Butterflies, bees buzzing and birdsong, are all elements of nature found in the thriving environment from which Yealands' wines hail. This beautifully biodiverse environment is captured in the vibrant flavours inside the bottles from the Yealands Reserve range. It's also on its new labels, which highlight the rich flora and fauna of this sustainable trailblazer's Seaview Vineyard in Marlborough's Awatere Valley.
As more of us move towards making more planet-positive choices in what we consume, the wines we drink can be part of this process. Sustainability means a producer has adopted practices that provide what's needed today, while safeguarding the future. Yealands Wines, launched in 2008 with the ambition to become a world leader in sustainable wine production. It embraces a philosophy of 'Think Boldly, Tread Lightly' that not only protects, but further enhances the coastal environment in which its wines are made.
Behind the label, Yealands' global sustainability credentials are impressive. It was the first winery in the world to be Toitū carbonzero since its launch. Not only that, but it's committed to being carbon positive by 2050. Its sustainability initiatives extend beyond its own production. As one of the seven initial members of International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), part of the UN's Race to Zero campaign, Yealands is committed to supporting the decarbonisation of the global wine industry more widely.
Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are also proof that sustainability can taste sensational. Delivering an abundance of flavour, the Reserve Sauvignon Blanc was named Champion Sauvignon Blanc at the 2021 New World Wine Awards and Sauvignon Blanc of the Year at the Winestate Wine of the Year Awards. Yealand's gifted chief winemaker, Natalie Christensen describes it as "a generous, weighty style, with punchy fruit and herbal notes, and a delicious salty, almost savoury palate". All the Yealands Reserve wines are also vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.
From vineyard to bottle, Yealands employs innovative eco-friendly practices at every step of its production. It continues to reduce its emissions, generating renewable energy on site through solar, wind and biofuel from vine prunings. Little at Yealands goes to waste. The likes of its purpose-built composting facility, transforms winemaking by-products into organic-rich material that is returned to the vineyards to further improve their soils.
Biodiversity is a big part of Yealands' ongoing quest for ever greater sustainability. This has resulted in numerous projects designed to foster a varied range of plants, creatures and microorganisms in the ecosystem of its vineyards and their surrounds. In its Seaview Vineyard, a trip along the White Road that snakes through the vineyard that's open to all, takes in this abundance of nature.
In between the vine rows, cover crops are planted to improve soil structure, while pretty wildflowers grow to attract beneficial insects that deter pests. Native plantings abound, many grown from seeds or cuttings in Yealands own nursery. These populate the wetlands it has been nurturing on the estate, which are home to birds and more beneficial insects, sequester carbon, filtering runoff and erosion, and add to the place's stunning natural beauty.
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Advertise with NZME.Safe havens have been created for bees and butterflies. Beehives are dotted around the vineyards for these vital but endangered members of the ecosystem. In Butterfly Gully, hundreds of swan plants and native trees in this sheltered spot provide a dedicated habitat for monarch butterflies, adding diversity to the environment, and indicating a healthy ecosystem.
Now this beautiful biodiversity can be witnessed on the labels of Yealands Reserve range. Inspired by the nature that flourishes at the Seaview Vineyard, these feature butterflies, birds and plants photographed at the site.
Biodiversity at Yealands has never tasted, looked, or felt more beautiful.
Discover the Yealands Reserve range and its commitment to sustainability on Yealands.co.nz @yealands
