Video: Eben Sadie on viticulture
Ring and I visit Eben Sadie at his farm in the Swartland, in South Africa. In the past Eben has been buying grapes from top vineyards, but for the last few years he has been a vineyard owner, and has some very interesting things to say about viticulture.
He explains what he has learned, and his own radical version of viticulture. He’s planted bush vines at low density in a square grid, not in rows. He talks about his use of cover crops, and tells me why high density plantations and trellises don’t work so well in this hot, dry climate. He also takes us through his spray program, which involves some interesting natural products.
