Our Farming Processes

Weed Control is managed by cultivation only. Mechanical under-vine weeding removes the bank of weeds from under the vines. This bank is later thrown back under the vines and any weeds growing through this bank later are mechanically knifed. Weeds between the rows of vines are either slashed or disced depending on the time of the season. Flame and steam weeding is not generally practised as this can destroy beneficial bacteria and microbes that live close to the surface of the soil. Herbicide use is strictly prohibited. see more ...

Green Manure Crops are planted late Autumn between the rows of vines and consist of beans, peas, oats and clovers. This is grown for nitrogen fixation and the green tops are forage harvested and included in the compost heap for added organic matter. see more ...

Fertilising is done with composted animal manures, composted green manure and bio-dynamic preparations 502-507 during the spring. Bio-dynamic preparation 500 is sprayed out onto the soil in Autumn and spring. see more ...

Disease is controlled by using wettable sulphur for powdery mildew and generally only three applications per season, with the last spray applied in November, some three months before harvest. Copper is used in its lowest application rate to control and prevent downy mildew only if seasonal conditions are suitable for the spread of this disease. Whilst other vine diseases are possible, a healthy organic vine has substantially increased resistance, so the control of these diseases is invariably unnecessary. see more ...

Pests are controlled with natural predators. Vine spiders and frill neck lizards proliferate throughout the vineyards and in turn feed on insects that would otherwise do damage to the delicate crops. This is not 100% pest control, however the use of chemical pesticides in conventional vineyards is becoming increasingly demanding due to the chemical resistance the pests develop over time. Stronger pesticides are then needed to kill off hese pests, which is never a 100% success rate anyway. see more ...

Bird control is achieved by using white homing pigeons. Dark fruit eating birds are "scared" off by the homing pigeons territorial flying habits. White homing pigeons are only grain eating birds and scout out looking for grain and seeds during the day, but they never venture much further that one or two kilometres from their nesting loft. It appears that the white colour and the flocking habits of these birds ward off the coloured fruit eating birds. Whether they believe that the pigeons are white hawks remains unknown, however it is a cheap, and ecologically viable alternative to poisonous chemical sprays, deafening gas canons, and nerve affecting noise emitters. see more ...

Pruning is all done by hand. Many of our vines are old, some exceeding 100 years, so minimal pruning is not possible. Many vineyards today resort to minimal pruning or hedging. This may be a time saver, however after two or three years of this pruning method the vine develops a lot of dead wood which then has to be pruned out by hand, and new growth is stunted but dense due to the oversupply of buds from exceptionally long spurs. Air flow can be reduced and the risks of disease can increase. see more ...

Harvesting is also done by hand. Bunches are carefully hand picked from the vine and placed into buckets to avoid damage to the berries. In making grape juice we must avoid any possibility of early fermentation taking place, so good sound bunches of grapes are essential. Mechanical harvesting thrashes the berries from the vines. In many cases the stems are left on the vine and the split berries and juice are all that end up in the fruit bin. To prevent early fermentation from wild yeasts, growers add sodium-metabisulphite to the harvested mash. Other unbelievable foreign matter can end up in bins of mechanically harvested fruit as well. see more ...

We do all this to produce the cleanest and purest produce possible. To benefit those consumers who have an intolerance to our chemical world, and for consumers who just want good tasting products. It takes a lot of time and effort, but we think it's worth it - because sustainable organic agriculture lives on forever.