EDITOR'S VISIT
Sustainability
Bee Tree Vineyard, and the contract supply business, Vine-Works are both very focussed on sustainable viticulture explains Will Mower, who leads the vineyard establishment team at Vine-Works. “Sustainability isn’t just a buzz word, it’s an environmental necessity and one that we strongly adhere to in our vineyard. When the opportunity came up to join the SWGB (Sustainable Wines of Great Britain) committee, we jumped at it. To be on the committee, as well a founding member vineyard, was a proud moment for us.” “As well as Bee Tree, Vine-Works also establishes and manages vineyards, and we include environmental sustainability in our reports and conversations with clients. It is particularly important for new comers to our industry to understand the role of sustainability and how they can make the right decisions from the very beginning. The SWGB has forged a strong path in
unknown territory for the UK wine industry and we will continue to support the scheme,” commented Will. Bee Tree Vineyard is fortunate to be surrounded by established hedgerows and ancient woodland. “Under our stewardship, these have flourished. As part of our SWGB audit we identified areas we can improve, one of which is to encourage more biodiversity. On the perimeters and in the ditches we are sowing native plant seed mixes. We also want to promote vine friendly wildlife and have installed nesting and bat boxes around the site. Part of improving biodiversity is restoring natural processes, which we will encourage where possible,” Will added. “Our weed management programme minimises herbicide use, with just one application pre bud break and for the rest of the season we use mechanical weeding methods, a combination of Braun rollhacke and Braun
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8/02/2021 14:38