Business South June 2021

96 | VITICULTURE Lawson’s Dry Hills Award caps off 30-year celebration T Richard Loader 4 Kendrick Drive, Riverlands Estate, Marlborough P: 03 577 9849 E: workshop@tradetechgroup.co.nz As your Partner in Production, we don't just 'fix a problem', we actively look for better ways to do the job so that you stay in production. We pride ourselves on having the ideal blend of 'Kiwi ingenuity' and highly specialised knowledge and experience. Congratulations Lawson's Dry Hills on your 30th Harvest. Proud to be part of your team for over a decade. P raised by judges for their commitment to reducing their environmental impact, Lawson’s Dry Hills was awarded winner of the wine industry category at the 2021 Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards recently held in Blenheim. In February, Lawson’s Dry Hills became a Toitu carbon zero certified organisation mak- ing it the only New Zealand wine producer to be certified with both ISO14001 (Environmen- tal Management) and ISO 14064 (carbon zero). Lawson’s internationally recognised certifi- cations reflect the company’s culture of con- tinuous improvement and innovation across a wide range of areas, including recyclable and biodegradable packaging, generating solar power and storing water off the winery roof. “It was nice to get the accolade outside of winning wine awards,” says General Manager and shareholder, Sion Barnsley. “We feel good about what we do from an environmental and sustainability perspective and it’s good for our business too. Winning the award is a great endorsement of our sustainability achievements and it’s nice to be recognised locally for what we’ve been doing for the last 10-plus years.” Sion emphasises that the award reflects a strong team effort led by a genuine desire to improve the company’s environmental standing. “We don’t have deep pockets so what we do is quite a big deal for us. The judges acknowl- edged that despite our limited means what we’ve achieved is quite credible.” The award and accolades come just as Law- son’s Dry Hills celebrates its 30th vintage. Reflecting on the special milestone, Sion says while being a modest team, everyone at Lawson’s is extremely proud of what has been achieved over the years, particularly the success of their wines in an industry where success can be challenging. “Our wines have been well recognised and we certainly get our share of accolades but the fact that the business continues to be success- ful as well is quite an achievement. “One of the most rewarding things for me personally is that we are a small team but we have been together for a very long time. The fact that we have loyalty and longevity of staff is special to me and testament that we work well together as a team.” Renowned for innovation within an industry steeped in tradition, Lawson’s Dry Hills was an industry leader in the adoption of screw tops twenty years ago. “Our wines have been well recognised and we certainly get our share of accolades but the fact that the business continues to be successful as well is quite an achievement.” With a pioneering Kiwi ‘can-do’ attitude, founder Ross Lawson struggled with the thought of sticking cork bark in the bottle with the risk of wine spoilage, and became part of a local committee of brand owners/wine mak- ers who formed the screw top initiative. “While there was some nervousness about the change, we went in boots-‘n-all and went 100% screw cap, while others slowly tested the waters. Because of that we are where we are today with 97% of all New Zealand wines under screw cap.” Just over a decade ago when Sion took over as GM he believed Lawson’s could step up its approach to sustainability, at a time when the market demand for all things around sustaina- bility had not gathered momentum. “We were probably a bit early in our ap- proach, but we just felt it was the right thing to do, so I made the decision to go for ISO14001 international certification for environmental management. That incorporated everything in our business and brought in a lot of discipline around the day-to-day decisions we make. Sustainability is not just about the environ- ment; it’s a very holistic approach.” Lawson’s Dry Hills was founded by Ross and Barbara Lawson, producing their first vintage in 1992 at a contract facility from gewürztraminer grown on their small lifestyle block in the southeast side of Blenheim on the foot of Wither Hills. The wine was well received and a range of white aromatics was added, with a winery built in 1995. Today, the winery, cellar door and some gewürztraminer remain on the same location where the journey began, but the company owns 70 hectares of vineyards at different locations around the province with another 60 hectares of contract-grown fruit. The winery has also grown from the original 100 tonnes of processed fruit to 1800 tonnes each year. “Our big variety is sauvignon blanc which represents between 75 - 80% of our pro- duction. Then we have all the minor white aromatics and the only red varietal that we do is pinot noir.” Lawson’s Dry Hills Group Marketing Manager, Belinda Jackson, and General Manager and Director, Sion Barnsley.