Sustainable Practices
Heat recovery plant
Both Villa Maria wineries (Auckland and Marlborough) are installed with heat recovery systems, which take waste heat from the refrigeration plant and store it for use in the winemaking process.
The recovered heat is used to warm grape juice prior to and during fermentation, and to warm the wine before it is bottled. The heat recovery plant complements gas and electric energy and enables the winery to significantly reduce its total energy consumption.
Night air cooling
Villa Maria's Auckland winery features a night air cooling system to keep stored bottled wine at an optimal temperature to maintain quality.
Rather than installing a large air conditioning plant, night air is imported into the warehouse where the stored wine acts as a giant “chilly pack” to maintain optimum temperatures, even during the summer heat.
Natural lighting
Villa Maria's wineries are designed to use natural light as a source of daytime illumination where practical throughout the working areas. This provides a much friendlier environment for staff and significant energy savings.
Organic viticulture
Villa Maria’s Joseph Soler vineyard in Hawke’s Bay has operated on organic principles since 2001 and 21 hectares is certified by BioGro New Zealand. Rather than relying on herbicides or pesticides, this vineyard utilizes organic products and seaweeds to prevent pests and promote growth.
The Templar Vineyard in Marlborough (30 ha) has also been put into conversion as of March 2009.
Hybrid vehicles for sales team
Since 2007, and as part of the company’s commitment to sustainable business practices, Villa Maria has been progressively changing it sales team fleet to Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles.
Hybrid cars use up to half as much petrol as an equivalent non-hybrid car and produce up to 90 percent less noxious emissions. The lifetime carbon footprint of a hybrid is significantly less than an equivalent sized conventional car.
Storm water quality control
Storm water from the Auckland Winery's roadways and car parks is filtered using a series of grass swales and underground retention tanks. Sedimentation weirs ensure that only clean water enters the lake in front of the winery before its journey down the Oruarangi Creek to the Manukau Harbour.
Renewable energy
In New Zealand, we are fortunate that nearly 70 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated using renewable sources
The use of renewable energy gives Villa Maria and other New Zealand wine growers a competitive edge internationally, particularly in the UK where consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
Recycling
Villa Maria encourages recycling in the wineries. Waste grape marc is either recycled as stock food or composted as nutrient for the vineyards. The company has an ongoing commitment to separating all plastic, glass and metals waste. In fact, approximately 70 percent of the packaging used for a bottle of Villa Maria Private Bin wine is made from recycled material.
Read more about our Biogro Certification
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