In the Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide, locusts have so far eaten only the vegetation lying between the vines

January 5, 2011

WITH the year’s vintage close, Barossa grapegrower Adrian Hoffmann jokes about the locusts that hopped through his vines last month.
“I had them quite thick on the ground around my young vines,” he said. “They basically stripped the grass back to the veins: they’ve done a good job of weed control for me and left the vines alone.
“I don’t know if I’ll be that lucky next time.”
That next time is approaching, with a second generation of locusts poised to sweep through the country’s eastern states.
About 430 locust egg beds have been confirmed in Victoria, measuring up to 15m long, and the hot weather yet to come poses a risk to grapegrowers and other farmers who have survived the early run of locusts and sodden crops from spring rains.
In the Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide, locusts have so far eaten only the vegetation lying between the vines, but growers are worried a prolonged hot spell would dry that up and turn the locusts’ attention to the vine leaves, which provide crucial shade for ripening grapes.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
“You’d basically lose your sugar factory, your flavour factory, what you rely on to ripen your grapes,” said Mr Hoffmann, who chairs the local peak grower group Grape Barossa.
“We can’t use a lot of the chemical sprays now because we’re within two months of picking.”
Wine Grape Growers Australia director Lawrie Stanford said the warmer inland regions were about three weeks away from beginning their white grape harvest, with potentially serious repercussions for the red grapes if the locusts came through after that.
“The clear indication from many regions is that shiraz is going to be a low crop in this season,” he said. “That may be an emerging issue if locusts are a problem.”
The Australian Plague Locust Commission is forecasting continued locust swarms and egg laying in South Australia’s Murray Valley, NSW’s Riverina and parts of central Victoria.
A farmer in Katunga, 230km north of Melbourne, reported the first hatching of second-generation locusts there, with the state’s Department of Primary Industries preparing for another onslaught.
“This is just the first of many. We expect to have significant numbers of hatchings into the second and third weeks of January,” Victorian locust controller John Balfour said.
“There’s an opportunity to try to make sure this second generation doesn’t go on to create new swarms of adults, so we’re alerting landholders to patrol their properties and report what they see. We’re still dealing with millions upon millions of insects and they have a capacity for a rapid rise in population.”

Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/barossa-grapegrower-has-a-nervous-wait-for-locusts-second-coming/story-e6frg6nf-1225981273001

Although wines are widely available in most Asian countries, especially in Hong Kong which has eliminated import tariff on wines altogether, the availability of fine vintage wines is still very scarce. Most wine merchants offer big names, young vintages and cheaper wines for everyday consumption. Wine lovers and connoisseurs looking for something special often travel to Clark Pampanga Philippines to do their shopping at this Wine Shop in Manila.

At Yats Wine Cellars we believe that a little bit of knowledge in wine goes a long way to developing expectations in the wines we choose to buy or drink. Without expectation, it is difficult to really enjoy wine to its fullest. With this in mind, efforts are made by Yats Wine Cellars to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for our clients to learn more about wine.

Birthday wine gifts is one of the most popular birthday gifts to give someone living in the Philippines. Fine Vintage wine from Yats Wine Cellars is a sure winner and it does not have to cost a great deal to send someone a bottle in Philippines

To avail of wine catering service of Yats Wine Cellars, just contact this wine supplier in Manila or Angeles Clark Philippines for a meeting to design a theme for the event. The venue for a wine event can be in the privacy of a home, the convenience of an office in Manila for example or in a clubhouse of a subdivision. Wine glasses and accessories necessary for wine service are included in the wine catering service. Moreover, interesting wine notes accompany the wine to help participants enjoy the event even more by learning a little bit about wine while enjoying the party. A wine steward will be present to serve the wine.

There is also an exciting collection of white wine from Burgundy at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Meursault, Chablis, Chassagne Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and St. Aubin. Red wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone are also available with a good depth of back vintages too. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

For inquires and reservations, contact us here

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.