A Vision to Light the Way

The Carypidis Story Begins

Bringing with them a fountain of knowledge of traditional grape growing and horticulture, the Carypidis family migrated from Europe in the 1970's. Like many European migrants they elected to start their new life on the rich fertile soil of the Adelaide Plains, surrounded by an abundance of sunshine and coastal sea breezes, with its Mediterranean like climate and local water supply, it was an area perfect for grape growing.

Initial plantings in the mid 1970's reflected the relatively immature palate of Australian population at the time, producing Riesling and Shiraz grapes. Over the next 30 years, in keeping with a maturing consumer palate, increased consumer awareness of the elegant complexity of different varietals and a demand for high quality wine, a second vineyard was established. With one vineyard established on a Gawler River loam and the other on red sandy clay with a limestone base the Carypidis family has been able to produce the same varietals with quite different characteristics.

The two vineyards now produce an amazing cross section of wines including Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Light's View Wines - A Grand Plan

From the early days Ken Carypidis, the current owner and vigneron, was keen to craft an exceptional range of Australian wines that offered regional sophistication and strong varietal characters.  With a passion for viticulture and a commitment to offering exceptional and affordable wines, the choices of fruits have been carefully selected to ensure only the finest grapes are used.

Perhaps inspired by "Light's Vision"; a sophisticated plan for the layout and development of the city of Adelaide by Surveyor General Colonel William Light in 1837, the family embarked upon a mission to produce wine under their own label in 2001 calling it Light's View Wines.

Similar to the Surveyor General's proposal the Light's View Wines business plan was elaborate, it broke new ground and had far reaching benefits for local Adelaide residents and Australians in general.

A great deal of emphasis was placed on ensuring that vines were maintained with sufficient water, sunlight and nutrients, and harvested at their optimum ripeness to obtain full flavours and tannins out of the grapes to deliver exceptional wines.

Expert advice was sought. In 2002 Jim Irvine of Eden Valley fame and one of Australia's leading winemakers, was introduced as a wine consultant. In addition to winemaking, Jim has been involved in the marketing of wine at senior levels, believing that an understanding of consumer needs creates a wider appreciation of the responsibility the winemaker must have towards the consumer.  It is perhaps Jim's marketing experience coupled with Ken's resolve to produce fine quality wines at a reasonable price that has produced such affordable winemaking excellence.

Demand for Organic Wine?

With the success of the new Light's View varieties on the local market, Ken and his family soon turned their attention to the overseas market. Heeding Jim's advice the family undertook some early market research to gain an appreciation of the likely success of their wines with overseas consumers.

Through networking events the family was able to establish some good contacts which created the groundwork for early export markets in the US, Canada and China and Lights View Wines have now been successfully exporting to these countries for several years.

A growing consumer preference for organic wine was also identified and this created a fertile ground for the early discussions about establishing a new organic range of wines for export to test the market.

Pure Vision Organic Wines began in 2006 as a sister company to Light's View and it was the success of these organic wines that erased any early doubts about converting some of Light's View to organic production.  But there were still many questions to answer before even considering the mammoth task of converting Light's View Wines to a Certified Organic facility with the capacity to export.

The organic industry remains one of the world's fastest growing food and beverage sectors and global demand for fresher healthier and more nutritious food such as organics is the number one driver in the worldwide food industry today. Australia, whilst still relatively new to organics, has approximately 12 million hectares of organically managed land.

The Benefits of Organic Methods

So what are organic foods? Organic foods are those that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMO's), and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.

Many consumers prefer organic food and wine as it delivers a number of health benefits, such as lower chemical load in the body, reduced allergy symptoms and simply a better taste. In addition, a number of studies show that organic fruit and vegetables also contain higher level of vitamins, nutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants.

In the specific case of wine, the taste is often smoother, the tannins softer and the typical headache from sulphur dioxide common to older red wine drinkers is all but eliminated.

Fresh organic foods are often sourced locally as the lack of preservatives can prohibit transport and long cold storage times. This not only ensures that the food is fresh but in financial terms an organic choice supports local growers.

