Wine Industry Newsletter

Great Southern producers explore Riesling and Shiraz

Tasting wine at the Great Southern forum
Producers tasting wine at the 2018 Great Southern forum

The last of the 2017/18 regional Winemakers’ Trial Forums was held in Mt Barker on 27 August.

The Swan Valley and Margaret River events were completed in late 2017, with the Great Southern event delayed due to the availability of the guest winemaker from the Clare Valley. Unfortunately, just days before the tasting the guest winemaker was unable to travel due to illness of a family member.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Research Officer Richard Fennessy took the role of facilitator and proceeded over the tasting of trial wines involving Great Southern Chardonnay, Riesling and Shiraz.

The objective of the tasting was to examine the key varieties of the region (especially Riesling and Shiraz) and discuss innovative vineyard and winery practices that improve quality and production efficiencies.

Chardonnay

Four clones of Chardonnay grown in Mt Barker produced from the 2017 vintage were tasted blind. These wines were a product of the national project ‘Assessing clonal variability in Chardonnay and Shiraz for future climate change’. 

Of the group 71% preferred clone I10V1 and 29% preferred clone 277. The discussion that followed concluded that there are greater variables, such as site, that influence quality but clonal selection is a tool to fine tune quality and style.

Riesling

The wines tasted in the Riesling bracket were examples of tank fermentation (conventional approach) and those that had undergone large format barrel maturation, without the addition of sulphur dioxide.

The group discussion on Riesling winemaking covered less contact, barrel maturation and the management of oxygen.

Opinions on adding complexity to Riesling, branching the style out and how the market responds to this style were examined.

Shiraz

DPIRD Research Officer Richard Fennessy presented three clones of Shiraz which had been sourced from a Great Southern grower earlier in the year.

With 20kg of fruit from each clone, the wines were made in identical fashion to highlight the different attributes of the clones.

No one from the group preferred clone 174 as they found the characters similar to that of the WA Selection clone which is the most widely planted Shiraz clone in WA.

The other two clones, 470 and Waldron both received 50% of the groups preferences as they showed good concentration, depth and an attractive savoury element.

Two producers submitted Shiraz maceration trials, the first being a parcel of Frankland River Shiraz split into two treatments; destemmed and 100% whole bunch fermentation. The differences in aroma, flavour and tannin profile were apparent.

The second trial was a parcel of Porongurup Shiraz split into two treatments; destemmed and 100% carbonic maceration. Again the impact on the aroma and palate was very clear.

After discussing these treatments in length, the group concluded that whole bunch and carbonic maceration were great blending tools to add complexity and depth to Great Southern Shiraz.

This event was funded via the Wine Australia Regional Program.

For more information contact Richard Fennessy, Research Officer on +61 (0)8 9780 6219

Wine Industry to lead new International Wine Tourism Strategy

Wines of Western Australia has been successful in securing a commitment of $2 million to the state's International Wine Tourism strategy.

Wines of Western Australia (WoWA) has been successful in securing a commitment of $2 million to the state's International Wine Tourism strategy under Wine Australia’s Export and Regional Wine Support Package.

WoWA has been the driving force behind the three-year strategy which seeks to increase international visitation to all of the state’s wine regions, increase visit lengths and spending in the region. 

WoWA is supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Tourism Western Australia, and regional wine associations in leading the implementation of the strategy.

The strategy involves four key planks – inter-region collaboration with key sector partners, wine tourism product development, integrated communications and promotions, and regional partnerships and support programs.

WoWA is already working on the introduction of latest technology digital platforms created specifically for wine producers and regions, and assist consumers improve their navigation around wine regions with a full suite of interactive content.

This technology, developed by Scoop Digital in Perth, is groundbreaking in its ability to integrate complex information and disseminate it to third party sites as well as providing smart interactive templates for application to wineries and wine regions.

All content is being translated into Mandarin. The first parts of this project are scheduled for completion in November, with all the state’s wineries listed in the directory complete with Chinese translations.

Examples can be seen at https://scoopwines.com/all-wa-wineries/

Another major component of the strategy will be to audit gaps and shortcomings in the regional tourism offerings with workshops, and information seminars planned to address these gaps and support cellar doors to build capacity.

A large part of the success of the strategy will rely on the fostering on inter-regional collaboration and alliances to cross-promote, extend opportunities and avoid duplication of resources.

