Sarah Watson

Hasko, Bruer and Ingle all agree that using fewer chemical sprays improves both the health of the vine and the biodiversity of the vineyard too. Ingle said that since becoming organic, Angove’s vines have increased significantly in health and are now more able to cope with

extremes. “You use slightly lower yields, so you’re not stressing the vine quite so much, and that brings the vine back into play a little bit. You’re much more efficient with irrigation and you don’t have to spray so much, so you’re not driving up and down the vines all the time, which uses diesel and compacts the soil.”

Ingle also said that the winery’s workers prefer working in the vineyards with organic certification. “Because they don’t have to wear all of the anti-chemical suits. It’s a lot nicer place to be – there’s birds, wasps, bees, butterflies, and flowers.” A biodynamic vineyard also helps overcome the challenges all winemakers face - vine disease and pests. “

We’ve found other ways of dealing with those challenges and they’ve worked quite well. In fact, we have developed an organic fungus from milk whey - it’s very efficacious. Our pests are almost all controlled by predators such as insects, spiders and birds, which have all been attracted to our property because it’s organic,” Bruer said.

Ingle added: “We’re basically doing what our grandparents did 60 years ago. You can grow grapes like this, it’s just that we’ve forgotten how to do it.”

ANGOVE FAMILY WINEMAKERS ORGANIC WINES

Angove Family Winemakers has been producing organic wine for over 10 years. Its first organic wine, a 2006 shiraz cabernet, was released to the market in 2008. David Bruer, who has been making organic wine since 1995 and has worked closely with Angove for a number of years, was the inspiration behind the winery first applying for organic certification. Today, 110 hectares of the South Australian wine producer’s vineyards are certified organic, 14 are certified biodynamic, and a further 100 are currently in conversion. The winery also works with some six growers in the state to source additional certified organic fruit, and Ingle said that the Angove family is keen to convert its other 240 hectares over to organic in the future.

“Organic viticulture is viewed as the best way to improve soil quality and optimise water usage, which creates stronger, healthier vines and better fruit. We believe it makes a better tasting wine and, more importantly, improves the environment for our future generations,” Ingle said. “We see this as an essential investment in our future and part of our deeply held belief to make sure that we pass our precious natural resources onto the next generation in a better condition than when we started.”

Angove has three organic ranges, including its ‘Organic’ range, which comprises a cuvee brut, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, shiraz cabernet, and merlot, the ‘Wild Olive’ organic range includes a shiraz and chardonnay, and the ‘Warboys Vineyard’ range features a shiraz grenache, grenache, and shiraz.