Winepress - July 2012

WINEPRESS Issue No. 216 / July 2012

Vintage Review

Liquorland Scholar

Sheep In Vines

Vine Tendrils

Photo: Jim Tannock

The Official Magazine of

www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

In this issue...

Regulars

Features

3 4

8

Editorial

Tasman Crop Met Report

6 Marketing Matters Solutions 24 Business with Chris Elphick

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27 Wine Happenings From Home and 28 News Away 18 All correspondence including advertising / associate memberships / change of address to: Wine Marlborough PO Box 511, Blenheim 7240 T: 03 577 9299, F: 03 577 9298 E: admin@wine-marlborough.co.nz www.wine-marlborough.co.nz

Printed by: Blenheim Print Ltd. T: 03 578 1322

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WINEPRESS is printed with vegetable oil based inks on elemental chlorine free paper which is sourced 100% from well managed forrests and manufactured under ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.

Vintage Review Yields were down throughout the country, particularly in Marlborough. We look at what this means for the New Zealand wine industry, in the short and long term.

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Seasonal Impacts on Sauvignon Blanc The major reason behind this year’s low yields were the unseasonable conditions during flowering in Marlborough. Rob Agnew looks at the facts and figures and why they impacted on the final vintage figures.

Tendrils – Should They Go or Stay?

How much do tendrils contribute to the carry over of botrytis spores, if they are left on canes tied down during pruning? That is the question Dion Mundy answered at the latest Grape Days.

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Social Media in the Cellar Door At the recent Cellar Door Initiative held in Blenheim, expert Jamie Roy explained the benefits of social media in full. He would like to see more use by cellar door staff, to ensure those visiting become life long ambassadors for wineries.

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MARKHAM’S MARLBOROUGH YOUNG VITICULTURIST OF THE YEAR COMPETITION - 2012 Date:

Friday 20 July 2012

Time:

9:30am – 3:30pm

Venue:

Marlborough Research Centre, 85 Budge Street, Blenheim

CALLING ALL YOUNG VITICULTURISTS IN MARLBOROUGH! With only two spots left the competition is heating up! You must be 30 years of age or younger at the 31st December 2012 to enter. Go to www.wine-marlborough.co.nz to download an entry form or call Sarah Booker on 03 577 9299 for further information.

Spectators are welcome for the Horti Sports event which will be held at 12:30pm – 1:00pm at the Marlborough Research Centre Quad, 85 Budge Street.

MARKHAM’S MARLBOROUGH YOUNG VITICULTURIST OF THE YEAR COMPETITION DINNER Date:

Friday 20 July

Time:

6pm – 10pm

Venue:

Wither Hills Restaurant, 211 New Renwick Rd, Blenheim

Tickets:

$95 and includes canapés and bubbles on arrival, 3 courses and wine all prepared

by Chef Dave Anderson.

Tickets are limited for this fantastic evening. Hosted at Wither Hills Restaurant, the Young Viticulturist competitors present their speeches and take part in a general knowledge quiz round during the dinner. Contact Sarah Booker to secure a ticket: sarah@wine-marlborough.co.nz

Special thanks to our regional Gold sponsors:

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Produced by:

From the Editor

Wine Marlborough Free to all levy paying members

The success of the recent Marlborough Silver Secateurs proves there is a need to

Associate Members: $77 +GST

promote the task of quality pruning, even if the national competition has now gone by the wayside. Dozens of individuals turned up to either take part, or to cheer their

Editor: Tessa Nicholson 16 Bank Street Blenheim T: 021 709 571 E: tessa.nicholson@me.com If you wish to make contact with any member of the Wine Marlborough Board, the following are their email addresses.

Dominic Pecchenino: nzyanks@xtra.co.nz Anna Flowerday: ajflowerday@xtra.co.nz Blair Gibbs: blair@spyvalley.co.nz James Jones: james@starborough.co.nz Ivan Sutherland: ivan@dogpoint.co.nz Ben Glover: ben@witherhills.co.nz Ruud Maasdam: ruud@staetelandt.co.nz Clive Jones: cjones@nautilusestate.com

workmates and friends on. And it’s right that we recognise excellence in this field.

After all these are the workers who face sub zero working conditions, bitingly cold winds and perform a job that will have a major impact on the vintage to come. Perhaps no more so than this coming season, where vineyard management will play a vital role in the immediate future of the Marlborough wine industry.

Congrats have to go to Claire Wilson from Wine Marlborough who organised the day’s events to be bigger and brighter than any recent year. The support on the day was recognition of how important pruning is to the industry and how well these workers are performing.

It was also a day when the first airing of the Best Practise Pruning DVD occurred.

This has been an 18-month task organised by Wine Marlborough Board member James Jones and funded by New Zealand Winegrowers. It is the first of its kind to be developed in New Zealand and going by the number of people who stopped and watched, it’s bound to be a huge success. It covers all the basics of pruning, from explanation of terminology through to health and safety issues. Due to be released this month, the DVD should be compulsory viewing for everyone involved in the industry.

This coming month there is another competition that recognises the quality of industry personnel - the Markham’s Young Viticulturist of the Year. Not only does this aim to promote the importance of young industry members, but it also gives those members the opportunity to pit their skill set against other like-minded individuals.

It’s a shame that in the past, the number of Marlborough entries has been less than in other regions, which is difficult to understand. Marlborough makes up 72% of New Zealand’s total production, the number of vineyards is more than double the rest of the country, yet we can only manage to get around half a dozen young viticulturists to take part. Those numbers don’t reflect the large pool of extremely competent young people, who we know are out there.

This year it would be great to see entry numbers increase dramatically to represent the Marlborough wine industry more fully. So if you have a young vineyard manager or viticulturist who fits the criteria – urge them to take part. Who knows they could be the next Marlborough title holder, representing the province at a national level.

Richard Rose: kvl@silkweb.net.nz Guy Lissaman: glissaman@xtra.co.nz

TESSA NICHOLSON tessa.nicholson@me.com

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Met Report Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – June 2012

June 2012

June 2011 compared

June LTA

Period of LTA

June 2011

GDD’s for month -Max/Min1 GDD’s for month – Mean2

3.2 21.3

16% 62%

19.5 (1996-2010) 18.7 34.2 (1996-2010) 29.9

Growing Degree Days Total July 11 to June 12-Max/Min1 July 11 to June 12 – Mean2

1193.4 1290.2

86% 89%

1389.5 (1996-2010) 1473.6 1452.2 (1996-2010) 1493.3

Mean Maximum (°C) 13.3 Mean Minimum (°C) 2.2 Mean Temp (°C) 7.8

+0.3°C +0.3°C +0.3°C -0.8°C

13.0 1.9 7.5 8.6

(1932-1980) (1932-1980) (1932-1985) (1986-2011)

14.3 4.8 9.5

Ground Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 15

2.7 less 3.4 more

17.7 12.6

(1932-1980) (1986-2011)

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Air Frosts (<0.0°C) 7

3.8 less 1.2 more

10.8 5.8

(1932-1980) (1986-2011)