To this end, a Wine Tourism Alliance has been established, consisting of representatives from the wine industry, Tourism WA, DPIRD and regional tourism organisations. The Alliance will provide input to the strategy and ensure that interests of stakeholders are represented and information is dispersed to relevant networks.

The Wine Tourism Strategy is critically aligned with the existing Western Australian Wine Industry Strategic Plan 2014–2024 that aims to double wine exports to $100 million by 2021.

WoWA CEO Larry Jorgensen said, “This is the first time that a strategy is in place which is the result of a collaboration with state and national agencies, and wine, food and tourism sectors.

This will provide a legacy for future collaboration long after the funding is depleted in 2020, which in the long-term, augurs well for ongoing efficient and effective implementation of resources.”

Grants available to support investment and expansion

wine production facilities
Grants are available for the expansion of value adding production facilities or establishment of new facilities in Western Australia.

A new round of grant funding is available for wineries and other agribusinesses considering investing in expansion of value adding production facilities or establishment of new facilities in Western Australia.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s $1.5m Value Add Agribusiness Investment Attraction Fund aims to support the important and growing value added processing sector in Western Australia to expand and increase production, sales and distribution of quality value added products that can create jobs and drive growth and other benefits in regional areas.

  • Stream 1 – Capital Investment: Grants of up to $300 000 are available towards capital investment by businesses to invest in expansion or new value adding production equipment and facilities that can create jobs and deliver benefits in regional areas.
  • Stream 2 – Feasibility Studies: Grants of up to $100 000 are available to support agrifood businesses to undertake feasibility studies, obtain regulatory approvals and other services necessary to make an investment decision to expand or establish production facilities in Western Australia. 

These grants may also provide an incentive for interstate and international companies to invest in establishing value adding agribusiness operations in Western Australia.

The grants may also be available to clusters of businesses that may be establishing a value added processing facility to meet the needs of the group of businesses.    

Applications close Friday 19 October 2018.

Guidelines are available on the DPIRD website or for more information contact Peter May on +61 (0) 8 6552 2057.

When and how to soil sample

soil sampling
Soil sampling with a penetrometer

Thank you to Barry Goldspink (retired former Agriculture and Food Senior Research Officer) for contributing an opinion piece on soil sampling for this edition of the Wine Industry Newsletter.

Soil sampling in the vineyard by B.H Goldspink

Author Barry Goldspink
Barry Goldspink

Soil sampling in the vineyard is the most difficult activity to do with any accuracy. There has to be a reason to want to soil sample, and that can never be to determine fertiliser application rates.

It is also meaningless to compare soil chemistry across areas/regions, because there are too many other factors that will influence vine growth than just the soil chemistry.

Many years ago I petiole sampled vines on a rootstock trial at the Manjimup Research Facility. The nutrient uptake between rootstocks and varieties was very different, although the soil type appeared to be the same over the small area of the trial.

Soil sampling must be carried out before a vineyard is planted to determine the soil type, some of the soil chemistry and potential rooting depth.

In WA the main factor is soil pH, as many of our soils are acidic, and there have been sites where vines have not grown because the soil has been too acidic.

Prior to planting is the only time when lime can be effectively deep ripped along the vine row to raise pH. Applying lime to the surface has little, or no, impact on the soil chemistry in the main rootzone. 

Most of our soils are also extremely deficient in phosphorus and trace elements, so pre-planting is also a good time to place these nutrients below the new vine so roots can grow into them, stimulating good root growth and vine establishment.

Again, neither phosphorus nor trace elements applied to the soil surface will penetrate to any real depth without cultivation, which cannot be done close to the vine row.

The only other information about the soil chemistry of note is salinity. This only applies to some areas, especially where there may be surface water seepage evident at the bottom of slopes.

There are a lot of other elements that can be analysed for, but most are irrelevant, especially as there are few standards that can be used to interpret the results.

So why would anyone spend substantial sums of money getting soil samples analysed from an established vineyard?

It should only occur when the vines are not sufficiently growing, regardless of what fertilisers are being applied, and when petiole analysis results are inconclusive. This would almost always be due to a pH problem, which inhibits the uptake of nutrients and active root growth.

In rare cases it may be due to the soil depth being too shallow and/or too wet, but these problems should have been determined prior to planting. 

