james vineyard keresley millton research vineyard … · fruit from vineyard to winery, in average...

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WINE MARLBOROUGH

ISSUE NO. 268 / APRIL 2017

WINERYREPAIRS

JAMESMILLTON

KERESLEYVINEYARD

VINEYARDRESEARCH

wine-marlborough.co.nz

Photo: Jim Tannock

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Winepress April 2017 / 1

3 Editorial

4 From the Board - Samantha Wickham

6 Tasman Crop Met Report

24 Gen Y-ine - Harri Evans

26 The Block - Keresley Vineyard

28 Biosecurity Watch

30 Industry News

32 ANZ Wine Happenings

Cover:Constellation kicks off its harvest, with a brand-new Pellanc harvester, on pg 11. Photo by Jim Tannock

this issue...10

24

14

26

REGULARS FEATURES

10 Earthquake Recovery Villa Maria’s “galvanized”

team, along with determined contractors, worked tirelessly to ensure the quake damaged Marlborough winery was ready for vintage.

12 Biocontrols A speck-sized samurai wasp

could help protect New Zealand’s wine industry from the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), should that “most unwanted” pest make its way to New Zealand.

14 Organic Conference Organic winegrowing pioneer

James Millton is one of 24 speakers lined up for the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough this June.

22 Driving Vintage Moving 320,000 tonnes of

fruit from vineyard to winery, in average loads of 18 tonnes, takes 18,000 truck movements over the space of 30 days.

2 / Winepress April 2017

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Wine Marlborough Board:Ben [email protected]

Callum [email protected]

Jack [email protected]

Michael [email protected]

Nick [email protected]

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Samantha [email protected]

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From theEditor

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. SOPHIE PREECE

“How much longer are you

going to put up with the

degradation of your region’s

name?”John Saker

GOLDEN EGGS are hard to come by, not to mention the geese that lay them. So, as the cautionary tale goes, when you’ve got one, you’d better look after it.

It was an idiom that sprang to mind when I read John Saker’s scalding piece in Fairfax publications on the millions of litres of bulk wine sent overseas to be “bottled and badged” in far flung corners of the world. “In particular, I’m looking at you Marlborough,” he wrote last month. “How much longer are you going to put up with the degradation of your region’s name?”

It’s a question many are asking, and Wine Marlborough is currently evaluating a classification model for Sauvignon Blanc, while a group of senior Marlborough wine figures is driving a Pure Marlborough Wine initiative.

If the global reputation of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is one golden goose worth protecting, the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is another. But days after John’s column, The Marlborough Express ran a story on Ni-Vanuatu workers who had been underpaid for their work and told their contract was just a “guideline”. We need to look to contractors, growers, wine companies and government agencies to actively ensure that everyone working in Marlborough’s wine industry is getting a fair deal.

Thankfully, stories like these are balanced out by the many people of integrity and passion in New Zealand’s wine industry, who strive to always do better. One of them is James Millton, who will speak at the Organic and Biodynamic Conference in June, and is described by conference coordinator Stephanie McIntyre as “a guiding light for New Zealand organics and biodynamics”.

In a story on pg 14 James talks of reading philosophy and Goethe to understand organics, and reading Winnie the Pooh to understand people. In the Hundred Acre Wood he finds character types – from the phlegmatic Pooh to the sanguine Tigger – and uses them to better know, and ensure the happiness of, his team. The subsequent positive energy - just like the energy that goes into heathy, biologically rich soil - is transferred into every bottle of wine Millton Winery makes, says James.

It’s a little bit kooky, of course. In the same way that organics was considered kooky 30 years ago, before the rest of the world caught up. While he waits for people to catch up with his latest philosophy, James may want to call on some of Pooh Bear’s words of wisdom. “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”


MARLBOROUGH IS a veritable checkerboard of vineyards in different cycles of life, from new developments and complete replanting programmes through to replacing dead or diseased vines.

We travelled the district pre-harvest to look, from a nursery perspective, at young vines planted last year. It was hard to draw conclusions from such a diversity of vineyards around the region, especially when our sub-regions are so variable. However, the difficulty of growing a young, replacement vine within an existing mature block continues to be a challenge across every aspect of vineyard management.

Stepping back a bit to look at new vineyard developments planted in 2016, it was not an easy growing season. Cold weather and high winds were challenging across all of Marlborough. Broken posts and varied levels of growth were the subject of many conversations. Even the best vineyard managers were concerned about new developments not being as uniform as in previous years, especially in pockets where blocks were more exposed to high winds.

We noticed that growers who used taller (900mm) vine guards had less variation with their new developments. One can only assume this is because the new plants had more protection from the wind. The few weeks preceding the main harvest period assuaged the concerns of many growers, as the plants bolted to catch up once the winds died down and the warm weather appeared.

From the BoardDon’t let the hoggets in with the old ewes.

SAMANTHA WICKHAM

On par with new developments, blocks that were fully or partially replanted also struggled in this colder, windier season. Coupled with the weather, these vines faced a double bladed sword of also being vulnerable to whatever conditions were left under the ground from the previous vines. In March, we saw replanted blocks that completely surpassed all expectations and thrived, and other blocks where even in the best site conditions we were surprised that the vines managed to survive with so much weed competition, poor soil preparation and lack of management.

The performance of a replanted block is in direct proportion to how much time and attention it is given. Consider how much time you have before you begin a replant, and plan accordingly. Young vine management requires time and attention to detail. If you do not have either, it is best to have a plan B or to rethink a replant. A good plan B could be to take your replanting plan down to a more manageable size, or to hire someone to look after your young vines if you don’t have the time.

Young vines planted to replace

dead or diseased vines within a vineyard always struggle. HI-STEM™ tall vines struggle too. There is no golden ticket to fixing this. When an older vine dies or suffers from trunk disease, the root systems of the adjacent vines fill in the space. This is invisible unless you dig beneath the soil. A young, certified, bare rooted vine from any nursery will struggle in these conditions - it simply cannot compete. Often times the dripper is not perfectly aligned with the freshly planted young vine, and the water that the one-year-old vine desperately requires goes towards the overbearing root system of the adjacent neighbour.

Such a poor start in life is also coupled with managers who have little to no time to care for individual young vines planted sporadically throughout a large vineyard. Most


vineyard managers have much bigger ‘fish to fry’, especially with the new spray calendars to which we must adhere. From a nursery perspective, this is always hard to see - we don’t like to witness anyone wasting money or time.

Standing on my soapbox, I think it is time we took a moment to evaluate not only our vines as they reach full maturity, but also our time. Do you have the time and energy to properly replace the dead vines in your vineyard? Perhaps you should ‘fill the gaps’ if your block is looking healthy, there is no evidence of trunk disease, and the vines are less than 15 years old. Keep in mind that a young vine will struggle regardless of whether or not it is a standard height vine or a HI-STEM™ tall vine. What you see above the ground at this time of year reflects what is happening below the ground, and often times the root system of any bare rooted vine cannot compete with the mature roots of the adjacent neighbour.

If your block (and I am referring to Sauvignon Blanc in this context as this is the bread and butter of our local industry) is older than 15 to 20 years, and you are even remotely toying with the idea of replanting, perhaps it is best to leave the gaps and save yourself time and money. However, carefully consider that if you do leave the gaps, your vineyard will no longer be commercially viable if the gaps surpass 20% of your vineyard.

If you do replace the individual vines, and if you do choose to consider replanting, say five to 10 years down the track, the situation may occur where you remove the old vines, but feel compelled to leave the five to 10-year-old vines that you used as previous replants. This will lead to a block that is tricky to manage in all areas. It will prevent you from having a ‘clean’ replant, and instead you will have a block that is peppered with older vines that you will have to individually hand harvest so you do not harm the replants. Irrigation

will be tricky, as you will not want to keep watering the older vines as they approach harvest, but the new vines will still require irrigation. Retrunking may be a better solution.

