52 | T T Richard Loader Organic vineyard blossoms Darling Wines grows all the classic grape varieties in its Marlborough organic vineyard, Darling Wines REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT “Over time, we have shown that certain synthetic products allowed for use in New Zealand are not necessary because we’ve been operating successfully without them.” Marlborough’s Darling Wines was born from a passion for growing and producing organically when wine maker Chris Darling and organic viticulturalist Bart Arnst saw an opportunity to complement each other’s skill sets. Following its first vintage in 2008, Darling Wines has blossomed from 200 cases of high-quality wine a year to an annual vintage of 10,500 cases from grapes grown organically on contract throughout Marlborough’s sub-regions. “We have growers in different regions within Marlborough, enabling us to select the best regions for different varietals,” says Bart. “We do the Marlborough classics like sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, a bit of gewürztraminer, chardonnay and pinot noir and a rose. Sauvignon blanc is our biggest by volume with pinot gris pretty big as well. All wine is made in Marlborough under Chris’ direction at the Wine Studio, which is organically certified.” Bart says there is an environmental truth to being organic, producing a yield that the earth is naturally capable of, but which is very high quality. “There are multiple things you cannot use, the most obvious being herbicides, synthetic fertilisers and fungicides, and we’re operating to an international standard. When you see the Certified Organic label you can be sure it has had a high level of independent scrutiny. You know you are going to get a high-quality product if it has been organically certified.” Bart acknowledges that different countries have slight variances in their organic requirements, which Darling Wines takes into account and melds into one so that the wines can be exported as organic under the Bio Gro NZ certification. Bart is on the Executive Committee of Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ), which was formed about 15 years ago with the vision of teaching and dispelling myths about organic growing, and encouraging more people to consider organic wine growing as an option. “We also wanted to become a voice within the wider New Zealand wine industry in general. Over time, we have shown that certain synthetic products allowed for use in New Zealand are not necessary because we’ve been operating successfully without them. We now have a large volume of growers who haven’t used those products for years, and the world didn’t end.” Barring the Covid years, OWNZ has held an organic and biodynamic wine and grape growing conference in Marlborough biennially since its formation, attracting guest speakers from around the globe. “We recently had Kelly Mulville from Paicines Ranch Vineyards in the US come out to speak to us. “Paicines is very highly regarded as one of the leading regenerative properties and it is certified organic. Kelly gets asked to speak around the world and said it was the best conference he had ever been to.” Reflecting on the importance of organics within New Zealand’s wine industry, Bart makes the point that it is the organic vineyards that are typically portrayed when New Zealand Winegrowers advertises its products. “When an overseas wine writer comes to New Zealand, they often ask to see the organic producers, not who makes the most wine.” DarlingWines
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