Winepress - September 2011

WINEPRESS Issue No. 207 / September 2011

Bragato 2011

Sauvignon Symposium

MAF Report

Brand Marlborough

Photo: Jim Tannock

The Official Magazine of

www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

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In this issue...

Regulars

Features

3

8

4 7

Editorial

Tasman Crop Met Report Marketing Matters

11

27 Wine Happenings News From Home and 28 Away

12 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

Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd. T: 03 578 1322 WINEPRESS is printed with vegetable oil based inks on elemental chlorine free paper which is sourced 100% from well managed forrests and manufactured under ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.

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President’s Report

Stuart Smith – President of the New Zealand Grape Grower Council - presented his annual report at the AGM, during the Romeo Bragato Conference. We bring you that report.

p16

Brand Marlborough – How’s it Faring?

Peter McAtamney from Wine Business Solutions has a very good handle on how Marlborough is doing in the Australian market.

He is more than a little interested in the state of play – given he is a former Chair of Wine Marlborough. And according to him – our brand is doing very well.

Profitability the Biggest Issue for Growers

That will probably come as no surprise to anyone involved in the wine industry. But the annual MAF Viticultural Report which focuses on Marlborough, shows some interesting trends. Prices dropped – yet income rose within the local model. We see why.

p17

Sauvignon Blanc Symposium in Marlborough

The very first such symposium was held in Austria back in 2008.

Now the Austrians would like this country and Marlborough in particular to take up the mantle for the next event. What’s more they are keen to help organise and fund it.

p19

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

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: tessa.nicholson@me.com 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 Anna Flowerday: ajflowerday@xtra.co.nz Blair Gibbs: blair@spyvalley.co.nz James Jones: james@starborough.co.nz Ivan Sutherland: ivan@dogpoint.co.nz Ben Glover: ben@witherhills.co.nz Peter McLeod: peter.mcleod@pernod-ricard-nz.com Ruud Maasdam: ruud@staetelandt.co.nz

Was it because it was held in Auckland?

Was it the cost?

Was it a lack of interest?

Or was it because people have become complacent about it?

Whatever it was, the Romeo Bragato Conference didn’t attract as many industry members as organisers would have liked. Considering the theme of this year’s conference, Getting Back to Profitability, it’s interesting to note the lack of numbers.

There was concern expressed that despite the conference initially being established for growers to take part in – it was those growers who were conspicuous by their absence.

For many years now, there have been murmurings about the viability of holding such a conference on an annual basis. While the cost of registration isn’t overly high – the associated costs of travel and accommodation are. And in this day and age, when every cent is being carefully watched – an event such as this one is likely to be the first to be passed over.

Yet holding such an event every second year may also not be ideal. Winegrowing is a seasonal thing. No two years are ever the same. So would a biennial event be enough to satisfy NZW’s membership?

Hopefully it is one of the issues that the audit into NZW, by Price Waterhouse Cooper will address. (That report is due out in October.)

There is another area the organisers have to seriously consider – and that is where they hold the conference. If it is aimed at growers, as it was established to be, then surely it should be held in the area where the most growers live. It’s all very well trying to share it around, but let’s face it – Marlborough is the largest grape growing region and if you aren’t able to get those growers to turn up to an all important conference, then you are starting off on the back foot.

That idea appears to have been taken on board, given the talk that Bragato will return to Marlborough next year.

Or the year after – depending on whether the conference remains an annual event or a biennial.

Maybe it could be linked in with the Exporter’s Forum – hold both events together – that just may help organisers get back to profitability.

Clive Jones: cjones@nautilusestate.com Richard Rose: kvl@silkweb.net.nz Guy Lissaman: glissaman@xtra.co.nz

TESSA NICHOLSON tessa.nicholson@me.com Cover photo: Yealands Estate

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Met Report Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – August 2011

August

2011

August 2011 compared to LTA

August LTA

Period of LTA

August 2010

GDD’s for month -Max/Min¹ GDD’s for month – Mean²

18.1 38.9

109% 114%

16.6 16.6

(1996-2010) (1996-2010)

25.0 37.5

Growing Degree Days Total Jul – Aug 11 – Max/Min Jul - Aug 11 – Mean

23.2 57.0

87% 101%

26.6 56.7

(1996-2010) (1996-2010)

26.8 52.7

Mean Maximum (°C) Mean Minimum (°C) Mean Temp (°C) Mean Temp (°C)

14.6 2.2 8.4 8.4

+1.1°C -0.8°C equal -0.5°C

13.5 3.0 8.4³ 8.9³

(1932-1980) (1932-1980) (1932-200) (1986-2009)

14.6 5.5 10.1 10.1

Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 17

1.6 more 6.2 more

15.4 10.8

(1932-1980) (1986-2009)

5

Air Frosts (0.0°C) 8

0.4 more 4.0 more

7.6 4.0

(1932-1980) (1986-2009)

1

Sunshine hours 235.0 133% 177 Sunshine hours – lowest 129.2 Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2011 1536.8 99% 1545.0

(1935-2000) 1941 2011 (1930-2000)

155.8

Rainfall (mm) 52.6 82% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) -2011 425.0 95%

64 4.6 172.1 446.0

(1930-2000) 1969 1990 (1930-2000)

1471.4 83.2 549.8

Evapotranspiration – mm

68.6

144%

47.6

(1996-2010)

47.3

Windrun (km)

218.1

89%

245.7

(1996-2010)

207.1

Mean soil temp – 10cm

5.2

-1.2°C

6.4

(1986-2010)

9.0

Mean soil temp – 30cm

7.2

-1.2°C

8.4

(1986-2010)

9.8

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures ³Mean temperature for two long-term average periods provided as a contrast Sunshine Hours August 2011 has entered the record books as the sunniest August on record for Blenheim for the 82 years 1930-2011.

August recorded 235 hours sunshine, beating the previous highest total of 225.8 hours recorded in 1972.

The only down-side re the sunshine was that Nelson managed to record 12 hours more than Blenheim for August. Nelson is now 44 hours ahead of Blenheim so far in 2011. However, with the high August total, Blenheim has leapfrogged ahead of Whakatane, into second place behind Nelson.

Possible Sunshine Most readers will probably be unaware of how the sunshine that Blenheim receives actually relates to the possible sunshine. “Possible sunshine” is the number of hours during the day when sunshine could be recorded, i.e. assuming no clouds in the sky to block the sun. The actual number of hours of

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sunshine received can be expressed as a percentage of the possible hours. The long-term annual average sunshine for Blenheim (1930-2010), is 2457 hours. The possible sunshine hours are 4256, i.e. on an annual basis Blenheim receives only 58 percent of possible sunshine hours.

However, 235 hours sunshine for August 2011 was 75% of possible.

