Grapegrower & Winemaker - August 2015

AUGUST 2015

Post frost

management strategies

A Barossa case study

The history of

the wine press Part 1: Batch Presses

Michael Glover

Cut from a different mould

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contents features AUGUST 2015

51 58 62 44 77

Training & Trellising Pest & Disease Fertilisers & Nutrition Tractors & Vineyard Machinery WEA 2015 National Conference & Exhibition Export & Insurance

98

COVER Early this year, New Zealand born winemaker Michael Glover completed a 10-year stint at Bannockburn in Victoria and returned to his roots in Nelson. The full story starts on Page 74. Photo courtesy of David Hannah.

Post frost

management strategies

A Barossa case study

The history of

the wine press Part 1: Batch Presses

Michael Glover

Cut from a different mould

news

grapegrowing

On the grapevine .....................................6

26

From the editor .........................................7

Post frost management strategies ..............26 In this case study Amanda Mader, from Gumpara Vineyards, looksclosely at post frost management strategies undertaken in Barossa Valley vineyards.

Just a normal family

Movers & shakers .....................................8 My View: Simon Berry ............................10 Is this the best strategy for Australian Wine Sector?

Big changes to Entwine ..........................30

Regional Round up: South Island, NZ .......12

The Australian wine industry’s national environmental assurance program is under new management.

Nigel Blieschke’s Future Leaders Diary .....16 WineTech: Whole value chain trade show 17 19

A new scientific tool for Australian vineyards ...............................32 A field-based rover has been developed that utilises light radar (LiDAR) to rapidly collect biological information to assist trait evaluation and assessment of management techniques.

2015 Vintage Report: Some hints of opportunity .......................36 The total crush for the 2015 vintage was below recent averages and while the size was on par with 2014, there were better average prices this year. However, overall profitability took a slight hit.

People & Places: WineTech ......................19

regulars 6 What’s online 21 R@D@Work JUNE

2 014

People in research: Dr Justin Cohen

40 Young Gun “Then instead of returning to the US, to work in corporate management for a hotel group as planned, I accepted a scholarship to undertake a PhD in wine marketing.

“It’s where I first connected with Professor Larry Lockshin (Pro Vice Chancellor for Strategic Coordination andA Head of Marketing at University of South Australia) and his research group.”

After completing his PhD, Dr Cohen moved to Europe to work in the Master Vintage program, which is an EU-funded Master of Science program (MSC) for oenology, viticulture and wine business.

Responsible for the wine marketing component and research supervision, Dr Cohen said that after two exciting years of delivering education and conducting research across numerous European markets he was ready for the next challenge - at the Australian Centre for Retail Studies, a specialised retailing centre at Monash University.

Cohen said he happily made the jump.

Dr Cohen continues to work closely with Larry and Armando, particularly on the current China projects.

“We’re a great team. My focus is particularly managerial, it’s my job to solve problems and come up with ways to overcome hurdles that crop up with such projects.

“Working in emerging markets like China now is really exciting, because we are getting past people just espousing their thoughts and feelings. Our EBI team is actually doing the research in country. We can make arguments and claims about market dynamics founded in data and not just conjecture.”

4 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Dr Justin Cohen, Research Fellow, Ehrenberg Bass Institute for Marketing Science

Beginning with a childhood spent at Cape Cod in the United States to a career that spans Europe, Australia and now Asia, for Research Fellow Dr Justin Cohen it’s been a journey inspired by great food and wine

“I focussed my energy on commercial

“Working in emerging markets like China now is really exciting.”

72 Ask the AWRI 100 Looking back 101 Producer in the spotlight 102 Marketplace classifieds www.winetitles.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

August 2015: Issue 619 grapegrowing Yield estimation software ........................38 The value of an accurate yield prediction can’t be understated. It has implications all along the supply chain – everything from transport and processing of the grapes, to wine sales, to packing, to shipping can be streamlined and improved.

Young Gun: Bleasdale’s energiser bunny......................................40

Weighty returns for growers from award winning ‘Vinnovation’ ..................42 Truly sustainable viticulture must start at the roots ............................. 51 Protecting winegrapes from mildew .........58

Sam Bowman is a part-time muso, part-time martial arts fighter and full-time viticulturist. He’s the sort of character who can’t sit still.

A better understanding of how plants resist attack by fungal and oomycete pathogens, and the successful introduction of durable and effective resistance genes into grapevines, will lead to a reduction in the chemical input.

winemaking

sales & marketing

The history of wine presses: Part 1 ..........64 64

Simon Nordestgaard, a senior engineer at The Australian Wine Research Institue, describes the types of batch processing mode pressing equipment that have been used in the wine industry since the late 19th century.

Michael Glover: Wine philosopher back on home soil .................................. 74 A free spirit, rebellious, eccentric. Michael Glover has been described in many ways. Perhaps the most fitting would be passionate. Early this year, the New Zealand born winemaker completed a 10-year stint at Bannockburn in Victoria and returned to his roots in Nelson.

50,000 cases sold per month – and growing ..........................................86

PUBLISHER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Hartley Higgins

PRODUCTION Simon Miles

MANAGING EDITOR Elizabeth Bouzoudis

CIRCULATION: Melissa Smithen 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 and Mary Retallack EDITORIAL Emilie Reynolds journalist@winetitles.com.au ADVERTISING SALES Maria Stephenson sales@grapeandwine.com.au August 2015 – Issue 619

Use of social media in the Australian and New Zealand wine industries ..........................95 Wineries are keen to adopt social media, but they struggle to identify the return on investment and there appears to be a distinct level of strategy regarding adoption. Three university researchers have surveyed wineries about social media use and the perceived benefits.

business & technology Benefits of credit insurance for export receivables .............................98 From hawthorns to dragon fruits: ........................................99 A Chinese taste of Australian wines

WINETITLES PTY. LTD. 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9500 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 info@winetitles.com.au www.winetitles.com.au @Grape_and_Wine Printing by Lane Print Group, Adelaide © Contents copyright Winetitles Media 2014.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

5

on the grapevine what’s ONLINE Grape prices make it hard for growers to retire LOW WINE GRAPE prices continue to plague growers and a free financial counselling service is urging people in trouble to reach out. Rita Perre, Rural Business Support Financial Counsellor, said some grape growers have never recovered from the ‘millennium drought’ and the price of grapes prevents them from servicing debts. She said some growers do not have the cash flow to continue production and cannot sell their properties at a sustainable price, but there is help available, reports the ABC.

‘Iron Chef’ a new ally in export push QUEENSLAND wineries have gained a valuable ally in the battle for supremacy within the Asian wine market. Hiroyuki Sakai, made famous through his role as ‘Iron Chef French’ in the popular Japanese television show ‘Iron Chef’, has supported Australian wine by assisting with the launch of Tokyo-based Winetree’s premium Queensland wines, reports The Chronicle.

Feral settles trademark stoush with d’Arenberg WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S Feral Brewing will tweak the branding of its Sly Fox beer under the settlement of a longrunning trademark dispute with winemaker d’Arenberg. The winery claimed the Feral Brewing Sly Fox Summer Ale infringed its trademark for The Feral Fox Pinot Noir, which the McLaren Vale winemaker registered in 2002. A settlement agreed in recent weeks enables Feral to keep the name, but it has to make certain changes in how the branding is displayed, reports BrewsNews.

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

WGGA teams up with Woolies, ProScare and Grope Hamilton Lawyers WINE GRAPE GROWERS AUSTRALIA (WGGA) announced Woolworths Liquor Group, ProScare and Grope Hamilton Lawyers as three new sponsors for 2015/16.

Assisting WGGA with legal expertise, insights into wine consumption trends and vineyard management solutions, the new sponsors were “all are committed to seeing a better future for Australian grapegrowers”, according to a statement released by WGGA yesterday.

Mark Hamilton, Grope Hamilton managing partner, said Grope Hamilton Lawyers was very pleased to sponsor WGGA. “We share common values and a common goal to achieve high standards of service delivery and success for grape growers in these difficult times,” he said.

Shane Tremble, head of corporate development at Woolworths Liquor Group, said the new arrangement with WGGA was a positive step forward.

“It provides us with insights into supply challenges and opportunities as well as allowing us to share our understanding of customers and their shopping needs,” Tremble said. “We can then assist growers to plan and prepare to best meet market trends.”

Lawrie Stanford, WGGA executive director said understanding consumer

demand for wine was vital to a grower’s investment decisions that best match their grapes with market requirements.

“This is where direct communication channels between WGGA and the Woolworths Liquor Group will benefit growers,” he said.

With cost-saving remaining a top priority for growers, WGGA said ProScare could assist in eliminating bird damage and reduce losses.

“ProScare’s technology not only reduces the costs of bird and other pest damage but also minimises the impact on the birds’ welfare,” Stanford said.

Vic Patrick, WGGA chair, said he was delighted about the new sponsorship arrangements.

“They are timely as WGGA is currently launching its 2015-16 membership drive,” he said.

“The three new sponsors bringing their support, expertise and contacts to the organisation give growers three more good reasons to get on board and help WGGA achieve bigger and better things on their behalf in 2016.”

Suntrix, a South Australian company offering solar energy solutions, will continue a prior sponsorship arrangement that will expire during the year, leaving a vacancy for any interested businesses, according to WGGA.

Vale Guenter Prass THE AUSTRALIAN wine industry has been mourning Guenter Prass, who died in July aged 88 years.

The son of a winemaker and grandson of grapegrowers, Prass’ esteemed career began in Germany where he studied viticulture and winemaking.

One of the first flying winemakers, he went on to work in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Australia.

Prass held different positions at Orlando Wines between 1955 and 1988, including table winemaker during the launch of Barossa Pearl in 1956 – the wine credited with shifting consumption from fortified to table wine.

He helped give Australia a new edge in commercial winemaking, building our expertise in controlled fermentation and better handling.

Prass worked as trading director of Thomas Hardy & Sons, general manager at Barossa Valley Estate winery and later as a consultant to The Hardy Wine Company. www.winetitles.com.au

He was an inaugural trustee of the Wolf Blass Foundation and a life member of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia.

Prass was awarded an Order of Australia in 1990, the inaugural Wolf Blass Award for his contribution to the development of Riesling in Australia in 2003 and the Maurice O’Shea Award in 2004.

Paul Evans, Winemaker’s Federation of Australia chief executive and Wolf Blass Foundation trustee, said Prass’ death would be a heavy loss felt across the industry.

“I had the pleasure to get to know Guenter over the last two to three years and he was a passionate advocate for the industry and he lived a life dedicated to the pursuit of rigorous standards and excellence,” Evans said.

“He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and had the opportunity to learn from his intellect and wisdom.”

August 2015 – Issue 619

from the editor

Nathan Gogoll Editor

Slightly dysfunctional Pretty normal sort of family I USED TO THINK the wine industry had a bit of a split personality; more recently I started to wonder if it might be a case of full-blown bipolar disorder – a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde sort of thing; but thanks to a few events I attended in July I’m now thinking it’s probably just a pretty normal sort of family.

I’ll run you through why I started thinking about bipolar… On one hand the Aussie wine industry has icon wines which sell themselves and there are growers who getting paid well enough to allow them to redevelop part of their vineyard, buy an expensive new tractor, and still take their family on a nice holiday. On the other hand there is bulk wine being sold at a price per litre on par with what I pay for petrol and grapegrowers who have to cop the prices to make this possible.

Just take a look at the recently-released profitability figures and the differences in the top and bottom prices for fruit delivered during this year. At the top of this list is Shiraz at $2137 per tonne from the Barossa. Near the bottom of this list is Colombard at $198. from an inland, irrigated region.

I don’t know how grapegrowers are surviving if they are delivering fruit to a winery that pays them less than $200 per tonne. I can only assume they have another income, or a mixed farm with another more profitable crop in production as well. As Paul Evans said: “We must never forget that behind each of these statistics there are small businesses and families”.

On this evidence alone, you could probably diagnose the industry as having bipolar. But there are so many more layers to it. There are also big differences in attitudes. There are people who share cautiously optimistic views, or talk about the competitive advantages the industry could be leveraging from better. Then there are those who are facing financial disaster and personal stress.

August 2015 – Issue 619

I’ve heard Simon Berry say this a couple times recently: “The past few years have been like the worst possible kind of divorce - you’ve lost half your wealth but you’re still stuck with your partner, your vineyard.”

Senator Anne Ruston got me thinking more about the family idea when she pointed out the difference between the wine industry and other agriculture sectors. “The key difference is the vertical integration of the whole value chain... It’s a strength and a weakness.”

In other words, whether we like it or not, we’re all in this together. But the one thing that we’re not all doing is branding.

Wineries know how important it is (well if they don’t, they’re not going to survive much longer) and Brett McKinnon from Pernod Ricard mentioned something that surprised me: “We’re investing heavily in our brand. What’s changed most in the past decade has been out marketing spend,” said McKinnon.

But do growers know they need to brand themselves? Jacob’s Creek has just started putting grapegrowers into their advertising campaigns, there are smaller wineries doing the same thing.

I recently attended the ASVO Mildura conference and Ashley Ratcliff said there’s been a failure to ‘brand’ grapegrowers... Or was that a failure of grapegrowers to ‘brand’ themselves...

“Large companies are now leveraging the romance of growers and farmers to create a unique proposition for the wine,” said Ratcliff. And he had a great explanation of what a brand is... essentially a promise.

“We’ve got wine brands, why not farm brands?”

He explained that when you compete to be the ‘best’ there are winners and losers. On top of this the only definition, ultimately, is price. “The end game in branding isn’t beating a competitor, it’s about establishing loyal customers,” said Ratcliff.

www.winetitles.com.au

“Farmers have winemakers as customers who can be fantastic brand ambassadors for them.”

Phillip Shaw put it really simply.

“Understand what the winery wants from your vineyards and help to achieve what they’re trying to succeed in.”

Shaw also had a call for more combined efforts on branding. “If there’s anything we can take away from the situation we’re in at the moment, let’s support anything we can do for ‘brand Australia’ and increase demand for our premium wine around the world.”

It might be worth noting here what the statutory body (Wine Australia) is working toward with its strategic plan.

Andreas Clark recently said the KPIs are to see the prices per litre of wine match what our key international competitors are currently achieving; and to get the costs of grape production to reach parity with international competitors.

“The key for the industry will be to continue to differentiate, innovate and meet the challenges of different markets,” said Clark.

The Australian wine industry family won’t always be easy to draw together and it won’t always see eye-to-eye on every topic. But then rewards of working on family unity, in my experience, are some of the best experiences of your life.

Enjoy the read.

One more thing...

Congratulations to Paul Baggio of Della Toffolla Pacific who was the winner of the Grapegrower & Winemaker advertisers’ Win a Trip to Simei competition.

We hope you really enjoy the trip and look forward to hearing all about it.

Details of our subscribers’ Win a Trip to Simei competition will be announced in the September edition.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

7

movers & shakers Kate Sturgess joins Brokenwood HUNTER VALLEY based Brokenwood Wines announced the appointment of Kate Sturgess to the position of assistant winemaker in July.

Sturgess, who completed her Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at University of Adelaide in 2011, will move to NSW from South Australia’s Limestone Coast, where she has worked for Balnaves of Coonawarra.

Sturgess has accumulated experience at a number of Australian wineries including Wirra Wirra, De Iuliis Wines and Mount Langi Ghiran as well as a stint at Culmina Estate, Okanagan Valley, Canada in 2012.

Iain Riggs, Brokenwood’s chief winemaker and managing director said

Kate Sturgess, Brokenwood’s newest member of the winemaking team.

there were a number of new developments at the winery.

“With the appointment of Stuart

Hordern as senior winemaker, we were looking for an enthusiastic, qualified winemaker to assist in all aspects of the Brokenwood winemaking operation,” Riggs said. “Kate has shown a passion for the wine industry including cellar work, laboratory, public relations and wine show judging.

“I have no doubt Kate will be a great asset to Brokenwood as we head to our 44th vintage in 2016 and beyond.”

Sturgess said she was looking forward to the rewards and challenges Brokenwood presented.

“Especially in the diverse regional sourcing of grapes as well as the unique wine styles that are the Hunter Valley,” she said.

Caleb Dennis wins Hawkes Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year

Caleb Dennis from Craggy Range, winner of Hawke’s Bay young viticulturist of the year will now compete in a national competition held later in the year.

CALEB DENNIS from Craggy Range has been named the Bayer Hawkes Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year 2015 and now goes through to the National Final.

This annual competition is now in its 10th year and has become an important fixture in the viticultural calendar, giving young people the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge as well as make a name for themselves within the industry.

After an action packed day, Dennis beat seven other contestants to take the Hawkes Bay title. Anton Luiton from Constellation was the runner-up and Will Krippner from Indevin Partners finished third.

Contestants completed a wide range of activities including questions on budgeting, pruning, plant diseases, machinery, irrigation and grafting, as well as having an interview, a quick fire question round and delivering an after -dinner speech.

The annual Biostart Hortisports race also took place which included apple bobbing, hula hooping as well as tougher challenges like reversing a quad bike and trailer, setting up an irrigation system and sawing a barrel in half.

The National Final to find the Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2015 will be held in conjunction with Bragato over 25-27 August and this year will be in Hawkes Bay. As well as gaining the title, the national winner will be awarded a $5000 travel voucher from NZSVO; a oneyear full lease of a Hyundai Santa Fe; $2000 cash; wine glasses; and leadership training. They will also secure a place in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition representing the viticultural industry.

Wine Australia appoints US Market Entry Program Manager WINE AUSTRALIA has announced Ben von Doussa has commenced in a newly created role of market entry program manager in the North American market. Stuart Barclay, general manager – market development, said that von Doussa’s role demonstrated Wine Australia’s long-term commitment to the critical North American market.

“The US is one of the largest wine markets in the world and yet, despite

its potential, Australian wine exports to the US have declined for more than six years,” Barclay said. “There’s incredible opportunity for growth in the US market and, as we’ve outlined in our recently released five-year Strategic Plan, we want to shift perceptions about Australian wine globally and put a bigger spotlight on our finest wines and the unique terroirs they come from.”

In the role, von Doussa will facilitate

the three-tiered user-pays Market Entry Program, providing assistance to wineries and exporters that are looking to enter or re-enter the US market.

“Ben, with more than 15 years sales and marketing experience in the wine sector, will focus his energy and enthusiasm on delivering commercial outcomes by giving Australian wineries and exporter’s guidance in navigating the complexities of the US,” Barclay said.

Two brands, three blokes, one wine company TWO RENOWNED Marlborough wine brands have joined forces, with the backing of former employees.

Highfield and TerraVin Wines will now be known as Highfield TerraVin Ltd. Winemakers Alistair Soper and Gordon Ritchie have joined with general manager

8 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Pete Coldwell to run the new company, with all three men having some strong goals in mind.

With the two brands joining forces, the winemakers will continue to concentrate on their own specialities. Ritchie will continue to make the wines under the www.winetitles.com.au

TerraVin label, while Soper who has been the winemaker for Highfield since 1999, will be responsible for that brand’s wines.

Both the TerraVin and Highfield wines will be sold at the Highfield Cellar Door, and plans are underway to re-open the restaurant in time for summer 2015/16.

August 2015 – Issue 619

/Yaleasiapacific

@Yale_AP

my view Is this the best strategy for Australian Wine Sector?

Simon Berry has a vineyard at Kuitpo and is the principal of berry2wine – a vineyard consultant service. He has been a grapegrower for 20 years and is currently the chair of the Wine Grape Council of South Australia.

As some of the key ‘reforms’ were not implemented in the May Federal Budget, Berry asks if the time is right to review what the sector’s strategic plans were, and whether they are still should be.

IN MY OPINION, the WET Rebate system serves its intent by facilitating sales activity in the Australian wine sector. Its original intent was largely about regional support, and has been changed and evolved since introduction.

The WET Rebate discussion carries a high risk and or uncertainty if lost, or changed to another wine tax. It is desirable to undertake any reform of the WET Rebate on the basis of evidence about its impacts in the sector. This evidence is lacking.

All rebates and government support distort the market. In the case of the WET rebate, each person runs a unique business with its own aspirations and the WET rebate system affects them differently. The Winemaker’s Federation of Australia (WFA) led discussion has been public, been well heard, and its association members should be satisfied that it was managed with vigour, despite not achieving the changes sought in timeframe targeted.

But overall I find the WFA agenda, even in the context of an association view, flawed, protectionist, and arguments put forward lacking in evidence and long term strategic intent.

WFA proposal: Phase out the rebate on bulk and unbranded wine products.

What industry asks a government to tax it more and reduce business flexibility?

For businesses who receive the maximum rebate, it is irrelevant to the ATO whether this is made on several bulk wine transactions or a small amount (in wine volume) of bottled and branded product, which allows an individual or company to manage its risk profile, contents of its brand, and flexibility. To limit the option of how this is generated is seen as protectionist towards brands and against free market conditions. It could also see a proliferation of branded product rather than supporting an existing brand.

It may also be a barrier to new entrants, and or those who choose a business model with a mix or exclusion of growing grapes, bulk wine and finished or branded product.

10 Grapegrower & Winemaker

I also believe that any change to the tax system should not discriminate against growers who are currently eligible if they produce wine from their own grapes, nor impact on reducing demand and prices paid for wine grapes.

For growers making wine it has also helped them understand the costs and risks of value adding, and has helped those winery asset managers maintain cash flow through contract winemaking.

Not all winery owners want to manage a brand. In some instances it has spawned a real partnership approach and authenticity of origin to winemaking with growers learning about the next step and sharing a business opportunity with a winemaker.

I also take a view that new entrants should have the same opportunity and disagree with WFA et als view of who should and should not be eligible. We need a breakthrough, another [yellowtail], new interest, new ideas, new intellect, inspiration to assist with succession planning, and dual benefits of mentoring.

Some people say that some WET arrangements have distorted wine grape prices, and it should be stopped, as did the blending rules, and incremental reforms have been made. But moving the WET rebate off bulk wine creates that bit of uncertainty for everyone. This change may also see winemaking assets put at risk. The simple point is that the Rebate helped create a sale and assisted in creating regional wealth –broadly its intent. A person who chooses to have business making bulk wine should not be penalized for not owning a brand for that transaction.

I also argue that from an accounting view, having WET rebates attracted on bulk wine is of a purer benefit to the growers and winemakers rather than one that is combined with glass and dry goods as a packaged branded product.

Removing the WET rebate on bulk and unbranded wine shifts market power as brand owners control the WET rebate.

In this sense it is contrary to the intent, will see wealth taken out of regions and transferred to centralized urban systems.

This is not a positive reform. www.winetitles.com.au

I have not seen any compelling evidence or persuasive arguments to support these changes.

Convince us.

WFA proposal: Abolish the separate New Zealand WET rebate scheme to give Australian wineries a fair go.

While the WFA does not represent the whole wine sector, I believe that some of the regions and associations supported the WFA agenda as a pitch for $25m for marketing was compelling, and the alcohol content based tax alternative offered by PRWA and TWE, which has been simmering for months, might see them less competitive domestically.

Yet I am still completely staggered at the defeatist view of abandoning the losses we have sustained on the domestic white wine market, be it French Champagne, NZ Sauvignon Blanc or Italian Prosecco. It shows an opportunity lost by us. In terms of Sauvignon Blanc, largely Australia has been caught sleeping and not responded as they should have, even openly criticized the product whilst losing market share.

Focus on the lost sales not the WET rebate aspect. Australia is not ready with a product to capture this space if removing the special WET rebate arrangements sees NZ move to other markets. Whilst that is not stated as a strategic intent, if it curbs NZ sales, does the “saving” in WET rebate get lost and so less or no funds flow to marketing? If NZ sends less wine our way, what next, will it help Australia or will Chile or RSA turn up with product replacement. What will consumers think and say? We just don’t know and nor are we ready.

Beyond the perceived benefit of $25m over four years, there is poor long term strategic intent in the discussion and it is a denial of what the issue is: insufficient connection to consumers to provide a product with price and placement that has an impact.

And there is still the issue that any sovereign country can claim the WET rebate back through a process. It’s more complicated than just cutting the separate NZ scheme.

August 2015 – Issue 619

Why are we not facing the market signals, instead focusing on how unfair the WET system is? It is a denial of our faults. For the retailers, they have a product which brings people to the store, sells well and is reliable as a category.

Where is our Ozblonk?

Before we launch off with new campaigns and ideas we should have a good hard look at our weaknesses and vulnerability and address them, and balance with our strengths and build on those. It is my opinion that the growth of NZ Sauvignon Blanc is unrelated to the WET rebate, it is about consumer preferences. We should be focussing on analysis and action.

How vulnerable are we if an imported red wine achieves the same success?

Might we unwittingly open up exposure of our domestic sales to imported products at the revised price points if we move to an alcohol based tax?

WFA proposal: Introduce transitional rebate measures for merged wine businesses, phasing out at 25% per year over four years. To encourage industry consolidation and of particular benefit to small and medium wine businesses.

What do the 2000+ non-WFA members think of this. I sense we were better off with more diversity and regional strength, but we can’t live in the past.

Structure and ownership is important, but again ultimately the consumer will decide if we are successful or not.

Read this strategy again. Is it saying that the WET Rebate is important to the point that it is a barrier to businesses merging? Is this strategy a benefit or prize for bigger companies to takeover smaller

August 2015 – Issue 619

companies? Is it counter-productive to regional diversity; “Orwellian?” Is this a solution or what we want? Convince us. We have had around 20 years of mergers, acquisitions, floats, divestments, demergers and sale of brands. Australian wine industry ownership is very different to world models, and it does not appear to be working better.

WFA proposal: Use just some of the savings from the above changes to boost global marketing to re-engage global consumers and grow demand.

This year, Federal Treasury declined to make changes that WFA showed could yield some $25m in savings, and allocate funds to marketing. WFA worked hard at this with conviction.

The debate has become one of insufficient marketing funds, without any discussion I have seen about re-engaging consumers to our offerings, understanding where the growths isnew labels and innovation.

Yes to more money for marketing, but let’s resolve what is working and what is not. What is the issue with our lack of success? Why is the sale of export wine largely inelastic to the currency?

We need to ask what is wrong, if anything, with Brand Australia. Or are others getting stronger.

The best way to manage threats from all imports is to have a product and support to re-engage consumers. In part the local car industry got these issues wrong, produced too many high powered models when the current sales were in smaller engines. See any parallels? One of Mitsubishi’s last cars was a 3.8 l engine

www.winetitles.com.au

sedan - misaligned with market.

How vulnerable are we in the wine sector? Volkswagen has grown a market in small cars, and has added a successful utility to the brand. Hyundai, an innovative car company is looking to release a utility based on the Santa Fe. Mercedes have a concept utility in process. These will reach our shores.

Is another wine producer country looking at us as a strong opportunity based on perceived weaknesses?

Until some compelling evidence or clearer strategic intent is shared and agreed, it seems the sectors investment of resources in the debate about the WET Rebate is far greater than the benefits available. It diverts these resources from potentially more productive initiatives.

The risk now is that wine sector believes these calls that we are not at fault but that the system is at fault and the listed WET rebate reforms could fix it.

The debate is dividing the industry, not unifying it, where the latter is required to deal with the challenges the industry faces.

The wine sector is made up of a mix of growers, manufacturers and traditional brand owners. For a breakthrough in sales or innovation to occur there should be no barrier to industry participation.

If we need help, it is in having the courage to stop denying our faults, and thinking that something else is to blame.

Need to have a good hard look at the wine styles and offerings.

Any changes in domestic tax arrangements needs to be thought through on what impact this may have on both Australian wine and imported wine. And that debate is now.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

11

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

Regional Round up: South Island, NZ Jancis Robinson Announced for Pinot Noir NZ 2017 THE WORLD’S most influential wine commentator Jancis Robinson, OBE, MW, is heading to New Zealand for Pinot Noir NZ 2017.

Bringing Robinson to New Zealand, with her world leading reputation as one of the most authoritative wine critics and writers, is seen as a major coup for the country’s Pinot Noir producers.

It is the biggest international wine conference held in the southern hemisphere.

Robinson is the first in a leading lineup of 15 guest speakers to be announced for the highly anticipated three-day event being held on 31st January 2017.

Speaking from her base in London, Robinson said New Zealand seems to be making better and more intricate and expressive Pinot every year.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to grips with how New Zealand’s different regions now express themselves through Pinot Noir,” she said.

Jancis Robinson, one of the world’s most influential wine commentators will speak at Pinot Noir NZ in 2017.

Ben Glover, Pinot Noir NZ 2017 chair said Robinson was internationally renowned as the most powerful woman

in the wine world and definitely added x-factor to what he promises will be an amazing event for both the wine industry and the public.

“As an opinion leader, Jancis has built an international reputation as a highly respected, disciplined and professional wine critic and writer, who is always open to new ideas and discussion,” Glover said.

“She is a dynamic injection to Pinot Noir NZ 2017 and will get us all energized and thinking about where we are now, how we have evolved and where we see our potential as we embark on a fantastic future.

Held every four years, Pinot Noir NZ 2017 will see over 100 producers from New Zealand’s diverse Pinot producing regions will come together to showcase over 300 wines.

“New Zealand Pinot Noir has reached an exciting era and we need to tell our story to the world,” Glover said.

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12 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

Gibbston organic wine trial shows good results OVER THE past several years, New Zealand’s organic viticulture industry has grown rapidly. To better the industry’s understanding of the work involved in converting to organic practises, Organic Winegrowers New Zealand initiated a study involving several wineries from across the country.

Funded by the Ministry of Primary Industries’ sustainable farming fund, the three-year study compared the performance of organic vineyards against conventional, with results showing organic wines had “come out shining”, according to project manager Rebecca Reider.

Mission Estate in Hawke’s Bay, Wither Hills in Marlborough and Gibbston Valley Wines of Central Otago took part in the study, which concluded that organic wines had just as good quality with yields similar to conventional wines, while disease control costed less in organic vineyards.

Reider said the trial had been in response to a recent surge of new organic

conversions in the wine industry.

The trials covered soil properties, pest and disease levels, plant nutrition, soil moisture, yield, operating costs, and wine properties.

While pest and disease levels were generally low and treated effectively with organic spray programmes, weed management proved to be a greater challenge for all three vineyards.

However, all vineyard managers believed they had achieved good weed control by using under vine cultivation at a slightly higher cost than conventional methods.

“The monitoring results showed that excellent disease control was possible with organic management,” said Jonathan Hamlet, chairman of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand.

“A number of the blocks showed it was possible, once organic management was established, to have equivalent production costs,” Hamlet said.

