Grapegrower & Winemaker - June 2017

JUNE 2017

Vintage report: Patience tested

Dry-grown vineyards: Dual benefits

Solar-powered wineries: Latest examples

Wine kegs:

The new house pour

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contents features JUNE 2017

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Spraying

73

Crushing & Pressing

Vintage report: Patience tested

Dry-grown vineyards: Dual benefits

COVER Grapegrowers and winemakers have been pleased with this year’s outcome but acted carefully throughout the long, slow vintage of 2017.

Our region-by-region wrap of vintage starts on Page 15.

Solar-powered wineries: Latest examples

Wine kegs:

The new house pour

news

grapegrowing

From the editor .........................................7 They are young and free

48

Victorian Government subsidy retained .....................................10 Gill Gordon-Smith earns prestigious title ....................................... 11 My View: From grape to glass.................12 Meet the 2017 Future Leaders..................14 2017 Vintage Report ............................... 15 15

Ricca Terra: Ratcliff’s rich land .................33 Dry-grown vineyards ..............................38 Soil analysis and soil carbon ...................44 Phylloxera management plan ..................47 Rainy day job: Tractor maintenance .........48 Pesticide resistance..................................50 Optimum spray coverage ........................52

regulars 6

What’s online

6

Say that again

29

R&D at Work

44 Ask the AWRI Wine Australia for Australian Wine

Understanding costs should be as easy as ABC Adelaide-based business and engineering consultants 2XE have bought to light some valuable news for the Australian wine community’s bottom line.

In a recent project, funded by Wine Australia, to undertake a life-cycle cost analysis of wine processing, it revealed the enormous potential of what is known as activity-based costing (ABC) as well as some large holes in just how much many wineries know about what their production costs actually are.

This then highlights where changes to processes could increase profits.

A tailored ABC model was prepared for each winery, showing mean costs per kilolitre (kL) of wine for activities such as bottling, barreling and maturation.

The aim was to create an easy-to-use framework that could be customised to suit the needs of each and every wine business.

4 Grapegrower & Winemaker In fact, 2XE CEO Nick Palousis would go so far as to say it is ‘one of the biggest knowledge gaps we’ve seen in the sector’.

‘For a sector that’s under serious cost pressures, to have businesses that

Wine Australia is now studying the project report to determine how best to progress the findings.

Nick said ABC represented a different way of looking at costs and their implications. ‘Typically a winery would take its balance sheet and look at the things an accountant usually audits – such as labour, electricity and materials – and try to reduce costs

help wineries target their efficiency projects towards activities that have the greatest opportunity for increasing profit.

‘For example, the total cost per kL of wine pressed is significantly different when comparing different techniques such as basket press, bag-press and screw-press’, the report says.

‘Also, the way a press is used varies the cost of production per kL. For example, a winery with a bag press using automated pressing cycles may use less labour than one that requires continual monitoring and adjustment.

‘Likewise, a winery that can schedule and separate red and white batches on different days can minimise cleaning and increase labour efficiency compared with a winery that presses reds and whites on the same day.’

54 Vinehealth Australia update 84 People & Places 85 Calendar 86 Marketplace classifieds www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

June 2017: Issue 641 winemaking

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Is solar energy a feasible option for your winery? ..........................60 Winery maintenance and sustainability ..........................................64 Wine kegs: The new house pour ..............66 Sangiovese: Time to shine .......................68 Young Gun of Wine 2017 ........................71 Post-vintage winery maintenance ............73 More testing times .................................. 76

business & technology Taking tourism to the next level ...............78 Distribution contract compensation clauses.............................. 81

66

sales & marketing Old marketing v New marketing .............82 Has your winery kept up with the changes?

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PUBLISHER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Hartley Higgins

PRODUCTION Simon Miles

GENERAL MANAGER Elizabeth Bouzoudis

CIRCULATION: Emilie Francis subs@winetitles.com.au

EDITOR Nathan Gogoll editor@grapeandwine.com.au EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Denis Gastin, Dr Steve Goodman, Dr Terry Lee, Paul van der Lee, Bob Campbell MW, Prof Dennis Taylor, Mary Retallack and Corrina Wright EDITORIAL Camellia Aebischer journalist@winetitles.com.au ADVERTISING SALES Nicole Evans sales@grapeandwine.com.au June 2017 – Issue 641

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

5

what’s ONLINE Say that again Tax spat between anti-alcohol lobby and winemakers The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) has called for the antialcohol lobby to play fair with tax facts.

Tony Battaglene, WFA chief executive said the latest allegations were “outrageous” as well as “insulting to the 170,000 workers” across the grape and wine community.

Source, Winetitles.

Bleasdale success at Langhorne Creek Wine Show

This year’s vintage has been exceptionally long and late, some older growers are commenting that we have returned to a ‘normal’ season.

Emma Norbiato, Calabria Family Wines winemaker.

Solar power ticks all three boxes so we began investigating some alternative proposals.

Scott Bartlett, Tyrrell’s Wines technical manager.

Bleasdale Vineyards has been named the 2017 Producer of the Year, announced at the Langhorne Creek Wine Show.

The winery was also awarded two class trophies for Best Shiraz and Best Malbec, as well as nine gold medals.

Source, Winetitles.

We had a strategy to look for a property with assets we could liquidate and we bought a property which allowed us to sub-divide off the new house. Selling that off reduced our debt by about half within six months. We also bought close to harvest, so we had cash-flow pretty quickly.

Treasury Wine Estates share price at all time high

Ashley Ratcliff, Ricca Terra viticulturist.

The Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) share price rose to an all-time high of $12.98 this week, which means that the global wine company has seen its shares rise a massive 21% year-to-date.

Investors appear to have been very impressed with its half-year results which revealed a stunning 132% increase in net profit after tax to $132 million.

Source, The Motley Fool & Lenox Leger.

Murray Valley negotiate higher grape price About 20 wine grape growers in the Murray Valley were able to increase the price a Sunraysia winery offered them for their fruit this vintage after appealing their initial offer under the industry’s voluntary code of conduct.

Source, Sunraysia Daily.

We’re trying to increase quality and flavour in the grapes for complexity in the wine, and the better blocks are typically the ones with larger root systems.

Justin Purser, Best’s Wine winemaker.

We’re moving away from that recipe winemaking, we’re not just making wine for the American market.

The global market is changing. The wine world is a lot more accepting of the new styles and new winemakers.

Charlotte Hardy, Charlotte Dalton winemaker.

Correction:

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

In the April edition of the Grapegrower & Winemaker, specifically in the ‘Recovery mode’ article on Page 16, we incorrectly stated the 2016 grape crush from Langhorne Creek had, “delivered a bigger crush than the entire state of Victoria”. While the Langhorne Creek crush was 68,000 and ‘greater Victoria’ was 64,000 tonnes, this figure for Victoria did not include the production from the Murray Darling/Swan Hill regions – which was 417,000 tonnes in 2016. While these regions straddle the NSW/VIC border, about two thirds of production coming from the Victorian side – which was about 278,000 tonnes. This brings the total crush of Victorian winegrapes from 2016 to an estimated 342,000 tonnes.

This figure is more than five times that from Langhorne Creek and we apologise for any confusion this has caused. www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

from the editor

Nathan Gogoll Editor

They are young and free I’VE GOT TO ADMIT when I scrolled through the 50 nominations for this year’s Young Gun of Wine Awards, I wondered how relevant the ‘young’ part of the title was.

I wondered how many of the ‘guns’ were actually younger than me? I’m 36 by the way. And I don’t feel especially young any more. It’ll be 20 years since I finished school next year, when my eldest child will also turn 10.

I’m actually going through a mid-life crisis, of sorts, at the moment. By the time you read this, I’ll be approaching the half way point of this testing time in my life.

I stopped drinking alcohol at midnight on New Year’s Eve and I’m not planning on indulging again until after midnight 365 days later.

Yes – that’s a year without alcohol.

‘Why would you do that?’ is the mostcommon question I get asked about this experience.

It’s a test of will-power more than anything. But I figured it would be good for my health (not that I had any health issues, other than a BMI that just sits in the ‘overweight’ zone) and it wouldn’t hurt for my kids to see that I could still be a normal, social adult without alcohol.

It’s probably more extreme than my father-in-law’s conversion to light beer, but I’m not sure I’d trade no beer for light beer? (And my father-in-law has already worked back up to mid-strength, anyway.)

I actually think it’s my version of running a marathon. I’ve met a few people who, despite not really having an interest in running, have trained hard to run a marathon. They have set a goal, marked

the date of the event in the calendar and hit the road, running.

To me, the willpower required to keep running for 42km would actually be harder to find than what it takes for me to ignore the beer in my fridge and the wine in the rack each day.

I’m not saying it’s been easy. The beers that were opened for me while I was on summer holidays at the beach were hard to pass back. And when I find myself in situations where my good friends are sharing good food and good wine, I’ve had to fight hard to just to have a taste and then spit the wine out.

I’m still tasting wine – I’m the guy at wine events with his own stainless steel milkshake mug on the table. And I’m even still buying some wine.

There have only been a couple people who can’t accept I’ve given up for a year.

And I’ve got a feeling that probably has more to do with what giving up would mean for them than what it has meant for me.

It would have been much harder for me to stop drinking for a year when I was younger.

Which brings me back to the ‘Young Gun’ awards. I was thinking about people who did make an impact on the world when they were young. Names like Steve Jobs and Bobby Fischer popped into my mind, but I couldn’t come up with anybody who’d made a serious mark on the grape and wine community at a really young age.

I guess you actually need to have a bit of experience and wisdom up your sleeve before you release wines under your own steam that get people sitting up and taking notice.

So I checked the criteria for the Young Gun awards: “The thing about emerging wine producers is they’re a source of innovation, inspiration and new ideas.

They’re not shackled by conventions.

They’re free. Wide-eyed; adventurous; eager to travel; to experiment; to remix; they question everything. They create energy. They excite. And this is how they lead.

“Our definition of a young gun is not about a date of birth. It’s about this spirit and being young at heart. We’ve had a number of past finalists over 40 – because, really, it takes a lot to make impressive wine.

“Whether they’re employed by an established company or running their own show; whether they’re refining traditional styles or getting radical, we want to provide a platform for these people and their ideas.”

I liked this explanation. A lot.

I’m excited for the dozen winemakers who’ve made it through to the final process of the ‘Young Gun’ awards – and I look forward to seeing the announcement about the trophy winners.

Perhaps I might even get to sit down and enjoy a bottle of one of their wines – next year, of course.

Enjoy the read

SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2017 THE VINE INN BAROSSA VALLEY, SA REGISTER ONLINE WWW.WEA.ORG.AU June 2017 – Issue 641

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

7

on the grapevine

Victorian Government subsidy retained WINE VICTORIA has welcomed confirmation from the State Government the Victorian Liquor Subsidy (the VLS, also known as the Cellar Door rebate) would remain intact and unchanged – providing much needed support to wineries with cellar doors.

Damien Sheehan, Wine Victoria chair, said this meant Victoria was the only state to maintain this level of industry support.

“Ongoing investment into cellar doors is so important – the Victorian visitor experience is often focused on big natural icons, but for a strong economic impact to be realised, providing access to valueadd experiences such as an exceptional cellar doors is key,” Sheehan said.

“With the continuation of this subsidy, the Victorian wine industry looks forward to working in partnership with the government on their tourism objectives by delivering first class wine experiences.”

“We aim to make Victoria the best wine state in Australia,” he said.

When reviewing the VLS, Wine Victoria engaged expert assistance to examine the subsidy and evaluate how the rebate was being used. The results highlighted subsidy recipients: • Generated $680 million in gross state product annually; • Supported almost 5000 ongoing full-time equivalent jobs (direct and indirect);

• Made new infrastructure investments ($7 million in cellar door infrastructure annually); and • Invested in events and activities ($1.1 million cellar door events annually).

The Victorian Liquor Subsidy is a 15 percent subsidy on the wholesale value (7.5 percent of retail value) of wine sold through the cellar door and wine club.

The subsidy is a state rebate of Federal taxes on cellar door sales, and as such, is only available to producers who have exhausted the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) rebate. Producers must have sufficient wine through their cellar door to qualify for the rebate.

Online retailer cuts PR spend, records growth NAKED WINES AUSTRALIA, an online wine retailer that works with independent winemakers and a crowdfunding business model, has reported a record year of growth despite cutting all spending on PR. Greg Banbury, Naked Wines Australia managing director, said

“the results have been staggering; we had little-to-no press coverage and saw a record year of growth. Our customers are spreading the word for us”.

In 2016 the company funded its 40th winemaker, with more than 60,000 Australian wine drinkers signed up as

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‘angel investors’, committing $40 per month towards their next order – which unlocks better pricing and helps support independent winemakers. The company will focus on funding more winemakers in 2017 and doesn’t see a back-flip on the media spend any time soon.

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#WINECHICKSRULE June 2017 – Issue 641

Gill Gordon-Smith earns prestigious title Winemaker and educator, Gill Gordon-Smith has earned a prestigious title at the Vinitaly International Academy. She is among two other women in Australia to have ever received it.

Camellia Aebischer reports.

June 2017 – Issue 641

The ERO Viteco has been developed to slash the costs and resources required during pruning. By seizing the fruiting wire and feeding it through a guide, Viteco completely strips the wire of canes and bits of vine that are immediately mulched, saving the need for a second pass. getting extensive knowledge on Italian wine, not about telling whether they’re good or bad,” says Gordon-Smith.

“What was so fantastic about it is that it was so comprehensive. There were really obscure native varieties that we learned about, and we got to try some of the best wines in Italy. It’s been so instrumental, like when I look at a Montepulciano now, I know exactly what its characteristics should be.”

The course has been important to Gordon-Smith, who focuses on Italian varieties for her label, Fall From Grace.

Having the opportunity to network with some of the best Masters of Wine in the world, who were also involved in the course, has been a welcomed bonus.

As has the celebration gala dinner at the Arena di Verona, and her participation in Vinitaly, following completion of the course.

Now that Gordon-Smith is declared an ambassador, she will be brought back to Verona on regular trips for an educational refresher on Italian winegrapes. Her wealthy knowledge set will be put to good use in McLaren Vale which boasts a Mediterranean climate.

In future Gordon-Smith hopes to use the information and training to better Australia’s Italian varietals.

“A lot of people here are making Italian varieties like Shiraz and they don’t know what to do with them.

“What I want to do with this is to be able to do something in Australia. I want to bring Ian D’Agata over here to do some seminars and things like that.” www.winetitles.com.au

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AS PARCELS OF FRUIT were arriving for her wine label in early April, Gill Gordon-Smith hopped on a plane bound for Verona, Italy.

Her disappearance was not for nothing and she returned triumphant with the title of Italian Wine Ambassador from the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA).

The VIA program is an intensive learning program designed to educate an international audience of industry persons on the intricate details of Italian winegrapes. Gordon-Smith is one of only three Australian’s who have earned the award. All of them women.

The five day intensive course is run

by Doctor Ian D’Agata and Stevie Kim, Scientific and Managing Directors (respectively), of Vinitaly International.

D’Ataga is also prolific and highly respected wine writer and scientist, and has published the book Native Winegrapes of Italy. The book catalogues the grapes, of which there are around 550 different varieties, so he is the “foremost authority on Italian winegrapes” as stated

by Gordon-Smith.

To participate in the program, you must apply and be accepted, and only 50 persons will be accepted worldwide each year. There’s a 75% or higher mark needed to pass and this year only 24 of the 72 passed the test.

“I teach WSET and do a lot of wine education and I thought I knew a bit about Italian wine. I thought it would be really easy,” said Gordon-Smith.

That was in 2016, and unfortunately it wasn’t as easy as she had first thought as she was unsuccessful upon first attempt.

Gordon-Smith spent the next year hitting the books and luckily, coming back to try again in 2017 was worth the hassle.

“The first year they started the program, no one passed,” which was another year prior in 2015.

“Some of the questions were really revolting, like ‘what are the genotypes and phenotypes of Nebbiolo?’”

“It’s all based on grapes and characteristics of Italian grapes, which is what attracted it to me initially. It’s about

VITECO CANE PRUNER

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my view From grape to glass Kenneth Stanton, one of Australia’s leading wine lawyers, examines the maze of regulations that winemakers need to navigate in order to get their product off the vine and into the consumer’s glass.

BUYING A VINEYARD where you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour sounds like paradise, but it may not be quite as idyllic as you imagine.

I’ve always viewed winemaking as a poetic – even a magical – process, and it seems that quite a few celebrities have also been bewitched.

The film director Francis Ford Coppola, and musician and singer Cliff Richard, both own vineyards. Gérard Depardieu is such an enthusiast, he owns vineyards in several countries. Allegedly, his passport lists his profession as vigneron rather than actor.

However, the reality is that viticulture is a tough, and even fickle, business.

Ideally, you need to be a shrewd businessperson because you’re at the mercy not just of local economic developments but of the global economy.

In addition, winemaking is an extremely competitive industry. The

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What about making the wine?

How much red tape is involved?

This is where the regulations become even more heavy-handed. many challenges wine producers face is something I see every day working with clients operating in the industry.

Interestingly, it isn’t just the economics of viticulture that tests. Most aspiring vintners don’t realise that the way in which the industry is regulated will also pose challenges. They aren’t simply facing regulation at a local and national level; there is a web of international institutions and agreements that will affect everything they do.

In my view, being aware of what is involved, including the potential pitfalls, is (to use another agricultural metaphor) what separates the sheep from the goats in the wine industry.

Have you ever been tempted to escape your corporate job and buy a vineyard?

Would it be as idyllic as you imagine?

Growing grapes is a very labourintensive process, involving activities such as pruning, leaf plucking and shoot thinning. You may need to spend time and money netting hectares of vines to protect your crop from birds. In addition, grapes are very dependent on the weather.

Your vineyard could be hit by a storm and all your grapes split by hail. A year’s work could be lost in minutes.

The reality is that you’re not just facing a lot of hard work and the unpredictable forces of nature. Your activities are strictly controlled, because the regulatory bodies operating in this area are tasked with protecting the reputation of Australian wines while boosting sales in overseas markets.

Growers must comply with the Australian Label Integrity Program (LIP), which requires everyone in the wine supply chain to keep an auditable trail of www.winetitles.com.au

documents indicating the vintage, grape variety and geographical indication of the grape products they grow, manufacture, supply or receive.

The penalties for failing to keep a record, keeping a false or misleading record, making a label claim not supported by your records or failing to provide a copy of the record when supplying wine goods can be severe and, in extreme cases, may lead to imprisonment.

It is likely that you’ll have to use chemicals to protect your crop from a variety of pests. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) sets the maximum residue limits permitted. However, the regulator of residues of chemicals in food (and wine) is Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), which adopts the maximum residue limits set by the APVMA. You’re required by law to keep a record not only of what chemicals you use, but how much of them you use.

However, the regulations don’t stop there when it comes to grape growing. If you’re keen to export your wine overseas, you need to be aware that the maximum residue limits are much lower in the European Union than in Australia.

In addition, there are a large number of bilateral trade agreements that affect the international wine trade.

Australia, along with Canada, Chile, South Africa and the United States, has made concessions regarding geographic indications in return for improved access to the European Union market. So, don’t even think about calling your beautiful sparkling wine ‘champagne’ or your red wine ‘Burgundy’ (even if your vines were imported from that French region back in the 19th century). In addition, you can’t state that your wine is from McLaren Vale unless it was actually sourced from that region.

What about making the wine? How much red tape is involved? This is where the regulations become even more heavyhanded.

Decisions made by intergovernmental and international non-government organisations such as the International Office of Vine and Wine (OIV), the World Trade Organization, Codex Alimentarius, the World Wine Trade Group and the Fédération International des Vins et Spiriteux determine what you can call June 2017 – Issue 641

June 2017 – Issue 641

name must not mislead as to the origin, age or identity of the wine.

In addition, the legislation specifies how the vintage, region, variety, volume, designation, country of origin, alcohol content, allergens, name and address, lot number and number of standard drinks are specified.

You also need to comply with the regulations relating to labelling item position, language, brand name, bar codes, ‘best before’ date and carton labelling.

You need to be aware that: • Vintage claims are optional but must be 85%; • Regional (GI) claims are optional but must be 85%; and • Variety claims are optional but must be 85%.

What about if you’re keen to export your wine and tap into some of those lucrative overseas markets? Under the Australian Grape and Wine Authority Regulations, all wine shipments over 100 litres require export approval. The idea behind this is to protect the reputation of Australian wine by assisting wine producers to comply with international regulatory requirements, monitor compliance with Australian law, and investigate breaches when detected.

You will need to go through the following approval process: 1. Obtain a licence to export; 2. Register the product; and 3. Issue an export permit for each consignment of wine leaving Australia that is in excess of 100 litres.

If you want to export your wine to the European Union, you will need to obtain a VI1 Certificate of Analysis after you’ve obtained an Export Permit. This can be obtained from any National Authority of Testing Authorities-accredited laboratory.

In addition, if you’re dealing with a bulk wine shipment, you need to ensure that you’re complying with loading and transportation specifications. Failure to do so may result in your licence for future bulk wine shipments being suspended.

It’s also worth noting that wine exports are subject to a levy (the Wine Export Charge), which is calculated as a percentage of the sales value.

Finally, you need to be aware that the requirements for wine labels differ for each country, and that some country authorities or importers require additional certification.

The good news is that once you’ve checked out those requirements, you are on your way to international success and can pour yourself a stiff drink to celebrate. www.winetitles.com.au

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your wine, the additives you can use and the labels you can affix to the bottle, as well as where you can export your wine.

It is at this point that you might wonder whether you should have kept things simple and stuck to growing grapes, letting someone else handle the winemaking.

As a winemaker, you must keep records documenting any changes to the wine goods. The blending rules for wine are far from straightforward and affect vintage, variety and geographical indication.

For example, if the wine is blended from different vintages or geographical indications, your records must show what proportions of the blend are represented by each blended wine, and the vintage, variety and geographical indication of each such wine.

You will soon discover that, when it comes to labelling your wine, you can only refer to grape varieties recognised by the OIV, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. In addition, as mentioned above, you must only use the geographical indications that have been agreed upon for Australia.

But the regulations don’t stop with blending.

Wine production in Australia is governed by Standard 4.5.1 of the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code. The Code contains definitions for wine, sparkling wine, fortified wine, grape spirit and brandy.

The Code also regulates food additives and specifies those approved for the production of wine, sparkling wine and fortified wine (such as ascorbic acid, citric acid, dimethyl dicarbonate, erythorbic acid, lactic acid, etc.). It also lists the approved processing aids for the production of wine, sparkling wine and fortified wine (such as activated carbon, agar, alginates, calcium and potassium salts, ammonium phosphates, argon, etc.).

If you are planning to export your wine, you need to retain at least two samples of each product selected for export for at least six months after bottling, or for three months after the stock is exhausted, whichever is earliest.

By this point, you may be close to tearing your hair out. However, you’re only two-thirds of the way through the Australian wine regulation maze.

What about packaging the wine?

Surely, that’s fairly straightforward? Not exactly.

Wine labelling in Australia is governed by a range of federal and state laws. As touched on above, the brand

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news

Meet the 2017 Future Leaders AT-A-GLANCE The Future Leaders of 2017 Alexia Roberts, Galvanized Wine Group (Penny’s Hill) Anthony Robinson, Treasury Wine Estates Chris Dent, Gorton Drive Estates Chris Morrison, sommelier/wine consultant Claire Doughty, Yalumba Gwyneth Olsen, Pepper Tree Wines Marc Soccio, wine advisor Mary Hamilton, Hugh Hamilton Wines Natalie Pizzini, Pizzini Wines Paula Edwards, Winegrapes Australia Richard Angove, Angove Family Winemakers Richard Leask, Leask Agri Sarah Collingwood, Four Winds Vineyard Shirley Fraser De Zolt, Byrne Vineyards Simon Killeen, Simão & Co. Wines Wes Pearson, Australian Wine Research Institute

A GROUP OF 16 talented and driven professionals from the Australian grape and wine community have been chosen to be the Future Leaders 2017.

Future Leaders is coordinated by Wine Australia in partnership with the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) and Australian Vignerons (formerly Wine Grape Growers Australia).

The Future Leaders program is designed to develop participants’ leadership capabilities and encourage innovation and thoughtful debate on the future of the sector.

Richard Leask, on learning of his selection, said he was “excited and apprehensive”.

“The alumni list is impressive and a little daunting. I suppose it feels like just before vintage, you have some idea what you’re in for and that it will challenge you at times but you can’t wait to get into it,” Leask said.

“I’m hoping to discover personal leadership strengths and weaknesses and the tools to improve on both. To open up a new network of people that will keep

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challenging each other and the wine industry to be the best it can be.”

Sarah Collingwood agreed.

“I’m looking forward to the Future Leaders program challenging me both professionally and personally. It’s a great opportunity for me to look up from running my business to establish new connections in the industry and explore the future of business, marketing and governance.”

Andreas Clark, Wine Australia CEO, said the calibre of applicants again reflected the impressive talent working in the Australian grape and wine sector.

He hopes the opportunity will bring together the emerging leaders and help establish long-term prosperity in the grape and wine sector.

“We want the best and brightest leading the Australian grape and wine community and it’s vital we support them by investing in their professional development so they can confidently lead the sector in the years to come,” said Clark.

Andrew Weeks and Tony Battaglene, www.winetitles.com.au

the chief executive officers from Australian Vignerons and the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, said they were proud their organisations were once again supporting the Future Leaders program.

“The expression of interest from such a large and highly competent field of applicants suggest that the future of the grape and wine sector is in good hands,” said Battaglene.

This year’s program will explore new avenues in business, marketing and governance, and will also look at how global economics will shape the future.

Participants will look at new technology, how they can amplify the innovative thinking that already exists in our sector, and learn contemporary approaches to human development and commercial success.

To find out more about this year’s participants and to keep up-to-date with this year’s program keep an eye on the website (www.winefutureleaders. com) and the social media hashtag (#WineFL2017).

June 2017 – Issue 641

2017 Australian Vintage Report Grapegrowers and winemakers have been pleased with this year’s outcome but acted carefully throughout the long, slow vintage of 2017. Across Australia most harvests began late, in February to early March, and continued in to the start of May. Camellia Aebischer has compiled this year’s vintage report.

MANY SIMILAR sentiments were echoed throughout the country for this year’s vintage report. The standout words that you’ll read time and time again are long, slow and late. Or some variation on those. It was also a cooler than average year with plenty of patchy and unpredictable rainfall.

There were a few surprising exceptions, with reports like those at The Hunter Valley from Andrew Margan, of Margan Wines: “Early summer rains were enough to get the vines through most of their veraison – and then January hit. Unlike last January, the January of 2017 will be long remembered for its searing heat.”

And a few unsurprising variations on opinion of the arguable late season.

“The timing has almost returned to what it’s been a number of years ago. The schedule of 2017 is more in common with

what used to happen with us,” says Mike Stone of Murray Valley Winegrowers.

In most areas, yields were slightly down, if not at the start of the season, then because of unpredictable weather causing disease pressures and damaging vines.

A hailstorm early in the season devastated a portion of the Riverland in South Australia and flooding caused grief for winegrowers in the Swan Valley, Western Australia. But spirits were high and the long ripening period that resounded all round allowed for good flavour development and low Baume’s.

Those who salvaged fruit or decided against picking did so thoughtfully and with care, producing a respectable vintage for Australia’s 2017.