Given that Blenheim is one of the sunniest locations in New Zealand, the figure of only 58 percent of possible sunshine received, indicates how New Zealand is aptly named the ‘Land of the long white cloud’. Being long narrow islands surrounded by ocean, New Zealand experiences a lot of cloud-cover.

Other NZ locations and percentage of possible sunshine received are as follows: Auckland 50%, Palmerston North 42%, Wellington 48%, Nelson 57%, Christchurch 47%, Gore 39%, Greymouth 40%. Someone needs to remind Nelson that they are not supposed to receive as much sunshine as Blenheim.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

In contrast, the sunniest city in the world is Yuma, Arizona, USA, which receives approximately 4100 hours sunshine per annum, or 90% of 4555 possible hours.

Temperature The Met Report one year ago detailed that 2010 recorded the fourth warmest (10.1°C) and 2009 the warmest (10.9°C) August on record for Blenheim, for the 79 years 1932-2010. Three of the warmest August mean temperatures on record for Blenheim occurred in the six years between 2005 and 2010. The mean temperature for August 2011 of 8.4°C is in complete contrast to those in 2009 and 2010. Table 2 indicates the markedly differing weekly temperatures during August 2011 and how they compare with August 2010. The second week of the month was 2°C below the long-term August average of 8.4°C, whereas the fourth week of the month was 3.8°C above the long-term average. In fact the average temperature of 12.2°C in the final week of August was also well above the September average (10.6°C), and not too far below the October average (12.7°C).

Table 2: August 2011 and 2010 weekly mean temperatures Week 2011 2010 1-8 8.0 10.7 9-16 6.4 9.7 17-24 7.5 9.7 25-31 12.2 10.2 Mean 8.4 10.1 L.T.A 8.4 It is interesting to note that the average daily maximums for August 2011 and 2010 were both 14.6°C. However, the average daily minimum was 2.2°C in 2011 and 5.5°C in 2010. The average daily range in temperature of 12.4°C in August 2011, is the highest on record for the 26 year period 1986-2011.

Chill Hours In all the Met Report articles that I have written I don’t think that I have ever summarised chill hours. This is mainly because grapes do not require a large amount of winter chilling and chill hours are not normally reported for viticulture. Some New Zealand horticultural magazines report winter chilling, especially with reference to the production of stone fruit, such as

apricots. Without enough winter chilling stone fruit do not flower and set fruit properly.

There are a number of ways that winter chilling is recorded. The simplest is to sum the total hours below a threshold temperature. 7°C is often used as the base temperature below which chill hours are summed.

The following text was accessed on 30 August 2011 from: cemadera.ucdavis. edu/newsletterfiles/Vine_Lines15654.pdf and it was written by UC Davis Viticulture Farm Advisor - Stephen J. Vasquez.

“As grape canes mature, their buds enter a type of dormancy in which their growth is suppressed despite otherwise favorable conditions.

Repeated exposure to cold temperatures dissipates this form of dormancy and once the chilling hour requirement is satisfied, it is only low temperatures which prevent bud burst. The number of chilling hours required by grapes varies among the different varieties, but most grapes only need about 150 chilling hours.

This is much less than that required by other temperate fruits such as cherries or peaches which may need up to 800 hours of chilling”.

I had been told by a colleague Damian Martin that he had observed grapes in Northland a number of years ago that appeared to be suffering from a lack of winter chilling. They were exhibiting poor and irregular budburst and spindly growth. I had a look at the winter chilling from some of the Northland weather stations on the © HortPlus NZ Ltd web site. It appears that in some years they do not accumulate 150 chilling hours.

Northland would appear to be the only region in New Zealand that sometimes does not accumulate enough winter chilling for grapes.

Table 3: Total winter chill hours below 7°C recorded in Blenheim, 2005-2011

June July August Total

2011 202 318 355 875 2010 219 346 149 714 2009 396 358 152 906 2008 270 307 257 834 2007 339 261 265 865 2006 397 234 266 897 2005 285 176 228 689 August 2011 accumulated significantly

higher chilling hours than in recent years.

However, the three month winter chilling total for 2011 is similar to a number of the previous years.

Frosts Seventeen ground frosts for August 2011 was the highest August total since 1985, which recorded 19. Eight air frosts is the highest number since 2004, which recorded 10. This was quite a contrast with August 2010, when only five ground frosts and one air frost were recorded.

Soil Temperatures When meteorological records were recorded manually, prior to the automation of weather stations, the thermometers and other instruments were read at 9am. Hence the reason that most automated weather stations still produce a 9am daily summary. The 9am soil temperatures are point in time readings at 9am, not an average over the previous 24 hours. Given that August 2011 recorded a higher than average number of ground frosts it is not surprising that the 10 and 30cm soil temperatures were both 1.2°C below average.

Growing degree days The comparison between growing degree-days recorded in August 2010 and 2011 is rather interesting given that the mean temperatures were 10.1°C and 8.4°C respectively. You would naturally assume that the growing degree-days would be higher in 2010, with a higher mean temperature. This was not the case, with 2011 recording slightly higher degree-days. The very warm last week of August 2011, with an average temperature of 12.2°C, contributed nearly all the growing degree-days for the month.

You need to remember that growing degree-days are only recorded above a base temperature of 10°C. In the latewinter-spring when the mean monthly temperature is often around 10°C, the growing-degree day totals, calculated on a monthly, daily or hourly basis can differ quite a lot, e.g. for August 2011 calculating the GDD’s from the mean monthly temperature of 8.4°C, the total is zero calculating the GDD’s on a daily basis from the daily max and min, the total is 18.1 calculating the GDD’s on an hourly basis from the hourly mean, the total is 38.9

As I have explained in a previous Met Report, when you are comparing growing degree-days you need to be aware of the method of calculation, especially when you are looking at data when the temperatures are around 10°C. Rainfall Rain was recorded on each of the six days from 11 to 16 August. However, these were the only days during August that recorded any rain. Blenheim’s rainfall total for the eight months January to August 2011 was 425 mm, or 95% of the long-term average of 446 mm.

Wind Average daily wind-run for August 2011 was 218.1 km, only 89% of the long-term average. So far in 2011, only July has recorded higher than average wind-run.

Evapotranspiration I mentioned in last month’s Met report that I would not normally comment on potential evapotranspiration (PET) in the winter as it is not particularly relevant in relation to plant water use. However, for the second month in a row PET has been a lot higher than normal. PET for August 2011 of 68.6 mm was 144% of average, or 21 mm above average. The last week of August with high temperatures was when the high PET was recorded. This PET is more applicable to the pastoral industry in August/September when dryland farms rely on a good flush of late winter / early spring pasture growth.

Soil moisture in the top 35 cm at the Grovetown Park weather station fell by four percent in the last 10 days of August.

