New Zealand Winegrower August - September 2025

Germany and New Zealand in China

VANESSA WU

China’s white wine market has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with market penetration surging from 5% to 20%. This upward trajectory has been largely driven by two varieties: German Riesling and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. In a landmark collaboration during the 2025 Chengdu Wine Fair in March, the wine associations of Germany and New Zealand joined forces to present the business forum “Riesling & Sauvignon Blanc – How Germany and New Zealand Are Leading China’s White Wine Revolution.” The timing was strategic – as China’s oldest and largest wine exhibition, the Chengdu Fair attracts the nation’s entire wine trade ecosystem. This unprecedented partnership between two national wine bodies created significant buzz, leveraging the complementary strengths to elevate awareness of premium white wines in China. The forum featured six distinguished industry experts who delivered insightful analyses across all major channels – from on-trade and retail to e-commerce – while the tastings allowed attendees to experience the distinctive characteristics of benchmark Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs.

Vanessa Wu is New Zealand Winegrowers China Market Manager. For more on China’s ‘white wine revolution’ go to page 18.

Best in Show

Craggy Range topped the New Zealand results at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards, winning a Best in Show award for the 2024 Craggy Range

Martinborough Pinot Noir. “This is an uncompromisingly dark wine that plays to New Zealand’s strengths in terms of purity and vivacity of fruit,” said judges. McArthur Ridge’s Southern Tor Pinot Noir 2023 was the only wine awarded Platinum at the awards, building on the Southern Tor’s Best in Show win in 2024. McArthur Ridge winemaker Matt Connell credits the wine’s distinctive flavour profile to its home in Alexandra, the most continental subregion in Central Otago. “The big temperature swings and long ripening season give us ideal conditions to craft wines with real depth and personality.”

Women in Wine webinars

The Women in Wine Winter Development Series is a line-up of four expert-led webinars, covering topics ranging from pay negotiations to powers of persuasion. The series, which has been recorded, began on 16 July with ‘Pressing Matters - How to have hard conversations’, offering empowering advice for discussing the likes of flexible work, better pay, and uncomfortable workplace behaviours. The next, ‘Grape Ambitions - Landing the perfect job’, shared insights from Kirsty McLaren of McLaren Recruitment. The third in the series, ‘Cultivating a Yes - The art of influence and persuasion’, explored ways to present ideas to the right people in influential ways. The final webinar in this series is ‘Uncorked - Inspiring tales from the top of their game’, and will be held on 6 August at 11am, with a panel of leading women in wine sharing their career stories and knowledge. To watch recordings or register: nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/ women-in-wine/wiw-devseries/

On 18 June 2025, the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Board set the following levy rates for the year 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

Wine levy

The levy rate to apply to sales of grape wine is 3.12 cents plus GST per litre.

Grape levy

The levy rate on winegrapes from Vintage 2026 is to be set at the rate of 0.935% as follows:

(a) if sold by or on behalf of the grower, 0.935% of the farm-gate price plus GST;

(b) if exported by or on behalf of the grower, 0.935% of the free onboard value plus GST;

(c) if made into grape juice or grape juice concentrate, 0.935% of the notional price of the grapes plus GST.

In the case of (c), the notional price for the 2026 vintage has been set as 75% quartile for the region and variety concerned as determined from the 2025 vintage as listed in the last published version of the NZW grape price data for that vintage. These rates are set by NZW pursuant to clause 9(1) of the Wine (Grape Wine Levy) Order 2022 and clause 11(1) of the Commodity Levies (Winegrapes) Order 2022.

If you have any questions, please contact the NZW advocacy team at advocacy@nzwine.com.

LEVY RATES FOR 2025/26

Matt Connell

To have events added to our calendar contact sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

Women in Wine webinar

6 August

nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/ women-in-wine

‘Uncorked – Inspiring tales from the top of their game’, is the final webinar in the fourpart Women in Wine Winter Development Series. In this inspiring session, a panel of leading women in wine – Claire Pinker, Viticulturist at Vinarchy; Natalie Christensen, Chief Winemaker at Yealands Estate; and Pip Goodwin, Chief Executive of Palliser Estate – will share stories from their time in the industry. New Zealand Winegrowers Leadership & Communities Manager Nicky Grandorge says the webinar series, which is recorded, is a great resource to inspire and help members to progress and reach their goals. “This series embraces our motto of “Connect. Inform. Change.” in a practical and productive way.

Young Winemaker

National Final

26 August

nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/ youngwinemaker

The Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year Competition champions emerging young winemakers in the New Zealand wine industry. The National Final will be held in Christchurch on 26 August, with the winner announced

at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Celebration Dinner at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on 28 August.

Young Viticulturist

National Final

27 August

nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/ youngvit

Five regional finalists are preparing for the Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition National Final at Greystone in North Canterbury on 27 August, with the winner announced at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Celebration Dinner the next night. See regional finalists on page 43.

Wine Business Forum

28 August

nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents

The topic of Embracing Change and Sustaining Growth is at the heart of this year’s New Zealand Wine 2025 Wine Business Forum, to be held in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 28 August. Speakers include wine-business analyst Rob McMillan, wine business strategist Lulie Halstead, Hong Kong-based Chinese wine journalist Natalie Wang, founder and CEO of Winehub.io Benjamin Gibson and New Zealand Story Chief Executive David Downs. Read more on page 14.

New Zealand Wine 2025

28 August

nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents

The New Zealand Wine 2025 Celebration Dinner, on in Ōtautahi Christchurch after the Wine Business Forum, is a perfect opportunity to celebrate industry successes with friends, colleagues and stalwarts. Attendees will raise a glass to the New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows 2025 (page 30) and applaud the winners of the Young Viticulturist and Tonnellerie de

Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year Competitions.

Women in Wine Connect

29 Aug 2025

Nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/ nzw25/wiw

The New Zealand Wine 2025 Women in Wine Connect event is an opportunity for the New Zealand wine industry to connect, learn, and celebrate achievements, regardless of gender. The speaker at this year’s event, in Ōtautahi Christchurch, is Ali Adams, Chief Executive of ChristchurchNZ.

Organic

Wine Week

15-21 September

organicwinenz.com

Organic Wine Week celebrates organic wine, highlighting the quality and environmental benefits of organic wine production. Down to Earth is an event series held during the week, offering a large selection of New Zealand organic wines, and opportunity to connect with the passionate producers pouring them. Down to Earth is expanding to Australia this year, with trade and public sessions in Auckland on 16 September, and in Sydney on 18 September.

New Zealand International Wine Show

17 October

nziws.co.nz

The country’s largest wine show celebrates its 21st anniversary this year. The New Zealand International Wine Show was created to allow domestic wineries the opportunity to compete against overseas entrants, says convenor Kingsley Wood. The highly experienced judging teams enjoy the opportunity to taste, rate and score Champagnes, ports, sherries and wines from the ‘old world’, while also tasting

Claire Pinker

2024 winners Nina Downer and Georgia Mehlhopt

hundreds of New Zealand wines produced in the current vintage, he says. Judging will be held from 16 to18 September, with medal results released on 22 September and an Awards Event on 17 October.

Gisborne Wine and Food Festival 26 October 2025

gisbornewineandfoodfestival.co.nz/

A relaxed, sun-soaked day that showcases the best of Tairāwhiti’s wine, food, and hospitality. Visiting two iconic venues – Matawhero and TW Wines – guests can enjoy a wide range of varietals (from Gisborne’s legendary Chardonnay to aromatic whites and rosés), gourmet street

Unlock the story behind the label

food and live music all day long. Matawhero Wines celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and owner Kirsten Searle says the festival will be one of many celebrations, each promoting the region as well as the winery. “We are thrilled to be part of one of the country’s longest running wine and food festivals as well as celebrating our own milestone this year. We can’t wait to welcome guests to the region for a great day out amongst the vines with local wine, food and music”

Bay 22 November harvesthawkesbay.com

The Tantalus wine label, crafted by MCC Albany, is printed on a luxurious felt-textured stock with a beautiful matt gold finish. Featuring two intricately designed keys in gold hot foil with debossed details, the label reflects the rich heritage and breathtaking landscapes that inspire Tantalus wines. This exquisite label invites discovery, celebrating tradition, artistry, and the enduring connection between people and place.

Talk to MCC New Zealand where every product is labelled with care.

winemakers while enjoying a relaxed day out, enjoying outstanding wine, food and entertainment.

Cool Climate Symposium

iccws2026.nz

26-28 January 2026

The theme of the 11th International Cool Climate Wine Symposium, to be held in Ōtautahi Christchurch, is ‘Pure Innovation - Sustainable Development in Wine’. Hosted by the New Zealand Society for Viticulture

Harvest Hawke’s

Producer: Tantalus

Designer: Chris Ward & Shantala McNeish

Altogether Unique

Growing the reputation of New Zealand Wine

Charlotte Read

As our new financial year dawns, New Zealand Winegrowers continues to tally up media generated from guests hosted at Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 – currently valued at $6.8 million. We are also laying the foundation for Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027, another major event that will turbo charge talkability of New Zealand Wine on the global stage, so keep early February 2027 clear in your calendars! Meanwhile, we are looking forward to insights and perspectives from an impressive speaker line up at our upcoming Wine Business Forum, themed Embracing Change and Sustaining Growth. This is a must-attend event for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of the fast-changing landscape of the global wine industry and insights into sustaining future growth. As we mark 30 years of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand in 2025, we will also explore the importance of sustainability in wine business. The day provides an excellent opportunity to connect with peers, share knowledge and take away something actionable for your business. nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/nzw25/wbf

Charlotte Read is NZW General Manager Brand

Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand

In its fourth year, the month-long Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand campaign, held in May, celebrated New Zealand’s refreshing white wine varieties. The campaign is designed as a platform to discuss and celebrate New Zealand white wine across major export markets, and was timed to coincide with International Sauvignon Blanc Day (2 May), International Pinot Gris Day (17 May) and International Chardonnay Day (22 May). The campaign generated 17 media articles reaching 504,000 people, with an equivalent advertising value of $142,000. There was a 16% increase in toolkit downloads compared to 2024, and 249,000 social media impressions across Instagram and Facebook. Member engagement continues to be a strong indicator of NZW delivering value, with a 16% increase in the use of the Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand toolkit by our members as proof. The toolkit is a storytelling package that helps our members share their unique voices while aligning with a New Zealand Wine brand message.

New Zealand wineries made their debut collective appearance at Vinexpo Asia in Singapore from 27-29 May. Six wineries exhibited at the New Zealand Wine pavilion, complemented by eight additional participants operating independently or through importers. The event drew 8,998 trade professionals from more than 60 countries, with particularly strong attendance from Southeast Asian markets, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, reinforcing the region’s strengthening status. Participating wineries reported substantive trade engagements. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise hosted a networking event to further enhance business development opportunities, delivering significant value to exhibitors. This event was a great opportunity for the New Zealand wine industry to increase its visibility in the fast-growing Southeast Asia region.

Manchester Tasting Debrief

NZW and Wine Australia teamed up once again for a masterclass and walkaround tasting in Manchester in June. This was NZW’s second time in Manchester and the theme explored contemporary wines – featuring a wide range that spanned pét nat, alternative varieties, organic and biodynamic wines, and new wave styles. The masterclass was conducted by Emma Symington MW and Rebecca Gibb MW and was followed by a self-pour of 60 wines divided into themed flights. The feedback from the event has been overwhelmingly positive from the 76 guests that attended. The theme helped open attendees’ eyes to the diversity of wines coming from both countries and many new discoveries were made.

GuildSomm + New Zealand Masterclass

NZW partnered with GuildSomm to host a trade and media masterclass at City Winery in New York City, led by GuildSomm educator and Master Sommelier Jonathan Eichholz. The in-person seminar provided a focused exploration of New Zealand’s wine regions, grape varieties and winemaking styles, with an emphasis on understanding regional differences and market relevance. Three flights featuring a total of 12 wines showcased eight varietals across six different regions. Attendees were highly engaged throughout the session, asking insightful questions and demonstrating strong interest in the wines and history. Jonathan’s expertise and enthusiasm for New Zealand wine played a central role in making the session a great success.

Vinexpo Asia – Singapore

STEP UP WITH FENDT.

Wine Business Forum

SOPHIE PREECE

The topic of ‘Embracing Change and Sustaining Growth’ is at the heart of this year’s New Zealand Wine 2025 Wine Business Forum, to be held in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 28 August. Speakers include Rob McMillan, one of the top wine-business analysts in the United States, founder of the Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division, and author of its eponymous annual report. Rob says there are myriad reasons for a global “pulling back” in wine, including anti-alcohol lobbies and a generational shift away from baby boomers habits.

Wine business strategist Lulie Halstead, who spoke virtually and passionately at the inaugural Wine Business Forum about why marketing should be at the heart of every wine business, is returning in person for the 2025 event. Consumers care less than marketers would like them to, the Wine Intelligence founder told engaged attendees in 2023. “That gives us a real problem.

Because we assume consumers think, feel and behave the way we do.”

Hong Kong-based Chinese wine journalist Natalie Wang will look at the future of Asia’s wine markets, including the “significant achievement” of New Zealand wine exports to China exceeding $50 million. “The surge is largely driven by younger consumers in China who are showing a growing preference for white wines over reds,” Natalie says. “As a new generation forms its drinking habits, this trend is likely to continue, fuelling growth for New Zealand wine in the Chinese market.” Benjamin Gibson, founder and CEO of Winehub.io, the largest dedicated wine technology platform for Shopify, will examine the profitable opportunity of direct-to-consumer sales.

NZW General Manager Brand Charlotte Read says topics selected for the forum “aim to explore the wide array of change our industry faces, whether it be demographic shifts in wine drinkers, changing occasions, formats, and evolving trends to market dynamics and routes to market”. Another theme of the forum is recognising the

importance of sustainability in wine business to drive value, as the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme marks its 30th year. NZW’s Meagan Littlejohn, will explore how sustainability credentials impact market access, including comments from Barry Dick MW of premium United Kingdom supermarket Waitrose. “As with every Wine Business Forum, providing the opportunity for a member to share valuable learnings with their peers is a feature of the programme,” Charlotte says. “This year we will hear from Belinda Jackson at Lawson Dry Hills on her perspective on the value their multitude of sustainable certifications have had on their business.”

New Zealand Story Chief Executive David Downs, also part of the inaugural event in 2023, will wrap up the day by sharing the organisation’s latest New Zealand perception research, which highlights the importance of sustainability and environmental considerations in driving market preference for New Zealand wine. nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents

Market Update

SOPHIE PREECE

The global wine industry is experiencing its first “demand-based correction” after three decades of sustained growth, according to the Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the Wine Industry Report 2025.

Report author Rob McMillan, one of the top wine-business analysts in the United States, says there are myriad reasons for a global “pulling back” in wine, including anti-alcohol lobbies and a generational shift from baby boomers. “The story begins at the end of World War Two,” says Rob, whose research is focused on the US but is pertinent beyond its borders.

As soldiers returned and economies rallied, conditions were ripe for many industrialised countries, including the world’s wine-consuming nations, to experience large population increases.

“Each population boom coincided with a social evolution of wine in society,” Rob says. “Specifically, as it relates to the United States, the baby boomer generation had a perfect set of circumstances that drove higher consumption of premium wine.”

From 1994, the US experienced 25 consecutive years of higher wine consumption volume, becoming the largest wine-consuming country in the world, Rob says. “That trend started to flatten, and it finally reversed in 2018. That is coincident with the retirement of the boomer generation.” Subsequent generations do not index as highly in wine consumption, compared to other alcoholic beverages, resulting in a constant negative growth rate in wine, and now in all alcoholic beverages.

But the reason for the decline in consumption is more complex than an aging cohort, with anti-alcohol campaigns

“weaponising science and using it as a marketing tool”, Rob says. “The phrase ‘no safe amount’, or the notion that your cancer risk increases with the first drop consumed, is nonsense.” He cites a report released by NASM, a body of the US Government, at the end of 2024, that concluded that, “compared with never consuming alcohol, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality (moderate certainty).” But in January this year the US Surgeon General said, “alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer, after tobacco and obesity”. With two agencies coming to opposite conclusions on the science, “it’s becoming clearer that this is about politics instead of science”, Rob says. “The wine industry is collateral damage in that battle.”

Key strategies for growth

Silicon Valley Bank conducts two industry surveys annually: one that targets broader industry metrics and another that focuses on direct-to-consumer business. In June, the bank received 500 responses to a survey seeking to understand what wineries are doing to attract consumers aged 30-46.

The results showed that enhancing the tasting room experience was a successful strategy, including hiring and training

staff with the right skillsets, expanding wine club membership, and offering personalised experiences, such as special programmes for wine clubs and enhancing personal interactions with all consumers.

