WINEPRESS Issue No. 204 / June 2011
Website Advice
Selling to The U.K.
Organic Growth
Marlborough Success
Photo: Jim Tannock
The Official Magazine of
www.wine-marlborough.co.nz
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In this issue... Regulars
Features
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8
4 7
Editorial
Tasman Crop Met Report Marketing Matters
18 Generation Y-ine 31 Wine Happenings
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News From Home and 32 Away All correspondence including advertising / associate memberships / change of address to: Wine Marlborough PO Box 511, Blenheim 7240 T: 03 577 9299, F: 03 577 9298 E: admin@wine-marlborough.co.nz www.wine-marlborough.co.nz
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Selling into the UK Successfully
David Cox, NZ Wine’s Europe Director has some strong advice to anyone wanting to up their stake in the UK market. It takes face to face time and an understanding of how the path to market is ever changing. There is no such thing as handing your portfolio over to a distributor and leaving them to it.
p10
Promoting the Marlborough Name
Research released at the London International Wine Fair, show’s consumers are less influenced by region, than they are by country of origin. However Marlborough has created quite a name for itself in terms of familiarity and image. Now do we need to do more?
The Move to Organics
p18
Monty Waldin is an author dedicated to organic and biodynamic wine. In New Zealand recently, he was impressed at the change in attitude since his last visit in 2004.
Wakeup Call for Websites
They are fast becoming the window to the world, yet Ruby Andrew discovered many New Zealand wine sites leave a lot to be desired. She describes the no nos of the industry and what it takes to ensure people leave your website wanting to purchase your product.
p25
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
06/2011 WINEPRESS
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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
Produced by:
From the Editor
Wine Marlborough Free to all levy paying members Associate Members: $77 +GST Editor: Tessa Nicholson 16 Bank Street Blenheim T: 021 709 571 E: tessan@xtra.co.nz If you wish to make contact with any member of the Wine Marlborough Board, the following are their email addresses. Dominic Pecchenino: nzyanks@xtra.co.nz
When it comes to identifying noble grape varieties, Sauvignon Blanc seldom makes the list. There is Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah – all the great reds – but nowhere is there a mention of New Zealand and Marlborough’s star attraction – Sauvignon Blanc. In fact most people would laugh to hear anyone describe our flagship variety as “Noble.” But David Cox, New Zealand Wine’s Europe Director is adamant it is time we all started treating this variety with the respect it deserves. “It has this style and freshness about it that has captured the world’s attention. It’s a noble grape, so let’s treat it as such.” First off he is adamant we need to stop the colloquiums of calling it plain old Sav, or Savvy. To him that is a dumbing down of a variety that deserves better. He has a point. How often do we lovingly shorten the name? As David so succinctly puts it, “You would not hear a Burgundian calling his wine Chabby, would you?” But how else do we raise the image of Sauvignon Blanc to noble status? One way is to provide high quality examples of wine that improves with age. Wines that have
Anna Flowerday: ajflowerday@xtra.co.nz
complexity that develops in the bottle. Wines that show the terroir and individualism
Blair Gibbs: blair@spyvalley.co.nz
Sauvignon Blanc has always been a variety that is promoted as fresh and zingy and
James Jones: james@starborough.co.nz
Holding wines back, creating library wines, as I know some of the major wineries are
Ivan Sutherland: ivan@dogpoint.co.nz
And maybe the time is right to consider an event such as Pinot 2013, for Sauvignon
Ben Glover: ben@witherhills.co.nz
crafted here.
Peter McLeod: peter.mcleod@pernod-ricard-nz.com
that we know they can. ready to drink the year of harvest. Maybe it is time for us to start expanding on that. already doing. Blanc. Let’s appreciate what we have created and promote the unique wines that are Let somebody stand up and say – here we go, Sauvignon Blanc 2012 is going to happen and I am prepared to put my name to it. Wouldn’t that be a boost in the arm for our industry?
Ruud Maasdam: ruud@staetelandt.co.nz Clive Jones: cjones@nautilusestate.com Richard Rose: kvl@silkweb.net.nz
TESSA NICHOLSON tessan@xtra.co.nz
Guy Lissaman: glissaman@xtra.co.nz
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Met Report half, dragged the overall mean down.
Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – May 2011
May 2011 GDD’s for month -Max/Min GDD’s for month – Mean Growing Degree Days Total July 10 to May 11-Max/Min
92.0 94.3
May Period LTA of LLA (LTA = Long term average) 58.1 70.5
(1996-2010) (1996-2010)
May 2011 compared to LTA 158% 134%
May 2010 53.2 63.7
Weekly average temperatures for May 2011 1-8
14.5
4.2°C above average
9-16
13.7
3.4°C above average
17-24
1.8
1.5°C above average
25-31
11.2
0.9°C above average
1545.9
1370.0
(1996-2010)
113%
1410.5
July 10 to May 11 - Mean 1463.4 Mean Maximum (°C) 17.6 Mean Minimum (°C) 8.1 Mean Temp (°C) 12.8
1418.0 15.5 4.7 10.3 11.1
(1996-2010) (1932-2000) (1932-2000) (1932-2000) (1986-2010)
103% +2.1°C +3.4°C +2.5°C +1.7°C
1435.4 15.8 6.8 11.3
Although the second half of May was a
Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 2
11.5 5.6
(1932-1980) (1986-2010)
9.5 less 3.6 less
3
interesting to note that the May average
Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 0
3.6 1.4
(1932-1980) (1986-2010)
3.6 less 1.4 less
0
higher at 11.1°C.
Sunshine hours 161.8 Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2011 997.3
167 114.7 220.2 1059
(1930-2000) 1969 1930 (1930-2000)
97%
119.2
Soil Temperature
94%
1032.7
Rainfall (mm) 120 Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2011 270.2
65 13.5 182.6 259
(1930-2000) 1936 1948 (1930-2000)
185%
167.2
104%
254.2
Evapotranspiration – mm
53.6
41.6
(1996-2010)
129%
40.5
Avg. Daily Windrun (km)
201.3
222.0
(1996-2010)
91%
173.2
Mean soil temp – 10cm
10.9
8.5
(1986-2010)
+2.4°C
10.1
and 2009 which recorded 10 and 14
Mean soil temp – 30cm
12.5
11.0
(1986-2010)
+1.5°C
12.3
ground frosts respectively. As has been
lot cooler than the first half, all four weeks were still above the long-term average for May of 10.3°C (1932-2000). It is for the period 1986-2010 is considerably
The average soil temperatures recorded at 10, 20 and 30 cm depth were the warmest on record for May over the past 25 years. Frosts Both May 2010 and 2011 recorded low numbers of ground frosts and no air frosts. This was in contrast to May 2008
pointed out in previous issues of Met Report the number of frosts recorded in May 2011 was similar to May 2010 in
for the 80 year period 1932-2011. May
Blenheim has dropped dramatically over
the fact that both were warm and wet.
2007 is the warmest on record with a
the past 30 years. The number of frosts
May 2011 was also a month of two
mean temperature of 13.1°C. Up until
in 2008 and 2009 were more in line with
distinct halves for sunshine, rainfall and
the last week of May 2011 it appeared
previous decades prior to the mid 1980s.
temperature.
as if the mean temperature for the month
Air Temperatures The mean temperature for the month was 12.8°C and this has placed May 2011 as the second warmest on record
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was going to surpass the 2007 record
Sunshine
high. However, a marked change from
The first half of May 2011 (1st-16th) only
very warm weather in the first half of the
recorded 66.7 hours sunshine or 77% of
month, to cooler weather in the second
average and it appeared as if May was
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
headed for another very low sunshine
187.6 mm or 69% of the 270.2 mm was
depth of 0 to 35 cm), was 38% for May
total as occurred in 2010. However, the
recorded in April and May. January to
2011. This is the highest May average
second half of May (17th-31st) recorded
March 2011 were drier than average.
since records began 10 years ago.
95.1 hours, or 118% of average. Higher sunshine hours in the second half of May were a result of the clearer skies associated with lower rainfall.
For most of May 2011 soil moisture was
Soil Moisture Figure 1 gives an update of soil moisture at the Grovetown Park met station site for the 2010/2011 season, in comparison to
Rainfall
the previous two seasons. Soil moisture
Rainfall for the first half of May (1st-
had dropped as low as it can get by
16th) was 87.0 mm or 259% of average,
mid-December 2010 and quite a lot lower
whereas the second half of May (17th-
than at the corresponding time in the
31st) recorded 33.0 mm, or 105% of
previous two seasons. A very rapid rise
average. May 2010 also recorded a very
occurred with high rainfall at the end of
high rainfall total of 167.2 mm. However,
December 2010, but this moisture was
in May 2010 almost all of the rain fell in
rapidly lost from the top 35 cm over the
the second half of the month.
first two weeks of January 2011. Figure
May 2011 is the ninth wettest May on
1 indicates how the soil moisture almost
record for Blenheim for the 82 year period
always rises rapidly at some time during
1930 – 2011. May 2010 was the second
the April to June time period. The rapid
wettest on record. 1948 is the wettest on
increase in soil moisture in 2011 occurred
record with a total of 182.6 mm.
in mid April and was two to four weeks
Total rainfall for January to May 2011
earlier than in 2009 and 2010.
is 270.2 mm, only slightly ahead of the
The average moisture in the topsoil (at a
long-term average of 259 mm. However,
close to or above field capacity; i.e. above field capacity the soil is unable to hold any more water and excess water is lost either through drainage through the soil profile or through run-off. Field capacity for the Grovetown Park soil type is about 38% and figure 1 indicates that from May to September when the moisture level goes above 38% that it rapidly falls back down to this level again, through drainage from the soil. High soil moisture in May 2011 coincided with very warm air and soil temperatures and no frosts in the first half of the month. This should have resulted in continued grass growth on farms into the late autumn, so long as pasture growth wasn’t impeded by water logging or pugging. Wind Run May 2010 recorded an average of 201.3 km of daily wind run. This was below the
Figure 1: Blenheim soil moisture (5-35 cm depth) under a mown grass surface with no irrigation.
long-term average of 222 km. The fourth May in succession to record lower than average wind run. Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research
The Met Report brought to you by
New Zealand’s Premier Horticultural Supplies Specialists.
