In 1996 we joined the Sustainable Winegrowing Programme and now our vineyards and wineries are fully accredited and regularly audited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand is an independently audited New Zealand wine industry sustainability programme.
Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand was established by the New Zealand Wine Industry body New Zealand Winegrowers. This body provides the framework for companies to continually work towards improving all aspects of their performance in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability in both the vineyard and the winery.
Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand was developed to:
• Provide a “best practice” model of environmentally friendly practices in the vineyard and winery
• Guarantee better quality assurance from the vineyard through to the bottle
• Create a framework for viticulture and winemaking practices that protect the environment while efficiently and economically producing premium wine grapes and wine
• Provide a format of continual improvement to ensure vineyards and wineries operate with a goal of improving their operational practices
• Act as a vehicle for technology transfer so that companies are kept informed of new technology and its application
• Provide an audit structure that has integrity and rigour to comply with market expectations.
As a member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, we are regularly audited for compliance to these international standards. Delegat’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing means that its sustainable practices now exceed the audit requirements of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Programme.
From the design of our state-of-the-art wineries, our viticultural practices and winemaking processes, through to the protection of wetland environments, sustainability is an active and integral part of our culture.