Waste not, want not

Black Estate Omihi Waipara Riesling 2009. Photo / Supplied

Once only considered fit for stock feed or the dump, pips from Marlborough's sauvignon blanc production have been found to contain the highest levels of health-giving polyphenols of any grape seeds studied so far in the world. These are now ending up in high-end cosmetics to functional foods, while other wine by-products are increasingly being utilised as the wine industry and local businesses find effective and novel ways to turn wine's waste into gold.

The super strength of our sauvignon's seeds is being harnessed by Marlborough-based biotech company, New Zealand Extracts. It was set up five years ago by health researcher, Dr Glenn Vile and Mud House Wines director Neil Charles-Jones with a group of investors after they became convinced that there must be better ways to use the growing quantities of grape waste (marc) generated from the local wine industry.

Red grape skins and grape seeds were already known to be a good source of antioxidants, but the fact that those of New Zealand proved so potent has proved a unique selling point. As has the method of extraction developed by NZ Extracts, which uses water rather than the harsh solvents employed by others. Keen to put science behind the suppositions, it's already conducted trials that showed grape seed extract limited muscle damage in athletes by as much as 40 per cent and improved elasticity and repair when applied to the skin.

Its locally sourced extracts have been used by breakfast cereal manufacturers, major British pharmacy chain Boots and cosmetic such as Shiseido in Japan and Antipodes in New Zealand.

Another new venture to make the most of the industry's marc is a major composting scheme that's just been given the go-ahead in Marlborough. From the next vintage, the site will be able to process around 10,000 tonnes of the region's grape waste, which will then be available for wineries to put back on to their vineyards.

"Everyone we're talking to wants to be involved," says Bart Arnst, the viticultural consultant who has been driving the venture. "Currently wineries are paying people to get rid of their marc and this should be more cost-efficient and return it to them as something beneficial."

As well as being composted and used as mulch, vine prunings are also being employed as a source of power by a couple of our carbon neutral wineries. At Grove Mill they've been used to run a prototype tractor, while at Yealands they will soon be baled and burnt in a purpose-built boiler designed to heat the winery's water and glycol.

Managing winery waste more sustainably is becoming an important part of the industry's main environmental management scheme, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ). It's just completed an updated Code of Practice for Winery By-Product Management that is seeking to promote cleaner production and sound environmental practices through setting out procedures that avoid, remedy or mitigate the potential environmental effects of solid and liquid wastes.

Another product left at the end of a wine's life that is also being given a makeover is glass. The country's main glass supplier, O-I, now makes bottles from 60 per cent recycled material, while some wineries are using crushed glass underneath their vines, its reflective properties helping to ripen their grapes.

You can do your part too. The life of both white and red wines can be extended by storing opened bottles in the fridge, while any wine you don't think you'll be able to drink can be reduced into a syrup or frozen for later use in cooking, meaning less of your excess wine is poured down the sink.

TOP PICKS

RAVISHING RIESLING

Black Estate Omihi Waipara Riesling 2009 $22

A stunning second riesling release from a Waipara estate to watch. It juxtaposes pretty notes of lemon blossom and white peach with a powerful undercurrent of mineral salts and a soft sweetness that's beautifully balanced by its zesty grapefruit acidity. (From Caro's.)

OPULENT ITALIAN

Cantina Tollo Aldiano Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2007 $24.50

A full-bodied and opulently fruited montepulciano from Italy's Abruzzo region, which offers a rich mouthful of juicy blackberry and black cherry fruit with rich spicy, savoury and earthy undertones. (From Scenic Cellars.)

RIGHT ON THE MARK

Te Awa Left Field Hawkes Bay Merlot 2007 $23.95-$25.95

Te Awa's current Left Field Merlot is a single vineyard wine made in an earlier-drinking style. It's right on the mark with its sleek and velvety dark berry fruit supported by hints of incense-like oak and dark chocolate. (From Glengarry, Fine Wine Delivery Company, Point Wines, Mairangi Fine Wines.)