To quote one of my favourite customers, “don’t let the hoggets in with the old ewes”. Take the time to consider the age and health/stage of your vineyard before you choose to replace vines and fill in gaps this winter. There may be too much underground competition to make this a smart solution. If your vineyard is at a point where you are considering replanting, think about how complicated it would be if you had younger, healthier vines peppered throughout a vineyard that you want to replace. Maybe those gaps you leave today will make life easier further down the track.

Samantha Wickham is a director of Ormond Nurseries and a member of the Wine Marlborough Board.


Table 1: Blenheim Weather Data – March 2017

March March 2017 March Period March 2017 compared LTA of LTA 2016 LTAGDD’s for: Month - Max/Min¹ 196.4 100% 196.6 (1996-2016) 217.3Month – Mean² 184.2 95% 193.6 (1996-2016) 214.4Growing Degree Days Total Jul 16 - Mar 17 – Max/Min 1256.0 104% 1211.8 (1996-2016) 1290.6Jul 16 - Mar 17 – Mean 1267.8 102% 1241.5 (1996-2016) 1322.9Mean Maximum (°C) 20.9 -0.6°C 21.5 (1986-2016) 22.4Mean Minimum (°C) 11.8 +1.3°C 10.5 (1986-2016) 11.6Mean Temp (°C) 16.3 +0.3°C 16.0 (1986-2016) 17.0Grass Frosts (<= -1.0°C) 0 - 0.19 (1986-2016) 0Air Frosts (0.0°C) 0 Equal 0.0 (1986-2016) 0Sunshine hours 200.7 87% 231.3 (1986-2016) 241.9Sunshine hours – lowest 146.7 1980 Sunshine hours – highest 281.0 1969 Sunshine hours total – 2017 729.0 101% 720.1 (1986-2016) 763.6Rainfall (mm) 47.0 120% 39.2 (1986-2016) 46.8Rainfall (mm) – lowest 2.8 1969 Rainfall (mm) – highest 118.0 1979 Rainfall total (mm) – 2017 136.0 106% 128.6 (1986-2016) 134.0Evapotranspiration – mm 84.7 84% 100.3 (1996-2016) 106.2Avg. Daily Windrun (km) 181.1 73% 249.4 (1996-2016) 210.8Mean soil temp – 10cm 16.9 +1.3°C 15.6 (1986-2016) 16.7Mean soil temp – 30cm 19.2 +1.0°C 18.2 (1986-2016) 20.1

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

²GDD’s Mean are calculated from average hourly temperatures

March 2017 mean temperature and rainfall were slightly above average, sunshine hours and wind-run were well below average.

Temperature

March got off to a very warm start with a maximum temperature of 29.3°C on the first of the month. The mean temperature for the first week of March was well above average. In contrast the second week was quite cool, while the third and fourth weeks were slightly above average. The most notable point with regard to the March temperatures was that the mean maximum for the month was 0.6°C below average, while the mean minimum was 1.3°C above average. The average daily range in temperature was 9.1°C compared to the long-term average daily range of 11.0°C. These cooler daytime and warmer night-time temperatures were due to overcast weather associated with the rain.

Five days during March recorded maximum temperature between 25.0 and 29.3°C. In contrast March 2016 recorded eleven days with maximum temperature between 25.0 and 28.1°C.

Rainfall

March 2017 recorded 47.0 mm rain, almost identical to the 46.8 mm recorded in March 2016. Rainfall was recorded on 11 days during March 2017. However, six of those days recorded 1.0 mm or less. The highest one day rainfall total was 26.0 mm recorded on 11 March. Total rain for the first three months of 2017 is 136.0, or 101% of the long-term average of 134.6 mm.

The January to March rainfall totals for 2016 (134.0 mm) and 2017 (134.6 mm) are also almost the same. However, January 2017 rainfall was

Table 2: Weekly temperatures in Blenheim during March 2017

Mean Maximum Mean Minimum Mean Deviation 1 – 7 March 22.6 (+1.1) 12.5 (+2.0) 17.6 +1.6°C 8 – 14 March 18.5 (-3.0) 10.6 (+0.1) 14.6 -1.4°C15 – 21 March 21.8 (+0.3) 10.7 (+0.2) 16.2 +0.2°C22 – 28 March 20.1 (-1.4) 12.9 (+2.4) 16.5 +0.5°C29 – 31 March (3 days) 22.1 (+0.6) 12.7 (+2.2) 17.4 +1.4°CMarch 2017 Average 20.9 -0.6°C 11.8 +1.3°C 16.3 +0.3°CLong-term average1986-2016 21.5 10.5 16.0


well below average and February 2017 above average. The opposite occurred in 2016, with January above average and February below average.

Although March 2016 and March 2017 recorded almost identical rainfall totals, Marlborough is much less dry at the beginning of April 2017 than it was at the beginning of April 2016. Almost all of the March 2016 rainfall fell on the 23rd, which meant that the first three weeks of the month were very dry, whereas in March 2017 the rainfall was spread across a number of days during the month.

Soil moisture

Shallow soil moisture (5-35 cm depth) at the Grovetown Park weather station was 23.8% on 1 March 2017. In contrast, on 1 March 2016 it was 15.1%. Soil moisture was much more evenly spread in March 2017, in association with the regular rain events.

Wind Run

March 2017 recorded average daily wind run of 181.1 km compared to the long-term average of 249.4 km (1996-2016); 73% of the long-term average. March 2017 is now the calmest on record for the 22 years 1996 to 2017. This is the seventh year in a row that March has recorded less than average wind-run. In contrast March 1998 recorded average

wind-run of 341.3 km; 188% of March 2017.

Growing Degree Days (GDDs) and ripening of grapes in 2017

The last time the growing degree-day graph (Figure 1) was presented in Met Report was at the beginning of December 2016 just as flowering of most Sauvignon blanc grapes in Marlborough was getting underway. Four months down the track, at the beginning of April 2017, the Sauvignon blanc harvest is just getting into full swing, so it is a good time to look back on the GDD graph for this season especially with regard to how grape development has compared to previous seasons.

We have received queries along the lines of “why is the GDD line for the 2016-17 season indicating that it has been a warm season when it hasn’t been a warm summer, and grapes are taking a long time to ripen?”

The GDD line for 2016-2017 is not telling a lie, it has been a warm season. However, much of the warmth in the current season has occurred at a different time in the season compared to 2015-16. The mean temperatures in September, October and November 2016 were above average so the GDD line rose considerably during those months, in contrast to 2015 when temperatures were cooler. Many people seem to think

that the summer of 2016-17 was no good. That was not the case. The mean temperature in December 2016 was average, and January and February 2017 mean temperatures were slightly above average. Most people probably remember the summer of 2015-16 as being far warmer than 2016-17. This is hardly surprising given that the mean temperature in February 2016 was the second hottest in 85 years. However, we have all long since forgotten that December 2015 was actually quite cool. It was not until about the second week of January 2016 that the summer became very warm. The GDD line indicates that temperatures were well above average from early January 2016 right through until mid-April 2016. It is these consistently warm temperatures that we remember from 2016. The GDD line indicates that temperatures have been a lot more variable than in 2016. There were a number of fairly short cool periods in January and February 2017 when the GDD line dropped.

Are the grapes taking longer to ripen in 2017 than in 2016? The speed of ripening of grapes is a result of a lot more than just growing degree days (mean temperature). For the grapes to ripen the leaves need sunshine to produce carbohydrates. Lower sunshine hours mean fewer carbohydrates are produced. The ripening phase of Marlborough Sauvignon blanc normally begins in the second or third week of February when véraison occurs and continues

through until mid-April for later ripening blocks. Total sunshine hours for both February and March are summarised in Table 3, for the six years 2012 to 2017, and compared with the long-term average.

