WG Apr-May 2011

O F F I C I A L J O U R N A L O F T H E N E W Z E A L A N D G R A P E A N D W I N E I N D U S T R Y

N E W Z E A L A N D

April / May 2011Vol. 14 – Issue 5

Grower

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards Inaugural Heritage Category Winner

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EDITORIAL & PRODUCTIONPublished 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). The editor is Terry Dunleavy MBE, FWINZ, JP.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.

FREQUENCY & DISTRIBUTION:Published every second month. One free copy will be 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.

CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS:Contact: Lorraine RudeljNew Zealand WinegrowersPO Box 90 276, Auckland Mail CentreNew ZealandPh 09 303 3527; Fax 09 302 2969e-mail: [email protected]

EDITORIAL:Terry Dunleavy14A Bayview Road, Takapuna 0622.P O Box 33-114, Takapuna 0622Ph 09 486-3859, Fax 09 486 2341 Mobile: 0274 836688e-mail: [email protected]: Auckland: Joelle Thomson([email protected])Gisborne: Debbie Gregory ([email protected])Hawkes Bay: Mary Shanahan ([email protected])Wairarapa: Barbara Gilham([email protected])Marlborough: Tessa Nicholson ([email protected])Nelson: Neil Hodson([email protected])Canterbury: Jo Burzynska ([email protected])UK: Peter McCombie MW ([email protected])

ADVERTISING:Ros SellersPh 07 827 8648; Fax 07 827 8631Mobile 021 190 3877e-mail: [email protected]: www.nzwinegrower.co.nz

PUBLISHING & PRE-PRESS:Rural News GroupP O Box 3855, Auckland 1140Ph 09 307 0399e-mail: [email protected]: Top Floor,29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622Managing Editor: Adam FrickerProduction: Dave Ferguson, Nadia Wickliffe

International Standard Serial No: ISSN 1174-5223

Official journal of the New Zealand Grape & Wine Industry

Published under the authority of New Zealand Winegrowers

N E W Z E A L A N D

N E W Z E A L A N D

Grower

N E W Z E A L A N D

Grower

GrowerVol 14 – Issue 5 Apr/May 2011

Kate Radburnd, sector leader.

Sir George Fistonich,2011 inductee to

NZ Wine Hall of Fame


N E W Z E A L A N D


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New Zealand Wines

REGULAR COLUMNS

Editorial (Excellence, fun and profit) .............................................. 4

CEO, NZ Winegrowers (Ten years on - shaping our future) .......... 5

JF Hillebrand Export Events Calendar .........................................53

Export statistics (Average $ per litre down again!) .....................54

GENERAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Sector leader profiles - Kate Radburnd on supply and demand ... 6

Letter to the Editor - Time to speak up ......................................... 8

Vintage progress report - more grapes, but sales lifting ............14

NZ Wine Hall of Fame - wine knight inducted .............................21

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards - new Heritage Category .........24

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards - Bob Campbell MW ................26

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards - Hawkes Bay Syrah wins .........30

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards - Trophy list & presentations ...31

EXPORT

Tips on how to succced in UK wine market ...............................10

‘Complexity” takes top NZ wines to US high enders .................34

VinLiner protects wine during shipping .....................................36

REGIONS

Hawkes Bay - Student challenges red wine practice ...................40

Marlborough - Are we selling our Pinot Noir too early? .............44

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

NZ invention revolutionises vine pruning ................................... 46

Extraordinary success of Langlois vine stripper ...........................48

NMIT diploma passport to work in wine ......................................51

New centrifuge aids removal of solids from juices & wines ........52

NZ WINEGROWERS RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT

Introduction and list of projects ...................................................55

Responses of Sauvignon Blanc to mechanical pruning ...............56

Early defoliation to manage crop & increase quality ...................58

Grapevine trunk diseases in NZ ....................................................59

How trimming affects shoot growth & bunch development .......62

Influence of training systems on crop load and composition .....59

Perceived minerality in white wine ...............................................62

Supporting good botrytis management ......................................64

COVER: The inaugural Heritage Rose Bowl for the winning set of wines in the new Heritage Category of the 2011 Royal Easter Show Wine Awards was presented to Hunter’s Wines for Rieslings 2004, 2007 and 2010. Seen here are (from left): Gary Duke, Hunter’s chief winemaker, Vic Williams, MC of Awards Dinner, Jane Hunter, CMNZ, OBE, Hunter’s managing director, and Terry Dunleavy, MBE, FWINZ, general director of the Awards (story on page 24).

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If you don’t do it with excellence, don’t do it at all! Because if it’s not excellent, it won’t be profitable or fun, and if you’re not in business for fun or profit, what the hell are you doing there?This memorable quote from Robert Townsend, president of rental car firm,

Avis (“We’re No. 2 – we try harder”) could well apply to the New Zealand wine sector now well into our 2011 vintage, certain to exceed 300,000 tonnes for the first time.

Since 2008, when over-optimistic planning combined with the generosity of nature to give us more grapes and wine than we could profitably sell in a world hit by a global financial crisis, we have been struggling with the consequences of that surplus. Contrary to the Townsend dictum, much of the wine fell short of excellence, and its disposal was neither fun nor profit. One of the most tell-ing signposts of the road to disquiet has been the continuing fall in the average price per litre of exports from a moving annual total high for the year ending January of $9.39 as recently as 2007 to just $6.90 in 2011, a fall of 26.5%.

How we lift ourselves out of this rut is a question being faced by better equipped minds within our sector than mine. It is complicated by the fact that while we have a history of practical co-operation in promoting our wines in overseas markets, we lack the enforceable discipline possible in primary products subject to single desk selling by industry-based organisations, such as Fonterra in dairy, or Zespri in kiwifruit. Even if there was a political will to apply a legislated New Zealand Inc approach, as there used to be, for instance, in meat, wool and apples and pears, this method is totally inappropriate to such a variegated product as wine which relies so heavily for its market appeal on differentiation based on variety, style, region, vintage year, and individual winemaking philosophy.

Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of light at the end of this gloomy tunnel:As Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan points out on page 14, sales forecasts

for the year ending June 2011 are equivalent to a vintage of 310,000 tonnes, very close to the likely yield from the vintage now under way, enabling us to re-focus on “recovery of winery and grower profitability as a pre-requisite to sustainable growth.”

This balanced vintage yield has been made possible by heroic efforts by growers, especially in Marlborough, to constrain cropping levels, in one case, as reported by Tessa Nicholson on page 19 of an Awatere grower dropping his bunches per vine yield from 45 to 25. As we noted from the 2010 vintage, lower yields were compensated by a noticeable increase in quality, and history tells us that quality is the key to higher prices.

With a solution to the demand/supply/quality balance in sight, we need to turn our attention to promotion, not only in overseas markets, like USA where the imaginative Complexity project (reported on page 34) is single-mindedly aimed at the high end where we should be, but also some kind of generic, co-operative campaign in our own home market to generate pride among New Zealanders in our wines, if only to counter the “demon alcohol” hysteria be-ing over-emphasised in current discussions about changes to our sale of liquor legislation.

All of which suggests that planning for the Exporters Forum to be held in Blenheim in July should be reconstituted as a Marketing Forum to include con-sideration of what could be done on a sector basis in our own home market, as well as being more sharply focused on profitability in our export sales. We could do with more of the down-to-earth practical advice of people like Mimi Avery, reported on page 10, based on years of in-market hard selling of New Zealand wines in the UK.

Time, in other words, to walk the talk.

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NZ Wine Directory

Excellence, fun and profit

New Zealand Winegrowers Board

From New Zealand Grape Growers CouncilStuart Smith, (President, NZGGC) (Chair, NZW Board)Mal McLennan, Vice-Pres., NZGGCTom Brodie (Gisborne)Chris Howell (Hawkes Bay)Dominic Pecchinino (Marlborough)John Clarke (Gisborne) alternateGarth Edwards (Wairarapa) alternateRichard Rose (Marlborough) alternateXan Harding (Hawkes Bay) alternateGwyn Williams (Canterbury) alternate

From Wine Institute of New ZealandSteve Green (chair, WINZ)(Deputy-Chair, NZW Board)Sir George Fistonich (Villa Maria) Fabian Partigliani (Pernod Ricard NZ)Joe Stanton (Constellation NZ)Jim Delegat (Delegats) alternateKate Radburnd (C J Pask)David Babich (Babich Wines)Peter Holley (MIssion Estate) alternateDayne Sherwood (Sherwood Estate)Judy Fowler (Puriri Hills) alternate

New Zealand Winegrowers Key StaffChief Executive Officer: Philip GreganMgr Policy & Membership: Dr John BarkerOffice Manager: Lorraine RudeljFinancial Accountant: Suzanne Hill

Global Marketing Director: Chris YorkeMarketing Managers:Asia: Kate GartonCanada & Air NZ Wine Awards: Celeste BowdenEurope, USA & Australia: Lauren Thatcher-EdleyBrand & Communications Mgr: Sarah Thorton

Science & Innovations Mgr: Philip MansonResearch Programme Mgr: Dr Simon Hooker

Sustainable WinegrowingCo-ordinator: Sally van der ZijppSWNZ Data & membership: Karen Bryant

Wine Export Certification Mgr: Sue ChurchWine Export Certification Asst: Sarah Williams

Auckland Office: Level 3, Hamburg Sud House52 Symonds Street, AucklandPO Box 90 276, Auckland Mail CentreTelephone: (09) 303 3527Facsimile: (09) 302 2969

Marlborough Office: Marlborough Wine Research Centre,Private Bag 1007, BlenheimTelephone (03) 577 2370Facsimile: (03) 577 9298

Website: www.nzwine.com

EDITORIAL

A personal view by Terry Dunleavy

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

On 3 March 2002 New Zealand Winegrowers commenced op-erations. This culminated a

long period of discussion and debate about the future direction of the indus-try, the issues of importance to indus-try members and the shape of struc-tures necessary to support industry goals into the years ahead.

The fact that the for-mation of NZ Wine-growers took so long to achieve, reflected the importance of the debate which took place and of the decision to form the organisation.

Nearly ten years on much has changed in the world – there has been the Global Financial Cri-sis, the supply demand balance is different in the industry, in markets we are seeing the rise and rise of China, the $NZ is at a completely different level, NZW membership has lifted around 70% etc. And now in the last month we have experienced the Christchurch earthquake and the Japanese Tsunami both of which are likely to have major effects on this country and the global economy for some time to come.

Given the changing times we live in and the fact we are approaching the 10th anniversary of the formation of NZ Winegrowers in March 2012, it is appropriate that the Board of NZ Winegrowers has decided to conduct a comprehensive members’ survey for the first time.

Routinely over the past nine years, NZ Winegrowers has surveyed its members on a range of matters and is-sues from our annual vintage survey to occasional surveys on excise policy to surveys related to individual activi-ties that we organise.

But in the nine years we have never

conducted a comprehensive survey on issues affecting members, the role of NZ Winegrowers in addressing them and our success or otherwise in our endeavours.

So why survey now and why should you participate. As to the why now, well nine years without a stocktake of member opinions is a long time. And

now seems entirely appropriate as NZ Winegrowers moves towards the 10th anniversary of its formation.

As to why growers and wineries should participate, well there are a number of answers to that question.

First and foremost NZ Winegrowers is the representative national organisa-tion for NZ grapegrowers and win-emakers. As such NZ Winegrowers should accurately reflect and represent the views of growers and wineries. The survey represents an opportunity to have your say on the matters that count for you and on how the levy monies paid by you are spent.

The second reason is that this is not a stand alone survey that will never be repeated. The survey will be repeated in future and the trends that emerge by comparing future survey results with the bench mark that is established in the first year will be important. So hav-

ing your say now is important because it will help set the benchmark against which the results from future surveys will be measured.

Further, growers and wineries should participate because if you don’t then you can hardly come along later and complain about NZW activities in the future!

So how do growers and wineries participate in the survey?

The survey is being conducted for NZ Wine-growers by Buzz Chan-nel. The survey will be conducted on line for two weeks from Friday 29 April.

The survey will cover the full range of NZW activities including our role in research, advocacy, marketing, sustainability, information provision etc. The questions in the sur-vey are being formulated with assistance from NZ

Winegrowers staff and the scope of the questions is being built up based on pre-survey interviews with a range of industry members.

It is important to note that the re-sponses from individual members will remain confidential to Buzz Chan-nel. The NZ Winegrowers Board will receive a consolidated report on the survey results and the results will be made available to all growers and win-eries.

So we would urge all growers and wineries to participate in the survey. It will help shape the future activities of NZ Winegrowers which is here as an organisation to serve the interest of our 1,800 grape grower and winery mem-bers.

In short, a high response rate for the survey will enable us to do our job bet-ter on your behalf

Best wishes for the vintage.

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CEO OF NEW ZEALAND WINEGROWERS

Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Officer

Ten years on – shaping our future

The survey represents an opportunity to have your say on the matters that count for you and on how the levy monies paid by you are spent….Growers and wineries should participate because if you don’t then you can hardly come along later and complain about

NZW activities in the future!

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

SECTOR LEADER PROFILES

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Over it… supply and demand in NZ wine Joelle Thomson

They say the quickest way to get over one problem is to get un-derneath another but when it

comes to New Zealand wine, this isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Supply and demand need to be carefully balanced and right now they are out of whack with each other.

The looming 2011 vintage, which looks to be larger than ever before – at the time of writing, predictions were for 310,000 tonnes nationwide - needs to be carefully managed by all grow-ers and winemakers. And a renewed emphasis on marketing needs to take place, suggests Kate Radburnd, win-emaker and managing director of C J Pask Winery and recipient of the Sir George Fistonich Medal 2010 in Recognition of Services to New Zealand Wine.

“Our supply imbalance is the single biggest issue we face as an industry at present and we need to build on the work which has occurred over the past two years to see things rec-tify themselves,” says Radburnd.

“We have yet to see the full pro-duction impact from plantings that were made in the last few years, so the issue of over-supply has not diminished,” she adds.

For many in the industry, this is not exactly news, but how to deal with the issue of over supply and under-demand in some sectors of the wine industry right now most defi-nitely is.

“If we are responsible as an indus-try, collectively, we can address this imbalance swiftly, which will take commitment and mutual trust be-tween growers and wineries. But we should not expect a quick fix. We have experienced exponential, unplanned growth, creating this imbalance and we now need to match production with market demand. This needs to be a multi-pronged attack,” Radburnd says.

She suggests a three-pronged ap-

proach to deal with the issue. Firstly, balancing grape intake with market requirements. To get this right, it re-quires a clear understanding between wineries and growers in relation to the specific yield requirements that they accept from vineyards. Secondly, there needs to be access to new markets for New Zealand wine internation-ally. And thirdly, Radburnd says, there

needs to be more global awareness of New Zealand wine.

“There’s wide global acceptance of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and for us to grow as an in-dustry we have to broaden and devel-op in other directions – with other va-rieties and with other regions. I think that’s how we’re going to become more sophisticated as a total industry.”

When trade and media visit Hawke’s Bay, for instance, winer-ies there do regional presentations to them, showing their visitors sub-re-gions and which grapes grow best in each place. Similar presentations take place in other large New Zealand wine regions, but Radburnd suggests that

all winemakers nationwide need to band together within their regions and collaborate on their marketing.

“It’s what our industry needs to do – we have great regional stories. I know for me personally, I’ve been travelling off-shore for 20 years talk-ing about Hawke’s Bay and that’s what we’ve done since the start and you could argue that it’s only begin-ning to get a bit of traction now. It takes time and it’s not without trying that it’s taken so long. We’ve got huge reliance on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and it’s prudent to develop these and other varietal stories from all over New Zealand.”

Which leads into the regionality approach which Radburnd is keen on.

“The major thrust for New Zea-land wineries overseas should be more regionality, says Radburnd.

“Varietal stories, flavours and specific wines will naturally come

out of that. If we use regionality and the strength of the region then the

varieties fall into that conversation naturally.”

One example is Chardonnay. “It’s growing beautifully in just about every winegrowing area in New Zealand but we don’t tend to focus on it strongly, so this is a grape and a focus that’s just wait-

ing to happen.”

Vintage 2011 It is imperative to ensure wineries

only harvest the grapes they know they can sell and make profit on, says Radburnd.

“We must have a profitable mar-ket because it’s looking like we’re go-ing to have a vintage well in excess of 310,000, according to the latest sta-tistics. You bring in what you know you’ve got a profitable market for and while it’s very difficult to leave grapes on the vines, it is essential that we do if we can’t sell them.”

In terms of C J Pask Winery, things are slightly different, explains Rad-

Kate Radburnd

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 107

burnd, because the winery grows all of its own grapes.“But the larger companies have been putting in place

yield caps with their growers and I think the balance of fruit will be left.

The biggest challenge is creating new markets because I don’t believe for one minute that we’ve exhausted the market for New Zealand wine globally but we must find those markets because we assume they will just appear for a sudden over supply of wine. We can’t let it happen that way. It must be planned.”

Creating new markets “From a Hawke’s Bay point of view, we see Asia and

in particular China as really strong new markets because they have got a real alliance with Bordeaux reds. Having said that, I think China is an opportunity for New Zea-land, not just for Hawke’s Bay, due to the sheer quantity of wine they can import.”

That said, there are challenges in China, as in other new export markets. “In China they do like the big heavy bottles and they like cork and they like a very traditional approach. It’s an attitude we could have expected. They are heavily influenced by France and it’s a matter of ed-ucation on our part to communicate what we’re doing, which is about sustainability and lighter bottles; about quality rather than tradition for the sake of it.”

Growing painsThe biggest growing pain that Radburnd sees in New

Zealand today is the challenge of harvesting only those grapes which can be turned into immediate profit.

“This will have the most immediate and positive im-pact on the imbalance the industry is currently experi-encing in this country. This is the maturing and bedding down of the industry and members with a long-term view and commitment understand this. So the most de-sirable situation is to produce quality wine in the appro-priate volumes,” Radburnd says.

“Undoubtedly, we saw the most bizarre situation we saw was in 2008 with our highest ever dollar per tonne, coupled with over cropping and poor resultant quality. It was a recipe for trouble. The wines from the 2009 and 2010 vintages, where we have seen a concerted effort to re-balance yields show greater concentration and quality. The only way to manage the imbalance is for growers and wineries to have strong partnerships. They need to work together to have a clear understanding of what volume is required and pricing that works for all.”

