New Zealand Winegrower October - November 2025

Business Forum

Change and opportunity

Wine Tourism

Growing brand fans

Waste not

Meet the New Zealand Young Winemaker and Young Viticulturist of the Year

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Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year Ruby McManaway and New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year Anna Kelland at the New Zealand Winegrowers Celebration in Ōtautahi Christchurch in August. Go to pages 40 and 42.

Editorial Sophie Preece

From the Chair

Philip Gregan

The Profile

Sherwyn Veldhuizen & Marcel Giesen

Art of Wine

Ata Rangi

Wine Weather James Morrison

Wine Business Forum

Turning change into opportunity, adopting bespoke approaches in Asia, and ensuring credibility in sustainability were just some of the topics at the Wine Business Forum.

Wine Tourism

New Zealand wine tourism has evolved into a sophisticated, diverse and resilient part of the sector’s economy. EMMA JENKINS MW talks to wineries offering a warm welcome, from simple cellar interactions to flagship premium experiences.

Intergenerational View

Fifty years after Ivan and Chris Donaldson helped pioneer winegrowing in North Canterbury, and 40 years after they planted Pegasus Bay, the third of their four sons, Ed, talks of the privilege of working in the family business.

EDITOR Sophie Preece

sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

CORRESPONDENTS

North Island

Joelle Thomson

Emma Jenkins MW

South Island

Claire Finlayson

Stephanie McIntyre

Joanna Grigg

ADVERTISING

Upper North Island: Stephen Pollard

stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz

Ph: 021 963 166

Central & Lower North Island: Lisa Wise lisaw@ruralnews.co.nz

Ph: 027 369 9218

South Island:

Kaye Sutherland kayes@ruralnews.co.nz

Ph: 021 221 1994

CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Sarah Adams saraha@nzwine.com 09 306 5644

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

PUBLISHING & PRE-PRESS

Rural News Group

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Ph: 09 307 0399

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

Publisher: Brian Hight

Managing Editor: Adam Fricker

Production: Rebecca Williams

Published by Rural News Group Ltd under authority of New Zealand Winegrowers Inc. Unless directly attributed, opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Rural News Group and/or its directors or management, New Zealand Winegrowers Inc. or its constituent organisations. Published every second month. One free copy is mailed to every member of New Zealand Winegrowers Inc, 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.

ISSN 1174-5223

From the Editor

New Zealand is the “last great bastion standing” when it comes to wine imports to the United States, wine-business analyst Rob McMillan told the New Zealand Wine 2025 Wine Business Forum in August. “Because… you guys still actually have growth.” Rob, who is founder and author of the Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the Wine Industry Report, said there are a lot of reasons for New Zealand wine’s position, “but in my opinion… it’s that you guys have the best value, and that’s not about price. Value is about the perceived quality and price together. I think you guys have that in spades.”

He wasn’t the only one offering a bright light amid the gloom, with Hong Kong-based wine journalist Natalie Wang talking of China’s economy slowing and wine imports trending down. But New Zealand is an outlier, she told the audience (see page 18). “It’s punching above its weight.” Business dining is on the down and lifestyle-driven consumption is on the rise, which is seeing white wine growth in the market. That’s a win for New Zealand producers because the category and branded image is already quite well known to consumers, Natalie said. “That’s something you can leverage.”

On the topic of silver linings softening storm clouds, the talent and passion of New Zealand’s wine industry was on show at the Celebration Dinner that followed the forum, with Anna Kelland named Young Viticulturist of the Year and Ruby McManaway crowned Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year, while the other regional finalists cheered them on. The 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows – Judy Finn, Gwyn Williams, Jenny Dobson, Clive Jones and Mark Allen – also took to the stage, celebrated for their indefatigable pursuit of better wines and vines, better governance and marketing, and better sustainability measures.

This edition covers the Business Forum then drives on through to the walking and cycling trails of New Zealand wine tourism, where warm hospitality casts a halo over wine brands, giving visitors experiences that will long influence their wine buying decisions. “Our presence in global markets is enhanced by local wine tourism,” says Sonya Coutts from Palliser Estate. “Many overseas tourists go on to purchase our wine products back in their home country.”

This edition also marks a retirement announcement from New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan, after 43 years of incredible commitment to the industry, 34 of them at the helm. “There have been many highlights over the years, but without doubt the biggest highlight has been the privilege of working with and for our brilliant growers and winemakers,” he says. “Their passionate commitment to everything that New Zealand wine stands for continues to inspire me.”

Sophie Preece EDITOR

Jo Grigg

Jo Grigg is a freelance journalist specialising in primary industries. Based in Marlborough, she’s involved in the family business growing beef, sheep meat, wool and grapes. In this edition Jo talks to Mark Allen about the allure of longspur pruning.

Go to page 33

Contributors

Emma Jenkins MW

For much of its modern history, New Zealand wine has been defined by its boldness, writes Emma Jenkins MW in her ‘Musings’. But its less flashy relative, bravery, is no less important. “If boldness grabs headlines, bravery sustains them.”

Go to page 48

Sophie Badland

Cellar door staff can play a key role in protecting New Zealand’s wine industry, by educating international visitors about biosecurity, writes Biosecurity and Emergency Response Manager Sophie Badland.

Go to page 52

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Voting time From the CEO

PHILIP GREGAN

Over the past three years or so, the New Zealand Winegrowers Board has consulted with members on proposals to reform NZW with the simple goal of ensuring the future organisation is fit for purpose. That process will take another step forward at the NZW Annual Members Meeting, to be held online on 22 October, when a proposal to vote on changes to the NZW Rules will be submitted to members for consideration and approval. To be adopted the Rule changes need to gather support from 75% of members voting at the meeting, or if a poll vote is called, from 75% of Levy Votes and 75% of Member Votes represented at the meeting.

The meeting is being held online, as that is the easiest (and most cost effective) way to gather members together to discuss and vote on the changes. All that is required from members is a little time to consider the proposals and then to vote. And if for some reason you can’t attend the meeting, you can always appoint a proxy to attend and vote on your behalf.

The Proposals

While the current proposals are the recommendations of the Board, they are firmly rooted in the feedback received from various member consultations in recent years. That feedback showed that, in general terms, members supported a smaller Board and having more independent directors on the Board. Similarly, members have also supported providing an avenue for younger industry members to gain governance experience via NZW, and using NZW committees to enhance representation from across the industry in NZW activities.

That member feedback has now been

codified into the proposed changes to the NZW Rules, which have been communicated to members in recent weeks. In summary the proposals include;

• Reducing the size of the Board from 12 down to nine directors

• Decreasing the number of elected directors from 10 down to six, while maintaining the even split between member class and levy class directors.

• Moving from two appointed directors on the current Board, to three independent directors on the new Board (provided the elected directors meet certain representation criteria). The independent directors must be truly independent of the industry – i.e. they cannot be a member, associate member, associated with a member or associate member, or have any current material involvement in the sector.

• Introducing a 10-year limit on the time any director may spend on the Board.

• Providing for up to two associate directors to be appointed to the Board; this proposal is aimed at allowing an avenue for younger industry members to get industry governance experience.

• Requiring that representation of the diversity of the industry must be considered in the decision-making process when deciding membership of the various NZW committees.

To enable these changes to come into force in an orderly and logical manner there are various consequential and transitional provisions included in the proposed new Rules. For example, because it is planned to reduce the size of the Board, the requirements around quorum for Board meetings, and how many votes are needed to pass a resolution, have all been updated. Similarly, the election schedule has been updated to provide for

both member and levy class elections in 2026 so that a new smaller Board is in place as from October 2026.

All or nothing

The proposed changes will be voted on at the Annual Members Meeting as an all or nothing package. There will be one motion to be passed that packages together all the proposals. The reason for this is that many of the changes are inter-related. For example, the proposal to reduce the size of the Board is the trigger for many of the other proposed changes in the Rules. If this is not agreed, then there is no sense in having separate votes on matters such as changing the quorum and the number of votes to pass a resolution. If the proposal changes are passed the new Rules will come into effect immediately, although some of the changes will be staged to ensure an orderly transition. For example, as noted above, the next Board election will be in 2026, so it is only then that the reduction in the Board size will come into effect, as will the provision for increasing the number of independent directors.

How to attend and vote

Details about how to attend the Annual Members Meeting and cast your vote will be distributed to members in the lead up to the meeting and vote on October 22. Importantly, if you can’t attend, members can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf so you can still have your say. The Board has worked hard to bring these proposals to members to decide. It’s now time for you to cast your vote and make the decision on these matters which will decide the future shape of your national industry organisation.

Read more on page 55

Mine opposition in Central

Central Otago’s winegrowers are warning of major risks from a proposed open-pit goldmine in the Bendigo subregion. ASXlisted Santana Minerals plans to use the government’s new Fast Track Approvals Act to advance its NZ$4.4 billion BendigoOphir project, which would create a kilometre-wide, 200m pit with further pits and a tailings dam in a landscape designated for protection as an “outstanding natural landscape”. Central Otago Winegrowers Association has written to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, arguing wine and tourism deliver enduring economic and environmental value, while mining threatens contamination, reputational harm and long-term damage. Public opposition continues to mount as the company targets gold production by 2026.

Invivo & Indevin

New Zealand’s largest wine producer has invested in one of the country’s most innovative wine companies. Indevin’s equity investment in Invivo, together with a long-term supply chain agreement, is designed to accelerate the latter’s growth, including flagship brands Graham Norton “GN” Wines, Invivo X, SJP, and Invivo Wines. Invivo remains independently owned and operated, with Indevin joining the board. Invivo Group’s shareholder base includes cofounders Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron, long-term collaborators Graham Norton and Sarah Jessica Parker, over 800 Kiwi investors from Invivo’s crowdfunding campaigns, and Invivo employees. It is a “game-changing partnership”, Tim says. “With Indevin’s investment, we’ll have the resources to take Invivo to the next level, while maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit that’s always driven us.”

WOW wine

Jules Taylor Wines is partnering with World of WearableArt (WOW), one of New Zealand’s premier events. Label founder Jules Taylor says the Marlborough-based company is proud to support such an imaginative and iconic event. “I’ve always believed that wine is about bringing people together and creating memories, just like WOW does through its spectacular celebration of art and performance.” WOW Chief Executive Meg Williams says it is a perfect partnership. “Both are deeply rooted in New Zealand’s culture of exceptional craft and manaakitanga, and together we’re excited to create something truly special for WOW-goers.”

New board member

Jim White has been elected to the New Zealand Winegrowers board following a levy class director by-election in July. The viticulturist was studying agriculture in Australia when he became well and truly sidetracked by wine in 1995. “I fell in love with wine because it was all about the flavour and taste of the end product, not the look of it,” he says 30 years later. Cloudy Bay’s Technical and Sustainable Development Director is looking forward to offering a “global perspective” to the board, as well as a strong interest in sustainability, as a member and former chair of Circular Wine Group in Marlborough, and a position on the leadership committee of the international Sustainable Wine Roundtable. He notes that the New Zealand wine industry has hit some “speed bumps” after a long period of sustained growth. But the challenges are not as great as those faced by wine producing nations dealing with major structural problems. “Our industry will find itself back on an even keel.”

Ostler success

When Jim and Anne Jerram sold Ostler Wines in 2021, the couple welcomed the new owner’s connection to the Waitaki Valley, a wine region they, and Anne’s viticulturist and winemaker brother Jeff Sinnot, helped pioneer for 20 years. In particular, they were grateful that ACG Wines and the Lindis Group would be able to take their oft-awarded Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir to the next level. Now Caroline’s Pinot Noir 2021, their final vintage before the sale, has won a swathe of accolades, earning 96 points at the International Wine Challenge, as well as the North Otago Pinot Noir Trophy, New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy and New Zealand Red Trophy. Richard Hemming MW of 67 Pall Mall, writing for JancisRobinson.com, describes the 2021 vintage as “one of those wines that stops you in your tracks”. The success is testament to the legacy of Ostler Wines, now called Clos Ostler, and to the tiny Waitaki wine region, Jim says. “It feels really good for our last vintage to have achieved that level of recognition and I am proud of it. it’s a nice way to sign out really.”

Hospitality wins

Craggy Range Restaurant’s Casey McDonald has been named Cuisine Chef of the Year 2025, in recognition of an “unwavering dedication to quality and sustainability”. Meanwhile, the Hawke’s Bay restaurant he runs – which sources fresh produce from its own garden and local suppliers – won Cuisine’s Winery Restaurant of the Year 2025, with its two hats lifted to three. Casey says the awards recognise every member of the wider Craggy Range family, “from the kitchen and floor, to the winery and vineyard teams”. Amisfield in Lake Hayes took out the American Express Restaurant of the Year award, returning to the title it held from 2021-2023, and adding to a swathe of accolades this year, including being ranked 99th in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 51-100 list for 2025. Cuisine’s Villa Maria Sommeliers and Wine Experience of the Year 2025 went to Katie Woodhead and Victoria Birsen from Cellar 495 in Hastings. Read more about New Zealand wine hospitality on page 23.

NZW welcomes seasonal visas

The new Global Workforce Seasonal Visa will provide longer term certainty for wineries, says NZW Chief Executive Philip Gregan. “Each year our wineries need to lift the capacity of their workforce for a short period of time during vintage. Our first priority is to employ New Zealanders but there is always a gap which we need to fill from offshore. Seasonal workers support over 7,000 fulltime wine industry jobs that are held by New Zealanders. Without these international staff the wine industry would not be able to manage the winemaking process of all the grapes from more than 42,000 hectares of vineyards across New Zealand”. The new visa pathway recognises the importance of experienced international workers filling short-term peak seasonal roles. The three-year visa term offers flexibility for workers and wineries, allowing return entry on one visa, he says. “We also welcome the Peak Seasonal Visa, which will allow single entry for up to seven months for winery cellar hands.”

Keep cool

A New Zealand firm’s ice-free champagne cooler has hit Amazon’s number one seller position in its category across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Huski, which began in a Taranaki farm shed a decade ago, has seen sales spiking as countries around the world grapple with heatwaves. Simon Huesser, Huski co-founder, says that since Champagne was first created in the 1600s, there has been virtually no advancement for keeping it cold on the go, with the traditional ice bucket remaining the default for centuries. Huski’s technology works by using double-walled vacuum insulation to keep beverages cold for hours without the need for ice.

Waste free event wins

The waste-free Ripe Wanaka Wine and Food Festival won Sustainability Event of the Year at the New Zealand Events Association Awards this year, while Festival Director Nathan White was named Emerging Event Professional of the Year. The 2025 Ripe Festival used reusable service ware, comprehensive recycling and composting systems, and partnerships with local sustainability organisations to minimise the festival’s environmental footprint. “Creating waste-free festivals isn’t just about logistics,” Nathan says. “It’s about reshaping the culture of events in New Zealand.”

Young Horticulturist of the Year

Nina Downer, New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year 2024, will compete against the best in the field on 5-6 November, including national winners from the arborist, florist, plant producer, amenity, and grower sectors. Nina, who is Viticulturist for Felton Road in Bannockburn, has been busy preparing for the Young Horticulturist of the Year national final in Auckland, including work on the competition’s innovation project. “Other than that, I’m really trying to focus on broadening my knowledge on other horticulture crops, and issues that will have an impact on horticulture and viticulture.” Nina says technology has “amped” up in the sector in recent years. “If you told me when I first started in viticulture that we’d be spraying with drones I would have found that pretty out there. With any new technology, everyone’s a little bit sceptical. I’m sure when the first machine harvesters came in, people probably were shocked.” Nina is following in the footsteps of Annabel Bulk, also from Felton Road, who won the Young Horticulturist title in 2018.

To have events added to our calendar contact sophie@sophiepreece.co.nz

Gene Technology Webinar 8 October nzwine.com/members/sustainability

Gene Technology, what’s it all about? New Zealand Winegrowers members are invited to a webinar hosted by Emma Jenkins MW, in which a team of experts will discuss the difference between gene editing and genetic modification.

New Zealand International Wine Show 17 October nziws.co.nz

Entries for the New Zealand International Wine Show are dominated by locally produced wines, including from the latest vintage. However, there are also good numbers of wines from Australia, France, Italy, Spain and the United States, with 12 countries covered by this year’s competition. Convenor Kingsley Wood notes that the show, now in its 21st year, has never had volume requirements. “There are no price breaks and wines do not need to be available for sale on the New Zealand market.”

The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand 19 October nationalwineawards.co.nz

This awards event, now in its fourth year, is dedicated to identifying, celebrating and elevating excellence in New Zealand wine, with a team of 10 highly experienced judges, alongside an associate judge programme nurturing up and coming talent. Chair of Judges Jane Cooper is looking forward to the Sauvignon Blanc entries this year, including the increasing array of alternative styles. “It really is the wine we are known for, and it’s important to showcase the best examples, from Marlborough and beyond.” She’s also excited by the Albariño entries, highlighting the opportunities of the variety in Aotearoa, along with Pinot Noir, and its regional and subregional nuances. The Awards of Excellence Celebration is on 19 October at The Hilton Auckland.

Gisborne Wine & Food Festival

26 October 2025

gisbornewineandfoodfestival.co.nz

Labour Weekend will showcase the best of Tairāwhiti’s wine, food and hospitality. The Gisborne Wine and Food Festival is a long-running tradition set across two iconic

venues - Matawhero and TW Wines – to mark the beginning of the sunny season. This year’s event is extra special, with Matawhero Wines celebrating its 50th anniversary (see page 39). Guests can enjoy a wide range of varietals, gourmet street food and live music all day long, with complimentary shuttles running between venues.

NGV Spring Workshop

13 November

bri.co.nz/news/events

The Next Generation Viticulture programme aims to help growers improve vineyard profitability through the adoption of innovative, efficient canopy systems. Join Bragato Research Institute’s Winegrowing Innovation Leader Ross Wise MW and Research and Extension Specialist Paul Epee at a Spring Workshop at Cloudy Bay Vineyards, 164 Jacksons Road, Blenheim. The team will discuss light interception, vine structure, training, bud loading and fruitfulness, along with additional findings from the past season. Find out more and register at bri.co.nz/news/events.

Marlborough Wine Show

14 November

marlboroughwineshow.com

The 2025 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, plays an important role in developing the reputation of Marlborough wine, while celebrating the winemaking and viticultural talent in the

region. This year’s event has several new initiatives, including a Marlborough Wine Grand Tasting on 18 October, with wine industry and wine lovers invited to sample this year’s new release and award-winning wines. Wine Marlborough will also have a dedicated display at the Marlborough Wine + Food Experience, a new wine tourism venue in the heart of Blenheim, to showcase trophy winning wines. The Marlborough Wine Show celebration event will be held on 14 November.