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06/2011 WINEPRESS
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Marketing Matters Surveys are a great way to gauge your audience’s response to a certain matter, and they don’t have to be expensive, formal undertakings. While you will gain a lot more statistical
• Festival goers contribute almost
With the question of positioning in mind
certainty from a professionally conducted
$300 per person per day to the local
we asked both wineries and consumers
survey, a questionnaire can be as simple
economy.
whether the Marlborough Wine Festival is
and cost effective as a targeted email
As with anything it is important to
predominantly a wine event, a wine and
to your database or as spontaneous as
continually improve in order to stay
food event or a wine and music event.
asking a ‘Question’ on Facebook. Give it
ahead. In our winery survey we found
a go sometime, it’s a great way to stay in
wineries had been making the same
touch with your audience.
incremental improvements with around
After each Marlborough Wine Festival
55% of wineries trying something new to
we survey all participating wineries as
increase profile on festival day. They all
a gap between how our wineries
well as a sample of festival goers on the
noted measurable positive results such
perceive the Marlborough Wine
day. This helps us to understand areas of
as increased patronage at the festival.
opportunity and necessary change. This
Wineries employed initiatives such as:
year’s consumer survey demonstrated
• Radio advertising
that the festival continues to be a sought
• Involvement in some of the pre-
after event:
festival events i.e. CBD window
• Festival goers are high earners with almost 50% earning over $50,000 and 30% over $70,000 per annum • Almost 80% have no children at home – hence, festival goers can be categorised as either empty nesters or singles represented
lead up to and after the festival • Cellar Door vouchers and discount cards • Improving site design and seating While 88% of consumers tell us that
• Festival goers come from all over
they will return to the Marlborough Wine
New Zealand but predominantly
Festival, and an overwhelming 98%
Marlborough (37%), Canterbury and
will recommend the festival to others,
Wellington
long term the festival’s positioning is
• 12% of festival goers are international (Australia, UK, USA) • Over 55% of festival goers have been to the festival before • And over 98% of festival goers would recommend the festival to others
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• A greater use of social media in the
attractiveness i.e. more shade and
• Age groups 20 – 49 are the best
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06/2011 WINEPRESS
important. The festival committee has been investigating what needs to be done strategically, if anything, to define, strengthen and communicate the Marlborough Wine Festival’s brand and its long term appeal.
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
• Interestingly we identified a clear gap between winery and festival goer perception. • More importantly it demonstrates
Who is the visitor? Demographics Consistently more women than men (58% were female) Affluent • 49% earned more than 50K pa • 32% earned more than 70K pa High disposable income • 78.0% had no children at all or children had left home (individual income) Educated bunch • 42% had a bachelor degree or higher qualifications
Festival, and what motivates our consumers to attend. • Almost half of our wineries feel that this event is a wine and music event while consumers overwhelmingly perceive the Marlborough Wine Festival as a wine and food event. • This demonstrates that while music is important to wineries,
How long do they stay in the region? 4 year trend: • decrease in people staying 1 night • increase in 2,3,4 and 5 nights.
it is the wine and food that is important to our consumers. • Further more around 30% of wineries were not aware of the Supreme Wine and Food match competition that is run each year. The festival continues to be a huge benefit to the Marlborough economy with the festival continuing to attract educated consumers with a high disposable income. • Out of town festival goers are now staying in the region longer – around 3.1 days on average • Out of towners invest around $300 per day to the local economy. • That’s a total contribution to the region by visitors of around $4.25m each year which is a huge accolade for everyone involved in the festival’s success including exhibitors. Its motivation for us all to ensure the festival remains market leading as it heads into its 29th year. So what are the key take outs from this year’s festival surveys?
Why do people attend the event?
• Focus more on the wine and food – raise the profile for
• Wine and Food in clear lead
aspects such as the Supreme Wine and Food match • Look at music with a broader appeal • Continue winery marketing efforts
• Good day out and time with friends similar in 2nd and 3rd place • Music in clear 4th place
• There is also an untapped opportunity to target regions such as Wellington and Christchurch to increase our market share of festival goers from outside of Marlborough • Offer more shade and seating (wineries are encouraged to do this directly outside of their festival site as long as it does not hinder access or traffic flow) • Communicate to all festival goers (particularly European visitors) that parking, wine and food are all additional to the ticket price. If you would like to talk to me about this article, feel free to make contact. Andrea Craig - Wine Marlborough Phone: +64 3 577 9299 Mobile: + 64 21 831 820 Email: events@wine-marlborough.co.nz Join us at www.facebook.com/marlboroughwine
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Selling Into the UK Successfully BY TESSA NICHOLSON
Traditionally the UK has been one of our strongest markets for exports. But that doesn’t mean we can sit back on our laurels and expect our reputation to do the work for us, according to NZ Wine’s European Director David Cox. The UK is one of the world’s most
have a good point of sales, you cannot
hopes they don’t, or follow along the lines
competitive wine markets. Every old
leave it alone for a single season. You
of the high-end premium image that New
world country has a presence and it
have to keep going back as a team,
Zealand already has.
has been the pinnacle for all new world
looking at your marketing message,
“That takes a lot of work and it takes a
producers. Since the early 80s New
changing your marketing slightly and
lot of steely nerve to continue to price
Zealand wine has been accepted and
working at it, in a way that you might not
themselves at the right level and not
loved by a large consumer base. The
have to do with other countries.”
get their arms twisted by operators
price point of our wines in this traditional
And despite what importers and
who say, ‘Oh there is a lot of cheap
market has been on average way above
distributors might be telling you, don’t
Sauvignon Blanc around, so I need
all other countries. Latest Nielsen figures
believe that you have to provide wine at
cheap Sauvignon Blanc from you.’ We
show that New Zealand wines have once
unacceptably lower prices, David says.
need to be playing the value game not
again risen to above £6 a bottle, despite
“Kiwis need to start to learn to be more
the volume game.”
the impact of the global recession.
assertive and proud of their brand and
Which means he says, that companies
However, David Cox believes producers
not be twisted and beaten up by their
need to seriously look at how many tiers
and winemakers need to be involved with
distributor or their retailer. I think we are a
they have within their branding portfolio.
the market on a personal level.
bit subservient and almost trying too hard
He says for the last few years there has
“We want producers in New Zealand
to please. I suspect some wineries are
been a tendency for companies to shift
to really immerse themselves in this
just tweaking their prices down because
boxes rather than build on their own
market and understand the nuances,
they are being asked to. Instead they
mother brand.
the idiosyncrasies, the aspects of how
should be loud and proud about their
“I would like to see brand owners
business is done. Being on top of all the
brand, saying; ‘No I want to put my price
become just that – brand owners and
new things that are developing.”
up thank you very much.”’
not just box movers. So many brand
Europe Events Manager Charlotte
The issue of over supply has fed into the
owners come out with a second, third or
Rushworth says there is no such thing as
hands of the distributors David admits,
even fourth label to shift boxes. Everyone
establishing a distributor and leaving it all
and because of that the landscape has
likes a bit of volume to get some mass,
to them
changed. Decisions have to be made
but we ought to be building Brand New
“Even though you think you are
whether a producer wants to get into
Zealand and the Mother Brand of the
established in the UK market and you
the mass market, which he vehemently
winery, which in the long run will give
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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
you equity in your company. If you want
fascination with Sauvignon at all yet.
which will filter through to the consumer,
to build an export business, usually it’s
The consumers continue to love it, they
that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has a
for the reasons of getting a good return
haven’t gone off it at all. There has been
range of different styles. The sub regional
and building a brand that has a franchise
no drop off in sales at all, it is fantastic.”
differences need to be promoted along
around the world. Shifting boxes that
Which is not surprising David says,
with the more complex styles that are
have different labels on them with
because it is a noble grape and New
currently emerging. Another necessity is
different names that have no connection
Zealand has made it its own.
to be more loud and proud of this variety
with your Mother Brand, isn’t doing that.”
“It has this style and freshness about it
and place it on the pedestal it deserves.
There is also a need for producers to
that has captured the world’s attention.
