VINEYARD APP L AUNCH

Welcome to the 5th edition of the SEVA newsletter: celebrating our Association’s achievements in 2014 and looking forwards to an exciting New Year!

In this edition, you’ll find short reviews of our social activities, such as the summer BBQ and harvest meal, and of our major annual events: the 2014 AGM and Technical Conference and the Wine Benchmarking Workshop. The AGM/TC was a great success, but I was particularly pleased with last year’s Benchmarking Workshop, which worked beautifully. Due to several improvements, including Geoff Taylor’s participation, the Workshop was a professional event that generated useful feedback to those who submitted their wines. I’m certainly looking forward to next year’s iteration, which will take place on the 24th June, and to the St Vincent’s Day Celebration on 22nd January. But most of all, I can’t wait for the UKVA trip to Germany. The last two trips (Champagne and Alsace) were great fun, and, having been to Germany a few times to visit vineyards, wineries and colleges, I think that this trip could be even better. The best thing about these events is that you are part of a group of wine professionals, and so get star treatment and access to key wine producers. It’s also a very enjoyable way to get to know your fellow SEVA members.

This edition of SEVANews also contains important articles on spotted wing drosophila, new distance-selling regulations, and business planning, which I hope you will find both interesting and informative. We have to keep on top of our business threats and opportunities.

Plumpton College has had a particularly good year, so I have included a little update on our activities. The opening of the UK Wine Research Centre was a very significant event for us, but so was the retirement of our much-loved and respected Winemaker, Peter Morgan. You’ll find the second part of the article on his trip to New Zealand at the end of this edition. We’ve also got an update on the International Cool Climate Symposium. Many SEVA members are very much involved in organising this event, and rightly so, as it will be truly stunning and the major international

showcase for our industry. The programme is moving along nicely (see www.iccws2016.com); you really must go, now is the time to buy your tickets.

May I say how pleased I was to read Kristina Studzinski’s article on starting her vineyard. Kristina was an outstanding student at Plumpton, and I was delighted when she told me that she was setting up in Sussex rather than France. In fact, we co-opted her onto the SEVA Committee, as her clear intelligence and legal background will be a very valuable asset to the Association.

Lastly, we have some news on SEVA’s latest initiatives to promote its members’ activities; the SEVA i-phone App and

the SEVA Wine Route. The App is available now, and I hear that progress on the Route is well under way. We hope that both these initiatives will support the development of our region into an international tourist destination for those interested in wine. At the last AGM, two of our Committee members, Peter Gladwin and Mike Paul, led a discussion on the long-term vision and strategy for the UKVA. We look forward to discussing SEVA’s vision and strategy with you at our AGM on the 21st April.

With my best wishes for 2015,

Chris Foss, Chairman of SEVA

The SEVA Vineyard iPhone App will encourage and enable English Wine enthusiasts to find you and your wines. It contains an A-Z listings of all the major South East vineyards, wineries and specialist retailers, an interactive map, a special events section, and links to your websites and Twitter feeds.

It can be purchased from the Apple Store for just £2.49, with all the proceeds from sales funding SEVA marketing activities. We really want this initiative to be a success, so please help us promote it by word of mouth, or through your publicity material, website, social media activity, or email signature. We also need you to make sure that the information relevant to your business is correct and up-to-date, so please download the App (or get a friend to do so) and look at it as soon as you can.

We thank you for your support in developing this great tool to promote our wines and welcome your feedback. Any questions, comments or suggestions for the special events section to Belinda Mercer, General Secretary, via southeastvineyards@gmail.com.

Back in September, some 70 members of the English Wine industry attended a workshop organised by the UKVA at Vintners’ Hall in London. The intention was to start the process of defining a ‘vision’ for the industry, and to discuss the strategies needed to bring it about.

This workshop follows on from the ‘road show’ of the various regional associations by Peter Gladwin and Mike Paul earlier in the year and the subsequent agreement at Council that this initiative should be taken to the next stage.

Some of you may have read the report of the discussions at Vintners’ Hall that was sent out recently by Paul Langham, the Chairman, but if not it is well worth reading. The discussions not only covered a lot of ground but, as the facilitator Jane Hooper, who was from outside the industry, noted in her introduction ,‘’ the workshop resulted in some major themes being identified that were widely supported’’.

These themes will now be taken forward by Council.

SEVA members and friends celebrated their harvest with a delicious supper at Highdown Vineyard on 6 November. Aly Englefield gave a talk on the use of grape skins for English eau de vie production, ending in a request for anyone interested in pursuing this activity to get in touch with her. This was followed by a tutored tasting of their delicious wines.

A big thank you to Aly and Paul Englefield for their generous hospitality in hosting the event.

SEVA STUDY TOUR TO GERMANY

14 - 18 July 2015

We very much hope that you will come and join us for another SEVA study tour, this time to the winelands of Germany!

It will be a really exciting four-day trip with visits to a range of vineyards and wineries, plus Geisenheim University, one of the

great wine centres of the world.

There will be different hotel options to suit your budget, delicious local food, good company, and plenty of wine.

Now is the time to make your booking on a provisional basis, so that we can calculate costs.

Please contact Belinda Mercer, General Secretary, SEVA at southeastvineyards@gmail.com, letting her know if you prefer

budget or luxury accommodation.

Top and bottom images by Curran Kelleher - P1060804. Published under Creative Commons license 3.0. Centre image by Martin Kraft - Eigenes Werk. Published under Creative Commons license 3.0

(DROSOPHILA SUZUKII)

The soft fruit industry has been fully

aware of the spotted wing drosophila

(SWD), a pest native to Japan, for

almost five years. Its spread to the

Pacific North West corner of the USA

and then mainland Europe alerted

the UK industry to its pending arrival

in this country. In particular, East

Malling Research (EMR) has taken an

active role in making connections and

collaborations with researchers and

growers in other parts of the world

who have been dealing with the pest

for several years. Researchers also

began to monitor for the arrival of the

pest at EMR and the first identification

was made in a trap placed in wild

blackberry at the end of August 2012.

SWD (Drosophila suzukii) is a fruit fly,

but unlike species native to the UK

(eg. Drosophila melanogaster), SWD is

attracted to under-ripe and ripe fruits

in addition to over-ripe fruits. The

female is able to lay eggs through the

skin of developing fruits leading to

contamination by larvae at harvest. Of

equal concern for grape growers is the

fact that their presence also gives rise to

structural collapse of the fruit and juice

leakage. Breaks in the surface of the

fruit are also an entry point for wound

pathogens (e.g. grey mould and soft

rots). Raspberry, blackberry, strawberry,

cherry and other soft skinned fruits are

vulnerable including grapes.

