Winepress - November 2016

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 264 / NOVEMBER 2016

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Photo: Jim Tannock

wine-marlborough.co.nz

YIELD PREDICTIONS

SERESIN ESTATE

The no-snag solution for vineyard netting Grapes wanted / Contract Winemaking Grapes wanted - Due to increasing demand, we’re seeking an additional 125t of Sauvignon Blanc grapes for the 2017 vintage and beyond. We operate our own winery and bottling facility and are looking to build long term relationships with like-minded growers.

Contract Winemaking space available - In addition to the grape supply requirement above we have available approx. 120t of white-winemaking space in temperature controlled tanks. We’re able to offer flexible, full-service options in our Biogro certified winery and would be willing to discuss a bottling option.

Enquiries in relation to either of the above, please contact Alistair Soper on 021 543333 Alistair@highfieldterravin.com

Durable UV stablised 2 Sizes available Suitable for wooden posts

Wire lifting made easy Durable UV stablised Mechanical stripper compatible Fixes to any post type Cost effective

10

this issue...

REGULARS

FEATURES

3 4

10 Research Hub

Editorial

From the Board - Ben Ensor

6

Tasman Crop Met Report

22

Gen Y-ine - Jack Weaver

24

The Block - Seresin Estate

26 28

Export News

30

Industry News

32

ANZ Wine Happenings

Cover: Some of the thousands of glasses being poured at the Marlborough Wine Show (pg13) Photo by Jim Tannock.

The development of the New Zealand Research Institute of Viticulture and Oenology (NZRIVO) in Blenheim is a game changer, say industry players.

12

12 Lifetime Achievement

Biosecurity Watch - Chilean Needle Grass

22

Jane Hunter’s enormous contribution to the wine industry has been celebrated with the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award.

14 Yield Predictions

New technology is set to change the way grape yields are predicted, with work to achieve automated and site specific forecasts.

17 Environmental Credentials

WineWorks has entered in the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards, to showcase the work the company has done in the past two years to reduce waste and energy use.

22

Winepress November 2016 / 1

PCL AD Winepress 2016.pdf

1

15/07/16

3:21 PM

PROVINCIAL COLDSTORES LIMITED

Let us take care of all your controlled Temperature storage requirements: ◆ Custom controlled area ◆ Approved Transitional Facility for unloading of Imported Containers

C

M

◆

Over 60,000 cubic metres of storage spread over two sites.

CM

◆

Chilled storage available during vintage for handpicked grapes.

MY

◆

Sophisticated monitoring equipment ensures your product is kept at the optimum temperature.

◆

We could lease you a small room for your exclusive use to suit your particular temperature requirements (0 o C to + 30 o C).

◆

We store bottled wine, barrels of wine and new plants

◆

Individual rooms available to grow new budwood.

Y

CY

CMY

K

awaiting the opportune time to plant.

“the coolest place in Marlborough” Old Renwick Road, Blenheim Tel: 03 578 2648 Fax: 03 578 2546

www.provincialcoldstores.co.nz

Gouland Road, Spring Creek. Tel: 03 570 5944 Fax: 03 570 5955

2 / Winepress November 2016

N e w

Z e a l a n d

S o u t h

I s l a n d

General Manager: Marcus Pickens 03 577 9299 marcus@wine-marlborough.co.nz Editor: Sophie Preece 027 308 4455 sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz Advertising: Harriet Wadworth 03 577 9299 harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz Wine Marlborough Board: Ben Ensor ben.lisa@clear.net.nz Callum Linklater callumandsarah@xtra.co.nz Jack Glover jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Michael Wentworth michael.wentworth@yealands.co.nz Nick Entwistle nick@wairauriverwines.co.nz Rhyan Wardman (Chair) rhyan@giesen.co.nz Samantha Wickham samantha@ormondnurseries.co.nz Simon Bishell (Deputy Chair) simon@caythorpe.nz Stuart Dudley stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd 03 578 1322

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

From the Editor NEW ZEALAND’S wine industry has long been engaged in cutting edge science and research, ensuring it can compete on the global stage, not just now, but far into the future.

The announcement that New Zealand’s first Regional Research Institute (RRI) will be in Marlborough, thanks to $12.5million in Government funding and $825,000 from the Marlborough District Council, will further cement the relationship between industry and science.

The industry and Government partnership will provide a new platform for research and development around our vines and wines. The fact that it will be based here, in the engine room of the industry, will enable an even greater sense of ownership of the research outcomes for growers and wineries.

The RRIs are a “game changer” says New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Chair Steve Green (pg10). “And we certainly intend for our industry to be game changing.”

The institute should be operating in some capacity by next winter, but meanwhile the research goes on. On page 14 of this Winepress you’ll find a story on an initiative to improve yield predictions in New Zealand vines, using technology that assesses vines throughout the year, is able to count grapes obscured by leaves, and uses computer modelling to determine the likely yields.

“In the end we might have better understanding of how to drill down to vine level, with individual plants,” says project leader Armin Werner of Lincoln Agritech Ltd. The project calls on expertise from various science sectors, including universities, Plant & Food Research and NZW, ensuring the outcomes are fit for purpose and easily transferable into everyday vineyard management.

There’s a curious meeting of minds when it comes to future-looking science and some ancient elements of agriculture. That’s apparent at biodynamic vineyards Churton (pg22) and Seresin Estate (pg24) both of which marry ageold techniques with modern science, resulting in extraordinary wines with wonderful stories.

With respect for traditions, science, stories and sustainability, New Zealand’s wine industry can surely continue to be “game changing”.

“With respect for traditions, science, stories and sustainability, New Zealand’s wine industry can surely continue to be “game changing”.

SOPHIE PREECE

Winepress November 2016 / 3

From the Board Nurturing Staff in a competitive labour market.

BEN ENSOR

IF YOU asked most vineyard owners what their top three business concerns are right now, I bet one of those issues would revolve around labour. This may include issues around retaining staff, productivity of staff, or having difficulty sourcing staff.

These issues were identified in the recent labour survey led by Wine Marlborough and the just released NZIER Labour Report (pg9).

Marlborough’s planted vine area is predicted to increase by more than 5,000 hectares in the next five years, which will put even more pressure on the labour market, as well as the infrastructure to accommodate the increased workforce.

This is, of course, an issue that Wine Marlborough has been working on to ensure all interested parties are talking now to try and come up with some solutions to how we deal with this certain increased demand for labour and the flow-on effects this creates for infrastructure.

However, the issue will only ever be solved if we as vineyard owners also take responsibility for the key role we play as employers. In a competitive labour market those who offer the best overall proposition will see the most benefit. I am not just talking about paying more - this of course needs to be competitive and within labour laws - however, I strongly believe it is the extra add-on features that you can offer that make your work place a better environment to work and live in.

Think about what else you can provide - is it accommodation onsite or nearby, more flexibility around time4 / Winepress November 2016

off, or including staff in some of your leisure activities from time-to-time? For someone visiting Marlborough, being able to go hunting, fishing, sailing, or join in whatever interests you have, could be the highlight of their visit and help to keep them engaged in your business. We have found this goes a long way to getting our work force on side and all moving in the same direction.

“In a competitive labour market those who offer the best overall proposition will see the most benefit.”

For fulltime staff, giving people as much responsibility as they are happy to take on ensures you also have an engaged team who think for themselves and gain more enjoyment from their role. We try to create a family atmosphere, where getting together regularly for a shared lunch or dinner keeps a good balance and reward for a job well done. I think if you look after people they will reward

you by getting on with the job at hand.

Creating a positive environment where there is no place for negativity is something else we live by.

Social media has helped us to create a position where we have people contacting us every week looking for work. Current and past employees share the experience they have had at Tyntesfield online, and this in turn creates interest from others looking for work. We have had good experiences with backpackers looking for casual work and have found them to be very productive once you get alongside them and understand what drives them. For some the work tied in with some flexibility to be able to head away for a week to travel keeps them more than happy. Others are just happy to work as part of a family and learn about the ‘Kiwi way of life’.

So, as demand for labour is only likely to increase in the future, I challenge you to look a little outside the square and think about what you can offer that is unique to you. Within this lies an opportunity to create a more productive work environment that is beneficial to your business and helps keep happy and productive employees. All the best for the season ahead.

Savvy Sailing

First place on handicap went to Crewless, carrying Mud House

The WineWorks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race.

Photos by Chris Coad

With a fleet of 38 boats, more than 200 hardy sailors braved the howling elements in Cook Strait last month

Blink was the first yacht across the line carrying Rapaura Springs

The race is run by Wine Marlborough and the Waikawa Boating Club Winepress November 2016 / 5

Met Report

DRIVING CROP PERFORMANCE

ByVictoria Rob Agnew By Raw Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – October 2016

October October 2916

2016 compared

to LTA GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ 144.8 123% GDD’s for month – Mean² 121.8 111% Growing Degree Days Total Jul – Oct 16 – Max/Min 201.0 108% Jul - Oct 16 – Mean 245.6 103% Mean Maximum (°C) 19.3 +1.0°C Mean Minimum (°C) 8.4 +0.6°C Mean Temp (°C) 13.9 +0.8°C Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 2 Equal Air Frosts (0.0°C) 0 Equal Sunshine hours 233.9 103% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2016 2106.0 107% Rainfall (mm) 58.6 104% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2016 484.6 89% Evapotranspiration – mm 115.3 114% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 255.1 85% Mean soil temp – 10cm 12.8 +0.9°C Mean soil temp – 30cm 14.5 +0.9°C

October LTA

Period of LTA

October 2015

101.8 110.2

(1996-2015) (1996-2015)

116.2 126.3

185.3 237.7 18.3 7.8 13.1 2.1 0.1 227.1 140.7 299.6 1974.4 56.6 2.3 161.0 545.3 101.1 301.1 11.9 13.6

(1996-2015 (1996-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1930-2015) 1983 1969 (1930-2015) (1930-2015) 1961 2001 (1930-2015) (1996-2015) (1996-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015)

173.6 229.9 19.4 8.0 13.7 3 0 271.7

2238.9 6.0

361.4 123.8 300.1 12.5 14.2

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures Table 2: Weekly temperatures during October 2016

Mean Max

(°C) 1st - 7th 19.1 8th - 14th 19.7 15th - 21st 21.9 22nd - 28th 18.8 29th – 31st (3 days) 14.3 1st – 30th 19.3 (+1.0°C) Long-term average (1986 – 2015) 18.3

Mean Min Mean (°C) (°C) 9.7 14.4 8.0 13.8 9.9 15.9 7.7 13.2 5.0 9.6

8.4 (+0.6°C) 13.9 (+0.8°C) 7.8 13.1

Figures in Table 2: Red indicates warmer than average, blue indicates cooler than average 6 / Winepress November 2016

October 2016 weather October 2016 was warm, with average sunshine hours and rainfall, and well below average wind-run.

Temperature The mean temperature for October of 13.9°C was 0.8°C above the longterm average.The data in table 2 indicate that the first three weeks of October were very warm. The average temperature from the 1st to the 21st was 14.7°C; 1.6°C above the long-term average. The final 10 days of October were quite a lot cooler, with an average temperature of 12.1°C; 1.0°C below the long-term average.

Growing degree-days (GDD) The black GDD line for the start of the 2016-17 season indicates the warm temperatures that prevailed in the first three weeks of October 2016, followed by the cold days to end the month. The path that the GDD line has taken during September and October 2016 is very similar to September and October 2013. What course will the 2016-17 GDD line take in the next few months? At the beginning of October 2016 NIWA suggested that there is a 50% chance that temperatures in the three months October to December 2016 will be above average, 30% chance of average, and only 20% chance of below average. One month down the track and it looks like their prediction is fairly good so far.

Given the similarity of the current season, up to the end of October 2016, with the 2013-14 season, it is interesting to observe how the red line progressed for the rest of the 201314 season. It was very warm from September to December 2013. Very warm temperatures over flowering in November and December 2013 were

Figure 1: Normalized growing degree days for Blenheim: days above (+) or below (-) the long-term average for the period 1 September to 30 April the main reason that yields were high at harvest in 2014. Temperatures in the second half of the season, from January to April 2014 were in contrast to the first half, with some extended periods of cool weather.

Temperatures from September to December 2015 were up and down and hence the GDD line tracked close to average. However, the very warm temperatures in late November and early December 2015 coincided with when a large proportion of Marlborough’s grapes were in flower. It was this warm period that was mainly responsible for the large harvest in 2016. Warm temperatures from midJanuary through until mid-April 2016 were ideal for ripening a large crop.

Sunshine Total sunshine for October 2016 of 233.9 hours was close to the longterm average. January to October 2016 recorded 2106 hours sunshine.

Rainfall October’s rainfall total of 58.6 mm was 104% of the long-term average of 57.2 mm. Total rainfall from January to October 2016 was 484.6 mm, 89% of the long-term average. It looks like Blenheim is heading for another drier than average year. It would require a total of 156 mm rain during November and December 2016 (164% of LTA) to bring the years rainfall up to average.

However, although total rainfall to the end of October 2016 is below average it

is still 123 mm higher than it was at the same point in 2015.

Marlborough can only hope that the currently developing La Nina conditions bring more rainfall over the 2016-17 growing season than in the two previous years (Table 3). However, the very low rainfall that was recorded in these two seasons had a relatively low impact on the wine industry. This is testament to the development of irrigation infrastructure in association with the wine industry, and the fact that Marlborough has such a good supply of water that can be drawn upon. The effect of droughts, such as Marlborough experienced in the last two years, would have been far more consequential and noticeable prior to the development of the wine industry. However, let us not forget all the dryland hill country pastoral farms in Marlborough that are totally dependent on rainfall for any pasture growth.

Table 3: Seasonal rainfall for Blenheim 2012-2016 (September to April) Year Rainfall % of

(mm) L.T.A. 2015-16 240.2 62% 2014-15 220.8 57% 2013-14 462.4 118% 2012-13 319.9 82% L.T.A. 390.5 L.T.A. – long term average

Soil Moisture Marlborough was very fortunate to receive regular rainfall during October that was sufficient to replenish moisture in the topsoil on a number of occasions. Topsoil moisture (5-35 cm depth) at the Grovetown Park weather station was 33.4% on 1 October and 31.5% on 31 October 2016. In contrast, with very low rainfall in October 2015, moisture in the topsoil fell from 34.1% on 1 October to 19.2% on 31 October 2015. There is an actively growing grass sward above the soil moisture sensor, so the grass is utilising a substantial amount of water from the topsoil.

To express the October 2015 topsoil moisture loss, as volume of water lost: • 34.1% – 19.2% = 14.9% volumetric soil moisture loss over 30 cm topsoil • 14.9% volumetric soil moisture loss = 149 litres water/m3 soil • 149 litres * 0.30 m = 44.7 litres of moisture lost per square metre of ground to a depth of 30 cm. This equates to moisture loss from the top 30 cm of soil of 447,000 litres or 447 m3 per hectare.

58.6 mm of rainfall received during October 2016 equates to 586 m3 of water per hectare, hence the reason that the topsoil moisture stayed high in October 2016; (1 mm of rain is 10,000 litres or 10 m3 water per hectare).

Seasonal Moisture Balance The seasonal water balance graph appears in Met Report regularly as it is a good way to illustrate how any season is shaping up with regard to accumulated moisture deficit. It is the difference between rainfall received and evapotranspiration lost, smoothed over a three-month period. The graph indicates that on average Marlborough experiences a water deficit for eight months from 12 October to 17 June. It is only for four months during winter and early spring that Marlborough experiences a water surplus; i.e. rainfall exceeds evapotranspiration.

The red and blue lines (Figure 2) for the previous two years indicate how far below average the potential water deficit fell. The 2015-16 season started out below average and stayed there right through until May 2016 when two months of above average Winepress November 2016 / 7

rainfall brought the deficit back up to average. However, the two months of above average rainfall in May and June 2016 were followed by three and a half months of below average rainfall from July through until the mid-October 2016. The green line for 2016-17 fell at a similar rate as in the two previous seasons and it is only the rain in late

October that has briefly caused the line to flatten out. At the start of November 2016 the accumulated potential water deficit is still well below the long-term average. The line will continue to fall steadily over coming months and even well above average rainfall over summer only brings a brief slowing in the rate of fall of the line. This is

because on average evapotranspiration over summer exceeds rainfall by a factor of 2.9 to 1.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Figure 2: Seasonal water balance for Blenheim: difference between 3-month totals of rainfall and potential evapotranspiration

Exclusive importers of

suspension and liquid fertilisers Th e M e t Re p o r t wa s s p o n s o re d by

Vi t i c u l t u r e S u p p l i e s S p e c i a l i s t s

2017 Grapes Wanted 2 0 1 7 G r a p es W a n t ed On the back of our stunning run of success we have seen demand growing across all varieties in all markets . seen On the back of our stunning run and of success we have demand growing across allrun varieties and in all markets On We’re the back of our stunning of success we . have seeking new supply partners to share in our success. If you take pride in growing quality Blanc,toPinot Gris, Chardonnay seen demand growing all varieties andIfand in take all We’re seeking newSauvignon supplyacross partners share in our success. you PinotinNoir, fromquality vintageSauvignon 2017 and Blanc, beyond, we’re all ears! pride growing Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and markets.

Pinot Noir, from vintage 2017 and beyond, we’re all ears!

We’re seeking able to offer long term supply options, favourable We’re new supply partners to cropping sharelevels, in our better than average prices terms. We’re locallycropping owned, levels, We’re able to offer longand termpayment supply options, favourable success.

If you take pride in growing quality Sauvignon provide expert viticultural advice and operate our own modern and better than average prices and payment terms. We’re locally owned, sizeable Marlborough winery. provideGris, expert viticultural advice and operate our ownNoir, modernfrom and Blanc, Pinot Chardonnay and Pinot sizeable Marlborough winery. vintage 2017 and beyond, we’re all ears!

If this is of interest or there are options you’d like to discuss, please get touch withorour viticulturist, Simon Bowers If this isinof interest there are options you’d like toon discuss, please get 021in446 993 E:viticulturist, simon@scvl.co.nz touch withorour Simon Bowers on

We’re able to offer021 long options, favourable 446 term 993 or supply E: simon@scvl.co.nz cropping levels, better than average prices and payment terms. We’re locally owned, provide expert viticultural advice and operate our own modern and sizeable Marlborough winery.

If this is of interest or there are options you’d like to discuss, please get in touch with our viticulturist, Simon Bowers on

021 446 993 or E: simon@scvl.co.nz

8 / Winepress November 2016

0 80 0 855 2 55

Labour Shortage Industry growth exacerbates worker scarcity.

A NEW national survey emphasises the pressure the wine industry faces as labour demand outstrips supply.

The 2016 New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) report into horticulture and viticulture labour market forecasts looks at the current and future labour requirements of the kiwifruit, pipfruit, summerfruit and wine grape sectors.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) helped fund the work and Chief Executive Philip Gregan says the report will be used to help inform the Labour Strategy being developed by the organisation. It will also be used by the various sectors involved to support the national cap increase for seasonal labour, including the number of people able to be employed from the

Pacific Islands through the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.

Philip says if nothing is done the labour scarcity will become more and more severe as the wine industry continues to expand. “That’s why the Labour Strategy is important and why we were involved in the production of this report. It will inform Government planning and hopefully local council planning in areas like housing.”

The report indicates there are 27,600 to 35,800 workers in the horticulture and viticulture industries, picking, pruning and packing each year, and estimates around 2,500 more workers would be hired if they could be. “This represents about 8% of all seasonal workers currently employed.

The current shortfall is expected to

increase by almost 4,000 by 2022.”

It notes that export receipts from the wider horticulture sector were $4.2 billion in 2015 and are expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2020. “Being able to source the required labour at the right time of year is a critical component of this export growth story.”

The Marlborough Labour Market Survey released earlier this year warned the region will need around 2000 additional vineyard workers over the next five years. Wine Marlborough has formed an industry working group to provide insights and information for a ‘white paper’ outlining labour issues that need to be tackled. That group will meet again this month.

Trusted and proven for decades to deliver punishment to weeds.

Buster has a reputation like no other for dealing to weeds and being safe to crop plants – why settle for anything less?

WIN

Insist on Buster from Bayer.

a Bluetooth Speaker!

BAC 1515

www.buster.co.nz

Text ‘BUSTER’ to 226 and you could WIN 1 of 20 UE Booms!*

Buster® is registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No. P3604 and is approved pursuant to the HSNO Act 1996, No. 000152. Buster® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. © Bayer 2016. *Terms and conditions apply. Please visit www.buster.co.nz

BAC 1515 Buster Press 124x176mm_ƒ.indd 1

8/10/16 9:26 AM

Winepress November 2016 / 9

Game Changer $12.5million allocated to a wine research institute in Marlborough.

