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New Zealand Vineyards And Wineries Going Green

Tuesday 22 April 2014, 4:39PM

By Pure SEO

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“100% Pure’? Not quite, but the New Zealand wine industry is getting close, says online wine retailer Rewined. Online wine retailer, Rewined suggest that due to regulatory and industry commitment to sustainable practices, consumers are going ‘green’ almost every time they open a bottle of New Zealand wine.

Auckland based online-only wine retailer Rewined www.rewined.co.nz suggests New Zealand wine drinkers are going green even if they don’t mean to. At last count 94% of New Zealand vineyards and wineries had voluntarily adopted Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand certification. A programme outlining acceptable grape growing and wine production practices that are sensitive to the eco-system s of growing areas and have a positive impact on the surrounding environment, economy and people.

Shannon Lawrence, Rewind’s Operations Manager suggests “selling a product that is so intrinsically defined by where it comes from means as an industry it’s in our best interests to manage it for the long term and in that respect we’re leading the world”.

Lawrence goes on to say, “It’s astonishing. People are more clued up on where and how their products are made; we are looking for that connection to a place, the producers and the earth. But most consumers aren’t even aware that Sustainable Winegrowing exists.” In New Zealand we have almost 7% of our vineyard area Biogro organic certified and 0.2% biodynamic certified through Demeter. With many more acres of vineyards farmed using either organic or biodynamic principles but foregoing certification. And a lot of the time wineries aren’t even marketing it.

As a wine retailer, Rewined is seeing more wine sold as organic and/or biodynamic. It reflects a level of quality and commitment and is increasingly part of the conversation people have both before they purchase and around the table when they are talking about wine. “Though it would be great for people to realise that even if it doesn’t say it’s organic, if it comes from New Zealand it’s probably at least sustainably made. I think this shows a level of stewardship and responsibility other industries in New Zealand could take a lesson from.”
Lawrence says she expects sustainable, biodynamic and organic wines to further find favour in coming years, consumers will increasingly ask for it, and with development in organic pest, disease and weed control methods, it is becoming more economically viable.