My husband Ian and I own a very small cert organic vineyard in North Canterbury New Zealand that I run pretty much single-handedly. I farm the 13.8ha Estate regeneratively and that includes the 5.6ha vineyard area. I run a small flock of organic Wiltshire sheep and a fold of Highland cattle to give me a hand with managing the vineyard understory. Since establishing the vineyard in 2002 the vineyard has been no-till and is very biodiverse. I think I'm the only winegrower in the world who has cattle assist with winter pruning in the vineyard. I have a small flock of guinea fowl to assist with bug control and rely on dung beetles to recycle animal manure. The vineyard also hosts around 5 bee hives. I prune all 27 thousand vines by myself. I'm determined to post some video of my cattle this coming winter as few people believe me when I explain their role. We're 100% devoted to Pinot Noir which is managed almost entirely by hand. The vineyard itself is quite special comprising a north-facing (remember we're in the Southern Hemisphere) hillside with melanic limestone soils on the "Golden Mile" in the Waipara Valley. Machine passes through the vineyard for spraying and netting are kept to a minimum. Our fruit is hand picked and made in small batches outdoors in close proximity to the vineyard to take full advantage of indigenous yeast populations. Ferments are fully natural without any additions or heating or refrigeration. Gentle basket press to seasoned French oak where it remains for just under 2 years. Bottled without finishing filtering or sulphite additions into lightweight glass under stelvin closure. The vineyard is very low cropping <2 tonnes/ha. We make wine exclusively from our own grapes and neither buy nor sell grapes.

Information

Domain Name:
Fancrest Estate
Winemaker's Name:
Diane and Ian Holding
Country:
New Zealand
Region:
Canterbury
Farming:
Organic (BioGro)
Grape varieties:
Pinot Noir

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My husband Ian and I own a very small cert organic vineyard in North Canterbury New Zealand that I run pretty much single-handedly. 
I farm the 13.8ha Estate regeneratively and that includes the 5.6ha vineyard area. 
I run a small flock of organic Wiltshire sheep and a fold of Highland cattle to give me a hand with managing the vineyard understory. 
Since establishing the vineyard in 2002 the vineyard has been no-till and is very biodiverse.
 I think I'm the only winegrower in the world who has cattle assist with winter pruning in the vineyard. 
I have a small flock of guinea fowl to assist with bug control and rely on dung beetles to recycle animal manure.  
The vineyard also hosts around 5 bee hives.  I prune all 27 thousand vines by myself. I'm determined to post some video of my cattle this coming winter as few people believe me when I explain their role. 
We're 100% devoted to Pinot Noir which is managed almost entirely by hand. The vineyard itself is quite special comprising a north-facing (remember we're in the Southern Hemisphere) hillside with melanic limestone soils on the "Golden Mile" in the Waipara Valley.  
Machine passes through the vineyard for spraying and netting are kept to a minimum. 
Our fruit is hand picked and made in small batches outdoors in close proximity to the vineyard to take full advantage of indigenous yeast populations. 
Ferments are fully natural without any additions or heating or refrigeration. Gentle basket press to seasoned French oak where it remains for just under 2 years. 
Bottled without finishing filtering or sulphite additions into lightweight glass under stelvin closure. The vineyard is very low cropping <2 tonnes/ha. We make wine exclusively from our own grapes and neither buy nor sell grapes.

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