Sustainable farming is at the heart of our wines
Sustainable farming is at the heart of Whitewolfe, a founding member of Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (https://winegb.co.uk/our-wines/sustainable-wines-of-great-britain-certification-scheme/), which was accredited in 2020.
From the beginning, Clare and Luke vowed to create a sustainable vineyard with a long-lasting legacy of producing premium quality grapes using the most efficient and sustainable methods possible.
Understanding the importance of soil health, a lot of investment was made in organic fertilisers when establishing the Whitewolfe vineyard to increase organic matter and organic carbon and improve the soil microbiology and nutrient status. These interventions have enabled Whitewolfe to significantly reduce their use of synthetic fertilisers and create a healthier soil ecosystem. To date, Whitewolfe has never used herbicide in its vineyard and continues to encourage biodiversity by planting wildflowers in its headlands and ley areas.
The challenging, cool climate growing conditions of the UK and the seasonal changes attributed to climate change have resulted in increased disease risk, alongside the migration of non-native pests. This provides UK vineyards with new and evolving challenges. Whitewolfe take a precision approach to crop protection, using minimal volumes of water and pesticides to target specific pests/diseases when the risk of infection is at its highest. This approach requires careful, meticulous monitoring that relies on technical weather data and years of management experience, resulting in reduced water and pesticide use.
Being a productive commercial grower means that Whitewolfe is reliant on selling premium quality still and sparkling wine grapes to some of the best UK wine producers. However, in grape production, there is a linear relationship between yields and quality; therefore, to ensure only first-class fruit is produced, a multitude of vineyard tasks are completed, including green harvesting (crop reduction).
The local community is another key principle in Whitewolfe’s sustainability policy, with our labour and contractors sourced from the Kent area. Our winemaking facility (https://www.itascawines.com/) is also accredited by Sustainable Wines of Great Britain and uses sustainably focused innovations, such as creating energy from their own solar farm and recycling wastewater through their wetlands system.
