Howard Park Wines Sustainability

Sustainability is at the very heart of Howard Park’s vineyard management. Howard Park is a proud practitioner of biological farming, where soil health is of utmost importance. Traditional farming techniques, including organic and biodynamic principles, are melded with modern advancements. The intent is to create rich and fertile soil that will carry all grape-growing efforts into the future, without interfering with the course of nature or causing environmental harm. Howard Park is proud of its land and takes every effort to go beyond expectations and industry standards in looking after it.

Organic & Biodynamic Practices

Howard Park’s biological farming is guided by the Australian Standard for Organic Agriculture. The vineyard team has largely been influenced by biodynamic practitioners in Burgundy, France, after spending time there and investigating their techniques. This international perspective lead to the decision to remain uncertified, allowing the team to ‘cherry-pick’ the best old and new world principles and apply them to serve the nuances of each individual vineyard block.

Compost

Howard Park has seen significant development in its composting resources, knowledge and practise over the last 10 years. A closed-loop school of thought is pursued, where waste is converted and returned to the land, improving vine health, grape quality and yield. After vintage, marc (grape) waste is composted with organically-certified cow manure, straw, fish emulsion, malty liquid fertiliser and wood chips. Marc is usually considered a useless waste product – but the viticultural team goes above and beyond to turn it into nutrient-rich organic matter.

Weed Control

Carefully-selected rye grass & perennial clovers between our vine rows. While this can give the appearance of a wild vineyard, these grasses are carefully selected & encouraged for their ability to hay-off. This thatch suppresses summer weeds while retaining moisture & organic matter in the soil.

About Howard Park Wines