grape marc was disposed of. “Inspections at the wineries during vintage did not identify significant discharge issues, problems with leachate collection and/or odour from their onsite grape marc piles,” the report reads. Ten wineries were found to compost their grape marc on site and then spread it under vines as a soil conditioner, while another 10 spread their grape marc directly to land, and 15 had their grape marc transported offsite for compost, stockpiling and/or stock feed. The monitoring report assesses the 38 wineries in Marlborough that

discharge winery wastewater to land, 32 of which are on the Wairau Plain, one north of Blenheim and five in the Awatere Valley. The wineries within the Riverlands and Cloudy Bay industrial zones that discharge directly to trade waste and three wineries in the rural zone that have their wastewater taken offsite were not monitored. However, this year wineries located within the industrial zones were asked for information on the quantity of grape marc produced and how it is disposed of. Rachel says the results of that survey are pending. Spot checks of the stormwater drains within the industrial zones were also checked to ensure no waste products were entering the drainage network, with no compliance issues discovered. For the 2018/2019 season, MDC staff will continue to focus on education on consent conditions, plan rule standards and compliance.

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Wheel opportunities Plenty of good spin-offs from safe cycle ways SOPHIE PREECE Marlborough needs more off-road vineyard cycling. Photo from Explore Marlborough

MARLBOROUGH COULD have the best wine cycle trails in the world, with visitors cruising through vineyards to access an array of cellar doors. But getting cyclists off roads and beside rows is going to require “lateral thinking” from wine companies, says Steve Hill of the Renwick Smart and Connected Bike-Walk Working Group. “It’s easy to put a path beside a road, but if we are truly aiming for the best wine cycling experience in the world, the further from the road we can get, the better.” A new report on Renwick Wine Trails, commissioned by the Bike Walk Marlborough Trust, identifies options for making the current cellar door cycling experience safer and better. It takes into account the need for better commuting routes for Blenheim and Renwick locals, as well as the need for “world class experiences” in and around the wineries of Renwick and beyond. “This will not only make it safer and more enjoyable for the thousands of visitors currently doing

18 / Winepress November 2018

the cycle between wineries, it will also assist in growing the visitor economy significantly,” the report states. Trails-based tourism is already popular in the region, with 4,000-5,000 people cycling around Marlborough vineyards annually, the report says.

“If we are truly aiming for the best wine cycling experience in the world, the further from the road we can get, the better.” Steve Hill

“With Marlborough’s relatively warm and dry climate, its outstanding natural scenery and relatively flat terrain, it lends itself extremely well to walking and cycling.” Steve, who co-owns Wine Tours by Bike, says the increased number of people visiting Marlborough means more cars and more people on bikes, “so it’s really important that we separate them”. The effort over the past several years has to been to nail down the “easy wins”, including tracks alongside State Highway 6, leading to Rapaura Rd and beyond, with track development assisted by Wairau River Wines and Nautilus. They have also established a new track that travels offroad from Vintage Lane to Renwick, Forrest Estate and SH6, as well as a trail on a Hunter’s Wines headland, which accesses the stop bank, providing a conduit to other cellar doors on and around Rapaura Rd. The next block of work, prioritised according to the outcomes of the Renwick Wine Trails report, is to

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set in place stopgap measures to ensure continued safety for wine cycle tourists and people commuting between Renwick and Blenheim. But the region also needs to step up to create world class cycle trails that are both safe and memorable, Steve says, giving Forrest Estate as an example. That wine company has long invited wine cycle tourists to use the road that runs through the vineyard, which is a much better experience than riding around the outside by the state highway, he says. “People stay safe in both environments, but one of them is a great wine cycling experience.” The group is inviting landowners to come up with innovative ways in which the trail could wend its way through wine country, using boundaries, sidelands and headlands. “We are asking them, ‘please come to us with some lateral thinking and cool ideas about getting people around the place’.” That might mean cutting a small awkward corner off a vineyard and using it for riders instead of rows,

or utilising a paper road through the property. Fencing a bike track can address many of the health and safety concerns vineyard owners might have. “In those cases we will seek funding to cover the cost of everything from construction of the path to fencing and signage,” Steve says. Alternatively, the wine company might sponsor it, and have that part of the trail named to recognise its input. Bike Walk Marlborough Trust chair Tracy Johnston, who is also on the board of Wine Marlborough, says the region should absolutely aspire to having the best wine cycle trails in the world. “We have stunning cellar door facilities within such close proximity to each other and the terrain is flat and easy for cycling.” She agrees the ultimate goal is to get people off road as much as possible and cycling between cellar doors. And the trust is getting good traction, with the Marlborough District Council’s long term plan process promising council commitment to cycle trails for

Steve Hill

the next 10 years, she says. “I think it comes back to ensuring the safety of people that are on the wine trail and then ultimately developing a memorable world class experience that provides off-road solutions for visitors and locals to explore Marlborough cellar doors.”

