Tuesday, 11 February 2025 15:25

30 Years of SWNZ

Written by  Staff Reporters

This year Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand celebrates 30 years since the industry made a commitment to protecting the places that make its famous wines.

SWNZ has evolved into a robust, independently audited programme that now certifies 96% of New Zealand’s vineyard area and approximately 90% of wine production by volume.

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has developed a toolkit for members to use in driving awareness of the New Zealand wine industry’s commitment to a sustainable future.

The SWNZ programme focuses on six key metrics: climate change, water, waste, plant protection, soil and people.

Te Mata Estate was one of the first members of the initiative, and one of the first to have both winery and vineyard accredited under the system. “Having backed this from the start we’re immensely proud of the programme,” they wrote in an Instagram post using the NZW toolkit.

nzwine.com/members/sustainability

More like this

NZ Fellow: Dr Richard Smart

Dr Richard Smart began shining a light on grape growing in the late 1960s, increasingly fascinated by how sunlight interception by vineyards impacted yields and fruit quality.

Oraterra

Oraterra translates to golden earth, reflecting the value of great vineyard sites in Martinborough, including that from which winemaker Wilco Lam is now making wines.

Winning shot

Te Mata vineyard manager Carl Gunderson has won the top prize in the BASF New Zealand AgriPhoto competition, with an image of handpicking fruit in Havelock Hills.

Indevin Group Winemaker

More than two decades after his first vintage as a cellar hand at Villa Maria, Dave Roper has been appointed Group Winemaker for Indevin, overseeing winemaking teams in Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, and Marlborough.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Popular Reads

Farming for the future

Ben Leen never tires of the view at Amisfield, where audacious guinea fowl strut the grounds against a backdrop of…