Shining a Light on Vineyards with Dr Paul Epee on UV Trials and Wine Quality
This show was published Friday, March 27, 2026
- Shining a Light on Vineyards with Dr Paul Epee on UV Trials and Wine Quality
Overview
What if a lightweight robot, running on electricity and navigating vineyard rows on its own in the dead of night, could replace your fungicide programme? That's the question Dr Paul Epee and the team at Bragato Research Institute set out to answer in Marlborough, and the results are more nuanced, and more fascinating, than a simple yes or no.
In this episode, Chris and Paul dig into the findings of a UVC light trial that tested autonomous robots against conventional fungicide on Sauvignon Blanc vines. The technology ticks a lot of boxes with no diesel, minimal compaction, lower labour costs, and a dramatically reduced chemical footprint. But what about the wine? That's where it gets interesting.
The UV-treated grapes showed measurably different juice composition — higher sugar levels, lower methoxypyrazines, reduced grassy and green pepper character, and notably altered typicity scores compared to fungicide-treated controls. Some of those changes could actually be a positive for certain varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, but for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, where that herbaceous edge is part of the identity, it raises real questions.
One vintage isn't enough to draw firm conclusions, and Paul is refreshingly honest about what the data can and can't tell us yet, but the direction of travel is clear. This is early-stage science with significant commercial potential, and it's being done right here in New Zealand's most important wine region.
Lambrusco Friday Wines order from https://www.decantalo.co.uk/
£13.11 Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Radice 2024
£12.39 Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco Leclisse 2024
£14.37 Camillo Donati Il Mio Lambrusco 2024
£15.12 Bergianti San Vincent 2022
£15.12 Bergianti No Autoclave Rosso 2023
£13.65 Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara LaRiserva 2023
£14.19 Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Solco 2024
£13.22 Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Sant' Agata 2024
£10.13 Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Piria 2024
£17.10 Paltrinieri Grosso 2021
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Music
The music used for the UK Wine Show is Griffes de Jingle 1 by Marcel de la Jartèle and Silence by Etoile Noire.
