Misha's Vineyard

An update from Rich Williams – Vineyard Manager

August has delivered some warmer weather with a bit of rain and fog thrown in but always cleared up to be nice and warm days. We had some 80km/hr winds earlier in the month but has been mostly settled and fine. The grass has greened up and the sap is starting to flow in the vines as we gear up for bud burst. I have experienced some quite strange occurrences in and around the vineyard. I have seen rabbits in trees eating high up in the briar bushes! No kidding! As well as this, upon digging in the Lakefront block found a vine root actually growing through the middle of a small rock! There must have been some tasty nutrients on the other side of that rock that the vine root wanted. Nature never fails to surprise.

We have made good progress with the pruning this month. The Top Block is all done and looking really good. The Sav Blanc on the steep Ski slope is 90% finished. The Savvy has been cane pruned which utilises the more fertile buds on the cane to ensure the best yield as Sav Blanc tends to produce infertile buds on the first two nodes. I was a bit worried initially that the canes wouldn’t be long enough to have a decent crop and also invigorate the vines into developing some good strong healthy growth for the coming season. We have been especially careful here with cane length and bud numbers as to not put too much stress on these plants. I’m amazed that they have turned out so well and given some accurate and early shoot thinning I think the Savvy will come through well this year. We will finish off the tying down next week as I want to get some rain on the brittle canes to ease the wrapping process. This has allowed us to move up to the Fruit Bowl and finish off the Gewurztraminer. This block also is looking really good and is such a challenging block to manage as there are quite different light and heavy soils through here with differing soil moisture content but this will only add to complexity once we gain control over them. This has been achieved by careful selection of well spaced spurs and a mix of cane on heavy soil to match vine vigour to capacity. The crew has done a great job accentuating wire fill through here as well which should provide a more appropriate tonnage and a little more wine for the people who love it. I’m looking forward to seeing how this block performs through the season. I still have concerns about the drainage through the centre of this block and I’m tempted to dig some drainage pipe through here under the vines which would remove excess water runoff from the buildings through the block and then allow for additional irrigation to be given to the drier parts giving better consistency.

Two of the Aquaflex soil moisture strips have been installed and the third will be installed in the coming week when a concrete decision is made on its position. The other moisture strip has been installed in the top irrigation block of the Ski Slope in the Sav Blanc just above half way. I was a bit afraid to start digging here as there are plenty of large rocks strewn around the surface however upon digging it was a different story. Soil tests have revealed the Ski Slope is one of the heaviest soils on top, however I got a big surprise when I found it was sitting on coarse golden sand and was easy digging down to 650 cm. Root distribution was still in the top 5-35cm of soil though vine size was quite small. Just to back up the complex nature of the soils here, I replaced a broken post about 50 meters downhill and the soil was instead 15cm of sticky yellow/red clay on top of gravel and large rocks.

Counts for replants have been done and old spray guards around older vines have been removed to tidy the place up. Vines of appropriate clone and rootstock will arrive in the next couple of weeks to fill up the gaps. Things to come in the next month will be the ongoing task of removing metal pins, vineyard maintenance, sheep grazing, and fertiliser spreading, replants and then of course budburst at the end of September.

I’m also just back from Dunedin attending Neil Kinsey’s “Principles of soil fertility” course based on the Albrecht system. It was an amazingly informative and detailed course and Neil had some funny stories to tell while we listened attentively to soil stuff over the 10 hour days. He reminded me of Colonel Sanders of the soil.

I’ve come back to the vineyard with many new ideas and confirmation that most of what we are doing is headed in the right direction. The detail I’ve collected may bee too much for this blog but it will keep Robin and the team entertained for the next few weeks. The main message however was “we should first treat the soil, then the plants”!

Tags: central otago pinot, Gewurztraminer, Misha, misha's, mishas vineyard, Rich Williams, Sauvignon Blanc

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Misha and Andy recently had the pleasure of training almost 50 of the staff at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands on New Zealand wines, Central Otago region and on our Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. “It is always such a great experience to be able to talk directly to the staff who will be recommending and pouring the wines to guests in great establishments like this $6.5b casino, restaurant, bar and entertainment complex” said Misha.

Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are served at the Premier Lounge – where the high rollers of the world come to gamble huge sums. A recent Channel News Asia special program on the planning and the development of Marina Bay Sands called “Paradise in the Sky”, showed Christine Kaelbel-Sheares, Director of Piaza, VIP F & B introducing the features of the premier lounge and the selection of premium wines. This program provided great exposure to the Misha’s brand and New Zealand Pinot Noir across Asia. Misha’s Vineyard wines are also served in several other fantastic bars and restaurants in the complex.

This staff training session at the Marina Bay Sands follows similar sessions done at several other premium hotels and restaurants across Asia where Misha and Andy have been able to take management, bar and serving staff through a one hour training program which introduces the uniqueness of New Zealand wines, provides some background on the region of Central Otago, tells the stories of Misha’s Vineyard and then goes through a tasting of the wines. Much of the training material is supplied by New Zealand Winegrowers and shows both the focus on quality in New Zealand as well as the iconic environment that the wines are produced in. “You can taste New Zealand’s spectacular scenery and pure air in the wines” says Andy in his introduction of the presentation.

“The reception to this training has been wonderful” says Misha. “All of the places where we have conducted training have asked if we can come back on a regular basis to provide follow on training to new staff”.

Tags: Andy Wilkinson, central otago, central otago pinot, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Marina Bay Sands, Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, new zealand wine, New Zealand Winegrowers, pinot noir

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Keeping in Balance

Rich Williams, Vineyard Manager and Robin Dicey, our Viticultural ‘Godfather’, have just undertaken some very detailed analysis of our soils across our eight different vineyard blocks and the very informative soil test results are now back. Ideally soil should comprise 25% water, 25% air, 45% minerals and 5% organic matter with the ideal soil pH should be between 6 – 6.5. In terms of our minerals, we have known all along that our soils are very low in Magnesium and nutrients have been applied for a few years now to try and bring it back into line.

It hasn’t seemed to have much of an impact on the soil and through tissue analysis it has been shown that the vines are still deficient in it. This can have repercussions on growth as it is a major factor in photosynthesis.

We are now using the Albrecht system and the way it works is to put the main soil nutrients back in balance with one another so that these forms of nutrients are not locked up. These main soil nutrients are Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium. The Base Saturation of these nutrients changes depending on how much organic matter we have in the soil (which in our case is very low) and soil pH. Because our soils are less able to hold as much as they could, it is very important we at least have our base nutrients in balance so that the plants are able to take them up when they need them.

Also it seems our soils are very low in trace elements such as Boron, Zinc and Copper. The first two have some of the biggest influences on flowering and pollination than any other so it is important we have them in the soil.

What the test results have shown is that we are not far out of balance of our major nutrients on the whole. Some blocks are a little more out of balance than others. i.e. the Lake Front block is very well balanced in base elements however it is a bit out of balance in trace minerals; the Ski Slope is quite out of balance on the base elements and a little out on trace minerals; the Fruit Bowl/High Wire block is very good on base elements but not so with the trace minerals, etc. Getting these all back into line is key to continued quality in the wine.

We are about to undertake this long-term program to increase our soil fertility and bring all the blocks into perfect balance and maintain good stewardship of our land which is farmed according to the certified Sustainable New Zealand program.

Tags: mishas vineyard, Rich Williams, Robin Dicey, the Albrecht system

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Wine Business Magazine Article by Misha
In the article for the June edition of Australia’s Wine Business Magazine, titled New Thinking for New Brands, Misha shares some of her ideas and thoughts on building a vineyard brand from New Zealand.

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To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: central otago, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, WBM, wine Business Magazine, Wine Business Monthly

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Vineyard Manager Rich Williams managed to file this vineyard report before he headed down the the bottling plant to join Cassy, Sue and Olly on ‘Quality Control’ duties for the 2009 Pinot Noir bottling.

