Environment

With global warming becoming an ever increasing threat to our environment, McPherson Wines have now implemented strategies for our winery, vineyard and packaging processes to ensure we play our part in helping conserve our very precious environment for generations to come.

The following list outlines our current practices utilised on a daily basis:

WINERY MANAGEMENT

  • All winery wet waste is collected and re-used for irrigation
  • Grape marc is neutralised and either sent to a local piggery and used for feed or put into the vineyard and used as a soil builder and texturiser.
  • Chemical usage: We have made a conscious move to minimalise use of all chemicals such as sulphur and antioxidants (a preservative value).
  • All tanks are fully insulated, resulting in lower energy consumption to keep them cool.
  • All roof rainwater is collected and drained into dams and then used for irrigation.

VINEYARD PRACTISES

  • EnviroScan — This computerised system monitors soil moisture to correctly measure watering times and amount. By monitoring when and when not to water, this system allows for a saving of up to 30% in water usage. All our growers currently use this monitoring system.
  • All McPherson grape growers use cover crops throughout their vineyard. Cover crops help to naturally increase soil nutrients and organic matter in soil, as well as increase water filtration, nutrient and water holding capacity of soils, which also lead to an overall reduction in total water usage.
  • Gypsum blocks are used throughout all of our grower’s vineyard. Gypsum blocks measure soil water tension, a reflection of the force that a plant must overcome to extract water from the soil. These blocks therefore allow the grower to know the exact amount of water needed in the vineyard, minimising water wastage.
  • The majority of watering is done at night, which lowers the amount of water used due to minimal evaporation and uses energy in off peak times.
  • Drip Irrigation — All of our growers only use drip irrigation as their source for watering vines.

PACKAGING & BOTTLING

  • Recycling all waste water. This is re-used for irrigation.
  • Recycle broken or unused glass
  • Recycle all paper and cardboard products
  • Recycle all plastic that is used e.g. plastic wrap used on bottle pallets, etc.
  • All materials used are fully recyclable and customers are encouraged to recycle package on back label.

These actions are changes that we, as a company, have been able to implement as a short term goal. McPherson Wines are also committed to finding long term solutions to better utilise our current resources and protocols in order to play our part in helping conserve the environment.