The Fruitful Vine

Start talking about great wine with aficionados and it’s likely that organics or biodynamics will come up.

The argument about whether organic produce tastes better or not seems to be settled in the sense-obsessed realm of wine appreciation. Wine has been said to stimulate all five senses and Biodynamic wine may become the pièce de rèsistance for doing so. The attendance of Rudi Bauer, New Zealand Winemaker of the Year 2010, at the New Zealand Biodynamic Association Conference (2010) in Havelock North recently, and the ratification of a whole new set of winemaking standards by Demeter attest to an ongoing upsurge in Biodynamics in the winegrowing sector. The new standards take into account the whole process of winegrowing which means both grapegrowing and winemaking must follow Biodynamic principles.

A holistic view is innate to the wine industry anyway, embodied in the age old concept of Terroir, where a wine is said to be imbibed with the flavor of the region where it is grown. Renowned French biodynamic winemaker Nicolas Joly said “we are helping wines catch the climate and soil, in the wine”. Without tainting by pesticides and chemical fertilizers, organic grapegrowers feel that they can truly express a vineyards terroir, (character and individuality), in their wine.

One of the Key concepts in Biodynamics is the view of a vineyard/ farm as one complete organism. The affinity between Biodynamics and the concept of Terroir has seen a consistent interest in the Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics by Taruna College in Hawkes Bay.

With winegrowers on pretty much every intake and often a few at a time, it’s by far the biggest commercial sector in terms of student representation. However Course participants are a real mixture of people, from those with a wholly commercial focus to students just looking for something different to try in their home garden. This diversity of students brings a richness to each course with contacts and friendships forged across regions and sectors.

Taruna College have been running courses on Organics and Biodynamics for twenty years, with their 33 week distance course complimented by 8 day seminars, a hit with students from far and wide. The practical, experiential approach to understanding natural processes and dynamics and the sound grounding in the process of obtaining organic or biodynamic certification with New Zealand certification authorities (BioGro, Demeter, and O.F.N.Z) has seen the CAOBD course become increasingly successful since its inception in the mid 90’s.

 

Rory Grant, Vineyard Foreman

Millton Wine Estate

I spoke to Rory after he had been pruning all day. He sounded chirpy, happy to have been outside after the previous week- wet, cold, dreary- which he’d spent doing paperwork towards the impending Demeter Certification for the Winery. Applications, spray calendars etc, all tasks the vineyard owners are happy to share. Rory rang Milltons looking for casual pruning work 7 years ago and has never left. Already qualified in Winemaking and Viticulture Rory completed the CAOBD at Taruna College last year.

 

“The thing I really took away from the Taruna course was looking at a property as a whole living organism; so looking at a sick plant or animal and noticing the things around it to see what’s really going on.” Demeter certification requires people to observe what happens and record their observations and since completing the course Rory has become involved in record keeping towards certification. “The tutors really make sure you know what you are looking for. During the course each student had to bring a soil sample in to the seminar and I showed a couple of different ones from two different blocks, different grapes do well in differing soils.”

 

In biodynamics, growers are always trying to stimulate the soil. Far from witchcraft, Rory feels that biodynamics is really just common sense- respecting the land around us. “The biggest hurdle for those converting is having confidence, holding back and not using their chemicals at the first sign of bugs or disease. Some people come on to the vineyard here and see a little bit of powdery mildew and think that biodynamics doesn’t work; but growers just have to have a little bit of faith in organics and help the system find its balance.” James Millton is so impressed with the effects the Taruna course has had on Rory that the whole team at Millton Wine Estate have started attending other short courses offered at Taruna. The first preparations were applied on the vineyard in 1984; James and Annie Millton have been doing BD courses since 1987; they feel the Taruna course has made an in-depth study of biodynamics available and they support the course wholeheartedly.

Rory’s favourite time of the year is harvest, but his other pick of working on a Biodynamic property is working with the cows. The estate has 6 milking shorthaired redhorns, primarily for their manure which makes ‘magic’ compost. Compared to conventional cattle which are worked with dogs and skittish, these cattle are relaxed and friendly and just a joy to work with. The “hands on nature“ of the work and the overriding feeling that he is working with everything above and below (earth water air light) the ground, constantly reaffirms Rory’s decision to work not only in viticulture, but in Biodynamics.

Matt Oliver,Vineyard Manager

Huia Vineyards

“Of the 1000 or so hectares of grapes that Biogro will have certified by next year about half are in Marlborough. One of the driving motivations for this is Terror: a real fear that they are going to get left behind. Smart winegrowers are looking for a way of differentiating themselves with better environmental practice.” At Huia the owners, Mike and Claire Allen, sparked off a progression towards using organics. They wanted to have a high quality boutique winery producing fantastic wines using good environmental practices. Huia have progressively moved towards Biodynamics; starting with the group “Sustainable Winegrowers New Zealand”, then quickly taking the next step into organics. “I didn’t really have the tools as vineyard manager to practice organics properly in that first year; I was practicing substitution organics where you just use an organic version of a product you would otherwise use in a conventional vineyard management regime. The results were OK but a bit disappointing and led me to do the course at Taruna which opened my eyes to a lot of skills I didn’t know I had. The power of observation and a new perception of the vineyard has taken me from substitution organics to doing it much more naturally. Being aware as I walk around the vineyard, taking time to notice what the vines need and when, rather than imposing a regimented plan on the vines, has been a massive shift in my thought processes. It’s allowed us to make big strides in quality.”

Colin Ross, Seresin Estate Manager

Seresin

It has been a long thorough journey towards Biodynamic Certification for Seresin Estate. They started practicing organics fifteen years ago and put their first Biodynamic preparation on in 1999/ 2000. However Estate Manager Colin Ross is very positive about the next vintage becoming their first to be fully Demeter certified.

There is momentum in Biodynamic Wine production in Marlborough. Colin sees the impetus for this on multiple levels and quotes renowned Chef, Peter Gordon, while insisting there is an increasing sophistication of diners with a high level of knowledge and expectation around premium produce. These diners are influencing restaurateurs worldwide to seek out better produce. Driven by the realization that NZ may be in danger of losing its clean green image wine producers are beginning to realize that for top produce and niche export markets ”we have to encourage truth and make true wines which express the places they are made”. Previous to coming to Seresin Estate in 2006, Colin was instrumental in converting the Brookland Valley Vineyard in Margaret River Colin to using biodynamic practices.

Many of the staff at Seresin Estate have some formal training in the industry and Colin encourages them to attend Taruna as well “because the joy of life is sharing”. Colin did the CAOBD course in 2007 and says it deepened his level of observation and harmony on the vineyard, and, within himself. He says that while the ability to do a farm plan, which Taruna bestows on all its graduates, is great, it is more about the ability to harmonise and have real buy in to the Biodynamic principles and practices. “There is a culture which wraps around the place and we have had fantastic responses from the course graduates. There is increased cultural empathy for the whole property. “For those wishing to convert to Biodynamics Colin recommends having a long term commitment to your goal and fostering the right culture to support your changes. “Become comfortable with the shear activity of ‘doing it’ and that should encourage you to enhance the relationship with the land.” When I spoke to Colin he was in the process of making 300 tonnes of compost- enough to make Peter Proctor proud I’m sure.