South Australia at Risk of Phylloxera

[David]

The local Barossa paper "The Leader" this week carried a front page story about the Barossa being at risk of phylloxera infection,

Winemaker Trevor Jones and grape nursery proprietor Wayne Farquhar instigated the story and I was at our local radio station when they were interviewed by Reid Bosward and Kym Jenke about the article.

There are strict protocols in place which protect South Australia from infection by phylloxera. The national body, the National Phylloxera Technical Reference Group has changed the classification of the Heathcote region which will allow importation of grapes and grape material from there. However we have seen the spread of phylloxera to new areas in Victoria over recent times and, as it takes up to 10 years for phylloxera to be apparent in vine decline, phylloxera may already be in these areas which will be allowed to send grapes to the Barossa for prcessing.

Why is this changes being made. I do not know but we should apply the test - who will benifit. The soul of the Barossa lies in the growers and makers passionate about producing quality Barossa wine and who are totally committed to the future of the Barossa. So who will want to bring fruit in from Victoria for processing? For me the finger points at the big companies.

The Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia has the brief to ensure that prococals exist to pretect South Australia from the pest. However a number of members of the South Australian board and also members of the National Board making the changes. The South Australian Board is funded by a levy on growers but how can we expect them to protect us if the are members of the group putting us at risk.

The Chairman of the national body, why is also a member of th SA Board, was quoted as saying that the protection for South Australia has been strengthened and that all people importing grape material need to register with the State Government and will need to comply with the standards.

There is sure to be a lot more to be said about this situation. It is a very very serious matter.

[n4sir]

Philip White's take on the situation on his blog last month:

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2009/07/p ... ebook.html

At the risk of sounds alarmist, if the worst possible happens and phylloxera runs riot throughout South Australia and destroys our oldest vineyards, just who does the buck stop with?

Grape growers have been paying a tax for decades for the industry to ensure this pest doesn't cross the border, yet the bodies in charge are actually considering removing measures such as heat treatment that enable this protection. If billions of dollars of value to the industry is wiped out because of these actions, just who is going to be held accountable?

Cheers,
Ian

[jeremy]

No one who is accountable is ever made accountable at the top levels in today's world. It's the form in which evil prospers in this day and age. You can't reach those responsible. I'm an average & young wine taster but culture and power grid theory is my speciality. The modern world has created a system where we can't interact with those who make these decisions. A feeling of learned helplessness is often the result

[n4sir]

No one who is accountable is ever made accountable at the top levels in today's world. It's the form in which evil prospers in this day and age. You can't reach those responsible. I'm an average & young wine taster but culture and power grid theory is my speciality. The modern world has created a system where we can't interact with those who make these decisions. A feeling of learned helplessness is often the result

And that's what I hate about the system - if those at the top of tree making the ultimate decisions are being paid top dollar because of the weight of the responsibility of these decisions, they should be held ultimately accountable. If they're making decisions on such a scale they could seriously effect a billion dollar industry, they should also do so on the provision they should prepared to personally lose everything (reputation, career, house, etc) if they get it wrong - if phylloxera appeared in SA there would be many paying these guys to protect them from the threat who could lose absolutely everything. Under such a personal risk, would they then consider loosening the phylloxera safeguards as has been proposed?

My 2c,
Ian

[David]

Philip White's take on the situation on his blog last month:

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2009/07/p ... ebook.html

At the risk of sounds alarmist, if the worst possible happens and phylloxera runs riot throughout South Australia and destroys our oldest vineyards, just who does the buck stop with?

Grape growers have been paying a tax for decades for the industry to ensure this pest doesn't cross the border, yet the bodies in charge are actually considering removing measures such as heat treatment that enable this protection. If billions of dollars of value to the industry is wiped out because of these actions, just who is going to be held accountable?

Cheers,
Ian

According to Philip Whites blog (a must read), the chairman of both the National body and the State body is the same person and is a senior executive of Fosters. Is this the pointing finger, the smoking gun or merely a coincidence.