Bulk Sauvignon Blanc has been the most damaging to the New Zealand wine industry globally, says Radburnd, after returning from a trip to the United Kingdom in late 2010. Fortunately, she says, most of the bulk Sauvignon Blanc selling there was in the form of “made-up” brands.

“You can argue that it has made New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc more accessible to some consumers. We need our market leaders to maintain price points. A real differentiation exists between grocery brands and independent retail and the on-trade. Our larger wineries have the volume ability to supply grocery and we need this to gain market access, maintain a constant market presence and increasing the awareness of New Zealand wine. The small and medium wineries provide depth and flavour to the New Zealand offering and work with the

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Time to speak upAt the beginning of May, New Zealand Winegrowers will conduct the first ever comprehensive member satisfaction survey. This is an opportunity for each and every member of the Wine Insti-tute of New Zealand and the New Zea-land Grape Growers Council to voice an opinion on a wide range of topics and issues that confront our industry.

Marketing, research, sustainability, advocacy, regulatory, leadership, com-munication, industry challenges, and related topics will be covered. There are no sacred cows and all results will be shared with the entire membership in June.

This is not only an opportunity for each of us to speak out but also to make constructive suggestions that will be heard by our leadership. Do you have a strong opinion about which initiatives New Zealand Winegrowers should focus attention on in the future? This is your chance to weigh in. Do you believe too much money is invested in one area and not in another? This is the time to voice your concern. Are you frustrated by the level of support for your region or category? This is the moment to express your viewpoint.

This is not an administrative exer-cise. This is a genuine effort to improve the alignment between New Zealand Winegrowers’ priorities and member needs.

During the month April, survey questions will be created with the help of members, regional groups and New Zealand Winegrowers staff. Buzz Channel, an independent outside firm,

has been retained to manage the de-velopment of a robust questionnaire, collect the data using state-of-the-art online technology, and report the re-sults to members and the Board.

The survey will be administered between Friday 29 April and Sunday 15 May. It will take about ten minutes to complete online. All individual re-sponses are confidential. Since some members may wish to solicit input from other people in their business, New Zealand Winegrowers is allocat-ing a two week window to complete the questionnaire. The results will be reported to the Board and the mem-bership in June.

This is the time for all our members to speak up.

Be sure to complete the survey when it is released on 29 April.

Mike Spratt(Mike Spratt is a founder of Destiny Bay Vineyards and is currently a direc-tor on the Board of New Zealand Winegrowers.)

Note from Editor: It is hoped that there will be a question or two relating to members’ opinions of New Zealand WineGrower and any additional topics that we should offer.

independent wine merchants. This area of the market has maintained price points and positioning.”

Challenges of sustainabilityThe biggest challenge to New Zealand wine’s sustainability is managing

how the message of sustainable grape growing and winemaking are com-municated, Radburnd says.

“Sustainability has to be the core of everything we do and the over-arch-ing principle of everything we do. It’s inherent in that and I think we’ve got to get better at sharing that message.

“We aim to have the entire industry operating under sustainability by 2012 and the numbers are strong. We’ve seen very good uptake in the last two years.

“Every time we do a New Zealand promotion, domestically or off-shore, we need to make sure sustainability is a core part of that promotion, but it needs to be in the delivery of the wines; it’s not about operating workshops on sustainability. I think it has to be communicated in everything we do as an overall message.”

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10

Tips on how to succeed in UK wine marketJo Burzynska

Following New Zealand’s first major event as a Great Wine Capital late last year, New Zealand WineGrower takes a look at what some of the speakers had to say at Wine Discovery New Zealand’s International Wine Research and Business Symposium. In this issue we focus on UK, and in the next issue, USA and branding.

Reporting from what she described as “the centre of the wine world”, Mimi Avery, wine buyer for Averys Wine Merchants explored “the UK Retail

Landscape and Strategies for Building Premium Brands”. As a veteran wine merchant and long-time importer of

New Zealand wines, Avery was in a good position to give an overview of the UK and New Zealand wine’s position within this important market. Unearthing an old Avery’s list that featured the likes of Cook’s Te Kauwhata Gewürz-traminer and McWilliams Cresta Doré, Avery noted just how far New Zealand had come in the last 30 years.

Avery provided a snapshot of the “cosmopolitan’ Brit-ish market, in which “supposed recessions excepting” consumers were generally trading up. “It is not a market to turn your back on,” Avery maintained, “but it does re-quire long term investment.”

Over the last couple of decades the UK has witnessed largely steady growth in wine sales, as well as a switch from being a nation of largely Old World wine drinkers to the current position where New World wines account for around 60% of the market.

“Supermarkets are not the only route to market for wine suppliers,” stated Avery. “They are responsible for only half of the UK’s imports, whereas the areas that I be-lieve need focusing on are the mail order and on-trade, which with a total of 30 million cases, account for a fifth of the UK wine market.”

Comparing this with the US, Avery highlighted that al-though this was a far larger country, it imported just 200 Mimi Avery

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

million cases, with those exporting to it having to contend its highly com-plex and fragmented three-tier route to market. Unlike their American cous-ins, UK consumers also drink wine more regularly, 60% partaking of two bottles a month or more.

Examining the retail options avail-able in the UK, Avery noted that al-though supermarkets were not gen-erally wine oriented to wine sales Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons are obviously incredibly important, but flagged up their use of wines as loss leaders to increase foot fall.

She described how these chains were increasing and upgrading their wine lists towards premium wines, giving the example of the “Tesco’s Fin-est” range and Sainsbury’s “Taste the Difference”. However, “premium pur-chasing consumers” generally look to Waitrose, the number one wine retail-ing supermarket, and to a lesser extent Marks & Spencer for finer wines if they don’t use specialist wine shop chains and mail order retailers.

High street chains are another route, with Majestic and Oddbins boasting numerous outlets in every town and good staff training, she said. Then the likes of Averys, Laithwaites and The Wine Society cover the nation with

daily mail order delivery services.

Market dynamicsRecent statistics show that New

Zealand had the largest percentage country share volume growth at 33%. “I don’t think that this is wholly due to chasing volume,” stated Avery. “You have come from less than 1% of UK im-ports 5 years ago to nearly 4% now at a fairly steady rate.”

With 27% growth in country value share and the prediction that New Zealand will overtake Spain in this cat-egory in the next two years, according to New Zealand Winegrowers Director for Europe, David Cox, “the future is looking bright”, Avery maintained.

“You have to retain prices though,” she warned, on the backdrop of aver-age retail wine bottle prices having in-creased for most countries due to the increase in VAT in January and duty in April. “However, a little alarmingly, New Zealand is the only one to drop. But you are still a whole pound - that is 20% - ahead of France, and nearly £2 ahead of the UK average.”

“If it had been such a discount fest the slide showing average price would have shown a much steeper drop,” she said, observing that in Waitrose, Oys-ter Bay unusually sells more volume

off-promotion than when on-promo-tion annually.

Another reason why the UK is still the place to be, was the fact that all its £5-£10 price brackets were growing, with £6 to £7 by 28% and £9 to £10 by 19%. However, she cautioned, “Ignore the £4 to £5 price bracket as you really want to be a big fish in a small pond and not an insignificant krill in an ocean.”

In terms of varieties sold through re-tail, Chardonnay is still in the lead. “Do not ignore this varietal, even though it lost 6% of market share,” stated Av-ery. Sauvignon Blanc comes in second, with an “amazing” 31% increase; Pinot Gris is third, with 9% growth; followed by Merlot then Syrah, both of which are seeing their share increase steadily.

Retail strategyFor those wanting to enter the UK

market, Avery devoted the second part her presentation to strategies for retailing a premium product there. In her opinion, this starts with keeping in touch with the marketplace and con-sumption trends, making use of the Euromonitor and Nielsen data that’s available to wineries through New Zealand Winegrowers’ London office.

She then drew on her experience at

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Averys to investigate some pricing models. Using a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc “with a good story” as one ex-ample, she showed how at £6.99 to £7.99, it would sell a couple of containers; at £9.99, this would be half to one container; at £14.99 1 to 3 pallets; and at £19.99, 10 to 20 cases.

Other varietals have different curves, while special deals can yield impressive results, such as the £14.99 Otago Pinot Noir Averys recently reduced to £9.99, which sold over 5,000 bottles in one day. “The question is… are you looking for volume targets or positioning targets?” she asked.

Focusing on New Zealand’s products themselves, beyond Sauvignon Blanc, Avery identified rosé as a style she that had yet to be exploited, although she ac-knowledged that for larger volumes, the category was very price sensitive. Other areas with potential were aromatics, such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and sweet wines now the ban had been lifted. Sparkling wines between £12-15 were also “needed” by the UK market, but beware if higher duty rates, she warned.

You need packaging and labelling to suit and critter labels are not the right route here. “Put a New World twist on Old World classic products to give familiarity but with a dash of brilliance,” she said.

When speaking of the places New Zealand’s wine should be, restaurants were on her menu. Products that may suit these include oaked Sauvignons,” not in a Char-donnay style, but in a Graves or Pessac Leognan way, that are food friendly and balanced,” she suggested.

Get the price right for your wine to start with before you think about special offers, advised Avery. “As a re-tailer, it is always handy if the producer knows what price point they are aiming at first.

“To control price you need to be dealing in the buyer’s currency, otherwise currency fluctuations will mean that your price points change with out you knowing and the volumes dip unexpectedly,” Avery said. “Get your ac-countant to buy forward if you have the money and are worried.”

Promotion is another important strategy to plan, not discounting, but promoting your proposition. Use the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand logo, Avery urged, which could be “your single biggest marketing tool of the moment…Sustainable and going carbon neu-tral are the buzz words of the moment and they are not a fad,” she said.

On your wine’s back label, put your website, but “don’t just give a tasting note,” she said. “Levels of oak or sweetness are more helpful – and give the story, a sense of place, maybe a food match. Do not blind with science and make it personal, not generic or marketing speak.”

Offering a trip to the winery for buyers, sommeliers, journalists and consumers is a great form of promotion she thinks, or if this is not an option, it’s important to visit the UK for trade and consumer tastings, in store events and winemaker’s dinners “to educate everyone, from consumer to sommelier, buyer to journalist”, she maintained.

Or use the internet, where a winery’s site needs to tell its story, said Avery, from its history to “the name of your dog… a picture of your nipper eating grapes off the vine”, and ignore social networking at your peril.

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2011 PROGRESS REPORT

14

As this issue of WineGrower went to press, the 2011 New Zealand grape harvest was

underway with grape growers and wineries buoyed by recent develop-ments.

“A warm summer and favourable weather in the last few weeks has en-sured many regions are experiencing a slightly earlier vintage. We have high expectations for the 2011 harvest qual-ity, provided we continue to experi-ence a typical New Zealand autumn of warm dry days and cool, clear nights,” said Philip Gregan New Zealand Winegrowers’ chief executive officer.

Industry optimism has also been boosted by the stronger than expected sales performance in the current year. “Bottled wine exports are continuing to grow at 10% annually and our per-formance in key markets is encourag-ing. As a result, we now estimate to-tal sales for June year end (JYE) 2011 will be 220m litres compared to earlier forecasts of 205m litres.

“This new forecast suggests JYE 2011 sales will exceed production from the 2010 vintage by 30m litres, mean-ing lower stock levels for many winer-ies going into the current harvest. This stock reduction is an important step in rebalancing the sector.”

With stocks lower and total JYE 2011 sales now forecast to be the equivalent of a vintage of 310,000 tonnes, NZW is unsurprised its pre-vintage survey of medium and large wineries is forecast-

ing a larger harvest in 2011. “The pre-vintage survey indicates

we are likely to have a vintage of around 310,000 tonnes, or a similar size to expected JYE 2011 sales. The survey indicates wineries are responding to the stronger sales and lower stocks by lifting grape intake accordingly.”

However, Mr Gregan accepts that challenges still remain. “Profitability for both growers and wineries is an on-going concern for all participants in the sector. Lower prices and retailer-owned brands have been part of the export growth in the past year. We all need to remain focused on recovery of winery and grower profitability as a pre-requisite to sustainable growth.”

Regional rundownWe asked our major regional corre-

spondents for progress reports on Vin-tage 2011 in each of their areas. (Our two Canterbury correspondents have been understandably distracted, and will provide a final report in our vin-tage wrap-up in next issue):

GISBORNEDebbie Gregory

It has been a challenging sea-son in more ways that one for the Gisborne Wine

industry but those involved can see glimmers of light at the end of the tun-nel.

Gisborne grower consortium Gro-Co general manager Warwick Bruce said the vintage to date has seen mixed results with a percentage of vineyard blocks (Chardonnay sparkling) har-vested earlier than last year and other blocks/varieties (eg Pinot Gris) har-vested seven days later than in 2010. “The Pinot Gris fruit quality to date has been very good and is some of the best that I have seen,” said Mr Bruce.

Rain events of February and early March did cause some concerns, but again the effects on grape condition varied from region to region within the Gisborne Plains and even from block to block.

“By far the biggest frustration to growers and wineries has been the cloudy cool days and lack of sunshine that has resulted in the slow ripening of the grapes. The country is in a La Nina weather phase and as such we expect wetter conditions associated with this, however whilst we have had some rain events over the last four weeks , these could have been greater had it not been for the ‘highs’ that have pushed the rain-bearing fronts out to the east,” he said.

The month of March is the main grape harvest month for the Gisborne region and while a reasonable volume of fruit was harvested before the first two weeks, this was mainly for spar-kling base wine.

The harvest of fruit for table wine started mid-March and would contin-

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ue through until the end of the month for white varie-ties and mid-April for the reds.

GroCo has harvested the majority of its Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc grapes and three blocks of Chardonnay; there is still a large percentage of share-holder fruit to harvest and in excess of 2200 tonnes was expected in total from the 2011 vintage

Mr Bruce said the weath-er pattern over the three weeks from mid March would have a major influ-ence on the end results.

Gisborne Winegrow-ers president John Clarke said some varieties have been under pressure from humid conditions in late February and early March but overall quality is good in vineyards round the dis-trict. Around 20,000 tonnes are expected to be harvest-ed in 2011 compared with around 18,500 tonnes last year.

From a Gisborne perspective the ar-rival of Indevin and Lion Nathan has breathed new life into the Lindauer brand that is a Gisborne icon. “It des-perately needed a shot in the arm to get it back to its rightful place in the market both locally and nationally and the leverage off that brand can only be good for Gisborne down the track.”

Internationally sales are on the up and this year’s likely national harvest will be close to the total wine sales. “This is good in one sense but is being achieved at the expense of profitability for both wineries and growers and this is the big challenge going forward.

“The fall in the OCR is fine but the

high dollar and the rising costs of in-puts is a large financial challenge for growers and wineries. We are not out of the woods but we can see glimmers of light. This is long term industry and the majority are in it for the long haul and will ride out the highs and lows,” says Mr Clarke.

HAWKES BAYMary Shanahan

H a w k e ’ s Bay’s winegrow-ers launched into harvest season

well pleased with the clean quality fruit on their vines.

Each year, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers canvases wineries and growers’ views on the upcoming vin-tage. The overall response this season -- which, for most, started early – was very positive, says execu-tive officer Lyn Bevin.

More than 75 percent of respondents were happy and none expressed major concerns.

Frosts weren’t an issue, the fruit set was good, par-ticularly for Merlot, and an early warm dry summer helped ripen fruit.

More frequent rain and humidity promoted plant vigour and growth, though few reported problems with disease.

Hugh Crichton, Vidal’s winemaker, said the win-ery’s Chardonnay and, in particular, Syrah crops were “looking fantastic and in fact, couldn’t look any better”.

Esk Valley winemaker Gordon Russell said it was a vintage with great potential and moderate to light yields would benefit quality. Like Hugh, he was mindful about what the weather might do – “until the harvest is in, that’s all you can say”.

Predictions were for a crop size sim-ilar to last year’s, although some were tipping a bigger tonnage. Chardonnay volumes were expected to be down.

More sunshine hours and higher temperatures bode well for red wines.

“Not surprisingly, Hawke’s Bay’s stand-out varieties are predicted to be our red wines – Merlot, Cabernet Sau-vignon and Syrah,” Lyn said. Char-donnay was also a top pick for 2011.

Although some growers had pulled

Some of the first hand-picked fruit in Gisborne for 2011 was picked at Kirkpatrick Estate’s vineyards. Picker Janez Turk enjoys his work picking the first of a new block of Gewurtztraminer in the sun.

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vines or weren’t harvesting their vineyards, there were also some new crops coming on, mainly lesser known varieties such as Tannat, Marsanne and Tempranillo.

Most firms had a place for their harvested fruit, ei-ther processing it in their own winery or growing on contract. A few wineries were purchasing fruit – par-ticularly Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot as well as some Sauvignon Blanc – to supplement their anticipated crops.

MARLBOROUGHTessa Nicholson

Predictions made last June that Marlborough’s grape yields would be above av-erage this year, have been confirmed by recent wine

company yield estimates. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into a larger than average vintage in the region, as growers and wineries have been working hard to re-duce crops.

Warm conditions in December 2010 led to higher in-florescence initiation and bunch numbers this season. That was followed by near perfect conditions during flowering and fruitset.

Dr Mike Trought, research scientist at Plant and Food says those warm flowering conditions have led to what appear to be increased bunch weights. “What was un-usual about this year was that despite the rain experi-enced during December, temperatures were above av-erage. Normally if we experience rain, the temperature drops, but this year we seem to have had a very warm period over flowering, despite the rain. We know that water stress at and shortly after flowering reduces berry size. There was no water stress on the vines this year so berry weights are likely to be above average.”

With bunch numbers up, growers are facing more bunches, more berries and larger berries. However many companies and growers recognised this early in the season and have been working overtime to thin crops out. A lot of shoot thinning was undertaken in January. That has been followed by bunch thinning with

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some growers still dropping fruit well after veraison.

One vineyard manager based in the Awatere Valley told me he had 45 bunches per vine and was dropping those back to 25 to ensure he didn’t over-crop. “While we normally work towards 45 bunches per vine for Sau-vignon Blanc, this year with such big bunches and big berries, we are drop-ping a hell of a lot of fruit.”

