Winepress - Sept 2015

Issue No. 251 / September 2015

Unwelcome Biodiversity

Prepare for Drought

Silver Secateurs

Latest Stats

Photo: Jim Tannock

@marlboroughwine

The Official Magazine of

www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

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In this issue...

Regulars

Features

3

11 Preparing For

4

Editorial

Summer

From the Board - Jack Glover

6

Tasman Crop Met Report

22

Generation Y-ine Shelley Young

30

NZW Export News

33

Top Tweets

34

ANZ Wine Happenings

35

News From Home and Away

When drought kicks in, it is inevitable vines will suffer. Dr Damian Martin has some sage advice on how to help the vines out, in an extreme situation, such as was experienced in the past season.

17 Unwelcome

Biodiversity In The Vineyard

While biodiversity is a great thing when it comes to encouraging insects into the vineyard – there are some that are not welcome. Weta and Brown Beetle being two of them. Research being undertaken is coming up with ways of alleviating the damage caused by these two insects.

24 Silver Secateurs 2015

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

p14

p27

Once again dozens of individuals and teams took part in the Silver Secateurs competition here in Marlborough. We have some of the highlights of the day and the overall winners.

30 Wine Exports Rise to $1.42 Billion

It has been an outstanding year for New Zealand wine exports, with value up by 7%. See where the increases have come from and where our wine is going.

p35 WINEPRESS September 2015 | 1

2 | WINEPRESS September 2015

Ph: 03 577 9299 Web: www.wine-marlborough.co.nz marcus@wine-marlborough.co.nz For Advertising contact: Ph: 03 577 9299 admin@wine-marlborough.co.nz Produced by: Wine Marlborough Free to all levy paying members Associate Members: $77 +GST

Wine Marlborough Board Clive Jones: cjones@nautilusestate.com Ruud Maasdam: ruud@staetelandt.co.nz Guy Lissaman: glissaman@xtra.co.nz Laurin Gane: laurin.gane@xtra.co.nz Simon Clark: simon@clarkestate.com Simon Bishell: simonbishell@outlook.com Stuart Dudley: stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Samantha Wickham: samantha@ormondnurseries.co.nz Jason Yank: jason@astrolabewines.com Rhyan Wardman: rhyan@giesen.co.nz Jack Glover: jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz

From the Editor The recent Romeo Bragato Conference highlighted just how important reputation is, to any brand, any product.

From start to finish, speakers confirmed how the right reputation can lead to market share and premium prices.

Philip Poole, Chief Marketing Officer for Whittaker’s Chocolate explained how this New Zealand icon has to compete with international giants.Yet they manage to gain a premium for their product. Why? Because consumers trust them, they know that what they are buying is the best quality and the company never deviates from that focus.

On the closing day a panel led by Fabian Yukich from Villa Maria looked at New Zealand wine’s premium future. It all looks rosy at the moment Fabian said. But is it? And could it all go wrong and destroy what has been achieved in the last few decades?

The simple answer to that is, yes, it could. Unless the brand of New Zealand wine remains a reputable one, each and every member of the industry will suffer.

If you think that is an overstatement, think of this.

In May 2015, the New Zealand average value MAT was down 4 percent per litre.

If you are a grower, you may not think that affects you. But it does, as Fabian pointed out. That 4 percent equates to approximately $200 LESS per tonne of grapes.

So take this one step further. In 2015 New Zealand’s vintage equaled 326,000 tonnes of grapes. The average 2014 price per tonne was $1666.00. (I am using 2014 average price as the 2015 ones are not yet available).

Using those figures, the income from this year’s grape crush would be $543,116,000. (I know not all those grapes belonged to growers, but bear with me for being lateral).

Take $200 a tonne off the average price, and the income from this year’s harvest would drop by $65,200,000 to $477,916,000.

A lot of money in anyone’s terms.

So how do we ensure that the average MAT grows in the future, rather than drops?

We concentrate on quality, quality, quality. There was no one present at Bragato that disagreed with this mantra. But as one attendee mentioned, it is often not those present that need to be educated. It is those that are doing their own thing, without consideration of the “brand” or “reputation” that will kill the golden goose.

It is vital everyone is reading from the same page and heading in the same direction. There is only so much conferences like Bragato can do to get that message across. The rest is up to the individuals within the industry. If you believe in maintaining our premium position in the world of wine, (and why wouldn’t you, your livelihood depends on it), then ensure you pass the message on to neighbours, affiliates, wineries, and staff. Over cropping is not the path to premium.

Instead it is a way to achieve short-term gains. And as the saying goes, short-term gains lead to long-term pains.

Just ask anyone in the Australian wine industry.

TESSA NICHOLSON tessa.nicholson@me.com WINEPRESS September 2015 | 3

From The Board JACK GLOVER

Show Time September each year marks the start of the new wine show season. I say this because the weighting of entries from now starts to lean towards those more recently bottled offerings from the more current vintages. Globally wine shows operate across many formats and, it must be said, levels of credibility. Our domestic shows tend to fall into two types – those run by the industry and those run regionally. In my experience the New Zealand show system is held in very high regard around the world, not just for the outstanding wines but also the expertise of those facilitating the show and the quality of our judges.

This is something that should give us all great confidence in the integrity of the results and the collective nature of how these results are achieved.

It is important to note that wine shows do not seek to force wine style or marginalise outliers that push the boundaries and challenge your perceptions. To the contrary all wines are looked at as just that; a wine, not being grouped into convenient styles.

I travel twice each year to judge at the International Wine Challenge in London. Every morning we have a stirring briefing from one of the CoChairs; the ever charismatic Charles Metcalfe. During his address Charles stresses the importance of not being only seduced by the loud and shouty wines and missing the reserved, shy and moody wines. Sound advice to all, whether judging or enjoying wine.

For producers a favourable result in a wine show needs to offer value to your brand’s or company’s overall strategy.

This can be by heroing an individual variety, a range or total company 4 | WINEPRESS September 2015

positioning.

Wine shows need to evaluate if their results are adding value to those receiving awards and/or endorsements.

This value, however, doesn’t have to be measured in glossy medal stickers and shout outs on social media.

When measuring this value for a producer it is worth considering the other benefit of wine shows – the celebration of a region’s quality and expertise.

This month entries open for the Marlborough Wine Show. While this marks the fifth year, it must be said we were a little slow off the mark in establishing our own regional wine show. The Hawkes Bay Awards are celebrating 15 years in 2015. Thanks are due here to those who did the hard yards to get the Marlborough Wine Show established in 2011. This show is one of the more innovative I have been involved in and actively looks to unearth diversity, focuses on sub-regionality and evaluates our wines ability to age. A highlight is the legacy class which in 2014 saw three vintages of 15 different wines assessed for their quality, style evolution and age worthiness. Entries included Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

During my time working in the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, South Australia, I was lucky enough to attend

the celebrations which accompanied their local wines shows. All wineries participate and the winemakers are applauded by their peers at a very long regional lunch. While I am not suggesting we model ourselves on someone else’s version I would like our regional show to be seen as more than a competition. I know those who established the Marlborough Wine Show did so with a vision to create something that personified our local industry as well as our exceptional wines.

So for those of our members who are giving some thought to entering the Marlborough Wine Show this year – have a go and help make our regional show richer, more diverse and ultimately a collective success.

Entries for the Marlborough Wine Show end on September 18. Judging will take place October 6 and 7, with the awards dinner being held on October 22.