Salinity problems can be seen visually with leaf damage on the vine and/or white deposits on soil clods in damp soils. 

Soil sampling may be used to determine historical changes in the soil chemistry due to management practices, but this has inherent problems, which need to be discussed later.

I recommend soil sampling with an auger of about 25mm in diameter. Because vine roots penetrate a very large volume of soil, and actively seek nutrients from all that soil volume. A surface sample of 10 to 15cms isn’t enough to make total sense of the soil chemistry. 

Many years ago a consultant was recommending growers apply dolomite lime because the chemistry of the surface soil showed that magnesium was supposedly limiting. Petiole samples showed magnesium to be high, as it was in the subsoil. There was no need to apply dolomite at high cost to the grower.

Where to sample is critical to the result. On the shaft of the auger I suggest cutting marks into the metal every 10cm. If the depth of the auger head is 10cm, it makes it easy to mark out the sample depths. 

Generally, every vine has a wet and dry side, depending on where the drippers are located along the vine row. Lying the auger down with the head touching the vine trunk on the dry side of the vine, move out to a 45-degree angle to the vine row and mark the spot 30cm from the trunk. 

This is the recommended sampling site, and must be identical for all holes. The 30cm is arbitrary, but the hole must be within the vine line and the compacted soil made by the tractor tyre, and be the same distance from the vine every time. 

Sampling in the wet zone must be avoided because the soil chemistry changes significantly from under the dripper to the extremity of the zone. Likewise, sampling mid row will result in another set of data, because generally fertiliser is applied between the vine row and the compact soil line, and this has the most effect on changes to the soil chemistry. 

It is worth digging a trench along the vine row to determine exactly where the majority of feeder roots are located, and to what depth they penetrate.

If there is a clay layer this will often form a barrier to the majority of vine roots, as will the compact layer from the tractor tyre, but some roots will grow across the inter-row space. 

Soil samples should be taken at 10cm depths down to at least 50cm, with further depths depending on the soil type and root penetration. 

Soil from each of the 10cm depths should be placed in clean clearly marked (by depth) plastic buckets. Soil representing each depth, from at least 5 holes, should be combined, mixed, subsampled and placed into clean clearly marked plastic bags to be sent to a lab for analysis.

When to sample

I recommend sampling when the soil is wet, but not so wet that it’s impossible to sample when trying to remove a slurry of clay sub-soil.

I disagree with people who recommend sampling after harvest, for the reason that it is when most growers have available time. Unfortunately, this is also when the soils are bone dry and it’s almost impossible to get the auger down to any depth, especially when clay is present.

It also means that the loose topsoil will often drop out of the auger head before it can be placed in the bucket, and/or, down the hole contaminating deeper samples.

Late September, early October, is often the best time for sampling, and should always be undertaken by someone who is trained to sample in the correct manner.

Records should also be taken of exactly when and where the samples were taken for future reference.

Sampling for historical reasons can have major problems. It’s almost certain that the soil chemistry will change with time. The real problem may not be with the sampling but with the lab.

Growers should always stay with the same lab because changing labs can result in different extraction methods being used, which almost certainly will mean differences with results. Even with staying with the same lab, changes to methodology over the years due to equipment upgrades/method changes, can change results. 

The only real way to investigate possible historical changes to the soil chemistry is to sample from the vine row as well as from an area well away from the end of the row, but within the same soil type. This raises a real dilemma because often the soil chemistry will probably have been different anyway between sampling sites, because that is the nature of soil variability.

My recommendation is not to go down the path of soil sampling an established vineyard unless it is absolutely necessary to try to identify a growth problem with an area of vines that can’t be identified with petiole analyses. Remember that petiole analyses show what nutrients the vine can access from a very large volume of soil, whereas soil sampling only represents a very small volume of soil that the vine may, or may not, be utilising. 

Asian export market grants – Round 3 now open

Applications are now open for the Grants for Asian Market Export 

Applications are now open for grant funding to help Western Australian agrifood businesses, including wineries, to capture premium Asian export markets, and to help drive economic growth and jobs in the regions.

Up to $500 000 is available from Round Three of the Grants for Asian Market Export to support small and medium businesses to build their presence and supply chains into high growth Asian markets, and boost their contribution to the regional economy.

