Winepress - October 2013

WINEPRESS Issue No. 230 / October 2013

Quake Lessons

Grass Grubs

Grape Prices

Sub Soils

Photo: Jim Tannock

The Official Magazine of

www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

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In this issue...

Regulars

Features

3 4

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6 22 36 37 39 40

Editorial

August 16 this year was a tough day for some wineries. When the 6.6 quake hit the region, it caused damage to tanks and catwalks.

Lessons can be learned from this event, as we discover from Paul Gibbs, a winery engineer.

Tasman Crop Met Report From The Board Generation Y-ine Export News

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The Impact of Psa

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Grass Grub Invasion

Wine Unwound Wine Happenings News From Home and Away

All correspondence including advertising / associate memberships / change of address to: Wine Marlborough PO Box 511, Blenheim 7240 T: 03 577 9299, F: 03 577 9298 E: admin@wine-marlborough.co.nz www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

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.

Lessons Learned from Quakes

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p25

One of the more compelling sessions at the Bragato Conference this year was the presentation by Zespri spokesman Bryan Parkes on the impact of Psa. What this disease is and how it impacted are covered this issue. Plus is the wine industry prepared for such an event?

Starting as larvae in the soil and ending as flying beetles, grass grubs are the scourge of New Zealand horticulture, including grape growers. They can kill off vine roots and destroy thousands of dollars worth of foliage. This is the time to take action against them.

p32

The Importance of Sub Soils In part two of our Soil Nutrition feature, we look at how important sub soils are when it comes to vineyards. What should you be looking for and why?

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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

Time to say goodbye After 12 years as a member of the board of Wine Marlborough, three of those as Chair,

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.

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: glissaman@xtra.co.nz Laurin Gane:

Dominic Pecchenino has stood down.

During his time on the board, he has attended close to 120 Wine Marlborough meetings, dozens of committee meetings and fought tirelessly on labour issues with government and NZWinegrower officials. Throughout this time he has also been representing Marlborough on the board of NZW, has chaired the Research Committee for five years, while running his own vineyards and consulting to others throughout the province.

An American by birth, he first arrived in New Zealand back in 1994 to work for John Webber at Matador Estate. Four years later he headed back to America and arrived in Marlborough for the second time in 2001. Since then he has played an integral part in the functions of the local industry while also being the source of knowledge and advice for so many, myself included.

During his 12 years on the board, Dominic has seen exponential growth within the region and has more than once raised the issue of site importance during that growth.

He has watched Marlborough go through over supply, falling grape prices, banks foreclosing and the role of the grower diminish in value. With the tide turning in the past 12 months, back to a more, if only slightly more sustainable position, he feels it is time to move on.

He will remain as one of two Marlborough representatives on the national board, and continue to head the research committee.

On behalf of everyone at Wine Marlborough, board members and staff, I’d like to thank Dominic for all his hard work. His enthusiasm, knowledge, common sense and calm demeanour will be sorely missed around the office.

So with Dominic standing down, there has been just the one change to the Wine Marlborough board. Simon Bishell was the only person to stand for the vacant position and will now take his place among the other nine winemaker and grower representatives.

Many will know of Simon, the owner of Caythorpe vineyard. He was the local Young Viticulturist of the Year in 2008 and went on to take the national title that same year. He has played a major role in the local competition ever since. His love and knowledge of the industry will be a major asset to the board.

So as we say goodbye to Dominic, it is also welcome to Simon.

laurin.gane@xtra.co.nz Simon Clark: simon@clarkestate.com Simon Bishell: s.bishell@slingshot.co.nz

TESSA NICHOLSON tessa.nicholson@me.com

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Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – September 2013

Table 2: Weekly temperatures during

September 2013

September 2013 compared to LTA

September Period LTA of LTA

September 2012

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

69.2 75.2

124% 107%

55.8 (1996-2012) 70.2 (1996-2012)

57.9 67.2

Growing Degree Days Total Jul – Sep 13 – Max/Min Jul - Sep 13 – Mean

127.1 168.4

154% 133%

82.5 (19960-2012) 126.8 (1996-2012)

89.8 126.2

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

16.8 7.0 11.9

+0.6°C +1.1°C +0.8°C

16.2 (1986-2012) 5.9 (1986-2012) 11.1 (1986-2012)

16.4 6.3 11.4

Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C)

4

0.7 fewer

4.7

(1986-2012)

11

Air Frosts

0

0.85 fewer

0.85 (1986-2012)

1

(0.0°C)

Sunshine hours 169.4 88% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2013 1775.1 101% Rainfall (mm) 67.2 132% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2013 578.5 118%

192.2 129.6 248.9 1764.4 53.6 3.0 191.5 489.7

(1930-2012) 1989 2011 (1930-2012) (1930-2012) 1951 1943 (1930-2012)

204.6 1680.4 32.4 494.6

Evapotranspiration – mm

72.7

101%

72.3 (1996-2012)

77.6

Avg. Daily Windrun (km)

273.0

96%

285.7 (1996-2012)

285.1

Mean soil temp – 10cm

10.1

+1.0°C

9.1

(1986-2012)

9.4

Mean soil temp – 30cm

11.3

+0.6°C

10.7 (1986-2012)

10.5

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures September 2013 in summary Blenheim experienced low sunshine hours and above average rainfall during September 2013 and weekly temperatures that were down one week and up the next.

contrast to eleven in September 2012 and nine in September 2011. However, 2011 and 2012 recorded far more frosts than in most years between 1986 and 2012, for which the average number of ground frosts for September is only four.

Temperature Surprising as it may seem, the mean temperature for September 2013 was well above average (+0.8°C). The average daily maximum temperature of 16.8°C was 0.6°C above average. Warm overnight temperatures meant that the average daily minimum temperature of 7.0°C was 1.1°C above average. The weekly temperatures during September oscillated between warm and cool (Table 2). These up and down temperature patterns can’t have helped the onset of budburst of grapes this season.

Sunshine Sunshine hours for September 2013 were the lowest since September 1997.

However, the September 2013 total was still 30.4 hours higher than the lowest total on record of 137.5 hours, recorded in September 1989.

Frosts Only four ground frosts were recorded during September. This was in marked

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Rainfall 67.2 mm of rain in September was 132% of the long-term average and very close to the August total of 65.4 mm. Total rainfall for the nine months January to September 2013 was 578.5 mm; 118% of the long-term average, of 489.7 mm. The first nine months of 2013 recorded 88.8 mm more rain than the first nine months of 2012.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

September 2013

Mean Temp (°C)

Departure from mean

1st - 7th

9.7°C

-1.4°C

8th - 14th

13.3°C

+2.2°C

15th - 21st

10.5°C

-0.6 °C

22nd - 28th

14.0°C

+2.9°C

29th – 30th (2 days)

12.0°C

+0.9°C

11.9°C

+0.8°C

1st – 31st September Long-term average

11.1°C 1986 - 2012

Wind Average daily wind-run for Blenheim during September 2013 was 273 km, slightly below the long-term average for September of 285.7 km. Despite the average daily wind-run being below average there were a few windy days.

10 September recorded 711 km of wind run; 249% of the long-term average.

The 711 km total is by far the highest September total on record for the 18 year period 1996-2013. 10 September was the windiest day since December 2004.

The highest wind-run total on record for Blenheim, of 757 km was recorded on 2 December 2004. The maximum wind gust for the month, of 80.2 km/hr, was also recorded on 10 September.

Growing degree-days Tables 2 and 3 have appeared in the October edition of Met Report in recent years. Table 2 summarises the growing degree-days (GDD’s) from July to September and Table 3 summarises budburst data from a Sauvignon blanc vineyard at Seaview in the lower Awatere valley. These data are included in order to give an idea of how the early part of the growing season is shaping up and to help to give a pointer with regard to whether bud burst in the current season is early or late.The GDD totals for July and August 2013 were well above the long-term average 1996-2012. August 2013 was the warmest on record.

However, September is typically regarded as the start of the growing season and it can be argued that growing-degree days prior to September are irrelevant with regard to grapes. Hence I have inserted a break between August and September in Table 2 to allow you to consider September either by itself, or as part of the total for July to September. The July to September total for 2013 is the highest of any of the years shown in Table 2 and very close to the 2005 total. The total for September 2013 is not too far behind September 2005. However, the budburst data in Table 3 present quite a contrast between 2005 and 2013.

quickly overtakes the lower Awatere total once the season gets past mid October”.

Table 3 details the percentage budburst at the Seaview vineyard over the nine seasons 2005 to 2013. As the assessments are not carried out on the same dates each year, individual dates are shown beside each percentage score. If you compare 11% budburst on 30 September 2013, it was behind most of the other years, even taking into account that the 2013 assessment was one to four days earlier than in some of the earlier years. Budburst was complete by 4 October 2005 compared to 11% on 30 September 2013, with both years having very similar GDD’s in July, August and September.