The data in table 3 indicate that 2013, 2015 and 2016 all recorded well above average sunshine hours in both February and March. The sunshine hours recorded in these three years were exceptional, and we need to remind ourselves that such sunny conditions cannot be expected every year. As well as above average sunshine hours in

Figure 1: Normalized growing degree days for Blenheim: days above (+) or below (-) the long-term average (1990-2015) for the period 1 September to 30 April


those three seasons the total GDDs were also above average. In complete contrast February and March 2012 recorded only 71% of average sunshine, and approximately 200 hours less sunshine than 2013, 2015 and 2016. The GDD line also indicates that 2012 was also a very cool season. Sunshine hours were above average in February 2017 but well below average in March 2017.

Phenology records of monitored blocks of Sauvignon blanc grapes in Marlborough indicate that the dates of 8°Brix (véraison) on most blocks in 2017 were within a few days of 2016. The exceptions were blocks in the Upper

Wairau and Upper Awatere Valleys where véraison was seven to 10 days later in 2017.

Table 4 summarises the dates of 8 and 21.5°Brix of 2-cane pruned Sauvignon blanc at a vineyard that Plant & Food Research has been monitoring since 2005. 21.5°Brix, on 30 March 2017, was nine days later than 21 March 2016. However, only two days later than the average date of 21.5°Brix over the 12 years 2005 to 2016. The dates of 21.5°Brix in 2014, 2015 and 2016 were all much earlier than average. In 2012 with low GDDs and low sunshine, 21.5°Brix was not until 16 April. Also of note is that the

yield of these two cane vines in 2017 was above average, and slightly above the yield in both 2015 and 2016. There were 40 days between 8 and 21.5°Brix in 2017, slightly longer than in 2015 and 2016, but slightly less than average.

The overcast cloudy weather in March 2017 has undoubtedly slowed down the ripening of the grapes compared to the previous two years. However, we need to bear in mind that Marlborough has been very fortunate with the weather over ripening in the last few years.

Rob AgnewPlant & Food Research / Marlborough Research Centre

Table 3: Total sunshine hours for February and March February February March March Total Total Sunshine Sunshine as Sunshine Sunshine as Sunshine Sunshine as hours % of LTA hours % of LTA hours % of LTA2017 246.3 109% 200.7 87% 447.0 98%2016 289.3 127% 241.9 105% 531.2 116%2015 264.1 116% 244.2 106% 508.3 111%2014 241.4 106% 232.8 101% 474.2 103%2013 291.1 128% 255.0 110% 546.1 119%2012 133.6 59% 192.5 83% 326.1 71%Long-term average 227 231.3 458.2

Table 4: Two cane pruned Sauvignon blanc vines on a vineyard on the Western Wairau Plains. Dates of 8 and 21.5°Brix, interval in days between those two dates and yield per vine Average 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2005-20168°Brix 14 Feb 24 Feb 16 Feb 5 Feb 9 Feb 14 Feb 18 Feb21.5°Brix 28 Mar 16 Apr 1 Apr 23 Mar 18 Mar 21 Mar 30 MarInterval (days) 42.5 52 44 46 37 36 40Yield/vine (kg) 5.2 4.9 5 7.2 5.4 5.3 5.7


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Wheel DealTHE FOURTH annual Blood, Sweat and Beers was held at Conders Bend in Marlborough last month, with 88 mountain bikers taking on tight turns and tough competition. The inter-winery competition is run by the Winemaker’s Association of Marlborough, and brings the industry together before the onslaught of harvest.

The team race was won by the Nautilus Naughty Boys (Tim Adams and Brett Bermingham), while Jeremy McKenzie took the solo title. The fastest women’s team was the Coast Buster’s (Maddy Issacs, Erin Newton and Chelsea van der Burgh) from Pernod Ricard, while the inaugural Junior Class was taken out by Logan Rasmussen, Adam McKenzie and Luke Adams (pictured) from Gravel Rash.

The photos right were taken by Sarnim Dean. Go to www.sarnim.com to see more from the event.

Constructing a very tall building seems like an extra headache, but Fabian says it was far more efficient than sending tanks on trucks to the Crown Sheet Metal workshop, which was already very busy. “It was going to be quicker to have T & D Construction Ltd construct the building on-site and move the tanks

from their tank pad into the building, repair them and put them back.”

The key to success was the immediate post-earthquake response of the company’s Marlborough team, who have been “absolutely amazing”, says Fabian. Add to that the steadfast


“The challenge for us wasn’t if we’d be ready

for harvest; the challenge was working out

how.”Fabian Yukich

“THERE WAS no way in the world we were going to let our growers down and not be able to harvest the grapes,” says Fabian Yukich, four months after November’s earthquake.

Standing in front of Villa Maria’s Marlborough winery, with two cranes and a tank repair shed somewhere behind him, the company’s Executive Director talks of the tireless work and typical resilience that has allowed Marlborough’s wine industry to be ready for the vintage.

“Being in the wine industry you actually deal with what nature throws you year after year. To be honest, this was probably a little bit more than usual,” he laughs. “But you develop that sort of idea that you have to deal with what comes your way.”

Fabian arrived in Marlborough the day after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and found little wine had been lost at Villa Maria, but a third of the winery’s tanks had been damaged in one way or another, including some with heavy damage.

The team was “galvanised” and plans were made, starting with a push from the cellar hands and winemakers to prepare wine to be moved to North Island facilities ahead of schedule, in order to empty tanks for repair. Around 10 tanks were deemed too bad to fix, and replacements were ordered. By the end of week one, the company had also ordered a towering shed to use as an on-site facility to do major repairs to the bases of large tanks hit by the quake.

Quake RecoveryIt was a question of how – not whether - Villa Maria would be ready for harvest.

SOPHIE PREECE

Fabian Yukich at Villa Maria’s Marlborough winery

commitment of the Marlborough contractors they have dealt with, as well as a few who have come from other regions, “and there’s been a hell of a lot of work going on”.

Villa Maria’s Waipara fruit will be processed in Canterbury this year, due to the closure of State Highway 1 south of Blenheim. Meanwhile, staff in the North Island have spent the past four months working to ensure there was sufficient space at other Villa Maria facilities “to ensure that one way or another we were ready for harvest”, says Fabian.

Standing in front of a fixed-up winery on the cusp of harvest, he says the company is good to go, just as he expected that first morning after the earthquake. “A lot of the time weather is a big issue, but this time it was the earthquake. The challenge for us wasn’t if we’d be ready for harvest; the challenge was working out how.”


IT’S BEEN a season to test the mettle of the wine industry, says Simon Towns at the beginning of harvest 2017.

The Managing Director of Constellation Brands New Zealand says the earthquake, cool summer and autumn rain, combined with the company’s rapid expansion, was something of a baptism of fire for new staff – and recently promoted managers. “If you do not want to be out there and part of an agribusiness like this, you’ll pretty much know that at the end of this season.”

November’s earthquake saw “all hands on deck” for the company, like others in Marlborough, to ensure damaged tanks were fixed in time to take in the target tonnage, says Simon. “And we are there. It’s definitely just in time for finishing, but I think everyone has been helped out by the fact that harvest is a little late this year.” Constellation’s harvest kicked off with Pinot Noir for sparkling base on March 20, with its vineyards running “a week and a bit” later than usual.

Vineyard challenges included the slightly cooler summer and then autumn rain, which increased disease pressure, Simon says. “But overall we are in good shape in the winery and in

Constellation kicks off its 2017 harvest, with a brand-new Pellanc harvester.Photo by Jim Tannock

HarvestAll hands on deck.

terms of the quality of fruit we have out there.”

He says the biggest challenge for the company has also presented the biggest opportunity for his vineyard staff. With a rapid rate of growth with 150 to 200 additional hectares brought on annually for the past few years, the company has seen vineyard staff grow into managers and managers grow into senior leadership roles. “If you look at our business in general, it’s being driven by our North American market. The North American market is growing at 15% per annum, so if you extrapolate

those numbers, you are talking about doubling your business every five years.”

