In 2006 the Grove Mill winery in Marlborough became the first certified carbon neutral winery in the world. Its owners, the New Zealand Wine Company (NZWC), achieved Landcare Research’s carboNZeroCert TM certification for their vineyards and production of wines at Grove Mill, and for freight of the wine to its overseas markets.
A subsequent economic analysis conservatively estimated the value of carboNZero certification to the New Zealand Wine Company to be over 15 times its investment in earning carbon neutral certification; such was its early adopter advantage.
Joining Grove Mill is a rapidly developing list of fast followers with the carboNZero programme certifying a growing number of leading wineries and their products, these include - Cape Campbell Wines, Dry River Wines Ltd, Huia Vineyards Ltd, Kaimira Ventures Ltd, Wairau River Wines and Yealands Estate Wines Ltd.
The carboNZero programme is an internationally recognised greenhouse gas (GHG) certification scheme developed by Landcare Research, a New Zealand Government owned Crown Research Institute.
It is a fine example of how a New Zealand company can punch above its weight on the global stage as it provides the wine industry with a certification programme that is truly a world best.
The carboNZero programme is the only accredited ISO 14065 GHG verifier outside of the USA and the world’s first GHG certification scheme to receive international accreditation by the Joint Accreditation System – Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) which comes under the auspices of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
This means the carboNZero programme offers a framework for wineries all over the world to measure and report their carbon neutral claims with confidence and credibility as it has been verified against a global standard that is accepted in 50 major world economies.
Certification provides a degree of “future-proofing” for the wineries that have obtained carboNZero certification. It is a sturdy defence in the continuing “food-miles” debate, it encourages an emphasis on efficiency at a time when operating costs need to be reduced and for wineries that are exporting, it can lower barriers to market entry particularly in traditional markets and it strikes a key cord with the target customers.
Interest in carboNZero certification is at an all time high with a number of leading brands rapidly progressing through to certification and with further public announcement due in the next few weeks it’s fair to say the wine industry here in New Zealand has reached an exciting tipping point.
Sauvignon blanc plentiful
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By Charmian Smith on Wed, 20 Jan 2010
Food & Wine
Click photo to enlarge
Sauvignon blanc grapes. Photo from Wikipedia Commons. With so much sauvignon blanc around at the moment, it's not surprising to find some producers trying to make theirs stand out.
Peter Yealands, who promotes the sustainability and carbon zero barrel, has bottled his sauvignon blanc in plastic - it's certainly a great deal lighter and takes up less space than a glass-bottled wine, and they claim it is more environmentally friendly and costs less to transport.
This may be open to discussion, but the wine inside is decent, minerally and assertive - just the bottle to take tramping or on a picnic.
Another producer doing something different is &Co, from Hawkes Bay, which uses a crown cap on its clear bottle.
It may be a high-tech crown cap with a plastic liner instead of the original cork invented by William Painter in 1892, but you have to find a beer-bottle opener - something not so easy these days when even beer bottles have screw-off caps.
The wine hints of sweet apricots, stonefruit and honey - not a typical New Zealand sauvignon.
IF you come across a rare bottle of Montana's sauvignon gris, don't be misled into thinking it's a blend of sauvignon blanc and pinot gris.
It's actually a grape variety in its own right, one of the many sauvignon variants originally from the French wine regions of Bordeaux and the Loire.
Sauvignon blanc (white) is the best known but there are also sauvignon vert (green), jaune (yellow), noir (black), rosé or gris (pink or grey) and violet, named according to the colour of their berries, according to Jancis Robinson in her magisterial The Oxford Companion to Wine.
Montana Showcase Series Marlborough Sauvignon Gris 2009 (about $24) will have your guests guessing, because it's has something of the herbal crispness of sauvignon blanc, but with more hints of ripe apples, stone and tropical fruit.
It's less pungent and assertive, making it more attractive to people who prefer a more restrained wine than its assertive cousin.
WINE REVIEWS
Sauvignon blanc may be bright, assertive and fruity, but within this it comes in many styles, from overt and in-your-face to more restrained. Flavours range from tropical fruits to leaner, green fruits and mineral, and some are made more complex and mouthfilling with less contact
or barrel fermentation.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. [email protected]
Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
BEST UNDER $20
Yealands Full Circle Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
$17.
Aromas of mineral and raindrops on hot river stones meld with sweet fruit and a bright, crisp intensity in this lively, in-your-face sauvignon.
It comes in a lightweight plastic bottle.
4 stars (out of 5)
Good value
www.yealands.co.nz
As part of its ongoing commitment to the environment, carboNZero certTM certified winery, Yealands Estate, is getting behind ARK Tour - 'Concerts for Conservation'. The series of events aim to raise awareness and funds for local conservation projects.
Peter Yealands, owner and founder of Yealands Estate, is thrilled to support ARK in their quest to preserve New Zealand’s environment.
“ARK’s efforts to raise awareness of our environment and the many and various conservation projects that are underway, is highly commendable,” says Peter. “We are pleased to be able to support them by signing on as a major sponsor for this concert”.
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The series of concerts coincide with Yealands Estates recent release of Full Circle, a range of wines in environmentally friendly plastic bottles. Attendees will be able to taste Full Circle along with other award-winning Yealands Estate wines while connecting with nature in some of New Zealand’s most stunning locations.
The first concert in Christchurch on the 14 February will support the Canterbury native wetlands restoration project at Halswell Quarry Park, with a portion of all ticket sales going towards the project.
The second concert in Hamilton on the 20th February will be supporting a Hamilton Zoo conservation project, to save the native Hochstetter’s Frog. Funds raised will go towards the construction of a new enclosure for the frogs and will assist with the zoo’s captive breeding and research programme.
The evenings will provide families with the opportunity to enjoy some great music and fine wines for a great cause.
EVENT DETAILS - Christchurch
Tim Beveridge and Tina Cross
Sunday 14 February - 5pm
Halswell Quarry Park, Christchurch
VENT DETAILS - Hamilton
Opshop, Jordan Luck Band, Dane Rumble and Annabel Fay
Saturday 20 February - 6:30pm
Waikato Times Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival
Book online at www.ticketek.co.nz or call 0800 TICKETEK
For more information visit www.yealands.co.nz or www.ARKtour.co.nz/
Ends
Via Pacifica Selections was born in the late 1990s, when Howard and Shelly Kalmer fell in love with New Zealand and its wines. The business was started at a time when New Zealand wines were not well-known, but the Kalmers’ focus on premium, estate wineries and their enthusiasm in presenting them led to success in the market.
http://www.viapacifica.com/nz.htm
Nigel B. 237°
Craig F. 105°
Sarah Valentine 15°
Purchased from a carbon neutral section in New World.......here's hoping.
Hi Roger, I've got a cunning plan! Suggest we catch up later next week
Rockstock stone paper winelabels are freezer grade, water proof, moth & insect proof, grease proof, photodegradeable, and has a great look and feel. www.stonepaper.co.nz