Shadowing Practice: Water Shortage? This Cypriot grape is a game changer for Aussie winemakers | Landline - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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It may look like a vineyard straight out of the Mediterranean,
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It may look like a vineyard straight out of the Mediterranean,
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but this crop is in South Australia's Riverland and hasn't been watered for two months.
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I was stressed at the beginning,
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I thought, no, it's not going to work,
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but they've just taken off so well,
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they've grown amazingly and they just taste exactly what it tastes like in Cyprus.
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Yanni Katootsis and his family have been growing grapes for more than 50 years
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and is now one of two growers in Australia trialling the drought-tolerant white wine grape known as Zinisteri.
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It's reduced the consumption so much,
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looking at maybe 75% less water than,
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say, with Shirazes or the Chardonnays.
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So it's been a lot less water,
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and I was quite surprised about that.
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Like, the leaves are still quite green,
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and we're not watering as much as we usually do.
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You know, I have my family and my brother saying,
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you know, why aren't you watering your plants?
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And my mum going, why aren't you watering your vines?
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I'm like, we don't need to.
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And we're seeing that they actually don't need that much water,
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and this is what we want to see and this is exciting.
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Originating in Cyprus more than 5,000 years ago,
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Zinisteri is known for its thick skin and drought tolerance,
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making it resistant to heat waves, disease and low rainfall.
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For Yanni, who's experienced below average rainfall for three consecutive years,
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the variety has come at the perfect time.
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I can feel the energy between myself and Zinisteri.
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It's like, come on guys,
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you've got to be resistant and resilient to our heat, our climate here.
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And it's not only reducing his water bill,
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but reconnecting him to his Mediterranean roots.
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It's a connection to our history.
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It's a connection to the family.
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It's a connection to the variety that's been around for
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so many years and for me it's important to keep this Hellenic culture strong,
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not just in the Riverland but in Australia as a whole.
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They're just growing so quickly.
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The trunks are so thick.
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It's only three years, aren't they?
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Unbelievable.
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It could be five, six, seven years old.
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Zinisteri was introduced to Australia in 2018 by researcher Dr Alexander Copper,
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who has spent the last 16 years investigating Mediterranean wine grape varieties that could suit Australia's warming and changing climate.
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We were looking at what they call homoclimes,
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so trying to match the climates,
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and the one climate that matched pretty closely to Cyprus was Riverland,
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Renmark, and definitely when we first brought the varieties to Australia,
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tried to grow it in McLaren Vale down south,
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didn't like the cold weather,
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but when we put it here,
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the combination I think of the soil and the heat,
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it just grew like crazy.
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What struck you when comparing Cyprus to South Australia in terms of the climate and the similar landscapes that we see?
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Cyprus and most of the eastern Mediterranean is very limestone based soil,
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so ancient seabeds basically.
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And it looks very similar to around the river land when you're driving up,
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seeing all the stones in the fields,
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it reminds me of Cyprus.
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Most South Australian vineyards, the latitude is 35 degrees.
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And when we're looking in the Northern Hemisphere,
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35 degree latitude, you get Cyprus,
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Israel, Syria, Greece, Crete, Malta, Tunisia and Algeria.
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So they're the types of climates that we should be looking at and exploring for varieties to use in South Australia.
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It's a different picture from French varieties which are currently grown in Australian soil.
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Shiraz and Cabernet and Chardonnay and Savion Blanc and Pinot Gris is a big one now as well.
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And they're all French varieties so traditionally obviously France is a bit cooler,
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more rainfall, more winter rainfall and without changing climate those varieties can still perform in places like like Adelaide Hills,
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Victoria and Tasmania.
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But for South Australia, unless you've got good irrigation,
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we've got to start thinking of alternatives.
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I think long-term, those varieties are going to be a bit of a struggle.
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A struggle the Riverland knows all too well.
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Temporary water market prices have more than doubled in the Lower Murray-Darling Basin in the last 12 months,
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currently sitting around $400 a megalitre.
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And with some bulk wine producers receiving less than $100 a tonne for their fruit this season,
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and consumers drinking less wine,
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it's meant growers aren't harvesting their vines.
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It's very heartbreaking to see grapes drop to the ground,
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which we actually just did a couple of weeks ago,
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basically because there's no price for that variety.
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And to watch my mum cry and my parents cry, it's absolutely heartbreaking.
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And, and, and...
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Sorry.
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It's heartbreaking to see farmers struggling and...
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and suffering.
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It's an awful feeling.
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Ensuring growers stay on the land is front of mind for industry leaders.
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Dr Peter Heyman is the principal scientist in climate applications with the South Australian Research and Development Institute,
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and has spent decades analyzing changing adaptation pressures on primary industries.
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Irrigated fixed horticulture, perennial horticulture compared to annual horticulture,
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was seen as pretty drought proof.
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It had reliable water, it had a fixed allocation and it was a permanent planting.
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During the millennium drought we came to realise
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that nothing is more vulnerable to shortage of water than perennial horticulture because it needs it all the time,
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unlike annual horticulture where you can pull back and plant less area.
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Along with water constraints comes rising growing season temperatures which are predicted to increase by almost two degrees by 2070.
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And hotter temperatures brings an increased frequency of heatwave events,
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something Dr Hayman says is changing Australia's grape growing landscape.
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Dr Hayman, It's not like we can't grow grapes here anymore,
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it's just that there's a bit of a headwind of it being that little bit warmer,
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which means the grapes will grow a little bit quicker,
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but we'll also on a daily basis use a bit more water.