Budburst of grapes at Seaview in the lower Awatere Valley In Met Report last year I explained that “the Seaview vineyard in the lower Awatere valley normally goes through budburst a few days earlier than vineyards on the Wairau plains.

This is due to warmer temperatures at Seaview in the very early part of the season. However, growing degree-day accumulation on the Wairau plains

The date of flowering is primarily driven by the temperatures between budburst and flowering and models can be used to predict the date on which 50% bloom will occur. Unfortunately predicting the date of budburst is not as simple. What factors besides temperature affect the date of budburst? Rainfall, soil moisture, soil

Table 2: Growing degree-days for July, August and September LTA 19962012 2004 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

July

22.1

12.8

34.8

29.2

24.4

19.4

16.2

15.2

18.1

25.6

43.4

August

34.5

23.5

48.9

30.3

39.4

23.7

56.0

37.5

38.9

33.4

49.8

September 70.2

54.1

80.4

99.2

70.6

71.9

64.6

74.7

52.9

67.2

75.2

Total

126.8 90.4 164.1 158.7

134.4 115.0 136.8 127.4 109.9 126.2 168.4

Red = warmer than average, Blue = cooler than average, Black = close to average

temperature, sunshine? Rainfall in August and September 2005 was only 34 mm compared with 133 mm in 2013 and as a consequence soil moisture in September 2013 was quite a lot higher than in 2005. I would also suggest (without hard evidence to back it up) that nine days of cold weather from 29 August until 6 September 2013 had a major bearing on delaying budburst of Sauvignon blanc in 2013, after what was reported to be an early start to budburst of Chardonnay in September. Early budburst at Seaview on 30 September 2013 appears to be at a very similar stage as on 1 October 2012.

At five other Sauvignon blanc vineyards on the Wairau plains budburst was also at a very similar percentage on 30 September as in 2012.

As mentioned above, the temperature in October and November are the main factor that determine whether flowering of grapes is early or late, and as a consequence whether harvest is early or late. Given average to below average temperatures in October and November 2013, as occurred in 2012, then we would expect 50% bloom of Sauvignon blanc to be on about 20 December.

In 2009 budburst was relatively early, however cold temperatures in October and average temperatures in November 2009 led to 50% bloom on 24 December, one of the latest of the eight years 20052012.

Acknowledgement to the Marlborough Research Centre Trust for funding the ongoing collection of the phenology data and to Pernod Ricard Wines on whose vineyard the data is being collected.

Table 3: Sauvignon blanc early season budburst assessment and date of 50%

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research

flowering, for eight seasons 2005 – 2013, in the lower Awatere Valley Awatere Valley - Seaview Vineyard Date and Percentage budburst 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Date and Percentage budburst 0% 14Sep 34% 21Sep

3% 18Sep

-

84% 28Sep

34% 25 Sep

14% 27Sep

100% 4Oct

90% 3Oct

69% 4Oct

0% 18Sep

0% 20Sep

0% 19Sep

0% 17Sep

0% 16Sep

1% 25Sep

39% 25Sep

0% 27Sep

0% 26Sep

0% 24Sep

0% 23Sep

57% 3Oct

59% 2Oc

41% 4 Oct

0% 3Oct

25% 1Oct

11% 30Sep

50% flowering date 7Dec

10Dec

12Dec

12Dec

24Dec

17Dec

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From The Board DOMINIC PECCHENINO – OUTGOING CHAIRMAN OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

It’s Been A Busy 12 Years After 12 years of active involvement with the Wine Marlborough board I am stepping aside with pride for all that has been achieved.

There are so many highlights, not least the changes that have occurred within the industry. Perhaps one of the biggest was the amalgamation of Marlborough Grape Growers and Marlborough Wine Makers to form a cohesive united body - Marlborough Winegrowers. The amalgamation concept is unique in the world and we are the envy of many other wine areas around the globe.

Labour is an area I feel strongly about.

As the growth in the Marlborough wine sector exploded so did our need for reliable labour. Since 2004 I have been working with local companies, the national body and lobbying government officials and ministers to ensure we had the labour when we most needed it.

Out of this came the RSE scheme, the Regional Labour Coordinator and the ability for our industry to recruit and retain experienced labour. Without an experienced and steady labour force our

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ability as an industry to function would be greatly hampered.

We were fortunate to have Claire Wilson as our inaugural Labour Coordinator.

She took on a very difficult job and was able to take the vision the board had and turn it into one which helped meet the region’s labour requirements.

I have sat on the water augmentation group as one of the Marlborough Winegrowers representatives, which is working towards the future allocation and availability of quality water access for all users in Marlborough.

Marlborough Winegrowers needs a very strong voice in this arena. There is an old saying in California which will be applicable here in the near future: The man who controls the water, controls the land. The wine industry needs to pay close attention to this issue.

I have also been very active on the national level as a Marlborough representative to ensure that local issues, such as the use of frost fans, are heard and dealt with in a positive way for the local wine industry.

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During my time on the board I have seen changes in how we promote ourselves.

Events such as the Wine and Food Festival, the Wine Weekends, the Rugby World Cup, the Lions Tour have all played a major role in that promotion.

There were also the difficult times, such as the 2008 over supply issue and the global financial crisis. But we have come through them and as a board, Wine Marlborough is stronger than ever.

I have been fortunate to have worked with a great group of people, whose only agenda has been for the betterment of the Marlborough wine industry as a whole and who realise that a united industry is the way forward to a successful future.

It is a good time to be leaving, as the management team of Marcus Pickens, Emily Hope and Meredith Elley are extremely talented and capable and will lead our organisation into a bright future.

Finally, thanks to you the members, for giving me the opportunity to help shape our future. I am proud to be a member of this industry, which I believe hasn’t even began to reach its potential.

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PyGanic® is registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997. P007039 The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Lessons Learned From Quakes TESSA NICHOLSON

It was bad, but it could have been worse. That’s the view of a winery engineer regarding the damage incurred in Marlborough after the August 16 earthquake.

Paul Gibbs from Transfield Worley says

that observed on the Rapaura/Renwick

60,000 litres) that were fabricated in the

while there was some severe damage

side, due to their closer proximity to the

early 2000’s. The legs on many of these

to wineries around Marlborough, if

earthquake epicentre.

tanks were subject to local bending and

the quake had been centred closer to

“The vast majority of damage and

compression failures. (See Photo.)

Blenheim the losses could have been

subsequent causes of wine losses that

“There were also some punching shear

“catastrophic.”

we observed, was associated with leg

failures of the centre legs. Tanks with

Centred at Lake Grassmere, 10 kms

mounted tanks, (capacity 20,000 –

longer legs or with a “threaded foot”

deep and registering as 6.6 on

detail appeared more likely to fail.

the Richter scale, the quake was

While most of the failures were

a rude reminder that Marlborough

observed on legs that were not

is situated in one of the most

braced, failure was also observed

earthquake prone parts of the

on some tanks that had their legs

country. And while there have been

braced.”

no indications of what the cost has

In contrast properly detailed plinth

been to the local wine industry,

mounted tanks generally behaved

it’s fair to say there has been

well, with the yielding bolts

millions of dollars worth of damage

doing their job relieving some

incurred.

of the energy of the earthquake.

The majority of that is to tanks,

Although Paul says the tanks that

walkways and through the loss

had horizontal bolts through the

of wine. The latter though will not

skirt into the plinths generally

impact on the region’s ability to

“cut” the bolts off which could

meet market demand.

have been a real problem had the

It also has to be remembered

earthquake been larger.

Paul says, that the damage was

“The bolts that had been drilled

isolated, with many wineries not

into the ground stretched and

being affected at all.

absorbed the energy of the

“It was evident that the level of

earthquake.”

damage sustained at the wineries

A large number of catwalks were

on the Riverlands side of Blenheim Moderate to severe tank damage was seen in some Marlborough wineries after the quake. was significantly greater than

damaged during the event. Paul

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says those that were installed

rigidly to the tanks suffered the worst.

be properly engineered and verified

“So basically when either the tank or

to ensure the tanks are brought up to

walkway moved in different directions,

whatever your desired seismic level is.

they just ripped off and caused the

But beware that any work undertaken is

walkway to buckle.”

not just transferring the failure point to

Paul’s advice is to ensure that walkways

somewhere else in the tank where the

and piperacks are seismically isolated

consequences could be worse. Paul

from the tanks– allowing walkways and

says just stiffening up the legs of a tank

tanks to move independently of each

may shift stress to the tank floor and wall,

other during a seismic event.

which will increase the chance of the

The obligations under the Building Act

tank rupturing and losing its contents.

and its associated codes and standards

Something no one wants.

are not clear when it comes to the

How your particular insurance cover

design of tanks, nor is how the insurance

works is something you need to clearly

industry will assess the seismic design

understand. Most commercial insurance

strength or lack thereof in future events.

policies are structured such that your

The majority of the tanks that suffered

A rigidly installed catwalk suffered major

deductible for damage and loss caused

damage.

by an earthquake is 5% of your total sum

he believes “the cost of production was

And what about those that have already

would be should you have a fire. You can

the main driver” and were not designed

suffered damage – what are their

however reduce the deductible with the

to meet the equivalent level of seismic

options?

payment of more premium.

strength that the buildings are obligated

First up – Understand from your insurer

Furthermore, seismic events are

to meet.

what level of seismic strength they

assessed on a “single event basis” and

However despite the millions of damage

require your tanks to have, to ensure you

we understand most insurers are likely to

incurred, he believes Marlborough

are covered for future seismic events.

consider the two recent earthquakes as

could have suffered far worse losses.

