No water to turn to wine

Fairfax

SWEET GRAPES: The drought that is devastating the Australian wine industry hasn't affected New Zealand's wine growers.

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This year is shaping up to be a good one for New Zealand's thriving wine industry, in sharp contrast to drought-stricken winegrowers across the Tasman.

Water shortages in Australia are predicted to force 1000 grape growers out of business.

New Zealand on the other hand could be looking at a banner year with most regions reporting excellent growth midway through the season.

"By and large, things are looking pretty good, certainly in Marlborough there are some good-looking crops," said Stuart Smith, the chairman of the New Zealand Winegrowers' Association.

Smith said harvests were likely to be heartier this year, based on volumes planted alone.

"We've got increased hectares and there are going to be more tonnes," Smith said.

Hawkes Bay could be the one exception because of frost in October 2007.

While some parts of New Zealand have experienced short-term drought, Smith blamed it on distribution rather than water shortages.

Still, he said, there were lessons to be learned.

"From time to time I hear people calling for us to adopt similar strategies to those used in Australia and you have to ask the question: do they have some issues and are we right to rush off and adopt them over here in New Zealand?"

Mark Jones, the chairman of Waipara Valley Winegrowers agreed water would become a growing concern, particularly in Canterbury.

"There's going to be more debate over water harvesting and use of water as the area in general grows but we just need constant rain in the west to drive down into aquifers. Water could be at low levels on the surface but there is certainly water underground,"Jones said.

Smith agreed.

"In New Zealand we have plenty of water; it's just a matter of it being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We just need to distribute it, which is quite a different situation to what's happening in Australia, which is just a lack of water."

Water scarcity in Australia is becoming so grave it is fueling concerns about a potential brain drain of winemakers.

Smith said New Zealand took no joy in Australia's demise but noted the country was in a position to welcome potentially displaced professionals.

"The situation in Australia can only be described as terrible and it's not something you'd wish on anyone. The water shortages don't seem like they're going to be fixed very quickly either so I expect there will be a flow of people coming into the industry," he said.

Phillip Gregan, the chief executive of the Winegrowers' Association, said New Zealand had been combating labour shortages for some time.

- © Fairfax NZ News