Grapegrower & Winemaker - October 2017

OCTOBER 2017

Is yeast affecting the taste of your wine?

$50 million package to ‘transform’ the industry Scaling back scale in the vineyard SIMEI – Ideas for wineries

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contents features 12

OCTOBER 2017

Fed govt pops cork on $50m industry package

42

Scale back on scale in the vineyard

73

Is yeast affecting the taste of your wine?

COVER Ten per cent whole bunch Pinot Gris at Hoddles Creek Estate in the Yarra Valley.

Photo by estate winemaker Franco D’Anna. Story on page 52

Is yeast affecting the taste of your wine?

$50 million package to ‘transform’ the industry Scaling back scale in the vineyard SIMEI – Ideas for wineries

news

grapegrowing

My View ..................................................8

The Yield: A new data and prediction solution ..................................25

A breath of fresh air: Tony Battaglene

$42 million dollars to bottle jobs and growth .....................................10

29

Who’s getting a slice of the pie? $1.2 million for SA cellar doors ............... 11 12

Symptoms of Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus (Photo M. Al Rwahnih)

Growers’ Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus questions answered ........................29 When two become one: .........................18 Clare Valley grapegrower and winemaker associations merge

Tackling grapegrowers’ number one insect pest ...........................36

regulars 6 What’s online

79

6 Say that again

R&D at Work Wine Australia for Australian Wine

92 Marketplace classifieds Understanding costs should be as easy as ABC

30 Ask the AWRI

Adelaide-based business and engineering consultants 2XE have bought to light some valuable news for the Australian wine community’s bottom line.

48 Vinehealth Australia update

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

‘For a sector that’s under serious cost pressures, to have businesses that don’t have a complete grasp on where their biggest costs are coming from is concerning’, he said. ‘Wineries are

dealing with thin margins and competition – they need to be running a tight ship.’

4 Grapegrower & Winemaker

This then highlights where changes to processes could increase profits.

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

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

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

www.winetitles.com.au

For the project, 2XE adapted the principles of ABC, which were first developed for manufacturing industries, to apply to wine businesses.

Data from 11 participating wineries was collected for 16 winemaking related ‘activities’ – from receipt of grapes to finished wine (but excluding indirect activities such as marketing).

The data was then used to construct a model for the wine sector. It revealed

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

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

‘But that’s quite a constraining approach. It doesn’t tell you much about where in the process resources are being consumed. You have to look at what processes are consuming resources, rather than just looking at the cost of line items.’

Nick and his team were surprised, for example, that many wineries understood the cost implications of bottling, but very little about barrelling, which could be very significant when all the factors, including wine loss, depreciation and labour required for barrelling were taken into account.

The final report, which can be accessed at

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

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

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

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

The project and report also highlighted a lack of consistent and reliable methods for pricing wine loss and costs associated with matter other than grapes in overall production costs.

‘Few wineries involved in this project had considered the actual cost of wine loss or identified it as an operating expense that can decrease revenue’, the report says. ‘Costs associated with matter other than grapes (MOG) can act to greatly reduce production capacity and increase resource use including transport costs, crusher/ destemmer block issues, labour for disposal costs and interruption to workflow, but this cost is often not

October 2017 – Issue 645

October 2017: Issue 645 winemaking

business & technology

52

Lighten your load: packaging in lightweight bottles ..............................86

sales & marketing 88

Designing an identity: Tscharke’s exclusive underground cellar ...................88 Fermenting success: winemakers reveal the techniques that work for them .........52 SIMEI – some great new ideas for wineries ............................................60

How to sell more wine: get to know your customers ..............................91 91

Keeping it cool: natural refrigerant options for cooling systems .....................70 Comparing yeast strains to find the best look and taste quality ......................77 Do what’s best for you: Young Gun Lauren Hansen ......................83

PUBLISHER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Hartley Higgins

PRODUCTION Simon Miles

GENERAL MANAGER Elizabeth Bouzoudis

CIRCULATION: Brooke Bradshaw subs@winetitles.com.au

EDITOR Hans Mick editor@grapeandwine.com.au EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Denis Gastin, Dr Steve Goodman, Dr Terry Lee, Paul van der Lee, Bob Campbell MW, Prof Dennis Taylor, Mary Retallack and Corrina Wright EDITORIAL Camellia Aebischer journalist@winetitles.com.au ADVERTISING SALES Suzanne Phosuwan sales@grapeandwine.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

WINETITLES MEDIA ABN 85 085 551 980 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9500 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 info@winetitles.com.au www.winetitles.com.au @Grape_and_Wine Printing by Lane Print Group, Adelaide © Contents copyright Winetitles Media 2017.

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

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

5

what’s ONLINE you buy wine at a Mongolian 4WD fest?

Is offering Australian wine to at least a million middle-class petrol heads at an offroad car festival in a desert in Mongolia a good idea? Online wine distributor Dawine reckons it’s worth a go. Dawine will showcase and sell Australian and French wines at the week-long Alxa FB-Life Festival held from October 1 in the Gobi Desert. Source, SBS.

WA Government considers minimum wine price Health Minister Roger Cook has revealed the WA Government is investigating ways to impose a minimum floor price on takeaway alcohol in a bid to curb alcohol-related harm.

The revelation came on Tuesday as the minister was being quizzed during a budget estimates hearing and spoke of alcohol abuse being “the elephant in the room”. Source, The ABC.

Bremerton enters hall of fame Almost three decades after bottling their first drop, the Willson family’s Bremerton Wines has been inducted into Family Business Australia’s Hall of Fame. The Langhorne Creek winery was established

by Craig and Mignonne Willson in 1988, with daughters Lucy and Rebecca now overseeing operations. Source, Adelaide Now.

Tardif grape could help fight climate change A grape known as ‘Tardif’ in south-west France and which survived the phylloxera epidemic that plagued Europe’s vineyards in the 19th Century has been given a new lease of life via a listing on France’s official wine grape register. It’s thought that Tardif’s late ripening qualities might give winemakers more options when faced with higher temperatures that are expected this century due to climate change. Source, Decanter.

Say that again The expansion project at Gawler represents one of Orora’s single largest capital investments in Australia and helps underpin the long-term future of our glass business.

Nigel Garrard, page 10

Many of the projects funded through this program have added significant value to the traditional cellar door experiences – providing consumers with a broader wine tourism offering, such as educational wine classes, café and restaurant facilities or outdoor walking trails.

Leon Bignell, page 11

The $50 million package provides a once in a generational opportunity to grow demand for Australian wine.

Sandy Clark, pages 12-16

It makes sense to have one cohesive body in the Clare Valley, such that we are all working together on a common strategic plan for the wine industry of the region.

Troy van Dulken, page 18

Yes, we make ‘natural’ wines here at Bents Road, but I firmly believe in working according to a scientific regimen, which, of course, comes from my background.

Glen Roberts, pages 52-54

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

Everyone around me was telling me ‘that’s a really good career move and you should be doing it’. But I guess the thing that I’m really happy about is that I stuck to my guns, and followed what I knew I would be happy doing, regardless of it being the ‘right thing to do’.

Lauren Hansen, pages 83-84 www.winetitles.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

from the editor

Hans Mick Editor

A new day It’s a new day for our grape and wine sector, if the mood out there among growers, producers and suppliers is anything to go by.

There’s a renewed level of optimism that many thought would never come.

As I have taken over the Editor’s desk here at Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker in the past month, I have had the opportunity to talk to many luminaries of the industry, and I’ve also had the great pleasure to meet and speak to many at the coalface of the sector: grapegrowers and winemakers from diverse regions, but also bottlers, engineers, researchers, label designers, distributors and an array of other players, both large and small, who make the wheels of this industry turn.

One prominent theme has emerged: that ‘better’ times lay ahead, albeit with a hint of healthy caution.

The only difference seems to be whether these individuals have yet to reap the rewards. Many of those who say their operations have yet to experience any tangible benefits, do, however, believe that they inevitably will.

A common opinion I’ve heard from those on the ground is that my/our community is more upbeat than it’s been for many, many years.

There’s certainly been reason recently for such a positive assessment, with details emerging of the federal government’s highly anticipated $50 million export and regional tourism support package.

In this edition we reveal how despite a few misgivings about aspects of the package, there’s been a remarkable level of backing from right across the industry.

With details still to emerge on how this funding is to be made available to growers, winemakers and others through the rollout of a grants process for specific programs, most are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach.

This October edition also introduces

October 2017 – Issue 645

One prominent theme has emerged: that ‘better’ times lay ahead, albeit with a hint of healthy caution. the first instalment in our renewed My View series, this month taking a look at the industry from guest contributor, Winemakers’ Federation of Australia CEO, Tony Battaglene.

This issue also examines The Yield, an innovative new data app that allows grapegrowers to predict when to spray, irrigate and prune. We come up against the number one winged pest found in Australian vineyards and find out ways to fight its spread. And there’s also a look at

www.winetitles.com.au

how best to deal with the scourge of scale in the vineyard.

For winemakers, we share some of the techniques used by those who approach fermentation, skin contact and fruit handling a little differently. There’s winemaking innovation to explore too, from industry gatherings locally (the 2017 WEA Conference and Exhibition) and overseas (SIMEI 2017). We reveal some of the ‘natural’ refrigerant options for cooling systems, and yeast strains are compared to identify the best results. We also ask the question: ‘Is yeast affecting the taste of your wine?’

We have included features on the cost benefits of utilising lightweight bottles, we check out a unique underground cellar and barrel store in the Barossa Valley, and we find out how to strategically drive up wine sales at your cellar door.

I hope you enjoy the read and learn something helpful along the way.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

7

my view

A breath of fresh air From his position in the industry, Winemakers’ Federation of Australia CEO, Tony Battaglene offers an overview on the state of our wine industry, and his opinion on what the future might hold.

What is clear to me is that this cohort of young professionals are well positioned to take the industry to a new level.

Battaglene hopes that in the next few years we will see great unity and profitability.

I took over the Chief Executive role of Winemakers’ Federation of Australia in April 2016. Since then, we have had $50 million allocated for export promotion and international tourism (through the Export and Regional Wine Support Package), had far reaching changes to the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) legislation, and watched as the WET rebate was reduced to $290,000, and then increased back to $350,000 with the addition of $100,000 grant. It is fair to say to say we live in interesting times!

We have also seen record export growth to China and higher exports across the board. Grape prices are improving, even on the back of two high vintages, reflecting our improved supply-demand balance.

This is leading most commentators (including myself) to face the next couple of years with renewed optimism. However, while a volatile international environment (Trump, BREXIT, North Korea), creates both challenges and opportunities, WFA is well placed to deal with these issues and I relish the challenge.

In the face of this environment, I have just come back from presenting to the 2017 intake of Future Leaders. This excellent program has been taken to a new level, and I commend our partners, Wine Australia and Australian Vignerons.

What is clear to me is that this cohort of young professionals are well positioned to take the industry to a new level. They have unbridled enthusiasm and most of all they want to make a difference.

The wine industry has fallen into the trap recently of expecting the government to help them out in difficult times. This has sometimes led us into feelings of collective negativity, and it has been too easy for the industry to stand back and look to someone else for help. I believe the leadership we are now seeing in the industry will take us beyond that, with this great opportunity to guide our own destiny - this makes it imperative that we get behind Wine Australia and use the $50 million Export and Wine Regional Support package to make a lasting difference.

Finally, WFA is sponsoring the Workplace Champion of Change award at the Australian Women in Wine Awards.

We are very proud to be associated with this and will be far more involved in promoting diversity and equality in the workplace over the coming years.

We work in a great sector, and I hope the next few years will see great unity and profitability. There are a lot of people out there who believe in the wine sector and it is time we started to believe more in ourselves.

SA wine industry concerns over labour hire changes The South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) has revealed it has serious concerns with the provisions of a proposed state government bill introduced in August in response to a report into labour hire practices handed down last year.

A state parliamentary inquiry was called in 2015 after the ABC’s Four Corners program alleged employees - particularly those working under tourist visa 417s in fresh food industries were underpaid and mistreated.

The inquiry handed down its report last October, recommending a state scheme should be established in the absence of a federal licensing and registration scheme for labour hire providers, and that relevant SA government agencies should set up formal relationships between each other and relevant interstate and 8 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Commonwealth agencies.

SAWIA said it made a comprehensive submission, raising a number of concerns with provisions of the bill, including what it called the broad definition of the term “labour hire services”. The association said in the wine industry a number of services are commonly contracted and, under the current definition in the bill, would require the provider to be licenced and a wine/grape businesses (using them) to ensure the person providing the service is licenced.

The association also said penalties for breaches are manifestly excessive and disproportionate, with an unlicensed operator and their clients subject to penalties of $140,000 or five years’ imprisonment in the case of an individual, and $400,000 for a body corporate.

SAWIA said requirements for www.winetitles.com.au

registration and retention of a license would be excessive and impractical.

The body will be running seminars and workshops across South Australia to assist wineries, and said it will also be working with counterparts in other states to assist them to comply with any interstate licensing scheme.

In Queensland, the state’s parliament passed its legislation in September establishing a licensing scheme for labour hire providers there.

In Victoria, an inquiry was also established to look at the issues: it recommended the establishment of a licensing scheme for the state’s operators.

SAWIA said it is continuing to monitor developments interstate, particularly in Victoria, given that a number of its members also have operations and interests there.

October 2017 – Issue 645

New processing chemicals permitted An application to permit new processing aids in winemaking has been approved by the FSANZ Three new processing aids will soon be available to Australian winemakers - but silver chloride is not one of them.

On 9 August 2017, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) approved an application to add several new processing aids to the list of aids permitted to be used in winemaking.

It is important to recognise, however, that although four items have been added, only three will be available to Australian producers.

The four materials to be added to schedule S18 of the Food Standards Code (the ‘Code’) are: • Ammonium bisulphite • Chitin-glucan • Polyvinylimidazolepolyvinylpyrrolidone co-polymers (PVI/PVP), and • Silver chloride.

4918Viticulture 2017-09-26T09:54:04+10:00

Critically, however, silver chloride, has not and will not be added to Standard 4.5.1, which applies specifically to Australian wine production.

So, while all four aids will be available to foreign wine producers selling their product in Australia, only the first three aids will be available to Australian winemakers.

This is not an error or an oversight.

After serious consideration, the Australian wine sector did not request permission for

the use of silver chloride in Australian wine production.

Wine Australia is aware of reports that certain suppliers are offering samples of silver chloride to Australian wine producers. However, any suggestion that it will soon be legal to use silver chloride in Australian wine is based on a misunderstanding of the impending changes to the code.

It is likely that the changes will come into force by the end of 2017. So, to be clear, during the 2018 harvest period, Australian winemakers will be able to use three processing aids not previously available. Silver chloride is not one of them.

If you would like further information about permitted processing aids, please contact Wine Australia on (08) 8228 2000 or enquiries@wineaustralia.com.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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9

news

$42m to bottle jobs and growth Orora glass has recently completed an upgrade of its Gawler bottling plant in SA.

Orora have expanded their bottling line to meet growing demand

The South Australian government has congratulated Orora demand, driven by increased local wine exports. Until now, Orora Limited on the completion of their $42 million bottling plant has been forced to look to offshore bottle imports to keep up. upgrade. The expansion project was completed on time, and on The expanded facility is expected to result in more than $10 budget, and has created 26 new roles in the company, as well as million a year being spent within the South Australian supply 85 new construction roles throughout its build. chain through raw materials, energy, maintenance, and labour “The expansion project at Gawler represents one of Orora’s costs. single largest capital investments in Australia and helps underpin The state government, through Regions SA and Investment the long-term future of our glass business,” said Nigel Garrard, Attraction South Australia collaborated to provide $2.4 million in managing director and chief executive officer of Orora Limited. funding to support the expansion.

Orora’s Gawler plant is already one of the largest glass manufacturing facilities in the southern hemisphere and the $42 million investment enables the company to meet the increasing demand for high quality glass bottles.

Orora employs more than 340 workers at the facility, making it an integral part of the local economy, and the national wine industry.

“Orora has shown a great commitment to South Australia by sourcing many of the materials to manufacture its bottles from local suppliers. Orora is also providing our wineries and beverage companies with access to an additional supply of SA-made bottles,” said Garrard.

Name: FLAME_SYN3794 Viticulture-Proclaim Ad The investment has substantially of the Size: 60Hmm xgrown 185Wmm the scale Date: 8.08.17 | Round: FINAL Gawler operation, increasing capacity by around 60 |million Luigi Pagnozzi (account service) | luigi@flame.com.au +61 2 9402 7672 | flame.com.au bottles, which will directly support the local wine industry.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

Who’s getting a slice of the pie? $1.2 million in funding for South Australian cellar doors South Australian wineries will share more than a million dollars in funding to help them upgrade and diversify their cellar doors and provide visitors with a premium experience. The funding program comes after the newly revised Wine Equalisation Tax rebate.

F

ifty-five wineries in South Australia will receive a share of $1.225 million in funding, for upgrades to their cellar door experiences, aimed at driving tourism.

The funding is distributed through the SA government’s cellar door grants program, which came into fruition after a clean-up of the Wine Equalisation Tax. Each winery will receive up to $25,000 each toward upgrades and projects, and recipients will match the funding with a dollar for dollar minimum co-contribution.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Leon Bignell has said three new projects have bloomed under the scheme so far.

“We’ve seen so many exciting projects come to life, including in the Adelaide Hills, where I will be opening a new cellar door in the historic Gumeracha Stores,” said Bignell.

“Ochre Nation, which is home to Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo Wines, have transformed the historic Gumeracha Cold Stores into a fantastic new cellar door. “[And] in June, I opened the new Gemtree Biodynamic Hut. It’s now a key component of biodynamic tours which allow visitors to see and learn about the nature and science behind Gemtree’s biodynamic wines.”

The 55 wineries are located in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare, Coonawarra, Currency Creek, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Mount Benson, Riverland and Southern Flinders Ranges.

Some of the newly funded projects include: • Deviation Road in the Adelaide Hills, establishing a specialised sparkling wine tasting area.

• Chapel Hill in McLaren Vale to link its tasting rooms with their outdoor area creating a vibrant family friendly space adjoining the existing 151 year old chapel.

• Yalumba in the Barossa who are renovating an historic building into a hospitality space.

October 2017 – Issue 645

The funding will mean new cellar doors and tourism experiences.

• Woodstock Wines at McLaren Vale to construct a wildlife and wine experience platform and pathways through wildlife enclosures, giving visitors an up-close wildlife experience.

• Elderton Wines are set to convert a 1918 gentleman’s bungalow into a state-ofthe-art cellar door.

In addition, seven regional wine associations are receiving grants for up to $50,000 per project under the Regional Wine Industry Association Grants Program to develop regional wine tourism and visitor experiences. This funding totals more than $360,000.

The recipients for regional association grants are: • Adelaide Hills Wine Region – ‘Immerse Yourself’ program ($50,000) and The Adelaide Hills Region Big Data Insights program ($30,000) • Barossa Grape & Wine Association – Barossa brand extension and activation project – China & Hong Kong ($50,000), Barossa Shiraz Trail business case development ($25,000) and The Barossa Cellar events facility ($50,000) • Clare Valley Winemakers – Breathe It In – Clare Valley! marketing campaign ($32,750) • Coonawarra Grape and Wine – Coonawarra wineries walking trail ($9750) and building brand Coonawarra through ‘content marketing’ videography and photography ($19,600) www.winetitles.com.au

• Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine – reproduction of a vintage caravan for regional promotions and events ($18,412) and a landscaping and infrastructure project at Langhorne Creek old school community, wine & tourism hub ($15,000) • McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association – McLaren Flat ‘Flat Mates’ promotional activities ($12,598)

Kangaroo Island wine bolstered Kangaroo Island, a 45 minute ferry ride from the ‘mainland’ is one of South Australia’s oldest wine regions.

It’s one of the regions set to benefit from the new cellar door grants program, with three of the island’s wineries set to each receive an injection of $25,000.

The three cellar doors to receive the grant are: • The Island Estate: to upgrade its cellar door facilities for public wine tastings to be offered seven days a week • Battle of Bosworth Wines: to build a new cellar door with scenic views of Nepean Bay on Kangaroo Island • Dudley Wines: to develop an outdoor adventure area to cater for visitors travelling with family and friends In addition, the Kangaroo Island Food and Wine Association will receive almost $50,000 under the Regional Wine Industry Association Grants Program to develop regional wine tourism and visitor experiences.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

11

news

Fed govt pops cork on $50m industry support package Assistance measures met with broad sector support despite some regional concerns There’s been widespread backing from the grape and wine sector for the federal government’s $50m export and tourism support package. While opportunities – and profitability – are expected to flow through all levels of the industry, some wine regions have expressed criticism of the plan. Hans Mick reports.

A

ustralian grape and wine industry bodies say they’re pleased with the details of the newly announced Export and Regional Wine Support Package (ERWSP) – which they say will deliver increasing profitability to businesses throughout the entire supply chain.

12 Grapegrower & Winemaker

In August, the federal government popped the cork on the $50m, three-year plan designed to lift the value of wine exports to a projected record figure of $3.5 billion annually, as well as promote and grow wine tourism in regional communities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, along with Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Anne Ruston, announced the package at a formal event in Adelaide.

The ERWSP is designed to deliver what would become the sector’s highest and most sustained period of export growth, while also providing a foundation for the strongest ever increase in the number of international wine visitors.

“Australia’s wine industry has enjoyed significant growth in recent years on the back of the Coalition’s market access gains, with our wine exports forecast to exceed 800 million litres and $2.5 billion in 2017–18,” Senator Joyce said.

“This package aims to build on this, delivering up to eight per cent per annum value growth across all export markets to 2021–22, including 15 to 17% in China and six per cent in the US. “At home the package will help to attract up to 40,000 more international tourists to visit our world-renowned wine regions, and take the great Australian wine tour, by 2019–20, delivering an estimated $170 million to the economy,” he said.

According to Senator Ruston, the package is part of a suite of measures to reform the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) rebate scheme following consultation with the wine industry.

“Our industry was already in a strong position, with tariff reductions from the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement leading to China overtaking the US as the most valuable destination for Australian wine.

“This investment is ensuring we www.winetitles.com.au

will capitalise on this and drive further growth,” said Senator Ruston.

“I’m looking forward to the industry taking ownership of it and making it work not only for their benefit and our economy, but also for the regional communities in which many of them operate.”

The $50 million package provides a once in a generational opportunity to grow demand for Australian wine Sandy Clark

Transformation Australian Vignerons, the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia and Wine Australia all worked in close consultation with the Australian grape and wine sector to develop the business plan for the ERWSP. Wine Australia chief executive officer Andreas Clark said he’s excited about the amount of opportunity the plan will bring.

“It’s really quite transformational in terms of what we can do with this from an export marketing perspective,” Clark said. “[We’re] focused on the U.S. and China, but all markets are important so we have to keep up the U.K. and Canada. But we’re trying to drive the growth opportunity we can see in the US and China. It’s really exciting.”

Winemakers’ Federation of Australia president Sandy Clark said that “the $50 million package provides a once in a generational opportunity to grow demand for Australian wine.”

“It will benefit all winemakers and provide a lasting platform for profitability October 2017 – Issue 645

throughout the supply chain, and I would like to thank all those who have got behind this initiative. It is now up to us to maximise the opportunity,” he said.

Australian Vignerons independent chair, Jo Andrew, praised the manner in which all parties had supported the opportunity provided by the package.

“This funding allows Australian growers and makers of wine to build on the excellent recent results in both domestic and international markets. This is a great outcome from the collaboration between the wine sector, Wine Australia and the federal government,” she said.

Diligence and good timing Australian Vignerons chief executive officer, Andrew Weeks, said that wine sector collaboration had set the initiative apart.

“I think one of the things about this is not just the injection of money and resources but the fact that it’s been so widely supported across the whole industry and that we had grower groups, winemaker groups, statutory body Wine Australia, and those from right across the wine sector supporting this and wanting to see some positive results,” he said.

Deputy PM and Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, launches the $50m support package in Adelaide, as Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Ann Ruston, and Kaurna Elder MIchael O’Brien look on. Photo: Camellia Aebischer.

Weeks pointed toward the package’s next step.

“Behind the scenes Wine Australia has already been working very hard in the build-up phase of this because they want

to make sure that they hit the ground running and that we get the best bang for buck”.

He said while much of this ‘behind the scenes’ work had been focused on the

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

13

news recently getting really strongly positive recognition in those markets for its quality,” said Weeks.

Wine Australia’s Andreas Clark said a number of upcoming international events would be used as springboards to showcase Australian wine products, including the large Vinexpo Hong Kong wine and spirits exhibition to be held in May 2018.

“We want to get some momentum, get things happening as we map out more detailed campaigns over the next couple of months,” he said.

Clark added that the grants process would be announced shortly to give details on how ‘states and regions can tap into those opportunities’.

Regional concerns

The Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association felt the package was slanted too heavily to the export market to the detriment of regional development

burgeoning Chinese and American export markets, Australia’s traditional markets had not been neglected.

“In the UK and Europe […] we’ve got a really strong marketing base and there’s still a really important presence there.”

“It’s an unprecedented injection of resources which we haven’t seen before.

And it comes at a time when the market’s really buoyant because of other things such as free trade agreements, favourable exchange rates, and Australian wine

A handful of regional organisations have expressed their apprehensions about the ERWSP following its launch.

In a statement, the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association (HVWTA) said it was pleased the federal government had acknowledged the value of the wine industry.

However, the HVWTA was critical of certain aspects of the package.

“We feel the process was slanted too heavily to the wine export market at the

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14 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

detriment of regional development across input of funds to further develop the the country”. industry was complex’, but that the “Being one of the key states, New South value of the assistance would be felt over Wales will receive $1m with the possible the next decade, which will benefit the ability to increase such by lodging of Australian economy. further submissions, but the additional monies are capped to $5m nationally.

And the need for the preparation of The real value submissions along with all the other grant of ‘regional wine submissions regional associations have to prepare is taxing limited resources and tourism’ was not it staff,” the association said. seems, fully taken “New South Wales has 14 wine regions so the available funds for individual into account due regions will be very limited. We hope an to the focus of amount will be available to enhance our wine tourism campaigns for Hunter wine the larger wine country.” companies’ export “The real value of ‘’regional wine tourism’’ was not it seems, fully taken into imperatives account due to the focus of the larger wine Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism companies’ export imperatives.”