[DaveB]

Philip White's take on the situation on his blog last month:

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2009/07/p ... ebook.html

At the risk of sounds alarmist, if the worst possible happens and phylloxera runs riot throughout South Australia and destroys our oldest vineyards, just who does the buck stop with?

Grape growers have been paying a tax for decades for the industry to ensure this pest doesn't cross the border, yet the bodies in charge are actually considering removing measures such as heat treatment that enable this protection. If billions of dollars of value to the industry is wiped out because of these actions, just who is going to be held accountable?

Cheers,
Ian

According to Philip Whites blog (a must read), the chairman of both the National body and the State body is the same person and is a senior executive of Fosters. Is this the pointing finger, the smoking gun or merely a coincidence.

FWIW Foster have a very strict phylloxera protocol in the vineyards I've visited in the Barossa with footbaths, etc, etc....they won't even let you in some vineyards (i.e. Block 42)

Henschke likewise....went for a wander at HOG a couple of weeks ago and footbaths were essential before entering the vineyard.

Amazing how slack other growers are though regarding the threat.

[n4sir]

PHYLLOXERA DEBATE RE-OPENS THE MAIL
Philip White
drinkster.com
20/4/2012

http://drinkster.blogspot.com.au/2012/0 ... -mail.html

The weakening of the state's phylloxera protection measures are even worse than first thought, and as highlighted by Whitey, Wayne Farquhar & Drew Noon it should be ringing alarm bells for all old-vine growers throughout South Australia (and all wine lovers who value these drops made from pre-phylloxera age vines). It's the sort of thing that deserves a full-on protest outside parliament, it's that serious.

How the hell can the powers that be significantly weaken the rules protecting our grape and wine industry from phylloxera, without consulting or informing the state’s primary stakeholders in this area, the grape growers and wine producers? Are these idiots completely unaware of the history of the recent movement of this destructive pest into the Yarra Valley in 2006, or are their heads too far up their own arses to care?

Once this threat appears in this state that's it, it can't be treated, it cannot be cured, it will very probably destroy our oldest vines first and take away the one truly unique thing we can promote on a world scale - a large resource of old vines on their own natural rootstock (as opposed to American rootstock that has to be grafted to in phylloxera afflicted regions). A small example of what we stand to lose - Hill of Grace, Mt Edelstone, Kay Bros Block 6, Penfolds Block 42, Wendouree, etc, not to mention the many old vineyards that haven't had their name on a label but have been equally important in making our top wines and establishing our reputation here and overseas - imagine if the lot were gone? The recent efforts to increase the value of what we sell overseas based on terroir and uniqueness can be flushed down the toilet, and we're back left competing with the likes of Chile & Argentina in the race for the bottom, wall-to-wall bulk booze to line the grocers' shelves labelled as "sunshine in a bottle" with a critter label and a $2 price tag. Game over.

A couple of years ago I remember talking with Franco D'Anna and being shocked when he said they were grafting all of their vines on to American rootstock, and his comments that it's only a matter of time before everyone in the Yarra Valley had to do the same because it was in Fosters (now Treasury's) vineyards and eventually it will be everywhere. Perhaps that's something Gail Gago should have thought of before defending the slackening of these protections, if phylloxera makes its way into South Australia it will eventually strike her husband's most valuable Penfolds vineyards, no matter what security measures they take.

Cheers,
Ian

[n4sir]

Ian is right (as are others). Phylloxera + old vines = death of one of Australia's greatest selling points (as well as vinous history). Be afraid....be very afraid.

Reading the story again, the really scary thing is the time lag factor in regard to detection:

"At recent Phylloxera meetings held in South Australia by the PGIBSA, Dr. Kevin Powell Australia’s top researcher into Phylloxera said that the Phylloxera outbreak in the Fosters Vineyard in the Yarra Valley probably occurred in 2001 and was only visible in 2006 a total of 5 years from infestation to detection. Under current protocols a PRZ can gain full PEZ status only after 3 years of surveys to detect Phylloxera, and new emerging regions after only one year, yet Dr Kevin Powell is indicating minimum of 5 years or longer which would also depend upon the soil type, moisture and temperature."

