Vine clones - the domain of wine geeks or do they actually matter?

Talking to people in the wine industry about clones is a bit like talking about young people to AM radio talkback callers. You get a range of opinions usually delivered with lots of arm waving and weird facial expressions. While clone debates can be fun, at least for those involved, the question has to asked - are they important?

We have enjoyed wine for years without knowing that the term clone isn't just applied to nerdy sci-fi movies and sheep. But since we have been running this humble website people seem to want to talk to us about vine clones so we thought we better find out what all the fuss is about. 

So what's a clone?

A clone is to vines what a cultivar is to vegies. If you grow vegies you will know that there are different 'types'. For example there are bush peas, climbing peas, late peas and early peas. Each is still a pea but it has different characteristics - taste, height, pod size and so on.

The same goes for vines. Within a grape variety there are vines that display different characteristics. It might be that some vines have larger fruit or grow well in particular soil types. Often these characteristics are discovered by people observing the vines in their vineyards. 

Vines that display characteristics that are seen as desirable are propagated and distributed, usually for a fee. Viticulturalists who are interested in the particular clone then have the choice of either planting the new clone directly or grafting it to an existing rootstock. 

So there you have it. Seems pretty straight forward. Well no as a matter of fact. As Mark Smith told us recently "be prepared for lots of views on clones!".

You see, just like gardeners, people in the wine industry like to argue with each other and everyone else about stuff and it appears they especially love to argue about clones. People disagree over just about everything to do with clones. Which ones, how many, how to introduce them into the vineyard and what to do with them once they are there.

In an email to Winepunters Mark Smith (Wine writer) explained that views range from "the debate (about clones) is a complete waste of time" because "an obsession with clones has compromised some Burgundy production" through to "Australia is 20 years behind the rest of the world and we should do as much as we can to import new selections and see what they can do".

So what is all the fuss about?

Oh wise punter to ask such a question.  Lets see if we can answer it.  Actually, we probably can't answer it but it seems to us that everyone wants the same thing. That is, to make the best wine they can and try to match the characteristics of their wines to the tastes of the market they are chasing. The debate appears to revolve around how best to achieve this result.

Since this sounds very sensible, something we are not known for, we went to see Darren Brown (Puddleduck Vineyard) who is a tad interested in clones (some would say way too interested - Ed) to see if he could educate us on the issue. He's a bit of an expert you see because Darren has planted 11 pinot clones in the Puddleduck vineyard and did this deliberately. "I was just trying to get hold of as many clones as possible to start with ... so I could have a rough idea of what to plant in the future".  

Darren argues that choosing the right vine with the right characteristics is as fundamental a decision as you will ever make when planting a vineyard. Andrew Hood agrees, pointing out in his recent interview with us that it's best to seek out expert advice before you plant a vineyard if you want the most out of your wine.

This is because in order for vines to deliver their best they not only need the right climate, management and soil but they need time. For example, many people believe pinot vines don't hit their straps before they are 15 - 20 years old.  So vine selection is a long term decision and not one to make lightly. Planting the wrong variety and / or the wrong clone can potentially set a vineyard back many years and cost a huge amount of money.

But viticulture isn't a static activity. Even having identified the best vines for your vineyard it is possible for the chosen variety to be improved. This is what the proponents of clones argue. They point out that ongoing research is critical to improving the quality of Tasmanian wine in the same way that product improvement and development is necessary in other industries. Good viticulture doesn't stop with making good initial vine selection decisions but having a process for continual vine 'improvement' is required as well. 

It seems to us that at least part of the 'product improvement' arguments centre on the issue of consumer tastes. Some of the recent pinot clones to come to Tasmania have been developed or propagated in New Zealand and there is little doubt that the success of the Kiwi wine industry is lending credibility to the desirability of these clones and the argument that they should be planted here.

There is also an element of 'keeping an eye on what the competition is doing'. In a recent article for Australian Viticulture Mark Smith writes about the concerns held by Graham Wiltshire that the Tassie industry is resting on it's laurels and that competing wine regions both interstate and overseas may develop superior pinot clones and this will cause the "industry ... to fall behind very rapidly".

The problem for vineyard owners is that changing vine plantings is not something that can be done quickly or  cheaply. Going back to our vegie analogy moving from one type of pea to another is quick, cheap and easy. Simply plant seeds of the desired type and away you go. Not so with vines. The quickest method to introducing a new clone is to graft it on to an existing rootstock. However as Darren points out "it could take a couple of years to change the top of the vine over to the new clone". This assumes that the existing rootstock is appropriate for the clone you wish to use. "Its a minefield" Darren explains.

Given what's at stake you can see why the issue of clones raises passions.

So, are clones important to punters?

Well yes and no. There is no doubt that the development of certain clones has improved the quality of the wine we have been drinking and that's a good thing. On the other hand some people love to tell you what clones are in a particular wine like it matters but what's really happening is that they have taken away precious drinking time.

Overall having had the benefit of listening to Darren and Mark we still think that to a certain extent ignorance is bliss. Don't bother going out and learning all the indecipherable names. Understanding the merits of the 777 clone over those of PV1zb77qu.... snore.... is simply not necessary. 

Ultimately punters are interested in drinking the best wine they can afford as often as possible and this will be true no matter where the clone debate ends up. For what it's worth we tend to favour the continual research into, and trials of, as many clones as possible side of the argument as long as we do our own research and don't just slavishly follow trends or other wine regions. 

Of course if it wasn't for this debate we wouldn't have been able to write an article entitled 'attack of the clones'. See, the world is now a better place.

What do you think?  Send us a comment