This years’ report is arranged in alphabetical order, first by state – then by region.

Harvesting at Huntington Estate, Mudgee NSW. Photo: Amber Hooper

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2017 Vintage Report NEW SOUTH WALES average rainfall in March and April.

Information from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.

Hand picking in the Robert Stein Vineyards, Mudgee NSW. Photo: Amber Hooper

Canberra District The third wettest winter on record, combined with a warmest summer on record meant that the season was off to a good start. Supplementary water was not required in most vineyards until Christmas. Temperatures were mild, preventing any late season frosts and excellent flowering conditions meant a good crop set. Vine growth was rampant providing good foliage coverage for all varieties, especially for Riesling grapes to prevent sunburn.

Leading into harvest there were chilly nights and warm days, perfect for premium cool climate wines. Closer to Yass, all reports indicate an excellent vintage, with the Shiraz and Sangiovese in particular. After two very hot years in 2015 and 2016, the harvest timeframe was back to its normal start in early March. Reports of average and above crop across most varieties means that the quality is very high this year. Premium Riesling grapes have sold well as the demand outweighed supply. This saw the price break through $2000 per tonne.

Information from Ken Helm, at Helm Wines and John Leyshon, Canberra District Wine Industry Association.

Cowra Vintage wasn’t off to a good start in Cowra as a hailstorm hit towards the end of October 2016. This caused severe damage to the Umpires Decision Vineyard. Much like the surrounding regions, median temperatures were the same and some rain delayed ripening.

The late warmer weather finished up

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the grapes nicely and harvesting began in mid-February.

Unfortunately, at Umpires Decision the hailstorm caused a lot of damage and the crop so the yield was significantly reduced. However, what has come in has looked promising.

Windowrie winemaker Anthony D’Onise said that “95% of the whites that have come in from the Hilltops and Cowra are in pristine condition.”

Shiraz once again looks to be the standout grape for Cowra. The warm dry finish allowed vines to ripen slowly with flavours more intense than even the driest of vintages during the drought. Overall it has been hailed as a relaxed vintage for the region. Information from Anthony D’onise, Windowrie winemaker, and Iain Riggs, Brokenwood Wines winemaker and managing director.

Hilltops The growing season started with an above average rainfall for October.

Median temperatures from December to March were also above average.

Mild temperatures early on in the season (October to December) meant that powdery mildew was problematic in the region. Isolated postharvest powdery mildew development occurred on late-season growth and susceptible varieties, including Chardonnay. Downy mildew pressure remained during the growing season with a high percentage of vineyards having mildewed leaves.

Monitoring, maintaining a preventative spray program and using curative sprays controlled the disease. Late-season Botrytis risk increased with abovewww.winetitles.com.au

Hunter Valley The 2017 vintage finished up in Early May in the Hunter Valley. A wet spring in the growing season saw excellent canopy growth and, as it turned out, a generally better than expected crop.

“Early summer rains were enough to get the vines through most of their veraison – and then January hit. Unlike last January, the January of 2017 will be long remembered for its searing heat,” said Andrew Margan of Margan Wines.

The consistent weather patterns of January 2017, that bought the 40 plus degree winds out of the Australian desert, provided some interesting conditions to ripen grapes in. Chardonnay was generally the first to ripen with picking beginning around 16 January which is close to normal. “Good flavours at lower sugars were the norm although the warmer evenings saw lower acids than the Hunter is used to. Semillon was a bit later due to higher crop loads and again it was lower sugars despite the heat. The warm dry conditions ensured that all of the fruit picked was in remarkable condition,” said Margan.

The strength of the prevailing weather patterns continued into February and there were reds of from low yielding vineyards in the first week. The end of the second week saw a weekend of 48 degree days and warm nights. Reds that weren’t ready by this stage were soon ripened by the intense heat and most of the Shiraz at Margan Wines was pulled off in the following days.

The results were full flavoured reds with great colour and tannin structures.

With the wines just emerging from their malolactic fermentation stages we can see a definite consistency in quality. Overall the 2017 vintage was an outstanding one with great quality and reasonable quantity. The hallmark of one of the quickest vintages the Hunter may have seen. Information from Andrew Margan, Managing Director and Winemaker at Margan Wines.

Mudgee Mudgee saw a good season for Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, Merlot and the region’s alternative varieties. Optimum ripeness was seen in all varieties this vintage and cellared wines are sitting well. It was the fourth consecutive vintage with excellent fruit and wine quality in the region.

Looking back on the season, a very June 2017 – Issue 641

wet winter in Mudgee was welcomed with 261mm of rain recorded. This was followed by rain in spring - a further 330mm - proving challenging for some lower vineyard sites. The high rainfall meant grapevine canopies were large and most needed adjustment. High yields also required thinning to create vine balance. There was some Downy and Powdery Mildew pressure with chardonnay particularly affected, however judicious vineyard management ensured that there was minimal fruit damage.

Budburst was in the first weeks of September. During flowering there was generally good weather, with some rain as the chardonnay flowered. “Summer was a blessing, with a warm start and minimal rainfall allowing grape growers to concentrate on their fruit quality,” writes the Mudgee Wine Association vintage report. Only 43 mm of rain fell in December, January and during harvest at the beginning of February. The heatwave of 10-12 February saw three days above 40C which is 10-14 degrees above average.

Overall, summer was 3.7 degrees above average in Mudgee.

Widespread rain occurred on 22 March, with 70mm falling in the vineyard areas, however most fruit had been harvested.

Unlike the rest of the country, picking started a few days earlier than normal, with the small amounts of sparkling base being harvested in the first week of February. Gewurztraminer and early Semillon followed, with Chardonnay soon after.

Riesling was picked in mid-February with early ripening red varieties such as Tempranillo following soon after. Getting white varieties off at optimum ripeness was well paced for the wineries. Acidity levels were slightly lower than normal, but flavour profiles are very good.

Red varieties such as Merlot were a little earlier, with Shiraz being picked in the normal period (late February into early March). Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested at the usual time (late March into early April) and the earlier pickings are very good. There were a few vineyards that could not manage to get ripeness in Cabernet because of the rain and cooler temperatures.

Alternative varieties such as Tempranillo and Graciano, along with Shiraz, performed very well in the warm dry summer.

Again, acid levels were low, with some high pH batches. Colour, flavour and tannin profiles are excellent Information from Jess Chrcek, Mudgee Wine Association president.

“There still need to be increases. For the good part of the past five years grape prices are not covering production costs.” This is problematic because growers aren’t producing much needed profits to innovate and sustain the industry. The region has been pleased with all varieties across the board, but the Shiraz is the standout variety for the year. Information from Mike Stone, Murray Valley Winegrowers executive officer.

New England The season started with cooler temperatures, delaying bud burst and slowing vine and berry development. There were above-average mean temperatures from December–February, with vines having adequate stored soil moisture during early heat events. Vineyards in the south of the region were affected by hail during 2016–17 growing season. March rainfall events caused further damage to hail-affected vineyards, splitting berries and encouraging disease development. An estimated 150 tonnes of fruit was lost to weather and disease, around half of the region’s forecast harvest.

Thankfully, plenty of vineyards remained disease free, bringing in above average crops. Early winemaking assessments indicate good acid retention and high quality wines from the remaining grapes. Risk of powdery mildew was high through the peak of the growing season and spray programs were adjusted to shorter intervals to prevent infestation.

Downy mildew development occurred with early season rains but most growers were able to control downy mildew with chemical applications. Despite the wet end to the season, Botrytis pressure and bunch rot development remained minimal for non-hail affected vineyards. Information from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.

Murray Darling & Swan Hill In common with most wine regions throughout Australia, the Murray Valley started off vintage later than usual. Harvest kicked off toward the end of January, around four weeks later than 2016. Vintage wrapped up properly in early May, substantially by the end of April for most of the region.

“The timing has almost returned to what it’s been a number of years ago. The schedule of 2017 is more in common with what used to happen with us,” said Mike Stone of Murray Valley Winegrowers.

Yields were up overall, mostly with the red varieties but Chardonnay was down. Winemakers have been very pleased with the quality of the grapes. The region experienced some disease pressures, mainly weather conditions causing powdery mildew. Of course some growers had more success than others when it came to dealing with the disease.

While the early weather was ideal for powdery mildew, conditions came through to cease its development. After the rain there were some winds with cool dry weather.

Most importantly, prices have increased. “We have seen a steady increase from 2016 to 2017, which is pleasing. But it has to be remembered that it’s come from a very low base,” says Stone. He adds that it appears prices are heading in the right direction.

June 2017 – Issue 641

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2017 Vintage Report Although disease pressures were high, there were good results across the board and a relaxed picking period.

“White varieties were solid, with Chardonnay parcels showing particularly good varietal expression. Quality was on par for the reds, with the later season (cooler and shorter days) affording the fruit a bit more hang time allowing flavour ripeness to develop in a timely fashion,” said Mclean. “Merlot was the standout red varietal locally this season.”

Standouts for Calabria Family however, were different.

“The cooler longer growing season meant flavour and ripeness was achieved earlier, some local Riverina highlights for us are the early picked Chardonnay and late harvested Cabernet, which will go on to produce our Richland 2017 vintage wines,” said Norbiato.

Information from Andrew Mclean, Casella Family Brands GLO, and Emma Norbiato, Calabria Family winemaker.

The mark of the season. Photo: Barossa Grape & Wine Association.

Orange A steady and predictable haul of grapes this year in the Orange region has produced a pleasant outcome.

Picking started late, just like the rest of the country, but this year seems to be “coming more full circle and reflects picking seasons that were normal in the 90s and early 00s,” said Justin Jarrett, at See Saw Wines. The whites came off nicely and most of the district had picked theirs before a spell of wet weather. The rain caused a few delays with the red varieties but luckily everything stayed intact as it was early enough in the season. Once things started to dry up there was an English summer vibe with dry days and cool nights which finished off ripening nicely.

Although there haven’t been any notable triumphs there haven’t been any disasters and the year has shaped up to be a pleasant one. Grape prices rose steadily in tow with the previous years of a 4-5% increase which has seen prices go back to the way they were some 10 years ago. Inquiries for more exports have risen but haven’t come to fruition so well, due to supply not being in line with demand.

Information from Justin Jarrett, See Saw Wines.

Riverina The 2016–17 growing season started in the first week of February, and was a lengthy season for all.

“This year’s vintage has been exceptionally long and late, some older growers are commenting that we have

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returned to a ‘normal’ season,” said Emma Norbiato, Winemaker at Calabria Family Wines.

A report by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries states that production of around 300,000 tonnes is expected for this vintage in Riverina.

September rainfall of 156.6 mm (Griffith Airport weather station) was problematic for early-season pest and disease control.

Vineyard access issues reduced the ability to apply under-vine herbicide and canopy sprays.

“High disease pressure, particularly from the mildews, and a slow start characterised the 2016/17 season,” said Andrew McLean, Grower Liaison Officer at Casella Family Brands.

Conditions were slightly below average until January, when some warmer than average temperatures swooped in from February to April.

Despite this, powdery mildew pressure remained high throughout the growing season. Mild and humid conditions early in the season encouraged development.

Isolated downy mildew development occurred with early season rain and vineyard access issues limiting spray application. Growers were able to control downy mildew with chemical applications with no crop loss observed.

“White yields were flat overall, and reds saw a slight increase generally on long term average ,” said Mclean. “Due to the slower season processing of fruit was able to be handled in a lot more streamlined fashion with constant intake continuing across the entire vintage.” www.winetitles.com.au

Southern Highlands The season began late in the Southern Highlands, and late spring frost in October caused isolated damage to some vineyards in the southern region.

It was a cold start and temperatures didn’t warm to above average until November.

In November there were two hailstorms that damaged vineyards, however, these were isolated and a majority of the blocks were left unharmed.

Continued hot and humid conditions persisted through January and February with unusually high temperatures of over 37 °C recorded on six days at the Moss Vale weather station, including 39.6 °C on 11 February.

Consistent rain throughout March (237.0 mm recorded at Moss Vale weather station) interrupted harvest and resulted in late-season Botrytis outbreaks.

As of the start of May, a few blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon were still to be harvested, with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for sparkling being harvested before the wet weather.

The two sparkling varieties appear to be the best of the season with a biodynamic Pinot Noir the top pick for reds.

Powdery mildew was the main disease issue in the region. Pressure and development occurred due to earlyseason mild and humid conditions.

Growers that adjusted to vigorous early season growth and dense canopies by shortening the spray cycle to seven days (instead of 10–14) controlled the disease.

Information from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries.

June 2017 – Issue 641

QUEENSLAND Granite Belt “The season started out with spring rain in balanced quantities followed by surreal temperatures exhibiting warm to hot day time levels followed by a cooling effect from the Great Divide at night. This lead to a fabulous white vintage for The Granite Belt,” said Mike Hayes, Winemaker and Viticulturist at Symphony Hill. “The quality of whites from the Granite Belt and Northern New England is exceptional. Red grapes were progressing quite well and the vintage looked like a repeat of 2016 until Cyclone Debbie hit and swung inland to disturb the red harvest.”

A handful of wineries got to work harvesting before cyclone Debbie hit, which could affect their quality if optimal ripeness wasn’t achieved. Wineries that

left grapes on the vines through the cyclone, and maintained a spray regime, benefitted from great quality with low Baume’s, but added flavour. Vintage was exceptionally late with unhelpful wet weather causing delays. Some vineyards didn’t finish harvesting until the second week in May. Information from Mike Hayes, Symphony Hill winemaker and viticulturist.

South Burnett 2017 has been a very good vintage in the South Burnett, but not without its challenges. The season started very well with perfect winter rainfall providing soil moisture causing bud burst to occur about two weeks early. Temperatures were mild in early spring but then in late September a significant heat event

occurred reaching temps in the high 30s for five days. This caused some early flowering varietals to abort flowers and had an effect on bunch sizes which meant an overall reduction in yield across the region. The season dried off significantly and ‘warm and dry’ became the norm for the rest of the growing season. Temperatures were in the low 30’s with little or no rain from October until early March.

Harvest began with some exceptional blocks of Verdelho picked in the northern end of the region at Moffatdale on 27 December. Overall Verdelho and the Mediterranean varieties like Barbera and Nebbiolo are the heroes again this year this certainly seems to be a continuing trend. Information from Jason Kinsella at Moffatdale Ridge Wines.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Adelaide Hills Starting off with one of the coolest and wettest springs for the region, a mild summer followed and brought challenges for the Adelaide Hills. Disease pressure was high, but growers were able to manage it well. Late summer and into autumn saw long, slow ripening

conditions with temperatures similar to long term averages and vintages of the late 1990’s.

“This vintage has produced a more ‘normal’ ripening season where we have picked whites (and red for sparkling) beginning in March, through to April,” says Nicole Roberts of the Adelaide Hills

Wine Region. Red varieties were ready from late April through to early May for the cool-climate region.

“Yields are generally very good with some vineyards experiencing poor set due to the very cool, wet spring.”

However, the standouts this year have been Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for

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2017 Vintage Report

This year’s vintage has been exceptionally long and late, some older growers are commenting that we have returned to a ‘normal’ season.

– Emma Norbiato, Calabria Family Wines

Hand picking at Tasmania’s Derwent Estate.

sparkling with flavoursome Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.

“This vintage is looking to be every bit as good as 2015. The long slow ripening period has produced fruit with such incredible flavour concentration.” The high levels of sugars and natural acidity will help to produce wines with excellent flavour intensity, elegance and structure.

Information from Nicole Roberts, Adelaide Hills Wine Region executive officer.

Barossa The two standouts of the year are the Eden Valley Riesling and the Barossa Valley Semillon. In early March, following a wetter than average winter and spring, and below average summer temperatures, Barossa’s 2017 harvest was tracking three to four weeks later than in recent years. As the season progressed, some fruit at higher altitude was picked four to five weeks later than the previous year. Barossa Shiraz saw another strong year. The 2017 vintage promises to deliver an array of wine styles, from bright and aromatic through to well-structured and dense wines from the earlier-picked vineyards.

With 10 days of mostly warm autumn temperatures in April, Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache blocks were on track to fulfil earlier predictions of bearing very high quality fruit. In Eden Valley, 90% of whites were picked by April, but red varieties Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache weren’t harvested until after Easter to early May. Red and white wine grape yields throughout both Barossa Valley and Eden Valley have been wide-ranging,

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depending on variety, location, and viticultural techniques. On average, yields were around 20% higher than the long-term average. Information from Nicki Robins, Barossa Grape & Wine Association viticultural development officer, in conjunction with the Barossa Viticulture Technical Group.

Clare Valley A cool, wet winter and substantial summer rains have caused a delayed start to the 2017 vintage for Jim Barry Wines, who began picking Riesling on 27 February. Andrew Pike said it was the “latest start to vintage since the forgettable 2011.”

Severe storms at the end of September bringing over 120mm of rain across the region. Soil temperatures remained low due to the waterlogged conditions and below average ambient temperatures recorded through the spring.

Weather conditions during flowering were generally favourable and fruit set was good across all varieties. Over the full year 2016 rainfall totals between 800mm and 1000mm were recorded across the region, making it the wettest calendar year since 2000. This was good news for the Barry’s.

“I have not seen the vines looking so bright and healthy since that late harvest in 1993. They are a deep green colour and showing no water stress or dry leaf,” said Peter, who has completed 45 vintages at the winery ,” said Tom Barry.

“Our Riesling fruit is looking fantastic and the cool growing season ensured healthy canopies to protect the fruit from the enduring warm weather over the last www.winetitles.com.au

couple of weeks.”

But disease pressure was high and significant downy mildew infections were reported throughout the region.

Given the wet ground conditions from the start of the season, spray programs were under pressure right from the beginning.

Vineyards that were unprotected or did not get adequate post infection treatment suffered badly as a result, with significant leaf loss.

Powdery Mildew was generally kept under control until later in the season, when it became an issue particularly in some of the heavier canopy blocks. Light Brown Apple Moth was a bigger problem, which hasn’t been the case for many years. It was also a late infestation, and by the time growers realized the larvae numbers were high, it was too late (past bunch closure) to do anything about it.

Consequently, significant damage was incurred particularly in tight bunch varieties like Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. A three day burst of very hot and humid conditions in the second week of February caused quite a bit of sunburn in white varieties, especially on the eastern side of north-south rows which had been ‘opened up’ by the storm before the New Year.

Overall 2017 would appear to be an above average vintage for Clare in terms of production. Anecdotally, it was looking slightly bigger than 2016 and the standout variety reported is Riesling despite disease pressures.

Information from Tom and Peter Barry at Jim Barry Wines and Andrew Pike of Clare Valley Winemakers.

June 2017 – Issue 641

Coonawarra A cool growing season and above average winter rains leading into the 2017 vintage saw the region return to what could be best described as a more traditional Coonawarra vintage. The cooler conditions resulted in budburst being delayed by up to three weeks, with flowering two weeks later. A mild summer followed, with a welcome spell of hot days in late January.

These factors saw harvest commence towards the end of March and continue through to early May. Coonawarra has not had a vintage which commenced this late since the outstanding 2004 vintage. The major concern was the highly variable weather which can occur at this time of year. The start of vintage saw white grapes with good varietal definition and the reds (albeit at lower sugar levels than recent vintages), showing excellent colour and concentrated fruit flavours.

April saw a large rain event toward the end of the month, and this, combined with above average yields meant that not all fruit in Coonawarra was harvested.

Growers and wine makers had to work together to obtain solid results for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Unfortunately, Shiraz was the variety that was difficult to finesse.

This season, grapegrowers and winemakers refused to pick fruit of inferior quality, due to the variable weather. However, because of the initial higher volumes overall, it’s anticipated that yield for the region will be similar to previous years. Information from Heidi Eldridge, Coonawarra Vignerons chief vignerons officer.

Langhorne Creek The Langhorne Creek wine region has experienced a long, slow vintage in 2017, beginning with high rainfall for winter and spring, leading into an extended, cool ripening phase. This has meant great flavour development in fruit.

Reminiscent of long-past vintages, the grape harvest for 2017 kicked off a good two weeks later than the previous year in Langhorne Creek, with fruit for sparkling base reaching wineries in midFebruary. Whites followed in the last week of February, and reds in late March (nearly a month later). Harvesters were finally stored in the first week of May. The season started with excellent soil moisture profiles from the early rains, but a damp spring called for tight disease management. In late December, flooding on the oldest parts of the central flood plain caused damage and meant fruit from these areas had to be sacrificed.

Luckily, a majority of the region enjoyed the long, slow ripening conditions which June 2017 – Issue 641

made harvesting a little more relaxed.

The high spring rainfall resulted in improved nutrient levels in vines which translated to healthy ferments with moderate alcohol levels and natural acidity. Yields across most of the region have been average to slightly above average with lower yields on the heavier soils. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec and Petit Verdot are showing excellent quality in the wineries and whites have been a highlight with fantastic flavour development at lower Baumes, thanks to the long, cool ripening period.

The 2017 vintage in Langhorne Creek has been one of high quality and exciting flavour profiles punctuated by both the highs and lows of rain events and the lengthy, cool harvest period. Information from Lian Jaensch, Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Inc. executive officer.

McLaren Vale The unseasonable rainfall through the summer months of 2016 delayed the onset of veraison and consequently harvesting of the fruit. Viticulturists across the region reported picking dates four weeks later than that of the 2016 vintage. Rainfall did have its advantage though, as soil was kept moist through January.

“Predominantly mild summer temperatures and a further 79mm of rain in January delayed ripening and the vines continued to show no signs of stress,” said Gemtree Wines Director and Viticulturist, Melissa Brown. “Good acid levels were a feature of white varieties.

Shiraz crops were bumper, and with no rush to pick due to a relatively dry harvest season, some of the later ripening varieties such as Cabernet and Grenache are the shining stars of our 2017 vintage.”

The standout variety was Grenache.

“It was a good quality vintage, especially for our Grenache – with a lovely gentle balance to the flavour and very clear site expression, which I believe is a result of the slower ripening conditions. These should be wines which will drink very well right from release,” said Drew Noon, Director of Noon Wines.

Grape growers across the region were well prepared in mitigating any disease pressure associated with wet weather during veraison. Preventative measures including sprays, netting and weed control were organised ahead of weather events. The drier weather pattern experienced in March and April produced cool nights and warm days ideal for both accelerating ripening and suppressing fungal disease.

Information sourced from the McLaren Vale Grape and Wine Tourism Association. www.winetitles.com.au

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2017 Vintage Report

A 100-year-old basket press in action at All Saints Estate & St Leonards Vineyard, Rutherglen VIC.

Riverland A hailstorm in November was an unwelcome start to the season in the Riverland. Its effects were polarising, bringing devastation to only a few vineyards.

“The hailstorm was bad. It was in November and whatever it hit it destroyed. But what it did hit was only a very narrow band that came through, so it’s not like everywhere got smashed by hail, it was just a small portion,” explained Greg Grigoriou, Winemaker at Delinquente and son of Chris Grigoriou at Portia Valley Wines.

“I wouldn’t know the figures but the damage wasn’t widespread to the whole region. It was very concentrated. Our vineyards didn’t see any damage but a kilometre down the road there was a vineyard that was completely destroyed,” he said.

The area remained dryer than the rest of the state but it was cooler and wetter on average than in recent years. Vintage also fell a touch later than usual, but as stated by many winemakers, reflects those of the previous decade.

“With a big of extra rain, and being a bit cooler there was a bit of disease pressure with downy etc.”

Grigoriou clarified that this wasn’t a disruptive issue. “Overall from our

vineyards quality has been good to very good.”

“Last year was probably a higher yield for us, and probably across the board, but it wasn’t that much below expectation,” he said. “Especially with the organic vineyards, and with alternative varieties, we’ve probably seen very good to excellent quality.”

The flavours were looking great with balanced acid and lower Baumes than usual. This wasn’t of large concern considering the market for lower alcohol wines. “We’re seeing sort of 12.8-13.5% for alcohol at the moment, but the flavour is there,” said Grigoriou.

“For the family vineyard, our organic Shiraz looks great, it’s got a good depth of flavour and lovely acid. I think across the board the alternatives look awesome, I’m not sure about all of them but our Vermentino is looking exceptional and the Nero D’avola big time.”

Information from Greg Griogoriou, Winemaker at Delinquente and son of Chris Grigoriou at Portia Valley Wines.

season with some disease pressure, but nothing of great impact.

The start time was slightly later than average, with cooler days and nights slowing veraison. We’re seeing good acidity and very good flavour and aroma

profiles in both whites and reds, and overall wine producers are very pleased with the 2017 vintage.

Information from Wine Tasmania.

Another late rain event of 33mm, meant the Cabernet pick was later by another two weeks, but Clarnette maintains that it was worth the wait as the Cabernet delivered moderately high Baumes.

“This reminds me of 2002 or 2004.

But even 1990 1994 and 2010 were late vintages in the area. We should be very grateful for such a great and even year.” Information form Leigh Clarnette, Montara Wines winemaker.

“An even ripening throughout the region with very little sun damage to grapes provided us with great fruit driven wines and less tannin.”

Phil Meehan, of Meehan Vineyard said he was pleased with the conditions this season. “The lower temperatures and flower ripening have been ideal for grapes that will produce a full flavour in our wines from this year’s vintage.”

“The later winter rains have meant that yields are very high and this is possibly going to be our best vintage in a decade.” Information from Chris Ear, Heathcote Winegrowers executive officer.

TASMANIA The 2017 wine grape vintage in Tasmania is showing excellent quality, yields are average to good and expected to be slightly down on last year’s record yields. This year’s vintage came with a few challenges - it was a later and cooler

VICTORIA Grampians This year the Grampians have had a plentiful and beneficial vintage. After a late flowering in December of Pinot and Chardonnay it was apparent that vintage was going to be very late.

Luckily the Grampians was able to steer clear of heat despite the late ripening season, and there were only three days at 37 degrees. Summer was mild with low overnight temperatures.

Pinot Started harvest on March 24, which was the latest in 11 seasons for Montara wines. Flavours “marched quietly along” and there was no adverse over-ripeness.

The season saw light rain (around 13-24mm) from time to time which helped quench the vines but often delaying harvest week by week. Leigh Clarnette of Montara Wines was pleased with the outcome. “Riesling did a similar, and just as fantastic job as the Pinot Noir,” she said. “Shiraz, the major variety, was the big winner in the district. Holding your nerve of when to pick always paid off, with most fruit coming in after Easter.

PH’s were lower than usual.”

22 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Heathcote The outlook for Heathcote’s best variety of the season is pointing toward their Shiraz vines, which are expected to reach premium highs for flavour and quality. As of mid-May, vintage was virtually complete. Brian Dwyer from Farmer and the Scientist at Corop (in the northern part of the region) said, “This season has been wetter and cooler than the last few years, which has provided us with higher yields from an extended flowering period. Also a much longer ripening time than the average year has created great balance in the vineyards. www.winetitles.com.au

Macedon Ranges The region experienced good rainfall between May and November of 2016, leading to later than normal onset of flowering. There was generally good fruit set. The canopy growth was exceptional, with minimal leaf yellowing along fruit zones. Unfortunately, the north of the region experienced a drier period from December to February and non-irrigated vineyards were slower to ripen.

June 2017 – Issue 641

Our vineyards didn’t see any damage but a kilometre down the road there was a vineyard that was completely destroyed.