His is no one-off story, as wine com-panies urge growers to keep to the yield caps, which in Sauvignon Blanc’s case, tends to be around 10 tonnes per hectare.

It’s a similar story with Pinot Noir, with berries larger than average and very little hen and chicken apparent. Again growers are dropping fruit to improve quality.

And given the warm flowering con-ditions this season, it looks as though it could be a larger than average yield next year as well.

“So decisions need to be made,” Dr Trought said. “It would be an ad-vantage if companies provide growers with their yield target in May, before they start pruning. This would enable growers to manage to target yields early by reducing buds retained af-ter pruning. It’s easier and cheaper to

drop fruit by taking shoots out, than it is to drop fruit prior to harvest.”

NELSONNeil Hodgson

Early in-dications are that 2011 has the potential

to be an outstanding vintage in the Nelson region with most vineyards re-porting balanced crop levels across all varieties. The hot and reasonably dry summer has resulted in superb fruit quality while intermittent rain in late February and early March has caused a few minor problems but nothing viti-culturists are not used to dealing with at this time of the year.

Tim Finn from Neudorf Vineyards says they have good fruit with nice fla-vours. “Good weather into flowering, good fruit set then early season rain has provided perfect seasonal growing conditions resulting in larger bunches but an overall balanced crop.”

Hermann Seifried from Seifried Es-tates says the vintage this year is about two weeks earlier than normal, a situa-tion reflected in most vineyards in Nel-son. Hermann is cautiously optimistic about the quality of fruit coming into

the winery in the early days of har-vest, particularly the intense and ripe varietal characters evident in the key varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir while Riesling and Pinot Gris still to be harvested are looking and tasting very good.

Good fruit-set in the fickle Gewurz-traminer variety along with the excel-lent ripening season bodes well for a region that has a strong focus on aro-matic style wines. For Seifried Estate their Gewurztraminer has had proba-bly the best ever fruit set and has come into the winery in pristine condition.

Tim Finn says indications a month ago were for harvest to start anything up to four weeks early but cooler nights in early March has been of sig-nificant benefit to the crop allowing longer hang-time for flavour develop-ment without the fruit becoming over-ripe.

Potential issues in a few vineyards have been minimised by plenty of leaf plucking to open up the canopies and while the long range forecast is for some rain most wineries are not too concerned about it (at the time of writing) but as Hermann Seifried says “this can change very quickly” so as usual March and April are nervous times in the wineries.

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 120

CENTRAL OTAGOMax Marriott

A mild winter, soils with high moisture and an u n s e a s o n a b l y

hot, dry spring were catalysts for the rampant start to the growing season experienced in Central Otago. Flow-ering had finished in some vineyards before summer even began; the infa-mous nor-wester that funnels through this mountain and valley landscape conspicuously attenuated for this time of year. Fruit set was correspondingly excellent across all sub-regions, pro-moting high berry numbers and the likelihood of tight bunches.

These idyllic conditions continued through until mid-December, and just when growers were breathing a sigh of relief, having finally caught up, two months of rain deluged over the week of Christmas. Coupled with milder temperatures and higher humidity, disease pressure was set to escalate, necessitating vigilance and active can-opy management.

The remainder of summer saw warmer weather, tempered by inter-mittent periods of rain at just the right times to antagonize viticulturists and

excite fungal populations. The first signs of veraison came at the end of January, with most of the region well coloured come the first week of Febru-ary.

Harvest of Quartz Reef sparkling base began on 21 February, believed to be the earliest start yet to a vintage in Central Otago.

What does all this mean for the fruit and the wines of 2011? Scrutiny in the vineyard and/or the winery when it comes to botrytis and powdery, to ensure clean fruit.

Sites on heavier soils have seen bunch weights increase substantially, resulting in many blocks with shoots single-bunched to mitigate undesirable cropping rates.

There will undoubtedly be some variability across the re-gion, some battling the higher tonnages, likelihood of high sug-ars and botrytis issues that come with denser canopies.

Though it may seem like a dream season to some, it has been very challenging requiring significant viticultural input.

However, the rewards are there, with fruit of high concentration, full ripeness and complementary acids to culminate in a hallmark vintage for Central Otago.

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Max Marriott, our new correspondent from Central Otago, is a viticulturist for Vinewise Viticulture, having worked in the region previously for Auburn Wines, Dusty Boots Vineyards and Felton Road. He is also logistics co-ordinator for the Central Otago Pinot Celebration.

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

NEW ZEALAND WINE HALL OF FAME

21

Sir George Fistonich, the New Zealand wine sector’s first and only knight, now celebrating his 50 years in winemaking, has become the latest inductee to

the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame, housed in the Lo-gan Camopbell Centre of the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auck-land. He weas inducted by Mr Michael Brett, chairman of the Hall of Fame Trust during the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards Dinner on 19 March.

The official citation, read by Mr Brett, was:

“The George Fistonich wine story began 50 years ago when he leased from his father five acres at Mangere. One acre of it was in grapes and it was from this plot that the Villa Maria label was born. Those were the days when red wine was made from Seibel 5455 and white wine from Baco 22a, hybrid varieties which dominated the infant industry’s first attempts to make ta-ble wine. As well, Fistonich experimented with the Italian vinifera variety Melesconera Nera in the belief it tasted a little like Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wine knight is 2011 inductee

Sir George Fistonich, KNZM

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“Villa Maria was a one-man operation, plus wife Gail, for several years until a new winery was built with Ross Spence as winemaker. Even in those early days the Fistonich entrepreneur-ial skills were evident. He somehow managed to get the airport buses to stop at Villa Maria on their way to town.

“By today’s standards, the wine was questionable but New Zealanders were beginning to become wine conscious and Villa Maria was an early leader in push-ing the local product to a public which believed Ger-man Liebfraumilch to be the height of sophistication.

“The 70s saw Villa Maria expand further with the purchase in 1976 of Vidals as Fistonich early realised the need for quality vine-yard land. Three years later he was to turn the old Vidal winery into New Zealand’s first vineyard bar and res-taurant. It still thrives today.

“The 80s saw Villa Maria, A young George Fistonich in the early days of Villa Maria Wines, in Kirkbride Road, Mangere.

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 123

Objectives and criteriaThe principal objective of the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame is to recognise and commemorate individual persons who have made major contributions to the development and en-hancement of the national domestic- and export-based wine industry in New Zealand.

Inductees to the Hall of Fame generally but not exclusively have been directly involved with grape cultivation and/or wine making on a national scale. Basic to these criteria is a require-ment that the contributions have been on a national rather than a local or regional scale.

“The New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame” has been regis-tered as a trademark by the Auckland Agricultural, Pastoral & Industrial Shows Board, which is the settlor of a charitable trust named “The New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame Trust”. The terms of the trust deed, in general, give effect to the broad objectives set out above. The trust is administered by a board of trustees comprising:Michael Brett Esq, chairman. Colin McGowan, chairman, Auckland A. P. & I Shows Board. Robb Kemp, chairman, Wine Committee of Auckland A & P. Association. Mark Frankham, chief executive officer, ASB Showgrounds. Bob Campbell MW Terry Dunleavy MBE, JP

flourish, then flounder, then flourish again. It was caught up in the Brierley-instigated wine wars which preceded the national vine pull and was put into receivership. Public support enabled it to come out of receivership af-ter six months. And from then it grew.

“Fistonich’s ability to be innovative and to attract outstanding staff was allied with determination to give his winemakers quality material from quality vineyard sites. He was among the first to have grapes grown under contract; one of the first to pay for grapes on a quality rather than quantity basis; the first to produce reserve wines. This range has consistently been among the country’s best.

“The purchase of Esk Valley in 1987 was followed by increasing involvement in Marlborough including the promotion of Seddon Vineyards, the first public vine-yard share offering in New Zealand.

“It was typical of his confidence in making bold deci-sions that he was to make his winery a cork-free zone in 2004, sealing all wines with a screwcap; and to open state-of-the-art winery facilities in Marlborough and Auckland with their spectacular vineyard parks.

“His work in promoting New Zealand wines to the world has earned him numerous awards including the DCNZM in 2005, which became a knighthood in 2009,” the citation concluded.

“Since the 1980s,Villa Maria has been New Zealand’s most award-winning winery. Success has come because its total commitment to quality has attracted the best people to work for it throughout the years,” says Sir George.

“ Being a family-owned business, we are a very tight-knit team. Our winemakers have the opportunity to ex-press their flair. We are not restrained by any limitations unlike a lot of larger wineries around the world.”

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ROYAL EASTER SHOW WINE AWARDS 2011

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For the first time in this coun-try, a New Zealand national wine competition has offered

a guide to wine lovers about how their cellared wines age. The Royal Easter Show Wine Awards this year introduced a new category called “Heritage”, Each set comprises a cur-rent vintage wine with earlier vintages three or four years older.

Traditionally, the Royal Easter Show Awards aim has been to help consumers rate the wines they can buy currently, but now there is an additional category aimed at informing wine lovers who have older wines in their cellars, or assisting those who plan to buy wines for future con-sumption.

It was particularly appropriate to introduce this new category this year,

as 2011 marks the 100th year that the Auckland Agricultural & Pastoral Association has conducted a show on the Greenlane Showgrounds property

gifted to the people of Auckland as part of his legacy by Sir John Logan Campbell, whose imposing memorial obelisk atop the currently treeless One Tree Hill overlooks the Cornwall Park complex.

Terry Dunleavy

Heritage Rose BowlWhat henceforth will be styled the Heritage Rose Bowl was first presented by the association in 1977, as a

perpetual trophy for the Champion Wine of the New Zealand Easter Show. It continued to be presented annually until 1988, after which year commercial sponsorship of the Champion Wine was introduced. Inscribed on the bowl are some historic winery names no longer gracing the scene, such as Nobilo, Cooks, McWilliams, as well as some that are still very much active: Mazuran, Villa Maria, Montana and Morton Estate.

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Six sets of wines were judged as being worthy of high commendation by three of Australasia’s foremost wine judges, Bob Campbell MW, former Royal Easter chairman, his successor in that role, Kate Radburnd, who last year became the first woman to head a national wine judging panel, and Mike DeGaris who has chaired many panels at Australian wine competitions.

Wine sets highly commended in this year’s inaugural Heritage Category were:

Stoneleigh Riesling 2010, 2007 and 2004. Johanneshof Cellars Marlborough Gewurztraminer,

2010,2007 and 2004.Esk Valley Estate Reserve Chardonnay, 2009, 2006,

and 2002.Akarua Pinot Noir, 2009, 2006 and 2002Villa Maria Estate Reserve Cabernet Merlot 2009, 2005

and 2001.Hunters Marlborough Riesling, 2010, 2007 and 2004

(overall winner).Comments on the new Category by panel chair Bob

Campbell MW are in the article immediately following.Ms Radburnd, current chair of Royal Easter Awards

judges, said: “I am delighted to see the introduction of the Heritage Category. It provides a platform to reward both ageing ability and consistency in winemaking excellence. It is further evidence of the commitment of our wine producers to invest greater depth in the quality and long-term heritage of our wines.”

Mr DeGaris said that the Royal Adelaide Wine Show is the only competition in Australia to have introduced such a category just for reds, and in its first two years has become hugely popular with both wine producers and consumers. This makes the Royal Easter the first in Australasia to cover both reds and whites in this way.

“New Zealand Rieslings have always had lengthy cellaring potential and it is very pleasing that this new award recognises wines made in a style that consumers can cellar confidently” said Gary Duke, chief winemaker at Hunter’s Wines. “We have been making Riesling since the winery’s inception in 1982 and this award is a seal of approval and shows confidence in New Zealand wine’s ageing potential.”

25

Winner of the inaugural Heritage Rose Bowl was Hunter’s Wine NZ Ltd for Rieslings 2004, 2007 and 2010.

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26

The Royal Easter Wine Awards has introduced a new category called “Heritage” that assesses

an extra dimension of quality – how well a wine ages.

The Heritage concept was first tested two years ago when it was adopted by the Royal Adelaide Wine Show for red wines only. Royal Easter Wine Show judge, Mike DeGaris, rec-ommended that this enormously suc-cessful concept be introduced to New Zealand to review the age-worthiness of both white and red wines.

Entrants were invited to submit three wines. White wines must include a current vintage, one three years older and a third at least six years older than the current vintage. Red wines needed to include a current vintage, one four years older and a third at least eight

years old. It’s a team effort rather than a solo performance. The Heritage Rose Bowl goes to the trio of wines that the judges rate highest as a group.

The Heritage class marks a signifi-

cant winemaking development in this country. The growth in wine quality and style development over the last 20-30 years has been nothing short of spectacular. Rapid growth, however, has discouraged wine lovers from cel-laring all but the most long-term wine styles. Why age a wine for eight or ten years when the fully mature wine risks being made obsolete by the new wines of the day? Random oxidation and cork taint were two other barriers to buying wine now to drink later.

Candidates for cellaringThe rate of growth continues, al-

beit at a slower pace, but New Zea-land wine styles are to a large extent established. Our wines can now claim to have a recognisable “New Zealand character”. They are increasingly be-

Innovative development in wine show judgingBob Campbell MW

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 127

Top trio who judged the inaugural Heritage Category (from left): Bob Campbell MW, Kate Radburnd, Mike DeGaris.

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coming candidates for cellaring.New Zealand wine has an often

undeserved reputation for being deli-cious when first released but not be-ing worthy of bottle age. The fact that many of our wines are so accessible when released encourages some crit-ics to believe that they are not worth ageing. At the Pinot 2010 conference in a tasting of 2003 wines failed to convince many overseas critics that New Zealand Pinot Noir is a serious contender for cellaring. I believe that the early consumption of our wines has discouraged many winemakers from making them more age-worthy because in doing so they might com-promise the wine’s early accessibility. In the case of Pinot Noir a higher per-centage of whole bunches in the fer-mentation could increase complexity and longevity but there is a risk that the wines will be less approachable when they are young. Why take that risk when the wines have a ready mar-ket as they are?

The ability of most red wines and many white wines to develop posi-tive attributes with bottle age is an im-portant quality factor. Put simply, if a wine is capable of gaining quality with bottle age it will (all other things being

equal) command a higher price. That partly explains why we are prepared to pay more for Cabernet Sauvignon than Sauvignon Blanc. If we can dem-onstrate to the satisfaction of the inter-national wine world that our wines, or at least many of them, cellar well we will gain extra gravitas and value as a wine producing country.

The introduction of the Heritage class provides an arena where cellar-ing potential will be discussed, as-sessed and rewarded. I’m hopeful that it will encourage winemakers and wine consumers to consider this im-portant aspect of wine quality.

Judging challengesI was delighted to be invited to

chair the Heritage judging at the 2011 Royal Easter Wine Awards. I retired after 21 years as chairman a couple of years ago so it was good to back with the old firm and great to judge with ac-complished professional judges, Kate Radburnd and Mike DeGaris.

We were intrigued and excited by the prospect of judging the new class. Conventional wine show judg-ing involves reviewing a class of one wine type. Judges normally discuss the qualities they expect to find in the

class before tasting the blind line-up of wines and comparing their scores. If there is a divergence of scores for a particular wine that wine may be re-tasted and re-scored to arrive at a final score and medal rating.

The Heritage class presented addi-tional challenges. For example the 42 glasses of white wine in front of us in-cluded three vintages each of two Ries-lings, a Pinot Gris, three examples of Sauvignon Blanc, a Gewürztraminer and seven Chardonnays. They were to be followed by 12 red wines including three examples of Pinot Noir, a Syrah, a Merlot and seven blended reds. We did not have to award medals to in-dividual wines but simply needed to choose one trio of wines that was bet-ter than all the rest.

After discussion we decided to judge all the white wines on their indi-vidual merits to find a short list of su-perior sets. That short list would then be re-judged to choose a top white set. We’d repeat the exercise for the red wines to arrive at a top set of red wines and then have a taste-off between the two top sets to pick an ultimate win-ner.

The overall standard of the white wines was very high. A set of Pinot

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Gris was rejected for oxidation but apart from that only one Sauvignon Blanc and one Chardonnay, both from the 2002 vintage and both sealed with cork appeared to be oxidised.

Whites versus redsWe found it relatively easy to come up with a short

list of superior white wine sets. It was more difficult choosing a top wine from that short list. After some dis-cussion we chose Hunter’s Riesling (vintages 2010, 2007 and 2004) as our top white wine but asked if the other three wines; Stoneleigh Riesling (2010, 2007 and 2004), Johanneshof Gewürztraminer (2010, 2007, 2004) and Esk Reserve Chardonnay (2009, 2006 and 2002) could be ac-knowledged as wines of exceptional merit.

The red wine short list comprised Akarua Pinot Noir (2009, 2006 and 2002) and Villa Maria Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (2009, 2005 and 2001). Once again it was tough choosing a top red but we eventually voted Akarua as number one. We asked that Villa Maria Re-serve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot be acknowledged as a runner up.

Choosing between Riesling and Pinot Noir was an “apples and oranges” decision although the process was helped by the fact that the Riesling had earned more gold medal scores than the Pinot Noir.

I was delighted to learn afterward that the winning wine was Hunter’s Riesling. While I have considerable respect for the wine I confessed to my fellow judges that I had simply never tasted an example that had been bot-tled for more than a year, which reinforces the point of the Heritage category. It’s not easy to pick cellaring po-tential when tasting young wine. The only reliable meth-od of assessing the ability of a particular brand to age positively is by tasting a vertical selection of vintages. I had always underestimated the ability of a deliciously accessible and charming Riesling to age well. I now plan to buy a few bottles of Hunter’s 2010 Riesling and put them in an inaccessible part of my cellar for a few years.

The Heritage category has got off to a flying start but it will no doubt evolve as surely as the wines it seeks to evaluate. I expect the number of entries will increase, attracting an even greater variety of wine styles and re-gional representation. Eventually the time-line might be extended by a few more years, possibly by adding a fourth vintage. I look forward to continuing my involve-ment with one of the most innovative developments to wine show judging that this country has seen.

Heritage to be fine-tunedFor 2012, the new Heritage Category will be fine-tuned, says the general director of the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, Terry Dunleavy.

