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CONTENTS
ISSUE 76
50 R E GUL A R S
4
Editorial
10
Regional Cooperatives
Tessa Nicholson
Hawke’s Bay owner operated growers are actively working to form a cooperative to make wine, in an effort to improve their individual returns. They aren’t the only ones taking a walk down this path. We look at their reasons and the pros and cons of cooperatives.
5
From the CEO
Philip Gregan
6
Regional Viewpoint
Mike Spratt - Waiheke Island
8
In Brief
News from around the country
36
Sommeliers Corner
Cameron Douglas
56
Bob’s Blog
Bob Campbell MW
70 Calendar
Wine Happenings in New Zealand
72
Research Supplement
The latest science and research projects funded by NZ Winegrowers
FRONT COVER PHOTO: Kirkpatrick Estate Winery Gisborne. Supplied by NZW.
FEATURES
12
Profitability Biggest Issue for Growers
The latest MPI Viticultural Review is out, based on models in Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. It shows weather played a big part in the profitability of growers this year, affecting yields and financial outcomes.
20
30 Farewell to Chairman of the Board
Stuart Smith steps down after six years as NZWinegrower’s Board Chairman. At the Romeo Bragato Conference he looked back at his period at the helm – a period that could best be described as tumultuous.
42
Waitaki – Corridor of Ice
In out latest sub regional breakdown, Max Marriott looks at one of the newest and most exciting sub regions – the Waitaki. Accolades are flowing for wines from this region – so what makes it so special?
42
E D I TO R Tessa Nicholson tessa.nicholson@me.com
FROM THE EDITOR TESSA NICHOLSON
CO R R E SP O N D E NTS Auckland: Joelle Thomson jthomson@xtra.co.nz Wairarapa: Barbara Gillham barbarag@value.net.nz Gisborne: Christine Boyce christineboyce@gmail.com Hawkes Bay: Mary Shanahan maryshanahan173@gmail.com Nelson: Neil Hodson neil@hodgson.net.nz Canterbury: Jo Burzynska joburzynska@talk21.com Central Otago: Max Marriott max@maxmarriott.com
A DV E R T I SI N G Kaye Sutherland Ph: 03 376 5552 Mobille: 021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz www.nzwinegrower.co.nz
C I R C U L AT I O N & SUBSCRIPTIONS Lorraine Rudelj lorraine@nzwine.com Ph: 09 303 3527 Fax: 09 302 2969 New Zealand Winegrowers PO Box 90 276, Auckland Mail Centre, New Zealand
PUBLISHING & P R E - P R E SS Rural News Group PO Box 3855, Auckland 1140 Ph: 09 307 0399 Location: Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Publisher: Brian Hight Managing Editor: Adam Fricker Production: Dave Ferguson, Rebecca Williams
Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers (jointly representing Wine Institute of New Zealand Inc and New Zealand Grape Growers Council Inc). Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/or its directors or management, New Zealand Winegrowers or its constituent organisations. Published every second month. One free copy is mailed to every member of the Institute, the Council, the New Zealand Society of Viticulture & Oenology and the New Zealand Vine Improvement Group, and to such other persons or organisations as directed by the owners, with provision for additional copies and other recipients to be on a subscription basis.
ISSN 1174-5223
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
M
One: If you want to achieve exceptional ore than 500 people, marquees results, you have to be prepared to take full of exhibitors, one of the very risks. best keynote speakers, interTwo: Never under estimate the power esting research updates and a of word of mouth advertising. return to the Bragato Wine Awards dinner. Three: Don’t take the cheap option. Do All in all, the Romeo Bragato Conference it the best you can and go for quality. 2012 was a success. Four: Deliver more than you promise The theme was Driving the Export Five: The brand is a company’s biggest Advantage Through Sustainability, asset. You have to protect, enhance, and although to be fair there was not a great deal of time given to the finer points of this never let any harm come to your brand. Each and every one of those could be theme. used as a mission statement Keynote speaker, busiby individual wine companess journalist Rod Oram, nies, or New Zealand Wine praised the New Zealand “Of all the sectors overall. None more so than wine industry, saying that in New Zealand, number five – regarding of all the sectors in New wine was the star protecting the brand. We all Zealand, wine was the star performer in terms of performer in terms of know how much Australia paid in terms of image, for sustainability. But there sustainability.” was no room to become - Rod Oram the cheap and cheerful style wines they produced during complacent. their over supply years. There “You know it is not a was concern 18 months ago destination. You haven’t that the New Zealand brand was also going finally arrived somewhere, where you can down that track, due to the oversupply and sit back and enjoy the surroundings. This the exporting of bulk wine. Thankfully, is only a weigh mark, a very important one, according to last year’s Strategic Review, …but in many ways (in terms of ) sustainour image has not been dented. We are ability we have only just begun.” still perceived as producers of high quality It would be impossible to précis his 45 wines – although as Lee Suckling points minute presentation, so instead I suggest out in this issue, there are some importif you were not present, then you should watch it on the New Zealand Wine website, ers who have a rather skewed image of the New Zealand wine industry. And some of (you will find it in the events section, those images aren’t that pleasant. under Bragato 2012). Ensuring the success of this industry But if you were looking for some sage means more than caring for your indibusiness advice as the industry moves vidual triple bottom line – as Anderson forward, then motivational speaker, John succinctly pointed out. Everyone needs to Anderson, who founded Contiki Tours, be reading from the same page, promoting was the one to take note of. While it may the overall brand, delivering quality that is be difficult to see the correlation between above expectation, and ensuring potential touring Europe and producing wine here consumers are eager to purchase New Zeain New Zealand, much of what Anderson land wine, because of what it delivers. had to say was extremely relevant. He has a That will hopefully deliver a sustainable number of mantras, all of which are worth future for everyone. ■ repeating.
FROM THE CEO PHILIP GREGAN
HOW DO WE STOP IT ALL HAPPENING AGAIN ...? On a recent visit to Hawkes Bay the first three industry people I met responded with one of two words to the enquiry ‘How are things going?’ The answers were either ‘Good!’ or ‘Great!’
T
hat is quite a turnaround from the sentiment of the past few years when the response was generally a universal ‘Tough!’ or ‘It can’t get much worse!’ The industry is certainly not out of the woods yet as a recent winery receivership and low returns for growers visibly demonstrate. However the fact sentiment is becoming much more optimistic was reflected in the tone of discussion at the recent Bragato Conference which was definitely more upbeat than a year ago. Assuming the corner has been turned (and we would be unwise to make too many assumptions on that issue) the industry should now ask itself the question ‘How do we prevent a repeat of the past few years?’ Because it is certainly something to be avoided if we can. Since 2008 for virtually everyone in the industry profits have been lower, asset values have fallen, everyone has worked harder and longer for lower returns. For some individuals the costs have been crippling – businesses have been closed, employees made redundant and livelihoods lost So how do we avoid this hap-
pening again? Can we avoid it?
Quality Information The Vineyard Register The 2011 PWC Strategic Review made some important recommendations on this matter. First, PWC rightly pointed out that our vineyard area data
Data from over 1700 vineyards has been entered on the Register.
Board meeting. We are confident the data set in the Register will be most accurate available in the past 10 years and possibly even longer. The first year of the Vineyard Register has not, however, been a perfect exercise. There have been some first time issues which we will ensure are addressed so they have been fixed by the time the registration update process commences in 2013.
The Banks in 2008 was not accurate enough and as such we could not assess with certainty the productive potential of the New Zealand vineyard. PWC recommended development of a vineyard register, which would also serve an important biosecurity function should we have a PSA-like biosecurity problem in the industry. The NZW Board acted on the PWC recommendation and in recent months data from over 1700 vineyards has been entered on the Register. This data is now in the process of being ‘sense’ checked. We expect to have the final numbers from the Register available for the industry immediately following the October
The second specific recommendation from PWC was the need to engage in a strategic and long term way with the major providers of capital to the industry – the banks, as they were the agents who funded much of the growth of the sector through the boom period 2002 – 2008. NZW has been engaging with the banks from 2008 onwards and PWC emphasised the importance of this. They suggested contact needed to be maintained on a regular basis to keep the banks informed of the latest developments in the industry. PWC recommended in effect that NZW seek to act as the institutional memory for the banks to remind them in the future of the
events of the 2008-2012 period and the pain that caused for all concerned. NZW has completed one round of meetings with the banks post the Strategic Review and is about to engage on another round pre-Christmas. The focus will be on updating the banks on developments post vintage 2012, discussion about how the vintage shortfall will impact the sector and providing the updated vineyard data from the 2012 Vineyard Register. Boom and bust cycles are certainly not unique to wine or agriculture for that matter. Recent years have seen the dotcom bubble and many other examples of ‘irrational exuberance’. The roots of these boom bust cycles have been discussed for many years and in many sectors a variety of steps have been taken to try and manage the cycle, and despite all the efforts they still seem to recur. Let’s hope our sector does a better job than others of managing the economic cycle in our industry. As a first step lets all promise not to forget the pain of the past few years (assuming things are getting better) and to remind each other of the pain it caused from time to time. ■
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 5
REGIONAL VIEWPOINT
WAIHEKE ISLAND W
aiheke Island is located a short ferry ride from Auckland and is one of New Zealand’s smallest and most distinctive viticulture regions. Waiheke is home to 7,000 permanent residents and approximately 92 square kilometres, it has long been a holiday spot for New Zealanders and overseas visitors. The island’s beautiful beaches, unspoiled bush, pastoral settings, picturesque bays, quaint villages, and hospitality services have made it a must-visit spot on every traveler’s itinerary. It also is home to nearly 30 artisan vineyards and wineries, 22 of which are commercial businesses and members of the Waiheke Winegrowers Association. Waiheke is a renowned wine region producing critically acclaimed artisan wines and distinctive wine and cuisine experiences. Fourteen members have cafés and restaurants (Cable Bay, Goldie, Kennedy Point, Man O War, Miro, Mudbrick, Passage Rock, Peacock Sky, Poderi Crisci, Saratoga, Stonyridge, Te Motu, View East and Wild on Waiheke) and eight others also offer cellar door wine tasting (Destiny Bay, Edbrooke, Hay Paddock, Jurassic Ridge, Obsidian, Soho, Te Rere,
and Woodside Hill). As a winegrowing region Waiheke Island is tiny. With only 180 hectares of land under cultivation, it represents about one-half of one percent of New Zealand’s plantings. And considering that New Zealand represents less than one percent of the world’s production, Waiheke wine is indeed scarce. But what Waiheke producers lack in volume they make up for in diversity and quality. Waiheke winegrowers are able to successfully grow eighteen different varieties (twelve red and six white). Seventy percent of the island’s production is red varieties – principally dominated by Syrah and the five classic Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot). The white varieties are led by Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Viognier. Winegrowing on Waiheke Island is an expensive proposition. Land costs are high, labor is limited, and all supplies need to be shipped in from the mainland. As a result, Waiheke producers can’t afford to make even average wine, which is why the local industry association took a bold step a number of years ago to protect the reputation, quality, and branding of Waiheke wine.
As artisans, Waikeke Winegrowers recognized that the only economic platform they could stand on was quality and distinctiveness. Mother Nature did her part by providing the soil, site, and climate needed to ripen red varieties, along with the tempering influence of a marine exposure which provides perfect maturation conditions for elegant and expressive fruit. It was up to the winegrowers to protect themselves from those inside or outside the association who would attempt to derive brand benefits without meeting minimum standards. For this reason the Winegrower Association developed the Certified Waiheke Wine program. The principles are astonishingly simple and easy to understand by writers, consumers, and trades people alike. If you are going to produce a wine with “Waiheke” on the label, it must be made from 100% Waiheke Island-grown grapes, be part of a certified sustainable grape-growing program, and have been independently verified as free from standard wine faults as defined by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority as a condition of export. In this age of spin, hyperbole, and misrepresentation, the
Mike Spratt– Former President of the Waaiheke Winegrowers Association
Waiheke Certified Wine mark is simple, clear, and compelling: A fault-free, sustainably grown, 100% Waiheke wine. Although Waiheke is a tiny wine growing region and the wines are often in short supply, it occupies a big place in the hearts of local and international visitors. It also demonstrates what a group of determined and creative New Zealand winegrowers can do when they are given the soil, site and climate of a very special place. Note: Portions of this article were adapted from the book Grape-ahol: How Big Business is Subverting Artisan Winemaking and the Future of Fine Wine, by permission of the authors. ■
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IN BRIEF
Auckland Villa Maria launches Mandarin website Villa Maria Estate has unveiled its fully translated Mandarin website in China, at an online launch event through the social
media platform, Weibo (China’s equivalent to Twitter ); a first for Villa Maria and for New Zealand wine in China. After having successfully launched a Mandarin mobile
Hawke’s Bay Bay’s Boutique Wines Go To Town
Roland Norman from Tukipo River Estate tempts Wellingtonians to wines from boutique Hawkes Bay producers.
Seven boutique Hawke’s Bay wineries took over the Khandallah town hall for a day in August to promote their wines to Wellingtonians.
site in May coinciding with their 50 vintage celebration events in China, the iconic New Zealand wine brand now has its first fully translated website.
For the second year, the Hawke’s Bay Boutique Winemakers’ Group set up at the newly-renovated hall, with members offering samples to some 200 tasters largely unfamiliar with their wines. “People really appreciated meeting the winemakers and chatting about the past vintage,” says Roland Norman from Tukipo River Estate. “For us it was a chance to add to our databases and promote Hawke’s Bay wine and the region as a must-visit destination.” Wineries attending the Wellington Wine Fair were Lime Rock, Salvare, Unison, Tukipo River Estate, Ash Ridge, Beach House, and Hawkes Ridge. The group is limited to wineries producing less than 8000 cases and encompasses 15 of the region’s smaller wineries.
Wedding Gift A Wellington bride-to-be will be painting the town red after her aunt gifted her a party from Hawke’s Bay wineries. Kristine McLachlan scored the party prize at Hot Red Hawke’s Bay in Wellington and is donating it – and the company of winemakers
With 538 million internet users in China with over half active on Weibo, being seen online is deemed critical for any brand serious about building their presence in China.
Tim Turvey of Clearview Estate and Miles Dineen from Crossroads Winery – to niece Gemma Browne for a hen’s night celebrated ahead of her February wedding. Hosted by Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers, Hot Red Hawke’s Bay events were held in Auckland and Wellington over the winter. The road show expo was launched eight years ago and showcases the region’s premium red wines in larger New Zealand and Australian cities.
Villa Maria’s new Acquisition Villa Maria Estate has purchased the vineyard and winery assets of Te Awa Winery in Hawke’s Bay. The acquisition of the Hawke’s Bay wine business strengthens Villa’s position as the largest vineyard owner of the renowned Gimblett Gravels region. Te Awa was owned by Julian Robertson, an active philanthropist, who is well known for his generous donation of artwork at an estimated value of $115 million to the Auckland Art Gallery as well as the development of the luxury resorts Kauri Cliffs in Northland, Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay and Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown.
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
22/06/12 11:11 AM
Matariki Wines in Receivership Hawke’s Bay’s much-awarded Matariki Wines has been put into receivership and is likely to be sold to recover $10.3m owed to creditors. The receivers, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, have said the business will probably be offered for sale as a whole or in two parts – the vineyard in Gimblett Gravels and the adjoining winery on the outskirts of Hastings. John and Rosemary O’Connor, then a husband-and-wife team, established Matariki after returning from Germany, where John studied winemaking. The first vintage was in 1997 and the winery was subsequently built to produce up to 35,000 cases a year. Blended from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Malbec, Quintology was the company’s flagship wine.
However, Matariki produced a range of highly-regarded premium wine styles. John Fisk of PricewaterhouseCooper said the company, owned by O’Connor Family Holdings, had been overwhelmed by production and distribution costs. Matariki employed 11 staff when it was placed in receivership owing about $10m to secured creditors and $300,000 to unsecured creditors.
Marlborough Nautilus Estate has just become an official sponsor of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, in time for the company’s 60th birthday. They even have their own ballet dancer, Antonia Hewitt, through the Partner a Dancer programme. Nautilus Estate marketing manager Katy Prescott says 2013 is a big year for the ballet, and the company wants to be there raising a glass, cheering them on and saying thanks for their contribution to New Zealand arts.
