Dr Darrell Lizamore, Bragato Research Institute

 

Investing in emerging innovation can provide a unique opportunity to leapfrog current processes and harness new innovations. Consider how satellite internet has enabled remote regions of New Zealand to bypass the costly process of fibre installation and achieve modern connectivity almost overnight. That’s the vision behind the wine industry’s Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 Programme – an ambitious initiative designed to establish a cutting-edge grapevine improvement platform that will produce the next generation of resilient vines at an accelerated pace. The programme runs until early-2030 and completed its third year in 2024. This article provides an update on progress to date, the strategic advantages for winegrowers, and how early outputs will help secure New Zealand’s competitive edge in the global wine market.

Figure 1: Inspecting plants in the new research vineyard. From left to right: Ross Wise, Darrell Lizamore, and Amy Hill.

Technical progress: From lab to vineyard

Last year the programme achieved a significant milestone – successfully producing more than 6,000 new Sauvignon Blanc clones. These vines begin as cells collected from field-grown vines and are then grown into new plantlets under conditions that apply just enough stress to trigger spontaneous genetic changes. Each new vine is assigned a unique ID and QR code so they can be tracked through their development from controlled indoor environments, to a nursery mist-tent, to a shade house, in an online database. This ensures that every plant’s growth and performance is optimised.

With the first batch of plants outgrowing their pots, one of the key challenges of the past six months has been to establish a bespoke research vineyard for early plant selection screening. The young vines leave the nursery as immature, ungrafted seedlings, and therefore require nurturing to adapt to outdoor conditions. Wind protection, frost management, and irrigation capacity must all be carefully considered.

The site also needs to be managed under quarantine conditions, so environmental DNA testing was developed to test for the presence of pests and diseases before the first poles were installed. Based on an ex-pasture field in Lincoln, the vineyard infrastructure is now in place, with a vineyard manager on site and equipment contributed by programme grantors. An accelerated effort before Christmas saw all 6,000 clones planted ahead of schedule, giving them the best chance to take advantage of the summer months (Figure 1). With survival rates exceeding 97% this rapid establishment has been an exciting milestone for the programme, and sets the stage for the next phase of selection based on key agronomic traits and genetic variation.

Efforts to upscale DNA extraction and sequencing have been developed using current commercial clones (Figure 2). Deploying these methods across the collection over the coming year will enable the research team to map the genetic variation across the new clones, to guide early selection of vines with stable changes. DNA sequencing generates terabytes of data, and sophisticated bioinformatic workflows needed to be built for identifying subtle genetic differences (DNA changes; Figure 3) and epigenetic modifications (changes in which genes are expressed). These are the changes that could be key to traits such as disease tolerance, drought resistance, and changes in aroma biochemistry (Figure 4).

Because growers prioritise the ability for new vines to tolerate higher disease pressure to reduce spray costs and support sustainable viticulture, the programme has developed a series of assays to screen for critical traits. One of the most exciting developments in this area is the recent delivery of the Blackbird robot. This AI-driven robotic camera is engineered to perform rapid, high-throughput screening for powdery mildew resistance – a trait crucial for reducing chemical inputs and improving vine health. Equipped with advanced imaging technology and analytics that can scan hundreds of leaf samples in a day, the Blackbird robot represents a leap forward in quickly and objectively assessing plant health. Early trials are already underway, with plans to integrate this system fully into the routine evaluation of vines in the selection vineyard.

Figure 2: Stages of DNA purification from young grapevine plantlets. Young leaves are removed from nursery-grown vines and ground to a powder in liquid nitrogen. Buffers are then added to disrupt cell membranes, releasing DNA, which is then purified by temporarily binding it to paramagnetic beads.

Figure 3: Variation between the two haplotypes (DNA inherited from different parents) in the Sauvignon Blanc genome. The above image shows the high degree of variability across each of the 19 chromosome pairs that make up the grapevine genome – including an estimated 5.65 million single nucleotide variants.

