Mac Forbes vineyard have been producing wines since 2004. Located in the Yarra Valley in Australia, the vineyard prides itself on drawing upon the wisdom of the local Wurundjeri people, the indigenous community who have farmed this region for over 50,000 years. This has shaped Mac Forbes’s journey in viticulture, leading the vineyard to experiment with and adopt regenerative practices on-site in the last 5 years.

In early 2024, the Vidacycle team visited Mac Forbes to discover more about the regenerative practices they are experimenting with, and what they have learned from their experiences with regenerative viticulture. Vineyard manager Owen Littlejohns talked us through some of their experiments and what they have learnt along the way.

Mac Forbes have been planting varieties of clover underneath the vines in order to rebuild nitrogen levels and fertility within the soil. Owen highlights that this success hasn’t come without complication, “it’s a constant battle to fend off the encroaching clover from the first cord wire. We’ve had more hassle with the crimson clover, as opposed to the sub-clover”. The vineyard team are now experimenting with other ways to manage the areas under the vines whilst also contributing to soil health.

Their next experiment will be to roll out hay bales down the rows, simultaneously suppressing anything growing underneath and adding a layer of organic matter to help feed microbes in the soil. The hay layer in-between the rows will also help to retain moisture in the soil; a necessity for a dry farmed vineyard. The vineyard has also experienced issues with kangaroos eating the cover crops, so the hay acts as a deterrent.

The team are also experimenting in their high density blocks to see which natural material works best to suppress the intervine weeds. In these blocks, the weeds are a particular issue, as machinery is too large to go down the rows for weed maintenance. An alternative solution was to lay down a suppressive layer; they experimented with sheep’s wool, hay and biodegradable wine filter pads.

They found that the wool takes a long time to break down into the soil, whilst the hay broke down quicker. The wool did a better job of suppressing the weeds, but the hay also created a successful barrier. Overall, Owen recommends the hay out of the three trials, ‘it’s more readily available, it biodegrades quickly and it puts organic matter back into the soil’.

Locking moisture into the soil while dry farming has been quite a significant challenge for the Mac Forbes team. One technique they have found to combat dry soil is using biochar when planting new vines. The process involves ‘digging a large hole, back filling it with compost, adding some biochar on top of that, and finally adding some organic fertiliser pellets’.

Using this method, Owen has noticed that there is significant improvement in water retention in the soil for at least the first year of vine maturation, if not two. In the past they have made their own biochar on-site, however as their use of biochar increased, they have begun to source from a local not-for-profit called Ecoss. They are still exploring how best to apply the biochar, and have learnt that successful techniques will vary between areas and different soil types.

Lastly, Owen shares with us his experience of using sectormentor, and how it has supported Mac Forbes on their regenerative journey:

The team have found that the more data stored on the app, the clearer correlations are over time, therefore increasing the app’s usability. The team have now added their historic data to Sectormentor, allowing them to see the patterns of previous year’s harvest dates relative to the present season. Owen sees how the app will influence future management decisions to benefit the health of the vineyard:

Through their observations and experimentation, Mac Forbes are an inspiring example of creative and progressive viticulture practice. Thank you to Owen and the team at Mac Forbes for talking to us about their journey with regenerative viticulture.

Get in touch with us on info@vidacycle.com if you want to learn more about Sectormentor, and how it might support with your operation – we’re always happy to chat!