Marketing and engagement were also key, including digital marketing, with improved email programmes, content quality and recipient list growth. Local partnerships were another initiative, along with event programming, social media strategies and targeted marketing.

Survey recipients were focusing on new distributor partnerships, securing distributors in key markets, such as the West Coast and Midwest, to achieve broader reach. They also talked of innovative offerings, introducing new products that could include non-wine beverages to appeal to a broader audience.

In terms of navigating challenges, recipients talked of “political landscape awareness”; addressing anti-alcohol campaigns; and adapting pricing strategies.

Rob McMillan is speaking at the New Zealand Winegrowers Wine Business Forum 2025 in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 28 August. nzwine.com/en/ initiativesevents/nzw25/wbf

Industry

update

Vintage 2025

SOPHIE PREECE

The large 2025 harvest will exacerbate the wine industry’s “lingering” supply from recent vintages, New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told attendees at Grape Days events around the country in June. “There’s a lot of inventory sitting in wineries, and reduced demand for grapes out of the 2025 vintage.”

But alongside news of unharvested grapes, struggling markets, surplus wine and a “highly uncertain” outlook for the global economy, he shone a light on New Zealand’s wine exports having bucked the trend in the United Kingdom and United States, with modest sales growth in an otherwise flat or declining market, along with green shoots in new markets, including China (page 18).

The 2025 harvest figures are “significantly” higher than 2024’s light season, despite growers and wine companies leaving substantial amounts of crop in the vineyard. That comes in the wake of big crops in 2022 and 2023, with the latter released to market as supply chain destocking put the brakes on demand. Philip said challenging wine market conditions continue, particularly in the UK and US, which together take 60% of New Zealand wine exports. Meanwhile there’s uncertainty around the US trade tariffs and increased regulatory pressure around alcohol and health. “And we now have more wine to sell over the next 12 months.”

The result is hard times for growers, some of whom could not sell their grapes this year, Philip said. “The dynamic between growers and wineries is changing a lot. Up until 18 months ago wineries would take every grape that growers produced around the country. That’s not the case anymore.”

On the other side of the coin, global wine trends are towards the fresher, lighter wine styles, red and white, that New Zealand excels at, and exports for the past 12 months are up 5% on the 12 months to the end of April 2024, and about 20 million litres above the “low point” of January 2024, he said.

There has been good growth in nontraditional markets, and during the past year 70% of New Zealand wine’s export growth has been outside the UK, US and Australia. “One of the markets that stands out in that is China,” Philip said, reflecting on exports

exceeding $50 million for the first time, with growth in Sauvignon Blanc demand proving “fantastic” for New Zealand wine.

Meanwhile, there are signs of recovery in key markets, with exports to the US up 2.9% in value and 2.3% in volume over the past 12 months, while white wine to the UK is up 8% in value and 9.5% in volume for that period. “They’re really good numbers at a time that

Selling the sizzle

the markets are struggling.”

The industry now has an opportunity to build on the “fundamentals” that have made New Zealand wine successful, Philip said. “A lot may have changed in the last five years, but what hasn’t changed is our reputation around quality distinctive sustainable wine that’s still in place and that’s a huge positive for the industry to build on.”

Marisco Vineyards founder Brent Marris notes that when the 2008 global financial crisis hit, The Ned brand was very young, so succumbed to downward price pressure to secure sales volumes. More than 15 years on, the company’s response to the latest supply swell and demand drop is entirely different.

Rather than cutting the price, Marisco has been working hard to help its customers with marketing support, allowing The Ned to be featured prominently in store. “We’ve done it in New Zealand, we’ve done it in England and we’ve done it in Australia extremely well,” Brent says. The price remains solid but the exposure is high, he adds, reflecting on “very good sales”. They have also branched out into cans for The Ned, targeting the likes of concerts, events and rugby games to help grow its footprint. Brent says there’s pain for the industry, especially growers and the bulk wine market right now, “but if you’ve got a solid brand and you’re out there selling the sizzle, there’s more ways to make sales than just dropping price”.

The United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia continue to perform “extremely well”, and Marisco is now moving into the United States, spending a lot of time in the market, Brent says. “We might be a little bit late to the party there, but we’re certainly seeing opportunities in the US, like others are, because people are still loving Sauvignon Blanc and still discovering Sauvignon Blanc.” It is looking at Asian markets and also working to show customers that Marlborough is not a one trick Sauvignon Blanc pony. “We are finding that our partners also want to take Rosé and Pinot Gris from us.” Meanwhile there’s a ‘premiumisation’ push, including The Ned and other Marisco brands moving to a higher price point in the UK and Ireland.

When it comes to the abundant crops of the 2025 vintage, the company harvested to fill the winery, “and no more”, Brent says. “That meant we could target our best blocks to take the fruit from and leave the remainder behind. If we had harvested everything, we would have been kicking the can down the road. And we don’t want to be playing in the bulk wine market.”

Escarpment

Weathering the storm

SOPHIE PREECE

Grape growers who failed to sell their crop this year will be considering their options for vintage 2026, says WK Blenheim director Hamish Morrow. The business advisory and accountancy firm has been working with growers grappling with oversupply, including those with unharvested fruit in the 2025 season, and those whose contracts have since lapsed. “The next harvest is going to be as challenging, if not more. At the moment getting a grape supply contract is very difficult.”

“Do they bite the bullet and do the work on the possibility of it getting harvested and sold?”

Hamish Morrow

That means some growers have tough decisions to make in terms of investing in their crop for 2026, Hamish says. “Do they bite the bullet and do the work on the possibility of it getting harvested and sold?” Growers with older vines may use the oversupply period to invest in vineyard redevelopment or choose to mothball their blocks. “Do we pull them out now and look to go through a replanting programme? Or pull them out and just sit and wait?”

WK has been working through scenarios with clients, including cheaper pruning techniques, more efficient practices, lower yield expectations, and the viability of redeveloping vineyards. The ‘Investment Boost’ incentive in the New Zealand Budget 2025 will mean those who do choose to redevelop can deduct 20% of the cost from their taxable income, in addition to standard depreciation deductions. A tax benefit is helpful but does not solely justify capital investment, Hamish says.

He emphasises that many Marlborough growers achieved a good financial outcome for the year, including those with long-term contracts. They may not have ridden the highs of supply-constrained markets in the past but are now benefitting from the lower risk strategy. “Those who were off contract are the ones feeling the pain.”

The industry at large had some “very good years” leading up to the oversupply, allowing some growers to pay down debt, so they have “a little bit of reserve to fall back on”. Those operators tend to find current conversations with banks easier. The banks take a long-term view of the wine industry, are invested in its success, and don’t want to create panic, “which is the last thing the industry needs”, Hamish says.

When it comes to winery clients that

On the block

are able to maintain volumes and values of bottled and branded products, “which are tracking relatively well”, there are opportunities ahead, including the option of being more selective with fruit, and paying less for it than a few years ago. It’s important to look at the industry on a fiveto-10-year scale, not season by season, he adds. “There’s a bit of a pain out there at the moment, but fundamentally there’s still a good product with good sales.”

Vineyard sales have warmed up in the past six months, thanks to lower interest rates, a wider range of values, and renewed confidence in the prospects of Marlborough’s wine industry. Bayleys Marlborough Salesperson Kurt Lindsay says the market was slow in the last half of 2024, but is gaining some energy thanks to existing growers upsizing in a down market, and new players opting in while prices are lower. Unlike six months ago, “people are now saying, there’s light at the end of the tunnel... The message is that quality bottled product is still selling.” Grape supply contracts and vine age are key in the current market, and now lower interest rates are making conversations easier, he adds.

Recent sales include blocks that require redevelopment, sold by growers who were ready to retire. “They say they’ll meet the market,” says Kurt, noting that astute buyers feel the returns on a 30-year investment are still “pretty good”. Overall, many growers are “taking a breath” after what has been a great run in the wine industry. “Now it’s adjusting budgets, and adapting vineyard management and yield expectations for the next few years.” Kurt says. “Like all operators in many different sectors at the moment, it is a time to be conservative and utilise more data and knowledge prior to heading into the next season.”

White Wine

Revolution

New Zealand wine on the rise in China

SOPHIE PREECE

If you find a new consumer in a developed wine market, you are taking them from someone else, says Blank Canvas co-founder Sophie Parker-Thomson MW. “Whereas in China you are converting non-wine drinkers to wine.”

She’s speaking from a high-speed train in Taiwan, where she and winemaker Matt Thomson have been capitalising on demand for fine wines to accompany fine dining. From there they head to China, where sales are up 340% on 2021, in a market that’s now first equal with the United Kingdom for Blank Canvas. “China isn’t a quick fix to the surplus we’re facing as an industry,” Sophie says. “But there is certainly opportunity.”

It’s a stellar boost off a small base, but this is a market hitting its straps when it comes to New Zealand wine, with exports reaching an all-time high of $51.5 million in March. That’s largely thanks to a “a distinct transition” from red to white varieties in China, “with white wines now dominating sales velocity”, says New Zealand Winegrowers China Market Manager Vanessa Wu. “White wine’s market penetration has surged from 5% to 20%, with the upward trajectory largely driven by German Riesling and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.”

According to official data from China’s General Administration of Customs, New Zealand wines achieved parallel growth in both volume and value during 2024. The country’s wine imports to China saw a 16.29% year-on-year increase in volume, reaching 3.38 million litres, while import value rose 17.91%. That’s against a backdrop of market decline, with imports of French wine dropping 25% in volume from 2022 to 2023, and 17% from 2023 to 2024, with its share of total import volume dipping from 34.1% in 2022 to 28.2% in 2024. According to the latest 2025 data from China’s Chamber of Commerce (January-May), New Zealand bottled wine has surged to fifth place in market share (3.07%), overtaking Spain and the US. Vanessa says the figures underscore New Zealand’s strengthening position in China’s premium white wine segment, “with

its signature Sauvignon Blanc continuing to drive market expansion”.

“China isn’t a quick fix to the surplus we’re facing as an industry. But there is certainly opportunity.”

Sophie Parker-Thomson MW

The composition of New Zealand’s wine exports to China has shifted dramatically as the “white wine revolution” gathers steam, with white wines increasing their share from 67% in 2023 to more than 82% by 2025, “underscoring the category’s growing dominance in this strategically important market”, Vanessa says. According to IWSR, the global leader in beverage alcohol data and insights, the top selling New Zealand white wine varietal by volume in China in 2024 was Sauvignon Blanc, accounting for 79% of all New Zealand wine sold.

IWSR data shows that Sauvignon Blanc is the second largest overall white wine varietal in China, accounting for 12% of white wine sold by volume in 2024, lagging only behind heavy hitter Chardonnay, which accounted for 44%. Meanwhile, on Alibaba’s two major e-commerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall, Sauvignon Blanc was the top selling white wine variety from April 2024 to March 2025, with sales reaching 54 million RMB (NZ$12m), says Vanessa. Riesling and Chardonnay ranked second and third, with sales of 49m RMB and 37m RMB, respectively.

“Things have completely flipped” Nichole Mao is a partner at China-based company Nimbility, which helps beverage companies build markets and brands throughout Asia. She’s had her finger on the pulse of New Zealand wine since 2011, when she started managing the China market for Villa Maria. Since then there have been “huge changes”, she says. “From people not knowing where New Zealand is, and not knowing wine can also be white, to now New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc being available across all major retailers from Hema, Sam’s Club and others.”

She recalls a market visit to the far north in 2012, promoting Villa Maria along with another brand from France. “People weren’t paying much attention at all to New Zealand, while they were all focusing on the French brand. Now things have completely flipped.”

The import numbers make the white wine trend clear, with Germany and New Zealand growing while all other countries are declining, except for Australia – an outlier due to the lifting of tariffs that effectively locked it out of the market, Nichole says. A key thing to note with the data is that customers are aware that New Zealand white wines need to be drunk fresh, she adds, “so no one would stock up high volume if they cannot sell, meaning no stock piling.”

She believes the movement is driven by the “real growth of the China market”, with consumers of different age groups and social backgrounds increasingly drinking wine. “This is driven by health concerns, so moving away from Chinese baijiu, in addition to a wine culture that was slowly built in the past years and the growth of Chinese wine offerings.”

China has become a major market for Blank Canvas Wines

There’s still a big China market out there for New Zealand companies, considering Zealand’s share in imported wine in China is still very small, Nichole says. “The growth of white wine drinking culture in tier one cities in China will continue to trickle down into lower tier cities.”

“People weren’t paying much attention at all to New Zealand, while all focusing on the French brand. Now things have completely flipped.” Nichole Mao

Vanessa says the new generation of wine drinkers exhibits distinct preferences – favouring clearly demarcated regional brands, such as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, while developing an appreciation for boutique offerings from smaller wineries. “New Zealand’s wine regions, particularly Marlborough and Central Otago, have firmly established their reputation and built formidable category moats in the Chinese market.” Meanwhile, iconic brands like Cloudy Bay and Felton Road “have effectively educated Chinese consumers about New Zealand’s cool-climate wine characteristics through signature varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir”, she says. “These premium labels have not only set pricing benchmarks but also created valuable price premiums for the entire New Zealand wine category.”

In recent years, innovative brands such as Oyster Bay have pioneered direct-to-consumer models through e-commerce flagships, with annual sales exceeding 10,000 cases on Tmall, she adds, “demonstrating remarkable channel development leadership in China’s digital wine marketplace”.

Riding the white wine wave

Blank Canvas began exports to China in 2018, working with a “one man band” who had some success but limited reach. In 2021 Sophie and Matt were approached by a larger distributor, based in Hong Kong, and have expanded their footprint ever since. The major shift to white wine preferences has boosted their Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay sales, as well as aromatics. They visited for the first time last year and have been “seriously impressed”, while also noting the myriad challenges to navigate

along the way, including the need for a different strategy in every province, Sophie says. “It’s so different to any other wine market that we are used to dealing with.” There’s also good energy around wine education, with the highest level of WSET enrolments in the world. That’s driven by women aged 25 to 45, says Sophie, noting that alcohol consumption has always been male dominated in China. Wine has been “adopted quite strongly by women”, engaging with the educational element, connections, and “sense of gender equality”. Sophie sees that demographic as the “influencers” in the China wine market. “They are the ones who will go on to convert their husbands, and non-wine drinking friends, and we think there’ll be an even more dramatic surge.” She emphasises that as a “slow build”, China is not a solution for the New Zealand wine industry at large. “It will be a long-term strategy to build the market here, as converting non-wine drinkers to drinkers takes time.” All the Asian markets share a common theme in being highly conscious of brand and quality, she adds. “Scores, reputation and authenticity matter hugely.” Exporters also have to be “incredibly careful” with sales channels and strategy. “Online can have immense volume potential but the competitiveness within these businesses mean they will always undercut and very quickly your pricing integrity and brand can be destroyed. You can’t do this if you want to be in on-premise and fine wine retail.”

Pioneering New Zealand wine

The growing foothold of New Zealand wine in China comes as no surprise to Cloudy Bay Estate Director Yang Shen, who hails from Chengdu in the Sichuan province. Cloudy Bay has been in the Asia Pacific market, and particularly more mature markets of Japan and Hong Kong, since the early 2000s. But when Yang

took up his role in 2016, Cloudy Bay’s parent company, LVMH, had the Chinese market in view. For the past seven years the company has followed a strategy there, and in neighbouring markets influenced by Chinese culture, including Singapore, Malaysia and Korea.

As the company once opened doors for New Zealand producers in the UK and other now-established markets, it’s again creating categories for New Zealand wine in Asia, with a substantial share of New Zealand wine exports to China, and of the super-premium wine category in Korea, he says. “I think we are still playing the role of Cloudy Bay as pioneer, to put the industry into those countries – as they did 20 years ago, or 40 years ago in some markets.”

Nichole Mao says brands like Cloudy Bay have been very important in “pioneering” New Zealand wine in China. “With language difference, it is very important for Chinese consumers to have a name that they can remember and connect the country with,” similar to the impact of Lafite with France and Penfolds with Australia.

The shift to white wine preferences is also no surprise to Yang, who recognised it simply as a missing category. People have looked at statistics in China and Asia to label them as red wine markets, but all wine categories there are new, he says. “The wine culture is western culture. Regardless of whether it is red or white, the wine culture has been imported… It is a lifestyle thing, not part of tradition, and there’s always opportunity for any imported culture to be accepted.”

The market changes quickly, and operators need to be nimble, with competition from other countries and other alcoholic beverages a constant challenge. “People can choose between sparkling or Champagne, or a glass of Cloudy Bay or a glass of something else,”

Yang Shen

Yang says. Remaining a market leader requires strategies to open minds. “It’s just about right target, right moment, right opportunities and right occasions.”

