Climate & Nature Fund Winners

Iona Wines’ (South Africa) owner Rozy Gunn believes that to make good wine, a vineyard must be teeming with life. This is why they don’t use synthetic fertilisers, snail pellets, insecticides or herbicides at their Brocha Vineyard. Rozy used support from the programme to plant 1,250m of hedgerows around her vineyard, made up of more than 700 trees, plants and shrubs such as cherry trees, kei apple trees, Italian cypress trees, wild plum tree, fuchsia tree, starry wild jasmine, magenta cherry plants, afrocarpus falcatus (conifer), trichillia emetica, pomegranate shrubs, anisodontea and ilex mitis. This will provide a protective screen against chemical spray drift from neighbouring farms and create habitats and food for wildlife and insects.

Update from May 2026: The 700 shrubs and trees (covering 1km) planted by Rozy Gunn’s team are ‘growing like a bomb’. So much so, that Rozy has now planted an additional 700 trees (1,200m of hedgerow) using their own funds.

Château d’Anglès (Southern France) is taking an impressively holistic approach. Their goal is to plant 950 trees in their vineyard, so each vine is no more than 50 metres from a tree. Combined with this, they are adopting a variety of farming practices to regenerate the health of their vineyard soil and promote biodiversity. As the cost of equipment is often a major barrier to get started, the Climate & Nature Programme is supporting the vineyard over three years to buy a direct seeding drill (to negate the need for ploughing and damaging the soil) as well as purchasing cover crops to add health, natural nutrition and biodiversity to the soil.

Update from May 2026: The combination of no-till farming, multi species cover crops, compost application and sap analysis helped boost vine nutrition and soil health in 2025. Rolling cover crops and natural spray alternatives have reduced erosion, heat stress and disease pressure. 

Château de la Grave (Bordeaux), like many in the region, has made the decision to reduce the surface area of their vineyard, focus on quality not quantity and to diversify where they can. One such diversification project is to establish orchards which combine fruiting trees with meadows used for grazing and breeding their sheep and horses. These types of orchards provide essential services such as protection from wind or soil erosion, improving soil quality, offering denser grazing, enriching biodiversity and moving the farm away from monoculture. Château de la Grave have used support from the programme to contribute to the costs of planting 180 truffle oaks, 80 fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, apricot, peach and almond) and 110 olive trees, all planted in 2024 and 2025.

Update from May 2026: The planting of nearly 400 truffle oaks, fruit trees, olive trees and 400 metres of hedgerows was completed across 2024 and 2025. This diversification project is now fully up and running, forming part of a longer term move away from monoculture. 

Château Monconseil-Gazin (Bordeaux) used support from the programme to plant 687m of hedgerows around their vineyards to boost biodiversity and create food and habitats for wildlife. This involved the planting of 687 different plants, trees, shrubs – one every meter. Plantings included blackthorns, hawthorns, maples, dogwood, cherry trees, spindles, wild privet, small-leaved lime trees, service trees, holly oaks, and others. Planting took place over the course of three days in April 2025. Mulch (straw) was then placed around the beds of the plantings to help retain moisture in the soil, reduce evaporation and suppress weed growth, giving the young hedges the best possible start. Their goal is to plant a further 313m of hedgerows in 2026.

Update from May 2026: One year on, the newly planted 700m of hedgerows are establishing well despite summer heatwaves, supported by careful watering. Biodiversity, soil health and carbon sequestration monitoring will follow over the next few years, as the hedges mature and provide more substantial habitats. 

GD Vajra (Barolo, Italy) are tackling two exciting projects. The first project involves identifying and testing the most effective indigenous botanical species of plants as cover crops between their vine rows. Using indigenous species means they are much more likely to be beneficial to the local ecosystem and importantly they can be propagated, so the vineyard doesn’t have to buy new seeds every year, which are incredibly costly. The results of which will be shared widely with other growers, so they can follow suit. The second project involves planting hedgerows throughout the vineyard, trialling different combinations of plants and shrubs, to identify which combinations have the most benefit (on local fauna and flora). 

Update from May 2026: The first 168 metres of hedgerow planted in 2025 are being extended, with a further ~80 metres planned in 2026, including taller native trees. Plans are also progressing to harvest and replant indigenous cover‑crop seeds for wider testing and sharing. 

Lyrarakis (Crete) transitioned to organic viticulture in 2020, they have stopped ploughing between vine rows (to stop soil damage and erosion) and only use their own fertiliser made of organic waste from their kitchen, the winemaking process, and the nearby oil mills. To enable the cultivation of cover crops under and between the vines, Lyrarakis used support from the programme to purchase a mower accessory for their tractor that controls weed growth, rather than using herbicides, so their cover crops can flourish. Cover crops are essential for adding nutrients into the soil, reducing soil erosion, retaining moisture in the soil, providing food and habitats for beneficial insects and pollinators and reducing the temperature of the vines in summer.

Update from May 2026: The new under‑vine mower is already playing a key role in managing vegetation without tillage, helping maintain full soil cover, reduce compaction and improve moisture retention. While hard data is still to come, early observations suggest improving vineyard balance and resilience. 