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Sunshine hours 173.9 115% Sunshine hours – lowest Sunshine hours – highest Sunshine hours total – 2012 1184.7 98%

151 91.8 205.2 1210

(1930-2000) 1981 1959 (1930-2000)

128.4

Rainfall (mm) 80.2 141% Rainfall (mm) – lowest Rainfall (mm) – highest Rainfall total (mm) – 2012 266.0 84%

57 8.0 154.9 316

(1930-2000) 1974 1943 (1930-2000)

Evapotranspiration – mm

42.9

136%

31.6

(1996-2011)

34.7

Avg. Daily Windrun (km)

219.7

95%

231.0

(1996-2011)

165.5

Mean soil temp – 10cm

4.6

-1.1°C

5.7

(1986-2011)

8.2

Mean soil temp – 30cm

7.0

-1.0°C

8.0

(1986-2011)

9.9

1125.7 61.6 331.8

GDD’s Max/Min are calculated from absolute daily maximum and minimum temperatures 2 GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures 1

Rainfall June 2012 recorded the highest monthly rainfall total so far in 2012. Only March and June 2012 have recorded above average rainfall. Total rain for the six month’s January to June 2012 at 266.0 mm, is 50 mm less than the long-term average of 316 mm, or 84%. Total rain for the 12 month’s July 2011 to June 2012 is 632.6 mm, or 98% of the long-term average of 647 mm.

Temperature Was June 2012 colder than average?

The average temperature of 7.8°C was

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0.3°C above the long-term average of 7.5°C (1932-1985), but 0.8°C below the average for the period 1986-2011. Table 1 presents two average temperatures.

The first is the long-term average 19321985. Below that is the average over the 26 years 1986-2011. It is over the winter months that the largest contrast is evident between the long-term average temperatures for Blenheim, for the two time periods. As explained in previous editions of Met Report, Blenheim is experiencing warmer winter temperatures than earlier in the 20th century. However, the summer temperatures have shown little change.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

The average June temperature over the past 26 years (1986-2011) of 8.56°C is 1.03°C warmer than the average for the previous 54 years (1932-1985). Figure 1 also indicates that there have been some marked fluctuations from average over the past 26 years; June 1991 = 6.6°C and June 2003 = 10.9°C. June 2012 is on the cooler side of the average line, but by no means very cold, when compared to other years in Figure 1.

Sunshine Normally when a month has above average rainfall you would expect sunshine hours to be lower than average.

However, despite above average rainfall in June 2012, sunshine was also well above average, with 173.9 hours. This total was far higher than in June 2010 with 118.2 hours (+55.7 hours) and June 2011 with 128.4 hours (+45.5). Monthly sunshine totals during the 12 months July 2011 to June 2012 (Figure 2) have recorded some all time highs (August and September 2011) and also some all time lows (December 2011 and February 2012). I doubt if any other 12 month period in the past 83 years would have broken so many sunshine records. The high and low totals have balanced each other out and the 12 month total of 2415 hours was 98% of the long-term average of 2454 hours.

Frosts Total number of ground frosts in June 2012 was 15, compared to the long-term average of 12.4 (1986-2011).

However, there were a further days during June when the ground temperature was between 0°C and -1.0°C, i.e. a ground frost was not recorded for these six days as the temperature has to be below -1.0°C

Sunday 17 June, with an air frost of -4.4°C on the same day.

Figure 1: Mean monthly June temperatures for Blenheim, 1932-201

Figure 2: Monthly and annual sunshine for Blenheim, July 2011- June 2012 with comparisons to the long-term average for the 83 years 1930 to 2012.

for a ground frost. The coldest ground frost in Blenheim for June was -6.2°C, recorded on Sunday 17 June.

Total number of air frosts in June 2012 was 7, compared to the long-term average of 5.6 (1986-2011). The coldest air minimum (air frost) for the month of -2.3°C was recorded on both the 17th and 30th June.

You need to bear in mind that the Blenheim weather station is a reasonably warm site on the Wairau plains in comparison to most of the vineyard area which is generally further inland and at slightly high elevation. Weather data from the

Dashwood weather station in the Awatere Valley is also available on the Marlborough Wine Research Centre website www. wineresearch.org.nz. The Dashwood site records heavier frosts than Blenheim. The Dashwood weather station recorded 17 ground frosts and also 17 air frosts for June. The fact that the same number of air frosts and ground frosts were recorded indicates that the ground frosts were very cold, as the air temperature is normally approximately 2-3°C warmer than the ground temperature. The coldest ground frost at the Dashwood site was -8.3°C on

Soil temperatures The soil temperatures recorded at 9am at all depths were below average in June, in marked contrast with June 2011 when they were well above average.

The 10 cm soil temperature was 4.6°C (2011=8.2°C), compared with the average of 5.7°C (1986-2011).

The 20 cm soil temperature was 5.4°C (2011=8.9°C), compared with the average of 7.0°C (1986-2011).

The 30 cm soil temperature was 7.0°C (2011=9.9°C), compared with the average of 8.0°C (1986-2011).

The 100 cm soil temperature was 11.1°C (2011=12.7°C), compared with the average of 11.5°C (1986-2011).

Wind Average daily wind run for June 2012 was 219.7 km, with an average wind speed of 9.2 km/hr. This was slightly below the long-term average of 231.1 km. So far in 2012, all six months have recorded lower wind run than average.

It is interesting to note that of the 30 months since the start of 2010, only four months have recorded above average wind run. This is probably a reflection of the La Nina conditions that have been evident over much of this period, in which Easterly winds are more common, rather than El Nino conditions which bring more westerly winds.

Rob Agnew Plant & Food Research The Met Report was brought to you by

NZ Owned & Operated

0800 855 255 | tasmancrop.co.nz

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Marketing Matters – with Bob Campbell MW Changes in China When I was fifteen years old I

tastings to half a dozen relatively youthful

tasting which I didn’t attend.

subscribed to a magazine called “China

audiences in the past week and that in

I chatted to a number of Kiwis who had

Reconstructs”. I got it because it was

every case Sauvignon Blanc was the

been exporting wine to China for some

free. The magazine was full of stirring

preferred wine. It won’t be long, she says,

time. They all found it a challenging

images of heroic workers, rather severe

before Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir

market with some admitting to “a few

looking political figures in comfy green

are very big players in this market.

false starts”. A strong alliance with

suits and lots of fluttering red flags.

I conducted a tasting of New Zealand

a good local distributor seems to be

After a week in Beijing, Shanghai and

Pinot Noir for the wine press in Beijing

an important ingredient. They were

Yantai (a quaint little fishing village with a

and Shanghai. Admittedly they were a

unanimous in their enthusiasm for the

population of 6.5 million) it seems to me

sophisticated audience but they were

potential sales to a vast country which

that China has reconstructed. I witnessed

clearly impressed by a carefully picked

local wine retailer/distributor, Simon Zhou,

state-of-the-art architecture, cars that

range of wines from five regions. I gauge

accurately described as “many countries

make New Zealand motorways look Third

an audience by their interest and quality

within one”.

