Winepress - November 2019

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 299 / NOVEMBER 2019

WINE SHOW

FROST FIGHT

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

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this issue...

32 Photo: Jim Tannock

REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

14 Frost Fighting

6 30 32 34 36 38 40

Editorial - Sophie Preece

From the Board - Kirsty Harkness Tasman Crop Met Report - Rob Agnew Pioneer - John Forrest Forgotten Corners - Wither Hills Rarangi Wetland

Biosecurity Watch - Sophie Badland Industry News

Cover: John Forrest won the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement award at the QuayConnect Marlborough Wine Show.

Photo by Jim Tannock

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20 Te Reo and Tikanga

Generation Y-ine - Matt Ward

Wine Happenings

Frost damage in early October could have been far worse had the cold snap fallen a week later, when Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc had burst. But many still had a massive battle on their hands to protect their exposed vines from a series of cold starts.

After putting out a call for interest in te reo lessons, Women in Wine Marlborough was inundated with people wanting to join a course. This feature also looks at the need for care and consultation when considering MÄ ori words or imagery for a wine brand.

32 Remarkable Rarangi Wetland

For the past decade, Wither Hills has weeded, planted and trapped the extraordinary wetland at the edge of its Rarangi vineyard. Now they plan to add another 10 hectares of natives to the 50ha wetland, in what’s become a project of passion for many of the staff.

34

Winepress November 2019 / 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 Beth Forrest Beth@forrest.co.nz Callum Linklater callum@csviticulture.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Kirsty Harkness kirsty@mountbase.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.com 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

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From the Editor It’s always a bit nerve-wracking sending Winepress off in late October, knowing a frost could change the news before it’s read. Not as nerve-racking, of course, as standing in your vineyard at 11pm and watching the lights flare up to warn of icy air lingering around vulnerable buds on your Chardonnay. Not as nerve-racking, perhaps, as guiding a chopper through your vineyard on its hunt for an inversion layer, the warmer air a cavalry to send against the cold. Or as the knowledge that warm air is steadily slipping away, leaving scant pockets to find and fetch and push down against the budding vines.

Late September and early October were a wake-up call for grape growers across the region, who’ve been relatively frost-free for the past few years. I spoke to a few of them about the all night fight to protect vines against an insidious mass of cold air. That mass was no surprise to the weather gurus, who’d predicted potential peril heading our way, thanks to El Nino conditions and a settled winter, which often leads to spring settling the score. Rob Agnew of Plant & Food Research Marlborough says it was also down to the Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) over the South Pole, which previously coincided with a major frost event in Marlborough in 2002. James Morrison of Weatherstation Frost Forecasting says growers will need to be vigilant, because the risk of a frost in November remains high.

This morning the choppers and fans were at it again, but it wasn’t enough to dampen spirits at the Wine Marlborough QuayConnect Long Lunch, which saw 16 wines gain trophies and industry stalwart John Forrest awarded the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award (see pg 30). Forrest Estate had plenty to celebrate, with the Forrest Pinot Noir 2017 named QuayConnect Champion Wine of the Show and the Classic Oak Products Champion Pinot Noir 2017, while the Wine Marlborough Champion Rosé Trophy went to The Doctors’ Rosé 2019.

John’s passion for science, soil, vines and wines is irrepressible, and his remarkable intellect, vision and determination have helped steer Marlborough’s wine industry over the past 30 years. I clearly remember the first time I met John, around 17 years ago, when he introduced me to Sauvignon Blanc grapes on a young plant, comparing the flavour to goody goody gumdrop ice cream. His ebullience is at the fore when talking about screw caps, Appellation Marlborough Wine, the Whale Trail and the Lighter Wine programme, all pioneering projects he has been integral to. “I have been part of some of the most interesting things the industry has seen,” John told me in an interview in 2017. “I love it. I will be in it until the day I die.”

SOPHIE PREECE

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 November 2019 / 3

EDUCATE

From the Board KIRSTY HARKNESS

IN 2017, I was asked to be involved in a new Women in Wine initiative, to which I confess I responded ‘no thanks’. I didn’t believe it helpful to segregate our gender, not understanding how this could aid equality in our industry.

However, when I was told by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) that they actually had high numbers of people respond who felt it was needed, I decided to do a wee survey of my own.

I started a closed Facebook page called Women in Wine Marlborough. Within four days, it had 140 members, of which I knew only 10. I was humbled by this response and realised that just because I didn’t feel it was needed back then, there were others who did.

Investigating more, I learned that the motto for Women in Wine NZ is, ‘Connect. Inform.

Change.’ The objectives include creating opportunities for connecting, sharing successes and ideas, and driving change by supporting the advancement of women’s careers. This is a group about encouraging each other, and empowering women to reach their full potential.

So I came on board to help organise events in Marlborough, meeting a top class bunch of ladies as we founded a regional committee.

Over the past few years, our committee has organised networking events, guest speakers, multiple workshops (including skills in negotiation and conflict) mentoring, te reo lessons, and of course drinking good wine together.

We have also joined with nationwide Women in Wine groups, and have committee members involved with the national mentoring service. We represent our region at

4 / Winepress November 2019

events far and wide, including recently the AWITC, Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Bragato and the 200 year anniversary of New Zealand winegrowing, at Waitangi.

It is a safe forum where people are comfortable to learn from others, encourage, build confidence and grow. I have met so many amazing people who are in all different areas of our industry. We have partnered with Wine Marlborough, NZW, Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, and different generous wineries and vineyards for our events. We have always been well supported, including

“Women make up 47% of our industry, and yet a low percentage are in leadership roles.” having men attend most events, which we encourage. This support is growing rapidly from our industry as people realise it is not gender bias as some once thought, but rather about support, encouragement and empowerment.

Women make up 47% of our

industry, and yet a low percentage are in leadership roles - women only make up 18% of senior positions nationwide.

Sometimes I feel we try too hard to be someone we are not - trying to run in someone else’s lane instead of embracing who we are and where our individual strengths lie.

When I ask women or men that I meet in our industry if they attend Women in Wine events, the answer is either positively yes (with praise and good feedback on the event they recently attended or heard good things about), or no, often accompanied with a negative response regarding segregation. I understand this, as I was once in that camp.

Wine Marlborough’s objective is to be the world’s greatest wine region.

We can’t achieve this without everyone getting involved, without difference and inclusion, without people knowing their value and rising to the challenge.

If we all play to our strengths, let others play to theirs, and support each other in the process, I’m excited to see what more we can achieve together in this beautiful wine region of Marlborough.

Kirsty joined the board at Marlborough Winegrowers last month.

Winepress November 2019 / 5

MET REPORT Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – October 2019

October October 2019

2019 compared

to LTA GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ 95.4 91% GDD’s for month – Mean² 105.9 95% Growing Degree Days Total Jul – Oct 19 – Max/Min 172.7 92% Jul - Oct 19 – Mean 243.0 101% Mean Maximum (°C) 18.4 +0.1°C Mean Minimum (°C) 7.0 -0.9°C Mean Temp (°C) 12.7 -0.4°C Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 5 3 more Air Frosts (0.0°C) 0 Equal Sunshine hours 250.5 109% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2019 2253.9 112% Rainfall (mm) 28.0 48% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2019 527.2 97% Evapotranspiration – mm 103.5 101% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 253.9 87% Mean soil temp – 10cm 11.4 -0.6°C Mean soil temp – 30cm 13.3 -0.4°C

October LTA

Period of LTA

October 2018

104.4 111.8

(1996-2018) (1996-2018)

118.3 118.4

188.5 240.2 18.3 7.9 13.1 2.1 0.1 230.2 140.7 299.6 2005.6 59.5 2.3 161.0 544.6 102.4 293.4 12.0 13.7

(1996-2018) (1996-2018) (1986-2018) (1986-2018) (1986-2018) (1986-2018) (1986-2018) (1986-2018) 1983 1969 (1986-2018) (1986-2018) 1961 2001 (1986-2018) (1996-2018) (1996-2018) (1986-2018) (1986-2018)

252.5 252.5 19.0 8.4 13.7 2 0 266.1

2070.2 33.8

693.4 107.7 229.6 12.6 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 2019 in summary October 2019 mean temperature was below average, but with a marked temperature contrast during the month. Rainfall and average daily wind-run

were well below average. Sunshine hours were above average. The number of ground frosts was well above average.

Temperature October’s mean temperature of 12.7°C was 0.4°C below the long-term average (LTA). This was the coolest October since 2010, which recorded a mean of 12.4°C. The warmest maximum temperature of 22.3°C was recorded on 8 October 2019. The coolest minimum temperature of 0.0°C was recorded on 3 October 2019. The mean temperature for the first week of October 2019 of 9.0°C, was 4.1°C below average. The mean minimum temperature of 2.4°C was 5.5°C below average. To put that into perspective, the mean minimum in the first week was colder than July’s long-term average mean minimum of 2.7°C. It was a very cold first week. In marked contrast the second and third weeks were 5.3°C and 5.2°C warmer than the first week. The fourth week of the month was slightly below average.

It was the daily minimum temperatures that dragged the monthly mean temperature down, as the mean maximum temperature for October was slightly above average.

In the 19 years 2001 to 2019, the October mean temperature was above

Table 2: Weekly weather data during October 2019

1st - 7th 8th - 14th 15th - 21st 22nd - 28th 29th – 31st (3 days)

1st – 31st October 2019 October LTA (1986 – 2018) LTA – Long Term Average 6 / Winepress November 2019

Mean Max (°C) 15.6 18.9 18.8 19.4 20.8 18.4 (+0.1) 18.3

Mean Min (°C) 2.4 9.7 9.7 6.2 7.5 7.0 (-0.9) 7.9

Mean Ground (°C) Deviation Frosts 9.0 (-4.1) 4 14.3 (+1.2) 0 14.2 (+1.1) 0 12.8 (-0.3) 1 14.1 (+1.0) 0 12.7 (-0.4) 5 (-0.4) 13.1 `2.1

Rainfall (mm) 6.2 6.6 13.8 0 1.4 28.0 (48%) 58.7

Sunshine (hours) 52.2 52.6 40.8 71.7 33.5 250.5 (109%) 230.2

average in only six years (2001, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). So although the October mean temperature was above average in five of the six years from 2013 to 2018, those warmer October temperatures are the exception in the past two decades.

