ROSS VINTINER

round a decade ago, Vintiner returned to the Wairarapa to rejuvenate an olive grove in Martinborough.

"I have always loved growing plants, especially trees, and I adore everything olives," said Vintiner.

Vintiner was a consultant in Wellington for many years. He then studied for a diploma in organic agriculture before purchasing his current grove, committing himself to evidencebased innovations and methods to grow great olives and oil.

Dali has 1100 trees using biodynamic and organic methods, consisting of Tuscan varieties Leccina, Frantoio, Pendolino, Greek varieties Koroneiki, Kalamata, and Spanish variety Picual.

Dali farms with a negative carbon footprint increasingly provide nutrients and other inputs from their diverse property. Vintiner said that principally he farms olives for their polyphenols, which he has coined nature's antioxidants, as these provide most of the health benefits in olives.

World-leading agronomists agree that living soil and fostering strong microbial interrelationships with plants are essential to thriving agriculture. Which Vintiner said was consistent with biodynamics and the best of organics.

"Our soil is alive, as all soil should be. We always apply microbes with any organic fertilisers, and we are lessening our use of fertilisers and increasing use of home-made fungal compost, vermicasts, and sheep grazing."

Dali regularly measures the soil for microbes, nutrients, and plant sugars. Vintiner added that each grove was distinct and that Dali's growing methods were proven sustainable, economic, local, and prosperous and could be widely applied with a sensible transition plan.

The local terroir impacts

Vintiner's grove, meaning hot and dry summers and cold winters, with moderately fertile soils, good sunshine hours, and lush growth. For the last 18 months, the region has had double the amount of its average rainfall, coupled with low sunshine hours. This has resulted in strong vegetative growth with variable fruit sets and crops.

Vintiner said the Tuscan varieties coped better than the Greek or Spanish varieties—these varieties, like the terroir, favour dryer, more stable conditions. Vintiner's growing approach was explicitly designed to increase resilience to climate variability.

Day-to-day varies greatly for Vintiner, with the season having the most significant impact on variation.

Dali has just completed handharvesting. The trees and soil are now fed microbial food for winter.

"It's time to coppice, chip our Italian Alders, and make copious amounts of beautiful fungaldominant compost. Then lambing and pruning."

Dali's best award was for being in the top 25 olive growers in the world for the production of top-quality olive oil and table olives. The global award, Best Luxury Olive Oils of the World, recognised Dali's growing method, innovation, fruit and soil quality, as well as its leadership in the polyphenol space and Dali's marketing.

Vintiner said that most olive awards focus on oil flavour. To Vintiner, this only partly defines quality.

"Olive oil is as much about health as it is about flavour."

He continued that the past two years had been highly challenging due to the weather. Copious rain and lack of sunshine hinder excellent olive oil, which is rich in antioxidants and flavour. Dali has persevered, Vintiner stating that its soil and trees are in great shape.

Dali grows Wairarapa's only commercial Kalamata table olives; the trees grow well in the region but do not always yield fruit, yet Dali has Kalamata olives each year. Vintiner said this was because the trees were planted with the benefit of added microbes, and comfrey grows underneath, providing a rich microbial environment with nutrients supplied. The grove also has a half-hectare indigenous wetland. He added that Dali has 100 Italian Alders planted within the grove, and there is a mixed sward of clovers, plantain, and other plants to support grove diversity.

Dali oils and olives are mainly sold in the Wellington region. However, they are also sold nationwide and supplied to the global wellness industry.

Vintiner stated that Dali was a leading innovator, pioneering a harvest timing method that measures plant sugars to determine harvest date and likely polyphenol level for each variety. Another important innovation was fermenting olive pressing 'waste' or pomace, producing a high nitrogen and potassium mix for olives. Dali has developed a successful fungal ground drench with biodynamic preparations, Italian Alder compost, and vermicasts.

Dali has several other innovations under trial currently also.

Vintiner's favourite variety is Kalamata, with it being the first to ripen and being hand-picked, which often is a family affair.