Winepress - June 2016

Issue No. 259 / June 2016

Rethinking Replanting

Labour Check

Matt Fox

Forgotten Valley

Photo: Jim Tannock

@marlboroughwine

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In this issue...

Regulars

Features

3 4

8 Yield Predictions

Editorial

From the Board Samantha Wickham

6 Report Tasman Crop Met 20

22

9

Gen Y-ine Matthew Fox

The Block Brancott’s Forgotten Valley

24

Biosecurity Watch

26

Industry News

28

ANZ Wine Happenings

Editor: Sophie Preece T: 027 308 4455 E: sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

Sweet Tweets Sauvignon Blanc Day drew 17 million impressions for #sauvblanc, up from 14 million last year, and most of them were in reference to New Zealand wine.

p8

10 Labour Check

There is reputational and commercial risk to Marlborough’s wine industry if dodgy work practices are revealed, say representatives from the Labour Inspectorate and Immigration New Zealand.

11 Research Institute

A wine research institute in Marlborough would be a coming of age for the wine industry and a boon for the region, say players in a national funding bid.

p9

12 Spray Right

Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd. T: 03 578 1322 Winepress is printed with vegetable oil based inks on elemental chlorine free paper which is sourced 100% from well managed forests and manufactured under ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.

Sauvignon Blanc yields are likely to be lower than average in Marlborough next year, according to a prediction model for the variety.

The recent use of the wrong chemical on several vineyards is a heads-up for the wine industry, says the head of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand.

14 State of the

Environment

Marlborough’s wine industry has done much to clean up its act when it comes to winery waste, according to a recent report.

p22 WINEPRESS June 2016 | 1

2017 Grapes Wanted On the back of our stunning run of success we have seen demand growing across all varieties and in all markets .

We’re seeking new supply partners to share in our success. If you take pride in growing quality Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from vintage 2017 and beyond, we’re all ears!

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We’re able to offer long term supply options, pre-vintage deposits, favourable cropping levels, better than average prices and payment terms. We’re locally owned, can provide expert viticultural advice and operate our own modern and sizeable Marlborough winery.

If this is of interest, or you have land you want to plant, or options you’d like to discuss, please get in touch with our viticulturist, Simon Bowers on

021 446 993 or E: simon@scvl.co.nz

We can take care of Design & Survey Resource Consents Engineering Construction Plastic Lining Installation Irrigation Connections

Contact us today info@damit.co.nz Hamish Blackwell

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2 | WINEPRESS June 2016

For Advertising contact: Ph: 03 577 9299 Web: www.wine-marlborough.co.nz harriet@wine-marlborough.co.nz Produced by: Wine Marlborough Free to all levy paying members Associate Members: $77 +GST

Wine Marlborough Board Clive Jones: cjones@nautilusestate.com Ben Ensor: ben.lisa@clear.net.nz Callum Linklater: callumandsarah@xtra.co.nz Jack Glover: jack.glover@accolade-wines.co.nz Jason Yank: jason@astrolabewines.co.nz Nick Entwistle: nick@wairauriverwines.co.nz Rhyan Wardman: rhyan@giesen.co.nz Samantha Wickham: samantha@ormondnurseries.co.nz Simon Bishell: simon@caythorpe.nz Stuart Dudley: stuartd@villamaria.co.nz Tom Trolove: tom.trolove@framingham.co.nz

From the Editor More than 50 million vines will be pruned in Marlborough this winter, with approximately 300 million canes cut on more than 23,000 producing hectares.

An army of permanent workers, bolstered by 1900 winter casuals and at least 1669 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers, will cut, trim, wrap and paint the vines, preparing them for 2017 and beyond.

It’s a mammoth task, according to Aaron Jay of contracting company Hortus, who by the peak of season will have 300 people pruning a couple of hundred thousand vines every week.

Each of those cuts and wraps is vital to next year’s yields and the long term health and productivity of the vine. So what happens if Marlborough loses part of its workforce as the season progresses?

At a Wine Marlborough and Viticulture Task Force Grower Workshop last month, representatives from Immigration New Zealand and the Labour Inspectorate spoke to the industry about the risks of exploitation (pg 10). Neither of the organisations have a base in Marlborough, but their Nelson offices police this district and say they will have a “focus” here over the pruning season.

They urged growers to be very aware of who was on their property and whether their employment is legitimate. “It doesn’t take much to tarnish a good industry,” John Maxwell told the growers. “I really encourage you all to take an active interest in who is on your vineyards. If the price is too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true and there’s something dodgy going on.”

The men talked of the reputational and commercial risk to Marlborough’s industry, if “tarnished” by reports of illegal labour practices. But Aaron Jay says beyond reputation, illegal activity could result in vines left unpruned by the end of the season.

As spokesman for the RSE employers’ group, he says a push by Immigration and Labour officials this winter may deplete the workforce, and legitimate companies like his will be expected to pick up the slack.

“As a company we are set up for this season, and it will be really good for us and for our guys, but the reality is we won’t have any extra room.”

It’s another compelling reason for growers to do due diligence and ensure no one on their property is being exploited.

Each of those cuts and wraps is vital to next year’s yields and the long term health and productivity of the vine.

SOPHIE PREECE sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 3

From the Board SAMANTHA WICKHAM Rethinking Replanting As the development of land to vineyard continues here in Marlborough, with an anticipated increase of 2,079 hectares by 2018, the ripple effect of vineyards being replanted is creating a secondary current of activity among Marlborough’s ageing vineyards.

Similar to how a grower chooses to manage the particularities of his/ her own unique block(s), the reasons behind why one may choose to replant or indeed how one decides to replant is the proverbial “skinning of the cat” – there are many ways to go about it. As a consequence, it is impossible to apply a one-size-fits-all approach.

The ‘Why’ The primary reason behind the decision to replant is vine age and health. As many of our Sauvignon Blanc vineyards push into their 20s, vine productivity declines and/or becomes increasingly hit or miss. We crop our vines higher, we prune them harder, trunk disease appears. To keep our vineyards healthy and profitable, we consider a replant.

Second cousin to trunk disease is virus. Perhaps leaf roll is evident in a block. Perhaps a vineyard is on its own roots and phylloxera is present. In this situation, replanting becomes less of a consideration, and more of an urgent requirement.

Removing or replacing all or part of a block can also occur when a new variety is required, or historical evidence reveals the wrong rootstock was originally planted. The idea of managing a non-profitable “fruit salad” becomes a less exciting prospect to the work saved by caretaking a single variety, homogenous block.

Old or tired trellising; poor vineyard

4 | WINEPRESS June 2016

layout; inadequate or no irrigation; a poor site that requires drainage, nutrition or earthworks these reasons in or of themselves, or in combination with each other, can all be factors that lead to wanting to pull out all or part of a vineyard and starting over.

The ‘How’ - Replacing individual dead or unhealthy vines In this instance, growers identify and remove dead or unhealthy vines and individually replace them.

Young vines replaced within a mature vineyard often battle to get to the wire as they contend with the mature root systems of adjacent vines. They are frequently poorly managed, as they require extra time and care that many busy growers do not have. Over time, replacing individual vines can lead to a vineyard that is difficult to manage as many vines are at various stages of growth.

Some growers choose not to replace individual vines, and leave gaps in the vineyard. This can save time and energy in the short term, but it could lead to a

decline in productivity over the years.

If replacing is postponed, the root systems of the adjacent mature vines work to fill the gap created, making the physical act of replanting a difficult exercise. If a Sauvignon vineyard is ageing and a larger replant is inevitable, postponing individual replacing for the last few years is an option for growers to consider.

The ‘How’ - Replanting all or part of an existing block Once the decision has been made to start again, the next choice is to decide whether or not it is done in a single

year, or perhaps broken down into multiple year stages. More often than not, the financial reality of a full replant makes this option impossible. A multiple year replant is more financially viable, especially when a wine company is prepared to raise the tonnage cap for the remaining area of land while a replant is underway.