On the farm organic production methods create a healthier chemical environment for farm workers, more robust soil ecosystems and cleaner waterways with reduced water requirements overall. Greater emphasis is placed on animal welfare and animals on organic farms are reared with a diet of certified organic feeds and on natural pastures.

The Certification Process

Organic Certification is extremely important as it protects consumers from fraud. In the case of winemaking, certification is the consumer's greatest assurance that the grapes used in the wine were produced in accordance with legally established organic standards, and that the grower has been required to document and demonstrate the organic claim.

When applying for Australian Organic Certification farmers and producers must continually ensure that all products they use in their production systems comply with the highly rigorous Australian Organic Standard.

Australian Certified Organic Pty Ltd (ACO), a subsidiary of Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA), is Australia's largest certifier and regulator of organic foods, responsible for auditing and monitoring compliance of over half of the Australian organic industry. The certification process covers a strict 3 year program, with successful conformance resulting in receipt of the Certified Organic Certificate and the capacity to trade fully in the organic marketplace both domestically and overseas.

A registration program for Allowed Inputs (ie. soil improvement/amendment, pest & weed control material) and Approved Products (ie. cleaning material, water, salt, mineral based cosmetic product & processing aids or additives) is offered by the BFA to ensure farmers comply with this Standard.

The Certification Process Stages:

Back on the Farm

In real terms, to certify a farm and/or production process the farmer is typically required to engage in many new, unfamiliar and expensive activities, in addition to normal farming operations. They must:

1.  Read and comprehend the appropriate Organic Standard which covers in specific detail what is and is not allowed for every aspect of their farming, including storage, transport and sale;
2.  Ensure that farm facilities and production methods comply with the Standard which often involves modifying facilities, sourcing and changing suppliers, purchasing new more expensive organically certified raw materials;
3.  Document, document, document detailed farm history, current set-up, soil results, water results etc;
4.  Submit a written annual production plan , detailing everything from seed to sale, including seed sources, crop rotations, fertilisation and pest control activities, harvest methods, storage locations etc;
5.  Facilitate annual farm inspections by the ACO in addition to examination of records, and oral interviews;
6.  Pay the annual inspection/certification fees and
7.  Record daily day-to-day farming records, marketing records, covering all activities which must be current and made available for inspection at any time.

Short notice or surprise inspections may also be conducted and specific requests for soil, water and plant tissue testing may be required to ensure compliance.

The Vision Takes Root

Having recognised a growing demand for organically grown produce, tests to explore this new niche market began. In 2006, grapes were sourced from a certified grower and the first organic wines were produced under the brand Pure Vision.

Theresa describes the early beginnings of Pure Vision:

"Pure Vision is a sister company to Light’s View which we established to test premium organic wines in the local and international marketplace. We wanted these wines to capture the essence of the Adelaide Plains fruit in a simple, yet classy, bottle. We had identified a niche market, which at the time was quite small, however a large order from the US put us on the map which was fantastic for the business."

Success of the 2005 Shiraz and 2005 Merlot vintages gave the family confidence to repeat the process. In 2009, the 2007 vintages were released and in addition to the Shiraz and Merlot a Cabernet Sauvignon was added to the portfolio.  With the US experience fresh in their minds Canada was approached as a potential export opportunity for these newly released wines.

Canada is a particularly difficult market to enter due to strict regulation of the local wine industry and overseas imports. Wines are classed as 100% Organic, Organic or Made with Organic Grapes depending on the percentage of organic grapes used and the absence or addition of the preservative sulphur dioxide.

Light's View Organic - Virginian Blood Sweat & Tears

Teresa goes on to describe the emotional toll of the certification process:

"In 2008 the certification process began. It's a strict 3 year process with controls to ensure that the soil is fed constantly with natural biodynamic inputs rather than synthetic fertilizer.  The input into the soil is a lot of work and expensive now, but over time it will become a lot more cost effective and a lot easier."