Perpetuating Cycle Bike Walk Marlborough Trust chair Tracy Johnston, formerly head of regional tourism organisation Destination Marlborough, says companies should not underestimate the strong and valuable alignment between Marlborough as a destination and Marlborough as a wine exporter. Visitors who come because of their love of the region’s wine bolster tourism numbers and strengthen their brand devotion. Meanwhile, travellers who come to Marlborough for other reasons and have brilliant wine experiences along the way are likely to leave as new consumers, marketing

20 / Winepress November 2018

Marlborough and its wine to their circles when they return home. “It’s a perpetuating cycle,” she says. The recently released Deloitte-ANZ Wine Industry Benchmarking and Insights survey shows wine tourism has a higher spending per person than most other markets in New Zealand. In 2017, 22% of the country’s 3.2 million international visitors went to a winery or vineyard. Those visiting a winery spent $4,500 per visit, significantly higher than $3,200 of those who did not. They also stayed longer in New Zealand and visited more regions.

Count Up Good yields on the cards for vintage 2019 BUNCH COUNTS in Marlborough vineyards are showing good fruitfulness in all varieties, says Villa Maria viticulturist Stuart Dudley, who is seeing two shoots per bud on many Sauvignon Blanc vines. He says the most of the region came through a series of cold October nights unscathed and, assuming a good flowering, Vintage 2019 should be at or above average yields. Much of Marlborough had near perfect flowering last year, which has resulted in good fruitfulness this season, he says. The company is already working to thin fruit in blocks with “high potential”, although “there’s still a bit of water to go under the bridge, see the conditions of 176W Xuntil 124Hwe MM

flowering”, he says. “It only takes a few big southerlies in December to change that yield.” The estimates are in line with the results from the prediction model for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc yields, which indicated an above average crop next year, assuming typical climate and vineyard management. Earlier this year, Marlborough Plant & Food Research senior scientist Dr Mike Trought said temperatures in the initiation period, between December

Photo by Richard Briggs

2017 and January 2018, were the third highest since he began running the model in 1988, indicating a potential bumper crop in 2019. “There’s a long way to go before then,” he said at the time. “But at the moment things are looking well above average. Assuming an ordinary flowering, we are looking in the top quartile.”

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Good Stuff As part of a series on Women in Wine, Anabelle Latz talks influence and inspiration with Patricia Miranda-Taylor FROM A small country town in Chile to a large winery in Marlborough, Patricia Miranda-Taylor’s career has been driven by big aspirations and small limitations. “Set goals and search for opportunities, and with determination this can lead to positive results and amazing achievements,” she says, stealing a moment away from her role as judge at the Marlborough Wine Show. One of four Wither Hills winemakers, Patricia grew up in an agricultural area of Chile, El Olivar, and studied agronomist engineering, majoring in economics, with a plan to work for her family’s horticulture business and commercialise Chilean produce in markets around the world. After a stint working at the Central Bank of Chile, she changed tack to study viticulture and winemaking, growing her love of the industry. “My passion of it continues to grow today,” says Patricia, who completed her oenology studies in 2000, before cutting her teeth at Terramater in Chile, followed by extended vintages at Hogue Cellar in Washington State, Zilzie in Victoria, Australia, and then in the Napa Valley at Cardinale. In 2004 she moved to Marlborough to work at Isabel Estate

22 / Winepress November 2018

as chief winemaker, where she stayed for several years, before moving to Yealands, then Villa Maria. “It was terrific to get experience in large wineries after such a long time with a small family business,” she says. In the summer of 2015 she began her role at Wither Hills, where she satisfies a penchant for planning and strategy, as well as completing projects to continually improve the operation. She still loves the challenges harvest brings, along with the onslaught of vintage staff from around the world. It has been an “amazing journey”, she says. “It is still hard for me to believe I am established in Marlborough professionally and personally, as I never planned for it. I have seen Marlborough change over the years and I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing wineries and people.” Patricia’s tireless determination includes giving plenty back to the industry and community that have welcomed her, including jumping on board the Women in Wine Programme as president of the Marlborough committee. “I am extremely grateful for everything I have had in my life and appreciate the people that have been with me along the way. I feel that is my

