An opportunity to learn from industry experts and experience a cross section of business in the horticultural industry brought together six of the country’s top young horticulturists to a training forum at Bayer New Zealand’s head office in Auckland this month.

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A push to sell more New Zealand wine into China and Asia is behind the significant number of our wineries showing at Vinexpo Asia Pacific next month. 

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Hawke’s Bay’s reputation as a great producer of red wines is growing nationally and internationally and New Zealanders will be given the chance to sample some of those wines soon, when ‘extremely welcome visitors from Hawke’s Bay’ go to Wellington and Auckland to show off.

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It isn’t hard to think of reasons to drink a great pinot noir, but the folk at Amisfield Wine Company decided that marking their tenth harvest with a few sips was a good excuse.

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The harvest is late, but that only gives the birds more time to peck at your crop in the vineyard. Marlborough District Council is reminding vineyards about the rules on bird-scaring devices.

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Peter Saunders says for the first time in three decades, numbers of operators within New Zealand Winegrowers has lowered slightly, following many years of growth.

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Rapid Labels’ of Auckland has grown to be a label supplier with annual sales of $22 million and a staff of 72. The past decade has seen the deployment of significant new equipment and expansion of its business horizons.

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The fight to have modern screw cap technology accepted around the world seems to have begun ages ago, but new research maps the spread of acceptance.

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There was a time when old wine barrels were sought-after by landscape gardeners for outdoor plant holders. But the introduction to New Zealand of new technology is rejuvenating and adding extra years of useful winemaking for used barrels.

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With the 2012 vintage about to start, there are mixed emotions and outlooks within the New Zealand wine industry, as a number of factors mitigate against profits and bigger markets. But depending on who you talk to, there’s still optimism, says the chartered accountancy group, Markhams.

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Winemakers in Wairarapa are worried about vintage because of the weird summer New Zealand experienced. But in Marlborough, Brancott Estate is excited about the prospect of concentrated and flavoursome wines to come off the vines this year.

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Hill Laboratories and Cawthron Institute are completing a deal that will see Cawthron’s Marlborough laboratory change hands, allowing Hill to offer a ‘vineyard to finished wine’ testing service.

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It’s started later than previous years, but the all-important 2012 harvest is under way. Why so important? Because it’s been difficult to predict what size it will be, says Winegrowers, to the extent of 20,000 tonnes either way.

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The running aground of the Rena container ship on Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty is the worst environmental shipping disaster  in the country’s history. But for the coincidentally named Astrolabe Wines, the spooky coincidence has turned out not so bad after all. 

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The running aground of the Rena container ship on Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty is the worst environmental shipping disaster  in the country’s history. But for the coincidentally named Astrolabe Wines, the spooky coincidence has turned out not so bad after all. 

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If you need extra help in the vineyard this vintage, you might like to think outside the square. Instead of hiring extra hands to make light work, try something you can tow behind your tractor.

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Five highly competitive New World wine producers are again joining forces to promote their wines to the predominantly European audience due to attend the ProWein event in Düsseldorf, Germany in March.

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Horticulture and viticulture students at EIT have taken out excellence awards which have been sponsored by Skeltons.

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The next crop of wine scientists are already on their way to the New Zealand wine producing sector, and EIT in Hawke’s Bay is doing its bit to provide trained and talented people.

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With harvest and another vintage looming on the calendar, IMCD New Zealand Ltd has approached new suppliers to bring a range of new raw materials to the local market

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Hundreds of wines and just three judges to grade them – it’s Air New Zealand Wine Awards time again in Auckland. Results will be out in just over a week.

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The growing value of Asia as a wine market is on display in Hong Kong next week, with the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair.

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Fifty years ago, before the Gimblett Gravels had been ‘discovered’, Hawke’s Bay was best-known as the Fruit Bowl of New Zealand. There are still plenty of fruit trees in the Bay, but vineyards rule these days and an event next week will recognise the best wines all those vines are producing.

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More success on a world stage for this country's wine producers. The International Wine and Spirit Competition in London is a prestigious contest and Gold Medals are highly sought after.

This year's results for New Zealand wine are particularly good.

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'Simple and frivolous' was the label pasted onto sauvignon blanc wines - and New Zealand ones in particular - in an article published recently in an Australian newspaper. And the description got worse as the article progressed.