Nelson Plans are now well underway for the Nelson Aromatics Symposium. It will take place on 1-2 February 2013 at the Moutere Hills Community Centre. The focus will be on Gruner Veltliner and Riesling wines, with the key note speaker, Markus Huber from Austria. Symposium organisers have just confirmed that the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra will be performing at the dinner at Neudorf Vineyard on the Friday night! Further details here: http://aromatics2013. wineart.co.nz/ ■
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 9
NEW VENTURE
HAWKE’S BAY COOPERATIVE MARY SHANAHAN
A
dozen or so Hawke’s Bay owner-operator grape growers are actively working to form a cooperative to make wine – a move designed to boost their farm gate returns. The group’s focus is on producing three or four premium styles – Hawke’s Bay reds and Chardonnay – for bulk-buying customers from outside the region. Among those committed to the venture are Xan Harding, Chris Howell and Mal McLennan, longstanding and well-known identities in the industry at regional and national levels. Described as “the one with his fingers on the strings”, Harding told New Zealand Winegrower that because the group of likeminded growers was still finalising the legal entity, he could offer few details about what form the endeavour might take – it might be a cooperative, a partnership or a conventional limited company. “It’s a question of what can be told,” he said of the fledgling venture. “While we are keen to get the story out there, we are not yet sufficiently progressed to go fully public.” Harding said the enterprise would be small scale. “It won’t be bigger than Ben Hur – we are looking at about 300-400 tonnes in the first year.” He agreed, however, that other growers could be interested in joining the venture once it was established. “We know there is a market
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among wineries not domiciled in Hawke’s Bay and interested in including this region’s wines in their portfolios. It’s about changing the model so there is a choice, which should in the long-term be better for our family of members.” While maintaining their individual relationships with wineries, the member growers’ aim is to have wine made for the cooperative by a winery in Hawke’s Bay. This year’s mediocre vintage has been a trigger for the initiative, coming on the back of three years of declining returns and wineries not renewing growers’ supply contracts. “For some intending members, the actions of traders in Sauvignon Blanc in the Hawke’s Bay market have been part of the genesis of the beast,” said Harding, referring to hard-headed bargaining by buyers seeking fruit. “But while that’s been the start point for some, it’s only part of the story.” A more general feeling of dissatisfaction centred on the current model for the relationship between wineries and growers and the big pricing gap that existed in the short spot market. “A number of growers, myself included, received meagre payment for some of their 2012 fruit only to see it traded at high value in bulk markets. This gap may only be a short-term thing, but it gives us the opportunity to get out and develop a winery customer base with lower risk. “The push to form a coopera-
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
Volunteer firefighter, Xan Harding of Black Bridge vineyard is supporting moves by Hawke’s Bay grape growers to form a collective.
tive is not a symptom of a fight that’s going on – it’s more about recognising that the current model does not deliver sustainable profits for growers and the opportunity to have a different model that can on average be better for our members. “We said to ourselves, if we don’t change what we’re doing we’ll just end up as peasant farmers with no-one to buy our vineyards when we retire. This is about creating a sustainable future for family farmers.” By taking advantage of efficiencies of scale, both through vertical integration and pool purchasing, the family of growers saw the opening for presenting their own offering. “We don’t think branding has
to be our end point and the product is more likely to be cloudy rather than finished wine. We don’t want to be holding wine for a long time and are a very long way, if ever, from branding.” Harding said 2012 had not, on average, been a stellar year for the region, but demand was continuing to grow for Hawke’s Bay’s wines due, in large measure, to the promotional efforts of Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers and the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing Association. The aim in creating a completely different structure for producing premium regional wine was to underpin the viability of the grape growers who were members of the cooperative. ■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com
THE PROS AND CONS TESSA NICHOLSON
H
awkes Bay growers aren’t alone in wanting to take control of their destiny by forming a cooperative. GroCo in Gisborne has been operating for the past two years, and now a number of Marlborough growers are also looking to establish and run their own wine company. Is this move to cooperatives a sign of the times, or is it a natural progression that growers want control of their fruit from the ground through to the market? John Clarke, former President of Gisborne Winegrowers, believes the emergence of GroCo was a result of the difficult times. “It was definitely a result of Pernod Ricard pulling out of Gisborne. There were dozens of growers who were left stranded with termination of contracts literally halfway through the growing season. What were the options? Either pull them out and turn to other crops, or else become part of something like a cooperative.” The subject of cooperatives came up at the Romeo Bragato conference, when Rabobank’s
Marc Soccio asked the question of those attending – is there still a place for cooperatives in today’s wine industry? Citing Italy, where cooperatives are entrenched, he noted that three of the top five Italian wine labels are cooperatives, and around 35-40% of Italy’s wine supply is controlled by cooperatives. “Cooperative production of quality wines (DOC & DOCG) increased from 39.1% in 1996 to 51.8% in 2012,” he said. It’s not surprising cooperatives are such a large part of some European countries – given many of the members have only a few hectares of grapes and need the scale of such an entity to be financially viable. But in New Zealand, are they the answer? “There are certainly pros and cons and some are better managed than others. I think they are inherently difficult to manage,” Soccio said. The reason is because there are so many voices and interests, which can make it hard to gain consensus to what direction the cooperative should he heading,
what it stands for and just what product it should be delivering. In terms of pros, Soccio had this to say. “There is the ability to pool capital and access opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. By contributing a little bit each, you can build something. Whether that be the ability to process your product, build a brand or market it. “The other pro is the ability to pool resources. In the wine industry it may be sharing harvesters or other equipment, allocating the fixed cost across a much broader area. There is also the ability to lift the technical ability of its members. Someone running a 5ha vineyard probably can’t afford a consultant and certainly can’t afford a permanent vineyard manager. So a cooperative does offer those sort of agronomic advantages.” In terms of cons; there are a few he warned. “I think the real risk is the lack of strategic direction. You have to build real consensus and buy in, and you require a real vision for the cooperative and what you
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want to achieve. They can also be undercapitalised if members aren’t involved or committed enough. If that happens they tend to run out of steam.” While Soccio believes many cooperatives emerge during tough times as farmers try to capture more value at the farm gate, he believes the best time to establish one is when the sun is shining. “I think you are better off from a cash flow perspective. You will have more financial security to achieve what you want and get it going before the times get tough. You will then be able to benefit when the cycle turns.” ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 11
VITICULTURE REVIEW
WEATHER AFFECTS TESSA NICHOLSON
T
he annual Viticulture Review undertaken by the Ministry of Primary Industries1 shows the La Nina weather pattern over the 2011/12 growing season impacted heavily on yields and grower profitability. The Review concentrates on New Zealand’s two largest grapegrowing regions, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough, accounting for 84 per cent of the 2012 vintage. In the case of Hawkes Bay the model is based on 12.5 hectares with data from 15 vineyards spread across the Heretaunga Plains. Merlot is the dominant variety, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. In Marlborough the model is based on 30 producing hectares with data from 18 vineyards. Seventy-five per cent is Sauvignon Blanc, the rest Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Gris.
feeling they are increasing the risk to the crop and their business.” Due to rainfall throughout the growing season, firstly during flowering in December and then at fruit set in January, yields were way below expected targets. Further rain events created high disease pressure, particularly in terms of botrytis, powdery and downy mildew. Veraison was two weeks later than average for some varieties and the cool weather leading into harvest caused plenty of concern. The end result was yields much lower than last year, and a reduction in the prices paid to growers, particularly for red varieties. In terms of yields, it was a decrease across the board. • The model’s production was 6.8 tonnes per hectare – down 20%
Hawkes Bay Of the two regions, Hawkes Bay was hit the hardest by the climatic conditions, for the third year in a row. The model achieved a net trading loss before tax of $39,300 in 2011/12 – “The worst financial outcome since the start of viticulture monitoring in 2004/05.” It has left many growers, according to the report, “feeling stressed and questioning why they are still in the industry. They are anxious about the potential impact of another year of poor growing conditions. Reduced inputs and deferred spending are also making growers uneasy and
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
• Chardonnay down 8% • Pinot Noir sparkling down 30% • Pinot Gris down 33% • Sauvignon Blanc down 30% • Merlot and Syrah well below expectation When it came to prices, most growers had budgeted on an increase in price for the 2011/12 season. However the reality was a drop in the weighted average price, of 5%, from $1240 last year to $1175 a tonne this year. The varieties most impacted were Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Understandably, the number one issue for the model’s growers, is a lack of profitability. The vineyard model achieved a cash-operating surplus of $6500 in 2011/12, only a fifth of that achieved the previous year.
The report said, “This surplus is inadequate to cover debt servicing expenses for the business, or living expenses. “The model’s debt level has increased by $10,000, or 2%, to fund losses as a result of lower income. Typically this is via overdraft or drawdown of revolving credit facilities.” Efforts to rein in expenditure have been successful, although in the end they have done little to help alleviate the lower income. However, it’s not all doom and gloom in the region. The lower national vintage in 2012 is making growers optimistic that grape prices will improve in 2012/13. Monitored growers hope that if prices improve somewhat, with a return to average yields and quality targets being achieved, most businesses with a supply
contract will make a small profit in 2012/13.
Marlborough The model in this region was also worse off than last year, but not to the extent of Hawkes Bay. The vineyard profit before tax was down 42% on the previous year, with the net cash income down 16%. Yields were affected by the weather conditions at flowering with Sauvignon Blanc down 16%, Chardonnay-Mendoza and Clone 15 and Pinot Noir yields down 43%. Overall, the Marlborough vineyard model experienced a 20% decrease in yields. However the fruit harvest was of very high quality with many describing it as excellent and “superior to the previous year.” Predictions last year were for a small price rise per tonne for fruit and that did eventuate, with the average price per tonne increasing 4% to $1410. It is the first increase for Sauvignon Blanc since the downturn began after 2007/08, when the variety was fetching on average $2435 per tonne. There is a wide spectrum of contract grape growing businesses included in the monitored group. Half reported a profit before tax, while the other half reported a loss. The average was a profit
before tax of $96,900 or $3230 per hectare. That is 42% less than the profit achieved last year – again due to the drop in yields. C a s h f l o w s h av e b e e n challenged, as most small to medium sized wineries are paying for the grapes in instalments, prompting some growers to change to supplying larger wineries.
The Future While it has been a tough year all round for the wine industry, there is optimism about the future, given the over supply situation for the time being has been corrected. The Marlborough vineyard model is budgeting on an 18% increase
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in yield next year. This equates to an average yield of 11.4 tonnes per hectare, compared with the 9.7 tonnes this year. The model is also predicting a “conservative” $90 (6%) increase in the average price to $1500 a tonne. In Hawkes Bay the net cash income for the model is budgeted to increase to $156,500 – up 58% on this year. Yields are expected to return to average levels, with the model budgeting on an average of 8.6 tonnes per hectare. “There is much uncertainty surrounding price expectations for the year ahead. Most growers believe prices will lift $280 a tonne on average, due to quality
parameters and brix levels being met and an increase in demand for some varieties.” Prices for Merlot and other red varieties are budgeted to return to levels of recent years and the increased demand for Syrah is expected to lift the price of that variety. There is also optimism about the potential of new markets, especially China, for Hawkes Bay reds. For the full MPI Viticulture Monitoring Report, visit www. mpi.govt.nz ■ 1 Formerly known as the MAF Viticulture Monitoring Report tessa.nicholson@me.com
Power = Savings NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 13
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
HOW FINE IS OUR WINE? LEE SUCKLING
I
t goes without saying that New Zealand wines are revered across the globe; known as some of the best New World offerings from the grape. As we ship some 75 percent of our wine overseas it gains award after accolade, notably amongst professional judges with the world’s finest palates. Reasonably priced Kiwi wines can even outdo four figure international bottles. Notably at the World’s Top 20 Pinot Noirs comGabrielle Simmers
petition in Pasadena, USA last year. The $200 Martinborough Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir 1998 outshone the $7000 1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache with a No.1 overall rank. Always important to the New Zealand winemaker though, is what international buyers and consumers think of our wines – for they, after all, are the reason such a high proportion of our product is exported.
Wine exporter Gabrielle Simmers has spent the last few years establishing relationships across the world and gauging the market permeability for Kiwi wines. She now spends 10 months a year outside of New Zealand to do so. And while our wines are celebrated internationally, we still have a lot of work to do, she says. “Few of our best wines, and particularly the more pure, natural wines, reach export markets. “The fact that these wines are not well distributed damages our reputation as a wine producing nation.” Simmers’ export focus is the USA and Canada, Asia, and Northern Europe, particularly Belgium. After living and working in these areas, she has been surprised to
learn what she calls the ‘true perception’ of New Zealand wines in the global market. “I was shocked to realise that our wines are generally considered to be from poor vineyards on the wrong sites - generally on valley floors rather than on slopes where the best vineyards are normally planted,” she says. Simmers has observed an opinion that New Zealand wines are from “bad plantings” (wide rows and wide spacings), and are also from “bad clones”. “A lot of our clones were brought in for quantity not quality, so unless [winegrowers] are active in seeking great clones we are stuck with a lot of inferior genes.” Hong Kong-based wine
Chuck Hayward
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 17
educator Debra Meiburg, who holds a Master of Wine, believes this doesn’t matter to consumers, and doesn’t impinge on New Zealand’s wine reputation. “The average consumer doesn’t understand valley versus hillside plantings, doesn’t know a clone from a drone, and has only a vague idea as to what soil might be (our soil is concrete),” she says. “But what they do know is that New Zealand wines are pure, fresh and vibrant.” US-based Australian and New Zealand wine buyer Chuck Hayward comments, “While the slopes versus flats argument might apply to Marlborough, I doubt that Otago could be considered [to have] bad aspects. “New Zealand is a new country so there’s still a lot to learn about hillside plantings but in regards to vineyard input, [Simmers’] observations are so ‘way out there’ as to defy logic.” Simmers’ exporting company is purely focussed on organic, biodynamic and natural wines. “Buyers want pure wine, without additives and which has been <£20
14%
France
Australia
Germany
Italy
Spain
£60-80
£80-100
point level. “New Zealand is fortunate, in my view, in that it has without any doubt, the best pure fruit flavours in the world. This has enabled New Zealand to produce some of the best value premium wines suitable for everybody [except] the highly sophisticated drinker,” he says. The trouble is, McAtamney continues, “You need that highly sophisticated drinker to have the complete country brand. Without that, your competitors will eventually undermine you.” From Wine Business Solutions’ on-premise research into the UK market (the company’s Canadian research produced very similar results) New Zealand scores favourably at low price points, however, “New Zealand performs poorly when it comes to listings above £60 per bottle,” McAtamney confirms. “France, the US, Italy and even Australia have much greater share of their listings above these price points.” (See graph below). A small group of New Zealand producers (less than 1% of exporters) enjoy the high priced share in >£100
20%
10%
9%
5%
18%
43%
35%
39%
7%
48%
1% 0%
1%
4% 0% 1% 0%
48%
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
3% 2%2%
6% 0% 1% 0%
46%
68%
2%
2%1% 0%
7%
52%
Argentina
2%1%
10%
46%
5%
2%1% 1%
9%
57%
41%
2%
15%
51%
30%
11%
7%
73%
48%
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£40-60
40%
South Africa
Chile
£20-40
25%
USA
New Zealand
farmed on great terroir meaning a good site and farmed well - i.e. organically or biodynamically - not with loads of chemicals which kill everything in sight,” she adds. “We generally do not offer this to our buyers, meaning our wines are generally not of the quality, or style, that international markets are looking for.” Meiburg disagrees. “I would hold the opposite to be true. “In Hong Kong, wines from New Zealand are viewed as affordable high quality selections, produced with careful handling, passion and a gentle impact on the environment. “Perhaps because Kiwi winemakers make a sincere effort to pass frequently through our [international] markets to meet with the wine trade and the consumers, this messaging is clear.” Peter McAtamney, of Sydneybased Wine Business Solutions, sees the value in both [Simmers’ and Meiburg’s] viewpoints, and believes New Zealand’s international wine reputation is threatened only at the high price
31%
1% 0% 0%
mention, McAtamney notes, “But there really needs to be a transformation of what smaller producers are looking to achieve in terms of quality and price points, both for them to survive economically and for the New Zealand industry to maintain and build its reputation.” Simmers believes market penetration into more high-end international restaurants is an important place to start. She notes Kiwi chef Peter Gordon’s Michelin-starred New York restaurant Public as an example – it has not one New Zealand wine on the list. “This kind of thing is the key issue,” she says. Simmers’ ideal solution is an improvement in efficiency to get the top-shelf product to the customer faster. “We must look for ways to improve logistics, as that is actually the biggest problem we face in the premium sector,” she says. Negociants NZ’s Clive Weston believes all New Zealand fine wines need a reputational push internationally because “we are a relatively small producer of high quality wines”. Most importantly, fine Kiwi wines need market distinction in Asia, where we are “least known”. “NZTE has identified the markets of Northern Europe, Asia and the USA as three prime long term markets for premium New Zealand food and wine,” he says. “Good things take time, and it will take at least a decade of concerted and consistent brand messaging to build New Zealand fine wine in Northern Europe and the USA. “For Asia, progress will be slow but steady, however a couple of decades of patience, investment and persistence will be required to influence and change perceptions.” lee.suckling@gmail.com ■
RESEARCH UPDATE
LEAFROLL VIRUS TESSA NICHOLSON
L
eafroll virus can decimate a vineyard within a very short period. Well known for showing early visual symptoms in red varieties, the issue in New Zealand is the majority of our vines are white and the signs of leafroll are impossible to accurately visually identify . Mission Estate viticulturist Caine Thompson told the Romeo Bragato Conference that white varieties have been the white elephant in the leafroll room for a long time. “It is almost impossible to detect, yet it is occurring within
all the white varieties and is in all the main wine regions of New Zealand,” he said. “In Hawke’s Bay we are seeing it in Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. We have randomly tested and we have got between 70% and right up to 100%.” Testing can be undertaken, but the cost makes it almost prohibitive for most growers. With that background, Thompson said it became apparent an alternative method was required to identify the virus. In what is a world first, he has worked alongside South Africa’s Professor Gerhard
Pietersen to develop an indicator grafting system that can provide visual identification for white varieties. To create an indicator graft, a red variety bud is grafted into the trunk of the white vine. Three red varieties provide excellent visual signs of the disease, so in the trials, Thompson used Pinot Noir bud wood, (although Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon would also have been suitable). The three white varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc were the vines used in the grafting trial.
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The process involved making a T cut halfway up side of the trunk of the vine, peeling back the flaps and inserting a clean virus tested bud into the cut and taping it up. The bud will then grow separately from the rest of the vine, at a position where it is clearly visible. If the host vine does have leafroll, it will become very obvious to the naked eye, via the grafted shoot. During the trial, 50 Sauvignon Blanc, 400 Pinot Gris and 300 Chardonnay vines were assessed by this method. The grafts on all three white varieties showed visual signs of leafroll within the
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
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Visible signs of leafroll virus in from left: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.
first year. “This means we can walk through our vineyard, see which vines are expressing signs of leaf
roll virus and can then adopt the same process of roguing that we would with our reds,” Thompson said. “We can identify, tag, map
and remove those vines from the vineyard.” This is no one year wonder either, as the shoots were found
to lignify and were consequently spur pruned, leaving an indicator bud remaining for the years that come.
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The budwood grafted onto the trunk of the white vine.
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
The shoot tends to grow up into the canopy.
Given the cost of ELISA testing is $15 a vine, Thompson said this indicator grafting method works out a lot cheaper. • Roughly 90 cents per vine to graft – plus the cost of bud wood. (In the trial the bud wood was provided free of charge by Riversun) • Annual costs of caring for the graft is approximately 13 cents per vine – this includes removing fruit bunches, and pruning. The results will provide many New Zealand growers with a means to protect their vines at a cost that is not insurmountable. Given the initial success rate after just one year, more research will be undertaken in the next season. More information on this research is available on the NZWine website, on the members page. ■
VINEYARDS, A VIRUS AND A BLOG
Eliminating Leafroll 3 virus from the national vineyard is a key research priority for New Zealand Winegrowers – and a goal shared by many growers and viticulturists around the country. That’s why the topic is covered on a regular basis at industry conferences and workshops (and in this magazine). That’s also why the New Zealand Winegrowers Virus Elimination Project – co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (Sustainable Farming Fund) – continues to explore the many challenges of managing Leafroll 3 through a series of trials involving vine removal and replants, hygiene practices and insect (mealybug) control. Controlling Leafroll 3 is above all a community issue. Those working at the coalface of virus elimination consistently express a need for more information, dialogue and support to help them in their efforts. In late September, a new channel was launched to do just that.