World and a level of affluence that I find

of questions. Try answering “can you

I did manage to visit one wine region,

hard to fully comprehend. Of course there

explain what biodynamics is all about” in

Yantai, about 1.5 hours flying time north

is still a sizeable under-class which I

30 seconds through an interpreter.

of Shanghai. China is reputed to be

guess supports economic growth and the

The Shanghai (pop. 13.5 million)

the world’s fifth largest wine producing

billionaire lifestyle of those at the top of

audience appeared to be a little more

country but I am suspicious of a figure

the heap, but even the humblest peasant

sophisticated than the Beijing (pop. 20

which might include table grapes or even

is earning more and living better than his

million) audience. NZ Winegrowers, who

bulk wine that is sometimes imported

or her parents.

organised both tastings, anticipated that

and blended with the local product. In

China is now New Zealand’s fastest

difference by preparing more “in-depth”

the north of the country, where much of

growing export market. Cabernet

material for the Shanghai presentation

the vines are grown, they have to bury

Sauvignon and Merlot are our top

that focused on the regional differences

them under 30cm of earth to survive

exports although there are signs that this

of Pinot Noir.

severe winters – a pretty labour-intensive

might change as the growing affluence

Both presentations were peripheral

procedure.

of Chinese “yuppies” allows them to

to New Zealand trade tastings where

Yantai is on the coast so winter

embrace wine with the same enthusiasm

representatives from over 20 wine

temperatures are fairly moderate while

that encouraged them to embrace mobile

producers discussed and tasted their

the summer peak of 35C is only for a

devices. Villa Maria’s representative

wines with local wine trade and wine

very short period. The vines enjoy a long

here told me that she has conducted

press visitors. There was also a consumer

growing season. Summer rain can be a

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problem. I was fascinated by the

and more adventurous wine drinkers

free-draining stone and clay soils

who are less concerned about

which looked pretty interesting.

“drinking local” than they are about

I did manage to taste a number of

finding a wine to suit their tastes.

wines from Yantai including one with an exalted retail price of NZ$1500

Thanks to Bob for allowing us

(90 points). I’d like to see greater

to reprint this Blog – which first

flavour concentration and ripeness

appeared on the Pinot 2013

together with more realistic retail

website.

prices. I have little doubt that great wines will be made within the next decade although the Chinese wine industry must inevitably experience growing pains as the “old guard” are gradually replaced with younger

Working among the Chinese vines.

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Vintage Review TESSA NICHOLSON

What a difference a year makes. Vintage 2012 has seen an about turn in yields, which seems to solve the over supply issue. But now there are other concerns that will need addressing.

It was no surprise for anyone in the room,

‘Growers are going to be hit by low yields

close to 45 million litres short. However

when Philip Gregan told NZW members

and relatively low grape prices. It’s going

Philip was quick to remind people, that

that the vintage figures were way down

to be a real struggle for some.

some of those sales in the past year were

on last year. Despite 2012 being the

“And clearly the wineries have had lower

at unprofitable prices, something that

fourth largest vintage ever, it was some

intake and their fixed costs will be up.

is unlikely to be repeated this year, with

59,000 tonnes less than 2011.

They will be thinking about how they

reduced stocks.

Marlborough saw the greatest drop,

manage their shelf presence and keep

“Sales will have to decline and we expect

following one of the coolest flowering

their place in the market over the next 12

our largest declines will be in our most

periods experienced in recent years.

months.”

established markets. That will be New

Strong sales in the past 12 months have

Zealand, UK and Australia. That’s where

equated to a vintage of 330,000 tonnes,

most of the cheaper wine that has been

way more than this vintage produced. If

available over the last few years has sold,

we were to experience similar sales in

and it’s (this area of sales) where we

the next 12 months, there is no way New

expect volume declines to be.”

More than 56,000 tonnes of the total 59,000 is due to the drop in yields in this region.

In total Marlborough harvested 188,649 tonnes of fruit, 23% less than last year, but still just under 72% of the country’s total production.

Zealand could fulfil them. We would be

As expected it was the reduction in Sauvignon Blanc yields that caused the major drop. Nationally there was 19% less harvested this year, when compared with 2011. The other large decrease was Pinot Noir, which fell 25%.

It is almost a complete reversal of the vintage figures from last year, as the graph to the right shows. The varietal increases we saw in 2011, (the largest vintage in New Zealand’s history) have been turned around.

The drop in yields is a double-edged sword for all members of the wine industry, Philip said. While the over supply issue is no longer the major one facing members, the lack of profitability is.

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but that was not going to happen every year between now and 2017. There were bound to be weather events that would hamper that figure.

“We have had 240 million litres of sales in the past year, and as we know, some of that has not been profitable. But 240 million litres is the equivalent of about 330,000 tonnes – a little bit more.”

Given the lack of development and the impact vintage conditions can have on final yields, Philip said it was not likely that those sales figures could be matched year in, year out. There was little room for the industry to grow volume, which meant sales would have to grow in value to ensure the viability of the industry.

Given the lack of development in the past

we will start to see much increase in

few years, Philip said future increases

planted area, leading to an increase in

in supply will be yield dependent, with

the producing area in 2017/18.

vintage conditions the major factor.

“Any production increase over the next

“The very earliest we can see an

four to six years, is yield dependent.

increase in the producing vineyard

That will depend on the weather and the

area is 2017/18. We know there is not

management techniques that vineyard

going to be much planted this year, the

owners employ.”

chances are not a lot next year. That’s

He did point out that if conditions were

based on nursery capacity and rootstock

perfect, New Zealand could possibly

availability. So 2014 is the first year that

produce a vintage of 350,000 tonnes –

“It’s unlikely from where I am standing that I can see any sustained growth in our volume sales in the next five or six years.

It’s all going to be about value growth.”

Which given the profitability of recent years, is something everyone is hoping will come to fruition.

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Seasonal Impact on Sauvignon Blanc TESSA NICHOLSON

It was full to bursting at last month’s Marlborough Research Centre seminar on predicting yields and climatic influences in relation to Sauvignon Blanc.

The impact of weather, particularly at

directly affected at all the trial vineyard

hence yield was only slightly less than in

bud burst and flowering, cannot be

sites.

2011. However, the other four vineyards

underestimated when it comes to yields.

The below graph shows how variable and

flowered later in December when

As mentioned in last month’s Winepress,

cool the December temperatures were.

temperatures were much cooler, with the

temperatures at both stages of the cycle

This in turn impacted on flowering dates

result that yields were only about 60% of

this year will play an important role in

and final yields.

2011.

determining whether yields will be above

As the below graph and chart show,

The graph (next page) shows how the

or below the long term average (LTA) in

the Squire vineyard flowered when

temperature in December, approximately

2013.

temperatures were above average and

16 months prior to Sauvignon Blanc

Rob Agnew from Marlborough Plant & Food Research told the large crowd that over the past 24 years, the seasonal average growing degree-days for Blenheim between September and April have ranged from 29% below to 20% above the LTA. The coldest average was 13.6 °C, in the 1992/93 year (following the Pinatubo eruption.) The highest average was 16.1 °C, in the 1989/90 season.