Association But it’s not all negatives for the HVWTA, who also said that the ERWSP Riverina comments – together with changes to the cellar In NSW’s Riverina region, the body door rebate – had taken into account the representing wine grape growers said the many “representations” they had made to opportunity that the funding provided is Senator Ruston, including during her two “great for Australian wine.” visits to the Hunter with Senator Joyce.

In a statement issued by chief executive The association said ‘the process of 4407Metarex_130x185 2017-09-26T09:48:28+10:00 officer, Brian Simpson, the Riverina Wine designing a structure to maximise the

Grapes Marketing Board (RWGMB) said “it would have been better if the funding was for a longer term period, as the industry gave up a lot of rebate for a one off payment of $50m.”

“While the funding applies most directly to wineries, the Wine Grapes Marketing Board will have minimal opportunity on how it is allocated but it supports the development of markets as is being proposed and the market development grants,” they stated.

The board was also critical of the ERWSP’s strategic focus.

“This region would have liked to see an overall focus on the major production regions which drive markets, such as the Riverina, Murray Valley and Riverland, as opposed to the top end of the market.

“Anything to sell and grow markets should have a pull effect on our region’s production. But to grow new consumers you start them at the entry level not at the ultra-premium level.

“We need to ensure that the industry is focused on profits and not simply generating sales. Domestically we see the problems associated with discounting and consumers being trained to buy bargains instead of seeking wine out purely for enjoyment.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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news

Export marketing will target growing US and Chinese markets as well as traditional markets such as the UK, Europe and Canada

Giving thought to the start of the supply chain, the RWGMB added that “of course any sales growth and profitability needs to flow through the supply chain. Growers need to see the rewards of these efforts as much as wineries will. [There’s] no sense in driving markets and forcing growers to deliver grapes [for them to not] be profitable.

“Many [growers] need to build up their cash reserves and reduce debt levels or else the funding of the next development of vineyards in Australia will need to be undertaken by wineries.”

Tourism opportunities One flow-on effect that has been embraced by many in the industry is the tourism growth potential that is expected for wine regions.

The ERWSP will allow for access to grants of up to $100,000 (plus GST) for cellar door sales in 2018-19 for eligible wine producers under a specific $10m wine tourism and cellar door grant.

This grant will be managed by Wine Australia, with wine sector consultation on the draft guidelines, which are currently in the works.

Victoria’s peak industry body welcomed what it called the package’s “potential to promote both the state’s wine products and its tourism appeal.”

Damien Sheehan, chair of Wine Victoria, said the ERWSP would allow Victorian grapegrowers and winemakers to continue to showcase the state’s unique terroir and premium products not only to Australians but to the world.

“We have seen exponential growth [in] Victorian sales to the Chinese wine market and the U.S. market is slowly returning,” Sheehan said.

16 Grapegrower & Winemaker

“This has been matched by a slow increase in the number of tourists visiting our cellar doors – but much more needs to be done to ensure our members can continue to kick goals in these areas.

“Getting our domestic and international wine tourism right also means strengthen[ing] the wider economy,” said Sheehan. “Already the Victorian wine industry directly contributes $7.6 billion to the state’s economy and employs about 13,000 people, and most of these jobs are in regional Victoria.”

Winemakers of Rutherglen (WOR), a collective of 19 wineries in an historic region in Victoria’s north-east said it expected to reap local benefits.

“We believe our Rutherglen wineries provide an offering of unique Australian wines for the Chinese market and look forward to building further capacity and distribution channels to support advancement in this market,” said Belinda Chambers, the chair of WOR. Chambers said the tourism package would support “this critical period of growth” as the region seeks to enhance its international reputation for high quality wines.

“At a local level our wineries have made substantial investment in recent years resulting in increased visitation to cellar doors and greater market knowledge of Rutherglen wines. All our member wineries will benefit from increased cellar door visitations from international tourists,” she said.

Four programs The ERWSP comprises four distinct programs to be managed through a combination of direct implementation, contracted services and a range of grants schemes. www.winetitles.com.au

Program 1 will accelerate growth in international demand through dedicated, multi-year marketing campaigns in the US and China, representing a more than eight-fold increase on current investment in these markets.

Program 2 will create ‘export-ready’ businesses by building the capability and capacity of grape and wine operators to capture export and tourism opportunities.

This will include a wine exports grants scheme.

Program 3 will ‘capture’ growth in wine regions by offering state-based and competitive grants to develop ‘exciting’ wine tourism experiences and to attract international tourists.

Program 4 will transform cider businesses by building knowledge of potential export markets and developing improved understanding for producers to access these markets.

“We have convened a nine-person expert marketing advisory group drawn from different parts of the sector to provide advice on the strategy and activities to be considered for Program 1, accelerating growth in international demand,” said Wine Australia chair Brian Walsh.

“This program, which focuses on the United States and China markets, aims to grow both demand for our wine exports and showcase Australia’s wine tourism offering and we will continue to work with Tourism Australia to leverage opportunities,” he said.

Marketing advisory group members: • Andrew Stark, Accolade Wines • Libby Nutt, Casella Family Brands • Bill Moularadellis, Kingston Estate Wines • Darryn Hakof, Pernod Ricard Australia • Mitchell Taylor, Taylors Wines • Simon Marton, Treasury Wine Estates • Nick Waterman, Yalumba Family Vignerons • Simone Horgan-Furlong, Leeuwin Estate • Simon West, Fullglass Management “Wine Australia will be spending the next few months developing materials for the capability and capacity building portions of Program 2, with a view to delivering the first workshops, forums and online tools early next year,” Walsh said.

“I encourage all to visit the Wine Australia website where we will have further information, including grants guidelines and how to get involved, as it becomes available.”

Walsh said there is a commitment to keep the grape and wine community actively involved throughout the process of drafting guidelines for program grants, through ongoing consultation.

October 2017 – Issue 645

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movers & shakers

When two become one Clare Valley grapegrower and winemaker associations merge

Andrew Pike and Troy van Dulken 'shaking on it'

The Clare Valley is set to make a change as grape growers and winemakers unite to form one strong representative body to lead them forward.

A vote to formally amalgamate was passed in September, following two years of discussion and consultation between

Clare Valley Winemakers Incorporated and Clare Region Winegrape Growers Association.

The poll to amalgamate was passed with more than an 80% majority at both meetings. Strong attendance reflected the engagement and commitment of the local wine industry to work together.

Chair of the Clare Valley Winemakers Incorporated Andrew Pike says amalgamation will be a positive step forward for the Clare Valley wine region.

“It makes sense to have one cohesive body in the Clare Valley, such that we are all working together on a common strategic plan for the wine industry of the region,” he said.

“This new beginning can create the opportunity to not only share the load across the whole regional wine economy, but also to lift the bar by leveraging all our collective resources and harnessing the best people and ideas to chart a new course to forge a new identity for the region.”

President of the Clare Region Winegrape Growers Association Troy van Dulken says he sees the merger as an opportunity for grape growers to work more closely with winemakers in the region and to share in the benefits of the marketing and promotion of ‘brand Clare’.

“Importantly, this new era for the region needs to result in greater value from viticulture itself and from the product which it produces,” he said.

“One of the key objectives of the new body will be to develop a new creditable regional wine story with a sharp focus on the unique and diverse attributes of the region.”

The region is also excited to announce Stuart McNab, former Treasury Wine Estates Chief supply officer for global wine production, will be taking the chair of the new combined organisation once the formalities of incorporation are completed.

Funding for varietal research Viticulturist Martin Gransden, from Orange in the central west of New South Wales, has been awarded a Nuffield Scholarship.

Gransden will use his scholarship (which is supported by Wine Australia), to research alternative wine grape varieties that can be introduced to the Australian wine sector.

Currently Australia relies largely on traditional varieties from France, but Gransden believes that while they are important to the sector, there is potential to develop and cultivate alternatives that

may be better suited to our environment and consumer tastes.

Gransden is currently employed as a company viticulturist for Cumulus Vineyards Pty Ltd near Orange.

A firm view that cultivating alternative varieties of wine grapes will help increase Australia’s competitiveness in the sector has been key to his scholarship success.

“I think that giving grapegrowers knowledge about alternative varieties can help them deliver offerings to their consumers that they may normally look for from other countries, thus increasing

the demand for Australian wine,” he said.

“If the Australian wine sector continues to rely solely on traditional wine grape varieties it risks losing market interest and share to other countries that are offering the consumer something new and different.”

For his study tour, Martin will be travelling to wine regions in Portugal, Spain, Italy and North America, as well as visiting other growers throughout Australia.

Bidding adieu to two board members On September 8, Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) chair, Angus Barnes, announced the resignation of board members, Angie Bradbury and Lisa Webber.

“Both Angie and Lisa leave the board in a better position as a result of their tenure. This will allow the next ‘leaders’ of the WCA to come through and hopefully tackle the role with fresh enthusiasm,” he said, in the WCA weekly update email.

Angie Bradbury is a founding board member of the WCA, having served as 18 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Secretary and Vice President of the NSW Wine Press Club (before merging to form WCA). She then served as Chair and then Deputy Chair of the WCA in its early years.

“Her nearly 12 years’ service has been outstanding and her drive and strength were instrumental in making the WCA such an important and relevant organisation,” said Barnes.

Lisa Webber has spent six years involved in the WCA. She served two years as deputy chair in NSW before taking over as chair for a further three. Lisa has also www.winetitles.com.au

served as a director on the National Board since 2015.

During her time in the NSW Chapter, Lisa was responsible for establishing and leading a strong NSW Committee and delivered a number of successful local and national events.

“Lisa has always been a passionate wine educator and active board member and has never shied away from making tough calls,” said Barnes.

At the time of writing the two members’ replacements had not yet been announced.

October 2017 – Issue 645

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news

WCA announces cadetship recipient Emily Hay, Turkey Flat Vineyard In September, the Wine Communicators of Australia announced that the search was up for their wine media cadet recipient.

Barossa wine marketer Emily Hay will be telling South Australia’s wine story in her new role as 2017 WCA wine media cadet.

“To have the confidence and support of PIRSA and Wine Communicators of Australia as I take the next step in building a career in wine communication is a dream come true,” said Hay. The cadetship is supported by the four partners of South Australia’s membership to the Great Wine Capitals Global Network: Primary Industries and Regions SA, the South Australian Wine Industry Association, the South Australian Tourism Commission and Brand South Australia.

The SA wine industry generated $2.1 billion in revenue in the 2015/16 financial year, making it an ideal location for Hay to immerse herself.

Cadetship recipient Emily Hay

“To have a cadetship solely for the wine industry will be a real asset to help increase exposure of the state’s wine industry and of Adelaide, South Australia’s membership in the Great Wine Capitals

Global Network,” said Jo Collins, PIRSA executive director for agriculture, food and wine.

As part of the program, Emily will participate in a number of industry experiences in wine sensory evaluation, wine media writing and engagement with wine industry bodies including: • Great Wine Capitals Masterclasses at Ferment the Festival • The Royal Adelaide Wine Show • The Best of Wine Tourism Awards as part of South Australia’s membership to the Great Wine Capitals Global Network • International industry and consumer events such as Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival.

Keep up to date with Hay’s learning experience through the blog at www. adelaidegreatwinecapital.com

Chardonnay ‘hazelnut’ aroma uncovered Researchers in France have identified molecules responsible for the ‘hazelnut’ aromas commonly present in Chardonnay wines. Two of these have such low perception threshold they are as easy to identify as TCA. Alana Seabrook and Charlotte Gourraud from Laffort have shared the findings.

Chardonnay is the second most planted white varietal in the world and is integral in the production of high quality wines from Margaret River, Adelaide Hills, Mornington Peninsula, Burgundy and Champagne. Despite the fact that it plays such a majestic role in both new and old world white wines, we know very little about its distinctive varietal aroma from a chemical perspective.

Some of the finest Chardonnay wines from around the world present nuances of “hazelnut”, “flint”, “oatmeal”, and “grilled bread”. Several studies have identified non-varietal markers, but this is the first study to propose a set of volatile markers sharing a common structure associated with Chardonnay wine.

Recent work, initiated by Pr. Denis Dubourdieu and directed by Dr. Axel Marchal at Bordeaux University ISVV (Gros et al 2017), co-financed by Biolaffort, have recently identified and quantified new molecules previously unknown in wine and responsible for this aroma.

20 Grapegrower & Winemaker

The first being: Pyrroles, whose concentration is correlated to typicity of Chardonnay wines, but identified with concentrations below their perception threshold. These pyrroles come from grape and ageing wood.

There were also two molecules not yet identified in nature: Two thiopyrroles, 1-methylpyrrole2-methanethiol and 1-ethylpyrrole-2methanethiol, with a spectacularly low perception threshold (0.7 and 1.4 ng/L).

These are responsible for the hazelnut nuance in great Chardonnay wines. These thresholds are among the lowest in wine, at a similar level to TCA or 4-MSP. These works and the discovery of this new family of molecules shed new light on aroma in Chardonnay wines and could explain the ‘hazelnut’ aromas present in older bottles of Champagne.

Research is ongoing and new results are under way, which will have oenological consequences, as large and game www.winetitles.com.au

changing as the discovery of Sauvignon blanc thiols had a few decades ago.

BIOLAFFORT is the R&D subsidiary of the LAFFORT group, worldwide leader in enology. Since 1991, 20 PhDs have been financed around the world, over a 100 publications, 18 patents and today 25 employees working to develop innovative products sustainable, knowledge based enology.

Authors:

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Reference

1. Gros, J., Lavigne, V., Thibaud, F., Gammacurta, M., Moine, V., Dubourdieu, D., Darriet, P. and Marchal, A., 2017. Toward a Molecular Understanding of the Typicality of Chardonnay Wines: Identification of Powerful Aromatic Compounds Reminiscent of Hazelnut. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 65(5), pp.1058-1069.

October 2017 – Issue 645

H H

H

H

H

new zealand

Tim Adams from Obsidian Vineyard

Young viticulturist of the year Congratulations to Tim Adams from Obsidian, Waiheke Island, who is the Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2017.

It’s the first time that a viticulturist from the Auckland/Northern region has taken home the trophy, breaking a three year winning streak for Hawke’s Bay. Congratulations also goes to Annabel Bulk from Felton Road, Central Otago who was the runner up. Annabel impressed

the judges not only with her high level of viticulture knowledge, but also her great aptitude and ability in the practical challenges.

Adams received a prize package including 12 months’ use of a Hyundai Santa Fe, a $5000 AGMARDT travel scholarship, gold engraved Bahco secateurs, $2000 in cash, and a leadership week. He will also represent the wine

industry in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition in November.

Bulk also received $1000 cash and wine glasses.

Commendations went to Ben Richards of Hawke’s Bay, Ben McNab Jones of Wairarapa, Laurie Stradling of Nelson and Anthony Walsh of Marlborough for competing in the finals.

NZ’s young winemaker of the year

Kelsey Daniels from Vinlink Marlborough

22 Grapegrower & Winemaker

In September at Villa Maria in Auckland, Kelsey Daniels from Vinlink Marlborough was announced as the third Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year.

Sara Addis from Trinity Hill, Hawkes Bay was awarded runner up.

The competition is about finding the best winemaking talent in New Zealand, as well as providing education and support for those in the industry who are under 30 years of age.

“Each year the calibre of the contestants gets stronger as does the expectation of them at the competition,” said Sherwyn Veldhuizen.

“The event is growing as is the wine industry of New Zealand and it is such a pleasure to meet and support these www.winetitles.com.au

talented winemakers,” said Veldhuizen.

Daniels was awarded a travel allowance, training grant, full registration to the 2018 Romeo Bragato conference, a profile in Cuisine magazine, a wine allowance, and a trip to the Tonnellerie de Mercurey cooperage in Burgundy.

In the national final each competitor was tested and received points on general knowledge, essay writing, presenting a speech, capex and financial analysis, blending, laboratory skills, marketing their wine and more.

Commendations go to Abilgail Maxwell from Babich, Marlborough and Tom Hindmarsh from Dry River Wines, Martinborough who were national finalists in the competition.

October 2017 – Issue 645

Pinot Gris agrees with judges A winery

walkabout for Cromwell

Left to right: New Zealand Wine Society’s head winemaker Jo Gear, customer care manager Anthony Cotton and cellar director Vic Williams.

An Australian red and a New Zealand white have been crowned winners in New Zealand Wine Society’s Wine of the Year Awards.

South Australia’s Vasarelli Family Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz 2016 and New Zealand’s Hawkesbridge Reserve Marlborough Pinot Gris 2017 won top red and top white respectively in the event, which New Zealand Wine Society has been running annually for 24 years.

The wines were blind-tasted and evaluated by a panel of experts including New Zealand Wine Society’s head winemaker Jo Gear and cellar director Vic Williams, plus winemakers Jeremy McKenzie and Nick Badrice.

The Hawkesbridge Reserve Pinot Gris was one of only a handful of 2017 vintage wines to be considered for white wine of the year, impressing the judges with its bright fruit aromatics.

“The wine showed classic super-ripe pear and baked apple aromas, with a rich, flavourful finish. It is very moreish and drinking beautifully now, so you don’t have to wait to open a bottle,” said judge Vic Williams.

Jo Gear is the winemaker for the group that owns the Hawkesbridge and accepted the award for the Pinot Gris.

Gear mentioned that the 2017 harvest was the most difficult she has worked.

“The quality of this year’s wines is testament to our hardworking and quality driven growers who worked so hard to deliver good fruit in highly adverse ripening conditions,” she said.

“I feel very fortunate to be part of the extremely dedicated Hawkesbridge team and it’s an absolute honour to have our wine selected as the 2017 white wine of the year.”

In early September, the 4 Barrels Walking Wine Trail was unveiled. The new trail provides an easy way for tourists and locals to navigate around four of Central Otago’s premium wine producers by foot.

The self-paced 8 kilometre loop trail includes Misha’s Vineyard, Aurum Wines, Scott Base and Wooing Tree Vineyard, as well as capturing some wonderful scenery through orchards and around Lake Dunstan.

The initiative for this walking wine trail was prompted by the increase in the number of tasting rooms that have opened in close proximity to Cromwell’s town centre as well as the rise in tourism across the region.

The Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment show that the Central Otago region was up nine per cent to $190 million in visitor spending for the year ending June 2017.

According to Tourism New Zealand, 24% of tourists arriving in the country take part in a wine experience, up from 13% in 2014, and wine tourists stay longer and spend more than the average visitor.

NZ Winegrowers, the national industry body has partnered with Tourism New Zealand to further promote wine tourism experiences as international visitor data show how important wine experiences are to visitors.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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news

Halliday Awards recognise pioneering Yarra Valley winery A winegrowing philosophy inspired by Burgundy is the secret to Halliday winery of the year winners, Mount Mary Winery. Kath Gannaway reports.

There’s a lot of work doing things the traditional way and for Mount Mary Winery in the Victoria’s Yarra Valley, it’s a work ethic that’s proved itself over three generations.

Mount Mary is owned and operated by the Middleton family. Dr David Middleton, who is the son of the late founders Dr John and Marli Middleton, his wife Victoria and their three children Claire, Sam and Hugh are all involved with Mount Mary in

varying capacities.

“We don’t irrigate, we hand prune using the long cane pruning methods and we hand pick, and that definitely makes a difference for the fruit quality,” said David Middleton of the philosophy that holds true, that hands-on produces consistently excellent wines.

Middleton’s parents planted the first vines on the Old Coldstream Road vineyard in 1971 and they were in good

Hugh, Claire, David, Victoria and Sam Middleton of award-winning Mount Mary Winery

The big 5-0 Margaret River wine region celebrates a big anniversary with a party to match In 1966 agronomist, Dr John Gladstones published a paper announcing that the consistency of Margaret River’s climate with soaking winter rains and moderate dry summers, made it ideal for viticulture.

An abundance of well-drained, gravelly soils added to its appeal.

The first to respond to Gladstones’ paper was Perth cardiologist, Tom Cullity who planted at Vasse Felix in 1967. Vasse Felix was quickly followed by Moss Wood (1969), Cape Mentelle (1970), Cullen Wines (1971), Sandalford (1972), Leeuwin Estate, Woodlands and Wrights (1973).

2017 marks 50 years since commercial 24 Grapegrower & Winemaker

wine production commenced at Vasse Felix.

This makes the winery an ideal location to celebrate the region’s many successes.

On Thursday 16 November Vasse Felix will host the most comprehensive tasting of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to date, at the ‘Fifty Years in the Making’ event.

The event will showcase wines from established pioneers along with new and emerging producers.

On Saturday November 18, Eight Willows Retreat will host the Margaret www.winetitles.com.au

company with the likes of Dr Bailey Carrodus from Yarra Yering, Reg Egan from Wantirna Estate, Guill de Pury from Yeringberg and Dr Peter McMahon from Seville Estate, pioneering the resurgence of the Yarra Valley as a premium wineproducing region.

“My father was taken with Burgundy, loved the region and was fascinated by the wines,” he said. “We were built on Cabernet, but the romance for him lay in Burgundy with the small holdings and family environment.

“That was the vision he had in mind when he created Mount Mary and we would love to retain that configuration.

We don’t want to expand to volumes where we have to start to use bulk handling methods.”

While wine shows and medals have never been a priority for Mount Mary, David said they were proud and honoured to be chosen as winery of the year at the recent Halliday Wine Companion Awards, adding that the award was also recognition of the Yarra Valley as a premier winegrowing region of Australia.

River Grand Cabernet Auction and Dinner, which includes an En Primeur (a method of purchasing wines early while the wine is still in the barrel) auction with limited lots of a special 2017 Margaret River anniversary wine.

Over 30 wineries have come together for the wine by supplying parcels of their best 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Celebrations will be held in conjunction with the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, and are expected to be covered by international media, including Victoria Moore from the UK, Poh Tiong Ch’ng from Singapore - and locals Max Allen, Jane Faulkner, Ray Jordan and Peter Forrestal.

They will be joined by Gourmet Escape guests Jancis Robinson, James Halliday and Huon Hooke.

Information and ticketing can be found at www.gourmetescape.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

grapegrowing Vineyard Technology

The Yield

A new data and prediction solution

What if your phone could remind you when to spray, irrigate and prune; send through data on soil moisture, or even predict frost. The possibility is closer than you think. Camellia Aebischer reports.

N

eed help when deciding when to spray, pick or prune? There’s an app for that. Ok, so it’s a little more complicated than just downloading an app, but innovators at The Yield have been working hard to bring their solutions tool ‘Sensing +’ directly to the wine industry.

October will see the launch of a unique new solution for viticulture, off the back of Sensing + offerings for aquaculture and agriculture.

To lay it out simply, the team at The Yield will install mechanical sensors in the vineyard, like weather stations and soil monitors, to record data. Their software will then relay it with local public data, like that from the Bureau of Meteorology, and compile it into easy to understand charts and advice. This is accessible to the

grower at any time through a mobile app, which can even send through notifications offering suggestions and reminders.

“The biggest guess of them all is the weather,” said founder and managing director, Ros Harvey, during a presentation at the Australian Society for Viticulture and Oenology August seminar in Mildura.

If I can measure it, I can control it.

Matt Pooley

Currently a free grower’s app is available, for those who are interested in having a look. It’s very simple compared

to the complete solution, and uses free information from local weather stations to offer seven-day predictions for soil moisture and rainfall. Getting Sensing + means a personally tailored plan.

Kate White, The Yield’s marketing and communications manager, explained how grower-focused the production phase has been.

“It’s been so important from day one that Ros has sat down with the growers and talked to them. We’re not trying to come in and be the heroes, we’re just trying to back instinct up with concrete evidence.”

The Yield’s senior analyst, Libby Graham, has been on farms and vineyards throughout the whole planning journey – sitting on tractors and at kitchen tables.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

25

grapegrowing

Matt Pooley has been trialling the system at his Tasmanian vineyard

The setup

She has been focused on talking about what growers want to know by getting involved in their lives for a short while; all the way down to helping kids with their homework.

Graham has also had involvement in the layout of the app, ensuring it’s designed specifically to the needs of users.

For The Yield to deliver the most accurate predictions to growers, they must first install sensors to gather data on climate, weather and soil conditions specific to their growing site. These devices are made to fit the solutions model, and have been developed in partnership with Bosch.

Each sensor, is connected to a ‘sensor node’ which wirelessly communicates the data back to a main gateway on the property.

This allows for growers with multiple plots to arrange sensor nodes at each plot, and analyse the information of all areas in their main location.

Winemaker Matt Pooley has been involved with the trials from day one. He currently has a set up at Pooley Wine’s Butcher’s Hill vineyard in Richmond, Tasmania.

“We’ve got two sites 20km apart, and we’ve just focused on one vineyard at the moment but the plan is to move into the other vineyard and be able to gather the data from both,” he said.

Growers will own all of their own sitespecific data, but can choose to share this information with consultants or viticulturists to help make decisions.

The data is stored on a cloud based system by Microsoft named Azure, where it is analysed. It is then sorted by artificial intelligence algorithms to generate a seven day forecast of growing conditions unique to the blocks.

“We collect the information, suck it up to the cloud and put it back in their hands in the form of prediction,” said White.

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October 2017 – Issue 645 4/5/17 9:32 am

Founder Ros Harvey is serious about working alongside producers

Vineyard data pushed straight to your smart phone

“Then it can suggest, say, maybe there’s rain ahead and you want to spray for powdery mildew.”

This information is sent through to the Sensing + app that the grower keeps on their phone so predictions, advice and history are in your back pocket.

The benefits At his Tasmanian vineyards, Pooley has only been using the Beta interface on the trial app, but can already see the benefits.

“Yeah look, for me and for the business it’s been great,” he said.

“It’s taken a lot of the guess work out of things. We’re now able to put together multiple years’ worth of data and start to overlay a lot of the statistical seasonal data to look at trends.

