Vinpro’s viticultural consultants keep producers at the forefront of best practices with expert advice and technology transfer.

VINEYARD CONSULTATION

Wine grape producers can contact a viticultural consultant for:

• Long-term farm and cultivar planning
• Establishment advice e.g. choice of cultivar; clone; rootstock; plant spacing; trellis and irrigation system
• Trellis and vine development methods
• Vineyard management practices for a specific wine goal
• Irrigation system choice and scheduling
• Determining of optimum ripeness
• Short-term planning and prioritisation of actions
• Environmentally friendly viticultural practices.

Advice can be either once-off, ad hoc or on a contract basis. An hourly rate includes travel, visit and reporting time. A quote can be requested before consultation.

Alternatively, consultation is also provided to persons and bodies not in the wine industry, e g farm and soil evaluations to determine the potential for production and quality, evaluation for farm purchases or feasibility studies.

CELLAR PROJECTS

Cellars can contact a viticultural consultant for:

• Analysing problem areas and formulating strategies
• Block and production data analyses
• Long-term planning, e g production requirements according to marketing plan and compiling cultivar guidelines
• Determining the grading, selection, evaluation and potential of blocks
• Assistance  to cellar viticulturists
• Production or quality improvement projects
• Advice on implementing the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) Scheme

Advice can be either once-off, ad hoc or on a contract basis. An hourly rate includes travel, visit and reporting time. A quote can be requested before consultation.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

COLLABORATION WITH SOUTH AFRICA WINE

Winetech is the business unit tasked to co-ordinate research and technology in the wine industry.

Vinpro is contracted to facilitate the Winetech Technology Transfer Project, which includes:

• Regional information days in May and September
• Vineyard block evaluations and block competition farmer days
• Identifying research needs
• Managing viticultural study groups.

GEN-Z VINEYARD PROJECT

In 2017 Vinpro launched a new technology transfer project, namely the Gen-Z Vineyard Project. The objective of this project is to establish various types of demo plots, for example new cultivars and clones, rootstocks, trellis systems, pruning systems and viticultural practices in existing commercial vineyard blocks on producers’ farms. The sites are subsequently visited on farmers’ days to demonstrate the results/measurements and discuss them with producers.

CONTACT: Francois Viljoen, tel +27(0)21 276 0447, e-mail viljoenf@vinpro.co.za 

GET CONNECTED

Get connected to Vinpro’s network of viticultural expertise by:

• Becoming a Vinpro member – click here
• Attending our technical transfer events – click here.
• Talking to your nearest viticultural consultant at the details below.

Stellenbosch & Cape South Coast
Gert Engelbrecht
Tel: +27 (0)72 152 4028
E-mail: gerte@vinpro.co.za