Frosts Five ground frosts were recorded in Blenheim in October 2019; four in the first week. The long-term average number of ground frosts for October is two. The last year that October recorded five ground frosts was 2012.There were no air frosts during October.

Somewhat surprisingly the coldest ground frost of -3.8°C was not recorded in the first week of the month, but on 25 October. However, the air minimum only dropped to +1.5°C on the 25th. The morning of 3 October recorded a ground frost of -3.5°C, with a corresponding air minimum of 0.0°C. So this morning was technically colder and is likely to have caused more frost damage than the morning of 25 October. Of interest is that we need to look back 12 years to 19 October 2007, to find an October morning that was similarly cold with a ground frost of -2.7°C and an air frost of -0.4°C.

Growing degree-days (GDD) I normally present the GDD graph (Figure 1) in the November Met Report as it gives an indication as to how the new season has begun for the first two months of spring. 2011/12 and 2013/14 are two seasons over the last decade that got off to very cool and very warm starts respectively, for the four months September to December.

September 2018 and 2019 both recorded mean temperatures equal to the long-term average and the GDD deviation line (black) ended up close to zero at the end of the both months.

However, it was only a very warm spell in late September 2019 that pushed the black line back up to zero. The GDD line plummeted in the first week of October 2019 with the very cold temperatures. At the end of the first week of October 2019 it appeared as if the GDD line was set to follow a similar downwards path as it did in October 2011. However, the warmer second and third weeks of October 2019 stopped the GDD line from dropping further.

In early October NIWA suggested that there was only a 15% chance of temperatures in Marlborough being above average for the three months October to December 2019, 45% chance of average and 40% chance of below

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

average temperatures. After the first month their prediction appears to be fairly good.

Sunshine Blenheim recorded 250.5 hours sunshine in October 2019, 109% of the LTA. Total sunshine for January to October 2019 was 2253.9 hours, 112% of the long-term average of 2005.6 hours. Blenheim’s sunniest year on record (1930-2018) is 2015. However, to the end of October 2015 Blenheim recorded 2238.9 hours sunshine, 15 hours less than the total to the end of October 2019. November and December 2015 both recorded very high sunshine hours. Even with only average sunshine hours in November and December 2019 it is fairly clear that 2019 will be one of Blenheim’s sunniest years on record.

Rainfall Blenheim recorded 28.0 mm rain during October, 48% of the LTA. Rain was recorded in Blenheim on 11 days during October 2019. However, only two days recorded more than 5.0 mm rain. The highest one day total was 10.4 mm recorded on 18 October. Total rainfall for January to October 2019 of 527.2 mm was 97% of the long-term average.

Soil Moisture Topsoil moisture (0-35 cm depth) was 31.6% on 1 October and 22.7% on 31 October 2019.

The loss of soil moisture between 1 and 31 October was approximately 37% 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 moisture loss from the topsoil with an actively growing grass sward (lawn/pasture), with low rainfall, is fairly typical in Marlborough during October.

The prediction from NIWA from October to December 2019 is for a 40% chance of average, 35%

Winepress November 2019 / 7

chance of below average and only a 25% chance of above average rainfall.

Of the seven years 2012 to 2018 total rainfall from October to December was below average in six of those years.

It appears as if 2019 may well follow suit with the consequence that soil moisture will also be below average.

Wind October 2019 average daily wind-run was 253.9 km. This was 87% of the October mean (1996-2018) of 293.4 km. Average wind speed was 10.6 km/ hr. Readers may be surprised that the

average daily wind run was well below average, as most will recall that there were a number of quite windy days during October. However, generally we remember the windy days but not the calm days. Figure 2 displays the daily wind-run throughout October in comparison to the long-term average.

There were only six days during the month with daily wind-run that exceeded 350 km, compared to the long-term average of 293 km. Sunday 27 October was the windiest day of the month with 433 km wind-run.

January (263.6 km) and September

2019 (261.1 km) recorded slightly higher average daily wind-run than October 2019 (253.9). However, October recorded the highest wind gust so far in 2019. The maximum wind speed recorded during the month was 74.5 km/hr at 1.47 pm on 24 October. This is the highest wind gust recorded in Blenheim since 24 July 2016.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Figure 2: Daily wind-run during October 2019 compared to the long-term average

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CELEBRATE

Wine Show Lingering Long Lunch celebration

Photos by Richard Briggs

“OUTSTANDING” 2017 Pinot Noirs from the Southern Valleys stood out at last month’s QuayConnect Marlborough Wine Show, with the Forrest Pinot Noir 2017 taking the top spot. Chief judge Jack Glover says the judging panel were “very much in their happy place” with the category, and also impressed with the 2019 Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc categories. “They were very smart wines. The Sauvignon Blancs showed good regional development, and the better wines were all complete, beautiful Sauvignons with good poise.”

The trophies were announced at a long lunch, where Forrest Estate’s John Forrest (see pg 30) was awarded the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award for services to the development of the Marlborough wine industry. “Marlborough wine owes a lot to his efforts and his determination to make this region stand out on the world stage, as a high-quality producer,” says Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens.

John says he is “honoured and humbled” by the award, and grateful that he entered the wine industry at a time when it was “kicking off” on the world stage, giving him “a great opportunity to be forward-thinking”. But mostly he’s grateful to be from a country that “allows a crazy person like me to have an idea and go and do it”, he says. “It’s that freedom to be creative and take a risk that defines New Zealand.”

The Marlborough Wine Show, which is run by Wine Marlborough, promotes the sub-regionality and diversity of the region’s wines. It includes the Legacy Award, which honours wines of pedigree that have been consistently 10 / Winepress November 2019

produced over a 10-year period. The 2019 Marlborough Museum Trophy went to Zephyr Riesling, 2011, 2014 and 2017.

COLLABORATIVE WINE LOGISTICS Congratulations to all winners at the Marlborough Wine Show!

QuayConnect is proud to support the Marlborough wine growing region quayconnect.co.nz

CELEBRATE

TROPHY WINNING WINES Vitis Champion Sparkling Wine - Deutz Prestige Cuvée 2016 Wine Brokers New Zealand Champion Gewürztraminer - Spy Valley Handpicked Single Estate Gewürztraminer 2019 De Sangosse NZ Champion Riesling 2019-2018 - Saint Clair Pioneer Block 9 Big John Riesling 2018 TNL Freighting New Zealand Champion Emerging White Varietal Nautilus Albariño 2019 Label & Litho Champion Pinot Gris - Stoneleigh Latitude Pinot Gris 2018 WineWorks Champion Sauvignon Blanc 2019 - Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2019 WineWorks Champion Sauvignon Blanc 2017 & Older - Giesen Single Vineyard Fuder Matthews Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2015 MRC Champion Chardonnay 2019-2018 - Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2018 MRC Champion Chardonnay 2016 & Older - Giesen Single Vineyard Fuder Clayvin Chardonnay 2016 Wine Marlborough Champion Rosé - The Doctors’ Rosé 2019 Classic Oak Products Champion Pinot Noir 2016 & Older - Marisco Vineyards The Journey Pinot Noir 2015 Classic Oak Products Champion Pinot Noir 2017 - Forrest Pinot Noir 2017 Barrel Finance & Logistics Champion Sweet Wine - Riverby Estate Noble Riesling 2018 Marlborough Museum Legacy Award - Zephyr Riesling 2011, 2014, 2017 The Coterie Wine of Provenance - Delta Hatters Hill Pinot Noir 2017 QuayConnect Champion Wine of the Show - Forrest Pinot Noir 2017

Winepress November 2019 / 11

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PROTECT

Fight & Flight Companies work hard to protect cold crops SOPHIE PREECE

FROST DAMAGE in early October could have been far worse had the cold snap fallen a week later, when Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc had burst. But many still had a massive battle on their hands to protect their exposed vines from a series of cold starts.

Frost fighters were out again in late October, and will need to remain vigilant this month, says James Morrison of Weatherstation Frost Forecasting. “We are likely to see a few more cold mornings right through November as the flow turns southwest from time to time.” Daytime temperatures should push back to average or above average, “but the nights are likely to remain mixed and the risk of a frost in November remains high”.

Wither Hills had two helicopters protecting a cold pocket behind its Fairhall winery for a few hours on October 3, one at the corner of St Leonards and Middle Renwick roads, and another at Rarangi, where narrow “fingers” of vines amid wetland make frost fans untenable. The Rarangi vineyard’s manager Ben Burridge says a chopper started at 1.30am on October 3 and flew for around five hours, working hard to protect budding Pinot Gris and Chardonnay vines.

The chopper pilot was alarmed to find an inversion layer only a few degrees above zero, making it hard to mitigate the colder air below, he says.

Viticulture operations manager Samantha Scarratt says the long hours of work protected the Rarangi vineyard, but another vineyard with 14 / Winepress November 2019

neither frost fans nor helicopter got a “tickle up”, with half to three quarters of some vines burnt. Samantha says the company will make the most of the situation by conducting trials on the 15 to 20 damaged rows and assessing the impact of various responses, including removing damaged shoots to Frost fighting in Marlborough vines. Photo Jim Tannock record the subsequent fruitfulness of secondary buds.

