Grapegrower & Winemaker - Issue 649 -February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018

Climate change options for vineyards Weathering change with the best varietals and rootstocks Choosing the right yeast nutrients How to protect trade mark rights in China

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Contents February 2018

Issue 649

FEBRUARY 2018

Climate change options for vineyards Weathering change with the best varietals and rootstocks

The cover Tasmanian vigneron Vaughn Dell with his Sinapius Vineyard’s Gamay vines. See more from page 31.

Choosing the right yeast nutrients How to protect trade mark rights in China

Features 24

The choices and challenges of climate change

27

Adaptation: a trend for rootstocks

48

Saving costs and energy in the winery

News

24

5

From the editor

8

My view

10

Australian wine exports reach high of $2.56 billion

6

What’s online

14

International briefs

6

Say that again

16

On the Grapevine

7

Winetitles Insights

Grapegrowing

19

R&D at Work

29

Warning: grow new grapes or perish

43

Australian Winegrower

31

A cool change: a ‘new wave’ of Tasmanian winegrape producers

37

Something special to offer: Central Otago’s Alexandra Basin

REGULARS

60 Testing Times 66

Ask the AWRI

81 Calendar 82

Marketplace classifieds

Winemaking 54

Choosing the right nutrients

63

History in the making… of Georgian wine

68

Young gun: winemaker Tim Dolan

Business & Technology 70

31 4 Grapegrower & Winemaker

54

63 75

Brand bandits: bad-faith trade marks in China

Sales & Marketing 74

Riesling rises

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February 2018 – Issue 649

From the Editor Publisher And Chief Executive Hartley Higgins General Manager Joanne Oertel Editor Hans Mick editor@grapeandwine.com.au

Hans Mick Editor

T

he issue of climate change is one that’s come to the forefront for the grape and wine sector, not just in Australia and New Zealand, but in all producing countries where climate has typically been a driving factor behind regional characteristics and identity.

As the attention of growers now turns to bunches of ripening grapes, in this February Grapegrower & Winemaker, we take a cold hard look at what the implications could be for vineyards, and the industry as a whole, of warmer conditions. Viticulturist Sam Bowman delves into the data, but also offers some potential solutions: alternative rootstocks and clones, and international varieties that could suit our shifting seasonal conditions. One new study, which is also featured, questions the concept of terroir and how it could be a liability when confronted with the challenges of climate change.

We take a further look at rootstocks and clones by visiting Yalumba Nursery in the Barossa to find out which varieties, both mainstream and alternative, are demand. We also meet vanguards of what’s been called Tasmania’s ‘new wave’ of wine grape producers, to learn about their plans to explore European cool-climate varieties to establish back home in their vineyard. This edition also profiles an emerging sub-region of New Zealand’s Central Otago: the distinctive character of Alexandra Basin is gaining recognition with producers poised for expansion.

For w inemakers, this edition showcases one potential solution for helping to overcome vintage compression due to climate change; it’s a solution that might also help to save costs. Options for producers looking for the right yeast and nutrient choices to complete fermentation are also considered. We take a journey back in time to learn about traditional winemaking practices February 2018 – Issue 649

from Georgia that could be adapted for Australia. Additionally, readers will meet this month’s ‘young gun’, Tim Dolan, who’s carrying on his family’s winemaking legacy in the Barossa.

As the latest export figures continue to show an upward trend for Australian wine, we learn about ways to protect vital brand trade marks from so-called registry pirates in our largest overseas market, China. The rising fortunes of Riesling are examined, and we are given a glimpse inside South Australia’s newest wine attraction, McLaren Vale’s d’Arenberg Cube.

I hope you enjoy reading what’s inside.

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 Chloe Szentpeteri journalist@winetitles.com.au Advertising Sales Suzanne Phosuwan sales@grapeandwine.com.au Production Victoria Placentino Circulation: Brooke Bradshaw subs@winetitles.com.au Winetitles Media ABN 85 085 551 980 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9500 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 info@winetitles.com.au www.winetitles.com.au @Grape_and_Wine Printing by Lane Print Group, Adelaide © Contents copyright Winetitles Media 2017.

All Rights Reserved.

Print Post Approved PP535806/0019 Articles published in this issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker may also appear in full or as extracts on our website.

Cover price $8.25 (inc. GST) Subscription Prices Australia: 1 year (12 issues) $79.95 (inc. GST) 2 years (24 issues) $150 (inc. GST) New Zealand, Asia & Pacific: 1 year (12 issues) $114 (AUD) 2 years (24 issues) $217 (AUD) All other countries: 1 year (12 issues) $190 (AUD) 2 years (24 issues) $349 (AUD) Students (Aus only): 1 year (12 issues) $66 (inc. GST)

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5

what’s ONLINE Volumetric alcohol tax to be debated The region’s wine associations have said a percentage based tax on alcohol would be harmful to the South West wine industry.

The statement comes after the Federal Government released the National Alcohol Strategy draft consultation, which recommended introducing a minimum floor price for alcohol and a volumetric tax to help curb alcohol-related harms among individuals, families and communities. Source, BusseltonDunsborough Mail

Earliest harvest on record for Upper Hunter Valley Harvest started early at Hunter Valley vineyards Two Rivers and Hollydene Estate despite Mother Nature wreaking havoc elsewhere with her lack of rain, heat waves, wind and lightning storms. And, so far, vineyard operators are optimistic and enthusiastic about the quality of this year’s harvest. Source, Muswellbrook Chronicle

Wine-Searcher names the world’s best value wines Wine website, Wine-Searcher.com has named its best value wines in the world, with four Australian wines named in the top five.

The website has come up with the list using a quality-price ratio algorithm, with Frankland Estate, Giant Steps, Hardy’s Tintara and Grosset Springvale making the list. Source, The Shout

Contracts holding back winegrape prices With a resurgence in market conditions for the Australian wine industry, there has been an increase in demand for red grapes, particularly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, leading to price rises of 20 per cent and more. But there’s growing disparity between the prices offered to growers who are subject to long-term supply agreements with long-established wineries, and growers who’ve signed with newer entrants. Source, Winetitles

Daily Wine News is a snapshot of wine business, research and marketing content gleaned from international wine media sources, with a focus on Australian news and content. To subscribe visit www.winetitles.com.au/dwn.

6 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Say that again “With the increase in temperatures across the nation, the markers we use to categorize a region as ‘cool climate’ have shifted for many regions with only a handful of true cool climate regions still remaining (if we classify cool climate as a mean January temperature of 19 degrees and below).”

Sam Bowman, page 24

“Winegrowers in other parts of the world, meanwhile, must grapple with the opposite problem: there are few, if any, restrictions on which grape varieties may be grown in a given region, but growers have little experience with the diverse – and potentially more adaptable – varieties of grapes available.”

Jeff Glorfeld, page 30

“Acidity levels in the wines were also taut and finetuned, like the strings of a harp, and rang out just as true on the palate” Shaughn Jenkins, page 38

“There are two principal pathways for the movement of skin components into the wine matrix: 1. Diffusion from the interior skin surface and 2. Leakage from the broken skin edges.”

Dr Richard Smart and Dr Angela Sparrow, page 49

“In certain situations it may be desirable to increase fermentation ester production, such as where increased floral and tropical notes will improve wine quality.”

Paul K. Bowyer, Laurent Chancholle and Arnaud Mennesson, page 59

“The diversity of soils in Australia allow us to choose the best source Saperavi as well as Rkatsiteli. We will recreate these styles here and I’m confident they’ll succeed.”

Lado Uzanashvili, page 66

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February 2018 – Issue 649

Winetitles Insights

Compiled from data supplied by Wine Australia and the Wine Industry Directory, our regular Winetitles Insights report features industry sales and production insights to keep growers and winemakers informed on the latest trends.

Key performance indicators point to a positive outlook for the Australian wine sector:

AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS

• The value of Australian wine exports increased for the fourth

AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS

Value of exports over time (A$ billion) 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.5

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS 12 months ended December AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS AUSTRALIAN WINE EXPORTS

2.7 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.5

2017

of exports time Value ofValue exports over Average valuetime ofover exports DOMESTIC MARKET (A$ billion) Value of exports Value of (A$ exports over time billion) (A$ per litre)over time (A$ billion)(A$ billion) 6.00 1.04 2.7 Domestic off-trade market 1.02 2.5 2.7 (A$ billion) 2.3 2.5 1.00 4.00 4.0 2.1 2.3 0.98 1.9 2.1 3.0 0.96 2.00 1.7 1.9 Bottled (RH-axis) Bulk (LH-axis) 0.94 2.0 1.5 1.7 0.92 0.00 2012 1.5 1.0 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 2016 2017 2017 2012 2014 20152015 2016 2016 2017 2017 2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 122013 2014 2015 2016 2017 12 months ended December months ended December 0.0 12 months ended December 12ended months ended December 12 months December Australian wine Imported wine

DOMESTIC MARKET DOMESTIC MARKET MAT To 13/11/16 DOMESTIC DOMESTIC MARKET MARKET DOMESTIC MARKET VINTAGE

MAT To 12/11/17

MAT To 13/11/16

Domestic off-trade Domestic off-trade market Domestic off-trade marketmarket by category (A$market billion) market Domestic off-trade Domestic off-trade (A$ billion) (A$ billion) (A$ billion)(A$ billion) National average purchase price of winegrapes ($ per tonne)

4.0 2.0 4.0 1.5 3.0 1.0 3.0 0.5 1,600 2.0 0.0 1,400 2.0 1.0 1,200 1.0 0.0 1,000 Australian 0.0 800 Australian wine wine ImportedImported wine wine wine Imported wine wine Imported wine 600AustralianAustralian MAT To 13/11/16 13/11/16 MAT To 12/11/17 12/11/17 MAT ToMAT 13/11/16 MAT ToMAT 12/11/17 To To 400 MAT To 13/11/16 MAT To 12/11/17 MAT To 13/11/16 MAT To 12/11/17 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 VINTAGE VINTAGE Financial year VINTAGE VINTAGEVINTAGE 4.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0

consecutive year and the growth rate accelerated in the last 12 months, up by 15 per cent to reach theofhighest Average value exports level in a decade, the rate of growth in value(A$ wasper thelitre) highest since 2004 • The average 1.04 price for bottled exports continued a long-term upward trend while bulk wine increased to a five-year high 1.02 due to 1.00 tighter global supply • There was strong growth in all export price points, from entry0.98 level/commercial wines through to Australia's finest wines 0.96 • Export growth was strongest for premium wines Bottled (RH-axis) Bulkreflecting (LH-axis) 0.94 increased demand for premium Australian wines in most regions0.92 around the world 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 • In the domestic off-trade market, the growth rate in 12 months ended December Australian wine sales accelerated in the last 12 months while for imported wines it slowed of exports AverageAverage value ofvalue exports • In the domestic off-trade market, red wine are poised per litre) Average value ofsales exports Average value of exports (A$ per (A$ litre) 1.04 to overtake white wine sales, driven by strong growth in 6.00 (A$ per litre) (A$ per litre) 1.04 Domestic off-trade market by category is 6.00 1.04 1.04 Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Chardonnay 1.02 1.02 (A$to billion) making a comeback, recording close double-digit growth 4.00 1.02 1.02 1.00 1.00 2.0 at $20 or more per bottle and outselling Sauvignon Blanc in 4.00 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.98 1.5 point this price 0.98 0.98 0.96 0.96 1.0 2.00 Bottled (RH-axis) Bulkthe (LH-axis) • 0.96 Australian winegrape prices increased for third 2.00 Bottled (RH-axis) Bulk (LH-axis) 0.96 0.94 0.5 0.94 Bottled (RH-axis) Bulksuggests (LH-axis) Bottled (RH-axis) Bulk (LH-axis) consecutive year and the tightening of global supply 0.0 0.94 0.94 0.92 0.92 0.00 there will be further upward pressure in 2018 2013 2014 2016 0.92 2012 0.92 0.00 2012 2014growth 2015has2015 2016 matched 2017 by2017 • Australian wine2013 production been 2012 2013 2014 2016 2017 2012 201312 months 2014 2015 2016 2017 12 months ended 2015 December ended December sales growth in the last three years.

Stocks levels have months ended December 12 months12ended December increased to support growing Australian wine sales

2.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0

2.0 1.5 2.0 1.0 1.5 0.5 1.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

6.0

4.0

2.0

0.0

6.0 6.

4.0 4.

2.0 2.

0.0 0.

MAT To 12/11/17

Domestic market by category Domestic off-tradeoff-trade market by category (A$ billion) off-trade by category Domestic Domestic off-trade market bymarket category (A$ billion) (A$ billion)(A$ billion) Australian wine stocks, production and sales (million litres) Wine Production

Total sales

Total inventory

To 13/11/16 To 12/11/17 MAT To MAT 13/11/16 MAT To MAT 12/11/17 MAT To 13/11/16 MAT To 12/11/17 MAT To 13/11/16 MAT To 12/11/17 Financial year

Australian wine production stocks, production and sales National average winegrapes Australian wine stocks, and sales Australian wine stocks,purchase production andofsales National average purchase price of price winegrapes COMMENTARY (million wine stocks,litres) production ($litres) per tonne) AustralianAustralian wine stocks, production and sales and sales (million litres) (million Nationalpurchase purchase price of winegrapes National average price of winegrapes ($average per tonne) (million litres) (million litres) ($ per tonne) ($ per tonne) Key performance indicators point to a positive outlook for the Australian wine sector: 1,600 1,600 Wine ProductionTotal sales Total salesTotal inventory Total inventory Wine Production Wine Production Total sales Total inventory 1,600 1,600 1,400 1,400 • The value of Australian wine exports increased for the fourth consecutive year and the growth rateProduction accelerated in the Total last 12sales months, by 15 per cent reach the highe Wine Production Total up sales Totaltoinventory Wine Total inventory 3,000 1,200 1,400 1,400 3,000 1,2003,000 level in a decade, The rate of growth in value was the highest since 2004 2,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 1,200 • 1,200 The average price for bottled exports continued a long-term upward trend while3,000 for bulk wine increased to a five-year high due to tighter global supply 1,0002,000 1,000 2,000 1,000through 1,000800There was strong growth in all export price points, from entry-level/commercial 2,000 wines to Australia's finest wines 1,000 800 • 1,000 0 1,000 0 1,000 0 Export growth was strongest for premium wines reflecting increased demand for premium Australian wines in most regions around the world 800 800 600 • 600 0 0 • 400 In the domestic off-trade market, the growth rate in Australian wine sales accelerated in the last 12 months while for imported wines it slowed 600 600 400 • In the 2012 domestic off-trade market, red wine sales are poised to overtake white wine sales, driven by strong growth in Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Chardonn 400 400 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 2016 2017 2017 is making a comeback, recording close to double-digit growth at $20 or more per bottle and outselling Sauvignon Blanc in this price point 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Financial year Financial year Financial year year Financial year upward Financial • Australian winegrape prices increased for the third consecutive year and the tightening of global supply suggests there will be further pressure in 2018 Financial year Financial year Financial year Financial year •

Wine Australia, IRI-Aztec Australian wine production growth has been matched by sales growth in the last three years. Stocks levels have increasedSources: to support growing Australian wine sales

COMMENTARY COMMENTARY February 2018 – Issue 649 COMMENTARY COMMENTARY

www.winetitles.com.au

Key performance to a outlook positivefor outlook for the Australian wine sector: Key performance indicatorsindicators point to apoint positive the Australian wine sector:

Grapegrower & Winemaker

7

my view

Looking forward When launching the State of the Sector Report in the UK last month, Wine Australia chief executive Andreas Clark drew particular attention to current and forecast growth rates of Australian wine consumption in mainland China, while noting more generally that Australian wine was in a ‘strong position’. In this piece, Clark explains why there are so many reasons to believe in the future of the industry.

W

ine Australia works closely with the Australian grape and wine community to increase demand and the premium paid for all Australian wine. Over the next two and a half years, we have the added responsibility of delivering the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package, which aims to grow the Australian wine sector by showcasing the nation’s wine tourism, offering and driving demand for Australian wine exports.

The $50 million Package funding to grow exports is focused in Australia’s two most valuable export markets — China and the USA — which has also allowed Wine Australia to increase engagement in Australia’s other important export markets in the UK and Europe, Canada and Asia.

Recent performances in key markets point to a positive outlook for the Australian grape and wine community.

The outlook for the domestic market, where approximately 40 per cent of Australian wine is sold, is optimistic, with many positive signs for winemakers after a long period of flat sales and strong competition from imports.

Australian wine sales in the domestic off-trade market grew by four per cent in value and one per cent in volume in the 12 months to 12 November 2017 (IRI Market Edge Liquor), the equivalent of an additional 333,000 cases of wine.

Another positive indicator is the trend towards drinking higher priced wines. Australian wine sales at below $10 per bottle (off-trade) declined by one per cent, while sales $10 per bottle and above increased by four per cent in the 12 months ended 12 November 2017, (IRI Market Edge Liquor). This trend is particularly apparent for Shiraz, where 68 per cent of volume growth was at $10 per bottle and above, compared with Sauvignon Blanc, where 93 per cent of growth was wines below $10 per bottle.

Wine Intelligence has identified a number of wine consumer trends in its most recent Australian Wine Market Landscape report. The report forecasts continuing strong growth in lighter style wines, the Rosé category (particularly among the younger generations) and the sparkling wine category. Australian wine consumers are also increasingly looking for diversity in wine offerings and becoming familiar with alternative varieties, which represents another opportunity for local producers.

China Australian wine has experienced extraordinary growth in exports to mainland China over the last decade. The implementation of the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2015 gave impetus to an already strong market. The export

The outlook for the domestic market, where approximately 40 per cent of Australian wine is sold, is optimistic 8 Grapegrower & Winemaker

figures for 2017 suggest Australia is well-placed for this trend to continue. The value of exports increased by 63 per cent to $848 million and volume by 54 per cent to 153 million litres.

The average price of wine increased by six per cent to $5.55 per litre FOB. Mainland China is the number one destination for Australian wine exports by value.

Australia is outpacing key competitors in the growth of wine exports to mainland China. It is ranked second behind France in market share, but number one in the average price of bottled wine among the five biggest exporters.

There was growth in exports to mainland China across all price points, from entry level/commercial wines through to Australia’s fine wines.

Exports are heavily weighted to more premium wines.

Mainland China is by far the biggest destination for exports of $10 or more per litre FOB (¥110 or more per bottle retail), accounting for more than half of all Australia’s exports at this price point. These exports grew by 75 per cent to $377 million in the past year and the growth accelerated as exports in this price segment increased by 47 per cent in 2016.

For China, the opportunity lies in growing the penetration of premium Australian wine in both on- and off-trade channels.

For imported wines, 60 per cent of the volume of sales are through the off-trade and 40 per cent through the on-trade and Australia is well-placed in both channels. According to the IWSR, in 2016 Australia held a 15 per cent share of imported

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February 2018 – Issue 649

sales in the on-trade and 16 per cent share of the off-trade. There is also the opportunity to increase awareness of Australian wine by talking to consumers and educating them on usage occasion.

USA With a complex wine market and lingering perceptions amongst some consumers that Australian wine is a onedimensional category, the United States of America (USA) remains a challenging market for many Australian wineries.

While key trade and opinion leaders have been praising Australia’s dynamic and diverse wine scene for several years, there is still a long way to go in terms of representation in the premium market.

The tide may be turning though, with the 2017 export figures showing some optimistic signs in key premium wine segments.

There is also promising research that identifies signs of a bright future for Australian wine in the USA. Currently, Australian wine exports to the USA are heavily weighted to the commercial end with 95 per cent of the volume priced at below $5 per litre (less than US$8 per bottle retail).

Australian exports in this segment declined by two per cent to $368 million. This is reflected in the retail figures. Australia holds a 13 per cent share of the off-trade market at US$4–7.99 per bottle according to IRI figures for the 12 months ended September 2017. This price point is the biggest segment of the USA off-trade market with just over a third share but it is in decline.

In sharp contrast, the positive trend towards Australian premium wines in the USA continues. Exports at $10 per litre or more (US$14 or more per bottle retail) increased by eight per cent to $45 million. The growth in premium wine exports to the USA is also evident in retail figures. Off-trade sales figures from IRI show that Australian sales grew by 32 per cent in US$11 or more per bottle segment, while the total sales in this segment increased by seven per cent.

The critical issue for the Australian wine category is that it lacks penetration in the premium market — Australia holds only one per cent of the market at US$11 or more per bottle.

Australia is also under-represented in the USA on-trade market.

According to Nielsen/CGA Strategy, the USA on-trade market was valued at US$17 billion in the 12 months ended 15 July 2017.

Australia was ranked seventh with sales of US$283 million, representing a market share of 1.7 per cent. If we matched our off-trade value share of 3.6 per cent, this would see Australian sales in the on-trade increase to over US$600 million, more than double our existing sales value.

These figures suggest that there is a significant upside for premium Australian wines in the USA. Recent research conducted by Wine Intelligence on behalf of Wine Australia suggests that the perceptions of Australian wine are gradually improving.

The quality rating of Australian wine among regular wine consumers in the USA increased from 7.82/10 to 8.13/10 in 2017.

Furthermore, the percentage of regular wine consumers in the USA who recognised Australia for its expensive/fine wines increased from 37 per cent in 2010 to 46 per cent in 2017. In contrast, reflecting Australia’s strong position at the commercial end of the market, 91 per cent of regular wine consumers viewed Australian wines as good value for money.

There’s no question that there is still much work to be done in the USA market to ensure this short-term trend towards premium Australian wine becomes a significant and sustainable phenomenon. Hard work and challenges are much easier to face when there are prospects for success in the end.

In the USA, the opportunity is to re-ignite the Australian wine category at the higher value end of the market, for wines retailing at US$11–25 per bottle and in the on-trade.

February 2018 – Issue 649

Grants now open • $10m of international wine tourism grants • $1m of wine export grants

APPLY NOW at erwsp.wineaustralia.com Export and Regional Wine Support Package Phone (08) 8228 2000 Email grants@wineaustralia.com

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

9

news

Australian wine exports reach high of $2.56 billion

Destinations

Exports to Northeast Asia were the growth driver with exports increasing by 47 per cent to over $1 billion for the first time.

Australian wine has experienced outstanding growth in exports to mainland China over the last decade. The implementation of the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2015 provided impetus to an already strong market.

The export figures for 2017 suggest Australia is well-placed for this trend to continue. The value of exports increased by 63 per cent to $848 million and volume by 10 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Wine Australia

Value of the top 5 export markets

Export report MAT to December 2017 Total exports

$2.56 billion

China

Volume

811 million litres

Average value

$3.16/litre

8% 7%

Exports by price point above $10

$848m

63%

United States

$449m

-2%

United Kingdom

$348m

-2%

Canada

$187m

-3%

Hong Kong

$118m

7%

$601m

$341m

$187m

$182m

$114m

$200+

$100–199.99

$50–99.99

$30–49.99

$20–29.99

$15–19.99

China mainland

Top 5 exported varieties by label claim

18% -12% 60% 52% 27% 38% 67%

$201m $77m $132m $94m $164m $17m

63%

mainland

15%

$10–14.99

Australian wine exports increased by 15 per cent to $2.56 billion in the 12 months ending December 2017, according to Wine Australia’s Export Report released today.

The 15 per cent increase in the value of exports is the highest annual growth rate since 2004 and it was also a record-breaking year for volume, with exports growing by eight per cent to 811 million litres – a calendar year high.

Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Anne Ruston, said Wine Australia’s latest Export Report for the 12 months to December 2017 showed drops from down under were experiencing higher demand than ever overseas.

“Australians have long known that Australian wine is second to none,” Minister Ruston said.