Harvest Hawke’s Bay

22 November

harvesthawkesbay.com

The third annual Harvest Hawke’s Bay Festival is a celebration of true food and wine country. Set amongst an established olive grove, with the Tuki Tuki Valley and Te Mata Peak as backdrops, the festival will feature 18 of the region’s wineries, nine eateries, one craft brewery, and three bands performing throughout the afternoon. Tickets are limited to 2,200, meaning patrons can interact personally with the winemakers and food providers, in a quintessential summer’s day out.

Cool Climate Symposium

iccws2026.nz

26-28 January 2026

The International Cool Climate Wine Symposium has a programme on the cutting edge of cool, with sessions ranging from computer vision technology, plant breeding, and precision agriculture to sensory terroir, climate change, and “lateral multistranded thinking”. The symposium, to be held in Ōtautahi Christchurch, has several workshops over the three days, all targeting the theme of ‘Pure Innovation - Sustainable Development in Wine’, as well as a lineup of international and New Zealand-based experts.

Altogether Unique

Growing the reputation of New Zealand Wine

Charlotte Read

Read On New Zealand & Australia European Tastings 2025

Our third Wine Business Forum, entitled ‘Embracing Change and Sustaining Growth’, has just drawn to a close with another strong turnout of New Zealand Winegrowers members and wider industry. There was a 25% increase in attendees, compared to 2024. Amassing a group of influential, inspiring business leaders, and having them speak to topics of relevance for our industry, is a highlight of the year for the NZW Brand team. Connecting to share ideas and learn together helps us embrace the challenges that face New Zealand Wine when markets are more competitive than ever and our industry needs to keep its ‘saws sharp’.

The Wine Business Forum was once again made possible by the generosity of our speakers, who invested their time and energy to help us traverse topics and markets, including opportunities in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States and Asia, with the likes of wine marketing strategy, digital tech stacks and artificial intelligence. A healthy dose of Brand New Zealand and our sustainability credentials was thrown into the mix.

The impressive speaker lineup included Lulie Halstead from the UK, Rob McMillan from the US, Natalie Wang from Hong Kong, Benjamin Gibson from Australia, as well as our New Zealandbased speakers, David Downs, Kathryn Topp, and industry peers Belinda Jackson and Meagan Littlejohn. Together, these speakers offered valuable global context, and helped us gaze into a crystal ball, revealing opportunities amidst market headwinds.

With Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand celebrating 30 years, the forum explored the value of sustainability credentials to wine businesses. A NZW member is traditionally asked to share their expertise and insights so we were delighted Belinda Jackson accepted our invitation. As Sales and Marketing Manager of Lawson’s Dry Hills, she outlined the company’s journey to becoming New Zealand’s most sustainably certified wine brand and discussed the value the business has reaped from the process.

Planning is underway for the 2026 Wine Business Forum, to be held 27 August 2026. Let us know (BrandTeam@nzwine.com) if there are topics you want to see discussed, or if you would like the opportunity to share a topic on wine business with your peers. Charlotte Read is NZW General Manager Brand

NZW and Wine Australia once again combined to hold a trade and consumer tasting in Europe at the end of September. Stockholm and Amsterdam were the chosen cities this year, and we welcomed over 50 New Zealand exhibitors across both events. The tastings were very well attended, with key buyers, importers, sommeliers and media, as well as a sold-out consumer session. For trade, the masterclass theme explored the history and evolution of Australian and New Zealand Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with winemaking representatives on hand to assist with insights. Demand was so high that we presented two sessions in each city. We are looking forward to collaborating again to host a joint Annual Trade Tasting in London, Edinburgh and Dublin at the start of 2026.

International Pinot Noir Day

International Pinot Noir Day, on 18 August, celebrated New Zealand’s top exported red variety. NZW ran a PR and social media campaign to celebrate the day, by pitching to media in our key export markets and providing members, broader trade and media with a Pinot Noir Day toolkit. The campaign generated 27 media articles that reached 404,000 people, with an equivalent advertising value of $29,000. The toolkit was downloaded 710 times, and there were 13,247 organic social media impressions across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Nick Lane, from Defined Wine in Kent, in the United Kingdom, will speak about ‘extracting the best from a marginal climate’, Dr Kai Voss-Fels, a professor at Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany, will share insights into breeding better grapevines, with “prediction, precision and practical impact”, while Jenifer Cugat, from the Catena Institute in Argentina, will talk about “Catenamics”, the winemaking and growing philosophy of the institute, with a future-oriented approach, looking 200 years out. Jenifer will canvas science-driven sustainability in winemaking, high-altitude viticulture, genetic heritage and innovation, and terroir and soil studies, with groundbreaking research into the impact of altitude, soil composition and climate on grape quality and wine expression.

Closer to home, but with an international perspective, Anne Escalle from Rimapere and Akarua, owned by Edmond de Rothschild Heritage vineyards, will talk of a love for cool climate winegrowing regions, while Felton Road’s Nigel Greening will discuss the company’s broad approach to sustainability.

The Central Otago winery combines organics, biodynamics and regenerative viticulture with the likes of spore traps powered by artificial intelligence, multisource irrigation, and

autonomous aerial spraying. “Is it too many ingredients to put on a plate?” he asks. “Or does the impending chaos of climate change require lateral multistranded thinking?”

The symposium is hosted by the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology. Early bird registation closes 31 October.

Marlborough Wine & Food Festival 14 February 2026

marlboroughwinefestival.com

Known for its world-famous wines, delightful cuisine, dance-inducing entertainment and brilliant atmosphere,

More Than a Label – A Tribute to Place

Misty Cove captures the essence of Marlborough Sounds with a label that brings its rugged coastlines to life. Gold hotfoil detailing and a tactile topographical map to celebrate the harmony of land, sea, and wine — a story of craftsmanship, heritage, and global reach.

Talk to MCC New Zealand where every product is labelled with care

Marlborough’s iconic Wine & Food Festival continues to evolve. In 2026 the revamped Culinary Pavilion will include wineries showcasing their stories and wines alongside Marlborough’s top food producers, marrying the best of the region’s wine and food. There are also new education elements, alongside the oft-soldout masterclasses, with a series of short and engaging sessions for curious wine lovers.

Climate Action Week

Marlborough 23-27 February events.humanitix.com/climate-actionweek-marlborough-2026

With a theme of ‘leading by doing: local businesses, local solutions, collective action’, Climate Action Week Marlborough 2026 is building on four years of storytelling, workshops, networking and immersion experiences to grow awareness and action around climate change. Yealands Wine is the foundational partner of the five-day event, with topics including: ‘water, risk and resilience; circular economy and waste; and nature and biodiversity; and energy and carbon.

Cool Climate Symposium

The 11th International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS) is on in Ōtautahi Christchurch from January 26-28, 2026. Jeff Sinnott, Chair of the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology, shares insights into three carefully curated days.

This symposium is important for New Zealand wine producers… on many levels – to see and hear world class researchers, academics and wine professionals deliver their research results and insights firsthand, and to interact with those people at a personal level, establishing new relationships and meeting up with colleagues you may not have seen for a while. As well as the academic line up, there is a fantastic array of interactive workshops, field trips, tastings and events conjoined to the programme.

The theme is… ‘Pure Innovation - Sustainable Development in Wine’. New Zealand has always been renowned for innovation, be it in viticulture, winemaking, wine business management or marketing. Our world leading Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme, now in its 30th year, will feature strongly, particularly our work with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals.

The workshops… provide an opportunity to dig into the detail. Some are quite hands on, particularly the tastings. Past symposia have included high quality discussion between presenters and participants, often leading to meaningful change in the way we can operate. Obviously I‘m super keen to chair the IT and Robotics workshop, as we are at the absolute tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI in this industry. But if I can sneak away to the Sparkling, Chardonnay or Sauvignon tastings, I’ll definitely allocate time.

I’m looking forward to hearing about… the latest in plant breeding and genetics from Germany. As a bonafide Pinot nut I’m looking forward to hearing from our Oregon colleagues about their journey. There’s just so much in the programme at the cutting edge in wine research and development. Plus, there are the poster sessions where new work is being reported on, often for the first time. I distinctly remember one paper from the 2016 Symposium that literally changed my thinking on Pinot Noir aromatics. There’s always something there you don’t see coming that can provide a real light bulb moment. iccws2026.nz

IT WOULD BE STINK IF THESE GOT INTO NEW ZEALAND

The brown marmorated stink bug is a pest that infests homes, ruins gardens, stinks when crushed, and is almost impossible to get rid of. It could also destroy our fruit and vegetable industries. It’s not in New Zealand yet, and we want to keep it that way. So if you see one, don’t kill it. Catch it, take a photo, and call us on 0800 80 99 66.

For more information (including how to identify the bug) visit biosecurity.govt.nz/stinkbug

Industry champion retires

When Philip Gregan stepped into the New Zealand wine industry in 1983, it was awash with Müller Thurgau but rich with potential. “There were a whole lot of challenges, but you could see there were fantastic people who fundamentally believed that New Zealand wine could be something really significant to New Zealand,” he said in a Winegrower Magazine profile in 2023, marking 40 years since he became Research Officer at the Wine Institute of New Zealand.

Now, after 43 years in the industry, and 34 as New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive, Philip has announced his retirement. “There have been many highlights over the years, but without doubt the biggest highlight has been the privilege of working with and for our brilliant growers and winemakers,” he says. “Their passionate commitment to everything that New Zealand wine stands for continues to inspire me.”

Philip grew up in the front-footed wine region of West Auckland and became

Chief Executive of the Wine Institute in 1991, when 99% of New Zealand wine was produced for a domestic market. “Today, we are a global wine success story, with over 90% of wine heading to overseas markets and exports worth over $2 billion per year,” he says. “Our wines now help define the reputation of New Zealand as a country around the world.”

NZW board Chair Fabian Yukich shared the organisation’s “deep gratitude” for Philip’s significant contribution, including his “integral” role in New Zealand wine’s international trade negotiations, resulting in the formation of the World Wine

Trade Group. “This remarkable tenure reflects a working lifetime of unwavering commitment and immense contribution,” Fabian says. “His hard work, passion for statistics and strategic intellect proved invaluable as the industry prepared for its future.”

In his profile story Philip noted that while history is key, the future is more important. “We always have to have our eye on what the next 10, 20, 30 years bring. And I fundamentally believe that’s a really exciting future for New Zealand wine. You have to believe in your heart and your mind that we can do something special. And I believe.”

Better Biology Better Wine

Celebrating Sauvignon

Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027 is perfectly timed, given the period of turbulence and change in New Zealand wine, says committee chair Natalie Christensen. The event, which will be held in Marlborough from 2-4 February 2027, is a chance to celebrate New Zealand’s flagship variety, unite as an industry, and have some “thought provoking” discussions about Sauvignon Blanc and its place in the world, says the chief winemaker at Yealands Wine Group. “I think we are at a time when we really need something like this, to regroup as an industry… and get immersed and invigorated about what the future looks like.”

The industry is working to balance supply and to respond to a challenging global market, Natalie says. “We are going to see some really interesting stuff over the next couple of years. I think it is going to be producers with special parcels, authentic stories and higher tier wines that will survive through this.” Many wineries, including Yealands, have reduced their

planned intake for the 2026 vintage, in response to surplus wine following recent large crops and reduced demand. People around the world are drinking less and better, or not at all, and the industry needs to work on making itself, and its wines, relevant, says Natalie, excited about a programme, and a variety, that will play a

role in that. “I can’t wait.”

The Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027 committee also includes Ben Leen, Ben Tombs, Charlotte Read, Jules Taylor, Laura-Kate Morgan, Marcus Pickens, Murray Cook, Rachael Everitt, Richard Ellis, Richelle Tyney, and Tracy Johnston.

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Wine Business Forum

Turning change into opportunity, adopting bespoke approaches in Asia, ensuring credibility in sustainability, and growing wine club buy in. SOPHIE PREECE looks at some of the topics at the Wine Business Forum, with its theme of Embracing Change and Sustaining Growth.

Turning change into opportunity

Remaining relevant in the future will require wine businesses to “listen genuinely and see the world through the eyes of our consumers”, says wine business strategist Lulie Halstead. The founder and former Chief Executive of Wine Intelligence spoke at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Wine Business Forum in Christchurch in August, sharing insights into consumer trends to help wine businesses “be resilient, relevant, and ready” for the future.

At the heart of her message was a reminder that “we are not our consumers”, reiterating a warning she gave at the inaugural Wine Business Forum in 2023, which she attended virtually: “They do not care as much as we would like them to.” In the latest forum Lulie showed the room of industry experts images from the “real world”, including rosé being drunk straight from the bottle at a festival, and sparkling wine out of plastic glasses. Remaining relevant in the future will require businesses to listen to “real people” and better understand what they want, she said.

Key trends she is observing from data sources include the move to mindful consumption rather than abstinence. That means it is not just about alcohol intake, but also about processing and ingredients. The set includes “zebra striping”, where consumers might start with a glass of

Generational nuances

Is Gen Z fundamentally different from previous generations, with little place for alcohol in their lives? Or are they simply young and broke, and going through life stages later than

sparkling wine, then move to a low alcohol beer, Coke or water, then back to full strength alcohol. Lulie also noted that when people switch away from wine to reduce alcohol consumption, water is the number one substitute, followed by tea and coffee.

Another key trend is low-fi dining, which is “changing how we’re eating, what we’re eating, where we’re eating, and when we’re eating”. There’s a growth in “low tempo” non-food occasions with alcohol consumption, at home and out, Lulie said. “We’re more frequently drinking alcohol without traditional food rituals.” Meanwhile, restaurant reservation times are changing, with 6 o’clock the new 8 o’clock from New York to London. The casualisation of food represents a shift for the wine sector, which has traditionally been associated with at-table meal occasions and sharing with others, she said. “That is not going to be nearly as relevant in the future as it is today.”

The third trend is “made for me”, based on the desire for convenience. People increasingly have instant access to tailored products, “and we’re getting really, really used to having that,” Lulie said. In the United States, for example, nearly 60% of alcohol drinking occasions are now either solo or with one other person. There’s an increase in single adult households in countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and US, which poses a challenge for wine. Building on that topic in the Q&A session, Lulie said consumers were increasingly open minded about alternative formats and serve size, giving an example of 2.25 litre bag-in-a-

previous cohorts? If the former is the red group and the second is the blue, wine business strategist Lulie Halstead sees it in shades of purple. “There are some fundamental cohort generational

box wine in Florida retirement communities, and touching on improving technology around cans. The glass bottle will remain, “but the opportunity for building growth will also come from alternative sizes and container types”.

Trend number four is “baseline sustainability”, Lulie said, explaining that it is now a condition of entry, not a differentiator. It is increasingly important to have authentic and credible sustainable credentials “to enable you to even kind of get into the consideration set”, but for the majority of consumers, it’s an expectation. “Positioning ourselves purely as sustainable, unless there are additional benefits that you’re bringing, is not going to position you as a brand or a product separately”.

In terms of being ready to embrace change, Lulie talked of the importance of distinctive brand assets. Recognisable logos and brands can click with “system one” in our brains, “which is our primitive, unconscious, instinctive, effortless, automatic thinking,” she said. “And that’s where branding comes in. We see them at McDonald’s golden arches, the Nike swoosh, the Apple logo, and we don’t have to do a lot of processing because we know what that means.” The wine industry spends a lot of time asking its consumers to be in “system two” instead, which requires energy to process, “asking them to understand the detail of what we’re doing”. By having consistent and distinctive brand assets, tapping into system one, “we’re bringing an advantage to our brands and our products”.

differences,” she said at the Wine Business Forum. “But there’s also these life stage impacts. So, the future for us in wine may not be as doomed as the headlines are suggesting.”

A tailored approach to Asia

New Zealand wine companies need to tailor their approach to every Asian wine market, says Hong Kong wine journalist Natalie Wang. “What works in Shanghai does not necessarily work in Tokyo or in Bangkok”, she told the Wine Business Forum audience in August. “You have to constantly adapt your messaging and stories, and even retail selling strategies.”

“You have to really think about the culture and the people that you are selling your wines to.”

Natalie Wang

For those nimble enough to navigate the complexities, the region represents significant opportunity, said the founder of Vino Joy News, noting that the region rivals Canada, New Zealand’s fourth biggest wine export destination, as a key market for New Zealand wines. The combined value of New Zealand wine exports to eight Asian markets is $172.5 million, compared to Canada’s $176.4m, Natalie told the audience, showing stellar stats for New Zealand wine in the likes of China, with a 55% increase in volume and 47% increase in value in the 12 months to June 2025. Meanwhile, markets including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan have much higher average price per litre than the United States and United Kingdom, she said.

While China’s economy is slowing and wine imports are trending down, “New Zealand is an outlier”, she told the audience. “It’s punching above its weight. And that’s led by white wine growth from New Zealand wine producers and German wine producers.” She emphasised the importance

Celebration of NZW Fellows

The New Zealand Winegrowers 2025 Fellows were celebrated at the NZW Celebration Dinner following the Wine Business Forum.

of recognising shifts in transitional markets like China, where conversations about wine pairing, and selling to hotels and restaurants, are out of line with trends. “What’s happening on the ground is a pivot from that business dining to a lifestyle driven and self-pleasuring consumption. That explains why white wine growth in the market is really coming from ground up.”

That’s a win for New Zealand producers because the category and branded image is already quite well known to consumers, she said. “That’s something you can leverage.”

In China, 30% of wine sales are online, according to IWSR data, Natalie said, touching on the “juggernaut” of instant delivery, with “anything imaginable” able to be delivered to your door in 20 minutes. In her own trial, the wine arrived swiftly, chilled, and with a free corkscrew. “You

NZW’s Dr Edwin Massey and comedian Te Radar, also saw Ruby McManaway named Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year (see page 42) and Ruby Kelland named New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year (see page 40).

just can’t beat that kind of service, that’s the reality of people consuming wine right now.” That means producers need to be adaptable, and to know the platforms that work in each market, including the Chinese social media and e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, known as Red Note, Natalie said. “I think part of the reason for New Zealand wine success in the market is that they are so savvy on social media platforms, like Red Note… if you are really interested in building that storytelling, you have to be on it.” The platform is “heavily skewed” to New Zealand advantage’s because 60% of the audience is female, “and they all have high disposable income”. Again, “adaptation is key”, she said. “I think if I have to leave you guys with one message, it is: you have to really think about the culture and the people that you are selling your wines to.”

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SOPHIE PREECE

Sustainability is no longer a “nice to have”, says Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Programme Manager Meagan Littlejohn.

“Just to get your foot in the door in a lot of markets, you do have to be meeting certain sustainability requirements,” she told the Wine Business Forum in August. About 80% of New Zealand’s exports head to markets with mandatory climate related disclosures, either proposed or in place, and those markets are setting higher requirements and asking for more detailed evidence to back up sustainability claims.

Retailers are also sending strong signals, she said, using the British Retail Consortium as an example, with its Climate Action Roadmap carrying the ambition that by 2040 every United Kingdom consumer will be able to make purchases that don’t contribute to climate change. “These retailers are asking for higher requirements to be met, especially when it comes to your carbon footprint… More and more, this information is being passed on to consumers.”

Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway and Finland, overseen by alcohol monopolies, have started benchmarking sustainability certifications in terms of governance and quality oversight, social sustainability and environmental sustainability, she said. Sweden, as an example, has its own sustainable choice programme, which offers preferential treatment in the market but is only open to products with certain rigorous certifications. Scandinavian markets may not be New Zealand wine’s top sellers, Meagan said, but “they’re leading the way when it comes to sustainability, and they’ve been having a really large influence in other markets as well.”

Direct to consumer

Context, relevance, and approach matter in direct to consumer engagement, says Benjamin Gibson, founder and Chief Executive of Winehub.io, a leading technology platform for Shopify-based wine businesses. Benjamin asked the Wine Business Forum audience to divide their purchasing into “the browsing experience” and the “buying experience”, and to think of companies that succeed on both fronts. “The reason why this matters is because the

From the heart

“Saying we’re sustainable means nothing, but proving we’re sustainable actually means everything,” said Belinda Jackson at the Wine Business Forum.

The Marketing and Sales Manager of Lawson’s Dry Hills – New Zealand’s most sustainably certified wine producer – said that having SWNZ, ISO 14001, Toitū net carbonzero (ISO 14064) and B Corp certification was invaluable in the market, helping move the conversation away from price and offering a point of difference. As well as building brand credibility and customer trust, the work done over 20 years had internal benefits, with buy in from the winery and vineyard teams, who know the efforts come “from a place of authenticity and integrity”, she said. “It comes from the heart”. Never one to rest

browsing experience is something that you can control uniquely and directly. You can change your cellar door, you can change your labels, you can change your winemaking processes, you can change your marketing.” But the buying experience is typically third party, and the final engagement with the customer.

“So when you’re making technology decisions, I really want you to start thinking about, ‘does this technology support the browsing and customer experience that I want to deliver?’”

on its laurels, the company is now looking at growing sustainability gains through regenerative farming.

Belinda told the Wine Business Forum that certification can be scaled depending on size, making it achievable for small companies as well as large. Lawson’s is a “lean mean machine”, and sustainability measures have helped it become more efficient, whether that’s having 200 solar panels to cover 30% of its power needs, capturing water from the winery roof, or buying a low-emission tractor to replace an outgoing machine. “Sometimes it’s an accumulation of small things. Nothing is too small to do,” she said. “If there’s one thing to take away, it’s get started, do something small to make a difference. It will snowball. Involve your team and be inspired. Get those certifications and be rewarded.”

Breaking barriers

SOPHIE PREECE

Women have been central to winemaking for millennia, says Women in Wine Chair Jo Cribb. “We actually started the whole gig as Egyptian priestesses overseeing the first temple vineyards, through to pioneering Madame Clicquot and the world-leading winemakers and viticulturists of today.”

Speaking at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Women in Wine Connect event, Jo addressed the question of why the programme is necessary. It is, she said, about ensuring there are no barriers to the industry drawing on the widest possible talent pool.

In 2021 the overall median average gap for base salary for all roles in the wine industry was 7.8%, compared to a national average of 9.1%, according to a 2023 Strategic Pay report commissioned by New Zealand Winegrowers. Jo says NZW’s upcoming New Zealand Wine People report offers an update on measures to reduce barriers and ensure opportunities for progression in the industry. It shows progress, especially around women in leadership roles, “but there is still work to do”.

Nicky Grandorge, who manages the Women in Wine programme for NZW, highlighted the myriad roles wine women occupy, from tourism, marketing, finance and sales, to research, winemaking and viticulture. And there are many more coming into the industry, “which is very exciting”, she says. “They’re full of big ideas and great ambition, and I think that means that the future is well for our industry, and for women working in it.”

Attendees also heard from the inspiring Ali Adams, Chief Executive of economic development agency ChristchurchNZ, and from Minister for Women Nicola Grigg. In late August the minister announced that New Zealand’s gender pay gap had decreased from 8.2% to 5.2% in the June 2025 quarter, according to Stats NZ data.

Women in Wine webinars

The four-part Women in Wine Winter Development Series is a great resource to inspire and help members to progress and reach their goals, says New Zealand Winegrowers Leadership & Communities Manager Nicky Grandorge. The series includes expert speakers discussing:

• ‘Pressing Matters – How to have hard conversations’

• ‘Grape Ambitions – Landing the Perfect Job’

• ‘Cultivating a Yes – The art of influence and persuasion’

• ‘Uncorked – Inspiring tales from the top of their game’

Find the webinars at nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/women-in-wine

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Experiencing New Zealand Wine

Wine tourism has evolved into a sophisticated, diverse and resilient part of the New Zealand wine sector’s economy. EMMA JENKINS MW talks to wineries offering a warm welcome, from authentic cellar interactions to flagship premium experiences.

No longer confined to casual tastings at the cellar door counter, wine tourism has matured into a complex and economically significant part of New Zealand’s wine industry. In 2024, around 759,000 international visitors (23% of all arrivals) visited a winery or vineyard, spending on average 47% more than other travellers. Together wine and food tourism contribute an estimated NZ$1.4 billion annually. Meanwhile, domestic tourism is above prepandemic levels. New Zealand Winegrowers intel indicates a shift towards pre-booked, premium tasting experiences (assisted by 2024’s cellar door law changes), stronger direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, and demand for cycle-trail and sustainability-led experiences.

“By the time they leave, we want to have created such a powerful impression that they are connected to the place, and by extension, the wines.”

Peter

Jones

For wineries, wine tourism can bring profitable DTC sales, but also longerterm opportunities, cultivating loyalty through wine clubs and online purchases, diversifying income streams, and building brand awareness and advocates who carry their stories home. “By the time they leave, we want to have created such a powerful impression that they are connected to the place, and by extension, the wines,” says Peter Jones from The Landing.

The Landing

At The Landing in Northland, destination wine tourism is integrated into a carefully balanced whole. Director Peter Jones says the focus is on the wine experience, “tasting, touring the vineyard and winery, and meeting the makers.” Not everybody who comes to the property stays in the accommodation, “so we ensure that day visitors leave enthused about our wines, and with a better understanding of our place – the whenua and moana – and the

Wine tourism is increasingly defined by its breadth. At one end are destination properties combining wine with luxury accommodation, fine dining and events. These wineries present wine as part of a premium lifestyle, entwined with architecture, landscapes and hospitality. At the other end are often smaller producers, focused on intimacy and authenticity, with small group tastings, vineyard walks, or educational experiences that reinforce their identity and build vital name recognition in export markets. “Our presence in global markets is enhanced by local wine tourism,” says Sonya Coutts, Head of Hospitality at Palliser Estate. “Many overseas tourists go on to purchase our wine products back in their home country.” That’s a two way street, she adds, talking of tourists who have enjoyed Palliser wines at home, “so then feel compelled to visit us in person when in New Zealand”.

Urban wine tourism is gaining traction too. City-based cellar doors, tasting bars

significance of our property to the early story of Aotearoa New Zealand.”

For a small producer in a remote region, the cellar door is indispensable. “We need to create an experience that will mean people will go out of their way to visit us,” Peter says. Their cellar door is “first and foremost a sales channel,” but its wider role is a brand builder. “These guests can buy some of the finest wine in the world, but they absolutely love sitting down with the people who have grown and made

and even working wineries allow visitors to engage without leaving town, often capturing different audiences – cruise passengers, conference delegates, or time-poor tourists – while deepening relationships with local communities. Food is now integral. Winery restaurants, chef collaborations and vineyard long lunches are attractions in their own right, raising per-visitor spend and reinforcing regional storytelling and connections. Wine trails and cycle and walking routes bring wider audiences, increasing colour and collaborative opportunities, while regional festivals combining music, food and wine can draw large crowds, broadening appeal beyond dedicated wine enthusiasts to families and casual tourists. Even winery wellness-oriented experiences are beginning to emerge.

Of course, wine tourism is not all a bed of roses. Investment can be costly, and success is not guaranteed. Delivering great hospitality requires skillsets distinct from

the wine, hearing the passion and the real story.” Peter believes New Zealand benefits from more “destination wineries” aligning with broader tourism trends. “Just as tourism generally in New Zealand is better served by having fewer, but higher spending visitors, I believe that we should be looking towards the more affluent wine tourist who is seeking a more personal experience.”

The Landing winemaker Ben Byrne does winery tastings and vineyard tours with lunch guests

those of winegrowing. There is risk of overcommercialisation or diluting authenticity, while sustainability pressures loom if visitor numbers are poorly managed. The pandemic abruptly underscored the dangers of relying too heavily on international visitors. Yet such challenges have spurred on experimentation and diversification, prompting wineries to decide whether tourism is central to their business, a supplementary channel, or perhaps not a viable avenue.

“These experiences play a big role in attracting international visitors seeking premium offerings and elevate the perception of New Zealand as a world class wine destination.”

Kristine Kilpatrick

The Urban Winery

When Tony Bish Wines opened The Urban Winery in Napier’s Art Deco National Tobacco Building in 2017, it became the country’s first urban winery. Visitors can taste wines, enjoy pizza and peer through a large glass window into the barrel room, where a giant golden wooden egg glows among the more typical barrels and concrete eggs. Exports and Operations Manager Maxime Cavey says the location fits seamlessly into the Hawke’s Bay wine circuit, aided by its bike trails. “We probably see more locals and repeat visitors being in an urban environment, and the location allows us to service visitors when other cellar doors are closed, or if short on time. Cruises don’t stay in town long enough to head into the countryside.”

Challenges do exist, including people expecting wineries to be in the countryside among vines, and the site’s limited outdoor space. Still, during cooler months, the venue’s cozy ambiance provides an advantage. Maxime believes urban wineries are increasingly vital, especially in Great Wine Capitals like Hawke’s Bay. “They offer a slice of our great wines without having to travel too far.”

Craggy Range

From its inception, Hawke’s Bay’s Craggy Range envisioned an immersive environment, where luxury accommodation and fine dining were inseparable from fine wine. Kristine Kilpatrick, Head of

People and Hospitality, explains: “By integrating hospitality into the brand, we aimed to extend the storytelling beyond the bottle and deepen engagement with our consumers.” Success is measured by both revenue – accommodation, restaurant bookings and cellar door sales – and brand prestige. Craggy Range has been included in the World’s Best Vineyards list, received Cuisine’s 2025 Winery Restaurant of the Year (with Casey McDonald also named Chef of the Year), and achieved a Gold Sustainable Tourism Business Award.

The lessons are clear, Kristine says. “Operating in the luxury space requires consistency across every touchpoint, personalisation through curated experiences, and a strong internal culture that empowers staff to deliver exceptional service.” The rewards include diversified revenue and deepened loyalty, but Kristine believes such high-end style also serves as a flagship in New Zealand wine tourism. “These experiences play a big role in attracting international visitors seeking premium offerings and elevate the perception of New Zealand as a world-class wine destination,” she says. “They also drive regional tourism and support local economies by encouraging longer stays and higher spend.”

Palliser Estate

Martinborough’s compact scale has helped shape Palliser Estate’s style of wine tourism. “It makes visiting by foot or by bike feel effortless, and we see it as part of the charm of the region,” says Sonya Coutts. As one of Martinborough’s earliest wineries, Palliser is already a popular destination, but Sonya notes that many visitors appreciate the

opportunity for a wine trail experience, typically stopping by two to four wineries. Collaboration is key and Palliser works closely with neighbours Oraterra, Nga Waka, and Parehua Resort, as well as operators such as Green Jersey Bikes, which help extend the range of wineries people can visit. This is both strength and challenge – raising the profile of the region but requiring each producer to deliver something unique, while maintaining a consistently high standard. Palliser aims to offer an experience that is premium yet approachable – visitors might opt for a fine dining-style tasting menu or just as happily arrive in walking or cycling shoes for a casual glass and a charcuterie board.

“Our organics programme is something that is increasingly of interest, particularly to our younger visitors, which we think is fantastic.”

Sonya Coutts

Sonya sees wine trails as “a powerful leveller and collective strength”, providing visibility for both established names and smaller producers. She also believes visitors increasingly seek authenticity, and “a mix of education and leisure, where they can relax but also deepen their understanding of wine, food, and place”. The organics programme is increasingly of interest, she adds. “Particularly to our younger visitors, which we think is fantastic.”

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Flaxmore Vineyards

Flaxmore Vineyards in Nelson has built a uniquely personal niche, pairing wine with art and the local landscape. Owners Stuart and Patricia (P) Anderson say their vineyard walk and gallery were inspired by a desire to create “a unique experience to complement the wine tasting”, making the most of panoramic Moutere Valley views and their passion for abstract art. Their ‘Wine, Art and Walk’ attracts a broad mix of visitors. “Many come for one thing but are pleasantly surprised by another,” says P, although wine typically remains the centrepiece. Guests are personally hosted by the Andersons, who weave stories of their land, sustainability projects, and viticulture. Plans are underway to add information boards along the walk.

The gallery, featuring local artists and Stuart’s abstract photography, reinforces the sense of place. “Art and wine pair so well… our art is strongly influenced by landscapes and nature,” Stuart says. Though labourintensive, their personal approach has delivered significant benefits. The cellar door now provides an important high-margin sales channel, allowing Flaxmore to remain small, with many visitors evolving into loyal online customers, strengthening both Flaxmore’s brand and Nelson’s reputation as a vibrant wine and cultural hub.

“A cellar door isn’t just about sales - it’s about education, positive reputation and building lifelong advocacy.”

Katie Covell

Yealands Estate

At Yealands Estate in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, eco-tourism is a continuation of the winery’s founding ethos. Established in 2008 as the world’s first winery to be certified carbon zero from inception, Yealands continues to lead with large-scale sustainability initiatives that now form the backbone of its visitor experiences. “Our sustainability initiatives define us, so it was a natural fit to develop a tour around these,” says Katie Covell, Cellar Door and Events Manager.

The White Road Tour, a seven-kilometre journey through the coastal vineyards, is now in its first full season. Along the route,

which can be walked, cycled or driven, visitors enjoy sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean while encountering butterfly gardens and wetland reserves, solar farms and kune kune pigs, compost and chickens, along with other biodiversity and carbon reduction projects. Signage and picnic areas encourage people to pause and connect with the land, and they can enjoy hands-on moments such as planting a native tree in the Station Creek Reserve, Katie says. “Not only do they offset a little of their carbon footprint, but they also leave something of themselves at Yealands.”

She believes the benefits go beyond tourism. “A cellar door isn’t just about sales - it’s about education, positive reputation and building lifelong advocacy. Wine tourism is a valuable cog in the wheel.” To be truly ‘sustainable’, wineries need to ensure that every part of their business is encompassed, including wine tourism, she says. “It’s about remembering the Tiaki Promise - a commitment to care for New Zealand, safeguarding its natural environment, culture, and heritage for future generations.” By aligning their environmental innovation with authentic visitor experiences, Yealands underscores that sustainability is not just a practice but can also be a valuable shared experience.

Black Estate

At Black Estate in North Canterbury, the winery restaurant is inseparable from the vineyard it overlooks, connecting visitors directly with the estate’s organic and regenerative farming. Co-owner Pen Naish says guests are introduced to the restaurant via a driveway past two vineyard blocks.

“Diverse weeds, cover crops, under vine cultivators, sheep, cows, and the ambience of living soil all set the scene.” That ethos extends to the menu: for more than a decade Black Estate has served only organic, biodynamic and spray-free produce, recently adding their own regenerativelyraised beef. Running a restaurant while winegrowing brings challenges: “In a relatively isolated area, it is demanding from a staffing and foot-traffic perspective,” Pen says. “During the growing season and harvest we’re going full tilt in both areas, which can be exhausting, but the upside is that winter becomes a much more relaxed season.”

“A glass of wine with a plate of food in a beautiful place is a more open experience than an analytical tasting,”

Pen Naish

For Pen, food is central to storytelling. “A glass of wine with a plate of food in a beautiful place is a more open experience than an analytical tasting,” she says. “When the food and wine come from the same region, grown in the same climate, there’s synergy – layers that truly express place.” In Pen’s view, winery restaurants are central to regional tourism, encouraging visitors to slow down, connect with people and landscapes, and experience wine in its fullest context.

Kinross

Kinross has built a distinctive role as a multi-winery cellar door in Gibbston, representing four labels – Valli, Wild Irishman, Hawkshead, and High Garden – alongside its own Kinross label. Chief Executive Nicky Sygrove describes it as pragmatic collaboration. “Why would Grant Taylor at Valli want to spend time managing licences, staffing, and compliance when he could focus on what he loves and does best – growing and winemaking? For us, the opportunity was

Rippon

In 2019, Rippon restructured its Wānaka cellar door, shifting from walk-ins to appointment-only tastings, capped at six guests per half hour. The change was driven by the recognition that the everincreasing numbers through the gate were benefiting neither visitors nor Rippon. While the change initially ruffled some feathers, it has been a beneficial move for visitor experiences, staff morale (no more summertime burnout), and sales.

Retail Manager Haddon PowerCohen says keeping tasting numbers to a minimum allows for a personal interaction, “and by staying true to Rippon’s identity, we deliver an engaging experience”. He says while many people visit Rippon to taste wine and admire the view, “by the end of their experience we hope they take Rippon as a complete entity with them, rather than view us as a place to taste or a photo

to bring these producers together and create a stronger wine destination – they don’t compete, all are celebrated.”

Tastings are designed to showcase subregional differences and highlight the varying stories of people and places. Alongside this are vineyard tours, educational experiences, the Kinross Bistro and cottage accommodation set amongst the vines. This breadth has positioned Kinross as much a tourism business as a wine business, earning it the inaugural Qualmark New Zealand

Wine Tourism Award in 2024. “Visitors to the region might be weighing up a visit to us alongside a jetboat ride, a bungy or a round of golf,” Nicky notes. “The collective model is absolutely a key drawcard that we promote as a point of difference. Equally important is our location, which is not something we take for granted, and we are lucky to have the Kawarau cycle trail opening in the next six months, which will hopefully bring more visitors to our valley.”

“We have a magical place here. Many visitors come for wine or to

however our focus will always be on the land and what it provides us.”

to capture.”

That identity is deeply tied to biodynamics and guardianship of the farm. Tasting sessions are framed through a linear narrative, tracing the family’s generational stewardship and farming practices. Props such as cow horns and compost photos help bring abstract ideas to life, surprising visitors that just five

a

cows can provide enough fertiliser for the 14.5 hectares of vines. Reflecting Rippon’s environmental and cultural principles is central to any visitor engagement, Haddon says. “We have a magical place here. Many visitors come for wine or to snap a picture, however our focus will always be on the land and what it provides us.”

The Science

31 I Emerging Research

32 I Waste Not

33 I Solar Boost EECA project

Wired for science

SOPHIE PREECE

Fussy children might be frustrating, but fussy mealybugs could help protect the New Zealand wine industry from grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3.