Pooley has been a keen participant since meeting Harvey while working on a previous Tasmanian-centric project called Sense 2. They were both eager to find a data solution for vineyards and take it to a commercial level, which has been realised by The Yield.

“The data that’s come in has been good; I’ve got notifications set up for wind, so I get a message saying ‘yep the wind has reached your certified wind level and it’s giving a reading of X’.

“I’ve also been looking at moisture October 2017 – Issue 645

sensors a little more closely. We’ve got them at three nodes in our vineyard.

Because they’ve been able to develop an evapotranspiration algorithm, which take into consideration crop factors for vines, it’s been tailored mores specifically and we can now irrigate more specifically.”

Pooley added that there is movement toward adapting the technology for frost prediction, and even having sensor triggered frost fans or pumps at times when frost is predicted.

Luckily, The Yield doesn’t only work on newly collected data. If vineyards have information from personal weather stations or other collection, they can load it into the system and have it appear in the app.

“We’ve got a weather station at our other vineyard with a bank of data and soon we can load it all into The Yield platform and lay out that information from seven or eight years back. Because Tassie is so variable from season to season it helps to build a more accurate long term forecasting tool,” said Pooley.

Getting started “If you don’t understand how people are making business decisions, you don’t have a business,” said Harvey, her statement reinforced by the tailor-made approach of The Yield. www.winetitles.com.au

The Sensing + app is a detailed platform, with different sections collating data on spray management, growing conditions, different blocks and other aspects.

“Once we sign a contract we send out an agronomist to the property and in consultation they’ll do a site plan… will come in with the infrastructure and set it up for them. We set it up, calibrate sensors, service them and maintain everything,” said White.

“They set up all the blocks and work out where, on their property, growers want to know about the microclimate. For example, there might be a frost hollow, so it might make some sense to put fencing there,” she explained.

“A grower kind of instinctively knows where those areas are, and we put sensors there to collect the information.”

The hardware is purchased in advance, and the software has a monthly subscription cost, but growers will own all their own data and hardware. Data will only be repurposed with consent, and used to improve information for others nearby.

You can download the free grower’s app in the App Store or on Google Play for Android.

To utilise the complete data solution and app, visit www.theyield.com.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

27

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Growers’ Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus questions answered A statement issued by Australian Vignerons in August confirmed that Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus (GPGV) had been detected in grapevines in Australia for the first time. The most frequently asked questions by grapegrowers in response to the detection have been answered below.

Q

What is being done to address this problem?

Q

Does GPGV only affect Pinot Gris?

Q

What should I do if I’ve seen these symptoms before?

Australian Vignerons is satisfied that the risk of spread is contained. State and commonwealth jurisdictions are working on a surveillance plan to gather more information.

No, GPGV affects many other grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.

Monitor the vines closely at budburst.

If you see symptoms that could be GPGV, call 1800 084 881. A biosecurity expert will discuss the options with you.

Q

I am about to start planting/grafting, how does GPGV affect me?

GPGV is transmitted in grapevine propagation material (e.g. potted vines, cuttings, rootlings, bud wood etc.). Ensure all planting/grafting materials have been virus-tested, preferably prior to receipt.

The two main laboratories for grapevine virus testing in Australia are: Crop Health Services AgriBio Specimen Reception Main Loading Dock, 5 Ring Road, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083 Phone: 03 9032 7323 Email: chs.reception@ecodev.vic.gov.au Waite Diagnostics University of Adelaide School of Agriculture, Food and Wine PMB 1, Glen Osmond SA 5064 Phone: 08 8313 7426 Email: nuredin.habili@adelaide.edu.au

Q

How do I know if I am in a region that has GPGV?

This information is confidential at this stage. Growers in all regions are encouraged to monitor vines for symptoms at budburst.

Q

Why is some information about the GPGV detection confidential?

The details of exotic pest incursions are managed under strict codes of conduct and are not released until the extent of the issue is well understood.

If this information was released before the full extent of GPGV was understood, property owners may be unwilling to report serious incursions in future. This would compromise containment and eradications strategies, and the potential risk of economic damage including unjustified trade barriers, and dissuasion of future reporting of biosecurity risks could be higher.

Q

Wouldn’t information about the affected locations and varieties help us to manage the risk of GPGV?

The critical issue is that further spread of GPGV is avoided. Australian Vignerons is satisfied that the risk of spread from the small number of known infected vines is being well managed.

Q

What is the role of Australian Vignerons in managing GPGV?

Q

What surveillance is being done?

Q

Where do I get more technical information about GPGV?

Australian Vignerons is representing the wine industry and working with state and federal governments and their agencies, including Vinehealth Australia, to guide further action.

State government biosecurity agencies are developing surveillance plans in their respective affected states and will communicate these activities.

AV is working closely with the AWRI who are in communication with international virus experts. The AWRI GPGV fact sheet (available in ‘fact sheets’ under the ‘services to the industry’ tab on their website) has been updated and will continue to be updated as new information is received.

Q

Want to know more?

Contact Australian Vignerons CEO, Andrew Weeks on 0403 520 242.

October 2017 – Issue 645

www.winetitles.com.au

Symptoms of Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus (Photo M. Al Rwahnih)

VIRUS FACTS AT A GLANCE GPGV is a member of the genus Trichovirus in the family Betaflexiviridae.

It is a recent scientific discovery and its origin is unknown. There are multiple, genetically distinct isolates of the virus that have been detected in diseased and symptomless grapevines. There is limited information available on links between symptoms and the presence of specific GPGV isolates. This means that the presence of GPGV may not predict symptoms. The full impact of GPVG on vine health is currently unknown and is further complicated by the finding that GPVG is frequently found in mixed infections with other viruses. It has previously been found in a number of other countries including China, Croatia, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Korea, Greece and the USA, and it has been confirmed in 28 wine varieties.

GPGV can be spread through the movement and exchange of infected propagation material and the virus and the disease are graft transmitted. The virus is possibly transmitted by grapeleaf bud and blister mites (Colomerus vitis).

There is no evidence to support the transmission of the virus mechanically on pruning or harvesting equipment.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

29

ask the

Sooty mould

Dilute spraying and under dosing On many occasions, I come across growers who think they are spraying at the correct chemical rate for dilute spraying, but on further investigation with an in-vineyard test, they are under dosing. I find under application of dilute spray volumes of 10 to 20 per cent is common and in extreme cases, it can be as high as 40 per cent. Less than required spray volumes and resultant under dosing of chemical has clear implications for product performance and resistance development.

Dilute volume spraying is where the vine canopy is thoroughly wet to the point of run off. The volume required to reach this point will depend on the canopy size, which changes with vineyard setup and as the season progresses.

My first recommendation is that growers review their canopy size at three stages of seasonal growth and compare their dilute volume decisions against the APVMA recommendations (See Indicative water volumes for dilute spraying grapevines). If there is a significant variation, you should look to do some in vineyard spray trials to determine your correct rate. Spray volume really is the key in determining the amount of chemical that should be applied to a vine canopy to deposit a correct label dose.

During the 2017 vintage, some wine-grape growers in several regions were severely affected by ‘sooty mould’. The thresholds for the presence of all moulds at which some wine producers downgrade or reject fruit is 3%, which means that there is potential for sooty mould to cause significant economic losses to grapegrowers.

In addition, any effects of sooty mould on the composition and sensory qualities of wine are not well understood. This column provides answers to some common questions about sooty mould.

What does sooty mould look like?

Sooty mould refers to a fungal infection, where all parts of the vine, including the grapes, can become blackened, as though they are covered with a layer of soot.

What causes sooty mould to develop?

Because every vineyard is different, in-field measurements and observations will most likely deliver the most reliable and accurate results. Your own spray tests are an ideal way to gain the experience you need and it’s not as hard as you may think.

Simply run a series of tests where you increase or decrease the spray volume until a point is reached where you consider the spray liquid covers all parts of the canopy to the point of run off. Your local spray expert may be able to help you with this.

Of course, it’s easy to see when water is at the point of runoff on the outer canopy. Assessing the point of runoff inside the canopy is more difficult. Water and oil-sensitive paper (WSP) is a fantastic resource that has been available to spray operators for many years. The WSP card has a special coating that produces a stain when a droplet lands on it. Put these throughout the canopy to make sure spray droplets cover all parts of the canopy as evenly as possible. If a wetting agent is to be used for spraying, then it should be added to the water before you run your tests.

The fungus Capnodium has been identified as a cause of sooty mould, although a range of other fungi that are commonly found on healthy grapes might also be involved. The fungi rapidly increase when they colonise areas of the vine where ‘honeydew’ has been excreted by sap-sucking insects such as scale and mealybug. Honeydew is a translucent, sticky substance, derived from the sap of the vines. It has been reported that the sapsucking insects remove mainly nitrogenous compounds from the sap, and excrete most of the carbohydrates as honeydew.

The severe outbreaks of sooty mould in 2017 appear to have been primarily caused by high numbers of scale.

Although many affected growers report that scale are present in their vineyards to some extent every year, it is not known why their numbers were high in 2017. It is possible that particularly high spring and early-summer rainfall in most of the badly affected regions, coupled with lower than average temperatures and the absence of periods of extreme heat during the same period, contributed to the high scale populations. However, even in the most badly affected regions, the presence of sooty mould appears to have been somewhat localised and sporadic, both between vineyards, and even between blocks within the same vineyard.

What is the potential for sooty mould to also be a problem during the 2017/2018 season?

Vine Talk is compiled by Dave Antrobus, Syngenta Solutions Development Lead dave.antrobus@syngenta.com 0429 133 436 30 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Because the primary cause of the sooty mould seen in 2017 was high populations of scale, the starting populations of scale for the next growing season are likely to be higher than usual. Therefore, if measures are not taken to reduce scale numbers, there may be the potential for sooty mould to increase during the next, and subsequent, growing seasons. Where economic losses were significant last season, spraying of target areas with products approved by the relevant grape purchaser is recommended. www.winetitles.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

What is the impact of sooty mould on wine quality and processing?

A small-scale winemaking trial was conducted using Shiraz grapes from the 2017 harvest, with three treatments: an unaffected control, grapes with 5% sooty mound and grapes with 25% sooty mould. The grape bunches were individually assessed for the incidence of sooty mould, and bunches containing any other possible moulds or insect damage were eliminated.

Analytically, little difference was seen between the control wine and the 5% and 25% sooty mould-affected wines, and during sensory difference testing, an experienced tasting panel could not distinguish between the control and the 25% sooty mouldaffected wine. Larger, one-tonne scale trials were also conducted at a commercial winery using Chardonnay and Shiraz, and similar results were obtained.

In terms of any impacts on wine processing, at crushing, more colour was evident in the sooty mould-affected must. This might imply that the sooty mould had to some extent infiltrated the grape skins, resulting in greater fragmentation of the skins during destemming and crushing. The ferments containing sooty mould were later found to contain up to 10% extra lees compared to the controls, which might logically be due to the presence of additional grape solids.

When interpreting the results of these winemaking trials, however, it should be noted that commonly when sooty mould is present, other microorganisms might also have proliferated, which alone, or in combination with the sooty mould, could have a negative effect on wine quality. In addition, it is possible that any small differences which may exist between the trial wines at the time of writing might become more evident with time, and this will be assessed with future tastings.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

31

grapegrowing What are the relationships between scale numbers, the incidence of sooty mould, and vineyard management practices?

Vineyard surveys are being conducted to ascertain any correlations between scale numbers and incidence of sooty mould and vineyard management practices. This work involves interviews with affected and unaffected growers, and collation of spray diary data from up to five years.

What options are there for treating vineyards for scale and mealybug?

Mineral oil sprays during vine dormancy have been the conventional means of controlling scale, however, the success of such sprays is reported to vary widely across regions.

Getting contact with the insects can be problematic because they overwinter under the vine bark, requiring a thorough drenching of the trunk, cordon and spurs when the spray is applied. The active constituent spirotetramat is recommended for suppression of scale up to growth stage E-L 18 for export wine, and three organophosphate insecticides are registered for scale, but due to their broad-spectrum action, they are not recommended.

In recent years, trials to control scale have been conducted with a range of insecticides registered for use in wine-grapes, with varying levels of success. A list of products is published in

the AWRI ‘Dog book’. Clothianidin will undergo further trials for scale control and residue evaluation next season, but is currently only registered for mealybug control, and should not be used without first consulting the AWRI or the relevant grape purchaser.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles should be considered when seeking to control scale or mealybug, as any insecticides that adversely impact predatory arthropods and parasitoids, such as cryptoleamus and green lacewings, are likely to exacerbate mealybug, scale and sooty mould problems. The provision of habitat for such beneficial insects within vineyards should also be considered as part of an IPM approach.

For further information see: Managing scale in vineyards, Jenny Venus. AWRI webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-5Y6wzHXnE For specific queries or technical support, please contact the AWRI helpdesk at helpdesk@awri.com.au or on 08 8313 6600.

Acknowledgments The AWRI thanks Jenny Venus of Landmark, Dr Richard Hamilton of Hamilton Viticulture, Dr Barbara Hall of the Horticulture Pathology and Quarantine group, SARDI and Mary Retallack of Retallack Viticulture, for their contributions to the work reported in this article.

Partnership for two industry bodies The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and Wine Australia have entered into an eight year agreement covering research, development and extension (RDE) activities at the AWRI from 2017– 2025.

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This long-term partnership reflects a high level of strategic alignment between the two organisations. It provides the AWRI with greater certainty and flexibility and will allow it to plan and deliver RDE more efficiently for the benefit of levy payers and the broader community.

Key grape and wine sector priorities that will be addressed under this agreement include: • Improvements in wine production efficiency • Improved tools for the creation of target wine styles and strategies to mitigate faults • Increased understanding of wine flavour and texture and how they are influenced by viticultural and winemaking inputs • Enhanced yeast and bacterial germplasm options • Improved fermentation processes • Greater understanding of terroir in an Australian context • Continued support for market access for Australian wine

• Extension activities that support producers and facilitate awareness and adoption of research outcomes.

New RDE funding framework This agreement is the first of a series of bilateral partnerships between Wine Australia and major research institutions under a new RDE funding framework.

“We want to ensure that in areas of high priority, we give researchers with proven expertise the resources to undertake research in the areas that will deliver the most benefit to the grape and wine sector.

Regular interaction, reporting and review points will ensure ongoing alignment with grape and wine sector priorities,” said Clark.

“It is not surprising that our first partnership is with the AWRI. Its expertise and commitment has been central to establishing Australia’s reputation as a research leader, and this will continue.”

Under the new RDE funding framework, Wine Australia will also retain the capacity to support additional projects through competitive calls.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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Optimising fungicide performance in grapevines

T

he grape and wine community currently has a good understanding of the plant pathogens that infect Australian grapevines and importantly, the range of different fungicides to provide protection when plant disease threatens wine production and quality.

Nevertheless, spray application remains a key aspect of effective crop protection programs, according to Doug Wilson, Technical Co-ordinator with AgNova Technologies based in Melbourne.

“The size of the grapevine canopy is the starting point for organising an effective spray application,” said Wilson.

He likened the grapevine canopy to a spray vat in reverse, in that the spray is on the outside of the crop after application

It is easy to underestimate just how much spray is required to deliver the true dilute volume to large canopies. but how much is there will depend on the size of the canopy.

“Each canopy will have a unique capacity to support a given volume of spray and this volume will vary as the

season progresses and from one season to the next.”

Strong canopy growth during a wet spring not only increases disease risk but also increases the amount of spray required to provide adequate cover for the crop.

“It is easy to under-estimate just how much spray is required to deliver the true dilute volume to large canopies,” he said.

“However, getting this number right is vital if the correct fungicide dose is to be delivered. Dilute spray volumes of over 2000 L/ha are not uncommon for large canopies and these high volumes sometimes come as a surprise for growers once the correct calculations are made.

“It helps if we use the term dose to

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describe the quantity of product to be applied per hectare, and the term rate for the amount to mix per 100 litres.

“Clearly the dose increases as the volume of spray required increases, but the mixing rate does not need to change if the spray volume increases to match the capacity of the vine canopy.

“However, if the spray volume does not increase to the extent required, then the mixing rate needs to be adjusted upwards to maintain the dose.”

Wilson said this relationship between rate and dose is generally well understood by growers using concentrate spray machines but there is often a ‘grey’ area where spray volumes fall well short of the true dilute volume but are not considered to be in the realm of concentrate volumes.

Spray applications in this category risk under-dosing of fungicides, raising potential problems for effective disease control and potential resistance if the disease establishes in the crop.

Wilson recommended growers consider a three-point plan that is based on one adapted for concentrate spraying but will serve to calculate the correct application rate for all spray volumes.

1. Determine the full dilute volume required for the target crop.

2. Multiply the dilute label rate by the volume above to get the dose required.

3. Divide the volume to be used into the calculated dose to obtain the rate/100 L. October 2017 – Issue 645

“Good coverage of canopies is important, but this alone will not guarantee that the correct dose is being applied.

The correct spray volume calculation is the key to this,” he said.

“The correct dilute spray volume allows growers to calculate the correct dose which in turn allows adjustment of the correct rate to mix.”

Growers should consult with industry agronomists for advice on calculating true dilute spray volumes for specific grapevine canopies.

AgNova Technologies Pty Ltd is an Australian company that sources, develops and distributes specialty crop protection and production solutions for agricultural and horticultural producers, and for selected non-crop users. The AgNova product portfolio includes specialist herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, fertilisers and non-chemical technologies.

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Cover crops can help attract beneficial pests in your vineyard. Photo: Camellia Aebischer.

Pest & Disease

Tackling grapegrowers’ number one insect pest

Current biological control in Australian vineyards Maryam Yazdani and Michael Keller from the University of Adelaide focus on the destructive light brown apple moth, commonly found in wine grape regions in south-eastern Australia.

Introduction

T

he most commonly encountered insect pest in Australian vineyards is the light brown apple moth (LBAM) or Epiphyas postvittana.

The estimated annual economic impact of direct damage cause by LBAM in the Australian wine grape industry was estimated to be $18 million in 2010.

The indirect damage, mainly caused by promoting Botrytis spp., is reported to be about $52 million per year giving an estimated average industry-wide economic impact of about $70 million per year (Scholefield and Morison 2010).

Therefore it’s important to understand LBAM and organisms that can biologically supress and control it in the vineyard.

Integrate Pest Management (IPM) is the most rational way to manage pests in a sustainable grape production system.

IPM is an ecologically-based pest management method that aims to limit or prevent pest damage in a sustainable manner. This can be achieved by increasing the contribution of biological controls, which in turn reduces the need to use pesticides.

Biological control relies on a “free-ofcharge” ecosystem service from naturally

36 Grapegrower & Winemaker

occurring organisms, which helps grape growers to achieve the required crop quality and yield with less farming inputs (Bernard et al. 2007).

Over time, this service improves with each year of adoption of IPM. In order to take full advantage of biological control, it is important to understand the biology of the agents and the factors that drive their performance.

This paper aims to provide knowledge to grape growers to gain a better understanding of natural enemies which provide “ecosystem services” in their vineyards and adopt their IPM practices with the perceptions of biological control of LBAM.

Light brown apple moth The light brown apple moth is native to south-eastern Australia, but has invaded other places including New Zealand and California. The caterpillars or larvae of LBAM are leafrollers. They create shelters by tying together leaves and berries.

While it is known as the most destructive insect pest in Australian vineyards, its larvae also feed on a long list of other plants. LBAM feeds on more than 120 plant species in Australia, of which 23 www.winetitles.com.au

are Australian natives. Worldwide it may attack over 500 plant species in 363 genera (Suckling and Brockerhoff 2010).

A recent study found other leafrollers such as Merophyas divulsana are present in the mid-row of vineyards and Acropolitis rudisana is present in both the mid-row and grape vine canopies (Feng 2015b).

These species are morphologically similar to LBAM (Figure 1) so, we assume that some of the reported host plants for LBAM may be due to miss-identification.

LBAM completes 2-5 generations annually over much of its range, depending on climate. The life cycle of LBAM from egg to adult (Figure 2) is longer at cooler temperatures so only two generations typically occur in cooler regions. In warmer regions, four to five overlapping generations may occur (Danthanarayana 1975).

Damage and economic impact of LBAM Larval LBAM typically conceal themselves by rolling leaves around their body to produce characteristic “leaf rolls” that are secured by silk.

Early stages feed on the undersides of leaves and flowers within a silk shelter.

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Leafroller species, from left to right Merophyas divulsana, E. postvittana and Acropolitis rudisana.

Late stages may fold individual leaves, create a nest of several leaves webbed together, or web leaves to fruit and then feed on the surface of the fruit (Danthanarayana 1975).

This damage can lead to reduction of fruit quality, which may become unsuitable for sale (Irvin 2009). If vineyards are left unchecked, infestations can cause thousands of dollars of damage per hectare (Scholefield and Morison 2010).

Biological Control Biological control is an essential component of an IPM strategy. It is an environmentally sound and effective means of reducing pests through the use of natural enemies such as predators (e.g., ladybird beetles, lacewings), parasitoids (e.g., parasitic wasps) and pathogens (e.g., certain bacteria, fungi, nematodes).

Natural enemies contribute to natural biological control of LBAM in Australia and also have been introduced into other countries to suppress this pest.

Insecticides usage has been restricted in Australian vineyards when the developing berries reach “pea-size” to minimise the likelihood of pesticide residues in wine (Essling and Longbottom 2013).

This makes biological control a crucial element of IPM to provide effective suppression of LBAM on wine grapes.

Biological control has been demonstrated to be capable of suppressing LBAM in New Zealand, where the pest has been successfully managed through a combination of biological control and threshold-based applications of selective insecticides (Varela et al. 2010).

What are the natural enemies of leafrollers?

Both predators and parasitoids play a role in limiting populations of LBAM October 2017 – Issue 645

during both the overwintering and spring generations. A review of parasitoids that attack LBAM in Australia identified 25 species, including five hyperparasitoids (parasitoids that secondarily attack and kill a primary parasitoid; Paull and Austin 2006).

In Australia the most common parasitic wasps that attack LBAM are Dolichogenidea tasmanica, Therophilus unimaculatus (previously described as Bassus sp.), Gonozius jacintae (Figure 3), Australoglypta latrobei, Exochus sp., Xanthopimpla rhopaloceros and Brachymeria rubripes, while the fly Voriella uniseta is also parasitic.

Some species appear to be common over much of LBAM’s range (e.g., D. tasmanica and X. rhopaloceros), but others are less common and more geographically restricted (Suckling and Brockerhoff 2010).

Twenty years ago, Trichogramma carverae was identified as a parasitic wasp that could contribute to biological control of LBAM (Glenn et al. 1997).

This minute wasp parasitises the eggs of LBAM. Experimental studies showed that up to 75% of the LBAM egg masses were parasitised in vineyards. Unfortunately, levels of parasitism by Trichogramma are typically not very high without regular releases of large numbers, which can be expensive.

Although general predators play an important role in biological control, very little is known about the role they play in suppression of LBAM in Australian vineyards.

Some species of spiders contribute more to biological control than others, e.g., jumping spiders (Salticidae).

Other predators include earwigs, several carabid, ladybird, and rove beetles, reduviid and mirid bugs, lacewings, and syrphids (Suckling and Brockerhoff 2010). www.winetitles.com.au

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Figure 2. Life cycle of light brown apple moth (Photo credit: Greg Baker)

How natural enemies contribute to suppression of LBAM? Predators and parasitoids provide important ecosystem services by feeding on insect pests in vineyards.

Effective natural enemies reduce pest populations and stabilise their numbers.

It is impossible to determine the relative importance of each natural enemy in affecting pest populations.

D. tasmanica is the most commonly collected parasitoid of LBAM in Australia

and New Zealand (Paull and Austin 2006).

The ability of D. tasmanica to parasitise the first three larval stages or instars is important, as this reduces feeding damage by individual larvae (Yazdani et al. 2014).

The significance of D. tasmanica is evident in the relatively high percentage of parasitism of young larvae (about 50% of instar stages two to four) compared with parasitism of later immature stages by other species (about 20%) (Varela et al.

2010).

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Female D. tasmanica is attractec to odours associated with all susceptible young stages of LBAM (Yazdani et al.

2015c). It can also parasitise some other species of leafrollers (Suckling et al. 2001; 2010).

D. tasmanica is an effective natural enemy of LBAM in vineyards, mainly because it can contribute in suppressing the population of LBAM at low densities, which is the characteristic of wild populations of LBAM in vineyards (Yazdani et al. 2015 a, b).

The activity of LBAM in vineyards varies from region to region, in part due to the effects of grape varieties, species of natural enemies present, and the nature of the surrounding landscape.

For example the level of parasitism is consistently higher on the variety Cabernet Sauvignon compared to Chardonnay (Paull et al. 2014). In Australian vineyards, parasitism by D. tasmanica can vary from minimal up to 80% (Paull 2007).

Factors such as climate, non-grape host plant availability, the dynamic variation of predator and parasitoid numbers contribute to this variation.

Ongoing research is being carried out to investigate how factors such as host plant preference, alternative host species and the availability of floral resources to influence patterns of parasitism by parasitic wasps.

Habitat for natural enemies is important Habitat manipulation can be achieved through various management practices, such as the application of mulch under vines and planting selected cover crops or other plant around vineyards.

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Figure 3. The most common parasitoids (left column, photos by: authors and Yi Feng) and some general predators (right column, photos by: Mary Joy Retallack) that attack LBAM.

Mulching can influence the abundance of a range of invertebrates, and potentially can increase numbers of natural enemies.

For example, abundance of predatory ground beetles, parasitoid wasps and spiders is increased by the addition of mulches in vineyards (Thomson and Hoffmann 2007).

Even in the canopy, numbers of predatory and parasitic invertebrates increases after mulching. The abundance of parasitoids is also influenced by landscape factors such as the diversity of plants (Marino and Landis 1996).

Although a number of species are known to parasitise LBAM, only a few of these species were recorded to attack LBAM in vineyards in the Adelaide Hills (Feng 2015a).

Due to high levels of disturbance in many agroecosystems, they become unfavourable environments for natural enemies. So, non-crop areas can increase the abundance of natural invertebrate enemies in vineyards and assist in invertebrate pest control (Thomson and Hoffmann 2009).