Cultural nuances

Marlborough winemaker David Tyney says China offers a “reliable and rewarding” market for wineries focused on premium, distinctive wines. “The primary consumer segment consists of young professionals eager to explore global wines. Quality and uniqueness are major selling points, and many are willing to pay a premium for products that deliver both.”

“When you hear people talking about wine in China, they are talking about the rise of white wine from New Zealand and Germany.”

Charlotte Read

But despite the potential for some producers, China’s wine market is complex, shaped by “cultural and demographic nuances”, David says, cautioning that it is unlikely to become a high-volume market for New Zealand wines. “Of the country’s 1.4 billion people, approximately 100 million are regular wine consumers, with imported wine accounting for 10-20% of total consumption,” David says. “While total imports exceed USD$1b, this remains relatively modest in scale.”

David has been exporting Cirro Wines to China since 2012, when he was invited to participate in a winemaking competition in Ningxia. Since then, he has certainly leant into the market, both for winemaking consultancy roles and Cirro sales, with the latter taking the lion’s share of his time these days. He started with a single pallet, half of which was red wine, and in the time since has seen consistent growth of 15-20% per annum in China, and a shift to greater demand for white wines.

New Zealand’s reputation in China extends beyond wine, he says. “Consumers are already familiar with our dairy, tourism and kiwifruit industries, so the idea that New Zealand produces quality wines is well received. The market has matured significantly over the past 13 years, with increasing numbers of wine professionals “and a steady influx of wine enthusiasts and

students eager to expand their knowledge”. In more recent years, demand for New Zealand wines has accelerated, “particularly for unique offerings that showcase regional or varietal diversity,” he adds. “There’s a real appetite for discovery and differentiation.”

David spent much of May and June travelling through Asia, including as part of a Mayoral trade delegation to Ningxia – Marlborough’s sister region –and Chengdu during May. The delegation included Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor and other council members, as well as Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) Executive Director Olivia Hall. Several meetings were held with government leaders and universities during the visit and agreements were signed between NMIT and Ningxia University wine school, and the Ningxia Institute of Science and Technology.

David participated in the Wine 2 Asia

An FTA case study

international tradeshow in Shenzhen, China, and at the NZW China Roadshow in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Qingdao, where there was high interest in all New Zealand wine varieties, he says. “The China market is evolving quickly, and I observed a trend towards single vineyard and alternative varietal wines.”

He also attended a New Zealand tasting event in Seoul, and notes that New Zealand wine is one of the few categories experiencing growth in Korea. New consumers are discovering New Zealand wines for the first time, and there’s solid momentum surrounding the country’s offerings.” Then it was Vinexpo in Singapore, which attracted buyers from China, South Korea, Japan, and ASEAN countries. “NZW facilitated a busy stand with six participating wineries, and most interactions were with serious buyers knowledgeable about wine,” David says.

The China market has always required perseverance and patience, says Charlotte Read, New Zealand Winegrowers General Manager Brand, who lived in China from 2012 to 2017, as an export manager for a New Zealand winery and a food and beverage programme lead for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. “It’s rewarding to see that has paid off since the Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2008.” China will be a good case study if and when New Zealand achieves an FTA with India, Charlotte says. “Post FTA it takes a lot of time and education and events – it could take a decade or two before you get good traction.”

There’s been a transition to “real demand” for New Zealand wine in China, rather than the “opportunistic sales” of people buying for gifting or banqueting, inspired more by “a pretty box” than knowledge of the wines themselves, she says. New Zealand and Germany represent the most visible green shoots in the market, along with a resurgence from Australia after China ended four years of tariffs that effectively blocked its wine from the market. “But generally, when you hear people talking about wine in China, they are talking about the rise of white wine from New Zealand and Germany.”

In 2013, Charlotte spoke to the New Zealand Herald about huge potential for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the Chinese premier wine market. Twelve years on, the shift to white wine is an exciting development for companies that put in the time and effort. “It’s a true opportunity, but you have to be measured in how you do it. It’s not going to be an overnight success story… You have to build a strong business brick by brick.”

Dave Tyney

“I think we are still playing the role of Cloudy Bay as pioneer, to put the industry into those countries.”

Yang Shen

Leveraging future opportunity

Vanessa Wu says China’s imported wine market has navigated a decade of fluctuations, with particularly challenging conditions during the 2022-2024 period, “though signs of recovery are now emerging”. Industry analysts anticipate long-term market stabilisation with imported wines demonstrating strong growth potential, she says. “Within this evolving landscape, New Zealand wines have undergone remarkable transformation in China, especially over the past four to five years. The rising popularity of white wines among Chinese consumers, particularly younger demographics, has created significant opportunities for New Zealand producers.”

Ian Ford, a founding partner of Nimbility, imported a Villa Maria wine into China

WINE TESTING

in late 1999 –one of the first New Zealand wines in the market. Since that time New Zealand in general has pursued a quality positioning within the wine sector, largely avoiding “the race to the bottom” on prices, he says. “New Zealand wines by and large missed out on the conspicuous

consumption of the early wine boom, the extravagant banquets and gifting that favoured Bordeaux and later Penfolds. But the category is now very well positioned to attract the hearts and minds of new younger wine consumers who are seeking out the wines that they truly love to enjoy.”

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Organic Conference

The Organic & Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference brought together local and international experts to explore themes of soil, water, biodiversity and regenerative systems.

EMMA JENKINS MW shares some of the science, insights and passion from June’s three-day gathering in Blenheim.

Structured around the framework of ki raro, ki runga, ki te rangi – underneath the earth, above the ground, into the sky –the fifth biennial Organic & Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference deftly blended technical insight, philosophical reflection and practical experience.

It opened with a heartfelt address from Organic Winegrowing New Zealand Chair Clive Dougall, who described New Zealand’s pending gene tech legislation as an “existential threat” to organic producers. That concern was echoed by Professor Jack Heinemann from the University of Canterbury, who delineated the risks of the proposed regulatory changes for winegrowers and the entire organic sector.

Climate resilience was an ever-present theme, but speakers also warned against over-prioritising carbon at the expense of water and biodiversity. “Soil is the basis of life – a statement that cannot be improved upon”, Dr Peter Espie said as he unpacked the latest thinking on the microbiome – “the future of fine wine”.

Technical highlights included Dr Charles Merfield’s fascinating critique of tillage

and weed management, which had many rethinking their own approaches. Dr Sara Loeffen outlined DNA-based tools for measuring earthworm density, Dr Mark Kraznow offered a ‘how to’ for resilient vines, and freshwater advocate Dr Mike Joy delivered a wakeup call on the state of New Zealand’s waterways.

“There’s a hope for the future, but it lives under our feet, and we have got to respect it.”

Katia Nussbaum

On the practical front, Jim Bowskill shared the results of his organic viticulture benchmarking research, and Lincoln University’s Olaf Schelezki outlined a report on challenges and enablers for Central Otago’s prospects of being 50% organic by 2030. Nick Gill’s explanation of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation’s One Block Challenge drew interest from many growers curious about regenerative experimentation, and Marta Mendonça, Head Manager at the Porto Protocol, a global climate action network for the wine industry, kickstarted a packaging discussion.

From a global perspective, American speakers Joseph Brinkley (Bonterra) and Rajat Parr (Phelan Farm) offered practical and philosophical reflections on maintaining integrity in large and small scale organic farming. Joseph outlined how organic certification can underpin strong brand identity, underscored by Raj’s conviction that younger consumers demand traceability, soul and story. Katia Nussbaum (Montalcino, Italy) spoke eloquently of San Polino’s 40-year pathway from conventional to the forefront of ‘vitiforestry’,

as it sought to expand what is understood about the vineyard’s mycelial networks and relationship to the surrounding forest. Katia also gave an extraordinary closing discussion on the concepts of mycelial networks and what vine consciousness might mean for us all.

Artificial intelligence storytelling, urban community farms, certification considerations and hybrid grape varieties, among other topics, broadened the conversation, while evening events, including an impressive Matariki feast, offered further opportunity for connection, celebration and collaboration.

What emerged over three days was clear: there’s no one-size-fits-all path, but the direction is shared. As Katia said: “There’s a hope for the future, but it lives under our feet, and we have got to respect it.”

Growing resilience

Leading viticulturist and agroecologist

Dr Mary Retallack urged winegrowers to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a diversity of ideas, cultivating a “polyculture of thought”. The founder of Retallack Viticulture and Ecology, and of Australia’s EcoVineyards programme (ecovineyards.com.au), shared her passion for building vineyard resilience through functional biodiversity and native insectaries. Her message was clear: it’s time to fundamentally shift our approach to vineyard ecosystems, moving from intervention-based monocultures to dynamic, living systems grounded in agroecology.

The food system is considered the primary driver of biodiversity loss, and some research claims we have less than a decade to restore ecosystems. In vineyards, that means Photo left, Dr Mary Retallack urged winegrowers to challenge conventional thinking. Photo Brad Griffin

covering the soil and promoting active root growth, feeding soil microbial life, establishing diverse groundcovers (grasses and forbs – herbaceous flowering plants), moving away from less stable monocultures to polycultures, and favouring native, perennial plants over exotic or annual species. “Scruffy is often functional,” said Mary, advocating for “ripping off band aids or short-term solutions to break the cycles of intervention”, in favour of long-term ecological thinking.

In 2022 Mary secured AU$2.2 million in funding from Wine Australia for EcoVineyards, a national programme that now spans 76 demonstration sites across 14 Australian wine regions, and has already helped drive a 25% increase in biodiversity, 35% increase in the use of ground covers, and improvements in soil remediation practices. She outlined her approach to agroecology as a diverse type of thinking, with ecological land management practices that helped create a framework of step changes tailored to complement any vineyard management style – conventional, organic, biodynamic or regenerative –and then scaled up as growers gained confidence.

Rather than seeking rigid prescriptions, growers are encouraged to ask, “does this practice bring me closer to, or further from, the goal of working in harmony with nature?” Covering both philosophical grounding and practical instruction, Mary made the distinction between ‘dirt’ (geology without biology) and living soil, and explained soil health indicators, what to focus on when selecting groundcovers, and the value of having a variety of plant and animal life in the vineyard. She emphasised the importance of nature corridors, with a minimum of 30% original vegetation cover required to stem species loss.

Mary brought both rigour and charm to functional biodiversity and native insectaries, reminding the audience that a group of ladybirds is a ‘loveliness’. Predatory arthropods (insects, spiders, mites), microbats (of which New Zealand has two species), and insectivorous birds were championed as nature’s biological control agents, offering virtually free pest suppression in return for a happy home. She outlined how to attract them with insectary plantings, planting species for overlapping food sources for year-round supply of nectar, pollen, shelter and alternative prey, and favouring low maintenance perennial or self-regenerating natives. She also recommended ditching traditional end-row

Backed by Australian case studies, along with an example of native plant trials in a Hawke’s Bay vineyard, Mary’s work is a compelling story of practical ecological knowledge helping to future-proof vineyards. She invited attendees to rethink sustainability as a starting rather than end point, and to embrace regenerative and ecological practices instead.

Why purpose matters

“The most important thing in life is intention,” said renowned United States sommelier-turned winegrower Rajat Parr. Intention and honesty go hand-in-hand in organic winegrowing and are preeminent in a world where the younger generation of drinkers increasingly demand both, he

The Porto Protocol

told conference attendees, explaining why purpose matters more than ever in wine.

When he started as a sommelier, Rajat had never heard the word organic. But by the late 90s, conversations around natural wine sparked by Beaujolais’ pioneering ‘Gang of Four’ began to change the landscape. A conversation with Jean-Louis Chave reframed the idea from trend to tradition for Rajat. When asked what organics meant to him, Jean-Louis simply replied, “After 14 generations of making wine the same way, we don’t know any other way.”

When Rajat eventually transitioned from restaurant floor to vineyard, he knew his wines had to be grown organically. The pathway began with Domaine de la Côte, Sandhi, and Evening Land (made with

The Porto Protocol is a global action network and knowledge hub dedicated to climate change action within the wine industry. Launched in 2018 at Portugal’s Climate Change Leadership Conference, it now has more than 250 members in more than 25 countries, who commit to measurable climate action and collaboration via an online resource hub. The Protocol focuses on four areas: packaging, water, ecosystems and change. It turns shared knowledge into collective action through case studies, tools and events, helping wineries and related businesses adopt practices such as water conservation strategies, biodiversity protection, renewable energy initiatives, and circular economy models. Plans include developing a comprehensive governmental White Paper aimed at bringing together its insights and solutions to accelerate progress. New Zealand currently has four winery members, including Central Otago’s Coal Pit, which is a Leading Member.

The Porto Protocol’s ‘Unpacking Wine Guide’ is available for download at nzwine.com. nzwine.com/members/sustainability/ guides/climate-change/

roses in favour of local flora.

Marta Mendonça. Photo Lisa Duncan

Rajat Parr. Photo Lisa Duncan

winemaker Saschi Moorman), leading to his own vineyard, Phelan Farm, in Cambria (San Luis Obispo AVA), an idyllic spot within view of the sea. “Learning how to understand nature is probably the hardest thing I have ever done,” Rajat admitted. In a forested valley, the vineyard has come with lots of challenges – thistles, frost, disease, tiny crops – but his passion is undimmed. Sap analysis, experimental ayurvedic tonics, sheep, and livestock guardian dogs are now all in the mix, with the economics aided by his consultancy work through his négoce label and private backers.

In California, where organic vineyards make up only 4% of plantings, Rajat acknowledges that consumers often fail to grasp the farming impact, but he’s observed a stark generational shift occurring. “Boomers typically don’t care about organics, but Gen Z want soulful, energetic wines, and they’re incredibly good at detecting ‘BS’.” He believes they want authentic stories of place, backed by real people. “Those who don’t get this will struggle. Real terroir is not only the land; it is also you.”

Rajat highlighted three producers epitomising intentional farming:

• Bedrock Vineyards, which has a mission is to preserve California’s historic vineyards. Rajat calls Bedrock “an amazing story of intention and one person building a team”, quoting founder Morgan TwainPeterson MW: “If I’m talking with any sommelier or wine buyer under 40, how the grapes are farmed and the wine made are some of the first questions asked… because their customers care.”

• Tablas Creek, dry-farmed pioneers of regenerative organic viticulture in the US, established in 1994 by the Perrin and Hass families, from Beaucastel cuttings. Jason Haas says after 30 years, “people are just starting to understand what we are doing”.

• Littorai, where Ted Lemon’s delicate biodynamic wines helped catalyse California’s ‘In Pursuit of Balance’ movement. “The notion of biodiversity has been forgotten in many places,” says Ted. “We’re ahead because we protect this on our sites, and it is going to be enormous.”

At Phelan Farm, Rajat is living his philosophy. “You have to trust your land,” he concluded. “Farm the best grapes, make the wine simply, age as long as you can,

bottle without filtering or fining. Translate what’s living in the soil into what’s in the bottle.”

Waking up to water woes

The use, management, perception, and protection of water were a key focus at the conference, with Victoria University’s Dr Mike Joy compellingly frank about what he called New Zealand’s “Faustian bargain” with freshwater. Despite the country’s carefully cultivated clean, green image, 45% of its lakes are “officially polluted”, including nearly all lowland lakes, and 85% of its waterways exceed nitrogen guidelines, with many of them un-swimmable. Mike presented a bleak picture of ongoing degradation, abuse and negligence, much of it driven at the legislative level, with politicians happy to ignore the science.

He highlighted the costs borne by taxpayers for environmental cleanup –“we subsidise harm, and socialise the costs, accepting the right to pollute” – and the looming risk of reputational damage, none of which are factored into the perceived returns of the agricultural sector. We know the solutions to our freshwater problems

but have yet to show the collective will to implement them, he said.

Ian Trousdell, of Flowform International, introduced the concept of ‘quantum coherent water’, speaking eloquently about how nature moves water in deliberate patterns – vortices, laminar, rhythmic and chaotic flows – that together sustain pHbalanced, super-oxygenated, energy-rich water. He called for a shift in perspective, suggesting we should begin to view all water as a single interconnected entity, as we do with air. This mindset, he argued, opens the door to understanding how quantum physics principles relate to water, particularly in terms of energy flow states.

Ian explained that everything alive depends on water, be it via blood, sap, or any cellular fluid, outlining a constant interchange of particles of energy that make up physical things (quanta) and light waves. “When that occurs at a high frequency with low resistance, water can receive energy and replenish its particles smoothly and efficiently - you have high coherence.” He showed examples of Flowform’s biomimetic systems – cascading, interlinked shallow bowls designed to move water in a pulsing figure-eight motion – mimicking natural

movement. These, Ian noted, may have practical applications in wine production, such as improving ferment quality.