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A list of upcoming events in wine, here in New Zealand and around the world. Email the editor for new listings: grahamh@mediaweb.co.nz

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Events in wine are many and varied. We offer a list of interest to Wine Technology in New Zealand readers. Feel free to suggest other listings via grahamh@mediaweb.co.nz

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A list of upcoming events in wine, here in New Zealand and around the world. Email the editor for new listings: grahamh@mediaweb.co.nz

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Despite the much-discussed global wine glut and tough global trading conditions, wine exporters managed to lift export values for the financial year that ended on June 30.

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Last year the IWSC awarded 283 medals to New Zealand wine producers with seven awarded the top IWSC accolade of "Gold Best in Class". Organisers are calling for entries to the next competition.

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Last year the IWSC awarded 283 medals to New Zealand wine producers with 7 awarded the top IWSC accolade of "Gold Best in Class". Organisers are calling for entries to the next competition.

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 It's a small move on behalf of the government, but it's one that will be appreciated by winemakers, says Philip Gregan from NZ Winegrowers.

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There's a global glut of wine, and some New Zealand wine producers have hit the financial wall as a result. But New Zealand Winegrowers' annual report has found some positives.

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The New Zealand wine industry is aiming to be 100 per cent sustainable in wine production by 2012.
And so it's not surprising that sustainably produced wines make up more than 75 per cent of the entries in this year's Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

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Optimum soil tilth and soil fertility in organic vineyards are the goal of minimum soil cultivation and a stable crumb structure is the result, writes Andreas Welte

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Spend time on researching opportunities for wine exports in a tough market - that was the message to New Zealand wine exporters from a group of international experts.

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Falling grape prices, oversupply and hard trading conditions have conspired to produce “the perfect storm” for grapegrowers and wineries around the country and there is little sign of it getting any easier.

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What started on a small scale is now growing larger on Villa Maria's Joseph Soler Block in Hawke's Bay.

Organic wine is being produced by New Zealand's largest locally-owned winery.

Under the direction of Jonathan Hamlet, the block is getting closer to delivery of its first bottles.

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Alwyn Corban says keeping to Ngatarawa's wine-making philosophies has paid off, including the decision to produce an 'Alwyn Chardonnay' only in vintages where its quality is assured.

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With all the excitement of a rugby match between New Zealand and France, the reputation of Gimblett Gravels’ Bordeaux blends were up for evaluation – and for once we didn’t lose to the French.

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There was no Winery Engineering Association conference and exhibition in Australia this year, but the association is staging an event on Brancott Estate in Marlborough this September.

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Help for wine buyers to make more informed decisions is on the way.  More than 1000 wines have been voted on in the 2010 New World Wine Awards.

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Villa Maria has been through a rigorous auditing process to measure its greenhouse gas emissions and have them measured against international ISO standards.

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Marlborough savuvignon blanc is best kept in the fridge. Most of us know that, but now the scientists have proven it's true.
And so if your fridge is groaning under the weight of an alarming number of Marlborough's best - you can tell the family you are simply taking the best care of your wine collection.

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It's time to strike back at the Australians − the International Wine & Spirit Competition is asking southern hemisphere wine producers to submit wines for the 2010 event.

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The Central Otago vineyard owned by Domenic and Ally Mondillo has taken a swag of prizes at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards.

Made with the help of winemaker Rudi Bauer at Quartz Reef, the Mondillos' wine is being served in business class on Air New Zealand and is sold in top restaurants in Queenstown and in the USA.

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Central Otago wine producer Misha's Vineyard has stepped into the Australian market, taking on a distributor to concentrate mainly on restaurants and specialised retailers.

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Many Hawke's Bay wines have been gaining approval from judges and refined palates all around the world lately. And after Hawke's Bay Winegrowers took some of its wares to Australia recently, there's likely to be increased interest in the Bay from across the Tasman.

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Scaring birds before harvest is a complex process. Many vineyards have their own preferences - but Pestgard has some new suggestions and some intriguing equipment to protect your grapes.

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The Hawke's Bay wine harvest will come in a little late...but quality won't be affected.

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The 2010 grape harvest will exceed 265,000 tonnes, but will fall short of 285,000 tonnes says New Zealand Winegrowers.