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Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – August 2015

August August 2015

2015 compared LTA GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ 22.5 +4.2 GDD’s for month – Mean² 37.2 +2.0 Growing Degree Days Total Jul – Aug 15 – Max/Min 29.4 +1.4 Jul - Aug 15 – Mean 59.7 +1.2 Mean Maximum (°C) 14.1 -0.1°C Mean Minimum (°C) 4.3 +0.4°C Mean Temp (°C) 9.2 +0.2°C Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 9 1.5 less Air Frosts (0.0°C) 4 equal Sunshine hours 187.7 105% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2015 1743.9 112% Rainfall (mm) 49.8 79% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) -2015 301.0 68% Evapotranspiration – mm 53.9 112% Windrun (km) 244.0 103% Mean soil temp – 10cm 6.5 Equal Mean soil temp – 30cm 8.3 -0.2°C

August LTA

Period of LTA

August 2014

18.3 (1196-2014) 35.2 (1996-2014) 28.0 58.5 14.2 3.9 9.0 10.5 3.8 178.5 129.2 235.0 1552.0 62.9 4.6 172.1 439.1 48.2 237.1 6.5 8.5

(1996-2014) (1996-2014) (1986-2014) (1986-2014) (1986-2014) (1986-2014) (1986-2014) (1930-2014) 1941 2011 (1930-2014) (1930-2014) 1969 1990 (1930-2014) (1996-2014) (1996-2014) (1986-2014) (1986-2014)

10.8 32.5 19.0 55.6 14.1 3.2 8.6 13 5 179.9 1545.1 9.6 407.4 42.0 220.3 6.4 8.6

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

August 2015 in summary August 2015 was slightly warmer and sunnier than average, and despite there being 12 rain days during August, rainfall was still below average.

Temperature The mean temperature of 9.2°C for August was 0.2°C above the long-term average temperature of 9.0°C. The second week of August was very

Table 2: Weekly temperatures and ground frosts during August 2015 August 2015

1st - 7th Week 1 8th - 14th Week 2 15th - 21st Week 3 22nd - 28th Week 4 29th – 31st (3 days) 1st – 31st August 2015 Long-term average (1986 – 2014) 6 | WINEPRESS September 2015

Mean Max (°C) 15.1 11.7 14.2 15.5 14.3 14.1

Mean Min (°C) 5.3 -0.5 6.0 4.4 8.5 4.3

Mean Ground Frosts (°C) (°C) 10.2 1 5.6 6 10.1 0 9.9 2 11.4 0 9.2 9

14.2

3.9

9.0

10.5

cold, 3.6°C below the August average, with six of the seven days recording ground frosts. The other weeks were all above average. The coldest day in August was the 10th, with an air minimum of -3.0°C and a ground minimum of -5.1°C. Winter temperatures Many people have commented that they believe that the winter of 2015 has been a lot colder than in recent years.

Was this a reality? Table 2 indicates that the mean winter temperature in 2015 was 8.6°C; this was 0.1°C above the long-term average. However, the winter of 2015 was 0.4°C cooler than 2014 and 1.0°C cooler than 2013; both 2013 and 2014 being well above average.

Blenheim has not experienced any really cold winters in the 16 years since 2000. The coldest winter (20002015) recorded a mean temperature of 8.2°C in 2006 (-0.3°C below average).

The warmest winter since 2000, was two years ago in 2013, with a mean temperature of 9.6°C (+1.1°C). July and August 2013 were very warm.

The winter of 2015 recorded 41 ground frosts, compared to 31 in 2014 and 35 in 2013. The extra 10 frosts in 2015 compared to 2014 was largely due to June 2014 being very warm with only two ground frosts, compared to 13 in June 2015.

While total ground frosts tells you how many there were, it does not tell you how cold they were. The data at the bottom of Table 2 indicate that the ground frosts in 2015 were slightly colder than in 2014, which were in turn

Table 2: Winter temperatures in 2015 compared to 2014 and 2013, and the long-term average

June July August Mean or Total Mean Temp 2015 (°C) 9.0 7.5 9.2 8.6 °C Mean Temp 2014 (°C) 10.8 7.5 8.6 9.0 °C Mean Temp 2013 (°C) 8.9 9.1 10.8 9.6 °C LTA Mean Temp (°C) 8.7 7.9 9.0 8.5 °C Ground Frosts 2015 13 19 9 41 Ground Frosts 2014 2 16 13 31 Ground Frosts 2013 11 18 6 35 LTA Ground Frosts 12.1 15.1 10.5 37.7 Mean Ground Frost Temp 2015 (°C) -2.7 -3.4 -2.8 -3.1 Mean Ground Frost Temp 2014 (°C) -1.3 -3.0 -2.7 -2.8 Mean Ground Frost Temp 2013 (°C) -2.2 -2.5 -1.7 -2.3 LTA – Long Term Average Figure 1: Monthly and total rainfall for January to August 2014 and 2015

colder than in 2013.

So in answer to the question about how cold was winter; the winter of 2015 was cooler than 2014 and 2013, with a higher number and heavier ground frosts. However, the winter of 2015 was by no means out of the ordinary for Blenheim. It was basically a return to a more normal winter, after a couple of warmer than average winters.

Sunshine Total sunshine hours of 187.7 for August were 105% of the long-term average. Total sunshine for the eight months January to August 2015 is 1743.9 hours; 112% of the long-term average (Table 1).

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

Rainfall August 2015 recorded 49.8 mm rainfall; 79% of the long-term average of 62.9 mm (1930-2014). Although August rainfall was below average, it was well ahead of 9.8 mm recorded in August 2014. July and August 2015 rainfall was 85.0 mm compared to only 19.6 mm for July and August 2014 (lowest on record). However, total rainfall for Blenheim for the eight months January to August 2015 is only 301.0 mm or 68% of the long-term average of 439.1 mm (Figure 1).

July and August 2014 rainfall was the lowest on record. However, these two dry months followed high rainfall in April and June 2014. Total rainfall from January to August

WINEPRESS September 2015 | 7

2014 was 407.5 mm; 106.5 mm higher than January to August 2015. Figure 1 highlights the differences in monthly and total rainfall for January to August in 2014 and 2015.

Potential Water Deficit Potential water deficit is the difference between rainfall received and potential evapotranspiration. In Blenheim the average potential water deficit for 12 months is -382.9 mm (1996-2014): Total Rainfall 622.1 mm – Total Evapotranspiration 1005 mm = -382.9mm This says that in an average year potential evapotranspiration exceeds rainfall by 382.9 mm. That would be the amount of water that would need to be supplied as irrigation to keep a pasture actively growing throughout the year.

The 12 months from July 2014 to June 2015 recorded a water deficit of -683.6 mm. This was 300.7 mm more

8 | WINEPRESS September 2015

than average, due to the fact that these 12 months received the lowest rainfall total on record. This is highlighted in Figure 2 with the blue 2014-15 line becoming negative on 8 September 2014, compared to the average line becoming negative on 15 October.

The blue line was much lower than the other seasons shown, from mid July to late November 2014 and during May and June 2015. The purple line for the start of the 2015-16 year has been close to field capacity during July and August 2015, whereas the average line is normally well above field capacity from July to mid October. This signals that at the start of the new season on 1 September 2015, that the seasonal water balance has little capacity to buffer any dry weather that may arise.

Of the four months May to August 2015, only June recorded above average rainfall. The potential water surplus for these four months was +7.1 mm, compared to the average of +85.2 mm.

Hence Marlborough needs regular above average rainfall events throughout Spring in 2015 to ensure that the province does not enter a second season of drought.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

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Drought Looming Again Last season was one of the driest on record with Marlborough being declared a drought zone in early February. What are the chances of that happening again in 2016?

Rob Agnew from Plant and Food and producer of Winepress’s Met Report, says a lot of rain is required in the next two months if the region is to avoid beginning the summer in drought status.

