Grapegrower & Winemaker, February 2022, Free Preview

FEBRUARY 2022

CRUSHING IT

Making wine fit for canning ROYAL RECEPTION

Premium Aussie wine finds inroads into UK market

2022 TRACTOR REVIEW 2022 ANNUAL THEME: SUSTAINABILITY | ISSUE THEME: BOTTLING & CANNING

contents FEBRUARY 2022

ISSUE 697

FEBRUARY 2022

CRUSHING IT Making wine fit for canning ROYAL RECEPTION

Premium Aussie wine finds inroads into UK market

2022 TRACTOR REVIEW 2022 ANNUAL THEME: SUSTAINABILITY | ISSUE THEME: BOTTLING & CANNING

This issue of the Grapegrower & Winemaker features the annual Tractor Review highlighting features of the latest models available on the local market.

Pictured is a tractor automation system that’s currently being trialled.

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REGULARS 8

What’s online

15

International briefs

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16

54 93

95

98 98

In this issue

R&D at Work

Ask the AWRI

Producer Profile: John Ashwell Marketplace classifieds Looking Back

GRAPEGROWING

Calendar

20 SPECIAL FEATURE: 2022 Tractor Review

44

34 Autonomous tractors: new ways to respond to industry-wide challenges 38 Purpose-built tools

44 Natural help to protect vines 48 Water in the creek

50 Albariño uncorked: a rising star from Spain

NEWS 7 9

Joe Babich, New Zealand wine industry pioneer, passes away at 81 Griffith growers smashed by hail

10 North-East Victorian project making sense o smoke impact on grapes

12 Riverland Wine appoints new executive officer

14 Near miss from Margaret River bushfires

WINEMAKING

58 ‘Cab mac’ producing a bunch of good results 62 Measuring stinky ferments in situ

72 Cooling valve choices and comparisons

76 Crushing it: wine canning and production 80 Young guns – Alysha Moscatt and Lucy Kendall

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February 2022 – Issue 697

Hans Mick Editor

I 80 BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

88 A seal of approval: predicting and preventing cork taint SALES & MARKETING

90 Exporting to the UK: The new home of Aussie wine, internationally

n this issue of the Grapegrower & Winemaker we focus on the workhorses of the vineyard: tractors.

For our annual review, we invited leading suppliers to share details about their latest and greatest models to help vineyard operators cut to the chase about what’s on offer in the local market. This special feature begins on page 20. While we’re on the subject of vineyard tractors, journalist Harrison Davies recently went to see, firsthand, an automated tractor system that’s currently being trialled in the Barossa.

You can read more about the potential of this technology in development from page 34.

Writer Simone Madden-Grey has also been on the road, this time in New Zealand, to visit growers who are taking their operational needs into their own hands and thinking outside the box to create and apply built-for-purpose tools. Read more about their ingenuity on page 38. Still focusing on the needs of vineyards, we speak to Dr Mary Retallack about methods to help growers in their constant battle against invasive pests (page 44). Meantime, writer Rhys Howlett recently asked researchers about the unique role of flood irrigation that’s utilised by producers in Langhorne Creek (page 48). We also learn more about Albariño, the white variety with deep roots in Iberia and with new prospects as a suitable option for Aussie grapegrowers (page 50).

Heading into the winery, Sonya Logan continues her deep dive into carbonic maceration – or ‘cab mac’ – and how

it’s being employed as a whole bunch fermentation technique by local winemakers (page 58). AWRI senior engineer Simon Nordestgaard presents the second part of his extensive look at research into the potential of tank sensors to monitor winery fermentations (page 82). Bürkert Fluid Control Systems’ managing director Chris Hoey discusses what he says is the often ignored, but rather important, cooling valve and its available options (page 72). We are also invited onto the canning line to find out more about the unique processes involved to successfully make and package canned wines (page 76). Our February Young Guns are Central Gippsland’s Alysha Moscatt and Lucy Kendall (page 80).

With freight and supply chain issues still very much at the forefront of industry concerns, we cast an eye on one of the leading lights for Australian exports – the UK market. Australian wine, including more premium and boutique offerings, are seemingly growing a following amongst British consumers, which can only be a good thing (page 90).

I hope you enjoy the read!

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NATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE WINE INDUSTRY SINCE 1963 Publisher and Chief Executive Hartley Higgins General Manager Robyn Haworth Editor Hans Mick h.mick@winetitles.com.au Associate Editor Sonya Logan s.logan@winetitles.com.au Editorial Advisory Board Denis Gastin, Dr Steve Goodman, Dr Terry Lee, Paul van der Lee, Bob Campbell MW, Prof Dennis Taylor, Mary Retallack and Corrina Wright Editorial Harrison Davies h.davies@winetitles.com.au Advertising Sales Louise Reid sales@grapeandwine.com.au

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news

NZ wine industry pioneer Joe Babich passes away at 81 The Babich family is mourning the passing of Joe Babich, New Zealand wine industry pioneer, who passed away on 13 January 2022 after a two-year battle with cancer, aged 81.