“It’s wonderful to see our wine industry reinvigorate its exporting efforts to make sure the world knows it too.”

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer, Andreas Clark, said the positives continued with the sector achieving a seven per cent increase in average value per litre free on board (FOB*) to $3.16, the highest level since 2009.

“Growing demand for premium Australian wine, particularly in Northeast Asia, increased the value of bottled wine exports by 17 per cent to $2.1 billion, while the average price per litre for bottled wine grew by three per cent to a record $5.63,” Clark said.

Wine exported in bulk also experienced price increases, with total value increasing by ten per cent to $440 million and average value per litre increasing by six per cent to $1.03, the highest average value since 2012.

Clark said it was notable that exports of wines priced above $10 per litre grew by 29 per cent to a record $738 million.

Shiraz

Cabernet Sauvignon

Shiraz / Cab Sauv

Chardonnay

Merlot

$54m

18%

20%

57%

6%

17%

Figure 1: Exports of wine by price segment. Credit: Wine Australia

54 per cent to 153 million litres. The average price increased by 6 per cent to $5.55 per litre FOB. There was growth in exports to mainland China across all price points, from entry level/commercial wines through to Australia’s finest wines.

Exports also grew to: • Europe by one per cent to $576 million • Southeast Asia by two per cent to $165 million, and • Oceania by eight per cent to $94 million.

Exports to North America decreased slightly by two per cent to $636 million.

However, exports of wines to the United States of America (USA) valued at $10 per litre or more (that sell for US$14 or more per bottle retail) increased by eight per cent to $45 million.

The growth in premium wine exports to the USA is also evident in retail figures.

Off-trade sales figures from sector analyst IRI showed at US$11 or more per bottle, Australian sales grew by 32 per cent while the total sales in this segment increased www.winetitles.com.au

by seven per cent in the year ended September 2017.

Australia’s top five markets by value in 2017 were: • China mainland (33 per cent of total export value) • United States (18 per cent) • United Kingdom (14 per cent) • Canada (seven per cent), and • Hong Kong (five per cent).

Australia’s top five markets by volume in 2017 were: • United Kingdom (28 per cent share of total export volume) • United States (21 per cent) • China mainland (19 per cent) • Canada (eight per cent), and • Germany (five per cent).

Notably, 80 per cent of wine exported to the United Kingdom and Germany was shipped in bulk containers. This has a significant impact on the reported FOB values that are used in Wine Australia’s Export Report, as the value of packaging is not included in the FOB values as it is with products packaged in Australia.

February 2018 – Issue 649

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news Bulk wine performance lifts Murray Valley Winegrowers pointed out strengthening bulk wine prices is an ‘early sign’ of global under-supply putting upward pressure on prices.

According to data released by Wine Australia, the performance of bulk wine exports lifted, with value increasing by ten per cent to $440 million. The average value per litre of bulk wine reached $1.03, the highest in five years.

Of particular relevance to the Murray-Darling/Swan Hill regions, in the price point of $2.49/litre and under, sales grew by 18 per cent to more than $511 million, an increase of $76 million.

In the price category of $2.50/litre to $4.99/litre, sales grew five per cent to just under $830 million.

Murray Valley Winegrowers executive officer Mike Stone said that while 2018 winegrape prices had improved, rising by up to around 20 per cent for red grapes, some wineries with growers under long-term contracts had been slow to respond to improving market conditions.

“Demand is high, particularly for red varieties, and prices of more than $500/ tonne are being offered. But the issue for many growers is that they’re contracted to a winery with prices well below those being offered elsewhere,” Stone said.

New trade deal to boost wine exports The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) has welcomed news the Comprehensive and Progressive TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP) would be signed in Chile this March.

WFA Chief Executive Tony Battaglene congratulated the Federal Government for maintaining strong leadership in its resolve to sign the deal, with 11 nations agreeing following two days of high-level talks in Tokyo this week.

Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud, said the historic 11-nation deal will lock in greater trade access for Australians to markets worth almost $14 trillion combined.

The CPTPP will be the world’s largest ever regional trade agreement and it includes three of Australia’s top 10 agricultural trade markets: Japan, Vietnam and New Zealand.

“The slashing of Japanese tariffs on beef and wine affects exports worth more than $100 million, which were not covered by our bilateral deal with Japan,” Littleproud said.

“We have already secured Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with China, Korea, Japan and Peru and we continue to work hard to secure new agreements.

“Since January 2016, Australian farmers have gained access to 64 key global markets and improved market access in another 57 countries.”

Battaglene said the agreement will provide real benefits to the Australian wine sector.

“It will address tariffs as well as nontariff trade barriers across a range of key and emerging export markets for wine which will be welcomed by winemakers across the country.”

“Our understanding is that the new CPTPP’s tariff schedule will echo the earlier TPP draft and represents a leap forward for strong export growth and trade liberalisation,” he said.

“Also of great importance to us is the inclusion of the wine and spirit annex which creates a harmonisation framework that will remove a range of wine technical barriers to trade.

Under the CPTPP, the Australian wine industry expects to see elimination of the following wine tariffs in: • Mexico (between three to ten years) • Canada (upon entry into force) • Peru (within five years) • Malaysia (within 15 years) • Vietnam (within 11 years).

Australia takes on Canada in the WTO The federal government has initiated formal World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement action against Canada’s discriminatory measures affecting Australian wine.

Australia has commenced formal consultations with Canada regarding measures Australia believes impose arbitrary and disadvantageous restrictions on the sale of imported wine in Canadian grocery stores, inconsistent with Canada’s WTO obligations.

This step responds to concerns from the Australian wine industry regarding the Canadian measures, which negatively impact trade with Australia’s fourth largest export market for wine, currently valued at $185 million.

Winemaker’s Federation of Australia (WFA), Chief Executive, Tony Battaglene, said the action is the first formal step in seeking to resolve long-standing Canadian measures that discriminate against Australian wine imports.

12 Grapegrower & Winemaker

“Canada is Australia’s fourth most valuable export market at around $190 million and remains a very important destination for Australian wine,” he said.

“Australia is the fifth-ranked country of origin, with a 10% total volume share of the Canadian market behind wines from the United States, Canada, Italy, and France.”

“Wine sales in Canada are controlled by provincial liquor boards. In recent years, the liquor boards have introduced a number of measures that discriminate in favour of locally produced wine.”

“We respect the Canadian wine industry, www.winetitles.com.au

but we are seeking a level playing field to ensure we can maximise our opportunities in this key market,” Battaglene said.

The WTO is comprised of a rulesbased system that monitors fair and nondiscriminatory regulations internationally, and plays a key role for the Australian Government to advocate for Australian producers and Canadian consumers.

On January 18 2017, the United States launched its own WTO trade dispute settlement action against Canada regarding ‘Measures Governing the Sale of Wine in Grocery Stores’ which Australia joined as a third-party observer.

The new Australian-led WTO action addresses these same concerns as well as others across the Canadian provinces.

The Turnbull Coalition Government said it strongly supports the multilateral trading system, but the lack of process on this issue has required action.

Australia last initiated formal WTO action in 2003.

February 2018 – Issue 649

Vinehealth Australia announces new biosecurity program Vinehealth Australia has rolled out its Wine Tourism Biosecurity Program for South Australian cellar door, marketing and tourism staff in wine regions.

The program is funded by Vinehealth Australia and Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA), with additional support from the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA).

Increased tourism to South Australian regions creates opportunities for the spread of pests, diseases and weeds on visitors’ vehicles, tyres, equipment, clothing and shoes. Keeping tourists out of vine rows is the best way to keep vines safe.

The program will arm cellar door and tourism staff with important tools to protect vines from devastating pests such as phylloxera.

The foundation of the Wine Tourism Biosecurity Program is a state-wide training program for every cellar door in South Australia.

Training will be delivered between January and March 2018.

There will be individual site training at cellar doors with high tourist visitation numbers and group training in regions for smaller cellar doors.

Vinehealth Australia CEO, Inca Pearce, said some of the oldest grapevines in the world are in South Australia.

“Our state is free of phylloxera and many of the other pests and diseases that have decimated wine regions around the world.”

“But increased trade and tourism means increased pest and disease risks,” she said.

“Phylloxera is a particular risk as there are phylloxera infested zones in New South Wales and Victoria.

“Tourists could walk through a phylloxera infested vineyard and, unknowingly, pick up the tiny insect on their shoes or clothing, then be in a phylloxera-free vineyard in another region or state the same day,” Pearce said.

“The best way to avoid the spread of pests, diseases and weeds is to keep tourists away from vines, or to ensure their footwear and clothing is safe before entering vine rows.”

“There is a huge opportunity to educate the community about the precious vines that create the wines they enjoy, and how visitors can help keep those vines healthy,” Pearce said.

The Wine Tourism Biosecurity Training Program is stage one of a comprehensive campaign, which also includes: 1. A public awareness campaign to be launched in early 2018.

2. Beautiful tourist-friendly signage for cellar doors, to educate visitors about their role in keeping vines healthy.

3. The creation of six ‘best practice’ cellar door sites in South Australian wine regions featuring purpose-designed tourist signage, and Vinehealth Cellar Door Kits with footwear disinfestation equipment, shoe covers, rubber boots and educational materials.

“This is an exciting campaign that has received resounding support from wine regions across South Australia. This will set a precedent for vine health campaigns in Australia,” Pearce said.

February 2018 – Issue 649

For further information, please contact Kauri AUS Tel: 1800 127 611 Email: info@kauriwine.com

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

13

international briefs MARKET

2017 proved to be a challenging year for wine producers around the globe, with frost and heatwaves a common occurrence in Europe, and wildfires devastating to regions in California.

Volumes dropped for France, Italy, Spain, England and Germany after a barrage of seasonal challenges, yet growers remain optimistic about the quality, despite an expected increase in price.

Areas of the US lost production due to wildfires but many growers escaped extensive damage to yields as harvest was complete. 2017 marked the end of a drought which saw volumes increase slightly.

China experienced a productive harvest, with grapegrowers confident the region will grow with maturity and practice in what looks like a promising future for wine.

LABELLING According to Nippon.com, some Japanese wineries are moving to change their product indications containing geographical names ahead of the planned tightening of place-of-origin rules.

The new rules aim to prevent consumer misunderstandings as the reputation of domestic wines continues to rise.

Among them is Takeda Winery in the city of Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture, whose mainstay products include the Za Star series.

The winery will use Takeda Winery Rouge and other names for the series starting with products made with grapes harvested in 2017.

DROUGHT

VOLUMES

The Western Cape of South Africa is suffering under an endless drought, which is predicted to reduce grape yields by up to 50 percent in 2018 and hurt bulk wine produce.

In a report by VINEX Market IQ, 90% of the South African wine industry is comprised of bulk wine in volumetric terms.

Director of Wine Cellar, Roland Peens, told VINEX that yields could reduce from between 25 percent to 50 percent due to dry conditions.

“We might lose some traction to the international market if the profitability and yields are down significantly in 2018," he said.

Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture has predicted the 2017 grape harvest to be lower than anticipated, with volumes expected to be down by a fifth from 2016.

Total production of wine and must in the 2017/2018 vintage is 35.6 million hectolitres, compared with 44 million hectolitres in the previous year: a 19.6% drop.

Over 13.6 million hectolitres of the total production has been declared as being wine with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), 3.6 million hectolitres as wine with Protected Geographical Indication (PgI), and 6.2 million hectolitres as varietal wines.

“The declarations confirm, therefore, a campaign of relatively low production, which, together with the also low productions of the main producing countries of the community, has supposed a price increase in the wine market,” the Ministry said.

EXPORTS According to agricultural union, Coldiretti, Italian wine exports reached a record high of six billion euros last year – which was up by seven percent from 2016 – due to Russian sales.

Italian wine sales also increased in the UK by eight percent, in the US by six percent and in China by 25%.

The boost is largely due to market trends for sparkling wine such as Prosecco, which attributes around 40 million hectolitres in production.

14 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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February 2018 – Issue 649

20180112

A YEAR IN REVIEW

New data from Vinexpo has revealed the US wine market to be worth an annual $34bn in global value terms.

The report predicts that the US wine market will increase that lead over the next five years.

By 2021, US sales of still and sparkling wine are expected to hit just over $45bn, in a global market that is predicted to reach 2.66bn cases worth over $224bn.

Not only is the US leading the world in terms of value; its volume growth last year was world beating, and the 23rd consecutive year when the US outstripped every other country.

California wildfire study signals strong recovery The Wine Business Institute (WBI) at Sonoma State University (SSU) released preliminary findings of its wildfire impact study of the North Coast wine industry, based on a survey of more than 200 vineyard and winery stakeholders across Lake Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties, in addition to early analysis of available economic data.

The study launched in October following inaccurate accounts of the extent of damage to the region’s wineries and vineyards from wildfires in the north San Francisco Bay Area.

While the wildfires were unprecedented in Northern California, findings indicate that the actual impact on the North Coast wine industry was localised and limited.

Indirect impacts of the wildfires were more widespread, including a short-term reduction in visitors to the region.

Wine Business Executive in Residence, Honore Comfort, said the most significant impact on the North Coast wine industry was a temporary reduction of tourists to the region.

“We believe this was driven by images and reports at the height of the disaster.”

“Fortunately, the numbers show that this trend has corrected and continues to improve and we also have early indications from the broader economy that our regional recovery will be strong,” he said.

“Going forward, our team of economists, industry executives, and scientists will apply these findings in a coordinated plan to ensure confidence among consumer, media, and trade organisations in the quality standards for the 2017 vintage.”

Key findings to date: • eight per cent of vineyard acres (138,937 of 139,204) in the North Coast region are reported as unaffected by recent fires.

• 93% of wineries (950 of 1,025) are reported as unaffected by the fires in terms of structural damage or long-term impact.

• five per cent of the total crop value was recovered (calculations based on 2016 crush report).

• 90% of affected wineries and grapegrowers reported that vineyards would not need to be replanted or

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February 2018 – Issue 649

replaced, and of those that do, most would be less than ten acres.

• 71% of survey respondents reported an immediate drop in tasting room traffic compared to the same period last year, although this trend started to recover in November.

• 62% of respondents reported a drop in tasting room sales compared to this period last year.

• 50% of respondents reported that visitors from the San Francisco Bay Area increased or remained constant, while visitation from outside California and the U.S. was most affected.

• 75% of respondents noted online sales are equal to or higher than this period last year.

In the affected areas, vineyards often served as firebreaks that prevented the spread of fire, which is considered a primary cause for the limited damage.

Based on historical data following natural disasters of this scale relative to the size of the region, local economies recover with no negative long-term effects.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has introduced new treatment requirements to stop brown marmorated stink bug arriving into New Zealand in sea containers from Italy.

All sea containers from Italy now require treatment for the invasive pest before arriving in New Zealand or on arrival.

MPI Biosecurity and Environment Manager, Paul Hallett, said the new measure is a response to the increasing number of stink bug detections MPI officers are making in cargo from Italy.

“We want to reduce the chance of this nasty bug getting into New Zealand,” he said.

Imported containers from Italy had previously been subject to auditing and inspection by

www.winetitles.com.au

biosecurity officers, but did not require treatment unless they carried vehicles or machinery, or there was evidence of contamination.

“Extending the treatment requirement to all shipping containers from Italy will add another layer of biosecurity protection,” Hallet said.

So far this season, MPI officers have intercepted more stink bugs from Italy than any other country (39 out of 80 interceptions). The largest single find involved 118 dead bugs in a container of machinery and parts.

The treatment requirements will last until the end of February, and will be reviewed prior to the start of next season in September.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

15

on the grapevine Taylors winery hosts world-first temperature pop-up

Clare Valley family winery Taylors will toast to the end of summer with a worldfirst pop-up experience focused on the importance of temperature.

Head chef of South Australian restaurant, Duncan Welgemoed, will join Taylors in hosting ‘Celsius’ – an evening of food, wine and technology designed to stimulate the senses and educate guests on how much temperature affects food and wine.

The pop-up is part of Taylors’ ongoing campaign to educate consumers about how the flavours and aromas of a wine can be transformed when served at the optimum drinking temperature.

Managing Director and winemaker, Mitchell Taylor said temperature is the most important factor to serving wine at its best.

“The old world myth of serving reds at room temperature and whites ice cold just doesn’t work in Australia, particularly during summer,” he said.

“Especially with red wines, when they are served slightly chilled, they are completely transformed – the flavours and aromas are more rounded, balanced and much more refreshing.”

Thermal imaging brand, FLIR ONE, will offer guests a temperature sensitive smart phone camera adaptor, to capture images of the experience using low-light and infrared technology.

The experiential wraps up another summer of Taylors ‘Optimum Drinking Temperature’ campaign which was first launched in 2015.

The campaign highlighted Taylors’ temperature sensors which featured on every bottle of Taylors Estate and Promised Land wines.

The temperature sensitive sensors change colour depending on the temperature of the wine – turning a bold fuchsia for red wines and vibrant green for white wines.

MW awards Craggy Range top 2017 Winery One of New Zealand’s leading wine writers, Bob Campbell MW has awarded Craggy Range his annual Golden Grapes Award for 2017.

According to Campbell, the award “recognises an outstanding contribution to the New Zealand wine industry and to the people of New Zealand.

“Craggy Range has added value to New Zealand wine in important overseas markets. They have made a massive contribution to wine tourism in Hawke’s Bay and beyond,” Campbell said.

“Their Giants winery and Terrôir restaurant add a serious touch of glamour to land that might otherwise be used for high-density housing or grazing sheep.

“I can’t begin to imagine how many millions of dollars they have pumped into the local economy,” he said.

16 Grapegrower & Winemaker

The winery received 97 points for their 2015 Sophia and 98 points for the 2015 Aroha and Le Sol wines, which were tasted by Campbell.

As part of the Real Review Alliance, the ratings are based firstly on a points system, and stars and ribbons thereafter.

Craggy Range CEO, Michael Wilding said the award recognises the contribution the Peabody family have made with investment, and the dedication the team put into building the New Zealand wine category as a whole.

www.winetitles.com.au

WSET honours Aust grads and award winners Over 500 wine and spirits influencers and professionals from across the world met at the historic Guildhall, City of London, UK to celebrate the annual Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Awards & Graduation.

16 graduates from Australia were announced as achieving the coveted WSET Diploma and will each be given a one year free Wine Communicators of Australia membership.

Two Australian WSET candidates, Samuel Winfield and Melissa Mills, were also honoured with awards for outstanding results.

Australians made up 16 of the year’s 440 WSET Diploma graduates and their achievements were celebrated as some of only 9,000 people in the world to have ever held the accolade.

As the student who achieved the highest overall mark across the WSET Diploma in his year, Moritz Mueller was the winner of this year’s Vintners’ Cup and Scholarship.

Another honour presented on the night was the Riedel Trophy for the WSET Educator of the Year, awarded to the individual or company that has made a significant contribution to the delivery of WSET courses and qualifications.

This year’s winner was Eno Cultura from Brazil. Thiago Mendes and Paulo Brammer set up Cultura in Säo Paulo in 2013 and now run courses across the country.

Winfield from North Fremantle, WA is the winner of The Laithwaite’s Australia Prize for achieving an outstanding result in his WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits.

“The WSET course for me was the opportunity to develop structured tasting habits which has really aided my appreciation of each wine I drink, regardless of the level of formality, the occasion or the style,” he said.

Mills from North Melbourne is the winner of the IWC Sake Prize as a student who achieved outstanding results in the WSET Level 3 Sake course.

Mills, who studied her WSET Award at Prince Wine Store, is now developing an online sake education, information and event platform.

She will be invited to join the World’s elite Sake judges to judge Sake at the IWC in 2018.

February 2018 – Issue 649

on the grapevine Penfolds Nuriootpa lab wins award The Interwinery Analysis Group (IWAG) has awarded Penfolds Nuriootpa Laboratory the ‘Patrick Iland Laboratory of the Year’.

This annual award recognises the best performing laboratory in the IWAG proficiency testing program and was presented at the recent IWAG AGM. The award is open to all IWAG members and is judged solely on laboratory performance across a number of core analyses.

To be eligible the laboratory must have entered results in all six rounds of proficiency testing for: free SO2, total SO2, pH; titratable acidity (pH 8.2) and alcohol.

Of all the contestants, Penfolds Nuriootpa demonstrated the most consistent results of all laboratories across the year.

The prize is named after Dr Patrick Iland OAM, who is well known in the Australian wine industry for his teaching, public speaking and writing of books on laboratory methods.

The naming of the award recognises Iland’s outstanding contributions to continued improvement and pursuit of excellence in wine and grape analysis and his collaboration with the Interwinery Analysis Group.

New home for grapevine virus testing The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and the University of Adelaide have jointly announced that plant virus testing and elimination services formerly provided

by Waite Diagnostics have been transferred to The Australian Wine Research Institute.

The services offered, which include testing for 12 grapevine viruses and phytoplasmas, as well as other pathogens responsible for diseases in canola, lucerne and other crops, will continue to be provided by the same experienced personnel, with no interruptions during the transition.

AWRI Managing Director, Dr Dan Johnson, has welcomed the opportunity provided by the transfer.

“Testing of grapevines for viruses is a priority for Australian viticulture. The AWRI is proud to add this capability to the wide range of services it offers to the grape and wine community,” Johnson said.

The University’s lead researcher and long-time manager of the virus testing service, Dr Nuredin Habili, said the change will result in a one-stop shop for the majority of testing requirements by grapegrowers and winemakers.

Waite Diagnostics was founded in 1997 by the late Bob Symons (FAA, FRS) (19342006), Professor of Biochemistry, within the University’s Department of Plant Science.

Since that time the service has made a major contribution to the health of Australia’s grapevine planting material, through commercial application of cuttingedge virology research and diagnostic technologies.

The University of Adelaide’s ViceChancellor and President, Professor Peter Rathjen, was himself a student of the late Professor Bob Symons and a successor as Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Adelaide.

Professor Rathjen hailed the vision demonstrated by Professor Symons in establishing Waite Diagnostics.

“As founder of virus testing services at the University’s Waite campus, Professor Symons – arguably one of the greatest scientists in the University’s history – was doing exactly what our University does so well: leveraging our research strengths and matching our intellectual capability to industry need,” Rathjen said.

“Waite Diagnostics is a perfect example of how the University can and does create innovation in South Australia, translating research and innovation into commercial advance and employment.

“We are pleased that the AWRI is leading the next chapter of this important service,” he said.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

Wine Australia

Eileen found her niche and is helping others do the same Coin tosses and contacts – and sometimes both together – helped shape Professor Eileen Scott’s early career.

The first big decision came as soon as she finished school in her native Scotland. Looking ahead to university she was equally drawn to science and to the French and Italian languages, and even after listing the pros and cons of both it was lineball. The coin favoured science.

Eileen completed a BSc with first class honours in microbiology in Edinburgh (still one of her favourite cities) then moved to Cambridge to take a PhD in plant pathology and later work as a research scientist at the Plant Breeding Institute down the road.

After two successful years it was time for another decision. A Malaysian academic spoke eloquently about the opportunities in his part of the world and set up an introduction in Singapore, but there was also an offer from Bath and an invitation to interview in Auckland.

The lure of combining career challenges with an interesting lifestyle change held sway this time, and 1984 saw Eileen start working as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Botany at the National University of Singapore.

Another three years on and two friends from her Cambridge postdoc days suggested she come to their new home city of Adelaide to say hello, attend the Australian plant pathology conference and maybe apply for a job that was going at the University of Adelaide.

Eileen did all three and was offered the position. That was 30 years ago in December.

At this stage wine grapes had not come into the picture. Eileen completed her PhD on a bacterial disease in poplar

R&DatWork

R&DatWork trees and her work in Singapore focused on the tissue culture of tropical timber trees. That changed in 1992.