Between July 2014 and July 2015, Marlborough experienced its driest period on record. Breaking that down into 2015 alone, the rainfall experienced here has been 251.2 mm up until July 31 – that is just 67 percent of the long term average. Following

on from a period where similar figures were experienced in the last six months of 2014, you can see why the region is crying out for rain.

“June 2015 (87 mm) was the first month since June 2014 (98.3 mm) to record well above average rainfall,” Rob says. “However, July 2015 only recorded 35.2 mm (55% of average). So any gain in rainfall in June was cancelled out in July.”

Some solid rain on August 18 and 19 helped bring the yearly total up somewhat – but still not enough to ward off the big dry. By August 24, the month’s rainfall was still only 52% of the month’s long-term average.

“So the guts of the matter is that we

need a lot of rain in the next 6 weeks until the end of October, to avoid a drought over summer.”

Rob says the period from May to August is the normal time when soil moisture is recharged after the summer and autumn months. That hasn’t happened this year, meaning the soil at depth in the profile is a lot drier than normal.

“In 2014 there was good soil moisture recharge in April and June with 274.1 mm rain in the four months from April to July 2014,” Rob says. “However April to July 2015 we have had only 194.2mm of rain.”

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Preparing For Summer TESSA NICHOLSON AND DR DAMIAN MARTIN – PLANT & FOOD RESEARCH

With the 2015 drought still fresh in grower’s minds, the attention now needs to be on how to prevent water stress in vines next season.

If there is a repeat of last summer’s dry period, it is inevitable that growers in certain areas will face water restrictions yet again. In January of this year, nine of the 16 consent areas in the Marlborough region had their right to irrigate suspended. Even more followed in February as the drought kicked in.

At the recent Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Dr Damian Martin from Plant & Food Research said this year’s water woes placed stress on the vines where irrigation was turned off.

In such an emergency situation, Damian said you need to control your foliage. The more foliage you have on the vine, the more water it will require to feed it.

Back in the 1990s, research undertaken here in Marlborough showed just how much water was required to keep a vine in a healthy state.

And those figures all related to the foliage density of the vine.

“Essentially it came up with a rule of thumb,” Damian said.

“Every square metre of vineyard foliage transpires a liter of water, on a sunny day in the middle of summer.

Large grape vines, big high capacity vines in the Lower Wairau can have up to 10 to 12 square metres of foliage. So the

maximum water for those sites is 10 – 12 litres per vine per day.

“Conversely if you have a quite small vine of say three square metres of foliage, then its water requirement is only three litres a day. It is that simple.”

However it is ultimately crop load that is the key determinate of water need he said. Roughly speaking, to ripen a kilogram of Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Marlborough, you would require a square metre of foliage.

“So a really big vine can at least sugar ripen 10 kgs of crop, and likewise a small vine with three square metres can only ripen three kgs of crop.”

The ratio is different for premium reds, which proportionally require 50 percent more leaf to crop.

Damian said low leaf areas of say three square metres are not often achieved.

Instead the norm is large leafy vines

with relatively high crop loads. These vines need a lot of water.

Add to the mix cover crops and undervine plants and even more water is required.

“The amount of water they use through the growing season can be about as much as the grape vine itself.”

So what can you as a grower do to alleviate the need for constant watering via irrigation?

“The key thing,” Damian said, “is to reduce the leaf area and that will reduce the amount of water flowing through your vine, and conserve it in the subsoil.”

If you reduce the shoot vigour early on in the growing season, you can reduce the leaf area of the canopy later on. One way of doing that is to utilize under vine competition in the period from bud burst up to pre- flowering .

These vines were stressed due to a lack of water during the ripening period.To prevent this, think carefully about your WINEPRESS canopy levels early September on in the 2015 season. | 11

“Those under vine plants don’t actually use a lot of water at that time, but they are competing at a key period with the vine, when all that shoot growth potential is being set up. So you can influence the shoot growth very dramatically over quite a short period.

You spend a little bit of that soil water in your under vine plant, but you are actually saving it for later in the year, because your vine’s leaf area will be lower.”

There is a caveat though, that under vine competition has to be removed before it gets too strong.

“Swards will use most of the spring and summer rain before the grape will be able to. In situations where you are under pressure for water or don’t want to use a lot of water, then I think you need to consider whether to have a sward.You can consider cultivation, it is not always a bad thing. It refreshes root growth in the top soil, it aerates the soil and reduces compaction, all of which are positive. But don’t over do it.”

Trimming the foliage is the simplest way of controlling the leaf area.

“Trimming hard and regularly is an effective tool. It is also a tool to reduce the cumulative growth potential over a number of years. Like a bonsai plant, if

you trim a vine hard and often enough over a period of time, you will gradually reduce its overall capacity and you will change the balance between shoot development and root distribution.”

Balance is the key here though.You still require a suitable leaf area to crop ratio

he means, using the irrigation less frequently and for longer periods.

“By irrigating a lot less frequently you achieve partial root zone drying and the vine sets up some protective mechanisms to conserve water. When you irrigate regularly the vine is never set up to undergo any sort of deficit.”

If you are starting from scratch and developing a new vineyard – think about the following; • Short trunks • Lower trim heights • Drought rootstock • Change planting densities Damian said the take home messages in an emergency drought situation are the following; • Leaf area and then by extension crop load drives the vine’s water requirement • Small vines with low leaf areas and low crops need far less water • Reduce leaf area and the crop load if your vines are coming under water stress Encourage deeper rooting • Avoid frequently rewetting the topsoil

“Those under vine plants don’t actually use a lot of water at that time, but they are competing at a key period with the vine, when all that shoot growth potential is being set up. So you can influence the shoot growth very dramatically over quite a short period.”

12 | WINEPRESS September 2015

– so if you take a lot of leaf off, you have to remove a lot of crop as well.

Encouraging the vine to dig deeper for water is something many growers are keen to achieve. Damian says stimulating rainfall is one of the best ways of achieving that. By that

Any queries, please contact Dr Martin at; damian.martin@plantandfood.co.nz

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WINEPRESS September 2015 | 13

Water Options For A Dry Future NICK MEETEN

As we welcome the arrival of spring in Marlborough, wine growers everywhere will be turning their thoughts towards the next growing season, and water availability will surely be high on the discussion list.

The drought from last summer has not receded, so we are already starting this growing season on the back foot.

Adding to the gloomy picture is the threat of El Ninõ conditions possibly taking hold. If this occurs, the next few years could be extremely dry. Nature can be a fickle beast, however planning now so you have a ‘Plan A’ a ‘Plan B’ and a ‘Plan C’ to deal with these conditions could allow you to manage these water risks with confidence.

Something that insurers would also be happy to hear.

There are a variety of options available.

Some people are building storage dams to grab rainfall when it occurs and store it to provide some water supply security.

Others may keep their fingers crossed that nature will be kind and natural supplies will be sufficient. If not their ‘Plan B’ might be to resort to thinning vines and accepting reduced yields.

There is also investment into more efficient irrigation systems to make each drop of water go further.

We are however not alone in facing these challenges. In fact some others have it much worse than us. California is grappling with crippling drought, dropping ground water supplies and snow pack levels in the Rockies (which

This is what growers in California are facing after years of severe drought.

14 | WINEPRESS September 2015

provide a big proportion of their annual water supplies) at only 25% of normal. Their ‘Plan A’ is gone and water shortages are forcing major and rapid changes in almost every part of the State, including the famous wine producing regions.

There is no such thing as bad water.

Water can come in many different qualities and we should be judging water only on its quality, not on its history. We should be asking what quality of water is necessary for the particular usage in mind. A perfect example here is what quality of water is necessary for flushing our toilets?