Charlotte Tomlinson, environmental scientist at Marlborough District Council, gave an overview of how Marlborough’s river systems are managed. With hotter, drier growing seasons expected, she said storage will be key, and is likely shift from a backup to a primary source of water in the future.

The final speaker was Marta Mendonça, who spoke with conviction about the Porto Protocol and wine’s often-overlooked water footprint. She urged the industry to bring water to the forefront of sustainability thinking, “because water is sacred, it’s alive. Water is life… it is not just a tool.” Marta argued that water use in viticulture deserves the same reverence as terroir: “It nourishes our vines, it shapes our yield and quality. It is the silent ingredient in every bottle.” While carbon footprints are now widely understood, water footprints remain largely unexamined, shaped by outdated, highly politicised policies that have long favoured industrial agriculture and encouraged wasteful use-it-or-lose-it approaches.

She warned of the industry’s “carbon

tunnel-vision”, suggesting that it may not yet have the answers for water use simply because “we are not yet even asking the questions”. Although the International Organisation of Vine and Wine is currently reviewing global measuring frameworks, Marta stressed that we cannot wait for perfect data before taking action. Instead, she advised we must recognise the complexity of green (rain/groundwater), blue (irrigation) and grey (recycled or ‘waste’) waters, and consider each in terms of source, timing and location of use, and the myriad indirect water uses across wine’s production chain.

She acknowledged programmes like Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand that already track water use, and highlighted the impact that even simple changes, such as reducing hose diameter reduction or UV light disinfecting, can have, but added that this is an “incomplete scenario”. Instead, “understanding systems is the goal”, emphasising that true progress requires a mindset shift where “water is respected, not just measured”.

Winegrower Magazine will include more coverage of the conference in an upcoming regenerative viticulture feature.

Grape Days 2025 Carbon Calculations

SOPHIE PREECE

Gathering granular data regarding vineyard practices is a key step in cutting carbon emissions and assessing future electricity requirements, says Dr Seth Laurenson.

The Bragato Research Institute Sustainability Research Leader spoke to Grape Days attendees about the development of a carbon calculator to help growers and wine companies make informed decisions on vineyard practices and purchasing priorities. “Essentially improving energy efficiency, moving away from diesel, and decarbonising with electricity as well.”

During the next 12 months the programme, which is being run with the Marlborough Circular Wine Group, hopes to recruit 100 growers to use the calculator (currently in app form) to gather data about carbon emissions from vineyard activities.

A grower could, for example, enter the diesel use of a specific tractor running a trimmer across a certain number of rows.

“What we essentially want to do is to build a database that other growers can use around the carbon spend of that one tractor pass,” Seth said.

Grape Days – C the Light

SOPHIE PREECE

The use of UV-C light in vineyards could halve fungicides applications for powdery mildew, according to results from the first season of a two-year trial in Marlborough. Bragato Research Institute Viticulture Research Scientist Dr Paul Epee told Grape Days attendees that the project, being run by BRI in partnership with A Lighter Touch, Whitehaven Wines and Agri-automation, already had “positive and exciting” results.

UV-C light (type C ultraviolet light) technology was being tested and used internationally as a cost effective and environmentally friendlier option for controlling grapevine powdery mildew.

As well as helping growers make informed decisions in machinery purchases and use, the data will also help inform the wine industry about potential electrification of tasks, and the subsequent power requirements. “For instance, if there’s a widespread shift to electrification across

The trial being run at a Whitehaven vineyard block in Rapaura involved an autonomous robot carrying a machine emitting UV-C radiations. The robot operates at night, when the pathogen is more vulnerable and unable to repair the damage caused.

“In a nutshell, the trial is showing that UV-C light can control powdery mildew up until pre-bunch closure on leaves and in bunches. And the combination of UV-C light with fungicides – either at three key points in the growing season, or with very light or low environmental impact fungicides like sulphur – can make a big difference and cut down the amount of fungicide by half or more.”

According to Paul’s presentation at Grape Days 2025, the increased use of fungicides

Marlborough, we would need a 250% increase in the amount of electricity we have, which is not realistic. One of the key parts of this is to work with our colleagues at Marlborough Lines to understand that shift.”

Seth front-footed the oft asked question

for powdery mildew – estimated at more than 1,900 tonnes annually – endangers the environment and vineyard biodiversity, killing both powdery mildew and beneficial fungi, especially when broad-spectrum fungicides are applied.

Growers are also at risk of reduced efficacy of fungicides and resistance development issues when the same active ingredient is used repeatedly, Paul said. “Therefore, this project offers a nonchemical, more sustainable alternative to divest from synthetic fungicides for the control of powdery mildew in New Zealand vineyards.”

To read more on UV-C light trials, see Paul’s research update in the December 2024 edition of Winegrower Magazine at nzwine.com/en/media/nzwm

Dr Seth Laurenson. Photo Richard Briggs

of why soil and vine carbon capture are not included in carbon accounting, emphasising that those stocks are highly labile, shifting between seasons and years. There are voluntary systems that do account for those stocks, but they are very expensive due to the need to repeatedly verify, he said.

Meagan Littlejohn, New Zealand Winegrowers Programme Manager for Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, told attendees that vineyard activities

Probing questions

Growers using soil moisture sensors without calibrating for block specifics could be watering far too much or too little, says an irrigation expert. Speaking at Grape Days events around New Zealand in June, Dr Mark Krasnow presented results from trials with the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative, in conjunction with his consultancy, Thoughtful Viticulture, and Dr Stewart Field of Nelson Marlborough Institute of

were responsible for 17% of New Zealand wine industry emissions, with 56% of the vineyard footprint from diesel use.

Giving an overview of NZW’s Roadmap to Net Zero 2050, which outlines key milestones and emission-reduction opportunities in vineyards and wineries, she emphasised the increasing demand in global markets for proof of sustainable practices. “They’re asking for more information and more evidence to back up any claims that you’re making.” About

80% of all New Zealand wine exports are now going to markets that have mandatory climate-related disclosures in place, and a growing portion are also going to markets that have mandatory or proposed carbon border adjustment mechanisms. Emissions reporting and reduction are becoming market access issues, Meagan said. “Or an opportunity if you can meet all of their requirements.”

Read more about Grape Days 2025 in the BRI Research Supplement, page 52.

Technology. “You can be overwatering or underwatering your vines pretty badly by just blindly looking at soil moisture graphs and trying to keep them in the green zone,” Mark said.

“Many people don’t go any further than installing the probes, which have a pre-set ‘refill point’ and ‘stress point’, based on soil type and grower risk tolerance, and then just try to irrigate to those points.” But depending on where the vines’ roots

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are relative to the probe depth, the pre-set stress point can be dramatically wrong, he said. “To the point where you are costing yourself money by losing yield if they underestimate actual vine stress, or you are costing yourself money by putting on too much water because they overestimate vine stress. By actually measuring the vines, the precise stress point can be determined and the red line moved there on the soil moisture graph”.

Tech talk

New vineyard view

SOPHIE PREECE

After more than 20 years collecting and curating data for winegrowers, a homegrown software company is taking its vineyard views to a new level. Integrape’s digital tools are widely used in New Zealand vineyards, with data aggregated from myriad sources – including lab results, winery data and vineyard records – and presented via a geographical information system (GIS), so that the likes of nutrition and variability on vineyards are seen block by block, in a historical context.

“You can easily detect high or low spots in your vineyard and understand the overall variability.”

Joris Besamusca

Managing Director Joris Besamusca says the “next evolution” of the platform, Integrape Pro, offers more vineyard detail, at a 10x10 metre scale. It has been designed, in coordination with key clients, for a “new generation of data-engaged-users”, he says. “People passionate about using all the data available to them work as efficiently as possible.”

The granularity offered by the new iteration offers “deeper insights into each vine’s health and production, connecting data points from the soil right through to the resulting yield”, Joris says. “You can easily detect high or low spots in your vineyard and understand the overall variability.”

Hello alora

An agritech startup is introducing Kiwi winegrowers to a 24/7 vineyard assistant with instant access to winery, vineyard and plant-procured data. Croptide’s latest digital venture, alora, uses voice activated artificial intelligence to give data-driven responses to questions posed on the phone, such as ‘when was this block last sprayed?’, ‘give me a summary of what’s been happening in

The family-owned company began in 2002, when Joris’s father, vineyard consultant Gerard Besamusca, decided he needed an improved system for managing the data from his clients, yielded from an array of sources. The platform was initially developed as a tool for his own clients, to store and use their own data. Since then, the technology has been in a constant state of evolution, including a major GIS overhaul in 2016, when Joris took over the reins and set up a separate entity, Intecrop. In 2020 they purchased the Vure App, developed by Spore Lab, which is used for data collection for the likes of yield estimation, and pest and disease monitoring, with GPS reference points, time stamps and optional image collection. “It helps viticulturists log problems and observations, immediately and accurately, from one end of the vineyard to the other”, Joris says.

As well as launching Integrape Pro in August, a new Vine Audit service is now being offered to count individual vines and log individual vine health, as a one-off snapshot or annual record. The audit could be used as a third-party assessment of a lease

or sale block, or by companies to monitor and plan for change, Joris says. “With the results of an Integrape Vine Audit, vineyards have a base layer of data to monitor pest or disease development, or plot the results of their harvest.”

Whitehaven Viticulturist Jess Wilson has been using Integrape for four years – with the likes of soil tests in the vineyard and yeast assimilable nitrogen in the winery all easily accessible on the platform. Whitehaven started using Vure three years ago, meaning Jess can see live results of inflorescence counts, for example, and is able to query results, or request additional counts, then download the data from the app. “It has saved me so much time.” It’s a far cry from the paper system being used when she joined Whitehaven in 2018. “I had to wait all day for the team to get results and hand me their bits of paper. Then I would sit there and enter everything in.”

Jess has her eye on an array of new technologies. “We won’t necessarily action everything, but there’s some very cool tech in the wings and it’s going to make our lives so much easier.”

the vineyard’, or ‘what’s the temperature range forecasted for this week?’ The assistant also taps into information from Croptide’s Rosetta sensors, launched in 2021, which monitor plant stress to finesse decisions around water or nutrient inputs.

Company co-founder Hamish Penny says while developers were building the sensors they noticed a

disconnect between the amount of data winegrowers and orchardists collect, and the lack of time and ability they have to exploit its value. Alora is intended to bridge that divide, so that time-poor operators can call up while driving to a block, for example, and ask for updates based on their own data, or external resources such as weather forecasts.

Joris Besamusca with Rowan Hoskins, viticulturist at Escarpment Martinborough. Photo by Dianna Clapperton-Adams

Fault fixing

From removing stink bug taint from one wine to balancing excessive bitterness in another, a New Zealand-grown technology is helping winemakers recover value from fault-affected wines.

amaea develops custom-engineered molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with billions of binding sites, to selectively target and capture unwanted molecules, including pyrazines, ethyl phenols, and phenolic compounds, and remove them while preserving the wine’s essential varietal character, colour, and flavour. “This recovers value, saves wine from being downgraded or discarded, and ultimately protects brand integrity,” says amaea Chief Executive Aiden Tapping of the technology, which is being used from premium winemakers in New Zealand to top-tier producers in California.

Marisco Vineyards has used the MIPs to remediate a stink bug-affected wine from a block of Pinot Noir in the otherwise “exceptional” 2024 vintage. The Australasian green shield bug can create distinctive vegetative aromas in

the wines, and the winery used amaea’s highly selective MIPs to remove the unwanted molecules responsible for the undesirable traits. “Having the ability to run wine through MIPs, knowing it won’t physically change apart from removing the target molecules, is a massive plus,” says winemaker Alun Kilby.

Giesen used amaea technology in place of gelatine to address bitterness in its 0% Merlot. Consulting winemaker Duncan Shouler, former Director of Winemaking at Giesen Group, says removing alcohol from wine typically makes certain traits and characteristics start to stand out. “For Merlots, the tannins become prominent, and the warmth and sweetness are lost.” Gelatine is traditionally added to soften phenolic content but isn’t vegan-friendly “and isn’t

Sustainable Non-Additive Fining Replace traditional fining agents to lower costs, improve yield, reduce waste and labelling requirements.

Palate Polishing Reduce bitterness and astringency while improving overall wine quality.

entirely selective”, he says. “Which means it removes more than is intended. At Giesen, when introduced to amaea PFx, we saw a technique that enabled us to balance polyphenols.”

Another New Zealand producer, Cleomont Vineyards, used the technology on a particularly phenolic 2024 Marlborough Pinot Gris. Owner and winemaker Digger Hennessy used amaea’s MIPs to reduce the wine’s excessive bitterness and enhance its sweetness, selectively capturing the offending phenolic compounds. “The wine didn’t need a huge treatment. It got rid of the very annoying bitterness on the back palate that we were struggling to get out. The MIP treatment made it a lot smoother and now I’m happy with it.”

Over the past year, amaea’s technology has been used for remediating ‘off’ aromas and wines impacted by the likes frost, pyrazines and Brettanomyces, with more than 50 producers treating more than 1.5 million litres of wine, says Aiden. “It’s fantastic to see the consistent validation from the industry, highlighting the versatility and value of our technology.”

Upgrade Pressings Improve yield by reduction of coarse phenolics, upgrading wine volume and value.

COLIN FORD

Business Development, Auckland

MOBILE: 022 484 2810

EMAIL: colin@vintechpacific.co.nz

BRETT BARNES

North Island Manager, Napier

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EMAIL: brett@vintechpacific.co.nz

Taint Removal Low impact removal of Brettanomyces (4-EP & 4-EG), smoke and other taints.

CHRISTIAN KUUN

South Island Manager, Blenheim

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NZW Fellows

The 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows include research, viticulture and sustainability champions, governance stalwarts, a marketing maven and two pioneering woman of wine. SOPHIE PREECE talks to six stubborn changemakers who have helped New Zealand wine soar, including the late, great Dr Richard Smart.

Clive Jones

For services to wine organisations

As a young industrial chemist working in product development, Clive Jones would scan ingredient lists at the supermarket, “interested in what makes this product different from that”.

Part of his growing fascination with wine back then was that there was no easy list for what made each one unique. “With a shampoo you can tell, but with wine you can’t. It’s part of the big mystery of what we now know as turangawaewae.”

Thirty-three years after he traded cosmetics and cleaning products for a career in wine, Clive has been named a 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow, recognising 15 years in wine governance, including as chair of the Marlborough Winegrowers and NZW boards. “It’s my extension piece,” says Clive, valuing the collegiality entwined with wine governance, and the insights he gained into the wider wine community. He has spent the past 27 years as winemaker at Nautilus in Marlborough, and governance work has “kept me stimulated”, he says. “Rather than doing an MBA or something like that, it has been a vehicle to continue to grow and learn.”

Clive grew up in Hamilton and followed an interest in chemistry to a science degree at Auckland University, then work in a second-generation product development lab in the mid-1980s. He was also growing his interest in wine, with a wine appreciation course, membership of the Villa Maria wine club, and catching up with Villa Maria’s Nigel Davies, a peer in his chemistry degree. “He showed me around and by that stage I was really interested in wine,” Clive says. “I knew I was either going to remain a passionate consumer, or I could jump in and give it a crack.” He opted for the jump, got a cellar hand job at Selaks Wines for the 1992 vintage, then started a wine science degree at Charles Sturt University in Australia, studying remotely while working as assistant winemaker. “It was really cool to do my start in the West Auckland wine industry. That’s probably where I learned the importance of collegiality,” he says, reflecting on the sharing of knowledge and equipment among the likes of the Selak,

Brajkovich, Spence, and Babich families.

By the time he graduated in 1997, Selaks had built a winery in Marlborough, and Clive was yearning to make wine where the grapes were grown. In 1998 he applied for the winemaker role at Nautilus, which had been established a few years earlier by Robert Hill-Smith, whose family have been winegrowing in Australia for six generations. “The timing was just right. I had finished my degree and done my apprenticeship, and I wanted to be closer to vineyards.”

Back then Nautilus had two vineyards and a shareholding in Rapaura Vintners, and had just started focusing on Pinot Noir. Clive barely had his feet on the ground before he became involved in the build of the new Pinot Noir Cellar, followed by the purchase of several vineyards. In 2006 Nautilus sold out of Rapaura Vintners and established a white wine winery. “That was just reflective of what was going on in the industry in those early 2000s,” Clive says. “Massive expansions; massive opportunity.”

Two years later the 2008 global financial crisis put the brakes on that growth. But while there was too much wine, there were still plenty of opportunities, including in the high-demand Australian market, where Nautilus’s parentage gave it a hefty foot in the door. The United States market was “waking up”, and the new winery meant Nautilus had supply, “whereas previously we were a bit stop-start in terms of having wine”, Clive says. “It was still a challenge, but there was opportunity. More opportunity back then than there is now.”

