Answer really lies in the soil
SERIOUS: Mandy and Sam Weaver, with vineyard manager Warren Burton take a holistic approach to their vineyard, using the techniques of biodynamics.
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Carving up land to create a vineyard destroys a careful biological balance, says a winemaker passionate about nature’s ability to do great things.
Churton owner and winemaker Sam Weaver says the “industrial approach” of flattening land so all rows can run north-south risks the complex soil profile and “terroir” of a vineyard, the unique geographical influence of the land.
“Whereas my approach is that the landscape is there and it’s a shape for a particular reason. It’s not for me to interfere.”
There are 16 blocks in the 23 hectares of his Waihopai Valley site, each differently oriented, in deference to the natural lie of the land.
That’s just one attribute applauded by judges in the Marlborough Environment Awards, whose feedback has been released to the 32 entrants prior to the May 6 award announcements.
“At a time when most Marlborough grape-growing land was being bulldozed into long, straight rows, Churton put a lot of time and effort into understanding the soils of their property and planting according to the contours of their land,” they wrote.
Mr Weaver and his wife Mandy planted the first blocks of their vineyard in 1999, some of the first in the region to plant pinot noir on a hillside.
From day one they focused on low water use, applying for as much as they thought they needed, then putting in place tight management, including drip irrigation, night-time watering and targeting critical times in the season to irrigate.
They were so successful that in a 10-year renewal, they asked for half as much.
With deep-rooted vines, some of their blocks haven’t been irrigated for years.
Award judges said the techniques used by Churton “set an important example for those concerned about the allocation and availability of water in Marlborough”, and certainly the couple believe it’s vital that viticulturists work harder to reduce water use.
Now Churton is under organic conversion, with an increasing focus on biodynamics.
“It’s a very different approach to working with biology rather than working with the post-war agrichemical revolution,” he says.
Biodynamics is about creating a balance using biology.
“Microbiology is something which for a quite long time people have ignored in the soil and it’s so important. The relationship between fungi, bacteria and plants, and the way plants can absorb nutrients, and the way in which they interrelate.”
In the case of the vineyard, that means using composts, manure from cattle raised on the property, and planting species that will attract beneficial predators or enhance the soil.
Much of the pasture below the vines was there before the grapes, but plants like facelia, which hosts the hover fly (a leaf roller caterpillar predator) and clover, which boosts nitrogen production, have been added to the mix.
“The way we are managing it is trying to make sure we are getting the best out of our site by letting it express itself.
“That sounds a bit airy-fairy, but we are trying to make sure it has the best health of soil it can,” he says.
The vines have a natural balance, and a number of blocks have not needed fruit thinning or leaf plucking for the past three years.
He says the cosmic and spiritual aspect of biodynamics “spooks” many, but Churton takes a “rational approach to biodynamics”.
Cosmic timing is taken into account in terms of growth cycles and there is a spiritual approach to the operation, focused on nurturing an emotional attachment between the vineyard and its people, he says.
“I think our vineyard has a warmth to it and a really natural feel.”
Initially unconcerned about organic and biodynamic certification, they decided to seek sign-off after seeing many companies claiming so much with so little.
“I decided we had to show we were serious about doing it.”
Some markets, including Japan and the United States, are very hot on biodynamics, while others, like Britain, have just a “passing interest”.
However the practice is more about quality than label, says Mr Weaver.
“We do it principally because I believe we get a better quality.
“In fact I’m certain we get a better quality.”
At the end of the day, there’s one thing that makes a great pinot noir, and there’s no point trying to mess with that, he says.
“If you have a hierarchy of quality attributes. The first is site, the second is site, the third is site.
“For me there is a very European approach. It’s all about terroir.”
– The Marlborough Express
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/4926670/Answer-really-lies-in-the-soil