A NEW Regional Research Institute in Marlborough will ensure New Zealand’s wine industry stays ahead of the field, say industry and Government representatives.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce visited the region last month to announce Government funding of $12.5million over four years for the development of the New Zealand Research Institute of Viticulture and Oenology (NZRIVO) in Blenheim.

He said the institute would ensure the wine industry was able to sustain its competitive edge into the future, with research looking beyond the next few years, and on to the ten-year horizon.

“Although the institute will be based in Marlborough, the research will have a national focus. Its reach will be global, providing world-leading research for commercial grape and wine production and positioning the hugely successful wine industry for future growth.”

The NZRIVO, which is the first Regional Research Institute (RRI) “through the gate” since the concept was announced in Budget 2015, will get additional funding from industry and will operate as a private, independently governed organisation.

It will undertake new research and collaborate with other domestic and international research institutions to support the growth and continuing success of New Zealand’s wine and viticulture industry, said the minister.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Chairman Steve Green said the Government’s commitment to RRIs was a game changer. “And we certainly 10 / Winepress November 2016

intend for our industry to be game changing.”

The industry Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce members and Marlborough District Council representatives at the Hooker, who drove the bid for the announcement had a good awareness RRI funding, said the institute would of the world class wine research allow those involved in wine and already undertaken in New Zealand, he vine research to work closely with said. “But we do need more research, companies in Marlborough. “Having we need better research, we need that company ownership and company more cost effective research and we involvement in the research and need more commercially responsive development and trials, that’s the key research.” for me.”

The institute would be a “vehicle” The existing relationship between to deliver practical, world class growers, wineries and researchers in research outcomes to vineyards and New Zealand is already strong on a world scale, and the RRI will serve to cement those bonds, he said. “They have their own research institute delivering outcomes for them here in Marlborough.”

NZW has a proven track record of research outcomes benefitting industry and two recent highlights for him include the six-year Virus Elimination Project, which drew “incredible engagement with key companies”, and the Mechanical Thinning Project, which was initiated by industry and is now commercialised and widely used in vineyards.

The just elected New Zealand wineries throughout New Zealand.

Winegrowers board will meet this “Those research outcomes will deliver month and in December, and will a technology and innovation platform make decisions about how to move the through which our member growers NZRIVO forward, said Simon. and wineries can reduce costs, When it comes to the projects enhance quality and build even better tackled by the science institute, which brands,” he said. he hopes will be operating by July NZW General Manager of 2017, it will come down to what the Research and Innovation Simon industry wants in terms of outputs.

“What I want is research that’s going to change the world for them in the next 20 years.”

Simon Hooker.

Industry members toast the RRI announcement

“What I want is research that’s going to change the world for them in the next 20 years.”

The Marlborough District Council (MDC) has promised funding for the facility of $825,000 over five years, as well as doubling the funding for the Marlborough Research Centre (MRC) to $250,000 per year.

MRC Chief Executive Gerald Hope, who is also a newly elected councillor on the MDC, said the centre had been on the site for 13 years, with

a focus on wine and grapes. The new institute would be the next platform for science and technology to support the wine industry, he said.

NZW Chief Executive Philip Gregan said between 20% and 25% of the organisation’s budget - more than $2m a year - was directed to research and development. “We have done world class research. We just need to do more, because the industry needs it,” he said. “What this enables us to do, with the Government money and

the support of other partners, is to take that research effort to another level.”

When it came to the industry’s export earning target of $2billion by 2020, the new institute would be another “shove in that direction”, he said. “But more importantly, as the minister said, this is about 10 years out, or 15 years out. This is going to help us have profitable, sustainable growth beyond 2020.”

The Cawthron Model The Cawthron Institute is a shining example of regionally based research and innovation, says Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce. On announcing $12.5million of funding for the New Zealand Research Institute of Viticulture and Oenology (NZRIVO), to be based in Marlborough, he recognised Cawthron as a model for the Regional Research Institute (RRI) initiative. “I have been very impressed at the way that institute has delivered for its industry,” he said, noting its close location to the seafood sectors of Nelson and Marlborough.

Cawthron was established in 1920 and is recognised internationally as a leading aquaculture, marine biosecurity, coastal and estuarine ecology and freshwater ecology institution. Chief Executive Charles Eason says the institute employs close to 200 scientists, laboratory technicians, researchers and specialist staff from more than 20 different countries, linked nationally and internationally to universities and other research organisations.

It is one of Nelson’s largest employers, with more than $1million in wages filtered out into the region every month. According to a recent NZIER report, Cawthron has a national and global economic footprint, and turns over $26m a year. But more than that, of course, it enables the industries it works with to do better, now and in the future, says Charles. “I think where we have the strength is we do listen closely to industry partners and to our environmental partners. We work hand in hand and look for short medium and long term solutions and the development of opportunities.”

Winepress November 2016 / 11

Jane Hunter Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award.

SOPHIE PREECE

WHEN JANE Hunter arrived at the wooden shed of Blenheim Airport in 1983, Marlborough’s plains were covered in arid pasture and leafy orchards. “You had to seek out the vineyards, and they were all Muller Thurgau anyway, so you didn’t really want to try the wines,” she says.

In the more than 30 years since, Jane has worked tirelessly to promote Hunter’s, Marlborough and New Zealand wine around the world, has watched the region transform, and has become one of the world’s best known women in wine.

Her work was recognised last month, when she was awarded the Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award at the Marlborough Wine Show Awards Dinner, in recognition of her services to the industry.

In presenting the award, Wine Marlborough board member Simon Bishell said Jane was synonymous with the Marlborough wine region and had helped put it on the world’s wine map, “albeit reluctantly at first”.

Jane was a viticulturist for Montana Wines when she married Ernie Hunter, who she says had no background in wine, but “was full of enthusiasm for the industry”. When he died in 1987, the 33-year-old viticulturist gave up her job, took over at Hunter’s and stepped into a huge public profile.

She became a founding director of the New Zealand Wine Guild and frequently flew to the United

12 / Winepress November 2016

Simon Bishell presents the award to Jane Hunter

Kingdom to talk about 12 to 14 wines, including one or two from Hunter’s.

That collegial approach intrigued people in the old wine world, as did her frank discussions of the impact of phylloxera. “There would be a gasp and people would come up afterwards and say ‘the French would never talk about something like that.’ We talked about things people in the wine trade in the UK weren’t used to, so they were getting true wine story.”

Jane has spent a huge amount of her life travelling the world, speaking to large groups, talking to media and smiling for cameras. But while Ernie was naturally gregarious, she was more reserved, and found the interactions “exhausting”. She had to learn to talk about the wines, not about the vines she was used to, and credits “the force of Terry Dunleavy” in helping her adjust to that role. “Terry for me has been a great mentor, and has pushed me to do a lot of things that I wouldn’t have done, including joining the board of the New Zealand Wine Institute.”

She has also been able to rely on the people at Hunter’s, enabling her to travel for one third of every year for two decades. “For a small company we have done a huge amount of miles in trying to build our markets. But I can

leave the winery and know that I don’t have to ring in. There are good people here and they all know what to do.”

In the early days, Jane was often “the odd one out” as a female in an almost exclusively male industry. That got her a “huge amount of press” in the United States and UK, and also made her an inspiration for women around the world, leading to her win of the prestigious UK Women in Wine Award in 2003. She’s also been awarded an O.B.E and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to viticulture, and was the first woman to be inducted to the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame.

She’s had plenty of accolades, including winning the Wolf Blass AM Award for the development of Riesling last month, but says winning the Lifetime Achievement Award is a highlight. “This is the local industry and the one I have kind of grown up with. So it’s a nice feeling.”

Much of her work has been motivated by the notion of paying back the people who have helped her, she says. So now that she’s won Marlborough’s Lifetime Achievement Award, does she feel she’s repaid them in full? “Probably not. There’s always more work to do, isn’t there?”

Marlborough Wine Show Starborough Family Estate Pinot Gris 2016 • Ormond Nurseries Ltd Trophy for Champion Chardonnay 2016 - 2015 - Wither Hills Ben Morven Chardonnay 2015 • Ormond Nurseries Ltd Trophy for Champion Chardonnay 2014 - Wither Hills Chardonnay 2014 • Wine Competition Ltd Trophy for Champion Rosé Bladen Marlborough Pinot Rosé 2016 • Wine Competition Ltd Trophy for Champion Gewurztraminer - Bladen Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2016 • Taylor Pass Honey Co Trophy for Champion Sweet Wine - Hunter’s Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest 2014 • Classic Oak Products Trophy for Champion Pinot Noir 2015 - Babich Winemakers’ Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 • Classic Oak Products Trophy for Champion Pinot Noir 2014 - Pa Road Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014 • Classic Oak Products Trophy for Champion Pinot Noir 2013 and older - Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Noir 2013 • Wine Competition Ltd Trophy for Champion Other Red Wine - Mt Riley Syrah 2015 • O-I New Zealand Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show - Pa Road Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014 • 2016 Marlborough Museum Legacy Award - The Doctors’ Riesling 2006, 2009 and 2014

Marlborough is about more than just Sauvignon Blanc, says Marlborough Wine Show Director Belinda Jackson.

“It’s about style diversity and it’s about our other varietals.”

A record number of wines were entered this year, with 549 wines, 53 gold medals and 17 trophies, as well as the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award.

Guest international judge Ralph Kyte-Powell of Melbourne says Marlborough continues to impress with its Sauvignon Blanc, “but there are many other great wine styles equally befitting of the world stage”.

Trophy winners • Winemakers’ Association of Marlborough Trophy for Champion Sparkling Wine - Daniel Le Brun Blanc de Blanc 2011 • Wineworks Trophy for Champion Sauvignon Blanc 2016 - Tohu Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016 • Wineworks Trophy for Champion Sauvignon Blanc 2015 - Mudhouse Single Vineyard Woolshed Sauvignon Blanc 2015 • Wineworks Trophy for Champion Sauvignon Blanc 2014 and older - The Craft Series Pride and Glory 2013 • De Sangosse NZ Trophy for Champion Riesling 2016 - 2015 - Villa Maria Cellar Selection Dry Riesling 2015 • Wine Competition Ltd Trophy for Champion Other White Wine - Nautilus Albarino 2016 • TNL Freighting Trophy for Champion Pinot Gris -

Choose Your Weapons in the fight against powdery mildew and botrytis

HOLDING THE FORT

AMBUSH STRATEGICALLY

HML32

Protectorhml + sulphur

+ sulphur + copper

DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY

HML32 + copper + potassium bicarbonate

+ Spray with 0.5% Spray HML32 + sulphur + copper Protector + sulphur instead of 0.5% Protector and sulphur at 10-14 day at 5% capfall, 80% capfall, pre-bunch intervals. closure and just before veraison.

