By LIZ LEWIS

I’m not a bad photographer. But I’m not a great one either. So when the opportunity arose to take part in a photographic workshop focusing on vineyards and wineries, I jumped at the chance.

Living in the heart of a wine region, it’s easy to just hop into the car and head out for a spot of wine tasting or lunch at one of the many wineries surrounding my hometown of Christchurch. But to actually get a chance to wander among the vines and watch the wine being bottled was a novelty. And to learn how to take better photographs at the same time – what more could a dedicated wine drinker ask for.

Turns out one could ask for a whole lot more, starting with sunshine and warmth. The day of the workshop was wet, cold, and windy.

No sunshine. No warmth. But that didn’t stop a group of keen photographers.

We loaded up our gear and headed north out of Christchurch on State Highway 1 to Waipara Valley.

First stop was Sherwood Winery for an indoor session on taking pictures of wine bottles. Easy, you might say. Not quite. Trying to get just the right angle, background, foreground, and the label in focus really is a work of art. But after many attempts and some tips and pointers from David, ex-photo editor of The Press, I finally managed to shoot an ‘almost’ magazine quality photo (except I cut off the first two letters of the label)

From there we headed out back for some reality ‘behind the scenes’ shoots of the Winery. Nothing was missed – empty wine bottles, boxes, and old labels, machinery, even gum boots – in our attempt to capture the winery experience.

Then it was back on the road to Muddy Water Winery to watch the bottling process and take more ‘behind the scene’ images for the pretend magazine spread that we were creating. An hour later, the camera warm from overuse, it was time to move on.

Final stop was the Waipara Springs Winery. Too wet by this time for any outdoor shoots, we settled for lunch instead. Although settle might not be the right word. A diverse lunch menu stirred up lively discussion on the merits of pizza vs salad and what wines to try.

Along the way, I learned some new photo techniques, discovered what my new camera – a Canon SX10 IS – is capable of doing, and have decided that I needed to spend a lot more time around the wineries, sampling the wines and getting the shoots.

(originally posted on Perceptive Travel Blog)

by LIZ LEWIS

Clean. Green. Extreme. That’s how New Zealand is often summed up by those who have visited. With it’s breathtaking scenery, adrenalin pumping activities, and easy access to both sea and mountains, New Zealand is the ideal travel destination. It is also home to a thriving wine making industry that is always on the look out for seasonal workers.

So if you’re in the mood for a working vacation in one of the world’s most scenic locations, then head for New Zealand.

New Zealand’s clean-green image is maintained by the wine industry through it’s sustainable winegrowing initiative. A framework of industry standards was developed over 10 years ago to ensure that winegrowers focus on improving and maintaining the environmental integrity and ‘clean-green’ image of their wine production. Most wineries and vineyards around New Zealand now have accredited vineyard status which allows them to display the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand emblem. A list of these accredited wineries and vineyards can be found at the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand website.

There are hundreds of vineyards and wineries in New Zealand and most are on the lookout for seasonal workers to prune the wines and help with the harvests. But remember, the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, with harvesting occurring in between February and April and pruning from June to August. However, workers are also needed from November to March for general tidy up and vineyard maintenance.

Because New Zealand’s ten wine regions are spread from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, it’s possible, with careful planning, to follow the ‘harvest trail’ and pick up vineyard jobs in different parts of the country. For example, chardonnay grapes are harvested in the warmer and more humid northern regions (Northland, Auckland, and Gisborne) in late February and early March whereas further south (Central Otago), these grapes are often not harvested until mid to late April.

To help decide when and where to go, your first port of call should be the Horticulture New Zealand website to look at the Seasonal Work Brochure. This brochure provides a comprehensive calendar that highlights what seasonal work is available where each month of the year. It also has a list of contacts that can help with your search for work and accommodation.

Other useful websites include Seasonal Work NZ who maintain a Harvest Trail list where you can type in the location and month to get current job openings, Wine Jobs Online a database of viticultural jobs ranging from winemaking to harvesting, Seasonal Jobs in New Zealand, and Backpackerboard.co.nz which maintains a list of seasonal jobs, as well as providing everything you need to know about transport and accommodation.

But not all resources are online. Once you are in the country, a great way of finding seasonal work is by checking out noticeboards. Target your wine region and once you’re there, head for the local New Zealand Employment Service and eyeball the noticeboard. At harvest time, there should be plenty of jobs to choose from. Noticeboards can also be found at supermarkets, shopping centers, and backpacker hostels.