In preparation for its arrival on these

shores, the HDC (through ex-soft fruit

panel Chair Harriet Duncalfe) has

worked closely with ‘Plant Health’,

government departments and relevant

SCOTT RAFFLE OF THE HORTICULTURE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (HDC) OUTLINES WHY VINEGROWERS SHOULD BE MONITORING FOR THE PRESENCE OF SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA AND WHAT HDC AND OTHERS ARE DOING TO HELP THE SOFT AND STONE FRUIT INDUSTRY IN THE UK.

industry stakeholders, including the UKVA,

through the SWD Industry Working Group, to

share information on this new pest and inform

the fruit industry of the damage it causes to fruit

crops. Chris Cooper of Hutchinsons represents

the UKVA on the Working Group and has worked

hard to inform vineyard growers of the pending

problem by producing an article for the ‘Grape

Press’ in August 2013, writing a section on SWD for

inclusion in the 2014 UKVA Pesticides Book and

producing a news bulletin for the UKVA forum in

August 2014. Chris has also been monitoring for

the pest in collaboration with a vineyard grower

in Sussex and has collaborated with Plumpton

College in SWD adult emergence testing in grapes.

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Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii).

Image by Martin Hauser, Creative Commons

Licensing Attribution Germany 3.0

The SWD Working Group instigated an

industry-funded research programme to

improve our understanding of the pest in

UK conditions, its management and control.

It is being funded by Defra, HDC, The

Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, British

Summer Fruits, The East Malling Trust and

RESAS and is being led by EMR and includes

the James Hutton Institute. The project is

investigating how SWD is behaving in the UK

and is specifically interested in researching

the distribution and population dynamics of

the pest, effective methods of disposing of

infested waste fruit, sampling and extraction

methods for quantifying SWD infestations in

fruit crops, developing a synthetic lure with

attract and kill technology and assessing the

effectiveness of different plant protection

products for controlling SWD.

PEST POPULATION DYNAMICS

As part of the project a comprehensive

monitoring programme across the UK in

2013 and 2014 has identified that SWD is

now present in all fruit growing areas of

the country, including Scotland, where the

pest was identified in 2014 for the first time.

Detailed monitoring on two farms has shown

that SWD was present throughout the farms,

but was especially associated with particular

woodlands and hedgerows where they

overwinter. SWD was found in wild berries

(e.g. elder and blackberry) but is capable of

using dogwood, sloe, snowberry, red bryony

and nightshade. Additional work is currently

tracking the development of the ovaries and

eggs in the female SWD flies, which will allow

scientists to predict when egg laying begins

in wild hosts in the spring.

LURES AND TRAPPING

It is vital that growers monitor for the presence

of adult SWD in vulnerable fruit crops like

vines weekly from February onwards in wild

areas adjacent to vineyards. This will help

growers predict the risk to their crops. The

standard trap currently used is the Droso Trap,

which is produced by Biobest and available

in the UK from Agralan. Experience to date

shows that ‘Dros Attract’ or ‘Gasser’ bait help

to monitor for populations of adult SWD. They

will also help growers to decide if controls are

effective. Other research at EMR is comparing

the most promising of the adult SWD traps

used around the world for efficiency and

ease of use. In collaboration with NRI a new

synthetic attractant bait combination has been

developed and was shown to be attractive to

SWD and more importantly more selective

for this species. This new synthetic attractant

is not yet commercially available to growers

as it is still in trial.

SAMPLING AND EXTRACTION METHODS

It is important that growers are able

to effectively assess ripe fruit for the

presence of SWD larvae. This can be done

by holding ripe fruits in a ventilated box

at room temperature for 2-3 weeks and

then counting the adults as they emerge.

A quicker method is to gently squash and

immerse fruit in sugar solution (flotation

method), adding a de-foamer and counting

emerged larvae after 20 minutes, although

not all the larvae will be recovered using this

latter method.

WASTE DISPOSAL

Work has shown that fruit-inhabiting larvae

can be killed during the harvest season by

allowing the fruit waste to ferment for 48 hours

in a sealed Dolav bin. A sheet of black pallet

wrap should be laid across the surface of the

bin and wrapped down the outside surface.

The wrap must then be held down by the lid,

sealing the fruit in the bin. Although the fruit

waste can then be spread on field soils after

fermentation, it is still attractive to adult SWD

and must be incorporated into the soil surface

to prevent such attraction.

CROP PROTECTION

In the first year of the research work, strawberry

fruits treated with insecticides whilst still on

the plant, were assessed by picking at intervals

post spraying, exposing to SWD adults and

then incubating for three weeks to determine

the numbers of SWD produced. Fruits were

assessed up to two weeks after insecticide

application, to determine any effect of residue

decay. Spinosad (Tracer), a coded product

and chlorpyrifos (Equity) gave control of SWD

for up to two weeks after spraying. Spinosad

and chlorpyrifos in particular have direct

effects on adult SWD. Lambda-cyhalothrin

(Hallmark) and pyrethrins (Spruzit) gave very

short and variable control of SWD – up to two

days. Neither chlorantraniliprole (Coragen)

nor deltamethrin (Decis) were effective at

controlling SWD in this strawberry trial.

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DROSOPHILA SUZUKII WING, IMAGE BY MARTIN HAUSER, (C)

CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION 3.0 GERMANY LICENSE

ADULT MAIL DROSOPHILA SUZUKII - IMAGE (C) AND COURTESY OF EAST MALLING RESEARCH

GUIDANCE FOR VINE GROWERS IN 2015

In 2014, SWD larvae occurred in some

commercial crops of cherry, strawberry,

raspberry and blackberry. As a result,

growers of these crops are now fully aware

of the damage caused and are preparing to

start an early season monitoring programme

for the pest in 2015. Growers of other soft

skinned fruits, including grapes, should

also start monitoring for adult SWD from

February onwards using Droso Traps with

‘Dros Attract’ or ‘Gasser’ bait. This is especially

important given that there can be many

generations per year as the full life-cycle

takes only 12-15 days to complete when

temperatures are 18oC and if populations are

allowed to increase over the season, then

fruit damage will occur.

Start monitoring weekly in February,

particularly in woodland, hedgerows

and adjacent vulnerable crops.

Consider the use of perimeter trapping

around vineyards early in the season to

delay the appearance of SWD adults in

the crop.

Should adults be found around the

perimeter of crops, traps should also

be positioned in the crop later on to

monitor for their presence.

As soon as adults are found in or around

the crop, use recommended control

products regularly (ideally weekly)

until the fruits ripen, ensuring to meet

harvest intervals.

Prior to fruit ripening, use the flotation

method every week to check for larvae

in developing fruits.

Ensure old or overripe fruit, left in the

crop after harvest, is removed and

fermented for at least 48 hours in a

Dolav type bin (as outlined above). This

is particularly important in vineyards,

where waste fruit is often allowed to

over-winter in the plantation.

The fermented fruit, pomace or other waste

is still likely to be attractive to SWD adults,

even if it has been composted. Sending

it away for anaerobic digestion (as some

growers do) is an ideal solution. Alternatively,

it should be incorporated into the surface of

field soils.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For more comprehensive information

about monitoring traps, how to set them

up, where to locate them, how to monitor

them and how to use the floatation method for

assessing larvae, view the dedicated SWD page

of the HDC website at www.hdc.org.uk/swd.

For information on control products, always

be guided by a BASIS qualified agronomist.