Strategic industry advantages through international collaboration

Being able to take advantage of the best technical innovation while the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 Programme is still young depends on a network of international relationships. These collaborations bring global expertise directly to New Zealand’s doorstep and ensure that our industry is at the forefront of viticultural research. Technical progress has been guided by the input of high-profile international experts. Following a Bragato Research Institute (BRI) visit to Spain’s Institute of Grapevine and Wine Sciences last year, Spanish researchers renowned for developing and commercialising new Malbec clones have been helping the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 research team to fine-tune selection methodologies and explore novel breeding techniques. Recently, Valentin Blattner, a Swiss grape breeder responsible for disease-resistant varieties commercially grown in Europe, showed the research team his selection vineyards in Spain (Figure 5). That was followed up a few months later with a visit during which he discussed disease resistance vines in Marlborough. A visit to AWRI in Adelaide further strengthened collaborative networks, particularly around metabolic and disease resistance screening. International input will continue in the coming year, with anticipated visits to BRI’s Lincoln University-based Grapevine Improvement Laboratory from Peter Cousins, head breeder at E&J Gallo Winery, and Professor Kai Voss-Fels from Geisenheim University.

These engagements promise to deepen collaborative efforts and introduce recent international progress on genomic analysis and trait-based selection. In parallel with these research advances, the programme is working to reduce any barriers to local industry engagement. The OddVine project focuses on the collection of clonal diversity from commercial vineyards and now benefits from seamless integration into Vure – widely used vineyard management software – so that growers can actively contribute to the programme’s findings.

Figure 4: Distinct leaf morphologies among the novel SB clones post-dormancy, with a typical juvenile SB leaf shape shown in the right-most image.

Figure 5: Assessing new DRVs with collaborators Valentin Blattner (Domaine Blattner) and Lance Cadle-Davidson (USDA) in Spain.

Navigating regulatory and market access challenges

Today it is challenging for wine-growers to fully understand the overlap between rapidly changing genetics technology and an evolving regulatory environment. The introduction of the Gene Technology Bill in New Zealand has sparked renewed discussions on how best to support innovation while preserving the sustainability, premium reputation, and provenance that define New Zealand’s agricultural exports. BRI is leading efforts to clarify the implications of the new legislation for industry.

In the meantime, import permits have been obtained for disease-resistant hybrid seeds, and clarity on GMO legislation confirms that current workplans won’t be captured by GMO regulations. These regulatory updates support the immediate objectives of the programme while paving the way for a sustainable and innovative future for the New Zealand wine industry.

Looking ahead: Near-term outcomes & future directions

With the successful establishment of the selection vineyard and the integration of state-of-the-art technologies like nanopore sequencing and the Blackbird robot, the programme now has the foundation in place for the next phase of evaluation and clonal selection. Over the coming months, the focus will be on expanding high-throughput genetic screening and refining trait-based assays, including the integration of automated assessments for mildew resistance.

Further enhancements in plant selection are expected to come from electronic vineyard data collection with the plant database, and exploring the use of AI-driven software for data analysis. Submissions of interesting plants in commercial vineyards can now be made via Vure, making it easier for growers to contribute to the growing plant collection. In the coming year there are also plans to continue strengthening international collaborations, ensuring that global best practices, expert knowledge and cutting-edge techniques continually guide the selection process.

Get involved

Growers and industry stakeholders are encouraged to take full advantage of new tools and engagement opportunities. With vines now in the ground, the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 Programme is starting to work more directly with our industry partners, who contribute in-kind support – such as vineyard equipment and technical advice – and who will eventually provide grafting and trial sites.

Industry members can play a part by tagging interesting vines at oddvine.co.nz, keeping an eye on the quarterly update newsletter, and staying connected via BRI’s research reports. For more information or to join the conversation, please visit our website or contact the BRI team directly.

Acknowledgment

Many thanks to the following grantors who have made exceptional contributions to the project: Delegat, which contributed a tractor and mower; Indevin, Cloudy Bay, Delegat, Lion, Loveblock, Pernod Ricard Winemakers, Marisco, and ViNA whose staff have served on advisory committees.