organic matters
THE DIRT FROM ORGANIC WINEGROWERS
NEW ZEALAND
In this issue
From the chair
As I write this, it’s fabulous to see the vineyards turning green again as the first few leaves poke their heads out along the canes. Spring is a special time, and is truly a tonic after the long dark winter. Let’s hope this wonderful weather continues all the way through flowering.
Organic Wine Week has been and gone, but continues to go from strength to strength, with more and more members getting involved in activities. It’s really become an important time for organic wine in New Zealand, and it’s wonderful to have this locked into our calendar.
This year we expanded our Down to Earth events, in both numbers of participants and locations. We were excited to take Down to Earth to Wellington for the first time, and it didn’t disappoint. We took over the hall at Prefab and we were very pleased with the turnout of both trade and consumers at our inaugural Wellington event.
We also stepped it up a notch in Auckland and increased our members’ participation to 28 wineries. Just as in Wellington, there was a very decent turnout, and it was great to welcome so many of the established Auckland trade
to our event.
We are very pleased to support our members in one of the most important aspects of making organic wine, and that is with sales! As such we have been working very hard to establish these relationships with both trade and consumers, which should benefit our members greatly. I have to say I am pretty proud of how far we have come with the development of Down to Earth. It’s fantastic to have these organic events, which show a unified front for organic wine, also providing a pathway to your customers.
In other news, the conference organising committee are in full swing organising the next Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference to be held in Marlborough from 16th to 18th June 2025.
Finally, two of our valued executive committee members are on their way west. This winter Mike Saunders stepped down, and he is now in his new viticulturist position at Voyager Estate in Margaret River in Western Australia. More recently, Matt Fox has stepped down from his position on the executive committee
as he has taken a viticultural role at Cherubino Wines, also in Margaret River. We would like to thank Mike and Matt for all their efforts and their commitment to the cause, and wish them each a great future on their next adventures.
Clive Dougall Chair, OWNZ
Celebrating organic
For this year’s Organic Wine Week, wineries, restaurants, retailers and distributors got into the spirit, finding creative ways to share organic wine and inspiration far and wide.
By Naomi Galvin OWNZ Marketing & Events Coordinator
Established in 2017 by Organic Winegrowers NZ, Organic Wine Week (OWW) is a seven-day celebration of all things organic wine. Ushering in the Spring Equinox, this year’s festivities took place across the motu 16-22 September.
A collaboration with Instagram sustainability inspirer @ethicallykate (52.2K followers) created a buzz in the buildup to OWW. Her story series reached over 4.5K accounts each with Palliser Chardonnay, Te Whare Rā Toru, Fugitive Organic Sauvignon Blanc, Loveblock Pinot Gris, Decibel Giunta Crunchy Red and The Darling Pinot Noir taking centre stage, showing a diverse range of organic wine styles, regions and formats.
There was no shortage of activities in this year’s calendar of events, and the assortment of events on offer saw everything from a native planting day at Coal Pit Winery in Central Otago to a soldout chef and vintner degustation dinner at Arbour Restaurant in Marlborough with Fromm wine pairings.
Down to Earth, OWNZ’s main tasting events, engaged crowds in Wellington and Auckland (more info on page 8).
Other tastings included Amy HopkinsonStyles of Halcyon Days pouring and chatting about her new releases at By The Bottle in Auckland.
An intimate Behind the Wines tasting with Dave Foes was held at Fidelio Cafe & Wine Bar in Blenheim. With nearly two decades of winemaking wizardry under his belt, Dave was the perfect person to share the stories behind some of the wines made at The Coterie.
Taco Teca, in City Works Depot, Auckland, did a special organic wine list to celebrate OWW. Loveblock TEE Sauvignon Blanc (no sulphur) and Zephyr Riesling were included in the organic wine menu. Megan Watts from Loveblock said “the mushroom taco was so good!”
An array of winemakers’ dinners delighted
attendees up and down the country. Among them was the Sip & Savour Long Lunch, where Furneaux Lodge teamed up with Framingham. The event kicked off with a boat trip from Picton, cruising the beautiful Marlborough Sounds, followed by a private dining experience of a stunning three-course meal, expertly matched with Framingham F-Series organic wines.
Photo above: Organic wine lovers enjoy a multi-course meal with Black Estate wine pairings at San Ray, Auckland during Organic Wine Week.
wines, together
The Zephyr x Salty Pidgin wine dinner hit the mark in Brooklyn, Wellington with Marlborough’s Ben Glover showing off the renowned Zephyr wines. The event featured five courses and seven wines across multiple vintages and varieties.
A locals’ night at Mr Zhou’s in Mount Eden, Auckland saw great conversation, good fun and a delicious banquet with Churton wines presented by Sam Weaver.
And finally, a springtime starlit evening was had at San Ray in Ponsonby, Auckland. Pen Naish and Nicholas Black engaged a group of organic wine lovers with a multi-course dinner matched with Black Estate Wines. A few aged wines came out for the evening too.
Photos this page, from top: Loveblock organic wines paired with tacos at Taco Teca, Auckland. Tasting Halcyon Days at By the Bottle, Auckland. Promotions for Organic Wine Week events featuring organic wineries and winemakers. Native planting day at Coal Pit, Central Otago.
Getting Down to Earth
By Naomi Galvin OWNZ Marketing & Events Coordinator
Following the inaugural Down to Earth organic wine tasting event held in Auckland last year, OWNZ expanded this unique and popular event to a larger Auckland venue and debuted the event in Wellington for this year’s Organic Wine Week.
Despite the atrocious Wellington weather on Tuesday 17 September, Prefab Hall, just off Tory Street in the city, provided a cosy retreat for Wellingtonians escaping the rain, wind and nine-degree-high day. Enthusiastic winemakers and staff from 24 New Zealand organic wineries each showed three of their most exciting wines in two-hour sessions, with one session for trade and one for consumers. Tucked away behind a bustling café and bakery, Prefab Hall, with its high ceilings and natural wood panelling, was an ideal space for an organic wine tasting.
After a travel day in between, with a chance to visit accounts and put on their own Organic Wine Week activities, wineries reunited for Down to Earth Auckland on Thursday 19 September. This year the venue was Brad’s, an iconic blue stone building, one of Auckland’s finest 19th-century warehouses. The top floor was laid out with bar leaners for wineries to present their wines and mix and mingle with the crowd. This year, 28 wineries participated in the trade and public tastings in Auckland.
Some seriously good organic wine, delicious finger food and good vibes flowed throughout the afternoon and into evening at both events. Thanks to everyone who helped take Down to Earth to the next level!
Photos on facing page, clockwise from top: Dave Foes of The Coterie and Bart Arnst of The Darling celebrate in Wellington. A banner announces the spirit of the event in Auckland. Friends toast at the public tasting in Wellington. Peter Lorimer of Deep Down pours in Auckland.