The company recently promoted two of its top viticulture managers to the executive team, and another “stellar manager” to lead new vineyard developments, and is now encouraging its current people to step up into block manager roles, he says. “It’s an exciting time for all of us in the New Zealand wine industry, being able to grow these careers here in Marlborough and export our quality products around the world.”

SOPHIE PREECE


A SPECK-SIZED samurai wasp could help protect New Zealand’s wine industry from its most unwanted pest, says a biosecurity expert.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is part of a horticulture and viticulture industry steering group that is partnering with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to explore the possibility of using Trissolcus japonicus, also known as the samurai wasp, as a biocontrol agent should the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) make its way to New Zealand.

NZW Biosecurity Manager Dr Edwin Massey says the work is about being proactive when it comes to biosecurity, so that if BMSB gets to New Zealand shores, the industry is ready. “We are not aiming to release the wasp should we get approval. What we are seeking is approval from the Environmental Protection Authority to import it into containment for potential release as a response tool to help counter BMSB.”

Edwin says previous work conducted by Plant & Food Research, Better Border Biosecurity (B3) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has identified that the samurai wasp parasitoid is an ideal biocontrol agent for BMSB. However, research and contained experiments are necessary to quantify the potential risks the samurai wasp could pose to other pentatomidae, the shield bug family BMSB belongs to, including a New Zealand native species. That species, the black alpine shield bug –

Samurai WaspBiocontrol could be a valuable weapon against vineyard pests.

SOPHIE PREECE

Hypsithocus hudsonae - lives in alpine areas in Central Otago, which means that it is unlikely to be encountered by grape growers and has been difficult for scientists to collect to commence “host testing”.

BMSB feeds off a wide range of plants and emits a long lasting, foul smelling odour when threatened, which can taint grape juice. The female samurai wasp - which is the size of a sesame seed - lays its eggs inside stinkbugs’ eggs and the developing larvae destroy the host as they eat their way out.

Edwin says that could make it an important weapon in the “arsenal” against BMSB, because there are no dedicated surveillance and control traps for the pest, meaning a response would have to rely on people’s eyes and chemical controls if there was not a predator involved. “Chemical control is not a particularly cost-effective control strategy. The good thing about parasitoids is they are like heat seeking missiles that hunt down the pest you want to target.” With a natural predator on the ground, growers would need

fewer pesticides in the battle against BMSB, retaining international market access for industries that rely on low pesticide residues, he says.

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) is currently doing an analysis for the steering group, outlining the potential impact of a BMSB incursion on New Zealand horticulture/viticulture. It will model the costs of BMSB in both managed and unmitigated scenarios, and will help inform the application to bring the wasp into containment in New Zealand. The report is due out later this month, and Edwin says time is of the essence. “It’s important that we proceed as fast as we can to get ready for the next high risk season in September.”

Samurai wasp

Service agents for Amarillo


Service agents for Amarillo


ORGANIC WINEGROWING was a “pretty lonely voice” in 1989, when Millton Vineyard became the first grape land in the country to obtain BioGro certification. Research was scant, and James Millton instead turned to philosophy texts and the science of Goethe, before “translocating” the information to his Gisborne vineyard.

Three decades on, he is one of 24 speakers lined up for the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Marlborough this June, where a growing wealth of knowledge will be shared with an increasingly interested industry. “Everyone is dabbling in it now,” says James. “There’s only one risk that they take, and that is that they’ll be convinced.”

No longer lonely, there’s now a viable goal of 20/20 (20% of New Zealand’s grape land under certified organics by 2020) and an industry awash with experts and literature on organic practice, biodynamic principles and detailed soil science.

But James still frequently reaches for less likely resources, like AA Milne, when it comes to organic winegrowing. In the Hundred Acre Wood he finds character types – from the phlegmatic

Millton MusingsHappy staff and healthy soil are ingredients for great wine.

Winnie the Pooh to the sanguine Tigger and choleric Rabbit.

Knowing the difference is about ensuring a happy team, says the self-confessed Pooh Bear. With the same theory in mind, the first things he asks a job applicant is whether they can cook, what music they like and what their star sign is. “Then we find out what they are capable of and what their happy point is.” The subsequent positive energy - just like the energy that goes into healthy, biologically rich soil - is transferred into every bottle of wine Millton makes, says James.

At the June conference, James plans to talk of the energy that “radiates” out of a bottle of wine as a consequence of the energy that goes into it. “If it is water, how much energy has been utilised to get that water there, in terms of irrigation or soil moisture holding capacity and all the ‘fun-guys’ who live down there?” asks James.

“For a bottle of Millton wine, after 35 years there is now a population of microbes that are holding hands with the roots of the vines and giving the required nutrients that the vine wants when it wants it. If you think, therefore, that is energy, then it takes

a lot of energy to make that start manifesting itself – not just turning on a water tap.”

The result is better wine, which is why he believes so many companies are turning to organics, or at least adopting some of its systems, like undervine cultivation. Rather than being motivated by a green philosophy, or even by a market seeking certification, they are discovering the impact of good soil on their wine, says James. “When you stop using herbicide and start scratching the soil, the vine responds so positively that it influences the taste and texture.”

In an industry that is competitive by nature, with labels vying for space “on the wine list of some fancy restaurant or the shelf of some beautiful shop”, the realm of biodynamics has a strong collegiality, James says. “What I find now is that if you have a problem or have a situation or want to share something, there is a huge number of people out there now who can help.”

Tickets are on sale for the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, to be held in Blenheim from June 26 to 28. To learn more go to www.organicwineconference.com

James Millton. Photo by Brennan Thomas


A REPORT by a Marlborough grape scientist has won a 2017 Best Paper Award from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV).

Plant & Food Research Marlborough (PFRM) scientist Marc Greven’s paper, Effect of Postharvest Defoliation on Carbon and Nitrogen Resources of High-Yielding Sauvignon Blanc Grapevines, took the viticulture award, judged against all manuscripts published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV) in the previous year.

He and his team, including PFRM colleagues Sue Neal and Jeff Bennett, quantified the importance of the postharvest canopy to a high yielding vine’s ability to replenish carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves. They found that even the “short-lived postharvest canopy in cool climates” contributes to the vine’s ability to store carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves, while several years of low recharge would result in lower yields and vine growth.

Marc says the project was seeded after a devastating autumn frost in Marlborough in 2005, when vines lost leaf earlier than usual, leading growers to ask whether they should be running their frost machines in autumn as well as spring.

The work, funded by New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), began with a design trial that saw the team adding carbohydrate stress by giving vines 50% more yield, by laying down six canes rather than four, then taking leaves off straight after harvest.

In the first year, the additional

Leaf PowerVines need autumn leaves to perform well.

SOPHIE PREECE

canes led to 50% more yield. However, in the second year the vine began to “balance its reserves”, and after three years yields had dropped to the same level as the four cane vines. Meanwhile, the defoliation impacted markedly on the plant’s carbohydrate stores. Marc says the result showed the roots were the most important reserve, while the trunk acted as a transport mechanism. “Initially, when you take the leaves off you have a very fast reaction and it will take reserves out of the trunk, because it needs them straightaway, but later those lost reserves will be replaced from the roots.”

In the first year of defoliation, the winter reserves in the trunk and root were replenished during the next growth cycle, rather than going

towards the vine’s size and yield. But after two consecutive years of defoliation, the cumulative effects of smaller, less fruitful canes from year one, and reduced carbohydrates from the subsequent year, reduced both yield and vegetative growth in the third growing season, the scientists found in their report. “If defoliation happens one year, the vines gets away with it,” Marc says. “If it happens two years in a row, then we start clearly seeing the carbohydrates in the vine going down with consequences for canopy and yield.”

Marc has been sponsored by the awards committee to travel to the ASEV National Conference in June. The award-winning paper will be available free of charge at www.ajevonline.org.

Photo by Richard Briggs


THE MOON plays no role in the way a wine tastes, says the sensory scientist behind a recent study around the biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers.