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– Greg Grigoriou, Delinquente

Even Einstein may have been impressed

Veraison commenced from mid-February, and vintage was reportedly back to normal. Bunch development was consistently good and quality of fruit was high. However, because of prevailing humidity and dampness, episodes of Powdery and Downy Mildew with some indication of Botrytis came up, due to split berries. This was been particularly evident in Chardonnay and other aromatic varieties.

Base wines were picked in late March and table wine grapes from mid-April to early May depending on location.

Due to the extended ripening season into a cool autumn with higher disease pressure, vignerons worked hard to maintain fruit health and have reported good yields and fruit quality.

Information from John Fontanella at Fontanella Wines.

Mornington Peninsula A late start to the season echoed that of many areas in Australia. The 2017 growing season was off to a late start and the weather was cold and wet around flowering time. Fruit set delivered great variation across the region. At Handpicked Wines, the bunches were thinned to ensure remaining fruit could reach its full potential. The warm, dry weather with cool evenings was ideal for ripening.

The vintage wrap up on the Blue H20 Filtration website outlined the disease pressures for the Mornington Peninsula stating, “disease pressure was evident in the forms of powdery and downy mildews in the Yarra Valley & Mornington Peninsula regions".

“Hen and chicken made an appearance, especially in Pinot Noir, which otherwise shows good quality. Warmer weather aided ripening through February and March, but some unusual humidity has increased pressure, and Botrytis has developed in some areas in response to this, especially in the later varieties.”

For the earlier varieties, the end result seemed to be looking good, with Handpicked Wines confirming that their signature Pinot is tasting good.

Information from the Handpicked Wines blog, and the Vintage 2017 Wrap Up on the H20 Filtration website.

Rutherglen Vintage began with an early harvest of Muscat from Anderson Wines. By the end of February plenty of white wines had been harvested. The fruit produced good acid this year. Some of the red grapes started to come off vines in late Feb with fruit in very good condition.

“Fortunately this season isn’t like last year, when one day could mean the difference between grapes & raisins. This year ripening is both late and slow. The days are warm and the nights are cool and Vintage 2017 is potentially one of the most beautiful for some years,” said Mandy Jones from Jones Winery & Vineyard.

Rutherglen has one of the longest vintages in the world and a spot of rain late in the season held things up briefly. Frontignac and Gamay was harvested when some Chardonnay was already in barrels. Information from the Winemakers of Rutherglen Vintage Diary.

June 2017 – Issue 641

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

23

2017 Vintage Report

Action in the Robert Stein Winery, Mudgee NSW. Photo: Amber Hooper

Yarra Valley The spring was cool and wet in the Yarra Valley. “After a run of warm and early vintages it was great to get back to the old days where vintage started in March,” said Franco D’Anna, Winemaker at Hoddles Creek Estate.

“Early in the season, frequent rainfall added some disease pressure, but without the worry of heat spikes we decided to open the canopy up for more air flow and better sunlight penetration.”

Sudden heat and rain at flowering made yields very variable on the valley floor but upper Yarra saw a very good fruit set. However, the late varieties set much better for the floor. Yields were down by about 25% compared to 2015 and 2016.

There were some areas of powdery mildew, but generally low disease pressure in conjunction with good spray practices. The ripening period was ideal. Intermittent rain and warm days

with no heat spikes made for perfect conditions. Flavours developed at lower Baumes giving winemakers the luxury of waiting to pick and scheduling fruit intake effectively.

“So far wines look extremely strong, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

It could be a classic Yarra year for 2017,” says Andy Clarke, Viticulturist at Yering Station.

Unlike some years, the picking windows were quite open. Things ripened slowly, acids held and everything was well spread out.

“In the winery, there wasn’t a lot to do.

Great natural acidities and strong natural ferments meant that we left the wines alone,” said D’Anna.

“Chardonnay is exceptional, with strong lines and a purity of fruit not seen since 2012.

“Pinot was strong also. Great colours and lots of tannin meant that cap manipulation was kept to a minimum.

Cool day and night temperatures resulted in a steady fermentation with cooling not required. The only challenge for vintage 17 was keeping the beer fridge stock with real Peroni.”

Information from Andy Clarke, Viticulturist at Yering Station and Franco D’Anna, Winemaker at Hoddles Creek Estate.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Geographe The harvest season in Geographe was off to a late start, running three to four weeks behind at least. This meant its end date was similarly late and things didn’t wrap up until end of April/early May. “Because the Geographe region is quite diverse, we get a bit of variation.

But, generally speaking, it was a season that was extended, and late,” says Simon Holthouse, President at Geographe Wine Region. “There were some problems later in the season in Donnybrooke, where fruit failed to get to its best conditions for harvesting and was left on the vines. But generally most crops were picked.”

Overall, the season was extended and late, a common echo on a national scale.

The fruit quality is looking excellent overall with a 10-20% higher yield for Geographe. The major concerns were rain events mid-season which caused some problems later on. “Unusually, toward the end of harvest we were facing the prospect of some prescribed burning in the area,” says Holthouse.

“This caused us to have to work closely with the department of parks and

24 Grapegrower & Winemaker

wildlife to ensure there were no impacts from the burnings.”

The occurrence is atypical of the region, but cold mild conditions made harvesting late and meant prescribed burning began earlier. Jim CampbellClause, of AHA Viticulture consultancy says the standout variety for the Geographe vintage is Chardonnay, with good acidity, quality and yields.

Information from Simon Holthouse, President at Geographe Wine Region and Jim Campbell-Clause of AHA Viticulture.

Margaret River “It is just so frustrating – we have been running behind all vintage with temperatures being so cool, and March then continued the trend and provided the coup de grace,” writes Mark Gifford on his monthly report for Blue Poles Vineyard. The winery has chosen to not produce a vintage for 2017 due to unseasonable weather conditions. “This does not write off the Margaret River 2017 vintage at all, it’s just us,” explains Gifford. “The more northern vineyards are likely to have been more buffered to www.winetitles.com.au

the cool than the vineyards to the south and east.”

“It was predicted to be a warmer and drier than normal March, but that could not be further than what happened with 50mm of rain on the 22-23 March, cutting down any chance of the vintage being saved. What can you do?” he wrote.

March 2017 rainfall: was 74.7mm compared with March 2016’s 19.6mm.

However a delayed harvest due to a wet winter had proven to be positive for other vineyards.

“Because there was so much more groundwater, the soil temperatures were cooler so bud burst was delayed up to three to four weeks at some stage,” explained Viticulturist John Standish in a report by Michelle Stanley for The ABC. “And bud burst was slower because it was cooler temperatures afterwards, so that was not necessarily a negative but an unusual thing for us,” said Standish.

“But then because the groundwater was there, we didn’t have any stresses on the vines through flowering and fruit set, so flowering and fruit set’s been exceptional, and because of that, we got a June 2017 – Issue 641

lot higher yields than we normally would have.”

“News around the wineries is that they are very pleased for the quality of the whites,” wrote Gifford.

Standish concurs that the quality of whites is looking good. The reds have had a tougher time, having to be picked tactfully before rain in late March.

Information from the Blue Poles Vineyard Monthly Report by Mark Gifford, and a report by Michelle Stanley for The ABC titled ’Wine yields doubled in parts of Western Australia, but rain takes shine off the 2017 vintage’.

Mount Barker “What a wet year to start. To give you an idea in 2015 we got 650mm and in 2016 we got 844mm. Our average rainfall sits around 600-700mm but we have had so many dry years we have forgotten what our weather is really like,” says Kym Tyrer of Galafrey Wines.

“So far, this year we have had 136 mm.

Which made everyone nervous and not sure what to expect.”

Vintage started two weeks later than usual, which is in line with the vintage seasons of 10 years prior. By the beginning of April, whites and Pinot Noir

had been picked with the reds coming off toward the middle/end of the month.

Yields were normal and there was a small amount of Botrytis pressure, but no other significant disease or pest pressures. The low Baumes and big flavours of the wines have been received well and 2017 is looking promising.

Information from Kim Tyrer, CEO and winemaker at Galafrey Wines.

Swan District The 2017 vintage was an eventful one in the Swan Valley, with floods and heat spikes. Enduring these conditions, created a challenge for growers to achieve healthy, ripe fruit. Where it was achieved, wines were reportedly excellent but unfortunately a large amount of fruit was lost.

The best rainfall was experienced for many years between the 2016 harvest and the end of winter 2016. September was cool with further good rains. Vine growth was excellent.

October was mild, with no rain from mid-October.

November continued dry and was warm.

Due to the solid earlier rains, vine growth was strong with lots of clusters formed.

December was also warm and dry with several heat spikes. Disease pressure was

low and it was apparent that crops would be high across the board. January was hot and dry with multiple heat waves, but ended with extremely heavy rainfall between 50–75mm due to cyclonic weather from the North West. A similar weather pattern in mid-February brought a second major rainfall event – again of 50–75mm. February was a mix of hot and cooler weather with unusual high humidity for the Swan Valley.

The first major rainfall caused the Swan River to flood, and the second event exacerbated this, resulting a very high and lingering flood. Vineyards along the flood plain were inundated for several days and all fruit from these vineyards was lost. Other fruit, principally Chenin Blanc (which was almost at the point of harvest), suffered from Botrytis and was too badly infected to pick. Other fruit which wasn’t so ripe or as susceptible to mould survived, but harvest was considerably delayed due to dilution form the two successive events.

March started with a heat spike and two further rain events and cooler temperatures made ripening of the remaining fruit difficult. Growers had to show patience. It was also evident that while sugar levels were lower than

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June 2017 – Issue 641

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

25

2017 Vintage Report normal due to the rains, grape flavours continued to ripen. Fortunately, April was warm and dry throughout and fruit that was disease free reached satisfactory ripeness – albeit harvested up to four weeks later than normal.

Crops were uniformly high – about 20% above average across the board – and in some cases even double average.

Unfortunately, the overall yield for the valley was down by about 20% due to the fruit losses sustained. While causing a lot of disease and flooding in some

vineyards, for other vineyards the rains were helpful, keeping the vines healthy after 15 weeks dry, allowing the vines to ripen the large crop.

Without at least some of the late summer rain we may have experienced significant defoliation and sunburn. The delay in picking caused growers and winemakers anxiety, but allowed the harvest of healthy, flavoursome fruit at moderate sugar levels.

Despite the abnormal weather and delayed ripening wine quality is above

average. White wines are aromatic and crisp, with fresh flavours. Verdelho is the standout variety. Red wines are more elegant than usual with excellent perfume and spice. Fruit from dry land vineyards on the heavy ironstone gravel soils on the east side of the valley fared best, with excellent Grenache and Shiraz produced. Generally, it was not a good year for fortified with few vineyards reaching the typical high Baumes we normally see. Information from John Griffiths, Winemaker at Fabre Vineyard.

NEW ZEALAND Vintage was wet, cold and took strategic adaptation. Luckily New Zealand winemakers and growers were up to the task. In typical good-natured kiwi spirit, they were happy to talk about it. Camellia Aebischer compiled the results for this year’s vintage report.

THINGS WERE off to a good start in September with warm weather, no frost and a pleasing outlook. Unfortunately the warm weather didn’t last, the season consistently reported as one of the coolest in memory.

“At Misha’s Vineyard the Growing Degree Days (GDDS) for this season were 960 with the next lowest GDDS recorded in 2009 at 1010,” reported Misha Wilkinson.

The cool weather was not the worst unfortunately and the country was hit with two cyclones (Debbie and Cook) which caused growers the most stress in the north. Many regions reported lower yields, however quality was high and winemakers did a great job at adapting the challenging weather. Mudbrick Vineyard on Waiheke Island took initiative and produced all saigne’e from their red wine grapes this year.

“In years like this it is our collective responsibility to ensure that only premium quality wine is produced.

This definitely causes grief for all but is necessary for the long term benefit of the Hawke’s Bay wine industry,” said winegrower Xan Harding.

“There are some fantastic flavours in the harvested grapes and reports indicate wine in the tank and barrel looks good.

We are looking forward to vibrant, fruit driven wines from the 2017 vintage,” said Gill Walsh of Waipara Valley North Canterbury Winegrowers.

Although the year hasn’t been a knock out, New Zealand can hold its head high with the knowledge 2017 saw their export volumes surpass those of Australia.

26 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Cantebury/Waipara Valley Canterbury and Waipara experienced a reasonably long and hot growing season, with just enough rain patches to prevent drought or the need for excessive irrigation. Rainy conditions meant that the harvest season was brought forward and the window for picking was very tight. A warm, stable summer for the region luckily meant that fruit was able to ripen well and developed good flavours, sugars and acidity despite the earlier than normal pick date.

“The result has been and superb mix of bright fruit flavours and naturally balanced acidity,” said Gill Walsh of Waipara Valley North Canterbury Winegrowers.

The summer conditions were similar to those of 2016, as were the yields for the region. However, the harvest has been far more compact, reflecting 2014.

“Essentially, the highlight was getting a hot summer and well balanced crop levels. Without this we would not have been able to pick in advance of the forecast rain over the later part of the normal harvest period,” said Walsh.

“There are some fantastic flavours in the harvested grapes and reports indicate wine in the tank and barrel looks good.”

Information from Gill Walsh, Waipara Valley North Canterbury Winegrowers.

Central Otago The vintage in Central Otago was notoriously cool. Reportedly the coolest experienced by many vineyards for as long as they can note. The winter was mild and dry, with spring beginning www.winetitles.com.au

cooler than average. The conditions continued in to December which was problematic for flowering in Central Otago. The rest of summer followed suit with below average temperatures.

At Grasshopper Rock, there were some ups and downs. Their vintage blog detailed that “flowering was good but the cooler weather during berry development meant bunch sizes were below average.

Bunch weight which is the lowest since 2007 and 2010 vintages”.

“Picking started on 8 April which was surprisingly early. 2017 seems to have favoured Alexandra which ripened earlier than sub-regions to the west.”

Misha’s Vineyard reported a similar fate. Despite all of this, fruit sets flowered well and a brief frost mid-December didn’t appear to do any critical damage.

“There was also more rain than usual throughout the season. While we normally have spring winds, the winds were unrelenting and continued through summer,” said Misha Wilkinson.

“Our fruit was harvested in very good condition with smaller bunches and smaller berries and while that may be good for quality, the yields are substantially down on our averages.”

Two cyclones, Debbie and Cook, brought disturbed conditions but little rain to Otago.

At Misha’s Vineyard the Growing Degree Days (GDDS) for this season were 960 with their next lowest GDDS recorded in 2009 at 1010. Information from the Vintage 2017 blog at Grasshopper Rock, and Misha Wilkinson, director at Mishas Vineyard.

June 2017 – Issue 641

Sauvignon Blanc was handpicked at Mishas Vineyard, NZ, in April.

Gisborne The 2016-17 season started with budburst on 13 September in fantastic spring weather conditions. Frosts can be expected early in the season, however cool nights in late September didn’t fall below two degrees. Flowering is always around November 25th and conditions for flowering were warm and dry.

“The Mendoza selection of Chardonnay is a good indicator as to how flowering progressed, shot berries showing a poor set, full bunches showing good fertilisation which was indicated this season,” says James Milton, Winegrower at Milton Vineyards.

“The remainder of the growing season was amazing. I have only ever seen such conditions in 1983, 1989 and 1998 so we were eager to lead this to the maximum again.”

At harvest time, weather conditions took a turn, bringing in intermittent moisture, cloudy days and humidity. The weather was atypical, but forecasting helped growers to plan in advance and picking times were hastily reduced.

“With climate change one has to learn to work with Mother Nature instead of forcing a control on the process. This requires patience and wisdom together with empathy to be able to work alongside this force and reduce the effects as best we can,” says Milton.

June 2017 – Issue 641

“We started harvest on March 10 Pinot Noir, and continued Chardonnay Viognier, Vermentino and Muscat a petit Grains. The final stretch was selections of young and old Chenin Blanc and Malbec, finishing finally with Riesling and Syrah.”

Gisborne saw two cyclones bringing in harsh conditions, with the tail of a third negating impact. “Having free-draining soils is another blessing,” says Milton.

“What is exciting is that phenological ripeness was achieved giving wines with great flavour and balance.”

Highlights for the Milton Vineyard vintage include Chardonnay and early season Pinot Noirs. Chenin Blanc was a problematic pick and required a critical eye when selecting bunches.

“We are happy with this year’s effort, albeit saddened that overall yield is down by 34%.” Information from James Milton, Milton Vineyards winegrower.

Hawke’s Bay The 2017 wine vintage has become a hugely debated subject due to the extreme weather challenges, however Hawke’s Bay’s wine industry experts remain positive.

The above average temperatures in January and February with very dry growing conditions set the growing season up for what looked like to be www.winetitles.com.au

another great year. Unfortunately, rainy weather events in late February, followed by humid conditions with heavy rainfall throughout March and April ensured that vintage has become a challenge for the whole industry to overcome.

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Chairman Michael Henley said wet weather during the harvest period is a regular event in Hawke’s Bay. He confirms that winemakers and growers are prepared for this and make decisions based around many years of experience. “As the Hawkes Bay industry matures we are able to cope better with whatever the conditions at the time of harvest, and can still produce great wine despite difficult conditions” said Henley. Many Hawke’s Bay winemakers are confident that the quality of the fruit harvested is of a high standard and that 2017 will be able to produce some outstanding wines.

Trinity Hill Chief Winemaker, Warren Gibson said “this vintage has been challenging with the random rain events that occurred at harvest however the very hot start and middle of the season meant most of the fruit is actually very good. It is a low sugar year but the flavours are definitely there.”

The downside of the weather effects is that certain vineyards have not been harvested due to inferior fruit. The Hawke’s Bay wine industry is committed Grapegrower & Winemaker

27

news to producing the very best wine possible and unfortunately some fruit has been rejected because of this quality commitment.

Understandably, this has been stressful for growers and wineries but grower Xan Harding is pragmatic. “In years like this it is our collective responsibility to ensure that only premium quality wine is produced. This definitely causes grief for all but is necessary for the long term benefit of the Hawke’s Bay wine industry”.

Henley, Gibson and Harding all agree that while the 2017 vintage may not live up to the preceding fantastic years of 2013-2016 Hawke’s Bay wineries will still make some amazing, fine wines.

Information from the Hawkes Bay Wine Association.

Marlborough The growing season in Marlborough started with warm conditions and a return to more typical rainfall levels in the months from October – March.

Dry conditions have been seen for the past two years so the added rain was a welcomed change. The summer saw significant windy weather which affected the growing season, but finally came to a halt around March for the harvest start.

“One of the most important factors this year was the work performed by viticulturists to ensure crop loads were not too heavy, especially as flavour development continued to progress faster than sugar levels,” said Marcus Pickens, General Manager at Wine Marlborough.

“These factors, plus some rain in April, meant that careful selection of when vineyards were harvested was key to a successful outcome.”

For Marlborough, overall the volume has been below pre-harvest estimates.

However, reports from winemakers of good quality in tank and barrel are consistent throughout the region.

“We anticipate vibrant, fruit driven wines from the 2017 vintage and look forward to being able to take wines to our consumers and markets when they are ready to show.” Information from Marcus Pickens, Wine Marlborough general manager.

Nelson “To say that the Nelson grape harvest of 2017 threw out some challenges would be an understatement,” said Hamish Kempthorne, Waimea Estates head winemaker. “However, despite the (at times) wicked hand of Mother Nature, the wines now safely fermenting in tank and barrel are still full of promise with some exciting wines to look forward to as an expression of the Nelson.”

28 Grapegrower & Winemaker

To say that the Nelson grape harvest of 2017 threw out some challenges would be an understatement,” said Hamish Kempthorne, Head Winemaker at Waimea Estates.

The harvest was challenging in Nelson and required patience for both growers and winemakers. The longer flowering period, and a mild summer with an unusual abundance of cloudy days in January and February was responsible for the challenges. For most growers, harvest was around two weeks behind the long term average. “Growers with quality focused, lower cropping levels and attentive canopy management were rewarded for their extra efforts earlier in the year with cleaner fruit and good varietal expressions,” said Kempthorne.

From mid-harvest onward, the region was hit with repetitive and vigorous storms, bringing considerable rain, which was similar to most other winegrowing regions around the country. The tough decision was whether to leave fruit hanging or have it picked safely.

“I think overall Nelson’s 2017 vintage will bring more positivity reflecting on what we now have in tank and barrel than what we faced walking the rows during harvest,” said Kempthorne.

“Although 203mm of rain falling during harvest would suggest the glass is just a little more than half.” Information from Hamish Kempthorne, Waimea Estates head winemaker.

Northland Much of the north region of Northland experienced one of the warmest springs and earliest summers on record this vintage, with virtually no rainfall.

Harvest was well under way by the 10 February for the white varieties like Pinot Gris. The bulk of the other whites like Chardonnay were also picked during February and growers were pleased with their high quality.

The reds weren’t far behind, and all the early coastal sites that picked before the rain on 13 March were in good condition.

It was a different story, however, for the blocks that ripened late with steady rain starting in the last week of March. www.winetitles.com.au

Anything that had to be picked late was an unfortunate disaster.

For many producers the early harvest saved the day, underlining again the importance of site selection.

Information from Rod MacIvor, Marsden Estate winemaker.

Waiheke Island “The 2017 growing season on Waiheke was certainly one to test the skills and nerve of Viticulturists and Winemakers.

Many producers on the island have labelled 2017 as the most challenging vintage ever for Waiheke,” said Nick Otto, Viticulturist at Mudbrick Vineyard.

“The season started out with very wet cool soils which delayed budburst and made vineyard operations difficult with plenty of bogged tractors around the islands vineyards. Moving on through spring the ground dried up with sunny days but very strong and persistent cool south west winds. This resulted in a variable flowing and fruit set with vineyards exposed to the south west flowering around two week later than previous season and setting small crops.

“The team at Mudbrick made the call to bring all of our Chardonnay and Pinot Gris blocks in starting on the 1st of March with our more advanced Chardonnay vineyards. This decision to harvest proved to be a very good one with over 300mm of rain falling immediately after our last pick on the 9th of March.

“Splitting became the number one enemy for fruit condition after this dump and in spite of warm conditions there was no botrytis. We were still able to pull in some clean fruit with great flavours after the rain with our Viognier a standout.

“Unfortunately, the latter half of the vintage was blighted by almost weekly downpours complicating the red harvest.

Waiheke saw almost 700mm of rain fall over the harvest period. Remarkably botrytis did not become a significant problem, the work we put into our canopy management and spray program early in the season paying off.

“All the reds were saigne’e to combat dilution. They are showing great colour and density with surprisingly ripe flavours giving the low brix at harvest.

These wines will be bright, lively and made for early drinking.

“Winemaker Pat Newton has made the decision that no Velvet blend or Reserve red wines will be made from the 2017 vintage to preserve the integrity of our top tier labels. However, we are looking forward to some very exciting and classy reserve white wines.”

Information sourced from Nick Otto, Mudbrick Vineyard viticulturist.

June 2017 – Issue 641

Wine Australia for Australian Wine

Wine lures a Canadian away from the snow Researcher in focus: Wes Pearson Snowboarding’s loss became the wine sector’s gain when Wes Pearson – now an Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) senior sensory scientist – discovered there’s more to Whistler than snow, ice and scenic grandeur.

Born in Manitoba in central Canada, he moved west to try to make a living from the sport and certainly gave it a good shot, practising and competing up to 200 days a year and helping coach the national team when snowboarding made its debut at the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998.

‘As Canadians, there’s a certain appeal to making wine while your kids grow up on the beach surfing.’

Wes began working in various wineries but realised that things were tight in the sector at the time and thought his academic history might lend itself to wine research. ‘I pretty well lucked into a job at the AWRI about five-and-a-half years ago running sensory panels and ever since then it’s been incredible,’ he said.

The AWRI runs three different sensory panels on a regular basis. External panels of tasters come in three times a week to help identify the attributes of He had to supplement his income specific wines. Internal panels are used working in a restaurant, however, which in troubleshooting led him to learn more roles such as about food and wine.

‘Sensory work is great quality assessment.

‘As I got older the wine because everybody’s project And difference eventually got more comes through here. Every tasting panels help important and the three or four weeks there’s a determine whether snowboarding less,’ he new project coming through the use of a product said. and you’re right at the pointy or technique, such Wes trained then end of it. It’s very exciting and as a fining agent worked as a sommelier it’s a cool job.’ or a new type of but his interest in filter, creates an making as well as identifiable difference serving wine grew, so he studied wine in finished wine. biochemistry – the stepping stone to There are also consumer panels, where oenology in British Columbia which, tasters just say what they like. despite an emerging wine sector, did not have a dedicated degree.

‘It’s a really comprehensive service and I’m a cog in the wheel,’ Wes said.

‘I was offered a job in Bordeaux but I ‘I analyse a lot of the data and write was married by then and my wife is a the reports. I have a winemaking dual Australian citizen by descent – her background so I can jump into the fault mother was born in Australia but she’d analysis stuff; I can also do the tasting never been here. We decided McLaren and understand wine judging, having Vale was the place to settle,’ he said. done the Len Evans tutorial this year.

I can fill lots of holes.

June 2017 | www.wineaustralia.com

Wes Pearson

‘Sensory work is great because everybody’s project comes through here. Every three or four weeks there’s a new project coming through and you’re right at the pointy end of it. It’s very exciting and it’s a cool job.’

Wes has also just started a PhD through Charles Sturt University. ‘It’s part of Wine Australia’s new project on terroir, benchmarking regional diversity in Australian Shiraz.’

Wes recently returned to winemaking, establishing the Dodgy Brothers label in McLaren Vale with local viticulturist Peter Bolte and grower Peter Sommerville.

He hasn’t returned to snowboarding for a decade, but at 42 reckons he’d could still show some moves.

www.wineaustralia.com | June 2017

Stick to the management strategies to reduce risk of fungicide resistance

Wine Australia is funding a new project to learn more about fungicide resistance in Australian vineyards.

In the meantime, the best advice for viticulturists is to stick to the published resistance management strategies.

‘If you are at all in doubt, minimise the use of the fungicide you think you’ve got a problem with; and use an alternative,’ said pathologist Barbara Hall.

The project also involved specialists from the Australian Wine Research Institute, Curtin University, the University of Adelaide, the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre and the WA Department of Agriculture and Food. Many of the same collaborators will be involved with the follow-up project, which Mrs Hall will also lead.

‘What we’re looking at particularly is trying to understand the relationship between the laboratory testing and field ‘If you think you’re having a problem with performance,’ she said.

[1] DMIs , don’t keep ‘How does lab testing ‘We know resistance is using the same DMI, relate to whether you’re out there and we know because there are going to see a reduction anecdotally that people differences between in field efficacy with the have had field failure in them. You may have fungicides? certain areas, but there is bought a great big a whole raft of things that ‘We know resistance is container you want can cause field failure, out there and we know to get through, but not just resistance.’ anecdotally that people continuing to use it have had field failure in may not be a good certain areas, but there is a whole raft of economic decision if it’s not working well things that can cause field failure, not just and you suspect resistance.’ resistance.’

Mrs Hall – a Senior Research Scientist ‘Before you blame fungicide resistance on with the South Australian Research and loss of efficacy, you really need to look at Development Institute (SARDI), a division your spray application,’ she said. ‘Are you of Primary Industries and Regions SA driving too fast? Are you not putting the (PIRSA) – led a recently completed chemical on properly? Have you checked project that highlighted the incidence and what coverage you’re getting? severity of resistant fungal populations of the big three major vineyard diseases ‘You need to have your sprayer set up – powdery mildew, downy mildew and properly. You need to be targeting the botrytis. right part of the vine. And you need to

June 2017 | www.wineaustralia.com

get the right coverage. If you’ve got too much leaf and you’re trying to target the bunches, you might not be getting the spray where you want it.’