Most would agree that this task does not require drinking quality water.

However drinking water, whilst good enough for us to consume, is not nearly high enough quality for the makers of computer silicon chips.

So what quality of water is needed by a grape vine? Where is the lowest threshold, at which point a grower, who’s ‘Plan A’ hasn’t worked and maybe ‘Plan B’ is also not working, would choose to reject a water source as being too low quality and instead accept stressed vines and lower yields?

One of the solutions being adopted by wineries in California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys is using recycled water. This is water which has been used before, is cleaned up to a high enough quality and reused for vine irrigation.

The source of this

used water is municipal wastewater. It’s a “new normal in the wine industry,” according to the Santa Rose Press Democrat[1].

Recycled water is a resource which sometimes unfortunately faces a prejudiced audience. People judge it on its history, not on its quality. The irony is that every drop of water on the globe is recycled water. The volume of water on our earth has more or less been the same since the beginning of time. A portion circulates around in the natural hydrological cycle. This cycle has also been going on since the beginning of time, and every drop of water has probably been through the cycle a number of times. So every drop of water on the planet has been used before, maybe in a piece of food consumed by a dinosaur, maybe in a glass of wine consumed by an ancient Greek soldier, maybe in a cell of Tutankhamun’s body. It’s all recycled water, and since every human being consists of about 75% water, we all mostly consist of recycled water.

Here in Marlborough there is around 15 million litres of used, but then cleaned again, water coming out of the Blenheim treatment station every day.

Currently this is water discharged into the ocean.

This water source is reliable. It’s available every day, come rain or shine.

It will also be available during droughts.

What quality is this water? It’s not drinkable but for other uses it could be quite appropriate. It still contains low levels of organics and nutrients etc, however according to the World Health Organisation these can be beneficial for

agricultural irrigation uses [2].

Back in California, a Napa vineyard that used recycled water was studied by a group of seven university researchers [3]. They surmised that using recycled water is suitable for irrigation of vineyards over the long term. There was no indication that salinity, sodacity or specific ions would limit its use, and nutrients in the recycled water may be beneficial to vineyards, though the levels of nitrogen may be in excess of what’s needed and need to be managed accordingly.

Recycled water can also contain bacteria and viruses. The risks associated with these can be managed using disinfection, drip irrigation systems, timing the application of the water to utilise the natural disinfection properties of the sun, providing intervals between the use of recycled water etc. All doable stuff.

Would recycled water affect irrigation systems? Stephen Leitch from Southern Water Engineering advises that so long as the water is filtered with 130 micron filters (which is standard practice for irrigation systems), blocking of driplines

should not be a threat.

New Zealand currently does not have standards for recycled water quality, but others do. California’s recycled water regulations (Title 22) are used as the industry standard in many other US states as well as other countries in the world. In these regulations, the required quality of recycled water for use in “Vineyards with no contact between edible portion and recycled water” is “Undisinfected Secondary Recycled Water”.

Our Blenheim treated water should meet this level straight away, but maybe that’s not good enough for some.

Winemakers routinely use their skills to blend different grape varieties together to produce a desired product. This same thinking could be applied to water to blend different qualities of water together. Blending recycled water with higher quality water from a different source (e.g ground water or dam water) would reduce the contaminants within the recycled water by dilution, but still provide more overall water to go around. A 50/50 blend equals half the contamination levels but twice as much water. Would water at this quality

be above or below the acceptable threshold?

Now is the time to plan for drought, and it’s nonsensical to be throwing millions of litres every day of good quality irrigation water into the ocean.

Ask yourself where your threshold is.

References: [1] http://www.pressdemocrat.com/ business/2562360-181/drought-fears-inwine-country?page=1 [2] http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_ health/wastewater/wastewateruse2/en/ [3] http://californiaagriculture.ucanr. org/landingpage.cfm?articleid=ca. v068n03p59&fulltext=yes

Nick Meeten is a consultant with Smart Alliances in Blenheim, working in the areas of Buildings, Water and Sustainability.

He returned to New Zealand in January 2015 after 5 years living in Germany and working globally leading the Green Buildings team at water technology supplier HUBER. He is a professional member of the Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand. nick@smartalliances. co.nz

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Unwelcome Biodiversity In The Vineyard TESSA NICHOLSON

With spring upon us and vines beginning their burst into life, there are a number of creepy crawlies growers will have to deal with in the next few months.

One is the Cape Campbell Weta, which can decimate new vine shoots in just one night. The other is brown beetle, the adult of the grass grub, which can turn a healthy leafy vine into a bare bunch of canes, again overnight.

Cape Campbell Weta These live in burrows and venture forth at night to feed avidly on grass grubs (a good thing), fellow weta and unfortunately new shoots on grape vines. While weta have been a pest associated mainly with the Awatere Valley, there are signs that these insects are being found in other parts of the region. Have they moved, or are vineyards providing a smorgasbord of tasty treats, served up on a plate?

The Awatere Weta Group was established two years ago and along with the Bio Protection Research Centre based at Lincoln University, is looking at just what damage the weta causes and potential ways of alleviating it.

Just like brown beetle, weta do their damage at night and unless you actually see them in action, you may not even realise they are around until you see the vine damage.

Joanne Brady, Technical Viticulturist for

With no sleeve, this vine was decimated overnight by weta.

Constellation Brands, told Winepress two years ago that it is the new leaves that are particularly attractive to the weta. The danger period is just two weeks – but that period is all important as it is when new growth is emerging.

When the Awatere Weta Group talked to local growers, they discovered that many had been experiencing low yields, which they had thought were due to climatic conditions. In fact the drop in yields is more likely to have been due to the foraging weta.

What makes the situation even worse is there is no chemical solution; not anything that you would want to use in your vineyard anyway.

So what are the solutions?

To begin with, UV treated plastic sleeves were wrapped around vines to prevent the weta climbing the trunk.

(Weta can’t fly, so anything that prevents them getting up to the leaves is a useful tool). The result was successful, although placing the sleeves round thousands of vines is extremely time consuming and costly.

Enter Lincoln University, which is undertaking a three-year research project into the lifecycle of the weta and ways of combatting damage within vineyards. PhD student Jerry Nboyine

began looking at what it is that weta feed on outside the two weeks when the new shoots on vines attracted them.

Professor of Ecology, Steve Wratten told the recent Organic Winegrowing Conference in Blenheim that Jerry had collected weta droppings, to isolate the DNA of their plant food.

“Among others he discovered they were feeding on Crepis viscidula, Urtica urens, Stellaria media,Veronica percia, vines and Poa annua. So this could imply that if we let some of these grow within the vines, without reducing yield, it could be that we encourage the weta not to feed on the vines.”

Another plant the weta seemed to enjoy was tick beans, or broad beans.

“Having these in the vineyards had the same effect as having plastic sleeves,” Steve said. “That’s amazing. A few kilos of boring old broad beans, scratched into the soil seems to indicate that it replaces the need for putting plastic around the vines.”

There is much more research being undertaken by Jerry, in particular, whether irrigation in vineyards is providing the perfect environment for them – given weta require moisture to hatch their eggs. Other unknowns such as population variables and the impact

The plastic sleeve prevented WINEPRESS September 2015 | 17

this vine suffering weta damage.

of climatic conditions such as wet winters are also being investigated. And the fact that vineyards older than four years seem to be more at risk from the weta than newly planted ones will be on the agenda from here on in.

For now maybe you should be buying some tick beans and sowing them ASAP before those new vine shoots come out.

Brown Beetle The adult version of grass grubs can also cause severe damage to new shoots and is something another Lincoln University PhD student is currently studying.

