Sustainability

The Property

Frogs are commonly known to be an indicator of good environmental health, so when Tony Scherer came across the Coal River Valley property in 1997 it seemed like the ideal place for his vineyard. Tony's plan was to leave the property in a more improved state than when he found it.

Organic, sustainable farming and the protection of the native flora and fauna are both things Tony is very passionate about. Frogmore Creek is home to a diverse range of native wildlife including frogs, echidnas, wallabies, possums, wedge-tailed eagles, swamp harriers, ducks, black swans and many other bird, reptilian and animal species. At the time the Frogmore Creek property was chosen there was only one specie of frog found in the area, the Spotted Marsh Frog, Since then, through monitoring, we have found three additional species of frog, the Tasmanian Froglet, Banjo Frog, Spotted Marsh Frog.

Frog populations are declining rapidly across the world and the reasons for this are largely unknown, so the increase in frog numbers at Frogmore Creek are testament to the sustainable practices used on the property over the last 13 years.

After buying the site we researched the existing Spotted Marsh Frog to gain a better understanding of their preferred habitat, a habitat that they would thrive in. We then got in contact with a frog specialist, Dr Karly Michaels, to assess what we could do to increase their numbers. The Richmond Primary School was contacted regarding our intentions to monitor and protect the existing frog population. The Primary School decided to carry out their own studies at the property as a school project for grades 1-6. Groups of children were brought to the property, spending half a day taking samples of the water, taping the sounds of the frogs and observing the vineyard ecosystem. The children were encouraged to come up with their own ideas to help improve the environment at the vineyard. About a month after their visit to the Frogmore Creek Vineyard we would meet with children at the Richmond Primary School to see what ideas they had devised for the long term health of the vineyard. Richmond Primary School ended up receiving a small grant from the government, along with some transport and staff assistance provided by Frogmore Creek. This enabled the school to provide the students with a continuous research program, where they visited the vineyard with different students every three months.

The Frogmore Creek site is special for many reasons, but to note another - the existence of a unique species of rare native coral pea, Hardenbergia violacea. It is known only to exist at two sites along the hillside that passes through the Frogmore Creek property and is thought to be genetically different to the species found on mainland Australia. The small colony of about 20 plants is being preserved by fencing off the area from grazing animals, thus encouraging them to flourish in their own native habitat.

Frogmore Creek also has a long term project to enter into a Private Land Conservation Program with the Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW). An area of approximately 80ha has been set aside for this purpose. The already wooded area will be fenced off and planted with further indigenous tree, shrub and grass species to recreate a woodland tract to assist in habitat renewal for bird species, in particular, the endangered swift parrot.

The Vineyard

Frogmore Creek Vineyard was developed on an organic philosophy, incorporating compost and cover cropping for soil health and vine fertility, organic fungicides for vine health and protection against unwanted disease, and organic integrated pest management to combat pests.

Compost is one way we can improve the health of our soil and our vines naturally whilst being responsible for our own waste. We make the compost used in the vineyard out of our own winery waste and other waste materials that are generated in our region. The skins, seeds and pressings from the grapes are composted over 6-8 months, after which time the matured compost can be used in the vineyard.

Compost builds humus (derived from microbial decomposition of plant and animal matter) in the soil which, in turn, improves the health of the soil and the plants that grow within it. Compost is the foundation of soil fertility in an organic programme. It provides a valuable source of nutrients and facilitates the process for conversion of nutrients that already exist (but are unavailable) in the soil to a plant-available form. This eliminates the need to add chemical fertilisers. Compost also helps to improve soil structure by aerating it and allowing plant roots to penetrate the soil more easily.

We have a holistic outlook on farming and strongly believe if you have and build healthy soil, then healthy plants will result. It follows that healthy plants are much less susceptible to diseases and pests.

Our philosophy is to find a way to control problems without introducing chemicals.

The use of animals within vineyards is one of the techniques used in sustainable farming. Frogmore Creek uses Guinea Fowl in the vineyard to naturally control wingless grasshoppers and weevils. Both of these pests cause havoc as they eat the shoots and leaves of the vines. The Guinea Fowl eliminate the need for insecticides by feeding on these unwanted insects. The birds are successful as they have few predators in Tasmania, and at night they sleep safely up high in the trees.