Winter pruning has progressed very well this month. With the completion of the House Block, we have moved through the Lakefront Block, Highwire Block, and Fruitbowl. We then moved up into Block 2 and The Top Block – from Pinot Noir Clone 5 through the Pinot Noir 115 and Pinot Noir 667. The vines are now a year older than the earlier ones we have been working on and so we have had to reach for the loppers as the vines are that much bigger and harder on hands. I am still really happy with the quality of the pruning so far and we are achieving pretty much 100% wire-fill with some exception to the ‘Horse’s Head’ area by the main gate where the vines have been held back by wind and there is the odd dead plant to replace. In this situation we have laid down canes from neighbouring plants to temporarily fill the gaps. There was some physical wind damage to plants at the top of the Top Block and these plants have been rectified by renewing the old damaged cordon with a newly laid cane to replace it.

I would estimate we are about 3 or 4 weeks out from finishing before we move on to other tasks such as dropping wires and removal of metal pins. The shorter canopy has enabled us to do away with running through a tractor mounted barrel pruner and instead we have done a single pass laying down replacement canes and spur pruning as we go. We will also do away with needing to run a sweeper attachment to tidy up as the guys are keeping things reasonably clean in the under vine area. This should mean reduced costs for pruning this year with added time spent getting the vines looking up to speed for the coming season. With the money saved this year we can hopefully justify some electric pruners for next winter… or the following Christmas!

Broken strainer posts and tie backs are also being fixed as we go, but for some reason I seem to be doing most of the digging. I must work out who is breaking these and pass them the shovel!

Soil test results are due to arrive back from the testing facility in the US. This system was designed by Neal Kinsey which is based around accurate soil analysis and is used to correctly balance the nutrient levels in the soil as well as providing a better nutrient range for soil biology to thrive. Fertiliser recommendations will accompany the test results for the rates of nutrients we will require which will be spread by helicopter.

Also on the list of things to do is to find a source of water for the possible planting of native Kanuka down the windy side of the Dress Circle. I am also spending time accurately mapping the area to determine the number and situation of plants we will require.

That’s it for July – I’m being seconded for bottling line duties.

Rich

Tags: central otago pinot, Central Otago Pinot Noir, mishas vineyard, Pruning, Rich Williams

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A catalog of photos of the 2010 harvest on Misha’s Vineyard set to music is now available on YouTube

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Hi from Rich, My update is a little overdue – just too much to do outside and little time at the desk!

Harvest seemed to go quite smoothly… except for the initial delays in the pickup service, a bee sting and a couple of flat tyres. The crew performed very well and Andy deserves a special mention with some top tractor driving and bucket running! We do miss the amazing smoko breaks provided for the workers and a cup of Sue Lind’s hot soup would go down well now that that temperature has dropped below zero. I was really happy with the quality of the grapes harvested and interesting to taste the flavour differences between clones. Looking forward to the finished product!

Nets are now all off now… finally! It was a long wait for the removal device after harvest but thankfully they stayed well intact and are now stored away ready for next year.

Pruning is well underway across the vineyard. Finishing the Riesling blocks was a tough time, removing excessive tendril growth from the clutches of the trellis system. There is some good wire fill though with the exception of the more exposed parts and lighter soils where there has been a bit of moisture deficiency with some wind damage breaking tips off canes. On the whole there is some very good wire fill for the age of the vines.

We are now working through the new Pinot Noir and it’s a lot nicer pruning with its softer wood which is better on the hands and joints! The windbreak rows have provided just about full wire fill on the new block due to the protection they have provided for the vines in relation to physical damage and lower evapourtranspiration rates. The majority of this block has made it to the fruiting wire and the grow of the plant has dictated whether 1 arm/2 arms are laid – but mainly 2. The replants that were done last year have all come away well and have been pruned back to 2 buds as well as anything that was struggling or had damage to the trunk. I think that this “House” block will create some stunning wine!