“Virus-free vineyards – the blog” is written by members of the Virus Elimination Project and hosted in the Research section of New Zealand Winegrowers website: www.nzwine. com. Updated every month, the blog is designed to highlight appropriate seasonal actions in the vineyard, provide additional tips and guidance, and answer questions from readers so that other growers can benefit from the information exchange. “The work accomplished by the Virus Elimination Project is recognised overseas as being ‘world first’ in terms of its unprecedented scale,” notes Simon Hooker, General Manager of Research at New Zealand Winegrowers. “Practical and easy-to-understand communication channels – like the blog – help to ensure that our industry keeps up to date with the best information available from the research programme.”
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RESEARCH UPDATE
PRE FLOWERING DEFOLIATION TESSA NICHOLSON
D
efoliation is a vital part of cool climate grape growing, for two major reasons. To open up the foliage to allow sun exposure for bunches, and to increase airflow to help prevent disease. But when is the most effective time to remove leaves, both in terms of the fruit and also the ensuing wine? This is the question Dr Mark Krasnow from EIT in Hawke’s Bay
has been endeavouring to answer. He says the question of timing is a vital one. “Because the vine is not standing still, it is continuing to develop. So if you remove your leaves too early, you can get regrowth, undoing what you have just done. On the other hand if you remove leaves too late, you may miss the window to beneficially affect your crop.” Over the past two seasons,
Krasnow trialled three different timings of leaf removal on a range of varieties in the Hawke’s Bay, including removing leaves prior to flowering. This is not something undertaken here in New Zealand, and Krasnow admits it’s a “bit of an odd ball”. “If you read any viticulture book it says this is precisely the time you do not remove leaves, because this is when then the next
season’s bunches are developing. Therefore this period is very important for yield formation. But this (timing) is gaining momentum in Europe and the US.” The trial saw the six bottom leaves removed from the vine by hand or defoliation using a sucker/ cutter mechanical leaf remover. There were some issues with mechanised removal at this stage as a lot of shoot tips were also
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
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removed. This can potentially lead to a lot of lateral regrowth and produce a bad microclimate in the bunch zone during ripening. Given Krasnow describes the pre flowering defoliation as an oddball idea – it’s interesting to note there is some rationale behind it. The idea is to purposely sabotage your vines’ ability to do photosynthesis at such an important time – which will reduce the amount of energy for pollination and fruit set. “So you actually end up with fewer berries per bunch, creating a looser bunch less prone to rot initiation and spread,” he said. “What we found was Merlot and Chardonnay were particularly responsive to earlier defoliation, with much less dense bunches. But strangely, Sauvignon Blanc did not respond in the same way. There was not a huge reduction in yield. In fact it was the opposite effect to what we saw in the other varieties. Sauvignon Blanc actually increased bunch compactness due to early defoliation. “In terms of Cabernet, which had about half the shoot tips removed, we had a huge reduction in yield. It wasn’t just in bunch weight though, bunch number was also reduced, so we are not sure if there was bunch abscission here, or something else going on to give
us these incredibly low yields.” Berry growth was not affected by the pre flowering defoliation, which surprised Krasnow. “In general when you remove nearly half of the fruit off the vine, you expect a compensatory sizing of the remaining fruit,” he said. “One of the best things about this early defoliation is you get a crop reduction in most varieties, but you don’t get that compensation in the size of the berries. So you end up limiting your crop, which is something that, at least for ultra premium red wine, is done every year anyway. Plus you potentially get a bunch that is a little less prone to rot.” And in terms of the impact on grape composition – the pre flowering defoliation had little to no effect. There was no noticeable difference in Brix, pH or TA in Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, and very limited effect in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Which means the odd ball could well be a potential method in future years, Krasnow said. “If you are happy with the composition of your wine, but you still have to send a crew through to drop crop and you have potential rot issues, then maybe this is a technique that bears a little more investigation.” ■ tessa.nicholson@me.com
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CHAIR’S FAREWELL
A NEW PHASE STUART SMITH – OUTGOING CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF NZ WINEGROWERS
The following is Stuart Smith’s 6th and last speech as Chairman of New Zealand Winegrowers, delivered at the recent Romeo Bragato Conference.
W
here have we come from? Well as Einstein would say it’s all relative. Take a generational view ... in 30 years we have grown from a small domestically, focused relatively low quality industry to something much, much greater.
Against the toughest international competition we have gone; • From zero exports to $1.2 billion • From nowhere to the world’s 10th largest wine exporter by value • From nowhere to having the 2nd highest export wine price globally • From nowhere to New Zealand’s
8th most valuable export product • From nowhere to setting the global benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc and creating serious reputations for Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay and other styles. These are singular achievements. We should be very proud of them and so should our fellow
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
New Zealanders. The supply imbalance that had long been predicted by some finally came to fruition in 2008 to the surprise of others. The timing could not have been much worse – the coincidence with the Global Financial crisis and then the global recession
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created real problems. But those were the cards we were dealt. Profitability has fallen and times have been tough, very tough. From New Zealand Winegrowers’ perspective, in post 2008 meetings we challenged the industry to be demand led, we stressed the importance of quality, of yield control, we alerted you all to risks of export of unbranded bulk wine, and of the importance of growing the market. The industry responded boldly to the challenges facing us. Between 2008 and today total New Zealand sales have grown 79% to more than 240 million litres - 79% growth in a time of global financial crisis and recession! As a result of that sales growth, we have largely addressed the volume challenge that resulted from the 2008 and 2009 vintages. The consequence is that vintages of 300,000 tonnes or more are no longer the threat they presented just two or three years ago; rather they are now seen as an opportunity. But growth in volume came at cost as we all know. Lower grape and wine prices have been the order of the day. But there was a bigger question about cost that was debated
30 //
in the industry - what had been the cost to our reputation as a quality producer? This was one of the questions that we asked PriceWaterhouseCoopers to answer when they conducted our Strategic Review in late 2011. Their answer - despite the supply imbalance, despite the tough economic times, despite some price erosion, the reputation of New Zealand as a quality wine producer was largely intact. So ... here we are today, slightly battered and bruised, but with our greatest asset – our reputation intact. That is a great starting point for the next phase in our development.
So what of the future? The PriceWaterhouseCoopers Report makes it clear there are significant opportunities for New Zealand wine. Their view is that those development opportunities are greatest in North America, Asia, especially China, and in Northern Europe. PWC valued those opportunities at $500 million by 2016. Our first task is to concentrate on growing the value rather than the volume of our sales – that means investing in brands, in our reputation. Growing value will
restore profitability to the sector, something that is badly needed. Second, remember the lessons from 2008. Market led yield management must be a part of every business plan for each and every grower and each and every winery. Otherwise the past four years will not be a dim and distant memory; rather they will be back before you know it. Diversity is vital. Small and large wineries, regions, inter– regional blends, single vineyard wines, organics, biodynamics, natural wines ... we need all these and more expressed in a unique New Zealand way. Diversity creates interest and interest creates excitement. Sauvignon Blanc: be proud of it even those of you who do not produce it. It is the variety that sets us apart on the global stage. It has placed us firmly on the wine map of the world. However it is critical that we learn from our success with Sauvignon Blanc and use that to make a mark for other styles. We have come a long way with Pinot Noir with exports of $125 million, but there are other varieties we need to succeed with as well. Sustainability is fundamental to our future because our mar-
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
JMS 1/4 page press NZ Winegrower 60mm x 180mm
kets expect it. Well over 95% of grape and wine production is now accredited. As a consequence we have the fundamentals in place so we can now start to tell our sustainability story in a credible and meaningful way. These and other similar issues like the all important quality of our wines are very much under our control. However as growers and wineries we do not operate in a vacuum – we are impacted by the policies and decisions of others. Government, of course, has a key role to play in our future. And often government is very helpful. Whether it is New Zealand Trade & Enterprise with marketing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade with market access, Ministry of Primary Industries with export certification or Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment and Plant & Food with research, we benefit in many ways from a positive collaborative relationship with government agencies. These have been challenging times for all growers and all wineries but I believe the New Zealand wine industry is very well placed for the future. That future, as always, will be what we – the people with capital invested - make it. ■
NZGGC UPDATE
NEW PRESIDENT TESSA NICHOLSON
R
eturning profitability to the industry is the major issue facing the new President of the New Zealand Grape Grower’s Council, (NZGGC). John Clarke of Gisborne was elected unopposed to the position at the recent Romeo Bragato Conference. Clarke who has been President of Gisborne Winegrowers says the growers in New Zealand have had a very tough few years. And not all of that has to do with the price being paid for fruit. “This last year growers also faced reduced yields. We have had some weather pressures in regions and as a result of all those things, we have seen some people exiting from the industry, grapes have been pulled out in some regions and in others vineyards have been placed into receivership and sold.” It’s not just the growers who have been hurt since the 2008 global financial crisis and the over supply of wine – Clarke says the wineries have also been hurt. “Wineries small and medium sized are pretty much in the same position. It’s tough out there. So
I guess it’s all about trying to improve that position. There are some things we can’t control, such as the exchange rate. But we can have a positive influence on the way in which we market New Zealand wine as a product. And we can have some better control in the future of managing supply and demand.” Lessons learned since 2008 may have been tough – but Clarke believes it has made the industry as a whole far more savvy. “In the future we won’t necessarily be harvesting every single grape that is out there. And we will see the signs (of over supply) much sooner and manage yields. We don’t ever want to be running the risk of getting back into the position we found ourselves post 2008.” He describes the boom of the New Zealand wine industry in the mid 2000s as a “lolly scramble.” Money was easy to get, banks were keen to lend and there were a number of people who entered the industry without having any idea of the sensitivity involved in growing grapes. It was these issues that
led to the downturn, fuelled by the GFC. But there is increased optimism throughout the industry now, on the back of increased sales and lower yields. What is needed now are some stellar years where Stuart Smith hands over the mantle of President growers and win- to John Clarke. eries can regroup. He is also hopeful that there will do many others.” be investment in replanting older It is many years since a Gisvineyards, particularly around borne grower headed the Grape regions like Gisborne. Growers Council, and Clarke “Vines don’t last forever, and says it is a positive aspect of his there are a lot of vineyards around appointment. especially in my own region that “I guess there are other regions are virused and have a bit of age around New Zealand that would on them – they need replanting. say Gisborne is pretty small in the But obviously growers haven’t had scale of things. But we are the third the confidence or in fact the dol- largest region, if only by a nose and lars to do that over the last three we have also been a major player or four years. We are already start- in the development of the New ing to see that confidence emerge, Zealand industry in terms of R&D with a major winery committing and personnel. Personally I think to a reinvestment programme in it’s good for a place like Gisborne their own Gisborne vineyards. I to have a voice a bit higher up the take that as a positive sign and so chain.” ■
info@indigosystems.net.nz Tel Chch (03) 929 0451
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 31
REGIONS HAWKE’S BAY
NEW SUB REGION LAUNCHED MARY SHANAHAN
T
he Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District has been launched to promote the Hawke’s Bay sub-region as one of New Zealand’s premium winegrowing areas. Extending over more than 2000 hectares on the western side of the Heretaunga Plains, the Bridge Pa Triangle encompasses Hawke’s Bay’s largest concentration of vineyards. The formation of the new wine district was spearheaded by local winegrowers Paul Ham (Alpha Domus Winery), Stephen Daysh (Bridge Pa Vineyard), Grant Edmonds (Sileni Estates), Steve Nathan (Salvare Estate) and Peter Cowley (Te Mata Estate). It has ten winery members and seven grape growers. Cowley, who has researched the special nature of the area for some time, explains: “The Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District
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is located on old terraces of the Ngaruroro River, which up until 10,000 years ago flowed out to sea between Maraekakaho and Roys Hill. “The river deposited vast amounts of greywacke gravel known locally as red metal, which is covered in different areas by alluvium derived from loess, volcanic ash and greywacke.” The resulting soil is ideal for vineyards, Cowley says, as it is well drained but has the water-holding capacity to establish a full grapevine canopy using limited irrigation. The average growing degree days over the last 16 vintages in the centre of the Bridge Pa Triangle has been measured as 1483 – the same as for Medoc in Bordeaux and Coonawarra in South Australia. “That this area is ideally suited to the production of quality wines
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
Alpha Domus
is proven by the awards won,” says Ham. “We excel at full-flavoured Syrah, Merlot, red blends, Chardonnay and Viognier. These wines are characterised by excellent varietal expression, depth of flavour, generosity and ample fruit sweetness.” Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers’ executive officer Lyn Bevin says the launch of the wine district is a great development for Hawke’s
Bay and adds to the regional wine story. “The Bridge Pa Triangle has long been a producer of awardwinning wines and is home to many of the region’s well-known wineries. I look forward to working with the new group as we continue to promote our strengths and diversity in the international arena.” ■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com
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POWER SAVINGS
MANAGING YOUR POWER SPIKES D AV I D G I L L – W I N E T E C H N O L O G Y M A R L B O R O U G H
O
n most winemakers minds during winter is the high cost of electricity. Those unexpected and often disproportionally large power bills that have you scrambling to turn things off that you really need. This is generally the result of spikes in usage over short periods that occur during normal day to day operation and is difficult to avoid.
You are not using any more said than done. Turning lights and power than normal but you are heat pumps off reduces your load paying a penalty but it’s not the for going over answer. Turning the threshold The ultimate goal your refrigeraset by the supply is to smooth out tion off during company. It’s up the peaks. the day works but to each winery to when you need it you really do manage the maximum demand at any one time or need it. Managing it manually will pay the penalty. make you paranoid about using This has proven to be easier power and dread the arrival of the
monthly power bill. The key is taking control of your refrigeration so that you still have it available when you need it but it’s not using all your power allocation during the day when you need to do other things. The problem with managing power usage manually is that by the time you know your load has gone too high it’s too late. It’s already happened and you are
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going to be paying for it the rest of the year. You would have to micro manage so that you stay well below which means when you are cold stabilizing, then you have to have everything else turned off. The ultimate goal is to smooth out the peaks. That way you are able to use power in a sensible manner and not have to think about spikes. In some wineries this is pretty easy but in others it’s more complicated. In some it’s only a matter of changing a few processes and using the tools you already have available to you. In others it’s about identifying the hardware that uses the power and the processes that are dependent on that hardware. The root cause of the problem starts with refrigeration. It’s generally our biggest power hog and most other processes are dependent on it in some way. When our wineries were built, power was relatively cheap. Most cooling systems were designed to meet our vintage requirements and not much consideration was given to the winter months, when refrigeration load is generally small. So we now have these big refrigeration packs that were relatively cheap to buy and install but
they come at a high cost to run. Big motors starting and running for short times under small demands equates to high power spikes. Add this to other motors starting at the same time and you increase that spike. If the water heater happens to be running when the chiller starts then we go higher. Happens to be a cold day and the office heat pump is running etc etc. You get a monthly reminder of the result for the remainder of the year. Over the coming months we will endeavour to present to you a variety of solutions that are easily implemented and can potentially save you thousands of dollars. David Gill is the managing director of Wine Technology Marlborough. He has been involved in the wine industry in Marlborough since 1995. Before that he was managing projects for electrical contractors overseas. Over the past seventeen years David has seen the challenges winemakers face and how they have been let down by existing technology. Out of frustration he learnt to write software. The product is called VinWizard and is now sold in seven countries. It was designed exclusively for the wine industry to meet winemakers needs and give them the tools to make better wine more economically. ■
Logistics. We’re good with this. Tailored to meet your supply chain management and just-in-time challenges, and using any or all transport modes, Hamburg Süd’s transportation planning approach correlates all possible factors to achieve the safe, reliable, cost-efficient delivery of your shipment wherever and whenever you need it. We call it ‘logistical thinking’. For hands on help call our local experts: Outbound: 0503 222 444 Inbound: 0508 333 666
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 35
SOMMELIERS CORNER CAMERON DOUGLAS MS
TEXSOM CONFERENCE 2012
T
he TEXSOM Conference was founded by two Master Sommeliers in 2005. Since its inception, it has attracted more than 2,200 wine professionals from across the United States and the world. The speakers and judges constitute a “who’s who” list of top wine professionals, including Master Sommeliers, Certified Wine Educators, Masters of Wine and other highly respected wine people. It includes the largest contingent of Master Sommeliers at a public event worldwide. The eighth instalment of TEXSOM was held in Dallas, Texas (naturally) in August. For the first time, New Zealand Wine was showcased - I was asked to present on what’s happening in our viticulture, wine making and wine styles, and to show off some fine local wine. Thirty eight speakers presented seminars on topics ranging from the wines of Niagara to the ‘terroir’ of Texas; an in-depth look at Rieslings from Eden Valley to the Wachau, Columbia Valley and Rheingau. Social Media Bootcamp was an important seminar and a red wine tasting from Leonetti Cellars (Walla Walla Valley) was a great way to review vintage conditions from 1985 to 2010. The ‘Grand Tasting’ event included wines from the USA, Italy, France and Canada. One of my favourite seminars
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and tastings was a workshop on The Kimmeridgian Chain – Loire Valley, Champagne and Chablis. With Andrew McNamara MS, I delivered a one-hour seminar on New Zealand Wine – Trends for the Future. It was both a technical and personal presentation, and included a Google
conference and checking. I was determined to rise to the challenge and present some exciting examples of what New Zealand winegrowers were producing – a number of wine companies worked very hard to assist me in getting their wine into Texas, though after months
“I have long wished for New Zealand to have a Sommelier of the Year competition recognising our best in the hospitality sector tied to an annual Wine Event.”