Working with Kono Beverages, Mauricio Gonzalez Chang established infra red light cameras among a vineyard in the Awatere Valley to gain a clearer picture of what the beetles were doing and when.

Those cameras showed that the beetles began flying 30 minutes after sunset. (In this case it was between 8.15pm and 9pm). Initially they hovered over the grass near the vines and then descended on the vines themselves.

“We still don’t know if the females

fly first and release sex chemicals (pheromones) which attract the males,” he said.

But what he did notice was that each flight began outside the vines themselves, with the beetles coming from the headlands, wild grass and sometimes neighbouring vineyards.

“They then accumulate on the young vine plant tissue where they mate.

Mating is over a two-hour period and then they feed on the vines for around three hours. They then drop to the ground between 11pm and 1am.”

Chang said the beetles began appearing on October 27 and were present until December 2.

“There was a huge peak on November 14 and we are still trying to understand why there were so many ups and downs in numbers during the period.”

The vines nearest the edge of the vineyard were the ones that were initially most affected, understandably given they are closer to the source of the beetles. However over time, there was an increase in the damage to vines in from the edge.

“That might indicate that after the defoliation (at the edge) the beetles

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18 | WINEPRESS SeptemberThe 2015 14 Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough | 9/2013 WINEPRESS

were moving inside the vineyard looking for more food.”

Winter sampling of larvae also showed that there were fewer larvae under the vines and interrow, the further into the vineyard you went.

But there were also more larvae immediately under the vines at the edge than there were in the interrow.

“This is explained by the adults dropping off the vine, straight down, which is where they lay their eggs.

Only some land in the inter row.”

Which led Mauricio to research whether there was a product that could prevent the adults damaging the vines and laying their eggs underneath. The product used was mussel shells. Thick layers of the shells were laid directly under some of the vines, to see if this had an impact.

“We had a very unexpected result,” he said. “One night I went into the vineyard and counted the beetles and I saw the plants had 69 percent fewer adults on them than were on the vines without shells underneath.”

At this stage he is unsure why – but plans further research to find out. He also said he needs to research whether

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there is any difference between using old mussel shells compared with new.

The new shells have a stronger fishy smell, which may be deterring the beetle.

“We also need to see if this approach has some effect on the vines. Does it add calcium and will it affect soil pH which could affect the wine?”

Another experiment undertaken last year was the use of feeding deterrents – diatomaceous earth (DE) and kaolin based dust (clay).

“We used diatomaceous earth mixed with water and sprayed it onto the vines. We used 20 grams per litre of water, 400 litres per hectares.”

Three sprays were undertaken a week apart, from October 30 until November 14. Sprays of DE and kaolin, and a spray of just kaolin were also used. What was interesting was the different effect on two varieties – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The results in each block were compared with a control, where nothing was sprayed. The sprays were all very effective Chang said.

“When sprayed onto Chardonnay, there was 23 percent less damage when using

DE, K-DE and Kaolin when compared with the control.

“On Pinot Noir there was 46 percent less damage. This suggests there is a varietal effect affecting the vine consumption by the beetles.”

He followed this up by comparing the severity of damage created by beetles in two blocks, with just a roadway between them. One side of the road had Sauvignon Blanc vines, the other side had Pinot Noir.

“So they had the same soil type and the same exposure. But there was a clear difference between the two varieties, with Pinot Noir suffering more damage.”

Mauricio’s research will continue this season. He said there are a number of avenues he wants to follow up on.

“What we want to find out more about is the feeding disruption. We would like to understand the female behaviors better. Do they land first on the plant and then using pheromones, attract the males? If that is the case, we can try to modify that.

“In addition they feed after they mate.

So if we can disrupt the mating, maybe

we can stop the feeding.

“We want to combine the mussel shells with feeding deterrents in one treatment. We had a 60 percent reduction in damage with shells and about 40 percent with deterrents, so if we combine the two, we might have an even better effect.”

This research was assisted by the Bio-Protection Research Centre and funding from Callaghan Innovation, Constellation Wines Limited and Kono Beverages.

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Latest Stats The number of growers and wineries in Marlborough and across the rest of the country has consolidated in the past two years.

The latest figures from NZ Winegrower’s Annual Report shows in Marlborough between 2013 and 2014 the number of growers dropped from 581 to 545. (The figures for 2015 are not yet available).

It is a similar story in seven other winegrowing regions, with the only exceptions being Waipara and Central Otago, who have retained the exact same number in both years.

Nationally the numbers dropped from 858 in 2013, to 762 last year, the lowest on record since 2004 when there were just 594 grape growers in New Zealand.

The number of 535 growers in Marlborough is the lowest since 2008, when there were just 524.

In terms of wineries, it is a similar story.

The figures, which do cover 2015, show that this year there are 140 wineries present in Marlborough, compared with 151 last year. Nationally the numbers have dropped from 699 in 2014, to 673 this year. The biggest drop across the country has been in Category 1 wineries (with annual sales not exceeding 200,000 litres) falling from 614 last year to 587 this year.

While grower numbers are down, the size of Marlborough’s vineyard area has increased by 300 hectares.

In 2014 according to the Vineyard Register, Marlborough had 22,907 hectares of producing vineyard. This year there are 23,203 hectares.

It is the increase in Marlborough that has seen the New Zealand total rise, with only very minor increases in other regions. The national figure of producing vineyard currently is 35,859, up from 35,511 last year.

WINEPRESS September 2015 | 21

Generation Y-ine Shelley Young – Delegat TESSA NICHOLSON The New Zealand wine industry can be thankful that 28-year-old Shelley Young is not that good at drawing. If she had been, she may have decided on a career path that wouldn’t have seen her take out the second place in the recent Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year competition.

While her strengths at school were very much in the science line, Shelley admits she had no real idea of what she wanted to do upon leaving school. Only that having grown up in Te Anau and being at school with the same 18 students all her life, she wanted to go anywhere other than Otago University.

“I really didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, in my last year at school.

It changed every month. I was thinking about architecture or interior design, but I’m terrible at drawing. I am much better at winemaking than I would have been at drawing.”

It was while looking through the prospectus for Lincoln University that she came across the Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology.

“When I saw that, it was something entirely different to what everyone else was doing and I thought it would be far more interesting than doing a general bachelor of science.”

So with no former knowledge of the wine industry, other than having tried a few samples, Shelley headed off to Lincoln, only to quickly re-think what she had got herself in for.

“That first year was all cows and grass and learning about farming. I was like – ‘Oh no, is this what I have come here to study’? But in the second year we got out into the vineyard and we were able to make our own wine – that was when it all made sense.”

Not the wine she made, but the process.

(That wine by the way was made from Pinot Meunier grapes – not the easiest 22 | WINEPRESS September 2015

variety to work with. She ended up creating a Rosé that it’s fair to say she hasn’t cellared for the future).

“But it was around then that I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing – making wine, not visiting dairy farms and sheep.”

Pretty handy with tools, given her father is a mechanic and boat builder in Te Anau, Shelley initially thought she would be heading down the viticulture track.

“I quite liked the idea of working

outside. I liked the plant science part of the course too, and found that quite easy. I had struggled with the wine chemistry quite a lot, when compared to the viticulture. So it seemed like that was the better option for me. And I have always been quite practical. I know machinery and I was drawn to the tractors and vineyard machinery and being out in the vineyard.”

So what changed?

It was her six week practical, spent at Babich Winery in Auckland that made

her take a second look at where in the wine industry she wanted to be “It was a great experience because they do so many varieties up in Auckland.

And I had a great mentor – Craig Hoskin, who took me under his wing and taught me such a lot. He encouraged me to think about what I was doing and why – it helped confirm that winemaking was where I wanted to be.”

