Best contribution to farming practices and production integrity

‘We felled our last bluegum in June 2012 after five years of alien removal and fynbos rehabilitation… 17 hectares of alien bluegum, acacia, black wattle and pine forest have been removed and rehabilitated with endemic fynbos and trees,” says Rose Jordaan of Bartinney’s success story. “Since the removal of the last bluegum, a dormant spring is again flowing.’

But that’s not where the old Stellenbosch family farm’s efforts have ended. Fynbos has been planted as cover crop between the vineyards and they’ve seen great success with indigenous windbreaks. Bartinney also adheres to the Global Carbon Protocol and has carbon neutral status. Fifty percent of the farm’s electrical energy requirements are provided by a solar-power system, 7 000 mostly endemic trees have been planted and all waste is recycled or composted. Manual labour is used in place of vehicles and the team is currently planting the farm’s first ‘walking vineyard’ that will have no vehicular movement through it.

Next up for the Bartinney team is the construction of walking and cycling paths through the reestablished fynbos slopes.

 

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