Five wines - Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris - were

produced with impressive results. The Mission Estate Syrah was regarded as a better wine than its conventional one, and the remainder were considered the equivalent of conventional wines.

While none of the vineyards studied were organic at the beginning of the trial, the three wineries all chose to maintain or expand their organic growing areas when it was over.

In 2013, almost 2000 hectares (5.6 per cent) of New Zealand’s 35,700 ha wine-producing area was under organic certification.

The total value of organic wine exported is estimated to be around $44 million, compared to the $1.39 billion for all wine exports.

Reider said while there was little data on the premium that organic wines obtain, they opened up new market opportunities.

“The study wanted to give all wineries a more objective view of the potential costs and benefits involved in becoming organic,” she said.

Central Otago and Marlborough 'young viticulturist of the year' announced MIKE WINTER from Amisfield has just become the Bayer Central Otago Young Viticulturist of the Year 2015, while Matt Duggan from Cloudy Bay in has taken out the Marlborough division.

Both champions will now progress to the national competition held in late August. Contestants completed a wide range of activities including questions on pruning, tractor and motorbike skills, general viticultural knowledge, and

irrigation as well as having an interview and a blind wine tasting.

Questions are set by the national and local sponsors who are all specialists in various aspects of the industry.

The standard of entries was very high, showing a strong future for the viticultural industry in New Zealand.

Duggan has been Marlborough Young Viticulturist twice before, so this year he goes through to the National Final with a

lot of experience. He has two wins, and a second and third place already on the board, but said this year the regional division was tough.

“The standard of competition was the highest it had been since I began competing in 2011.”

Duggan is determined to win the national title this year, because at 29 this will be his last opportunity to qualify for entry.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

13

news

Decision time for Australian wineries IT’S “DECISION TIME” for quite a number of Australia’s wineries, according to Will Taylor, wine industry lawyer and Finlaysons Wine Partner.

“A large number of Australian wine businesses are on the market, either formally or informally.

In some cases this reflects many years of financial stress coming home to roost,” said Taylor.

But in other cases mum and dad have had enough. “They want to retire and the kids don’t necessarily want to go into the wine industry. Or if they do, not right away.”

However there are also many examples where the next generation does want to step in and take the business to the next level. Often in these cases they are looking for additional investment so they can expand the business to feed more families or to take advantage of opportunities the new managers perceive.

“After a decade of pain, there is probably a bit more optimism in the Australian wine industry than there has been for 10 years,” said Taylor.

“The fall of the Australian dollar against the US dollar and the renewed interest in Australian wine in the US are starting to make a difference,” said Taylor. “It will be a long haul, though.

“All of this is leading to is a pipeline of transactions for the sale of Australian wine assets, in whole or in part, and a lot of opportunities for investors.”

Finlaysons have a lot of transactions on their books, just waiting for the right buyer or investor to come to the table. “I

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www.nationalmoscatochallenge.com 14 Grapegrower & Winemaker

After a decade of pain, there is probably a bit more optimism in the Australian wine industry than there has been for 10 years… All of this is leading to is a pipeline of transactions for the sale of Australian wine assets, in whole or in part, and a lot of opportunities for investors. think we could see quite a few deals in the next 12 months.”

This industry renewal should be a good thing. “It is important that people of a certain age have the opportunity to retire and that the industry is refreshed by investors with new money and new ideas making an entrance.”

What is of concern, though, is that this is new territory for many. Most family winery owners have little or no experience in selling their business or bringing in a business partner.

This is a momentous decision in their financial and personal lives. “They need to get the process right to maximise their return and protect themselves from a subsequent claim. Tax issues, for instance, are a critical determinant of the financial outcome and this can impact the quality of their retirement or the future success of their business.”

It is for this reason Finlaysons will dedicate their 23rd annual Wine Roadshow seminar series to this topic. Decision Time?

Bringing an investor in or buying or selling a wine business.

Every year, Finlaysons Wine Roadshow travels to numerous viticultural regions of the country, to advise the industry on important legal and commercial issues. This year, the Roadshow will travel to Barossa, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Hunter Valley, Canberra District, Rutherglen, Mornington Peninsula, Launceston, Margaret River and, for the first time, Swan Valley.

Specialist wine industry lawyers, Finlaysons, will be accompanied by experts from Gaetjens Langley and Deloitte, with a view to advising small and medium sized wine businesses how to buy or sell a wine business, or do a deal with an investor, in the most effective way, optimising the financial result.

For more information, and to register for Finlaysons Wine Roadshow XXIII: Visit: www.finlaysons.com.au/wine-roadshow-xxiii P: Ashleigh Falconer-Edwards on 08 8235 7771 E: ashleigh.falconer-edwards@finlaysons.com.au

www.winetitles.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

26TH EDITION INTERNATIONAL ENOLOGICAL AND BOTTLING EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION

ORGANIZED BY

WORLD LEADER IN WINE TECHNOLOGY 3 rd —6 th NOVEMBER 2015 Fiera Milano (Rho) Italy info@simei.it / simei.it

news

Nigel Blieschke’s Future Leaders Diary The Peter Lehmann Wines’ viticulturist applied for the Future Leaders program hoping to get to know more people (and share a few bottles of great Australian wine). Blieschke will write a series of diary notes during his involvement in the 2015 Future Leader program, so the industry can stay in touch with what the group is experiencing. In his first column he explains how the group was forced to work together.

MY JOURNEY towards becoming a wine industry Future Leader began late one January evening as I sat on the couch contemplating the rapidly approaching 2015 vintage. Earlier in the day I had read an article announcing the launch of FL15 and I reflected on what an opportunity like this would mean for me personally, but also for an industry I am passionate about. As the saying goes there is no time like the present and I set about filling in the application and duly sent it to AGWA that night. The application was quickly shadowed by then by the buzz of activity that vintage inevitably brings.

Then on May 11, to my surprise, despite the late hour my application was written I received an acceptance email from the Australian Rural Leadership program.

SESSION 1 The main theme of the first session was ‘Self and Others’. According to the introduction, this was as an experiential session that aimed to build on leadership, communication skills and team dynamics. One of the first tasks we were set prior to the session was to introduce ourselves to the other future leaders. Our group was made up of a very diverse range of people from across the entire industry including winemakers, viticulturists, industry suppliers, wine sales and a wine writer.

DAY 1 After weeks of anticipation we finally made it to Canberra where we were to undertake a learning experience which promised to “challenge you mentally, emotionally, socially, and on the first session - physically”.

As part of our preparation for the first session each of us completed a DiSC behaviour preference profile. From the information we supplied the DiSC tool was able to report on our personality and leadership style. This was a very enlightening experience and as it turns out, highly accurate.

DiSC highlights how important it is to understand peoples’ personality, particularly in a leadership context.

After our morning session we were introduced to the team from Outback Initiatives who were tasked with training us for the next three days. At this point we handed over any personal tools that would assist us in our journey, now only geared with only our wits and knowledge for survival. The group was divided into two teams of eight, with the aim of finding the way to our accommodation. The first challenge was to extract our car keys from a cup under a radioactive light source. As we would discover time and time again, working with a diverse team of individuals can be challenging but each member of the team brought something helpful.

With our keys extracted we loaded up and headed for the hills, literally. We ventured forth in search of our accommodation led

16 Grapegrower & Winemaker

only by a number of clues. An interesting dynamic unfolded as the day progressed with the teams beginning to compete despite no mention of it being a competition. The consequences were evident the next morning when both teams discovered the location of the final clue only for it to self-destruct as both teams needed to be present to open it. Upon reflection we then realised that if the teams had consulted with each other we would have found the clue and successfully opened it. The significance of this lesson was not lost on the group as we see the same thing happening in the Australian wine industry.

DAY 2 Having tasted defeat working divided, our next exercise was designed to bring the teams together. To do this we were taught how to abseil giving the teams a great workout and time to interact and get to know one another. After an afternoon abseiling we were all looking forward to getting back to camp and a hot meal. Unfortunately on arrival at our vehicles we discovered our trainers had placed “bombs” inside of each. This had us once again working together as a team to disarm the device as detonation would incur a long, cold walk back to camp. One of the challenges with this activity was working within a larger group which was particularly hard for those of us who are task focused.

DAY 3 Abseiling was on the agenda again for day three but this time, into a cave. Our task was to enter and map the cave. This task required a high level of planning, effective communication and team work. As we commenced the task, our plan didn’t go as expected forcing an alternative plan to be enacted, which this time resulted in successful completion.

Upon our return to camp, we were charged with negotiating a maze blindfolded to collect a range of items in teams of eight.

This task was particularly challenging and in the end we ran out of time. The insight we gained was the need for effective communication within a team, particularly when relying on information supplied to you. If the information is disjointed people quickly feel disempowered and lose interest.

DAY 4 The time had come to pack up and head back to civilisation and a hot shower. Upon reflection this session was amazing not just for the lessons learnt but also for the friendships forged with my fellow Future Leaders. An unexpected but gratefully received gift from the session was that of positive feedback from my team mates. I am really looking forward to catching up with my fellow future leaders again and feel our industry has a bright future.

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Whole value chain trade show WINETECH, a national wine industry trade show, retuned to Adelaide last month in a new format which saw wine industry suppliers take over Wayville showgrounds for three days.

Hosted by Wine Industry Suppliers Australia Incorporated (WISA) in conjunction with experienced exhibition organiser Kym Jones Exhibitions, the event aimed to focus on the suppliers by shifting from the format which traditionally included the Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference.

On the back of WineTech 2015 Matthew Moate, WISA executive officer, said he considered the event to be a success which broke new ground in terms of product exposure, sales and engagement across all sectors of the Australian wine industry.

“From the outset, we sought to create exposure and add value to our member businesses from the trade floor exhibition and, from feedback, we certainly achieved our objectives,” he said.

Moate said he was happy with the uptake of the exhibitors at WineTech, with budgeted space sales blown out by 20 per cent.

“What was more important, and which was commented on regularly, was the full value chain nature of the exhibitors on show,” he said.

Exhibitors from grapegrowing, winemaking, packaging, logistics, commercial services and e-commerce were on show at the event, which Moate said attracted visitors across the full range of grape and wine job profiles.

“Visitors could find everything they needed,” he said. “The nature and promotion of our event attracted many exhibitors that hadn’t seen the value of participating in the past.”

Although Moate said he was pleased with the number of visitors who attended WineTech, he pressed that the quality of visitors was what really stood out.

“We are there to deliver a quality experience at a very affordable price,” he said. “The feedback we constantly received over the three days was that the people who attended were there with a genuine purpose of finding a solution and making a purchase.”

August 2015 – Issue 619

Although Moate said there were plenty of significant capital purchases from a $20,000 grape press to a $45,000 nitrogen generator sold directly off the trade show floor, several exhibitors admitted they had a hard time securing on the spot sales.

Carly Gamble from Vintessential Laboratories said WineTech provided a lot of interest in the company’s services, www.winetitles.com.au

and she was looking forward to seeing if it would lead to sales.

“We are currently following up a number of potential sales and are optimistic that the trade show will benefit us in the near future,” she said. “Visitors were extremely positive towards our exhibit and I really enjoyed my first trade show experience.”

Terry Carter, New Zealand Tube Mills Grapegrower & Winemaker

17

news (Eco Trellis) general manager, said he also didn’t have any specific orders come through but had some great leads that he was confident would turn into sales.

“Our visitors were interested in a specific product – we have a real alternative to the CCA Timber problem the industry is facing,” Carter said.

“People wanted to see how our system worked and how competitive it is against alternatives.”

Carter said one downfall was the low number of attendees compared to Sydney’s 2013 WineTech event which he found concerning.

“I think the lack of an attached conference impacted,” he said. “Having said that, for us, we had some good ‘quality’ visits, and a lot of down time spent passing a Rugby ball.”

Carter said the future format of the event would affect his decision to return.

“I guess depending on whether a conference is attached or not, will ultimately influence our decision to attend again.”

According to Moate, the strongest feedback he received from exhibitors was the ease and professionalism of how the three-day event ran.

“We strategically chose the Adelaide Showgrounds as it is the best venue in Adelaide to meet the needs of visitors and exhibitors,” he said. “We were able to look after exhibitors with a dedicated lounge with food and tea and coffee service which really pleased them.”

From a visitor perspective, Moate said feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Our content program, much of it which was free of charge, provided them with valuable learning while also encouraging them to engage directly with the exhibitors,” he said.

James Irvine, who visited WineTech from the Barossa, said he was “absolutely delighted” by the whole content and presentation.

“I have been making wines now for over 65 years and this was the easiest to work ever as a visitor,” Irvine said.

According to Moate, the additional content program was about sharing knowledge on new and emerging technologies and techniques while encouraging visitors to engage directly with exhibiting companies and organisations.

Amanda Tanga, Wine Chr. Hansen business manager, said her core focus at the show was to demonstrate Chr. Hansen’s innovation and generating interest for further one-on-one discussions, trial work and new business opportunities.

18 Grapegrower & Winemaker

PEOPLE'S CHOICE Congratulations to Ridgelea, supplier of winemaking machinery and equipment, who took out the WineTech People’s Choice Award this year.

Sponsored by Winetitles, the award aimed to recognise the excellence of an exhibit as chosen by both visitors and fellow exhibitors.

Ridgelea proved to be the most popular at the event, scoring a $990 Winetitles advertising package for the win.

One lucky voter was also awarded a $100 Winetitles book voucher at the event just for registering their choice.

Juliet Cavanagh, who voted for WGGA, was selected and said she was “delighted to win”.

“Chr. Hansen definitely had some sincere interest in both the products focused on at Winetech 2015,” she said. “These included NoVA Bacteria for reverse inoculation and non saccharomyces yeast products to create complexity in finished wine.”

Tanga said although the mood at the event felt optimistic and upbeat, she was “disappointed at a lack of direct advertising prior to the event”.

Tim Stead, Amorim Australasia national sales and marketing manager, said the sole purpose for the wine industry to attend this event was to engage with the exhibitors.

“Whether this means to buy, to learn or to ‘kick tyres’ is still to be proven for us,” he said. “The event generated many leads for us and we too learnt a great deal from the wineries attending.”

Stead said the atmosphere was generally positive and he was pleased with the calibre of attendees who he found to be adequately informed and appropriately qualified to engage with suppliers.

“It certainly seemed as though attendees were pleased with the effort that had been made by suppliers to assemble and present themselves,” Stead said. “The only negative comments were more so around who was not ‘on show’.”

While price was not a focus for Stead, he said connecting with both visitors and other exhibitioners was important.

“Our primary purpose for exhibiting was to connect with new prospects and to share some of our technical advancements,” he said. “This was achieved, although, we would have liked to have achieved it on a grander scale (more attendees would have been better).”

Rick Francis Western BOC lead food and leisure gas specialist, said most www.winetitles.com.au

people he spoke to seemed surprised by the lack of numbers from attendees, however, “those who were there showed interest in vast range of exhibitors”.

While a successful event would generally be reflected in substantial financial delivery, Moate said WISA factored in the risks well ahead of agreeing to host the stand alone trade show and results had shown some positivity.

“The previous arrangements were simply not flexible enough to deliver the results to our members,” Moate said.

“We are pleased to advise that even with all the additional services we provided exhibitors to make their experience as smooth as possible the financial return meets the organisation’s needs and importantly will remain in the industry for the benefit of industry.”

Moate said choosing an exhibition manager who understood the association and the suppliers impacted the outcome of the event.

“They were able to deliver a professional trade show that was approximately 40 per cent more affordable, while maintaining a high level of professionalism and tangible results than the alternative on the market with the margin returned to industry via the Association,” Moate said.

Naming peak bodies AWGA, WFA and WGGA as critical to the success of WineTech, Moate said the support received through the whole process has been invaluable.

“They are approached by many associations and events and we understand that they try to meet the needs of all of their stakeholders,” he said. “Having them at the industry hub provided a focal point for visitors and we look forward to debriefing with them and partnering again in 2017.”

Looking to the future, Moate said he wouldn’t make any changes to the WineTech event organisers in years to come.

“We are very happy with our delivery partner and model which shared the costs and risks of the event,” he said.

“The benefit of the partnership with Kym Jones Exhibitions is their expertise in putting the event on and the association will continue to work with them to deliver events.”

Moate said WISA would continue to focus on working with suppliers and helping them to extract benefit from tradeshows in Australia and internationally.

“WISA is now in a strong position after this successful event to continue to deliver value to our members and the wider industry.”

August 2015 – Issue 619

people & places A. TEAM ECOTRELLIS: Terry Carter, Steve Pearce, Gareth Gardiner and Lukas Mojzisek ready to tackle their customers’ needs.

A

B. AMORIM: Alison Reaby and Team Stead.

C. SEGUIN MOREAU: Jayne Roberts, Dan Eggleton and Graeme Little entertaining potential customers.

D. A&G LADS: Randall Collins, Tom Gallagher, Kerry Gallagher and Adrian Emery.

E. FOSS: Caitlin Lewis, Daniel Stalker and Nicola Doupé F. FMR CREW: Andrew Schmidt, Nick Clifford, Chris Clifford and Ralf Licht.

G. JMA: Leon Henderson, Mark Lewis and Mark Johnson.

B

C

D

E

F August 2015 – Issue 619

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G Grapegrower & Winemaker

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people & places A

B

A. MGA CHARACTER: Stephen McInerney.

C

B. PELLENC PEOPLE: Thomas Deville, Carl Bonk, Derrick Goss and Jean Vittot.

C. GRAPEWORKS: Dieter Heckel, Martin Verryt and Valdo van Zyl. D. BOC ON DISPLAY: Jeff Leicester and Rick Francis.

E. VINESSENTIAL LABOATORIES: Greg Howell and Carly Gamble.

D

E

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August 2015 – Issue 619

AUGUST 2015

R&D work at

Bringing a commercial eye to RD&E Researcher in focus: Dr Paul Petrie

South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Born in NZ, Dr Petrie became interested in wine when his parents’ farming activities diversified to include a 10–hectare vineyard.

He studied horticulture and completed a PhD investigating canopy management and photosynthesis. His PhD work included a stint at Michigan State University, which is a research hub for the grape juice industry.

Dr Paul Petrie

It doesn’t feature at the top of his CV, but Dr Paul Petrie has a working knowledge of how they grow juice grapes in the US state of Michigan and has seen first hand how their fledgling wine sector copes with its challenging climatic conditions.

‘The juice grapes were quite cold-hardy but the Vitis vinifera wine grapes weren’t’, he said. ‘So they’d site them along the edge of the Great Lakes and when the really cold winds came down out of Canada they’d warm up as they crossed the lakes and you didn’t get quite such a killing cold. They’d also use multiple trunks; if one died they’d just chop it off’.

Not surprisingly he hasn’t had to resort to such tactics in Australia, but the knowledge is still there should questions arise in his new role combining research and extension work for the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and

Dr Petrie then moved to the distinctly different climatic conditions of Mildura, where he was appointed to a three-year postdoctoral position with CSIRO, researching yield estimation and management. And that, in turn, was ideal preparation to become Viticulturist – Product Quality with Southcorp, responsible for maintaining its yield estimation program and looking at ways to improve quality.

‘I’m looking at results from across the R&D space in Australia and overseas and trying to make them into packages that are useful for Australian growers’, he said.

The SARDI component is equally broad. While looking to get his teeth into research projects of his own, he’s currently collaborating on a range of programs on irrigation, rootstock longevity and adaption to climate change.

He’s impressed by what he’s seen in the first four months.

Dr Petrie understands and respects the research process – he is a former President of the ASVO – but inevitably also brings a commercial eye to proceedings.

‘Before I start any project I’m looking for a route to market’, he said.

Eleven years later he was Treasury Wine Estates’ (TWE) National Viticulturist, with a reputation for technical skill, commercial nous and a collaborative approach; but new challenges beckoned. They arrived in the form of his unique new joint position.

‘How are we actually going to apply these results? What sorts of products or outcomes are likely to be produced? What’s going to make it easy for this innovation to be picked up by the sector, as opposed to coming up with a research output that’s all well and good but needs a $50,000 piece of equipment, so it’s going to be a while before someone can pick it up and run with it’.

The AWRI component is essentially the role filled for many years and with great distinction

by Dr Peter Dry. Dr Petrie gets out into the field, delivers workshops and responds to helpdesk queries – much as he did at TWE. The information delivered is wide-ranging in scope.

He still keeps in touch with former colleagues across the Tasman and happily borrows some of their innovative research work, especially around pest and disease management.

It’s the nature of the wine community to work together, he says, particularly at the production end.

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.research.wineaustralia.com

Building the evidence in favour of chemistry Sometimes scientists have a ‘Eureka moment’, but more commonly the answer comes from sheer weight of evidence. Dr Paul Smith’s latest project certainly fits into the second category.

With Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) colleagues Dr Keren Bindon and Dr Leigh Francis, Dr Smith is working on what he hopes will be the definitive guide to how the chemical composition of grapes could be used by winemakers to make decisions about the fruit they source and how they use it. And this is not just for winemakers.

Grapegrowers will be able to use the same information to benchmark their fruit and to assess the impact of viticultural practices they are using to produce that fruit.

‘So much work has been done over the years but it’s been a bit fragmented’, he said. ‘One group’s done a bit of work on β-damascenone and shown that it relates to quality; another has done something on C6s; we did something a while back on glycosyl glucose. What we’re trying to do now is to bring it all together into a cohesive picture’.

The four-year, Wine Australia-funded project was designed to determine which of the many different chemical measures in wine grapes are the important ones in actually determining grape quality and grape style.

‘Our aim is to be able to say that while there are X compounds that are predictive of grade in fruit there are only Y of them that are predictive of the final wine values.

And so if you want to have a lean style of Chardonnay, for example, you want fruit with X and Y characteristics’, Dr Smith said.

‘At the end of the day, when winemakers are making decisions about sourcing grapes, the style of wine they will produce is probably often as important as their absolute quality. In other circumstances a winemaker may decide to produce a certain style that year because the grapes of that style are of such high quality’.

At the start of the project, the focus was on fruit measurement and getting a detailed dataset. The team collected 60 samples each of Shiraz, Cabernet and Chardonnay grapes from the Riverland region of SA and, in Dr Smith’s words, ‘hit them with everything we could analyse’.

representative of a different style. After analysing the grapes they made them into wine and they are now in the process of looking for the same compounds in the wine – that is, those that have survived the winemaking process. They have until the end of the year to get their answers.

Armed with this knowledge, they then worked with Accolade to compare what the chemistry told them about given parcels of fruit with how the winemakers had assessed and graded the fruit as part of their normal procedures.

Dr Smith and Dr Bindon have worked together on a number of related projects, most notably showing the positive relationship between tannin concentration and fruit grade.

‘So we had the grade information and we had the chemistry information and we wanted to see if there were any relationships that suggest that certain aspects of chemical composition could be used to predict grape quality’, Dr Smith said.

The team has finished crunching the data for 2013 and is working on the 2014 results.

In the meantime, they have switched their attention to the second phase of the project, which is to assess whether certain chemical measures can help determine what style of wine a given parcel of fruit will produce.

This time they asked Accolade to provide four different batches of fruit, each

‘That’s not to say if you jam tannin in you’ll lift the grade of your wine, but there is an obvious relationship there and so we’ve worked to develop rapid ways of measuring tannin that are now available through a web-based interface’, Dr Smith said.

‘If people subscribe they can just log on, use an instrument that’s already out there in industry, measure a few wavelengths, upload the results, then get their tannin and colour numbers back in almost real time’.

Initially know as the ‘tannin portal’, this online tool has now been incorporated into the ‘Wine Cloud’, which is accessible via AWRI Commercial Services.

Cellar door impact goes well beyond the actual visit The cellar door is one of the key sales and marketing channels for small wineries, with the impact of the experience extending well beyond the actual visit according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of South Australia and Charles Sturt University tracked more than 3000 visitors to 79 cellar doors in 15 regions across six states and found that more than half bought a winery’s wine (about 5 bottles each on average) within 6 months of a cellar door visit.

While a third of these purchases were made at large national liquor chain stores, nearly a quarter were at the cellar door during a subsequent visit.

‘The cellar door channel, together with the other direct-to-consumer channels (mail order/wine club/online), collectively accounted for 31 per cent of the post-cellar door purchases, thus sharply underlining their importance for wineries’, said the researchers in their final report.

Just as significantly, 83 per cent of the study participants recommended a wine from the winery within 6 months of their visit – despite on average only 1 in 5 of them having heard of the winery before their visit.

Two-thirds of those recommendations were made face-to-face, only 7 per cent were made via social media despite 39 per cent of cellar door visitors being in the 18-34 age group.

‘This study provides strong evidence that the real value of a winery’s investment in a cellar door is not only vested in how much wine it sells to wine tourist visitors on the day of the visit’, the report says.

‘The cellar door is a powerful catalyst to invoke various change(s) in the wine

consumption of those visitors. Most importantly, it can convert people who had never bought or experienced the winery’s wines prior to a cellar door visit into buyers and/or consumers of the brand after the cellar door visit’.

The main factor of change in their overall consumption was an increase in the quality of all wine consumed (36 per cent), while from a regional viewpoint, 47 per cent of visitors reported an increase in the quantity of wine consumed from the region.

The three-stage, Wine Australia-funded project was led by Johan Bruwer, Professor of Marketing and Wine Business at the University of South Australia. It is one of the first to go beyond simply measuring direct sales from cellar doors to identify behavioural aspects and antecedents impacting on current and future consumption behavior.

‘Other notable changes were in wine type/ grape variety (26 per cent) as far as overall consumption is concerned, and a higher quality of region-of-origin wines consumed (25 per cent)’.

The study found that 75 per cent of cellar door visitors made a wine or non-wine purchase during their visit, with an average spend of just over $90 per vistor. The 67 per cent who bought wine took home between 4 and 5 bottles each on average.

The cellar door visit is also instrumental in provoking subsequent changes in consumers’ future wine consumption, the report says.

‘The strongest impact was in their consumption of the visited region’s wines (42 per cent), while their overall wine consumption (21 per cent) also changed.

Prof. Bruwer said the study showed that while direct-to-consumer channels accounted for only 5-6 per cent of all wine sales in Australia, cellar door visits had the potential to be a ‘change agent’ by influencing sales patterns in other outlets.

‘Most importantly, 16 per cent of cellar door visitors who had never bought the brand before their visit began buying it after their visit and this net gain can thus be directly ascribed to the cellar door visit and experience’, he said.

‘The challenge for wineries and wine regions is to maximise that potential’.

The final report for this project is available online at www.research.wineaustralia.com.

Biosecurity: helping to prepare and protect the wine sector We all know that it is important to protect our vineyards from exotic plant pests and diseases. One way that Wine Australia is helping is by funding the development of National Diagnostic Protocols, so that there are agreed methods to identify exotic pests and diseases if they should enter Australia.

A South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) team led

by Dr Mark Sosnowski is also validating the efficacy of drastic pruning as an eradication strategy for the exotic disease angular leaf scorch (ALS) and developing a diagnostic protocol.

In 2013, the Industry Biosecurity Plan for the Viticulture Industry identified 13 exotic plant pests and diseases as high-priority based on their potential to enter, establish and spread in Australia and the cost to the sector of control measures.

Once finalised, the protocols will be submitted to the Sub-Committee on Plant Health Diagnostic Standards that reviews and endorses new National Diagnostic Protocols.

National Diagnostic Protocols are based on solid, peer-reviewed science that provides a clear, taxonomic identification of a species in a laboratory setting. If something suspicious comes into Australia, protocols help to determine what it is.

Wine Australia is currently funding two projects to develop and update diagnostic protocols for eight high-priority pests and diseases: •

The Australian grape and wine community has been a strong supporter of the National Diagnostic Protocol process and has funded developing protocols for high-priority pests and diseases through its research and development levies. To date, protocols have been completed for Black rot, Glassywinged sharpshooter and leaf rust.

The current protocol for Pierce’s disease is being reviewed and another four drafts are in the system (for Roesleria root rot, exotic phylloxera, Flavescence dorée and bacterial blight).

•

Researchers at the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, led by Dr Mallik Malipatil, are developing protocols for Cixiidae planthopper, Vine mealybug, Grape mealybug, Spotted-winged drosophila, and Bois noir, and updating two existing protocols for Flavescence dorée and Pierce’s disease.

Dr Wee Tek Tay from CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences is collaborating with Bordeaux Sciences Agro on a project to develop a protocol based on molecular DNA characters to rapidly confirm detection of the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana at all life stages.

For further information: The National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network website contains information about high-priority pests, whatever the source and the status of the research. www.plantbiosecuritydiagnostics.net.au The Industry Biosecurity Plan for the Viticulture Industry is available from Plant Health Australia. Contact 02 6215 7700 or admin@phau.com.au The Biosecurity Manual for the Viticulture Industry contains information to help growers to implement on-farm biosecurity.

It is available online at www.farmbiosecuity.com.au For further information about Wine Australia’s biosecurity research, development and extension projects, visit www.research.wineaustralia.com

Final reports now available USA 1204

The Cellar Door as Catalyst for Wine Consumption Changes and Multiplier of Sales in the Australian Wine Market

DPI 1201

Adoption of grape and wine R&D outputs. Who, what and why?

UA 08/04

Australia’s place in the world’s wine markets by 2030: empirical economic analysis of wine globalisation

For more information and to access final reports, visit www.research.wineaustralia.com/completed_projects

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.research.wineaustralia.com

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grapegrowing Case Study: Post frost management strategies Last month Amanda Mader, from Gumpara Vineyards, presented her findings based on the assessments of a significant frost event in the Barossa in October 2014. She concluded there would be positive outcomes regarding fruitfulness in the approaching 2015/16 season. In this case study, Mader looks more closely at post frost management strategies undertaken in Barossa Valley vineyards.

Understanding the timing of when the October 2014 frost hit regarding vine phenology stage, the climatic conditions and the mechanics of air flow were the key factors in the decision making process to implement strategies to maximise yield potential in 2015 and beyond. This paper briefly outlines case study of two vineyards that suffered severe frost damage and what actions were taken immediately after the frost and what preventative measures will be taken this coming growing season, 2015/2016.

FROST EVENT, OCTOBER, 15, 2014 – VINE PHENOLOGY STAGE The predominant vine phenological stage across the majority of varieties when the frost hit was at EL Stage 15, which was

Fig. 1 Dimchurch Vineyards, Ebenezer Region - One shoot survives amongst the burnt shoots and bunches. Picture supplied by Adrian Hoffmann.

