New Zealand Winegrower February-March 2024

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NEW ZEALAND WINE INDUSTRY

The Profile

James Healy

Women in Wine Michelle Richardson

Wild Irishmen

Pinot partnership

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 ISSUE 144

Growing Agritech How technology is changing the way we grow and make wine

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 / ISSUE 144

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ISSUE 144 – FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

4 Editorial Sophie Preece

the CEO 6 From Philip Gregan of View 28 Point Tracy Atkin

Précis 31 PhD Sukhpreet Kaur Gill Profile 36 The James Healy in Wine 40 Women Michelle Richardson

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Update 50 Sustainability Freshwater Farm Plans

Features

in Asia 14 Opportunities In November last year, New

Zealand Trade and Enterprise ran a webinar on wine market opportunities in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Kylie Archer, Trade Commissioner Japan, offers some insights into these three markets, now and into the future.

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40 COVER PHOTO The nature of vineyard work is changing, with a younger workforce more attuned to technology, says Lachlan McLeay from Treasury Wine Estates, which is currently trialling autonomous tractors at Matua in Marlborough. “It’s not just a labour saving; all sorts of other operational efficiencies and precision comes from changing to these.” Go to page 20. Photo Jim Tannock

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Top Tech 20 Tip The past three years have

brought “massive change” in the technology that enables autonomous vehicles in New Zealand vineyards, and also in the confidence people have in them, says Murray Faber, who developed V3 for Cloudy Bay. “And I think that will change a lot more in the next five years.” Vineyard tech is seen well beyond driverless tractors, with drones, apps, lasers and sensors just some of the tools being harnessed by the industry.

Update 46 Seasonal As New Zealand’s wine industry prepares for Vintage 2024, we check in on the growing season around the country, and expectations for the upcoming harvest.

EDITOR Sophie Preece sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz CORRESPONDENTS Wellington Wine Country: Joelle Thomson mailme@joellethomson.com Hawkes Bay: Olly Styles oliverstyles@hotmail.com Canterbury: Jo Burzynska jo@joburzynska.com ADVERTISING Upper North Island: Stephen Pollard stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 963 166 Central North Island: Lisa Wise lisaw@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 027 369 9218 Lower North Island: Ron Mackay ronm@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 453 914 South Island: Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz Ph: 021 221 1994 CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Sarah Adams saraha@nzwine.com Tel 09 306 5644 New Zealand Winegrowers PO Box 90 276, Auckland Mail Centre, New Zealand PUBLISHING & PRE-PRESS Rural News Group PO Box 331100, Takapuna, Auckland 0740 Ph: 09 307 0399 Location: Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 Publisher: Brian Hight Managing Editor: Adam Fricker Production: David Ferguson, Rebecca Williams Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers Inc. Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/or its directors or management, New Zealand Winegrowers Inc. or its constituent organisations. Published every second month. One free copy is mailed to every member of New Zealand Winegrowers Inc, New Zealand Society of Viticulture & Oenology and the New Zealand Vine Improvement Group, and to such other persons or organisations as directed by the owners, with provision for additional copies and other recipients to be on a subscription.

ISSN 1174-5223

From the Editor Witnessing the relentless growth of agritech in New Zealand vineyards and wineries is somewhat “bittersweet” for Tahryn Mason, who loves the hands-on traditions of winegrowing. But the viticulturist, who canvassed the challenges and opportunities of existing tech at the 2023 Grape Days in Marlborough, says people are increasingly realising that technology – and in particular automated technology – is going to be a big part of how the industry works in the future. “In terms of solving a very real issue for the industry – attracting and retaining staff – it might be the most tangible solution.”

On the flipside, technology could close some of the doorways people have traditionally used to enter the industry, as he did as a university student with a holiday job running nets over a vineyard. “If you don’t have those avenues into the industry it is going to be more difficult to advertise it as a viable career choice.” Despite regrets about what might be lost through technology, Tahryn is also excited by what can be gained, particularly with the scale of Marlborough, where innovations can offer a more detailed understanding, in lieu of broad brushstrokes.

In this edition we look at a handful of the myriad technological advancements in wine, from apps for data management to autonomous vineyard tractors.

“These advances are mind-blowing,” says viticultural consultant Dr David Jordon. “And where they can take us, beyond comprehension.”

Sophie Preece EDITOR

Contributors

Tony Skinner Tony has been writing about the promise of autonomous technologies for many years. In this edition he looks at the growth of wine industry tech, including driverless vineyard vehicles.

Go to page 18

Claire Finlayson Dunedin-based freelance writer Claire Finlayson relished a doubly Irish wine chat with Central Otago’s Alan Brady and Brian Shaw, the duo behind Wild Irishman.

James Kane As the 2024 vintage looms the topic of health and safety may evoke mixed feelings, writes New Zealand Winegrowers Legal and Policy Advisor James Kane.

Go to page 42

Go to page 54

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FROM THE CEO

From the CEO

Welcome to 2024!

PHILIP GREGAN

The New Year is now well underway and appears to have started promisingly on the weather front, with lots of warm, dry days. Long may that continue, so we have a really high-quality vintage to deliver into markets later in the year.

When we conducted our Members’ Survey towards the end of 2023, views were very mixed about the year ahead, with a roughly even split between those with positive and negative outlooks for the next 12 months. However, members were very much united in their level of concern about the impact of cost increases on the sector, with 79% rating cost increases/ inflation as very important, which is entirely unsurprising given inflation is still running at 5% plus.

The mixed view of the outlook for the year ahead, and the concerns over cost increases, mirrors the wider global economic outlook. According to the IMF the economic outlook for the year ahead is very mixed: “The baseline forecast is for global growth to slow from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 3.0 percent in 2023 and 2.9 percent in 2024, well below the historical (2000– 19) average of 3.8 percent. Advanced economies are expected to slow from 2.6 percent in 2022 to 1.5 percent in 2023 and 1.4 percent in 2024 as policy tightening starts to bite.”

The advanced economies, of course, include all the major markets for our wines, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, so consumers may well be tightening their spending belts.

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While the economic outlook may be less than rosy in our major markets, the 2023 New Zealand Wine Brand Health: Consumer Tracking Report, published in December, painted a positive picture about consumer perception of our wines in key markets (you can see the webinar ‘Houston, do we have a problem?’ on our website). To quote Richard Lee, who oversees Intel & Insights for New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), “New Zealand Wine brand health remains healthy with no signs of any deterioration compared to 2022 results”.

“New Zealand Wine brand health remains healthy with no signs of any deterioration compared to 2022 results.”

Richard Lee Positive consumer perceptions are backed up by the latest sales data. In the US, UK, Canada and China, our in-market sales continue to grow and outperform the wider wine market, while in Australia and New Zealand our market share is solid, even if New Zealand wine is performing slightly behind the market.

This strong in-market perception and performance is a very solid base on which to build the New Zealand wine reputation

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

in the year ahead. Short term however, wineries are having to cope with the destocking of supply chains, which was a major dynamic affecting wine exporters across the globe in the second half of 2023.

The impact for New Zealand wineries was that exports declined more than 20% in the July to December period, compared to 2022, despite the strong in-market sales numbers. This is undoubtedly creating some headaches for wineries as they plan their grape intake requirements for vintage 2024.

From a NZW perspective, the downturn in exports will reduce our wine levy income in the current financial year. In response, we are targeting expenditure savings of $800,000 in the second half of the year in order to ensure we remain in a sound financial position. Despite these cost savings, we have an extensive range of initiatives planned for 2024, including completion of our IT overhaul, helping members comply with the new Freshwater Farm Plan requirements, and preparing for Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 in February next year.

Domestically, with the new government in place we expect 2024 will be a busy year in the regulatory space. The end of 2023 saw legislation repealing Fair Pay Agreements pass through Parliament, while we are hopeful the legislation changing cellar door rules will be back into Parliament sooner, rather than later.

Hopefully 2024 will see more regulatory positives than negatives.

All the best for the year ahead and a successful 2024 vintage.

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NEWS BRIEFS

The Blind Tasting

Ivan Devcich

Press hunt

A Thames woman with deep winemaking roots is trying to track down the old family wine press from Golden Valley Wines.

Lorenza Devcich from the Devcich Historic Farmstead in the Kauaeranga Valley says her father Ivan sold the press in the 1980s, after giving up his wine licence for S Devcich & Sons. Ivan’s father Simum arrived in New Zealand in 1903 to work as a gum digger. In 1927 Simun and his brother got a license to produce wine on their farmstead, using grapes from their own vineyard and making wine in the basement of the homestead until 1931, when the wineshed was erected. Ivan took over the wine business in the 1940s. Over the past 14 years Lorenza has restored the old farmstead and surrounding buildings, including the wine shed, with the property now registered as Category One with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. “The wineshed is somewhat bare, as Dad when he gave up making wine sold off a lot of the old wooden barrels and the old press,” she says. “I would love to find it again and bring it back to his its original home, with pride of place in the wine shed.” Anyone with information on the winepress, can contact Lorenza at lorenza@xtra.co.nz.

BRI Update Bragato Research Institute (BRI) has announced three new board appointments, following the departure of directors Dr Di McCarthy and Professor Charlie Eason, who stood down in 2023. Emma Taylor is a viticulture consultant based in the Hawke’s Bay, a member of the New Zealand Winegrowers Board and Environment Committee, and was previously Chair of the Viticulture Industry National Association.

James Dicey, a Central Otago grape grower, is the owner of vineyard development and management company Grape Vision, and a foundation board director for BRI. They are joined by Greg Mann, who is General Manager of ArborGen, New Zealand’s largest supplier of improved genetics planting stock to the forestry sector, and a director of Crown Research Institute Scion. The new directors all bring valuable insights and perspectives, says Board Chair Mark Gilbert.

“As BRI enters its seventh year in 2024, these Board appointments will assist in charting the path of endeavour for future expansion and growth.”

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I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

Following each New Zealand Winegrowers Blind Tasting, Lead Panellist Emma Jenkins MW produces a Varietal Summary document detailing the ‘state of play’ Emma Jenkins MW across our varieties – encompassing varietal development and trends, as well as regional, subregional, vintage and stylistic themes. In 2023, The Blind Tasting spanned 987 wines across 37 varieties and styles, from all ten of our wine-producing regions. It was a comprehensive lineup of our industry’s wine list and an unparalleled opportunity to produce an annual summary. For wineries that submit wines to The Blind Tasting, individual results when read in conjunction with these varietal summaries can provide a guide on how each wine was received amongst those evaluated, including additional information on the lowest, highest and average scores. There is also explanatory information on how the wines are tasted, and how the process differs from that of a traditional wine show. nzwine.com/members/marketing/education/blind-tasting/ varietal-summaries

Sustainability Success Taking two sustainability awards at two events on a single evening felt like “true recognition” of the work Lawson’s Dry Hills has done for more than a decade, says General Manager Sion Barnsley.

“It’s just what we do.” Late last year the Marlborough wine company was awarded a commendation at the Sustainable Business Awards Sion Barnsley and Belinda Jackson in the category of Climate Action Leader, then took the Excellence in Sustainability Award at the New Zealand International Business Awards. The Sustainable Business Awards are open to any company in New Zealand, spanning sectors from food and beverage to education and energy. There were nine finalists in the Climate Action Leader category, which was awarded to Ecotricity, with Lawson’s Dry Hills receiving the commendation as runner up at the Auckland celebration. The Lawson’s team then whisked off to a black-tie event at Auckland’s Viaduct for The New Zealand International Business Awards, run by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. The Excellence in Sustainability Award, sponsored

by Kiwibank, recognised organisations that embed sustainability into the fabric of their business, achieving international growth while having a positive impact on people and the planet. “Lawson’s Dry Hills Wines are leaders of sustainability in their industry and it makes them stand out from the pack,” judges said. “Sustainability is clearly embedded throughout the business. The company demonstrated clear maturity and understanding of the different drivers of verification and certification. Lawson’s Dry Hills knew what they were doing and they did it for the industry.”

NEWS BRIEFS

Vine to Wine

Emerging innovations in the wine industry will be on show at the WinePro international trade event to be held in Blenheim from 25 to 27 June 2024. In this month’s Point of View (page 28) Tracy Atkin talks of the incredible rate of change in the wine industry, with a huge increase in technology solutions available. “Many of these new technologies will be on display in the startup zone at WinePro in Blenheim this June, showcasing the latest emerging innovation in the wine industry”, she says. WinePro, with its tagline Vine to Wine, will include workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions on a wide range of topics, covering everything from viticulture and winemaking techniques to marketing and distribution strategies. winepro.nz

Constance Hastings Distillers’ new aperitif, Constance, is a nod to its French counterpart, Lillet, but made from Hawke’s Bay wine and organically grown botanicals. The distillery founders, Kate Galloway and her French partner David Ramonteu spent time in David’s home country over the northern summer, observing a renaissance in the pre-dinner drink. “It’s known in France as ‘the barman’s friend’”, David says. “Possibly because it’s so popular with both young and old. It’s the ideal combination of refreshing and slightly fruity – a very charming, summer afternoon or early evening choice.” The aperitif, named for ceramicist Constance Spry, is a blend of local wine, biodynamic raspberries, liquorice, cardamom, bitter oranges, clove, rosemary, star anise and gentian root. “There was something very special about Constance Spry,” Kate says. “She was one of the first to introduce vegetables and weeds into floristry, and I suppose there’s a correlation there between her less conventional approach and ours, when it comes to gins and liqueurs. We also love the natural world and how we can shape what comes from the earth into something that is sipped and savoured.”

Valli Wine Bar Valli Wines has been growing grapes and making wine in Otago for quarter of a century, but the Valli Wine Bar recently opened in Kurow

by Grant Taylor and Nicole Schofield is the company’s first self-owned public face. The Kurow Grant Taylor and Nicole Schofield Post Office, built from Oamaru Stone in 1934, has been transformed into a bright space where cyclists come to relax after a long day on the Alps to Ocean, locals gather for a glass of wine to catch up on local news, and staff get to share their passion and knowledge of the region and its wines, Nicole says. “The wine flights have been designed to be entertaining, thought provoking and most of all educational, whether it be comparing different Otago regions, varieties, vintages or winemaking technique,” she says.

Lifetime Achievement A truckdriver, a journalist and two winemakers were presented Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Awards at a celebration dinner in Blenheim late last year. Murray Gibbons, Tessa Anderson receiving her award Tessa Anderson, James Healy and Dave Pearce were recognised at The Marlborough Wine Celebration Evening, which also celebrated 50 years since the beginning of the modern Marlborough wine industry. “These are people who have dedicated much of their lives to championing the Marlborough wine industry, and the wonderful wines we’re capable of delivering,” Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens says. “To be able to recognise them at this special event was a real honour.”

James Healy (page 36) has been in the wine industry for more than 40 years, starting at Corbans Wines in Auckland, before moving to Marlborough in 1991 to become a winemaker at Cloudy Bay. Later, alongside viticulturist Ivan Sutherland, he started Dog Point Vineyard. Dave Pearce also began his career at Corbans Wines, and was part of a group of enthusiasts who started Grove Mill in 1988. He went on to drive carbon neutrality at Grove Mill, years ahead of others in the industry.

In recent years, Dave’s extensive experience helped design client-focused winery VinLink. Tessa Anderson has been writing about Marlborough wine since 1996, as the wine reporter at The Marlborough Express, Editor of Winepress Magazine, Editor for New Zealand Winegrower magazine, and author of a biography of Jane Hunter. Last year Tessa launched her new book 50 years, 50 Stories, Marlborough the region that turned the wine world upside down, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Marlborough’s first modern vineyard plantings.

Murray Gibbons, described as an “industry treasure”, is the owner of Bulk Wine Distribution, and has spent 40 years driving trucks and servicing the wine industry.

OIV Chief The OIV’s 100th year is an opportunity to celebrate a century of achievements, raise the OIV’s profile, and “look forward to the next 100 years and beyond”, said Dr John Barker, in his first official act as the organisation’s new Director General. “The leadership and collaboration that the OIV provides are Dr John Barker needed today more than ever to help member countries to master the challenges and profit from the opportunities facing the vine and wine sector today.” The New Zealander, who began his five-year term on 1 January, emphasised the important link between wine and vine products and the land, the climate and the people of their place of origin. He noted the OIV’s commitment to the integrity and authenticity of all products of the vine, as well as to responsible and moderate consumption.

NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 I

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Upcoming events

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

Rosé Day

5 February nzwine.com/roseday

Rosé is now New Zealand’s fourth largest export, with a diverse array of styles emerging from our wine regions.

Check out New Zealand Winegrowers’ (NZW) social media toolkit and use the hashtag #nzroseday on the day, or tag @nzwinegrowers.

Marlborough Wine & Food Festival. “Chefs are busy planning their festival menu,” says committee member Dion Brown.

“They are very clever, very resourceful and know exactly how to create a signature dish that will work at this kind of scale, where they might make as many as 1,000 servings.” The festival menu also includes the ever-popular Culinary Pavilion, where celebrated chefs Michael Meredith, Matt Lambert, Andy Hearnden and Sam Webb are set to inspire throughout the day. “The Culinary Pavilion is a destination in itself,” says Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens. “A place to sit back and see these super chefs work their magic with amazing local Marlborough produce and artisan foods.”

Brookby Beats 9 February eventfinda.co.nz

The natural amphitheatre of Marlborough’s Brookby Hill vineyard will play host to a gathering of top Southern Valley wine producers, great musical talent, and a selection of culinary delights. Two Rivers, Corofin, Sorrell, The Marlborist, and Vandal have joined forces for a night of “authentic wines and banging beats” in the lead up to the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival.

Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival

17 February wairarapaharvestfestival.co.nz

Wine geeks will unite at a new masterclass at the 2024 Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival, sponsored by Provincial Insurance Brokers. The class will be held just before the main event, as part of a celebration of wine, food, and entertainment.

19-24 February events.humanitix.com/climate-actionweek-marlborough

The Marlborough Wine & Food Festival 10 February marlboroughwinefestival.com

Pop-up restaurants will marry famed wines with delicious food at the 2024 10

North Canterbury Wine & Food Festival

3 March ncwineandfood.co.nz

The ‘coolest little wine festival’ will be held in the heart of Waipara, under the oaks at Glenmark Domain, with an array of North Canterbury’s well-loved wines. “Come and experience every wine and food lover’s idea of a perfect day,” they say. “Meet our local winemakers, hear their stories and taste their remarkable wines.”