“We should be telling our importers that if
understand the many different routes
It has certainly captured this market’s
the wine stands up, we are proud to sell
to market that are appearing in the UK
palate. But we have to make sure that the
our 2007, 2008 vintages, even though
currently. David says while there has
quality remains high every single vintage
people are gagging for the 2011 vintage.
been a marked increase in supermarket
and that we don’t cheapen the brand by
Yes the style of the wine is that it’s fresh
retailing, there are many other ways of
making it too cheap.”
and clean and young, but there are some
getting your product out to the consumer,
Hearing him refer to Sauvignon Blanc as
that are actually good to be released
many of them more beneficial in
later. You will find that sommeliers that
terms of price. The days of finding an
are in the know will certainly be happy
importer distributor and leaving them
to accept older wines if they stand
to do the selling is still one option, but
up. But again we fall into the trap of
there are many others as well.
our importers saying; ‘No I don’t want
“Including dealing with the
any more of the 2010. I will wait for the
independent retailers who themselves
2011.’ The thing about us is that we
might now do much more wholesaling
deliver when the glass is poured and
than before. They used to be the
you can’t say that about every country.”
traditional bricks and mortar shop that
And perhaps the greatest thing we can
was seen as just an outlet, but they
do David says, is to stop colloquilising
are now sometimes multi outlets doing
the name of Sauvignon Blanc.
wholesaling, business to business.
“Ban the use of the word savvy or the
They are even selling to the on trade.
phrase Sav Blanc. It is a noble grape,
So the route to market is changing
it has noble origins and we make it
and there are more opportunities
blimmin well. So why go and cheapen
out there. Especially for the smaller
it by giving it a shortened name? It
premium, up market producers who
is too common in my opinion. Would
think they need a distributor to get to
you ever hear a Burgundian calling
the Gordon Ramsey restaurants of this
his wine a Chabby? Never. Personally
world. Not necessarily so. Think about
I think we play into the mass market
the online retailer, or the independent
commodity by cheapening it with such
retailer that gets into high-end restaurants,
a noble variety will gladden the heart of
a shortened name. Stand proud, treasure
start looking at different route to market
many a producer in Marlborough. The
the variety and give it the credit it truly
channels.”
big question though is how do we get that
deserves.”
As for how Sauvignon Blanc is doing in
message across to consumers, who see
Not bad advice!
the UK market – don’t be fooled Charlotte
it as an easy drinking wine that is best
says. The love affair with this variety is way
drunk young? Promoting the diversity of
from over.
it is paramount David believes. There is a
“I don’t think we have exhausted the
strong need to demonstrate to the trade,
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Is There a Need to Promote Our Region More? BY TESSA NICHOLSON
At the recent London International Wine Fair, one of the seminars was based around Global Conversations in regards to wine. Broken down into a range of areas, one of the more interesting sub titles was “Playing the Region Card; Profitable perspectives from key international wine markets.” The following information is based on what was presented at the fair, by Wine Intelligence, a London based company that provides research and strategic advice. Part of their research was to dissect the US and UK market’s and ask consumers just what motivated them to buy a certain wine. For example, was a region of origin important or were other factors considered more of a draw card? In the UK, 59% of those questioned said country of origin was important, and 51% said the region of origin was important. In the US, that importance dropped slightly, 48% said country was important and 46% said region. Other facets that influence choice in the UK include; Grape Variety – (the number one factor), followed by promotional offer, followed by a familiar brand. In the US, variety was the number one influencing factor, followed by recommendation from friends or family. Brand came in 3rd and promotional offer 4th. What the resarchers did discover was, country associations are often made at the detriment of regions. And that could well be because regional wines have not promoted themselves as well as they could have.
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Of course there are always exceptions to that rule of thumb. For example the UK market is well aware of the regional differences coming out of France and Europe. When questioned, the respondents overall awareness of regions was as follows; • Bordeaux • Burgundy • Chianti • Roja • Côtes du Rhône When the consumer said they were aware of a region, they were asked what price point they would normally buy in. Those purchasing in the mainstream prices (£4 to £4.99) came up with a completely different list. • Roja • Marlborough • Barossa Valley • Côtes du Rhône • Napa Valley And when it came to regionally aware wine drinkers who were purchasing at the high price point, (£8 and over) Marlborough fared even better. • Marlborough • Roja • Barossa Valley • Bordeaux • Burgundy
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
This is fantastic news to the producers here, especially given the top place at the higher price point, which is where we really want to be seated, but what has to be realised is that these results are from individuals who are very aware of regions. They do not make up the majority of wine consumers. According to an article by James Halliday following the seminar, “Although prompted awareness of Marlborough is relatively low, consumers have a favourable view of New Zealand and say Marlborough wines are high quality, easy to drink and often recommended by friends. They are more likely to be available in casual restaurants.” It is a similar story in the US. Overall awareness from all drinkers, show consumers are very aware of their American regions, along with Burgundy and Bordeaux. At mainstream price points, purchasers aware of regions list the following in order; • Napa Valley • Sonoma • Marlborough • Barossa Valley • Roja At the high price point, Marlborough remains in 3rd place. • Napa Valley
• Barossa Valley • Marlborough • Sonoma • Roja Research director for Wine Intelligence, Jean Philippe Perrouty said; “Bordeaux and Burgundy are known by 90% of UK consumers but only one in four or less say they would buy it. UK consumers say they are more willing to buy Marlborough or Roja or Barossa – if they have heard of them – than Bordeaux or Burgundy. These wines have been able to create the perception of affordable quality.” The research showed there were strong opportunities for New World regions if only they can overcome the lack of knowledge consumers have about them. Promotions like the NZ UK Link
Foundation, Wine Marlborough Scholarship that General Manager Marcus Pickens is currently helping to establish in the UK, is one way of doing that. The aim is to promote our region and the wines being produced here, on a broader scale in the UK. Next year, someone from the UK will spend a number of weeks in Marlborough, experiencing the region first hand, from the ground up. That person’s experiences will hopefully be used to filter through to consumers unaware of Marlborough and Marlborough wine. However other methods are required to help in the promotion of this region and its incredible diversity. We need to be aiming ourselves at the consumer who is not wine savvy, so to speak. While aiming
at the person who is an avid reader of Decanter, Wine Spectator or Robert Parker’s latest book, is a fantastic goal, we must not lose sight of the average wine drinker. The consumer whose main influences tend to be the grape variety and the recommendation of friends and/ or family. We need to ensure we have the best story to tell, the highest quality to deliver and the follow up to ensure we are hitting the market just as we intended. That could well be the marketing assignment of the future.
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
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The Success of Water Sensitive Papers BY TESSA NICHOLSON
Utilising water sensitive papers to ensure your spray regime is hitting exactly where you want it to hit is an easy and economical way of preventing disease. Growers for Pernod Ricard New Zealand discovered that this year. Normally Marlborough doesn’t have to overly worry about botrytis infections. At least not as much as growers in the North Island have to. Vintage 2010 for example, there were no severe botrytis infection periods throughout the season. However the same can’t be said for 2011, where intermittent rain periods created 13 severe botrytis infections periods. Botrytis itself can be easily managed with a good spray regime, as can other nasties such as powdery mildew and downy mildew. Sprays both conventional and biological are available and if applied accurately can help control any potential outbreaks. The only thing growers have to be careful of, is that the spray they are applying is actually hitting the correct target. Sprays are after all extremely expensive. It’s a costly exercise to undertake and a waste if the spray isn’t effective. There are a number of ways you can confirm just how effective your spraying machine is, with one of the most effective being water sensitive papers. This year SWNZ supplied every member with a free sample of water sensitive
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papers. Pernod Ricard Vineyard Services manager Tracy Taylor says company growers who used the papers were stunned by the effectiveness of them. Easy to use, growers pin folded papers within the canopy prior to a spray trial, normally in the third or fourth bay. Once the spray machine has passed by, the papers are removed and the grower can tell whether or not the spray has hit the interior of the canopy along with the outer edges. The yellow papers turn blue when they are hit by water. If the papers have a large block of yellow, it means the spray hasn’t hit that area. If the papers are dotted throughout with blue, it is a good reading. “Using these water sensitive papers allows you to make adjustments to see whether your spray is actually getting in.” In one grower’s case, the water sensitive papers probably saved him thousands of dollars. The Fairhall grower suffered a small amount of botrytis last year, despite it being a low risk year. This year when he did his test, he found the coverage
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
was nowhere near the 80% target he was looking for. When he retested at the beginning of this season, he saw there was a major gap where spray was not hitting the required target. He added another nozzle to his spray machine and the end result was perfectly clean fruit – despite the many severe infection periods experienced. Another grower had placed the papers in one bay prior to a contractor coming in and spraying. When she showed the papers to Tracy, she was horrified to learn the spray had been ineffective in reaching the target areas. All credit to the contractor who when told of the lack of spray hitting critical points within the canopy, readjusted his machine and came back and re sprayed the entire block. If these growers hadn’t checked with water sensitive papers, the likely impact would have been thousands of dollars worth of fruit loss, due to infection. Prior to working for Pernod Ricard New Zealand, Tracy was in Hawkes Bay with Hort Research and was involved in the launch of the Grape Futures programme
there. She has seen first hand how effective the water sensitive papers are when it comes to spraying effectively, in areas that are far more prone to botrytis than Marlborough. That experience prepared her for the La Nina weather pattern that occurred this year. “Back in October, I knew it was a La Nina year, which means a lot of rain, it’s going to be a botrytis year. So we had to viticulture Gisborne style, which means a lot of spraying and making sure those sprays are getting in.” Tracy understands that for most growers they just want to get on the tractor and spray, without having to fiddle around with a trial first. So she had to convince them that the trial is quick and easy. “The Switch sprays that they use at 80% and pre bunch closure are very expensive sprays and if it isn’t getting into the bunch the fruit will be damaged at harvest. In a La Nina year you just can’t risk that happening, as it’s important for growers to have a harvestable product.” It is vital that growers test their spray coverage at both the critical spray times. A spray that was effective at flowering may not be at PBC due to the increase in canopy. And at PBC it is even more vital than flowering, due to any latent infection being locked within the bunch if it is not controlled. “It is really important to time your spray before the bunch closes up. A lot of people here in Marlborough think because it is windy, they will wait until a calm day and by the time they have put their pre bunch closure spray on, the bunch has already closed.” Given that spray units tend to use a lot of air during the process, the vine canopy can be flattened against the bunches, which will effectively prevent the fruit from the spray itself. “The water sensitive papers will show whether or not the spray is getting into
Water Test Plucked: This is how the vines looked with leaves removed. Notice how clean the remaining fruit is, despite 13 severe botrytis infection periods. (This photo was taken 4 days after harvest.) the bunches, then it might be a matter of adjusting fan speed or nozzle directions so the nozzles are pointing forwards and backwards so you make the leaves flap about and the spray can waft about and get into the middle of the bunch. Then when the bunch closes up, the spray is in there. If you get that internal explosion of botrytis, that starts from the middle of the bunch, you know the spray hasn’t got in there – but it’s too late to do anything about it.” Tracy has tried a number of methods of checking spray effectiveness and is adamant that water sensitive papers are the most efficient and cost effective means available. If
growers are unsure about analysing the papers, she suggests they get in contact with a viticulturist. While there is probably no such thing as 100% spray effectiveness, anything around the 80% mark is considered excellent coverage.