St Vincent’s Day celebration – Thursday 22 January, 12 noon at the Jolly Sportsman in East Chiltington (see advertisement)

AGM/Technical Conference 2015 - Tuesday 21 April, 10.30am at Campden BRI Surrey

Benchmarking workshop 2015 – Wednesday 24 June at Plumpton College

Germany Study Tour 2015 – 14-18 July (see advertisement)

For more information about any of the above events, contact Belinda Mercer, General Secretary by email: southeastvineyards@gmail.com. We are also looking for venues in which to host our

social events; if you have any suggestions, please let Belinda know.

The next SEVA AGM and Technical Conference will take place on the 21st April at Campden BRI in Surrey. The format will broadly similar to this year’s event, with a short AGM followed by a technical conference with presentations from industry professionals. If you are interested in presenting at the conference, please contact Belinda Mercer on southeastvineyards@gmail.com.

Full cost payable in advance by cheque made payable to South East Vineyards Association and sent to Belinda Mercer, SEVA

General Secretary, c/o Wine Dept, Plumpton College, Ditchling Road, Plumpton, Nr Lewes, BN7 3AE, or payable by BACS

(contact Belinda Mercer for bank details). Maximum of 40 places. *Max 4 subsidised places per membership.

SEVA ST VINCENT’S DAY CELEBRATION

A social event for the wine producers of the South East to meet and

celebrate the Patron Saint of Vinegrowers & Winemakers

on Thursday 22nd January 2015

from 12.00 noon to 3pm at

THE JOLLY SPORTSMANChapel Lane, East Chiltington, BN7 3BA

RSVP by 14th Jan to the SEVA General Secretary: southeastvineyards@gmail.com

WHAT ARE “DISTANCE SALES”?

Sales to consumers which are concluded online or by phone, email, fax or mail order, where the seller and consumer are not physically together at the seller’s business premises. (See the next page for the position regarding cellar door sales.)

WHO ARE “CONSUMERS”?

Under the 2013 Regulations, “consumer” means an individual acting for purposes which are wholly or mainly outside that individual’s trade, business, craft or profession.

KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR DISTANCE SALES UNDER THE 2013 REGULATIONS

Before the consumer is bound by a distance contract the seller must:

provide details of delivery restrictions, delivery charges, and payment means acceptedimmediately before the order is placed, obtain the consumer’s explicit acknowledgement that the order comes with an obligation to pay

obtain the consumer’s express prior consent to any additional payments – e.g. for private reserve storageprovide information about the consumer’s mandatory right to cancel – all contracts (except en primeur or deferred delivery sales) have a cooling off period of 14 days during which the consumer can cancel. On returning the goods he is entitled to a full refund of the price and any standard delivery charges paid. The consumer will be liable for return delivery charges only if informed of this before purchasemake the prescribed model cancellation form available to the consumer.

Post-contract – the seller must give the consumer confirmation of the contract, and all the information required to be supplied pre-contract as above, in a durable medium.Unless agreed otherwise, any goods must be delivered within 30 calendar days.

Risk in goods will not pass to the consumer until the goods come into the physical possession of the consumer, his nominee for receipt of the goods, or his nominated carrier.

Premium rate telephone lines – only basic rate charges may be made to customers who telephone a seller about his/her contract.

1 The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 20132 Regulation EU 1169/2011

In June 2014 new “distance selling” regulations took effect1. The official BIS guidance gave the impression that this was only a consolidation of pre-existing rules and requirements. On close examination, however, the new regulations place extensive and onerous obligations on all sellers of wine by distance methods. Moreover, since 13th December 2014, distance sellers have been further burdened by additional requirements under the new EU Labelling Regulation2.

Wine trade law specialist Andrew Park, of APP Wine Law, explains the new regime and its implications for UK producers who sell their products directly to consumers by distance methods.

ARTICLE CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE

WINE LABELLING MACHINE - IMAGE BY AGNE27, (C) CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE 3.0

…AND UNDER THE LABELLING REGULATION

Distance sellers must ensure that the mandatory information listed below, all of which should appear on the label of every product sold, must also appear on the “material supporting the distance-selling” or “be provided by other appropriate means”.

In the case of most wine labels, the mandatory information will be as follows:

name – (i.e. the wine’s permitted legal name/category under other EU Wine Regs)net quantity (e.g. 75 cl)allergen informationname or business name of the business operator responsible for the provision of mandatory information, being either: - the operator under whose name/

business name the wine is marketed, or

- if that operator is not established in the EU, the importer into the EU.

country of origin or place of provenanceactual alcoholic strength by volume (% abv).

Wine placed on the market or labelled before 13th December 2014 which does not comply with the new requirements may be marketed until stocks are exhausted. The obligation to comply with the above requirements will therefore not apply to the majority of current sales of recently labelled stock. But it will become relevant quite quickly.

NOT JUST ON YOUR WEBSITE

If you are making online sales, your website must comply with all of the above requirements. But so too must your systems and procedures for making sales by phone, email, fax or mail order.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF NON-COMPLIANCE?

Contractual/commercial risks, as between you and your customer:

the 14-day cancellation period would be extended for 12 months. During that time, the customer would be entitled to cancel without any reason or justification, and to receive a full refund on returning the goodsthe customer would not be liable for the cost of returning any goods deliveredthe customer would probably not be liable for any reserve storage charges. (Note “probably” – this depends on a detailed analysis of the way various provisions interact, and is not completely clear-cut)in certain cases the customer will not be bound by the contract at all. That could extend his cancellation right – and opportunity to have wines stored in private reserve free of charge – indefinitely on a speculative basis, with a guaranteed right to a full refund if and when required.

Local Authorities can apply to court for orders requiring sellers to comply with the

2013 regulations in the event of persistent and/or serious non-compliance.

Non-compliance with the Labelling Regulation could be a criminal offence. Non-compliant products must be withdrawn and could be confiscated.

HOW TO BECOME COMPLIANT

APP Wine Law has produced a Free Toolkit containing the key resources and a checklist you’ll need to help you get started on becoming compliant. Contact andrew@appwinelaw.com to request a copy, or download it from the APP Wine Law website: www.appwinelaw.com.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CELLAR DOOR SALESThe 2013 Regulations also apply to cellar door and other “on premises” sales.

PRE-CONTRACT INFORMATION

The seller must provide the consumer with certain pre-contract information. In the case of most one-off wine sales, that will not be too onerous. Where the seller is to arrange delivery, and/or the contract is to be of an ongoing nature (e.g. a cellar plan), the requirements are more prescriptive.

EXPRESS PRIOR CONSENT FOR ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS

The seller must obtain the consumer’s express prior consent for any additional payments.

USE OF PREMIUM RATE HELPLINES

The seller cannot charge the consumer more than the basic rate for any telephone call made by a consumer about an existing contract

Andrew Park is a solicitor an director of APP Wine Law, a dedicated UK wine trade law firm specialising in UK/EU wine agency, distribution, brand development joint venture work.