September was always going to When there’s frost risk, she be “a pretty wild month”, based on the receives reports from two forecasters, southern oscillation tending towards and follows up personally to assess El Nino and a settled winter, which how Wither Hills’ vineyards might fare. tends to balance out in spring. With If helicopters are on the cards, she also high pressure expected to return to the talks to the Marlborough Airport flight Tasman Sea, another prolonged period tower, to alert them of the probable of westerly winds is likely to buffet influx of night fliers.

New Zealand, he says. “We are likely James Morrison says the cold air to see a few more cold mornings right mass was not a great surprise. “We through November as the flow turns knew when it was coming and how southwest from time to time.” cold the air would be aloft.” However, Rob Agnew of Plant & Food while the frost events themselves were Research Marlborough says it’s likely not extraordinary, the number of them that the cold snap was associated was. At Fairhall, one of the coldest with the Sudden Stratospheric sites, there were five air frosts below Warming (SSW) which occurs when zero in September and another one in the temperature of the stratosphere October. On seven more occasions, over the South Pole rises by more than the temperature was below 1.5 degrees 25degC, forcing cool air lower in the Celsius. “That’s what made that three atmosphere towards New Zealand and weeks in spring so difficult,” says South America. In 2002, an Antarctic James. “It wasn’t extremely cold in a SSW coincided with a major frost lot of places, but a lot of places got event in Marlborough. to freezing.” He has had reports of damage, including on parts of Rapaura Rd that are generally frost free.

PROTECT

A long cold night in the vines SOPHIE PREECE

Plummeting air temperatures on October 3 saw chopper pilots struggle to find warm air to push down on plants. “I have never seen it quite as nasty as this,” says Precision Helicopters owner Neal Andrews, who spent half the night combatting the cold event at Isabel Estate.

Isabel Estates operations manager Nick Best says a significant late afternoon hail and snow storm came up the Southern Alps and banked on the hills of Marlborough, causing a dramatic drop in temperature. “The storm cleared, creating a crystal-clear night and the expectation of a strong frost event.”

After full day’s work he was back among the vines from 10.30pm, checking on frost machines, monitoring the frost, and assessing the need for a helicopter to fly pockets of vineyard not yet protected by frost fans. By 11pm, the fans had kicked in and frost lights - which are mounted on vineyard posts and react to temperature probes mounted beside new shoot growth - turned red, showing temperatures below 0.5degC. By 12.30am, Nick had called in Neal and the two were satisfied with the inversion layer of around 4degC. But within a few hours, the inversion had dropped to 3degC then 2degC, and “we realised we had a problem”, Neal says.

He flies at two power pole heights in a grid, and uses the temperature lights to work out a pattern of cold spots. He then finds an inversion layer of warm air and uses the rotors to push it down. As that warm air became scarce, Neal began to also bolster the efforts of smaller wind machines, which have insufficient grunt in those conditions, and to slow down the chopper to ensure greater air movement, concentrating on the warmest pockets of air and the coldest parts of the vineyard.

By 3am, the inversion layer was at around 1degC, while ground temperatures were -1.5degC. Nick decided to reduce attention on 18 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, in the early stages of bud burst, and to focus on the high value and more physiologically advanced crops of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

It was a “really intense night”, he says, explaining the need to be ever vigilant while driving beneath the chopper, highlighting and communicating hazards including wind machines, trees and power lines. He was also in text

communication with chief winemaker Jeremy McKenzie, discussing the key focus areas, and what parts of the vineyard, if any, could be left unprotected.

The collaborative effort paid off, he says. “The outcome at Isabel Estate was very successful in an event that was one of the coldest on the Wairau Valley floor we have seen. We have been dealt a kind hand and cannot see damage, not even to the Sauvignon Blanc.”

There were plenty of learnings over the eventful night, says Nick. “We were very lucky - if we hadn’t been on the ball working together like that it would have heartbreaking.”

Not everyone fared so well, and vineyards without fans or choppers were vulnerable to the frost, while blocks with smaller machines may not have performed as well as expected, says Nick.

“There are certain blocks around with loss, including in the usually safe Central Valley and Grovetown areas.”

Neal says fighting frosts is more than a job for him, with a minor impact on Precision’s books, but a major impact on the security of the wine industry.

“Between the two of us, through the cold of the night, we worked really hard. In the morning Nick sent me a text saying ‘nice work Neal, we managed to save the crop’. It made me feel awesome.”

He says he has learned not to give up on the 1degC, which didn’t hold. “There were warm air pockets coming through and we managed to grab the 2degC and 3degC temperatures again… that’s what saved that vineyard.”

“If we hadn’t been on the ball like that it would have been heartbreaking.”

Nick Best

Winepress November 2019 / 15

PROTECT

Wake up call The frost fighting early last month was a wake-up call, quite literally, for many in the region. However, the Marlborough District Council received only four complaints about noise from frost fans for that period, and one regarding helicopter noise. The chopper complaint will be referred to the Civil Aviation Authority, but when Winepress contacted the authority last month they had received no complaints direct from the public.

Marlborough Helicopters owner Owen Dodson says in the early 2000s, the Wairau Valley could have up to 200 helicopters hovering over vines at any one time, with some vines still left unprotected. But the proliferation of frost fans in the years since has vastly reduced that number. Last year the company didn’t fly against frost at all, which was the first time in more the 30 years of protecting crops, he says.

The rules for frost fans Under the Wairau/Awatere Resource Management Plan (WARMP) and Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan (MSRMP), new rules relating to the installation and operation of frost fans in Marlborough were introduced in September 2009. The rules were introduced through a plan change to address conflict between viticulturists wanting to protect their crops from frost damage and neighbouring property owners with amenity expectations that were not being met, says council. The most substantive change was that frost fans now require resource consent to operate. Frost fans lawfully established prior to September 2009, which continue to meet the previous permitted activity standards outlined in the WARMP and MSRMP, have existing use rights and can continue to operate without resource consent.

Any frost fans installed prior to September 24, 2009, which do not meet the permitted activity standards,

Photo Jim Tannock

cannot lawfully be operated without obtaining resource consent. Past noise monitoring has demonstrated that there are a number of frost fan models installed in Marlborough that do not meet the permitted activity noise standards when operating.

The main rules and standards relating to the erection and use of a frost fan are: • The noise standard is now 55 dB LA eq (15 min); • The noise standard is measured at a distance of 300 metres, or at any point within the notional boundary of any existing habitable building on another property, whichever is less • A 5 dB penalty applies to frost fans with special audible characteristics, except when the frost fan is to be installed in the Awatere Catchment • The frost fans may only be operated when the temperature is less than 1degC • The frost fans must not be operated in wind speeds exceeding 8km/hour • The frost fan shall not be located within 500 metres of an Urban Residential, Township Residential, Rural Township, the Marlborough Ridge Zone or within 300 metres of a Rural Residential Zone.

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Winepress November 2019 / 17

EDUCATE

Rule Maker A masterclass in recycled glass SOPHIE PREECE

IMPORTING GLASS to New Zealand, only to lose it to landfill, is a cracked system that needs fixing, says Alice Rule, who’s preparing a masterclass in recycled glass. Later this month, the founder of Marlborough’s 3sixty2 wines will present her research on the circular economy of glass in the New Zealand wine industry, advocating for the Glass Packaging Forum (GPF), New Zealand-made glass, and greater awareness from companies.

“Glass is the best example of the circular economy in action and I think there is opportunity to grow the success of the voluntary glass product stewardship scheme with support of New Zealand wine producers,” she says. But there’s a “break in the chain” when it comes to wine industry glass, because many companies import and export glass without realising the repercussions, she says. Packaging is one of the largest carbon emitters in the production chain, “so producers should be considering lowering their carbon footprint by buying New Zealand glass, which is made from about 67% recycled material, and doing all they can to ensure that glass ends up in a New Zealand furnace if possible”.

Alice’s research began in June, when she undertook the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, with a grant from AGMARDT, and the research project funded through the GPF. They put her on the trail of glass recycling, New Zealand’s growing packaging regulations, and the work being done

by O-I NZ, the country’s only glass bottle and jar manufacturer.

She would like to see a stronger 18 / Winepress November 2019

collaboration between GPF and New Zealand Winegrowers, with levies directed to the forum, so all companies are footing the bill for better processes, not just those who volunteer to support it. The resulting cost around 1 cent per bottle of wine - could easily be absorbed by wine companies, she says, comparing it to what she sees as the potentially crippling costs associated with a proposed container

return scheme (see sidebox).

Alice will present her research, ‘The circular economy of glass packaging for New Zealand wine and the impact of a possible deposit scheme’, in an open forum at Lincoln University on November 26.

Stewardship submission Wine Marlborough believes the voluntary stewardship scheme for glass is “very effective” and on track to reach 82% recycling by 2024. In a submission to the ‘proposed priority products and priority stewardship scheme guidelines’, Wine Marlborough supported the introduction of circular waste reduction policies, where they meet the criteria under the Waste Minimisation Act. “In the case of glass we believe those criteria are not met,” it said it its submission. “The imposition of a mandatory scheme is unlikely to increase recycling of glass. The system does not currently have capacity to absorb more recycled glass without increased demand and increased infrastructure investment.” Instead, Wine Marlborough recommended continuation of the current voluntary scheme with government support for investing in further infrastructure.

Container return scheme The Marlborough District Council and Auckland Council have received funding from the Waste Minimisation Fund to set up a project team and working group to co-design a container return scheme (CRS) for New Zealand. Project manager George Fietje says the scheme could be ready for implementation in 2022. “Overseas results have shown that a much higher percentage of materials are recovered and recycled when a return scheme is in place, alongside kerbside recycling.” George says the New Zealand design will include a cost benefit analysis to ensure the scheme’s benefits outweigh the costs.” Wine Marlborough advocacy manager Vance Kerslake says the industry organisation is not in favour of a CRS.