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The Move to Organics and Biodynamics Impressive BY MONTY WALDIN When I first came to New Zealand in 2004 the need to appear green was keenly felt by only some of the wineries I visited. This was despite New Zealand wine’s marketing tagline being “the riches of a clean green land.” I didn’t make many friends by pointing out to New Zealand’s wine growers that they were hardly backing the marketing speak up with real action. At that time I calculated that less than 0.2% of the New Zealand vineyard was certified organic or biodynamic. This compared to France where over 2% of the national vineyard was certified. In Italy the figure was over 2.5%. There was however at least a sense among growers that the number and type of “hard” chemical sprays being used on vineyards needed to be looked at and reduced. If this did not happen New Zealand might run the risk of wines being impounded in strict export markets like Japan, Germany and Canada because of unacceptable levels of residues from permitted sprays. Local residents living downwind of vineyards were starting to complain and even threaten legal action over windblown chemical spray. One notable court case in 2005 even led to damages being paid by a winery after a prosecution. Another winery scored a PR own goal when trumpeting its new carbon-neutral winery, when journalists stepping off the bus to the press launch noticed weedkilled strips under the vines. Why have a green winery they asked when the vines are anything but? A winemaker at one of New Zealand’s iconic wineries told me he loved vineyard worms so much he’d sown worm-friendly
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clovers between the vine rows for them. I gently pointed that because he was also chemically weedkilling the strip under the vines his love for worms could have been only partial at best. “We don’t need organics here in New Zealand,” he snapped. Seven years on and foundations for potentially industry-wide, premium quality bio wine-growing are in place. So what has changed? One issue being addressed is the misconception that New Zealand’s climate made it impossible to be organic. Jason Flowerday of Te Whare Ra, says most vineyards owners “are not from wine backgrounds so it was natural that for their vineyards they’d just follow the standard chemical vine spray schedules they’d been given by their vineyard consultants. They need to see with their own eyes that it is actually possible to farm organically before they will think about changing their spray schedule. With our climate organics is actually straightforward.” In 2006 government money was made available to fund workshops for biocurious wine growers because interest in organics was becoming broader. Many of these workshops were hosted by Andreas Welte, a former farm advisor on biodynamics to the German government, and Bart Arnst who had recently left his job with the biodynamic Seresin winery in Marlborough. The aim was to convince sceptical wine-growers how uncomplicated it was to convert to organics/biodynamics in New Zealand. This was achieved by giving them some examples of practical
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
tools and ways of thinking about dealing with common pests, diseases and weeds using organic and biodynamics and convincing them greener farming methods might even help reduce overall farming costs. Nigel Sowman manages the vineyards at Malborough’s Dog Point. Weeds in Dog Point’s main 150-ha organic Ashmore vineyard near its winery are now ploughed away rather than weedkilled. “With organics we can mechanically weed all day whatever the weather,” Nigel says. “With weedkillers you waste a lot of spray in windy weather, so at certain times of the year you may have to get up at four in the morning because it is the one time of day the prevailing winds are not blowing. If you spray weedkiller in windy weather weedkiller ends up on the vine leaves [which will reduce grape yields and quality]. Thus the organic weeding approach allows you to plan your work regime well in advance which saves time and money. We are finding the weeds we get now are softer and easier to control. They do not grow as high as when we were using weedkillers which also leave the soil compact and hard to work. So instead of three tractor passes with weedkillers we now make three passes with under-vine weed machinery.” Bart Arnt’s seminars encourged growers to understand that micro-organisms can help winegrowers fight vine diseases without resorting to chemicals. “If you soak some seaweed in a barrel of rain water and stir it occasionally you get a liquid that is rich in two things: all the nutrients vines need plus various beneficial micro-organisms. These
beneficial organisms colonise the grapes and stop other organisms which promote diseases like mildew and rot taking hold. The micro-organisms are safe, easy to use and cost-effective. The traditional way of dealing with diseases is via spraypenetrating chemical sprays which are much more expensive, leave residues in the grapes and after a while are ineffective. This is because the disease organisms soon build up resistance to the chemicals so the manufacturers have to keep switching chemical formulations. As a grower you get tired of hearing the same thing from the chemical spray sales teams, that this or that spray is the best thing since sliced bread for controlling disease and within year or two it no longer works. By making some of their own vineyard sprays winegrowers find organics a way of re-gaining their autonomy. They start working things out for themselves instead of paying to be spoon fed by so-called experts.” Bart was asked by industry body New Zealand Winegrowers to help set up an organic research vineyard at the historic Mission Estate in Hawke’s Bay in 2010. Also part-funded by Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OANZ) the Mission vineyard is providing data on organics’ effectiveness and cost compared to a conventional viticulture system run side by side. The aim is to give growers who are weaning themselves off some if not all of the hardest vineyard chemical sprays via New Zealand Winegrowers’s Sustainable (SWNZ) initiative a potentially fully organic, tried and tested template. New Zealand is well-placed globally to develop its vineyards along the biodynamic idea of being as selfsufficient as possible. Livestock like sheep are easily incorporated into vineyard systems for weed control over winter and even spring leaf plucking. Cows can provide manure for compost and compost teas. Around 5% of New Zealand’s 31,000
hectare national vineyard is now in conversion to or with full organic/ biodynamic status, quite a turn around since 2004, and compares well to France and Italy. The aim nationally is to have 20% of vineyards certified by 2020. New Zealand’s biggest bio vineyard, Seresin, is arguably currently the world’s most significant biodynamic wine estate. One fifth of its vines are sprayed by horse and using only fungal-dominated teas for control of mildew and botrytis. These teas are derived from composted material like wood chips. These are rich in fungaldominated material. The wood chips come from the estate’s own wood lots, coppices planted along creek lines. Seresin is aiming to achieve what Californians call “garden-quality farming”, the aim being everything tastes as good as if you’d grown it in your own back yard. Seresin’s less suitable vineyards have been ripped out and converted to herb and vegetable gardens for the staff or animal paddocks. The more self-sufficient the estate becomes the more its wines and oils become unique expressions of place. Mulching and leaving a permanent ground cover under the vines is preferred to ploughing. Colin Ross who oversees biodynamics
at Seresin was the first New Zealand viticulturalist to complete the biodynamic training course at Hawkes Bay’s Taruna College. This comprises three eight-day semesters over seven months. “Around forty New Zealand viticulturalists have done that course now and that is really starting to come through in New Zealand’s viticulture,” Ross says. Taruna college’s most well-known but now retired teacher Peter Proctor worked tirelessly in India with locals developing for them brick-lined pits in which biodynamic cow manure is aged for one month before being stirred in water and sprayed on the land. This microbe-rich manure tea brings beneficial organisms and forces into the soils to promote humus, the bit that makes earth earthy. Almost every Kiwi grower I visited had started using cow pat pit spray – and since my last visit wines from the same estates I visited before have gained vibrancy, freshness, brighter and more robust flavours. These really are wines which merit the tagline “riches of a clean green land”. With a population of 4 million but enough livestock to feed nearly five times as many, New Zealand offers winegrowers thinking of converting to organics/ biodynamics ample material for the initial compost and compost teas needed to make the switch to greener methods both a lasting and inspirational one. Monty Waldin was the first wine writer worldwide to dedicate himself to organic and biodynamic wine, back in 1984. His latest book, Monty Waldin’s Biodynamic Wine Guide is the most comprehensive book on biodynamic wine ever written and features 1500 certified organic and biodynamic wineries worldwide, including a number from New Zealand.
