With the ever-increasing consumer demand for healthier, eco-friendly organic products, more and more producers are exploring sustainable farming practices that do not require the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. Avondale has pioneered a unique mix of organic and biodynamic farming methods combined with the latest advances in modern science – an approach we have trademarked, BioLOGIC^® – to create a range of nature-friendly wines of the highest quality.

Avondale uses innovative techniques to ensure that we work in partnership with Mother Nature, including:

•    A particular focus on ensuring biodiversity, not only on the fringes of the estate but on the actual vineyards as well.
•    The use of natural predators to combat pests. Avondale makes use of beneficial bacteria to counteract vine disease at the micro level. We also attract birds of prey to help control rodent populations in the vineyard, and snails are kept in check by our squadron of ducks.
•    The use of the latest advances in modern science to get continuous feedback about the health of the Avondale ecosystem, including the use of Leaf Sap Monitoring instruments.
•    A natural waste water system that uses a three-dam system interlinked by spiralling channels of cleansing reeds to emulate the way water is cleansed in rivers.

Connecting to the energy of place

Avondale makes use of the full spectrum of biodynamic preparations, which are akin to supporting healthy balance through homeopathy.  “These practices deepen our connection to the unique energy of the farm and sustain a lively awareness of our special place in the cosmos,” Avondale’s proprietor Johnathan Grieve explains. We also follow the astronomical planting calendar, which takes into account the influence of various cosmic forces on our natural environment. For example, natural nutrition and biodynamic preparations are best applied during the full moon phase. During this phase one has the greatest movement of sap in the plants and hence gets the best uptake and results.

Continuous Innovation

BioLOGIC^® is a systemic approach to continuously create conditions that are conducive to more and more life.  We are always learning and reflecting, adapting and evolving, searching for better ideas and innovative concepts that enhance the BioLOGIC^® approach, and that result in vibrant living systems. It’s a process that will never end.  To learn more about Avondale’s BioLOGIC^® system, please visit http://www.biologicwine.co.za/