Sustainable

New Zealand winegrowers have set themselves apart by developing a set of industry standards known as “Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand”. This is defined as production of wine and grapes giving priority to methods that are the safest possible to the environment and human health.

Since the beginning of this century, the New Zealand Wine industry has been leading a revolution among wine growing nations. Just as New Zealand has said NO to nuclear power or weapons, New Zealand has decreed that by 2012 ALL New Zealand wine will be produced in sustainable vineyards and wineries. New Zealand is determined to maintain their environmental reputation as beyond reproach.

Many New Zealand vineyards and wineries have taken this “clean, green” approach one step further by growing and producing their wines organically and/or biodynamically.

BioDynamic

Biodynamics is a method of organic farming based on a series of 1924 lectures by Rudolf Steiner, a noted German scientist, philosopher, and founder of the Waldorf School, who believed in the vineyard as a self-contained and self-sustaining organism.

It uses many principles of organic farming – no pesticides or chemical fertilizers – as well as incorporating compost and cover crops to enhance the health of the entire vineyard. Biodynamic viticulture expands on the concept of the vineyard as a living system to include timing of planting and harvesting with solar and lunar cycles. Basically, Biodynamics fosters a more intimate approach to the land. Founded in 1928, Demeter is the world’s only certifier of Biodynamic farms and products.

By protecting the environmental integrity of their wine production, New Zealand is leading the world in stunning, pure wine!

Organic

In the USA there are two classes of wine utilizing the organic label: “Organic Wine” and wine “Made with Organic Grapes”. Both wines must be made with USDA approved, certified organic grapes – which means that the grapes were grown in soils free of “synthetic” chemicals and are cultivated in a manner which does not compromise the environment. The difference between the two classes of wine is the use of sulfites – All grapes contain minimal amounts of naturally occurring sulfide as part of grape chemistry. Sulfur has been added to ALL wine for many years as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent.

“Organic Wine” - has no added sulfites – essentially the same as “sulfite free”. Because of the sulfite limitation, these wines are less consistent and more fragile than wines “Made with Organic Grapes”.

“Made with Organic Grapes” – wines may contain added sulfites, limited to under 100 ppm. These wines are more consistent in quality and have a longer shelf life than “Organic Wines”.

Conventional, non-organic wines can contain up to 350 ppm of added sulfides. New Zealand’s Organic Certification body is Bio-Gro, whose standards easily meet those set by the USDA.