Healthy vines and tasty wines | Weekly farm

NATURE has its own balance and McHenry Hohnen Vintners has set himself the goal of reproducing this balance in his vineyards.

One of the few wineries in Margaret River to produce biodynamic wines, McHenry Hohnen takes a holistic, ecological and ethical approach to producing his wines.

Rooted in the work of philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner, whose 1924 lectures opened farmers to a new way of incorporating scientific knowledge into their practices while recognizing the spirit of nature, the chief winemaker of McHenry Jacopo Dalli Cani, affectionately known to his friends and colleagues as Japo, interprets these teachings and applies them to the McHenry Hohnen farm and vineyard.

“We see our biodynamic vineyard as a farm and an integrated living organism, whole”Japo said.

“This organism is made up of many different elements – vines, forests, cover crops, beehives, olive groves, soil, compost and us, the people who cultivate it.

“We work to nurture biodiversity and harmonize all of these elements, managing them holistically and dynamically to support the health and vitality of all.”

As a fully certified biodynamic vineyard and winery, McHenry Hohnen does not use herbicides or pesticides on his vines, instead focusing on building the strength of the plant so that it creates its own natural defense.

To achieve this, the vineyards are set in an optimal living environment that encourages native birds to help control insects and rodents.

Beehives have been set up on the farm as a natural predation method to help create a balance between all plant species and insects, so that none of them take over and cause significant damage to the vines.

The farm also incorporates olive and fruit trees, chickens, ducks and several cover crops made up of mixtures of legumes and herbs to encourage organic matter in the soils, which in turn attracts insects and helps control. soil erosion.

“Our goal in the concept of having a farm instead of a simple vineyard is to create a complex environment for our vines, which in turn gives them this incredible ability to translate the grapes into a more complex wine.”Japo said.

“By encouraging and ensuring that the environment around the vines is healthy, we believe that this contributes to the quality and expressiveness of our wines.”

Born in Soave in northeastern Italy, Japo joined the McHenry Hohnen team in 2016 after completing internships in Bordeaux, Barossa Valley, Margaret River and New Zealand.

As part of his practices, McHenry Hohnen compostes his brand of grapes with cattle manure each year and spreads it on the vines after harvest.

While biodynamic philosophy takes into account the lunar calendar, which determines when soil and plants are most sensitive to certain preparations, McHenry Hohnen takes a more pragmatic approach in terms of the lunar cycle.

“We tend to observe our farm and vineyards to determine when it’s time to do our preparation or a particular spray instead of following the days of the lunar calendar to the letter.”Japo said.

McHenry Hohnen founder Murray McHenry also owns a chain of fine wine shops in Perth as well as the successful bar and cafe, Steve’s in Nedlands.

A year after planting his first vines at Margaret River at Burnside Vineyard in 1984, Murray began developing Calgardup ​​Brook Vineyard with his business partner Brian Sierakowski, planting Chardonnay in 2006.

In 1998 Murray expanded his business by purchasing a 75-hectare farm on Rocky Road and planting Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today the McHenry Hohnen winery sits on Hazel’s Vineyard one block south of Witchcliffe.

wine region.” title=”> McHenry Hohnen Vintners is one of the few fully certified biodynamic wineries in the Margaret River wine region.” width =”6000″ height =”3267″/>

> McHenry Hohnen Vintners is one of the few fully certified biodynamic wineries in the Margaret River wine region.

Alongside winemaker Mike Sleegers, who was among the first to obtain biodynamic certification in the region for one of the founding vineyards, Japo joined the team in 2016.

Born in Soave in northeastern Italy, Japo grew up surrounded by friends and family who were all involved in one way or another in the wine industry – whether in packaging. , producing or marketing wine or simply working in the hotel industry at wine bars.

Spending much of his school vacation harvesting grapes from nearby vineyards, Japo quickly realized his passion for agriculture and made the decision to study viticulture and oenology at the University of Conegliano, Italy. .

After graduating, he worked for local producer Inama in Veneto, Tuscany, before traveling to France, New Zealand and Australia to deepen his knowledge of the industry.

After completing internships in Bordeaux, Barossa Valley, Margaret River and New Zealand, Japo decided to return to Western Australia and make a living in the Margaret River region.

Even though he didn’t know much English at the time, Japo’s passion for the region drove him to stay and develop his skills.

“There is a freshness and dynamism that you can almost feel around you while living here”Japo said.

“And being a coastal wine region, Margaret River has a distinctive salinity in its wines.

“There is an inner balance which is very beautiful and very pure – wines don’t need to be overworked.”

Growing up in a country where the landscape had been heavily altered by millennia of agriculture, Japo said the Margaret River wine region offered a stark contrast to the region he grew up in.

“Here you have vineyards in a natural setting with the most beautiful ocean next to it, then you are also surrounded by virgin forest and wildlife”Japo said.

> Passionate about biodynamic practices, Japo said he was happy to work in the McHenry Hohnen team as they had the right philosophy in terms of sustainability.

Although the Australian industry lacks the rich history of European wine regions, he said the South West region still has the potential to deliver equally exceptional and world-class products.

With many French grape varieties commonly grown in Margaret River, the McHenry Hohnen estate is also planning to experiment with some Italian grape varieties to make unique wines full of character.

This, along with the vineyard’s biodynamic certification, will continue to set McHenry Hohnen wines apart from the rest, with consumer awareness and interest in organic and biodynamic products increasing rapidly over the past decade.

However, Japo insists that the biodynamic aspect of the vineyard was not implemented to help market McHenry Hohnen wines, but rather for ethical reasons, including the longevity of the industry.

“If you keep growing chemically, the next winemaker who comes here in 20 years might not be able to make expressive wine because the land has been plundered.”Japo said.

“It is very important for us to respect the terroir and to ensure that our vineyards are sustainable over the long term.

“The second reason we do this is because these sustainable practices create grapes that have thicker skins and that’s where the flavor of the wine comes from, so we find the whole process gives you an additional gear in the expressiveness of your wines.”

In the future, McHenry Hohnen plans to transform a property he acquired next to the estate into a fully biodynamic farm in order to further expand the vineyard’s biodynamic preparations.

“There we can have vegetable gardens, potentially a restaurant where we serve food grown with the same philosophy as grapes, cattle, a cellar door, housing and plant another vineyard.”Japo said.

“Our plan is to continue to listen to the land, to feel what each plot of vineyard might have to say and to produce wines that faithfully reflect this unique individuality.”

French grape varieties commonly grown in Margaret River, the McHenry Hohnen estate also plans to experiment with some Italian grape varieties to craft unique wines full of character.” width=”6000″ height=”3387″/>

With many French grape varieties commonly grown in Margaret River, the McHenry Hohnen estate also plans to experiment with some Italian grape varieties to craft unique wines full of character.