responsibility now to give back to the wine industry.” Some of her best career experiences have been due to informal mentorship from people around the world. “For example, Chris Carpenter at Cardinale, and Lokoya, from whom I learned about making premium red wines in Napa Valley. Ernest Loosen in Germany, who taught me all about being dedicated, professional and working 110%, while always having fun along the way. And the Bourgeois family in France, where I learned that even with success to always be humble and kind.” When she’s not working, judging, volunteering, or helping with Women in Wine, Patricia is likely to be found with her husband and five year-old daughter, tramping with friends, or travelling to different wine regions. The wine industry has taken her around the world and warmly welcomed her to Marlborough, says Patricia. In return, she wants to help others, offer advice and demonstrate that anything is possible. “It is encouraging and a satisfying feeling when I have any opportunities of coaching and see people flourishing and smiling. Because just one person can have a big influence on your life.”

HML - the recipe for success. Bud burst to pre-flowering (10-14 day interval) Growth stage

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6-7 leaf

1-4

12-14

14-15

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HML Silco

425g powder / 540ml liquid

Silco

Sulphur

label

Sulphur

Protector

Copper

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Protector

500ml

HML32

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Lime Sulphur

3.5-7%

Copper

Seaweed Magnesium

8-10 leaf single flower

12 leaf, inflor. Well developed, single flower sep.

15-16

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Copper

Seaweed Magnesium

Tr. elements

see notes

Pre-flowering to PBC (7-10 day interval) Growth stage

14 leaf, cap colour fading

16 leaf, beg. flowering

50% capfall

80% - 100% capfall

Fruitset-Pea

Pea size 4mm

Pea size 7mm

PBC

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Product

Rate / 100L

HML Silco

425g powder / 540ml liquid

Silco

Sulphur

label

Sulphur

Copper

label

Protector

500ml

HML32

1.25L

Nutrients

Protector HML32

label

Protector HML32

Seaweed

Protector HML32

Seaweed Magnesium

Seaweed

HML32 Seaweed Magnesium

Seaweed

Post PBC to veraison (10-14 day interval) Growth stage

Berries still hard and green

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Rate / 100L 425g powder / 540ml liquid

Silco

Sulphur

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Sulphur

Copper

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Protector

500ml

HML32

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Veraison

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Henry Manufacturing non-residual pesticides

HML Silco

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Sulphur Copper

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1. Lime sulphur only needs to be applied if the previous season had high powdery mildew infection and/or erinose mites. 2. Recover after rain. 3. Applications of copper provides phomopsis and downy mildew control. Note that further copper applications may be required where the downy mildew pressure is high.

Disclaimer: Henry Manufacturing Limited has prepared this programme to assist grape growers using its products. Liability whether in tort (including negligence), contract or otherwise, for any loss, crop injury or crop failure, resulting from the application of this spray programme is excluded. Any user of this spray programme accepts this disclaimer.

6. If the flowering period is longer than 7 days or is wet, apply Protector mix to maintain powdery mildew cover.

botrytis resilience and enhancement maturity. See notes on website for accurate timings for white and red grapes.

7. For a month after Fruitset EL27 (when plant is still susceptible to powdery mildew), cover at 7 day intervals (10 day maximum) with HML32 mix alternating with Protector mix. If under pressure, use HML32 mix instead of Protector mix.

11. All HML products are alkaline. Take care when selecting copper and nutrient products to avoid tank mix incompatibility and plant damage. Read the label of HML products.

4. Early applications of HML Silco helps build plant strength and crop resilience.

8. The HML32, sulphur and Silco mix prevents and eradicates powdery mildew.

12. Magnesium sulphate is in most cases compatible with the Protector, HML Silco and sulphur mix. Jar test recommended. Not compatible with HML32.

5. HML32 mix at EL18 and EL 25 are important applications that brackets flowering. Provides powdery mildew prevention and eradication control as well as botrytis control.

9. Where there is existing powdery mildew infection, an alternative mix is HML32, copper and HML Potum (potassium bicarbonate).

13. If other trace element applications are required, an extra application round will be required or alternatively drop Protector out of the mix.

10. At EL35-36, the application of HML32 can provide

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Winepress November 2018 / 23

Corkscrew Collection Fromm Winery’s screw-up is a happy day for helixophiles SOPHIE PREECE Stephan Walliser