“Firstly, we will make it clear that current vintage will not necessarily mean 2011 vintage, but the latest vintage of the variety or style that is on sale. However, the middle wine of the set will be 2009 for whites and 2008 for reds, and the earliest will be 2006 or earlier for whites, and 2005 or earlier for reds.

“Secondly, we will make it clear that the current vintage wine of each set will also be judged by the Heritage panel for gold, silver or bronze medals, provided that the wine qualifies in terms of stock on hand.”

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30

After an interval of two years when it ceded its place to Chardon-

nay and Pinot Noir, Hawkes Bay Syrah regained its place as Champion Wine of Show at the 2011 Royal Easter Show Awards when the trophy win-ners were announced at the ASB Showgrounds in Auck-land on 19 March

The overall winner was Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2009, regaining the supreme award won by its Hawkes Bay stable-mates from Esk Valley in 2006, Vidal in 2007 and Villa Maria in 2008.

It was a night of triumph for the Villa Maria group, as its founder and owner, Sir George Fistonich was announced as the 2011 inductee to the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame, and the group’s chief wine maker Alastair Maling MW and his Auckland colleague Nick Picone were named as joint winners of the Royal Agricultural Society’s Gold Medal for Wine Maker of the Year.

Also in the spotlight was Jane Hunter, owner

of Hunter’s Wines NZ Ltd of Marlborough, and her long time winemaker, Gary Duke, who accepted the inaugural Heritage Rose Bowl for Hunter’s Rieslings 2004, 2007 and 2010*

Record number of Gold MedalsIn her report to the Awards Din-

ner, chair of judges, Kate Rad-burnd said: “The objective of the

Royal Easter Show Wine Awards is to recognise the best New

Zealand wines available for sale to consumers. Total wines judged were 1543 and a record 119 gold medals were awarded, representing over 7% of entries. 17% entries gained silver medals and 34% were awarded bronze medals.

“Our two leading export varieties Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir were highly awarded, 22 and 21 gold medals respectively, and mention must be made of the standout increase in quality of our Pinot Gris where a total of 14

gold medals were awarded. Our ever reliable Chardonnay

classes also produced 14 gold medals. These awards confirm the dedication of winegrowers to create expressive wines from our unique growing conditions. In general terms we experienced pristine fruit flavours across the full spectrum of varieties and styles. It was pleasing to see greater style definition across all varieties, and a sensitivity in oak handling in barrel aged wines. The overall strength of the show was a delight to experience.

“After 58 shows, the Royal Easter Wine Show remains NZ’s oldest national wine competition. I can assure you all that these awards were prepared, judged and recorded by a happy and highly professional team, all enjoying the opportunity to collectively reward the New Zealand wines which we all regard with

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

New World Trophy for Champion ChardonnayVidal Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2009

The Village Press Trophy for Champion GewurztraminerJohanneshof Cellars Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2010

Guala Closures NZ Trophy for Champion Sauvignon BlancWhitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Auckland A.P. & I Shows Board Trophy for Champion RieslingLawsons Dry Hills Marlborough Riesling 2008

Datacom Trophy for Champion Pinot GrisRoaring Meg Central Otago Pinot Gris 2010

DrinksBiz Trophy for Champion ViognierVilla Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Viognier 2010

Auckland A. & P. Assn Trophy for Champion Other VarietiesMatua Valley Single Vineyard Matheson Malbec 2009

Riedel Trophy for Champion Sweet WineRiverby Estate Marlborough Nobel Riesling 2009

Red Badge Security Trophy for Champion Cabernet Sauvignon/MerlotVilla Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008

Show Light & Power Trophy for Champion MerlotChurch Road Cuvée Hawkes Bay Merlot 2008

SkyCity Trophy for Champion SyrahVilla Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2009

New Zealand WineGrower Magazine Trophy for Champion Pinot NoirAkarua Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009

Novotel Auckland Ellerslie Trophy for Champion RoséElephant Hill Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2010

Rapid Labels Trophy for Champion SparklingNautilus Estate Cuvee Marlborough Methode Traditionelle Brut NV

J F Hillebrand Trophy for Champion Export WineLawson Dry Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Royal Agricultural Society Gold Medal for Winemakers of the YearAlastair Maling MW, Villa Maria Groupand Nic Picone, Villa Maria Estate

O-I New Zealand Trophy for Champion Wine of ShowVilla Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2009

31

2011 ROYAL EASTER TROPHY LIST

immense pride and passion.”An innovation this year was the

creation of a separate sub-class for sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. “The crite-ria for judging entries in the traditional sparkling and Methode Traditionnelle class specifically exclude varietal char-acter, but concentrate of aspects such as yeast autolysis that distinguish

Champagne. By contrast, sparkling Sauvignons rely for their charm and appeal on the distinctive flavours of Sauvignon Blanc, enhanced by the sec-ondary fermentation that introduces the bubbles. One silver medal and six bronzes of a total of 10 entries in this new sub-class this year demonstrate how well our winemakers have pio-

neered this new style.“Wine shows evolve and we are

also pleased to confirm the introduc-tion in 2012 of a separate sub-class for Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. We be-lieve this will provide the best judging opportunity for this new innovative wine style and look forward to its im-plementation, “ said Ms Radburnd.

The Hub cafeteria at the ASB Showgrounds provides an open, airy and naturally lit judging venue, with preparation and administration areas well out of sight and sound of the judges.

For a full list of Medals awarded, visit www.wineshow.co.nz

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 132

Presenters and recipients of 2011 Royal Easter Show trophies

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 133


10 11

1. Champion Wine of Show: John Bates (O-I New Zealand), Dave Roper and Nick Picone (Villa Maria).

2. Pinot Gris: Mike Herrick (Mt Difficulty Wines) and Ainsley Maskell (Datacom Systems Ltd).

3. Sauvignon Blanc: Andrew Twiname (Guala Closures NZ) and Sam Smail (Whitehaven Wine Co).

4. Sparkling: Darrin Tobin (Rapid Labels) and Clive Jones (Nautilus Estate)

5. Viognier: Joelle Thomson (DrinksBIz) and Nick Picone (Villa Maria).

6. Riesling: Marcus Wright (Lawsons Dry Hills) and Colin McGowan (Auckland A.P. & I. Shows Board).

7. Rosé: Zayne Boon (Novotel & Ibis Auckland Ellerslie) and Steve Skinner (Elephant Hill).

8. Gewurztraminer: Wayne Startup (The Village Press) and Edeltraut Everling (Johanneshof Cellars).

9. Chardonnay: Hugh Crichton (Vidal Estate) and Brian Casserly (New World).

10. Other Varieties: Nikolai St George (Matua Valley) and Robb Kemp (Auckland A & P Association).

11. Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends: Andy Gollings (Red Badge Security) and Alastair Maling MW (Villa Maria).

12. Merlot: Neil Watson (Church Road) and Michael Redgrave (Show Light & Power).

13. Sweet wine: Kevin Short (Hancocks & Riedel Glasses) and Kevin Courtney (Riverby Estate).

14. Pinot Noir: Ros Sellers (New Zealand WineGrower magazine) and Matt Connell (Akarua Wines Ltd).

15. Champion Syrah: Nick Picone (Villa Maria).

16. Champion export wine: Kiri Elers (JF Hillebrand) and Barbara Lawson (Lawsons Dry Hills).

17. Joint Winemakers of the Year: Nick Picone and Alastair Maling MW (Villa Maria).

12 13

14 15

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

New World Trophy for Champion ChardonnayVidal Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2009

The Village Press Trophy for Champion GewurztraminerJohanneshof Cellars Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2010

Guala Closures NZ Trophy for Champion Sauvignon BlancWhitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Auckland A.P. & I Shows Board Trophy for Champion RieslingLawsons Dry Hills Marlborough Riesling 2008

Datacom Trophy for Champion Pinot GrisRoaring Meg Central Otago Pinot Gris 2010

DrinksBiz Trophy for Champion ViognierVilla Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Viognier 2010

Auckland A. & P. Assn Trophy for Champion Other VarietiesMatua Valley Single Vineyard Matheson Malbec 2009

Riedel Trophy for Champion Sweet WineRiverby Estate Marlborough Nobel Riesling 2009

Red Badge Security Trophy for Champion Cabernet Sauvignon/MerlotVilla Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008

Show Light & Power Trophy for Champion MerlotChurch Road Cuvée Hawkes Bay Merlot 2008

SkyCity Trophy for Champion SyrahVilla Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2009

New Zealand WineGrower Magazine Trophy for Champion Pinot NoirAkarua Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009

Novotel Auckland Ellerslie Trophy for Champion RoséElephant Hill Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2010

Rapid Labels Trophy for Champion SparklingNautilus Estate Cuvee Marlborough Methode Traditionelle Brut NV

J F Hillebrand Trophy for Champion Export WineLawson Dry Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Royal Agricultural Society Gold Medal for Winemakers of the YearAlastair Maling MW, Villa Maria Groupand Nic Picone, Villa Maria Estate

O-I New Zealand Trophy for Champion Wine of ShowVilla Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2009

31

2011 ROYAL EASTER TROPHY LIST

immense pride and passion.”An innovation this year was the

creation of a separate sub-class for sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. “The crite-ria for judging entries in the traditional sparkling and Methode Traditionnelle class specifically exclude varietal char-acter, but concentrate of aspects such as yeast autolysis that distinguish

Champagne. By contrast, sparkling Sauvignons rely for their charm and appeal on the distinctive flavours of Sauvignon Blanc, enhanced by the sec-ondary fermentation that introduces the bubbles. One silver medal and six bronzes of a total of 10 entries in this new sub-class this year demonstrate how well our winemakers have pio-

neered this new style.“Wine shows evolve and we are

also pleased to confirm the introduc-tion in 2012 of a separate sub-class for Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. We be-lieve this will provide the best judging opportunity for this new innovative wine style and look forward to its im-plementation, “ said Ms Radburnd.

The Hub cafeteria at the ASB Showgrounds provides an open, airy and naturally lit judging venue, with preparation and administration areas well out of sight and sound of the judges.

For a full list of Medals awarded, visit www.wineshow.co.nz

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 132


1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 133


10 11

1. Champion Wine of Show: John Bates (O-I New Zealand), Dave Roper and Nick Picone (Villa Maria).

2. Pinot Gris: Mike Herrick (Mt Difficulty Wines) and Ainsley Maskell (Datacom Systems Ltd).

3. Sauvignon Blanc: Andrew Twiname (Guala Closures NZ) and Sam Smail (Whitehaven Wine Co).

4. Sparkling: Darrin Tobin (Rapid Labels) and Clive Jones (Nautilus Estate)

5. Viognier: Joelle Thomson (DrinksBIz) and Nick Picone (Villa Maria).

6. Riesling: Marcus Wright (Lawsons Dry Hills) and Colin McGowan (Auckland A.P. & I. Shows Board).

7. Rosé: Zayne Boon (Novotel & Ibis Auckland Ellerslie) and Steve Skinner (Elephant Hill).

8. Gewurztraminer: Wayne Startup (The Village Press) and Edeltraut Everling (Johanneshof Cellars).

9. Chardonnay: Hugh Crichton (Vidal Estate) and Brian Casserly (New World).

10. Other Varieties: Nikolai St George (Matua Valley) and Robb Kemp (Auckland A & P Association).

11. Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends: Andy Gollings (Red Badge Security) and Alastair Maling MW (Villa Maria).

12. Merlot: Neil Watson (Church Road) and Michael Redgrave (Show Light & Power).

13. Sweet wine: Kevin Short (Hancocks & Riedel Glasses) and Kevin Courtney (Riverby Estate).

14. Pinot Noir: Ros Sellers (New Zealand WineGrower magazine) and Matt Connell (Akarua Wines Ltd).

15. Champion Syrah: Nick Picone (Villa Maria).

16. Champion export wine: Kiri Elers (JF Hillebrand) and Barbara Lawson (Lawsons Dry Hills).

17. Joint Winemakers of the Year: Nick Picone and Alastair Maling MW (Villa Maria).

12 13

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

EXPORT PROMOTION

34

‘Complexity’ takes top NZ wines to US high endersMary Shanahan

A huge tabled carved in the shape of a map of New Zea-land provided a striking plat-

form for launching Complexity – New Zealand Fine Wine to the top end of the US market.

The venture, which brings together 21 of New Zealand’s leading wineries, aims to establish this country’s creden-tials in the world of fine wines. After two years in the planning, the enter-prise was launched in the Beehive by Minister of Economic Development Gerry Brownlee in June last year. The American launch was staged last Sep-tember in Denver, Colorado. Over-subscribed, it attracted more than 60 high-end sommeliers, wine buyers and media.

To graphically illustrate their ori-gins, the 59 wines encompassed by the

joint promotion were presented on the purpose-designed Two Islands’ Table.

Complexity chairman Steve Smith MW says the huge table -- large enough to seat 50 for dinner – provided a very real sense of geography at the event. People rated the distinctive work of art as “just stunning”.

While New Zealand was a small country and considered remote by most Americans, Mr Smith said it could lay claim to an incredible diver-sity of wines, wine regions and ter-roirs.

Complexity represented some of this country’s best wines, covering a

range of varieties drawn from eight New Zealand wine regions. The branding communicated the depth, diversity, colour and texture of the fine wines chosen for the venture, said Mr Smith, wine and viticulture director at Craggy Range Vineyards.

US launch on Waitangi DayWaitangi Day was the date chosen

by Complexity for a New Zealand Wine Day tasting live streamed from Chicago on February 5. Hosted by Alastair Maling MW, group winemak-er for Villa Maria Estate, the live tast-ing attracted a studio audience of 90.

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

Some 895 online viewers also partici-pated, with a virtual tasting broadcast via live interactive online video from Kenmore Live Studio and on WineChan-nelTV. The event was also supported by Facebook, twitter and bloggers.

Jessica Altieri and Just Jess on Wi-neChannelTV posted a tasting of award-winning wines prepared with dishes from chef Mike Morales of Chicago’s Michelin-recommended Sunda Restau-rant.

Complexity’s next event will be mas-ter classes held in May in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Twelve New Zealanders will travel in support, with the focus trade, media and high-end consumers. Campaign manager in the US, Janet Pouchot is also profiling the New Zealand wines with top restaurants and high end retail, and from March to June is holding ongoing tastings targeted at such high-end consumers as the Yale Club and Macy’s De Gustibus cooking school. A tasting will be held at New York’s famous James Beard House in May.

Supporting all this activity is the live website www.complexity.co.nz, which lists Complexity’s portfolio of wines, provides contact details for importers and distributors and features a video gallery and news and events.

The southern tip of the South Island section of the large map of New Zealand that formed the table for layout of Complexity wine bottles.

35

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

NEW EXPORT AID

36

VinLiner protects wine during shippingTessa Nicholson

Given our position in the world it is inevitable that our ex-ported wines are going to be

spending a great deal of time travel-ling. Just how long depends on what market it is heading for, but according to JF Hillebrand, the average transit time, with no unexpected delays, is 32 days. The impact on your wine could be immense, given the extreme climat-ic conditions likely to be encountered while travelling to the Northern Hemi-sphere.

In an effort to defray some of that, JF Hillebrand have developed what is known as a VinLiner that acts as a temperature and humidity controller. Made from woven polyethylene fabric that is coated with aluminium, it looks like a giant insulated bag, built to fit inside a 20ft or 40 ft container, or even just an individual pallet.

While VinLiner has been in use now for three years, recent seminars in both Auckland and Marlborough highlight-ed the product and the reasons for the development.

Pierre Corvisier, Director of New Services at JF Hillebrand Group based in France, said the need for some form of protection for products such as wine, is more important now than ever before. One reason being that because of the recession, up to 30% and some-times 40% of the world’s shipping in-dustry has undergone fleet reduction.

A large number of cargo ships have been mothballed and those that are op-erating are carrying larger loads and tending to travel more slowly in an effort to save on fuel, known as “slow steaming.”

“Most routes today, north-south, east-west, have been affected by tran-

sit times with the time being longer by between four and eight days. And with New Zealand being so far away from its markets, means your wines are having to spend more time on the water, which is making it more diffi-cult for you.”

As the ships get bigger, it also means they are taking longer to load and unload, with containers having to spend an increased amount of time ex-posed to the elements at terminals and ports of transfer.

There is another factor associated with the larger ships; they are too big to enter many traditional ports. Mr Corvisier said that means your wine shipment heading for say Scandinavia may have to diverted to a larger port such as Rotterdam then off-loaded onto a smaller feeder ship to make its way to its final destination.

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Again increasing the transit time.Unless your container is refrigerated, there is almost

no controlled space on a ship where it won’t be exposed to some form of temperature shift.

There is abundant research available to show tem-perature impacts on the quality of wine. The following are extracts from a paper released by Dr Paul Kilmartin of University of Auckland, who has been involved in the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Research Programme.

“Cool temperature (5oC) greatly increases shelf life of Sauvignon blanc wines by reducing the loss of passion fruit thiols and fruity acetate esters during storage. For fruit-driven wines high in 3MHA and acetate esters, tem-perature-dependent hydrolysis processes are critical for Sauvignon blanc aroma stability. Consequently the effect of temperature is the most important variable for retain-ing fruity characters during aging.”

How wines affected by travelA recent visitor to New Zealand, Benjamin Lewin MW,

said he had noticed some extreme differences between wines of the same vintage tasted in New York last Sep-tember and tasted just last month here in New Zealand. In every case, the wines tasted here were more youthful and fruity. He believed the wines at the New York tast-ing were up to 18 months ahead of the same wines here in New Zealand. “Was that due to the travel? I have to wonder.”

There are a number of other impacts believed to be due to temperature changes.

At +40°C: Acceleration of formation of Ethyl Carbo-mate; Ageability of SO2 decline.

At + 35°C: Turbidity in reds.

Pierre Corvisier of JF Hillebrand France, alongside a container which has been fitted with a VinLiner.

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 138

+30°C: Turbidity in whites; per-ceived taste change; spectrum colour change

+5°C and below: Tartrate precipita-tion.

While there are obvious tempera-ture changes due to travel through the equator, it is not only ambi-ent climatic conditions that con-tainers are exposed to. Reefers, (refrigerated containers) act just like a fridge at home. While the inside may stay at a constantly cool temperature, the power used to keep it cool, creates heat on the outside. On a container ship that heat is inevitably transferred into the surrounding areas despite ventilation within the hold of the ship. There is also heat generated from the heating of heavy fuels that ships burn, with tanks hav-ing ot be heated up to 65°C, to liquefy the heavy fuels.