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26 Grapegrower & Winemaker

critical, as both shoots and newly forming clusters were burnt.

If a frost occurs at EL Stage 15, reduced bud fruitfulness has been observed in the following season. h t t p: // w w w.d e p i .v i c . g o v. a u /a g r i c u l t u r e - a n d - f o o d / hor t icultu re/w ine-a nd-g rapes/my-g rapevines-have-beenfrosted-what-now

FROST EVENT, OCTOBER, 15, 2014 – CLIMATIC DATA This event was a radiation frost which is characterised by clear skies (low okta), little or no wind causing the ground and ambient air to cool by the loss of heat to the atmosphere.

Other factors affecting frost formation include minimum temperature and relative humidity (Table. 1). Frost occurs when minimum temperature of the air falls below the freezing point of water, which is 0°C. This is measured at the height of 1.2m above the ground surface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Frost_(temperature) Relative humidity (%) was not high enough to result in any release of latent heat from the change of state of water between the vapour to liquid to solid phase. http://www.bom.gov.au/ climate/map/frost/what-is-frost.shtml As observed in Fig. 3, minimum temperatures were on the decline between the 10/10/2014 and the 15/10/2014, when

www.winetitles.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

Table. 1 Source: Bureau of Meteorology - Nuriootpa Viticultural Weather Station 23373 Date

15/10/2014

Minimum temp (°C)

-1

Maximum temp (°C)

17.4

Rainfall (mm)

0

Evaporation (mm)

2.5

Sunshine (hours)

12.2

9am Temperature (°C)

9.2

9am relative humidity (%)

66

9am cloud amount (oktas)

2

9am wind direction

N

9am wind speed (km/h)

4

9am MSL pressure (hPa)

1025.8

Fig.5 Source: Google Earth map of the Gumpara Vineyards – Light Pass – Barossa Valley

The highlighted section in white is the area of vineyard affected by the October, 15, 2014 frost. A much smaller area highlighted in light blue represents is where there has been frost damage in previous years in a slightly lower elevated frost pocket.

Fig. 3 Source: Bureau of Meteorology - Nuriootpa Viticultural Weather Station 23373

Fig. 4 Source: Frost Fan Data supplied by Adrian Hoffmann – Dimchurch Vineyards, Ebenezer Region - Barossa Valley

sub zero temperatures were attained in the early hours of the morning at -1.0°C. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_023373. shtml Figure 4 represents temperature data (°C) logged from the frost fan in operation at the Dimchurch Vineyards in the Ebenezer region between midnight and 7.20am on 15/10/2014.

Note the change of wind direction from the North East to the North West resulted in spike in temperature from -0.25°C to 0.38°C, which occurred around 4.48 am as highlighted by the yellow circle. The variation in temperature between readings is caused by the rotation of the fan.

FROST EVENT, OCTOBER, 15, 2014 – EXTENT OF SPREAD

Areas within frost affected vineyards were more widespread in comparison to previous frost events. In some cases, areas that were hit by this particular frost event have not been hit in recorded history of local knowledge. The change in the wind direction around 5am from the North East to the North West played a huge role in spreading the cold air across larger areas of affected vineyards.

Gumpara Vineyards – Light Pass – Barossa Valley – SA August 2015 – Issue 619

FROST FAN PROTECTION IMPACTED BY WIND DIRECTION AND DRIFT Drift from the wind coming in from the North East most of the night was slight and the frost fan offered protection of up to 70m from the base of the fan, enabling a greater area of the vineyard to be 100% protected from frost damage. The shaded yellow section represents the area of the vineyard that was not fully protected by the frost fan, ranging between 20 to 80% protection. Note the tear drop shape.

Around 4.45am the wind direction changed from the North East to the North West with the speed of wind drift slightly increasing. In this scenario, the frost fan offered protection of around 25m from the base of the fan. The shade of green represents the area that was 100% protected, with the orange area, 20 to 80% protected, respectively.

By gaining an understanding upon wind direction and drift during frost events is beneficial to determine whether or not the frost fans are positioned correctly in any vineyard block to maximise protection.

Dimchurch Vineyards – Ebenezer – Barossa Valley – SA Post frost event actions that were taken to promote secondary crop for 2015 Vintage • Frost affected shoots on the vines left alone; and • Frost affected shoots on the vines pruned back to between the basal bud and bud 1.

Pruning back to basal buds proved beneficial in the sections of Shiraz that were heavily frost affected in both the Dimchurch and Gumpara vineyards. Higher yields were attained in the secondary crop in comparison to the frost affected Shiraz that was left untreated in both vineyards as indicated by the yield data below.

Yield comparison between vines pruned back to the basal bud versus no treatment in the frosted areas – Vintage 2015 – Gumpara Vineyards.

Yield comparison between vines pruned back to the basal bud versus no treatment in the frosted areas – Vintage 2015 – Dimchurch Vineyards Sometimes, heavy post frost pruning can reduce yield in the current season, however, it may significantly improve the number of bunches and hence yield, in the second season.

(Jones, 2009, p.3).

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

27

grapegrowing TOTAL Block Area = 7.9 Ha

TOTAL Block Area = 7.9 Ha

1.5 Ha Vineyard Unprotected 1.56 Ha 20 – 80% of Vineyard Protected

2.1 Ha Vineyard Unprotected

2.74 Ha 20 - 80% of Vineyard Protected

4.84 Ha – 100% of Vineyard Protected

• Wind Direction coming in from the North East prior to 4.45am

3.06 Ha – 100% of Vineyard Protected

Fig.7 Newly formed Shiraz bunches burnt by the October 2014 Frost at EL Stage 15 and secondary crop (taken at veraison) produced as a result of pruning back to the basal bud. Pictures supplied by Mark Mader

• Wind Direction coming in from the North West after 4.45am

Fig. 6 Source: Frost Fan protection effectiveness impacted by wind direction and speed of wind drift.

Table.2 Effect of post-frost pruning treatments on subsequent yield. (Source: Mark Mader) Vineyard

Variety

Frost affected

Treatment after frost

2015 Yield: tonnes/Ha

Gumpara

Shiraz

80% affected

Vines untreated

1.48

Gumpara

Shiraz

80% affected

Vines pruned back to the basal bud

2.72

Gumpara

Shiraz

No

N/A

3.95

Table.3 Effect of post-frost pruning treatments on subsequent yield. (Source: Adrian Hoffmann) Vineyard

Block

Variety

Frost affected

Treatment after frost

Dimchurch

Hoff’n’scnitter

Shiraz

80% affected

Vines untreated

1.36

Dimchurch

Hoff’n’scnitter

Shiraz

80% affected

Vines pruned back to the basal bud

3.45

Dimchurch

Sand

Shiraz

80% affected

Vines untreated

1.7

Dimchurch

Sand

Shiraz

80% affected

Vines pruned back to the basal bud

3.68

Dimchurch

Sand

Shiraz

50% affected

Vines untreated

4.67

Dimchurch

Sand

Shiraz

50% affected

Vines pruned back to the basal bud

2.73

Dimchurch

Home

Shiraz

75% affected

Vines untreated

0.69

Dimchurch

Home

Shiraz

75% affected

Vines pruned back to the basal bud

2.09

• Re positioning frost fans to take in to account wind direction change to achieve a greater area of frost protection.

PRUNING STRATEGIES TO MAXIMISE CROP POTENTIAL Spur pruning back to two bud spurs in the frosted areas is still viable in Cabernet Sauvignon, Mataro, Grenache, Pinot Gris, Marsanne and Nebbiolo. Options of leaving additional buds on the vine need to be considered in Shiraz and Sangiovese where buds are less fruitful in the basal, bud 1 and bud 2.

Options include: • Leaving longer spurs of up to 3 or 4 buds in areas of the cordon where there is no over crowding; • Finger and thumb pruning e.g. 3 buds x 1 bud; and • Addition of a kicker cane per vine.

Frost Management approach for growing season 2015/2016 at Gumpara Vineyards: • Mid row management – mid rows slashed low with undervine to weed free and compact; • Timing of pruning – prune the highest frost risk areas last; • Incorporate a foliar vine nutrition program including the macro elements and products containing fish, humates and kelp to promote vine health after bud burst to ensure adequate carbohydrate loading and sugars in the sap to assist increase in tissue temperature during a frost event; and • Prune back to the basal bud after a spring frost event in damaged areas to encourage a secondary crop.

Frost Management approach for growing season 2015/2016 at Dimchurch Vineyards: • Mid row management – mid rows slashed low with undervine to weed free and compact; • Mid row management – worked up soils to be rolled and no soil disturbance five days either side of the full moon as this time appears to be highest risk time for frost events; • Kelp based products sprayed on the vines every week prior to full moon in conjunction with the normal fungicide spray program to increase vine carbohydrate loading and sugars in the sap to increase freezing point temperatures; and

28 Grapegrower & Winemaker

2015 Yield:Tonnes/Ha

CONCLUSIONS In frost affected vineyards, it is worthwhile considering pruning back to the basal bud to encourage a second crop as successful yields can be attained. Bud fruitfulness on the Barossa Valley floor is looking very positive for this coming season, however for frost affected varieties with lower bud fruitfulness between the basal and bud 3, e.g. Shiraz, leaving additional buds and or kicker canes would be beneficial to maximise yield potential. After observing how widespread frost damage can occur, and its severity, the Italian varieties and other fruitful varieties including Grenache and Mataro are great options to choose for future vineyard plantings in high frost risk areas. Finally, select frost prevention management options that suit your vineyard factoring to encourage air flow to increase temperature and to maintain bare compact moist soils to retain heat.

References

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/map/frost/what-is-frost.shtml http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/agriculture-and-food/horticulture/wine-and-grapes/ my-grapevines-have-been-frosted-what-now http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_(temperature) Bureau of Meteorology - Nuriootpa Viticultural Weather Station 23373 http://www. bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_023373.shtml Eichhorn, K.W. and Lorenz, H. “Development Stages of the Vine”, (1977) Jones, J.E., “Understanding the critical stages of floral initiation and differentiation in cool climate viticulture, (2009)

Acknowledgements Adrian Hoffmann – Dimchurch Vineyards James Mader & Mark Mader - Gumpara Vineyards

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August 2015 – Issue 619

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grapegrowing

Big changes to Entwine The Australian wine industry’s national environmental assurance program is under new management.

New arrangements for the management of the wine industry’s national environmental assurance program were announced in July with management of Entwine Australia transferring from the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) to the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI).

The Entwine program has grown to include more than 700 vineyard and winery members since launching in 2009.

Paul Evans, Winemakers Federation of Australia chief executive officer, said the move presented an opportunity to refresh the approach to improving the industry’s environmental performance and how they collaborate with others on letting the world know of their successes.

“The timing is right to transfer the future management of Entwine Australia to the AWRI which is well placed to ensure research and innovations in environmental management are incorporated into the industry’s behaviours and practices,” Evans said. “Under the AWRI’s stewardship our national assurance program can embrace innovation to encourage higher participation rates.”

More broadly, the changes to Entwine’s management have also been a timely opportunity for the industry to assess and implement the outcomes of the recent national Entwine Refresh consultation and how they could partner with regions to provide wine businesses with relevant tools to drive better practices and reporting, according to Evans.

“The decision also reflects WFA’s focus on its core roles of policy development and advocacy,” he said. “While WFA will retain its leadership role in progressing environmental policy and will remain strongly engaged in the issues with the support of the Wine Industry National Environment Committee, we now believe the AWRI has the right people and expertise to build on a strong foundation and grow participation and our reputation in Australia and internationally. The WFA Board will review the transition of Entwine to the AWRI at its September meeting and going forward to ensure these goals are being supported.”

Dr Dan Johnson, AWRI managing director, said the change was an exciting opportunity for the industry, and complemented a suite of environmental and viticultural projects at the AWRI.

30 Grapegrower & Winemaker

AT A GLANCE What is Entwine?

Entwine provides Australian winemakers and wine grape growers with formal certification of their practices according to recognised international standards.

What are the benefits of membership?

Membership of Entwine shows that you are conforming to a strict national environmental code and are taking steps to record and improve you environmental management activities.

Benefits include: • Provision of independently certified environmental credentials; • Improved marketing opportunities; • Sustainable practices that ensure long-term future; • Improved environmental management; • Assurances of best environmental practice to domestic and international markets; • Recognition of current environmental management systems under one national scheme; • Use of the recognised Entwine Australia logo; and • Access to member-only resources and updates.

Entwine members also receive national and regional environmental benchmarking information, allowing them to view their own performance comparable to regional averages of their peers.

Many members have achieved cost-savings in their operations, predominantly through efficient water and energy use. A further saving comes in the reduction of risks to brands and customer and neighbour relationships that would follow an environmental problem.

Some members have even been granted operational licensing concessions from government on the basis of excellent environmental management performance.

How does a company or grower get involved?

To qualify for membership, companies must be certified against an approved, independently audited environmental management system and report annually against a set of defined resource use indicators. Wineries also must report their greenhouse gas emissions. For more infromation, www.wfa.org.au/entwineaustralia.

“The AWRI team looks forward to enhancing Entwine’s offering to ensure its ongoing value to grape and wine businesses and to working more closely with Australian grapegrowing regions.”

Lawrie Stanford, Wine Grape Growers Australia (WGGA) executive director, acknowledged the importance of environmental sustainability to Australia’s grape growing businesses and welcomed the next step for the Entwine program. He also noted the recent contracting of the AWRI by WGGA to conduct national biosecurity arrangements on its behalf.

“The synergies at the AWRI, between WGGA’s biosecurity activities and the Entwine environmental program will deliver significant benefits to Australia’s wine grape growers.” www.winetitles.com.au

Tom Harvey, McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association (MVWGTA) chairman also welcomed the announcement.

“International sales performance is in part affected by our ability to articulate our environmental credentials and best practice viticultural performance, to both buyers, media commentators and potential consumers,” he said.

The Entwine program provides winemakers and wine grapegrowers with formal recognition of environmental practices according to recognised international standards. To qualify for membership, companies must be certified against an approved, independently audited environmental management system and report annually against a set of defined resource use indicators.

August 2015 – Issue 619

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A new scientific tool for Australian vineyards Rapidly measure vine performance with the Grapevine Rover sensor Working in the CSIRO Wine Grapes and Horticulture Group at the Waite Campus in Adelaide, post-doctoral fellow Matthew Siebers, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, is involved in a new project aimed at expanding field phenomics techniques into vineyards. Working with Everard Edwards, Mark Thomas and Rob Walker, the project involves the development of a field-based rover that utilizes light radar (LiDAR) to rapidly collect biological information to assist trait evaluation and assessment of management techniques.

THE GRAPEVINE ROVER, or GRover, is a research platform that mobilises cutting-edge technology for fieldbased measurements in viticulture. It offers great potential for evaluating or developing new management methods using novel sensor applications at a time when Australian wine growers are facing marketing, environmental and management challenges.

Image 1 shows GRover operating within a vineyard late in the season at the University of Adelaide. Arrow 1 points to the light radar (LiDAR) laser scanner. Here the LiDAR is mounted on the upper boom, centre-mast, at a 45 degree angle 2.5 m above the ground. The LiDAR can be mounted on any of the three booms (red arrows). The boom height and LiDAR mounting brackets can be adjusted to move the LiDAR’s position relative to the canopy (black arrows). Arrow 2 points to the joints where GRover’s wheel back can be adjusted. In this photo the wheel base is at its narrowest, 1.2 m. Arrow 3 shows the two electric wheels and the lithium ion batteries that power GRover.

32 Grapegrower & Winemaker

GRover is designed to rapidly measure vine performance.

This is the first time a vehicle of this type has been developed specifically for use in Australian vineyards. Unlike remote sensing measurement platforms, e.g. satellite or aircraft mounted devices, proximal systems like GRover operate at ground-level and offer a high degree of detailed data but at a relatively limited spatial scale (for a review on remote sensing in vineyards see issue 615 of Grapegrower & Winemaker). GRover will speed up or replace otherwise tedious, time-consuming, physically demanding or destructive vineyard measurements.

Phenomics is a discipline of biology concerned with rapidly measuring the broad-scale physical and biochemical characteristics of an organism using sensors. The CSIRO based High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre (HRPPC) in Canberra has successfully developed field-based phenomics vehicles for wheat. These vehicles have sensors that rapidly assess leaf area, plant height and biomass (For an informative video see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8DmF7Y-GpE). GRover is specifically designed to collect similar information quickly and efficiently in the vineyard.

GRover is three metres long, three metres tall, powered by lithium ion batteries and two electric motors (Image 1). The wheel base can be adjusted between 1.2 to 3 metres to operate with maximum stability in a variety of row-spacings. Additionally, the boom heights are adjustable and the instruments can be pivoted to different angles. So whether the vines are in their first year or fully mature, minimally managed or recently pruned, GRover can be adjusted to offer appropriate coverage.

At the moment GRover uses a laser-based scanning technology known as light radar (LiDAR) to create 3D images of vine growth. Internationally, there has been some research in vineyards focused on the use of LiDAR to accurately measure leaf area index (Arno et al., 2015). This effort, however, has focused primarily on estimating canopy density on-the-go, allowing automatic adjustment of variable output sprayers.

Simultaneously tracking the distance travelled while scanning the canopy gives GRover the ability to produce high resolution, 3D images of vine growth in the field (Image 2).

GRover’s LiDAR scanner emits laser pulses at the canopy, scanning within a 70 degree zone roughly 300 times every second. The red-wavelength laser-beam reflects off the plant material, yielding information about the position of the return and its intensity. Intensity data measures the capability of the scanned surface to reflect light back and can be used to give information about the health and greenness of the plant or differentiate between organs – potentially distinguishing stems, leaves and bunches.

Current research is focused on correlating GRover’s scanned images with trusted, conventional assessments of plant growth, such as leaf area index. Next steps include developing GRover’s ability to estimate wood volume, pre and post pruning. Ideally,

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August 2015 – Issue 619

The difference between a vintage with low pest or disease levels and one with unacceptably high level often comes down to decisions made during the growing season when implementing the crop protection strategy. So now is a good time to review all things in the field of spray application.

Image 2 shows a representative scan of one panel within a vineyard. This scan was done on plants grown in the same vineyard shown in image 1. The LiDAR emits laser beams into the canopy 300 times per second.

Those beams reflect off the grapevines and are used to create a 3D point-cloud. The colour differences represent the intensity values, which correspond to the scanned material’s ability to reflect light. For example, woody material in this image (light green) has different reflective properties than the senescing leaf material (light orange, red). Within this image there are approximately 812 thousand points.

the outcome of this stage of the work will be fast, field-wide, assessments of vine-vigour in response to different management, rootstock or irrigation treatments.

The biggest future challenge for GRover is data analysis.

To illustrate, consider that the sample image (Image 2) shows one panel of a 50 m row. Within the full, 50 m image there are 6.5 million spatial points and each point is associated with an intensity value. The challenge will be to develop ways to extract meaningful biological information from these large data-sets.

Achieving this will require novel programming development, computing power and time.

GRover is already expanding its capabilities. Within the next six months, there are plans to add more sensors to the platform. Another LiDAR will be mounted to give GRover the ability to image the canopy from above and below. Overlaying the two scans will improve GRover’s ability to image canopy properties and may even help image bunches that otherwise would have been obscured. A stereoscopic RGB camera will also be integrated onto the platform to capture growth features that may otherwise be difficult to resolve with LiDAR. For example, RGB images could be used to make measurements of inflorescence number to supplement LiDAR estimations of yield early in the season.

GRover will develop rapidly in the next three years, providing a powerful tool for viticultural research. The development of sensor technologies and algorithms for GRover is expected to benefit growers and wineries in the areas of: efficient vineyard management, improved yield estimation, better vine health monitoring and new field sensors for fruit condition and fruit quality.

The Grapevine Rover is being developed by CSIRO Agriculture, Wine Grapes and Horticulture Group at the Waite Campus in Adelaide in collaboration with the HRPPC in Canberra.

Funding from Wine Australia is gratefully acknowledged and is assisting with the evaluation of GRover in a range of vineyard applications.

REFERENCE Arnó J, Escolà A, Masip J, Rosell-Polo JR (2015) Influence of the Scanned Side of the Row in Terrestrial Laser Sensor Application in Vineyards: Practical Consequences. Precision Agriculture 16: 119-128.

August 2015 – Issue 619

It’s often said knowledge is power and when it comes to understanding all the variables that go towards making the right decisions when applying crop protection products, this couldn’t be more true.

A good place to start for next season is to employ or consult with an experienced viticulturist. They can assist you in making each decision, the right decision. Some of the critical areas you should discuss when progressing through the coming season are: • What product should I choose to target the weed, pest or disease?

Experience, local knowledge, technical expertise on product efficacy, price, resistance status, disease pressure all play a part.

• Should I use an adjuvant? If the label says to use an adjuvant it is wise to follow the label. If not, then the product more than likely has a built in adjuvant and applying an additional adjuvant can actually be detrimental to the product’s efficacy.

• Should I use concentrate or dilute spray volume? Much will depend on the target you are aiming to protect. For example, a botrytis bunch rot spray would require a different approach than an early powdery mildew cover spray • Are weather conditions likely to determine if I get good control of the target? o The likelihood of rain around the time of spraying combined with knowledge of the rainfastness of the product will be key factors to consider. Furthermore, understanding if the product is one with a ‘systemic’ mode of action or simply a contact protectant mode can determine if the conditions are suitable. o If conditions are too hot and dry some products may not have sufficient time to be absorbed into the plant tissue. Studying a Delta T chart and making decisions based on the ideal spray window for the product is time well spent.

• Did my spray work last season? You may have to do some investigation here and ask the question, could it be due to resistance? The CropLife Resistance Management guidelines provide a valuable reference to cross check and see if you have a robust plan in place to preserve the life of the chemistry in your vineyard. Having any unexpected disease, pest or weed escapes tested for their resistance status is valuable information.

Prevention’s better than cure in so many ways. Does your program incorporate regular inspection for early weed, pest or disease symptoms?

Once established, these types of issues are often difficult to eradicate.

Applying emergency curative strategies are most often expensive or can lead to poor control or resistance build up to the mode of action chemistry.

Your local Syngenta representative can provide assistance on these topics. The AWRI section on spray application is also useful: http://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/ viticulture/agrochemicals/spray-application/

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

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Limestone Coast Wines Grape expectations

L

imestone Coast Wines (LCW) is a full service premium wine business based in Padthaway in South Australia, producing wine for its own brand as well as manufacturing wine for other growers.

Founded in 2013, LCW quickly established an export operation as a strong base for growth, and now counts the UK, Europe, Asia and Canada among its key markets.

This enabled LCW to produce all the wine required to fulfil the UK and Asian contracts, while also freeing up cash flow to keep the rest of the business running smoothly.

Being able to deliver on large international contracts like this allows LCW to build the industry reputation needed to grow its export business.

LCW recently won two exciting contracts to supply bulk wine for sale in supermarkets in the UK, and to a winery in Asia.

What is an export working capital guarantee?

While LCW’s bank had been very supportive of its export growth, the size of these contracts meant its bank was unable to finance these contracts without a guarantee.

Efic’s export working capital guarantee provides security to your bank, allowing it to lend you the additional working capital you need to:

How Efic helped Efic were able to provide a A$650,000 export working capital guarantee to LCW’s bank, allowing its bank to approve the working capital LCW required to fulfil these two contracts.

keep your business growing meet your existing contractual obligations finance additional contracts.

SME Information Series As part of helping Australian SMEs on their export journey, Efic has developed a series of free eBooks covering: Planning for export Export-related finance Building networks Managing export risks.

Visit www.efic.gov.au/ebooks for your free copies.

Delivering Australian wine to the world Efic understands the challenges faced by the wine industry in relation to exporting, particularly the significant lag from when grapes are crushed to when wine is ready for market.

As Australia’s export credit agency, Efic can help bridge the gap when your bank is unable to assist, allowing you to expand into new markets, grow internationally and achieve export success.

“ We have found Efic to be fantastic to work with. They are certainly very professional and really took the time to understand our business.”

Richard Vandenberg CEO, Limestone Coast Wines

To find out more about how Efic could help your wine export business grow, phone 1800 093 724 or visit www.efic.gov.au/wine

grapegrowing

2015 Vintage Report: Some hints of opportunity The total crush for the 2015 vintage was below recent averages and while the size was on par with 2014, there were better average prices this year.

However, overall profitability took a slight hit.

There are positive indicators for the Australian wine industry with a five per cent increase in average winegrape price and an increase in volume and value of wine exports reported for 2014-15. This is despite the winegrape crush remaining relatively unchanged this vintage, a modest 1% increase in overall unprofitable production and yet-to-be realised structural shifts that could see further sustained upside potential across numerous indicators.

36 Grapegrower & Winemaker

AT A GLANCE This year’s Vintage Report includes some positive signs for the industry.

Along with shifts in the macro-economic climate – including favorable shifts in exchange rates, the signing of key Free Trade Agreements and strengthening consumer demand in some key market segments – the outlook for the industry has improved from last year.

However, the Report also indicates an industry under sustained profit pressure and the persistence of a structural mismatch between the supply and demand for our wine at profitable price points.

The 2015 Vintage of 1.67 million tonnes which is marginally lower than “average” and while average grape prices have strengthened, this is off a low base.

Favourable changes in seasonal market conditions and the macro-economic environment will not be enough to restore the Australian wine sector’s lost share and margin. We need to take pro-active steps with the support of government to boost demand and our resourcing of promotional activities. On the supply side, better informed decision making is required with the aid of improved data, analysis and price signalling.

Total Winegrape Crush in Australia 1900 1850

8 year average: 1.699 million tonnes

1800

2015 crush: 1.67 million tonnes

1750 1700 1650 1600 1550 1500 1450

Average Crush

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

1400 2008

‘000 tonnes

THE WINEMAKERS’ Federation of Australia (WFA) released their annual Vintage Report in July with figures showing a 2015 Vintage crush of 1.67 million tonne with some modest and patchy strengthening in average winegrape prices and exports.

The red crush marginally beat out the white on tonnage, with 835, 523 tonnes compared to 834,041. Shiraz (391,649), Cabernet Sauvignon (209,588) and Merlot (107,280) were the top three red varieties while Chardonnay (376,339), Sauvignon Blanc (89,125) and Semillon (66,572) led the way for whites.

South Australia produced almost half of the entire vintage with 716,592 tonnes, followed by Murray Darling-Swan Hill with 381,732, NSW with 332,092, Victoria with 60,258, Western Australia with 30,069, Tasmania with 7,197, Queensland with 610 and ACT with 21 tonnes.

Paul Evans, WFA chief executive, said the 2015 Vintage Report reveals a winegrape crush marginally lower than the seven-year average and slightly down on last year’s 1.70 million tonne estimate and 2013’s high of 1.83 million tonnes.

“We see a five per cent increase in average wine grape prices over the past year, albeit off a low base,” Evans said.

“We must also remember that this is an industry average and many producers in the warm inland regions in particular continue to experience enormous challenges.”

Evans said the Federation’s analysis shows that 92 per cent of production in warm inland areas is unprofitable.

“The macro-economic climate has shifted in our favour in regards to more favourable exchange rates, the signing of important Free Trade Agreements in the Asian marketplace and improved consumer sentiment in our traditional

Grape Crush

Sources: Historical crush figures – Levies Revenue Service (LRS), ABS and WFA www.winetitles.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

The macro-economic climate has shifted in our favour in regards to more favourable exchange rates, the signing of important Free Trade Agreements in the Asian marketplace and improved consumer sentiment in our traditional markets. markets,” he said. “But we must remain pro-active. While these developments will help, they will not be enough to restore lost margin and share across the industry over the longer term unless we work with government to make the most of the opportunity.

Evans said the wine industry must urgently seize the potential to grow demand for Australian wine and help address the on-going structural mismatch between supply and demand at profitable price points.

“Until this happens we are likely to see poor levels of average profitability continue for both grape growers and winemakers,” he said.

“Specifically, we need the resources and promotional activities to restore sustained global consumer interest in Australian wine and to capitalize on the macro-economic shifts that have moved recently in our favour. Adequate funding for the global marketing of our wines is critical if we are to compete with heavily subsidised Old World producers and lower cost New World producers.”

Vic Patrick, Wine Grape Growers Australia (WGGA) chair said, the organisation was committed to quality and value and consistency remains.

“What we need now is the ability to remind the global consumer of our offering in a very crowded and highly competitive marketplace,” he said.

The WFA and WGGA have asked government for $25 million over four years in supplementary government investment for Wine Australia’s marketing activities, which Patrick said would enable the industry to work together to boost our profile, build demand, maximise the potential of the FTAs and to restore levels of profitability throughout the supply chain.

“If these activities are not undertaken, our competitors will quickly fill the vacuum and the modest gains made in some regions over the last 12 months will be fleeting and the recovery of inland grape prices further delayed,” Patrick said.

The 2015 Vintage Report and 2015 Production Profitability Analysis can be downloaded from the WFA website: www.wfa.org.au.

August 2015 – Issue 619

• Cutting head maintenance free (Pat. ES1058462U).

Crush by wine industry structure The Australian wine industry is made up of a small number of large wineries and a large number of small wineries. The crush survey results demonstrates this – the largest 20 crush respondents accounted for 85% of the total crush and largest 30 accounted for 90%.

Progressive cutting control equipment

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The respondents to the 2015 Vintage Survey resemble this: Size of reported crush

# of respondents

10,000 tonnes + 5,000-10,000 tonnes 1,000-5,000 tonnes 500-1,000 tonnes 50-500 tonnes Under 50 tonnes

22 11 37 42 166 245

Total

523

Crush by state and region Looking at the raw crush data by state/regions, Murray Darling-Swan Hill accounted for 382,000 tonnes or 25% of the total crush, New South Wales at 332,000 tonnes or 22%, Victoria at 60,000 or 4%, South Australia at 717,000 tonnes or 47%, Western Australia at 30,000 or 2% – ACT, Queensland and Tasmania contribute under 1% of the total crush.

State/regions

2015 Raw Crush Data Tonnes

Australian Capital Territory Murray Darling-Swan Hill New South Wales - Hunter Valley - Mudgee - Riverina Victoria - Mornington Peninsula - Rutherglen - Yarra Valley South Australia - Barossa Valley - McLaren Vale - Riverland Western Australia - Great Southern - Margaret River - Pemberton Queensland Tasmania Total Raw Crush Data

• AIR SOFT Handle

21 381,732 332,092 4,904 2,887 291,405 60,258 1,883 2,116 10,462 716,592 38,094 28,416 454,019 30,069 4,852 16,993 1,852 610 7,197 1,528,571

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grapegrowing

Yield estimation software The value of an accurate yield prediction can’t be understated. It has implications all along the supply chain – in the case of viticulture, everything from transport and processing of the grapes, to wine sales, to packing, to shipping can be streamlined and improved.