Once a replant plan is defined, options include top grafting, re-trunking or replanting with young vines. Top grafting and re-trunking are viable options for changing cultivars in a vineyard. Because the root systems are mature, top grafted vines often rapidly establish. Re-trunking and field grafting unfortunately cannot fix any other larger problems that may exist underground. Vine health cannot be improved when using the same root system of a plant with a virus or disease.

If the decision is made to replant with young vines, which grafted combination best suits the conditions of your particular site is another fundamental consideration.

Replanting is less about trial and error and more about commercial reality. Knowing what performs best on your site and working with it, not against it, is critical. In certain cases, there are even examples of growers who have sourced their own budwood from vines within their own blocks. Finding and using your own mother vines can be an interesting way for growers to create their own “intellectual property”, which could then possibly be useful for larger marketing purposes.

Whatever path you choose, whatever ‘why’ and ‘how’ defines you, there are a catch bag of options when it comes to replanting. Time and care need to be used when considering the options and often in getting everyone on your team on board. Seek out professional advice from multiple sources, and ask how your wine company can work with you, rather than against you. Take a moment to think about how you can use a replant programme to maybe fix another problem currently existing in your vineyard and remember there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

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Getting ready to pull out vines for stage two of a replant project.

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 5

Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – May 2016

May May 2016

2016 compared

to LTA GDD’s for: Month - Max/Min¹ 95.1 164% Month – Mean² 103.4 146% Growing Degree Days Total July 15 to May 16-Max/Min 1501.8 109% July 15 to May 16 - Mean 1549.6 109% Mean Maximum (°C) 17.6 +1.1°C Mean Minimum (°C) 7.6 +1.8°C Mean Temp (°C) 12.6 +1.5°C Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 2 3.7 fewer Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 0 1.5 fewer Sunshine hours 167.8 99% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2016 1169.7 110% Rainfall (mm) 89.2 141% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2016 248.8 99% Evapotranspiration – mm 53.3 120% Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 238.3 110% 9am mean soil temp – 10cm 10.0 +1.4°C 9am mean soil temp – 30cm 12.6 +1.5°C

May LTA

Period of LTA

May 2015

58.0 70.9

(1996-2015) (1996-2015)

70.8 84.1

1372.7 1417.9 16.5 5.8 11.1 5.7 1.5 169.6 114.7 207.8 1065.0 63.3 13.5 182.6 251.0 44.6 217.6 8.6 11.1

(1996-2015) (1996-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015) (1930-2015) 1969 1990 (1932-2015) (1930-2015) 1936 1948 (1930-2015) (1996-2015) (1996-2015) (1986-2015) (1986-2015)

1437.8 1496.9 17.2 5.7 11.4 8 3 214.5

1183.1 20.0

129.0 50.6 236.4 8.2 11.3

¹GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures ²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures Air Temperatures May 2016 was a month of two dramatic halves with regard to temperature. The first half of May was very warm with a mean temperature of 15.5°C; 4.4°C above Table 2: May 2016 temperatures and frosts for Blenheim

Total Total Mean Mean Ground Ground Mean Deviation Max Min Frost Frosts

1-15 May 15.5 +4.4 20.3 10.6 0 0

16-31 May 9.6 -1.5 14.7 4.5 2 0

1-31 May 12.6 +1.5 17.6 7.6 2 0 Long-term average 11.1 16.5 5.8 5.7 1.5

6 | WINEPRESS June 2016

average. The temperatures in the first half of May were similar to normal temperatures in late March or early April. At the 16th May it looked like Blenheim was on track to record it warmest May for the 85 years 19322016. However, the second half of May was cold with a mean temperature of 9.6°C; 5.9°C cooler than the first half, and 1.5°C below average. Temperatures in the latter half of May were more akin to June temperatures. Hence the cold temperatures came as a bit of a shock.

Incidentally, May 2015 also followed the same pattern with the first half very warm and the second half cool.

The cold temperatures in the second half of May 2016 dragged down the overall mean for the month. May 2016 is now the fourth warmest on record with a mean of 12.6°C (1932-2016).

May 2007 is the warmest with a mean temperature of 13.1°C. May 2011 second warmest with 12.8°C, and May 1962 third with 12.7°C. Only two ground frost were recorded in May 2016 and zero air frosts. In contrast May 2015 recorded eight ground frosts and three air frosts (all in the last week of May).

The warmest day during May was the 3rd, with a maximum of 23.9°C (7.4°C above average) and a minimum of 16.6°C (10.8°C above average). The coldest morning during May 2016 was the 27th, with an air minimum of +2.0°C (3.8°C below average) and a ground frost of -1.3°C. In contrast the coldest morning in May 2015 was the 26th, with an air frost of -2.8°C and a ground frost of -6.1°C. Although the second half of May 2016 was cold, the overcast weather

Sunshine May 2016 recorded 167.8 hours sunshine, 99% of the long-term average. This was 46.7 hours less sunshine than in May 2015, the sunniest May on record. Blenheim has recorded 1169.7 hours sunshine for the five months January to May 2016; 110% of the long-term average of 1065 hours.

Figure 1: May Temperatures in Blenheim for the 85 years 1932-2016

in association with the above average rainfall limited the number of frosts.

Figure 1 displays the May mean temperatures for Blenheim for the 85 years 1932 to 2016. The mean temperature for May 1932-2015 is 10.5°C. Of the 20 years 1997 to 2016, only three years have recorded mean temperatures below 10.5°C (2008, 2009 and 2012). May 2016, as indicated is the fourth warmest on record.

In previous issues of Met Report I have commented on how the autumn and winter temperatures in Blenheim have shown a considerable degree of warming over the last few decades and that Blenheim is recording less frosts.

Data from the NIWA weather station at Woodbourne is not showing the same winter warming as is evident in Blenheim. Some would argue that the Blenheim warming is due to the weather station having been moved in 1985, from Parker Street to the current site at Grovetown Park.

However, this argument holds little water, as the summer temperatures in Blenheim have remained fairly constant over the same period of time. The Woodbourne weather station has also undergone two moves over the years.

For a considerable period of time it was much closer to the buildings and surrounded by a lot of asphalt. It is now in the south-west corner of the airfield and possibly more likely to experience

cooler temperatures than at its previous locations. From broader climate studies there is also evidence to suggest that the coastal regions of New Zealand are experiencing warming to a greater extent than further inland.

Rainfall The May 2015 rainfall total of 89.2 mm was 141% of the long-term average. Total rainfall for the five months January to May 2016 was 248.8mm; 99% of the long-term average of 251mm.

Soil Moisture Moisture in the topsoil at the

Table 3: Soil moisture values as shown in Figure 2 Soil Depth

1 May 2015 1 May 2016 30 May 2015 30 May 2016

0-30 cm

0.341

0.308

0.333

0.400

90-120 cm

0.221

0.255

0.213

0.290

150-180 cm

0.162

0.176

0.163

0.179

Figure 2: Soil moisture at three depths in an irrigated vineyard in Rapaura (Wairau stony/sandy alluvium) and shallow unirrigated soil moisture in Blenheim, 1 April 2015 to 30 May 2016

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 7

Grovetown Park weather station on 1 May 2016 was 23.4%, just under half full, (38% = Full, 14% = Dry). After 24.8 mm rain on the 27th May the moisture in the topsoil peaked at 42.7% (Figure 1). However, as this is above field capacity the moisture dropped to 38.4% by the 30th. Moisture in the topsoil was fully recharged with May’s rainfall. With the top soil fully wet, excess moisture has drained through the topsoil, and moisture lower in the soil profile is slowly being recharged.

With the above average rainfall received in May it means that the soil moisture recharge is taking place earlier than in 2015, when May rainfall was well below average.

Figure 1 is included to indicate the rise in soil moisture at the vineyard in Rapaura in both May 2015 and 2016.

The data in Table 3 should make the graph a bit easier to interpret.

Shallow soil moisture (blue line) is kept above about 30% soil moisture by irrigation throughout the growing

season; in contrast to the unirrigated shallow soil moisture in Blenheim (yellow line) which fluctuates between about 14 and 38%. With low rainfall in May 2015 the shallow soil moisture showed little change. High rainfall in May 2016 boosted the shallow moisture from 31 to 40%.

