Viticultural Services

 

 

Vineyard Planning and Development

Thinking of buying a property....? we have good relationships with real estate agents throughout  the south-west region of WA and will liaise with them to select the best site for your requirements.

Our services include the full range of planning and developing  a new business, or expanding an existing one:

  • Pre purchase site assessment.
  • Detailed site assessment: hydrology and soil.
  • Land capability, infrastructure and financial feasibility.
  • Planning: infrastructure (vineyard,  buildings, irrigation, dams, landscaping,   amenities), and preparation of capital,  development and operating budgets.

Vineyard Management

    We will take complete responsibility  for the viticultural and financial operation of your vineyard,  including:

  • Full planning and development.
  • On-going professional consultation.
  • A permanent on-site manager and assistant.
  • Vineyard labour with full insurance cover (workers compensation and public liability).
  • Winery contract negotiation.
  • Benchmarking of key viticultural and financial performance indicators.
  • Monthly reports: updates on vineyard activities and budget tracking.
  • Free attendance at all our technical courses (not including Chemcert)

more information...

Consulting

Our consultants have extensive industry experience and understand the need to assess and advise on the  basis that every vineyard has its own unique challenges and distinct objectives.

Our viticultural staff can provide consultation on all aspects of viticultural management, including:

  • Development of detailed budgets and annual operating programs.
  • Cultural management to achieve end-point specifications and maintain vine balance.
  • Nutrition, weed management, pest and disease control, and irrigation recommendations.
  • Latest management technologies, products and services.
  • Advice on quality standards, food safety requirements and chemical residue limits,  sustainable (low input) viticulture practices.
  • Precision viticulture practices.
  • Expert reports for prospectuses and due diligence requirements.

We offer a range of consultation packages, from  ad hoc support, to scheduled visits and reports.

more information...

Financial Performance

We are qualified to  provide our clients with comprehensive budgets, monthly cost  variance reports, and vineyard accounting services.  They are also our contact point and can receive any inquiries  you may have on our range of services.

Quality Assurance - SQF 2000 and HACCP Programs

Safe and quality assured food and beverage programs are increasingly  required by wineries and export markets.

We provide Quality Assurance (QA) systems to the wine industry which are:

  • Implemented in over 22 vineyards in the south west region of WA.
  • Comprehensive of all vineyard activities with a complete  set of records and procedures.
  • Designed to adopt all records and procedures currently in place in your business.
  • Shown to meet all winery requirements.
  • Third party audited.
  • Able to include Environmental Management  and OH&S programs if required.

These systems can be seamlessly integrated to provide  a QA system that covers the entire viticultural and  oenological process from the beginning of the  growing season to delivery of the  finished bottle of wine into the distribution chain.

Monitoring

Successful vineyard management requires that potential problems  or limitations are identified before they cause negative impacts.  This allows informed management decisions to be made or  recommended. Some parameters monitored will allow for  current season response, while others (nutrition analysis)  ensure adequate remediation is carried out the following season.

Our trained monitoring staff provide you with the following services:

  • Pest, disease, and disorder incidence and severity reports.
  • Crop yield estimation.
  • Tissue sampling (petioles or blades)
  • Fruit maturity sampling and baumé, pH and titratable acidity reports.
  • Vine performance records: phenology, component of yield, and pruning weights.
  • Bud dissection: inflorescence primordia counts, primary bud necrosis and mite identification.

 

Education and Training

We are affiliated to a number of national and state-wide organisations  in offering a range of instruction and accreditation (i.e. Chemcert)  opportunities. We also run local workshops to meet the current  needs of the industry. Please phone our office for details of our programme.

 

Precision Viticulture

Precision Viticulture can assist in the understanding of vineyard variability and the factors influencing vine performance. The technology is about aquiring and using information at high spatial resolution to make better decisions - decisions which are more likely to deliver the desired outcome than is generally the case using conventional viticultural information and management techniques.

Through our association with Precision Viticulture Australia (PVA), we can provide a complete introduction to and implementation of Precision Viticulture techniques in the vineyard.

Our services include:

  • Data Acquisition support (airborne imagery, soil sensing, yield monitoring, boundary and elevation surveying).
  • Data Processing & Analysis using industry recognised protocols.
  • Data Management (your spatial data is delivered with software that allows our clients access to view and analyse data on their own computer).
  • Data Evaluation & Implementation of vineyard management plans.

more information...

Soil Surveying and Land Management Planning

     Our service provides a detailed report on the soil types and other boundaries across the property and makes recommendations on vineyard design and management.

  • We consider this service as essential for the long term feasibility of a vineyard

more information...

Greenhouse Gas Accounting

Would you like to know your vineyard's emissions?

  • We Can Do It!