NEW ZEALAND GOES GREEN-ER

With its massive rolling landscapes, New Zealand is literally a pretty green country. Soon it will be green figuratively as well. Twenty percent of the vineyards in New Zealand will be farmed organically or biodynamically by 2O2O, according to a new target set by Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ). The area of the country’s vineyards under organic certification has tripled over the past three years, but so far only 15OO hectares of vines in 115 vineyards are managed organically, or 4.5% of New Zealand’s total. “By 2O2O, even if we only achieve 2O% of the vine lands in our country as being certified organic and biodynamic, it will be a giant step towards enforcing our very precious environmental image to wine connoisseurs all over the world,” said James Millton, organic grower and winemaker, and Chairman of OWNZ. OWNZ is claiming strong support from generic body New Zealand Winegrowers. OWNZ, a 14O-member association, set the target after signing a Memorandum of Understanding last year to promote organic production through education, research and marketing – claimed as the first long-term commitment of its kind in New Zealand.