THE REYNEKE VINEYARDS are herbicide, pesticide and fungicide free. Just like any organic vineyard should be. Instead of spraying weeds with poison, we carefully select and grow companion plants amongst our vines to outcompete the weeds. These companion plants have the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, help break up compacted soil or even harbour a beneficial insect or two.
While all sorts of poisons are usually used to combat pests, we simply release their natural predators, like ducks – there’s nothing more delicious for a duck than a good, juicy snail. No poison leaching into the grapes. No expensive fertiliser because the ducks do that for us. Everyone’s happy. The Reyneke farm is independently certified, which honestly and transparently says that we’re practicing what we preach.
By allowing Dandelion ‘weeds’ to grow, we ensure that the measly Mealybug lives on its roots rather than the vines. Instead of using systemic fungicides we use very limited amounts of natural fungicides like copper and sulphur. And we’re even trying to do away with these natural fungicides. It’s early days yet but we’re trying to replace them entirely and only apply biological controls like trichoderma and metabolite.
With these basics right, it’s only natural to take organics to the next level. We add specific biodynamic preparations to our compost and apply directly to our vineyards. These preparations consist of specially formulated herbal, mineral and organic substances that enhance the soil, and simultaneously boost plant and animal life. Some we use in field sprays and others we apply in homeopathic quantities to our compost heaps.
Planting, pruning, harvesting and general vineyard practices all happen at nature’s pace too. We work with natural and cosmic cycles, rhythms and forces that regulate all life on earth to create a harmonious whole. So basically, like olden times, we work to the moon and study the constellations as they move, rather than digital displays.