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A tractor-mounted leaf removal system is contributing to lower harvest costs for a Blenheim grape-grower, Torea Wines.

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Mueller Accu-therm Plate heat exchangers come to the New Zealand market following manufacture in the United States and assembly in Australia according to customer needs.

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There are some big firsts for the New Zealand wine industry as Montana spends money to attract new wine drinkers in the UK, Australia and elsewhere.

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This year will be one of change on world wine markets, but Peter Saunders says for those wine producers who can adapt and be creative, opportunities are there for the taking.

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For any winemaker, having experienced judges agree with your decisions on how wines should stack up is a rewarding experience. And when medals are awarded for those decisions, it can pay off at the wine shop.

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For more than 30 years, one thing has made a world of difference at Philstic ― and they’re about to share it with New Zealand’s wine makers.

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As New Zealand's wine industry continues to expand and exports grow year-on-year, the labelling industry has had to work to keep up. Reynolds Group is one company delivering quality products for this country's wine producers.

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Hawke's Bay's wine industry is due to mark several successful decades' production with an event that will also pay respect to four of the province's leading pioneers.

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New Zealand's wine exporters have hit the $1 billion mark for exports within a 12-month period.

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There wasn't a football boot, a rugby ball or a referee's whistle in sight, but at the weekend New Zealand wines won the Tri-Nations trophy.

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As the first signs come through that the NZ economy is ready to rock and roll again, a survey on our wine-buying habits has some interesting figures on what we are spending.

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After winning the 2009 Markhams Young Viticulturist of the Year title - part of the annual Romeo Bragato conference - Caine Thompson is now in the running for the Young Horticulurist of the year competition.

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The number of quality chardonnays awarded medals in the annual Romeo Bragato wine awards has been reflected in the choice of 2009's champion wine.

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Chardonnay is the big winner at  Romeo Bragato

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David Cox tells the Europeans they shouldn't expect to see Marlborough sauvignon blanc for £3.99 any more.

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The issue of ownership of the New Zealand wine industry is always controversial but it hit the headlines again this month with news that a Sonoma-based US winemaking company has put in an offer to buy the New Zealand Wine Trust's brands.

The deal needs clearance by the New Zealand Overseas Investment Commission, but would see labels including Vavasour, Goldwater, Clifford Bay, Boatshed Bay, Dashwood and Redwood Pass going under US control.

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As the magical $1 billion figure for exports in a 12-month period draws nearer for the New Zealand wine industry - the chair of NZ Winegrowers says there's a critical need for balance between supply and demand

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University of Auckland scientists delve into the intricacies of spontaneous ferments at Kumeu River winery and how that could contribute to the future differentiation of New Zealand wines against those from other countries.

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Global recession hits the profits of New Zealand wine producers - and New Zealand Winegrowers says "continued effective management of supply is critical for the industry's future success".

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Combine egotistical and overly ambitious reality TV contestants with the wine industry and there's likely to be a whole lot of trouble.

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We all knew that Marlborough has transformed itself in the past decade or so, but a new report from MAF spells it out in detail and says the region's growth hasn't finished yet.

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New Zealand Winegrowers is optimistic that by the middle of next year, our stocks of unsold wine will be substantially lower than they are now. The wine industry association says it currently sits at around 30 million litres. Meanwhile, an independent report on our wine industry says the stockpile is a result of market and economic conditions rather than a structural problem with the industry.

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The Gimblett Gravels blend that stunned international wine writers in London in February of this year is being released on the New Zealand market by its makers, Newton Forrest Estate.

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Another overseas wine company moves to buy out Kiwi wine brands - this time its wines in the Vavasour group

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The success of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme has seen the Government add a "booster" initiative.

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Pernod Ricard says it doesn't want to navigate changes to contracts with some of its growers in Gisborne through the public domain.

The company says there has already been a lot of discussion throiugh the media on the situaion.

However, the Gisborne Winegrowers' presdident says while growers had expected changes would be made to contracts, he thinks the size and scale of the changes "caught everybody by surprise".

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Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Inc says it has already decided exactly how it will spend a $50,000 grant from NZ Trade & Enterprise

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Hot Red Hawke’s Bay 2009 hits town in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland over the next 10 days, delivering the chance for palates tired of catspee and gooseberries to get stuck into some top reds.