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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
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Organics Course Coming To Marlborough Marlborough is leading the way in terms of applying organic practices within the vineyard. That commitment has been recognised by Taruna College NZ, who are planning an intensive introduction course here in the region. Many Marlborough vineyard managers
growing requires the viticulturalist to
College New Zealand. The course
and viticulturalists have long recognised
manage within the natural constraints of
provides an intensive introduction to
the need to move to environmentally
their terroir and requires a much deeper
organic and biodynamic methods and
sustainable methods to grow their fruit.
understanding of soils, vines and natural
their practical application to agriculture.
For many vineyard owners already
processes.
Due to the expanding interest in
certified to Sustainable Winegrowing
Matt Oliver, vineyard manager at Huia
Marlborough, a one-off viticulture
NZ, the compulsion to be part of a
says; “I didn’t really have the tools as
focused course will start in August. The
recognised environmental scheme by
vineyard manager to practice organics
Marlborough based course, while still
2012 has prompted them to further
properly in that first year. I was practicing
maintaining its broad base, has been
explore non-chemical ways of growing.
substitution organics where you just
tailored to meet the needs of those
This has led to an unprecedented
use an organic version of a product
involved in vineyard management.
growth in both organic and biodynamic
you would otherwise use in a chemical
Course dates have been designed to fit
vineyards in the region. In the coming
vineyard management regime. The
around viticulturalists calendar to make it
2013 vintage, over 1000 hectares of
results were okay but a bit disappointing
easier to attend.
Marlborough vineyards will be fully
and led me to the course at Taruna. There
The course will be presented by
certified organic with a substantial portion
I learned the power of observation and
programme director, John Ridout.
following biodynamic practices as well.
to see the vineyard as a living organism.
He will be supported by a range of
A number of wine companies including
As I walk around the vineyard, taking time
local presenters, adding a unique
Seresin, Huia, Te Whare Ra, Fromm and
to notice what the vines need and when,
Marlborough perspective. The
Rock Ferry have committed their entire
rather than imposing a regimented plan
programme is presented as a series of
vineyards to organic & biodynamic
on the vines, has been a huge change.
three 1-week block courses. There is a
management. Several larger companies,
We have noticed big improvements in
practical focus with participants learning
Villa Maria, Pernod Ricard, Grove Mill and
fruit flavour, disease resistance, soil
through a combination of lectures, field
Framingham, are converting areas to trial
health and staff buy-in. Crucially, and
trips to local organic enterprises and
organic management.
against our initial expectations, yields
hands on exercises such as building
One of the major obstacles to growing
have increased!”
compost heaps and making biodynamic
organically has been a lack of
To aid their understanding of organic
preparations. For further details and to
knowledge amongst growers about
and biodynamic systems, a number
register, visit www.taruna.ac.nz, or phone
how to implement organic practices.
of Marlborough viticulturalists have
06 877 7174.
Chemical methods of growing tend to
completed the Certificate in Applied
impose solutions onto vineyards. Organic
Organics & Biodynamics run by Taruna
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Anton Rasmussen – Marisco Vineyards
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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
Generation Y-ine BY TESSA NICHOLSON
Anton Rasmussen There are two words that sum up Marisco Vineyards viticulturist Anton Rasmussen. Work ethics. They pepper his conversation and are the backbone of how this young Marlborough born man has come so far. A gentle giant of a man, Anton looks every bit the rugby player he was in his younger years. Losing both his parents at a very early age he was fostered by Millie MacDonald and Ian Findlay, part of the large whanau well known throughout the district. The extended family were among the first to install the ethos of hard work into the young Anton. All his holidays were spent working on the Wairau Pa farms, planting, digging and harvesting potatoes, or helping on the dairy farm. Each family member was expected to work and work hard he says. “Growing up with Millie and Ian and the MacDonald family really gave me some good grounding. It gave me good work ethics and gave me confidence.” Those early influences went on to mould Anton, particularly as he went through high school. There was never a doubt that he would end up working outdoors, just where and how he wasn’t quite sure. Horticulture was always an option, although as he grew older and began undertaking some shepherding during the holidays, he was also considering the general farming side of the industry. Then thrown into the mix came viticulture and cherries. Time spent with Neil Litchfield replanting part of his Middle Renwick Rd block in the mid 90s gave him a taste of what that industry held. Working in the
cherries for the Rose and Kinzett families gave him an equal taste of that side of horticulture. “I wasn’t the sharpest tool at school, I was more there for the rugby and eating lunch. Murray Haycock was my horticulture teacher and right from the third form and through my entire time at school he was a major influence. He encouraged me to get involved with horticulture. For me having those practical lessons and getting out there and getting my hands dirty, was where I was really inspired.” Looking back now he says he had one of the best groundings, because he got to experience nearly every facet of agriculture. So why did he decide to travel down the viticulture path? “I think having that time with Neil Litchfield after school in the vineyard, it grabbed me a bit more. The whole vine growing, from pruning, through to seeing the grapes go off to the winery offered so much.” He had his sights set on attending Polytech in Christchurch, undertaking a horticultural programme. The only problem with that was he didn’t want to take out a huge loan to fund his studies. So part way through the 7th form he left school to work, although he continued to study so he could sit his end of year exams. “I was lucky I had friends who would give me their workbooks and I would study those at the weekends. I did reasonably well at Bursary but not good enough to go to University say, but well enough that
I could still carry on with something. I actually wanted to study, but I knew I had to work as well, so at the end of the day it was the best decision.” Basically he worked more than 40 hours a week, then spent his weekends studying schoolwork. He actually didn’t need to. It wasn’t vital that he pass his end of 7th form exams to be accepted for Polytech. But personally he felt it was a waste of all the years he had spent at school, to leave part way through his last year and not follow up with end of year exams. It’s not something many young people would undertake. Unfortunately after putting himself through all that, he quickly realised that the Polytech course he had set his heart on completing, wasn’t for him. “I got down there and to be honest with you, spent just two weeks there. Being a country boy all my life, I didn’t enjoy the city and realised that it wasn’t for me. I’m more of a working person and I actually realised I wanted to work – not study. I talked to the tutors and told them that I would rather come back home and get a mentor and learn from the ground up. They were fantastic. They told me I could always come back at a later stage, but agreed with me that it was probably better for me to learn through working.” Within days of arriving back in Blenheim he had a job with a local vineyard contractor, initially for just a couple of weeks. It was to help establish a vineyard for Morton Estate. Anton could see there was a lot of work available in the development, but knew he had
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to impress the estate manager Mike O’Conner. “We were in there putting in irrigation drippers, which is one of the worst jobs ever. You are bending over all day, every day in the heat. At night I would go home, hardly able to sit down, because I was hurting so much. But Mike noticed how hard I was working and offered me a full time job. To be honest, that’s when things started to progress.” Mike was a tough but fair boss and Anton was finally achieving his goal of learning from the ground up. After 12 months on the job Morton Estate offered him the chance to study via correspondence through EIT in Hawkes Bay. “They paid for me to study for a diploma in viticulture and wine making and gave me time off to study. It was a bloody dream! For me I felt like I had landed on my feet, but again it came back to those work ethics of getting stuck in.” The course had a major practical component within it, which appealed to Anton. “It gave me a good grounding in those early days. I learnt about the whys of viticulture from studying and I think in any business if you understand the basics behind it, you can grow with that business.” Working his way up from being the lackey, Anton became an integral part of the Morton Estate team, learning at the side of Mike and company viticulturist Mark Allen. When phylloxera impacted on the vineyard, he expanded his learning about rootstocks and varietals. All in all he describes it as the perfect job. However given the vineyard was only 60 hectares there was no way he could progress any further, unless Mike left and that wasn’t likely to happen in the near future. So Anton made the decision to move
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to Montana as a permanent worker at Kaituna Estate, attracted by the fact that he was going to be involved in a massive development from the ground up. “I went from clearing the land and hand planting to learning about the machine planting side of things. We had to lay the posts out, place pegs in the ground to mark the post lines, cultivate the ground and even establish a nursery. The machine planting was quite new at the time and I hadn’t had the chance to experience that before. It was just the whole corporate, big company thing that really opened my eyes. For me because I am a machine driven person, the other big thing was they had their own machine harvesters. I had always wanted to be involved in the process of driving a harvester within a company cycle. It was that next step up from understanding the vine in the ground, to dealing with the machinery such as sprayers and harvesters used within the vineyard.” Montana also saw potential in Anton and quickly realised he had the ability to be a supervisor. It was another important skill he was able to add to his ever growing CV. “The other thing was because Montana had a lot of vineyards, I got to see the different growing regions within Marlborough, the Brancott, Fairhall and even the Awatere which they began developing just before I left. It gave me a better understanding of Marlborough as a whole.” The raft of new skills he was picking up were vital in his overall development, but after four years he wanted to put those skills to the test. He began applying for assistant manager jobs within the company and even went as far as looking at moving to Australia. Just when he was about to book his tickets, he got a phone call from the Morton Estate owner, asking