The abundance predators and parasitism of pests are increased in vineyards that are adjacent to wooded vegetation.

The conservation of remnant woodland and planting of shelterbelts around vineyards may therefore have direct economic benefits in terms of pest control (Thomson and Hoffmann 2009).

For example D. tasmanica and T. unimaculatus are common parasitoid October 2017 – Issue 645

species that attack LBAM and other species of leafrollers (Figure 3). T. unimaculatus is most active in non-crop native vegetation, whereas D. tasmanica is the most common parasitoid of LBAM in vineyards (Figure 4). Feng and colleagues (2015b) found that plants affect the searching behaviour of parasitic wasps, and contribute to their distributions in and around vineyards.

One consideration for future researchers is to select the best companion plant species to enhance biological control in vineyards.

Flowering plants are particularly important as they provide food for parasitic wasps and predators. The egg parasitoid T. carverae obtains nectar from the groundcover plant alyssum (Lobularia maritima), which also can suppress weeds (Begum et al. 2006). Likewise buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) are known to promote an increase in parasitism by D. tasmanica (Irvin et al. 2006).

The lifetime reproduction of parasitic wasps typically increases when females have access to nectar in flowers.

Unfortunately plants like buckwheat and alyssum have high water requirements which make them unsuitable for the dry climate of most Australian grape-growing regions. So it’s important to consider native plants that are adapted to the local environment.

Management of LBAM through habitat manipulation requires the coordinated use of a range of vineyard management practices, including preferentially using www.winetitles.com.au

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Figure 4. Fraction of parasitised LBAM larvae by D. tasmanica and T. unimaculatus using pooled data from 8 sites in 2 locations (vineyards and adjacent native vegetation) in the Adelaide Hills wine region (Feng et al.

2015a).

pesticides that are compatible with natural enemies (Begum 2006; Berndt and Wratten 2005).

How can grape growers make the most of biocontrol?

The development of resilient and robust pest management systems should be a primary goal of pest management practitioners (Keller 2001).

One of the major problems of the Australian wine industry to develop sustainable vineyard management systems is the use of synthetic pesticides only when necessary based on sampling of larvae in vineyards. So, training experts,

to implement an accurate pest and natural enemies monitoring, and evaluation plan is very critical in vineyards.

Sustainable viticulture integrates three main goals including profitability, environmental health, and social and economic equity.

Practices that reduce the net reproduction of pests, like promotion of generalist natural enemies, soft insecticides are one way to improve IPM systems.

When integrated systems incorporate natural enemies, they are less prone to failure and also potentially more reliable, than systems that rely on a single method of pest suppression.

The presence of natural enemies and spiders in vineyards is an indication of a healthy ecosystem. Although biological control of LBAM delivers only a fraction of the overall level of control, it can contribute to an effective IPM system because the IPM methods can enhance the level and reliability of pest suppression (Keller 2001).

So, conserving the natural environment in vineyards preserves biodiversity and avoids soil and water pollution by reducing pesticide usage which eventually will approach sustainable viticulture in vineyards.

Biological control is one way to reduce pesticide use and to develop more sustainable vineyard management systems which is demanded by customers.

Conservation biological control (CBC) offers scope to increase the effectiveness of natural enemies and to reduce pest damage through habitat manipulation and modification of existing practices to protect natural enemies.

Providing food resources for specialist natural enemies can also improve the level of control. Both broad-spectrum and selective insecticides can disrupt biological control systems that involve specialist natural enemies, so it is important to use pesticides only as a last resort (Keller 2001).

In order to encourage natural enemies and enhance biological control, habitat management is a main component of conservation biological control, which increase the reproduction, lifetime, and effectiveness of natural enemies.

To create a suitable ecological infrastructure within the agricultural landscape, habitat management approach is aiming to provide resources such as food, alternative prey or hosts, and shelter from adverse conditions for natural enemies (Landis et al. 2000).

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October 2017 – Issue 645

managing cover crops and adjacent vegetation should be considered in habitat manipulation to provide, food and shelter for natural enemies in winter and summer times.

Studies are currently under way to investigate the most appropriate native flowering plants, like Bursaria sp.

(Christmas bush) and Leptospermum sp. (woolly tea tree), to sustain key parasitoids that attack LBAM and other pest insects.

The research will provide a better understanding of how these supplementary resources benefit parasitoids as well as pest control, and then develop strategies to exploit this new understanding.

If these practices are successful, then they could help to significantly reduce lost production caused by LBAM and reduce the need for pesticides, which builds the authenticity and integrity of wine brands.

Authors

Maryam Yazdani1* Michael Keller1 1 School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Campus, University of Adelaide, SA 5005

References

postvittana (Walk.) (Tortricidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 23:419-37.

Essling M., Longbottom M. (2013) Agrochemicals registered for use in Australian viticulture 13/14. The Australian Wine Research Institute, Glen Osmond, South Australia. 20 p. http://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/viticulture/ agrochemicals/agrochemical_booklet/ Feng Y., Wratten S., Sandhu H., Keller MA. (2015a) Interspecific competition between two generalist parasitoids that attack the leafroller Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 105: 425-433.

Feng Y., Wratten S., Sandhu H., Keller MA. (2015b) Host plants affect the foraging success of two parasitoids that attack light brown apple moth Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). PLoS ONE 10(4):e0124773-1-e0124773-20.

Glenn DC., Hercus MJ., Hoffmann AA. (1997) Characterizing Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) Species for Biocontrol of Light Brown Apple Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Grapevines in Australia, Annals of the Entomological Society of America 90- 2: 128–137, https://doi. org/10.1093/aesa/90.2.128 Irvin NA., Scarratt SL., Wratten SD., Frampton CM., Chapman RB., Tylianakis JM. (2006) The effects of floral understoreys on parasitism of leafrollers (Lepidoptera : Tortricidae) on apples in New Zealand. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 8-1: 25-34.

Irvin N. (2009) Light Brown Apple Moth. Center for Invasive Species Research. http://cisr.ucr.edu/light_ brown_apple_moth.html (Accessed 2 June 2016).

Keller MA. (2001) Improving the integration of pest management practices: theoretical and practical challenges. The management of diamondback moth and other crucifer pests. Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop 19-26.

Begum M., Gurr GM., Wratten SD., Hedberg PR., Nicol HI. (2006) Using selective food plants to maximize biological control of vineyard pests. Journal of Applied Ecology 43: 547-554.

Landis DA., Wratten SD., Gurr GM. (2000) Habitat management to conserve natural enemies of arthropod pests in agriculture. Annual Review of Entomology 45:175-201.

Bernard M., Horne PA., Papacek D., Jacometti MA., Wratten SD., Evans KJ., Herbert KS., Powell KS., Rakimov A., Weppler R., Kourmouzis T., Yen AL. (2007) Guidelines for environmentally sustainable winegrape production in Australia: IPM adoption self-assessment guide for growers. Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker 518: 24–27.

Marino PC., Landis DA. (1996) Effect of landscape structure on parasitoid diversity and parasitism in agroecosystems. Ecological Applications 6: 276- 284.

Berndt LA., Wratten SD. (2005) Effects of alyssum flowers on the longevity, fecundity, and sex ratio of the leafroller parasitoid Dolichogenidea tasmanica.

Biological Control 32-1: 65-69.

Danthanarayana W. (1975) The bionomics, distribution and host range of the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas

Paull C., Austin AD. (2006) The hymenopteran parasitoids of light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 45:142156.

Paull C. (2007) The ecology of key arthropods for the management of Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lep. Tortricidae) in Coonawarra vineyards South Australia. In school of Earth and Environment Science. Phd Vol.130.

University of Adelaide. 131 p.

Paull CA., Schellhorn NA., Austin AD. (2014) Response to host density by the parasitoid Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the influence of grapevine variety. Bulletin of Entomological Research 104-1: 79-87.

Scholefield R., Morison J. (2010) Assessment of economic cost of endemic pests, diseases on the Australian grape, wine industry. Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC) project. Project number: GWR 08/04. [Accessed 6 May 2013] Available from URL: http://www.gwrdc.com.au/ completed projects/.

Suckling DM., Burnip GM., Gibb AR., Daly JM., Armstrong KF. (2001) Host and host plant influences on the leafroller parasitoid Dolichogenidia tasmanica (Braconidae). Entomologia experimentalis et applicate 100:253-60.

Suckling DM., Brockerhoff EG. (2010) Invasion Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Light Brown Apple Moth (Tortricidae). Annual Review of Entomology 55: 285-306.

Thomson LJ., Hoffmann AA. (2007) Ecologically sustainable chemical recommendations for agricultural pest control? Journal of Economic Entomology 100: 1741-1750.

Thomson LJ., Hoffmann AA. (2009) Vegetation increases the abundance of natural enemies in vineyards. Biological Control 49: 259-269.

Varela LG., Walker JTS., Lo PL., Rogers DJ. (2010) New Zealand lessons may aid efforts to control light brown apple moth in California. California Agriculture 64-1: 6-12.

Yazdani M., Glatz R., Feng Y., Keller MA. (2014) Host stage preference of Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Austral Entomology. doi: 10.1111/aen.12130.

Yazdani M., Keller MA. (2015a) The shape of the functional response curve of Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is affected by recent experience. Biological control (In press). doi:10.1016/j. biocontrol.2015.05.004.

Yazdani M., Keller MA. (2015b) Mutual interference in Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) when foraging for patchily-distributed Light Brown Apple Moth. Biological control. doi:10.1016/j. biocontrol.2015.01.004.

Yazdani M., Glatz R., Keller MA. (2015c) Searching behaviour of Dolichogenidae tasmanica in response to susceptible host stages”. Australian Journal of Zoology. doi.org/10.1071/ZO14093

*For further information, contact corresponding author Maryam Yazdani: maryam.yazdani@adelaide.edu.au

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Scale back on scale in the vineyard Scale insects on grapevines and the potential for economic damage to grapevine production While certain grapevine varieties have some ‘resistance’ to scale insects, growers are encouraged to monitor for problems in their vineyard at least twice per season. Nelson A. Simbiken, Kevin S. Powell and Paul D. Cooper examine the issue.

P

lant sucking bugs cause damage to grapevines by mechanical injury to plant cells, extraction of nutrients and transmission of viruses. Plant sucking bugs on grapevines in Australia include grapevine scale, grape phylloxera, longtailed mealy bug, Rutherglen bug, green vegetable bug, metallic shield bug, pale cotton stainer, coon bug and black cicada (Hely et al., 1982). Grapevine scale Parthenolecanium persicae F. is widely distributed on grapevines in Australia, having moved

onto grapevines from stone (Pfeiffer, 1997). It occurs either singly or in mixed infestations with the closely related Frosted scale Parthenolecanium pruinosum C. (Figure 1) and other scale insects.

Injury to plants is caused by a high density of grapevine scale and the associated sooty mould fungus that thrives on excreted honeydew from the scales, which taints fruits and covers leaves.

Increased incidence of grapevine scales and sooty mould on grapevines can reduce vine growth, grape bunches and berries (Figure 2).

Grapevine scale completes its life cycle in 12 months wherever it occurs. In the southern hemisphere eggs are laid mainly in November (Boratynski, 1970), with first, second and third instars developing between December and April. Immature stages are able to use soft succulent leaves and branches especially lodging

a

b

Figure 1. Mixed infestation of scales on grapevines (a) third instar nymph of grapevine scale and (b) second instar nymph of Frosted scale.

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Figure 3. Grapevine scale life cycle and developmental life stages on grapevine (clockwise from top): (1) female adult with eggs (size of eggs 0.3 mm) (2) first instar nymph (3) second instar nymph (4) third instar nymph (5) young adult stage and (6) mature adult.

themselves on the abaxial side of leaves and on the leeward side of branches away from the direct sunlight. Between May and August, the insects overwinter as third instar nymphs on vine branches and then develop rapidly into the adult between October and December (Pellizzari, 1997). It reproduces asexually without mating (parthenogenesis). Eggs are laid and protected under the brood chamber of adults. Immature stages are soft bodied while adult stages have hard cuticle or exoskeleton with a thin waxy layer that acts as a protective barrier from various harmful effects of weather. First instars are very small (0.3 mm long) and translucid (pale white), and are difficult to detect (Figure 3). As the insect matures into the second instar (0.5 mm long), it changes colour into milky white. Third instars (1.5 mm long) can be observed because of a net-like brown coloration on the cuticle.

Adults are between 2–9 mm, are light brown during young adult stage and darker brown and slightly convex when fully developed (Brittin, 1940).

The purplish brown immature stages observed on the leaves and on branches may be frosted scales (Figure 4). It is difficult to distinguish between grapevine scale and the frosted scale in the first instar stages, as they both are translucid (pale white) and therefore difficult to detect. They also have similar life cycles, with oviposition (egg-laying) in November, immature stages between December and September, adult stage between October and November. The overwintering stages of both scales are found

October 2017 – Issue 645

Figure 4. Frosted scale life cycle and developmental life stages on grapevine (clockwise from top): (1) Female adult with eggs (size of eggs 0.3 mm) (2) first instar nymph (3) second instar nymph (4) overwintering second instar nymph (5) third instar stage and (6) mature adult.

Figure 5. Two examples of biological control agents that can help control scale numbers.

A) An individual of the parasitic wasp Metaphycus sp. emerging from a parasitised frosted scale. B) Ladybird beetle attacking scale on the vine.

on the branches and cordons of vines, although the grapevine scale is in its third instar, while the frosted scale remains in the second instar until late August to mid-September.

Control and Management Although many growers use oil sprays, the scale population has the capacity to rebound each season, partly as a result of poor timing of application and the persistence of scale under the bark of the grapevines when application occurs. The oil tends to wash off the scales on the exposed surfaces with little effect on those hiding under the bark and protective plant surfaces, leading to subsequent increase in numbers again. Sometimes oils

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a Figure 6. Ants collecting honeydew excreted by an adult frosted scale on Riesling grapevines

b

Figure 7. a) Numbers of scales on different cultivars and b) scale effect on leaf chlorophyll content. Spad is a proprietary term that is an indication of chlorophyll in leaves.

can also be phytotoxic if sprayed close to budburst (Buchanan and Amos, 1992). Scales have hard cuticle and a wax cover that can resist water and insecticides. Insecticide application against scale insects, without prior knowledge of the existence and effectiveness of beneficial insects, can be detrimental to overall control (Epstein et al., 2000, Rebek et al., 2003). This lack of natural control may induce an outbreak, as biological control against both scales is not often part of the control approach (Bernard et al., 2007). Parasitic wasps are present in Australia (Figure 5a), but they do not appear to be have a high enough density to sufficiently affect scale numbers. Ladybird beetles (Figure 5b) will consume the scales and their populations should be encouraged in vineyards by avoiding widespread use of insecticides (Rakimov et al. 2015).

Some work has suggested that ants attack biological control agents of scale and can result in increased numbers of scales (James et al. 1999). However Chong et al. (2010) found that the

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44 Grapegrower & Winemaker

presence of ants in Victoria vineyards indicated no change in scale density relative to the exclusion of ants. Their work suggested that the presence of native ants does not enhance the scale population by limiting the numbers of biological control agents. Earwigs may have consumed scale insects as the density of scale decreased as earwig density increased, and more earwigs were present in the ant control sites. Results of ant exclusion studies vary depending upon crop, environment and length of experiment, but most studies do suggest that there are no negative effect of ants in the vineyard. The ants may even play a positive role in vineyards as they extract the honeydew from feeding scales during foraging (Figure 6). That reduces the quantity of honeydew that drops onto leaves and berries and may limit the growth of sooty mould where ant activity is highest.

Population Study As part of an on-going study we have been studying the population dynamics of grapevine scales in commercial vineyards in the Canberra Wine growing region. There have been no studies on how vineyards in Canberra wine region manage the scale problem. Here we present preliminary results to inform growers about grapevine scale and frosted scale on grapevines. In our study we selected seven vineyards with unknown scale insect infestations to determine the proportion of vineyards infested and to determine various aspects of scale population changes. Each vineyard had different cultivars growing and varied in their viticultural management systems.

For determining population changes of scales, six random vines in each cultivar block were selected each month and either leaves, petioles or 10 cm lengths of cane were photographed and the numbers of scales recorded. To follow development of the scales, identified regions on selected vines were repeatedly examined and recorded photographically. Samples of scale were also collected at each sample date to determine species and size using techniques from Ben-Dov and Hodgson (1997). In addition, we undertook a six-month greenhouse study to examine the effects of scale on three grapevine cultivars to determine how the plants and scale numbers changed over time. The cultivars used Riesling, Pinot noir and Sauvignon blanc as these three cultivars appeared to vary in the susceptibility to scale as recorded from the field studies, with Riesling being the most susceptible and Pinot noir the least susceptible cultivars in the field.

Results Our results showed that grapevine scale and/or frosted scale were present in all seven vineyards studied. Scale populations were variable, as scale insects are normally distributed by wind as first or second instars, although we cannot rule out human influence in their modes of distribution.

Differences were also observed among years, where high infestation in one year was followed by near absence the following year. Not all cultivars in each vineyard had scale present, but

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a.) P. persicae (grapevine scale)

b.) P. pruinosum (frosted scale)

Figure 8. Scale life stages, as determined from vineyard studies in the Canberra region, relative to plant growth stage for.

overall Riesling and Chardonnay had the highest infestations.

A relatively higher proportion of grapevine scale was found on Riesling than frosted scale, but the situation was reversed on Chardonnay where frosted scale was relatively more prevalent than grapevine scale. Grenache was found to have scale, but red varieties did not appear to have as heavy an infestation as white varieties in the Canberra region. Further work is needed on Shiraz, as high infestations have been found in many regions around Australia, as determined by both observation and by surveying growers from different regions. Certain cultivars appear to have some ‘resistance’ to scale insects (e.g. Pinot noir and Sauvignon blanc) (Figure 7a), although the mechanisms for resistance are still being investigated (Simbiken et al. 2015).

There is a tendency though for the presence of scale to reduce leaf chlorophyll content (Figure 7b).

Recent work has suggested that winter rains, followed by freezing conditions, may be environmental factors that aid in control of the overwintering second or third instar scales (Figure 8a and b). Scales in dry conditions in the laboratory can survive down to -15°C, and we have found scales surviving on grapevine canes at temperatures as low as -5°C this winter. However, when wet, scales freeze and die (Hayes et al. in press). As climatic conditions with winter rains followed by freezing temperatures predominate in some of the cooler growing regions of Australia, control of scales my simply be a result of appropriate pruning and waiting for the normal winter conditions. However, the warmer growing regions do not often have such opportunities for control, and future climate change may increase the number of grapegrowing regions that may require alternative methods of scale control.

We observed that scale population and distribution vary with the stage of grapevine development (phenology) (Figures 8a and b). Relatively high scale numbers are present between January, and March when scales are present on both leaves and branches.

Infestation between April and December is located on branches and cordons of vines. Generally, the life cycle is similar in the two species, but they do differ in the overwintering stage. Grapevine scale overwinters as a third instar, but frosted scale overwinters as a much smaller second instar, then rapidly moults into a third instar at the end of winter.

Identification of grapevine scales Foremost, growers should be able to recognise the onset of scale problems in their vineyards. Monitoring is encouraged and should occur at least twice per season, first by the end of winter to distinguish between grapevine scale and frosted scale and second in February to detect sooty mould as a proxy for scale infestation. Earlier examinations in late spring and early

46 Grapegrower & Winemaker

summer for ant activity along cordons can also indicate that scales may be present. Differences between the scale insects can be distinguished on the branches in September when grapevine scale reaches the young adult stage (3 mm) and frosted scale develop into third instars (1.5 mm). Grapevine scale is the larger of the two scale insects; young adults of grapevine scale are 3–6 mm long and frosted scale only 2–3 mm long. Frosted scale is recognisable by a frosty wax covering of the cuticle (Fig 9a and b). This waxy covering is reduced as the insect matures and completely disappears at death, although the external cuticular structure is still present on the vines. Mature adults are deeply convex. Young adult grapevine scales have a brown wax-free cuticle, and are relatively flat (Fig 10a). Adults are brown and slightly convex with a hard cuticle.

Female scales have a brood chamber for eggs inside their body where the eggs reside prior to hatching (Figure 9c and 10c).

Colour of the eggs tend to differ for each type of scale insect, so that in grapevine scale they are pale orange (Fig 9c) whereas in frosted scale they are milky white (Fig 10c). Scales lay eggs between in late spring and early summer. Adult insects that are present on the vine can be turned over to see whether eggs are present. Although it appears that the insects are developing eggs near the same time, we do not know whether a second generation of adults can occur in some regions or whether some adults develop much later from the single cohort maturing in spring, so egg production can extend over longer periods. We have seen first instars in March in some regions, but these insects are unlikely to survive through winter as they are on the leaves at the time leaf drop begins.

Grapevine scale and frosted scale are important pests on grapevines. We observed in this study that both scale insect species can disrupt vine growth. Young vines are particularly vulnerable to both scales. Mature vines may withstand attack but honeydew produced by scales can result in the establishment of sooty mould fungus on grape berries which can affect both grape and wine quality (Charles 1982). Similarly a high infestation of scale may reduce sugar content and may detrimentally affect wine taste, although mealy bugs included in wine production do not seem to have an effect on wine taste (Charles 1982). The abundance of scales reaching the adult stage is crucial to monitor because an outbreak can occur from the uncontrolled population of the previous season.

Grapevine scale and frosted scale are potentially likely to become more serious pests in the future as future climate conditions may be more conducive to scale population growth.

Infestations could cause greater damage than observed currently, as increased temperatures could shift the timing of the population increase to earlier in the season, making control methods and

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October 2017 – Issue 645

a

b

c

Figure 9. Frosted scale on grapevines (a) young adults covered with frosty wax (b) mature adult, waxy covering disappearing and (c) eggs are milky white and located under the adult brood chamber (arrows).

a

b

c

Figure 10. Grapevine scale on grapevines (a) young adult, brown smooth cuticle (b) mature adults, hard brown cuticle and (c) eggs are pale orange under adult brood chamber (arrows). Impacts of scale insects on growers and the viticulture industry

timing more difficult. Also the later first instars mentioned above may have enough time to develop into the overwintering instars before leaf drop, permitting a larger population to be accrued overwinter in the vines that are capable to add to the adult population in the following spring.

Acknowledgements We thank all the vineyard managers and owners in the Canberra region that have allowed us access to their properties.

The aid of Dr Robert Forrester and Teresa Neeman of the ANU Statistical Consulting Unit has been invaluable for ensuring that the work was done in an appropriate manner. Funding for this work has been from an AusAID scholarship to the senior author and from the Research School of Biology, ANU. For further information contact: Paul Cooper Research School of Biology The Australian National University paul.cooper@anu.edu.au (02) 6125 3069

Authors

2

6. Charles, J. G. (1982). Economic damage and preliminary economic thresholds for mealybugs (Pseudococcus longispinus T-T.) in Auckland vineyards. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 25, 415-420.

7. Chong, C. S., D’Alberto, C. F., Thomson, L. J., and Hoffmann, A. A. (2010).

Influence of native ants on arthropod communities in a vineyard. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 12, 223-232.

8. Epstein, D. L., Zack, R. S., Brunner, J. F., Gut, L. and Brown, J. J. (2000).

Effects of broad-spectrum insecticides on epigeal arthropod biodiversity in Pacific Northwest apple orchards. Environmental Entomology, 29, 340-348.

9. Hayes, A., Neeman, T and Cooper, P.D. Overwintering survival of Grapevine Scale Parthenolecanium persicae (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in the Canberra Region of Australia. Austral Entomology, in press.

11. James, D. G., Stevens, M. M., and Faulder, R. J. (1999). Ant foraging reducs the abundance of beneficial and incidental arthropods in citrus canopies.

Biological Control 14, 121-126.

1

References

1. Ben-Dov, Y., and Hodgson, C. J. (1997). Collecting and mounting. In: Yair, B.-D. and Chris, J. H. (eds.) Soft Scale Insects - Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control. Vol. 7A. pp. 389-395. (Elsevier: Amsterdam.)

2. Bernard, M; Horne, P. A.; Papacek, D., Jacometti, M. A., Wratten, S. D., Evans, K. J., Herbert, K. S., Powell, K. S., Rakimov, A., Weppler, R., Kourmouzis, T and Yen, A. L. (2007). Guidelines for environmentally sustainable wine grape production in Australia: IPM adoption self-assessment guide for growers. Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower & Winemaker 518, 24–35.

3. Boratynski, K. (1970). On some species of ‘Lecanium’ (Homoptera, Coccidae) in the collection of the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna; with description and illustration of the immature stages of Parthenolecanium persicae. Analen des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien 74, 63-76.

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5. Buchanan, G.A and Amos, T. G. (1992). Grapevine Pests. In Coombe B.G.and P.R. Dry (eds.) Viticulture Volume 2 Practices. Winetitles, South Australia.

10. Hely, P. C., Pasfield, G. and Gellatley, J. G. (1982). Insect Pests of Fruit and Vegetables in NSW, Inkata Press.

Nelson A Simbiken , Kevin S Powell and Paul D Cooper , 1 Australian National University and 2Agriculture Victoria, Rutherglen 1

4. Brittin, G. (1940). The life history of Lecanium (Eulecanium) persicae (FABRICIUS), and descriptions of the different instars. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 69, 413-421.

12. Pellizzari, G. (1997). Grapevine. In: Yair, B.-D. and Chris, J. H. (eds.) World Crop Pests: Soft Scale Insects - Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control Vol 7B. Elsevier.

13. Pfeiffer, D. G. (1997). Deciduous fruit trees. In: Yair, B.-D. and Chris, J. H. (eds.) World Crop Pests. Soft Scale Insects - Their Biology, Natural Enemies and Control. Vol 7B. Elsevier.

14. Rakimov, A., Hoffmann, A. A., and Malipatil, M. B. (2015). Natural enemies of soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae) in Australian vineyards.

Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 21(2), 302-310.

15. Rebek, E. J. and Sadof, C. S. (2003). Effects of pesticide applications on the Euonymus Scale (Homoptera: Diaspididae) and its parasitoid, Encarsia citrina (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 96, 446-452.