LABELLING LINE AT POL ROGER - IMAGE BY TOMAS ER, CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE GERMANY 3.0

64 SEVA members, family and guests attended the annual SEVA BBQ at the beautifully-renovated flint barns on the Rathfinny Estate on Sunday 14th September. After a very warm welcome from Mark Driver and his team, guests enjoyed a tour of their state-of-the-art winery, tasting room and extensive vineyard, with stunning views over the Cuckmere Valley.

Following speeches by Chris Foss on SEVA initiatives and activities, and Mark on his new venture, guests enjoyed chatting to old friends and new acquaintances in the flint barn courtyard before tucking into a splendid BBQ, accompanied by delicious SEVA wines.

As we did last year, we took the opportunity to award the SEVA Wine of the Year trophies. This year the cup for the top sparkling wine went to Davenport Vineyards for its Limney Estate 2009. Chapel Down won the top still wine trophy for its Bacchus 2013.

A big thank you to both Davenport Vineyards and Chapel Down for providing bottles of the winning wines for us to taste, and to Phil Harris for giving us an in-depth talk on the making of their award-winning wine. We must also thank Mark Driver and his team for all of their hard work in hosting a very successful SEVA event.

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It was a busy start to the 2014-15 academic year at Plumpton College, with many new students enrolling, including the first cohort of the MSc in Viticulture & Oenology. This new course, unique in the UK, is an intensive and challenging programme in the science of grapegrowing and winemaking. It focuses on cool-climate wine production, climate change effects on viticulture, terroir and sparkling wine. Led by Plumpton lecturer Dr Matteo Marangon, the course will truly benefit from the new UK Wine Research Centre at Plumpton College, which was

opened by the Duchess of Cornwall in March 2014.

Plumpton’s winemaker, Peter Morgan, retired in October, and was replaced by Sarah Midgley, graduate of Lincoln University (NZ) and former Assistant Winemaker at Camel Valley Vineyard in Cornwall. Sarah successfully completed the 2014 vintage, our largest ever at 32 tonnes, producing some very promising wines. Another hard-working member of the Wine Team, Jo Cowderoy, has been setting up lots of really interesting

courses for the UK wine industry through the WineSkills project (see www.wineskills.co.uk ). The current DEFRA funding contract for this scheme ends in March 2015, so now’s the time to sign up for courses.

Chris Foss, the Head of the Wine Department, spent a very enjoyable week leading an international team reviewing the Viticulture & Oenology provision at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, in September. Their hospitality was outstanding, and it was really fascinating to see how the provision in South Africa’s top agricultural university compared with Plumpton’s.

Sponsorship for the UK Wine Research Centre is still progressing, with the acquisition of the new equipment sponsored by Nyetimber, Nutbourne and Ridgeview wine estates, and there has been some success with the MSc Project Sponsorship initiative, where stakeholders in the industry can encourage MSc students to focus on specific research themes. Last year’s first iteration of the Marks and Spencer Scholarship was a great success, so a new student has been chosen to make a bespoke wine for the major international retailer. Dr Matteo Marangon has launched a wine yeast research project with the Australian Wine Research Institute, Tony Milanowski is working with Reims University on laccase, and Andrew Atkinson is testing a new

English strain of malo-lactic bacteria (sponsored by CHR Hansen). It’s also good to see that the vineyard trial plot that we planted last year, containing new disease-resistant varieties like Saphira, Hibernal, Cabernet blanc, Felicia, Souvignier gris, Muscaris, Allegro, Bolero, Accent, Pinotin, Cabernet Jura & Cabernet cortis, is going well. Who knows what we’ll be drinking in 50 years’ time?

However, the main research activity in the department has been the launch of the 5-year EU Life+ ADVICLIM research project, a multinational initiative, which will monitor weather, cultural practices and grapevine growth in many locations in several different European vineyards. With the use of some very sophisticated computer models, the international project team will produce a fine scale analysis of the effects of climate on vine phenology, then estimate the potential effects of climate change and simulate the impact of different adaptation practices for vineyards. It’s expected that the project will develop technologies which could be applied to other viticultural areas worldwide.

Several members of the Wine Department are also working hard to develop the programme for the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium, which will take place in May 2016. Over three days, leading members of the international wine

MA>K>�L�;>>G�:�EHM�@HBG@�HG�:M�IENFIMHG'�MA>�A>:=�H?�MA>�WINE DEPARTMENT, CHRIS FOSS, GIVES US AN UPDATE.

community will gather in Brighton to share ideas and meet with others involved in the business of wine. An event not to be missed by anyone seriously interested in wine!

Lastly, we’ve had a couple of awards: two gold medals for our wines at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships, and, for the second year running, one of our students has won the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Peter & Penelope Duff

Memorial Trophy for the top-performing associate judge. We must be doing something right!

Chris Foss, Head of Wine Department Plumpton College, 1/12/14

Further enquiries: email chris.foss@plumpton.ac.uk or on +44 1273 892018.

For pictures of recent activity at the Plumpton College Wine Department, see plumptonwinery on https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard

For the third year running, SEVA was represented at the National Fruit Show at Detling in Kent. We shared a joint stand with Plumpton College, which was manned by Jo Cowderoy (WineSkills Coordinator), Kristina Studzinski (Off the Line Vineyard) and Belinda Mercer.

Sarah Calcutt, Chair of the Fruit Show said: “The National Fruit Show is where industry gathers to showcase growing techniques, innovation, storage and the marketing of English fruit. The Show ensures that communication within the sector has a platform and the growers who visit are kept up to date with developments and innovations in the industry.”

PETER GLADWIN & MIKE PAUL: “ENGLISH WINE: A LONG TERM VISION & STRATEGY”

Both Mike and Peter promoted the idea of a developing a long-term vision and strategy for the industry, in order to move the industry forward and nurture the brand ‘English Wine’, as it enters a critical period in its development.

The objective of their presentation was mostly to encourage debate on the

future development of our industry, but, amongst other ideas, they proposed that consideration be given to:

The opportunities for, and threats to, the generic brand ‘English Wine’.The pros and cons of tougher regulations on wine quality.Developing a comprehensive database on plantings.The establishment of a training & development programme.

Our AGM and Technical Conference, which took place at Campden BRI on the 29th April 2014, was a great success.

The AGM consisted of an update from the Chairman on SEVA’s activities, followed by the Treasurer’s report. Committee members Sam Linter, Aly Englefield, Oliver Marsh and Josh Donaghay-Spire were re-elected unopposed. There was no other business. The Technical Conference then proceeded with seven thought-provoking presentations, punctuated by a delicious lunch. There was also the offer of a tour of the Campden BRI laboratories. Their conference room is such an appropriate venue that we have booked it again for next year’s event on 21st April 2015.

You will find some of the abstracts and presentations in the members area on the SEVA website, but here is a quick overview...

SIMON GILLETT, SALES AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (GREENBESTLTD): “BESPOKE MANUFACTURE FOR VITICULTURE”

GreenBest Ltd are able to blend all types of granular and liquid fertilisers and provide bespoke products on each customer’s behalf, thus simplifying fertiliser application and saving valuable storage space.