The advice to start a fungicide program with a multi-site is equally important.

‘If you want to deal with powdery, for example, start your program with a fungicide that attacks a multi-site such as a sulfur rather than your single-modeof-action ones. If you’ve got a wellestablished infection, using a single-site mode of action increases the risk of resistance developing. If you’ve got an established infection, you really need to try to control it before you start putting on single-site action fungicides.’

And if you need more advice? ‘Start off with your local chemical reseller. Talk to the agronomist. Talk to your winery technical people or your local Department of Agriculture viticulture adviser.’

For more information, see Crop Life Australia’s chemical resistance management strategies in the AWRI’s agrochemicals booklet (dog book) available from www.awri.com.au.

[1] Demethylation inhibitor (DMI).

A freezer contains a vital part of the Australian wine story

Angus Forgan and Simon Dillon

There’s a rather humble looking freezer at the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) with a significant backstory and an important place – past, present and future – in the success of the Australian wine sector.

Inside are more than 6000 yeast and bacterial strains collected over almost 80 years and preserved at minus 80°C to ensure they stay stable for many years to come. It is unique in the world (there are other collections of microorganisms, but none that is specific to wine) and only two people have the key.

underpins research and is also available to the sector.’

The other key is held by microbiologist Simon Dillon, who is in charge of ensuring the integrity of the collection and monitoring arrivals and departures.

‘One yeast can look the same as the next yeast, so to be sure of its identity you need confidence in all the stages of identification, preservation and documentation, especially when using the same yeast over many years’, Angus said.

‘We received and supplied around 500 strains last year, but with some of the new Just as importantly there is a duplicate research projects that are coming on line collection off-site – just in case – and a in the next few years that will rely on the comprehensive database of everything collection, we could that is known about be receiving several ‘It’s a resource for people to each and every item. thousand new strains. keep their yeasts, and for ‘In the early days, the wineries to access something ‘In a way, the science AWRI had the foresight novel, but fundamentally it is only just catching up to start putting away underpins the security of the with having a collection their well-researched quite significant investments of this size. The tools isolates and others they that Wine Australia has that are coming in now had collected from the put into microorganism in terms of genetic sector’, said Research germplasm development over analysis and high Laboratory Manager the decades.’ throughput analysis Angus Forgan, who are just reaching the has day-to-day responsibility for the AWRI point at which you are able to mine data Wine Microorganism Culture Collection out of such a huge number of yeasts in a (AWMCC). reasonable amount of time.’

‘Eventually it became a comprehensive Significant effort also goes into updating collection that was supported by Wine information about yeast strains that Australia as a one-stop-shop for reliable may have been added to the collection culture protection. It’s a resource that 50 years ago with no more detail than

‘finished fermentation two days quicker’.

‘These would have been put away with the idea that one day we may have the tools to look at why that is’, Angus said.

‘Now we are coming into an era where we take a fresh look at these strains and fill in the gaps.’

However, the basic intent of the collection is unchanged. It allows researchers and wineries to deposit and access strains of microorganisms in such a way that they are always confident that what they are working with is what they think it is.

‘It’s a resource for people to keep their yeasts, and for wineries to access something novel, but fundamentally it underpins the security of the quite significant investments that Wine Australia has put into microorganism germplasm development over the decades.’

Wineries are encouraged to deposit any microorganisms they consider important and can do so in a confidential way. There is an increased interest in regionality amongst the winemaking community and by depositing strains with the AWMCC winemakers can secure their regional microbial assets.

‘Access to strains in the collection is determined by agreement with the provider of each strain, but from a research perspective once it’s in the collection it is still a source of information and we are still able to mine it for data about wine yeast in general’, Angus said.

www.wineaustralia.com | June 2017

Three simple but well-researched steps for a better wastewater system Paul Grbin says wineries can do three simple things to create a cheaper and more efficient wastewater management system – keep the nutrient levels up, check that they’re maintaining a balanced population of organisms, and look at their cellar management practices.

But it took researchers three years of painstaking work, a lot of data collection and a few ‘elegant experiments’ to get such a definitive answer.

A University of Adelaide team, led by Associate Professor Grbin and chief investigator Dr Kathryn Eales, analysed samples collected regularly from four Australian wineries with biological wastewater treatment plants, while keeping a watching brief on 30 others each year.

bacteria happy and healthy,’ A/Prof Grbin said.

The four ‘regular’ wineries were Casella And is dosing as easy as it sounds? and Southern Estate Wines (now owned ‘Pretty much; mix up some urea (nitrogen

by Calabria Family Wines) in Griffith, for the bacteria, to clean the water) and and Yalumba’s Oxford Landing and drop it into your wastewater treatment Pernod Ricard’s Rowland Flat winery plant. With bigger plants, you might in the Barossa. Also involved were need mixing equipment but it’s all pretty two consulting engineers from JJC common and easy to manage.’

Engineering, a CSIRO environmental toxicologist and others Equally important at the CSIRO who is monitoring ‘By dosing with nutrients in a provided analytical to get a better regular fashion, particularly services. understanding of during peak operational the dynamics of The aim of the project periods such as vintage, you the plant over time was to integrate can maintain a more diverse and pre-empt any commonly collected bacterial population; it’s changes that might information such as really about keeping your cause an imbalance chemical practice bacteria happy and healthy’ in the populations of with a detailed study organisms. of the microbiology underpinning all the processes and look at this in terms of actual operational practice.

The first major finding was that if a wastewater system is deficient in nutrients it’s likely that one group of organisms will dominate and things won’t work as efficiently as they should.

While it is great to have a microscope or a science degree, it can be as simple as looking at turbidity of the water as it settles, checking the pH and the electrical conductivity, and measuring the carbon load that’s coming into the plant and what’s coming out at the other end.

‘By dosing with nutrients in a regular fashion, particularly during peak operational periods such as vintage, you can maintain a more diverse bacterial population; it’s really about keeping your

‘Those bits of information certainly can help you manage the day-to-day operations. If the plant operators know there’s been a massive drop in pH in the water coming in and that the plant is

Wine Australia for Australian June 2017 | www.wineaustralia.com Wine

going to struggle, then they can respond.

If they can, then checking the water in the plant using the microscope for changes in the bacterial populations, will also help manage effectively.

‘Perhaps if they divert the feed that’s coming into a storage lagoon or dose in some other water that might be stored they can dilute a high-strength feed. They can be proactive rather than waiting for things to fall over.’

Even easier is to be careful about what you are hosing down the drain. The researchers observed that many of the 30 wineries surveyed each year had high levels of yeast in their wastewater, which put extra stress on the system.

‘The only way that much yeast gets in is from people washing lees down the drain, which is an indication that things could be improved in terms of cleaner production strategies,’ A/Prof Grbin said.

There were similar problems with wineries that use a lot of activated carbons.

‘When used to treat wine, carbon removes phenolics and tartaric acid and potentially hangs on to a bit of ethanol.

It then releases that material back into the wastewater, which drops the pH and increases strength of the solution, making it more difficult for the bacteria that are present to function.’

Wine Australia Industry House cnr Botanic & Hackney Roads Adelaide SA 5000 | PO Box 2733 Kent Town SA 5071 T: 08 8228 2000 | F: 08 8228 2066 | E: research@wineaustralia.com | W: www.wineaustralia.com

grapegrowing Ricca Terra: Ratcliff’s rich land When Ashley Ratcliff was in his early 30s he decided the wine industry had more to offer his family than a winery salary that would pay off his mortgage. Across almost 15 years his Ricca Terra Farms business has expanded from the purchase of a Riverland vineyard into a business that offers much, much more.

Nathan Gogoll reports.

THE RICCA TERRA FARMS business began in October 2003 when Ashley and Holly Ratcliff purchased a 20 acre vineyard at Barmera in South Australia’s Riverland.

Today, there are several Ricca Terra vineyards – some owned by the Ratcliff’s as well as others which are joint venture projects, there are also consulting and grape brokerage branches of the business, and by August the first wines from Ricca Terra Vintners will be released (the wine business trading as an independent company).

Reflecting back to 2003, Ashley Ratcliff admits there was a bit of risk involved in the first vineyard purchase, but it was backed by a solid strategy.

“I was 32 years old, we’d just had our first child (Henry) and we had a house in the Barossa,” he said. “We actually borrowed a reasonable amount of money and I remember one clear moment when I thought ‘have I done the right thing here?’.

“But we had a strategy to look for a property with assets we could liquidate and we bought a property which allowed us to sub-divide off the new house and sell the grape supply contract that came with the vineyard. Selling that off reduced our debt by about half within six months. We also bought close to harvest, so we had cash-flow pretty quickly.

“That sort of strategy has been what we’ve stuck with when we’ve made other vineyard purchases, we’ve always looked for something with extra assets we could then sell – whether that was a house, a water lease or supply contract.”

But why did the Angaston-based family purchase in the Riverland?

“Pure economics,” Ratcliff said.

“To buy something in the Barossa we were going to be up to our eyeballs in debt, something I was not going to burden my young family with.

“And at the time grape prices were a bit stronger, about $900 per tonne for Riverland Chardonnay.

“The only downside was the threehour round trip from Angaston to Barmera.”

After a promising start to life as a vineyard owner, it wasn’t long before June 2017 – Issue 641

AT A GLANCE The ‘purple cow’ Back in October 2016, Ashley Ratcliff wrote about the benefits of standing out like a ‘purple cow’ in the pages of this publication: “The challenge facing many grapegrowers is the goods (their grapes) that they grow and sell to their customers (the winery) in many cases look and taste the same as their competitors (other grape growers).

Basically many grape growers resemble another brown cow in another herd of brown.

The essential ingredient behind building a meaningful brand is to stand out and be noticed, meaning comfort and safety needs to be risked… so being part of a herd is not the best place to be to establish a successful and lasting brand.

In relation to establishing a brand for a vineyard, unique elements of a vineyard’s operation (features, benefits, and/or services) that differs from neighbouring/competitor vineyards need to be identified.

These unique elements could be adopting different farming practices (organic/biodynamic production, growing alternative varieties, and/or farming in a collaborative manner with other farmers), identifying and promoting distinctive attributes of a vineyard (soil, old vines and/or location) or using the intangible assets of the vineyard (history and story of place and people) to create a memorable story.”

Ratcliff began to face the same problems as many growers across the industry – falling grape prices and rising costs of production.

“Our business plan had a worst-case scenario of Chardonnay at $500 a tonne and that would have payed off our loan fairly quickly,” Ratcliff said.

Within a few years, not only had the Chardonnay price fallen well below $500 per tonne, but the cost of water had spiked.

“I guess that during the boom there are always people who assume the high prices are going to always be there,” Ratcliff said.

“When we looked at the situation we were in, we decided we could either get out – or do something a bit different. And we looked at buying more vineyard.”

The vineyard holdings were steadily increased from 20 acres up to 150 acres.

The extra properties were close to the original vineyard purchased in 2003, all within a 16km radius. As with the first purchase, Ashley and Holly looked for properties with vineyards and additional assets that could be liquidated.

Today, the business employs a vineyard manager plus a few casuals www.winetitles.com.au

who are drafted in during peak seasons.

There are two relatively-new tractors parked in the shed, alongside two spray rigs and various other pieces of vineyard machinery.

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The labels for the first releases from Ricca Terra Vintners.

“We haven’t over-capitalised and we haven’t paid for top-of-the-range tractors – because we figure they do end up sitting in the shed a lot of the time. But we have good equipment for our staff to use, safe equipment.”

There has been a well-documented shift towards ‘alternative’ varieties, but the business has been careful about how much it has spent in the vineyards.

“Over the journey we have replanted and redeveloped about 20 per cent,” Ratcliff said.

THE BRAND An interest in brand development has also had a major impact on the Ricca Terra developments.

“We know a brand, if you do it right, has value,” he said. “It has taken 10-years plus to develop, but we hope we’ve set a fairly good foundation.

“We have been able to use the brand when we’ve branched out into our recent grape brokerage business; the demand for alternative varieties grew to a point where we could no longer supply from our own vineyards. Rather than letting opportunities slip, we contracted good

34 Grapegrower & Winemaker

growers who wanted to follow the Ricca Terra Farms philosophy, which is put the customer first and grow good quality grapes. By sharing our philosophy, we have helped a lot of growers. Three years ago, one of our contracted growers was being paid sub $200/tonne by a local Riverland winery for some very good quality Italian varieties. Today, the same grapes attract a price of greater than $1,000 a tonne.”

This shift in price is a direct result of the value and trust in the Ricca Terra Farms’ brand.

While all this was happening for Ricca Terra, Ratcliff found himself in a situation where he was rising up the ranks at Yalumba.

“I guess I was going up the corporate ladder there at Yalumba, I was in the senior management team,” he said. “I was burning the candle at both ends for a long time. I remember long time manger and friend Robin Nettelbeck used to tell me I had to slow down – but I knew we had to go hard early if we were ever going to get to a point that would allow us to slow down. I still have not found the slowdown button yet. www.winetitles.com.au

“While I’m no longer employed by Yalumba, I still maintain a very close connection, supplying close to 400 tonnes annually. Leaving was a very hard decision for me and my family, but I had reached a point in my life where I wanted to see how far Ricca Terra Farms could fully immerse myself into the business.

This was not the first time Ratcliff had managed full-time employment with his own business interests. When he worked for Orlando he was also involved in a small wine brand (Birchwood Wines), making about 2000 cases each year and exporting to the UK and USA. “We sold the brand when I started working for Yalumba 14 years ago, but I learned a lot of valuable and hard lessons about partnerships, distribution, wine and how hard it is to sell wine.”

By the time Ricca Terra farms had grown to a point where Ratcliff could walk away from full-time employment, he had established such good relationships that Yalumba connections would endure.

“The parting was exceptional,” he said.

With an extra 40-odd hours of time to invest in the business, Ratcliff has June 2017 – Issue 641

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grapegrowing ramped it up since finishing with Yalumba. The attention soon turned to making wine – but he didn’t rush in.

“One of the first things we considered was the concern about cannibalising our existing winemaker customers (by holding back grapes for sale),” he said.

Within a month of launching the wine concept, Ricca Terra Vintners had attracted more distribution interest than the initial plans for production. And this was well before the wines were even made.

“We sat down and asked ‘what are we really passionate about?’ and the answer was in-field blending – so our wine story will be about what we’ve done in the vineyard,” Ratcliff said.

“We will have blends that focus on the viticulture, plus look at different varieties compared to many of our wine customers.

“We have 34 different winemakers buying fruit from us.”

THE WINE The wines from the 2017 vintage were made in the Barossa – so Ratcliff could be close to home throughout the process, including the bottling and packaging.

“I am starting to get some wisdom – I think – and I have seen over the years that great wines are made by team of people not individuals.

“I can’t name all the winemaking team, because they are the faces of some very impressive Barossa wine brands, but they are all friends and I have enjoyed and appreciated their help in crafting the first release of our wines.”

However, Dave Lehmann from David

Ashley Ratcliff

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contact us at fischeraustralis.com.au June 2017 – Issue 641

Franz Wines as well as Brian Walsh, former Yalumba chief winemaker, are two that can be acknowledged as being closely involved with evolution of the wines styles of Ricca Terra Vintners.

“When I sat down with them to do a post-vintage tasting, I had to pinch myself. And the quality of the wines we’ve made has absolutely blown me away,” Ratcliff said. “Dave Lehmann actually told me it had changed his whole view of Riverland wines.

The first vintage is also larger than Ratcliff initially predicted.

“I thought getting to a production of 5000 cases in a few years would be a nice aim, but we’ve started at 3500.”

And 1000 cases will head to export markets immediately.

Bertie Stevens, the founder of the Melbourne-based distributor Havelock Wine Co, is one to have already signed on with Ricca Terra Vintners. Stevens said he had heard about winemakers using Riverland fruit from Ricca Terra Farms before the relationship developed.

“When I spoke to the winemakers buying the Ricca Terra grapes it became clear this was something avant guard, much thought out and was going to be a game-changer,” Stevens said.

“Our initial sales projections were about 10 times what Ashley was thinking.

“The wines will be taken on by all the top restaurants and they will be the best entry-level wines on the pour in Melbourne wine bars.

“They are entry level wines with a great story – for us every producer has to have a story. We sell on two things, the quality and the story.”

June 2017 – Issue 641

THE LABELS For Ratcliff, the label design was one of the most difficult aspects of branching out into making wine.

“It took nearly two years and three different designers – but the beauty was we had the time to work with,” he said.

“We ended up engaging Bradyandco to create our label designs. Having our distribution in place before we developed our labels allowed those people who would eventually be selling our wines have a say in the design. This created buyin, a strategy that we feel is important to anyone who is linked to Ricca Terra Vintners. The lesson I have learned in creating a label design is use experienced and talented people to help build the brief, leave your emotions at home – what I like may not actually help sell wine – and remember that most people want to see your brand be successful, so learn to trust.

“It has been a bit of a process, but its probably one of the most important things for the business.”

By the time the wines are released in August, there will be three distinct branches of the business; Ricca Terra Farms; Ricca Terra Vintners; and Ricca Terra Consulting.

Ricca Terra Consulting allows Ratcliff to share his viticulture, business and marketing knowledge with a handful of customers.

“It would be personally satisfying to leave a legacy that sees other farming models being established that resemble Ricca Terra Farms. I think that would only help build the competitive offering Australian Wine.

www.winetitles.com.au

“I need to be selective as to who I partner with as I also want to spend time working on the farm and wine business arms of Ricca Terra, time is not limitless.

It has to be quality over volume.”

As well as business strategy advice.

He will also weave grape trading into the mix.

“Grape trading is something I’ve always been interested in and looked at how poorly it has been done in some cases,” Ratcliff said.

“I actually moved about 6000 tonnes for the 2017 vintage. I worked with a number of major wine companies during the recent vintage to help them solve their grape supply challenges. It was very satisfying to help both wine company and grower. When everyone wins it’s a good feeling.

“We’ve got business plans and budgets for all three parts of the Ricca Terra business and we will keep a careful watch on the growth – I’m very mindful of not going back to burning the candle at both ends again.

“The consulting will rely on building trust. At the moment I’ve just got a handful of clients and I’d be happy to cap that at a small number. Ricca Terra Vintners could be a boutique thing and just make 5000 cases – but it could really take off. And Ricca Terra farms will be business as usual – but there’s still scope to grow.”

For more information, contact: ashley@riccaterrafarms.com.au www.riccaterrafarms.com.au 0411 370 057

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing

Duncan Harris in his dry-grown Swan Valley vineyard, WA.

Dry-grown vineyards Dual benefits: Sustainability and premium quality Before irrigation was a common occurrence, vineyards relied on location and rainfall to produce a viable crop.

The grapevine, being a hardy beast, can survive on its own in the right conditions.

Camellia Aebischer spoke to three wineries around the country about letting nature do the watering.

DUNCAN HARRIS’S Swan Valley vineyard in Western Australia produces more fruit than he needs for his label, Harris Organic Wines. The two hectare block does so without a single drip of irrigation.

Harris’s site runs solely on the moisture provided by rainfall.

It can be challenging but he enjoys the results – with intense flavours and good sugar levels.

Harris is also keen to preserve resources like clean water for future generations. “It’s all about sustainability. Why should I be using water, which in my case has a little bit of salt in it, which could be there for generations to come?” he said.

Harris’s efforts are impressive, considering he grows in a dry region with sandy soils. Many established dry-grown vines, including Harris’s, have aged on their side, so they’ve seen through plenty of hardship like the millennium drought of 1996 to 2010.

38 Grapegrower & Winemaker

And what happens with the excess fruit? “We make brandy,” he said.

CHANGING WEATHER Sturdy and deep-rooted vines are able to draw moisture from a wider area. When the soil is rich in organic matter it will hold moisture more successfully and can keep vines stable through tough dry spells.

With Australia’s climate becoming increasingly unpredictable, it’s not a bad natural insurance system to have vines that have already proved themselves in a dry-grown scenario – not to mention the savings this offers with the water bill.

“I suppose the dry-grown phenomenon has become more important in recent years, as the seasons get dryer. We sort of average around 600-700mm of rain and most of that used to

www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

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grapegrowing fall in winter or spring. But, in the last 10-15 years it’s been wetter during the end of summer and dryer in the winter,” said Justin Purser, Best’s Great Western winemaker in the Grampians region of Victoria.

The Bureau of Meteorology website states: While natural rainfall variability in Australia is large, and influenced strongly by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, based on current research it seems likely that drying across southern Australia cannot be explained by natural variability alone.

This follows from data confirming that the rain period post-millennium drought did not consistently balance in its La Niña years of 2010-2011.

“While the very wet La Niña events may have suggested a return to more normal rainfall patterns for Australia, the seasonality of rainfall during and since these years suggests otherwise. The two La Niña years saw excessive rainfall during the warm season, but did not reverse the pattern of poor cool season rainfall that was the major feature of the Millennium Drought,” said Purser.

balance, so you’re not relying on having to irrigate at the right time. They also form larger root systems, enabling them to source a greater amount and variety of nutrients which increases complexity,” said Purser.

David Botting, Viticulturist at Burch Family Wines in Lenswood, South Australia, has tended to the estate Cabernet since he planted it himself. “If you’re irrigating you tend to encourage shallow root development, and possibly not in the right soil types, which causes them to be dependent through the summer months,” he said.

“Dry grown roots produced properly tend to grow smaller canopies in the early part of the growing season. They’re capable of going through hot summer months and high plant-water demand periods sourcing bits of moisture from deep below the surface.

“This gives good vine balance, capacity and evenness, and the ability of the vines to function well through the ripening period.”

Botting also explained that an abundance of organic matter in the soil is integral for holding moisture and keeping vines quenched.

“At establishment we used a lot of mulch on the surface, but now that we’re in production a lot of organic matter – from our own composts – go in to the soil.”

When planting, Botting was sure to feed the ground as deep as possible with plenty of nutrient and organic rich soil to encourage downward growth.

“I’ve had some colleagues say things like ‘the roots are only under the vines’ and I’m like ‘excuse me the roots take up any bit of moisture that they can find,’” said Harris.

“The vines roots go down to around three meters below the surface. Some can go down to 10 meters even. They’ll chase water,” he said.

Dry grown roots produced properly tend to grow smaller canopies in the early part of the growing season. They’re capable of going through hot summer months and high plant water demand periods sourcing bits of moisture from deep below the surface.

BELOW THE SURFACE Best’s dry-grown decision has been made to deliver premium quality grapes.

“The main benefit is that the roots sort of find their own

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Although the reasons behind planting dry-grown vineyards can differ – some preference it for sustainability’s sake and others for premium quality – the common denominator when talking to vineyard owners is a steady rate of development and a balanced product.

“We’re trying to increase quality and flavour in the grapes for complexity in the wine, and the better blocks are typically the ones with larger root systems,” said Purser.

“With the advent of irrigation, it acts almost like a drug to the vines, and they produce sugar more quickly. The dry grown grapes actually accumulate flavour at lower Baume than irrigated vines.”

Botting puts success down to quality soil. “There’s ample moisture, unrestrained growth and no stress. They’re not fluctuating from irrigation, which affects fruit quality and wine quality directly.”

For Purser at Bests and Botting at Burch Family Wines, the dry-grown vineyards are producing crops that make top tier products.

At Bests the Shiraz, Pinot Meunier and Dolcetto are drygrown with minimal intervention. The Shiraz vines, planted in 1866 and 1868 are used in their Bin o Shiraz.

For Burch, the dry-grown grapes are all Houghton clone Cabernet, and go in to their premium range.

www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

NEW F E 811 & LCO 811B

FELCO Model Typical use

801 Vineyards

Cutting capacity Handpiece weight

30mm 745g

811 Vineyards with older vines 35mm 815g

811B Mixed use including larger branches 35mm 815g

820 Orchards/ larger trees 45mm 980g

grapegrowing

IS YOUR RIESLING UP TO THE CHALLENGE? 18

Dry-grown vines at Bests Great Western, Grampians VIC. HOTEL REALM CANBERRA AND ALBERT HALL CANBERRA

9-14 OCTOBER 2017

PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE

A COMPETITION DEDICATED TO RIESLING WINES TO SHOWCASE THE WONDERS OF THE RIESLING VARIETY The Canberra International Riesling Challenge is a unique opportunity for Riesling producers to showcase their product. The Challenge has become an internationally recognised wine show, and is the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

The 18th Canberra International Riesling Challenge attracts wines from Riesling producing countries around the world.

Judging is conducted on a regional basis which highlights the individual characteristics unique to each wines location in the world.

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SO IF YOU THINK IT IS, THEN ENTER. CALENDAR OF EVENTS RIESLING MASTER CLASS Friday 13 October 2017 Hotel Realm Canberra

EXHIBITORS AND CONSUMER TASTING Saturday 14 October 2017 Albert Hall Canberra

Bookings for the Seminar and Master Class are essential as spaces are limited.

For more information, visit www.rieslingchallenge.com or email info@rieslingchallenge.com

KEY DATES ENTRIES OPEN 1 JUNE www.rieslingchallenge.com ENTRIES CLOSE 31 JULY | JUDGING 9-12 OCTOBER WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT THE AWARDS PRESENTATION ON 13 OCTOBER 2017 42 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Botting says that “underlying clay is really the key to drygrowing. If there’s too much gravel in the soil or too much clay, the vines will struggle.”

“Establishing a root system is key,” and Botting would know from his experience planting two of the site’s dry-grown vines in their Wilyabrup vineyard.

“When we prepared the ground [for the first planting], we added minimal artificial fertilisers. We went in deep, did a lot of soil disturbance and put a lot of organic matter down.”

After planting, Botting lightly irrigated the vines using a drip feed system, designed for vegetables.

I put the dripper in for the first two or three years, for establishment, because I wasn’t confident that I could get the development,” says Botting. But the vines took well and the irrigation was removed.

“It was unambiguous and we just pulled the whole lot out.

The winemaker was a bit nervous but it was deliberate, to encourage a deep root system.”

The success gave Botting the confidence to plant his second lot of dry-grown vines completely irrigation-free.

Purser advises that it depends on the end goal. “What are you looking for, volume, balance, or low yield? Certainly you can control yield with water in a dry climate, but we purposely look after our vineyards knowing that they’re going to produce at a higher quality.”

But challenges can arise, and in 2015 Bests added irrigation to a Pinot Meunier block. “We were constantly being hammered by frost, drought and weird weather. The block can feel imbalanced if it’s not looked after. We pretty much got no yield off it in the end, which was the catalyst.”

After making the decision, the results were apparent. “This year we got a bumper crop,” says Purser.

Harris’s vines have been dry-grown through-and-through, despite the sandier soil conditions of the Swan Valley. His vineyard is also completely certified organic, keeping soils rich in nutrients and able to hold on to water.

“My neighbour made comment that when I first planted here that he’d never seen vines grow so fast, but that’s probably because the soil hadn’t had vines in it for ten years prior,” he said.

“Canopy management and crop management is important.

It’s really about keeping my eyes on the vineyard, and as I live here it’s not hard to do.

“But then you have trying times with 200ml of rain in late January, like this year.”

It’s the changes in weather that can cause stress for winegrowers who don’t control water intake, but the natural variation doesn’t seem to bother Harris.