16. Simbiken, N. A., Cooper, P. D., and Powell, K. S. (2015). Development and feeding effect of frosted scale Parthenolecanium pruinosum Cocquillet (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on selected Vitis vinifera L. cultivars. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research 21, 451-457.

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w w w.v i nehea lt h.com.au

Figure 1. Grape berry moth (Lobesia botrana). Todd M. Gilligan and Marc E. Epstein, TortAI Tortricids of Agricultural Importance, USDA APHIS ITP. Courtesy of Bugwood.org.

Best practice eradication Learnings from European grapevine moth eradication efforts in Napa, California.

While in the US on a study tour in September, Vinehealth Australia Technical Manager Suzanne McLoughlin met with Monica Cooper and Lucia Varela, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors, to discuss efforts in controlling, containing and ultimately eradicating Lobesia botrana (European grapevine moth). This article provides insight into the collaborative approach taken to eradicating this exotic pest, which earnt program leaders a federal Administrator’s Award in September 2012. What can we in Australia learn from this?

N

ative to Mediterranean Europe, the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) (Figure 1) is a serious pest of grapes. It has invaded Europe, west Asia, North Africa and East Africa, Middle East and eastern Russia.

It was detected for the first time in Chile in April 2008, in California in September 2009 and in Argentina in April 2010 (Ioriatti et al. 2012 and Varela et al., 2013).

Grape is the preferred host and larvae feed on flowers, and on or inside both green and softening berries (Smith et al, 2010) (Figure 2).

In the United States, the first detections were in the Napa county, California, where

48

this invasive pest and associated fungal rot caused significant crop damage in 2009.

Crop loss of US$150,000 was reported in the vineyard in which L. botrana was first detected.

How did the wine industry respond?

With a coordinated, award winning eradication program.

Setting the plan of attack

Getting the right people around the table

Within 2 months of detection, the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) agency put

in place a Technical Working Group (TWG) of subject-matter experts, comprising federal, state and county government personnel, researchers, extension staff and a representative of the winegrape industry. The group was tasked with providing urgent scientific recommendations to regulatory program managers in California.

International scientists were also identified and engaged from Italy, Spain, Chile, France and Germany, and invited to be part of this group. These specialists were imperative to share knowledge; particularly the Chilean who had dealt with an incursion a year prior. The

Chilean management program was in fact replicated in the first instance for the Californian situation.

Table 1. Number of L. botrana male moths trapped in Napa County and traps deployed at peak trapping (modified from Varela et al., 2015 and Eberling, 2015).

Setting the eradication strategy

Year

Males moths trapped

Traps deployed

The TWG set an eradication strategy as follows: 1. Identify the geographic range of Lobesia botrana in California; 2. Develop and implement detection and management programs; 3. Regulate the movement of plant material and equipment to minimise the threat of dispersal; 4. I nc or por ate resea rc h-ba sed information developed by subjectmatter experts into policy decisions; and 5. Promote a wide-reaching educational program for grapegrowers, the public and local officials.

The activities of this strategy drastically reduced insect populations and limited the distribution in Californian vineyards such that previously affected areas were removed from quarantine. Within six years, L. botrana was eradicated.

2010

100,831

3,882

2011

113

4,930

CONSIDERATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA: • Do we have local and international specialists listed for our high priority plant pests whom we can call on as needed?

Gauging the enormity of the problem Monitoring

Monitoring of male moth flights was undertaken both outside and inside the quarantine zones using pheromonebaited sticky traps. Traps were distributed by government staff on a standard 10 traps per km 2 grid system for planted vineyard inside a quarantine area and at three to six traps per km 2 outside a quarantine area.

In urban environments, traps were placed on potential host species at a density of two traps per km 2. These traps gave the TWG a guide as to hotspot areas where additional surveillance could be deployed at a higher density. It also offered a guide to initiation and peak of flights, to help time insecticide applications for larval emergence. Monitoring for larvae and egg masses was also undertaken by government staff. Effectiveness of the eradication strategy can be seen by the large decrease in male moth numbers trapped over the life of the incursion in Napa County (Table 1).

Identifying host plant species

Pheromone traps and treatments were deployed in all potential host species of L. botrana, including blackberry, elderberry,

2012

77

4,706

2013

40

11,621

2014

0

11,656

2015

0

11,627

2016

0

unidentified

olive, wild rose, wild and domestic grapes, wild and domestic plums, peach, nectarine, blueberry and gooseberry (a host list of 40 species, but true hosts were few and grape was identified as the favoured host).

Olives were found to be a minor host of L. botrana, but only to the first generation, as flowers were the preferred feed source.

The TWG identified that L. botrana did not venture into commercial crops other than grapes in California. Eradication probably wouldn’t have been possible if this wasn’t the case.

Quarantine

Setting up quarantine zones

In the first year of the eradication strategy in 2010, a conservative approach was taken to setting up quarantine zones, also known as ‘regulation’ zones. These were established in an 8km radius of a detection, where a detection was defined as either: 1. Two or more adult moths trapped within 5km of each other during the same life cycle ; or 2. Immature stages proved to be L. botrana by DNA analysis.

to 500m from the point of detection occurring in the current year and previous two years.

Qualifying for deregulation from quarantine status

The TWG recommended that all portions of an entire contiguous regulated area should be deregulated at the same time, and specified a range of conditions underpinning qualification for deregulation: 1. No moths captured during five consecutive generations; 2. Insecticide treatments to continue to target the first and second generations; 3. Mating disruption may not be used during the final two generations within the area under regulation; and 4. During these final two generations, trap density must increase to 39 traps per km 2 in all vineyards within 500m of previous detections.

Based on the above criteria, four counties were removed from regulation at the beginning of 2012. By the end of 2012, another three counties were fully deregulated and two counties partially deregulated, leaving Napa county and parts of Sonoma and Solano counties remaining under regulation in 2013.

The remainder of the Solano county and most of the Sonoma county, as well as southern Napa County were deregulated in 2014, leaving the remainder of the Napa Country and a small portion of northern Sonoma County – 115,500 hectares in total – regulated during 2015.

No moth was detected in 2015 or in the first two flights of 2016. As a result, L. botrana was declared eradicated from California in August 2016.

Management of winery waste

Regulating movement

In June 2010, a federal order indicated plant host species as well as plant parts, products, farming and processing equipment, and green waste residues could not be transported interstate from a European grapevine moth quarantine area, except under specific conditions.

State quarantine enforced restrictions parallel to those in the federal order, for intrastate movement of items within or from quarantine areas. Businesses were required to sign compliance agreements that mandated specific activities prior to and during harvest, transport, processing and waste handling (Cooper et al., 2014).

Continual research into the biology of the insect determined that it was in fact a weak flier, flying less than 50m in distance. With this additional knowledge, the 8km quarantine zone was reduced to 5km by 2013, and the treated area reduced

While it is still unclear as to how L. botrana entered the state of California, winegrape movement was deemed the movement vector responsible for spreading the pest within the state.

In addition, spread also occurred by machinery moving between vineyards.

One research project focussed on investigating potential pest spread through the movement and treatment of winery waste. Results showed that winery waste was not a large contributing factor to spread, as L. botrana was killed during the (whole bunch) pressing stage when pressed to 28 psi. However, accidental spills of grape matter were found to be a potential mechanism for spread in the winery, so cleaning disassembled winery machinery with hot water was found to be critical.

During the quarantine period, a mandated practice was that all stalks 49

and stems were required to be properly composted inside the quarantine zone, to ensure specified temperatures were reached to kill the insect. In practice this meant composting at commercial facilities.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA: • Do we know where our urban vines are?

• Do we have comprehensive host species lists for all high priority exotic plant pests?

• Do we have digital land use maps showing the location of these species?

• What are our guidelines for continued monitoring after an eradication is declared?

• Do we have a gauge on the amount of composting of grape marc, stalks and stems that is conducted away from commercial facilities that could pose a pest and disease risk?

Action in the field The eradication strategy involved the use of three tools – insecticides, pheromone-based mating disruptors and host removal, which varied in combination based on land use and occurrence of potential host species. In the urban environment, fruit removal from backyard grapevines in spring or early summer was the preferred approach.

Identifying insecticides and timing of applications

In the first year, two large insecticide research trials were undertaken.

Every registered insecticide for use on grapes was evaluated for effectiveness to kill L. botrana eggs and larvae. This was important research given both conventional and organic management systems needed to be provided for.

These research trials determined insecticide options to be used in conjunction with mating disruptors for non-organic growers – Intrepid (ch lor fenapy r) a nd A ltacor (chlorantraniliprole), for use in alternation for each moth flight. For organic growers, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Entrust Naturalyte (spinosad) were identified.

The latter was not used by growers, however, due to cost. A limited product list allowed fewer negotiations with chemical companies to ensure sufficient product was available for the eradication effort.

In addition, fewer product choices meant that varying efficacy did not affect the eradication effort.

Timing of insecticide applications played a very important part in leading 50

to the eradication of L. botrana. Local research using temperature modelling, predicted three generations per year in the Napa Valley, which was then validated through ground observations (Gutierrez et al., 2012).

A subgroup of the TWG met every week to revise the spray schedule for growers, based on degree days, to model the lifecycle development of the insect.

Insecticide applications were timed to coincide with the most vulnerable stages of the pest.

Once preferred products were identified, discussions with manufacturers occurred in attempt to gain registration for use in affected crops in the required counties.

Some chemical companies did not chose to take out registrations for their products for this cause.

Mating disruption

The use of mating disruptors in the form of ISOMATE pheromone dispensers applied over large, contiguous areas, in conjunction with well-timed insecticides, were found to be very successful in controlling L. botrana. Significant research was undertaken by the TWG to evaluate the efficacy and longevity of four pheromone lures before a suitable lure was chosen, approved and registered for use.

Mating disruption works by using many ISOMATE dispensers to saturate the air with synthetic female sex pheromones which confuses the male moths and renders them unable to locate females.

This suppresses mating and therefore crop damage. Although mating disruption does not completely inhibit L. botrana mating, delayed mating reduces populations because older females produce fewer eggs than younger females (Torres-Vila et al., 2002).

CONSIDERATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA: • How quickly can we obtain chemical registrations in an emergency scenario?

Communicating the eradication strategy Program leaders provided transparent, consistent, timely and coordinated communication to parties directly and indirectly affected by the eradication effort (Cooper et al., 2014), which became a hallmark of the program. Communication included: • A toll free number, established for reporting possible L. botrana finds.

• A range of education materials such as brochures, posters, weekly newsletters, a training video, postcards, door-

hangers, magnets, billboards, signs, radio announcements, social media and websites.

• Community meetings.

• Field days.

• Focussed communication with core groups such as growers, hobby (noncommercial) winemakers and grape carriers.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA: • Do we have contact lists of noncommercial winemakers and a plan for reaching them in an incursion?

• Do we have a list of concerned lobby groups that require consultation in the event of an incursion?

• Do we have a list of grower liaison staff and wine industry consultants who could be key to information dissemination in times of an incursion?

• Do we have a public relations plan that includes consistent messaging for public-facing industry personnel?

Funding While grapegrowers did not contribute extra levies to the L. botrana eradication strategy, they were responsible for paying for and applying the required insecticides.

Application of mating disruptors was not adopted as effectively as the insecticides, with only approximately 50% of growers applying them in the first full year of the strategy in 2010. The following year, a grant was obtained which paid for the pheromone dispensers, which growers then applied.

A state-wide spend of at least US$105 million has been reported for the L. botrana eradication activity. USDA contributed US$46.5 million, Napa County spent US$9.8 million and the wine industry, US$49 million, with activity including trapping, insecticide application and quarantine compliance (Eberling, 2015).

Given the value of the grape industry at more than US$4 billion in California alone (European Grapevine Moth PostEradication Response Working Group, 2016), the high cost of the eradication program for L. botrana at more than US$100 million was justified, along with maintaining a robust and sensitive early detection trapping program for the insect.

Major lessons learned • When faced with an incursion, the first thing to assess is whether it’s even possible to eradicate, based on money, time, resources available and pest host range. The ease and success of an eradication effort is far more likely for an insect with a limited host range.

• All participants in an eradication effort need to be on board.

• Having extension staff as part of the TWG playing an impartial role between the regulators, researchers and growers was important to ensure the needs of all parties were met when devising the eradication strategy.

• Permitting researchers to undertake research concurrently with rolling out the eradication strategy hastened learnings and practical solutions.

• Ensuring research funding bodies were at the table from the start meant research priorities were identified and appropriately funded.

• Availability of a continual funding source at the required level for the life of the eradication strategy allowed the strategy to be fully implemented, contributing greatly to the result.

• Communication to industry personnel must continue post eradication, to ensure recognition of the pest, so that any new outbreaks are rapidly identified.

• A single, unified message to industry and community is vital to ensure no confusion of message.

• Effective control measures must be available for use.

• Stakeholder networks must assist in communicating messages. This will be the fastest way to reach everyone.

• Transparency and honesty is key – distrust takes a long time to repair.

• Don’t make assumptions.

• Learn from previous eradication efforts around the world.

Note: This is an edited version of a case study. The full version is available on the

Figure 2. European Grapevine Moth (Lobesia botrana) mature larva out of its nest on a cluster of damaged Merlot grape berries. Photo by Jack K. Clark.

Vinehealth Australia website, visit http:// www.vinehealth.com.au/news-events/ case-studies/.

References

1. Cooper, M., Varela, L., Smith, R., Whitmer, D., Simmons, G, Lucchi, A., Broadway, R and Steinhauer, R. (2014). Growers, scientists and regulators collaborate on European grapvine moth program. California Agriculture. OctoberDecember. http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.edu 2. Eberling, B. (2015). European Grapevine Moth nearing eradication – from the Napa Valley Register. CDFA Planting Seeds Blog h t t p : // p l a n t i n g s e e d s b l o g . c d f a . c a . g o v / wordpress/?p=9276 3. European Grapevine Moth Post-Eradication Response Working Group (2016). European Grapevine Moth Post-Eradication Response Guidelines. Report.

4. Gutierrez, A.P., Ponit, L., Cooper, M.L. et al.

(2012). Prospective analysis of the invasive potential of the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Den. & Schiff.) in California. Agr Forest Entomol 14:225-238.

5. Ioriatti, C., Lucchi, A. and Varela, L. G. (2012).

Grape berry moths in western European vineyards and their recent movement into the New World.

In: Bostanian, N.J., Vincent, C, Isaacs, R. (eds).

Arthropod Management in Vineyards: Pests, Approaches, and Future Directions. Springer Science + Business Media B.V. p339-359.

6. Smith, R. J., Varela, L. G., Cooper, M, L., Bentley, W. J. and Bettiga, L. J. (2010). European Grapevine Moth (Lobesia botrana) brochure. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

7. Varela, L. G., Cooper, M. L. and Smith, R.J. (2013). Can European grapevine moth, Loesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) be eradicated from California? In: Calonnec, A., Duso, C., Gessier, C. et al. (eds). IOBC/WPRS Bulletin 85: 92-102.

8. Varela, L. G., Cooper, M. L., Lucchi, A. (2015.)

Update on Lobesia botrana Program in California. ht tp s : //w w w. i o b c -w p rs .o rg /p u b/2 01 5 _WG _ Viticulture_Vienna/20151022_09_IOBC_Vienna_ Entomology_Varela.pdf

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winemaking

Chris Hammond, Marco Tovassi and Chris Bendle. Foot treading at Hoddles Creek Estate adds a ‘desirable softness and mouthfeel’ to wine.

Fermenting success Winemakers reveal the techniques that work for them In this first of a two-part series, Paul Le Lacheur talks to a number of innovative winemakers to find out what works for them when it comes to fermentation, skin contact and fruit handling.

I

t seems there are as many new ideas on the broad subject of fermentation, skin contact and juice handling as there are practitioners of the craft.

Following recent conversations with winemakers across Australia and New Zealand, it appears that the real changes being adopted, after trials, are in white wine handling.

Skin contact, including various percentages of whole bunch or whole berry or more traditional crushed/destemmed fruit, all provide seemingly endless style possibilities.

An extended maceration period, with pre and post-fermentation temperatures rigorously controlled, is now a common winemaking feature.

This is especially so when dealing with trials for new treatments such as Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.

Franco D’ Anna, winemaker at Hoddles Creek Estate in Victoria’s Upper Yarra Valley, has achieved outstanding results by extending skin contact time for their Pinot Gris.

“The entire team who are involved in grape, juice and wine handling are 52 Grapegrower & Winemaker

We trialled storing the bulk of last year’s crop in cool bins at four degrees. Up to 40% of the fruit was processed as whole berries and the resultant complexities were obvious.

Franco D’Anna

excited about the prospects for these new treatments. Approximately 70% of our Pinot Gris had four days skin contact, but, importantly, we left the remaining 30% on skins for seven days to extract flavour and mouthfeel,” he said with some enthusiasm.

“We trialled storing the bulk of last year’s crop in cool bins at four degrees. Up to 40% of the fruit was processed as whole www.winetitles.com.au

berries and the resultant complexities were obvious,” he said.

Hoddles Creek has also experimented with foot treading, which according to D’Anna, “certainly confers a very desirable softness and mouthfeel upon the wine. It seems to increase the savoury dimension as well”.

Scientific model As soon as I began to make enquiries about skin contact and ‘natural wines’, the same name was mentioned repeatedly.

“Glen Roberts is doing a lot of new things in these areas, he’s your man”.

Roberts is the owner of Bents Road Wines at Ballandean on Queensland’s Granite Belt. A man with a strict adherence to the quantifiable and science approach to winemaking, he gives lie to the myth that ‘natural’ wines do not, and cannot, conform to the scientific model.

“Yes, we make ‘natural’ wines here at Bents Road, but I firmly believe in working according to a scientific regimen, which, of course, comes from my background,” he said.

Having spent more than 12 years as a scientific researcher investigating October 2017 – Issue 645

cancer by looking down a microscope as a biochemist, Roberts is well placed to support his experimentation (on skin contact and low sulphur winemaking) with pure science, including in-house spectro-photometry.

“As well as wet chemistry testing, our own in-house ‘spectro’ gives us fast, accurate control over the processes. For all of our wines, we use skin contact after the primary ferment, even during malolactic fermentation. This can amount to over 100 days, which is not common practice,” he said proudly.

“When we use amphorae [both as fermentation and storage vessels], we adhere to a fairly low sulphur regime with 30 parts per million free SO2 after the malolactic fermentation is completed.

“The wines are ‘fresh as a daisy’ when we open the amphorae to check on wine condition, clarity and mouthfeel.”

“Polyphenols are a good thing, which is not a mainstream view.

“Members of the team here tell me the wines are terrific when matched with Asian foods, especially Japanese. For me, it’s all about making food friendly wines.

“This is quite a different thing from the current crop (sic) of wines made in the technically ‘pure’ sense.”

WINEMAKERS’ QUICK TIPS Warren Smith, from Queensland’s Pyramids Road Wines, is using traditional ferment treatments. By manually opening up the teeth on his crusher/destemmer, he introduces significant percentages of whole berry fruit into the ferment. As bottle age subtly changes these wines, they exhibit complex ‘dusty’ earthiness but remain fresh.

Gus Altschwager at Spring Creek Vintners in NZ’s Marlborough region refers enthusiastically to his company’s ongoing trial work this year. Revolving around skin contact, the trials use isolated macerations and fermentations conducted at differing temperatures.

“Through my observations with Sauvignon Blanc over the years,

I’ve commonly seen a decrease in 3-MH and 3 MHA concentrations and the opposite with 4 MMP,” said Altschwager. “Although less desirable for most Sauvignon Blancs, I’m hoping to increase the concentrations of 3 MH and 3-MHA without increasing 4-MMP.” Matt Bloomhead, winemaker at the McLaren Vale brand Three Dark Horses, believes strongly in a future for the little used Portuguese variety Touriga Nacional, described as “Grenache on steroids”. When co-fermented with Grenache and/or Shiraz in open concrete fermenters, it’s then treated to an extremely extended maceration. This has produced a ‘house style’ of red wine showing tight, grainy tannins but finishing with a silky texture.

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53

winemaking

Plans for skin cutting tool expand to include Sauvignon Blanc at Spring Creek Vintners in Marlborough, New Zealand

He was at pains to explain that his long term experimentation with ‘natural’ wines is not at the expense of scientific control.

Roberts explained that it is not “either or”, it’s about making the best wines possible. When both the methodologies are in play it’s possible to achieve a complex result, but with the huge bonus of proven replicability.

Due to most amphorae typically being of ceramic construction, there seems little or no need for cooling.

This is especially true in the post-primary fermentation phase of winemaking. However, it is incumbent on the winemaker to stabilise temperature, humidity and volatile aromas in the environment for approximately 10 to 14 days before wine use.

Amphorae are capable of taking on volatile characters from the immediate environment, hence the stability imperative.

Skin cutting When I spoke with Gus Altschwager, chief executive officer at Spring Creek Vintners in New Zealand’s Marlborough region, he volunteered information about a skin cutting device used there in trials on Pinot Noir.

Cool climates can be difficult to extract 54 Grapegrower & Winemaker

fully ripened black grape tannins and colour. With Pinot Noir being the usual suspect, this can certainly become a winemaker’s nemesis in some vintages.

Developed by Dr Angelo Sparrow at the University of Tasmania, the Accentuated Cut Edges (ACE) maceration is a new way to extract phenolics from the skins.

Her work was presented to delegates at the 2016 International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in England.

“There is relatively more seed tannin than skin tannin with Pinot Noir, which is a potential problem,” she said.

With grape skin fragments, there is leakage from the broken edges. Phenolics fall out of the broken cells, rather than diffusing out via the pulp. If you imagine a 2 x 2cm piece of grape skin, the edge area equals 8cm (and, presumably, so on ad infinitum).

Clearly, if you were to cut that original piece into four pieces, the edge area increases to 16cm. This technique cuts only skins, not seeds, thereby preventing (or at least limiting) the release of the more bitter phenolic compounds into the pulp.

“The limit to the number of edges produced by the technique is not finite, but about 5 to 10 pieces from one piece seems to be a very good set of numbers. www.winetitles.com.au

The process is ideal for increasing colour and phenolic extraction but any more edges than this tends to clog up the press,” said Sparrow.

The ACE maceration timing is also important. Ideally, it should be implemented immediately after crushing; one day after crushing seemed to produce best results in trials.

Research six months post development of the technique showed the release of very stable pigments. There was no browning and all sensory parameters showed ACE produced better results than wines made not using the technique.

The factors investigated by the researchers included hue, colour, density, aroma, palate, structure/texture, balance, length and tannin. ACE treated wines were compared to control wines made conventionally and the treated wines were noted to consistently score more highly by a panel of tasters.

It’s clear that practical trials involving innovation treatments for both red and white fermentation, skin contact and juice handling are proceeding with some obvious successes.

Paul Le Lacheur will continue his look at winemakers’ fermentation success stories in part two of this series, in our November issue.

October 2017 – Issue 645

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Engineering a solid future for winemaking Future-shaping innovation revealed at 2017 WEA Conference A diverse group of suppliers, researchers, wine producers and, of course, engineers, came together in the Barossa Valley in September, for the 2017 Winery Engineering Association (WEA) national conference and exhibition. Hans Mick reports

T

he broad range of contributors to this year’s WEA conference provided a first glimpse of some of the ground-breaking products, services and concepts that are expected to shape winery production and applied technology in the immediate and longer-term future.

Organisers say the event held this year at Nuriootpa produced a strong showing of exhibitors and visitors, with numbers up on previous years – perhaps a reflection of healthier business for parts of the industry. Many of the suppliers

presenting their products said the event itself provided a beneficial opportunity to share new developments with others in the sector.

Some of those taking part said that while the annual event regularly provides useful insights into innovative technologies and techniques for winemakers, the 2017 conference excelled by producing a greater array of practical ideas and presentations than usual.

Over the course of two days of discussions, round tables and keynote

speakers, some topics seemed to generate more interest and healthy debate.

Advanced filtration equipment, the desirability and need for dealcoholisation technology in Australian winemaking, and the best and most cost-effective ways to cut power consumption and costs for wineries were among the most followed.

Adelaide-based AMS Filtration revealed its cross flow filter titanium membranes. Although this technology has already been utilised in the mining sector, its winemaking applications

Artisan oak barrels chosen by some of the world’s best winemakers.

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Grapegrower & Winemaker

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winemaking

K+H Process Tec’s advanced ‘CO2 Membran System 250’ from Germany had been in Australia for only two weeks before it went on display.

were identified. These include reducing retentate volumes, simplifying processes by eliminating the need for flotation, centrifuges and rotary drum vacuums, and helping to optimise product quality.

Blue H20 Filtration previewed its automatic filterability index instrument for winery laboratories. This state-ofthe-art equipment is designed to reduce cumbersome work for lab staff, and to save bottling time and money by helping to identify potential filtration challenges.

State-of-the-art partial dealcoholisation A well-attended presentation was given by Dr Andreas Blank, a German researcher and managing director of K+H Process Tec, based in the centuries-old winemaking community of Oberderdingen. He had travelled to Australia to promote the product he had developed to partially dealcoholise wine.

Blanc revealed to the WEA conference his findings on the use of several different methods to successfully reduce alcohol levels in wine: by using a ‘spinning cone column’, reverse osmosis and a specially-

The 2017 WEA Conference and Exhibition in Nuriootpa attracted a ‘strong’ number of exhibitors.

developed membrane contactor. He also spoke about how coupling different membrane systems can improve process efficiency. He said his unique apparatus – dubbed the CO2 Membran System 250 – will be made available to wineries in Australia and New Zealand following a successful local trial phase. Blanc said the system had so far been adopted by up to 20 percent of larger wineries in Germany.

Perhaps, the most vigorous discussion to be held at this year’s WEA event occurred when a broad selection of energy sector panellists sat down to talk over the challenges and solutions for wineries in a rapidly changing energy market.

The talk chaired by Mark Gishen, project manager, environmental and technical for SAWIA, presented a range of views on how wineries can effectively reduce costs as commercial grid electricity bills rise, and how they can also ensure a continuation of secure energy supplies.