In 2010 Clive was elected to the Marlborough Winegrowers board, then “fairly rapidly” to deputy chair, and chair from 2013-2016. There was a “natural progression” to national governance, and in 2015 he stood unopposed as a medium sized winery representative, expecting to spend little time at the board table, as an alternate member. But as a couple of members moved on, he was soon Chair of the marketing committee. At the end of 2015 the new levy system was introduced, with a smaller board, and Clive stood successfully, before pulling back from his

Marlborough Winegrowers position, with one year of overlap. “One of the attractions of it was working with different people, different business models, different points of view, and learning from all of that.”

In 2018 Clive became deputy chair, then had two two-year stints as chair, stepping up during the complicated Covid-19 years. In 2024, after 15 years of industry governance, “I felt that it was time to step aside and focus on my day job”. He is also a committee member for Appellation Marlborough Wine, and a trustee for the Marlborough Research Centre, and became chair of its Advisory Committee in November 2024.

As Nautilus General Manager and Winemaker, he’s still “an active labour component” of the business, particularly through vintage. Despite “office hands” he relishes the physical and practical aspects of winemaking, and a retrospective view of 30 Marlborough vintages. “From a personal perspective it has been amazing to be part of the growth of the wine industry,” he says. “I was fortunate to be part of it when it was just waking up, and it’s been a wild ride of continuous growth right up until a couple of years ago. But it does feel like we are entering a new phase. A bit more of a mature phase rather than a growth-focused phase, and the easy wins have probably been had in terms of selling wine to wine drinking, English speaking countries.” When the ball is rolling down the hill you are just trying to keep up with it, he adds. “It’s harder to push it up the other side.”

But he notes that the GFC resulted in some “reflection and refocus”, including companies becoming more site selective. “That was a benefit of that last hiccup… What ultimately will be the benefit of this one? We will come through strongly, and I suspect, more refined and, for us, more focused, I think… The fundamentals are strong and we just need to get supply and demand back in balance.”

Three decades after he traded shampoo for Chardonnay, Clive has no regrets about switching aisles, still fascinated by the “origin stories” of wine. “I am grateful to be able to hang my hat here.”

Photo left, 2025 NZW Fellow Clive Jones

Mark Allen For services to research and extension

Mark Allen is well known for shaking the proverbial tree when it comes to getting vine research into vineyard action. And foremost among his passion projects is the literal shaking of vines for botrytis control. “To me it was such a breakthrough it needed to be in front of growers all of the time,” he says, 15 years after trials revealed that fruit thinning with shaking had a serendipitous second function of reducing botrytis in Sauvignon Blanc by 55%.

“We come across these things serendipitously and we should be holding onto them like nothing on earth.”

Mark Allen

Mechanical shaking, subsurface irrigation and long spur pruning are examples of wine research that makes perfect sense for

growers, says Mark, one of the 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows, recognised for his unrelenting services to research and extension. “If we keep innovating, we can continue to succeed.”

His path to the wine industry began when he left a farm in the United Kingdom’s Cotswolds in 1967, travelling to Australia to work a year with a group of UK farmers developing the wheat belt north of Perth. Mark then moved to New Zealand, where he had relatives, with a plan to do an agricultural degree at Lincoln University.

He’d had his first year of prerequisite experience in Australia and did the second at the ‘number 1 dairy unit’ at Ruakura. But Mark was increasingly intrigued by growing plants rather than stock, and in 1969 took on work experience at a ‘Chinese gooseberry’ orchard in the Bay of Plenty, at the very beginning of what would become the kiwifruit boom. “I started liking it so much I bought the orchard and never got to Lincoln.”

He’d meanwhile married a New Zealander, and they spent the next 15 years helping

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Mark Allen, left, at pruning workshop.

pioneer the industry, riding its growing success until it collapsed in the mid1980s. Mark recalls the year he did not get paid for his crop, comparing it to grape growers who could not sell fruit in the 2025 harvest. “Kiwifruit went through a far worse downturn really, but there’s been an amazing recovery,” he says, applauding that industry for its huge investment in research and development.

The downturn saw the Allens sell up, and his next move was helping his friend (and former kiwifruit grower) Morton Brown, founder of Morton Estate, find suitable blocks for vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. Mark says he had always had an interest in wine (he still has the notes and clear flavour memories from a wine tasting class at his high school) and the move from kiwifruit to grapes was not a great leap.

He set off with his spade and a collection of “magnificent” DSIR soil maps, which he still cherishes – “they were done in the depression years, and accurate to the metre” – and within three months had found nearly 300 hectares of suitable land, priced at $7,000 per hectare in Marlborough, and hundreds per hectare for elevated

terraces with sandy loam in Hawke’s Bay. The developments came in the wake of the government vine pull, and it was a “wonderful period” planting predominantly Chardonnay, but also Pinot Noir and some Bordeaux varieties in Hawke’s Bay. “That was a great time – Dr Richard Smart (page 40) was such a huge influence on us all. I was completely inspired by him and his thinking.”

After 18 years with Morton Estate, Mark was approached by Villa Maria in 2002 and became National Vineyards Manager, followed by a role with Sacred Hill. He enjoyed the work, but after spending a lot of his weeks in Marlborough, where he received myriad requests for independent advice, he set up his own company, Mark Allen Vineyard Advisory Services Limited, and the Allens moved to Marlborough. While running his consultancy, Mark also project managed a three-year trial, from 2011-2014, on ‘Mechanical Shaking for Botrytis Control’, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and NZW, and conducted by Plant & Food Research Marlborough. The project was extended in 2017, and Mark continues to work hard to convince grape growers of its merits,

helping with fact sheets, popular articles, videos and other extension programmes, including speaking at grower events like Grape Days.

He’s also regularly asked for guidance on long spur pruning, subsurface irrigation and trunk disease. He is increasingly seeing 25- to 30-year-old vineyards in Marlborough reaching the end of their profitable life and in some cases becoming a liability. With a cost of about $100,000 per hectare to replace a vineyard, it’s not an easy decision for growers, given the increasing cost of production and declining demand and grape price.

Mark is still doing grower workshops every year, working with Bragato Research Institute on extension, advising clients, and promoting the benefits of his passion projects. It’s incredible to have witnessed the good luck of events like mechanical shaking being revealed as a botrytis weapon, or the chance combination of soil, climate and variety that saw Marlborough become a Sauvignon Blanc benchmark for the global wine industry, he says. “We come across these things serendipitously and we should be holding onto them like nothing on earth.”

Judy Finn

For services to wine marketing Community has been at the heart of Neudorf Wines since 1976, from picnics with other wine pioneers to collegial marketing on the world stage. “It’s one of the things we naturally do as people and as a business,” says Judy Finn from the Moutere Valley, nearly 50 years after she and her husband Tim launched their “big new adventure” in Nelson.

“That sense of joy in presenting someone else’s wine and being proud of it.” Judy Finn

Judy, who has been named a 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow for services to wine marketing, has embraced community in myriad ways over the past 47 years, as a longstanding member of Nelson Winegrowers and the Wine Institute marketing committee, a founding member of the Family of Twelve, three terms on the organising committee of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir celebration, the instigator of the annual Neudorf concert and the Moutere Artisans, and a go-to person for anyone looking for marketing advice. “I think collaborative marketing is part of New Zealand’s wine culture,” she says. “And it is such a great strength.”

Throughout it all, Neudorf has taken an authentic and honest approach, for which Judy humbly credits Tim. “He has not one ounce of bullshit in him. Tim has always run the company that way – what you see is what you get and what you say is what you do.”

Judy was 18 years old when she walked out of a statistics exam at Massey University, and into a journalism job at the Manawatu Standard. A few years later, while back in hometown New Plymouth, she met a young researcher working as a dairy advisor. In the early 1970s she and Tim moved to Hamilton, where he was working on his master’s degree in animal behavioural science at the Ruakura Research Station. But the nearby Te Kauwhata Viticultural Research Station offered intriguing wine tastings and soil conversations, and when he finished his paper on the impact of stress on let-down in dairy cows (“bloody useless for winemaking”, Judy says), he convinced her they should look for vineyard land.

They took the path less travelled to the sunny, north-facing, clay loam slopes of Moutere, buying a former commune in 1976. “It had been on the market for a while, but

we couldn’t afford the whole 50 acres, so we bought 25 acres and sold the rest to a local farmer to grow gooseberries,” Judy says. “We started from there.” They used an old stable and milled a few big macrocarpas to create a winery, foraged seedlings from around the Suter Gallery for their landscaping, and started grafting vines. “You couldn’t even get small tractors,” Judy says. “Everybody looks at our original plantings and wonders why they are so far apart, but we had to use an old Massey Ferguson.” It was a far cry from “the kids these days with their GPS plantings all perfect – Tim standing at one end of the row yelling at me ‘move to the right! Left! Left! Stop! Good’.”

They needed money to fuel the adventure (and the Massey Ferguson) so worked in Wellington during the week, with Judy at Radio New Zealand. That was “really good fun”, but after nearly two years splitting life between the islands, they moved to Moutere, continuing with day jobs, while planting in the weekends and evenings. Then one day Sam Hunt was reciting poetry at the winery, and “made some sort of romantic gesture about following your dreams”, Judy says. “Tim handed in his resignation the next morning.”

Everyone was desperate for knowledge back then, and the Finns remain grateful for the help of Hermann Seifried, who’d planted vines in Nelson in 1973. They would go to events with Martinborough, Nelson and Marlborough winemakers, meeting in the Abel Tasman, or for tastings at Lincoln. “It was a convivial business,” Judy says. “I hope it stays that way.”

The collegiality continued as they built a name for Neudorf, including in the winery collective Family of Twelve, which began in 2005 and ran for nearly 20 years, with Judy serving a term as chair. “I would go into a tasting in New York and pour four wineries’ wines… People couldn’t understand why I

would do that, but I said, ‘it’s much easier to praise someone else’s wine’.” There was a sense of joy in presenting someone else’s wine, “and being proud of it”, she says.

Conviviality also drives the Neudorf concert, bringing big names to this rural idyll each summer. That “fell in place”, when they were asked to host the Flight of the Conchords 20 years ago. Since then, they have hosted the likes of Marlon Williams, Lorde, and Fat Freddy’s Drop, with Tim and Judy’s daughter Rosie running the event and the whole team working the bar, including winemaker Todd Stevens. “Everyone gets involved” says Judy. She also started the Moutere Artisans – a group of 20 odd producers championing the village. “Potters, wine, cider, mushrooms, cheese, peonies, garlic, prosciutto – you name it, what a place and easy to celebrate.”

Meanwhile, Neudorf’s wines have earned a reputation for excellence. Writing about the winery in The Real Review, Bob Campbell MW, a long-time fan of Neudorf (and himself a NZW Fellow) recalled judging wine in Sydney when another judge announced loudly, “this isn’t an Australian or New Zealand wine, it’s a PulignyMontrachet”. The 1991 Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay “did indeed taste as though it had sprung from the chalky hillside soils of Burgundy”, Bob wrote. “Chardonnay is Neudorf’s star turn.” Years later Bob would go on to award his first ever 100 point score to the Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2014. Wine marketers work hand in hand with “brilliant winemakers and viticulturists”, Judy says on becoming a Fellow. “I don’t believe one can sustainably exist without the others.” Nearly 50 years after they launched their “big new adventure”, Neudorf wines have achieved global acclaim, the Suter seedlings are mature trees, and the communities Judy and Tim helped grow are far greater than the sum of their parts.

Tim, Judy and Rosie Finn. Photo Richard Brimer

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Gwyn Williams

For services to sustainability

As Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand marks 30 years, it needs to become “business as usual” for the wine industry, says viticulturist Gwyn Williams. Gwyn has championed SWNZ in the vines and at the board table for decades, as a grower and viticultural contractor in Waipara, a member of the New Zealand Winegrowers Sustainability Committee for nearly 20 years, and chair of the Sustainable Winegrowing Technical Group for the past decade. Sustainability needs to be a “direction, not an end point”, he told attendees at the NZW Romeo Bragato National Conference in 2014. “Without it our reputation is in jeopardy.” A decade on, that sentiment is truer than ever, he says.

Gwyn, who didn’t plan to start a viticulture career 40 years ago, but “went along for the ride”, has been named a 2025 NZW Fellow, recognising his services to sustainability. He has also been a stubborn stalwart for Waipara’s wine industry, since becoming the inaugural president of Waipara Winegrowers in 1993. The members of the local organisation have always passionately

believed in the product and potential of the region, he says, noting that it’s not easy getting traction in such a small region, “but all these smaller players across the country bring a flavour to the industry, and a uniqueness”.

In some ways, Gwyn’s successful wine career began in 1971, when he joined the army, signing up for an eight-year stint after finishing college. The career included a year at Officer Cadet School in Australia, then postings to Waiouru, Papakura, Dunedin and Burnham, along with exercises overseas. It proved a “remarkable” place for his education, leadership and life skills, all of which have stood him in good stead in vineyards and at board tables.

When his contracted period ended in 1979, he was tempted to stay, but instead got a truck driving job, worked in inventory for a harvesting company, then as a labourer on a mixed cropping farm in mid Canterbury for two years. In 1982 he went to Lincoln College and completed diplomas in agriculture and farm management, before a friend helped him get a job in Burnham. “I ended up right out of the blue going straight to a vineyard.” The owners, who were professionals, had about 40 hectares

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of land, and were developing 6ha of it into vines, with an even split of Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Gris, and a little bit of Golden Chasselas. Looking back, he laughs at how green he was when it came to grape growing. “I said, jeez, there are a hell of a lot of posts. Where are the grape vines? They pointed out to me that they were these small little sticks in the ground.”

It was a case of “LOTJ – learn on the job”, Gwyn says. He was helped by vineyard spray supplier Jim Grierson, who took him up to Blenheim to meet the Corbans Wines crew, including viticulturist Peter Masters and Allan Scott, who would go on to establish his

Gwyn Williams

own eponymous wine label. “Those three guys basically led me down the path of what to do and how to do it with viticulture… They were all very helpful, and things developed from there.”

Over the years Gwyn’s eyes were drawn to Waipara, where plantings had started from 1981, and three vineyards were supplying Corbans. He started to do some pruning work there, under Allan Scott’s direction, and found that while the cool Canterbury vineyard and its warmer Waipara neighbour were relatively close as the crow flies, they were night and day in terms of fruit. “I can remember quite clearly we hadn’t harvested our Müller-Thurgau, and Waipara were done with Chardonnay.”

The owners of the Burnham block decided to give up the vineyard in 1992 and introduced Gwyn to someone looking to establish a vineyard in North Canterbury. “We packed up our bags and went there, and that business became Muddy Waters.” He learned a lot from fellow growers in the region, and from attending field days in Blenheim, still LOTJ. After nearly a decade at Muddy Waters, Gwyn realised he had knowledge and skills others wanted to tap into, so established his own business,

Vinecare Ltd. “We helped plan, develop, plant and manage vineyards, as well as supply what services were needed to care for them. It was interesting to see the performance of varying varieties given differences in soil, and vineyard sites, and the management techniques across the region.” As well as helping others, he owned three vineyards over the years, the last one being a Pinot Noir block on the north facing Omihi Hills. Meanwhile, he jumped into industry organisations, leaning on the leadership skills first taught him in the army.

Soon after moving to Waipara, Gwyn became interested in creating a new distinct region separate from Canterbury, recognising its unique microclimate. They were initially told to bury their differences and get on with the Canterbury Association, but in 1993 Waipara Winegrowers was born, with Gwyn as president through to 2002, then a committee member to 2008. He went on to become the winegrowers’ representative on the Hurunui Tourism Board from 1999 to 2012, and the South Island minor regions representative on the NZW board from 2008 to 2016, including participation in several working groups.

“Sustainability started to become a much bigger work area in the industry,” says Gwyn, who was on the sustainability committee for several years before becoming chair from 2014 to 2016, overseeing important changes in the SWNZ programme. He continues to sit on the Environment Committee, and since leaving the board in 2016 has served as chair of the Sustainable Winegrowing Technical Group, with that role ending in June this year, with the completion of the technical phase of the Freshwater Farm Plan project.

Looking back at his time going “along for the ride”, Gwyn describes his career, and Waipara’s development, as “bloody lucky” from a timing point of view. “It was always growing, always learning. We were doing some things right and getting some things wrong and fixing them. Like a child growing up. We were prepared to foster that, to work with it; run with it.” He remains grateful to all the people who have helped him LOTJ over the past four decades. There are plenty of challenges, but “vision passion and belief has been foremost in building the industry” Gwyn says. “It’s been a great experience. I wish you all good luck and good fortune.”