‘In Adelaide, I started off with almonds and managed to bring together my tissue culture interests and my plant pathology interests by doing screening for resistance in tissue culture,’ Eileen said. ‘Then the first CRC for Viticulture came around.

‘My colleague Bob Symons, one of the program leaders who helped develop the bid, approached me about contributing plant pathology into the bid. From there I took on a couple of projects and really loved it; I found it a really interesting area to work in and the CRC environment was so encouraging and genuinely cooperative.’

A second round of funding was received in 1999 and Eileen was a program champion for Program 2, seeing the opportunity for research on grape vine trunk diseases. ‘We decided to start on this straight away, to give us six years to work on a suite of diseases which required long-term investigation.

That decision has delivered good outcomes for grape growers.’

Eileen believes the CRC helped create a strong culture of collaborative research in the wine sector, involving wine businesses as well as academics and other research providers. The great challenge, she says, is to maintain the level of continuity and certainty that the CRC offered, so vital expertise is not lost.

Her own research has focused in particular on powdery mildew, including recent work by her group looking at alternatives to conventional fungicides for its control and objective measures for the disease.

She also has had great success with a free app released two years ago to help growers, consultants, wineries and researchers assess powdery mildew on grape bunches in the field. ‘A lot of what we do is trying to deliver things that viticulturists and winemakers can use in their everyday work,’ she said.

Eileen recalls being the only female in her department when she came on board three decades ago and she

RESEARCHER IN FOCUS

Prof. Eileen Scott

The CRC helped create a strong culture of collaborative research in the wine sector, involving wine businesses as well as academics and other research providers. has worked hard to address gender equity both in her day-to-day support and encouragement of students and colleagues and in her official capacity as Deputy Head of the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and Deputy Dean for Gender Equity and Diversity in the Faculty of Sciences.

Her commitment and impact were acknowledged this year when she received the Workplace Champion of Change Award in the annual Australian Women in Wine Awards.

And the languages? They are both a little rusty but Eileen was pleased to be able to read a recent viticultural article in Italian and get advice about cough medicine for a colleague at a local pharmacy in Bordeaux. What might have been had the coin fallen the other way? ¢

February 2018 • www.wineaustralia.com • R&Datwork

R&DatWork

New twist on the fight against powdery mildew Finding a way to fight fungus without fungicides is a long game, but CSIRO researchers in Adelaide are making significant progress.

Dr Ian Dry and colleagues have moved onto the third stage of a complex, multilayered initiative to breed new wine grape varieties with a built-in resistance to powdery and downy mildew and, they hope, a structure that helps limit the risk of botrytis.

All three stages have been funded

by Wine Australia, and the drivers are both economic and environmental; fungicides are costly and vineyards need a lot of them. In Europe, wine grapes account for only 8 per cent of agricultural production by area but 70 per cent of fungicide use, and the picture in Australia is similar.

In Australia, environmental and marketing considerations also mean that

proven technologies involving genetic modification cannot be countenanced, certainly in the immediate future.

The best solution is to try to build in resistance. It does not occur naturally in our commonly used wine grape varieties because they all were bred in Europe well before powdery and downy mildew first crossed the Atlantic from the Americas.

You can’t have natural resistance to something you’ve never encountered.

The CSIRO team created a first generation of such varieties in 2009 and these are being evaluated in field trials.

The aim is to find the 20 best white and red varieties, based on consistent performance over a number of growing seasons in terms of good yields, good acid and pH at harvest and consistently high sensory scores.

For that project, the team was able to build on the work of French researcher Alain Bouquet, who spent 20+ years ‘backcrossing’ a wild North American grapevine with proven resistance to premium European varieties.

Backcrossing involves multiple rounds of breeding, each time ensuring you have captured the resistance gene you want without also bringing across negative traits that could impact on vine and fruit quality.

In the recently completed second

R&Datwork • www.wineaustralia.com • February 2018

‘It was a great advance to develop premium winegrape varieties with mildew resistance, but we knew there was a danger that over time a disease isolate may evolve to break down the resistance and then you’re back to square one’, Dr Dry said.

CSIRO project, the team started the process of developing a second generation of new wine grape varieties.

‘It was a great advance to develop premium winegrape varieties with mildew resistance, but we knew there was a danger that over time a disease isolate may evolve to break down the resistance and then you’re back to square one’, Dr Dry said.

‘But if you combine resistance genes from two different genetic sources into the same plant – a process known as stacking or pyramiding – you reduce the risk considerably.’

The aim is to create varieties that incorporate resistance from both the North American species and newly identified species from China, where natural resistance is also found.

R&DatWork

Powdery mildew. Photo: Richard Hamilton, Hamilton Viticulture.

CSIRO technician Angelica Jermako pollinating a microvine. Photo courtesy CSIRO.

Chinese researchers had previously identified wild Vitis species with resistance to powdery and downy mildew, but no-one had done the necessary backcrossing to create a wine grape variety incorporating these genes. To achieve that in five years rather than 20, Dr Dry’s team called on two innovations.

The first was to use DNA markers to identify plants that had inherited the right gene at the seedling stage rather than having to go through full field trials – a process called ‘marker assisted selection’.

The second was to use a unique rapid grapevine breeding system, known as the microvine, developed by CSIRO. The

microvine allows the full range of trials and selection processes to be carried out quickly and efficiently on rapidflowering dwarf plants in a greenhouse rather than having to plant breeding lines in the field and wait two to three years for them to fruit.

That project also was a success and in June the team began the third stage, which will try to create new wine grape varieties in which the mildew resistance genes from the North American and Chinese species are combined.

‘We’ll then take the best of those into field for testing and then through smallscale winemaking to look for those elite second-generation varieties,’ Dr Dry said.

The work has its limitations, notably that any new varieties will be just that – new varieties with new and unfamiliar names. The amount of modification to the base vinifera species will be too much for it to be known by its original name.

However, Dr Dry says there is immediate potential to use the new varieties in blending, as well as the chance that something new and exciting will emerge.

‘Hundreds of years ago a breeder crossed Sauvignon Blanc with Cabernet Franc to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and that could happen again.

Something we produce could be the next unique variety.’ ¢

While Xylella has no treatment, if an incursion was contained to one region, the aggregate impact would be a fraction of the impact of an uncontrolled spread.

In late 2015, Australia introduced emergency measures to prevent an incursion. These include offshore testing of nursery stock and plant material coming from regions where Xylella fastidiosa occurs and certification that material is free from the bacteria before it arrives in Australia.

In a media release about the report, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Recourses, Luke Hartsuyker, said ‘Australia has a strong biosecurity system that manages the risk of plant pests and diseases arriving here. This includes measures offshore, onshore, at the border, as well as strict import conditions for plant material.

‘If certain pests or diseases were to arrive in Australia, it could significantly impact on the productivity and sustainability of some of our most important industries, along with inhabiting access to overseas markets.’

The report highlights a number of important issues relating to the risk that this poses to Australia. This includes the likelihood of Australia’s habitat being highly suitable for an incursion of Xylella.

International experience suggests that successful eradication of Xylella is unlikely, therefore it is critical that the Australian grape and wine community support strict biosecurity protocols to support its future. ¢

Study reveals Xylella risk The importance of biosecurity for the Australian wine sector has been highlighted in a recent Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Sciences (ABARES) report assessing the impact that an incursion of Xylella fastidiosa (the organism responsible for Pierces Disease) could have.

If a Xylella incursion were to hit Australia ABARES estimates it could cost up to $7.9 billion over 50 years.

Xylella fastidiosa is one of the most devastating plant pests. The ABARES report states that is causes more than $100 million in yearly losses to the Californian grape sector.

The Economic impacts of Xylella fastidiosa on the Australian wine grape and wine-making industries report can be downloaded from the ABARES website: www.agriculture.gov.au/abares.

February 2018 • www.wineaustralia.com • R&Datwork

R&DatWork A little water can go a long way when battling heatwaves It appears that how you use water is more important than how much you use when trying to protect vines from the impact of heatwaves.

Two projects being run in the Riverland by the University of Adelaide are producing quite dramatic results when applying specific cooling techniques rather than just leaving the everyday irrigation running for longer.

Delivering water directly to the roots and surrounding soil the night before a summer scorcher can reduce daytime canopy temperatures by as much as 5°C below ambient temperatures. Using misters to lightly spray the canopy during the heat of the day is even more effective, dropping the temperature by 10–12°C. The techniques are quite different, but each achieves the aim of ensuring vines do not shut down even when temperatures hit the mid 40s – which is contrary to previous thinking. And, according to project leader Dr Vinay Pagay, even if you have to use them these techniques 5 or 6 times a year it will only increase your water usage by 5 per cent.

‘Both are very efficient techniques’, he said. ‘If you just turn on the tap 20 per cent more you only see a temperature drop of 1–2 degrees during the day, but with our under-canopy sprinklers it’s 5 degrees and with misters 10–12 degrees.

That’s a huge difference.’

The water used is additional to normal irrigation because the trials show that neither technique influences soil moisture or vine water status. ‘Even with the night watering we aren’t altering the water availability to the vine. We are using almost all of that water for evaporative cooling through the soil.’

Misters are more effective but also a little more expensive to install and the mister heads have to be removed before pruning or harvesting as they can get tangled in machinery. An automated system is used so misters will turn on and off at regular intervals. On the

Image caption: Delivering water directly to the roots and surrounding soil the night before a summer scorcher can reduce daytime canopy temperatures by as much as 5°C below ambient temperatures.

Using misters to lightly spray the canopy during the heat of the day is even more effective, dropping the temperature by 10–12°C.

hottest days, temperatures rise quickly once the misting stops.

Watering in the evening is less expensive because growers already have irrigation systems in place. All that’s needed is to install sprinklers to wet the inner and mid rows.

The water used is additional to normal irrigation because the trials show that neither technique influences soil moisture or vine water status.

Misters also are not recommended with very saline water, as salt can clog them and there is a risk of leaf burn.

Disease does not seem to be an issue, however.

‘One grower concern is increased incidence of botrytis or the mildews because you are wetting the canopy

R&Datwork • www.wineaustralia.com • February 2018

but we’re not seeing that. We’re working in the Riverland and at the Waite in Adelaide – when it gets hot enough to warrant using misters the water doesn’t stay on the fruit or leaves for very long.’

Dr Pagay said both techniques would be particularly valuable in warmer inland regions where heatwaves could be regular, long and damaging.

However, they would also be of use when growing premium fruit in any region, as any spell of hot weather could cause the loss of important aromas and flavours in the fruit. ¢ Wine Australia Industry House, cnr Botanic & Hackney Roads Adelaide SA 5000 PO Box 2733 Kent Town SA 5071 08 8228 2000 research@wineaustralia.com wineaustralia.com • 

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grapegrowing New varieties and rootstocks

The choices and challenges of climate change

Over the past five decades, the mean January temperature has gone up by more than a degree in many Australian wine regions.

Options for vineyards to deal with the trend of warmer growing conditions Climate change has emerged as one of the most confronting trends for the winegrape sector. As temperatures rise, the seasonal conditions affecting our growing regions may be shifting, challenging established ways of operating and thinking. Viticulturist Sam Bowman takes a look at what the research reveals, and offers solutions to consider for those growing vines.

W

hether it’s cyclical over millennia or has been caused specifically by human intervention since the industrial revolution, there is one undeniable fact about climate change: it’s getting hotter.

Regardless of the climate (political or temperate), there is still a need to feed the world, produce goods and for most of you readers, grow grapes and make wine for the millions of thirsty palates around the world. How do we continue to thrive and produce our vinous staples in these conditions?

Background climate data Since records commenced in the early 1900s Australia’s surface air and sea temperatures have increased by 0.9 degrees, our daytime maximum by 0.8 of a degree and overnight minimum by 1.1, not only increasing the overall temperature but reducing the diurnal shift grapevines enjoy during the growing season.

During the period between 1951 and 1980 very warm months occurred just over two per cent of the time. Between 1981 and 24 Grapegrower & Winemaker

2010 this had increased to seven per cent and over the past decade to 2018 that percentage jumped to 10, meaning the extremes are worse, and more frequent.

We have seen an increase in the frequency, duration and intensity of heatwaves across the country in the last 50 years and this has brought with it a higher incidence of bushfire threat for many viticultural regions. The length of the ‘fire season’ has steadily increased since the 1970s.

With the increase in temperatures across the nation, the markers we use to categorise a region as ‘cool climate’ have shifted for many regions with only a handful of true cool climate regions still remaining (if we classify cool climate as a mean January temperature of 19 degrees and below).

In the last 50 years the MJT of many regions has shifted upward more than a degree. Mildura has risen from 24 to 25.5 degrees Celsius, Clare Valley from 21.1 to 22.6 degrees and Naracoorte from 19.5 to 21.7 degrees, moving it from a cool to a warm climate.

These small changes can have dramatic effects on many facets

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February 2018 – Issue 649

of how we grow grapes and make wine in the country.

With these temperature shifts come changes to harvest logistics and the metabolic function of the vine as explained

by AWRI research.

Earlier and more compressed harvest times, increased sugar concentration leading to higher alcohol wines, lower natural acidity and a change to varietal characters in the resultant wines are some of the changes we will see with increased temperature.

Under extreme heat (I use 38 degrees and above as my barometer) vine metabolism may be inhibited leading to reduced metabolite accumulations which may affect wine aroma and colour.

The high sugar content created can cause yeast stress during fermentation and can increase issues with ferment co-products such as acetic acid. With low acid comes high pH and a greater need for the addition of acid and microbial control during the winemaking process. No great news on the vineyard front for an increase in surface temperature.

So, what can we do to continue to thrive under the warming sun? Through years of hard financial times in the industry, grapegrowers have become savvy at adopting cost-saving measures in irrigation management, spray application and labour costs for growing large crops on a shoestring budget.

There is only so far a budget can be tightened without a compromise in the end product and the same goes for growing under extreme conditions; there is only so much we can do from a management perspective to control the effects of warming. So, if what we are

doing on the ground can’t help, can we change what’s in the ground?

Rootstocks and clones Yalumba Nursery has been driving change in the industry since its inception in 1975. It was initially established at Angaston in the Barossa, before moving in 2001 to its present site, a purpose-built facility near Nuriootpa.

Focussing on the identification of high quality clonal material through their own source blocks and their sole Australian distribution of ENTAV-INRA selections, Yalumba have a diverse array of varietal and clonal selections available to growers.

Varieties aside, their rootstock selection programmes and research are world class, offering solutions for all manner of climates. At the head of the operation is viticulturist Nick Dry who is driving the industry toward the adoption of high health, high quality and site-specific planting material.

Having discussed the issue of climate change and the implementation of certain stocks with Dry, his first port of call was the identification of water availability at each site.

With the increase in temperatures across the nation, the markers we use to categorise a region as ‘cool climate’ have shifted for many regions

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NEW ZEALAND: 0800 367 583 FMRGROUP.CO.NZ AUSTRALIA: 1800 269 773 FMRGROUP.COM.AU Rootstock grafting at Yalumba Nursery in the Barossa Valley. Photo: Camellia Aebischer February 2018 – Issue 649

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing

“In a high rainfall year 101-14 will be a great stock, in warmer seasons with lower rainfall water management techniques will need to be employed to ensure good canopy growth,” Dry said.

“If the water source is not reliable, a different stock such as 1103 Paulsen or 110 Richter will need to be utilised and then managed for the higher rainfall seasons.”

Looking at clones and varieties, Dry suggested many options for early, mid and late ripening selections for different regions based on favourable harvesting conditions or for the management of staggered intake for large producers of mainstay varieties.

“Varieties like Grenache, Mataro and Carignan have lots of potential viticulturally with a lower incidence of shrivel than Shiraz in heatwaves, proving great alternatives,” he said.

Merlot is by far the most popular ‘unpopular’ variety in the country and Dry believes Merlot was let down by “compromised genetics and planting environments”.

With Merlot recognised around the world as a premium variety, there are a few key elements for its success.

“Adequate humidity, a soft climate and fertile soil along with improved clonal material will see success with Merlot,” he explained.

When queried on the future, Nick identified a clear shift.

“The future is non-varietal based labelling to utilise unpronounceable varieties and establishing regional blends. It put us on the map in the 80s and recently has probably held us back, [but] this will lead the way for disease resistant varieties as well.”

Dry’s last piece of advice was for anyone thinking of planting a white variety: “Just plant Albarino, its brilliant.”

International varieties Since becoming grapegrowers in the late ‘70s, and with the subsequent development of a nursery business in the late ‘80s, the Chalmers family have been drivers of innovation in the field of alternate varieties.

Nero d’Avola was first imported through the Matura group

by Jenni and Bruce Chalmers in 1998, and since then the family have become a mainstay in the discussion of varieties to suit our changing climate.

After the sale of their nursery in 2008, the Chalmers family maintained their agency with the VCR cooperative in northern Italy to continue the sale of their proprietary material to Australian growers.

26 Grapegrower & Winemaker

After a brief hiatus, Bruce and Jenni established vineyards and source blocks in Merbein in 2010 and Heathcote in 2008, and in 2016 re-launched their nursery operation specialising in the VCR and Matura material.

A new wave of Chalmers imports hit the country in 2015, many with desirable viticultural attributes for the changing vinescape.

Falanghina and Piedirosso from Campagna are exciting varieties according to winemaker Tennille Chalmers.

“Falanghina and Piedirosso have high natural acidity and are late ripening, making [them] a good option in regions with declining acids, they make approachable medium bodied wine styles without aggressive tannins.

“From our early maturity data off the mother vine, Falanghina showed a TA of 13.5 at 10 baume in mid-February in Mildura which is quite promising for acid retention purposes,” she said.

Along with declining acidity, warmer summers have also seen a decline in colour in warmer inland regions, something which is crucial for export markets.

VCR selections of Lambrusco Maestri have been popular amongst large wine companies for the deep colour, high acid, thick skins and neutral flavour.

Just ask Bruce Chalmers: “It’s bulletproof.”

With our reliance on the sale of single variety wines, blending options such as Lambrusco Maestri will become an important part of the game.

Alternative varieties have played a large part in the success story of Australian wine of late, but the big four are still accounting for the most substantial part.

According to Wine Australia data, 500,000 tonnes of Shiraz was crushed in 2017, 47% of the 1.06 million red tonnes crushed.

Shiraz was followed by Cabernet Sauvignon at 26% of the red crush, and Merlot at 12%, these three varieties alone accounting for 85% of the total red crush.

In the white department, Chardonnay is still king accounting for 42% of the total crush.

With much of our area planted to these four varieties, looking at other options in terms of clone, variety and rootstock when considering new developments is important for diversity and climate mitigation.

With further heatwaves making an impact this summer, none of us can deny the change. Like grapevines, growers are a resilient bunch and I’m sure will adapt to whatever comes their way next.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

Adaptation: a trend for rootstocks New varieties and rootstocks

Choosing a popular or alternative variety becoming a key to future growth

INNOVATION FOR GROWTH

END-OF-SEASON SPRAYER SPECIALS

There are opportunities for growers wanting to expand into less established winegrape varieties. One of the leading suppliers of clones and rootstocks to the Australian industry discloses what’s hot when it comes to varieties, and reveals what’s best for coping with heat and dry conditions. Chloe Szentpeteri reports.

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Buyers at Yalumba Nursery can choose from around 80 different rootstock varieties and up to 350 clone combinations. Photo: Camellia Aebischer

T

here are three or four rootstocks that account for around 80% of Yalumba Nursery’s market.

But the varietal options for wine grapegrowers to choose extend to around 80 different rootstock varieties, and between 300 to 350 different clone combinations.

According to the Barossa Valley vine nursery’s manager and viticulturist, Nick Dry, there’s one variety that’s been trending: Pinot Noir. The temperamental red variety has recently become the supplier’s biggest seller, knocking Shiraz from its position as the dominant variety for the first time in nearly a decade.

“I think that would be a pretty good reflection of the general industry. That’s pretty major, the fact that Pinot Noir is the February 2018 – Issue 649

most widely planted varietal,” said Dry. “It’s an indication of what’s happening in the Yarra Valley with phylloxera and replanting, what’s happening in Tasmania. It’s just a general trend toward medium bodied cooler climate red wines,

Every variety starts out as an emerging variety at some point.

Ten years ago we weren’t planting that much Pinot Noir so things change. www.winetitles.com.au

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grapegrowing

Yalumba Nursery manager Nick Dry points to a batch of grafted Paulsen rootstocks nurtured in a special mixture. Photo: Camellia Aebischer

also in places like Gippsland and Macedon. King Valley is seeing a little growth again.”

Dry added that a number of other well-established varieties were seeing stronger demand, perhaps an indication of an expanding industry.

“We’ve still got Shiraz, Cabernet, Chardonnay all starting to trend up again. Based on what we’ve seen it’s all pretty positive in the industry at the moment.

Alternatives on the move Dry said that while the nursery’s sales have been heavily skewed toward the mainstream, there have been moves toward some alternative varietals.

“The one that’s jumped up [in 2017] is Prosecco. There’s been some good demand for it, which is probably a fair reflection,” he explained

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Choosing a rootstock that’s well suited to conditions improves vine performance. Photo: Camellia Aebischer

[…] although I’m still not sure if that was in the top ten.”

“After that, there’s been a bit of Fiano, and then [demand] is spread out.

Dry said variations in the demand for existing and new grape varieties are nothing new.

“Every variety starts out as an emerging variety at some point. Ten years ago we weren’t planting that much Pinot Noir so things change.

“Sometimes it would be nice to have less complexity in our system but that’s the way it is and we want to make Australian wines more interesting and diverse, and if that means using and trialling emerging varieties then that’s it.

“We encourage that by importing all sorts of different varieties and clones, so we understand what we’re getting ourselves into,” he explained.

But he emphasised that talk about newer varieties often doesn’t relate to the reality of what’s happening on the ground.

“It’s like any trend. There’s probably more talk about it than things that really are happening.

“I would say that the amount of words written compared to the volumes supplied don’t really add up, but that’s the way it is and it creates interest; if that drives customers toward the wine industry then that’s good.

“We have to keep it exciting and keep reinventing.”

Growing difficulty With changing climatic patterns potentially steering demand toward more robust vine varieties, the lens has been widened on import options suited to Australian conditions.

Dry said while Italian varieties are known to produce larger bunches, they require a lot more work in the vineyard.

“I think that’s why there’s always been a bit of a swing toward the French varieties. They’re easier to manage typically.”

“There are varieties from the southern Rhône that we’ve imported because they’re growing in hotter dryer regions and they’re very Mediterranean. I’d say there’s plenty of opportunity with those varieties.

“Chardonnay is hugely adaptable and that’s why it’s planted all around the world and the same for Cabernet.”

But Dry said there are some Italian varieties that have drawn some positive attention.

“There might be some discussion about the suitability based on environmental conditions and some of the southern Italian varieties like Nero or Grillo or Vermentino are well adapted because of their ability to survive,” he said.

“Fiano is a great example. It can hold on to its leaf in hot conditions but it doesn’t mean they’re easy to grow, just that they’re well adapted and you need to make the distinction between those two things.

“There might be some varieties that are easy to grow but are only adapted to a narrow range of conditions,” he said.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

INNOVATION FOR GROWTH

BARREL PRUNER VSL

Researchers say producers face a choice: experiment with new varieties or risk facing the negative consequences of climate change

Warning: grow new grapes or perish Study finds that to survive climate change, vignerons need a war on terroir A new report suggests wine producers’ reluctance to try different grape varieties could work against them to overcome the challenges of changing climate patterns. In this article which originally appeared in Cosmos Magazine, Jeff Glorfeld explains why some think the concept of terroir should be left behind.

C

limate change is creating myriad challenges for the world’s farmers, including winegrape growers.

