Innovation

Planting grapes using biodynamic methods can improve the health of the vineyard, especially for the biodiversity, soil fertility, pests and disease management. If not used, land with pesticide will take a long time to metabolize them and hurt the fertility of the soil, being detrimental to the growth of grape-vine.

There are no chemicals or manufactured ingredients allowed in biodynamic wine. Instead, Aus Continent uses natural ingredients to make special compost to support their vineyard. Following the guidelines of biodynamics, they avoid introducing external materials to assist soil fertility and pest control, ensuring that their vines are subject to few human disturbances that include irrigation. Aus Continent focuses on the health of the land and emphasizes composting, by burying horns filled with cow dung in a pit in their vineyard to gain the energy to grow the grapevine.

Other sustainability initiatives have been implemented, such as converting the production plant light system to LEDs and recycling bottles.

Inspiration

The inspiration of the biodynamic wine comes from the organic wine production, which avoids the use of pesticides, employing natural fertilizers without chemical synthetics or genetically modified products. By doing so, they can achieve the goals of reducing environmental pollution, protecting the ecological balance and producing more healthy and natural wines.

However, the requirements of the biodynamic method are more demanding than organic farming, because it considers the entire planting area as a whole, emphasizing the diversity of species in the ecosystem rather than just the grapes. Biodynamic agriculture emphasizes creating a self-sufficient and healthy ecosystem. Biodynamic production has benefits such as improved soil quality. The main reason for the dramatic decline in the environmental impact of the biodynamic approach is the reduced use of plant protection products and fertilizers, as well as the introduction of manual work rather than mechanized activities in the vineyards, resulting in a reduction of 80% in diesel inputs.

After attending a biodynamic course conducted by the Wine Australia, the Aus Continent found that the vitality of grapevine may be enhanced if they follow the procedures under the biodynamic method.

Overall impact

Inspired by the positive impact of the biodynamic wines, Aus Continent also decided to invest in switching to LED lighting in the winery. “LED is a highly efficient lighting, using 70% less energy and last 20 times longer than our previous incandescent lighting”, said Anthena. As a result of this program, electricity costs were reduced by 70%.

Also, they decided to make sure that every bottle they use is recyclable. New glass can be made from up to 70% cullet, so the use of recycled glass means that the amount of new material mining will be reduced. This also means less energy use, because broken glass can melt at lower temperatures than new materials, and glass furnaces will last longer and have fewer carbon emissions. “In this situation, everyone has the opportunity to participate in the practice of sustainable development”, said Anthena.

After obtaining the certification of the sustainable wine producer, Anthena is seeking for new areas to minimize their environmental impact while reducing costs. The implementation of biodynamic wines lowers the environmental burdens caused by the application of the chemicals and using the manual work instead of mechanized planting of vineyards. In Anthena’s experience, this is the first step to discover pollution that has never been noticed before.

Business benefit

Aus Continent not only avoided the potential costs of pesticides, but they also became recognized as the preferred winery for some restaurants and wine consumers. “Our improvement began with the sustainable practices of biodynamic production,” said Anthena. Aus Continent started an auditing process to be certified as a sustainable grape grower after initial certification as a sustainable wine producer. In order to obtain this certification, they try to use a comprehensive approach that combines natural techniques and elements to prevent disease on the vines and maintain the health of the soil through minimizing the interventions on vineyards. “Choosing wine varieties that are more responsive to Adelaide's climate and soil can help reduce the need for interventions to maintain the health and productivity of the vineyard”, said Anthena.

Social and environmental benefit

The implementation of biodynamic wines resulted in the minimal use of chemicals that pollute the soil and destroy the ecosystem. That reduced the pressure on the ecosystem because of a better-protected soil and environment in which grapes grow.

As practitioners of biodynamics for the production of wine, all they do is designed to minimize environmental impact and protect natural resources for future generations, while keeping the company's long-term economic viability and meeting the market’s expectations of highest quality wines.

Aus Continent provides the best working environment, as evidenced by the company’s low turnover, with employees who have been working for 10 years. The company is also an important part of the community, working with universities to provide internship opportunities for graduates. All the practices adopted as a sustainable wine producer have successfully realized the UN sustainable goals of life on land, good jobs and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities as well as responsible consumption.

Interview

Anthena, Executive Director

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