Among those on the informative panel to offer ‘insider’ advice to winemakers were Dean Willis from Energy4Business, Nick Palousis from 2XE and Joe Caruso from SA Power Networks. Among the suggestions

Exhibitors showed off a wide selection of new and innovative products and services

to help cut costs, were turning off winery refrigerators (by far, the largest power consumption factor for most wineries) for short periods during peak consumption times, investing in localised ‘off-grid’ power generators and storage systems, and entering into wholesale ‘bulk’ energy agreements offered by specialised brokers rather than dealing directly with energy companies. The panellists agreed that there were differences in how this could and should be approached in different states.

This year’s WEA conference attracted a number of first-time exhibitors from parallel industries (soft drink bottling, software development) looking to branch out and expand their trade. If the optimistic sentiment at the 2017 gathering is anything to go by, the next WEA event should be even more beneficial for business.

Grapegrower & Winemaker will feature more in-depth reviews of some of the products featured at the 2017 WEA Conference and Exhibition in our November edition.

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SIMEI – some great new ideas for wineries An introduction to some of the latest equipment and gadgets set to change the way you work Greg Howell from Vintessential Laboratories recently travelled to Germany to take a look at some of the innovative solutions on show at what’s billed as the world’s leading fair for winemaking and bottling technology.

T

he drinks-focussed trade exhibition Drinktec, held in Munich in September was huge. There were over 1700 exhibitors from 75 countries spread through 15 halls covering over 150,000 square meters of space. The wine-focused SIMEI@drinktec took up only two of these halls. And I had only five days to wander all the halls to find the most exciting, new and relevant innovations to the Australian and New Zealand wine industry.

Considering that Germany is the biggest exporter of food and drinks machinery in the world (€13 billion in export sales in 2016) it shouldn’t have been a surprise that there were more bottling lines clanking away than I could count.

I felt very sorry for winemakers who had turned up to investigate a new bottling line – how would you possibly know which would be the best one for your winery with so many to choose from?

There were some pretty cool new gadgets on display as well, both big and small. So, with my own views on what could be of interest to the wine industry, some highlights are mentioned below:

Black spaghetti (kind of) All winemakers and cellar hands would, at some stage in their career, have made a mess using a powdered additive. Welcome to a great innovation

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Go with the site that leading wine industry companies use.

60 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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October 2017 – Issue 645

winemaking

Black spaghetti

– granulated additives such as activated carbon, PVPP and bentonite. The Italian firm Dal Cin (www.dalcin.com) claim to be the pioneers of this novel idea.

The granulated carbon is great innovation (see picture). It comes out of a pack like tiny black spaghetti, leaves no powder residue anywhere and once added to water or wine, totally dissolves with just a quick stir. Many of their other additives are now also in this granular format. Powdered products have long

Wax Matic machine

been a concern for the health of workers.

This new format avoids this worry, plus prevents a mess that needs to be cleaned up and so eliminates waste as well. A really neat idea that could change work practices in the winery for the better.

Waste water fuel for boilers? Well sort of…

This is not a new idea but one that doesn’t seem to have been tried to any large extent in the Australian wine

Ceramic topped cork

industry. For many years waste water from other manufacturers worldwide has been treated anaerobically. One of the benefits of this enclosed system that caught my sustainability-keen eye is that the methane produced (also known as biogas, natural gas or coal seam gas – same thing but named after the source of the methane) can be used as fuel for new or existing boilers.

According to the folks at Econvert (www. econvert.nl) who make and install these

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62

For further details, contact Michael Hamilton on 1300 991 245 or by email at commercialsales@seeleyinternational.com Grapegrower & Winemaker www.winetitles.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

machine for treating bottled fruit juice using this process. How this plays out for wine is yet to be seen but I think it is a very exciting new development that could lead to fulfilling consumer needs for sterile and safe products with less use of preservatives.

Waxing the easy way

systems, this isn’t the key benefit. From the many installations they have done at breweries and other food manufacturers they advise that compared to the common aerobic systems the electricity use is much lower, as great volumes of air do not need to be pumped, as is done in the aerobic pond systems.

There is also a much less sludge generated, and in fact the sludge produced can be (and is) sold. With the enormous increases in electricity prices we’ve seen in recent years in Australia and the pathetic impasse that is our national energy policy, electricity prices don’t seem to be going down any time soon. So if you are in the market for a waste water treatment system or need to expand your current one (yes, an anaerobic system can be bolted on to an aerobic one), this could be a great costsaving way to go.

Cold pasteurisation It took me a while to get my head around this – pasteurisation without heat? In fact another term used for this process is Pressure Change Technology (PCT). And to quote the researchers from Fraunhofer IGB “we have shown that the colour of PCT treated wine is preserved, even over longer periods of time, and that the flavour is not affected.” And by using this technology the use of sulfur dioxide can be considerably reduced.

The technology works by placing a liquid containing an inert gas (such as nitrogen) under great pressure (up to 500 Bar) and then releasing the pressure quickly. Any microbial cells in the liquid take up the gas and then when the pressure is released the cells are ruptured. No chemical additives are needed and the liquid does not need to be heated, thus preserving flavour and aroma compounds.

Commercial applications for wine do not appear to have been developed so far, however on one stand (Thyssen Krupp, www.uhde-hpp.com) I did see a October 2017 – Issue 645

Ecknauer+Schoch ASW

Anaerobic waste treatment flowchart

Not every new gadget there was monstrous, although there were plenty of them. One small-scale machine that caught my eye was the Wax Matic. This simple device won’t be for everyone (although apparently there is one installed in the Barossa Valley already), but how cool are they?

No more making a huge mess, trying to keep the wax melted or wearing yourself out sealing those expensive or big format bottles with wax. The Wax Matic does it all easily and cleanly. Place the bottle on the counterbalanced holder, tip it into the molten wax in the temperature controlled tray, bring it back up a few seconds later and there you have it - a neatly waxed seal on the bottle. There are several models including a double-barrel style, and they are fully adjustable for bottle sizes from 750 mL up to the back-breaking Nebuchadnezzars (15L). As mentioned, not everyone is going to buy one of these, but those who do, or would like to do wax seals, now have a modern and safe way to do it. See www.wax-matic.com.

Some corkers No wine trade show (at least in Europe) is complete without some corks. The Amorim stand showed the ND Tech cork, a product guaranteed to be free of cork taint. Whilst many in the Australian and New Zealand wine industries will argue it’s a bit late, there are still some cork-users in our countries and this will be greatly welcomed.

And finally, for those who have everything, who would have thought there could be anything new in fancy cork closures? So the ceramic-topped cork really stood out. This will most likely be limited to high-value fortified and spirits producers, however it does look pretty smart and would make these products stand out in a crowded line-up.

Greg Howell is the founder and Managing Director of Vintessential Laboratories.

He can be contacted by email on greg@ vintessential.com.au.

More articles on related topics are available on the Vintessential website: www.vintessential. com.au/resources/articles/. The SIMEI organisers and Winetitles are both sincerely and gratefully thanked for making the trip to SIMEI@drinktec possible. www.winetitles.com.au

MEP

instruments The right chemistry.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

63

winemaking SUPPLIER UPDATE

Organic outperforms Alternative application of wine fining with novel yeast derivative in organic quality The adsorptive capacities of organic fining product Clearup BIO, and conventionally produced DSM Extraferm were performance tested against total phenolics, fatty acids and pesticide residues.

The aim of this work was to compare the adsorption capacity of Clearup BIO against DSM Extraferm. Clearup BIO is a special preparation of certified organic yeast cell walls, while DSM Extraferm is conventionally produced.

In this study the adsorptive capacities of the two yeast derivatives were tested against three different substances that have negative influence on wine quality - total phenolics, fatty acids and pesticide residues.

These substances are reported in literature to be responsible for causing sluggish or stuck alcoholic fermentation and negative off-flavours and characters in wine.

Method Total phenolics were analysed with the photometric determination using Folin Ciocalteu.

Fatty acids and pesticides were analysed using a gas chromatography mass spectrometer.

Results Total Phenolics (Graph 3): The certified organic product Clearup BIO shows an adsorption of 59% more than the conventional product.

Reduction of fatty acids (Graph 4 and 5): Clearup BIO adsorbs oleic acid in both red and white wine equally well. In contrast

64 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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to DSM Extraferm the reduction of oleic acid by Clearup BIO is nearly 95% more in both wine types (94.7% white wine) and (91.5% red wine). The elimination of the fatty acid, stearic acid, was also much greater (84% for white wine and 81.5% for red wine).

Pesticide reduction (Graph 1 and 2): Clearup BIO shows excellent adsorption of pesticide residues. Large differences were shown in white wine with fenhexamid 73.4% and cyprodinil with 53.3%; and in red wine 51.11% folpet, 49.38% cyprodinil and 28.31% fludioxonil.

The study shows that the certified organic yeast cell wall preparation Clearup BIO is a very effective fining tool to remove both fermentation inhibiting substances and negative sensory substances in wine.

Authors

Prof. Dr. R. Kimmich1, Dr. B. Bohrer2, Dipl. Ing. C. Heinemeyer3, B. Sc. S. Maurer1 Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen, B+B Biotech, Kappeln-Grafenhausen, 3 2B FermControl GmbH, Breisach

1

2

For more information on Clearup BIO and other certified organic winemaking products contact Kauri Winemaking Innovation.

Aus Phone: 1800 127 611; NZ Phone 0800 528 749 Email: info@kauriwine.com

October 2017 – Issue 645

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winemaking

Distilling for wineries Costs, licensing and still considerations Following a piece titled Distilling for wineries in the September edition of Grapegrower & Winemaker, Camellia Aebischer has explored the legal requirements and costs behind setting up a winery distillery.

N

ow that you’ve decided what to excise license for one of the listed activities, produce, be it grappa, brandy, I essentially work as a and wish to undertake another, a separate vodka or gin, there are a couple license will need to be approved. project manager and of crucial steps to take before bottling the Applying for an excise license is free. It ‘water of life’: licensing, and buying a still. is unlikely that a winery would currently have contacts within The dreaded “red tape” of the alcohol hold one, as long as their products fall the ATO, to help industry. Licensing for a distillery is under the Wine Equalisation Tax and different to the licensing that a winery not the tariff act. Wineries will have to smooth the path to holds. For wineries looking at distilling, apply through the Australian Tax Office in obtaining a still. they will need to first apply for an excise order to obtain an excise license. Further license through the Australian Tax Office approval for distilling, and planning/ Liam Amos (ATO), then for a secondary license development must then be sought through through their local council. local councils.

“The tax office is very supportive of the Application forms can be found online expansion of the spirits industry,” said Liam Amos, of Australian through the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au/forms/licence-toand New Zealand Winemakers (AUNZ Winemakers). manufacture-alcohol.

“The trick is to be prepared when the forms are filled out. You Jonathan Wabnitz is from the excise and EEG client services give them all the information required to tick you off. The ATO and indirect tax department at the ATO, which are eager to help prides itself on getting its forms through their system quicker applicants. than local council.”

“Where there is insufficient information contained in your Amos is a technical sales manager with AUNZ Winemakers, application, we will work with you to provide guidance (where and project manages distillery installations all over Australia. possible) and meet the necessary licensing requirements,” he said.

An excise license He’s listed a few points where applicants tend to skip on detail, To sell distilled products you will need to apply for an excise below: license. This allows the producer to: Site plans: • Manufacture beer Section F of Application Form • Manufacture liqueurs and other excisable beverages You must attach an A4 size copy of the site plan of the premises.

• Distil spirits The plan needs to: • Undertake maturation, blending or reduction in strength of • be accurate and complete spirits • be drawn to scale • Denature ethanol • clearly describe and define the area where the excisable goods It also allows the producer to legally store these goods. will be manufactured and stored Production of any of the above (except beer) must not be The area to be licensed must be defined by shading. This is undertaken without an approved license. If you already hold an

Wine Tank Specialists

32 SPEY STREET, INVERCARGILL 9810 • Ph 03 214 4817 • Fax 03 218 3354 • Email andrew@crownsheetmetal.co.nz 66 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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October 2017 – Issue 645

A copper still makes a great centrepiece for your winery and cellar door. Photo supplied by Australian and New Zealand Winemakers.

where manufacturing and storage must take place and is referred to as ‘the establishment’.

The plan must also clearly show the location of the building in relation to surrounding streets and adjoining buildings. If you use bulk storage tanks, indicate the location of all tanks either on the site plan or on a separate plan.

If other businesses are operating on the same site, details of how the brewery will be separated from other associated businesses on the premises, to prevent unauthorised people from entering the licensed area.

Establishing/testing alcoholic strength: Question 26 of Application Form The alcoholic strength of the excisable goods must be measured by analysing samples of the product after it has reached its full alcoholic strength.

The instruments and processes used to measure the alcoholic strength of excisable goods must be able to produce a result with a tolerance of plus or minus 0.2 percentage points of the actual alcoholic strength.

You can use the following methods to determine strength: • gas chromatography; • near infra-red spectrometry; • distillation followed by the gravimetric measurement of the distillate or by measurement in a density meter; or • any other method that consistently produces a similar result demonstrated by a documented testing process.

Calibration certificates: Measuring equipment must be calibrated by an appropriate authority. An appropriate authority means a verifying or authorising authority appointed by the Chief Metrologist, including appropriate authorities accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA); and authorities certified under the Trade Measurement Act of the relevant State October 2017 – Issue 645

For further information, please contact Kauri AUS Tel: 1800 127 611

NZ Tel: 0800 KAURIWINE

Email: info@kauriwine.com

Website: www.kauriwine.com

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winemaking or Territory. Calibration certificates should be provided for all measuring equipment and tanks.

Tanks should be recalibrated if they are being moved to a new site.

Buying a still

The bulged top design allows for reflux to happen in the pot, creating a higher quality product. Photo supplied by Australian and New Zealand Winemakers.

MV Annuncio&origin F MAX 185x130 mm tr.indd 68ES. Grapegrower Winemaker

1

It might be tempting to skip ahead and buy a still before looking at excise licensing applications, but buyer beware: the purchase of a still over 5 litres without a license is illegal in Australia. If you’re looking at a shiny copper one, it’s likely that there will be a wait time anyhow, as stills are often made to order.

AUNZ Winemakers are able to facilitate the process end to end, from licensing applications to teaching you how to distil properly.

“We are a full service company, and we can work with customers through every stage of commissioning, council planning, ATO licence, industrial design of layout, fully training local techs to install and commission, and our house master distiller to train and distil with you.,” said Amos.

“My role in this is to bring together all of the expertise within our company to help a potential customer get the product that they need and want, I essentially work as a project manager and have contacts within the ATO, to help smooth the path to obtaining a still.”

Choosing the right type of still for your project is serious business. The two main types are column and pot stills. These can be automated or discontinuous. They can also include a gin basket for infusing botanicals.

For wineries that grow grain, they may consider purchasing whiskey stills, but for the purpose of this series we’re going to focus on grape-based products.

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Put simply, pot stills rely on direct heat at the source of the fermented product (wash), which produces vapours which are condensed into alcohol at the other end. This method takes more skill, to separate the heads and tails of the distillate correctly for optimum flavour. It can also be automated (called a continuous pot still) otherwise the boiler must be emptied between batches (known as a discontinuous still).

A column still is a two part system that often appears as two towers. First, wash and steam will run through the first tower. The steam creates vapours that are condensed in the second portion (usually a separate tower), which has an exit point for the spirit’s ‘sweet spot’.

The three stages of a distillate are made up of the ‘heads, hearts and tails’. The heads are the most volatile alcohols, like methanol, which evaporate first, and will be the first portion of a run. The hearts are mostly made up of ethanol, which is where the ‘sweet spot’ begins.

A column still system allows the ‘heads’ (which are unusable) to exit higher up the tower, leaving the hearts to exit at the optimum point.

The tails are usable but lack in favourable flavours. They can be recycled back into the wash for future runs.

Column stills are expensive, and only process higher volumes so are often only used in large scale set ups.

wash, but can sometimes make up one third of the distillate.

“Some products have more heads (fruity ferments can be particularly heady) whisky can have a very small amount. It’s all to do with the amount of methanol that is present,” said Amos The starting ABV can also be affected by reintroduction of the tails from a previous batch.

“The other factor is the starting strength of your run, for instance if you distil a beer, you’re starting ABV maybe around 7%. In a 1000 litre still this would equate to approximately 100 litres at 70% ABV, depending on heads and tail cuts.”

A full run in a 200 litre still, not accounting for clean-up time, takes around 2.5hrs. For a showpiece, there might be a tad more maintenance to keep the copper shiny.

Copper

Using a copper pot still has practical benefits when crafting a spirit, aside from visuals. A client may wish to purchase something stainless steel, to reduce costs, but the copper is key to flavour.

“We have an option to have stainless steel on the top but copper is very important in a still.

The spirit needs to contact copper at around 40 degrees which helps to create redox reactions and pull out S02 [sulphur dioxide].”

The design of the still also affects the quality of the production, so it’s best to speak to an industry expert before making a choice.

“Generally the cheaper option Volume would include the reflux plates on Deciding on a still size top of the still, but we prefer to depends on the product, run the plates as a separate entity. intended output (distillate) and That allows us to put a particular space. Amos talked through design of helmet on to the still to some pricing for different sizes allow reflux within the helmet. of pot stills.

Vapor control and reflux within “As a guide, a 200 litre still the helmet effectively acts like an landed in Australia is around extra reflux plate and that helps $90 to $110,000, and a 1000 litre with a higher quality product,” said Sebastian Reaburn’s aged grappa made from Merlot grapes. still would be around $150 to Amos.

Photo supplied by Australian and New Zealand Winemakers. $210,000.”

There is one added benefit. “Our At the top end, there are stills with dual functions. stills are quite pretty and look a lot nicer when set up like that.”

“We do 1500 litre still which has a 500 litre thumper, which in AUNZ Winemakers have recently set up stills at The Craft essence allows you to go from a very low ABV to a very high ABV and Co, a winery, distillery, brewery and and restaurant in in one run. So you come out of the 1500L still with a 40 to 50% Melbourne, Victoria.

ABV then the thumper is run in conjunction and lifts that up to Head distiller, Sebastian Reaburn, has won four silver medals, 70 to 80%.” for their gin, IPA spirit, grappa and aged grappa. His aged grappa The 500 litre thumper can also be run independently, so if is made from Merlot grapes, and is marketed very similarly to a you have a smaller run or want to do some product development wine, labelling the year and location of grapes sourced. there’s no need to fire up the big guy. These cost around $530,000.

Calculating output for a still comes down to some simple For details on marketing leverage for wineries looking to distil, fractions, and heads, tails and hearts come in to play. The output as well as ideas for what to distil, skip back to Page 66 of the of the still really depends on the ABV of the product being September 2017 edition. inputted, as well as the strength of the final product.

Liam Amos is the Technical Sales Manager at Australia and The initial output often contains methanol, which has to be New Zealand Winemakers. To find out more about planning carefully discarded as it can cause blindness and even death if for distilling, contact him on (03) 9924 4000 or email liama@ consumed. The amount of methanol varies dependent on the ausnzwinemakers.com.

October 2017 – Issue 645

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winemaking

Keeping it cool Refrigeration

Natural refrigerant options for cooling systems

Refrigeration is the biggest cost of energy in the winery, comprising around 50-70% of consumption.

Jannie Howard of Gordon Brothers institute has some solutions for CFC-free options that won’t hurt the environment. Camellia Aebischer reports.

F

rom 2018, the Australian government has committed to an 85% reduction in the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) by 2036.

The commitment is a global one, and will see other large HFC-producing countries like India, the US, China and Brazil committing to reduce their emissions.

A significant source of HFC production comes from coolants – used in air conditioners and refrigeration.

For wineries that require a lot of manufactured cooling, there may be some considerations to make to futureproof ahead of Kigali climate deal related changes.

For instance, if considerations need to be made to replace a current cooling

From 2018 the price of cooling is likely to rise

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70 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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REFRIGERATION SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY

October 2017 – Issue 645

Propane gas doesn’t just fire up the BBQ, it can also be used as a natural refrigerant

Figure 1.

R134

Ammonia

Propane

Upfront cost (approx.)

$270,000

$320,000

$280,000

Yearly cost

$95,000

$71,000

$96,000

~1400

0

0

GWP Toxic Flammability

No

Yes

No

None

Low

High

*information provided by Jannie Howard 1 at the Winery Engineering Conference, September 2017

system or purchase chillers ahead of anticipated expansion, it could be wise to look at Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and HFC-free options. Alternatively, you could just go all out and build an underground cellar (details on page 88).

The Kigali agreement will govern its reductions through a series of minimising quotas, and increases in price for artificial refrigerants.

Jannie Howard, marketing manager for Gordon Brothers Industries was on hand at the Winery Engineering Conference in September to walk us through the options for refrigerants that won’t hurt the earth.

R134 and HFO R134 is the name of a common component in many HFC blend refrigerants. It’s mostly used for commercial, household and automotive air conditioning. The gas has a high global October 2017 – Issue 645

warming potential (GWP) and is non-toxic and non-flammable (see figure 1).

R134 is likely what your commercial chillers run on, and will soon be subjected to price increases and usage caps.

R134 is increasingly being replaced by a gas named Tetrafluoropropene or ‘HFO’.

However, Howard warned of the longevity that HFO has, as its GWP is the same as HFC gas, and safety concerns are an issue due to it being odourless and potentially flammable.

Howard advocated for the use of natural refrigerant options for longevity and better cost security.

Natural options Ammonia fuelled coolants have been around for a long time, but on a larger scale It is becoming more common that smaller units are being produced, and this is likely to continue as the Kigali agreement rolls out. www.winetitles.com.au

Ammonia offers a GWP of zero, meaning it’s not damaging to the earth’s atmosphere, and will not contribute toward climate change.

It is an efficient option, and has the added benefit of rising vapours, which means the risk of inhalation is lowered if there is a leak. The major drawback with ammonia is that it is toxic, but because of its strong smell and rising vapours, it is easier to predict and manage a leak.

Before CFC refrigerants were rolled out, propane was commonplace, and has seen a second wind after CFCs became strictly regulated.

Propane has a GWP of zero also, but carries an unfortunate drawback of being a highly flammable gas. However, unlike ammonia it is non-toxic.

Unfortunately that doesn’t mean it can be used in small areas. Due to its flammability, propane cooling systems must be run in an open space.

The running cost of propane is comparable to R134, while ammonia coolants attract a higher upfront cost, and lower yearly running cost, detailed in figure 1.

There’s plenty to consider when buying a new chiller, but it’s helpful to remember that the cost of HFC will be increasing over the next 20 years. Best mull it over with a cold glass of white.

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71

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Yeast & Enzymes

Is yeast affecting the taste of your wine?

Yeast breeding as a tool for wine stylistic manipulation Although various species of yeast are in use in winemaking these days, both of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces derivation, other differences between strains exist that not all users are aware of. Researchers Paul K. Bowyer, Laurent Chancholle and Arnaud Mennesson compare the differing ways in which a yeast can be commercialised for winemaking use.

Yeast origins and reproduction

M

odern winemaking yeast typically falls into one of two categories: isolate or bred. In the former a strain was selected from many occurring in a given environment, such as a vineyard. In the latter case, the yeast was produced in a laboratory under controlled conditions and selected according to specific criteria.

Yeast can reproduce through two distinct mechanisms: asexually or sexually. In the case of asexual reproduction, genetic integrity is maintained since the progeny cells derive their DNA only from a single parent cell. This process is basically the same as taking a cutting from a grapevine: the new plant will be genetically identical to the parent. This also occurs if a yeast if propagated in a juice medium for fermentation, although the inherent depletion of nutrition components, sterols and enzymatic cofactors that occurs during propagation can lead to progeny cells that are weaker in fermentation capacity and intrinsic robustness than the parent cells.

The second mechanism whereby yeast can reproduce is via the sexual method of sporulation. Yeast produce spores under specific conditions, which can combine with spores from another strain to give rise to genetically diverse progeny strains. It is this breeding process that is used in a laboratory to generate new commercial wine yeast.

Direct breeding Direct breeding of yeast is relatively straightforward: two yeast strains are encouraged to sporulate through manipulation of their physical environment. Spores from each parent strain are selected and crossed using a micromanipulator in order to generate a spectrum of F1 hybrids. These strains of mixed genetics are then examined phenotypically to choose the best of the progeny strains according to defined criteria, such as VA/H2S/SO2 production, aromatic profiling, fermentation kinetics and alcohol tolerance.

In essence this is not dissimilar to the breeding of racehorses, where mare and stallion are crossed and the best of the offspring destined for the racetrack. In isolate yeast strains this breeding is randomised in nature, but in direct breeding it is assigned vectors.

To reuse the racehorse analogy, in the breeding technique the best mare and stallion are mated in isolation according to the desired characteristics of the offspring, rather than allowing a paddock full of males and females to go at it.

Back-cross breeding Back-crossing is a variation on direct breeding of yeast, and is used to produce yeast that closely mimic the characteristics of one of the parent strains whilst alleviating the shortcomings of that same parent, through the introduction of some desired October 2017 – Issue 645

Figure 1

genetically-derived attributes of the second parent strain.

For example, an isolate yeast might produce exceptional wines in terms of all organoleptic characteristics but carry the limitation of poor alcohol tolerance. The application of the back-cross breeding technique can be used to ameliorate this shortcoming, while maintaining the positive attributes of the desirable parent into the progeny strains. This is achieved through an initial direct breeding of desirable (but alcohol intolerant) parent A with the new strain parent B (which is more alcohol tolerant). From the progeny strains of this first crossing, those carrying the desired alleles of parent B pertaining to increased alcohol tolerance are selected, after which the best candidate is subsequently back-crossed with parent A. This process is repeated and in each generation progeny strains are selected that also carry the desired allele of parent B. With each subsequent back-cross the genetic composition of the progeny more closely mirrors that of parent A. After five cycles of backcrossing, the genetic similarity of the resultant progeny strain to Parent A is very high. The result of this is that the final strain produces wines that are organoleptically similar to desirable Parent A, but with the now intrinsic alcohol tolerance of Parent B (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Different breeding techniques used in modern winemaking yeast selection. The direct breeding pathway is indicated by the purple arrows, whilst the back-cross breeding pathway is indicated by the green arrows. With each successive

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winemaking back-cress the genetic profile of the progeny approaches that of the back-crossed parent, as indicated by the yeast colours used.

