Field sample collection for rapid testing. Image credit: Lincoln Harper, Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Curtin University Botrytis, powdery mildew and downy mildew cost the wine industry more than $200 million dollars each year according to Wine Australia estimates. In this article I look at two techniques for managing pathogen populations in the vineyard.Continue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Fungicide Resistance”
Category Archives: sustainability
Halliday Wine Companion Magazine: Technology and Tradition
Croptide sensors at Stoneleigh Vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand. Credit: Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Bringing technology and tradition together in perfect harmony hits the right note for the future of wine. From smart watches for vines to self-driving tractors, technology is helping producers improve their green credentials while focusing on what they do best – creating aContinue reading “Halliday Wine Companion Magazine: Technology and Tradition”
Wine Industry Advisor: Greenhouse Gas Calculator
Image supplied by Meridian Institute on behalf of IWCA. Credit: open license photo by Ben Goode sourced via Canva. In my first article with Wine Industry Advisor I take a look at how a greenhouse gas calculator developed in the USA has been adapted for the specific emissions factors in New Zealand and Australia. ClickContinue reading “Wine Industry Advisor: Greenhouse Gas Calculator”
Grapegrower and Winemaker: Sap flow pruning
Vines pruned using sap flow method at Place of Changing Winds, Macedon. Credit: Simone Madden-Grey Winter activities in the vineyard are underway in the southern hemisphere and interest in sap flow pruning is increasing as growers investigate the benefits offered by this method. Click here to read about who has implemented this method and whatContinue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Sap flow pruning”
Grapegrower and Winemaker: Innovation in powdery mildew treatment
Thorvalds in vineyard in Santa Maria. Image credit: Kristoffer Skarsgård As growers look to reduce synthetic inputs in the vineyard, two recent developments in science and technology offer alternatives for combating powdery mildew. To read more click here.
Grapegrower and Winemaker: Managing cover crops
Cover crops at Felton Road, Bannockburn, Central Otago. Credit: Gareth King Scientific research has benefitted greatly in the last decade from advances in technology. As a result, previously agreed paradigms in some areas of research have shifted. Understanding the role living plants have to play in cover crop management is one such example. To readContinue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Managing cover crops”
Grapegrower and Winemaker: Irrigation
Croptide sensor in situ Cloudy Bay Marlborough. Credit: Cloudy Bay Water management is an increasingly visible part of sustainability and this is pushing the wine industry to review current irrigation practices in a bid to reduce usage. To read about the new technology and scientific research being used to manage irrigation in New Zealand vineyards,Continue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Irrigation”
Grapegrower and Winemaker: Sowing cover crops
Cover crops at Felton Road, Bannockburn, Central Otago. Credit: Gareth King, Felton Road There are many reasons to plant cover crops and if they are to be part of vineyard management, then the first task will be determining which sowing method is best suited to the site in question. Informed decision making in the earlyContinue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Sowing cover crops”
Grapegrower and Winemaker: Purpose-built tools
Image: Amisfield cleaver, Central Otago. © Simone Madden-Grey Meet with any vineyard manager and soon enough the talk will turn to the latest piece of ingenuity to solve a problem in the vineyard. For this month’s edition of Grape & Wine I share some of the discoveries made during my last time home to NewContinue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Purpose-built tools”
The Drinks Business: Water Management
The Drinks Business Green Issue January 2022 Water conservation is an integral part of the wine industry’s response to drought, water scarcity and increasing global temperatures. Events such as Jackson Family Wines Rooted for Good, Michelle Bouffard’s Tasting Climate Change and The Porto Protocol – Climate Talks provide a valuable means of sharing water managementContinue reading “The Drinks Business: Water Management”
Simone Madden-Grey : Happy Wine Woman 