Winepress - August 2013

WINEPRESS Issue No. 228 / August 2013

Celebrating 40 Years

Generation Y-line

Young Vit

UK Buyer Happy

Photo: Jim Tannock

The Official Magazine of

www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

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As a result of the recent CRT/Farmlands merger, Skeltons has been renamed Farmlands Horticulture.

Rest assured, we’ll continue to deliver the very best advice, products and services to your horticulture business. As always, our team of highly qualified and knowledgeable Technical Advisers are wholly focused on helping you achieve optimum results.

Even our number’s stayed the same. So call the Farmlands Horticulture team on 0800 327 652 to discuss your needs.

Horticulture

In this issue...

Regulars

Features

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7

40 Years Young

Frank Yukich, Bob Campbell

4

Editorial

MW, Randy Weaver and others remember back to those first

Tasman Crop Met Report

16 Generation Y-ine 27 Wine Happenings

days when Marlborough was transformed from a sheep and cropping region, to a worldrenowned wine producer.

19

UK Buyer Happy

Matt Smith from Waitrose was in the region recently, and is more than happy to see the 2013 vintage figures. He is also

From Home and 28 News Away

impressed with our Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

22 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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New Winery for Marlborough Babich Wines new winery in Marlborough is well underway now. The new $20 million

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facility will be the showpiece for the company, and despite the building only beginning in April, it is due for completion by December.

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.

23

New Events Manager

Meredith Elley is the latest member of the Wine Marlborough team. She has taken on the role of Events Manager, beginning in the job in recent weeks. With a background in event management in Australia, she can’t wait to get her teeth into the new job.

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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: 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 Blair Gibbs: blair@spyvalley.co.nz James Jones: james@starborough.co.nz Ivan Sutherland: ivan@dogpoint.co.nz Ben Glover: ben@zephyrwine.com Ruud Maasdam: ruud@staetelandt.co.nz Clive Jones: cjones@nautilusestate.com Guy Lissaman:

Celebrating the Beginning This month is the 40th anniversary of the first modern day planting of grapes in Marlborough. Therefore this issue is dedicated to those early days that changed this province forever.

When the special guests turned up for the official launch of Montana into Marlborough, they were each issued a programme – titled “Planting of the First Vines. Wairau Valley Estates, Marlborough New Zealand.” The following includes excerpts that explained why Montana chose to invest millions back in 1973.

“Blenheim has long held the record for maximum sunshine hours in New Zealand.

Equally important is the area’s average annual rainfall of less than 26 in, with the driest month being March when the grapes will be ready for harvest.

The soils of the Wairau Valley are very friable, 12 to 18 ins deep over stony subsoils, free draining and of moderate fertility. To the viticulturist, such a soil type spells medium growth and a higher quality grape than is produced on the deeper and more fertile soils of many of the higher yielding northern vineyards.

Spring frosts represent a threat to the grape harvest, but Blenheim boasts an average of only three ground frosts per year during the month of October, while the records show that above-ground frosts during the same month are hardly ever of sufficient intensity to cause concern for grape growers.

Climatic data suggest ideal growing conditions for certain classical grape varieties, and first-year plantings will concentrate on Riesling Sylvaner for white wines and Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay Beaujolais for red wines. In later plantings, Montana will have the added benefit of virus-free cuttings from its own research station. Freedom from known viticultural diseases means high quality grapes and enhanced taste and bouquet characteristics in the finished wine.”

Many believed Frank Yukich and Montana were nuts – that grapes couldn’t grow so far south. But as the past 40 years have proved, they were right, the sceptics wrong.

While Montana’s name has changed (now Brancott Estate) the importance of the company to the Marlborough region hasn’t. So happy 40th birthday.

glissaman@xtra.co.nz Laurin Gane: laurin.gane@xtra.co.nz Simon Clark: simon@clarkestate.com

TESSA NICHOLSON tessa.nicholson@me.com

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Met Report

Table 3: Sunniest towns in New Zealand so far in 2013

Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – July 2013

July

2013

July 2013 compared to LTA

July LTA

Period of LTA

July 2012

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

19.2 43.4

198% 198%

9.7 21.9

(1996-2012) (1996-2012)

9.7 25.6

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

14.9 3.4 9.1

+1.9°C +0.8°C +1.3°C

13.0 2.6 7.8

(1986-2012) (1986-2012) (1986-2012)

13.4 3.2 8.3

Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C)

18

3 more

15.0

(1986-2012)

14

Air Frosts

6

1.5 less

7.5

(1986-2012)

4

(<0.0°C)

Sunshine hours 181.4 114% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2013 1455.5 106%

159 119.6 230.8 1372

(1930-2012) 131.1 1996 1952 (1930-2012) 1315.8

Rainfall (mm) 34.8 54% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2013 445.9 119%

65 9.9 174.1 375

(1930-2012) 73.0 1930 1998 (1930-2012) 339.0

Evapotranspiration – mm

51.9

%

34.0

(1996-2012)

Avg. Daily Windrun (km)

231.0

%

230.0

(1996-2012) 192.3

35.3

Mean 9am soil temp – 10cm

5.5

+0.7°C

4.8

(1986-2012)

5.2

Mean 9am soil temp – 30cm

7.8

+0.8°C

7.0

(1986-2012)

7.2

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures July 2013 in summary In comparison to the long-term average, July 2013 was warm and sunny, but with a higher than average number of ground frosts and also fairly dry.

Temperature and Frosts The mean temperature for July 2012, of 9.1°C was 1.3°C above the long term average recorded over the past 27 years.

July 2013 was a lot warmer than in any of the previous seven years. July 2005 is the warmest on record for Blenheim, with an average temperature of 9.7°C. July 2013 is now the fifth warmest on record for the 82 years 1932-2013.

Weekly temperatures during July were quite variable. The first and fourth weeks of the month were very warm (Table 2), 4.1°C and 3.3°C above average respectively. The weeks with well above average temperature were also those with well above average sunshine hours.

The second week was cold, with little sunshine to warm the days up and as a consequence the mean temperature was 1.4°C below average.

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Sunshine July 2013 recorded 181.4 hours sunshine, 114% of the long-term average of 159 hours. July 2013 is the sunniest July in the past 10 years (since 2003).

Total sunshine hours for Blenheim for January to July 2013 are 1455.5, or 106 percent of the long-term average total of 1372 hours. The seven months January to July 2013 are also the sunniest for that period since 2003.

Town

Sunshine hours Hours ahead or January to behind Blenheim 29 July 2013

Whakatane

1612

176 hours ahead

New Plymouth 1524 hours

88 hours ahead

Blenheim

1436 hours

Nelson

1419 hours

17 hours behind

Tekapo

1405 hours

31 hours behind

At the 29th July Blenheim was sitting in third place, in the race for sunniest town in New Zealand for 2013. Whakatane is well out in front and headed for the title again in 2013. It is a mystery to me how New Plymouth has leapt into contention for one of the top places in 2013. I can’t recall New Plymouth being one of the top contenders in recent years.

Rainfall July 2013 recorded 34.8 mm rain or is 54% of the long-term average of 65 mm.