In terms of vintage 2012, the eight-month seasonal average was a cool 14.6 °C, the lowest since the cool 1996/97 season, 16 years ago.

It was the December 2011 weather conditions that impacted so greatly on flowering in parts of Marlborough.

In terms of Blenheim, there was almost double the amount of rain, very

Regional Vineyards Flowering Dates 2011 and Yield as % of 2011

low sunshine hours, and maximum

temperatures were almost 2 degrees

50% flowering

below the LTA. This resulted in later and

date 2011 4-cane yield as % of 2011

patchier flowering, with yields being

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RAPAURA BRANCOTT WAIRAU FAIRHALL AWATERE SQUIRE BOOKER OYSTER BAY VILLA WINERY SEAVIEW 16 Dec

25 Dec

19 Dec

22 Dec

26 Dec

90%

65%

58%

57%

55%

harvest impacted on bunch numbers per vine. The lower the temperature – the lower the bunch numbers.

The last graph shows the impact temperature at flowering had on berry numbers per bunch (in 4 cane-pruned Sauvignon Blanc).

Cold flowering temperatures resulted in lower berry numbers, affecting overall tonnages per hectare.

There are no certainties about what the weather will do this coming spring, or what temperatures will be like come flowering in December.

(See Winepress June 2012 for further information.)

And while there is no exact science at predicting temperatures at either initiation or flowering, if the graphs above show one thing, it is a cold year is often followed by a warm year.

Hopefully that is the case this year.

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IS YOUR WATER PERMIT DUE TO EXPIRE? Call

Helen Woodward

Resource Management Consultant For all your resource consent applications and monitoring needs Water - Discharge - Land Use Environmental-soil fertility and contamination testing, water quality testing For experienced, local, prompt service Contact Helen at Phone 03 579 5669 Mobile: 0272 11115 Email: h.woodward@xtra.co.nz

Winemaking Space Available In 2013 New Zealand Wineries operate state of the art wineries in Marlborough and Waipara and we have spare capacity for the 2013 vintage. If you require somewhere to process your grapes and are looking for a modern, well equipped customer focused service, then we would like to talk to you. We specialise in small to medium size producers of super-premium wines but also have the capacity for bulk supply specialists.

At NZW we can offer: • Competitive pricing • Professional winemaking services.

• Modern and efficient wineries • Superior customer service • Single season or long term contracts If you own a vineyard or are new to the industry, we can also organise all your needs from the vineyard through to bottling or bulk sales.

Come and talk with us about your requirements and work alongside some of the industry’s most awarded winemakers.

All enquiries to: alistair.mcintosh@nzwineries.co.nz cell: 021 713 763

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PROVINCIAL COLDSTORES LIMITED LET US TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE STORAGE REQUIREMENTS IN OUR

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Old Renwick Road, Blenheim.

Tel: 03 5782648 Fax: 03 5782546 Gouland Road, Spring Creek. Tel: 03 5705944 Fax 03 5705955

Bragato In Marlborough TESSA NICHOLSON

Organisers are hoping a revamped programme and the fact it is being held in Marlborough, will see an increase in people attending this year’s Romeo Bragato conference.

Scheduled for August 22 – 24, the

sustainable programmes within vineyards

Competition will take part during the

Bragato Conference is the largest

and wineries – but also ensuring that

conference. The finalists from around the

industry event held in New Zealand.

businesses remain sustainable in these

country will deliver a prepared speech to

However in recent years there has been a

difficult times.

the guests attending the Bragato Wine

decline in numbers attending, particularly

“This year our motivational speaker is

Awards dinner on the Thursday night.

last year. That may be due to the

John Anderson, who established Contiki

(This dinner was cancelled last year, due

economic climate and the fact growers

Tours,” Philip said. “His ability to create

to a lack of bookings.) The MC for the

are having to watch every dollar they

and grow a business in tough times is

evening will be well known personality

spend. Last year’s poor attendance may

something many people will relate to.”

Jackie Clarke.

also have to do with the fact it followed

The ability to utilise our clean and green

Some of the notable guest speakers

hard on the heels of the Exporter’s Forum

image, via sustainability, in terms of

attending this year’s conference include:

and it was held in Auckland, increasing

building exports, is another issue that will

Karl Forsyth a senior engineer with AWRI

costs for those growers in the South

be covered, by Rod Oram, well known

in Australia, Professor Gerhard Pietersen

Island.

business journalist. Reviewing the latest

from South Africa and Phil Readman from

All of those factors have been taken into

NZW funded research will take centre

Australia. Local people presenting at the

account this year. Given Marlborough

stage, and included for the first time is a

conference include; Dr Mike Trought,

is home to the largest percentage of

session on South American wines. While

Stuart Dudley, Andy Frost, Dr Jeff

growers in the country, it is hoped

this may seem like a strange topic for a

Bennett, Brian Bicknell and Jeff Clarke.

holding the event here will encourage

New Zealand wine event to be focusing

All of the conference will be held at the

more locals to attend. Organisers have

on, Philip said there are some strong

Marlborough Convention Centre, kicking

also shortened the conference, from

reasons for it.

off late on the morning of Wednesday

three and a half days, (requiring three

“They used to be considered as wines

August 22, and finishing in time for the

night’s accommodation) to just two and

that were at the opposite end of the

weekend, early afternoon Friday 24th.

half days.

spectrum to New Zealand, but that is

Registrations are now open, at www.

However Philip Manson, NZW’s

rapidly changing. They are now moving

bragato.org

Innovation and Research Manager

into the same space that we want to

said there is no dropping off in terms of

fill, so it’s important to understand the

content.

competition.”

The theme this year is Driving The Export

This year there will be no national

Advantage Through Sustainability.

Silver Secateurs competition, but the

That will not only include the obvious

Markham’s Young Viticulturist of the Year

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

7/2012 WINEPRESS

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Marlborough Silver Secateurs The best day of the week, dozens of competitors, lots of hooting and shouting and some scintillating competition ensured the 2012 Marlborough Silver Secateurs was a huge success.

4

Thanks to all the sponsors who came on board for the competition and the contractors who supported it on the day.

