Organic Winegrowing
Vineyard
Organic certified seaweed extracts are used in the vineyard to stimulate good soil and vine health.
There is attention to detail at every stage of growth.
Bud and shoot thinning, leaf removal, bunch thinning and second set removal are just some of the passes made in the vineyard during each season.
Since the establishment of the original vineyard 60 percent has been replanted, and today with the expertise of longstanding vineyard manager Darren Chatterton and winemaker Barry Riwai there is a combination of new clones and heritage vines.
The vineyard is located on deep river gravel beds laid down by the Ngaruroro river 10,000 years ago, reminiscent of the alluvial plains found in other great wine regions. With 600 mm of silt loam overlaying these gravel beds the soil type is ideal for quality wine production. A unique ecosystem combining to produce new world fruit driven wines with old world structure.
Alpha Domus wines are produced from grapes grown on 20 hectares of premium viticulture land. Located in the Bridge Pa Triangle, the vineyard lies 20 km inland protecting the vineyard from coastal influences. Known for its long hot summers and being located in a natural rain shadow make it one of the driest parts of Hawke’s Bay, with an annual rainfall of 750 mm. Very free draining and relatively infertile, the small amount of organic matter ensures that there is an ability to retain some soil moisture and nutrients used by the vines in their annual cycle.
Alpha Domus is now a fully certified organic vineyard and winery with BioGro NZ. A four year programme commencing with year zero, we are thrilled to have completed certification.
Alpha Domus has always been part of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, an industry wide certification programme lead by NZ Wine Growers to:
Provide ‘best practice’ model of environmental practices in the vineyard and winery.
Guarantee better quality assurance from the vineyard, right through to the bottle.
Assure consumers that the products are made with minimal impact on the natural and social environment.
The Winery and Vineyard were part of the Sustainable Winegrowing pilot programmes in the mid 1990’s and early 2000’s, before being implemented nationally.