It is important to note that this is not genetic modification.

Yeast produced through breeding techniques are no different to isolates. It is simply that the crossing of parents in such strains is performed in a directed manner in a laboratory, rather than in a random manner in a vineyard.

Why breed yeast?

So the question remains: why breed rather than isolate yeast?

The answer lies in the predictability and control offered by breeding techniques, and also the speed through which new strains can be developed compared with randomised isolation.

Bred yeast strains are selected to offer the security of rapid must implantation and defined fermentation kinetics. Characteristics such as the production of volatile acids, H2S, SO2 and ethanol conversion efficiency can be selected for in advance, rather than having to tolerate some of these attributes in an isolate (see, for example, Marullo et al, 2006). From an organoleptic perspective, strains can be selected for elevated varietal aromatic expression and polysaccharide production for mouthfeel. More rigidly defined genetic characteristics can also be selected for with yeast breeding, which can in turn allow wine stylistic manipulation through yeast choice and blending, as in the following case studies.

Case study: hybrid white wine yeast An active yeast breeding and selection programme continues at the University of Bordeaux. One recent objective was to increase the winemaker’s choice for aromatic white wine fermentation. To that end, three separate yeast strains derived from breeding were commercialised to service different production requirements:

Lamothe-Abiet’s Excellence FTH is an F1 hybrid, and was chosen specifically for its high thiol production; Excellence STR (F1 hybrid) was selected for its high fermentation ester production; and Excellence TXL (F2/Back-cross hybrid) was bred for a combination of thiol production and enhanced mouthfeel.

All three of these hybrid strains have particular characteristics derived from their genetic dispositions. Excellence STR, for example, is a POF(-) strain, which is a reference to its lack of the enzyme cinnamyl decarboxylase. All winemaking yeast have this enzyme, some in larger quantities than others, which allows the yeast to expel CO2 from cinnamic acids to thus generate vinyl phenols. Vinyl phenols are both aromatic suppressants and substrates for Brettanomyces to produce 4EP and 4EG, the “Brett” marker chemicals, through further metabolism.

Excellence TXL is also POF(-), but it also has some other tricks up its genetic sleeve. The protein ure2 (governed by gene URE2) regulates the inhibition of the transcription of genes required for the metabolism of complex nitrogen sources during fermentation (Dufour et al, 2013). Since Excellence TXL is URE2(-), it is able to metabolise these more complex forms of organic nitrogen even in the presence of high levels of inorganic nitrogen (e.g. DAP), and so produce wines with higher thiol content in nitrogenrich fermentations. Additionally, Excellence TXL is classified SSUR-1(+), meaning that it exhibits resistance to sulphites for increased implantation success, a shorter lag phase and more rapid commencement of fermentation.

In winemaking terms, this translates to a selection of yeast with different genetic and (therefore) organoleptic characteristics that can be used by the winemaker to more accurately control both a wine’s fermentation process and stylistic qualities. For example, when the varietal thiol and fermentation esters are quantified between Excellence FTH, TXL and STR the data

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October 2017 – Issue 645

Figure 2

obtained are illustrated in Figure 2. A winemaker may thus choose which yeast will work best on which parcel of fruit according to production requirements, desired organoleptic outcomes and blending options, all as a result of geneticallybased yeast strain selection.

In practical terms, someone seeking thiol production as a priority would be best to use Excellence FTH, while someone wishing to impart a combination of thiol expression and mouthfeel would do better to use Excellence TXL. Winemakers wanting to make a less varietal ‘fruit-bomb’ would receive strong results from the use of Excellence STR, due to its combination of thiol expression and strong fermentation ester production.

The wine aromatic and textural characteristics can thus be manipulated in part simply by yeast choice, which have their origins in a laboratory-based yeast breeding programme. In this way winemaking control and choice are increased.

Figure 2: Aroma production expressed as the aromatic index (i.e. relative to perception threshold for that aroma in each case) in Sauvignon Blanc between the yeast strains Excellence FTH, TXL and STR.

Case study: hybrid red wine yeast Lamothe-Abiet’s Excellence XR was one of the first hybrid strains to be commercialised from the yeast breeding programme at the University of Bordeaux. It is an F1 hybrid that was selected for minimal production of VA, fermentation esters and MLF-inhibitory fatty acids (FA). It was also selected for strong polysaccharide production, which are liberated through rapid lees autolysis. These characteristics combine to deliver wines of strong typicity and full mouthfeel, a result of which is that Excellence XR is one of the dominant yeast strains used in the greater Bordeaux area. This is understandable in a wine region that is strongly focused on terroir.

In comparison, Excellence DS is a back-cross hybrid that was selected along similar lines but rather to produce more fermentation ester (for increased fruitiness), without the emphasis on polysaccharide production (for more linear tannin perception), and for increased colour delivery and stability.

Consequently, the tannin delivery in wines made with Excellence DS differs notably from that of Excellence XR in terms of physical perception and length.

The differences between yeast in terms of wine impact can October 2017 – Issue 645

Figure 3

be mapped during a structured tasting, as indicated in Figure 3. This same wine pairing was shown to many Australian winemakers prior to vintage 2017, with 73 % of winemakers rating the wine made with Excellence XR as having higher volume in-mouth than the wine made with Excellence DS, due to its polysaccharide production.

Figure 3: Organoleptic mapping of trial wines made with two different yeast strains, Excellence XR and Excellence DS. The wine used was a 2015 Merlot from Pessac-Léognan made in an experimental winery under controlled conditions, where the only variable was the yeast.

Two key considerations with the selection of red wine yeast are ethanol tolerance and fatty acid production, to ensure successful primary and secondary fermentations respectively. In Australian wines wine alcohol levels have risen significantly in recent years (Godden et al, 2015), and since yeast generate increased levels of MLF-inhibiting fatty acids in response to stress, it is important that new red yeast strains are tolerant of high ethanol concentrations. Most modern yeast strains are selected to comply with this change, and so are typically tolerant of alcohol levels over 15 % (v/v).

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winemaking methodology, but only yeast breeding allows the sequential refinement of yeast genetics and subsequent wine characteristics to a high level. Ultimately, the choice is that of the winemaker, who benefits in either case.

References

Godden, P., Wilkes, E. and Johnson, D. (2015), Trends in the composition of Australian wine 1984–2014. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 21: 741–753. doi:10.1111/ajgw.12195 Marullo, P., Bely, M., Masneuf-Pomarède, I., Pons, M., Aigle, M., Dubourdieu, D.; Breeding strategies for combining fermentative qualities and reducing off-flavor production in a wine yeast model, FEMS Yeast Research, Volume 6, Issue 2, 1 March 2006, Pages 268–279, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15671364.2006.00034.x Dufour, M., Zimmer, A., Thibon, C., Marullo, P. (2013) Enhancement of volatile thiol release of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains using molecular breeding, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 97(13), 5893–5905.

Figure 4

Author Figure 4 illustrates the different levels of fatty acid production for Excellence XR, Excellence DS and two other commercial yeasts. The lower levels of fatty acid production of these strains improves the ease and speed of malo-lactic fermentation (MLF), which any winemaker will appreciate.

Figure 4: MLF-inhibitory fatty acid production of Excellence XR, Excellence DS and two other commercial yeast strains.

Lower overall fatty acid levels lead to faster MLF.

Summary The choice of fermentation yeast for winemakers continues to expand, through either the isolation of yeast from specific terroirs or breeding techniques employed in dedicated laboratories.

Each approach to yeast commercialisation represents a valid

Paul K. Bowyer1, Laurent Chancholle 2 and Arnaud Mennesson 2 1 Blue H2O Filtration, 1/11-13 Wells Road Oakleigh VIC 3166. paul@blueh2o. com.au www.bhftechnologies.com.au 2 Lamothe-Abiet, Z. A. Actipolis, avenue Ferdinand de Lesseps, 33610 CANEJAN/Bordeaux – France

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

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76 Grapegrower & Winemaker

www.winetitles.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

1 uch_A4.pdf 27/08/2015 1

Comparing yeast strains to find the best look and taste Increasing fruit and colour intensity in Merlot grapes Researchers Olivier Pageault, Anthony Heinrich and Tina Tran examine the differences between two yeast strains – Maurivin AWRI 796 and the popular 522 Davis strain - to find which yeast strain provides the best results for acidity, colour stability, balance and taste in Merlot.

3:41 27/08/2015 pm

3:41 pm

Can yeast strains effect fruit and colour intensity in Merlot?

along with SO2 addition at 5 g/hL. Yeast were then inoculated at 20 g/hL and a nitrogen supplement added to reach 220 mg/L N. Daily cap punching during alcoholic fermentation was conducted and bacteria were seeded at 1g/hL to conduct malolactic fermentation. The resultant wines were stabilized and clarified. After five weeks the wines were racked and cold stabilized at 4 °C for 23 days. Free SO2 was then adjusted to 25 - 30 mg/L and the wines bottled.

There is little difference in fermentation kinetics between Maurivin AWRI 796 and 522 The fermentation kinetics was almost identical for the duplicates conducted with AWRI 796 and 522 (Figure 1), suggesting any wine differences were a direct result of the yeast

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here is some conjecture globally about the impact of yeast strains to make high quality Merlot wines, with some believing it is all determined by the vineyards and the grape quality. Trials have been conducted at Vinopôle BordeauxAquitaine under the control of Mr. Jean-Christophe Crachereau to show if this is true or false. Maurivin AWRI 796 was compared against the popular 522 Davis yeast used extensively in the region in a traditional vinification of black Merlot grapes of Bordeaux appellation (Entre-deux-Mers) during the 2016 vintage.

Experimental conditions used Destemming and crushing of the grapes was done in duplicate,

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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77

winemaking strains and not related to time of fermentation. The implantation of the yeast strains was excellent throughout the test (data not shown).

Figure 1: Fermentation kinetics in black Merlot grapes using Maurivin AWRI 796 and the 522 Davis yeast strains.

Yeast strain choice has an impact on the chemistry of Merlot wine

Figure 1

Figure 2

The finished wines were assessed for basic chemistry with some notable differences between the yeast strains. Total acidity was higher for Maurivin AWRI 796 (Figure 2) and is most likely generated from higher succinic acid which this yeast is known to produce. This has positive flow-on effects for the wine and may become very important with global warming and the lower acidity being seen in many wine regions globally.

Figure 2: Total acidity differences between Maurivin AWRI 796 and the 522 Davis yeast strain in Merlot grapes of Bordeaux appellation. This was the most significant chemistry difference between the yeast strains (other data not shown).

There was also a substantial and significant difference in the perception of colour between the yeast strains. Using the OIV Colour resolution methods, it was determined that Maurivin AWRI 796 had much higher colour intensity compared to the 522 Davis strain (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Colour intensity of Maurivin AWRI 796 and the 522 Davis yeast as determined by the OIV Colour resolution method using absorbance of A420+A520+A620.

Maurivin AWRI 796 produces more fruity and colour intense wines Two separate tasting sessions in Bordeaux brought together 17 winemakers in May 2017. TASTEL software allows the ranking of descriptors by judges to assess the overall quality of the product and to compare against other wines. Figure 4 shows the result of this analysis and clearly shows Maurivin AWRI 796 producing more fruity aromas and more intense colour in Bordeaux Merlot.

It also suggests that herbaceous and bitterness flavours may be reduced. *statistically different (Newman Keuls 5%) Figure 4: Aroma descriptor wheel showing the different aroma and flavour characteristics of Bordeaux Merlot wines made with Maurivin AWRI 796 and the 522 Davis yeast.

Conclusions: Figure 3

The yeast Maurivin AWRI 796 had very similar fermentation kinetic and produced very little additional acidity compared to the reference strain 522 Davis, known as a weak VA producer.

Regarding polyphenols, Maurivin AWRI 796 improved the color stability of Merlot and was more intense after bottling.

The strain modified the reactivity of the tannins resulting in the improvement of the balance and final taste which appeared less astringent with respect to the control strain.

The tasting of the final wines showed Maurivin AWRI 796 produced a significantly more intense wine for the nose and mouth, with enhanced fruity notes and an attenuation of herbaceous and animal notes (which can be linked to slight reduction notes of the 522 Davis strain).

Authors

Olivier Pageault1, Anthony Heinrich 2 and Tina Tran 2 1

AB Biotek France, 40/42 Avenue Georges Pompidou, 69003 Lyon, France

AB Biotek ANZ, 1 Richardson Place, Precinct Corporate Centre, North Ryde, NSW, 2113, Australia

2

Figure 4

78 Grapegrower & Winemaker

For further information, email: olivier.pageault@abmauri.com or tina.tran@abmauri.com.au www.winetitles.com.au

October 2017 – Issue 645

Wine Australia

Exploring the complexities of yeast science Simon Schmidt’s early professional interests moved from slime mould to cancer to plant disease resistance – and all of that before he had even finished studying.

That’s the thing about biochemistry.

The basics are broadly applicable across a range of fields and there’s a lot to discover. And while the link may not seem initially obvious, it was Dr Schmidt’s PhD work with flax and flax rust that led to a now 10-year career at the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), where he is Research Manager.

‘As part of that project I developed a protein expression system to be able to study aspects of how plants resist disease and I used yeast as a host for that system, which got me interested and involved with how yeasts work’, he said.

‘I finished my PhD, worked for a year or two more at Flinders University, then a job came up at the AWRI looking at yeast stress. So, I transitioned out of using yeast as a recombinant expression host into looking at yeast as an industrial organism. That’s the roundabout pathway that got me to here.’

While we all know yeast is vital in making wine, bread and beer, it’s fair to say most people probably don’t truly appreciate it. It seems like something that just kind of does its job.

To researchers, however, it’s an incredibly versatile and valuable organism because of its ability to incorporate genetic material from other organisms, which has applications in everything from biofuels to pharmaceuticals. And it was one of the first organisms ever to be genetically sequenced.

‘Because yeasts are highly amenable to being modified and can be grown in large vats, as we do when we make wine, now people are doing things like

R&DatWork

R&DatWork RESEARCHER IN FOCUS Dr Simon Schmidt

making opioids with them’, Dr Schmidt said. ‘They’ve developed an entire opioid pathway into yeast and make all the pain killing drugs in yeast.’

The core science is transferable, so he and his colleagues in the AWRI’s Biosciences Group keep in regular contact with research groups across Europe, the US and South America that are continually finding out new things about how yeasts behave and how they can be used.

The AWRI’s own focus, however, is on exploring yeast’s diversity and potential for the wine sector, putting that diversity to work through strain development programs, problem solving where needed, and supporting the sector in terms of robust production practices.

‘Our work is largely built around three core elements. One is a bio-prospecting type element; looking at the yeast diversity that exists in Australia – not only in wine but more broadly – to try to find examples of yeast that could be used by the wine sector but are as yet an untapped resource.

‘Then we’ve got an ongoing program on yeast nutrition, problem ferments and now moving into yeast and bacterial interactions with a view that winemakers are more

commonly exploring simultaneous malolactic fermentation with alcoholic fermentation.

‘The third area is a strain development program where we attempt to explore and bring to market yeasts with novel features.’

There are two aspects to this part of the work. The first is targeted – looking at ways to develop a specific quality such as an aromatic profile in a wine that winemakers might have asked for, and then generating a yeast they can use. The second is a little more ‘blue sky’ in approach, based on the theory that you sometimes don’t know what you need until you find it.

‘In this case, we bring in genetic diversity from non-cerevisiae yeasts into the cerevisiae pool of wine yeasts using traditional though difficult breeding approaches and then screening all those yeasts for interesting properties.

That could be the ability to operate at low temperature, for example, or the capacity to produce less acetic acid.’

The aim is to provide an everexpanding toolkit of options for winemakers to use, and to look ahead to what they – and wine consumers – may want in the future. It’s very likely yeast will have a role to play in that. ¢

October 2017 • www.wineaustralia.com • R&Datwork

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Learning to manage the weather While we adjust for the reality of longerterm global climate change, there are still local and seasonal weather patterns that shouldn’t be ignored.

The good news is that we have a lot more detailed information than in the past. The bad news is the same. We need to know what to do with all these data or, as Peter Hayman puts it, ‘we have to ask intelligent questions’.

The Principal Scientist in Climate Applications at the South Australian Research and Development Institute* (SARDI), Dr Hayman is leading a component of a Wine Australia-funded research program designed to help the wine sector interpret and respond to what’s going on.

‘Take the seasonal drivers like El Niño, La Niña or the Indian Ocean Dipoles; a lot of people are aware of them but what do they actually mean out in the regions?’ he said. ‘Does an El Niño year mean anything for temperature or rainfall in the Barossa? Is the impact in spring or summer? We are simply asking the questions. There have been about 24 El Niños in the last 100 years, what has been the climate in those years?’

The research is being carried out at a number of levels. The most practical is the development of crop calendars,

similar to those used in integrated pest management (IPM) programs, that try to link weather information to what’s happening in the vineyard. However, unlike with IPMs, where a pathologist is trying to explain something specific and date-sensitive, these crop calendars are more about trying to get a two-way flow of information between viticulturists and climate scientists.

‘The intent isn’t to try to tell viticulturists that frost matters at this time or that. The purpose is to organise the information so that we can then ask questions about where they get their information and warnings and how they respond. How do they prioritise risks?’

At a more theoretical level, the researchers are taking Australia’s longterm weather records and looking at how risk has changed in different years.

‘For example, the early indications, and what we know from other work, are that probably spring is a major time when these influences occur’, he said. ‘So, in an El Niño year we would expect more frost, probably higher day temperatures and lower night temperatures, and certainly there’s concern about winter-spring drought.

The chance of that is greater in El Niño years in most wine regions in eastern and southern Australia.’

What interests Dr Hayman is how viticulturists will use this information, what decisions are negotiable, and how they might respond if they take action that proves to be counter-productive because the forecast weather patterns don’t eventuate.

R&Datwork • www.wineaustralia.com • October 2017

‘With viticulture you’re committed to so many things, you can’t just say “it’s going to be a hot summer, so let’s change our row orientation” ’ ‘With an annual crop, there are a whole lot of things you can do differently from year to year, but with viticulture you’re committed to so many things; you can’t just say “it’s going to be a hot summer, so let’s change our row orientation”. But there are things you can plan for if you appreciate your ability and the need to do so.’

The SARDI project, which focuses on seasonal changes, is one part of a suite of current research designed to better equip the wine sector to respond to more variable weather patterns.

A Wine Australia-funded project coordinated by the Antarctic Climate Ecosystems CRC at the University of Tasmania is focusing on the big picture of climate change, the CSIRO is looking at the impact of decadal variability, and a new national project being run by the Bureau of Meteorology is looking at how to respond to extreme conditions at the multi-week level.

Wine Australia has provided funding to this initiative to ensure that the results and operational products are beneficial to viticulture. ¢ *SARDI is a division of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA).

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ACE adds pace to Pinot production Pinot Noir continues to bewitch and beguile winemakers and researchers alike, but some solid work by Tasmanian researchers has demonstrated two valuable winemaking innovations for the variety.

Wine Australia funded a comprehensive project by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, a joint venture between the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government, to evaluate two novel approaches for reducing processing time in the winery, without compromising wine quality.

Both methods were effective from a scientific viewpoint, but one was a standout when the all-important business feasibility test was applied.

ACE (Accentuated Cut Edges) maceration was found to have considerable potential for the sector as the required outlay on equipment is low enough to be recouped in less than a year.

Controlled Phenolic Release (CPR) by microwave maceration of must produced impressive results and the payback time is reasonable, but the cost of buying, installing and learning to

use the necessary microwave equipment is likely to be prohibitive for all but the biggest wineries.

The project tested a variety of CPR approaches, including early pressing, and the impact of ultrasound or enzyme treatments on the composition of wine.

It also quantified the impact and value of existing winery techniques such as inline CO2.

‘The business case was an important part of the project’, said Research Fellow Dr Fiona Kerslake. ‘The project showed that the technologies work.

It became a question of whether they would work at a scale that is economically feasible.’

ACE maceration – evolved initially from ‘berry pricking’ – involves cutting grape skins into smaller fragments than is usual, consequently increasing the rate of extraction of colour and flavour components from the broken edges of the grape skins.

The procedure was found to increase the rate of phenolic extraction to such an extent that pressing the grape solids off prior to the end of fermentation, with fermentation then completed in a smaller tank or barrel, was investigated.

Press Early ACE (PEACE) maceration, as it is known, was found to reduce time in the fermentation tank by 25–50 per cent, leading Dr Angela Sparrow to note in the final report to Wine Australia that the technique has ‘considerable potential … to help commercial winemakers manage compressed vintages.’

The full results of the project can be found in the final report (accessible at wineaustralia.com/research/search/ completed-projects/ut-1301). A series of factsheets is being produced.

The encouraging results with Pinot Noir also prompted Wine Australia to fund an additional year’s work by Dr Sparrow, to test the ACE and PEACE techniques on other red wine varieties in commercial trials across Australia.

Wine sector participants were involved in all components of the main project. Five Victorian wineries directly participated in semi-commercial scale comparative ferments for the CPR trials and seven wineries from Victoria and Tasmania were part of the ACE maceration work.

In addition, 14 informal sector tasting events were held to get direct feedback regarding the quality of the wine.

Winemakers said the chance to try a new process in their own wineries allowed them to immediately assess both the practicality of the techniques and the extent of production changes required.

During the course of the project, the research team, led by Dr Anna Carew, took the opportunity to increase fundamental scientific knowledge by assessing the wines made during the maceration trial using novel approaches such as monosaccharide concentration as well as established chemical and sensory methods.

The success of the project has spawned a new one. Dr Kerslake and colleagues have started exploring whether techniques such as microwave, ultrasound or enzyme preparation can reduce maturation times in sparkling wines.

The Pinot Noir story is far from complete, however. ‘It is just so incredibly complicated’, she said. ‘Every time we think we’ve sorted out one of the pathways we do another trial and go “well that didn’t hold” and go back to the drawing board’. ¢

October 2017 • www.wineaustralia.com • R&Datwork

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Future Leaders take on another daunting task The wine sector’s Future Leaders program has always been challenging, but the class of 2017 has been given a task that would strike fear into the hearts of many people – they’re going to be in print.

Within hours of their first meetand-greet session in Sydney, the 16 participants, selected from an application pool of more than 100, were told that one of the outcomes of their seven sessions together over four months would be a Thought Leadership book, to which each of them would contribute a chapter.

The idea is a central part of the approach developed by the new program provider, Queensland-based behaviour and strategy motivation company, Pragmatic Thinking.

‘We really want to maximise the potential of creating alumni who have an active voice in the sector; that’s where the book’s come into play’, said lead facilitator Bec Jeffrey. ‘It’s about creating a legacy piece: something that’s lasting beyond the program.

You’ve written a piece for the book; what can you do now to move with that thought and start generating conversations within the sector?

‘Throughout the program we focus on cutting edge leadership development through the lens of what’s practical, what’s relevant and what’s scientific.

Participants are already using the skills and strategies from the program to impact their workplaces and the wine sector in real and tangible ways.’

As with the previous six intakes since the Future Leaders concept was launched in 2006, this year’s program has been a blend of hands-on experiences and individual and teambased activities designed to focus on the various aspects of leadership and how they can be applied in a wine sector setting.

There have been four workshops held in three states, three master classes and two ‘stretch events’ intended to inspire even more creative thinking.

Individual sessions have looked at such things as identity, the science of leadership and the future of leadership, with guest speakers including specialists in social media and marketing and the cultural advisor to New Zealand’s all-conquering rugby union team, the All Blacks. Participants have even been wired up to get a first-hand understanding of how stress affects their body chemistry.

‘We focus on cutting edge leadership development through the lens of what’s practical, what’s relevant and what’s scientific’ The Pragmatic Thinking approach, developed by the company’s founders Darren and Ali Hill, who are a behavioural scientist and psychologist respectively, puts a strong focus on reflection and helping individuals to understand their strengths and how they can be harnessed in order to be influential leaders in a high-change environment.

‘I think we all have a fear when we go into leadership that we’re just faking this; we’re an imposter and going to be found out because we don’t know what we’re talking about’, Bec said.

‘But actually, we all have something to offer and by connecting into your identity, your values and what does really drive you reinforces that you do have something to offer. It’s a massively powerful process.’

There’s also a focus on discussing issues facing the wine sector and Bec

R&Datwork • www.wineaustralia.com • October 2017

says that came quite naturally. ‘We had a bunch of things we could have done with them to facilitate that sectorspecific discussion but we learned early on that they’re just so good at doing that themselves.’

That’s a view shared by Tony Robinson, the Grape and Wine Innovation Strategist for Treasury Wine Estates. ‘I think many of us have developed some great new relationships.

The one-on-one time has allowed us to openly share our ideas and opinions.

‘An outstanding dynamic of the group is the broad professional and geographical expertise that we collectively represent. This has opened up some deep discussions around sector issues and the group has been open and understanding when we’ve had these conversations.’

Tony said that by halfway through the program he already was changing the way he worked based on what he had learned. ‘At each session we have had new, engaging ideas presented to the group, stimulating a lot of questions and discussion and allowing us to better understand ourselves and each other.’

And the book? He admits they were all a little nervous at first but soon warmed to the idea and now are all just excited to see the finished product. ¢ Wine Australia Industry House, cnr Botanic & Hackney Roads Adelaide SA 5000 PO Box 2733 Kent Town SA 5071 08 8228 2000 research@wineaustralia.com wineaustralia.com • 

Do what’s best for you Young Gun: Lauren Hansen Moving to Canada at age 18, working in a non-English speaking winery in Austria, and turning down a job straight out of university are just a few of the things that young assistant winemaker Lauren Hansen has done. Camellia Aebischer sat down with her to find out more.

S

oon after graduating a bachelor in viticulture and oenology, Lauren Hansen turned down a job at a largescale winery.