Other effective ways of finding seasonal work include looking for signs on the local road, reading local newspapers, and knocking on doors. Many of the areas will also have a Seasonal Work Co-ordinator – just ask at the local tourist information center.

The Working Holiday Visa is a necessity for anyone considering seasonal work in New Zealand. No one will employ you without it. The visa is available to those between the ages 18 and 30 and lets you live and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months. The specific requirements vary, depending on your citizenship. But the New Zealand Immigration Department website has an easy to follow page dedicated to the Working Holiday Scheme outlining these requirements. Simply click on your country and all is revealed, including how to apply. It’s also important to note that you will need a New Zealand income tax number in order to be employed.

So what are you waiting for?

by JOHN K SOSNOWY from Wine Peeps

Having spent over thirty years of my adult life intimately involved in agriculture, I understand from hands-on experience that the vineyard should not be a chemical plant. Good soil should not be over-fertilized, and vines should not be bombarded with fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides. I also believe that the smaller the carbon footprint the better all the way through the process until the consumer gets the bottle of wine home to drink.

By the same token, I see a disturbing trend where the Green Movement is used primarily as a marketing tool, implying falsely, I believe, that organic or biodynamically-grown grapes are inherently capable of producing better wine. I’ve seen no evidence that is true. To clear up some of the confusion and misunderstanding, let’s define the basic terms and then talk about protecting the environment in a way that also gives the producer the best chance of success over the long term.

1. Organic Viticulture—It eliminates the use of synthetic products that create toxins in an attempt to build soil, protect the environment, and protect the health of the vineyard employees.
2. Biodynamic Viticulture—It utilizes the same basic principles as organic farming, but then incorporates religious-like practices such as the alignment of planets, phases of the moon, and special preparations such as crushed quartz crystals.
3. Sustainable Viticulture—It has the same goals as organic or biodynamic viticulture with one big difference: It incorporates the “scientific method” into the formula.

As I visit wineries all over the world, tour their vineyards, and talk to winemakers, I have come to several conclusions. First of all, I believe that organic farming is the ideal in the mind of most serious winemakers. However, there are years when circumstances might make that impractical. For example, if a fungus that does not respond to an organic treatment threatens your vineyard, what do you do? Or what if prudent pest management necessitates a one-time rifle shot approach that would not qualify the operation as certified organic? Second, if you are really trying to do the best job, there are times when you might need to honestly analyze the tradeoffs. For example, if you mulch-under your vines instead of using herbicides, how much more diesel fuel do you use? And third, touting yourself as certified organic or biodynamic can tie your hands when the unusual occurs and may end up costing a winemaker more than he has gained, in dollars, reputation, and possibly even the loss of a healthy vineyard.

Therefore, I have concluded that an honest use of sustainable viticultural practices is probably the best of the three, utilizing the least amount of intervention possible while managing in a way that sustains the long-term health of the vineyards as well as the economic viability of the operation. Combined with softer winemaking practices, sustainable viticulture gives us the best shot at producing great wine over the long haul.

What do you think?

(originally posted at Wine Peeps – reposted with permission of author)

by JACQUELINE CHURCH from Carrie&Danielle

Picking wines for the next holiday meal? Consider Biodynamic and organic wines. No compromises necessary.

What are Biodynamic Wines?

Rudolph Steiner (founder of Waldorf Schools) began Biodynamic agriculture in 1928 in Europe. Today, Biodynamic viticulture continues to treat the entire farm as an organism seeking balance. Harmony with nature, seasons, pests, organic pest control, even lunar cycles, are all taken into account by producers following the tenets of biodynamic farming. Underlying the methods is the belief that the earth, if cared for properly, will be self-healing, but needs our stewardship to achieve that state. Biodynamic agriculture is based on a holistic and spiritual view of the farm as a self-contained organism.

While some call Biodynamic agriculture “bohemian”, others are drawn to that very aspect. One of the best known biodynamic farmers calls farming itself unnatural. Given that the vines don’t choose to grow together in straight rows, grouped by varietal, in microclimates, you can see his point. Yet, farming has existed almost as long as we have. Perhaps it’s best to simply consider the benefits of returning existing farms to more holistically, healthfully run enterprises.

Demeter Certifies the Vineyards

An international organization called Demeter certifies vineyards as biodynamic in a process that typically takes years to achieve. Currently, there are about 105 Demeter-certified vineyards in the US. Demeter “aids the healing of an ailing earth and the production and availability of the highest-quality healthful food. We provide education about biodynamics and a certification process.”

Certified organic vineyards must meet Demeter’s additional criteria for a period of one year before earning the designation Biodynamic.

