Carbon emissions refer to the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, mainly through activities like burning fossil fuels, industrial processes, and agriculture. These emissions contribute to global warming and climate change, which affect ecosystems and industries worldwide, including winemaking.
Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West has, for many years, been a leader in adopting sustainable farming methods. It also incorporates practices such as using renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, reducing water usage, and transitioning to eco-friendly packaging. Vergelegen was the first estate to be named a Biodiversity and Wine Initiative Champion, back in 2005. This initiative encourages wineries to play a major role in conserving the Cape Floral Kingdom, a region of global conservation importance. The WWF partners with 60 Conservation Champions, of which Vergelegen is the longest-standing.
CARBON FOOTPRINT
The Confronting Climate Change (CCC) Initiative is a carbon footprinting project, developed to support the South African fruit and wine sectors through identifying and responding to the risks and opportunities associated with carbon emissions. Its footprinting tool has been independently audited by the Carbon Trust, which partners with businesses, governments, and financial institutions to accelerate their route to net zero.
As an active CCC member Vergelegen tracks and manages its carbon emissions. These have been low enough to be considered an industry benchmark for the CCC and South Africa.
A solar power plant at the cellar building (see more information below) has resulted in substantial diesel savings and a reduction in generator emissions.
REDUCING, REUSING AND RECYCLING
Vergelegen is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling across all entities on the farm including the winery, hospitality offerings, gardens and staff accommodation. Materials such as plastic, paper, glass, corks, cans, cooking oils and motor oils are collected from all departments throughout the year to be recycled and/or reused where possible.
Vergelegen works with Wast Mart (Pty) Ltd, which collects general waste weekly on Thursdays. Glass collection takes place when waste bins are full. Stellenbosch Bottle Recyclers collects glass from the cellar, and H.E. Recycling cc is responsible for collecting cardboard and plastic from the cellar. These organisations weigh the recycled waste for tracking and reporting purposes. Based on their reports, Vergelegen recycles approximately 26-33 tons of waste annually.
In addition, all the grape skins and stems are composted after harvest and used in the vineyards as organic fertilizer.
WATER SUPPLY AND USE
Water sources
Vergelegen is self-sufficient in all water requirements, for both agricultural and operational purposes, without drawing on municipal resources. A contributing factor is that Vergelegen managed the largest privately funded alien vegetation clearing project in South Africa, launched in 1995. This focused on removing invasive alien plant species, which threaten biodiversity and water resources, from over 2,000 hectares of the estate. The return of indigenous vegetation has restored natural ecosystems, improved water retention, reduced fire risks, enhanced soil health, and made the estate a haven for wildlife.
This led to the declaration of a 1900-hectare private nature reserve, in 2018, in partnership with CapeNature, with the same protection status as the Kruger National Park.
As alien vegetation uses up to 60% more water than fynbos, reducing the alien vegetation has boosted water flow at Vergelegen. Wetland areas have re-emerged and larger quantities of cleaner water are flowing into the Lourens River, the only South African river where a section is declared a Protected Natural Environment.
Water is mainly stored in the massive Rooiland dam on the property which is fed through the Langkloof catchment area. Water is then filtered and treated by the on-site water treatment plant which is tested for quality and safe human consumption on a regular basis. Layout is of such a nature that when the dam is full, it flows back into the Lourens River for use further downstream. The Lourens River water is also subjected to rigorous testing at both the entry and exit points on the estate.
Water usage
Using 2010 as base year, at end-2019 Vergelegen achieved 30% reduction in cellar water usage.
The cellar reduced cleaning water by coating all floor surfaces, resulting in less water required for cleaning; fitting sieves on drains with permanent covers so no solid materials were washed down; and measuring usage by flow meters and doing monthly readings.
ENERGY SAVINGS
Vergelegen conducted an energy and fossil fuels baseline assessment in 2015, identifying savings areas. The estate implemented power correction activities; upgraded outdated equipment; controlled heating/cooling; installed energy-efficient lightbulbs; and purchased energy-efficient devices. There was also education and awareness training about switching off artificial lights and using natural light; switching off equipment when not in use; and printing only when necessary. The 2025 target is 15%.
Solar power
The winery has installed a solar power plant which involved installing six solar tables, comprising a total of 500 panels, covering an impressive 1400m². In addition to the panels, the winery installed three inverters and a one-megawatt battery in 2023. This ensures that the cellar can still run on the battery during harvesting, even if there is no sun.
This has made a considerable difference as the cellar has for the past few months (to October 2024) drawn only an extremely small amount of energy from the electricity distribution grid.
The management offices had 40 roof-mounted solar panels installed in 2024, generating 26 kilowatts of power. This runs into an inverter that supplies that power to the office as well as a 100 kilowatt battery to keep the power on during days when there is not much sun.
SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE
Vergelegen takes a scientific approach to selecting grape-growing sites and carefully manages vineyards to prevent disease and optimise terroir conditions.
Pest fibre batting has been used to prevent access by snails, weevils and beetles into the grape bunch zone. Vergelegen has numerous owls, and to combat a mouse infestation in part of the vineyards, poles were installed for owls and hawks to perch on. This helped combat the problem. Vergelegen also invested in a small mechanised hoe, which diminished the use of weedicides.
