A Parallax Universe

Hearing about Temple Bruer's organic vineyard has motivated us to try and find the Tasmanian equivalent. That is, a successful, commercially run, organically certified vineyard that produces premium wines under it's own label.

This search is still in the early stages but is already uncovering some interesting aspects of the local wine industry. There are a number of vineyards that are "as close to organic as possible" and some, such as Frogmore Creek, that have left the organic path. But of most interest so far is a fledgling organic operation. 

Parallax Vineyard, owned by Phil and Eunice Dunham, is located at Penna near Sorell in South East Tasmania and has been developed with organic certification in mind. This discovery was the perfect opportunity to find out more about the realities of developing and running a cool climate organic vineyard.

Phil and Eunice are no strangers to dealing with questions from media types. Both had long and successful careers in television. Not that you would know their faces. "We made sure we stayed on the other side of the camera!" Phil laughs. Eunice was responsible for editing many of the news items broadcast by WIN Television over recent years while Phil developed a successful outside broadcasting outfit that televised events from all round Australia.

During their working life they developed a taste for wine and, as Phil puts it, the 'why' of wine. They became fascinated with how quality wine was made and whether or not it could be produced in ways that were consistent with their self confessed 'green' leanings. Prior to establishing the vineyard Phil undertook extensive research and gained further experience by helping friend and winemaker Neil Snare from Winstead Vineyard with several of his vintages.

All this prior work put them in good stead but since starting Parallax Vineyard Phil and Eunice have learnt a lot about the practical realities of organic viticulture. "Things are progressing well but it's a lot of work" Phil said.

Parallax is what's known as a 'low vigour' site. This is a fancy way of saying the vines grow slowly. So does everything else. This is due to the poor soil and low rainfall. The vineyard is on a former over grazed sheep paddock and has soil that resembles talcum powder.

This is both a good and a bad thing. On the negative side cultivating poor soils reduces already very low organic levels so any earthworks have to be kept to a minimum. "We were determined we would do enough to get the thing up and running" Phil said "and then not cultivate again ... we've stuck to our plan". So the ground has been deep ripped to accommodate the vines but otherwise the soil has been left undisturbed.

What's more poor soil has to be improved which takes time and effort. Phil and Eunice have spent the last few years improving the structure and water retention capability of their site. While soil tests have identified missing nutrients Phil and Eunice discovered that the soil desperately needed far more organic matter than they initially realised.

To rectify this they have used classic organic techniques like adding manures and dolomite lime. In addition they now have a 'serious' compost pile that has been 2 years in the making. It now measures 20 - 30 cubic metres! (the sound you can hear is swooning gardeners!- Ed). 

On the plus side low vigour means lower instances of disease and fewer weeds. Phil laughed about how they underestimated the 'weed problem' even on their site. "The drought helped keep the weeds down but that changed with all the rain we had last year ... we only had one brushcutter ... so guess what Eunice got for Christmas!".

This once in a generation wet winter saw grasses in the vineyard get to such a height that they towered over Phil on his tractor. In addition to the 'useful' Christmas gift for Eunice there are now a number of black faced Suffolk sheep who keep the non-vine plant life under control.

The sheep were chosen because of their low maintenance and propensity to have twins. These gentle creatures are more like pets and when Phil and Eunice walk around the vineyard the sheep and their cat 'Myf'follow behind. Be warned if you visit Parallax the sheep will expect you to have food for them. You'll see a look of disappointment in their faces after they have rushed up and realise you've got nothing.

As if producing grapes of sufficient quality isn't hard enough the budding organic winemaker has to go through the process of certification. This is managed by the biodynamic farmers association and is very rigorous. Regular audits and an extensive set of rules mean that full certification can take years. It is also very expensive, particularly if an applicant wants to export their product. While the majority of the ongoing costs relate to membership there is also a requirement to pay the association a percentage of any profits.

So is it worth the effort and expense?

Overall it's probably too early to tell. Phil and Eunice expect their first substantial crop to appear this year. Based on last year's 'baby crop', they are confident that the quality of the fruit will vindicate their decision to use an organic approach and to do this right from the start. "The usual advice is to establish your vineyard and then convert it to organic. But we wanted to avoid bad habits rather than have to unlearn them." 

Their approach does have some important industry supporters. As an example, Mark Brewer, former Pipers Brook vineyard manager, who now runs the viticulture program at the Tasmanian Polytechnic is now 'firmly convinced' that Parallax vineyard represents the way forward for the whole Tasmanian industry. He believes that organic vineyards, while requiring more work, can and will be profitable.

You certainly can't fault their business orientated attitude. "While we moved here for lifestyle reasons the vineyard will be our livelihood". There is a temptation to paint people who are environmentally aware as naive or romantic but in the case of Phil and Eunice you'd be wrong. Phil has not only built a business in his corporate past he is the treasurer of the Tasmanian Wine Society which has been financially secure for many years. They also don't necessarily expect the organic nature of their wine to be the most important selling point. "A lot of people don't even look for the certified logo" Phil commented "what matters is the quality of the wine".

Parallax vineyard is going to be very interesting to watch over the next few years. After spending time with Phil and Eunice we think they can balance being something of a showcase for organics with achieving their stated aim of producing premium wine. Ultimately it will be commercial success that will prove their point and win over any sceptics. 

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