You can then make an informed decision

separate events for insurance purposes

The localisation of the damage, is due

whether to strengthen to meet this level

and apply two excesses to any losses.

specifically to the ground acceleration

or to go so far to cover likely events and

“Also if you have tanks that you now know

variation.

then self-insure the extreme events.

are no longer adequately robust you may

“The peak ground accelerations

Secondly, Paul does not recommend

need to advise your insurer on renewal.

measured near the epicentre were

repairing damaged tanks on a “like for

This may result in your premiums

approximately 15 times greater than

like” basis, as this will likely result in a

increasing or your cover reducing. As

those measured near Blenheim. This

similar outcome, in a similar sized and

such, determining how much you should

raises the question; How much damage

location earthquake. Damage would be

invest in strengthening tanks that you

and losses would a similar sized

even more devastating if the quake was

know are susceptible to earthquakes is

earthquake located nearer to Blenheim,

located closer to Blenheim itself, or larger

quite a complex business decision. You

where there is a greater density of

than 6.6.

need to work closely with your insurer,

wineries, have caused?”

“Keeping your wine secure is important,

financer and engineer to determine the

The answer to that is frightening,

you would need to consider whether

solution that best suits your business

especially if that event was to occur just

simply containing your wine even

needs.”

after harvest, when there would be more

though the tank sustains damage, is an

full tanks than there were in August. So

acceptable outcome, or if you want to

moving forward, what can wineries do

retain tank integrity after an earthquake. “

to limit their exposure to future quakes?

Modifying and strengthening work should

damage were built during the peak growth period of the early 2000’s where

insured, not just a dollar excess as it

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The Impact of Psa TESSA NICHOLSON

One of the most talked about presentations at the recent Bragato Conference, was in regard to Psa, kiwifruit and the lessons learned.

Zespri spokesman Bryan Parkes told the

Given the importance of this industry to

a matter of time before it crossed Cook

Friday morning crowd that November

that region, the impact has since been

Strait.

5th 2010 is a day he and everyone else

devastating, moving from those three

So what actually is Psa.

in the kiwifruit industry will never forget.

isolated orchards to cover almost every

“Psa is rod shaped bacteria that has

It was the day the first signs of Psa

single area where the fruit is grown. At

little tails, which allow it to swim around,”

were discovered not on one, but three

this stage there are no signs in the South

Bryan explained. “They are really fast, in

orchards in the Bay of Plenty.

Island, but Bryan believed it was only

fact someone did some interesting maths

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and found that on a body length ratio,

resistant it will get into the vascular

is the star cultivar Hort 16A, marketed as

they move faster than a cheetah, which is

system of the plant and your crop can

Zespri Gold. Prior to Psa, the industry,

pretty scary.

fall down within a matter of months. So

like wine, was a billion dollar export club.

“They don’t move randomly though. They

you don’t even make it to harvest within a

There were high hopes that Hort 16A

may start on the leaf one day and then

year of getting the infection.

could reach a billion dollars in sales all

find a wound as an entry point or the

“While the Psa can swim, it can also fly,

on its own, in the years ahead. That isn’t

stomata where they all cram in. When

so when a raindrop hits a leaf that has

going to happen now.

they get into the stomata they cause

some Psa on it, it creates a splash and

“Of our cultivars it is the star, Hort Gold

angular spots, often with a yellow halo.

an aerosol so it will pick up some of the

16A which is getting absolutely nailed by

The strain we have in New Zealand is

bacteria off that leaf and the wind can

it. Once Psa gets into these vines it tends

far more virulent than most strains. It

drive it for tens of kilometres, which is

to kill in a relatively short period.”

will get into the hardwood of the plant.

why it spread so quickly.”

Containing Psa was the first plan of

Unfortunately it can get into almost any

In terms of the New Zealand kiwifruit

attack by Zespri, although the virulent

pathway, through leaf scars, pruning

industry, there are two main cultivars –

nature of the bacteria didn’t allow that to

wounds, insect bites, rubbing on wires.

the green kiwifruit, known as Hayward,

happen. The next plan of attack was to

You name it, they will find a wound and

which occupies about 75% of the 12,000

protect the cultivars the company already

get into the plant. If the cultivar is not

ha of kiwifruit in New Zealand. The other

had and if they couldn’t protect them,

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Horticulture The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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11

measures.

“Then we respond, we ask the question can it be eradicated? If it can, fantastic.

If not, then we have to look at control measures. The response in New Zealand is governed by the bio-security act.

Which means it is up to the government to determine when and how to act.

The industry is consulted, but all final decisions will be made by MPI.” Philip believes there is a problem with that current scenario, as it could lead to a slow response, decisions made under stress and the wine industry itself having no power to take action.

The gold Hort 16A is the most susceptible to Psa, and within a matter of months it can

Currently the Government is working

kill the vine.

towards Industry Agreements on biosecurity readiness and response.

they had to find some new cultivar that

we are working our way through those

“The idea is to take quick action and

could replace the affected ones.

to identify the ones that have good Psa

pre agreed response strategies, with

“With our protection programme we have

tolerance, great taste and good storage,

the industry to be an integral part of that

looked at over 600 types of products to

which are the key attributes.”

decision making. There will be a number

try and control the disease. Not many

Bryan says while it is obvious that Hort

of minimum agreements the wine industry

worked, in fact hardly any. And nothing

16A will be a fatality in the battle, Zespri

will have to sign up to and there will be

is stopping it entirely. It certainly looks as

is pretty confident they have some

cost sharing on an agreed basis. If NZW

though Hort 16A will not survive, so we

promising cultivars in their collection.

doesn’t sign up for the process and there

are left to look for some new and more

“Hayward looks like it will be okay, but we

is an incursion, the government will levy

tolerant cultivars. When Psa arrived in

don’t know for the future. This new Gold

the industry anyway. NZW believes it is

New Zealand, we were screening some

does look like it should stand the test of

best to be part of that process from the

of our cultivars in Italy and we had a bit

time, but it is early days and there is still

start.”

of knowledge what cultivars were more

some risk.”

The talk at the moment is that there will

tolerant. We fortunately have a large breeding programme which we have been investing tens of millions of dollars in for a long time. In our cupboard to release to the industry was Gold 3. It’s a replacement cultivar for Hort 16A. By the time it dies away Psa will have destroyed over 3000ha of kiwifruit, and the major swing for the industry will be what cultivars it produces. We are continuing to look for better and better cultivars for the future. We have about 120,000 seedlings in our programmes Each are potential new cultivars and

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Could the Psa scenario be repeated within the wine industry? And what cards does NZWinegrowers have up its sleeve to protect or mitigate against such a possibility?

be a 50, 50 sharing of costs for agreed activities. If more than one sector is under threat, the government will still provide 50%, the rest will be shared between the industries.

First up, don’t ignore any strange or

Being prepared

unusual insects found within the vineyard,

It is really important for all involved in

Philip Gregan says.

the wine industry to know what they

“If somebody finds something in their

should do if they see something different

vineyard they don’t recognise, hopefully

in the vineyard. Early identification and

they don’t just stand on it and squish it.

notification is key. Being able to identify

Hopefully they ring somebody like MPI

anything that looks unusual is also

or NZW who will then look at emergency

important.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Glassy-winged sharpshooter If this pest arrives in New Zealand and Xyella is present, it could cost the wine industry tens of millions of dollars.

“All in the industry need to understand the pest disease risk, especially the high

• Living with it – cost $47m to $180m a year.

• Can we detect the pests early

impact pests and diseases which can

Putting that into perspective - $27m is

lead to vine death, production or quality

three times NZW’s annual budget.

issues, increased management costs and high risk of spread.”

So far NZW have identified 10 such threats. As for what the cost of an incursion by one of those 10 might be – it is unknown. But as an exercise NZW focused on Glassy-winged sharpshooter and the dissease Xyella. If both appeared in New Zealand how much is the estimated cost to the industry? (Note this is not definite, it is more an exercise undertaken to gain some understanding of the potential.)

• 1 vineyard, early identification – cost $1.7m • Delayed notification, so spreading to 5 vineyards – cost $8.6m • Late notification, so spread to 10 vineyards – cost $27m

number of areas such as; enough?

• Is eradication possible?

• How much is it going to cost?

How prepared are we?

NZW has an emergency management response plan that identifies potential risks for the industry, whether that is bio security or contamination.

