Grapes grow naturally on my properties in New England. They are in mulchy soils and climb neighbouring trees for light. I saw that the only soils like that in Margaret River were found in the denser, older growth (actually, second growth), forests and I wondered if I could recreate that. I also was experiencing the extremes of the Australian environment, particularly the heat and wind and dryness. My soil is particularly bony, and I thought that if I cultivated it and opened it to the sun, I would dry it out further, as well as cook whatever was living there. So, I decided not to cultivate but rather to mulch, in order to build up soil tilth and microbial life. Will Berliner, Cloudburst Despite the intent to farm with nature, invasive species are a particular challenge in Margaret River. Kikuyu grass from South Africa is about the first stumbling block. Local dairy farmers like this grass because it is a great insurance against drought, but its rapid spread can hamper vine growth and root development. Most vignerons prepare their vineyards with sprays, but Berliner chooses to rid himself of these grasses by depriving the ground of light (using plastic sheeting) and hand weeding. This type of work, while fine for a postage stamp-sized plot, is very difficult to achieve with large-scale vineyards. It takes years to prepare the ground , and requires deep pockets and long hours. The Cloudburst vineyard is also worked by guinea fowl and geese , which are employed to the natural world gradually shifted from the logical to the philosophical and the spiritual. With conviction and confidence, Berliner developed: a personal imperative to preserve the natural, the earth’s wild spaces, and the wild spaces within each of us . Although this sounds quite esoteric, Berliner owns a large tract of undeveloped forest in New Hampshire and a farm in Maine , in the US , his own personal effort to give nature breathing space.
Cloudburst
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