Better Biology Better Wine

Jenny Dobson

For services to winemaking

Jenny Dobson was 22 and blissfully naïve when she left New Zealand for France in 1979, with a chemistry degree, a love of wine and an ambition to become a winemaker.

“Within a week of arriving in Burgundy, I thought, ‘I have found my dream; this is all I want to do’. I love the culture of food and wine, and the appreciation, and the fact that it’s the lifeblood of what we do... I had landed in heaven.”

Forty-six years later, Jenny been named a 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow, and is as passionate as ever about her vocation, including running her own bespoke Hawke’s Bay wine label and championing New Zealand wine, here and abroad. “I am very, very humbled to be awarded this fellowship,” she says. “Because I am doing what I love.”

Raised in a family that supported her career ambitions (including her feisty grandmother Doris), Jenny didn’t see any barriers when she set off for France, with little understanding of the language or culture. “Within six weeks of being there I was told that women aren’t allowed in cellars because they have funny acids that are going to turn the wine to vinegar,” she says. “They were quite serious about it, but I thought it was ridiculous, so it didn’t set me back.”

Her first job was at Domaine Dujac, where she helped with bottling before harvest, then picked grapes all day, before turning up at the winery to see if she could help. One day she slipped off the narrow edge while plunging and fell into the vat. Jenny told the winemaker a few hours later and was bemused to watch him rush to the winery to ensure the wine had not been ruined. The slip proved fortuitous, and by the second year she was allowed to foot plunge.

After 18 months, Jenny moved to work in the cellar and vineyard of another small

producer in Burgundy, where no one spoke English, but the language of food and wine proved “pretty universal”. She then moved to Paris to work for the late British wine expert Steven Spurrier, whose wine tasting school and shop provided a “phenomenal” tasting education. After 18 months, she went to Bordeaux to work the “outstanding” 1982 vintage at Château Rahoul in Graves, owned then by Len Evans. Then it was back to Paris, before being offered a job as a cellar hand at Chateau Sénéjac, in the Haut Médoc. She arrived at the beginning of 1983, only to find that the cellar master was sick, leaving Jenny with the choice of walking away or stepping into the role. “I was just in the right place at the right time,” she says of becoming the first female Maître de Chais in Bordeaux. Right time, right place, but also right attitude, of course. “Naivety again,” Jenny says, while also acknowledging the New Zealand mindset of “well let’s just get on with it”.

She stayed at Chateau Sénéjac for 11 years,

during which time she married and had three children. “There was no such thing as maternity cover in those days. My maternity leave was my time in the maternity home. However, I lived where I worked, and my babies came to work with me.” By 1994, Jenny started to notice a glass ceiling, and was yearning to be around family, with her children growing up and her parents aging out of regular travel from New Zealand. They went to Western Australia for a year as a trial run, before moving to New Zealand in 1996, checking out wine regions from Northland to Central Otago, before settling on Hawke’s Bay for its Bordeaux connections. Jenny had a contract to look after Sacred Hill’s red winemaking for the 1996 vintage, and also set up as a consultant. Her French experience proved valuable to Hawke’s Bay winegrowers, particularly in terms of blending. At that stage, New Zealand and Australian winemakers tended to use blending to hide faults, whereas in

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Jenny Dobson. Photo Kirsten Simcox

Bordeaux “two and two make five”, she says. “You have two good things, and you make something better with blending.” That doesn’t start in the winery, but back in the vineyard, Jenny says. “You are walking through the vineyard tasting grapes and envisaging what wine they will make, and I am always envisaging what part of the blend they will make.”

Five of the six Jenny Dobson Wines are single variety, because they are made in such small volumes, “which is why I love making my clients’ wines,” Jenny says. But there is “a little nod to blending” in her own wines, with her first Doris made in 2018 in a single ferment of Merlot with whole bunch Cabernet Franc and Malbec. “There’s no recipe for Doris in any wine book. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I only had myself to answer to.” Putting whole bunch into a fairly tannic grape mix seemed counterintuitive. “You were bringing in more tannins, but they were actually synergistic. They made the tannins not drier but more succulent.” She was delighted by the result, and named it for her non-conforming grandmother, who dyed her hair purple in the 1960s. “I thought this is a Doris wine. This is breaking with tradition. If I taste it, I think purple.”

Knowing she was doing something different with Merlot, she put it in a Burgundy bottle in 2019 (in Doris non-conforming style) and put her grandmother on the label, with a sketch by Australian-based New Zealand artist Hugo Mathias, a friend of Jenny’s son. Just like Doris, the wine is getting “a little bit more adventurous” with age, says Jenny, who used whole bunch Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Syrah in the 2025 vintage, along with Fiano skins.

Her first own-label wine was a Fiano made in 2015, which she renamed Florence in 2019, deciding to follow Doris with wider homage to her family. She loves the match of the ancient Italian variety, “revered by the Romans”, and the vivacious and elegant grandmother on her father’s side. Six years on, there’s a Cabernet Franc named for her mother Francie, a Rosé (made by whole bunch pressed Cabernet Franc) for her “joyous” Aunt Patsy, a Merlot for Uncle Mac, and a Cabernet Sauvignon for Uncle Alick.

Jenny says the branding stands out on the shelf, and the story resonates. “People drink wines because of an occasion, because of a memory, because of a story. I’ve got a story, and the character of the wines relates to the character of the person, so they become very individual.”

Despite her classical background in wine, Jenny is very aware of the changing wine market and need to remain relevant. “I love drinking the old masters, but I am not making wines for the people who drink the highly expensive classic wines of the world… I want to give the new wine drinker as much enjoyment as I get from those wonderful wines.”

New Zealand, and the whole wine world, is having bit of a “crisis” Jenny says. “But wine will never go away. We just had to navigate our way through this.” In recent months she’s been in Europe, seeing vibrant wine bars, with a bottle or glass of wine on every table. “But it’s not the wines they were drinking 20 years ago; we just have to make ourselves relevant.”

As part of her boundary-breaking wine career, Jenny has spent 25 years on the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology, which will host the 11th International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Ōtautahi Christchurch in January. She’s also loved being a mentor, both in an official capacity through the NZW mentoring scheme, and also with people she works with. “That gives me so much pleasure because experience is so important in the wine industry. It’s passing on that knowledge we have built up over the years.” And it goes both ways. “I get so much inspiration from young winemakers coming through with their exciting ideas.”

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Dr Richard Smart

For services to viticulture

Dr Richard Smart spent more than 55 years advising students, growers and organisations around the world on vine physiology and canopy management. He was “the world’s best-known international viticulturist”, Jancis Robinson MW wrote after Richard died, surrounded by family, in early July.

Richard was made a 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow in January this year, recognising the long-term impact of his work. “New Zealand’s wine industry needs to recognise the very significant contribution that he has made to our understanding of quality grape production,” said Dr Mike Trought at that time, calling his friend and colleague “very much a visionary”.

Richard, who was New Zealand’s Government’s National Viticultural Scientist from 1982 to 1990, undertook countless research projects, achieved myriad qualifications, and published widely during six decades of work, including two doctorates, hundreds of peer-reviewed

science and technical articles, and the publication of the highly acclaimed handbook Sunlight into Wine. He was New Zealand Wine Industry Personality of the Year in 1989, was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology in 1990, was named one of Decanter magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Names in Wine in 2005, and was inducted into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame in 2007.

In a Winegrower Magazine profile in February this year, Richard said his biggest achievement was “to work with proprietors with open minds that were driven by profit motives and not some half-baked industry myths and beliefs”.

Richard said New Zealand wine’s “golden years” lasted until the early 21st century. Only a “few lucky” wine producing countries were likely to see such times again, and “New Zealand should be one of them”. Speaking at his induction, an online event held on 22 January, Richard said working as New Zealand’s Government Viticultural Scientist was the professional highlight of his life, thanks in large part to the viticultural research accomplished and published during that time. “This

Take control of your own bottling

was because I was able to work with such an impressive team of co-workers spread throughout the country.” He said he felt “immense gratitude” for the opportunities, and the “exceptional individuals” he had worked with. “To the New Zealand Winegrowers, thank you for this incredible honour. It is a privilege to be recognised by an industry I hold so dear.”

To read the profile on Richard go to the February/ March Winegrower Magazine at nzwine.com/en/media/nzwm

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2025 Young Viticulturist

Five regional finalists are honing their skills for the national final of the 2025 Young Viticulturist of the Year, to be held at Greystone in Waipara on 27 August. Three of the five have previously competed in the national final, while another was crowned 2024 Young Winemaker of the Year last year. New Zealand Winegrowers Leadership & Communities Manager Nicky Grandorge says the final is set to be an exciting competition. “The fact several of them keep coming back highlights their tenacity and determination to win this prestigious title.” It will be the 20th anniversary of the Young Viticulturist of Year competition, making it a “particularly special” year to win, Nicky says.

James Sutcliffe, from Craggy Range in the Wairarapa, was crowned the 2025 North Island Regional Young Viticulturist of the Year, having already represented Wairarapa in the 2024 national final. The regional competition was open to contestants from Auckland, Northland, Gisborne, and Wairarapa. Braxton Benseman from Man O’ War Vineyards on Waiheke Island came second and Gagandeep Singh, from Babich in Auckland, was third. Braxton also took out the Ormond Professional Reputation Award, which recognises a competitor in each regional competition. Ormond Nurseries’ Samantha Wickham says the award looks beyond viticulture measures, at positive character traits recognised by judges or attendees during the day, such as good communication, tenacity, integrity, or simply being well mannered and helpful. “I love it,” she says. “It’s a way to encourage those qualities.”

Nick Putt, who has had intermittent breaks from the competition while pursuing other career paths, was named 2025 Hawke’s Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year, having previously won the title in 2019 and 2023. Heath Miller from Pask Wines came second, with Joe Stenberg from Te Mata Estate taking third place. Hawke’s Bay has taken out the national title more than any other region, with six previous winners.

Anna Kelland, from Constellation Brands, won the Marlborough competition for the second year running, as well as the Geoff Warmouth cup for the BioStart Hortisports. Laura Hammond, from Babich, came second, with Harry Watson, from Berakah Vineyard Management, taking third place.

The winner of the 2025 South Island regional competition was Georgia Mehlhopt, Assistant Winemaker at Greystone in Waipara. She was the 2024 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year and is only the second person in the history of the competitions to make it through to both national finals. The South Island event is open to contestants from Nelson, North Canterbury and Waitaki. Lisa Fromont from Te Kano in Waitaki came second and Emma Lloyd, also from Greystone, was third.

Damon Lovell, Vineyard Manager at Carrick, came first in the Central Otago competition, followed by Felix Jordan from Gibbston Valley Winery in second place, and Matt Hurnen from Rippon Vineyard in third. During the 20 years of the national competition, Central Otago has brought home the national trophy four times.

The 2025 New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year will be announced at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Celebration Dinner at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on 28 August. The national finalists will compete for prizes that include a $6,000 Ecotrellis travel grant, a leadership week, and tickets to the Cool Climate Symposium. A BioStart Hortisports winner will also be announced.

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DIAM, a closure of choice! PRESS RELEASE JUNE 2024

DIAM BOUCHAGE PRESENTS A NEW TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH.

PRESS RELEASE AUGUST 2025

Diam Bouchage unveiled the Diam Collection closure at the Vinitech tradeshow. This new technical prowess combines the Diam guaranties of organoleptic security and consistency with the traditional appearance of punched cork closures, paving the way for a new revolution in the service of wine.

Diam Bouchage truly embodies the expression of a new closure tradition. The French company, respectful of the past and firmly focused on the future thanks to its unique cork closures, is today celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first Diam.

Diam Bouchage or 20 years of innovation

The French cork manufacturer, emerging from the innovative and groundbreaking DIAMANT® process that revolutionized the cellaring of bottled wines, has always made research and development a priority, and this has led to a genuine transformation in the cork closure market. Beyond the continuous improvement of its manufacturing processes’ economic and environmental performances, the company has, for several years, been focusing on 3 key lines of research in order to address challenges faced by the winemaking sector: gas exchange management, natural raw materials and closure aesthetics.

On this significant milestone, Diam Bouchage reaffirms a distinct vision and identity, namely a manufacturer of the future who combines authentic know-how and technological innovation. From the outset, Diam considered itself as the veritable guardian of aromas, a position recognized by winemakers, sommeliers, and consumers globally with whom Diam Bouchage shares a mutual passion for wine, and a love of things done well.

The Diam revolution, consistency and the end of cork taint.

treated with the same technological process using supercritical CO2 at differentiated pressure, still unique in the market, which has been adapted to cleaning the cork sheets. “Numerous studies demonstrate the absence of any correlation between visual surface defects of a traditional closure and its mechanical performances. It is, therefore, complicated to determine the true quality of a so-called natural closure. The Diam Collection is the solution to this issue!” enthuses Christophe Loisel, R&D Director at Diam Bouchage.

Cork is a fantastic natural material that has always been popular for its elastic properties and capacity to conserve wine over several decades by providing it with the respiration necessary for its development in the bottle. However, cork poses several issues: possible organoleptic contamination (cork taint) and heterogeneity discrepancies leading to wine development that is sometimes too slow but more often too rapid (premature oxidation).

Over the past few months, the company has begun offering a new permeability for its Diam 10 and 30 closures and has also broadened its “Origine by Diam” bio-sourced range of closures. On top of that, during the Vinitech Trade Show in Bordeaux, Diam Bouchage unveiled the prototype of a new closure that the company is currently developing in the aesthetics department. Collection by Diam, the making of a unique closure

The Diam Collection closure has a core of Diam micro-agglomerated cork that is clad with an elegant, thin sheet of carefully selected cork. The high-precision cladding technique used to cover each surface of the closure (the two ends and the body) has been specially developed and is covered by a European patent.

The meticulous manufacturing process perfected by Diam, guarantees control and consistency of the physical properties from one closure to the next, in terms of mechanical performances and oxygen transfer. As with the brand’s other closures, this is the winemakers’ guarantee of being able to control the aging of their wines in the bottle and refining their creations from A to Z. Collection by Diam: The French excellence

In 2004, Diam Bouchage revolutionized the use of cork closures with groundbreaking technological innovations.

Its DIAMANT® process ensures deep cork cleaning thanks to the use of supercritical CO2 at differentiated pressures. This process is still unique in the market. It eliminates all TCA particles and many more molecules naturally present in the cork thanks to a solvent-free, non-chemical treatment that is respectful of the environment. Closures purified in this way display unrivalled organoleptic neutrality* and best preserve the development of aromas in the bottled wine.

An innovation whose unmatched reliability still resonates as a paradigm shift in the world of wine: cork taint stopped being a concern 20 years ago for those who adopted Diam!

This new technological cork closure has been called Diam Collection because it embodies French expertise and excellence; from design to manufacture, it fits seamlessly into the Diam range and it will surely become a wine cellar essential for any winemaker seeking to delight both the taste buds and eyes of wine enthusiasts.

Diam Bouchage, the instigator of a new tradition.

This closure, unique for its visual appeal and technological ingenuity, has been designed to fully meet the technical requirements and aesthetic expectations of winemakers seeking to embellish each of their bottles with the natural and singular charm of traditional closures.

The Diam Collection is an uncompromising closure

“Beyond the unique aesthetics offered by nature, we had to provide the quality and high performance of our long-established products. By combining the best of both worlds, Collection by Diam is today the quintessential reflection of Diam Bouchage’s DNA,” says Eric Feunteun, CEO of Diam Bouchage.

market at the end of 2025, initially in a DIAM 30 49 mm. It will then be developed for other Diam closures.

The pioneering company now sets the standards. Diam Bouchage also possesses specific manufacturing technology that enables the oxygen transfer to be precisely controlled in each closure, year after year, thus guaranteeing perfect consistency from one bottle to another.

This incomparable process has made the closure more than a simple esthetic choice, but a genuine enological tool at the service of winemakers, who can now choose the oxygen input that is best suited to the aromatic profile of their wine and its desired cellaring time.

It reflects the technological prowess that Diam Bouchage has displayed for over 20 years, combining a purified cork core and cladding, devoid of any trace of TCA, the element responsible for cork taint. The cork sheets are

Each closure is a unique and precious item, becoming a considerable and appealing asset for the world greatest wines. This solution has revolutionized corking, aging and opening a bottle of great wine, even years later. Collection by Diam enhances these moments of truth, from the last enological act to the first gesture before tasting.