Photos this page, clockwise from top left: The Auckland Down to Earth venue, Brad’s, housed in an iconic 19th-century stone-walled warehouse. Jordan Hogg of Atipico pours in Wellington. Megan Watts and Maria Teresa Romero Ponce offer Loveblock wines in Wellington. Kirsty Sutherland and Anna Dunne of Dog Point in Wellington. Lucas Bourgeois and Damien Yvon of Clos Henri showcase Clos Henri wines at the Auckland event.
Wellington photos by Tim and Nadine Photography. Auckland photos by Radlab.
Earth and sky
Tickets are on sale and scholarship applications are open for the organic winegrowing event of the year: the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference
The Organic Winegrowers NZ team is thrilled to bring the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference back to Marlborough next winter, and we would love you to join us.
This not-to-be missed, three-day organic immersion will take place 16-18 June 2025.
Tickets are on sale from 1 November via the conference website: organicwineconference.com
Bringing together leading industry experts and speakers from across the motu and the globe, the conference caters to all wine industry producers, from the certified organic to the curious, imparting innovation, knowledge and networking to inspire the future of winegrowing.
The event will be centred around Matariki (the Māori new year) and the
winter solstice. Themes for next year’s conference are under the earth, above the ground, and into the sky. Topics will include climate change, biodiversity, soil health, biodynamics, regenerative viticulture and much more.
The conference committee is excited to announce the first four keynote speakers: Rajat Parr (USA), Katia Nussbaum (Italy), Joseph Brinkley (USA) and Dr Mike Joy (New Zealand).
Keynote speakers
Rajat Parr, USA
Rajat Parr has cultivated a varied and distinguished career in wine. His first chapter was as a sommelier and wine director, beginning with his tutelage at San Francisco’s wine mecca Rubicon under the great sommelier Larry Stone and culminating years later as wine director for the Michael Mina group, where
he was in charge of the wine programs in over 20 restaurants across the United States. During this time, he began to sow the seeds for his second chapter, as winemaker. Already a celebrated wine taster and explorer, Parr began to collaborate with other winemakers, notably the late Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, to create his own small brand of wines. This experience led him to deepen his engagement with wine production through his ongoing collaboration in the vineyard and winery with winemaker Sashi Moorman and their successful brands Domaine de la Côte, Sandhi and Evening Land.
In recent years, Parr has continued to trace this trajectory to its natural terminus, becoming a winegrower himself. In recent years, he founded Phelan Farms of Cambria, California to farm and make the wine from their vineyards, focusing on regenerative agriculture and natural winemaking.
Katia Nussbaum, Italy
In 1990, London-born Katia Nussbaum and her husband, Luigi, reclaimed a rustic farmhouse in southern Tuscany where they now produce their premium wine, San Polino Brunello di Montalcino.
A fervent believer in the power of regenerative viticulture, Katia uses her earlier training in social anthropology to critique our contemporary ways of seeing. Using her beloved vitiforestry project as a metaphor for the complexity of an interconnected universe, San Polino wines become pieces for performance art: unique expressions of territory in the context of time, nature and culture.
At left: the 2023 Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference
Her dream is to be a drop in an ocean of positive change.
Joseph Brinkley, USA
With a degree in horticulture, another in economics, and over 20 years in the field, Joseph Brinkley specialises in soil health, farming efficiencies, compost, cover crops, biodynamic farming and viticulture. He is committed to regenerative organic agriculture as a path towards increased vitality and resilience on the farm, as well as a means to climate change mitigation through carbon reintegration. He is currently Senior Director of Regenerative Organic Farming at Bonterra Organic Estates.
Dr Mike Joy, NZ
Mike is an outspoken advocate for environmental protection in New Zealand. He has received a number of awards, including an Ecology in Action award from the NZ Ecological Society, an Old Blue award from Forest and Bird, Environmental New Zealander of the year according to North and South magazine (2009), Manawatu Evening Standard person of the year (2012), the Tertiary Education Union NZ Award of Excellence for academic freedom and contribution to public education (2013), the 2013 Charles Fleming Award for environmental work from the Royal Society of New Zealand, the Morgan Foundation inaugural River Voice Award (2015) and the inaugural NZ Universities Critic and Conscience award (2017).
Scholarships available
The OWNZ conference committee is pleased to again be partnering with the New Zealand Horticentre Charitable Trust to offer scholarships for our 2025 conference.
In 2023 this meant that we were able to bring recipients from around Aotearoa to the event who otherwise would have been unable to attend.
In 2025, we are delighted to offer up to ten scholarships for members of our industry to attend the three-day conference.
Recipients will receive a full registration for the conference, plus assistance with accommodation and transport for those out of region if needed.
Eligibility for application
• Young or developing winegrowers and winemakers who can demonstrate their potential contribution and passion for organic growing and wine production in Aotearoa.
Applicants from all winegrowing regions of Aotearoa are encouraged to apply, including those who may not be able to attend otherwise due to financial constraints.
Applications will be made anonymously to the selection panel.
We invite applications via the conference website from 1 November: www. organicwineconference.com/scholarships
Key dates
Applications open – 1 November 2024 Applications close – 13 December 2024
Recipients will be contacted in January and publicly announced 31 January 2025.
For any questions, please contact conference committee members Nick Pett (nicklpett@gmail.com) or Amy Hopkinson-Styles (halcyonwines@gmail. com).
Offsetting our impact: Trees that Count
When organising the 2023 Organic & Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, the conference committee and the rest of the OWNZ team were conscious that bringing people from the other side of the world to speak at a three-day conference and encouraging people to attend from across the motu didn’t sit entirely well with us, from a carbon footprint perspective. We had lengthy discussions about the best action to take and whether to consider alternatives to an in-person gathering. But with the conference taking place every two years and knowing the overall positive benefits the conference makes, inspiring all and bringing the organic
Photos, from top to bottom: Conference keynote speakers for 2025 include Rajat Parr, Katia Nussbaum, Joseph Brinkley and Mike Joy.
community together, there had to be another way.
Just like many of the wineries and vineyards we represent, Organic Winegrowers New Zealand is committed to reducing our carbon footprint. So we decided to offset the parts of the conference’s carbon footprint associated with travel.
Supporting organic grape and wine production is the focus of our specific mission. At the same time, other goals are important to us: to reduce our carbon footprint, champion biodiversity, bring back native birds, care for rare native plant species, protect Aotearoa’s image and improve air quality.
That’s why we decided to work with Trees That Count. They made it easy to support native tree planting to strengthen Aotearoa’s biodiversity and communities.
For the 2023 Organic & Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, we calculated our emissions and donated 122 native trees to be planted by The Nature Conservancy - Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance.
This year we’ve carried this commitment over to our regional grower events. For the Kelly Mulville Tour 2024, we gifted 23 trees to be planted by Whataroa Bay Restoration Project. Whataroa Bay is a bay in the iconic and beautiful Marlborough Sounds, previously planted in forestry. The intention of the restoration team is to try to restore at least 10 hectares into native trees as a starting point for more widespread work.
Trees That Count is a great platform and helps organisations like OWNZ to make a positive impact for nature in Aotearoa New
Zealand. They have deep roots across New Zealand’s planting regions and a team of ecologists to help get the right trees in the ground, in the right place, at the right time.