July 2012 rainfall was 73.0 mm, double that received in 2013. Total rainfall for January to July 2013 of 445.9 mm is 119% of the long-term average of 375 mm. January to July 2012 recorded 339 mm, 106.9 mm less than in the same seven months in 2013.

Soil Moisture In some previous editions of Winepress I have included soil moisture data from the Grovetown Park weather station site. Soil moisture from Grovetown Park is from the topsoil (5-35 cm depth), as this is the only soil moisture probe attached to the weather station. Dr Steve Green from Plant & Food Research in

Table 2: Weekly sunshine and temperatures for July 2013 compared to the longterm average

Total Number sunshine Ground (hours) Frosts

Mean Max (°C)

Mean Mean Min from (°C) (°C) mean temp

1st -7th July

37.1

3

16.5

6.3

11.4

8th -14th July

15.6

4

10.4

1.3

5.9

+4.1°C -1.4°C

15th -21st July

49.6

5

15.3

1.7

8.5

+1.2°C

22nd -28th July

51.1

3

16.6

4.6

10.6

+3.3°C

29th -30th July (3 days) 28.0

3

15.7

3.0

9.3

+2.0°C

July 2013 Mean

181.4

18

14.8

3.4

9.1

+1.8°C

Long-term average

159.0

15

12.8

2.2

7.3

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Palmerton North has undertaken a lot of soil moisture monitoring and sap flow measurements of grapevines in Marlborough over the past 20 years, in association with Marlborough District Council hydrology staff. Much of Steve’s work has been instrumental in calculating the daily water use of grapevines in the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. Approximately 18 months ago soil moisture monitoring equipment was installed in the vineyard at Motukawa Farm; the property of Philip Neal, on Jeffries Road in Rapaura. Our sincere thanks go to Philip for allowing this equipment to be in his vineyard. Thanks also to Steve for supplying the data. Soil moisture is being monitored in 30 cm increments progressively down the profile to a depth of 180 cm. Soil moisture is being monitored in the undervine area where irrigation is applied.

In order to keep Figure 1 from being too cluttered I am only presenting the data from three of the soil moisture probes; 0-30 cm, 90-120 cm and 150-180 cm. I have included 13 months data in Figure 1 (1 June 2012 to 30 June 2013) in order to illustrate the rewetting of soil at depth in the profile during June in both 2012 and 2013.

Shallow soil moisture (0-30 cm) Shallow soil moisture (blue line) stayed close to field capacity throughout June, July and August 2012 and didn’t start dropping until the third week in September 2012. Irrigation maintained the shallow soil moisture around 30% during December and January when rainfall was relatively low. The blue line (0-30 cm) indicates how the shallow soil moisture responds to almost every rainfall event. From the 19th to 21st April 2013 the shallow soil moisture was boosted from 30 to 39%, back up close to field capacity with 75 mm rain.

Mid depth soil moisture (90-120 cm) The mid-depth soil moisture (green line) reached field capacity on 20 June 2012 and stayed there until mid October 2012.

Soil moisture at this depth declined gradually throughout the season from mid October 2012 until mid April 2013.

This gradual drop in soil moisture at this depth indicates that water was not being lost from the soil profile through drainage during the growing season, i.e. water from irrigation or rainfall is not being wasted. It is interesting to note that the soil moisture at the 90-120 cm depth increased from 22% on 19 April to 27% on 7th May 2013 following 140

Figure 1: Soil moisture as recorded at three depths in an irrigated vineyard in Rapaura (Wairau stony/sandy alluvium) – 13 months from 1 June 2012 to 30 June 2013

mm rain. However, it took a further 110 mm rain between 8th May and 16th June 2013 for the soil moisture at this depth to get back up to field capacity, i.e. it took approximately 250 mm rain to fully rewet the soil at a depth of 90-120 cm.

Deep soil moisture (150-180 cm) The deep soil moisture (purple line) reached field capacity on about 20 July 2012 and basically stayed there until late November 2012. Soil moisture at 150-180 cm depth dropped more rapidly from December 2012 through until mid April 2013, than soil moisture at 90-120 cm depth. This indicates that there was little or no recharge of moisture at this depth during the growing season. Basically the 171 mm rain received between 5 December 2012 and 18 April 2013, plus irrigation applied, had no effect on the soil moisture at this depth, indicating that there was little or no drainage from higher in the profile. 203 mm rain was received from 19th April to 15th June 2013. This large amount of rainfall had almost no effect on the soil moisture at the 150-180 cm depth. Obviously all the rain was being absorbed by the soil higher in the profile and no water was draining through. With the soil at 90-120 cm (green line) being restored close to field capacity by mid June 2013, the rainfall received in the third week of June was able to drain through the soil profile and rapidly rewet the 150-180 cm depth. I think Figure 1 highlights how important the autumn and winter rain is for recharging the deeper soil moisture in the profile.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research

The Met Report was brought to you by:

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Marlborough Timeline 1973: Montana looks to expand its holdings in New Zealand. Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne are considered – but land prices are too high.

Wayne Thomas, scientist in the Plant Diseases Division of DSIR, suggests Marlborough as an alternative.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, confirm the suitability of Marlborough as a wine-growing region.

Montana’s Jim Higginson (under the auspices of a company called Cloudy Bay Developments) approaches Pyne Gould Guinness in Blenheim, looking for up to 3000 acres of land in Marlborough. And could it be located within 24 hours?

John Marris – a part time real estate agent takes on the task, and comes back within the time frame with a total of 7000 acres available for purchase.

Montana chose nine properties, totalling 2900 acres, paying out $1,345,435 or $463 an acre.

(The going rate at the time was $250 an acre.)

August 24: The first vine is planted in Marlborough by Sir David Beattie, Montana’s Chairman.

Following one of the worst droughts in 50 years, the plantings are ambushed by lack of water. The famous plastic cones placed over the vines to protect them, are scattered throughout the Brancott Valley by strong nor ‘westerly winds.

1974: Much of Brancott vineyard is replanted, after close to 70% of vines planted the year before die.

1975 Montana plants its first Sauvignon Blanc vines in Marlborough.

1976 First harvest of Marlborough grapes takes place. 15 tonnes of Muller Thurgau and a small picking of Cabernet Sauvignon were trucked to Gisborne for production.

1978: Montana builds a winery on SH1.

Phil and Chris Rose win their battle to plant grapes in the Rapaura area.

1979: Montana produces the region’s first commercial bottling of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Penfolds are interested in Marlborough and take on the region’s first contract growers.

Corbans buys land in Marlborough in Rapaura.

Joyce and Allan Hogan establish Te Whare Ra Wines – the first boutique winery in Marlborough.

Ernie Hunter establishes a vineyard in Rapaura 1980: Daniel Le Brun purchases land in the Renwick area and plants a vineyard – aiming to make quality sparkling wine.

1985: David Hohnen from Cape Mentelle in Australia buys land in Jacksons Road, from Corbans – and establishes Cloudy Bay Wines.

1986 New Zealand wine industry suffers from over production and growers are offered money to remove vines.

10% of the region’s vineyards are removed.

Many growers use the Government pay-out to replant with more commercially acceptable varieties, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The first ever Marlborough wine is accepted to take part in The Sunday Times Vintage Festival in London – Hunters Fumé Blanc.

It wins a gold medal for the best nonChardonnay full dry white wine of the show.