TIM BRANGWYN, DIRECTOR (SUTTON WINSON): “VITICULTURE AND INSURANCE: HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER MORE EFFECTIVELY”

Viticulture is a vibrant and growing business sector in the UK but, whilst many insurers are global players and have established presence in major winegrowing regions overseas, there is little specific insurance availability to UK vineyards.

However, vineyards have unique exposures. For example, the maturation period of vines and wines mean that a flexible approach

needs to be taken to insuring loss of profit and stock. Furthermore, pests, diseases and the weather all present risks that can devastate a harvest and affect income in subsequent years. Sutton Winson has developed a tailored package for vineyards that cover some of these risks, and are looking for your support in developing this further. As vineyards become increasingly commercial operations, it will become increasingly important to have insurers ready to meet our challenges.

IVAN SAUNDERS, PRODUCT MANAGER (QCL SCIENTIFIC): “TAKE CONTROL OF TESTING”

The WineLab is a bench-top analyser that measures multiple compounds in wine and must in just a few minutes. It can be used to measure the degree of ripening of grapes, and to monitor the progress of fermentation and the health of the wine during aging. WineLab is simple to use, and requires no specific training, calibration or maintenance and there are no chemical disposal issues. It works by passing light of a specific wavelength through a solution of the wine sample that has been mixed with a reagent, then measuring how much light is absorbed. The analyser has been validated by the accredited laboratory of the Italian Institute for Winegrowing and Winemaking.

MATTEO MARANGON, LECTURER, (PLUMPTON COLLEGE): “MSC AND RESEARCH AT PLUMPTON COLLEGE”

The first UK-based Master of Science (MSc) in Viticulture & Oenology is now being offered at Plumpton College. This programme specialises in cool-climate wine production, climate effects on viticulture, terroir and sparkling wine, and includes opportunities to visit other wine-producing areas in Europe. It is expected to form higher-level professionals able to occupy a broad range of research and managerial roles across the whole wine sector. A key feature of the MSc is the final Masters project, in which MSc students will conduct in-depth investigations on areas of specific interests to the UK wine industry. This will generate new knowledge in the field of cool-climate Viticulture & Oenology, providing our industry with competitive advantages. The Masters Research Scholarship scheme was also officially launched at this meeting.

MATT FARNSWORTH, DIRECTOR (RACK86 LTD): “THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY”

The regulatory landscape, customer expectations and perceptions in the wake of recent food scares, has reinforced the need for a revised approach to sustainability in business. Greater transparency of operations is expected by consumers, and trust in companies to ‘do the right thing’ is increasingly important, now often becoming a minimum condition of trade.

Businesses that are strong on sustainable action are leading the way, both financially and in terms of reputation. Rack86 provides advice on this essential and current topic by covering the key drivers involved, and supporting the implementation of a five step programme for success.

For further information on these presentations, go to the members’ area at www.seva.uk.com

wning and running a vineyard is a difficult but rewarding occupation. Cultivating the

vines and deciding the exact moment for harvesting the grapes and then producing the wine is technically complex and takes a great deal of knowledge and effort to do successfully. But this is only part of the story! Some owners look to producing wine as a lifestyle choice happy to keep it small and enjoy the experience. Others, however, need to consider it as a business and to develop and grow the business over a number of years. However, the focus remains stubbornly on the technical aspects of wine production and not on business development, marketing and finance. Government statistics show that over 90% of small businesses fail within the first 3 years due to lack of sales and poor cash flow. The long gestation period for a new vineyard from planting to production masks this effect a little but nonetheless if a business has no strategic plan it will fail sooner rather than later.

The key to business development is understanding your customers. Who are they? Where are they? How do they buy wine and why do they buy wine? These and many other questions need to be answered in order to identify the markets for various types of wine. Many owners I have met think that development of the business will take care of itself. After all if you make really good wine, people will naturally buy it, right? Well no not really! Just selling your wine at the cellar door or online through an ecommerce site will of course be an important part of your business development but much more needs to be done to develop a profitable sustainable business.

A key component of business development is marketing. However, many people think

that marketing is just about branding and image. These are important issues to consider but unless your branding is well thought out and reflects your vision and values it will not deliver. Often marketing activities are carried out on an ad hoc basis as time, finance and inclination permits. Results from such activities can be variable and are often disappointing.

So what should a vineyard owner do to develop and grow his business over a number of years? Firstly you need to decide what you want from the business. Do you want to grow the business into one of the country’s leading producers or do you just want to produce some wine for your own consumption and that of your friends and contacts? Once you have developed these ideas and

visions you need to set some objectives. Ask yourself how will you know you are successful? What measures will you use? These measures could be anything that makes sense for your business such as number of hectares under cultivation, number of hectolitres of wine produced, or just turnover and profit. Once that has been done then you need to look at the strategies that will help to achieve targets including such things as target markets, sales channels, marketing strategy and much else besides. This may all sound daunting but there are many statistics that show businesses that have a plan and implement it tend to be more profitable than those who don’t and therefore it is worth the effort in the long run. From this point it is relatively easy to break down each objective into the various strategies and then into specific actions. This then forms the basis of the plan.

The plan will naturally involve marketing activities which needs to be integral with

the overall business plan. Each element of a marketing plan should add to the overall objectives so that the each activity contributes to the message and not detract from it as ad hoc activities tend to do. Branding, image, social media, websites, channels to market, marketing messages and even the use of email are all elements of the marketing plan. As part of the development of the plan you need to consider how these elements can be used to meet your objectives. Some of them may not be suited or will not help to achieve the end result but each should be considered in relation to your targets and objectives.

Now all this may sound daunting particularly when you have all those other important tasks to do around the vineyard and winery. Help to develop a strategy and marketing plan is available with Government financial support. Growth Accelerator has helped over 20,000 companies since its inception two and a half years ago. This programme provides small business with funding to obtain expertise in the form of a qualified business coach to help with developing a growth strategy. It also provides free business oriented workshops for senior staff and access to the Leadership and Management grants which provides up to £2000 per person matched funded grants. Growth Vouchers is another scheme being trialled this year for the first time. This too allows you to pay for business advice to

develop your plans and the Government contributes up to £2000. We at SGBA are all Growth Accelerator Coaches and are registered to provide business advice via the Growth Voucher Scheme.

So now that this year’s harvest is in, it may be a good time to look ahead for the next three years and develop your plans for the growth of the business. If you need to discuss this with qualified business advisors, call me on 07941426807 or email me at bob.francis@sgba.co.uk for a free no obligation discussion.

Bob Francis has been in business development and sales and marketing for all his career. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Institute for Independent Business. For the last 13 years he has successfully helped over 300 companies with their growth and development plans; he has devised and implemented business strategy and strategic sales and marketing plans.

He has published two e-books on marketing for SMEs and is the author of numerous articles on all aspects of sales and marketing. More recently he has delivered workshops on digital marketing and social media for numerous members of SEVA for Wineskills.