So Phylloxera could have potentially crossed from neighboring effected areas into Heathcote/Bendigo regions and not have been detected yet, and while they have PEZ status under the slackened measures heavy equipment and grapes could travel into South Australia without compulsory inspection and cleaning at the border. For all we know, with the complete lack of checks it may already be here and is biding its time to announce its presence in another five years. Anyone in the wine industry and wine lovers in general should be outraged and horrified by these decisions by the Phylloxera board.

Cheers,
Ian

[ticklenow1]

Thanks Ian for bringing this back into our thoughts again. I am so disillusioned by politicians in general (both sides as well), that I now have absolutely no faith in any of them whatsoever. They all only govern to get elected at the next poll. They have no principles at all and make decisions for the minority on a regular basis.

As for this subject, this Minister is a disgrace. The SA old vines should be a natural treasure. After the sad decision to pay grape growers to pull up old vines in the 80's, this is another short sighted edict on the part of some uneducated brain dead politician. If SA were to become infected, it would be a disaster for all involved. The wineries would lose what old vines are left and us as consumers would no longer be able to drink the amazing wines they produce. Worst of all, it would take years for many vineyards to get back on their feet.

Politicians don't just make these sort of decisions unless someone is lobbying them. The question has to asked, who is trying to change the rules? Is it the owners of the harvesters? Is it a big company such as Treasury trying to cut costs? Who is doing the lobbying? Find this out and there lies the root of the problem. The Minister won't be around when/if this problem takes hold so what does she care?

Makes you wonder what sort of promise/political donation has been made/paid. As someone's signature on here says "never underestimate the predictability of stupidity". The people making these decisions are indeed stupid.

Oh, and Philip White's blog is and has always been, a great read. Well done Philip and keep up the good work. His blog should be compulsory reading for all wine enthusiasts.

Cheers
Ian

[BlaCkAdDa]

reading this I am nearly crying. It woudl be an absoulte travesty if greed and self interest caused a weakening in protection ultimately destroying these precious old vines.

[n4sir]

PHYLLOXERA ROW HITS UPPER HOUSE
17 May 2012
Philip White

http://drinkster.blogspot.com.au/2012/0 ... house.html

Robert Brokenshire, Fleurieu Peninsula dairy farmer, and Family First Member of the Legislative Council, the upper house of the South Australian Parliament, has entered the phylloxera debate with the following pertinent questions.

It's fascinating to digest the way Minister Gago, wife of the Penfold's chief winemaker, Peter, cleverly throws the matter back at the Phylloxera Board, which has been taking very heavy flak from small winemakers for its relaxation of the laws limiting the movement of plants, soil and machinery from places near extant phylloxera strikes to places where it doesn't yet exist, like South Australia.

[n4sir]

PHYLLOXERA MUSTA HIRED A LOBBYIST
20 May 2012
Philip White

http://drinkster.blogspot.com.au/2012/0 ... a-bug.html

“I too thought we had nailed this back in 2009 but the attempts to change this stuff are as persistent as the louse itself - who knew Phylloxera had its own lobbying group?” asked McLaren Vale grapegrower and activist, Dudley Brown.

He referred to Wednesday’s Legislative Council interchange between Robert Brokenshire MLC and Minister Gail Gago, whose portfolios include Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Forests, Regional Development, Tourism, and the Status of Women.

Brokenshire lives on the edge of McLaren Vale, and knows well, and constantly mixes with the winemakers there. He speaks fluent wine. Minister Gago is married to Peter Gago, the chief winemaker of Penfolds, who has just won the international Winemakers' Winemaker Award from the august international Masters of Wine. This is the highest award available to winemakers. These people are not new to wine topics.