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
if he would be interested in coming back as manager of the 60ha block. His mentor Mike O’Conner was moving on and the job was his if he wanted it. It was a dream come true. But within minutes of being made the offer, he received another call, this one from Mark Allen, who was working at Villa Maria at the time. “He said they had a managers position to develop Pinot blocks for absentee growers in the Southern Valleys and Wairau Plains, and wanted to know if I would be keen to take it on. Pinot was one of my passions and I really wanted to get back to that small block style of viticulture where it was more hands on. It was a big decision for me, do I go back to the 60 hectare block where I had started my career, or move instead to Villa? The thing that swayed me was Mark Allen. He had been a mentor for me in the early days and taught me so much. I just knew that I could continue to learn things from people like him and Mike Trought who was also out at Villa at the time. With them on the team, the chance to develop some blocks and small blocks at that, I could see I would be able to really get stuck in.” It’s not unusual to hear winemakers talk of their love for Pinot Noir as a variety – but not too many viticulturists would come out and say that Pinot was their passion. It is such a fickle grape and requires so much hard work to ensure the fruit reaches the winery in optimum condition. For Anton – that hard work is one of the reasons he loves the variety so much. “It becomes your baby. You have to nurture it. If you let them go they will spiral out of control. But if you look after them, baby them and give them lots of love and attention, you can control each step right the way through.” Being so hands on and having an element of control through his managerial
role, Anton found he was really beginning to understand the finer points of grape growing. Within the Pinot blocks the spacings were much narrower than he had been used to. Some of it was spur pruned, there were new clones being planted and he was learning how to create the perfect fruit in the most economical way. He says the experience gave him a deep understanding of quality based growing. The birth of his son in 2003 was the catalyst for Anton beginning to think about where he was heading next within his career. While he loved the hands on work of developing and managing the blocks at Villa, the hours were beginning to tell. “I really wanted to cement myself in a job where I could again get stuck in, but could ease back on the number of hours I was away from home. Something that was going to provide a long term commitment.” Unbeknown to Anton, Brent Marris was looking at developing a large block of land in the Waihopai. He had been asking around if anyone knew of a viticulturist who would be suitable to help develop the property. Anton’s name inevitably came up. Ironically Anton knew the property Brent had bought, because back in the 90s Morton Estate had looked at it. He knew it was frost prone, that it had dry river bed soils, and that it would take a huge amount of work to turn into a producing vineyard. So when he was offered the job, it was all a bit daunting. “It was cow country, terrible. There was undulating land, boulders everywhere, pits and holes. My stomach turned a bit. I was nervous, because it was frost prone. But I had been dealing with frosts with Villa for three years, so I had the confidence that I could deal with them
here. For me it was a huge challenge. It was a big property but Brent had been in the industry for a long time so I could see a future going forward.” Perhaps the most daunting prospect though was Brent telling him he wanted to develop the entire property over the next three years. “I thought oh geez, how am I going to do that. It was another thing to make my stomach turn.” The first step was to isolate and understand the different blocks within the 360 hectare property. A vast range of soil tests were undertaken well before Anton was able to begin turning the undulating, rock and pot hole ridden land into a working vineyard. The next phase was determining the frost potential throughout the property. “Steve Lock, another member of the Marisco senior management team, spent a lot of time down here doing a microclimate report on the property. His report had all the temperatures within the blocks, the winds, diurnal changes and inversion layers. We had to work out whether we would use water or wind machines to control the frosts. We went with wind machines and before we even did any planting, we had worked out where the machines had to go. The next phase was levelling the land and getting the rocks off. That was a massive undertaking.” In 2004/2005 he spent seven months removing rocks. While he has no idea of the exact amount, he estimates they removed thousands of tonnes. It took another six months to level the land. Drainage had to be established, ponds formed and a massive dam created. “But the key throughout the entire development was to maintain those three different terraces, which would give us different soil types and microclimates.”
Planting alone took four years. “We had to be a year ahead of our development really. Say we wanted to plant in 2007, I had to do the development in 2006. The country here is nothing like what you have on the northern side of the valley, where there are beautiful fertile soils. This is very bony and dry. And here in the valley we can be three degrees warmer during the day and four or five degrees colder at night. The diurnal changes are massive. That was one of the attractions of the property for Brent – the opportunity to produce more classical styles of Sauvignon, showing more complex fruit purity in the wine.” After seven years, Anton’s hard work is beginning to show through in the acclaimed wines coming from the vineyard. His initial goals of being involved with something from the ground up, has come to fruition in the Marisco vineyards. Now as a senior member of the management team, he is a vital part of the company. Not only does he lead the company’s viticulture team, he also spends time being the face of the company working in the trade, conducting tastings and tours and hosting winemaker dinners. He’s come a long way in a relatively short time. But in a very self deprecating way he credits his success to those who have helped him. “I have been so incredibly lucky to have some bloody good people who have mentored me. Right from the very start. And there are people who are still doing that. I have a great team to work with, Brent has an amazing vision which is great to be a part of and I still love what I do. But hey – even with all that, you can’t beat having a supportive wife – and that’s something I am very lucky to have.”
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Helen Woodward
Resource Management Consultant
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•
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NZW’s Exporter’s Forum The Exporter’s Forum is being held here in Blenheim in July. It is considered the one stop shop for expert market advice and commercial insight on trends in the challenging and changing global market. Vital to the ongoing success of the New Zealand wine industry, exports are not
Scandinavia and the US
• Training and tools for US retail
• A number of Chinese speakers will
just about packaging up some wine in a
focus on the world’s fastest growing
case and sending it out to the world, with
market with insights into the trends
hopes it will sell. It is important for anyone
emerging in China and the issues
involving in exporting to understand the
surrounding exporting into the
market they are targeting and how to
country
make the most of it.
• Making the most of the Rugby World Cup • Sustainability practises and their place in marketing • Getting the best out of online and social media
• What does the Canadian market offer
No wine industry event would be
Hence the need to attend the upcoming
in terms of opportunities and how do
complete without an opportunity to
Exporter’s Forum. Some of the highlights
you deal with the monopoly buyers
taste the product. An informal Drinks
of the three day event are as follows:
successfully?
Networking Function will be held on the
• Nielsen will provide an overview of
• Increasing profitability in established
first evening and an international tasting
New Zealand’s four major markets
markets and specifically looking at
will take place on the second evening.
including Australia, UK and US,
the dynamics of growing value in
This will offer an insight into the quality
looking at trends emerging in those
multiples and independents in UK
and pricing of the key competitor wines in
and Australia.
our main markets.
areas as well as key issues that may impact on future sales
• How can you increase sales of
• Sustainability and what it means
premium branded wines and
The Exporters Forum will be held at the
within our markets. How is the
broaden on-trade distribution,
Marlborough Convention Centre, from
story of New Zealand’s sustainable
particularly in restaurants?
July 13 – 15. Registration is vital for the
winegrowing being viewed and how
• Mail order and online retail trends
event, and can be completed online. All
can we leverage the story through
and opportunities for New Zealand
details are available on the website: www.
marketing and communication?
wine
nzwineexportersforum.co.nz
Results from a global survey will be
The forum will also offer those attending
presented at this presentation
the opportunity to take part in two
• How can you grow your business
workshops during the event. The difficulty
in profitable markets and what are
may come in choosing which two you
the key trends and opportunities in
want to attend, given the range is
North America and Northern Europe.
extremely wide and topical.
Included within this session will be a
• Marketing and brand development
section on how to manage importer
• Understanding Chinese culture from
and distributor relationships in
a wine industry perspective
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Wake-up Call for Websites BY RUBY ANDREW
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. So goes the proverb, and for proof, we need look no further than many winery websites on the information highway. In the digital world, out of date, signals out of business We’ve all seen the litter spoiling what
Belinda Jackson, a veteran wine marketer
where most sites disappoint – keeping
should be a scenic route: news pages
based in Renwick, recently tweeted her
things up to date. Freshness is the only
“looking forward to vintage 2008,” awards
dismay at the current state of affairs in
way to guarantee return visits, and
listings that mysteriously stop in 2009,
Marlborough: “I am gob-smacked at
the rule of thumb for winery website
and blogs that die after two or three
how many websites are not up to date.
maintenance is monthly, at a minimum,
entries – all examples of good intentions
Looking at lots of them … and am really
with prompt annual updates for vintage,
paving the way to, if not hell, then at least
disappointed!”
tasting information and awards. If you
online limbo.