Growth Accelerator is a government funded programme to assist companies with ambitions to grow their business. The programme pays for an experienced and qualified coach to assist the owners and managers of a business to:

Develop a clear growth strategy aligned to your particular needs through one to one coaching and a series of master-classes. Provide support to ensure that your growth plan is adopted and implemented for long term future growth. Identify tailored support to develop business capabilities and help remove the barriers to growth. Typical areas covered include sales, marketing,

access to finance, innovation, operations, change management, recruitment and logistics. Provide introductions to relevant specialists as and when required

In addition to the provision of master-classes, the Growth Accelerator programme also allows access to the Leadership and Management Grant which provides up to £2000 matched funded grants for each senior member of staff for training purposes. An initial application fee is payable and the amount depends on the size of your business.

For further information, please go to http://www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk/or email bob.francis@sgba.co.uk

Around this time three years ago, I

was starting out on an adventurous

journey towards owning a vineyard.

I was enrolling on the full-time FdSc

Wine Production course at Plumpton

College. My goal at that time was to buy

an established vineyard in South West

France with my civil partner, Ann-Marie.

We both shared a passion for wine and

wanted a more rural lifestyle. We had

benefited from the upturn in the London

property market and our careers to date

had provided us with the money to

achieve our ambition. So why did we end

up opting for England and establishing

a new vineyard in East Sussex? And

what have I learnt during this first year

of the vineyard establishment phase?

It was while studying at Plumpton

that I began to understand more

about the appeal of vine growing

and wine making; the challenges

and the rewards. I liked hard physical

outdoor work and applying scientific

knowledge to the processes involved

in producing wine. The attraction of

planting a vineyard from scratch took

hold when I started to look at other

people’s vineyards that were for sale

and I realised that I wanted to start

with a blank canvas rather than inherit

somebody else’s baby. The more I learnt

about English Wine, the more exciting

that became as an option particularly

when I realised that it might be

possible to make good wines from

Pinot noir: still red, white or rosé and

sparkling. I also discovered how much

I liked the countryside of East Sussex

and the people that live here. Work

experiences in France on vineyards

there confirmed that a vineyard in

England was the best option for us.

We did, however, decide that we

wouldn’t spend years looking for the

right property; if we couldn’t find

suitable land quickly we would buy in

France.

Fortunately for us a suitable site of 13

hectares came up for sale last summer.

We’d already approached a local rural

land agent in the area we were focusing

on and knew from seeing the sale

particulars that with its predominately

south facing slopes, soil profile of Weald

clay over Tunbridge Wells sand and

existing agricultural buildings, the site

was a good one. It was in an accessible

location too off the A267 and adjacent

to the Cuckoo Trail, a route for walkers

and cyclists on the site of an old railway

line. After our first visit we knew that we

wanted the site and made an offer. We

decided to be open about our intentions

and made it plain that we were

planning to plant vines on the site. This

was a bit of a gamble as it could have

led to an escalation in the asking price

once the seller knew that the site might

be suitable for a vineyard. The gamble

paid off though as the seller wanted the

land to be kept in agricultural use and

our offer was accepted. It was a very

nerve racking few days waiting to hear if

we’d got it as there was a lot of interest

in the property!

Given that completion of the sale took place

in November 2013, there was a lot to do in

order to plant vines in May this year. The

sensible thing would have been to wait until

2015 to plant but we decided we wanted to

get on with things. It’s been hard work but I

don’t at all regret that decision. We opted for

planting the field that had the best aspect

for red varietals and went for planting just

under 3 Ha of Pinot noir, Regent, Rondo

and Dornfelder. Growing conditions

have been favourable this year and our

vines have done amazingly well some

showing over 2m of growth.

Of course, there have been some

problems and issues. Nothing really

worth achieving in life comes easily.

Our main challenge in the first year

has been weed control. We’d planned

to put down herbicide under the vines

and to cultivate alleys but we couldn’t

get hold of Harvest, the product we

wanted, due to a nationwide shortage.

We debated using an alternative

product but decided against that in

the end. So we topped and cultivated

and manually pulled up a good many

weeds over the summer including

some gigantic examples of fat hen

and thistles! Although physically

challenging, Ann-Marie and I are now

a lot fitter and stronger than we were

before the summer.

It’s still early days but I’m definitely

satisfied with our decision to establish

a vineyard in South East England and

to be part of a young and growing

English Wine industry. True, we

don’t have anything like the lifestyle

vineyard and winery that I might have

envisaged us having three years ago

but we do have the beginnings of

something that could be special and

unique, that reflects who we are and

presents the opportunity to produce a

great terroir-driven English Wine.

If I’ve learnt one key thing, it’s to pursue

passion, wherever that takes you.

HERE ARE MY TOP TIPS FOR OTHERS PLANNING TO PLANT A VINEYARD IN ENGLAND:

Speak to as many existing vineyard owners as you can, particularly those with local knowledge;

Have a business plan and review it regularly;

Create the beginnings of a brand early on and decide who your customers are likely to be;

Don’t stay wedded to ideas; allow them to grow organically;

Using a planting machine is not infallible; you’ll still need to check on individual vines;

Get to know your farming neighbours as soon as you can;

Don’t cut corners when buying your tractor and other equipment;

Get to grips with CAP early on particularly if you’re new to farming;

Consult Natural England as early as you can if you are planting relevant uncultivated land;

Put down PAS100 compost under the vines in the first year - it acts as a mulch as well as providing nutrients;

It’s all about finding a good site but no site is perfect and you need to work with site limitations;

Do things in stages when developing a largish site. It’s a steep learning curve.

We now have 18 months to go to the 2016

International Cool Climate Wine Symposium,

and whilst we are making very good

progress, much still needs to be done.

Just to confirm, the symposium (Thursday

26th May to Saturday 28th May 2016) will

follow immediately after the London Wine Fair,

which will be held on the preceding Monday

to Wednesday. So delegates can “double up” on

travel, particularly those coming from abroad.

Highlights of our progress to date include:

PROGRAMME

Full details of the shape and contents of

the core programme can be found on the

website, www.iccws2016.com. Exciting

developments thus far announced are:

the 3 days of the programme cover

respectively “Facing a challenging

climate”; “Optimising fruit and wine

quality”; and “Cool Climate wine styles”

Chris Foss has put together a very

strong advisory panel

Confirmed speakers include four Masters

of Wine and some of the most acclaimed

international wine academics and experts

from UK, China, Australia, USA, Germany,

Canada, Finland and France

Jancis Robinson will open the

programme; Jamie Goode will close

proceedings and Oz Clarke will lead a

session on tasting English still wines.

Essi Avellan will lead a session on

tasting English sparkling wines.

The event is also linked to the Brighton

Food and Drink festival which attracts some

50,000 to 60,000 visitors, and which will be

held on the weekend of the Symposium.

SPONSORSHIPWe have thus far 4 major sponsors,

Laithwaites; Tubex; Lallemand; and the IOC.

Sparflex and Amphora Design are trade

sponsors.

We are also offering two levels of

sponsorship for the industry:

a winery sponsor package; thus

far Ridgeview, Hattingley Valley,

Gusbourne, Hush Heath and Rathfinny

have signed up to this

a Patrons’ Circle package at both an

individual and corporate level and we

already have 14 patrons signed up. (Albury;

Bluebell; Morfudd Richards; Proven

Communications; WSET; Chilworth Manor;

Stephen Skelton; Richard Bampfield; Mike

Harrison; Liberty Wines; Nutbourne; Bolney;

High Clandon and Camel Valley).