Earth tour of New Zealand wine regions, followed by a general statistical overview of land and grapes, an overview of differences between the last four vintages, interviews with wine makers and a tasting of eight New Zealand wines. The selection process for the wines to be shown proved to be an unexpectedly time-consuming undertaking – meeting the strict State requirements for getting wine into Texas is a huge challenge. Unless the wine was already available in Texas at retail or trade, had the correctly worded labelling, and a distributor willing to manage the transport of the wine, the Texas Wine Commission (TWC) would not allow the product to be served - heavy fines could be applied –and I was warned that the TWC would be present at the
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
of extensive negotiation, the list was narrowed to those suppliers who were already ‘on site’. In the middle of the frustrating process, I was almost ready to transport the wine surreptitiously in a suitcase. Cracking the USA market carries some challenges – and cracking Texas can be a bit like landing the Mars Rover – it’s not impossible but takes a heck of a long time in planning and execution. In the end I was able to bring together a collection of eight wines I was proud to show: Felton Road Bannockburn Riesling ‘10, Greywacke ‘Wild’ Sauvignon Blanc ‘10, Prophets Rock Pinot Gris ‘09, Villa Maria Taylor’s Pass Chardonnay ‘09, Craggy Range Kidnappers Vineyard’ Chardonnay ‘10, Spy Valley Envoy Pinot Noir ‘10, Mills Reef
Merlot Malbec ’08 and Mission Estate Syrah ‘10. The presentation was a sellout – it was great to see a Kiwi producer in attendance. Many attendees were excited to learn New Zealand was ‘more than Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir’ and particularly excited by the new treatments of Sauvignon – this provoked a lot of discussions post-presentation. Questions were mainly around our soil as well as wine styles. There was a particular interest in our Syrah (the style has been lagging a little in the USA), and the Pinot Gris surprised many, and was highly praised. With the aim of presenting more New Zealand wine at TexSom and other Conferences in the USA (earlier in the year I presented a Seminar on Small Producer Pinot Noir at the Society of Wine Educators Conference in San Mateo, California) I would be interested in speaking with producers who are keen to have their wine available to the trade. Another great highlight from the conference was being a Judge for the Texas Best Sommelier Competition, with its exactingly high standards. I have long wished for New Zealand to have a Sommelier of the Year competition recognising our best in the hospitality sector tied to an annual Wine Event. Your thoughts would be welcome cameron@guildsomm.com ■
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WINE AWARDS
BRAGATO WINE AWARDS Champion Wine of the Show and Bragato Trophy Winner Villa Maria Single Vineyard Ihumatao Chardonnay 2011 – Brent Donaldson
Chardonnay 2011 - Brett Donaldson
Richard Smart Trophy and Reserve Champion Wine Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010 – Chris James, Richard Bunton, Paul Halford Sustainability Trophy Villa Maria Single Vineyard Ihumatao Chardonnay 2011 – Brett Donaldson NZ Wine Cellars Spence Brothers Trophy and Champion Sauvignon Blanc Yealands Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - Peter Yealands Bill Irwin Trophy and Champion Chardonnay Villa Maria Single Vineyard Ihumtao
Champion Sparkling Wine No 1 Family Estate Cuvee Remy NV – Daniel Le Brun Champion Dessert Wine Pasquale Shrivel 2011 – Antonio Pasquale Friedrich Wohnsiedler Trophy and Champion Riesling Esk Valley Marlborough Dry Riesling 2011 – Jerome Waldron Brother Cyprian Trophy and Champion Pinot Gris Greystone Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2011 – Bruce Thomas and Nick Gill Champion Other White Wine Coopers Creek SV Gisborne Albarino Bell-Ringer 2012 – Doug and Delwyn Bell
Mike Wolter Memorial Trophy and Champion Pinot Noir Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010 – Chris James, Richard Bunton, Paul Halford Tom McDonald Memorial Trophy and Champion Classical Red Wine Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2010 – Paul McEvoy Champion Merlot Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Merlot 2009 – Phil Holden Alan Limmer Trophy and Champion Syrah Mills Reef Eslpeth Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2010 – Paul McEvoy Champion Other Red Wine Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2009 – Phil Holden
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TOP GUN
OUR TOP YOUNG VITICULTURIST BARBARA GILLHAM
F
or the first time in the seven year history of the Markham’s Young Vitiuclturist competition, a Wairarapa contestent has taken out the title. Thirty-year-old Braden Crosby from Borthwick Estate in Carterton outscored the other finalists in five of the competition’s eight sections, held during this year’s Romeo Bragato Conference. Delighted with his win, Crosby says it was his second year in the national finals and the last year he could have entered. “I would be too old to enter again as the competition is for anyone 30 or under so for me that’s it. I don’t know if it’s a written rule but it seems like an unwritten rule that if you win it once that’s it, there’s nothing left to prove.” Originally from Waiuku Crosby says no one in his family has ever been involved in the wine industry. “When I left high school I
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started a degree at Auckland University and also started working at my uncle’s restaurant at the same time. I didn’t enjoy the course I was doing so I gave it up and began working fulltime for my uncle. It was while I was working in the restaurant that I started to develop a real interest in wine and thought I want to know more about this. “So I left and went to Marlborough where I did the Diploma in Viticulture in 2003 and did a bit of work in the wine industry down there before coming up to the Wairarapa on a field trip. I worked on several vine-
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
yards before ending up at Borthwick Estate.” A trip overseas saw him travelling to California where he worked in a winery. This was followed by a trip to Australia where he did a harvest in the Hunter Valley. Back in New Zealand he once again returned to Borthwick Estate for six months doing harvest and winery work during which time he met his future wife Gabrielle. More travel was to follow, including trips to France, Canada and Mexico before returning to the Wairarapa. “We got back here in 2008 and
I began my degree in Wine Science at EIT. We have been here ever since.” Crosby also began working fulltime at Borthwick Estate that same year primarily in an assistant winemaking role. When the vineyard manager left in 2009 he took over that role and admits has been learning ever since. Today he is winemaker and viticulturist at the Estate and has only three papers of his degree to complete. As winner of the 2012 Markham’s Young Viticulturist of the Year Crosby has walked away with a cash prize, a travel grant supplied by the New Zealand Society of Viticulture and Oenology and a $3000 leadership week with New Zealand Winegrowers. He will now go on as the wine industry’s representative in the Young Horticulturist of the year competition in November. ■ barbarag@value.net.nz
WINEGROWER ADVERT.indd 1
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SUB REGIONS
WAITAKI – CORRIDOR OF ICE Brought to you by Bio Start MAX MARRIOTT
T
he Waitaki Valley, running west to east and positioned on the border of Canterbury and Otago, is one of the newest and most promising wine regions in New Zealand. Formerly orchards, sheep and deer farms, barely 10 years have passed since the first vines were planted in a trial block at Doctors Creek owned by the late entrepreneur Howard Paterson. A trial wine was made by John Forrest in 2003 and the first commercial wines hit the marketplace the following year. The pioneering of the region was never a one-man-show. In those early days, before plantings actually began, there were
many interested parties. Grant Taylor and Alan Brady actually fielded a meeting from a bevy of Waitaki farmers back in 1993, who were seeking expertise and advice on the region’s viability for grape growing. Jim Jerram and his now brother-in-law Jeff Sinnott ended up scouting for vineyard sites while trout fishing up the Waitaki in the late ‘90s. Steve Harrop moved to the rural community with his family early in the piece and was point man for Howard Paterson’s Waitaki Valley Estates property development company. Since that time, the region has attracted the gaze and admiration of some of the country’s highest
profile winegrowers, including John Forrest, Grant Taylor, Jeff Sinnott, Steve Smith MW and Michelle Richardson. The Waitaki popped up on the radar of international wine writers some six or seven years ago when the first commercial wines began emerging. It would seem that the mention of limestone caused many to quiver with excitement and grow weak at the knees, drawing immediate parallels with Burgundy. But the Waitaki is not Burgundy. It has the potential to become a great region in its own right, drawing on its geology as one of those attributes, though no more so than any other region. It
is true that tasting the wines, one could lend a thread of credence to the media hyperbole; the mention of minerality certainly a virtue the winemakers love to extoll. But what is minerality? I had the opportunity to ask Waitaki winemakers Grant Taylor (Valli), Cleighten Cornelius (Pasquale), Jim Jerram (Ostler) and John Forrest (Forrest) for their take on minerality; an insidious question causing a degree of squirming. There was almost unanimous agreement that minerality is – or is influenced by – acidity, one of the hallmarks of the cool climate region. Some spoke of taste allegories referencing river stones and
PHOTO: Max Marriottt
Ostler vineyard
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
PHOTO: Max Marriottt
chalk dusters, while others honed in on a more tactile sensation, in a textural and structural context. It’s a hard one to describe, and can generate great debate, though there does seem to be an inherent quality to the Waitaki wines that the term “minerality” goes some way to expressing. State Highway 83 forms the main seam of the Waitaki Valley, with most of the vineyards planted to the south of the Waitaki River (in Otago) on alluvial terraces or limestone hills. The Hakataramea Valley to the north is technically part of Canterbury and there is just one 12ha vineyard planted in this sub-region (a vineyard “too cold even for the penguins” chuckles Pasquale Viticulturist Renzo Mino). Back in Otago, the most eastern vineyards along SH83 are roughly 50km from Oamaru and Lake Waitaki forms the western boundary in the opposite direction; a length of vineyard area spanning approximately 25km. At this infantile stage of development – one could even say foetal – there is just 120ha of vines planted. The rapid planting and expansion has stopped altogether, the Waitaki – like the rest of New Zealand’s wine regions – not immune to the crippling effects of the recession and grape oversupply. However there are also larger forces at work here. The absentee ownership, geographic isolation, marginal climate and lack of continuity/unity have all contributed to the region’s struggle to gain prominence and pre-eminence in the marketplace. Perhaps part of the challenge is the desire from those involved for a rapid ascendency, when in actual fact so much has already been achieved in 10 short years.
PHOTO: Max Marriottt
Renzo Mino Pasquale Wines
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 43
I remember visiting the region with a friend in 2007 as part of a wine road trip. Graphs and charts were thrust into our arms demonstrating the suitability of the region for grape growing, illustrating the longer growing season (when compared to the closest neighbour, Central Otago) and higher rate of functional “ripening days” (those that don’t push into the 30s). However there is no kidding when it comes to the actual facts – the Waitaki is a harsh, cold, marginal climate. Renzo Mino of Pasquale says quite eloquently “The Waitaki isn’t on the edge, it’s off the edge, hanging on with its fingernails”. Those fingernails, however, are like steel claws. The region does hang on, and you will find none who would argue that once
these young vines are established, the Waitaki has the great potential to produce some of the most interesting and unique wines in New Zealand. “We used to think Gibbston was marginal, but if you do it right – if you farm the land appropriately – you can get the results”, says Grant Taylor. “All the vines in the Waitaki were planted at 5000vines/ha, which was a remarkable insight. The density lends itself to single bunching, then green thinning to generate crops of 4-5t/ha in a good year. The berries are much smaller than Central, so bunches are only averaging 60-70g.” It’s a region predisposed to quality. Pinot Noir forms the backbone of the region’s wines, described (when compared to Central at least) as less powerful,
less dense, elegant, leaner, lighter in colour and lower in alcohol. “All positives” remarks Grant Taylor, “but when you haven’t done the work in the vineyard, you risk having thin, green Pinots”. Historically and geographically, it makes sense that Chardonnay would/will find a home in the Waitaki, and if the John Forrest Collection Chardonnay is anything to go by, the region is well on its way to achieving this. However the aromatics of the region are fast forging a reputation too, built on the piercing, pure linearity and acidity that tends to define the wines of the Waitaki. ■ max@maxmarriott.com
PHOTO: Max Marriottt
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
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NEW VINES
GUIDE TO PLANTING D O N N A P E C A R , M I S T Y VA L L E Y N U R S E R Y
W
hat follows are the four key elements of good establishment, written specifically for an under-plant or replant situation:
1. Spacing The mature vines either side of a replant are aggressive colonisers of empty space, immature vines are not. The bigger the hole you dig, the less competition the replant will endure. With replants the hole should be 400mm in diameter and 400mm deep then refilled so the plant sits at the correct depth after planting.
2. Water
Replants are very often required to rely on the existing irrigation system. This is invariably tuned to a mature production watering cycle but it’s woefully insufficient for young vines in their first season. Wherever possible replants should have supplementary water by tanker. One supplementary watering per week (of 2 – 3 litres) for the first 6 to 8 weeks will give them a great start. Young vines can grow significantly during the period from veraison to harvest. Tanker water again in this period for better cane lignification and better girth.
Efficiency starts here...
NB. Using mulch like compost or untreated sawdust will assist with retention of moisture.
3. Shelter Reduce wind stress by using grow-guards. Remember that the young vine is fighting for moisture on two fronts: • The neighbouring vines are sucking moisture out of its root zone. • The wind sucks moisture from its leaves.
4. Nutrition Put nothing in the planting hole unless it is pure blood and bone. Never use any fertiliser with
raw manure (especially chicken manure) or salt based fertilisers in the planting hole. When growth has commenced give each vine 50g of NPK fertiliser like Nitrophoslea blue to give them a boost – in dry regions this must be washed in with supplementary watering.
The take home message... A vine that springs out of the starting blocks and then grows well in the first year will crop earlier and produce more and better quality fruit for the rest of its life compared to one that struggles. ■
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BRAGATO VISITOR
THE ITALIAN CONNECTION MARY SHANAHAN
V
isiting Hawke’s Bay recently, Giovanni Mariani was the quintessential Italian in communicating fervour for a new-found passion in life. On his first trip to New Zealand, he enthused that this country has an energy that is not to be found in his homeland. “It’s an urgent pulse that is expressed in the surroundings, the natural landscape and the people, of course.” Giovanni teaches at Italy’s premier viticultural training institution, the famed Scuola Enologica di Conegliano in north-eastern Italy. His tour of this country’s wine regions celebrates the 10th anniversary of an exceptional partnership forged between his school and the Eastern Institute of Technology’s School of Viticulture and Wine Science. The relationship is the brainchild of Kevyn Moore, a great
admirer of the legendary viticulturist Romeo Bragato who, more than a century ago, recognised New Zealand’s potential for growing grapes. When Kevyn and wife Corrine first visited Conegliano and the school where Bragato was a student, the experience triggered Kevyn’s vision for an annuallyawarded scholarship as the means of fostering a link between the Italian school of oenology and New Zealand’s EIT.It provides a highachieving EIT viticulture or wine science degree student a month in Italy, exploring wine regions and visiting the Conegliano school. Similarly, a student from Conegliano spends four weeks in New Zealand, learning about the wine regions, attending the Romeo Bragato Conference and visiting EIT’s School of Viticulture and Wine Science. “For Italian sprouts,” as Giovanni dubs 18 and 19-year-old
Conegliano scholarship winners, the scholarship is an opportunity to live for a month in a country where the wine industry is important and a well-developed business. “For young New Zealanders, (in Italy) they find a wine industry that is highly developed and highly technological although there is great progress in that regard in this country. They are hosted by winemakers and agronomists who know their job and I hope once back home they have been able to make use of knowledge acquired in Italy to start a career. “So both groups have a different experience – everything is much more intense.” Giovanni’s hope is that the partnership doesn’t become routine. “We are building a bridge now and it is a matter of widening the
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lanes for more traffic on both sides. It’s about working out how to make that possible for visitors from both ends to find an authentic interest. That may mean longer periods of work for students who are interested.” On a more serious note, Giovanni says that having tasted wines in both islands, he has found a local expression in varieties produced in different parts of the country. “They don’t lack for complexity – the whites in particular. When they are fresh, they are so intense. They really take me like a strong wind – I love being blown away by them. Some have a beautiful long finish. I love the level of acidity that keeps them alive.”■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com
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REGIONS NELSON
NEW CHAIRMAN R
ichard Flatman, 41 year old husband, father of three, viticulturist and Chairman of Nelson Winegrowers; four descriptives that understate what he does but reflect the essence of the man. First and foremost his decision to leave Two Paddock and Central Otago in 2009 for Nelson was driven by his desire to spend more time with his young family in an area that has a lot more to offer family life. Flatman says; “Don’t get me wrong, Central Otago is a great place, but here we live on a beach in the small vibrant community of Mapua, close to schools and every other facility you can think of. And the job as viticulturist at the established Neudorf Vineyards means while I still work the typical hours of a viticulturist, as soon as I am at home I am five minutes from the water and play time with the kids”. As the new chairman of Nelson Winegrowers he has already ruffled a few feathers but takes that on the chin and says he is determined to carry on the great work of former chairman Mike Brown. Many would ask if a viticulturist has the marketing skills to help drive a regional wine group but he says Nelson Winegrowers is about more than marketing. Although he is keen to ensure the Nelson winegrowing region becomes as recognisable as Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago. Flatman says even though Nelson has some of the best producers in the country and regularly performs outstandingly well in wine tastings and competitions, it seems to be
almost an afterthought when people list the wine growing regions of New Zealand. “We need to change people’s perception of Nelson and we need to get the recognition from wine writers and wine lovers we deserve. We need to get more people here to taste the wines and increase the demand for Nelson wines.” Slamming the quality point home, Flatman points to the 20% of all gold medals awarded at the recent Bragato competition that came to Nelson wineries, to Neudorf Vineyards world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Brightwater Vineyard’s six trophies in six years for both their Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc as well as their Winemaker of the Year and Best Wine in Show at this year’s Royal Easter Wine Show for their Chardonnay. The list goes on. Flatman believes Nelson produces New Zealand’s finest aromatic style wines, wines that don’t just rely on fruit sweetness but on structure and refinement. He also beleives Nelson produces the very best Chardonnays in the country, packed with complexity and flavour. All of this has been achieved by family owned businesses. He sees this as a real strength because these businesses can make quick decisions, they don’t have corporate investors to answer to, and this in turn means
they have the flexibility to make exceptional wines, not just wines to keep the accountants happy. Maybe that strength is also the region’s marketing weakness; without the corporate dollars to throw at marketing campaigns Nelson will always be on the back foot when it comes to promotion. Flatman says that is where Nelson Winegrowers, through its Nelson WineArt brand, needs to carry on promoting the region and change the underlying perception as one that has the occasional success to one that is a leading wine region. ■ neil@hodgson.net.nz
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REGIONS GISBORNE
NATURAL WINE C H R I S T I N E B OYC E
M
ore organic and veganfriendly wines are appearing on supermarket shelves around the country following the recent release of the ethically-driven Natural Wine Company. It is the first foray into supermarkets for Geoff and Nicola Wright of Wrights Vineyard and Winery in Gisborne, who have been producing premium organic wine in relatively small quantities over the last decade. Using grapes from their own vineyards and other key wine regions around the country, The
Natural Wine Company range includes Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay Viognier blend, with Merlot to follow next vintage. “Rather than just having the boutique wine label, we wanted to get more of our wines out to the public. Seeing more people drinking organic wines is the vision,” says Nicola Wright. “We wanted to do it as naturally as we could – we apply natural farming techniques, organic viticulture and biodynamic methods. The vines are grown by working with nature; wild ferments are promoted and we
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do not fine the wines.” The wines, they say, express the variety and area from which the grapes are grown. Given their environmental focus, it seems only fitting that The Natural Wine Company has formed a partnership with Forest and Bird New Zealand to make a donation from every bottle sold. “When we approached Forest and Bird they were very excited about the wine being natural – it’s a good marriage of two brands. Their motto is ‘give nature a voice’ and we’re all about making the best wine naturally.”