[n4sir]

PHYLLOXERA: SOME GOOD SENSE AT LAST
20 May 2012
Philip White

http://drinkster.blogspot.com.au/2012/0 ... -last.html

Tonight on the ABC Radio National current affairs program PM, presenter Mark Colvin revealed that the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia (PGIBSA) will reconsider its agreement to relax the laws limiting the spread of the deadly vine louse, Phylloxera.

The board will meet within the next few weeks.

Concerned McLaren Vale winemaker and vine scientist at DJ's Growers, James Hook, explained that "Phylloxera is kind of a super pest; almost microscopic, you can't see it ... in the last couple of years ... these no-go zones have been classified, 'yes, they're ok zones.' And so now there's a whole ... large spectrum of Victoria that you can ... take material into South Australia from.

"The concern is that we know phylloxera isn't in South Australia because we've got 100 years of knowing that it's not here. We don't have that with Victoria. There's regions that ... make a lot of people very nervous because they're either geographically very close to areas that have Phylloxera or that they're areas that have only really had grapes reasonably recently."

[n4sir]

PRO-PHYLLOXERA LOBBY WILL FALL APART
Philip White
26 May 2012

This last week, DRINKSTER's been up to its gullet trying to digest the terrible mess which industry and government have together made of South Australia's previously brilliant Phylloxera laws, and the Board which properly and successfully policed them for a century. It's now quite obvious that various vested interests are quietly softening the regulations to suit their desperate new parsimony. As Dudley Brown remarked on an earlier blog, it's as if the Phylloxera louse has hired its own lobbyist! But good sense must prevail here: we're not only gonna win this, but now we expect resignations.

Here's a transcription of a discussion which went to air on Adelaide's local ABC891 with announcer Ian Henschke, followed by some further explanations and disgust. It's real long, but it has to be. Chew it up, and get ready to storm the ramparts if they don't reverse the decision. We can win this. Sharpen up the axes.

http://drinkster.blogspot.com.au/2012/0 ... apart.html


Just as there seems to be some momentum to pressure the Phylloxera Board to change their horrible decision, there's a monumental whinge from a vested interest on the other side - looks like some of the shadowy figures with something to gain from the potential destruction of South Australia's oldest and finest vineyards are beginning to show their faces.

Wine wars over grape vine disease
ABC Rural
By William Rollo
Wednesday, 30/05/2012

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/conten ... 514339.htm

The Chairman of the Australian Vine Improvement Association says he is outraged at a decision to temporarily restrict the movement of grape machinery into South Australia.

South Australia's Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board relaxed the state's tough quarantine rules last year to allow transport between declared phylloxera free areas, but backflipped earlier this week following concerns from SA's wine industry.

Phylloxera is one of the worst grapevine pests, because it attacks the roots which kills the vine.

South Australia has never recorded an outbreak.

Kym Ludvigsen from the Vine Improvement Association says the ruling undermines Victoria's efforts to control the pest.

"We've tested all those areas and we know where phylloxera is in Victoria. The thing about South Australia is they've never ever done any testing, so they don't know."

[odyssey]

Kym Ludvigsen from the Vine Improvement Association says the ruling undermines Victoria's efforts to control the pest.

How on earth does restricting machine movement into SA affect the pest control efforts in Victoria?

By that logic Australian quarantine is undermining foot and mouth control efforts around the world. And Tasmanian quarantine, shame on them, are undermining other pest reduction efforts around the country. You don't just shut down quarantine because you think you may have solved part of the problem in some areas.

What he really means is "it undermines our efforts to make money".

[n4sir]

Kym Ludvigsen from the Vine Improvement Association says the ruling undermines Victoria's efforts to control the pest.

How on earth does restricting machine movement into SA affect the pest control efforts in Victoria?

By that logic Australian quarantine is undermining foot and mouth control efforts around the world. And Tasmanian quarantine, shame on them, are undermining other pest reduction efforts around the country. You don't just shut down quarantine because you think you may have solved part of the problem in some areas.

What he really means is "it undermines our efforts to make money".

