When you consider that an average winery uses a wide range of pesticides to grow it’s grapes you start to wonder how much chemical residue ends up in your bottle of wine. Pesticides are like clumsy bulldozers – they kill everything in sight including harmless ladybugs and beneficial bees! I’m sure all those toxic chemicals aren’t too good for the farmers either!
It is a vicious cycle…as chemicals are used to control one problem, all the bugs, including the ‘good bugs’, are destroyed – this means that further problems can arise (eg fungus) that had previously been controlled naturally. Also, over time, pests and diseases can develop a resistance to these harsh chemicals, which means the soil, water and land continues to be poisoned and we get more toxins per glass! On the other hand organic farms exclude the use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and artificial fertilisers, resulting in a natural wine that is bursting with flavour and devoid of chemical residue. The only addition to organic wine is sulphur, in minimum amounts within the Australian Organic Standard, to ensure quality during bottle maturation.
With no toxins used the farmers stay happy and healthy and the vineyard buzzes with bees, bugs, worms and life. A great example of a vibrant, sustainable vineyard is Tamburlaine – Australia’s largest organic wine producer who stands at the forefront of organic sustainable viticulture. It’s refusal to use anything toxic in its vineyard has scored it a legion of sustainability awards. Not only does it get top marks for it’s green credentials but it’s wines are consistently ranked as some of the best. Even wine critic James Halliday gave Tamburlaine a distinguished ‘red’ 5-Star rating in his 2012 wine companion for producing consistently good quality wine.
As an environmental advocate, Tamburlaine is one of a few Australian wineries to feature the Australian Certified Organic logo on it’s labels. It’s vineyards in the Hunter Valley and Orange (NSW, Australia) are audited yearly to ensure no synthetic chemicals are used and strict practices are maintained. This means instead of toxic pesticides, Tamburlaine only uses organic fertilisers like seaweed, nettle, worm teas and composted recycled organic waste. The winery waste water is recycled and a vertical composting unit ensures all waste from the vineyard including grape skins and stalks, wood chips, shredded paper and leaf littler is recycled and reused.
Tamburlaine’s certified organic and biodynamic wines have consistently won awards. They believe that without the use of chemicals, the wine has a cleaner, richer flavour that accurately represents the ‘terrior’ of where the grapes are grown. Another benefit is that the minimal use of preservatives can reduce any unpleasant side effects eg. headaches and allergic reactions. That’s got to put a big smile on your face!
So now that you know that organic is the best way to go, it’s time to grab a bottle of Tamburlaine’s Blanc de Blanc certified organic sparkling wine and make a toast to the festive season!
For more information about organic viticulture and Tamburlaine’s organic wines, post your questions on Tamburlaine’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Tamburlaine.Organic.Wines or to purchase wines online visit www.mywinery.com
Tamburlaine - Cellar Door
Tamburlaine - Orange
Organic Facts