ESTIMATING grape yields is a headache for the wine industry – but now there’s an app for that.

Seer Insights is a startup created by three students as part of the University of Adelaide’s Tech eChallenge. On top of juggling lectures, study and course work, the 20 year olds are building a business around an evolving suite of software called GrapeBrain.

“We’re interested in agriculture. The team is passionate about the way food is produced particularly,” said team member Liam Ellul, who has a background in commerce and law.

“I think food production is going to be an issue coming up in our lifetimes and we’ll get a lot of benefit and enjoyment being involved with a business that helps lower food prices by creating efficiency and production.

GrapeBrain started out as something very different. In the early stages of development the team was looking at general crop monitoring for agriculture using drones.

“We saw there was a lot of buzz around drones. Our first idea was strapping a torn apart smart phone on to a UAV glider, just to take it out and show we were keen. From there we realised it didn’t have to be drone hardware. It could be satellite hardware, even software,” Ellul said.

Seer also consists of Petros Bakopoulos, specialising in finance, and Harry Lucas, the technical lead on the project who is responsible for the code that GrapeBrain runs on.

It became apparent that they had to concentrate and being based near the Barossa in South Australia, one of the world’s great wine regions, it was logical to pick vineyards for their system.

“The winemakers basically said, look, you can throw as many drones as you want out there, but what we’ll pay you to do is estimate yield,” said Lucas.

GrapeBrain is a complex suite of software that takes a number

38 Grapegrower & Winemaker

of metrics and spits out a yield result based on those inputs.

“Without giving away the golden goose, the approach that we’ve developed has come about reading research papers and also talking to the practical realities of industry,” said Ellul, who during gaps in his study drives into the Barossa wine region to quiz grape growers about their wants and needs.

“Our software, we’d take it in, get feedback, take it back and work on it,” he said. “It turned out it wasn’t just a problem that could be solved by an app. You needed a whole platform behind it.”

The value of an accurate yield prediction can’t be understated.

It has implications all along the supply chain – in the case of viticulture, everything from transport and processing of the grapes, to wine sales, to packing, to shipping can be streamlined and improved.

The team is aiming to get their yield prediction to an accuracy of within 10%. That’s a bold aim when there are currently no standard procedures in the industry. According to Seer Insights, prediction accuracy varies widely between growers.

“It can be as bad as 50% off,” said Ellul. “The benefit of this software for wineries is they have peace of mind that this is a set in stone procedure that will give them and their growers a reliable outcome.”

Seer Insights’ wants to establish an industry standardisation that will add value to the entire wine industry.

“We’re talking 10% on an organisational scale here. It’s a lofty goal but I think it’s better to dream big and do the best possible,” said Lucas.

“This is why we think building a commercial business around it is one of the most important points. If you just throw some software out there, that’s been done before. It may help people, but if you’re continually adding value, that represents a

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August 2015 – Issue 619

The winemakers basically said, look, you can throw as many drones as you want out there, but what we’ll pay you to do is estimate yield. lot more for the industry.

“If we can continue to add value afterwards, then it’s not just streamlining processes for an industry – there can be entirely new processes developed out of this.”

Some of the wineries that Seer Insights have consulted with have outlined the difficulties of moving to a more mathematically based prediction process from ‘intuitive’ approaches – essentially guesstimating grape weight on the vine.

“It’s a huge logistical challenge to implement it, let alone sustain it. Any organisation could do this in house, but the value in our business is that they don’t have to maintain the systems, they don’t have to worry about updating it,” said Ellul.

“It’s good for competition as well. By having a commercially viable product that’s available to the broad market, you’re really democratising the use of technology. By distributing it evenly for everyone you can improve the sum of all the components of the industry – you’re not getting this skewed power dynamic.”

Lucas says the team has not forgotten their original target market – agriculture in general.

“There’s a lot of similar paradigms between crops,” he said.

“There are differences between viticulture and agriculture, but although sugar cane might be very different to predicting the yield for grapes, the processes that you put in place to do that are fundamentally the same.”

With an ever evolving product, the individual bits of data they’re gathering can be pulled together to give a wider outlook for the agriculture industry.

“There’s a lesser known term than big data – little data,” said Lucas. “It doesn’t sound as flashy but you can apply the concepts of big data to small amounts of data at a time. The cool thing about little data is that, when you get enough, you have big data.”

Ellul, Lucas and Bakopoulos are currently riding on a wave of support and interest from research and industry bodies in South Australia.

“Adelaide is fantastic at the moment,” said Ellul. “There’s a big move for progressive thinking and the encouragement of innovation and growth of the technology space.

“South Australia is probably the best place in the world for us to be doing this in viticulture too. Our wine industry is second to none. It’s world class.”

The team use the South Australian wine industry as their testing and launch market, which will help them later in the year when they visit the United States as the prize for winning the Tech eChallenge.

“The Barossa is one of the greatest wine regions in the world,” says Lucas. “If you can go to the Napa Valley in America and say, look, the Barossa growers are using this, maybe you guys could try as well – that’s what we’re looking to do.”

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August 2015 – Issue 619

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

39

young gun

SAM BOWMAN: Viticulturist and grower liaison at Bleasdale Vineyards.

Can’t sit still: Bleasdale’s energiser bunny Behind the scenes at a family-owned wine business with 165 years or history and tradition, growing grapes in an unassuming part of South Australia, is a heavily tattooed young bloke. Sam Bowman is a part-time muso, part-time martial arts fighter and full-time viticulturist. He’s the sort of character who can’t sit still.

Emilie Reynolds caught up with the man in charge of the Bleasdale vineyards to find out how he landed in a dream role he never imagined.

SAM BOWMAN never expected to become a viticulturist. Born and bred in Bendigo, Bowman embarked on a teaching degree long before he fell in love with wine.

It took two years for him to realise education wasn’t the right path, but luckily a short stint in hospitality showed him the light.

“When I started working in hospitality

40 Grapegrower & Winemaker

I developed a love of wine and focused my attention on learning everything I could about it,” Bowman said.

“On my days off from the restaurant I would drive to wineries and pick the winemaker’s brain trying to learn as much as I could about the whole process.”

Driven by a new passion, Bowman eventually commenced a degree in wine science and viticulture through Charles www.winetitles.com.au

Sturt University in Wagga Wagga.

“One night whilst working at a local wine bar in Bendigo, I struck up a conversation with Mark Lane, the winemaker at Balgownie Estate. He was ex CSU and after chatting for a while he offered me a job over the bar that night,” Bowman said. “I started at Balgownie at 21 as a cellar and vineyard hand and never looked back.”

August 2015 – Issue 619

I started my career with a sole intention of becoming a winemaker. I even started my own wine label at 21, chasing the glory of my name on the back of a bottle but somehow along the way I ended up in the vineyard and for better or worse it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

Six years on and 27-years-old, Bowman said much has changed since he first decided to get involved with the wine industry.

“I started my career with a sole intention of becoming a winemaker,” he explained. “I even started my own wine label at 21 years of age, chasing the glory of my name on the back of a bottle but somehow along the way I ended up in the vineyard and for better or worse it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

After five vintages at Balgownie Estates, Bowman took on a role with Bleasdale Vineyards as the viticulturist and grower liaison in 2013.

“Viticulture to me is the perfect blend of agriculture, science and business,” he said. “Working with winemakers and growers to create wines of certain styles is an exciting process and seeing the results of your hard work and management techniques is something so many industries don’t have. Plus I am always partial to a decent vino or two!”

Bowman oversees the management of Bleasdale owned vineyards and works with the company’s growers all over South Australia to deliver premium fruit to the winery.

“The business is an Aussie icon which started in 1850 and still majority owned by the original family,” he said.

“We have a fantastic team and it is a great place to work.

“Bleasdale are industry leaders in Australian Malbec and the variety has become a great passion of mine over the last few years. If you think growing good Pinot Noir is hard you’ve never grown Malbec!”

Recognised on a national scale as a young leader in the wine industry, Bowman was selected by Wine Grape Growers Australia to be a representative at the Vinitech conference in Bordeaux last December.

“It has definitely been a highlight,” he said. “A great trip where I met some great people and learnt a lot about what we can expect to be the next big things in wine and viticulture in the coming years.”

While Bowman has been throwing his energy into the viticulture scene, he has a few other secret talents that set him further apart from the stereotypical wine world.

“In my early 20’s I toured around August 2015 – Issue 619

playing music in bands and performed regularly in Bendigo playing solo acoustic shows (guitar and singing). Music has always been a great passion of mine, I have even recorded some solo tracks that are still floating around on YouTube!”

As well as being a talented musician, Bowman is also sporty.

“Since I moved to SA I have been training Muay Thai kickboxing three to four times a week and have trained in Bangkok for the past two years as well,” he said.

“I also enjoy running and compete in the City to Bay and the Henley Classic each year.”

He readily admits he can’t sit still for long, so naturally one of his other passions is travel.

“Working with wine always tends to sway my travel destinations but we are lucky places with vineyards are usually the best spots,” he said. “I hope to travel as much as I can and develop a global view of viticulture.”

An active member of the Langhorne Creek Winegrowers Committee, Bowman said he believed the biggest issues in Australian viticulture were the impacts of climate change, trunk diseases and a lack of profitability in grapegrowing.

“The answer for trunk diseases is much less complex than how to sort out the issues and impacts around our changing climate and profitable grapegrowing but with the right people making the right reforms let’s hope we could be in a better position on both issues in the near future,” he said.

“What excites me is the feeling that the tides may be turning for the Australian industry and we may see a return to profitability for growers and an increase in demand for Australian wine both domestically and internationally.

“I think there are a lot of people who know what needs to be done, it is just a case of making the right reforms and letting everyone get on with the job.”

For young guns looking to kick-start their careers, Bowman said the key was to put your head down and your ears out.

“Work hard, be passionate and don’t be afraid to listen to the old blokes, they know more than you might think,” he said.

With obvious passion and a desire to educate himself, Bowman said he hoped www.winetitles.com.au

his career would allow him to be at the forefront of viticultural innovation.

“I hope to constantly try new things to produce world class wines,” he said.

“Australia has a great history of innovation in Viticulture and it would be a shame if the next generation didn’t continue that legacy.”

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41

Fine-tuning the art of berry sensory analysis in France Bordeaux institute develops a simplified procedure to determine ripeness Diana Macle, a freelance journalist specialising in the wine industry and based in France, reports on developments in evaluation of ripening grapes but finds that tasting berries is still the ultimate test. This article was originally published in Wine Business Monthly in the US and is used here with permission.

In-the-field monitoring may be more time consuming, but it is a more reliable way of identifying when to pick and the sort of wine that can be made from a specific parcel, RECENT YEARS have seen renewed interest in berry sampling to decide upon the best time to harvest winegrapes.

Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV) in Bordeaux has established a simplified procedure that is easy to implement while the grapes are ripening.

A number of existing techniques were compared in view of coming up with a less time consuming and more reliable method. It can be used in conjunction with chemical analysis to provide vintners with a precise evaluation of maturity.

Training courses that focus on this approach are currently provided by the Institute, and its main points have been outlined in a paper by IFV research engineers Emmanuel Vinsonneau, Charlotte Anneraud and Yohann Baudouin.

Several important criteria have to be respected when using this form of assessment.

The biggest challenge for winemakers is choosing the right sample to analyse, as the ripeness within a cluster of grapes is often uneven.

As a result, it is necessary to select a vineyard row and to identify well-balanced sections within each of the parcels to be controlled. Each week, 200 berries are picked and chemically analysed, and a further 100 are picked for tasting purposes.

A panel of at least three tasters is set up at the beginning of the maturity inspections, which should start at least five weeks before the crush.

The berries have to be evaluated once a week by the same participants, at the latest 24 hours after picking. They can eventually be stored for a short period at the bottom of a fridge at a temperature of 5° C to 6° C, but have to be at room temperature to be correctly assessed.

Each member of the tasting panel samples the same number of berries.

“This easy-to-reproduce analysis is well-adapted to most red grape varieties and is designed to limit subjectivity,” said Vinsonneau.

Berry sensory analysis is based upon the evaluation of the fruit’s three main parts: pulp, skin and seeds. The berries are sampled at the same time by the various tasters and each criterion is rated on a scale of 1 to 4.

A tasting profile can be established on a weekly basis in view of monitoring the harvest’s development.

42 Grapegrower & Winemaker

The stem side of each berry is placed in the taster’s mouth and pressed to suck out the pulp. The skin is set aside, and the taster separates the seeds from the pulp by tongue.

The pulp is first evaluated on its own in terms of sugar and acidity. The skin is chewed 10 times and then spread across the palate and oral mucosa to grade tannic intensity and identify strong flavours.

Dryness is also rated, according to the ability to re-salivate and the texture of the tannins’ grain.

The seeds are only tasted when they start to develop a yellowish brown colour. They are crushed between the taster’s teeth to determine their hardness and then spread across the palate and oral mucosa to evaluate their tannic intensity.

The relevance of the results depends upon the consistency with which these steps are identically carried out on a weekly basis by each taster.

Two indexes are calculated in view of monitoring the degree of ripeness: Index of pulp ripeness = average rating of sweetness ÷ average rating of acidity This index can be compared to the technological maturity obtained through a chemical analysis (sugar/AT).

Index of the skin’s phenolic maturity = 1÷ average tannic intensity + average tannic dryness x 1000 This index can be compared to the analytical development of anthocyanin content during the maturation process.

According to Bordeaux winemaking consultant, Julien Belle, some of his clients are no longer using laboratory tools to pinpoint maturity, preferring to solely rely on berry sensory analysis.

“In-the-field monitoring may be more time consuming, but it is a more reliable way of identifying when to pick and the sort of wine that can be made from a specific parcel, as the Glories method is slightly out of step with today’s vine-growing practices and changes in climate,” explained Belle.

“It can still play a role in the assessment of a harvest’s maturity; however, berry tasting has the last word.”

Looking for more articles, visit the Grapegrower and Winemaker article archive at:

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www.winetitles.com.au/gwm August 2015 – Issue 619

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grapegrowing

Weighty returns for growers from award winning ‘Vinnovation’ THE BROTHERS responsible for an innovative trailer have been awarded the inaugural ‘Vinnovation’ award for winegrape growers in South Australia.

Bill and Phil Longbottom, independent winegrape growers from Padthaway in the South East, were selected ahead of the other finalists for the trailer’s potential for adoption across all growing regions, its ability to directly improve profits and its relatively inexpensive cost, according to Peter Hackworth, the Wine Grape Council of SA executive officer.

The tandem-axle trailer has been equipped with inbuilt scales so that bins are weighed as they are filled in the vineyard, allowing more accurate quantities to then be delivered to wineries, among other benefits. The brothers built the trailer for under $6000.

“Oversupply is a common issue and growers can be penalised – some wineries pay only $1/tonne for fruit delivered over contract and for a large vineyard that can easily be five to 10 tonnes or even more,” said Hackworth.

“The fruit that is excess to winery contract can be sold on the spot market for anywhere from $300 to $1200 a tonne.

For the Longbottoms, this alone has covered the trailer cost in one season.”

Other benefits of the trailer include: • Bins can be loaded straight onto the truck, removing double-handling and increasing worker safety and better scheduling of trucks; • It addresses the problem of variation in volume weight between varieties; • The tandem-axle reduces soil compaction in the vineyard and allows use of 4x4 tyres; • The harvester driver can see on the large read-out of the scales — within an accuracy of 20kgs — the nett weight of a bin as it fills and to transfer fruit to a second bin when the correct weight has been received; and • Once the harvester has picked two rows, total yields can be more accurately estimated.

Judges said that all four finalists had come up with solutions to different issues, which would have a positive effect on their productivity, vineyard practice or returns and would be applicable to many vineyards in South Australia.

“All of these innovations have been done with minimal cost and

44 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Padthaway grapegrower Phil Longbottom claimed the ‘vinnovation’ award for his dual-axle trailer with inbuilt scales.

All of these innovations have been done with minimal cost and clever thinking to solve the problem, Importantly, all the entrants have indicated their willingness and generosity to share their innovations with other growers. clever thinking to solve the problem,” said Hackworth. “Importantly, all the entrants have indicated their willingness and generosity to share their innovations with other growers.”

The other finalists were: • Ben Blows, independent grapegrower from Macclesfield, Adelaide Hills Ben developed a recirculating sprayer, using existing items from other machinery, which allows fast spraying within 48 hours of completing pruning to reduce the spread of Eutypa, one of the major problems for winegrape growers in cooler climate areas. The sprayer also reduces the amount of chemical used by 40%, while also being more effective www.winetitles.com.au

at killing scale than other proprietary sprayers.

• Kim Anderson, independent vineyard owner at Charleston, Adelaide Hills.

Kim’s vineyard is on a sloping block with a 7–8% gradient, causing fruit to ripen more quickly on the higher ground.

He instituted a number of strategies to both bring greater uniformity to ripening fruit along the rows and delaying development so that grapes ripen later and in cooler months to enhance flavours.

• Hans Loder, consultant, Coonawarra Hans developed software that enables Katnook Estate in Coonawarra to receive detailed yield mapping of their vineyards with 24 hours of fruit being harvested – down from the previous 30 days. This enables the vineyard manager to rapidly assess adjustments made during the season to address the very high degree of soil variation that typically occurs on Coonawarra’s terra rossa soils.

The Vinnovation Award was announced at the SA Winegrape Growers Summit held in Adelaide in July. The prize includes a trophy, $2000 cash and a Pellenc Lixion battery powered pruner valued at over $2000.

More than 200 winegrape growers and experts attended the summit to hear about the outlook for winegrapes leading into 2016 and beyond.

August 2015 – Issue 619

Kiwi organic vines shine in trial THE FINAL results of a groundbreaking three-year national organic grapegrowing trial are in – and the organic vines have come out shining in New Zealand.

In the Organic Focus Vineyard Project, three vineyard teams transitioned half of their grapevines to organic production, while a team of scientists monitored the results and their wine industry peers looked on. For comparison, half of each focus vineyard site was managed under standard wine industry agrichemical practices.

The three-year trial was initiated by grower group Organic Winegrowers New Zealand, and funded by the Ministry of Primary Industries’ Sustainable Farming Fund, in response to a recent surge of new organic conversions in the wine industry.

“Organic winegrowing has been expanding fantastically in recent years, but most of the information-sharing for new entrants has been anecdotal,” said Rebecca Reider, project manager. “We wanted to blaze a clear path for new

August 2015 – Issue 619

A number of the blocks showed it was possible, once organic management was established, to have equivalent production costs. The feedback from the winemakers involved in the project was very positive about the quality of the organic wines. organic growers to follow, and to give all wineries a more objective view of the potential costs and benefits involved in becoming organic.”

Participating wineries were chosen to represent a cross-section of vineyard scenarios across New Zealand, in Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago.

The final report from the project has just been released. Despite a few challenges along the way, the organic vineyards posted strong numbers across the board, from pest and disease levels through to wine quality. Participating vineyard managers and winemakers were enthusiastic about the results. Once the trial was over, all of the involved

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wineries chose to maintain or expand their organic growing areas.

“The monitoring results showed that excellent disease control was possible with organic management,” said Jonathan Hamlet, chair of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand. “A number of the blocks showed it was possible, once organic management was established, to have equivalent production costs. The feedback from the winemakers involved in the project was very positive about the quality of the organic wines.”

A summary of results, and a downloadable PDF of the full report, are available at www.organicfocusvineyard. com.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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grapegrowing

International viticulture gathering

Experts meet in Montpellier Victor Sadras, from the South Australia Research and Development Institute, attended the 19th International Meeting of Viticulture GiESCO (Group of international Experts of vitivinicultural Systems for Co-operation) in Montpellier, during late May and early June. The main themes of the conference included: ecophysiology, water and irrigation; climate and terroir; training and cultivation techniques; grape berry and microclimate; new technologies; as well as rootstock and soil. Here, Sardas reports on the key topics.

A SERIES of standard papers on management of water dealt with cover crops, wastewater, crop monitoring, yield and fruit responses; and while these provided little new information, Markus Keller and colleagues presented a highly original and relevant paper Hydraulic isolation of ripening grape berries: the end of a dogma.

They tested with sound experimental systems, the notions that ripening berries become dependent upon phloem water supply because xylem flow into the berries ceases at veraison due to rupture of vessels during rapid berry expansion. Using field-grown vines, they conducted a mass balance on ripening berries to estimate rates of berry growth, transpiration, and phloem flow.

Using a modified pressure-chamber technique, they extracted apoplast sap from ripening berries and compared its composition with that of cell sap. Measurements indicated a

46 Grapegrower & Winemaker

An area that is attracting increasing attention in the context of global warming is the manipulation of crop phenology and maturity, and techniques to contribute to balanced fruit. sudden rise in phloem inflow into berries undergoing veraison on drought-stressed vines.

Rewatering accelerated berry expansion by stimulating leaf photosynthesis, but girdling the cluster peduncle prevented this effect. Pressurising the roots or shoots increased expansion only in pre-veraison berries, but led to cracking of post-veraison berries. Pressurisation also restored the normally impeded dye movement into ripening berries.

They showed that the phloem generally supplied more water than was needed for berry growth and transpiration. Solute accumulation and changes in pH and osmotic pressure in the berry apoplast differed from that inside the cells and were under developmental control. These results demonstrated that phloem inflow is controlled by sugar demand in the ripening berries and that these berries do not become hydraulically isolated. While xylem flow remains reversible, it is usually from berry to shoot during ripening. They propose a model in which surplus phloem water that osmotically follows the unloaded sugar to the berry apoplast is recycled directly to the xylem or transpired across the skin.

Xylem backflow and transpiration may serve as ‘overflow valves’ for excess phloem water, thus facilitating sugar accumulation and protecting berries from cracking. One of the main corollaries of this study is that the water and carbon economies of berries are closely related, and therefore studies on detached berries would largely miss this link.

Climate and terroir comprised 24 papers and a further 19 on berry and microclimate. Modelling is a useful approach to integrate otherwise fragmented aspect of grape and wine production, and to extrapolate in space and time from necessarily limited experimental work. Hofmann and Schultz presented their efforts in modelling the transpiration of grapevines on sloped vineyards; accounting for by vineyard geometrical features made it possible to directly compare the relative transpiration of different vineyards. Miranda and colleagues discussed above ground biomass production and partitioning as affected by water status in the context of their vineyard-modelling project VitMod; Luchaire and colleagues used ‘microvines’ to measure aspects of the vine carbon balance

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August 2015 – Issue 619

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grapegrowing Table 1. Economic comparison of alternative spraying systems in Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. Source: Vasco BOATTO, Luigi GALLETTO, Gianni TEO, Luigino BARISAN, GiESCO 2015.

Current Prototype (A)

Cost:

Fixed system "realistic model" (B)

Fixed system "in series model" (C)

Helicopter (*) (**) (D)

(€/Ha) Average fixed costs (CFIN): 3.594

2.994

2.516

-

2) Mobile part

1) Fixed part

253

253

253

-

3) Maintenance

600

600

600

50

4) Reintegrates & interest tractor / sprayer Total Fixed Costs (CF)

-

-

-

80

4.447

3.847

3.369

130

500

500

500

250

Average Variable costs (cv): 5) Carburant e lubricant 6) Labour(*)

405

405

405

840

7) Cost of plant protection products (*)

900

900

900

400

-

-

-

2.480

Total Variable Cost

8) Helicopter Tariff

1.805

1.805

1.805

3.970

Total Cost per unit

6.252

5.652

5.174

4.100

as a platform to model the effects of elevated CO2 and elevated temperature.

The work led by Miranda and Luchaire are examples of how a modelling framework helps to formalise research questions and integrate fragmented information. In the study of Dufourcq and colleagues, irrigation strategies aimed at modulating the aromatic typicality of Colombard and Gros Manseng wines were explored with a combination of modelling soil water content, measuring stem water potential and analysing carbon isotope

in sugar at harvest; this illustrates the value of combining modelling and experimental work. Other modelling studies dealing with climate change, terroir and landscape, prediction of phenology included those by the teams of Quenol, Vinatier, Parker, and Brillante.

Training and cultivation featured 35 papers. An area that is attracting increasing attention in the context of global warming is the manipulation of crop phenology and maturity, and techniques to contribute to balanced fruit. Papers tested

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August 2015 – Issue 619

growth regulators, canopy/fruit ratio treatments, for example defoliation to favour anthocyanin: sugar ratio, minimum pruning, and nitrogen input.

New technologies included 23 papers. Many of these were related to spatial variation; how to measure it and exploit it in the vineyard. Boatto and colleagues presented an economic evaluation of alternative technologies for chemical spray, which included innovative fixed systems to reduce drift in environmentally-sensitive areas (Table 1). Rootstocks and soils comprised 14 papers. Rootstocks were typically evaluated for their impact on shoot growth and water status, berry traits, and nutrient uptake.

The professional session on the last day of the conference focused on both big picture issues and case studies with regional relevance under the title of ‘sustainable viticulture’.

A production system is sustainable if it meets four conditions: • It is profitable; • It accounts for the social expectations: • It accounts for environmental expectations; and • Delivers safe produce.

All these factors are related, and failure in one or more of them compromises the system. Sustainability and climate change were the topics of papers by Smart, Schultz and Carbonneau. As usual, these authors asked sharp questions, and presented an invaluable long-term perspective. Sustainability however needs to be solved locally. Case studies dealt with specific regional aspects, such as irrigation and the role of organic systems in California (Sanchez), Champagne (Garcia), Australia (Collins), and Switzerland (Spring).

Australian scientists also presented a series of papers: Peter Clingeleffer (Thompson seedless berry collapse); Vinay Pagay

The professional session on the last day of the conference focused on both big picture issues and case studies with regional relevance under the title of ‘sustainable viticulture’.

(The influence of soil moisture deficits on Riesling shoots in a cool, humid climate; Severe leaf removal improves vine sourcesink balance and composition of Merlot grapes and wine); Fiona Kerslake (Pinot Noir yield prediction in a variable cool climate); Markus Müller (Comparison of vineyard nitrogen application practices and winery nitrogen management); Roberta De Bei (Linking canopy architecture to grape quality using the laicanopy app); Richard Smart (Changes to viticulture in the last forty years. are these tendencies sustainable?); Cassandra Collins (The relative sustainability of organic, biodynamic and conventional viticulture);and Victor Sadras (Wine as G x E: effect of temperature on vine and fruit phenotype).

Browsing the proceedings of the conference, the strong influence of The Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research became evident, reinforcing the world-leading position of the ASVO journal.

Acknowledgement The Australian Grape and Wine Authority partially funded Victor Sadras travel to GiESCO.

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BILITY

August 2015 – Issue 619

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

49

grapegrowing

The new benchmark for tractor economy NEW HOLLAND’S new TT4 economy utility tractor range is set to redefine the economy tractor market in this ever expanding segment. This range of tractors offers three models: the TT4.55, TT4.65 and TT4.75, producing engine powers from 55 to 75 hp.

The TT4 is set to replace the original Series TT which revolutionised the economy tractor market, when it was released to Australia in 2005. The New Holland Series TT tractor delivered proven technology reliability, simplicity, and low cost of ownership, at a very economical price. Since its introduction, New Holland Dealers have delivered over 2,300 units, making it one of the most popular products launched in the Australian market to date.

The new line up enhances the choice available to farmers, small holders, local government / municipalities and other operators who are looking for a highly versatile tractor. It offers excellent manoeuvrability, ergonomic comfort and fuel efficiency. The complete range is ideally suited to a wide range of both agricultural and non-agricultural tasks, including front loader activities, hauling and PTO work. The entire TT4 series benefits from New Holland’s acclaimed ergonomic excellence and distinctive styling cues.

The TT4.55, TT4.65 and TT4.75 models boast FPT Industrial’s S8000 turbocharged mechanical fuel injection engine. This 2.9 litre powerplant boasts two valves per cylinder and offers maximum torque of up to 300 Nm guaranteeing outstanding productivity for the most demanding applications, The engine uses Tier 3 technology to meet engine emission standards. Overall vehicle efficiency is further enhanced with a 540 eco PTO speed. This enables the engine to run at a lower working

speed for reduced fuel consumption. Add to that 300 hour service intervals and the TT4 delivers plenty of power with economical running costs.

A new 12 x 12 transmission offering is standard throughout the entire range and is enhanced with the addition of the dash mounted synchronised shuttle control.

This dash mounted lever can be operated without removing the hand from the steering wheel, enhancing safety and improving loader productivity. An optional 20 x 20 creeper transmission is available for all models, with speeds as low as 0.27km/h (270m/hr) it’s ideally suited for specialist activities and precision applications.

New Holland AP Plus loaders have been specially developed for the New Holland TT4 tractor range. Designed for Australian conditions, and featuring excellent visibility, their durable performance and solid construction allows operators to handle bigger tasks for longer periods.

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50 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Designed with service access and visibility in mind the excellent visibility to the bucket is thanks to the loaders mid-mount design, narrow boom arms and small uprights. All key pivot points are fitted with heavy-duty bushes. These can all be lubricated from the side of the loader, with easy to see recessed grease points.

New Holland AP Plus Series Loaders can be specified with a choice of Standard or 4in1 bucket designs. With integrated park stands and colour coded hydraulic couplers these loaders truly are a multipurpose tool.

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Truly sustainable viticulture must start at the roots In this article Federica Gaiotti and Diego Tomasi, from the Centre for Viticultural Research in Conegliano, Italy, examine how cared-for root systems can benefit grapegrowers. They look at important topics that emerged from the first International Conference on the Grapevine Root Systems and how the follow-up work is set to encourage innovation and competitiveness in the winegrowing sector. This article has been made available through cooperation between Corriere Vinicolo and the Grapegrower & Winemaker.

THE CONCEPT of terroir, which has undergone significant development as a result of zonation studies, has made it clear that certain crucial elements often escape observation by experts, constitutive components of the grapevine that enable it to maximise interaction with its surrounding environment.

For too long, we believed that soil operations (fertilisation, irrigation, weed removal) were enough to ensure development and maintenance of the vine over the growing season, without bothering to try and understand the true role of the root system.

