The healthier the plant, the better the fruit and the better result in the glass

To make the big bold wines that 97-hectare western Barossa vineyard Lienert Estate has become known for, proprietor and viticulturist John Lienert needs equipment that takes care of the vines and the soil. Already a happy customer with the ERO trimmer and VSL pruner, John picked the FMR R-Series Recycling Sprayer to support their focus on sustainable vineyards and high quality grapes.

“We noticed a big difference when swapping out our old sprayer for the R-Series,” John says.
The main difference has been saving – in more ways than one.

“To be able to recover those early applications up to 80% was a huge selling point,” he says. “It was pretty frustrating to lose so much of the spray while the canopy is still developing.”

“The team can also get more spraying done each day, with low refilling there are fewer trips back and forth. Not only that, the recovery system extends our spraying opportunities, as it is still effective in higher wind conditions, we’re much more efficient now.”

Built with the highly regarded Weber tangential fan system, setting up the R-Series Sprayer is easy, with the operator simply turning nozzles on or off to suit the canopy height. “It is so much faster to get started, we’re not adjusting fan head angles, or needing to run test rows,” said John.

John has been so successful in his spraying program since switching to the recycling sprayer, he urges others to do the same, saying

“I still can’t understand why more people don’t want to save fungicides and foliar nutrition with a recycle unit. Maybe with the movement to sustainable vineyards and winemaking, people will start to think about their waste!”

As well as cost and chemical savings, John sees the R-Series sprayer as safer since fewer fungicides end up in the air and risk the operator’s health.

“It really is the perfect machine due the spray being on target, getting right into the canopy and bunches – combined with spray capture and recycling system means we are saving on fungicides,” John says.

Being well-built and super stable are another plus for John when it comes to the R-Series. “The strong boom moves well over the rows, and the operators find the hydraulic drive simpler and safer than a PTO connection.”

Spray with support

Beyond all those benefits, John knew the AME team was there to help. While he already knew he wanted the R-Series Recycling Sprayer, he appreciated the information and insights the AME team shared on how the machine would work best at Lienert Estate.

“I really love the people at AME. Lee was fantastic – and I would always rather do business with someone I like. Plus they have a big product list and can move parts very quickly if we need them.”

———————————————————————————————————————

Get in touch with AME Group to see how the FMR R-Series Recycling Sprayer can help you make a faster, smoother move to sustainable winemaking in your vineyards this season.

Photo of John Lienert by Sam Kroepsch Photography