Vignerons may be able to overcome some obstacles by planting grape varieties that are better suited to altered vineyard conditions but before this can happen, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change, scientists and winemakers alike need to better understand the wide diversity of grapes and their suitability to different climates.

A significant stumbling block in convincing wine producers to try different grape varieties is the cherished concept of terroir, says the report’s author, climate change biologist Elizabeth Wolkovich from Harvard University in the United States.

Terroir is the belief that a wine’s character is a reflection of where and how the specific varieties of grapes were grown. Thus, only certain traditional or existing varieties are part of each terroir, leaving little room for change.

“There’s a real issue in the premier wine-growing regions, that historical February 2018 – Issue 649

terroir is what makes great wine, and if you acknowledge in any way that you have climate change, you acknowledge that your terroir is changing,” Wolkovich said.

“So, in many of those regions there is not much of an appetite to talk about changing varieties.”

She believes wine producers now face a choice: proactively experiment with new varieties, or risk suffering the negative consequences of climate change.

“With continued climate change, certain varieties in certain regions will start to fail – that’s my expectation,” she said.

In February 2017, Wolkovich told a Harvard-organised conference called Global Food + that research from 2014 indicates global warming would see winegrape production move into northern Europe and locations along the Canadian-US border, but that, “we don’t expect to be able to grow winegrapes by the end of the century in large parts of Italy, much of Spain, and some of our favourite regions of France, including Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone and Burgundy.” www.winetitles.com.au

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grapegrowing

Large parts of traditional growing regions such as France’s Burgundy may not be able to grow grapes by the end of the century.

In this latest report, she challenges wine producers to start thinking of varietal diversity.

“Maybe the grapes grown widely today were the ones that are easiest to grow and tasted the best in historical climates, but I think we’re missing a lot of great grapes better suited for the future,” she said.

However, even if an appetite for change existed, she added, researchers don’t yet have enough data to say whether other varieties would be able to adapt to climate change.

“Part of what this paper sets up is the question of how much more do we need to know if we want to understand whether there is enough diversity in this crop to adapt wine regions to climate change in place,” said study co-author Ignacio Morales-Castilla, a Fellow at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, who investigates winegrape varieties and their adaptability under climate change.

“Right now we know we have this diversity, but we have little information on how to use it,” he said.

“One of our other suggestions is for growers to start setting aside parts of vineyards to grow some other varieties to see which ones are working.”

In Europe, Wolkovich said growers have the advantage of tremendous diversity.

They have more than 1000 grape varieties to choose from, research repositories such as the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, and expertise in how to grow different varieties. Yet strict labelling laws have created restrictions

on their ability to take advantage of this diversity.

For example, just three varieties of grapes can be labelled as wine from Champagne and four for Burgundy.

Similar restrictions have been enacted in many European regions – all of which force growers to focus on a small handful of grape varieties.

“The more you are locked into what you have to grow, the less room you have to adapt to climate change,” Wolkovich said.

“So there’s this big pool of knowledge, and massive diversity, growers have maintained an amazing amount of genetic and climatic response diversity ... but if they changed those laws in any way in relation to climate change, that’s acknowledging that the terroir of the region is changing, and many growers don’t want to do that.”

Winegrowers in other parts of the world, meanwhile, must grapple with the opposite problem: there are few, if any, restrictions on which grape varieties may be grown in a given region, but growers have little experience with the diverse – and potentially more adaptable – varieties of grapes available.

Just 12 varieties account for more than 80% of the grapes grown in Australian vineyards, Wolkovich said, and Cabernet Sauvignon comprises more than 75% of all the winegrapes grown in China, chiefly because these are the wines consumers want to buy.

Cameron Leith, a second-generation Australian winemaker from the Passing

Certain grape varieties may start to fail in certain regions due to a changing climate.

30 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

Clouds winery, near Daylesford in western Victoria, helped his father move their original operation almost 120 kilometres south, from north-west Victoria to its present location, about seven years ago.

Drought and climate change were major factors leading to commercially unsustainable crop yields, he said.

Leith believes Australia is well placed to experiment with new or different grape varietals.

With continued climate change, certain varieties in certain regions will start to fail – that’s my expectation - Elizabeth Wolkovich

“We have the freedom here to plant whatever varieties we think will work best for our sites, both now and in the future,” he said.

“I believe there are many Australian grapegrowers already doing this, and we have plenty more that are well placed to do so. Perhaps all it would take is an extra push, such as further research – particularly into the costs to growers of the wrong varieties in the wrong place – as well as education by our grape and wine organisations.”

Wolkovich added: “They have all the freedom in the world to import new varieties and think about how to make great wines from a grape variety you’ve never heard of, but they’re not doing it because the consumer hasn’t heard of it. We’ve been taught to recognise the varieties we think we like.”

Jeff Glorfeld is a former senior editor of The Age, and is now a freelance journalist based in regional Victoria.

T hi s article appears courtesy of Cosmos Magazine www.cosmosmagazine.com February 2018 – Issue 649

A cool change New varieties and rootstocks

A ‘new wave’ of Tasmanian winegrape producers explore cool-climate varietal options

Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice took over their Sinapius Vineyard more than a decade ago. Their four hectare site features Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and an array of other vines suited to the region’s cool conditions. Now, as Mark Smith reports, the vignerons are off to Europe in search of potential alternative coolclimate varieties, and wine styles, to establish in Tasmania.

L

ike many of his winemaking peers, Vaughn Dell’s journey into wine has included some memorable deviations from life’s straight and narrow.

He’s surfed breaks during vintage at Margaret River; shared Cru Fleurie with industry ‘young guns’ in Beaujolais; and has even had a wayward encounter with French gendarmarie.

But nothing will compare with the day Dell and his partner Linda Morice took up ownership of their Sinapius Vineyard

at Pipers Brook back in February 2005.

The couple were then just 23 years of age, virtually ‘newbies’ with limited knowledge and practical experience of cool climate viticulture in north-east Tasmania.

Morice was a recent occupational therapy graduate; Dell was a former professional footballer and AFL schools development officer.

Their property had once belonged to the Richardson family – founders of Delamere Vineyard – and had been

Vaughn Dell with his vineyard’s Gamay vines

planted to 2.5ha of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the mid-1990s by owner Richard Crabtree, brother of Clare Valley winemaker Robert Crabtree.

Twelve years on, Sinapius lays claim to a small onsite winery and four hectares of vines, comprising 14 clonal selections of Pinot Noir, 11 clones of Chardonnay, nine clones of Riesling, together with a smattering of Pinot Gris, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Gamay.

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31

grapegrowing

Sinapius Vineyard. Photo: Chris Crerar

further additions being made to the site.

Their identities are yet to be determined. Dell is in planning mode right now, and will leave for Europe mid-year as the 2017 winner of the Dr Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Fellowship. Established in 2011, the Tasmanian award is an initiative of the Hobart-based Alcorso Foundation, a notfor-profit organisation set up in 2001 to provide support to the arts, environment and social justice in the State following the death of wine industry pioneer and Moorilla Estate founder, Claudio Alcorso.

Industry peak body Wine Tasmania is a fellowship partner.

Martin and Alcorso crossed paths in the early 1960s when both men were involved with the CSIRO in Tasmania – Martin as its officer-in-charge; Alcorso as a member of its State management committee. Their close personal friendship led Martin to become Moorilla Estate’s inaugural

winemaker in 1965, a position he held until wines of the 1983 vintage were bottled.

Investigating alternatives Dell said he will use the Fellowship’s $10,000 bursary to travel to Europe postvintage to investigate the potential for alternative cool-climate grape varieties and wine styles to be established in Tasmania. For almost all of the industry’s brief history – 60 years – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have been its dominant varieties. Promising new varieties may well add further strings to the island’s already impressive bow.

“My study will have a strong emphasis placed on organic and biodynamic viticultural practices, and minimal input or natural winemaking techniques,” Dell explained.

“Linda and I intend to visit producers in Austria, Germany, and France – growers and makers who work in low-

Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice with their family on Sinapuis Vineyard

32 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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impact ways – in order to learn more about their practices, and to assess their potential for viticulture in Tasmania. We also intend to visit a vineyard machinery manufacturer in Germany, Niko, that specialises in narrow, low-compaction, tracked vineyard tractors. We’ll also be going to Boisselet and Faupin, in France, to investigate mechanical soil cultivation equipment, particularly for providing under-vine weed management.”

Dell may have started as a vineyard novice back in 2005 but the knowledge and experience he has gained over the years will serve him well in Europe.

Sinapius has developed a small but intensely passionate following over the past decade, with their number including renowned UK author and Master of Wine, Jancis Robinson O.B.E. “Wines produced by Vaughn Dell and Linda Morice from Sinapius have an intensity that transcends the norm,” Robinson observed back in 2012.

Consumers and industry peers close to the couple will not have been surprised by such a glowing accolade. Dell’s modus operandi has transcended the norm from the moment their ambitious Sinapius project was first conceived.

The fledgling enterprise was initially funded through the sale of small parcels of estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay before winery space and bottling arrangements for the 2006 vintage were secured at Holm Oak Vineyard in the Tamar Valley.

Subsequent developments have turned the couple’s vineyard operation into a viticultural showpiece, underpinned by low-impact and environmentally sustainable work practices. A large proportion of the property’s original plantings have either been removed and replaced by clonal selections intended to limit vine yields or have been subjected February 2018 – Issue 649

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grapegrowing to re-trellising and significant changes to canopy management – or both. In many parts of the vineyard, the changes have resulted in vine and row spacings being reduced, and row orientations being altered by 90 degrees.

“Our original terraced blocks of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were set at a planting density of 3636 vines/ha,” Dell said.

“In 2006, we removed 0.8ha of underperforming vines and began replanting new high quality, low yielding clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties. This new block is planted at a high density of 1.3m x 1.0m (7700 vines/ha) with some sections planted at 1.3m x 0.75m (10250 vines/ha).

“Our aim is to achieve greater expression of our site within these blocks. Yields per vine are capable of being more carefully managed, with many currently averaging less than 500 grams per vine. Vintage usually occurs between late March and late April, depending on the season.”

Dell said another new block was commenced in 2010, and is shaped like an amphitheatre, wrapping around the property’s hillside from northeast to east.

In addition to being densely-planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it has small amounts of Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Gamay.

Field blends A white field blend created from this source is marketed each vintage as Sinapius Clem Blanc. Its fruit is all handpicked at the same time, with the site’s very low yields providing an intense concentration of flavours. Winemaking techniques employed include whole bunch pressing, with some parcels being crushed instead and then left on skins for 48 hours. Co-fermentation with indigenous yeasts, time on lees, maturation in used 500-litre puncheons, and malolactic fermentation are also used to varying degrees, with winemaking approaches being driven by wine grape composition and Dell’s desire to create wines that are

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34 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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February 2018 – Issue 649

complex and textural on the palate.

“The fact that this sheltered block has an advantage of greater protection from the prevailing wind when compared with the rest of the vineyard is a real bonus for us, as it gives us earlier ripeness and maturation and far greater flexibility in winemaking,” Dell added.

Field blends, by their very nature, reward producers with additional benefits. They provide a form of insurance in the face of adverse vintage conditions – factors that compromise the vineyard behaviour of one variety may just as easily enhance the performance of another variety planted nearby.

A red wine sibling – labelled Esme Rouge – is crafted from 100% estate grown Gamay. Four clones of the variety were planted in 2011 to provide an early drinking wine style with moderate to low alcohol.

It also has the capacity to ripen ahead of Pinot Noir, a significant consideration given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events that are being predicted to accompany climate change as it takes place across the world’s wine regions.

“The joy of having Gamay is being able to take the fruit off when we want to, which is not always the case with Pinot Noir at Pipers Brook,” Dell mused.

Limited first-hand experience on site indicates the variety breaks bud around the same time as Chardonnay.

Sinapius’s top wine is a 100% estategrown Pinot Noir that is labelled La Clairiére (‘the clearing’ in French). Rather than being sourced from the vineyard’s oldest vines, this wine comes from seven clonal selections of Pinot Noir planted in 20102011. Vine density is 7700 vines/ha.

“The block is north facing and the soils there differ markedly from our other Pinot Noir blocks, as they are composed of a duplex soil with ironstone gravels over micaceous siltstone clay, together with plenty of quartz,” Dell said.

“We’re really excited by the performance of this block. It’s barely five years old and it’s already producing better wine than we’ve been able to make from our 20 year old vines.”

A second premium Pinot Noir wine takes the name Enclave. This pays homage to a vineyard block that is positioned in what Dell believes is the prized northeast facing mid-slope of the property. Vine density there varies between 7700 vines/ha and 10250 vines/ha, with 12 different clonal selections of Pinot Noir doing the heavy lifting. Soils on the block are the ubiquitous red Ferrosols of the Pipers Brook region, and are derived

Promising new varieties may well add further strings to the island’s already impressive bow. from volcanic basalt deposits that are over 10 million years old.

Exactly what may result from the couple’s impending European sojourn only time will tell. UK writer and wine critic Sarah Amed is but one observer already keen to find out: “Having visited Sinapius in 2012 and 2016 on my third visit to Tasmania (the first in 2004), I was deeply impressed by Vaughn’s and Linda’s pursuit of excellence and innovation in the vineyard and the winery. They are at the vanguard of a new wave of Tasmanian born and bred artisanal grape to glass producers – an exciting, very newsworthy development,” she reported at the end of 2017.

Dell’s fellowship experiences and findings are to be presented at a Tasmanian wine industry field day to be held in late 2018.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

35

grapegrowing

Hot topic for local growers New powdery mildew chemistry anticipated for 2018 When new chemistry makes its way from initial discovery, through the research and development (R&D) pipeline and then to the grower, it is indeed exciting. It’s a process that can take more than 10 years!

From a R&D company’s perspective, the new active should be a standout. It’s initially picked up in large screening trials with thousands of other chemical compounds. It’s then tested over many years for its action, activity and safety to the environment.

Tens of thousands of potential active ingredients drop away in the process. Once it has overcome those substantial hurdles, the best formulation is then developed to meet the needs of growers. The new product needs to be easily diluted in the spray tank to give a homogenous solution, which gives uniform spray coverage and delivers active to the target. Compatibility with other products and crop safety are also major considerations in formulation choice.

Then it comes down to what manufacturing techniques will be employed before the product can be commercially released.

With such large costs and long development timelines, it is small wonder that only a handful of truly unique products are introduced each year across the globe.

As one of the few remaining R&D companies, it’s clear to Syngenta that any new crop protection product needs to have either a clear rotational fit or deliver significant benefits in biological efficacy, or both, over existing products to be worth all that effort.

From Syngenta’s R&D pipeline comes the anticipated release of the new fungicide MIRAVIS®, containing the new Adepidyn® technology, and currently under Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) review. MIRAVIS is a powdery mildew specialist providing exceptional control of powdery mildew in grape vines.

Syngenta has run Australian trials over the past few years leading up to the product launch in 2018. Demonstration trials have shown how well MIRAVIS performs under what can only be described as extreme disease conditions.

For more information or to see the demonstration trials, contact your local agronomist/viticulturist or Syngenta Territory Sales Representative. Trials this season are based in South Australia’s Riverland and Adelaide Hills and in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. Sites are located so they are within relatively easy reach of airports.

Vine Talk is compiled by Dave Antrobus, Syngenta Solutions Development Lead dave.antrobus@syngenta.com 0429 133 436 36 Grapegrower & Winemaker

NSW Department of Primary Industries viticultural development officer, Adrian Englefield, checks new sap flow meters and dendrometers in one of the Riverina vineyards.

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ineyard management in heatwaves is the focus of a new project to better understand vine stress during hot conditions.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Wine Australia and Riverina Wine Grapes Marketing Board project is exploring the potential of new technology to inform irrigation decisions which could help better manage grapevines in the heat.

NSW DPI viticultural development officer, Adrian Englefield, said new sap flow meters and dendrometers have been installed at two Riverina vineyards, in partnership with Edaphic Scientific.

“We are monitoring vine stress in Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay varieties at temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and higher,” Englefield said.

“This project aims to identify the point where vines could benefit from better informed management decisions.

“Generally sap flow is highest during the day when plants are actively transpiring and minimal at night when little or no transpiration occurs.

“We are measuring sap flow trends and comparing them during the growing season.

“Any reductions in sap flow during extreme weather events, compared with baseline measurements, can indicate vine stress.

“Dendrometers measure tiny changes in trunk diameter - a healthy vine has a smooth dendrometer cycle where trunks expand during the day and shrink at night when transpiration has ceased.”

Coupled with soil moisture information, canopy temperature and humidity sensors, the pilot project aims to monitor vine stress under different irrigation schedules during the hot summer months.

As part of Wine Australia’s Regional Program in the Riverina, NSW DPI has run grower workshops exploring management options and technologies which are available to mitigate extreme heatwave events Information from the workshops, including NSW DPI’s viticulture activities in all NSW wine regions is available via the DPI email newsletter VineWatch.

Live data from the heatwave management project and information about vineyard management is available online: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/grapes

www.winetitles.com.au

February 2018 – Issue 649

Something special to offer Growers’ optimism rising in Central Otago’s Alexandra Basin NZ-based wine writer Shaughn Jenkins taps into the passion of local producers in a developing corner of Central Otago to discover the bright future that’s ahead for the sub-region’s grape and wine industry.

The St. Laurent grape variety, popular in central Europe, was planted at Judge Rock Vineyard

L

ong held as one of the southern-most bastions of wine production on the planet, New Zealand’s Alexandra Basin is rising out of isolation with a bevy of revitalised vineyards, new wine brands and an increasingly obvious sub-regional character.

In the last ten years, the amount of planted vineyards in the region has grown from a few dozen to nearly 200, with much of the expansion centred around the town of Cromwell and the large glacial basin surrounding it and neighbouring Lake Dunston.

While Cromwell Basin may be the current home of 70% of Central Otago’s producers, as well as the focus of much of the current industry growth and funding, the nearby Alexandra Basin features boutique vignerons toiling away in a unique range of micro-climates that differentiate them from the rest of the region’s many wine grapegrowers.

The basin has several unique geographical features with the depression ringed by eight different mountain ranges, and cut in two by the mighty Clutha River, the longest in the South Island.

February 2018 – Issue 649

Vines are to be found on both sides of the river, but with only around 25 producers in Alexandra Basin (despite the first vines being planted here in the 1970s around the same time the first Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in Marlborough), there is still plenty of room for growth.

Economic hardships in the 80s made founding a vineyard a tough financial choice for many, and as such it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the region found its footing, though this was upset somewhat by New Zealand’s 2008-2012 recessions that led to the bankruptcy of several new and long-standing winegrowers.

With new owners (almost all them New Zealanders) on board with fresh ideas, Alexandra is now poised to make waves again as a serious wine-producing sub-region of Central Otago.

The word from producers such as Sue and Paul Keast of Grey Ridge Vineyard (formerly Greylands Ridge), is that there is a true optimism that their vineyards and those of their neighbours have something special to offer.

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grapegrowing

The Alexandra Basin’s rock escarpments retain warmth in the soil forcing vines to dig deep for nutrients.

“The Basin structure here in Alex gives us clear, bright days that provide incredible luminosity for ripening, and crisp, cold nights to preserve acidity. That’s just the climate you want for northern European grapes, particularly those of Alsace: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and, of course, Pinot Noir,” Grant said.

“Spectacular schist rock escarpments litter the landscape, with the rock retaining warmth in the soil and forcing the vines to dive deep into the ground looking for nutrients.

“I think if you really dig around here, you’ll find dozens more sites with huge potential for quality wine production,” he said.

It is clear that there is a passion to this feisty little area, which is exactly what it takes to push a wine region to the forefront of the consumers’ memory.

Distinct character

Paul Keast at Grey Ridge Vineyard

“Alexandra Basin has colder nights for grapegrowing than anywhere else in New Zealand, which is crucial for retaining natural acids as the grapes ripen, yet the days can get hotter than anywhere else in the country too, and it’s this tension between hot and cold that really brings with it flavour development and the classic red-fruit characters native to quality Pinot Noir,” said Sue Keast.

Similar sentiments can be heard from the owner/winemaker of Shaky Bridge vineyards, David Grant, whose family was one of the first to produce wine in Central Otago with their William Hill vineyards.

Growing up amongst the vines and with over 20 years of experience in winemaking, Grant (NZ Winemaker of the Year finalist in 2005), is keen to see more exposure and growth for the Alexandra Basin, which he believes has its own story to tell.

Alexandra Basin has colder nights for grapegrowing than anywhere else in New Zealand, which is crucial for retaining natural acids as the grapes ripen - Sue Keast.

38 Grapegrower & Winemaker

The wines of Alexandra have been shown to be distinct when compared to the hundreds of others around Central Otago.

The Grey Ridge Reserve Pinot Noir 2015, for example, displays lively aromatic notes of raspberry, blueberry, and thyme, while the Three Miners ‘Wardens Court’ Pinot Noir 2015 brought forth maraschino cherry, cranberry and sage, showcasing a subregional profile of red fruits and dried herb characteristics.

This profile was not limited to aroma with each of the wines containing a more Burgundian earth-red hue, instead of the dark, brooding purple colours of the wines from the Bendigo subregion, for example.

Acidity levels in the wines were also taut and fine-tuned, like the strings of a harp, and rang out just as true on the palate.

While Pinot Noir is the primary focus here, as it is in the entirety of Central Otago, there is room for experimentation: Paul and Angela Jacobson from Judge Rock Vineyard, introduced the St. Laurent grape to the mountainous landscape. “[The variety] must seem familiar to the variety, as it originally hails from Austria,” noted Paul Jacobson.

This wine, though produced only in limited amounts, has already made waves outside New Zealand with the newly released 2013 and 2014 vintages both winning silver medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

It will take the further development of wine-based tourism, as well as significant investment and marketing to truly bring Alexandra Basin in line with the excellent growth of the rest of the Central Otago wine industry, though with passionate producers, the future is looking bright.

www.winetitles.com.au

February 2018 – Issue 649

TIME FOR A CHANGE? If you’re thinking about diversifying your vineyard, why not speak to Chalmers?

With over 30 years experience in viticulture, nurseries and wine, 2014 Gourmet Traveller WINE Viticulturists of the Year The Chalmers Family are propagating once more from a new boutique nursery operation at their Merbein vineyard.

Working exclusively with the proprietary clones and varieties they have imported from Italy themselves including 11 new releases in 2017, Chalmers can offer top quality dormant field grown and container grown grafted vines or rootlings. They can also provide expert advice on the viticulture specifics of these varieties and share useful winemaking insights on most varieties and clones having 15 vintages under their belt.

The Chalmers attention to detail, plant quality and customer care as well as free preorder consultancy and after sales service are all part of the package. Biosecurity is a high priority so health of source blocks is monitored frequently. All orders can be despatched with a virus status certificate, and if required hot water treatment and a plant health certificate, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

For more information or to place an order visit the nursery pages at www.chalmers.com.au email nursery@chalmers.com.au or phone Bruce on 0419 807 283

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grapegrowing

Are mature grafted vines under-performing?

Rootstock performance changing over time Researchers in South Australia have raised questions about whether the yield of older grafted grape vines may be diminished over time. In this article originally published by Wine Australia, it’s revealed there could be implications for growers and nurseries when it comes to choosing rootstock.

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ine changes with age and it appears that rootstocks may as well. Research in South Australia’s Riverland, Langhorne Creek and Limestone Coast regions has revealed differences over time in the yield rankings and the salt exclusion performance of a variety of mature grafted vines when compared with their younger selves.

Research leader Tim Pitt, from PIRSA’s South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), says the findings present some interesting questions and may lead growers and nurseries to rethink some of their rootstock selections and recommendations now that long-term performance data are available.