Dr Wendy Parr, based at Lincoln University, and her colleagues in France and Australia, ran the Pinot Noir tasting study in Marlborough, to investigate the controversial notion that wines taste different in systematic ways on different days, determined by the lunar cycle.

She says the study was partly carried out for ethical reasons, with a published document and phone app “out there” in the public realm, advising wine consumers on how to behave in relation to drinking their special bottles of wine. “It seemed prudent to investigate what evidence there was for marketing such a tool as the Wine Drinker’s Calendar.”

The study involved 19 tasters with backgrounds in oenology, winemaking, wine production, viticulture, and wine science education, who blind tasted 12 Pinot Noirs four times each; twice on a root day, and twice on a fruit day. The 12 wines included those produced by conventional, organic and biodynamic methods.

According to the biodynamic calendar, the wines would taste less balanced and more aggressive on a root day, and more aromatic and fruity on a fruit day. However, Wendy and her team concluded that although participants did note substantial differences in the taste of the 12 wines, there were no notable differences between perceived wine characteristics on root and fruit days.

Lunar ResearchTesting the taste buds to the moon and back.ANNABELLE LATZ

Wendy was surprised how few participants within the study knew about the published Wine Drinker’s Calendar. She emphasises the initiative was not to ‘debunk’ biodynamic agriculture, but to test the central tenet of the calendar, which is widely used by consumers and large supermarket chains in the UK. “The reality is that tasting is a very complicated

process; human physiological and psychological processes are dynamic and ever changing… and then on top

of that we have extrinsic factors, such as consumption location, and on top of that again a wine’s composition could theoretically change due to several variables, temperature being an obvious one,” she says.

Wendy is still certain wines may be perceived to taste better on some days than others, due to many possible factors. However, she was not surprised with the relative consistency of data in the Pinot Noir study, both within a tasting session and between sessions. “Over the last decade, I have developed huge respect for the abilities of our wine professional tasters,” she says.

A couple of factors have been brought to Wendy’s attention since the study. “If we were to do the study now, I would like to measure the free and total SO2s in each wine, just to determine their influence, if any.”

She says testing varietals beyond Pinot Noir could also be an interesting component, but overall she was very pleased with the way the study went, and was very grateful for the support she received, notably the funding from the Cresswell Jackson Wine Competition Trust of New Zealand. “So many wine professionals gave their time up to come to our tastings, not only twice, but at the precise times we allocated them.”

“It seemed prudent to investigate

what evidence there was for

marketing such a tool as the

Wine Drinker’s Calendar.”

Dr Wendy Parr


THE ADDITIONAL botrytis monitoring done this year will add further credibility to the argument for mechanical shaking, says viticultural advisor Mark Allen. New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) are providing funding to assess the severity of botrytis on multiple vineyard sites prior to the 2017 harvest, allowing for “more feet on the ground”, says Mark.

The data collection includes information such as botrytis severity, harvester settings and timing, and the result of shaking, says Mark. “From this we will be able to draw some conclusions to present at either workshops or Grape Days.”

The benefits of mechanical shaking on botrytis reduction have been recorded over the past seven years, with an average of 55% reduction in botrytis each year as a result of the shaking, says Mark. A statistical study as part of the NZW and Ministry for Primary Industries funded trial from 2011 to 2014 showed that such a reduction in the incidence of botrytis yielded a financial benefit to the grower in eight years out of 10.

Mark says the cost of thinning botrytis bunches can be as high as $1,000 per hectare, while two tonnes of fruit can easily be lost in each infected hectare, costing $4,500/ha. “This could be avoided by investing $450/ha into mechanical shaking, at a net gain of $80,000 on a 20ha vineyard.”

The benefits of a cultural method of botrytis control are many, he says. “They include less dependence on synthetic botryticides, both in terms of use and resistance build up. The concept also fits well with

Botrytis ResearchMechanical shaking 2017 – expanding the database.

Pinot Gris 2016: The control row on left where 120 bunches in three bays were dropped prior to harvest. The shaken row on the right where 30 bunches were dropped in three bays – a fourfold improvement.

Sauvignon Blanc 2016: A typical example of the benefits of shaking. The Control at 10% is double the threshold. The Shaken is below the threshold of 5%, saving the grower up to $4,000/ha.

sustainability and innovation. It is a straightforward operation that can be applied in virtually all weather conditions, apart from rain.”

Mark is also looking to establish ‘best practice’ guidelines for harvester settings, having seen operators use a variety of beater rod settings that were different to those used during the trials and in the subsequent three years of field work.

“I have also seen operators starting

very soon after fruit set, which may be too early to achieve the best result. Conversely, some have gone too late, causing damage to bunches.”

He says the database around mechanical shaking has expanded considerably this year with many vineyards adopting the practice for the first time, including growers in Gisborne, Wairarapa, Nelson, Waipara and Central Otago, as well as Marlborough.

Winepress April 2017 / 19www.pggwre.co.nz Helping grow the countryLicensed REAA 2008

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MARLBOROUGH HAS a 16-day warm up to this year’s International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 5, with a series of celebrations for the region’s flagship variety.

Wineries, cellar doors, restaurants, bars, tour operators and other businesses are offering events from April 19, to mark Wine Marlborough’s ‘16 Days of Sauvignon’ and get the region ready for May 5, when the goal is to once again have #sauvblanc trending on social media around the world.

Whitehaven Wines Marketing Manager Andrea Craig says the initiative gives companies the opportunity to share their love of Sauvignon, and draw more consumers

16 Days of Sauvignon

into the international celebration. Whitehaven is partnering with the Vines Village Café on April 28 for ‘Sauvignon Love’, which is described as the perfect match of Marlborough wine and produce.

The wines at that event - including a “quintessential” Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a single vineyard Sauvignon with Awatere Valley fruit, and a “hidden barrel” wild yeast, barrel fermented Sauvignon - will showcase the diversity of styles.

Wine Marlborough will be releasing details with an event calendar, and will also set up a Sauvignon HQ in central Blenheim. General Manager Marcus Pickens says

the goal is to get everyone involved in the celebrations. “We make such a unique and distinct style of Sauvignon Blanc here so we, as an industry, are getting together and celebrating for the entire 16 days with different mini events.”

Sauvignon Blanc accounts for around 86% of wine produced in Marlborough and makes up at least 80% of the $1.61 billion of wine exports from New Zealand annually.

For more information go to www.wine-marlborough.co.nz/events/international-sauvignon-blanc-day/


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WHEN NO women were nominated in the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Board elections last October, it “perplexed” the organisation, says NZW Communications Manager Sarah Szegota. “We know full well the New Zealand wine industry includes capable, commercially astute women who would add value to the industry as directors of the national association.”

Kono’s Rachel Taulelei and Big Sky Wines’ Katherine Jacobs were subsequently brought on to the board, which also agreed to a Women in Wine initiative, to promote and facilitate the participation and success of women in the industry. Sarah says at around the same time as the NZW nominations, a survey by Meininger’s Wine Business

Sarah Szegota

Women in Wine

International offered insights into the experience of women in the wine industry in a number of countries, including New Zealand. The results were “not overly positive” and while they do not reflect the experience of all women, the survey did provide impetus for Women in Wine. She says Australia and the United States have established networks and alliances committed to the advancement of women in the wine industry, but there is no such alliance, support group or network in New Zealand.

Last month NZW members were sent a short survey to gauge interest in the scheme, and yielded a “great response”, with more than 200 men and women, across all major

winegrowing regions, registering their interest, says Sarah. “Almost 150 of those have offered to help contribute to the strategy and planning.”

She says the initiative is more likely to be a success if it is led from a grassroots level, so NZW will now start working with members in each region who have offered to assist with its planning and execution.


“Basically they are trying to bring their

truck in for a landing, rather

than driving aggressively.”

Hayden Blick

IF MARLBOROUGH’S billion dollar wine industry is its lifeblood, then vintage trucks are surely its arteries.