Ripe; Wānaka Wine & Food Festival

Climate Action Week Marlborough

Photo Richard Briggs

Photo Hannah Bird

This annual event highlights opportunities for businesses to gain knowledge and inspiration for lowering carbon emissions, bringing wine closer to its target of being carbon neutral by 2050. The week contains a series of events ranging from presentations and networking events through to full immersion experiences. On 21 February, NZW will present its Greenhouse Gas Emissions National Report.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

23 March ripewanaka.nz

The Wine and Dine with Akarua area is just one of the highlights of Ripe, the Wānaka Wine and Food Festival. Guests in the VIP area will be served a four-course meal with matching Akarua wines, with premium festival views. The Black Seeds are the headline act at the Glendhu Bay event, which Event Director Nathan White says will be bigger and better than ever.

“We’ll feature premium wineries such as Amisfield, Gibbston Valley, Maude and Cloudy Bay, alongside a range of boutique wineries and food vendors from across Central Otago.”

Winetopia

Wellington 7 - 8 June Auckland 26 - 27 July

Wineries from all across the country will gather at these showcase events, with a chance to meet thousands of wine lovers, offer tastings and sell direct to the public.

Winetopia is a proud showcase of many of the best wines in the country from sparkling to Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and plenty of Pinot Noir.

UPCOMING EVENTS

OWNZ workshops Organic Winegrowers New Zealand is partnering with Kelly Mulville, from Paicines Ranch in California, to deliver a series of workshops around Aotearoa this winter. Kelly, who is at the forefront of organic and regenerative winegrowing in the United States, was one of the speakers at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough last year. His innovative viticultural growing systems, including a high wire training system and livestock incorporated into vineyards, aim to reduce the environmental footprint of winegrowing.

Kelly Mulville

For the past 25 years Kelly has managed, designed and consulted for vineyards, farms and ranches, throughout the United States and beyond, focused on restoring ecological health, growing biodiversity, creating climate change resilience, and increasing profitability and beauty. Four full-day workshops are set to take place, with the support of the Horticentre Charitable Trust.

Central Otago - 7 June North Canterbury - 10 June Marlborough - 12 June Hawke’s Bay - 14 June organicwinenz.com

Organic Wine Week Usher in the Spring Equinox with the wineries, distributors, influencers, restaurants and retailers celebrating organic wine. The inaugural Down to Earth tasting event in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was a highlight of last year’s Organic Wine Week, with a vibrant atmosphere, thoughtful food, and delicious organic wines poured by some of Aotearoa’s best producers.

Down to Earth will be back bigger and even better in 2024, with plans to expand the event into Wellington and London.

16-22 September organicwinenz.com/organicwineweek

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 I

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Altogether Unique Growing the reputation of New Zealand wine Charlotte Read

Read On Telling the New Zealand Wine brand story, and what makes it truly unique and distinctive on the world stage, has been a key focus over the past year.

The refreshed visual identity for New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is now celebrating its first anniversary and the Brand team has received such positive feedback on all the events that have brought our Altogether Unique Brand Story to life at home in New Zealand and in our key export markets.

Our New Zealand Wine pavilion at ProWein is a great example of this, and we are looking forward to returning in March this year.

This brand story acts as the foundation cornerstone that our regional and member winery stories can build upon, and it’s been so encouraging to observe the alignment of this messaging across our major wine regions.

Collectively, we can maximise our impact.

We were so delighted that the designer of our logo was recognised in the prestigious Best Awards late last year. Matt Hammond of Unordinary aimed to incorporate the three pillars of our brand essence – Purity, Innovation, Care – into geometric organic forms reminiscent of tendrils on a grapevine, but rendered in a more bespoke and timeless style. This resulted in a contemporary mark unique to New Zealand, giving New Zealand Wine a more distinct visual presence on the world stage.

Wishing you all the best for 2024 and success in our collective efforts to build and strengthen the premium reputation for New Zealand Wine.

Charlotte Read is NZW General Manager Brand

Annual Trade Tastings – London and Dublin The New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting falls on Waitangi Day 2024, again leading the trade calendar with its early February date.

Embracing diversity is a key pillar of the 2024 event, with more than 250 wines from 70 producers Oz Clarke represented, covering all New Zealand’s grape growing regions, from Northland to Central Otago, with a wide array of varieties and styles. The masterclass hosted by Oz Clarke, presenting Oz Clarke’s New Zealand Road Trip (Without James!), is based on the highlights of his trip here in November 2023. Other features include a Self-Pour Regional Highlights table, with 18 wines from 10 wine growing regions and an organic focus table. “The New Zealand Annual Tasting is an important fixture in the trade’s calendar at the start of the year,” says Chris Stroud, NZW Market Manager for Europe. “As well as many familiar names returning, we are pleased to welcome some new exhibitors for the first time, so it’s a great opportunity for trade to discover new wines to add to their portfolios”. The 27th year of the New Zealand Wine trade tasting in Dublin is to take place on 7 February at the Westbury Hotel, including a masterclass from well-known wine critic John Wilson, from the Irish Times, on ‘Regional Heroes & Pioneering Wines’. As with London, there is to be a Self-Pour Regional Highlights table, showcasing 12 wines from seven New Zealand wine regions.

Tasting Climate Change – Montreal, Quebec The Tasting Climate Change conference was held on 22-23 January in Montreal, Canada.

Led by acclaimed author and wine sustainability thought leader Michelle Bouffard, the event attracted more than 500 attendees from around the world, both in person and virtually. New Zealand is revered in the global wine industry for its commitment to sustainability, with the longest running national wine sustainability programme in the world. Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Programme Manager Meagan Littlejohn did a brilliant

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job sharing the New Zealand wine industry approach to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Education and communication are fundamental to ensuring wine producers understand why and how to make improvements, and that they can succinctly communicate their efforts and sustainability credentials, Meagan says.

“Collaboration and knowledge sharing within New Zealand and with our colleagues abroad will be key to becoming a carbon neutral industry by 2050.” tastingclimatechange.com/en

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

Meagan Littlejohn

ALTOGETHER UNIQUE

New Zealand’s Vintage Winery Engineers Pinot Noir NZ Pinot Noir New Zealand 2025 will be held in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 11 to 13 February 2025.

Committee member Philippa Fourbet gives us a taste of what’s to come.

I am… founder of Domaine Rewa and the co-founder of The French Potter. Juggling proceedings at Domaine Rewa, raising twin boys, PA for my husband’s business (The French Potter), and a full-time job as General Manager of Financial Markets at a local bank keeps me entertained! Amongst it all, I am a New Zealand Pinot Noir devotee and I am truly excited to be working on Pinot Noir NZ 2025, which will be sophisticated and word class.

I’m honoured to be part of the ambitious, driven, and diverse industry that is embodied in the event.

“The excitement we are receiving from within the wine industry has been outstanding.”

Philippa Fourbet Our committee… has been working hard to craft an event with genuine Kiwi hospitality and innovation woven across the three days. Winegrowers and the wider industry are humming to have this renowned event back after a long wait. The excitement we are receiving from within the wine industry has been outstanding.

We are currently in conversations with key stakeholders to discuss sponsorship opportunities with Pinot Noir NZ 2025.

Our latest news is… registrations for Pinot Noir NZ 2025 recently opened to all New Zealand Pinot Noir producers and spaces are filling up quickly. You can take a look at pinotnz.co.nz for more details on the event or feel free to reach out to a member of the committee.

New Zealand Pinot is… a world class premium product. This event is our opportunity to show what New Zealand Pinot Noir means to us and why it really is the best in the world.

We know wine.

Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Albariño… well, while we do love a good drop, what we really mean is that we have decades of wine industry experience and know the industry and processes inside out.

This understanding enables us to offer insights and create seamless solutions that make a real difference for even the most complex projects.

Learn more about our winery engineering services and experience.

Marlborough Canterbury Hawke’s Bay Otago

kotahistudio.co.nz/winery

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ALTOGETHER UNIQUE

Market Focus New Zealand to Japan, South Korea and Singapore In November last year, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise ran a webinar on wine market opportunities in Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Kylie Archer, Trade Commissioner Japan, offers some insights into these three markets, now and into the future.

How strong is New Zealand wine in these markets?

New Zealand wine is very well regarded in these markets, especially the Sauvignon Blanc that put New Zealand on the map.

We have seen promising gains, but there is still significant opportunity to increase our market share, which is our focus for 2024 and beyond.

Korea’s wine market has seen impressive growth during and post-Covid-19. New Zealand is the seventh largest wine exporter to South Korea, with imports worth almost NZ$25million in 2022. Our wine exports to Korea grew at the highest rate of any international market, and account for nearly 3% of South Korea’s total wine imports. We see more potential to ride this wave.

Our wine exports to Singapore make up only 1.4% of Singapore’s total wine imports, but with an almost 23% increase in total import value of New Zealand wines (NZ$22.7 million) from the year before, New Zealand currently sits as the sixth largest wine exporter to Singapore.

Finally, Japan has the largest wine market in this region. Although New Zealand is the tenth-largest international supplier by value and volume, it is still less than 1% of Japanese wine imports. But in 2022 we were the top country in terms of overall growth percentage, highlighting the opportunity to increase New Zealand wine consumption in Japan.

Overall, our consumer perception research shows that New Zealand wine is highly regarded in Asia amongst those aware of our brands, but there is room to improve recognition and to lift our positioning on some of the higher-impact drivers around taste and quality.

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Where do people buy and drink our wine?

In Japan, retail channels are becoming increasingly important as consumers shift towards at-home wine consumption. New Zealand wines currently enjoy a pricing sweet spot of NZ$13.1 per litre, between the higher prices of United States wines at US$17.9 per litre, and most other countries, including Australia at NZ$5.1 per litre.

In Singapore, New Zealand is positioned at the top of mid-range; quite different to Australia, which is a volume driver with almost 70% of wines costing less than NZ$50. In Korea, hypermarkets have played a major role in making wine a mass market item, offering wines for as low as NZ$5 with heavy promotions. The average spend on a bottle off-trade varies between NZ$38 for home consumption to NZ$72 for a gift; or up to an average of $87 on-trade at a formal meal.

Market numbers and growth Between the three markets, we’ve seen a rise of more than 50% in export values over the past two years, led by growth in Korea. Korea saw a huge spike in wine consumption during the Covid social distancing measures, which sparked a trend known as ‘homsul’, drinking alcohol at home by oneself. New Zealand wine exports to Korea jumped 125% between 2020-2022, and the challenge for us is to maintain that momentum and take advantage of changes as result of new preferences.

During that same period our wine

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

exports to Singapore increased 49%.

Singapore is a small but premium market for wine and is significant as a regional export hub. New Zealand mainly exports still wine to Singapore, of which approximately 75% is white. Sparkling wine recorded tremendous growth between mid-2022 and mid-2023 to account for 10% of total wine exports to Singapore, and we expect that trend to continue. Our wine exports to Japan had been consistent until a spike in 2022 with 25% growth. Red wine accounts for 70% of international still wine sales in Japan, but there is growing interest in white wines, and our Sauvignon Blanc is well suited to the Japanese palate.

How can we grow market share?

Sauvignon Blanc has solidified New Zealand’s wine brand in East Asian markets, but it has also presented opportunities for other grape varietals to be introduced. In a recent wine media masterclass in Japan, varietals such as New Zealand Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were introduced.

Consumers are also showing interest in learning how to consume wine and be educated on how to pair that with food.

What’s driving purchase behaviour for wines?

Each of the markets has different trends and drivers, and exporters are adapting to these in their own way. Japan’s key wine consumers are older, male and wealthy, but the landscape is shifting. New Zealand wines appeal to traditional wine drinkers, but we encourage exporters to build

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relationships with younger consumers who are open to experimentation and unique products. Wine is mainly sold through retail channels rather than in restaurants and bars. Within retail, 50% of wine is sold in supermarkets, followed by 27% in specialist stores.

Korea saw a huge spike in wine consumption during the Covid social distancing measures, which sparked a trend known as ‘homsul’, drinking alcohol at home by oneself.

Wine is still a relatively new category in Korea and is price-driven. Koreans drink wine for relaxation, with a shift away from consumption during formal occasions.

Koreans also have a strong tradition of gifting wine, and we have helped customers identify seasonal opportunities for wine sales and to consider how packaging can help. Hypermarkets and supermarkets sell the highest volume of wine, offering

a variety of value and premium wines at affordable prices. Department stores and specialist wine retailers sell premium wine brands to more experienced wine drinkers, as consumers drink more alcohol at home.

Singapore is a mature market, with a small but passionate base of wine enthusiasts who are familiar with premium wines. There is an appetite to learn about wines through in-person courses, tastings, and online sources. Retailers and importers are active in running tasting sessions to stimulate premium purchases. In Singapore, just under three-quarters of alcohol is bought in stores while the remainder is bought online.

How can New Zealand companies tap into that?

To reach younger wine drinking audiences, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) hosts a range of online and in-person events across all three markets. We also leverage the global premium food and beverage marketing campaign, Made With Care, to use unique aspects of New Zealand’s entire food and beverage sector to lift the profile and value of New Zealand premium wine exports. We often do so in conjunction with New Zealand companies and we

encourage them to continue engaging with us to leverage their opportunities in-market. NZTE events include retail and distribution networking programmes, marketing campaigns and capability building workshops with advice from market experts.

At the same time, New Zealand companies should build in regular market visits with their local distributors to understand the landscape and invest in tasting events that build more awareness of their brands with key opinion influencers and media both on and off trade.

What is the East Asia Wine Uncorked Programme?

NZTE is hosting an East Asia Wine Programme to help New Zealand wine exporters understand these wine markets better and identify their brand’s place with a view to expand awareness or lift brand perception. This programme is a weeklong in-person market visit to Japan, and Singapore and is set to happen in Q2 of 2024.

For more information, please contact Kylie Archer at kylie.archer@nzte.govt.nz.

Learn more about these markets at my.nzte.govt.nz/resource-library

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ALTOGETHER UNIQUE

Kono’s Asia success story

Despite Japan being the largest wineconsuming country in Asia, success in this market depends on having a good marketing strategy that demonstrates an understanding of Japanese consumers.

Kono Wines’ work in Japan is an excellent example of successful market entry, supported by an effective marketing strategy. During their market entry, Kono was tenacious in their work with Japanese businesses, and as a result has experienced a lot of success.

Entering the Japanese market can pose unique challenges due to the distinct business culture, characterised by slow decision-making and a high-context communication style.

Kono consistently engaged with the market, visiting Japan regularly to meet with potential importers. Their tenacity, negotiation skills, and cultural understanding earned great respect and appreciation from their business

partners in Japan.

Kono’s market approach included compelling storytelling, supported by Māori strategy. With guidance from their capable Japanese partner, Kono was introduced to Japanese consumers using the tag line ‘kaitiakitanga’, an integral Māori philosophy that acknowledges the significance of land (whenua) and the duty Kono have as guardians of this land to care for the environment and all the people connected with it. Kono integrated the principles of kaitiakitanga into their marketing story, which resonated with young Japanese wine enthusiasts who prioritise sustainability over traditional aspects. Over the past few years, Kono has grown as one of the preferred wines among the Japanese wine enthusiasts.

In Singapore, Kono (and Tohu) is sold exclusively through 1855 The Bottle Shop – a food and beverage retailer including premium on and off trade venues. This partnership provides a platform for Kono to tell their unique

story to discerning buyers and supports their premium pricing across both the Kono and Tohu brands. Kono is one of the most active wineries to participate in New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) activities in the Korea market. They have participated in these activities every year since 2021, introducing their brand and new products to Korean wine consumers.

They launched their premium Single Vineyard selection Tohu Whenua Single Vineyard Series in 2021, and have since visited South Korea to showcase the product to wholesalers and retailers in the market. Through NZTE activities last year, they presented the Kono brand during the Sauvignon Blanc Day event, and also publicised their sustainable winemaking story during Earth Day press releases. While we do not have the exact metrics, we are hearing from distributors that the activities have helped sales, and Kono continues to grow in market.

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 I

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The Focus 19 I

Agritech in Wine Changing ways

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Out of the Driver’s Seat V3, Prospr, and Oxin

24 I Vineyard Insights Apping into old ways 26

Emerging Startups eNZyme & H20rtigator

28 I Point of View Tracy Atkin on agritech

AGRITECH

Wine Tech The way we grow and make wine is rapidly changing, as technology steps up in vineyards and wineries around New Zealand, from bespoke producers to industry titans. We talk to people developing the tech, using the tech, and dreaming of what comes next.

Evolutions and revolutions SOPHIE PREECE As grapes ripen at Domaine Thomson this season, a laser will flash green bird-scaring beams in a pattern across the vines. The laser covers 8 hectares of vines at this small organic Central Otago vineyard, replacing nets, and the associated cost of buying, placing and removing them, says Viticulturist Simon Gourley. “We are having fantastic results.”

“We are a very handson labour-intensive operation due to our size. So if we can mechanise or use robots or cameras wherever possible, it’s a real saving for us” Simon Gourley He will meanwhile be logging and assessing data in his Sectormentor app (page 25), with annual comparisons, instant calculations, and graphed trends available at all times, including winter pruning weights, flower counts, missing vines, and soil health indicators, such as earthworm numbers.

It’s not revolutionary tech, but there’s only one shot each year for grapegrowers, says Simon. “If historical data can aid the growing and harvest decisions by increasing the quantity and/or quality of our one shot, it is very beneficial.”

By the 2025 vintage, Simon hopes to have a small electric autonomous platform in place, programmed to ply the vineyard in a set pattern, perhaps with the laser or a gas gun attached, taking on jobs that are not “glamorous or high paying”, but become more costly each year. “We are a very hands-on labour-intensive operation due to our size. So if we can mechanise or use robots or cameras wherever possible, it’s a real saving for us… And we can focus on fruit quality and positioning the shoots

and bunches so we can maximise ripeness and flavours to make our wine better, rather than walking around under nets scaring birds out. It changes where we spend money.”

As small companies like Domaine Thomson delve deeper into digital solutions, other wine industry players have leapt in boots and all to invest in robotics, including autonomous vineyard tractors that can undertake myriad vineyard tasks, including weeding, trimming and spraying, while collecting valuable data. Treasury Wine Estates Ltd is trialling Prospr, developed by New Zealand company Robotics Plus (page 21), while Pernod Ricard Winemakers has worked with Marlborough-based startup SmartMachine on Oxin (page 22). Meanwhile V3 – designed inhouse by Cloudy Bay’s Vineyard Innovation and Engineering Manager Murray Faber (page 20) – has done four weed passes at the 66-hectare Mustang Vineyard this season, while also mowing and vine trimming the herbicide-free block.

