Organics

We practice organic viticulture and have undergone organic certification of the vineyard with the internationally recognized standards auditor SGS.

Our only goal is to produce a world class wine and we believe that practicing organic viticulture will help us to achieve that. We believe that we have great vineyard soils, ideal for producing wine of great character, but if our viticultural techniques are not sensitive and we kill the soil through chemical intervention the vines cannot express the soil character in the wine.

To this end we use no herbicide, insecticide or fungicide. We use no fertilizer. We grow cover crops to provide organic matter and to promote nitrogen fixing in the soil, as well as to reduce soil erosion and suppress weeds.  Every effort is made to encourage biodiversity in order to achieve a natural balance of microbial soil life and insect life. We plant many herbs and other plants to attract beneficial insects. We practice minimal intervention with only organically certified applications.

We practice very low intervention cellar techniques and any additives used in the winemaking process are allowed under organic standards.  We use no acid or chemicals in the vinification process and only minimal sulphur.

The decision to grow vines organically was one based entirely on conviction. Conviction that organically grown vines express the soil they grow in, and that killing the soil through chemical additives is counterproductive. We were lucky to be starting with a blank sheet of paper. Vines had not been grown on our site previously. We had the opportunity to develop the vineyard entirely from scratch and we knew that due to favorable climatic conditions, our site would suit organic viticulture.

Whether any particular wine is superior depends on whether the vineyard site has the potential to produce superior wine. Organically grown vines don’t, per se, make better wine. But we do believe they make wine that is more representative of the environment in which they grow. If you have a poor site, organics won’t help you make good wine, but if you have a great site, organics can help to express it. Without chemical intervention it is very difficult to make good wine from sites that do not favour organic viticulture.

Why does wine express terroir more completely under organic viticulture? Vines need nutrients for growth. Nutrients exist in soil, rock and air, but vines themselves cannot break down rock or assimilate nutrients from mineral or gaseous forms – they need some form of help. In natural, living soils this help comes from microbes that release acids, breaking down rock and soils, and thus releasing nutrients. In conventional farming soils are essentially dead from all the pesticides, fungicides and herbicides used. Nutrients have to be added in the form of fertilizers, and vines easily and rapidly take up these simple salts to use as their basis for growth. Nutrients from soil microbes are derived from, and are a reflection of, the soils the vines grow in. Wines from grapes grown in such soils are therefore a true reflection of their terroir, whilst wine from fertilized soils is not.

In cases where all the desired influences come together, wine that is universally acknowledged to be superior is often made from organically grown grapes. Just ask the followers of Domaine Leroy, Nicolas Joly, Michel Chapoutier, Domaine Leflaive and many others.

All permanent staff are educated in the principals of organic farming as is required by the SGS certification process. They are all contracted with written contracts under terms exceeding the requirements of the BASIC CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT ACT, NO 75 OF 1997 - SECTORAL DETERMINATION 8: FARM WORKER SECTOR, SOUTH AFRICA.

• SGS organic certification - grape cultivation

• SGS organic certification - wine processing

Biodiversity in Wine Initiative

The BWI is a pioneering partnership between the South African wine industry and the conservation sector. The goals are to minimise the further loss of threatened natural habitat, and to contribute to sustainable wine production, through the adoption of biodiversity guidelines by the South African wine industry.

We are proud to be a member of this initiative.  Please see our entry below.

"TMV have set-aside 40-50ha of natural vegetation on their 192ha farm as a ‘conservation area’ under the BWI initiative – this encompasses three different types of vegetation which run along the full elevation of the farm. These include Breede Alluvium Fynbos (endangered vegetation type), Breede Shale Renosterveld (classified as vulnerable) and Breede Shale Fynbos (also vulnerable).

Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards’s slogan which can be found on their wine labels is “Sustainable viticulture, Traditional winemaking.” And this is certainly a true and well justified claim. Their philosophy is total uncompromising quality and minimal intervention in both the vineyard and the cellar. Cover crops are used as the basis of soil management and TMV are positive about the concept of trying indigenous cover crops in the future, in preference to the exotic and sometimes invasive grasses currently used on most wine farms. Sticking to the strict policy of “no chemical sprays”, TMV rely on other ingenious ways to control pests. This has been done by attracting beneficial insects to the vineyards at the right time of year. Bird perches have also been erected on the farm, as roosting places for birds of prey which help control the populations of rodents in the vineyards. Bird life is abundant on the farm and there are frequent sightings of Hoopoe, Jackal Buzzards, Steppe Buzzards and various owls. There are also sightings of Duiker, Bat-eared foxes, Caracul, Civet cat and evidence of otters.

With TMV already certified as organic by SGS, they are in an excellent position to support changes in farming practices that enhance the suitability of the vineyards as a habitat for biodiversity."

for more information please go to www.bwi.co.za