Having a fully subscribed vineyard register is vital – although Philip said he was disappointed with the poor response to that this year. At the time of Bragato more than 500 vineyards had not updated their information.

“The risk if we get an incursion, is we don’t know where the vineyards are, we don’t know who to contact and that is

• How do we pay for it?

“But in the background is this very real risk that there will be an incursion that will have a possible impact on us. If we are not prepared, then the chances are the damage will be much greater than if we are prepared.”

Exotic pest and disease emergency hotline: 0800 80 99 66 Next month we look at the five most serious pests and disease risks facing the industry.

massive. The risk is to you the vineyard owner.”

There is still a long way to go with the Government Industry Agreement, in a

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13

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Dealing With Grass Grubs TESSA NICHOLSON

Part of the Scarab beetle family, grass grubs are endemic to New Zealand. What’s more they affect up to one million hectares of pasture, including vineyards.

With two stages, one that lives beneath

so it gets later and later as the days get

growers cultivating and rolling between

the ground, the other that flies, grass

longer. They fly for about 20 – 25 minutes

the rows. That helped diminish numbers

grubs are just another pest to add to the

and then they stop.”

and the issue of the adult beetles wasn’t

many grape growers have to contend

Initially it is only the males that are flying

a major one. Churning the soil brings

with. In their larval stage they eat the

as they look for mates. The females

the larvae to the surface and provides

roots of vines, in their adult stage they

remain on the ground, until they have

a smorgasbord for all birds in the

devour leaves and sometimes clusters.

mated and laid eggs. Then they may fly

neighbourhood. Cutting back on larvae

Thousands can descend on a vineyard in

off for feeding, devouring the leaves of

numbers ensures adult beetle numbers

a feeding frenzy that lasts only about 20

vines. It is the larvae that feast on the

are less.

minutes. But in that 20 minutes they can

roots of plants, whether those plants be

However when practices changed and

wreak havoc.

grass or vines.

growers began planting out the middles

We are now entering the time period

There are ways to control the grubs, both

of row with species like ryegrass, the

when the adult beetle is about to enter

under and above ground. And not all

grass grub problem escalated. There was

the skies. Dr Trevor Jackson, Science

involve chemicals.

plenty of food for the larvae, and more

Programme Leader from AgResearch in

Viticulture consultant Dominic

were reaching adult beetle stage.

Lincoln says the lifecycle of grass grubs

Pecchenino, says you have to manage

So cultivation is step number one. But

begins around this period of time.

the larvae stage if you want to prevent

if you haven’t done that, you need to

Like all scarabs they have stages in the

foliage damage in late spring. He says

be monitoring the vineyard on a nightly

ground and stages in the air. The adult

in the 90s when a lot of former sheep

basis, Dominic says.

brown beetle appears in October and

paddocks were

November, when it is flying. That flight

being turned into

season will be for about three or four

vineyards, the

weeks. The female beetle lays eggs

grass grub was a

on the ground, within three weeks they

major issue.

hatch into full first stage larvae, growing

“We were losing

through stages until March when the

vines because the

begin to hibernate. They then emerge as

roots were being

the beetle in October and November and

attacked by the

start all over again.

grass grubs. We

“We don’t see too much of the adult stage

lost a lot and had to

because it is dark,” Trevor says. “They

replant.”

emerge 20 minutes after sunset, and

But cultural

that continues right through the season,

practices saw many

A grass grub feeding frenzy.

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15

“We start monitoring the vineyard in October and go right through November. We make our own grass grub traps, which are just buckets of water set up in the vineyard and we also do night observation. If we start to see grass grub on the foliage, there may be no damage as of yet, but we know we have to take some action and we have to do it soon. If we are going to have a full moon and a calm evening in the next few nights, we know we have to get some preventative treatment on as soon as possible.”

In this scenario Dominic says his preferred method is to spray by air, where he can, and use spot applications where he can’t.

“But with our cultivation practices we have reduced the need for insecticides.”

He can’t emphasise the importance of monitoring, enough.

“You need to understand the grass grub cycle, know the The larvae of grass grubs found just below the surface of the

important dates and you need to be out there. If not, you could

soil.

go away on a Friday and come back on Monday and have some serious damage.”

Organic Consultant Bart Arnst says for those who don’t want to use chemicals, there are other methods that can be used.

Given the grubs can often come from neighbouring properties or headlands where there is grass, he says it is the outside rows that are most affected. Using bird netting to cover the outlying rows can be an effective form of protection. As are shelter belts that seem to interfere with flight paths from one area to another.

Another aspect is encouraging early vine vigour.

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blocks in the middle of the property, one was larger in growth than the other. There was more damage on the lower vigour

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vines.”

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Spray plans

vines, seem to attract the beetles. “They tend to gravitate to

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Pest and disease monitoring.

those higher points, so we are using those quite often.”

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sprays, clay and garlic sprays are also an alternative.

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Irrigation audits.

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Yield assessments.

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“We saw this last year in a large vineyard operation. We had two

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Leaving sacrificial canes on the vine is another possibility. Bart says those canes which are often left to suck the vigour out of

Non chemical intervention in the form of silica, pyrethrum foliar But he reiterated Dominic’s comments about cultivation, saying hitting the grubs at the larvae stage is important. “If you get those numbers under control you are half way there.”

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17

The Importance of the Sub Soil TESSA NICHOLSON

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the top soil – the top 15cms. But Gerard says more emphasis should be given to the sub soils, the area beneath that 15cm surface.

“Top soil samples will be taken from zero to 150mm and we look at that and assume it will tell us everything about the soil. But

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10/2013 WINEPRESS

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

clients, where we test top soil, leaf and petiole. We also do juice analysis and look for correlations. If you do a soil test and you find something high, then you hope it will also be high in the vine. But what we found was the correlation between top soil on the one hand and vine leaf and petioles on the other, is quite poor. The correlation between the sub soil and the vine levels is actually often much better. In other words if you have a sub soil test, in many respects it is a better indication of what the vine will be like than when you just look at the top soil.”

Which makes perfect sense, given the

of AgConsult, Gerard does a great deal

stony or the vineyard is not irrigated,

fact that in many vineyards 80% of the

of soil testing throughout the country. In

(dryland farming). Also tests taken at

vines root mass is going to be found in

some cases he is testing topsoils to a

veraison will show stronger correlation

that area below 15cm. The roots are the

depth of 300mm, (in addition to separate

between sub soils and vines, than with

feeders, transferring nutrients upwards,

subsoil tests) and says you require a

top soils and vines due to the fact that

for leaf and fruit development.

good understanding of the soil horizon

level is bound to be drier. Those light

Another reason to go deeper with your

prior to undertaking a test.

and stony soils are not uncommon in

analysis is because climatic conditions

“When you have a profile and look in

Marlborough – a good reason why local

will impact on the nutrient base within the

depth, you can see where the top soil

growers should be concentrating their

top soil In periods of dry conditions, that

layer is. It makes sense to go down to

efforts on determining what the sub soils

top 15cm will dry out quicker than the

wherever the boundary changes and get

nutrient levels are.

soil levels below. And given roots require

into that sub soil horizon.”

The most important time to undertake a

moisture before they can absorb

sub soil test is prior to planting any

nutrients, means they are feeding well

new vineyard. Gerard can’t state

below that top soil range.

“By ignoring the sub soil we don’t do ourselves any favours. If you know what is happening in the sub soil, your understanding of the vineyard will improve significantly. We can’t affect what happens in the subsoil, but we can help manage the effects of what we find.”

A typical example Gerard says, is if you find high levels of potassium in the top soil test.

“We had a case where the levels were almost twice the desired range, within the top soil. But in the sub soil it was almost non existent. We went from something like 7% base saturation in

“When you have a profile and look in depth, you can see where the top soil layer is. It makes sense to go down to wherever the boundary changes and get into that sub soil horizon.”

strongly enough that fixing a problem prior to planting is far easier than trying to deal with issues later. But all is not lost if you discover an existing vineyard’s sub soil is lacking certain elements. For one thing, at least you have a heads up knowing what problems are likely to arise later in the season and can therefore make suitable management decisions early on.

However there is often no quick solution when it comes to replenishing nutrient deficiencies.

“We had an experience with a vineyard where the sub soil was very acid. You can apply a lot of lime to the top soil in this situation and eventually

the top soil to 0.4 in the sub soil. So

it will work its way down, but it will take

when the top soil dries out, all this richness of potassium disappears and

Beware though that the deeper you go in

time. You can speed it up by cultivating

the vine struggles to find what it needs,

terms of testing, the less organic material

the soil to depth in between rows, but you

when it needs it most at ripening.”

that will show up, as that tends to be

obviously have to be very careful with

In a situation like the above, a grower

found mostly in the top 200mm.

that. You could use very fine, instead of

could look for ways of improving

“In that sample your average organic

coarse lime and sometimes gypsum will

potassium levels, such as fertigation,

material will be diluted and that will have

be the answer, but not usually with low

prior to the emergence of foliar

some implications for interpretation if you

pH soils. You can also use a surfactant

symptoms.

compare with tests taken from the first

type product that works like dishwashing

“The same goes with acid soils. If you

150mm of top soil.”

liquid and depending on what soil type

have very low pH in the sub soils, the

The correlation between sub soils and

you are working with, it will allow the

roots just won’t go there.”

vine levels, (when considering nutrients)

downward movement of nutrients like

In his role as a soil consultant and owner

is even stronger when the soils are light,

calcium to speed up.”