“I pride myself on variability and when you’re small you take what you can get. Sure there’s management, and rainfall goes up and down, but you learn more as things change.”

www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

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ask the

Soil analysis and soil carbon What should you be looking for when getting your soil tested?

Soil sampling is a useful management tool that can be used prior to establishing a vineyard and also throughout the productive life of grapevines. Soil analysis can provide critical information about the key properties of soil, nutrient status, fertiliser requirements or to monitor the efficacy of soil amelioration, for example the addition of lime or gypsum.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TAKE SOIL SAMPLES? Soil sampling can be done at any time of the year, although late winter and spring are the best times to show the soil status at the beginning of the season. It is also beneficial to collect samples at these times because the soil has been ‘flushed’ of accumulated salts and other mobile nutrients.

WHAT SHOULD I CONSIDER WHEN TAKING SOIL SAMPLES? A consistent and appropriate soil sampling technique is essential to ensure accurate results. Sampling sites need to be chosen based on what it is that you want to investigate. For example, if an area of the vineyard had poorly performing vines, samples should be collected from both the good and poor performing areas for comparison.

At a minimum, different soil types within a vineyard should be treated as different sampling areas. Within those, either representative sites should be sampled and combined if an overall

When soil sampling for nutrient analysis, the main determining factor is the depth of vine roots, as any nutrients past that point are not available to the plant.

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June 2017 – Issue 641

picture of the soil status is required, or ‘problem’ areas may be sampled separately to determine the characteristics of the soils in those areas.

When soil sampling for nutrient analysis, the main determining factor is the depth of vine roots, as any nutrients past that point are not available to the plant. It is a good idea to dig a hole or a selection of holes and see where the roots predominate. However, as it is not always possible to sample at the bottom of the root zone, particularly where roots extend more than one metre into the profile.

Compromises can be made, for example, sampling to 50cm may be adequate as the majority of the fibrous roots are usually within the top 50cm of most soils. This is, however, a generalisation, so where there is any doubt, focus on shallower rather than deeper samples given that nutrients will tend to be in greater supply in the upper parts of the soil profile.

It is also a good idea to separate surface and sub-surface soil samples, as they will have different properties. Sampling where soils are obviously different and most vine roots are observed is the best approach, but if this is not possible a good rule of thumb is to sample at 5-15cm, 25-35cm and 55-65cm.

Table 1. Organic matter levels (%) in different soil types. Adapted from Baldock and Skjemstad, 1999.

Sand

Sandy loam

Loam

Clay loam/clay

Low

0.9

1.2

1.6

2.1

Moderate

0.9-1.7

1.2-2.4

1.6-3.1

2.1-3.4

High

>1.7

>2.4

>3.1

>3.4

WHAT IS ORGANIC CARBON IN THE SOIL AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

organisms and substances made by plant roots and soil microbes.

Well-decomposed organic matter forms humus — a dark-brown, porous, spongy material that has a pleasant earthy smell.

Soil organic matter is generally measured as the amount of carbon in the soil and it plays many beneficial roles, including: • Providing food for soil microbes; • Providing nutrients to plants (particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur); • Stabilising soil structure and increasing water holding capacity; • Making it easier for water to enter the soil; • Reducing run-off and erosion; • Improving the soil’s ability to hold nutrients and thereby reducing pollution potential; • Helping to buffer soil against changes in pH; and • Possibly protecting plants against disease.

remembering that in a general sense more organic matter usually means a ‘healthier’ soil. It is also worthwhile noting that: • Most Australian soils are low in organic matter by world standards – a reflection of our geological/ biophysical history and our climate; • It can be difficult to increase the (stable) fraction of organic matter in soil. Organic materials such as mulch or straw usually have to be applied at high levels (e.g. several tonnes per hectare) for many years to appreciably increase organic carbon levels; and • When looking at options to maintain or raise organic matter levels, an option to consider is growing grasses and other plants with fibrous root systems in the vineyard as cover crops or swards. The roots of such plants and their attendant soil microorganisms are significant contributors to organic matter levels within the soil.

HOW MUCH SOIL CARBON IS NEEDED?

Soil organic matter is one of the key results gained from soil analysis. It represents a measure of the material in the soil derived from living species. This includes the decomposing remains of plants and animals in various stages of breakdown, the cells and tissues of soil

Table 1 provides a guide to the organic matter levels (%) considered to be high, medium and low for several different soil types found in South Australia. Due to the inherent variability between samples, it is often more useful to compare results from different sites within the vineyard,

For more information about soil carbon or soil analysis, contact the AWRI helpdesk on helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

June 2017 – Issue 641

www.winetitles.com.au

Reference:

Baldock, J.A., Skjemstad, J.O. 1999. Soil Organic Carbon/Soil Organic Matter. Peverill, K.I., Sparrow, L.A., Reuter, D.J. (eds.) Soil Analysis: an Interpretation Manual. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing: 159-70.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Spraying

An excellent time to review Remember the days when the immediate post-harvest period meant time for a break and a few weeks to recharge the batteries before resuming the hard work for next season. These days with so much to do, you’re lucky if you manage a couple of days rest!

For those already looking ahead to next season, I hope this article helps you to prioritise some key areas to focus on towards achieving industry best practice.

The secret to successful pest and disease control rests with ‘The Three T’s’ of: 1. Choosing the right type of product 2. Timing the application; and 3. Technique of application Seems simple, right? Just three factors to consider. However, we all know it’s far more complex.

Choosing the right type of product will depend on many factors including your use or overuse of any chemical group from a resistance management perspective. Another thing you should plan to do is choose to use the most robust products during critical infection risk periods. As an example, growers who used a robust, long lasting product such as REVUS® for protection against downy mildew over the flowering period achieved great results in the season just gone. So, product type will depend on the length of protection you want and environmental factors such as when is it likely to rain and how much rain you’ll get.

Timing of application often affects efficacy. To provide some examples, you’ll achieve better weed control by spraying glyphosate during the day and conversely spraying SPRAY.SEED during late afternoon. Light Brown Apple Moth sprays should be timed to moth flights because applying products when larvae are too large leads to poor control. If you are in a high-risk botrytis area, you’ll need to plan to apply a robust botryticide at 80 per cent cap fall and then again at EL-29.

Concentrate spraying has become very popular and hence application technique becomes even more important. Applying 500 L/ha rather than 1000 L/ha is attractive because it saves time. Calculating the true dilute rate to ensure you have sufficient active ingredient to control the pest or disease is critical. Often the estimated dilute rate is too low for the canopy size and under-dosing is the result. Fan speed is very important for effective spraying. Experimenting with fan speed and water sensitive paper will indicate if you are getting the spray to the target. If an adjuvant is necessary, it is usually specified on the label and it’s always a good idea to keep a mixing chart somewhere visual as a constant reminder for the operator.

Taking the time to consider these points is a useful exercise. Run through them with your team and seek external advice where necessary. Your local Syngenta representative is available and can assist you with many of these questions.

Vine Talk is compiled by Dave Antrobus, Syngenta Solutions Development Lead dave.antrobus@syngenta.com 0429 133 436 46 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Growers summit heads to the Barossa

THE FOURTH ANNUAL SA Wine Grape Growers Summit, the flagship event for the Wine Grape Council of SA (WGCSA) will be held on Friday 28 July in Barossa, the first time the Summit has been held in a regional centre.

This year, WGCSA will partner with Barossa Grape & Wine Association (BGWA) to deliver the Summit, themed ‘SA grapegrowers lead the way’, with a focus on profitability, business innovation and succession planning for grape growers.

Nicki Robins, BGWA viticultural development officer, said the Summit presents an opportunity for grapegrowers to “think outside the square and be innovative when looking to grow their business – or when considering handing over to the next generation or other entities”.

The Summit will be held at the Barossa Arts and Convention Centre, in Tanunda, and the program will review domestic and export market trends, present examples of innovative business models and why they have succeeded, and explore a range of business models for a successful vineyard into the future.

“We want grape growers to think strategically about the future of their vineyard and their region,” Robins said.

“The Summit will present case studies and presentations by growers who have successfully structured their business and implemented models to secure their vineyard into the future.”

With generational farming the fabric of South Australia’s wine grape growing regions, Nicki believes the Summit would offer “a platform to share the knowledge of our older growers with our next generation of growers to ensure the future success of their region.”

Speakers will range from senior industry analysts and executives presenting an industry overview, to generational growers from the wine industry and other agricultural industries sharing their experiences of running a successful family farming business.

The program at a glance: Grower Advocacy: Wine Grape Council of South Australia • The future of the SA wine grape grower representative body.

Market Outlook • An update from Rabobank on the top five export markets for Australian wine; and • Senior wine executives will reveal the latest industry trends and future plans for export markets.

Thinking outside of the square for your business • The top performing grain growers are retaining 30% of turnover as net profit. Discover what these businesses are doing differently to achieve this; and • Learn structures and processes for decision-making in family farming businesses.

Future-proofing grape growing in South Australia • Options for successful succession of your vineyard business.

• Is the future integrity of SA’s wine regions your problem?

Registrations for the 2017 South Australian Wine Grape Growers Summit on Friday 28 July, are now open online at www.sawggs.com.au.

www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

Phylloxera management plan The Australian Government is putting together funding for Australian vignerons to develop a National Phylloxera Management Plan.

RECENT NEWS of the new phylloxera infestation zone has winemakers in Victoria on the edge of their seats. The silent destructor can wipe out entire vineyards from the ground up. Learning from the disasters of Europe’s late 19th century, biosecurity and vineyard management plans have been diligent over keeping the pest at bay.

The pests, which feed on the roots of vines, are difficult to detect, but they’ve been the hot topic of May in the grapegrowing community.

Preliminary trials have begun for identifying the pest using sniffer dogs. Since the pest first proliferates underground in the vines roots, detecting them means spending lots of time digging around in the vineyard, in progressive locations.

Currently, the only solution to fighting phylloxera is planting on resistant rootstock. However, the detection zone needs to be clearly outlined to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread further.

Thankfully, now the Australian Government is on board to help fight the pest, offering $88,000 in funding to protect the industry.

This is part of an overall $250,000 scheme to fund projects that protect growers and viticulturists against biosecurity risks and open up export opportunities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, joined Member for Mallee, Andrew Broad, in Mildura to announce the projects, which include work to strengthen biosecurity surveillance and create horticultural export opportunities.

June 2017 – Issue 641

“The government has funded Australian Vignerons $88,000 to develop a National Phylloxera Management Plan to provide consistency in how this pest is managed across the country.

“Th rough st rict biosecurity management, large parts of New South Wales and Victoria—including Mildura—and Queensland remain free of this damaging pest and we want to keep it that way.

“The national arrangements under the plan will help protect Mildura growers by containing the pest to its current locations, with improved surveillance to help detect and quickly respond to any potential incursions.

“The government has also funded Agriculture Victoria $75,000 to streamline contingency plans for exotic plant pests.”

The Member for Mallee, Andrew Broad, said strengthening plant biosecurity would deliver benefits across the Mildura region.

“The Mildura region is a significant player in the horticulture industry, responsible for 75 per cent of Australia’s table grapes, 98 per cent of Australia’s dried grapes, 20 per cent of Australia’s wine crush and 24 per cent of Australia’s citrus,” Broad said.

“We are reliant on Australia’s strong plant biosecurity system, and this work to ensure early detection of pests or diseases, better management and evidence to support pest area freedom is hugely important.”

The management plan will be beneficial to the Mildura region, as well as infested and risk zones all around the

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Image source: Vinehealth Australia

We are reliant on Australia’s strong plant biosecurity system, and this work to ensure early detection of pests or diseases, better management and evidence to support pest area freedom is hugely important. country. Currently, the only unaffected states include the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Queensland has an isolated case, however incidents of spreading are looking likely.

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grapegrowing

Rainy day job: Tractor maintenance When it comes to your tractor, ‘she’ll be right’ won’t cut it Mark Daniels reports on the basic tractor maintenance you can do in your own shed. Whether you’re looking at something brand new, or a unit that is 50 years old, this advice might come in handy.

TRACTORS, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, one thing’s for sure – life in the vineyard would be hard without them.

Many of us are probably guilty of jumping on and turning the key, and really only worrying about routine servicing when the solenoid clicks, and it won’t go.

Perhaps with vintage now out of the way, it might be a good idea to spend a rainy day giving the workhorse in your shed a little TLC – a routine service.

Whether you’re running ancient grey Fergie or one of todays’ hi-tech machines – the same rules generally apply.

Broadly speaking, the tractor can be broken down into three key areas; the engine, the transmission and the rear transaxle.

COOLING SYSTEM Starting at the front of the tractor take the time to check the cooling system.

First and foremost check the coolant level – when the engine is cold. Try to top up with a proper coolant/anti-freeze mix, normally at a 30-50% ratio. This ensures that the system stays clean, free of any deposits and has a chance of operating at maximum efficiency.

With the radiator itself, make sure that it is clean and none of the fins are bent or broken. Finally make sure that the drive belt that runs the radiator fan, and most likely the water pump is correctly tensioned, and free from cracks. If it is cracked – then replace it.

OIL CHANGE Moving rearwards to the engine itself consider an oil change. While the vineyard hack may not clock up high hours, it’s important to ensure that it gets a fresh charge of oil on an annual basis.

It’s real easy.

Get the engine up to operating temperature, find a suitable receptacle and remove the drain plug from the engine sump.

Let the old oil drain out fully, then remove the filter cartridge being mindful that its contents may be hot.

Once everything has drained away, the most important point is to replace the drain plug in the sump. Next step is to pre-charge the replacement filter with oil, remembering to lubricate the sealing gasket on the end of the filter. Install the filter and tighten – only hand tight.

Then add oil up to the mark on the dipstick. Now start the engine. Check that the oil light on the dashboard goes out within a few seconds. Once this happens, stop the engine, add a little more oil to bring it up to the correct mark on the dipstick, then restart the engine. Allow it to warm up before use, while checking around the engine for any leaks.

CLEAN AIR AND FUEL

Make sure the radiator is clean and none of the fins are bent or broken.

48 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

While we’re at the front end it’s also a good time to give the air cleaner a check.

This will normally be a cartridge type, and is normally accessed by undoing a number of clips and removing the filter element. If it’s very-heavily soiled, then treat the tractor to a replacement; but if it’s not too bad, blow the filter out with an air-line to remove most of the dust.

Also in the engine department, we need to ensure that the tractor is receiving a fresh supply of clean fuel. At this point it’s worth mentioning that a tractor doesn’t like water in the fuel, particularly when using modern fuels with ultra-low sulfur content, which have very limited lubrication properties.

To change the fuel filter, first make sure the area around the filter head is nice and clean, then undo the bleed screw at the bottom of the filter housing and drain off any water. Now remove the filter element and discard safely. Then replace the seals on the filter housing and replace with a new filter element.

June 2017 – Issue 641

This small investment of a couple of hours of your time, a fresh filter or two, and a few litres of oil might seem like a chore, but the machine will love you for it.

If the air filter is heavily soiled, it’s probably time for a; but if it’s not too bad, blow the filter out with an air-line to remove most of the dust.

Now the system needs priming, so firstly ensure the fuel tank is full and the tap is turned on. Use the hand primer pump to fill the filter housing. Once the housing is full, open the bleed screw on the top of the filter housing to eliminate any trapped air. Keep pumping until all air bubbles have stopped. Now start the tractor while keeping an eye out for any leaks. In some cases you may have to just crack open an injector to get the last of the air out of the system, but only do this as a last resort.

GEARBOX/TRANSMISSION Moving back down the tractor we now need to look at the area of the gearbox/ transmission.

This area converts the output of the engine into useable power which can be transmitted to the ground. Inside is normally a selection of shaft gears and clutches that need a regular supply of fresh clean oil. The service schedule will tell you to change every 1000 hours, but the transmission oil should be changed on an annual basis.

To change the oil, first run the tractor for about 15 minutes and get it up to operating temperature.

Remove the drain plug at the rear of the tractor, and if the tractor is a fourwheel drive (4WD), look out for a second drain plug in the area of the 4WD transfer box. Once everything stops draining replace all drain plugs.

If the tractor has the correct hours June 2017 – Issue 641

change the hydraulic filter, and top up the transmission to the correct level. This may be indicated by a dipstick, sightglass or even a level plug. Run the tractor for a couple of minutes, then switch off, and top up to the correct level.

If the tractor is a 4WD unit, drain the oil in the front differential casing, then replace the drain plug. Remove the level plug, and top up with the correct specification oil until a slight trickle comes from the level hole.

Carry out the same procedure with both final drives. Jack up each of the front wheels in turn and rotate until the drain plug is in the six o’clock position, remove the plug and drain. Rotate the wheel to the 9 o’clock position and fill to the level and the drain plug.

With all this draining and dripping going on, walk around the tractor with a loaded grease gun and give every grease nipple a couple of shots. Pay particular attention to the front axle and steering and the three point linkage at the rear of the machine.

This small investment of a couple of hours of your time, a fresh filter or two, and a few litres of oil might seem like a chore, but the machine will love you for it.

This article was first published by the New Zealand Winegrower and has been reprinted with permission. For more articles from the NZ Winegrower, visit www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/wine-grower. www.winetitles.com.au

TRACTOR SAFETY PEOPLE WORKING WITH tractors on the farm are exposed to risk of injury and illness associated with a range of hazards. Tractors and other machinery have been proven to be one of the most deadly pieces of equipment on Australian farms. In the period 1989-1992 there were 87 traumatic deaths associated with tractors (Franklin et al., 2000). In 2016 there were estimated 9 deaths involving tractors and a further 8 causing serious injury.

Hazards associated with using tractors on Australian farms include: • Tractor rollover; • Tractor run over; • Tractor power take offs (PTOs); • Hydraulics; • Ergonomics; • Noise; and • Operator skills.

The types of injury range from death, serious injury requiring hospitalisation and downtime, to ‘nuisance’ injury that stops work for a short time, or makes work slower and reduces productivity.

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Pesticide resistance: What you need to know WHAT IS PESTICIDE RESISTANCE? Most pest and disease populations have a very small number of individuals that are resistant to a given pesticide.

Frequent use of the same pesticide kills susceptible individuals but leaves the resistant ones and therefore selects a strain of the pest or disease that contains an increasing number of resistant individuals.

Once this resistant proportion reaches a critical level, the lack of control ultimately renders that pesticide useless.

This is known as resistance.

WHAT PESTICIDES ARE PRONE TO RESISTANCE? All pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, miticides and fungicides) are prone to resistance but miticides and some of the fungicides are most at risk. This is because mites and fungi are usually resident in orchards and have a short life cycle. These attributes favour the rapid selection of resistant individuals if pesticide use is heavy.

Many of the new generation fungicides were developed for a specific disease and have a very specific mode of action.

This means that they often have only single-site activity. Many of the older fungicides have multi-site activity and as a consequence the newer fungicides are more prone to the diseases developing resistance to them.

50 Grapegrower & Winemaker

If the same fungicide is used repeatedly it will allow the resistant spores to multiply until almost all spores are resistant and unaffected by the fungicide. Often when a disease becomes resistant to a particular fungicide it is resistant to other fungicides in the same activity group. The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) webpage on herbicide resistance offers further detail.

• Cultural control methods Using such techniques as vineyard hygiene can reduce the pest population and subsequently reduce exposure to pesticide.

HOW DO I AVOID OR DELAY RESISTANCE?

• Pesticide use Many pesticides are listed to be used only a specific number of times in a season. Some miticides should only be used once per season. If multiple sprays are required then alternate between different activity groups.

All new pesticide products have resistance management strategies included on the label. It is important that pesticides are applied using the correct dilutions and application rate and that the resistance management guidelines given on the label are followed.

Some of the key factors to avoid or delay resistance are based on the principles of Integrated Pest Management and include: • Predators There may be opportunity to introduce predators for pest control or suppression.

This may reduce the pest to a level where a pesticide is not required or reduce the number of sprays required. Also be aware of any other pesticides that are harmful to predators, either natural or introduced. If available, select pesticides that are least harmful to natural enemies. www.winetitles.com.au

• Pest monitoring This will determine when a pest or disease is present and help decide whether a spray is required, and if required, the optimum time to apply it.

Acknowledgements The information contained in this article is from a collaborative effort from Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) staff and others from outside of the department.

The author of this resistance management information is Alastair James, from CropLife Australia.

The complete Viticulture spray guide, edited by Richard Fennessy, has been made available in interactive electronic formats on the department website (www.agric.wa.gov.au).

June 2017 – Issue 641

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grapegrowing Product Update

Optimum spray coverage Silvan’s Turbo Scram engineered for high air velocity AT A GLANCE SILVAN AUSTRALIA Silvan was founded in 1962 and is devoted to those connected to the land. A pioneer in the development and manufacture of agricultural machinery to meet the specific needs of Australasia’s producers, Silvan combines innovative products with a comprehensive understanding of today’s agribusiness.

Leaders in the design of high and low volume horticultural sprayers, Silvan have evolved into the largest Australasian manufacturer of worldclass crop protection sprayers and related machinery.

Specialised equipment has been developed for a wide range of crops.

The Turbo SCRAM spray assembly has been developed by Silvan Australia, in conjunction with leading vineyard owners, managers and spraying contractors.

Everyone in the field is driven by input costs and in vineyard spraying operations the challenges today are to apply spray chemicals to maximum benefit, to achieve the most effective coverage into the vine canopy and to avoid downtime or reduced efficacy.

52 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

SINCE BEING LAUNCHED two years ago, the Silvan Turbo SCRAM vineyard sprayer has quickly proven itself as the sprayer of choice with its market leading Turbomiser spraying technology.

The Turbo Silvan Centrifugal Remote Air Module (SCRAM) combines unparalleled coverage with water savings. Silvan’s Turbomiser technology maximises the efficiency and safety advantages of a cutting-edge hydraulicdrive fan system, to create the next generation in ultra-efficient crop protection.

A key feature is the application of the 320mm diameter German-made highperformance hydraulic-drive centrifugal fans – which have been engineered to provide the high-air velocity required for optimum spray coverage.

Air is drawn from fan mounted at two-metres, with one fan on each of the ‘wrap’ air tubes of the sprayer. The key benefits of the fans being mounted in this position include even air distribution as well as the elimination of leaf blockages or fruit damage by a sandblasting effect – as the fan draws air from above the canopy.

The fans operate highly efficiently and at low-noise levels. They are powered by the hitch-mounted hydraulic power pack which can be disengaged during tank fills and spray agitation, increasing operator safety. The hitch also allows for a tighter turning circle, making headland turns more manageable.

The specially-designed Silvan ‘wrap’ tube assembly is supported by an anodised, marine-grade aluminium exoskeleton with its proven wrap-around profile designed to create air turbulence June 2017 – Issue 641

in the vine canopy. The multiple highvelocity air streams also eliminate ‘shadowing’ to achieve optimal spray coverage.

The Turbo SCRAM has been matched to Silvan 2000, 3500 and 4000 litre tank capacity spray units and can also be fitted to the Silvan G2E and G2 sprayers.

Other key features are a fullygalvanised rectangular hollow section steel chassis frame and spray boom assembly with a hydraulic opening and closing function plus rollers for easy row width adjustment. The chassis is supported by a tandem axle suspension for a smooth ride.

In combination with Silvan’s Turbomiser technology, which allows individual spray nozzle rate control with low nozzle wear and with a narrow droplet spectrum, this enables target spraying to be achieved for excellent coverage and more efficient use of spray chemicals.

Gavin Wheatcroft, Silvan Australia’s spraying specialist, said the development of the Turbo SCRAM was the result of extensive research to provide what growers need.

“In creating the Silvan Turbo SCRAM we employed feedback from a number

of Australia’s top vineyard owners, managers and operators on the features they were seeking,” Wheatcroft said.

“Everyone in the field is driven by input costs and in vineyard spraying operations the challenges today are to apply spray chemicals to maximum benefit, to achieve the most effective coverage into the vine canopy and to avoid downtime or reduced efficacy.

“We are now seeing the Silvan Turbo SCRAM deliver on its potential in meeting today’s demands of efficient and high quality grape production.”

For more technical information: Visit www.silvan.com.au; email info@ silvanaust.com; or call 1300 SILVAN (1300 745 826)

M A R C S O B R TUREAT LEAP IN VINEYARD SPRAYING

THE NEXT G

TURBO SCRAM SPRAYER The Silvan Centrifugal Remote Air Module (SCRAM), combines the unparalleled coverage and water savings of Silvan’s Turbomiser technology, with the efficiency gains and safety advantages of a cutting edge hydraulic drive system, to deliver the next generation in ultra-efficient crop protection.

• Turbomiser spray technology produces a narrow droplet spectrum for excellent coverage • Hydraulic motors are isolated from the air stream to eliminate oil contamination • Fans draw air from above the canopy to ensure no ‘sandblasting’ of fruit and eliminate leaf blockages • High speed fans are engineered for even air distribution and low noise

CALL 1300 SILVAN (745 826) OR VISIT SILVAN.COM.AU FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO FIND YOUR NEAREST DEALER

Grapegrower & Winemaker130x185 (TurboScram)17.indd 1

June 2017 – Issue 641

www.winetitles.com.au

1300 745 826

silvan.com.au

4/5/17 9:32 am

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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w w w.vinehealth.com.au

Pierce’s Disease symptoms. Image courtesy of University of California.

Xylella fastidiosa: What do we know and are we ready?

Part One Suzanne McLoughlin, Vinehealth Australia's Technical Manager, analyses the grape and wine community’s preparedness and knowledge about Xylella fastidiosa. This is the first in a two-article series on Xylella, which is known to the industry as Pierce’s Disease.

XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA – a gramnegative, rod-shaped bacterium known as Pierce’s Disease in viticulture, was the subject of an international symposium in Brisbane on May 17-18, organised by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR).

A broad range of international experts shared their knowledge and experience on Xylella with Australian federal and state government biosecurity personnel, as well as a small number of invited industry participants.

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Xylella fastidiosa is considered one of the most harmful plant pathogenic bacteria in the world and causes death of infected plants. In Australia, Xylella is our number one priority plant pest and it’s a high priority pest for the wine industry.

Neither Xylella fastidiosa, nor its highly efficient vector found in California, the Glassy-winged sharpshooter, are known to be in Australia.

Xylella is a major threat due to its multiple hosts – more than 350 plant species, many of which do not show

symptoms – its multiple vectors and its continued global spread.

The pathogen causes clogging of plant xylem vessels, resulting in water stresslike symptoms to distal parts of the grapevine, with vine death in one to two years post infection. The bacterium is primarily transmitted in the gut of sapsucking insects and the disease cannot occur without a vector.

While Xylella fastidiosa is known as Pierce’s Disease in grapevines, it’s known as many other names in other host plants.

It is inherently difficult to control and there are no known treatments to cure diseased plants.

Xylella fastidiosa has been reported on various host crops, either symptomatic or asymptomatic, in North America, Central America, South America, Canada, Iran, Taiwan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland [as at 9 May 2017, according to the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) Global Database https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ XYLEFA/distribution]. Xylella has not been detected in any Australian native plant species grown overseas.

THE FACTORS THAT MUST INTERSECT FOR PIERCE’S DISEASE TO BECOME A THREAT Based on international experience in the fight against Xylella fastidiosa, a number of key factors must intersect for

Pierce’s Disease to cause significant loss to the Australian wine industry.

In other countries, it has not simply been enough to just have susceptible host plants, the pathogen (Xylella fastidiosa) and available vectors – the system is a far more complex one (as described in Figure 1). Four key factors are necessary and must intersect each other, but a range of conditions pertinent to each key factor must also be present to result in significant vine loss. In Australia, we therefore need to be alert but not alarmed. We need to use our time wisely before a potential incursion to vastly improve our preparedness capacity and capability to manage such an incursion.