Mid-profile moisture (90-120 cm) fell slightly during May 2015, 22% to 21% (green line), while in May 2016 it rose from 25% to 29%. The graph indicates that the mid-profile moisture has been partially restored in May 2016.

However, it will require further rainfall to restore it back up the peak of 34% it reached in June 2015.

Deep-profile moisture remained fairly constant in both May 2015 and 2016.

However, with higher rainfall in the 2015-16 season the deep soil moisture hasn’t dropped quite as low as in the previous season (2014-15). It takes a large amount of rainfall to restore the deep-profile moisture. The graph indicates that this didn’t occur until

September 2015. Substantial further rainfall is required over the next couple of months to restore this moisture.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Yields 2017 SOPHIE PREECE Sauvignon Blanc yields are likely to be lower than average in Marlborough next year, according to a prediction model for the variety. Marlborough Plant & Food Research Senior Scientist Dr Mike Trought says cool temperatures between December 14 and January 17, when bunches are believed to be initiated, have led to the indication that yields will be 13% lower than average.

However, Mike emphasises that while the predictions are a “powerful tool” for growers, they can only provide an indication, as so many other factors will come in to play before harvest 2017. Temperature at initiation and flowering can explain about 60% of seasonal differences in Sauvignon Blanc yield, and at this stage of the cycle the latter is “the

8 | WINEPRESS June 2016

big unknown”.Yields can also be unexpectedly influenced by weather conditions that don’t fit the long term average, carbohydrate reserves, which can be low after a big-yield year, and growers laying down more or less canes in order to chase yields. “The model assumes consistent vineyard management,” he says.

At this time last year Mike predicted yields 28% above average for the 2016 harvest. This prediction was reduced after the cool flowering period in December and early January.

He believes some of the subsequent high yields are largely down to the “unanticipated influence” of the 30 and 18mm rain events in early January, when berries were going through

cell division and a rapid first-growth phase. “The large berry sizes this year were unanticipated…I am getting reports of berry weights 50% higher than the long term average.” Berry weight is usually consistent from season to season for Sauvignon Blanc, but greater cell division and potential berry size, “caught people out, including myself ”.

Later this year Mike and his colleagues will work on a revised model, to take into account a greater number of parameters for predicting Sauvignon Blanc yields.

Framingham’s Tom Trolove, left, with Matteo Scaltriti and Swan Michel, both of Georges Michel, at Wither Hills. Photos by Richard Briggs

Anna Flowerday from Te Whare Ra, with Master of Wine Stephen Wong.

Sweet Tweets The wine world was all aflutter on International Sauvignon Blanc Day SOPHIE PREECE Marlborough’s wine world proved its dexterity last month, juggling wine glasses and phones to Twitter up a torrent of interest in the region’s flagship variety. The 7th annual International Sauvignon Blanc Day kicked off in New Zealand on Friday May 6, then carried on in wine companies, restaurants, bars and homes around the world.

New Zealand Winegrowers Global

Marketing Director Chris Yorke says there were 17 million impressions for #sauvblanc, up from 14 million last year. It’s likely 80% were in reference to New Zealand wine, and more than half were generated in New Zealand, which trended as the top spot.

The usual #nzwine attracts an audience that is approximately 58% male, but tweets on #sauvblanc were 56% female, which is a significant shift, says

Chris. “That’s reaching into our target audience and definitely widening the discussion around Sauvignon Blanc.”

Instagram was also snapping up Sauvignon on the day, with a third of the amount of posts as Twitter.

Wine Marlborough celebrated the day at Wither Hills with the region’s top tweeters sipping Sauvignon in the sun while adding to the noise in the Twittersphere.

ISBC Revisited International Sauvignon Blanc Day reinforced some of the key messages from the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration (ISBC), which was held in Marlborough in February this year.

Feedback on that event shows 56 online articles related to the event have been published on sites that generated 168 million unique visitors per month.

One million viewers or listeners were captured by two TV and one radio slot, while 12 print articles found an audience of 2.3 million. Meanwhile 4,200 #Sauvignon 2016 tweets reached 46 million timelines.

Feedback from participants involved in the event was striking, with 60% of survey respondents saying the ISBC has changed their opinion on Sauvignon Blanc.

New Zealand Winegrowers Global Marketing Director Chris Yorke says the event drew “some incredibly powerful stories from international media”, and the impact of that attention has been very good in all New Zealand’s key markets.

But he says equally important is the way the event brought a sense of pride to those New Zealand winemakers

that work with the variety: “We have achieved something quite amazing with the creation of the Sauvignon Blanc category around the world and we need to continue to innovate and ensure we produce quality wines.

But we also need to be proud of the category.”

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 9

Labour Watch Grape growers and wine companies asked to ensure best practice with contract labour.

SOPHIE PREECE

Richard Wilson from Immigration New Zealand, left, and John Maxwell from the Labour Inspectorate.

If the pruning price seems too good to John says if be true, then it probably is.

Marlborough That was the message from John has a problem Maxwell from the Labour Inspectorate with “cowboy contractors” then and Richard Wilson from Immigration growers can stamp it out by making New Zealand, when they spoke to responsible choices about who they growers at a Wine Marlborough grower employ, even if it costs them more. workshop last month.

While the contractor has the employeeThe men say there is reputational and employer obligations, growers should commercial risk to Marlborough’s wine take an “active interest” in who is on industry if dodgy work practices are revealed, and urge growers to take care that the contractors they engage are above board.

“There would be nothing worse than John, myself and other colleagues turning up John Maxwell on your property and it turns out people are breaching their visas,” Richard told the participants. “It’s important that you as growers can trust that whoever their vineyards, and do due diligence to you are engaging is complying with ensure there is no exploitation at work. labour and immigration regulations.”

Beyond the moral obligation to The Nelson branches of the Labour do so, there are major commercial Inspectorate and Immigration New implications for the industry if labour Zealand are also responsible for policing laws are found to have been flouted, Marlborough, and will have a focus on he says, referencing a recent operation the region over the pruning season. in a Nelson packhouse. Relatively

“It doesn’t take much to tarnish a good industry.”

Anyone employing a contractor should: • Seek proof the contractor has public liability insurance.

• Seek proof of tax exemption (Wine Marlborough have a relevant form).

• Hold a register of names of everyone on your vineyard every day.

• Understand that vineyard workers are due the minimum hourly rate, regardless of whether they are on a piece rate.

For more information, contact: john.maxwell@mbie.govt.nz / 03 9892965 / 0274491851 richard.wilson@mbie.govt.nz / 03 9892957 / 0274948674 or contact Wine Marlborough Labour Coordinator Nicolette Prendergast on 0275778440

10 | WINEPRESS June 2016

minor incursions at the facility saw a few people served with improvement notices, but it became major news and some produce was stopped by international markets that wanted to ensure they weren’t trading with an exploitative business.

“It doesn’t take much to tarnish a good industry,” says John. “I really encourage you all to take an active interest in who is on your vineyards. If the price is too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true and there’s something dodgy going on.”

Craig Mill of Focus Labour Solutions Ltd, who supported the men at the workshop, agrees that a low price is not necessarily good news. “If you are getting a really cheap rate, it’s likely someone is being ripped off, or somebody is going out of business.”

The men say any contractor in the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme has been checked off by IRD, as well as Labour and Immigration officials, and growers can be confident that in most cases those contractors are compliant with the law.

The scheme has achieved significant improvements in employer compliance with the Immigration Act, says Richard.

That allows the service “to target non-compliant employers with a range of enforcement tools”, ranging from warning letters through to prosecution of offences through the courts.

Research Institute A New Zealand Institute of Viticulture and Oenology, to be based in Marlborough, would put the wine industry in the “hot seat”.

SOPHIE PREECE A wine research institute in Marlborough would be a coming of age for the wine industry and a boon for the region, say players in a national funding bid.

The New Zealand Institute of Viticulture and Oenology is one of three Regional Research Institute (RRI) proposals shortlisted for a chance to access a slice of $25 million of government funding over three years.

