Grapegrower and Winemaker: Data standards in vineyard technology

Shutterstock image provided courtesy of Map of Agriculture Group. Advances in viti-specific technology have demonstrable gains for the wine industry that include increased operational efficiencies, quality data for research and biosecurity, and improved certification and credential management. Digital and geospatial mapping is the foundation upon which much of this technology is built in preparation forContinue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Data standards in vineyard technology”

Wine Industry Advisor: New Zealand tech on show

Image: Oxin Smart Machine Technology is offering many ways to streamline winery and vineyard operations, address labour pressures and reduce the impact of production on the environment. In my next article for Wine Industry Advisor I look at three inventions from New Zealand that are making a difference. Click here to read.

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”

Gourmet Traveller WINE: Hail Hawke’s Bay

Image credit: Hawke’s Bay Wine It’s hard not to be charmed by Hawke’s Bay, when laid at one’s feet is a bounty of wineries, local produce and stunning natural beauty against a backdrop of balmy sunny days. On the east coast of the New Zealand’s North Island, clustered around the southern end of the bayContinue reading “Gourmet Traveller WINE: Hail Hawke’s Bay”

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”

Grapegrower and Winemaker: Diverse cover crops

Image credit: Marlborough OWNZ Winter Symposia, Lisa Duncan In response to continued pressure on natural resources, viticulture has extended its focus beyond the vineyard to a broader consideration of ecosystems. Sowing a mixed cover crop supports a diverse ecosystem and offers gains in soil health, pest pressure management and ultimately, the production of quality fruit.Continue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Diverse cover crops”

Grapegrower and Winemaker: Technology in the vineyard

Image credit: Jonas Werner Hohensee At the nexus of organic viticulture is wellbeing and a holistic view of sustainable land management that takes into account vineyard health and the health of those working in the vineyard. This integrated approach to viticulture is gaining traction and being driven forward in some part, by advances in technology.Continue reading “Grapegrower and Winemaker: Technology in the vineyard”