WHAT CONSTITUTES PREPAREDNESS? To be prepared to face a Pierce’s Disease incursion that would threaten

the Australian wine industry, we need to look inwardly as a government/industry/ research collective and ask ourselves a range of tough questions: • Do we have a culture of strong leadership at the ready or do we have an uncoordinated, ‘siloed’ approach to preparedness by government, industry and researchers with stakeholders unclear on roles and responsibilities?

• What is our goal for eradication/ management in the short, medium and long term, given our current capacity and capabilities, research status and available technologies?

• Do we have scheduled emergency response simulation activities? Are we recording results and proactively addressing weaknesses determined?

• Do we have a prioritised research and extension framework developed by multiple stakeholders, with an agreed

Figure 1. Key factors for Pierce’s disease to be a threat to the Australian wine industry.

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WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD? Some in-depth, practical presentations were delivered at the symposium from the Californian and Italian viewpoints, outlining their approaches to dealing with Xylella fastidiosa incursions in predominantly grape and olive hosts, as reported below.

US EXAMPLE

Glassy-winged sharpshooter. Image courtesy of Reyes Garcia III, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org.

funding model, which outlines high priority activities key to preparedness?

• Do we have readily available access to international resources and expertise?

• What does our pre-border, border and post-border quarantine management entail? What zones will be put in place and what movements will be allowed in and out? What disinfestation treatments will be required?

• What will be the surveillance strategies within these zones? Would industry representatives be required for surveillance as part of surge capacity following an outbreak? Would there be any additional foreseen imposition on nurseries as has occurred in California?

• Do we have a communications and awareness strategy for industry now and in the event of an incursion?

• Are we proactively training our personnel both locally and internationally in field diagnosis, surveillance strategies, lab diagnostics and social science?

• Do we have a clear understanding of xylem sap-sucking insects already in Australia, which could potentially vector the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen, and their host plant range?

• Do we have readily available, internationally recognised, clear guidelines on field sampling?

• Do we have internationally recognised diagnostic protocols that minimise false positive and false negative results?

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• Which of our laboratories can test for Xylella fastidiosa and do we have sufficient surge capacity available?

• Can we successfully conduct strain typing and how long does this take?

Do we have a rapid, accurate, costeffective in-field diagnostic technique which could negate the need to move potentially infected material for diagnosis?

• What are our surveillance strategies for early detection and who is responsible for their coordination? Do they differ for symptomatic and asymptomatic hosts? Will they be cross-sectoral?

Have we mapped our land use cover including riparian areas, in sufficient resolution? How can we best use our current technologies and what emerging technologies could assist?

• Do we have a range of effective management options in our toolkit to break the vector lifecycle and/or reduce vector populations that have been discussed with industry? Which of these if any will be mandated in the event of an incursion?

• Do we have capacity in our nurseries to replace infected vines with less susceptible varieties?

• Will we offer compensation to growers for vine loss and how would this be financed?

• Have we performed economic analyses on potential effects of an incursion on our industry that have been groundtruthed by industry?

The Californian model for management of Pierce’s Disease has been used as a blueprint in the United States to combat other high priority plant pests. It was realised early on that with limited available research and the relative strength of the Glassy-winged sharpshooter vector, broad-scale disease eradication was not possible in the shortmedium term and that, therefore, vector management was the key.

Collaboration has been imperative – between federal, state, regional, local council regulatory and extension staff, multiple industries, researchers, nurseries and the public – with roles and responsibilities documented and understood by all parties. A strong emphasis on communication and awareness strategies ensured that the effectiveness of management measures were constantly ground-truthed. This approach avoided negative social backlash, especially from treatment programs, and even incorporated visits to local schools.

Understanding the vector lifecycle was crucial. Due to the nature of the vector, area-wide, cross-sectoral vector management was needed, involving treating the vector in citrus as the alternative host where it overwinters, before moving into grapes as the primary host, causing Pierce’s Disease.

Multifaceted trapping and monitoring programs were established to determine the boundaries of the vector’s location.

Federal and state quarantine regulations were instituted including nursery treatment protocols and inspection programs, where all propagation material was inspected for the vector prior to leaving a nursery and was also inspected upon arrival at the destination.

Core to a strong system was an agreed funding framework by federal, state, industry and regional players for necessary activities, including containment through quarantine, statewide surveys (trapping, visual assessments and biocontrol), public awareness campaigns, cultural treatments

to primary and alternative hosts (grubbing and insecticide spraying), research, and nursery treatment programs.

Federal funding covers many of these activities (in the early 2000s US$22m was invested, now around US$15m). A winegrape industry fund (arising from self-assessment contributions from growers of US$0.75-$2.00 per $1000 grape value) managed by an industryestablished Pierce’s Disease/Glassywinged sharpshooter Board, finances research activities and eradication treatments on properties where the vector has not been seen before. Because of the large discrepancy in crop value between wine and table grapes, only winegrape growers have contributed to the industry fund to date. Nurseries self-fund their compliance activities.

It is important for all Australian industries that could potentially be affected by Xylella fastidiosa, to proactively consider their contingency for funding research, on-ground activities and potential compensation, in the event of a local incursion.

ITALIAN EXAMPLE The Italian approach to surveillance for Xylella fastidiosa in olives in the Apulia region, presented a strong use of technology and an integrated track and trace system for sample collection from the field to the laboratory. Much of the technology presented mirrored Australia’s current capacity in pockets, but highlighted our lack of coordinated national GIS and remote sensing system capability necessary in the event of a cross-border incursion.

Surveillance activities focus on three designated quarantine zones, the infected area bounded by a 20 kilometre containment zone, further bounded by a 10 kilometre buffer zone. In the buffer zone, one olive tree is sampled per hectare and if verified as positive for the pathogen, then all remaining plants in that hectare recognised as hosts of the Apulian Xylella strain are removed. In both buffer and containment zones, 1,000 hectare virtual grids are overlaid over the

landscape and then further sub-divided to one hectare resolution for sampling.

High resolution (10cm accuracy) remote sensing RGB-NIRGB imagery is used to ‘photo interpret’ and categorise the relative health of olive trees as severe, moderate, mild, symptomless or doubtful, in an attempt to geolocate affected trees for diagnostics, as well as to conduct nonbiased sampling to survey asymptomatic trees.

While not a failsafe method of pinpointing olive trees infected with Xylella (because disease symptoms can be confused with water stress, salt, fungal and dieback diseases and boron deficiency), it has merit. Inspectors use an impressive real-time mobile app (Xylpp) in-field to view the geolocation of the tree health maps, allowing them to initially inspect low-health trees, aimed at ultimately reducing pathogen spread. Inspectors also log visits spatially and tag diagnostic samples in real-time through the app, results of which can be viewed by other field staff and laboratories through storage in the XylWeb database. Future technological developments include assessing the applicability of hyperspectral and thermal imagery to assist in early disease detection, with results to date showing promise. Automatic tree counting is also performed using aerial imagery which can provide updates on tree removal.

HOW IS VINEHEALTH AUSTRALIA WORKING TO IMPROVE OUR PREPAREDNESS FOR XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA? Vinehealth is working hard to keep South Australian grape and wine businesses free from a range of high priority pests and diseases, including Pierce’s Disease and its vectors. We see our role as posing the tough questions to state and federal government and industry bodies to ensure we are jointly on the right path to preparedness. We support and will lobby for strong leadership, a coordinated approach between the wine industry, government, researchers and other stakeholders, and a focused and

In Australia, we need to be alert but not alarmed.

We need to use our time wisely before a potential incursion to vastly improve our preparedness capacity and capability to manage such an incursion. prioritised research and extension plan.

We will encourage government to better share their preparedness plans with our industry and ensure industry is updated regularly on progress. We believe we are in a strong position to act as a sounding board to ensure preparedness plans are practically focused and realistic in their timeframes and activities.

On a practical note, Vinehealth is currently undertaking the design and build of a biosecurity platform to capture surveillance data and other biosecurity information critical to preparedness and response activities.

Vinehealth also continues its lead role in communications and awareness for grape and wine businesses and stakeholders on Xylella and other priority plant pests, to ensure greater understanding throughout industry so that informed decisions can be made by all to prepare for and manage a Pierce’s Disease incursion.

About Vinehealth Australia Vinehealth Australia is a statutory authority operating under the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Act (1995) with legislative powers in South Australia.

As part of its role, Vinehealth works to increase the wine industry’s knowledge of biosecurity threats and their management. ww.vinehealth.com.au

VITICULTURE VOLUME 1 – RESOURCES – 2ND EDITION A comprehensive reference book on Australian viticulture devoted to matters that concern pre-planting decisions.

Topics include grapegrowing regions of Australia, soils, climate, grapevine varieties, vineyard site selection and berry development and grape quality.

AVAILABLE AT www.winetitlesbookstore.com.au

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grapegrowing

45 years strong Milestones for members of the Waite CSIRO team ROSEMARY WARREN and Peter Clingeleffer recently both marked 45 year milestones with the CSIRO. Both Warren and Clingeleffer are members of the CSIRO Agriculture & Food department at the Waite precinct in Adelaide.

Warren joined the CSIRO Division of Soils as a technical assistant in 1972, working on mycorrhizal associations with tree roots.

“The opportunity to work at CSIRO presented itself partway into a Pharmacy degree and so I took it,” she said.

“My work has always been both lab and field-based and CSIRO gave me opportunities to further develop my career through learning a range of molecular microbiological techniques and studying Biometry and Agricultural Experimentation at the Waite.”

As a technical officer, her research was expanded to include symbiotic nitrogen fixation in native trees. After a brief period in the Townsville labs, she returned to the Waite and worked as a Senior Technical Officer on a diverse range of projects from soil chemistry through to microbiology and plant pathology.

From the mid-1990s Rosemary was involved in collaborations with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science and China Agricultural and Zhejiang Universities in microbiological

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Rosemary Warren inspecting inoculant trial plot with Associate Proffesors Zhou Hongzi (left) and Huang Yujie (right). Shandong Academy of Science, Jinan, PR China.

suppression of root diseases. Over the years this collaboration has expanded to include the Shandong and Hebei Academies of Science. The opportunity to work with international collaborators via scientific exchange visits has been a highlight for Rosemary.

“Another highlight has been my involvement in projects for commercialising a plant-growth promoting inoculant and its adoption in Australian and American grain cropping systems.”

Today, Warren is an experimental scientist in the Soil Ecology and Biological Function Team in Agriculture and Food. Her research is focused on delivering novel options to growers for sustainable management of soil-borne microbial communities that impact on plant production systems.

A major focus has been the development of plant-beneficial microbes as inoculants to enhance nutrient availability and limit root diseases in cropping systems. This has included diagnostic tools and formulation technologies to support inoculant registration, their integration in cropping systems and adoption by growers.

“In 45 years I have seen a great deal of change in CSIRO and have always been proud to say that I work for the organisation,” Warren said.

Peter Clingeleffer joined the CSIR0 Division of Horticulture in 1972, after graduating from the University of Tasmania (B Agr Sci, Hons). His contributions to the Australian viticultural industries include involvement in the development and adoption of low-input management systems for cost efficient wine and dried grape production.

This has included the development and application of minimal pruning, light mechanical hedging and various crop control techniques to minimize seasonal effects on yield and quality and for dried fruit, the introduction of highly productive, cordon based systems for mechanisation of dried grape production by trellis drying, integrated with high yielding varieties and rootstocks.

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June 2017 – Issue 641

His involvement in breeding and vine improvement led to the release of four new wine varieties (Cienna, Tyrian and Rubienne in 2000) and Mystique in 2017; the joint release with the USDA of the high yielding, rain tolerant Sunmuscat and Sunglo drying varieties; Black Gem, an early ripening, disease resistant currant and the table grape varieties Millennium Muscat™, Magic Seedless® and Mystic Seedless®.

Clingeleffer has also been involved in the development and successful adoption of improved grape drying and storage practices to enhance quality of dried fruit, and strategies for insect control in storage to reduce the reliance on chemical fumigants such as methyl bromide.

From 1996 to 2009 he was the Riverlink Viticulture Program Manager, a key regional role responsible for coordination of regional grape research, development and extension across 3 state agencies and CSIRO in the Sunraysia region. He chaired the former National Vine Improvement Committee for 15 years and was a member of the Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, Rural Agricultural Advisory Committee for 25 years. He received the prestigious Graham Gregory award, sponsored by Horticulture Innovation Australia for his services to the dried grape, table grape and wine industries in 2010.

This article was originally published online by www. thewaite.org, the online portal to the Waite Campus, the largest concentration of agricultural research and teaching expertise

Peter Clingeleffer

in the Southern Hemisphere. The aim of this website is to bring together in one place the relevant information, including key contacts and links, from across the organisations based at the Waite Campus for our various stakeholder groups.

Viticulture open day success THREE VITICULTURE suppliers recently combined to present a postvintage open day at Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. With about 30 vineyard managers and owners attending the first of this sort of event seen on the peninsula for some time, it was declared a success by those involved.

The three participating companies were viticultural service provider and contractor Peninsula Vine Care, spraying

equipment and machinery suppliers Silvan Australia and tractor distributor Small Horse Tractors.

Matt Frewer, principal of Peninsula Vine Care, said he was pleased with the response by vineyard owners and managers.

“The Peninsula vineyard sector really has no formal event to show and discuss new technology or machinery solutions and products,” Frewer said.

“The feedback I received from those who attended on the day and those who missed on the opportunity to attend was that there was value in the day and the open day should be continued on an annual basis. ”After vintage when the operational pressures are reduced also seems the ideal timing.”

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking

Ian Hunter, the South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation; Andy Vesey, AGL managing director and CEO; and Nick Waterman, Yalumba CEO, on one part of the Yalumba winery roof space that has been utilised for a 1.4mW solar project.

Is solar energy a feasible option for your winery?

The latest examples of solar uptake Paul Le Lacheur has found several wineries that are leading the way, demonstrating that solar power in a winery setting can allow the production facility to become truly independent of the grid.

THE BUSINESS CASE for solar-powered wineries continues to improve. But it’s not always just about the costs. While often overlooked, there are many other benefits.

Solar power can deliver a lower carbon footprint, vitally enhancing public perception of your brand, its environmental authenticity and ‘green’ credentials. In an increasingly-crowded and competitive marketplace, these considerations could make the difference between marketing success and failure.

One organisation that was an early adopter was Tyrrell’s Wines, in the Hunter Valley. In mid-2015 Tyrrell’s installed a 350kW solar power system. In its first 12 months of operation, exactly one-third of the total electricity consumption was generated from solar power. This meant 575 fewer tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and the new system had halved the winery’s greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity.

Recently I spoke with Scott Bartlett, Tyrrell’s Wines technical manager. A number of questions relating to the feasibility of a solar powered installation came to mind, so I put them to Bartlett. In particular, I wondered what attracted the company to any solar project in the first place.

“We had started an environmental management program in

60 Grapegrower & Winemaker

2009 and were looking at ways to improve our energy efficiency, drive down costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Bartlett said.

“Solar power ticks all three boxes so we began investigating some alternative proposals”.

Notwithstanding his role as the technical manager, he explained there were factors other than financial driving the decision to install a solar array. These included the previously mentioned environmental ‘kudos’ associated with such a bold commitment.

My professional curiosity got the better of me, demanding I ask the commercially sensitive question: Is the Tyrrell’s system an ‘power purchase agreement’ or an ‘operating lease’?

“Our system is actually a lease agreement and the contract is involving zero installation and maintenance costs,” Bartlett said. “We just pay a rate of 20 cents per kilowatt hour, fixed for the full 20 years of the lease agreement.

“This is less than current coal-fired electricity prices and we have no other network fees or charges. The contract term is a 20-year period. This arrangement safeguards us against future energy price rises, and once the 20-year period is reached there

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June 2017 – Issue 641

WORLD LEADER IN WINE TECHNOLOGY

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The new solar panels being installed at the Cape Jaffa winery.

are no further charges. Our solar power will cost us nothing and the ownership of the panels is transferred to Tyrrell’s Wines.”

The obvious advantage of this contract is the lack of capital invested and, hence, the removal of a traditional downside (i.e., no opportunity cost for the deployment of capital need be factored in to the equation).

“The benefits are immediate,” Bartlett said.

DE BORTOLI SOLAR Another winery to adopt solar solutions is De Bortoli Wines.

In late 2013, the winery commissioned a system of photovoltaic panels and thermal arrays. It was the largest of its kind ever installed in an Australian winery. Part-funded through the Australian Clean Technology Investment Program, initial modelling investigated viability with no government funding.

The project is made up of a 230kW photovoltaic system and a 200kW solar thermal generator. Investigations took place because De Bortoli understood its customers were increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of its manufacturing processes.

Photovoltaic cells provide onsite electricity generation from three sub-generators installed on two buildings. Cells were connected to three differing loads including two refrigeration loads. European-made equipment includes 960 HANWHA QCELLS, which are polycrystalline silicon solar modules linked to eight inverter blocks from the Italian manufacturer POWERONE. The solar thermal solution was to provide water for the expanding bottling line which requires up to 12,000 litres per day at up to 95°C. It comprises 3000 evacuated tubes supplied and installed by Australian-owned company Apricus Australia.

This solution was adopted because it provided in-built frost protection, low light and high temperature performance outcomes.

What was the result? Significant savings on De Bortoli’s energy demand for electricity from the grid. Also, natural gas consumption for water heating to the bottling line and for

62 Grapegrower & Winemaker

washdown was much lower. Total energy consumption was reduced by more than 349 megawatt hours per year and CO2 emissions were down by more than 297 tonnes annually.

Preheated water systems achieved outstanding results of 12,000 litres at 71°C within 4.5 hours of system start up.

Ambient temperatures at the time were measured at between 10.9 and 19.9 degrees.

Annual energy consumption from the brining of natural gas was down by 308 megawatt hours and CO2 emissions were down by more than 17 tonnes annually. Critically, a payback time on the whole project (even without government funding) was modelled to be under six years.

Halfway through this period, these projections have been proven to be slightly conservative as payback will be a reality sooner than initially predicted.

In addition to the Tyrrell’s and De Bortoli Wines projects, there are other ‘early adopters’ of this emerging and efficient technology. Yalumba Wines, located in Angaston in the heart of the Barossa Valley has been reporting gains via the deployment of solar energy solutions (previously reported in this publication).

And Zilzie Wines, in the Riverland, has installed a 100kW solar system – with an significant upgrade expected to be completed soon.

LIMESTONE COAST PROJECTS Meanwhile, in South Australia’s Limestone Coast two wineries have recently completed solar installations.

Cape Jaffa Wines has made a huge step in its pursuit of sustainability with the installation of 297 solar panels on their winery roof with a capacity of 81KW. The solar panels have been coupled with 96x 400Ah lithium battery cells to store power and the system is expected to create an emissions savings of about 60 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year.

And Hollick Wines, at Coonawarra, has installed a 100kW solar system, which is estimated to generate 123 MWh of energy each year – reducing the winery’s consumption of on-grid electricity by more than 50 per cent.

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June 2017 – Issue 641

Cape Jaffa has been recognised with multiple awards for its sustainability efforts, and the owners Derek and Anna Hooper have been involved in off-grid systems since Derek built their wind-powered home on the Cape Jaffa property back in the late 90s. Derek’s first-hand experience includes importing battery systems into Australia and his wealth of knowledge on this subject has been integral to the implementation of this project.

The winery project at Cape Jaffa was supported by Zen Energy, suppliers of the lithium battery system, and the installation was completed by local electrician Anthony Moore and his team at Robe Electrical.

“Our sustainability conscience has certainly led us on a journey of discovery, and a journey that I feel is a perpetual one,” Anna Hooper said.

It was back in 2009, the Hooper’s recognise that running a certified organic and biodynamic vineyard created a degree of expectation from their customers about the whole business having ‘green’ credentials.

“While there are many aspects of what we were doing in the vineyard that can be considered environmentally friendly, to truly be ‘green’ means so much more than running a biodynamic vineyard,” Anna said.

Cape Jaffa has taken a more holistic approach to sustainability recognising weak spots, priority areas and risks across the entire business and working to continually improve on these.

The isolated winery location means it is not close to the national three-phase power grid – which is a basic requirement for most winery equipment. To date Cape Jaffa has relied on loadmatched diesel generators for three-phase power requirements.

While the company was an early adopter of solar technology in the office and cellar door area, to make use of solar power generation in the winery required either stored power or the support of a three-phase grid connection. For a long time this was not economically viable and the winery was even unsuccessful in Government grant applications for renewable energy assistance due to this unique situation. It has only been since the cost of both solar and battery storage had come down, that the business case has stacked up.

Another challenge facing all wineries is the production process is tied to a once-a-year grape supply. There are typically big peaks in electricity usage at vintage time due to the equipment used for processing and refrigeration. This adds another challenge to obtaining a pay back on an investment, especially when there is no grid to feed back into – if supply outweighs demand.

To better understand energy efficiency, Cape Jaffa went through the process of a detailed energy audit. Although the audit was supported by a government grant, there was no funding available to invest in the improvements recommended.

Reducing usage, and in particular peak loads, became the focus and substantial savings were achieved through a number of changes to our process.

“We began co-inoculating for secondary fermentation to reduce our requirements to warm wines and we moved away from traditional cold stabilisation,” Anna said. “Over time we have waited patiently for pricing on solar panels and battery based storage to come down to the point that it’s now economical for us in its own right, even without the assistance of grants.”

The pay back in investment may not be the shortest one but this decision was made by a family with a long term view in mind.

“We expect that the system will mean we can run a carbon neutral operation for nine months of the year and will occasionally run a diesel back-up generator to top up our power supply when required during vintage,” Derek Hooper said.

Hollick Wines has partnered with the Solgen Energy Group June 2017 – Issue 641

to deliver a 100kW solar system, which features 350 panels and three inverters.

Solgen designed and structured a flush mounted array on the winery’s pitched cellar roof using the latest Trina Solar products. The Trina Mono panel was used in the installation for its high power output which means performance is not compromised on cloudy days and other low light conditions.

The panel is also self-cleaning which minimizes maintenance for the client.

The Hollick Wines project also included the use of Huawei SUN2000-33KTL inverters (30kVA). This is the first project in Australia to use these inverters which are specifically designed for large-scale commercial power plants. These inverters deliver up to 98.8 per cent efficiency with its featured three Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) while other inverters only have two. The inverter also features power line communication with the Huawei Fusion Smart PV Controller. This feature greatly reduces the amount of data cabling that is needed for monitoring and controlling the PV system.

The project was installed in five days, including an upgrade to service cables, which meant there was a negligible impact on the winery and restaurant, which was fully operational at the time.

With the financing options available through Solgen, this project is expected to bring the client cash-flow positive after just the fourth month of operation and will offset 130 tonnes of greenhouse emissions every year.

Christian Fraser, Hollick Estates general manager, said the service and attention to detail from Solgen was “impeccable”.

“Our expectations were exceeded on both value for money and efficiency of our system,” Fraser said.

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

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NZ Tel: 0800 KAURIWINE Website: www.kauriwine.com

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Winery maintenance and sustainability at iconic wineries The three Australian and New Zealand wineries owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy (LVMH) –Cape Mentelle, Cloudy Bay and Domain Chandon – have each installed Computerised Maintenance Management Systems. Ian Jeffrey reports.

LOUIS VUITTON MOET HENNESY (LVMH) produces luxury perfume and cosmetics, watches and jewellery, champagne, wine and spirits.

The champagne and wine brands include: Dom Perignon, Krug, Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquet and Chateau d’Yquem. In Australian & New Zealand LVMH owns Cape Mentelle, Cloudy Bay and Domain Chandon.

LVMH established an internal carbon fund in 2015 (current value approximately five million euros) to reduce energy consumption and expand renewable energy production.

Using this fund LVMH have installed significant solar electricity generation and purchased Renault and BMW electric vehicles (claiming 80% CO2 emissions

reduction). Moet & Chandon has acquired a 100% electric vineyard tractor and plans to acquire more.

Chandon were one of five wineries worldwide invited by the United Nations to present workshops on sustainability at the recent Paris climate change conference.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte (Bordeaux), another of the five wineries invited to present a workshop on sustainability, has developed a system to sequester all its fermentation carbon dioxide and convert it to sodium bicarbonate for sale for toothpaste manufacture.

OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS ‘Overall

Equipment

Effectiveness’

(OEE) is a term wineries involved with Wine Australia’s Lean program or with an in-house continuous improvement program will be familiar with.

It is the gold standard for measuring a winery’s productivity.

OEE = Quality X Performance X Availability Where: 100% Quality = no reject or downgraded wine 100% Performance = producing at full output 100% Availability = the winery operates continuously without breakdowns.

Best pract ices cont inuous manufacturers (i.e. bottling plants) have achieved 95%+ OEE. Best practices batch or discrete manufacturers (i.e. winery type processes) have achieved 85%+ OEE. [1] Australian winery OEE ‘appears’ in general to be in the range 50 to 70%.

COMPUTERISED MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

AT A GLANCE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY EXAMPLE Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is a maintenance optimisation strategy developed for the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet in the 1960s. Today, 98% of turbojet and 85% of turbo propeller passenger aircraft worldwide use RCM. Using RCM has greatly improved airliner safety and greatly reduced flight costs worldwide.

RCM expanded into industry in general in the 1980s and 1990s focused on improving profitability and safety. It expanded further in the 2000s to include maintaining to achieve high environmental sustainability.

In recent years Streamlined RCM has been used for more rapid, more cost efficient optimisation of less challenging applications.

Streamlined RCM has huge potential for winery maintenance optimisation and strategic asset management.

A Monash University study of some 250 Australian small medium enterprises (SME) reported those adopting strategic asset management showed increased profits of 25% to 60%. [2]

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Mainpac and MEX both offer Australian-manufactured Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS). It is understood that MEX is used by Casella, D’Arenberg, Indevin, McWilliams and Pernod Ricard (both Australia and New Zealand) and Mainpac is used by Accolade, Treasury and Yalumba.

(Australia is a world leader in engineering software, 60% of the world’s mineral processing/mining IT software is Australian.)

MEX supplies solutions to more than 10,000 users worldwide, in industries such as; mining and minerals, light and heavy manufacturing, food processing and manufacturing, hotels, resorts, hospitals and government.

Across the past 28 years, Mainpac has worked with hundreds of customers in more than 24 countries to deliver asset management solutions to improve asset performance and optimise maintenance investment.

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WINERY MAINTENANCE BEST PRACTICE A streamlined ‘reliability centred maintenance’ (RCM) analysis of a winery’s maintenance would produce a strategy very similar to that shown in Figure 1.

Reactive (or ‘operate to failure’) maintenance is the most expensive type of maintenance.

‘Preventive maintenance’ (PM) is suited to the approximately 20% of winery equipment that has a predictable life between failures. Predictive maintenance (PdM) is suited to approximately 70% of winery equipment that has a random life between failures.

PdM should involve cleaning, lubricating, inspecting and testing at regular intervals. Winery PdM testing can be achieved using two or three condition monitoring tools (say, a $4000 shock pulse monitor for vibration measurement, a $2500 thermographic gun for electrical hot spots etc. and $1000 to $2000 of oil sampling tests each year).

