Welcome to the blog of Johnathan Grieve.
I am the proprietor of Avondale wine estate, and pioneer of the BioLOGIC® approach to sustainable viticulture. The transformation of Avondale from over-used and abused land into a thriving, robust vineyard ecosystem has been a personal learning journey of more than a decade long. This blog is where I share some of what I have learnt about promoting life on our farm and the wonderful impact this has had on our handcrafted premium quality wines.
Johnathan Grieve
Avondale’s La Luna perfect wine to celebrate lunar eclipse!
Article written by Chris von Ulmenstein
Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog Saturday 18th June 2011
I have had a bottle of La Luna 2006 red blend standing on my desk for some time now, a gift from Avondale. There was no more suitable night to drink it than on Wednesday evening, waiting for a glimpse of the disappearing moon during the lunar eclipse on a stormy Cape night, and in the company of knowledgeable wine lover Dusan Jelic, Social Media Manager of wine.co.za.
Going quackers at Avondale
Article written by Cathy Marston
© Cape Times Friday 17th June 2011
They say that ‘an enthusiast is appealing and a fanatic is irresistible’ and when it comes to his soils and his land, Johnathan is definitely fanatical.
Wine Tasting with the House&Leisure Ladies
It’s not often that we get the chance to share our love of Avondale Estate and the magnificent collection of wines we produce here in an intimate setting with the cream of our local lifestyle media. Most journalists, editors and contributors are so busy with deadlines that it’s a near-impossibility to get an entire editorial team together for a one-on-one session with us. So it was with great excitement that we arrived at the Associated Magazines offices in Gardens this past Friday for our wine tasting session with the House & Leisure team.
Legumes in the Avondale Cover Crop Mix
Legumes are a diverse range of plants belonging to the family Fabaceae. Commonly known legumes include alfalfa, clover, lupin, vetch, peas, beans, soy and peanuts. Africa’s classic Acacia thorn trees are also part of this family. As a food source, legumes are prized for their unusually high protein content. However, they are also a particular ally for farmers who do not want to artificially add nitrogen fertiliser to their soils as legumes have a fantastic ability to work in conjunction with rhizobia bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.
What will you be doing for World Environment Day?
The United Nation’s Environment Programme’s World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated across the globe on the 5th of June 2011. Over nearly 40 years, WED has become a key worldwide event to stimulate environmental awareness, to focus political attention and encourage community and individual action. It is a great opportunity to come together for a neighbourhood or beach clean-up, to start a local recycling drive or organize a collective tree-planting effort. WED is a reminder to each of us that there is a lot we can each do to live a safer, cleaner, greener life that will help to ensure a sustainable planet for our future generations.
Launch of Terra Est Vita Video
Join us in the vineyards of Avondale for a closer look at our BioLOGIC® system in action! This is the first of a series of mini documentaries we are producing to give you a greater insight into the different way that we farm and make extraordinary wines approved by Mother Nature.
Camera! Lights! Avondale’s Biodiversity in Action!
At Avondale, we strive for biodiversity throughout the farm, not just along the uncultivated fringes but also in the vineyards. There is no better measure of the robustness of any ecosystem than its biodiversity. Multitudes of life forms reduce vulnerability, protect the ecosystem from shocks and enable it to restore and regenerate more quickly. Avondale was one of the first South African wine producers to be awarded the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity in Wine certification. We are blessed with a wonderful array of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles on the farm.