Otago Polytechnic partnered with Gisborne-based Riversun Nursery in 2017 to develop a dedicated pinot noir clonal trial vineyard at its Bannockburn campus.
The nine-year project studying the impact of grape selection in producing the best-quality pinot noir wine found the vintage or season was the most important factor.
Pinot noir is New Zealand’s most planted red variety but also one of the most site-sensitive.
The research was designed to help growers make informed decisions about what to plant on their particular site.
Otago Polytechnic senior horticulture lecturer Rachel Petries said of 12 commercially available grape variety clones, two vines of each were planted in spring 2017 at the 11ha training vineyard at the Bannockburn Rd site.
The vines were planted in a simple replicated plot layout to reduce soil variability, irrigation variability and edge effects, she said.
Bragato Research Institute (BRI), a wholly owned subsidiary of New Zealand Winegrowers based in Marlborough with an agriculture research hub at Lincoln, used the clonal trial site to conduct thorough, objective analyses of wine made from the planting material.
The findings showed vintage drove most of the wine-to-wine variation.
The trial site had been a fantastic teaching tool, Ms Petrie said.
‘‘It has helped horticulture students on campus understand more about clonal variation [of vines],’’ Ms Petrie said.
‘‘The pruning/training of younger vines has been a bonus, along with regular visits from the Riversun team.’’
The project had produced valuable information for New Zealand’s wine industry.
‘‘The data we have helped gather is a value to the wider industry faced with the challenge of choosing clones,’’ she said.
BRI reported the study reinforced clonal choice was not a magic bullet but a lever.
The season played the most important role, the site framed the possibilities and the clone helped tune the outcome, its report said. — Allied Media
