Last Orders: Amisfield

Amisfield’s organic path

Five years after starting the journey towards full organic certification, Central Otago winery Amisfield has been named Organic Winery of the Year 2020. Amisfield CEO Craig Erasmus explains why they made the change and how it has been of benefit to the vines, the wines and the team as a whole…

On why Amisfield moved its vineyard to organic practices…

We’re the current custodians of what we believe is a pretty special place. The 92 hectares of land below Mt Pisa in the Clutha/Mata-Au valley, which is now our vineyard, allows us to grow vines and create wines we feel are full of vibrance and intensity. But for us to really feel our wines were an authentic expression of this place, then an organic approach was the only way forward. It’s a matter of integrity. This way we allow the land to speak through the wine. It’s a decision that’s not just positive for the wines, but one that’s in the best interest of this land and our people and something that’s integral to building an intergenerational family wine business. This way, we’re improving soil health, reducing our impact on the world around us and creating a product that’s genuinely expressive of this place. We began this journey in 2015 and since Autumn 2016 we’ve had “in conversion” status. We’ve worked in phases across the vineyard to get there and now the entire estate is under organic practice. It’s taken a great deal of effort, teamwork and no little innovation and learning to get here and we should achieve full certification for our 2021 vintage.

On what they’ve enjoyed about the change…

Firstly, we’ve enjoyed the challenge! Every site is a little different and we’ve learned a great deal about how the land and vines respond as a consequence of making these changes. Learning and adapting to suit our own unique site and soils and seeing the results when we get it right is really rewarding – especially when it’s the consequence of some inspiration and you’ve done something new, experimental and you see it working. Secondly, there’s the way this has brought the whole team together to take up the challenge: the vineyard, the winery, sales and marketing, management. It’s inspired everyone and got us aligned behind a shared purpose and that’s been really rewarding. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the results are showing in the wines themselves. We’re really pleased with how they’re developing and having both our Lowburn Terrace Riesling and Breakneck Reserve Pinot Noir named Champion in their varietal in the New Zealand Organic Wine Awards is thrilling.

“For us to really feel our wines were an authentic expression of this place, then an organic approach was the only way forward.”

On the benefits and challenges of converting to organic practices…

Keeping on top of the weeding has been a big challenge. Under-vine tilling is a constant task. And as soil health improves, the growth rate increases! That’s led to some experiments that seem to be paying off though. We’ve been using centre-row irrigation on a number of blocks and that’s delivering some real benefits. It’s limiting weed growth under the vines and allowing us to cultivate legumes as a cover crop in the row. This in turn is helping to fix much-needed nitrogen in our soils. We saw a lull in yield as the vines came off their supplements, but they’re adapting quickly and looking strong. The change has required us to be more open-minded and adaptive than we might have been. We’re paying greater attention to the details as the changes have forced us to, but that’s paying off in the quality of the fruit and in the wines themselves.

On the recognition from the NZ Organic Wine Awards…

Being named ‘Organic Winery of the Year 2020’ is gratifying and humbling. To be selected from a group of your peers in this manner is really rewarding as it shows that others believe that we’re getting it right too. There are some great wines, viticulturists and winemakers who’ve received this accolade in the past or were in the running this year. We were surprised to hear the results, but it’s something that we really value as it validates the decisions we made and the hard work the whole team have undertaken.

On what vintage 2020 was like…

“Out of the ordinary” might be a good description. A cooler than average growing season was followed by COVID-19. The wine industry was lucky to be afforded “essential industry” status, but that privilege placed huge responsibility on us to ensure we adhered to the protocols. Harvest wasn’t the sociable period it usually is, with the need for isolation, team shift and break management, record-keeping and additional hygiene measures. It was a slower process than a typical vintage, but we’re happy with the fruit and have a good feeling about the wines that will result.

On how the winery and restaurant are faring in the Alert Level 1 environment…

Since moving to Alert Level 1, we’ve seen a positive response. We’ve resumed lunch and dinner service at the restaurant four days a week, as well as adding a bar menu to allow for more casual dining. New Zealanders have definitely been keen to get out and the cellar door has seen good numbers with the recent July school holiday period showing really strong visitation to our region.