A Toast to Organics
ORGANIC’S BLOG POST
Ash Ridge Winery is more than a place where grapes are grown, harvested, fermented, and tasted; it is a place where our production is a labour of love, and our wines are dedicated to our family.
That being said, the sustainability of our practices, our ethos, is centred around creating a legacy for our family where a significant focus is set on maintaining sustainable farming practices. To enhance the sustainability of our production, restore and enhance the ecosystem, and leave the land in a better condition for future generations.
This approach is our pledge to continue to produce fresh, vibrant, and highly acclaimed (yet affordable) wines, while also protecting the environment by maintaining a sustainable and organic winegrowing status.
Does that mean that our wines are organic? Not quite. We are currently BioGrow Certified organic in both the winery and the vineyard, but fall short with the bottling of our wines. This is due to volume constraints of our independent bottler. As we continue to grow within our organic status, so will our production, with the first certified organic wines being released in 2025.
WHAT IS ORGANIC’S AND HOW ARE WE CURRENTLY INCORPORATING ORGANICS IN THE VINEYARD?
Organic viticulture is a vineyard management strategy that promotes biodiversity in the vineyard and uses biological and naturally derived materials to enhance fertility and manage disease. The Health of the Vineyard is built from the ground up, where the quality of the fruit is in direct correlation to the health of soils.
The country's organic wine growing program is run by BioGro New Zealand, who sets the standards from running an organic business. One of the most important standards includes the restricted use of synthetic fertilisers, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides.
At Ash Ridge, we follow through with these standards unwaveringly, and sometimes have to get creative with the management of our vines regarding pest, disease, and weed management. One of our best tools regarding this, is our sizable herd of sheep and cattle.
Our sheep and cattle regularly visit the vineyard throughout the year and offer entertainment to our guests at our cellar door trying to spot our farm animals wandering the vines. Besides entertainment, our herd naturally weeds, mows, and fertilises the vineyard. Allowing for a reduction in Ash Ridges environmental footprint through reducing our greenhouse gas emissions from less tractor passes and application of chemicals and fertilisers.
WHAT’S NEXT? HOW ARE WE CONTINUING TO ADVANCE IN OUR SUSTAINABILITY PLEDGE?
Since 2023 we have been researching how to increase the biodiversity of the vineyard, with most research focusing on the incorporation of Biodynamic principles, the use of cover crops, and the introduction of cultural viticulture practices.
It is from our research that we have been able to formulate a plan of action, and have decided to trial the use of cover crops within the vineyard floors architecture.
Cover crops allow for an increase in sustainability due to a decrease in pest spray application and an increase in soil organic matter. More Specifically, cover cropping the entire vineyard floor increases the control of pests and diseases due to its influence on vine vigour.
Cover crops can act as vine de-vigorators as they are both water and nutrient competitors; meaning that the vine is using excess vigour to outcompete cover-cropping species for the resources required for basic metabolic processes, i.e., transpiration, respiration, and photosynthesis. By reducing the vigour and basic metabolic functions of the vine, decreases in overall vegetative growth and crop load can be noted. The decrease of both leads to higher-quality fruit, as the balance of glucose distribution among fruit is evened out and the fruit zone canopy is more open, allowing for further airflow and sunlight dappling. Thus reducing pest and disease instances.
Outside the production attributes, the most important part of cover crop implementation is the beauty factor; pops of yellow from mustard, and reds, violets and purples from clovers and wild flowers adoring the vineyard floor.
To learn more about Ash Ridge and our wine collection, contact us today, or make a reservation for a wine tasting experience to see our sustainable practices in action!