Struggle Builds Character, in Wine and in People

Just as a bit of hardship builds character in a person, so it is with wines. Vines that have to work hard to get their water and nutrients generally produce wines that express the terroir and the character of the grape to a greater degree than wines produced from vines that have it “easier”.

Because grapes, children of the vine, are such sensitive creatures, they are exquisite communicators about the system from whence they came. A truant child from a dysfunctional family expresses imbalance and lack of healthy systems. Similarly, grapes from a vineyard laced with chemicals, forced to produce in cycles that fight nature rather than honor it, produce wines that express a system out of balance. Biodynamic wines seem to be pointing us to the logical conclusion that wines produced from healthy, natural systems in balance, are superior to those produced in so-called “conventional” methods.

The now-famous 1976 California-French wine tasting, in which California wines soundly beat the French in blind tastings, put California viticulture on the map. Similarly, in 2004 a blind tasting of biodynamic and non-organic “conventionally” produced wines stunned the wine world.

The Biodynamic-sourced wines were rated superior in eight of the ten pairs, one tied and only one of the conventional wines was rated superior in the blind tasting.

Sold? Tips for Pairing Biodynamic Wines with Holiday foods

Hors d’oeuvres: Champagne is festive and refreshing
Champion Biodynamic: Champagne Fleury Millésime 1996, France.
German Gilabert – Cava reserve, Spain – $15. Importer José Pastor has re-purposed the less used parts of his name (José German Pastor Gilabert) to christen the first Cava to be included in his privately labeled Vinos de Terruños brand. This blend of traditional Cava grapes (Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada) is as crisp and clean as freshly ironed linen. Organically grown fruit from the village of Santa Fe del Penedès is aged sur lies for 16 months, producing a dry, toasty assertively bubbly wine for drinking as a cocktail or with food.

Oysters: Chablis or Sancerre are classic pairings.
Ask your Sommelier if he has a French Chablis or Sancerre that is biodynamic as many of them don’t indicate on the label that they are, but a good wine merchant will know.
2007 Ceago Vinegarden “Del Lago” Chardonnay ($22) bright, zesty, juicy pear
Prosecco del Veneto Empiria 2005 Organic Prosecco
Benziger Carneros Chardonnay 2005

Roast Turkey: Light Pinot Noir/ Gamay or full white Burgundy
Grgich Hills Chardonnay 2005 Ca Del Solo Nebbiolo Bonny Doon

Crown Roast of Pork: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir
Go lighter or heavier depending on the dressing or stuffing or accompaniments. Also, heritage pork will be a richer meat than conventional (read: dry) pork.
Champion Red and Champion Sustainable: Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005, Bald Hills Vineyard, New Zealand.
2006 Cooper Mountain Pinot Noir Mountain Terroir ($50) Oregon, graceful lush, gentle tannins
2007 Benziger Signaterra Shone Farm Vineyard Russian River Valley ($24) This single-vineyard effort from a parcel in Forestville. The San Francisco Chronicle called it the “best of the tasting,” rating it three starts.

Prime Rib: Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux
Champion Red and Champion Sustainable: Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005, Bald Hills Vineyard, New Zealand.
Dewn Thoma/Chequera, Bonny Doon

Tips for a Dinner Party

If someone brings a bottle of wine, do you open it? You can ask, “Would you like me to open it now or save it for later?”

Should one pair wines with the main course or the side dishes? The roast or turkey may be the easiest thing on the table to pair. Try to consider the meal in total, but do focus on the main. If it’s a tannic wine you don’t want to pair it with a drier meat. Think about what you’d like on or with the main and pair to those characteristics.

Don’t forget about acidity. Acidity to wine is like salt to food, it enhances other flavors and helps focus on other characteristics. It also complements rich flavors and fat.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa, this time of year calls for celebration of friends, family; of our connectedness. Honor your connections with wines that represent the holistic connections between the vine, the elements and the producer.

(photo)

This article was orginally posted at Carrie & Danielle, a part magazine, part altar, part salon for people who think and want to make things happen.

by PHILIP WHITE from drinkster

Bacchus only knows just how far The Wine Supply Chain Council  is willing to go to ensure wine drinkers make less of a mess of the global environment, but they’re having another talkfest in Melbourne next week.

The shocking condition of Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin, with the cruel extant fact of the death of its estuary, is partly the work of Australian wine drinkers determinedly demanding cheap squirt; partly the work of the thirsty who buy from the humungous booze mongers of Britain and the USA.