Brock Campbell, Cloudy Bay’s Vineyard Sustainability and Operations Manager, says V3 frees up staff to do more technical work and higher skilled tasks, “rather than moving along at a couple of kilometres an hour doing under vine weeding.” Murray, who developed the first iteration out of “rusty bits of metal” during Covid-19, says the past three years have brought “massive change” in the technology that enables driverless systems, and also in the confidence people have in them. “And I think that will change a lot more in the next five years.”

Anyone working in a winery or a vineyard over the past few years would have seen a huge increase in technology solutions available, writes Tracy Atkin on page 28 of this edition. The startup advisor and investor, and board chair of SmartMachine, lists drones, satellites, and camera technology for aerial mapping and spraying, crop and irrigation management, pest and disease detection, and yield estimation.

Along with robotic autonomous vehicles

and bird scarers, there are innovations for workforce planning, health and safety, compliance, and irrigation management, as well as plant and soil sensors for water stress measurement and nutrient management, she says. “In the winery, there is new nanotechnology for molecular filtration, enzyme sensors, wine analytics, and fermentation monitoring.”

Viticultural consultant Dr David Jordan recalls visiting his cousins on their Canterbury farm in the 1990s, where they’d be at the steering wheel of an open-top tractor, or in the depths of office paperwork. These days those cousins have moved their office into the airconditioned cab of a GPS-fitted tractor. “They need someone in a tractor, but they don’t need to be on the steering wheel… Interestingly, I reckon those farmers are more aware of their soil environment than they were 30 or 40 years ago.” Likewise, new technology being taken up in vineyards is freeing up time for more “philosophical and stylistic developments”, he says. “With the clever technology you can get a lot more targeted activities than the broadacre approach that many of our vineyards are under. So it can advance us to be better than when we rely only on human responses.”

Winegrowers and wineries that don’t tap into new tech, if it could improve the way they grow and make wine, “do so at their own peril”, he adds. For smaller operators the technology might be evolution of existing tools, while for others at “the bleeding edge” of developments, the progress is in artificial intelligence and driverless vehicles. In either case, it’s a rapidly changing field that will see technology become increasingly accessible and affordable for all operators, David says. “You scratch the surface of these opportunities and you go, ‘wow, these advances are mind-blowing – and where they can take us, beyond comprehension’.”

Photo left Cloudy Bay Vineyard Innovation and Engineering Manager Murray Faber with V3.

Photo Jim Tannock

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V3 the weeding wonder SOPHIE PREECE Developing Cloudy Bay’s autonomous vineyard tractor has been a “dream experience” for Murray Faber, who began the project with a pile of scrap metal in the depths of Covid-19.

Nearly four years on, the third iteration – V3 – has been busy at Mustang Vineyard in Marlborough’s Brancott Valley, single handedly mowing, weeding and trimming the 66-hectare block this season. “I have absolutely loved it,” says Murray, Cloudy Bay’s Vineyard Innovation and Engineering Manager, as he watches the sleek machine’s rapid progress up a row, leaving neatly trimmed vines in its wake.

“I have always been interested in the meeting point between engineering and agriculture.”

“It’s a shining example of when management gives the green-light for innovation, and when those guys who have their boots in the soil come up with the good ideas.”

Brock Campbell That interest was seeded during his childhood on a farm in Zimbabwe, learning from his father. Murray went on to study aircraft engineering in the United Kingdom, before he and his girlfriend came to New Zealand in 2017, travelling the country in a van. When he picked up a vineyard job at Cloudy Bay, Murray saw the potential for machinery designed and built for New Zealand conditions, and was increasingly given workshop tasks in lieu of vineyard work. He and his now-wife stayed, and when the labour constraints of Covid-19 began to bite, Murray explored an autonomous solution.

He started with bits and pieces in the workshop, an old 13-horsepower generator engine, and some sprayer pumps, then “mashed it together to see if the concept would work”. It did, and when that first design – “literally rusty bits of metal” – drove up and down five rows on its own,

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Murray and V3. Photo by Jim Tannock

people started getting excited.

Along with the pressure points of Covid-19, Cloudy Bay’s herbicide-free trials were a motivation, Murray says. “The thinking was that if we had to cultivate everything and go away from herbicide, we’d need a lot more machinery, a lot more implements, and a lot more operators to do the job.”

Brock Campbell, Cloudy Bay’s Vineyard Sustainability and Operations Manager, says V3 makes their sustainability ambitions more viable. “It frees up our staff to do more technical work and higher skilled tasks,” he says. “It’s a shining example of when management gives the green-light for innovation, and when those guys who have their boots in the soil come up with the good ideas.”

The tractor is designed to straddle vines rather than run between rows, so it can easily switch between blocks of different row widths. The latest version has fourwheel steer, allowing it to turn from row to row without skipping, and has capacity for multiple tasks simultaneously, from weeding and mowing to trimming and plucking, along with data collection, all fitted inside its “tunnel”.

Murray notes that a lot of effort has gone into the safety perception system, with lidar, radar and cameras for detecting

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

objects. Multiple camera feeds, as well as machine telemetry data, can be accessed from an online portal, allowing the machine supervisor to focus on other jobs while checking in every few hours, or to supervise multiple machines simultaneously. There are lots of changes in line for V4, including continual software development, added versatility for different implements, and a more powerful, efficient, and lower emissions engine.

The current design is diesel, because of the high energy requirement for running powered implements, but Murray will work towards hybrid and electric options as they become more viable.

He notes that while design, fabrication, engines and hydraulics are all within his wheelhouse, and local suppliers helped with the hydraulic system, the software development was a new foray. When outsourcing that task proved convoluted, he opted to train himself, in a “huge” but rewarding challenge.

The “closed loop” of him in the vineyard assessing progress, and in the shed working on adjustments, has meant swifter acceleration in the development, Murray says. That will ramp up now as he has a mechanical engineering student working with him on V4. “It’s nice to have another pair of hands.”

AGRITECH

Go forth and Prospr TONY SKINNER A quiet revolution is underway in New Zealand vineyards, and Marlborough’s Matua Wines is on the leading edge. The wine company, part of Treasury Wine Estates, is currently trialling Prospr, an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) developed

by New Zealand company Robotics Plus.

The trials have been extremely encouraging, says Lachlan McLeay, Vineyard Manager New Zealand at Treasury Wine Estates. “We are hoping that with increased efficiency of the machines, there’ll be less issues with staff fatigue.”

This reflects the reality that dull, dirty and dangerous work - the three Ds of robotisation – is best suited to autonomous machines. Driverless platforms will also address the industry’s labour challenges, Lachlan says. “These things don’t need to sleep or eat, so they don’t actually need to come back [to the base].”

Robotics Plus showcased Prospr for the first time at FIRA 2023, a California-based event dedicated to agricultural robotics solutions. The UGV’s modular architecture enables the attachment of various tools, including newly released tower sprayers for grapes, developed in conjunction with Croplands. This adaptability is crucial for Matua, as different vineyard tasks require various tools, Lachlan says. “The brains and the smarts of the machines themselves will bring increased operational accuracy.

So, targeted spray and rates will hopefully lead to less chemical required. It’s not just a labour saving, all sorts of other operational efficiencies, and precision comes from changing to these.” He notes that the nature of vineyard work is changing, with a younger workforce more attuned to

Lachlan McLeay. Photo Jim Tannock

technology, and more likely to be attracted to a role as a robotics technician than a tractor driver.

The hybrid technology of Prospr, featuring electric drive motors and a Tier 4 diesel generator, ensures extended operation with minimal fuel consumption.

The vehicle’s regenerative braking and highcapacity batteries enhance its range and efficiency. The autonomous vehicle uses a combination of perception systems to sense the environment, enabling data-driven insights.

Brett Pringle, Implementation Manager for Robotics Plus, highlights the practical side of deploying the machines in the field.

“Prospr operates on its mesh network, ensuring consistent and reliable operation.

Its combination of GPS, lidar sensors, and cameras allows it to navigate vineyards precisely.”

Robotics Plus has worked on multiple technology advances for Prospr, including a new user interface and improved machine connectivity and control. Alongside its daily tasks, the autonomous vehicle becomes a data-gathering tool that can drive informed vineyard management decisions.

Matua is keen to leverage Prospr’s potential to its fullest, and Lachlan envisions a future where the data captured

by Prospr’s sensors could be used for comprehensive vineyard management, from identifying missing vines to detecting irrigation leaks. “Every 10 days, Prospr goes through the vineyard, giving us a live feed of data.” Importantly, the Prospr UGV, with reduced diesel consumption and potential for full electrification, aligns with the sustainability goals of Treasury Wine Estates, which plans to be carbon neutral by 2030.

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AGRITECH

Strong as an Oxin TONY SKINNER Marlborough-based startup SmartMachine has established a firm footprint in the future of vitculture, with the pioneering Oxin uncrewed ground vehicle. Pernod Ricard Winemakers is so convinced by the technology that it’s procured 19 machines for use in Marlborough and in Hawke’s Bay, with recent field days in both provinces.

In the lead up to the Hawke’s Bay event, Pernod Ricard Winemakers Viticulture Transformation Manager David Allen said the company had seen first-hand how autonomous vineyard tractor (AVT) technology could “revolutionise” the industry.

“One of the big drivers was the multi-tasking; being able to do combinations of activities that you can’t necessarily do on a tractor.”

Andrew Kersley Meanwhile, SmartMachine’s first investment round has raised $1.93 million, led by global investor FABAL Investments.

In a statement in November last year, the company said being supported by industry giants such as FABAL and Pernod Ricard validated Oxin’s potential to transform vineyard operations.

Andrew Kersley, Chief Executive of SmartMachine, calls Oxin the company’s “flagship” product, and “the world’s first multitasking ATV or robot”. Oxin is

designed to transform vineyard operations, offering solutions to various challenges and labour shortages. It can mow, mulch, trim and spray in one pass, with a single operator able to monitor multiple machines remotely, Andrew says. “From the outset, we tried to figure out what the value proposition looked like that made sense for autonomy in this space. One of the big drivers was the multi-tasking; being able to do combinations of activities that you can’t necessarily do on a tractor. It’s about how do we reduce the fleet size and machinery in these spaces, and then ultimately reduce the resource required to operationally run fleets of these machines?”

The Oxin unit boasts various sensors

and data capabilities, enabling growers to review real-time data for informed vineyard management. “You’re building up a map of the space, defining drive inputs, and defining canopy position so that you can place heads in precise and accurate places,” Andrew says. This approach not only increases productivity but also aligns with sustainable farming methods.

SmartMachine’s vision extends beyond New Zealand, with plans to establish a market position in Australia and strategise for a launch in the United States, he adds.

“We are building a fully electric version of our machine, which will shift the dial even further regarding the sustainability benefits of this technology.”

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AGRITECH

Spraying smarter to grow better TONY SKINNER In a competitive and dynamic landscape such as viticulture, the ability to effectively trial, evaluate and embed innovations can provide a distinct advantage. Pernod Ricard Winemakers, a titan in New Zealand’s wine industry and part of the global Pernod Ricard Group, recognises this.

One example is a pivotal partnership with BA Pumps & Sprayers, demonstrated at a recent technology day at a Pernod Ricard vineyard just outside Blenheim.

The two companies have been working together since 2020 to trial the BA Smart Sprayer, which applies the Smart-Apply lidar sensor technology to sense and detect the canopy and assess foliage density, before adjusting each spray nozzle to ensure it only applies pesticides where required. The result is reduced drift, reduced chemical use, and less waste than conventional sprayers. BA Pumps & Sprayers, established in 1989 by Mark Rendle and his siblings, entered the viticulture market about 20 years ago. Their trajectory towards

innovation took a significant turn when they started to investigate the use of lidar sensors. Mark vividly remembers the journey: “Back in 2015, when we were experimenting with sonar, we stumbled upon lidar technology. We knew then, the possibilities for reduction in inputs and drift were immense.”

That led to a collaboration with Smart Apply in the United States, integrating advanced lidar technology into their sprayers. Around the same time, Pernod Ricard Winemakers was looking into how to apply pesticides more precisely as part of the company’s long-running programme to reduce environmental impacts. David Allen, Transformation Manager for Viticulture, recalls the initial encounter in 2019: “When BA approached us with the technology, we immediately saw its potential. It was not just about chemical savings, but also about operational simplicity and alignment with our sustainability goals.”

The first in the country to trial the technology, Pernod Ricard Winemakers now operate three sprayers with the SmartApply system. With over 2,000 hectares of vineyard in New Zealand, the company stands to make large gains by even relatively small efficiency savings. David explains that the company’s Transformation Team ran comprehensive comparison trials over the past two growing seasons to understand how the Smart Apply system compares to their existing sprayers. “Over the Vintage 2023 season, the field tests using the three-row sprayer showed an impressive +30% reduction in chemical usage compared to conventional sprayers.

Other impressive benefits included a reduction in spray drift.” They have ordered three more Smart Apply systems for the vintage 2024 season, he says. “Our testing will continue to monitor the performance of the sprayers throughout their life so we can get a fuller picture of their effectiveness.”

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AGRITECH

Balancing innovation, cost and integration TONY SKINNER In the rapidly advancing world of viticulture, technology is becoming an indispensable ally. From the automation of vineyard machinery to new ways to collect and analyse data, there is a constant stream of innovation available to vineyard managers and winemakers.

But Tahryn Mason, Viticulture Operations Manager at Berakah Vineyard Management and 2022 Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year, says even for the most well-resourced operation, the cutting edge of technology needs to be carefully considered before being adopted and integrated into current processes. Tahyrn has studied the multitude of apps, software, and technologies available to vineyards, and spoke at the 2023 Grape Days about choosing the right technology to meet business goals.

He categorises vineyard technology into broad groups: precision tools that account for variances within vineyards, advanced monitoring systems like soil probes, asset management applications, and human resource tools. Each category offers unique benefits, addressing different aspects of vineyard management. One significant challenge Tahryn highlights is integrating these technologies to produce actionable data. “Understanding all the variants in the vineyard is really important, but what are you using that knowledge to do?” This question is crucial for growers, who need practical, cost-effective solutions, he says.

For many, particularly smaller operators, the cost of technology can be prohibitive.

Tahryn Mason in the 2022 Young Viticulturist Competition. Photo Richard Briggs

Few companies can afford to introduce every new application promising efficiencies, so tech companies must prove the value that justifies their cost, he says. “If you’ve got a reasonably robust set of master data... why would you pay a subscription fee?” Nevertheless, the granularity and comprehensive analysis now offered by many applications is crucial in making informed decisions. For example, Tahryn notes the increasingly crucial role of apps and technology in measuring water usage, aiding compliance with audits, and justifying management decisions, making it easier for leadership teams to understand vineyard trends and history.

He is optimistic about the future of technology in viticulture, particularly with the advent of autonomous machines and algorithmic learning, and envisions a future where technology can significantly reduce the need for skilled labour, a critical issue given the industry’s challenges in attracting talent.

However, he suggests carefully balancing adopting new technology and remaining grounded in practical, cost-effective

methods. “There are a still a lot of small growers around the country, and the data may be less valuable to them at this stage, in terms of yielding a tangible financial return.

I think as costs come down and things become more accessible, people will be more willing to integrate these things.”

Integrape

One of the apps Tahryn thinks brings real value to his own work is Integrape vineyard management software. “It will do the vigour mapping and soil moisture mapping and block data. It displays it in a really cool geospatial way so you can get a birds’ eye view of block performance.” Having the database and knowledge set available means someone who knows how to interpret it can step into the role, with the knowledge they need, Tahryn says.

“And they have a real willingness to try and integrate their technology with other technology in the viti sphere.” integrape.com

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AGRITECH

Apping into old ways of farming SOPHIE PREECE New technology can enable older ways of winegrowing, says Abby Rose, who developed the Sectormentor app for her family’s farm and vineyard in Chile in 2014, as an “observation hub” for the land. “It was impossible to keep track of everything we were learning and seeing out in the trees and vineyard,” she says. “We looked around but there really wasn’t anything on the market for a farming operation of our size and operating organically. Was this tree affected by frost last year? Is this block of vines the same one that didn’t ripen fully last year?

Did the compost application on that block have any affect?”

So Abby developed an app that allowed them to scan Near Field Communication tags in the field, and record photos of how plants were pruned, record yields, and create a structured data set. “So that as soon as a land steward/manager arrives in a new context they can learn from past years and trends, beginning to understand some of the nuances of that specific context through data points and photos.”

Viticulturist Simon Gourley uses Sectormentor at Domaine Thomson in Central Otago, recording the likes of tonnage per clone, pruning weights, flower counts, and missing vines, as well as soil health indicators. “It’s basically a digital notebook that also does a lot of calculations and has interactive tools as well,” Simon says. He might have that same information stored in notebooks over the years, “but I don’t drive around with them with me”. The app allows him to create graphs and see trends over time, and to ensure he collects information on the same aspect of the operation each year. The organic vineyard is also working in regenerative viticulture, so Simon is also using the Regen Platform released within Sectormentor late last year, which allows him to record 10 Regen Indicators and benchmark the results with science, as well as other people in a similar context.

Viticulture consultant Dr David Jordan says technology like the app can make day-to-day operations more efficient

and better informed for operators like Domaine Thomson and Seresin Estate in Marlborough, which also used Sectormentor. “Seresin, for example, this week has been reviewing the berry bunch count data and historic bunch weights stored on Sectormentor. Everyone in the team has access to that data and can quickly gain an impression of how this season is tracking compared to previous seasons.”

Abby says farming was historically based on a person or family building up knowledge over many years and passing that on to the next generation, but that’s rare in most vineyards now, with vineyard managers moving around between multiple sites in their career “and having to make farming decisions based on little prior knowledge of the specific context of that land.” Sectormentor is not the same as living on a piece of land your whole life, she says.

“However, it brings a whole new set of layers and nuance to decision making, with many of the messages from the plants and animals stored as an asset for the vineyard or land.”

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AGRITECH

Streamlining nitrogen testing in winemaking TONY SKINNER A Kiwi start-up is harnessing enzyme technology to simplify nitrogen testing for winemakers, a critical factor in producing quality wines. Co-founded by Dr Lee Ann Tejada, Dr Matthew Nicholson, and Professor Wayne Patrick, eNZyma is on the verge of advancing the wine industry with an innovative enzyme-based nitrogen test.

The idea was conceived over a glass of wine when Wayne, an enzymologist at Victoria University, was discussing the challenges of winemaking with friends.

They expressed a need for a quick, efficient way to test for yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) – a key parameter in winemaking that influences fermentation quality and, ultimately, the taste of the wine. “Nitrogen is one of the essential elements yeast needs,” Matthew explains. “If you don’t have enough nitrogen in there, then your fermentation can’t go to completion. If you have too much, it can go too fast.”

