Our Philosophy

We are spurred on by a desire to eat and drink quality produce that’s nourishing and full of flavour.

Underlying all of this is an even stronger desire to ensure that this piece of land is able to sustain life indefinitely and provide wholesome food and beverages for ourselves and more importantly, the future dwellers.

Biodynamics

Underpinning our agriculture endeavours is an adherence to the biodynamic method, as set in motion by the sage and scientist Rudolf Steiner. The foundation of biodynamics is an understanding and acknowledgment that all of life is, in fact, a result of the intertwining of earthly and cosmic forces.

“As above, so below”, as Steiner put it. Nothing exists in isolation, and when dealing with life on earth, the influence of the cosmos cannot be ignored.

Rudolf Steiner proposed several plant-based preparations, which, when applied at the right time, have a balancing effect between these earthly and cosmic forces. The result is healthier soils, plants, animals and people!

We apply these biodynamic preparations at least monthly. Where possible, we time sprays, fertilising, sowing of seeds and other cultivation methods to the rhythms of the moon and planets in front of the starry background.

Regenerative Agriculture

Alongside employing biodynamics, we have also set off down the path of regenerating our soils through the use of practices that are underpinned by the latest in soil and plant science.

Practically, it looks like this:

NO herbicides, pesticides or fungicides

Not only are they detrimental to human health but they also burn through precious soil organic matter, kill soil biology and make defunct the plant's natural immune system and defence mechanisms.

apply compost-tea brews

We also regularly apply compost-tea brews to the foliage and the soil, ensuring a variety of microbes are present - these are the workforce that follow the architect's plans.

Letting grass & weeds grow wild & free

We choose to let our grass and weeds grow wild and free (within reason). Plants are the architects of the soil, we let them do their job through minimal slashing and under vine brush cutting. Long-term, we plan on re-designing our vineyard trellising system to enable year-round grazing of livestock.

Plant & soil analysis

We regularly undertake plant and soil analysis. Applying any deficient nutrients improves plant health, allowing the plants to stimulate soil microbes and improve soil fertility.

Winemaking

Our winemaking philosophy is to do sweet-fuck-all, and hope that the resulting wines are full of energy, freshness and flavour.

Wine is best enjoyed with good friends & good food, and as we enjoy an eclectic array of good friends and foods, having a universally “food-friendly” wine is imperative.

All wines are fermented using wild yeasts, no acid additions are made and no fining or filtration occurs.

These wines are a pure expression of our unique site and farming methods.

We believe that a combination of the above practices results in delicious produce that works with natural processes, not against them.

Learn more on our Blog

We are always open and transparent with all of our vineyard practices.
To learn more about our Philosophy & chosen practices, check out our Blog.

Trippin Round the Sun – 2023

2023 TRIPPIN’ ROUND THE SUN The act of naively undertaking an earthly task – equating in time to the rotational

May 17, 2023

A VIGNERON, A VINE AND THREE PLANETS WALK INTO A BAR…

A VIGNERON, A VINE AND THREE PLANETS WALK INTO A BAR… The Vigneron says to the Vine, “show me

December 7, 2022

MAKE HEAPS OF SOIL, grow a little wine (a treatise on natural winegrowing)

If you are growing wine, there is one thing you prioritise above all else – that’s growing wine. The economics

November 16, 2022

ikigai

[ee-key-guy]
A Japenese concept that means ‘reason for being‘

IKIGAI FARM

Sitting at 600m of elevation in the Central Ranges of New South Wales, and in the vast area known traditionally as Wiradjuri Country, this corner of the earth is dominated by native bush.
Alongside a sizeable stand of Eucalyptus, Cypress Pine and Acacia is a 4.5ha Vineyard and (a newly established) 2.0ha Fruit Orchard. All of which are tied together by a seasonal creek that runs through the landscape. We call this piece of land Ikigai Farm…

It is here, on the Third Stone’s oldest Continent that we spend untold hours eating, sleeping, shitting, breathing, farming and fermenting.

Along with vines, trees, a chorus of birds and an array of well-mannered fauna, we currently have a small market garden, some goats, chickens, ducks, a handful of dogs and a cat. They all enjoy the beauty of this place. Or so they tell us.

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE 🌱 🪱 ☀️ 🦠 🌏

Since taking on the management of our vineyard three years ago we have had a strong focus on regenerating the health and vitality of our soils. Our ideal is that natural wine production can be a by-product of soil regeneration.
Soil carbon, organic matter and microbial activity and key indicators of soil health. We did a baseline analysis of soil health when we initially took over the vineyard. Splitting the vineyard into two portions (north and south) we sent samples away to a lab for analysis. Our soil organic matter was initially 1.1% and 1.3% respectively. Our latest analysis (July 2024) came in at 3.0% and 3.8% respectively.
It appears we are regenerating our soils. And we’ve managed to produce natural wine in the process ✅
This is all very exciting and exceeded our expectations…

Our soil management approach has been minimal disturbance, no chemical usage, lots of compost teas, biodynamic preparations, organic nutrients, love and gratitude. All seem to be effective thus far.

WHY BOTHER?:
Australia loses 6.97 tonnes of soil per hectare per year.
We will likely run out of top soil within this century.
1% increase in organic carbon will hold an extra 100,000L of water in the soil per hectare.
Organic carbon is the perfect storage medium for beneficial microbes and nutrients. It is also the glue that holds the soil together… preventing erosion.
Increasing soil carbon by 2% on only 10% of agricultural land will drawdown the 6.1 gigs tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and make the world carbon neutral.

There’s a revolution happening in agriculture and it provides solutions to many of the world’s problems. Most important of all: reconnecting humans to natural systems.

NATURAL INFORMATION @_drnks_ this Thursday (July 1

We have officially begun our pruning season! It’

Winery work with our little cellar hand. #slowwi

Liquor license number: LIQW880010288

‘It is against the law to sell or supply alcohol to, or to obtain alcohol on behalf of, a person under the age of 18 years.’

Terms & Conditions

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land – the Wiradjuri people – who have cared for and shaped this region since the beginning of time. We hope to pay our respects to their enduring custodianship through careful and considered land management.

Design & Development by AKIRE.Studio