Glass mulch reflected in the grapes

DAVID ALEXANDER/The Press

GLASS SAND TO SANDIHURST: Winery owner Hennie Bosman and winemaker Kirk Bray put glass mulch under pinot noir vines which has resulted in an improvement in the wine.

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Recycled crushed glass and wine are proving to be a winning combination.

Two years into a four-year trial, about 35 tonnes of crushed glass has been laid at the base of pinot noir grape vines at Sandihurst winery in West Melton, near Christchurch.

It was thought the sun reflecting off the glass mulch would produce better tasting grapes and better yields, so a pilot project was created to prove it.

The second harvest took place at the Canterbury winery this week but it was still too early to tell scientifically how much of an improvement had been made, Lincoln University senior lecturer in viticulture Glen Creasy said.

However, Sandihurst director Hennie Bosman said he was ecstatic at the results because there was a noticeable improvement in the quality of the wine made from the trial batch.

"For me, it's all in the tongue tip and the nose and there was a difference."

The $25,000 study was being largely funded by Sustainable Initiatives Fund Trust, or Sift, which encourages waste-minimisation schemes. It was also supported by MetaNZ, which was providing the crushed glass, the Sustainable Farming Fund and the Tertiary Education Fund.

Sift chief executive Linda Norris said nearly 14,000 tonnes of waste glass was produced in Christchurch each year and most of that was sent to Auckland, China and India. However, it was becoming increasingly costly and uneconomic to send the glass out of the city and Sift wanted to find ways it could be used locally.

It was hoped the crushed glass could be commercialised for use in other vineyards, Ms Norris said.

Mr Bosman said the glass mulch, which was safe to touch, was ideal for colder climates, but would not be suitable in warmer areas such as Hawke's Bay.

- © Fairfax NZ News