NZW Fellows: Xan Harding
A self-confessed “nerd” with a penchant for policy and a passion for sociology has been recognised for his commitment to New Zealand’s wine industry.
"It hasn't been easy," Anna says in the wake of an "amazing" 20th vintage at Te Whare Ra. "But we genuinely still love it."
The results of this two decade renovation are not in the winery structure - a modest tractor shed housing high-end small-batch winery equipment. They may not even be apparent in the vineyard rows, although those in the know will appreciate fastidious pruning and canopy management, curated cover crops, steaming compost heaps, and picturesque Devon cows grazing mid-winter rows, reducing machinery compaction while fertilising in situ.
To really dig into this 11 hectare organic doer upper, you need to look at the vibrant soil beneath the vines, where those cover crops, composts, and cows, along with biological sprays, biodynamic preparations, seaweed teas, and bloody hard work, have seen organic matter rise from 2% to 6%. "That's a really good measure of how well you're farming," Jason says.
It makes a massive difference to soil health, and also its water holding capacity, with 130,000 litres of water stored per hectare for every 1% of soil organic matter, Anna says. "We basically created a 8.5 million litre dam in the soil." She and Jason are "obsessed" with the data behind their work, unwilling to take anything at face value. "The science is a vindication," Anna explains. "It is giving you so many more tools... to make better and more informed decisions." They tap into it often, analysing soil, compost and biologicals before deciding how to best manage every corner, row or individual vine at Te Whare Ra, never opting for a one treatment fits all approach. "It's about finding a balance," Jason says. "If you want to make quality wine and grow quality grapes, this is what it takes. That's the sort of effort you have got to put in It's not an example of organics. It's an example of quality winegrowing to achieve the best product."
The couple - he from Marlborough and she from a multigenerational grape growing family in McLaren Vale - were working in Australia's Clare Valley when they began to long for autonomy. The higher they got in their careers, the further they got from the cellar, Anna says. "I didn't want to be writing notes saying 'please plunge my Pinots at 1 o'clock'."
When they met Tony and Lita Brady at Wendouree, who were making small-batch iconic wines from 50 tonnes of grapes in the Clare Valley, they were inspired. So they looked around and were captured by the history, place and potential of Te Whare Ra, te reo Māori for the house in the sun. "I had been to Marlborough enough times to know it was a pretty amazing part of the world, and obviously the reputation for the wines was pretty cool," Anna says. "But we were really looking for something like this - small and hans on. It was really important to us to have our winery and our own vineyards. We are complete control freaks. Anyone who knows us well, knows that."
Planted in 1979, the vineyard was one of Marlborough's oldest, and "a lot of people thought 'of course you are going to pull that out'," says Anna. "And we were like, 'no that's what we came here for'." They immediately removed some varieties, invested in good winery equipment, and planted cover crops to build organic matter. In 2007 they converted to organics, and also adopted biodynamics and regenerative practices, knowing that good organics is not just about removing certain inputs, but also ensuring the nutrition of the ecosystem. Good organic farming is also regenerative, and good regenerative farming must also be organic, Anna says.
About 10 years in, Jason knew they'd hit a turning point. "All of a sudden, the soil smells different, drains differently and reacts differently to the environment. You know it's starting to work properly." It also feels softer under foot, and they like to take visitors for a stroll around Te Whare Ra, then compare it to walking through a compacted conventional vineyard.
The vines have flourished in the well-functioning soil, with better disease resistance, and the yields from 40-year-old vines were as good this year as they've ever been, Jason says, noting the "amazing" fruit that came across the sorting table at harvest. "You are looking and tasting and thinking, 'this is all really worth it'."
"The quality of the fruit this year has been utterly exceptional," Anna agrees, noting that the hard work in the vineyard comes through in their carefully created wines. "The people who know, know. They can see it in our wines and the consistency of our range."
Channelling heart and hard work into their house in the sun has reaped rewards, and it's the only way they're interested in growing wine. If a winegrower is really lucky, they'll get 50 or 40 vintages, Jason says. "If you only get to have 40 harvests, why wouldn't you make them amazing?"