SARDI’s long history with rootstock investigations has been made possible through both government and wine sector funding. During the 1970s and ’80s, and into the early ’90s, the then South Australian Department of Agriculture (now PIRSA) made a significant commitment to investigate the potential for Photo credit: Tim Pitt, SARDI rootstocks to enhance the performance of both grape and citrus crops.

In the case of viticulture, more than 50 replicated rootstock trials were established across the state’s main wine regions.

The performance of multiple varieties grafted to more than 30 rootstock genotypes was measured over the next 5–10 years and Mark Skewes supervising yield assessment during one of the historic the results have formed the basis of rootstock selection decisions rootstock comparison trials. ever since.

The work had not been revisited until Mr Pitt and SARDI colleagues revisited one of the historic trial sites on the Limestone recent SARMS project, he and colleague Mark Skewes visited Coast and ‘got a sense that things are changing’. nine sites in the Riverland and three in Langhorne Creek.

“We were getting a different yield trend than had been reported They did so with an open mind and a simple question: the in the first six years of life of the vines and we saw in other work, advice going out to growers is based on data and trends measured suggestions that the salt exclusion properties for some rootstocks decades ago, but are those data and trends the same? were also changing as the vines aged,” he said.

“The answer is that some change is happening,” Pitt said.

“We knew we had rootstock trials in their third or fourth “Yield performance is not as stable as we would previously decade of productive life, managed under commercial situations, have thought; some rootstocks are showing altered salt exclusion so we thought it would be worth going back and comparing properties; others are suggesting greater tolerance to dieback current performance with the data collected in those early years.” than expected. The long-term performance of grafted vines is The Riverland was an obvious place to do the work, given that certainly worth looking at in more detail.”

75% of new vineyards in the region incorporate rootstocks into The latest report provides detailed findings about the their plantings, and funding for the project – which included performance of specific rootstock by scion combinations in the both wine grapes and citrus – was provided under the South Riverland and Langhorne Creek. While results are specific to Australian River Murray Sustainability program (SARMS). the regions studied, there are implications for other regions and Mr Pitt did worry that he might not be able to find enough of vineyards where rootstocks are – or may become – an important the old trial sites still intact, given that all had been handed over part of producing quality fruit for the Australian wine sector. to host irrigators to manage as commercial plantings, but his Further information can be found by using Wine Australia’s fears proved unfounded and the owners were receptive. In their online Rootstock selector tool at http://grapevinerootstock.com/ 40 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

February 2018 – Issue 649

SUPPLIER UPDATE

Analytics software powers profits for NZ producers

I

nnovative wine industry analytics business nzwine metrics is unlocking new profitability for New Zealand wine producers with analytics to help them achieve the best possible price for their wines within the direct to international consumer channel (DTIC).

Partnering with Mero, a specialist in business analytics solutions based on Microsoft software and tools, nzwinemetrics is rapidly gaining traction with vineyards around the country.

The nzwinemetrics analytics business originated out of nzwinehome, a company that makes it easy for vineyards to export direct to consumers. nzwinehome provides a complete packaging and delivery service for producers, including managing customs, taxes and all other requirements of the destination country.

Its founder, Grant Rimmer, worked with Manager Geoff Wilson to form nzwinemetrics to blend direct wine sales

data with export and tourism industry data, finding overlaps that clarify market trends and answer critical questions for producers.

Underselling, in both price and volume, is the most common scenario, Wilson said.

“For example, Australia is our largest DTIC market at approximately 40%. If a vineyard is only at 30%, why? Are they not marketing correctly to the Australian market, or not capitalising on closing opportunities?”

Most New Zealand wine producers don’t have in-house analysts, so nzwinemetrics sells information on a subscription basis along with other bespoke DTIC sales advisory services.

“We’re not data or tech specialists – we partnered with Mero to select the right analytics solution and align it to our software. This includes full support with data cleansing, extraction and analysis.”

Mero extracts and transforms raw data using a variety of tools – including

open source tools to reduce cost. Mero then loads the cleansed data into a cloudbased Microsoft Azure database and uses Microsoft Power BI and SQL Server for reporting.

Rimmer recently presented to vineyards on varietal values and said 85% of the New Zealand wine industry traditional exports is Sauvignon Blanc.

“Pinot Noir is number one, followed by merlots/cabernet blends and Chardonnay.

People want what they can’t buy back home,” he said. “[…] Technology now enables producers to build ongoing sales relationships, lasting long after the consumers’ initial visit to their winery.”

Rimmer said it’s this extended sales opportunity that really helps producers achieve a worthwhile return on their commitment and investment to wine tourism.

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The Newsletter of Australian Vignerons

February 2018

Problem? What problem?

This is the first Australian Winegrower article following the Christmas and New Year break. It is at this time of the year that many people commit, however briefly to New Year resolutions after some soul searching and personal examination of the past year. Many New Year resolutions have a very brief shelf life, and the intent may not be matched by the commitment needed for change. The discipline of selfassessment is the hard part.

Australian Vignerons is no different.

At the end of 2016 we issued public statements that in the absence of solid and ongoing support AV might not be viable in the longer term. While things have stabilised somewhat, and our existing members are solid in support of the work being done, there is much improvement needed for AV to better represent the interest of growers and makers of wine across the nation.

Most of the challenges that the wine sector faces are common to growers and winemakers. Any challenge to the profitability of a wine maker, wine company or grape buyer will have a negative impact on the value of wine grapes. It is for this reason that AV signed an MOU with the Winemakers’ Federation to work more collaboratively in facing these common challenges.

There has been a clear message from the Federal Government for some time that in order for it to be able to work with an industry, there needs to be a clear understanding of who they are talking to. If there are multiple messages or differing messages coming from different parts of that sector, then the government will either make its own decision in isolation of industry advice, or will be forced with the option of “picking a winner”. This would be termed “a courageous decision” in “Yes Minister”

terms. As the TV series suggested, not many Ministers enjoy being in the position where they are forced to make courageous decisions.

There is a good example of what happens with unclear or garbled messages to government. The complete shut down of live cattle exports was executed on June 7 2011, following adverse publicity in a Four Corners report on the ABC. The volume of public outrage to this story was unprecedented according to a quote attributed to Joel Fitzgibbon, MP, reported in The Weekly Times as saying “…the more I’ve studied history, the more I’ve realised that really the Government was faced with two options: to do nothing or to do everything.”

The resulting complete shut down of the live export cattle trade came at the worst possible time in Northern Australia, with

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many cattle producers in the midst of mustering. There was no alternative outlet for these cattle, and there was no capacity in the domestic market to absorb the lost market. The loss of sales had a flow-on effect to other allied industries including helicopter pilots, transport operators and stock feed providers.

The rural and regional affairs report into consolidation of the red meat sector makes interesting reading in this regard.

The report claims, among other problems, the core responsibilities of the various peak meat industry councils at the time were unclear and not well understood.

It also includes the observation that “industry structures and roles are not functioning as originally envisaged”, and “…as previously noted, the committee found that CCA is both under-funded and under-resourced, and is therefore hamstrung in its ability to undertake its roles and responsibilities, and meet its obligations under the MOU.” If this does not sound familiar, it should.

The best intentions and goodwill of a small number of hard-working people may not carry the day when the chips are down. It is characteristic of primary producer peak bodies, those supporting them, and their members that the immediate reaction when times are tough is to “cut the cloth to suit”. While reducing expenses is often necessary, if it reduces the capacity of the advocacy body to fulfil its primary role of ensuring that the industry has a voice and good relations with government then the real viability of that organisation must be questioned.

While AV is currently in a more comfortable financial position than it was at this time last year, there is still a long way to go before it can be claimed that it is financially secure. As we have stated many times before, the less financially secure AV is, the greater the potential vulnerability of industry stakeholders to negative outcomes. In the case of AV, as we are responsible for advocacy and biosecurity, this may mean that members are vulnerable to ill-considered policy being implemented at federal level, or problems relating to a biosecurity incursion.

WINE AND HEALTH Just prior to Christmas there was a rekindling of the activity of anti-alcohol groups following the release of the consultation draft of the National Alcohol Strategy 2018-2026. Much of the media coverage, and comment from anti-alcohol groups such as FARE revolved around revisiting arguments to ensure high prices for all alcohol, and aiming primarily at low priced wine. Given the lack of traction in advocating for higher taxes on wine, some have suggested that it is time to consider establishing a floor price for alcohol. A floor price would be within the remit of State Governments, and would involve legislating a minimum unit price (MUP) based on alcohol content.

We must be prepared to act responsibly, but also to defend our sector against poorly crafted or illconsidered populist policies that would have a massive negative impact on the wine sector for no discernible gains The discussion paper itself has some worrying signs. These include the following: • The paper makes no distinction between those who consume at problem or risky levels and the vast majority of moderate, responsible consumers; • There is no recognition of the work done by industry in addressing irresponsible alcohol consumption.

The wine sector was one of the founding members of Drinkwise, and many wine companies voluntarily include pregnancy warnings on wine labels, and support many other responsible consumption initiatives;

• From the viewpoint of the wine sector, it is a concern that there is no distinction between wine and other beverages, with the assumption that “alcohol is alcohol”. This contravenes ample evidence that wine has markedly different patterns of production and consumption than beer and spirits, and therefore has different outcomes from pricing signals that other beverage industries; • Reducing alcohol consumption on a “population-wide” basis does not target measures where the problems are – at heavy and risky drinkers.

Indeed, population-wide measures are most likely to impact on price sensitive moderate drinkers.

• The paper states that the alcohol beverage industry has a responsibility for achieving good health and social outcomes, but it specifically excludes industry involvement in the proposed future governance arrangements. The stakeholders with most skin in the game are therefore specifically excluded from the decision-making process.

Anti-alcohol lobby groups have been unsuccessful in trying to install a more punitive taxation regime on wine. One would hope that this is because Federal Governments have been aware of the massive negative impact and disruption that this would cause. This concept would involve State Governments enforcing a minimum price for alcoholic beverages based on the alcohol content. The only beneficiaries would be retailers, who would effectively have higher margins dictated by law. There would be no extra revenue for governments to direct toward health and social outcomes. The Alcohol Beverage Association notes that the only place in the world that has trialled minimum unit pricing is British Colombia, where there have been negative rather than positive results.

Some of the proposed changes from minimum unit pricing could have the impact of increasing the price of a wine cask from around twelve dollars to forty five dollars. Clearly imposing a 275% price increase on a product would carry a fair amount of sticker shock. The resulting drop in sales of wine would

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flow on to a reduced demand for fruit, and likely redirection of oversupply into the export market, with a disruption to the export supply and demand causing a drop in value for the Australian category.

Secondary impacts could be expected on allied and associated businesses, such as packaging and bottling providers, fertilizer and chemical resellers, transport operators, and marketing companies. Because wine production is predominantly located in rural and regional areas, it would be expected that many regional economies would suffer.

Previous modelling of the impacts of an excise tax suggested that thousands of jobs in direct and indirect industries would be at risk from such changes in price. This is not an issue that can be taken lightly.

A contraction in the scale of the wine sector would lead to a reduction in the research and development levy and marketing levies collected. There would be less funding available for advocacy to represent growers and winemakers at state and national level in particular.

These funds are already in short supply, and the operation of Australian Vignerons would be further impacted.

While these negative impacts may seem terrible to contemplate, that is not the worst outcome likely from a massive disruption from punitive taxation or MUP type scheme. The worst outcome would be the realisation, all too late, that these measures would not deliver the claimed benefits in addressing the unwanted antisocial and health outcomes from alcohol abuse. The best available data from National Drug Strategy Household Surveys (NDSHS) shows that people are consuming less alcohol now that at any other time in the past 60 years. Young people are waiting longer until they have their first alcoholic drink, and they are, in general terms, drinking at risky levels less frequently.

More people are abstaining completely from alcohol, in particular pregnant and breast-feeding mothers. Cask wine, the main target of the proposed punitive taxation and pricing strategies has been decreasing in popularity, from a point in the ‘80s where two-thirds of domestic wine sales were in cask format, to a much lower level today. There is no evidence of a widespread alcohol

epidemic in the country, much less cask wine being heavily involved, and there is strong evidence that the health messages are cutting through. This does not prevent the regular calls for increases in tax on wine from anti-alcohol lobby groups, and this is a challenge that the wine sector continues to face.

BIOSECURITY The Australian Winegrower regularly includes updates about biosecurity, and the important place that it carries in the priorities of its members and the wine sector as a whole. It has also been made clear that the challenge that the wine sector faces with possible incursions of unwanted diseases, pests and pathogens is increasing. The increasing global movement of people and goods with increasing tourism and trade carries with it an increase in the risk that a biosecurity threat may enter the country undetected.

The wine industry, like all agriculture, effectively has a living balance sheet, and any damage to the health or viability of the national vineyard carries with it the concept of a reduction in the capacity or value of our production base.

Recently there have been a number of detections of brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) entering the country. This insect is a threat to a number of fruit,

food and fibre industries and the wine industry is one. Should BMSB proliferate in vineyards there is a chance that it might be collected in the fruit sample during mechanical harvesting operations. The stink bug, as the name suggests, has many off-flavours, and there is potential that there would be spoilage of wine and development of off-flavours that might be caused by the presence of the insect. We are therefore grateful that it is not present in Australia. If this insect was widespread in our wine producing areas, additional control measures would be needed that might require unwanted, broad spectrum insecticides that we currently do not need; and it would certainly attract an increase in the cost of production.

One of the detections of this bug was made when a shipping container was being unpacked in a suburban warehouse. The insects were noticed by a diligent employee, and the biosecurity authorities were notified. Subsequently the warehouse was fumigated, and the surrounding area was inspected to make sure that no insects escaped and established in the area. The State biosecurity agency also ran an awareness campaign on social media and doorknocked homes across the surrounding area to ask residents to maintain a lookout for BMSB.

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A chemical company expert told me that the investment required for new product is around 350 million Swiss Francs. Given the massive investment and time lag involved, chemical companies must have confidence in regulatory authorities that they are able to recoup that investment, and that chemical policy is grounded on evidence and pragmatism. That is clearly not the case at present.

THE COMMON THREAD…

On this occasion there is no reason to suspect that there were any bugs that escaped to establish and threaten the wine sector or other industries. It does demonstrate how easily something might be able to “slip through the net”, and it shows the ongoing challenges that the biosecurity jurisdictions at State and Federal level face in their daily task of addressing these challenges.

As one of the industries potentially impacted by BMSB, part of the cost of this recent response will need to be met by the wine sector. Our share of the cost is yet to be determined. The Emergency Plant Pest Response Levy is likely to be activated to meet this response, and AV has started discussions with Plant Health Australia and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources already. This was the reason that the wine sector signed the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) in the first place; so that in the event of such incursions there would be a vehicle to recover the costs of managing them and ensuring that our sector was protected.

The EPPRD has been in place for some time, but until now it has been zerorated. It would need to be positively – rated to meet the cost of incursions.

While that cost is not known at this stage, it is likely to be a matter of a few cents per tonne of wine grapes produced.

There is also a case to activate the EPPR levy to fund readiness activities, which are urgently needed. Watch this space.

It remains an ongoing concern for AV that many growers across the country remain unaware of the importance of biosecurity in their industry.

While understandable that in recent challenging times the core focus has been on retaining profitability, biosecurity remains a vitally important issue to ensure that we have a viable wine sector in the future. It is therefore

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imperative that AV can enlist the support and assistance of as many growers and vineyard owners across the nation to be involved in this vital issue.

AGRICHEMICAL USE Some readers may be aware that recently the EU voted to extend the license for glyphosate. Usually license renewal in the EU is for a period of fifteen years.

The five year period represents a political compromise, and is in response to political pressure against glyphosate following a WHO cancer agency statement in 2015 that it “probably causes cancer”. Subsequent public statements from the European Chemical Agency have said that there is no evidence linking glyphosate with cancer in humans.

The main farmers’ union in Europe, Copa Cogeca, has expressed disappointment in the decision, saying that all the available evidence supported a full fifteen-year registration, with all available evidence supporting the case for a full fifteen-year period. Following the decision the French President Emmanuel Macron advocated a shorter period for phasing out glyphosate, saying that it would be preferable to opt for a ban of the product within three years, as soon as a viable alternative could be found.

This should represent a staggering revelation to anyone with knowledge of the process and cost involved in developing an agrichemical. Typically it might take a minimum time of seven to ten years from the discovery of an active ingredient to its launch. In the case of knock-down herbicides, there is nothing “in the pipeline” at the moment that might offer hope to be a replacement for glyphosate. Even if there was – what confidence can farmers have that any new chemical will not be subject to similar hurdles?

All of these issues above represent instances where government policy or regulation can have a huge impact on the ability of agricultural producers to remain viable. There are challenges to the current way of life, and that can be expected. As responsible members of the wine sector, we have a duty to ensure that there are no adverse impacts from the business that we carry out – either environmental, social, health, or other.

However, recognising this responsibility is not enough. We must be prepared to act responsibly, but also to defend our sector against poorly crafted or ill considered populist policies that would have a massive negative impact on the wine sector for no discernable gains.

This is the reason that advocacy bodies need to exist. The challenges that AV faces continue to evolve, and the threat to the viability to the wine sector continues every year. One experienced campaigner observed following the recent publicity around the proposed minimum alcohol price; “It’s just the start of another year. Here we go again.”

However, AV can only do so much without solid financial backing and in principle support of the work being done. At present we are functional, but greater support would make us effective. The recent MOU offers the potential to unite with WFA on the majority areas of common interest, and present a united voice to the Federal Government. I strongly urge those who are not yet members of either Australian Vignerons or the Winemakers’ Federation to join. It is only through being able to present a strong and united voice on the many issues of common interest to the wine sector that we can hope to have the confidence that we can effectively represent it, and to fight the ongoing challenges to our future viability.

Andrew Weeks Australian Vignerons Chief Executive Officer

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Saving costs and energy in the winery An ace solution to vintage compression and climate change Vintage compression due to climate change could become a greater consideration for wineries.

Dr Richard Smart1 and Dr Angela Sparrow2 examine a potential solution, which may also help winemakers to improve the economics of production.

Figure 1. Left: Dr Angela Sparrow with Della Toffola ‘DTMA’; Right: Mark and Libby Lloyd with Angela Sparrow at SITEVI launch of DTMA

Introduction

The concept of ACE maceration

In this article we introduce a winery solution to help overcome vintage compression due to climate change. Although this is but one aspect of climate change projections, it is an important one for the economics of wine production. The article will trace the development of the ACE (Accentuated Cut Edges) system of pomace maceration, from the concept development in 2011 to commercial reality in 2017.

There is no need to wait for climate change however to adopt ACE, as this simple procedure is likely to be seen as the most cost and energy efficient maceration procedure available. ACE offers benefits to improve winery economics and the management of capital and labour intensive red wine fermentation.

The ACE process uses a machine to fragment skins without damaging seeds between the crusher/must pump and the fermenter. The substantial advantages of this maceration are explained below.

The concept of ACE maceration is simple, based on improving extraction of grape skin components. If you think about it, managed extraction of these components is the basis for both red and white winemaking.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a grape berry.

The external surface of the skin is wax-covered and impermeable, which is a barrier to diffusion of skin cell contents (thank goodness, otherwise they may otherwise be lost in the rain!)

The internal surface of the berry is covered by adhering pulp, sometimes including retained seeds (Figure 3).

SITEVI, Montpellier, France, November 2017 This major European trade show was chosen for the release of a machine used for ACE maceration that was produced by Della Toffola, a leading Italian wine equipment manufacturer.

The machine is described by the acronym ‘DTMA’ (Della Toffola Maceration Accelerator). Drs Angela and Leigh Sparrow attended the SITEVI Expo where the DTMA device of 12 t/hr capacity was launched.

Also present at the launch were Mark and Libby Lloyd of Coriole Vineyards, McLaren Vale. Coriole was one of six Australian wineries that tested the prototype DTMA machine during the southern hemisphere vintage of 2017.

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Figure 2. Diagrammatic representation of a grape berry showing arrangement of skin, seeds and pulp.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

There are two principal pathways for the movement of skin components into the wine matrix: 1. Diffusion from the interior skin surface and 2. Leakage from the broken skin edges. ACE improves the rate of leakage from broken edges by further fragmenting the skin, consequently increasing the ratio of edge to surface area of the skin fragments. This effect was modelled in the first scientific paper describing ACE (Sparrow et al. 2016 a) using the ratio: surface area to perimeter of the skin fragments and assumed that a sphere was divided into square fragments.

In subsequent publications, the inverse ratio P/SA = 2/r(π/n)0.5, has been used, where P = fragment perimeter, SA = fragment surface area, r is the radius of a sphere and n is the fragment number.

Interestingly, the curve flattens as fragment number increases showing that a high level of fragmentation appears unnecessary (Figure 5).

Validation of ACE maceration ACE maceration evolved in consultation with Dr Richard Smart during Angela Sparrow’s PhD studies on Pinot Noir grape and wine tannins in 2011-2013 at the Tamar Ridge Pilot Winery. The background to development of this facility has been described

by Smart and Sparrow (2016). Microvinification procedures were developed there and used in Sparrow’s studies (Smart and Sparrow 2016, Sparrow and Smart 2015). In subsequent commercial trials, Dr Sparrow evaluated ACE at Australian wineries from 2013 to 2016 during the final year of her PhD research and projects UT 1301 and VIN 1501 all of which were funded by AGWA, see (Sparrow et al.

2012; Sparrow et al. 2013; Sparrow et al 2014; Sparrow 2015; Sparrow 2016; Sparrow et al, 2016a, 2016b, Sparrow and Smart 2017). Dr Sparrow further tested a DTMA prototype in Australia, New Zealand and Levada, Italy during 2016, with the first commercial DTMA unit tested at six Australian wineries in 2017.

Figure 3. Crushed grape berries. Note irregular lines of rupture, also pulp and seeds adhering to the interior of the grape skins.

The trials of ACE uniformly demonstrated that significantly more phenolic compounds are extracted from the skins early in the fermentation. This has important implications for wine stability and hue, as it encourages the formation of stable pigments formed from skin derived tannins as opposed to seed tannins. This was an important finding from Angela Sparrow’s PhD studies, and now is supported by commercial trials.

Figure 6 shows the time course of phenolic extraction from Pinot Noir grapes during fermentation. Since ACE maceration was originally proven by microvinification, we chose to compare results for a microferment of 10 L with a commercial ferment of 18,000 L.

FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS

ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS

• Alcohol tolerance: up to 16 % vol.

• Wide range of optimal temperatures: 20 - 35°C.

• Very low production of negative sulphur compounds (including SO2 and H2S) and of compounds binding SO2.

• Low nitrogen requirements.

• Masked perception of green characters.

• Moderate volatile acidity production.

• Aromatic freshness and expression of black fruit notes.

• Regular fermentation kinetics.

• Great smoothness of mouthfeel.

• Good malolactic fermentation compatibility.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

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winemaking

CONTROL

ACE

Figure 4. Must sample of Pinot Noir one hour after crushing. Left: crushed berries; Right: ACE treated berries.

This is an interesting comparison showing that the outcome of fragmentation in a commercial setting could be predicted from laboratory-based fermentations. The utility of microscale fermentations emulating those of larger fermentation volumes has been reported by Sampaio et al. (2007) and Sparrow and Smart (2015).