“Can we identify what makes some grapevines taste to them like chocolate biscuits and others taste like Brussels sprouts?” asked Lincoln University PhD student Michelle Thompson at the New Zealand Wine Centre Scientific Research Conference in June. “This can support breeding programmes to maximise mealybug resistance in our plants… We want them to either go hungry or decide to feed on something else.”

Michelle, who was awarded the top student presentation at the conference in Blenheim, has been working with Plant & Food Research on a project using electropenetrography (EPG) to research the feeding behaviours of Citrophilus mealybug on Sauvignon Blanc plants.

She explained the meticulous process of removing the dorsal wax off 2mm mealybugs to attach a fine gold wire, looped to increase surface coverage, linked to an electrical circuit. The bug is placed on the third or fourth expanded leaf of a young Sauvignon Blanc vine and a light voltage is applied to the soil around the plant. Over a 48 hour period, Michelle charts the phases of feeding, from

the mealybug investigating the leaf to puncturing the tissue with its stylet, and eventually reaching the xylem or phloem, where it can ingest for several hours.

Michelle, who charts intermittent probing and non-probing phases as the electrical current readings change, says previous research has shown that ingestion for six to eight hours is sufficient for mealybug to infect a vine with leafroll virus.

It is also known that Citrophilus mealybug prefer feeding on some grapevines more than others, she says. “Like human children there are some things they really like to eat. There are other things they might taste and then refuse to eat any more. Or might look at or touch and choose not to eat.” The objective of her study is to investigate whether the compounds produced by some grapevines would deter mealybug

from ingesting – the Brussels sprout effect – thus enabling breeding programmes to target those secondary compounds to offer natural resistance to the mealybug.

Dr Stewart Field, from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, says the student presentations were particularly impressive at the conference, and judging the University of Aucklandsponsored Best Student Awards was no easy task. Rebecca Strange, from University of Auckland, was the runner-up (page 31).

Michelle’s research is part of the smart, adaptive grapevine rootstocks for a changing world programme, funded by the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment’s Endeavour Fund. Her supervisors are Amber Parker, Olaf Schelezki and Philippa Barrell. Adriana Najar-Rodriguez acts as an advisor.

Different winegrowing conditions and practices in three of New Zealand’s major Pinot Noir regions have been reflected in a chemical and sensory analysis of 116 wines from the 2020 vintage. Dr Billy Yang, from the University of Auckland, is the lead author in the research, which provides insights into the chemical compositions, sensory profiles, commonalities and regional characteristics of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines.

Among the characteristics defined, Central Otago wines displayed unique monomeric anthocyanin profiles and were perceived as softer on the palate. Marlborough wines showed higher residual sugar but lower colour intensity and tannin concentration, while Martinborough wines “exhibited higher colour and robust mouthfeels, linked to higher colour absorbances, polymeric pigments, and tannins”.

The paper received a New Zealand Winegrowers Best Paper Award, sponsored by Bragato Research Institute, at this year’s New Zealand Wine Centre Scientific Research Conference. Billy’s

PhD research fed into the four-year Pinot Noir Programme, which involved a small wine selection. He believes the comprehensive analysis of the latest research will provide a valuable and complementary addition to the findings of that major project.

Some of the 116 wines were made in a different place to the region they were grown in, such as a Marlborough Pinot Noir made in Central Otago, or vice versa. Further research, with more detailed sensory analysis, will add insights into

whether those wines follow the typical traits found from wines in each region.

‘Inter-regional characterisation of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines: Correlation between wine colour, monomeric and polymeric phenolics, tannin composition, antioxidant capacity, and sensory attributes’, by Billy Yang, Zhijing Ye, Leandro Araujo, Tanya Rutan, Rebecca C. Deed and Paul A. Kilmartin, was published in Food Chemistry. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S030881462403961X

Emerging Research

Auckland University master’s student Rebecca Strange presented her research into Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the New Zealand Wine Centre Scientific Research Conference in Blenheim in June, and was named runner up in the Best Student Award. She shares some insights into her thesis.

Please explain your study

My master’s research aimed to hybridise Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast commonly used for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc fermentation, with the cold-tolerant Saccharomyces uvarum, to create a strain that maintains strong fermentation performance even at the low temperatures typical of this style.

What drew you to this research topic?

I have always been excited by genetics and biotechnology and, of course, wine. The idea of combining traits from two different species through hybridisation to create a yeast with the best of both worlds scratches a very specific itch in my brain.

Why ferment Sauvignon Blanc at lower temperatures?

Fermenting Sauvignon Blanc at 10 to 15C enhances the classic New Zealand Sauv character. The cold temperature helps preserve delicate aromatics, such as thiols, that contribute to the fresh and fruity aromas typical of the variety and style.

What happens to saccharomyces cerevisiae in those lower temperatures?

Saccharomyces cerevisiae works best at warmer temperatures of about 20 to 30C. It tends to slow down in cooler temperatures such as 12C, taking longer to start fermenting and producing a lower maximum fermentation rate. This causes a few problems. First, slower fermentation means the process takes longer, which can be more expensive for winemakers because valuable tank space is tied up. Second, if Saccharomyces cerevisiae can’t dominate the fermentation, other unwanted microbes might grow, increasing the risk of spoilage.

Is there a better yeast choice?

Saccharomyces uvarum is a less domesticated yeast species commonly used in cider and lager fermentations, which take place at colder temperatures. Winemakers may notice Saccharomyces uvarum in cool fermentations, where it can initially outcompete other yeasts like Saccharomyces

cerevisiae, sometimes producing undesirable aromas. However, Saccharomyces uvarum has a lower alcohol tolerance, which reduces its ability to perform as ethanol levels increase throughout fermentation. A hybrid between the two, uniting the best qualities of each species, could deliver superior fermentation performance in the cold!

What’s next in your research?

Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain a hybrid within the limited timeframe of my master’s thesis. However, I am currently preparing a publication based on my thesis findings, focusing on the genomes of New Zealand Saccharomyces uvarum populations and their cold tolerance traits. I am also actively exploring PhD opportunities to continue yeast-related wine research. I am deeply passionate about yeast and believe their potential in winemaking is vast. I hope to contribute to advancing yeast biology and encourage greater focus on the yeast side of winemaking in future studies.

Growing solar

Winegrowers interested in exploring solar and battery systems on their vineyards could tap into funding and advice through a new funding programme.

EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) is looking for farmers and growers across a range of sectors to take part in an initiative supporting the installation of solar and battery systems, monitoring performance, and sharing practical insights.

Successful applicants can get funding support for up to 40% for inverters and batteries, and up to 20% for solar panels, capped at $200,00 per farm. Megan Hurnard, EECA General Manager Insights, Data and Communication, says farmers and growers are looking for reliable ways to manage rising energy costs and improve resilience. “By showcasing real-world results across different farming systems, this programme will give the sector confidence about what solar and battery technology can deliver.” Applications for

and close 18 October 2025. Systems must be installed by 30 June 2026.

EECA has also set up a helpline (0800 300 643) to help operators understand if solar is the right choice, and what the potential return might be, and to give advice on quotes and issues around consenting. “We also want to hear about any barriers or challenges being faced ” says Megan. “We think

there is a lot of potential for powering activities like irrigation, harvesting technology, and heating and cooling systems through solar systems… By adopting this innovative technology, you’ll not only strengthen your own business, but help shape the future of energy on farms across New Zealand.” eeca.govt.nz/co-funding-and-support/ products/solar-on-farms/

Expert Viticultural Property Advice

Long spur pruning

JOANNA GRIGG

According to the 2024 Marlborough Vineyard Monitoring Report, one third of surveyed grape growers had either started long spur pruning of Sauvignon Blanc vines or planned on trialling it over winter 2024, citing cost savings as motivation. While unfamiliarity might have held growers back in the past, current profitability might see a considerable swing to spur pruning. Once the cordon and spur sites have been fully established the time to prune a vine can be reduced by half, says viticulture consultant Mark Allen, who has been involved with researching spur pruning, and installing the system in new and established blocks, for 24 years. Mark, who was recently named a 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellow for his dedication to translating research into the field, says long spur pruning is very similar to the new approach taken in canopy layout for cherry and apple trees. That means Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne grape growers could be more open to the shift than Marlborough growers, as they

have more exposure to the changes over the fence. Over the years he has redesigned the system, “to make it even better”, for example moving from 100mm spur spacings, which led to shading, to a 180200mm gap between spurs, and double the number of nodes, to get the same number of buds per metre without crowding.

Spur pruning is the preferred canopy for mechanisation, with potential for further cost cutting and robotic assistance, Mark says. It is just as easy to get a high crop yield with long spur pruning as it is four canes, he adds. “Spur pruning at 180200mm will enhance light interception onto nodes one and two and increase fruitfulness.”

Long spur pruning can be set up with new vines, either as unilateral or bilateral cordon, or retrofitted from four or three cane systems. “It is easy to manipulate the numbers with spur pruning and it’s quicker to count buds on spur pruning as they are upright.” If growers want the option to go back to four cane pruning, then it’s best to set up as bilateral cordons with four vines per bay at 1.8m, Mark says. “Some new developments in Marlborough

are looking at doing this, and others unilateral cordons.”

He sees particular benefits in retrofitting old vineyards with trunk disease. This is useful where owners are not ready to replace vines altogether, but crop levels are low. The gaps can be filled by extending cordons from neighbouring vines that are grown longer on the wire and fill in the gaps. In terms of keeping trunk disease out of a vineyard, Mark said growers have made far too many big cuts into grapevines, when whole arms or heads are removed. This rolls out the welcome mat for trunk disease. The spur prune cuts are only finger width, with far less surface area.

He says the whole vineyard (spur-pruned vines, posts and wire) should last to 45 years. Mechanical shaking spur pruned vines still has a positive effect on yield reduction and botrytis reduction, even though the bunches are a bit more ridged. Spur pruning expertise is more readily available now, Mark says. “Several contractors have dedicated spur pruning teams.”

Read more in VineFacts #15. Bragato Research Update in the June/July 2025 Winegrower.

When powdery mildew threatens...

Waste Not

Bylaw empowers industry recycling

SOPHIE PREECE

New waste management rules in Marlborough will add impetus to recycling efforts by the wine industry, says Circular Wine Group member Jim White. “We are wholly supportive of the changes, which make recycling options far more sensible from a financial point of view.”

“Industry needs to divert as much as possible, which is a far more cost-effective option than sending it to landfill.”

Mark Lucas

Marlborough District Council introduced its Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw 2025 on 1 September. It is designed to limit the ability for companies to take specified recyclable products to landfill, says the council’s Solid Waste Manager Mark Lucas. “This includes dripline, wires and vineyard posts.”

Anyone bringing those products to dump has to fill out a Waste Acceptance Evaluation to show they have diverted as much as possible. As an example, post re-use company Repost may have taken a proportion of old posts, with the leftover deemed not fit for re-purpose. “Only then would these posts be accepted,” Mark says. Posts and driplines are the largest waste source from the industry, which sends about 3,020 tonnes to Marlborough’s landfill each year, plus general waste

Less lees in landfill

A collaborative approach to circularity could see lees waste transformed to a vineyard resource, at no additional cost to companies.

A project being led by Bragato Research Institute, in partnership with Marlborough District Council, various waste companies, The Green Circle, and several interested wine companies, would divert about 6,000 cubic metres of winery lees from landfill, then use biochar and de-sludging technology to

Circular Sawmill

Marlborough’s OneFortyOne Kaituna Sawmill is producing vineyard posts with micronised copper azole (MCA) treatment, in lieu of the traditional arsenic treatment that sees broken posts taken to landfill. “Because MCA doesn’t contain arsenic, it changes the whole equation around disposal,” says Sales Manager Sam Lees (pictured). The sawmill has resource consent to include MCA-treated broken posts in its biomass fuel –combining it with sawdust and other wood residues to generate energy for kiln drying, creating a closed-loop, circular economy approach. “Material that would’ve ended up in landfill now gets a second life, helping power our operations.”

collected from contractors. That volume is set to decline significantly with the new rules, Mark says. “Industry needs to divert as much as possible, which is a far more cost-effective option than sending it to landfill.” Meanwhile, vineyard replanting presents a great opportunity to build vineyards in a more sustainable manner, he says.

Greg and Dansy Coppell of Repost, which repurposes broken vineyard posts into farm fencing, say the bylaw is “a positive step toward a level playing field and greater responsibility for waste”. They say acting early matters. “The quality of broken CCA posts declines over time, and we can only create a secondary market if the quality is there for farmers.”

engineer a soil-enhancing product for vineyards.

BRI Sustainability Research Leader

Dr Seth Laurensen says council has agreed to invest the current gate fee for disposal into the programme, meaning the engineered product can be returned to wine companies at no additional cost. It’s a circular solution that would ease pressure on the landfill, mitigate carbon emissions and enhance soil health, with different products engineered for different sites, he says.

Operations helping divert waste include:

• Waste Management – recycling steel, cardboard and glass

• Future Post – turning waste plastics into durable posts

• Repost – recycling used fence posts

• Plasback – collecting and recycling farm plastics

• Green Circle – upcycling waste streams into carbon-based products

• Greenvine – repurposing expired grape vines into soil-enhancing resources

• One Forty One – producing MCA vineyard posts, which it accepts back at their end of life to burn in the company’s kilns.

Inclusion of biochar means the product could be recognised for carbon credits, Seth adds. While carbon in soil is not recognised by many emissions schemes, biochar is stable, and therefore acknowledged as a carbon store by Puro Earth, an international crediting platform for carbon removal. BRI is working with the Marlborough Circular Wine Group and gauging industry buy in for the project, before seeking cofunding from the Ministry for Primary Industries.

A chip off the old block

Jimmy Stewart is quite literally chipping away at circularity. The directors of GreenVine Aotearoa in Marlborough saw a common sense solution to the huge piles of old grapevines awaiting a bonfire, and began processing them into chip for biomass, biochar, animal bedding and landscaping. “We’ve got a home for as much grape chip as we can provide,” Jimmy says, just days after dismantling multiple large piles about to be “torched” and finding treated vineyard posts tucked amid the vines. The trunks were chipped for a ready client, while the treated posts – unsuitable for repurposing by Repost – were sent to landfill. That’s the next solution he’s setting his mind to, finding a use for chipped treated posts.

Jimmy, whose company manages vineyard redevelopments, chips according to the end use, with bigger “nuggety” products used to

Aotearoa is processing old

supplement other wood mass for biofuel, while finer grades are sold for biochar, calf bedding and landscaping.

Some vineyards choose to spread it back on the block, where it is cultivated into the soil.

The Profile

Into the lime life at Bell Hill

EMMA JENKINS MW

Tucked away in the chalky hills of Weka Pass, Bell Hill is much more than a vineyard; it’s an ongoing conversation between people, soil, and commitment. Named in 1918 for its distinctive bell-like shape when viewed from the south, this old lime quarry was planted in vines from 1997 by Sherwyn Veldhuizen and Marcel Giesen. Steeped in geological and natural history, it has become one of New Zealand’s most distinctive estates, both physically and philosophically.

“We’ve learned humility and patience. Strength and determination, the stubborn pursuit of a dream. The holistic nature of winegrowing. Alone, we might not have discovered that.”

Sherwyn Veldhuizen

Anyone who has heard Sherwyn speak about the land knows how deeply she feels its pull. “We are a tiny pointer, swimming against the stream, not in the main current. Holding a flame to tradition, showing the diversity of possibilities.” In New Zealand, their influence is limited, she says. “But overseas, the recognition of our winegrowing philosophy, our pursuit of soil, our nod to the Old World home of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – that’s understood and supported.”

For the past two decades, Bell Hill has achieved near-cult status among wine collectors here and abroad. The wines – tiny quantities of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – are highly sought after, but their rarity is not the whole story. Those who drink the wines are also captivated by the sense of purpose and discipline that has shaped their making – Sherwyn and Marcel’s almost monastic devotion to uncovering what this site has to say. “The vision was very clear from the start,” Sherwyn recalls. “Does limestone matter? Is it truth or myth? We wanted to find the truth – or not – through

soil, through high plant density, through Burgundian vineyard architecture, the detail in the vineyard… the philosophy of winegrowing, not grape growing separated from winemaking.”

The work has been painstaking. Tiny parcels have been established by hand at high density, and farmed organically, and with biodynamic practices, since 2007. Cultivation is mechanical and yields miniscule – sometimes too much so, thanks to rains and frosts. The initial years were tough. Sherwyn and Marcel lived on site part time for a decade, spending weekends, harvest and frost season in a cabin with no electricity (though, as Jancis Robinson once noted, furnished with excellent wines and wine glasses). Alongside their meticulous winegrowing, the couple have steadily obtained more land to restore wetlands, regenerate native plantings and grow crops for compost inputs. “It’s not just about vines,” Sherwyn says. “It’s about creating a whole, living farm organism.”

When asked how limestone expresses itself in their wines, the answer is quick: “Longevity. That comes with shy early evolution, hence our later releases. Structurally, acidity becomes the backbone and framework of the wine. And then there’s palate direction and flow – linearity, salinity, salivation, precision, tension, energy. It’s lime life, or limelight – a soil derived from living marine life.” Their wines are often described as precise, complex, and long-lived, but Marcel refutes the idea that such a style is intentional, or winemaker driven. “We don’t ‘wine make’ for this. It comes from the soil, from the voice of the site.” At Bell Hill, terroir always has the last word.

The site is far from easy to farm. The terrain is unforgiving, the climate ever more marginal, the demands endless. “The site teaches you humility,” says Sherwyn. “The power of the land, how adaptive you must be, how responsive to weather. It demands detail.” Bell Hill has slowly revealed what Marcel calls “spirituality in winegrowing”, noting that “it’s no wonder that monks started Burgundy”. The challenges could have discouraged many, but for Sherwyn they are bound up with purpose. “It has been our path of discovery – pursuit of soil, balance, excellence.” She recalls a consultant who advised them, “house site first, vineyard site second”. The task was “Mission Impossible”, they were told – “difficult should be a walk in the park.” But that’s the point, Sherwyn says. “The uniqueness of the site has given us unique wines. Overcoming the difficulty is the reward. The land has its hold on you… its energy, the evening light touching upon the escarpment which never gets old. There’s a vision of more to be done, wanting to leave a different footprint than we found before descending into quiet.”

Bell Hill is very much the joint creation of Sherwyn and Marcel, their complementary strengths woven into both vineyard and cellar, a balance of strategic vision and detail, people and purpose, logistics and creativity, with “one foot on the gas pedal, the other on the brake”. They are largely aligned when it comes to their palates and style preferences, working to find the balance and best outcome of a season. “When to be a risk taker or be risk averse… early picking versus ripeness versus disease potential and loss… when to start, when to pause, when to finish…”

and any disagreements tend to be resolved “over a bottle of good Burgundy,” Sherwyn laughs.

