Down to earth

Winemaker Jannine Rickards was among the early Wairarapa practitioners of organic viticulture and winemaking, and she’s passionate about it.

By Sue McLeary. Photo by Lucia Zanmonti.

Back in 2007 Jannine was Assistant Winemaker when the conversion to organic production started at Ata Rangi in Martinborough. At the same time, 30-odd km away in Gladstone, Urlar Wines was being established as a bio-dynamic organic vineyard by Angus and Davina Thomson.

Ten years later she was appointed Urlar’s wine maker, and with two years’ experience on the Dakins Road site she has no doubts about the value of organic winemaking. She says it’s “absolutely do-able” from a production perspective, and consumer momentum is building steadily.

“People are happy to buy organic milk and vegetables, why not organic wine?  had an ‘ah-ha’ moment recently during a wine trade tour organised by our distributor Negociants around New Zealand: the wines that stood out for me most were all organic: Rippon, Huia, Fromm, Palliser.

“The Palliser connection was strong partly because we are regional neighbours, and because their winemaker Guy McMaster was my predecessor at Urlar.

Urlar’s 30-hectare site is beautiful yet challenging.  “Gladstone in springtime can be quite wet, because there is a high proportion of clay in some parts of the vineyard.”

“Our overhead water frost protection system, fed by the lake, adds more water and can compact the soil. So we are modifying the equipment and doing more under-vine soil cultivation.  

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“Urlar runs on bio-dynamic principles. Many people raise their eyebrows at the process of packing cow manure into horns and burying them. 

“My answer is that this produces the best manure. It’s very concentrated, with high levels of microbial activity. The manure is transformed from a sludgy manure texture into a fine, friable compost for application.

“It obviously works:  the high levels of microbial activity aerate the soil effectively, breaking up the clay and adding life to the soil.

At the vineyard, seaweed from the South Wairarapa coast is turned into seaweed tea, an excellent foliar spray.

“As an industry we are often short of trained staff. At Urlar we use Woofers a lot – they are great, very enthusiastic and very bright, so they learn quickly. 

“Fortunately as an industry we share experiences and ideas a lot – probably more than people outside the wine business realise. That’s important in a small wine community like the Wairarapa,” she says.  

Jannine has worked vintages around New Zealand and Australia, soaking up knowledge and experience as “everyone can teach you something”. 

“Three years working with Matt Donaldson at Pegasus Bay Wines managing their red wines was an important  experience. Working with James Millton at New Zealand’s first organic vineyard, where no insecticide, herbicide, systemic fungicide or soluble fertilisers are used, was inspirational.  He talks about organic wines having “a luminosity” and that inspires me.”

Urlar was sold this year to Nishi Brewing, an 8th generation family firm in Japan. Their New Zealand manager Kohei Koyama is a qualified winemaker, currently based in Nelson and moving to Gladstone soon.

Jannine says the company is “very much about the organic/holistic philosophy”, and aims to expand its involvement in premium wines.  Longer term plans include expanding the Dakins Road site to eventually include a cellar door.

 “We just want to grow the best grapes we can, and make the best wine we can from them. Organic wine.”

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