IN 1795 Reverend Samuel Henshall put a concave disc between a steel worm and a wooden handle to achieve the world’s first patent for a corkscrew. More than 200 years later, Fromm Winery has launched a collection of around 700 corkscrew designs - from the beautifully aesthetic to the wonderfully ergonomic - at its renovated cellar door. There’s an early British version, circa 1800, with a steel frame around an archimedean worm, and the Lund’s “London Lever” (1855), which incorporated pliers and corkscrew. There’s the English double lever (1888), the French “Le Presto” (1899), which has a single lever to draw out the worm, and the French double lever (1929), which has a sliding pin to

maintain a vertical extraction. The corkscrew collection is the final touch on Fromm’s beautiful cellar door renovation, in which a section of the barrel hall has been carved off for tastings, so that guests sit in a gleaming wood-lined room, looking through a wall of windows to the oak barrels beyond. General manager Stephan Walliser says the renovation inspired Pol Lenzinger, who owns Fromm with Swiss business partner George Walliser, to share his corkscrew collection, amassed over the past 30 years. The helixophile (corkscrew enthusiast) is a member of ICCA The International Correspondence of Corkscrew Addicts - and owns more than 2,000 corkscrews from around

the world, with details on the design and patent of each. A third of that collection is now on show at Fromm, painting a picture of two centuries of wine drinking. Not all of them are practical, designed more for looks than action, Stephan says. Asked what actually does the job best, he pulls out a Fromm branded sommelier knife, the likes of which sits in countless kitchen drawers or picnic sets. Its success comes down to simplicity, with an easy action and a screw that is compressed enough to offer leverage and long enough to capture the cork, he says. The newest corkscrew in the collection is one with a New Zealand patent, which had been living in Australia, says Stephan. “That’s obviously not the right place for it.” From left: A British design circa 1800, English double lever (1888), French “Le Presto” (1899), French double lever (1929), Henshall design, Lund’s “London Lever” (1855)

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Sauvignon 2019 Q&A with Paul Mabray PAUL MABRAY has been a disruptive agent in the wine industry for the past 25 years, forging initiatives that connect wineries direct to customers on digital platforms. In 2003 he founded Inertia and created the Rethink Engine, an e-commerce platform that changed the way wine was sold. He then established VinTank, which continued to revolutionise the wine industry through e-business, digital products and marketing. He’s speaking digital at the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration 2019, which will be held in Marlborough from January 28 to 30. He says he is “honoured” to return to New Zealand, “which owns a large part of my heart for the place but especially the people”. What are the greatest challenges in converting the industry to digital platforms? Culture, a small and balkanised industry, and our multi-faceted requirements (POS + E-com + Subscription). But mostly culture. What springs to mind when you think of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc? There have been very few success

stories that have architected categories like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It is a case study in delivering sustainable quality and redefining a traditional variety through the brand of a country. How do those challenges compare to the ones you faced a decade ago? Sadly, 100% the same with the only difference being that wineries are leaning harder into DTC (direct to consumer) than ever, to stay in business. The “awakening” is now out of necessity, as routes to markets are evaporating and tasting room volume is decreasing, so the only growth alternative is digital. What’s the biggest opportunity coming up for the industry, in terms of e-business? That’s a great question. In essence, digital is currently the best tool that allows you to scalably reach beyond geography and time and create a

direct connection with your customer. Wineries (and all businesses) now have the ability to create direct and long-term relationships with their customers. Let me also be clear, digital are just the tools that help a winery (or any business) reach out to the world, but at the heart of all digital strategies and e-business should be the foundation of customer relationships and customer experience. What’s your elevator pitch for e-wine-business? The world is bigger than your tasting room and the more efficient and effective way to touch customers around the world, beyond your four walls, is using digital.

From the Committee - Damien Yvon It’s baffling that Sauvignon Blanc can be viewed as simple, says Sauvignon 2019 committee member Damien Yvon, from Clos Henri Vineyard. “Let’s remind ourselves how privileged we are to nurture one of the varietals that has this incredible ability to express a sense of place, and to adapt to the grower and winemaker’s philosophy, to a point where it can subtly change its expression like a chameleon.” Sauvignon 2019 has the “important task” to deliver that message, he says. “Sauvignon Blanc will excite us - producers and consumers - for the decades to come.” He says speakers on day two of the event should inspire the audience on the technical research and vision for Sauvignon Blanc, “while the Pursuit tasting on day three will keep us engaged with the varietal”.