Below: Whataroa Bay in the Marlborough Sounds is one of the native tree-planting projects which OWNZ has supported.
Organic in Oregon
By Bart Arnst Viticulture Consultant / The Darling Wines
Last February I was fortunate to be asked to sit on a panel at the Oregon Wine Symposium, an annual event which is presented by Oregon Winegrowers Association and the Oregon Wine Board and held in Portland.
The Organic Growers of Oregon were instrumental in securing my invitation. I sat on the panel discussing Regenerative Vineyard Landscapes: Benefits of Adopting Healthier Soil Stewardship & Implementation Strategies with Rob Schultz, vineyard manager at Lemelson Vineyards and Garrett Long, director of agriculture at Troon Vineyard. The session was chaired by Madeleine Rowan-Davis, vice president of polyculture at Antica Terra.
The Organic Growers of Oregon group began getting together in 2021, initially to discuss spray programmes etc. Co-chaired by Rob Schultz and Dr Patty Skinkis, professor and viticulture extension specialist from Oregon State University, they meet eight or nine times per year, discussing mainly ‘the basics’ of organic winegrowing – pest and disease control, undervine weed management, cover cropping, etc. They have often hosted guests such as myself and more recently Gareth King of Felton Road.
With over 80 on the email list, they regularly have 40 to 50 attend each get-together, with the location varying depending on availability.
Our New Zealand Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference was known to many, and there is a strong possibility that they may try to do something similar in the upcoming years. They have already mooted a tasting
Photos at Alexana Winery, Oregon: Electric fence to keep coyotes and cougars out; a moss-covered head; pigs graze and root in the vineyard.
event to showcase wineries with similar philosophies, similar to our Down to Earth events here.
After the symposium I was hosted by Rob, Madeline and Drew Herman, vineyard director at Alexana Estates.
Rob, apart from his normal job, also breeds sheep to utilise on vineyards. This is quite unusual for Oregon (see table below). The protection of the sheep (see photo below) initially seemed amusing
and over-the-top, however the fencing is as much about keeping coyotes and cougars out as it is to keep sheep in.
Drew has been running pigs on the vineyard up until veraison or when the pigs start to investigate the grapes. Initially the pigs’ ground-rooting looked like it could be the tractor driver’s curse, but it really is just a light surface cultivation and after the first mow not so noticeable. Unsure how this would sit with the no-till followers?
Photos courtesy of Bart Arnst
Underground heroes
At the 2023 Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, a scientific talk captivated the room: Dr Hicham Ferhout’s presentation on ‘Mycorrhizae and their Drivers’.
Here we reprint key points from that talk.
Dr Ferhout returns to Marlborough this November for another talk; see advert on facing page.
Dr Hicham Ferhout is the head of research and development for biofertilisers and microbial biostimulants at Agronutrition in France. Dr Ferhout is one of the leading research scientists worldwide on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and endomycorrhizae. He has published several papers focusing on soil life and its ability to promote plant growth and impact the nutritional properties of the soil.
Dr Ferhout has a PhD in microbiology and a second one in mycology. He speaks worldwide about biofertilisers and biostimulants and their role in supporting sustainable agriculture, a focus for Agronutrition and De Sangosse.
In his talk at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Dr Ferhout described mycorrhizae as “obligate plant root-symbiotic soil fungi”. In practice, that means:
• They are multicellular microorganisms which form thread-like hyphae and produce spores.
•They live and develop only in soils.
• They have a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with plant roots.
• They can’t grow on their own; they have to exist in association with a plant in order to develop.
The relationship between plants and mycorrhizae is powerful for both parties. Mycorrhizae grow mycelia which spread through the soil in dense web-like networks to find minerals and water, which they deliver to the plant. In return, the plant feeds sugars to the mycorrhizae to keep them alive. Scientists now estimate that almost 40% of the total organic matter that plants produce through photosynthesis is exuded out through their roots into the soil, to feed both mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria. This is a huge contribution by the plant to keep its underground allies alive.
The fine mycelia of mycorrhizae can explore a much greater volume of soil than plant roots can cover on their own, so the mycorrhizae effecively act as a massive extension of the plant’s root system. Mycorrhizae are good at collecting minerals, but cannot source soil carbon on their own, so they are dependent on the plant for their food.
This association between mycorrhizae and plants is the normal healthy way for most plants to live. Approximately 80% of terrestrial plants form associations with endomycorrhizae. The term ‘endo’ refers to the fact that these species of mycorrhizae actually grow into the inside of the plant roots. It is there, inside the roots, that the mycorrhizae and the plant swap nutrients with each other.
However, Dr Ferhout pointed out, modern agriculture is not generally supportive of these natural relationships. It takes time for mycorrhizae to develop, and agricultural crops are often put into the ground without enough time to build these networks. Soil disturbances such as tillage will destroy the mycorrhizae, which are slow to grow back. This is one of the drawbacks of soil cultivation.
Above: Dr Hicham Ferhout speaks at the 2023 Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in Blenheim.
One benefit of perennial cover crops is that they can act as ongoing hosts for mycorrhizae in soil. Without plant hosts to maintain the mycorrhizae, each new plant put into bare soil has to create its own new mycorrhizal network. Cover crops are very effective at increasing the presence of mycorrhizae in soils.
More fascinating benefits of these connective fungi include:
• Plant-to-plant transfers of nutrients. Mycorrhizae can connect different plants and can even link different species of plants to each other via the roots. In this way, the fungi can transfer nutrients between plants; for example, they can move nitrogen from leguminous nitrogenfixing plant roots to other plant species that need nitrogen. This is useful in mixed cover cropping situations.
• Plant communication. Mycorrhizae can transfer messages between plants through the soil. For example, if one plant is attacked by a pathogen, it can send out a chemical signal via the mycorrhizae to alert other plants, which will then prepare their defences. For this reason Dr Ferhout called mycorrhizae “an internet of plants”.
• Plant survival and growth. During planting – for example, in transplanting of vines – using mycorrhizae can increase plant survival. Plants will also grow more rapidly in the presence of mycorrhizae.
Mycorrhizae act as ‘an internet for plants’.
• Reduced water needs. Mycorrhizae can explore the soil farther than plant roots can reach, increasing the soil volume from which the plant can receive water.
• Nutrient absorption. Mycorrhizae can uptake nutrients from the soil and inject the nutrients directly into the inside of the plant root. This has been documented for phosphorus, as well as other nutrients.
• Improving soil structure and preventing erosion. Mycorrhizae release glomalin, a glue-like substance that binds soil granules together. The mycelial network also holds the soil together.
• Rooting. Mycorrhizae produce hormones such as auxins which stimulate
plant root development. Studies show that plant root mass is greater when grown with mycorrhizae.
Dr Ferhout also shared some promising studies on the applications of mycorrhizal inoculation in vineyards.
One study found a 10% increase in grape yield, compared to a control, when the vines were inoculated with mycorrhizae. In the second year of the trial, no further inoculation was done; however yield continued to increase another 9%. If conditions are conducive to fungal survival, mycorrhizae do not have to be applied to the vineyard every year.