“On behalf of the Babich family and with great sadness I would like to announce the passing of Joe Babich, much-loved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and New Zealand wine industry pioneer,” David Babich, Joe’s nephew and CEO of Babich Wines said.

“Joe was an exceptionally well-regarded and talented winemaker, but his greatest legacy is his positive impact on those around him.

“Joe was invariably and famously downto-earth, warm, and approachable, with a wry and gentle sense of humour. He will be sorely missed by family and friends, and colleagues in the wine industry.”

Joe was born on 10 October 1940 into a winemaking family, with his father Josip having founded Babich Wines in 1916 February 2022 – Issue 697

and in time his brother Peter also worked in the business.

After initially exploring a pharmacist apprenticeship, Joe decided to join the family winery, where over a 60 year career in the wine industry he built a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most talented and respected winemakers and wine judges.

He combined a traditional attitude to winemaking with an open-mindedness that allowed constant innovation.

Joe produced, in secret and unknown to family or the winery, one of the first New Zealand Chardonnays to be not only matured, but also fermented, in barrel.

The resulting wine, Irongate Chardonnay, continues to be an icon in New Zealand wine even today.

Joe’s contributions to the New Zealand wine industry are extensive, and are recognised by a range of accolades.

These include the Winemaker of the www.winetitles.com.au

Year Award at the New Zealand Royal Easter Show (1994), the Sir George Fistonich Medal in recognition of service to New Zealand wine (2013), the ONZM in the New Year’s Honours for services to the wine industry (2015), induction into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame (2015), induction into the West Auckland Business Hall of Fame (2016), and investiture as a Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers (2017).

Joe also served as chairman of judges at the New Zealand Wine Awards on six occasions, testament to his leadership, and the respect with which he was held in the industry.

He was also instrumental in establishing the wine export certification process which helped pave the way for the growth of New Zealand wine on the world stage.

Joe Babich is survived by his wife, Judy, and son, André and partner Magdalena and their daughter Stella.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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what’s ONLINE NZ, Australia amongst top countries in winegrape productivity A report exploring the productivity of winegrape growing countries in 2020 showed both New Zealand and Australia ranking amongst the highest in the world. The report, published by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) ranked New Zealand and Australia at two and five, respectively. The report was conducted to explore the productitivty of winegrape growing nations by comparing the output volume and the volume of inputs, with hectares as the volume of input and yield as output. Source: Forbes

In this issue “The advantage of this application is that I can be standing in the vineyard and have four tractors going at once, by themselves. If one is stopped I can simply go over and remove the obstruction whilst the others keep plodding along.”

- Dr Simon Nordestgaard, p.34

Australian wine and climate change It won’t be news to anyone that the Australian wine industry has been having a difficult couple of years. Alongside the general challenges of COVID-19, huge tariffs imposed by the Chinese government on Australian wine have brought major pain to the industry, though some developments such as the news of the AUS-UK FTA have proved bright spots. Yet the reality is local winemakers have not just been facing down the challenge of a rough few years, but need to factor in the prospect of a rough ride in coming decades due to climate change. Source FNArena

Harlequin ladybird well-established in Marlborough thanks to Cyclone Gita An invasive and predatory ladybird has firmly established itself in the Marlborough region after being blown across Cook Strait during Cyclone Gita, said a leading bio-protection expert. Plant and Food science group leader Dr Dave Bellamy said the presence of the harlequin ladybird in the area posed a real risk to the region’s vineyards and apiaries. “Right now we need all growers to be on alert. For wine and honey producers, it’s a serious threat,” he said. Source: Stuff

“It may be possible for growers to save both time and resources by incorporating native insectary plants in and around their vineyards and reduce their environmental footprint while enhancing the functional biodiversity of their production systems.”

- Dr Mary Retallack, p.44 “In Cru Beaujolais wines you get perfume, prettiness, texture and mouthfeel without necessarily extracting green stalk tannins. And that’s the result we’ve been aiming for every year over the last 20 years and well, we’re getting better and better at it.”

- Steve Flamsteed, p.58 “Freshness has become the watchword of so many

Daily Wine News is a snapshot of wine business, research and marketing content gleaned from local and international wine media sources, with a focus on Australian news and content.

producers around the world, but over the years, talking to many Australian producers when I was studying for the Master of Wine for example, the preoccupation with achieving freshness and varietal purity, seemed to drive everything.”

- Rebecca Palmer, p.90

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February 2022 – Issue 697