An indicator of how rapidly soil moisture can fall once the temperatures start to warm up.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Marketing Matters Simplicity the Key For those of you who attended the

to market, communicate, operate

recently held New Zealand Winegrowers

or sell better. It is more a matter of

one to coincide with your visit

Exporters Forum, I hope you have

understanding where you are weak and

brand and stories that you tell – the

revisited your notes and made some

trying to improve this step by step. Many

first few seconds are important to

changes to the way you do things. There

external people you deal with or sell to

capture excitement and to cement

were many bold suggestions that ranged

will have suggestions – why not survey

your personal and brand points of

from getting rid of the familiar prattle on

them?

your back label, to improving what you

Is it that simple? Well, from what was

do on your market visits.

said time and again at the Exporters

NZ first/region second and connect

While I heard a bit of comment from

Forum (given a few assumptions about

your brand to both

within the forum that some of the content

wine quality etc) basic selling is the key.

was exporting 101, it would be fair to

Can the recipe for selling often get lost

pour wines frequently to educate and

say that the simplest lessons are often

the more you do it to the same people?

inform

the best. How many times do we have

Can we overcomplicate the process and

to hear the same messages about

forget the basics? Do we think we know

follow up all calls with thanks and

improving our labelling, story telling,

all the content of what was delivered at

checking you do what you promised!

selling techniques and being proud to

the exporters forum but that in reality a

Much of the above is common sense and

stand up and say we are world class,

back to basics approach could deliver

not that hard to implement. Can we do

before it happens? It seems to come out

some good results?

the above better? I am sure we can. Our

whenever a marketing focused event

Here are some simple things that I took

customers want to hear our stories and

is held, so why is it still being said? Is it

note of:

discover why New Zealand wines stand

because of the increased competition we

1. Choose the right distribution partner

out from the crowd, but they also are

6. Improve the way you introduce your

difference in sales peoples minds 7. Make the seller smarter – speak to

8. Set aside a big samples budget and

9. Do your homework in the call and

are forcing on ourselves or is it that our

using the tools that you can rely on –

impressed and more likely to give us a

brands are all the same – sheep like, all a

instinct is only one of them

piece of their valuable shelf space or wine

bit stranded in the middle of the pack?

The value of learning at these types of seminars, conferences and events

2. Brief your partner and direct them well - regularly

list if we understand their business, fulfil their business needs and help differentiate

3. Request and insist on market

is implementing what you have learnt

information from them and use it to

in either a bold and visible way, or by

plan your market visits

them from their competitors.

Please feel free to contact me about any

changing the way you do things. Being

4. Always sit down with your distributor

willing to change is so critical in today’s

and review your business whenever

Phone: 03 577 9299

business environment and you must

you are in the market (and if you

Mobile: 021 831 820

aren’t there enough do it via Skype).

Email: marcus@wine-marlborough.co.nz

embrace this. Most of our businesses don’t need a strategic review of the

topic any time.

5. Try and plan your visit to your

sort that New Zealand Winegrowers

distributor around their team

is currently undertaking, to tell us how

meetings or see if they can organise

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President NZGGC President’s Report at AGM The following is an extract from the President of the NZ Grape Grower’s Council report at the recent AGM, where Stuart was re-elected for another 12 months.

It is impossible to understand the

their growers are receiving the right price

wineries to a pressure valve for growers

2011 vintage without the context of

incentives to produce high quality fruit is

who now have the option of selling to

the preceding sales year. From July

given serious attention.

buyers with a new business model.

2010 to June 2011, the New Zealand

Reflecting on the 2011 vintage, it is

This has come about because, for a

wine industry sold 221 million litres of

heartening to see such positive increases

significant section of growers, it is less

wine. That is the equivalent of 310,000

in demand. But it is equally important that

profitable and more financially risky for

tonnes worth of grapes. We would have

the industry does not once again lose

a grower to supply grapes for premium

sold more, but stocks of Marlborough

control of the supply – demand balance.

bottled product than for the bulk market.

Sauvignon Blanc (including the surplus

Although there has been almost no new

It can be questioned whether this market

carried over from recent years) were all

planting activity this year, there is still the

structure really matches our aspirations

but sold through by April.

scope for a production spike. A majority

as an industry.

Against that background, a record

of vineyards are still operating under yield

328,000 tonnes was harvested this

caps and there is still fruit that is being

year, and we fully expect that this will all

left unharvested. Factor in the smaller

be sold. The proportion of the vintage

vintage seen throughout most North

exported is already more than a month

Island regions and you can see that there

ahead of the norm.

is no room to be complacent.

The average grape price fell once more

The other question mark that hangs over

to $1172 per tonne, pointing to very

the vintage is bulk wine. Clearly a vintage

restricted grower earnings. Growers were

of this size will not all be sold as bottled

forced to rely heavily on cut-backs and

wine. More likely is that bulk wine will

efficiencies, as well as off-farm income

continue to account for a similar share of

to make ends meet. In Marlborough,

exports to last year – around 30%. The

the larger crops and the presence of

nature of the bulk wine phenomenon is

the bulk wine market as a backstop

changing, and I do not believe that we

allowed a better return than last year

fully understand its implications for better

for many growers. But in other regions

or worse. Ultimately, the question is: what

where crops were smaller and the costs

impact do bulk wine exports have on

of management higher, grower incomes

New Zealand’s premium market position?

took another hit. As winery incomes start

One thing we do understand is that

to improve on the back of sales growth, I

from a growers’ perspective, bulk wine

would hope that the question of whether

has morphed from a pressure valve for

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Research The Winegrowers’ research programme this year demonstrated the results of our efforts to align outcomes with the growers’ bottom line. With cost saving and efficiencies becoming ever more essential to growers’ businesses, we have initiated research projects on use of sheep for leaf plucking, mechanical pruning and thinning, the timing of pruning; all of which will have immediate and tangible benefits for growers. Another major coup has been convincing Growsafe to recognise SWNZ and other Winegrowers workshops as credits towards continuous Growsafe recertification – saving considerable cost and inconvenience for members in maintaining their Growsafe status.

The pressing problems of yield

management, botrytis management

report of the Land and Water Forum has

Winegrowers’ activities and the mix of

and virus elimination have been the

outlined a comprehensive set of options,

activities is well supported. There were

subject of ongoing research investment.

upon which we are developing national

some who were not so positive; but this

The national body managed to secure

positions. Our greatest concerns relate

sort of feedback is vitally important and

$1 million in Government funding for

to the proposed option to leave water

will be taken into account. We did not do

a major project to consider the vine-

allocation purely to market forces, without

the survey to collect pats on the back.

related aspects of yield management;

taking into account the efficiency of the

The outcomes of the survey will be fed

a practice that has become the norm

use to which it is put. The national body

into the work that Price Waterhouse

for most of the grape growing sector.

will be putting increased emphasis on

Coopers is undertaking in its strategic

Management of pesticide use has also

this area of activity over the coming year.

review of the industry and of the

been a focus through the Grape Futures project. Guides on spray application both by growers and by those in the vicinity of grape vines, have been developed to help minimise the risk of incidents of spray drift causing real economic harm to growers.