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But a worry is what that means for these heat waves.
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Let's test the sugar.
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With farmers diversifying to drought-tolerant crops like Zinisteri and the federal government committing more than $500 million to future drought fund initiatives,
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Dr Hayman believes there's still hope.
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Oh yeah, it's about nine or ten at the moment,
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so we're almost there.
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One of the aspects of adapting to change is that diversity is good.
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So it's great to have alternatives and diversity and looking at different varieties and so on.
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But it's also, people are sticking with traditional varieties and doing that in innovative ways and so on.
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So I think there's a whole many sources of adaptation.
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Zinisteri is showing great promise for growers in the Riverland who are desperate to find a way forward
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and a future for farming on their blocks.
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The variety has also been introduced to the premium wine region, the Barossa Valley.
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And Barossa producers are now bottling and selling the product for the first time in Australia.
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At a bottling facility in Yuriyutpa,
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around 500 bottles of Zinisteri are being packed for the first time.
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This is our 2025 vintage.
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We planted the grapes in October of 2021.
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With a bit of frost last year hitting us,
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we were only able to pick about 800 kilos.
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So this is the very first production of it that we put into a bottle.
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It's got a nice, beautiful colour,
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a nice, vibrant blue capsule.
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But, yeah, very small production,
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and we're super excited to be the first producers in Australia.
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It's amazing how these have tolerated the heat.
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Paul and Mara Georgiadis have been growing grapes in the Barossa Valley for almost 30 years,
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a region known for premium red wine production.
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But after being introduced to Zinisteri by Alex Copper,
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their 90-vine trial has now expanded to one acre and become a mainstay on their vineyard.
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People are drinking a lot more white wine,
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so we needed to introduce a white variety that actually suits the Barossa Valley.
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And that's where Sinisteri, I think,
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has become one of those winners for us.
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Because not only it's part of a drought-tolerant program,
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but it was something for us
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that we can actually have another story as people come in to taste their wines in our cellar door.
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So we have got white varieties.
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It's not just, it's a 45 degree day and you're only looking at reds.
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And since hitting cellar door shelves,
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it's flown out the door.
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Since we bottled late last year,
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we produced 80 dozen, and we've got about 20 dozen left,
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so we've been literally drip-feeding it into our market there.
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In terms of the wine itself,
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what could it be compared to for someone who isn't really across the Cypriot varieties
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that we know as in asteria is a variety we tend to hear very often,
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so what could it be compared to?
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I'd say personally there, it's probably more in that sort of Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio style.
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Some of the tropical flavours on the nose,
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but then it's got some lovely sort of white peach and plum coming through the palate as well.
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Would you like to have a taste and try the wine?
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That would be great.
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Thank you.
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Cheers.
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Cheers.
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Enjoy.
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Thank you.
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It's really fruity, like that passion fruit,
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citrusy smell that you were talking about you can really feel those notes coming through.
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So Helios is the ancient Greek term for sun,
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and where this grape originates from in Cyprus there,
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there's a lot of sun there and where we're growing it in the process,
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so having that linked through.
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Zinisteri, the grape variety, could be a little challenging for the consumer as well.
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To be able to say Helios there makes it a bit easier there to recognise that.
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Come on in Azoli, let's go!
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A Cypriot variety connecting climate and culture across South Australia.
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To bring and grow something new and be some of the pioneers in those varieties,
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to have grass roots back in Greece,
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it's just something very special.
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I can see my dad who passed away in 2015 probably from above smiling,
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going, jeez I wish he did that when I was still here.
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It's given me some hope really,
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it's given me some hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and there is something,
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a hope out there for the wine industry and hope for our business as a family too.
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I'm sure and I can see it,
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I can see a lot of interest around it,
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that it will have a positive outcome.
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This is how we dance in our garden every day.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English listening and speaking skills based on a fascinating YouTube video about the drought-tolerant grape variety, Zinisteri, from Cyprus and its cultivation in South Australia's Riverland. As you engage with the content, you will enhance your vocabulary while learning about sustainable agriculture and the resilience of crops in changing climates. This practice session is perfect for those preparing for IELTS speaking practice and looking to improve their fluidity through the shadowing technique.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Drought-tolerant - Capable of withstanding dry conditions and using less water.
- Vineyard - A plantation of grapevines, often associated with wine production.
- Climate - The typical weather conditions in a particular area over a long period.
- Resilient - Able to recover quickly from difficult conditions.
- Australian Riverland - A unique agricultural region in South Australia known for its wineries.
- Homoclimes - Regions with similar climate characteristics.
- Connection to heritage - A linkage to one's historical or cultural roots.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning experience with this video, consider implementing the shadowing technique. This method involves listening to the video's dialogue while simultaneously repeating the speech. By navigating the characteristically engaging pace and tone of the speakers, you will develop better pronunciation and rhythm in your spoken English.
Here are some tailored tips for effective shadowing practice using this video:
- Start by watching the video once to familiarize yourself with the content and context.
- Listen to shorter segments of the audio, pausing frequently to repeat phrases that catch your attention.
- Focus on the tonal variations and emotional delivery of the speakers as you practice—this could enrich your verbal expression.
- Record yourself using a shadowing app to compare your pronunciation with the original dialogue.
- Utilize the transcript to identify key vocabulary, ensuring you can incorporate these terms naturally into future conversations.
Whether you are engaging in IELTS speaking practice or simply looking to refine your English speaking skills, utilizing shadow speech through this method will help establish a more profound connection with the language and subject matter.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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