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In some cases applying a product prior to the winter can help – allowing the inevitable wetter period of the year to help push the product down.

Just applying multiple quantities of a nutrient isn’t always the best use of money or time he says, citing an example in Gimblett Gravels. The vineyard in question had good levels of phosphorous on the soil test, but not in the vine. The stony nature of the Gravels was causing a mis-reading in the soil levels. While it appeared that there was a large amount of phosphorous present, the amount available was diluted because of the stony nature. The wine company decided to spread 750 kgs/ha of super phosphate every second year, which while expensive was not proving to be very effective.

“It was applied in winter, when there is not a lot of growth and there was nothing to hold on to the phosphorous or take it up. In effect it was leaching and not benefiting the vines very much.

“We tried a different approach and used rock phosphate, which is far less soluble, and ground it down to a very fine form. The finer the particle, the more surface area and the quicker it will become available without becoming more soluble. We had a very good response with that.”

Promoting microbial fungi, which allows the vine to source phosphate was another reason for non-soluble fertiliser. When the vineyard had been covered in soluble phosphate during the winter months, it was the death knell for the microbial fungi, they didn’t like it one bit.

“So the one helper we had in the vineyard was cut off at the

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

ankles because we were applying a high rate of soluble fertiliser.”

To understand what is happening around your vine’s feet, you need to delve much deeper than the top layer of 10 – 15cm.

Soil testing is a bit like having a regular Dr’s check-up. You don’t know what is happening inside your body, unless you undertake some testing and a blood test alone won’t confirm everything going on. The soil is no different.

Next month we look at Preparing For Flowering.

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Generation Y-ine Libby Rainey – Villa Maria Marlborough Technical Officer Many youngsters leaving school have no idea what they want

in a big city somewhere.” So she decided she needed time

to do in terms of careers. Some head to University in the hope

to think her options through. And options she certainly had,

they will find their inspiration. Others take a Gap year, travel

given that one year off saw her working a myriad of jobs, from

overseas, or find an interim job before they discover their true

leaf plucking at Brightwater Estate to filleting fish at Sealords,

calling.

touring with Flying Kiwi as a guide, to running promotions for

Libby Rainey is one of the latters. She had no idea where her

More FM in Nelson and being a lifeguard at the local swimming

life was heading at the end of school. Part of her wanted to do

pool.

something in the graphic design area, another part considered

“I certainly did a fair few jobs in that year.”

doing a Commerce Degree in Dunedin, while a third side was

But the only one that hit a chord in any way was the vineyard

thinking, “I definitely don’t want to end up working in an office

work at Brightwater Estate, in the summer of 05.

“My first job was leaf plucking and we did it for bloody months!.

And we also laid out white reflective plastic under their vines, That seemed to go on for weeks, but it was when we moved into harvest and lots more people came that brought the job to life. They (Brightwater) have a really interesting winemaker, who had great stories about when he was in California, working in the winery there. He was so passionate about wine and to be honest he opened my eyes to the world of wine, an industry I

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A visit with her father to Marlborough got her thinking about the industry overall. So in 2006 she began the Viticulture

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

some practical experience? Anyone who has met Libby would agree, she isn’t one to prevaricate or hang around. So overseas it was – to America, Sonoma to be precise.

Working first of all for Domaine Carneros, who specialised in Sparkling wines, then on to Sequoia Grove in the Napa valley which was producing Sauvignon Blanc and a range of reds.

While the work was fantastic, the cultural differences in the workplace didn’t gel too well with Libby. Neither did the coffee for that matter.

“We lived on donuts, tamales and crap coffee. What I wouldn’t

have given for a decent cup of coffee during that time.”

Officer, which means one of her main jobs is yield estimation.

Always intending to come back to Marlborough after the

From November through until February she is responsible for a

vintage, she wasn’t too sure what she was going to do. But

team of samplers, working out bunch and berry numbers and

when she read Villa Maria was looking for a Viticulture Cadet,

relaying that back to the winery to ensure everyone is prepared

she thought “Why not give it a go? To be honest I didn’t think I

for vintage potential well in advance of harvest. It’s a mammoth

had a chance in hell, but I applied anyway.”

task, given Villa has growers spread throughout the region,

While she may not have completed her degree (at that stage)

plus their own vineyards and every single vineyard can require

she had a few vintages under her belt. While at NMIT she

far more than one sectional count. Pre vintage 2013, Libby

had worked at Whitehaven and Framingham, she had past

was involved in estimating yields on 450 sections, a logistical

experience at Brightwater and now two American wineries. Her lack of confidence was the only thing holding her back.

When she found out she had an interview, she went into almost panic mode.

“I came back home before I found out I had an interview. Oh my God I was so nervous. I was straight out of Polytech and had no idea what they were they were going to ask me. But it was

nightmare for those less organised.

“I love logistics,” she surprisingly admits.

“At harvest time, I am the night shift machine harvest coordinator.

That involves a lot of logistics, dealing with people, machines, trucks and the winery. But it is

really cool, Mike Croad (Regional Viticulturist

so exciting, so many

at the time) made me feel totally relaxed. He

things going on.

asked how I deal with time pressures and

And logistically it is

general work ethic questions, not just questions

awesome, so many

about viticulture. As this was for a Cadet

things to think about and

position, they knew I would build my knowledge on the job.”

So in November 2008, just after the big vintage, Libby began working here in Marlborough.

seeing it all fitting into place.”

I can’t help but laugh when she enthuses over the logistical side of the job, as when I ask how old

These days she is

she is, she has

Marlborough’s

serious

Technical

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23

difficulty remembering. In the end the two of us have to count on our fingers to work it out. It takes a few minutes, believe it or not, but we finally get there. We finally agree on 26. Or is it 27?

Which means she still has another few years up her sleeve to

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take part in the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition. She has already taken part three times. The first year saw her being coerced into the competition. The second year she ended up fourth, this year she came in second. So will she take part again?

“I haven’t got a good excuse not to,” she laughs. “That first year I was absolutely petrified. But I am so, so glad I did it. I met some amazing people and I have learned so much from it. I now know that the build up to it is far worse than the actual event.”

So look out other young vits, Libby is likely to be back next year.

In terms of where to from here, she is more than happy with her position. She loves working for Villa Maria, which she admits has surprised those who knew her when she was studying.

“I had always said at Polytech, that I would never work for a big company, that’s not where I want to go. I had come from a small

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She would also love to gain some more overseas experience, particularly in France – but that is in the future. There’s plenty of years ahead for that to come to fruition.

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Blackfoot - A Trunk Disease to Look Out For TESSA NICHOLSON

Blackfoot, or to give it is proper name – Cylindrocarpon – is another of the wood diseases growers need to be on the look out for.

It is showing its face here in Marlborough, and despite it being a disease that is renowned for attacking younger vines; older vineyards in the region are succumbing to it.

Jade Rogge, Treasury Wine Estate’s South Island Vineyard Manager, says it is a soil borne pathogen that enters the roots via wounds created naturally or by poor planting.

“There are several pathways for infection.

It could be coming from contaminated plant material that has originated from the mother vine, or it could be healthy and newly propagated vines that are picking it up from contaminated soil.”

According to University of California Davis literature, the pathogen is assumed to live in a latent state in the soil and under certain conditions can attack weakened plants.

“It is therefore a relatively weak or opportunistic fungus. The fungus infects its host through natural openings or wounds on the roots or through the crown of the rootstock. Over time it invades the lignified tissues to the plant, which produces root lesions and subsequent plugging of the xylem by fungal tissue, gums and tyloses. The reduced mineral and water uptake results in plant dieback.”

Conditions are important for this disease to flourish. Poor soil nutrition in terms of organic matter and water logged plots will be more susceptible to Blackfoot.

“It increases when the vine is stressed by poor planting, or the vines are growing in water logged conditions,” Jade says.

Symptoms are varied, with the underground roots turning black or brown and then rotting. The stem can then start to brown from the base, progressing up the trunk. Jade says you may see second tier roots or even knotted roots.

Above the ground, the vine shows typical stress symptoms.

“Like late bud burst, restricted shoot growth, berry abortion early in the season, yellow spotting on leaves, poor cane lignification and early autumn senescence and leaf fall.”

All of these lead to economic issues, especially as you may have patches of Blackfoot within a vineyard. The loss of crop, reduced quality, block variation and management decisions will impact.

