Viticulturist Ernest Manuel sent me this lovely picture of a bird's nest in the vineyards with the caption, "now this is what I want to call nature-friendly wine growing!" It's a perfect illustration of De Toren's impressive commitment to sustainable farm practices.
I've mentioned Ernest's use of 2% organic compost in the soil as well as cover crop residues, a way of gradually nurturing the soil's microbial life after decades of commercial farming may have upset its natural balance. As Ernest explains it, "the end result is good aerated soil with easy extractable nutrients for the vines to consume." Cover crops capture CO2 in the soil while minimal use of machinery (which is gentler on the fruit as well) prevents overuse of energy; the use of waste material from the plants as compost also helps lower the farm's carbon footprint. Finally, De Toren has hundreds of spekbome plants growing on the farm. These plants are known to consume a very large quantity of CO2.
De Toren works very closely with Stellenbosch University's soil and vineyard scientists to stay up to date on everything from irrigation to soil types; assistant winemaker Charles is actually getting his master's in canopy management and irrigation in cabernet sauvignon so his research goes on at the farm. I'm really amazed at the strong relationships De Toren maintains with the university to ensure that winemaking doesn't become "like a recipe," as Charles puts it.
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