“Had I taken that I would have taken a completely different path and careerwise,” said Hansen. “It probably would have been the sensible thing to do, but I’d always wanted to be working somewhere small.”

“Everyone around me was telling me ‘that’s a really good career move and you should be doing it’. But I guess the thing that I’m really happy about is that I stuck to my guns, and followed what I knew I would be happy doing, regardless of it being the ‘right thing to do’.”

Making that decision has led Hansen to travel the world and work vintages in Canada, Austria and New Zealand, as well as closer to home in Victoria and her home state of South Australia.

Starting out Growing up in Coonawarra it would be easy to assume that Hansen slipped into the industry by way of family, which isn’t the case. A cheeky comment at age 15 was what started the pull toward an outdoorfocused career.

“In year 10, looking at subjects I had no idea what to do. I was toying with physio and chiropractics but did some work experience and thought it was really boring.”

“So me and Mum sat down in the kitchen with the book of jobs and she said ‘give me three things that you want to do October 2017 – Issue 645

every day in your job’ and I was being a bit of a smart arse I guess so I said ‘I want to travel, drink wine and be indoors and outdoors at the same time’.

Then, winemaking popped up somewhere and Hansen was hooked on the idea. After school, instead of diving into a university degree, she tested the waters by working a few vintages.

“I decided that rather than going straight to uni, I should find out if I enjoyed the everyday side of things before jumping in to it.”

After working a vintage close to home in Padthaway, Hansen decided to go international.

“I really wanted to go to the states and I had a job lined up there but they found out I was only 17 and said no.”

After being rejected, an opportunity popped up in Canada in the Niagara region, at a winery named Hidden Bench.

Hansen arrived by the time she was 18, only to find that the legal drinking age was in fact 19.

“I really wanted to travel after school so I kind of just combined a few things. I didn’t tell them how old I was until I got there but they didn’t mind.”

Hansen headed back to Australia, and tested out a stint at her parents printing company, which confirmed her desires for a hands-on career, which led her to the bachelor’s degree in viticulture and oenology at Adelaide University.

“While I was at uni I worked at a cellar door in McLaren Vale, and it was good to see that side of the wine industry and www.winetitles.com.au

see what people are asking for and what they’re interested in.”

Old world techniques Hansen’s open minded approach to gathering knowledge has been helpful during travels and working vintage in non-English speaking countries.

“I think Australia has got it pretty good to be honest. The working conditions in Australia, even down to the little things, like safety regulation sand cleaning standards. All of those things.

“I had two very separate overseas experiences, with Canada and NZ being so modern and new, and Austria being so traditional.

“Some of the things they were doing in the winery in Austria went against everything I learned at uni. I would ask why they did things a certain way and it was ‘because we’ve always done it this way’.

“None of the family had studied winemaking but they’d been doing it for 100 years and it was just the thing that was passed down. They weren’t as willing to take on new ideas though. Even the younger family moving up the business struggled with the grandparent resisting change.

“The thing that shocked me the most, was when we were bringing in Riesling that wasn’t in wonderful condition, but it was from a great vineyard. We got it in to the winery and they threw every fining agent possible at it and I was just like ‘woah, really, what are you Grapegrower & Winemaker

83

winemaking doing, it’s not going to have any flavour if you put that much in it’ and it was a ‘well this is what we do it’s how we do it,’ By the end of ferment you couldn’t even tell, it had so much flavour. It was crazy. “ It was a great experience for Hansen – with lots of hand signals to communicate – and she took away the appreciation of a new wine industry, open to changes and innovation.

“If I’m chatting with the winemaker at Balnaves, there’s always ears for new ideas. You need to have a legitimate reason

for it but there’s always options.

“Tradition can be restrictive. It’s just a different way of doing things.”

The winery at Balnaves mostly processes Cabernet, which has been an interesting learning curve for Hansen, who likes a good Pinot Noir.

“We don’t make any Pinot [at Balnaves], but I’m completely okay with it. I think I’ll just stick to drinking it. Making Cabernet is good fun, there’s so much you can do with it. I know it’s not really a trendy grape at the moment but that’s okay. […] It’s kind

of opened my eyes to what you can do with Cabernet which is kind of exciting.”

Living in Coonawarra, between Melbourne and Adelaide has its perks for someone with itchy feet.

Hansen has been sitting tight at Balnaves for the past two years, and in her spare time hosts live music nights in her backyard. There are no set plans to jet off just yet, but she has plenty of new ideas ticking away for a rainy day.

Tradition can be restrictive. It’s just a different way of doing things.

2017’s most talented women in wine The winners of the 2017 Australian Women in Wine Awards (AWIWA) were announced on 26 September, at a ceremony at Australia House in London.

“This is a pivotal day in Australia’s proud wine history,” said AWIWA founder Jane Thomson, who hosted the ceremony.

“Today we not only recognised the depth and breadth of female talent in our own wine community, we did so on a global stage and showed the world that Australia values and champions the many and varied roles of women in wine.”

Viticulturist of the Year winner, Jennifer Doyle felt the warmth of a female focused award. “It is such an honour to have been recognised by such an inspiring and uplifting community of women,” she said.

Doyle has worked with Janz in Tasmania for the past nine years and is pleased to bring home the prize after being shortlisted last year.

“Tasmania’s Pipers River region […] has rewarded me with some of the most fruitful years of my career to date.”

The awards were held in London as part of a partnership with Wine Australia, and opened a day of Women in Wine trade and consumer tasting events.

84 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Winemaker of the Year (sponsored by WineArk): Virginia Willcock, Vasse Felix Viticulturist of the Year (sponsored by Wine Australia): Jennifer Doyle, Jansz Owner / Operator of the Year (sponsored by JancisRobinson.com): Sarah Collingwood, Four Winds Vineyard Workplace Champion of Change (sponsored

by Winemakers Federation of Australia): Professor Eileen Scott, Adelaide University Cellar Door Person of the Year (sponsored by Platinum Bags): Jasmine Morgan, Caudo Vineyards Researcher of the Year ( sponsored by Inkwell Wines): Jansz viticulturist, Jen Doyle

Chair of Wine Australia, Brian Walsh said he hoped the awards provide inspiration to other women considering a career in wine.

The awards ceremony was streamed live to everyone back in Australia and around the world.

The recorded ceremony is available for viewing at womeninwineawards.com.au www.winetitles.com.au

Christine Böttcher, CSIRO – Agriculture & Food Marketer of the Year (sponsored by Brown Brothers): Ebony Tinkler, Usher Tinkler Wines Woman of Inspiration (sponsored by Irvine Wines): Sue Hodder, Wynns Honorary Australian Woman in Wine (sponsored by Wine Australia UK): Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective

October 2017 – Issue 645

business & technology Transport & Freight

Lighten your load Packaging in lightweight bottles can save up to 165kg per pallet of wine shipped

Being a new wine producing country has its benefits. Although we don’t have history on our side, Australia is not bogged down by traditional ideas of how wine ‘should’ be packaged. Camellia Aebischer reports.

W

hen it comes to alternative methods, we are often quick to embrace new technologies. The most obvious example being the trusty screwcap.

This mentality means that when picking up a lightweight bottle, Australians aren’t as judgemental about the wine it holds inside.

Lean + Green O-I glass is the main manufacturer and distributor of lightweight glass bottles in Australia. Look around any standard bottle shop and plenty of wines in the <$10 category will be packaged in their 330g bottles.

The bottles are playfully referred to as Lean + Green, and come in claret or burgundy shapes, with a flat bottom or small punt (this adds an extra 30g). Both styles are the same weight.

Anna Aldridge, the communications and partnerships manager at Wingara Group, said that their experience using the Lean + Green bottles has been nothing but positive.

“All Deakin Estate, Artisans Blend, Sunnycliff and Woolshed still wines are produced in bottles that are ‘Lean+Green’. The

process used to make these bottles takes out considerable weight, energy and water consumption, while maintaining the proportions and premium image branding.”

Wingara group prefer the bottles for their narrow dimensions, meaning that they can ship wine more efficiently, and pack more cases in to each shipment.

Making the switch from a 500g bottle to the 360g punted Lean + Green option has meant savings for the company.

“These lighter weights and smaller dimensions mean we can more efficiently move wine from Australia to our overseas markets. This improves economies of scale in logistics and reduces our fuel usage in shipments per carton,” said Aldridge.

Wingara group happily export wines in their lightweight bottles, however, the unpredictable tastes of international markets means it might not be as simple for any brand to make the switch and keep a customer base loyal. That’s where good marketing and promotional materials come in handy.

A simpler step is to focus on the domestic market. Australia is already very open minded when it comes to change, and a lot of lightweight bottle distribution already happens domestically.

Quality O-I currently distribute their products throughout Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and according to Andrew McPherson at OzPak, they supply good quality glass.

Problems can arise when the product hasn’t been stored or sealed correctly, which is more often the case with imported glass products.

Things like mould in the pallets, incorrect wrapping, outdoor storage and variation in wall thickness can lead to issues. But, overall, McPherson said that in their experience, there are no noticeable breakage or performance issues with lightweight bottles at OzPak, compared to any other bottle.

If quality comes down to looks, the punted 360g bottle is a little closer to the classic. Jeremy Dineen at Josef Chromy Wines mentioned that there once was a premium lightweight burgundy bottle, which has now been discontinued.

“When they released the premium burgundy we retooled our line and all of our storage and pallets to cope with that. So I turned all of my wines into lightweight products, and then they stopped making them,” said Dineen.

The bottles were in production for about two years before they ceased, and Dineen had to recalibrate their bottling and packaging line to adjust back.

Currently, Dineen uses the Lean + Green punted bottles for most of his wines.

“If you compare the punted lightweight bottle to a regular one there’s very little difference in the way they look. It’s only once you pick it up that you’ll notice that it’s lighter.

“They are probably a little more fragile, and we do see a slightly higher incident of breakage. Not massively but just enough to notice.”

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October 2017 – Issue 645

The cost savings have also been noticeable for Josef Chromy, as the lighter bottles keep cases under the weight limit for a single person lift.

“Our dozen packs are under 15kg, which means it’s still a single person lift for Aus post and some liquor stores, so that saves us an awful lot of money.”

Dineen also added that stacking 12 packs on a pallet is much easier and safer than six packs, which is another key benefit.

Environment Location is an environmental factor for Josef Chromy, who are based in Tasmania.

“For us the lightweight is critical more so than other regions.

There are no bottles made here on the island so everything we buy has to come across the strait.

“Having lighter bottles is a significantly better environmental impact. For us it’s a major issue because everything but the grapes pretty much comes across the water.

“Then once we’ve packaged it, it mostly goes back.”

For Dineen, the decision is less about marketing, and more about “doing the right thing”.

“We have solar power, a wastewater plant, composting, etc. We do a lot of things, but it’s not part of our branding. It’s just the right thing to do, so we do it.”

According to O-I, “Glass wine bottles are the only packaging available made from 100 percent natural resources and, when lightened, reduce the emissions released into the environment.

“Use of the O-I lightweight bottles provides strong environmental benefits, including carbon dioxide savings of more than 89 tonnes.

This is the equivalent of reducing semi-truck travel by 57,000 miles [91,700kms] or the CO2 absorbed by 4100 trees.”

Side note: those savings calculations were made based on production of 1 million bottles.

Based on the production levels at O-I in 2010, there are some pretty impressive figures for the savings a lightweight bottle can make – both to the producer, buyer and environment.

The bottles are claimed to save almost 20,000 tonnes of glass packaging per year, and their manufacture includes: • A 20% reduction in energy use to produce the same number of bottles • A carbon dioxide saving of more than 11,130 tonnes of CO2 per annum • An average 12% drop in water usage per container • Overall water savings of 4,720kL (or the equivalent of 6.3 Olympic swimming pools a year) The thin width of the bottles, favoured by the Wingara group, mean that 840 more bottles can fit in to a 20ft [6m] shipping container, increasing efficiency by 6.25%.

Based on the idea that a pallet is comprised of 64 nine litre cases of wine, we made some calculations on weight savings comparing Lean + Green, Lean + Green punted, regular Burgundy and premium Burgundy bottles from the O-I catalogue (Figure 1).

The weight savings between a premium Burgundy bottle and a Lean + Green O-I lightweight bottle (heaviest and lightest examples) is around 165 kilograms per pallet.

Comparing each of the lightweight bottles with their generic burgundy equivalents, we can see that switching to a lightweight bottle from a generic burgundy saved approximately 131kg per pallet, and switching from premium burgundy saved approximately 142kg per pallet (Figure 2).

That’s a lot of glass to be carting all over the place, no matter how recyclable it is.

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October 2017 – Issue 645

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sales & marketing

Winery Construction & Architecture

Designing an identity Tscharke’s exclusive underground cellar After hearing on the grapevine that Tscharke had set up an underground barrel store, Camellia Aebischer popped in for a tour and was lucky enough to take a look the brand new invite only tasting space.

D

rive down Seppeltsfield Road in the Barossa Valley and you’ll easily miss the entrance to the Tscharke cellar door, winery and vineyard.

Entering the front gate, a sign directs cars around a large building before being greeted by an overwhelmingly picturesque European-style lodge. This is the Tscharke cellar door, also known as ‘Tscharke’s Place’.

The building plays host to classic European architectural features like light wood for the exposed beams, staircase and cladding, and heavily sloped rooves with protruding windows.

The windows are made from heavy double glazed panels that open both outwards, in typical fashion, as well as from the top (which falls back inward a little, leaving a gap for airflow).

Downstairs, owner Damien Tscharke, has organised a basement that gets filled 88 Grapegrower & Winemaker

up by patrons for paid tastings. The decorative iron door, and creative light fixtures in the basement tasting room are the work of Damien himself, who likes to get handy when he’s not making wine.

The basement is cool and less dry than the aboveground world, which makes comfortable conditions for storing wine.

But in the Tscharke’s Place cellar there is no wine. And for good reason.

About 100m away, across the carpark, there is a subtly placed arched wooden door. It looks a bit odd in the middle of a generic storage building and office, but it leads somewhere important.

The door is an entranceway to an exclusive viewing platform and tasting space, stationed at one end of Tscharke’s brand new underground cellar.

The underground barrel store (or underground wine lair) is the new incubator for all of Tscharke’s wine. www.winetitles.com.au

Damien likes to get hands on

October 2017 – Issue 645

Double glazed windows imported from Europe

The view from the private tasting deck

Light timber gives the European feel

After considering the costs and environmental impact of climate control in their aboveground barrel store, Damien decided to dig.

The barrel store (wine lair) first had its perimeter walls excavated, and filled with concrete to stabilise them, then the dirt between them was removed, creating the enormous space.

Arched ceilings run between supporting columns, which are lined

October 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 645

Tscharke's cellar door

with soft yellow lighting, adding an extra element of romance.

There are practical additions like a discreet access ramp for moving the five large oak vats during vintage, and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;windowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to the soil, which allow moisture to enter the cellar for natural humidity and coolness.

The best view of the cellar comes from the invite only tasting platform. Details on invitations are strictly under wraps as the

www.winetitles.com.au

space becomes finalised, but the thought and care that can be seen throughout the entire business will undoubtedly go into the selection process.

The new space is not only beautiful to experience, but offers plenty of practical benefits, allowing Tscharke to significantly reduce their use of artificial cooling. It keeps in line with their overall ethos of producing wine naturally and with the environment in mind.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Understanding your customers can help increase their satisfaction and loyalty

How to sell more wine: get to know your customers The science of increasing sales and profit by driving cellar door business Richard Warland is an expert in direct marketing and customer relationship management. He believes there is plenty of room for wineries to ‘lift their game’ in these areas. In the third instalment of his series, Warland outlines how customer relationship management can boost wine sales.

CRM is a strategy and a science

CRM is much misunderstood

n the February and April 2017 editions of Australian & New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker we looked at the importance to the small winemaker of Direct to Consumer (DtC) or “Cellar Door” sales. DtC marketing is a subset of Customer Relationship Management or CRM. One could argue that it is the reverse, but CRM also plays a vital part in retail (B2C) and wholesale (B2B) marketing.

On the website whatis.com, Tech Target, Margaret Rouse is quoted as saying “Customer relationship management (CRM) refers to the practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage record and evaluate customer interactions in order to drive sales growth by deepening and enriching relationships with their customer bases.”

The strike through is mine. Margaret’s definition is not bad, but it is let down by

I

October 2017 – Issue 645

www.winetitles.com.au

her reference to technology. In truth, a CRM program could be run with pen and paper if the business is small enough!

At the risk of losing your attention, my definition is as follows: • CRM can be described as the application of transactional data enriched with socio and geo demographic data in order to better understand one’s customers and their emotional and physical “drivers” in relation to one’s business.

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sales & marketing • The aim of this understanding is to increase the customer’s satisfaction and loyalty and hence life time value (LTV) to the business, by engaging with them in a manner and form and with a frequency that they appreciate on an individual basis.

Putting it simply The principle of CRM has been around since the first trader sold something to a fellow primitive human being. In the 1990’s however, “The Big 5” consulting firms started spruiking technology-enabled CRM and subsequently many companies, mainly big publicly listed entities, have been unsuccessful at implementing the technology and wasted millions of dollars in the process.

The reason for this is that CRM is not a “thing” and cannot be bought. But, it can be learned.

The actual principles of CRM are simple – 1. Know your customers 2. Use this knowledge to serve or communicate with your customers, with offers that are relevant, through the channel they prefer, at a time they prefer.

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More Marketplace on Page 94 92 Grapegrower & Winemaker

Implementing your cellar door DtC CRM strategy If you decide to invest in CRM technology (and it is very affordable today – see below), there are a couple of key preparation items, namely – • Thoroughly plan your strategy • Get stakeholder ‘buy-in’ The first would seem logical and although I hate the term stakeholder I have, through sad experience across Australasia, learnt how important it is.

Stakeholders are all of your staff who will have any involvement, not just customerfacing staff, but also the back-room people in accounting, packing and shipping.

Unless your operation is naturally gifted, a CRM implementation involves change and staff generally don’t like change – especially if they are busy. In reality, they will benefit and become more efficient, enabling you to sell more wine, but in my experience they rarely believe that scenario!

CRM - Ground work essentials There are a few “must do’s” without which your strategy risks failure: • Accurately record customer names & contact details (There are subtle techniques, more on that later) • Capture ALL interactions in ONE data base. (This is the much touted “360 Degree view of the customer”, more on that later) • Keep your data clean (meaning accurate and up to date) • Know your numbers (or have staff that do) The foregoing is not as difficult as it seems and there are some marketing possibilities few of you would have dreamt of, but discussion will be too lengthy for this article and will be covered in a future edition.

Assistance offered After twelve years away from the wine industry, I am dedicated to the idea of helping wine companies achieve world’s best practice CRM. Accordingly, I am now consulting to winery clients of WithWine - http://www. withwine.com/ While at first sight, it looks like just another wine “app”, founder Richard Owens, ex-Macquarie Bank, Rothschild Bank and Apple Corporation, has built a full service DtC SaaS (Software as a Service) solution that can manage your customer data, your DtC marketing and

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT www.winetitles.com.au

Unless your operation is naturally gifted, a CRM implementation involves change and staff generally don’t like change – especially if they are busy. the administrative functions of your cellar door sales. You will not believe the cost. Two or three cases will recover your outlay. If you use it properly and don’t achieve a massive return on investment via incremental sales I will drink the difference!

Needless to say, your customer data is treated in strict confidence - as if it were compromised; Richard would be out of business in no time!

In future editions In future editions of this journal I will expand on the issues involved and techniques of implementing a CRM profit centre strategy in your business. If you would like to contact me in the meantime, please email me at richard.warland@ rtsronline.com Richard Warland is a Roseworthy Oenology graduate (class of 1970-71). He made wine in the Barossa, McLaren Vale and Hunter before moving on to sales and marketing management and thence to CEO positions in wine direct marketing finally spending eleven years with Cellarmaster Wines after they bought his company.

From 2005 – 14 he lived in Hong Kong and Macau, consulting on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Loyalty Marketing to companies spanning many industries in China. He is now based in the Adelaide Hills and consults on direct and loyalty marketing in Australia and Greater China. Since 2010 he has lectured on CRM to the multi-national MSc Wine Business class at The Burgundy School of Business in Dijon. Richard can be contacted at richard.warland@rtsronline.com

Suzanne Phosuwan on (08) 7228 5858 October 2017 – Issue 645

calendar Australia & New Zealand

looking back

October 29 Sept - 31 Oct Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations, Coonawarra & Penola, SA, www.coonawarra.org

15 Inaugural James Halliday Grenache Challenge, McLaren Vale, SA, www.mclarenvale.info/JHGC

10-12 Orange Region Wine Show, Orange, NSW, www.brandorange.com.au

15-16 Shedfest - Yarra Valley Wine Festival, Yarra Valley, VIC, www.yarravalleysmallerwineries.com.au

11 ABARES Regional Outlook Conference – Toowoomba, City Golf Club, South Toowoomba, QLD, www.agriculture.gov.au/ abares/conferences-events/2017-regionaloutlook-conferences 11-13 Ballarat Wine Show, Mining Exchange, Lydiard, Ballarat, VIC, www.ballaratshow.org.au 13 Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations Continuing with Cabernet, Hollick Estates, Coonawarra, SA, www.hollick.com 13 Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations - Retrospective Tasting, Hollick Estates, Coonawarra, SA, www.coonawarra.org 13 Riesling Master Class & Seminar on Riesling Excellence, Hyatt Hotel, Canberra, ACT, www.rieslingchallenge.com

15-17 2017 McLaren Vale Wine Show, Serafino Wines, McLaren Vale, SA, www.mclarenvale.info 17 Australian Sparkling Wine Show, Marysville, VIC, www. australiansparklingwineshow.com.au 17-18 Geelong Wine Show, Geelong, VIC, www.geelongwineshow.com.au 18-22 2017 Hepburn Springs Swiss & Italian Festa, Hepburn Springs & Daylesford, VIC, www.swissitalianfesta.com 19 Pizzini Presents Nebbiolo, Pizzini Wines, King Valley, VIC, www.pizzini.com.au 19 Wine Industry Impact Awards 2017, Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide, SA, www.wisa.org.au

13-14 Wandin-Silvan Horticultural & Farm Machinery Field Days, Wandin East Recreation Reserve, Wandin East, VIC, www.wandinsilvanfielddays.com.au

19-20 2017 Blackwood Valley & WA Boutique Wine Show, Blackwood Valley, WA, www.blackwoodvalleywine.asn.au

13-22 The Orange Wine Festival, Orange, NSW, www.brandorange.com.au

19-21 New England Wine Show, Glen Innes, NSW, www.newenglandwineshow.com.au

14 Bendigo Wealth Heritage Uncorked, Bendigo, VIC, www.bendigowine.org.au 14-15 Glenrowan Winemakers' Weekend - Savour the Australian Flavour, Glenrowan, VIC, www.visitglenrowan.com.au 14-15 Sydney Wine Festival, Rosehill Gardens, Rosehill, NSW, www.sydneywinefestival.com

20 The WCA Melbourne Wine Show Luncheon, Two Ton Max, North Melbourne, VIC, www.winecommunicators.com.au 21 Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations Cabernet in the Cottage, Hollick Estates, Coonawarra, SA, www.hollick.com 21 Riverland Wine & Food Festival, Riverland, SA, www.riverlandwine.com.au

International October 13-22 Bern Wine Fair, Bern, Switzerland, www.bernexpo.ch 17-20 VITeff, Epernay, France, www.viteff.com 20-23 MEGAVINO, Brussels, Belgium, www.megavino.be

October 2017 – Issue 645

25-29 EXPO DRINK & WINE, Romexpo Central Hall, Bucharest, Romania, www.targdevinuri.ro 26-29 Wine, Food & Good Living, Helsinki, Finland, www.messukeskus.com 28-1 November Basel Wine Fair - Basler Weinmesse, www.baslerweinmesse.ch

www.winetitles.com.au

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.

October 1987

Caution on grape price expectations

Grapegrowers in the irrigated regions should not have unrealistically high expectations of increased demand and prices for sultanas and gordos taken by wineries in the 1988 vintage, according to the Australian Wine and Brandy Producers Association.

The association claims that in the last twelve months white wine cask sales were down, flagon sales had continued to fall, total fortified wine sales declined and a swing from bulk fermented sparkling wine to bottle fermented had continued.

October 1997

Swan Hill on the map

The wine industry is, and will continue to be “terribly important” to the future of Australia, said Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett in an official opening party for the completed Ashwood Grove Winery at Wood Wood, Victoria.

As Victoria’s newest and second largest winegrowing region, Swan Hill was declared a wine-producing district in its own right in 1996 following official recognition from the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation’s Geographical Indications Committee.

The Swan Hill region consists of 150 grapegrowers, and harvests around 250,000 tonnes of grapes annually, with a value of more than $50 million.

October 2007

Kilikanoon buys Seppeltsfield

Seppeltsfield in South Australia’s Barossa Valley has been sold by Foster’s to Kilikanoon Wines in a deal that includes an unbroken collection of vintages going back to 1878.

The sale comprises the 19th century landmark Seppeltsfield site, vineyards and visitor facilities, Solero and Para fortified wine brands, all wine stocks and the rights to the Seppeltsfield name.

Foster’s and Tarac Technologies also agreed to the sale of the Foster’s Nuriootpa white winery packaging and warehouse complex in the Barossa Valley.

Grapegrower & Winemaker

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Marketplace

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Go with the site that leading wine industry companies use.

94 Grapegrower & Winemaker

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October 2017 – Issue 645

Old Media + New Media For 74% of Advertisers, It’s a Package Deal Let’s face it advertising media decisions are a constant challenge for SME’s, especially “new media” or digital options.

A USA local advertising survey shows 74% of Advertiser’s believe combined digital and legacy media (TV, Radio and Press) works best. Only 3% of respondents surveyed said they are buying only digital media. *

So next time you are planning a new product or service marketing campaign, why not book the ideal Winetitles Media marketing mix PRINT + DIGITAL - with Australia’s leading wine industry journal Grapegrower and Winemaker, and the industry’s digital daily news digest Daily Wine News.

It’s not just sales and marketing insurance, it’s about getting results.

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