And given it is a soil borne pathogen; it

Early autumn senescence and leaf fall are common symtoms.

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Typical symptoms on the leaves of a vine suffering Blackfoot. can spread from vine to vine, particularly in areas where there is water movement.

There is no chemical solution registered for grapevines for the New Zealand species of Cylindocarpon at this stage, which means growers are left with only a few options Jade says.

“We can ignore the losses and just crop the vine to the death.

We can monitor and observe. We can implement a vine removal programme and this might scare you all, but there needs to be a fallow period ideally of at least three years.

“Or we can maintain good soil health by the addition of mulch, biological feeders and cover crops such as oats, and lupins which provide organic material and nitrogen.”

It is important before even beginning to plant out a new site, to determine if the pathogens are present in the soil. That can be done through lab testing. If it is there, she recommends planting crops of mustard and turning up to two times per year, this acts as a biofumagant.

“Even if it is not present it is something we should be thinking about doing.”

No rootstocks are fully resistant, although there are some rootstocks that are more tolerant, such as 3309 and S04.

In an established vineyard that shows signs of Blackfoot, Jade recommends maintaining good vine health, build up the soil nutrition via mulching, plant a mustard inter-row crop and keep an eye out for water logged patches within the vineyard.

“Do NOT apply excess water during any irrigation applications.”

Eventually though you will have to remove the infected vines.

Remember that the ground must be left fallow for at least three years and ideally use the mustard to eradicate or reduce the cylindrocarpons.

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PICK THE NEXT BIG THING To complement New Zealand’s largest selection of varieties and clones, Riversun is planning to bring in up to another 30 new imports. If there is something you think should be on this list contact us now…

www.riversun.co.nz

Average Grape Prices The interim grape prices for the 2013 vintage have been

compare, as the NZWinegrower definitions have changed over

released. And as the below graph shows, when comparing the

the years.

past three Marlborough vintages, it is Pinot Noir and Sauvignon

It has to be noted that the 2013 figures are only interim, as final

Blanc that have seen the biggest changes, with Riesling and

figures will be affected by late payments from wineries.

Pinot Gris also rising. The Chardonnay market is difficult to

Variety

2011

2012

2013

Chardonnay – All other clones

$1,512

$1,684

$1,616

Chardonnay Sparkling Clone 15 & Mendoza

$1,501

$1,841

$1,738

Chardonnay Sparkling Clones 4 & 5

$1,200

Chardonnay Table Mendoza

$1,514

$2,226

$1,852

Chardonnay Table Clone 15

$1,481

$1,596

$1,762

Gewurztraminer

$1,581

$1,764

$1,789

Merlot

$1,885

$1,481

$1,391

Pinot Gris

$1,404

$1,404

$1,625

Pinot Noir – Sparkling

$1,961

$1,756

$1,991

Pinot Noir - Table

$2,605

$2,806

$2,815

Riesling

$1,567

$1,592

$1,594

Sauvignon Blanc

$1,174

$1.289

$1,563

Total/Average

$1,265

$1,364

$1,631

$1,839

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

JMS 1/4 page press NZ Winegrower 60mm x 180mm

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Helping Vines Cope With A Frost RESEARCH DAMIAN MARTIN AND MIKE TROUGHT - BLENHEIM PLANT & FOOD, REPORTED BY TESSA NICHOLSON

Depending on when a frost hits and how severe it is, there are certain procedures that need to be undertaken in the vineyard to safe guard the vine itself.

Last month in Winepress we looked

Marlborough is not immune to spring

the severe November frosts that

at how to prepare the vineyard for the

frosts. A katabatic frost (unusual

impacted heavily on yields in both years.

possibility of a frost. This month we look

in Marlborough) hit the Awatere on

As Plant & Food’s Dr Damian Martin says

at what needs to be done after a frost

November 10 in 2006. One year later,

frosts are part and parcel of growing

event. Hopefully none of these will be

the lowest October temperature in 66

grapes in a cool climate. They can

necessary, as we all keep our fingers

years was recorded at Woodbourne, -2.7

impact heavily, not only on the current

crossed for perfect conditions during the

on October 19. Anyone involved in the

year’s yield, but the next as well, if

spring months.

industry in 2002 and 2003 will remember

measures aren’t taken to care for the vine.

Just what the impact is and how you should deal with it, depends greatly on when the frost strikes. An early season, mild frost, when the primary buds and shoots are just emerging, is unlikely to have major impact, as the vine still has plenty of reserves. It’s not usually necessary to promote shoot growth or anything special to favour cane development.

“The fruit that forms on the regrowth on the secondary and tertiary bud, becomes very similar notionally to second set and can be

Moderate Frost Damage:

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managed in a similar way,” Damian says.

replacement wood, meaning some form

“about 5 millimetres above the crown.”

It is a different scenario though in a

of quick pruning intervention is required.

It is not a wise decision to break shoots

severe early season frost. In this case, it

“The current season’s crop is still there

off, particularly in mid to late season, as

becomes a case of “self selecting.

and may achieve some revenue, but it

that will damage secondary and tertiary

“Pretty much all the primary buds have

becomes a secondary priority.”

buds that are required to grow into

been destroyed and any crop you get will only come from unburst primary buds or secondary and tertiary buds. The fertility of these is actually pretty low. A good rule of thumb is; only one small bunch for every two shoots. So it’s not very much.”

The frost will also throw out the development of new shoots by up three or four weeks.

“But there is still plenty of time for the replacement shoots to harden off and you will get some good quality replacement canes out of it. In this case the crop will be relatively uniform so any kind of input is not necessary.”

replacement canes.

Severe Late Season Frost The major difference between a mid and late season frost, is that the reserves of the vine are greatly depleted, Damian says, by the time the frost has occurred.

“So it has used up all its reserves feeding that spring growth leading into flowering when the frost hits. So here you need to forget about any crop in the current season and do everything you can to make sure you have replacement canes for the following year.”

The chart below shows what forms of intervention in terms of pruning are required following a frost.

Mid to Late Spring Frost

In terms of an early spring frost,

What tends to happen here, is the well

regardless of severity, no pruning is

developed shoot only gets partially

required. Light damage in mid and

damaged. But the downside of this

late spring also requires no pruning

Damian says, is that it stimulates lateral

intervention.

growth and any regrowth will be quite

But from mid season and with moderate

late – sometimes between four and eight

damage upwards, there are two or three

weeks behind the pre-frost growth.

options, Damian said.

“So the priority here is, how do we ensure

“Two involve pruning shoots and one

we have good replacement wood for

involves pruning canes, which is the

the next year? Laterals don’t harden off

most severe case of a severe frost in late

particularly well in the autumn, so it’s

spring.”

never a good idea to prune back to a

Pruning shoots - you need to look

lateral shoot as your replacement cane.”

to prune green shoots, with the

Therefore the focus needs to be on

recommendation being to prune back to

and late season moderate frosts, we can prune the damaged shoots just around the head, so we can make sure we get some replacement wood. Forget about the shoots further along the cane, they will do their own thing and have lots of laterals on them.”

In a mid season severe frost the option is to prune all the damaged shoots to promote secondary buds. You will probably get more crop in this situation, but clearly it is a lot more work.”

However when it comes to a late season, severe frost, the only option is to prune the canes either mid way along, or right back close to the head,” he said.

“What you want to do here is to remove the bud load on the vine and do everything you can to develop the shoot at the base of the cane and close to the head.”

As mentioned earlier, in this scenario you are forgetting about getting any current crop.

But this doesn’t mean you can forget about vineyard health. Damian said fertiliser applications, especially nitrogen, are important to help re-establish the vine’s reserves, and you will need to keep up the irrigation. “Remember the

Pruning After A Frost

“In the case of mid season moderate

Early Spring

Mid Spring

Late Spring

Light damage

1 - No pruning

1 - No pruning

1 - No pruning

Moderate damage

1 - No pruning

2A - Prune shoots

2A - Prune shoots

Severe damage

1 - No pruning

2B - Prune shoots

3 - Prune canes

later the frost occurs, the more depleted the vines reserves are, so you have to do everything you can to promote cane growth.”

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Our New Fellow TESSA NICHOLSON

Stuart Smith is the 23rd wine industry member to be inducted onto the Roll of Fellows and the first Marlburian.

He joins renowned wine industry

President’s role and in 2007 became

personnel such as Mate Brajkovich MW,

Chairman of the Board of New Zealand

John Buck, Frank Yukich, and Peter

Winegrowers, a position he held for six

Babich to name a few. Announced at

years.

the recent Romeo Bragato Conference,

They were tumultuous times for Stuart,

Stuart was one of two recognised in

given most of those six years, New

2013. The other being Sir George

Zealand was suffering after an over

Fistonich.

supply issue. As a grower representative

His recognition comes after a long period

he knew how tough it was out there as

of commitment to the Marlborough and

grape prices fell, but he also understood

New Zealand wine industry, most recently

how hard times were for wineries, battling

as the Chair of the NZWinegrower’s

against the high New Zealand dollar.