Moving around 320,000 tonnes of fruit from vineyard to winery, in average loads of 18 tonnes, takes the industry something like 18,000 truck movements over the space of 30 days, estimates TIL’s Dennis McKinley. Add to that the tanker movements of juice between wineries or out of the region, the grapes transported in from Waipara over the Lewis Pass, and the harvesters moving between vineyard blocks, then Marlborough’s rural roads will hum with harvest traffic.

The absence of State Highway 1 between Blenheim and Christchurch, thanks to last November’s earthquake, has added complexity to the equation, with SH63 through the Wairau Valley likely to be lit like a Christmas tree and hammered by vehicles over vintage, as tourists, vintage traffic and long haul freight trucks share the same narrow strip of road, says Dennis.

TIL was kept busy in the lead up to vintage, trucking wine out of the region as wineries prepared for the onslaught of harvest. The period also saw Dennis finalising the induction of the contractors coming in to Marlborough for vintage, with more

Driving VintageMarlborough’s roads are running hot this harvestSOPHIE PREECE

than 50 additional trucks or trucks and trailers contracted by his company alone.

The drivers have a stressful job, with grapes a “live load” that surge and splash in the trailer, says Renwick Transport’s Hayden Blick. He has been training 17 new drivers in the

lead up to vintage, thinned out from the 26 he began with in January.

He trains his new recruits on

a road ranger gearbox, giving them 10 to 35 hours of on-road training, including moving a “live load” through tricky situations. That calls for a whole different way of driving, Hayden says. The training focuses on helping them make a decision quickly and be assertive, but not too assertive, he says. “People rely on their brakes and I’m teaching them to manage on their throttle…Basically they are trying to bring their truck in for a landing, rather than driving aggressively.”

He says a spill can cost a driver $600 and the truck company a $5500 clean-up cost. The training manages that risk, as does Renwick Transport’s self-imposed 40kph speed restriction through town, he says. “Their job is to get it from point A to point B without a spill. There’s a massive amount of pressure on them and they deserve every dollar they get.”

Marlborough harvest driver’s tributeA Gisborne man who died with his son in a truck crash in January had worked three harvests as a truck driver in Marlborough. Aaron McDonald and his 8-year-old son Cruz died when the truck and trailer they were in left State Highway 2 near Norsewood in central Hawke’s Bay in stormy conditions and plunged down a 30-metre

cliff. Picton friends Megan and Jonathan Rosene have set up a Givealittle fundraising campaign to help his widow Anah McDonald and their other son Rome, 6, pay for a special headstone to mark the grave, and to help the family financially in the future. To make a donation go to www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/aaronandcruzmcdonald.

Photo by Richard Briggs


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Hundreds of people underwent forklift training in Marlborough last month, in an annual pre-vintage surge. “I call it mental March,” says Masterdrive Regional Manager Grant Ingersoll, in the midst of 21 back-to-back courses. “It goes absolutely berserk as all the overseas workers come over and are trained to become forklift operators.”

Driving a forklift is a dangerous task, and part of Grant’s training routine is to show the students “some pretty horrendous” videos of people getting hurt. A large proportion of workplace injuries involve forklifts, which are easily unbalanced and are frequently confusing to drivers, because they are steered from the back, says Grant.

To combat that, he makes the courses rigorous, with no shortcuts. Students do half a day of theory and a long day in the saddle, onsite at their workplace or at Masterdrive’s new purpose-built facility.

The practical session sees students undertake a set of competence tests that include lifting a load to three levels, and driving the forklift around a combination of cones. “At the end of the day, I’m less interested in whether you enjoyed the course but totally focused on you taking away one thing that will save your life or someone else’s. That is what it is about,” says Grant.

March and April are also busy months for Masterdrive

Working for forklift safety

when it comes to training and endorsing harvester drivers in Marlborough, but Grant says the local company offers “a first class service” for the wine industry all year around, not just over harvest.

Masterdrive, which became part of the TR Group at the beginning of this month, has also developed an e-learning package, “so students can do the majority of the theory learning at home, then we just get them in to complete their assessment and practical training”.

this season. “I will be slowing down, so I am basically in the gear where I can safely stop in time or go through by the time I hit the white line. There’s no need to go any faster with a live load like grapes. You’d be amazed what that extra 10km/h would do.”

He sees this year’s vintage work as a step up to a career as a truck driver, like his brother, who drives an International - the kind of truck that brings those shivers to Harri’s spine when he’s along for the ride. Harri takes his career very

seriously, preferring not to listen to the radio while he drives, so he can concentrate on the sound of the truck, and know exactly how it is running.


“You are sitting there doing

what you love.”Harri Evans

“IT SENDS shivers down your spine when you hear a nice sounding truck,” says Harri Evans, who is surely one of the most dedicated drivers in Marlborough this harvest.

The 22-year-old was fixing up vehicles well before he had his licence, had built his own race-car by the age of 17, and has a boundless and contagious enthusiasm for big shiny trucks and the chance to drive them. “You are sitting there doing what you love and get to look out the window all day,” he says with a smile.

The former courier driver has spent the past three months training with Renwick Transport’s Hayden Blicks, learning to drive a road ranger gearbox while carrying a “live load”, in preparation for carting the notoriously difficult cargo of grapes.

That means learning to deal with Marlborough drivers, whose hesitant approaches to roundabouts are a nightmare for truckies, says Harri. “A lot of people lack common sense, especially when they get behind the wheel, which is unfortunate because it’s generally other people that pay the price for it.”

That makes it hard for vintage drivers, but they are prepared, he says. For Renwick Transport drivers, that includes a self-imposed speed limit of 40km/h in town, and driving to accommodate the blind corners leading up to several of Blenheim’s roundabouts, where grape spills are common over the harvest.

Those spills can cost the driver, the trucking firm and the wine company, and Harri is determined to do everything he can to avoid one

Generation Y-ineTruck driver Harri Evans loves his office with a view.

“At the moment my main focus is on becoming a full time professional driver, and taking in all I can at these early stages.”

As well as the trucks, Harri enjoys meeting people along the way, particularly over vintage, when Marlborough fills up with international workers. “Everyone is rotating shifts, so there’ll be a whole heap of new faces every day.”

And he loves the sense of community amid the trucking fraternity. “A lot of people see us, I guess, as a ratty bunch – you think of your truck driver and he has a big beer gut.” But the reality is a far cry from perception, he says. “I am covered in tattoos, but I am a nice guy. We’re a big family out here.”


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IN THE early eighties, Keresley farm ran 200 cows, sent milk off for the Blenheim town supply, and welcomed the 10-pound block of cheese delivered by the tanker every week, to be devoured by the four Glover children.

Thirty-five years on, the Dillons Point Rd land, with its meandering Opawa River boundary, grows grapes for award winning wines, including its home label Zephyr, and the family enjoys the arrival of Gewürztraminer in lieu of Waitohi Mild.

The story of these dairy farmers turned grape growers is symbolic of Marlborough’s transformed landscape and economy, and of the implications of that transformation on family succession.

“I think it’s nice if the land can stay in the family,” says Owen, whose grandfather arrived in Marlborough in the 1890s, at the age of 19, and farmed in various places before settling in Grovetown. “At the end of the day a lot of people sell up, but we are quite

The BlockFrom cows and garlic to aromatic grape varieties, Keresley is a story of Marlborough’s transformation.

Photo by Jim Tannock

keen that it stays in the family and this allows that.”

Owen and his wife Wendy arrived with their dairy herd in 1984, getting two acres of land for every acre of their Grovetown farm. “We basically sold one farm and bought two”, says Owen, looking up at towering gum trees at the edge of the river.

They brought with them the name Keresley, formerly used for their Friesian stud, as well as a thriving garlic operation they ran as part of a local cooperative of six major growers. Then they diversified to farm deer on the fertile Dillons Point land, as well as a “small flirtation” in kiwifruit near Roses Overflow.

Everything did well in the climate and soil, and they were surrounded by similar pastoral ventures, but they had friends growing grapes for the likes of Montana and Corbans – including Ivan Sutherland and Philip Rose - and it “seemed pretty exciting”, says Owen.

