Organics is hands on. It means going into battle every season with the intent and determination to combat whatever nature throws our way - to assess and respond. Our vineyard has been certified organic since 2011. Our adoption of organics was motivated by a desire to improve the environment in which we worked and lived and to eliminate the use of herbicides, insecticides, systemic fungicides and chemical fertilisers. At the heart of this was improvement of soil health and biodiversity through the application of compost produced from grape residue and the cultivation of naturally occurring and selectivity planted cover crops. We wanted to adopt a management plan that would demand a closer, more proactive engagement with our vines and challenge previous practices. Sheep graze the vineyard through out winter, clearing the under storey and contributing in a small way to soil fertility. In the intervening 15+ years we have responded to the many challenges posed by organics but are now observing positive developments in terms of vine balance and fruit composition.