This is the first international medal for a Marlborough wine.

The first vines are planted in the Awatere Valley by Vavasour Wines.

1989: Queen Elizabeth visits Brancott Vineyard and is photographed sipping a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

The very first non Wairau Valley wines come out of Marlborough when Vavasour releases its first vintage from the Awatere.

1990: Vintech - the first contract winemaking service is established by John Belsham and Geoff Taylor. This changes the face of the Marlborough wine industry, allowing growers to create their own labels.

Marlborough surpasses Gisborne as the largest wine-growing region in New Zealand with a total of 1,423 hectares of producing vineyard.

1992 By now Marlborough has 10 resident producers, with many others sourcing fruit from the region.

1993 20 years after the first grapes are planted in Marlborough there are 20 wine producers in the region.

1996: For the first time in New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc surpasses Muller Thurgau in terms of tonnages, – with 11,511 tonnes. But it will be another three years before Sauvignon Blanc takes the largest variety mantle from Chardonnay.

2003: Thirty years on, Marlborough has 6,831 ha of productive vineyard, producing 40,537 tonnes of fruit. There are 74 wineries in the region, and 254 grape growers.

2013: The latest stats are not out yet – but going by last year’s figures, Marlborough has more than 23,000ha of vineyard, producing 251,680 tonnes of fruit this past vintage. There are at least 148 wineries and 551 grape growers within the region.

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The Man Who Started It All Frank Yukich will be remembered as the founder of the modern day Marlborough wine industry. He remembers back to those early years.

I would like to explain my reason, vision

turned down my proposal to purchase

recommended Marlborough, the planting

and dreams at the time to make Montana

the land and that I was in trouble.

of the first vine in Blenheim may not have

table wine world famous and lead the

Wayne gave his report on Blenheim to

taken place for another 25 to 30 years.

New Zealand wine industry into a major

Professor Berg and asked him to help.

Marlborough had the driest summer in 50

exporter of quality wines.

After reading the report Professor Berg

years and out of the 1000 acres planted

Montana had made plans for a major

called in Professors Lider and Guymen

only 250 acres survived the drought. It

expansion of vineyards and I had

who are both world authorities on

was a difficult year. Statements made by

prepared a detailed 10 and 25 year plan.

viticulture.

the Wine Industry that Montana’s venture

Wayne Thomas, Montana’s Viticultural

After going through Wayne’s report the

into Blenheim could have been one big

manager was requested to research the

three professors signed a collective

mistake, didn’t help.

best region for grape growing, to launch

statement that Marlborough had the

“Few men are lacking in capacity, but

Montana Wines on the world market.

best potential for grape growing in New

they fail because they are lacking in

After months of research Wayne proved

Zealand for the following reasons:

application.”

to me that Marlborough had the best

Maximum sunshine

potential for grape growing in New

Minimum rainfall

Zealand. May 1973 Wayne and I flew

(especially during

to Blenheim to investigate. We met with

vintage)

John Marris, Property Sales Manager

Free draining soil of

Pyne Gould & Co. The following eight

medium fertility

days we had purchased in excess of

Freedom from

4000 acres of land which covered several

seasonal frosts

blocks. A 10 percent non-recoverable

I resubmitted the

deposit was paid.

proposal with

I presented to Montana’s next board

the Professor’s

meeting Wayne Thomas’s report with

joint statement

my recommendations to purchase 4000

attached to the next

acres. I won’t go into details but my

board meeting.

original proposal was turned down by the

After lengthy

board.

discussions the

Wayne had gone to California prior to

board unanimously

the board meeting on a three month

approved the

course to study mist propagation of virus

Marlborough

free grape stock. He was staying with

purchase.

Professor Harold Berg, a world authority

If Montana’s

on Oenology and Viticulture. I called

Viticulturist Wayne

The man who placed his faith in Marlborough – Frank Yukich at

Wayne and told him that the Board had

Thomas had not

Brancott Vineyard in 2008.

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

I believe the real success of Marlborough as a grape growing region belongs to Montana’s Blenheim staff who worked hand in hand with Montana’s management, their faith did not waiver.

Enthusiasm is self confidence in action.

Outstanding In Our Field

Other wine companies followed and contract growers all played an important part and their personal efforts have in no small way contributed to the success of Marlborough as one of the best grape growing regions in New Zealand.

Thus the planting of the first vine by Montana on 24th of August 1973 marked an exciting new direction in the development of Marlborough and it commenced a challenging new chapter in the history of wine making in New Zealand.

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While the Montana board didn’t have faith in Marlborough as a wine growing region – the University of California, Davis did, as this letter shows. It was this that finally convinced the board to go ahead with Yukich’s plan to expand into this region.

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Heady Times TESSA NICHOLSON

These days he is known as a Master of Wine, but in August 1973, Bob Campbell was an accountant for Montana.

He wasn’t privy to all the drama surrounding the purchase of land in Marlborough to feed Montana’s planned expansion. In his own words, Bob says he was “just middle management”.

But he does remember that period of time during 1973 as being “heady and exciting”.

“First they needed the money and they got that from Seagram who bought a 40% shareholding in Montana. And then

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it was deciding where to plant. They looked very much at Hawke’s Bay, but it was too expensive as far as vineyard land was concerned. One area on paper that offered potential was Marlborough.

Although a lot of people at the time said the vines would never survive. ‘You can’t grow vines in the South Island.’ How wrong were they?”

By pure accident Bob ended up being at the official launch of Brancott Vineyard.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

The company secretary was unavailable and it was up to Bob to take care of all the board members on the chartered plane that brought them into Marlborough on August 24, 1973. He watched as the Chairman of the Board, Sir David Beattie placed a silver coin in the ground, placed the Muller Thurgau vine on top and sprinkled the ground with sparkling wine, in a time honoured tradition. He even got to plant his own vine, although given what

was to happen a few months later, he’s pretty sure it never survived.

It was the driest summer in 50 years and those cuttings, which were little more than sticks taken from vines in Gisborne, had to cope with parched land that in the summer months resembled something of a dustbowl. There was no irrigation, and attempts to protect the cuttings via plastic cones that could be hand watered from a makeshift tank, ended disastrously. The strong nor ‘westerlies Marlborough is known for, scattered the cones throughout the Brancott Valley.

Close to 70% of those initial 750,000 cuttings didn’t survive the summer. Given the Montana board had never been overly enthusiastic about expanding in to Marlborough, Bob says that first year wasn’t very auspicious.

“It could have fallen flat. They had the Segram money to tide them through, but it was pretty tight. It was a very, very tough start and there was a lot of angst.

People’s names were being removed from their office doors, I do recall that.”

One situation he remembers well has to do with the initial vineyard posts going in the ground.

“They got an engineer in Auckland to build a machine that would drive a post into the ground. He perfected it and demonstrated it, and in the end sold it to them. Mate Yukich drove it down to

Marlborough from Auckland. I remember he had an accident on the way and broke one of the arms, so they had to repair that. But they finally got it there, set it up, all very excited, only to discover they hadn’t prepared for the big rocks at the site. And the whole thing flew apart, it didn’t work.”

Looking back it’s a wonder the Marlborough wine industry ever got off the ground. But perseverance, ingenuity and passion, plus the large sums of money that had already been invested, ensured that a hunch by Frank Yukich went on to become a world renowned reality.

