New Zealand Winegrower Dec-Jan 2013-14

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FEATURES

10 NZWinegrower Personality of the YearEach year NZ Winegrower recognises someone who has played an influential role in the New Zealand wine industry. This year we recognise a couple who have changed the way winegrowers look at organics and biodynamics – James and Annie Millton.

14 Preparing for the FutureThe world of agri business is changing, and this will have an impact on the future of New Zealand wine. Corporate retailers, their influence on consumers, the increase in population numbers and a growth in the number of middle class purchases are all areas the industry needs to be prepared for.

20 Welcome to a New AppellationPeter Saunders takes a closer look at the growth of a new appellation in Hawke’s Bay – Crownthorpe. A number of New Zealand’s larger companies are making their mark in this area, ensuring it will be one to look out for.

30 The Sound of WineWe are used to looking, sipping, tasting and spitting when it comes to wine. But how about listening to it. Jo Burzynska has been investigating the impact sound has on the taste of a wine, with some fascinating results.

REGULARS

4 EditorialTessa Nicholson

5 From the CEOPhilip Gregan

6 Regional ViewpointRichard Flatman – Nelson

8 In BriefNews From Around the Country

38 Sommelier’s CornerCameron Douglas MS

50 Bob’s BlogBob Campbell MW

58 Not On The LabelLegal Matters

61 CalendarWine Happenings in New Zealand

63 Research SupplementThe latest science and research projects funded

by NZWinegrowers

72 IndexResearch stories from the past 12 months

Front CoverLake Forsyth Vineyard, supplied by NZWingrowers

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I S S U E 8 3 CONTENTS

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4 // NZ WINEGROWER DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

FROM THE EDITOR TESSA NICHOLSON

EDITOR Tessa [email protected]

CORRESPONDENTS

Auckland: Joelle Thomson [email protected]

Gisborne: Christine [email protected]

Hawkes Bay: Mary Shanahan [email protected]

Nelson: Neil Hodson [email protected]

Canterbury: Jo Burzynska [email protected]

Central Otago: Max Marriott [email protected]

ADVERTISING

Sales Manager:Ted [email protected]: 07 854 6292Mobile: 021 832 505

Upper North Island:Stephen [email protected]: 09 913 9637Mobile: 021 963 166

Lower North Island:Mark MacfarlanePh: 04 234 6239Mobile: 021 453 914

South Island:Kaye Sutherland [email protected]: 03 376 5552Mobile: 021 221 1994

CIRCULATION &

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Lorraine Rudelj [email protected] Ph: 09 303 3527 Fax: 09 302 2969

New Zealand Winegrowers PO Box 90 276, Auckland Mail Centre, New Zealand

PUBLISHING &

PRE-PRESS

Rural News Group PO Box 3855, Auckland 1140 Ph: 09 307 0399

Location: Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622

Publisher: Brian Hight

Managing Editor: Adam Fricker

Production: Dave Ferguson,

Rebecca Williams

Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers (jointly representing Wine Institute of New Zealand Inc and New Zealand Grape Growers Council Inc). Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/or its directors or management, New Zealand Winegrowers or its constituent organisations.

Published every second month. One free copy is mailed to every member of the Institute, the Council, the New Zealand Society of Viticulture & Oenology and the New Zealand Vine Improvement Group, and to such other persons or organisations as directed by the owners, with provision for additional copies and other recipients

to be on a subscription basis.

ISSN 1174-5223

A s we come to the end of another year, it’s appropriate to reflect on what has been and what is ahead of us. As you will see from Philip

Gregan’s comments, it has been a far more satisfying 12 months, than in previous years. Although having said that, it doesn’t mean everyone is happy. Wineries are still reeling from the impact of the New Zealand dollar, and the lack of substantial price increases in our most important markets. But at least the signs are that market prices are not heading downwards, even if they aren’t moving up at any significant speed.

Growers have had a far better 12 months, as prices for fruit increased, along with yields and the weather prior to vintage was some of the best in recent memory.

Now it’s time to look ahead. Firstly to get through the flowering period without significant periods of cool weather. Secondly to stave off disease threats such as powdery mildew, that always tends to raise its head during the Christmas holiday period. Thirdly, it will up to everyone to manage yields, to ensure there is no blow out back to over supply.

This issue we look even further ahead, with Ian Proudfoot from KPMG. What are the issues that will impact on the wine industry in the next five, 10, 15 years and how can you as a grower or winery make the most of those changes? Wine Personality of the Year

This issue we also celebrate a remarkable couple that have had a major impact on the wine industry in this country. The NZWinegrower Personalities of the Year for 2013 are James and Annie Millton.

As one of the 10 original biodynamic winegrowers in the world, the Milltons

have changed the way industry personnel in New Zealand view both organics and bio-dynamics. They have readily shared their knowledge with countless people and organisations, and have been instrumental in the incremental growth of such practices.

In terms of James, he has been instrumental in establishing COWNZ (Certified Organic Winegrowers of New Zealand) he is the current Chairman of OWNZ (Organic Winegrowers of New Zealand), was until earlier this year a

member of the New Zealand Winegrowers Board, he has been a member of the Bio-dynamic Farming and Gardening Association and has been a wine judge at a number of influential

shows. On top of that he has been making high quality wines, without any assistance from synthetic chemicals or additives for nearly 30 years.

When the Milltons established their vineyard back in 1984, there were very few in the country that understood, let alone saw the benefits of bio-dynamics or organics. Fast forward to 2013, when OWNZ has more than 150 members, many of them having been directly influenced by the work of the Milltons.

In a press release a few years ago, James had this to say;

“In 1984 they thought we were crazy. We’ve just spent the last 28 years proving to everyone that they were right. We are crazy. But now it seems everyone wants to be crazy too and it’s just what this planet needs.”

So thanks James and Annie for all your hard work, for not giving up and for not letting the pressure of others change your beliefs. You are both so worthy of being named this year’s NZWinegrower Personalities. ■

ANOTHER YEAR PASSES US BY

“We are crazy. But now it seems everyone wants to be crazy too and it’s just what this planet needs.”

NZ WINEGROWER DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014 // 5

FROM THE CEO PHILIP GREGAN

47% and 87%47% of our members

completed our Members Survey this year. We were very pleased with this level of participation but will look to get above the 50% mark in 2014. Of respondents to the Survey 87% said the business outlook was ‘okay’ or better. The sentiment across growers, wineries, exporters etc was overwhelmingly positive. After the tough times since 2008 this is a very positive sign of the turnaround in the industry.$1,668 and 23%

The average grape price from vintage 2013 as recorded in the recently released data was $1,668 per tonne, up 23% on vintage 2012. The increase in grape prices is likely one reason growers have a slightly more optimistic view of the business outlook than did wineries in the Members Survey. The increase in grape prices has helped to return profitability to the grape growing sector of the industry and is a sure sign of some welcome tension in the supply demand balance.3% and just 0.1%

Exports of packaged wines have grown 3% in the past year (to October) despite the smaller 2012 vintage. Package wine growth has been strongest to the USA with shipments to that market up 13% in the past

year. By contrast packaged wine shipments to Australia are down 1% for the same period. However the average value per litre of exported packaged wine has grown just 0.1% in the past year (12 months to September) and is still well below levels recorded in previous years. The high value of the New Zealand dollar has something to do with that of course (see below).$374 million

New Zealand wine exports to North America are now valued at $374 million, up 10% on the previous year. USA and Canada have been identified as major growth opportunities for the sector so the continuing strong growth into these markets is very positive.£7.22

The average price for New Zealand wine in the UK sold in off-premises for the 12 weeks up to mid-August 2013 was £7.22 per bottle, up 13% on the previous year. This is positive news for the industry in a market where profitability has been a struggle in recent years, what with the exchange rate and ever increasing taxes. Less positively, the volume of sales was down 25% in the same period.$3.90 and 22%

The average value of bulk white wine exports in the past 12 months is $3.90 per litre,

up 22% on the previous, a very similar increase to the lift in grape prices in the past year. In recent months the average price has been tracking at just over $4.00 per litre so the yearly average price still seems to have some upside in it. Like the lift in grape prices this is an indicator of the improved supply/demand balance in the industry.93

The number of sustainability stories lodged on the nzwine.com website sustainability pages since their launch now totals over 90. These make compelling reading so please upload more – it does not cost anything other than a little of your time. 77.23

As measured against a basket of currencies the New Zealand dollar was valued at 77.23 on a trade weighted index basis at the end of October. This is one of the highest levels in the past 15 years and is a real headwind for wineries trying to extract value out of export markets. Some weakening in the New Zealand dollar in the year ahead would be a real benefit for profitability in the industry but who knows how long it may be before that happens.6.6, 6.5 and 5,333

Earthquakes have rattled the Marlborough region in recent months with the largest quake measuring 6.6, the next

largest 6.5 and a total of 5,333 quakes in all according to the Geonet website. Little wine was lost in the quakes but there has certainly been quite some damage to tanks which needs to be repaired. For everyone’s sake let’s hope 2014 does not bring any more significant quakes in the region or any other part of New Zealand.345,000 tonnes

Vintage 2013 came in at 345,000 tonnes for the industry. While it is our largest ever crop most industry members seemed comfortable with the vintage size given the strong growth in export volumes in the past few years.The unknown number

The unknown number is, of course, the size of vintage 2014. By the time the Christmas break is over flowering will be done and growers and wineries will have a much better feel for the size of the harvest. From a supply/demand perspective what is required is a vintage that is neither too small nor too big, but the final decision on how many grapes to harvest rests with individual growers and wineries. All we can say is remember the lessons – both quality and supply/demand balance – out of the past five years.

Have a safe and happy festive season! ■

THE YEAR IN NUMBERS

With the year nearly over I thought it might be a good idea to review some key numbers from the past year … all of course with an eye on next year.


REGIONALVIEWPOINT

A s I write this there is a real feel of summer in the air. We have had the right amount of rain and

sunshine so all the vineyards are flat out growing. Flowering has started and the long range fore-cast is good. However I have been doing this job for long enough to know not to say too much until harvest is over and the grapes are happy fermenting.

Nelson wineries like the rest of New Zealand are currently feeling optimistic about the future. Con-tract growers have a few different choices of companies wanting to purchase their grapes. Even the prices seem reasonable. We seem to be very lucky here in Nelson we don’t appear to have too many problems getting casual vineyard workers which is great for the local economy and of course the vineyards.

As for what is happening in Nelson Winegrowers – there is loads going on. Looking forward, we have decided to review how we brand and sell the Nelson wine region. We have appointed Colin Bass and Craig Wilson to be our consultants. In the first instance they will interview 30 key stake-holders from Nelson, New Zealand and some from outside New Zea-land. From here we will decide if we need to re-brand or not.

As a region, Nelson is small but we also produce some amazing wines over many different varie-ties so this whole exercise will be a good one and timely. The first part of the process should be completed by Christmas and from there we can look at the marketing required in the future.

The committee that has been formed to run this has put in many hours and I would like to send my

thanks to them all. It is a big task and the have all work exceptionally hard on it. Having a strong regional brand benefits the entire local industry, from the owners of wineries right down to the growers supplying them.

Nelson WineArt has also started thinking about and organizing the next Aromatics Symposium. While this won’t take place until February 2016, that time will roll around very quickly. We intend concentrat-ing on Pinot Gris and Riesling this time round. It is likely we will have guest speakers from Alsace and Australia, so make sure you pencil this period of time in your calendar. It will be worth it.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the New Zealand Winegrowers team for all their hard work. They are often

overlooked which is a shame, because what they provide the members is truly professional and world class. I was looking through the website last week which I must admit I have not actually spent that much time on and was amazed at the amount of informa-tion there. It is a great resource to have. I find the factsheets excel-lent material for training my tractor operators and vineyard supervisor’s. This in conjunction with the Grape Days make for well trained staff, which at the end of the day makes my life easier.

On that note, on behalf of eve-ryone in the Nelson wine industry, I wish you all a great season ahead. May the sun keep shining! ■

BRANDING REVIEW UNDERWAYR I C H A R D F L AT M A N

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Leadership Confirmed

Steve Green has been re-elected as Chairman of the NZWinegrower’s Board. As has deputy, John Clarke.

Green is proprietor of Carrick, a boutique Central Otago winery, has been involved in the Central Otago grape and wine industry since 1994, has previously served as Chair of Central Otago Winegrowers and has been on the New Zealand Winegrowers Board since 2005.

Clarke is a Gisborne grapegrower with over 30 years’ experience in the grape and wine industry, has previously served for ten years as the Chair of Gisborne Winegrowers and joined the New Zealand Wine-growers Board in 2006.

Sauvignon.Com – Searching For NZers

If the phrase Sauvignon.com sounds like a Marlborough initiative, think again. This is the brainchild of South African Sauvignon Blanc specialist Thys Louw; sixth generation family winemaker at Diemersdal in the Durbanville Hills –west of Cape Town. The winery (wine farm, in South African parlance) hosted its own Wild Wild Sauvignon Fest in October this year. Louw is looking for a New Zealand winemaker to work with on other Sauvignon Blanc initiatives. www.diemersdal.co.za

Upgraded Wine Fire Winery Manager The new release of the Wine File Winery Manager continues the

software’s focus on making recordkeeping easy for Wine makers. The new Fruit planning module enables wine makers to plan the receival and processing of fruit at the winery and provides visibility of the expected workflow. The laboratory instrument interface enables wine and fruit analysis to be loaded into Wine File directly from the instrument signifi-cantly improving the speed and accuracy of analysis recording. While Wine File has always had a strong costing capability, the new release provides the ability to analyse the costs of individual operations on batches of wine.

Green Distributor

A new wine, beer and spirits distributor launched in New Zealand in September this year with a focus on certified organic products. Green Drop represents 10 labels from family owned and operated vineyards,

breweries and distilleries. The company was set up by the owner of Turanga Creek, Wayne Allen, who has also secured exclusive import rights to the Los Angeles based Green Bar Collective range of spirits, which include Bar Keep organic bitters, Crusoe organic rums, Fruitlab organic liqueurs, IXÁ organic tequila, Slow Hand organic whiskey, TRU organic gin and vodkas.

Why Waiheke

Broadcaster and wine writer John Hawkesby and photographer Duncan Innes have collaborated on the new book, Waiheke An Island and its People, published by Penguin (RRP $45). Hawkesby lives on the island where he divides his time between growing grapes, freelance writing and hosting events. His previous books are Save The Last Dance For Me (1997) and Vintage: A Wine Journey (2006).

How To Act Like An Expert Champagne author Fritz

Gubler has produced a new book - How to Act Like a Cham-pagne Expert (RRP $29.99), published by Arbon. It’s a fun take on the old how-to theme. It’s packed with facts on glass-ware, champagne and the world’s other sparkling wines also get a mention, including Prosecco, high quality method traditionelle styles of bubbles and even some carbonated fizz. There’s also a generous sprin-kling of interesting quotes from writers and drinkers, including the late great Mark Twain who preached moderation in all things – except Champagne. How to Act Like a Champagne Expert by Fritz Gubler is published by Arbon, distributed by New Holland NZ, $29.99.

INBRIEF

NATIONAL

Carlee Atkin with Loic Parola of Greendrop.co.nz


MARTINBOROUGHKiwi’s First Egg

Winemakers Lance Redgewell and Bridie McKenna of Cambridge Road Winery in Martinborough have imported a 675 litre ceramic egg to introduce into their winemaking. The egg arrived in October this year and coincides with the launch of their production of preservative free salamis and meats.

WAIPARANew MD for Pyramid Valley

Well known Caine Thompson has joined Pyramid Valley Vineyards in Waikairi, North Canterbury, as its first managing director. Thompson, formerly viticulturist with Mission Estate Winery in Hawke’s Bay, is a previous winner of the national Young Viticulturist award and the over-arching New Zealand Young Horticulturist competition. With a strong expertise in organic grape growing, and a soon to be completed MBA under his belt, Thompson, will be working closely with owners, Mike and Claudia Weersing to raise the profile of the biodynamically-managed vineyards and the select range of wines, both nationally and internationally.

MARLBOROUGHBallet Troupe Among the Vines

Members of the Royal New Zealand Ballet got such much-needed time out in Marlborough, during their TOWER Tutus on Tour. With Nautilus Estate being one of the company’s sponsors, the dancers were treated to a tour, tasting and luncheon at the winery. They also got to taste the specially produced Nautilus Sparkling Rosé released earlier this year, to commemorate the ballet company’s 60th anniversary. Nautilus Estate have been sponsoring the ballet for the past two years and have just renewed their sponsorship through until 2015.


INDUSTRYPROFILE

T he planet Saturn may be more than a billion kilom-eters away from Earth but according to biodynamic

ideology, the effect it has on living organisms here is rather profound.

James Millton – co-founder of New Zealand’s first biodynamic and certified-organic wine label, Millton Vineyards and Winery – is a firm believer in the influence of Saturn as it makes its 28-year rotation around the sun, describ-ing this cycle as the template for everything they do.

“Some people say this lunar business is a crock of shit – I’m sorry, but it’s not,” he says. “When you’re born, this planet makes a print on you, and 28 years later it happens again; a period of self-analysis and transition.”

At the age of 28, James was

given the opportunity to grow wine. He was living in Germany at the time, learning the craft of arti-san winemaking, with loose plans of staying on there or returning to France to continue his studies in winegrowing.

“I didn’t set out to do what we do, it was an intuitive response. When I was seven I wanted to grow vegetables, when I was 14 I wanted to ferment them, at 21 I was learning the craft of an arti-san winemaker, and at 28 we were given the opportunity to do what we do now. So here we are.”

“We” is James and wife Annie. As the winemaker, often much of the attention is directed at him but he is very clear to point out it is a 100-percent a team effort.

“It is Annie and me. We may have a bit of a tempestuous rela-

tionship, but you find another business, enterprise or product in the hospitality industry that is exported to quite a few countries and world, where it is a husband and wife team . . . it’s fairly excep-tional. Maybe this is part of the relationship of this ying yang, hus-band and wife team, is the leveling effect of tempering this degree of what could be ridiculousness which then leads to mistakes. We work together pretty well.”

By his own admission, he’s a dreamer, while Annie brings him back down to earth when need be, offering a pragmatic voice of reason. Together they have built the Millton name into the globally successful and respected brand it is today, always with a focus on taking their time and doing things right. They didn’t get into business

James and Annie MilltonPHOTO STRIKE PHOTOGRAPHY

NZ WINEGROWER PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR C H R I S T I N E B OYC E

James and Annie Millton


to make mistakes, James says.When they started the busi-

ness in 1981 they were paying 22 to 23 percent on start-up loans; they didn’t have much to put into the business but they had a great opportunity.

The decision to go organic and biodynamic was not so much a conscious decision, James says, but rather an intuitive response and the only way they felt comfortable going about winegrowing.

“The process of certification is the best business plan any busi-ness can do. Once you’ve achieved it you have a license to trade where the gatekeepers try to keep eve-ryone out.

