Organic Grapes and Wine : a Guide to Production
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Research Library Bulletins 4000 - Research Publications 7-2001 Organic grapes and wine : a guide to production Gerry Parlevliet Steven McCoy Follow this and additional works at: https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins Part of the Soil Science Commons, and the Viticulture and Oenology Commons Recommended Citation Parlevliet, G, and McCoy, S. (2001), Organic grapes and wine : a guide to production. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, Perth. Bulletin 4516. This bulletin is brought to you for free and open access by the Research Publications at Research Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Bulletins 4000 - by an authorized administrator of Research Library. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BULLETIN 4516 ISSN 1326-415X July 2001 organicgrapes & wine a guide to production prepared by Gerry Parlevliet & Steven McCoy This publication is based on a report “Organic Production System Guidelines” funded by Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from use or release of this information or any part of it. © Copyright - Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia 2001 organicgrapes & wine Contents Introduction Winemaking - Wine from organically grown grapes Certification - Organic Winemaking How to achieve certification a) Harvesting - Grape production b) Transport - Wine processing c) Production - Quality Growing organic grapes - Labelling - The options - Marketing Yields and costs Site selection Tables and Appendices Starting a new vineyard References - Planning for future conversion - Starting by organic or biodynamic principles Table 1: Organic winemakers and viticulturists in a) Soil preparation for planting Australia b) Vineyard layout and trellis design Table 2: Approved winemaking substances c) Spacing d) Irrigation Appendix 1: Organic industry certifiers e) Planting stock Appendix 2: Inputs allowed for organic production Soil and nutrient management 1. Materials permitted for plant pest and disease control - Fertilisers 2. Substances permitted as post-harvesting/storage - Cover crops treatments - Making compost 3. Substance permitted as food additives, including carriers - Example prices of organic matter (1998) 4. Substances permitted as processing aids - Compost quality - Compost application Appendix 3: Understanding soil conditions: Alternative - More information about compost concepts Weeds, pests and diseases - Weed control - Insect pest control - Grapevine diseases acknowledgement Barry Goldspink, Stewart Learmonth for technical comments. Many growers and research for their inputes particularly Leigh Verral, David Bruer, Lyn Serventy, Wendy Allen, Alex Sas, and John Elliott. This publication also relied on articles published in Acres Australia by various authors, particularly Tim Marshall. There are also many references from other journals and web-sites. The comments by the many participants in a series of seminars around Australia also contributed. Thank you all. 2 Introduction The tastebuds, health concerns and environmental conscience destruction of productive soil-borne flora and fauna, which of affluent consumers are demanding more organically grown range from beneficial microbes and fungi to earthworms. food than producers worldwide can supply. Growing consumer concerns about the effects of synthetic chemical pesticides and Worldwide growth in the production of organic food has had fertilisers on human health and the environment have boosted many spin-offs. One of them has been the sharper focus on the world trade in organic products by a rate of about 20-30 per success of organic farming practices, which has inspired greater cent a year for the past 10 years. World trade was estimated to confidence in alternative farming methods. In doing so, it has be worth $US 21.6 billion in 2000 and is expected to reach also diminished to some extent the psychological dependence US$100 billion by the year 2006. on synthetic chemicals to beat weeds and pests. The Australian market for organic products alone is valued at With a sound knowledge of organic production and good $200-$250 million - with exports estimated at $30-50 million - forward planning, vignerons have made a success of organic and is growing at around 20 per cent annually. Organically grown grape production in most wine growing areas of Australia. grapes, dried fruit, organic wine and even vinegar made from Forward planning is essential to avoid major frustrations and organic grapes are part of the growing markets in Australia and wastage of time, money and effort. When considering setting up overseas. an organic vineyard system special attention should be paid to: • Location - environmental factors of a site can affect Australian organic wine is well placed to take advantage of the disease, insect and weed control. high regard overseas markets place on conventional Australian • Producing premium wine - ensures good returns at wines. Australian organic wine producers can also ride on the reasonable prices. Selection of variety is a major factor. back of the local horticulture industry, which has a good • The type of trellis and pruning management - ensures reputation overseas as a ‘clean, green’ supplier. But it is excellent sun penetration and air flow, which are important to note that, like the conventional wine market, a important for disease control. premium is paid only for top quality wine. The organic label • Disease management - can be managed adequately by a alone is not enough. small range of products and supported by a holistic management system. From a practical perspective, Australia is well suited to organic • Nutrient management - based on cover crops, viticulture. Disease is relatively easy to control because many of composted and naturally occurring material. Australia’s viticulture districts are in areas of dry climate. • Good hygiene and minimal exposure or contact in Australia is also blessed with the absence of some diseases and winemaking - especially important for organic wines. pests that hamper grape production in other countries. Organic production to date has created a large pool of practical The phenomenal rate of growth in the organic food industry knowledge, which has provided the foundation of this booklet. and the premium prices it offers have provided the financial Based upon information provided by experienced Australian opportunity required by an increasing number of growers to organic and biodynamic producers, this manual aims to provide make the ‘great leap’ to organic production. Those to have conventional grape producers and aspiring vignerons with converted include several big Australian wine companies, which enough information to assess the feasibility of creating an either have their own organic brands or are testing organic organic system. systems on parts of their vineyards. Yields from organic vineyards can be as high as those from Greater production of organic food in the world has also been conventional systems but are generally lower, ranging from 3 fuelled by growing concerns among producers about the long- tonne/hectare to 18 tonne/hectare depending on age, location, term environmental impact of conventional farming. For production system and variety. Lower yields than conventional example, excessive or uninformed use of pesticides and some systems are expected from organic systems as the focus is on chemical fertilisers has led to: quality rather than quantity. • insect, weed and disease resistance. • damage to natural predators of pests. • loss of structure and health of soils due to indiscriminate 3 organicgrapes & wine Two of the chief guides for organic production are certification While the Australian National Standards were designed to certify and quality assurance. produce for export, reputable local retailers are now demanding produce offered as organic on the domestic market be certified A Government accredited certification system, based on The according to the same strict guidelines. National Standards for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, ensures that a product for export labelled ‘organic’ is genuine. This booklet provides general information on how to achieve Certified food can be marketed as organic using a government- organic certification status from several perspectives: accredited certifier logo. Using this logo on labelling allows the • Converting a conventional vineyard. consumer to make a distinction between genuine organic • Planning a new vineyard for future conversion to an articles and products labelled with unsubstantiated claims of organic system - conventional practices would be used organic production methods. The government-accredited for early establishment. certifier logo not only provides confidence in the integrity of • Using organic principles from the very beginning. the produce for the consumer, but also protects the supplier’s niche market against unwarranted claims of “organic”. Quality assurance ensures the appearance and texture of organic produce is in line with consumer expectation, which is largely To achieve certification status, growers are required to influenced by conventional produce available to them. However demonstrate they understand the organic system, comply with consumers expect the taste of organic produce to exceed the regulations