Misha’s Vineyard Wines is committed to best practices in all levels of vineyard management and wine production. We are fully certified “Sustainable” under the New Zealand Winegrowers certification program and use only certified sustainable contract service suppliers. Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand® has an external audit structure that has integrity and rigour to comply with market expectations. Water and Atmosphere Information Ltd (WAI) conducts the audits for Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand® for both vineyard and winery requirements. WAI has extensive background in the viticulture, horticulture and aquaculture industries and involved since the commencement of the SWNZ program in 1994. New Zealand has led the way in Sustainable wine production practices. Misha’s Vineyard is proud to be a part of the program and endorses all actions and programs to ensure we are responsible stewards of our land and protect it for future generations.
A PDF of our Ethical, Social and Environmental statement can be downloaded here.
New Zealand Winegrowers Association has produced some very informative videos about the importance of Sustainable Winegrowing. These videos can be accessed by clicking this link to the NZ Wine web-site.
More information on the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand® program can be found in this PDF document.
SWNZ – Download PDF or at this web link. Sustainability Consumer Brochure
In addition, Misha’s Vineyard has a program for protection of heritage sites on the vineyard, with the documenting and classifying with the New Zealand Department of Conservation of historic goldmining remnants found on the vineyard. These include tailing and gold panning sites in the gullies and creeks. We believe that the sites where goldmining remnants remain – no matter how small – should be kept in tact for future generations to observe and study.
We have also supported “Project Gold” – a Department of Conservation initiated project dedicated to the protection and enhancement of Golden Kōwhai trees in Otago. The Golden Kōwhai once formed a significant part of the Central Otago landscape and is one of our best known and loved indigenous trees, ingrained in our history and Maori culture. Kōwhai trees once flourished throughout Otago with golden flowers lighting up the hills in spring, attracting visitors and birds. Over time the agricultural development reduced the number of kōwhai to just a few stands in some of the less developed gullies and hillsides. As part of the program Misha’s Vineyard has purchased seedlings and planted stands of Golden Kōwhais as well as native Kanuaka and Manuka which will develop over the next few years and will attract back to the region many of the native birds that feed on the seeds of these beautiful trees.