Grants of between $20 000 to $50 000 are available, with a cash co-contribution required by applicants, to develop value chains, new business models and improve scale, product quality and capacity to satisfy export customers' demands.

The grants program is a part of the Asian Market Success project to support WA agrifood businesses and industries to grow, attract investment and become internationally competitive.

Applications close on Friday 5 October 2018.

Guidelines are available on the DPIRD website or for more information contact Asian Market Success or telephone: +61 (0)8 9368 3426.

Managing garden weevil in vineyards

cultivation near the vine dripline
Cultivation near the vine dripline was one of the more successful alternative methods to synthetic insecticides for reducing weevil abundance in vineyards.

Garden weevil remains an important pest in WA viticulture, more so because reliable alternatives to the use of synthetic insecticides remain a challenge. This is largely also the case for control methods acceptable for organic viticulture.

Reliance on synthetic insecticides increases the risk of resistance, but as yet no substantiated insecticide control failures have occurred.

There is also concern in the industry that the use of broad spectrum synthetic insecticides results in secondary pest outbreaks, though this also requires substantiation.

With respect to insecticides for control of garden weevil, Voliam Targo® has been registered relatively recently for us against mites and moth pests in grapevines and claims suppression, but not control, of garden weevil. 

It contains the active ingredients abamectin, which controls active mites, and chlorantraniliprole, which is active against moth larvae and had some level of activity against garden weevil. 

If moths in a particular area are a problem during the weevil emergence period in Spring, use of this product may offer some advantage in reducing weevil numbers at the same time.

The insecticide with activity against garden weevil is in a different activity group compared to indoxacarb (Avatar®) in terms of resistance.

Over the last two seasons, groups of vignerons in the Great Southern and Margaret River regions have been involved with examining alternative approaches to managing garden weevil (GW) in vineyards. 

The range of approaches that were proposed for implementation are listed in the table:

Treatment

Comments

Method

Soil health

Healthy plant may be more tolerant of GW feeding by adults & possibly larvae.

Products cultivated into soil pre bud burst and/or applied to foliage.

Met 52®

Contains one species of beneficial fungi to assess for control of soil borne larvae.

Incorporate into soil in early September and possibly follow up two weeks later. Check larvae for infection.

Myco -Force™

Contains three species of beneficial fungi to assess for control of soil borne larvae.

Incorporate into soil in early September and possibly follow up two weeks later. Check larvae for infection.

Cultivation

Aim to kill late stage larvae & pupae.

Cultivate dripline and/or inter-row.

Dacron™ bands

Preventative to keep adults out of the vine canopy.

Apply before adult weevil emergence as:

  • band only
  • band pre-soaked in hot chilli
  • band treated with hot chilli on the vine
  • band applied with or without debarking.

Sticky band (polybutene)

Repels adult GW. Not practical – a messy treatment; time consuming to apply; compromised by trash rendering bands ineffective.

Trunk band applied before adult emergence. May be suitable for newly planted vines in GW infested sites.

Potassium silicate

Improves plant health, cell strength.

Foliar application up to three times after adult weevil emergence.

Chemicals

Insecticides Avatar® or Sumi-alpha Flex® to the canopy used as a comparison with alternative treatments.

Applied against adults up to the withholding period of berries pea size.

Refined clay eg Surround®, applied to trunks or foliage

Application to trunks may irritate adults and prevent them climbing. Application to foliage may interfere with adult feeding.

Apply after early signs of moderate weevil activity, most likely after flowering. Top with two later applications at half the initial rate. Mix separately with water before adding to the spray tank.

In some of the vineyards, synthetic chemicals were applied as the standard commercial treatment. The methods assessed by vignerons were Mycoforce™, cultivation, dacron bands and Surround®.

Of these treatments, some level of control was achieved from cultivation where this was undertaken along the area about 30cm each side of the vine trunk.

Dacron™ bands, without supplementary treatment, had the effect of delaying weevil entry into the canopy, which did not prevent damage.

Other comments were that Myco-Force™ did not appear to reduce the abundance of adult weevils in the canopy.

For Surround® there were problems in mixing at the concentration required – two applications at half strength were necessary in order to physically apply this material at the required total rate.

Other general comments related to monitoring for weevil larvae to clarify their abundance and stage of development.