“The certification could be considered a little bit green or eco-bureaucratic; that they are having to cartel with the requirements of the international market, but it’s a pretty profound thing they are

doing,” he says.“Being organic is a long-term

commitment – don’t think you’re going to get more money for it, don’t think it’s a short term solu-tion to a product oversupply or a perceived market advantage.

“At the end of the day, the market is becoming more and more discerning, so the wine has to be good, if not excellent. To make good if not excellent wines, you have to work in the vineyard and for Mother Nature to repay you, you need to be prepared to standby and do your apprenticeship for seven years. During that time she will offer you three ups and three downs. You have to have the ability to ride that out.”

The Milltons’ have enjoyed their share of “ups” over the years; their wines have won prestigious trophies around the world, they have grandstanded one of their signature varieties Chenin Blanc,

and last year James become a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the wine industry.

But when asked about his proudest moments, he says it’s simply having survived in busi-ness for this long.

“After 30 years we’re still here - I’m just proud to wake up in the morning. Gisborne is an amaz-ing place . . . it’s certainly not the mirrored-wall disco scene of other parts – by comparison we have a slow waltz, but man, can we make a twirl.

“We’ve enjoyed the highs, the recessive period when the big greedy corporations came and went and we’ve had to stop and think about what we’re doing. The pride will be in the future when they realize Gisborne is one of the most dynamic winegrowing areas in the country. We have freedom – we don’t have to use a whole lot

of irrigation or frost control, and we have this tempering sea breeze wind off the South Pacific ocean which lends a salinity of character and friendliness.”

James finds satisfaction in see-ing the development of organics in New Zealand; that more wine-growers are taking a more sustain-able approach with greater respect in leaving a minimal footprint on the soil that provides so much.

“ O n e w o u l d a s s u m e 20-percent of vineyards will be certified organic by 2020, which was the challenge we laid down to winegrowers many years ago. And given the rate of change it is happening, we are going to be well exceeding that. Does that mean more competition for those of us who have been doing it for so long? Maybe. But we deal with diversity and cooperation. The consumer will get greater wines and the result to us: with more

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THE MILLTONS

To be who James is takes a certain quality and strength of spirit. He was organic, and biodynamic, long before it was cool. In the last several years, as chair of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand, he’s generously given his energy to lead others toward organic growing -- essentially nurturing his future competitors -- because his greater loyalty is to the earth itself. He’s a pioneering and provocative thinker, always asking new questions. He has an intricate ecological understanding, and once you taste his wines you want to follow him down wherever that path he’s leading.Rebecca Reider - National Coordinator of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand

James and Annie Millton are true modern day pioneers in our industry. They have remained true to their values and have provided respected, committed, inspiring leadership in the organic/biodynamic sector. The success of all their hard work can be seen in the fact that many of the ideas they have espoused have become mainstream in recent times.Philip Gregan CEO NZ Winegrowers

James and Annie have been challenging convention since the year I was born. I’m pretty lucky to be living only a stone’s through away from the country’s best biodynamic producer. They are amazing people.Matt Fox – NZ Young Viticulturist of the Year 2013

Over the last 30 years James has been leading the way of making biodynamic winegrowing as an economically viable option, and this in a climate more challenging than most in New Zealand.Hatsch Kalberer – Winemaker Fromm Wines

James Millton’s influence in the world of wine extends way beyond our shores. He is arguably the most recognisable New Zealander on wine’s world stage.The passion James has for Bio Dynamic and Organic growing has encouraged many to remove their blinkers and set forth on a new path. A great motivator, orator and raconteur James is a delightfully, inquisitive friend who doesn’t suffer fools and flies the New Zealand flag with pride.Our industry is much richer by having him in our midst.Bart Arnst

competition is that we have to be better and better, so we are continually lifting the goal post.”

His advice for those wanting to become certified organic is to get off the tractor and dig holes – understand their property as an individual organism.

“Start digging holes in the vine-yard and smell it, feel it and see how alive it is. Then think about how you can have the least impact

on this organism so you let it find its balance. It takes seven years to build the organism up to a bal-ance,” he explains.

“Eventually disease becomes ease, ease becomes balance. Bal-ance becomes harmony, harmony becomes happiness and happi-ness becomes enthusiasm. Once you have enthusiasm, the rest is easy.” ■[email protected]

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LOOKINGAHEAD

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURET E S S A N I C H O L S O N

New Zealand has 75.6 million litres of freshwater per person, yet 96% of it goes unused out to sea. Ian Proudfoot (inset)

N ew Zealand’s isolation at the bottom of the South-ern Hemisphere has both advantages and disad-

vantages when it comes to our agri business sector. Advantages include; being free from many of the pests and diseases that run rampant through our export mar-kets, our relatively stable climatic conditions, and our natural assets in terms of water and land. Disad-vantages include; cost of routes to market, and being such a small player in the world scheme of things, that we have little leverage.

Ian Proudfoot, Head of Agribusiness & Lead Partner, Consumer & Industrial Prod-ucts KPMG New Zealand, believes all agri business including the wine industry should be focusing on our advantages to ensure future viability.

That may mean looking at busi-ness models in a different way. Take the world of global retail-ing for example. Proudfoot says the world’s 10 largest retailers between them operate in 50 coun-tries and “pull up a trillion dollars in business.” It is important to work alongside these retailers as they steadily become bigger. All 10 are multi format, all have an eve-ryday low price proposition, they all have strong themes regarding sustainability and they are very focused on home brands.

“That’s not just the basic cheap bulk standards. If you look at the major retailers they have home brands across at least four levels, from low to very high end prod-ucts, including wine.”

For wine producers, that may be one of the biggest challenges he says, to work in with that shift

to corporate brands. “You need to be able to work

with these retailers and on how you create a story for them. There is real opportunity in being a suc-cessful corporate brand supplier.”

Those large retailers are also concentrating on all parts of the sustainability equation, from environmental, to impact on local communities.

“It is the retailers that are driv-ing it (sustainability) on the basis of what they believe the consumer believe it to be. The decisions they make are all about how they are going to market themselves. You can’t afford to overlook the fact that you have lost the argument from a sustainable perspective that is based on science. It’s very much now based around market-ing.”

With the world’s population

expected to increase from 7 billion to date, to 9 billion by 2050, there will be a significant change in the socio economics of many coun-tries. Proudfoot says by 2030, the estimates are that 3.5 billion peo-ple in the Asia/Pacific regions will rate themselves as middle class consumers. That is important for the New Zealand wine industry, given wine is viewed very much as a discretionary product.

“The term middle class is open to interpretation, but the way it has been defined is that a con-sumer has the ability to make dis-cretionary choices over what they will consume. They are no longer buying food purely to survive, they are buying food to enhance their lifestyle. It creates huge opportu-nities, but it is important to note that the opportunity will be very carefully fought for.”


With China expected to add more than its fair share to that growing population, Proudfoot says it will become vitally impor-tant for targeted development by New Zealand wine.

“To be successful you need to invest in local knowledge. We aren’t spending enough on local domestic knowledge with the countries we are trading with.”

In terms of our country’s nat-ural assets, water is the one that offers the most advantages. New Zealand currently has close to 75.6 million litres of fresh water per person in terms of a renewable water supply.

“That is our most important strategic equity asset we have in this country. But at the moment 96 percent of that water goes out to sea unused. We need to address that because we actually have something that is so scarce in the rest of the world, they would dam

it, catch it export it if they had the opportunity.”

Compare New Zealand’s 75.6 million litres per person with the following;

India – 1.6 million litresChina – 2.1 million litresAfrica – 5.6 million litres, Europe – 10.4 million litres Australia – 22.5 million litresAlongside protecting our fresh

water supply, Proudfoot believes New Zealand has to start protect-ing suitable agri business land from urban encroachment.

“At the moment we are prob-ably seeing a decrease in the best available land around Auckland, Christchurch and Lincoln. Land that is available for agri business is being converted into urban or lifestyle use. That places pressure on our land supply.”

Spending on research and development will play a major role for all agri business in the future,

IAN PROUDFOOT’S TOP 10 TIPS

• Work in with the shift to corporate brands

• Avoid being all things to all people

• Target development in Asia• Identify and lead the next

big things in terms of wine styles

• Understand the impact the agricultural development will have on the wine industry

• Ensure wineries are

sufficiently profitable to

support the use of land as

a winery

• Grow the role of wine

in attracting premium

tourists to New Zealand

• Invest in technology

• Research and prove

inherent health benefits of

wine

• Maintain the integrity and

reputation of the product

Proudfoot says. That is something New Zealand is not leading the way in.

“The major global players in seed production, fertilizer management and bio tech are all spending in excess of 10 to 20 per-cent of their revenue on R and D. I don’t see that level of spending in New Zealand agri accounts. That is a real risk to our industry. We

need to have more of an innova-tive culture. Rather than just let-ting things happen which we take advantage of, what we want is a really buoyant pipeline of inno-vation that consistently delivers great success, year after year.” ■[email protected] Proudfoot was a guest speaker at this year’s Romeo Bragato Conference.


AIR NZWINE AWARDS

T his year we saw a total of 1379 entries, which is slightly up on the 2012 competition. 8% of entries

were awarded Gold Medals, and 47% of all entries received awards.

2013 was a very good grape-growing season across the coun-try, and it was very exciting to see such a strong lineup of outstand-ing Sauvignon Blanc wines from this vintage. These wines have very fine and fruity aromas, and the very best all have the weight, tex-ture, length and balance befitting the Gold Medal standard. The best examples show a balance between very ripe and slightly edgy mineral characters which give these wines both depth and vibrancy. They appear to be drier this year, and with less obviously sweaty volatile thiol aromas.

Once again the showing of Chardonnay in this competi-tion is very strong indeed, and indicates what can be achieved from a range of regions when the grapes are ripe, and the use of oak is carefully balanced with the fruit elements of the wine. The bounda-ries are continuing to be pushed with Chardonnay, with some very attractive and edgier reductive styles competing with the full, rich and weighty types.

The wonderful aromatic quali-ties of Riesling shone through this year, and its suitability as a medium-sweet wine style is clearly evident among the Gold Medal wines. The dry styles at their best are also very impressive, although the acid profile can be somewhat challenging to many consumers.

Pinot Gris is an important

grape variety in the New Zealand wine sector, and with the quality of the 2013 vintage we have seen a big step up. It can sometimes suf-fer from overcropping and flabbi-ness, but the best wines from 2012 and 2013 are florally scented with concentration and rich textures, balanced with the clever use of residual sweetness.

The Gewürztraminer class was a little disappointing this year with only two Gold Medals. As in last year’s competition Viognier showed some very impressive aromatic profiles across the range, with richness and textured pheno-lics in this strongly flavoured vari-ety. Albariño repeated its success of last year with a very attractive example.

Sparkling Wine should by rights be one of New Zealand’s very strong categories, and the Gold Medal wines this year

showed what great results can be achieved when elegant refinement meets aged yeast autolysis com-plexity. This is an exciting class, and bodes very well for the future.

With 22 Gold Medals, Pinot Noir is once more the most suc-cessful varietal class in the com-petition. The top wines are truly outstanding and are becoming an international benchmark for the variety. They are characterised by

focussed Pinot Noir fruit aromas and flavours, with an intensity that is hard to find elsewhere. The winemaking techniques and matu-ration methods are sympathetic with the attributes that come

from the vineyard, and the result is a very complex and stylistically mature array of exceptional wines.

The fuller bodied reds pro-duced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are continuing their steady improvement. These classes are dominated by produc-ers from Hawke’s Bay, where warm ripening conditions, well suited soils and improved viticulture are yielding grapes with a riper

fruit profile than in the past. In the hands of careful winemakers the resulting wines have great fla-vour richness, balanced tannins and length, and are clearly very age worthy wines for the future.

Pleasingly, there was a very low incidence of microbiological prob-lems in red wines in the Awards. This is testament to our very high level of technical expertise, and in a world wine market where many producers from traditional wine regions still struggle with prob-lems such as Brettanomyces, we in New Zealand are producing red wines that stand up and get noticed because of their absolute quality rather than their historical reputation in the world of wine.

The Dessert Wine classes this year highlighted some absolute gems, with beautifully ripe con-centrated fruit characters often augmented with Botrytis Cinerea noble rot. Amazingly complex, the top wines are a rare treat. ■

CHAIR OF JUDGES REPORT M I C H A E L B R A J KO V I C H M W

With 22 Gold Medals, Pinot Noir is once more the most successful varietal class in the competition. The top wines are truly outstanding and are becoming an international benchmark for the variety.

Michael Brajkovich MW


AIR NEW ZEALAND WINE AWARDS 2013 TROPHY WINNERS

WINEAWARDS

■ Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show Nautilus Cuvée Brut NV

■ O-I New Zealand Reserve Wine of the Show Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2012

■ Label and Litho Limited Champion Sauvignon Blanc Boundary Vineyards Rapaura Road Sauvignon Blanc 2013

■ Rabobank New Zealand Limited Champion Chardonnay Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2012

■ Guala Closures NZ Champion Pinot Gris Lake Chalice Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013

■ Plant & Food Research Champion Riesling Highfield Riesling 2012

■ ICIB Gold Medal Insurance Champion Gewürztraminer Not Awarded

■ BDO Champion Other White Styles and Rosé Coopers Creek SV Gisborne Albariño ‘Bell-Ringer’ 2013

■ Wineworks Champion Sparkling Wine Nautilus Cuvée Brut NV

■ Stuff.co.nz Champion Dessert Wine Riverby Estate Noble Riesling 2012

■ JF Hillebrand New Zealand Ltd Champion Pinot Noir Greystone Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2012

■ Fruitfed Supplies Limited Champion Syrah Elephant Hill Syrah 2012

■ Coast FM Champion Merlot, Cabernet and Blends Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010

■ Fairfax Media Champion Other Red Styles Not Awarded

■ New World Champion Open White Wine Lake Chalice Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013

■ Liquorland Champion Open Red Wine Church Road McDonald Series Merlot 2011

■ Waitoa Free Range Chicken Champion Exhibition White or Sparkling Wine Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay 2012

■ Business World Travel Champion Exhibition Red Wine Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2010


PINOT NOIR“There’s no way to generalize

about any region in New Zealand today as we could 10 years ago. What I now see in North Canter-bury is a big eye opener. And there are also some fantastic Pinots from other parts of the Wairarapa, not only from Martinborough but I think this region is too small to fight in two different camps and they should use their muscle to promote the entire region. Cen-tral Otago’s Pinots are becoming increasingly impressive as the styles move towards more finesse and layers rather than a block of impressive dark fruit. Marlbor-ough Pinots have recently started to become more interesting as the variety and its vineyard sites have been shown more respect.”

Stenwreth was impressed with the distinction between wines from producers within a stone’s throw of one another, proving dif-ferent viticultural and winemaking approaches and philosophies – as well as the notion of terroir play-ing a part.

“In these past 10 years you’ve come a really long way with Pinot and now it’s escalating in terms of quality and personality. Produc-ers now trust their vineyards a lot more and I think the influence of the winemaker has been less heavy handed than around the world. I

see more elegance and honest fruit expression coming through, even in lower priced wines. It’s a very good thing, especially to see winemakers put so much trust in their vineyards.”

CHARDONNAYSolid purity. These two words

sum up New Zealand Chardonnay for Stenwreth.

She was delighted to see wines which stood on their own two feet without added bells and whistles, such as oak, even in lower priced, obviously more commercial styles. “You have such a great climate you don’t need to help the wines with acid or mask the wines with oak to get great taste.”

METHODENew Zealand’s best bottle

fermented bubbles are raising the bar for New World sparkling wines, Stenwreth says. And on the establishment this year of Methode Marlborough, she was also enthusiastic: “It’s daring to be a little bit cocky and I think it’s a fantastic thing to do. Many other countries would find it difficult to have such a good standard across the board with their bubbles.”

SAUVIGNON BLANC“There are fantastic Sauvignon

Blancs which have an incredible

personality and charisma and are an honest expression of the variety grown in a perfect place.”

Then there are some which are screaming too loudly for attention.

“I think New Zealand Sauvi-

HAVE FAITH IN THE VINESSwedish Master of Wine Madeleine Stenwreth is impressed with wine quality and the trust placed in New Zealand vineyards. She explained to Joelle Thomson what the highlights were of judging at this year’s Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

Madeleine Stenwreth


gnon goes overboard sometimes and I find it difficult to understand why producers want to push fla-vours so hard,” she says.

“The Sauvignon Blanc styles were my biggest headache because I think that some winemakers in New Zealand forget that this wine should be pleasant to consume. It’s like a competition of who can produce the most pungent of any styles.”

The answer is to put more faith in the variety – “Instead of trying to fiddle with the tools to dial up its aromatics so high.”

HAWKE’S BAY SYRAH AND MERLOT

Hawke’s Bay Syrahs in ripe enough years can be outstanding examples of the variety but the consistency in quality is so vintage dependent. Beware of prolonged hang-time that results in over con-centrated fruit characters that are

perceived to be necessary at the flag ship level. Elegance is worth a lot more.

“The risk of the very lean white peppery Syrah is that its austerity can be just too much a caricature of the variety and it is not under-

stood as a style by the consumers. Maybe it’s a fun wow in a blind line up but going too lean gives too lit-tle drinking pleasure. This relates often to the issue of declassifica-tion in years where the ripeness has not been perfect, and the lusher fruit that adds the neces-sary flesh on the bones is reserved for wines up the brand ladder. This

can be risky as most consumers might try Hawke’s Bay Syrah for the first time at a more reasonably priced level, and might be scared to give it another go

Co-fermentation with Viognier can add silky charm and fragrance

to these wines. Overall, this cat-egory – Syrah – has enormous promise for New Zealand, as does Merlot.

“There are stunning Merlots from Hawke’s Bay which is contributing layers, perfume and freshness to blends with inky, very ripe Cabernet in good years.”

AROMATICST h i s c a t e g o r y i n c l u d e s

b e a u t i f u l R i e s l i n g s a n d Gewurztraminers but lots of patchy styles, which promise the world on the nose without always following through on the palate. “Some Pinot Gris have been beautiful, especially given that they are made in a commercial style but there’s more personality in some wines than others,” she says.

“There are very few other Pinot Gris producing regions in the world which are taking the variety seriously due to its potential to be a short term cash cow. So with the quality approach that I saw, New Zealand could be the next generic Pinot Gris stop for the consumers who are willing to trade up from origins which have too long taken it for granted and treated it with lack of respect.” ■[email protected]

Madeleine Stenwreth was delighted to see wines which stood on their own two feet without added bells and whistles.

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REGIONSHAWKE’S BAY

I f it was sad to see Waitaki Valley decline in numbers so noticeably, it is a joy to welcome a new New Zealand

appellation in Hawke’s Bay.Crownthorpe Terraces is the

new sub-region of Hawke’s Bay, ‘new’ in the sense that it has found popularity with companies like Pernod Ricard, Morton Estate, Constellation and Delegats. There are now almost 1000 hectares, more than Gimblett Gravels, of planted vineyard in this district and now the name is appearing on some labels and in even more

Hawke’s Bay blends.Call it inland Hawke’s Bay,

elevated in the hills and near the upper reaches of the Ngaruroro River. Find the turn-off coming down Highway 50 from Napier at the little village of Fernhill, not far past the Crossroads winery. Then a few kilometres inland, towards Taihape (via Gentle Annie and the Ruahine Range) the vineyards start.