The bottle label features a footprint, serving as a reminder to tread gently on the earth and leave only footprints behind. The Natural Company Wine is already rolling out into New World supermarkets around the country, but Mrs Wright says they still have a lot of work to do. “There are challenges in getting into supermarkets – it’s a different beast all together! While in a fine wine store it’s all about the taste, in the supermarket people want to save something. The key is hitting that magic $19.95 or under.” The long-term goal is to build
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Geoff and Nicola Wright (pictured with two eldest sons Noah and Elijah) of Wrights Vineyard and Winery have diversified with their new label, The Natural Wine Company.
While they may be beginners in the supermarket game, Wrights Wines have already carved out their own niche as producers of the first certified-organic, New Zealand-made Methode Traditionelle. Geoff and Nicola Wright started producing their ‘Entity’ Methode in 2001 but it wasn’t until 2010 they had their first organic-certified release. Bottle fermented and traditionally hand-riddled, the couple describe Entity as a “labour of love” which has become one of their flagship wines over the years. “It’s a lovely clean, crisp, yeasty style – it’s a special occasion wine. Geoff just loves making champagne – he enjoys the challenge, using the corks and knowing that it will be on people’s tables at Christmas time.” The Wrights have invested in specialized equipment so they can put the corks in the bottles on site at their vineyard. The Entity label features a painting of their terrace vineyard, by Gisborne artist Michael Burt. Mrs Wright says they will add to their sparkling repertoire with the soon-to-be released ‘Vintage,’ which, as the name suggests, a celebration of each vintage.
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“Hopefully, New Zealanders will be willing to spend just a little bit more for ethically-made wine.” ■ christinejboycegmailcom
the brand recognition to a level so people reach for it at the supermarkets, and, as a flow on effect, let more people know about the Wrights premium wines.
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 51
REGIONS HAWKE’S BAY
WINERY FOR SALE MARY SHANAHAN
H
aving closed its wine-making operation in Napier’s industrial area, Pernod Ricard New Zealand is now offering the production facility and site for sale. At the end of a cul de sac in the heavy industry zone of Pandora, the winery sits on a 3.2ha site where building and plant infrastructure total several thousand square metres and include an onsite waste treatment facility. The land and plant capital is valued at $8.05 million. The winery has capacity for
crushing and fermenting 10,000 tonnes of grapes and storage capacity for 8.3 million litres of wine. The property is being marketed by Bayleys. As part of the restructuring, Pernod Ricard may also sell some of its vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. The company closed the Pandora plant in June – a move which affected 13 full-time staff. It has consolidated its Hawke’s Bay operations at the higher profile Church Road site in Taradale. Both wineries have undergone significant upgrades.
The Pandora plant was known as the Corbans winery when it was originally established in 1986. It changed ownership when Montana acquired Corbans in 2000. A year later, Montana was bought out by Allied Domecq and in 2005, Pernod Ricard purchased Allied Domecq. Straddling ownerships, the winery underwent an upgrade and expansion programme from the late 1990s through to the early 2000s. In 2010, Pernod Ricard sold some of its Hawke’s Bay and Gis-
borne brands and assets to Indevin and its joint venture partner Lion Nathan New Zealand. Pernod Ricard managing director Fabian Partigliani said the plant had been “significantly under-utilised” since. New Zealand’s largest winemaker plans to invest new capital into the nearby Church Road winery, which Partigliani said was considered a core strategic brand for the company. Founded in 1897, that winery underwent extensive renovations in 1989. ■ maryshanahan173@gmail.com
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incoln University’s Regina Billones is the latest recipient of the David Jackson Prize for grape- and winerelated research. Her research project which began back in 2008, has been to investigate the role of nurseries and the spread of botryosphaeria disease in vineyards. The David Jackson Prize provided $1500 which allowed Regina to attend the 8th International Workshop on Trunk Diseases held in Spain earlier this year. She talked to NZWinegrower.
What were your findings during the
original research?
your research?
It demonstrated that young Some nursery owners were grafted plants from grapevine hesitant to participate in our ininurseries have latent infections of tial survey as they were concerned botryosphaeria disease, about confidentiality of which are present in results and the effect the bark of grapevines. this might have on the These invisible, latent marketability of their infections undoubtedly grafted plants. contribute to the high Due to the 2008 incidence of infections recession in wine, most in the vineyards, threatnurseries stopped or Regina Billones ening the long-term reduced their producsustainability of the grapevine tion of grafted vines, thus, in the industry. second year of sampling we were only able to collect samples durWhat were some of the ing a very short period within the season. challenges/obstacles in
What are the benefits for the New Zealand wine industry? My research has greatly improved global understanding of the biology of Botryosphaeria disease in grapevines, which is essential for development of targeted disease management methods. Since the disease cannot be eliminated from within young vines and is hard to control once it has established in vineyards, preventing infection in the nursery provides the best chance for resolving this disease problem in vineyards. ■
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BOB’S BLOG BOB CAMPBELL MW
FIVE NATIONS WINE COMPETITION This is my favourite wine competition of all time. It features the very best wines from NZ, Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Chile. A judge/selector from each country chooses 110 wines strategically spread over up to 16 classes to give their country the best chance of an overall wine (at least that’s what I do).
T
he show is judged in Sydney. An evening at iconic Tetsuya’s restaurant ices the cake (we also went to The Spice Temple – highly recommended). In the ten year history of the Five Nations (called Tri-Nations and featuring NZ, Australia and South Africa only for the first eight years) Australia has won eight times and NZ twice. This year it was yet another win to Australia while we came second. Here are a few comments on some of the more interesting classes: Sparkling wine was a clean sweep by South Africa, winning trophy for top wine and the class. Australia was a distant second with us close behind. Top NZ wine was Nautilus Brut NV (Late disgorged after three years). We triumphed in the Aromatic White class winning the class and trophy for top wine. The top two Kiwi wines were Framingham Select Riesling 2010 (top) and 2011. Winemaker Andrew Hedley deserves to be recognised as a truly great Riesling maker. Chardonnay was won by Australia (Xanadu Reserve 2010). Top Kiwi wine was Sacred Hill 2010 Rifleman’s. Sauvignon Blanc would seem to be at least one class that New Zealand should confidently win.
56 //
(from left to right); Bob Campbell, Michael Fridjhon (South Africa), Fabricio Portelli (Argentina), Judith Kennedy (organiser), Huon Hooke (Australia) and Eduardo Brethauer (Chile).
We didn’t. Australia narrowly beat us although we did win the trophy for top wine which was Matua Single Vineyard Wairau 2010. If Australia’s stirling perfomance puzzles you, as it did me, try Bay of Fires 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from Tasmania – it is very, very good. NZ won the Rosé class although Australia earned the trophy for top wine with an excellent Pinot Noir Rosé by Domain Chandon. We had a predictable win in Pinot Noir – winning the class and top wine which was Akarua 2010 followed closely by
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
Doctor’s Flat 2010, both from Central Otago. The Merlot or Carmenere class appears to be a banker for Chile, after all Carmenere is that country’s signature grape. However the class and trophy were both won (comfortably) by New Zealand. Top wine was Mills Reef 2010 Elspeth Merlot. Bordeaux blends was a clean sweep to Argentina despite a contingent of heavyweight Kiwi contenders. “Other reds” was never going to favour New Zealand although Villa Maria 2007 Grenache was runner-up wine. We once
revealed the grape varieties in this class although we no longer do that. I recall a spirited defence by the South African judge for a Pinotage that was eventually voted runner-up. It turned out to be Muddy Water from Waipara. New Zealand has a long history of success in the Syrah class but we were narrowly beaten for line honours by Chile. Top Kiwi Syrah was Villa Maria Reserve 2010 followed by Passage Rock Reserve 2010 and Bilancia La Collina 2010. In past years it has been a two-horse race with South Africa
bringing up the rear. Recently however the quality of South African wines has soared. Is it because they are increasingly adopting screwcaps – their white wines certainly seem fresher and fruitier. Chile and Argentina are both stronger than I had imagined. I thought their Achilles heel might be a narrow band of wine styles but that doesn’t seem to have been the case. New Zealand has no cause to be complacent.
Cool Reds from the city of sails A group of winemakers from the Auckland isthmus banded together to offer a top flight tasting of blended red wines from the outstanding 2010 vintage. They included three highly rated Bordeaux reds from the excellent 2009 vintage. Their point? To raise awareness for unique and distinctive Auckland terroir and its ability to produce world class wines. Vineyards from Clevedon in the south, Waiheke in the east and Matakana in the north share a long, temperate growing season, clay soils and often hillside sites. Most vines are grown without irrigation. The wines were presented in
three flights. Seven Merlot-dominant wines, including Vieux Chateau Certan were tasted before the audience voted for their favourite wine. Puriri Hills Pope from Clevedon was way out in front with more than three times the vote of Cliff Edge, a Merlot Cabernet Franc blend from a one-hectare vineyard on the Awhiti Peninsula overlooking the Manukau Harbour. The Bordeaux closely followed Cliff Edge. The second flight was Cabernet Franc dominant wines including the Pomerol, La Conseillante. Top Wine was The Mesenger from Stillwater followed by Man O’War “Ironclad” from Waiheke Island and Coxhead Creek “Reserve” from Matakana. La Conseillante was in fourth place. Chateau Lascombe was the clear winner in the Cabernet Sauvignon dominant class with Obsidean, Waiheke Island and Brick Bay “Pharos” from Matakana in second equal place while Waiheke’s Goldie was close behind. Point well made. The Auckland wines were distinctively different from the punchier, fruitier and more generously
proportioned wines that we now expect from Hawke’s Bay. The best showed restraint, purity and appealing floral and spice nuances together with great textures (to me, one of the key differences). They are sophisticated wines from dedicated artisan producers that can too easily slip under the radar.
Terra Sancta on Terra Firma When a couple of samples from the brand new Central Otago producer, Terra Sancta, arrived on my doorstep I was intrigued by a label design that is more radical than any I’ve seen in decades. It has an heroic, Victorian design that’s dripping with gilt frames, bunches of grapes and miniature portraits. I love it for its uniqueness and romanticism. It’s the most eyecatching label I’ve ever encountered. The samples were followed by a visit from brand owner, Mark Weldon. He’s an Olympic medallist who headed the NZX before cashing up and, with his equally talented wife, lawyer Sarah Eliott, bought Olsenn’s in Bannockburn. Mark is a romantic soul with a fascination for ancient maps
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which is where he got the name Terra Sancta (he’s just produced the vineyard map to end all vineyard maps). But he’s also a very down to earth, hard-nosed businessman. He wanted to buy a land-based business, looked at a lime orchard but finally chose vineyards instead, admitting that wine has an emotional overlay. “I’m not in it to make a lot of money” he said, then after a short pause, “but I don’t want to lose money either.” ■
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WINEMAKER VIEW
McTAVISH’S TAKE JOELLE THOMSON
D
uncan McTavish celebrates his fourth anniversary at Man O’ War this year, the far flung winery on the remote, least populated, north eastern end of Waiheke Island. Renowned for its red wines, Waiheke is also emerging as a white wine producer of some class. “There’s a misconception about Waiheke being hot, red wine country but we believe we can make great fresh whites here. That said, the cost of the land and
the labour inputs pretty much requires a good return for a bottle of wine. “The price we can command for a bottle of Waiheke Sauvignon compared to a bottle of Bordeauxblended reds is challenging. For our size and scale, we’re obliged to go to export markets,” says McTavish, whose previous winemaking tenure was a four-year, formative stint at Pegasus Bay Wines in Waipara, North Canterbury. Man O’ War is owned by the
Spencer family, which owns about a sixth of the island spread over approximately 2000 hectares, comprising 76 individual experimental vineyards. The Spencers own another, even more remote, 1500 acres at the northern end of the nearby Ponui Island. Of this land, just six hectares are planted in vines. This small island has a permanent population of eight people, two of whom look after the vineyards; another two who look after the sheep and cattle, with two other
couples and roving herds of wild miniature donkeys also in residence. There’s no power on the island. It is entirely solar, wind power or generator-derived. Grapes are freighted back on a slow barge each year, bringing new meaning to the word ‘harvest’. With such a vast range of vineyards and microclimates, McTavish is somewhat spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting grapes, but most of the sites obviously lend themselves to certain styles of wine, he says. Experienced
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Waiheke viticulturist Matt Allen helps McTavish to pinpoint the grapes best suited to each wine style. “Our Ponui Pinot Gris is a modern New Zealand style,” he say. Made from extremely ripe St Helena clone Pinot Gris grapes, all coming from Ponui. Relatively oxidative handling of the juice was one of the keys to unlocking flavour in this Pinot Gris, he says, as it was in the 2010 Man O’War Valhalla Chardonnay. ‘Controlled neglect’ is how McTavish describes part of his approach to winemaking. He describes this Chardonnay as “a combination of alcohol and really low pH, which inhibits malolactic fermentation. He favours warm to hot, fast ferments – “The Chardonnay is made in 10 days; 4
sitting around going brown, 6 fermenting and cleaning itself back up before sitting in barrel for 10 months. “We don’t do any fining of the juice or of the wine so they’re quite tannic to begin.” The Man O’War 2012 The Gravestone Sauvignon Semillon is the second vintage of this blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc with 30% Semillon (the Semillon treated to old oak). He’s pleased with the results of these wines but when it comes to Tulia, the bubbly, he plans to make a less pronounced varietal with bubbles – “The most important thing for New Zealand bubbles is to retain as much acidity as possible and not aging too long in secondary fermentation. I’m looking forward to moving Tulia into a more subtle style.” ■
Man O War Ponui Island. Photo: NZW
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ext January Pinophiles from around the world will descend on Wellington for the iconic Pinot Noir 2013. Over four days those attending will be treated to the subtley and quality of New Zealand Pinot. First established in 2001, the producers of New Zealand have a lot to thank the man who helped establish the event - Richard Riddiford of Palliser Estate. Riddiford’s involvement with the Pinot Conference began after Larry McKenna raised the idea of
a New Zealand celebration. It was decided to hold a conference in Wellington and McKenna asked Riddiford to chair the board. While these days it is acknowledged as one of New Zealand Wine’s finest events, Riddiford said it was a difficult task and a challenge to encourage people to attend. “When we did the first one we were flying blind. It was a bit like having the first Toast Martinborough, I had to beg a lot of people to come because it had no track record.
“I was very keen to make it profitable because there is no need to have something if it is not profitable and we were lucky in the economic climate at the time which was a hell of a lot better than it is now. So sponsorship, dare I say it, was reasonably easy to get. “The aims of the first conference were pretty specific. If you’re going to play on the international stage you need to compare your product with what’s out there in the market place both at a taste level and a value level. It’s a strange industry; we spend an enormous
amount of money and time tasting other people’s products.” Richard acknowledges one of the challenges to the industry now is that consumers have discovered they can buy very drinkable wine for $15-$20 a bottle. “The question now is will those consumers ever go back to $60 bottles of wine? People do have to eat but they don’t have to drink. We are in an industry where we compete for the leisure dollar and that may be going to a sporting event or going to the opera, eating out or buying wine. That
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62 //
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
sector has got very cluttered and very competitive.” Riddiford’s own company Palliser Estate currently exports 70 percent of its wine. While a wide range of varieties are produced, its fair to say Pinot Noir is a mainstay. “Pinot is a hard grape to grow it’s been called a ‘minx of a grape’. It’s taken off here on a tiny scale but you’ve got to remember the New Zealand industry is tiny so we’ve got a whole lot of outside influences that we can’t control. We can’t control exchange rates; we can’t control what is produced in Australia or Europe which is subsidised enormously. If the industry there did what Muldoon did to our famers, about 30 percent of those French European vineyards would disappear. They are supported to grow grapes
which really are unprofitable. So those things contribute. “What’s happening domestically is there are still wineries going bankrupt and the difficulty with that is that
pressure and that environment is unfortunately continuing. I mean you’ve got it well documented that America’s got a significant financial crisis, Europe’s got a dreadful one and you’ve got a
“Pinot is a hard grape to grow it’s been called a ‘minx of a grape’. It’s taken off here on a tiny scale but you’ve got to remember the New Zealand industry is tiny so we’ve got a whole lot of outside influences that we can’t control.”
distressed stock is dumped onto the local market and the banks don’t care at what price. So you’ve got that continuing downward
country like Spain that’s got 25 percent unemployment. You can’t operate like that so I don’t profess to be hugely confident about the
coming year. “We live in a very dynamic world. You can have a strategy to improve your exports to Asia by 30 percent and you wake up one morning and there’s a SAR’s outbreak or Birdflu and they don’t buy anything for several months. After 9/11 in New York, expensive bottles of wine simply didn’t sell. So you’ve got all these things happening and you have no control over them. That’s why you have to learn to just control the things you can and operate in the environment that’s been created, because you can’t do anything about it. “You can waste a lot of time fretting about things you can’t change. Its unfortunate but that’s the way it is.” ■ barbarag@value.net.nz
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OBITUARY DON WALKER
SERVICE TO NZ AND OUR WINE T E R R Y D U N L E AV Y
T
he recent death in Wellington of Donald James (Don) Walker, 75, recalls the significant role he played in helping New Zealand wine come to prominence, first in New Zealand, and later in Britain. A senior officer in the Department of Trade and Industry, Don was a major force in the sponsorship and organisation by that department of the annual New Zealand Wine Exhibition, in association with the Tourist Hotel Corporation. I first met him at the 1975 awards dinner staged by the department at Chateau Ton-
64 //
gariro. My next meeting with Don was again at The Chateau in 1981, when he was home on leave from his post in London as New Zealand’s Senior Trade Commissioner and Minister (Commercial). Cooks Wines, had invited Don as their guest and during a lull in the festivities there occurred a conversation which went something like this:
Conversation at Chateau Tongariro Walker: “I say, Terry, some of these wines are really good. I’d love to be able to present
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
Don Walker
a selection of the top ones to wine people in London.” Dunleavy: “No problem in arranging the wines, only the cost and hassle of getting them there.” Walker: “I’m sure we can persuade the Air Force to find a little space on one of their Hercules flights to Britain. The Minister Commercial in London is one of those with authority to request space for such purposes.” Dunleavy: “You’re on! What else do we need?” Walker: “It would be nice if we could serve a little lunch, perhaps in the Penthouse, to go with the wines. That way we might attract the right people; trade, writers and the like.” Dunleavy: “Good, when do we do it?” Walker: “February would be a good time, around our New Zealand Day observance; and that would give you time to get the top competition wines across.” And that’s how we started in 1982 what is now the annual tasting of wines in the Pent-
house of New Zealand House (now held in the Nursery Pavilion at Lords Cricket Ground). Without the keen interest and initiative of Don Walker and the free freight service from the RNZAF we would never have got started. Suddenly, we were on our way.