It is certainly partly the work of some of the winemakers of Clare and the Barossa, who built their own private pipelines to import salt water from the Murray to guarantee sufficient irrigation supplies to maintain their manufactory of industrial quality wine for export.

Such water inevitably increases the salinity of the ground to which it is applied.

The WSCC was devised to address such issues, but tends to approach the problem from the “must have” point of view, as in “these markets exist, they must have our wine; ergo we must work out how to get it there”.

The meeting follows one held in South Africa last year and will set the cooperative research agenda for the next 3-5 years to benefit wine producers.

“Experts from around the world will talk about how to ensure consumers receive the best wines possible” the WSCC says.

“The meeting on January 13-16 includes 25 industry leaders, academics and researchers. Australian representatives at the workshop include researchers from CSIRO and Monash University and senior managers from some of Australia’s wine companies including Yalumba and Orlando Wines.”

(Orlando is part of Pernod-Ricard. It is not Australian.)

CSIRO mathematical and information sciences research leader, Dr Simon Dunstall, said one of the major issues for discussion will be how to reduce the environmental impacts of the wine and grape juice industry’s transport task.

“Transport is a significant consideration in Australia, particularly the carbon footprint involved in moving wine over long distances,” he said.

Consumers are quickly becoming directly concerned with such issues, and some wineries are already taking advantage of this.

I have, for example the first bottles from Zilzie’s Bulloak Carbon Neutral wine brand on my tasting bench now. From irrigated Murray Basin vineyards, these retail at $10 in Adelaide, a full day’s drive from Zilzie.

London is a lot further.

Surely the best way of easing the carbon footprint is to grow grapes closer to the markets which want the wine. If Texas can produce wines as fine as Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin and perhaps Coonawarra (see articles below), then why shouldn’t Texas be producing such fruit for the US market?

A hint of the future lies in Fosters new three-year contract with the Indian wine company, Indage Vinters, (formerly Champagne Indage), to package Fosters’ wine in Britain.

This wine will be shipped from Australia, South America and South Africa in tank, and packaged in the marketplace which drinks it. This reduces the footprint of such ridiculous mechanisms as taking bottles from Italy to Australia, filling them up, then taking them to Britain for sale.

While the UK drinks over 110 million cases a year, and drinking more and more of it at home, the feverish pressure there to supply ever-cheaper booze is forcing such Australia producers to chop costs.

Similar pressure in India will see more of that country’s booze made there.

Since Stephen Hickinbotham worked a consultant to the Indian government in the early ’eighties, it has been apparent that India can easily produce sufficient wine to supply its fledgeling market.

Given the water supplies, the same thing can be said of China.

One wonders just how the WSCC committee can flex its direction to suit such massive collisions of the booze world’s tectonic plates.

Topics the Council has discussed include: tracking temperature changes of wine as it is shipped around the world; improving order management processes; and, exploring the finding that 99% of wine currently made in the United States came from states that voted Democrat(!).

Dunstall’s team uses a branch of mathematics called ‘operations research’ to simulate and optimise supply chains in a range of industries. It recently developed a “grape maturity forecasting system” which is being used in Australia and New Zealand to estimate when grapes are ready to harvest.

This was not much use in the harvest of 2008: we shall soon see how well it works this vintage, which is upon us.

(originally posted on drinkster – reposted with permission)

Oregon wineries are aiming to go carbon neutral.  The Oregon Environmental Council and the Oregon Wine Board have teamed up to develop an initiative to help the wineries reduce and even, hopefully, eliminate their carbon footprints.

Many of Oregon’s wineries are already utilizing sustainable agricultural practices into their operation, but recognizing that climate change is going to end up having a significant impact on their ability to grow grapes and produce quality wines, they are hoping to do more.

So far, thirty wineries have joined the Carbon Neutral Challenge Initiative -  Abacela, Amity Vineyard, Anne Amie Vineyards, Archery Summit Wines, Argyle, AtoZ/Rex Hill, Basket Case Wine, Benton-Lane Winery, Bethel Heights Vineyard, Chehalem Winery, Cooper Mountain Vineyards, King Estate Winery, Lange Winery, Lazy River Vineyard, Lemelson Vineyards, Mahonia Vineyards, Patton Valley Vineyard, Ponzi Vineyards, Seven Hills Vineyard, Sokol Blosser Winery, Soter Vineyards, Stoller Vineyards, Torii Mor Winery, Troon Vineyard, Vigna Giovanni Vineyard/Barbara Thomas Wines, Valley View Winery, Vidon Vineyard, Winderlea Wine Company, Willamette Valley Vineyards, and Wooldridge Creek Vineyard and Winery.

Read more…