The winners were; Open Pruner 1st - Rakakao Smiler (for the fourth time) 2nd – Paea Lonitenisi 3rd – Paea Pulu Open Tyer

6

1st – Jerome Wilson

1

2nd = Akanese Lonitenisi and Paea Pulu Novice Tyer

1 Rakakao Smiler – Winner Open Prun

1st – Rose Zebedee

2 SPLA Contracting – top team.

2nd – Sione Lonitenisi

3 RSE Winners – Marlborough Vinewo

3rd – Douglas Tor

4 Novice Pruner top 3, from left, Rach

Pihema, Akanese Lonitenisi and Sio

Novice Pruner

Lonitenisi

1st – Sione Lonitenisi

5 Paea Lonitenisi

2nd Akanese Lonitenisi

6 Paea Pulu

3rd – Rachel Pihema

2

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

7 Taratii Toakau

Team Event 1st – SPLA Contracting 2nd – Marlborough Vineworks Regga 3rd – SPLA Contracting #2 Contractors Event 1st – SPLA 2nd – Focus Labour Solutions 3rd – Champs RSE Competitors 1st – Marlborough Vineworks 2nd – Provine Contracting 3rd - AYR Contracting Top Woman Competitor Akanese Lonitenisi A huge thanks to the day’s sponsors; Motor Kanix & Light Engineering Gordon Handy Machinery Blackwoods Protector The National Bank Fruitfed Supplies Bahco Bayleys Dalleys Dunnies Marlborough Viticultural Contractors Association

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DALLEYS DUNNIES The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

7/2012 WINEPRESS

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Liquorland Scholarship TESSA NICHOLSON

Born in China, trained in both China and France, the latest Liquorland Scholarship recipient, Nanke Wu, has played a vital role in the Sauvignon Blanc programme, here in Marlborough.

Nanke originates from what she describes as a small city in China – Nantong. Small in it is home to just 7.2 million people. Having studied Bio Technology for two years at Jiangnan University, she is currently undertaking a Diploma in Viticulture, Oenology and Marketing in France. In order to achieve that, she has to undertake two internships, one of which she is completing here in Marlborough at Plant & Food Research.

Her original studies in China saw Nanke studying the compounds found in Chinese Yellow Rice Wine and Chinese White Spirit.

“I used GCMS to analyse which compounds were in Chinese White Spirit. Then I choose the normal one (compound) to make my simulated spirit and I add some trace elements to compare if there is differences or not.

I then do sensory test, to analyse the results.”

It is this specific skill that made Nanke the perfect applicant for the Liquorland Ltd Scholarship, according to Damian Martin, from Plant & Food.

“It was important that Nanke had experience with GCMS and a background on fermentation technology.

Because the projects she has been working on are the fermentation part of the Sauvignon Blanc winemaking process.”

There are two prongs to the research he

said. One is looking at the effect of pH adjustments of the juice, on the dynamics of fermentation.

“Sauvignon juice is normally quite high acid with low pH. So we adjusted the pH in a series of treatments and then we looked at how fast the fermentation went, with those adjustments. We have yet to do the analysis on how that might affect some of the secondary metabolites.”

The second prong is how oxidation or the lack of it, affects the rate of fermentation and the formation of secondary metabolites.

“Essentially we are using different combinations of sulphur dioxide and

ascorbic acid additions ex the press and looking at the effects of that,” Damian says.

Nanke was thrown in the deep end somewhat, arriving in Marlborough just a few days prior to vintage starting. Before she could begin her analytical work, she had to help the rest of the research team harvest the trial blocks.

“When I began in France, we did some small vintages and we did our own wine, which wasn’t very good. But this was a big vintage for me.”

She was also impressed with the technology available at the Marlborough Research Centre.

“The first time I saw the wine scan, I think it’s advanced technology. In France I haven’t seen that.”

In terms of the scholarship, Damian said Nanke has been a valuable resource.

“From a research perspective and from a winemaking perspective, she has really helped us get a lot of things done, that we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to get done. And in terms of internationalising what we do here, Nanke has been a big plus for everyone.”

Nanke’s projects are also providing supporting data for the NZ Winegrowers funded Harvest Processes Project.

Liquorland Ltd provide funding each year to the Marlborough Research Centre to assist them in furthering their research, either through visiting specialists or interns such as Nanke.

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

7/2012 WINEPRESS

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Tendrils – Should You Remove Them?

TESSA NICHOLSON

Removing rubbish from the vineyard floor after pruning is seen as an essential part of the botrytis prevention strategy. But what about the tendrils left on canes? Are they a botrytis risk?

Botrytis is an opportunistic disease, with spores hanging around until conditions are right before flaring into a major epidemic. NZ Wine’s fact sheet on the disease says to control botrytis, it requires an integrated approach involving vigour control, canopy management, fungicide application and a reduction in botrytis inoculum.

Achieving that reduction means growers have to ensure all material Flagged Tendrils potentially carrying botrytis spores is removed during the winter months. Up During the research project, dozens of until recently, that has meant removing tendrils were removed from previously all dead wood after pruning, clearing botrytis infected vines in both rachi out of canes and removing tendrils.

Marlborough and Hawkes Bay. The two Research has shown the inoculum does regions have differing levels of botrytis survive on rachi, petioles and canes. But infection, with the spores known to there has been no research determining be always present in the north, while if tendrils are also a source for over in Marlborough the spores develop wintering spores. only in certain climatic conditions. In Dion Mundy from Plant & Food at the Marlborough’s case all the tendrils were Marlborough Research Centre said at a taken from Sauvignon Blanc, whilst a previous Grape Day, growers asked if range of varieties made up the Hawkes there was any scientific reason to support Bay research. the removal of tendrils. Not surprising “They were placed onto flagging tapes when you consider the labour cost of and returned to a single vineyard in each doing just that. region prior to the flowering sprays going Removing tendrils from canes laid down on. Half of the samples were taken prior is estimated to be between 10 and 15 to pre flowering and the other half were cents per vine, which means the industry collected after the pre bunch closure had is paying anywhere from $2.5 million and gone on,” Dion said. $5 million per annum on this one task.

The tendrils were incubated and then

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

washed to dislodge any spores. The results were very different to those involving rachi.

The highest number of spores was 6000 per centimetre, which Dion said may sound like a lot – but actually isn’t. He said in research trials they would inoculate an item with tens of thousand more spores, than those discovered on the tendrils.

“These were quite low spore numbers and by the second sampling (at pre bunch closure) they had been reduced greatly.”

In general the average number of spores per centimetre was higher for Hawkes Bay than Marlborough, which was consistent with other research undertaken. In terms of how the spore numbers compared to the research on rachi, Dion said the tendrils produced quite a few less.

“And the spores we produced were incubated at optimum temperatures for seven days with high humidity. That was the maximum potential. We don’t expect you to ever experience those conditions out in the field. So in most situations, tendrils from a disease point of view could be left on. They are not really posing a big risk. And if you are spending a lot of money cutting them off and it’s affecting your profitability, I would

recommend you don’t do it.”

But he did have a word of warning.

“If you are going to change any of your vineyard practises, either leave a small area where you do leave them, as a control, to see if it does make a difference to your final disease or vice versa. But our findings show that there is no need to have to cut those tendrils off to reduce disease risk.”

There are two key periods when Botrytis infections are likely to occur: • flowering to bunch closure, when Botrytis infects senescing flower parts (such as flower caps and aborted berries); and • veraison to harvest, when ripening berries become susceptible to

Botrytis on leaf. infection. Botrytis infections are favoured by warm wet weather.