“Marlborough’s first plantings changed the whole course of New Zealand wine,” Bob says. “We went from being an absolute Hicksville, through that pretty ballsy decision, to become a world force and a world brand. As an Australian winemaker, Ross Brown (the head of Brown’s Brothers) said to me a few years ago; ‘Marlborough Sauvignon is a serious world brand now. If you have a top restaurant anywhere in the world now, you have to have a Marlborough Sauvignon on it. And probably only about 20% of those restaurants fall into that category do.’ So he sees lots of opportunity for expansion”.

The initial plantings were Cabernet Sauvignon and Muller Thurgau. It would

Placed over the struggling cuttings, these plastic cones ended up being blown from one end of the Brancott Valley to the other.

Now a Master of Wine, Bob Campbell was present when the first vines were planted in Marlborough, in his role as an accountant for Montana. be 1975 before the very first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were planted – and that would change the face of New Zealand wine permanently.

“People can pooh pooh Sauvignon all they like, but not only is it a high quality grape variety, it is also an immensely popular and successful wine style and we make the best in the world. It’s great.”

Looking to the future, Bob says Sauvignon Blanc will always play a big role in Marlborough. “It’s bigger then Ben Hur,” he says. While it will have its ups and downs, he believes it will continue to spearhead the local wine industry. But coming along hard on its heels will be Pinot Noir, which is already the number two variety in the region.

“Marlborough is producing outstanding Pinot Noir but people are still dazzled by Central Otago. Marlborough got off to such a slow start that its reputation hasn’t caught up with the reality. But it’s starting to make a lot of noise out there and it’s gaining quite a reputation. I think that reputation will continue to grow.”

Who knows what the story will be in 40 years from now – let’s just hope the star that shines within this region currently, isn’t dimmed by changing fortunes.

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

How They Planted Those Vines This was how the Marlborough Express in an article in 1973, explained the planting technique.

A planting rate of up to 3000 vines per hour will be achieved on the Wairau Valley Estates, using techniques tested and perfected during trials on the Waldron property. A street cable, many hundreds of yards long, is winched taut between two tractors. The cable is studded with metal markers 6ft apart.

Both tractors move together until each end of the cable lines up with survey pegs marking the ends of a row of vines.

The straightness of the cable is checked by a supervisor who “sights” in through the telescopic sight of a rifle. When he is satisfied, a flag signals to planters to implant vine cuttings along the cable.

When the full row is planted, the two tractors edge forward 10ft to the next pegs and a new row begins. On level ground it is expected to plant a complete row every four minutes.

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Winemaker’s Memories TESSA NICHOLSON

Prior to Frank Yukich buying land in Marlborough, he visited America and employed two winemakers straight out of Uni. Randy Weaver was one of those.

Now the Head of the Wine Science

and resist disease – not on the ensuing

Frank also consulted Randy, Peter and

Programme at the University of Auckland,

wines they would produce. Frank was

Dan on what varieties to plant.

in 1973 Randy had just completed

keen to change all that and the purchase

“It was a huge task to think of what would

his Master’s degree at University

of land in Marlborough was his first step

work. Everything was an experiment, so

of California, Davis. He noticed on

in that direction.

what do you put in the ground if you are

the job board at the university that a

“Honestly, everybody at that time had no

going to plant 500 or a 1000 acres? Not

New Zealand wine company was

only did we have to put together a

interviewing for winemakers. “Why

list of grapes, but also a quantity.

not have a go?,” he thought. He was

Normally the way a company would

captivated by the passion and vision

do that, is work backwards from the

that Frank Yukich displayed during

sales plan – but Frank was asking

the interview process.

the winery to lead the company,

“The vision he transmitted to me was

which is an unusual situation. So we

the industry was making wine out of

gave him a list of 10 varieties and

water and he wanted to change that.

acreage we felt should be planted.

He told me when he hired me; ‘We

I would be surprised if Sauvignon

don’t have enough grapes, I will tell

Blanc was even on that list. If it was,

you that right now. But we will and

it would have been way down the

you can come and be part of this

bottom.”

whole plan.’ I realised for somebody

While Randy had left before the first

just out of university the opportunity

fruit was harvested in Marlborough,

was fantastic.”

he has spent a fair amount of the last

He was not the only American hired at

40 years working in New Zealand.

the time. Alongside Randy was Dan

Originally he went back to America, then came back to New Zealand

Robinson and a short time later back in New Zealand, Frank also hired a young

idea if it would possibly work. He planted

to work for Frank when he established

Peter Hubscher.

a huge area, which was enormous for

Penfolds NZ. Later he formed Coopers

When he arrived in this part of the world,

New Zealand and even Australia at the

Creek, and has travelled between the US

Randy had to come to terms with the

time. None of us had any idea of what

and New Zealand ever since. It means he

varieties he was to make wine out of.

Marlborough would become. We knew

has been able to view the Marlborough

Based in Gisborne, he was dealing with,

Montana was committed to the area, and

and New Zealand wine industry almost

among others, Albany Surprise, Palomino

thought it would be just them there for a

from afar.

and Baco 22A. The varietals had been

very long time – we just didn’t know if it

“Marlborough led the way, but the entire

chosen mostly on their ability to yield high

would succeed or not.”

industry has changed so drastically. To

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

see New Zealand within this incredibly short time span go from a country that was crushing Albany Surprise and Baco 22A for wine, to making these incredible Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings, and Pinots, is absolutely mind blowing. It would have taken other countries hundreds and hundreds of years to achieve what has been achieved here in just 40.

“If you look at the established regions of Europe, they have had centuries of time to achieve what they have, so it’s not hard to think we have only just begun. We haven’t even begun to reach our potential.”

Summing up that day when the first vines were planted at Wairau Valleys Estate, Randy has this to say.

“It is the single most important event of the last 100 years, maybe forever, in the history of the New Zealand wine industry.”

Marlborough Quotes “Marlborough is one of the wine world’s great success stories. It has become synonymous with a certain style of Sauvignon Blanc, but is also making great strides with its Rieslings, Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. I hope I get to see it develop over the next 40 years

” Tim Atkin MW

“I can’t think of another wine region in the world that has enjoyed such success from a standing start. Where sheep no longer graze….

Very happy anniversary to all.

” Jancis Robinson MW

“Rising, as if from nowhere, Marlborough has become one of the wine world’s “Must Stock Items”. To have achieved this in only 40 years is unprecedented. One can only wonder what Marlborough will achieve in its second

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forty years. Sauvignon Blanc’s place is unquestioned but what of the styles it will produce? Will Pinot Gris gain the hoped-for traction with a broad consumer base and can Marlborough work a miracle and resurrect Riesling to a global audience? Is there a red variety which Marlborough can make its own to sit alongside Pinot Noir, can we look forward to Marlborough Mondeuse?

” Phil

Reedman MW

“Produced for the first time since the war, maybe the century, a flavour which no one has ever found before.

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Oz Clarke

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Generation Y-ine TESSA NICHOLSON

Swan Michel - Georges Michel Wines There seems to be no natural progression when you look at Swan Michel’s journey from a girl growing up on a tropical French island, to a winemaker here in Marlborough. Despite the fact her parents owned a Chateaux in France itself, Swan didn’t naturally fall into the wine industry mould.