Johan Reyneke’s applications (South Africa) were so persuasive we agreed to fund two projects. Support was given to purchase and lay mulch on 3.25ha of old chenin blanc vines dating to 1976, helping to protect and preserve these old vines. This took place in 2025 and involved spreading a layer of organic material (prunings, straw and other cuttings) on the soil under and between vines to protect the surface from erosion, reduce weeds and provide nutrients for the soil. The second project is using the contribution from the Climate & Nature Programme to support the rewilding of 1400m2 of Reyneke’s farm and plant 1,600 endemic, locally grown plants. Planting has already begun and when finished will create a corridor of biodiversity that connects different rewilded parts of the farm, so no areas are isolated. This encourages wildlife to move between areas, giving them a larger habitat to choose from. 

Update from May 2026: Mulching old-vine chenin has improved soil structure, moisture retention and yields overall, despite a very dry second year. The 1,600‑plant rewilded corridor was established in 2025, and after a slow start, looks set to create a much-improved wildlife passage following good early autumn rains. 

Scacciadiavoli (Italy) is using support from the programme to bring back an ancient method of vine cultivation that has now largely fallen into disuse: ‘married grapevines’. The vite maritata (vine married to a tree) is an ancient system of cultivation conceived by the Etruscans and was common in the Italian rural landscape until the 1960s. The technique uses trees as support for the grapevine to climb, instead of poles. The project will test the financial and environmental benefits of planting 34 trees together with 35 trebbiano spoletino vines. The project is well under way. Over the winter of 2025, Scacciadiavoli planted 35 vines together with 18 maple trees, eight pear trees and eight apple trees. To enrich the site with biodiversity, and to promote pollination and beneficial insects, Scacciadiavoli also planted a 50m2 flowerbed made up of a variety of ~185 diverse, flowering plants – as well as 100 additional plants and trees to form a protective hedge around the perimeter of the vineyard. This will provide a refuge for birds and greatly increase the diversity of flowers and fruits in all seasons. Now this is in place, ongoing measurements of soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity changes and cost-benefit analysis will help us understand the benefits and pitfalls of this approach, for wider learning.

Update from May 2026: The young ‘married vines’ and fruit trees are settling in well, with pruning completed and flowers and grasses now establishing. Wine production is still a couple of years away, but the living system around the vines is already taking shape. 

Scheid Family Wines in California put its support towards obtaining a Bee Friendly Farming (BFF) Certification, provided by Pollinator Partnership. The project involves providing and maintaining habitat and food for these precious pollinators. Among other things, this included the planting of 1,100m of hedgerows made up of a mix of plants that ensures there is flowering all year round; planting of one acre of native crops to provide food for the bees (such as native rangeland, flowering annuals (wild mustard and fiddleneck)); the planting of perennial flowers (California poppy, yellow star thistle, salt heliotrope); plus a further 1.7 acres of cover-crop flowers planted in the vine rows.

Update from May 2026: Waiting on update 

Vignerons mais Autrement (Bordeaux) is a co-operative with a strong commitment to encouraging environmentally friendly and economically viable grape growing among its members. They are keen to test and apply increasingly more regenerative agricultural practices throughout their vineyards.  One such project is to test the viability and benefits of hydroseeding – to share more widely with other growers. Hydroseeding is an alternative to the use of mechanical or chemical weeding in hard-to-reach areas such as under vines. It is a way of applying a natural mixture of water, cellulose fibre and seeds that will grow beneficial crops under the vines and stop other unwanted weeds from growing. The Climate & Nature Programme has supported two rounds of hydroseeding over winter and spring 2025.

Update from May 2026: The hydroseeding trials under the vines faced significant challenges, particularly on heavy clay‑limestone soils where the clover struggled to establish. While results were mixed, the learning has been valuable and has helped clarify where – and where not – this technique is suitable. 

Whistler (Australia) is also keen to find an alternative way to control weeds under the vines, one that doesn’t require chemical treatments or tilling – and instead contributes to moisture retention, carbon sequestration and soil health. The Climate & Nature Programme provided Whistler with support to run a series of trials over three years to determine the best combination of cover crop and mulching techniques that might achieve these aims. The results of these trials will be shared widely with other growers. This project started in Southern Hemisphere Autumn of 2025.

Update from May 2026: The first season of ground‑cover trials showed straw mulch retaining the most soil moisture, while cover crops reduce excessive vine growth and cool soil temperatures significantly. Early regrowth after autumn rain is encouraging, with further improvements expected this season. 

Message from the team at Whistler 

We’ve just completed the first growing season of our ground cover trial here at Whistler, where we are investigating how best to improve our water use efficiency and soil health. Using our soil moisture probes, we’ve found that applying straw mulch under vine (M) retains the most soil water, while planting mid-row cover crops (CC) increases competition and lowers soil water. CC vines also showed less overall growth compared to the Control rows, which tended to produce excessive vegetative growth. Surprisingly, nitrogen levels in M and CC rows dropped compared to Control, but soil surface temperatures in those rows were up to 10℃ and 15℃ cooler than Control. This reduces evaporation and allows nutrient-cycling microbes to flourish, so we hope to see some of those nutritional deficiencies improve this coming season. Following some autumn rains, we’re already seeing advanced mid-row regrowth in the CC rows, a great sign that the soil is already improving here compared to our Control. With so many different facets to consider, we’re very excited to see what happens this coming season and will keep you all updated. 

Thanks to everyone for being involved!