The most important point of these comparisons, is the recognition that ACE maceration promotes the early release of skin components; this was first shown in Angela Sparrow’s PhD studies and has been demonstrated consistently since. The first commercial trials were with Pinot Noir in Tasmania during 2013 at three wineries (Sparrow 2015, 2016). ACE fragmentation resulted in improved colour density of the wine and a slight increase in blue colouration. There was a five-fold increase in tannin concentration of ACE treated wines just two days after crushing which levelled to a concentration four-fold higher than the conventional wine by the end of fermentation. Further and critically, ACE produced a greater amount of stable pigments in the wine from the chemical combination of colour pigments with skin derived tannins, as opposed to seed derived tannins; skin derived pigmented tannins are more stable than seed derived pigmented tannins, consequently reducing browning as the wine ages (Sparrow 2015, 2016). ACE fragmentation also affects cap integrity; less carbon dioxide is trapped under the skins of the smaller skin fragments which tend to sink leaving only more intact skins afloat. Punch down is easier and after a few days of fermentation the entire cap sinks.

Pinot Noir wines from the 2013 trial were assessed after six months aging by the six winemakers involved in the trial, who scored ten attributes of wine quality. ACE wines were found to have improved colour, floral and fruit aroma, more dark fruit on the palate, plus greater body and palate length.

Similar results were observed over the following four vintages

Figure 5. The relationship between the perimeter and surface area (P/SA) of grape fragments when a grape, of 8 mm radius, is cut into increasingly smaller fragments.

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2014-2017, with the majority of trials conducted in commercial wineries, and including professional sensory evaluation. ACE invariably improved wine phenolic composition notably colour density, hue and the proportion of stable pigments. ACE maceration was found to be more effective in promoting these attributes than was the addition of pectolytic enzymes to the must.

From ACE to PEACE The rapid extraction of skin derived components from ACE maceration suggested that the fermenting wine might be pressed from the grape solids just a few days after yeast inoculation.

This radical change to red wine fermentation was proposed by Sparrow et al. (2014) who suggested that fermentation could be completed in a smaller closed vessel, where aroma and flavour might be retained with temperature control. Importantly, the specialised red wine fermenter could now be made available for a second ferment.

The impact of this Pressed Early Accentuated Cut Edge (PEACE) technology was first investigated for Pinot Noir in smallscale trials (2014) and in a commercial winery the following year.

Wines were compared following ACE maceration and early press off (PEACE) after four days with control wines using an eightday fermentation period. The PEACE wines had greater colour density, stable pigments, both red and blue-purple pigments than did the control wines made with conventional methods. Eighteenmonth-old wines from ACE, PEACE and control were presented in a blind tasting to 53 delegates at the 2016 International Cool Climate Conference, Brighton, England. The preferences for the wines were: PEACE 43%, ACE 36% and control wine 13%.

This result encouraged further evaluation of the effect of PEACE maceration on other red wine grape varieties in Australia during vintage 2016, see AGWA Report for Project VIN 1501 https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/3cd2b9c3-cff0-4497bc75-11a61cc5bf85/VIN-1501-Final-Report.

The trial compared PEACE wines, that were generally pressed after three days, with conventional ferments, for five varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Shiraz and Tempranillo) at six wineries across Australia with fermenter sizes ranging from 300 to 13,000 L. As with Pinot Noir, ACE maceration caused a dramatic increase in the extraction of colour and tannin in the first two days of fermentation such that the concentration of stable pigment in PEACE treated wines was up to 30% higher than the control wines.

The finished wines were tasted by the winemakers involved, and the trained panel at AWRI. Neither group found a significant difference in the sensory scores between PEACE and conventional ferment wines, although the AWRI group noted more dark berry fruit flavour and softer or finer tannins in the PEACE treated wines than for the control wines. These results were most encouraging and demonstrated that for a range of wineries

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Figure 6. Phenolic extraction of Pinot Noir made in (a) 10 L microfermenter or (b) 18,000 L commercial tank.

Figure 6. Phenolic extraction of Pinot Noir made in (a) 10 L microfermenter or (b) 18,000 L commercial tank.

PEACE has significant commercial possibilities in the existing Australian winemaking climate.

From ACE to DTMA A prototype DTMA device was tested during 2017 vintage at six wineries in south eastern Australia, using six red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mataro, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir and Shiraz; and three white wine varieties: Marsanne, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. For each variety the winemaker preferred the ACE treated wine to the conventionally made wine and attributed this to a greater intensity of fruit flavour and better structure.

Here are comments from two participating winemakers: From Mark and Duncan Lloyd, Coriole Vineyards, McLaren Vale: “The ACE trial allowed us to experiment with and produce varying tannin profiles in separate batches of a single block of Shiraz. Initial results showed we could achieve a more full and balanced tannin profile by using the ACE technique. ACE also showed promise as a useful tool to refine the development of our wine styles by achieving desired tannin profiles dependent on vintage conditions. Importantly it has led to an increased understanding of the total phenolic profile of our grapes and wines and how this impacts the overall balance of our wines.”

From Chester Osborne, D’Arenberg, McLaren Vale: “Can we purchase one?

“The 3 white [wine treatments] differed a lot.

“The worst was the Skin Contact one. (bit coarse, tannic, and broad) The Control was next best, no skin contact, direct pressed (nice fruit and balance).

“The best was the cutting Gizmo with no skin contact (more fruit flavour and length, ok Tannin balance).”

Overcoming vintage compression with PEACE Modern wineries have typically invested heavily in specialised red wine fermenters to assist cap management. These may be open top fermenters, or have attachments that allow punch down, pump over or cap disruption by air injection. As warmer weather causes the harvest period to contract (vintage compression) the pressure on specialised tank availability becomes more acute, especially if pre- and post-fermentation maceration techniques are used. Fermentation times can be seven to ten days, depending on temperature and the stage of pressing.

Obviously if on-skin fermentation can be reduced to three days, and the fermenter reused then fewer fermenters are required. There are also savings in winery labour for cap management procedures.

beginnings, in a converted apple cool store-come pilot winery in northern Tasmania, to a conclusion as development of a piece of winery equipment by a major European manufacturer. After using the DTMA ACE device in 2017, one French winemaker predicted, “in the future every winery will have one.”

Certainly, ACE provides many benefits to the red wine making process. Wine quality and stability is improved. Although originally developed for Pinot Noir, it has been shown to improve wine quality for other red varieties as well. Of the maceration procedures now used, ACE is more labour, energy and cost efficient than others. And, when combined with early press off, as for PEACE, the turn-over and utilisation for red wine fermenters is almost doubled.

ACE is a new and as yet relatively little-known process. There are early indications that flavour and aroma of white wines can also be improved, and ACE is yet to be tested with Rosé wines.

There is no doubt that the availability of equipment to perform ACE will markedly affect interest and adoption.

“Let ACE and PEACE bring winery managers more peace of mind.”

Smart Viticulture, 31 North Corner, Newlyn, Cornwall TR185JG UK, 2 Vinventive, 353 Rosevears Drive, Lanena, Tasmania 7275 Australia 1

References:

Sampaio, T.L., Kennedy, J.A. and M. Carmo Vasconcelos (2007). Use of microscale fermentations in grape and wine research. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 58:4, 534-539.

Sparrow, A., Smart, R. and R. Dambergs (2012). Is Pinot quality skin deep?

Poster, 8th International Cool Climate Symposium, Hobart, 1-4 February.

Sparrow, A, Dambergs B and D. Close. (2013). Reducing skin particle size early in fermentation improves phenolic quality of Pinot Noir wine. Poster.

Aust. Wine Ind. Tech. Conf. Sydney, July 14-17.

Sparrow, A., Dambergs, R. and D. Close. (2014). Cutting edge Pinot. Wine and Viticulture Journal, Jan/Feb, p 24.

Sparrow, A.M., (2015). Comparative analysis of wine tannins from Pinot Noir grapes. PhD thesis, University of Tasmania, Hobart.

Sparrow, A.M. and R.E. Smart (2015). Fermentation volume studies for red wine experimentation. S. Afr. J. Enol. Vitic., 36:3, 343 – 346.

Sparrow, A.M., Smart, R.E., Dambergs, R.G. and D.C.Close. (2016). Skin particle size affects the phenolic attributes of Pinot noir wine: Proof of concept. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 67:1, 29-36.

Sparrow, A. (2016). The case for ACE-maceration trial continues. Wine and Viticulture Journal, May/June, 43-46.

Conclusion

Sparrow, A.M., Holt, H. E., Pearson, W., Dambergs, R.G. and D.C. Close.

(2016). Accentuated Cut Edges (ACE): Effects of skin fragmentation on the composition and sensory attributes of Pinot noir wines. Am. J. Enol. Vitic.

67:2, 169 – 178.

The ACE story described here is one of Australian technology development, and the time and routes taken. It has modest

Sparrow, A.M. and R. E. Smart (2017). Pinot noir wine processing and quality improved by skin fragmentation. Catalyst discovery into practice (2017) 1:3, 88-98.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

winemaking

Choosing the right nutrients Yeast nutrition as a tool for wine stylistic manipulation There are many options for winemakers looking for the right yeast and nutrient choices to complete their fermentation on time and with the best wine style results. Paul K. Bowyer1, from Blue H2O Filtration, and Laurent Chancholle2 and Arnaud Mennesson2, from Lamothe Abiet in France, provide an overview of what you should consider.

A

lthough in some cases yeast can complete a fermentation with the intrinsic must nutrition available, sometimes it may not. In such cases, the nutrition pool must be supplemented, yet this does not simply mean the ubiquitous DAP addition.

Currently, many options exist for winemakers to take advantage of that offer stylistic manipulation on top of their nutrition contributions.

In all considerations of nutrition for both the yeast specifically and the fermentation in general, the best place to start is with some knowledge of the must YAN (Yeast assimilable nitrogen). More and more winemakers are measuring the YAN of juice or must in order to adequately design their fermentation nutrition regime. Rules of thumb: • If YAN > 200-250 ppm, the fermentation should require minimal supplementation.

• If YAN < 200-250 ppm, consider a proactive approach to fermentation nutrition.

In all cases, the use of a yeast rehydration nutrient is advisable for reasons explained below.

Yeast rehydration Yeast rehydration is one of the most important steps in a fermentation, and for that reason alone the use of a rehydration nutrient such as SIHA Speedferm or Lamothe-Abiet Oenostim is the simplest and most cost-effective step a winemaker can take to ensure a successful fermentation. Ensuring the optimal condition of the yeast is of paramount importance, both in terms of quality and kinetic outcomes. It is very important that a yeast rehydration nutrient is in the water/must mixture prior to the dry yeast addition in order to ensure the maximum uptake of the nutrient components. Typically rehydration nutrients are used in a 1:1 ratio with dry yeast.

Yeast rehydration nutrients contain inactivated yeasts, which in turn deliver a mixture of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, lipids and sterols. These are all critical in their own way to yeast fermentation performance. Typically no DAP is present in rehydration nutrients.

Sterols and lipids In broad terms, the sterols increase ethanol resistance in the yeast cell

membrane by improving the membrane’s structural and functional integrities.

This has a strong impact on fermentation kinetics, most noticeably in the second half of fermentation, when the ethanol percentage increases. Lipids also improve ethanol tolerance and additionally reduce volatile acidity production. Yeast cells that are weak or suffering diminished nutrition (such as those that are cultured) typically slow down their metabolic activities during the latter phase of fermentation.

This is easy to observe in the winery if a controlled experiment is conducted, such as that depicted in Figure 1.

Vitamins and minerals The vitamins and minerals in rehydration nutrients provide essential enzymatic cofactors for improved aromatic production, general yeast function and aromatically cleaner wines.

Care should be taken if any Botrytis or other moulds have been active on the fruit, as in such cases vitamins and minerals will have been depleted.

Likewise, if running a yeast culture, it is very important to provide strong levels of rehydration nutrient when the initial culture is being prepared, to attempt to

Figure 1: Rehydration nutrient trial from 2016 on Clare Riesling using SIHA 7 yeast both with (blue traces) and without (red traces) SIHA Speedferm.

The increased fermentation kinetics with the use of the rehydration nutrient are obvious. Note that the control fermentation was arrested by cooling to preserve some sugar for the final blend.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

offset the ongoing nutrient reduction that is a consequence of multi-generational yeast division. Failure to do this can yield a culture of relatively weak cells, which can ultimately result in stuck fermentations.

Amino acids Amino acids are required by yeast for protein synthesis, and must be assimilated early in process once rehydrated, as amino acid uptake is inhibited by the presence of ethanol and ammonium ions. An excess of ammonium ions also leads to increased numbers of yeast cells, which will then require feeding as the fermentation progresses, resulting in a runaway nitrogen demand. A good approach is to only add inorganic nitrogen after the fermentation is underway to avoid biomass escalation.

Fermentation nutrition In-ferment nutrients fall into two general categories: those that contain DAP and those that do not.

Fermentation nutrients containing yeast derivatives and DAP (referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;complex nutrientsâ&#x20AC;?) are formulated to be broad-spectrum nutrients, and are most widely used by winemakers who seek to

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Figure 2. The relative varietal and fermentation ester aromas produced by Excellence FTH, Excellence TXL and Excellence STR yeasts.

minimise their product requirements.

Complex nutrients contain levels of DAP that vary according to the manufacturer.

Likewise, the composition of the yeast-derived fraction varies between manufacturers. Since DAP is relatively inexpensive, it is useful for the winemaker to know exactly how much DAP is in a complex nutrient. This can vary from low levels to above 60 %, and this is often (but not always) reflected in the price of the nutrient. SIHA Proferm H+2 contains 20% DAP, although not all manufacturers will openly disclose such information.

Fermentation nutrients that contain no DAP, such as Optiflore O, allow the winemaker to avoid the addition of DAP altogether if desired, or at least to make independent additions of the nutrient and DAP according to the requirements of the must. A must with sufficient YAN may not require any DAP supplementation, for example, in which

case any nutrient additions can be limited to those containing no DAP. Additionally, Optiflore O provides a detoxification effect due to the yeast hull component, which further improves fermentation kinetics.

The contribution to yeast kinetic performance of a complex nitrogen source, as opposed to inorganic nitrogen (i.e. ammonium ions), is significant.

A kinetic comparison between 100 ppm additions of Optiflore O (= 5 ppm N contribution) and DAP (= 20 ppm N contribution) indicates a similar kinetic contribution from each nutrient. The difference between treatments is that the organic nutrients in Optiflore O are consumed more slowly, and there is provision of additional vitamins and minerals that are not found in DAP. Optiflore O also provides nutrition that bacteria can assimilate during malolactic fermentation, unlike DAP.

Figure 3. Dosage effect of Opthithiols. OPT30-PREFA = 300 ppm; OPT15-PREFA = 150 ppm; Temoin = Control (no addition). Data are reported as concentration relative to perception threshold.

56 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Wine stylistic manipulation through yeast nutrition In recent years significant efforts have been made at developing nutrients that not only contribute to fermentation performance, but also increase the production of specific wine aromatic components.

This is particularly relevant for producers of Sauvignon blanc, as this varietal has known and well-studied varietal aromatic marker chemicals, notably 4MSP, 3SH and 3SHA (old nomenclature 4MMP, 3MH and 3MHA respectively). The ability to accurately measure the concentrations of these compounds in a wine permits the refinement of nutrient components for maximum effect.

Wine aromas can be broken down into two broad categories: varietal aromas and fermentation esters. Generally, varietal aromas are derivatives of the grape, whilst fermentation esters are

Figure 4. Timing effect of Opthithiols. OPT30-PREFA = 300 ppm before yeast addition; OPT30-FA = 300 ppm after the onset of alcoholic fermentation. Data are reported as concentration relative to perception threshold.

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February 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 649

Figure 5. The two pathways of fermentation ester synthesis by yeast during fermentation. Substrates are sugars (producing ethyl esters) and amino acids (producing acetate esters).

derivatives of the yeast. Each aromatic group can be moderated by yeast choice to some extent, and yeast can be classified according to their relative expressions of varietal and ester compounds (Figure 2, reproduced from and discussed in Bowyer et al, 2017).

Thiol expression Optithiols is a new product from Lamothe-Abiet that strongly elevates thiol production and preservation. It is comprised of specific inactivated yeasts with high concentrations of molecules that both increase thiol expression and protect them once formed through increased wine antioxidant capacity, such as cysteine, homo-cysteine, glycine-cysteine, glutamylcysteine, N-acetylcysteine and glutathione. The exact proportions of these components is specific and strongly relative to product performance. Thiols are easily oxidised, hence a winemaker seeking to produce an aromatic Sauvignon blanc must handle the juice and wine reductively.

Figure 6. Fermentation ester increases measured through the use of Optiesters on a Shiraz rosé in 2017. Both fermentations used the yeast Excellence STR and data are reported as ester concentration relative to perception threshold.

For maximum effect the juice should be fined with PVPP prior to application to remove oxidisable phenolics.

Thiol production is also relevant to the aromatics of Rosé wines. The effect of Optithiols is duplex in nature, as it both increases thiol expression and lowers the production of undesirable sulfur compounds, such as methanethiol, ethanethiol, dimethylsulfide and diethylsulfide.

Through several studies in recent years, Lamothe-Abiet have refined the application of Optithiols for maximum effect. These studies have yielded two critical control factors: dosage and timing.

The effect of Optithiols is very dosage dependant: the more Optithiols used, the stronger the thiol output (Figure 3). Recommended maximum dosage is 300ppm.

Timing is also of great importance to the use of Optithiols, as can be seen in Figure 4. If added to the juice immediately prior to the yeast, so that

the nutrition components are directly available, thiol production is doubled.

Note that Optithiols is only of use for thiolic grape varieties (predominantly Sauvignon blanc and Rosé, and to a lesser extent Semillon, Riesling, Chenin blanc and Colombard) in combination with a thiol-expressive yeast.

Fermentation ester expression In certain situations it may be desirable to increase fermentation ester production, such as where increased floral and tropical notes will improve wine quality. In a similar manner in which a specific formulation of yeast nutrients can elevate thiol production in thiolic grape varietals, so too specific nutrients can elevate fermentation ester production. This is of particular use if crop loads are higher and with varietals that contain lower levels of aromatic precursors.

Optiesters is specifically formulated to increase fermentation ester production.

Since fermentation esters are produced

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winemaking to greater or lesser extents by all yeast, the effect of increasing ester production is applicable to all yeasts. Optiesters is composed of inactivated yeast with no DAP, and is rich in the precursors of acetate esters and ergosterols. Typically it is used in low NTU juice (< 50 NTU) and at low fermentation temperatures (< 16 °C).

Two main types of fermentation esters exist: acetates of higher alcohols and ethyl esters of fatty acids. There are two pathways to fermentation ester production in wine: via the metabolism of either sugars or amino acids (Figure 5).

Due to their non-polar structures esters have a strong impact on the nose of a wine (Bowyer, 2003).

The application of Optiesters at 300 ppm in the first third of the fermentation can yield up to a 200 % increase in fer mentat ion ester product ion, depending on the yeast used and varietal in question. In a trial involving a Shiraz rosé in 2017 using Optithiols and Excellence STR, an ester-producing yeast strain, overall ester production was increased by 61 % relative to the control (also Excellence STR) as measured by ester concentration relative to perception threshold (Figure 6).

Summary The use of products like SIHA Speedferm and Lamothe’s Oenostim and Optif lore O help a winemaker achieve fermentation goal number 1: complete the fermentation in good time. Beyond this, wine style can be manipulated to a significant extent through a combination of yeast choice and the use specific nutrients like Optithiols and Optiesters. In this way wine quality can be improved through some understanding of how choices in yeast and nutrients can impact wine fermentation kinetics and aromatics, and ultimately wine quality and value.

Products discussed in this article are available in Australia through Blue H2O Filtration, phone 03 9564 7029. info@blueh2o.com.au bhftechnologies. com.au Dr Paul Bowyer is the Group Oenologist and Regional Manager SA for Blue H2O Filtration, and in that capacity he provides technical information and advice to the wine industry in the Australasian region. He can be contacted by email at paul@blueh2o.com.au

References

Bowyer, P., Chancholle, L. and Mennesson, A. (2017) Yeast breeding as a tool for stylistic manipulation, Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, October issue (645), 73-76.

Bowyer, P. K. (2003) Molecular polarity – it’s behind more than you think, Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, November issue, 89-91.

1 Blue H2O Filtration, 1/11-13 Wells Road Oakleigh VIC 3166. paul@blueh2o.com.au www.bhftechnologies.com.au 2 Lamothe-Abiet, Z. A. Actipolis, avenue Ferdinand de Lesseps, 33610 CANEJAN/ Bordeaux – France

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February 2018 – Issue 649

Stabulation - seriously Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc?

If your goal is to improve the aroma and complexity of Rosé or white wine, Alana Seabrook and Tertius van der Westhuizen, of Laffort Australia provide their insights into a tool that could be useful.

I

f you are making ‘Provence style’ Rosé in 2018, or even if you just want to make an aromatic wine (for example Sauvignon Blanc) with increased levels of thiols and mouthfeel, Stabulation is a tool that can be used to achieve that.

Stabulation is the process of keeping whole juice on juice bottoms/lees for a period of time, generally at cooler temperatures ideally for at least 2 weeks at -2°C and 0°C to avoid uncontrolled fermentation, mixed periodically in inert conditions. The principal is to maintain contact between the juice and the juice lees. The aim is to extract the good compounds (precursors of thiols and esters as well as unknown compounds which could contribute to mouthfeel) from the juice lees into the juice, so you have to stir the lees every 12 hours (with CO2 or dry ice). This process is highly beneficial for Sauvignon Blanc as well as other aromatic whites where an increase in thiols and esters is desired. In the case of Rosé, a significant amount of trials have been carried out demonstrating not only an increase in thiols and esters due to higher levels of precursors extracted during stabulation (Figure 1), but increased colour stabilisation as well as a decrease in fatty acids.

Stabulation can be a tool to increase the level of aroma and complexity in a Rosé or a white wine. For more information please refer to https://www.laffort.com/en/products/rose-wine for product information.

1a 1a

1b

Key results after stabulation: • Increased aroma (Increase in thiols and esters) • Significant increase in mouthfeel • Colour stabilisation for Rosé

Stabulation protocol The following protocol may be followed: 1. Cool down and maintain temperature of the juice without racking between -2°C and +3°C for a stabulation of 10 days or more (optimal) otherwise follow time/temperature combinations as per below: 2. Mix fine juice lees by addition of dry ice each 12 hrs or

1c

1c

1d

recirculating the fine lees.

3. Turn off cooling and allow the tank temperature to rise up to 8–10°C before racking to avoid risk of oxidation.

4. Either rack off gross solids prior to fermentation or float at this point using inert gas in the destination tank. Rack when juice turbidity is between 100 and 150 NTU (200 to 250 NTU if fermentation with strains that prefer a higher turbidity like ZYMAFLORE® DELTA).

Proceed to inoculate with desired yeast strain. * EGIDETDMP (Non-fermentative combination of Torulaspora delbruckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima) can be held at less than 7°C for 5 days in addition to the above combinations (Please find more information at https://www.laffort.com/en/ products/zymaflore-yeasts/828-zymaflore-egide) February 2018 – Issue 649

Figure 1. Effect of stabulation on Rosé in 2013 trials (1a) on thiol production; Effect of stabulation after 0, 18 and 26 days at 0°C on Rosé in 2014 trials (1b) on thiol production, on ester production (1c) and colour stabilisation (1d).

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Limits for exports and extracts Testing Times Greg Howell, from Vintessential Laboratories, provides the latest instalment of the ‘recent problems that we have seen’ and explains how solutions have been found.

Regulatory requirements for wine destined for China are explained in Wine Australia’s Export Market Guide China 2017

Chinese export testing requirements We get a lot of requests for various tests for wines destined for China. These vary by client to some degree and we find that we are doing special tests for some exporters and not others.

This appears to be caused by the winery being requested for special requirements by their importers. Some of these tests include trace metals, pesticide residues, reducing sugars etc.