Setting up in London Later that year in June, I was in London for the first time, and Don organised for us to present another tasting in the Penthouse which was well attended by top wine writers and trade people. That function commenced a relationship between the Wine Institute and the trade section of New Zealand House which continues to this day. By 1989, I was able to convince the regular exporters to UK that our efforts would be enhanced by an active and identifiable Londonbased group, which led to the formation of an advisory committee of agents and representatives, with Don Walker as its chair. In turn, this led to the establishment in 1991 of the New
Zealand Wine Guild. In all, Don spent 25 years abroad in New Zealand’s trade and diplomatic service, including three postings to London, 1961-64, 1980-84, and 1989-94. He was a natural and dedicated salesman for New Zealand and all that we could offer the world. Nothing more so than our wines. The speed with which our wines became accepted by the British from 1982 onward owed much to Don’s personal relationships with the movers and shakers of the London wine trade, and his keen eye for every possible promotional opportunity. Along with the late John Avery MW, Margaret Harvey MW, Richard Goodman, Cook’s and later Montana’s livewire London-based representative, Don Walker and his Trade Commissioner colleague Joe Turnbull formed the small band of heroes who laid the foundations in London in the 1980’s for what has now become our billion dollar wine export success. ■
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 65
MARKETING CHANGES
INCLUSIVE TESSA NICHOLSON
G
eneric fees are gone, the largest ever partnership with Government has begun, and a separate business unit has been established. These are just some of the major changes to the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Marketing plan. Established on the back of the Strategic Review of NZW, the marketing plan will focus on developing markets in Asia, North America and Northern Europe. The Europe office will focus on the Mainland European market, Australia will focus on events and a new office in Hong Kong is about to be opened. Global Marketing Director Chris Yorke says the changes don’t mean NZW is ignoring our two biggest markets of Australia and the UK. “There is still opportunity to grow in those markets, but the question is, what can NZW do? In marketing we can help establish the category, we can educate people about New Zealand and develop the New Zealand wine brand. In terms of the UK market and Australia, there is already a very good level of understanding of that and a lot of wineries are actively exporting there. So it makes sense, that if we have limited resources, to focus on the next areas of growth, which will be Asia, North America and Mainland Europe.” In the past, wineries paying generic fees had access to a range of activities and information relating to the markets they were interested in. The problem was only a
66 //
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
third of the money that funded those areas came from generic fees themselves, the rest came from levies. “So in fact the levy was subsidising those people who paid the generic fees,” Yorke says. “That’s why the generic fees have been abolished.” Now all the information gathered by the marketing team – which includes a vast range of market reports from the likes of Nielsen and Euromonitor, is available to every one of the 700 wineries. “That is a major opportunity for our wineries.” It doesn’t mean that NZW won’t be involved in organising events for wineries to take part in. But what will change, is the events will all be user pays and will be run by a new and separate business unit, the global events team. “Under the new structure we have NZW marketing, funded by levies. We set the overall strategy for marketing around the world. The events team will arrange the events as part of that strategy and bill the wineries separately for attending. This will ensure absolute transparency of where the levy is being spent. “NZW marketing’s role is to develop the brand, strengthen the relations with key influencers, share market information and arrange seminars/masterclasses and trade and media visits to New Zealand. All of those things are beneficial to every winery. Then if you want to pay a bit extra to take part in an event, that is separate
E MARKETING and organised by the events team.” Recently the Government announced a $1.5 million boost for the wine industry as part of a multi-year programme. Yorke says the partnership between NZTE and NZW is the largest joint project undertaken. It will provide that extra funding required to develop new markets. In Europe a major campaign is about to begin in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The funding will also help establish the New Zealand wine brand in China. So given the changes, what now for wineries? Yorke says it is vital
that every winery registers which export markets they are interested in, to ensure the relevant information is going out to them. That can be done on the nzwine.com portal. There is also more space available for each winery within the home page, to add information. That needs to be updated and sustainability stories can be added. Jenniferd@nzwine.com can help here. Plus Yorke says if you are travelling to promote your wine, let the marketing team know in advance, so they can pass on any relevant information that you may require. It’s as easy
as emailing: chris@nzwine. com or felicity@ nzwine.com ■ Chris Yorke
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NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 67
IWC RECOGNITION
RICHARD SMART HONOURED I
n front of 800 guests at the International Wine Challenge Awards Dinner in London last month, Dr Richard Smart was granted the IWC Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to viticulture. In his citation for the award, Charles Metcalfe said “He has four degrees including a PhD and a Doctor of Agricultural Science, but he is very far from an ivory-tower academic… he is a practical man at heart, happiest out in a vineyard.
In fact, it could well be our winner who coined the phrase, ‘wine is made in the vineyard’ before it was the ubiquitous maxim it is today. He is still working as a viticultural consultant, and is always ready with a controversial opinion (the nonsense of biodynamic viticulture, for instance). And for what he has achieved in a lifetime’s work among vines, and the improvements in viticulture he has championed, we are proud to name him the 2012 winner of
the IWC Lifetime Achievement Award.” In accepting the award, Dr Smart said he was grateful for the recognition of the role of viticulture, and viticulturists, in wine production. The largest wine competition in the world, the International Wine Challenge is about to celebrate its 30th year.
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The Lifetime Achievement Award was last year given to Sir George Fistonich. ■
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CALENDAR OCTOBER 11
15 – 17
23
Wineworks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race 2012
The Marlborough Wine Show judging
Final day for Judging samples for Air New Zealand Wine Awards in both Wellington and Auckland
Blenheim
Celebrating the new release Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2012
NOVEMBER 10 Marlborough Wine Show Dinner and presentation of trophies - The Marlborough Convention Centre. Details at www.marlboroughwineshow.co.nz
5-7
Air New Zealand Wine Awards Judging Auckland
24 Air New Zealand Wine Awards tasting at Westpac Stadium Wellington
24
Air New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner TSB Arena, Wellington
JANUARY 28 - 31
Pinot Noir 2013 Wellington
FEBRUARY 2
Nelson International Aromatic Symposium Details http://aromatics2013.wineart.co.nz/ registration
7 – 10 Seresin’s Waterfall Bay Wine and Food Festival Marlborough. Details james@seresin.co.nz
9 Marlborough Wine and Food Festival – Brancott Estate, Marlborough. Guest performances by Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra and Avalanche City.
70 //
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
WHERE
EVENT
ATTENDANCE
AUDIENCE
UK
The Three Wine Men Consumer Fair (Cardiff)
NZW
C
6 – 7 Oct
UK
London New Release Trade Tasting
NZW
TM
24 Oct
UK
The Wine Gang Consumer Fair (London)
NZW
C
3 Nov
UK
The Wine Gang Consumer Fair (Edinburgh)
NZW
C
10 Nov
UK
The Wine Gang Consumer Fair (Bath)
NZW
C
24 Nov
UK
The Three Wine Men Consumer Fair (Manchester)
NZW
C
1-2 Dec
UK
The Three Wine Men Consumer Fair (London)
NZW
C
8-9 Dec
Sweden
New World Wine Day – Stockholm
NZW
C
TBC Jan
Ireland
Dublin Annual Trade & Consumer Tasting
W, A, NZW
T,M,C
7 Feb 2013
UK
London Annual Trade & Consumer Tasting
W, A, NZW
T,M,C
13 Feb 2013
Japan
NZ Wine Fair For Japan (Tokyo)
W, A, NZW
T,M,C
19 Feb 2013
T,M,C
21 Feb 2013
W=Winery A=Agent NZW=NZ Winegrowers
Japan layout_global_P New9/23/08 Zealand9:32 Wine (Osaka) 2029-08 AMFair Page 1
M=Media T=Trade C=Consumer
W,A,NZW C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY CMY
EVENT DATE 2012
K
Composite NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 71
STATISTICS STATISTICS
SUMMARY OF OF KEY KEY INDICATORS INDICATORS SUMMARY
PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL EXPORT EXPORT MARKETS MARKETS
Following is is a a summary summary of of key key indicators indicators at at intervals: intervals: Following
1985 1985
1990 1990
1995 1995
2000 2000
2010 2010
No. of of Growers Growers No.
n/a n/a
n/a n/a
n/a n/a
n/a n/a
1128 1128
No. of of Wineries Wineries No.
n/a n/a
n/a n/a
204 204
358 358
672 672
Producing area area (Ha)* (Ha)* Producing
5,900 5,900
4,880 4,880
6,110 6,110
10,197 10,197
33,428 33,428
Average yield yield (t/Ha) (t/Ha) Average
13.2 13.2
14.4 14.4
12.2 12.2
7.8 7.8
8.0 8.0
Tonnes crushed crushed Tonnes
78,000 78,000
70,265 70,265
74,500 74,500
80,100 80,100
266,000 266,000
Total production production (m.L) (m.L) 59.6 59.6 Total
54.4 54.4
56.4 56.4
60.2 60.2
190.0 190.0
Domestic sales sales (m.L) (m.L) Domestic
42.6 42.6
39.2 39.2
30.9 30.9
41.3 41.3
56.7 56.7
(litres NZ NZ wines) wines) (litres
13.1 13.1
11.7 11.7
8.7 8.7
10.6 10.6
13.0 13.0
Export volume volume (m.L) (m.L) Export
0.8 0.8
4.0 4.0
7.8 7.8
19.2 19.2
142 142
Exp. value value (m.$NZ (m.$NZ fob) fob) 3.0 3.0 Exp.
18.4 18.4
40.8 40.8
168.4 168.4
1041.0 1041.0
Per capita capita consumption: consumption: Per
*estimate *estimate of of probable probable total total scaled scaled up up from from actual actual returns returns
Exports Averageup $ again per litre down again!
Exports for the 12 months to end of June 2012 (Moving Annual Total) While total annual exports of New Zealand wine for the 12 months to 31 January 2011 have stayed fairly static since passing the $1 billion over a year ago, the average $ per litre has dropped again, by by an alarming Country Litres $ Fob Average Average 94c. Compared with Jan 2010, annual exports increased 20% in volume, value increased only 6%,(m) $/L 2012 $/L 2011 due to significantly higher bulk exports. In volume and value, Australia retained the lead over UK, with average per litre price to Aussie at $7.00 against UK’s low of $5.68.
United Kingdom
Australia UNITED KINGDOM: 2011 2010
Region Region (Actual) (Actual)
2010 2010
Netherlands CANADA: 2011 2010
% Change Change % Area (2010) (2010) Area
% Total Total %
Marlborough Marlborough
19295 19295
19570 19570
+1.4% +1.4%
57.7% 57.7%
Hawkes Bay Bay Hawkes
4947 4947
5046 5046
+2.0% +2.0%
14.8% 14.8%
2011 2010
Gisborne Gisborne
2083 2083
2003 2003
-3.9% -3.9%
6.2% 6.2%
Otago Otago
1540 1540
1543 1543
+0.2% +0.2%
4.6% 4.6%
IRELAND: Ireland
Canty/Waipara Canty/Waipara
1779 1779
1828 1828
+2.7% +2.7%
5.3% 5.3%
Wairarapa/Wgtn Wairarapa/Wgtn
871 871
885 885
+1.6% +1.6%
2.6% 2.6%
Nelson Nelson
842 842
880 880
+4.6% +4.6%
2.5% 2.5%
Auckland Auckland
550 550
573 573
+4.1% +4.1%
1.6% 1.6%
Waikato/BoP Waikato/BoP
147 147
147 147
n.c.* n.c.*
0.4% 0.4%
National total total National
33428 33428
33600 33600
+0.5% +0.5%
100.0% 100.0%
Denmark NETHERLANDS:
2011 2010 2011 2010
% Total Total %
JAPAN: 2010
+2.2% +2.2%
44.3% 44.3% 11.3% 11.3%
Pinot Gris Gris Pinot
1763 1763
1764 1764
n.c.* n.c.*
4.3% 4.3%
Riesling Riesling
986 986
1009 1009
+2.3% +2.3%
2.7% 2.7%
Gewurztraminer Gewurztraminer
314 314
290 290
-7.7% -7.7%
0.9% 0.9%
Sweden 2011 0.138
0.5% 0.5%
npr
4773 4773
4828 4828
+1.1% +1.1%
13.9% 13.9%
1403 1403
+2.3% +2.3%
4.0% 4.0%
FINLAND: npr NORWAY:
519 519
521 521
+0.4% +0.4%
1.5% 1.5%
OTHER:
297 297
300 300
+1.0% +1.0%
0.8% 0.8%
2011 TOTAL
Cabernet Franc Franc Cabernet
161 161
162 162
n.c.*% n.c.*%
0.5% 0.5%
+2.5% +2.5%
0.5% 0.5%
157 157
161 161
33428 33428
33600 33600
+0.5% +0.5%
*n.c. = no change
// 72 72 //
NZ NZWINEGROWER WINEGROWER AUG/SEP OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 2012
$8.12 $10.17
-20.2
18.754 +38.0% 13.591
$10.57 $12.02
-12.1
14.623 -7.8 15.850
$13.14 $13.15
n.c.
14.028 -30.8 20.258
$11.69 $12.93
19,252
12.21
6.451 +11.6 5.778
$5.98 $5.54
-9.6
13.61
+7.9
8.076
$14.41
0.169 *npr 2.673 1451 7.27 9.07 npr $9.24 npr npr npr npr 1.393 11,507 npr 1.118 npr npr npr
8.19 8.26 $8.12 npr npr
SWEDEN: 2011 1.607 npr 14.080 npr $8.76 9.70 npr Others 4.285 41,571 9.90 npr npr npr npr
Syrah Syrah
Total Total
17.724 +18.9 14.901
Norway 2011 0.289
Cab.Sauvignon Cab.Sauvignon
Malbec Malbec
-14.7
GERMANY: Finland 0.292 9.11 2011 0.678 +37.2 5.052 2661 9.51 +14.4 $7.45 -16.8 2010 0.494 4.416 $8.95
-1.9% -1.9%
371 371
$7.26 $8.51
1141 14,001 12.49 12.27 10.815 +33.9 $12.75 -11.5
+51.4 0.560
17297 17297
Merlot Merlot
23.359 +8.4 21.522
1414
3792 3792
Pinot Noir Noir Pinot
-13.7
1.079 +3.5 1.042
16910 16910
-2.7% -2.7%
$8.11 $9.40
DENMARK: 2011 2010
3865 3865
182 182
62.547 +9.8 56.941
1513 17,974 11.21 11.88
Chardonnay Chardonnay
185 185
-10.0
1.200 -23.4 1.567
Sauv. Blanc Blanc Sauv.
Semillon Semillon
$7.19 $9.49
2011 2010
Singapore 2011 0.848
% Change Change % Area (2011) (2011) Area
234.674 +7.1 219036
SINGAPORE: China
New Zealand’s Zealand’s total total producing producing vineyard vineyard will will increase increase by by only only 0.5% 0.5% over over New the next next 2 2 years. years. This This table table shows shows the the variation variation for for major major varieties varieties (in (in the Ha), with with % % change change and and percentage percentage of of total total in in 2012. 2012. Ha), 2012 2012 (from 2009) 2009) (from
-15.1
0.738 5486 5.35 7.43
1.113 -7.6 1.204
Hong Kong
2010 2010 (Forecast) (Forecast)
7.32
0.897 11,433 11.49 12.73 1.561 +21.4 1.286
MAJOR VARIETIES VARIETIES IN IN MAJOR MAJOR AREAS AREAS MAJOR
Variety Variety (Actual) (Actual)
-4.6
1743 14,731 7.38 8.45
2.184 +49.1 1.465
HONG KONG: Germany 2011 2010
7.01
1061 7340 6.35 6.92
3.216 +27.1 2.530
CHINA: Japan
$5.68 $6.69
Ave
4153 27,168 5.99 6.54
7.708 +27.2 6.060
2012 2012 (from 2010) 2010) (from
7.25
296.686 +3.9 285.630
5.45
5658 58,976 10.87 10.42
32.623 +34.5 24.250
2010 2010 (Forecast) (Forecast)
250,679
47,158 345,391
52.305 +24.8 42.708
Canada USA:
MAJOR NZ NZ VINEYARD VINEYARD AREAS AREAS MAJOR
571,130
Country/Years Litres(m) +/- % Total NZ +/- % +/- % fob (m) $NZ/L USA 33,067 231,744 6.48 AUSTRALIA: 2011 47.038 +6.0 329.115 +1 $7.00 2010 44.389 325.750 $7.34
npr
3.352 157,768 1,100,331 npr 34.111 npr npr npr
TOTAL EXPORTS: *(npr = not previously recorded separately) 2011 156.667 +20.4 1,080.951 2010 *n.c. = no change 130.130
+6.0 1,019.808
*(npr = not previously recorded separately)
$10.17 6.97 npr 6.67 npr $6.90 $7.84
-12.0
RESEARCH RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT SUPPLEMENT Information and Updates on NZ Winegrowers Research Programmes. Associate Editors: Philip Manson, Science & Innovations Manager • Dr Simon Hooker, Research Programme Manager
A regular feature at the back of each issue of WineGrower to inform industry people about research projects being undertaken for their benefit. Newly approved projects (when available) are briefly summarised in the first section ‘Introducing New Projects’. Longer reports in the section headed ‘Progress Reports’, will describe what has been achieved so far. Scientists in charge of each project have been asked to make these reports reader-friendly rather than to follow the usual format of scientific papers. When completed, each project will be reported in full detail, with references, on the website: http://wineinf.nzwine.com/research.asp
LIST OF PROJECTS Quality Wine Styles for Existing and Developing Markets Identification of natural genetic variation in grapevine contributing to pathogen resistance Lincoln University (Chris Winefield) Unlocking New Zealand Pinot noir aroma through aroma reconstitution approach Auckland University (Paul Kilmartin) Understanding the accumulation of fruit based green aromatic methoxypyrazine compounds in Marlborough Sauvignon blanc grape berries Plant and Food Research (Jeff Bennett) Early defoliation: carryover and hand versus mechanical Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) (Mark Krasnow)
Investigation of perceived minerality in white wine Lincoln University (Wendy Parr) Identification and quantification of chiral volatile compounds in New Zealand wines that affect aroma Lincoln University (Roland Harrison) Tools for manipulating Sauvignon blanc wine flavour and aroma: Harvest and processing of grapes Plant and Food Research (Claire Grose) Pests and Disease Implementation of Virus Elimination Strategy Various (Nick Hoskins – Project Manager) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund
Potassium nutrition of grapevines Plant and Food Research (Mike Trought)
A sex pheromone as a citrophilus mealybug monitoring tool (2011-12) Plant and Food Research (Jim Walker)
The development of a functional genomics tool for the capture and characterization of transposon mutants in Vitis Vinifera (PhD Scholarship) Rod Bonfiglioli Scholarship Lincoln University (Darrell Lizamore)
Cryopreserved grapevine: a new way to maintain high-health germplasm and cultivar imports with less rigorous quarantine regulations Plant and Food Research (Ranjith Pathirana)
The Effect of Post-Harvest Defoliation on Carbon and Nitrogen Balance of High Yielding Sauvignon Blanc Vines Plant and Food Research (Marc Greven)
Managing Botrytis in New Zealand Viticulture Vino Vitis Ltd (Ruby Andrews) Botrytis decision support (BDS) industry training & botrytis sampling protocols Plant and Food Research (Rob Beresford)
Identification of metabolites in high-thiol grape juices Auckland UniServices Ltd (Silas VillasBoas)
Improving management of grapevine trunk diseases in New Zealand South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI) (Mark Sosnowski) Detection of Plasmopara viticola (grapevine downy mildew) oospores in New Zealand Plant and Food Research (Peter Wood) Describing GLRaV-3 sequence variants in New Zealand Plant and Food Research (Robin MacDiarmid) Sustainability/Organics Organic Focus Vineyard Project Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (Rebecca Reider) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Residue profile in grape leaves and sheep meat and offal from leaf plucking in vineyards Agrivet Services Ltd (Ben Vlaming) Satellites for improved irrigation advice Plant and Food Research (Marc Greven) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund Cost Reduction/Increased Profitability New opportunities for sustainable grape thinning Plant and Food Research (Mike Trought) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund
Understanding causes of slip skin Plant and Food Research (Rob Beresford)
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 73
PROGRESS REPORTS
The Effect Of Postharvest Defoliation On Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Productivity Greven MM, Neal SM, Tustin DS, Vasconcelos MC, Boldingh H 08-337
Background Carbohydrates (CHO) are the direct product of photosynthesis and are the primary energy compounds stored in plants, from which most organic compounds are synthesised. In grapevines, the greatest proportion of total seasonally assimilated carbon is incorporated into structural cellulose in roots, stems and shoots and these complex structural CHOs cannot be remobilised. Resumption of vegetative and reproductive growth in the new season depends on carbon stored as non-structural CHO reserves, mainly in the form of starch. Other available forms of CHOs in tissues are soluble sugars, mainly sucrose, glucose and fructose. These non-structural reserves support the early growth of new shoots, leaves and clusters in the new season. Non-structural CHO is generally at its highest concentration in grapevine roots, and root-derived CHO is the principal source for the annual re-establishment of growth in grapevines.
