We at Kawarau Estate were delighted to welcome the Organic Wine Journal’s Editor-In-Chief, Adam Morganstern, to our vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand. Our winery was established in 1992, and this year we are celebrating our tenth vintage. The United States has been our most important overseas market since we began exporting, and we hope that it will maintain this position.

Adam asked us why we had established ourselves as organic. The reasons were complex. We wanted to be known as high-quality producers, and we thought organics was the best way to achieve this. Our region’s long cold winters and hot dry summers made spraying pesticides and herbicides unnecessary, and we were convinced that organic production methods would produce fruit with more intense and complex flavors.

We also liked the idea of establishing a fully sustainable business model; one in which profit was important, but not the only driver. If we could be profitable and enhance the local environment at the same time, all the better. We also wanted to export more than the value of our imported inputs (barrels, petrol, diesel, tractors, wine machines, etc.), and to be carbon neutral. Finally, we thought that in an increasingly crowded marketplace, being organic would be a useful marketing tool, one which would provide a market premium.

We have succeeded on most fronts. Our wines have consistently been of the highest quality, with our Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs winning awards around the world. Our Sauvignon Blanc has won numerous awards in New Zealand and was also rated the best organic wine in the U.K. a few years ago. The value of our exports is well more than our imports. We’ve gone beyond carbon neutral; in most seasons we actually absorb more carbon than we generate. We are enhancing soil quality and provide a refuge for many insect species that are under attack at neighboring vineyards.

Kawarau Estate is still in expansion mode and has achieved operating profits a few times. We still have a few years to go before reaching full production, and hence full profitability. Organic certification has not yet brought the strong market premium we had hoped for. Overseas it has been slightly better, but not so in New Zealand.

We would like to congratulate and thank all those behind publishing the Organic Wine Journal. We like your vision, and look forward to reading and contributing to future editions.

Charles Finny and Wendy Hinton
Kawarau Estate
Central Otago, New Zealand 

Visit Kawarau Estate online at www.kestate.co.nz.