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Winepress November 2019 / 19

EDUCATE

Talking te reo Wine industry schools up on tikanga and te reo SOPHIE PREECE Tapuae-o-Uenuku, seen here from Tohu vineyard, is a sacred place for Māori

“IT’S LIKE a bolting horse”, says Glynn Rogers of the appetite for te reo courses in Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island. “It’s been slow growing but in the last couple of years it’s gone woomph!”

Glynn is chief executive of Te Ataarangi ki te Tauihu o te Waka ā Māui, which recently rolled out its professional learning and development programme, He Waka Kuaka, to Women in Wine Marlborough, including teaching te reo and tikanga.

Glynn says she has since been approached by other wine companies keen to delve deeper into language, protocol and customs, reflecting a growing national interest in te ao Māori.

Villa Maria winemaker Helen Morrison promoted the idea of a te reo course to the Women in Wine Marlborough committee after her partner, who works at the Marlborough District Council, started the He Waka Kuaka course offered there.

When she put out the call for interest through Women in Wine, she 20 / Winepress November 2019

thought she’d rustle up 10 people at a push, but was inundated by requests from across the industry. As a result, there are two weekly courses, with 12 in each, a growing list for the next course, and contact from companies keen to run courses for all their staff.

Helen has been fascinated by the level of enthusiasm. “It’s great to think that we have identified something that everyone wants to connect with.”

Glynn says part of the course is emphasising the importance of learning the right pronunciation of place names where you live, and how they got their names. “Where did they come from? That’s part of the tikanga.

Understanding that the name you might have decided to give to your wine, might have been somebody’s grandfather.”

If a company was going to name a wine after a place in Wairau, they would need to go to local iwi, talk to them about where that name came from, and seek permission to use it, she says. “Part of the teaching is about informing people about the iwi in the

area. Who they are and who you need to contact.”

She says words and images need to be borrowed with great care and consultation. “I would encourage them to make those connections with the kaitiaki of the land - find out who is the local iwi. Consult with iwi, do your research, rather than just plucking a word out and sticking it to a wine bottle.”

In some cases branding can be highly offensive, such as tea towels printed with pictures of ancestors, and used to wipe dirty dishes, or beer named after a tupuna. “It’s talking to people and getting an understanding of ‘is this okay or not?’ Because it is misappropriation a lot of the time.”

For more information on branding with care, take a look a ‘Protecting intellectual property with a Māori cultural element User Guide’, a document prepared by the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.

Available at iponz.govt.nz

EDUCATE

Borrow culture with care SOPHIE PREECE

“Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori is in our hardwiring,” says Kono chief executive Rachel Taulelei. “It is not a tool we use… It is simply who we are and the way we approach our words and our lives.” Anyone without that hardwiring should think twice before tapping in for commercial gain, she says. “I think when people contemplate naming a wine, or any product, and using imagery in the representation of that product, they have to think about why they are opting for Māori words, imagery or story.”

It’s a question of connection and authenticity, she adds. “This isn’t specific to Māori - I would caution any company against appropriating another culture’s images, language, or art - unless there is a very good and valid reason why it is the best representation of you and your business.”

International interest in Māori culture has been “hugely positive” for Kono, which includes the Tohu wine label in its product range. “Our international distributors and consumers value knowing there is an authenticity to our story. The point of difference Tohu winery in the Awatere Valley for us is that our labels and marketing reflect who we are – a Māori family-owned business.”

In return, Kono takes great care with its culture when whānau. “Recognising these very special people by naming marketing, respecting tikanga - “what is tika, or right, a wine after them is a mark of respect, and is reflection of from a cultural perspective”, Rachel says. Initial marketing how important these people are to us. But we needed to concepts - developed with experts in te ao Māori, te make sure that this would be welcomed by them and their reo Māori, design and marketing - go to the company’s whānau before proceeding.”

Manaaki board, which has an in-depth understanding of Rachel loves the rejuvenated focus on learning and tikanga and looks at the concept from all angles, before using te reo Māori around Aotearoa, including from the giving guidance. Rachel says it’s about understanding the wine industry. “At the end of the day, it comes down to “layers of meaning behind something - essentially the respect. We should be aspiring to show this everywhere, whakapapa of people and place”, in every way we can in relation to one such as Kono’s ‘K’ icon, with its rich another.” and interwoven references (kono.

With regards to the commercialisation co.nz/#introducing-the-logo). of Māori language and imagery, she says.

In 2004, Tohu launched its “I am not saying carte blanche don’t do it, Kaumātua series with the Tohu but what I am saying is that people need to Mugwi Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, be very, very careful about the reasons they named after Mugwi Macdonald, are doing it and that’ll by and large answer followed by three further reserve whether or not they should.” It comes down wines named for people who had to the importance of honest marketing and also made an indelible mark on the storytelling, Rachel adds. “Being authentic company. Using a person’s name should naturally take businesses to the in marketing can be fraught when right place and, in doing so, may steer them it comes to tikanga, as Kāpiti Cheese discovered when it away from appropriation.” named Tuteremoana Cheddar, potentially insulting that Māori ancestor of the Kāpiti area and his descendants.

For more information go to ‘Protecting intellectual Rachel says for its Kaumātua wine series, Kono took property with a Māori cultural element User Guide’ at time to check with either the people themselves or their (iponz.govt.nz).

“At the end of the day, it comes down to respect.”

Rachel Taulelei

Winepress November 2019 / 21

PROTECT

Shake it Out

PHOTO TO COME

Preparing mechanical shaking for botrytis control MARK ALLEN

MECHANICAL SHAKING has become an accepted practice for assisting with botrytis control, but you’ll need optimal timing and methods to get the best results.

The average 55% reduction in botrytis from mechanical shaking remains the same each season, relative to botrytis pressure. In low risk vintages like last year we still saw a 55% reduction from 4% total infection, resulting in an average 1.5% total infection.

Typically, we see a reduction from 10% total infection with conventional spraying, to less than 5% when shaking is combined. This potentially relates to a net benefit of $4,000 per hectare per annum. For a 20ha vineyard the benefit would amount to $500,000 over 10 years.

The most effective results are achieved if the following guidelines are adopted: Timing: Rob Beresford’s trials have shown that the most susceptible floral trash, which becomes the precursor for late season botrytis, is the unset little green berries. If not shaken off, they become encapsulated in the bunch at bunch closure. As the bunch tightens, the little berries detach and die, becoming the perfect source of inoculum. The ideal time to remove the unset berries, along with filaments, stamens and caps, is when the average bunch weight is between 40 and 50 grams.

The inertia created by the weight of the bunch significantly enhances the dislodgement of trash. Any earlier one to two weeks after fruit set, when the bunch is only 25g - is far less 22 / Winepress November 2019

Tools – white tray, scales, and sieve. Comparing effective, as the bunch tends residual trash left in 20 bunches. Note the control has 60% more trash compared to the shaken sample. Also to just ‘flutter’, lacking the inertia to remove the trash. note most of the trash is small aborted berries

Also, physiologically, the green berries and some of the floral trash is too firmly attached to be dislodged.

It is at this early stage after fruit set that the collards are used for leaf removal and dislodging some floral trash.

Whilst this is relatively effective, Mike Trought’s trials five years ago clearly showed that collarding Close to the maximum amount of trash removal before for botrytis control is far bunch shoulders are shaken off. A lot of trash for just 1 less effective compared to metre of canopy. shaking.

Misunderstandings: It has been suggested, and practiced, that early shaking a week or two after fruit set - when the bunches only weigh 25g - is suitable for ‘trash only’ shaking, and that shaking later, in mid-January, is for ‘crop reduction’.

Fundamentally, this is not correct.

Shaking and yield reduction is a single operation. If shaking is required for ‘trash only’ removal, then the harvester setting can be reduced to extract the maximum amount of trash without reducing crop. My advice would be to delay shaking for both trash removal and/or crop reduction until the bunches are at least 40g, which for Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough is no earlier than January 4. This can often be stretched out until the first week of February, but certainly not past berry softening.

Tools: All that is required is a white tray of

1 meter x 750cm, or any white board.

Every harvester should carry one or, better still, every grower should have one. Most harvesters now operate without collector plates. Every harvester should have a modified shield each side of the harvester to guide the trash onto the white tray.

The grower and harvester operator can quickly assess the amount of trash being removed by what is in the white tray.

For the most effective ‘trash only’ removal, adjust the harvester settings to the point where there are no bunch shoulders being removed – just small green unset berries, some leaves and tendrils and floral trash. We know that the more trash that can be removed, the better the outcome.

Mark Allen is a viticultural advisor who has worked on mechanical shaking trials since 2011.

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Winepress November 2019 / 23

EDUCATE

Mapping Marlborough New soil map in World Atlas of Wine SOPHIE PREECE

MARLBOROUGH SOILS are under the spotlight in the just-released eighth edition of The World Atlas of Wine, thanks to Kiwi contributor Sophie Parker-Thomson.

Sophie runs Blank Canvas wines in Marlborough with her winemaker husband Matt Thomson and is in the final stages of achieving her Master of Wine (MW). In January 2018, she was approached by MWs Jancis Robinson and Julie Harding to be the New Zealand consultant for the atlas, which typically allocates eight pages to the country, including two for Marlborough.

That’s a pretty good proportion of pages, given New Zealand produces just 1% of the world’s wine, says Sophie.

But she still pushed for another, in order to include a map of Marlborough soil types, which in turn shines a light on styles, varieties and sub-regions.

Sophie has long been frustrated by the lack of a “universal map of Marlborough” to help tell the subregional story to consumers as well as professionals. “One that is aesthetically pleasing, that people want to take home and have proudly displayed on their wall.”

She worked with Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens and Plant & Food Research Marlborough scientist Richard Hunter to create a simplified version of the soil map, including “macro” subregions of Marlborough. “I wanted it to be accessible for readers without sacrificing accuracy.”

24 / Winepress November 2019

Marcus says there are more than 70 different soil types in Marlborough, and the challenge was in illustrating that so someone on the other side of the world could understand the region’s diversity.