To eradicate powdery mildew infection

Spray HML32 + copper + potassium bicarbonate.

For higher challenge situations, such as previous history, disease pressure or susceptible varieties, continue applications of HML32 + sulphur + copper after flowering at 10 day intervals and re-cover after any major rain event. See the Fungal Spray Programme on www.henrymanufacturing.co.nz Visit www.henrymanufacturing.co.nz Call Chris Henry on 027 294 1490 or email chris@henrymanufacturing.co.nz or contact your local technical advisor.

Henry Manufacturing non-residual pesticides

Winepress November 2016 / 13

Grape Count Scientists work on “game changing” technology for yield forecasting.

SOPHIE PREECE

NEW TECHNOLOGY is set to change the way grape yields are predicted, with work to achieve automated and site specific forecasts.

A project led by Lincoln Agritech, in partnership with New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), and including research input from Lincoln University, Plant and Food Research (PFR) and University of Canterbury, has been awarded $6million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment 2016 Endeavour Fund.

The innovation will be “game changing”, says Lincoln Agritech Chief Executive Peter Barrowclough. “Over the long term, site-specific yield prediction will help reduce costs by enabling better planning both in the vineyard and in market.”

Photo by Richard Briggs NZW’s General Manager of Research and Innovation, Simon Hooker, says the new research temperature to indicate yields up to 18 programme aims to develop a tool months before the harvest. However, to deliver much more accurate yield these are calculated region by region, estimations. “This will benefit the and cannot provide forecasts that take industry by supporting better crop into account the yield variability for a management, smoother processing and particular site. market forecasting based on capacity Another system currently used is to supply.” to count the number of grape bunches Project leader Armin Werner says in mid-January, and to take several growers already have tools for yield samples to ascertain berry number and forecasting, including models that use bunch weight, before extrapolating 14 / Winepress November 2016

that information to get an indication of yield.

Armin says the new yield forecasting system will allow growers and viticulturists to move beyond existing manual sampling methods to use automated systems and manage yield for a particular block or even row. “In the end we might have better understanding of how to drill down to vine level, with individual plants.”

The new system will use a camera along with other sensors, which will travel down a row on a truck or tractor, gathering data. One camera-based sensor will count grapes that are visible to the naked eye, while a separate radar-like sensor will locate, count and measure bunches obscured by leaves.

Assessments will occur throughout the season, beginning with inflorescence. The system will later assess the young berries, ripening berries, then maturing grape bunches, counting bunch numbers and assessing size.

That data will be fed to a predictive modelling system developed by researchers at Canterbury University, which will use known information on the particular vines and climate to determine likely yields per hectare.

Because of the “learning” nature of the modelling system, it will become more precise every year, refining its probabilities based on the data it gathers, says Armin. “This model learns with more and more data,” he says. “Over the first five years it will get very accurate for certain vineyards, so at the end the manager of that vineyard has very specific data.”

The programme will include phenology experts at Lincoln University, to glean insights into the influence of weather and temperature on vine development and yields. It will also work with PFR Ruakura

to develop a sensor technology that recognises veraison, and with PFR Marlborough to bridge the growth gap between early season remote sensing of flowering and actual projected yield.

Damian Martin from PFR Marlborough says the organisation has been collecting vineyard data and making yield forecasts in Marlborough for more than 10 years. “We are pleased

“In the end we might have better understanding of how to drill down to vine level, with individual plants.”

Armin Werner to be part of this new programme, which will involve our Bioengineering Group in Ruakura and our Viticulture and Oenology Group in Marlborough.”

Armin says the research programme is to work with one test

Looking for a high N boost?

A member ofthe Horticentre Group

Armin Werner

site vineyard in the North Island and two in the South Island, to ensure the technology is fit for purpose and easily transferred from lab to field. Lincoln Agritech and NZW will work together to ensure the envisaged transition to a commercial product alongside a manufacturer will be appropriate to deliver the intended benefits to local growers.

Agritech’s Group Manager Business Development and Marketing, Kevin Hurren, says having NZW as a partner is key to ensuring the yield forecast tool will meet the demands of the industry. “They know what is needed and what it should look like in order to be adopted in the field.”

For a quick boost to your vines, try our high N water soluble foliar fertiliser (26N-4.3P-8.3K).

• High quality European brand • Highly efficient combination of macro & microelements • Fully chelated trace elements • Fast and completely water soluble.

Winepress November 2016 / 15

Seeing the Light Efficient lighting is good for the environment, employees and the bottom line.

SOPHIE PREECE

WINEWORKS MARLBOROUGH sends out thousands of boxes of wine every day, but when I meet Anthony Barnes at the country’s biggest bottling facility, he’s thinking in shoe boxes instead. That’s his goal for daily rubbish mass in each operational area of the business, following a recycling and waste minimisation project.

Meanwhile the target for office spaces, in lieu of the usual waste bin, is as much waste as would fit in a recyclable coffee cup, says the company’s Project Manager. “We have done a lot of work making sure that anything that can be recycled is being recycled.”

He has entered WineWorks in the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards to showcase the work the company has done in the past two

years to reduce waste and energy use. A recycling push WineWorks Project Manager Anthony Barnes and Yardman Shane led to more Trace than 5000 cubic metres bins. The Lean principles also reduce of waste products being recycled waste by looking at what comes into in 2015, with that volume already the factory in the first place, so there is surpassed this year, he says. “It’s quite more efficiency and less rubbish. a task to get from the mindset of ‘just Yardman Shane Trace says he had chuck it in the bin’ to ‘put it in the to “growl” a little to get people to sort correct bin’. It’s about getting everyone on board to understand that bottles out out their recycling, instead of putting it “willy nilly everywhere”. He has also the door aren’t our only output.” driven a better recycling culture by Changing that culture has been using simple techniques to make it about making recycling easy, with easier for people to do the right thing. tools such as the Lean Manufacturing For example, he made plastic bags principle of colour coded recycling

Environmental Credentials The Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards’ Wine Industry Innovation category, sponsored by Wine Marlborough, looks at industry initiatives that are good for business and the environment.

This year there are two entries in the category, with WineWorks (see main story) entered for its waste minimisation and energy efficiency drives, and Tohu entered for its biological research into brown beetle control (see August 2016 Winepress).

The wine industry is also represented in the awards by three entrants in other categories, including Southern Water Engineering in the Business Innovation category for SmartAudit, an irrigation management tool that encourages efficient and consistent use of water and power savings for vineyards, wineries and other industries.

Dog Point Vineyards is entered in the Landscape and Habitat Enhancement category, with its significant native

16 / Winepress November 2016

and non-native productive plantings, which add diversity to their organic vineyards. Delegat’s is also entered in the Landscape category, with its restoration of the Fault Lake Wetland in the Waihopai Valley, involving extensive weed control and native planting.

Wine Marlborough has a trustee, Ross Beech, on the Marlborough Environment Awards Trust, and General Manager Marcus Pickens says sponsoring the Wine Industry Innovation Award is a way of showing its commitment to the environment awards.

“It’s the right thing to do for the wine community, to really encourage innovation and leadership, which can lift the environmental credentials of the wine industry.”

Judges will visit the entrants between now and December and winners will be announced at an awards dinner on March 31 next year.

available at the plastic bins, to make it easier to recycle the plastic straps used to wrap various materials.

“We’re getting more and more recycling, and it’s getting better than it’s ever been,” Shane says.

WineWorks has also undertaken a massive power saving project, with an overhaul of lighting.

Anthony says that project began with research into energy efficient lighting options for the company’s 15,000sqm wine warehouse, completed last year. “We have a staggering number of light fittings, so when we put the lighting in the new building we decided to roll the project into the existing spaces as well.”

The energy efficient lightbulbs in the new building represent savings of 30kilowatts per hour, compared to conventional lighting. “That’s a huge amount, so we stand to gain more

as we roll it out further.” The LED lighting is being put in on a “replace rather than repair” programme, with new technology brought in whenever a light fails. Anthony hopes to see the entire facility under LED by the end of 2017, and says the investment will be covered in less than two years, thanks to the energy savings.

The change is also beneficial for

McAlpines Roundwood Limited

Suppliers of

Quality Roundwood Contact:

Grant Cathcart Phone 03 313 8339 Fax 03 313 3767 Mobile 021 511 460

roundwood@mcalpines.co.nz

the company’s more than 200 staff, with new technology providing better lit work areas, making the project good for economics, environment and people, he says.

“As we are ‘trusted to bottle New Zealand for the world’, we have to make sure we do it in a sustainable way.”

SUPPLIERS OF: n Vineyard posts & strainers n Quality timber products n Utility buildings - designed for your needs n Locally owned n Working towards the betterment of Marlborough

TOP DEALS ~ TOP SERVICE 163 Hammerichs Road, Blenheim Ph 03 578 0221 Fax 03 578 0251 sales@rapauratimber.co.nz

Winepress November 2016 / 17

Storyteller Marlborough is just scratching the surface when it comes to finding markets.

SOPHIE PREECE

IT’S A big bright blue day as Michael Wentworth drives around Yealands Estate’s White Road, via Baby Doll sheep, clucking chickens, a butterfly valley, musical vineyards, native plantings, piles of compost, rolls of vine clippings, and an endless view over the Pacific Ocean.

As we return to the winery, with New Zealand’s largest solar installation newly in place, Yealands’ Chief Operating Officer and Wine Marlborough’s newest board member reiterates a lesson from Marketing 101 selling wine is all about stories.

Over the past nine years he has been spoilt for choice when it comes to which of those stories to tell, from 120 eggs a day to 500,000KW hours a year.

But the Baby Dolls is the best one, on almost every occasion. “You talk of carbon footprints and see people’s eyes glaze over,” he says. But cute miniature sheep in the vineyard, resulting in

less need for mowing and sprays, is a take home story that counts to consumers.

Michael says Marlborough’s entire wine industry is rich with stories, and there’s huge potential for them to Michael Wentworth be told on a broader global stage. “I think the big excitement is that despite all the success Marlborough has had to date, there’s so much more we could be achieving out there.

The general awareness of brand Marlborough, let alone New Zealand,

is still tiny. We are only just scratching the surface. Look at greater Europe and the opportunities there, and look at the United States. Right across the globe there are opportunities to get that glass in someone’s hands and see that smile on their face when they pick it up and

A Vine Idea Take one step at Yealands Estate and you’re likely to trip over a new idea, like a cylindrical bale of vine prunings. The bales are seasoned for at least three months then burned in a specialised furnace, in lieu of LPG, to create energy for the winery.