Back in the barrel shed Ken proudly shows me his biodynamic mix. As he lifts the lid of the fermenter a sweet strong aroma of his ‘secret formula for success' greets my nostrils. He describes some of the new weed management alternatives . . .

"Cover crops such as barley are used on the vineyard as mulch to suppress weeds during the winter. A great deal of emphasis is placed on ensuring the vines are maintained with enough water, sunlight and nutrients, and picked at their optimum ripeness to obtain maximum potential out of the grape - thus producing exceptional organic wine."

A Multifaceted Marketing Approach

In the case of Light's View Wines, all stages of the wine production were certified ie. the grape picking, the crushing plant, processing plant and the bottling plant. Ensuring all parts of the process are certified also allows Light's View to trade as a Certified Organic Wholesaler, meaning they can be contracted to produce and sell wines generated from organic grapes for other growers.

Light's View decided early to adopt a multi tiered approach to marketing and selling their wines during all stages of the conversion process.

Light's View - Pre-certified (nonorganic) wine produced from early Light's View grapes was marketed under the Light's View label for the domestic and international market.

Pure Vision - Certified Organic (fully organic) wines produced from purchased certified organic grapes and marketed under the Pure Vision label as a testing phase, which due to its success will be maintained as a separate premium brand for both the domestic and international markets.

Nature's Step - In Conversion wines (wines made after 1 year of organic conversion) were produced from Light's View grapes and marketed under the Nature's Step label for the domestic market only. These wines were created using a different winemaking technique called ‘wild fermentation 'producing different varietal flavours and aromas.

Light's View Organics - Certified Organic (fully organic) wines are expected to be released in 2011 will be produced from Light's View grapes which have completed the organic conversion process and will be marketed under the Light's View Organics label for the domestic and international market.

The Wines

Grog on Wheels is proud to bring you of the current range of Light's View (pre-certified), Nature's Step (In Conversion) and Pure Vision (Certified Organic) wines:

Light's View Rosé
Light's View Shiraz
Light's View Merlot
Light's View Pinot Grigio
Light's View Chardonnay
Light's View Sauvignon Blanc

Pure Vision Organic Merlot
Pure Vision Organic Shiraz
Pure Vision Organic Sauvignon Blanc
Pure Vision Organic Cabernet Sauvignon


 

Nature's Step Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc
Nature's Step Wild Ferment Rosé
Nature's Step Wild Ferment Chardonnay

For those who haven't tried these excellent wines yet, some of the Pure Vision premium range is still available, with existing stocks adequate to meet local and overseas demand. The other great news is that the Pure Vision range will continue to be marketed in the $14-$20 / bottle bracket making it extremely good value for money for a high end organic wine!

Australian Certified Organic & Future Success!

Light's Vision Wines began as a boutique wine company and has united in their effort to collectively turn a vision into an exciting new icon for the South Australian wine industry.

After an enormous amount of hard work, expense and sheer determination Light's View Wines were granted their organic certification status in December 2010.

So, the great news is that from 2011 all Light's View vintages will be Certified Organic and we await the arrival of these exciting new wines with much anticipation, due for release from mid 2011.

Grog on Wheels would like to thank Ken and Teresa for their time, beautiful wine (and great coffee) and for allowing us to bring their own organic experience to our readers this month.

In particular we would like to acknowledge the generous donation of wine by Ken and Teresa Carypidis from the Light's View, Nature's Step and Pure Vision Wines ranges for our 1 June 2011 prize draw.

One lucky Grog on Wheels' member or new subscriber will get to enjoy all of these great wines just for becoming a new member or placing any order on our website!

But why wait? There are so many ways to enjoy these fantastic and affordable wines straight away.  The full ranges of wines are available for immediate purchase and delivery online now.

Alternatively, come and taste the difference for yourself - Pure Vision, Nature's Rest & Light's View Wine tastings and sales will be available at the next two Semaphore Road Markets.  Why not visit Sue or Sarah from Grog on Wheels at The Masonic Hall, 66 Semaphore Road, Semaphore on Saturday 14th May 2011 or Saturday 28th May from 10.00 - 4.00 pm and tell us what you think personally.