The traditional methods of testing YAN are not only time-consuming and expensive but also present logistical challenges due to the seasonal nature of wine production.

Matthew is the Senior Commercialisation Manager at Wellington UniVentures – the university’s technology transfer office.

He explains that the current process

Dr Lee Ann Tejada

involves sending samples to analytical laboratories, with each test costing around $60 and results taking up to 48 hours – a significant delay in a process where time is of the essence.

The team’s solution was an enzyme-based test resulting in a colour change, providing an approximation of the YAN levels in an hour at a fraction of the current cost. “It’s quick; it takes an hour and it gives you a result,” Matthew explains, adding that the team is “hoping we can put something on the market in the region of $5 a test instead of the $60”.

This innovation not only addresses the efficiency and cost concerns but also “democratises” the testing process, making it accessible even to smaller wineries without in-house testing capabilities.

Envisioned to be “farmer-proof ”, the test requires no special technical skills, making it an attractive tool for winemakers of all

scales. “The test doesn’t require precise, technical expertise. You throw the things together, you give it a shake, and you compare it to a colour chart, and you know where you are,” Matthew explains. “So, the winemaker can do it. They will know if levels are too low or too high and they need to do something. But most of the time, it will give them the answer that they’re hoping for, which is that they are in the right zone. And they can just sleep well.” eNZyma’s journey has been bolstered by collaborations, including invaluable input from the Sprout Accelerator programme.

This engagement provided the team with mentorship, network access, and strategic business insights. The journey to productisation, however, has not been without challenges. Finding the right enzymes that could function effectively in the acidic environment of wine and ensuring their stability in a tablet form were significant hurdles.

Moreover, the team faced the classic start-up dilemma of balancing product refinement with the urgency to launch.

However, they are now ready to take the leap into market introduction. The immediate goal is raising funds and launching the product, aiming to provide winemakers with a tool that allows rapid decision-making. Their business model revolves around partnering with existing distributors who already have a foothold in the wine industry, thereby leveraging established networks for market penetration.

H2Ortigator - the plant babysitter TONY SKINNER A New Zealand startup is offering a novel approach to irrigation and nutrition management, specifically designed to optimise the growth of young plants in vineyards and orchards. H2Ortigator cofounders Brendan and Hayley Hamilton have developed a system that addresses a critical gap in horticultural practices: the nurturing of replacement plants during their crucial early growth stages.

During seven years as a consultant in the horticultural industry, Brendan noticed young plants being replaced in vineyards and orchards consistently struggle. “They’re never up to speed, taking another three to four seasons to start producing and turning money.”

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The observation led to the development of the H2Ortigator unit, a device designed to aid young plants in establishing and yielding faster than before. Described

by Brendan as “the babysitter for these young plants”, the H2Ortigator unit is a self-contained system that integrates into existing irrigation setups, ensuring plants receive ideal soil moisture and nutrition.

This precision is particularly important in the first two seasons of a plant’s life, which are vital for establishing robust roots and promoting vigorous early growth. Once these initial stages are complete, the unit can be detached and reused for other plants. One notable aspect of the H2Ortigator unit is its

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

conservation of water, Brendon says. “On average, across all of our crops, we’re saving about 60% water per vine.”

Turning the concept into a commercial product wasn’t without its challenges, and their involvement in the Sprout Accelerator programme was crucial, helping them fast-track their market introduction and fine-tune their business strategies.

A Callaghan Innovation grant also allowed them to push out around 400 trial units around the upper North Island.

These trials, involving various crops, were instrumental in refining the product to fit seamlessly into orchard and vineyard systems. In vineyards, the H2Ortigator

AGRITECH

unit has been shown to increase survival rates and early growth of grapevines, reduce stalling and stunting, and lead to earlier fruit bearing and returns. Importantly, it protects young vines from various risks, such as ringbarking pests, horticultural sprays, and machinery damage.

Looking ahead, Brendan says the team plans to extend trials of the units into regions such as Marlborough and Central Otago, while pushing forward with the commercialisation of the product in New Zealand and internationally.

“It’s been really fulfilling,” he reflects. “It’s been great, developing a product from seeing a need for something and developing it all the way through with the help of the growers.”

Sprout

Sprout Agritech Ltd is an agritech accelerator and investor. Sprout runs a 12-week Accelerator twice a year and invests up to NZD$1 million investments in agrifoodtech start-ups solving challenges in the agricultural and food value chains. sproutagritech.com

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AGRITECH

Point of View

The future of technology and innovation in wine TRACY ATKIN The role primary industries play in New Zealand’s economy has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Although dairy remains our number one export, the technology sector, including agritech, accounted for $9.8 billion in exports in 2022, with $726 million invested into New Zealand tech firms.

So what role does technology play in the wine industry? And can we be seen as global leaders in vineyard and winery technology, in the same way as we are seen as leaders in world-class wine? From my perspective working with startups in agritech, I believe the New Zealand wine industry has many competitive advantages.

So what are they? How do we maximise them to develop and commercialise new technology? And why do we want to?

If you work in a winery or a vineyard, over the past two years you would have seen a huge increase in technology solutions available. In vineyards, drones, satellites and new camera technology are used for aerial mapping and spraying, crop management, pest and disease detection, and yield estimation. There are robotic autonomous vehicles, including multi-tasking vineyard tractors, and tech for bird scaring and scouting. There are also innovations for workforce planning, health and safety,

Tracy Atkin

compliance, and irrigation management, and plant and soil sensors for water stress measurement and nutrient management.

In the winery, there is new nanotechnology for molecular filtration, enzyme sensors, wine analytics, and fermentation monitoring. Waste recovery technology includes new forms of clean energy, such as creating biofuel from wastewater, biochar from vineyard byproducts, or bioplastic bird netting clips made from grape marc. For those who are measuring their carbon footprint and on the road to carbon zero, there’s an array of new software options for carbon accounting and ESG reporting. Many of these new To check out some of the numbers driving agritech in New Zealand go to nztech.org.nz.

technologies will be on display in the startup zone at WinePro in Blenheim this June, showcasing the latest emerging innovation in the wine industry.

Much of this technology utilises artificial intelligence and machine learning to convert data to insights. But is so much technology and data generation a good thing, and what are the risks and opportunities? Invention is not innovation until it is commercialised. For technology to be commercialised and adopted at scale, success goes beyond the technology itself.

Other factors to consider include: • Painkiller vs vitamin – The technology needs to address a significant problem that needs to be solved, a real pain-point (painkiller) rather than a nice-to-have (vitamin).

• Globally scalable and operational – New technology needs to be designed to be global from day one and scalable

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AGRITECH

for growth. The manufacture, global distribution, servicing and support of new technology are critical elements that need to be considered early on.

• Customer driven value proposition – Having a potential customer involved early to provide feedback increases the chance that the solution will meet customer needs and be fit-for-purpose.

Involving a trial partner, such as a winery, from the Proof-Of-Concept stage ensures there is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ready to be commercialised, and that the technology is not just a solution looking for a problem.

• Competitive advantages – A customerled value proposition is likely to result in technology with fewer barriers for adoption. One of the competitive advantages we have as a wine industry is our collegial approach to working with agritech startups during the R&D process and as investment partners. That investment may be in time, expertise and resource, as well as funding. Wineries often provide vineyards for trial sites, staff for expertise, or networks for connections. Our industry research

organisations can carry out trials in the vineyard or winery, providing scientific validation to support R&D. In many ways, our small size is an advantage, allowing us to be more agile and collaborative. With many offshore connections, we can also open corridors to other wine regions and potential customers.

Many agritech solutions can be applied to multiple sectors, so technology developed for the wine sector, such as crop management software, can also be applied to other industries, such as apples or cherries, and vice versa. Working with industry bodies such as AgriTech New Zealand, Callaghan, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise can also help form these pan-industry connections – another advantage of our small size.

Over the next five -10 years we will see an increase in the number of technology solutions available. This is an opportunity for the wine industry to position itself as a technology leader, working with technology developers to build and commercialise world-class customer-led innovation for all parts of the wine industry value chain.

Together we can address some of the

challenges that the speed of innovation and change presents, such as how to turn data into actionable insights, how to bring multiple pieces of technology together, and how to bring multiple disparate sets of data together by addressing data standardisation and interoperability.

Industry partners are the bridge between startup technology and primary industry production in wine. They bring two different perspectives – technology as the enabler, and the customer as the end-user.

By getting involved early in the technology lifecycle, and working collaboratively as an industry, this gives us a competitive edge in the development of world-class globally scalable technology.

Applying our pioneering spirit with collaboration and a drive for sustainability will see us well-placed to become leaders in wine industry technology.

Tracy Atkin is Chief Executive of Marlborough Capital. She’s a startup advisor, an angel investor, and Board Chair for Smart Machine, developer of the Oxin autonomous vineyard tractor (page 22). Tracy is also an advisor to the WinePro trade event in Blenheim in June.

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The Science 31 I

PhD Précis Sukhpreet Kaur Gill

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Science Symposium Cutting edge

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Tasting Climate Change Steph Maddox

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BRIght Ideas Loveblock

THE SCIENCE

PhD Précis Sukhpreet Kaur Gill is inspired by the amazing things that you can do with chemistry, including studies that can be applied in real life – such as wine. Her PhD project at University of Auckland, collaborating with Bragato Research Institute, is examining the volatile sulphur compounds profile of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines. Here Sukhpreet offers some insights into her work and what drives it.

Please explain your research The main focus of my research is the investigation of volatile sulphur compounds in Pinot Noir wine. When present in high concentrations these compounds impart unpleasant off flavours and can therefore be detrimental to wine quality. There are a number of factors that are thought to influence their formation in wine, such as residual elemental sulphur, metals such as copper, availability of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, and many others. However, the exact mechanism of their formation is still not well understood, which makes mitigation a challenge. My research involves investigating factors that could influence volatile sulphur compound (VSC) formation in order to better understand their evolution, with the aim of providing insight into possible mitigation during winemaking. This project is in collaboration with Bragato Research Institute (BRI), which means fermentations under various conditions can be performed on larger scales in addition to the lab-scale studies performed at the University of Auckland. While VSCs are the main focus, I am also investigating the effects of these treatments, and subsequent accelerated model ageing, on the formation of other influential wine compounds such

as methoxypyrazines, varietal thiols, polysulphides, and esters.

How will this research assist winemakers?

My research will provide insight into the formation of these unwanted off-flavours in New Zealand Pinot Noir wines. This important information will assist winemakers with devising approaches on how to mitigate or reduce the presence of these compounds, leading to reducing wine faults caused by VSCs and improving New Zealand Pinot Noir wine quality.

What brought you from India to study at University of Auckland?

I wanted to study abroad for my postgraduate studies and this research project at the University of Auckland tied together a number of my research interests and thus presented as a great option for pursuing a PhD. The support from my university, supervisors, fellow PhD students, as well as BRI, inspires and motivates me. Another passion I have is teaching and the university has provided me with opportunities as a teaching assistant, which I enjoy. I also like travelling and meeting new people. This project provides me with opportunities to network with colleagues in the wider field and present my work at conferences.

How did you choose your topic?

The PhD chose me! I was planning to pursue a PhD after working for a couple of years, following the completion of my master’s degree. But God had a different plan. I received this opportunity and when my supervisors discussed the research topic, I was thrilled to proceed with the research.

My background is in chemistry and when I found that I am getting the chance to apply chemistry in wine research, I did not want to pass it up. I enjoy the combination of chemistry and wine research.

What’s most challenging (and satisfying) about this research?

When pursuing novel research there is just so much to learn! Learning is both challenging at times but also very satisfying. The studies I undertake generate a huge amount of valuable data but working out the best way to present it and delve into it can be challenging.

Who has helped you with this PhD? A PhD is not just a degree, it’s a journey where you meet a lot of people and receive help in a number of different ways. Many people are important in this journey and are helping me, including my supervisors Professor Bruno Fedrizzi, Dr Rebecca Jelley, and Dr Rebecca Deed. My PhD colleagues Hansi, Krishna, Hayden, and Yuan, make the lab an enjoyable environment, and I have received a lot of courage and moral support from my family and other friends. The funding and scholarship support has of course been instrumental too.

What’s next for you?

I am in the second year of my PhD so my laboratory work is really ramping up. I look forward to sharing my results with the industry, presenting my work at conferences and submitting articles for publication. After my PhD I would love to continue in this field and work in the wine industry or in academia because I am passionate about teaching as well.

Photo to left, Sukhpreet Kaur Gill

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THE SCIENCE

Science Scoop Inaugural Scientific Research Conference NADINE WORLEY The inaugural New Zealand Wine Centre Scientific Research Conference was designed “by researchers for researchers”, says co-organiser Dr Stewart Field, Viticultural Researcher at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology .

Held in Blenheim late last year, the oneday event was a collaboration between key research providers to the wine industry, designed to replicate overseas conferences.

Stewart says it provided a forum for researchers, postgraduate students, and industry technical specialists to meet and connect, increase research awareness, and encourage collaboration.

“Wine research is moving so quickly; it would be great if we can keep up the momentum.”

Dr Julian Theobald Stewart worked alongside Dr Julian Theobald from Plant & Food Research, Ngarita Warden and Dr Carmo Vasconcelos from Bragato Research Institute, Dr Amber Parker from Lincoln University, and Dr Sarah Knight from Auckland University, to develop a programme focused on fundamental science-based research.

Julian says the committee deliberately didn’t choose one specific theme, but was led by current research. And they were overwhelmed by the response to requests for abstracts, with more than 50 submissions. “This showed us the wide breadth of New Zealand wine research,” Julian says. It was challenging to select presenters, but it allowed all facets of wine industry research to be included from “the soil to the finished wine in the bottle”.

The organisers wanted to give master’s and PhD students a chance to present their

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The best viticulture paper was awarded to the research team led by Dr Junqi Zhu from Plant & Food Research.

ongoing research, Stewart says. “Presenting to a major conference in a full auditorium can be scary for new researchers. This conference gave current students the chance to present their findings to a smaller and hopefully less daunting audience”.

A total of five master’s and PhD students presented at the conference, including Auckland University PhD candidate Gillean Miller, who won the best student presentation prize for her research into the ‘Biogenesis of γ-Nonalactone during Winemaking’. These y-Nonalactone compounds are associated with coconut, sweet, and stone fruit aromas and Gillean’s research investigated their importance in New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Other prizes presented during the conference included awards for the best published paper for both wine and viticulture research judged by an international panel. The best wine research paper was won by Yanzhuo Kong and the team at Lincoln University. Their research examined epigenetic changes in wine yeast as an alternative to genetic modification.

This research is particularly relevant in New Zealand, as it reported for the first time utilising a non-GMO approach to alter the fermentation process of Pinot Noir wines.

The best viticulture paper was awarded to the research team led by Dr Junqi Zhu from Plant & Food Research for work

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

developing the first grapevine model for APSIM (The Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator). The model allows simulation of radiation interception, leaf growth, carbohydrate and nitrogen allocation and storage, and yield formation of the grapevine. In future, this research can be used to explore the long-term suitability of different crop loads, based on the yield between years and the carbohydrate reserves in winter.

Further highlights of the conference were the two international keynote speakers sharing their current research projects. Dr Marco Hofmann, from the Department of General and Organic Viticulture at the Hochschule Geisenheim University, shared his research on climate change and its impact on viticulture and the water budget of vineyards, while Dr Jason Smith, a Senior Research fellow at the Orange Campus of Charles Sturt University, discussed his work on vineyard water balance and the adaptation of production systems to rainfall variability and drought. Together they have been working on grapevine water models as they apply it for vineyards in Australia.

Julian says the overall feedback from attendees was very positive and the committee is now considering whether to make it an annual or biannual event. “Wine research is moving so quickly; it would be great if we can keep up the momentum.”

THE SCIENCE

A taste of climate change RACHEL PETRIE Growing a wine career amid wildfires, typhoons and significantly late harvests helped Steph Madox land on a research topic to complete her wine degree.

The winemaker, who hails from Daytona Beach in Florida, has taken on as many vintages as she can while studying winemaking and viticulture through Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT). Two of them were in Oregon, and her final research paper considers the implications of myriad climate change events there. “I wanted to look and see if these events translated to the bottle,” she says from Central Otago, which she now considers home.

In the paper – Sensory Impacts of Climate Change Events on Pinot Noir grown between 2011-2020 in the ‘La Bohème’ Vineyard at Elk Cove in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon USA – Steph delves into seasonal climate change impacts, using sensory analysis and taste as the markers.

The main objective of the study was to explore the possibility that climactic events and gradual warming trends could be ‘tasted’ and differentiated by tasters and, if so, to determine the markers on the palate that made the wines stand out. The secondary objective was to determine if there was any correlation between the qualitative sensory data and hard data like season-specific growing degree days or finished alcohol percentage.

With support from Elk Cove, her lecturer at NMIT Dr Stewart Field, and a panel of 20 industry tasting experts, Steph obtained a 10-year single vineyard vertical of Pinot Noir where the vineyard had experienced a range of significant climatic incidents that could be attributed to climate change. They included the earliest harvest on record, the latest harvest on record, a typhoon at harvest, and wildfires that caused smoke taint to wines.

Overwhelmingly, 80% of the tasters were able to identify the typhoon vintage (2013), 75% identified the wildfire/ smoke taint vintage (2020), and 62.5% identified the latest picked vintage

Steph Madox

“I wanted to look and see if these events translated to the bottle.”

Steph Madox (2011). Statistically significant differences were found for six out of 18 sensory descriptors. A positive correlation was found between fruit descriptor scores and higher alcohol vintages. This study concluded that individual climactic events can be particularly dire for the sensory characteristics of a finished wine and that they can be picked up in the finished product.

Stewart says the topic might suggest it is the extreme weather event years that are the future problem with climate change, rather than the general trend of warmer years.

He and Steph agree that the topic deserves further scrutiny.

Steph initially studied hospitality and international business, which was a stepping stone to global travel. While completing an internship in Scotland, working in “high-end golf ”, a friend told her New Zealand was amazing. She had a one-year stopover in the Barossa Valley first, where her interest in wine started to ferment as she visited tasting rooms and learned as much as she could about various wines.

Then came two years in the Bay of Islands where she studied for her WSET. When Queenstown beckoned, she worked alongside Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas at the Lodge Bar. Steph was hooked and researched the best place to learn while working, before joining NMIT and kickstarting back-to-back vintages, with her seventh to be spent at Coal Pit vineyard in Central Otago this year. Her combined sommelier and winemaking skills are opening doors in many directions including the opportunity to judge twice at the New World Wine Awards.

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THE SCIENCE

PhD Précis When Peggy Tsai’s horticulture degree took her to one of the few wineries in Taiwan, it set her on a path to “winederland”.