It has to be remembered that not all botrytis infections are a result of spores

surviving over wintering, Dion said. They can also come in from other sources, such as a neighbour’s vineyard or other plants, given botrytis is not confined to grapes alone.

There are a multitude of options open to growers to help prevent an outbreak following fruit set. These include shoot thinning, sprays, trash removal, leaf plucking, canopy exposure and even mechanical thinning.

In terms of preventing any spores hanging around the vineyard over winter, the advice is to remove cane prunings, either through mulching, burning or burial so they are no longer a source in the coming year. But it appears you will not have to pay to remove tendrils.

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Marlborough’s Wine Star TESSA NICHOLSON

One Marlborough wine company is reaping the rewards for taking part in a Dragon’s Den style competition held recently in London.

The competition Wine Stars was the

The 200 wineries were whittled down

an interview process with the judges,

brainchild of Catherine Monahan of Clink

to the top 20, and the wines were put

either live or by skype. Scott and te Pa

Wines in the UK. She invited producers

through a tasting by a panel of experts.

owner Haysley MacDonald decided it

looking for a listing in that part of the

That 20 were once again whittled down to

would be far better to do it in person,

world, to pitch their wine to a panel

the top 10.

face to face, despite the very short

of experts. The major criteria was the

“We were emailed on the Thursday

notice.

companies were not already represented

that we had made the top 10 and were

During the 12-minute interview, Scott had

in the UK market. More than 200 wineries

on a plane headed for England on the

three minutes to make a presentation

from throughout the world entered,

Monday.”

and then nine minutes to answer judge’s

including a number from New Zealand.

Each of the 10 finalists had to go through

questions. It was all a bit daunting, but

Scott Wilson, marketing manager

the outcome was more than worth

of Marlborough’s te Pa winery, was

it.

one of those.

While they weren’t the inaugural

“What they wanted was something

winner, te Pa is now in talks with

that was innovative, to show that

at least one major UK distributor,

you had a point of difference in

which is more than even Scott had

your marketing. They said that

hoped for.

the UK market was very stagnant,

“We have got a meeting this

people had stopped thinking

coming month and we have

outside the square and no one was

had talks with a few other major

exciting anymore.”

companies. So we have got two or

To enter, wineries had to answer

three leads.”

a list of questions about their

te Pa is a newcomer on the

wine and their strategy in terms

Marlborough scene, with its first

of marketing and packaging. For

vintage just last year, 5000 cases

Scott this meant a 3500 word

of Sauvignon Blanc. This year that

submission about the history of

will increase substantially, with

te Pa and what he believed made

a large proportion of it hopefully

it stand out from the crowd - all

heading to the UK.

written in just two days. Given their

One other New Zealand

marketing byline is te Pa – Our

company made it to the top 10 –

Home for 800 Years, there was

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more than enough to intrigue the

Otago. The overall winner was

panel.

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

7/2012 WINEPRESS

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21

Social Media and the Cellar Door TESSA NICHOLSON

Wineries in Marlborough have embraced new technology in terms of social media. But one expert believes it needs to be extended from the marketing department to cellar doors.

Jamie Roy has years of experience

“It’s very simple, it’s user

in Social Media and was one of the

generated content that is created

collaborators at the recent Cellar Door

on line. The beautiful thing

Workshop held in Blenheim. He believes

about it is people come back to

there is an untapped opportunity for

these sites every day. There is

wineries to increase their worldwide

an opportunity for businesses

impact if the cellar door was being more

to create a brand within that

optimised on social media.

space.”

“They are not tapping into that space at

He says in Marlborough alone,

all at the moment and it’s an opportunity

there are Facebook pages that

that is there. Once you have the

have been created by cellar door

knowledge to set up, you are taking

customers. Some have over 800

advantage of those opportunities and

people who have checked in.

your cellar door is talking to the world.

These are blank pages that don’t

There are some fantastic wineries on

have an association with the wineries

smart phones, that conversation can

social media who do a great job, but

existing Facebook business pages.

happen on line, anywhere, anytime.

there is an opportunity to get more of

“What happens is someone comes

“There is no other (business sector)

an impact from your cellar door and pull

along one day and on their smartphone

space that works as well with social

those visitors through into your social

says; ‘I am at this vineyard.’ They have

media as wine does. It’s a perfect fit.”

media channels.”

checked in, it has gone and created a

The best way to describe how social

The channels he is talking about are

page on that network. Then other people

media works alongside other traditional

numerous. There’s Twitter, Facebook,

have seen it and also checked in to a

electronic media, is to consider the social

G+ (Google Plus), Foursquare and Trip

page, which the business hasn’t actually

media posting as the equivalent of a

Advisor to name just a few. All have

created. That is a missed opportunity.”

handshake and introduction to someone

millions of postings daily. He says they

Social media and wine are a match made

new. If they become interested in you,

can be used as a digital wine base, a

in heaven, Jamie says. Simply because

they want to find out more – which leads

digital tasting room and a digital guest

people who drink wine, tend to want to

them to your website, which contains the

book.

talk about it. And given the ability with

nuts and bolts of the company. Almost

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

like social media being the

The other fear many people have,

synopsis and the website being

is whether or not they need to be

the book. But to make it work,

an “IT geek” to work social media.

there are a few golden rules.

“You absolutely don’t. If you can

• Always engage with the

search on Google, you can use

consumer as you would talk

social media. You do need to

to them.

learn the tools and you do need

• Make sure before you go into

to invest in the time, but you don’t

the online world, that you

need to be an IT geek to make it

do things right in the offline

work for your business.”

world. If your brand is not

While Jamie wouldn’t go so far

right prior to social media,

as to say, “ignore social media at

then it won’t correct itself

your peril,” he does say it is a very

online.

important mix in the marketing of People are often concerned, he says,

your business. Especially given the next

than a task. You have to be engaging,

that they won’t have enough information

generation of consumers (nicknamed

not disinterested.

to keep up a daily or three times a week

Gen C for connected), will be the ones

conversation. But given the postings

you want in the future.

politely to show that you are listening to

are short and simple, they can cover a

“If you don’t do it, you won’t go out of

your customers.

wide range of subjects, from weather,

business. But you are missing out on a

Make it a part of your routine, rather

• Deal with any negative comments

(yes people are interested in the

demographic coming through that is so

and more about what is happening in

weather,) latest releases, events, growing

involved in this space. They are a target

your part of the world. Collaborate and

conditions and regional news, and stories

market that (without social media) you

share information about your entire

about people who have visited the cellar

may potentially struggle to tap into.”

region.

door.

• Keep the content less about yourself

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

7/2012 WINEPRESS

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23

Business Solutions CHRIS ELPHICK

Keeping It Going In Tough Times.

Fall down seven times, stand up eight – Japanese proverb For many business owners, once the

business without the support of those

Step 4: Set small goals

initial excitement of setting up and

closest to them. But it’s important to find

Setting small goals and achieving them

running your own business starts to wear

support outside your family as well. You

keeps you going forward. You can

off, there is a period of feeling lonely,

can do this by:

celebrate them then move on. Small

overworked and unsupported.