Having holidayed a few times in New Zealand when she was younger, the big move to this part of the world came in 1999. Her parents were keen to move to Marlborough, but under strict immigration rules, they had to offer the country something other than just themselves.

When a vineyard and winery came on the market in 1997, good friend and fellow Frenchman Daniel Le Brun suggested to Georges that he buy it, which would in turn allow the Michel family to gain residency here.

Her first year in New Zealand saw Swan going to school in Nelson, where she concentrated on learning English – not that easy a task at 18.

“I could understand it, but no I didn’t speak much,” she says. “It was very hard. Exciting to start with, but you hit a brick wall when you try to make jokes

and people don’t get them. It is so hard when you have so much to say, and nothing comes out, or by the time you get other people’s conversations, they have already moved on to talk about something else.”

All this is reported amidst a great deal of laughter, as Swan remembers back to those early days.

Her year at school at least gave her enough English to apply to Canterbury University where she was keen to undertake a science degree, although she had no idea what she intended to do with it. Wine wasn’t really a consideration.

“I came from a tropical island, so wine was not really anything I thought about.

But dad made me work every summer here in the cellar door and I started to enjoy wine and talking about it. I wanted to understand how it worked.”

So after one year of her science degree, she changed universities, and began the Viticulture and Oenology course at Lincoln. There was never any doubt in her mind that the winemaking side of the course was her real interest. But like so many before and since, her first experience at actually making a wine was

one she is not too proud of.

It was a Chardonnay, from fruit grown at Lincoln. While that fruit left quite a bit to be desired, Swan says it was her and her partner’s treatment of it that was the killer.

“It was bad, really bad. I guess with the first one (wine you make) you want to try everything you have learned. And we did, we did everything to it. We drank it a few years later and it had turned vinegary. Oh boy was it bad!”

With cross credits from her year at Canterbury, Swan was able to complete the Lincoln course in just over two years, six months before the rest of the class.

Which meant she had time to undertake her first real vintage – in Bordeaux of all places.

It was 2004, a good vintage as she remembers. One that gave her some vital experience.

“We were making Cabernet and Cab Sav. I had never worked with varieties like this and I probably will never get another chance to work with varieties that grow in Bordeaux so well. They had a heap of different blocks so I got to see a lot of the area.”

Despite her background and the fact

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Bordeaux is seen as a mecca for many winemakers, Swan was not enticed to stay on.

“They have too many restrictions. We have pretty similar ones but they hide so much.”

Besides there was a vintage here in Marlborough she had to complete. But like many young winemakers, gaining an array of experiences was vital to her growth as a winemaker. So after vintage 05 at home, she headed back to France, this time to Burgundy, a region she admits is her own holy grail.

“I would go back to Burgundy any day. Bordeaux is so big and busy, but they are all so closed. They don’t seem to have cellar doors. Whereas in Burgundy, everyone is in their little garages, doors open. We were making Grand Cru that they were selling for €250 a bottle, and then you had the guy across the road who had a stuck ferment. He came in with a bucket to grab some of our wine that was fermenting, to take back. He was like, ‘Oh my wine’s stuck, can I please borrow some fermenting juice here? And it was like – ‘Sure’. It was so friendly.”

The working conditions were also something she fell in love with.

“When I got there they said I was going to have to work hard.

‘Oh I have worked in Bordeaux, worked long hours, not eaten for hours, it will be fine.’ I said. But in Burgundy they had three hour lunches drinking the top wines, I was like ‘Oh My God! Then at six o’clock we would stop and drink pastis. This is the life I said to them. You make the best wine in the world, you eat a lot, you drink Grand Cru at lunch. I could find worse.”

Vintage 2005 was an outstanding one for Burgundy, she says.

Quantity was down, but the quality of the fruit was exceptional.

“We had a sorting table that we didn’t use. The fruit was insane.

The winemaker there had the philosophy that if the fruit was good, he would just leave it. He wasn’t going to go and smash it to get more colour. If there is no colour that year, then there is no colour. He wasn’t into the mind frame of trying to extract more colour for the sake of it.”

That philosophy rubbed off on Swan.

“If you have good fruit, then leave it. I learned that there.”

She also credits her vintage in 05 with her becoming a “Pinot Girl. I love making Pinot, I love drinking Pinot. It is so

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challenging. But Chardonnay is also a winemakers dream, because you can do whatever you want to it. You can have it really fruity, you can have it creamy and buttery, you can play with oak. It’s a fun wine.”

Everything about Burgundy was appealing. But when the winter began to bite, and the fog rolled in for hours on end, she was ready to come home.

Once again she stayed just long enough to undertake the 2006 vintage here in Marlborough and then back to France.

So far she had gained experience working with Bordeaux blends, Pinot and Chardonnay. Now it was time to complete the experience, with Sauvignon Blanc.

With connections made here, she ended up in Chavignol, Sancerre working for the Bourgeois family. However while she was keen to learn at the hands of the masters, she found it was the French who were keen to tap into her knowledge of Sauvignon Blanc.

“I had to keep saying, no I am here to learn from you.”

The first thing she noticed was the major differences in fruit between Sancerre and Marlborough.

“Their soil is a lot more mineral. And because of their weather and soils, they won’t get the tropical flavours that we can get here with such intensity. So it doesn’t matter if they use the same yeast or the

same anything, it will always taste more mineral and flinty than the tropical fruit bombs we get.”

In all having experienced three vintages in three separate regions, it was inevitable that Swan would pick up methods to try back here at home. One thing she has changed in recent years, is the hand picking regime.

“We used to harvest by hand into the big blue bins. Now we pick into 13kg cages, because that helps keep the fruit intact.

We didn’t use to de stem the fruit, but now we do nearly all our Pinot. That has helped the tannin structure and colour retention. I had some equipment made for us and brought home, like a conveyor belt, which we can also use as a sorting table. So that has been good, although I am not sure Dad was happy,” she says with a laugh.

“I have been lucky though that I could go over there and bring some of those ideas back, because we own the winery. Dad has been really good, he understands what I am trying to do. So many people come back with great ideas, but they don’t have the ability to change anything in the winery or the vineyard.”

Since 2007, Swan has been full-time at Georges Michel. No more trips to undertake a vintage in France, although marketing trips are always on the horizon.

Currently expecting her first child (with husband Gus Altschwager, winemaker at Oyster Bay), she is ever grateful to her parents for making the decision 16 years ago to purchase a vineyard here in Marlborough. She wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in New Zealand and this region is offering her the chance to work with varieties she loves.

Currently Georges Michel produces nine wines, two Sauvignons, three Pinots, a Chardonnay, a Viognier, a Rosé and a Sparkling.

“When we bought the winery, there was a big copper still at the back.

So we got that working again. Now we distil the marc of the Pinot and the lees of Chardonnay, like they do in Burgundy. We make a spirit, the Marc of Marlborough, which stays in barrels for years. With that marc I fortify a Sauvignon, Semillon. It’s not a late harvest, so you have the great acidity of Sauvignon, the alcohol from the marc, and 110grams of sugar. So it’s not overly sweet.”