Moreover, a study on grapevines showed that increases in grape yield, when caused by mycorrhizae, do not appear to lead to any measurable decrease in fruit quality.
Another study on vines showed how mycorrhizae can support vine nutrition. In a vineyard where the vines were at risk of iron chlorosis, applying a combination of mycorrhizae and iron chelate together produced the most rapid recovery for the vines. The mycorrhizae were able to get the iron from the soil into the vine roots.
Regenerative wisdom
Hosted by OWNZ, regenerative organic viticulturist Kelly Mulville returned to Aotearoa in June to share his wisdom and experiences with local winegrowers.
By Naomi Galvin OWNZ Marketing & Events Coordinator
Regenerative organic viticulturist Kelly Mulville of Paicines Ranch in California drew overwhelmingly positive reactions to his presentations at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference in 2023. So the OWNZ team was grateful to be able to partner with the Horticentre Charitable Trust to bring Kelly back to Aotearoa to deliver a series of regenerative viticulture workshops across the motu in June 2024.
The tour kicked off at Gibbston Valley in Central Otago, where attendees listened to presentations from Kelly as well as discussions with Robert Andre of Tinwald Farm, Mike Wolfenden and Nick Paulin of AONZ Fine Wine Estates. A dinner following the workshop was full of more great discussions, a sharing of ideas and deeper connections with an amazing
group of people.
The next day Kelly drove to North Canterbury to do it all again the following day at Black Estate. Workshop participants there got out into the vineyard at Black Estate’s regeneratively farmed block and Greystone’s high-wire block which integrates sheep into the vineyard in a system similar to Kelly’s. Participants also heard local experiences from Nicholas Brown of Black Estate, Liam Burgess of Greystone and Michelle Hansen of Pegasus Bay.
Unsurprisingly, Marlborough attracted the largest crowd of the tour. The workshop was held at Ūkaipō - the Rangitāne Cultural Centre, and the afternoon session included discussions with João Corbett of Loveblock, Tim Bryce and Robert Holdaway of Holdaway Estate.
Kelly wanted to visit a few regenerative
Photo above: At Paicines Ranch in California, Kelly Mulville and his team move sheep through the vineyard in compact mobs to mimic the grazing patterns of wild animals.
and innovations
farms while he was in Aotearoa. His programme allowed for a few visits in Central Otago, with tours of Tinwald Farm and The Point Station. Mangarara Farm in Hawke’s Bay was another stop on his sightseeing tour, with farmer Greg Hart showing him around.
Kelly’s Hawke’s Bay leg of the tour coincided with the Young Viticulturist Awards Dinner. After being offered a ticket to the evening event at The Mission, Kelly was both humbled by the community spirit and inspired by the competition.
The Hawke’s Bay workshop was held at Ash Ridge with Leith Ashworth of Ash Ridge, Ryan Fraser of Paritua, Daniel Brewster of AONZ Fine Wine Estates and Greg Hart of Mangarara Farm all sharing their local experiences.
Kelly’s presentations surveyed a wide range of interconnected topics: undervine management, holistic management, ecosystem processes and management tools, decisionmaking, context checks, increasing water-holding capacity, the mineral cycle, the soil food web, energy flow, soil health principles, extended-season grazing, overhead trellis systems, plant health and insect resistance via Brix, sap analysis, spray programmes, soil microbial diversity and much, much more.
Question everything; ‘no-one is an expert in this field’
By Annabel Bulk Felton Road / OWNZ Central Otago representative
I enjoyed hearing Kelly Mulville speak at the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference last year, and his return trip to New Zealand with a follow-up regenerative tour was just as fascinating.
Kelly’s unique vineyard farming and utilisation of stock on his ranch show there are completely different ways of approaching vineyard management. His introduction to the day was all about asking us to question our management styles and rethink how to approach farming.
Kelly emphasised that it is important to understand what your own positive indicators are. Everyone will have different context checks they want to observe for positive change; these could be gut feel, financial, biological, social, sustainability or cause and effect.
The mid-morning session focused on use of ground cover to help water infiltration into the soil, where more plant diversity will increase the carbon in the soil. This will act like a sponge to quickly soak up excess water, which is important with climate
Photos above: Kelly Mulville enjoys his tour of regenerative Mangarara Farms, Hawke’s Bay; the workshop group visits Greystone’s high-trellis block in North Canterbury.
change and the extremes in the weather.
Grass doesn’t give a lot of potential to the soil; it restricts diversity and therefore health. So Kelly advised trying to promote other species and using a crimping roller if grazing is not an option. Kelly recommended using a split crimping roller, which leaves a middle strip standing, so some plants are able to go through their entire cycle; this allows flowering and development of the seed to return to the ground and continue to succeed.
Ground cover also will help to keep the soil temperature more constant, protecting the biomass that is living there from extremes. A digital thermometer can be used to read the differences in temperature between bare soil and covered soil.
Kelly spoke about mimicking nature’s ebbs and flows. This involves observing and understanding the way animals interact with their surrounds. Kelly looked at bison and wild grazing animal behaviour to understand how to integrate stock into his vineyard system. Using a high trellis and allowing sheep to graze underneath was a start, but he then
wanted to keep the animals clustered together, echoing the roaming herd instinct of the natural grassland herds. Having a shepherd and dogs to keep the herd together means that part of the land is intensely grazed and then the animals move on. This allows for long ‘rest’ periods when the grazing animals do not return to the same area; high levels of manure enter the nutrient cycle, plants are grazed down but have an extended period to recover and the next generation of plants can germinate to mask gaps.
We later heard from Rob Andre of Tinwald Farm about his observations of using sheep in the vineyard and watching them go from grazing, with heads down to the sward, to slowly lifting their grazing to the lower part of the vines for leaf-plucking. Once the sheep start to lift their heads and browse the vines, he knows he needs to shift them out to other food sources. This is a great example of understanding the nature of the herd and working with the sheep to get his leaf plucking done.
Nick Paulin from AONZ spoke about carbon-reducing methods of farming and how they are trying to build soil carbon through cover cropping.
We also heard from Mike Wolfenden, ‘vigneron at large’, about his journey into regenerative viticulture and his aspiration to bring small sheep breeds into New Zealand, and ultimately into the vineyard farming system.
Key takeaway points:
• Strive for holistic management.
• Keep ground covered.
• Think about removing a pest at the weakest point in its growth cycle.
• Plan > monitor > control > re-plan >…
A very special thanks to Horticentre Charitable Trust and to our amazing sponsors for helping to make this tour possible: De Sangosse New Zealand Ltd, OsGro Seed Services, CM Mechanical Limited/Clemens NZ, Fruitfed Suppliers, Hill Labs, Wain & Naysmith Lawyers, FrostBoss Frost Fans, JJ Ltd.
At left: Kelly presents in Central Otago. Above: Dinner in Hawke’s Bay with (clockwise from left) Dan Brewster, Naomi Galvin, Greg Hart, Leith Ashworth, Rhys Evans, Kelly Mulville and Amy Hopkinson-Styles.
