In the first of a series of Q&A on the event, Nick considers the importance of curiosity and creativity.
This event is... organised by Organic Winegrowers New Zealand, a grower-led organisation aiming to further support our members and organic winegrowers. Planning starts well in advance, with more 18 months and countless hours spent organising speaker programmes, travel, venues and events. This is the fifth conference, with the event held biennially since 2015, with the exception of 2021 due to Covid-19.
It is designed to... bring together our community - organic to conventional, big to small. We aim for a diverse range of speakers, sharing everything from scientific research and technical knowledge to climate and market updates, along with insights and stories from local and international growers. We hope there is something educational and inspiring for everyone.
Organic winegrowing is... more than just a system; it is a way of living. We need to work closely in harmony with nature and think about the overall health of the system - our soil, our plants, our animals, our people. We need to arm ourselves with knowledge and the tools to work within these systems and not against them. I am not sure anyone can farm perfectly, but staying curious, thinking creatively, and looking inwards to make improvements and a positive difference to the land that we are working with, are all important aspects of organic growing.
A conference highlight will be... hearing from Joseph Brinkley from Bonterra, the largest certified regenerative organic vineyard in the United States. It is really exciting to see a positive business model of significant scale showing that growing organically stacks up. Joseph will talk about how they farm, the value of certification, and how this has helped them to continue to grow their market share, including growth of 16% in the first quarter of 2024, when the market has been trending downwards.
Our social gatherings include... different events each evening of the conference. My personal favourite is the New Zealand Organic Tasting. It is open to all of our attendees and sponsors and is full of such positive energy with everyone in the room.
organicwineconference.com
