In the tradition of Kaitiakitanga (guardianship) we are focused on conserving our lands and nurturing this truly magnificent gift so that future generations can enjoy and prosper.

 

As a sign of our commitment to our environment, Kono Beverages’, winemaking and vineyards are Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) and CEMARS (certified emissions measurement and reduction scheme) certified.

SWNZ

The SWNZ programme was developed to provide a best practice model for environmental sustainability in the vineyard and winery. It is managed by New Zealand Winegrowers, New Zealand's national wine industry body.

Displaying the SWNZ logo guarantees consumers a quality assurance from the vineyard to the bottle. The SWNZ programme addresses growing concerns regarding the environment and the impact grape and wine production has on the landscape.

CEMARS

CEMARS - certified emissions measurement and reduction scheme, enables us to measure our greenhouse gas emissions, put in place plans to reduce them and have both of these steps independently certified.

This means that we have measured both our organisations and our wines greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We have measured how much our wine impacts on the environment in terms of raw materials, production and transport to point of retail. This includes all the embodied emissions in the ingredients, packaging, transportation, production, and distribution.

We are committed to continually reducing our GHG emissions and our impact on the environment.

ORGANICS

Kono's flagship Awatere Vineyard has converted almost thirteen hectares of land to organics. This has involved sowing an inter row crop into every second row to help improve soil structure and nutrition, as well as providing flowers to attract beneficial insects. The undervine weeds are being controlled by mowing rather than the chemicals used in conventional blocks. As flowering begins, natural products rather than synthetic chemicals are used to provide pest and disease control.