A Technical Guide
for Wine Producers

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WYNBOER WORK PROGRAMME FOR DECEMBER 1999

1. PLANNING AND PREPARATION

1.1. Short-term

  • Visit your nurseryman to inspect the vines grafted for you, to determine whether they are true to type, growing vigorously and free of disease.

  • Plan the scheduling for irrigation of the various blocks, taking available water, soil water content and growth into consideration.

  • Make the necessary arrangements for deep cultivation of the soil.

  • Visit KWV mother blocks in your area to inspect cultivars unknown to you which you intend planting. Valuable information and practical hints can be obtained in this way.

  • The withholding period of the chemical should be kept in mind when spraying for pests and diseases.
Financial
  • Make provision for an increase in labour requirements and wages during the coming harvesting season.

  • Check the cash flow for the provision of additional payment of bonuses to the labour force. Compare actual cash flow against the amount budgeted and make the necessary corrections if needed.

  • Feasibility studies and break-even analyses for purchasing of land and capital expansion are done by Johan Truter (021-8073043 or 082 806 0428) or Paiter Botha (021-8073302 or 082 806 0429). This service is available at a predetermined hourly rate.
1.2 Long-term

Decide on the cultivars you intend having grafted next June. Discuss your envisaged plantings with your cellar manager and/or KWV Viticultural Advisor.

2. VINEYARD PROGRAMME

Irrigation

With limited water, one irrigation before veraison is of paramount importance. In areas where only supplementary irrigation is practised, a second irrigation can be applied. In intensive irrigation areas temperatures soar at this time of the year. Irrigate judiciously with the amount of water available. In the case of micro systems, applications should be carefully controlled.

  • During the next two months (December and January) vines reach their maximum water requirements because of high daytime temperatures, large leaf surface and rapid berry growth phases. Water tension during this period does not have a great effect on the size of the crop and the soil can be allowed to dry out. Vines with deep and well-developed root systems should be irrigated as soon as 40 to 50 % of the water in the soil has been taken up. This prevents both over-irrigation and excessive vegetative growth and improves quality in general.

    In the case of sandy and stony/gravel soils where the water capacity is low, irrigation must take place when 25 to 35 % of the water in the soil has been taken up. Irrigation must therefore take place at a higher soil water level. The same applies to vineyards with a shallow root system (± 400-500 mm).

  • It is of great importance to monitor soil water conditions. This can be done by digging profile holes and using tensiometers. Remember: seeing is believing.

  • In vineyard blocks where the soil varies greatly, scheduling must be done according to the soil with the lowest water capacity.

  • Luxuriant growth, a too heavy crop for the growth and a shallow root system are some of the factors which exert pressure on a farmer's irrigation management. These problems must be prevented when planning a new vineyard block, or they must be rectified with good management during the growing season e.g. by good foliage management.
Disease and pest control

Oïdium: Where good preventative measures have been taken, the danger of this disease should diminish towards the middle of the month. If symptoms of oïdium are present in the latter half of the month, the fungus must be controlled with approved fungicides.

Downy mildew: Watch conditions for downy mildew carefully. Inspect your vineyards thoroughly before going on holiday and as soon as you return. Showers between Christmas and the first week in January create favourable conditions for downy mildew and action must be taken immediately. A close watch must be kept at this time of the year for the appearance of this disease, especially in the Breede River Valley. Prevention should be taken in this area by spaying when berries are pea size.

Botrytis: Follow up the November preventative measures against Botrytis cinerea by additional sprayings. Try to do the final spraying before the berries swell too much, because this can result in the fungicide being prevented from working effectively on the entire bunch. In cases where the disease is very severe, foliage management (suckering and breaking away of leaves) as explained in Hints for October and November, must be applied to improve aeration and facilitate the penetration of fungicides.

Snout beetles: Keep a close watch for isolated cases of snout beetles. Control with approved pesticides.

Grape mealy bug: Inspect the vines which were sprayed to ascertain whether the treatment was effective.

Green shoot development should be continued so that vigorous vines can fully develop on the cordon wire. (See video entitled Groenlootontwikkeling).

Second foliage: Top cordon shoots to their final length as soon as they have grown 300 mm longer than the required length.

Third foliage: Top the longest laterals (side shoots) lightly. Apply crop control by removing the bunches from shoots that grow less vigorously than others.

Fourth foliage: Remove all extra shoots. Leave one shoot per bearer and two bunches per shoot. In areas where wind damage occurs, two shoots per short bearer should be retained, but only one bunch per shoot.

Crop control (See video entitled Oesbeheer).

Crop control must be applied judiciously, especially in the case of young vines developed by the green shoot method. (See Grapevine in Wynboer Tegnies, No. 35, November 1989, for a practical hint to determine the number of bunches to leave for a specific crop).

Foliage management (See video entitled Somerloofbestuur).

The influence of viticultural practises on wine quality are discussed in Wynboer Tegnies, No. 40, September 1990.

Topping of shoots: As soon as shoots have grown 300-450 mm after the previous topping they may be topped again if necessary. All growing points 200-300 mm longer than the previous topping, as well as side shoots longer than 450 mm in the row, must be removed.

Breaking away of leaves: Where foliage is very dense one third of the leaves above the bunch zone can be evenly removed halfway up the foliage.

Soil preparation

When the soil is too dry for deep cultivation, judicious irrigation will create the correct soil moisture content.

3. VITICULTURE CONSULTANTS IN THE VARIOUS KWV DISTRICTS

For viticulture enquiries consult your nearest KWV Viticulture Consultant.

Paarl/Wellington/Tulbagh: Bennie Liebenberg (021) 8073018, 083 455 5197 or Gavin Taylor (021) 8073418, 083 455 5193.

Malmesbury: Johan Pienaar (021) 8870014, 083 309 7637, Nelius van Huyssteen 083 455 5198 or Bennie Liebenberg (021) 8073018, 083 455 5197.

Robertson/Klein Karoo (02351 - 3017): Francois Viljoen 083 309 7626, Briaan Stipp 083 455 5196, Leon Dippenaar 083 455 5194 or Stephan Joubert 083 650 5590.

Bonnievale: Hendrik Myburgh (02351) 3017 or 083 455 5195.

Orange River: Dirk Malan (054) 4612299, 082 495 7999 or Dricus van der Westhuizen 083 309 7625.

Stellenbosch (021- 8870014): Johan Pienaar, 083 309 7637 or Cobus van Graan 082 650 4404.

Worcester (0231 - 72795): Schalk du Toit 083 303 0530, Pierre Snyman 083 455 5191, Anton Roos 083 629 1735 or Hanno van Schalkwyk 083 455 5192.

Olifants River: Dricus van der Westhuizen 083 309 7625 or Nelius van Huyssteen 083 455 5198.

4. OENOLOGY CONSULTANT

  1. Planning and design of new cellars (50 to 5 000 tons). A total package in this regard is now supplied by the service from cultivar recommendations, costings, cellar design incorporating the latest cellar technology through to the design and management of waste systems.
  2. Upgrading of existing cellars to enable them to become internationally competitive.
  3. Latest production methods regarding different cultivars and wine styles.
  4. Recommendations regarding problem wines, adjustments and blends.

Eugene van Zyl can be contacted at 082 577 2758.

5. WINE GRAPE PLANTING MATERIAL

Enquiries regarding planting material can be obtained from KWV's Plant Improvement Division:

  • Clone information - Charles Visser (021) 8073036
  • Planting material purchase/availability - Marco Blom (021) 8073019.
  • Grafting and Nursery activities - Dirk Visser (021) 8073206.

Wynboer is incorporated in WineLand, magazine of the SA wine producers.

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