“It was great to talk to Richard Hunter, who was pragmatic about simplifying the soil analysis - to make it meaningful without being super complex.”

Marcus says wine companies often ask him for maps of Marlborough’s Marlborough soil map from The World Atlas of Wine, 8th edition,

by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson regions and soils.

Going forward, Sophie would like to see the of the atlas, published in 2013, noting region’s wine industry work together new producers on the maps and some to create a more comprehensive of the other sub-regions missed off in map, including new sub-regions the past, including Kaituna, Seaview that encompass existing areas like and Blind River.

Kekerengu and emerging areas like Sophie has passed her MW Ward, which is stylistically different theory and practical exams, and is to the Awatere Valley. “I think there’s now working on a research paper for room to talk about how we refer to that the final stage of the programme. She macro region in the promises it will be an exciting topic As well as creating the soil map, with “real interest for producers, Sophie advised on updates to the New consumers and anyone in between”.

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Winepress November 2019 / 25

PROTECT

Staying OnSide Simplifying health and safety A VINEYARD can be a complicated place to do business well, with vineyard gangs, staff, visitors and stakeholders all regularly on site, along with an array of machinery.

That health, safety and biosecurity challenge has been an opportunity for Christchurch start-up OnSide, which has created an app to control risks, contractor movement and compliance for rural property managers.

“When we sign in to OnSide we see exactly who is on a site at any one time and what they are doing,” says viticulturist Mike Croad of Marlborough’s Berakah Vineyard Management. Berakah has worked with OnSide this year, helping them to finesse the system to meet viticulture industry needs.

OnSide’s head of growth, Guy Davidson, says what began as a health and safety compliance tool has evolved to encompass lone worker safety and comprehensive digital risk management. “Using OnSide, property managers can set hazard alerts, define property rules and see in real time who’s on site, what they’re there for and how long they intend to stay...

Contractors sign in and out via the free OnSide app.”

Property risks are plotted out and visible as part of the digital hazard register, and can be updated at any time, says Guy. “The beauty is that OnSide sits on your phone. You can view your property map anytime.”

On site, property managers can understand worker movement in real time. Off site, contractor managers know who’s checked in, when they’re due to leave, and receive text alerts if a team member is overdue for departure. This is especially beneficial

26 / Winepress November 2019

for remote and lone workers, says Guy. OnSide is now exploring how its technology might be used to map the Guy Davidson and Mike Croad check the hazards movements of pests and disease.

Berakah has been using OnSide say which block they are in and what for four months, having sought they are doing, says Mike. something of its nature for several “It means the guys coming on years. The product matched well with site as a one-off can acknowledge the company’s needs, but it was the in- the permanent hazards, but then also house development team that sold the have to scan through and see what is deal. That meant necessary changes happening on the block at any given time.” Growers are now culpable under health and safety legislation, even if a block’s management is contracted out. The software offers landowners insight into the systems in place, he says. “They can log on and see what’s going on.”

Biosecurity is another big issue for the company, including movements from blocks with Chilean Needle Grass or Nasella Tussock. “We have a lot of movement and the biosecurity part for us is in ensuing good protocols around heading on and off a property,” says Mike. Using OnSide they can create a rule about the block, such as cleaning a vehicle down, and have a fact sheet or protocol they can run through. “We are were in place within weeks, and Mike just starting to do a bit more of that.” can now monitor who is where and Guy says there is no silver bullet what they are doing at all times. He for dealing with health and safety, or wanted to get rid of hazard boards with biosecurity, and having an app and gates with signage “that nobody does not make a company compliant. takes notice of”, so when his staff sign “At the end of the day, we are there to in they are offered a dropdown menu keep you and your team safe and for with “every activity in the vineyard them to know there is a robust system you can think of” and log the relevant in place for worker safety.” hazards. They also write a comment to

“When we sign in to OnSide we see exactly who is on a site at any one time and what they are doing.”

Mike Croad

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Silco

Sulphur

label rate

Sulphur

Copper Fungicide

label rate

Protector

0.5L / 1L / 2L

Protector 1L

Copper

22g elemental copper/litre of Protector

Copper 22g

(in Protector Premix)

HML32

1.25L

Nutrients

label rate

Early Veraison

Veraison

34

35

36

Sulphur

Sulphur

Copper

Copper

HML32 Seaweed

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 Protector and cuprous oxide fungicide as a premix provides downy mildew and powdery mildew control.

Use Protector at 2L /100L with copper fungicide where there is high downy mildew pressure.

3. To calculate copper amount, divide 22g by percentage elemental copper in cuprous oxicide fungicide product and multiple by 100. E.g. for Nordox 75WG, 30g is required per 1L Protector, therefore 30g/100L for 1L/100L Protector mix.

60g Nordox is required 2L/100L Protector mix.

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

HML32

(See note 10)

Henry Manufacturing non-residual pesticides

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.

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.

6. If the flowering period becomes unusually protracted, cool or wet, apply Protector mix to maintain powdery mildew cover.

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.

8. The HML32, sulphur and Silco mix prevents and eradicates powdery mildew. Use higher Silco rate of 540ml/100L when eradicating existing infection.

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

10. At EL35-36, the application of HML32 can provide botrytis resilience and enhanced maturity. See notes on website for accurate timings for white and red grapes.

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.

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

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

Contact Chris Henry on: chrishenry@actrix.co.nz or call 06 874 2921 or 027 294 1490 Visit us: www.henrymanufacturing.co.nz

The road to resilience. Without residues. Without toxicity. Without resistance issues.

WINEPRESS Winepress November 2019 /NOV 27 2019

GROW

Essential Skills Timing is everything when it comes to work visas IMMIGRATION NEW Zealand has clarified its position on the standdown period for the Essential Skills work visa, to the relief of Wine Marlborough advocacy manager Vance Kerslake. “We were facing a situation where three years of visas - one plus one plus one - required a full year’s stand down period, despite the fact that vintage staff will often only have worked three months of each year,” he says.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) technical advisors have clarified their position in recognition of that anomaly (see the lowdown on Essential Skills sidebox), and the three years is to be interpreted as 36 months, based on total time of visas issued rather than a calendar year, says Vance.

“So, three repeated years of a three month work period would count as nine months, not three years.”

That’s very good news for the wine industry, he adds. “There is still a stand down, but it is not as harsh as we had originally been told.” He says the clarification is a great example of industry working collaboratively with a government agency, to ensure intents and outcomes are aligned.

The lowdown on Essential Skills Please note this is technical advice provided by Immigration New Zealand and not a legal opinion.

An Essential Skills work visa holder may hold visas allowing Cloudy Bay’s 2019 vintage crew. Photo Jim Tannock work in lowerskilled employment (as defined in For example: WK3.5.1) for a maximum period of Lower-skilled Essential Skills Work three years before they are required Visa issued on 1 February 2018 with to spend time outside New Zealand three months to travel to New Zealand (subject to a stand-down period) i.e. by 1 May 2018, three month Work Note to WK4.1: The maximum Visa on arrival. Applicant arrives in New three-year period is based on the Zealand on 1 May 2018, work visa is total period that the applicant held activated on arrival for three months i.e.

Essential Skills work visas to work in expiry date of 1 August 2018. This counts lower-skilled employment, regardless as three months holding a visa allowing of whether the holder was inside or work, whether the applicant leaves after outside New Zealand while holding the 1 month or all three months. However, visa. the stand down period is after three Because the instructions refer to years i.e. the accumulation of 36 months holding visas allowing work, the time actually holding the visas, so three is calculated based on the actual dates repeated years as below would count as of work visa allowing work in New nine months, not three years.

Zealand, not the time between visas.

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CELEBRATE

Industry Pioneer Appellation Marlborough Wine is just what the doctor ordered SOPHIE PREECE

Industry champion John Forrest. Photos Jim Tannock

WHEN DRS John and Brigid Forrest planted their first grapes in 1988, Marlborough’s wine industry was nascent, corks were de rigueur, and appellations were for the French.

Fast forward 31 years and the industry has a gleaming global reputation, decades of wine research in the bank, screw caps in lieu of cork, a successful Lighter Wines programme, and Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW), which turned one last month.

That’s a familiar list to John, who admits to “Scottish pig headedness” when a sensible initiative hits a barrier of knowledge or convention.

“I have a lot of ideas every day,” says the scientist-cum-winemaker-cumindustry disrupter. “And if I think it’s a good idea, I am prepared to have a really good hard go at it, maybe ruffling a few feathers along the way.”

John was on the Winegrowers Research Group for 15 years, and helped create Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand and the 30 / Winepress November 2019

Bragato Conference. He was at Ross Lawson’s side to drive the Screwcap Initiative in 2000, and focussed Forrest on growing low alcohol wine research after the 2006 launch of The Doctors’ Riesling, “long before” lower alcohol was trending. Last year he helped launch AMW, focussed on maintaining the region’s quality reputation.

He’s made a major difference to the region, Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens said on awarding John the Lifetime Achievement Award at last month’s QuayConnect Long Lunch, the celebration for the Marlborough Wine Show. “Marlborough wine owes a lot to his efforts and his determination to make this region stand out on the world stage, as a high-quality producer.”

John says he is “honoured and humbled” by the award, which came as something of a surprise, given his ability to ruffle feathers and his “inability to be politic”. He’s thankful

that he entered the wine industry at a time when it was kicking off on the world stage, giving him “a great opportunity to be forward-thinking”.

But mostly he’s grateful to be from a country that “allows a crazy person like me to have an idea and go and do it”, he says. “It’s that freedom to be creative and take a risk that defines New Zealand.”

John grew up in Koromiko, with an enquiring and creative mind that found and unravelled conundrums.

