THE AUSTRALIAN ARK – Federation to the Modern Era | 1900–1982
Vineyard Worker Hamilton’s Ewell Vineyard, Marion, South Australia. [Hugh Hamilton Collection]
were also discovered by visiting American viticulturalist Harold Olmo in the Swan Valley in 1953 and the Riverland in 1956 by Merbein’s CSIRO scientists Vim Seinhorst and Max Sauer. Nematodes feed on the roots of vines and can reduce vigour and cause uneven yields by damaging their function. When they attack the roots, they cause minuscule wounds, galls, and swelling that weaken the vine’s natural defence mechanism and open it to viruses. Scientists have found that building more organic matter, which promotes the diversity of microorganisms, can suppress nematodes. Nematode-resistant rootstocks have proven to be very effective. (The use of nematicides is no longer common, however, because there are better and more sustainable ways to deal with this problem, which is found mostly in sandy dominant soils.)
First of all, John was a viticulturalist. He grew peas between the vines to get more nitrogen. He used deep shears on a plough to aerate the ground and ensure that water supply was equally spread. Then they put him on to winemaking and with Ray Beckwith they developed a yeast that made beautiful controlled champagne. Later, he became a dry wine specialist. – Gordon Colquist, a second-generation family employee of Penfolds, worked at Magill Cellars from 1938 until 1988. His father, Herman, joined the firm in 1928 to look after the boilers; the Nuriootpa winery machines at the time were steam-driven.
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