Winegrowers
Home » Magazine » Good, issue 5 » WinegrowersFather-and-daughter team Sara and Allan Scott on why they're going organic.
Sara Scott was six years old when her dad, Allan Scott, set up his eponymous winery. It was lots of fun for a little girl: sitting in the garage sticking labels on bottles with Mum and Dad, staying up till the wee hours during the harvest.
“The kids were always little adults, really,” says Allan. “We never talked baby talk to them. They knew the business inside and out right from when they were small.”
The Blenheim winery is still very much a family affair. Sara—the youngest, now 26—is viticulturist; her brother Josh is winemaker and brewer; their older sister Victoria handles marketing. “It was our dream that they would come back,” admits Allan. “I sincerely enjoy working with my kids. It’s given me a lot of satisfaction.”
But the arrival of a third generation—Victoria’s children, now the same age as Sara when Allan Scott Wines was established—is moving the winery in a new direction.
Last year four hectares of the vineyard were converted to organic. Allan had always been conscious of potential health issues in the vineyard—he grew up on an organic farm—but when his grandchildren moved onto the estate he was finally convinced to give organics a go.
“My sister’s house is nestled in among the vines,” explains Sara, who worried that weed sprays could affect her young niece and nephew.
Allan’s main concern was appearance. “With organics, weeds are your biggest problem,” says Sara. “But I look at a vineyard that’s been completely herbicided, and I think it looks terrible.”
Big signs identifying the organic section of the vineyard now explain to visitors why there are a few scruffier patches.
This year, 16 hectares of vines surrounding Victoria’s house are under conversion to organic—and the first 3,000 cases of Allan Scott Millstone organic sauvignon are on the market.
The organic vintage has been a success, but Allan isn’t surprised. “It’s part of good husbandry, and that’s what Sara’s good at.”
He’s a little more worried about consumer uptake. “A lot of people think green and act purple.”
That may be true, for now, but they’ll always drink good wine.
