ORGANIC VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING

Kingsley Tobin,
Kingsley Estate Vineyard,
Gimblett Road, Hawkes Bay

CHANGING NEW ZEALAND GRAPEGROWING AND WINEMAKING TO AN ORGANIC PHILOSOPHY

• THE CURRENT WINE MARKET - Something to Aim at
• CHANGING MANAGEMENT FOCUS:Attitude and Commitment
• SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS:Some Examples as to How
• SUPPORT AND INFORMATION:The Knowledge and Where to find it
• CERTIFICATION:Definition of Boundaries

CHANGING NEW ZEALAND CONSUMERS TO AN AWARENESS OF, AN UNDERSTANDING OF, AND THEN A DESIRE FOR, ORGANIC WINE

• REBRANDING:Overcoming "Alternative", cheap, untidy image
• EDUCATION:What makes it Organic - the Benefits
• PROMOTION:Making it Socially Acceptable, and then Desirable

CHANGING NEW ZEALAND GRAPEGROWING AND WINEMAKING TO AN ORGANIC PHILOSOPHY

The Current Wine Market

Thoughts of organic grapegrowing can be related to the current and future position of the N Z wine industry.

Our local market is small, unprotected and very competitive, while the export market is growing dramatically, with the perception of N Z being a quality producer. We are not competitive in the bulk or lower priced section of the market, but we are commanding respect and good prices in the premium section.

Organic interest is far more advanced overseas and a separate niche definitely exists within the wine market. Organic wine can be seen as part of the wine market, rather than part of the food market. Although supermarkets have added wine sections, the point of sale is usually a wine shop, with this being especially true for higher priced wines. This is mainly due to laws governing the sale of alcohol. When a wine shop displays wine, it is usually by variety not producer and we therefore find our products spread around the shop with no specific organic section. This, in my mind, is not a problem, as I prefer to think of my product as a wine first and organic second. The organic factor becomes an extra selling point, which may or may not increase its value. The financial advantage may come in the form of a smaller marketing budget rather than a higher sale price.

Unfortunately ‘organic’ is thought of by some as a compromise - healthier, but of average quality. This misconception needs to be addressed. It is my opinion that organic methods should be used to improve the quality of our wines and not to provide a marketing gimmick for inferior or average products. The public perception of ‘organic’ as meaning quality hinges on this point.

The market for organic wine is currently more active overseas, so we should be more concerned about educating the locals. Our initial problem is that there are only five of us producing wine in New Zealand and we therefore carry no presence as a group. The view towards organics is changing, the numbers involved are increasing, and the status is moving from ‘alternative gimmick’ to ‘desirable trend’. If overseas trends are an indication, growth will be dramatic.

Changing Management Focus

When converting a vineyard to organic management, the hardest thing to change may be the manager’s attitude. You cannot force someone to think with an organic focus - they have to want it and believe in it. The difficult part of education is often the open minds that are required. There is a change in focus that requires more understanding of the causes of our problems. Instead of knowing the limitations of all the chemicals, a viticulturalist will need to learn more about the causes of diseases and the timing of treatments.

The word ‘commitment’ will need to be used. This isn’t something that you pick up and drop at will. There is a three-year lead in time before certification, so a long-term view is required. It may take a few years to put the desired changes in place and a few more to see the results.

Conversion of a vineyard is more difficult than starting the commitment at planting. A new vineyard is two or three years away from its first crop anyway. This time can be spent building confidence. I have heard it said that a vineyard started with organic methods would be better than one converted. If this is the case, do not put off the organic focus until after the vineyard is established as you are in essence re-establishing the vines anyway. My confession at this point is that I started "day one" with the organic philosophy. My vineyard has never seen chemicals and I have never needed to understand their use. I studied organics during a course in viticulture, simply put the two together, and never looked back. My opinions of attitude when referring to conversion are based on years of watching and listening to other growers.

As I say this, I must admit to noticing a dramatic change in the last couple of years. The concept of spray reduction is all the rage and I’m regarded as being ahead of my time. Attitudes have changed in some people, especially people new to the industry. They are more accepting of an organic concept as they are seeing everything from a fresh perspective and asking "why not?".

The IWP Scheme is teaching growers to look at their methods and, as a result, evaluate them. This is a stepping stone for some and will make for a less dramatic change.

To make a high quality product, most if not all the inputs must be of a high standard. To make a quality wine - soil, climate., variety/clone and management must be of the same high standard. Using an organic philosophy will not replace the need for these - it will only enhance and improve the potential of what is already being achieved. Matching location and variety is one of the most important decisions. To grow anything in an unsuitable location is sheer lunacy, irrespective of intended methods. Organic methods will help build on good decisions, they will not overcome poor ones.

I believe a poor quality wine made with organic methods is still a poor quality wine, and the organic nature becomes little more than a gimmick. If we are relating organic methods with quality, it is our responsibility to produce a quality product.

Solutions to Problems

The three main areas of vineyard management to focus on are Weeds, Disease and Pests.

Weeds are more of a problem for conventional vineyard management, as they require herbicide use. An organic vineyard will use mulch, an undervine mower or an undervine weeder. There are advantages with the latter, as bare cultivated ground provides a drier surface and, as a result, less humidity. Steam weeders have been developed for vineyard use and may be part of our future.

The area between the rows - or, more exactly, between the tractor tyres - provides an ideal area to plant wildflowers. These will attract and provide nectar for the predator insects. Some flowers are regarded as host plants for specific insects. A mixture of a dozen different plants will provide flowers at different times of the year. The plants will also improve soil quality and structure. "Organic orchard mixtures" are available from seed distributors.