In the most recent commentary by Philip White, quote (7) is attributed to: Kym Ludvigsen, Ludvigsen Viticulture Services, Grampians, Victoria, chair, Australian Vine Improvement Association (vine nurserymen's lobby), Treasurer, Grampians Winemakers Inc; Victorian Regional Grape Supply Manager, Southcorp, 1994-02, writing in The Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, October 2010.

Sounds like he has a heavily vested interest if you ask me.

[marsalla]

Kym Ludvigsen from the Vine Improvement Association says the ruling undermines Victoria's efforts to control the pest.

How on earth does restricting machine movement into SA affect the pest control efforts in Victoria?

By that logic Australian quarantine is undermining foot and mouth control efforts around the world. And Tasmanian quarantine, shame on them, are undermining other pest reduction efforts around the country. You don't just shut down quarantine because you think you may have solved part of the problem in some areas.

What he really means is "it undermines our efforts to make money".

In the most recent commentary by Philip White, quote (7) is attributed to: Kym Ludvigsen, Ludvigsen Viticulture Services, Grampians, Victoria, chair, Australian Vine Improvement Association (vine nurserymen's lobby), Treasurer, Grampians Winemakers Inc; Victorian Regional Grape Supply Manager, Southcorp, 1994-02, writing in The Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, October 2010.

Sounds like he has a heavily vested interest if you ask me.

I know Kym well, and you couldnt be further from the mark. He isnt a nurseryman, sells his grapes locally, passionate about his viticulture and gives a lot of his time to the various industry bodies, all unpaid.

What difference does a state border make. The grampians, for example, have a long history of vineyards, well back into the 19th century, has been inspected for phylloxera and given a clean bill of health. Too much state parochialism in this debate for me.

[n4sir]

I know Kym well, and you couldnt be further from the mark. He isnt a nurseryman, sells his grapes locally, passionate about his viticulture and gives a lot of his time to the various industry bodies, all unpaid.

What difference does a state border make. The grampians, for example, have a long history of vineyards, well back into the 19th century, has been inspected for phylloxera and given a clean bill of health. Too much state parochialism in this debate for me.

I'll take your word on that about Kym, but he does just happen to appear to be speaking for one of the groups that stand to gain the most from the loosening of the measures to prevent Phylloxera from spreading.

State parochialism has very little to do with it in my view. Have a good read of Drew Noon's comments in Whitey's blog and you'll see his major motivations are fear of Phylloxera spreading undetected, the science and recent history of it spreading in the Yarra Valley behind it. The state lines come in because all Grapegrowers in South Australia have payed a tax to the State Government since 1899 for these measures to prevent Phylloxera from spreading across the borders, and for the Phylloxera Board (funded by this levy) to make such decisions without proper consultation (and for that matter, without key board members like Drew's wife Raegan being aware of it) is nothing short of a betrayal of their trust. Maybe they should demand their 100+ years of levy monies back instead.

[n4sir]

PHYLLOXERA BOSS HITS McLAREN VALE
Philip White
03 October 2012

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2012/10/p ... -vale.html

It’s hard to grasp what Alan Nankivell thinks he did in McLaren Vale last night.

As fifty heavy wine industry farmers and makers gathered at the meeting in the Bocce Club, Nankivell, the CEO of the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia, filled the doorway with his large frame, ticking names off a list on a clip board.

“You didn’t tell us you were coming,” he said as I took my turn.

“I didn’t realise I had to RSVP. I thought this was a public meeting.”

“If you’d really been invited you would have known we expected an RSVP,” he snorted. He couldn’t very well bar me, as he’d just performed the same strange ritual on Dudley Brown (Inkwell grapegrower and winemaker and former chair of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association), and his partner, Irina Santiago, the Sustainability Officer at the same organization.

After a talking-to, he’d let them through, too.

Nankivell had been told by his Minister, the Hon. Gail Gago MLC, (below) Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Forests, Regional Development, Tourism and the Status of Women, to get back out into the industry and find out why many were showing deep concern about his board’s quiet softening of the regulations which were in place to limit the spread of Phylloxera, the tiny vine root louse that killed all the vineyards of France over a century ago, and infested parts of Victoria and New South Wales soon after.