Until recently, the highs and lows of temperature shifts on con-tainer ships has been anecdotal. JF Hillebrand decided they need to confirm just what the tempera-

ture range inside a container was, dur-ing a voyage from Auckland to the UK. Sensitech e-data loggers were placed inside a container between the wall and a VinLiner. Others were placed inside a case of wine, stored within a VinLiner. Those loggers recorded tem-

peratures at regular one hour pe-riods throughout the five week trip, from Auckland to Carta-gena where the cargo underwent a transhipment, and through to Tilbury where it was finally un-loaded. The below graph shows the temperature range of a ship-ment which left Auckland on March 26.

The red line shows the tem-perature in the container, but outside the VinLiner, over the period of the five week voyage. The green line is the tempera-ture within the same container, but taken inside a case of wine, which is protected by` a VinLin-er. It clearly shows the peaks and troughs during loading, tran-

shipment and unloading.Temperatures outside of the Vinlin-

er during loading, ranged from 15°C up to 30°C. In Cartagena the tempera-ture inside the container reached 47°C, and during unloading it dropped be-

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 139

low 5°C . So if this was a dry container, minus a VinLiner, the wine would have undergone thermal shocks of 42 de-grees difference, during five weeks.

The green line shows the range of temperatures experi-enced inside the VinLiner, within the same container. The lowest temperature recorded was 20°C, the highest just under 30°C. Far less thermal shock says Hillebrand’s New Zealand branch manager Olivier Daull. (This does not ap-ply to reefer containers which offer a fixed temperature throughout the entire trip.)

“What this is telling us is that if the wine is not protect-ed in anyway, it will experience these peaks and troughs. Pretty much on any single shipment, any day of the year. No matter which way it goes, it will go through the equa-tor, it will go through either the Carribean or Suez and the wine will be subjected to changes in heat. Forty-five degrees during the day and 25 degrees in the night. In less than six or seven hours the temperature inside of the container has changed 20 degrees. You do not want this to happen to your wine.”

Gauging temperature shocksJF Hillebrand also has access to VinRoute which can

track the possible temperature ranges on any journey by sea, any time of the year. Using data from the World Meteorological Organisation, VinRoute can accurately predict both ambient temperature and level of humidty at any point of the ship’s journey, allowing the customer to gauge the potential temperature shocks prior to transit.

But it is not just thermal shocks that the VinLiner aims to control. Mr Corvisier said there are other issues involved with shipping containers, given no one knows what was inside the container prior to it being used to transport wine.

These days containerised transport accounts for 90% of the world’s trade. Which means where conventional ship-ping used to transport what he refers to as “dirty” prod-ucts, those same products are now largely being trans-ported by container ships.

“As you know a lot of Chinese and Asian companies that are producing toys or whatever are recycling a lot of scrap products. So most of the scrap paper, plastics or metal, which are fairly dirty products, have been trans-ferred from conventional ships into container ships. And to be more precise by container ships, I mean container ships that may also be carrying your wine. That takes us to the issue of contamination caused by the container.”

JF Hillebrand says there is always the risk that a con-tainer carrying wine may be contaminated with bacteria, smells and germs. There is the possibility of the presence of fumigants and solvents, such as methy sulfuryl fluo-ride, phosphine, toluene and benzene, following active and passive fumigation of containers when they reach ports.

“An example; one of the main export activities of Peru is fishmeal, all the remains of fish. This is carried in a dry container with almost no protection for the container. These products are very smelly, they are carrying contam-ination like salmonella. We have to consider that during the 12 or 15 years of a container’s life it would have been carrying lots of not so nice commodities.”

One of the next uses for that container, may well be your wine.

“No one wants to deliver a pallet of wine that has a bad smell. It is not a good look.”

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

REGIONS - HAWKES BAY

40

Student research challenges red winemaking practice Mary Shanahan

EIT student Jonathan Musther has inherited a condition that seri-ously affects his sight, but that’s

been no barrier to his research efforts or to his studies. In the final year of EIT’s Bachelor of Viticulture and Bach-elor of Wine Science Concurrent De-gree, Jon has notched up nothing less than A passes in all his courses.

His fondness for experimentation continues to find expression in re-search supported by Mission Estate - work that has important implications for the wider winemaking industry. Jon is a recipient of the Mission Estate Wine and Viticulture Scholarship, es-tablished to acknowledge the pioneer-ing spirit of the Marist fathers who first planted vines in Hawkes Bay and to stimulate critical research and devel-opment that underpins the production of fine wines.

The scholarship provided Jon with the fruit, equipment and facilities that allowed him to undertake a research project – a requirement for all third-year Bachelor of Viticulture students at the Eastern Institute of Technology.

This summer, Jon was back at the Mission lab, working under the direc-tion of winemaker Paul Mooney, to more fully investigate the effects of varying degrees of cap management on phenolic extraction and stability.

As Jon points out, many wineries invest significantly in equipment and labour to undertake regular pump-

Jon draws off a sample of Merlot from one of 15 barrels he is working with at the Mission winery.

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Back in 2002, Mission Estate winemaker Paul Mooney was intrigued by an article published in the technical journal Italian Food and Beverage Technology. The paper that caught his attention was on the “Delayed extraction of anthocyanins in red win-emaking”. From 2003, Mission started experimenting with the techniques elaborated on in that article, and with good results. Paul says: “On two occasions during the 2009 vin-tage, we fermented identical parcels of fruit in both larger and smaller fermenters where the colour was ex-tracted from the skins at different rates. On both occa-sions the finished wines turned out differently to how many in the wine industry might expect.“We thought the Mission Estate Winery EIT Scholar-ship offered an ideal opportunity for further research to study the nature and degree of these differences.”

overs and/or plunging. One key reason for the practice is to prevent the growth of spoilage micro-organisms by keeping the cap wet with acidic, increasingly alcoholic and yeast-rich juice/wine.

Plunging redundant?However Jon’s initial research results seem to suggest

that excessively plunging the cap may not only be redun-dant, it may be detrimental to wine colour, colour density and total phenolics.

While cap management is an accepted and indeed a traditional part of making red wine, Jon considers its ef-fects on the final product to be somewhat poorly under-stood and possibly under-appreciated.

For his research project, he adopted four treatment re-gimes, ranging from not plunging at all to plunging the cap three times daily. As might be expected, the results provided a continuum of colour density.

However, Jon’s conclusion – which he agrees is coun-ter-intuitive – was that the most densely coloured wines were those subjected to the least plunging while the least dense was the wine with the most plunging.

Jon analysed his trial wines regularly for 90 days, from when the fruit arrived at the winery and subsequent to their being drained to barrel after 41 days.

His research findings detail the inverse relationship

How project started

While cap management is an accepted and indeed a traditional

part of making red wine, Jon considers its effects on the final product to be somewhat poorly understood and possibly under-

appreciated.

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

between the extent of plunging and total anthocyanins and total phenolics. “These inverse relationships were, for the most part, statistically significant,” he says in his abstract.

“A statistically significant relationship between wine hue and extent of plunging was also observed, with in-creased plunging resulting in increased browning.”

He concludes: “It is strong-ly suggested, based on the indices measured (and cata-logued in his research report) that increased plunging re-sults in reduced colour densi-ty, and reduced total phenolics in young red wines.”

These results were present-ed to local industry leaders and fellow students at an EIT student research seminar and poster presenta-tion in November last year.

Jon’s subsequent research was sup-ported by a grant from TechNZ. The Foundation for Research Science and Technology’s business investment pro-gramme’s funding enabled the Mis-sion to employ the now final-year de-gree student for a further 10 weeks on a project designed to enhance the work already undertaken for the company.

Wine science isn’t in the family genes – Jon’s father is an industrial chemist – but the artistic side of mak-ing wine appeals to the young man.

An Englishman, Jon emigrated to New Zealand in 2003 to be with his Kiwi girlfriend, Melanie.

The couple married in 2006 and three years ago, after she completed her BA and postgraduate teaching di-ploma, they moved from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay so that he could study wine science.

While in Auckland, Jon had asked people in the industry which New Zealand training organisation had the

best reputation and where they looked to for graduates when hiring their staff. He was told EIT.

Overcoming eyesight difficulties

There, as elsewhere, he has found ways of overcom-ing the difficulties posed by his poor sight – which results from a deficiency of light sensitive cells in his retina. The congenital disorder af-fects the same chromosome as colour blindness and, as with that condition, it is car-ried by women who pass it on to their sons.

“My grandfather had it,” Jon says, “and it has affected me since I was born.”

The biggest drawback, he finds, is not being able to drive. He gets around that by cycling everywhere – from his Taradale home to the EIT campus and to the Mission in Greenmeadows.

Explaining that his impairment isn’t about not being able to see in the distance, Jon likens his visual percep-tion to that of a low resolution camera. If someone with normal vision can read a road sign at 6 metres, he says, he would need to get within 1 metre to

42

Explaining that his impairment isn’t about not being able to see

in the distance, Jon likens his visual perception to that of a low resolution camera. If someone

with normal vision can read a road sign at 6 metres he would need to get within 1 metre to make out its

message.

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 143

make out its message. Jon carries special reading glasses

and, for emergencies, a pocket magni-fier for reading pages of text. For com-puter work, he uses software that al-lows him to zoom in and also to project panoramic views.

“Studying at EIT hasn’t really been a problem,” he says.

“I sit at the front in relatively small classes and as the lecturers know me, I can get up to have a closer look at the board if I need to. And accessing tutor time hasn’t been a problem.”

Unlike his classmates, who elected to do viticulture research subjects for their third-year projects, Jon chose to focus on a procedure used in making red wine – one he says other research skirts around.

“Winemakers want to keep the cap mixed in with the wine, otherwise the sugar trapped in with the skins won’t ferment with the rest.

“And there is still material in the skins to extract. Colours and tannins, there’s quite complex chemistry going on. The question is how much you need to do it.”

Plunging the cap is a tradition in red winemaking, a practice wineries may continue to do for reasons they have forgotten.

Having got a “rough handle” on the chemistry as a result of his initial project, Jon has subsequently under-taken further analysis of the wines involved. Mission Estate provided the Merlot fruit for his research and 15 barrels to work with, five of them new.

“I am continuing to monitor the wines, seeing how they change in bar-rel.

“ There has been a lot of research on small-scale treatments – we do a lot of that at EIT. But researchers only follow through up until when fermentation is finished. It’s a different environment, tracking the development of the wine from barrel through to bottling the fin-ished wine.”

Jon was keen to take his research beyond statistically sure scientific “bit treatments” and trials undertaken by experimental wineries, translating it to a large scale situation.

“I didn’t want to investigate some-thing I knew the answer to. I like do-ing experiments.

“I like setting things up and seeing what happens. My wife tells me I need to limit my hobbies, but I’m interested in everything.”

Jon is looking forward to presenting his EIT project at the Romeo Bragato Conference, which will be held this

year on 25-27 August at the Ellerslie Event Centre in Auckland. “I am quite proud of the research,” he says.

Origin of plungingThe French term for the tradition-

al method of submerging the cap of skins, pips and stalks into the ferment-ing wine to impart colour, flavour and tannins is pigeage (pronounced peash-arge).

Most traditional of all is pigeage a pied, where winery workers plunge the cap down with their feet to in-crease extract during cuvaison – the period when grapes and juice are kept in contact with the skins and seeds during fermentation and maceration.

Methods have change over the years, but the process is largely the same. The cap can be submerged us-ing boards laid across the vat or mixed in with the wine using giant paddles. More high tech approaches are to use a rotating fermenting vessel to mix the skins into the juice or a pneumatic plunger that pumps the fermenting wine over the cap.

Those unfamiliar with the industry are often surprised to learn that a cap of skins and grape solids carried to the surface by bubbling CO2 can be dense enough to walk on.

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REGIONS - MARLBOROUGH

44

Are we selling our Pinot Noir too early?Tessa Nicholson

Consumers may be being short changed when it comes to pur-chasing New Zealand Pinot

Noir according to Benjamin Lewin MW, who is currently writing a book on the holy grail of all wines.

In the country recently, re-searching for the penultimate chapter of his soon to be re-leased book In Search of Pinot Noir, he was concerned that the majority of New Zealand Pinots available are at the most only three years old.

“While dining in Welling-ton I was really struck that the wine lists basically had Pinot Noirs from 2008 and 2009. There was the occasional 2007, but in all the evenings I ate out I found only one 2003 and one 2005 on the list. So for my money, the 08 and 09s, although the producers are producing them with the intention they can be drunk and enjoyed when they are re-leased, are really too young. I think you are short changing the region and the consum-ers.”

Mr Lewin is no stranger to the world of wine, or its intricacies. As a former molecular scientist and writ-er, he decided on a change of career

back in 1999, moving from the world of cells and genes to his greatest pas-sion - wine. Concerned he wouldn’t be taken seriously coming from such

a scientific background, he decided to complete his Master of Wine before embarking on untangling the mysteri-

ous world of wine production.His first book, What Price Bordeaux?

has been hailed by wine writers all over the world. His second foray into

the world of wine books was Wine Myths and Reality, which takes the historical, emotional mystery out of wine as a con-sumable product.

Now he is set on uncovering the mysteries surrounding Pi-not Noir, one of just two grapes he considers to be very trans-parent of their site. (The other variety being Riesling.)

Pinot reflective of its terroir“You see a range of differ-

ences that relate in some way to where they come from. I don’t think you see that in the same way with say Syrah or Caber-net Sauvignon. Pinot Noir has a more demanding range of expression. It is more reflective of the site it comes from. So I am writing a book specifically about Pinot Noir and the sub-ject of terroir versus winemak-ing is a big question that runs through the book.”

Having already written the early chapters which cover the

history of the variety, Burgundy and northern Europe, he is now concen-trating on the New World.

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“I am writing the penultimate chapter at the moment which is the Southern Hemisphere. The book is not really encyclopaedic; it is intended to be about the driving forces behind the variety. We are really interesting in producers that are making wines that have specific character that will say something definitive about Pinot Noir. I am focusing largely on New Zealand, basically Martinborough, Marlbor-ough and Central Otago. There will be something in the chapter on the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, a little bit on South America and South Africa. But in terms of where the defin-ing force for new world Pinot Noir is coming from it splits in my mind be-tween North America and New Zea-land.”

Which brings us back to the wines he tasted while visiting here in Febru-ary and March and how he would like to see them released when they are at least three or four years old.

“I understand there is huge com-mercial pressure to get them out on to the market as soon as possible. The producer can’t afford to hold them and release them later. The restaurant can’t afford to hold them either. So what you are doing is offering the consumers a monotone view. I grant you there is an

impression out there that the consum-er market wants wines that are burst-ing with fruit and are young. But for my money, you actually see the fruit flavours of those wines and their po-tential complexity much better after a year or two.”

To emphasise that point, he will in-clude a drinking range for the regional wines, within the book.

When to drink our Pinot“I give a specific drinking age of a

range of years for each wine. It starts when the tannins have softened and in almost every case that is not going to be the current vintage, but two to three years down the road.

“But the end of the range will be when I think the wine will begin to turn from fruity to savoury notes. I say explicitly that if you like fruity wines, drink it before that range. But if you prefer wine with slightly savoury overtones, you can drink these wines well beyond the range I have indicat-ed.”

He discovered that many of the Martinborough wines were develop-ing those savoury notes when they reached six to eight years of age.

“But for people who prefer the fruity wines, they would find the 08

and 09 vintages much more pleasur-able and interesting and showing a much wider range of flavours if they waited another two years.”

Mr Lewin says it is not intended as a criticism to New Zealand producers, but he strongly believes the average consumer would appreciate the com-plexity of the wines more, if they had the opportunity to try them when they were four or five years old, rather than two or three.

However the recently released New Zealand Pinot Noirs that have found their way onto shelves in the Northern Hemisphere, have a major advantage over the same wines sold at home ac-cording to Mr Lewin. He says the trav-el seems to be having an ageing effect.

“At a tasting in New York last year, I tried a few wines that I have since retried here in New Zealand. In eve-ry single case the wine tasted more youthful here than it had done in New York. What I was surprised at was the wines seemed like a year younger here than they had done back in Septem-ber at that New York tasting. We are talking about the equivalent of ageing from one year to 18 months. It’s an in-teresting point I think.”

Mr Lewin’s book In Search of Pinot Noir will be available in September.

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

IN THE VINEYARD

46

NZ invention creates revolution in vine pruningThe KLIMA Cane-Pruner, de-

signed and developed in New Zealand, is a machine designed

to reduce the costs and resource re-quired during pruning. Its technol-ogy is unique, involving the fruiting wire, feeding it through a machine so that all canes and vine pieces are removed. Anything attached to that wire is swept through the wire guides and immediately mulched. The fruit-ing wire, the main obstacle during pruning, is now providing the solu-tion to the last frontier of vineyard mechanisation.

With a manufacturing and distri-bution licence for the Americas, Eu-rope and South African markets now in place with ERO Gerätebau GmbH, Germany’s largest producer of vine-yard machinery, plus endorsements from Geisenheim, possibly the world’s leading viticultural institute, the ben-

efits of the KLIMA are becoming very clear. German viticultural magazine Das Deutche Wein Magazin commented in

their review in the December 2010 is-sue, ‘The Cane-Pruner has the poten-tial to break through the mechanising

Kilma cane pruner.

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of the pruning system. If the vineyard is properly pre-pared, the machine works very efficiently and cleanly in the removal of prunings. Since the challenges for adap-tion are relatively minimal, it is expected that the accept-ance of the Cane-Pruner among viticulturists will be very large.’

Not only is the KLIMA technology a revolutionary pruning method, vastly reducing the amount of unskilled labour required, it also permits a skilled decision-maker to do the job in the briefest period and with no additional time at the vine such as cutting the current year’s fruiting canes. What could take someone two to three hours on a 200m row could be cut to as little as a few minutes.