Diam, the new tradition

The Diam Collection closure will be on the

In the meantime, the company will soon have new announcements in the coming months for the sparkling wine market. The French cork closure manufacturer has a clear objective: remaining the leader of innovative solutions that make corking a bottle an enological act, while responding to the issues faced by winemakers around the world

For more information contact:

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The company provides numerous data and options for winemakers, enabling them to make the best choice for what they wish their wine to develop into. A choice that takes into account the characteristics of each wine, the development of the aromatic profile, the wine’s cellaring requirements, its enological journey and sensitivity to oxygen.

Emma Jenkins’ MW Musings

At the recent Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, the Porto Protocol’s Marta Mendonça said, “Grapes are not the thirstiest of crops, but they are a luxury crop”. It made me think of another comment I’d recently heard, that “we don’t need wine”.

So, do we need wine? Strictly speaking, no. Wine is not essential to sustain life like air, water, food or shelter. Indeed, as we are increasingly reminded, as an alcoholic substance it carries inherent health risks. But when we ask whether wine is necessary, we inevitably step beyond biology and into the realm of meaning. Wine has been with us for millennia. It may not be as old as humanity, but it has arguably developed alongside what we might now call civilisation. Its value has been not only in its humblest forms – as something that was once microbially safer to drink than water – but also in sacred and symbolic roles. In this broader context, it becomes something more than just a luxury.

Of course, from a strict material or economic standpoint, wine is undeniably discretionary. After all, likely billions of

people the world over live full, meaningful lives without it. Calling wine a ‘need’ might therefore seem culturally privileged or even indulgent. In the current world’s sadly too-numerous disaster zones, wine will rightfully be eclipsed by genuine essentials. Yet, imagine a world without wine. No Greek or Roman gods of the vine, no vineyards draped over hills, no clinking of glasses, popping of corks (ahem), or shared rituals and conversations over bottles that stretch into the wee hours. We start to lose more than just a drink, we lose threads of shared human culture, too.

Philosophers, artists and composers have all used wine to explore life’s meaning. Epicurious was a fan, of course, but Aristotle’s eudaimonia (that contented state of feeling happy, healthy and prosperous) is familiar to many wine drinkers. Even the Stoics, so sceptical of indulgence, acknowledged that certain pleasures can still be embraced with suitable wisdom. Anyone who has ever seen Caravaggio’s Bacchus or heard Brindisi from Verdi’s La Traviata understands that wine is not just something merely consumed, it can be experienced. Wine can as such be considered a portal. Wine is also a vehicle for practical

tradition. Through viticulture, humans have come to understand place, via soil, season and what it means to be a steward of the land. While crops were first grown purely for sustenance, in time, some – like vines – were also valued for their beauty and connection to nature. A world without wine would strip away these further threads of knowledge and cultural continuity.

So, is wine a necessity? Not in the way air or water is. Is it a luxury? Almost certainly. But it’s also something humanity would surely be much poorer without. Though surprisingly, it is something about which I find myself quite agnostic. A fellow MW and I were once asked, “If you could only have one – wine or books – which would it be?” She answered “wine” and I simultaneously answered “books”, at which point we burst out laughing. I didn’t hesitate then, but I also sincerely hope I never have to choose.

Marta Mendonça

Wine art

Framing nature at Moko Hills

CLAIRE FINLAYSON

Bees, flowers, a wiry shrub and a gecko get bragging rights on the front of Moko Hills wine bottles. Winemaker Donald van Westhuizen saw his wine labels as the perfect place for an ode to the species he shares his land with.

“It’s a homage to these species and a promise of protection.”

Donald van Westhuizen

Moko Hills is a 40-hectare family-owned estate nestled in the foothills of the Dunstan Range in Bendigo, Central Otago. It’s where Donald makes wines that pay tribute to the land –and to the flora and fauna that call it home.

Donald commissioned two watercolour images from Wellington artist Rachel Walker to capture the Moko Hills environment, and enlisted graphic designer Emma Holder to create the labels. “I’ve always enjoyed Rachel’s work. I thought her style would work well in encapsulating the essence of this place, with the hope to give the potential customer a small window into what we, and Moko Hills, are about.”

The Chardonnay label celebrates the South Island kōwhai (which watches over the Chardonnay block at Moko Hills) and the pollinating experts who dwell in its blazing-yellow flowers: the European honeybee and its native counterpart, the Leioproctus. The Pinot Noir bottle, meanwhile, hosts the Kawarau Gecko (often spied sunbathing on the schist outcrops) and a wiry native shrub called korokio (Corokia cotoneaster).

“Each wine has a unique art piece, representing a group of species that embodies the encapsulated wine’s characteristics. It’s a homage to these species and a promise of protection.”

For the Kakano Wines Pinot Noir label, Donald took his camera on a walk through Moko Hills and snapped a close-up shot of the patterns, textures, and mineral makeup of the rocky outcrops. “I thought the image reflected how I experience that Pinot – the iron oxide, quartz and schist imprinting an identity on the wine.”

Preservation at the heart of every journey

Every drop is precious. To you and to us. Preserving the scent and aroma of your wine, beer or spirits on every journey is a priority. Feel confident knowing we research the risk of temperature and humidity and offer solutions to help protect your alcholic beverages from them.

Your journey, is our journey.

Wine Weather

What’s been going on?

JAMES MORRISON

Many regions have experienced a wet, cloudy and grey winter. Mean temperatures have been close to average, although weeks of cool daytime maximums in Canterbury have dragged the mean temperature down along parts of the South Island east coast.

Sea surface temperatures have been above average around New Zealand for some time, particularly in the north Tasman Sea. This has encouraged the development of low pressure systems through winter and has contributed greatly to the heavy rain events over the upper South Island. There were signs in early June of cold air pushing out of Antarctica, and a cold period of weather did mark the start of winter. However, there have been no further significant polar outbreaks during the first half of winter and, aside from Central Otago, the frequency of frost has been lower than average in

most regions. When high pressure has dominated, the anticyclones have persisted east of the South Island, which has maintained a predominantly northeast flow over New Zealand. As a result, cloud cover has proven tricky to shift along the east coast of both islands and humidity has been elevated for much of the past three months.

The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has remained neutral over winter and is not giving any indication that an El Niño or La Niña will develop before the end of the year. It is increasingly likely that the often cloudy conditions and bursts of heavy rain may continue through

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into October.

Sea surface temperature

In just a few weeks spring will be here. The sun will be noticeably stronger, and the days will lengthen at an increasing pace. Frost fans have been serviced across the country, and many will be preparing for cold and often sleepless nights. The lack of cool winter nights is unlikely to lull many growers into complacency regarding frost –during the past seven years there have been several southerly blasts in late September and October that have rivalled the coldest weather of the year. Those cold southerly outbreaks can still pack a real punch right through spring, and our weather history

Misha’s Vineyard

has also shown that many of the coldest weather events in New Zealand have occurred late in winter or early spring. Oceans warm and cool relatively slowly compared to large landmasses, and the seas around New Zealand are coolest in early September and not during mid-winter. It takes some time for the oceans around our shores to be at their warmest (usually February or even early March) and they then cool at a relatively slow rate through autumn and into early winter.

It is well documented that as sea temperatures rise, ocean currents and regional weather patterns are significantly affected. The ocean and the atmosphere are in a state of continuous interaction and warmer oceans mean that the amount of water vapour available in the atmosphere over the ocean increases, bringing greater potential for rain events around New Zealand to become more intense and more frequent.

Heavy and intense rain bearing systems will become a feature of New Zealand’s climate during the coming decades, as the ocean continues to warm. Growers will have to adapt to the increased frequency of higher humidity and rainfall.

Outlook for August and September:

Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay

Temperatures are likely to run above average along the upper east coast of the North Island through early spring. There are still likely to be cold changes at times and rainfall totals are likely to be near average. With the potential for low pressure systems to move eastwards across the upper North Island there will be some risk of heavy or persistent rain during August and September about Gisborne.

Wairarapa

Temperatures are likely to be near or above average across Wairarapa. The increased cloudiness may keep daytime maximums near or even below average during August, while nighttime minimums run above average. There will still be the risk of early spring frosts.

Nelson

Temperatures are likely to continue to run at or above average through late winter and into spring. There remains an increased risk of rain bearing systems through early spring and this may reduce the frequency of early spring frost.

Marlborough/North Canterbury

Temperatures remain near or above average, but, like Wairarapa, daytime temperatures in Canterbury may run near average until mid-September. The risk of heavy rain over the upper South Island means that there is an increased chance of above average rainfall for Marlborough. North Canterbury may remain near average. There will be some risk of early spring frost, but the frequency is likely to be impacted by higher humidity and the potential for more frequent northeasterlies.

Central Otago

Temperatures are likely to remain near or above average through late winter and into spring. Early frosts are likely as the lower South Island is less influenced by the increase in low pressure activity in more northern parts of New Zealand. Sunshine should be higher and rainfall near or even below average through until midspring. This means that the diurnal range between minimum and maximum temperatures will be greater than most other parts of the country.

James Morrison runs Weatherstation Frost Forecasting: weatherstation.net.nz

IT WOULD BE STINK IF THESE GOT INTO NEW ZEALAND

The brown marmorated stink bug is a pest that infests homes, ruins gardens, stinks when crushed, and is almost impossible to get rid of. It could also destroy our fruit and vegetable industries. It’s not in New Zealand yet, and we want to keep it that way. So if you see one, don’t kill it. Catch it, take a photo, and call us on 0800 80 99 66.

For more information (including how to identify the bug) visit biosecurity.govt.nz/stinkbug

Biosecurity Update

Protecting the places that make our famous wines

Jim Herdman

Vaughn Bell on pest management, biosecurity, and some insights into the future of viticulture

I first met Vaughn Bell a few years ago when we co-presented at Spray Days. His deep knowledge and engaging style on vineyard pest and disease management always stood out to me, so I finally took the opportunity to sit down with him for this issue’s biosecurity article.

After more than two decades in entomology, Vaughn has become integral to New Zealand’s viticultural research landscape. Based in Hawke’s Bay and working for Plant & Food Research (soon to be renamed), Vaughn has spent 21 years studying the intricate relationships between pests, crops, and the environment – with a particular focus on mealybugs and the viruses they transmit.

His journey into entomology began

papers introduced me to biological control, and it just clicked. I didn’t even know that was a thing.” That spark led to a master’s degree and eventually a fulltime role in research, where he’s remained ever since.

Mealybugs, viruses, and the hitchhiker problem

Vaughn’s work has primarily centred on pip fruit and wine grapes, where mealybugs pose a persistent threat. “They’re a common denominator in both crops,” he explains. “And they’re classic hitchhiker pests – easily transported on harvesters and leaf trimmers from one vineyard to another.”

The implications are serious. Mealybugs can carry Grapevine Leafroll Virus, and it only takes one infected insect to transmit the disease to a healthy vine. Vaughn

to stop the spread of pests like mealybug and weevil is essential.

Climate change and pest pressure

Climate change adds another layer of complexity. “We currently see two to three generations of mealybugs per growing season,” Vaughn notes. “But with warming, we could see a partial fourth. More generations mean bigger infestations – and if early-season sprays aren’t effective, things can spiral quickly.” Sudden weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle also disrupt ecosystems, making pest management even more unpredictable. “I won’t be around to see the worst of it, but I’d love to know what the world looks like in 30 or 50 years,” he says.

WINEMAK I NG SOLUTION S

philosophy. Yet the biology and ecology of many beneficial insects – parasitoids, spiders, lacewings, earwigs – are poorly understood. “We know they attack many of our pest species, but we don’t know how effective they are,” he says. “And our vineyards can be hostile environments. If these insects don’t stay, they can’t exert the control we need.” Flowering plants like buckwheat and borage can help, but continuity of bloom is key. “Beneficial insects need energy, longevity, and stable habitat. And we need to understand their biology better – especially the predators, which are harder to monitor than parasitoids.”

Technology and the future

Despite the challenges, Vaughn is optimistic about the role of technology. “Smart traps with cameras and artificial intelligence can identify insects in real time. That’s huge. You can pinpoint problem areas in your vineyard without collecting and individually inspecting thousands of leaves.” He sees a generational shift underway. “Younger growers want efficiency. They want to use their phones and computers. And rightly so – it’s the future.” Still, he cautions against abandoning traditional methods. “There’s something important about walking your vineyard, seeing what’s happening. Technology will enhance that, not replace it.”

Practical advice for growers

Vaughn’s final message for growers is to take nothing for granted. “Train yourself and your people well so you and they know what you’re looking for and at – what mealybugs look like, what leafroll virus looks like, and how to differentiate it from nutrient deficiencies.”

He stresses the importance of integrated pest management: using softer chemistry, applying them correctly, and maintaining equipment. “Sprayer maintenance sounds basic, but it’s critical –nozzle alignment, water volumes, tractor speed, all of it.”

Above all, invest in your staff. “Let them feel confident to speak up if they see something odd. It might be nothing — or it might be a new pest incursion. That kind of vigilance is what keeps our vineyards healthy.”

The chemistries stomping out grape diseases

UPL crushes Botrytis, powdery mildew

UPL chemistries deliver against Botrytis (Kenja® 400 SC) and powdery mildew (Kusabi® and Flute®) in grapes.

Current research projects

Research Supplement

A regular feature to inform and update the wine industry on research projects being undertaken for their benefit. Newly approved projects when available are briefly summarised. Ongoing projects have longer articles that describe progress and what has been achieved so far. When completed, each project report will be shared in full detail in the Research Library on nzwine.com.

Bragato Research Institute leads quality research and innovation that enables the New Zealand wine industry to thrive. It conducts research in-house and collaborates with research organisations throughout New Zealand. The main research provider for each project is listed below.

Vineyard innovation

Next Generation Viticulture Programme

Bragato Research Institute

Evaluation of the short-term impact of remedial surgery on grapevine trunk disease and vineyard sustainability

Linnaeus, SARDI, Sutton McCarthy

Rapid early detection of powdery mildew using VOCs to enable better control solutions

Scentian Bio

Central Otago Pinot Noir clonal trial

Bragato Research Institute, Otago Polytechnic, Riversun Nurseries

Elemental sulphur persistence on grapes and mitigation strategies

Lincoln University

Increasing financial sustainability of Chardonnay in Hawke’s Bay through long spur pruning to increase yield Eastern Institute of Technology

Long spur pruning as an alternative for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Bragato Research Institute

Highwire Livestock Integrated System

Lincoln University, Bragato Research Institute, Greystone Wines

Grapevine improvement

Sauvignon Blanc Grapevine Improvement Programme

Bragato Research Institute, Plant & Food Research, Lincoln University

National Vine Collection virus eradication

Bragato Research Institute

Rapid detection of fungicideresistance in grapevine powdery mildew in New Zealand

Bragato Research Institute

Graft-derived drought tolerance: identifying and functionally characterising graft-transmitted elements

Bragato Research Institute

RNAi Virus Relief

Bragato Research Institute

Incorporating genetics and epigenetics into the Central Otago Pinot Noir trial

Bragato Research Institute

Winemaking innovation

Exploring reductive aromas in Pinot Noir

University of Auckland

Single Vine Wine: Development of high throughput oenotyping methodology to support Te Whenua Tupu-Living Lab and SB2.0

Plant & Food Research

Lab on a Chip: Developing diagnostic devices for the wine industry

University of Canterbury

The impact of vineyard UV-C Light applications on Sauvignon Blanc chemical and sensory attributes

Bragato Research Institute

Prevention of quercetin instability in bottled wine

Indevin

Sustainable winegrowing

UV light in vineyards to reduce fungicide dependence

Bragato Research Institute, A Lighter Touch

Carbon Calculator

Bragato Research Institute

Evaluating water use efficiency and drought tolerance of various rootstocks grafted to Sauvignon Blanc

Bragato Research Institute

Insect frass in viticulture – Assessing the potential of a circular solution

Plant & Food Research

Engineered containment solutions for safe temporary storage of grape marc

Bragato Research Institute

Grape Days 2025

Grape Days Q&A - addressing questions raised during Grape Days 2025

This edition’s research supplement features a Q&A drawn from questions submitted by attendees at Grape Days 2025. Responses have been provided by the researchers who delivered the presentations, offering further insight into their work and the topics discussed at the event.

Roadmap to Net Zero

Presented and answered by Meagan Littlejohn, New Zealand Winegrowers

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing New Zealand’s wine industry. With an industry-wide goal to be net zero by 2050, how we respond to a changing climate will be crucial to our reputation as a producer of premium, sustainable wine. The New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Roadmap to Net Zero, released in 2024, highlights the scope of the challenge and sets clear objectives across a range of mitigation focus areas.

The Roadmap focuses on emissions; where does carbon sequestration fit into the picture?

Carbon sequestration fits in under the ‘carbon removals’ opportunity in the Roadmap. There will always be some emissions that our industry will not be able to eliminate completely;

“Sheep emit enteric methane emissions so while sheep may reduce tractor passes, the methane emitted should be accounted for.”

