OCTOBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Mission Hill aims to be fully


organic by 2021 Certification is the culmination of a long-term shift


by TOM WALKER


WEST KELOWNA—The road to sustainability for the BC wine industry may take different paths. At Mission Hill, one of the three largest wine companies in BC, the route is conversion of its vineyards to organic practices.


The end goal is not organic wines at this time, says viticulturist Rob Achurch of Sebastian Farms, the viticulture division of Mission Hill, owned by Anthony von Mandl. “The owner strongly


believes that we are stewards of the land and organics are the way to go for the future of the land and the staff,” he told participants in the BC Winegrape Council’s annual enology and viticulture conference in Penticton this summer. It will not be a small task.


Mission Hill farms 1,350 acres of vineyard from Lake Country to Osoyoos. As the senior viticulturist overseeing the southern end of the valley for Sebastian Farms, Achurch is responsible for 850 acres growing some 18 varieties. “We began the transition to


organic four years ago,” says Achurch. “Our goal is to be 100% organic-certified within the next two years.” Mission Hill sees three benefits to organic production. “We think it is better for


worker health and safety, it reduces soil degradation, and promotes diversity of plants and animals,” he says. “But we realize we cannot achieve this by farming organically with a conventional mindset. We have got to approach this very holistically.” The shift began in small


ways, such as decreasing herbicide use. “That was not a push to be


organic but a push to be better for the environment essentially,” he says. The company purchased a


36-acre certified organic vineyard in Oliver in 2006 and planted Merlot. It served as a testing ground for practices that have since spread to other of the winery’s vineyards. “It’s been a great vineyard


for developing techniques for organic production over the last 12 years,” says Achurch. “We are not going into it blindly.”


They initially adopted a


gradual phase-in, but the terms set forth by its certifying body, Ecocert, made that logistically challenging. “One of the requirements of our certification is that you not take tools or machinery from conventional fields to organic,” he explains. “But that was hard to manage and after about 15% of our acreage was converted, we jumped all in.” Achurch says that one of the initial challenges is changing the culture of staff who may not have any organic background (himself included). “It took us quite a while to adjust to organic practices and there has been a lot of trial and error,” he says. “A key for us has been consistent dialogue between all staff.” Weeds initially filled the


bare strips under the vines when herbicides ceased to be used, he says. “We are working a lot with


clover as a cover crop under the vines and we are also using buckwheat to help attract beneficial insects,” he


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Mission Hill Winery is in the process of converting all of its 1,350 acres of vineyards to organic production. MISSION HILL FAMILY ESTATE WINERY PHOTO


says. “[It’s] gradually coming back in balance.” Yields have not fallen as


Achurch thought they would, but he works hard to make sure the vines get the nutrition they need in the sandy, well-drained soils of the south Okanagan. Compost is critical, with the


winery’s grape pomace generating about 500 cubic metres a year. It’s applied to about 350 acres a year on a three-year rotation, while the liquid organic fertilizer BioFish and blood meal provides


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supplemental nutrition. “We ultimately want to build the soils up to be self- sustaining,” he says. Achurch says the extreme


diversity of Okanagan vineyards precludes a one- size-fits-all approach, particularly with disease and pest management. “We have to be very site-


specific,” he explains. “We find that what might work well in one vineyard does not work well at all two kilometres down the road.” They run a sulfur-based


spray program that Achurch says was a challenge with periodic rains throughout the month of July. They also employ


biological controls. If you drive past one of their vineyards in the spring, you may spot some chickens ranging between the rows. Mission Hill is not getting into the egg business. The birds are there to help control climbing cutworms, a major vineyard pest. “It’s good that I like eggs a lot,” quips Achurch.


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