ERO have been organising demonstrations of the KLIMA Cane-Pruner (renamed ‘Viteco’ but with plates on each machine stating ‘KLIMA Technology NZ’) with a minimum of 200 people attending each of the eight dem-onstrations that have taken place throughout Germany and over 500 arriving to watch the machine in operation at Oppenheim. Geisenheim, because of the importance they believe the KLIMA/Viteco Cane-Pruner will have in the industry, have picked up the administration and costs of these German demonstrations. Events are also taking place in Italy, France and Austria at the end of March and pilot machines will be in Chile, South Africa and USA by the end of 2011.

Developed in WaiparaThe KLIMA Cane-Pruner was born through vineyard

managers Marcus Wickham and Nigel George discussing the challenges of pruning and the potential mechanisa-tion of this costly and difficult yet extremely important job. Once they hit on the idea of using the fruiting wire – usually the nemesis of pruning – they tested it out using a chain and shackle on a front-loader. It worked.

Next stop was to build a prototype. Eagle Engineering in Waipara together with Nigel formed the development team. They worked on the design and built the first ma-chine while Marcus developed the business opportuni-ties, intellectual property and trial partnerships to test the machinery at a commercial level. While Marcus managed the project full-time, Nigel continued in his role as vine-yard manager, though the pair had decided ‘if it works, we’ll run with it’. It did.

With patents pending and an agreement signed with ERO Gerätebau GmbH and commercial sales of the KLIMA Cane-Pruner in New Zealand and Australia, the dream of two vineyard managers has come to frui-tion with far-reaching consequences for the global wine industry. Today, the KLIMA Cane-Pruner is revolutionis-ing the hardest, most costly vineyard operation, turning it into a simple, cost-effective job with a top-quality result.

Jeremy Prater, viticultural lecturer at the Nelson Marl-borough Institute of Technology sums it up by saying ‘The Klima Cane-Pruner is quite extraordinary and will revolutionise the management of large scale commercial vineyards by slashing total pruning, stripping and oth-er related costs, such as mulching of prunings, by up to 50%’.

Adam McCone, viticulturist at Spy Valley Wines claims ‘We have saved up to 40% on our total pruning costs and the pruners are earning more per day. The machine is so easy to operate and maintain it is hard to envisage having to prune the traditional way again’.

SAVERGLASS (NZ) LimitedUnit G, 383 Khyber Pass RoadNewmarket AucklandTel.: 64 9 522 2990Fax: 64 9 522 2994www.saverglass.com

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

48A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

Extraordinary success of the Langlois vine stripper

Tessa Nicholson

Kiwis are famous for their inge-nuity and self-sufficiency. We can create amazing things — all

we need is ‘a piece of Number 8 wire’. In Walter Langlois’s case, he didn’t so much use the wire itself, instead he was looking at ways of getting around the wire on vineyard trellising during the difficult task of vine stripping.

The physicality, along with the hours it took to achieve the task was something he couldn’t quite get his head around. It seemed so arduous and almost thankless. With a background in electrical engineering and ma-chine repairs and servicing, he thought there had to be a better and more efficient way of un-dertaking the stripping aspect of pruning, rather than the age old manual way.

“I was surprised at how much effort it took, that’s for sure. I looked at our Marlbor-ough vineyard which is only 5 acres and thought, I don’t want to be doing that every winter. There has to be a better way.”

What has eventuated from those first initial thoughts, is a mechanised system that is inter-esting winegrowers throughout the world – the Langlois strip-per/shredder.

Given he could find no form of mechanisation available, he began experimenting within his own vineyard. Initially he tried pulling the canes out from be-neath the trellising, but that was also too difficult. It wasn’t until he took a ladder out among the vines that the seed of an idea began to grow.

“I began pulling some canes out from the top of the canopy. The first one came out quite easily. So I pulled another one, but that was pretty diffi-cult. It didn’t want to come out at all.”

Which led him to think about cre-ating a pinch arrangement that would operate from the top of the canopy,

grabbing cut canes and dragging them upwards. With a couple of DC motors in the shed he began experimenting, utilising two wheels running simulta-neously against each other.

First launch in 2007With the help of engineers, he be-

gan developing a machine that could fit onto a tractor – which has resulted

in the Langlois stripper, first launched in 2007.

There is no change in the way the vines need to be pruned, with the selected canes required for fruiting wood left intact. However, the pruner does need to top those selected canes to around 300mm below the unwanted wood. As the stripper travels down the row, the pincher system drags those unwanted canes upwards and spits them out behind the tractor.

The enthusiasm for the Langlois stripper was evident, especially given that prior to 2008, there had been ma-jor concerns that lack of staff would see some of Marlborough’s vineyards not pruned prior to budburst. Howev-er, Walter wasn’t entirely happy with the initial machine – he believed there was a need to develop it further to ensure the canes being removed were

dealt with in a better way.“I wasn’t happy with the

mess it was leaving between the rows. I thought it should have a mulching head on top of the pinchers that would be able to mulch the canes immediately.”

That in itself was going to cause some major issues, he quickly realised. While the strip-per could easily be attached to a tractor, a mulcher would require far more oil flow than most trac-tor engines could provide. So before any mulcher could be developed, Walter had to come up with a hydraulic power unit.

“The PTO driven power unit provides hydraulic flow and pressure to power both the Langlois stripper and shredder. We utilise a dual output step-up gearbox running two piston pumps, both pumps delivering 85L/Min, each at 540 RPM.”

With that powering the shredder, the canes can now be fed straight into it and the mulching fired back into the centre of the row, or if the vine-

yard owner doesn’t want that, it can be fed into an attached gondola.

Given that the idea to create a ma-chine to undertake stripping only occurred to Walter back in 2007 the journey to production has been incred-ibly short. What’s more the success of the machine here in New Zealand has created interest in overseas markets. Within months of releasing the first machines into Marlborough, he had orders for six in Australia. As there is

Creator of the Langlois stripper and shredder, Walter Langlois.

49A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

more spur pruning undertaken across the Tasman, he devel-oped a rotating blade that can be attached beneath the strip-per/shredder, that allows the machine to achieve pruning, stripping and mulching all in one pass.

Interest in US and Europe The interest in the Langlois

isn’t confined to the Southern Hemisphere. Just recently Wal-ter attended the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sac-ramento, along with 12,000 oth-er wine industry members. It is his second year at the event, but this time round, he had one of the machines on display. The interest was high, although he admits there may need to be some more fine tuning given the trellis systems in the US.

“Their growing style and their trellising is quite hard to put a mechanical beast into. Because they have been grow-ing for so long, the trellising is pretty old and the wires aren’t tight. And they tend to do deficit irrigation, which affects the canopy growth. We need a

high canopy for the machine to pick up the canes and in many places in California the growth wasn’t substantial enough.”

It’s a different story further north in Oregon, where a lot more cane pruning is undertak-en. Walter says this is an area where he is hoping for sub-stantial growth, particularly as cheap labour is now not as readily available as it has been in past years.

“They are looking more and more at mechanisation, which is where the strength of the ma-chine lies.”

On the European front, Lan-glois has recently signed a deal with Collards in France, which gives them the right to manu-facture and distribute in that part of the world. Again, the older style trellising of vine-yards in Europe means more fine tuning will be required,

The original Langlois released onto the

market in 2007 – minus the shredder.

1

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50A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

which Collards have undertaken to do.“They are going to make changes

to the machine so it will be suitable for use in these very old vineyards. The latest is they have sent a machine to Austria and it has a lot of modifi-cations, so we are waiting to see if it works up there.”

Machines are also being utilised in Italy, France and Germany.

“So with all these different ways of growing, we are going to take stock of what they are doing. We will pool all

the information from the guys in the States and Europe and will see how we can put all those ideas into one ma-chine, which hopefully will be able to go into a lot more international vine-yards.”

Back home in New Zealand, the Langlois has an ardent following, with many of the large Category 1 compa-nies already purchasing machines. The advantages are huge, especially in the amount of time it takes to strip a large block. Early calculations showed the

cost to strip a 1ha block, (1.8m vine spacings and 2.5 metre rows) were $172.50, or 08 cents per vine. (These costs will have risen in recent months given the price of diesel, but are still significantly less than those of manual stripping.)

A double row vine stripper has also been developed which allows the trac-tor to make one pass, stripping two rows at a time.

“Given everyone in the wine indus-try needs to be looking at ways of sav-ing money, we think we have hit on a winner,” Walter says. “It also means growers can concentrate on employ-ing the very best to do the pruning job, which has to be an advantage in the long run.”

The double machine, suitable for stripping two rows at a time.

LANGLOIS VINESTRIPPER /SHREDDER

Are you in control of your pruning?• Are your costs sustainable? • Are you being efficient? • Are you satisfied with the outcome? • Is pruning done when you want it done? We have many Langlois operators, large and small, who can say YES to all of the above – join them

To find out how - www.langlois.co.nzPhone Warrick Meiklejohn: 027 572 7085 Walter Langlois: 027 281 7492

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 151

Diploma passport to work in wine

Libby Rainey believes her choice to study wine through Nelson Marlborough Institute of Tech-

nology in Marlborough led to career opportunities that wouldn’t have hap-pened anywhere else. “Marlborough is the heart of the industry so through the programmes at NMIT I got to work in vineyards and wineries around the region as part of the course. I was meeting industry people and that’s how I got my current job as viticultural cadet at Villa Maria in Blenheim.”

Villa Maria encouraged Libby to further her qualifications and she was able to work and study. She now has an NMIT Diploma of Viticulture and Wine Production, and is just completing a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at the NMIT campus through Lincoln University.

Libby has mixed work and study since leaving Nelson Girls College in-cluding a stint working at a winery in the Napa Valley near San Francisco, helping with their sparkling wine vin-tage. “That’s a big draw-card for this career – being able to do harvests

overseas. You could quite easily do two or three a year, so there’s a great opportunity to travel.”

But Libby is more than happy with staying put for a while at Villa Mar-ia. “It’s New Zealand’s largest family owned winery, and our most awarded winery over the past 30 years. I’m learning so much in my cadet role. In fact I still haven’t decided what specific area I’d like to go into – either moving up as viticulturist or into vineyard man-agement but that decision can wait, while I keep on learning.”

On a daily basis, Libby liaises be-tween the contract grape growers and Villa Maria’s viticulturists, gathering technical and growing information to plan the harvests. She says she’s the first person she knew who chose to go into the wine industry. “Actually I was doing art and graphics at school and then one day I got an opportu-nity to look at the wine research cen-tre in Blenheim and the mix of practi-cal hands-on outdoor work combined with science appealed to her.” Libby weighed up her options for qualifica-

tions and chose NMIT. “Because the diploma they offered was really prac-tical and you got to get out into the local industry and meet people, which was invaluable.”

Another key attracting factor for Libby was NMIT’s vineyard, and the fact she was able to make her own vin-tages in the NMIT winery. “That was awesome; you don’t get to do that in many other places.” Libby says the tutors and the other students were stimulating. “If you want to be in this industry you need to have a passion for wine, and we all did when we started, but by the end of the diploma it had been fostered even more.” Now 23, Libby says her qualifications combined with work experience have given her the strong focus she needed. “When I left high school I was all over the place and didn’t know what I really wanted to do. Choosing to do the diploma gave me the direction I needed, and led to me gaining my degree and now there’s a wide range of career options all still ahead of me in this evolving, exciting and fun industry.”

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 152

New centrifuge aids solids removals from juices, winesArmourtech NZ Ltd has intro-

duced the mobile STS 45 sys-tem to the New Zealand wine

sector for the 2011 vintage. It is claimed to be a superior meth-

od for winery solids management and eliminates the need for racking of juices and wines and the consequent product losses and quality/value downgrades.

Central to the system is the STS 45, a disk-type centrifuge with the capabil-ity to both: process entire tanks of juice and wine, including the lees; and eject the solids at such a thickness (eg 95% v/v) that no further product recovery is necessary (eg via Lees Filter or RDV Filter)

The three principal sources of finan-cial paybacks and quality outcomes for the STS 45 are:

• Reducing juice and wine losses, associated with racking or de-sludge from older or under-performing cen-trifuges. This occurs in two parts:

Firstly where lees are sent to distil-lation; secondly, by reduced number of lees transfers, each of which lead to dilution or yield losses

• Reduced juice and wine quality/value downgrades. This is where exist-ing lees handling processes lead to loss of quality and value, by loss of fresh-ness and oxidation, loss of varietal or regional integrity and character, or finally anoxic/reductive taints from prolonged exposure to high concentra-tions of yeasts & bacteria in the lees.

• Eliminating DE filtration, princi-pally the lees filter and (RDV) rotary drum vacuum filter. The direct hard savings in reduced DE consumption are typically modest in the financial justification of the STS 45 mobile serv-ice.

A key advantage of the STS 45 sys-tem over older centrifuges is very low oxygen pick-up, as low as 0.02 mg of oxygen per litre of wine. This means the same wine can be centrifuged mul-

tiple times during its maturation cycle. The low oxygen pick-up allows New Zealand cellars to maximise the finan-cial benefits of the STS 45’s broad spec-trum of juice & wine solids removal capabilities.

The STS 45 system has been devel-oped to handle a broad range of win-ery products.

Whole white juiceCold-settled juice leesWhite wine ex primary ferment (in-

cluding yeast lees)White wine ex bentonite (including

bentonite lees)Bentonite leesArrested ferments, late harvest &

botrytis stylesRed wine ex primary ferment (in-

cluding gross lees)Gross red leesRed wine ex malolactic fermentWines ex cold stabilisationCoarse polishing (prior to cross-

flow)

Mobile centrifuge service offered by

• White Lees• Juice Lees• Flotation Lees• Bentonite Lees• Stop Ferments• Polish Wines

• Minimal DO pickup• Minimal losses• Quality outcomes

For further information and details contact Guy Rutledge 021 783 236

[email protected] www.armourtech.co.nz

Typical flow rates• Lees – 1500 l/hr• Stop ferments – 6 to 8,000 l/hr• Polishing – 7 to 10,000 l/hr

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 153

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A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

*

STATISTICS FOR THE GRAPE AND WINE INDUSTRY

Summary of Key Indicators

Region 2010 2012 %Change %Total

(Actual) (Forecast) (from2010) Area(2010)

Marlborough 19295 19570 +1.4% 57.7%

HawkesBay 4947 5046 +2.0% 14.8%

Gisborne 2083 2003 -3.9% 6.2%

Otago 1540 1543 +0.2% 4.6%

Canty/Waipara 1779 1828 +2.7% 5.3%

Wairarapa/Wgtn 871 885 +1.6% 2.6%

Nelson 842 880 +4.6% 2.5%

Auckland 550 573 +4.1% 1.6%

Waikato/BoP147 147 n.c.* 0.4%

Nationaltotal 33428 33600 +0.5% 100.0%

Principal Export Markets

Variety 2010 2012 %Change %Total

(Actual) (Forecast) (from2009) Area(2011)

Sauv.Blanc 16910 17297 +2.2% 44.3%

Chardonnay 3865 3792 -1.9% 11.3%

PinotGris 1763 1764 n.c.* 4.3%

Riesling 986 1009 +2.3% 2.7%

Gewurztraminer 314 290 -7.7% 0.9%

Semillon 185 182 -2.7% 0.5%

PinotNoir 4773 4828 +1.1% 13.9%

Merlot 1371 1403 +2.3% 4.0%

Cab.Sauvignon519 521 +0.4% 1.5%

Syrah 297 300 +1.0% 0.8%

CabernetFranc 161 162 n.c.*% 0.5%

Malbec 157 161 +2.5% 0.5%

Total 33428 33600 +0.5%

*n.c.=nochange

1985 1990 1995 2000 2010

No.ofGrowers n/a n/a n/a n/a 1128

No.ofWineries n/a n/a 204 358 672

Producingarea(Ha)*5,900 4,880 6,110 10,197 33,428

Averageyield(t/Ha) 13.2 14.4 12.2 7.8 8.0

Tonnescrushed 78,000 70,265 74,500 80,100 266,000

Totalproduction(m.L)59.6 54.4 56.4 60.2 190.0

Domesticsales(m.L) 42.6 39.2 30.9 41.3 56.7

Percapitaconsumption:

(litresNZwines) 13.1 11.7 8.7 10.6 13.0

Exportvolume(m.L) 0.8 4.0 7.8 19.2 142

Exp.value(m.$NZfob)3.0 18.4 40.8 168.4

1041.0

*estimateofprobabletotalscaledupfromactualreturns

Country/Years Litres(m) +/-% TotalNZfob(m) +/-% Ave$NZ/L +/-%

Australia:

2011 47.038 +6.0 329.115 +1 $7.00 -4.6

2010 44.389 325.750 $7.34

UnitedKingdom:

2011 52.305 +24.8 296.686 +3.9 $5.68 -15.1

2010 42.708 285.630 $6.69

USA:

2010 32.623 +34.5 234.674 +7.1 $7.19 -10.0

2010 24.250 219036 $9.49

Canada:

2011 7.708 +27.2 62.547 +9.8 $8.11 -13.7

2010 6.060 56.941 $9.40

Netherlands:

2011 3.216 +27.1 23.359 +8.4 $7.26 -14.7

2010 2.530 21.522 $8.51

Ireland:

2011 2.184 +49.1 17.724 +18.9 $8.12 -20.2

2010 1.465 14.901 $10.17

China:

2011 1.561 +21.4 18.754+38.0% $10.57 -12.1

2010 1.286 13.591 $12.02

HongKong:

2011 1.113 -7.6 14.623 -7.8 $13.14 n.c.

2010 1.204 15.850 $13.15

Singapore:

2011 1.200 -23.4 14.028 -30.8 $11.69 -9.6

2010 1.567 20.258 $12.93

Denmark:

2011 1.079 +3.5 6.451 +11.6 $5.98 +7.9

2010 1.042 5.778 $5.54

Japan:

2011 0.848 +51.4 10.815 +33.9 $12.75 -11.5

2010 0.560 8.076 $14.41

Germany:

2011 0.678 +37.2 5.052 +14.4 $7.45 -16.8

2010 0.494 4.416 $8.95

Finland:(npr=notpreviouslyrecordedseparately)

2011 0.289 npr 2.673 npr $9.24 npr

npr npr npr npr

Norway:

2011 0.138 npr 1.118 npr $8.12 npr

npr npr npr npr

Sweden:

2011 1.607 npr 14.080 npr $8.76 npr

npr npr npr npr

Other:

2011 3.352 npr 34.111 npr $10.17 npr

npr npr npr npr

TotalExports:

2011 156.667 +20.4 1,080.951 +6.0 $6.90 -12.0

2010 130.130 1,019.808 $7.84

Following is a summary of key indicators at intervals:

Major Varieties in Major AreasNew 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.