Board.

Stuart’s first industry involvement was back in 1999 when he became a member of the board of the New Zealand Grape Grower’s Council.

But it all began a few years prior to that when Stuart was encouraged to help out with the Silver Secateurs. As co-owner of Fairhall Downs, his interest was spurred by the annual competition and the hard work that individuals were putting into creating perfection in the field.

Born and raised in Mid Canterbury, he was no stranger to the land when he arrived in Marlborough in 1994. He had been sheep and deer farming down there, but moved into grapes once up here. Being able to control all the phases of a product from the ground up was important to him. In most other forms of production, the farmer hands over control at the farm gate. By owning a winery, that vertical integration is complete he says.

You control the growing of the grapes, the picking, the wine making, bottling and marketing. That in itself makes the wine industry a special one to be involved in.

From the initial Silver Secateurs, Stuart went on to stand for the Marlborough Grape Grower’s Council, which spurred his interest in the importance of the organisation. Before long he was elected to the board of the Marlborough branch and in 2001, he was elected as Marlborough’s President.

Prior to the Grape Growers and Winemakers merging, Stuart was tapped on the shoulder by William Crosse and invited to the first informal discussions.

Once the merge took place he was elected to the newly formed board of Marlborough Winegrowers – a position he held until 2005 when he stood down to take on the role of National Grape Grower’s Vice President.

A year later he stepped up to the

Marketing our product and remaining on top of the quality game were issues he felt strongly about.

When he first took on the role of Chair, he had this to say.

“Care has to be taken that any expansion is tied very carefully to a market. People would be very ill advised to go out and undertake substantial plantings without a market for their grapes. The days of unplanned growth are well and truly over.

There have been very good capital gains for the person who has developed bare land into grapes. I believe those days are finished. The capital gains that were driving development have finished. Those gains are already built into the purchase price of the land. That is probably a good thing, as we need to be market driven, that means wine market driven. Not land market driven.”

Prophetic words from our new Fellow, that need reiterating, six years later.

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Pinot at Cloudy Bay Eighteen superb wines from New Zealand, Australia, France, US, Argentina and Canada, plus food by one of the country’s best chefs, led to a stunning day at this year’s Pinot at Cloudy Bay.

The table was set for the Long Lunch – the perfect end to a stunning day.

Time to chat between flights.

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Top chef, Des Harris from Clooneys Restaurant in Auckland, adds some finishing touches to one of the five courses he prepared.

Organiser of the event, Cloudy Bay winemaker, Nick Lane

It wasn’t all serious tasting, there was a fair bit of banter going on as well.

18 wines, from an array of countries. All the Pinots were from the 2010 vintage.

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AWATERE VALLEY

220 Ballochdale Road

Ballochdale Estate One of Marlborough’s highest vineyards on a spectacular site reaching out along an isolated peninsular 300 metres above sea level in the attractive Awatere Valley, Ballochdale Estate enjoys an even fall of 55 metres down the length of the vineyard and a deep ravine around the boundary so the cold air is carried away, leaving less risk of frost and leading to consistent production of highest quality wines. Almost 30 canopy hectares of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are planted in 2.2 metre rows on even soils with a sound natural water supply. Several well respected wine companies value these grapes as the best they source and have won numerous awards and trophies using them.

For more background information, visit www.ballochdaleestate.co.nz

Deadline Sale 4pm, Thurs 28 Nov 2013, Bayleys, Cnr Charles & Seymour Street, Blenheim (unless sold prior)

WAIRAU VALLEY

Brookby Road & State Highway 63

Landmark Marlborough Winery In a commanding position overlooking the central Wairau Valley, Highfield Estate winery is one of the most recognised and photographed buildings in Marlborough. Due to the passing away of a major shareholder, all assets of the company are on the market. These include winery, with restaurant, tasting and function room and apartment, plus associated vineyards, award winning wine brands with distribution in 18 countries and wine stocks.

With a total vineyard area of 82 canopy hectares, predominantly Sauvignon Blanc and a little Pinot Noir, annual production is around 1,000 tonnes. Highfield is also a suitable venue for weddings and other functions or a place to taste more than just the company’s wine.

For more background information, visit www.highfield.co.nz

Deadline Sale 4pm, Fri 29 Nov 2013, Bayleys, Cnr Charles & Seymour Street, Blenheim (unless sold prior)

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www.bayleysmarlborough.co.nz

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Dillons Point – Trophy Country TESSA NICHOLSON

Three trophies were awarded to wines produced in Dillons Point Road at the recent Bragato Wine Awards, proving this area is far more than former sheep/cropping and sometime dairy country.

It is a sign that the phrase “swamp land” is not only unjust, but also untrue. Grape growers Owen and Wendy Glover from Kerseley Vineyard give a wry smile when I bring that phrase up. Given they have just won three gold medals and two trophies for wines produced on their property, they have every right to smile.

The trophies were for the Wither Hills Cellar Release Kerseley Riesling 2012, and the Zephyr Gewurztraminer 2012, while the Massey Dacta Sauvignon Blanc 2012 also won a gold medal. Close neighbours Phillip and Cheryl Sowman also won the trophy for Champion Sauvignon Blanc. A pretty impressive haul for one small sub region of Marlborough.

The Glover property has been producing grapes now for nearly 30 years and there is obviously something about the land that suits aromatics.

“When we were supplying Highfield, Tony Hooper (winemaker) was always very keen on the Chardonnay out of here. He always acknowledged that it had an oily character with the aromatic characters as well. Subsequently when we planted Riesling here in the mid 90s, it produced similar characters and the Gewurzt did as well.”

Vine age is obviously helping with the ensuing wines. The Rieslings are

close to 15 years old while the oldest Gewurztraminer is 20. Both are small parcels within the vineyard, with one 1 hectare of each planted, compared to the 20 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc.

“Tony Hooper got me into the Gewurztraminer initially, back in the 90s.

I tried some Alsacean wines and thought, these are special. He encouraged me to plant 500 vines, just three rows at the time,” Owen says.

The aromatic characters that Hooper had picked up on, were also appealing to Owen and Wendy’s son Ben, who was winemaker at Wither Hills.

“He was quite keen to take some for Wither Hills and he experimented with a number of winemaking techniques – him and Andrew Petrie. They also deserve a lot of the credit for these wines and their success.”

Creating perfect fruit does require work though, with bunch thinning the norm on both varieties. With Riesling being vulnerable to botrytis, the thinning is vital, while Gewurzt tends to throw a lot of second set, which has to be removed prior to harvest. All the fruit is hand picked, and the key Owen says is knowing just when to pick.

“With the Gewurzt the acids can drop out very quickly, in a matter of days – so you have to know when that is happening and get it off the vines as soon as possible.”

The recent accolades are not the only ones for the Glovers. The Zephyr Riesling 09 won a Blue Gold at the Sydney Top 100, and the Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc has also been selected for Air New Zealand’s wine list twice in the past two years.

So what about that phrase swamp land?

“What people forget is that where we are is on the dry side of the plain,” says Owen. “If Rapaura got 8 cms of rain from the North West, we would only get 4. This land is on the banks of the Opawa River, it is free draining and can actually get quite dry. We have to irrigate.”

What’s not drying up it seems, is the list of accolades for wines from this part of Marlborough.

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Export News Up to July 31, 2013.

Total Export Volume & Value • MAT June 2013 total value of exports is $1.211 billion, up 3% on the previous year.

• MAT July 2013, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 147.7 m. litres unchanged from the previous year. Performance of other styles is mixed.

• Total value of June 2013 exports was $96.9 m. up 11% on June 2012.

• Production of Sauvignon Blanc in 2013 is estimated to have been 167.8 m. litres, 27% up on the previous year. Shipments

• MAT July 2013 exports are 174.5 m. litres, down 1% (2.2 m. litres) on the previous year.

• July 20133 exports were 16.1 m. litres up 27% (3.4 m. litres)

of vintage 2013 Sauvignon Blanc since release are 18.3 m. litres or 10.9% of estimated production, the highest level at this time since data collection began in 2004.

on July 2012.

Export Value per Litre • All wines

June 2013 average value was $7.50 per litre up $0.31 per litre on June 2012.

MAT June 2013 average price is $7.13 per litre, up $0.04 from the previous month and up 8% or $0.55 per litre on MAT June 2012.

• Packaged wines

Excluding unpackaged wine from the data, the June 2013 average value was $8.52 per litre, down $0.09 litre on June 2012.

MAT June 2013 the average price is $8.42 per litre, down $0.03 (0.4%) per litre on MAT June 2012.

MAT June 2013 prices are up 2% to the UK, but are down 1% to the USA, 2% to Canada and 3% to Australia.

Exports by Variety/Style • In July 2013 Sauvignon Blanc exports were 13.6 m. litres, up 30% from the previous year, accounting for 85% of export volume. Of the Sauvignon Blanc exported in July, 9.7 m litres was from vintage 2013 and 3.8 m. litres was from Vintage 2012.