• Finding a business mentor to help

goals are particularly important when the

Add to that the fact that it can take

you to set goals and work out what

economic climate is difficult. Save your

three to five years for a business to

you want to achieve. And if things are

grand plans for when things pick up.

become profitable, and you may start

really tough, they can help you decide

If things are really tough, break your

to feel disheartened. And in the current

whether it’s time to call it a day and

goals into bite-sized pieces – weekly

economic climate when the economy is

wind your business up.

goals, for example, which you can then

sluggish, smaller businesses are among

Business Mentors New Zealand

the first to suffer – particularly those in the

provides free mentoring (www.

hospitality-related sector which relies on

businessmentor.org.nz) or sign up with

availability of consumer’s discretionary

a private mentor.

spending.

• Talking to people who are going

Resilience – the key to thriving not just surviving Everyone can develop skills to become more resilient. The good news is that by taking a few simple steps you can make it through the tough times.

Step 1: Make sure you have a business plan Developing a plan can seem boring, but having a short to medium-term plan helps you chart your progress, and allows you to go for quick wins. A plan is a map that helps you go from A to B. Without one, you can end up getting lost.

Step 2: Develop good support systems You can’t do it on your own. You need the support of your friends and family. Not many people can set up and run a small

24

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7/2012 WINEPRESS

through similar experiences as you.

Join your local business association, such as Chamber of Commerce or Rotary; or a local or nationwide industry group.

• Talking to the other vital member of your “team” – your accountant. They can provide financial and broader business advice, and help you see the larger picture.

stretch out to fortnightly when you feel more confident.

Step 5: Stay disciplined and keep believing in yourself When things are tough it’s easy to lose focus or procrastinate. You may find yourself putting off doing things because they seem too hard, or because you can’t see the point any more.

It’s important to take time out from your business to do the things that help you stay inspired and energised.

Talk to your business mentor, accountant, spouse/partner, or to a fellow business owner. Getting good-quality advice will

Step 3: Be realistic

help you keep believing in yourself, make

Running a business is hard work, and

it easier to overcome problems and keep

making a profit is damned difficult. It’s

on going.

important to go into it with your eyes open – and to stay realistic about what you can

Chris Elphick is a Wellington-

achieve.

based business mentor, coach and

Be realistic about what your business is

trainer. For more business tips and

offering – the services you provide and

information visit: www.chriselphick.

the staff required to realise this.

co.nz

The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Sheep Among the Vines TESSA NICHOLSON

It’s not exactly a new trend, grazing sheep among the vines, but it is a practice that hasn’t been overly used in New Zealand until recent years.

American Kelly Mulville, a holistic management educator, believes sheep grazing in vineyards is an important management tool that is not only holistic, but also economically viable. In Marlborough recently, he discussed how to make the most of this age old trend.

“Vineyard management practices in general have become increasingly mechanised throughout the world,” he said. “A typical year on a Californian vineyard (organic or conventional) can require anywhere from 12 to 25 tractor passes down each row, for pre-pruning, mowing, disking, spraying, under-vine cultivation, in-row cultivation, fertilisation, harvesting and seeding.”

All these tractor passes combine to compact soils, impact on beneficial insects, while adding to the vineyard’s carbon footprint and fuel costs.

Sheep however, are another story. Self contained, they don’t require anything more than feed. They give back to the soil, via dung and more importantly, urine – Kelly said. They are less labour intensive, remove the need for mechanical or hand cultivation and mowing, under vine weeding and hand bud rubbing. In initial trials undertaken in the States, Kelly said having sheep in the vineyard also reduced irrigations costs, when compared to the control block.

“We also didn’t have to bring in any fertilisers, as the sheep did all that for me in that first year. We increased the soil health by recycling the nutrients on

site, as everything the sheep ate was going back on there. We tend to pay a lot of attention to manure, but I really think the most valuable thing that comes from livestock is the urine.”

In terms of establishing a grazing vineyard, he had some practical advise.

High density stock is more advantageous than low density, although it does require regular moving of sheep.

“By high intensity I mean somewhere between 375 and 1000 sheep per hectare and grazing periods no longer than three days. If you have more animals in a tighter space you are getting a more even graze of your plants, you get more even distribution of dung and urine.

Plus quicker moves are better for animal nutrition, you end up with tighter plant communities, more litter distribution and it makes all those eco system processes more effective. You get less run off and quicker improvements in soil health.”

Citing an American vineyard where a small number of sheep were grazed on a single block for three months, without being moved, he said the end result was some serious damage to the soil.

“By the end of the season, every plant was over grazed and the soils were severely over trampled.”

If the vineyard is large enough, he recommended having at least 8 to 10 sealed off paddocks that could be used for grazing. If there isn’t the room to allow that, then a separate grazing paddock where the sheep could be housed to

allow time for renewed growth among the vines, would suffice.

In an effort to ensure the vineyards are suitable for sheep throughout the year, Kelly said he had to face some design issues.

“The most obvious thing is to raise the canopies out of reach of the animals, but the reality is most of our vineyards are already set up. So we had to look at some other options. In my trials I used an electrified deterrence system.”

It involved two wires, either side of the canopy, set up prior to bud break, with a voltage of between 7,000 and 10,000. On some vineyards they were solar powered, in others he was able to use mains. In time he said that voltage was able to be reduced, once the sheep became trained to the deterrent.

“What I wanted to do was train the sheep, so there was no incentive to get up and eat the leaves. So basically what they are doing is leaving everything alone above that wire. And everything below it is fair game.”

In terms of ground cover, Kelly said he used diverse crops, ensuring there was nothing toxic to the sheep.

“We used grasses and clover and literally just hand sowed the seed and let the sheep do the job of tramping them in.”

The cost savings he said have been high – given he has no fuel costs for mechanisation. Plus the fact that he sells the sheep at prices New Zealand farmers can only dream about. Per pound of meat

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– he said he can get between $7.50 and $10. That’s US dollars – a pretty healthy return.

There is one issue though that growers need to be aware of prior to placing sheep in vineyards – and that’s sheep measles. Every year, lambs grazed in vineyards are processed with high levels of sheep measles. While the infection does not affect humans, it does cause unsightly cysts which lodge in lamb

muscle tissue. If a lamb is infected, the carcasses are downgraded at slaughter.

If you are running sheep in the vineyard, you have to ensure that dogs are not allowed to run free. The parasites responsible for the cysts are carried by dogs, with sheep acting as secondary hosts. One dog can shed as many as 250,000 eggs a day in their faeces, so pasture contamination can build up quickly. The eggs can survive on pasture

for up to six months.

So if you intend to graze lambs, you will need to ensure no foreign dogs are allowed to roam the vineyard.

Next month Winepress will take a closer look at research being undertaken in Hawkes Bay regarding lowering the withholding period for sheep grazed in vineyards.