26 / Winepress November 2018

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WHEN IVAN and Margaret Sutherland bought the 127ha Dog Point property in 1991, they envisioned far more than grapes on the land. A quarter of a century later, there are banks of Tasmanian blackwood, silver green slopes of olive trees, a pine nut grove, stands of white trunked birches, a smattering of oaks, and more than 10,000 native trees, flax, grasses and bushes. At the heart of it all is the beautiful Mill Stream. “When we first got the property it was a rambling mix of cracked willow, old man’s beard, and rubbishy plants,” says Margaret, who recalls watching four-wheel drive club vehicles tear through the stream in an annual mud derby. The Sutherlands set into its restoration with gusto, kicking off a hearty battle to clear the pest plants and keep them at bay, while planting thousands of plants. It’s an incredible success story that’s resulted in a clean clear waterway, bordered by a tall native corridor for birds and insects. Mill Stream is just part of the biodiversity package that saw Dog Point win the Supreme Award at last year’s Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards, as well as the Landscape and Habitat Enhancement category. The work is ongoing, and since that award, a new section of the stream has been cleared and planted, with hardy flax and grasses on the more erodible land at the edge of the stream, and more delicate trees further back. It’s a huge effort, Margaret admits. “It is totally worth it. We now have an attractive environment which is enjoyed by family, staff and visitors.”

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Generation Y-ine Biosecurity advisor wants every grape grower on the battlefield SOPHIE PREECE

SOPHIE BADLAND knows plenty about frontline border security, after three years working as a quarantine officer at Wellington Airport, aided by a beagle named Fidget. However, New Zealand Winegrowers’ (NZW) new biosecurity adviser is getting a taste for the fight in the field, working with grape growers, associated industries, government, science providers and foreign ports to help guard against incursions that could damage New Zealand’s wine industry. “I know the importance of everyone being on board, as opposed to it being left to the border staff,” she says, a few weeks into her new role. Sophie is working alongside NZW biosecurity and emergency response manager Edwin Massey to educate growers on biosecurity threats and responses, while educating herself on the seasonal rhythm of grape growing. “I am starting to see the big picture now, in terms of how people can support the work being done at

30 / Winepress November 2018

the border and before things get to the border.” Sophie studied biomedical science at Victoria University, but soon realised that spending all day in a lab was not for her, so went on to train at teachers’ college. She taught high school science and biology for seven years, until she began to lament a whole life spent at school. “I wanted to get in and do something in science in real life - in the field - which was when the quarantine officer job came along.” Her new role has already involved meeting growers and other industry members in Waipara and in Nelson, and attending a workshop at Lincoln University. That involved looking at a tool that evaluates how likely people are to adopt a new initiative, according to the parameters entered. If put into practice, she and Edwin would use the resource to assess the likelihood of growers and contractors putting in place industry-good practices to improve biosecurity outcomes.

Winning hearts and minds is key to the success of the team’s work, so that instead of the industry being reliant on the safeguards put in place at borders, it has an army of biosecurity experts in every vineyard, she says. The biggest risk right now is the brown marmorated stink bug, “not just for the wine industry but horticulture in general”, she says. “It’s the one that is mostly likely to get in and most likely to cause a lot of damage.” She has also been involved in work focusing on Xylella fastidiosa and Pierces disease, including looking at other industries that would be hit by that incursion, and assessing the opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing, “so that different organisations aren’t doing the same thing”, she says. It’s a broad role that Sophie is enjoying, but it’d be even better if she could get a beagle into the vines, she says of her former canine workmates. “I miss them a lot.”

Cellarhand Cellarhand qualification turns a job into a career MARLBOROUGH LAB technician and cellarhand Rylee Funk is the first person to graduate with a new national qualification designed to upskill workers in the Kiwi wine industry. Rylee, 24, works at Lawson’s Dry Hills in Blenheim, and has recently completed the New Zealand Certificate in Cellar Operations Level 3, one of three qualifications designed by industry training organisation Competenz to form a career pathway for cellar staff. Originally from Canada, Rylee was travelling through New Zealand when she landed a temporary job at Lawson’s during the harvest. A few harvests later, with some travel in between, she took up a permanent position in the winery. “At first it was just a chance to do something different, and it turned into a job I really enjoyed. There’s a lot to it and I like that it’s so hands-on.” As a lab technician and cellarhand, Rylee works across all aspects of the winemaking process – pressing, inoculating, transferring, racking, testing and bottling wine. She also supervises seasonal workers when the winery is operating at full capacity during harvest. “Harvest is such a busy time – we’re working 12-hour days, seven days a week, but I love it.” The Level 3 qualification provides a basic understanding of the wine industry, knowledge about legislation such as food safety and health and safety, teamwork and regular cellar operations. It takes about 12 months to complete, and learners choose between workbooks or online modules. For Rylee, it was a chance to formalise her skills and knowledge. “It helped me learn about the reasons why we do what we do. I knew that we needed to add things to the wine, and follow processes for hygiene, but

by completing the bookwork I learned a lot more theory about winemaking.” While she completed the majority of the work in her own time, Rylee also learned more about the technical side of the job with support from Lawson’s senior winemaker Marcus Wright. “We teach our staff how to do things and the qualification teaches them why they do Rylee Funk things,” Marcus says. “This gives their learning structure and focus. It’s a great extension of the training that we do at Lawson’s and it provides more background knowledge and fills in any