It was found that the distribution of larval food plants such as capeweed and plantain was directly related to locating larvae and pupae.

A new synthetic fibre is to be tested this coming season for comparison with the Dacron™ trunk band. This new fibre is microfine and offers superior trapping potential for garden weevil adults. Results of this testing will be reported by the investigator.

Research has been going on in the Cape Province of South Africa on the use of insect active parasitic nematodes. Good levels of efficacy have been reported from pot trials. More recent field trials are yet to be reported.

More research is required on this pest and we will consider whether we can contribute with any new approaches.

In the meantime, we are happy to discuss and assist vignerons in designing methodologies to rigorously test/investigate any management approaches being considering.

For further information contact Stewart Learmonth, Senior Research Officer on +61 (0)8 9777 0167 or Alison Mathews, Development Officer on +61 (0)8 9777 0122.

Future events

Make sure you register for upcoming wine industry events

ASVO Fermentation seminar  

The focus this year will be on fermentation technology, management and microbial diversity. The seminar will also include an industry wide discussion on the merits of inoculated vs uninoculated fermentations.

Attendees at this year’s seminar will have the opportunity to gain an insight from international and local experts who will explore topics including microbial ecology in wild ferments, the use of non-Saccharomyces yeast, microbial contribution to regional wines, using oxygen to enhance fermentation performance, controlling colour and tannin extraction, and managing problematic fermentations.

The seminar proceedings will be live-streamed to smaller, more intimate gatherings in multiple regions, including Margaret River.

Date: 27 September 2018

Venue: Margaret River Education Campus, 272 Bussell Highway, Margaret River.

Details regarding the program and registration can be found at https://www.asvo.com.au/asvo-events/events/adelaide-seminar/.

Pest and disease management workshops

A strategic review by Wines of WA identified pest and disease management, sustainable viticulture and chemical resistance as high priorities for the WA wine industry.

These workshops will be delivered in the Swan Valley, Margaret River and Mt Barker to address all of these important topics with a selection of international, national and local expert speakers. Attendees will hear the latest research and sustainable practices for managing vineyard pests and diseases.

Headlining the speakers list is Professor Wayne Wilcox from Cornell University, New York State, USA. Professor Wilcox is an international renowned expert in grapevine pathology and will speak on the biology and sustainable management of powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot, downy mildew and sour rot. 

Based in Mildura, Dr Bob Emmett is our national guest speaker who has decades of experience working in grapevine pathology in Australia. Dr Emmett will provide insight into integrated pest management practices and delve into the management of botryosphaeria trunk rot, mealybug and light brown apple moth.

DPIRD pathologist Andrew Taylor will give a WA perspective on downy mildew and fungicide resistance and entomologist Stewart Learmonth will discuss garden weevil management practices at the Mount Barker and Margaret River events.

Swan Valley

Date: Tuesday 16 October 2018

Time: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Venue: Swan Athletic Sporting Club (McDonald St, Herne Hill)

Margaret River

Date: Wednesday 17 October 2018

Time: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Venue: Margaret River Education Campus (272 Bussell Highway)

Mount Barker

Date: Friday 19 October 2018

Time: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Venue: Room MPR4, Community Resource Centre (1 Lowood Road, Mt Barker)

Registration is free and lunch will be provided after the workshop, RSVP to Jodie Whitfield.

Alternative variety forum

Forums in the Swan Valley and Busselton are being planned for the first week of December to explore the opportunities and challenges for alternative varieties across the value chain. A panel of speakers is being compiled to represent the key segments of the value chain to provide insight from vine to glass.

DPIRD Research Officer Richard Fennessy will also be present information from the departments 10+ years assessing the performance of alternative varieties. A tasting component will be included to show some of the varieties that have potential under WA growing conditions.

More information will be made available in October or otherwise contact Richard Fennessy.

Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference and Trade Exhibition

The 17th AWITC will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre 21-24 July 2019. This event will incorporate the Outlook Conference in partnership with the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, feature the WineTech trade exhibition in collaboration with the Wine Industry Suppliers Association and Fair Events, and partner with the McWilliam’s Maurice O’Shea Award Dinner. Program details will be added to this site as they become available.

Registration is scheduled to open in February 2019.

Date: 21 - 24 July 2019

Venue: Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide.

Details regarding the program and registration can be found at www.awitc.com.au.