Sometimes what’s in your heart simply reflects what’s in your nature.
Sustainability
At the heart of Oyster Bay is a passion for capturing the pure cool-climate flavours of New Zealand one of the world’s greatest winegrowing regions.
It is a passion matched only by our dedication to protecting the pristine, natural environment that ultimately delivers and defines our difference as a brand on the world stage. The pure glacial waters, clear sunlight, and nutrient rich soils that bring such abundant life and flavour to our wines, are our most precious assets. Our commitment to their preservation is reflected not only in our founding membership of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (one of the few comprehensive and integrated and internationally- accredited sustainable winegrowing programmes on Earth), but in every single part of our winemaking process.
Our sustainability practises in our Marlborough and Hawkes’s Bay vineyards reflect the sacredness with which we regard the soils and waters of these great winegrowing regions.
In 1996 Oyster Bay joined the Sustainable Winegrowing Program and now Oyster Bay’s vineyards and wineries are fully accredited and regularly audited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand is an independently audited New Zealand wine industry sustainability program.
Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand was established by the New Zealand Wine Industry body New Zealand Winegrowers.
This body provides the framework for companies to continually work towards improving all aspects of their performance in terms of environmental, social, and economic sustainability in both the vineyard and the winery. Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand was developed to:
- Provide a best practice model of environmentally friendly practices in the vineyard and winery
- Guarantee better quality assurance from the vineyard through to the bottle
- Create a framework for viticulture and winemaking practices that protect the environment while efficiently and economically producing premium wine grapes and wine
- Provide a format of continual improvement to ensure vineyards and wineries operate with a goal of improving their operational practices
- Act as a vehicle for technology transfer so that companies are kept informed of new technology and its application
- Provide an audit structure that has integrity and rigor to comply with market expectations.
As a member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, we are regularly audited for compliance to these international standards. Oyster Bay’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing means that its sustainable practices now exceed the audit requirements of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Program.
Oyster Bay has in place its own environmental group that meets regularly and provides ongoing business recommendations which continue to reduce adverse environmental impact, encourage efficiency of resources and ongoing restoration of the natural environment and ecosystems.
From the design of our state-of-the-art wineries, our viticultural practices, and winemaking processes, through to the protection of wetland environments, sustainability is an active and integral part of Oyster Bay’s culture.
As a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, we have always recognized nature as the true producer of our wines.