What we did We wanted to determine if there were benefits from longer postharvest leaf canopy activity, and if this was sufficient to justify the costs of autumn frost protection. Thus, we needed to quantify the importance of postharvest carbon assimilation and nitrogen
74 //
Table 1. Fruit yield, fruit quality and vine growth parameters of Sauvignon blanc cropped to four (4C) or six canes (6c) per vine. 2009
2010
2011
Treatment
4C
6C
Sig
4C
6C
Sig
4C
6C
Sig
Yield (kg/vine)
12.7
15.4
***
9.3
9.8
ns
10.5
11.2
ns
Clusters/shoot
1.85
1.83
ns
1.60
1.43
*
1.51
1.66
*
Cluster weight (g)
129
124
ns
118
109
*
146
123
***
Soluble solids ( Brix)
20.5
19.9
*
23.5
23.0
ns
20.3
20.5
ns
Juice pH
2.88
2.86
ns
2.95
2.93
ns
3.01
2.99
ns
TA
12.8
12.5
ns
11.8
12.2
ns
11.4
11.1
ns
Budbreak (%)
99
88
***
89
93
ns
96
77
***
No. shoots/vine
52
66
***
44
53
***
48
55
***
Pruning Weight
2.4
2.2
*
2.0
2.0
ns
2.20
2.09
ns
Shoot weight (g)
49
36
***
44
37
**
46.3
38.0
***
0
Sign: *** = P<0.001, ** = P<0.01, * = P<0.05, ns = P<0.05 uptake for maintaining production of high yielding Sauvignon blanc vines and for ensuring adequate replenishment of reserves to sustain optimal growth and production of high quality fruit. The study was set up at a vigorous Sauvignon Blanc block at the Marlborough Research Centre’s Rowley Crescent vineyard in Marlborough. We used two training systems (with anticipated differences in crop loads), with and without postharvest defoliation. The two crop loads were established at pruning in year 1 as 4 x 12-node canes (4C vines) or 6 x 12-node canes (6C vines). Additionally, immediately after fruit harvest, all the leaves on half the vines of each pruning treatment were removed to create
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
the defoliation treatments. Samples of root and trunk tissues were analysed throughout the season for carbohydrate (CHO) and nitrogen (N) contents.
What we found 1. Photosynthesis and gas exchange Over the three years of the trial no significant differences were found for leaf gas exchange or chlorophyll measurement but in 2011 there was a trend for the leaves in the 4C+foliage treatment to have a higher chlorophyll content (stay green for longer) from late February onwards, than leaves in any of the other treatments. In all treatments, photosynthetic activity was at expected levels for the time of year.
2. Yield components and grape maturity Although bud number set at pruning was 50% higher for the 6C treatment, not all buds developed into shoots and there was only a 27%, 20% and 15% increase in shoots per vine in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, compared with numbers on 4C vines (Table 1). This resulted in a 21% increase in yield in 2009 but in succeeding years there was no difference in yield between 4C and 6C vines. Overall no differences between 4C and 6C were found for fruit maturity parameters. Pruning weight for 6C vines was lower only in the first season, as in subsequent seasons the 50% higher shoot number was compensated by much lower
shoot weight than on 4C vines. Defoliation did not reduce yield in the first year. However, after two consecutive years of postharvest defoliation there was a significant reduction in yield mainly caused by lower cluster weights (Table 2). No influence of defoliation was found on fruit maturity. Vine development showed that, especially after two seasons of defoliation, percentage budbreak was reduced at the start of the season, as were pruning weight and individual shoot weight at the end of the season. Both defoliating and increasing the cane number treatments are demanding extra vine resources, which is illustrated for some yield parameters where the two treatments reinforced each other. The number of blind nodes increased with defoliation and 6C vines, while bunch weight decreased. However, no interaction of the effects of these two treatments was found on yield per vine. In 2009, as a consequence of the higher productivity of the 6C vines, there was a small delay in fruit reaching a target maturity at
Table 2. Fruit yield, fruit quality and vine growth parameters of Sauvignon blanc defoliated (Defol) or not defoliated (Fol) after harvest in 2009.
2009 Treatment
Def
Fol
2010 Sig
2011
Def
Fol
Sig
Def
Fol
Sig
Yield (kg/vine)
9.22
9.92
ns
10.0
11.6
**
Clusters/shoot
1.54
1.47
ns
1.60
1.57
ns
Cluster weight (g)
113
113
ns
127
143
*
Soluble solids ( Brix)
23.3
23.1
ns
20.9
19.9
ns
Juice pH
2.94
2.95
ns
3.01
2.99
ns
TA
12.0
12.0
ns
10.8
11.7
ns
Budbreak (%)
92
91
ns
83
90
**
No. shoots/vine
47
51
***
50
52
ns
Pruning Weight
1.8
2.2
***
1.99
2.30
***
Shoot weight (g)
37.9
42.8
*
39.7
44.6
*
0
Sign: *** = P<0.001, ** = P<0.01, * = P<0.05, ns = P<0.05
harvest, resulting from the lower leaf to fruit ratio. In 2010 and 2011, no differences in fruit maturity were found between 4C and 6C vines. Nor were any differences found in fruit maturity between defoliated and non-defoliated vines. 3. Total nitrogen Increasing cane number from 4 to 6 had only a marginal influence on N reserves.
Figure 1. Total nitrogen (N) concentration measured in root and trunk tissue from Sauvignon blanc grapevines that were defoliated (Defol) or not (Fol) immediately after harvest (15 April 2009 and 21 April 2010, 19 April 2011) with error bars indicating StError.
Defoliated vines accumulated less N in the trunk between harvest and bloom (Figure 1), probably partly because of the loss of leaves before N could be recovered. It is unclear if less N has been taken up from the soil. The increase in N use from trunk and root reserves during the growing season indicates a shortage of N in the vine, which would have caused reduced growth and less photosynthetic capacity. It is therefore likely that this played a role in explaining the lower shoot number, shoot weight and pruning weights as well as the lower yield in 2011 (Table 2). Seasonal changes in N concentration in vine roots in this study showed an increase in N concentration from harvest through the dormant period and early into the next season. This suggests either that vine root systems remain active in N uptake throughout winter, or that the aerial vine structure continuously exports N to the root system during the dormant period. 4. Carbohydrates After harvest on all treatments, starch declined in both roots (Fig-
ure 2) and trunk (Figure 3). Starch concentrations dropped considerably faster in the roots of defoliated vines. The effect was further increased by the additional stress factor of an increased number of canes laid down. Over the same seasonal period, a significant increase in total sugars occurred in the trunk tissues (Figure 3). CHO is needed for hardening off the shoots for winter. In the latter part of winter these soluble CHOs are essential for when new season development resumes. With sufficient time after harvest and a large enough leaf area, the required CHO can be produced by the photosynthetically active leaves. In case of early leaf drop or defoliation, these CHOs have to be obtained from reserves. It is worth noting that, as most of the shoots are being pruned off the vines, much of this CHO reserve is lost to the plant. When pruning to a higher number of canes (6C) a greater need for CHOs is created, both to harden off the additional shoots as well as for new season development.
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 75
Figure 2. Total sugars and starch measured in root tissue from Sauvignon blanc grapevines grown as 4 – (4C) or 6-cane (6C) systems (each cane with 12 nodes) and that were defoliated (Defol) or not (Fol) immediately after harvest (15 April 2009, 21 April 2010 and 19 April 2011).
Although defoliation and increased potential crop load treatments reduced root starch content significantly going into the winter period, all treatments showed starch content decline to a common minimum seasonal concentration, which occurred around flowering. Practical implications and conclusions Defoliation did have an impact on carbohydrate reserves in vines, but only after several consecutive years. We have shown that, individually, defoliation and increased crop load deplete carbohydrate reserves in Marlborough Sauvignon blanc vines. Despite our best attempts, however, we did not manage to create a significant interaction between defoliation and increased crop load on carbohydrate reserves. In the first year of the experiment, no defoliation occurred before the 4- and 6-cane pruning treatments were applied in the winter. The higher cane number increased yield by approximately 50%. In the second and
76 //
third years, the defoliation treatments were applied before setting the cane number at pruning. However, during these years, no yield differences resulted from the higher cane number treatments because of an auto-regulation of the cropload by the vine. Defoliation immediately after harvest did stop the production of carbohydrate needed for hardening off the shoots before winter. The lack of newly produced carbohydrates resulted in the plant remobilising reserve carbohydrates. After defoliating postharvest for one year, no differences were found for yield or for any of the yield and quality parameters measured in the following year, however a small decrease in vegetative growth was observed. After two consecutive years of defoliation, the cumulative effects of smaller, less fruitful canes from year 1 and reduced carbohydrates from year 2 did reduce both yield and vegetative growth in the third growing season. We can hypothesise that an increased crop load associated with post har-
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
vest defoliation would result in an even greater reduction of reserve carbohydrates than increased crop load alone, reducing even further the following season’s capacity for both vegetative growth and yield. In practical terms, the defoliation treatment as applied in this study can be equated to early leaf fall due to frost immediately postharvest. Our work showed a potential crop loss after the second year of defoliation of 9%, which would equate to a loss of approximately 1 tonne per hectare for Sauvignon blanc, based on a Marlborough average yield of 11 tonnes per hectare. At 2011 grape prices, the financial loss would in the order of $1,200 per hectare. A capital cost of up to $55,000 per wind machine to protect 5 to 7 hectares would result in holding the cost (including depreciation) in the order of $2,000 per hectare. At face value, it would be hard to justify the installation of wind machines for postharvest frost protection alone. If, however, wind machines are already installed, then the oper-
ating costs (in the order of $12$20 per hectare per hour for fuel and maintenance but not labour) would equate to a total cost of only $200 per hectare in a severe frost event of 10-12 hours’ duration. The capital cost of sprinkler frost protection systems is even more prohibitive than that of wind machines. Incurring the cost of helicopters for frost protection at a rate of $1,500 per hour would quickly become non-viable (for example, if the area able to be protected by single helicopter fell below 15 hectares and the total protection time was above 10 hours). In summary, in situations where frost protection systems (including sprinklers) are already installed, we recommend that postharvest frost protection should be carried out when vines are at risk of having low carbohydrate reserves. This would include young vines, vines that have been carrying heavy crops, and vines that have suffered early leaf fall in previous seasons. The early leaf
Figure 3. Total sugars and starch measured in trunk tissue from Sauvignon blanc grapevines grown as 4 – (4C) or 6-cane (6C) systems (each cane with 12 nodes) and that were defoliated (Defol) or not (Fol) immediately after harvest (15 April 2009, 21 April 2010 and 19 April 2011).
fall may not only be the result of frost but also could be due to other problems such as water stress or potassium deficiency. The need for postharvest frost protection becomes increasingly important when carbohydrate-depleting
effects accumulate over a number of seasons.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge New Zealand Winegrowers for funding this project; Marlborough Research Centre for
the use of the Rowley Crescent vineyard; PFR staff at the Marlborough Research Centre for field and laboratory technical assistance; Chen Goh of PFR, Ruakura, for the CHO analysis; and Delphine Goffette and Tremain Hatch, over-
seas intern students, who helped on this project. • Resources from the Designer Grapevines FRST programme (C06X0707) have been aligned to support this project alongside the NZW funding.
Cryotherapy: A New Method For Eradicating Viruses From Grapevine Ranjith Pathirana, Andrew McLachlan and Duncan Hedderley The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Palmerston North. 10 - 107 Virus in grapevine is an issue for the New Zealand wine industry, with infection leading to lower yields, reduced quality and delayed harvest, particularly in red varieties. In addition to controlling the spread of the viruses already present, there is a clear need to prevent the entry of new viruses into the country. Protocols for elimination of viruses, and techniques for maintaining and delivering highhealth plant material, hence offer Figure 1.
value to the industry. Thermotherapy and meristem culture are the traditional methods used for elimination of viruses. Cryopreservation is a technique for long-term storage of vegetatively propagated plant material, and liquid nitrogen at temperatures ranging from -196 to -140°C is frequently used for this. Well-established cryopreserved collections are available for other vegetatively propagated crops such as banana (Figure 1),
raspberry, hop, potato, garlic, elm, mint, apple, pear and Prunus. Figure 1. Cryopreservation of banana at the Tropical Crops Improvement Laboratory, KU Leuven, Belgium. A) Banana meristems in cryoprotection solution ready for cryopreservation, B) Cryogenic storage system carrying banana meristems of the world collection preserved by droplet vitrification method, C) Colourcoded vials in boxes with banana meristems, D) Banana plants regenerated after cryopreservation (right) compared with control plant (left). Courtesy Dr Bart Panis, KU Leuven, Belgium. In recent years, with the development and implementation of new cryopreservation techniques has come the realisation that plants regenerated have been freed from a range of viruses and phytoplasmas. This application of cryo technology, called cryotherapy, is being integrated into high-health germplasm conservation programmes in several countries. In the “droplet vitrification” method we have recently developed for grapevine, shoot tips and axillary buds from tissue
culture-grown plants are directly immersed in liquid nitrogen (Figure 2). Only preconditioned highly cytoplasmic meristematic cells survive the freezing process in this method, because only these cells can tolerate the dehydration caused by the vitrification solution. Therefore, cryotherapy by droplet vitrification can be considered a precise method of meristem culture. Figure 2. Droplet vitrification, the method we developed for cryotherapy of grapevine axillary buds and shoot tips involves growing plants in tissue culture (A), dissecting the shoot tips and axillary buds and treating them with vitrification solution (B), direct plunging into an open cryo tube in liquid nitrogen (C) and regenerating plants after 1 hour of liquid nitrogen treatment (D). Ice crystal formation during freezing is lethal to plant tissue. Vitrification refers to an unusual state of water at subzero temperatures. During vitrification, water transforms into an amorphous and glassy non-crystalline state. In this state, water is amorphous and lacks the organised crystal
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 77
Figure 2. structure observed in ice. For vitrification to occur, the solutes in the cells need to be highly concentrated, thus preventing water molecules coming together to form ice. The rapid cooling at 130°C/s from immersion of tissues in liquid nitrogen also helps vitrification, as water molecules have no time to crystallise. Vitrificationbased ice-free cryopreservation methods require that plant material is preconditioned by growth on special media, or with specific growth conditions, followed by protection with vitrification solutions before plunging into liquid nitrogen. These requirements vary by plant species, plant part used and even the conditions under which the plants are grown. Our goal was to develop a droplet vitrification protocol for a diverse range of grape varieties and use it to remove leafroll viruses from infected vines. Tissue cultures were established for 10 grape varieties obtained from a range of sources, which included some infected with several different viruses. The sensitivity of each accession to cryo-protective vitrification solution was tested and treatment times optimised for shoot tips (35 min) and axillary buds (40 min). To improve recovery after cryopreservation, pre-
78 //
culture methods were developed to impart tolerance to freezing. Regeneration varied with variety, ranging from 6.8% in Rootstock 41B to 44.7% in Riesling (Figure 3). We then tested this protocol for its effectiveness for virus elimination by cryotherapy. Figure 3. Shoot tips and axillary buds of ten accessions were cryopreserved by droplet vitrification. After holding in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) for 1 h, the shoot tips and axillary buds were transferred to a recovery solution followed by transfer to recovery plates and plant regeneration media. Plant regeneration was assessed after 12 weeks of culture. (V+) represents virus-infected clones. The accessions used in our experiments were Lakemont Seedless and Chardonnay cultivars infected with Grapevine leafroll-associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3), Sauvignon blanc 316 and Pinot gris infected with GLRaV-2, and another Sauvignon Blanc clone infected with both GLRaV-3 and GLRaV-1. The control treatment comprised all pre-treatments and exposure to cryo-protective vitrification solution, but no immersion in liquid nitrogen. After plant regeneration, samples were sent to a NZW-accredited, independent laboratory for virus testing.