“We teach our staff how to do things and the qualification teaches them why they do things.” Marcus Wright

gaps. The qualifications can turn a job into a career.” Competenz also offers New Zealand Certificates in Cellar Operations at Level 4 and Level 5, which cover wine analysis, technical elements, grape processing and vintage operations, through to the potential to lead others and provide technical support in commercial cellar operations. These also take about 12 months to complete. Rylee’s advice to other cellarhands considering doing the qualifications is to get stuck in. “If you love working in wine and you’re thinking about it, definitely do it. You get to learn off the winemakers and find out so much more about the industry. And you get a qualification at the end of it.” Winepress November 2018 / 31

Biosecurity Watch Biosecurity 2025 – Ko Tātou – This Is Us: SOPHIE BADLAND

What is biosecurity anyway? The word ‘biosecurity’ can sound a little daunting. Tell people you’re a biosecurity officer and they think it sounds important, but then a confused look comes over their face and the next question is usually, “So… what do you actually do?” Explain that your job is to help protect New Zealand from exotic unwanted pests and diseases, and suddenly the light bulb goes on – “Like ‘Border Patrol’!” Well, yes. Border patrol is part of the biosecurity system and is probably the most publicly visible aspect thanks to the long-running television series highlighting the role of quarantine officers at New Zealand’s air and sea ports. It has helped to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of biosecurity to New Zealand. Unfortunately, most of the time public engagement ends there. That’s often all people see in terms of biosecurity - officers in uniform at the border, with cute dogs sniffing the luggage. They get Biosecurity New Zealand confused with Customs and Aviation Security, easy enough to do when all three agencies work at the airport, wear similar uniforms and screen with detector dogs. The biosecurity message can get a little lost amongst all of this, and many tourists are utterly surprised (if not outraged)

to find themselves fined $400 instantly for bringing an undeclared apple or dirty hiking boots into the country. While New Zealanders tend to know better, recent surveys have shown we still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding the importance of biosecurity to our way of life. This is going to change. Ko Tātou – This Is Us The last week of September 2018 marked the launch of Ko Tātou – This Is Us, a brand celebrating a biosecurity partnership between New Zealand communities, industry organisations, Māori organisations and government. It aims to involve everyone, an effort to create a world-class, future-focussed, resilient biosecurity system that will protect our country, its vineyards and native taonga from pests and diseases. The brand’s logo shows a profile of New Zealand as viewed from offshore, emphasising the need for a collective, countrywide approach. Ko Tātou – This Is Us highlights that biosecurity is not just the Ministry for Primary Industry’s (MPI) responsibility, nor can it be delegated solely to an individual or small team within an organisation. The job is too big, and there is too much at stake. This is the message that the Ko Tātou brand aims to get across to a wider

audience – biosecurity is everyone’s business. The impact of a serious incursion on the wine industry and the wider agricultural sector could be huge, not just for growers and farmers but for all who rely on those industries for employment, or to supply their own businesses. Similarly, beautiful areas of national and cultural significance could be destroyed, overrun with pests or decimated by disease, as could private gardens. Ko Tātou emphasises that biosecurity is essential to our whole way of life. Most growers in the wine industry already have an appreciation for biosecurity and its importance to primary production, but do all employees in the industry share the same appreciation? Do they understand that their jobs rely on our country having a strong biosecurity system in place? That one incursion of brown marmorated stink bug could cause losses to the wine industry of up to $600 million in forgone export revenue over the next 20 years, potentially wiping out some businesses altogether? Ko Tātou aims to make people more aware of the connectedness of these issues, and of the fact that an incursion isn’t only a potential disaster for the wine and other primary industries, but for the whole country

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT . Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 32 / Winepress November 2018

November

28-30

A biosecurity incursion could threaten our way of life in Marlborough. Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, by Richard Briggs