What is surprising is that this sub-region has grown to this extent without coming onto the radar. Some wine companies

like it that way. There are little in the way of cellar door facilities for wine tourists after all. This is vineyard territory.

Thought of as ‘too cool’ at first in Hawke’s Bay with the elevation, in fact the day time temperature average over ripening is higher than a lot of traditional Hawke’s Bay grape growing sub-regions. It is the nights which are cooler at Crownthorpe, and this gives the wider diurnal variation favoured by many grape growers and win-emakers.

This diurnal appeal and the

more cynical idea that ‘there are not many other places left in Hawke’s Bay to plant a decent sized vineyard’ has brought attention from larger winemak-ers. Certainly such a motive in Marlborough sent wineries fur-ther afield. When Rapaura and Wairau started to fill up and the land became expensive, Awatere and Waihopai were discoveries. It was cheaper to buy there too!

Talking on the Crownthorpe diurnal variations, Michael Ivice-vich from Delegats speaks of ‘the profound influence on the flavour

WELCOME TO A NEW APPELLATIONP E T E R S A U N D E R S

The latest sub region from Hawke’s Bay – Crownthorpe. PHOTO SUPPLIED BY DELEGATS.


development and natural acidity in the grapes’ this brings. He also tributes the site for its terraces, the soil and for the pure water the Ngaruroro River brings

Crownthorpe was planted first by Evert Nijzink, who sold his wine under the Settler label. ‘I am a set-tler in New Zealand from Holland’ said Evert who has cut his produc-ing vineyard from four hectares to three and with a day-time job for half the year as a Hawkes Bay winemaker, then half a year mak-ing wine in Europe, Crownthorpe has to fit in.

Keen to follow were Emma Lowe and Marcelo Nunez (the latter from Chile) who make wine under the Monowai label

(previously Castalia). They have 22 ha, principally in five varie-ties and have succeeded in pro-ducing wine carefully to reflect ‘a sense of place’ – the terroir of Crownthorpe.

Then the larger companies moved in. Delegats for exam-ple, has 120 hectares under Crownthorpe vines with more to be planted. ‘We have no trouble ripening fruit here’ says Ivicevich. He speaks especially of Merlot and Chardonnay used in the new-look Delegat range (the ‘s’ has been dropped on the Delegat label). There is a contribution from here also to the Oyster Bay Merlot label.

Pe rnod R icard also has indulged at Crownthorpe and includes grapes from the region in several of its blends including some in the Church Road range. ‘Cool enough to suit the right vari-eties’ says Patrick Materman ‘but we can get them ripe and flavour-some’. Church Road winemaker

Chris Scott goes further. ‘There is some magnificent fruit coming from Crownthorpe’ he tells us.

Morton Estate is here too, Chardonnay in particular featur-ing for them including a contri-bution to their sparkling wines. Owner John Coney expresses delight in the Crownthorpe investment and credits his team with ‘spotting’ the potential of the site. He thinks Crownthorpe may be seen on the Morton front label but leaves the options open for the winemaker to use the resources with the Riverview vineyard as he (the winemaker) sees fit.

Constellation have an all-Sauvignon Blanc block called the Kikowhero Partnership Vineyard,

the Kikowhero Stream lending the name. This Crownthorpe site has an extra advantage in being rela-tively close to the company’s High-way 50 winery where the grapes are processed.

Thus we see that Sauvignon Blanc is one company’s direction at Crownthorpe while another heads for Merlot and Chardon-nay. Each manages their vineyards according to the needs of the spe-cific varieties. And the bets are on that a Pinot Noir and Albarino will emerge before long from this sub-region also.

So while Crownthorpe Ter-races may be a name that sends many to the road atlas to locate, it is consolidating and making its mark without any sign of false hopes being dashed. The extent of planting may be surprising but the confidence of the winemakers involved shows in both enthusi-asm and in the quality of wine. ■[email protected]

Crownthorpe Terraces is the new sub-region of Hawke’s Bay, ‘new’ in the sense that it has found popularity with companies like Pernod Ricard, Morton Estate, Constellation and Delegats.

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RESEARCHNEWS

N ew Zealand Winegrow-ers (NZW) has secured approval for funding from the Ministry for Pri-

mary Industries’ Primary Growth Partnership for a world-leading research and development pro-gramme for high-quality, lower alcohol and calorie wines.

Described by NZW as ‘Lifestyle wines,’ the category comprises pre-mium wines that can be naturally produced using sustainable viticul-tural techniques and native yeasts – providing an important point of difference to existing laboratory processing methods.

The programme, entitled ‘Shift-ing the sweet spot,’ distinguishes between the NZW goal of natu-ral production and the category of lower alcohol wines currently available, which have typically been diluted with water (and often sugar) or else had alcohol removed through manufacturing processes such as reverse osmosis.

The NZW programme aims to grow New Zealand wine exports by NZ$60 million by 2024 and estimates that the broad economic

benefits deriving from the Lifestyle wine category will reach NZ$285 million a year, also by 2024.

The programme, first reported on page 42 in the August/Septem-ber issue of this magazine, will develop a range of viticulture and winery tools to naturally produce the high-quality Lifestyle wines sought by a growing number of consumers. The project will also demonstrate the commitment of the New Zealand wine industry and government to social respon-sibility and the safe and healthy consumption of wine.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has approved government investment of NZ$8.13 million over seven years, with project milestones staged to occur from 2014 through to the end of 2020. The total invest-

ment for the project is NZ$16.97 million over the same period, with the balance coming from industry partners as a mixture of cash and in-kind contributions.

“The project has the potential to continue the exemplary 20-year growth of the New Zealand wine industry, through world leadership of the Lifestyle wines category,” said Justine Gilliland, MPI’s Direc-tor Primary Growth Partnership. “We’re proud to be working with NZW on this exciting project.”

‘Shifting the sweet spot’ is the largest research and development programme ever undertaken by the New Zealand wine industry and is designed to position New Zealand as number one in the world for pre-mium Lifestyle wines.

“Given the reach and depth of wine company involvement,

we can fairly say that the entire industry will benefit from the pro-gramme outcomes,” said Dr Simon Hooker, NZW General Manager Research. Partners for ‘Shifting the sweet spot’ currently comprise:

• MPI• New Zealand Winegrowers• Pask Winery• Constellation NZ• Forrest • Giesen Wines• Indevin Partners NZ• Lawsons Dry Hills• Lion• Moana Park Winery• Mount Riley Wines• Mud House Wine Group• Pernod Ricard NZ• Spy Valley Wines• Villa Maria Estate• Whitehaven Wine Company• Yealands Estate WinesN Z W ’ s L i f e s t y l e w i n e s

programme is able to accept additional industry partners. Interested parties can contact Dr Simon Hooker, General Manager Research – [email protected]. ■

WORLD-LEADING WINE RESEARCH

Shifting the sweet spot’ is the largest research and development programme ever undertaken by the NZ wine industry and is designed to position New Zealand as number one in the world for premium Lifestyle wines.

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VINEYARDNEWS

T he first year of a three-year project aimed at determining the effect of under vine management

on soil, vines, grapes and wines has thrown up some interesting results.

Dr Mark Krasnow is part of the research team, comparing the effects when management is changed from using herbicide, to either cultivation or mowing. In Hawke’s Bay the research is based on Merlot and Syrah, while in Mar-

lborough it’s based on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

In terms of why the under vine management is important, Kras-now says anything that competes with the vines for water and nutri-ents, has to be taken seriously.

“Weeds can grow so tall they can actually get into the bunch zone and you end up with a micro climate conducive to rot and not conducive to quality. Anything that is growing up under your vine is potentially competing.”

The trials used randomised block designs, with buffer bays within the rows and buffer rows between treatments. There were six replicates for each treatment per site. In terms of Merlot, it was obvious early on that the areas where mowing was undertaken resulted in less vigour within the canopy when compared with her-bicide and cultivated plots.

To ensure that the canopy differences weren’t due to water stress in the mowing sites, the

researchers monitored water potential for all treatments.

“What we saw were very sub-tle differences between the treat-ments, which, in general were not statistically significant. We saw the canopies were much smaller in the mowing treatments, but it is due to only very subtle differences in the water potential.”

Nutrition was gauged in each treatment via leaf petiole and soil tests.

“We found no consistent dif-

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ferences in all three treatments. There were differences in sites, but we never saw mowing treat-ments with less nitrogen. These findings suggest that the observed vigour differences were not due to competition for water or minerals, or due to very subtle competition for water and minerals.”

Photos and leaf areas from the three different treatments showed the herbicide treated rows had the most leaf area, cultivation was sec-ond and mowing third.

“We saw a huge difference in percentage gaps in Merlot where there was the mowing treatment. It was a much more open canopy. Certainly for a red wine, in a sea-son when there is more rain, this would be a huge benefit.”

Soluble solids showed no dis-cernible differences, but when it came to berry size in Merlot, the mowed treatments resulted in a reduction.

“It is quite clear there is a dif-ference in how the vines in our Merlot site responded to the other treatments compared with mow-ing. Mowing had a greater effect on the growth of the vine and the size of the fruit,” Krasnow says. “This led to a significant reduc-tion in yield at harvest. In Merlot in Hawke’s Bay, manual crop thin-ning is a very common thing to do. So what we have here is a way to manage your yield without having to pay for a crew to come in and do it. Potentially that will impact on your bottom line.”

Given the trial was undertaken in an “ultra premium vineyard” the results from the first year of the trial are likely to be greeted with enthusiasm.

“Remember, smaller berries mean more open bunches and less of a potential for rot in a season that isn’t as spectacular as 2013 was. In a more typical season,

those small berries and open cano-pies could be a godsend.”

The impact of each of the treat-ments on final wine quality is the

next step in the process, prior to a second year of research within the field. ■[email protected]

The under vine area on the left front has been herbicide treated, the area in the background is mowed. Notice the difference in canopy size.

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The under vine area on the left front has been herbicide treated. The area in the background has been mowed. Notice the difference in canopy size.


How long have you worked in Gisborne? I have worked for the last 11-years at Millton

What brought you to Gisborne? I am a born and bred Gisborne lad

Where have you travelled in wine to get here? I have worked for Cullen in West-ern Australia and I have done three stints working for Masut in Mendocino County, Northern California

What do you enjoy most about your job? I love working not only with the vines, but being on a biodynamic estate. I am also working with animals on a day-to-day basis which I really enjoy. The biodynamic side of things I find really interest-ing, from the making of all the preparations to watching the way the vines respond to things you are doing at certain times of the month related to the position of the moon. What do you enjoy most about Gisborne? Gisborne is an amaz-ing place with its beaches for surf-ing, fishing and diving, to driving 30 minutes inland and you’re in beautiful native bush on walking tracks or hunting.

When you’re not making wine or growing grapes? I have just brought a property of my own so this is taking up most of my spare time at the moment. But otherwise I am either at the beach fishing or diving or catching up with family and friends, or every

now and again out on the golf course. But usually you will find me out in the vineyard somewhere, as I love being out there.

It sucks when…. The last day of harvest comes around as we have to wait for another year to taste our years’ work coming out of the press.

Your favourite wine? I can’t think of a favourite wine off the top of my head right now. But after working alongside James and Annie for so long I have a huge respect for a good glass of Chenin Blanc as I know the effort that has to be made in the vineyard to get it just perfect.

Which wine region excites you most right now? Gisborne excites me. I think there are some amazing wines coming out of here and there are a lot of new plantings of new varie-ties starting to happen around the region that are going to be very interesting to see how they go.

Future aspirations? Continue to work alongside James and travel around the world doing vintages in as many places as I can. Then maybe one day, get a vineyard of my own. This will be a few years down the track yet though as I still have so much to take in.

REGIONSGISBORNE

THE YOUTH OF GISBORNEIt is one of the oldest wine regions in New Zealand and less than 20 years ago, it was the powerhouse of the country’s wine industry. With the emergence of Marlborough, it has slipped down in the rankings in terms of size, but nothing can take away from Gisborne the ability to produce an array of stunning wines.

It is also home to a number of young viticulturists and winemakers who are helping secure the quality of the region for the future. This month we find out about three of those Young Guns.

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How long have you worked in Gisborne? Just one year in the wine industry.

What brought you to Gisborne? I grew up here and it’s a cool little town, worth sticking around for a lit-tle bit longer I think.

Where have you travelled in wine to get here? I studied it for a year at EIT in Gisborne last year.

What do you enjoy most about your job? Working alongside Andy and Tim at Hihi, they’re very knowledge-able about wine and there’s always something to learn off them - they’ve been an awesome team to work with for my first vintage. Most aspects about the job itself are enjoyable - not just wine tastings.

What do you enjoy most about Gis-borne? Gisborne is real chilled out and there’s a nice vibe about it. Really nice weather and really nice beaches, that’s all anyone says about Gis, but it’s actually true.

When you’re not making wine or growing grapes? Jamming with mates and watching live music is always a good time, traveling in and out of town and right now my new hobby is being on crutches.

It sucks when…. You prune a vine-yard.

Your favourite wine? I’m yet to have a favourite... I like all wines for differ-ent reasons. Lately I’ve become a bit of an Albarino fan.

Which wine region excites you most right now? Gisborne actually, it was a really good vintage for Hihi and many other wineries in the region that have produced some promising wines. I think Gisborne will bounce back and get more recognition in the future.

Future aspirations? Next vintage I want to try to work in Martinborough then maybe do some vintage work overseas, at this point I’m just going with the flow.

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How long have you worked in Gisborne? In my current position, just under a year

What brought you to Gisborne? I have always lived in Gisborne apart from when I was studying or traveling, it’s an awesome place to live and work but the life style was a big pull for me

Where have you travelled in

wine to get here? I had spent the two year previous to my job in Gisborne vintage hopping between Australia and France. Before I studied I went and did a vintage in Canada and was fortunate enough to win the Bragato scholarship and go and have a look around Italy

What do you enjoy most about your job? The day-to-day challenges and the team that I

work with, I love being outdoors so my job ties in perfectly.

What do you enjoy most about Gisborne? The lifestyle, the weather, the people and the opportunity that is here for me.

It sucks when… It’s raining in the middle of flowering!!!!!!!

Your favourite wine? Would have to be Viognier and Chardonnay

Which wine region excites you most right now? The Gisborne region, there’s a lot happening here at the moment with a bunch of enthusiastic people trying new things, watch this space.

Future aspirations? I hope to have a successful vineyard and winery operation of my own within the next couple of years and just keep doing what I’m doing.

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WINETASTING

W hen drinking a wine, sight, smell and taste all play vital roles. But what about sound?

How does that impact on the way a wine appears?

NZ Winegrower writer, wine critic and sound artist, Jo Burzyn-ska (aka Stanier Black-Five) has been investigating the synergies between wine and sound over recent years. Her findings are not only breaking ground, they are convincing a number of sceptics that all of the senses play a part in the final taste of a wine.

It is Burzynska’s involvement with sonic art (which she describes as “experimental music”) that has led to the findings.

“Basically it is art where the

sound is the main medium, as opposed to visual art. It’s more abstract and it will fall within the bounds of music, but it might not be what people would consider to be music. It’s not so much about entertainment and melody and harmony. It’s about using sound to explore ideas and pose questions.”

So while some sonic artists may include musical instruments within their piece, Burzynska prefers to use recordings of the natural environment. Last year she gained a residency in South-ern Italy, where she recorded the sounds of the winery and vine-yards, and created a piece of art that was then the backbone of a sound installation accompanied by a tasting of local wines. The

sounds are not just the obvious ones. Using high quality micro-phones her recordings delve deep within the winemaking process.

“I have a contact mic which picks up vibrations and I buried it within the soil. So you can hear the crunching and crackling. And the sounds of the wind going through the canopy, or the wind picking up the wires. I also have a hydrophone which can be submerged in liquid. So I dropped that into fermenting vats of wine, much to the amuse-ment of the winemakers. It is quite a powerful recording.”

At the completion of her two-week Suoni dal confine residency in Italy last year, Burzynska’s sonic art work premiered at Tufo, a clas-sic traditional wine making town.

She admits to being initially con-cerned at how the local commu-nity would react to the concept that sonic art would influence taste. The reaction though was more than positive.

“I could see people were taking time to listen and taste, which are the things that people don’t normally tend to do. Bringing the two things together meant there was a lot more active appreciation of what was going on. People were really tasting the wines, taking time to think about them and listening. The feedback I got was people did feel something happening and the soundscape I had created was enhancing the positive characters within the wines.”

SOUNDS TO TASTE BYT E S S A N I C H O L S O N

Jo records the sounds of a vineyard.


And while sonic art impacts on the taste of a wine, so too do more traditional forms of music. Burzynska has been running work-shops across the country, utilising a range of musical genres, to gauge varietal impact.

“I basically play lots of differ-ent genres from folk, to blues, elec-tronic to classical, to show how different musical forms can quite powerfully affect your perception of what you’re tasting.”

Eve n the sce ptics we re impressed. Particularly when it came to sound impacting the way aromatic wines tasted.

“They get affected in quite an extreme way. I start off by showing how you can remove the aromatics from a glass of Marlborough Sau-vignon Blanc. I play a really quite abrasive heavy rock piece, which almost closes down the nose and the acidity becomes much harder in contrast to a lighter poppy piece

of music that brings the aromatics out. People got to see it working, and it’s like; ‘Oh my goodness, there is something in it.’ People have walked away from the work-shops realising it is real, not gim-micky.”

Burzynska is now taking that experience further, and is working on what is believed to be a world first – a wine bar where the drinks are matched to an accompanying sound installation. The Auricle is due to open in Christchurch early in the New Year.

With every sonic art installa-tion, a dedicated wine list will be curated by Burzynska, with the wines selected on their compat-ibility with what will be playing in the gallery.

“There may be a joker wine as well, one that doesn’t go with the music. So if people want to experi-ence the impact, they can do so.”

While it is believed to be the

only bar of its kind in the world, Burzynska doesn’t believe it will remain so.

“I think people just haven’t grappled with the fact that music in the background will impact on taste. It definitely has an effect on mood and atmosphere. But the fact it impacts so much on taste, means I think we will see more of these in the future.”

She is also keen to develop

a new wine and sound project, focusing on the wine regions of New Zealand.

“Next year I would like to cre-ate a piece from the sounds of the region that’s designed to enhance the enjoyment of one their key wine styles. For example, Sau-vignon Blanc in Marlborough or Pinot Noir in Central Otago.” ■[email protected]

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SWNZUPDATE

R esults from this year’s m e m b e r s u r v e y , u n d e r t a k e n b y NZWinegrowers, showed

Sustainable Winegrowing is the number one issue concerning both growers and wineries.

Most of the concerns relate to the information required within the scorecards. That is something the board is keen to rectify as soon as possible.