But he had a reading and writing age of 7 when he started at Queen Charlotte College, challenged by dyslexia that fooled some into thinking him “dim”, he says. He truly rubbished those perceptions when he moved away for 20 years of “hard science training”, first in neuroscience and then in gene mapping, before he and Brigid leapt into wine, planting their first grapes in Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay during the winter of 1988.

These days the Forrests have

CELEBRATE

vineyards in Bannockburn, the Waitaki Valley and Marlborough, and a reputation for quality and innovation.

In 2018, John and Brigid passed the reins of Forrest Estate to their daughter Beth, and John took on the mantle of “vice president for life”, with more time to indulge his multitude of industry and community projects, from AMW and low alcohol wines, to the Whale Trail cycleway set to follow the Pacific coastline from Picton to Kaikoura.

AMW was launched in October 2018 to mitigate the risk poor quality wines pose to Marlborough’s reputation. John and fellow industry stalwart Ivan Sutherland had attempted a previous iteration several years earlier, but failed to attract enough members, despite the aforementioned pig headedness. John says the duo evolved their thinking in the intervening years, while the proliferation of bulk Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc provided imperative for more producers.

As of its first birthday last month, the programme had its brand trademarked in key global wine markets, 49 members and more than 90 certified wines from some of the region’s most iconic wine companies.

Certified wines must be made from grapes grown entirely in Marlborough, and from vineyards certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. The fruit has to be cropped at or below set parameters, and the wine has to be bottled in New Zealand. John says history shows that those with the best intentions in the world sometimes fail to do what is “right and proper” in the interests of the wider group. “That’s why AMW has come into existence. To discipline people to think of the good of the group.”

Meanwhile, lower alcohol wine remains a major project for Forrest Estate, with three quarters of its production now in that segment, via The Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Riesling and Pinot Noir. The focus began in 2006, with “enlightenment” on a South Island sales trip. John was showing the first ever Doctors’

Riesling, and was surprised by the interest in its 8.5% alcohol content.

He returned to Marlborough with a plan to create a Sauvignon Blanc with all the texture, flavour and balance people expect of the region, but with significantly lower alcohol.

Chemically removing alcohol in the winery ruined the mouth feel, so after two years John looked to the vines instead, first picking at low brix and making wine with disappointingly unripe flavours. Undaunted by the challenge, he considered the physiology of the vines and spent seven years running trials to slow the plant’s ability to make sugar, while retaining its ability to make flavour.

Success - which came with a boost from a government grant and help from scientist Dr Mike Trought and his Plant & Food Research colleagues - came down to selectively plucking just the right leaves at just the right time, according to the variety, site and

“In the end we have such a small wine industry, so we stand or fall together.” vintage. For John, it was the perfect sandpit to play in. “It is tremendous to take something from the ‘bright spark’ phase to the ‘how to’ phase, then to scale up to commercialisation,” he says. In 2013, when the New Zealand Winegrowers Lighter Wines Initiative was established, he gave his “how to” research to the industry, just as the screw cap project had done 13 years earlier. That’s because the success of the industry at large relies on everyone getting it right, he says. “In the end we have such a small wine industry, so we stand or fall together.”

Nailing lower alcohol wine has

been a huge undertaking for Forrest Estate, but it’s reaping rewards on the market and awards from the wine judges. The Doctors’ Rosé 2019, a 9.5% alcohol wine judged alongside its standard alcohol peers, won the Wine Marlborough Champion Rosé at the Marlborough Wine Show, while the Doctors’ Pinot Noir - the toughest of the lower alcohol varieties - was awarded gold at the recent Melbourne International Wine Show. “What we have achieved is not just keeping the flavour but also keeping the texture and the feel of the mouth on the wine,” says John. “What is really quite exciting is being in on day zero on what is becoming a phenomenon.

It’s like you’re a surfer and you see a wave coming in and it’s small, but for whatever reason it grows and grows and grows, and now it’s a monster I am riding.”

As well as the Rosé and Lifetime Achievement accolades at the Marlborough Wine Show, the QuayConnect Champion Wine of the Show went to Forrest Pinot Noir 2017, which also won Champion Pinot Noir 2017 and Older Trophy. That’s all excellent news for John, who sees Marlborough maturing further into a wine region of true greatness, where family dynasties have a place “and help to create a history”.

Winepress November 2019 / 31

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Forgotten Corners Pest eradication a snap at Wither Hills Rarangi Wetland

Photo: Jim Tannock

SOPHIE PREECE

WHEN SAMANTHA Scarratt set off to visit a wetland at Wither Hills’ Rarangi Vineyard 11 years ago, she expected a “tiny little puddle” in an ocean of vines. Instead, the viticulturist found 50 hectares of remnant wetland, stands of kahikatea, deep pockets of flax and raupo, and only slender “fingers” of vineyards stretched into the wilderness. Her immediate response was “Wow, this is amazing,” followed by, “it’s such an asset - we need to do something about this.”

As well as wonder of the wetland, she found the peril of its pest species,

Live streaming?

with smothering cloaks of old man’s beard, blackberry and broom, which vineyard staff had been battling since they uncovered the habitat in 2004. Sam, who has a PhD in vineyard ecology, kick-started a major conservation and rehabilitation project in 2009, in partnership with the Marlborough District Council, the Biodiversity Fund of New Zealand, and Wither Hills’ parent company Lion New Zealand, to bring more firepower to the fight.

With the help of wetland specialist Dave Barker, armies of staff and teams of contractors worked to weed out

the pest species choking the wetland, then planted more than 3,000 trees to support the remnant populations.

The company has invested $10,000 every year in the conservation project, which won the Habitat Enhancement Award at the 2010-2011 Marlborough Environmental Awards.

A decade on, the wetland is flourishing, with native trees, shrubs and grasses pushing up thick and fast, and native bird and insect life recovering as a consequence. “There’s a real sense of place here,” says Sam - now Wither Hills’ viticulture operations manager - still smitten with

A healthy stream reflects a healthy vineyard.

Water Quality Scientist Steffi Henkel can provide you with information about stream health and the effects of land use activity on stream water quality. Steffi can also advise you on how to monitor water quality in your stream. The Council regularly monitors the water quality in our rivers.

Check out Marlborough’s water quality data at: www.lawa.org.nz Steffi Henkel Environmental Scientist

DDI: 03 520 7411 steffi.henkel@marlborough.govt.nz www.marlborough.govt.nz

32 / Winepress November 2019

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this extraordinary slice of biodiversity.

And she’s not the only one. Ben Burridge has been manager at the Rarangi Vineyard for around four months, and says there’s something magical about working at the Fingers on a nice day, with a postcard view of Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku to the south and a backdrop of native bush to the north, west and east. Native falcons or hawks might hunt above, while tui and bellbird trill, and the nearby Pacific Ocean roars. “It’s an awesome place to be and you think, ‘this isn’t bad for a day job’.”

In certain corners, there is also the steady drone of buzzing bees, because J Bush and Sons have used this extraordinary space to breed queen bees for more than 80 years. Less audible, but still magical, are the weta populations Ben knows are coming back, and the nesting site established by a pair of hawks at the edge of the property.

He’s quite partial to the sound of a trap snapping too, with a focus over the past two years on combatting possums, stoats and wild cats, which predate on native birds and insects. He and his team have a range of traps, and have experimented with bait and other temptations, so that the Goodnature traps are currently sporting peanut butter, as well as a manuka stick ramp, so a curious possum can climb on up and inspect.

“We also get a lot of wild pigs coming through the vineyards,” says Ben, explaining the damage caused when they root in to the friable soil, turning up massive piles that are a hazard for vineyard staff driving the rows. They’ve got hunting cameras that reveal their night visitors, and a chopper pilot coming in to fight frost has seen big stags amid new spring vines as well.

Ben has vineyard staff who hunt pigs and run trap lines in their own time, all of them committed to the protection of the wetland. They’ve caught tomcats, stoats, weasels, “hundreds of rats” and plenty of possums as well, he says. “We have

Ben Burridge and Sam Scaratt

really been focussing on it and getting more traps in.”

Sam says the company’s technical viticulturist, Chelsea Clarke, is now pulling together a plan on what to do in the next five years. “So it’s still a work in progress, with more traps, more replanting and more weeding.”

It’s a wonder they have time to grow grapes as well, but Ben says the wetland is part of the story when it comes to wines like the Rarangi Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. “We can talk about the special place that’s out here and the wetlands are part of that.”

Growing the wetland Wither Hills is planning to add another 10 hectares of native plantings to the wetland at its Rarangi vineyard, having pulled out vines from a strip running parallel to the coast. Vineyard manager Ben Burridge says the soggy stretch was low yielding and a hassle to harvest, and plans are afoot to create a native corridor, beginning at the edge of a beautifully planted pond, which just two years ago had scraggly grass to its edges. It will lead from there to another wetland further south, linking up the habitats within their vineyard. “I guess it represents a change in thinking to what we are used to,” says Ben. “It used to be that you would pull out all your trees and plant grapes everywhere. But we are going back to planting natives and accommodating nature within our vineyards. I’m pretty excited by that.”

Winepress November 2019 / 33

CELEBRATE

Generation Y-ine Bringing some sparkle to Marlborough KAT DUGGAN

BEING ELECTED chair of Méthode Marlborough is an exciting step for Wither Hills winemaker Matt Ward, who sees huge opportunity for the collective. “We’ve got some incredibly strong and talented people, so it’s about facilitating the group.”

Founded in 2013, Méthode Marlborough is a grower-led society committed to the production of sparkling wine using traditional methods. “A big part of our ethos is that through collaboration, communication and education, we are getting out there and demanding recognition and respect for the heritage and quality of méthode traditionelle wines in Marlborough,” Matt says.

His first real experience making sparkling wines began when he joined Wither Hills as an assistant winemaker and started working with Andy Petrie, the resident and expert sparkling winemaker for the company. “It has been incredible to work with him, he has essentially been a mentor for me when it comes to making sparkling wine,” he says.