Jackson’s concern is shared by others.
have more web pages than you can
Many Marlborough wineries have not
Helen Milner, creative director at Tardis
handle, consider “unpublishing” some
updated their sites since 2009/10 for
Design & Advertising in Wellington,
until you can add new content. The cost
obvious reasons: a river of wine to sell,
believes that wineries have been slow to
of hiring a copywriter or web editor is
staff cutbacks, next to no allocated
recognise the value of a well-designed
minimal: for as little as $100 to $200 a
budget – and not enough hours in a day.
and maintained website – or the damage
month, your website can receive basic
Often built at a local “one-size-fits-all”
that can be done by its opposite.
updates as well as one or two short news
shop with no apparent strategy for the
“When people are intrigued about
items to post on the home page.
brand, some sites are now in dire need
something, one of the first things they
Unfortunately, many older websites were
of a total makeover, which is not an
do is ‘Google’ the website, and they
built without a content management
inexpensive proposition.
largely base their impressions on what
system (CMS) to make instant updates
In an environment where freshness is
the site does – or doesn’t – offer,” Helen
possible. Paying a fee for each revision
key, an outdated website can undermine
says. “Many wineries don’t connect that
creates a psychological barrier to regular
your sales and marketing efforts as
behaviour to what their own sites are
maintenance, which often means that
effectively as bad wine. That’s because
telling people.”
timelines goes out the window. It is also a
it remains the primary online source
David Cox, New Zealand Winegrowers’
clear signal that, at the very least, the site
for customers, the press, sommeliers,
director of marketing for Europe,
needs to be rebuilt.
potential distributors, for anyone who
agrees. Meeting with Tessa Nicholson
The cost of switching to CMS can be
wants to know more about you and your
in London recently, he complained; “I
surprisingly low – provided your site
wine. And nothing is worse than “old
would challenge you to click on anyone’s
still has effective branding and design,
news” – it leaves website visitors with
website – I cringe at most of them.”
and most of the copy remains useful.
the impression your company went out
So what are the cringe factors and what
WordPress, for example, started as a
of business around the time of the last
can you do about them? Ironically, the
platform for blogging, but now offers
update.
cheapest fix applies to the very area
complete website functionality, including
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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
e-sales. Its basic version is free.
Facebook” link. Although your current site
you can provide all the content yourself,
Realistically, however, you’re likely to
may have the capacity to handle extra
you are still looking at a minimum price
require at least some help with converting
functions, it probably lacks the strategy
tag of $10,000 for a premium site. The
the site, which means costs could run
and visual “space” to comfortably
maximum? Let’s just say that some
somewhere between $1,000 to $2,000.
accommodate a Twitter feed, YouTube
winery websites have cost the same as a
Those are two “quick fixes” to stop the
channel, and an easily navigated cellar
brand-new supercharged Range Rover.
cringe. For many wineries, however,
database. If that’s the case, then it’s
Typically, half your spend will be on
the budget is unlikely to stop there.
time to revisit your branding, hire some
design, and half on web development.
Today, the best websites incorporate
expert help for the content and design
Sam Cooke, a web developer and
sophisticated design with online
and engage a web developer for the
the founder of Thinkbox, a new media
shopping and social media – and we’re
construction.
company based in Wellington and
not talking about a hopeful “like us on
Now the costs will start to mount. Even if
Wairarapa, observes that many of us initially assumed our website would only need to be built once – like a house. “You have to make an ongoing investment in this area simply to keep up with the changing technology,” he advises. Before making any changes, it’s worth seeking advice. Many websites credit the designers and developers involved, and annual awards programmes like Qantas Media and the ONYAs list nominees and prize winners. As Sam notes; “I always say advice is free, but you pay for the work.”
These two website pages included here are examples of really good design. Escarpment (Martinborough) – www.escarpment.co.nz and Jules Taylor (Marlborough) – www.julestaylor.com
Ruby Andrew is the director of Vino Vitis Communications, a company that’s all about content strategy, creation and management.
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Growers Look For More Control BY TESSA NICHOLSON
A recent invitation to Marlborough Grape Growers interested in forming a growers co-operative has stirred up considerable interest. Within two days of the advert appearing, more than 40 individuals had made contact. David Dew whose email is at the bottom
“To do it any other way the group would
of people who are clipping the ticket in
of the advertisement, insists he is just
require capital, so if it is a co-operative
marketing (the wine) currently, so it’s an
a “letterbox” for those interested in the
people would have to front up with money
idea to be able to market direct to some
potential for a co-operative. But he was
and there aren’t many who can do that
of the outlets who are interested.
more than willing to explain the whys and
at the moment. So initially, the people I
“This is a genuine attempt to create
wherefores of the invitation.
am talking to, see themselves arranging
an alternative to the current situation.
“Obviously there are a lot of growers
the processing, the bulk marketing on
When you look at most of these people
without contracts and a lot of growers
behalf of the growers, as a way of getting
expressing interest, either they do
who are dissatisfied with the current
started. That would prevent people
something like this or face ripping the
situation. Basically there is a group
having to come up with a lot of money.”
grapes out of the ground. I mean they
wanting to see if they can do better.”
While it is very much early days and
are already facing financial hardship, so
He says there is no intention of following
expressions of interest are still being
what do they do? They either walk away
in the Gisborne footsteps, where
sought, David says the initial thinking is,
from their vineyard or fight to have a
a number of Chardonnay growers
they would like to have a group of larger
go and make something of it, given the
established GrowCo to ensure their fruit
growers.
investment they have made already.”
ended up in the bottle, not on the ground,
“We are trying to see if there is a group of
The industry is well aware that self
following the pull out of many of the major
sufficient larger growers so that instead
labelled wines are appearing all around
companies from the region.
of having 200 people, it might have 30 or
the world, toting the Marlborough
“No, the current thinking is a group would
25 people.”
Sauvignon Blanc name. What David
get together on behalf of the growers,
Step one is to determine if there is
says is concerning is that many of the
link winemaking and sales of bulk wine
sufficient interest, then the group will
companies supplying the fruit/juice for
to start with initially, because there will be
look at whether or not processing can
those wines have been undermining the
the need to start with low capital. Then
be acquired and after that will look at
grower by paying ridiculously low prices
they will try and develop it from there. To
putting together marketing initiatives. The
for fruit.
me this has the potential to be something
whole aim is to ensure the grower ends
“A lot of growers have been offered less
much much bigger than GrowCo and
up with a better return then what they are
than $500 this year. Some have taken
more involved in every part of marketing
currently getting.
that because they had no choice. We all
of Sauvignon Blanc to various people.
“Being frank there are a large number
know that it’s not very economic under
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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
about $1500 a tonne and someone’s got
think it will be difficult to get a reasonable
currently there are people out there with
to look at how we drive it (the price of
arrangement.”
no regard to the future of the industry. The
grapes) back up.”
Well aware that there are many in the
people involved in this group will have
By taking the middle man out of the
industry who will not be happy to see
a big stake in it and will have a much
equation, he says it will provide growers
such a group go ahead, David says many
higher regard for the future. Currently
with a higher price per tonne than they
need to take a good look at just why
there are lots of fly by nighters out there
are currently being offered.
such a need emerged. He says the way
dealing in this product, who don’t care.
At the time of writing this story, the
some of the big companies cut growers
They have no allegiance to Marlborough
advertisement had only appeared twice
off, plus the prices that were being paid,
at all, they don’t care what they do to the
in the Marlborough Express, but within
along with the number of companies
name.
that short time frame, David had already
selling bulk wine at the expense of the
This group however, isn’t about to destroy
had approaches from people wanting
growers, has been a direct cause. And
their own livelihood. They just want to
to buy from the group once it was
he says the group has no intention of
improve their position.”
established.
destroying the high quality Marlborough
“And given the strength some of these
name.
people have in the market place, I don’t
“They won’t be selling crap. Whereas
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For a prompt valuation report at a reasonable rate contact: Hugh Curry
OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS 29 High Street Renwick, T. 572 8787
Ph. 03 578 0474 hugh.curry@xtra.co.nz 28 George Street, PO Box 65, Blenheim, 7240
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
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Marlborough Success – FMR’s R-Series BY TESSA NICHOLSON
The supreme winner at the recent Marlborough Environment Awards was a recycling vineyard sprayer that significantly cuts spray drift and costs. The sprayer was designed and built in Marlborough, by family owned company FMR Group. It was a double awards night for
with the above issues in mind, and
section) said, one photo of spray drift in
FMR. Their SprayPro R-series won the
while some have helped minimise spray
the media can create a lot of negative
Environment Awards Innovation section,
drift, none have addressed the waste of
publicity.
and so impressed the judges it took out
chemical that is inevitable during early
“I think it takes a lot of effort to win people
the supreme award as well.
season spraying.
back and show that the industry is acting
So what exactly is this award winning
Which is why the SprayPro R-series is
in a responsible way. So I commend FMR
machine? Well it’s something that
so innovative. Shrouds at the side of
for this latest development.”
has impressed environmentalist and
the machine protect against drift, and a
But on top of the environmental issue,
excited grape growers. Not only does it
vortex system within recycles any spray
there are huge savings to be made by
effectively prevent spray drift, it also cuts
that doesn’t hit the emerging canopy.
recycling expensive sprays. Richard
chemical costs.
At a recent field day following the
Holdaway who trialled the machine said
FMR working with grape grower Richard
Environment Awards, Chris Clifford,
in the 2009/2010 season the savings
Holdaway and Lincoln Ventures Ltd (LVL),
FMR’s Managing Director, explained how
were substantial.
developed and trialled the SprayPro R
the R-series works.