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Next year's Harvest Hawke's Bay Wine Festival will have a change of date from previous years, and this time the event will be centralised on a sing venue.

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Australian wine industry groups to meet and discuss "exit strategies" for some vineyard owners across Australia

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Some Australian wine growers are gnashing their teeth over a mix-up that's seen them marketing albariño wines when in fact it's more likely they have been growing a French variety called savagnin. In New Zealand, news on the albariño front is much better.

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Aussie wine-bartering company extends service to New Zealand

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Contest judge says innovation is more important in tough economic times than in a normal economy.

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NZWC expects the future to be secure, but says profits have been hit by the international wine glut.

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One of the New Zealand wine industry's most famous sons is ending one big chapter in his life - but moving on to another.

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For a seasonal industry like grape-growing, there's always discussion on which is the better decision - to buy equipment needed in the vineyard at harvest or lease it, to keep cost off the balance sheet and avoid having to maintain and replace damaged equipment.

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Australia is looking to downsize its wine industry by 20 per cent as NZ looks to a smaller-than-usual vintage this year.

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Montana New Zealand reports on the quality and quantity of its 2009 harvest, and makes comparisons with last year

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Grapegrowers and wineries in Gisborne are lauding the quality of the fruit from this year's harvest.

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A new wine promotion venue in Auckland will benefit tourists and visitors to the city as well as locals. It tells the story of the local wine industry through a startlin audio-visual presentation and allows people to taste and buy the wines from the region.

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The 862 Compact Titrosampler accommodates 12 sample beakers and allows various determinations to be carried out fully automatically, including cleaning and conditioning the electrode between the determinations. 

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G.I.'s - there's very little that's simple about them - and they might take some years to sort out thoroughly. But if we get them right, they could offer just the protection New Zealand wine needs.

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Wine company says environmentally conscious buyers are a factor in the retail market.

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Wireless mesh networks can help growers make tough judgments on when to run their frost protection systems.

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The VinWizard control system has close to 100 international installations to its credit.

Dave Gill, MD of the company behind the product, Wine Technology Marlborough, says this experience means his team is well qualified to speak on where this country stands in terms of winery production efficiency.

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The magical figure of $1 billion worth of wine exports looks likely to be reached this year - despite the economic gloom hanging over the globe.

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A winery that was launched to become a leader in sustainability has been buoyed by certification under Landcare Research's carboNZero programme

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With global financial markets still in turmoil, and confusion over the depth and severity of the recession hitting most countries, there's been a cautious note sounded by New Zealand Winegrowers over next year's harvest.

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Legendary winemaker with Cloudy Bay, Kevin Judd, is heading towards his 25th and last vintage with the company.
After concluding his milestone 2009 vintage – Judd will become consulting winemaker for Cloudy Bay, allowing what the company describes as a smooth transition - providing Ian Morden, Cloudy Bay’s estate director, with the benefit of his guidance and expertise on winemaking and viticulture matters during the 2009 vintage.

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A wine-tasting event featuring international wine writers James Halliday and Elin McCoy - along with seven local scribes - has come up with some interesting results.

Up against six Bordeaux wines - including the Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2005 and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2005 - were six Bordeaux-style wines from the Gimblett Gravels area.

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The government is moving to cut red tape for wineries which sell wine at the cellar door or by mail order for off-site consumption.
It aims to make licensing easier and manager training requirements more proportionate to what it calls “the lower risks involved”.

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A friendly game of cricket between an Indian team and a New Zealand team - and a New Zealand win! - were among the highlights as Otago Polytechnic helped its viticulture students celebrate harvest recently.  

Otago Polytech runs its own vineyard and harvest, but has its wine made commercially through Bendigo Partnerships under the label ‘Bannockburn Road Vineyard’. 

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Wireless mesh network technology is set to revolutionise vineyard management. The ability to get real-time information across the entire vineyard in a cost-effective way signals a major shift in vineyard management – perhaps most critically during frost events but also throughout the year for irrigation management and plant health monitoring.
A wireless mesh network is made up of a collection of radios and sensors which only talk to their ‘nearest neighbour’. Those near neighbours then relay the information onto their neighbours until the message reaches some central control point.

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This article on frost protection for New Zealand vineyards, addresses the tricky question of minimising water consumption.

Water may be saved by reducing the application rate and/or reducing the time for which it is applied, and both approaches are discussed.