Following his stint as assistant winemaker, Matt moved into a winemaking role before becoming the winemaker for Wither Hills’ sister label, Daniel Le Brun. “It’s a collaboration here as well. There are four of us as winemakers and we all look to each other for advice,” he says.

A collaborative approach is one of the key things Matt enjoys about being a part of Méthode Marlborough.

“Being the chair of the group, for me, is not about me being the chair or ego or anything else, it’s just about being able 34 / Winepress November 2019

to see the opportunity for the group, and I want to be able to help achieve the dreams and the goals we have got.”

As for making méthode traditionelle wines, Matt has a big respect for the time taken by winemakers to do the job properly. The process requires a lot of patience, but the resulting wines are worth the time and effort, he says.

All Méthode Marlborough

“I want to be able to help achieve the dreams and the goals we have got.” wines are made with the second fermentation done in the bottle. Using only Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes, the wines are aged for a minimum of 18 months before disgorging takes place, allowing complex flavours to develop.

Many Marlborough producers utilise the skills of the team at No.1 Family Estate for their riddling and disgorging processes. As founding members of Méthode Marlborough, No. 1 Family Estate are pioneers in Marlborough méthode traditionelle

wines, with roots in Champagne extending right back to the 1600s, Matt says. “To have that level of expertise and experience in Marlborough is fantastic; we are a collaborative group in a number of ways.”

Marlborough born and bred, Matt got the travel bug after leaving college and turned to the wine industry to earn some money pre-travel. Working under Brian Bicknell at Seresin Estate, he learned that being a part of the wine industry was an excellent way to fund his travels long-term and his journey saw him work in Oregon in the USA, Germany, France and even included a stint at a Michelin star restaurant in London. “I had switched from the production aspect to, all of a sudden, the consumer side, and it totally opened up my eyes and my palate to what was happening with wine in the rest of the world,” he says.

Inspired by his travels, Matt returned to Marlborough in 2011 “home was eventually calling and Marlborough was calling as well” - and landed the role of assistant winemaker at Mahi Wines, again under Brian Bicknell. Matt worked at Mahi Wines full-time while studying at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology part-time for four years, before making the move to Wither Hills in 2015.

EDUCATE

New Vintage Budding wine judges step up to the mark SOPHIE PREECE

ONE OF the biggest challenges for a new wine judge is describing what you are tasting, says New World Wine Awards chair of judges Jim Harré. “Learning to convert a sensory experience into words, and developing a wide vocabulary of different smells and flavours.”

Pair that with the “sheer volume of wines”, and the opportunity to work with some of New Zealand’s top wine judges, all of whom are seeking your opinion, and it can make for “a daunting few days”, he says.

But Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) students Kristy Marsden (left in photo) and Nichkan Sayasith took it in their stride as associate judges at the awards, both recipients of a new initiative to nurture new talent.

“It blew my mind,” says Nichkan, who has returned to her third year of studies far more confident of her ability to assess and talk about a wine.

She is originally from Thailand, “not a wine country at all”, and says that has made her think twice about voicing her

opinion about tastings in the past. But jumping in the deep end, with three days of judging, flights of 20 to 40 wines, the support of 17 senior judges from all walks of the wine world, and plenty of practice talking wine all day long, has set her up for a far more confident approach.

Jim says the awards’ collaborative approach to judging, where experts taste the wines and then discuss and score them in consultation, is an ideal way for new talent to learn the ropes and broaden their palates. “And to make it even more interesting – we judge all wines blind, only seeing the wine in the glass alongside the varietal, vintage and country of origin.”

Nichkan and Kristy “came with open minds and absolutely rose to the

challenge of their first professional wine judging experience”, says Jim. The duo became valued members of their respective panels, he adds, “contributing to judging discussions with increasing skill”.

The senior judges enjoyed the chance to give support and feedback to these “budding wine judges”, Jim says.

“And have some input into the start of what will be promising careers in wine.”

The new partnership between New World and NMIT will see two top viticulture and winemaking students given the opportunity to be judges at the wine awards each year.

Winepress November 2019 / 35

PROTECT

Biosecurity Watch Chilean Needle Grass SOPHIE BADLAND

CHILEAN NEEDLE grass (CNG), a highly invasive spear grass, continues to cause issues for vineyard management in Marlborough, where it is well established in the Awatere Valley. While it does not have a significant impact on wine production, CNG infests headlands, under vine planting areas, and inter-row spaces, and is very difficult to remove due to restrictions on agrichemical use. Containment and ongoing management of CNG can become costly, so it’s much easier to prevent it establishing in the first place.

Know what to look for Identification of CNG is easiest from October to March, during seeding and flowering, when it puts up distinctive purple spikelets. The grass fades in colour to light brown as the seeds mature. The seeds are distinctive; light brown in colour and consist of a seed head about 10mm long and a long, twisted awn which can be up to 70mm in length.

In the vegetative state CNG is harder to pick out. Teach vineyard staff to look out for: • Tall, tufty grasses • Colour variation from other grasses; it can appear lime green, or yellow at the end of winter • Tufts of stiff, upwards-pointing

hairs on both sides of the leaf which can be seen when the leaf blade is pulled back from the stem • Flat leaves with distinctive veins Management The herbicide Taskforce is unable to be used in vineyards due to the active ingredient flupropanate leaving residue in grapes. Glyphosate is not a particularly effective option either as it does not prevent germination of the CNG seedbank. Mowing in areas where CNG is present is NOT recommended – CNG seeds around the stem and root nodules as well as aerially, and mowing does not get rid of the seed bank in the soil (and in fact is more likely to assist with spread). If you know or suspect you have CNG in your vineyard but don’t have a management plan in place, contact the Marlborough District Council for advice in the first instance.

The Chilean Needle Grass Action Group is investigating further management and control options through a series of farm trials at different sites in Marlborough, including some vineyards. Existing trials include the use of Taskforce and Roundup, fertiliser, over-sowing, and drilling with Taskforce resilient forages, and forages likely to be competitive

against CNG in the long term. Also being looked at is the impact of spot spraying with Roundup or Taskforce and seeding the resulting patches, and the impact on plant numbers of spot spraying CNG in vineyards. Some additional trials have been proposed for the coming year. More information about the farm trials and progress updates are available at landcare.org. nz/completed-project-item/struthersjune-field-day Prevention For those vineyards where CNG is not present, it pays to have proactive biosecurity strategies in place to ensure it does not establish. Key prevention strategies for CNG include ensuring all vehicles and machinery coming on to your site are clean and free of plant material, seeds and soil, appropriate tool hygiene is observed and all visitor footwear and clothing is cleaned and checked thoroughly, particularly if it has been used on a CNG-infested property. Ensure that your staff can identify Chilean needle grass and seed so they will be able to spot it if it arrives on your site, and work with contractors to ensure hygiene practices are adhered to. New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) have been approached by some local contracting companies for advice about CNG; they

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT .

Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 36 / Winepress November 2019

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understand the issue and their potential to exacerbate it, and those companies we spoke to were keen to work with vineyard managers to prevent the spread.

Developing and implementing a biosecurity Chilean needle grass (flowering) plan for your site is a great way to prevent the spread of not only CNG but other pests, diseases and weeds too. There are workshop Chilean needle grass seed and webinar opportunities available to get assistance with biosecurity planning through the Chilean Needle Grass Action Group, and the NZW biosecurity team are also happy to help (biosecurity@ nzwine.com).

Biosecurity message sinking in The wine industry scored good marks in last month’s Biosecurity Week Quiz, with an average score of 12 out of 16. New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) acting biosecurity manager Sophie Badland says 141 people responded and most of them were members. “Only four people didn’t know that brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is at the top of the NZW Most Unwanted pests list,” she says.

“That message is clearly getting across, as is the ‘catch it, snap it, report it’ message which almost all identified they would do if they saw something unusual in the vineyard.”

However, less than half correctly identified that the highrisk season for BMSB runs from September to April.

When it came to Chilean needle grass, people knew to get in touch with their council if they saw it, she says.

Questions about vineyard hygiene and opening imported material were also answered well, “indicating people are aware of what they should be doing, even if they don’t necessarily do it in practice or have a process and plan in place to do it”.

When it came to selecting statements that were true about various unwanted pests, confusion reigned. “This question was designed to be tricky and more detailed and would probably have required people to go hunting for the answers– only 18 got it completely correct,” Sophie says. “The statements about BMSB and Xylella fastidiosa were correctly chosen in most cases, which was good to see, given the extended messaging on Xylella that has gone out this year via magazine articles, newsletters, a Bragato plenary session and workshop.” Many selected harlequin ladybird as a concern, although not for the right reason, she says. “It is not known to feed on grapes but rather to aggregate inside bunches and cause a taint risk.” Overall, Sophie was impressed with how people answered “and think we will have to make the next one a bit harder”.

Winepress November 2019 / 37

Industry News Take a seat Clos Henri Vineyard is screening A Seat at the Table on December 6. The event begins at 7pm, with wine available and food from Karaka Cuisine and Mademoiselle Crêpe. The movie will screen from 8.45pm. A Seat at the Table is described as a coming of age story about New Zealand finding its place in the world of wine, and its ambition to make some of the best wines in the world. It includes interviews with Marlborough industry members from Clos Henri, Villa Maria, Marisco, Greywacke, No.1 Family Estate, Nautilus, Dog Point, Geisen and Jules Taylor.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at trybooking.co.nz/DDB. The rainy day alternative is December 13. For more information on the movie, go to nzwinestory.co.nz

Frost Out One of Marlborough’s first winemakers and research shakers has retired from fulltime work in the wine industry, after 37 years working at Montana and its subsequent iterations.

