Organic wineries noble pursuit for sustainability

Across the spectrum, from wineries with large portfolios to independent winemakers, sustainability is today’s noble pursuit - whether it is under the Tuscan sun or in sunny South Africa.

Currently, there are over 30 certified organic wineries in South Africa. These range from vintners with large portfolios to small garagista winemakers. Regardless of size, they have been recognised at home and abroad not only for their sustainable winemaking practices, but also for the quality of their wine. There are various international standards and controls that apply, in order to achieve organic certification in specific countries and regions. Organic winemaking methods are rigorously followed from the vineyard, into the cellar.

One of Stellenbosch’s oldest wineries, Spier, was recognised by the 2022 Platters Guide for two organic wines that are exclusively available from Spier’s wine shop and its online store. The First Stone Organic Red Blend 2018 and the Spier Farmhouse Organic Chenin Blanc 2019 achieved a 4.5-star rating each.

“Spier started the organic conversion process in 2011, growing from 21 ha of certified organic vineyards in 2015 to 118 ha in 2022. This long-term commitment to making organic wines is in keeping with Spier’s ethically-, environmentally- and socially-conscious farming philosophy in which we harness the goodness of nature in ways that are kind to the earth,” explains Spier’s organic Winemaker, Tania Kleintjes.

Spier Cellar Master, Johan Jordaan, remarks that “2021 was one for our winemaking books. Having recently taken the reins from the now MD, Frans Smit, there is no doubt in my mind that winemaking is an inherited legacy of good choices and future thinking. I believe these Platter’s results are proof that the Spier team is headed towards an even brighter future.”

It is largely for this reason that Platters Guide selected Spier as the “Editor’s Award – Winery of the Year for 2022” in recognition of the team’s performance and track record, and its outstanding international representation of South African wine.

Further afield, South African winemaker Manfred Ing has been making waves at Querciabella, one of Italy’s top wineries, which happens to be organic, biodynamic and vegan. Previously, Ing worked in the Napa Valley in California, USA, and in New Zealand and Piedmonte in northwest Italy. Before leaving South Africa he worked at Villafonté in the summer of 2007 when Villafonté was still making its wine at Tokara Wine Estate.

While Ing has not yet lost his Mzansi accent, his use of hand gestures when he speaks has taken on slightly more Italian inflections: “I am lucky, I’m under no commercial pressure, it needs to be excellent. There is an annual volume of 160 000 bottles of Chianti Classico and 14 000 bottles of Reserva. It’s not enough to go around the world. More than 50% of Chianti Classico is certified organic, this shows that it can be done. “Viticulture is monoculture but Querciabella means ‘beautiful oak’. Biodiversity brings bees, insects and wild boar.”

Extending the vineyard plant population beyond grapes and encouraging biodiversity has been a concerted effort in Italy.

“Querciabella has been certified European vegan since at least 1996 and biodynamic since 2000. Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, the owner of the farm, has been vegetarian and vegan for 20 years. He is a vegan venture capitalist on the New York Stock Exchange. We have eliminated all animal products and animal byproducts - particularly manures - so we had to step up our cover-crop game,” Ing says.

In the past, organic wine was joked about as being “cloudy with a chance of wine”, however, viticulturists and winemakers have clearly stepped up, adopting avant-garde and sustainable vinification techniques that result in wines that are consciously good. The proverbial silver lining of that “cloud” can now be appreciated in the glass…