Vondeling Wines extends its conservation and sustainability 'footprint'
The world-wide focus on plastic pollution of the oceans has brought the importance of conservation and sustainability on land into focus again, especially in the field of agriculture. As part of Vondeling Wines' continuous efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through conservation and sustainable farming, this Voor-Paardeberg wine estate near Paarl has recently converted from conventional electricity supply to solar power in an effort to minimise the estate's greenhouse gas emissions.
Published in Conservation
Vondeling Wins at the 2014 Nedbank Green Wine Awards
Vondeling recognised for their contribution to environmentally sustainable farming in the 2014 Nedbank Green Wine Awards. The South African wine industry has led the way in embracing farming in a more sustainable eco-friendly way. The Nedbank Green Wine Awards honour producers who go the distance to reduce the impact of farming on their land and operate in a more sustainable manner.
Vondeling is awarded Championship Status from the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative
Vondeling Wines incorporating Bowwood vineyards, in the Voor-Paardeberg ward of Paarl, has just been awarded BWI Championship status, after several years of conservation and financial investment. The farm compromises 330ha of land, of which approximately 200ha is allocated for conservation. This area includes Boland Granite Fynbos, a vegetation type categorized as vulnerable according to the latest national list of threatened ecosystems.
The conservation area was the subject of an intensive post fire evaluation which resulted in over 1000 fynbos species being catalogued and geo-tagged on this 4000ha mountain. Many of these species are endemic to the Paardeberg, including Babiana noctiflora, Erica hippuris, Oscularia paardebergenis and Serruria roxburghii. Vondeling's flagship wines, 'Babiana' and 'Erica' are named in honour of two of these species. A coffee-table book is to be released in April, cataloguing the cycle of fire and regrowth in Fynbos.
The working wine farm is subject to an ecological management plan that includes an innovative waste water management system, a recycling program and a comprehensive fire management system. Vondeling is also involved, together with neighbouring farms, in the establishment of a community pre-primary school with aftercare and school feeding facilities. Vondeling is a significant sponsor of the Paardeberg Sustainability Initiative's NatReM project, which has a mandate to create 90 sustainable jobs in Natural Resource Management, including erosion control, invasive alien plant clearing and wildfire prevention.
For more information, please contact;
Jane Ferreira-Eedes
T) 021 869 8595
C) 083 324 6855
E) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
W) www.vondelingwines.co.za
Vondeling partners with WESSA to raise funds for conservation
The aim of this venture is to raise funds to support WESSA's continuing conservation and environmental education work. Wine‐lovers will now have the opportunity to return nature's generosity and become partners with WESSA in caring too. Profits from sales of the wines will go directly to the organisation and help WESSA to work for the continued conservation of our natural heritage and a sustainable lifestyle on a healthy planet.
Vondeling 2012 Fynbos Survey
Following a fire on the Paardeberg in January 2011, a botanical survey was commissioned by the Paardeberg Sustainability Initiative (PSI) in collaboration with Vondeling Wines to record the plant species growing on the mountain. The post fire fynbos regrowth was documented for 18 months through plant collections and photographic records.