National sustainability programme announced /  by James Hook

A single national sustainability program, Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, was announced today. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia will formally commence on 1 July 2019. This announcement expands our locally developed SAW system and joins it with ENTWINE to form a national one.

2012 SAW release at the McLaren Vale Bocce Club.

2012 SAW release at the McLaren Vale Bocce Club.

The Wine Idealists 2015 article gives an overview of McLaren Vale’s role in pushing for a national sustainability programme: https://thewineidealist.com/2015/03/27/total-sustainability-saw-mclaren-vale/

Australian Grape & Wine Release

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia will be managed day to day by the AWRI, overseen by a steering committee comprising representatives of Australian Grape & Wine, Wine Australia and the AWRI, and advised by an industry advisory group made up of program users, regional representatives and other key stakeholders.

DJ’s founders Derek and James welcome the new programme and look forward to helping growers nationally improve their vineyards.

Dry conditions in Autumn likely to affect the 2020 grape vintage /  by James Hook

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What does a dry post harvest mean for grapevines?

Continued photosynthesis and nutrient uptake during the post-harvest period allow vines to store carbohydrate and nutrient reserves for use in the next season.

Recommended practice is to apply irrigation at the end of the season to avoid entering vine dormancy with a dry soil profile.

What if dry conditions continue into winter?

Recommended practice is to bring the main part of the rootzone back into the readily available water range in late winter, or several weeks before bud-break, may

also suffice and will also assist in leaching applied salts from the rootzone. Vines that reach bud-break with a dry soil profile can have uneven and reduced shoot growth, possibly as a result of a decline in root function.

Also dry soils through bud-break appear to have a greater effect on canopy growth than yield.

Want to know more?

Learn more

Virus Testing Results /  by James Hook

DJ's have just completed a round of virus testing for one of our clients investigating poor vineyard performance.

Taking a virus test before top-working is a recommended procedure because of the effects viruses can have on the grafting process.

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At the date of virus sampling the vineyards tested positive to:

LR4-9: Leaf Roll associated Virus types.

GVA: Grapevine Vitivirus A. 

This virus has been associated with Kober Stem Grooving and Corky Bark diseases. These diseases are responsible for graft incompatibility, delayed budburst, severe decline, and even death of vines. GVA is generally transmitted by grafting; not transmitted by contact between plants. GVA is commonly seen with pits and grooves around the grafting union.

Unfortunately as this vineyard has tested positive to GVA virus and is considered not suitable for top working. 

Please follow this link to the Virus Atlas for more pictures and grapevine virus information - http://ucanr.org/sites/intvit/files/24513.pdf

Did you know... Virus can spread from the roots of old vines? /  by Brett Desmond

Did you know it’s possible to transfer vine viruses to new vines when grafting or even when replanting your Vineyard?

Joe Siebert investigates…

In some cases you will see some obvious signs (like in this video) but in others, viruses won’t show symptoms prior to doing this work - so it’s essential to virus test during your planning stages. Speak to us for more information.

A field left fallow that has some vines that have survived from root fragments.

A field left fallow that has some vines that have survived from root fragments.