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Watt’s up with row direction?
Not long ago, our CEO popped into my office with a challenge: help figure out the best row direction for a new vineyard block for a top wine estate.
Resistance of grapevine rootstocks to nematodes – the status quo in South Africa
This project looked at 20 different rootstocks (both imported and local) to see how resistant they are to five common nematodes found in South African vineyards, including M. xenoplax, M. javanica, M. incognita, P. vulnus and X. index.
South Africa Wine Cellar Assistants’ Programme 2025: Workshops for cellar assistants
The Cellar Assistants’ Programme makes an important contribution to knowledge transfer to cellar assistants in the South African wine industry.
Winery wastewater irrigation (Part 4): Evaluation of a pot experiment on four differently textured soils
The objective of the study was to design and evaluate a pot experiment to determine the effects of irrigation with diluted winery wastewater on different soils.
Profile pit stories with Johan
With this article, I will summarise a few regular soil-related questions and answers.
Post-harvest reflection
Unhurried reflection on how the harvest went and analysis of the data collected, can help a winery to formulate a winning plan before the next harvest to ensure that its cellar processes run better.
The fascinating world of terroir in winemaking (Part 2): How nature, tradition and science come together
In the second part of the Terroir series, we continue to examine the influence climate has on terroir. We will also examine the role of cultivars in terroir.
Vinpro Production Plan survey
The Vinpro Production Plan survey was performed in the wine industry for the 21st consecutive year in 2024. The service is provided per vintage in each of the 10 wine regions, within study groups and individual capacity. The findings indicate that, although the average producer is still not generating a sustainable income, the industry is showing year-on-year improvement after a long downward cycle.
Winery wastewater irrigation (Part 3): Soil chemical responses on a well-drained soil
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of winery wastewater (WWW) irrigation on the chemical soil properties and potential environmental impacts at an existing grazing paddock at a winery near Rawsonville where WWW has been applied for many years.
The fascinating world of terroir in winemaking (Part 1): How nature, tradition and science come together
In the first part of the Terroir series, we explain the concept of terroir. Then, we will look at the different elements influencing the terroir concept, starting with soil.
Guidelines for the management of barrel storage rooms
The management of barrel storage rooms is intended to create a stable and controlled environment for wine to age. This article provides a few of the most important guidelines to be followed.
Post-harvest strategy for maximum reserve accumulation in grapevines
It is crucial to keep the grapevine and soil as healthy and optimal as possible to enable maximum build-up of reserves post harvest.