Peggy is now based at Lincoln University’s Department of Wine, Food and Molecular Biosciences, where she’s investigating the efficacy of SO2 alternatives in preserving key sensory characteristics of the top three most produced varietals in New Zealand.

What role does sulphur dioxide play in wine?

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) has been used as the main antioxidant in wine production.

During winemaking, the grape musts and wine inevitably contact oxygen in any oenological techniques involving air. Too much oxygen exposure causes oxidative loss of both grape-derived and fermentationderived aroma compounds, the development of undesirable oxidative odours, and the acceleration of colour browning. Its ability to enhance fruity notes, reduce oxidative characteristics, and limit the browning of the wine from crushing through to bottling has been affirmed.

Why do winemakers want possible alternatives?

The excessive use of SO2 can have negative impacts on wine quality. For example, not only does SO2 bind with acetaldehydes and other aldehydes with oxidative aromas, it can also bind with aroma-active carbonyl compounds, such as β‐damascenone, leading to the loss of fruitiness. Moreover, SO2 poses concerns with potential side effects, such as hives, swelling, headaches, stomach pain, and diarrhea, for some people sensitive to sulfites. Based on this, the maximum permitted level of total SO2 in wine is regulated and its use requires labelling in most winemaking. Therefore, the trend is oriented toward finding alternatives to reduce the usage of SO2.

What are some of the alternatives you have explored?

My research aims to investigate the efficacy of different SO2 alternatives, including glutathione, glutathione-enriched inactivated dry yeast (GSH-IDY), and chitosan in preserving key sensory characteristics of the top three most produced varietals in New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Most of these alternatives have combined effects when used together with SO2, while some of them need to be 34

Peggy Tsai

“The trend is oriented toward finding alternatives to reduce the usage of SO2.”

Peggy Tsai used complementary with SO2. Various combinations of these antioxidants have been researched in order to find the most effective and efficient way to protect the wines while keeping the SO2 addition to a minimum level.

How will you test their efficacy over time?

All the experimental wines treated with either SO2 or SO2 alternatives, or a lower dose of SO2 combined with alternatives, will undergo one year of bottle-ageing and will be analysed for their sensory characteristics, including chemical analysis of both nonvolatile and volatile compounds, mostly related to oxidation and sensory evaluation which investigates the varietal characteristics in regard to different wine varieties.

What drew you to Lincoln University and wine science?

I come from Taiwan, where I received my bachelor’s degree in horticulture. I

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

started to grow an interest in wine when one of my undergraduate courses introduced all the deciduous fruits, including a small chapter on wine grapes, and we went on a field trip to one of the very few wineries in Taiwan. Since there wasn’t any related degree for me to undertake in Taiwan, I sought overseas options and decided to apply for the Taught Master of Wine and Viticulture from Lincoln University. After completing my Taught Master’s degree, while gaining knowledge from other aspects, I found myself indulged in this ‘winederland’ and therefore, started to do a Research Master’s degree, which was upgraded to a PhD earlier this year.

Who has helped you with this PhD? I wouldn’t have gone this far if it hadn’t been for a supportive supervisor team guiding me from the beginning. I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors, Dr Bin Tian and Dr Leandro Dias Araujo, for sharpening my way of thinking and writing, and imparting wine knowledge through countless discussions.

Also, I’m extremely grateful to Dr Eveline Bartowsky and Romina Meloni from Lallemand for giving me constructive advice and expressing great interest in this project.

THE SCIENCE

2023

VINTAGE BUNDLE

Kim and Erica Crawford

BRIght Ideas Loveblock Innovations The Bragato Research Institute Research Winery has helped Marlborough’s Loveblock winery refine the use of oenological tannins, specifically tannin extracted from green tea. “We believe this is the first wine in New Zealand, if not worldwide, to use green tea tannin extract as a unique alternative to sulphites,” says Erica Crawford, founder of Loveblock. “We are very excited about the prospects of this new way of winemaking – in our opinion, ‘softer’ winemaking that excludes harsh additives.” The wine’s name – Sauvignon Blanc ‘TEE’ – means ‘tea’ in Afrikaans, in a nod to both Erica’s heritage and the ingredients in the wine.

Ti Premium (Vason Enologica), a green tea tannin, has been on the market for some 14 years, indicated for use with botrytised grapes. In 2019 Erica and her husband, winemaker Kim Crawford, followed the chemistry to trial the product as an alternative to SO2.

They contacted Bragato Research Institute (BRI) to run a trial to test a number of exotic tannins for efficacy and sensory characteristics and compared wine made with tannin from green tea, rooibos tea, honeybush tea and fermented honeybush. The trial did not include a control of no protection/addition or the standard PMS SO2 addition.

Loveblock used the research winery again in 2023, to create marketing comparison packs for international buyers on a small scale. They used the winery’s 200l ferment tanks to make batches of Sauvignon Blanc comparing no antioxidant, conventional PMS additions, and Ti Premium (the green tea-based tannin product).

This allows buyers to evaluate the sensory impact of all three parameters. Erica says wine drinkers are exploring the natural and organic wine category “more than ever before”.

To read more about the Loveblock TEE and the BRI trial, go to bri.co.nz/2023/11/21/loveblock-trial

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XXXXXXXXX

The People 36 I

The Profile James Healy

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Women in Wine Michelle Richardson

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Wild Irishman Perfect partnership

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Wine to the People Hannah Wells at Puffin

THE PEOPLE

The Profile James Healy SOPHIE PREECE “The Marlborough wine industry has been extremely kind to me,” says James Healy, 32 years after he pulled up in an iridescent green Holden Premier packed with his family and belongings.

James had cut his oenological teeth with Corbans in Auckland and Gisborne, but found his people and place at Cloudy Bay when he started there in 1991.

Experimentation was embraced, the work was “vital and free”, and his colleagues – including viticulturist Ivan Sutherland and winemaker Kevin Judd – were kindred spirits in crafting wines. “It was just a perfect bunch of people together,” says James, who was awarded a Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award in November last year, for his extraordinary contribution to the region’s wine industry. “If you had an idea,

Photo to left, James Healy. Photo this page, Ivan and Margare Sutherland, and James and Wendy Healy with the Holden Premier

you just tried it out on a few barrels. You just did it. Which fits completely with how I feel.

As soon as you start getting to ‘we’ve always done it like that’, I feel like shooting myself.”

Kevin says James had barely started at Cloudy Bay when he was pushing for wild Chardonnay ferments, akin to what Michael Brajkovich was doing at Kumeu River.

“He convinced me to risk a whole bunch of perfectly good Chardonnay juice and

put into in barrels and not inoculate it. I thought it was completely crazy. The wines during ferment smelled disgusting and I was convinced it was a complete waste of good juice. Then a year later this amazing, savoury, really interesting Chardonnay evolved in the barrels.” Kevin and Cloudy Bay founder David Hohnen were won over, and the next year Sauvignon followed the same process, eventually leading to the iconic barrel-

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THE PEOPLE

fermented Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc. “What we did at Cloudy Bay changed my winemaking,” says Kevin from his own label Greywacke, with its dedication to indigenous ferments, including the Wild Sauvignon.

Unconfined by convention, they were audacious with oak, adventurous with wild ferments, and watched ugly ducklings transform to swans, given sufficient time, says James. “The three of us would taste the wine and then extend the idea. Not everything might work, but a lot of them worked extremely well.”

Ivan and James took that hands-on, hearts-in, habits-out philosophy when they and their wives – Margaret and Wendy respectively – launched Dog Point Vineyards in 2004, with a Sauvignon Blanc and three barrel fermented wines – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc – all made with natural yeasts. When the time came to share those wines, the Holden Premier took to the road again, with Ivan and James touring the length and breadth of the country, wide white boxes of wine strapped to the slim roofline of the striking car, its doors now adorned with the tī kōuka (cabbage tree) of Dog Point Vineyards.

James has been a “behind-the-scenes” contributor to New Zealand’s wine industry, with an enduring impact, says Ivan, fondly recalling the first decade of Dog Point, when he and James managed everything in the cellar, from cleaning floors, tanks, barrels and drains to endless forklifting. “It was just the two of us and it was wonderful,” he says. “He has a great sense of humour I have been very fortunate to work with him for many, many years.” James marries his “huge” wine knowledge with a diligent work ethic, getting on with the job in a quiet and humble way, Ivan says. “He has never sought recognition.” But he has nonetheless gained it, earning respect in New Zealand and internationally.

It’s a work life James has loved, but not the one he anticipated when he started studying biochemistry at Otago University, considering wine to be cheap alcohol. As he progressed in his degree, James was influenced by a genetics professor who was passionate about wine. “Once you got to about third year in the biochemistry department he looked around and spotted people he thought might have an interest in wine.” James was invited to a tasting of special wines – mostly from France, occasionally from Germany – that transformed his view and shifted his plans.

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Ivan Sutherland, Kevin Judd and James Healy. Photo by Jane Adams

On completing his postgraduate studies, James and Wendy moved to Auckland, where he set about getting a job. “I wrote letters to every single winery I could find in the yellow pages… I got a letter back from Joe Babich, and one from Peter Hubscher, and one from George Fistonich. And then I got offered a job at Corbans.” He started in the cellar and after a couple of years moved up to quality control manager.

James was exposed to Marlborough fruit from 1983, when Corbans began to truck their grapes to the Gisborne winery, and found flavours of the subsequent wines astounding. “I couldn’t believe that a grape could make such a massive difference. After that I gradually just thought ‘that’s it’.” In 1990 James “struck at the right time” when he asked Kevin, Cloudy Bay’s founding winemaker, if there were any jobs to be had and received an offer to join. “We just packed everything up and moved down.”

More than three decades on, James has made an indelible mark on the region, through extraordinary wines, knowledgesharing events, and the mentoring of winemakers. In 2018 he became a founding member of Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW), which offers a safeguard of the provenance and production values of accredited wines. It also casts a halo over the region as a whole, giving Marlborough more credibility, he says. “If you look around the world at any places making wine successfully for a long time, they have all introduced some sort of a system that when

Desert Island Wishlist

the bottle has a logo on it, it’s a guarantee of what’s in it.” Wine is about people, he adds.

“No people, no wine. And the human desire is to always do something; to take it and explore it and do it better. This whole AMW is just one step in that process.”

Looking back at his wine career, James notes there are no single stand out moments, but a swathe of them. “A highlight was getting into the wine industry in the first place. A highlight was falling in love with wine in the first place. A highlight was being able to move and work at an iconic winery in Marlborough. A highlight was starting Dog Point and having the whole damned thing work. There’s no one thing.”

Another highlight is the work James and Wendy do now, helping their daughter Sophie and her husband Mark McGill, the founders of Cider and Chardonnay producer Abel, with a winery, cidery, and 5-hectare Chardonnay vineyard on 30ha of beautiful country in Tasman’s Upper Moutere. For James, who’s long loved making Chardonnay, the opportunity to delve into the unique fruit of the Moutere Clays, proven by the likes of the Finns at nearby Neudorf, is an excellent next step in the road trip. “There’s something about the fruit intensity,” he says. A few years ago James and Wendy moved to Nelson to help in that endeavour. The Holden, however, remains at Dog Point.

This story ran in the January 2024 Winepress magazine, and is republished with thanks to Wine Marlborough.

Wine – Something from Roulot (although that might make it more difficult to get hold of hmmm) Meal – Confit duck Album or Podcast – Difficult... perhaps Elbow?

Book or Magazine – Flashman series

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

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THE PEOPLE

Women in Wine Michelle Richardson JOELLE THOMSON Michelle Richardson has travelled something of a full circle since Sir George Fistonich offered her a job at Villa Maria more than 30 years ago. She’s now Chief Winemaker of Sir George’s Čuvar Winery in Hawke’s Bay, but says her winemaking style has evolved a lot over the decades.

“Which is probably in large part to do with living in France and seeing what beautiful red wines they make without using lots of oak. I think the potential of Hawke’s Bay is to make more approachable reds and I want to make wines with softer extraction of tannins. That’s where I want to go.”

“We definitely need to appeal to a modern wine audience, who need approachable wines with complexity.”

Michelle Richardson Michelle studied winemaking at Roseworthy in 1989, having backpacked around the world for three years and found a love of wine. She went on to do some wine work in Australia and France, before taking a harvest cellar hand job at Villa Maria in 1990. She’s not sure what “gut feeling” inspired Sir George to offer a cellar hand the Senior Assistant Winemaker job in 1992, but by the end of 1994 she was Chief Winemaker at Villa Maria, in what she considers the “halcyon days” of New Zealand winemaking, with “a great boss and a great team”. She could have easily stayed, but left after a decade to establish Michelle Richardson Wines, ready for her next challenge. “It felt like a teenager leaving the family, ready to go and take a risk on being an adult in the real world.”

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Michelle Richardson with Sir George Fistonich at the launch of Čuvar

In 2011 Michelle left New Zealand with her then partner and their young daughter to spend time with his family in Prague. She initially commuted to New Zealand with her daughter Valentina in tow, to work vintage and produce her brand. But when Valentina reached school age, Michelle wound up her wine brand to focus on family life in Europe.

“Prague is a great place to bring up kids.

It’s very expensive here in New Zealand

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but it was so much more geared towards raising children when we were in the Czech Republic. There were free music lessons, regular kids’ outdoor concerts.

Everything is made available to children.

Everyone skis and it’s not a rich person’s sport,” she says. “It was also great bringing up a child in a place where courtesy was commonplace, and having the social confidence to be polite is a way of life.”

They lived in Prague for three and

THE PEOPLE

a half years, then moved to France, basing themselves out of Uzès, a town in the Occitanie region in the south of France, half an hour from Nimes. France appealed due to a contact and friend, who suggested that Michelle oversee the build of her new home. While there, she also travelled to Moravia to consult as a winemaker, a role she describes as enormously rewarding. “That was fun, it was lovely to help winemakers to connect the vineyard and winemaking more closely and looking at special blocks of land within their vineyards. Concepts that we may take for granted, but which were not always part of the mindset there.”

Living in France inspired the next step of her winemaking journey. “We have to find a way to make wine attractive for the generations coming up. At the moment we have a large per capita consumption of RTDs, and I’m not going to go and make sweet wines, but this generation has been brought up with so much softness and sweet drinks, so there’s a challenge in there for winemakers,” she says. “Balance, to me, is not about insulting a wine by softening some of its hallmark tannins to make it more attractive to a wider

group of people. It’s a skill to hone. I’m wondering how I can do it with Cabernet.

Is it different picking times or do you start with more gentle plunging? It is more natural to create a softer wine from Tempranillo, but there’s an educational role there to explain what that wine is.

Generally, wine drinkers like the wellknown staples, so you don’t want to go too far the other way, but we definitely need to appeal to a modern wine audience, who need approachable wines with complexity.”

Michelle returned to New Zealand with Valentina in 2021 and was offered a job at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay, training interns in wineries.

“There was quite a strong cross section of people, many of whom had all been traumatised by the education system in New Zealand. They had no confidence and didn’t believe they could learn. I found it very rewarding helping these young people to grow their skills. Some of them are doing amazing things in wineries and it’s great to see and to have been part of their lives in a positive way.”

Then in 2022 she began working as a consultant for Sir George’s new brands,

Čuvar and Oblix, moving to fulltime shortly after vintage. “There were just the three of us and it was not the easiest year, but we had some great fruit, which we processed at the Hawke’s Bay Wine Company. And then we had 2023 with the cyclone. Thankfully this season, 2024, is looking like the old Hawke’s Bay, with beautiful days and promise in the vineyards.” The new wine brands are part of the Fistonich Family Vineyards stable and situated in the former Esk Valley Winery. A refit is currently underway at the winery to modernise it and add new equipment.

Having come full circle, Michelle has found enormous reward in the teamwork of building the new Čuvar brand. “I suggested to George that he use his Croatian background and everywhere we go in New Zealand, we meet people who had worked for George in the past and we realised that he was like a mentor and a guardian. The name Čuvar means guardian, so it fits extremely well.” If leaving Villa Maria was akin to a teenager flying the nest, what’s this? She laughs. “A lot of families say, ‘I thought I had got rid of my kids’.”

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THE PEOPLE

Wild Irish dreaming When two Northern Irishmen born 50 years and 50-ish kilometres apart from each other fall for the same beguiling grape, 20,000km from home in Central Otago, the only decent thing to do is become firm friends. CLAIRE FINLAYSON talks to Alan Brady and Brian Shaw about a company that’s name is a nod to their collective pluck.

Say Alan Brady’s name out loud in Central Otago and the landscape near quivers in recognition. As one of the region’s early wine pioneers, he helped prove its worth as Pinot Noir terroir when he planted some of Central Otago’s first grapevines on an arid plot of land in 1981 and founded Gibbston Valley Wines. For this boldness he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996 (the first of many such career-saluting gongs). He went on to establish Mount Edward Wines in 1997 and the Wild Irishman boutique label in 2006.

“It’s relatively easy to make decent wine but it’s incredibly hard to make transcendent wine.”

Alan Brady Alan, now 87, says this latter venture was supposed to be “the vehicle for a cruisy little ride into the sunset”. But the appearance of a younger compatriot — Brian Shaw — turned that cruise into an invigorating canter. In Brian, Alan spotted something of his younger self: a fellow Ulsterman with no viticultural background but plenty of keenness. Both men had set off in other career directions before the mystique of winemaking snagged them (Alan was a journalist and Brian toyed with acting before enrolling in a Public Relations degree). “He’s the guy I was when I came to New Zealand with all the enthusiasm and passion”, says Alan. “He reminds me so much of myself at that age.

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Brian Shaw and Alan Brady. Photo Rachael McKenna

We’re both dreamers, really — visualisers.”

Brian agrees: “We’re the same person — just 50 years apart”.

The pair first met in 2013 when Brian was holidaying in New Zealand and casting around to find work in a winery.

In his 20s at the time, his prior wine experience consisted solely of a part-time job in a small wine shop in his home town of Magherafelt. “The magic around turning a bunch of grapes into a bottle of wine drew me in. I knew I wanted a career in wine, but what chance does a young Irish kid have? There’s no wine production in Ireland really — just a couple of small vineyards but no commercial enterprise.”

He found that shiny chance at Amisfield winery in Central Otago. It was there that he struck up an instant bond with a man in his 70s: cellar master Brian Dennis who introduced him to a fellow septuagenarian friend, Alan Brady. “I’ve always gravitated to people much older than me”, Brian says.

“These guys have lived colourful lives.

They’ve been there, done it and got the T-shirt.”