It’s a long way from the first wine she made back at Lincoln. A long way too from the girl who grew up on a tropical island, not speaking English. Now Swan Michel is Marlborough through and through – and staunchly proud of that fact – and the wines she is creating.

wine people are our business

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UK Buyer Happy With Bigger Vintage TESSA NICHOLSON

A Waitrose buyer in Marlborough recently, said he was more than happy to see the leap in yields this year.

Matt Smith said it has been challenging to manage the New Zealand portfolio in recent months, as stocks ran perilously low, due to the 2012 vintage.

“It has been a challenge and we have had to plan ahead and plan when we did our promotions. We have been running our allocation and promotions pretty tight this year, it would definitely be the tightest I have experienced. We have had to do a little bit of chopping and changing, but we haven’t taken space away from New Zealand and given it to any other country.”

Hence his smiles when he talks about the larger vintage in 2013.

“I am very happy with the bigger vintage,” he said. “It doesn’t mean quality has come down. In fact from what I have seen, 2013 is looking very exciting.”

During a Wine Marlborough regional tasting, Matt was impressed by the quality, particularly the Pinot Noir.

“I think Marlborough has a great

opportunity with Pinot Noir and the quality of the 2013 Pinots here is absolutely fantastic. I have to admit that Marlborough was never my preferred region for Pinot, but I have been pretty impressed and excited by what I have seen here. In the UK we have been drinking Pinot from Burgundy for a long time, we prefer a more elegant style and that is something that Marlborough can definitely offer.”

He was also impressed by the local Pinot Gris, although he had some advice to producers.

“Customers don’t know what style they are going to get when they purchase Pinot Gris, and there is not always a clue on the label, in terms of sweetness. I think producers should get together and while I don’t advocate creating a homogenised style, you could standardise a New Zealand house style.

“The fruit quality is great, and when the wine is on the drier end of the spectrum,

it works really well. I think from what I tasted there are some really fantastic Pinot Gris at that drier end.”

In terms of the UK market, Matt said there has been increased pressure on pricing, particularly due to increases in tax relating to wine in the UK. “But it’s been like that forever, so it’s fairly expected.”

Currently the UK Government takes around 61% of the average price of a bottle of wine – the highest level of tax of any of New Zealand’s major markets.

That combined with the pressure of supply, means there has been a flattening in terms of consumer spending. Matt said producers have to be aware of that when considering any future price increases.

‘I think prices should be eased up gradually. The consumer doesn’t know or care about yields, volumes or exchange rates. They just know what they used to pay for a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and what they have to now. So you need to bear that in mind.”

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Two Times Winner It was a double celebration for Matt

The eight local competitors were

Duggan from Treasury Wine Estates,

put through their paces at the

when for the second year in a row he was

Marlborough Research Centre

crowned Marlborough’s Young Viticulturist

at the end of last month. They

of the Year.

each had to compete in practical

The 27-year-old Technical Supervisor

sessions, complete a theoretical

will now go on to represent this region in

section, take on an array of fun

the national Moore Stephens Markham’s

activities during the Horti Sports

competition, during the Romeo Bragato

and then deliver a prepared

conference.

speech in front of those attending

Winning $1000 plus tickets to Bragato,

the dinner that evening.

Matt was slightly speechless after

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being announced the winner, claiming

module as well as the speech

it was a tough competition that had

component, with Matt winning

everyone guessing right until the final

the theory module. When all the

announcement.

points were accumulated, he was

In 2nd place was Libby Rainey from Villa

announced the overall winner.

Maria and 3rd went to Anthony Walsh from Constellation.

The Moore Stephens Markham’s Young Vit contestants; From left: Matt Duggan, Sam Teeling, Anthony Walsh, Karl Merriman, Libby Rainey, Brad Newton, Jamie Whitehead and Ben Burridge

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New Winery TESSA NICHOLSON

While the 4,000 square metre shell may not look like a winery at the moment, in a few months Babich Wines will move into their first custom built facility.

The Babich Winery, in Cloudy Bay Industrial Estate, is one of the first greenfield projects to be built in the region since Marisco began their facility four years ago. Capable of producing 3.4 million litres of wine, the entire winery will be complete by the end of this year, in time for vintage 2014.

Apollo Projects are behind the design and construction – with the build being labelled as “From Concept to Reality”.

What that means is Apollo’s Marlborough based project team came up with the design, from the layout inside and external image; through to the inclusion of state of the art processing equipment suitable for handling the tonnages Babich Wines produces each year.

Project Manager Phil Martin says when Joe Babich approached Apollo, he knew exactly what he wanted in terms of a winery, but how that was achieved in terms of development was up to the Apollo team, working alongside the company’s winemakers.

“Apollo provided a full design and build service, which is different to the way a lot of other wineries are created,” he says.

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“We began with the needs of the winery in terms of how much they wanted to process and then went from there.”

Some of those requirements include: • Being able to process up to 4,000 tonnes of predominantly white wine varietals and potential for additional capacity with future tanks • Having the capability to process red wines – hence a red cellar area was required • Having a receival area that could cope with the entire vintage in a 20day period if necessary • Being energy efficient • Creating a showpiece for the company, which is one of New Zealand’s oldest In terms of energy efficiencies, Phil said Babich wanted all the tanks to be under cover, rather than out doors.

The roof and walls of the building are clad with Kingspan “firesafe” insulated panel with concrete slab at low level for bump protection. A highly efficient heat recovery system from the refrigeration sets will provide the heating for glycol process. Insulating the glycol pipes will

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

reduce unnecessary energy losses, and automated louvers and fans will provide Carbon Dioxide venting and passive night time cooling.

Once complete, Phil says it won’t look like a traditional winery. Designed to meld into the Wither Hills which it backs onto, it will very much be a showpiece for the company. Even the colour palette has been carefully selected to complement the landscape rather than stand out from it. (See picture below) Despite the magnitude of the project, he says it will be complete by December.

The short time frame has been helped considerably by the fact no resource consents were required given the location in the already established industrial park.

“That has been a major advantage for all of us.”

The project already has close to 50 people employed on it, although that number will go up to around 75 in the next few weeks. The majority of those are locals, with major companies like Robinson Construction, Simcox Construction, and Hydramech involved.

New Events Manager TESSA NICHOLSON

“It’s my dream job!” That’s the ecstatic response from Wine Marlborough’s new Event’s Manager, Meredith Elley, who was appointed to the position last month.

While Meredith has been based in Australia for a number of years, she is no stranger to the region, given her parents have lived here for 12 years.

“Returning to Marlborough is like coming home. It’s a part of New Zealand that both my partner and I love and we have always wanted to live,” she says.

Meredith’s background is in event management and marketing in both Australia and New Zealand. Her most recent position has been as General Manager for the Townsville Hospital Foundation. The role saw her responsible for all the functions of the Foundation, including corporate governance, fundraising, event management, promotion and marketing, volunteer management, financial operations and staff management.

Previous positions included heading the sales and marketing team for Sealink Queensland, and before that she was working for Fly Buys New Zealand.

With her parents having grown grapes since they came to Marlborough, Meredith says she has always wanted to be involved with the industry.

“What an amazing opportunity to use my events, marketing and business development skills to work in what is arguably one of the best wine producing regions in the world.”