We are investigating a trial of some cane pruning and to then compare it to the ability of the permanent spur pruned vines. While there are advantages of carbohydrate reserves in a permanent cordon and a smaller pruning cost associated, there are also advantages in terms of quality from cane pruning. I have previously found cane pruning to show some advance in flowering and can give different flavour profiles than less fruitful buds from spurs. There is also the benefit in buffering wind resistance, as a cane can roll with the wind as opposed to a rigid cordon on which shoots can break off. There would be no use cane pruning if the vines were not in balance as good balance requires a certain number of buds to be laid depending on how healthy the vine is but could simply be spurred instead if not up to it.

The crew has finished off the Pinot Gris in the Dress Circle and have also started pruning some of the other varietals plants situated on this block. There are still gaps in the canopy due to devigourating wind conditions. We’re planning to prune them back hard to give them every opportunity to develop a strong habit next season. I have opted so far to do one pass through with the crew doing lay downs and spur pruning simultaneously and the guys are progressing at a good rate while also doing a quality job.

That’s it for now. I’m off for a week of R & R – the team will continue to work on the pruning in those lovely minus 2 degree days!

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Wine Business Magazine Article from Misha
Each month Misha writes an article for Wine Business Magazine – the Australian wine trade magazine. For May the article was titled Betting on the Singapore Market and focuses on the opportunities for New Zealand Wine in Singapore.

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To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Wine Business Monthly

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Establishing a Misha’s Vineyard footprint in key parts of the world is the top priority this year for the sales and marketing department (aka Andy and me!). We have just announced our second distributor in Australia, Estate Wine Distributors. We’re absolutely delighted because Peter Papanikitas has an experienced team who are focussed on the restaurant sector in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, and Cairns. And we have completed our first shipment to South Korea through our agent there and the wine will go into restaurants. We’re happy to have been able appoint seven distributors in seven markets and hoping to increase that number by the end of the year.

We have just spent a week in the UK and attended the New Zealand Summer New Release Tasting at NZ House on the Haymarket. The two consecutive trade tasting days were held in the Penthouse of New Zealand house which had panoramic views across London. It was a spectacular place for a wine tasting and our wines received lots of positive comments. We also met with potential distributors and visited a few great dining spots including The Providores (www.theprovidores.co.uk/ and The Modern Pantry www.themodernpantry.co.uk/)
– and oddly enough they both have NZ-focussed wine lists! Also went to a very fab restaurant that’s casual but cool just near Charring Cross called Terroirs (www.terroirswinebar.com/). I had an amazing dish of braised rabbit on polenta and washed it down with 2007 Barbera ‘Ronco Malo’ produced by Vittorio Bera from Piemonte – fab!

Some really exciting news is that three of our wines have been selected for the 2010 Tri Nations Wine Challenge this year: Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Riesling 2009, Misha’s Vineyard Dress Circle Pinot Gris 2009 and Misha’s Vineyard Verismo Pinot Noir 2008. The latter is our Reserve Pinot which we have just released so it’s very flattering that it’s been chosen as one of the top Pinot Noirs to represent New Zealand competing against the best of Australia and South Africa.

Early in July I’m off to Tokyo for just a few days for the NZ Trade Tasting event at the Ritz Carlton along with some trade activities including a wine tasting at the glamorous Isetan store in Shinjuku which has the most beautiful fine wine section that includes a gated cellar! And then we’re off to the US to attend a fantastic event called the International Pinot Noir Celebration and to hopefully find a distributor for our wines there. Will keep you posted!

Misha

Tags: Estate Wine Distributors, Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, new zealand wine, Pinot Gris, pinot noir, The Modern Pantry, The Providores, Tri Nations Wine, Verismo, Wine Distributor

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Wine Business Magazine Article from Misha
This article analyzes New Zealand’s position in the green stakes – which happens to be leaps and bounds over other markets, including Australia. New Zealand has an imperative to be ‘green’ – it has a moral imperative in order to live up to perceptions that New Zealand already holds as a clean green nation, and also it now has an imperative by industry body New Zealand Winegrowers who have prescribed all vineyards in New Zealand must have a ‘a green bill of health’!

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To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Wine Business Monthly

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