GIBBSTON VALLEY

We are blessed here in this country in many ways, from breathtaking beaches and stunning mountainscapes to an ability to compete on the world stage in seemingly anything we set our minds to (per capita of course, which is the quintessentially Kiwi way to measure anything isn’t it?).

Those blessings also extend to some truly beautiful wineries and cellar doors, but as any wine trail tourist or serious Kiwi Pinot Noir aficionado can likely tell you, there are not many places in New Zealand where the alliance between vino and environs are quite as youbloodybeauty as at Gibbston Valley. Whether it’s the country’s largest wine caves, or some of the oldest vines in the region, they don’t muck about down there, whether you’re measuring it per capita or not.

The other thing they’re serious about not mucking about with is the environment. When the surroundings are as gorgeous as theirs it’s perhaps easy to see why, but there is not much easy in the way they go about it.

Despite being in the middle of one of the region’s more famously weather-mutable sub-regions, Gibbston Valley’s Home Block vineyard was the first in the valley to be certified organic. They have continued conversion to organics across a number of their sites, both in Gibbston and in Bendigo, with the aim being for every single one of them to eventually be completely organically farmed.

Biodiversity, especially with regards to the indigenous, is encouraged and practiced right across the estate, whether that be cover crops in the vineyard rows, or a conservation area for local lizards. There is even an on-site apiary to provide a base for pollination and honey for the restaurant.

Speaking of the restaurant – it’s great, and also dedicated to sustainability. Organic waste is disposed of in their own worm farm and compost bins, and the recycling program is thorough enough that an estimated 150,000 litres are diverted from landfill every single year.