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A wine tasting featuring international wine writers James Halliday and Elin McCoy along with seven local scribes has come up with some interesting results.

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Membrane technology can control the permeation of oxygen into wine. It is used by the wine industry in pre-bottling micro-oxygenation techniques and more recently it is being used post-bottling, by a number of leading premium and large wineries, in innovative membrane cork technology.

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The 2009 vintage may be a little smaller than in 2007 or 2008, but the issue of winery waste is not going away.

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Is it a New Zealand wine invasion of Australia, or is it just normal international trade?

Some people in the Australian wine industry are irked by the growing popularity of New Zealand wines on their local market.

Others are more relaxed about it, pointing out that Australia has been exporting wine to New Zealand for decades.

 (Graphic courtesy of Weekly Times newspaper, Australia)

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Hawke’s Bay scooped more Trophies than any other New Zealand region in the 2008 NZ International Wine Show.  Church Road Winery holds the Champion Wine of Show Trophy and Champion Chardonnay Trophy for the Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2006.

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The New Zealand wine industry is “standing on one – albeit strong – leg” and needs to look to diversify to ensure continuing future growth, according to a global industry specialist.
Speaking on a recent visit to New Zealand, Rabobank International’s Global Industry Specialist in Wines and Spirits Arend Heijbroek (pictured) said that while Marlborough sauvignon blanc is New Zealand wine’s greatest selling point, the wider New Zealand wine industry would benefit from the creation of a “second leg” to allow for future growth.

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New Zealand Winegrowers is confident that all grapes grown in this country will be grown under sustainability targets within the next five years.

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Henry Work, an American now running a wine consultancy business out of Nelson, says chips and stocks are the new oak alternatives.

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The 2006 vintage was a special one for Babich Wines as it celebrated 90 years of winemaking. 

The milestone anniversary combined with three generations of Babich family passion for winemaking is what underlies the company’s current success.

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In New Zealand, it’s fair to say, most wine labels are traditional, largely unadventurous, and almost never controversial.

Even the Australians make us look relatively staid, when you consider their flamboyant colours and some ‘out there’ brand labels.

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Under the stewardship of Gimblett Gravels technical group facilitator Heidi Stiefel, a small team of dedicated people is trying to identify issues that need to be addressed in the vineyard to ultimately improve the quality of wine product.

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The annual cost to the New Zealand wine industry of protecting its valuable crops from birds runs into tens of millions of dollars each year.

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The New Zealand Grapevine Improvement Group (NZGVIG) is often approached by people regarding the establishment or purchase of a vineyard. Whilst it does not act as an advisory group for those wanting to enter the industry, it is happy to disseminate as much helpful information as possible regarding varieties and clones.

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Auckland is one of New Zealand's oldest wine regions, but being old doesn’t mean it’s boring.
With three established sub-areas and an ever-growing variety of grapes and styles being produced, Auckland is upbeat about its place in the New Zealand wine industry.

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It may have gained a reputation as a 'minx of a wine to grow', but there is one region that is proving pinot noir is no challenge to New Zealand wine-makers.

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Last year was another one to savour for Central Otago - pinot noir’s New Zealand poster girl and a good place to celebrate. DAN HUTCHINSON reviews Central Otago wine making.

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Marlborough’s wine industry is continuing to grow strongly, creating new opportunities - and a few headaches along the way.

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‘Our world in your glass!’ – was the catch phrase recently used by Hawke’s Bay Winemakers to promote the region’s winter reds to wine drinkers in New Zealand’s main centres.

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Despite the best efforts of the weather and disease, Gisborne winegrowers are looking forward to another good vintage.

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A June 2007 report by Consultant Caroline Forgues, produced on behalf of Oeneo Bouchage, Ceret, France. The report delivers a 'carbon appraisal' of the different methods used for closing still wines. The report was supplied to us by Newpro Packaging Ltd, sole New Zealand agent for Diam corks.

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Dimpleflo heat exchangers are used extensively in the wine industry in New Zealand and Australia for must chilling, cold stabilisation, fermentation control, pasteurisation, and other heat transfer applications.

The distinct Dimpleflo design combines a self-draining, compact configuration with an extremely high heat transfer co-efficient and surface to volume ratios, in an overall package that has proven to be virtually maintenance free.

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