A condition of entry for this competition is conformance to guidelines set out by the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW), the voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established in 1998.
“We view this award as a great honour and are obviously very pleased indeed to receive it,” said Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, MD of Oak Valley. “The environment and excellence are subjects we are very serious about at Oak Valley and it's very pleasing to see our efforts in this regard recognised by Nedbank and Wine magazine.”
The Nedbank Green Wine Awards have come about due to the increased popularity and consumer interest in this category. Nedbank was the natural partner for the awards due to its ongoing involvement with conservation projects. Its support for the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative through the Green Trust has been in effect since the organisation's inception in 2004.
The Green Wine Awards are two pronged: Best Wine from Organically Grown Grapes, and Best Environmental Practices.
The judges were Inge Kotzé, project co-ordinator of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, Tom McLaughlin, good business journey specialist at Woolworths, and Lourens van Schoor, a registered professional soil and environmental scientist and director of environmental auditing firm Enviroscientific.
Apart from the coveted award, Oak Valley received an IPW audit worth R11 000, provided by Enviroscientific for both farm and cellar towards EnviroWines certification.
“We are committed to producing our range of products in an environmentally sustainable way and will continue to employ these techniques wherever possible into the future,” Rawbone-Viljoen added.
For further information on Oak Valley Estate, go to www.oakvalley.co.za.
