Wine workshop popular

Not even a downpour of cold rain could keep people away from the Marlborough Organic Winegrowers' first workshop.

More than 35 people turned up for the field day last week at Churton vineyard in the Waihopai Valley to learn about under-vine weed management, inter-row cover crops and how to encourage beneficial insects in the vineyard. Committee member Mandy Weaver said there was a great mix of people, from winery owners to people new to organics, who braved a "foul day".

Speakers included Te Whare Ra owner Jason Flowerday and Ian Ewart of Villa Maria who discussed their respective wineries' approaches to cover crops, which plants they used and the rotation sequence of planting, and Sam Scarrat spoke about the use of plants, such as buckwheat and phacelia, to encourage beneficial insects. After hearing the theory, the participants walked through Churton's vineyards to see simultaneous management of organic and non-organic blocks.

The committee plans to hold its next workshop, on canopy management, in January.

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