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
Although the control plants were still infected with their respective viruses, all plants regenerated after liquid nitrogen treatments were found to be free of virus. This technique therefore has the potential to remove three viruses of the Closteroviridae family and was successful even when a clone had multiple infections. Although promising, the protocol needs testing against other viruses, phytoplasmas and other pathogenic microorganisms from infected vines. The technique has the potential to provide a useful tool for cultivar importation, for post-importation treatment of infected material, and for ensuring propagators can use clean material for grafting. Following further validation, this method could be part of a rigorous protocol for importation of new germplasm by the New Zealand wine industry. Once the findings reported here are verified by further virus testing, our protocol could be part of a process designed to minimise risks of new pathogens entering New Zealand with new germplasm importations, as well as providing propagators with a new technique for eliminating virus from their Figure 3.
stock plants. To estimate the feasibility of using cryopreservation to conserve high value germplasm, the data on regeneration rates were used to calculate the numbers of shoot tips that would need to be conserved to provide, say, a 95% chance of a single shoot tip or axillary bud surviving cryopreservation. These numbers ranged from 43 for the poorest performing genotype, 41B, to as few as six for the highest performing, Riesling. To put this in terms of space requirements for cryopreserved germplasm storage, a single 2-ml cryo tube with 15-20 shoot tips could ensure conservation of a cultivar. A standard liquid nitrogen container is designed to hold 750 - 1000 such tubes (Figure 1). With more research directed towards understanding cultivar responses to different treatments and with development of techniques to improve survival of “difficult” genotypes, cryopreservation of grape germplasm will become a reality. This project has demonstrated the potential of cryotherapy as a technique for removal of viruses from infected grape plants.
In addition to virus removal, this research potentially provides the wine industry with a novel, cost-effective way to maintain clonal material away from the field, avoiding the biotic and abiotic factors that are a constant threat to the field-maintained collections.
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by New Zealand Winegrowers for work in New Zealand and the Royal Society of New Zealand for work in Belgium. We thank Dr Bart Panis (Leuven), Dr Francesco Carimi (Palermo) and Dr Maurizio Lambardi (Florence) for their input. Thanks also to Edwige
Andre (Leuven), Dr Angela Carra (Palermo), French intern students Emmanuelle Thonnat and Morgane Grasselly, Sriya Pathirana and Andrew Mullan (Palmerston North) for assistance. Help by Julie Ryan for greenhouse acclimation of plants is greatly appreciated. Virus testing was conducted
by Ilze Greyling at Linnaeus Laboratories, Gisborne. Tony Baker, Vaughn Bell, Dion Mundy and John Meyer supplied grapevine material for New Zealand experiments. Cryopreservation work reported here was initiated under the European COST Action 871 (CRYOPLANET).
Controlling Leafroll Virus Relies On Mealybug Numbers Being Low Vaughn Bell, Jim Walker and Duncan Hedderley The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd, Havelock North & Palmerston North 08-116 Introduction In 2009, New Zealand Winegrowers successfully secured funding from the MAF Sustainable Farming Fund to study Grapevine leafrollassociated virus 3 (leafroll virus). Over the next three years, the Virus Elimination Project team set about working alongside growers in Hawke’s Bay and in Martinborough to determine the extent of the problem and to identify practical solutions to manage the disease in red grape varieties. For Plant & Food Research, the focus was on 11 study blocks, all of which were
situated on the Gimblett Gravels. Annually in each of these blocks we assessed leafroll virus incidence and spread, whilst simultaneously monitoring mealybugs. As vectors of leafroll virus, mealybugs are the most important pest group in New Zealand vineyards. The most commonly found species are the citrophilus and the longtailed mealybugs, both of which spread leafroll virus from infected to healthy grapevines. For a number of years, there has been an emphasis on raising awareness of mealybugs, and it is in the con-
Table 1. Details of grape variety, year planted and total number of vines planted in 2009 in five of the Hawke’s Bay study blocks.
Block ID
Grape variety
Year planted
No. of vines per block1
A
Merlot
1997
1,536
C
Merlot
2000
1,040
E
Cab Sav
1999
2,251
I
Cab Sav
1993-4
1,584
2000 1,243 K Vine number before roguing commenced and excluding any replanting beyond 2009. Cab Sav
1
Figure 1. The visual symptoms of leafroll virus as seen on the leaves of a Cabernet Sauvignon vine in Hawke’s Bay, April 2012.
text of leafroll virus where most of the recent focus has been. For the New Zealand wine sector, leafroll virus spread by mealybugs remains a major problem, imposing a range of negative impacts on productivity and ultimately, on wine quality. With no cure, leafroll virus can impose significant economic costs and may affect vineyard longevity so once the presence of this disease is confirmed, it is important that every effort be made to control it quickly and contain its spread.
Where leafroll virus incidence is at or below about 20%, one means of control often referred to is that of roguing – the removal of individual or small clusters of infected or symptomatic vines. Unlike in white varieties, the symptoms of leafroll virus are relatively easy to identify in red varieties, being visually characterised by dark red downward curling leaves with green veins (Figure 1). Once located, a symptomatic vine should be marked with coloured flagging tape around the trunk so
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 79
that at the first opportunity postharvest, it can be rogued. Ideally, all infected plant material, including as much of the root system as possible, should be removed offsite and destroyed. In Hawke’s Bay, the Virus Elimination Project has shown that this approach can successfully control leafroll virus in red varieties. In this article, our aim is to highlight the importance of mealybugs and the relationship between the number of vectors and the effectiveness of leafroll virus control. Therefore, does mealybug abundance influence the success of a leafroll virus roguing programme?
Methods Site details We present data from 2009 to 2012 collected from five red variety blocks located in the Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay (Table 1). The data showed two contrasting outcomes: In blocks A, C and E, leafroll virus was effectively controlled in three to four years, whereas in blocks I and K, roguing over the same timeline did not control leafroll virus spread. As a consequence of accumulated losses due to leafroll virus, the remaining 1,000 vines in block I were removed in winter 2011, and it is likely that the remaining vines in block K will be removed in winter 2013.
Leafroll virus mapping In March and April of each year since 2009, we have walked the length of every vine row in each study block looking at the vine leaves for symptoms of leafroll virus. Once a symptomatic vine was found, its precise location (by row, bay and vine number) was recorded on a block-specific MS Excel® spreadsheet and flagging tape was tied around the trunk, which enabled vineyard personnel to later identify and rogue it from the block.
80 //
Table 2. Leafroll virus incidence recorded in five of the Hawke’s Bay study blocks between 2009 and 2012. Note: in all blocks, the 2009 incidence data will have included vines that acquired leafroll virus in earlier years.
Leafroll virus incidence (%) Year
Block A
Block C
Block E1
Block I2
Block K
2009
4.0 (62)
10.6 (110)
16.0 (361)
15.1 (239)
9.9 (123)
2010
2.5 (39)
4.3 (40)
5.9 (111)
13.4 (180)
17.0 (190)
2011
1.2 (18)
0.1 (1)
0.3 (5)
14.2 (165)
10.3 (95)
2012
0.4 (6)
0.0 (0)
0.2 (3)
-
12.7 (106)
% Cumulative vine loss
8.1 (125)
14.5 (151)
21.3 (480)
36.9 (584)
41.4 (514)
1
3
Data corrected for the planting of replacement vines since 2009. Because of the removal of the remaining 1,000 vines in winter 2011, no data were collected in 2012. Number of symptomatic vines rogued per year.
1
2
3
Multi-year mapped data of symptomatic vines offer insights into the spatial distribution and spread of leafroll virus. For the most part, new symptomatic vines have been in relatively close proximity to those leafroll virus ‘hot-spots’ first recorded in 2009. Therefore, from 2010, a focus in each block was to map and measure any spread of the disease beyond the ‘hot-spots’. A common observation was within-row spread of leafroll virus to neighbouring vines in one or both directions. These within-row ‘nearest neighbours’ were defined as ‘first’ (the adjacent vine on either side of the symptomatic vine) and ‘second’ vines (the next immediate neighbour of each of the ‘first’ vines). Consequently, a single symptomatic vine could result in the disease spreading along a row in one direction or the other, infecting both the ‘first’ and ‘second’ vine (a total of three vines lost), or it could simultaneously spread in both directions affecting each of the ‘first’ and ‘second’ vines (a total of five vines lost). In this article, we describe the occurrence of either pattern of spread within a single season as a ‘run’ of consecutive ‘first’ and ‘second’ vines.
Mealybug monitoring
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
Assessments of mealybug numbers in each vineyard were undertaken in March of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Each study block was notionally divided in four sectors of approximately equal size. In each sector, one vine leaf was taken from a 10-15 cm band above or below the cordon from each of 100 vines (n=75 leaves in 2010). Leaves were placed in a plastic bag labelled by vineyard name and sector number. The process was repeated in each sector until 400 leaves per block were collected (n=300 leaves in 2010). Later in the laboratory, the leaves from each block were inspected under magnification to provide an absolute count so that the average number of mealybugs per leaf could be calculated.
Results and Discussion Since 2009, we have built up a comprehensive picture of leafroll virus, including its distribution across each block and a measure of the extent to which the disease has spread. Consequently, we have been able to measure the outcomes of leafroll virus control in blocks A, C and E and to compare and contrast them with the outcomes in blocks I and K. In 2009, leafroll virus incidence among the five study blocks ranged from a minimum of 4% in
block A to a maximum of 16% in block E (Table 2). In blocks A, C and E, good progress was made towards controlling the disease, so much so, that by 2012, leafroll virus incidence was equivalent to or less than 0.4%, thus allowing us to conclude that in these blocks at least, the disease is now under control. The block E result in particular was encouraging, with a leafroll virus incidence of just 0.2%. In 2009, leafroll virus incidence was 16%, a figure we believed was close to the 20% threshold beyond which roguing could not operate effectively to control leafroll virus. In contrast, with cumulative vine losses of 37% in block I and 41% in block K, it was apparent that roguing alone was not controlling the spread of the disease across either block. Clearly, greater control of mealybugs was required to support the roguing programme. Comparing mealybug numbers in blocks A, C and E with those found in blocks I and K, provides a useful insight into the importance of vector management when attempting to control leafroll virus and its rate of spread. Blocks A, C and E had consistently low numbers of mealybugs in the vine canopy (Table 3).
Of the 1,100 leaves inspected per block since March 2010, we found totals of 85, 22 and 37 mealybugs, respectively. On average, the range was 0.02 to 0.08 mealybugs per leaf, or put another way, one mealybug found for every 13 to 50 leaves inspected since 2010. By comparison, mealybug infestations in the vine canopy in blocks I and K were high in all years. In block I, a total of 1,223 mealybugs were found on the 700 vine leaves inspected, while in block K, 857 mealybugs were found on the 1,100 vine leaves inspected since 2010. Infestations of this magnitude meant that, on average, there were few vine leaves inspected without mealybugs in either block. Common to all five blocks was the vigilance around leafroll virus identification together with a strong emphasis on roguing. What most distinguished the successful outcomes in leafroll virus control in blocks A, C and E from the poor outcomes in I and K were differences in the numbers of mealybugs, and it is this factor alone that offers the most likely explanation for the contrasting outcomes in leafroll virus control. By analysing the mealybug data for blocks A, C and E (low numbers of mealybugs) and comparing them with blocks I and K (high numbers of mealy-
Table 3. Average number of mealybugs found on sampled grapevine leaves in five of the Hawke’s Bay study blocks, 2010 to 2012 (n=300 leaves sampled per block in 2010; 400 per block in 2011 & 2012).
2010
2011
2012
Total of years
Block ID
Mean no. mealybugs/leaf (1)
Mean no. mealybugs/leaf
Mean no. mealybugs/leaf
Mean no. mealybugs/leaf (2)
A
0.02 (6)
0.17 (70)
0.02 (9)
0.08 (85)
C
0.0 (0)
0.01 (3)
0.05 (19)
0.02 (22)
E
0.03 (9)
0.05 (19)
0.02 (9)
0.03 (37)
I
1.1 (317)
2.3 (906)
-
1.7 (1,223)
K
0.4 (116)
1.5 (583)
0.4 (158)
0.8 (857)
In block I, the loss of the remaining vines in winter 2011 explains the absence of 2012 data. 1 Numbers of mealybugs found during leaf inspections per block per year. 2 Total numbers of mealybugs found during the survey period.
bugs) we found that in each year, the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P=0.022 for 2010; P=0.007 for 2011; P=0.013 for 2012, based on a Poisson generalised linear model). Based on data from each block map, we tracked the frequency with which ‘runs’ of consecutive ‘first’ and ‘second’ symptomatic vines were observed within a single season in each block (Table 4). In blocks A, C and E, it was rare to observe a ‘run’ in 2010 and 2011, with just eight recorded instances of this pattern of disease spread. In contrast, such ‘runs’ were relatively common in blocks I and K, with 46 recorded in both blocks in 2010, and 37 in 2011. Despite a third year of roguing in block K,
another 15 ‘runs’ were recorded in 2012 while at the same time in blocks A, C and E, this pattern of disease spread was not observed at all (Table 4). These data offer a simple yet compelling measure of within-row leafroll virus spread to neighbouring vines in two groups of blocks with vastly different numbers of mealybugs and importantly, contrasting outcomes in controlling leafroll virus. Does mealybug abundance influence the success of a leafroll virus roguing programme? Absolutely, although a note of caution is required. While mealybugs are clearly important in the context of leafroll virus, we are neither advocating complete eradication of this insect pest from vineyards nor
Table 4. The number of ‘runs’ of consecutive ‘first’ and ‘second’ leafroll virus symptomatic grapevines observed within a single season between 2010 and 2012 in study blocks A, C and E (good leafroll virus outcome), and blocks I and K (poor leafroll virus outcome).
2010 Block ID
2011
2012
Data combined
Consecutive ‘first’ Consecutive ‘first’ Consecutive ‘first’ Consecutive ‘first’ & second infections & second infections & second infections & second infections
A
0
1
0
1
C
1
0
0
1
E
6
0
0
6
I
23
27
-
50
K
23
10
15
48
In block I, the removal of the remaining vines in winter 2011 explains the absence of 2012 data.
suggesting that mealybug absence is a prerequisite for successful disease control. On the contrary, the evidence from blocks A, C and E showed that despite the presence of mealybugs in the vine canopy, albeit at very low numbers, leafroll virus was controlled in just three to four years. Assuming a robust programme of identification and roguing is adopted and maintained, the evidence from these study blocks showed that efforts to control leafroll virus successfully remained highly dependent upon low numbers of mealybugs.
Recommendations Being vectors of leafroll virus, mealybugs are critical elements to successful management of the incidence and spread of the disease. Where appropriate, we suggest greater emphasis be given to the annual mealybug spray programme and suggest that for all vineyard operators, this task assumes priority status. Current best practice is outlined in “Mealybug Control with Insecticides”, Fact Sheet NZVE104, October 2009. It can be accessed on the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) website: http://wineinf. nzwine.com/research_outputs. asp?id=7&cid=2&type=r Identifying and finding mealybugs in the vineyard are outlined
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 // 81
in “Mealybugs – knowing the pest”, and “How to look for mealybugs”, both of which are NZW Fact Sheets (NZVE105 & 106, October 2009) accessible on the above website. We recommend that while attempting to bring the disease under control, growers adopt the full mealybug insecticide spray programme, which includes a pre-budburst Tokuthion® and two pre-flowering applications of buprofezin (e.g. Applaud®). The recommended spray volume for Tokuthion® and buprofezin is to use not less than 1,000 litres of spray mix per hectare
(Table 5). An incomplete and low water volume mealybug spray programme is unlikely to provide the coverage and the vine wetting necessary to penetrate the many hiding places on a vine where mealybugs are commonly found early in the season (in cracks, crevices, and under flaking bark). If Tokuthion® is not applied, we recommend the minimum mealybug spray programme include two pre-flowering buprofezin applications. Adopting either the full programme, or one limited to buprofezin only, can be effective for ongoing mealybug control. It is especially relevant during
the initial phases of leafroll virus control, when quick reductions to mealybug populations and disease incidence are critical to prevent epidemic spread of leafroll virus. Imidacloprid is currently registered for use in vineyards against mealybugs. Its application is limited to that of a soil drench around the base of non-cropping vines, which includes newly planted vines or those marked for removal. Specific details of the protocols for imidacloprid use can be found in two Fact Sheets: “Vine removal and leafroll virus” (NZVE 108) and “Vine establishment for replants” (NZVE 109). Both are available via
Table 5. The recommended timing, spray mix and concentration for prothiofos, buprofezin and imidacloprid on grapevines for mealybug control (refer New Zealand Novachem Agrichemical Manual. AgriMedia Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2012. Editor, S. Young).
Time of application
Product
Recommended spray mix (L/ha)
Recommended concentration
Pre-budburst0
Tokuthion®
1,000
100ml/100L of water
Pre-flowering
Applaud 40SC
1,000
30ml/100L of water
Buprimax
1,000
30ml/100L of water
MortarTM
1,000
30ml/100L of water
Pilan 25WP
1,000
50g/100L of water
OvationTM 50WDG
1,000
25g/100L of water
Nuprid 350SC
N/A
1.5ml/500ml of water
1
®
®
Autumn/winter
2
®
3
Recommended that 1% oil is added. Apply twice, 14-21 days apart. Do not apply buprofezin after the start of flowering. 2 Apply as a single drench treatment to the base of non-bearing replant vines and/or vines awaiting removal. 3 In Young (2012), only Nuprid® 350SC was specifically mentioned for use on non-bearing grapevines. 0 1
82 //
NZ WINEGROWER OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
the above web link. Chemical company recommendations related to mealybug insecticide spray volumes and product concentrations are listed in Table 5. This article summarises part of a much larger research project. The full report, “Managing Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 in red grape varieties: Final report”, can be accessed on the NZW members-only website: http:// www.nzwine.com/
Acknowledgements We acknowledge the financial assistance given by New Zealand Winegrowers and the MAF Sustainable Farming Fund. Sincere thanks are due to the management and the staff of the Hawke’s Bay study blocks whose ongoing commitment and support of this research project have been pivotal to its success. Professor Gerhard Pietersen has guided and encouraged us throughout this project. Finally, we wish to remember and acknowledge the friendship and guidance offered by the late Dr Rod Bonfiglioli, who dared to dream of a time without leafroll virus. Of this research project, we are confident he would have enjoyed its many positive achievements.
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