When Peter Yealands opened the doors to his $45 million winery, Yealands Estate, late this year, members of the country’s wine industry were aghast. 

Not only has a non-wine industry entrepreneur landscaped 1000 hectares of fractured farmland into vineyards, but his green philosophy permeates the entire, vast operation – New Zealand’s largest privately owned vineyard.

Yealands is breaking new ground with his radical green winemaking practices.

Like many in the wine industry, he is developing wetlands, but unlike others he has gained world leadership accreditation under the Green Star NZ Industrial Building rating system, and he is grazing miniature sheep between vine rows.

Stormwater is collected around the perimeter of the new winery and recycled to irrigate the vines. Heat recovery technology is employed inside the new winery. Two 22kw solar panels on the roof help generate the winery’s hot water requirements. Construction has begun on the first of two wind turbines and more wind turbines are in the pipeline.

Needless to say, Yealands Estate is accredited with Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand; the country’s official environmental stewardship body, which monitors and discourages the use of agrochemicals.

An self-confessed do-it-yourself nut, Yealands has been hands-on in establishing his vineyards over the last six years, driving his tractor over the bumpy undulating Awatere Valley, converting it into a huge patchwork of vines.

One thing he is not attempting to do himself, however, is make the wine that bears his name.

For that he has hired a team, led by New Zealand-born winemaker Tamra Washington, who recently returned to the country after a four-year winemaking stint in Sicily at Cantine Calatrasi, followed by work at wineries in Puglia, Tunisia and Australia.

Yes, she misses Italy. Yes, she is planting a smattering of unusual grapes (Fiano, Gruner Veltliner, Tempranillo, among others) in Marlborough, in a bid to reclaim some of the spirit of adventure she discovered in Italy.

Like most Marlborough winemakers, Washington’s main focus is on sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, viognier and riesling. An "everyday" pinot noir will also join the range of Yealands Estate wines soon, she says.

As for Yealands’ background, he was the first person in New Zealand to be granted a marine farming license for greenshell mussels in 1971. After a decade of working in marine farming, he established a deer farm, and for the past six years he has planted his vineyards in the Awatere Valley, south east of Marlborough’s Wairau Plains.

When the new winery is at full production, it will press 11,000 tonnes of grapes into a range of mostly white wines made from grapes grown on its 1000 hectare estate.

For MiNDFOOD Wine Editor Joelle Thomson’s tasting notes on Yealands Estate wines, pick up a copy of the April 2009 issue of MiNDFOOD magazine.

www.yealands.co.nz