Alan, for his part, was impressed by the younger man’s initiative and vim: “He was in the winery for five minutes and was climbing up ladders and getting himself on the end of a shovel and hose. I thought

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

he’d make a good cellar hand.” This supportive camaraderie seems typical of the wine industry. Alan says he’s certainly felt it from his peers over the past 42 years. “There’s a strong sense of tradition and hospitality that expresses itself in a collegiality that perhaps many other industries lack. When we were starting out all those years ago, the famous wine names never allowed their scepticism about our chances of success get in the way of providing encouraging words and a genuine interest in what we were doing.”

Alan paid some of that collegiality forward by inviting Brian to take part in a vintage for Wild Irishman in 2014.

The experience left Brian so irretrievably grape-smitten that he returned home to Ireland, got married, studied for an oenology degree, and popped back across for another Wild Irishman vintage in 2019.

When this further increased his Central Otago fervour, there was only one sensible option. He emailed Alan in the middle of an Irish night with a cheerful proposal: “Hi mate, listen, I have an idea. Let me buy half the company and be the winemaker.”

Alan’s reply: “Thought you’d never ask.”

And so it was that a wine label originally named as a nod to matagouri/tūturi (a thorny shrub nicknamed ‘wild Irishman’

THE PEOPLE

by European settlers) proved itself brandperfect by seamlessly accommodating a second wild Irishman. Alan’s little retirement project grew energetic new legs, becoming Wild Irishman Wines in 2021, and Brian moved to Central Otago with his young family the following year. Of their serendipitous encounter, Brian says: “I honestly believe our paths crossing was already predetermined.

Something or someone wanted us to meet.”

The pair are currently awaiting the completion of a new ‘rustic’ winery. And while production has ramped up (from 700 cases of wine in 2019 to 3,000 cases in 2023) the actual processes around winemaking have been pared back. Alan describes this low impact approach as “wine without cosmetics” and counts his friend François Millet (“a rock star winemaker from Burgundy”) as hugely influential in this regard. “His philosophy is about humility and not imposing our own ego on the wine”, says Alan.

“François taught us to step back a bit and allow nature to make the creative decisions for us.”

Alan and Brian are fully aligned in their

devotion to the specifics of terroir. “We both have this unrelenting desire to make Pinot Noir that displays the exact place it’s from”, says Brian. “I’m not talking about a region or even subregion — I’m talking about the exact piece of dirt the grapes are grown on. We can stick our nose in a glass and know which vineyard

“Alan’s opened up his 40plus years of winemaking and grape growing knowledge to me. He’s a walking Central Otago encylopaedia.”

Brian Shaw the wine is from.” At tastings, Alan likes to describe the Wild Irishman Pinot Noir range as a sort of geography/geology lesson in six glasses: “It’s a journey down two rivers — the Kawarau and the Clutha, from Gibbston to Alexandra. Six single vineyards take you from 480 metres above sea level and 700ml of rain to 150m above sea level and 300ml of rain. Over

ECLAT COLLECTION

a distance of no more than 60km as the crow flies.”

Alan has been entranced by this wily grape for more than four decades now.

It still bewitches him: “Pinot Noir is a variety where perfection is most elusive.

It’s the heartbreak grape. It teases and taunts us a little bit. It’s different for each season and from each vineyard.

That’s what makes it fascinating. It’s relatively easy to make decent wine but it’s incredibly hard to make transcendent wine. But by golly, you know it when you get a glimpse of the transcendent — it’s special.”

He’s thrilled that he has someone to pass the Wild Irishman baton to: “This is succession for me. I’ve got somebody that I respect running the business into the future and a daughter and son-in-law who own one of the vineyards. It’s a rather neat closure of the circle.” As for the man at the other end of the baton, he couldn’t be happier: “Alan’s opened up his 40-plus years of winemaking and grape growing knowledge to me. He’s a walking Central Otago encylopaedia. I know how lucky I am to have him as a friend and mentor. I really do have to pinch myself.”

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NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 I

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Bob’s blog The world’s hardest working Master of Wine?

owned wineries.

Nicholas didn’t have a light bulb moment that made him suddenly fall in love with wine, but travelled a lot with his family which allowed his passion to develop gradually. Travel also exposed him to different languages and dialects and Nicholas speaks five languages fluently: English, Spanish, French, Italian

and German. He admits that his love of wine and language received a boost after spending a summer in France’s beautiful Loire Valley.

His first job in the wine industry was at Zachy’s Fine Wine and Liquors in New York. After six months he was promoted to become auction director at Christie’s Auction House, which involved regular travel between New York and Los Angeles, as well as the opportunity to taste a lot of very old wines. He recalls attending a tasting of an 1864 Château Lafite with, the late Michael Broadbent, a legendary wine auctioneer who commented that “a young wine, still has 50 years to go”.

Nicholas passed his Master of Wine exam in 2014, and recalls the phone call from a United Kingdom telephone number at around midnight. A very English voice said, “Do you know why I’m calling?”. Then, after a long pause, “Congratulations you are an MW,” he says. “The weight of the world went off my shoulders as I experienced an enormous sense of relief.” Although Nicholas was born in the United States, he has dual citizenship with New Zealand and seems likely to spend more time here, especially during the annual grape harvest.

someone who would appreciate it, but surely she would die from loss of blood before she had polished off the first bottle of prephylloxera Chateau Haut Brion? The slightly built Issei might also do a bit of damage to his constitution if he tried to sample even a small portion of the precious bottles. Clearly Cecile’s father didn’t think the inheritance through.

However these are minor details.

This complex, fast-moving series is about winning and losing, love and sex

(discretely handled), crime and intrigue, and how people with an indecent amount of disposable income spend it. It lacks any humour, perhaps because wine and winemaking take themselves too seriously.

The film is in three languages; French, English and Japanese; with English subtitles which give it an international edge. I enjoyed it. Drops of God scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes’ average tomatometer.

Drops of God is streaming now on Apple TV.

At 47 years of age Nicholas Paris has achieved far more than most of us hope to in a lifetime. With the help of his New Zealand-born father and brother, Stanley and Alan, he has helped restore an historic stone winery dating back to the 1870s and built two luxury cottages and an underground barrel cellar. The Monte Christo winery in Clyde, Central Otago, is now open for business.

He gets to taste all domestic wines produced from 18 Gallo-owned wineries.

Nicholas lives in Connecticut, about two hours outside New York City, with his wife Heidi and four children aged 11-18. They are building a house in North Carolina which they hope to move into in a couple of years. Nicholas has worked for E & J Gallo, the world’s largest wine producer, for 18 years. He was the first Master of Wine employed by E & J Gallo and has held a variety of positions there including sales, public relations, education, importing, and wine consulting. He gets to taste all domestic wines produced from 18 Gallo-

Nicholas Paris MW

Drops of God Drops of God is a mini-series about a large wine inheritance and the civilised battle between a Japanese wine enthusiast, Issei, and a French woman whose nose bleeds when she tastes wine. The oddly mismatched pair are subjected to a series of wine tastings – the winner of which gets to inherit the world’s largest wine cellar; 87,000 bottles with an estimated value of US$148 million. That’s roughly US$1,701 per bottle.

The cellar was the life’s work of Cecile’s father who wanted his wine to go to

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THE PEOPLE

Wine to the People Puffin wine bar, tucked away in Wellington’s Ghuznee Street, champions some of New Zealand’s smallest biodynamic and organic winegrowers. In the lead up to its second Superwild event on 17 February, owner Hannah Wells tells us the how, why and who of Puffin.

How was Puffin hatched?

I got into hospitality through working at Golding’s Free Dive when I landed back in Wellington, after living in London for a few years. I got into organic and biodynamic wines through looking after the small wine list. From there I set off tasting through a lot of things and visiting and meeting people who could show me more. Then came the opportunity to put something in the space where Puffin currently is. My friends Sean and Alex offered the opportunity to develop something in the ground floor of their hotel – The Intrepid – and I took it nervously but very willingly. I had been following a lot of overseas wine bars and thought we could build something in that space that kept any gatekeeping out of drinking wine. Something that only showcases organic and biodynamic wines, and somewhere that everyone and anyone can come and feel comfortable discovering something new or find something they already love. Somewhere that focuses on the wines being good, served by good people, in a relaxing and beautiful space. Taste is hugely subjective, so we focus on finding something that people want to drink through as much or as little conversation as they want to have about it.

It took a long time to actually get into the space to start building, but that gave us time to refine the idea and taste and research more, which is an ongoing process!

What’s the ethos?

Overall, Puffin focuses on organic and biodynamic wines. This has naturally led us to build relationships with smaller producers who focus on the same things. There’s a mix of buying wine direct from producers or through portfolios that represent them.

Because of the focus on organic and biodynamic, it already decreases the size of the pool you can purchase from, which I think pushes you into deeper connections

Hannah Wells at Puffin

with the people and producers we have built our relationships with.

Tell us about some of your events Puffin’s events focus on highlighting the producers and wines we love. I always think the events we do should feel natural; they are an opportunity for us to host people, showcase these beautiful wines that some really talented people have made, and just generally have a great time. The events serve to deepen the relationships we have with produrers as well. Our largest event is Superwild, which we did for the first time in February last year. It’s a neighbourhood festival that involves Puffin, Golding’s, and our latest establishment, Humdinger. We invite food, wine, and beer producers to be involved. Again, it’s an opportunity to showcase these wonderful people and their products all in one place at one time. We will be doing Superwild again on 17 February (superwild.co.nz) and this time we’ve invited some New Zealand chefs and also some new people we’ve met along the way, to have conversations about that middle part of the Venn diagram, where food, wine, beer, art, science etc. collide.

You’ve been through some strange years in hospitality...

Covid-19 was definitely an interesting time.

We had been open about six months before we went into our first lockdown.

When we came back from lockdown it was amazing how many people came out to enjoy Puffin again. To look on the bright side of it all, it was an interesting experience going through the different levels and changing our service style to follow the rules in place. It’s not often you’re able to do that in hospitality, but in this case, we were forced to to get through. We’re very happy to be where we are now though, back in our regular service, having people come through the doors, having them all able to mingle and enjoy the space in the way we always wanted them to.

What’s next for Puffin?

In terms of what’s next, that’s always up for discussion. Puffin has just had it’s fourth birthday so I’m looking forward to seeing it through its next four years, as it settles further into the Wellington hospitality landscape, and also see the team in Puffin continue to grow the bar and space with all their combined knowledge and experience. We have recently opened our other bar – Humdinger, a dive bar with cocktails, deep dish pizza, beers and a jukebox on freeplay; another place that we just want people to enjoy and relax in.

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THE PLACES

Seasonal Update The outlook for Vintage 2024 SOPHIE PREECE Surprisingly awesome, says James Dicey when asked about the Central Otago outlook for Vintage 2024. “We were expecting an El Niño year After the last three La Niñas, but it’s been another hot, incredibly dry summer with an amazing flowering and set.” Yields look at or above average, and vineyards hit by the highly unusual October frost event have recovered, although there is variability across the region, James says.

Watchouts include powdery mildew, which is at normal levels, and water stress, given there has been no “meaningful” rain this growing season. “It is very, very dry at the moment,” James says on 22 January.

“People have their fingers crossed for 20mm plus, and ideally within the next week, so the cherry guys have a great end to the season and we have the drop of rain we need for the balance of the year.” There’s a commonly held view that Central Otago winegrowing can be inconsistent or vulnerable, James adds. “But the past four years have been outstanding as far as ripening and fruit quality is concerned. With slightly lower yields and decent fruit canopy, as long as we can manage the water risk, I think we are looking at a pretty stellar crop.”

North Canterbury It’s a return to a classic El Niño summer for us,” says Greystone Viticulturist Mike Saunders of dry golden hills and lush green vines in North Canterbury. “Things are tracking really well now.” The season began with a frost, but Mike says it was on the lighter side, and many vines “bounced back” well. Cool flowering meant lower berry numbers, but a leap up in heat intensity from Christmas onwards has supercharged growing degree days, and canopies are looking really good, he says on 23 January.

The heat of a “kinder summer”, paired with irrigation, means berry size is up,” so we should still see moderate yields.

Nelson “On the whole we’re very happy with how everything is looking at this stage,”

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Seifried Estate

says Chris Seifried of Seifried Estate on 22 January. “I think a lighter vintage is good for everyone, isn’t it?” Crop levels are down in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer, with spots of damage from an October frost event, while Sauvignon Blanc, largely unscathed, looks to be sitting closer to a normal yield. The Nelson season is early, with Seifried’s nets going on a week to 10 days sooner than typical. Meanwhile, disease pressure has been “reasonably low”, with the company keeping up to date with spray rotations and canopy management, says Chris, pleased with the vintage outlook.

Marlborough Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc harvest looks 15% to 25% lighter than 2023 crop levels, says Babich Wines Marlborough Area Viticultural Manager David Bullivant, in the midst of pre-veraison forecasts. The lighter loads may help the industry “reset” after two large vintages in a row, he adds. “Stocks of wine are fairly flush, with possibly some overflow to this year. The general feeling is we wanted a season that was average or below average.”

Spring weather was “a mixed bag”, including below average temperatures that possibly affected flowering. The temperatures also slowed the season down,

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and before Christmas the Babich crew predicted a harvest around a week later than typical. However, January brought a run of very dry, warm weather, “and it’s catching up quickly”, David says, predicting that most Sauvignon Blanc will be harvested the last week of March, “which is probably quite normal”.

The dry summer means vineyards with access to irrigation are thriving, without pressure from moisture and humidity.

“People with a good spray programme should have no disease around at his point, bearing in mind there are eight weeks to go,” David says on 22 January. At that point rain had fuelled the headwaters often enough to refresh rivers and keep irrigation going. But water is an ongoing concern, especially for those without reserves. “As much as we have invested in dams, we still have two vineyards out of out eight that don’t have them, and we are watching river levels closely.”

In the Awatere Valley, Yealands Senior Winemaker Anthony Walkenhorst says crops are on the “lighter side” there as well.

“Everyone will do their final counts and work out how much room they have in the wineries. But it probably means that we don’t need to clear the wineries out nearly as much as we have in the last couple of years.”

He says the past three years have thrown up

THE PLACES

plenty of challenges. “Going into this one we have had a pretty good run with the weather so far, so disease pressure is down. It’s potentially looking like a really good quality year with slightly lower yields and very good weather.”

IT WOULD BE STINK IF THESE GOT INTO NEW ZEALAND

Wairarapa “It feels like this is how it should be,” says Ata Rangi Winemaker Helen Masters, as the Wairarapa enjoys a dry summer in lieu of the deluges endured in 2022 and 2023. “After the last couple of years it seems a lot more straight forward, and a lot easier to hit targets, without continuing rain. The grass is drying, we are stopping mowing; things are happening as they should.” Crop levels are down due to cool weather during flowering and the “hangover” of an October frost event, which has left some shoots with no fruit, Helen says on 22 January. “But 2021 wasn’t a high yield and ‘21 wines are very good.

Sometimes you can’t have it all.” It also means there’s little need for crop thinning, with canopies naturally open, she adds. “So everyone is feeling fairly positive.”

Hawke’s Bay Brent Linn, Executive Officer of Hawke’s Bay Wines and owner of Wairiki Wines, says unsettled weather patterns resulted in a protracted flowering. “However, the varietal diversity and number of subregions with different flowering periods mitigated some of this risk. Typically the earlier flowering varieties and regions fared better than the latter.” Crop levels appear to be slightly back on normal levels, Brent says. Vine growth has been excellent, thanks to “smatterings” of rain, along with warm temperatures from mid-December, with full canopy achieved earlier than normal. “Mowing, trimming and leaf plucking have kept the vit teams busy keeping on top of growth.”

The past few wet vintages mean the teams have proactive disease management programmes in place and have kept ahead of pressure, he adds. “January has seen a return of Hawke’s Bay summers of old, with high temperatures and sunshine hours pushing growing degree days well ahead of the curve, Brent adds. “We are seeing mixed reports on potential harvest dates, with warmer subregions forecasting a continuing trend of earlier vintages, while cooler regions are indicating they may be stepping back from that trend. All will be revealed in April.”

Sacred Hill Winemaker Nick Picone says with humid January weather, wine companies need to be vigilant about spray schedules. “If you missed a window, you would be in trouble pretty quickly, I think.”

That’s a challenge, “but to be honest everything looks good after last season”, he says. When Cyclone Gabrielle slammed the province last year, Sacred Hill had to ford the Tutaekuri River to get its grapes to the winery, with no bridge to cross following flood damage. Nick is about to blend a Wine Thief Chardonnay from that escapade, “and I probably couldn’t be happier with it really, given everything that went down”.

Auckland In Auckland, a wet winter was followed by changeable spring weather, affecting the flowering of various varieties and sites differently. “Some flowered well and some not so good,” says Michael Brajkovich of Kumeu River Wines, noting that some Chardonnay flowered through a week of wet weather, reducing potential yields. Speaking on 22 January, as a long stint of dry weather continues, Michael says crop loads will be variable, and harvest is likely to be later than the past few vintages.

“Probably back towards where we were normally, years ago. But we’ll wait and see.” Last year Kumeu River harvested for sparkling base around 9 February, “and I think we’ll be a week or two on from that. El Niño if it arrives will be very welcome.”

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.

Look for black & white banding on the antennae

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

Look for black & white banding on the sides of the abdomen

Stink Bugs not shown actual size. (Actual size approx. 1.7cm long)

MPB0160

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THE PLACES

Wine Weather

What’s been going on?

JAMES MORRISON An unsettled end to 2023 has given way to a milder and drier January for most regions.

A three year La Niña has not been easy to shake off and bursts of strong westerly winds gave way at times to cloudier and cooler conditions as spring moved into summer. Global temperatures and sea surface temperatures have remained well above normal and these markers of climate change are making El Niño in 2023-24 a little more challenging to understand. By the numbers this is a strong El Niño, but the influence of other climate drivers such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole, and the Southern Annular Mode influence weather in the southern hemisphere. Global temperatures in 2023 were 1.5°C warmer than preindustrial times.

El Niño is likely to start weakening in autumn and there is growing consensus that Southern Oscillation Index conditions will return to neutral over winter. There are some murmurings that La Niña may return late in 2024. If this happens it would be the fourth year in five that La Niña has occurred.

Extreme heat and the frequency of weather: There have been extreme weather headlines in the news in Aotearoa and overseas. Record breaking or near record temperatures fill our newsfeeds and

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Misha’s Vineyard

Climate change is the main driver of these weather events, and it is their frequency that brings large social and economic challenges. social media timelines on a daily basis.

This increase in temperature means the potential for increased water vapour in the atmosphere and a subsequent increase in heavy rain events when conditions become suitable. This increase in water vapour also increases dewpoints and humidity, even when conditions are dry.

