Meet our grower

Jean-Luc Dufour, Glasnevin Vineyard, Waipara

"I've been a viticulturalist for more than 20 years, beginning in my home country of Switzerland. Over the years my interest in natural methods of pest and disease management in vineyards has grown. At Waipara Hills, you can see this knowledge applied.

We like to work with nature more than against it, so introducing biodiversity into the monoculture of the vineyard is something we're focusing on. For the past five years we've avoided using insecticide for leaf roller caterpillar, which is a common vineyard pest. We do this by planting buckwheat, which supports tiny parasitic wasps - natural enemies of the leaf roller caterpillar. Now we're working with Lincoln University to identify which New Zealand native plants can be used to control pests in the vineyard - Maori jasmine is showing great promise."