Respect for the land and local community guided our team during the development of the Mt Beautiful vineyard. Our aim at Teece Family Vineyards is to achieve a sustainable functioning landscape with ongoing support from the local community.
For locals, the vineyard will become a significant source of employment, creating jobs for a number of people on a permanent basis. There will also be a strong demand for casual work over harvest and pruning.
Led by project managers Ron Sutherland and Vern Harris, we planted the first vines in 2004 and harvested our first grapes in March 2007. At this stage we have 70ha of effective plantings in the ground. When the vineyard is fully developed, we expect to have 150 to 170ha of the total 537ha property under vine.
Land use
Our approach is to work in harmony with the landscape, taking advantage of the natural terraces and gullies of our property to enhance visual appeal. We planted blocks of vines across the tops of rolling terraces with minimal changes to the existing lay of the land. Where possible, we have kept the natural cover and interspersed the vineyards with trees for shelter.
The steeper gullies are used for commercial woodlots of Radiata pine, Douglas fir and Pinus pinea for pine nuts, with olive plantings planned as well. Native plantings include flaxes, cabbage trees, coprosma, Pittosporum tenuifolium, kahikatea and totara. The floor of the gulley that carves through the centre of the vineyard will remain natural wetland, featuring flaxes, sedges and other natives. The river flats are still used for grazing sheep and cropping, with 100ha of wheat currently planted on the downlands.
This deliberate move to have different functioning landscapes has created a tapestry of contrasts, colours, and contours – giving our Mt Beautiful vineyard a distinctive patchwork appearance.