Climate change is the main driver of these weather events, and it is their frequency that brings large social and economic challenges. Since I was young, I have been fascinated with extreme temperatures in New Zealand and around

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the world. From reading the previous day’s temperatures in the newspaper as a schoolboy, to having my own network of weather stations today, I have seen temperature patterns change over the past 40-plus years.

A typical Automatic Weather Station (AWS) in New Zealand will measure a range of conditions, including air temperature, rainfall, sunshine, wind speed, and air pressure. From these measurements we can monitor and compare our daily weather, months, seasons, and years.

Temperature and rainfall records can go as far back as the 1700s in some countries. In New Zealand accurate measurement of the weather goes back to the mid-1800s. Each year the variability in our weather means that new temperature records are set at different locations. The long-term range of measurements showcase how variable our weather can be. For example the coldest temperature recorded was -25.6°C at Ranfurly in 1908 and the warmest was 42.4°C at Rangiora in 1973.

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Climate change does not mean that we will see temperature records that sit at the very extreme of our range of measurements being broken consistently – although it can.

What climate change brings is an increase in the frequency of weather that is outside of the climatic norm. For example, it is quite normal for temperatures in Blenheim to exceed 30C at least once every January, even though the average maximum temperature is 24C. However, in a warming climate we may find that the number of days exceeding 30C or even 27C increase, and the average daily maximum temperature increases.

In other areas we may find that changing weather patterns bring milder nighttime temperatures.

Extreme temperatures can be very stressful for living things. However, maximum temperature alone is not the best measure of heat stress in humans. A better measure of heat stress is the wet bulb temperature – when humidity is low and wet bulb temperatures are low a body can endure higher temperatures for longer periods. When the wet bulb temperature increases it become more difficult for a body to cool through perspiration and the risk of heat stress increases in a shorter

period of time. This is why in parts of the upper North Island, summer days where humidity is high can feel so unpleasant, even when the air temperature is below 30C.

into autumn. Rainfall totals may run below average but could increase with active fronts moving in from the west. Northwest winds are likely to become more frequent and quite breezy into March.

Outlook for February and March: Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Warm north to northwest winds are likely to return at times and this should keep temperatures running above average.

Sunshine totals should be near or above average. Rainfall totals are likely to be below average, but there is always a risk of an extropical low bringing rain to the east coast of the North Island in late summer and early autumn.

Marlborough/North Canterbury Temperatures remain above average and wind speeds are likely to remain stronger than average. More frequent northwesterlies are possible from late February or early March. There is an increased chance of hot 30C days continuing into autumn.

Marlborough and Canterbury may see some rain under strong north to northwest flows, but overall rainfall is likely to be below average with an increased chance of prolonged dry spells. Cooler southerly changes may increase the risk of heavy localised rain.

Wairarapa West to northwest winds will be stronger at times and this is likely to continue to dry the region in February and March. Dry periods are likely but there may be some rain from any low-pressure systems that move southwards out of the tropics.

Nelson Temperatures continue to run above average for the remainder of summer and

Central Otago Temperatures are likely to be remain above average. Northwest winds may strengthen in March and there is a risk of cooler southwest changes bringing some chilly mornings by the end of March.

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

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Sustainability Update Demonstrating our commitment to the future

Dr Edwin Massey

The Crossings

Freshwater Farm Plans Update Helping members navigate the upcoming Regulations In 2023 the Government introduced requirements that all mixed-use farms over 20-hectares and viticultural/horticultural properties over 5ha would require a certified and audited Freshwater Farm Plan to mitigate the impact of primary sector land use on freshwater ecosystems.

Nationally, these requirements will impact more than 1,300 vineyards. These regulations will be activated on a region-byregion basis from now up until the end of

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2025. Once activated in a particular region or catchment, primary sector land users have 18 months to develop a Freshwater Farm Plan and submit it for certification.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has advocated on behalf of members that Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) should be the vehicle our members can use to meet these new planning requirements to internalise and reduce transaction costs as much as possible.

Government has been listening and has recently changed the primary legislation to give more scope to assurance programmes like SWNZ. Recent changes to the Resource

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Management Act (RMA) now allow regional councils to approve industry assurance programmes (IAPs) to provide certification and/or audit services to their members. Providers will need to apply to a regional council for approval to provide these services. A regional council will assess an IAP against set standards which will be issued by the Minister for the Environment.

NZW will be involved in the policy work to develop these standards during 2024. This work is getting underway.

Roll out of the regulations The Freshwater Farm Plan regulations were activated in Southland and Waikato

THE PLACES

including the Waitaki Valley and the West Coast, in February 2024. From April they will start to roll out in parts of the Manawatū-Whanganui (Horizons) region.

Winegrowing is not a common land use in any of these initial regions but there are vineyards in North Otago and Horizons that will require Freshwater Farm Plans to be developed.

Home to New Zealand’s largest wine region, the Marlborough District Council has developed a specific catchment-by-catchment roll out plan as follows:

Government has been listening and has recently changed the primary legislation to give more scope to assurance programmes like SWNZ. Regional councils will be working to provide information on what to do to get started in your region. It is important to remember that once the regulations are activated in your region you will still have 18 months to develop a Freshwater Farm Plan and submit it for certification.

Nonetheless, it is important to commence preparation in a timely manner.

NZW is working with a range of regional councils and will update members on the roll out of the regulations in other regions as soon as possible.

Increasing education and awareness The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is working to set up a network of suppliers across the country to provide free support, training, and resources for farmers and growers to develop their own Freshwater Farm Plan. This support should be available from the middle of 2024. NZW will work closely with MfE and share information on

these opportunities with members as they become available.

Many regional councils are now working to provide information on what farmers can do to get started. For example, in Marlborough a range of meetings based on specific catchments were planned to begin in late January. Information can be found on the Marlborough District Council website (marlborough.govt.nz), including timings for public meetings.

Can SWNZ be the vehicle to assist members with meeting their regulatory requirements?

Over the past 18 months NZW, with financial support from Ministry of Primary Industries, had worked with the Agribusiness Group on a project called ‘Supercharging SWNZ’. This project aimed to compare SWNZ requirements with Freshwater Farm Plan regulatory requirements, conduct a gap analysis and

make recommendations on how to adapt the SWNZ programme so that it would minimise the costs of Freshwater Farm planning as much as possible. That work has progressed well, and the final report will be available shortly. NZW is now working on how to implement the recommendations contained in the report and will share more information with members as soon as possible. This work is a key priority for 2024 and will also be important to promote education and awareness of Freshwater Farm planning to members across the country.

If you have any questions about what Freshwater Farm planning means for you, please refer to the NZW website (nzwine. com/members/sustainability/swnz/ freshwater-farm-plans) or get in contact with me at edwin.massey@nzwine.com or 021 1924 924.

Dr Edwin Massey is NZW General Manager Sustainability

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Biosecurity Update Protecting the places that make our famous wines Sophie Badland

Traceability – the key to getting ahead of biosecurity incursions When a biosecurity incursion is identified, many things need to be done very quickly in order to stop the spread and eradicate a new invasive pest or disease before populations grow to a level where eradication is no longer a feasible option. The key to this is traceability, or the ability to understand the potential pathway of a pest or disease into a new area and where it could have spread by following a chain of human-assisted movements, or the movements of risk goods and host material.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) recommends vineyards and wineries have traceability measures built into standard operating procedures or biosecurity plans, so that if a biosecurity threat is identified on site, information about how it may have arrived and where else it may have spread is readily available. This information can be crucial, particularly in cases where new unwanted organisms have managed to get through the border and could have devastating long-term impacts on New Zealand’s primary industries and natural environment if allowed to establish and spread. The sooner a new threat is identified, and its potential movements traced, the more likely it is to be successfully eradicated.

What’s good biosecurity traceability?

Good traceability is essentially good record-keeping. For NZW members, this means keeping track of everything coming on and off site – people, stock, vehicles, equipment and machinery, supplies, and biological materials. Records of arrival and departure should be dated, and identifying details recorded – names, contact numbers and batch or serial numbers. Information on where goods, people and vehicles have been prior to arriving on site (and where they are going afterwards) is also valuable in helping to trace the spread of an unwanted organism. If new vines have been purchased

Key points • The ability to quickly and efficiently trace the potential movement of a new pest or disease is crucial to increase the chance of eradication.

• Technological solutions are increasingly available for efficient digital traceability of goods, vehicles and machinery, and people.

• A collaboration between NZW and Onside allows NZW members to use the Onside Intelligence biosecurity traceability tool for free.

• NZW recommends all members implement good traceability practices and record-keeping for everything moving on and off vineyard and winery sites.

for planting, records or maps of exactly where they are planted should be kept; this continues the ‘chain of custody’ established in vine nurseries.

If good records are not kept and a biosecurity incursion is identified, a lot of time and resources can then be wasted trying to establish how it may have arrived on site and where else it may have spread to, allowing the pest or disease to spread further afield in the meantime.

What options are available?

There are many technological solutions becoming available to assist businesses with making traceability less manual and more efficient – companies such as OnLocation, Sine, EcoPortal, and Rapid Global offer app-based monitoring and digital recording of the movement of people on and off business sites (and their activities and health and safety while they are on site).

NuPoint offers fleet management software for farm vehicle tracking. NZW and a group of other industry organisations including Kiwifruit Vine Health, Aquaculture New Zealand, New Zealand Apples & Pears, New Zealand Avocado, and New Zealand Pork also have a trial programme running with Onside, which has developed a biosecurity traceability solution called Onside Intelligence.

As part of the trial programme, Onside Intelligence is free for all NZW members to use. The app-based technology allows visitors to vineyard and winery sites to be prompted to sign in on arrival, as well as recording any movement of potential biosecurity risk goods or equipment. As well

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Te Mania. Photo Chocolate Dog Studio

as providing business owners/managers with good traceability data, the data from these movements is also used to build a networked view of how and when people and risk goods are moving between properties and is shared with NZW to enable rapid tracing should a biosecurity threat be identified at any property in the network.

Currently, more than 400 vineyards are participating across the country. Members can contact biosecurity@nzwine.com if you are interested in being part of the programme, or get in touch directly with Onside.

The sooner a new threat is identified, and its potential movements traced, the more likely it is to be successfully eradicated.

Traceability of grapevine planting material is also crucial to ensure disease doesn’t spread widely through the industry. By purchasing vines certified to the NZW Grafted Grapevine Standard, members can be assured that supplying nurseries have complied with the traceability requirements in the standard, and the grafted vines can be traced all the way back to their mother plants.

Conclusion Good traceability is an essential part of biosecurity risk mitigation for the New Zealand wine industry. It is something that all member businesses can and should put in place, particularly as there are a range of tools available now to assist with efficient record-keeping.

Investing time to ensure traceability practices are embedded in business-as-usual for your vineyard or winery is well worth it if it means we are able to eradicate a new pest or disease before it can have long-term (and expensive) impacts that require ongoing management.

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To find your local dealer contact Water Supply Products: Auckland: 09-916 0094 Christchurch: 03-348 1293 wsp@watersupply.co.nz www.watersupply.co.nz

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On your behalf Advocacy on matters of vital importance to the industry

James Kane

Keeping healthy and safe during vintage 2024 The new year signals with the hum of activity ramping up on the vineyard and in the winery, as vintage 2024 gets underway.

When you read this, some of you will be in the midst of final preparations. Amongst this you may have new staff additions, the return of familiar faces, and the coming and going from your premises of contractors and others. It’s safe to say everyone will have a lot on their mind. For those operating during this time, health and safety is a topic for some that may feel daunting or evoke mixed feelings. Yet we all agree that it is incredibly important.

In 2023/2024 to date there are 462 ACC active claims covering winegrowing and winery accidents. The most common form of injury is from lifting, carrying and strains. Punctures, loss of balance and work property/characteristics are also specified as contributing activities in a large number of claims.

Like many accidents, these are often preventable. So regardless of your role, the new year is a perfect time to refresh yourself on good workplace practice and ensure you understand and act upon your workplace health and safety obligations.

General health and safety requirements You should all be familiar with the obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to take reasonably practicable steps to address risks. Duties under the Act can apply to everyone, whether you are: • in charge of the vineyard or winery; • a company, director, trustee, business partner, or CEO; • a worker in a vineyard or winery; or • a contractor or visitor to the vineyard or winery.

So what does this actually look like?

Well, it shouldn’t be complicated or burdensome. The first step is to stocktake what you already have in place. Do you have the following?

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• Site rules, maps and emergency plans • Contractor orientation induction forms • Training registers for use of equipment • Maintenance records and instructions for use of machinery • Accident/near miss reports These are just some examples of the types of documents that you’ll need – what’s relevant to each workplace, and their contents, can vary.

Secondly, are the risks you’ve identified on site current and can they be managed?

Ask yourself: • Have site conditions changed this harvest from last year?

• Are we asking our staff to do something new? If so, have they been appropriately inducted/trained for this?

• Has older machinery been serviced, do we need to explain new machinery to staff?

• Have you identified and planned for a health and safety worst case scenario?

• How will we brief our staff, and have they had the chance to provide their own input?

To help simplify this process, New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has tailored material to assist you, including on vineyard and winery self-assessment checklists and common site risks. There is also our “Working Well” guide with practical advice and resources. You can find more information in the health and safety section of the NZW members site: nzwine.com/ members/advocacy/health-safety. Some of the material has also been produced by or in collaboration with WorkSafe and ACC. The importance of safety on quad bikes In December 2023 alone, there were five fatalities arising from quad bike accidents in New Zealand – and of course, even one fatality is too many. If you or your workers use quad bikes, it is important to be mindful of the particular risks these pose. Do you/ they need better training on how to ride quad bikes? Is this the right job for a quad bike, or would another vehicle be more suitable? Are the weather conditions right for this work? Should you consider crush

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Escarpment

protection? Some specific information on quad bike safety is available at saferfarms.co.nz/manageyourrisks As we head into vintage 2024 Take care of yourself and those around you.

This can be a stressful time of year, and wellbeing is paramount to getting the ‘best’ out of your staff (and yourself!). NZW also has information on staying mentally fit, as well as physically fit, on its website: nzwine.com/en/events/health-andwellbeing/ Watch this space for further information about Go You! webinars in 2024.

As always please don’t hesitate to contact your friendly NZW Advocacy team at advocacy@nzwine.com should have any questions, or indeed any other compliance or regulatory matters – we are here to help.

We wish you all the best for a safe, healthy and successful vintage 2024.

James Kane is Legal and Policy Advisor at NZW Disclaimer This article is provided as general information and guidance and does not constitute legal advice. While all due care and attention has been exercised in preparing this article, neither New Zealand Winegrowers Inc nor its employees/agents accept any liability of any kind for any loss and/or damage that may arise from reliance on the information presented.

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bursting with all kinds of life this summer as we count down to Vintage 2024.

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XXXXXXXXX MACHINERY UPDATES

Nuts and bolts

Mark Daniel’s updates on machinery and technology

FrostBoss Formed nearly three decades ago and currently employing 100 staff, FrostBoss serves more than 2,500 customers in 12 countries, protecting dozens of different crop types, including wine and table grapes, nuts, citrus, stone fruit, pip fruit, berries, kiwifruit, avocados, mangoes, and even instant lawn and grass.

The blade facility has been designed to eliminate and isolate a number of significant hazards.

FrostBoss, which is the global brand of New Zealand Frost Fans Limited, recently launched a new $12 million state of the art factory in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay. Cited as a significant leap towards dominating the global frost fan market, the new Blade Manufacturing Facility will offer the

company the capability to manufacture three times its previous production capacity to supply frost fan blades to meet an increasing worldwide demand. The facility has been designed to eliminate and isolate a number of significant hazards, says Chief Executive Andrew Priest. “So it is a fundamentally safer and healthier work environment compared to the old factory.”

As well as manufacturing blades and assembling machines in Hawke’s Bay, the company also has installation and service teams located throughout Australia and New Zealand close to its key customers and growing areas. With a significant volume of frost fans exported worldwide each year and with international growth a priority, the company has also recently opened an office in Europe.

The company recently launched a LayDown Tower option, primarily for areas with visual amenity regulations such as the Saint-Emilion in France which is a designated UNESCO heritage area. The option allows the towers to lie flat in aesthetically sensitive areas, but also allows growers to use of centre pivots for irrigation where fans are located. nzfrostfans.com

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Pera-Pellenc are world class designers and manufacturers of winery equipment, from hopper to press, as well as temperature controlled thermo treatment systems. Pera merged with Pellenc in 2014 making good sense in the eyes of the vine and wine industry. With more than 40 years of innovative experience together they help create the worlds best wines.

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NUTS AND BOLTS

Ocloc V makes post repairs easy Given that broken wooden vineyard support posts are a regular problem, particularly around harvest time, any system that reduces or removes the need for replacement warrants a closer look. Typically, replacing a wooden support post is time consuming, requiring staples and retaining clips to be removed from the wires, extraction of the broken post stump, reinstallation of a new post with a tractor and post driver, followed by repositioning of the wire with staples and clips.

The Ocloc V repair system takes the form of a stake manufactured from G450 high tensile steel, with a unique profile that fits around the circumference of the broken post. Available in 900, 1050, 1200, 2100 and 2400mm lengths, the stakes have no sharp edges, making them ideal for under vine management.

Removing the need for a tractor and post driver to complete a typical repair means time and money is saved, but a repair team equipped with a quad or LUV towing a small trailer can move through the vineyard easily and carry out a greater number of repairs each day. In addition, the system also eliminates the secondary problem of disposing of old, toxic treated broken posts.

For installation, Ocloc V is usually installed with a portable rammer, so that in the case of a 1200mm long unit, 800mm is below and 400mm is above ground level, before the unit is screwed to the post using 75mm shark-toothed batten screws.

Ocloc is designed, engineered and manufactured in Edwardstown, South Australia, with the base high tensile metal coated with a Galfan coating that is made up of 5% aluminium, rare metals, and 95% zinc. This is said to offer corrosive protection that is at least twice that of standard hot dipped galvanized (HDG) coatings, as the alternating layers of zinc and aluminium disrupt any corrosion pathways to the steel base metals. Distribution of the Ocloc fencing and repair systems in New Zealand is by Blenheim-based Eckford Engineering.

Visit eckford.co.nz

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For statistics queries contact Maddison at maddison.wyllie-papalii@nzwine.com

Key Performance Indicators

JUN NOV 2023 2020

Keep an eye on how New Zealand wine is performing both domestically and internationally.