Forty-seven percent of NZW members participated in the sur-vey, which the board believes is a very good response, given they were told to expect something like a 30 percent return.

Of those that replied, 475 were growers, (61% of the total respondents), with 307 wineries

(44%) and overall 457 were SWNZ members. Steve Green, Chairman of the Board, said the number of SWNZ members replying was important, given the results.

“Overall (SWNZ) had a fairly negative or okay assessment. While 63 percent of you said we were okay or better, there was a strong divergence of opinion.

“That gave us a very clear message that we had to do something about it.”

CEO Philip Gregan said as a fundamental, the Board considers sustainability an important part of the New Zealand wine story. But it also accepts that a considerable portion of the industry is dissatis-fied with the current system and recognises change is needed.

“That change has got to address concerns around cost, compliance, value and culture.”

The scorecard was one of the issues raised by members, with many labelling it time consuming, out of date in certain aspects and irrelevant at times. Gregan says the board and industry members have taken a long hard look at the current scorecard and accept things need to change.

“We are looking at clear separa-tion between the core elements of the scorecard and the voluntary, add on, value added stuff,” he says.

Wineries and growers can decide for themselves if they want to provide the added value mate-rial – but it will not be compulsory to do so.

A thorough overview will see areas of duplication, irrelevant and unnecessary questions removed.

“Hopefully what you will get is a slimmed down, relevant and easy to complete scorecard. We are working very hard to remove the concerns members have expressed regarding the scorecard, the time it takes and the difficulties.”

The new look, finished card should be operative in 2014.

While the scorecard itself was a major concern, the software system being used to complete it was another area NZWinegrowers has carefully looked at. The current software, according to Gregan, is a “huge source of frustration for growers, wineries, SWNZ and NZWinegrowers.”

An alternative software pack-age is currently being trialled by 30 growers and wineries, with KPMG independently auditing the planning for implementa-tion, to ensure all potential risks and issues are assessed and con-sidered.

“Not only from New Zealand Winegrowers Sustainable Wine-growers perspective but also from the growers and wineries perspec-tive as well.”

The board will make a final decision, based on the trials and audit, on December 5. If approved, the new software will be up and running by April 2, next year. ■[email protected]

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S ustainability is a widely recognised term in the UK, with government, media, and consumer

advertising campaigns using it frequently, according to the Chair of NZTE’s European Beachheads programme and renowned expert in sustainability, Dr Mark Wade. As a result the word is part of the common lexicon and the top-line concept is understood by the vast majority.

“Government makes it clear that sustainability is about eco-nomic growth, social equity and environmental management, but consumers often have a less com-prehensive take on the definition” Wade says. “The first thing that comes to mind for most consum-ers is environmental responsibil-ity.”

He says the concept of sustain-ability resonates with consumers and crucially, it effects their pur-

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chasing decisions. “Consumers in the UK and

Europe want to buy products they can feel good about. There’s a growing appreciation that we live in a small world and we need to treat it with respect. However, it is near impossible for consumers to make a judgement on the cre-dentials of each and every product. So they look to trusted retailers to do their homework for them.” Consumers expect retailers to offer products that have authentic sustainability credentials, and in turn retailers – particularly in the UK – are battling to be the green-est suppliers in the marketplace. The Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand certification meets their needs enabling them to feel confident in putting New Zealand wine on their shelves.

Sustainability is an integral part of many retailers strategy across Europe, particularly in

Germany and Scandinavia. It is common knowledge that the multiple retail chains in Europe have an emphasis on their own sustainability credentials and sourcing of responsible products. But are the smaller, independent retailers following suit? “Independent retailers are trying to find something different to justify the higher price and an authentic story helps with this” said Wade.

Although sustainability cre-dentials and an authentic story can help New Zealand wineries gain shelf-space in the Independ-ent channel, his view is that for most consumers in this market segment, the brand story is a sec-ondary consideration after a qual-ity drinking experience.

He believes New Zealand has done well in proving the wine industry’s sustainable credentials to retailers through wide partici-

pation in the Sustainable Wine-growing New Zealand programme. And although the SWNZ certifica-tion ticks the box for many buy-ers and helps access much sought after shelf space for the category, Wade sees potential in commu-nicating the sustainability story directly to consumers.

‘Being sustainable’ does not necessarily make the wine in the bottle better but it does have qual-ity cues.”

He says recent market research in the US found that sustainability equates to high quality in the eyes of the consumer. Even though the research was carried out across a wide range of sectors, the findings can be applied to wine - and here lies the opportunity for New Zealand. “If the two product attributes of ‘quality’ and ‘sustainable’ are linked together to promote the concept that ‘New Zealand wine is quality and tastes

fantastic because it was produced sustainably’, you have a simple yet powerful message for consumers”.

One of the most effective ways to communicate directly with consumers is via the label and it is alarming when many businesses opt out of putting their sustain-able accreditation logo on the bottle. “It’s a missed opportunity to differentiate your brand” says Dr Wade.

With an increasing emphasis on communicating the indus-try’s sustainability credentials, encouraging consumers to ‘look for the logo’ as a mark of quality and traceability is a simple and effective message for New Zea-land wine.

He observed that the certifi-cation mark has to compete with many other elements on the label and it would be worth exploring how to make this more eye catch-ing and indicative of quality. ■

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RESEARCHNEWS

R esearch undertaken by Lily Stuart is likely to impress winegrowers wanting to know more

ab out w h y Ne w Z eal and’ s celebrated Sauvignon Blanc is

unique.Stuart dovetailed Graduate

Diploma in Oenology studies with her role as a research technician at Plant & Food Research in Marlbor-ough in undertaking a viticultural

research project. Her marker, EIT senior lecturer in viticulture Dr Petra King, says the results are of considerable significance to the industry.

The distinctive character of

Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc wines is due to the presence of high concentrations of sensory chemicals called thiols. There is interest in understanding the importance of manipulating the levels of thiols – the higher the levels, the better the perceived quality of the wine.

Stuart’s study examined the effects of fruit harvest time and skin contact duration on the levels of thiols in the resulting Sauvignon Blanc wines. Her investigation considered the impact on thiol lev-els of both the time of day grapes were harvested and the time that elapsed between harvest and pressing the fruit.

As part of her project, Stuart considered the published litera-ture, which largely centres on thiol precursors in Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay must. During the winemaking process, these pre-cursors are transposed into thiols, although the relationship between the precursors in the grapes and thiols in the wine is still unclear.

The grapes for the research were sourced from a commercial vineyard in Marlborough and were hand harvested at different times on the same day – at 6am, noon and 6pm. The fruit was crushed and de-stemmed, followed by dif-ferent durations of skin contact before pressing. The juices were then fermented locally.

The research found that wines made using grapes that were pressed immediately after harvest – so having a short skin contact time – resulted in the highest thiol concentration in the wine. Harvest time of day seemed to

SHINING A LIGHT ON THIOLSM A R Y S H A N A H A N


SHINING A LIGHT ON THIOLS

play no role in thiol concentration, nor was there any effect of harvest time-skin contact interaction.

The findings suggest that, in terms of wine quality, a short turn-around time from the vineyard to crushing, de-stemming and press-ing the grapes may help to make wines with higher thiols.

Plant & Food, which funded the research, is continuing the project next year to expand and validate the results obtained.

Growing up in a Chinese Malaysian family in the large town of Sibu in Sarawak, Stuart could never imagined a future working in the New Zealand wine industry.

Because universities in Malay-sia set a very high entry bar for non-Bumiputra students, her par-ents decided to send her overseas to further her education.

When she moved to New Zealand for a seventh form at Christchurch’s Cashmere High

School, the plan was that she would return home after com-pleting degree studies. Visiting her host mother’s family farm in Menzies Bay on Banks Peninsula, she found herself drawn to agri-culture and decided to enrol at Lincoln University.

It was while undertaking a practical for her Bachelor of Agriculture that she met kiwi husband-to-be, Glenn Stuart, then managing a dairy farm on the West Coast.

“We ended up in the dairy industry at Kamaka, east of Grey-mouth, for a few years. Then we sold our farm to move to Marlbor-ough, with Glenn working as an engineer for Wither Hills.”

T h e s e d ay s , h e i s s e l f-employed, growing grapes for Delegat’s on the couple’s 3.4ha vineyard. Initially, however, the couple weren’t sure what they were going to do after moving to

Blenheim.“It was 2002,” she says. “We

were renting a house and it was our bank manager who suggested we grow grapes. We bought a bare block and planted Sauvignon Blanc. It was before the price of land peaked so we were really lucky with our timing.”

When they started growing, the Stuarts knew little about wine and even less about grapes. But after a few harvests, she found herself wondering what happened next to the fruit.

She took up an industry con-tact’s suggestion to work a vin-tage and enjoyed the experience at Brancott Estate so much she decided to do another vintage, this time at Omaka Springs Estates.

Then Stuart spotted an adver-tisement for a research techni-cian in Plant & Food’s Blenheim research winery and applied for the job. She loves the work and,

encouraged by manager Claire Grose, enrolled for the graduate diploma programme.

“I asked myself whether that was what I wanted to do again,” the mother of two adult children says.

She finally decided why not, and is already thinking ahead to what she might do after graduat-ing.

“I have travelled in Southeast Asia,” she says, “but not in Europe, and I’ve been offered the opportunity to work a vintage in France.”

Her husband can join her, she laughs, although he probably won’t work the vintage. Asked what she might do after that, Stu-art simply shrugs and smiles. But it seems a thirst for knowledge will continue taking her places she – and the wine industry – might never have imagined. ■[email protected]


SOMMELIER’S CORNER CAMERON DOUGLAS MS

N ew York City is a tough nut to crack when it comes to establishing a successful Restaurant,

and even tougher when trying to establish a fine New Zealand wine presence in the fiercely competitive marketplace of Manhattan. Creating the perfect harmony between food, wine and customers can take many years to perfect, and may be reliant on favourable write ups in well respected publications and social media to get the reserva-tions diary looking healthy.

Several [NZWG magazine] issues ago I mentioned the opening of the Musket Room in New York’s Manhattan Island by New Zealander Chef Matt Lambert and his wife Barbara. Matt has developed a reputation for fine cuisine while working at a number of renowned New York establishments. When the opportunity came to open his own dining room he was committed to preparing and presenting his menu of ‘modern New Zealand Cuisine’ in a way that would showcase his creative

talent and classical (chef ) back-ground. Matt and Barbara also wanted to carry through the New Zealand influence with the wine programme. I was tasked with assembling an appropriate list.

The Musket Room quickly accumulated a fan base with reg-ular accolades. After only four months of trading it received its first Michelin Star – an astound-ing accomplishment.

Earning a Michelin Star will usually takes years to achieve - those who follow the Michelin Guide will know how difficult

it can be. The Michelin Guide organisation have full-time professional inspectors who anonymously visit restaurants and hotels (to ensure they do not receive any preferential treatment) while they identify high-quality establishments across a broad range of budgets and styles. Evaluations involve repeated ‘test’ meals to assess the quality and reliability of the experience. An obsession with quality and reliability makes the Michelin Guide arguably the best source for recommendations for

those seeking excellence.Part of the Musket Room

success is the formula of the wine and beverage programme. As the writer/curator of the wine list, it is immensely rewarding to see food and wine ideas come together. This would not be possible without high quality product - by this I mean the raw food product (much of which has a Kiwi background) and New Zealand wine that is made available on the East Coast of the USA.

With a goal of staying at the top in food and wine in New York I am looking forward to seeing more New Zealand wine available to the Musket Room. At the time of writing, I am pack-ing for my next trip to the Big

Apple, where I will be ‘working the floor’ at The Musket Room with their Head Sommelier Erin B. Scala, and adjusting the winelist for the winter weather that is fast closing in on Manhat-tan. Expanding the New Zealand Methode Traditionnelle section is high in my sights.

There are many difficulties facing winemakers and those of us keen to showcase the very best of what we do here in the New Zealand wine industry. But the excitement and inter-est generated by such notable success shows we are headed in the right direction – and I will be continuing the push to show we are more than just our fabulous aromatic varieties. ■

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The Michelin Guide organisation have full-time professional inspectors who anonymously visit restaurants and hotels (to ensure they do not receive any preferential treatment) while they identify high-quality establishments across a broad range of budgets and styles.

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REGIONSCENTRAL OTAGO

CENTRAL PINOT NOIR PREVIEW

I n January 2014, Central Otago celebrates Pinot Noir. Big time. The longest running event of its kind in

New Zealand, the Central Otago Pinot Celebration first began in 2000 and has since occurred two out of every three years, with the forthcoming event marking the tenth anniversary. A “celebration” by definition, the festivities span three days and all are welcome: the innocent Pinot lover, the besotted Pinot geek and all who appreciate fine food and wine.

The international wine media audience will include the likes of Tyson Stelzer and Gary Walsh from Australia, Jamie Goode and Olly Smith from the UK, Jon Rim-merman and Michael Jordon MS from the USA and local legends Jane Skilton MW and Bob Camp-bell MW. In addition to the 20-odd wine media specialists, the region will be graced by the presence of none other than Aubert de Vil-laine, co-gérant of the world’s most famous winery, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. A man who commands enormous respect and reverence from the world of wine, it will be a once-in-a-life-

time opportunity to not only rub shoulders with the man in such an intimate, convivial atmosphere, but to hear him speak about Pinot. He will be attending the Celebra-tion largely on the back of his rela-tionship with Nick Mills, who has worked at the Domaine previously, but also as part of a delegation seeking UNESCO World Herit-age approval for the vineyards of the Cote d’Or.

Of Aubert de Villaine, Mills says, “He is one of the most eru-dite, articulate and respected figures in the wine industry, yet what strikes you most, and almost immediately about his character, is the warmth and humility with

which he approaches his craft and the people around him.”

Jen Parr, Chair for the Central Otago Pinot Celebration, adds “Aubert de Villaine is a tremen-dous inspiration to us all and his desire to visit Central Otago and participate in our signature event is an incredible way to mark our 10th Celebration and is a great tes-tament to how far Central Otago has come in the international Pinot Noir community in such a short space of time.”

The program begins on Thurs-day afternoon (January 30th) with a Masterclass that Blair Walter of Felton Road is coordinating. “We are now beginning to see several

factors like increasing vine age, increasing viticultural experience, and several more, that are really starting to influence wine styles and quality in Central Otago. The Masterclass will examine and discuss these in detail and will include a tasting of recent vintages”, says Walter. Delegates will then have an opportunity to socialize afterwards. Friday morn-ing sees the official welcome and Grand Tasting at Northburn Sta-tion, where participants will have an opportunity to taste Pinots from 40 Central Otago wineries, looking at both current and older vintages. Various vineyard lunches will follow, with a winemakers party that evening.

The third and final day begins with the Formal Tasting in Queen-stown: a discussion surrounding a common theme of some rare and exquisite wines from Burgundy. Lunches at Queenstown’s finest restaurants satisfies the die-hard foodies and, after a brief afternoon siesta, everyone gears up for the Grand Dinner, held at the Skyline Restaurant. A (now infamous) charity auction follows and is always guaranteed to draw plenty

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CENTRAL PINOT NOIR PREVIEWof bids and a riot of laughs. For the stayers, the party continues in Queenstown until the wee hours of the morning.

Full details and the last of the tickets are at www.pinotcelebration.co.nz. ■[email protected]

PINOT CENTRAL SPRING RELEASE

T his year’s Central O tago Pinot Noir Spring Release Tasting saw COPNL (Central

Otago Pinot Noir Limited) showcase 58 wines from three vintages (2010, 2011 and 2012) over four hours to 10 writers, bloggers and tasters at North-burn Station in September this year.

One of the stand out wines was the 2012 Aurum Pinot Noir Madeleine, made by Lucie Lawrence of Aurum. Just two barrels were made using 100% whole bunches; left to macer-ate for 12 days pre-fermenta-tion. They were then left in barrels (all two of them) for

10 months. The result is an extremely silky, delicate tast-ing Pinot Noir from fruit off the relatively small Aurum site at Lowburn; five minutes from Cromwell. The 2012 Aurum Madeleine will be released just prior to Christmas this year and Lawrence describes Madeleine as the cherry on top of their production. Needless to say, it doesn’t sell to the wine trade. No wines from the 2013 vintage were on display at the spring tasting this year, but winemakers have been effu-sive about vine health, lack of disease and relatively positive yield sizes this year too. ■[email protected]

Lucie Lawrence

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VINEYARDNEWS

CHOOSING THE RIGHT ROOTSTOCKT E S S A N I C H O L S O N

W hether you are devel-oping a new vineyard or replanting an older one, consideration to

which rootstock you choose is an important task.

It is one of the many decisions to be made prior to any planting, according to Nick Hoskins, Con-sultant at Vine Managers Ltd.

You also require a good under-standing of what you are wanting to achieve in your vineyard. What are your soils and site like? What about climate, variety choice, future management, vine density and clones? They all play a large role in any final decision about rootstock. But perhaps the most important aspect of all, is the end product you want to achieve. Understand all of that and you will be well on the way to making an informed decision on which root-stock you should obtain.

At Bragato this year, Hoskins outlined the pros and cons of three rootstock families, Riparia, Rupes-tris, and Berlanderi.

The following is a summary of each of the differing rootstocks.

Riparia x Rupestris

Riparia Gloire - Least vigorous of this group tolerates moist clay soils

3309 - Performs very well across a range of soils good fruit set and even maturity

Schwarzmann - Most vigorous of this group improves fruit set.

101-14 - Advances ripening, issues with Black foot.

3306 - Very similar to 3309, graft incompatibility with Mer-lot 481.

Riparia x BerlanderiSO4 –More vigorous than

Riparia Rupestris group subject to

magnesium deficiency , less planted t h a n 5 C because of miss-identification.

5C – Very similar to SO45BB – Tolerant to moist clay

soils not widely planted420 – Lime tolerant low vigour

stock 161-49 – Lime tolerant stock.Berlanderi x Rupestris

Richter 99 – Vigorous Line tol-erant stock (later maturity)

Richter 110 – Vigorous more drought tolerant than Richter 99, poor compatibility with Pinot Noir

Paulsen 1103 – Vigorous and drought tolerant adaptable to cool Moist soils

Ruggeri 140 – Extremely vig-orous drought and lime tolerant stock

In summary, Hoskins said ensure you know what the long term goal of your vineyard is – what are you aiming for with your vines?

Have a good understanding of the soil composition and climatic conditions in the region. Will the conditions support your aims?

Check out what those around you are planting. What works well in the area and what should be avoided?

And ensure that the clone you choose along with the root-stock will be able to fufill your aims. ■[email protected]

Kate Gibbs (B.Hort.Sci)

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REGIONSMARLBOROUGH

Capitalising on the ability of Marl-borough to produce sparkling wines of high quality, a new initiative has emerged. Méthode Marlborough was launched in September and has already attracted 11 local members. While most of those producers are small in terms of sparkling produc-tion, two of the larger companies of Lion (Daniel Le Brun) and Brancott Estate are also founding members.

