Wine that 'doesn't cost the earth'

Yealands Family Wines in Marlborough, New Zealand, has introduced an aromatic white blend called the Yealands Estate Land Made PGR (Pinot gris, Gewürztraminer and Riesling) from its carboNZeroCert winery.

The Yealands winery has been certified carboNZeroCert since its inception. Overseen by Landcare New Zealand, one of the eight Crown Research Institutes, Yealands' carboNZeroCert accreditation measures the carbon footprint of the Yealands Family Wines product life cycle from 'cradle to grave'. This ensures that its manufacturing, production, shipping and disposal of the empty bottles are all taken into account. Each year, a rigorous independent external audit reviews its greenhouse gas emissions, which include carbon dioxide (CO₂).

The winery employs a number of systems that support its sustainability strategies. These include the use of biofuel for vineyard machinery, pest control using free-range chickens — supported by trials of the use of endophytic grass between the vines, one of New Zealand's largest solar panel installations and eco-friendly packaging. The winery has also adopted other technology, including heat recovery units, variable speed drives, refrigeration economisers, evaporative condensers, lighting sensor monitors and energy-saving monitors, which have all helped the winery become more energy efficient.