EarthGarden
A delicious range of organic wines that reflect the thriving New Zealand land that gave them life.
EarthGarden embodies our holistic view of sustainability where organic management means healthy soils and vineyard ecosystems, creating healthy vines and wines full of life and flavour, just as nature intended. When you taste the EarthGarden wines, you taste the care put into the soil, the conscious tending of the vines, the careful handling of the fruit produced and the respect for our relationship with the land.
Villa Maria wines are made for the moment and these wines perfectly capture a moment in time, whether it be cool nights, long hot days, or the warm Pacific breeze of the growing season. The essence and purity of the New Zealand landscape has been bottled in the EarthGarden range, and we can’t wait to share these wines with the world.
Organic Future
At Villa Maria we are excited about our future with organic viticulture. Partnering with nature and cultivating wines using organic practices is a journey we’ve been on for over 20 years.
EarthGarden is our first range of wines to be 100% organically grown and BioGro certified. It’s another step in our continued dedication to regenerative viticultural practices, ensuring our environments aren’t just protected but are thriving.
The soil is alive. There are more organisms in one tablespoon of healthy soil than there are people on earth.
- Our wildflowers grow green material that is returned to the soil to improve its organic matter and quality.
- We nourish our soil with compost from our grape marc (skins and seeds left over from the winemaking process) and the output from our worm farms.
- By nurturing our soil fertility, we are helping our vines build resilience and maintain productivity.
Planting wildflowers amongst our vines helps to feed and protect our soils and encourages biodiversity in our vineyards.
- We plant over 700kgs of wildflower seeds such as Buckwheat and Phacelia every year to attract beneficial insects like hover flies.
- By planting cover crops like plantain and chicory we help our soil and vine roots to retain water and reduce reliance on irrigation.
- We have a research trial planting natives under vines to reduce weeds without spray and increase biodiversity.
By working in partnership with nature we are free from using synthetic chemicals and can replace lost nutrients back into the soil.
- By planting cover crops and wildflowers we naturally manage pests like the leaf roll caterpillar without using synthetic pesticides or pest controls.
- Over 30% of Villa Maria owned vineyards are managed organically without using synthetic chemicals.