Major NZ Vineyard Areas

Average $ per litre down again!While total annual exports of New Zealand wine for the 12 months to 31 January 2011 have stayed fairly static since passing the $1 billion over a year ago, the average $ per litre has dropped again, by by an alarming 94c. Compared with Jan 2010, annual exports increased 20% in volume, value increased only 6%, due to significantly higher bulk exports. In volume and value, Australia retained the lead over UK, with average per litre price to Aussie at $7.00 against UK’s low of $5.68.

54

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

Information and Updates on NZ Winegrowers Research Programmes.Associate Editors:

Philip Manson, Science & Innovations Manager • Dr Simon Hooker, Research Programme Manager

No 17 - April/May 2011

Research Supplement

New Zealand Winegrowers

List of Projects

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: www.nzwine.com/reports

Current Research Projects:

55

*Brackets indicate primary contact.

Understanding the accumulation of fruit based green aromatic methoxypyrazine compounds in Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grape berriesPlant and Food Research (Jeff Bennett)

Pilot sheep leaf plucking studyAgrivet Services ltd (Gina deNicolo)

Investigation of perceived minerality in white wineLincoln University (Wendy Parr)

Web programming Botrytis Decision Support Model (BDSM)Plant and Food Research (Rob Beresford)

Residue Free Soft Botryticide TrialsLewis Wright Valuation and Consultancy (Trevor Lupton)

Fruit yield management of Sauvignon Blanc: The use of Mechanical thinningPlant and Food Research (Mike Trought)

Effect of early leaf removal on Botrytis incidence and grape/wine compositionEIT (Mark Krasnow)

The influence of canopy management and architecture of Sauvignon Blanc grapevines on fruit and vegetative developmentPlant and Food Research (Marc Greven)

Organic Focus Vineyard ProjectOrganic Winegrowers New Zealand (Rebecca Reider)

Unlocking New Zealand Pinot Noir aroma through aroma reconstitution approachAuckland University (Laura Nicolau)

Sex pheromones as a mealybug monitoring tool, 2010-11Plant and Food Research (Jim Walker)

Analysing wine using PTR-MSOtago University (Patrick Silcock)

Biological control of Glassy winged sharpshooter (GWSS)Plant and Food Research (John Charles) Supported by MAF Sustainable Farming Fund

The science of Sauvignon Blanc publication Jamie Goode

Influence of training and crop load on grapevine yield and fruit compositionPlant and Food Research (Mike Trought)

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

The effect of light on grape berry and leaf biochemistryLincoln University (Brian Jordan)

Identification of metabolites in high-thiol grape juicesAuckland UniServices Ltd (Silas Villas-Boas)

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

Botryosphaeria Trunk Diseases - Identification, Epidemiology & ControlLincoln University (Marlene Jaspers)

Using Meteorological Data to Predict Regional Vineyard YieldPlant and Food Research (Mike Trought)

The Effect of Post-Harvest Defoliation on Carbon and Nitrogen Balance of High Yielding Sauvignon Blanc VinesPlant and Food Research (Marc Greven)

Irrigation Scheduling Calculator for Tree and Vine CropsHawkes Bay Regional Council (Monique Benson) Supported by MAF Sustainable Farming Fund

New Zealand Winegrower Magazine Research ArticlesVarious

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 1

PROGRESS REPORTS

56

Yield and fruit composition responses of Sauvignon Blanc to mechanical thinningSue Neal, Dion Mundy, Mike Trought and Dominic Pecchenino, Plant & Food ResearchNZW08-334

Mechanical thinning has the potential to be a cost-effec-tive means of controlling

grapevine crops to achieve target yields. In the 2010 growing season, the influence of mechanical thinning on vine yield components and fruit composition of Sauvignon Blanc at different growth stages was inves-tigated. A second objective was to measure botrytis bunch rot incidence and severity, and to provide a cost comparison of thinning on net vine-yard returns.

Mechanical thinning was under-taken either shortly after fruit set (13 January) or shortly before véraison (26 January) using a Nairn 1230 LS ma-chine harvester. The harvester belts were removed and wooden panels inserted to direct fruit to the ground beneath the canopy. Three beater rods were set up on each side of the har-vester, 1.2 to 1.4 m above the ground, allowing a 50-mm pinch between the ends of each beater. The beater speed was modified to apply either a light thin (400 strokes/minute) or heavy thin (450 strokes/minute). The har-vester travelled at 3.2 km/hour.

Influence of mechanical thinning on bunch development

Two weeks after the first thinning treatment, bunches from both lightly and heavily thinned vines had a more open structure than bunches from un-thinned vines (Figure 1). Berries with minor splitting and bruising were more prevalent in bunches from the heavily thinned treatment. The open bunch architecture was still observed at harvest for bunches produced on vines that had been machine thinned.

Influence of mechanical thinning on vine yield components at harvest

Compared with un-thinned vines, yields from mechanically thinned vines were reduced (Figure 2). How-ever, similar yields were harvested from the lightly and heavily machine thinned vines at both post-fruit set and pre-véraison thinning times. There was a greater percentage re-

duction in yield from vines that were mechanically thinned shortly after fruit set than from those mechanically thinned shortly before véraison.

Lower bunch weights and smaller, lighter berries were produced on ma-chine-thinned vines than on the un-thinned vines (Figure 2). The differ-

ence in berry size may be attributed to a cessation in berry growth for a period immediately following ma-chine thinning. Mechanical thinning shortly after fruit set may thin berries from bunches more effectively, result-ing in a more open bunch architec-ture that allows for better penetration

of bunch closure sprays. The timing and degree of thin-ning had no impact on the number of bunches removed

Figure 1. Influence of thinning method on bunch architecture two weeks after the first thinning treatment. Un-thinned (left), lightly machine thinned (centre) and heavily machine thinned (right) bunches.

Figure 2. Influence of thinning time and method on Sauvignon Blanc yield (top), bunch weight (centre) and berry weight (bottom) at harvest. Means within each thinning time for each yield parameter with different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05).

per vine. This supports observations made at both thinning times that yield reduction was mainly due to re-moval of berries from bunches, rather than whole bunches being removed from the vine. A further reduction in yield was caused by a smaller propor-tion of remaining berries shrivelling. Visual observations were made that berries from machine thinned vines appeared to produce less juice in the gondola and had altered skin to juice ratios.

Influence of mechanical thinning on fruit composition at harvest

Mechanical thinning shortly after fruit set had no significant effect on soluble solids, titratable acidity and pH when compared to the unthined control (Table 1). While small differ-ences caused by thinning at veraison were statistically significant, they were unexpected, with thinned fruit having a lower soluble solids and pH suggesting that thinning had delayed fruit ripening.

Thinning method means within each thinning time with different let-ters are significantly different (P < 0.05).

Influence of mechanical thinning on Botrytis bunch rot severity at har-vest

No significant timing or interac-

tion effects were observed; therefore, data were pooled to compare light and heavy mechanical thinning. Vines that were heavily machine thinned had significantly lower bot-rytis bunch rot than un-thinned vines. These lower disease incidences may be attributed to the more open bunch architecture, removal of debris from bunches, and/or reduced susceptibil-ity to disease through physiological changes in the berries (i.e. increased skin thickness). Although botrytis severity was low across all thinning methods, results suggest that me-chanical thinning may allow for im-proved disease control under higher disease pressure.

Means with different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05).

Cost comparison of mechanical thinning and hand thinning

Mechanical thinning cost $0.13 per m of row, while hand thinning was estimated to cost between $0.17 and $0.18 per m of row. These findings suggest that mechanical thinning is a faster and more efficient method of thinning, allowing growers to achieve target yields reliably and to thin large tracts of vineyard practically in a re-stricted timeframe.

Key findings and recommendationsMechanical thinning appears to

be a cost-effective means of control-ling grapevine crops to achieve tar-get yields, reducing grapevine yields at harvest by 20-30% compared with those from un-thinned vines. Me-chanical thinning shortly after fruit set is recommended, as this provid-ed a greater percentage reduction in yield than did thinning shortly before véraison. However, the open bunch architecture present two weeks after thinning and again at harvest indi-cates that there is a reasonable win-dow between fruit set and véraison when thinning could be carried out. Mechanical thinning may also offer an alternative method to improve botrytis bunch rot control.

The influence of mechanical thin-ning on the flavour and aroma pro-file of wine was not studied in this research. Although mechanical thin-ning did not adversely affect fruit composition at harvest, smaller ber-ries were produced, which may influ-ence wine composition and flavour profile. Further research will investi-gate the influence of mechanical thin-ning on wine quality. The impact of the smaller berry size on juice yield per tonne of harvested fruit will also be evaluated.

The outcomes from this research indicate that mechanical thinning provides growers with a reliable method to reduce crop load, and flex-ibility in terms of when thinning can be carried out. Future work is planned to determine what degrees of machine thinning remove specific quantities of crop.

AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to ac-

knowledge New Zealand Winegrow-ers for funding the project; the PFR staff at the Marlborough Wine Re-search Centre for field and laboratory technical assistance; Gareth Hill for assistance with processing disease data; and the staff at Matador Wines for support and assistance.

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Table 1. Influence of thinning time and thinning method on Sauvignon Blanc juice composition at harvest.

Table 2. Influence of thinning method on botrytis bunch rot severity (%) at harvest.

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Early defoliation as a technique to manage crop, reduce rot losses, and increase quality of Hawke’s Bay fruitMark KrasnowNZW10-120

Many climate change predic-tions show that New Zea-land may experience more

summer rain and higher average temperatures, conditions that favour Botrytis infections.

New Zealand Winegrowers in conjunction with Hawke’s Bay Wine-growers have commission the grape and wine research staff of EIT, to investigate the use of early defolia-tion as a technique to reduce bunch compactness, and therefore rot losses. Tighter bunches are more prone to rot, and rot spreads more quickly in tight bunches than it does in looser bunch-es. Reducing fruitset should lead to looser bunches, and thus greatly re-duce losses due to bunch rots. Found

to be an e effective approach in Eu-rope, its effectiveness under Hawke’s Bay conditions is being investigated by the research team. The team is investigating the influence of the tim-ing of defoliation. The first treatment involves the removal before flower-ing of the six basal leaves, totalling 60-70% of the leaf area. This treatment is being compared with the same six leaves removed either 10 days after flowering, or at pre bunch closure. These treatments are also being ap-plied to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Mer-lot, and Sauvignon Blanc, varieties of importance to Hawke’s Bay and prone to rot due to having compact bunches.

Another possible benefit of ear-

ly defoliation is the reduction in fruit methoxypyrazine concentrations. Methoxypyrazines are compounds that give distinctive herbaceous, par-ticularly capsicum, character to wines. A small amount of methoxypyrazine is considered varietal character, while excessive amounts, especially in reds, are considered a defect. In the US de-foliation 10 days after flowering has been shown to reduce methoxypyra-zines by around 50% in Merlot and Cabernet Franc. So the impact of the same defoliation treatments (preflow-ering, 10 days after flowering, and pre bunch closure) on grape and wine methoxypyrazine concentrations in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is also part of this research.

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Grapevine trunk diseases in New ZealandDion Mundy1 and Mike Manning21The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Marlborough Wine Research Centre, P.O. Box 845, Blenheim 7240, New Zealand2The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Mt Albert Research Centre, Private Bag 92169, Auckland, New Zealand

Trunk diseases and virus are the two main threats to longev-ity of vineyards in New Zea-

land. Recognition of the importance of trunk diseases to the future of the wine industry has resulted in invest-ment in research by individuals, com-panies, New Zealand Winegrowers and central government. Grapevine trunk diseases have been the topic of discussion at numerous wine indus-try field days and workshops as new results and ideas have become avail-able. However, accessing information between presentations has not always been possible. Plant & Food Research and the Marlborough Wine Research Centre have launched a website to provide the New Zealand Wine In-dustry with information about grape-vine trunk diseases

http://wineresearch.org.nz/publica-tions/MarlboroughTrunkDiseaseWeb.htm

The website provides contact details for researchers currently in-volved in trunk disease research, and access to publications. Information

on the site includes fact sheets about diseases and related management of vines, published abstracts, links to in-ternational websites about trunk dis-eases, a calculation spreadsheet tool for investigating costs of trunk dis-eases, and links to published papers on trunk diseases that are available to the public free of charge. This website will be updated as new information becomes available.

A recent addition to the website is link to a paper titled “Ecology and management of grapevine trunk diseases in New Zealand: a review” published in the New Zealand Plant Protection journal in August 2010

http://wineresearch.org.nz/publica-tions/TrunkDiseaseAbstracts.htm

This paper provides information on botryosphaeria dieback, esca, eu-typa dieback and Petri disease, with a focus on New Zealand growing con-ditions and current knowledge at the time of publication. For each disease, information has been provided on symptoms, causal organism, disease cycle and control. The paper con-

cludes with the summary that good cultural practices, such as removing infected wood and protecting prun-ing wounds from infection, are still the best ways for the industry to re-duce the spread of trunk diseases.

If you have questions regarding information on grapevine trunk dis-eases or have trouble accessing the website, please contact Dion Mundy at [email protected].

AcknowledgementsInformation for this article and

the website was developed from re-search funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (Contract CO6X0810), the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Sustainable Farming Fund, New Zea-land Winegrowers, the Marlborough Wine Research Centre and Technol-ogy New Zealand Smart Start. We would also like to acknowledge Mar-lene Jaspers and her team at Lincoln University for their contribution to grapevine trunk and root disease re-search in New Zealand.

The influence of training systems and crop load on grapevine yield and fruit compositionJeff Bennett1, Marc Greven1 and Amber Parker21Plant and Food Research, PO Box 845, Blenheim, 72012Lincoln University, NZW09-115

In 2008, grape supply exceeded demand for New Zealand wine for the first time, resulting in ex-

cess wine stocks. As such, for New Zealand grape producers, manag-ing supply has required a re-think of production objectives concerning both volume and quality of grapes produced. Sauvignon Blanc (ap-proximately 63% of all New Zealand grape tonnage) has traditionally been grown in New Zealand using the relatively high yielding 4-cane verti-

cal shoot positioned (VSP) training system. This system allows for a high node and shoot number per metre of vineyard canopy and hence high yield potential. In cooler or higher yielding seasons, this system can lead to difficulty in achieving desired fruit ripeness, resulting in unsatisfacto-rily low soluble solids (°Brix) content, high acid concentrations and more recently, overproduction of grapes. As such, wine company production targets have moved to controlling

yield and improving or changing fruit maturity/composition goals to meet increasing market demands for new styles of high quality wines.

Altering the number of canes laid down at pruning (node number per vine) or leaf area by changing the training system are practical ways of controlling yield and ripeness. The objectives of this research were to de-termine: (1) the influence of training systems on Sauvignon Blanc grape-vine performance; 2) the influence of

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crop load on vine performance and fruit characteristics; and (3) the influ-ence of leaf area to fruit weight ratio on varietal phenology and matura-tion. The outcomes of this research are critical to understanding the long-term sustainability of grapevine yield manipulation and its relevance to achieving pre-planned production and fruit quality targets.

Influence of five training systems (2- cane VSP, 4-cane VSP, Scott-Henry, Spur pruning and Sylvoz) on Sauvignon Blanc grapevine performance

The soluble solids content of fruit was negatively related to vine yield for the different training systems (Ta-ble 1).

The split canopy training systems of Scott-Henry and Sylvoz, which were predicted to advance fruit rip-ening and/or sustain ripeness un-der heavier yields, in fact did not improve the soluble solids content significantly. Results for the Spur pruning system, which has been con-sidered a poor alternative to 4-cane pruning because of perceived lower

yields, indicated a consistent node number of around 70% of the 4-cane system yields reliably at 80% of the 4-cane vines. Previous research has

illustrated that higher yields affect soluble solids accumulation by de-laying the date of véraison and the subsequent rate of soluble solids ac-cumulation.

The 2-cane vine yield has stabi-lised at approximately 75% of that of 4-cane system, as shown for the past four seasons (2006 to 2009 harvests) (Figure 1). In the 2010 season, the 2-cane system yield increased further to 85% of 4-cane yield. Second-year 3-cane vines totally compensated for yield relative to long-term 4-cane vines.

Examination of historical data (2007 and 2008 seasons) revealed that water stress interacted with vine yield to alter fruit maturity further. The soluble solids content of fruit from water-stressed vines was lower at high yields than the soluble solids content of equivalent yielding non or low water-stressed vines (Figure 2). This response suggests water stress reduced photosynthates available for adequate soluble solids accumulation in berries under high yield condi-

Table 1. The effect of Sauvignon Blanc grapevine training systems on vine yield and fruit composition 2010.

Figure 1. Yield compensation shown by 2- and 3-cane versus 4-cane pruned Sauvignon Blanc grapevines over the 2004-2010 period.

Figure 2. Relationship between Sauvignon Blanc grapevine yield and fruit soluble solids as influenced by training system and block position (North vs. South) within the vineyard 2007.

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tions. Under lower yield conditions, the fruit demand appears to be insuf-ficient to impair the accumulation of soluble solids in berries under water stress conditions. However, the in-fluence of water stress on berry acid concentrations is arguably more pro-found, with water stress, significantly reducing acidity of mature berries in both seasons, regardless of yield (re-sults not shown).

Influence of crop load on vine per-formance and fruit characteristics

Increasing the number of re-tained nodes after pruning from vines that had been 4-cane pruned before the experiment resulted in a linear increase in vine yield when cane number was modified to vary from between 2 to 6 (Figure 3). Where treatments resulted in lower yields, initially the response was mainly seen in a greater vegetative growth, in particular shoot and cane weights and diameters. In following seasons, yield differences became less because low cane numbers increased in yield while high cane numbers declined in yield relatively. In 2009 and 2010, in-creasing the number of canes beyond 3-cane (36 nodes) had little influence on the overall yield. This was caused by the variation in the components of yield (bunches per node and bunch weight). Simultaneously over the years, compensation in vegetative growth was reduced, providing an insight into the vine responses over time to different cane numbers laid down.