Add to this the ongoing projects such as the Sauvignon Blanc Flavour and Aroma project and you can see that we have

national body’s activities. This will be

Sustainability It is only a year out from the target date of 2012 set for the completion of the 100% sustainability goal. SWNZ membership stands at 96% of vineyard area and 96% of winery capacity.

There are 1800 hectares of vineyard in organic management or in conversion to organics. We are all but there.

supplemented with dozens of interviews with members and others as well as a very brief supplemental survey. PWC will report to the Board in October, but one of the really heartening messages that has come back from their work to date is that members strongly support the idea of a united industry organisation.

Over the past twelve months the national

Parting thoughts

body has been laying the groundwork

In this year’s annual report, I said that

for the next phase: selling the story.

there was no going back to the golden

Resource management

The results of research that has been

days before 2008. Whatever happens

Securing a reasonable set of rules for the

conducted in our major markets about

from here on out, the industry is not going

operation of frost fans has once again

what sustainability means to gatekeepers

to return to the way it was three years

been a major activity for the national

and consumers has shown resoundingly:

ago. That is not necessarily a bad thing.

body. An appeal to the Environment

sustainability is very important to the

Many of the difficulties we have lived

Court regarding amendments to the

market.

though in recent times are attributable to

Hurunui District Plan led to a successful

Some of our competitors have been

the goldrush that governed grape and

outcome. We are continuing to pursue a

in the market hyping up sustainability

land prices in the mid-2000s.

negotiated settlement to our Environment

schemes that do not have either the

This does not mean that we turn our

Court appeals in Marlborough and

depth or breadth of what we have done

back on what we have achieved in the

Tasman based on the Hurunui decision.

in New Zealand. We are planning to take

past. On the contrary, the next phase of

We are optimistic that we will achieve

the New Zealand sustainability story to

our development must be built upon the

positive outcomes in both cases that will

the market and make New Zealand the

foundations that we have laid down over

largely resolve our national level issues

benchmark against which others are

many years. The ability to innovate and

by establishing rules that can stand as

judged.

adapt to changing circumstances, the

a very full and well targeted research programme in the service of the industry.

precedents in the event that issues arise in other regions.

The Government continues to push forward with its agenda to resolve issues around the allocation, use and monitoring of water, albeit at a slower pace than originally anticipated. The

understanding that every grower and

Having your say In March 2011, the national body commissioned a comprehensive survey of the membership to determine how members felt about our activities. A little over 200 growers completed the survey.

The majority were positive overall about

winery shares an interest in the reputation of our national brand, recognition of the importance of delivering products with quality, integrity and authenticity; these are the essential elements that must remain constant.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

|

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

The Health of Brand Marlborough in Australia TESSA NICHOLSON

Despite a flood of cheaper Sauvignons hitting the Australian market, a former Wine Marlborough Chair says the health of the Marlborough Brand is amazingly strong.

Peter McAtamney is the Principal of Wine

or sweeter, pinker, bubblier,” if you want

Business Solutions based in Sydney.

to hit this growing market.

His company is the only one of its kind

And it’s not the lower price points he is

providing management consultancy

talking about. For example, the $20 to

to wine companies in Australia, South

$30 white wine Australian off-premise

Africa and New Zealand. Wine Business

market has seen a growth in Chardonnay

Solutions is also heavily involved in

sales of 31 per cent in dollar value, in

research of both on and off premise.

the last year alone. Given New Zealand

Looking solely at how Marlborough is

makes some stunning Chardonnays – this

doing in our largest market Australia – the

could well be the next big thing. As too

news is extremely positive.

could Pinot Gris, which has seen a 51 per

“If Marlborough were an Australian wine

cent growth in dollar value. Sauvignon

region, it would be number three in the

Blanc, despite its stranglehold on the

market. It grew its listings on-premise by

market place is still enjoying growth – of

15% in the last 12 months.

12 per cent.

“In the off-premise, Marlborough sells six times as much volume of wine as

But Peter says beware. The influx or Peter McAtamaney

exocet missile of Marlborough Sauvignon

any Australian region. That’s the sort

Blanc has now changed the palates of

of brand equity if you like, that the

“You will find it on more wine lists than

Australian wine drinkers and the cool

Australian producers are battling against.

all other table wine brands in the UK.

climate regions of the country are now

Marlborough now is 33 per cent of wine

It is also the 7th most listed brand in

fighting back. Regions like Orange,

sales in Australia above $10. Somebody

Australia.”

Tasmania and Adelaide Hills are all

described it recently as being like an

But there is more Marlborough and the

showing they too can produce wines that

exocet missile to the Australian white

rest of New Zealand could be doing to

appeal to the market. In other words,

wine category. The leading dozen brands

consolidate this amazing take-over of the

Marlborough cannot let up in terms of

now hold 37% share. To me that is very,

Australian market. Two styles in particular

marketing and strategy. And throughout it

very healthy.”

are showing extreme growth. One is

all – the importance of quality cannot be

It goes even further, with Wine Business

Chardonnay. The other is sparkling Rosé.

lost.

Solution’s research in the UK showing

Both appeal to the increasing pool of

the most listed branded wine was -

female wine drinkers. According to Peter,

Marlborough’s Cloudy Bay.

the trend here is “lighter, whiter, brighter”

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

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11

Grower’s Work Hard to Keep Costs Down TESSA NICHOLSON

Prices may have dropped, but according to the MAF viticulture report for Marlborough, grape grower revenue in 2010/11 was up following two years of serious profit erosion The annual MAF report assesses a total of 590 producing hectares in the Marlborough region, drawing on data from 18 different vineyards and their owners. It is the most in-depth annual survey of the grape growing scenario in Marlborough, comparing real time economics year after year.

The Marlborough model of 30 producing hectares is based primarily on owneroperated businesses where the main source of income is derived from grape growing. MAF’s aim is to typify an average vineyard. The budget figures represent the average of these monitored real vineyards. Income figures include revenue from grapes, off vineyard income, new borrowing and other cash income.

So how did Marlborough fare in this past season, compared with previous years? As mentioned above, income was noticeably up, which is thanks primarily to higher yields this past vintage, and in spite of a lower price being paid per tonne of fruit.

The profit before tax rose from $1858 per hectare in the 2009/10 year to $5577 per hectare in the 2010/11 year.

Breaking that down, the revenue for the model was equated to just over $16,300 per hectare. The average price paid for fruit is based on monitored growers’ expectations. This past year was 8% down on the previous year, with the

12

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

average per tonne being $1350. (It needs to be noted that the average price is higher than the price published by NZW, given their figure relates to prices linked to levy payments, and levy payments are linked to winery payments made to date to contract growers – not necessarily full and final payments.)

