the only certified organic vineyard in Coonawarra
What 20 Years of Organic Viticulture Actually Means
October is Cabernet Month in Coonawarra, and there’s something you should know about our Cabernet: a little point of difference, if you will. It comes from the only certified organic vineyard in the entire region.
I’m pretty passionate about this subject so let me take you on a bit of a journey about why that matters and why, nearly 20 years later, we’re still the only ones doing it.
The Sentence That Changed Everything
Late 2005. My dad Trevor and I were talking about the vineyard when he said something that stopped me cold: “I think the chemicals we use on the farm may have contributed to my cancer.”
“Well,” I replied, “we’ll stop using them.”
He smiled because he thought I was joking. Little did he know it was the sentence that changed the entire way we did things from that day forward.
what happened next
In 2006, I asked our viticulturalist if we could go organic. Her response? She promptly quit, saying nobody could go organic in a cool, wet climate like Coonawarra.
Eventually, I talked her around. She went on to become one of the most knowledgeable viticulturalists on nutrient-dense organics in Australia, possibly the world. She eventually left to sell the Nutri-Tech products she’d been using on our vineyard, proof that what seemed impossible actually works.
That’s when I coined the term “ecosystem organics” to explain what we do. The idea is simple: create an ecosystem above and below the soil so the vineyard manages pests and diseases itself.
Why We Waited Until 2017 for Certification
Here’s the truth: we’d been practising organic viticulture since 2006, but we didn’t get officially certified until 2017.
Why the delay? Fear, mostly. When your entire yearly income relies on that vineyard, taking away your options in a bad year feels terrifying.
What if we had a disease outbreak and couldn’t use conventional sprays? What if we lost the whole crop?
But knowing what we know now, being organic actually improves vineyard resilience. My only regret is we should have been brave and done it sooner.
Twenty years later, we remain the only certified organic vineyard in Coonawarra.
So what’s stopping every other Coonawarra winery from getting their certified organic status too?
It’s Not Because It’s Hard or expensive
It’s not because it’s too difficult to achieve and maintain, we’ve proven it is. It’s definitely not because it’s more expensive; we actually spend 30% less than the average Coonawarra vineyard. And without a doubt, it’s not because you sacrifice quality; our Cabernets consistently score 92-94+ points and win awards.
I think other vignerons were just waiting for someone else to test the waters first and change generational thinking. I can safely say, the water’s fine. Jump on in. It is great to see more head towards sustainable practices but it would be great for them to take the next step to organic certification.
What Organic Certification Actually Involves
Let’s be clear about what “certified organic” means versus “organic practices.” Plenty of wineries will tell you they use organic methods. Certification is different; it’s independent audits, rigorous paperwork, and accountability every single year.
For us, it means:
- No synthetic pesticides or herbicides (we haven’t used any since 2006)
- No synthetic fertilisers
- Annual inspections and soil testing
- Complete traceability of every input
- Maintaining detailed records of every vineyard practice
These days, we rarely spray at all, just one or two applications per year, and only with approved organic materials like seaweed, silica, and micronised calcium.
Most years we do one spray at budburst when leaves are only two inches long, then another mineral mix in late January when the grapes start changing colour and ripening (winemakers call this veraison) to strengthen the vines.
Compare that to conventional vineyards, which typically do eight sprays, two mows, and herbicide applications each year.
how we actually do it
Here’s what people don’t understand about organic viticulture: it’s not just about what you don’t use. It’s about building a system that doesn’t need those inputs in the first place.
The Good Bugs vs Bad Bugs Strategy
We grow flowers throughout our vineyard, yellow and white-stamen varieties that attract 65% of Australia’s predatory wasps. These wasps feed on Light Brown Apple Moth and Vine Moth at different life stages.
The smallest is the Trichogramma Wasp which is the size of the sharp end of a pin, and only travels about 20 metres. That’s why we need flowers throughout the entire vineyard, not just at the ends of rows.
We’ve identified five different wasp species, three spider varieties, and even a Scorpion Fly. They’re completely harmless to us, but devastating to vineyard pests. We haven’t needed to spray an organic pesticide for over 12 years.
The Soil Biology Secret
A fact that still floors me: 40% of the carbon a vine captures is used to feed the biology in the soil. If a plant is short on zinc, it changes the carbon it produces to feed zinc-mining bacteria and micro-fungi. These little organisms mine the zinc from the soil and make it available to the plant.
No soil biology? Your plant can’t access the minerals it needs to stay healthy and fight off disease.
The Terra Rossa Advantage
Coonawarra’s famous terra rossa soil is already special, that iron-rich red earth over limestone is why this region produces world-class Cabernet. But when you add organic practices to terra rossa, something remarkable happens.