Starting earlier this month, she is straight into the rigours of the new role. Her first major task will be helping with the upcoming Marlborough Wine Weekend, followed by preparing for the 30th anniversary of the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival.

“I love the fact that I will get to deliver an iconic event for New Zealand, the wine festival and am looking forward to picking Sarah (Booker’s) brain about how she has achieved the successes in past years.”

Looking forward, Meredith sees huge potential for developing the profile of Wine Marlborough and its members.

“My medium to long-term goals will be to identify and evaluate new events that will increase that profile. My vision is to create a sustainable portfolio of events that delivers value to the stakeholders, whether they are growers or wineries. I envisage that will be a combination of both large and small scale events that will highlight the diversity of the region.”

While she is looking forward to getting to know industry members and working with them collaboratively, Meredith isn’t too sure about dealing with the cold winter, after years in Australia.

“I told my boys that it is much colder than they are used to. I really noticed that when I came back – but that’s a small price to pay for my dream job!”

Meredith, partner Nathan and their two sons aged 3 and 5, arrived in Marlborough early this month, with her starting in the job on August 5.

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sales@bioag.co.nz The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Wine Unwound A ROOKIE’S PERSPECTIVE WITH ANNABELLE LATZ

Childhood Revisited in the Winery This month has been a massive one for learning about, well, all sorts really!

Adding bentonite to wine gets rid of proteins, which stick to it as it sinks to the bottom of the tank. Adding this stuff is fun too, using a giant mixer which I think could double up as good for making cakes, or a massive power drill...DIY action galore.

Speaking of making cakes, egg whites (28 at a time on one occasion) are given a quick hand whip with a bit of salt and water and added to the tank to act as a finer for the wine. That leaves us with an abundance of egg yolks, whereby I dutifully took some home and made my first ever batch of mayonnaise.

Yum. Fining the wine is also done with hausenpaste, which is commonly known as fish guts. I wouldn’t be using this stuff in my kitchen.

Tartaric acid is added to wine to sharpen flavour and stabilise it. Just for the record, tartaric acid was first isolated from potassium tartrate around 800AD. This sort of stuff has been going on a while!

I’ve found myself back in the lab on a couple of occasions, measuring wine for its Co2 level, as we prepare for dispatch.

The bag inside the shipping container cannot hold more than 24,000 litres of wine because it expands when it crosses the equator. We carefully transfer it into a container bag which is literally travelling thousands of kilometres to the other side of the globe. Bon voyage!

I’ve learned about tricks that work and tricks that don’t.

Do not turn on the submersible pump before putting it in liquid.

It may save a 10 metre walk back to the wall switch, but wine will be pumped right up into your face and all over your body, as it is let down into the tank.

Let your workmate know you’re about to switch valves on some lees you are transferring because if some escapes from the t-piece, he’ll get it all over his trousers. It’s knock off time too. As they say, there’s nothing like taking your work home with you at the end of the day.

Be very careful when pushing wine back into a very full tank after gas mixing. This could result in a wine shower, which I’m sure some people dream about. ‘Turn the water off, turn it ooofffffff!’ is heard from one end of the winery to the other. This job is all about effective communication....

Add potassium bicarbonate slowly.. very slowly... to a tank from the top lid. Remember making volcanoes at school? Well that could happen as a grown up too, if you are not very careful!

A trick that worked well though, was lifting a beer tank up above the receiving tank with the forklift, thus skipping the need for a pump and only requiring a single hose, a t-piece and a couple of valves. Gravity is fantastic.

So a good few tanks have been emptied now, as have a few barrels. But by no means are things getting quieter. There will be plenty more egg white beating and giant power drill mixing to keep me busy for sometime yet, as we prepare more wine to cross the road, and in some cases, the planet. http://annabellelatz.blogspot.co.nz/

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Romeo Bragato Conference It is the 19th Bragato conference this year, with a theme of Back to the Future – Looking Back as We Move Forward.

To be held in Blenheim between August 28 and 30, the conference theme is timely, given the juncture of the wine industry currently. In the last 30 years, there have been a number of events that have impacted heavily on growers and winemakers. Issues such as pests and diseases, the vine pull, chemical resistance, natural disasters and over supply. Bragato Programme Coordinator Emma Taylor says all those issues have helped shape our industry.

“We think it is timely to look into our past and remember the lessons we learned, so we don’t make the same mistakes in the future.”

Especially given there are so many young industry members who have not experienced some of the devastating events.

“We are maturing as an industry, and have a lot of young people who have never been through the issues like phylloxera or Cyclone Bola, and need to know how best to deal with major issues like this.”

Anyone growing grapes in Marlborough during the early 90s will appreciate how diseases such as phylloxera can change the course of an industry. While it was financially crippling for some, the advent of phylloxera did allow Marlborough to remove unprofitable varieties such as Muller Thurgau and replace with more classic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

But what are the disease threats of the

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future and could they have a similar impact on the industry’s development?

Are they trunk diseases such as Eutypa or viruses such as leafroll? A session on these issues will be a focus at the conference.

The vine pull of 1985/86 was a government initiative to stem the concerns of over supply. What did we learn from that – and talking about vines – what are the upcoming clones and vine issues we should be considering as the country heads back into a planting stage?

Natural disasters such as Cyclone Bola can impact heavily on a region’s future. John Clarke, from Gisborne lived through that event and will speak on the ramifications and the pathway back for the industry. Following on from that the biosecurity issues the industry may face in the future will be a feature, with a review of how PSA impacted on our kiwifruit industry. Is there a wine industry PSA out there waiting to hit?

“It’s all very well managing each season as it comes around,” Emma says. “But big events can have devastating effects.

Sometimes it is easier to forget, than it is to remember. And just because we have been through events like phylloxera and Cyclone Bola, it’s not all done and dusted. There are other things that can come along and devastate the industry.

We need to be prepared for those.”

While the theme is Back to the Future, the immediate is also being covered at the

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

conference. Undervine planting will be covered from a scientific, conventional wine growing and organic viewpoint.

Dealing with grass grub, something many Marlborough growers will identify with, is another topic for the conference, as is crop estimation/yield management, undervine weeds, wine stabilisation and water management.

One of the highlights of the event is likely to be the Bragato Dinner on the Thursday night, with Hilary Barry as MC. The winners of the Bragato Wine Awards will be announced and the finalists in the Moore Stephens Markhams Young Viticulturist of the Year will each speak prior to the winner being announced.

So a full programme right here in Marlborough. Registrations are essential at www.bragato.org.nz

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 tessa.nicholson@me.com AUGUST 27

OCTOBER NZSVO Workshop - ABC - It’s All About Chardonnay

4

Marlborough Wine Show entries close

– Marlborough Vintners Hotel, Blenheim. Details at

22 – 23

Judging Marlborough Wine Show

www.nzsvo.org.nz 28 – 30

Romeo Bragato Conference. Convention Centre, Blenheim

27, 28, 29 Moore Stephens Markham’s National Young Viticulturist of the Year competition.

