While many of its Margaret River neighbours are busy pruning their vineyards in preparation for next year’s grape harvest, Palandri Ltd’s vines are virtually untouched as it attempts to negotiate a new contract with vineyard manager Quenby Viticultural Services Pty Ltd.
A wine industry source told WA Business News there had been a dispute between QVS and Palandri surrounding payment for services in previous vintages.
A spokesman for Palandri said that although Palandri owed Rob Quenby’s company, this was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Palandri fully expect to negotiate a new contract within the next two weeks and the pruning will get done and it will have no impact on the vineyard schedule,” the spokesman said.
Mr Quenby’s Mt Barker-based QVS has managed Palandri’s vineyards for the past nine years and has been responsible for the development and management of about 400 hectares of vines.
Mr Quenby’s three-year contract with Palandri expired on June 30.
Mr Quenby also told WA Business News he expected a new contract would be signed soon and Palandri’s vines would be pruned by the end of September.
The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology president Steve Partridge said if Palandri left its pruning beyond September it could create expensive problems.
Mr Partridge, who helps manage 650ha of vineyard in the South West of WA for Agribusiness Research and Management, said the vines would become “unruly” and would “cost a fortune to get them back to an operational structure”.
He said failing to prune vines could increase the chance of vine diseases because the additional foliage created “lots of homes for lots of bugs and pests”.
“You can prune towards the end of September but it is cutting it fine,” Mr Partridge said.
The pruning delay comes as Palandri management finalise their plans for an Australian stock market listing.
Palandri executive chairman Darrel Jarvis told WA Business News it anticipated listing “in the middle of this year”.
In February, a Palandri spokesman said the winery’s listing plans were on track and management anticipated a listing “later this year”.
Palandri recently generated significant interest from overseas investors for a fresh managed investment scheme which raised $16 million to fund more vineyard plantings in the Frankland River, Geographe and Margaret River wine regions.
It is currently planting 100ha of vineyards near Harvey and Palandri’s spokesman said Mr Jarvis remained positive about the outlook for the sector.