Chairperson Stephanie McIntyre says the initiative has two main objectives. One is to celebrate the quality and diversity of sparkling wine styles produced in Marlbor-ough.

“We are proud of the quality of sparkling wines produced in this region. A superb cool climate, extensive sparkling winegrowing experience, the right clones in the

right places and a group of skilled and quality minded producers has led to a local tradition of premium wines.”

Secondly she says the group wants to educate consumers on how sparkling wines differ from other styles.

“Variations in sparkling wines are the result of tangible winemaking techniques.

“For example all Méthode Mar-lborough wines are made in the traditional method which means the second fermentation is in the bottle, followed by the intricate rid-dling and disgorging process. This produces the finest and most per-sistent bead. Additionally all these wines are aged for a minimum of 18 months before disgorging takes place. This allows complete flavours

to develop, balancing fresh and fruit driven character with savoury notes of toast and brioche.”

There is a criteria for members wishing to become part of Méth-ode Marlborough. The wines need to be 100 percent grown and made in Marlborough, they must be made by the traditional method of pro-duction, 100 percent made from the three traditional varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meu-nier either individually or as a blend and they must be aged on lees for a minimum of 18 months.

Regarding being made from the three traditional varieties, McIntyre says while there are other styles of sparkling wine, using this trio is internationally recognised as a benchmark style by sparkling wine producers throughout the world.

MÉTHODE MARLBOROUGH

CELEBRATING DIVERSITYN o promotion of Marl-

borough could progress without the mention of Sauvignon Blanc in all its

forms, or Pinot Noir. But at the fourth biennial Marlborough Wine Weekend, it was 24 hours before either one of those varieties was offered to the 100 invited guests.

Instead the focus for the first day was two of the region’s best-kept “secrets”, Chardonnay and Sparkling wine.

The term secret is used tongue in cheek, given Marlborough is no stranger to either of these styles. It’s just that with the hype sur-

rounding both Sauvignon and Pinot, they tend to get lost in the crowd. Which given the recent national and international awards for Chardonnay in particular, (Matua Single Vineyard Char-donnay 2011 and 2012, Jules Taylor Chardonnay 2012 and Marisco The King’s Bastard 2012 to name a few) is a shame.

The Marlborough Wine Week-end’s focus is on highlighting the evolution of the region, from viti-cultural practices through to the winemaking techniques. Writers and trade from Australasia and the UK were present and spent

the three days at the beginning of November seeing that evolution first hand.

Renowned and prolific writer

Tom Stevenson, who is also a guru when it comes to Champagne, said he realised back in 1990 that Marlborough had the ability to

T E S S A N I C H O L S O N

Tom Stevenson


produce sparkling wines of “real classic status.” He said the initial wines made by Daniel Le Brun in the late 1980s and early 90s proved the wines were not just one offs, but instead there was something special about the region.

Given the ability to produce world-class Pinot Noir and Char-donnay, it’s not surprising that Marlborough can also produce world-class Sparkling. The cli-matic conditions ensure full fruit ripening, without the need for any added sweetness. Marlborough’s Sparkling founder, Daniel Le Brun, said the conditions that occur nearly every summer are the sort that Champagne growers long for.

“The summers we have and the ripening conditions we have in late summer are basically what the growers of Champagne would pray for. They get those conditions once in a blue moon, but basically we get them every year. Marlbor-ough is the perfect district to make a fantastic Sparkling wine.”

And while no region anywhere in the world can counter the cachet of the term Champagne,

Stevenson said there was no shame in the label Sparkling.

“It is no longer a derogatory term. A lot of people, especially in the States began using the term Champagne because the term Sparkling wine seemed cheap. But now you can get Sparkling wines that are being produced and sold for £75 in the UK. So the idea that Sparkling wine as a term, some-how brings the product down, no longer exists.”

Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas said while there has been a dearth of New Zealand product in the past, that is clearly chang-ing, as is the acceptance of locally produced Sparkling wines.

“It is always going to be com-pared with Champagne and it’s always going to be a quality versus pricing argument. But I think we are on the plus side of that with New Zealand wine. In terms of quality, I think we stand shoulder to shoulder with our French coun-terparts. But at the moment in the most part, our pricing is a little bit more competitive.” ■[email protected]

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REGIONSHAWKE’S BAY

PUSHING INTO CHINAH awke’s Bay is embark-

ing on a major push into China, drawing on a $500,000 war chest to

promote the regional wine story and grow its exports over the next three years.

“We see China as the primary market for Hawke’s Bay’s wines,” says James Medina, executive officer of Hawke’s Bay Wine-growers, which is spearheading the campaign.

Fifteen wineries have com-mitted to the initiative, and their financial contribution is being matched dollar for dol-lar by Agmardt, an agri-business trust. The Hastings District, which Medina says is always very supportive of the region’s wine industry, is also contributing to the fund.

The initiative is aimed at build-ing Hawke’s Bay’s reputation as New Zealand’s premium full-bodied red wine region and using the full-bodied red wine platform to tell the story of Hawke’s Bay’s sub- regions and all its wine styles.

The wineries signed up as of mid-November were Abbey Cel-lars, Alpha Domus, Babich Wines, Crossroads, Elephant Hill, Mills Reef, Moana Park, Ngatarawa Wines, Paritua Vineyards and Winery, Pask Winery, Robbie Bird, Sileni Estates, Te Mata Estate, Trinity Hill and Vidal Estate.

More are expected to commit as the campaign gains momentum.

Medina says the marketing strategy, which came to fruition in recent months, is for a pro-

gramme of seminars and tastings to educate the trade, media and consumers on the Hawke’s Bay wine region and participating winery brands.

Some nine events will be held each year over the next three years. Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou have been identified as “first tier” cities for the campaign, while “second tier” cities are still to be confirmed.

In pinpointing cities, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers considered con-sumer demand and areas where participating wineries were seek-ing distribution.

The public education push will be supported by an external

communications programme consisting of media releases and the development of social media and a website.

Business development support will be provided for participating wineries seeking distributors and looking for opportunities to grow their export markets in China.

New Zealand Winegrowers does an excellent job in promoting this country’s wine, Medina says, but Hawke’s Bay wineries want to tell a regional story in building its brands. They also want to take ownership of doing that.

“It’s a fantastic story, great for the region and the Hawke’s Bay wine industry. It’s an initiative

which shows the power of collabo-ration. China is a big market but we are competing with other wine-producing nations for a share of that. We need to collaborate to compete with them.

“This is something the region can hang its hat on. It’s creating a lot of energy around our neck of the woods.” ■[email protected]

M A R Y S H A N A H A N

Elephant Hill Holdings Ltd, photo supplied by NZW.

James Medina


REGIONALWINE SHOWS

S yrah and Chardonnay were the stars of this year’s Hawke’s Bay A&P Bayley’s Wine Awards, winning the

two champion wine of show titles and nearly half the gold medals. Vidal Estate shone too, claiming the competition’s three top tro-phies. The Hastings-based win-ery was awarded Champion Wine of Show for Vidal Reserve Series Chardonnay Hawke’s Bay 2012, Reserve Champion Wine of Show for Vidal Legacy Series Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2010 and the Winery of the Year title for achieving the highest number of points across the categories in which it entered wines.

Chairman of Judges Rod Mc D o n a l d s a i d 2 0 1 2 w a s

probably the toughest vintage experienced by Hawke’s Bay but that hadn’t impacted on the qual-ity of wines entered in this year’s competition.

A total of 216 medals were

awarded over 14 classes of wines, 34 of them gold. The Syrah class attracted eight golds and Char-donnay seven.

Wines, comprising at least 85 percent Hawke’s Bay fruit, were

entered by 90 percent of Hawke’s Bay’s wineries, which included multi-nationals with vineyards in the region and elsewhere.

McDonald pointed out chal-lenges facing top-performing vari-eties. It was a great shame, he said, that in recent times Chardonnay had been targeted by a “strong and vocal consumer group who dislike the varietal with a passion”, find-ing the wines too high in alcohol and overly oaked.

However, Hawke’s Bay had the climate and soils to make Chardonnays of great finesse and complexity.

The region also produced outstanding Syrahs, and the chal-lenge for marketers was to achieve prices that reflected that quality.

HAWKE’S BAY


MARLBOROUGHI nto its third year, the

2013 Marlborough Wine Show was the largest so far, attracting 530 wines

from the region. Family compa-nies dominated the awards with Giesen, Johanneshof Cellars and Villa Maria winning nine of the 14 awards presented.

In addition to 12 class trophies, there were two new awards – The Marlborough Wine Show Award for Vineyard Excellence which was presented jointly to Ara Wines and Villa Maria for their Seddon Vineyard and the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award which was presented to Johanneshof Cellars for their Gewurztraminer, vintages 2006, 2010 and 2012.

Given the dominance of Sauvi-

gnon Blanc, followed by Pinot Noir in Marlborough, it was a much less popular variety that took out top honours.

The Villa Maria Cellar Selec-tion Dry Riesling 2013, was judged Champion Wine of the Show, much to the delight of Senior Win-emaker Jeremy McKenzie.

“It’s often to the despair of winemakers that Riesling seems to be the poor cousin of Sauvignon Blanc; it’s a great varietal that I’d love to see more people enjoying.”

Villa Maria took out four tro-phies, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Vine-yard Excellence and Champion Wine.

Chief Judge, Jeff Clarke, Chief Winemaker for Ara Wines described the aromatic wine

classes, (Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris) at the Wine Show as terrific, showing very distinct varietal characters.

“There were won-derfully lifted aromatics.”

He believes these quality aro-matic wines are often under appre-ciated by consumers, because of a lack of understanding, exposure, and knowledge.

“Sauvignon Blanc is the bench-mark for Marlborough. The chal-lenge for us is to broaden that appeal to these aromatic varie-ties.”

One of the other big winners at the show was Giesens, who collected four trophies. The com-

pany’s Fuder range, where wine is fermented in large 1,000 litre German oak barrels (Fuders) was the main recipient.

The 2012 Fuder Single Vine-yard Selection Matthews Lane Sauvignon Blanc won not only the trophy for Sauvignon 2012, but also the trophy for Sauvignon Blanc Emerging Styles. The Fuder 2011 Chardonnay was another winner, while the Botrytised Sau-vignon Blanc won the trophy for Sweet Wine. ■

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BOB’S BLOG BOB CAMPBELL MW

Burgundy battling a bitWe stayed for a couple of weeks in

Puligny, a solidly affluent town in the Cote du Beaune. I’d planned to overlap the beginning of vintage and to prepare a pho-tographic essay called “Vintage in Puligny Montrachet”, but cool, wet weather delayed vintage to the point where I had to abandon the project.

2013 has been an unlucky vintage for much of France if reports are true. Like win-emakers everywhere the French are putting a brave face on it. “Small, high-quality 2013 wine vintage” shouted the headline from Bordeaux in a vintage review that admitted to violent storms and the coldest spring in more than 25 years.

I can only speak for Burgundy and Cham-pagne where the vintage was mediocre at best. Powdery mildew, botrytis and a lack of ripeness were evident in the vineyards I visited in both regions.

On several occasions I got up at first light and circumnavigated the Montrachet vineyard, a 7.99-hectare plot of land which produces the world’s most expensive Char-donnay. Different ownership was evident in the wildly different viticultural methods evident in adjoining rows. Three vine rows might feature a tangle of weeds indicating an organic approach while their immediate neighbours had adopted a scorched earth policy. The condition of fruit just before har-vest varied wildly, suggesting that the quality of white burgundy in 2013 will be equally diverse. As one winemaker commented, “I seem to make my best wines in challenging vintages. Perhaps I am too complacent when the harvest is easy?”

I asked an owner of several Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards how much I would have to pay to acquire a hectare of Montrachet vineyard. He explained that it is hard to put a value on land that is seldom offered for sale. “However”, he added, “a small parcel measuring 400 square meters recently sold for two million Euros.” By my calculation one hectare at the same rate would fetch NZ$85 million. That makes the price of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc vineyard look like a bargain, although Marl-borough Sauvignon doesn’t retail for $1000 a bottle.

I visited a number of highly rated pro-ducers and tasted their wines. The largest, Domaine Vincent Girardin, was also one of

the best. When I returned to New Zealand I hosted a tasting of white Burgundy and New Zealand Chardonnay for groups of winemak-ers in Marlborough, Martinborough and Hawke’s Bay. Girardin’s 2010 Puligny Mon-trachet was the cheapest wine in the French flight of four and yet was consistently voted best wine. Girardin is imported by Glengarry Hancocks.

Jean Chartron is a smaller producer with a winery in the town of Puligny. I was mightily impressed by three wines tasted in his winery – power and purity personified. Glengarry Hancocks is the importer.

Ventured into Pinot Noir country to taste the wines of a small, biodynamic producer with a cult following, Domaine Arlaud. Winemaker/owner, Cyprian Arlaud, is an inspiring man. Tasted 14 barrel samples – all taut, high energy, perfumed Pinot Noir that I found totally enchanting. He doesn’t have a bottle to sell although I understand that Maison Vauron are about to take delivery of a small shipment of Arlaud wines. I will be first in the queue.

Preparing the barrels at Chartron.


A light lunch Accepted an invitation to “a light lunch” at Bollinger. Although

it was a 750 km round trip I was keen to check out vintage condi-tions and Marion wanted to visit the area for the first time. We toured the underground “caves” stacked high with cobwebby bot-tles and struggled up steep slopes to Bollinger’s highest vineyards. The lunch was five generous courses, each accompanied by old vintages of Bollinger. I did the responsible thing and spat out all of my wine samples under the mildly disapproving eye of our host.

Hong Kong CoughI blame Air France for delivering me to Hong Kong with a cold.

Why do we meekly accept the fact that we will contract coughs and sneezes when we fly long haul routes?

I hosted a Kiwi dinner at a casino in Macau without too much trouble but a couple of days later the cold reached its peak shortly before a two-day lecture on the finer points of New Zealand wine to a roomful of mostly very wine-wise locals. Dosed myself with exotic herbal remedies and wore a surgical mask for the first day. It seemed to work, we got a healthy pass rate from a fairly chal-lenging exam involving written answers and a tasting. By the time I did a luncheon lecture to a group of sommeliers on the top floor of the Ritz Carlton (Hong Kong’s tallest building) I was almost better. After a sprint to the airport and a 12-hour flight to Auck-land my cold returned with a vengeance. I couldn’t taste wine for another three weeks.

Wine on TVIt is gratifying to see the enormous success of Masterchef and

a multitude of other cooking shows. We usually watch a cook-ing show as we cook. It whets the appetite while encouraging us to enjoy a more adventurous diet. I’d like to see similar shows devoted to wine. I don’t have Sky TV so haven’t seen Yvonne Lor-kin’s apparently excellent wine program. Why aren’t there more?

Cue TV had a 10-week Wine Show at the fairly peak hour time of 8:30pm on Friday. I played a small part in the production which was funded in the latter stages by Michael Jemison, owner of wine importer/distributor Macvine International.

If New Zealanders are hungry for food shows I’m pretty sure they’re also thirsty for television that will entertain and educate them about wine.

Don’t drink and typeAfter writing off two laptops with spilled wine I bought an

extension keyboard and mouse. During a recent tasting of spar-kling wines half a bottle of Quartz Reef 2009 bubbly frothed over my extension keyboard and into the distant laptop. I’ve now got a shiny new laptop and open sparkling wine in another room. I’ve also got a lovely bottle of Taittinger champagne from Quartz Reef owner, Rudy Bauer, who’d heard about the accident and knew that it was my birthday shortly. Thanks Rudy.

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W e’ve all heard the expression “work/life balance” – the concept that allows employees

to feel as though they are balanc-ing the time they spend on all the important aspects of their lives. Generation Y expect it, having grown up with the concept, and as some employees age, they real-ise they should have addressed it sooner.

It used to be that those employ-ees who worked more than they played did so at the behest of the employer. These days, however, smartphones, laptops and easy access to communication chan-nels mean employees are choosing to work “after hours”.

Any employer expects employ-ees to work hard, long hours and occasional weekends – from time to time. There will be certain times when this is required, such as to meet a product release, attend trade shows, export market visits or harvest.

It won’t be long before the 2014 harvest kicks in, where some employees are required to put in long hours over this period. Fatigue is a workplace hazard and with employees rostered on shifts, 7 days per week, wineries should be ensuring those employees have had adequate leave before vin-tage so they can enter this period rested and refreshed. Employers can assist by providing policies,

procedures and expectations to support employees to easily obtain more balanced lives.

Businesses must not con-fuse engagement, dedication and commitment with 60 – 70 hours worked weekly. In our fast paced world the key is adapting to change using time management techniques to ensure employ-ees get the time away from work they need. Managers should lead by example – they retain good employees for whom work-life balance is important, allowing them to split their time and energy between their work and time for family, friends, community par-ticipation and other personal activities.

The line between work time and life (home) time is no longer distinct as technology has bought new challenges with some employ-ees being connected to the busi-ness 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While generally phone calls and online use for personal reasons during work hours is discouraged, some employers do recognize that some personal online use is offset by the employee who responds to emails late in the evening or makes overseas phone calls to meet zone differences.

The balancing act of one’s work and private lives can be very chal-lenging for some. To manage this myriad of demands on one’s own time one has to become disci-

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HOWS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?

plined and also have clear guide-lines as to the expectations of the position’s real work hours.

Speaking of which, Christmas is around the corner and many are looking forward to a well-earned break. But how many times a day will we hear, “I’ll just check my

emails to see if anything needs responding to”.

The aim of annual leave is for rest and recreation, that all-impor-tant re-charging of the batteries. How can that happen if employ-ees are checking phone and email messages, never really leaving

work behind?Before you go on leave how

about setting some policies – either as a company or as an employee - about how accessible people are to be, how often or whether at all emails are checked and responded to, using email auto

responses etc. Manage the busi-ness so that everyone has a proper break away from work.

We wish you a very happy Christmas and a relaxed break. Looking forward to catching up in 2014. ■[email protected]

Make sure there is a work life balance this Christmas period.

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REGIONSNORTH CANTERBURY

MARKETING TOGETHER

A fter a quiet period in its regional mar-keting, Waipara and the wider North Canterbury region have burst back onto the scene with a recent group

event in Auckland and the re-establishment of the marketing arm of Waipara Valley Wine-growers.

In recent months, nine prominent North Canterbury vineyards banded together to pro-mote their wines. Pegasus Bay, Bellbird Spring, Greystone, Muddy Water, Mountford, Black Estate and Tongue and Groove from Waipara, along with Bell Hill and Pyramid Valley from Waikari hosted a the event at Auckland’s North-ern Club in November, which showcased the wines of North Canterbury along with local food.

“It was an amazing crowd,” commented the event’s organiser, Penelope Naish from Black Estate on the success of the evening: “engaged,

interested, highly knowledgeable, keen to learn more.”

This was the first time the nine wine produc-ers had joined together to present their wines, but given the success of the evening, the group say that it is unlikely to be the last.