Michael says the company uses less than 10% of its prunings to create the “incredible resource”, and the whole project – including a modified hay baler and two pallet burners - paid for itself within 12 months.

“There are very few projects out there that give you payback in that time,” he says. And he’s mystified that other wine companies have not followed suit. “We will talk to anybody about what we are doing and we can’t believe that nobody has done it.”

The grape vine bales are used all year, but during vintage, “when we are cranking”, they use 30 bales a day and produce all the heat – or cool – they need.

Meanwhile, the company’s solar panel installation has been extended so it is once again the country’s largest, with a gleaming black arc on the winery’s northern roofline. The panels produce about 30% of the winery’s total energy requirement Photo by Jim Tannock each year, or 500,000 kilowatt-hours.

18 / Winepress November 2016

realise that it’s something completely different.”

That takes footwork in the market - “burning the shoe leather” - and discussions about diversity, he says. “There’s still a perception on the international market that New Zealand produces one style of Sauvignon Blanc. If we can talk diversity and encourage consumers to try more, that’s the key.” Sauvignon Blanc is the front runner and the variety most wine companies will naturally lead with. “But we’ll never do a tasting where we just taste Sauvignon Blanc.

We’ll always say, ‘well if you like this, try our Pinot Noir and our Pinot Gris too’.”

Michael would like to see Marlborough get more of a voice through New Zealand Winegrowers, reflecting the fact that the region is the engine room of the industry. “I can understand because there are so many stakeholders, but I don’t think Marlborough gets the voice it deserves.”

He looks forward to working with the Wine Marlborough board to tell Marlborough’s story of diversity.

Michael has been involved in some of the group discussions on the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand SWNZ Plus Programme and is expecting plenty of board discussion around the challenges facing the industry, including growth, labour, waste streams and sustainability. “They are national issues, not just Marlborough issues. We’re just facing them a little bit earlier than some of the other regions.”

Michael was born and bred in Auckland, but has lived most of his life outside it, from school in Cambridge to University in Palmerston North and post graduate studies in Adelaide. He has spent his entire working life with wine, starting with a holiday job at Card Member Wines, where he packed cases and became intrigued by the product going in the boxes At home his parents drank cask wine, never delving into anything more detailed than whether it was red or white. But when Michael met winemaker (now brewer) Keith Galbraith, he became intrigued by the complexities and stories behind the bottles. “Keith was so extremely passionate about wine that it was infectious. I was basically living off every word, then trying the wine and finding out what he saw in it.”

It was enough to drive his tertiary education plans, and Michael set off to Massey to study horticulture, with a focus on viticulture. He continued to be exposed to “young, really enthusiastic wine people”, including Marcus Pickens, now General Manager of Wine Marlborough, who ran weekly tastings at Liquorland Newmarket. “Basically you just got all tied up in it and in the really infectious enthusiasm that everyone had for wine,” says Michael. “Your mind was full of wine stuff. That’s the attraction of the wine industry really - no matter how much you know, there’s always more you can learn.”

Having obtained his degree, he did a vintage with Nobilos, where 4pm to 7am shifts served to crush many of the romantic notions he had of the wine industry, and he moved his interest to sales instead. In his early 20s Michael

moved to Montana as a sales cadet and called on all the accounts nobody else wanted, from sports clubs to strip clubs. As the youngest in the team he was “pulled along” by colleagues who had made wine their lives, swiftly learned the importance of building a rapport with his customers, and moved from sales to marketing over a 15-year tenure with the company.

Michael says it was a great training ground, but he really wanted to work for a grower and winemaker rather than a corporate. “I wanted to be more hands-on, where you could see the value of your efforts.” Then nine years ago he saw an advert the size of a postage stamp and applied for the role of Sales and Marketing Manager at Yealands Estate.

In the time since Michael has had the opportunity to delve into various corners of the business, whether it be compost heaps, butterfly habitats, or the pioneering use of vine cuttings (see sidebox) for winery energy.

He says having a founder like Peter Yealands has made the business “nimble”, and able to jump into big and new ideas. That has made the role at Yealands an incredibly rewarding one, he says. “You can work for a corporate and you are in one little box, but here you have exposure to everything.”

Considering Replanting?

HI-STEMTM tall vines are an attractive, affordable alternative when considering either replanting or extending your existing vineyard.

Our own Replanting Programme is open to view at the Wickham Estate on Mills and Ford Rd. Visit us at: ormondnurseries.co.nz for details about the project and viticulture advice we have gathered along the way Ph: 03 5776354 E: office@ormondnurseries.co.nz 148 Rowley Crescent, Grovetown Blenheim

Winepress November 2016 / 19

Vineyard Values Strong outlook for Marlborough’s vineyard market.

VINEYARD VALUES in Marlborough are outstripping other regions in New Zealand, according to a 2016 overview

by Colliers International. In the past year, values across Marlborough’s approximately 23,000 hectares of developed vineyards have risen sharply, while other regions have remained relatively static.

Tim Gifford, an associate director in Colliers Rural & Agribusiness team, says there is still a strong market preference for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, with export markets showing good growth.

“Market activity is very strong at present as wine companies look to secure future supply and investors are attracted to the potential returns available either through operating or leasing vineyards. We are seeing an increase in vineyard development of bare land. In contrast to the speculative development of the mid to late 2000s, the development currently being carried out is largely by existing wine companies to meet existing and

20 / Winepress November 2016

future demand.”

He says those buyers prefer larger blocks with a low proportion of nonproductive assets, “although we are now also seeing smaller lifestyle type vineyards selling very well”.

The good returns generated over the past three years mean there is a lack of listings available for sales, driving values upward.

Looking to 2017, Tim expects a static grape price combined with a return to long term average yields, which will see returns dropping on the past year. However, he predicts the strong demand for Marlborough vineyards will continue.

Tim says the main factors that influence productive capabilities of each vineyard, and therefore values, are soils, the contour of the land, climate and irrigation. Throughout Marlborough, long term average yields can range between 6-16 tonnes per hectare, depending on growing conditions and variety.

“Vineyard values are closely

related to the contract grape price paid to growers, which is currently between $1800-$2000 per tonne for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The grape price has risen by around $400 per tonne over the past four years.

However, we expect this to remain static for the coming year as a result of a large 2016 crop. Most wineries are operating at near capacity and have increased stocks of wine to be sold in the coming year.”

Current vineyard values per hectare: • Within the prime growing areas of Rapaura and the Lower Wairau, vineyard values range from $175,000-$250,000.

• Mid-tier productive blocks within the Wairau and Southern Valleys have been achieving $150,000$200,000.

• Awatere and Upper Wairau range range from $100,000-$150,000.

Space Savers As wine companies search Marlborough’s plains for more grape land, some are looking far closer to home.

As part of a 10 year replanting programme for its oldest vines, Pernod Ricard is pulling out vineyards with three-metre rows and redeveloping with 2.4m spacing, increasing production by around 25%.

Vineyard manager John Argyle says the redevelopment of around 400 hectares over the next 10 years has the potential to yield far higher tonnage

from existing land holdings. “The areas I look after were planted in the 1970s on that 3m row spacing, so for us it’s a chance to increase our production and look at our variety mix as well.”

He is currently working on the redevelopment of a 10.7ha vineyard that was showing concerning levels of trunk disease, providing additional motivation to tear vines and posts out

and start over with a more productive design. The remainder of the 20ha block will be redeveloped in the future, he says.

Some of the vineyards in the 10-year development programme are being realigned and steel posts are being used in lieu of CCA treated pine posts in order to improve the company’s environmental footprint.

For Expert Viticultural Property Advice

ALEXANDER HAYWARD LTD Registered Valuers, Property Consultants, Arbitrators Specialising in all aspects of Vineyard and Winery Valuation, Including Specialist Plant and Machinery Contact: Dave Stark Lex Hayward

B Ag Com, FNZIV, FNZPI Dip VFM, FNZPI, AAMINZ

Experienced in all South Island Wine growing Regions

Ph 03 5789776 Fax 03 5782806

Level 1, 20 Market St, BLENHEIM email valuations@alexhayward.co.nz

Lime & Fertiliser Spreading Available in Broadcast or Undervine Ph: 578 6580 or 0274 441 404 41 St Leonards Road, Blenheim, roseag@xtra.co.nz

Winepress November 2016 / 21

Generation Y-ine From growing to selling Churton wine, Jack Weaver has enjoyed every taste of the business.

Churton Vineyard, Abyss Escarpment

JACK WEAVER sits on the kitchen bench in the house he grew up in, beneath a long line of empty wine bottles.

Several of them have been here since he was a boy, when they would have been opened to drink over a family dinner, with conversations on texture, length and character, the vineyard the wine came from, and which far flung corner of the world it reflected.

A few decades on, with the whole family involved in the growing, making, marketing and selling of Churton Wine, things have changed little, he says. “We don’t stop talking about wine in this house.”

When Jack was small the cottage was still surrounded by farmland as far as the eye could see. And while vineyards now stretch in regular lines across the Waihopai Valley, here it still feels like a pastoral scene.

A forested bank climbs behind the house, paddocks of long grass lie in the foreground, and the vineyards further 22 / Winepress November 2016

up the hill look very different to others in the neighbourhood.

When Jack’s parents Sam and Mandy planted Churton Estate in 2000, they followed the lines of the land’s contours, rather than homogenous north-south rows.

Standing at the top looking down the 25ha estate, from the steep edge of The Abyss on the east to the gentler decline of Bowl on the west, the 17 different blocks meander rather than march.

Sam studied microbiology at London University before moving to winemaking, and believed the land’s expression would be better captured through natural contours, than if dug into a standard vineyard setting. The same respect for nature saw the family run the vineyard and surrounding farmland biodynamically from the beginning and convert the land to organics in 2005.

Jack says the concept of biodynamics is off-putting for some people, because of the spiritual element, but there are rational reasons

for the biodynamic preparations, such as nurturing microbiology by burying estate cattle dung in porous horns.

“The microorganisms multiply and multiply and stretch out.”

That said, he’s also a fan of the less scientific side of the processes - such as the need to stir the preparations by hand with a wooden stick, because they require the human energy. “It actually makes it enjoyable when you do it that way.”

And great biodynamic wine is certainly sellable, he says, having spent the past nine months as Churton’s New Zealand Sales Manager.