Working together has shaped them as much as it has the vineyard. “We’ve learned humility and patience. Strength and determination, the stubborn pursuit of a dream. The holistic nature of winegrowing. Alone, we might not have discovered that,” she says. “If you love and care for the land, it can pay you back with layers in the wine you can’t explain.” Outside the vineyard, they seek headspace through nature, animals, the arts, and hikes. “Yes, it consumes you. Yet there are times and places where your mind, heart, and soul can tune into other energies. Rakiura, Stewart Island, gives us that. Nature, walking, community, fishing, history. It recharges us.”

For all that they have achieved so far at Bell Hill, the pair see the project as far from complete. A list of future goals tumbles out: succession planning; more single-parcel wines; following the evolution of their wines during the next 20 years; releasing their first sparkling wine (tirage bottled in July 2024, a solera blend spanning six vintages); nurturing the young vines of the “North Arm” block, named for Rakiura landmarks;

continuing the “Bell Hill Further Afield” project begun in 2023, sourcing grapes ‘outside the gate’. “There is so much to be done,” Sherwyn says. “The question is how, and with whom, we will do it. That is the next chapter.”

Ultimately, Bell Hill is not about ease or volume. It is about meaning, Sherwyn reflects. “We all try to find out who we are, our purpose. It is not about recognition, but about belonging. Like a moth to a flame, we

find ourselves returning to the light of the lime cliff escarpment that looks upon Bell Hill, every day.”

And when people drink Bell Hill, she hopes they’ll encounter something beyond just flavour. “Purity and elegance, yes. Drinkability. But also, a connection – that they can become part of the Bell Hill story. A sense of place. Bell Hill wine doesn’t come out talking; it wants you to have a conversation with it. And we want that, too.”

JUICE RECOVERYAROMA CAPTURE

Half century at Matawhero

EMMA JENKINS MW

Pioneering Gisborne winery Matawhero Wines is marking half a century of influence in New Zealand’s modern wine story. The vineyard was established in the 1960s by the late Bill Irwin, with the first wines produced under the Matawhero label in 1975 by his son, the late Denis Irwin. Bill imported clonal material directly from Europe, including what remained of Matawhero’s flagship varieties – Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay – at a time when New Zealand’s vineyard plantings were still dominated by hybrid and bulk wine varieties. Denis crafted wines that quickly gained national and international attention for their flair and individuality, particularly the benchmark aromatic whites. It was a bold step says current owner Kirsten Searle. “He was a bookseller originally, so to suddenly start grape growing was a leap of faith. Denis always pushed the boundaries in terms of wine style; his flamboyant character and maverick attitude put Matawhero – and Gisborne – on the map.”

Kirsten and her husband Richard took the reins in 2008, inheriting a name rich in history but in need of revitalisation. “There wasn’t any wine being sold when we took over,” she recalls. “To see the distribution we have, and people enjoying our wines across New Zealand – and now in export markets – is very rewarding.” Kim Crawford now handles the winemaking, supported by a team with deep local knowledge and decades of experience. Along with growing the brand, the Searles have transformed the Riverpoint home vineyard with a cellar door and accommodation, allowing them to “share a little of our paradise with people who stay”.

For Gisborne, Matawhero has long been a local icon. “Denis showcased Matawhero and Gisborne nationally and internationally very early on, and we have tried to carry on the legacy,” says Kirsten. “Fifty years is a milestone worth celebrating. It’s also great for our wider community to have businesses that succeed, have history, and showcase our unique region. The next half-century will be about continuing to do things well, she says. “Making the best wines we can, and growing while retaining our history and identity… We want to leave our own legacy.”

The chemistries stomping out grape diseases

UPL crushes Botrytis, powdery mildew

UPL chemistries deliver against Botrytis (Kenja® 400 SC) and powdery mildew (Kusabi® and Flute®) in grapes.

Anna Kelland

Young Viticulturist of the Year

SOPHIE PREECE

Anna Kelland was 7 years old when she announced she would be a winemaker, planning for a career that would make her parents happy. “Mum said that would be either a massage therapist or a winemaker,” she says with a laugh 17 years later, now Viticulture Technician at Constellation Brands New Zealand and 2025 New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year.

“I think the next big thing for New Zealand is Sauvignon Blanc – it’s not going anywhere.”

Anna Kelland

Winemaking ambitions soon switched to chemical engineering, but by her teenage years Anna had dismissed those job opportunities as dull. “I thought, I still want to do something involved with chemistry, and wine science has a lot of chemistry involved.” Having grown up surrounded by the Hawke’s Bay winegrowing industry, the driven young woman visited Eastern Institute of Technology when she was 14, and announced she was going to return for the concurrent viticulture and wine science degrees.

In 2019 the Dux of Taradale High School did just that, kicking off four years of study, interspersed with work in vineyards and wineries, including a summer internship with Constellation Brands in Hawke’s Bay. As she learned more about agrichemicals, and monitoring pest and disease risk, Anna became increasingly interested in the viticulture side of the industry, while also working winery vintages, and studying for her WSET Level 4 diploma.

She left EIT as valedictorian at the end of 2022 and grew her knowledge with a vintage lab role and work in a Hawke’s Bay cellar door, before becoming a viticulture technician at Constellation Brands in Marlborough in 2023. This year she worked as a vintage assistant winemaker with the company. “I was happy to get that experience and see not only what it’s like in other wineries, but also in our winery, where they process the grapes that I’m a part of growing. Seeing the full process was really fun to do.”

In 2024 Anna competed in the Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year, taking the regional win but missing out on the national title. This year she represented Marlborough once again at the national final, held on 27 August at Greystone in Waipara and concluding with the speech component at the New Zealand 2025 Wine Business Forum on 28 August. Anna says there’s plenty of preparation and ambition required for the competition. Her work doesn’t require her to have tractor, trellising or other practical skills, so learning what operators are doing every day was a big part of her study. “I may not have had the opportunity to practice those skills without Young Viticulturist as a motivation.” Her win marks 20 years of the competition, and Anna is full of praise for an initiative that has been helping young viticulturists “to grow and get their names out there” for two decades. “It’s such an amazing opportunity, and I’m very, very grateful.”

It’s hardly surprising that Anna is not content to rest on her laurels, and she’s got plans to study for a master of agribusiness while also preparing for the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition in 2026. But in the wake of the Young Viticulturist final she took a break, putting her WSET knowledge to good use on a fiveweek holiday in Europe, including a winery tour in England, and tasting explorations in Italy and Germany.

Looking at the future, she says disease resistant varieties interest her, but she is also confident that Sauvignon Blanc remains the most exciting opportunity for New Zealand wine. People talk of Chenin Blanc or Albariño as “the next big thing”, but that’s been the line for the past 20 years, she says. “I think the next big thing for New Zealand is Sauvignon Blanc – it’s not going anywhere. The trend is going more towards lighter and fresher… going more towards what Sauvignon Blanc is known for.”

Her speech at the Business Forum set the scene for Marlborough in 2045, with options for automation in all areas of production, and the industry on track to achieve net zero emissions, while selected varieties offer vineyards resistance to

extreme weather. “Sales are growing again in the ‘Re-United States of America’,” she told the audience. “And despite everything the world has been through, they still, after all these years, have a taste for Marlborough wine.”

In the here and now, a 7-year-old’s

predictions that a career in wine would make her parents happy are proving spot on. Anna made some garage wines in the 2025 vintage and sent some home to Hawke’s Bay. Her mum’s response? “Drinking a wine your daughter has made, this is the dream.”

Highly sought after, rarely sold

Situated in sought-after Grovetown, just a short drive to Blenheim’s CBD, this 14.37 hectare property offers scale, location, and a proven track record. Currently, the vineyard offers 8.42 hectares planted in sauvignon blanc and pinot gris, with areas having been replanted in 2021. At one end, 3.65 hectares of bare land presents a future opportunity for further development. Renowned for its fertile soil, reliable water, and ideal climate this property provides a well-established viticulture investment in a prime Marlborough location.

Deadline sale

3pm, Wednesday 5 November 2025

33 Seymour Street, Blenheim

Twelve year lease offers long term investment

Developed in 2021, this sizeable vineyard asset is primed and ready to hit full production. Providing 59.91 hectares planted in sauvignon blanc, the block is leased to a well-known wine brand with twelve years remaining on the initial term. Well supported by quality infrastructure, the property boasts a sizeable A class water consent, 36,000 cubic meter storage reservoir, large implement shed and eleven frost fans. Further income is generated through the rental of a tidy two-bedroom cottage, overlooking an impressive native wetland area. This is a highly attractive investment, offering long-term passive income generation through an established primary industry.

Deadline sale

3pm, Wednesday 12 November 2025

33

Ruby McManaway

Young Winemaker of the Year

SOPHIE PREECE

Ruby McManaway was set to become a PE teacher after high school, until nagging doubts saw her press pause on university plans. Ten years on, she’s Tonnellerie de Mercurey New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year 2025, Production Winemaker at Yealands Wines, has her own vineyard at Blind River, and is adding to her winemaking degree and WSET Level 3 with a master’s in business administration.

It’s been a stellar journey, which she puts down to the “incredible” people in the industry, and a career she loves. “I like the excitement of it, and having to be on your toes, 10 steps ahead. You have to be very organised with an efficient mindset as well.”

The 28-year-old grew up in Marlborough, but hadn’t considered working in the wine industry surrounding her, instead thinking she’d put years of college rowing to good use as a teacher. After opting for a gap year instead, she “fell into” a cadet role at Constellation Brands, getting a taste of the winery and vineyard, while meeting “industry legends” in the field.

When she finished the year-long cadetship in 2016, Ruby became a cellar hand with the company as she considered her next steps. Then, sitting in the smoko room in the midst of vintage 2017, she realised her ‘gap’ was done. “I thought, ‘I actually love this. I love what I’m doing, I should probably consider making a career out of it.” Before smoko was over she had

enrolled at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology for a bachelor’s degree in winemaking and viticulture. “I think it was a little bit sleep deprived,” she says with a laugh. “But I’m so glad I did it.”

She worked fulltime and studied part time for the first three years, then fulltime in both to get the degree completed. In 2019 she joined Yealands as a cellar hand, to grow her experience in the industry, and within a year had been promoted to Assistant Winemaker, then Production Winemaker in 2022. In 2023, she worked vintage at Maison M. Chapoutier in Hermitage, Northern Rhône. One of her biggest learnings, working alongside a team of Australians and Kiwis who only spoke English, is that “you can communicate without speaking”. She also learned “some very cool techniques” with Syrah, some of which she has been able to implement in Yealands’ Pinot and Merlot programmes. Her work at Yealands is closely wound up with Pinot Gris and Rosé programme, as well as Tempranillo and Merlot, “with input and help and support from the team”. Ruby, who also does some brand work

with Yealands and Babydoll brands, says winemaking at Yealands is “very much a collaborative team effort”, especially when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc.

The support of her team came in handy in preparing for the Young Winemaker Marlborough and national competitions. “I’ve said to them multiple times that this is a reflection of them and the work that we achieve together, because without incredible mentors and support, I can’t go out and achieve something like this.” She’s also been overwhelmed by the “massive camaraderie” in the regional and final events. “There was so much support for each other. Everyone wanted everyone to do really well, and that is such a nice environment to be in.”

Ruby won the Constellation Brands Laboratory Section, the Indevin Wine Judging section, and the Fruitfed Supplies speeches at the Celebration Dinner, but was dazzled by the talents of the two other regional finalists, Dingying Jiang from Kahiwi in Central Otago, and Thalia Osborne from Ash Ridge in Hawke’s Bay. She says the competitions revealed “how truly supportive your young winemaker

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cohort is around you”. Ruby is putting her money where her mouth is when it comes to her passion for the wine industry, and for Marlborough’s flagship variety. In late winter 2024, she and her partner Jordan Thomas bought a vineyard at Blind River Loop, with

Industry taster

Constellation’s cadetship programme has helped launch the careers of dozens of cellar hands, winemakers, viticulturists and vineyard managers since it launched in 2012. This October the company will look to recruit four cadets, with two at Selaks Winery in Hawke’s Bay and two at Kim Crawford Winery in Marlborough, starting from January. The cadets spend six months in vineyards and six months in the cellar, with opportunities to explore other areas of the business that interest them.

Rob Lane had a degree in marketing and tourism when he became a cadet in 2014, and has been with the company ever since, recently moving from the winery

3.6 hectares of the 6ha block planted in Sauvignon Blanc. The couple do all the manual work themselves, along with the mowing, and call on “amazing contractor” Paul McIntyre for spraying, trimming and plucking. “At the moment we sell the fruit and feel very fortunate to have a contract,”

Stream vineyards. “The cadetship set me up with great opportunities from day one,” Rob says. “It is great to see the number of cadets who have taken on permanent roles within Constellation vineyards, wineries and supply chain after finishing the programme, and we are starting to see that

she says. “One day we’d love to release our own label, focused on expressing the unique character of our site. It’s a beautiful block, and Jordan and I feel so lucky to own it and to be able to work much of the vineyard ourselves. As a winemaker, having your own label would be a dream come true.”

he’s helping other cadets navigate the industry, including Briahna Adams, who finished the year-long Marlboroughbased cadetship in July 2024. Now she’s a cellar hand at Kim Crawford Winery and studying for a Bachelor in Viticulture and Winemaking at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. “Before the cadetship I had done two vintages in a lab and was super keen to learn more about what the wine industry has to offer,” Briahna says. “One thing I loved most about the cadetship was that it put me out of my comfort zone as I had to move around to different vineyards and then the winery and meet with a lot of different people. I have found that not only have I gained more knowledge

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Growing Legacy

Sixty years after a wine book hijacked Ivan and Chris Donaldson’s medical careers, 50 years after they pioneered winegrowing in North Canterbury, and 40 years after they planted Pegasus Bay, the third of their four sons, Ed, talks of the privilege and passion of working in the family business.

I’m writing this from my hotel room in Bangkok. I feel grateful for being here, and even more so for being here representing a family business that I believe in so passionately.

I arrived from Seoul yesterday after launching our 2015 aged-release wines. This is our newest export market, making it the 45th country in which we have distribution. My next stop is Brussels, followed by further destinations in Europe and the United Kingdom.

While it may sound pretty glamorous, and I must admit it is at times, it can also be incredibly tiring. I’m often fighting jetlag to some degree, which can make being upbeat and engaging difficult at times.

I’m certainly not complaining; life has dealt me a pretty good hand, and I don’t take this for granted. I love my job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

I realise I have privilege, being born into a family with loving parents who gave my brothers and I so many opportunities, as well as showing us the gold standard of what a good marriage can look like. I have massive respect for my parents.

“It was hard work, but I loved being outside, and the property became a playground for us young boys.”

Ed Donaldson

The early days of establishing the business were very different to this. It was a hectic mix of excitement, stress and confusion, running on adrenaline and cortisol most of the time as I tried to keep all the balls in the air while learning everything on the fly. When I started working for the family business, aged 20, I was by far the youngest person I encountered in my position within the industry. It was hard not to feel out of my depth at times.

But the hard graft of the early years was nothing compared to that of my parents, whose sacrifices and relentless determination made so much out of so little. They started with a dream and a mountain so tall to climb that it’s almost impossible for even me to fully comprehend.

Ivan grew up just outside Dunedin. His

father died when he was young, leaving his mother to provide for and bring up five children. There was nothing privileged about the family into which Dad was born. At the age of 15, his grades were such that the school dean told him he was wasting his time doing anything academic and that he should leave and pursue a trade. This obviously struck a nerve, because in his final year he was Dux of the school, then went on to study medicine, specialising in neurology, before eventually transitioning into wine.

My mother, Chris, was a nurse, and my parents met at a party for final-year medical students in the mid-1960s. This marked the beginning of a lifelong partnership, and a journey neither of them could have anticipated. Early in their relationship, Chris gave Ivan a book called Wine, by Hugh Johnson, the well-known English wine critic and author. My father became fascinated with wine. He didn’t know anything about it until that point, but the book inspired him to ferment fruit wine in his dorm room, with mixed results.

My parents moved to London after Ivan won a Commonwealth Medical Scholarship in the early 1970s, and he cemented his love affair with wine through travels around Europe, visiting wineries and learning about the industry. I was born in London in 1975, just before they returned to New Zealand. They and a group of friends went on to plant one of the first vineyards of modern times in Canterbury – the French had beaten them to it about 180 years earlier, in Akaroa.

Ivan made the wine from the garage at home, in between working at the public hospital fulltime, lecturing at Canterbury University, running his own private practice in the evenings, writing a weekly wine column in the Christchurch Press, and judging at several national and international wine shows. Mum did all of Dad’s secretarial work for the private practice, while running the house and raising four boys. She was also hugely instrumental in establishing the winery.

In the early 80s, they decided to take the plunge and break away from the hobby vineyard, with a vision of doing something on a bigger scale. That something became Pegasus Bay. They looked at sites all over Canterbury and were drawn to the Waipara Valley because of protection from the easterly winds. They found a site on what is now known as the Glasnevin Gravels, an ancient riverbed with freedraining soils. The earlier vineyard wasn’t sheltered, and they struggled to ripen the fruit consistently; hence, the focus was on finding a slightly warmer environment.

They came up with the money for the land by selling a run-down old property they had bought earlier, and had made

some modest improvements to. My three brothers and I were set to work making vine cuttings. We were paid 5 cents a cutting and managed to make about $10 for a full day’s work. We were all involved in planting the vineyard in 1985, and most of our weekends and holidays were spent on this block of land. The only accommodation we had was an old caravan, but that was all we needed.

It was hard work, but I loved being outside, and the property became a playground for us young boys. It was here that I became connected with nature and the outdoors.

The person my parents bought the land from didn’t make it easy. Once the purchase agreement was signed, he learned we were planning to plant a vineyard, and started demanding more money, moving

boundaries, and even putting dead rabbits in our letterbox, along with every piece of debris that blew onto his neighbouring property. Later on, he threatened to spray the vineyard with weedkiller by plane. He managed to delay us taking full possession of the land for several years and causing my parents a world of stress.

Then came the reality of how difficult it is to get a vine cutting to take in free-draining soils with no irrigation. In desperation, we filled up a tank on the back of a tractor from a small creek and hand-watered every vine in a 20-hectare block. A large portion of the vines died over two consecutive years. After the third attempt, we set up a crude irrigation system.

The next major setback was frost. Early frost fighting involved driving around the vineyard all night with a thermometer out the car’s window, using a flashlight to direct a helicopter overhead to blow warm air down on the coolest parts of the vineyard. This was fraught with issues and resulted in the loss of close to the entire crop on several occasions. Nothing like the relatively sophisticated system we have now.

We finally released our first wine, which my father made in 1991 in the home garage. My younger brother, Paul, then 15, drew the original label, which he copied from the Steve Miller Band’s Book of Dreams album cover. He assumed our parents would have taken his sketches to a designer, but they went ahead and got it printed straight on the label. It was quite something! My eldest brother, Mat, was at Roseworthy College in Adelaide studying wine. When he returned and saw the label he freaked out, and thankfully had the good taste to redesign it to what it is today. Mat and his now ex-wife Lynnette (Hudson) were a great winemaking team. They worked together and made wines that turned heads for many years.