• Performance of other styles was mixed in July with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and sparkling the strongest performers.

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Wine Unwound A ROOKIE’S PERSPECTIVE WITH ANNABELLE LATZ

Fishing for Answers Methods of skinning a cat are as varied

first place, like adding fish guts? Maybe

gym gear and lycra, and having sessions

as the methods involved in winemaking.

someone was sipping on a glass of wine

on the erg machine. It must be Corpor8

Not only are there choices of different

while out fishing one day?

Rowing time. Such fun.

additions to add, and different forms of

And when was nitrogen first used in

I’m writing this column as the erg

a particular addition, but there are also

winemaking to decrease the amount

competition pends for next Monday after

different methods of adding them.

of Co2 and dissolved oxygen in wine?

work. It involves one minute sprints, and

I’m talking here specifically about giving

That’s another question that often pops

plenty of cheering. Then it’s onto the

the wine its fining touches, which I give

up in my head. I tried a bit of research

water for three weeks’ training, before the

the analogy ‘sandpapering,’ or rounding

into it, but had no luck. Please would

big regatta next month.

off any sharp edges. Who would have

someone enlighten me.

Yes, after some days at work involving

thought it can be done with fish guts?

Speaking of finished wine, a group of

clambering flights of stairs and dragging

Well it can. And I’ve learned a rather

us from work got to enjoy the benefits

hoses around, the thought of blasting out

crafty method for adding it too, which

recently.

a few short sharp kilometres on the erg

helps to keep the sloppy goo from getting

We had a photo shoot for some product

machine seems a bit daunting. But once

all over the hands.. and face and arms…

marketing, and enjoyed sitting at a

the shoes are on and we realise we’re

Once the sloppy fishy goo is mixed with

lovely big table, feasting on beef and

all in it together, the buzz lifts us all and

some wine from the tank it’s going into,

salad, mussels and crayfish, cheese

we have a great few laughs amongst our

it can be pumped into the tank via a

and crackers, and sipping on Sauvignon

huffing and puffing.

‘venturi.’ Just think of the film Ace Ventura

Blanc. Not a bad way to spend a couple

Come to think of it, we’ll be rowing

and you’re almost there.

of hours of the work day at all.

amongst some fish on the river. I believe

The venturi is a smaller line going off the

It is true what they say though. Now

it was the guts of Hoki that I was adding

main pump line, controlled with a valve.

that I know a something or two about

to a tank the other day.

Many additions can be made to a tank

winemaking, I do think more about the

If though, it had been the guts of crabs,

using this method, and it goes in nice

wine when I’m drinking it; asking myself

the whole thing would have made

and slowly and evenly, homogenising

why certain qualities exist, and what part

complete sense.

with ease into the tank. Nitrogen sparging

of what I do on a daily basis as a cellar

also aids this process.

hand would aid in leading to the result of

And as for the fish guts, well unwanted

what I’m drinking.

sharp aspects of the wine stick to the fish

A bunch of us at work have been seeing

guts, and sink to the bottom of the tank.

each other more out of hours than usual

Therefore, all remains of fish flavours

lately. And not in our usual jeans and tops

drop out of the wine, once the wine is

worthy of getting covered with wine and

racked off its lees.

bits and pieces, of many descriptions on

But who thinks up these methods in the

a daily basis. We’ve been donning the

http://annabellelatz.blogspot.co.nz/

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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Contact Duncannon Reception: p. 578 8193 | e. info@duncannon.co.nz

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

To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to tessa.nicholson@me.com OCTOBER 22-23

Judging Marlborough Wine Show

NOVEMBER 1 – 3 Marlborough Wine Weekend 1 – 8 Seminar 2 Taruna Certicate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics – info@taruna.ac.nz 4 – 7 Plant & Food Research Plant Dormancy Symposium – Auckland 9 Marlborough Wine Show Awards Dinner 14 Wineworks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race 17 Toast Martinborough 23 Air New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner - Queenstown 26 Air NZ Wine Tasting in Blenheim (Silver, Golds and Trophy medal wines open for tasting) 28 Wine Marlborough AGM – Marlborough Research Centre Theatre DECEMBER 2 Dr Peter Magarey Seminar, MRC Theatre (Details TBC) 7 Christchurch/South Island Wine and Food Festival – Christchurch JANUARY 2014 30 – Feb 1 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration – Central Otago FEBRUARY 8

30th Anniversary Marlborough Wine and Food Festival

GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINES AND GREAT FRIENDS COME TOGETHER AT HERZOG’S BISTRO! Come and enjoy Marlborough’s stunning Spring 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!

HERZOG 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

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

10/2013 WINEPRESS

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News From Home and Away Accolades Congrats to Lawson’s Dry Hills and Little Beauty (a small single vineyard with the wine made by Eveline Fraser) who both won international trophies in the Decanter World Wine Awards.

The two trophies were the only ones to come to New Zealand, which is even sweeter for the Marlborough producers.

Lawson’s Dry Hills won the Best Sauvignon Blanc under £15 for their Mount Vernon 2012, while Little Beauty won the Riesling under £15 for the Dry Riesling 2010.

In total 32 trophies were awarded, after the competition received 14,362 entries from 52 countries.

China Wine and Spirits Show Double Gold winners from this show: Chardonnay: Matua Single Vineyard, Marisco ‘The Kings Bastard’ 2011, Marisco ‘The Kings Bastard’ 2012 Sauvignon Blanc: Matua, Yealands Estate Single Block Series s1 2012, Squealing Pig Pinot Noir: Ara Select Blocks 2011, The Ned 2012, Crossroads Milestone Series Pinot Noir Dessert: The Ned Noble Sauvignon Blanc Forest Estate achieved yet another accolade for their Riesling, winning the trophy for Best Young Sweet, Floral styles at the 2013 International Sweet Wine Challenge in Australia, with their 2012 Forrest Wines Botrytised Riesling Novel Marketing Bag in a box may not be the most sought

contain French wine – from well-known and respected Languedoc, and are described as “fresh, fruity and easy to drink”.

after packaging for wine, and certainly not one many New Zealand wineries want to get into. But what about a Bag in a Bag? The latest trend to hit Europe, America and more recently the UK, is wine in a designer created bag – handbag that is.

The Verissage wine “handbags” have three styles to choose from. A chocolate coloured bag with black trim contains a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah. A cream bag contains Chardonnay/Viognier, while the pink contains a Syrah Rosé.

The idea for the wine bag came out of Sweden a few years back, when luxury wine expert Takis Soldatos paired up with the bag designer, Sofia Bloomberg, and came up with the Vernissage brand. The packaging has won awards for novelty and marketing, not surprisingly. But what has been even more interesting, is the response from consumers. According to the PR machines, the bags are literally walking out of the stores – despite some scathing tongue in cheek reviews.

While it is a Swedish design, the bags

Two New Marlborough Wine Show Awards Continuing to showcase the next level of the Marlborough story, the Marlborough Wine Show has launched two new awards.

In an effort to reward producers who consistently produce outstanding wines, the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award will be awarded to a wine company for three outstanding vintages of one wine within a ten year period.

The second new award, the Award for Vineyard Excellence has been developed to acknowledge the vineyard team from grower and viticulturist to all others involved and will awarded to the highest scoring single vineyard wine.

Wet Tax Australian winemakers want to put an end to the ability of New Zealand wine producers to be able to get a tax rebate on their wine sold across the Tasman.

The Wine Equalisation Tax ((WET) was established in 2008, aimed firstly at Australian producers. New Zealand producers were able to apply for it a short time later. Now the Winemaker’s Federation of Australia says allowing New Zealanders to apply for the subsidy has impacted on the overall Australian industry, and it is behind a drop in their profits, which are already being hit by the high dollar and oversupply.

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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10/2013 WINEPRESS

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

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YaraVita Bud Builder….… supplies critical nutrients to improve vine health flowering, health, flowering fruitset, fruitset fruit development, development and improved wine quality. quality Boron, Zinc, Magnesium, Phosphorus are all very important key nutrients required both pre & post flowering. They are essential for key functions including: flower initiation, pollination, cell division, calcium & sugar transport, formation and activity of chlorophyll, improved bud development, improved fruit quality, and cold tolerance Nutrient availability early season when soil temperatures are cold is very limited. Zinc and Boron particularly are reasonably immobile from the soil, so an early strategic foliar application that targets both the flower clusters and rapidly developing leaf canopy is recognized worldwide as being the best method of delivering these essential nutrients.

Historic leaf / petiole tests taken at flowering more often than not indicate deficient levels of boron, zinc & magnesium, so a pro-active approach that addresses these nutrients pre-flowering is strongly advised.

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YaraVita Bud Builder (24% Mg, 10% Zn, 3% B, 3% P) Recommendation: 5kg/ha foliar applied pre-flowering For more information and advice consult your representative at:

Bud Builder