New Zealand Winegrowers’ General Manager of Research and Innovation Simon Hooker says the institute, which would be based at the Marlborough Research Centre (MRC) in Blenheim, is an opportunity for the wine industry to “really come of age and get in the hot seat of directing its future”.

It would be a “beacon” for grape and wine research globally, “with international experts from all over the world wanting to come to this place”.

In announcing the shortlist, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said the RRIs would harness the unique resources and strengths of regional economies, “and build on economic potential by establishing independent and industry-focused R&D facilities”.

The RRI funding was announced in

the 2015 Budget, with proposals invited from groups of businesses, researchers and private investors. A total of 24 proposals from 16 different locations were received for consideration. The top three, including a Centre for Space Science Technology in Central Otago, and Venture Southland’s research using real time satellite and ground-based data, now enter the business case development stage of the selection process.

Simon says the bricks and mortar would be owned by the MRC as landlord, but the institute would be industry owned and run, so wineries and growers all have a stake.

“We want to be working really closely with a lot of companies, because they’re investing in it with their levy.”

Marlborough District Council Chief Executive Mark Wheeler says the RRI would provide employment, bring well qualified people into Marlborough, nurture

diversity and bolster the region’s economy on a number of levels – from gains made in the wine industry to visitor opportunities realised through the institute. “We are very supportive of this for the province as a whole,” he says.

Simon says the wine industry has a “phenomenal record” of managing big research projects with excellent outcomes, “and I think that has certainly helped our case”.

Simon Hooker

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A Costly Mistake The use of an electronic spray diary would have averted the chemical botch-up on several vineyards this year.

SOPHIE PREECE The recent use of the wrong chemical on several vineyards is a heads-up for the wine industry, says the head of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ).

General Manager Philip Manson says the erroneous use of Perk Supa by a contractor in March could have been easily avoided with the use of an electronic spray diary and a higher awareness of the people involved.

“All the way through, people should have been saying ‘hold on a second’.

The people supplying the product, the people using the product and the growers themselves…Was the information available? Absolutely.

Should they have made that mistake?

Absolutely not. It was just a bad decision.”

Perk Supa is a potassium and phosphorus-based fertiliser flagged by New Zealand Winegrowers because it can leave a residue that prevents wine being sold in certain markets, including Canada. Its accidental use on seven vineyards was reported by The Marlborough Express to have cost growers around $1.6 million, because the grapes were unlikely to be purchased.

Philip emphasises that Perk Supa is

12 | WINEPRESS June 2016

neither banned in New Zealand nor considered dangerous, but is registered as a fungicide in other countries, with its residue detectable in wine. Therefore, its use would contravene the low or no residue policies held by many wine companies. “The issue has not been about product safety, it is about residue and market access.”

In the aftermath of the chemical use, which gained international media attention, people will need to think about procedures that can protect them from a similar – or worse – scenario, he says. “This is probably a wake-up call to growers for vineyard owners and contractors to be a little bit more engaged. If it were my vineyard that someone was spraying, I would want to know what was going on… There’s a lesson here in really understanding and taking responsibility.”

He says the chemical was once widely used, but has been flagged in the SWNZ spray schedule for three years as something that will result in residues. If the contractor or grower had checked the spray schedule, or entered the product in an electronic spray diary, such as Grape-Link, they would have received an alert. “It wouldn’t have said you can’t use it, but that you definitely

have to talk to your winery.”

Philip’s personal view is that contractors need to be a lot more engaged than they are. “We don’t have the numbers of the amount of Marlborough that is sprayed by contractors, but it is a significant area. They are a major stakeholder in not only the management of pests and disease, by using the right chemistry at the right rates and hitting the target, but also in the residue management side. They need to be really well informed.”

Following the revelation of the incident, SWNZ received a number of calls regarding residue and market entry.

“We have produced information on the residue limits for the different markets, but the reality is because the product doesn’t have a registration as a fungicide in New Zealand, we are unable to provide guidance on residue management as this information is not available from MPI.” Philip could not comment on whether any of the grapes affected by the treatment would be made into wine, but said he was aware of people looking at what their choices would be regarding processing.

SWNZ Departure Philip Manson is stepping down from his role as General Manager of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, after nearly 18 years with what is now New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW).

When he started with Winegrowers of New Zealand in 1998, total plantings in New Zealand were just over 7,000 hectares and Marlborough was only slightly larger than Hawke’s Bay in terms of plantings. “Sales were predominantly domestic; the research programme consisted of a handful of small projects; and Sustainable Winegrowing was a pilot with just over 100 vineyard participants.”

He says the sector has come of age and its growth statistics “continue to amaze those looking in”, but are of little surprise to those embedded in the

industry. “The tremendous quality of New Zealand wine is no accident,” he says. “Sure we are blessed with great environments for growing, but the quality of New Zealand wine is a direct result of the commitment and passion of all of those in the industry including grape growers, winemakers and those providing services to the sector.”

NZW Chief Executive Officer Philip Gregan says Philip has been an extremely hardworking, dedicated and

committed leader in the NZW team during his 18 years of service to the industry. “We are very sad to see Philip leave us but we wish him all the best for his future.”

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WINEPRESS June 2016 | 13

Greening Up Wastewater and grape marc are under the spotlight in a new environment report.

SOPHIE PREECE Marlborough’s wine industry has done much to clean up its act when it comes to winery waste, according to a recent report.

The Marlborough District Council (MDC) State of the Environment (SOE) report provides a “comprehensive health check” of what’s happening to the region’s land, air, freshwater and sea, drawing on data from its monitoring programmes.

It says the rapid growth of Marlborough’s wine industry has resulted in the corresponding challenge of winery wastewater and grape marc, which can negatively impact on soil and water if not managed correctly.

However, the report’s authors noted that since the last SOE report in 2008, many wineries had made significant investments in upgrading their wastewater systems, disposal areas and grape marc storage. “In general, wastewater management record keeping and compliance rates have improved, with no significant issues of ponding wastewater being observed in the past four years.”

MDC Environmental Protection Officer Jane Robertson says a number of wineries are looking into water minimisation, and improved technology and automation over the past five years means the adverse environmental impact of the industry is less of a concern. “A lot of money has been spent on infrastructure in a lot of the wineries.”

The improved track record has continued for vintage 2016, with few red flags raised in terms of compliance.

Despite the increase in tonnage, good weather means winery waste was easier to manage, she says. “The weather has been pretty kind…it gets more complicated when there is a lot of rain.”

The council monitors 37 rural wineries 14 | WINEPRESS June 2016

that discharge winery wastewater to land, not including the facilities on industrial estates. She visited 22 of them this vintage to check on waste management systems and disposal areas.

The remaining 15 are small (processing less than 1500 tonnes) and have good track records, she says.

Beyond wastewater, about 40,000 tonnes of grape marc is produced by the Marlborough wine industry each year, according to the SOE report. Results from a 2012 MDC study indicate “that grape marc and its leachate have the potential, depending on the location

and conditions, to cause adverse effects on the environment”.

During the 2016 vintage Jane also visited grape marc storage sites, and questioned wine companies on their grape marc disposal. She says there have been big improvements in that area as well, with a number of wineries running their own compost pads, or sending their marc to other compost sites.

A full report on compliance during this vintage will be presented to council’s Environment Committee later this year.

The Risks According to the SOE report, winery wastewater typically has high salt concentration from cleaning chemicals and sediment residues from fermentation. The pH level varies according to cleaning products and adjustments to the wastewater. “An excess of any of these elements can harm soil structure and plant health.”

The report says irrigating areas with winery wastewater could result in a buildup of sodium and potassium in the soil, which is a potential concern. The council has Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) guidelines for applying wastewater to soil, including thresholds to prevent the build-up of salt. The report noted that the load is seasonal, “and the peak period of vintage needs to be managed carefully to avoid contamination of land and waterways”.

Due to potential issues around excessive concentrations of potassium, sodium and higher soil pH, a scoping report was prepared for the Council

by AgResearch in August 2015. This was to ascertain the impact of winery wastewater disposal on soil health and water quality. The review highlighted a number of potential gaps in data. Next year Council is planning to undertake broad scale regional effects monitoring at key sites in collaboration with the industry.