The six-week practical experience job morphed into a permanent cellar hand role and 2008 Shelley had her first working vintage.

“It was the year of the massive Savalanche – very intense,” she says. “But there were also lots of different varieties. I loved all the Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah that was coming it.

They were interesting to make and I got to work on small parcels and be involved in real practical winery work.”

Not that it was a walk in the park. The Babich winery in Auckland is a far cry from the state-of-the-art one here in Marlborough.

“It’s an old winery and very manual – not much automation back then.”

Two years on, she began feeling homesick for the South Island and her family, so when an opportunity came up at Delegat, she jumped at the chance to move south.

“I didn’t want to live in Auckland. I wanted to be where there was a chance to advance my career and also in a region where there was more chance to be involved in the wider industry.

Oh and the climate drew me to Marlborough.”

She says this on a morning when the region has experienced a minus 3.5 deg frost – again.

“Yes but I’m from Te Anau, this is warm for me. Anything is warm compared to down there.”

So from one of the country’s older wineries, to one of the newest. But it wasn’t just that difference Shelley had to cope with in her first vintage in Marlborough in 2010.

“I came from working in a winery that had two tiny presses, into a huge press gallery with 10 massive 50 to 60 tonne presses. That was kind of crazy. Plus I was going from something that was quite manual to something that was very automated, so that was a challenge.

We were receiving (at Delegat) in one day, the whole vintage that we would have received at Babich – so it was all a bit mind blowing.”

From general cellar hand in her first year, Shelley has worked her way up the ranks to assistant winemaker. These days she is not in the cellar as much as before, but her work now involves

“The scope of our job doesn’t always cover a lot of the areas that a competition can. I wanted to challenge myself and there were certainly sections where I had to refresh my memory back to when I was at uni.” production planning, overseeing wine trials, working out what needs to be added and when, and blending.

“I enjoyed the cellar operations because I know the machinery well and I enjoy working with people. But I am enjoying the switch over to doing more winemaking. It balances out the theory I have learned by putting it into practice.”

She is a great example of how much hard work goes into the job of making wine – and how little of it is as glamorous as many people like to think.

“Oh yes, that image of skipping through the vines with your little cane basket. No it’s not like that at all. There is so much other stuff going on and very little is glamorous.”

No one ever forgets vintage time; the

hustle, bustle, lack of sleep, endless cups of coffee and new people from all parts of the world. While it sounds a little terrifying, Shelley says it is also a pretty special time.

“It’s a whole different scope of work to what you usually do. I quite like the fast pace and nature of it.You have always got something to do and your job can dramatically change from hour to hour.

You are tired and it is long hours where you don’t get to see your family much.

But it’s also exciting to be doing what you are doing and aiming for that end product.”

Entering the first ever Young Winemaker competition this year was another way to challenge herself she says.

“The scope of our job doesn’t always cover a lot of the areas that a competition can. I wanted to challenge myself and there were certainly sections where I had to refresh my memory back to when I was at uni. Like viticulture for example. Some of those questions had me thinking.

But I also learned that I actually know more than I thought I did.

It reaffirmed to me, that I do understand quite a bit about this industry.”

Winning the fault finding section, was a major bonus to her.

“I was first in that category, which is really important as a winemaker, so I was really happy about that. But then I realise that my speaking and my marketing may need a little bit of work.”

She gained so much from it, and a second place behind Abbie Maxwell, that she is keen to enter the competition again in 2016.

Which means she could be having a busy year next year. She would also love to do a vintage overseas, (something unable to be taken on earlier) and she has Austria or Germany set firmly in her sights.

When she says her favourite wine is Riesling – it’s easy to understand why she wants to head to that part of the world.

WINEPRESS September 2015 | 23

Silver Secateurs 2015

24 | WINEPRESS September 2015

Silver Secateurs 2015 Winners Thornhill Contracting Novice Wrapper: 1st Place: Ken Louis 2nd Place: Mensensa Raymond 3rd Place: Sione Teulaka

Hortus Championship Cutter: 1st Place: Taru Joseph 2nd Place: Jean Claude Nepri 3rd Place: Robert Wallis

Vine First Novice Pruner: 1st Place: Joseph Sabiston 2nd Place: Emanuelu Timo 3rd Place: Taamilo Faioso

Seasonal Pacific Championship RSE Cutter: Winner: Taru Joseph

Farmlands Championship Wrapper: 1st Place: Siaki Ielu 2nd Place: Rakakau Smiler 3rd Place: Bendick Matau Fruitfed Supplies Championship Pruner: 1st Place: Paea Lonitenisi 2nd Place: Paea Pulu 3rd Place: Jian Min Wu Seasonal Pacific Championship RSE Pruner: Winner: Safune Refiti Raeli

Tasman Crop Championship Team: 1st Place: ‘Kali Ko Mayae Tagi’ - Paea Lonitenisi; Paea Pulu; Akenese Lonitenisi) 2nd Place: ‘Hortus 6’ – Kevin Paisa; Jeremiah Love; Nee Cameron 3rd Place: ‘Reubs Renegades’- Rakakau Smiler; Reuben Kelsey; Satchwell Beauchamp Seasonal Pacific Championship RSE Team: Winners: Hortus 3 - Sano Morris, Melsilm John, Take Thu

Focus Labour Solutions Championship Female Pruner: 1st Place: Jian Min Wu 2nd Place: Akenese Lonitenisi 3rd Place: Jillian Newman

WINEPRESS September 2015 | 25

A Dream Come True TESSA NICHOLSON

When Harriet Wadworth returned from Australia, she wanted to be able to find a job where she would utilize her skills in marketing within the Marlborough wine industry. Her wish has come true.

No stranger to the region, given she is a forth generation Marlburian, Harriet has recently taken on the job of Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Wine Marlborough.

With a background in sales and marketing, with a bent towards design and fashion, she took on her new role at the beginning of August.

The past few years have seen her working in Sydney and Perth for Global Events and Marketing – but the lure of home drew her back to Marlborough earlier in the year.

She admits that when she considered coming home, her goal was to become involved in the wine industry.

“I was talking to my sister in London and we were saying how it would be ideal if someone like Wine Marlborough needed someone to do marketing and communication. And then by fluke I was looking through job sites and this one popped up. It was weird.”

Admitting it will be a challenge over

26 | WINEPRESS September 2015

the next few months, finding her place and coming to grips with the new role, she says she is looking forward to it.

“I guess my biggest challenge will be learning where everyone fits in. That might be really obvious to people who have been involved in the industry for a long time, who goes with which company, but for me that will be my initial challenge.”

She is already working on that knowledge, with a goal of visiting every cellar door and winery in the region to introduce herself.

After years away living in Sydney, she is more than appreciative of coming back.

“I don’t think I ever really appreciated how beautiful Marlborough is and how close everything here is. The Sounds and Lake (Rotoiti) are just over an hour away. Compare that to Sydney where you could travel for an hour and still be on the edge of the city. I just really want to get out and about. I might have to make a bucket list.”

But Sydney did reinforce just how

special the wine from her home region actually is.

“Whenever people asked where I came from, and I said Marlborough – they always linked it to Sauvignon Blanc.

They really do recognise and appreciate our wine over there.”

Now her role will be to ensure that recognition goes even further, through marketing and communicating the message of Wine Marlborough to the rest of the world. She will also be involved in arranging tastings for visiting media, helping with events such as the Wine and Food Festival, helping to arrange the upcoming regional selection and over seeing the Wine Marlborough Board elections next month.

A busy time ahead, and one she is already relishing.

Seeking Sites For Bee Hives TESSA NICHOLSON

Honey bees are the lifeblood of agriculture and need to be looked after.