The first stage of the winery was built in 1992, and we opened a very basic restaurant and cellar door. The winery was designed by a rather eccentric architect who was also passionate about drawing naked people as a side interest. I recall the early architectural sketches of people standing naked on balconies to provide scale. The winery was built in stages over 10 or so years.

When I left school, I trained as a chef and started working under our first head chef as his commis. Back then we had cheap plastic tables sitting on gravel in a bare paddock. Every time the wind picked up, all the tables and umbrellas would go flying. The kitchen was located in a small room upstairs,

equipped with an old domestic stove, two tiny fridges, and a BBQ that would completely smoke out the kitchen every time meat hit the grill, as we had no extraction.

In the early days, we closed during the quiet months, and I would go to London to work in kitchens and gain experience. Three years later, I was head chef, restaurant manager, marketing manager, and in charge of sales in Christchurch. I had so much responsibility and very little experience. I did my best, but don’t think I excelled at any of the roles. It was more about keeping my head above water. As time passed, I had to choose between marketing and cheffing. This was an easy choice for me. I hung up my chef whites for good and continued managing the restaurant while focusing more on sales and marketing.

Eventually, I handed over the reins of the restaurant to my now-wife Belinda, whom I met as my maître d’. She took the restaurant to new heights and continues to manage the hospitality side of our business. This freed up my time to travel and better establish and service export markets.

Paul joined the business in 2005. He returned from London, completed an MBA, and took over managing the business from my parents. His arrival was perfectly timed,

as our company had grown, but we had very little structure in place. Paul brought this to the winery, and has played a crucial role in our success today.

My older brother, Mike, joined the business in 2016 and took over managing the sales in our local Canterbury market. His natural people skills, combined with being a family member, made him the perfect fit. Mike also contributes to many other areas of the business and, along with Paul and me, is involved in the wine styles and final blends.

Today our vineyard is 40 years old and covers 40 hectares. We decided long ago that we didn’t want to get any bigger but instead focus on making the best wine possible. The winery’s size is ideal for us to achieve economies of scale without compromising quality.

Over the decades, my mother and our landscape team have established internationally recognised gardens surrounding the winery. My father remains heavily involved in our viticulture, and we have a team of approximately 50 employees across various parts of the business who are like family, many of whom have been with us for decades. We certainly wouldn’t be where we are today without them, and many have become integral to the business.

Emma Jenkins’ MW Musings Mastering Wine

EMMA JENKINS MW

For much of its modern history, New Zealand wine has been defined by its boldness. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc came bursting onto the global stage in the 1980s, rewriting global expectations of freshness and style for the variety. The industry’s wholesale embrace of screwcaps in the 2000s was another moment of collective swagger, and along with the flying winemakers who took with them innovative thinking and technical know-how, boldness became a New Zealand calling card.

But alongside boldness is its less flashy relative, bravery. Quieter, less obvious, but no less important. If boldness grabs headlines, bravery sustains them. Bravery is planting Pinot Noir in a marginal region, when everybody thinks you’re mad. Bravery is farming organically in a high-rainfall corner of the country, when neighbours warn it’s impossible. Bravery is sticking with Syrah, despite global markets barely blinking. Bravery is working with Chenin, Gewürztraminer or Riesling, knowing they will never pay the bills like

Sauvignon Blanc, but believing they matter. Boldness and bravery may overlap but they are not the same. Boldness is outward facing, a willingness to take risks, act decisively, and perhaps make a statement to the world. Bravery is inward-facing, it’s having the mental strength to take risks when the outcome is uncertain, the economics are shaky, or the rewards distant. Boldness is spearheading a screwcap revolution; bravery might be a years-long grind to convert a recalcitrant vineyard to organics.

New Zealand wine as a collective at times feels a little less bold these days. Sauvignon Blanc has become both a strength and a straitjacket, anchoring the industry’s success but narrowing its story. As a nation, the swagger has faltered. Yet growing pockets of bravery can be found – in the push towards genuine long-term sustainability practices and leadership, in our burgeoning stylistic experimentation, in the sheer stubbornness of people working outside the mainstream.

Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction

First held in 1991, the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction is the country’s oldest wine auction. Born of a chat between Alan Limmer, John Buck and Kate Radburnd, it aimed to showcase the region’s winemaking talent while supporting Cranford Hospice, its sole beneficiary. Fast-forward to 2025, and the auction has now raised over $5 million, powered by generous donations based around premium barrel lots, large-format bottles and hands-on food and wine selections from across the region’s producers, plus an annual featured artist’s work.

The Auction’s 33rd iteration was held on 13 September, bringing together top Hawke’s Bay winemakers. Bidders vied for special selections such as three separate barrique-sized lots, the opportunity to blend your own wine with Clearview Estate, 18 litres of the inaugural Bilancia La Collina Mourvèdre, and 24 bottles of Chateau Garage’s Lorenzo the Magnificent, a handcrafted Cabernet Sangiovese blend. The auction raised $370,000 for Cranford Hospice, including a $35,000 winning bid for a half barrique of Trinity Hill 2025 Touriga Francesa Port-Style Wine.

Is this enough? Individual acts of courage are vital, but without amplification they remain scattered sparks. What once set New Zealand apart was its ability to turn individual daring into a shared movement. Screwcap adoption wasn’t just brave; it became bold because the whole industry joined in. Perhaps what’s missing is not courage itself, but the willingness to turn small acts of bravery into shared stories of leadership.

Boldness often comes easier when you’re the outsider disrupting the system. Bravery becomes more important once you’ve matured, built markets, and face up to the risk of complacency. Our challenge now might be to connect bravery back to boldness – to take the many small acts of risk-taking happening across the regions and reassert them as part of the national identity. That doesn’t mean abandoning Sauvignon Blanc, but it does mean telling a bigger story: that New Zealand Wine is not just safe and consistent, but brave, and, when it chooses to be, still bold.

Wine Art

CLAIRE FINLAYSON

Look at a line-up of Ata Rangi wine bottles and you’ll see a bold, cheerful interloper amongst the more traditional fontforward labels: the Rosé Brut 2023.

Ata Rangi’s winemaker Helen Masters says they wanted the label to reflect the new enthusiasm that accompanied their first foray into sparkling wine after the punishing weather conditions of 2023 forced them to pivot. “It was a new beginning for us wine-wise, something beautiful that came out of a tough season. So, we wanted the label to be happy and fun.”

They commissioned that fun from Helen’s daughter Stella Masters, who is currently studying Visual Communication Design in Christchurch. The brief was to capture the meaning of Ata Rangi – dawn sky/a new beginning.

Stella explains her process. “Taking the concept of sunrise and combining it with the sparkling nature of the wine led me to use expanding metallic lines. They represent the sun’s first rays reaching over the hills, but also the bursting of the bubbles. We wanted the colour of the wine to be a key feature which integrated well as the peachy pink dawn sky.”

Signifying place within such a small rectangle of bottle real estate is no mean feat, but Stella nailed this by incorporating the distinctive silhouette of ‘Kupe’s canoes’ – three hills that sit like upturned canoes on the Martinborough skyline.

She used a digital drawing app to create the design. “I like the traditional pen to paper technique that an iPad recreates while allowing me to draw something clean and graphic. I made the design balanced and bold so that it has more impact from afar and compliments the stripped back packaging of the bottle.”

Helen loves the result. “It’s fun but not too much. It still has a classic Ata Rangi feel.”

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Wine Weather

What’s been going on?

JAMES MORRISON

A stratospheric warming over Antarctica occurred during August. This sudden rise in temperature above the icy continent leads to large tongues of cold air being squeezed northwards. Whether these warming events pass over New Zealand, Australia, South Africa or Argentina can be a bit of a roll of the dice. The current phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) will also have an impact on how severe the cold air affects the mid-latitudes around the Southern Hemisphere.

Early September has been notable for several cold snaps and some significant cold air spreading as far north as Auckland. Frosty conditions have been observed on the back of these cold snaps, but they have not been prolonged over several days. A more typical spring time westerly flow has meant that the atmosphere has not remained settled under high pressure but has rather reverted quickly to westerlies that

bring the warm air back to New Zealand. As I write there are signs of a second stratospheric warming event that may lead to quite unsettled weather through October. The Southern Oscillation Index is pointing towards yet another La Niña for the summer of 2025-26. This could see a more settled start to summer but also brings the risk of increased humidity and rainfall.

Drifts

“It’s as hopeless as a frost in spring” –Samwise Gamgee (The Return of the King) Samwise the gardener knew all about spring frost, but now there are many tools available to mitigate the effects of a frost

during budburst or flowering. One frosty night is not necessarily the same as another, and is certainly not hopeless. However, it can be difficult to plan when frost events do not follow the usual pattern for drift or inversion. There are several reasons why drifts can be weaker or not develop, or why inversions vary from one night to the next. Inversion and drift are often, but not always, quite closely linked. In areas surrounded by mountainous topography such as Central Otago or Marlborough, drifts develop on the higher hillsides and ridgelines. Some of these become quite large and fast moving, such as the Wairau Valley drift. Others are quite localised to adjacent

gullies or small valleys. During cold nights when high pressure sits over New Zealand these drifts form in quite a regular way. As they move down towards wider plains of the coast they cause mixing and can help to lift temperatures or at least slow the rate of cooling.

A pattern emerges over a vineyard or a region of where the coldest areas are and where temperatures can remain milder. This is often observed in Marlborough, where parts of Rapaura Road can be 2-3C milder than the lower lying parts of Fairhall, just a couple of kilometres to the south. When there are strong airflows higher in the atmosphere, such as the cold southerly outbreaks of September 2019 and 2021, the upper level winds hinder the development of katabatic drainage about the ranges. The drifts that do develop are often weaker and the temperature patterns at a vineyard or regional level can be disrupted. Areas that usually observe milder temperatures become colder as the drifts that develop are weak or present from a different direction. A stratospheric warming event does increase the risk of cold southerly outbreaks that are accompanied by strong upper level winds, and those that take place in late winter or early spring should be watched closely, as local weather can be affected for several weeks. In spring 2025, the unsettled westerly pattern and cold southerly changes may continue well into October.

Outlook for October and November:

Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay – Temperatures are expected to remain above average along the upper east coast of the North Island through late spring. There are still likely to be cold changes at times, but as the westerly flow begins to weaken in mid-October, high pressure will dominate at times. This may increase the frequency of consecutive cool nights and there will still be a risk of some light frost. With a La Niña likely to arrive by early summer, more frequent northeasterlies will develop and are likely to increase humidity. Rainfall totals are near or above average.

Wairarapa – Temperatures are likely to be above average, especially from mid-October onwards. The strong west to northwest winds that have been dominating in early spring should subside as high pressure systems become more dominant. There will still be a chance of rain events pushing rainfall above average, but these will be mixed with more settled periods of weather, and this will increase the risk of consecutive cold nights with some light frost still possible.

Nelson – Temperatures are likely to continue to run at or above average through the remainder of spring and into early summer. There remains an increased risk of rain-bearing systems as more humid northerly conditions increase. The risk of frost should reduce significantly from mid-October onwards.

Marlborough/North Canterbury – Temperatures remain near or above average. There remains an increased chance of above average rainfall for Marlborough. North Canterbury may remain near average, but sunshine hours continue to be near or below average. There will always be some risk of late spring frost, and there will be cool nights through late October and early November as the westerly flow weakens and high pressure becomes more dominant.

Central Otago – Temperatures are likely to remain near or above average through spring and into early summer. Sunshine should be higher and rainfall near or even below average through until midspring. This means that the diurnal range between minimum and maximum temperatures will continue to be greater than most other parts of the country. There will be some risk of spring frosts as more settled conditions increase, but as the colder southerly outbreaks reduce, so do the chances of severe frost affecting the region.

James Morrison runs Weatherstation Frost Forecasting: weatherstation.net.nz

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Biosecurity Update

Protecting the places that make our famous wines

Sophie Badland

Industry biosecurity awareness –not just for vineyards

In the lead up to the introduction of biosecurity requirements into the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme for vineyard members, there has been a lot of focus on biosecurity measures for vineyards. While vineyards face the most significant risk from unwanted pests and diseases, wineries and cellar doors can also play a role in preventing their establishment and spread by educating staff and raising awareness of biosecurity not only within the winery but in general day-to-day activities. Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility, from cellar hands to managers.

The nzwine.com website has several biosecurity resources available to download, including posters, a postcardsized ‘Message for Visitors’ (especially for cellar doors), and pest and disease identification guides. A best practice guide for wineries is currently in development and will be available soon. Hard copies of any of the biosecurity resources are available by emailing your details to biosecurity@nzwine.com.

The following is an overview of some of the key actions winery, cellar door and vineyard accommodation staff can take to assist with industry biosecurity.

Winery Biosecurity Best Practice

• Include biosecurity awareness in staff inductions and training. This should include an overview of the key pests and diseases of concern to the industry, hygiene procedures for the site, and what to do if something suspicious is found.

• Display awareness material in break rooms and work areas. Posters and wine industry pest and disease identification guides are available electronically at nzwine.com, or hard copies can be sent to members.

• Inspect any new or used imported machinery on arrival, in an enclosed space. Open all compartments in the machinery and check the packaging too. Call the Biosecurity New Zealand hotline on 0800 80 99 66 if you find any hitchhiking insects, insect eggs or contaminants. There should be no organic material or soil on any

imported machinery.

• Keep winery areas clean and free of organic waste that may harbour pests or vine diseases. Some insects (such as the harlequin ladybird and brown marmorated stink bug) like to overwinter in large aggregations in dark, enclosed spaces. Regular checks for pest insects can be done alongside other standard inspections/hazard identification processes, like health and safety or fire hazard checks, within enclosed spaces around the winery and outbuildings.

• Ensure transitional facilities comply with biosecurity regulations. Wineries receiving international containers to their own transitional facilities must ensure they comply with the Biosecurity Act 1993 legislation and are approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries under the Transitional Facilities for General Uncleared Risk Goods standard.

Cellar Door Biosecurity Best Practice

Many international tourists visit cellar doors, and many cellar doors are located in or alongside vineyards. Cellar door staff can play an important role in educating visitors about the importance of biosecurity to the New Zealand wine industry. Where possible, ask your visitors to:

• Check their luggage is free of hitchhiking pests and any plant material. Call the Biosecurity New Zealand hotline if anything suspicious is found.

• Ensure their footwear is clean and free of mud, seeds and plant material before entering and leaving a vineyard or cellar door.

• Stay within designated areas on the site and don’t walk among the vine rows without express permission – for their own health and safety as well as the health and safety of your vines. Limit contact with the vines as much as possible.

• Leave the environment as they find it – do not remove any soil, fruit or plant material from the vineyard area.

Vineyard Accommodation

Providers Biosecurity Best Practice Accommodation providers are also well-placed to remind guests about the importance of biosecurity when staying at on-vineyard accommodation. Where possible:

• Include biosecurity messaging as part of your welcome/health and safety briefing.

• Suggest any guests arriving from overseas unpack their luggage in an enclosed space and are aware of the Biosecurity New Zealand hotline number if they find anything suspicious.

• Consider providing viewpoints for photographs and picnic areas away from the vines, or provide a cleaning station for footwear to be cleaned down before and after entering the vineyard rows.

• Keep tour groups together as much as possible and restrict opportunities for guests to walk the rows unsupervised.

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On your behalf

Advocacy on matters of vital importance to the industry

Anna Cameron

Alcohol advertising and promotion - know your responsibilities

Advertising wine in New Zealand is subject to strict regulatory requirements. It is important that all businesses know and understand their legal responsibilities when advertising and promoting their products. This article summarises the key regulatory requirements relevant to the advertisement and promotion of wine and provides some tips to help ensure your business can successfully navigate your obligations.

Your obligations

Alcohol advertising and promotion must comply with relevant New Zealand legislation, as well as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol and the Advertising Standards Code.

Legislative requirements

Key obligations relating to advertising and promotion are set out in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Under the Act businesses must not:

• Encourage excessive consumption of alcohol – this applies anywhere.

• Promote or advertise alcohol in a way that is aimed at or is likely to have special appeal to minors.

• Promote or advertise discounts on alcohol of 25% or more, anywhere that can be seen or heard from outside a licensed premises. This does not apply to promotions or advertisements in a catalogue, or similar price list, of a remote seller.

• Promote or advertise free alcohol.

• Offer goods, services or prizes on condition that alcohol is purchased. There is a raft of other legislative requirements that businesses need to be aware of when advertising or promoting their wine. This includes the Gambling Act 2003 which prohibits offering alcohol as a prize for gambling activities, for example raffle prizes. Provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1986 that probibit false or misleading representations about goods or services also apply.

ASA Codes

Businesses must also comply with the ASA Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol (the Code) which sets out strict requirements for alcohol advertising in New Zealand. The Code applies broadly to advertisements that are for the purpose of promoting alcohol:

• An advertisement includes: radio, print, out of home, cinema, digital, websites, your social media pages and even product labelling. It also includes ‘user-generated content’ over which you have control (e.g. posts by people on your Facebook page). The ASA expects advertisers to monitor user-generated content on their sites and remove anything that does not comply with the law or with the Code.

• The Code applies to advertisements that are for the purpose of promoting alcohol. This is very broad and will capture most members’ promotional activity. It includes promoting alcohol products, brands, producers, importers, distributors, retailers and premises.

• Zero alcohol products are also captured if the products resemble alcohol products (e.g. brand extensions).

If the Code applies, specific requirements are engaged. Generally, the Code is focused on placement (where you put your ads) and content (what you put in your ads). Rules in the Code include:

• Marketing should be directed at the appropriate demographic, avoiding targeting minors. Age-gating of social media is important.

• Minors (anyone under 18) or women that are visibly pregnant or breastfeeding cannot be shown.

• While people shown in your advertising must usually be 25 or older, you can show 18-24 year olds in your advertising if they are:

– real people in real situations (ie not a paid actor);

– your staff who are employed to serve or offer wine samples; or

– part of a crowd scene from an R18 event, with appropriate appearance and behaviour for people that age and older. There are also special rules for Alcohol Sponsorship Advertising and Promotion

(i.e. advertising that promotes the sponsored party). Even if the Code does not apply, all advertisements are subject to the general Advertising Standards Code, and advertisers must act with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and safety.

Tips for compliance

While it seems like there are a lot of requirements, businesses can successfully navigate their responsibilities by:

• Understanding your legal obligations: familiarise yourself with the legislative requirements and The Code.

• Training and education: provide training to staff involved with marketing and advertising to ensure they know what is expected.

• Review promotions: review your promotions and advertisements regularly for compliance. “Sense check” them with a colleague not involved with the creation of an advertisement to see what they take out of it.