Andy Frost, who was named White Winemaker of the Year at the London International Wine Challenge in 1997, has had myriad of management positions at what is now Pernod Ricard Winemakers. This includes his most recent role at the helm of its Wine Innovation Programme in New Zealand - pushing boundaries on what can be grown, made and celebrated in Marlborough. Andy, who is also a champion for the kārearea as chair of the Marlborough Falcon Trust, will be profiled in the January edition of Winepress.

Mentoring Moves Following the success of the Women in Wine mentoring programme, New Zealand Winegrowers is launching 38 / Winepress November 2019

a new programme that is open to all members. The programme aims to help applicants increase confidence, develop careers and reach their full potential. It is for members of all ages who work in all roles within New Zealand’s wine industry, including sales and marketing, cellar door, general management, operations, logistics, laboratory, administration, viticulture, cellar hand and winemaking. The programme aims to match one mentee with an experienced mentor from the wine industry within their region. There will be a maximum of 10 matches made for the pilot programme.

Aroma and wine Aroma is one of the main attributes in wine quality and consumer preference.

Previous research carried out at the Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL) in Madrid, Spain, showed that the metabolic transformation of different types of aroma compounds occurs in the mouth due to the activity of saliva enzymes, and new volatile metabolites are also produced from the activity of oral microbiota. In an upcoming presentation, Maria Perez Jimenez will talk of new work to determine how wine composition and human physiological and biochemical

factors, especially saliva composition, impact aroma release and perception during wine consumption. The presentation, entitled ‘Evolution of aroma in mouth during wine consumption’, will be held at 4pm on November 14, at the Marlborough Research Centre Theatre.

Brancott Boulevard The Brancott Boulevard cycle trail opened on October 15, in time for the summer cycling season. The trail, which runs between State Highway 6 and New Renwick Rd, via Pernod Ricard Winemakers’ Woodbourne vineyard, will get more bikers including wine tourists - off roads and amidst the vines. Controls are in place to manage visitors on site around operations, says vineyard operations manager Lesley Boon. “Pernod Ricard Winemakers is committed to helping the community get active and enjoying Marlborough.”

IWSC Trophies Two Marlborough wine companies have been awarded Worldwide Wine Trophies by the International Wine and Spirits Challenge (IWSC) held in London. The Pinot Noir Trophy 2019 went to Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 2015, while the Sauvignon Blanc Trophy 2019 went to the Saint Clair Barrique Sauvignon Blanc 2016, a barrel fermented style Sauvignon

Blanc. During its time aging in seasoned oak barriques, the individual barrels were tasted regularly by the winemaking team and after 11 months of aging, the most interesting barrels were selected to formulate the final blend. Saint Clair managing director Neal Ibbotson says the recognition is overwhelming. “We feel fortunate to have such exceptional vineyard sites and work with an outstanding team of highly skilled people with the ability to create world-class wines of excellence.” A week earlier, Neal and his wife Judy Ibbotson were awarded the title of “Persons of the Year 2019”

by Czas Wina, the biggest Polish wine magazine. The title is awarded to oenologists, wine writers, wine critics and winery owners.

Wine Marlborough Update VANCE KERSLAKE

Wine Marlborough achieved a good result on stand-downs for Essential Skills work visas with Immigration New Zealand (see pg 28). We are continuing to work with the agency to achieve good outcomes for the industry as the visa changes are implemented.

Wine Marlborough is submitting on government proposals that could see you held liable if a contractor exploits migrants in your vineyard or winery.

Last month we made submissions on government proposals on freshwater, highly productive land, urban development, hazardous substances, glass packaging and changes to polytechs, including NMIT. The recent Yealands Estate composting facility field trip was popular.

Two dozen members travelled out to Seaview to hear about the advantages of composting and the benefits of compost tea - the word leachate is hereafter banned from our vocabulary. The PacRimEnviro drying plant field trip was postponed until 10am Wednesday November 20. Please RSVP to advocacy@ winemarlborough.nz by Monday November 18. The next regular Marlborough Winegrowers meeting with the Marlborough District Council is November 19.

If you have any issues you want us to raise with council, email Vance Kerslake, advocacy manager advocacy@winemarlborough.nz the folding and straightening flushing method.” Stephen Leitch, managing director at SWE, was part of the initial consultation group for the valve design. He says the key focus with dripline design is effective and efficient water control. “This valve design ticks these boxes as it effectively seals the ends of the line when closed - resulting in water pressure being maintained evenly along the lines with no wastage… Solutions like these, which allow for maximum water efficiency, are the way of the future as we all become more aware of the need to do things as sustainably as possible.”

Valve technology Marlborough is growing good ideas for the wine industry, including a new push tap flushing valve for dripline irrigation, designed by local company Cordall. The company worked with growers, irrigation providers and engineers to design and produce a valve that ensures quality and sustainability, says managing director Mark Unwin. There is a lot of dripline in vineyards, and plenty more to come, he says. “We are conscious of the need to extend its lifespan. Using a valve reduces wear associated with

Family of Twelve Wine Tutorial The Family of Twelve are planning their third wine tutorial, to be held in Marlborough in August 2020. “It’s hugely entertaining, educational and collegial” says chair Paul Donaldson.

The purpose of the wine tutorial is to pass on firsthand knowledge and “the mantle of excellence” to the

next generation of industry leaders.

The tutorial is open globally to those working with New Zealand wine in the spheres of sommelier, wine retail, wine education and wine journalism.

“The first two tutorials have given the Family not just enormous pride but the strong sense that we’ve created true momentum, forging an institution with a life of its own,” says Paul. “As an articulate and very networked bunch, the ambassadors created at the first two tutorials are spreading the word among their peers. We’re very encouraged by the interest and buzz within the sommelier and education circles and expect another superb field of applications for the 2020 tutorial.”

Applications are now open and close January 17. For further information and to apply go to familyoftwelve.co.nz or contact Kate Pritchard at info@ familyoftwelve.co.nz.

CLASSIFIEDS Vine nets for sale: Used once for vintage 2019. Black 39gsm diamond net.

Range from 12mt/15mt/16mt/17mt widths up yo 115 mt long. Please contact 0275 522062 or vinenet@ tapexgroup.co.nz

Winepress November 2019 / 39

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 these events, email Harriet Wadworth at harriet@wine–marlborough.co.nz

NOVEMBER 6 Wine Marlborough Cellar Door of the Year and Personality of the Year awards.

7-10 Rapaura Springs Garden Marlborough 14 Wine chemistry presentation, 4pm, Marlborough Research Centre Theatre. See pg 38 16 New Zealand Wine Awards, Marlborough, nzwine.com/nzwa 20 Marlborough Winegrowers AGM, 4pm to 6pm, MRC Theatre 20 PacRimEnviro grape marc drying plant field trip, 10am. See pg 38 DECEMBER 6 A Seat at the Table showing at Clos Henri, from 7pm with screening at 8.45pm 13 Rainy day alternative to Clos Henri’s showing of A Seat at the Table JANUARY 10-12 Giesen Wines New Year Regatta 17 Applications close for Family of Twelve Wine Tutorial. See pg 39 FEBRUARY 8 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival

Cellar Door of the Year - November 6

Wine Chemistry Presentation - November 14

Water Storage Solutions Flexi Tanks NZ - Bladders from 25m3 to 2000m3 • Easy Installation – tanks roll out on a bed of sand • Fully enclosed bladder is health and safety compliant • Field or covered crops, Berry fruit growers, Orchards, Vineyards, Nurseries • Simple, Self-Supporting, 10 Year Warranty • Strong, with a tensile strength of 450kg per 5cm • Grape marc liquid leachate storage • 60 years manufacture in France by www.labaronne-citaf.com Talk to us today: 021 2895999 and get Your Effluent or Water Storage Solution Sorted www.flexitanksnz.com

40 / Winepress November 2019

Marlborough Wine & Food Festival - Feb 8

FOR SALE

Boundary lines are indicative only

Boundary lines are indicative only

Marlborough 217 Caseys Road Growing investment opportunity!

Our vendors have decided to move on from this exciting viticulture investment opportunity and they are now all set to sell. This sizable 35.5 hectare (more or less) vineyard planted in 2007 provides has a mix of varieties including Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. With some serious investment in the asset over the past 4 years and a renewed management structure the vineyard has increased in production and quality creating a sought after crop in the current market. The fruit has achieved premium status with several wine companies historically and the total fruit volumes have recently reached around 70 tonne of Pinot Gris, 35 tonne of Pinot Noir and 300 tonne of Sauvignon Blanc on average.

The property improvements include multiple implement sheds, frost machines along with a natural dam providing water storage complementing the Blind River Irrigation water shares. There is a fruit supply agreement for the 2020 and after that the vineyard will be contract free. A management program can be arranged for absentee owners, with our vendors ready to meet the market we invite all enquiry to Mike Poff and Kurt Lindsay.

Mike Poff 027 6655 477 Wine Industry Specialist Sales and Leasing

Tender 3pm, Thu 28 Nov 2019 33 Seymour Street, Blenheim Mike Poff 027 665 5477 mike.poff@bayleys.co.nz BE MARLBOROUGH LTD, BAYLEYS LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Kurt Lindsay 027 469 9685 kurt.lindsay@bayleys.co.nz BE MARLBOROUGH LTD, BAYLEYS LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

mike.poff@bayleys.co.nz BE MARLBOROUGH LTD, BAYLEYS LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Available from

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Zn

Brexil Ca

20.0

-

0.5

-

-

-

-

-

Brexil Fe

-

-

-

-

10.0

-

-

-

Brexil Mg

-

8.0

-

-

-

-

-

-

Brexi Mn

-

-

-

-

-

-

10.0

-

Brexil Zn

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

10.0

Brexil Duo

18.0

4.0

0.5

0.5

-

-

2.0

2.0

Brexil Mix

-

6.0

1.2

0.8

0.6

1.0

0.7

5.0

Brexil Multi

-

8.5

0.5

0.8

4.0

-

4.0

1.5

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