The beauty and bounty of a messy vineyard

"You think you know about soil health - and not using herbicide and insecticide products helps - but you don't know what other effects you're having by cultivating, or how what's growing there affects the soil."

A few years ago the Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates (AONZ) Viticulturist) buried two pairs of new white cotton underpants in the Lowburn Ferry organic vineyard in Central Otago. One was under a neat and tidy row of mowed grass cover, and the other under a mixed species cover crop, grow in winter and crimp rolled in spring. When he dug them up five weeks later the first pair had been far more impacted by soil activity, growing his excitement in cover crops, "but also what you do with them".

Now the vineyard is down to one mowing pass a season, and some rows have not been mowed for two years, "which has made a huge difference to our soil organic matter", says Nick, who was New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year in 2011. The vineyard is no longer "bowling-green clean", he says, happier with things being "a bit scruffy but with a better ecological outcome than mowing it 10 times a year".

Organic management is on a case-by-case basis, and what works in Central Otago won't fly in the narrow rows of Pyramid Valley in Waikari in North Canterbury. But at AONZ's small Hawke's Bay vineyard they mowed every second row this season, and crimp rolled a cover crop. There's plenty more to learn, and new tools and technology to be tapped into, with soil microbial health now visible through the use of DNA, says Nick.

Domain Thomson Wine Viticulturist Simon Gourley says the constant boundary pushing of organic viticulture keeps him interested. "There are always new challenges, and new cover crop blends and products we can trial. It is very satisfying seeing the soil and overall improvement of the vineyard, and of course the wine."

Central Otago is a small growing community, with a high percentage of certified organic production. "There don't seem to be any trade secrets and people are more than happy to share knowledge and machinery whenever possible," says Simon, who was Young Viticulturist of the Year in 2019. The national organics sector is just as supportive, he adds. "With a growing demand from consumers for less chemical intervention and a focus on organic production, we are seeing more and more research, support and communication around organics as a whole."

Most of his career has been in organics, or in vineyards going through conversion, apart from a small stint for a large commercial operator in Australia. "I knew if I was to continue with viticulture as a career, it needed to be for an organic producer," he says. And it's a non-negotiable at Domaine Thomson. "We have a real focus on enhancing the soil and surrounding areas using traditional farming practices versus chemical means." That's not always the easiest or cheapest option, "but it is what we have dedicated our brand around".

With rising labour costs, the company is working to mechanise as much as possile, which goes "hand in hand" with re-thinking traditional practices. And they're always on their toes to find ways of adapting, innovating and pushing boundaries. "If our soil and vines are happy, healthy and balanced, maybe we can get away with less sprays, or a higher weed pressure."

Paritua Viticulturist Ryan Fraser says there's plenty of collegiality in Hawke's Bay's organic winegrowing sector as well. Ryan, a finalist in the Regenerative Farmer category of the Organic New Zealand Awards in May, says Bridge Pa has had a "huge increase" in certified hectares, with a close community and common cause. "We get on the phone and bounce ideas."

Paritua has just had its second certified organic harvest, following a market driven decision to convert, including distributors indicating they would only be interested in organic wines, Ryan says. He has relished the chance to use wildflowers to attract beneficial insects, with "wilderness areas" left to flourish. Rather than rows clipped to short back and sides, Paritua is comparable to a mullet, he says. "Organics has given me the chance to do lots of different things and I don't have to conform."