Member news
Certifications, accolades, innovations and more
Rimapere reaches organic certification
The story began in 2012, when Edmond de Rothschild Heritage wanted to create its own Sauvignon Blanc in a unique terroir. Benjamin de Rothschild fell under the spell of 24 hectares planted with Sauvignon Blanc, ideally located in the Golden Mile on Rapaura Road in Marlborough.
Since 2019, the vineyard has been managed with regenerative and organic practices. Kurt Robinson, the viticulturist, has a respectful mindset focused on soil health, biodiversity and ecological systems to improve the health of the vineyard. Kurt’s motto is “Take care of the land as you would care for your family.”
The vineyard team say they like to use plants to do the heavy lifting. Since the beginning of this journey, pest species like mealybug are at their lowest on record, soil carbon and organic matter have increased year on year, and soil water-holding capacity has increased. The fruit quality and plant resilience have been noticeably better in the face of an ever-changing climate. Vintage 2024 marks the first fully Biogro-certified organic vintage and the first organic vineyard for Edmond de Rothschild Heritage worldwide.
Felicity Carter looks at biodynamics in NZ
New Zealand Winegrowers brought Felicity Carter over as their opening keynote speaker at the Wine Business Forum held in Wellington on 29 August, and Felicity proceeded to explore her interest in Aotearoa’s thriving, close-knit biodynamic winegrowing community.
Based in Europe, Felicity Carter is the founder of the Drinks Insider podcast
and research consultancy, as well as editorial director of Areni Global, the fine wine think tank headquartered in London. Previously, she was the founding executive editor of The Drop at Pix, editorial consultant for Liv-ex, and editorin-chief of Meininger’s Wine Business International, which she built into the world’s premier business publication, with subscribers in 38 countries. Her work has appeared in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers in Australia, and in The Guardian US, among many others.
Felicity plans to write an article about how New Zealand has adapted biodynamics to its own circumstances. She thinks that would be very interesting, given that the plant and animal life is so different in New Zealand than in the places where biodynamics was developed.
Her goal is also to produce a limited series, multi-voice podcast, and write a book, using the same material on
biodynamics. For this she wanted an overview of the New Zealand biodynamic sector in general, and in particular she wanted to look at the contrast between a very ‘traditional’ biodynamic producer and a more modern, scientific one that still identifies itself as biodynamic. Her book will trace the history of the biodynamic movement and will look at how it has adapted itself internationally, particularly in the way it’s been adopted by fine wine producers.
Following her time speaking at the conference, Felicity spent a few days with biodynamic winegrowers in Central Otago, including Sherwood, Rippon, Burn Cottage, Quartz Reef and Felton Road. She also spoke to the Central Otago
Below: Flowering interrow crops have been part of the program to encourage a thriving ecosystem at Rimapere’s newly certified organic vineyard in Marlborough.
Top: Felicity Carter (in overcoat) tastes at The Wrekin with owner Jan Johns and winemaker Hätsch Kalberer; photo by Lucien Redon. Above: Churton Vineyard’s unique plateau location seen from the air, recently featured on Country Calendar. Right: Nadine Worley and Logie Mackenzie of Fugitive.
Winegrowers Association group at Felton Road Winery.
From there Felicity made her way to Marlborough, where she visited The Wrekin, Te Whare Rā, Churton Wines and Seresin Estate and enjoyed a beautiful potluck dinner at Clos Henri Vineyard with the wider biodynamic fraternity.
Anna Johns from The Wrekin Vineyard said, “It was fascinating to meet her!” Felicity said she felt privileged to spend time in Central Otago and Marlborough and found the hospitality very thoughtful; she was really touched.
Organic on TV
Churton, one of Marlborough’s premier organic wineries, featured on Country Calendar on TV1 on 28th July.
Mandy and Sam Weaver have been producing wine from their organically certified and biodynamically managed hillside vineyard above the Waihopai Valley in Marlborough for 25 years. The vineyard has been fully certified organic since 2011.
The family showed their 2024 harvest and talked about how they make use of biodynamics to express the personality of place in Churton wines.
If you missed it, you can watch it here: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/countrycalendar/episodes/s2024-e22
Fugitive launches NZ’s
first organic bag-in-box wine
The humble bag-in-box and other alternative wine packaging formats have seen somewhat of a renaissance in recent times, mostly due to their environmental advantages. Recent studies have shown bag-in-box has one of the lowest carbon footprints of all of the current alternative packaging formats, with carbon emissions (CO2e/L) up to 87% less than lightweight glass.
Winemaker Nadine Worley and viticulturist Logie Mackenzie have just launched New Zealand’s first organic bag-in-box wine, Fugitive Organic 2023 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. They created Fugitive with a clear vision in mind – to make organic wine with a heightened flavour profile and a low carbon footprint.
Logie explains that he and Nadine worked together as winemaker and viticulturist for a well-known Marlborough wine company. In 2021, when they had a chance to make some wine together, they knew they wanted to do things differently. “Being organic was only half the story; we wanted to make wine with the lowest carbon footprint possible. The more we researched, it was clear single-use glass bottles weren’t going to be part of that story.”
Initially, they investigated a lot of
alternative packaging options and started supplying reusable kegs to bars and wine stores. However, the returnable kegs and the tap maintenance had logistical challenges for a small wine company. “So, we went back to the drawing board to look for other alternative packaging options that would work. We wanted packaging that would maintain wine quality, be fully reusable or recyclable and have the lowest carbon footprint possible,” says Nadine. It was about this time that they heard about the new premium recycle-ready wine bags. “The recyclability was really important to us and the fact the bags and taps are made from the same (LDPE) mono-material and can both easily be recycled through the soft plastic scheme was a game changer.”
Initially, it was the environmental benefits that drove their decision to put wine in a box, but Nadine says after some tasting trials, they realised how flexible and convenient the 2L box was. “It works so well for larger gatherings or dinners, but it also stays fresh in the fridge for up to 4 weeks after opening, so works just as well for a glass or two in the evenings... and the box is so compact and light,”
adds Nadine. “It makes you realise all the wasted weight and packaging required for glass bottles.”
Logie, who manages the small twohectare vineyard on the outskirts of Renwick, helped the owners convert to organics eight years ago. “I am always blown away by the quality and flavour of the fruit,” he says and describes the wine as a classic style of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, full of flavour but with plenty of texture and minerality. “We are not trying to do anything too funky or out there with the wine, just let the fruit and vineyard be the star.”
Certified organic member updates
Congratulations to OWNZ members on these new certification milestones:
• Rimapere - certified organic wines
• Spurlock - certified organic wines
We also welcome these new organic and in-conversion OWNZ members:
• Hopes Grove, Hawke’s Bay - new winery member (fully organic)
• Oraterra, Wairarapa - new winery member (some fully organic wines)
• Barbour Vineyards, North Canterburynew member (certified organic vineyard)
• French Peak, Akaroa - new member (in conversion to organic).