But it is only through study of root density and distribution that we can gain an understanding of this important organ, and zonation studies have thankfully exposed the significance of this subject. Over the course of various studies aiming to characterise viticultural environments, and from the vantagepoint afforded by their inspection trenches, it was frequently observed that the vine roots were confined in quite restricted areas of soil and at times quite close to the surface; other times, they displayed obvious symptoms of asphyxia, forming layers at

the surface, while in still other instances they penetrated more than a metre in depth.

Our interest grew further when we realised that what one sees in a root profile constitutes only 30-40% of the entire root apparatus, since what we are observing are the transport and reserve storage roots, whereas what is usually missed are the very thin roots that comprise the majority of the system, root hairs whose diameter is 2-3 times thinner than a human hair and which are the true absorbing agent; that some 60% of the roots are renewed over the course of a year; and that over the year there are usually two peak periods of intense root growth (pre-budbreak and post-harvest) but absorption activities are more intense from pre-flowering through leaf-fall. All of these elements, as well as symbiosis with mycorrhizae and storage of nutrition substances, tell us that the true engine of the vine is the root system, including its activities of hormone synthesis and as the “sentinel” organ with respect to vine stress.

If the question is “how and where is a good wine born?” we

Untreated timber encased in recycled plastic The Trellis Post you can trust NO Rot / NO Rust / NO Chemical Fig.1 A good wine is the fruit of healthy roots and good soil management practices that aerate the soil, improve its permeability, supply it with organic substances, and allow the roots to expand easily and reach good depth.

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Fig.2 CRA-VIT (Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura di Conegliano - Italia), organised the first International Conference on Grapevine Roots S, held at Rauscedo (Italy) in October 2014.

August 2015 – Issue 619

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

51

grapegrowing AT A GLANCE The root is perhaps the grapevine’s most fragile and delicate organ, but it boasts a wealth of functions. A root system anchored in optimal conditions makes it possible for the vine to quickly respond to even the slightest interventions by the grower, thus allowing reduced irrigation and fertilisation. Hence the observation that appropriate annual treatment of the soil allows a 50% reduction in fertilisation and at the same time improves grape quality, which means, therefore, that a truly sustainable viticulture must start with the root system.

In this article Federica Gaiotti and Diego Tomasi, from the Centre for Viticultural Research in Conegliano, Italy, will sum up the most important topics to emerge from the first International Conference on the Grapevine Root Systems, held in October 2014. The conference attracted an impressive participation with more than 300 attendees including scientists, viticulturalists, technical experts, and students. The six sessions saw presentations of more than 60 studies, carried out by researchers from 21 different countries. This impressive roster underscores the fact root systems are once again receiving focused attention not only from the most important international research centres but from viticulturalists and commercial nurseries as well. Such attention represents a fruitful encounter between private interests and scientific research, and constitutes the basis for a welcome synergy that will encourage innovation and competitiveness in the winegrowing sector. Abstracts of the studies are available online at www.vit.entecra.it/ grapevineroots2014. can certainly reply that it is from the roots and from good soil management practices that will aerate the soil to improve its permeability, provide organic substances, and permit the roots to expand at good depth. Unless such activities are carried out, there is no point in paying any attention to the selection of an appropriate rootstock, since in challenging soil (asphytic, overly compact, with scarce organic material) the genetic qualities

52 Grapegrower & Winemaker

of the rootstock will be frustrated. Further, we would not be addressing in a correct manner the mission of making the vineyard less dependent on continual interventions and more able to cope on its own with changing weather conditions.

ORIGINS AND FUTURE OF ROOTSTOCKS Climate change and new vineyard management practices aimed at increasing viticultural sustainability have necessitated development of new rootstocks that can respond to changing viticultural requirements, in particular genotypes that display better drought resistance; less sensitivity to salinity and limestone content; improved vine-vigour control, with better affinity to the grafted scion; and quicker response to soil variables.

As Natalie Ollat of INRA (France) remarked, upon opening the first session of the symposium, rootstock research, particularly in Italy, has long been neglected. Quite eloquent is the fact that the SO4, one of the most widely-used rootstocks, dates back to 1930, and all others to even earlier: Kober 5BB, 140 Ruggeri, and 1103 Paulsen emerged in the early 1900s, while 41 B, 420 A, and 101.14 were selected around 1880.

Responding to changed environmental and viticultural conditions, various European Research Centres have launched rootstock research over the last few years and projects involving crosses with American vines. Tab. 1 presents a synthesis, offered at the conference, of rootstock studies currently underway or recently completed in Europe, America, and Australia. In Italy, beginning in the late 1980s, the University of Bologna began a programme of genetic improvement that led to the creation of two new rootstocks, STAR 50 and STAR 74, that are able to provide the vine with better-balanced growth; they are both recommended for high-density vineyards in soils of mediumhigh fertility. During the same period, the University of Milan launched a vine-cross project utilising its own collection, with the objective of obtaining rootstocks displaying more efficient water and mineral utilisation (Fe, K, Mg) and better resistance to limestone and salinity. This programme resulted in the introduction of 4 new rootstocks, denominated “M series,” with distinctive properties and immediately-concrete application; they were placed in the National Register of Grape Varieties

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Fig 3 Waterlogging brings problems of asphyxia and makes the roots develop in the soil layers nearest the surface and therefore most aerated.

in 2004 and are currently authorised across the board. Some studies presented during the conference analysed the influence of the M-series rootstocks on crop and quality levels of various cultivars, underscoring a greater efficiency, especially in conditions of environmental stress, compared to traditional rootstocks.

INTERACTION BETWEEN ROOTS, ENVIRONMENT, AND VITICULTURAL PRACTICES The vine’s root system, as Kobus Hunter of the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) reminded participants in his opening address, possesses many aspects that are still poorly understood. Better understanding of its morphological and physiological responses to environmental factors could lead to useful information that in turn could make possible improved vineyard management approaches.

In fact, although root growth, density, and horizontally and vertically distribution depend in great measure on the genetic properties of the rootstock, a single genotype may nonetheless exhibit a different root distribution and activity depending on the type of soil in which it is planted and on the set of agronomic practices applied by the grower, e.g., soil management, irrigation, fertilisation, etc.

It has been known for some time now that soil type, and in particular its texture (percentage of sand, clay, and silt), plays a crucial role in the roots’ morphologic development.

Other factors, nevertheless, including soil groundwater content, aeration, and degree of compaction, can contribute to rendering the edaphic environment more or less hospitable for the root system. One study, presented by Hunter, clearly revealed the soil-water interactive relationship by examining root growth within the same vineyard, but on two different parcels each with a different soil type. Under conditions of average water availability, root system growth was greater in clay soils compared to sand, but with abundant available water, growth was better in looser soils. This leads to the conclusion that when water volume is in excess (e.g., in clay soils with poor drainage and distribution -fig. 3) instances of asphyxia can occur, which negatively impacts root development and which should therefore be alleviated by appropriate agronomic practices.

Every rootstock has an innate tendency to colonise the soil in a specific fashion, but both edaphic factors and soil management can significantly modify it. This must be clearly understood right from the outset of planting the vineyard, since appropriately-prepared soils, in which the roots will not be hampered as they extend downwards and develop, are the fundamental prerequisite for the homogeneous development of the vineyard and for ensuring that the vine will enjoy better August 2015 – Issue 619

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grapegrowing

Fig.4 Planting in improperly-prepared soils can cause the formation of walls in the furrows that the cutting roots cannot penetrate.

Such barriers limit root-system development over the entire lifespan of the vineyard and force the vine to produce superficial roots, searching for better edaphic conditions.

Fig 5 Soil tillage (a) and supply of organic material (b) constitute examples of correct agronomic management. Such practices favour aeration and reduce soil compaction, ensuring healthy root systems.

Fig. 6 Research projects conducted by CRA-VIT demonstrated that the position of the irrigation line had an obvious effect on root development. Wherever the line was put (for example, subirrigation with the line 40cm and 135cm from the vine-row), the root system tended to concentrate around the water emitters. When the line was positioned near the vine-row (a), the roots tended to develop closer to the surface and to concentrate themselves in a smaller volume of soil. When the line was positioned farther out from the vine-row (b), the roots were encouraged to spread out more and to penetrate farther, in order to reach moister zones. (Merlot/161.49 in sandy soil with abundant pebble-gravel, Tezze di Piave area)

resistance to environmental stresses. As Hunter reminded the conference, these are the fundamental objectives that soil management ought to pursue in order to ensure the root system maximum heath: • Careful pre-planting operations, eliminating any physical barriers that could limit root development; • Perform planting operations in well-tempered soils. Planting carried out in excessively-wet soils can lead to the formation of impenetrable walls along the sides of the furrows for the cuttings (fig. 4). Similarly, planting in soils that are too dry can cause formation of large clods that will block root development; and • Prevent, particularly in heavy soils, problems of soil compaction and asphyxia by tillage procedures, constructing drainage, and periodically supplying organic material, which is useful for maintaining good soil structure (fig. 5a, 5b).

Other agronomic operations, in addition to those regarding soil management, can more or less directly impact root development. Various presentations underscored the impact

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54 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Fig.7 Young Sangiovese scions grafted onto 775P. Note the denser, more developed root system of the vines inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense (b) compared with the control (a). (Photo of a: Toffanin et al)

of irrigation, agreeing that water availability insufficient for vine requirements limits root proliferation and lengthening and at the same time reduces the average lifespan of the absorbing roots. It is absolutely necessary, therefore, to ensure that the vine has sufficient water resources to sustain its root growth and turnover processes, particularly during periods of maximum root growth (in our environments, between budbreak and flowering, and in the 30-40 days following harvest). In addition to the amount of water supplied, the methods of irrigation too can significantly impact root distribution. Some studies of sub-irrigation conducted by CRA-VIT showed that localised irrigation tended to concentrate the roots around the water emitter zones, even in cases where the irrigation line was located at a distance from the vine-row (in this regard, see the scenario presented in fig. 6).

Nor should it be forgotten, finally, that even canopy management has an effect on the root system. Some studies of the use of shade netting, and of cluster-thinning on young vines, together with research carried out by CRA-VIT on pruning

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Tab. State of the arte in research into grapevine rootstocks currently underway in Europe, America, and Australia.

COUNTRY (Authors)

ROOTSTOCK

VARIETY USED

RESEARCH SUBJECT

Australia (Edwards et al.)

Merbein series

Shiraz

Efficiency of H2O use

Canada (Rahemi et al.)

905 wild genotypes of Vitis riparia

Only rootstock

Resistance to winter cold

Germany (Schmid et al.)

Börner (V. riparia X V. cinerea)

Various

Adaptability to various growing sites

Italy (Intrieri et al.)

STAR 50, STAR 74

Sangiovese, Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Moscato d’Amburgo

Development of new dwarfing rootstocks

Italy (Tarricone et al.)

161.49, 1103 P, 34 EM, 41B, 140 Ruggeri

Princess

Virus tolerance

Italy (AA.VV)

M (M1, M2, M3, M4) series

Various

Development of rootstocks with improved water and mineral utilisation and abiotic stress resistance

Macedonia (Nedelkovski et al.)

Teleki, Fercal, Rupestris, 41B

Vranec

Rootstock impact on phenology

Montenegro (Maraš et al.)

1103 Paulsen, 41B

Vranac

Rootstock impact on yield

Slovenia (Vršic et al.)

Teleki, Kober 5BB, Fercal, Georgikon 28; 4 nuovi ibridi: FB01 (Fercal x Börner), JB01 (Juhfark x Börner), Zamor 17 (5BB x Rup. metallica), SZF10 (Georgikon 28 x Börner)

Only rootstock

Extreme pH tolerance

Spain (Carrasco et al.)

Vitis sylvestris

Only rootstock

Identification of new genetic resources for resistance to phylloxera and other diseases

Hungary (Kocsis et al.)

Georgikon 28, 140 Ruggeri

Riesling, Vinitor, Pelso

Variety-rootstock interaction

Hungary (Binari et al.)

Ruggeri, 5C, Fercal

Furmit

Rootstock impact on water and nutrient absorption

methods, have confirmed that the root system reacts rapidly to changes in canopy volume, illumination, and density and in vine crop load. In fact, the roots need carbohydrates for renewal, spreading, and for carrying out their activities; the canopy will provide the needed carbohydrates if agronomic practices can ensure balanced development between upper and lower levels and a perfect functioning to the canopy. In this regard, a study performed by CRA-VIT of Conegliano has shown that if the roots are compelled to travel a long distance to find water (e.g., a drip line placed at the midpoint in the aisle between the vinerows) both crop quantity and quality will suffer, negatively impacted by the greater investment of energy that the vine must direct to the roots.

MINERAL NUTRITION AND THE ROOT SYSTEM The root’s mineral-absorption mechanisms, the role of nutrient availability on root development, and interaction between the vine and microflora in the soil are some of the topic addressed over the course of this session. A better understanding of these factors, as Roberto Pinton of the University of Udine underscored, is indispensible for putting into practice a more sustainable and efficient vinenutrition management. Among the August 2015 – Issue 619

subject areas that received discussion, particular attention was drawn to the increasing interest in soil microbiology and the important association of rootmycorrhizae-useful microorganisms (cf. Pseudomonas, Bacillus megaterium, Trichoderma, etc). It is well known that a gram of rhizosphere soil can contain a microflora of some billion bacteria, at least a kilometre of fungal hyphae, and hundreds of thousands of protozoa and algae. Such a microflora exhibits intense biochemical activity, which can influence the root development, and with which it establishes a reciprocal exchange of materials and signals.

Among pertinent research is an interesting study that drew attention to the positive effect of inoculation of cuttings of various rootstocks with Azospirillum brasilense Sp245, a growthinducing microorganism that colonises roots. Use of this rhizobacterium improved the overall quality of the root system, giving it greater density, biomass, and architecture, and in some cases improving radication percentage (tab. 2 , fig.7).

The presence of mycorrhizae can multiply the absorptive surface up to 6-7 times, thus improving water and nutrient usage in the soil, particularly regarding phosphorus, and contributing to give the vine better resistance to drought, salinity, and fungal attacks. Mycorrhizae www.winetitles.com.au

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grapegrowing Tab.2 Effect of inoculation of Sangiovese grafted onto 1103P and 775P with rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense. Observations were conducted in the winter, after removal of rootstock cuttings. The experiment was conducted in an organically-operated bursary. (Data presented by Toffanin et al.)

Inoculated vines

Signif.

72.6

80.2

*

Number primary roots

7.7

8.9

**

Total biomass/vine (g)

64.6

74.3

*

90.8

89.5

n.s.

4.9

5.0

n.s.

Parameter

Control vine

Rootstock 1103P Yield percentage in nursery

Rootstock 775P Yield percentage in nursery Number primary roots Total biomass/vine (g)

61.1

69.9

*

For each parameter, comparison between treatments * =P>0,05; * =P>0,05; n.s.= non significant

presence can be encouraged by inoculation and by appropriate agronomic soil management. In this regard, particular attention should be paid to maintenance of adequate levels of organic substances in the soil, using organic fertilisers or compost.

CRA-VIT of Conegliano presented a study that confirmed that the application of compost from pruning cuttings (at 4t fresh w./ ha) improved the microbiological properties of the soil and root development, resulting in higher yield and satisfactory quality (tab. 3).

ROLE OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY The rootstock, as Luigi Cattivelli of CRA-Genomica e PostGenomica in Fiorenzuola d’Arda explained, impacts the genetic expression of the entire vine. Several studies of the molecular mechanisms involved in the rootstock-scion interaction yielded the observation, for example, that the expression of many genes of the skin of the berry is conditioned by organic molecules produced at the level of the roots; these act as regulation signals for various organs in the canopy.

Significant genetics-related interest is also focused on a better understanding of the gene mechanisms fundamental to water stress tolerance-susceptibility. Molecular analyses were able to offer a comprehensive picture of drought response at the transcriptome level, revealing which genes in the roots and leaves

Tab.3 Effect of vine-pruning compost application, applied in the inter-row or in the vine-row, on certain soil properties, crop load, and grape quality (averages over 5 years, 2009-2013).

Compost, aisle row

Compost, vine-row

Control

Carbon in the soil microbial biomass (mg/g di s.s)

274

279

158

Nitrogen in the soil microbial biomass (mg/g di s.s)

116

116

69

No. total roots/ profile at 45 cm from vine-row

273

262

138

No. total roots/ profile at 90 cm from vine-row

87

253

95

Crop load (Kg/vite)

2.2

2.6

1.9

Sugars (°Brix)

21.4

21.2

21.8

Acidity (g/l)

7.3

7.3

7

are expressed in specific ways depending on water availability.

This is a first step towards a better-informed selection of materials suited to areas subject to drought conditions. Nor must it be forgotten, finally, that molecular biology can make an important contribution to research and development of new rootstocks. Molecular marker-assisted selection makes possible a far more rapid selection process. Once a specific character (e.g., resistance to water stress) is associated with a particular DNA fragment (=marker), it becomes possible to immediately identify the presence of that marker in the offspring obtained through crosses, by means of a simple lab analysis. Thanks to these techniques, creation of a new rootstock no longer requires more than 25-30 years, as it once did; today it is possible to cut the time in half, even to just 10-15 years.

TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPORT OF ROOT RESEARCH Research into rootstocks, ecology, and root physiology, explained David Heissenstadt of the University of Pennsylvania (USA), today enjoys the support of a range of instruments that can simplify performance of studies and obtain information with high-level specificity. Use of the minirhizotron (fig. 8), a transparent tube sunk in the ground to a depth of up to 2 metres, into which is inserted video camera, allows continuous observation, for example, of root-growth dynamics over an

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Fig.8 A minirhizotron, a transparent tube sunk in the ground inside which is inserted a video camera, can observe root formation, growth, and death. The red arrows indicate new roots that are produced following the preceding date. (Photo: Edwards et al.)

Fig. 9 Excavation of parallel trenches in the vine-row in order to analyse the root profile is a laborious task, but it makes possible a fairly precise picture of root distribution and of any barriers to appropriate root growth.

entire year. Such instruments are utilised today by various research teams for a wide range of research projects, regarding in particular annual root growth dynamics and root growth in relation to applied cultivation practices. There are sophisticated x-ray technologies as well, such as high-resolution computerised microtomography, which allows the researcher to actually view the 3-dimensional structure of the vascular bands inside the root. These instruments are used, for example, to study at the cellular level specific processes closely related to waterstress tolerance, such as cavitation, or structural changes in xylem tissue cells. Traditional observation measures still merit attention, however, such as observation trenches (fig.9) parallel to the vine-row or probes to various depths. Such techniques are certainly laborious, but they allow the construction of a fairly precise picture of root distribution and of any obstacles to full root functionality.

ROOT DISEASES AND INAPPROPRIATE GRAFTS Research into new rootstocks, one of the subjects of the final session, presided over by Josep Armengol of the University of Valencia (Spain), must address as well tolerance to diseases that impact root systems. The lines of rootstocks currently most popular, in fact, amount to only ten or so, and all derive from Vitis riparia, V. rupestris and V. berlandieri, from which they receive their properties of disease resistance, in particular to phylloxera. Exploring vine germplasm with the objective of identifying new genetic resources for use in vine-crossing programmes would make it possible to obtain new rootstock lines with potentially better properties of resistance. The August 2015 – Issue 619

development of new rootstocks, from new progenitors, would additionally make it possible to avert risk of any future negative consequences caused by phylloxera populations that could breach the defences of current rootstocks. In this regard, some research projects in Spain have identified wild genotypes of V. sylvestris with low susceptibility to the most common diseases and which are therefore good potential candidates for future programmes of genetic improvement of rootstocks. Research in Germany at the Geisenheim centre tested, in various sites, the BĂśrner rootstocks, derived from Vitis riparia Ă— Vitis cinerea in the late 1980s, and confirmed their adaptability to various soil conditions.

Acknowledgement This article has been made available through cooperation between Corriere Vinicolo and the Grapegrower & Winemaker.

Corriere Vinicolo (corrierevinicolo.com), edited since 1928

by Unione Italiana Vini, is the most authoritative magazine of the Italian wine industry. Established in Milan in 1895, Unione Italiana Vini is the historical association of Italian wine firms. Its core business, further to a lobbying activity, is focused on high quality services to the wine industry; analysis laboratories, supply chain check-up, the SIMEI exhibition, and Tergeo sustainability program.

On a regular basis, the Grapegrower & Winemaker and Corriere Vinicolo will share articles, focusing on technical and economic issues, in order to give their readers a broader vision both on Italy and Australia/New Zealand.

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grapegrowing

Protecting winegrapes from mildew Pest & Disease

A better understanding of how plants resist attack by fungal and oomycete pathogens, and the successful introduction of durable and effective resistance genes into grapevines, will lead to increases in productivity and quality through a reduction in the dependence on chemical inputs for disease control.

HUNTING FOR RESISTANCE TO COSTLY PATHOGENS

WINE GRAPES MEET MILDEW PATHOGEN

WITH AN estimated cost to the Australian industry of approximately A$140 million per annum, powdery and downy mildew are the most economically important diseases in viticulture, causing reduced yield and loss of berry and wine quality.

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease which affects a wide range of plants, including apples, peas and roses. In grapevines, the fungus Erisyphe necator causes reduced yield and loss of berry and wine quality.

Downy mildew is an oomycete pathogen and is a particular problem on grapes and cucurbit vegetables such as cucumber and pumpkin. The oomycete pathogen responsible for downy mildew on grapes is Plasmopora viticola and symptoms are normally observed on both leaves and berries. Downy mildew requires a rain event for infection. During dry conditions the control of downy mildew is not a problem. However, under favourable conditions, uncontrolled downy mildew infection can cause defoliation and complete crop loss.

The cultivated grapevine, Vitis vinifera, has no natural genetic resistance to powdery or downy mildew. This is due to the two organisms evolving on different continents. Vitis vinifera first evolved in Europe while the pathogens came from North America. For this reason, the only method growers have to control these pathogens is by using fungicides.

Grapevines are responsible for the lion’s share of fungicide use in agriculture. In 2002, for example, grapevines accounted for approximately 6 per cent of the total crop area in Europe, however, of all fungicides used, around 70 per cent were applied to grapevines. Since then, Europe has been working towards reducing its fungicide use. The Australian industry is determined to do the likewise, therefore ensuring a more sustainable wine industry and continued exports to Europe.

SNIFFING OUT RESISTANCE IN WILD RELATIVES As the pathogens evolved in North America it was likely that a wild American relative of the European grapevine would carry resistance to one or both pathogens.

Drs Ian Dry and Mark Thomas (pictured) were able to identify mildew resistance genes in grapevines.

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August 2015 – Issue 619

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grapegrowing

Marker-assisted breeding provides significant advantages to the industry in the development of new varieties.

Investigating this, CSIRO principal research scientists Dr Ian Dry and Dr Mark Thomas drew upon years of breeding research carried out by collaborators at the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), in France. The INRA team had identified genetic resistance expressed in the wild American grape species Muscadinia rotundifolia.

The CSIRO team was then able to identify seven individual resistance gene candidates which were tested using gene technology to determine whether they conferred resistance to powdery or downy mildew. Each gene was introduced into several grapevine varieties including Shiraz, Tempranillo, Carignan and Portan which were then tested for resistance.

The experiment revealed two resistance genes, one for powdery mildew and another conferring resistance to downy mildew. These two genes MrRUN1 (Resistance to Erysiphe necator) and MrRPV1 (Resistance to Plasmopora viticola) provide breeders with an alternative to fungicides in the constant battle against these deadly pathogens.

BREEDING RESISTANCE INTO EXISTING WINE VARIETIES There are two methods in which these genes can be utilised.

Firstly, genetically-enhanced disease-resistant versions of existing premium varieties like Shiraz could be produced through genetic transformation. While Australian and world acceptance of genetically modified grapevines is most likely to be some time away, this method would provide protection against these important pathogens without the negative impacts on wine quality associated with traditional breeding techniques.

The second option uses the knowledge of these genes to create DNA markers for application in marker-assisted breeding.

Rather than directly manipulating the plant’s DNA, markerassisted breeding uses DNA markers to identify specific traits in 4the plant 0 3 2 M at e tthe a seedling r e x 8 8stage. x 1 8 This 5 -dramatically 1 2 0 1 reduces 4 - 0 2 -the 1 3

time required to identify varieties which express the desired trait, in this case resistance, in a breeding program.

Marker-assisted breeding provides significant advantages to the industry in the development of new varieties. New varieties pose their own problem when it comes to the current market, however, the past ten years has seen a small shift in the consumer market indicating future interest in new varieties and styles.

FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTION While the discovery of these two resistance genes is a massive leap forward in protecting grapevines from mildew attack, there is a great need for continued research to identify new sources of genetic resistance in order to remain one step ahead of these costly pathogens.

To this end the CSIRO team is investigating resistance to powdery (E. necator) and downy (P. viticola) mildew expressed in other wild grapevines such as the Chinese Vitis species V. romanetii and V. amurensis. The old adage, two heads are better than one, applies to breeding durable disease resistance.

Combining, or pyramiding, MrRUN1 and MrRPV1 with other resistance genes will overcome potential problems associated with the deployment of race-specific single gene resistance and maximises the durability of disease-resistance vines in the vineyard.

ABOUT THE RESEARCHERS Dr Ian Dry Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Agriculture Leads research into developing molecular strategies to improve the genetic resistance of horticultural crops to fungal pathogens.

Dr Mark Thomas Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Plant Industry Research projects include: Genetic improvement of grapevines, fruit and floral development, functional genomics.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research was carried out in collaboration with the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA) in France Grape and Wine Authority.

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Research identifies growing fungicide resistance FUNGICIDE resistance across Australian vineyards is on the rise, with new research identifying higher than expected populations of powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot with resistance.

Powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot are the three most economically significant diseases in Australian viticulture – costing the sector in lost crops and disease management.

Wine Australia is funding a national collaborative research project with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Curtin University, The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, University of Adelaide and several fungicide and viticulture companies to address this problem of resistance.

SARDI project leader Barbara Hall said the three and a half year project aims to

better understand the mechanism for how resistance develops and determine the incidence and severity of resistant fungal populations in Australia.

“We’ve also started work to determine the spread of resistant populations within a vineyard block using highthroughput next generation sequencing (via The AWRI) and we hope to develop and validate effective and sustainable resistance strategies for the at-risk fungicides,” said Hall.

“We would also like to develop a rapid and accurate test for detection and quantification of resistance for all pathogen/fungicide combinations in vineyards to assist growers.

“It’s still early days, so far we have completed only two seasons of sampling and testing.”

Core components of the project include collection of isolates from the field, phenotyping, genotyping, next generation, high-throughput sequencing

and resistant strategy modelling.

Hall said resistance to the DMI and strobilurin fungicides (used to treat powdery mildew), metalaxyl (downy mildew) and DMI (botrytis) had been identified before the research project began, but field testing from vineyards across Australia revealed that it was more widespread than current data had shown.

“Just because we identified resistant strains it doesn’t automatically mean that the fungicide treatment will fail across the whole vineyard – there’s a lot more research and tests to be carried out before we can start quantifying what level of resistance leads to total field failure,” said Hall.

“Essentially, right now, this data is a red flag – a warning that growers need to be very careful in their disease management strategies and to follow the label recommendations.”

A new approach to detecting Phylloxera TESTING for Phylloxera is about to move into the 21st century and become a lot more accessible.

The Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of SA (PGIBSA), together with six research partners, is developing sampling strategies for sensitive, accurate and cost-effective detection of Phylloxera. It’s something CEO Alan Nankivell says is desperately needed.

“The technology used for identifying Phylloxera in vineyards hasn’t changed since the 19th century,” said Nankivell.

“It’s essentially a shovel and a magnifying glass and you go looking.”

The PGIBSA decided it had to find a better way and Nankivell came across a possible answer during discussions with the South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI). Back in 2003, SARDI and Department of

Primary Industries (DPI) Victoria jointly developed a quantitative DNA-based assay for specific detection. However, work to determine its applicability for Phylloxexa was not explored further.

The current four-year project – funded by Wine Australia and the Plant Biosecurity CRC – was set up in early 2013 to leverage this earlier work and develop a sampling protocol to collect soil samples that could be analysed through the DNA assay. In its third year, over 500 soil samples have been collected from sites in the Yarra Valley, King Valley and Rutherglen, with samples being analysed back at SARDI. “The first step was to determine how to handle the soil samples collected to ensure that we were not affecting the ability of the DNA assay to detect the presence or absence of Phylloxera in

the soil sample. Recommendations were made on the time between sampling and analysis and storage temperature,” said Nankivell. With a preliminary sampling strategy, work continues to validate and fine tune the findings to ensure a robust protocol for use by industry.

“It is our intention that, by the end of this year, we will have protocols worked out and have in train the process of getting endorsement for the concept and the protocols at a national level,” said Nankivell. “The following year, the last of the project, will be focused on ensuring adoption by the sector.”

The potential is enormous, not just to find where Phylloxera is, but to keep checking areas declared free remain so. Nankivell envisages a time when vineyard operators will be equipped to take soil samples and test for themselves.

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Zinc deficiency

Manganese deficiency

Iron deficiency

Magnesium deficiency Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Fertilisers & Nutrition

Limestone Coast soil stewards get ‘down and dirty’ The aim was for the stewards to use and share this accumulated knowledge and to help devise a sustainable soil management strategy for the whole region.

Limestone Coast grapegrowers and winemakers have been getting down and dirty this year as part of the 2014-15 Regional Program funded by Wine Australia, which saw the Soil Stewardship Program come to a close with a unique workshop titled ‘Down and dirty’ held in the Naracoorte Caves.

Ulrich Grey-Smith, the Limestone Coast Grape & Wine Council (LCGWC) executive officer, explained that three ‘soil stewards’ (Nick Baverstock, Penfolds Robe vineyard manager; Luke Tocaciu, Patrick of Coonawarra director/winemaker; and Anna Hooper, Cape Jaffa Wines winemaker) had organised a day in the caves, hosting a number of soil experts and keynote speakers to help them wrap-up their own projects and look at the latest soil research.

The two-year Soil Stewardship Program involved the participants undertaking a range of study tours and work with program facilitator, Melbourne-based advisor in environmental sustainability, Russell Fisher, to explore their own region’s soil diversity and management practices, as well as investigate the soil management practices from other regions.

“The aim was for the stewards to use and share this accumulated knowledge and to help devise a sustainable soil management strategy for the whole region,” said Grey-Smith.

The soil stewardship program also received funding through the Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council and support from The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI).

“Though it’s officially ended, we hope work will continue in this area and other wineries and nearby regions are able to use what’s come out of the program.”