It will come as no surprise that the decline in prices has been monumental since 2008 – according to the MAF report, it has fallen $1095 or 45% in just three years.

This is in sharp contrast to predictions made this time last year, when growers forecast a 5% lift in the average price per tonne in 2011. The reality however was an 8% decline as wineries sought to manage the challenge of selling surplus stock into highly competitive markets.

With calls from New Zealand Winegrowers to manage yields in 2011, to ensure there was no blowout in terms of surplus, the majority of growers within the model pruned accordingly – to three canes.

“For most growers this is the second or third season of pruning to a three cane system. As such, the yield increase experienced this year is likely due to a compensating effect in three-cane pruned vines and the higher rainfall during cell division leading to increased berry size,” the report states.

It was Sauvignon Blanc that was most

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

affected, and even though it was apparent early into the season that yields were likely to be higher than the winery caps, the cost of hand-thinning prohibited many growers from managing them back to acceptable levels.

“Some wineries indicated they might absorb some surplus but in many cases growers chose to leave excess fruit on the vine.”

Within the monitored group, two thirds of growers with yield caps did not harvest all of their producing areas of Sauvignon Blanc. Un-harvested fruit represented approximately 7% of the total monitored Sauvignon Blanc producing area.

Average yields for this season were up 28% to 12.1 tonnes per hectare. While that helped increase revenue, it didn’t prevent growers looking for ways of containing expenditure. Once again it is apparent they are taking a cautious approach to how much they spend and on what, given the per hectare spend this past year was $7673 – 11% down on the previous year. The greatest savings were in terms of labour which dropped 16%, to $4073 per producing hectare. The two major areas where costs were saved were in pruning and crop management expenses. Many smaller growers chose to undertake more of the work themselves, rather than employ someone to do it for them. In contrast though, the medium and large-scale growers took

advantage of stripping machines which helped cut overall labour costs.

“Some monitored growers who utilised machine stripping, three-cane pruning and negotiated reduced contractor rates, reported labour expense savings of 30 per cent or more,” the report says.

If there was one issue that kept occurring throughout the report, it would have to be concern over “lack of profitability.”

“This view was also endorsed by industry panel members in Marlborough when they considered the outcomes of the monitoring round. This lack of profitability is affecting wineries as much as growers.”

Looking ahead to the next 12 months though, there is a sense that the worst may be over. However the majority believe it will take two to three years before there is a sustainable lift in profitability. Growers are hopeful grape prices will rise by 5% to $1415 a tonne next year. They put this down to the clearing of historic surpluses of Sauvignon Blanc and the opening of new markets.

The group is also expecting the average Sauvignon Blanc price to rise by 7% to $1270, which is still a long way from the

$2435 price they received in the 2007/08year.

“Although several growers in the monitored group have supply contracts terminating in 2010/11 they are expecting a lift in their average price. A reason for this confidence is their expectation that should they not secure a new premium grape supply contract they would be able to supply a bulk wine contract for a similar return per hectare.”

The confidence in the future though was influenced by the amount of debt being carried. The report said those with high debt levels were more pessimistic and expected a longer road to recovery.

“Some financially challenged growers perceived an imbalance in the contract negotiating position of wineries and support discussions on forming a grower co-operative.”

The issue of bulk wine was also on the mind of growers. While the majority still consider premium branded Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc as the preferred target market for their grapes, some still believed the bulk market had served a purpose.

They saw it as having helped to clear the surplus stock, but agreed it was at a cost,

causing inevitable erosion in the price of premium grade New Zealand wine.

However other growers (typically those without contracts) appear happy to accept the lower bulk grape price at higher tonnages, as there is minimal direct oversight from wineries and typically prompt payment.

MAF is well aware that a segment of Marlborough are

contract

experiencing

winegrowers

severe

financial

hardship at this time. They will likely possess onerous interest payments, have less secure supply contracts for the coming year and may be located in less geographically desirable growing locations. The model aims to represent the average for the Marlborough region. Therefore the reported profit before tax for the model will not fully reflect their situation, (neither for that matter the top performing growers).

In their situation, it is likely that the 2010/11 profit per producing hectare of around $5600 would be cancelled out by the additional interest payment burden. Another financial challenge for all growers is the more common practice of some wineries to stretch out the timing of final payments to growers.

This delay in cash flow exacerbates the situation for this segment of growers and in extreme cases requires them to borrow additional funds from the bank until payment is received.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

|

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

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15

Researching Thiols in Sauvignon Blanc TESSA NICHOLSON

Last year’s Liquorland Top 100 competition not only highlighted the very best of Sauvignon Blanc wines (among others), it also helped researchers investigating Marlborough’s best-known variety.

Funding from the Liquorland Top 100 has

a previous study manipulating the final

allowed Plant & Food Research to meet

alcohol concentrations in wine and the

some of the costs associated with hosting

influence this had on thiols,” says Claire.

a French student to work on one of the

The long-term goal is to provide industry

components of the Sauvignon Blanc

with a useful tool to help produce wines

Research programme.

of a desired wine style.

Vincent Mattone, is a 21 year-old

For Vincent, who may appear to his

viticulture and oenology student in his

fellow countrymen as a traitor, given he is

4th year of study in France. His initial

assisting New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

approach to New Zealand Winegrowers

winemakers to be even better at their job,

was forwarded to Plant & Food, based

some of the initial results have surprised

at the Marlborough Research Centre.

him.

Required to undertake a 13-week

“We have two experiments investigating

internship during his studies, Vincent

sulphur levels and they are not producing

wanted to travel outside of Europe.

the same results – which is quite

The opportunity to work within the New

surprising. It is the same treatment but

Zealand research programme was a

not the same reaction. We won’t know if

major bonus.

that is an effect of the sulphur alone or

For staff at Plant & Food Research in Marlborough, having a student able

Vincent Mattone

to concentrate solely on one research

the time (it took for fermentation), until we have final results.”

He is hoping the thiol analysis will be

project has also been a bonus.

has on the development of thiols and

completed prior to him leaving New

Research winemaker Claire Grose says

concentrations found in the final wines.

Zealand on September 25. Even so,

Vincent’s role has been studying the

Given thiols are what provide Sauvignon

Vincent won’t have any time to rest before

effects of sugar and sulphur addition

Blanc with some of its characteristic

heading straight back to his studies

treatments to grape juice, on the rate

flavours and aromas, this research is a

in France. In fact he will only have two

of fermentation and the final thiol levels

vital cog in the programme.

weeks after arriving home, before he has

in the resulting wines. Via manipulating

“The thiols we are investigating are 3MH

to deliver his findings to his tutors.

fermentation rates, it will be possible

(passionfruit aromas) and 3MHA (broom/

to see the impact if any, this process

passionfruit).This work follows on from

16

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Wine Marlborough Team Takes Out Title It has been many years since Marlborough picked up a national title at the Silver Secateurs Competition. But the win was worth waiting for, especially for Sam Clay, Rakakao Smiler and Rachel Pihema who made up the Wine Marlborough Team. They not only took the teams event title, but Sam was 2nd in the Individual Pruner and Rachel was 3rd in Individual Tying.