Better Biology Better Wine
For strong vines, consistent yields and better tasting wines* apply:
Organic Mycorrcin – to boost soil microbes that increase root growth and nutrient uptake
Organic Foliacin – to improve foliar health and resilience in times of environmental stress
Organic Digester – to stimulate decomposition microbes to recycle organic matter fast
*Asusedin2021AccoladeWinestrialfor provenyieldincreaseandbettertastingwine.
Available from leading horticultural suppliers
Above: Fugitive’s organic wine in a box.
Waiheke Syrah wins Best Organic Wine in the world
Kennedy Point Vineyard’s 2021 Syrah has been named the best organic wine in the world at the London International Wine Challenge (IWC). The Champion Organic Wine Trophy was announced on the 9th of July at the IWC gala in London, where Kennedy Point beat thousands of entries from all over the world, including France, Italy and Australia.
With a score of 97/100, the 2021 Syrah also won the International Syrah Trophy and the New Zealand Syrah Trophy, which were announced in June.
“I am exceptionally proud to be recognised on this global stage. Winning the International Syrah Trophy was huge for us; to now be named the Champion Organic Wine is just incredible,” says Kennedy Point winemaker Randal Peart.
“Growing organic wine takes an unshakeable commitment, with a few more challenges than the conventional model. We do it for the land and have always believed it’s best for the wine too. This award is a real vindication of our choice to walk a different path to 94% of the wine industry,” Randal says.
The 2024 awards is actually the second time Kennedy Point Vineyard has won big in London. In 2009, the renowned organic vineyard won the International Syrah Trophy, New Zealand Syrah Trophy, New Zealand Red Trophy and the Auckland Syrah Trophy. “In 2009 we introduced Waiheke Syrah to the world and have since built a really strong reputation. I like to think this
latest award is a friendly reminder that this tiny region is one of the best in the world,” says Randal.
The judge’s comments described the Kennedy Point wine as “everything you could desire from a cool climate Syrah. A flush of floral perfume maybe even violets, a taut but appetising texture which promises great development and an excellent core of ripe red fruit, medicinal herbs and kitchen spice.”
The International Wine Challenge is in its 40th year. Wines entered are tasted blind by a minimum of eight judges, including experts and influencers from the international wine industry, commercial decision makers, buyers and Masters of Wine.
Promoting Vine Health
Stim Concentrate Liquid
• A highly concentrated liquid seaweed based on Ascophyllum Nodosum
• Maximises plant potential during periods of abiotic stress
• Improves root growth and plant vigour
• Improves YAN
Award-winning winemaker Randal Peart at Kennedy Point, Waiheke Island.
Mike moves on
Executive committee member Mike Saunders stepped down from his role in OWNZ this winter as he prepared to move to Margaret River, Western Australia to become head of viticulture at Voyager Estate.
Voyager Estate recently published an interview with him on their blog, excerpted here.
What fascinates you most about viticulture?
It’s the vine’s ability to grow in any situation, in any environment worldwide. Give the vine two or three core ingredients, and it will do its thing, producing an infinitely variable product. The same vine in different circumstances will create something you’ve never tasted before.
For you, what is the most rewarding aspect of farming organically?
The most rewarding time is that minute that last bunch is picked for the season
and you’ve done everything you possibly can to create the best possible fruit and convey that through to the winery. It’s this real mixture of relief and pride and a little bit of grief. It’s the end of one great chapter, but the beginning of another.
What about the most challenging aspect?
Organic viticulture is about doing a million little things at exactly the right time. As we don’t have the silver bullets with organics, we’ve got to be so much more observant. We’ve also got to be so much more proactive and in tune with the environment that the vines are in. But if we’re doing our job right, nailing the balance within the ecosystem, then everything else kind of just flows on from there.
How do you think farming practices manifest in the final wine?
Everything that has impacted those grapes, and then the wine, is reflected in the final product. The wine is the ultimate distillation of an entire year’s work—of the vineyard team’s commitment, the climate, the weather, and how we treat the fruit when it hits the winery.
What will your first year at Voyager Estate look like?
There’s going to be a lot of observation, a lot of getting to know the vines, getting to know the people, getting to know the climate, and then seeing how we can start to shape those things into what we want them to be. So yes, a lot of observation in the first year, get a harvest under the belt, get the fruit into the winery, and start tasting.
Below: Mike Saunders
‘Let’s cut the crap on gene technology’
As the New Zealand government prepares to loosen regulations on genetic engineering, the truth of what’s happening and what’s at stake is often obscured.
In this article, molecular biologist Jack Heinemann takes on some common fictions voiced by GMO advocates. He argues that society should be asking itself why it needs to trade the security of its regulations for unsecured promises from the visions of genetic engineers.
Jack Heinemann is a professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Canterbury.
This article was originally published in The Spinoff in August 2024, with the headline as above. Reprinted by permission.
The government has proposed to reset and to remove some regulations on making and releasing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Is it a new conversation based on a new risk equation, or an ultimatum?
The argument, after all, sounds familiar. Advocates for regulatory reform were saying more than 15 years ago what they are saying again now, that we can change the name of some products to make them sound less like GMOs.
Are science minister Judith Collins’ reforms based on risk or persuasion? Society should be asking itself why it needs to trade the security of its regulations for unsecured promises from the visions of genetic engineers (including me).
Here are what I consider to be four fictions about GMO regulations that I believe undermine public confidence in choosing the right regulations for New Zealand.
1. ‘Gene editing is different to genetic modification’
According to Tony Conner of AgResearch, “Gene editing is different to genetic modification, in that this may only involve making a change to the genome, as opposed to introducing DNA from another organism.’
Redefining GMOs this way distorts public and lawmaker perceptions and undermines society’s control of biotechnology risks.
According to the US Food & Drug Administration, “A GMO (genetically modified organism) is a plant, animal, or microorganism that has had its genetic material (DNA) changed using technology that generally involves the specific modification of DNA, including the transfer of specific DNA from one organism to another. Scientists often refer
to this process as genetic engineering.”
GMOs are defined as organisms with a novel combination of genetic material created using gene technology. This can be done by adding (e.g. transgenes), changing or removing (e.g. null segregants) DNA sequences to create novel combinations and new traits.
A genome is more than an alphabet of the four letters A, G, C, T. As with language, it has grammar, syntax and semantics that govern the meaning of genes. Alleles are variants of genes that can be like homographs and homophones. All of these features can be manipulated by gene technology just as they can be in language.
Suggesting that GMOs are only organisms with added DNA lures the government into thinking there is a class of “low-risk gene-editing activities” when they’re not used to add DNA, and these “can be exempted from regulations”.
Even if that were true, it may be impossible to avoid adding DNA when using gene editing.
Gene-editing techniques have been used to make GMOs since the 1970s. What has changed is developments in gene editing that increase the efficiency of making desired DNA changes. The new tools make GMOs faster. Gene-editing techniques accelerate the rate of genetic change, but not safety. There is no limit to the variation that can be introduced through gene editing.
2. ‘We’re missing out’
Why hyberbolise regulations as a GMO ban? Is it to deceive us into thinking that only a ban could explain why we don’t use them?
The United States provides the counterfactual. It has the most permissive laws and largest number of commercialised GMOs.