We held an extremely enjoyable and successful

launch party (see image above, right) to

thank our Patrons’ Circle and other sponsors

on Thursday the 20th November 2014 at

Westminster Boating Base, a beautiful venue

right on the river. Jancis Robinson (seen in the

middle of the front row) was the guest of honour.

In his welcome speech, Bruce Tindale asked

that everyone in the industry help deliver

an occasion we are truly proud of and which

reflects magnificently on our wonderful

and ever-more successful industry, by

publicising the event whenever possible;

and helping secure more sponsors.

On tickets, we still have an early bird offer

available offering a £100 discount on the

three day ticket.

MARKETING/PR

Here we are being supported by Proven

Communications who will be driving a global

PR and marketing programme covering:

press releases to key international

trade media

regular e-newsletters to our fast-

growing database of interested parties

within the wine world

liaison with key national and

international wine industry bodies

extensive social media, particularly on

Twitter and Facebook

direct marketing to key influencers and

opinion formers

presence at key international events

such as Prowein and London Wine Fair

keeping the website up-to-date.

For more information, visit iccws2016.com

THE LATEST INTERNATIONAL COOL CLIMATE WINE SYMPOSIUM NEWS FROM BRUCE TINDALE

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Based in Blenheim, this world-renowned centre for viticultural and oenological research had welcomed the idea that I spent a full week with them. They run long (2-years plus) and shorter-term viticultural studies designed to help the regional and national wine industry innovate and lead in quality grape growing and wine making, all in a sustainable way.

Interestingly for us in the UK, Plant and Food Research are funded in part by the Government (60%, via a number of government funding bodies) but also (40%) directly by the New Zealand Winegrowers (who give 0.75% of their

income from grape growing) and the Winemakers via a levy on sales. These two sectors (winegrowers and winemakers) have a ‘Confederation’ whose Charter lays down rules of conformity for all members. Membership is compulsory.

The majority of Plant and Food’s research centres on innovating in, and optimising, viticultural practice. They have a research winery where the fruit from trials is converted to wines, for chemical analysis and/or sensory evaluation.

Key focus for me was to see how they operated the winemaking side of their research. Many readers will know that

Plumpton College is fortunate enough to be extending its research facilities, and this week of ‘internship’ in Blenheim was a chance to assess the set-up and protocols used at the centre.

Fastidious attention to detail and experimental reproduceability are the essential elements of their work (for trials in both the vineyard and final winemaking).

The picture on the bottom right shows the mini pneumatic press used at MRC for their 3.5kg batch samples. It also shows the stylish hat required to protect the operative’s (less-than hirsuit) head from the sun. He is seen being trained under the supervision of Lilly, the splendidly patient assistant to the Winery manager, Claire Grose.

The research work currently centres on projects commissioned and sponsored by New Zealand Winegrowers and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, Employment - the main government funding body (some commercially sensitive and not reported here), plus specific MRC-initiated trials and regional vineyard evaluation work that has been ongoing for up to 7 years - this latter focussing on yield and ripeness levels in individual plots.

Examples of Plant and Food’s research work include the assessment of using machine harvesters to ‘crop-thin’ 6-8 weeks after flowering; the work so far shows that fruit has smaller berries with thicker skins which ultimately enhances

colour and flavour extraction in Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc. It also produces more open bunches with a commensurate reduction in susceptibility to disease.

Other items on Plant and Food’s programme include the use (and effect on wine quality) of nitrogen fertilisers; controlling oxidation in machine-harvested fruit and the manipulation of methoxypyrazine content via harvest techniques.

It is hoped that more detail on these projects will be made available in an article to be written for a future edition of the Grape Press.

The Nelson and Marlborough Institute of Technology has its campus within the site of the MRC (from whom they ‘lease’ their buildings).The NMIT college has its own ‘teaching winery’ and it is run by Tricia Jane, who once spent a “happy year” (as maternity relief for

FORMER PLUMPTON COLLEGE WINEMAKER PETER MORGAN ON HIS TIME AT THE MARLBOROUGH RESEARCH CENTRE DURING HIS 2013 TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND

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Picture c/o Rafidah, Lilly’s winery assistant

Marianne McKay) teaching Oenology at Plumpton College. Tricia was a great help to me too during my stay in Blenheim. She was instrumental in organising for me to spend some time with her at Dog Point winery.

There we were engaged in ripeness assessment for Dog Point’s Ivan Sutherland and James Healy, plus evaluation of fruit for Kevin Judd. It was interesting to see there that (wild) oak-ferments were the order of the day for ( gently whole-bunch-pressed (570L/tonne)) Chardonnay and Pinot noir that was chilled to 6®C before inspection and de-stemming to whole berries. Ferment for that starts naturally after 4-6 days, with

Both Plant and Food Research and Brancott Estate are evaluating vineyard practises that can generate full-flavoured but lower alcohol wines. This is not achieved via reverse osmosis or spinning cone techniques, but by growing and harvesting fruit with lower sugar (potential alcohols at 9-10%) – one method being to reduce canopy size and effective leaf surface area (by hard cutting the tops and leaf-stripping) and thereby also opening up the fruiting zone to ‘ripening’ UV.

Winemaking practices to enhance flavour continue to be investigated.

Of relevance to the UK vineyards were reminders from the MRC team that an element of green harvesting, just after veraison, can help concentrate flavours. This is best achieved by removal of the apical (top) bunches which are ‘later’ physiologically. Additionally, hedging of older side leaves can generate fresh young lateral growth which has more photosynthetically-active leaves. This can also be done just after flowering to help promote an open canopy.

The whole team at MRC (including Damian Martin, Mike Trought, Clare Grose and Dion Mundy) were universally welcoming and generous with sharing their expertise; their published work is comprehensive and accessible to all at www.mrc.org.nz/about-us

After the prior week’s technical winery visits and the full week at MRC, I was lucky enough to continue the study tour with visits to the Delta vineyard owned by David Gleave (MW) and Matt Thomson. Trish Grammer, their commercial director, even gave up her Easter Monday to guide me through their operation.

Situated at the south-eastern end of Marlborough’s Wairau valley, the 33ha Delta vineyard (shown in the image on the far left) is particularly interesting because of the two distinctly different Pinot Noir wines that it makes. You can see in the picture the serried rows of vines on the flat and, in the foreground, the steeper ‘Hatters Hill’ slope.

This combination is rare for Marlborough and the steep ‘north-facing’ vineyard aspect results in lower yielding but riper Pinot Noir fruit. It is also green-harvested (of actually green grapes) once veraison is 80% through. The final crop is hand-picked, unlike the more usual machine-harvested fruit on the flat.

Fruit from this vineyard is used for their Delta and Hatters Hill wines, but is so good that some is also contracted to St Clare and Cloudy Bay.

I did spend time at the Cloudy Bay winery, but I will leave such evaluations to Liz who spent six full and very busy weeks there - 12 hour shifts six-days a week!

light (hand-operated hydraulic) cap-punching being the preferred cap-management technique.

