PROTECT
Water Ways Good ideas flowing at Isabel Estate SOPHIE PREECE
WHEN JEREMY McKenzie took over at Isabel Estate in 2014, the Renwick winery was under the pump when it came to winery waste water. Turning that around, while growing the operation from 450 to 1,800 tonnes, has been about a trickle of changes not a flood, with a continuous improvement programme on a modest budget, says the company’s chief winemaker. “We have done it quite strategically.” Winery and operations manager Nick Best, who joined Isabel a year after Jeremy, told attendees at the Wine Marlborough winery waste water workshop last month about a series of changes made at the company, from creating a new area for waste water irrigation, to ensuring better capture of storm water. Nick reiterated that it was about working smarter, without a big capital outlay, and being prepared to catch the “curve balls” that inevitably fly through when it comes to winery waste. That included visiting wineries around the country to see what others were doing. “Obviously, it’s not the biggest or best system, but it works for us and the number of staff we have,” Nick says. The company began by increasing its storage capacity and changing its waste water irrigation to K-Line, while also aligning its technology to capture quantity and nutrient information. They also looked to relieve pressure on a site previously used for all the 16 / Winepress March 2021
“We should be looking at this as a resource instead of a problem.” Matt Oliver winery’s waste water, so cleared gorse, old man’s beard and blackberry from beneath an existing grove of oak trees on a river terrace on the 50-hectare vineyard. Having cleared the weeds, the team ripped the soil to soak in grasses, before putting in place solid set irrigation and sprinklers for waste water disposal. They tied the new section in with Isabel’s existing monitoring technology, ensuring Nick has all the discharge data, including information required in reports to the Marlborough District Council (MDC). Meanwhile, the original waste water site was assessed, treated with gypsum and given time to come back into nutrient balance, so that the two sites can be rotated. “We now have 3.6ha of irrigation paddocks,” says Nick. The development also included off-takes from the terrace, so that in the case of a flood the company can irrigate up onto the headlands instead. Isabel has improved its storm water systems, and any new concrete areas, buildings or warehouses will align with that pipeline, ensuring clean water is not going through the waste
Nick Best and Jeremy McKenzie in an area irrigated by winery waste water. Photo by Jim Tannock
water process. And working with the winery team to ensure the right use of chemicals, including using less caustic soda, was key to reducing the output, says Nick. “The first year we started to do that we really saw a change.” Isabel received a new resource consent before the 2020 vintage, following discussions with council staff on the best way to progress under the proposed Marlborough Environment Plan. Jeremy describes the company as something of a “guinea pig” in that process. “We have increased the consent to future proof ourselves - not significantly to the large or medium winery level, but enough to gain some efficiencies and give ourselves a bit more scope in operation “ And the continuous improvement of the vineyard continues, with a successful application to MDC’s Working for Nature/Mahi mō te Taiao fund, and plans for native plantings, including along the vineyard’s waterways. That’s the next stage of the process, says Jeremy. “It’s about the health of the site.”