The winner of the Indiviudal Pruning was Fea Peivi from Hawkes Bay. The winner of the Individual Tying was Justin Renata from Gisborne.

In the Markham’s Young Viticulturist of the Year, 1st place went to Nick Paulin from Central Otago, 2nd Paul Robinson from Hawkes Bay and 3rd Braden

Wine Marlborough Team

Crosby from Wairarapa.

Trophy Team

Sam Clay

Rakakao Smiler

The six Marlborough pruners competing. From left; Rachel Pihema, Martin Malassas, Sam Clay, Evrrat Malpurgany.

Sitting Rakakao Smiler and Ryan Kaytip. The team travelled to Auckland with the assistance of Air New Zealand.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

|

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Could Sparkling Sauvignon Be The Next Big Thing?

The emergence of sparkling Sauvignon Blanc may have had more to do with over supply than developing a new product – yet one industry leader believes it could well become a new signature wine.

During the Romeo Bragato Conference industry leader’s forum, the subject of sparkling Sauvignon Blanc was raised

by Marlborough’s Mike Trought. He said there appear to be two ways of viewing this innovation; one with a shudder and two, as a very unique style that maybe could be trademarked.

“The French took Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and called it Champagne,” he said. “Is there a possibility or a role for New Zealand Wine to register sparkling Sauvignon Blanc as a trade mark for all future wines of this style?”

To which Fabian Partigliani, Pernod Ricard New Zealand’s managing director, replied.

“We launched Lindauer Sauvignon as a direct consequence of having too much Sauvignon Blanc in our tanks, if I am honest. However I would say, we believe as a consequence of starting that adventure we can offer the world something that has not been seen before and have a unique point of difference.

I believe sparkling Sauvignon Blanc can become our signature within the sparkling category around the world.

It is so different and yet we can still retain what’s particularly successful in Sauvignon Blanc in a way that will appeal to consumers.

“I don’t think we need to register it, as

Fabian Partigliani that is a big complicated area getting into appellations and the restrictions that come with it. But I certainly think there is a way for us to embrace what we are good at, in particular Sauvignon Blanc, and make it work for us in the sparkling category.”

Fabian said there are a number of benefits from this style of wine, especially as it offers a great chance to improve the mix in terms of higher price points and premium style wines.

“In a broader sense if we can establish

a signature for our still and sparkling, it would be great news for everybody.”

When asked if there were any similarities between the emergence of sparkling Sauvignon today and the emergence of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc back in the 1980s, Fabian said success as an industry relied on premium production.

“And it needs to have a point of difference. Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, which no other country of origin produces, can satisfy that. That’s not to say that’s the only thing we can do successfully as a sparkling, but it certainly does tick those (premium and innovative) boxes.

“We are completely under represented in sparkling (in the world-wide market) and sparkling has a fantastic role to play.

It can help with promoting a halo effect across the whole industry.”

This one style of wine may play an important role as the industry moves forward he said, especially as staying with the status quo is no longer an option.

“We can’t just keep producing the same old wine and say, guess what we are better than any other place in the world.

That alone is not good enough. We know our wines are good enough, but we need to offer points of difference and unique qualities to back that statement up.”

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

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19

A Sauvignon Blanc Symposium Here?

TESSA NICHOLSON

Back in 2008 Austria held the world’s first symposium on Sauvignon Blanc. Now the organisers want Marlborough to take up the reins for a second such event.

There was much head scratching in New Zealand and particularly Marlborough, when the Austrian wine industry announced they were going to hold the Sauvignon Blanc symposium.

Especially given that in 2008, Austria only had around 400 hectares of the variety planted. Compare that to New Zealand’s plantings at the time of 11,531ha. Why on earth was Austria holding something that should rightly have been held in the birthplace of Sauvignon Blanc, (Loire Valley) or the world renowned modern home – Marlborough.

But to be fair, the reason it was held in Austria – was because the Austrians came up with the idea and more importantly, the funding.

Winemakers, scientists, writers and viticulturists descended on the city of Graz in the winegrowing region of Styria to debate the merits and potential of New Zealand’s flagship variety. Wines from all the major producing nations were on display and comparisons were made.

Many attending came away with a new appreciation of Sauvignon Blanc. One in particular, Tim Atkin MW who has always lamented the “greatness” of the variety had this to say in an article following the symposium; “The best Sauvignon Blancs have a profound sense of place, can develop in the bottle for up to a decade and are incontrovertibly great.”

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

Willie Klinger This one statement is something New Zealand winemakers have been trying to get across now for well over a decade.

Sauvignon Blanc is a noble grape, it is worthy of more attention than it receives and it not only produces a great fresh, young wine, it can also deliver a truly great, cellar worthy wine.

So given that Austria got the ball rolling – where to now? Willie Klinger, MD of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board wants to see the symposium become a regular event, held say every five years. What’s more he would very much like to see Marlborough take up the mantle, given this region’s reputation as a high quality producer.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Organising such a symposium can’t be undertaken lightly. Ask anyone involved in Pinot Noir 2010, and they will tell you, the work involved is immense. Then there are the costs involved. If you want the world’s leading wine writers to attend, you will have to pay. Plus the cost of bringing in the experts from around the world is not cheap. Can the New Zealand and/or Marlborough industry afford to promote such an event? Well that is where the good news comes in. Willie says the impact of the original symposium was so great, the Austrian Wine Marketing Board is keen to help Marlborough out, financially and logistically.

But he says the industry has to want to be involved.

That feeling is reiterated by Philip Gregan, CEO Of New Zealand Winegrowers. He says any such event would require a “local champion” to take the idea and develop it to suit the needs of New Zealand.

“They need to really want to get this off the ground, and be prepared to use initiative to ensure it works. Much like what happened with Pinot Noir.”

The effort Richard Riddiford put into organising the very first events cannot be under estimated. Philip believes if Marlborough wants to take advantage of the Austrian offer, then it needs to come up with a Riddiford equivalent.

“We would support an initiative but we cannot impose such an event on a region. What needs to happen is someone has to take the lead. They need to say they want this event to happen here in Marlborough, gain support from the locals and the industry, including New Zealand Wine, and run with it.”

It is unlikely to be a cheap event as mentioned above. Pinot Noir NZ is a $1 million plus event, a Sauvignon Blanc symposium is likely to cost a similar amount.

Marcus Pickens, GM of Wine Marlborough, says he was surprised but impressed at Willie Klinger’s suggestion.

He says it could only be a positive for Marlborough as the region moves forward.