Winery Exchange - 2013 Harvest Name, Email and Contact Number Company Name Winery processing space Grapes wanted for Vintage

available 2013 & tonnes sought

Red White Matt Murphy Sauvignon Blanc (450 tonnes); matt@mountriley.co.nz Mount Riley Wines Pinot Gris (20T) Pinot Noir (20-40T) 021 797 681 Ben Halliday: benh@marlboroughvintners.co.nz Marlborough Vintners 021 522 929 Rapaura Road Blenheim 500+ Tonnes 1,000+ tonnes Ben Halliday: benh@marlboroughvintners.co.nz South Island Vintners 021 522 929 Cromwell Central Otago 600+ tonnes TBA Kevin Judd: kevin@greywacke.com Greywacke N/A N/A Chardonnay Mendoza (10 - 15 tonnes) 021 451 137 Sioban Harnett sioban@whitehaven.co.nz Whitehaven Wine N/A N/A Chardonnay 10 tonne 027 643 5361 Company

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

Indicate if required from any sub region

Consider all

Southern Valleys or Central Wairau All sub regions considered

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

To have your event included in next month’s calendar please email details to tessa.nicholson@me.com

JULY 11

Marlborough Wine Research Centre and Plant & Food Seminar – 4pm – 5.30pm – Research Centre Theatre

20

Markham’s Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition

22

Shared Table @ Mahi – 4 courses + matching wines $85. Email: gemma@mahiwine.co.nz for a sample of the menu or to book. Limited seats available.

23

Top of the South Energy Security Conference – Waimea Room, Rutherford Hotel – Nelson. Details – carolynhughes@nec. org.nz

27

Marlborough Winegrowers Board Meeting

28

Glitz and Glamour in the Vines – Hospice Ball. Details - hairbykardos@yahoo.co.nz

AUGUST 8

International Wine and Spirit Competition Sauvignon Blanc winners tasting plus 2012 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc new release tasting. RSVP: sarah@ wine-marlborough.co.nz

22 - 24

Romeo Bragato Conference – Blenheim – details at www.bragato.org.nz

29

Pinot Noir 2013 Road Show – Marlborough venue to be advised

31

Marlborough Winegrowers Board Meeting

SEPTEMBER 4 – 6

Spiegleau International Wine Competition judging – Blenheim

8

Pinot at Cloudy Bay details – www.cloudybay.co.nz

28

Marlborough Winegrowers Board Meeting

OCTOBER 11

Wineworks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yacht Race. To register your wine and for more information – visit: www.winerace.co.nz

15 – 17

Marlborough Wine Show judging – Blenheim

NOVEMBER 24

McAlpines Roundwood Limited

Air New Zealand Wine Awards Dinner - Wellington

Suppliers of

Quality Roundwood Contact:

Grant Cathcart Phone 03 313 8339 Fax 03 313 3767 Mobile 021 511 460

roundwood@mcalpines.co.nz

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News From Home and Away help from a UK company. Naked Wines

Terroir Conference

is investing close to $1 million to help

Two members of Plant & Food in

establish Lay of the Land. Three wines in

Marlborough are currently in France

total will be made exclusively for Naked

attending the 9th International Congress

Wine customers, with the first, a 2011

of Vitiviniculture Terroirs. Marc Greven is

Sauvignon Blanc currently on its way to

presenting a paper, while Victoria Raw is

the UK. A Pinot Noir is expected to be

presenting a poster. This multidisciplinary

available for UK customers later this year.

scientific meeting on the concept of

Accolades Yealands Estate Single Block Sauvignon Invivo Graffiti Invivo Wines has just launched a novel form of packaging for their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

With the assistance of street artists, a range of wine boxes have been created for a limited edition. Firstly, artists from the New Zealand Art Collective, and two times world street art champions, TMD Crew (The Most Dedicated) produced a range of boxes. And now a British range has been produced by DWS (Da Wild Stallions) an East London-based group.

The boxes were painted at a live art event hosted by Invivo Wines at London’s

‘Terroir’ in the sphere of vine and wine is held every two years.

Blanc 2011 – judged as the best

Pinot at Cloudy Bay

Sauvignon Blanc in the world at 2012

This is being held at the Cloudy Bay

International Wine Challenge

winery on September 8. It is the 13th

Sileni Cellar Selection Marlborough

year the event has taken place and once

Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – one of only 10

again 18 wines will be showcased. The

Grande Golds at the 2012 Selections

prime objective is to provide a range of

Mondiales Des Vins Canada.

wines that celebrate the unique qualities

Saint Clair Family Estate Pioneer Block 14

and regional variations of Pinot Noir from

Doctor’s Creek Pinot Noir 2010 – winner

all major regions producing this variety.

of the Red Marlborough Trophy at the

For further details and bookings, (tickets

International Wine Challenge in London.

are limited) visit www.coudybay.co.nz

Yealands Estate – winner of the 2012 Green Economy section at the Ministry for the Environment’s 2012 Green Ribbon Awards.

Wine Awards Dinner The Air New Zealand Wine Awards dinner will be held in Wellington this year on November 24. Judging will take place at

award wining Drake and Morgan’s

Marlborough Research Seminars

Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland from

“Refinery Bar.”

These have been a huge success,

5-7 November 2012, with a new Chair of

It is the latest approach by the New

with another coming up on July 11.

Judges, Michael Brajkovich. All entries

Zealand company, to target a younger

Robert Beresford and Gareth Hill will be

from 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintage must

audience.

discussing the Botrytis Support Models –

be 100% sustainable.

UK Company Invests in Local Winemaker Former head winemaker at Jackson Estate, Mike Paterson, is about to set up his own label, with some serious

Early and Late Season, and Botrytis Risk Assessment Tools. The seminar begins at 4pm in the Theatre at the Marlborough Research Centre. There is no charge and no need to pre book.

VINES FOR SALE - Albarino - certified grafted vines $5.80 each + GST.Tel: 575 7505

Disclaimer: The views and articles that are expressed and appear in Winepress are those 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.

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The Official Magazine of Wine Marlborough

GREAT VINES BEGIN WITH NURTURING CARE

plant

CERTIfIEd VINES

WITH CoNfIdENCE

Grapes Wanted Rapaura Springs Wines is a fast growing winery producing premium quality wine for the local & export markets.

Due to our huge investment in marketing and promotion, numerous accolades for our wines and our great team of growers, we are experiencing increased demand in all our markets.

We are looking for contract Growers to join the Rapaura Springs team, we can offer: • An attractive price per tonne • Long Term contracts • Cropping levels per hectare that reflect your individual vineyards ability to produce quality wine • An in house grower support program

CALL US oN 0800 444 614 Rex on 027 49 80 183 rex@mistyvalley.co.nz Donna on 021 84 98 39 donna@mistyvalley.co.nz

View our catalogue online www.mistyvalley.co.nz

• Access to independent viticultural advice Rapaura Springs and its parent company Spring Creek Vintners, have significant local assets in both wine processing and vineyard production, we are passionate about the Marlborough wine industry – come and join us.

Please contact our Grower liaison; Simon Bowers on 021 446 993 or email your contact details to scn@xtra.co.nz

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