Which is where vineyards can help.

Currently bees are under threat globally with numbers rapidly declining due to the parasitic Verroa mite. Bacterial infections such as Colony Collapse Disorder is also rearing its head in the US and Canada, adding to the decline.

In New Zealand there are hardly any wild bees left with the only ones being swarms that have escaped from controlled beehives. These are often quite weak in numbers and health.

These are the reasons Apitech is looking for properties that could be used to house beehives over the winter months.

Matt Goldsworthy, one of Apitech’s senior beekeepers says they are looking for properties that can take a multitude of hives all at once.

“The perfect beehive is a sheltered site away from the wind and facing north.

The old adage is if you wouldn’t build a house there, you wouldn’t put a bee hive there.”

Rex Butt Apitech’s Field Operations Manager says the food source is an important factor, with wetlands and redeveloped creek areas the perfect provider.

“A lot of companies are focusing on their green space and increasing their wetlands. We see a great potential for us to work alongside those people. It is also a way of helping with biodiversity.

They (bees) do a lot of work in those creek zones and the wetlands.”

“That diversity of food source is so important,” Matt says. “There is a wide range in the lowlands, which gives them a larger source of food to bring in and it makes them healthier.”

While vines don’t need them to pollinate, it is the surrounding environment in the vineyard that is

such a valuable food source for bees.

Acknowledging that many individuals have a fear of being stung, Rex says they aren’t looking to place hives out during the summer months, when more people are working in the vineyards.

“We bring the hives down from the high country when it gets too cold for them, which is after harvest, through until the end of November. So that’s a period when there aren’t that many staff working in the vines. Also the bees are almost in a hibernation phase with little activity outside the hive over this period, so you don’t really see much of them. Although they can get busy during hot weather from late October.”

While a number of individuals have offered to take a single hive, Rex says that isn’t the most practical solution. He says ideally, they would like to have 40 hives in the one area. That could be on one or two properties, or a collective of properties all in the same area.

“Even a small vineyard that has a large space would be fine, but we would love to get owners working together so we can have clusters of them.”

Ideal areas are waste land, headland or corners of vineyards where they won’t be disturbed. A space of 60 metres by two metres would be ideal.

“We are trying to build the strength up in the hives and obviously increase numbers, so we need the perfect sites,” Matt says.

A strong beehive can contain 50,000 bees, although peak

numbers can reach up to 80,000. The bees themselves have a short life span – only three weeks in a busy season. Matt says each bee will produce a teaspoon of honey during that three-week period. Over the winter months when the bees are not as busy, they can live for three months.

If anyone is keen to take some hives, they can contact Rex or Matt at The Honey Shop.

And if you find a wild beehive – whatever you do, don’t kill it. Call a bee keeper to remove it.

So why are bees so important. Because they pollinate 70 percent of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds that we consume on a daily basis. As they fly from plant to plant collecting pollen, they also transfer tiny particles of pollen to the stigma and stamen of plants – which is where the all important life cycle begins. If we lose the plants that bees pollinate, it affects the animals that eat those plants – and so on up the food chain. When you realise that, you may never look at a honey bee with fear again. Just be thankful they are around.

WINEPRESS September 2015 | 27

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28 | WINEPRESS September 2015

Complexity and the Consumer Understanding the difference between how professionals and consumers rate the `complexity’ of wine could open new avenues for marketing wines, recent Lincoln University research shows.

Researcher Dr Wendy Parr completed two studies concerning the nature of perceived wine complexity. She found in both studies that the way in which complexity is perceived and assessed is related to the expertise of the taster.

While both professionals (wine makers and wine judges) and consumers in general perceived well integrated wines with harmony and balance as more ‘complex’, and more desirable, they arrived at their conclusions via different conceptual routes.

Wine experts give more weight to vineyard location and aspects of wine production, while consumers are driven by their notions of wine quality and brand and their expectations of an enjoyable experience.

Dr Parr says the results have a take home message particularly relevant for marketing professionals. It appears that most wine consumers don’t give as much weight to the information often put on a wine’s back label about viticultural or oenological specifics as we assume they do. Instead they are driven by their notions of what the wine will taste like and of having an enjoyable experience.

Dr Parr says that wine is not only capable of providing us with great pleasure but can evoke memories and make us think. Much of this relates to a wine’s aroma, with research demonstrating clearly the links between smell, emotion, and memory.

“What hasn’t been the subject of much research is why some wines inspire more emotion and thought than others, despite their chemical composition being fundamentally similar.”

Her studies on complexity, in collaboration with the University of Paris VIII and the University of Burgundy in France, were focused on understanding what wine attributes are associated with a wine that is considered ’complex’ relative to a more ’simple’ wine.

In the first study, which looked at how people conceptualise complexity in wine, 69 wine professionals and consumers from New Zealand and Australia took part in a free association interview in which they were asked about their ideas around complexity. The results showed a marked difference between their perceptions, with wine professionals placing weight on processes and production of wines, while consumers focused on consumption and pleasure, with some attention given to image and brand.

In the second study which involved wine tasting, 87 French wine professionals, connoisseurs and consumers assessed 13 wines produced as part of an innovative commercial wine

making project that was aimed at increasing complexity in some Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines.

The study also tested the ways that people perceive complex foods and beverages such as wine. Results showed that even though their underlying notions of complexity were quite different, all participants considered wines with harmony and balance more `complex’ than wines where noticeable flavours could be separated out.

Dr Parr says this type of wine sensory research, which draws on fundamental research in psychology to help us understand how a wine taster makes sense of wine, is becoming more prominent internationally.

“It has potential to markedly increase our understanding of how both wine consumers and wine professionals appreciate wine. The marketing implications of such research are obvious.”

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30 | WINEPRESS September 2015

NZW Export News – June 2015 Key Points • 2015 export value is $1.424 billion, up 7% on the previous year.

• MAT June 2015 exports are 205.4 m. litres, up 9% on the previous year; packaged exports are +1% for the period and other exports are up 28%.

• Average value MAT June 2015 is $6.80 per litre down 4% on the previous year; packaged export value is $8.23 per litre down 1% on the previous year.

NB: WECS, which is the source for volume data in this Report, moved to a different software system in October 2014. This has affected the data in this Report. Going forward the new software will deliver better alignment with the Statistics NZ value data as WECS data will now

record the date of shipment from NZ, not the date of certification.

Short term and unavoidably this means, in comparison to previous data,YTD and MAT May exports are understated by 3.6 m. litres, all of which is packaged product. In the Report reference to ‘adjusted WECS data’ means the data includes this 3.6m. litres Total Export Volume & Value • MAT June 2015 total value of exports is $1.424 billion, up 7% on the previous year.

• Total value of June 2015 exports was $102.9 m. up 9 % on June 2014.

• MAT June 2015 exports are 205.4 m. litres, up 9% (17.6 m. litres) on the previous year. Based on adjusted

WECS data, exports are 209 m litres up 11% (21.2m. litres).

• June 2015 exports were 14.0 m. litres up 10% (1.5 m. litres) on June 2014.

Export Value per Litre All wines • June 2015 average value was $7.45 per litre, down 2% from June 2014.

• MAT June 2015 average price is $6.80 per litre, down 4% or $0.31 per litre on MAT June 2014.

Packaged wines • Excluding unpackaged wine from the data, the June 2015 average value was $8.70 per litre, up $0.16 per litre on June 2014.

• MAT June 2015 the average price is $8.23 per litre, down $0.09 per litre (1%) on MAT June 2014.

WINEPRESS September 2015 | 31

• MAT June 2015 prices are up 2% to the UK and 1% to USA, but are down 3% to Canada and 4% to Australia.