Until véraison, the different cane numbers and hence crop loads (bunch number per vine) of the vines had little influence on the phenology of the vine. Small delays in the date of véraison, and greater influences of the treatments on the rate of soluble solids accumulation as the fruit rip-ened, led to harvest maturity (21.5 oBrix) being reached up to 14 days later where 6 canes were retained compared with 2 canes. This delay in maturity (as observed in the first season) is significant, putting the fruit at greater risk of not achieving a com-mercially acceptable soluble solids or succumbing to disease such as botry-tis bunch rot. In succeeding seasons the decrease in the difference in yield among cane numbers correlated with a decrease in difference in time to ma-turity.

Cane number had little effect on ti-

tratable acidity despite the initial large difference in crop load. As a result, at any given date the soluble solids:acid ratio was lower where vines carried a greater crop load, because of the high-er number of retained canes.

Influence of leaf area:fruit weight ratio on varietal phenology and maturation

In practice, the leaf area to fruit weight ratio can also be manipulated by leaf removal (leaf plucking/top-ping) or cluster thinning. However, for the two levels of leaf number tested (12 or 6 main leaves per shoot), only when shoots were reduced to 6 leaves was the onset of véraison de-layed.

The duration of véraison was also extended, resulting in a signifi-cant delay in achieving desired fruit soluble solids maturity. Results also showed varietal differences in re-sponse to changing leaf area to fruit weight ratio.

For Pinot Noir, there was little influence on rate of soluble solids accumulation; rather the timing for the onset of ripening was affected by altering the leaf area to fruit weight ratio.

Sauvignon Blanc véraison was de-layed with a decrease of leaf area to fruit weight ratio and there was also in general a slower rate of soluble sol-ids accumulation when the leaf area to fruit weight ratio was decreased. This was also observed for the 6-leaf no cluster thinning treatment applied at véraison (period 2), which indi-cated the mechanisms driving this may be different from those present during Pinot Noir maturation (with larger bunches and ripening during

a cooler period for Sauvignon Blanc).

Key pointsYield differences caused by the

various training systems were reflect-ed in soluble solids content at harvest, with training systems producing the highest yields having the lowest solu-ble solids content.

Changes in exposed canopy area (i.e., divided canopy) associated with the change in Scott Henry and Sylvoz training systems had no effect on sol-uble solids.

Spur pruning appeared to be the most stable and predictable training system and therefore, may be a better and more efficient viticultural option.

Reasons for this are that in the long term, this training system maintains yields at approximately 80% of 4-cane and does not invoke yield compen-sation responses like 2- and 3-cane pruning systems do. Spur pruning is also cheaper operationally, where mechanical pruning savings of up to 30% of annual production costs can be achieved.

According to winemaker perspec-tives, Spur-pruned vines have con-sistently achieved a ‘good’ to ‘excel-lent’ fruit maturity composition in every season for New Zealand-styled Sauvignon Blanc.

These training system experiments highlight an important outcome cur-rently pertinent to the industry, and that is, reducing node (cane) num-bers at pruning alone will not always or consistently reduce yield. Rather, yield responses are highly depend-ent on the methods by which node number is regulated, because some approaches exhibit large yield com-pensation responses, whereas other

Figure 3. Yield assessment for Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown on vines pruned to different node numbers.

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methods do not.Fewer canes (2-3) provide overall

better balance between fruit develop-ment and timing of ripeness without a proportional reduction in yield in the long term, comparing with traditional 4-cane vines.

This indicates that these may be the optimum cane numbers to retain when growing Sauvignon Blanc on the relatively fertile sites in Marlbor-ough in a typical growing season. The potential to use crop load to modify the relationship between soluble sol-ids and titratable acid provides win-emakers with another tool to manipu-late fruit characteristics.

Reducing to six main leaves per shoot, rather than no crop removal after flowering, delayed the timing

of véraison and fruit maturity and composition at harvest time. In real-ity, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are generally managed to a high leaf number per shoot in New Zealand. As such, cluster thinning between flow-ering and véraison may not achieve great advancements in véraison where the canopy has greater than six leaves per shoot.

The outcomes from this research will directly help the wine industry to fulfil its current objectives of regulat-ing yield and gaining closer control of fruit maturity and composition.

The research provides practical management options that industry viticulturists and grape growers can use to manage yield and quality in the short, medium and long term within

the context of New Zealand’s contem-porary viticulture production envi-ronment.

Acknowledgements The authors would like to ac-

knowledge New Zealand Winegrow-ers for financial support; Mike Croad, Craig Thompson, Vanessa Barker, Mike Poff, Gary Armstrong, Jeff Cot-tle and Vanessa Murell from Villa Maria, Marlborough, for their in-kind support and cooperation; P&FR staff at the Marlborough Wine Research Centre for field and laboratory techni-cal assistance; Specterra Services for the provision of the aerial PCD figure of the vineyard; and Roger Creswell, Lincoln University, for carrying out the carbon isotope analysis.

Investigation of perceived minerality in white wineDr Wendy Parr, Associate Professor Robert Sherlock, Dr Brett Robinson, & Jason Breitmeyer, Lincoln University, Christchurch; Dr Dominique Valentin, Professor Catherine Dacremont, Dr Jordi Ballester, & Dr Dominique Peyron, University of Burgundy, France.NZW10-115

What do we mean when we use the term “mineral” to describe sensory experi-

ence of a wine? Can we smell min-

eral, or is it something we experience in the mouth only? Does the ‘taste’ of mineral (i.e., retro-nasal aroma of mineral) involve mouth-feel charac-

teristics (trigeminal nerve stimula-tion)? In what way(s) is acidity impli-cated? And what are the underlying chemical compounds and wine con-

How vine trimming affects shoot growth and bunch development Marc GrevenNZW10-116

With the advent of machine harvesting, vine trimming has become a standard

vineyard practice. The removal of the apical growing point stimulates new growth such as lateral shoots. This vegetative growth is thought to compete with fruit development for resources, so the timing of vine trim-ming and its effects on both lateral shoot growth and bunch develop-ment are investigated. A key objec-tive is to understand how the seasonal development of fruit may be affected by the practice of vine trimming.

A technique using 14C radioactive isotopes has been shown to be an ef-fective way to demonstrate in vivo movement of photosynthetically fixed carbon through plants, by measuring

the emissions from the radio-labelled carbon as it is allocated throughout the plant. In-depth knowledge about how and where photosynthetic as-similates (mainly carbohydrates) are supplied to the vegetative and fruit tissues will allow determination of the relative strengths of each of these sinks during key developmental peri-ods.

Continuous measurements of the carbon movement from a 14C labelled leaf to the lateral shoot and bunch in potted vines will allow us to quantify the effect of trimming on the patterns of carbon allocation between these competing sinks. Understanding this manipulation of carbon allocation will focus on answering questions such as:

Will trimming change the assimi-late allocation in ways that favour de-velopment of bunches on the shoot?

Does trimming induce reallocation of assimilates in order to re-establish apical growth through the growth of lateral shoots?

If so, what is the effect on fruit (bunch) development?

During this year (2011), we will make ‘proof of concept’ measure-ments of the 14C movement from sin-gle shoot vines when:

Not trimming the vine at allTrimming the vine before véraisonTrimming of vine after véraison.This work is funded by New Zea-

land Winegrowers and the results will be reported on before the start of the 2011-2012 season.

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stituents that give rise to perception of mineral?

These are some of the questions about to be investigated in a new proj-ect funded by New Zealand Wine-growers, and involving researchers from Lincoln University in New Zea-land and the University of Burgundy in France.

A major strength of the project is that it not only aims to empirically investigate the sensory experience of mineral in Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand and France, but also to associate the sensory data with substantial chemical and instrumen-tal results so as to provide sound data on the topic for wine industry profes-sionals.

Although perception of minerality in wine is currently a hot topic, there is little scholarly work to answer the above questions.

There is however much anecdotal evidence.

In particular, European wine pro-fessionals consider aspects of terroir (notably soil type) and qualitative and quantitative aspects of acidity as

important contributors to perceived minerality.

With respect to Sauvignon Blanc, the classic wines from central France have a long history of being described in terms of stony/soil notes (e.g., “flinty”; “silex”) by their producers and by wine writers.

On the other hand, Marlborough Sauvignons judged as exhibiting high typicality have historically been de-scribed as fruit-driven rather than exhibiting obvious minerality. In a recent study this picture is less clear, with intensity of mineral character judged to be similar in the French and N.Z. Sauvignons.

The concurrent increased usage of the descriptor “mineral” for New World wines and the increased usage of anoxic bottle closures, in particular screw-cap closures, has not gone un-noticed by several Australasian and U.K. wine writers.

Various hypotheses have been put forward, often indirectly, to suggest that increased perception of miner-ality in N.Z. Sauvignons could have its basis not in factors considered im-

portant in Europe but in other factors such as (i) sulphide reduction and in-fluence of transition metal elements, or (ii) in the sensory context created by relative absence of fruit in combi-nation with perceived herbaceous/green characteristics.

Over the next 18 months, we will be investigating several of the most plausible hypotheses in an effort at providing a better understanding of perceived minerality for the wine in-dustry and for science.

Sensory, instrumental and chemi-cal analyses planned include meas-ures of organic acids, pH, TA, sugars, dry extract, and alcohol level along with chemical analyses of transition metal elements and fermentation-de-rived impact compounds.

Multivariate analyses pioneered by Vicente Ferreira and colleagues will be employed to associate the dif-ferent types of data so as to give us a ‘picture’ of the salient wine constitu-ents and parameters that drive types of perceived minerality such as flinty notes, perception of low fruitiness, or perceived reductive notes.

Three Lincoln University participants (from left): Dr Brett Robinson, associate professor Robert Sherlock, Jason Breitmeyer.

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Figure 1. Botrytis bunch rot develops on ripening grapes and can cause severe loss of yield and reduced wine quality in some seasons. Botrytis risk is greatest when wet weather occurs just before harvest, but the potential for botrytis damage is partly determined by the amount of botrytis activity in the vineyard early in the season, between flowering and the beginning of ripening (veraison). Botrytis activity can be reduced by various management actions. Fungicides are the main tool available to reduce botrytis risk, but these are restricted to early-season use because of the risk of chemical residues on harvested fruit. Biological control agents and benign chemicals suitable for “organic” production can be used, but their efficacy is very variable compared with that of the most effective of the synthetic fungicides. Management actions that decrease canopy density (pruning regimes, vine trimming, nitrogen management and leaf removal) greatly decrease botrytis risk.

The question “will the current spell of wet weather cause bot-rytis bunch rot to be a problem

this vintage?” arises at various times during the season in most New Zea-land wine production areas. Usually, the answer remains unknown until just before harvest, when there are few actions that can be taken to pre-vent botrytis. However, the factors that drive vineyard risk of botrytis are largely known and, if they could be quantified, it should be possible to provide vineyard managers with accurate botrytis risk information throughout the whole season. Identi-fying botrytis risk well before harvest would allow more timely application of management actions (Figure 1).

The Botrytis Decision Support Model (BDSM) that Plant & Food Research is implementing with New Zealand Winegrowers is the result of more than 10 years of research to quantify risk factors and predict the botrytis outcome each season. The goals of this work are to reduce seasonal variability in grape yield and wine quality and to reduce risk

64

Figure 2. Inputs into E-BDSM are weather data, including dates for vine growth stages (observed or anticipated), crop load, vine canopy vigour and the severity of botrytis in the previous season. Management actions include dates for application of any fungicides or biological control agents that are effective against botrytis, and canopy management in the form of leaf plucking.

Supporting good botrytis management Rob Beresford & Gareth Hill, Plant & Food Research, Mt Albert Research CentreNZW09-108

of fungicide residues on harvested grapes by providing information that helps with botrytis management.

BDSM predicts botrytis risk using statistical relationships between bot-rytis severity, weather, and vineyard factors that were identified during the course of vineyard trials in New Zea-land and Australia over a nine-year period. There are two separate mod-els, the E-BDSM for the early-season

(flowering to veraison) and the L-BDSM for the late-season (veraison to harvest). Inputs for both models include weather data from a nearby weather station and vineyard infor-mation from individual grape blocks. Each model produces a graphical summary of how botrytis risk is de-veloping over time. The two compo-nent models operate independently of each other.

E-BDSM uses vineyard inputs (Figure 2) to assess risk in individual grape blocks, but can also be used to compare weather-related risks be-tween regions and seasons. E-BDSM-predicts the risk that botrytis severity will reach more than 3% at harvest (Figure 3). Because actual harvest se-verity is affected by wet weather dur-ing ripening, which is unpredictable early in the season, E-BDSM cannot always predict the correct botrytis outcome from early in the season. Instead, E-BDSM identifies potential botrytis risk generated by early-sea-son weather patterns, and identifies management actions that can reduce

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that risk, including fungicide and bio-logical control agent applications and canopy management (Figure 4). E-BDSM can also be used for retrospec-tive analysis of the previous season’s disease control programme perform-ance.

L-BDSM tracks development of botrytis and berry sugar content (oBrix) in individual vineyard blocks. Measurements of botrytis severity during bunch development (Figure 5) are used to predict the future rate of botrytis increase (Figure 6). L-BDSM supports decisions on removal of botrytis-affected bunches during ripening and planning of harvest op-erations to minimise botrytis damage. To assist tracking of multiple grape blocks, BDSM prioritises high risk blocks for scheduling of spraying or harvesting.

Botrytis tracking has been chosen as the basis for late-season predic-tion, rather than prediction from a weather model, because the use of weather data alone has not provided a reliable indication of disease. Even rainfall in the pre-harvest period has not given reliable predictions. This is not surprising when you consider how site-specific botrytis epidemics are. Although wet weather generally produces more botrytis, if you think about two sites in a region receiving similar pre-harvest rainfall, they will probably not have the same botrytis severity at harvest. Given the site-specificity of botrytis epidemics, the only reliable predictor of future bot-rytis severity at a particular site is the severity up to the current day). How-ever, the input into the model of mul-tiple botrytis readings for multiple sites may not be practical because of

the high cost of intensive monitoring. It is therefore recommended to moni-tor botrytis closely in one or two high risk blocks to obtain an accurate indi-cation of seasonal botrytis risk in an area. A method for rapid estimation of botrytis severity from the incidence of infected bunches in a vineyard is being developed to allow multiple botrytis severity measurements to be made at many sites at low cost. This will allow the L-BDSM predictions to be used for area-wide interpretation of botrytis risk to help with harvest scheduling.

Accuracy of BDSMThe accuracy of the E-BDSM, the L-

BDSM and the Brix prediction model has been tested over the last three years. Even though the prediction of major or minor botrytis epidemics by the E-BDSM is based on statistical relationships, the rate of correct pre-dictions has been low (39%) because late-season wet weather has an over-riding influence on harvest severity of botrytis.

The accuracy of the L-BDSM has been higher, at 85%, using two botry-tis measurements. The L-BDSM accu-

Figure 3. E-BDSM output shows weather risk between flowering (capfall) and veraison, as an accumulation of the “Bacchus” risk index, reflecting surface wetness that promotes botrytis activity in the vine canopy. If the rate at which Bacchus risk accumulates is above the dotted threshold line for more than 20 days, it indicates high risk that a major botrytis epidemic will occur, i.e., that by harvest, botrytis will reach more than 3% severity (sometimes called percentage rot or crop loss). The threshold line is affected by crop load, canopy vigour and the previous season’s botrytis severity at harvest. This image shows Bacchus accumulation for an entire early-season period, but the model can be run at any time from flowering, with real or hypothetical inputs. Future predictions about botrytis risk are made using the rate of Bacchus accumulation up to the current time.

Figure 4. Inputs into the E-BDSM of fungicides, biological control agents and leaf plucking raise the Bacchus threshold, as shown by the red “managed” threshold line. When management actions are applied, the Bacchus index would have to accumulate at a faster rate to produce a high risk situation. Using E-BDSM interactively with hypothetical inputs, you can identify the number, type and timing of management actions that could bring botrytis risk down. Sometimes, no matter how many management inputs are made, the number of days above the threshold cannot be brought down to the level where a minor epidemic is predicted. This situation indicates high early-season risk and should be followed up by monitoring of the vineyard block for botrytis, starting just after veraison, to provide accurate severity measurements for the L-BDSM.\

A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 166

racy improves as more observations are entered and it is recommended that 4-6 oBrix and botrytis measure-ments should be made between verai-son and harvest.

Although high accuracy is desir-able, it is not the only requirement for a useful decision support tool. If the BDSM alerts growers to risk of botry-tis and leads to timely management actions that would have otherwise not have happened, then it serves a useful purpose.

Similarly, if it stimulates vineyard

monitoring or allows growers to see the relative benefits of different ap-proaches to botrytis management, then it is useful. However, the more accurate the model is, the more useful it will be, and the data being collected as users of the Botrytis Decision Sup-port website enter their vineyard in-formation will be used for ongoing refinement of the BDSM to improve its accuracy.

AcknowledgementsResearch projects contributing to

implementation of the BDSM were funded by New Zealand Winegrow-ers, Grape and Wine Research & Development Corporation (Austral-ia), Plant & Food Research and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (C06X0810).

Research groups who contributed data for calibrating the BDSM were the University of Tasmania, the Vic-torian Department of Primary Indus-tries. The Botrytis Decision Support web site, which hosts the BDSM, was created by HortPlusTM

Figure 5. L-BDSM does not rely as heavily on weather information as E-BDSM, although the Bacchus index is again used to determine potential botrytis severity for a given site. L-BDSM uses measurements of botrytis severity and berry sugar concentration (oBrix) in the vineyard between veraison and harvest. Inputs include the target oBrix for the current season, and the oBrix the block normally reaches, to allow the model to estimate the date the target oBrix will be reached.

Figure 6. From a series of botrytis severity measurements, L-BDSM extrapolates the future rate of botrytis increase to the date when the target oBrix is predicted. The more oBrix and severity measurements that are entered, the more accurate the prediction becomes. Because it is costly to monitor botrytis severity, it is best to monitor high risk grape blocks, i.e., ones with predicted high early-season risk, or ones that suffer botrytis losses in most seasons.

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