“We came together principally because we are all friends and share the common aim to make interesting expressive wines from small family owned vineyards in North Canterbury,” explained Naish.

At the time of creating the nine-strong group, a marketing arm for Waipara Valley Winegrowers was not in place, she said. How-ever, since those plans were put in place, a mar-keting entity for Waipara Valley Winegrowers has been established. This involves a sizeable group of North Canterbury wineries, encom-passing those from the Waikari.■[email protected]

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OVERSEASNEWS

SOUTH AFRICA – RISING WINE STARSJ O E L L E T H O M S O N

A sk Sue van Wyk to name the biggest surprises in South African wine today, after two decades of revo-

lutionary change, and she imme-diately responds: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. And Pinotage too, but not as we normally know it.

Van Wyk is the Cape Wine Master and for the past 17 years she has worked as the organiser, chief judge and coordinator of the Michelangelo International Wine Awards with show owner Lorraine Immelman. The pair founded the awards to provide a strong international benchmark for South Africa’s rapidly changing wine industry

“South Africa is transitioning from being largely a producer of

entry-level wines to a serious, large wine producing nation that can offer good value and quality at all price points,” says Van Wyk.

The fine-tuning includes grape clonal selection, trellising techniques and vineyard sites to oak, closures and cultural ethics. Screwcaps now predominate as the closure of choice.

South African Sauvignon Blanc

Many of the best Sauvignon Blancs come from Durbanville Hills, 20 minutes’ east of Cape Town. This relatively cool climate area benefits from sea breezes and elevation but even in this prom-ising area, vineyard choice has become a hot topic.

“We have been harvesting Sau-

vignon Blanc from many vineyards for 20 years but now we’re asking ourselves: is that really the best location. When we can’t say ‘yes’, we are making changes,” says Albert Gerber, managing director of Durbanville Hills Wines.

“When I started out 15 years ago the public said South Afri-can wines had a stalky, vegeta-tive aspect. Going back to older wines now, I can pick that up. We were in denial for a while, thinking it was about something else. But all of a sudden with the changes we’ve made in the vineyard and the winery we can see the proof in the pudding.”

Barista… the coffee Pinotage

“Recent innovations with

coffee-styled Pinotage have pro-duced a dramatic growth in Pino-tage’s popularity in South Africa and overseas. In the wine lake of sameness, these varietals stand out,” says Van Wyk.

The arrival in New Zealand this year of the Barista Pinotage proves why its creator, Bertus Fourie, has earned the dubious moniker ‘Starbucks’ for his crea-tion of coffee Pinotage; made from adding coffee-steeped planks in tanks of the wine. What began as a collaboration between Fourie and the Vinimark Wine Company - South Africa’s largest independ-ent wine wholesaler - has become so popular in South Africa that it’s spurred an entire new category of Pinotage.

Top redsThe top South African reds are

made from relatively more classic varietals; Syrah, Cabernet Sauvi-gnon and blends of both, such as the GSM styled blends from Svartland, among other areas. Like Australia’s best GSMs and the great wines of the Southern Rhone, South Africa’s old vine GSM blends are reds which walk the tightrope of softness and approachability for early drink-ing and have the structure to age.

Judges from this year’s Michelangelo International Wine Awards.


Sue van Wyk – Cape Wine

Master

Ethics and South African wine

Upgrading clonal selection, eradicating diseased vines and replanting suitable grapes in cool climate locations are one thing, but the uncomfortable question of South African ethics is another. It now has a palatable answer.

Durbanville Hills is a Wine of Origin area (WO) in South Africa and also the name of a winery in this WO, whose wines are produced in a joint venture by Distell (the largest wine and spirit company in South Africa) and nine member grape growers. Like many South African compa-nies today, Durbanville Hills is 5% owned by a workers’ trust, the owners of which are the employ-ees on the shareholder vineyards; the wine farms. “We aim to better the lives of the farm workers and families. The trust is very active in education so we have programmes in place to raise literacy, numer-acy, budget planning, child care and education in schools,” says Gerber.

South African wine history

“As trade and sport sanctions took hold, post the 1981 Spring-

bok rugby tour to New Zealand, South Africa’s wine industry was forced to concentrate largely on the domestic market.

“At this time modern wine-making techniques and market-ing practices were transforming the Australian and New Zealand wine industries but South Africa was left behind in winemaking,” says Cahnbley.

“Until 1994, when the new ANC government came into power, South Africa’s wine industry, for the most part, was stuck in out-dated approaches to winemaking, viticulture and marketing. Once sanctions were dropped, a flood of South African wines entered Europe, largely tar-geted at the cheaper end of the market. That has now changed and is continuing to.”

The Kiwi-South African connection

The winning wine at this year’s Michelangelo International Wine Awards was Syrah – the South African, 2010 Boschkloof Syrah – and the Best International Entry was the 2009 Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2009. ■[email protected]

Peter Iremonger TradingPh/Fax: 03 3181 344Mobile: 027 645 1894E-mail: [email protected]

Beneden-Leeuwen HOLLAND [email protected]


NOT ON THE LABELLEGAL MATTERS WITH MARIJA BATISICH

SENIOR ASSOCIATE, AND NATASHA GARVAN, SOLICITOR, BOTH AT BELL GULLY

T h e G o v e r n m e n t h a s recently released pro-posed amendments to the National Policy Statement

for Freshwater Management 2011 (the NPS) following recommen-dations by the Land and Water Forum (as discussed in a previ-ous issue of NZ Winegrower) that a national instrument should establish a national objectives framework under which regional councils set freshwater state objectives at a regional/catchment scale. The main proposed amend-ments are briefly discussed below.Accounting for all water takes and contaminant discharges

It is proposed that councils will be required to establish and oper-ate a water quality and quantity accounting system either based on measurements, modelling results, or estimates. The information is to be recorded at the level of the management unit which can be set as large or as small as councils consider appropriate (for exam-ple multiple catchments or part of a catchment). The information must be updated at least every five years for water quality and annu-ally for water quantity.

The accounting information must be available when setting or reviewing limits. The rationale is that making good decisions on limits and how to manage within them requires good information on existing resource use, with an assessment of all water takes and all sources of relevant contami-

nants including diffuse discharges and those permitted by regional plan rules. Establishing a national framework to support communities setting freshwater objectives

It is proposed that the national objectives framework be included in the NPS to provide councils with scientific information and a process for setting freshwa-ter objectives. The framework includes: a set of freshwater values and uses with narrative descrip-tions of each; a set of attributes associated with some of the val-ues and uses including ranges of numbers that represent different states that the attribute may be managed for; and a process for set-ting freshwater objectives at the chosen attribute states to provide for the chosen values of freshwater management units.

As part of the freshwater objec-tive setting process, councils and communities must consider all of the values and uses of water bodies and decide whether they apply in each freshwater management unit. The framework assists in ensur-ing that the values are achieved to a minimum level (for example, the water body being fit for swim-ming).

Leading scientists from across New Zealand have been involved in developing and testing the tech-nical information in the frame-work, so by including it within the NPS this prevents unnecessary duplication and cost.

Establishing compulsory national values in regional plans

The Government has deter-mined that some values are so important to all New Zealanders that they are likely to apply to all water bodies. These are ecosys-tem health and human health for secondary contact recreation. The framework sets out a number of proposed attributes for these values in terms of numeric states (such as E. Coli and nitrate toxic-ity) but it is intended more attrib-utes will be proposed for the next few versions of the framework.Introducing national ‘bottom lines’ for ecosystem and human health

It is proposed that the NPS defines minimum acceptable states called “national bottom lines”, for each of the attributes for ecosystem health and human health.

These bottom lines set the minimum level at which the com-pulsory values are provided for. The Government considers that the quality of most water bodies is already above the proposed bot-tom lines, but where these are not currently met, freshwater objec-tives would need to be set at the bottom of what is described as the “C state” or better for all attrib-utes relating to ecosystem health and human health for secondary contact recreation unless the cri-teria for an exception can be met as discussed below.

Including restricted grounds for exceptions to ‘bottom lines’

It is suggested that a regional council would be allowed to set a freshwater objective below a national bottom line in narrowly defined situations (after public input during the planning process including submissions and hear-ings). It is stated that exceptions are needed to recognise circum-stances where it is not feasible or possible to improve water quality to the required level. The excep-tions are where a freshwater man-agement unit is contaminated from natural processes or it has been subject to historical activities that have created lasting impacts on water quality and the reversal of those impacts is not reasonably practicable, either physically or ecologically, even in the long term.

The Government also proposes that it will be able to decide after applying criteria if an exception should be made where water qual-ity is affected by significant exist-ing infrastructure. For example, hydroelectricity generation.

Submissions on the proposed amendments close at 5pm on Tuesday 4 February 2014. Please contact Marija Batistich or Nata-sha Garvan of Bell Gully if you would like assistance with drafting a submission. You can provide a submission by emailing [email protected] or writing to Water Submissions, Ministry for the Environment, PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143. ■

KEEPING THE GLASS FULL: FRESHWATER REFORM


INDUSTRYNEW

U se of oak alternatives and adjuncts is popular among winemakers searching for ways to reduce the cost of

wine production. Most adjuncts introduce oak flavour compounds to wine at a lower cost than that of using traditional barrels.

But there are trade-offs for this lower cost, particularly in texture and the way tannins and other polyphenols react over time. The result can be pithy, grippy, hard or even bitter tannins and the additional cost and effort

of ameliorating these, most often with micro-oxygenation techniques.

Phoenix Barrel Rejuvenation from Vintech Pacific Wine Technologies provides a proven way to reduce the cost of imparting oak influence to wine, while retaining all the benefits of barrel fermentation and maturation, without compromising wine quality.

The oak flavour profile and phenolic texture in wine from a Phoenixed barrel is similar to that

from a good, once-filled barrel. O2 permeability is arguably slightly greater in a Phoenixed barrel when compared to a new barrel - the staves are somewhat thinner – but in practice, a well-topped Phoenix barrel behaves in a very similar way to your other barrels. If it is a wine you wouldn’t micro-oxygenate if it was matured in barrel, you won’t MOX it from a Phoenixed barrel either. But chances are you would when using an oak adjunct or alternative.

And Phoenix offers advantages

at all levels of wine quality. For early-release styles, a Phoenixed b a r r e l s h o w s q u i t e e a r l y integration of oak flavor into the fruit and a positive influence on texture and mouth-feel early on. In mid-range wines Phoenix brings all the positive benefits of barrel fermentation and maturation but with the advantage of significantly lower cost.

And at the top-end, Phoenix offers an additional tool in the winemaker’s kit, that comes without compromise to quality. ■

THERE’S NO ALTERNATIVE TO BARRELS


WHERE EVENT ATTENDANCEW=WineryA=Agent NZW=NZ Winegrowers

AUDIENCEM=Media T=Trade C=Consumer

EVENT DATE2013/2014

UK THREE WINE MEN (LONDON) NZW T, M, C DECEMBER 7 & 8

UK ANNUAL TRADE AND CONSUMER TASTING (LONDON) W, A, NZW T, M, C JANUARY 21

IRELAND ANNUAL TRADE AND CONSUMER TRADING (DUBLIN) W, A, NZW T, M, C JANUARY 23

JAPAN NEW ZEALAND WINE FAIR (TOKYO) W, A, NZW T, M, C FEBRUARY 17

JAPAN NEW ZEALAND WINE FAIR (OSAKA) W, A, NZW T, M, C FEBRUARY 19

AUSTRALIA REGIONZ BY THE GLASS (MELBOURNE) W,A,NZW T,M,C FEBRUARY 24

AUSTRALIA REGIONZ BY THE GLASS (SYDNEY) W,A,NZW T,M,C FEBRUARY 26

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SHOWCASE BRISBANE W,A,NZW T,M MARCH 3

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SHOWCASE – PERTH W,A,NZW T,M MARCH 5

EUROPE PROWEIN INTERNATIONAL WINE FAIR, DUSSELDORF W,A,NZW T,M MARCH 23-252029-08 layout 9/5/08 10:51 AM Page 1

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CALENDAR

NZ WINEGROWER JUNE/JULY 2012 // 61

DECEMBER7: Christchurch/South Island Wine and Food Festival –Christchurch

JANUARY 20144: Cromwell Wine and Food Festival – Cromwell

30 – Feb 1: Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration – Central Otago

FEBRUARY

8: 30th Anniversary Marlborough Wine and Food Festival

16: Brightwater Festival -Nelson

22: 0cean and Orchard Wine and Food Festival – Kerikeri

MARCH

8: The Dog Point/Logan Brown Classic Kiwi Picnic, 12 noon – 4.30ish. Dog Point Vineyards, Blenheim. Tickets [email protected]

8: West Coast Wild Foods Festival – 25th Anniversary – Hokitika

15: Gibbston Wine and Food Festival – Central Otago

15: Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival – Wairarapa, Gladstone

23: Waipara Valley Wine and Food Festival – Waipara

APRIL

4 – 6: The Food Show Christchurch - Christchurch

5: Forrest GrapeRide, Marlborough – full details at www.graperide.co.nz


STATISTICS

PRINCIPAL EXPORT MARKETS

MAJOR VARIETIES IN MAJOR AREAS

MAJOR NZ VINEYARD AREAS PRODUCING HECTARES

*n.c. = no change

*(npr = not previously recorded separately)

Exports up againExports for the 11 months to the beginning of September 2013

(Moving Annual Total)

Region (Actual) 2012 2015

(forecast)

% of Total

Marlborough 22,587.3 23.017.7 66%

Hawkes Bay 4,841.4 4,938.5 14%

Otago 1,786.7 1,791.9 5%

Gisborne 1,616.5 1,586.2 5%

Waipara 1,034.5 1,082.2 3%

Wairarapa / Wellington 941.9 943.5 3%

Nelson 962.6 1,015.4 3%

Auckland / Northland 319.77 315.7 1%

Waikato / Bay of Plenty 16.1 10.2 0%

National Total 34,269.5 34,952.8

Variety 2012 % producing

area

2015 % producing

area

Sauvignon Blanc 19,929.8 58.2 20,214.7 57.8

Pinot Noir 5096.4 14.9 5175.1 14.8

Chardonnay 3120.9 9.1 3164.0 9.1

Pinot Gris 2396.2 7.0 2399.7 6.9

Merlot 1195.9 3.5 1245.4 3.6

Riesling 719.0 2.1 746.2 2.1

Syrah 354.1 1.0 400.6 1

Gewurztraminer 331.3 1.0 311.4 0.9

Cabernet Sauv 284.8 0.8 323.7 0.9

Viognier 160.8 0.5 146.5 0.4

Malbec 130.2 0.4 143.9 0.4

Cabernet Franc 111.6 0.3 108.9 0.3

All other varieties 438.7 1.3 572.7 1.6

Total 34,269 34,952.9

PRODUCING AREA IN HECTARES BY SIZE - NUMBER OF VINEYARDS

New Zealand’s total producing vineyard will increase by only 0.5% over

the next 2 years. This table shows the variation for major varieties (in

Ha), with % change and percentage of total in 2012.

Region 0-5 5.01-10 10.01-20 20.01-50 50.01

and over

Aklnd / Nthlnd 60 13 3 0 1

Canterbury 16 6 2 0 1

Gisborne 20 30 25 13 7

Hawkes Bay 75 56 57 32 21

Marlborough 190 291 210 181 100

Nelson 45 37 12 6 3

Otago 80 61 26 15 3

Waikato / BoP 2 1 1 _ _

Waipara 12 16 3 6 4

Wairarapa / Wgtn 61 16 10 8 3

National 561 527 349 261 143

CountryLitres(m)

$ FOBAverage$/L 2013

Average$/L 2012

United Kingdom 48,104 284,046 $5.22

USA 43,928 294,953 $6.71 $6.36

Australia 50,005 372,682 $7.45 $7.33

Canada 7,479 79,493 $10.63 $10.98

Netherlands 4,171 28,314 $6.79 $5.93

Denmark 0.784 5929 $7.56 $6.18

Ireland 2228 16,283 $7.31 $7.41

Japan 1,218 14,526 $11.92 $12.49

Germany 1,960 11,114 $5.67 $5.44

China 1,863 22,919 $12.30 $11.79

Hong Kong 1,430 18,875 $13.20 $11.79

Singapore 1,383 17,934 $12.96 $12.65

Finland 0.206 1,791 $8.68 $9.53

Norway 0.209 1,601 $7.66 $6.47

Sweden 1.614 13,548 $8.39 $8.19

Others 5,263 50,944 $9.68 $10.07

Total 171,852,421 1,234,958 $7.19 $6.79


A regular feature at the back of each issue of WineGrower to inform industry people about research projects being undertaken for their benefit. Newly approved projects (when available) are briefly summarised in the first section ‘Introducing New Projects’. Longer reports in the section headed ‘Progress Reports’, will describe what has been achieved so far. Scientists in charge of each project have been asked to make these reports reader-friendly rather than to follow the usual format of scientific papers. When completed, each project will be reported in full detail, with references, on the website: http://wine.nzwine.com/members/research/research-reports/

Information and Updates on NZ Winegrowers Research Programmes.

Associate Editors: Dr Simon Hooker, General Manager Research and Innovation

LIST OF PROJECTS

RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Quality Wine Styles for Existing and Developing Markets

Literature review of grape and wine anthocyanins and phenolics to give viticulturists and winemakers knowledgeLincoln University (Roland Harrison)

Preliminary investigation of factors responsible for variability in tartaric acid additions to Pinot noirLincoln University (Roland Harrison)

Manipulation of methoxypyrazine (MP) levels in Sauvignon blanc wine through leaf and rachis additionsPlant and Food Research(Claire Grose)

Influence of juice pH on thiol productionPlant and Food Research(Claire Grose)

Identification of natural genetic variation in grapevine contributing to pathogen resistanceLincoln University (Chris Winefield)

Sensory effects of defoliation timing and method on Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet SauvignonEastern Institute of Technology (EIT) (Mark Krasnow)

Chinese consumers’ preferences and attitudes to wine: Review of literature including Chinese Language PublicationsPlant and Food Research(Roger Harker)

Pests and Disease

Sustaining vineyards through practical management of grapevine trunk diseasesSouth Australian Research & Development Institute (Mark Sosnowski) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund

Implementation of Virus Elimination Strategy Various (Nick Hoskins – Project Manager) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund

Botrytis decision support (BDS) industry training & botrytis sampling protocolsPlant and Food Research(Rob Beresford)

Sustainability/Organics

Organic Focus Vineyard Project Organic Winegrowers New Zealand(Rebecca Reider) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund

Effects of undervine vegetation management on grape quality, vine performance, grape composition, and soil propertiesEastern Institute of Technology (EIT) (Mark Krasnow)

Cost Reduction/Increased Profitability

New opportunities for sustainable grape thinning Plant and Food Research(Mike Trought) Supported by MPI Sustainable Farming Fund

Reduced berry size and Botrytis tolerance through trauma to the vinePlant and Food Research(Mike Trought)


PROGRESSREPORTS

Tools for manipulating Sauvignon Blanc wine flavour and aroma: Harvest and processing of grapes

11-118 - part 1

Grose C, Martin D, Trought M, Agnew R, Stuart L, Pineau B, Beresford M, Haycock S, Gunson A

The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Marlborough Wine Research Cen-tre, Blenheim

M a r l b o r o u g h S a u v i g n o n blanc wine is characterised by a distinctive balance of tropical-passionfruit (from thiols such as 3-mercaptohexanol (3MH), 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (3MHA)) and green-herbaceous aromatics (from methoxypyrazines, espe-cially 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyra-zine (IBMP)). These Marlborough wines have more intense green capsicum, tropical and passion-fruit flavours than those pro-duced in other countries, and the balance between these green and fruity flavours is essential to their typicality.