Oil sprays containing garlic and pyrethrum will also help kill mealy bug, and there are (organic) sprays available to selectively kill the leafroller caterpillar.

Perhaps botrytis and powdery mildew are the more challenging problems. Their importance depends on location, with wind, heat and humidity varying the severity. Sulphur is an unrestricted and acceptable spray, although it may have detrimental effects on the insect population. It is usually effective enough in my location to deal with powdery mildew. The approach to botrytis is more complicated. Here we have to look at several approaches. Plant health and disease resistance can be boosted by sprays that stimulate the production of the vines’ immune system. Other sprays strengthen the berry skin, and yet more fight botrytis directly. Compost teas, equisetum, sodium silicate, liquid seaweed, fatty acids - the list goes on. I now read that milk is also worth using as a spray.

The main difference with a natural spray programme is that you can use the sprays as often as you like - right up to harvest - in fact for me it’s every fortnight.

Timing of sprays is also an issue. Here the moon’s cycle is of use. As with rising tides, soil moisture is affected by the moon’s gravitational pull. The day following a full moon can often be still. So with no wind to reduce humidity and moisture rising from the soil, you just need to add the warmth from the sun to get a botrytis infection period. As a result, a spray programme can follow the full moon. Use of astrology can attract laughter from skeptics, but, as with everything else in life that we don’t understand - if it works, use it!

To learn about the options, it pays to read any organic literature, as pest and disease problems are common to all forms of horticulture.

Support and Information

Support perhaps is coming in the form of an organised organic association. James will talk about that next.

Information - start with Soil & Health magazine, then to the library or the internet and simply use the word ‘organic’.

The Biodynamic Association is also another direction. Here the philosophy of Rudolph Steiner takes organic theories another step. Not necessarily where you should start but may be a direction to head in.

Watch the advertisements in publications, as they are the source of your sprays. Talking to growers of other crops will also help.

The health of your soil is one of the most important factors, and soil health is a common subject for everyone. I haven’t mentioned it here as it is likely to be covered elsewhere and is in itself a major topic. Books on the subject of soil health are not hard to find.

Certification

It is important to have a structured definition of the word organic. It is loosely used by many in relation to partly organic properties, as it is not legally controllable.

A respected certification body that is accepted overseas is essential to consumer confidence. Thankfully Bio-Gro NZ is just that. They still need to create a vineyard and winemaking format but perhaps we as a group can assist with that. It may seem to be difficult but, on the other hand, it is a handy definition of what is required.. It is the only organic certification used by N Z wines at this point and I feel diluting the effect by adding other organic certifications would more likely confuse consumers.

CHANGING NEW ZEALAND CONSUMERS TO AN AWARENESS OF, AN UNDERSTANDING OF, AND THEN A DESIRE FOR, ORGANIC WINE

Rebranding "alternative green" to "healthy quality".

It may sound like I’m suggesting that the organic image be changed from a hippie lifestyle to a yuppie fashion, but if we are to sell the organic concept in the wine market we will have to broaden our appeal. An older, conservative part of the market is becoming aware of the health benefits associated with the word ‘organic’. They are quality focussed and willing to pay for it.

The old image can be complimented by the addition of a modern trendy counterpart. If the concept is appealing to a variety of people for a variety of reasons, it will be more successful.

The ultimate goal would be to have consumers think of organic as being the best.

We know it is. We just have to let them know it.

Education

We need to ensure consumers understand what it is (or isn’t) that makes a wine organic.

There is no obvious visible difference. What we have found is the true fruit flavours are able to show at their best. The difference in quality could be related to site, management, vintage, yield or degree of ripeness. Just imagine trying to prove organic methods are responsible - "where’s your proof" they will ask. I haven’t seen an organic wine producer bother to grow and make a chemical equivalent to prove the point.. They know it would be inferior.

To quote David Bruer from Temple Bruer Winery, Langhorne Creek, South Australia (in "The Australian", May 4th 2000, page 12, journalist "Cherry Ripe" (honest!)) -

" Organic farming systems encourage vine feeding from humus, not water soluble fertilisers. We don’t know why but this makes for tougher plants and invariably produces better flavoured fruit. We have found if you grow fruit organically, it tastes better. If you start with more flavour in the vineyard, you get more flavour in the bottle. There’s been quite a lot of research work trying to define which components are better in some organic vegetables. Invariably, organically grown produce was higher in minerals (and) trace micronutrients such as antioxidants, and there were significant textural differences - skins are thicker. This may be quite important with grapes, particularly red grapes."

Note: there are about 20 wineries with organic status in Australia and 60 vineyards.

Organic wine is better - let’s prove it.

Promotion

This for the wine industry is like all industries, somewhat difficult to do without running down the conventional producers. Saying that our products are better is like saying theirs are inferior. I am sure some sections of the wine industry are concerned that our efforts will put them in a bad light. That has to be sour grapes.

We could have a slogan - how about "Naturally Superior". Now is it better as a wine or healthier as a product? Either would be a challenge to prove from a technical standpoint, so we are left with the difficult task of promoting a feeling of, or belief in, the quality.

The general shift in public opinion that we are experiencing in regards to organics is going to deliver a more appreciative market. I believe a dignified, quietly confident presence would do more for our cause than a loud, forceful attack. Making claims that are difficult to prove is asking for trouble, so suggesting that people try for themselves may be a more polite start.

Ultimately the best promotion for organic wine will be the quality inside the bottle.

Making organic wine - it isn’t that difficult, it is very rewarding, and the results are well worth the effort.

www.kingsley.co.nz