Exporters would be well aware that the Chinese authorities were previously also asking for manganese content on all wines and had a low limit for manganese. This is no longer an official requirement.

The winemaking and regulatory requirements for wine 60 Grapegrower & Winemaker

destined for China are well explained in the Export Market Guide China 2017 from the Wine Australia website. This is available for all licensed wine exporters. Of particular interest to us is the mandatory alcohol statement. The tolerance for alcohol statements on labels for China are +/- 1%. This is the difference between what is on the label and what is the actual alcohol content of the wine. As with all countries this is a key label requirement and is best tested at a NATA accredited lab (and not estimated from your fruit density readings!)

Unusually, a sugar statement is also required on labels of wine sold in China. Either the actual sugar content can be used, or the statements dry, semi-dry, sweet etc. can be used.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

As the official sugar method used in China is based on the reducing sugar test, it is advised that you get a Rebelein or Lane-Eynon result. The commonly and more accurately used method in Australia, that is the total of fructose and glucose, is typically lower than the reducing sugars test result. The difference is typically 1 – 2 g/L. The cut-off levels for the sugar/sweetness classifications are also a bit complicated as they are referenced against acid levels.

For example ‘dry wine’ is rated as: less than 4 g/L Or up to 9 g/L if the total acid is within 2 g/L of the sugar.

It is very important to get this right – and this includes ensuring the sugar result used is done by the Rebelein or Lane & Eynon technique.

The best recommendation we can give is to talk to us about what you have been asked to get tested. As mentioned above our experience is that this can vary widely between wineries based upon requests they get from their importers.

Total gluconic acid testing One of our very experienced clients has been performing gluconic acid testing on their fruit now for several years; both by enzymatic analysis and also by HPLC. We have been working with them to understand why there are some differences between the two techniques.

As readers may recall, gluconic acid is a great marker compound for the presence of Botrytis cinerea in fruit. The laccase enzymes oxidise glucose to gluconic acid and results of this can be used to grade fruit and juice by correlating this with the level of Botrytis infection. The gluconic acid test is very easy to do, if you can measure malic acid by

Gluconic Acid Test Kit

spectrophotometer as many of you do, then gluconic acid testing will not be a challenge for you.

This vintage testing will be done to measure total gluconic acid in fruit, rather than just the free gluconic acid. From what we have been able to ascertain to date there is likely to be a few percent higher results by doing the totals, although information on this appears to be scarce.

The instructions of our Gluconic Acid Enzymatic Test Kits have been updated so users have the choice of adding an extra and rather simple hydrolysis step that enables the total gluconic acid level to be determined.

Although we are not wishing for Botrytis in any vineyards, if there is some out there this year hopefully we will get further information on how best to use these results as a measure of Botrytis infection.

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winemaking A Green Fairy tale Absinthe was banned in many countries from the early 1900s due to the concern that it made drinkers “crazy and criminal”. The famous painting L’absinthe by Degas from 1876 depicts Absinthe drinkers as “sodden and benumbed”.

Being a green coloured drink, Absinthe gave rise to the green fairy story – that is the green drink caused hallucinations and consequently drinkers of the brew to be a menace to society.

Not coincidentally this was also at the time the temperance movement was gaining sway around the world. The days of the popular green (rather than happy) hour in Paris were over.

Absinthe contains an extract from the wormwood plant (Artemisia absinthium). Thujone was determined to be the major active ingredient from wormwood extract after this terpenic compound was discovered in the mid 19th century.

(As well as being in wormwood, thujone is also present in a number of plant species such as oregano, sage and mugwort.)

It was believed at that time that it was thujone that caused hallucinations in absinthe drinkers. Based upon some fairly poor research the production of absinthe was banned for a number of decades from the early 1900s. To make matters worse, new research in the 1970s suggested that thujone had similar effects to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis. This relationship has now been disproved and thujone is not the evil pixie dust it was once believed to be.

Levels of thujone in drinks however are controlled.

Due to the increased popularity of craft spirits there is a renewed interest in Absinthe as a drink. A client recently requested a test done for thujone in a spirits product he had made. This is a fairly straight forward analysis nowadays by GCMS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry). Of course a hundred years ago it was not an easy analysis due to the lack of

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The painting L’absinthe by Degas, 1876, depicts Absinthe drinkers as “sodden and benumbed”.

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vintessential.com.au Email info@vintessential.com.au Phone 1300 302 242 (Australia-wide) 62 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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sophisticated instrumentation, and the erroneous test results of the time are believed to have contributed to the green fairy myth.

So although the green fairy has flown away, there are limits to the levels of thujone that are allowed in alcoholic drinks. In Europe it is 35 mg/kg (ppm) for those drinks such as Absinthe that contain wormwood extract. In the USA the limit is lower.

Vintessential Laboratories are dedicated to helping its customers discover production problems early, understand them, and then fix them. At its five laboratories around Australia they test hundreds of samples every week, so there’s hardly a problem they haven’t seen.

Greg Howell founded Vintessential Laboratories in 1995; he can be contacted by email on greg@vintessential.com.au. More articles on related topics are available on the Vintessential website: www.vintessential.com.au/resources/articles/

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February 2018 – Issue 649

History in the making… of wine Georgian wine varieties age well in a Qvevri Lado Uzanashvili, is well versed in the art of viticulture and Georgian winemaking. In the months surrounding vintage, he can be found commanding the attention of university lecture rooms or making wine in a very unique device called a Qvevri. Chloe Szentpeteri reports.

G

eorgian winemaking is a tradition that dates back 8000 years and while varietals from the mountainous Caucasian country have certainly been adopted throughout the world, its traditional roots are an art yet to be perfected outside their homeland.

Though winemakers now have access to modern facilities and machinery, Uzanashvili prefers to develop vintage with the use of an ancient device called a Qvevri (pronounced: Kwev-ree).

These containers are hand crafted from clay and vary in size and shape. Typically, Qvevris are circular and can carry volumes from 10L up to 10,000L, depending on external factors. While slight modifications may have taken place over the years, the ergonomics and practical applications remain the same.

Lado Uzanashvili, owns and operates

the Vintage 8000 Estates vineyard and winery in his home country of Georgia. But he splits his time between his native land and South Australia. It’s his dream to open a cellar door in SA and he’s ready to make it a reality.

“There will be no competition for this style [in Australia] because there is nobody who makes wine in this style,” he said.

Uzanashvili said the stylistic characteristics and traditional techniques used to make Georgian-style wines developed over time.

“The appearance of ceramics and the appearance of winemaking could not have happened in one day but rather a few hundred years in between,” he said.

“The collision of these two beginnings is a signification of joining together.

“During those times they didn’t have any metallurgical industry; no stainless steel or

Lado Uzanashvili tends to his vineyard back in Georgia.

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winemaking

Qvevris are buried in the ground to maintain their shape and structure during fermentation.

similar material for containers so ceramics was the only choice,” he explained.

Uzanashvili said the artisanship for vessels made during that period reached incredible levels and didn’t compromise on quality.

“The rehydration techniques they used to swell clay before shaping the Qvevris was perfect. The strength of the clay from those times is in many cases much better than materials used A.D.,” he said.

Qvevris are constructed through a stepby-step process of moulding the clay and semi-drying it in between adding multiple layers to achieve the height and width desired. Once complete, they are fired in a kiln and made ready for wine storage.

At one time, Georgian grapegrowers had access to a multitude of local varieties but many have been lost over the centuries.

Of around 1300 earlier grape types from the region, only around 530 have survived through to today.

Visitors crossing the threshold of a typical Georgian home would find a marani (Georgian cellar) with a selection of Qvevris.

But these distinctive winemaking vessels have yet to find a home in Australia.

Winemaking in a Qvevri Uzanashvili plans to import Qvevris into South Australia, and with these he plans to make blends primarily from Saperavi and Rkatsiteli varieties. Vinification takes a maximum of two weeks from a selection of the healthiest grapes.

“We fill the Qvevris right to the top and create a lid from slate stone and seal with clay to form a washer. It’s then buried completely underground,” Uzanashvili said.

Qvevris can be covered with soil or sand, depending on the terroir.

“Every few weeks you open it, especially if the year was not so sound. People made different styles of wines and ideally they would make the style of wine which was in harmony with the quality of the grapes,” he said.

Maceration takes at least one month and up to six, but Uzanashvili warns not to wait a moment longer.

Wines can be fermented with skin on or off and are classified as orphan wines without the skin, or mother wines with the skin on.

Grapes will be placed in wooden or stone crush pits and crushed by feet or with a

Qvevris are circular containers shaped from clay and can carry volumes from 10L up to 10,000L.

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heavy object. Juice can then drain straight into the Qvevri.

“Today in Georgia and in my own company, I combine the ancient method of Georgian winemaking in Qvevris and then age in an oak barrel,” Uzanashvili explained.

“I vinify in a Quevri and then age it in oak. I would rather use oak as a membrane to soften it and let oxygen in.”

Despite the labour intensive winemaking process, he said the wine produced is like no other.

Uzanashvili said when he develops vineyards in Australia, he expects that the terroir and climate conditions will have an impact on the taste and qualities of the locally-grown and produced Georgian wines.

“Saperavi shows genomic pools as old as 3500 years – oldest technique, oldest style of wine, oldest genomic pool,” he said.

“The diversity of soils in Australia [will] allow us to choose the best source Saperavi as well as Rkatsiteli. We will recreate these styles here and I’m confident they’ll succeed.”

Adapting new techniques Georgian wine can be produced using long maceration and batonnage at the same time. Using a percentage of stalks or crushing without de-stalking, whites and reds are vinified in the same way. There are some primary aromas contained through the technique, but secondary aromas are different.

“It can be natural and organic. You can do inoculate fermentation to protect production but historically it’s natural,” Uzanashvili said.

“There are not as many fungal diseases as a threat in Australia which will minimise the use of sulphur.

“If winemakers want to adopt this technique and don’t have Qvevris, they can use stainless steel. It’s different but the qualities are similar,” he said.

February 2018 – Issue 649

can’t make thousands of tonnes of grapes with a small number of Qvevris,” Uzanashvili said.

“However, the quality of the wine, the taste, smell and feel is like no other.”

A new country, a new dream

A wooden crushpit traditional to the winemaking style of Georgia.

Constructing a Qvevri is an art form that is hard to come by and artisans with the skills are few and far between.

Yet Uzanashvili said it is a viable option for Australian winemakers to adopt the technique, while still using modern methods.

“There are ways of handling vinification and temperature,” he explained.

“When you draw parallels between this technique and what we have today – lateral shoot removal to reduce acidity in your

grapes and malic acid reduction to soften acidity and thus soften tannins – it’s similar.”

“Refrigeration and temperature control used to be measured by making double walled Qvevris in springs, and by channelling water between the Qvevris to act as a coolant to control temperature.”

An ancient technique that can be modified with current facilities, albeit at a price.

“The production cost is higher than modern wine making techniques and you

If Uzanashvili’s varieties are successful in their new terroir and climate, he will become the first to develop Georgian wine using a Qvevri in Australia.

It is his dream to establish a cellar door in one of the tourism hotspots of South Australia.

Uzanashvili plans to import not only the Qvevris, but artefacts traditionally used in Georgian culture. Replicas of bowls once used to drink Georgian wine, small jars and half-cut Qvevris for observational purposes.

“The architecture and warmth, combined with the history and culture, food and the drink, will be a new experience for all who visit,” he said.

“I have no second thought that this will succeed. In all ways, the concept, visual effects and a sense of time-travel back to its origins… It makes you think immediately.”

Uzanashvili said he’s currently developing his business plan is open to hearing from potential partners.

More information can be found online: http://vintage8000estates.com/

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ask the

Wine instabilities - the solids won’t hurt you A range of hazes and deposits can form in wine and these can sometimes cause concerns for consumers. The AWRI helpdesk has recently received queries asking if there are any health risks associated with consuming wines affected by hazes or deposits. This column discusses the common instabilities seen in wine and provides reassurance that they do not pose health or safety risks.

What are the most common instabilities found in wine?

Hazes and deposits in packaged wine consistently make up around 40% of investigations conducted by the AWRI helpdesk. The majority of these are protein, tartrate crystals and wine yeast/bacteria.

Grape protein hazes in wine Wine-grapes contain proteins that persist through the winemaking process and can cause hazes in finished wine.

Wineries usually prevent protein hazes by using bentonite fining to remove most of the haze-forming proteins from wine prior to bottling. In some cases insufficient fining can result in residual soluble grape proteins remaining in wine, or late copper additions to wine before bottling can result in formation of a copper-protein complex, which can come out of solution and form a haze once the wine is bottled. Similar to those in cloudy apple and pear juices, or cloudy beers and ciders, the ‘solids’ simply affect the appearance and texture of the product consumed. These types of proteins are non-toxic and non-allergenic, and are found in other fruits and vegetables. While a protein haze, particularly in white wine, may not look attractive, it poses no risks to human health.

Tartrate crystals Crystals of potassium bitartrate (KHT) are one of the most common deposits found in wine. Grape juice naturally contains both potassium and tartaric acid, which associate together to form KHT crystals. After fermentation, when wine becomes saturated with KHT at levels greater than its solubility in an ethanol/ water solution, it drops out of solution as crystals. To a consumer, KHT crystals might look like small glass shards in white wine. In red wine, they are usually dark red in colour and could be mistaken for residual colour, tannin or even pieces of oak/wood. These crystals often dissolve upon touch, or, if consumed, present as a gritty texture. Crystals of calcium 66 Grapegrower & Winemaker

tartrate can also form in some wines with high calcium levels. Being non-toxic and non-allergenic, tartrates are actually commonly used as food additives (such as cream of tartar used in baking) and pose no health risks if consumed.

Yeast and bacteria Yeast and bacteria are commonly found in deposits in wine, due either to insufficient filtration or yeast and bacterial growth in wine post-bottling.

Fortunately, the pH, sulfite and alcohol conditions typically found in wine make it an environment that is extremely hostile to food-borne pathogenic organisms, ensuring wine presents a low risk to health from a microbiological perspective.

The most common microorganisms detected in packaged wine are the yeast that conducts wine fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is also used in baking and brewing, and the bacteria that conducts malolactic fermentation, Oenococcus oeni. These organisms are not harmful to humans when consumed. It is also unlikely that wine consumers with an allergy to baker’s yeast will react adversely to wine, bread or beer, because generally such allergic www.winetitles.com.au

reactions occur following inhalation of yeast in its aerosolised form rather than from consuming foods or beverages made with the microorganism. Natural wines, or deliberately unfiltered and unfined wines, often contain residual yeast lees to aid in wine texture. Many other food products also contain microbiological species, such as yoghurts or probiotic milk drinks.

Fining agents Different types of fining agents can be used when clarifying wine. Many of these are proteins derived from egg, fish, gelatine or milk and as such have potential to cause allergic reactions in some consumers. Research has shown that Good Manufacturing Practice ensures that minimal residual protein remains in the final wine, at amounts not associated with adverse reactions in food allergic consumers. When making wines suitable for vegans, winemakers can now choose plant-based clarifying agents instead of animal-derived products.

For further information about deposits in wine or any other technical matter, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on (08) 8313 6600 or email helpdesk@awri.com.au February 2018 – Issue 649

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young gun

Continuing a Barossa family legacy Young gun: winemaker Tim Dolan After 60 years of making wine, the legacy of the Barossa Valley’s Dolan family continues through the work of up-and-coming winemaker, Tim Dolan. With extensive experience in and out of the vines, he now shares his knowledge and enthusiasm as senior winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines. Chloe Szentpeteri sat down to hear more of his story.

T

he premium wine, abundant vineyards and cellar doors of the Barossa Valley need no introduction.

It’s a landscape that talented winemaker Tim Dolan knows well.

He accepted the role of senior winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines last year, and now looks forward to a future bathed in wine success. With a growing market and increasing opportunities for the wine industry, the 32 year old doesn’t shy away from a challenge.

Small beginnings With his father, Nigel, and grandfather, Bryan, having both been prominent winemakers in the region, it’s no surprise that Tim’s interest in wine peaked at a young age. At 10 years old, he began helping his father during vintage at the Saltram Wine Estate in Angaston. From there he never looked back.

Receiving pocket money for his efforts, he helped out in the vineyard and was often found crushing the grapes.

“I really fell in love with the whole vintage vibe and how much fun it seemed to be and how everybody got along and had a good time,” Dolan said.

“There’s obviously some long hours but I knew from then it was something I wanted to give a shot.”

Learning the tools of the winemaking 68 Grapegrower & Winemaker

trade working alongside his father, Dolan crafted his first vintage in 2004 at Yalumba.

It was the first of many to come and a stepping stone to his future.

“It was a big vintage and a very good one which was a lot of fun to make,” he said.

Fast-forward a few years and Dolan completed a degree of Oenology at the University of Adelaide and set his sights on the wine world that lay beyond Australia.

“At the time there [weren’t] too many jobs locally, it was a bit of a downturn with the whole GFC and I took it as an opportunity to explore and get away to gain as much experience as I possibly could.

“I visited and worked in some great regions including Napa, Sonoma, and Barolo initially, and also in Ontario,” he said.

“I just wanted to make sure I got as much experience as I could and ensure I wasn’t locked in to making just one style of wine. I gained a broader perspective of winemaking across the world.”

Best blends His knowledge of the industry eventually landed him a role at Peter Lehmann Wines back in the heart of the Barossa. As one of the most iconic names in the Australian wine industry, and with a collaborative approach involving more than 140 growers in the region, Peter Lehmann has a rich www.winetitles.com.au

culture that propelled Dolan’s growth in winemaking.

After having worked under the stewardship of then chief winemaker, Andrew Wiggan, whose whites and reds have been recognised with multiple awards in Australia and overseas, Dolan achieved the title of senior winemaker in early 2017.

“We’re located in the top wine region in South Australia and that community really rubs off on people,” Dolan said.

“Peter Lehmann’s is such an iconic Australian story in the wine industry that I think carrying that on now and helping make the wine for the company is what it’s all about.”

Dolan contributed to one of Peter Lehmann Wines’ most successful recent releases, a ‘next generation’ Shiraz entitled ‘The Barossan’. With fruit sourced from subregions across the Barossa, it’s being seen as a success in terms of product development, wine show reviews and sales to the general public. Dolan said the full bodied wine was delivered with pride and that its success hinted at similar prospects for future releases.

“Seeing that take off in leaps and bounds has been a real highlight for me because I was involved in making that wine,” he said.

“It’s really great to see it do so well.”

Dolan said the high quality of local grapes produced in recent vintages has February 2018 – Issue 649

Peter Lehmann’s is such an iconic Australian story in the wine industry that I think carrying that on now and helping make the wine for the company is what it’s all about. allowed for a diverse portfolio of blends and varieties.

“I have a soft spot for Barossa Grenache and there’s some really special parcels in the fruit we get for Lehmann’s.

“Eden Valley Riesling I quite enjoy making and to drink a young Riesling in the summer is great,” he said.

Future prospects With a growing market bolstered by increased export opportunities and international trade, Dolan said exciting

opportunities are on the horizon for the wine industry.

“Tasting the wine throughout its life and into the bottle is a fun experience and the quality of wine is consistent both at Peter Lehmann and other wineries in the market.”

With his love for travel, Dolan said he hopes to return to Barolo in Italy one day as it holds a special place in his heart. But for now his plans are to continue learning in his role as senior winemaker.

“I’m really enjoying my current role at

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February 2018 – Issue 649

Lehmann’s and feel that I’m growing into it and have amazing support from everybody in the team, so I want to stick at it and try to keep making good wine.

“For the immediate future that’s the plan,” he said.

For the enthusiastic winemaker, country hockey player and self-confessed ‘fisherman-fail’, Dolan looks forward to a promising future in wine.

In his words, he “lives, breathes and bleeds” wine.

www.winetitles.com.au

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business & technology

‘Trade mark squatting’ is a common practice in China and many well-known Australian brands have been affected.

Brand bandits Bad-faith trade marks in China Wine industry lawyer Mark Hamilton, from Grope Hamilton Lawyers, examines how winemakers exporting to our most important overseas market can protect their trade mark rights.

B

ad faith filings by registry pirates in China continue to pose enormous challenges to brand owners, large and small, foreign and domestic (www.managingip.com, 2016).

Even Penfolds’ brand fell victim to Chinese trade mark pirates.

Chinese pirates, well-informed about the current limitations of the law, have become increasingly adept at extracting ever higher compensation from victim companies. These victim companies often have little choice but to pay up in order to eliminate potential obstacles to the production and distribution of their brands in China (www.managingip.com, 2016).

Other foreign companies, including Apple, have run into problems with Chinese individuals and companies racing to register trade marks before they are able to enter the market.

70 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Trade mark enforcement in China is problematic and costly, although amendments in 2014, intended to address ‘bad faith’ f ilings, represent a potential step forward to a more lawful environment for trade marks in China.

Trade mark problems in China The problem of someone else registering your wine brand in China is a common one, because of China’s first-to-file trade mark registration system. It appears that courts in China are beginning to recognise the inherent problem of local serial pirates registering foreign trade marks en masse www.winetitles.com.au

both in terms of bad faith but also in terms of clogging up the courts (Whole Foods v Everyday Value).

The main reasons a person may register your trade mark in China include (IP Australia, 2016): • A genuine need to use that trade mark for their products or services • An intent to produce replicas of your products • An ill-intent to sell you the right to use the trade mark.

The main exception to the first to file rule is if you can prove that someone else has registered your trade mark in bad faith. In rare instances, you might be able to recover the trade mark through legal action, however, this can be very costly and time consuming (IP Australia, 2016).

Alternatively, you may be able to seek removal of the China registration for nonuse, if that is the case.

February 2018 – Issue 649

International protection An Australian trade mark registration only secures your rights within Australia.

If a winery wishes to sell its product or services in other countries, then it will need to register trade marks in those jurisdictions as well. If a winery doesn’t register its mark, it runs the risk of another party appropriating its trade mark. This is a dilemma as brand owners may not wish to incur the cost of registration in overseas markets until there is a clear intention to export goods to that country.

A trade mark can be protected overseas either on a country by country basis, or via the Madrid Protocol international registration system. Trade mark protection via an international registration can cover nearly 100 countries that are currently signatory to the Madrid Protocol. A full list of these countries is available on www.wipo.int (http://www.wipo.int).

First to file vs first to use – the critical distinction Trade mark owners should be aware that different countries have different rules when it comes to recognition of trade mark rights. Some countries follow a ‘first to file’ rule, whereas others, like Australia, recognise the rights of those who are ‘first to use’ a trade mark. A first- to-file trade mark system grants rights to the person who first filed a trade mark application, even if another party can show prior use of the trade mark. Some countries which follow a ‘first to file’ system include China, Italy, Australia, Portugal and Sweden (IP Australia, 2016).

Should a winery export goods to, or manufacture goods in, any ‘first to file’ countries, it is crucial that it files its trade mark application as early as possible to minimise the risk of another party obtaining the rights for its trade mark. In ‘first to use’ countries like Australia and America, a common law system exists whereby the first person to use a trade mark will have priority over a person who files a trade mark application at a later date (IP Australia, 2016).

The problem of someone else registering your wine brand in China is a common one have been affected by this practice.

Australian applicants should therefore seek early protection if goods are being manufactured in another country and imported to Australia (IP Australia, 2016).

It is best to do this as part of the prebusiness (confidential) planning process.

Legal action for replica trade marks If a winery feels that its mark has been registered to reproduce replicate products, then it will need to provide the following evidence to take legal action: • Prove that it owned the trade mark in another country before the trade mark application was made in China • Prove that it has a history of use in China prior to the Chinese trade mark application.

If it produced goods sold in China, then it should be able to easily provide invoices, customs, records, contracts, advertisement campaigns or websites translated into Chinese.