Wairau River’s home block

Good Stuff Wine companies across the region are making a number of positive changes. Here are a few examples.

• Spy Valley has reduced both its use of water and cleaning products. In the winery, a single hot wash is now used to clean tanks, reducing water use to half a litre for every litre of wine, well below the industry standard of 3-4 litres of water per litre of wine. They have also reduced their use of caustic soda from 2000 litres a year to less than a single 200-litre drum.

• In 2014 Spring Creek Vintners put in what they call the “Rolls Royce” of water treatment systems, with a purpose-built concrete tank holding three membrane bioreactor (MBR) units, which combine a membrane process with a suspended growth bioreactor. Brendan Neylon says the company relies on Marlborough’s pure water, and wanted to focus on “world best practice” to become a leader in the area of wastewater treatment. It is about taking the risk out of business and being responsible for the environment, he says. “It’s about looking after the land, which is the most valuable asset Marlborough has.”

• Matua’s new wastewater treatment system was hailed as a benchmark in wastewater management by judges in the 2015 Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards, and was used as a case study in the MDC’s State of the Environment report. The biological system uses three large tanks for a twostage process that removes solids and treats the winery wastewater, which is then piped out to irrigate a forestry block next to the Wairau River. The report says a combination of automation “and dedicated day-to-day management by staff ” have seen Matua Marlborough reduce its wastewater by 80% while doubling production.

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WINEPRESS June 2016 | 15

Duty of Care SOPHIE PREECE A safe workplace begins with communication, says WorkSafe New Zealand health and safety inspector Janusz Nowakowski. “That’s the gel that holds everything together,” he explained to wine industry members at a Wine Marlborough health and safety seminar late last month.

That communication must include the top tier management of the business, who have an obligation to keep up to date with knowledge of health and safety, understand the operations of the business, and ensure it has the appropriate resources to provide a safe workplace.

“Engagement with your workforce and other colleagues is crucial to knowing how your business operates,” he says.

“Good worker engagement won’t just

help keep people safe and healthy – a more engaged workforce is more likely to be happy and productive.”

The “Overlapping Duties” aspect of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) comes down to communication as well, “so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet” when it comes to managing hazards.

Where there are two or more businesses on a particular site, such as a grower and a contractor with labour, they all have a duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate, to meet their health and safety requirements. “What this duty really does is galvanise what should have been happening years and years ago when the previous Act came into force in 1992,” Janusz says.

“Before you start the work, everybody

should be identifying the risks and basically talking them through, working out who is best to eliminate or control them and who is going to do it.”

How to start: • Review what you are doing currently • Identify the key risks • Ask questions and involve your workers • Implement the appropriate controls • Embed, so that health and safety is part of your everyday business Go to www.worksafe.govt.nz for information on health and safety obligations

Good Work SONIA O’REGAN Treasury Wine Estate (TWE) Cellar Supervisor Lyndall Carr (pictured) wears safety glasses, a face mask, full length gloves, an apron and boots as part of protective gear while washing a wine tank out with caustic soda.

Treasury’s Health Safety and Environmental Coordinator Melissa Jessop says the company sees safety as an integral part of their processes and systems. It includes safety debriefs in morning meetings, encourages reporting of hazards, and uses employee ideas to improve safety in the workplace. Those ideas include a daily stretching programme and promotion of monthly health and safety topics.

The company also helps staff who don’t have a GP and who need to see one, to make an appointment at

16 | WINEPRESS June 2016

Springlands Health.

They have an account at the centre for their flu immunisation programme.

TWE also offers staff mini health checks. And, drum roll please for this job perk: through their Early Intervention Programme, TWE pays for their staff to see a physio or osteopath for aches and strains whether or not they are work related. Melissa says it works out better for staff members and the business if everyone is in good shape. It’s taken a few years to embed this process, but now there is a really good uptake, she says.

Building and maintaining a strong health and safety culture happens when you talk to staff about the reasons for health and safety measures and have a no-blame reporting culture, she adds. When permanent staff treat health and safety as an integrated part of everything they do, temporary staff observe this and adopt the same approach. Staff understand that the “TWE way” of doing things is the “safe way”.

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 17

A Good Shakeup The results of Marlborough’s vintage 2016 mechanical shaking trials will be revealed at Grape Days this month.

SOPHIE PREECE The high yields and botrytis fears of Marlborough’s 2016 vintage have added weight to the argument for mechanical shaking for both canopy thinning and trash removal, says a viticultural advisor.

Mark Allen will present the findings of this year’s mechanical shaking trials at the Grape Days Workshop in Marlborough on June 22.

He used the process on 70 sites this season and says the results back up the previous two years of trials, where both a light and heavy setting reduced the incidence of botrytis.

Last year’s yields were lower than average, which allowed him to trial shaking for botrytis control but not crop reduction, using a light setting. This year’s high yields meant the shaking served both purposes. “We don’t have one site that has shown more botrytis from shaking compared to the control.

Every site shows less botrytis, so it’s definitely working.”

He says while the botrytis risk was “less threatening” than last year, there was quite a lot of infection around by the end of the season, and in some varieties there were cases of high level infection, making the shaking a valuable addition

“It’s not often that you get a chance, with Winegrowers funded money, to come up with a result that can actually change vineyard management.” Mark Allen to vineyard management.

Mark’s work follows on from his involvement in the mechanical shaking trials, funded by New Zealand Winegrowers and MPI and conducted

Mark Allen

18 | WINEPRESS June 2016

by Plant & Food Research. The study was initially established to examine the method of fruit thinning in the period between fruit set and pre veraison, between the first week of January and early February, but revealed a “serendipitous” side effect of reducing botrytis by at least 50%.

Mark says many growers and wine companies are now aware of the benefits of mechanical shaking, and a number did their own work in vineyards this year.

He says it is “critical” that those people use a control row, in order to get a comparison and quantify the results. “You do need to monitor it and it’s really easy to do.” That monitoring might show that the shaking doesn’t pay for itself every year, “but 80% of the time it does”.

He says the work on mechanical shaking has been hugely gratifying, because the results are consistently good. “It’s not often that you get a chance, with Winegrowers funded money, to come up with a result that can actually change vineyard management,” he says.

“But we’re very lucky this has happened. I have dealt with botrytis all my life in terms of working with grapevines. In Hawke’s Bay we battled with it every year and we never thought we would get on top of it. So being a cultural method of control, it really adds to this being a major breakthrough.”

The Grape Days Workshop in Marlborough on June 22 will look at key issues from 2015 and what the research programme can deliver to the industry.

Go to www.grapedays.co.nz for more information.

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www.riversun.co.nz WINEPRESS June 2016 | 19

Generation Y-ine Matt Fox is passionate about growing wine, rather than growing grapes.

SOPHIE PREECE There aren’t many roles that could lure Matt Fox away from his beloved “Gizzy”, but working with 13 varieties, 43 growers, eight winemakers and more than 200 blocks throughout Marlborough ticked just about every box. So when Jeremy Hyland asked the young winemaker and viticulturist whether he knew anyone that would suit such a role, Matt put his own name in the hat.

Now 10 months into his Hyland Viticulture vineyard manager role, Matt is working with labels like Astrolabe, Loveblock, Jules Taylor, Eradus and Zorro, on blocks from Kekerengu to the Wairau Valley.

He and Jeremy grow a full spectrum of wines, from conventional to organic, and from commercial Sauvignon Blanc to “obscure varieties” like Albariño and Tempranillo.

“There are only one or two varieties that we are missing from doing just about everything down here,” Matt says.

Throw in a spot of winemaking for two grower clients, and Matt is like a pig in mud. “For me this is the ideal job, because of the fact that we have a hand in everything.”

He was just 10 in 1997, when his parents converted some of their Gisborne farm to grapes, and Jeremy began to visit as a consultant. Matt’s job back then was to bird scare on his motorbike, but as time went by he took on other roles in the vines, and would

“There are only one or two varieties that we are missing from doing just about everything down here.”

20 | WINEPRESS June 2016

tag along with the vineyard manager, and with Jeremy when he visited.