“We would love to do it, but we need to seriously consider how and when. And it would obviously rely on how much funding we could get to help us.”

Willie has suggested the symposium be held every five years. If Marlborough were to take up the mantle, that would mean an event being held in 2013 – which is also the same year as Pinot Noir. That may create a few headaches, Marcus says, so the timing may have to be seriously looked at. He is already making contact with Willie and the Austrian Wine Marketing Board to find out more about their offer.

In the meantime, one of the Marlborough individuals who travelled to Austria in 2008, say he is very keen to see the event come to this region.

Nick Lane from Cloudy Bay says it could only be a positive promotion of Marlborough and New Zealand if the event was to be held here.

“I think there’s merit in hosting a congress here as long as it is well planned and done properly. Sauvignon Blanc is after all the wine that drives the Marlborough wine industry. There seems to be much activity around Pinot but none specifically around Sauvignon Blanc.”

Winepress is keen to hear other industry viewpoints and whether or not it is a practical goal for the Marlborough industry to get behind.

All comments can be emailed to – tessa. nicholson@me.com

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Marlborough joins Organic Focus Vineyard Project A Marlborough vineyard – Wither Hills - has joined the Organic Focus Vineyard project, alongside one in Hawkes Bay and another in Central Otago.

The project, funded by the Sustainable

the winegrowing community. At each

time, keen to share our learnings on how

Farming Fund and New Zealand

focus vineyard site, the organic block

organics can be applied on a commercial

Winegrowers, will follow three vineyards,

will be compared, side by side, to a

scale.”

in three major wine regions, as they are

conventional vineyard block growing

The project has already been piloted at

converted to organic production. Growers

the same grape varieties. Vine health,

Mission Estate over the past year, with

nationwide will have the opportunity to

soil health, harvest quantity and quality,

funding from New Zealand Winegrowers.

learn about the organic transition process

and vineyard operating costs will be

In a Hawkes Bay growing season

as it unfolds in real time throughout the

independently monitored throughout the

characterised by challenging weather

season, through field days and online

three year project to provide a direct

events, the organic block stacked up

reports from the vineyard managers.

comparison between conventional and

impressively against its conventional

“More and more growers across the

organic growing regimes.

counterpart vineyard.

country are shifting to organic production,

The three focus vineyards are all sited

“In a season with significant powdery,

or wondering if it could be right for

at well-renowned New Zealand wineries:

downy and botrytis infection periods we

their vineyard,” says project manager

Mission Estate in Hawkes Bay; Wither

were really pleased with the performance

Rebecca Reider, coordinator of Organic

Hills in Marlborough; and Gibbston Valley

of the organic blocks in year one of the

Winegrowers New Zealand. “The industry

Wines in Central Otago.

program,” says Mission Estate viticulturist

is realising it’s entirely possible and cost-

“I am really looking forward to being

Caine Thompson. “All aspects of the

effective to grow good quality grapes

part of the project and working with and

organic blocks performed well, from

using only naturally derived products. But

learning from the OWNZ Committee and

pest and disease to yield, fruit quality

there’s a learning curve involved in going

other wineries already involved such

and costs per hectare, which were all

organic. We hope through this project

as Mission Estate Vineyard in Hawkes

comparable to our conventional growing

that we can make organic practices more

Bay,” says Jacqueline Maclaurin, who

regime. We’re looking forward to the

accessible to all growers. And we’re

will manage the focus vineyard blocks

season ahead and continuing growing

delighted that the government and New

at Wither Hills. “The entire team at

and learning into year two of the project

Zealand Winegrowers, by supporting this

Wither Hills are excited to be a part of

and beyond.”

project, are recognising the economic

the Organic Focus Vineyard project,

Other sponsors of the Organic Focus

and environmental opportunities that

as it builds our commitment and

Vineyard project include BioGro NZ,

organic production offers to the wine

experience with organics in addition to

Soil Foodweb New Zealand, and Hill

industry.”

the 40 hectares of vineyards we already

Laboratories.

The focus vineyard project has a

have in conversion to BioGro organic

comparative element as well, which is

certification. We are also proud to

already piquing the interest of many in

represent the Marlborough region and, in

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

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23

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Researcher Comes Full Circle TESSA NICHOLSON

For Damian Martin, taking on the role of senior scientist with Plant and Food, is like coming home. It’s where he began his career and despite a long period as a winemaker/viticulturist, it is where he always wanted to end up.

Qualifying as an industrial chemist, Damian’s first job was in a tyre factory in Christchurch, something that he quickly ascertained, he didn’t want to do long term.

“It was a pretty unpleasant environment actually.”

Giving up the job he headed to France which is where his passion for wine developed. “Cutting a long story short, after a year in France, I enrolled at a winemaking course at Bordeaux University. I did an undergraduate twoyear winemaking course initially. And because I had a chemistry degree, I was able to get a master’s level equivalent.”

Staying on for four years, he completed his PhD and then decided to come back to New Zealand.

After working one vintage in Hawkes Bay, he took on a job with Hort Research as a viticultural scientist. Despite loving the potential of the job, Damian says the environment wasn’t really conducive for researchers, with viticulture specific funding not yet in place..

So when he was offered a job as National Viticulture Manager for Corbans Wines in 1997, he jumped at the opportunity.

During his three years in the role, he was part of team tasked with rejuvenating the brand through improvements in grape

Damian Martin quality and winemaking technology across the country. But prior to those plans coming to full fruition, Montana bought Corbans, and Damian found himself working for New Zealand’s largest wine company.

There was so much shifting and changing within the wine industry in the early 2000s, and Damian was inevitably caught up in that. Montana sold to Allied Domecq and they in turn were sold to Pernod Ricard. Which led him to move away from the corporate world to helping establish Ara, where he has been until earlier this year. But he says that lure of research was always there.

“I’m interested and curious. In a

commercial situation, you get so busy – you learn things obviously, but you can’t always satisfy your curiosity. So I am back to the future a little bit.”

Damian’s position as senior scientist with Plant and Food will allow him to get back to using the chemistry he studied at university – although he readily admits, things have changed considerably in the ensuing years.

“In some areas the changes are huge.

Analytical chemistry is very different from what I was doing back in 1995. It’s not quite the CSI style, but the technology has certainly evolved. Analytical measurement is much more powerful and rapid. That opens the door to better understanding of what is happening in vines and wines from a biology and chemistry perspective.”

While still settling into the new job, Damian says he’s looking forward to being involved in the Designer Vines research, while also helping provide practical information to help growers and winemakers.

“In today’s market, we need to be able to do things better. We need to be creating consistent wines so we need to discover the drivers to manage that consistency.

These are areas that really interest me.

It’s nice to be back.”

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09/2011 WINEPRESS

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Viticulturist Moving On TESSA NICHOLSON

For eight vintages, Mike Croad has been the viticultural face of Villa Maria in Marlborough. Now he is moving on – and is looking forward to getting his hands dirty once again.

