By Jacqueline Maclaurin Viticultural Technician, Wither Hills Sunshine greeted us the middle of November and the temperatures started rising in time for the first field day of the season, a field day focusing on soil. Tim Jenkins, a soil scientist and microbiologist with a wide-ranging background in sustainable agriculture, talked on the techniques used to monitor […]
Dr Tim Jenkins is conducting field-based soil monitoring on the focus vineyards, looking at physical and biological measures of soil health, including earthworm numbers and species, bulk density, water infiltration, soil compaction and soil structure. He is monitoring how all of these parameters change over time in both conventional and organic vineyard blocks. […]
By Bart Arnst, Viticultural Consultant Bart Arnst is advising the focus vineyards on organic management and visits the sites throughout the season. Marlborough. With a cool dry start to spring, there were fears that we would see the same slow growth experienced last season in the organic Pinot Noir portion of the Focus Vineyard. Although […]
By Max Marriott Assistant Vineyard Manager, Vinewise Viticulture Despite an early budburst in Central Otago, time and growth seemed to almost stand still as cold, wet, dreary weather descended during October. By the end of the month, there were predictions that we were almost two weeks behind, which was exacerbated by the cold snap and […]
By Caine Thompson Viticulturist, Mission Estate The dry spring has continued through November and has bought on flowering rather quickly. Flowering is 80% complete in the Merlot and is at about 30% in the Syrah. For flowering sprays we are applying Switch for botrytis in the conventional blocks and Botryzen for botrytis in the organic […]