After leaving school at the first opportunity, Matt did a Certificate in Grapegrowing and Winemaking at EIT, “as a bit of a taster” of the wider industry. Whereas the classroom at school had bored him, the chance to apply study to practical outcomes engaged him, and Matt followed the course with vintage work at GisVin, followed by a Canadian vintage making

ice wine. “It was part way through that vintage that I thought, ‘this is the one for me’,” he says.

On returning to Gisborne, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science at EIT, and spent the next four years balancing his studies with work at Moana Park in Hawke’s Bay. Then it was two years of travelling, with a vintage in Western Australia followed by one in the Northern Rhône Valley of France. “That’s where the winemaking side really stuck for me,” he says.

“Everything clicked a whole lot more. Working with varieties I was really passionate about, working with a really good producer and just taking a step back and being able to put into action the stuff I had learned from my degree, and see that incremental gain in personal development.”

A “horrible” vintage in the Yarra was followed by a stint driving tractors for Villa Maria in Marlborough, before heading back to the same producer in France. That enabled him to take up a more senior position and, more importantly, to see the development of the wines from the previous year.

This time his return to Gisborne in December 2012 saw him take up the vineyard manager role on his family’s vineyard, transitioning from grape growing to wine growing. “It’s not overly hard to be able to grow grapes, but to grow it to a higher end final product, and to manipulate it through the process and guide it to where it needs to be, is something different.”

The following year he enjoyed an “absolute stunner” of a vintage, then took out both the Hawke’s Bay regional

title for the Young Viticulturist of the Year, and the top spot in the national competition (see side box).

The experience broadened his view of the New Zealand industry, and by his third year on the home vineyard, Matt began to realise the limited development opportunities in Gisborne, given the scale of its wine industry. So when Jeremy asked whether anyone he’d met on the Young Viticulturist competition circuit would suit a role in Marlborough, the idea of moving took

seed. Jeremy was reluctant to be seen as poaching the manager of a client, and Matt was reluctant to leave Gisborne, but the next time the subject arose, knew he had to apply.

Jeremy says Matt brings more than technical knowledge and practical skills to the role, which requires an ability to build a rapport with clients. “The person is more important than the skills, I feel. It had to be someone that I could work with and my clients could work with.”

As the newest member of the Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition committee, Matt hopes to help other young people grow through the industry.

Meanwhile, he is also hoping to compete in the regional 2016 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker Competition, and have a chance to take that national title too.

Matt says being on the committee of the viticulture competition is a chance to give something back to an event that helped grow his career. “I would rather see someone else take the challenge, and encourage them to give it a crack.”

With several wineries as well as growers to deal with, each with their own “quirks” regarding fruit, the duo has to be flexible, responsive and generally on their toes, Jeremy says. “It’s all down to sub-block management.”

For Matt, working with Jeremy is a “privilege” and it’s the quirks that make the role irresistible. “Working with a large diversity of growers on a range of unique blocks with the best winemakers makes for no dull days.”

He says there are massive opportunities to be gained through the competition, including a greater self-analysis and understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses. “It highlights things, because you don’t know what you don’t know, and helps you look at them from a different angle.”

The networking aspect is also valuable, and the speech, though daunting, is a good preparation for an inevitable part of the job. “At just about every level of this industry you are going to have to get up in front of people and talk, whether you are the GM of the company or the supervisor in the vineyard.”

The Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition 2016 is on June 24.

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WINEPRESS June 2016 | 21

The Block – The Forgotten Valley John Argyle found Paradise in a sliver of land at the foot of the Wither Hills.

SOPHIE PREECE The Forgotten Valley was once a boggy graveyard of broken machinery, where vineyard staff with time on their hands could hide from the boss.

Those “old timers” called it Paradise, says Brancott Vineyard Manager John Argyle, looking over a sliver of land tucked between two golden ridgelines in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys.

“They could drive around the back here and skive off when they’d finished their work.”

There’s little chance of that happening these days, with the beautiful Forgotten Valley vineyard centre-stage as visitors walk up to the Brancott Estate Heritage Centre, or watch flying displays of the karearea, native falcon, housed in an aviary on the hillside, as part of a Marlborough Falcon Trust conservation effort.

The vineyard’s wines are centre stage too, with the Showcase Series Forgotten Valley Pinot Noir served exclusively in the restaurant above, treating customers

22 | WINEPRESS June 2016

to a labour of love. The two hectare Forgotten Valley represents a tiny slice of John’s 600ha of vines, but “gets a lot of love”, with the vines cropped lightly, and shoot thinned, leaf plucked, colour thinned and picked by hand.

It’s a far cry from when John joined the company in 1998 and found a hidden valley where old vineyard machinery was sent to die, and stacks of posts were stored awaiting use. An attempt to plant the land a few years earlier had been foiled by the wet conditions of the valley, and the plants were soon pulled out.

But John noticed that it was sheltered from the northwest winds, and warmer in summer than the neighbouring valleys, so decided to have another go. He and his team initiated a lot of drainage work, before planting Pinot Noir, with no irrigation, and setting in place a dedicated management plan.

They have never looked back, he says.

“It has been fantastic. It never gets

water stressed and they’ve been pretty spoiled as far as vines go. I look after them, so apart from water, they don’t want for much.”

When he tasted the first crop, John saw something unique in the fruit, so “lured” the winemakers out to hear the story of the vines. “They started to buy in that it was a special wee block,” he says, like a proud parent.

The valley’s tight clay soil requires good management, and he has put in place projects to increase friability, including cover crops through winter to encourage better soil structure, along with a fertiliser programme, with a lot of gypsum and dolomite.

It’s a lot of work, and absolutely worthwhile, says John, who considers projects like the Forgotten Valley and neighbouring Chosen Rows, where carefully tended Sauvignon Blanc vines are hand harvested for a stand-out wine, to be a statement of what can be done.

And they are an indulgence afforded by the company’s size and range, he says.

“I kind of rail against being called a big corporate, because we have the capacity to do these smaller lines, with a lot more hand work.”

The time dedicated to their management is also a learning curve that can advantage other larger blocks, as techniques learned are shared. And much as John loves the Forgotten Valley, he’s also pretty passionate about the larger vineyards he manages in the Southern Valleys. “I take a lot of pride in the fruit we produce here. Some of (it) is stunning and I love the flavours we get.”

Somme Success Sommeliers from around the world got a taste for New Zealand earlier this year.

SOPHIE PREECE International sommeliers need to peel more layers of the onion when it comes to understanding New Zealand wine, says Cameron Douglas.

The Master Sommelier was one of the hosts of the Sommelier Summit and associated events held in New Zealand this year, as part of New Zealand Winegrowers’ inaugural Sommit Scholarship.

During their seven-day visit, scholarship recipients from the United States, United Kingdom, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia tasted a range of premium New Zealand wines, learned about the breadth of styles and varieties beyond classic Sauvignon Blanc, and discussed growing trends in viticulture, including organic and biodynamic production.

The week provided “a snapshot of the evolution of the New Zealand wine industry”, says Cameron. “It reminds

them that they can ask deeper questions about what’s happening, and request to taste wines that represent what’s happening in terms of viticultural advances… Peeling back two or three more layers of the onion.”

Around the Sommelier Summit, hosted by Cameron and Stephen Wong M.W, the sommeliers attended the Forage event in North Canterbury, the Central Otago Pinot Celebration, the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration in Marlborough, and the Chardonnay and Sparkling Wine Symposium in Gisborne.

It was a fantastic opportunity for the professionals to taste and discuss wines and wine styles that they might not normally encounter, including Riesling, Arneis, Albariño and Grüner Veltliner.

It was also a chance to discover small independent labels, says Cameron. “As an ambassador for the New Zealand

Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas at Marisco Vineyard

wine industry I am always looking to promote the special and boutique wines that demonstrate - way more than the big players can - diversity, new ideas, and the growth and maturity within styles that make for incredible drinking experiences.”

Feedback following the event included surprise at how good New Zealand Riesling could be, as well as comments on the ongoing challenge of tall and extra tall Riesling bottles, which some sommeliers reject because they won’t fit in refrigerators. Screwcaps were lauded by all the visitors, but the buying and selling of orange and natural wines was clearly a polarising issue for both sommeliers and customers, he says.