“Over the season we saved over $22,000
– series for two years before releasing it
“By locating the heads in an offset
in reduced chemical usage. During the
onto the market last year.
position and setting them in a shroud,
testing we recycled an average of 30%
The focus at the beginning of the trial
we created a revolving vortex of air and
of our total spray mix. This equated to a
period, was to develop a sprayer that
substance. The fan is constantly drawing
saving of $160 a hectare.”
was capable of hitting the necessary
from one side of the shield and re-
Richard’s updated figures from the 2010-
areas of the vine, without creating
delivering back into the canopy.
11 season show an improved recovery
masses of spray drift. Particularly at the
“The fine droplets are drawn through the
rate of approx. $32,000.
early flowering period, when there is very
fans, re-introduced into the spray stream.
There is another major benefit for
little canopy to provide shelter.
The larger droplets hit the shield and are
growers. Given the shroud protects
At this point in the spraying cycle, it’s
carried down with gravity and pumped
from spray drift, it allows spraying to
estimated that up to 90% of spray can
back through a filtration system to the
be undertaken in less than perfect
be lost to the air or the ground. Given the
tank to be re-used.”
conditions, which in Marlborough’s case
cost of sprays, that is a huge waste and
The environmental benefits are obvious.
will be a blessing, given the propensity to
expense.
As Rob Agnew from Plant and Food
wind during spring.
There have been machines designed
Research, (sponsors of the Supreme
FMR Group has also developed a Spray
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savings calculator which can be used to predict the potential savings in chemical costs from the use of a R-series sprayer. Data is entered into the calculator from a spray diary, from previous season and the growth stage set for each application. The system will then generate a complete report detailing the savings predicted by use of the R-series sprayer. Data is based on actual test results throughout two entire seasons. The calculator can be accessed on the FMR website (www.fmr group. co.nz) Given FMR is a Marlborough
being carried out in other wine producing
Aura Sustainability’s carbon footprint
based, family owned company, this
countries.
programme and Te Whare Ra winery.
acknowledgment is a success story in
Winepress will feature each of these
more ways than one.
Other winners from the Marlborough
The new machine is already being
Environment Awards include Wither
exported to Australia, with assessments
Hills Wetland Restoration Project,
winners in future issues.
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Pruning in Marlborough Heads for the Big Screen It is accepted that pruning is one of the most important jobs undertaken in the vineyard. Yet many pruners come to the job with little or no experience. So a best practice training tool, in the form of a DVD is about to be produced. The ability to transfer information and
most costly job a grower will undertake
“Currently when we recruit workers in the
knowledge on to the wider community
in a year, setting up the vines for the next
Islands, we tend to go over with some
has always been a tricky issue for sector
vintage. The pruner has to know how to
photos and secateurs trying to explain
leaders. It becomes even more difficult
get the bud numbers right, what canes
to the people what they have to do. A
when the information you are attempting
are best left and what ones should be
DVD will explain it much better. And it
to get across, is going to people who
removed. We need to know that those
will be able to be used to up skill staff as
are new to the industry. That was one
doing the work are doing it right.”
well, as they are often shown just once or
of the issues discussed recently by the
With support from New Zealand
twice how to prune a vine. At least with a
Wine Marlborough Technical Committee.
Winegrowers and industry related
DVD they can go back time and again to
Spokesman James Jones says while
companies, the DVD will begin filming
check they are working correctly.”
expert pruning methods are celebrated
later this year. James says the idea is to
A first for the industry, he is hopeful it
in competitions such as Silver Secateurs,
make it concise, informative and easy
won’t be the last.
the whys and how to, are often
to navigate. There will be eight different
“We would love this to be a first in a
overlooked with newcomers.
chapters, covering the following areas;
series of Best Practice DVDs. It would be
“And as the vineyard area has increased
• Equipment and safety
great if areas like canopy management,
in Marlborough, we have required more
• The balanced vine
spray application, and fruit thinning could
and more pruners to do the job. At times
• Young vine pruning
be included in the future. It could well be
we have been concerned that the quality
• Cane pruning
the start of a chain of these information
of some of those newcomers isn’t what
• Trimming and wrapping
transfers DVDs..”
we would like.”
• Mechanical stripping
While the initiative has come out of
The idea of a training day was
• Spur pruning
Marlborough’s technical committee, the
• Sylvoz pruning
end product will be geared towards the
suggested, but that would only benefit those attending. A DVD however could
Separating the entire programme
be watched and referred back to, time
into chapters will allow the viewer to
and again.
concentrate on the area that applies to
“We wanted a training tool that promoted
them. It could also be more beneficial
best practice, so that everyone in the
than the on the spot training many
region was on the same page. It is the
workers currently get.
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entire New Zealand wine industry.
Wine Happenings A monthly list of events within the Marlborough wine industry. To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to tessan@xtra.co.nz
JUNE 8
Warren Moran on Sub Regional GIs – Wine Research Centre Theatre. Bookings ph Kate - 5779299
14
NZW Grape Day – “Dealing with variability”, key messages from the Designer Vines Research Programme. Marlborough
14
Industry meeting following Vintage 2011 – Marlborough Convention Centre
19 – 23
Vinexpo 2011 – the 30th event held – Bordeaux France
25
Pinot at Cloudy Bay - bookings phone Stephanie McIntyre +64 3 520 9197
Convention Centre – register now at www.grapedays.co.nz
JULY 13 – 15 Wine Exporter’s Forum – Marlborough Convention Centre – info from: www.wnzwineexportersforum. co.nz 22
Silver Secateurs in Marlborough, plus Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year. Details to come.
AUGUST 25 – 27 Romeo Bragato Conference. Ellerslie Event Centre, Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland,
OCTOBER 6
Marlborough Wine and Cuisine at Brancott Vineyard – details at www.wine-marlborough.co.nz/ MarlboroughWineandCuisine.htm
28-30
Marlborough Wine Weekend – an iconic and exclusive 3-day event, highlighting the Marlborough Wine industry. More details at www. marlboroughwineweekend.co.nz
NOVEMBER 6 – 10 The 6th International Specialised Conference on Sustainable Viticulture; Winery Waste and Ecologic Impacts Management – Convention Centre Blenheim
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News From Home and Away International Wine Challenge Accolades Gold medals went to the following Marlborough wines. It is interesting to note, and pleasing to see the range of varieties represented. Stanely Estates Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 Framingham Classic Riesling 2009 Brancott Estate Renwick Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Brancott Estate Showcase Series Sauvignon Gris 2010 Oyster Bay Marlborough Chardonnay 2009 Nautilus Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2009 Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay 2007
Fairleigh Estate Riesling 2010 Redwood Pass Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Second International Judge for Spiegelau Wine Competition Ralph Kyte-Powell, well known in New Zealand wine circles, has been confirmed as the second international judge for this new competition. The Spiegelau competition is being judged here in Marlborough later this month. Ralph will join Phil Reedman MW from Australia, and 10 top New Zealand based wine judges under the control of chief judge Mike DeGaris from Sydney. NZ Features at the Restaurant Nicknamed “Oscars of the Food World.” Well done to the Complexity team, who managed to get New Zealand food and
CLASSIFIEDS VINEYARD MACHINERY FOR SALE John Deere 5525 N 4WD Tractor with and without front linkage, four available. Call Woody 021704529 Same Silver 100 Tractor - $18,000 +GST Loader attachment, 4WD workhorse, needs some work. ph 021856192 or 03 5722823 Croplands Fungicide Sprayer - $50,000 + GST Cropland Quantum Mist Vineyard Sprayer 2200ltr, 3 row. QM Sardi 380 fans. Fitted with self tracking draw bar, hydraulic oil power pack fitted which enables you to use these sprayers on a wide range of tractors. Purchased new 2009. ph 021856192 or 03 5722823 Fieldmaster Mower- $ 10,000 +GST Fieldmaster GM140 mower suitable for narrow rows. 1.40 m cut with an overall width of 1.45 m. Purchased new 2008. ph 021856192 or 03 5722823 Croplands Herbicide Sprayer - $6,500 + GST Croplands Herbiliner spray unit double row 1500 lt. Good condition. Purchased new 2007. ph 021856192 or 03 5722823
wine into the renowned James Beard Foundation Restaurant in New York. As the heading says this restaurant has been titled, (by Time Magazine) as the “Oscars of the food world.” In other words they only deal with the best of the best. The event was hosted by New Zealand’s Consul general in New York and included a themed lunch, followed by a banquet featuring a diverse range of handpicked ingredients sourced from 14 producers, mated with wine varietals from eight vineyards represented by Complexity Fine Wine Group. Marlborough’s wines were included on the wine list. Just to get your organisation into The Foundation is some mammoth effort, with bookings for events there known to sell out in a matter of hours, once they are advertised.
Vineyard Husbandry Over 15 years we’ve refined the process of growing grapes on limestone with Biodynamics, to produce very special styles in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These wines are becoming recognised all around the world, which means we need to focus more on nurturing our community. We can’t do everything, so we need an additional team member. Someone who’s practical, has an empathy for plants and can help in all areas of our vineyard and winery. We’re based in North Canterbury.
Like to learn more, phone anytime – 0800 BELLHILL for a recorded message.
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.
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06/2011 WINEPRESS
The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough
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