The initial strategy should be 70% PdM changing to 50% PdM and 20% Proactive maintenance over time. Proactive maintenance involves researching and reducing or designing out maintenance requirements (using a CMMS data base as one tool).

Research results [1, 2, 4] show innovative enterprises implementing combinations of computerised maintenance management systems, reliability centred maintenance and condition monitoring have achieved: • 25 to 60% improved profit;

Figure 1: Winery maintenance best practices optimum strategy.

• 25 to 50% increased productivity; • Up to 98% reduced equipment downtime; and • 30%+ reduced maintenance costs.

One or two wineries commenced this process two decades ago. Recently, additional wineries have commenced implementation. Improved and less expensive CMMS and ‘condition monitoring’ has assisted these implementations. Wine quality, medals and trophies are important contributors to many wineries and winemakers success.

Continuous improvement (CI) and winery ‘maintenance strategy optimisation’ (MSO) can make significant indirect contributions to wine quality.

Reliable crushing reduces juice oxidation and downgrading.

High equipment availability and reliability contributes to a smooth, highproductivity winery. Fermentation,

pressing and filtering challenges and refrigeration faults are minimised or non-existent and chemical additions are positively impacted.

The result: emphasis in winemaking shifts from daily fire-fighting challenges to the important – the winemaker’s art, craft and science can come to the fore.

REFERENCES

1. “Making Common Sense Common Practice”, R. Moore, 2006, Butterworth-Heinemann 2. “Maintenance Practices in Small and Medium Sized Materials Technology”, The National Centre for Advanced Materials Technology, Monash University, 1997 3. “RCM II, Reliability-centred Maintenance”, J. Moubray, 1994, Butterworth-Heinemann 4. Authors surveys and “The Reliability-Based Maintenance Strategy. A vision for Improving Industrial Productivity,” R. Moore, F. Pardue, A. Pride, J. Wilson, September 1993, CSI Industry Report.

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Wine kegs: The new house pour Could wine from a keg become an on-premise option that offers the same practicality as pulling a beer? With weeks of shelf life, and ease of transport, don’t knock it just yet. Camellia Aebischer reports.

THE GLASS BOTTLE isn’t going anywhere. It’s sturdy, recyclable, pleasant to the touch, and many corners of the industry are adapted around it.

That’s all well and good. However, there are other options out there for storing wine beyond a glass bottle or wood barrel. Some brands choose to package in bladders, shipping wine overseas and having it bottled onsite.

This works for large producers who can afford to arrange bottling in a new country, and produce high volumes.

For smaller sized operations, getting wine around town, country or the globe is a priority for business to stay buoyant.

Packing wine in a keg can save on cost, maximise efficiency and do good for the planet (as well as your lower back). A keg is the perfect portable option.

The size and the packaging weight also has positive benefits for freight logistics and costs.

TRUSTY CORNELIUS The Cornelius keg, or 19L ball-lock keg, looks a bit like a large scuba diving tank with a flat top. The kegs can be found fairly abundantly in wineries as they get used for storage and to top up barrels. They’re also a common sight at bars, breweries and sometimes in the homes of hobby brewers.

The kegs are low in cost, and although there is some upfront investment (around $100 depending on if you buy new or used), they can be washed out, and refilled. They should have a long life, provided the rubber seal is kept in good condition.

The wine will also stay fresh (depending on the wine style) for around two weeks.

At Mothervine, a wine bar in Adelaide’s East End of the CBD, manager Patrick Madden uses the kegs to supply their house pour. The bar keep a few kegs on hand which are filled by a rotating group of local winemakers.

“Our bar has some pretty key contacts in the wine industry through the owners.

So I set up the coordination through them and we just go pick them up,” says Madden.

“We have a couple of kegs that we own, but they’re a pretty commonly found item in the winery. So when someone drops two off we say ‘here, take these two and fill them up, and we’ll let you know when we need some more.’” Like swapping a gas bottle at the service station.

The purchasing arrangement evenly benefits both parties. “We have agreements between the producers because we see it as an opportunity to have something special and they see it as an opportunity to do something else.”

A main pull factor for Madden and the winemakers is that they’re easy for one person to handle alone and can be transported in a car. The kegs can hold 19 litres of wine, which is one litre more than two standard cases (around 25 bottles).

THROW IT IN THE BIN Another newly emerging option is the KeyKeg. This Dutch invention is slowly becoming a popular option for smaller wineries to export their products. The keg is made up of a hard plastic shell, with a lined aluminium bag inside. The airtight bag is filled and stabilised by the hard outer shell. Each keg comes with a filling adaptor and can be easily filled in the winery by hand.

The lightweight and sturdy design cuts down on shipping costs and adaptability to a bar system makes them easy to use instantly for tapping systems. The kegs are also completely recyclable and

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can be easily crushed by one person to maximise space in the bin.

Because of the internal bladder, the wine never comes in to contact with oxygen or CO2, as the air is pumped between the bladder and plastic outer wall to dispense the wine. Wines in KeyKegs can keep happily for around 2-4 weeks, depending on the style.

Bart van Olphen, winemaker at Chalmers wine began using KeyKegs after demand from his British importer.

“There were different sizes on offer, but the 20L keg was easiest to work with on a small scale. The size and the packaging weight also has positive benefits for freight logistics and costs,” says van Olphen.

“The kegs are ideal for white, red and sparkling wines. They’re perfect for our sparkling Moscato – a match made in heaven. All the feedback suggests the wine is maintained in good condition.”

KeyKegs can be branded with the producers details and there’s even an option to buy seat cushions for them, to repurpose after use. The individual retail cost for a 20L keg is $18 AUD and they come in 10, 20 and 30L options.

KeyKeg also pride themselves on offering comprehensive information online for users. There are plenty of

instructional videos as well as any details you’d like to know on www.keykeg.com.

Van Olphen says that the comprehensive instructions make it easy to multitask and learn how to fill kegs in the winery without having to call on reps or friends for advice.

WINE BY THE GLASS The largest market for these dispensing systems is to stock venues who offer wines by the glass. The keg systems will keep tapped wine fresh for up to two weeks according to Madden. The benefits are easy to list; portability, cost, ecofriendly, reduces waste and great for sparkling wine (which goes flat quickly).

It also allows bars to offer different sized carafes of wine. The main drawback is the customers. Much like screw cap tops on wine bottles, wine on tap still holds a low quality connotation. Even though the house pour from a tap is going to be fresher than the glass of white from a week-old refrigerated bottle at your local pub, there’s still work to be done to get the public on board.

“It’s a verbal thing for us, like I said there’s that association with something being cheap so my staff are trained to inform the customers about what we offer,” says Madden. “As soon as they

We have agreements between the producers because they see it as an opportunity to have something special and they see it as an opportunity to do something else. have that conversation and we give them a little taste of the wine, they’re fine.

“We’ve done a lot of promoting on social media for it and it’s been received really well. I think because people have that incorrect perception of it not being good.”

At Mothervine, wine is pulled on the same taps as the beers, which opens up an easy conversation point for customers.

“We can only facilitate so much though.

We have chatted about getting more and if we could install more lines I’d be happy to have them,” says Madden.

Currently, worldwide there are 193 wineries bottling in KeyKegs for distribution to places with wine on tap.

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Sangiovese: Time to shine Wine Australia update ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ‘alternative’ varieties trialled in Australia, Sangiovese was planted with great hopes for a glorious future. It has turned out some seriously good wines but this great grape has taken a little while to gain its feet in Australia. More than 40 years on, the variety is finally beginning to shine, and adventurous wine drinkers are discovering a whole new world of Sangiovese’s exotic, evocative flavour and flair ... Australian style.

FROM THE HILLS OF TUSCANY Sangiovese is the famous grape of Tuscany. The name is derived from the Latin ‘Sanguis Jovis’ – blood of Jove – after the mythical Roman God of Jupiter.

The haunting wines it is capable of creating are legendary. Like Pinot Noir, the grape reflects the terroir in which it grows, and the resulting wines run the gamut from the famously ethereal, high-toned, cherry-violet-spice examples in Chianti, to the intensely dark, tannic style of Brunello di Montalcino – and everything in between.

Despite its Italian renown, Sangiovese was not planted in Australia until the early 1970s. Penfolds trialled it in the Kalimna vineyard in South Australia’s Barossa Valley using clones from the University of California at Davis, and Carlo Corino at Montrose in Mudgee established some trial plantings as well. However, it was Mark Lloyd of the renowned Coriole Vineyards in McLaren Vale who really made Sangiovese his own. In 1985, Lloyd was seeking to make something completely different to Coriole’s signature Shiraz, Cabernet and Pinot Noir were already ‘de rigeur’, and Lloyd wanted something “non French”.

The Lloyds were not Italian – at the time, they had never even been to Italy.

But McLaren Vale was home to many Italian growers, and when the Lloyd family bought the property in the 70s, their intention was to produce a number of agricultural products, operating in the Italian ‘fattoria’ model. So choosing an Italian style was not so unusual (though it wasn’t exactly usual either). There were a few other reasons that Lloyd settled on Sangiovese. It was a mid to late season ripener, had good natural acidity, and grew well in warm, Mediterranean climates. Also, cuttings from Penfolds’ Kalimna block were readily available.

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Mark Lloyd, from Coriole (McLaren Vale SA), was a Sangiovese pioneer.

ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S FIRST ALTERNATIVE VARIETIES Sangiovese was one of the first original ‘alternative’ varieties in Australia, and it is an indication of its acceptance that it is no longer considered ‘alternative’ (though it is still considered ‘Italian’).

But in the early days, not only was Sangiovese considered an alternative variety, it also helped create the emergence of the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show.

By 1999, a range of other producers had taken on the Sangiovese challenge – enough for Jenni and Bruce Chalmers and Dr Rod Bonfiglioli from the Chalmers Nursery, and Stefano de Pieri of Mildura to plan and hold a ‘Long Italian Lunch’, which also incorporated the inaugural Australian Sangiovese Awards. A total of 28 Australian Sangiovese or Sangiovese blends were entered in the Sangiovese Awards. A Coriole blend was announced the winner, a proud Mark Lloyd taking home the prize.

AUSTRALIAN SANGIOVESE’S TIME TO SHINE It has taken a great deal longer than anybody thought it would, but slowly, Sangiovese is beginning to shine. Not only have the best clones been identified, but winemaker and growers are also working out the best regions for the variety as well. In the Barossa, there’s Penfolds’ Cellar Reserve Sangiovese. www.winetitles.com.au

Other Barossa players producing powerful examples include Saltram, Langmeil, Hewitson, Torzi Matthews and Mad Dog Wines. In McLaren Vale, Primo Estate, Chapel Hill, Zerella Wines and Hugh Hamilton all show the region’s huge potential with Sangiovese. And, of course, there’s Coriole, now with over 30 vintages under its belt. In the early days, Lloyd added Cabernet and Shiraz for colour and depth, but felt it didn’t show the true expression of the grape. Three decades of experience in the vineyard and winery has given him the ability to produce a 100% Sangiovese of immense quality and style that stands completely on its own, and Coriole continues to top the Sangiovese charts today.

In Victoria, the King Valley is definitely king when it comes to Sangiovese, and the Pizzini family are virtually Sangiovese royalty, having grown Sangiovese grapes for Garry Crittenden in his early exploratory adventures with Italian wines. These days the Pizzinis have not one but six Sangioveses on their books, ranging from the lovely Rosetta sangiovese rosé through to the flagship Rubacuori Sangiovese (Stealer of Hearts), made only in the best vintages. More approachable Sangioveses include the Nonna Gisella, Petra Rossa and Forza di Ferro. Other regal King Valley Sangioveses to look out for include Chrismont, Sam Miranda, Dal Zotto, Politini and King River Estate.

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The grape seems to be impressing in all corners of Victoria. Beechworth is where Brokenwood goes to source their Sangiovese – a bright, juicy, maraschino cherry-rich example.

Brokenwood sources fruit from the Indigo Vineyard, which also makes its own fine Sangiovese.

Castagna is a biodynamic producer, creating truly dynamic wines – the La Chiave is a rich and powerful expression of the style. In Heathcote, outfits like Tar & Roses, Condie Estate and Greenstone Vineyards have been working hard with their Sangiovese, with exceptional results. The Pyrenees provides a class act from Mitchell Harris the Yea and Yarra Valleys triumph too with Sedona Estate and Stefani Estate.

Like most Italian wines, Sangiovese really comes into its own when paired with food. The tangy acidity of Sangiovese goes particularly well with tomato-based Italian dishes, but the savoury notes and grippy tannins pair well with roasted, grilled and barbecued meats, making it the ideal match to a whole range of cuisines. These days, restaurant-goers and wine drinkers are much more open to a range of styles when food and wine matching, which has certainly served Sangiovese well – indeed, lighter-bodied

Italian reds in general are now being easily accepted (even sought out) as ideal dining partners. Sangiovese is really only beginning to hit its straps in Australia now, but the next generation are already shaking up the Sangiovese scene. Lovers of the cult-like Yarra Valley Pinot Noir that William Downie creates may want to transfer their allegiance to Sangiovese because Downie seems to have transferred his. He’s teamed up with Jason Searle at artisan outfit Save our Souls to create a minimal intervention, textural, savoury, sultry, silky Sangiovese.

“I think Sangiovese is incredibly well suited to the Yarra. I think it works better than any other grape,” Downie said.

Scott & La Prova is situated in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, but Sam Scott travels far and wide to satisfy his “addiction to Italian savoury tannin”.

His rustic Sangiovese comes from two vineyards in his own Adelaide Hills backyards but he still calls it a ‘journey’, proving that it’s not an easy grape to master. But master it he has.

Adam Foster and Lincoln Riley at Foster e Rocco are causing crosscultural chaos (in a delicious way) by taking Sangiovese and turning it into a light, juicy, early-drinking style they

call “Heathcote’s answer to Beaujolais”, describing it as having “energetic wild red berry fruit and fine, prickly tannin of youthful sangiovese, but tucked into a ballet slipper rather than a dirty work boot”. They also produce a powerfully complex Sangiovese of traditional expression which is ‘in it for the long game’, released at three years, but designed to cellar for a further 10.

AN EXCITING JOURNEY Sangiovese has had a tricky start in Australia but growers and winemakers have worked hard to get the variety right – the right clones, the right growing conditions, the right regions and the right treatment in the winery. The pioneers who persevered are quietly pleased with themselves. New winemakers taking on Sangiovese are teasing out its tightlyheld charms (and creating new ones at the same time). And wine drinkers are in the enviable position of discovering the many different faces of this noble grape, now just reaching its full potential, in a variety of expressions and styles.

Sangiovese has proved a long and rocky road for wine producers, but for wine drinkers, the best part of the journey is still to come.

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young gun

Young Gun of Wine 2017 The annual Young Gun of Wine Awards are on again, with the winners announced at a presentation on June 20. Camellia Aebischer caught up with three candidates from the top 12 to talk about industry, influence and the future.

THE ANNUAL Young Gun of Wine Awards celebrate a young-at-heart approach to the wine industry. Each year the awards have grown in momentum as independent winemakers push the limits of experimentation.

This year, a top 50 list was released, in addition to the usual top 12. This was compiled from an original list of 200 applicants. Young Gun founder, Rory Kent explains that it came about due to an increased interest in the awards.

“There’s a growing emergence of new winemakers with independent labels and more creativity and diversity of winemaking. The time was right to put together a compelling list of 50 very high quality young winemakers,” said Kent.

It’s been a lot of fun in 2017 with the new top 50 list, people’s choice events, as well as a two day tasting with judges including Nick Stock of Gourmet Traveller Wine, Mike Bennie of Delicious magazine, and Josephine Perry of Dormilona – the 2016 Young Gun of Wine winner.

The winner will be announced at an awards presentation on June 20 at POW Kitchen and Bandroom in Saint Kilda.

In lieu of the announcement, we spoke to three of the finalists in the top 12 about their thoughts on the industry.

For a few years now there seems to be a bit of a changing of the guard somewhat, and I guess the business models as well.

There are a lot more smaller owneroperated enterprises popping up and more small independents who probably want to be in control of the whole process.

Q. What’s on the horizon for your brand going forward?

SP: Well I started making larger quantities of wine in 2010 and 2011 and I ended up branching out and have ramped it up quite a bit.

I’ve kind of gone through a fairly large growth phase the last few years, just some consolidation in terms of the brand because I manage some vineyards and other labels and do some consulting on the side too.

If demand is there I can ramp it up but at the moment I’ll probably just hold fire for the year or so. Try and recoup some of the money that’s lost down the black hole of the wine and viticulture industry.

CHARLOTTE HARDY, CHARLOTTE DALTON, ADELAIDE HILLS Q. How did you hear of the awards?

Charlotte Hardy: I heard about them when I think Taras Ochota won about six years ago. I was nominated last year but didn’t get shortlisted.

Q. How do you feel the awards influence the wine industry?

CH: I think it’s such a good award because it really celebrates all the different styles, and different beliefs now. Winemakers are really passionate

STUART PROUD, PROUD PRIMARY PRODUCE, YARRA VALLEY Q. How did you hear of the awards?

Stuart Proud: It’s been something that’s been going around for ten plus years, so yeah.

Q. How do you feel the awards influence the wine industry?

SP: I think in the past it’s given people confidence that what they’re doing is worthy and that they’re on a good path.

It’s like the nod of approval.

The awards have changed somewhat, in terms of the size and shape this year.

It’s been a bigger entry pool and definitely has grown.

Q. What kind of changes do you see for the industry in terms of a young-at-heart influence?

SP: There are definitely more light styles which are more approachable, and some more fun wines. Not so much the serious classic style. I think people are more prepared to push the boundaries.

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about different sorts of things and they’re allowed to be passionate about them now.

There’s no one size fits all anymore.

Q. What kind of changes do you see for the industry in terms of a young-at-heart influence?

CH: When you look at the top 50 list the wines are all so diverse and they’re all such unique expressions of the winemakers We’re moving away from that recipe winemaking, we’re not just making wine for the American market. The global market is changing. The wine world is a lot more accepting of the new styles and new winemakers.

Q. What’s on the horizon for your brand going forward?

CH: I just want to keep enjoying making it. If you are happy and love with what you are making you can really see it in the wine. I never want to get in to any point of pressure because the wine will look stressed out and pressurised.

I’ll keep playing with new varieties that come around. I have a really god relationship with the growers which is really important to me. I want to nurture those relationships so that the growers are making a living.

I’ve been making wine for 20-odd years and I still consult on the side, with

72 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Natasha Mooney, so my charlotte Dalton brand is purely for the love.

ROB MACK, APHELION, MCLAREN VALE Q. How did you hear of the awards?

Rob Mack: I’ve known of them in the past, form following on social media and word of mouth.

Q. How do you feel the awards influence the wine industry?

RM: It seems like a really god competition to see who’s coming through the woodwork at the moment. It’s just a good list to work through even if you’re not a part of it.

Then last year, around this time, that was really the first year that I had enough confidence and volume to have a crack.

You need to have seven dozen in stock of each wine you submit, for tastings and stuff, so you might as well wait to do it.

I mean you want to do well but you don’t want to do well and not be able to supply after.

Q. What kind of changes do you see for the industry in terms of a young-at-heart influence?

RM: I’m specifically talking about McLaren Vale, because there are so many small producers coming through. A lot of the guys around here have a day job, like www.winetitles.com.au

me, and you just clock off and go make some wine after.

So you’re doing 12 hour days at a job, then getting in to winemaking after hours. But McLaren Vale is such a good melting pot for it.

The people who do well are the ones who are working really hard, that’s the main change I’ve seen down here, I know the Adelaide Hills are very up and coming too.

Q. What’s on the horizon for your brand going forward?

RM: The good thing about SA is there are four or five wine regions only an hour or two apart.

I like to focus 100% on McLaren vale.

Obviously there’s a lot of fruit here for me to work with. I like to keep everything regional so when I do make wines you can taste the differences.

Back when we started in 2014 I figured we have good fruit and good wine and thought ‘what can we do to differentiate ourselves a little bit?’

So I split up the parcel and made four different wines with the same grapes.

You’ve got one barrel of something and one of something else so it takes a long time.

But yes, the ultimate goal is to make it a fulltime thing.

June 2017 – Issue 641

Post-vintage winery maintenance Crushing & Pressing

Camellia Aebischer spoke to Blair Hanel, Sales Manager at Della Toffola and Tristan Hartley, Winery Site Manager at Zilzie Wines about vintage, replacing equipment and their best advice for winemakers on what needs maintaining.

It’s essential you have a good relationship with you suppliers so that you have access to critical parts 24/7.

We can’t afford even the smallest of down times during vintage.

VINTAGE HAS WRAPPED UP and you probably don’t want to look at another piece of winemaking equipment again for a while. As tempting as it can be to turn a blind eye and head to the pub, there are a few things to note before leaving it all behind that will save a lot of hair pulling at the start of vintage 2018.

Blair Hanel offers industry insight on which pieces of equipment have been subject to innovation, and when to replace parts instead of the whole machine. A little foresight can save a lot of hassle when the press bag bursts at 3am on a Sunday morning.

CRUSHERS & DE-STEMMERS “There hasn’t been too much change in de-stemming/crushing innovation in

June 2017 – Issue 641

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a long time,” said Blair Hanel, Sales Manager at Della Toffola.

“The typical reason for winemakers to upgrade is for volume. The only other reason to make a change would be to update the cage, as the de-stemmer cage sizes have changed a little bit, for control of larger or smaller berries to pass through.”

When Hanel says there hasn’t been too much change, he is being diligent about keeping the conversation specific to crushers and de-stemmers. There has been some impressive innovation in the sorting industry, with optical sorting making light work of finding faulty grapes.

“Optical sorting takes a mirror picture as the grapes pass under a camera lens, which has a certain variable that it

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winemaking

Inside those presses is the warmest place in winter. Often there will be rodents hiding inside the presses and sometimes even eating holes in the bags. matches to. The machine will toss out any grapes that sit outside the variable window,” said Hanel.

Optical sorters aren’t awfully common at the moment, and are currently only available through a handful of brands.

Before getting in to some new toys, it could be worth checking on the old stuff. Since crushers and de-stemmers are usually all made of stainless steel, they should technically last a lifetime.

“Every crusher and de-stemmer has belts, pulleys, and gear driven cogs.

They’re usually plastic so they need to be looked after, after every vintage.”

The reason they’re plastic is to reduce noise and allow for a bit of give, since they’re in contact with fruit, which is delicate. But it also means that they need to be replaced as they deteriorate quickly.

If they’re looking brittle or changing colour, that’s a sign that it’s time to go.

“Usually the rubbers on a crusher need to be re-tuned each year. It’s one thing that’s usually left un-done,” Hanel added.

Tristan Hartley, Winery Site Manager of Zilzie Wines has a strict regime when it comes to maintenance. “We strip back crushers and presses every post-vintage to refresh them and bring them basically back to new. We have a continuous

74 Grapegrower & Winemaker

preventative maintenance schedule and continuous servicing program that we follow.”

But sometimes, you just need to bite the bullet and buy some new gear. The main reason for that, as Hartley knows, is expansion.

“Over the past few years we’ve expanded our capacity, with this we need to make sure we are improving our process flow/efficiencies, as well as delivering improvements to the quality our customers have come to expect from us,” he said. So refreshing machinery thoughtfully is important to maximise quantity and quality.

Once you’ve tidied up your old faithful, or made purchase of a shiny new toy, it’s best you store it properly to make sure things are in good shape for next vintage. Since most of the machinery available in Australia is designed for the European market, there might be some things to consider.

“In Australia, crushers and de-stemmers are usually left outside, but all the machinery that comes from Europe is designed for indoor use, so the UV situation with any rubber material will break down pretty quickly,” said Hanel.

To ensure your equipment is well kept, cover the electrical and mechanical components with a tarp to stop water getting in and protect them from the harsh sun. If you have a shed, storing them undercover is the most ideal option.

Above all else, it’s important to keep good relationships, to get parts and maintenance done in a snap.

“It’s essential you have a good relationship with you suppliers so that you have access to critical parts 24/7. We can’t afford even the smallest of down times during vintage,” said Hartley. www.winetitles.com.au

PRESSES Depending on your winemaking style, the type of press used will vary. Whether you use a basket, screw or bag press, there are ways to keep them well maintained.

There’s been plenty of innovation around presses, and often this will be the reason for a business to upgrade. But they’re sturdy beasts and Hanel predicts the average lifespan of a bag press would be around 25 years, hesitating to say “life” as changes in technology might influence.

If you’re just looking to repair, the bag and electronic elements are the key parts to keep an eye out. “It’s the air receiver that needs to be looked at each year, as well as the electronic parts that might be exposed to condensation and outdoor weather,” said Hanel.

You might be tempted to just leave the bag inside the press for the year with an opening for airflow, but this might not be the best idea.

“Inside those presses is the warmest place in winter. Often there will be rodents hiding inside the presses and sometimes even eating holes in the bags.”

Removing the bags and storing them elsewhere is a big job. An easy solution is to cover drainage channels and any entrances with a breathable material or mesh, so nothing can get in.

Hanel is stern about using equipment with care and conducting regular checks.

“Don’t abuse the machinery, things like not overfilling and keeping an eye on door rubbers are really important.”

Having more options for control with a machine is a valuable reason for upgrading. Hartley has been busy this vintage upgrading the screw presses at Zilzie to ones that offer better control.

“We’ve only just decommissioned two of the original screw presses - they were June 2017 – Issue 641

20 years old when we installed them.

We have been replaced them with 2 new screw presses, as the improvements in technology will give us more control over the process, product quality and output.”

He relies heavily on research and encourages winemakers to make an informed decision.

“The key with any new purchase is to research your choices, especially with people who have previous experiences.

Also understand your requirements for example, throughputs, required outcomes and future growth.”

Replacing a screw press is simple if it’s replaced with another screw press. The logistics come when changing equipment styles. Each side of the production line will have to be assessed when replacing machinery. For example, matching up drainage from the bins to the new press.

Then, you’ll need to make sure they’re safe throughout the year. Covering holes as mentioned earlier will keep out rodents and contamination, and making sure there is some airflow and dry conditions is also important. If you can keep electrical components dry and covered, happy days.

“Every bag should be looked at before and after vintage. And keep a record of it.

Seven years is a good lifespan for a bag as long as it’s not abused,” said Hanel.

Keeping a spare bag on hand isn’t a bad idea if you’re running a tight ship and can afford the storage. Otherwise, maintaining a good relationship with your supplier’s maintenance department is a wise choice for those 3am call-outs.

At Zilzie, Hartley will consider all options available, whether that’s brand

new or second hand. “We want to make sure we are using the equipment that’s most reliable and best suited to the needs of the business.”

Hanel’s advice is practical: “Do your homework if you’re buying second hand equipment. It’s like buying a second hand car. Try and get some records like servicing, and maintenance history.”

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1 uch_A4.pdf 27/08/2015 1

winemaking

More testing times Greg Howell, from Vintessential Laboratories, continues his look at some curly issues experienced in the lab. Helping to solve them has involved some intricacies of testing and relied on many years of Vintessential experience.

3:41 27/08/2015 pm

3:41 pm

SULFUR DIOXIDE TEST PROBLEMS – AGAIN MANY WINERIES do some of their own testing, where possible. We support them to do this by offering apparatus, reagents and, if necessary, advice on troubleshooting and ways to improve the performance of the test.

We recently had a winery that was getting abnormal duplicate sulfur dioxide results. They were using the traditional oxidation/aspiration setup (see Figure 1) and had two sets of apparatus working side-by-side; however testing the same wine at the same time in the two rigs was giving very different results. As anyone who uses these rigs knows, they can be

slightly temperamental and there are potentially several factors that could cause the discrepancy.