[ticklenow1]

Seems fairly obvious that the small grape grower in South Australia will soon be at the behest of the major conglomerates. Why else would they be relaxing the laws. It's almost like the government want Phylloxera in the state. The Minister (Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago's wife) seems to have been corrupted by the big 3 wine companies. Shame really, but typical of Government in Australia as a whole. The common good no longer seems to matter, only how much money these corporate behemoths can make.

My 2 cents....
Ian

[n4sir]

DREW NOON'S PHYLLOXERA STANCE
Philip White
15 October 2012

This is of vital importance to anybody who loves South Australian old vine wine, or any wine made from grapes grown on their own natural born roots:

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2012/10/d ... tance.html

[ticklenow1]

Dudley Brown's letter is even better.

Gee I hope common sense prevails here.....

http://thewinerules.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/phylloxera-who-rules/

Cheers
Ian

[Polymer]

I'm all for trying to protect the region from Phylloxera...at the same time, many many regions around the world (including France) have had this issue and adjustments to the rootstock doesn't seem to have impacted their quality...

Unfortunately I don't know enough about what winemakers are doing in region as far as solutions... but I'd definitely be taking a parallel solution approach...as in slowly re-grafting the rootstock on some and see where that goes...in anticipation that at some point, no matter what you do, phylloxera is going to come...

[malliemcg]

I'm all for trying to protect the region from Phylloxera...at the same time, many many regions around the world (including France) have had this issue and adjustments to the rootstock doesn't seem to have impacted their quality...

The problem (as I understand it - please correct me if I'm wrong) for the people in SA is that old vines don't get regrafted onto root stock - it's taking a root stock, grafting the vine you want onto that host and planting a new vine. Which means you've effectively got a brand new plant in the ground. All the age and things an old vine can bring to the bottle will be somewhat reduced until the vine ages. Given that SA has some of the oldest vines in the world (the French being forced to start again post Phylloxera). What happens to wines that are out of fashion, Carmenere was thought to have been extinct until it was found in South America.

As a wine drinker I think there is some scope to (initially) cop a hit quality wise, that over time will be mitigated as the vines age, and a potential loss of regional character for the wines made by wine makers using old dry grown vines - which would end up being replaced with a specific series of clones on a root stock. To me the potential loss of something that adds to the character of the wines today, is not something that should so easily be given away. The quality of a wine may not be diminished, but the wine itself may not be the same. Would a Block-6, Hill of Grace etc be a block 6/hog, post Phylloxera?

[Polymer]

Right..it would need to be replanted..and the vines would no longer be old like they are now...But again, other places around the world have done that without any problems....You've seen relatively young vines produce very good wine all over the world..including stuff produced in the Old World...

The wine might be worse..might be better...and certainly I'm not saying just give it up....I'm definitely all for trying to protect them....at the same time, I wouldn't bet my entire business on being able to keep Phylloxera away forever...I'd definitely be trying to see if I could replant on the same block and see what I get since it is likely that the terroir is more important than the actual age of the vines.... I mean really, is it the ancient vines that are responsible or is it they're old because they terroir has been great and there has never been a reason to get rid of blocks that are producing such great fruit?

Lafite, DRC, etc...they have SOME old vines..but their average is like 40something....With new plantings not being used (I don't remember how old they have to be..at least 10+?).

Again, I could just be stating the obvious...they've already started the process of replacing some vines....certainly I wouldn't bet the entire winery on trying to keep Phylloxera away...and then have years and years of nothing if I were hit...It could be the spread would be slow enough so they can afford to just wait..so no need to worry about that now...

[sjw_11]

Does it take less time for a vine grafted to rootstock to become productive than from a new planting?

[marsalla]

No, it takes about the same time for a grafted vine to become productive.

[n4sir]

Right..it would need to be replanted..and the vines would no longer be old like they are now...But again, other places around the world have done that without any problems....You've seen relatively young vines produce very good wine all over the world..including stuff produced in the Old World...