“New Zealand, however, is seen as a country that is behind the times when it comes to such beverages and we should expect to see more examples on wine lists in the coming years.”

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WINEPRESS June 2016 | 23

Biosecurity Watch In the first part of a Winepress biosecurity column, New Zealand Winegrowers Biosecurity Manager EDWIN MASSEY looks at the importance of developing and implementing a wine sector biosecurity strategy.

Biosecurity is very important to growers - an unwanted pest or disease could have a significant impact on our industry by affecting production and/ or the quality of the product. The New Zealand biosecurity system has several different layers of intervention to mitigate against biosecurity risk, including trade agreements, import health standards, border inspection and post border surveillance and response activities.

There are approximately 40 biosecurity responses underway at any one time in New Zealand, and the majority of them impact the wider horticultural sector.

The number highlights that it’s impossible to reduce biosecurity risk to zero at the border while enabling trade and travel.

Consequently, it is essential for our sector to be as prepared as possible to respond to threats that may threaten the long-term sustainability of our industry.

The purpose of my role as Biosecurity Manager at New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is to develop and implement a Wine Sector Biosecurity Strategy to monitor biosecurity risk and coordinate our sector’s participation in biosecurity activities. In essence, this work will involve asking questions such as where as a sector do we want to be with biosecurity? What risks should we be focussed on and ready for? And how are we going to do the work required to ensure we can mitigate these risks effectively? It’s likely that any strategy will require two key areas of focus: • Working with government to influence biosecurity decision making to improve outcomes for growers.

• Working with growers to understand their biosecurity objectives and lift the sector’s biosecurity awareness and capability.

The way industry organisations like NZW work with the government has changed following the 2012 Biosecurity Act 1993 amendment, which enables government and industry organisations to work together in partnership through a Government Industry Agreement (GIA). This partnership makes best use of the skills, knowledge and resources

“What risks should we be focussed on and ready for?”

24 | WINEPRESS June 2016

of both government and industry to reduce the risk and give everyone the confidence that the best decisions are being made. The three key pillars to GIA are: • Response in partnership – joint decision making with MPI on the strategic direction of relevant biosecurity responses and agreed cost share.

• Operational agreements for better biosecurity readiness – joint decisions on readiness priorities and agreed cost share.

• Improved engagement across the biosecurity system where MPI, industry signatories and other stakeholders know what they can expect from the wider biosecurity system, and how they can become actively involved in the management of associated risk.

Together these pillars give industry organisations and those they represent a real stake in post border readiness and a response by giving them decision making rights in how biosecurity risks are managed.

A key part of my role will be to help coordinate sector participation in GIA, including seeking mandate to join GIA from growers, and the development and maintenance of operational agreements to improve our sector’s readiness to respond to biosecurity threats.

A second key priority for my role is to work together with growers to boost our sector’s biosecurity awareness and capability. Meeting these objectives will likely include work to develop: • Sector-based response plans and protocols for high impact pests.

• Training plans for sector personnel likely to be involved in biosecurity responses.

• A biosecurity readiness and response capability network that includes growers, regional associations and other stakeholders.

This work is very people focussed and I look forward to getting out and about to meet with growers throughout the country. Building and maintaining trusting relationships is absolutely fundamental to being successful, and for me is a real highlight of the job.

If you have any biosecurity questions or concerns I can be contacted on 03 2654057 and 021 1924 924 or at Edwin.massey@nzwine.com.

Export News – March 2016 Key Points • Moving Annual Total (MAT) March 2016 export value is $1.559 billion, up 13% on the previous year.

• MAT March 2016 exports are 211.4m. litres, up 6% on the previous year; packaged exports are +8% for the period and other exports are up 1%.

• Average value MAT March 2016 is $7.32 per litre, up 8% on the previous year; packaged export value is $8.74 per litre up 7% on the previous year.

Total Export Volume & Value • MAT March 2016 total value of exports is $1.559 billion, up 13% on the previous year.

• Total value of YTD3 March 2016 exports is $1.223 billion up 12% on March 2015.

• Total value of March 2016 exports was $131.7 m. down 4% on March 2015.

• MAT March 2016 exports are 211.4m. litres, up 6%(11.1 m. litres) on the previous year.

• YTD March 2016 exports are 167.0m. litres, up 4% (6.0 m. litres) on the previous year.

• March 20164 exports were 17.5 m. litres down 12%(2.3 m. litres) on March 2015.

Export Value per Litre All wines • March 2016 average value was $7.22 per litre, up 10% from March 2015.

• YTD March 2016 average value is $7.27 per litre.

• MAT March 2016 average price is $7.32 per litre, up8% on MAT March 2015.

Packaged wines • Excluding unpackaged wine from the data, the March 2016 average value was $8.50 per litre, up $0.44 per litre (6%) on March 2015.

• YTD March 2016 average value is

$8.85 per litre, • MAT March 2016 the average price is $8.74 per litre,up $0.53 per litre (7%) on MAT March 2015.

• MAT March 2016 prices are up 14% to the USA, 8% to UK, 3% to Canada and 1% to Australia.

growth is led by USA (+33%).

• YTD March 2016 non-packaged shipments are 59.6 m. litres, down 2% on the previous year.

• March 2016 non-packaged shipments were 5.8 m. litres, down 18% on March 2015.

Export Volume by Country of Destination • In March, for the major markets, exports were down 4% to the USA, 14% to Australia and 19% to the UK. Canada was down 1% for the month, while performance of other markets was mixed, with Denmark the stand out performer.

• YTD March exports are up 20% to the USA but are down 1% to the UK, and 11% to Australia. Canada is up 11% for period, while performance of other markets is mixed, with Germany, Ireland and Sweden all up 20% plus.

• MAT March 2016 growth is led by the USA +20%, with UK +3% but Australia is -10%. Canada shipments are +15% for the year. Performance of other tracked markets is generally positive with Germany and Ireland the strongest performers.

Exports by Variety/Style • In March 2016 Sauvignon Blanc exports were 15.0 m. litres, down 12% from the previous year, accounting for 85.4% of export volume. Of the Sauvignon Blanc exported in March, 14.2 m litres (95%) was from Vintage 2015.

• Performance of other styles was mixed in March with the best performers being Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot.

• YTD March 2016, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 144.0 m. litres up 2% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is positive.

• MAT March 2016, Sauvignon Blanc shipments are 180.9 m. litres up 4% from the previous year. Performance of other styles is positive with a range of styles growing 10% plus.

• Production of Sauvignon Blanc in 2015 is estimated to have been 162 m. litres, 30% down on the previous year. Export shipments of vintage 2015 Sauvignon Blanc since release are 105.2 m. litres or 64.9% of estimated production.

Volume by Packaging Type • Exports of packaged wines MAT March 2016 are 142.4m. litres up 8% (10.5 m. litres) on the previous year and are 67.4% of total export volume.

• MAT March 2016 packaged exports are led by USA & Canada.

• YTD March 2016 packaged exports are 107.4 m. litres, up 7% on March 2015.

• March 2016 packaged exports were 11.8 m. litres, down 8% on March 2015.

• Other (non-packaged) wine shipments MAT March 2016 are 68.9m. litres up 1% (32.6% of export volume). Non-packaged shipments

Exports by Winery Category • March 2016 export growth was led by the medium wineries +2% with the large wineries -10%, and small wineries -38%.

• YTD March 2016 small wineries are -3% with the medium wineries +7% and the large wineries +5%.

• MAT March 2016 the large and medium wineries are both +7% and the small wineries -1% for the period.

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 25

Industry News Lake Chalice Wines Sold The Lake Chalice Wine brand, including vineyards at Dillon’s Point, Rapaura and Cow Slip Valley, has been purchased by Saint Clair Family Estate, which is owned by the Ibbotson family. The vineyards and brand will continue to be run separately from Saint Clair, and distribution for the label will remain with Hancock’s NZ Ltd and through existing overseas distributors.