By 1985, Marlborough’s viticultural

focus was still on the Wairau Plains, but a few growers were starting to show interest in the heavier land east of Blenheim’s railway tracks. So the couple took the plunge into grapes, starting with Semillon and Chardonnay on the home block, followed by Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Vines still accounted for a tiny proportion of Marlborough’s land, and there was a collegial approach to developing the industry, says Owen. “The viticulturists from wine companies were very open and were very happy to tell you what they knew and share information.”

In 1988, the Glovers sold their second Dillons Point Rd farm, along with the cows it carried, and later bought another block in Mills and Ford West Rd. By now, the children spent their weekends and holidays weeding rows and pruning vines instead of feeding out hay and picking garlic. It was quite a shift in mindset, says eldest child Ben, who was around 11


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years old when the dairy cows left and the vines arrived, and within a decade was studying viticulture then winemaking.

In 1991, by which time the world was taking notice of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Owen stuck his nose into a glass of Grand Cru Gewürztraminer, and promptly went on to plant it, assuming - correctly as it turned out - that it would thrive in the heavier land of Keresley. It was another significant step towards Keresley’s current position as an aromatic specialist, with its focus on Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

By 2000, there had been an “explosion” of planting on the land around Dillons Point Rd, which coincided with a crisis in the garlic industry, as Chinese garlic swamped the Australian market, leading the Glovers to replace that crop with grapes as well.

By then, most of the region’s garlic had started to disappear, Talley’s

was struggling to find space to grow processed crops, and sheep were rarely seen on Marlborough’s plains. Land use became far more intense throughout the province, and the income yielded by the land brought wealth to the region, says Owen. “I think if it hadn’t been for grapes, the province would have struggled.”

In 2007, the Glover family set up their Zephyr wine label, calling on the winemaking skills of Ben and the marketing skills of his brother Jack. The plan had long been on the table, but when a special Australian order for Sauvignon Blanc fell through in 2007, they were left with a “particularly smart” wine from a very good year, says Owen. “So, in a way, that was the

birth of Zephyr.”Keeping the vineyard and wine

label in the family makes the business even more special to the couple, although Owen laments that none of his children chose to become a viticulturist, perhaps not wanting to get dirt under their fingernails, he suggests. “But having a winemaker and a marketer, I think we probably just about have it all. And maybe one of the grandkids will become a viticulturist.”

Owen Glover. Photo by Mark Grammar


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CATCH IT. SNAP IT. REPORT IT.

Biosecurity WatchTackling our most unwanted.

I AM often asked, throughout the country, what the industry’s most unwanted pest is. This month’s column highlights the relaunch of the New Zealand Winegrowers ‘most unwanted’ list, which seeks to answer that question. To view the new poster click on the updated most unwanted link at www.nzwine.com/members/sustainability/biosecurity/pests-and-diseases/

The most unwanted list – originally released in March 2014 - has been one of the key information resources for the industry on pests and diseases that are not present in New Zealand. Three years doesn’t seem like a long time, but in biosecurity nothing stands still and risks always come and go based on trade and travel volumes, dynamics, and other factors.

Key changes since 2014

The new list highlights the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) as the industry’s most unwanted pest. Very little was known about the potential impact of this bug before 2014, but since then it has become increasingly high profile. To date in this high risk season - extending from September to the end of April - there has been a significant increase in the number of BMSB interceptions at the border, particularly in goods from Italy.

DR EDWIN MASSEY

In February alone:• Several dead bugs were found

at the border on an imported grape harvester that had been voluntarily fumigated offshore.

• There have been three post-border detections of single bugs in Christchurch, Whitianga and New Plymouth. In each case, the detection has been associated with a specific pathway of introduction, and the bugs were identified as unmated females, which cannot establish a breeding population by themselves.

With such significant population pressure on the biosecurity system, it is not hard to see why BMSB must be considered our most significant threat.

A second key change to the list is the breakdown of the different pests and diseases into three categories:

• Highest threat• Significant threat• ThreatThis distinction has been made

to focus attention on the threats most likely to cause severe impacts on the industry. The difference between pests and diseases in each category is less important than the distinction between categories. This

means that New Zealand Winegrowers, as a prospective Government Industry Agreement (GIA) partner, will work with The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to concentrate our biosecurity readiness efforts against our highest risk threats.

New Zealand Winegrowers, along with a range of horticulture industry organisations, is already engaging with MPI regarding the development of a BMSB operational agreement that will set out a suite of readiness activities to ensure we are best prepared to respond to this pest, should it be detected here.

Brown marmorated stink bug


The brown marmorated stink bug are a major threat to our primary industries

and environment. They can also ruin gardens and infest your home.

If you find one: Catch it. Call us.

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IF YOU FIND ONE OF THESE:

EXOTIC PEST & DISEASE HOTLINE 0800 80 99 66

CATCH IT.CALL US.

What’s not on the list?

There are a myriad other biosecurity threats that have the potential to impact the industry and the Most Unwanted List is far from comprehensive. Risk analysis is based on making an assessment based on the likelihood and the consequences of a threat being realised. Insects such as the harlequin ladybird, which has recently established in northern New Zealand, and the lantern fly, which is currently under eradication in Pennsylvania, certainly warrant attention, as does the red blotch virus which is currently causing concern in the United States. As part of my role, I keep abreast of the literature and engage with MPI and overseas scientists to try to stay ahead of emerging risks. If anything significant changes, it is important to communicate that quickly to the industry.

Mitigating risks on your vineyard – the time to act is now

The Most Unwanted List identifies how pests and diseases are most likely to arrive in New Zealand and how

they might move around. Establishing biosecurity risk mitigation activities on your vineyard is a good way to minimise the likelihood that these pests and diseases will impact you directly.

The New Zealand Winegrowers draft vineyard health guidelines are available here for consultation: www.nzwine.com/members/sustainability/biosecurity/pests-and-diseases/

The theme of the guidelines is “it’s your asset, protect it”. If biosecurity is important to you - and it should be - ask yourself, “when am I going to set aside time to ensure I implement biosecurity risk mitigation activities on my vineyard?” Your action sends the message to others that biosecurity is important and must be considered part of industry business as usual.

Conclusion - Catch it; Snap it; Report it

All members have a key role in participating in the biosecurity system and the industry needs your commitment to help ensure its sustainability. If you spot anything unusual that you think could be on the most unwanted list, please Catch it; Snap it; Report it.

Ring the biosecurity hotline on 0800 80 99 66 immediately to notify MPI of your find.

If in doubt, please call or email me on 021 1924 924 or [email protected].

“All members have a

key role in participating in the biosecurity

system”Dr Edwin Massey


Industry news

Pinot Noir NZ 2017

The Pinot Noir NZ Vimeo Channel offers a number of clips from the recent celebration in Wellington, including keynote speaker presentations, regional clips, and the Turangawaewae and Evolve clips. Go to www.vimeo.com/pinotnoirnz to check it out.

Third ranked in USA

New Zealand now rates as the third highest wine import into the United States in terms of value, according to a recent Gomberg Fredrikson Report. The total value of New Zealand wine imported into the US in 2016 reached US$400 million, only surpassed by Italy (US$1,960m) and France (US$1,589m).

“To be third ranking in terms of value in the world’s largest wine market is outstanding, especially given New Zealand produces less than 1% of the world’s wine”, says New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan.

The Gomberg Fredrikson Report owner, Jon Moramarco, says New Zealand wine - and especially Sauvignon Blanc - is very popular in the States and continues to grow at a

rate much faster than the total market. “The growth doesn’t surprise me, just because of the quality and value of what New Zealand has to offer.”

New Zealand wine exports have reached a record high and now stand at $1.61 billion, up 5% for the year end January 2017. New Zealand wine is exported to more than 90 countries, and is New Zealand’s 7th largest export good.