• Get independent advice: if in doubt – seek advice from professionals e.g. The Liquor Advertising and Promotion Pre-vetting Service to ensure compliance.

If you have any queries about the requirements for your alcohol advertising and promotions, please contact advocacy@nzwine.com

Governance Review Update

Proposed NZW rule changes –have your say!

The New Zealand Winegrowers Board has agreed to present detailed Rule Changes to members at the Annual Members Meeting (AMM) at 9am on 22 October 2025. This will be your chance to have your say on whether these changes will proceed. Many of the proposals being recommended by the Board have been part of previous member engagement on the Governance Review. The Board considers the proposed changes will improve the effectiveness of the NZW Board going forward and will ensure strong governance and improved member representation.

All members are strongly encouraged to attend the AMM so you can have your say. It will be held online so as many members as possible can attend. If you are unable to attend yourself, you can appoint a proxy who can vote on your behalf – information on how to do so will be circulated to members before the meeting. The issues being considered will help to shape the future of NZW and ensure it remains fit for purpose to support the industry into the future.

Proposed Rule Changes

The key changes proposed include:

• Downsizing the Board from 12 directors to nine directors

• Changing the mix of directors to three Levy Class Directors, three Member Class Directors and three Independent

Directors

• Allowing the Board to appoint up to two Associate Directors, providing an opportunity for future leaders to gain experience in governance, leadership and strategy.

• An explicit requirement that the Board must consider member representation when making appointments to Board Committees.

• The introduction of a 10 year term limit for Directors.

A detailed explanation of the proposed changes is available on the NZW member website: nzwine.com/members/about-us/ governance/working-group/

Have your say – make sure you register to attend the AMM and cast your vote!

For the changes to progress, members need to vote to agree to change the Rules under which NZW operates at the AMM on 22 October 2025. The meeting will be held online, and you’ll be able to cast your votes online.

The proposals need 75% support of members present and voting at the AMM to pass – otherwise, the existing Rules remain in place.

In order to vote on the Rules, you must register (this can be done at any time before the end of the meeting), attend, and vote. If you can’t attend the meeting yourself, you can still have your say - you can appoint a proxy who can vote on your behalf.

The proxy process is easy; all you will need to do is fill out a form, which will be circulated with the Notice of Meeting and available on the members website, and submit it to NZW at least one hour before the meeting.

Further information will be circulated to members in advance of the meeting, including the registration link and agenda. Additional reminders will also be sent out closer to the time.

Levy Proposals – paused for now

The Board has decided to delay proceeding with the levy vote proposals to allow for a technical issue with the Commodity Levies Act to be resolved.

For several months, and at the same time NZW was consulting members on draft changes to the wine levy, we were also discussing the proposals with government officials. Those discussions revealed a technical issue within the Commodity Levies Act regarding the three-tier levy proposal, which was one of the key changes being discussed. This technical issue is unrelated to member feedback received during the consultation process.

We have commenced discussions with government officials about the options for implementing the three-tier system, but these may take some time to implement. NZW’s existing levy orders are unaffected and remain in place until 2028.

If you have any questions about the proposals, please get in touch with the team at governancereview@nzwine.com.

Fendt - Perfect for Central Otago

Vinewise Viticulture Ltd is a Cromwellbased business that looks after 220 hectares of vineyards scattered around the region’s subregions, including Bendigo, Wanaka, Clyde and Gibbston Valley. Managing Director Gary Ford and wife Penny operate the company, undertaking all the jobs, from pruning to harvesting, employing 20 permanent staff, including five fulltime tractor drivers, with harvest numbers surging to around 80 employees.

While much of the work is done by hand in the steep vineyards of the region, mechanisation is increasing, and Vinewise works with seven Fendt 290V vineyard tractors, having started with them back in 2008. “One reason we went with Fendt was to provide more services to the growing number of organic vineyards here,” says Gary. “Back then, organic grape farming used mechanical weeding instead of herbicides, with the German company Braun making the best under-vine weeders. Braun gear is often paired with Fendt tractors overseas, so we took a closer look at them. Our dealer JJ Limited explained we should be able to run Fendts for 12,00015,000 hours, rather than the more typical 3,500-5,000 hours.”

Despite the higher upfront cost for the Fendt, the proposed longevity and reduced lifetime running costs was appealing. The move proved to be a good decision, with the first Fendt 209V, which arrived in in 2009, still in service, having clocked up 17,000 hours. “Our oldest Fendt still clocks up 500 hours annually running a leaf plucker,” Gary says. “The second oldest puts in a 1,000-hours each year and is currently

Getting Onside with safety

A New Zealand-based agri-tech company has launched a digital platform to revolutionise shared safety management across agriculture supply chains.

Onside’s new PCBU Enterprise was developed with beef and lamb exporter ANZCO, but will be used across agricultural and horticultural operations

showing 14,000-hours. In general, repairs are non-existent until the tractors approach 7,000 hours, then it’s minor issues like a fuel or water pump or maybe a hydraulic valve.”

Gary also suggests that the 209Vs offer improved fuel efficiency, typically using one litre per hour less than comparable tractors doing the same job. He suggests this is in part due to the Fendt Vario, continuously variable transmission, allowing operators to set engine revs and forward speed, which the tractor maintains, irrespective of changing terrain. Built specifically as a vineyard tractor, the 209V has wheel centres set at 1,450mm, with an overall working width of around1,800mm, meaning they are well suited to the region’s 2m and 2.5m-wide row spacings.

During the season, three tractors are permanently coupled to canopy sprayers. One looks after under vine weeding and cultivation, another is used for leaf plucking, and one undertakes trimming duties. All the fleet switch to harvesting when it commences in autumn. With operators working long hours, several features make the experience safer and more comfortable, including Bluetooth

in which safety responsibilities cross property lines. The platform maps shared responsibility zones like loading bays, packing sheds, and any vineyard blocks being used by contractors and seasonal workers, and tracks “inter-business risk” in real time, with a digital paper trail.

PCBU Enterprise integrates with Onside’s mobile app for rural risk management, which has already mapped over 21,000 rural properties across New Zealand and

radio and the optional front suspension. An airtight cabin offers air-conditioning, complemented by a charcoal filter element that eliminates fumes entering the cab. “Even in the organic vineyards, we still spray sulphur and copper mixes, which can be harmful, so the reusable charcoal filters are a must,” Gary says.

He notes the ease of training new operators, with the basics being straightforward to learn. Life is made easier with the ability to save implement settings for a particular job. “When drivers jump in the cab, they simply select the implement attached and they have all the correct settings.” Steering angle sensors automatically disconnect the four-wheel drive function as the front wheels turn, helping remove ‘tyre scrubbing’ and soil damage during tight turns, re-engaging 4WD after the turn is completed.

Vinewise’s exceptional experience with Fendt has been complemented by the support they received from their dealer, Glen says. “Our association with JJ’s has been excellent, with their mechanic, Glen, like a member of our own team, offering knowledge and experience to sort any issue on a 24/7 basis.”

Australia, logging millions of movements collected from contractor and visitor check-ins to properties, as well as machinery and plant movements.

Onside Chief Executive Ryan Higgs says PCBU Enterprise “sets a new standard for safety outcomes by ensuring enterprises, contractors, and suppliers share a transparent system that leaves nothing to chance when it comes to safety and shared risks.”

Wine Production Work-based Training

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*Terms and conditions apply. Visit primaryito.ac.nz/halfpricefees for more information.

Current research projects

Research Supplement

A regular feature to inform and update the wine industry on research projects being undertaken for their benefit. Newly approved projects when available are briefly summarised. Ongoing projects have longer articles that describe progress and what has been achieved so far. When completed, each project report will be shared in full detail in the Research Library on nzwine.com.

Bragato Research Institute leads quality research and innovation that enables the New Zealand wine industry to thrive. It conducts research in-house and collaborates with research organisations throughout New Zealand. The main research provider for each project is listed below. Updates are provided on the highlighted projects in this supplement.

Vineyard innovation

Next Generation Viticulture Programme

Bragato Research Institute

Evaluation of the short-term impact of remedial surgery on grapevine trunk disease and vineyard sustainability

Linnaeus, SARDI, Sutton McCarthy

Rapid early detection of powdery mildew using VOCs to enable better control solutions

Scentian Bio

Central Otago Pinot Noir clonal trial

Bragato Research Institute, Otago Polytechnic, Riversun Nurseries

Elemental sulphur persistence on grapes and mitigation strategies

Lincoln University

Increasing financial sustainability of Chardonnay in Hawke’s Bay through long spur pruning to increase yield

Eastern Institute of Technology

Long spur pruning as an alternative for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Bragato Research Institute

Highwire Livestock Integrated System

Lincoln University, Bragato Research Institute, Greystone Wines

Grapevine improvement

Sauvignon Blanc Grapevine Improvement Programme

Bragato Research Institute, Plant & Food Research – a group of the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, Lincoln University

National Vine Collection virus eradication

Bragato Research Institute

Rapid detection of fungicideresistance in grapevine powdery mildew in New Zealand

Bragato Research Institute

Graft-derived drought tolerance: identifying and functionally characterising graft-transmitted elements

Bragato Research Institute

RNAi Virus Relief

Bragato Research Institute

Incorporating genetics and epigenetics into the Central Otago

Pinot Noir trial

Bragato Research Institute

Winemaking innovation

Exploring reductive aromas in Pinot Noir

University of Auckland

Single Vine Wine: Development of high throughput oenotyping methodology to support Te Whenua Tupu-Living Lab and SB2.0

Bioeconomy Science Institute

Lab on a Chip: Developing diagnostic devices for the wine industry

University of Canterbury

The impact of vineyard UV-C light applications on Sauvignon Blanc chemical and sensory attributes

Bragato Research Institute

Prevention of quercetin instability in bottled wine

Indevin

Precipitation of calcium tartrate and other compounds in wine

University of Canterbury

Sustainable winegrowing

UV light in vineyards to reduce fungicide dependence

Bragato Research Institute, A Lighter Touch

Carbon Calculator

Bragato Research Institute

Evaluating water use efficiency and drought tolerance of various rootstocks grafted to Sauvignon Blanc

Bragato Research Institute

Insect frass in viticulture – Assessing the potential of a circular solution

Bioeconomy Science Institute

Engineered containment solutions for safe temporary storage of grape marc

Bragato Research Institute

Waste to Treasure: using novel chemistry to valorise residual plant material

University of Auckland

Predicting the formation of calcium tartrate crystals in wine

Jack Muir and Ken Morison, University of Canterbury

Introduction

Calcium tartrate is one of the crystals that can form in wine and is considered undesirable by winemakers. It is perceived negatively by consumers, with some seeing it as a sign of poor quality or mistaking it for small shards of glass. There are no routine tests to determine if a wine will form calcium tartrate or not, which makes it difficult to prevent. The formation also typically takes a long time, with many crystals forming months after the bottling process. This research project aimed to develop a mathematical model to describe the relevant wine chemistry and predict the likelihood of calcium tartrate formation. This would allow winemakers to know if their wines required treatment and take preventative measures. This can be done using methods such as seeding with calcium tartrate crystals to induce faster crystal formation, which can be followed by filtration to remove the solids.

“The model could be used to sort wines into low-, medium-, and high-risk categories for calcium tartrate precipitation.”

Progress update

Previously, the model had been adapted from a project studying precipitation in dairy, with major changes made to account for the presence of ethanol and other chemical differences. Experimental testing of wines has now been carried out to validate the model, and a simpler version was created that required less analysis, making it more practical for winemakers to use. An online app was created through collaboration with Bragato Research

Institute, ensuring that the model is accessible for winemakers.

Method summary

A variety of wines with and without calcium tartrate crystals were tested to determine the concentration of key chemicals. These were mostly white wines, as it was easier to see if they had formed crystals or not, and the majority were New Zealand wines over one year old. Organic acids (citric, tartaric, malic, lactic, acetic, succinic), sugars (total glucose and fructose), and other chemicals (sulphate, phosphate, chloride) were determined with highperformance liquid chromatography and ion chromatography, and the major minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium) were measured with microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The ethanol content was taken from the bottle label. Wines with crystals were filtered, and the crystals were redissolved so

the original wine composition could be determined. These concentrations, along with the pH (a measure of acidity), were input into the model to determine the supersaturation ratio, which is a measure of how saturated the solution is with calcium tartrate. Higher supersaturation ratios indicate that a wine is more likely to precipitate calcium tartrate, and theoretically, any wine with a ratio greater than 1 could form crystals.

Results

There was no single factor that could be used to predict the formation of calcium tartrate crystals. When considered in isolation, there was no difference between the average calcium or tartaric acid concentrations when the wines that formed calcium tartrate crystals and the wines that formed no crystals were compared. This was the same for all of the other chemicals that were measured. The most significant factor, though not statistically significant, was the pH of the wine. The pH is important as higher pH values mean that there will be a larger fraction of tartaric acid in the tartrate ion form, which is what binds to calcium to form calcium tartrate. This initial analysis showed why modelling the interactions between the chemicals was important.

The model with interactions was used to predict the supersaturation ratios for each group. This found that all the wines had a supersaturation ratio greater than 1, indicating that they all could have formed calcium tartrate. For the wines with no crystals, this could be because there are other compounds that were not accounted for in the model that are inhibiting the formation of crystals. The wines that formed calcium tartrate crystals had higher supersaturation ratios on average. While there was some overlap between the two groups, the model could be used to sort wines into low-, medium-, and high-risk categories for calcium tartrate precipitation.

The model contained a large number of chemicals and required analysis with

equipment that most wineries would not have easy access to. This would limit its usefulness as a tool, so a reduced version was created. The required inputs for this were the concentrations of ethanol, calcium, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, and pH. Testing of this model showed that it was able to get very similar results to the full model, and also had higher supersaturation ratios for wines that formed calcium tartrate, as shown in Figure 1. This model has been made available for public use as an online app through BRI.

While no single parameter could determine if a wine would form calcium tartrate or not, some general recommendations can still be given: Additives containing calcium, such as calcium carbonate for deacidification, should be avoided. Ethanol decreases the solubility of calcium tartrate, so producing lower ethanol wines would decrease the likelihood of precipitation. The pH should be kept low when possible, and acidification could be considered if it is high. Ideally, this would be done with malic acid instead of tartaric acid, as malic acid can bind to calcium and lower the likelihood of crystal formation. Malolactic fermentation should also be avoided

when possible. This process converts malic acid to lactic acid, which is less effective at inhibiting calcium tartrate formation.

Conclusion

No single factor can be used to predict the likelihood of calcium tartrate precipitation, as they all interact and affect each other. A model has been created that can determine if a wine is at low-, medium-, or high-risk and this can be used as a tool by winemakers to determine if wines should be treated appropriately. The calcium tartrate model can be accessed at bri.co.nz/portfolio/calcium-tartrate/.

About the project

Precipitation of calcium tartrate and other compounds in wine was a three-year project sponsored by Bragato Research Institute and carried out through a partnership with the University of Canterbury. The aim was to provide a tool that would allow winemakers to predict the formation of calcium tartrate in wine, so they would know when preventative measures should be used. The calcium tartrate model can be accessed at bri.co.nz/portfolio/calcium-tartrate/

UV-C light as an alternative to fungicide for the control of grapevine powdery mildew in New Zealand vineyards

Dr Paul Epee, Chris Ireland, Dr Fang Gou, Robert Winup, Ross Wise MW – Bragato Research Institute

The need for alternatives

The side effects of agricultural pesticides, particularly fungicides, are well documented and widely known. Synthetic fungicides pose serious threats to biodiversity and are toxic to both the environment and operators. When the same active ingredient is repeatedly used over time, the development of resistance is inevitable. Moreover, the application of fungicides in vineyards consumes fuel and releases greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.

The use of fungicides across New Zealand continues to rise as more land is converted into vineyards. In 2025, vineyard area reached 42,200 hectares, up from 36,600ha in 2018. Over the same period, the quantity of fungicides sprayed for powdery mildew alone increased from 1,600 tonnes to over 1,900 tonnes in 2025, with a record high of nearly 2,000 tonnes in 2023. Finding and adopting non-chemical alternatives would significantly contribute to curbing these trends, and UV-C light (or ultraviolet type C light) appears to be one such option.

UV-C light is a promising alternative to synthetic fungicides for several reasons. One reason is that the mechanism through which UV-C light kills pathogenic fungi is unique. When exposed to UV-C light at the appropriate irradiance dose and wavelength, UV radiation damages the DNA molecule, destroying its reproductive ability. The cell is capable of repairing this alteration upon exposure to sunlight; however, its ability to do so is significantly diminished if kept in darkness for more than four hours. UV-C light also offers additional benefits, for example it does not leave residues on harvested grapes

Table 1 Treatment code, description and fungicide active ingredients

Code

GS10

GS20

Description

Grower’s fungicide spray programme with 10-day return period

Grower’s fungicide spray programme with 20-day return period

Fungicide active ingredients

Mefentrifluconazole, sulphur, pydiflumetofen, proquinazid, metrafenone, polyoxin D

Mefentrifluconazole, sulphur, pydiflumetofen, proquinazid, polyoxin D

UV10 UV-C application at a 10-day interval Fish oil, sulphur, polyoxin D

UV15 UV-C application at a 15-day interval Fish oil, sulphur, polyoxin D

UV5 UV-C application at a 5-day interval

UVGS UV-C and grower’s fungicide spray programme alternating every 10 days sulphur, metrafenone

Note: All treatments received sulphur applications every 10 days between 15 October and 5 November 2024. UV10 and UV15 received fungicide applications every 10 days starting from 13 January 2025 The last fungicide application occurred on 12 February 2025

and final wine; it potentially presents a lower risk to the environment and human operators; it can be applied under a wide range of weather conditions, such as wind, rain, frost or cold days; and it is deployable remotely and autonomously on light electric vehicles. Considering these benefits and the potential for reducing the quantity of fungicides sprayed in vineyards, Bragato Research Institute partnered with A Lighter Touch (ALT), Whitehaven Wines, and Agri Automation on a project to evaluate the efficacy of UV-C light in controlling powdery mildew in New Zealand vineyards.

Objective of the trial

The UV-C efficacy trial will be conducted in a commercial vineyard over two growing seasons, starting in September 2024. It aims to achieve three main goals: (1) demonstrate the potential of UV-C light in reducing by half the quantities of fungicide applications for the control of powdery mildew on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc; (2) evaluate the effects of UV-C treated grape bunches on fermentation,

wine chemical composition and wine quality; and (3) develop grower resources to support effective change in vineyard practices.

As winemaking, wine chemistry and sensory evaluation results are still unavailable, this article will focus primarily on vineyard trial results.

Material and methods

Vineyard location

The efficacy trial was conducted on a commercial vineyard block located in Rapaura, near the Wairau River and approximately 10 km north-west of Blenheim, Marlborough. The vineyard lies on alluvial floodplain terrain, composed of free-draining gravels and silt loams. The area benefits from a warm, sunny maritime climate with significant diurnal temperature variation. The vineyard block is dripirrigated and planted in Sauvignon Blanc with vine and row spacings of 1.8m and 2.7m respectively. It is oriented north-south and four cane pruned on a VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) trellis system.

