Naturally certified

Organic wine-growing is spreading slowly in New Zealand. A decade ago, about $1000 worth of fungicides, herbicides and insecticides per hectare were applied to the country’s vines each year. Today, more than 10% of wine producers have organic certification for at least part of their output.

What is an organic wine? “Organic growers aim to produce wines that are true to the earth and to take care of the land we all share,” Organic Winegrowers New Zealand says on its website. “We build healthy vines by building healthy soils, and by nurturing a diverse, rich community of plants, soil, insects and microorganisms.”

So, why have most New Zealand winegrowers not gone down the organic road? The viability of organic wine production is related to each region’s climate. In areas with a favourably warm, dry climate, it is easier to adopt a chemical-free grape-growing programme simply because the risk of disease is much lower.

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