Meagan Littlejohn

approximately 10% of emissions as predicted in the Roadmap. The ‘carbon removals’ opportunity specifically mentions working to increase the potential of our land to sequester and store carbon to offset these emissions. The Roadmap outlines key work to investigate this opportunity, for example carrying

out research and developing and implementing strategies for carbon removals. Accurately accounting for carbon offsetting, especially through sequestration, can be complex. As such, it will be crucial to ensure any sequestration accounted for is recognised under accepted carbon accounting frameworks.

Why is CO2 released from fermentation not taken into account in winery emissions?

CO2 released from fermentation is part of the biogenic carbon cycle. This means that it is not considered a net addition to atmospheric CO2 under many carbon accounting frameworks and, therefore, does not need to be accounted for in our industry’s Roadmap.

Seth Laurenson presenting at Grape Days 2025

Could industry utilise practices such as sheep grazing or permanent grass in vineyards to sequester more carbon?

Yes, permanent grass sequesters carbon and keeping the sward alive, for example, is a good way to build carbon in soils. Sheep emit enteric methane emissions so while sheep may reduce tractor passes, the methane emitted should be accounted for. Perhaps more importantly is a lack of frameworks to account for carbon stocks and storage. Current systems account for fuel and in the case of NZW, carbon associated with crop protection and fertilisers.

Is reporting standardised globally, or can these targets be achieved through changing reporting parameters?

It is common to report Scope 1 emissions – those like fuel, crop protection products and fertilisers. It is not common to include carbon stored in soils and vines because these fluctuate seasonally and spatially, so are difficult to verify. There are few systems to account for this type of carbon and often the cost of compliance (verification) is a challenge.

Are there plans to add carbon information to the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) Spray Schedule to allow growers to

make informed decisions on their spray programmes? Since emissions from the manufacturing and transport of plant protection products are a key emissions source for vineyards, adding emissions information for various products that are approved for use could constitute a future enhancement for the Spray Schedule by allowing growers to make informed decisions about their spray programmes with emissions in mind. However, at this stage it is difficult to source accurate information about the emissions footprints of various agrichemicals, so it would be dependent on this information becoming more accessible in the future.

Cultivating Innovation: Genetic Advances Shaping New Zealand’s Grapevines

Presented and answered by Dr Darrell

Climate change, rising disease pressure and shifting consumer expectations are driving demand for faster grapevine improvement cycles. This presentation outlined how New Zealand’s breeding pipeline is adopting new technologies aimed at reducing a decades-long process to several years. It showcased progress in the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 programme, which is using genetics, robotics and machine learning to accelerate selection efforts across 6,000 vines already displaying novel traits, unpacked the proposed Gene Technology Bill, and looked at promising use cases for new biotechnologies to reduce spray applications, improve water use efficiency, and provide climate resilience.

The Roadmap to Net Zero discussion highlighted how important sustainability is with consumers. Is gene editing worth the potential risk to our industry’s reputation?

Sustainability drives interest in new genetic technologies, such as geneedited vines with lower mildew

Lizamore,

Bragato Research Institute

susceptibility. Some surveys indicate most consumers in New Zealand and export markets support gene editing for sustainable outcomes. The industry must address reputational risks and weigh whether gene editing poses greater market risks than ongoing fungicide use, or if it offers better adaptation to climate change and input reduction in the years ahead.

“Sustainability drives interest in new genetic technologies, such as gene edited vines with lower mildew susceptibility.”

Dr Darrell Lizamore

How soon could new Sauvignon Blanc clones be available to growers?

The first individually unique vines were planted as immature vines this past season. Over the next twothree years, they will be screened for clones with potential improvements,

and then cuttings from these will be grown grafted onto root stock in Marlborough. By 2030, the goal is to have selected new clones for nurseries to propagate for full commercial trials.

Could the genetic variation process create resistance to powdery mildew, given you are not introducing resistance genes?

Disease tolerance can increase by spontaneous mutation without the introduction of any new genes in at least four ways:

• Mutations that inactivate susceptibility genes (‘S genes’), of which there are several known in Sauvignon Blanc, lead to increased disease tolerance.

• Mutations near genes can affect the timing, levels and location within the plant that they are expressed. In this way biological processes like disease resistance can be greatly altered, not just inactivated.

• Mutations can alter disease tolerance through a variety of indirect processes. For example, though changes to the cuticle

Dr Darrell Lizamore,

(waxy outer layer), berry thickness, and bunch openness.

• Mutations that rearrange parts of genes can create new proteins, with new functions. This is how resistance genes arise spontaneously through evolution and answers the question of where resistance genes come from in the first place.

If gene editing is indistinguishable from the original vines, how would gene edited vines be traceable?

If gene editing is done in a way that does not introduce new DNA, as it typically is in grape breeding, then

the only way to trace the change would be if the scientists who made the change declare which ‘edit’ was intentionally caused. If known, this could easily be tested for by PCR. If unknown, it would be lost among the hundreds of indistinguishable mutations that happen naturally.

If the stressors applied in SB2.0 generate very significant genetic changes (e.g. a different leaf colour/ shape), would it still be considered Sauvignon Blanc?

From a genetic perspective, yes, and DNA testing verifies them as Sauvignon Blanc. Minor variations

in leaf coloration and morphology are generally not significant. But if the resulting wine exhibits markedly different characteristics, they can be assigned a new common name. For instance, numerous Pinot Noir clones exist, and certain spontaneous genetic mutations have influenced red berry production. Although they remain genetically classified as the same variety, these variants are designated with names like ‘Pinot Blanc’. Similarly, Gewurztraminer is a clone of Traminer (hence the name ‘spicy Traminer’) that has received a distinct common name due to its unique flavour profile.

Realising the Potential of Genomics in the Vineyard

Presented and answered by Dr Cen Liau, Bragato Research Institute

Genomics tools offer considerable promise for grapevine improvement and vineyard management. The Grapevine Improvement team at Bragato Research Institute (BRI) has developed genomic capabilities for a variety of applications. When implemented at scale, these methods support precision breeding strategies. Advanced molecular diagnostic techniques allow for the detection of pests and pathogens in vineyards, such as GLRaV3, powdery mildew, and phylloxera, and help understand the soil’s biological components. Beyond diagnostics, these methods provide relevant information, like identifying mutations in powdery mildew strains that are resistant to fungicides.

Do we know the genetic profile of powdery mildew resistance in New Zealand? Will we start using genetic diagnostics for pathogen resistance to help guide the spray schedule?

There is limited information on the genetic profile of powdery mildew resistance in New Zealand. While we have known for some time that resistance to fungicides is emerging, most of our understanding has come from phenotypic testing – that is, observing how the pathogen grown on leaves in the lab responds to different fungicides. A new research project led by BRI in collaboration with Plant & Food Research is working to fill some of the gaps. The project aims to map the prevalence of the two known genetic markers, perform a fungicide sensitivity phenotypic assay, and screen for genetic variations in several genes in Erysiphe necator potentially associated with resistance to other groups of fungicides. Findings from this project will help profile the genetic variation associated

with fungicide resistance in New Zealand vineyards and pave the road for using molecular diagnostics to monitor resistance and guide the New Zealand Winegrowers Spray Schedule.

Are epigenetic changes stable? Can they be used for breeding/ selection?

Epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling, can regulate gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence. Some of these changes can be stable and inherited by subsequent generations, while others are responsive to environmental stimuli and may change over time. Several studies have demonstrated the utility of epigenetic variation in influencing phenotype. Ultimately, epigenetic markers hold considerable potential for plant breeding, particularly in cases where they are stably inherited and associated with key agronomic traits. Several studies have demonstrated the utility of epigenetic variation in influencing phenotype. However, while promising, the application of epigenetic markers in breeding requires careful consideration of their stability and the complexity of their interaction with the environment and the underlying genome.

Are there any known genetic markers linked to drought tolerance in grapevines?

Yes, several genes have been linked to drought tolerance in grapevines. For example, VlbZIP30, a bZIP transcription factor activated by drought and abscisic acid (ABA), promotes water conservation and lignin biosynthesis. Overexpression of VlbZIP30 enhances drought resistance by reducing water loss, maintaining photosynthesis, and

increasing lignin accumulation through activation of peroxidase genes such as VvPRX4 and VvPRX72. Other examples include VaNCED1 which enhances the expression of drought-responsive genes and VviMYC4 which increases flavonol production, protecting cells from oxidative stress, leading to drought tolerance. Like many complex traits, drought tolerance in grapevines involves interactions amongst multiple genes.

What is the mechanism that allows RNA to control leafroll virus?

The use of RNA as a biological control against pathogens such as Grapevine Leafroll-associated Virus (GLRaV) is based on a natural mechanism known as RNA interference (RNAi). This approach involves applying double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules that are designed to match specific genetic sequences of the target virus. Once the dsRNA enters the plant cell – a process that remains a key challenge due to the protective nature of plant cell walls – it is processed by the plant’s RNAi machinery into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). These siRNAs then guide the plant’s defence system to recognise and degrade the corresponding viral RNA. This results in sequence-specific gene silencing, which effectively reduces viral replication within the plant.

Have there been any field trials using the RNA for leafroll virus? If so, has it shown efficacy?

Yes, there has been a field trial overseas carried out over a period of three growing seasons that showed reduced viral titer after single dose application and improved symptoms after multiple applications. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/ PMC7611933/pdf/EMS135863.pdf)

Next Generation Viticulture

Presented and answered by

Ross Wise MW, Bragato Research Institute

The Next Generation Viticulture (NGV) programme is designed to boost vineyard profitability and sustainability. Funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Winegrowers and industry grantors, the NGV programme aims to achieve these goals by reducing input costs per unit of output, as well as reducing yield variability, while maintaining the grape and wine quality standards synonymous with New Zealand wines.

How would grapes growing at the top of the canopy be harvested – whether by hand or machine –considering potential challenges like increased hand-picking costs due to dispersed fruit zones, picker height limitations, and issues with grapes getting caught in the canopy during machine harvesting?

We are training the vines so they could be managed with existing machinery. Current harvesters can easily be adjusted to machine-harvest the vines trained with the new NGV systems, at no extra-cost.

How interrelated are yield, grape brix and organic acids? How much of an effect is being seen between treatments especially compared to control vines?

Very high crop levels (grape yield) generally slow soluble solids or sugar accumulation (measured in Brix). However, there is a crop level threshold from which this inverse relation manifests itself. Varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc can easily crop 20-30 tonnes per hectare and ripen the fruit adequately (that is, reach the optimal sugar level by harvest time). We’ve seen this with our treatments at some sites and in some years. Other factors that can affect sugar accumulation include site vigour (soil fertility), temperature through ripening, and irradiance or light intensity. High temperature and

irradiance have the positive effect of accelerating sugar accumulation. Organic acid (malic and tartaric acid) metabolism on the other hand is not directly related to crop level but rather to its initial concentration at veraison, the density of the canopy, and sugar to acid ratio.

What hangtime differences have been observed from larger vines in the NGV trial?

At some sites there was no difference in ripening duration between the control (three or four cane VSP) and our NGV treatments that cropped 1.3-2 times more. At other sites, the differences were at or below two weeks. At a few other sites, that duration was longer. However, we are still developing the architecture of the NGV vines and expect these fluctuations to happen at the establishment stage. Once the vines reach their full size and development there should be less fluctuations and differences.

Has much variation been observed in sugars across canopy structure?

At some sites there was no

difference in soluble solids (or sugar) concentration at harvest between the control (three or four cane VSP) and our NGV treatments that cropped 1.3-2 times more. At other sites, the differences were toward lower sugar concentration (1.5-2 Brix less). At a few other sites, that difference was even larger (2-4 Brix). We expect there to be less fluctuation and differences once the NGV vines’ architecture is further developed.

Is it expected that upright cordons will need to be replaced as grapevine trunk disease infection occurs?

Wood disease develops rapidly when large cuts are made and left unprotected. With the new NGV system adapted for spur-pruned vines it is anticipated that wood disease will be less of an issue, therefore there will be less need to replace upright cordons for this reason. Whatever the case, upright cordons can be replaced by selecting canes growing from spurs left intentionally between two vertical cordons on the horizontal cordon.

UV-C Light as an Alternative to Fungicide

Presented and answered by Dr Paul Epee, Bragato Research Institute

Internationally, UV-C light technologies have been reported to control powdery mildew in vineyards. Bragato Research Institute (BRI), in partnership with A Lighter Touch, Agri Automation and Whitehaven Wines, initiated a two-year research project to demonstrate the efficacy of this new technology on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Preliminary results showed that up to veraison, UV-C light provided excellent to moderate control of powdery mildew on leaves and bunches at weekly applications.

With UV-C being non-selective on microorganisms, what effects could this have on the general biodiversity of the vine?

There have been no studies to date on the effects of UV-C on microbiomes. The irradiance dose we apply is only known to be lethal to the powdery mildew pathogen. The current UV-C study focuses on testing the efficacy in controlling grapevine powdery mildew; any further investigation will only be warranted once that efficacy is confirmed.

What effects does UV-C have on the vines themselves?

Two studies conducted in the USA (one at Cornell University and the other at Washington State University) showed that UV-C did not produce detectable indications of metabolic abnormalities, phytotoxicity, growth reduction, reduction of fruit yield or quality, even at the highest irradiance dose of 200J/m2 twice weekly. However, if irradiated longer than necessary – for example, the robot stops and irradiates the canopy for more than half an hour – this can burn unlignified green tissues such as leaves or grapes.

Does UV-C control pathogens other than powdery mildew? Can it also control downy mildew?

A study at Cornell University investigated the effects of UV-C on sour rot (Botrytis cinerea) and showed UV-C at the dose of 200J/m2

Dr Paul Epee

twice weekly suppressed the disease on ‘Vignoles’ vines. So far, UV-C when applied at the right dose can suppress grapevine powdery mildew. According to the Cornell University study its control of downy mildew (Plasmopara Viticola) was not significant.

Does the four hours of darkness necessary following treatment mean there is only a three-four-hour window of run time per day in peak summer?

At the summer solstice, the shortest night in New Zealand lasts roughly eight to nine hours, a bit under nine hours in the north and slightly shorter farther north. During the 2024/2025 season trials, UV-C was applied in Marlborough through summer with enough dark hours for this technology to work at peak

summertime, however yes, at peak daylight hours, and in order to be scalable, the current machine’s capacity would need to increase.

Does UV-C exposure cause genetic changes in fungi that might lead to greater spray resistance?

There’s currently no published research indicating that UV-C exposure causes genetic changes in fungi leading to increased spray resistance. Given that UV-C technology has been used for decades in applications like water sterilisation without reported cases of resistance, it seems unlikely.

New Zealand Winegrowers members can access more Grape Days 2025 resources at: nzwine.com/members/ grapdedays2025

Calculating Carbon

Presented and answered by Dr Seth Laurenson, Bragato Research Institute

New Zealand Winegrowers has set an ambitious goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Central to this effort is the Roadmap to Net Zero, which outlines sector-wide pathways for emissions reductions. To support this ambition, Bragato Research Institute (BRI), in conjunction with Marlborough Circular Wine Group, is developing a carbon calculator that enables growers to track their vineyard emissions at an activity level.

Will soil carbon be included?

At this stage it is not anticipated that soil carbon will be included in the Carbon Calculator. Soil carbon is not included in many frameworks due to it being highly labile, especially at soil depths less than 600mm. In order for this to happen, a framework would need to be developed and the cost of compliance sufficiently matched with benefits, however this is not currently the case.

How can infrastructure development be influenced to ensure adequate electrification options? Is this already happening?

Yes this is already happening – Rewiring Aotearoa is a perfect example. At this stage however, industry cannot inform the infrastructure side what its electricity needs are seasonally, peak and annually

Could the Carbon Calculator be integrated into other tools the industry is already using, like Vure? Yes, this is the goal. Ultimately, we think that a preferable solution is to have automated processes that function seamlessly between the operational and reporting levels.

International carbon sequestration calculations can be changed. Is BRI considering any robust calculation for carbon capture of grapevines across seasons/regions?

At this stage, the focus is on quantifying the amount of carbon

present. The next step would be to develop a robust LCA process that enables an auditor to verify carbon usage, followed by routine audits to confirm carbon claims. It’s all doable, but it comes down to the cost-benefit.

Vineyards have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in diesel machinery. Will there be sensible incentives to help transition to electricity?

Immediately, no there won’t be. In fact, carbon offsetting is currently more cost-effective. However, machines may be replaced with electric or other alternative options as they grow old and are replaced. It all depends on individual circumstances, the efficacy of alternative options, and the industry’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050.