A number of workshops were also held, including a four

62 Grapegrower & Winemaker

flavours sensory workshop hosted by The AWRI at the Wynns’ Cellar Door.

“We held four tutored tasting workshops – looking at Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay and Shiraz,” said Grey-Smith.

“All workshops sold out, and they weren’t just excellent opportunities to learn more, we found the networking was also valuable. It’s a good time to chat about what we’re all doing and share ideas – and a few of us have become excellent glass polishers.”

However, Grey-Smith said the major highlight for 2014 was getting internationally acclaimed scientist and conservationist, Professor Tim Flannery as keynote speaker for the ‘Opportunities in a new climate’ workshop held in Penola in November last year.

“It was a great collaborative experience with Coonawarra and The AWRI – and a real highlight for many of us to hear from someone as well-respected as Tim. It’s not the rosiest of topics, but we’re hoping the conversations and research presented will lead to a number of new projects and outcomes for the region.”

The planning for a number of projects in the approved 201516 Limestone Coast Regional Program has already started. GreySmith said the LCGWC would again work closely with nearby Coonawarra Grape and Wine Inc. when they host the Australian Cabernet Symposium on 15 October 2015.

The symposium is expected to attract a number of international speakers and guests.

“We’ll be running more tutored tasting workshops, but this year we’ll move away from variety specific tastings and look instead at the influences of alternative practices in the vineyard and winemaking,” he said.

“We have started planning for a follow-up to the climate workshop with an alternative energy seminar.

“We’re also going to start a new alternative varieties case study, with the help of viticulture consultant Libby Tassie.

“We hope to take a closer look at the alternative varieties most suited to the Limestone Coast. We’d like to offer recommendations for alternatives, not just in terms of growing suitability but also those with strong sustainable business cases as well.”

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August 2015 – Issue 619

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winemaking The history of wine presses Part 1: Batch presses In this article, Simon Nordestgaard, a senior engineer at The Australian Wine Research Institute, describes the types of batch processing mode pressing equipment that have been used in the wine industry since the late 19th century. A second article, to be published in the September issue, will cover continuous processing and provide some thoughts about the types of pressing technology that may be used in the future.

PRESSING is a critical operation in wine production. The equipment used influences quality, yield, and throughput.

While most of the equipment to be discussed has been used for both red and white wine production, the focus of these articles is on pressing grapes for white wine production, which is more challenging than pressing red grapes that have already been broken down by fermentation.

THEORY Figure 1 shows a basic structural model of the grape. During crushing and pressing, juice is most easily released from the weakest pulp cells in the intermediate zone of the grape, then from the pulp cells in the central and peripheral zones.

The peripheral pulp remains attached to the skin, which contributes some of its constituents as the juice is collected from this zone. Extreme pressing may release constituents from seeds and stems.

Batch pressing is performed not in a single step, but with several cycles of pressing interrupted by crumblings of the press contents to redistribute them and open new paths for juice drainage. Achieving low levels of suspended solids in the juice from the press is advantageous as it means fewer solids have to be removed by other processes prior to fermentation.

Figure 1: Typical order of rupture of grape pulp cells.

Figure 2: Juice released from a grape part in a press cake, and filtration of this juice as it passes through the cake to the outlet screen

Key advances in static drainer design were to have a cake with sufficient depth to provide a filtration effect and to have a way of automatically removing the drained cake without having to manually dig it out.

Many styles of static drainers have been used around the world.

The Potter and Miller drainers (Figures 3 and 4) were introduced in Australia in the 1960s and illustrate some typical features. Both devices allow for the formation of a cake that filters the draining juice.

In the Potter drainer, the central screen can be lifted to evacuate the drained grapes, while in the Miller drainer, twinscrews are used to evacuate the drained grapes.

The Potter drainer is a multi-purpose tank – it can also be used for fermentation and storage.

The Miller drainer can be pressurised with carbon dioxide to increase the speed and extent of draining and inhibit oxidation The use of static drainers has diminished with the advent of pneumatic membrane presses with axial filling, which allow intermittent rotation and therefore efficient draining during filling.

VERTICAL BASKET PRESSES The suspended solids in juice are principally pulp cell walls, and the concentration of these in the juice leaving the press will depend on the amount that is in the juice released from individual grape parts minus the amount that is filtered out as the juice passes through the ‘cake’ (the mass of grape material) (Figure 2).

DRAINERS Grapes can be juiced directly in a press, but more commonly they are first crushed by rollers so that juice can be collected more quickly. Draining of the crushed grapes may be performed during filling of a press or it can be performed in a separate vessel with a screen – a static drainer.

64 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Around the 1830s central iron spindle vertical basket presses were introduced and by the late 19th century they were the predominant style of press.

There were a number of developments in how the pressing nut progressed down the spindle in this period. The most important of these was the ratcheting mechanism developed in 1869 by Mabille (Figure 5).

Marmonier developed a variation on this mechanism in 1874 (Figure 6), which is similar to those still in use today for smallscale winemaking.

Through compound leverage, these mechanisms allowed one or two people to manually press large quantities of grapes (e.g.

Figure 7).

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The double ratchet aspect of the mechanisms also conveniently meant that the nut progressed both as the lever was pushed forward and as it was pulled backwards.

A further improvement was the addition of spring pressure accumulators to the press nut (Figure 8).

In vertical basket presses, a large pile of wooden blocks was usually stacked between the cake and the press nut.

The elasticity of the wood meant that as the juice flowed out of the press cake, the wood sprang back and continued to press the cake without the nut having to be immediately tightened.

Spring pressure accumulators meant that the large pile of wooden blocks, that had been so labour-intensive to build and dismantle, was no longer required and because the springs were more elastic than wood the press nut needed to be tightened even less frequently.

Automatically driven systems followed (Figures 9 and 10) as did the use of hydraulics for pressing (Figure 11).

The use of mobile press baskets (Figures 10, 11 and 12) that allowed one basket to be filled or emptied while another was being pressed was another major advance.

There were also advances in press cake crumbling, for example, devices into which the cake from one press basket could be loaded and it then crumbled and conveyed into another press basket for the next pressing (Figure 12).

August 2015 – Issue 619

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winemaking

Figure 6: Marmonier multi-speed ratcheting press nut mechanism Figure 5: Mabille ratcheting press nut mechanism and spindle

Figure 8: Ratcheting press nut with spring pressure accumulators

Figure 7: Large basket press with ratcheting press nut

Figure 9: Line shaft driven basket press

HORIZONTAL PLATE PRESSES Even with the advances described, vertical basket presses were still very labour intensive because of the need for manual management of cake crumbling and press emptying.

66 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Figure 10: Automatically driven external spindle press system with mobile press baskets

In the 19th century, several inventors experimented with putting basket presses on their side. In 1856, Joseph Vaslin patented a rectangular horizontal press, whose bottom screen could be opened and the press cake more easily emptied.

Then in 1925 and 1927 his grandson (also called Joseph

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Figure 11: Hydraulic presses with mobile press baskets

Vaslin) patented a revolutionary cylindrical horizontal plate press that could be rotated. Aided by in situ cake breaking chains/rings, rotation of the basket would now automatically crumble the cake.

These presses were refined and massproduced after 1945 when Vaslin sold his process to Gaston Bernier, founder of Constructions Méca-Métalliques Chalonnaises (CMMC).

An early CMMC-Vaslin press is shown in Figure 13, and its operation is illustrated in Figure 14.

It features two press nuts/plates on the internal spindle. Half of the spindle is threaded in one direction to accommodate one plate and the other half of the spindle is threaded in the other direction to accommodate the other plate.

The plates move on guide rails on the basket, such that rotation of the basket in one direction will cause the plates to move together and press the cake, while rotation of the basket in the other

Figure 12: Automated press cake crumbler

direction will cause the plates to move apart and crumble the cake.

Later models of the CMMC-Vaslin press became increasingly sophisticated.

The spindle could be turned independently of the basket – allowing rotation of the basket without plate movement or faster plate movement during pressing and crumbling.

The door could be located in a fixed section at the end of the cage while the rest of the cage could still be rotated, allowing for improved draining during press filling (similar to an axial filling pneumatic membrane press).

There were also increasing levels of automation, culminating in the first selfoptimising programs that would adjust the pressing program in real time for each specific batch of grapes in a similar way that a very experienced and attentive manual press operator might.

This worked principally by measuring the speed of pressure decrease at a plate when the plates stopped moving

Figure 13: CMMC-Vaslin rotating horizontal plate press August 2015 – Issue 619

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Figure 14: Operation of the CMMC-Vaslin horizontal plate press

(indicative of juice flow rate), and adapting the program accordingly.

Essentially the logic is that if the juice flow rate is low at the current pressure set-point, the set-point might as well be raised or the cake crumbled, because otherwise time is being wasted.

On the other hand, if the juice flow rate is high, there is no reason to raise the pressure set-point or crumble the cake and risk generating extra solids.

The advances described would have made the horizontal plate press increasingly appropriate for larger operations; however, there were apparently practical limits that competing pneumatic pressing technology did not have.

In horizontal plate presses the direction of compression is perpendicular to the direction of juice outflow, which is advantageous in terms of preventing extrusion of solids through the screens.

However, this configuration does not transmit pressure well from the plates to the core of the cake and this effect is exacerbated with larger presses (the largest Vaslin press I have seen in old advertisements is 12.5 m3).

In 1986 Bucher acquired CMMC and their horizontal plate presses stopped being constructed in 2001 as pneumatic membrane presses became the preferred technology.

Much of CMMC’s technical know-how, particularly in juice flow-rate mediated self-optimisation, transferred to the pneumatic presses that are now produced under the banner of Bucher-Vaslin.

PNEUMATIC PRESSES Pneumatic presses use an inflatable diaphragm instead of plates to press grapes. The original horizontal rubber bladder pneumatic press was introduced in 1951 by Willmes (Figure 15).

The bladder was arranged centrally in-line with the drum axis. A key design principle was that as the bladder expanded it would press against a relatively thin layer of cake evenly distributed around the entire drum circumference, and this thin layer would be able to be pressed quite quickly.

As with horizontal plate presses, crumbling was performed via rotation of the press drum. Horizontal bladder presses were good but there were some drawbacks.

During press rotation, the unsupported rubber bladder was exposed to considerable mechanical stress by the press cake, and this could result in punctures.

There was also some tendency to extrude solids through the press screens, which then needed to be manually cleared.

The design principle of the centrally mounted bladder pressing a thin layer of cake around the entire drum circumference was also only partially realised – in reality, gravity meant that the cake layer ended up being thicker at the bottom than the top.

In 1974, Willmes introduced the now dominant pneumatic tank/membrane press, followed shortly after by Bucher. These presses employed an enclosed tank with internal drainage ducts that somewhat better protected the contents from oxidation than the open-screened bladder press.

A reinforced membrane instead of a rubber bladder was used and this was mounted on the tank wall instead of centrally. This mounting method exposed the diaphragm to less mechanical August 2015 – Issue 619

For further information, please contact Kauri AUS Tel: 1800 127 611 NZ Tel: 0800 KAURIWINE Email: winery@kauri.co.nz Web: www.kauriwine.com

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Figure 15: Willmes pneumatic rubber bladder press

Figure 16: Modern pneumatic membrane press

Figure 17: (a) Internal view of a pneumatic side-mounted membrane press, and (b) close-up of drainage ducts

stress during drum rotation.

Side-mounting of the membrane opposite drainage ducts is still the most common membrane press design today (e.g.

Figures 16 and 17), but it is not universal.

Presses with supported central membranes or with sidemounted membranes but central juice drainage ducts are also available (Figure 18).

Proponents of each of the three different configurations sometimes claim benefits over other designs in terms of faster juice drainage, lower solids content, lower risk of membrane damage or easier membrane replacement.

However, there are no definitive independent published studies on which configuration is superior and it is plausible that they can all be operated to provide similar outcomes.

From their inception, pneumatic membrane presses have been offered in large sizes and presses with capacities of 75 m3 are now available.

As already discussed, the advent of axial filling allowing intermittent press rotation during filling meant membrane presses could be used as effective drainers prior to pressing, leading to a decrease in the use of separate drainers.

Developments to limit juice oxidation in pneumatic presses have been another advance.

One approach has been to introduce inert gas prior to press filling and during retraction of the membrane prior to cake crumbling.

To minimise inert gas use, two prominent Italian winemakers patented a system in 2003 that uses a flexible bag to store and recycle the inert gas.

They sold the process to Bucher-Vaslin which uses it in their Inertys presses.

Other inert gas minimisation strategies employed by press manufacturers include the use of press programs with multiple pressure steps between each crumbling that minimise the number of crumblings required and therefore the number of times that the inert gas atmosphere has to be recharged, or only

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CONCLUSION The modern batch pneumatic membrane press is a considerable improvement on the vertical basket presses of the 19th century.

Pneumatic membrane presses are able to produce high yields of high quality juice at much higher throughputs than was previously possible with batch presses.

However, throughput is still considerably lower than some continuous pressing technologies that have been employed for wine production.

A second article, to be published next issue, will describe the continuous pressing equipment that has been used in winemaking and provide some thoughts on what the future might bring.

Acknowledgements Much of the information contained in this article was collected during the course of PhD studies performed several years ago.

I thank Australian grapegrowers and winemakers and the Australian government for funding those studies, and my PhD supervisors: Brian O’Neill, Chris Colby, Elizabeth Waters and Graham Jones, for their support.

Figure 18: Pneumatic press arrangements (end view, simplified)

Disclaimer

employing inert gas during some parts of the press program.

An alternative approach to limiting juice oxidation, implemented by Pera, is a system that sprays small amounts of a sulfur dioxide solution into the press during each crumbling.

None of the information presented in this article should be considered as an endorsement of any brand or product by the AWRI. The developments described are an interpretation based on available information and are presented in good faith.

Readers should undertake their own investigations before making any major process changes.

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ask the Wine consumption and heart health A large amount of research has been conducted on the effects of alcohol (and specifically wine) consumption on the risk of cardiovascular disease. This column provides responses to some of the more common questions in this area.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE? Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes high blood pressure, heart attacks, coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke, represents a major public health and financial burden worldwide despite knowledge of modifiable risk factors and accessibility of therapies.

It is the leading cause of death in developed countries and its incidence is increasing in developing countries.

In Australia, CVD currently accounts for approximately 33% of deaths, 18% of the overall burden of disease and 12% of total health expenditure.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ON CVD RISK? The National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol of 2009 state that “The effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system is complex. The body of evidence suggests that most of the potential cardiovascular benefit of alcohol may be achieved by drinking within the levels recommended in Guideline 1. For example, it has been reported that the benefits can be achieved with an intake of half a standard drink per day. It should also be noted that the potential cardiovascular benefits from alcohol can also be gained from other means, such as exercise or modifying the diet.”

Guideline 1, which refers to reducing the risk of alcoholrelated harm over a lifetime, states that “the lifetime risk of harm from drinking alcohol increases with the amount consumed. For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury”.

The relationship between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and CVD has now been studied for at least 50 years at both the individual and population levels.

From more than 200 population studies undertaken in the last 40 years, it has been repeatedly concluded that the relationship between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the risk of CVD is j-shaped.

While dietary risk factors for CVD include heavy amounts of alcohol (both regular and occasional), light to moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages reduce the risk of overall CVD compared to both heavier consumption and abstinence.

ARE THERE SPECIFIC EFFECTS FOR WINE? From the small number of comparative studies, the reduction in risk for overall CVD may be greater for wine than for beer and spirits. Further research is required to verify this. When summarised, the studies show conclusively that consumption of 10 to 20 g alcohol or one to two standard drinks per day as wine reduces the relative risk of overall CVD in the general population by approximately 25 to 30%.

The reduced risk of overall CVD is observed for healthy males and females aged from approximately 40 to 50 years, continuing past approximately 75 years of age. It is also observed for those individuals with pre-existing CVD conditions such as heart attack and ischaemic stroke (physical blockage of blood flow,

72 Grapegrower & Winemaker

from a blood clot to an area of the brain, causing brain cells in the area to die).

The reduction in risk of CVD is not, however, uniformly observed for each CVD condition. A reduction in risk is observed for coronary heart disease and heart attacks, as well as for heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, and high blood pressure in women. The risk of atrial fibrillation (a common cardiac arrhythmia), haemorrhagic stroke (ruptured and bleeding brain artery) and high blood pressure in men is not, however, reduced with light to moderate wine consumption and may increase incrementally with each glass of wine.

Light to moderate wine consumption is considered to be 10 to 20 g alcohol/day (1 to 2 standard drinks/day). When wine consumption increases to more than 20 g alcohol/day, the risk of any adverse effects increases. The pattern of wine consumption is also important, with episodic heavy drinking (binge drinking) appearing to modify or negate the cardioprotective effects of wine consumption on coronary heart disease. Such drinking patterns are also associated with increased risk of sudden death and haemorrhagic stroke.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HEART WHEN YOU DRINK? The following table summarises the typical physiological effects of light to moderate versus heavy wine consumption.

These effects are also influenced by age, gender and genetic factors.

Effects of light to moderate wine drinking • Reduction of fat deposits in arteries (atherosclerosis), which protects against heart attacks and ischaemic strokes; • Protection against forming a blood clot, which protects against heart attacks and ischaemic strokes; • Promotion of breaking down of blood clots, which protects against heart attacks and ischaemic strokes; and • Decreased risk of high blood pressure in women.

Effects of heavy and excessive wine drinking • Increased risk of heart muscle disease. This disease enlarges the heart muscle or makes it thicker and more rigid than normal and scar tissue may replace the muscle tissue. The disease can make the heart less able to pump blood through the body. It can also cause disturbed heart rhythms or heart failure where the heart can’t pump enough blood throughout the body, and sudden cardiac death; • Increased risk of a changed or disturbed sequence of electrical impulses causing changed or disturbed heart rate or rhythms, which can cause the heart to pump less effectively and possibly result in sudden cardiac death: • Increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke; and • Increased risk of high blood pressure which can cause heart failure where the heart can’t pump enough blood throughout the body.

For more information about effects of wine consumption on human health, please contact the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au.

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August 2015 – Issue 619

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winemaking

Michael Glover: Wine philosopher back on home soil A free spirit, rebellious, eccentric. Michael Glover has been described in many ways. Perhaps the most fitting would be passionate. Early this year, the New Zealand born winemaker completed a 10-year stint at Bannockburn in Victoria and returned to his roots in Nelson. Emilie Reynolds caught up with him to find out why, after two decades in Australia, he decided to go home.

Something special happens when you then make wine from a particular place that you feel a part of.

You are expressing your connection with the land. It is your expression and nobody else’s.

WITH A REPUTATION for being one of the most brilliant big thinkers in the wine industry, it should come as no surprise that Michael Glover has been surrounded by wine his entire life. The love was fostered by his parents, who would often indulge him in a small glass from special bottles, but it was two wines in his teenage years which saw him fall head over heels. Glover remembers two wine epiphanies clearly: 1976 Weingut Milz Laurentiushof Auslese when he was 15, and 1979 Chateau Malartic-Lagravière when he was 18.

“Those two bottles were my first great white and red wine moments and undoubtedly planted the seed for the love of drinking wine,” Glover explained.

“Looking back now I also realise that, in helping my father plant his small vineyard when I was 15, a kind of bonding occurred.

“There was a commitment and a connection to a place and a plot. Part of me was planted in the land with those vines. Something special happens when you then make wine from a particular place that you feel a part of. You are expressing your connection with the land. It is your expression and nobody else’s.”

As time ticked on, Glover found another passion in competitive road cycling from the age of 14 to 24, winning national championship medals and representing New Zealand at international level.

“It was great as a teenager when you’re full of ‘promise’ and ‘potential’, but once you get older you have to start delivering,” Glover said.

“When I got to my early twenties I was training five hours a day and I wasn’t winning nearly as often. I was losing my joy for being on the bike and I realised that I just wasn’t tough enough to ride

74 Grapegrower & Winemaker

as a professional in Europe (I’m sure my phobia of needles and blood certainly didn’t enhance my prospects).

“At the same time I was watching winemakers from all around the world visit my parents and eat good food and drink great wine. There seemed to be an air of camaraderie, adventure and fun.

The ‘spirit’ of wine filled the air!”

Glover said with each moment and each bottle, the calling to be involved in the making of wine grew stronger.

“I hung up my bike and returned to Australia in 1993 to complete a Wine Science Degree at Charles Sturt University,” he said.

Throughout his four-year winemaking degree, Glover was able to complete vintages at The Rothbury Estate in the Hunter Valley before heading back home to New Zealand for vintage at home with his Dad. “In 1998, upon completion of my degree, Rothbury employed me as an assistant winemaker that then became operations winemaker after six months.

From 1999 to 2000 I moved a bit further down Broke Road from Rothbury and was the winemaker at Oakvale. I loved working in the Hunter and I still treasure my brief time working with Hunter Shiraz and Semillon, surely two of Australia’s more quixotic wine styles,” Glover said.

The opportunity to make wine at Moorilla Estate in Tasmania arose in late 2000, enabling Glover to return to a cool climate.

“Whilst at Moorilla I began to question what was deemed normal or traditional and began departing from accepted winemaking protocol,” Glover said. “I surreptitiously began toying with whole bunches, extended lees aging and wild ferments… the madness and adventure had begun.” www.winetitles.com.au

After leaving Tasmania and Moorilla, Glover took on the role of winemaker at Bannockburn Vineyards in 2005, a position he held until the beginning of this year.

“I know I left Bannockburn Vineyards a different winemaker to when I started there almost a decade earlier,” Glover said, although he believed his most memorable role was still to come with his Mammoth Wines project.

“One of the great things that I learned at Bannockburn is the importance of time. It is a wonderful thing to have time to think, time to reflect and time to let the wines evolve into something ‘more’.

“The wine I hated leaving behind the most when I left Bannockburn in January of this year was a 2011 Chardonnay that I had kept on lees for four years. I was intending to bottle half of it after five years and the other half after seven years on lees.

“I have often thought that a lot of what I was taught at winemaking school was really about speeding things up. No time, so add packets yeast; no time, so add fining agents; no time, so de-stem.

“Time is what separates wine from beverage.”

Glover said there were lots of reasons why he decided this was the year to leave Bannockburn and return to New Zealand, but none more important than the connection he felt to his home land.

“I guess if you go back to what I said before about a connection to a place then the truth is I feel connected to New Zealand,” Glover explained. “I have always referred to it as ‘home’ – my sense of place. I guess it was always my intention to one day return to Nelson.

“My wife and I were four days away from signing papers to build a house just out of Bannockburn when the phone rang asking me if I wished to return to Nelson to take the winemaking job at Mahana.

It was like a train stopped at my station and the conductor said if you want to go home and make great wine you had better get on now as the train won’t be stopping again.

“I also felt that I had achieved almost August 2015 – Issue 619

Michael Glover embraces his ‘wine spirit’ throughout the winemaking process to ensure he enjoys every minute.

as much as I could at Bannockburn. After more than nine years of work the brand was once again relevant, interesting and exciting.”

Glover said despite the success he was achieving, it felt to him as though his creative freedom was beginning to dry up at Bannockburn.

“Success wasn’t allowing freedom but restricting it: ‘It works and it’s selling so don’t change it!’” Glover said. “The reason to stay all centred on the themes of safety and security and yet from a winemaking point of view safety and security is the enemy. I really needed new winemaking challenges.”

Settling into life in Nelson has been a different story all together, according to Glover, with many changes since he last lived there.

“It does feel like I have moved to a new place rather than returned home,” he said. “I had forgotten (or probably just didn’t appreciate) that Nelson is a small region, in a country in the farthest corner of the world. The wine industry is safe…

August 2015 – Issue 619

perhaps even a little conservative.”

Despite the traditional wine community, Glover admitted Nelson was a beautiful region.

“You cannot underestimate the importance of beauty to enrich and nourish the soul – something has to feed the spark of creation and for me it is life.

“It is the flowers, bees, birds, rivers, mountain tops, horizons, stars, sunsets and sea that make me happy. The best wines I have ever had have been in nature, whether it be by the river, on top of a mountain, in a cabin, at the seaside.

That is where great wines really sing.

“Wine has never been about restaurants and ‘fine dining’ for me. You can’t get the best out of a great bottle in a sterile space made of artifice and façade. This is like owning a Ferrari and only driving at 60 km/hr to the corner store.

“If you want to get the best out of a great bottle you must take it to the race track… you must go outdoors into the arena of life. I have asked this question many times to wine people: ‘What does www.winetitles.com.au

wine mean to you?’ To me wine is life enhancement.

“Wine has the ability to make things even better. Wine can make the meal in front of you exquisite; it can enhance the most spectacular view; it can reward the toughest climb, and it can even make the person sitting opposite you more appealing… if used with care and caution of course (my wife will be cross with that one).”

Glover said Nelson has incredible winemaking assets, namely the yellow ultic soils of the Moutere that allowed for viticulture free of supplementary irrigation, as well as the rolling hills and myriad of tiny valleys that allowed for huge site expression in a very close area.

“Combine these soils and sites with the Nelson climate and you get Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling knocking at the winery door with perfect numbers and great difference.

Terroir. No need for additions.”

Glover said as a winemaker, he then has the chance to paint a personal Grapegrower & Winemaker

75

winemaking expression of how he sees the region.

“A pure expression. An honest expression. The brown orthic soils of the Waimea plains are only 15 minutes away but allow for, and give, a totally different Nelson expression.”

Glover said the great ‘old world’ wine regions were founded on the simplicity of a vine in the ground and whether or not it could survive and produce great fruit for great wine.

“Back then, there was no irrigation, no pH meter, and no shiny foil packets of ‘stuff’. The great Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat once said, ‘technology is shit, and is only there as a back-up for mistake after mistake’. I believe this.

“If you’ve planted the wrong variety in the wrong region on the wrong site you then need to irrigate and dump acid into your ferments to get out of trouble and stay in the game. Not my scene.”

Glover said the wine he made under his own label Mammoth in 2013 proved that Nelson could make “bloody good” Pinot Noir from dry grown fruit with no addition of enzyme, yeast, tannin, colour… nothing but a bit of SO2.

“For me, personally, this is nirvana.

You are making something that has integrity, is pure and, dare I say it, authentic. There is huge potential to make truly great wine.”

Glover said his first vintage back in Nelson has proven to be “thrilling, terrifying, tiring, fun and frustrating all at the same time.”

“Vintage doesn’t change much.

Wherever you are it always has the same wonderful smell and electric energy in the air. It is a time of birth and creation and a faith and trust that the wine gods are smiling and are with you. I think they felt kind – the wines look great.”

Although a couple of blocks were frost affected, and a few more had some botrytis present, Glover didn’t seem phased.

“I had nearly forgotten what botrytis even looked like but then, even botrytis represents life,” he said. “I’ll take botrytis any day of the week ahead of drought, heat and shrivel which, to me, represents death.”

Glover said throughout the winemaking process, there were all sorts of interesting things going on in the winery.

“Sauvignon Blanc was fermented on skins and on stalks. The use of CheGlovera® bespoke cigar barrels, acacia puncheons and then there was the mad Lahar-Ferm® 100 per cent lees ferment, though incredibly difficult to explain, it was the craziest thing I have ever done and it worked!”

Glover said all of the white wine

76 Grapegrower & Winemaker

madness makes the 100 per cent whole bunch Pinot Noir look positively conservative by comparison.

“Almost all of the fruit that has come in this vintage has not received a single addition since it was picked… not even SO2.”

According to Glover, almost all ferments he has watched over for the past 10 years have relied on the local yeast squadron to hop in and do a good job.

“I haven’t inoculated a tank in a very long time,” he said. “There is something nice about a whole lot of friendly yeasties arriving at the winery on the back of grapes freshly picked and calling to their yeastie mates who are lurking in the winery roof to come down and join in the sugar fest.

I have asked this question many times to wine people: “What does wine mean to you?” To me wine is life enhancement.

“Yeast packets belong in refineries.

The vacuum sealed foil packets always remind me of the terminator… relentless, robotic and without soul.”

Mahana Estates has been certified as organic since 2011, and has used biodynamic practices in the past but Glover said obtaining cow manure that was organically certified has proven to be very difficult.

Glover admitted he had been critical and sceptical of biodynamic practices due to the practices of who he liked to call ‘false prophets’ in Australia.

His ideas began to shift when he recently listened to James Millton speak at the NZ Organic Winegrowers Conference in Marlborough.

“I was very impressed, even moved, by the way he was able to articulate and express a love of his land and a way of life in wine that was quite spiritual. He seemed to have a totally different take on things from almost every other soul in the room.

“This certainly resonated with my belief in ‘wine spirit’. I do have a translation of Steiner’s agricultural lectures sitting in front of me, and I’m still struggling and far from convinced, but I cannot deny that anything that espouses life, creativity, spirit and difference I find very appealing and attractive,” he said.

While there’s no denying that Glover has a different point of view and has no www.winetitles.com.au

issue in voicing it, when asked why he believed he had a reputation of being a rebel winemaker, he simply said he wasn’t.

“I don’t think I am rebellious,” he said. “My deep and philosophical ‘wineBuddha’ answer to this question is all about context and perspective.

“At first, making a batch of wine using ‘different’ or ‘alternative’ methods may seem brave, mad and terrifying but once you understand and commit to what you are doing and what you believe in, then at some point down the road you look back over your shoulder and see how far you’ve drifted from the pack,” he said.

“It is then that you realise that everyone else seems to be quite tapered or fixed in their vision of things. This is enlightenment for me.

“My short ‘non-Buddha’ answer is that I just try and make wines that I would like to drink.”

Still settling into his old home town, Glover said he has bonded with a few locals who epitomise the characters of a good winemaker.

“I have enjoyed tasting and visiting with Andrew Greenhough, who is a thoroughly good man of the Nelson ‘old guard’; whilst Neudorf winemaker, Todd Stevens is a very good chap also,” Glover said. “They are both open, honest, enthused and possessing a sense of occasion with an excellent bottle always in hand.”

Beyond wine, Glover’s squad consists of Simon Nicholas, brewer at Hop Federation, cider maker Alex Peckham, local bee keepers, Pic the peanut butter maker, and the team at the famed Upper Moutere Takeaways.

“Nelson is full of interesting characters,” Glover said.

As far as the future goes, Glover’s thoughts were as optimistic and impassioned as ever.

“I think we are on the brink of some really exciting times,” he said. “I like to think that we are unshackling the cultural cringe of the past and bravely heading down our own paths as Australian and New Zealand winemakers.

