Sunlight Into Wine

This seemingly innocuous little viticulture book is to be found on bookshelves the world over, and is often described as 'the bible of canopy management'. First published by Winetitles of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1991 and revised in 2001, this 96 page book was developed by Dr Richard Smart (viticulturist) and Mike Robinson (agricultural engineer) when both worked with the New Zealand Government in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The aims of the book were simple, says Richard Smart. It was to be a handbook of wine grape vineyard canopy management, and further to be an applied book to be directly used by grape producers wishing to adopt this exciting new technology. Only sufficient scientific principle was to be included so as to make the reasons for trellis system design evident. As well, the book was designed to be "reader friendly" and also "practical and trustworthy". It is generously illustrated in colour, and the writing style is easy to read.

Those aims seem to have been met. One grapegrower's wife once complained to Richard Smart that her husband was giving more attention to "Sunlight into Wine" of an evening than he was to her!

The book is interspersed with testimonials from producers in several countries recounting their practical experiences with canopy management.

Sunlight into Wine is dedicated to Professor Nelson Shaulis, the acknowledged Godfather of modern canopy management research, and Dr Smart's Professor at Cornell.

The following are the section headings of Sunlight into Wine:

• Winegrape canopies and their importance
• Quality assurance in vineyards
• Improving canopy microclimate
• Canopy management – how to do it
• Improved trellis systems
• The economics of canopy management
• Common questions about canopy
  
  management with answers
  
  
• Constructing trellis systems

A feature of the book is the exacting details given to trellis construction details. All dimensions are clearly set out.

Sunlight into Wine was revised and updated in 2001. The new edition includes further expansions on the principles, new trellis systems like the Smart Dyson, and a new range of testimonials. Every effort has been made to gather testimonials from growers in a wide range of climates and situations. Translatiom into other languages (Spanish and Portuguese) is planned.