The organic matter we’re building acts like a sponge in that red soil. Every 1% increase in soil carbon holds an extra 177,000 litres of water per hectare. Our soil carbon now sits at 2.3% which is 80% higher than most vineyards.
That means the terra rossa can hold more water, support a greater diversity of beneficial soil life, and deliver more consistent nutrition to the vines throughout the season.
The limestone base provides natural pH buffering, and our organic approach works with that rather than against it. We’re not fighting the soil with chemicals, we’re simply amplifying what makes Coonawarra special in the first place.
The Weeds Are Actually Helping
Those “weeds” in our mid-rows? They’re native grasses and flowers that die off after they seed, so they don’t compete for water. But their roots, which are 2.3 times larger than what you see above ground, become humus when they break down. That humus becomes a sponge in the soil, holding three times its weight in water.
We’ve even lifted our trellis wires 50cm to allow sheep to “shoot bash” for us. They come in and nibble off all the small shoots, saving us tens of thousands of dollars a year.
The Proof Is in the Bottle
Look, I could talk soil biology and ecosystem organics all day, but here’s what really matters: does it make better wine?
The critics seem to think so.
Our Ambriel’s Gift Cabernet Sauvignon has scored 94 points from James Halliday. Erin Larkin from the Halliday Wine Companion called it “classic Coonawarra”, Ned Goodwin’s review was even simpler: “This is exceptional Coonawarra.”
Our Wanderlust Cabernet got 93 points from Wine Showcase Magazine, with Dan Traucki predicting it will become “a REALLY SUPERB WINE” as it ages.
Even our Angel’s Peak Shiraz won Double Gold at the G100 International Wine and Spirits Awards.
Notice a pattern? The reviewers consistently call our wines “classic Coonawarra” and “exceptional.” That’s not despite being from our certified organic vineyard – it’s because of it.
Healthy soil produces healthy vines. Healthy vines produce balanced, complex fruit. Complex fruit makes outstanding wine. It’s as simple as that.
what it actually costs
Let’s talk numbers, because this is where it gets interesting.
We spend 30% less than the average Coonawarra vineyard on inputs and labour. We use two-thirds less water than the average Australian vineyard. When most vineyards are doing eight sprays, we do one or two.
The savings come from:
- Soil biology doing the work of expensive fertilisers
- Beneficial insects handling pest control
- Native grasses and flowers replacing mowing and herbicides
- Monitoring via satellite instead of driving through the vineyard constantly
- No tractor compaction means we don’t need as much cultivation
Yes, certification has costs, annual audits, inspections, paperwork. But compared to what we’re saving on chemicals, fuel, and labour? It’s an absolute no-brainer.
the big picture
My motivation these days is much bigger than our vineyard.
If every vineyard in Australia put just 1% of carbon back in their soil, it would hold 140,000 litres of extra water per hectare and take the equivalent of 23 million cars off the road.
If every farm in the world put 1% carbon back, it would remove the trillion extra tonnes of carbon we’ve put in the atmosphere over the last 100 years. We could literally reverse climate change.
In 2012, Woolworths in South Africa trained their growers in nutrient-dense farming. They won best supermarket chain in the world in 2014 for produce quality. What they didn’t advertise? Their waste decreased by 58% because the higher nutrition gave produce longer shelf life.
This isn’t just about making good wine. It’s about proving a better system works.
taste the difference for yourself
October is Cabernet Celebrations Month in Coonawarra, and we’re featuring our Wanderlust Cabernet Sauvignon as Wine of the Month. This wine got 93 points from Wine Showcase Magazine. It shows genuine classic Coonawarra Cabernet character, and every drop was grown in our certified organic vineyard without synthetic chemicals.
Cabernet or Caber-NOT Blind Tasting Challenge
Every weekend this October (three weekends left!), we’re running a blind tasting challenge at the cellar door. We’ll pour you four mystery reds, but only one is a Koonara Cabernet from our certified organic vineyard. Can your palate pick out the organic difference?
Cost: $10 per person Bookings: BOOK HERE or just pop in!
The Legacy
Dad smiled when I said we’d stop using chemicals because he thought I was joking. He didn’t live to see our 2017 certification, but he saw us commit to the path.
Every bottle of Koonara Cabernet honours that commitment. Every award we win proves it was the right decision. Every year we remain the only certified organic vineyard in Coonawarra, challenging others to follow.
Trust me, guys, the water’s fine. Jump on in.
Ready to taste wines from Coonawarra’s only certified organic vineyard?