Much smaller allies are our native wasps. These wasps are an integral part of our Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) control programme. We have a number of native wasp species indigenous to Tasmania, each of which attack LBAM at a different stage in its life cycle.

Cover crops are grown in between the vines to assist in the improvement of soil fertility, soil structure and as a shelter and food source for beneficial insects. At Frogmore Creek we use crimson clover, oats, strawberry clover and red clover, to name a few.

Flowering cover crops are a nectar (food) source for many beneficial insects which predate on our insect pests. For this reason, cover crops are invaluable in supporting this beneficial population when the pest food source is not available. Native plants which exist around the perimeter of the vineyard, in particular, Bursaria spinosa, play a similar and important role.

Our preventative fungicide programme uses only organic fungicides. Instead of chemical fungicides we prefer to utilise organic options.. Frogmore Creek partook in a study which started in 2006 and is currently still running. The study examines the biological control of the plant disease, Botrytis cinerea, also known as bunch rot. Because there were no chemical fungicides used in the vineyard we knew there would be a wide range of micro organisms living throughout the property. This allowed Dr Dean Metcalf, who specialises in the biological control of plant diseases, to carry out his studies and successfully discover a natural fungus, Trichoderma, which competes with, and combats, the unwanted Botrytis. Dr Dean Metcalf has developed this desirable fungus into a product which is now widely used in vineyards all over Australia.

Seaweed extract and fish emulsion is also sprayed onto the foliage as a general health tonic to help strengthen the plant's own resistance against attack from pests and disease.

By understanding our environment, our vineyards, the life cycles of our grapevine pests and diseases and those of our beneficials, we can devise natural ways to manipulate the habitat in favour of our desired organisms .

Increasing the soil's humid content and micro-organisms assists in the vines nutrient cycle. The vine roots draw upon nutrients as required .Once the growing season is completed the leaves fall to the ground and are returned to the soil, adding nutrients back to the soil.

The Natural Environment

Soil is the most valuable asset a farm can have. Without a healthy, life-giving soil the farm is nothing. The soil is a reflection of the unique set of environmental influences that the site is, and has previously been, exposed to and the stewardship and nurturing it has been afforded. These elements combine to create the terror, or the sense of the place; that unique set of nuances that can be found nowhere else and cannot be replicated.

The Frogmore Creek Vineyard site was carefully chosen because of its many innate natural assets and the suitability of these attributes to growing and making fine wine.There are a number of different soil types on the Frogmore Creek property and three distinct types upon which the vineyard is planted.

The soils in the northern part of the property are of doleritic parent material, which gives rise to a brown clay loam. These soils are ideal for our sparkling wine varieties and Riesling.

The middle part of the vineyard consists of a black self-mulching clay loam, also derived from dolerite. These soils are on our steepest slopes and are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The southern and lower slopes of the vineyard are a mixture of podzolic soils over sandstone and shallower sandy loams of lateritic origin. These soils are home to our Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.

The differing soil types add diverse elements to the flavour and characteristics of the wine, thus contributing to its complexity.

The elements which make up the Frogmore environment are another reason for its high suitability to growing exceptional cool climate varieties. Tasmania is the coolest and most southern wine growing area in Australia. At 42˚ south latitude, the Coal River Valley has a mean maximum temperature of 19.6˚C during the growing season (September - March). These cool growing season conditions allow the fruit to develop slowly and to accumulate many and varied precursors which create an intricate tapestry of flavours and textures in the wine.The property's proximity to the ocean means that fluctuations between maximum and minimum temperatures is less than it would be inland and this greatly reduces the risk of frost. Coupled with this is the predominant northerly wind which maintains good airflow through the valley and this is also great for disease control.

With an average annual rainfall of 500mm, vine vigour can be controlled and vine growth balanced so that energies are channelled into fruit development rather than vegetative growth.

Oats used for Cover Crops

Crimson Clover used for Cover Crops

Guinea Fowl