Yet it has only commercialised 11 GM crops in 30 years. Nearly all GM production is just three crops – corn, soy and cotton – and two traits, herbicidetolerant and insecticide-producing. GMO agriculture is used on ~15% of US agricultural land, with other GM organisms and traits contributing ~1%.
We have missed out on crop losses to dicamba drift and glyphosate-resistant weeds, but not access to drought-, heat-, flood- or salt-tolerant intrinsically higheryielding crops.
Gene editing is no more inclined to deliver solutions to the big problems we face from climate change, malnutrition and poverty. Even those who support the legislative changes admit that “new cultivars created overseas” using new tools like gene editing “haven’t hit the market yet” even in permissive countries. Two products, a modified oilseed and a hornless cow, appeared then disappeared.
The story is similar for medicine. Research elsewhere has not found that regulations significantly slowed research and development of medicines. Removing GM requirements on laboratories or procedures would have negligible effect because they are redundant with other regulations and good laboratory practices for medicines research.
A mythical ban hasn’t kept GMOs away. Lack of useful or significant benefits to
New Zealand may have.
3. ‘The current regulations focus solely on the methods’
Earlier this year, science minister Judith Collins said “the new rules will be based on managing the risks of these technologies, rather than focusing solely on the methods of genetic modification”.
Gene editing is no more inclined to deliver solutions to the big problems we face from climate change, malnutrition and poverty.
No regulatory framework focuses solely on methods. Is misleading rhetoric to the contrary behind proposals to deregulate some methods so that some products are exempt from risk assessment?
All countries with regulations use a combination of methods and product, including us, Australia and the US. The Convention on Biological Diversity and our domestic legislation were written using scientists who were aware of gene editing and its potential to cause harm to the environment or human health.
Our current regulations require caseby-case risk assessment, making them fit-for-purpose right now. Removing risk assessment decreases safety. Gene editing efficiency gains amplify latent hazards that emerge during manufacture.
Furthermore, manufacturers should not police themselves. For example, the company that used gene editing to engineer hornless cows confidently asserted that no new DNA was introduced during the process. That claim was ignominiously retracted when regulators found undisclosed DNA inserted in the cattle genome, including entire antibiotic resistance genes from bacteria.
4. ‘All high-risk activity will be regulated’
According to MBIE, “We will regulate higher-risk activities and exclude some low-risk gene-editing activities from regulation.”
Deregulation doesn’t just make it easier to release GMOs from the laboratory, it also would encourage making them outside of laboratories. Environment-scale, mechanised genetic engineering done in the out-of-doors (e.g. aerial spraying) is a high-risk activity that may become unregulated.
Genetic engineering used to require expensive laboratories, but no longer. The efficiencies of gene-editing and genesilencing methods increase the scale of genetic engineering from laboratory table to the forest floor.
GMOs made using deregulated methods will be unregulated even if made outside. Some likely outdoor products will be gene-editing pesticides and formulations that alter plant stress response as they grow.
Outdoor use will result in unintended exposures and unknown off-target genetic changes in non-target species. These range from microorganisms to pets.
Ecosystems from home gardens to forests could soon be “sprayed” with gene editors. If these products qualify as low-risk uses of gene editing, then neither the intended target organism nor all the possible exposed non-target organisms need be assessed for potential to cause harm.
In sum, faster ≠ safer, deregulation ≠ benefit, deregulation ≠ safety, and scale ≠ safety. The changes call on the public to renounce control over managing the risks from gene technology in exchange for no verifiable evidence of harm from existing regulations and repeating hypothetical benefits from 40-year-old promises.
Gaslighting the public in this way may damage industry and research reputations. The reform proposal could trade sector credibility for a quick sale.
The original article with graphics is available at https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/29-08-2024/letscut-the-crap-on-gene-technology
Q&A: Black Estate
To
help our growing membership get to know each other, we run a Q&A with a certified organic OWNZ member in each issue of Organic Matters.
In
this
issue: Nicholas Brown and Penelope Naish of Black Estate
What’s your position in the business?
Pen and Nicholas own Black Estate with Pen’s parents. Pen is like the GM, focusing mainly on marketing and sales and vibes, and oversees our cellar door and restaurant. Nicholas oversees the vineyards and makes the wines and fixes a lot of things!
What are your personal career histories?
Pen was once a banking and company lawyer, which she finds quite funny to recall. Nicholas worked in wine shops as a student, worked for Montana as a sales cadet after university, took a vintage with Brent Marist and never looked back. He learned a lot from Daniel Schuster and Mike Weersing at Pyramid Valley.
Where are your vineyards located?
Three small vineyards on slopes in Omihi, North Canterbury (5 km north of Waipara).
What varieties are you growing?
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc.
What’s the history of the land?
We purchased the home vineyard from Russell Black in 2007. It was ‘Black Estate’ then. He and his wife Kumiko had planted 4 ha of Chardonnay and 4 ha of Pinot Noir there in 1994. The land was managed conventionally. Before that it was part of a sheep farm.
In 2012 we purchased Damsteep vineyard and in 2015 Netherwood from the Hull family. Netherwood had previously been founded and run by Daniel Schuster.
All vineyards were managed organically from the day we started managing them. We have also leased our neighbour’s block called Skypunch, and this is now also certified organic and biodynamic and managed by us.
What is the certification history of the vineyards?
We gained full organic certification of each vineyard in 2015 and Skypunch in 2023. Our 2023 season was certified biodynamic with Demeter.
What originally inspired you to get into
organic production?
Soil health, quality of fruit and wines. Human health.
What were some of the biggest learning curves for you in bringing organic practices to your sites? That it takes time to build soil health
Photos
courtesy of Black Estate
Above: The Black Estate restaurant and cellar door, Omihi, North Canterbury
and healthy vines. It’s challenging managing the devigoration of the vines. Thorough weeding is critical, so getting the right equipment was a turning point. Many other organic winegrowers have shared advice and helped us and and the OWNZ workshops also helped so much.
What are some of your favourite innovations in healthy vineyard practices that you’ve developed along the way to suit your sites, soils and climate?
Mowing alternate rows and thinking more regeneratively to increase plant diversity, build soil carbon and retain moisture and attract beneficial insects.
What got you into biodynamic practice, and how did your biodynamic practices develop over time?
After particularly loving a wine, we would check the philosophy of the producer and so often find out they were biodynamic, so we were curious.
Then, when visiting a few New Zealand biodynamic producers’ farms (who were all so open and supportive by the way), we were struck by the wonderful energy on their land and the happiness of the people there. It was all about the vibe – land teeming with life. We started slowly, buying biodynamic preps from the Canterbury biodynamic association, making compost and spraying 500 and 501. Every year we have increased our efforts, slowly but surely. Nicholas follows the biodynamic calendar and enjoys understanding where we are in the cosmos for planning decisions.
Are there specific ways that you feel the influence of biodynamics in your vineyards and wines?
Better soil health and enhancing the engagement and conversation of our team.
Healthy fruit, better quality. Space and life in the wines.