“We need to continually pursue, improve on and perfect our own ways of doing things. There are whole vistas of flavour, aroma and texture waiting to be discovered.

“The days of a producer clinging to the ‘old world’ to legitimise and give blind meaning to their lack of direction and vision are, surely, nearly at an end.

“The future is all about reflecting our respective places in a new world. Unique wines reflecting unique places and made by unique individuals. I can’t wait!”

August 2015 – Issue 619

WINE ENG 2015

NATIONAL

CONFERENCE &

EXHIBITION

Finding a better way.

Excellence in Winery operation and asset management.

August 26th & 27th Chateau Tanunda Winery Barossa Valley

For further information visit www.wea.org.au or contact Trevor Leighton 0417 597 956 tleighto@bigpond.net.au

WINE ENG 2015 Winery Engineering Association 2015 National Conference & Exhibition WineEng 2015

Finding a Better Way – Excellence in Winery Operations & Asset Management THIS YEAR’S Winery Engineering Association (WEA) Conference and Exhibition, WineEng 2015, will be held at the Chateau Tanunda Winery, located in the Barossa, on August 26 and 27.

The not-for-profit WEA stages this significant and unique wine calendar event. The organisation is made up of, and run by, a team of winery operations personnel from across the industry who each have in-depth experience and knowledge of what is required to operate wineries in an efficient and competitive manner.

Those behind the scenes at the WEA also understand the importance of achieving the highest-quality product possible, this year’s conference therefore concentrates on many aspects of wine production and is aimed at production operations personnel including: winemakers, engineering and maintenance staff, bottling and packaging management, general management and winery suppliers whose goal is to ensure that

the Australian wine industry remains competitive both in the domestic and global markets.

The conference is important to the wine industry in the way that it keeps key operational staff up to date with the latest global technological advancements therefore ensuring that the Australian wine industry retains its competitive edge wherever possible. Registration for the conference and associated exhibition opens at 9am on Wednesday August 26, the conference will then commence at 10.30am and following a welcome from Ben McDonald, the WEA president, a keynote address will be given by Dr Daniel Johnson, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) managing director.

In his address, Johnson will summarise the key technological developments in the history of wine production and the obstacles

Connect Your Enterprise The Rockwell Automation Connected Enterprise helps drive the decisions and actions that bring together people, processes and technology. Wine makers around the world are realising the many benefits that The Connected Enterprise delivers. Leveraging this technology allows for better utilisation of assets, faster problem solving and improved decision-making.

Visit Rockwell Automation at the WEA Conference Booth Nos.1&2

www.rockwellautomation.com.au Copyright © 2015 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

1 78WEA-Advert_wine_jul15.indd Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

20/07/2015 AM619 August 20159:53:37 – Issue

BECAUSE WE KNOW CREATING A FINE VINTAGE ISN’T EASY LET US LEND YOU A HAND PENTAIR FLOW CONTROL PACIFIC At Pentair Flow Control Pacific we are proud to be one of Australasia’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of wine and fluid solutions, industrial valves and pumps, and hygienic product systems – all manufactured globally and to the highest of standards.

With over 60 years in business, we have a pedigree and reputation for delivering excellence and we know that excellence is exactly what you need from your next vintage. So let us lend you a hand.

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WINE ENG 2015 The conference will keep key operational staff up to date with the latest global technological advancements, therefore ensuring that the Australian wine industry retains its competitive edge wherever possible. that were overcome, and offer some thoughts for breakthroughs that are just around the corner. At the conclusion of the keynote address the presentation of technical papers will then follow.

The 2015 National Conference theme “Finding a Better Way – Excellence in Winery Operations and Asset Management” will focus on ways in which improved methods can be implemented into the production process. The aim is to achieve increased effectiveness of assets, resulting in improved efficiencies and therefore cost and waste reduction while at the same time ensuring that product quality is maintained at the very least or in many cases improved.

Key areas to be addressed include: Lean production; Improving asset management and performance; Refrigeration efficiency plus new developments in brine; The real cost of compressed air and nitrogen generation: Steam generation efficiency; Water foot printing; Effective humidification of barrel storage to reduce losses and associated costs; • The use and effects of oxygen during early stages of winemaking; • Historical and future developments in grape pressing; and • Government support to grow your business.

• • • • • • •

Key speakers will address these issues over two days of presentations which will provide opportunities to share and improve knowledge for the entire winery team. The variety of presentations will also provide many choices for the conference delegate’s interests. In addition to the conference and exhibition the WEA is also planning to conduct a Q&A session in which a panel of winemakers will discuss with delegates innovative ways in which they have approached issues associated with production processes and sustainability.

Immediately following the Q&A, delegates will have the unique opportunity to participate in a sensory tasting session presented by the AWRI that will teach participants how to

Proudly Australian Made Advanced Metallurgical Solutions 24 Cooroora Crescent PO Box 333 Lonsdale, SA 5160 Australia

80 Grapegrower & Winemaker

identify a range of wine faults and taints such as brettanomyces and oxidation/VA (combined).

An additional delegate benefit at this year’s event will be the opportunity to participate in a pre-conference tour on Tuesday August 25, the day prior to the conference. This tour will involve visits to Orora Glass in Gawler and Tarac Technologies in the Barossa to see the production processes in action and discuss recent developments with these long standing industry providers. The visits will cover all stages from raw materials supply, batching processes, quality systems, production controls, product specific manufacturing and finished products. Environmental impact and sustainability will also be discussed.

This event is a great educational and networking opportunity, however participant places are limited so those interested in participating should register as soon as possible.

Feedback from the 2014 conference delegates and visitors to the associated exhibition was very positive with many of them commenting that they considered the event to be beneficial to their business and allowed them to keep abreast of leading edge technological advancements and practices. The standard of this year’s event is expected to be even higher than those previously held and of significant benefit to all who attend.

An integral part of this annual event is the great display of products and services available from Australian and international providers.

With the conference and associated exhibition being one of the few that is run on an annual basis it also provides an excellent opportunity for face-to-face networking among key operational staff coming from wine producers ranging from small boutique operations to those representing large, multinational wine companies. The number and quality of trade exhibitors gathered in the one place at the same time also provides a similar opportunity to have face to face discussions with people who are experts in their field and willing to help.

The finale to the event will be the conference dinner to be held during the evening of the final day of the conference, the WEA conference dinner is always well accepted and enjoyed by all who attend and once again gives the opportunity for important networking in a relatively informal environment and of course as always there will be a fund raising section to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Registration to the conference is a one off cost that allows delegate’s free entry to all conference programs and free admission to the conference dinner including entertainment and corkage.

For more information and to register, contact Geoff Leighton E: geoff.leighton@hotkey.net.au P: 0412 971 837

AMS Viti-flow Ti© Crossflow Filtration

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www.winetitles.com.au

Sales: sales@ams100.com Technical: technical@ams100.com August 2015 – Issue 619

Australia - 13 19 14

New Zealand - 0800 33 19 14

www.xylemaustralia.com/au

www.xylemaustralia.com/nz

Xylem Australia & New Zealand

WINE ENG 2015 WinEng 2015 presenters: Presenters

Presentation Title / Topic

Dr Dan Johnson, AWRI Managing Director

Keynote address

Nick Palousis & James McIntyre, 2XE

Getting the most out of your winery using lean production

Jeff Treble, Atlas Copco

The real cost of compressed air

Trish Ivar, AusIndustry

Government support to grow your business

Martin Day , AWRI & Luke Wilson, Yalumba

The use and effects of oxygen during early stages of winemaking – research and industrial practice

Simon Norestgaard, AWRI

Historical and future developments in grape pressing

Tadro Abbott, AWRI

Getting your feet wet with water footprinting

Nathan Rowbottom, Byford

Better use of transfer hoses - a safety and comparative view

Brad Semmler & Eddie Lane, Cold Logic

Bringing efficiency gains to your refrigeration + New developments in brine

Ivan Winter, Ingenia

Forensic engineering & root cause analysis to improve assett performance

Daniel Hillhouse, NHP

Renewable applications in winery operations

Jo Stagg, Programmed

Leading teams in diverse & seasonal businesses

Jason Harris, Rapidfil

Humidification of barrel sheds - reducing the ‘angels share’

Jacob (Jake) Eigenhui, Rockwell Automation

Asset utilisation and optimisation

Brenton Jauncey, Spirax Sarco

Steam - the energy fluid

Exhibitors listing: Adelaide Belt and Hose Mr John Riggs Sales

42 Scotland Rd MILE END SA 5031

Booth 4

Phone: 08 8234 1155 Fax: 08 8234 1155 Mobile: 0418 829 352 john@abhose.com.au

Ingenia is a customer focused consulting company which provides a range of services aimed at helping you get the most from your physical assets.

Our services include a unique blend of Asset Management and Maintenance Practices, Engineering Services, Forensic Engineering, Project Management, Process Optimisation, Asset Risk, HAZOP, Engineering Design and Drafting.

We provide efficient and cost effective services that you may have once had in your own Engineering Department.

Our clients benefit from our wide range of industry experience in sectors such as food and beverages, packaging, infrastructure, mining, ports, waste management, water, cement, construction, pharmaceuticals, government, council, wool, and many others.

We provide our range of integrated and complementary services to both national and international clients.

Level 1, 527 Glynburn Road, Hazelwood Park, South Australia 5066

T. + 61 8 7221 9970 • F. + 61 8 7221 9979 E. enquiries@ingenia.com.au • W. www.ingenia.com.au 82 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Advanced Metallurgical Solutions Mr Gilbert Erskine Director

Booth 27

Phone: 08 8326 7823 Fax: 08 8326 2283 Mobile: 0419 810 285

PO Box 333 24 Cooroora Crescent

AMS is the sole manufacturer of the world’s smallest diameter and longest continuous length sintered Titanium microfiltration membrane as well as the world’s only Titanium Rotary Drum Vacuum (RDV) membrane microfilter. They offer semi-automated and fully automated crossflow filtration systems, gas spargers and membrane retrofit on existing crossflow systems.

AMS is a wholly Australian owned and operated company in Adelaide with over 18 years of experience in powder metallurgy.

They use advanced manufacturing techniques to produce their patented membrane and filtration systems.

For more information, please visit: www.ams100.com

Aggreko Australia Pacific Deon Fourie Area Sales Manager - South 101 Woodlands Drive BRAESIDE VIC 3195

Atlas Copco Compressors Mr Jonas Holmdahl Communications Business Partner 3 Bessemer St BLACKBURN NSW 2148

Best Bottlers

Mr Wayne Breguet General Manager MILDURA VIC 3505

www.winetitles.com.au

Booth 15

Phone: 03 9586 5026 Fax: 03 9586 5051 Mobile: 0408 354 024 Deon.Fourie@aggreko.com.au

Booth 21

Phone: 02 9621 9795 Fax: 02 9622 3409 Mobile: 0417 799 366 jonas.holmdahl@au.atlascopco.com

Booth 24

Phone: 03 5018 7118 Fax: 03 5018 7137 Mobile: 0429 210 992 wayneb@bestbottlers.com.au August 2015 – Issue 619

B.L. Shipway

Booth 8

Mr David Ringwood Sales Representative 217 Richmond Rd RICHMOND SA 5033

Phone: 08 8352 1144 Fax: 08 8443 6327 Mobile: 0418 833 608 davidringwood@blshipway.com.au

Byford Fluid Solutions

Booth 7

Mr Nathan Rowbottom PO Box 55 Moama Business Park MOAMA NSW 2731

Phone: 03 5482 0622 Fax: 03 5482 0667 Mobile: 00427 682 043 manager@byfordfs.com.au

Continental Water Purification Systems Booth 11 Mr Steve Jeffs State Manager 121 Conquest Way HALLAM VIC 3803

Phone: 03 8794 3800 Fax: 08 8345 0938 steve.jeffs@continentalwater.com.au

GEA Westfalia Separator Aus P/L Ms Grace Del Grande PA to Managing Director 47 Northgate Drive THOMASTOWN VIC 3074

GEA Westfalia Separator is a global technology leader in the manufacturer of high-performance centrifuges to the wine/ beverage/food industry with over 100 years experience. GEA Westfalia Separator is a market leader in the wine industry and supplies centrifuges for juice, wine, sparkling wine clarification, lees processing and a special process for tartrate stabilization.

Sustainable success is the best basis for long term co-operation; this is why we are consistently working on innovative solutions to strengthen our competitive edge. This approach has made us the global technology leader in mechanical separation technology and we are continually working on keeping it this way.

JMA Engineering P/L

Della Toffola Pacific

Booth 18

Mr Blair Hanel Territory Manager 24 - 26 National Boulevard CAMPBELLFIELD VIC 3061

Phone: 9924 4040 Fax: 9924 4041 Mobile: 0447 815 482 BlairH@dtpacific.com

IFM Efector Pty Ltd

Booth 16

Ms Angela Santoro Marketing Assistant 3/745 Springvale Rd MULGRAVE VIC 3170

Phone: 03 8561 0508 Fax: 1300 365070 angela.santoro@ifm.com

Booth 9

Phone: 03 8877 9921 Fax: 03 9464 5455 Mobile: 0400 078 081 grace.grande@geagroup.com

Mr Mark Johnson National Sales Manager PO Box 452 BERRI SA 5343

Booth 22

Phone: 08 8582 9500 Fax: 08 8582 3132 Mobile: 0408 822 434 mark@jmaeng.com.au

NHP Electrical Engineering Pty Ltd

Mr Lyle Wheeler Automation Sales Manager SA/NT 36-38 Croyden Rd KESWICK SA 5035

Booth 12

Phone: 08 8297 9055 Fax: 08 8371 0962 Mobile: 0407 612 587 lwheeler@nhp.com.au

PEAK

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August 2015 – Issue 619

Email enquiries@peakindustrial.com

www.winetitles.com.au

Grapegrower & Winemaker

83

WINE ENG 2015 Ingenia

Booth 17

Ms Ann Winter Admin Manager

Phone: 08 7221 9970 Fax: 08 7221 9979 Mobile: 0448 865 281 ann.winter@ingenia.com.au

527 Glynburn Rd HAZELWOOD PARK SA 5066

Ingenia is a customer-focused consulting company, which aims to help clients get the most from their physical assets. Offering a unique blend of asset management and maintenance practices, forensic engineering, project management, asset risk, HAZOP, engineering design and drafting. Effective asset management is the core focus. Helping clients implement strategies that are not only world class, but are simple, efficient, cost-effective and relevant.

Novasys Group Pty Ltd Mr Harvey Gough Managing Director PO Box 1150 MOUNTAIN GATE VIC 3156

Oomiak

Ms Cate McGuire Chief Executive PO Box 156 NORTH ADELAIDE SA 5006

Booth 10

Phone: 3 9752 3766 Fax: 3 9752 3977 Mobile: 0407 722 570 harvey@novasys.com.au

Booth 5

Phone: 08 8345 9900 Fax: 08 8346 0700 Mobile: 0431 080 007 shereen.mahoney@oomiak.com.au

Pentair Flow and Filtration Solutions Mr Robin Noorland Sales Manager

22A Taminga St REGENCY PARK SA 5010

Booth 29

Phone: 64 7958 7183 Fax: 64 7958 7101 Mobile: 64 21 289 9966 robin.noorland@pentair.com

When it comes to understanding the needs of the food and beverage industry (including viticulture) the team at Pentair Food and Beverage are quite simply second to none.

With a history that goes back over 60 years, there is very little we have not seen or done. We have recently merged our Valves & Control Hygienic business (representing Keystone and Hovap) and our Food and Beverage Process Solutions (representing Südmo) into one streamlined operation. Now, more than ever before, we can showcase a huge range of outstanding process solutions targeted specifically to the wine, food and beverage industries.

PEAK Industrial

Mr Michael Byrne Global Business Development Manager Fountain Crescent Inchinnan Business Park INCHINNAN SCOTLAND mbyrne@peakscientific.com

Booth 25

Oomiak is a leader in winery refrigeration in Australia. A full service provider in industrial refrigeration from tailored design and professional engineering to installation and ongoing maintenance.

Oomiak’s technicians and engineers are hand-picked and have spent many years specialising in the sector. They operate from Oomiak’s fully equipped workshops, and are qualified to work with Freon, ammonia and secondary refrigerant systems and major equipment brands. Oomiak has teams in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Mildura, Perth and Rockhampton and works with customers throughout Australia and Asia. We know refrigeration in the winery industry and as a result we work with wineries on large capital works right through to small projects.

Peak Industrial is a leading innovator in the design & manufacture of on-demand gas generators for industrial manufacturing/process industries requiring nitrogen. The i-Flow N2 generator provides a consistent gas supply, unlike conventional bulk gas supply options which incur delivery, order process & rental costs, all of which mean a loss of revenue.

A comprehensive consultation from our global network of skilled technicians will assist in the project management, initial project scoping, site preparation, installation, commissioning and on-going technical support of your i-Flow generator. Further enhanced by Peak Industrial’s world-class technical support and after sales care will ensure consistent productivity long lifetime operation of the system.

Programmed Property Services

Seal Imports Ltd

Ms Jo Stagg State Manager SA

604 Port Rd ALLENBY GARDENS SA 5009

Booth 13

Phone: 08 8346 9944 Fax: 08 8346 7455 Mobile: 0417 054 135 jo.stagg@programmed.com.au

Mr Mark Boyle

2/209 Cormack Rd Wingfield, ADELAIDE SA 5013

Booth 19

Phone: 08 8168 1000 Fax: 08 8168 1099 Mobile: 0449 044 711 mark.boyle@sealimports.com.au

we know cold

Oomiak serves up a fine blend of refrigeration engineering know-how and clever design with comprehensive services that cover: design and installation plant and equipment maintenance 24/7 hours spare parts and consumables equipment leasing consulting services second-hand equipment.

1300 731 699

customerservice@oomiak.com.au www.oomiak.com.au

84 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

Rockwell Automation

Ms Anne-Marie Ward Marketing Communications Manager Wellington Centre 2 Portrush Rd PAYNEHAM SA 5070

Booth 1

Phone: 03 9896 0607 Fax: 3-9890 0953 Mobile: 0407 556 747 award@ra.rockwell.com

The Rockwell Automation ‘Connected Enterprise’ leverages technology to better gather and analyse data, and transform it into actionable, real-time insightful information. It enables the connection of global operations to the enterprise and extended business systems, allowing for better collaboration, faster problemsolving and improved innovation.

Central to achieving The Connected Enterprise is the convergence of information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) into a single unified architecture to capitalise on operational, business and transactional data for improved enterprise, operations and supply chain performance.

Wine makers around the world are realising the many benefits that The Connected Enterprise delivers. Seamless collaboration and integration enables you to use the power of real-time data to make better, more profitable business decisions.

SPX Flow Technology Mr Benoit Roucheau Sales Manager 300 Wellington Rd MULGRAVE VIC

Superior Lubricants Mr Aaron Crichton Managing Director

10/22 Oramzi Rd GIRRAWEEN NSW 2145

Torque Industries Mr Jethro Laundy Sales Manager

246 Grand Junction Road ATHOL PARK SA 5012

Travhotec Pty Ltd Mr Chris Travers Director

25 William St, PO Box 2162 ALBERTON SA 5014

Xylem

Mr Keith Bowen Regional Manager - Asia Pacific Uit 3, 1 Federation Way MENTONE VIC 3194

August 2015 – Issue 619

GEA Westfalia Separator Australia Pty Ltd

Booth 3

Phone: 03 9763 4934 Fax: 03 9763 7888 Mobile: 0419 587 596 benoit.roucheau@spx.com

No. 1 Wine Centrifuge

Booth 30

Phone: 02 9636 9399 Fax: 02 9636 9988 Mobile: 0400 884 505 sales@superiorlube.com.au

Booth 28

Phone: 08 8341 0177 Fax: 08 8341 1955 Mobile: 0437 774 857 j.laundy@torqind.com

Booth 6

The GSC Series Centrifuge 

Remove DE from your juice, wine & fining processes



Eliminate RDV downgrades



Streamline your process



Enjoy paybacks of less than 18 months



Capacities from 300 - 40,000l/hr

Phone: 08 8240 3029 Fax: 08 82403046 Mobile: 0407 976 033 trav@travhotec.com.au

GEA Mechanical Equipment

Booth 23

Phone: 03 9540 5888 Fax: 09 9551 0320 Mobile: 0409 195 702 keith.bowen@xyleminc.com

GEA Westfalia Separator Australia Pty Ltd 47 Northgate Drive, Thomastown, Victoria 3074 Phone: 03 8877 9924, Fax: 03 9464 5455 Mobile: 0408 322 524 Email: kevin.dawe@gea.com, www.gea.com

engineering for a better world

www.winetitles.com.au

Grapegrower & Winemaker

85

winemaking

50,000 cases per month – and growing Wine Storage

GraysOnline, the Australian online retail and auction company, recently separated its wine offer through the stand-alone GraysWine.com.au. The general manager of the Grays wine division is Simon West, somebody with a lot of ‘skin’ in the wine industry. In a Q&A with Nathan Gogoll, West explains his background in sales and marketing and details how GraysWine wants to work with the wine brands it sells.

Tell us about your career in the wine industry: Simon West: During my uni days I was working at Northgate House in SA as a barman at weddings. Northgate House was owned and run by Vili and Rosemary Milisits of the ‘Vilis’ bakery enterprise. After my Saturday night shift, Vili would often let me go down to the cellar and choose a wine to share with him.

Eight years with global giant Procter and Gamble dealing with the major retailers, gave me a solid foundation to step into the wine industry. After several years with various wineries in sales and marketing roles, I commenced Fullglass, a consultancy service that provided sales, marketing, branding and strategy advice to wineries, with a big focus on exporting.

During this time, I was lucky enough to meet the late Stephen Lumb of Oddbins wine auctions, and I became a sponge to his gentle and non-intimidating approach to wine education. He made a big impression on me and opened my eyes to the way we should be talking to the consumers.

I had a lot of fun over 10 years with various successful projects… helping Sparky Marquis develop and launch Mollydooker globally; launching a unique wine brand in the US called ‘Pizza Red’ with the late Peter Brown (another true gentleman of the industry taken too soon) of Brown Brothers fame; and developing some crazy labels and wines with the Redheads crew in McLaren Vale.

Every year I also source, blend, package, and ship several wine brands to my business partners in British Columbia in Canada. I love this as it enables me to keep in touch with the wine industry at a grass roots level.

Simon West, the general manager of GraysWine.com.au, has plenty of ‘skin in the game’.

In more recent times I was representing a client selling to Grays and experienced the process first hand. It was really interesting for me as I saw it as a really solid channel to go to the consumer without having to deal with the major retail chains in any way.

Did this prepare you for the role with Grays?

SW: My experience over the years has been quite broad. As well as being competent with sales, marketing and branding, I have needed to keep an astute financial grip on every deal performed whilst showing a strong understanding of the entire wine making and production process. The secret to success is understanding the consumer. I only entered markets where I knew exactly what the consumer was looking for (and they are all quite unique!).

Wine Tank Specialists

32 SPEY STREET, INVERCARGILL 9810 • Ph 03 214 4817 • Fax 03 218 3354 • Email andrew@crownsheetmetal.co.nz 86 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking What sort of consumer data have you been able to access, in order to tailor the new wine-only platform appropriately?

Simon West and Alex Djordjevic, Grays European business development manager, in a vineyard in Chateuaneuf du Pape.

In my role as General Manager at Grays, I am able to share a lot of those skills to my team and steer the marketing focus to what the wine consumer truly wants.

How has the Grays focus on wine changed since launching a wine specific web platform?

SW: The launch of GraysWine has been five years in the making for the Grays eCommerce Group. The wine category has built up a strong value proposition over many years and we felt the timing was right to spin the web site off so it is truly recognised as a wine destination. The wine team is focused on supporting long term wine partners and attracting new winemakers to deliver on our promise to our customers. The GraysWine launch illustrates to our customers and our wine partners we are responding to their feedback on how to improve our service and overall experience.

If you were to conduct a survey and ask wineries how they perceive Grays, they would probably mention the words ‘a clearance outlet’. That was how the online business launched back in 2004, but is a very different beast today. Every month we have approximately 300,000 hits to our website, more than 2500 cases of wine sold per day (yes, that’s not a typo), and have become one of Australia’s largest wine online retailers.

Our uniqueness is the ‘auction’ model and I remind our team we should never lose sight of this.

88 Grapegrower & Winemaker

SW: Being 100% online allows us to clearly understand customer behaviour with all on site and transactional behaviour captured and stored in our large data analytical systems. We understand varietal and regional preferences, frequency of purchase, acceptable price points, likelihood of referral etc.

All of this data allows us to tailor our communication and on site product recommendations to better align to a customer’s interests.

The nature of auction means we only have one winner per item and so if that item reappears in our stock listing we are able to communicate a very targeted message to underbidders connecting them with the wine they were so keen to buy.

This also means we can target specific EDM’s (Event Driven Marketing) to them.

You are looking at increasing the winery-driven content. Can you tell me the sort of content that has been most popular since the launch?

SW: The previous GraysOnline wine site was quite cold and industrial. Unfortunately, we occasionally saw that other products in our offering would come up in a wine search and appear amongst the wine tiles.

We recently engaged an agency that looked closely at our positioning and messaging. The end result was to ‘provide the consumer with a guided discovery’. It was quite obvious that in order to maximise this we would need to have a standalone site that could handle the additional content we would need to provide this ‘guided discovery’.

I have armed my team with iPads so they can all take photos and video content at the winery and upload to our team Dropbox account. From there, we can load video clips into our generic template and then on to the chosen wine page. My vision is for the consumer to navigate their way to a wine that attracts their attention. They can see an image of the wine, read some information (both from the winery and some thoughts from our team), click on a 45 second video that will bring the winemaker or winery to their home which will in turn encourage them to purchase on our ‘fixed price’ offering immediately or bid more for an auction wine.

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Chêne Australasia 12.07 Aquavista Tower, 401 Docklands Drive, Docklands, VIC, Australia 3008 Ph: (03) 9602 4066 – Fax: (03) 9670 1002

winemaking Grays has become an ecommerce leader in speed of delivery to the consumer. Once you buy our team will have the wine picked and packed by the next business day and collected

by Toll for delivery to their front door. This is all part of the process for the consumer to discover ‘their next favourite drop’.

Finally, we have some exceptional staff members with a passion for wine like no other. We need to do a better job of using their knowledge to assist our consumer base with their decision making process. Watch this space for more staff ‘panel’ picks and important commentary from our team.

What are the different processes for the wineries when they participate in an auction compared to ‘buy now’?

SW: There are several platforms for selling your wine on GraysWine…

1. Auction 2. Fixed price/Buy Now 3. Private cellar/Fine Wine (either auction or fixed price) Online auction represents 75% of our sales. The wine will be freighted into our Lidcombe NSW warehouse on consignment and programmed into our system. Grays will provide the warehousing free of charge. The wine is then ‘lotted’ on our site and sold as a full case. Grays will pick, pack and

90 Grapegrower & Winemaker

freight to the consumer within days.

Grays receive the money from the consumer, the commission and small admin fee is deducted and the balance is transferred to the vendor within 10 days. The majority of auctions start at $9/case. This makes it pretty much ‘unreserved’. Bids are placed at $5 increments. We have found that known brands with a good following sometimes bid up and over the average RRP you will see in the marketplace.

We have recently commenced a $109/ case start program. To use this method we make sure the wine meets certain criteria. It effectively means the vendor has a ‘guaranteed’ start price to protect their return.

Fixed price occurs in much the same way except the pricing is ‘fixed’.

We ship direct from our warehouse or via a ‘dropship’ agreement with various distributors. Once again, a commission fee is deducted from the sale price and the balance is transferred to the vendor.

For the Private cellar/Fine Wine, our fine wine buyer will seek out rare and special parcels that fall into this category. It could be from liquidations, deceased estates, insurance claims or just and investor wanting to ‘cash out’ of their valuable wine holdings. We have a special high value part of our warehouse that handles these sales and quite often you will see single bottle sales appearing.

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We also offer a ’30 day money back guarantee on all auction and fixed price stock (unless we clearly state there is no guarantee due to the history of storage conditions not being clear).

Can you tell us what wine styles and price points are most popular and what price points/wine styles are showing good growth?

SW: As mentioned, our extensive data bank allows us to have a clear understanding of what our customers like to drink. Our demographic of very loyal customers also sow they are predominantly males aged between 36-65 years of age. These buyers are comfortable with buying wines from the well know regions and can affiliate with the well-known varietals… i.e. Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale Shiraz, NZ Sauvignon Blanc, more recently we have seen some terrific interest in our French imports and sparkling Cava out of Spain.

Prices vary significantly depending on the varietal and prestige of the wine.

In fine wines, the end of August 2014 saw our largest individual sale of Penfolds Grange. The collection came from a wine industry stalwart that owned many bottleshop’s outside the Sydney region during the 80s and 90s. In the mix was a complete set of Grange magnums from 1979 through to 2005, plus another five decades ranging from 1955 through to 2005. The sale of this collection of Penfolds Grange grabbed the attention of drinkers and wine buffs worldwide.

Both the Decanter magazine and James Halliday magazines featured pieces of this sale on their online daily news and it was picked up by the Fairfax press. The extra publicity ensured that we achieved maximum results for our vendor, the magnum set sold for more than $30,000 to, of all bidders, Penfolds themselves to be featured in the revamped Magill Estate cellar door. It was honour to hand the wines back to the custodians of this most famous wine brands.

The much underrated 1970 sold for a whopping $715. Straight cases still in the original wooden boxes surpassed our expectations. 1990 sold for $3400; 1991 for $2550; 1993 for $2350; 1994 for $2500; and 1996 for $2950. All up, more than $75,000 worth of Grange was sold in one sale.

Are your wine buyers keen to find new partnerships with wineries that haven’t done anything with you so far?

SW: Absolutely. Like all sales channels, critic reviews, medals or any type of media helps ad credibility to that particular wine.

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Our customers told us in an extensive research survey they love discovering new wines that they have never seen before. In fact they prefer the new wineries to the bigger branded companies. Our job is to keep introducing new varietals and regions so that our customers travel with us around Australia and the world trying new wines.

Product ratings by our expert wine panel are extensively visited by our customers. All wines listed on our site go through the screening process by our expert wine team before they are cleared for sale on our site. Notes and comments are captured by our internal wine specialists and included on site for the benefit of our customers. Where available we will call on industry reviews as well as those supplied by the winery.

We find our wine drinkers all have their own view on each wine and we see this expressed in their product reviews.