Tricia’s overview of the main recent developments in the New Zealand wine industry includes the increasing use of gel flotation for clarifying juices. Another feature is a move to premium individual wine styles (particularly for Sauvignon Blanc – away from obviously herbaceous ‘generic’ styles) whereby canopy management protocols and harvest decisions are leading to lower yields but with more highly flavoured fruit. Wild yeast and oak ferments are on the increase too, as is the use of ‘co and sequential’ inoculation for fermentation.

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Continued on next page

It is not just ‘Savvy’ and Pinot that flourish in Marlborough; Sparkling wines have their place in the pantheon of quality wines too.

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I was welcomed by Monsieur Daniel LeBrun himself (of the originally ‘eponymous’ wines, now owned by Lion Nathan). Having sold his ‘name and brand’ to Lion Nathan, he set up again under the ‘No 1.Cuvee’ name. His ‘new’ 4 ha vineyard (with the usual Champagne varieties; mainly Burgundy clones) provides him with up to 80 tonnes of fruit including some additional contract purchases.

He consistently harvests at a potential alcohol of 10.5% and with TAs of 10-12g/L, which he describes as “perfect”. His bottled wine is stored on yeast lees for between 18 and 36 months (importantly, he says, at a consistent, (-dark, vibration-free) 11-12oC.

His wines are frequently voted ‘number one’ in New Zealand and now, ironically, he makes, from tirage, the Daniel LeBrun wines he used to have as his very own.

M. LeBrun was a continuing step for me to smaller and smaller and more recognisable operations.

For the final smaller-scale winery, and having crossed from Marlborough to Auckland in the North Island, I had the good fortune to visit the Te Whau winery on Waiheke Island.

Nearly all of the vineyards and wineries on Waiheke’s (warm and dry) island soils are of a scale more of us from the UK would recognise.

Tony Forsyth’s boutique operation (with low-yielding red-variety vines on steep ‘Auckland-facing’ N-W slopes) has garnered world-wide acclaim. He produces between 500 to 800 12-bottle cases of “professionally-artisan” wines.

His reds, essentially Bordeaux blends, are wild-fermented in barrels that have had their ends popped off. After basket pressing (see picture above) the wine is held in stainless-steel tank for ‘natural’ MLF

bespoke contract winemakingHattingley Valley Wineslower wield, hampshire

Hattingley Valley offers wine growers the complete range of flexible contract winemaking services from our custom-built winery in East Hampshire.

Harvest operations through to bottling and disgorging – or opt for a full package

A range of the latest grape presses to suit varying volumes and wine styles

A dedicated team led by internationally experienced winemaker, Emma Rice

Pest and Disease monitoring and other grower services

An on-site wine analysis laboratory

Central location in the heart of England

To discuss what we can do for your next vintage, please call Simon Checketts on 01256 389188 or e-mail office@hattingleyvalley.co.uk

A centre of excellence for English wine making

www.hattingleyvalley.co.uk

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Continued on next page

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In response to feedback from the participants, the 2014 benchmarking workshop was even better than the previous one:

Geoff Taylor of Corkwise provided a pre-tasting test to eliminate inconsistent tasters

It was held in two separate rooms at Plumpton College, with the wine samples spaced well apart

There were plenty of clean glasses, and the samples were replaced regularly

The mousse of sparkling wines was assessed using technical laser-etched glasses

The feedback for each wine presented gave clear information on the judges scores, then useful feedback (as shown on the diagrams alongside this text).

Yet again, the SEVA benchmarking workshop proved a valuable experience for those who attended the tasting, and provided valuable feedback to those who offered their wines.

We look forward to receiving your wines for this year’s event, which will take place on the 24th June 2015 at Plumpton College.

Still White categoryComments

Peter Morgan

before returning to a mixture of new and old oak for 12-18 months. Te Whau also make a ‘foot-trodden’ ‘basket-pressed’ Chardonnay that initially ferments in tank before being transferred (at 12 Brix) to finish ferment in oak.

The wines are all well-structured, complex and delicious!

And so, we finish where we started – with delicious New Zealand wines - made on the extremes of scale.

Whilst the 2011 and 2012 vintages have seen a happy resurgence of its previous commercial success, the New Zealand wine industry is far from complacent. Its commitment (as individual and collective operations, such as Brancott and the MRC) to being continuously “curious” about quality improvements and innovation is commendable, and a lesson for us all.

As I write this (it is the end of April and I have been home for two weeks), Liz is still hard at work on her last full week at Cloudy Bay. I know that she has learnt a great deal too, and she is looking forward to coming home to England, where she can put her experience of a premium 5000 tonne winery to very good use with Sam at Bolney.

For my part, I have learnt many specific technical ideas to try out on our own wines - particularly those for Pinot Noir cap management and extended cold maceration techniques.

So, with sincere thanks to the generous fraternity of the New Zealand wine industry, I look forward to our own 2013 harvest with great expectations!

Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information provided in this

publication, however no liability can be accepted by the SEVA for any

loss occasioned to any person or entity acting or failing to act as a result

of anything contained in or omitted from the content of this publication.

SEVA, c/o Plumpton College, Ditchling Road, Plumpton, Nr Lewes, BN7 3AE.

Website: http://seva.uk.com

Chair: Chris Foss: chris.foss@plumpton.ac.uk / tel: 01273 892018

General Secretary: Belinda Mercer: southeastvineyards@gmail.com

Treasurer: Emma Rice: emma.rice@customcrush.co.uk

Newsletter designed by Lila Hunnisett: email: lila@lilahunnisett.com

PLANS ARE IN PLACE TO PUBLISH THE FIRST EDITION OF THE SEVA WINE ROUTE FOR

THE SUMMER OF 2015...

This map will show a circular route within our region that joins together some of the members’ vineyards that are regularly open to the public. It will also feature a few attractions of particular interest, such as selected restaurants and hotels serving excellent food and local English wines.

Other important SEVA wine producers could also feature on the map, so that, either through our website or the SEVA Vineyard App, wine enthusiasts can make arrangements to visit them. Although seeded by SEVA funds, this initiative will be self-funding through advertising and through a contribution from those vineyards and other attractions listed.

SEVA is keen to establish the South East of England as a key destination for wine lovers from all over the world, so the SEVA Wine Route leaflet will enable visitors with an interest in wine to spend a few happy days in our lovely region tasting and purchasing the fruits of our labours.

For more details, please contact the General Secretary, Belinda Mercer.

If you are interested in sponsoring the SEVA by taking out an advertisement in our newsletter, or getting a link on our website, email: southeastvineyards@gmail.com. We offer an excellent opportunity to reach a wide target audience whilst supporting the work of the Association at the same time. Get in touch!

AGRICARE

CORE EQUIPMENT

FGS ORGANICS

HATTINGLEY VALLEY

NP SEYMOUR

VIGO LTD

If you are interested in taking out an advertisement in our newsletter, or sponsoring us with a link on our website, please email us at southeastvineyards@gmail.com for more information and prices.