Growth Markets

Total Value of Exports

fob value

$2.14

USA

$787.5m

0.3%

Billion

4%

UK

$471.7m

Packaged Wine Export

3%

Australia

Volume

Packaged Price

149.4 mL

$9.93/L

5%

$389.1m 5%

3%

Canada

$126.8m 19%

Unpackaged Wine Export

Germany

$53.7m 7%

Volume

Unpackaged white wine price

122.2 mL

$5.07/L

3%

8%

China

$37.8m 14%

Domestic Sales, Sales, Volume Volume Domestic

Netherlands

$27.11m

September 2023

42.5 mL

18%

Hong Kong

$13.2m 12%

58

8%

All figures are for the 12 months to the date specified, figures are in $NZD unless otherwise specified

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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.

Current research projects Bragato Research Institute conducts research in-house or collaborates with research organisations throughout New Zealand.

The main research providers for each project are listed.

Updates are provided on the highlighted projects in this supplement.

Vineyard Innovation Improving remedial surgery practices to increase vineyard longevity Linnaeus, SARDI Long spur pruning as an alternative to cane pruning for Sauvignon blanc Bragato Research Institute Evaluating water use efficiency and drought tolerance of various rootstocks grafted to Sauvignon blanc Bragato Research Institute Potential applications of nanotechnology for wine growing in New Zealand University of Auckland Varietal diversification – Cool climate aromatic white wine produced by Marlborough Bragato Research Institute, EIT, NMIT

Genetics for winegrowing Sauvignon Blanc Grapevine Improvement Programme Bragato Research Institute, Plant & Food Research, Lincoln University

National Vine Collection Virus Eradication Bragato Research Institute Tuned Vines Bragato Research Institute

Winemaking Innovation Exploring reductive aromas in Pinot noir University of Auckland Precipitation of calcium tartrate and other compounds in wine University of Canterbury Lab on a Chip: Developing diagnostic devices for the wine industry University of Canterbury Prevention of quercetin instability in bottled wine Indevin The importance of green: understanding ‘green’ and ‘herbaceous’ characters in Pinot noir wine and their role in driving judgements of perceived quality Lincoln University

Sustainable Winegrowing Microbial community and vine responses to increasing temperatures in the New Zealand context University of Auckland Development of an anaerobic chainelongation bioprocess for grape marc valorisation University of Auckland Evaluating ecologically sustainable ways to disrupt the weta-vine association Plant & Food Research Potted Vines: Exploring the Role of Trichoderma on Marlborough Soil to Influence Drought Stress Shift Bragato Research Institute

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

RNA molecules being applied to young grapevines with a sprayer

Tuned vines: research in grapevine resilience Over the coming decades, the changing climate is expected to bring seasonal variability, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and heightened disease pressure. Growers are at the mercy of the environment, and while every effort is made to plant varieties that are resistant to pathogens and will do well in the volatile warming climate, grapevine breeding is a timeconsuming process.

But what if there were a way to improve the resilience of the existing vines in a way that was specific, yet adaptable? That is exactly what researchers in Bragato Research Institute’s (BRI) Grapevine Improvement team hope to map out with the Tuned Vines project. The aims of this project are two-fold: to understand how grapevine genes are turned on/off (epigenetics) in response to environmental cues, and to investigate methods to regulate grapevine genes in a specific and

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reversible manner. Together, these efforts could provide us with the knowledge and capability to develop a tool to ‘tune’ grapevines to achieve desirable outcomes, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance.

What is epigenetics?

Given that plants can’t move away from stressful environments without human intervention, they develop special ways to face these challenges.

One of the way plants adapt is through a process called epigenetics, which involves turning certain genes on or off at specific times and conditions. For grapevines, this also translates as terroir effect, where the same vines grown in different conditions can develop different grape characteristics. A key feature in epigenetic process is the addition or removal of small ‘tags’ of methyl groups to the DNA, which when added may turn genes off, while when removed may activate gene expression.

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Mapping DNA methylation To understand grapevine epigenetics, we started by investigating the terroir effect on DNA methylation.

With the support from growers, we collected samples from Sauvignon Blanc (SB) ‘Mass Select’ clone from fifteen vineyards across three different regions in New Zealand (Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, Central Otago) and mapped genome-wide DNA methylation profile using BRI’s PromethION sequencing platform. Initial results showed a clear distinction in DNA methylation patterns between Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago SB. Interestingly, Marlborough SB showed two different DNA methylation profiles, but the differences between Marlborough with the other two regions were less pronounced.

More work is still needed to understand the significance of these results and how we can leverage this knowledge for grapevine improvement purposes.

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Epigenetic responses to stress The second phase of this workstream is also underway this growing season by setting up experiments to investigate the epigenetic response of grapevine when exposed to environmental stress such as drought and disease. We worked together with the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative and collected samples from their drought trial sites, in addition to setting up experiments in our Lincoln-based Grapevine Improvement lab. From these, we are hoping to identify which part of the grapevine genome is activated/ silenced during these stresses which can be potentially used as a target for the extension of the second workstream of this project in the future.

Given that plants can’t move away from stressful environments without human intervention, they develop special ways to face these challenges.

RNA-based technology The second workstream in the Tuned Vines project uses the latest techniques in epigenetic technology to investigate the potential of an application that would serve to temporarily silence selected genes to provide specific benefits. The goal of this workstream is to identify a path to using RNA-based technology as a tool to modulate the expression of grapevine genes in a way that is specific, reversible, and adaptable.

Potential outcomes could include priming a grapevine to improve water use efficiency when a drought period is expected.

The specificity of this technology is achieved by targeting genes

Figure 1. Clustering of SB from different regions in NZ based on variation in DNA methylation profile.

at the nucleic acid level using RNA, a molecule that serves as an intermediary between DNA and protein and is incredibly abundant in the living world. Importantly, this RNA-based technology does not introduce foreign DNA and is therefore not restricted by legislation regarding GMOs. If successful, this would allow growers to apply this technology to existing plants in their vineyards, ideally in the form of a spray, and would not require expensive replanting to reap the benefits.

Benefits to grapevine RNA technology is increasingly being developed as a pesticide, by targeting genes essential for pest or pathogen survival. We are taking what is known regarding the use of this technology in targeting pests and adapting that knowledge to grapevines. There is an obvious correlation between the possibility of using this as a geneticallytargeted herbicide, which may alleviate concerns about spray-drift.

There is also huge potential in the management of vine responses to abiotic stresses. For example, delaying budburst to avoid lateseason frosts, or improving water resilience during periods of drought.

Progress and next steps During this first year of the project, we have established a reliable method to produce RNA molecules that specifically target selected genes of interest. These RNA molecules are subsequently applied to young grapevines in the laboratory. While preliminary results suggest a small decrease in target gene expression, more trials are planned to confirm these results and establish the best method of application, in the coming year.

While this technology holds a lot of promise, there is still a long way to go to understand the full benefits and indeed the limitations, and BRI is collaborating with both national and international experts in their respective fields to solve some of these key challenges.

About the project Tuned Vines is a two-year research project run by Bragato Research Institute’s Grapevine Improvement team. The project aims to demonstrate ways to manage grapevines through epigenetics, by turning specific genes ‘on or off’, without using genetic modification.

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RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Green Vibes in New Zealand Pinot Noir: The Impact of Grapes Clusters and Stems on Wine Quality and Acceptability Amalia Bernardes Borssato, Damir Dennis Torrico, Leandro Dias Araujo (AGLS Faculty, Lincoln University) Changing the ratios of whole clusters and stem inclusions in the fermentation process is a well-known winemaking technique used in some red wine varieties, including Pinot noir. In contrast with the conventional method of using destemmed grapes, this practice became popular for improving the tannin structure, aromatic complexity, and freshness of the final wines. However, stems can also elicit other green and herbaceous characteristics, which can affect both expert evaluations and consumer preferences of the product.

The existence of these attributes is dependent on many factors, such as the quantities of berries and stems used in the winemaking process, the method of their incorporation during fermentation, and the chemical interactions occurring after bottling.

Currently, there are no studies specifically dedicated to understanding the potential impact of whole cluster and stem inclusion

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usage on the chemical and sensory characteristics of New Zealand Pinot noir wines concerning their quality and preference. This article aims to share novel insights from the PhD research project of Amalia Borssato, focused on understanding the nuances of green and herbaceous attributes in New Zealand Pinot noir wines.

Methodology Five treatments of New Zealand Pinot noir wines were produced at Lincoln University, each subjected to a different process. The treatments used were: (1) conventional method of destemmed grapes (DE), (2) destemmed grapes blended with whole clusters inclusions (DE/ WC), (3) destemmed grapes with moderate amount of stems inclusion (DE+ST1), (4) destemmed with high amount of stems inclusion (DE+ST2), and (5) exclusively whole clusters inclusions (WC). Experts with professional backgrounds in the wine

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sector (n=20) and enthusiasts who consume wine at least occasionally (consumers, n=104), meeting legal age requirements and research ethics standards for sensory evaluation, were recruited for this study. Experts and consumers used the check all that apply (CATA) method to assess the five wine treatments. CATA consists of participants selecting applicable options on a list of attributes (or emotions) according to their sensory perceptions for each treatment during the tasting. Both groups received a list of attributes focusing on green and herbaceous nuances. An additional ‘emoji’ list was presented to consumers aiming to explore the impact of their emotions on preferences.

Evaluation of the wine overall quality and liking The experts (n=20) rated the overall quality of wines using a 9-point intensity scale, ranging from ‘low quality’ to’ high quality’. After

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

smelling and sipping each sample, they indicated their perception of the wine’s overall quality on the scale.

On the other hand, the consumers (n=104) rated the overall liking of the wines using a 9-point hedonic scale, ranging from ‘dislike very much’ to ‘like very much’. After smelling and sipping each sample, they indicated their perception of the wine’s overall liking on the scale. Additionally, UltraPerformance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) and Gas ChromatographyMass Spectrometry (GCMS) were employed to identify and quantify aroma and flavour chemical components of the wines related to the sensory attributes.

“Elements that evoke negative emotions can decrease the likelihood of purchasing a wine in the future, while positive emotions not only shape immediate perceptions but also forge lasting connections with the product.”

Statistical analysis The Correspondence Analysis (CA) multivariate statistical explored relationships among aromatic compound concentrations, sensory attributes, overall liking, overall quality, and emotions across the five Pinot noir wines. Among fiftysix significant measurements, eleven key variables were selected for representation in the bi-plot analysis using the variables’ strong associations (cosine square values between ±0.707 and ±1.000) with wine quality and acceptability scores.

Key findings

Influence of grape treatments on wine characteristics Our study reveals the effects of whole clusters and stem inclusions

in the fermentation process on the sensory characteristics of New Zealand Pinot noir wines, as perceived by consumers and experts.

A complete grape destemming practice demonstrates the potential to introduce fresh aromas to Pinot noir wines, especially when combined with moderate whole cluster inclusions, adding complexity, floral notes, and a distinct smoky bouquet flavour. On the other hand, wines, when exclusively produced from whole cluster inclusions, exhibit pronounced bitterness, acidity, and stalkiness. A similar trend was observed in wines with a moderate proportion of stem inclusion, which were strongly associated with higher concentrations of phenolic compounds, especially epicatechin.

Interestingly, high stems inclusion does not show a significant relationship with the key sensory aspects.

Relationship between epicatechin and wine quality and preference The interplay between grape components and processing techniques is important in shaping the final composition of Pinot noir wines. For instance, phenolic

compounds such as epicatechin are responsible for bitterness, which can have a significant effect on the wine quality. In this research, the Correspondence Analysis (CA) highlights the potential adverse impact of high epicatechin concentrations on quality, especially in wines exclusively using whole clusters inclusions (WC). Surprisingly, wines with moderate whole cluster inclusions (DE/WC) did not have high epicatechin concentrations compared to the other wine treatments. This resulted in these wines having a higher acceptability among consumers. The significant presence of this compound, particularly in wines with moderate stem inclusions, not only correlated with unfavourable sensory attributes in the product, but also with unpleasant sensations for consumers, and lower quality ratings expressed by wine experts.

Impact of moderate whole cluster inclusion on wine quality and preference The prominent presence of the “smoky” attribute in Pinot noir wines with moderate whole cluster inclusions, aligns with the positive association between smoky notes

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RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

and the perception of sensory complexity. Previous studies indicate that the presence of compounds related to smoky aromas, such as lignin and volatile phenols, contributes to the impression of sophistication and quality in red wines. Additionally, the consistent correlation between flavour complexity perceived by consumers and the perception of quality by experts helps to understand the “smoky” attribute importance on the overall appreciation of the wine.

Influence of emotions on consumer preference The interaction between consumer perceptions and emotions is a contributing factor in wine preferences. Emphasising attributes such as freshness and floral flavours had a positive effect on emotions.

In contrast, the effects of bitterness and stalky were drivers of unpleasant emotions. The positive or negative

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perception of aromas by the olfactory system is closely linked to the limbic system, which plays an essential role in forming emotional memories associated with these aromas. Thus, elements that evoke negative emotions can decrease the likelihood of purchasing a wine in the future, while positive emotions not only shape immediate perceptions but also forge lasting connections with the product.

Conclusions and implications In conclusion, this study validates important links in various aspects of Pinot noir wines, such as their quality, chemical compositions, sensory, and emotional impacts. It provides evidence to enhance winemaking practices and consumer experiences.

As we collect more data, we aim to draw broader conclusions useful for the wine industry and enthusiasts.

This study offers insights into wine perception dynamics, potentially

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

guiding the industry in understanding the connections of whole cluster and stem inclusions with the quality of wines. Addressing these factors is key to producing wines with high quality and acceptability.

About the project This three year project aimed to identify ‘green’ and ‘herbaceous’ notes in New Zealand Pinot noir wines that drive judgements of high or low quality. This PhD project was conducted within the Department of Wine, Food and Molecular Biosciences of the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Lincoln University, and it is supported by Bragato Research Institute. It was funded by the Pinot Noir Programme and New Zealand Winegrowers levies.

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Photo credit Craggy Range

Phylloxera identification and monitoring in Cyclone Gabrielle affected regions When Cyclone Gabrielle struck the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions in February 2023, some vineyards were left with silt above the graft union, increasing the likelihood of scion rooting. This undesirable situation exposes the highly susceptible scion roots to phylloxera invasion. Once the infestation is established and not dealt with, gradual decrease in productivity occurs, eventually leading to vine death.

This factsheet, also available at nzwine.com, raises growers’ awareness of this potential issue and provides information on the identification, monitoring and means of managing the spread of the pest.

Identification Grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) is a small yellowish insect of less than 2 mm long, native of North America, and found in New Zealand wine regions.

Crawlers (0.8 -1.1 mm long) develop from hatched eggs (yellow in colour) laid on vine roots by adult females.

Crawlers can move onto uninfected roots or climb up the vine trunk to settle on leaves.

Crawlers feed by puncturing the root or leaf surface, eliciting the formation of swellings or galls. Root galls are termed tuberosities when they occur on lignified old roots and nodosities when they form on fine root hairs, which take a hook-shaped form.

Phylloxera strains causing leaf gall (gallicoles) seem to be rare in New Zealand compared to their rootdwelling counterparts (radicoles).

samples at some 25 cm depth from a radius of 45 cm around the base of vines showing signs of phylloxera infestation (depressed canopy growth). Roots (lignified and nonlignified) are then observed under magnification to report phylloxera activities and presence, visible through nodosities, tuberosities, live crawlers (pinhead sized yellowish insects) and eggs.

Besides the appearance of galls on roots and potentially on leaves, other signs of phylloxera infestation include stunted shoot growth and leaf fading.

These symptoms first appear on a few vines within the same row, then radially expand to adjacent vines.

With time, vine decline and death expand radially from locations the infestation started.

The optimal time for root sampling is early to late summer (December to April) when all developmental stages are likely to be present and phylloxera populations and activities are at their peak.

Crawlers, the most abundant, most dispersive, and most destructive life stage spread to new vines by being carried on shoes, clothing, vineyard machinery, or wind.

Monitoring Root Inspection It is conducted by collecting root

Trapping – three methods: (a) Emergence traps.

A 3-5 L container is moistened with water, inverted, and placed on the ground some 10 cm away from the vine trunk. The container is firmly secured into the soil with steel pegs to create an airtight seal. Phylloxera crawlers are trapped inside the container as they emerge from the soil. Traps are monitored every 3-4 weeks.

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RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

(b) Trunk traps or band traps.

They target crawlers moving up and down the vine trunk. A 10-cm strip of duct tape is wrapped around the trunk, 20 cm above the soil surface.

The duct tape forms a smooth surface on which a trap is applied.

The trap may consist of a sticky substance spread over the surface of the duct tape. Trunk traps are removed and replaced every 2-week for crawler’s count. (c) Pitfall traps.

They are used to catch crawlers as they emerge from the soil. A pitfall trap is made by burying a container (e.g., 900g empty yoghurt plastic container) on the ground a few centimetres from the trunk, so that its top is levelled with the soil surface. Phylloxera crawlers are trapped when they fall into the container. The container is removed for phylloxera identification.

Grapevines with scion buried under silt.

Management Currently, there is no insecticide registered nor a known biological agent for grape phylloxera control in New Zealand. Reducing the spread, disinfection, and use of resistant rootstocks are the key management techniques used in New Zealand.

The first and second methods are only relevant to vineyards with ownrooted highly susceptible grapevines (and scion-rooted vines), and they are not required in most New Zealand vineyards planted with resistant rootstocks.

Reducing the spread of the pest This is achieved by limiting the movement of materials (such as soil, bins, vineyard machinery) that can passively transfer the insect from an infested area of the vineyard to a non-infested area.

Organise vineyard operations by starting with non-infested blocks and finishing with the most infested ones. Avoid sharing equipment with other vineyards. Controlling entry and exit in and out of your vineyards.

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Phylloxera trapping using (a) emergence traps, (b) trunk traps, and (c) pitfall traps.

Photo credit - Benheim et al. (2012)

Resistant rootstocks.

Grape Phylloxera has been managed for decades in New Zealand by grafting vines with resistant and/ or tolerant rootstocks. Therefore, if Phylloxera is detected and vine decline is obvious, uprooting infested vines and replanting with vines grafted on resistant rootstocks is the best option. New Zealand Winegrowers and the Bragato Research Institute recommend that members purchase vines that are certified under the Grafted Grapevine Standard. These vines are available at most winegrape nurseries in New Zealand.

I NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWER I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024

Disinfections Develop and implement sanitation practices such as sanitation stations where staff and visitors can clean their footwear and wear boots.

About the project

This fact sheet was developed as part of the New Zealand Winegrowers’ cyclone response, based on a literature review by Vaughn Bell at Plant & Food Research.

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