You recently joined the ranks of Demeter-certified biodynamic producers. What does that entail?
One audit per year which can happen in combination with our organic BioGro audit, which was a new process and tipped us into going for it. We like the way the biodynamic audit considers the farm as a whole and the individual as part of it.
What motivated you to take that extra step to become certified as biodynamic?
To ensure we were getting the most out of biodynamics by connecting with and learning more from the biodynamic community. And to ensure we can transparently, truly verify to our customers that we are biodynamic.
Proudest achievements for the business?
Having such wonderful people in our team who join us and learn with us over the years. Still being in business.
Feeling and seeing more life and energy in our farms.
Tell us a bit about your winemaking philosophy and practices. Our focus is to produce high-quality fruit, and then we make wines in a traditional manner to fully express the uniqueness of each place. Our only ingredients are biodynamic fruit and vineyard-derived yeast. In most cases a minimal addition of sulphur is used at bottling.
Photos this page: Winemaker Nicholas Brown. Planting the first fruit trees next to the vineyard.
You’ve been selling organic wines for a while. What shifts in consumer and trade interest have you noticed over time?
We feel the most exciting wines are those that celebrate the vineyard, and to truly do that we feel the fruit needs to be grown organically and/or biodynamically. We have noticed, particularly overseas, that the biodynamic certification has created interest. Perhaps customers appreciate the extra care and observation?
Photos this page, clockwise from top: Harvest crew. Winemaker Nicholas Brown and assistant winemaker Justine Laugero stir a biodynamic preparation for the vineyard. The duo at the helm of Black Estate, Nicholas Brown and Penelope Naish. Cover crops at the Netherwood vineyard.
OWNZ officers
The Organic Winegrowers New Zealand AGM was held at Karaka Catering in Marlborough on 16 September.
Several new officers came on board at the AGM. Prior to the AGM, in an online election, Amy Hopkinson-Styles was elected to a two-year term on the executive committee. The executive also appointed Anika Wilner to fill the one-year vacancy on the committee left by Mike Saunders’ recent departure to Australia. Three new regional representatives also joined the existing slate of representatives across the country.
Meet our new officers:
Amy Hopkinson-Styles
Halcyon Wines
Executive committee
Kia ora, my name is Amy from Halcyon Wines, Heretaunga, Hastings, Te Matau a Māui, Hawke’s Bay.
My partner Olly and I own and run Halcyon Wines – a small but fully certified
organic brand. We are lucky to work with certified organic grapes from the beautiful Osawa vineyard.
Olly and I are passionate about organics; it’s a cornerstone of Halcyon Wines. We believe it makes great wines that have energy and life and it is part of our commitment to care for, and honour, our people and place.
I would like to join the OWNZ executive to help support, grow, and champion organic winegrowing in New Zealand.
I have 22 years’ winemaking experience and, of that, nine years in Spain and Italy. I am on the final stage of my MW qualification.
I am currently Chair of the Aotearoa Chardonnay Symposium, a member of the OWNZ conference committee and a board member of Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers; I chair the People and Environment Committee, whose purpose is to make our wine industry better and
stronger by valuing and protecting our people and the environment.
Anika Willner
Coal Pit
Executive committee
I have been the winemaker at Coal Pit Winery in Gibbston, Central Otago since 2018. I am originally from the United States and grew up in Ohio. Following graduation, I spent years gaining winemaking experience in South Africa, New Zealand, Tasmania, Germany and Oregon until I returned to New Zealand in 2017 to complete a postgraduate degree in enology and viticulture at Lincoln.
I live and work on-site at Coal Pit and live and breathe what I do. I am proud to be the driving force behind our conversion to organic viticulture and to be a voice in the business that advocates for sustainability in every decision we make. We became a certified organic vineyard and winery in 2023.
As the transition to organics took place, my passion for sustainability beyond the boundaries of the vineyard grew, and I became involved in local conservation work with the Wakatipu Reforestation Trust. In 2021 I was able to successfully communicate how the vineyard would benefit from the symbiotic relationship a native forest would provide and was
At left: A rare photo of the whole OWNZ executive team, staff and collaborators all together, gathering for lunch after an executive meeting and prior to this year’s AGM in Marlborough. Clockwise from left: Bart Arnst, Erica Crawford, Matt Fox, Naomi Galvin, Clive Dougall, Nick Pett, Rebecca Reider, Anika Willner, Amy Hopkinson-Styles, Jared White, Helen Morrison, Ed Massey (NZ Winegrowers), James Bowskill (research collaborator), Nick Paulin.
able to initiate a reforestation plan at Coal Pit with the help of a local ecologist. We now have a 20-year reforestation plan that takes place on-site surrounding the vineyard every year, with over 1,000 thriving native trees in the ground and community involvement that brings people both enjoyment and education.
Outside of my work at Coal Pit, I am a part of the Central Otago Young Winemaker Committee, the Central Otago Pinot Noir Workshop Committee, and recently I joined as a new member of the Organic Winegrowing Conference Committee. I am also a member of Impact 100 Wakatipu Grants Committee, a women’s philanthropy group that utilises large grants to impact our local community.
I would like to become a member of the OWNZ executive committee because the support and education I received from the OWNZ community during our period of conversion was a critical tool that was hugely influential in the success of our organic conversion and ultimately certification. The community, connections, and ethos facilitated through OWNZ is an invaluable resource for New Zealand viticulture and is something I would love to be more involved with supporting going forward.
Annabelle
Koopman
Hopes Grove & Aard Wine
New Hawke’s Bay representative I grew up in a winegrowing family, hailing from Hopes Grove in Hawke’s Bay. Following the harvest around the world for a few years cemented my love for wine, and now I’ve come home to farm
with my family and start a small lowintervention label, Aard, with my partner Bart. Organics, respect for the whenua and working in balance with life are a big passion and the only way forward.
Daniel Ah-Loy – Fromm
New Marlborough co-representative Winemaker, viticulture, production and compliance guy for Fromm, grape to glass. Has a special place in his heart for Chardonnay and wastewater (not together). When not at work, he enjoys sharing good food and wine with his family and friends as well as dog walks with their insane border terrier Tiggy.
Dave Foes – The Coterie
New Marlborough co-representative I am the Operations Winemaker at the Coterie, a role I started just before the 2023 vintage. The role involves looking after our own products (Zephyr, Spoke) as well as client winemaking for other premium Marlborough brands, a majority of whom are organic. Prior to The Coterie I worked at Marisco, NZ Wineries and Yealands.
I have been living in Blenheim for 12 years after relocating from Central Otago and also gathered experience in Burgundy, Oregon and the Yarra Valley along the way. Since living in Marlborough I have developed a passion for Sauvignon Blanc, specifically the alternate styles which Marlborough is excelling at.
In my limited free time I like to spend time with my wife and two young daughters, and if time permits, I love getting out to the Marlborough Sounds to spearfish.
New OWNZ representatives include:
Daniel Ah-Loy (at far left); Dave Foes (left); Amy Hopkinson-Styles (at top); Anika Willner (above, middle); and Annabelle Koopman (above, in the bin)
