NEWSLETTERS | Classic Clippings

Budburst 1994

Planting Decisions

We're planting more vineyard this year, and next. This new vineyard will commence serious production about the year 2000, and will be expected to remain profitable for thirty or forty years thereafter. Decisions on what to plant invariably rest on what is fashionable at the present time, al though we know that just because a variety is fashionable now, is almost a guarantee that something else will be trendy in 20 years time.

Historically Clare has always excelled with riesling, shiraz, and cabernet sauvignon, and as fashions go, they are as strong now as they were 25 years ago. To that three, we add chardonnay as a new variety that has proven itself in Clare. Semillon and merlot are the only others that are contenders but with them the jury is still out. The second issue relates the use of phylloxera-resistant rootstocks.

We continue to be amazed at the ignorance in relation to this threat. The vine louse Phylloxera continues to spread within Victoria, presumably hitch-hiking on machinery travelling from one vineyard to another. For over a hundred years, South Australia has kept itself free of the pest, which fact is largely responsible for the strength of the wine industry here, compared to other states.

The louse debilitates the vine by sucking at the roots, and once the vine has been killed, moves on to the next vine. Once infestation occurs in a region, there is no hope of eradication, and the only solution is replant vineyards with vines grafted onto resistant rootstocks. That is expensive, and requires many years to achieve.

Can we keep phylloxera out of South Australia for another 50 years? We're not sure, and for that reason will be planting some varieties on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks.