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November Update

A new national advocacy body for grape growers

Australian Vignerons and Winemakers' Federation of Australia have voted to amalgamate and form Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated - a united national body that will see wine grape growers and winemakers collaborate together at the national level.

Here at WGCSA we are thrilled that both national bodies have delivered on the simplification that members had been asking for and working towards for several years.

Heather Webster, WGCSA Chair, said 'Having a united national industry body will bring increased benefits to our SA members through strong unified advocacy. Relationships will be further strengthened with winemakers and it is great to know that the interests of our vignerons, irrespective of size, are represented on national issues affecting the grape and wine sector through one strong voice to government.'

The new amalgamated entity will be represented by 4 committees - Large Winemakers, Medium Winemakers, Small Winemakers and Vignerons. Each committee will provide 4 Directors to the new board for an initial term of one year.

WGCSA, on behalf of the new member committee, will appoint the four inaugural Vigneron Directors to the board. These positions are significant to the success of the new entity and require individuals who are capable of representing the whole viticulture industry at a national level. WGCSA Councillors are currently engaged in determining the selection process, we will provide further details once confirmed.

This is a great step forward for our grape and wine industry and I encourage all growers to become members of the new entity. There is undisputable strength in numbers and together we can achieve more for our industry.

Membership for South Australia's independent wine grape growers is a very simple process. If you pay the current $1/tonne state contribution you're already a member of WGCSA and therefore will be a member of the new national body, Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated. This is thanks to part of your voluntary contribution already being directed to the national body on your behalf.

WGCSA is excited by the formation of Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated and will continue to play an active, positive and supportive role to ensure future success for everyone involved.

Lisa Bennier
WGCSA Business Manager

In this issue

A new national advocacy body for grape growers
Make better decisions in the vineyard with a new app to track grape development
Save 30% on wages this vintage with smarter rostering
Wine Industry Code of Conduct in place to help growers at vintage
Do you understand the implications of hiring casual workers?
Final AWRI webinar for 2018 looks at vintage climate outlook
Tips to better manage chemicals on your property
Berry shrivel no friend of Cabernet Sauvignon wine quality

Make better decisions in the vineyard with a new app to track grape development

With harvest just around the corner there's a new app to help you make decisions in the vineyard.

The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre has released the WineOz Smart Grape Android app to help you track the development of the size and colour of grapes.

The WineOz Smart Grape Android app was developed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers and is available for growers and vineyard managers to use this coming harvest.

Lead researcher and NWGIC Director, Professor Leigh Schmidtke, said, “This smartphone app allows growers to quickly measure and then chart the colour and size of the berries.

“A probe around the size of a single grape is inserted into the cluster to act as a reference point for size in the app.

“You then take a picture of the grape cluster. The algorithms in the computer program calibrate the distance from the camera to the berries. The software will also take the probe measurement in pixels then relate it to the size of the surrounding grapes.

“As grapes mature they change colour, for instance, white varieties go from pea green to yellow gold as they develop. Each particular shade in that colour change relates to changes in the sensory style of wine."

Save 30% on wages this vintage with smarter rostering

SAWIA have a series of upcoming seminars designed to help you save money this vintage. This briefing covers all you need to know about wages and awards, how to best manage your employment costs, health and safety, engaging contractors and working holidaymakers.

The following key topics will be covered:

Vintage work: Know your employment options and their benefits and risks
Wages: Pay correctly and cost-effectively
Awards: Working hours and breaks - restrictions and safety obligations
Health and safety: Inductions and common hazards
Contractors: Why you need to how contractor workers are engaged and paid
Working holiday makers: Registration, taxation and visa compliance
Labour hire licensing: What happens next

The briefing suitable for owner/operators, managers/supervisors of people, administration, finance, payroll and human resources staff and anyone with responsibility for employment and engagement of contractors and labour hire.

Don't forget, WGCSA members can attend at SAWIA member rates. Click the button below to see all of the dates and more information.

Wine Industry Code of Conduct in place to help growers at vintage

With vintage 2019 fast approaching, it is timely to remind winemakers and grape growers to ensure their contracts are up to date and that they are applying best business practice.

The Wine Industry Code of Conduct is a voluntary code established by WFA and Wine Grape Growers Australia (now AV), to provide a set of minimum standards for dealings between winegrape purchasers who are signatories, and winegrape growers.

No matter how good a commercial relationship may be, disputes may arise. Critically, the Code provides a valuable mechanism to resolve some of these disputes avoiding costly legal action.

Do you understand the implications of hiring casual workers?

The latest SAWIA Notice outlines what you need to do about any existing casual employees you hire in the vineyard & what you need to do in future when hiring casual employees.

In a controversial decision the Full Federal Court has held that a casual employee employed by a labour hire company in the mining industry in fact is not a casual employee, but a permanent employee and therefore entitled to paid annual leave. (Workpac Pty Ltd v Skene [2018])

This decision is relevant to all employers engaging casual employees, regardless of industry and regardless of whether the relevant Modern Award or Enterprise Agreement provides for casual conversion.

The decision means that employers cannot simply rely on the use of the term “casual employee” in their relevant contract (verbal or written), Modern Award or Enterprise Agreement, but must ensure that a person engaged as a casual works in a way that meets the characteristics of a casual employee at all times.

There’s just one webinar left in the AWRI webinar program for 2018. Coming up on Thursday, 6 December, Darren Ray from the Bureau of Meteorology will present the seasonal weather and climate outlook for the 2019 vintage.

Don’t miss the chance to find out the predictions for vintage conditions in your region. Darren will also provide information on the latest weather information tools available to assist with decision-making.

Tips to better manage chemicals on your property

SafeWork SA has put together a series of videos to help you manage chemicals better on your property.

Thisfive part educational video series will help farmers and workers understand their obligations on how to safely use and store chemicals. These short videos contain information and practical tips to get you started across five key areas.

Click below to watch on the WGCSA website.

Watch now

Berry shrivel no friend of Cabernet Sauvignon wine quality

Berry shrivel in Cabernet Sauvignon is influenced by climate and can negatively affect wine flavour and characteristics, a recently completed Wine Australia-funded Incubator Initiative project has found.

The findings are important as until now, very little has been known about berry shrivel in Cabernet Sauvignon fruit and the effect of shrivel on wine quality.

Berry shrivel occurs when berries suddenly lose weight during the late ripening stage. The condition is attributed to dehydration and loss of berry cell vitality.

Not surprisingly, the phenomenon can devastate a grape crop – resulting in losses of quality and yield. In a bad year, yield losses can reach up to 30 per cent.