The Science of Sustainability: Lime Rock Wines of New Zealand

In 2000, Rosie Butler returned to New Zealand with her Australian husband Rodger Tynan. They settled on Rosie’s home region of Hawkes Bay to establish their wine business. Their aim from day one was to combine Rosie’s winemaking education and experience with Rodger’s Master’s in Ecology to produce premium quality wines with a strong focus on sustainability. Based in the Hawkes Bay region, Lime Rock Wines was typical of most New Zealand wine businesses; it was a small, privately held company owning a vineyard of ten ha and with annual wine sales of less than 200,000 liters. A range of varietals had been planted in the Lime Rock vineyard, primarily Pinot Noir, but also Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Gruner Veltliner, Cabernet Franc, and Riesling. The company’s wines were sold domestically at their cellar door and website. Lime Rock also exported into the Australian, UK, US, and Asian markets. By 2014, the biggest barriers to increasing the sustainable practices included (1) cost, (2) a lack of management time, (3) the amount of paperwork associated with compliance, and (4) the lack of sustainable input products that were available.