First St Helena grapes confound scoffers

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 15

First St Helena grapes confound scoffers

By

MAURICE HUNTER

When it was 'originally proposed to grow table wine grapes in Canterbury there were; many ribald, but goodnatured.,'comments from - northern-winemakers. ‘‘Wine grapes in Canterbury?” they laughed. “They won't even grow leaves down there!” , Now the scoffers have been confounded. A significant milestone in the history of New Zealand winemaking was reached on April 22 when harvesting of Canterbury's first commercial grapecrop was begun at the St Helena vineyard, owned by Norman and Robin Mundy on Coutts Island. To those who are curious, as I was, to know why a New Zealand vineyard should be known by a French name, it appears ’ that • Coutts Island was a French settlement in 1840. The area was known as St Helena by the locals for many years and the Mundy brothers thought it appropriate to retain the historical association. The vineyard occupies 12 hectares of the 72-hectare farm; and is a radical change from the traditional market garden farm producing mainly potatoes, onions, and blackcurrants. There is something about a vineyard and. walking up and "down the rows of healthy virus-free vines, one would like to think that the Mundy brothers, both in their early 30s. were caught up in the romance of winemaking, that thpy ,had visions of serried ranks of vines reaching to. the j; horizon, and that; at some future time, they would carefully dust off a bottle of ’Bl vintage for old and valued friends. It will probably happen that the fever will eventually get them but there was nothing romantic in the events which led to the new venture — simply the prosaic fact that it was vital to find an alternative to their potato crop which was affected by the nematode cyst. Each successive annual inspection by officers of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries showed further • infestation, putting more and more land out of bounds for potato growing for at least six years and reducing the original 60 hectares to four this year, and probably none in two years time. ’ In the search for an alternative crop an acquaintance suggested grape growing. Lincoln College was the obvious place for further investigation, and there they discussed the project with Dr David Jackson, a reader in horticulture. He, in conjunction with a senior laboratory technician, Graeme Steans,

and a young German winemaker, Danny Schuster, had been researching Canterbury table wine grape production since 1972. In the experimental vineyard at Lincoln an extensive range of vines has been tested, and such detailed records kept that they have been the enyy of many established North Island winemakers. These include everything about the vines from bud burst to harvestmonthly rainfall, monthly mean temperatures, total sunshine hours, number of frosts, degree days each month, the ripeness of each variety, crop weights per vine, total crop weights, and the chemical analysis of each resultant wine. No area of New Zealand has been so thoroughly researched before planting. However, if wine is to be made, it is essential that it should be good enough to compete on the open market. To this end, Danny Schuster set up a tasting panel comprising members of all sections of the industry — winemakers, judges, wine writers, wholesale merchants, retailers, and growers. The panel’s job is to attend blind tastings periodically to evaluate the wines, not only from the point of view of market potential but also to offer criticism on production and cellar techniques. By the time the Mundy brothers made their ap-

proach to David Jackson all decisions on the most suitable grapes for the area had been made and, by the summer of 1978, the 12 hectares of Kaiapoi silt loam were planted in Gewurztraminer, Rhine Riesling, Muller Thurgau, Pinot Noir, and several varieties of the white pinot group. If that makes the establishment of a vineyard sound easy, do not be misled. As with any other project only sound planning will ensure success. Schuster was appointed winemaker for the infant St Helena vineyard and it then became his-responsibility to design the layout, decide on the proportions of the various varieties, and set out the intricate detail of the winery itself. The son of a German winemaking family, Schuster came to New Zealand in early 1972 after having worked in Australia for Seppelts in Adelaide and Seaview’s McLaren Vale vineyard. Almost immediately-he established contact with David Jackson and together they planned and planted the experimental vineyard at Lincoln College. Having been offered a position in South Africa, he left in late 1972 to become one of several winemakers for Stellenbosch Farmers Wineries, Ltd, the second largest winery in the country, owning 200 properties, including the Nederburg estate, and with

an annual production of 45 million litres. In late 1973, in search of wider experience, he left for France where he worked on the estate of B. Mouiex Pere et Fils in Pomerol, P. Ginsetet in the Medoc, and P. Miserey in Burgundy. He returned to New Zealand in 1976 and for a short time carried out promotional work for Montana Wines. It was during 1978 that Schuster set up the tasting panel while being employed in research and experimental winemaking at Lincoln College. Simultaneously he was tending the young vines at St Helena, nurturing, tying, and pruning to bring thefn to a state of commercial production at the remarkably early stage of their third season. There are other factors involved and I asked Norman Mundy whether he felt that the brothers’ commitment to so large a project was a risky undertaking. He looked a little surprised. “Risk?” he repeated, “We’ve always been farmers and we’ve always lived with risk. This might appear to be a bit of a gamble — every new crop is I suppose — but it’s a calculated one. We couldn’t grow potatoes anyway and. even if the land were suitable for onions, there's a limit to the quantity we could profitably grow.” And what of the effect of

an early autumn, with early frosts or rain? “These varieties will stand a certain amount of frost apd, if it rains,; at least the grapes stay on the vine and they are off -the ground. We’ve had some traumatc experiences with potatoes. All you need is two, inches of rain at the critical 'time and they are finished. Within 12 hours the crop is rotten. Risk is a familiar .situation to all farmers., “In any case, we must move ahead and our family has always been one for anything new. Granddad was the first in the area to buy a tractor. Everyone said it would send him broke — but it didn’t. Dad was the first to buy a potato harvester; in fact, any sort of new and labour-saving ’ machinery. Once you stagnate you’re finished.” The most obvious part of the winery building to the visitor will be the retail shop. As well as providing the outlet for sales to the public, it has been designed with alternative uses in mind, such as wine tastings and educational courses for specific groups of those people keen to improve their knowledge of wine at first hand. A circular stairway at one end of the shop leads to the administration section above where, in addition to the office, there is a laboratory in which constant supervision

of each batch of wine coming through will be carried out for quality control at all stages. Behind the shop is accommodation for case storage, an oak storage room where the red wines will be left to mature quietly in linmousin oak casks, the" bottling room, and the fermenting room. The walls , and ceilings of all processing areas are constructed of a four-inch thickness of polystyrene foam sandwiched between sheets of metal with a baked enamel coating. Together with this insulation, a water chiller from which the fermentation tanks may be sprayed ensures even temperature control through fermentation. Although the Department of Health’s standards must be observed, no self-respect-ing winemaker would expose himself to risk in the fermenting' or bottling room ,apd the immediate impression is one of clinical cleanliness. Wild yeasts are the biggest hazard of any winemaking operation and, unless the highest standards of hygiene are maintained, a complete fermentation could easily be ruined. Winemaking is one of the most capital-intensive industries and this, of course, means that the project had to be financed "for a not inconsiderable sum. In this regard the Mundy brothers are loud in their praise of the assistance provided by the Rural Bank. At all stages they have had nothing but the fullest consideration and freely admit that without it the venture would not have been possible. Danny Schuster contends that a minimum period of six years is necessary for a new vineyard to reach its fullest potential. He anticipates that, initially, the wines will be marketed as St Helena Estate white or red. But he also says that, in an exceptional season, the juice could be of high enough quality to produce wine which can carry the varietal name. So what of the 1981 vintage? “It’s been an exceptional season,” Schuster says, “and the grapes are coming in in great condition, some with unbelievably high sugar levels. It won’t be a big crop because I pruned very hard last year to get quality rather than quantity. “The testing time will be when the wines are ready for release in November, so we are not committing ourselves at this stage — but we are cautiously confident.”