Figure 2 Effects of UV-C light applications on Sauvignon Blanc leaf powdery mildew incidence and severity at pre-bunch closure and veraison GS10 – grower’s standard fungicide programme with a 10-day return; GS20 – grower’s fungicide programme with a 20-day return; UV10 – UV-C application every 10 days; UV15 – UV-C application every 15 days; UV5 – UV-C application every five days; UVGS – alternating UV-C and the grower’s fungicide programme every 10 days Coloured circles represent means, the vertical bar across each coloured circle is the standard error of the mean, and letters represent the statistical difference between Commented

Treatment description

UV-C light was applied alone and in alternation with fungicides, and both were compared to the grower’s standard fungicide programme. The following six treatments were evaluated (Table 1): UV-C application every five days (UV5), every 10 days (UV10) and every 15 days (UV15), grower’s standard fungicide programme with a 10-day return (GS10), grower’s standard fungicide programme with a 20-day return (GS20), and alternating sulphur with UV-C every 10 days (UVGS). Each treatment was applied in two adjacent rows, replicated four times, in a statistically randomised design. The total trial size consisted of 48 rows, each 180m long.

The Grapevine UVEX

The robot used to apply UV-C light, the Grapevine UVEX (Figure 1), consisted of a console with two articulated arms, each carrying a vertical panel of twelve 200-watt lamps that emitted UV-C light. The console was resting on an autonomous vehicle platform known as the Burro Grande. The Burro Grande featured a suite of sensors, including Lidar, high-precision GPS or RTK, and four stereo cameras, for remote and autonomous vineyard navigation. The grapevine UVEX was travelling at a ground speed of 1.5m/s (5.4km/h), delivering approximately 140W/m2 at the surface of the vine canopy and an irradiance dose of about 120 J/m2

The first UV-C applications occurred after sundown, starting on 14 November 2024, when inflorescences were well developed, and ended on 4 March 2025, when berries reached an intermediate ripeness.

Powdery mildew scoring

Powdery mildew was assessed on leaves at two time points: at pre-bunch closure on 6 January and at veraison (when berries change colour and begin to soften) on 3 February 2025. One hundred leaves were randomly collected from each vine row (50 on each side) across the four replicates

at each time point. In all, 9,600 leaves were sampled and scored for powdery mildew incidence and severity.

Powdery mildew was also assessed on grape bunches at three time points: first, at pre-bunch closure on 6 January, at veraison (when berries change colour and begin to soften) on 3 February 2025, and at harvest on 17 March 2025. Fifty bunches were randomly sampled from each vine

row (25 on each side) across the four replicates at each time point. In all, 7,200 bunches were sampled and scored for powdery mildew incidence and severity.

Powdery mildew incidence was obtained by counting the number of symptomatic leaves or bunches out of all those sampled, and severity was the proportion of the leaf or bunch covered with the symptoms.

Figure 2. Effects of UV-C light applications on Sauvignon Blanc leaf powdery mildew incidence and severity at pre-bunch closure and veraison. GS10 – grower’s standard fungicide programme with a 10-day return; GS20 – grower’s fungicide programme with a 20-day return; UV10 – UV-C application every 10 days; UV15 – UV-C application every 15 days; UV5 – UV-C application every five days; UVGS – alternating UV-C and the grower’s fungicide programme every 10 days. Coloured circles represent means, the vertical bar across each coloured circle is the standard error of the mean, and letters represent the statistical difference between means. Means sharing the same letter are not statistically different with the Tukey test at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

UV-C efficacy on leaf powdery mildew

Application of UV-C alone every five days (UV5) and in alternation with fungicide every 10 days (UVGS) maintained powdery mildew severity at or below the 5% severity threshold up to pre-bunch closure (Figure 2-A). This threshold is the wine industry benchmark for most fungal disease assessment and grape quality, with values above the threshold considered unacceptable. At veraison (Figure 2-B), the UVGS treatment was near the threshold, indicating an acceptable level of control, whereas the other UV treatments (UV5, UV10, and UV15) reached significantly higher severities.

Interestingly, the standard fungicide application every 10 and 20 days (GS10 and GS20) showed similar levels of control on leaves, revealing there was room to optimise the fungicide programme by reducing the number of sprays. Overall, UV10 and UV15 did not effectively control powdery mildew on leaves at a level comparable to the standard fungicide programme.

UV-C efficacy on grape powdery mildew

At the pre-bunch closure assessment, UV5 and UVGS performed well, keeping powdery mildew infection below the 5% severity threshold, whereas UV10 and UV15 did not (Figure 3-A). As the disease continued to spread rapidly on UV10 and UV15 treatments, the decision was made to intervene. On 13 January, fish oil was applied, and going forward the standard fungicide programme with a 10-day return period was implemented. Additionally, UV-C application frequency was increased to twice weekly (i.e. every three days). These modifications to the original trial plan were warranted to preserve the fruit and limit inoculum buildup in the vineyard.

During the second assessment at veraison, challenges were encountered in accurately evaluating the disease.

Figure 3. Effects of UV-C light applications on Sauvignon Blanc bunch powdery mildew incidence and severity at pre-bunch closure, veraison and harvest. GS10 – grower’s standard fungicide programme with a 10-day return; GS20 – grower’s fungicide programme with a 20-day return; UV10 – UV-C application every 10 days; UV15 – UV-C application every 15 days; UV5 – UV-C application every five days; UVGS – alternating UV-C and the grower’s fungicide programme every 10 days. Coloured circles represent means, the vertical bar across each coloured circle is the standard error of the mean, and letters represent the statistical difference between means. Means sharing the same letter are not statistically different with the Tukey test at p ≤ 0.05.

The skin of UV-C-treated berries showed dead fungal tissue marks (Figure 4), unlike the completely clean skin of fungicide-treated berries. Such berries were inappropriately scored as diseased. As a result of this decision, the four UV-C treatments exhibited higher disease severity in the second assessment (Figure 3-B). However, the scoring methodology was reviewed, whereby dead fungal tissues on berries were no longer treated as live powdery mildew infections. This reviewed methodology was applied in the third assessment at harvest.

Only three fungicide treatments (UVGS, GS10 and GS20) proved effective in controlling grape bunch powdery mildew (Figure 3-C). UV5 showed some potential in controlling the disease, although at a level below the standard fungicide programme. This result may indicate that the efficacy of UV-C light might improve with increased frequency, irradiance dose, penetration and coverage.

Since UVGS and GS20 showed similar levels of control over the season, except for the artefact at veraison on bunches, it is difficult to ascertain the contribution of UV-C light in the

performance of the UVGS treatment. Moreover, GS20 consisted mainly of complex fungicide active ingredients, whereas UVGS was primarily composed of sulphur and UV-C alternating every 10 days (Table 1). Therefore, further research is required to elucidate the synergistic effects and potential benefits of combining UV-C with fungicides.

Next direction

Results obtained during the first season indicate that UV-C light has potential in controlling powdery mildew on Sauvignon Blanc, but improvements are needed to enhance its efficacy in suppressing the disease. These improvements include adjusting the irradiance dose and application frequency, as well as redesigning the grapevine UVEX.

The control of powdery mildew was poor at lower application frequencies (every 10 and 15 days), but moderate at the frequency of every five days. Increasing the frequency even further, to twice weekly (or every three days), together with a higher irradiance dose (200 J/m2), could yield better results. Published research indicates that an irradiance dose of 200J/m2

twice weekly suppressed powdery mildew on Chardonnay grapevines. Irradiance dose can be adjusted either by increasing the energy output of the UVEX lamps or reducing the ground speed of the robot.

The Grapevine UVEX could be redesigned for enhanced canopy coverage, penetration and operator safety. By replacing the panels with a tunnel-like arch frame, both sides of the vine canopy will be exposed to UV-C radiations simultaneously, allowing them to pass through and reach its internal parts especially on dense Sauvignon Blanc canopies. Moreover, this redesign will provide a protective shield to UV-C and prevent operator exposure.

Combinations of UV-C with fungicide will be further investigated: (1) fungicide application of complex active ingredients at four critical time points of the season supplemented with UV-C light; and/or (2) application of low environmental impact fungicides such as sulphur in alternation with UV-C throughout the season. Either of these combinations are anticipated to make

a significant difference in reducing the amount of fungicide by half or more.

Powdery mildew scoring will be conducted more often and at regular intervals (fortnightly or every three weeks) to track disease progression over time. The scoring procedure might also be reviewed to score dead and live powdery on leaves and bunches separately.

The effect of UV-C on wine fermentation, wine chemistry and wine sensory evaluation will be given great attention as there are some anecdotal reports that UV-C might improve thiols and wine quality.

Key takeaways

Results of the first year of the UV-C efficacy trial revealed that weekly applications (every five days) of UV-C light alone at the dose of approximately 120 J/m2 effectively controlled powdery mildew on Sauvignon Blanc up to pre-bunch closure. From veraison to harvest, the control was moderate but not at a level comparable to the grower’s fungicide spray programme.

An excellent level of control was achieved even when the standard fungicide programme was reduced by 50% either with or without UV-C applications, highlighting opportunities to improve and optimise current spray practices. Further research is needed to improve the efficacy of UV-C by increasing the irradiance dose, frequency, penetration, and coverage, as well as determining the optimum combination with fungicides. The effects of UV-C light technology on fermentation, wine chemistry, and sensory properties are still unclear and will require further investigation.

About the project

The UV light in vineyards to reduce fungicide dependence project is led by Bragato Research Institute, in partnership with A Lighter Touch, Agri Automation and Whitehaven Wines. It aims to provide another control option for all New Zealand winegrowers facing a powdery mildew problem.

High-value products derived from grape marc

In September 2023, a team of researchers from the University of Auckland, Bioeconomy Science Institute, Auckland University of Technology, and the University of Canterbury, were awarded $9.8 million of funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour Fund for a five-year programme, ‘Waste to Treasure: Using novel chemistry to valorise residual plant materials’. The main focus of the programme is the optimal utilisation of grape marc. This includes development of high-value products, using compounds within grape marc, an opportunity which has received limited attention to date. Looking beyond alcoholic fermentation of the remaining sugars, extraction of grape seed oil or tartaric acid, the research team’s focus is on extracting and further processing protein, phosphorus, lignin, cellulose, anthocyanins and tannins found in grape marc.

Progress update

In addition to the core team of key researchers, we now have employed two Research Fellows, Dr Ralph Gonzales based at Bioeconomy Science Institute, and Dr Billy Yang at the University of Auckland,

and have attracted nine PhD students who will work within each of our partner institutions. Additional masters and PhD students have been engaged in associated projects. The research team is receiving expertise and input from a wide range of collaborators, both locally and internationally, strengthening the scientific and technical capabilities supporting this challenging research project.

A Stakeholder Advisory Group was established to represent various interest groups and companies involved with the project, and for the research team to consult with regarding implementation initiatives and uptake of new products by New Zealand businesses and consumers. Bragato Research Institute, represented by Sustainability Research Leader Dr Seth Laurenson, is part of the advisory board. BRI supports the project by contributing expertise and facilitating contact with the New Zealand wine industry.

Beyond this core group, the research team regularly consults with a wide range of next- and end-users, including wine industry partners, other biowaste

owners, industry consultants and investors, organisations and companies investigating grape marc-related applications and use cases, as well as manufacturers and users of highvalue products.

Summary of methods

The research team is undertaking a stakeholder (industry, consumers, community) co-creation approach in the design of novel products with applications in the food, pharmaceutical, building and fine chemicals sectors. Dr Joya Kemper from the University of Canterbury is the team’s consumer and industry expert. She has previously undertaken consumer and industry surveys investigating functional building materials, fire-retardant and antimicrobial papers developed from the cellulosic pulp from grape marc. Joya will soon start new projects targeting various products for the food sector and will engage in other industry sectors as new products are developed.

The development of high-value grape marc products as part of this project is structured into three primary research objectives: ‘Speciality Chemicals’,

‘Polyphenol-Based Products’, and ‘Functionalised Grape Marc Paper’, each containing three target products. The specific products and the team leads are provided in Figure 1.

Building upon the initial technoeconomic analysis undertaken by programme manager Arvid Hunze, the research team will perform more detailed techno-economic assessments of individual processes and our overall biorefinery approach. This will inform and guide our decisions on the viability of processing options at an earlier stage. Likewise, the overall environmental effects will be evaluated through Life Cycle Analysis, as technologies are developed.

“Currently treated as a waste that poses environmental challenges, we believe that grape marc represents a significant underutilised resource.”

Findings

A priority within the first two years of the programme has been the development of suitable extraction technologies. We considered, tested and began to optimise a range of methodologies guided by compound yield and process costs. This has been complemented by ongoing characterisation of grape marc composition from different sources in New Zealand, using established methods developed through past wine research projects within the University of Auckland, as well as novel procedures published by overseas research groups.

An additional highlight of the first two years of our research programme was the chance to establish a large number of new connections with New Zealand wine companies, other industry partners, and research groups engaged

Research Aim 1: Specialty Chemicals

A. Grape marc protein: Prof Siew-Young Quek, Food Science Director at the University of Auckland, is exploring grape proteins as dietary ingredients.

B. Phosphorus-based fine chemicals: Prof Jon Sperry from the Green Chemistry Centre at the University of Auckland is investigating how to transform grape phosphorus compounds into high value chemicals.

C. Cellulose-based surfactants: Assoc Prof Jack Chen, Auckland University of Technology, is developing environmentally friendly surfactants, within his startup company Dot Ingredients® (https://dotingredients.com/).

Research Aim 2: Polyphenol-Based Products

D. Lignin bioconversion: Dr Shan Yi, Chemical Engineer at the University of Auckland, is using biotechnology to transform normally unwanted lignin into new products, building upon past grape marc research funded by BRI.

E. Nano-formulated supplements: Scion Senior Scientist Dr Ayyoob Arpanaei and Biochemical Engineer Dr Sumanth Ranganathan, Scion, are transforming bioactive elements from grape marc into new products for food and medicinal applications.

F. Antioxidant biopolymers: Prof Paul Kilmartin from the University of Auckland is developing active packaging materials for extending the shelflife of food, past on his upon past wine polyphenol and polymer research.

Research Aim 3: Functionalised Grape Marc Paper

G. Fire-retardant building paper: Prof Tripti Singh, Project Leader (Durability) at Scion is using grape marc pulp and other ingredients to develop papers with fire-retardant properties.

H. Carrier-based antimicrobial papers: Washington State University-based Food and Biomaterials Engineer Dr Kang Huang, is working closely with the Scion team using patented encapsulating strategies to include antimicrobial agents in papers.

I. Laser-scribed graphene paper electronics: Prof Jadranka Travas-Sejdic, Co-Director at the Centre for Innovative Materials for Health at the University of Auckland, is integrating and building paper-based electronics based on grape marc paper.

in established and novel applications of grape marc (e.g. composting, energy generation, and animal feed). This has led to new collaborations and projects with the Waste to Treasure programme. We believe that these are all worth considering for future large-scale utilisation of grape marc within New Zealand’s winegrowing regions.

Conclusion

Currently treated as a waste that poses environmental challenges, we believe that grape marc represents a significant underutilised resource. The Waste to Treasure programme is designed to demonstrate how this resource could create high-value revenue, while reducing a primary industry waste stream as part of our future circular economy. Our goal is to transform the entire waste stream of grape marc into

high-value products and ingredients, and to provide model valorisation processes that can be applied to other horticultural waste streams in New Zealand in the future. The aim of us taking a co-design approach to working with stakeholders, including industry, consumers, and the community, is to help us transform grape marc into innovative products for applications in the food, pharmaceutical, building, and fine chemicals sectors.

About the project

The Waste to Treasure programme is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, for five years from October 2023. For more details and information, visit: waste2treasure.co.nz

Biostimulants Driven by Science

For over 40 years, Valagro has been a pioneer in the field of biostimulants and specialty nutrients. Leveraging decades of expertise, the company has successfully harnessed active ingredients from nature to help growers produce healthier fruit and achieve better harvests. Every Valagro biostimulant is backed by rigorous scientific research.

Valagro carefully selects plant extracts that trigger specific physiological responses in crops. These extracts are then screened and optimised using proprietary technology platform built on genomic and phenomic science to ensure maximum efficacy.

Genomics and Phenomics

Genomics enables Valagro to decode the molecular and physiological mechanisms that drive plant responses. Using gene chip technology, Valagro identifies which plant genes are activated by specific compounds. Valagro can understand the mode of action of each compound, this can then demonstrate how these trigger physiological responses, eventually leading to tailor solutions to varying environmental conditions.

Phenomics allows Valagro to test plant responses under controlled conditions using glasshouse replication.

Technologies such as RGB imaging, Near Infrared (NIR), and Digital Biomass are used to measure root development, stem growth, and overall plant biomass.

MC Set Trial – Marlborough over two season

The 2023/24 season in Marlborough presented challenges for achieving optimal fruit set. MC Set, formulated with natural biomolecules, is designed to stimulate the

WINE COLOUR & PHENOLIC COMPOSITION

Different letters indicate statistically significant differences at p ≤0.10.

physiological processes involved in flowering and fruit setting. Environmental stress can disrupt anthesis, pollen tube development, and fertilisation— MC Set helps mitigate these issues.

Results included a yield increased by 1.5 tonnes per hectare compared to the untreated control. This trial was repeated on a much larger scale in the 2024/25 season. Although, this last season did give an almost perfect fruitset

across Marlborough, MC Set still increased the final yield by 400Kg compared to the Untreated Control (UTC).

Megafol Cold and Heat Stress Trials on Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough

Over the past eight years, Megafol has become a widely adopted solution across many of New Zealand’s major wine grape regions. Megafol is used in early spring to alleviate stress from cold and waterlogged soils, and in summer to support recovery from heat and drought stress.

Two replicated trials demonstrated Megafol’s effectiveness in 2019 in Marlborough. The cold stress trial showed a 16% increase in shoot extension during early spring compared to an UTC. In summer the trial site was deprived of irrigation. Assessments made on a 31°C

day showed the Megafol treatment reduced the canopy temperature by 4°C relative to UTC. The Megafol treated area with no irrigation performed better than the irrigated UTC. This highlighted Megafol’s ability to mitigating heat stress by increasing the vines stomatal conductance.

Heat stress trials have been conducted around the world with good results for improving wine quality. The Spanish Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ICVV) conducted replicated trials by applying Megafol at E.L34 -36 to 24-year-old Tempranillo vines. Each treatment was vinified separately at the SIDTA Experimental Winery in La Rioja using 10 L stainless steel tanks. The results showed Colour Intensity increased 26.3%, Anthocyanins (mg/L) increased by 28.7% and Total Polyphenol Index (TPI) increased by 17.0%.

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