Methoxypyrazines are found in the grapes and appear to transfer into the wine with little or no bio-chemical interactions. The volatile thiols, on the other hand, exist in the grapes only at very low concen-trations, and the actions of yeast enzymes during fermentation affect the subsequent concentra-tions in the wine.

Grape harvesting and handling processes before pressing can have a substantial influence on aroma and flavour. We already know that thiol precursors are concen-trated by the cumulative effects of longer skin contact time and the amount of pressure applied. Our current project aims to deter-mine the extent to which harvest-ing method and fruit processing

technologies affect the sensory profile, overall complexity and the typicality of Marlborough Sauvi-gnon blanc wines. It builds on our efforts to quantify the effects of harvesting methods on juice and wine composition, allowing for faster delivery of information to industry.

An additional vineyard site was added to the existing core-funded GWRP Harvest Technologies research in 2012.

This extra site has expanded data collection for the 2012 vin-tage, providing increased scientific robustness and validating results from previous experiments. There were two winemaking tri-als, undertaken in collaboration with Saint Clair Family Estate. Sauvignon blanc grapes were sourced from a site predicted to deliver high thiols (Dillons Point, located in Lower Wairau) in 2011 and 2012, and a potentially low-thiol site (Benmorven, located in the Southern Valleys) in 2012.

The first winemaking trial compared five grape harvest-ing and processing treatments. Grapes were either (1) hand harvested-whole bunch pressed, (2) hand harvested-crushed and destemmed and given three hours of skin contact time, or (3) machine harvested. These three treatments were pressed in a small-scale 8-hL commercial airbag press. The fourth treat-ment, using the Marlborough Wine Research Centre (MWRC)

standard processing protocol, was pressed in a 200-L hydro press. For the fifth treatment, grapes were commercially processed and a juice sample taken from St Clair Family Estate winery tank after pressing and cold settling, and returned to the research winery for fermentation using the MWRC’s standard Sauvignon blanc winemaking protocol.

The influence of fruit process-ing on juice was as expected, with whole-bunch pressed grapes pro-ducing juices with higher titrat-able acidity (TA) and lower pH.

TA was lower and pH was higher in the machine-harvested and com-mercial winery tank-lots. Total yeast available nitrogen (YAN) was strongly influenced by season.

Methoxypyrazine concentra-tions were generally very low in Marlborough in 2011.

Thiols are concentrated by fruit crushing and juice-skin con-tact time (Figure 1).

Thiol concentrations were similar at the Dillons Point site for vintages 2011 and 2012, indicat-ing, at least for the years studied, that vintage has a small effect on

Figure 1. The effects of harvesting and processing technologies on thiol concentrations in Sauvignon blanc wine for Dillons Point 2011, 2012 and Benmorven 2012 vineyard sites. (black=Benmorven 2012; red=Dillons Point; green=Dillons Point 2012).


thiol concentration, and vineyard site has a much larger influence. Harvesting and fruit processing method had a greater influence on thiol concentrations at the high thiol site (Dillons Point) than at the low thiol site (Benmorven) - suggesting that the ability to manipulate thiol production is greater when the thiol potential is high.

Sensory evaluation was under-taken by a panel of Marlborough wine industry professionals in December 2012.

Over both sites in 2012, har-vesting and processing had sig-nificantly larger effects than vineyard. On average, ‘Whole-bunch’ wines were significantly less intense in passionfruit and boxwood flavours, significantly

less full-bodied and less rounded than ‘Tank-sample’ wines. Con-versely, they had similar tropical flavour intensities and were of similar astringency (Figures 2 and 3).

Note. Sensory intensity was measured on a scale anchored at 0=absent/poor and 100=extreme/very good

Note. Sensory intensity was measured on a scale anchored at 0=absent/poor and 100=extreme/very good

Harvesting and fruit process-ing significantly affected both the overall complexity and the typical-ity of wines from both sites. The ‘Whole-bunch’ wines were judged significantly less complex and less typical of Marlborough Sauvignon blanc. Wines made using Dillons

Point fruit were perceived as sig-nificantly better examples of the sensory concept of Marlborough Sauvignon blanc than wines made using Benmorven fruit, although both had similar complexities.

The second winemaking trial, studying the Influence of juice oxi-dation, is described in a following article.

This current work, and pre-vious research from the Grape and Wine Research programme (GWRP), has shown that grape processing methods can elevate or reduce the intensity of thiol and methoxypyrazine-related flavours in the finished wine, indicating that these methods can be used to manipulate the thiol:methoxypyrazine ratios to alter the target wine style. Our

vision is that industry will use har-vesting and processing technolo-gies as additional tools to achieve product specifications and brand needs.

AcknowledgementsThis work was made possible

by funding from New Zealand Winegrowers. The work is part of the New Zealand Grape and Wine Research programme, a joint investment by Plant & Food Research and New Zealand Wine-growers, NZW 11-118.

Saint Clair Family Estate for providing the sites, fruit and juices used in this project.

Marlborough winemaker panel for sensory analysis

Colleagues at Plant & Food Research.

Figure 2. Spider plot of average sensory intensities measured in the five Dillons Point 2012 Sauvignon blanc wines made using different harvesting and fruit processing technologies.

Figure 3. Spider plot of average sensory intensities measured in the five Benmorven 2012 Sauvignon blanc wines made using different harvesting/fruit processing technologies.

11-118 - part 2

Grose C, Martin D, Trought M, Agnew R, Stuart L, Pineau B, Beresford M, Haycock S, Gunson A

The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Marlborough Wine Research Centre, Blenheim

Corresponding author: [email protected]

Marlborough Sauvignon blanc wine is characterised by a dis-tinctive balance of tropical-passionfruit (from thiols) and green-herbaceous aromatics (from

methoxypyrazines). These Marl-borough wines have more intense green capsicum, tropical and pas-sionfruit flavours than those pro-duced in other countries, and the

balance between these green and fruity flavours is essential to their typicality.

As described in an earlier article, methoxypyrazines in the

grapes transfer into the wine with little or no biochemical interac-tions, but the amounts of the volatile thiols are influenced by the actions of yeast enzymes dur-


ing fermentation. We also know that varying antioxidant regimes and the associated degree of oxida-tive browning have the potential to disrupt the formation of thiol pre-cursors, and thus the subsequent thiol concentrations in the wine.

Our second winemaking trial in this project, undertaken in col-laboration with Saint Clair Family Estate, investigated manipulating wine flavour and aroma by man-aging exposure of juice to oxida-tion during harvest. Sauvignon blanc grapes were sourced from the same high-thiol site (Dillons Point, located in Lower Wairau), and low-thiol site (Benmorven, located in the Southern Valleys), as described in our previous article about the first winemaking trial. Three antioxidant regimes were added to gondolas after grapes

were machine-harvested: (1) low potassium metabisulphate (PMS)/high ascorbic acid (25 ppm and 100 ppm respectively), (2) high PMS (65 ppm) and (3) standard Saint Clair Family Estate PMS/ascorbic acid additions (tank sample).

Grapes were then transported to the Saint Clair Family Estate winery, where each treatment was commercially pressed sepa-rately. Because of vintage pressure and tank availability, treatments could not be kept separate after pressing. We collected free-run and pressed fraction juices during the press cycle and reconstituted juice samples representative of the press load for PMS and ascorbic acid additions (treatments 1 & 2). Juices were then cold settled and fermented at the research winery. Tank sample (treatment 3) juice

was taken from the winery tank at Saint Clair Family Estate after cold settling and returned to the research winery for fermentation using the MWRC standard win-emaking protocol. Larger (18-L) and smaller (700-ml) wines were made in triplicate, and chemical and sensory evaluations made in December 2012.

Compared with PMS-only addition, the PMS plus ascor-bic acid addition to machine-harvested grapes resulted in an increase of thiols in the larger-volume wines. Wines from the PMS-only treatments at both sites had low thiol concentra-tions. Antioxidant additions had no obvious effects on the similar methoxypyrazine contents in wines from both sites.

Wine made from grapes receiv-

ing the high PMS addition at har-vest exhibited significantly less intense passionfruit and boxwood flavours and was significantly less smooth and full-bodied than the wine made with low PMS/high ascorbic acid additions at harvest.

Wines with low PMS/high ascorbic acid additions at harvest were perceived as significantly more complex by the panel of Marlborough wine industry pro-fessionals than wines with high PMS added at harvest. Conversely, the PMS plus ascorbic acid addi-tions at harvest did not signifi-cantly affect the resultant wines’ typicality as ‘Marlborough Sauvi-gnon blanc’.

Press fractions (free-run or press) were fermented either separately or combined. Frac-tions fermented separately have

Figure 1. Villa Maria winemaker, Michaela Rush, during sensory evaluation of wines at the Marlborough Research Centre sensory facility.


higher total theoretical thiol content in the wines than frac-tions fermented together. This is supported by results from other experiments in the Harvest Tech-nologies area of the Grape and Wine programme.

From the combined results of our two winemaking trials, there are practical considerations for winemakers:

Volatile thiol concentrations were strongly influenced by site, much more so than by season, at least for the 2011 and 2012 years of this study.

Wine thiol concentrations were also strongly influenced by grape harvesting and process-ing methods, and by antioxidant regimes, and these effects can be additive.

Manipulating thiol produc-tion at a high potential thiol site, through choice of harvesting and

fruit processing method, had relatively greater effect on wine thiol concentration than at a low potential thiol site.

In the absence of any crush-ing before pressing, whole-bunch pressed grapes produced wines with greatly reduced (7-20 fold) volatile thiol concentrations.

Free-run juices extracted after crushing and skin contact regimes, and in particular when treated with the low PMS/high ascorbic acid treatment, gave rise to wines with the highest thiol concentra-tions.

Conversely, press fraction juice benefitted from the high PMS-only regime, as presumably there is greater protection from oxida-tion late in the press cycle. Oxida-tive browning has the potential to disrupt the formation of thiol pre-cursors and subsequent volatile thiol concentrations in the wine.

When free-run and heavy press fractions were fermented together, the total thiol concen-tration was reduced relative to the proportional sum of the con-centrations when the press fac-tions were fermented separately. We do not know what happens to the total thiol concentration if the separate fractions are sub-sequently blended after fermen-tation, and this warrants further investigation.

Harvest processing and anti-oxidant addition treatments had very little influence on meth-oxypyrazine concentrations in wines, with by far the greatest influence coming from season.

Grape harvesting and process-ing methods can have a substantial influence on Sauvignon blanc wine aroma and flavour. Harvesting and processing methods can be used by industry to manipulate the

thiol:methoxypyrazine ratio to produce a desired wine style that meets product specifications and brand needs; these methods rep-resent some important tools for manipulating aroma and flavour in Sauvignon blanc wine.

AcknowledgementsThis work was made possible

by funding from New Zealand Winegrowers.

The work is part of the New Zealand Grape and Wine Research programme, a joint investment by Plant & Food Research and New Zealand Winegrowers, NZW 11-118.

Saint Clair Family Estate for providing the sites, fruit and juices used in this project.

Marlborough winemaker panel for sensory analysis

Colleagues at Plant & Food Research.

How does CMC behave in NZ wines?NZW 11-125

Dr Tina Tran & Dr Eric Wilkes

The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI)

The AWRI is a member of the Wine Innovation Cluster based in Adelaide.

Tartrate crystals can form in wine which is undesirable as consumers might be deterred by the glass-like appearance of the crystals (Figures 1 and 2 over page). Wine naturally has a high loading of tartrates (mostly potassium and occasion-ally calcium salt) which can form crystals under some conditions.

Winemakers use various meth-ods to stabilise wines to avoid cold instability. The traditional method is to seed with potassium hydro-gen tartrate (KHT) to induce crystal formation, in an attempt to decrease the tartrate loading in the wine. This method requires

chilling of the wine for extended periods followed by racking. While effective, this method alters the pH and subsequently the sensory properties of the wine, and incurs significant labour and operational costs. Also, long-term cold stabil-ity is not a certainty since natu-ral crystal inhibitory molecules in wine might change over time as wine ages. More recently, cold stabilisation systems and addi-tives have become available that provide an alternative to tradi-tional methods. Amongst these are electrodialysis, nanofiltra-tion and mannoproteins. One of

the most recent alternative cold stabilisation options available is sodium carboxymethylcellulose, more commonly known as CMC.

What is CMC and how does it work?

CMC has been used as a food additive (code E466) for dec-ades however its application in Australian and NZ wines was not approved by FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) until 2011. Various CMCs have been widely applied to European wines since 2009 as a cold stabi-lisation aid and have been shown

to be effective in preventing tar-trate crystal formation. CMC is thought to bind to tartrates in the wine which can act as a seed and cause crystal formation. It is also considered to have the advantage of providing longer-term stabil-ity in wines, compared to some other crystallisation inhibitors available on the market, due to being a cellulose-based highly stable molecule. Application does not require refrigeration and the acidity of the wines are unaffected in contrast to traditional tartrate seeding methods. A limitation of CMC is that suppliers only rec-


ommended its use in white wines since it has been shown to strip colour and other compounds from red wines.

The AWRI CMC Benchmarking Trial

In 2012, The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) launched the CMC Benchmark-ing Trial. This trial involved a consortium of Australian and NZ wineries, as well CMC suppliers, to determine the comparative performance of various commer-cially available CMCs on a variety of white wines. The main goal of the trial was to assess the impact of CMC dose on cold stability performance as well as determine the impact of the optimal dose on physical properties such as colour, turbidity and phenolic content. In this trial, saturation temperature was also used as an indication of instability, however, the Brine method (chilling wine at -4°C for 72 hours) was used to determined cold stability performance since this method is considered the industry reference. Cold instabil-ity level was rated at three levels: level 1- small number of crystals (might be considered stable by some users); level 2 – small crys-tals seen under reflective light;

and level 3 – large crystals seen by naked eye. The overall perfor-mance of CMCs was rated by the level of stability observed once treated.

CMCs and NZ WinesThere is much interest from

wineries in New Zealand in the application of CMC as a cold sta-bilisation aid. Few formal studies have been published on the effec-tiveness of CMC in NZ wines and any ‘side-effects’ which might occur. New Zealand Wine has participated in the AWRI CMC

Benchmarking trial submitting 20 NZ wines from various origins and varietals. The initial stages of the trial involved screening a wide range of wines by analysing basic chemical parameters such as pH, alcohol content, potassium levels etc. and then grouping the wines. Laboratory-scale experi-ments were then conducted to compare the cold stabilisation performance of four commercial CMCs and the impact on physi-cal properties. The comparative performance assessment included treatment of wines with three

different doses of CMCs: low (half that recommended by the manufacturer); medium (recom-mended); and high (maximum allowable) doses. An example of performance is shown in Figure 3 where a Sauvignon Blanc wine was treated with CMCs 1-4 (colour coded) at low (L), medium (M) and high (H) doses. The untreated wine was highly unstable before treatment. All CMCs were able to stabilise the wine, however, the minimum dosage level required varied among the CMCs. That is, CMC 2 performed best given that

Figure 1: Microscopic image of tartate crystal in Sauvignon Blanc. Figure 2: Tartrate crystals in bottled wine.

Figure 3. NZ Sauvignon Blanc wine treated with four different CMCs at low, medium and high doses


half the recommended dose was able to stabilise the wine, followed by CMC 4 which required the rec-ommended dose and CMCs 1 and 3 where the maximum allowable dose was required to stabilise the wines.

Performance of CMCs also varied among wines of the same

variety. Figure 4 shows the per-formance of CMC 3 on four Sau-vignon Blanc wines (SB1-4); the untreated instability levels of all wines are identical. When treated with varying doses of CMC 3, the minimum dose required varied, in particular SB1 required the maxi-mum dose to stabilise the wine; in

contrast SB4 only required half the recommended dose to stabilise the wine.

There was no apparent correla-tion between wine variety, origin or chemical properties with per-formance of CMC i.e. no particular CMC performed better in any par-ticular variety compared to other

CMCs. This indicates that the per-formance of CMC is highly wine dependent and dosage should be optimised for each wine.

All four CMCs tested were able to stabilise all NZ wines included in the trial when the recom-mended or maximum allowable dose is applied. The impact of CMC treatment on colour, turbid-ity and phenolic content was neg-ligible. This work demonstrates that CMC are able to cold stabilise NZ wines without affecting acid-ity and other physical properties of the wine.

To be continued…The long-term impact of

CMC treatment is unknown. The remainder of this trial will include assessment of performance six

months post-CMC treatment; representative wines will be used to determine the impact of CMCs on filterability, sensory and long-term stability.Full report available to New Zea-land Wine members and partici-pants only; for further information please contact corresponding author [email protected]

Figure 4. Four different NZ Sauvigon Blanc wines treated with CMC 3 at different doses

Harvesting method and grape processing affect bentonite required for protein stabilisation of Marlborough Sauvignon BlancNZW 12-103

Bin Tian1, Roland Harrison1, Jim Morton1, Marlene Jaspers1, Claire Grose2, Mike Trought2

1 Faculty of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln; 2 The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Marlborough Wine Research Centre, Blenheim.

Protein stabilisation of white wine is a process whereby proteins which may later give rise to a haze are removed prior to bottling. This

is normally achieved by fining with bentonite, a clay material that has a strong affinity for proteins and other larger molecules. It is now

well-established that the proteins mostly responsible for haze forma-tion are so-called pathogenesis-related (PR), meaning that they

are produced by grape berries in response to disease pressure.

In a previous study, we dem-onstrated a strong linear cor-


relation between total protein concentration in the juice of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and bentonite requirement. We have now extended this work in a second study in which we inves-tigated common harvesting and processing techniques in order to determine how they influence protein concentrations in juice. Grape harvesting and processing are known to influence important flavour-related components and our expectation was that they would also influence protein con-centrations in juice.

Studies were carried out at two vineyards: Benmorven (southern valleys) and Dillon’s Point (lower Wairau valley). Five treatment combinations were investigated. These included machine har-vesting versus hand harvesting; and, whole bunch press versus de-stem, crush and skin contact before pressing. Most treatments involved the use of a small, com-mercial 8 hL airbag press. Some samples were also collected using a 200 L hydro press.