Welcome Trade Agenda

New Zealand Winegrowers has welcomed an announcement by the Prime Minister of the government’s new vision for trade strategy outlined in Trade Agenda 2030. The shifts in trade policy will help increase the resilience of the New Zealand wine sector by creating more opportunities to grow exports and diversify markets says NZW General Manager Advocacy Jeffrey Clarke. “Extending the coverage of quality free trade agreements and reducing non-tariff-barriers will ensure the wine industry continues to benefit from the open and rules-based trading conditions that have underpinned our success.”

The organisation also welcomed the investment of an additional $91

Grower Workshop

Marlborough grape growers and vineyard managers are invited to a free industry workshop near Blenheim on May 10. The key theme of this year’s Grower Workshop is to extend operators’ knowledge and ensure confidence in their dealings with contractors. The event, which is facilitated by the Marlborough Viticulture Task Force, will involve participants moving through various stations covering communication with contractors, quality control and cost of pruning, vine health and pruning wounds, seasonal labour and compliance, vine balance and pruning, and best practice for cutting and mechanical options. The workshop is at 160 Paynters Rd on May 10, and runs from 8.30am to 12pm, followed by a free BBQ.

million into the government’s trade architecture “to make sure New Zealand can deliver on the aspirations of the trade agenda”, he says. The industry is working towards a goal of $2b of exports in 2020.

Wire Warning

Marlborough Lines issued safety warnings late last month, following a power outage caused by a large expanse of grape netting being picked up and blown over 11000 volt power lines.

Operations Manager Brian Tapp says another warning has been issued following the November earthquakes, with some road crossing power lines being found lower than they should be. Contractors and vineyard owners therefore need to give additional consideration to checking the height of lines over vineyards before harvest. To get hold of the two safety posters regarding these issues, contact Wine Marlborough.

Real Estate

Very few sales have been reported in the past month, with full-scale preparation for harvest taking the focus of vendors, says Joe Blakiston of PGG Wrightson Real Estate. “In saying that, the enquiry from outside the region is very strong with larger development blocks of particular interest.” He says several properties in the “fringe areas” of the Awatere Valley have been on the market, but have attracted subdued interest, “with earthquake and climate issues making this area less favourable at present”.

Several larger Sauvignon Blanc


CLASSIFIEDSLARGE METAL SIGNS FOR SALE

Previously used as large Wine Trail Map signs across Marlborough. Contact Harriet Wadworth at Wine Marlborough for more information. 03 577 2392.

production blocks with no residences are listed for post-harvest sale, says Joe, who expects “keen demand” for these. “Buyers will be motivated by the outlook for the viticulture real estate market which shows no signs of waning.”

Wine Show

Marlborough Wine Show judges will be at work at the Marlborough Convention Centre from October 9 to 11 this year, with the Celebration Dinner on October 26. The show provides a platform for New Zealand’s biggest wine region to benchmark and showcase its wines. Last year had a record number of entries, with 549 wines judged, 53 gold medals and 17 trophies awarded, as well as the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award.

Wedding vow

Allan Scott Family Winemakers has vowed to provide the wedding reception for a lucky couple and 80 of their nearest and dearest. The Marlborough wine company is running a competition to give a pair of newlyweds a $15,000 wedding reception at its Twelve Trees restaurant, including venue, table decorations and gourmet set menu.

The Marlborough Vineyard Brunch

The Marlborough Vineyard Brunch, to be held on Mother’s Day,

is the perfect post vintage celebration. Wine Marlborough is hosting the brunch on the lawns of Cloudy Bay on Sunday May 14, the day after the Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon. Wines from all 14 vineyards on the half marathon route will be available at the one-off brunch event, starting with a complementary glass of Cloudy Bay Pelorus on arrival. The brunch is on from 10am to 12pm on May 14, and costs $70 per person, including brunch,

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards

Marlborough’s Whitehaven Wines took two trophies at the 2017 Royal Easter Wine Show, winning with its Pinot Rosé 2016 and Noble Riesling 2014, having previously won a trophy for the Rosé at the 2016 Air New Zealand Wine Awards, and for the Noble Riesling at the 2016 New Zealand International Wine Show.

In another repeated success story, Hunter’s Riesling won the Rosebowl at the Royal Easter show for the third time. The award is dedicated to rewarding wines that have evidenced a capacity to develop grace and complexity over time. Minister of Finance Hon Steven Joyce presented the award - for the Hunter’s Marlborough Riesling 2016, 2010, and 2006 - at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards Gala Dinner.

Winemaker James Macdonald says Riesling has always been seen as a strength of Hunter’s. “What’s more pleasing as a winemaker is the link to cellaring potential.” Last year Jane Hunter received the Wolf Blass AM Award in Australia recognising Hunter’s contribution to Riesling.

Trophy winnersChampion Wine of the Show - Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014Champion Methode Champenoise or Sparkling - Te Hana Reserve Cuvee NVChampion Chardonnay - Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014Champion Gewurztraminer - Giesen The Brothers Gewurztraminer 2014Champion Sauvignon Blanc - Thornbury Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016Champion Riesling - Mount Brown Estates Riesling 2016Champion Pinot Gris - Waipara Hills Pinot Gris Waipara Valley 2016Champion Other White or Red Varieties - Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2013Champion Sweet Wine - Whitehaven Marlborough Noble Riesling 2014Champion Rosé - Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Rosé 2016Champion Pinot Noir - Wild Earth Special Edition Pinot Noir 2014Champion Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet predominate - Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2013Champion Merlot or Merlot predominate - Mission Estate VS Merlot 2015Champion Syrah - Goldie Estate Reserve Syrah 2014Gold Medal for Winemaker of the Year -Nick Picone (Villa Maria)Heritage Rosebowl - Hunter’s Wines Marlborough Riesling 2006, 2010, 2016The New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame - The latest inductee into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame is Dr Alan Limmer, formerly of Stonecroft Wines

coffee and all tasting wines. Tickets via EventFinda (http://bit.ly/2nBzr7h). For more information email [email protected]

32 / Winepress April 2017 6

Wine HappeningsA monthly list of events within the New Zealand wine industry.To have your event included in next month’s Wine Happenings or Industry News pages, please email details [email protected] by April 20. For more information on the events below email Harriet Wadworth [email protected]

Brought to you by

Sauvignon Blanc Day - May 5 Grower Workshop - May 10 Organic Winegrowing Conference - June 26

GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINES AND GREAT FRIENDS COME TOGETHER AT HERZOG’S!

Why not treat yourself to a pre-vintage night out at the famous Gourmet Restaurant! Alternatively, soak up the autumn sun in our beautiful Bistro Garden, indulge in Hans’ eclectic artisan wines or for all your wine aficionados - indulge in one of New Zealand’s largest International wine lists!

Hans Herzog Estate | 81 Jeffries Road | Blenheim |03 572 8770 | [email protected] | www.herzog.co.nz

DON’T FORGET - MOTHER’S DAY 14 MAY!

SPOIL MUM AT MARLBOROUGH’S MOST ROMANTIC PLACE!

BISTRO OPEN 7 DAYS LUNCH & DINNER |GOURMET RESTAURANT WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY FOR DINNER

APRIL 201719: Kick off of ‘16 Days of Sauvignon’ – Marlborough (pg 20)

MAY 20175: International Sauvignon Blanc Day - #sauvblanc (pg 20)10: Grower Workshop – 160 Paynters Road - 8.30am to 12pm (pg 30)13: Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon - Marlborough 14: Wines of Marlborough Brunch - Cloudy Bay (pg31)31: Applications close for the Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition

JUNE 201726: Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference - Marlborough (pg 14)

JULY 20176: Bayer Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year Competition 2017 – Marlborough28: Marlborough Book Festival 2017 – www.marlboroughbookfest.co.nz

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Pruning Farmlands has a full range of pruning tools, pruning supplies, clothing and safety equipment. For prices or a quote on bulk purchases, talk to your Farmlands Technical Advisor or visit your local Farmlands store today.

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