collectively. Therefore, all of us have a responsibility to do what we can to protect it. Ko Tātou also aims to create more connection and collaboration across the current biosecurity system and encourages the emergence of new programmes. Businesses, organisations and community groups can all use the brand to promote their commitment to biosecurity, showcase what it means to them and encourage participation among others. Joining the movement – what can you do? There are a range of ways to get involved with biosecurity initiatives, and the good news is it isn’t hard to do. An easy first step is to check out the Vineyard Biosecurity Guidelines for Best Practice published by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), and do what you can to implement these in your vineyard. These activities build on current pest and disease management practices employed throughout the industry. Spread the word amongst staff and contractors and get them on board too. After all – vineyard biosecurity is a shared risk. The guidelines can be downloaded from www.nzwine.com/members/grow/ biosecurity/protecting-your-vineyards/ or you can email Sophie.Badland@nzwine.com to request a hard copy flipchart. If you are travelling overseas, check out our guide to Returning to New Zealand on www.nzwine.com/members/ grow/biosecurity/. Following this guide will make it easier for border officials to mitigate any biosecurity risks you may be bringing back with you. Host a biosecurity workshop - if you would like the NZW biosecurity team to visit your site and run a workshop with your staff and local contractors, get in touch with Ed (Edwin.Massey@nzwine.com) or Sophie (Sophie. Badland@nzwine.com). For more information on Ko Tātou – This Is Us and Biosecurity 2025, you can go to www.thisisus.nz, or Facebook www.facebook.com/kotatouthisisus And as always, remember if you see anything unusual to Catch It, Snap It and Report It to MPI on 0800 80 99 66.

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Industry News New Zealand Wine of the Year Awards Marlborough won eight of the 13 varietal trophies at the inaugural New Zealand Wine of the Year Awards, with the country’s best sparkling wine, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner and sweet wine. In the regional awards, the Marisco Craft Series ‘The Pioneer’ Chardonnay Marlborough 2016 won best Marlborough wine. Awards chair Warren Gibson says there was a strong link between region, variety and style in the trophy winners. “It seems to me that there is a definite strengthening in the expression of sense of place, strongly linked with region, grape variety and wine style. This cements to me that we have a positively evolving grapegrowing and winemaking industry and shows the increased maturity of our industry in general.” The eight major trophies, including New Zealand Wine of the Year Champion, the best single vineyard wines and best organic wines, were to be announced at the awards dinner on November 3, and will be published in the December edition of Winepress. Varietal Trophies: WineWorks Champion Sparkling Wine - Nautilus Cuvée Méthode Traditionnelle Marlborough NV Riedel New Zealand Champion Gewürztraminer (Nick Nobilo Trophy) - Lawson’s Dry Hills Gewürztraminer Marlborough 2016 Dish Magazine Champion Pinot Gris (Brother Cyprian trophy) - Misty Cove Wines Pinot Gris Marlborough 2018 Plant & Food Research Champion Riesling (Friedrich Wohnsiedler Trophy) - Wither Hills Riesling Marlborough 2018 Antipodes Water Company Champion Sauvignon Blanc (Spence Brothers Trophy) - Blind River Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley Marlborough 2018 Guala Closures Champion Chardonnay (Bill Irwin Trophy) Marisco Craft Series ‘The Pioneer’ Chardonnay Marlborough 2016 Champion Other White Wine - Misty Cove Wines Landmark Series Grüner Veltliner Marlborough 2018 Champion Sweet Wine - Auntsfield

34 / Winepress November 2018

Busch Block Late Harvest Riesling Southern Valleys Marlborough 2016 New World Champion Rosé Archangel Lace Rosé Central Otago 2018 Fruitfed Supplies Champion Pinot Noir (Mike Wolter Memorial Trophy) - Maude Pinot Noir Central Otago 2017 Champion Merlot Cabernet and Blends (Tom McDonald Memorial Trophy) - Villa Maria Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2016 winejobsonline.com Champion Syrah (Alan Limmer Trophy) - Villa Maria Reserve Syrah Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay 2016 Champion Other Red Styles Church Road One Malbec Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay 2016 New World Wine Awards A Marlborough Chardonnay won Champion White Wine at the New World Wines Awards, with judges calling the Wither Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 a “superb food wine”. Chair of judges Jim Harré says the

varietal has moved on from the heavily oaked and buttery styles of the 1980s, and beyond the pronounced citrus and steely acidity that was prominent in the early 2000s. “Now, we have well-managed wines that reflect the true quality of the Chardonnay fruit, with a judicious use of oak, and a fine elegance brought about by considered winemaking. They are simply a delight to drink, and a must-try even for those who may not typically choose Chardonnay.” Other gold medal-winning Chardonnays include the Riverby Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2014, which was recognised for its “beautifully aged characteristics and fruity sweetness”. As a condition of entry in the awards, all wines must retail for $25 or less and have a minimum volume available for sale in order to meet consumer demand. The Champion wines are: Champion Sauvignon Blanc - Vidal Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Champion Pinot Gris - Rapaura Springs Reserve Marlborough Pinot Gris 2018 Champion Aromatic - Mount Brown Estates North Canterbury Riesling 2018 Champion Chardonnay -Wither Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 Champion Sparkling Wine - Morton Estate Black Label Brut Champion Rosé - Madam Sass Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2018 Champion Pinot Noir - Shaky Bridge Pioneer Series Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017