These results (Fig. 1) showed that, in addition to large differ-ences between sites and vintage, there were consistent effects of harvesting method and grape pro-cessing. Protein concentrations were significantly (P < 0.01) lower in juice obtained from machine-harvested as opposed to hand-harvested grapes. The effect of grape processing was less clear cut but overall whole bunch press with no skin contact resulted in significantly lower (P < 0.05) juice protein concentrations compared to destem, crush and 3 h skin con-tact before pressing. The results for wine were similar as were those for one specific group of PR proteins, chitinases, which are probably the most important in terms bentonite requirement. These findings strongly suggest that, in addition to site and year variation, method of harvest and grape processing also influence the amount of bentonite required for protein stabilisation of wines.

The fact that machine harvest-ing reduces bentonite require-

ment is intriguing. This has not been much investigated and the only published information (Poc-ock & Waters 1998; Pocock et al 1988) suggests that mechanical harvesting coupled with long dis-tance transport could be expected to increase juice protein concen-tration and therefore bentonite requirement. Of course, that work was relevant to Australian conditions which are considerably different to those experienced in New Zealand.

One possibility might be that differences in juice yield were responsible. In our experiments there were consistent differences: juice yield for the destem, crush and 3 h skin contact treatment were 63-70% for machine har-vested fruit and 71-73% for hand harvested fruit. However, there were no significant differences in the concentrations of protein in the juice obtained from different press fractions (free run, 0-0.8 bar and 0-1.6 bar) for these treat-ments. Nor were there significant differences for individual press

fractions (0-0.4, 0.4-0.8 and 0.8-1.6 bar) when these were investi-gated for the Dillon’s Point 2012 samples. For the destem, crush and 3 h skin contact treatment, the concentration of protein in all press fractions seems to be similar, in which case differences in juice yield might alter the total amount of protein extracted but not the concentration.

A second possibility was that proteins interact with other com-ponents during the harvesting and processing, and that subtle differences in this interaction are responsible for modulating the juice protein concentration. Pocock and co-workers suggested that increased extraction from grape skins was responsible for higher protein concentrations in juice after mechanical harvesting and long distance transport. We also found small but significant increases in protein concentra-tion during skin contact in some model studies: roughly 15% in the first three hours and perhaps another 15% after 24 hours. But in our experiments, the time taken for machine harvesting was rela-tively short and both machine and hand harvested grapes had the same 3 hours of skin contact after crushing; we would suggest that in our New Zealand conditions, this period is perhaps more important than the longer periods associated with transport in some Australian situations.

In other experiments we have investigated the effect of different extractants on solution composi-tion. Generally, we found that very little protein was extracted from skins but significant amounts of phenolics, including tannin, were solubilised. We also found that the inclusion of BSA, a protein, in the extractant reduced the amounts of tannins and phenolics extracted, and that the greatest concentra-tions of proteins in solution were obtained when the extractant contained lesser concentrations

Figure 1. Total protein concentration (mg/L) in Sauvignon Blanc juice from Dillon’s Point (2011 and 2012) and Benmorven (2012) vineyards


of tannins and phenolics.The precipitation of tannins by

proteins (and therefore vice versa) is, of course, a well know phenom-enon; indeed it forms the basis of the Harbertson-Adams assay for tannin in red wines. So it shouldn’t really be a surprise that this inter-action might be important in modulating juice composition during grape processing. In fact, the Australian work also consid-ered the possibility that phenolic oxidation and polymerisation in juice during transport might affect protein concentration. Despite the fact that some tannin appears to be relatively easily extracted from Sauvignon Blanc skin, concentra-tions have invariable been below detection levels in all the juice samples we investigated in this study. This strongly suggests that tannins and possibly other phe-nolics are removed from solution during juice processing, very likely precipitated by proteins.

Unfortunately, we found no significant difference in the con-centrations of phenolics between machine and hand harvested treat-

ments. However, we might specu-late that additional plant material is incorporated into the sample during machine harvesting and that this might be an additional source of tannin and other phe-nolics. The similar final concen-trations of phenolics and lower protein concentrations in juice for machine and hand harvested treatments, respectively, might therefore come about because of higher phenolic extraction from the machine harvested sample.

So how does this fit with the observed lower protein concen-trations in whole bunch pressed versus destem, crush and 3 h skin contact? Juice extraction was less for whole bunch pressed (56-62%) compared to destem, crush, 3 h skin contact and pressed (63-70%) treatments. As when comparing hand versus machine harvesting, there was no evidence that of any significant differences in protein concentrations between press fractions for whole bunch versus destem, crush and skin contact treatments. However, there were significant differences (P < 0.01)

in total phenolics concentrations. First, total phenolics concentra-tions were consistently less in juice obtained from whole bunch pressed (171-227 mg/L) compared to destem, crush, 3 h skin con-tact and pressed (224-274 mg/L) treatments. Second, there was a consistent trend of pressure on total phenolics concentrations in juice: average values for individual press fractions (0-0.4, 0.4-0.8 and 0.8-1.6 bar) for the Dillon’s Point 2012 samples were 257, 249 and 283 mg/L. These results for total phe-nolics concentrations are consist-ent with existing ideas of phenolic extraction from berries: i.e. initial release of phenolics from the pulp (predominately hydroxycinnamic acids) with greater pressures and or maceration required to release phenolics (predominately flavo-noids) from skin (and ultimately seeds).

The lower protein and phe-nolics concentrations for the hand harvested and whole bunch pressed treatment therefore prob-ably represent the minimum pos-sible extraction (from the pulp) of

these components and relatively little interaction between them. The greater concentrations of both protein and phenolics for the hand harvested and destem, crush, 3 h skin contact and pressed treatment suggests additional extraction of these components. It seems likely that during this process interaction between them might lead to some loss of both from solution.

And the lower protein and similar phenolics concentrations for machine versus hand harvested treatments with destem, crush, 3 h skin contact prior to pressing suggests a greater degree of inter-action between extracted proteins and phenolics.

AcknowledgementsThis project was made possi-

ble by funding from New Zealand Winegrowers. The support from Marlborough Wine Research Cen-tre is appreciated for material and staff support in carrying out the trials. Financial support from Lincoln University is gratefully acknowledged.

Sustaining vineyards through practical management of grapevine trunk diseasesNZW 13-100

Mark Sosnowski South Australian Research & Development Institute and Dion Mundy The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited

The grapevine trunk diseases eutypa and botryosphaeria die-back, caused by fungal species of the Diatrypaceae and Botry-osphaeriaceae families can kill vines and have a major economic impact in wine regions worldwide. In New Zealand, they are becom-ing prevalent and threaten the sus-tainability of the $1.6 billion wine

industry, which is heavily reliant on the highly susceptible variety Sauvignon Blanc.

Trunk pathogens infect vines through pruning wounds, colonise woody tissue and cause dieback of cordons and trunks, with cankers observed as dark wedge-shaped tissue in cross-section. Eutypa lata produces toxic metabolites which

are translocated to the foliage, causing stunted shoots, necrotic and distorted leaves, reduced bunch size and uneven ripening. Management of trunk diseases is based on removing infected wood material and preventing infec-tion through pruning wounds. Protective treatments are cur-rently limited to paints and pastes

which must be applied by hand. The development and adoption of efficient methods of protecting pruning wounds in New Zealand will prevent the significant losses experienced in other countries.

A New Zealand Winegrowers project led by the South Australian Research & Development Insti-tute in collaboration with Plant &


Food Research, which commenced in July 2013, has already seen the establishment of four field trials. To generate data for registration of wound treatment fungicides, cane-pruned Sauvignon Blanc vines in Marlborough were treated with a number of different rates of Folicur® (tebuconazole), Chief® (carbendazim), Gem® (fluazi-nam), Dithane™ (mancozeb) or Megastar™ (flusilazole), applied using a paint brush.

In addition, a number of dif-ferent types of tractor-driven sprayers, including air-shear, tangential, recycle and modified weed sprayers were used to apply Chief® to spur-pruned Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Hawke’s Bay and cane-pruned Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough.

To determine the effects of pruning time on susceptibility

of wounds and fungicide effi-cacy, Sauvignon Blanc vines were cane-pruned in early, mid- or late winter and were either untreated or treated with Chief®.

To mimic natural infection, wounds in all trials were inocu-lated with fungal spores of E. lata and Neofusicoccum luteum fol-lowing treatment. Treated canes will be removed in winter 2014 and assessed in the laboratory for the efficacy of the treatments. Prelim-inary results will be available in late 2014 and trials will be repeated in 2014/15.

Further experiments using pruning wound treatments at var-ying disease pressures are being initiated in the greenhouse, using a detached cane assay.

These trials will include non-fungicide alternatives and will also provide information on the critical

timing of fungicide application. In the coming summer, surveys

are planned for Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough to record the extent of trunk disease in vineyards. This will form the basis of an economic analysis of trunk diseases in New Zealand.

In conjunction, Trunk Disease Management Workshops will be held in Hawke’s Bay and Marlbor-ough on 6 and 13 December 2013, respectively. The workshops will provide a report of the surveys as well as the latest information on effective management of eutypa dieback, botryosphaeria dieback and black foot diseases, and pro-gress of current New Zealand Wine research.

This research aims to deliver recommendations for practical application of a range of pruning wound treatments using tractor-

driven sprayers. Economic analy-sis will provide decision support for growers and encourage adop-tion of practices for the benefit of the wine industry. The project will also build scientific and techni-cal capability in New Zealand for grapevine trunk disease manage-ment.

AcknowledgementsThis project was made possi-

ble by funding from New Zealand Winegrowers and the New Zea-land Ministry for Primary Indus-tries Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF 13-071). We thank Villa Maria and Pernod-Ricard NZ for provid-ing vines and technical assistance, along with the various agrochemi-cal companies that have commit-ted to the outcomes of registering products for control of trunk dis-eases.

Applying pruning wound treatment to cane-pruned Sauvignon Blanc vines using a recycle sprayer.


RESEARCHINDEX

Aroma & Sensory (also see Wine Research)

The Nature of Perceived Minerality in White Wine: Preliminary Sensory Data [10-115], Wendy Parr, Jordi Ballester, Dominique Valentin, Dominique Peyron, Rob Sherlock, Brett Robinson, Jason Breitmeyer, Philippe Darriet and Claire Grose .........................78:71-74

Biosecurity

The Threats of the Future [Pests] ................................................. 82:10-13

Botrytis (also see Pest & Disease Management)

Do Tendrils on Retained Canes Increase the Risk of Botrytis Cinerea the Following Season? [11-103], Dion Munday ...... 78:76-77

Battling Botrytis – A New Summary ................................................... 80:8

Reduced Berry Size and Botrytis Tolerance through Trauma to the Vines [12-106], Mike Trought ........................................................ 80:64

Understanding Causes of Slip Skin [11-119], Rob Beresford, Dion Mundy, Peter Wood and Monica Holland................................ 82:79-80

Botrytis Decision Support (BDS) Training and Botrytis Sampling Protocols [11-120], Rob Beresford ................................................. 82:81-82

Climate Change

More Vines as Temperatures Rise ...................................................... 80:24

Environmental Management (see Sustainability)

Events

Romeo Bragato Conference 2013 .............................................. 80:54-55

Grape Days ................................................................................................... 80:55

Romeo Bragato Conference 2013 ...................................................... 81:60

Fertilisers & Nutrition

Potassium Nutrition in the Vineyard: Implications for Grapevine Development and Wine Composition [11-108], Mike Trought, Christopher Winefield and Anne Gunson ................................ 78:78-79

Frost Protection

After the Frost .............................................................................................. 81:30

Grapegrowing

Preparing for Next Vintage, Damian Martin, Jeff Bennett and Mike Trought ......................................................................................... 81:24

Grapevine Leafroll Diseases (also see Pest & Disease Management)

The Citrophilus Mealybug, Groundcover Weeds and Grapevines: Assessing a Dynamic Relationship [11-107], Vaughn Bell, Lyn Cole, Rachael Horner, Peter Lo, Nandita Sharma and Jim Walker ............... 78:79-82

Leafroll Virus Versus Magnesium Deficiency ......................... 79:22-24

How Do Plants Signal Virus Attack? [11-100], Kieren Arthur and Robin MacDiarmid .................................................................................... 81:120

Grapevine Trunk Diseases (also see Pest & Disease Management)

Evaluating Pruning Wound Treatments for Management of Eutypa Dieback in Grapevines [11-105], Mark Sosnowski and Dion Mundy ....................................................................................................... 79:67-69

Do You Have Life Insurance for your Vines? [Trunk Diseases], David Jordan .................................................................................................. 81:16

Silent Assassins [Trunk Diseases] ................................................ 82:20-22

Sustaining Vineyards through Practical Management of Grapevine Trunk Diseases [13-100], Mark Sosnowski and Dion Mundy ............................................................................................................... 83:71

Mechanical Harvesting/Thinning

New Opportunities for Sustainable Grape Thinning [Winemaking Trials] [11-101], Claire Grose, Sue Neal, Dion Mundy, Mike Trought, Benedicte Pineau, Michelle Beresford, Anne Gunson, Andrew McLachlan and Mark Allen .................................................................... 80:63


New Opportunities for Sustainable Grape Thinning, Relative Trash Content of Bunches Post Machine Thinning [11-101], Dion Mundy, Sue Neal and Mike Trought ..................................................................... 81:121

Nutrition (see Fertilisers & Nutrition)

Organics and Biodynamics

Organics Focus [The Organic Focus Vineyard Project] .. 78:48-54

Pest & Disease Management

Do Tendrils on Retained Canes Increase the Risk of Botrytis Cinerea the Following Season? [11-103], Dion Munday ...... 78:76-77

The Citrophilus Mealybug, Groundcover Weeds and Grapevines: Assessing a Dynamic Relationship [11-107], Vaughn Bell, Lyn Cole, Rachael Horner, Peter Lo, Nandita Sharma and Jim Walker ..................................................................................... 78:79-82

Leafroll Virus Versus Magnesium Deficiency ......................... 79:22-24

Evaluating Pruning Wound Treatments for Management of Eutypa Dieback in Grapevines [11-105], Mark Sosnowski and Dion Mundy ....................................................................................................... 79:67-69

Battling Botrytis – A New Summary ................................................... 80:8


Do You Have Life Insurance for your Vines? [Trunk Diseases], David Jordan .................................................................................................. 81:16

Powdery Mildew – Early Intervention Vital...................................... 81:28

Research-related articles published in New Zealand Winegrower in 2013, issues 78 to 83

78 – February/March 201379 – April/May 201380 – June/July 201381 – August/September 201382 – October/November 201383 – December 2013/January 2014

CONTINUED OVER PAGE


New Registered Fungicide [HML 32] ................................................ 81:89

How Do Plants Signal Virus Attack? [11-100], Kieren Arthur and Robin MacDiarmid .................................................................................... 81:120

The Threats of the Future [Pests] ................................................. 82:10-13

Silent Assassins [Trunk Diseases] ................................................ 82:20-22

Decimating Grubs [Grass Grub Beetles] ................................. 82:38-40

Understanding Causes of Slip Skin [11-119], Rob Beresford, Dion Mundy, Peter Wood and Monica Holland................................ 82:79-80

Botrytis Decision Support (BDS) Training and Botrytis Sampling Protocols [11-120], Rob Beresford ................................................. 82:81-82

Sustaining Vineyards through Practical Management of Grapevine Trunk Diseases [13-100], Mark Sosnowski and Dion Mundy ............................................................................................................... 83:71

Powdery Mildew (also see Pest & Disease Management)

Powdery Mildew – Early Intervention Vital...................................... 81:28

Rootstocks (see Varieties, Clones & Rootstocks)

Sauvignon Blanc

Tools for Manipulating Sauvignon Blanc Wine Flavour and Aroma: Harvest and Processing of Grapes [11-118], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Mike Trought, Rob Agnew, Lily Stuart and Sharlene Haycock ................................................................................ 79:70-72

Grapevine Leafroll Disease a Serious Problem for Winemakers[12-100], Nick Hoskins .............................................. 79:73-74

Manipulation of Methoxypyrazine (MP) Concentrations in Sauvignon Blanc Wine through Leaf and Rachis Additions [12-107], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Jeff Bennett and Lily Stuart ........................................................................................................80:65

Influence of Juice pH on Thiol Production [12-108], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Abby Albright, Sharlene Haycock and Lily Stuart ............................................................................................. 80:66

Adding Complexity Naturally to Sauvignon Blanc .................... 81:104

The Impact of Harvest and Processing Techniques on Flavour Creation in Sauvignon Blanc [11-118], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Mike Trought, Rob Agnew, Lily Stuart and Sharlene Haycock ................................................................................ 82:77-78

Influence of Juice pH on Thiol Production [12-108], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Abby Albright, Sharlene Haycock and Lily Stuart ....................................................................................... 82:78-79

Tools for Manipulating Sauvignon Blanc Wine Flavour and Aroma: Harvest and Processing of Grapes – Part 1 [11-118], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Mike Trought, Rob Agnew, Lily Stuart, Benedicte Pineau, Michelle Beresford, Sharlene Haycock and Anne Gunson ............................................................................................... 83:64

Tools for Manipulating Sauvignon Blanc Wine Flavour and Aroma: Harvest and Processing of Grapes – Part 2 [11-118], Claire Grose, Damian Martin, Mike Trought, Rob Agnew, Lily Stuart, Benedicte Pineau, Sharlene Haycock and Anne Gunson ....................................................................................... 83:65

Sustainability & Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ)

Winery Energy Efficiency [SWNZ update] ............................. 78:56-57

Dashboard – The Complete Package [SWNZ update] ............. 81:66

Industry Benchmarking [SWNZ update] ................................. 82:54-56

Under Vine Weeds

- Under Vine Options ..................................................................... 83:24

Varieties, Clones & Rootstocks (also see Sauvignon Blanc)

Ampelography [Jean-Michel Boursiquot, Laurent Audeguin] ..................................................................................... 81:52

Using Mobile DNA to Increase Grapevine Diversity [Darryl Lizamore] ....................................................................................................... 81:90

Chardonnay Driven By Site [NZSVO Conference 2013] ... 82:36-37

Vineyard Machinery (see Mechanical Harvesting/Thinning)

Vintage Reports

From the CEO Philip Gregan, Déjà vu or Not? .................................81:5

Stocks Replenished ..................................................................................... 81:22

Wine Research

The ‘Tannin Sweet Spot,’ Rod Chittenden ............................... 78:46-47

Wine Quality and the Wine Show System, Rod Chittenden ................................................................................... 79:38-40

Aiming for the Best Low Alcohol Wine ............................................ 81:42

How Does CMC Behave in NZ Wines? [11-125], Tina Tran and Eric Wilkes ............................................................................................................... 83:67

Harvesting Method and Grape Processing Affect Bentonite Required for Protein Stabilisation of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc [12-103], Bin Tian, Roland Harrison, Jim Morton, Marlene Jaspers, Claire Grose and Mike Trought .......................................... 83:69

Yield Estimation

Preparing for Next Vintage, Damian Martin, Jeff Bennett and Mike Trought .................................................................................................. 81:24

Photo: Seifried Estate,supplied by NZ Winegrowers.

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Transcript of New Zealand Winegrower Dec-Jan 2013-14