Trellis system
Vergelegen began experimenting with the ‘stok-by-paaltjie’ trellis system, known as ‘staked vines’ or vine by post, for new plantings, in 2024. Each vine grows upward along an individual supportive pole. While this approach is more labour-intensive, it optimises land use with a higher density of vines per hectare. The team has planted 6 500 vines/hectare around the cellar using the new trellis system. This compares to 3 330-3 700 vines/hectare elsewhere at Vergelegen.
A ground cover crop of clover and medics around the vines should provide optimal coverage in two years’ time. This crop will prevent the need for weedicides and manual under-vine maintenance, and produce forage for bees. Oats have been planted in the working zones between vines, to further protect the young vine shoots against wind.
With the ‘stok-by-paaltjie’ system, the leaf canopy should be less vigorous, requiring less mechanical trimming, and encouraging optimal sun exposure.
The new trellis system will be implemented elsewhere at Vergelegen, as vineyards require replanting, if the results are positive.
LEAF ROLL VIRUS PROGRAMME
Vergelegen is a world leader in combating grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3), the main cause of leafroll disease. This disease is a major issue for winemakers globally as it decreases grapevine vigour and fruit quality, leading to lower yields. The virus affects grape colour, sugar content and flavour, resulting in economic losses, and high costs when vineyards must be replaced.
Vergelegen embarked 20 years ago on a programme to combat the virus, which is spread by insects called mealybugs. The programme was implemented in three phases: Planting new vineyards in former citrus orchards; uprooting and replacing badly infected red wine cultivar vineyards; and testing and treating white wine cultivars that, apart from Chardonnay and Semillon, do not readily show the effects of the virus. The estate now has the oldest white wine vineyards in the world that are virtually virus-free.
Professor Gerhard Pietersen, lead researcher at Patho Solutions, has worked closely with Vergelegen since inception of the project. He attributed “astounding results” to the estate’s comprehensive approach, and said that only 3% of South African wine producers apply the programme as thoroughly.
BIOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL
As virus infection levels have been managed to extremely low levels, the estate has now shifted to biological control of the mealybug vector. Vergelegen works with SkyBugs, which is a partnership between FieldBUGS, which supplies predatory indigenous insects, and agritech company Aerobotics, which collaborates with a network of drone pilots to disperse the insects accurately over the vineyards.
The first stage is distributing predatory wasps, which are attracted by a pheromone released by female mealybugs. This proactive measure is followed by the distribution of ladybugs, which eat the mealybugs. Vergelegen’s pioneering initiative has received considerable local and international publicity.
ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING
The estate revised its wine ranges in 2024 and unveiled a series of new wine labels to optimally communicate and support its famous wine portfolio. The Heritage and Estate ranges (six of 10 labels) are printed on 100% recycled paper. Packaging is fully recyclable.
TREE PLANTING
The estate plants 1000 trees annually, to replace trees felled by storms and wind, and to populate a 54-hectare arboretum. This botanical garden devoted to trees is being created in a phased approach over 10 years, to create a beautiful, peaceful green sanctuary. A 3,5 km walkway surrounds the arboretum, allowing visitors access to various sections. Guests are already exploring the area, which will offer a variety of footpaths and walking trails.
The focus is on resilient species such as South Africa’s national tree, real yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius), milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme), water oak (Quercus nigra) and turkey oak (Quercus cerris).
NEW FIRE TRUCK
Hot, dry, windy summers have led to devasting wildfires in the Helderberg area over recent years. Blazes have ravaged mountain slopes and other areas for days at a time and firefighters have battled to control multiple flare-ups. Now Vergelegen, and its neighbours, enjoy greater peace of mind thanks to the delivery in late 2022 of a new MAN TGM 18.240 4×4 fire truck.
AWARDS
Numerous awards include the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) 2019 corporate award, while Vergelegen was an honoree in the 2020 South African Wine & Food Tourism Awards, in the World Wildlife Fund Conservation Leaders’ category. in September 2022, Vergelegen was the winner of the Eco-Hospitality and Tourism category in the 2022 Eco-Logic Awards. The organisers allocate award points based on seven Eco-Logical virtues, and the size and scale of their environmental impact. The estate received the Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices prize in the 2024 Best Of Wine Tourism Awards.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Visitors to Vergelegen can book an exciting and educational guided environmental tour. initiated in late 2020, it reveals tracts of the vast 3000-hectare estate that were previously closed to the public. It includes the Vergelegen arboretum and biodiversity nature reserve, showcasing the fynbos ecoregion. There are sightings of free-range indigenous Nguni cattle, bontebok, eland, black wildebeest, red hartebeest and a herd of quagga.
The quagga form part of an ambitious project, initiated by a dedicated group of conservationists in 1987, to breed an animal resembling as closely as possible the quagga. This animal was hunted to extinction in the second half of the 19th century and the last known mare died in Amsterdam Zoo in 1883.
Visitors also learn more about honey production on the estate, where consultant beekeeper Louis ‘Kraai’ van Niekerk has nurtured Vergelegen’s bees for nearly two decades. Vergelegen has collaborated with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to raise awareness about the importance of restoring the diversity of indigenous forage for the Cape honeybee, especially in farming landscapes, to keep the populations of these vital pollinators healthy.
In conclusion, Vergelegen is deeply committed to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. From extensive alien vegetation clearing and restoring natural biodiversity to implementing solar energy systems and pioneering viticulture, the estate consistently prioritises environmental stewardship. Vergelegen not only produces world-class wines but also ensures its operations contribute positively to the planet.
Find out more: https://vergelegen.co.za/sustainability/