February 2018 – Issue 649

If the trade mark holder is not using the trade mark and wants the winery to buy it from them, the winery has two options, depending on how long the trade mark has been registered: • If the trade mark has been registered for more than three years, the winery can apply for the cancellation of the trade mark or use the cancellation procedure as a leverage to have the owner sell the mark to the winery • If the trade mark has been registered for less than three years, the cancellation procedure is not available. The options are to buy it back or to choose a new brand for use in the Chinese market.

Being proactive with IP strategy before engaging with the Chinese market is strongly advised as taking legal action is time consuming and costly. This is just good business pre-planning.

Some lessons to be learnt • China is Australia’s largest trading partner, so safeguarding IP should be a primary business consideration • If a winery is thinking about entering the Chinese market, make sure you understand the trade mark application processes • Before establishing a business in China, the business owner should consider what commercial IP decisions it needs to make.

The 2014 changes to Chinese trade mark law In May 2014, the National People’s Congress passed an amendment to the PRC Trademark Law that introduced several provisions intended to permit victim brands to address bad faith registrations and thereby cut down the overall number of filings and their related administrative burden. Regrettably, each of these new tools has proved to be of limited utility to date (www.managingip. com, 2016).

However, recent decisions by the Chinese Trademark Office (CTMO) in oppositions involving ‘serial pirates’ suggest a potentially important policy shift in the making (www.managingip. com, 2016).

Trade mark squatting Trade mark squatting occurs when someone intentionally files a trade mark application for another party’s registered trade mark in a country where the other party does not hold a trade mark registration. These are also referred to as ‘bad faith’ filings. The squatter takes advantage of a particular country’s firstto-file trade mark system to secure trade mark registration, usually with the aim of selling the registration to the foreign trade mark owner at an inflated price.

This practice is quite common in China and many well-known Australian brands

Legal action where the winery’s trade mark is held to ransom

Article 7 – Good faith

Penfolds scored a legal win in China in early 2017 www.winetitles.com.au

The CTMO’s ground-breaking decisions are based upon Article 7 of the Trademark law. Newly-added in 2014, this provision requires applicants to abide by the principle of good faith when applying for marks, thereby implicitly prohibiting the filing of applications in bad faith (www.managingip.com, 2016).

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business & technology During the drafting process, many brand owners had hoped that Article 7 would provide a safety net for resolving disputes over bad faith registration that would not otherwise be actionable under the law’s other provisions (www. managingip.com, 2016). But Chinese authorities made clear during the draft law’s consultation period that Article 7 could not be solely relied upon to sustain an opposition (www.managingip.com, 2016). As a result, it had been assumed that Article 7 would only be useful in unusual situations, and only following costly appeals to the Beijing IP Court and the Beijing Higher People’s Court (www. managingip.com, 2016). Fortunately, the CTMO began issuing decisions in late 2015 that suggest a willingness to apply Article 7 even in decisions in the first instance. A detailed analysis of this developing law is beyond the scope of this article, but it is promising that there is evidence that the trade mark system in China is moving in a rational direction.

Given the fact that the system in China is of one nation-state, enforcement through one set of court proceedings is possible.

The Penfolds brand Chinese saga Penfolds’ trade mark legal win in January 2017 was an encouraging sign for Australian businesses considering exporting to China.

The court victory that will allow Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) to use its preferred ‘transliteration’ for the brand ‘Penfolds’ in China is seen as a landmark victory.

The decision, in the Beijing High People’s Court, found that an intellectual property squatter, who had registered the “Ben Fu” trademark in 2009, had since failed to make ‘genuine’ use of it. The court ruled the trade mark be cancelled, allowing TWE to use the branding freely for its wines in China. This followed a two year court battle.

“This decision … demonstrates China’s commitment to a strong IP system and fair judiciary,” David Bennett, the new IP counsellor at Beijing’s Australian Embassy, said. This signals momentum in China towards a rule of law based intellectual property system comparable to that understood by Australian exporters.

Someone at TWE obviously made a major error in failing to select a brand and register a brand name as a trade mark prior to commencing trading in China under that brand. A fundamental error, which has no doubt cost much time and money. TWE could have done this as ‘Ben Fu’ is in fact not a true ‘literalisation’ of the name ‘Penfolds’, unlike, say, in the case of Apple. TWE could have selected any one of a number of brand names for registration.

Mark Hamilton is a leading Australian wine lawyer with substantial practical industry experience through Hamilton’s winery. He can be contacted on (08) 8231 0088 or 0412 842 359 or by email at mhamilton@gropehamiltonlawyers.com. au. Website: www.gropehamiltonlawyers. com.au

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February 2018 – Issue 649

sales & marketing

Designing a wine experience Bottle design, labelling & packaging

Connecting with consumers means less about the wine, more about the aesthetic

Wine packaging is shifting from traditional models of design and moving to sleek, modernised bottles and labels that appeal to a younger demographic. To find out more, we asked Angus Lilley, chief marketing officer at Treasury Wine Estates, what to expect in 2018.

M

illennials have become the target demographic for wine producers aiming to boost sales and attract new consumers - hence a design shake-up at Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) toward non-traditional wine packaging.

Angus Lilley, Treasury’s head of marketing for Australia and New Zealand, SE Asia, the Middle East and Europe, said the design changes are part of the company’s bid to appeal to broader market segments.

“In 2017, we carried out a global usage and attitude study designed to assess various category opportunities across a broad range of regions, segments and formats to help grow our business and introduce wine into more occasions,” he said.

“We’re seeing a shift into wines that are more contemporary, focusing on stories behind the labels and design aesthetic, and less about the wine itself.

Lilley described the design innovations as a means of ‘customised consumer experience’.

TWE demonstrated this through the October 2017 launch of A’tivo. The aperitif – which encompasses two varieties in the form of a spritzed white and spritzed Rosé designed to be consumed over ice – has been identified by the company as within a ‘growth category’.

“A’tivo features a sleek, minimalist design and a ‘sip tip’ on every bottle, encouraging consumers to customise their experience,” Lilley said.

“In June last year, we launched the brand Samuel Wynn & Co with two wines celebrating the adventurous early career of wine industry legend Samuel Wynn,” he said.

“In a twist on tradition, the bottles have an angular shape, inspired by the traditional Wynns bottle shape, and take cues from the whisky category to drive shelf stand-out, and attract new consumers.”

In terms of aesthetics, wines with a modern label and a story to tell are the ones that warrant a second glance.

Demonstrating connectivity on a whole new scale, wine brand 19 Crimes was the first to use augmented reality technology to animate their labels.

“Each bottle bears the mug-shot of a genuine Australian convict,” explained Lilley.

“If you download the Living Wine Labels app and hover, a mobile phone over the label, their faces animate to life and they tell their stories.

“So far the app has had over 800,000 downloads globally, and continues to grow in popularity.”

When discussing innovations trending in relation to distribution channels, Lilley said TWE is exploring new methods of wine delivery for consumers.

“We know that there are consumption barriers to opening a full 750ml bottle of wine and we are exploring alternative formats to overcome this.

“Recently in the on-premise channel, we introduced ‘wine on tap’ to encourage people to enjoy wine by the glass in venues without compromising freshness or quality,” he said.

“This format continues to grow year on year and we’re seeing additional venues install ‘wine on tap’ systems.

Lilley said new concepts are trialled through consumer research and when the time is right, sampling opportunities at various events.

Attracting new customers He said changes to bottle shapes inspired by original branding could act as the change needed to make waves in the market.

February 2018 – Issue 649

www.winetitles.com.au

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sales & marketing

Riesling rises

Whether selling at the top end of the market or with more modest ambitions, opportunities exist for purveyors of the white varietal

In the third article in his insightful series on wine brands, Peter McAtemney turns his attention to the rising fortunes of Riesling. He examines the most successful brands in terms of online search, powered by Wine Searcher, and On-Premise listings in Australia, the UK and US markets, using Wine Business Solutions’ proprietary research.

W

hat is a brand? By my definition at least, it is a name with sufficient franchise that potential customers will actively seek it out. On that basis, online search has to be a very good test of any brand’s strength.

Wine Searcher has over 25 million unique searches a month.

They carry nearly a million offers from 90,000 merchants globally including the likes of Dan Murphy’s.

Looking at the most searched for brands tells us little, however, as the likes of Domaine de la Romanee Conti win that race every time. (Aspiration is one thing. Sales, another…)

Looking at which wines constitute the ‘Best Value’ on Wine Searcher (the nexus of ‘most searched for’, ‘highest rated by critics’ and ‘average price’) is a lot more instructive.

Frankland Estate is the outright winner on that score. (They and all Australian wineries on this list, except for Plantagenet, have been or are currently clients, I need to add at this point).

74 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Winning this ‘value’ contest will, I am sure, add fuel to discussions with importers.

Who is Markus Molitor and why is he in the list four times?

Try 3 x 100 point Parker scores.

With Jeffery Grosset, it has been a much more sustained, focused, longer term effort leading to success. Choosing to be a ‘quality leader’ (in the way that Philip Shaw has in Orange and Dog Point has in Marlborough) is the one strategy that can never be beaten. Pike’s the Merle is equally sought after.

Often these producers’ wines are beaten on a one-off basis in tastings. It is their consistency in terms of being near the top that, in the longer term, creates that stand-alone positioning that a solid brand can be built upon.

Joh Jos Prum occupies the same sort of position within the Mosel Valley where the largest group of most sought after Rieslings comes from.

www.winetitles.com.au

February 2018 – Issue 649

With an average listed price per bottle just slightly higher in the US than Australia (when converted to AU$), it would be well worth Australia’s best Riesling producers discovering a path to market You will note that even at the extreme top end of the market (collectible fine wine) just how in-demand off-dry styles are. A few Australian producers have delved into this space but there are much greater opportunities still for Riesling grown in the right areas that can handle higher levels of residual sugar.

When it comes to the most listed Riesling brand in the Australian on-premise, Jim Barry wins that one easily.

Other key things to note include: 1. Mezzanine out-perform when it comes to building Riesling brands. Grosset use a mix of distributors but Mezzanine are also involved via The Fine Wine Specialist in NSW 2. Fine wine distributors like Vintage & Vine and Vinous also outperform their more mainstream rivals 3. Crawford River have been able to build a strong brand selling direct ex winery.

What does this tell us about Riesling?

Setting aside for a moment that it is the varietal that, perhaps above all others, is capable of providing a unique expression of its place of origin - there are two broad worlds of Riesling. One being the classic ‘chocolate box’ wine style that too many wineries thought they had to have to round out their range. The second, at the other extreme, is some of the only truly fine wine Australia has (if we’re defining fine wine as being the best in the world of its kind). Selling that idea takes a more specialised approach and the specialists are winning.

The other thing to note is just how dominant Clare is over the Eden Valley in the Australian on-premise, just as we have seen Barossa winning over McLaren Vale where Shiraz is concerned. Winning brand strategy is all about owning ideas.

Move to the US on-premise and we see a totally different landscape, a much less mature market centered around major distributors and their brands sourced mainly from Washington state and Germany.

February 2018 – Issue 649

Figure 1: Wine Searcher Top 20 ‘Best Value’ Riesling Wines Available through Australian Merchants

Figure 2: Top 20 Most Listed Riesling Brands in the Australian On-Premise – Source WBS Research www.winetitles.com.au

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sales & marketing

Figure 3: Top 20 Most Listed Riesling Brands in the US Independent On-Premise Channel – Source, WBS

Australian Riesling is nowhere to be seen in this market. Clare and Eden Valley combined, managed just a half dozen listings out of the nearly 40,000 used in our late 2017 sample.

Chateau Ste. Michelle is incredibly strong in this sector. You can see why brands like Villa Maria and Antinori partner with them as their importer.

Dr Loosen is, once again, the leading German brand in the market. They show the value of an easy to remember name in what can be the most complicated of categories. (One of the Thomas Hagg wines in the Wine Searcher Top 20 has a total of nine words in its name).

Kung Fu Girl leads a long list of ‘concept brands’ that have succeeded where classic German brands have failed.

Trimbach is the brand that all Australian white wine producers should most closely scrutinise. Their partnership with Palm Bay has created one of the most powerful wine brands in the US market.

Schmidt Schone demonstrate the value of having the courage to set up their own office.

With an average listed price per bottle just slightly higher in the US than Australia (when converted to AU$), it would be well worth Australia’s best Riesling producers discovering a path to market. Riesling comprises 11% of all white wine listings in the US so there is room for that which is different and most outstanding.

When we look at Riesling in the UK on-premise, there seems to be a lot to like, at first. It’s clearly a mature category with great brands sold at very attractive prices.

The issue is that the British, broadly speaking, have simply never taken to Riesling. They just don’t seem to have ever forgiven the Germans for Liebfraumilch.

Riesling is only 3.6% of white wine listings.

Again, it is Dr Loosen who wins and it is interesting to see Herr Markus Molitor’s name again.

Sadly, it is a fair reflection upon both the state of the Australian category in the UK and upon Australia’s misreading of the British palate that the US owns much of the territory that Australia should.

There’s the opportunity.

About the Author – Peter McAtamney is principal of Wine Business Solutions, a consulting company dedicated to helping wine business owners build better businesses – peter@winebusinesssolutions. com.au Figure 4:Top 20 Most Listed Riesling Brands in the UK On-Premise – Source WBS 2018 Research

76 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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February 2018 – Issue 649

Out of the box SA’s newest wine attraction is anything but square There are grander and more expensive cellar doors in the world, but for sheer originality and invention McLaren Vale’s newly-opened d’Arenberg Cube is unrivalled. In an article originally published by The Lead, Nigel Hopkins opens the door on the unique vision of winemaker Chester Osborn.

Cube mastermind: d’Arenberg chief winemaker and ‘futurist’ Chester Osborn.

F

or leading Australian winemaker Chester Osborn, it’s the realisation of a 14-year dream, but for the McLaren Vale wine region 40km south of Adelaide, the Cube could bring tens if not hundreds of thousands more wine tourists to visit one of the world’s most unusual and dramatic cellar doors.

The five storey $15 million glass-encased steel and concrete structure was inspired by a Rubik’s Cube – an architectural puzzle four modules wide, four high – seeming to float above the entrance ground floor, and four deep. The architectural twist is that the two top floors are askew, rotated on their axis, just as if you’d twisted your Rubik’s Cube – which both architects and builders agree have made it the most difficult project on which they’ve ever worked.

As visitors approach the entrance there’s a haunting background sound, created by a local DJ but the instrument making it is a weather station. As the weather changes each of eight parameters (temperature, humidity and so on) talk to a unique musical playback system along a range of keys, tones and volume.

But it’s inside the d’Arenberg Cube where Chester’s colourful imagination has run riot, stretching the limits of technology and challenging visitors from the moment they enter through mirrored stainless steel doors that fold back, origami-style.

Immediately guests are confronted by an upended black and white bull cradling a polygraph (lie detector) control panel, the first exhibit in what Chester describes as an Alternate Realities Museum in which everything has more than one meaning, and everything is wine focussed.

“I never wanted it to be compared to MONA (Hobart’s famous Museum of Old and New Art),” Chester said.

“This is, after all, a cellar door, but it’s also an art gallery.

Like MONA there’s a bit of sex and death in here, but it’s really all about wine and alternate realities. Everything has a double or triple meaning.”

February 2018 – Issue 649

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Dining chairs ‘explode with colour’ while tables are crafted from old oak barrels

South African husband and wife team Brendan Wessels and Lindsay Dürr are in charge of the d’Arenberg Cube restaurant’s kitchen

The bull and the lie detector, for example. Many winemakers talk about organics and biodynamics without any real commitment … to which Chester’s art installation screams “BS”.

Chester backs his less than subtle art choice with 200ha of certified biodynamic vineyards, making d’Arenberg the largest biodynamic winemaker in Australia.

Next, two peep shows – one housed in a rusty old oven, the other in an ancient refrigerator – show six hours of six people (including Chester) partying while drinking Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and there’s still so much to see just on this level.

There’s the Sensory Room, for example, with 44 wine flagons mounted on bicycle handlebars, each connected to a bike horn with rubber puffer. Beep the horn and inhale – what a hoot.

“We’re trying to get the senses really alive and excited by now,” Chester explained.

Given that d’Arenberg produces 72 different wines under 60 labels there are plenty of aromas to choose from.

Just around the corner is the 360 Experience with a circular video depicting various artists’ impressions of each group of d’Arenberg wines, or what Chester describes as, “an interdimensional voyage through the alternate realities inspired by the visual art of our labels.”

Chester Osborn, 55, who said he likes to paint and sculpt

78 Grapegrower & Winemaker

when he’s not fully occupied as chief winemaker and futurist for the company his great grandfather Joseph Osborn founded 105 years ago, has filled any vacant space with art pieces and installations he’s either commissioned or collected over the years.

One of the most confronting is the Quiet Space Fermenter, a room that gives the impression of being inside a wine fermenter featuring thousands of dangling VHS video tapes on which images of feet treading a fermenter are projected.

Chester calls this room, “claustrophobic, like falling over and being completely immersed in a fermenter of black grapes.” At its centre is the quiet space – “like the quiet moment before you die” – with a 3D holograph of a skeleton arm, symbolic of both death and the iconic d’Arenberg wine The Dead Arm, courtesy of South Australian company, Voxon Photonics.

There’s a lift to the upper floors but far more entertaining is the completely mirrored stairwell featuring caricatures of d’Arenberg’s range of wines by Australian cartoonists. The second floor is a multi-function space for tastings and blending classes, while the third floor houses the d’Arenberg Cube restaurant.

This is not the place for a casual snack. With South African husband and wife team Brendan Wessels and Lindsay Dürr in charge of the kitchen, the menu options include a ‘long’

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February 2018 – Issue 649

for the world’s oldest Shiraz vines

d’Arenberg produces 72 different wines under 60 labels there are plenty of aromas to choose from.

degustation lunch, the Sisypheanic Euphoria (allow up to three hours) and an ‘extra long’ lunch, the Pickwickian Brobdingnagian (allow at least four hours). It will be quite an experience, from the dining chairs that explode with colour and tables crafted from old oak barrels, to a 3D food printer in the kitchen.

The top floor is an all glass tasting room – four glass bars made up of 115 televisions featuring opaque projections of a naked female underwater swimmer, floor to ceiling windows on all sides – even a glass ceiling, with 16 two-tonne glass panels topped with 16 massive umbrellas that automatically retract and fold in a gale.

Among the many hundreds of installations and artistic creations filling the Cube, only once did Chester’s vivid imagination beat the available technology. At the entrance, a sharp left turn was to lead to a small ‘wine fog room’, a vinous sensory overload with the visitor immersed in a thick fog of whatever happens to be the wine of the day: breathe it, feel it, wear it.

It will happen, but only when they’ve worked out how to prevent the wine fog from setting off the fire alarms.

The d’Arenberg Cube opened to the public on December 14. The cellar door is open daily from 10am – 5pm.

February 2018 – Issue 649

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calendar Australia & New Zealand

looking back

February 9-11 Canberra Food & Wine Expo, National Convention Centre, Canberra, ACT, www.foodandwineexpo.com.au 10 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival 2018, Brancott Vineyard, Blenheim, NZ, www.wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz 10 Taste the Limestone Coast Festival, Naracoorte, SA, www.thetastefestival.com.au 10-11 Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration, RACV Cape Schanck Resort, Mornington Peninsula, VIC, www.mpva.com.au

16-18 Shakespeare in the Vines, Sevenhill Cellars, Sevenhill, SA, www.sevenhill.com.au 18 Declaration of Vintage, Murray Street, Tanunda, SA, www.baronsofbarossa.com 17-18 Sunset Wine, Brighton Reserve, Scarborough Beach, Perth, WA, www. wineandfood.com.au 23-4 March Apple & Grape Harvest Festival, Stanthorpe, QLD, www. appleandgrape.org

11 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival 2018

24 The Dog Point + Logan Brown Picnic, Dog Point Vineyard, Marlborough, NZ, www. dogpoint.co.nz/social/classic-kiwi-picnic

13 Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, Auckland, NZ, www.wineshow.co.nz

25 Wood, Wine & Roses Festival, Heywood, VIC, www.woodwineroses.com

14-17 BioFach Germany 2018, Exhibition Center, Nürnberg, Germany, www.biofach.de 14-17 ExpoVin Moldova 2018, Moldexpo International Exhibition Centre, Chisinau, Moldova, www.vinmoldova.md 14-17 World Wine Meetings Global, Hôtel du Collectionneur, Paris, France, www.wwm-global.com 17-18 Boston Wine Expo, Seaport Hotel & Wolrd Trade Centre, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, www.wine-expos.com/boston 18-20 Vinisud 2018, Montpellier Showground, Montpellier, France, www.vinisud.com 20-23 The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley, Meadowland Napa Valley, St Helena, California, USA, www. winewriterssymposium.org 20-25 MUNDUSvini - The Grand International Wine Award (Spring Tasting 2018), Germany, www.mundusvini.com 21-22 Black Sea Region Wines & Spirits Contest, Chisinau, Moldova, www.vinmoldova.md February 2018 – Issue 649

Trailblazing Viticulturist and winemaker, Brian McGuigan, has been named as a semi-finalist in the Bicentennial BHP Awards for the Pursuit of Excellence.

McGuigan is the man responsible for rejuvenating Australia’s oldest vineyard, ‘Dalwood’, in the Hunter Valley. He has been nominated for an award in the Rural Development category.

Establishing vineyard cover crops

February

12-14 VinoVision Paris, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles Showground, Paris, France, www.vinovisionparis.com

February 1988

February 1998

International 12 China Wine & Spirits Awards 2017 - Best Value, Hong Kong, www.cwsa.org

We step back in time to see what was happening through the pages of Grapegrower and Winemaker this month 10, 20 and 30 years ago.

21-23 ExpoVin Moldova 2018, Moldexpo International Exhibition Centre, Chisinau, Moldova, www.vinmoldova.md 21-25 VINARIA, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, www.fair.bg 22-24 Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association Annual Conference & Trade Show, Irving Convention Center/Omni Mandalay, Dallas, USA, www.txwines.org/annual-conference 23-26 Oenos, International Exhibition & Congress Centre, Thessaloniki, Greece, www.helexpo.gr 24-27 Golositalia & Aliment, Montichiari, Brescia, Italy, www.golositalia.it 26-27 International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show UK, The Royal Horticultural Halls, London, UK, www.ibwsshowuk.com 27 Feb -1 March Beviale Moscow 2018, Crocus Expo, Moscow, Russia, www. beviale-moscow.com 28 Feb -2 March B.E.V. NY (Business.

Enology. Viticulture), RIT Inn and Conference Center, Henrietta, New York, USA, www.bevny.org 28 Feb -3 March VINEX, Brno Exhibition Centre, Brno, Czech Republic, www.bvv.cz/vinex

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The use of a cover crop is now recognised as the best option for mid row soil management in Australian vineyards. The benefits of using a ground cover as opposed to a bare earth or continuously tilled mid row relate to the preservation of soil structure, the control of erosion and water run-off, improved weed management, and long-term sustainability. Management practices such as seed bed preparation, rotation of green manure crops, fertiliser application and better establishment of techniques are now the focus for improving the performance of cover crops.

February 2008

Precise watering gets the necessary bits wet Precision irrigation will be the future of watering vines in this country with the possibility of water resources remaining scarce due to climate change. CSIRO principal research scientist for precision viticulture, Rob Bramley, says because soil characteristics vary within vineyards, the appropriate amounts of water that should be applied as irrigation will be variable.

Bramley says that simple engineering adjustments, such as variable dripper rates or extra tap fittings, will allow irrigation systems to provide different amounts depending upon the soil characteristics.

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February 2018 – Issue 649

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