Until now Churton has sold 98% of its wine overseas, tapping into the more educated wine market. “It’s a winemaker’s wine,” says Jack. “Anyone can enjoy it, but the style we make has different layers and is very textural, so it appeals to people who recognise those particular notes.”

The Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Petite Manseng they make each have the extraordinary

elements their market is after, he says.

“They are looking for a style of wine that will sell if it’s interesting.”

More recently, the family has seen the New Zealand market evolve, with more educated palates asking for a point of difference. That is particularly true with the Sauvignon Blanc, where sommeliers and wine buyers have an appetite for wine that stands out from the classic Marlborough style.

Jack’s journey to sales for Churton traverses many other aspects of working in the family company.

Growing up, he and his big brother Ben would work in the vineyard in school holidays, learning about vines, organics and biodynamics.

On finishing school, he studied architecture at University, before deciding it wasn’t for him. He did a vintage with Churton in 2008 and loved it, then went to England and worked for Tanners, calling on a friendship between his grandfather – from Churton House in Shropshire - and the wine merchant’s original owner.

“I worked for them up until the harvest, then went to Portugal and worked in a winery there. Then I pretty much winery-hopped for about two years, doing four vintages in a year. I did Australia, New Zealand, then back to Portugal and on to Switzerland.”

He says it was a great way to travel, because there was always a two-month period to explore other places when nowhere in the world was harvesting.

In 2012 he decided to study

oenology and viticulture at Roseworthy, but three months before the course began, met his girlfriend Belen. Instead of study, he followed her home to Argentina - somewhere “completely different to anywhere else I had been” -where they lived for two years.

In 2014 the couple came back to New Zealand and Jack took on the role of vineyard manager at Churton while his brother Ben, who works with the company as assistant winemaker, was away doing a vintage in Europe.

He says the vineyard is totally hands-on, with no machinery work, and is complex to manage, thanks to having four varieties over 25ha in 17 differently orientated blocks. And the complexity, along with biodynamic principles, is what makes it such a pleasure to be involved in.

He also explored the option of resurrecting his Roseworthy plans, but discovered that changes to funding

made the cost prohibitive. Instead Jack is now studying Ecology and Biodiversity at Victoria University, while taking on New Zealand sales for the company.

The degree is an opportunity to broaden his skills outside of wine, while fine-tuning knowledge that can be put into practice on the family vineyard. “After doing so many vintages I have realised how important the vineyard is. It’s the keystone to making wine.”

But right now he’s loving the opportunity to sell the wines made by his family on a beautiful piece of land he knows so well.

“I’ve done a bit of everything,” he laughs. “I guess that’s what all of us enjoy about the wine industry. That it’s so diverse and the fact that all four of us go from the vineyard to the winery to tasting wines. That’s pretty satisfying.”

HEALTH AND SAFETY Health and Safety compliance made simple

Wine lndustry Responsible Employment

•

SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

paddy@battersbyhr.com | 09 838 6338 | www.battersbyhr.com

NEW ACT, NEW ATTITUDE

Winepress November 2016 / 23

The Block Over the past 20 years Seresin Estate has become a benchmark for organic and biodynamic wine producers around the world.

SOPHIE PREECE

THERE’S A buzz in the air at Seresin Estate, and it’s not bees from the vineyard’s honey hives. Instead this racket is from machines shredding prunings from the estate’s olive and willow trees, creating a vital ingredient for the compost heap at the heart of the property.

Over the past year this impeccable 120 tonne pile of organic straw, winery grape marc and special cow dung preparations has become a central hub to the estate’s business, creating a rich natural resource for the soils, using biproducts to improve biology.

Winemaker Clive Dougall regards the compost heap as something of a sanctuary. “I head out into the vines to see what is happening in the vineyard, then spend half an hour on the compost heap. It’s a bit of mental and physical exercise, just throwing some straw around, and I can’t explain how good it feels,” he says. “There’s something about it that automatically makes people feel better, because you are doing a positive thing and repurposing a waste product in order to improve it. And in the meantime there is this amazing biological process.”

This year marks the wine company’s 20th vintage, and its team 24 / Winepress November 2016

is still striving to change the way people think about agriculture, says Clive. “Somebody that used to work here recently called this place a centre for learning, and it always has been because it has always pushed the

“What is most exciting for me is you really do observe and sense the 20 years of organic influence at Seresin.”

Jared Connolly boundary of something, right from the beginning. We have learned the hard way over 20 years.”

For the past 12 months biodynamic

viticultural specialist Jared Connolly has been working with the company to further develop quality, continual improvement and best practice, “creating a benchmark for organic wine producers everywhere”.

Jared says two decades of thoughtful farming at the estate has ensured complex and healthy soils that enrich the vines they grow, and his tweaks are simply refining that work. “What is most exciting for me is you really do observe and sense the 20 years of organic influence at Seresin…when you dig the soil or look at where the weeding is going on, the earthworms and those larger forms of biology are more abundant than I have experienced before.”

One of his major tasks has been to refine compost processes, to make the most of the grape marc produced during vintage. Jared admits that marc poses a challenge for wine companies, and has a stigma attached to it as a waste product that causes headaches.

Because staff are busy during vintage they tend to stockpile the marc to deal with at a later stage, but the processes that occur as soon as marc is stored detract from its potential. “It becomes a pile of grape skin and seeds, and it gets

very hot and inconsistent.”

The more he works with it, the more he realises grape marc holds great value when treated in the right way. That means adding biology and carbon as soon as it meets the compost pad, in order to soak up the moisture and make the process aerobic, so the resulting compost is full of humus and well balanced.

During vintage 2016 at Seresin, grape marc was immediately mixed with organic straw, aerated, and enhanced with a “manure slurry” from Seresin’s cattle. Next vintage that process will include the wood shavings from today’s branch shredding, which will soften between now and then, having been sprayed with a biological preparation from the CPP (Cow Pat Pit) that’s key to a biodynamic property.

Jared says the wood base creates more fungal compost, which is perfect for vineyard soils.

Next year he also hopes to have a great deal of solid cow manure from an organic source, to ensure that 20% of the compost’s makeup is from that rich biology.

Finding that quantity of manure poses a big challenge, but he sees opportunity for relationships and synergy between the dairy and wine industries. Meanwhile Seresin is preparing to expand its own “dung herd” of cattle to provide manure for the compost and CPP, where it will ferment along with basalt and eggshells from the estate’s chickens, with staff told they can take eggs home to eat as long as they return the shell.

Clive Dougall and Gemma, with some seriously good compost

Once the compost is complete, it will be dug in between the rows, rather than laid on top, to stimulate greater health in the soil. Jared says in the next few years they will start undertaking more regular earthworm counts, which is a good assessment of health, and he would also like to put the soil under a microscope, to assess it beyond its large biology.

Excellent soil health comes with its challenges, including weed management, but he says every time he and Clive look below the surface, at the roots of the vines and health of the soil, they are reassured that theirs is the right approach.

There are a myriad of other cycles at play at Seresin, and after natural fermentation of the wines, using wild

yeast that’s unique to the vineyard, Clive takes the lees and either mixes it with the compost or sprays it direct in the vineyard, again seeking to boost Seresin’s levels of microbiology.

He hopes this “centre of learning” is now moving into a new phase.

“We have had the lessons, had some mistakes and had some successes. Now we can focus on going forward.”

Best practice and innovation are major drivers, he says. “To me the biggest satisfaction I am going to get, and the reason I am so excited - not just about the compost but about this whole place – is that I want to prove to people you can do organic viticulture as profitably as conventional.”

Winepress November 2016 / 25

Biosecurity Watch Stopping the spread of Chilean Needle Grass.

EDWIN MASSEY

THIS MONTH’S biosecurity watch focuses on Chilean Needle Grass - Nassella neesiana (CNG) - a highly invasive pest plant which is currently established in Marlborough, Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay. CNG arrived in south Marlborough in the 1920s and since then it has caused significant concern amongst pastoral farmers and grape growers as an economic threat. CNG is highly invasive and can out-compete other desirable plants in drylands pasture or the undervine ecosystem.

CNG remains concentrated in the Awatere Valley with outlier, and potentially undiscovered, populations in other parts of Marlborough. It is a containment control pest plant in the Marlborough District Council’s Regional Pest Management Strategy.

What to look out for?

CNG can be difficult to identify because it looks similar to other pasture species. It’s easiest to find during November/December and April/May when the seed heads are upright and forming distinct purple spikes. The seed heads can also be seen by walking into the sun first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon (when the sun is lower in the sky).

During this time the seed heads have a

silvery sheen which can be seen from a distance.

What is New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) doing to help?

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has a strong interest in the management and control of CNG as it poses a threat to our members throughout the country. NZW is offering support for two ongoing projects to improve CNG management: • The proposed Sustainable Farming Fund bid by the Marlborough Chilean Needle Grass Action Group seeking to develop improved systems to manage CNG on properties.

• The CNG Awareness Programme being facilitated by Environment Canterbury, promoting best practice for hygiene to reduce spread risks.

By reducing levels of CNG in vineyards, or preventing vineyards from becoming affected by CNG, both these projects have the potential to help members increase their productivity while ensuring their commitment to sustainable winegrowing.

NZW is also currently developing some vineyard health best practice guidelines to mitigate the risk from

pests such as CNG in order to ensure the long term sustainability of a vineyard’s productive potential. These guidelines will include advice on: • Promoting vineyard biosecurity awareness to staff and visitors.

• Understanding the origin and potential biosecurity risk of all vineyard inputs.

• Appropriate tool hygiene.

• Appropriate facilities for wash down and cleaning.

This project is in its early stages, but stay tuned to the NZW members’ site www.nzwine.com/members/ sustainability/biosecurity/ for more information.

What can you do?

Human assisted transfer of CNG is key to its spread. The four key pathways are: • Stock movement – particularly sheep via wool or imbedded in hides, there is potential also in cattle and other stock.

• Machinery – earthmoving machinery, vineyard mowers and other vineyard equipment, motorbikes, 4WD vehicles and stock trucks.

• Crops and feed – hay, straw, seed, silage, fodder crops and cereals.

IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL

CATCH IT . SNAP IT . REPORT IT .

Call MPI biosecurity hotline 0800 80 99 66 26 / Winepress November 2016

IF YOU FIND ONE OF THESE: 2

What about treatment in vineyard? Prevention is better than cure Once established in the vineyard it is extremely challenging to remove CNG, and the restrictions imposed in containment and potential decontamination will incur ongoing costs.

