Mixed cover crop of mustard, radish and forage rye with the south facing slopes of DeMorgenzon Wine Estate in the background.
"In South Africa the concept is relatively new, but the focus of regenerative agriculture is about bringing biodiversity back into a monoculture system," explains Jacques van Rensburg, a senior extension officer with the Sustainable Agriculture: Fruit & Wine Programme at the Worldwide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA).
The philosophy of regenerative agriculture dates back to the 1980s, when sustainable farming expert Robert Rodale first coined the phrase. Today the Rodale Institute, in the US state of Pennsylvania, continues to promote this agricultural approach, placing soil health at the top of the list of priorities for farmers.
“In winemaking we’re ultimately striving for balance,” says Alastair Rimmer, cellarmaster at DeMorgenzon Wine Estate outside Stellenbosch. “And for me regenerative viticulture is about restoring the balance in the soil. Trying to create an environment that is less harmful to the world around it, and beneficial to the vines within it.”
“It all hinges on soil,” agrees van Rensburg. “We need to focus on soil health. We need biodiversity and we need healthy ecosystems. We have to learn to farm in harmony with nature. And in the end this approach results in healthier vines.”
For many winemakers with an eye on regenerative viticulture, the starting point is embracing the potential of cover crops. Instead of using herbicides to reduce vegetative competition beneath the vines – “A vicious circle of weed control,” says Rimmer – a diverse cover crop regime can achieve the same results with a host of ancillary benefits.
“Everything has its own place in the ecosystem,” says Luke O'Cuinneagain, who joined Somerset West estate Vergelegen as cellarmaster in 2022. “We need to learn to work with nature in expressing a sense of place.”
At Vergelegen O'Cuinneagain and viticulturist Rudolf Kriel are experimenting with cover crop mixes, using different plant for different outcomes.
“We plant a lot of radishes,” explains O'Cuinneagain. “Because they’re bulbous they break open the soil to reduce compaction, and as they decay they create channels which allows water to penetrate deeper into the soil.”
Alongside radishes the use of legumes for natural nitrogen fixing is complemented by an array of clovers. This provides a thick mulching layer between the vineyard rows, keeping the soil cool, retaining moisture and inhibiting weed growth without the need for herbicides.
“We’re in the early stages of the process,” says O'Cuinneagain. “Our challenge is that we have 130 hectares of vineyards, which is a huge undertaking.”
Like many of the WWF Conservation Champions, Vergelegen is looking holistically at the issue of regenerative agriculture, examining the smallest facets of the agricultural process to find ways to restore biodiversity and lessen the impact of wine-growing on the natural landscape.
In 2022 the estate began a trial using environmentally friendly eucalyptus poles in vineyard trellising. Vineyard trellising typically uses eucalyptus poles treated with creosote or chromated copper arsenate (CCA), to extend the longevity of the wood. This production process is water- and chemical-intensive, with the risk of CCA leaching into the vineyard soil.
A vineyard at Vergelegen showing ground cover and natural untreated eucalyptus poles.
But on Vergelegen 3.55-hectares of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon vineyards are being trialled with untreated gum poles made from sugar gum and tuart; hardy eucalyptus trees found across the Cape Winelands.
Kriel has also undertaken an ambitious bee project, with more than 250 hives spread across the estate to assist with vineyard pollination and restore natural colonies. These are supported with the planting of varied fynbos species specifically chosen to support honey bees.
O'Cuinneagain and Kriel are also looking at expanding fynbos corridors into the vineyards, using indigenous vegetation between the vineyard rows to create wilderness corridors within the vineyards.
“But then it’s also bringing in a permanent cover crop,” says O'Cuinneagain. “So we have to look at how that will affect the growth of the vines on either side. And, is it going to add something to the soil that changes the character of the grapes? These are some of the things we need to understand, but over the next few years there will be a lot of experimentation to see what works.”
Another estate utilising natural corridors is Neethlingshof, near Stellenbosch, where unproductive vineyards have been uprooted and replanted with endangered renosterveld. Owl posts have been installed to encourage natural predators, and even the shy caracal is now spotted on the property. In so many ways the farm’s natural ecosystem is being regenerated; regaining its balance once more.
On Neethlingshof these corridors of renosterveld have a viticultural benefit too, creating buffer zones that prevent the spread of disease between vineyards while creating a haven for natural predators.
And it’s not only wild animals that come into play. A handful of local estates – the likes of Boschendal and Hartenberg – are experimenting with introducing livestock into the vineyards, in a bid to manage cover crops and improve soil fertilisation.
While there are myriad ways that conservation-minded wine estates are improving their farming practices, “it’s not an overnight solution; it’s a long-term plan,” cautions Stefan Hartmann, farm manager and viticulturist at Hemel-en-Aarde estate Bouchard Finlayson, where 80 percent of the property is set aside as a fynbos conservancy. “Each farm is different so you have to customise the plan to your vineyards. But for us, it’s about a minimal impact approach to our vineyard inputs.”
At Bouchard Finlayson that has seen a halving in herbicide usage through improved mechanical and labour practices, alongside more focused mulching, composting and perennial cover cropping in selected vineyards.
“You can immediately see more life in those vines,” says Hartmann. “After one season there’s a big difference on a hot day and even when it’s windy the vineyards look better. We also haven’t sprayed any insecticide for the past four years, and with this regenerative approach we’re trying to encourage natural predators back into the vineyards.”
“Ultimately our viticulturists should be doing less,” agrees Rimmer. “Regenerative farming is returning the vineyards to a more natural rhythm. But it’s not about restoring nature’s balance: we’re restoring a balance that is favourable to our end goal of making really good wine. And doing so with as little detrimental impact to the surrounding landscape as possible.”
It’s a salient point, because the regenerative approach also has to be financially sustainable for growers. At DeMorgenzon the viticultural team uses cloud schematics and historic data to predict disease pressure.
“If we see there’s no risk of powdery mildew, or botrytis, over the next seven days, there’s no need to spray. If you spray less and get the same result, it’s more profitable. At the end of the day it has to make business sense,” says Rimmer.
DeMorgenzon has also invested in multi-species cover crop planters and is looking at multi-row sprayers, to increase efficiency and reduce soil compaction.
“They’re little changes, they’re not glamorous, but they make a big difference at the end of the day,” says Rimmer.
While these incremental changes can have a substantial, and lasting impact on the biodiversity and ecosystem health of South Africa’s vineyards, what’s key is that the concept of regenerative farming doesn’t fall victim to greenwashing, ending up as nothing more than hollow marketing spin. Though the Regenerative Organic Alliance – which includes the Rodale Institute – offers a certification scheme in the United States, no such seal of approval currently exists in South Africa.
“We do run the risk of this becoming a buzzword with no substance, but there is definitely a mindset shift happening,” says van Rensburg. “As a farming approach, it is definitely gathering steam, and the program of Conservation Champions is helping with that.”
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