Matt Thomson and his team will continue the winemaking, and Lake Chalice Managing Director Phil Binnie and his wife Sue, will remain in a consultancy role.

Neal Ibbotson says Lake Chalice is an established quality Marlborough brand that has been built up over the past 28 years by the Gambitsis and Binnie families, with Matt Thomson as partner and Neal Ibbotson winemaker. “We look forward to continuing the Lake Chalice story and building on the quality brand they have created.”

Phil says the past 28 years has been a long and fun ride, with plenty of ups and downs. The timing of the sale is good for the couple, and they are very happy with the “match up”, with commonality in the winemaking team, due to Matt being heavily involved in both Lake Chalice and Saint Clair, he says. They are also pleased to have sold the label to a family owned Marlborough business.

“They were all factors in our decision.”

Lake Chalice is one of the major sponsors of the Wingspan, Birds of Prey Trust, working to preserve New Zealand’s raptors, and Neal says Saint Clair will continue that sponsorship.

“We look forward to continuing the Lake Chalice story and building on the quality brand they have created.”

Regarding Oz International Sauvignon Blanc Day saw Oz Clarke inducted to the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame. Oz helped put New Zealand wine on the map and was still singing its praises at the International Sauvignon

26 | WINEPRESS June 2016

Blanc Celebration in Marlborough in February, where he recalled his first taste of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: “Montana 1983 Sauvignon Blanc was introducing itself to the world and my world of wine would never be the same again,” he told the audience. Oz is the first person in the UK to receive the Hall of Fame honour, which recognises major contributions to the development and enhancement of the domestic and export-based wine industry in New Zealand.

Duncannon A Marlborough contractor has bought the Duncannon seasonal worker accommodation. Aaron Jay, of Hortus, says owning Duncannon will ensure he can provide better accommodation for his Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers. “Demand for seasonal labour is going up, and we need to invest to ensure our people have decent accommodation while they are in Marlborough.” Among the changes he has planned, are new facilities for football and pétanque, as well as a gym and drying rooms.

According to the recently released Marlborough Labour Market Survey, there will be a 24% increase in total demand for vineyard labour over the next five years, including 600 additional winter and 306 additional summer RSE workers. “I want to show people how seriously some in this business take their responsibilities,” Aaron says.

Organic Course NMIT is running a six-week evening course on organic viticulture, starting at the beginning of July. The course is aimed at anyone interested in organic production, considering converting an existing vineyard or establishing an organic vineyard.You will learn about soil nutrition and management, canopy management, biological pest and disease control, as well as vineyard establishment and conversion. The Introduction to Organic Viticulture starts on July 4 on the Marlborough campus and runs on Monday evenings 7pm to 9pm. For more information on the programme go to the programmes and short courses page at www.nmit. ac.nz.

Real Estate The “spectacular harvest” has led to a surge of interest in vineyard land and established vineyards “from far and wide”, says Joe Blakiston of PGG Wrightson Real Estate. “Listings are in short supply with a large buyer

pool and reported sales of Sauvignon Blanc blocks over $250,000 per planted hectare illustrate the demand.” Joe says neighbour interest in suitable land is active as harvest returns give people confidence to expand existing holdings, with activity in both the Awatere Valley and Wairau plains at price levels last seen in 2008. “With interest rates low, people are looking at stable investments and it appears that the returns offered in viticulture give buyers that comfort.

All in all, it’s a great time to be looking at selling.”

Corbans reunion James Healy and Kathie Bartley are organising a reunion for those who worked at Corbans Wines prior to the sale of the business to Montana Wines in 2000. A reunion dinner is planned for Friday November 11 in Auckland, one day before the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The organising team are gathering email addresses and have set up a Facebook events page. If you are an ex-Corbans Wines employee and would like to attend the event, please contact Kathie on 021 275 9908 or kathie@kbmarketing.co.nz.

Sustainable Vineyard of the Year Loveblock claimed the title of the 2016 NZ Sustainable Vineyard of the Year at last month’s New Zealand Organic Wine Awards.Vineyard owners Kim and Erica Crawford have gone “above and beyond” existing sustainable vineyard standards in some testing environments for their new winery, the judges say.

Their efforts include solar power and on-site compost creation using grape

marc, mussel shell, seaweed, cow manure and vineyard cuttings. The vineyard is also managed to United States National Organic Programme (US NOP) standards, which increases costs on the vineyard but allows Loveblock to export organic labelled wine to the US market. Loveblock also runs an Organic Beef Cattle farm at the vineyard site, using sabbatical years for pasture land to ensure minimal environmental impact.

Erica says she and Kim, along with dedicated staff, have been “beavering away quietly” at Loveblock. “We have come a long way and have so much more to learn. Every day offers a new challenge or reward.”

En Pointe Friends of Nautilus Estate, including growers, trade partners and staff, attended the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) performance of The Wizard of Oz at Blenheim’s new ASB Theatre last month. Nautilus has been a sponsor of the RNZB for the past five years and winemaker Clive Jones says it was fantastic to be able to watch them perform in Marlborough. “It’s great to have the ballet company visit our home town and perform in this splendid new facility.”

Waterfall Bay Seresin Estate is holding two “Living off the Land” midwinter lunches at Waterfall Bay on Friday June 17 and Saturday June 18, with restaurateur Michael Dearth and chef Ben Bayly.

Seresin Estate General Manager Michelle Connor says the lunches will celebrate the culmination of 20 years’ work, “with the story of our evolution being told through our wines, our estate grown organic produce and the generous hospitality we are known for”. For more information and ticket enquiries please visit www.seresin.co.nz New Association The just-launched New Zealand Sommelier & Wine Professionals

Association is an opportunity for people with or without qualifications to be part of a national network. The not-for-profit incorporated society aims to bring together sommeliers and professionals working in the wine sector in any capacity.

Go to www.sommelier.co.nz to join.

Sommelier of the Year The New Zealand School of Food and Wine is holding the New Zealand Sommelier of the Year competition on September 10 and 11. The event has been established to test the skills of experienced sommeliers who are working in a hotel, lodge or restaurant.

There is also a Junior Sommelier competition for people who are ambitious to excel, but need more time and experience in the industry. For more information, go to www.sommelier.co.nz

Marlborough Book Festival Marlborough wine companies Dog Point Vineyards, Cloudy Bay, Astrolabe, Spy Valley and Hunter’s are once again getting in behind the Marlborough Book Festival, which is on from July 29 to 31. With authors like Witi Ihimaera, Kate De Goldi and Bill Manhire, speaking in venues including the Spy Valley cellar door and Cloudy Bay’s The Treehouse, the event is a celebration of writing, reading and Marlborough. For more information, go to www.marlboroughbookfest.co.nz Cover Image Jim Tannock captures the approach of winter at Yealands Estate in the Awatere Valley

WINEPRESS June 2016 | 27

Wine Happenings A monthly list of events within the New Zealand wine industry.

To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

JUNE 2016 14:

Open evening for Marlborough’s regional 2016 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker Competition - Scotch Bar from 5pm

17-18:

Seresin Estate’s “Living off the Land” mid-winter lunches at Waterfall Bay

20:

Applications close for Marlborough’s regional 2016 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker Competition

20:

Information due for Wine Mail E-Newsletter

22:

New Zealand Winegrowers Grape Days - Marlborough (www.grapedays.co.nz)

24:

Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition 2016

26:

Bob Campbell’s one-day Wine Certificate course - Blenheim

JULY 2016 4:

NMIT’s Introduction to Organic Viticulture course begins

8:

2016 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker - Marlborough

AUGUST 2016 7:

Wine Marlborough Silver Secateurs - Marlborough

23 - 25: National Final – Bayer Young Viticulturist of the Year 2016 - Marlborough 23 - 25: National Final – 2016 Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker - Marlborough 24 - 26: Romeo Bragato Conference - Marlborough

Disclaimer: The views and articles that are expressed and appear in Winepress are entirely those of contributors and in no way reflect the policy of the Marlborough Winegrowers. Any advice given, implied or suggested should be considered on its merits, and no responsibility can be taken for problems arising from the use of such information.

28 | WINEPRESS June 2016

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