To date the most effective control tool for CNG in pasture has been the herbicide Taskforce (active ingredient fluproponate). Unfortunately, Taskforce herbicide can potentially create residues of flupropanate in grapes.

Consequently, the NZW Vineyard Spray Schedule has consistently forbidden the use of Taskforce within vineyard boundaries including headlands.

Other herbicides like glyphosate have not proven particularly effective either. Glyphosate kills specific plants but creates space for more CNG seed to germinate so in the long-term has a limited effect. These issues highlight that for CNG, like many other biosecurity risks, proactive steps at prevention are the most cost-effective biosecurity risk management activities.

NZW is committed to working with The Marlborough Chilean Needle Grass Action Group to develop more sustainable solutions for members.

For more information • The Marlborough District Council website www. marlborough.govt.nz contains excellent information on CNG management under the Environment: Biosecurity tabs.

• There’s a Facebook page run by the CNG Awareness Programme that provides regular news and updates: Facebook.com/chileanneedlegrass.

• If you suspect you may have a new infestation of CNG in your vineyard(s) you should inform Marlborough District Council Senior Biosecurity Officer Jim Herdman 03 520 7400 and notify Ed Massey, biosecurity manager at New Zealand Winegrowers 0211924924 or Edwin.massey@nzwine.com

1

CM

• People – clothing, socks, boots.

It’s important that grape growers remain vigilant for CNG and take proactive steps to manage these pathway risks to prevent their property from being infested. Practical steps include: • Lock gates to infested blocks.

• Use clear warning signage.

• Implement hygiene protocols.

• It’s OK to ask where machinery has been before coming to your property.

• It’s OK to request that a wash down must be done before any machinery enters or leaves your property.

The CNG Awareness Programme factsheet, attached as an insert in this edition of Winepress, also provides excellent practical guidance as to what to do.

0

CATCH IT. CALL US. EXOTIC PEST & DISEASE HOTLINE

0800 80 99 66

The brown marmorated stink bug are a major threat to our primary industries and environment. They can also ruin gardens and infest your home.

If you find one: Catch it. Call us.

Winepress November 2016 / 27

Export News August 2016 Key Points • MAT (moving annual total) August 2016 export value is $1.596 billion, up 10% on the previous year.

• MAT August 2016 exports are 218.9 m. litres, up 7% on the previous year; packaged exports are +7% for the period and other exports are +6%.

• Average value MAT August 2016 is $7.25 per litre, up 4% on the previous year; packaged export value is $8.66 per litre up 2% on the previous year.

Total Export Volume & Value • MAT August 2016 total value of exports is $1.596 billion, up 10% on the previous year.

• Total value of YTD (year to date) August 2016 exports is $284.9 million up 10% on August 2015.

• Total value of August 2016 exports was $159.3 m. up 10% on August 2015.

• MAT August 2016 exports are 218.9m. litres, up 7% (13.6 m. litres) on the previous year.

• YTD August 2016 exports are 42.1 m. litres, up 18% (6.3 m. litres) on the previous year.

• August 2016 exports were 24.0m. litres up 19% on August 2015.

Export Value per Litre All wines • August 2016 average value was $6.90 per litre, down 4% from August 2015.

• YTD August 2016 average value is $6.82 per litre.

• MAT August 2016 average price is $7.25 per litre, up 4% on MAT August 2015.

Packaged wines • Excluding unpackaged wine from the data, the August 2016 average value was $8.21 per litre, down $0.61 per litre (7%) on August 2015.

• YTD August 2016 average value is $8.09 per litre, • MAT August 2016 the average price is $8.66 per litre, up $0.19 per litre (2%) on MAT August 2015. • MAT August 2016 prices are up 5% to the USA, 1% to Australia, 0.1% to the UK but are down 1% to Canada.

28 / Winepress November 2016

Export Volume by Country of Destination • In August, for the major markets, exports were up 37% to the UK, and 15% to the USA, but were down 1% to Australia. Canada was up 68% for the month, while performance of other markets was mixed, with Ireland and Denmark the strongest performers.

• YTD August exports are up 24% to the UK, 8% to the USA and 6% to Australia. Canada is up 25% for period, while performance of other markets is positive, with strong performances from a number of markets.

• MAT August 2016 growth is led by the USA +12%, with UK +5% but Australia is -2%. Canada shipments are +14% for the year. Performance of other tracked markets is mixed with Germany, Ireland and Sweden the strongest performers.

Volume by Packaging Type • Exports of packaged wines MAT August 2016 are 145.4 m. litres up 7% (9.5 m. litres) on the previous year and are 66.4% of total export volume.

• MAT August 2016 packaged exports are led by USA & Canada.

• YTD August 2016 packaged exports are Exports by Variety/Style • In August 2016 Sauvignon Blanc exports were 21.2 m. litres, up 21% from the previous year, accounting for 88.3% of export volume. Of the Sauvignon Blanc exported in August, 16.5 m litres (78%) was from Vintage 2016, while 4.2 m litres (20%) was from Vintage 2015.

• Performance of other styles was mixed in August with Pinot Gris the best performer.

• YTD August 2016, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 36.7 m. litres up 18% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is mixed.

• MAT August 2016, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 187.6 m. litres up 5% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is generally positive

with a number of styles growing 10% plus.

• Production of Sauvignon Blanc in 2016 is estimated to have been 226 m. litres, 40% up on the previous year.

Export shipments of vintage 2016 Sauvignon Blanc since release are 30.1 m. litres or 13.3% of estimated production. 27.7 m. litres, up 18% on August 2015.

• August 2016 packaged exports were 15.5 m. litres, up 17% on August 2015.

• Other (non-packaged) wine shipments MAT August 2016 are 73.6 m. litres up 6% on the previous year (33.6% of export volume). Nonpackaged shipments growth is led by USA (+11%).

• YTD August 2016 non-packaged shipments are 14.4 m. litres, up 18% on the previous year.

• August 2016 non-packaged shipments were 8.5 m. litres, up 23% on August 2015.

Exports by Variety/Style • In August 2016 Sauvignon Blanc exports were 21.2 m. litres, up 21% from the previous year, accounting for 88.3% of export volume. Of the Sauvignon Blanc exported in August, 16.5 m litres (78%) was from Vintage 2016, while 4.2 m litres (20%) was from Vintage 2015.

• Performance of other styles was mixed in August with Pinot Gris the best performer.

• YTD August 2016, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 36.7 m. litres up 18% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is mixed.

• MAT August 2016, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 187.6 m. litres up 5% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is generally positive with a number of styles growing 10% plus.

• Production of Sauvignon Blanc in 2016 is estimated to have been 226 m. litres, 40% up on the previous year.

Export shipments of vintage 2016 Sauvignon Blanc since release are 30.1 m. litres or 13.3% of estimated production.

Bottle Boys New bottling company established to meet industry growth.

SOPHIE PREECE

TWO WINE industry stalwarts have lifted the lid on their new business venture, which will provide personalised bottling services for Marlborough wine companies.

Matt Elrick and Stefan Newman have established The Bottling Company on the former WineWorks site at Riverlands, and will mainly deal with small to medium producers.

They intend to build flexibility into the company’s model, so it can handle urgent orders, says Stefan. “We’re hoping to do about 1.1million cases, but we can do that fairly easily and still be able to accommodate people at reasonably short notice.”

They originally intended to work with producers of up to 200,000 cases a year, but have been in discussions with people considering larger orders.

“It’s a one stop shop. And we’ll do it the way they want it done” Stefan Newman “Nothing is out of the question”, he says. “At the moment we are putting in one line and will look to put in another.”

Stefan has recently been in Italy assessing the machinery they have purchased, and says the technology has progressed a great deal since he last visited three years ago, meaning

their system will be largely handsoff.

He has been involved in the bottling side of the wine industry for many years, and says he first starting thinking about having his own bottling line back in 2012, when he was working at Rapaura Vintners.

“It was quite clear that it would be interesting to own your own line and do your own work.” But he Stefan Newman, left, and Matt Elrick didn’t see space in the market until a few years ago, when and working things out,” says Stefan.

“It’s a one stop shop. And we’ll do it the WineWorks bought Wine Bottlers, way they want it done.” He hopes the leaving a hole in the market, he says. people that come in “will end up being Matt, who until recently was friends and not just a number”. winemaker at Allan Scott Wines, Matt, a self-proclaimed science says he was ready to move his career geek, says the company will also along, and thought bottling - “which have a sophisticated lab, to give the is arguably the most expensive part producers confidence in the processes of making wine”, was a good direction and enable him to conduct research to follow. When he mentioned the on the impact of certain methods, concept to a friend who knew Stefan for example minimising preservative as well, the dots joined up, and the levels. He says with the continued two men mortgaged their homes and growth of the region and “with more concocted a business plan. plantings coming on”, the timing for They say The Bottling Company the new business is excellent. “There’s is about providing a niche and personalised service, where customers definitely room for a new kid on the block.” will be dealing with one of them when discussing their wine, bottle, cap, label, packaging and transportation. “We’ll be the ones programming and scheduling

Winepress November 2016 / 29

Industry News Peter Holley Levy Class Directors Steve Green Patrick Materman Duncan McFarlane Simon Towns Fabian Yukich New Zealand Winegrowers Election Outgoing Wine Marlborough board Chairman Clive Jones, pictured with the kauri plate gifted to him at the organisation’s recent AGM, is one of the successful candidates in the New Zealand Winegrowers Elections. The results are: Member Class Directors Clive Jones Dominic Pecchenino John Clarke James Dicey

Marlborough Man A new autobiography of Marlborough wine industry stalwart Allan Scott (pictured) tells the story of an accidental trail-blazer.

Marlborough Man begins with a Canterbury farmhand then shearer looking for an opportunity

and subsequently becoming one of the pioneers of the New Zealand wine industry. Allan was involved in planting the first vines for Montana 40 years ago, helped Corbans become a Marlborough wine giant, and went on to found his own successful winery.

So his story is also about the stellar success of Marlborough’s wine industry and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. In writing Marlborough Man, Allan sought help from American journalist and author Eric Arnold, who spent a year working on the vineyard for free in the early 2000s, resulting in his book First Big Crush. Eric says that while he was the ghost-writer the stories are Allan’s words told in his own voice. “Allan’s story is, above all, endearing,” he says.

New Zealand International Wine Show The New Zealand International Wine Show drew 2067 entries from 10 countries this year, resulting in 214 gold medals, including 21 golds for 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. Nick Picone, Group Chief Winemaker for Villa Maria Estate, won Nissan Winemaker of the show, with Villa Maria Estate awarded 30 Gold Medals, 26 Silver and 53 Bronze Medals.