Mike began his career working for

more vibrant Marlborough wine

Ivan and Margaret Sutherland at Dog

industry.

Point Vineyards. Five years there led

“Boy if some of the players that have

to an Estate Manager’s role at Cloudy

survived the last few years are still

Bay, where he was very much hands

around in 20 years time, this industry

on helping to develop the company’s

is going to be so very strong on an

new vineyards whilst completing a

international scale.”

Viticulture degree through Charles

Now Mike says the time is right to

Sturt University.

move on and try something a little

In 2004 he joined Villa Maria as their

different. He will join his good friend

senior viticulturist, responsible for

Damian Adam’s Berakah Vineyard

managing the grower portfolio.

Management business.

As everyone in the industry knows,

“I will be liaising with wineries,

this region has grown at lightening

organising day to day vineyard

fast pace in the past decade. Just

operation even providing negotiation

how much is apparent when you

assistance if required. Basically it’s

talk to Mike, who says the grower

everything from budgeting, block

portfolio has tripled in the short time

establishment (if required), carrying

he has been with Villa.

the product through all stages of the

“So the company today is a very

season to deliver to the winery on or

different beast to what it was back

better than spec whilst keeping costs

then.”

Maria has been to know every side of the

But to be honest, he says the growth

business, no one is left in their own little

While he is looking forward to all of that,

has been part of the excitement of the

silo, or compartment. I have been able

the most important thing for him is getting

job, along with the experience gained

to learn so much about the winemaking

back out into the field and getting his

from working with New Zealand’s most

from George, (Geris) and the business

hands dirty again.

acknowledged wine company. The team

side of it from big George, (Sir George

“What happens as a business evolves,

spirit of Villa Maria has also played a big

Fistonich.) and Alastair (Maling).

is that you tend to get dragged away

part in his enjoyment of the job.

“It’s been an interesting decade – a

from the core skills that put you there

“In those eight years I have learnt

screaming boom through to a dive down

in the first place. I found the higher up

so much, from the technical side of

and now it’s a time of re launching.”

I got, the softer my hands became and

viticulture, through to the business side,

The lessons learnt in that time will not

the paler my skin got. So I am looking

where I have been working on rather

only stand Mike in good stead, he says

forward to getting out of the office and

than in the vineyards. The culture of Villa

they will also help create a stronger and

on to the land.”

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

as low as possible”

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 SEPTEMBER

NOVEMBER

8

6-10

25

Wineworks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht

The 6th International Specialised Conference on

Race – from Waikawa Bay in Marlborough to

Sustainable Viticulture; Winery Waste and Ecologic

Wellington.

Impacts Management – Convention Centre –

The Nelson First Fifteen Blind Tasting Competition – plus Degustation Dinner

26

The Nelson First Fifteen tutored tasting

30

Indulge Marlborough – New release Marlborough

Blenheim 9-1

International Aromatic Wine Competition (Canterbury A&P Show) – Christchurch

12

Air New Zealand Wine Awards dinner – Langham

Sauvignon Blancs, combined with gourmet food and fashion show – Marlborough Convention Centre

6

International Cool Climate Symposium – Hobart,

Kaikoura Seafest - Kaikoura

Tasmania. Registrations at www.winetasmania.com.

Marlborough Wine and Cuisine at Brancott

au/iccs

Vineyard – details at: www.wine-marlborough.co.nz/ MarlboroughWineandCuisine.htm 28-30

JANUARY 31-Feb 4

OCTOBER: 1

Hotel – Auckland

Marlborough Wine Weekend – an iconic and exclusive 3-day event, highlighting the Marlborough

FEBRUARY 12

Marlborough Wine Festival – Brancott Estate Vineyard.

Wine industry. More details at www.winemarlborough.co.nz/wineweekend/index.htm

Cl i m at e Con su lt in g Fr ost for ecast s k n ow w h a t ’s n ex t

2011-12 season St u Pow el l 0 2 7 5 9 2 7 2 6 7 st u @cl i m a t econ su l t i n g.co.n z The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

09/2011 WINEPRESS

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News From Home and Away Accolades Decanter Wine Awards 2011 Congrats to the four Marlborough companies that were awarded gold medals at the recent Decanter Wine Awards. Showing that Marlborough is fast becoming a multi faceted producer, the awards were spread over four varieties.

Marisco Vineyards A Sticky End Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Rock Ferry Late Harvest Riesling 2009 Tin Pot Gruner Veltliner 2010 Villa Maria Select Pinot Noir 2009 The following wines won best regional awards.

Best New Zealand White Single Variety over £10 - Triplebank Pinot Gris 2010 Best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc over £10 – Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Romeo Bragato Wine Awards – Trophies for Marlborough Reserve Champion Wine and Champion Pinot Noir– Saint Clair Pioneer Block 12 Lone Gum Pinot Noir 2010 – Grower; Chris and Judi Simmonds.

Champion Sauvignon Blanc – Saint Clair Pioneer Block 19 Bird Block Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Grower; Bob and Gill Bird Champion Pinot Gris – Little Goat Creek Marlborough Pinot Gris 2011. Grower; Tim Crawford Champion Dessert Wine – Saint Clair Awatere Valley Reserve Noble Riesling 2009. Grower; Simon and Vanessa Barker Champion Rosé – Yealands Estate Rosé 2011. Grower; Peter Yealands The Champion Wine of the Show was Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay 2010. Grower: Mark Dixon.

Yealands and Ager Sectus Merge The two Marlborough based companies of Yealands Estate and Ager Sectus Wines have merged together, making them a powerhouse in the local and export market. With vineyards totalling more than 1500 hectares, (most of those are based here in Marlborough, although Ager Sectus also has plantings in Hawkes Bay) the new look company will still retain the individual brands. These include the Yealand’s brands; Yealands Estate, Peter Yealands, Yealands Way, Full Circle, Pete’s Shed, Flaxbourne, Violet, plus the AgerSectus Brands of The Crossings, Crossroads Winery, 3 Stones, Braided River and Southbank Estate.

Both Ager’s founder Peter Cutfield and Peter Yealands say the merge will provide them with new scope and scale and place them in a stronger position to take advantage of global distribution opportunities.

CLASSIFIEDS VINE GRAFTING Australian vine grafter working in Marlborough later this year. Enquiries 0061 0428233544.

See www.brucethegrafter.com

Wine Marlborough Board Elections This is the month when you have to cast your vote for the election of board members for Wine Marlborough. On September 15, all electors will receive a ballot paper listing the candidates nominated. These have to be fill ed out and returned to the trustee’s office by midday on Thursday September 29.

Results will be available by midday on September 30.

Please do take the time to cast your vote – it is important for the whole industry that people get involved.

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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09/2011 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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