Champion Single Varietal Red - Grant Burge Cameron Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Champion Red Blend - Mo Sisters Red Blend 2016 Champion Shiraz & Syrah - Zonte’s Footstep Chocolate Factory McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016 The full medal results of the New World Wine Awards can be viewed at www.newworld.co.nz/wineawards Real Estate Update There is strong demand from corporates looking at future vineyard development blocks, says Joe Blakiston of PGG Wrightson Real Estate. “The lower Awatere area is particularly sought after at the moment.” He says buyers of lifestyle vineyards are more cautious, with few sales to report and more subdued activity in general. “Spring is a fickle period and until we get past the frost season we will not really have a gauge on how the selling season develops.” New Overseas Investment Office rules have stopped any overseas buyer activity, Joe adds. “The rules came into effect mid-October, but have been signalled for over a year. They apply to all residential lifestyle and rural property, and we wait with interest to see how this will be dealt with by the major players in the industry.” Tennis time The Rapaura Tennis Club Winery Doubles Tournament (also for affiliated industries) is on Sunday November 18, for teams of up to six players, with four playing at any one time. To confirm a team and for more details contact lindsay@wairauriverwines.com or ant@clarkeconstruction.co.nz Marlborough Weather Watch – November 2018 Wow, what a start to spring. From a forecasting perspective, things have been very busy. I don’t think I have had this much work in terms of frost nights across New Zealand for several years. Marlborough has been no exception, with a number of cold nights through September and early October.

Wine Marlborough update Wine Marlborough is involved in Te Tau Ihu (Top of the South) regional growth strategy, which is being led by Wakatu Incorporation, and involves businesses across the area as well as the Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough Councils. An application for $1 million to develop the strategy has gone to the Provincial Growth Fund. The Marlborough District Wine Marlborough has highlighted Council’s Environment Committee the importance of the RSE scheme. received the annual Winery Wastewater Photo Richard Briggs and Grape Marc monitoring report (see pg *) and noted an improvement in compliance. No enforcement action is planned as no adverse environmental effects were seen. The Environment Committee specifically noted Wine Marlborough’s attendance at the meeting as a demonstration of industry engagement on these issues. We met with opposition Workplace Relations and Safety spokesperson, Scott Simpson, and briefed him about Marlborough’s labour shortage and the importance of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. Saint Clair Family Estate’s human resources and finance manager, Becky Sangster, joined us to give an employer’s perspective. We have continued to be heavily involved in the RSE Operational Review and organised a workshop in Blenheim with Immigration New Zealand so they could hear employers’ views. As I write (at the end of October) the forecast models are showing more west to southwest winds through into the middle of November. These periods of strong westerly conditions are not unusual in spring or for a developing El Niño . However, I think these winds are likely to come and go over summer and in the past seven days we have seen high pressure dominate. We have also had some very mild daytime temperatures. If you happen to be away from the coast, the sea breezes have been quite strong so far this spring and this is likely to continue into summer. The long term forecast for summer and autumn is a slow development of El Niño . This is not tracking to be exceptionally strong, so the weather that we tend to associate with El Niño may not be as prolonged or pronounced. What we may see is the westerlies becoming stronger in February and March and this will help to keep the subtropical lows and cyclones a bit further away this season. Fingers crossed, this season is shaping up to be drier and sunnier than the past couple of years. Temperatures are running near

average and are now starting to push above average in places. We may see quite a large range between maximum and minimum temperatures, especially places in the valleys where sea breezes are hard to reach. An increased westerly flow means lower humidity and dew points inland, so we are likely to see plenty of days over summer with above average temperatures. However, the nights are likely to remain near average. James Morrison runs Weatherstation Frost Forecasting.

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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 November 20. For more information on the events below email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz

NOVEMBER 2 WineWorks Marlborough Wine Race 3 New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner - Wellington. 8 Wine Marlborough Cellar Door & Cellar Door Personality finals and awards. 17 National Cellar Door Day 18 Rapaura Tennis Club Winery Doubles Tournament 23 Marlborough Winegrowers Association AGM - 3pm JANUARY 27 NZVSO Sauvignon Workshop 28-30 Sauvignon 2019, Marlborough 31 - Feb 1 Chardonnay and Sparkling Symposium, Gisborne FEBRUARY 9 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival

WineWorks Wine Race - November 2

Cellar Door of the Year - November 8

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Winepress November 2018

Articles inside

Tasman Crop Report

Forgotten Corners - Mill Stream

ANZ Wine Happenings

Generation Y-ine - Sophie Badland

From the Board - Callum Linklater