Trophy Winners • Champion Pinot Gris - Waipara Hills Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2016 • Champion Gewurztraminer – Giesen The Brothers Gewurztraminer 2014 • Champion Sauvignon Blanc –Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 • Champion New Zealand Sparkling Wine Hunter’s MiruMiruTM Reserve 2011 • Champion Viognier - Goldie Estate Reserve Viognier 2015 • Champion Riesling - Forrest The Doctors’ Riesling 2016 • Champion Other White Wine Varieties Tahbilk Roussanne Marsanne Viognier 2013 • Champion Rose - Esk Valley Hawkes Bay Rose 2016 • Champion Chardonnay - Clearview Reserve Chardonnay 2015 • Champion Champagne & Methode Traditionelle - Ayala Brut Majeur Champagne NV

30 / Winepress November 2016

• Champion Commercial White Wine - Delegat Crownthorpe Terraces Chardonnay 2015 • Champion Sweet Wine - Whitehaven Marlborough Noble Riesling 2014 • Champion International Red Wine Varieties - Obsidian Montepulciano 2015 • Champion Commercial Red Wine - Bodegas Borsao Monte Oton 2015 • Champion Cabernet Sauvignon & Predominant Blends - Kirrihill Wines Vineyard Selection Tullymore Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 • Champion Merlot and Predominant Blends -Villa Maria SV Braided Gravels Organic Merlot 2013 • Champion New Zealand Syrah - Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Syrah 2014 • Champion Fortified Wine -Williams & Humbert Alegria Manzanilla • Champion Pinot Noir - Akarua Pinot Noir 2015 • Champion New Zealand Bordeaux Red Wine -Villa Maria SV Braided Gravel Organic Merlot 2013 • Champion Shiraz/Syrah & Predominant Blends Enchanted Tree Shiraz 2014 • Champion Wine Company of the Year - Villa Maria Estate • Champion Winemaker of the Year - Nick Picone, Villa Maria Estate • Champion Wine of the Show - Clearview Reserve Chardonnay 2015

Board News Rhyan Wardman, pictured, is the new chair of the Wine Marlborough Board, taking over from outgoing chair Clive Jones, who did not stand for election this year. Simon Bishell is deputy chair, having stood for the board again after his first term.

Wine Marlborough’s first annual report was released at the AGM late last month, giving members insights into the work done by the board and staff. General Manager Marcus Pickens says the 24pg report has information from board members and staff who look after the pillars of governance, advocacy, finance, marketing and communications, as well as a final chair’s report from Clive.

“We asked the committee chairs to write their take on what we do and why we do it, so members can see that the board is steering the organisation’s work plan,” says Marcus. “I thought it would be a good way to explain more Real Estate Update Vineyard sales have “taken a breather” in the past few months, with sales dropping off, says Joe Blakiston of PGG Wrightson Real Estate. He says there are several properties currently on the market in “fringe areas”, which are meeting limited enquiry. However, there are “extremely high levels of buyer appetite for well-located vineyards”, he says. The sale of a syndicated vineyard up the Wairau Valley has gone ahead, with the promoter saying future purchases will likely be for bare land blocks for development, as the established vineyard prices are getting too high for their model to work, says Joe. PGG Wrightson has several large development blocks up the Northbank currently under offer which backs up this statement, he adds. “All in all the real estate activity is in a very healthy position.”

Lighter Wine Win Constellation Brands’ work on the VNO Lighter range was recognised at the 2016 New Zealand Food Awards, where it won the Business Innovation Award. Constellation Brands NZ’s Chief Winemaker Wendy Stuckey says crafting a wine with lower calories and alcohol content that still delivers on flavour is challenging, “but this award

about what we do for the membership we represent. I think that everything Wine Marlborough does is very professional and one of the last pieces of the puzzle was to produce a professional annual report.”

To obtain an electronic copy of the report email Harriet Wadworth on harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz

is confirmation we’ve created a wine that does just that”.

VNO Lighter has been produced by applying innovative natural techniques in the vineyard and the winery, and industry research to reduce overall sugar and alcohol levels.

Constellation Brands is part of the collaborative Lifestyle Wines research programme led by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), co-funded under the Ministry for Primary Industries’(MPI) Primary Growth Partnership.

The programme aims to position New Zealand as Number 1 in the world for high-quality, lower alcohol and lower calorie wines. The Food Awards judges commended Constellation Brands for the initiative to diversify New Zealand wine styles, and its collaboration with NZW and MPI to make and market lighter, but flavourful wine styles They also commented on the work with winemakers, retailers and consumers to refine the product concept, the temperature-sensitive label to show optimum consumption temperature, and that the project had

led to growth and innovation, and has potential for expansion abroad.

High Praise for Saint Clair Saint Clair Family Estate took the title of New Zealand Producer of the Year at the AWC Vienna International Wine Challenge 2016. Managing director Neal Ibbotson, pictured, says it is “a thrill” to have the winery recognised for consistency in quality. “I am honoured to be part of an amazing team of people who have enabled us to achieve these most highly regarded awards.”

CLASSIFIEDS WILLMES WINE Presses For Sale Willmes Press TP4000 $15,000 (ex-Giesen Wines, Marlborough) Willmes Press TP2800 $10,000 (exGiesen Wines, Christchurch) Willmes Press TP1800 $10,000 (ex-Bell Hill, Waikari) All presses are late 1980’s models. For all enquiries please contact Marcel Giesen: 027 5220587

Winepress November 2016 / 31

Brought to you by

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

To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz by November 20

NOVEMBER 2016 10: IrriCalc and Water Workshop – 3 – 4.30pm, MRC Theatre 12: Air New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner – Auckland 16: Regional Tasting for the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Rangitane Cultural Centre, 1pm-3pm 20: Rapaura Tennis Club Drylands Winery Doubles Tournament - Marlborough 25: The Colliers Rural Grape Debate - Blenheim 26 Blenheim Club Rowing Interwinery Rowing 8s 27: Jules Taylor Marlborough Women’s Triathlon - Blenheim JANUARY 2017 30: Pinot Palooza - Wellington 31: Pinot Noir NZ 2017 - Wellington FEBRUARY 2017 11: Marlborough Wine and Food Festival - Marlborough 24: Les Nuits Romantiques at Clos Henri – Marlborough 25: The Dog Point/Logan Brown Classic Kiwi Picnic - Blenheim

Women’s Tri – November 27

Wine Festival – February 11

Dog Point Picnic – February 27

AFTER A SHORT WINTER BREAK HERZOG’S BISTRO IS OPEN AGAIN FOR SPRING!

Unpretentious and inviting, Herzog’s Bistro offers fantastic market-fresh dishes at modest prices.

Relax in the beautiful gardens by day or cosy up in front of the fire by night. And for all you wine aficionados, come and indulge in one of New Zealand’s largest International wine lists!

OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER FROM WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY LUNCH: 12pm - 3pm DINNER: 6pm - late CELLAR DOOR FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 9 - 5pm SATURDAY & SUNDAY: 11 - 5pm Hans Herzog Estate | 81 Jeffries Road | Blenheim | 03 572 8770 | enjoy@herzog.co.nz | www.herzog.co.nz

32 / Winepress November 2016

HEY GROWERS! This year the ham’s on us!

Get a ½ HAM ON THE BONE when you spend $1,000 on selected Grochem and Nufarm products at Farmlands during October and November.* GROCHEM PRODUCTS Ambitious 1L, 5L BAPSol 100 1L, 5L Bee-Scent 9.46L BioBit 1kg Boost-it 10kg Boost-it Plus 10kg, 25kg Bud-Wiser 10kg Campbells Trace-it Boron 5L, 20L, 200L Campbells Trace-it Magnesium 5L, 20L, 200L, 1,000L Campbells Trace-it Manganese 5L, 20L, 200L Campbells Trace-it Manganese N 5L, 20L Campbells Trace-it Molybdenum 5L Campbells Trace-it Zinc C 5L, 20L Campbells Trace-it Zinc S 5L, 20L Comic WP 860g

Feed-it 10kg Finish-it 10kg, 25kg Gib 47 1L, 5L Growth 1L, 5L, 20L Gro-Mag Super 20kg Kiwi Combo 10kg MegaStar 900g MoBStar 20L Nordox 75WG 5kg, 10kg Organic Mag Super 20kg ParaMite 5L Spray Aid 5L, 20L Sunny 5L Super Boron 10kg Umbrella 10L Velocity 50SC 240ml, 1L

NUFARM PRODUCTS Barrack Betterstick 720 10L Captan 600 Flo 10L ChampION++ 10kg Contact Xcel 1L, 5L, 20L Crop Care Captan 900WG 10kg CyLex Plus 10L DiPel DF 500g, 5kg Downright 5L Dragon 700WG 1.08kg, 2.5kg Emblem Flo 5L Hornet 430SC 1L, 20L Kaiso 50WG 500g, 2.5kg Nando 5L Nuprid 350SL 5L Nu-Trazine 900DF 10kg

*Limit of six hams per shareholder.

FAR_05633

Terms and Conditions apply. Offer valid 1st October to 30th November 2016, for every $1,000 spent during this period (cumulative spend) Farmlands shareholders receive a ½ ham on the bone, limit six per shareholder. Hams will be available from the beginning of December while stocks last and are a random weight between 4.5-6kg. See www.farmlands.co.nz/competitions for more information.

Payback 1L Penncozeb DF 10kg Pulse Penetrant 1L, 5L, 20L Ramrod 10L Sheriff 1L, 5L Sumisclex 500SC 1L, 10L Tazer 5L Thiram 40F 10L, 20L

Premium protection from Powdery mildew DuPont™ Talendo® provides greater flexibility and offers you a wide range of benefits.

• • •

•

Talendo delivers long lasting protection from the damage caused by Powdery mildew It prevents spores from getting established and reduces the existing spore load Talendo® also features translaminar, vapour and local systemic activity that enhances coverage providing excellent disease protection Talendo® comes in an easy to use liquid formulation making the mixing and handling simple. ®

For more information on successful fungicide programs, visit www.cropprotection.dupont.co.nz ALWAYS REFER TO THE LABEL BEFORE USE Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 P8381. Copyright ©2011 DuPont. All rights reserved. DuPont (New Zealand) Limited. 666 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland 1051. Phone 0800 658 080. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and Talendo ® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. DPNZ0018/W.

DuPont Talendo

™ ®

fungicide