The wine might be worse..might be better...and certainly I'm not saying just give it up....I'm definitely all for trying to protect them....at the same time, I wouldn't bet my entire business on being able to keep Phylloxera away forever...I'd definitely be trying to see if I could replant on the same block and see what I get since it is likely that the terroir is more important than the actual age of the vines.... I mean really, is it the ancient vines that are responsible or is it they're old because they terroir has been great and there has never been a reason to get rid of blocks that are producing such great fruit?

Lafite, DRC, etc...they have SOME old vines..but their average is like 40something....With new plantings not being used (I don't remember how old they have to be..at least 10+?).

Again, I could just be stating the obvious...they've already started the process of replacing some vines....certainly I wouldn't bet the entire winery on trying to keep Phylloxera away...and then have years and years of nothing if I were hit...It could be the spread would be slow enough so they can afford to just wait..so no need to worry about that now...

Vine age isn't the major issue - as you've mentioned, vineyards usually hit their peak around the 30 year mark. 100+ year old vines make for a nice selling point though...

The major issue is vines being grown on their own rootstock as opposed to being grafted on to American rootstock. Ask any Winemaker and they'll tell you there's a difference - believe me, if they had a choice the French would love to be able to do this, but they can't because of Phylloxera.

It is the one thing we have (for now at least) that they can't match, it should be a major selling point in promoting our own terroir. If Phylloxera spreads into South Australia & beyond, you can kiss that all goodbye along with the top $$$ end of our export market - it will cripple the wine industry and many won't recover, particularly the small wineries/families.

Cheers,
Ian

[sjw_11]

The point on vine age was that when you replant vines like this you actually get no fruit at first... my understanding is it takes up to 5yrs to get a fully productive crop... so if you have phylloxera come through and decimate (and it is capable of decimation, lets not pretend otherwise) thats quite a long time between drinks!!

Even leaving aside Ian's points on quality & branding etc.

[Polymer]

Vine age isn't the major issue - as you've mentioned, vineyards usually hit their peak around the 30 year mark. 100+ year old vines make for a nice selling point though...

The major issue is vines being grown on their own rootstock as opposed to being grafted on to American rootstock. Ask any Winemaker and they'll tell you there's a difference - believe me, if they had a choice the French would love to be able to do this, but they can't because of Phylloxera.

It is the one thing we have (for now at least) that they can't match, it should be a major selling point in promoting our own terroir. If Phylloxera spreads into South Australia & beyond, you can kiss that all goodbye along with the top $$$ end of our export market - it will cripple the wine industry and many won't recover, particularly the small wineries/families.

Cheers,
Ian

Sorry Ian, I'd have to disagree. There is actually nothing that seems to suggest that the rootstock will make any difference at all....and it is a major selling point? Overseas there is absolutely nothing...NOTHING that promotes that here or overseas....and people don't care. If anything, saying your wine comes from 100+ year old vines is/might be a plus or a marketing tool or something to differentiate them from the rest of the market....but the rootstock? Haven't seen that yet...

You'd also be hard pressed to say it has had any impact on the French or on Napa....

So if you mean somehow Australian wine sells because of the rootstock, nothing would suggest that...I might agree that re-planting might impact (good or bad) some of the blocks that currently produce certain iconic wines.....but to suggest the entire wine export industry would suffer...hardly...the suffering Australian wine currently has export wise is because of how their wine has been made and marketed (I'm talking about the mid to higher end but not HoG or Grange end). The change in rootstock would not change the wine in a bad way...there is proof of that. It might not be the same but to say the Australian wine industry won't survive or that Australian wines are exported because of the rootstock (and marketed that way) is not true...

I might be more inclined to believe this if Australian wine was the pinnacle of the industry...and the entire reason it was superior was the rootstock..but we know this is not true.

I'm not suggesting Phylloxera isn't bad...or they shouldn't do things to prevent it..but if I had a small winery, I'd certainly be hedging my bets...not hoping it never happens and then having to replant....and wait years until I can get something useful out of the vines....