Export Volume by Country of Destination • In June, for the major markets, exports were up 32% to the USA, and 5% to the UK but were down 33% to Australia. Canada was up 7% for the month, while performance of other markets was generally positive, with the best performer being Germany.

• MAT June 2015 growth is led by the UK +11% with USA +10% and Australia +7%. Canada shipments are +12% for the year. Performance of other tracked markets is generally positive with Netherlands the strongest performer +31%.

Export Volume by Packaging Type • Exports of packaged wines MAT June 2015 are 135.0 m. litres up 1% (2.0 m. litres) on the previous year

and are 65.7% of total export volume.

Based on adjusted WECS data, exports are 138.6 m. litres up 4% (5.6 m. litres).

• MAT June 2015 packaged exports are led by USA +13% (4.0 m. litres) • June 2015 packaged exports were 9.9 m. litres, up 3% on June 2014.

• Other (non-packaged) wine shipments MAT June 2015 are 70.4 m. litres up 28% (34.3% of export volume). Non- packaged shipments growth is led by Australia (+63%).

• June 2015 non-packaged shipments were 4.1 m. litres, up 31% on June 2014.

Exports by Variety/Style • In June 2015 Sauvignon Blanc exports were 11.7 m. litres, up 15% from the previous year, accounting for 83.3% of export volume. Of the Sauvignon Blanc exported in June, 10.8 m litres was from Vintage 2014 and 0.8 m. litres was from vintage 2015.

• Performance of other styles was

generally negative in June with the stand out performer Pinot Noir up 25%.

• MAT June 2015, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 177.7 m. litres up 11% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is mixed with Pinot Gris +13% the strongest performer.

• Production of Sauvignon Blanc in 2014 is estimated to have been 231.1 m. litres, 36% up on the previous year.

Shipments of vintage 2014 Sauvignon Blanc since release are 173.1 m. litres or 74.9% of estimated production.

Shipments of vintage 2015 Sauvignon Blanc currently account for just 0.5% of estimated production Exports by Winery Category • June 2015 export growth was led by the large wineries +34% with the small wineries -13% and the medium wineries -28%.

• MAT June 2015 growth is led by the small wineries +39% with the medium wineries +6%; large wineries are +5% for the period.

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WINEPRESS September 2015 | 33

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

To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to tessa.nicholson@me.com

SEPTEMBER 15 26

Ballot Papers are sent to grower and winery data base for the upcoming Wine Marlborough Board election.

New Zealand International Wine Show Awards Dinner – Auckland

OCTOBER 1 1 6-7 7 21 22

New Board of Marlborough Winegrowers is announced.

Taste Waipara Valley Boutique wine tasting event – Christchurch Casino – Christchurch Judging Marlborough Wine Show Auction of leftover wine from Marlborough Wine Show – 6pm, Marlborough Convention Centre Cellar Door Speed Dating. For more details email; harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz The Marlborough Wine Show Awards Dinner - Blenheim

NOVEMBER 6 6 15 21 28

WineWorks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race – Picton to Wellington Pop Up Marlborough – Wharewaka Function Centre, Wellington Toast Martinborough Drylands Inter-winery Tennis Tournament. Entries; reenie702@hotmail.co.uk Air New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner - Saxton Stadium, Nelson

DECEMBER 1 5

Regional tasting Air New Zealand Wine Awards – Marlborough The Christchurch/South Island Wine and Food Festival – Hagley Park, Christchurch

FEBRUARY 2016 1-3 4-5 13

International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration 2016 – Marlborough Chardonnay and Sparkling Symposium - Gisborne Marlborough Wine & Food Festival

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34 | WINEPRESS September 2015

We Design News From Success Home and Your in just one stop Away Graham Norton Becomes Winemaker Talk show king Graham Norton has become even more aligned with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc this year, after helping with the blending of a special Invivo Wine. The company has long been a favourite of Norton’s - so much so he is now a shareholder in the company. The Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is offered to guests on his show, and he always has his own glass beside him when on stage. Last year, he helped stomp the grapes for a special blend and this year he has lent his taste buds to the blending. The end result is a wine blended from three Marlborough vineyards. The Graham Norton 2015 Sauvignon Blanc will go on sale this month in New Zealand, and Australia, UK and Ireland later in the year.

All proceeds will go to the UK Charity Dog’s Trust.

America Number 1 The USA has overtaken Australia to become New Zealand wine’s largest export market by value according to the 2015 Annual Report of New Zealand Winegrowers. Now valued at $372 million, up 13%, the US market accounted for around one quarter of wine exports in June year end 2015.

Significant potential for further growth in North America and other markets is cited in the Report, as the wine industry advances towards its goal of $2 billion of exports in 2020.

“We expect further growth in export value in the year ahead, but volume growth will be constrained due to the smaller 2015 harvest” said Steve Green, Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers.

New Zealand wine exports reached a new record of $1.42 billion in June year end 2015, up 7% on 2014. Wine is now New Zealand’s sixth largest export good by value.

Real Estate News with PGG Wrightson The Marlborough real estate market throughout August has seen a continued firming of interest in viticultural land with

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WINEPRESS September 2015 | 35

buyer enquiry for smaller bare land blocks through to large scale corporate activity.

Reported sales of production blocks of Sauvignon Blanc have been few and far between. However two sales between $180,000 to 200,000 per hectare give a reliable indication as to where the market is heading as we move into the post pruning and frost risk period. One of those was an Overseas Investment Office decision, which has taken six months to process.

“A number of new listings are coming to the market as several growers recognise the buoyant market and look to capitalise on prices which are continuing to firm” says Joe Blakiston of PGG Wrightson Real Estate.

“The interest across the board indicates that we are in a growth phase and as the land supply in traditional areas is utilised, more interest is focused on larger blocks in outlying areas, which while less proven, offer better economies of scale.”

Joe said the coming few months promise to be an exciting time for sales in the area as buyers compete for the genuine viticultural properties currently offered for sale.

New Zealand Wine and The Rugby World Cup Close to 100 New Zealand wines will be on hand for a special event that will coincide with the quarter finals of the rugby World Cup. Both matches will be played in Cardiff, over the weekend of October 16- 18, with up to 100,000 people expected to descend on the city.

As part of the celebrations, NZW, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Riedel and Roger Jones from the Harrow at Little Bedwyn have planned a walk

around tasting of New Zealand wine.

A number of 30 minute master classes will be available for those attending, focusing on Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and regionality among others.

On top of the walk around, a Gala Dinner has been organized, where seven courses will be matched alongside seven styles of wine. Roger Jones who is a Michelin Star Chef, will oversee the dinner, which is being advertised as “an intimate dinner with New Zealand’s finest winemakers.”

Constellation Wines Scholarship Winners Two NMIT students are $2500 better off after being awarded Constellation Wines Scholarships.

Ari Fratucelli, aged 27, is in his first year of a three-year Viticulture and Oenology degree here in Marlborough, and took out the award from five other applicants. His long-term goal is to get into sales and marketing of wine, which

he believes the degree will provide him the background to do.

The second recipient is Clare O’Rourke, who is studying a business degree in Nelson.

The Constellation Scholarships are offered to students studying at EIT in Hawke’s Bay, NMIT in Marlborough/ Nelson and Lincoln University.

In NMIT’s case, one scholarship is for someone studying viticulture, while the other is designed to assist students, who are enrolled on Year Two of the Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing or Management. Both scholarships go towards course fees and Constellation says it provides an opportunity for the winners who wish to consider a career in the New Zealand wine industry.

This is the second year of the scholarships.

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

36 | WINEPRESS September 2015

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