As we plan to establish a new vineyard, there is a lot to consider. As with any topic, the more you look into it, the more you realise how little you know. Our geology, ecology, sociology and all of the “ologies” are such complex systems. We hope that the footprint we leave is a positive one. My parents selected this place the with intention to plant a vineyard, whilst there weren’t and to this day aren’t any other vineyards within the Fish River Valley, they were confident that the brown, well drained, sandy loam top soil overlying structured reddish brown sandy clay soils of this North-East facing ridge are ideal for the production of high quality fruit.
Our understanding of the geology of our site was given a great boost when we were paid a visit by Chris Marshall in 2013. We learnt that the soil we stand on today has existed in it’s current state for approximately 8000 years on top of which existed an open, grassy box gum woodland prior to European colonisation. When we purchased the property much of the woodland was gone, but we are now seeing a lot of juvenile yellow boxes popping up all over. This ties in with what I see as the most important consideration moving forward as stewards of the land, what was here before us? And can we regenerate the land back to a reflection of it’s former self whilst overseeing a productive agricultural system?
Sustainable agriculture seems to be a real “it” phrase these days as consumers come to realise that in fact, there is not infinite resources on earth. We have seen so much change in our agricultural systems over the past few decades, consumers have started demanding products that are produced without herbicides or pesticides and there is a growing focus on localism throughout Australia. I think this is a fantastic step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go, organics has signified a movement away from an industrialised system. It is my belief and that of many others such as Dr’s Kerry Cochrane and Johannes Bauer that the next step must be towards seeking products that are produced ecologically in addition to organically. A diverse ecosystem is a resilient eco system and I plan on devoting my life to trying to understand what is best for the ecosystem that I call home.