Introducing “Michael Mebus” our New Zealand Representative.

Michael has been part of the New Zealand Wine industry for 25 years. From making to selling wine. He knows good wood is a friend to great wine!

I read that online liquor sales are achieving year-on-year growth of around eight per cent at a time when the overall market is flat? Do you expect Grays do match that growth rate?

SW: Online retail has been growing rapidly for many years across many categories. Online sales in the Wine category to some extent has been slower than other categories we have experience in, although wine is fast catching up.

In our experience online sales growth all comes down to accessing product that customers really want coupled with a convenient end to end customer experience. We deliver more than 50,000 cases to customers each month around Australia with the vast majority of orders delivered within two working days of the order or auction being won.

The GraysWine launch is timed to tap into the shift in behaviour where wine buyers are researching and buying more and more online. They are looking for new wine experiences, they enjoy the search process and they are looking for great value.

What advice would you have for a winery that has never sold through Grays, but was thinking about testing the waters?

SW: GraysWine has more than 300,000 visits per month from customers interested in discovering new wines.

We offer a terrific channel to reach an informed wine community and introduce their product. We have found mixed cases are very popular to introduce a new winery to our customer base and then they come back to buy straight cases of their preferred varietal. www.winetitles.com.au

Graeme Little 0437 060 943 SA/NSW/NZ Dan Eggleton 0438 824 493 SA/NSW/QLD/WA Bridget Davidtsz 0419 505 547 VIC/TAS Jacob Stein 0447 225 701 Central NSW John Wade 0407 984 820 Southern WA Michael Mebus +64 2188 5797 New Zealand

SEGUIN MOREAU Tel: 08 8406 2000 Fax: 08 8406 2001 admin@seguinmoreau.com.au www.seguin-moreau.fr

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winemaking

Generating Nitrogen to cut costs and improve productivity INVESTING in a nitrogen generator was an easy decision for the managers at Salena Estate Wines.

Claude Sarti, Salena’s operations manager, said only had to show Bob Franchitto, the winery managing director, the potential cost savings of investing in the Atlas Copco nitrogen generator. That was 2012 and the winery has not looked back since.

“Once he saw the figures he did not hesitate,” said Sarti.

The family-owned winery, based in South Australia’s picturesque Riverland district has been crafting wines since 1998 and is now recognised as a major industry player having been awarded 20 trophies, 100 Gold medals and over 500 Silver, Bronze and other awards.

Before having the nitrogen generator, the winery used the G-sized Nitrogen cylinders, which made some tasks difficult and dangerous for the workers.

“We had to wheel each cylinder on a trolley to the bottling line, dragging it

over hoses and other obstacles. It was very difficult to man-handle them into place.

Then the problem was they would only last an hour and a half on the bottling line, when we were in full production.”

It was important to be aware when each cylinder would run out, as the machine doesn’t operate unless there is a certain amount of pressure.

“Often the bottling line would just stop until someone went to change the bottle.

On top of that, on a couple of occasions, someone had forgotten to re order the nitrogen gas bottles for the week, creating a significant amount of costly downtime.

And while the gas was quite economical to buy, when you include the delivery charges and cylinder rental charges, it starts getting expensive, especially when you have to buy in 30 to 40 cylinders in any given period, depending on the time of the year.

“For me the nitrogen generator was a godsend, and has made my life a lot easier. The nitrogen generator and the

Atlas Copco compressor driving it have been very reliable, with no issues with the machines at all.”

Sarti believes the ROI (Return on Investment) was quite short, especially when he added in the considerable reduction in costly production downtime.

“For example, if we had to stop the bottling line for just a half an hour, to change gas bottles or whatever, and we had six people on the bottling line that day, that’s three man hours lost that we had to pay for. If that happens on a regular basis, those costs soon add up, let alone the loss of production,” he said.

THE APPLICATION Mr Sarti explained that the nitrogen is used on the winery’s MBF bottling line for gas blanket cover and flushing the bottling line.

“The system pre-evacuates the bottle with a jet of nitrogen to eliminate the oxygen, and the same on the exit of the filler, so that we have the nitrogen

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August 2015 – Issue 619

protecting the wine, making it last a little bit longer.

“We also use the nitrogen to empty our filters when we need to change product.

Basically we use nitrogen to blow all the previous wine out of the system; the hoses, the filter cartridges, and the filler.”

Sarti said the nitrogen is also used in the winery’s cellar operations, replacing the labour intensive dry ice system.

“Carrying the dry ice in buckets up the stairs to the top of the 60 to 70 foot high tanks was not only a manual handling issue, but a very hard task.

When all the tanks get hooked up properly to the nitrogen plant, all that will be eliminated,” he said.

“The nitrogen plant will eliminate all those costs and safety risks. Like the wine bottles, by taking up the air space with an inert gas, you are protecting the wine inside the tank.”

Bob Franchitto, managing director and the winery’s founder, said the substantial cost savings were the biggest benefit.

“It is a much more effective, cheaper and more reliable way of providing nitrogen. We already had a couple of Atlas Copco compressors and had always found their equipment very dependable,” said Franchitto.

The winery’s current annual

production is about 15,000 tonnes of grapes, with plans to expand that figure to 30,000 across the next four years. The bulk of the wine, 80%, is destined for the export market, in bottles and bulk.

The family owns 210 hectares of vineyards made up of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sangiovese and various other varieties grown on a range of soils from clay and limestone to deep sandy ridges. They also buy fruit from other local producers as well as from the Barossa, Clare and McLaren Vale.

Salena Estate has 14 million litres of temperature controlled stainless steel storage on-site, which is fed by large and small capacity bag presses and an assortment of fermenting vessels.

THE TECHNOLOGY Sonik Barot, Product Manager - CNG & Industrial Gas Projects with Atlas Copco, said replacing gas bottles with on-site nitrogen generator made a lot of sense.

“As well as saving up to 80 per cent on the cost of nitrogen compared to nitrogen bulk supply, on site production provides continuous supply from a fix installation. Users never have to worry about delivery management.”

And as well as saving space, with no gas bottles/liquid nitrogen tanks in

the yard minimising risk and handling errors, Mr Barot says payback is usually under 18 months.

“Once wine makers see the figures it is an easy decision for them to make,” he said.

Barot says traditionally, on-site gas generators were only economically viable in very large applications.

“But with constant development, today’s high efficiency products ensure that generators are economically viable for the smallest of applications, and an ever increasing number of companies are moving to generate their own nitrogen,” he said.

Plus he said getting a quote is very straight forward, with no need for lots of meetings with engineers.

“In order for us to size and price a system for a potential client, all we need is the required flow and purity of nitrogen and the pressure of the nitrogen needed in the application.”

Mr Barot explained that the nitrogen generator installed at the Salena Estate winery is Atlas Copco’s NG12 model (working on PSA – Pressure Swing Adsorption technology) delivering 99.5% pure nitrogen driven by an Atlas Copco GA11VSD FF: 13 FM energy-efficient air compressor.

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winemaking

Riesling: On-premise report Peter McAtamney is principal of Wine Business Solutions (WBS), an Australian and New Zealand based consultant with a focus on providing strategic, advisory, research outcomes and management consultant services to wine business owners. Peter has had extensive local and international industry experience in wine company management, global wine sales and distribution management, plus wine lists consultation.

THIS IS THE first in a series of insights into the Australia On-Premise market, a sector representing around half of the domestic opportunity (outside of direct sales) for small to medium producers. How can this be? There is now practically no wine listed on Australian wine lists that would sell in off-premise retail for $13 or less, the price point under which around 80% of off-premise sales occur. Restaurants’ business models dictate this. Wine is seen as a key profit centre that helps support much higher wages and property rental than most other developed countries have to deal with.

Knowing who the best distributors are and how the sector in evolving is, therefore, critical information for most wineries.

On-Premise listings tend to lead off-premise sales and are the key metric for anyone who is serious about building a premium wine brand. The information in this article sits outside of that published in our Wine On-Premise Australia research.

So why did we start with Riesling? It’s probably the most complex in terms of the range of styles it can be made into and the appeals it can have to the different parts of the market. It’s therefore a good lens through which to look in terms of how the Australian (and international) On-Premise market is evolving.

These days, Sydney/Melbourne/Perth/Adelaide follow London with very little time lag. Our UK research bears this out.

Riesling as a category declined, in terms of share of white wine listings, by 16% (2015 v 2014). Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc suffered similarly as Australian restaurants look to challenge diners with new varietals, new wine styles and new ideas in relation to white wine making.

During the last year, the amount of imported wine listed on Australian wine lists increased from just under one quarter to one third of all listings. As you can see in the chart above, imports are having an impact within the Riesling category but not nearly to the extent that they are on listings generally. Rather,

Origin, Share and Average Price of Riesling Listings Origin

Share 2015

Share 2014

Change

Australia Germany France New Zealand Austria Others

87% 5% 4% 2% 1% 0.2%

89% 4% 3% 3% 1% 0.6%

-2% 40% 46% -25% -16% -69%

Ave Bottle Price 2015 $44.92 $64.50 $69.86 $54.33 $54.50 $55.00

The Top 10 Most listed Riesling Brands in the Australian On-Premise Ave Bottle Price $ 45.84 $ 45.63 $ 40.80 $ 47.22 $ 41.19 $ 39.19 $ 41.00

Brand

Region

Distributor

Share

Jim Barry Knappstein Leo Buring Pikes Mitchell Pewsey Vale Crabtree Frogmore Creek Kilikanoon Leeuwin Estate

Clare Valley Clare Valley Clare Valley Clare Valley Clare Valley Eden Valley Hente

S Smith and Sons Fine Wine Partners Treasury Fine Wine Partners Red & White S Smith and Sons Mezzanine

3.6% 2.3% 1.9% 1.7% 1.5% 1.5% 1.3%

Tasmania

Mezzanine

1.3%

$ 43.14

Clare Valley Margaret River

Bacchus/Off the Vine

1.3%

$ 50.70

Nelson/Direct in WA

1.1%

$ 44.33

if it were not for the fact the category is flying backwards, we could conclude that imports are doing the perfect job of ‘spicing things up’ without putting too much of a dent into leading Australian brands, regions and wine styles.

German and Alsatian Rieslings, which are stylistically very different to Australian Riesling and more expensive, are rapidly increasing share where Austrian and New Zealand Riesling, which although different again but closer both in style and pricing to Australian Riesling are actually going backwards.

It’s a classic marketing lesson. Differentiate and price up to win. The best Riesling producers in the South West of Western Australia are well and truly onto that. South Australian Riesling producers, by direct contrast, are losing out on four fronts.

Firstly, through not innovating, secondly through not ‘premiumising’ thirdly through an almost pathological aversion, in my experience, to residual sugar in wine greatly limiting their ‘playbook’ but most importantly and as a result, restaurants and their customers preferring to drink almost anything else.

So what are these alternative white wine styles that have set the Australian On-Premise ablaze and who is doing the best job of seizing the opportunity? That will be the subject of our next Wine On-Premise insight.

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sales & marketing Use of social media in the Australian and New Zealand wine industries Wineries are keen to adopt social media, but they struggle to identify the return on investment and there appears to be a distinct level of strategy regarding adoption. Sharon L Forbes, from the Faculty of Agribusiness and Markets at Lincoln University, New Zealand; together with Steve Goodman and Rebecca Dolan, from the Marketing & Management department of The University of Adelaide’s Business School, have surveyed wineries about social media use and the perceived benefits.

SOCIAL MEDIA THE USE OF social media has exploded in a way that traditional mass media never did; it took 38 years for the radio to attract 50 million listeners, 13 years for television to gain 50 million viewers and just one-and-a-half years for Facebook to reach 50 million participants.

Facebook today has more than 1.2 billion monthly users and Twitter has exceeded 271 million monthly users.

These figures give some indication of the importance of social media to people.

Customers are using social media to research products and services, as well

as to engage with businesses and other customers who may offer them valuable opinions. Given wine is a lifestyle, hedonic product that is often talked about and information sought after, it is interesting to see where the wine industry sits within social media use.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE WINE INDUSTRY Having a social media presence is as important as having a road sign that points to a winery’s cellar door argues Habel and Goodman (2010). Despite this, wineries have been reasonably

slow to incorporate social media into their marketing strategies, and research reports that even wineries who have begun using social media don’t know where it fits within their strategy (Dolan, Goodman & Habel, 2013).

Research has revealed that most wineries were aware of the popularity of social media, but few knew how it could be helpful to them, consistent with findings in the Australian wine industry (Dolan, Goodman & Habel, 2013). Many have a Web 1.0 approach - they have built a website to passively provide information but have not adopted interactive social

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sales & marketing media tools to any great extent. While some wineries have embraced the new social media technologies, others have claimed that various issues prevent them from doing so. Research with 17 Yarra Valley wineries (Strickland, 2013) revealed that the majority had a low level of understanding and did not know how to use social media platforms.

Other respondents reported that they did not have the time to investigate how to use social media and 90 percent expressed concern that there was no evidence that having a social media presence provided financial returns in the wine industry (Strickland, 2013). In contrast, Habel and Goodman (2010) argue that a winery can utilise Facebook for market research, relationship management and customer feedback, at a small cost of just a few hours each week. Similarly, they also claim that Twitter is a low cost method for engaging with customers and can take just a few minutes of effort each day (Goodman & Habel, 2010); this needs empirical investigation.

METHOD This study utilised a questionnaire that had been previously developed and tested for research with German wineries

96 Grapegrower & Winemaker

(Szolnoki et al., 2013). In Australia, the data was collected in an online survey, hosted on Qualtrics. A message was sent to 2480 Australian wineries who have an email address in the 2014 Wine Industry Directory. A total of 379 usable responses were received in early 2014, giving a response rate of 15 per cent. In New Zealand, the questionnaire was posted out to 575 wineries and completed by 106, giving a response rate of 18 per cent.

The questionnaire was posted out because the author had experienced a very low response rate when using an online method to survey New Zealand wineries in a previous 2013 study.

The data from New Zealand wineries was collected in early 2014.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In both Australia and New Zealand, 65 per cent of wineries utilise social media as a tool to communicate with their customers. This result suggests that social media use amongst wineries is more prevalent in New Zealand and Australia than it is in either Germany and other major European producing markets (Szolnoki et al., 2013). However, the usage of social media amongst Australasian wineries is considerably lower than the

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94 per cent of US wineries who reported usage of Facebook (Bouquet, 2012).

This result may relate to the rates of internet and social media penetration in the US and Australasia; the internet penetration rate in North America is 81 per cent compared to 63 per cent across the Oceania region and the social media penetration rates are 56 per cent and 44 per cent respectively (wearesocial.net).

Facebook is by far the most popularly used social media platform in Australia, with 87 per cent of wineries having a Facebook profile, followed by Twitter with 55 per cent reporting use.

There is a similar story in New Zealand, with Twitter (55%) and Facebook the most commonly used social media platforms, but with a lower incidence of Facebook usage than Australia at 67 per cent.

Other platforms such as Uploading Videos, Reading Blogs, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram are at similar use levels in both markets.

The questionnaire asked each winery what they wanted to achieve from using social media (Fig. 3); interestingly, seven per cent of New Zealand wineries and 16 per cent of Australian wineries cannot actually define what they are using social media for.

August 2015 – Issue 619

This result provides some support for earlier research suggesting that wineries either (a) lack a clearly defined social media strategy or (b) are not sure how social media will be useful to them.

We also sought to understand if issues also existed amongst those wineries who had adopted social media technologies.

The difficulty with generating content is the number one problem in Australia (52%), something which could be assisted with using a communication orientation as proposed by Dolan, Goodman and Habel (2013).

The problem with time (42%) is understandable in an industry dominated by small businesses staffed, in many cases, by a proprietor who is also the grapegrower and winemaker.

The difficulty in getting news fans (29%) highlights a possible need to re-examine the goal of using social media; is it to get new fans (likes), to engage with the consumers that do ‘like’ your brand, to co-create (and increase) the value amongst current customers or simply to achieve reach (which can be done through paying for promotion)?

Conclusions The research shows us that wineries are as keen as most other industries to adopt social media, but they struggle to identify the return on investment and there appears to be a distinct level of strategy regarding adoption.

There appears to be some level of ‘technical’ difficulty in using social media, something which is easily address through a specifically designed education and workshop program for the wine industry. Research is close to

Reasons why wineries are using social media.

completion funded through AGWA that is developing a framework for marketing use of social media by wineries and wine brands, details of which are available thought www.facebook.com/ AustralianWineandSocialMedia.

– which broadcasts webinars, share research practical findings and will have details on any workshops that become available.

Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the earlier research work of Gergely Szolnoki with German wineries and thank him for allowing his questionnaire to be utilised in our Australasian study.

References

Bouquet, P. (2012). Social media marketing in the American and French wine industry in 2011. Retrieved 20 May, 2014, from http://ablesocial.com/market-research Dolan, R., Goodman, S. and Habel, C. (2013). How (and why) are wineries using Facebook for marketing?

Grapegrower & Winemaker, 595, 85-86.

Goodman, S. and Habel, C. (2010). Twitter – the post-millennium ‘soapbox’. Australian Wine Business, 561, 111-113.

Habel, C. and Goodman, S. (2010). Part one: Establishing a presence in social media – Facebook.

Australian Wine Business, 559, 106-110.

Strickland, P. (2013). The importance of social media technology of Yarra Valley wineries in Australia.

Proceedings of 7th AAWE Conference, 26-29 June, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Szolnoki, G., Taits, D., Nagel, M. and Fortunato, A. (2013). Using social media in the wine business – An exploratory study from Germany. Proceedings from the 7th AWBR International Conference, 12-15 June, Brock University, Canada.

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business & technology Benefits of credit insurance for export receivables FOR EXPORTERS today, selling goods or services overseas can be tricky and often daunting. Exporters not only have to find their market and understand their buyers’ local customs, but they also need to involve their financial institution and gain their support in business ventures—a variety of hurdles to overcome in order to get successful results. Above all, exporters need to get paid for all their overseas sales to make all the hard work worthwhile.

An increasingly popular option for expanding export sales safely and extending competitive terms to overseas buyers is through effective Export Credit Insurance. This is a viable and secure alternative for any exporter and buyer in lieu of dealing with Documentary Letters of Credit.

The benefits of export credit insurance: 1. PRESERVES PROFIT & STRENGTHENS THE BALANCE SHEET Credit Insurance protects and reinforces the balance sheet from the

98 Grapegrower & Winemaker

venturing into new markets or territories and be ‘in- the-know’ about their buyers.

4. INCREASES EXPORT PROFITS risk of bad debts so that a company’s financial position can remain secure, despite exposure to unforeseen events, concentrations of foreign credit risks, and changing international market conditions.

2. PROTECTS LIQUIDITY & CASHFLOW With a Credit Insurance claim, policy holders can receive up to 90% of a debt within 30-60 days from Confirmation of Debt in the event of the insolvency of the buyer.

3. STRENGTHENS CREDIT MANAGEMENT The Credit Insurance review procedure further enhances the quality of decisions made on credit limits. Through working closely with an Underwriter and specialist Broker, a business gains the benefits of huge knowledge databases and can spend less time worrying about

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If a business feels safe in the knowledge that any costs as a result of commercial and/or political risks can be avoided, it stands to reason that they can grow in confidence. Sales and marketing can be more aggressive through extending higher credit limits with overseas customers.

5. ADDS SECURITY & ENHANCES YOUR BORROWING CAPACITY More favourable financing can be achieved by including exporters’ insured overseas receivables in their borrowing base. This is more attractive to financiers and banks with the added security available. Export Credit Insurance makes international receivables more attractive to banks, financiers or other lenders.

For more information, contact Kristin Morley from MGA E: kirstin.morley@mga.com P: 0434 320 006

August 2015 – Issue 619

From hawthorns to dragon fruits: A Chinese taste of Australian wines NEW RESEARCH from the UniSA Business School’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute could help transform the export market for Australian wine, enabling producers and distributors to describe their product more effectively using terms more easily understood by Chinese wine consumers.

The Chinese Lexicon Project – a two year long research initiative funded by the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) and led by Dr Armando Corsi, Dr Justin Cohen and Prof Larry Lockshin, has revealed what terms Chinese consumers use more often when describing a wine, and what Asian fruit and vegetable flavours are equivalent to the typical Western ones used for wines in China.

The project has involved more than 250 Chinese wine consumers from three major Chinese cities – Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu – being invited to share their responses and describe the taste of a selection of Australian white, red, sparkling and dessert wines.

Participants selected a series of generic wine descriptors as well as choosing from a list of specific fruit and vegetable flavours. These flavours were either Western fruit and vegetables or proposed Chinese equivalents.

The research found that generic wine descriptors, such as “mellow”, “lingering” or “fruity”, were three times more likely to be used than specific wine descriptors by Chinese wine consumers.

The results also revealed that whilst many of the Chinese taste descriptors matched up with the proposed Western equivalents, other didn’t, thus opening more opportunities for research by the team at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute.

Dr Corsi says that until now wine has been predominantly described in China using Western terminology but such descriptors lack meaning if the consumer has little or no experience of tasting that particular fruit, vegetable or spice.

“Describing a wine as tasting of blueberry is hard to understand if you have never seen or tasted a blueberry before,” Dr Corsi says.

“What this research has provided is evidence of what specific Chinese fruit and vegetable flavours are equivalent to the Western descriptors currently used on wines in China.

“For example, we can now say that the equivalent to Western flavour of blackberry preserve is dried Chinese hawthorns,” Dr Corsi says.

The project also investigated the likeability, willingness to pay and perceived price points of different wine styles.

The research showed that what is perceived to be more expensive is not necessarily what is liked the most. In addition to the insights on describing wine, this research can also improve export decisions.

Specific wine descriptors (red and NV tawny): CHINESE WESTERN Yangmei Strawberry Dried Chinese hawthorn Blackberry preserve Dried wolfberry Strawberry preserve Dried Chinese red dates Plum Fresh Chinese red dates Blackcurrant Fresh wolfberry Raspberry Clove Clove Star anise Star anise Chinese black tea leaves Dark cherries Persimmon Red plum Chinese sausage Cooked game Pine nut Vanilla Chinese salted pork Bacon Chinese green peppers Green bell peppers August 2015 – Issue 619

Specific wine descriptors (white, sparkling and moscato): CHINESE WESTERN Kaffir lime Lemon Jackfruit Pineapple Passionfruit Guava Pomelo Grapefruit Asian pear Apricot Star fruit Citrus fruit Ginko nut Toast Young Asian coconut Vanilla Saturn peach Peach Pandan leaf Asparagus Dried chrysanthemum Dried apricots Rambutan Butter Mangosteen Lychee Longan Gooseberry Cantaloupe Melon Lemongrass Grass Jasmine Flowers Dragon fruit Apple Mango Mango Yellow lotus seed paste Figs

“The full suite of insights should give Australia a competitive advantage in this valuable market,” Dr Corsi says.

“There is also the potential for similar research to be undertaken in other countries to determine what cultural descriptors they would use to describe the taste of different wines.”

For more information, please visit the following website: http://research.wineaustralia.com/completed_projects/

EXPORT PALLETS

• ISPM -15 Certification for fumigation • Meets export standards and requirements • SA sourced timber from renewable forests • Custom made to your requirements Phone: 08 8562 4855 Fax: 08 8562 4844 Email: rick.collis@barossaent.com.au www.barossaent.com.au www.winetitles.com.au

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calendar

looking back 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.

1985 Lindeman (Holdings) Limited has accused the Australian Associated Brewers of using “dirty tactics” in its bid to have tax on wine increased. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, and select Government and Opposition members, Lindeman’s managing director, Ray Kidd, has accused the Australian Associated Brewers of using “false and deliberately” misleading statements in the AAB’s 198585 budget submission to the Federal Government.

1995 A record number of delegates attended the Ninth Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference held in Adelaide from 16-19 July. According to the organisers of the conference, over 1200 people attended the triennial event, with the next planned for 1998. The conference was held in conjunction with a trade exhibition, the largest to be staged at the Adelaide Convention Centre and Exhibition Hall. Over 100 suppliers to the wine industry displayed their goods and represented their services at some 164 booths.

Australia & New Zealand August 16 Coonawarra Wine Tasting Roadshow – Adelaide Adelaide, SA. www.coonawarra.org

19 Oliver's Taranga Vineyards Tasting Lane Cove West, NSW. www.artisanwinestorage.com.au

17-18 The Drinks Industry Show Sydney, NSW. www.drinksindustryshow.com.au

21 Finlaysons Wine Roadshow XXIII (Coonawarra) Coonawarra Station, SA. www.finlaysons. com.au/wine-roadshow-xxiii

17-19 (JD) Hunter Valley Wine Show Singleton, NSW. www.hunterwineshow.com.au 17 (CD) Swan Valley Wine Show Swan Valley, WA. www. swanvalleywinemakers.com.au

22-24 (JD) Bragato Wine Awards Hawke's Bay, NZ. www.bragato.org.nz

18 Coonawarra Wine Tasting Roadshow – Perth Perth, WA. www.coonawarra.org

22 Launceston Wine Fair Launceston, TAS. www.tasmanianwinecentre.com.au

18 Finlaysons Wine Roadshow XXIII (Barossa Valley) Barossa Valley, SA. www.finlaysons.com.au/ wine-roadshow-xxiii

23 Hobart Wine Fair Hobart, TAS. www.tasmanianwinecentre.com.au

19 Finlaysons Wine Roadshow XXIII (McLaren Vale) McLaren Vale, SA. www.finlaysons.com.au/ wine-roadshow-xxiii

24-26 (JD) 2015 NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show Forbes, NSW. www.nswwineshow.com.au 25-27 Young Viticulturist Competition 2015 Hawkes Bay, NZ. www.bragato.org.nz

September 1 Australia Trade Tasting – Melbourne Melbourne, VIC. www.australiatradetasting.com

2-3 (JD) Yarra Valley Wine Show Healesville, VIC. www.yarravalleywineshow.com.au

2-3 (JD) The James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge Healesville, VIC. www.chardonnaychallenge.com.au

7-9 (JD) New Zealand International Wine Show 2015 Auckland, NZ. www.nziws.co.nz

2005 The old adage was that “less meant more”. That adage was really been turned upside down with the release of details of the Murray Valley Winegrowers winegrape harvest for 2005. Now, the adage reads “more means less”. A record winegrape harvest in the Murray Valley has returned $11 million less than the 2004 harvest.

According to Mike Stone, Murray Valley Winegrowers Inc chief executive officer, an extra 46,000 tonnes of wine grapes were produced in the area.

21 (CD) Geographe Wine Show 2015 Bunbury, WA. www.geographewineshow.com

7-8 (JD) Riverland Wine Show Renmark, SA. www.riverlandwineshow.com.au

August 16-22 (JD) Michelangelo International Wine Awards (South Africa)

Stellenbosch, South Africa. www.michelangeloawards.com

September 2-5 Food & Hotel Thailand 2015 Bangkok, Thailand. www.foodhotelthailand.com

14-17 World Food Moscow Moscow, Russia. www.world-food.ru

6-8 Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2015 London, UK. www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk JD = judging date CD= closing date

For a comprehensive list of events, visit www.winetitles.com.au/calendar

100 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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August 2015 – Issue 619

producer spotlight

Producer Profile

Symphony Hills winemaker Mike Hayes (right), with the Queensland winery’s founder Ewen Macpheron.

Mike Hayes Symphony Hill Wines Granite Belt, Southern Queensland Vineyard size: Five hectares, plus sourcing grapes from another nine vineyards (grapes are sourced from all over Australia as well as locally).

Tonnes crushed: From year-to-year we average between 200 and 275 in total as we also make for 9 other clients. (Around 100 tonnes for Symphony Hill Wines).

Tell us about the business and about you: During vintage we have three permanent and 1-2 part time employees. At present we make around the 90 odd wines from 34 varieties with clients from Queensland and Northern NSW. Our focus is on alternative varieties and making left field style of wines with a point of difference. Our recent achievements include Queensland`s first trophy win at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show, Top Gold at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for our Reserve Shiraz, Gold Medals for 19 different varieties, I have a Masters of Professional Studies in alternative varieties, I was the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship in 2012 and took a study tour of European vineyards to view autochthonous varieties in 50 wine regions with over 500 varieties viewed. I also received the Samuel Basset Award for a significant contribution by an individual to the Queensland Wine industry.

What challenges are you facing: Currently the Queensland wine industry is travelling along quite well. I perceive that the challenges in Queensland for the foreseeable future include acceptance in our own state with many restaurants and wine shops snubbing Queensland wine.

We need to stand up and be identified as a state with a difference and the only way forward will be in developing alternative varieties that consumers will want to visit the wineries and sample. The main issue I see confronting the Australian wine August 2015 – Issue 619

industry is climate change and being prepared for the future.

My European travels unravelled a nervy Northern Hemisphere wine industry and the unacceptable ignorance shown by our current government. If we do not react immediately we will be left in the dark ages and to a point of no return. My current research includes trends in climate shift throughout Australia and developing a template for varietal recommendation for the next 50 – 75 years.

Where do you look for support on these issues: The support for these issues are internally and being involved in The Australian Alternative Variety Wine Show as a committee member directly keeps me in touch with other people with the same vision. The other areas that I stay in touch with is the media, through Max Allen, Jane Faulkner etc.

How important is the Grapegrower & Winemaker magazine as a source of information: Australian & New Zealand Grape Grower & Winemaker is without doubt the most important publication for the winegrower/maker or owner in Australia. The professionalism of the publication ensures that the industry is in touch with each other and also the important issues facing the industry in regard to wine quality and vineyard management. The Grapegrower & Winemaker delivers a professional view on all matters regarding the industry and not matched by any other magazine. The publication is the heart of an external network of individuals and companies throughout the industry working tirelessly to improve wine quality for global acceptance. Not only is the magazine of the highest standard it also delivers a perception that you are actually talking and working with the contributors of information, sought of like sitting at the table and talking. The magazine continues to deliver factual and accurate information that is vital for the progression of the Australian wine industry. An invaluable source of information for the industry worker.

www.winetitles.com.au

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102 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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VINE GRAFTING Bruce Gilbert 0428 233 544 Brian Phillips 0417 131 764 fax 03 5025 2321

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WINE PRESS SERVICING • Preventative maintenance & breakdown repairs for all makes and models.

• 24/7 coverage during vintage • Large inventory of spare parts.

• Membrane replacement.

• PLC upgrades and design improvements.

Electrical & mechanical expertise.

03 9455 3339 • www.rapidfil.com.au

August 2015 – Issue 619

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