At Constellation Brands' Selaks Vineyard and Winery in Hawke's Bay, managing 245 hectares premium grapes requires careful planning and the ability to respond rapidly to any challenges the growing season brings.
The operation mainly produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Gris wine varieties, supplying grapes for the popular Selaks and Kim Crawford brands.
Constellation Brands Senior Vineyard Manager Adam Evans says tracking changes in weather is vital.
“We're really at the mercy of the weather. So if things are going really well then we certainly benefit from it. If the weather is challenging then it can make life quite difficult as a grape grower.
“Some of the challenges that we face here in Hawke's Bay would be rainfall, notably the easterly rain events that we are known for, particularly around that harvest, pre-harvest period.
“So MetWatch for us is a really useful tool. It's a one-stop shop where we can go to easily access forecasts, weather forecasts and disease modelling.”
From patchwork to precision
Constellation Brands Viticulture Technician Paul White says before implementing MetWatch the team relied on “a hotchpotch of different sources” to make critical vineyard-management decisions.
“We didn't really have any good disease modelling. It would just be kind of instinct, looking at the weather and what the rainfall had been and the humidity and just experience.”
The vineyard team used to compare multiple weather forecasts and attempt their own interpretations, which sometimes led to managing disease after it occurred rather than taking a strategic prevention approach.
White says he now checks MetWatch most days and enjoys the simplicity of using one platform which has all the information he needs to make accurate decisions.
“In MetWatch I find disease modelling useful and especially high-precision weather forecasts. To have that historical data of the disease pressure over the length of the season, the growing-degree days and the rainfall all in one place, that's really valuable for me.
“We've got the weather forecasting on the same site so we can look at the risks ahead and see when we're able to spray, make our plans around the weather.”
Replacing fragmented analysis of weather patterns with one comprehensive platform has transformed the way Selaks Vineyard and Winery protects and nourishes some of New Zealand’s premium wine grapes.
White says the change is one that he is keen to share with other growers
“I would definitely recommend MetWatch to other growers. It's just invaluable to have so much information in one place, like specific information to your vineyard as well as forecasting, and to have the access to all that historical data as well.”
