While others considered the rolling contours of the Awatere foothills too steep for grape-growing, Peter Yealands (as is fairly typical) saw things differently. With his usual dogged determination and a fair dose of courage, he rolled up his sleeves and took on the challenge of turning the hills and gullies into a terraced vineyard on a scale few could imagine, let alone accomplish. But that's just the start of the Yealands story. Peter's vision was to use environmentally sustainable practices throughout the entire estate to make premium wine using leading edge eco-friendly practices from the vine to the bottle. For Yealands, sustainability means putting more back in than what they take out. Today they are accredited carboNZero(certTM) and with sustainable vineyards and use numerous "green" energy efficiencies including wind turbines, solar panels, rain harvesting and even guinea pigs and mini Babydoll sheep (to keep the grass down and reduce mowing). Yealands Estate spans some 1,000 hectares of prime viticultural land and is the largest single vineyard under private ownership in New Zealand. Introducing over 20 wetlands on the estate surrounded with native plants creates a self sustaining natural habitat that enhances the landscape and supports local birdlife.

http://www.yealands.co.nz

At the helm is Peter Yealands, one of the region's most experienced vineyard developers and a long-time practitioner of environmentally sustainable farming practices. Under his direction the entire Yealands Estate enterprise embraces leading edge green technology within a philosophy of excellence at all levels of viticulture, winemaking and design. Peter's trademark "can do" attitude is the stuff of legend. Happiest with his sleeves rolled up, out working the land, Peter has a track record of making pioneering, innovative plans come to fruition - and his successes speak for themselves.

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