The customer had a good setup and had checked that the air flow rate coming out of the vacuum pump was correct by the use of a soap bubble flow meter. We suggested ensuring the bubbling in both round bottom flasks and both pear shaped flasks looked the same. This is a critical issue as sometimes a leak in the tubing or an ill-fitting glass joint can cause leaks that prevent sulfur dioxide in the sample being aspirated through the system. The operator was happy this was correct.

By doing some more trials on a standard sulfur dioxide solution it was obvious that the correct results were not being obtained. The next thing to check was the receiving solution in the pear shaped flasks. This is a hydrogen peroxide solution at a dilution of 0.3%. It is very easy for this solution to lose its strength and then not be able to ‘capture’ the sulfur dioxide, which is what was happening in this instance. A fresh hydrogen peroxide solution was made – and voilà – the correct, duplicate results were obtained.

The 0.3% hydrogen peroxide is normally made in the winery laboratory from the concentrated 30% solution. We supply the 30% solution to customers as it is very stable; a 0.3% solution is quite unstable, so we don’t supply it. The winery lab should replace the 0.3% hydrogen peroxide regularly – at least once a month to ensure the most accurate results.

VINTESSENTIAL WINE TEST KITS. Vintessential wine test kits are the only ones made in Australia by its leading wine-testing laboratory.

Our kits are dedicated exclusively to our industry, with feedback from winemakers leading to continual improvement and additional kits.

That’s why we’re 100% confident you’ll confirm our kits are the best you’ve ever tested.

make to make the perfect the perfect sparkling sparkling wine. wine.

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76 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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A customer brought in a wine for a heat stability test. The winemaker had done bench trials with the wine and had determined what level of bentonite addition was required. This was approximately four times higher than usual. We performed olution a unique based solution on naturally based onoccurring naturallymannoproteins occurring mannoproteins that can improve that can theimprove quality the of your quality sparkling of your sparkling the heat stability test on the treated sample but found that the nblyit noticeably enhance the enhance mouthfeel the and mouthfeel tartaricand stability, tartaricbutstability, it also preserves but it alsotheir preserves elegance, their freshness elegance,and freshness and test failed – that is, after heating for the required six hours at egardless nvenient: regardless of whether your of whether sparkling yourwine sparkling is made wine byisthe made Charmat by theorCharmat traditional or method, traditional you method, simplyyou simply 80°C the wine was cloudy. tely P immediately before bottling. before bottling.

As the level of bentonite added was much higher than UTE UTE normal, this result was a surprise. After discussions with the L O LL U T E L O L O S customer it was determined that the bentonite used for the trials onde ellier Cedex 5 for this wine was from a new supplier, was of a more granular 21 285 304 T N N E vintessential.com.au vintessential.com.au Email: info@vintessential.com.au Email: info@vintessential.com.au TSESSE SN E T E S S Estyle and hadn’t been used in the winery previously.

Phone: 1300 Phone: 30 2242 1300(Australia-wide) 30 2242 (Australia-wide) or +61 3 5987 or +61 2242.

3 5987 2242.

So the winemaker bought in some of the previously used powdery type bentonite and repeated the trials and got similar Printed on 100%Printed recycled onpaper.

100% recycled paper. www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

results to what was normally expected. This time the treated wine passed the heat stability test at the much lower level of bentonite addition.

The following trials to uncover the reason for the difference between the two products were suggested: • Make the two bentonites up with the same water; • Prepare the bentonite exactly as per the manufacturer’s requirements, particularly for swelling time; • Use the same wine in each of the two trials; • Don’t use other products in the wine at the same time; and • Decide on an acceptable turbidity in NTUs that is consistent for the wine style.

Bentonite fining is a critical exercise that enables the wine to be placed in the market place in a sound and stable condition and should be taken very seriously. And when changing suppliers of winemaking ingredients always be on the lookout for unusual effects that may occur in the winemaking process.

OBSCURATION This is not a comment on current politics in Western democracies, but the technical use of the word when it comes to measuring alcohol content.

Wine Science degree students should have come across this term in their studies. It usually refers to the effect of substances (other than ethanol) in wine, on the measurement of density, typically by hydrometry. Substances in wine such as sugars, glycerol, acids and colouring compounds affect the ability to measure alcohol accurately by hydrometers.

This is well known in the wine industry and has given rise to several ways of measuring alcohol in wine including: • Distillation and hydrometry; • Distillation and pycnometry; • Ebulliometry; • Near infra-red spectrometers; • High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC); and • Gas Chromatography (GC).

With the increased popularity of ‘craft’ beer, cider and spirits, we have been very busy testing these new products, firstly for winery customers who have branched out and produced some of these exciting new products, and also for many new entrants

1

to the fermented beverage industry. Obscuration is an issue for many of them because they typically measure alcohol in these non-wine products by hydrometry.

A word of caution: the allowed variation for alcohol label statements is quite different for beer, cider and spirits compared to wine. To quote Food Standards Standard 2.7.1 Labelling of Alcoholic Beverages and Food containing Alcohol: “The (alcohol) statement…must…be accurate to within the limits specified in column 2 of the table below: Column 1

Column 2

Beer, cider, perry

0.3% alc/vol

Spirits, liqueurs, fortified wine…

0.5% alc/vol

Wine and fruit wine…

1.5% alc/vol

We recently did an obscuration exercise for a spirits producer who had three different products to test. To do this we tested the neat sample, and then distilled the sample and tested alcohol on the distillate, this of course not possessing any obscurants.

Interestingly, two of the products showed very little difference between hydrometry results on the neat sample and the lab distilled sample.

But one sample had a difference well over 1% alc/vol which is well outside the accuracy required by the labelling regulations above.

And worse still, the Australian Tax Office has its own testing requirements: for beer and spirits the accuracy required is 0.2% alc/vol. When questioned, the ATO Excise section representative admitted that their requirements differed from Food Standards and advised that “that’s just how things are”.

So, beware of obscuration, and for such an important test as alcohol, our recommendation is to talk to a professional consulting lab for this measurement for any beer, cider or spirits you are selling.

About the author: 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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77

business & technology The winery experience Taking tourism to the next level There is plenty of scope for wineries to introduce visitor activities that offer additional experiences.

Camellia Aebischer reports.

THERE ARE A HANDFUL of wineries across the country that have discovered their property has more to offer than growing quality grapes and making fine wine.

Offering curated winery experiences has become a growing trend and some of the latest offerings have moved in to a far more elaborate territory than a private tasting.

From a behind the scenes tasting to helicopter rides and even buying “sainthood”, the possibilities are almost endless for those with an attractive parcel of land and cellar door.

For those with added space and time, including a winery experience to maximise productivity isn’t a bad idea and others might wish to consider whether some of these examples could work in their own situation.

One of the places you can explore the examples is Ultimate Winery Experiences (www.ultimatewineryexperiences.com. au) – a platform that curates options for locals and tourists to peruse. The site even has a Chinese translation option cleverly built in.

Greg West, Audrey Wilkinson Winery manager (Hunter

An Opportunity to gain Additional Skills to advance your Career Objective Travel to the Northern Hemisphere and gain additonal experience during their Vintage.

Earn while working and enjoy a holiday at the end.

AUSTRALIAN & INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EXCHANGE PO Box 3093, KEW Vic. 3101 e-mail: auintagx@bigpond.com PH: [03]-9818-2395 FAX: [03]-9818-7255 www.agriculturalexchange.com

78 Grapegrower & Winemaker

We started to realise that our members and guests at the cellar door were beginning to look for more than just a standard day of wine tasting, and are becoming increasingly interested in learning more about the winemaking process.

Valley), has noticed a trend emerging.

“We started to realise that our members and guests at the cellar door were beginning to look for more than just a standard day of wine tasting, and are becoming increasingly interested in learning more about the winemaking process,” West said.

The winery offers private tastings with the winemaking team as well as luxury accommodations.

West also says that the private tasting experience has helped to attract guests that are more interested in wine than the general visitor, which has helped the business to engage better with its customer base.

Audrey Wilkinson’s offerings have proven to be a success, but there are tame in the grand scheme of things.

Here’s a taste of what’s on offer around the country from least to most expensive: Audrey Wilkinson Winery – Hunter Valley, NSW Audrey Wilkinson offer visitors the option to meet with a member of the winemaking team for a behind the scenes tour. Guests are taken to the onsite winery and get a firsthand look at storage, plus the opportunity to taste from the barrels.

Afterwards, they’re brought back to the cellar door for a premium tasting and a cheese platter.

Cost: $120 per person Montalto – Mornington Peninsula, VIC Pairing up with National Golf, Montalto offers visitors a round of golf with ocean views, hosted by one of Montalto’s winemakers. After golf, guests are brought back to the winery for a three-course lunch with matching wines. The package is available daily upon request.

Cost: $475 per person Two Hands Wines - Barossa Valley, SA Moving away from partnership offers, Two Hands Winery has acquired a small collection of branded luxury SUV’s to host a variety of winery experiences.

The ‘flagship vineyard experience’ includes a tour of five single-vineyard sites, plus tastings, a visit to the estate vineyard and a long lunch with an accompanied flagship series tasting.

The winery also has a ‘vineyard experiences team’ for enquiries.

Cost: $600 per person

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June 2017 – Issue 641

Dan Swincer, St Hugo winemaker, at the blending bench where one of the winery experiences is offered.

The Vineyard – McLaren Vale, SA The Vineyard, a grape plot in McLaren Vale is utilising their space and views by offering boutique accommodation. The grapes grown on the estate are also made in to wine on a small scale which is not available for retail. Guests will have the chance to taste this during their stay in one of the four luxury guest houses. Options for a private chef and helicopter tours are also available.

Cost: $375-675 per night (two-night minimum) Leeuwin Estate – Margret River, WA Partnering with Corsair, Leeuwin Estate offers a chartered return flight for lunch at their vineyard. The daytrip includes door to door transfers and a chartered helicopter or fixed wing plane flight to and from Leeuwin Estate. At the winery, guests will receive a private tour of the estate and art gallery before enjoying a three-course meal.

Cost: $655/$1425 per person (plane/helicopter)

As part of the sainthood component, guests are invited to blend their own wine, which will be specially cellared and sent to a location of their choice intermittently over the next three years. At the end, a St Hugo wine ambassador will hand deliver your last parcel of wine and host a party for you and six friends.

Cost: $150,000 per person

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Moorilla Estate – Tasmania Stepping things up a notch, Moorilla Estate offer guests a partnership with the Museum of Old and New Art. Included is unlimited entry to the museum, an overnight stay in a luxury MONA Pavilion (accommodation owned by the museum), a three course lunch with paired wine, a private tour and tasting at the Moorilla winery, wine to take home and breakfast the next morning at the MONA restaurant.

Transfers to the airport are also included, with pickup in a helicopter and drop off in a luxury car. The offer is appealing to guests wishing to stopover at The Pavilion, since it’s only $50 more than the standard cost of a night’s stay.

Cost: $1150 per person St Hugo – Barossa Valley, SA The Sainthood Experience. By far the most financially luxurious experience on offer, St Hugo welcome guests to a range of exclusive activities. These are, two nights in five star accommodation with all meals included and matched to St Hugo wines, private luxury transfers, a private tour and tasting, a food philosophy session with the Head Chef and a charter flight to and from Coonawarra. While in Coonawarra guests will choose a row of vines to be named after them.

June 2017 – Issue 641

tel +61 8 8232 3577 info@gldesign.com.au www.gldesign.com.au

ready to print — just add your wine

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sales & marketing Laurance Wines property acquired by Robert Oatley Vineyards MARGARET RIVER WINES have been a part of the Robert Oatley Vineyards range since it first began in 2006, but the Oatley family have recently extended the presence in the WA region with the purchase of the Laurance Wines property.

Located in the heart of the Wilyabrup district in northern Margaret River, the site comprises a large established vineyard, tasting rooms, restaurant space into wedding and event facilities, overlooking scenic rose gardens and lakes.

It will become the Robert Oatley Margaret River cellar door – joining the Mudgee cellar door as the second home of the Oatley wine business.

Robert Oatley have produced Western Australian wines under the Wild Oats and Robert Oatley labels since 2006 when Larry Cherubino, now winemaking director, helped source the first release wines to sit alongside the family’s own Mudgee Vineyard grapes.

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The late Bob Oatley was the first to acknowledge the opportunity that Western Australia would present to their new wine business.

“We have always sourced grapes from a network of growers, all around the country, but never before from WA,” said Andrew (Sandy) Oatley, chair of Robert

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Oatley Vineyards.

“It was Larry Cherubino and our own Chris Hancock who proposed the WA wines to my father back in 2006 – and he took very little convincing. He’d seen the ever-increasing appearance of their wines on wine lists in particular and was well aware of the state’s very high quality and consistency.

“This new cellar door and restaurant facility will provide a terrific local face for our wines more than half of which now come from vineyards across Margaret River and the Great Southern.”

The property, formerly Laurance Wines, comes with fully-established outstanding vineyards, a stunning building, gardens and lakes.

“We were pleased to find that beautiful ironbark timbers sourced from the old Woolloomooloo Wharf in Sydney feature throughout the building – a nice link back to our personal home in New South Wales,” Sandy Oatley said.

June 2017 – Issue 641

Distribution contract compensation clauses There are a number of issues which need to be carefully negotiated before a winery signs a distribution contract, Mark Hamilton highlights some to pay particular attention to.

THE NECESSITY to get the appointment of overseas distributors right was previously highlighted by some US and UK distributors seeking the inclusion of substantial compensation clauses in distribution agreements with Australian wineries.

These requests were common by US distributors in the pre-Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and UK environment. The GFC in itself saw many distribution agreements terminated through lack of sales.

Distribution and sales by Australian wineries are now potentially re-building, so that negotiation of new US contracts will re-emerge as a challenge.

Substantial anecdotal evidence established that some smaller Australian wine companies agreed to these provisions in the pre-GFC period which can be quite uncommercial and onerous.

They may also be potentially void as a ‘penalty clause’ depending upon which country’s law applies.

These clauses typically seek a substantial payment of compensation upon termination of the relationship by reference to the final year’s sales, in, often, overseas currency irrespective of how long the relationship has run and how much notice of termination or nonrenewal was given.

The compensation is payable in addition to the requirements to give substantial period of notice of termination or non-renewal.

For example, the parties might enter into an agreement along the following lines: Five year term with automatic five year roll-overs (that is, an evergreen contract) unless one party gives one year’s notice of non-renewal prior to the expiry of the current five year term. There are numerous variations of this scenario.

For example a 10% payment may be provided as payable by the winery to the distributor, for example, in US dollars or UK pounds based upon the last 12 months sales if the distribution contract is not renewed.

The terms sought by some distributors vary, however, we are talking here of significant and potentially crippling sums of money, coupled with enormous currency risk.

This may not seem particularly June 2017 – Issue 641

Wine Lawyer Mark Hamilton

Grope Hamilton Lawyers

significant to an Australian winery seeking to establish a new market in the US or UK, however, it may take on significant proportions over time.

There is little or no justification for these compensation clauses. The objective of a long term distribution agreement is twofold: To give security to both parties; and to give the distributor a reasonable period in which to obtain a commercial return for the money and time which they have expended in establishing or developing the brand in the marketplace.

This is typically considered to be five years.

The requirement under a distribution agreement to give reasonable notice of termination is based on legal principle.

Hence, a requirement for a year’s notice of termination before the expiry of the five year term is reasonable as it gives the distributor the opportunity to obtain a replacement agency.

There are other considerations.

Winemakers and distributors may be a good ‘fit’ at the commencement of the relationship, but that may well change across five years. For example, the brand has built to the point where it requires a larger distribution network to continue growing and meet the winemakers’ long term aspirations.

There is also the risk of the www.winetitles.com.au

distribution performing to an extent but below expectations. At the minimum, the contract would need to provide for the right of termination by the winemaker without a payment of compensation under certain agreed sales.

Numerous issues arise and need to be carefully negotiated under any distribution contract, including in circumstances where a winemaker was considering agreeing to a compensation clause.

There are numerous distributors in all overseas export markets, many of whom do not require compensation clauses, including substantial well established distribution houses. It would therefore need to be something particularly special about a distributor and its access to the marketplace which would justify taking on a liability of this type.

About the author: Mark Hamilton of Grope Hamilton Lawyers provides specialist national legal services to the Australian wine industry. He has a lifetime of wine sector experience through his involvement with Hamilton’s Ewell Vineyards. He can be contacted on (08) 8231 00898 or 0412 842 359 or by email at mhamilton@ gropehamiltonlawyers.com.au.

See www.gropehamiltonlawyers.com.au.

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sales & marketing

Old marketing v New marketing Has your winery kept up with the changes?

Lynda Schenk, the founder of Adelaide-based marketing company Purple Giraffe, offers her insights into the differences between old and new marketing.

ACROSS THE PAST 10 years there has been a rapid change in the way businesses engage with their consumers.

Old marketing techniques are being phased out and replaced with a new approach of answering the customer’s questions. If consumers are convinced by the response, the reward is grabbing their attention.

When I started out in the wine industry more than 20 years ago, winemakers regarded a bit like artists,

82 Grapegrower & Winemaker

they were revered for their talents, made the wines they liked and you would be struck with their tyrant behaviour if you ever questions their judgement (not all winemakers were like this, of course, but it was a different time).

Today, there is a great deal more to the winemaking story and the consumer is arguably king.

The success of a wine business depends on the marketing strategies adopted. It is true that most wine business owners are www.winetitles.com.au

now embracing new marketing tactics to gain competitive edge in the wine industry but it cannot be denied that old marketing practices and strategies are still valued and must not be thrown out completely (yet).

OLD MARKETING The old marketing techniques were employed to gain awareness and attract a large audience by pitching a product’s features and benefits at the top of the June 2017 – Issue 641

AT A GLANCE WINE BRANDS AND WINEMAKER BRANDS The personal brand of a winemaker can be critical to a wine business brand, particularly for smaller winemaking businesses. The smaller the business, the more likely it is for the winemaker to be communicating directly with consumers and distributor partners.

Schenk has identified three benefits of a winemaker’s effective personal branding:

1. Popularity An appealing personal brand can be a big advantage in a competitive marketplace. What makes your winemaker unique or different? This is not only a challenge to work out, but also to communicate the personal brand in an authentic and genuine manner. But personal branding can promote your popularity.

2. Reputation Making a good impression helps to enhance the reputation. Consumers will make assumptions about a personal brand in the first few seconds. Consistency is important. A winemaker’s personal brand, along with the winemaking skills, is a foundation for a good reputation.

3. Experience and expertise A personal brand can demonstrate winemaking experience and expertise. It can also reflect personal beliefs and core values. It does take a bit of courage to ‘be yourself’, but there are rewards for authenticity.

funnel and the hope that engagement would take place at all stages of the buying process.

In the wine industry, old marketing included messages being delivered one way – to the consumer with limited opportunity for a response. Creativity was actually the secret spice that commanded customers’ attention. Some of the common concepts of old marketing paradigm were: • Advertising as the core tool; • Businesses focused more on creativity and award-winning campaigns; • Advertising messages were usually created to appeal into the masses; • PR and advertising were completely different specialities and run by different individuals; and • Advertising tended to engage campaigns for a definite period of time.

The old marketing for the wine industry focused on profitable transactions rather than clients’ lifetime value. Wine businesses were more focused on individual transactions with an aim of making money out of each and every transaction.

The old marketing focused more on advertising instead of performance.

Brands were built by clients’ experiences and word of mouth. Old marketing did not pay as much attention to customer retention, instead concentrating more on customer acquisition.

NEW MARKETING New marketing is focused on engaging with consumers. The goal is to create awareness of a product, increase sales, foster loyalty or seek two-way June 2017 – Issue 641

communication. The aim is for ongoing dialogue with the consumer and, in doing so, to maintain the level of engagement and focus on building the relationship.

The sales pitch is saved until later in the relationship – until the consumer is at the bottom of the funnel.

Where old marketing was mainly handled by the marketing department; it is completely different when it comes to new marketing. New marketing allows anyone to take advantage of this with minimal investment. New marketing has become more affordable and accessible to all business sizes.

Since digital channels have become a major player in consumer relationships, anyone can now learn ways on how to create compelling dialogue with their target market. Establishing solid online presence and getting found easily online is both an art and science.

The common concepts of new marketing are as follows: • People look for authenticity; • People no longer wanted to be interrupted so make sure to rid yourself of SPAM; • People do not want to be told (push marketing) but rather, they wanted to discover or be heard; and • Content is considered the king.

Examples of the tactics: Old marketing: You need this New marketing: Your friends find this useful, why don’t you try it?

Old: Bombarding of advertising New: Welcomed inclusion Old: You need this, you must buy this New: Buy it only if you like it www.winetitles.com.au

The aim is for ongoing dialogue with the consumer and, in doing so, to maintain the level of engagement and focus on building the relationship.

Old: You must buy from me, don’t you know who I am?

New: We start with trust first, the sales comes from the trust Old: Push the product New: Let’s create great content Old: But wait there’s more New: Once we have earned your trust, you will want more Content is king and valuable contents is your vehicle to capture the interest and attention of audience. This can now be found on blogs, videos, podcasts, article directories, websites and of course social media platforms.

To ensure the success of a wine business, the decision makers need to choose the type of marketing that will work best for the brand. But with consumers now active across digital platforms, it would be best to adopt the most-advanced marketing tactics as possible.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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people & places

Heroines Soul to Glass tasting event AS A PART OF Tasting Australia, Gill Gordon-Smith hosted a female-centric tasting event through her venue, Fall From Grace in Aldinga, South Australia.

A selection of female winemakers were invited to pour their wines to guests at a tasting event on a Friday evening.

Vanessa Altmann, from Switch Organic Wine, with Tabatha Knight, Carly Hamilton and Kristin McLarty.

Caleigh Hunt, from Year Wines.

Natasha Mooney, from La Bise.

Akira Takahashi, from Vinteloper Wines, with Leila Dafner.

Justin Lane, from Big Easy Radio, with Sophie Button.

84 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

June 2017 – Issue 641

calendar

looking back

Australia & New Zealand June 1-30 Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival, Pokolbin, NSW, www.winecountry.com.au/ events/wine-and-food-festival

11 The New Zealand Boutique Wine Festival, Imperial Lane, Auckland, NZ, www. boutiquewine.co.nz

10-11 Pizzini Wines Sangiovese è Salsicce, Pizzini Wines, King Valley, VIC, www.pizzini. com.au

14-16 Cairns Show Wine Awards, De Jarlais Pavilion, Cairns Showgrounds, Cairns, QLD, www.cairnswineawards.com.au

10-11 The Rutherglen Winery Walkabout, Rutherglen, VIC, www.winemakers.com.au

14-17 New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays, Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, NZ, www.fieldays.co.nz

10-12 14th Shoalhaven Coast Winter Wine Festival, Shoalhaven Coast Region, NSW, www.shoalhavencoastwine.com.au 10-12 McLaren Vale Sea & Vines Festival, McLaren Vale, SA, www.seaandvines.com. au 10-12 Mornington Peninsula Winter Wine Weekend, Red Hill Recreation Reserve & selected wineries, Mornington Peninsula, VIC, www.mpva.com.au

16-25 Daylesford Macedon Produce Harvest Week Festival, Daylesford & surrounds, VIC, www.dmproduce.com.au 17 Winter Reds Long Table Lunch, Millbrook Winery, Jarrahdale, WA, www. millbrookwinery.com.au 20 National Sparkling Red Day Australia, NSW, www.facebook.com/ sparklingredwineday

10-12 Trails, Tastings & Tales - Glenrowan Food & Wine Festival, Participating wineries of Glenrowan Region, VIC, www. visitglenrowan.com.au

22 June-29 August Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2017, Various locations, NZ, www.nzwine.com/youngviticulturist-of-the-year

11 2017 Melbourne International Wine Competition, RACV CLUB, Melbourne, VIC, www. melbourneinternationalwinecompetition.com

23-25 The Good Food & Wine Show – Sydney, International Convention Centre, Sydney, NSW, www.goodfoodshow.com.au

International June 9-11 10th International Wine and Spirits Fair - Winexpo Georgia, Georgia, www. expogeorgia.ge

26-29 68th American Society for Enology & Viticulture Annual Conference, Bellevue, Washington, USA, www.asev.org

13 13th Annual Wine Industry Technology Symposium, The Lodge, Sonoma, USA, www.winebusinesswits.com

28-29 Muscats du Monde 2017, France, www.muscats-du-monde.com

14 Superior Taste Awards 2017, Brussels, Belgium, www.itqi.com 16-18 Guangzhou International Wine & Spirits Exhibition, Guangzhou, China, www. chinaexhibition.com 18-21 Vinexpo Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, www.vinexpo.com 22-23 ENOVITIS in Campo, Cavaion Veronese, Padua, Italy, www. enovitisincampo.it

28 June-2 July 11th American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) Annual Conference, Italy, www.wineeconomics.org 29 June-1 July Wine & Gourmet Taipei 2017, Taipei, Taiwan, www. winegourmettaipei.com 30 June-2 July San Francisco International Wine Competition, Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, California, USA, www. sfwinecomp.com

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.

May 1987

Canberra District wines gain recognition Two wines from the Canberra District have gained recognition in the search by the International wine and Food Society for the top Australian small-growers wines. Doonkuna’s 1986 Pinot Noir won a place in the top 100 wines and Lark Hill’s 1986 Auslese Rhine Riesling was awarded four stars by the selection panel.

Skilful winemaking is now realising the potential of the Canberra District as a source of premium cool climate wines.

May 1997

Resveratrol: Anti-cancer and cardio protective A study by Dr Geoffrey Skurray from the Centre for Advanced Food Research at the University of Western Sydney collects information on the rates of resveratrol in Australian wines. It’s been shown that resveratrol is found in lower amounts in warm climate wines. The highest levels were found in red wines from Mudgee, Coonawarra and Nuriootpa. The lowest, in a cask of Shiraz. Research by Professor John Pezzuto at the University of Illinois showed resveratrol prevents human body cells from turning cancerous and inhibits the spread of cells that were already malignant.

May 2007

Vintage over in a flash McLaren Vale has experienced one of its earliest and quickest vintages. It has been likened to the 1983 drought vintage where crops were extremely low. Grapegrower John Minchella, finished his harvest in record time. “Sometimes we begin picking in February but usually don’t finish until April,” he said. “This season we finished before the end of February.”

Although yields were nearly halved, winemakers were pleased to be on holidays at Easter.

JD = judging date CD= closing date June 2017 – Issue 641

www.winetitles.com.au

Grapegrower & Winemaker

85

Marketplace

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Marketplace

Ring Ashley or Angelo for demonstrations or any participating New Holland dealer.

Model – G170

G65 (tow behind) Serial No. 2009

Build year – 1999

Manual head

Build Year – 2000

Engine hours – 2445 Head hours – 802

Ashley Barratt – 0419 833 606 Angelo Dicesare - 0408 856 418 Summertown Ph (08) 8139 7200 Adelaide Ph (08) 8139 7250 Narracoorte – (08) 8762 0123

www.braud.com.au 86 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Model – G108 Build Year – 2001

G65 (tow behind) Head hrs – 1836

www.winetitles.com.au

Machine hrs – 3987

Serial No. 0105

Build year – 2000

Hydraulic head

June 2017 – Issue 641

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