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WGCSA April Update

WGCSA leads Vineyard Mapping Assessment Project

The Wine Grape Council of South Australia is proud to be leading the Vineyard Mapping and Assessment project with support from Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA).

The project was created in response to the Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island bushfires and involves the mapping and assessment of bushfire affected vineyards and providing technical advice and management options to those participating grape growers. The aim of the project is to help enable rapid recovery and return to production. The project is well underway with Colin Hinze from Rural Directions currently carrying out the on-site detailed vineyard assessments.

As part of the project, a series of free webinars organised by the Australian Wine Research Institute is being produced to assist growers dealing with these fire-damaged vineyards. The first webinar was held last week. Colin from Rural Directions discussed methods for assessing and mapping vine damage in fire-affected vineyards. To watch a recording of this webinar, click here.

There are four more webinars in this series and I encourage affected or interested growers to register and attend. All of the speakers have a great deal of knowledge and insights into viticulture as a whole. Topics include what to consider when purchasing grapevine planting material and using bud dissection as a tool for informing pruning decisions. Click here to see all of the webinar topics and to register your interest. 

This project has been funded by the South Australian Wine Industry Development Scheme and was approved by the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Tim Whetstone. The project is incredibly collaborative thanks to amazing support and input from Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Vinehealth Australia, University of Adelaide, Adelaide Hills Wine Region and Rural Directions.

COVID-19
PIRSA continues to provide regular updates regarding COVID-19 with all past updates available on their dedicated webpage here.  The advice provided is based on the best available information at that point in time and may change. For the most recent information on the State Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic visit the webpage.

Australian Grape and Wine (AGW) are currently working closely with us and others on some pruning protocols around COVID-19.   With thanks to AGW, I expect to be able to share these protocols with you all shortly.

Finally, times have been and continue to be challenging for many and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.  A great independent, confidential and free resource is the Family and Business (FAB) support program administered through Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA).  More information on how they may be able to help can be found here.

On a positive note, opening rains over the past week has brought a much-needed reason to smile for many of us.  With more of the ‘wet stuff’ forecast in the next few days, it’s a welcome sight bringing hope and opportunity to grape growers and our many agriculture friends on the land.

Stay safe and take care everyone!

Regards,
Lisa Bennier
Business Manager
In this issue

A challenging year finishes with a harvest of exceptional quality
PHOTO: An entry in our 2020 Harvest photo competition. Angas River Vineyard in Langhorne Creek
The ABC has put together a great article that sums up vintage 2020 for grape growers across the state. Read below.

Grape yields down by up to 80pc for some South Australian wine grapegrowers but quality 'exceptional'

Extreme heat, frost, wind, bushfires and smoke taint: this year's vintage has been a challenging one for South Australia's wine grapegrowers and winemakers.
Summer bushfires and bad weather at each critical growth point of wine grapes have tested the industry.
Read More

Australian Grape and Wine leads COVID-19 response for the industry

As  Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact the global population, economy and the wine sector, Australian Grape & Wine have been providing almost daily updates for the sector and a range of useful links and resources. 

All AGW members are encouraged to visit the website and keep up to date with the latest developments. Remember WGCSA members whose principal business is wine grape growing are automatically members of Australian Grape and Wine.
Read More

Donate fence posts to primary producers impacted by bushfires

We are coordinating the donation and distribution of fit for purpose fence posts to donate to bushfire impacted primary producers on Kangaroo Island

Several loads were transported pre vintage with another 6000 posts on the way this week and a waiting list for at least 8000 more.

Good quality repurposed posts are being gratefully received and used primarily for fencing, meeting an immediate need for our KI farmer friends affected by the recent devastating bushfires.

Posts for repurposing, must meet the following specifications:
• Good quality - posts must be fit for purpose.
• 170 -180 cm (6 feet) long once trimmed
• have loose dirt removed as best as possible
• supplied in bundles of 50 - 80 posts (we will need to know rough numbers prior to collection)

All posts are to be freshly sorted and bundled to ensure against accidental transportation of bugs, reptiles and pests to the unique Kangaroo Island environment.

Posts will need to be delivered to Willunga or alternatively we can assist with collection of full truck loads (approx 1500 posts) if needed.   

Sincere thanks to those regions that have assisted with organising the collection and delivery of posts to date.   

For more information, please email me directly at lisa@wgcsa.com.au

EcoVineyards Update
EcoGrowers across the state have been busy preparing their EcoVineyards demonstration sites for planting thanks to good opening rains across many of our wine growing regions.

We have had to pivot in response to the COVID-19 restrictions. The scheduled May field sessions have been put on hold for the moment, but we will resume our field/workshop series in spring as soon as it is possible to do so. In the interim, keep an eye out for updates from our EcoGrowers and Dr Mary Retallack on our social media pages. Happy planting everyone!
 
Discount at Arborgreen Landscape Products 
We also have an exciting offer to share with EcoVineyards workshop participants. WGCSA have partnered with Arborgreen Landscape Products (based in Mount Barker) who are offering exclusive discounted pricing to EcoVineyards workshop participants on a range of products.
 
To take up this offer, email lisa@wgcsa.com.au with your name, contact details, which workshop you attended (location and date) and she will forward a unique purchase code to you and details of the discounted pricing.

Export figures positive but full COVID-19 impact yet to come

The value of Australian wine exports continued to grow in the 12 months to 31 March 2020, but Wine Australia reports that the full impact of COVID-19 on exports is still to come.

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said total export value increased by 3 per cent over the previous 12 months to $2.87 billion with a record average value for bottled exports of $7.12 per litre free on board (FOB). 

Over the same period, total export volume declined by 11 per cent to 728 million litres (81 million 9-litre case equivalents) as there is now less wine available due to lower vintages in 2018 and 2019. Although not yet complete, it is clear that vintage 2020 is delivering exceptional quality fruit but yields are down so we anticipate that inventories will continue to be depleted.
Read More

Agricultural technologies in SA - Have your say

Calling all people involved in primary industries, research, or agricultural technologies (AgTech).

The State Government, through the guidance and advice of the AgTech Advisory Group, is creating an AgTech strategy for South Australia to encourage greater uptake of technology on-farm to increase productivity and profitability.

This survey is the first step in putting together a blueprint to make South Australia a leader in AgTech.
Complete the survey

AWRI webinars to assist growers with vineyards recovering from fire damage

Registration is now open for a series of five webinars across five weeks designed to assist growers who are dealing with fire-damaged vineyards.

See the full program here.

These sessions form part of the Vineyard Mapping and Assessment project that was created in response to the Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island bushfires. The project has been led by Wine Grape Council of South Australia with support from Primary Industries and Regions SA. This project was funded by the South Australian Wine Industry Development Scheme and approved by the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Tim Whetstone.
Webinar registration

Australian Grape & Wine newsletter

Don't forget! WGCSA members whose principal business is wine grape growing are members of Australian Grape and Wine.

Click the button below to read the latest AGW newsletter. If your principal business is grape growing and you would like to receive the newsletter directly and vote at general meetings, send an email to laura@agw.org.au.
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