NOVEMBER 1 – 3

Marlborough Wine Weekend

1 – 8

Seminar 2 Taruna Certicate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics – info@taruna.ac.nz

4-7 1

Plant & Food Research Plant Dormancy Symposium – Auckland

SEPTEMBER Bob Campbell’s Wine Diploma Course – Forrest

9

Marlborough Wine Show Awards Dinner

Estate. Bookings www.bobcampbell.co.nz 4

Decanter World Wine Awards Presentation Dinner – London

7

Pinot at Cloudy Bay – details at www.cloudybay.

JANUARY 2014 30 – Feb 1 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration – Central Otago

co.nz 16

Entries open for Marlborough Wine Show

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New Zealand International Wine Show awards dinner – Auckland

GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINES AND GREAT FRIENDS COME TOGETHER AT HERZOG’S BISTRO! Come and enjoy Marlborough’s stunning winter days and join us for a casual lunch in the beautiful Bistro gardens or cosy up in front of the open fire for a delicious dinner. All for the love of wine!

And for all you wine aficionados, come and indulge in one of New Zealand’s largest International wine lists!

OUR WINTER OPENING HOURS LUNCH: Wed to Sun: Main menu, 12pm - 3pm; DINNER: Wed to Sat: From 6pm - late Check out our latest menu online - www.herzog.co.nz CELLAR DOOR: Mon to Fri: 9am to 5pm, Weekends: 11am to 4pm Hans Herzog Estate | 81 Jeffries Road | Blenheim |03 572 8770 | info@herzog.co.nz | www.herzog.co.nz

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News From Home and Away Survey Winner Thanks to everyone who responded to our survey, sent out in Winepress in June. We had a fantastic response and the Wine Marlborough team are now working on putting into action many of your suggestions.

Congratulations too, to Trevor Diamond, whose name was drawn from all those returned survey forms. Trevor has won for himself two tickets to the 2014 30th anniversary Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, plus six bottles of Marlborough wine.

Accolades Marisco Vineyards Kings Series has taken top honours for label design at the San Francisco Wine Competition. The doublegold award is only given to a series of labels after all the judges

Contract Growers Wanted Rapaura Springs Wines has had another amazing year growing, making, and selling premium quality branded wine.

The multi award winning wine that our great team of growers and winemakers delivered along with a huge investment in marketing and promotion has created unprecedented demand.

We are now looking for more Contract Growers to join the team; we can offer: • An attractive price per tonne • Long Term contracts • Cropping levels per hectare that reflect your individual vineyards ability to produce quality wine • An in house grower support program • Access to independent viticultural advice Rapaura Springs and its parent company Spring Creek Vintners are locally owned with significant assets in both wine processing and vineyard production, we are passionate about the New Zealand wine industry – so if you are a new grower or a more experienced one coming off contract give us a call and join the team.

Call our grower liaison Simon Bowers on 021 446 993 or email your contact details to scn@xtra.co.nz

CLASSIFIEDS Seeking 50T+ Sauv. Blanc Contract 2014 and onward Winery seeks 1- to 10-year contract (ideally for at least several years) to source 50T+ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grapes from a single vineyard. Looking for committed relationship with grower. Winery has a successful, topquality, boutique label. More details upon request. Please contact: marlboroughwinery@gmail.com

assessing unanimously give gold medals.

It is not the first time The Kings Series labelling has been recognised. It also won Best Label in Show at the 2010 International Aromatic Wine Competition in New Zealand and was named one of the most brilliant wine designs of 2010 by international web machine TheCoolist.com. Marisco Wines owner Brent Marris says the vision for The Kings Series came from a family history, when his ancestors lived on Lundy Island in the English Channel in the 11th century. The relationship between the family and the ruling monarchs gave rise to the series of names for differing varietals.

“We didn’t want it to look traditional or like a heritage brand. We wanted it to look like no other wine,” he said. “In fact we almost didn’t want it to look like a wine brand at all – and while some might say that’s risky, especially for more traditional markets like Europe, it’s a risk that has paid off.”

Appreciating Wine with Bob Campbell MW It has been a while since New Zealand’s Master of Wine Bob Campbell ran one of his Wine Diploma Courses here in Marlborough. But the next one is coming up at the beginning of next month. The day long course will be held at Forrest Estate in Renwick, and run from 9am to 50m. The cost of $249 includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea, plus a bound book of notes, and a diploma. Book at www.bobcampbell.co.nz

PROVINCIAL COLDSTORES LIMITED LET US TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS IN OUR

CUSTOM CONTROLLED AREA • Over 60,000 cubic metres of storage spread over two sites • Sophisticated monitoring equipment ensures your product is kept at the optimum temperature • We could lease you a small room for your exclusive use to suit your particular temperature requirements • We store bottled wine, barrels of wine, new plants awaiting the opportune time to plant • Individual rooms available which are being used to grow new budwood

Old Renwick Road, Blenheim.

Tel: 03 5782648 Fax: 03 5782546 Gouland Road, Spring Creek. Tel: 03 5705944 Fax 03 5705955

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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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

SAVE UP TO $1300 PER HECTARE PA

GAIN FROM THE QUANTUM MIST ADVANTAGES QUANTUM MIST SAVES YOUR BUSINESS TIME, MONEY AND ENSURES OPTIMUM CROP PROTECTION Since its launch the Croplands Quantum Mist system has evolved into a highly efficient vineyard spraying machine. Our team has focused on delivering a sprayer that performs on both coverage and retention, while keeping in mind the need to reduce pollution, running costs, operator fatigue and spray times as well as reducing the carbon foot print on your vineyard. The result is that the Quantum Mist out performs other spraying systems currently available.

The lower HP requirement to operate the Quantum Mist system and the air delivery action saves operating dollars by increased work rate. Lower fuel consumption is achieved by the low HP requirement used to run the sprayer, allowing sprayers to operate in the economy tractor range.

The higher work rate achieved ensures the vineyard is sprayed on time. For large operations the high work rate can potentially reduce the size of the operating fleet for even greater costs savings.

Each Quantum Mist head independently sprays a canopy section without interference from opposing or adjacent heads. This means there is no requirement for opposing plumes to collide to ensure coverage, resulting in complete and half sprayer rows receiving the same high level of treatment every time. This is unique to the Quantum Mist system.

www.croplands.com.au

Contact Fruitfed Supplies or your local Croplands Territory Manager for further information

KEY POINTS

That save you time and money COST SAVINGS » Application cost savings up to $1300 per hectare pa. » Increase work rates up to 30%. » Lower fuel consumption and tractor costs up to 52.8%. » Extended tractor replacement life by up to 26.4%. » Reduced noise pollution by 12.75% (12 dB).

These figures are based on specific tractor and vineyard size. Please contact your Fruitfed Supplies Rep or Croplands to find out how the Quantum Mist can save you time and money.

PERFORMANCE » Test results prove outstanding coverage and retention for both single and multi row spraying across a wide range of rates and canopy styles. » Setup is simpler and quicker. This ensures less room for setup error and more forgiving, particularly in undulating and rolling vineyards. » Wider application range from low to high volume. » The nozzle atomization system allows the operator to choose nozzle types and droplet sizes from fine to coarse droplets when and where required. » Air delivery is adjustable based on the application needs.

Cost saving based on a two row air shear, compared to a three row Quantum Mist sprayer.

NI Greg Small 027 6879010 NI Vic Barlow 027 4752322 SI Rob Marshall 027 2486822