NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. — Southbrook Organic Vineyards has become Re-generative Organic Certified (ROC). It is the first winery in Canada to achieve this designation.
Southbrook has transformed its vineyards into an ecosystem that improves soil health and resilience, promotes biodiversity, sequesters carbon, and produces wines that are exceptional as they are ethical. Achieving ROC certifications requires meeting rigorous global standards across three key pillars: soil health and land management, animal welfare, and social fairness.
“I feel that to declare that you are re-generative should mean something – that you’re making things better, not just reducing the harm that you’re doing,” says founder Bill Redelmeier. “Conventional farming and winemaking take a toll on the planet. This trusted certification instantly signals our commitment to re-generative practices that benefit the land, people, and animals — all elements essential to crafting Southbrook’s world-class, award-winning, 100 per – cent organic, and truly natural wines.
Key highlights of Southbrook’s practices:
- Re-generative Organic Certified (ROC): Focuses on measurable improvements in soil health, biodiversity, social fairness and ecosystem resilience.
- Biodynamic Farming: Treats the vineyard as a self-sustaining organism by utilizing natural preparations, aligning activities with lunar cycles and integrating livestock such as sheep, cows and goats for natural fertilization.
- LEED Gold-Certified Hospitality Pavilion: A showcase of sustainable design featuring energy-efficient construction and water conservation technologies.
- Comprehensive Green Map Initiatives: Includes a 432-panel solar power system generating 80 per cent of the vineyard’s electrical consumption, drip irrigation for water management, 10 acres of forest providing wildlife habitat, pollinator gardens supporting bees and butterflies and carbon-footprint reduction strategies.
- Cover Cropping: Enhances soil structure and resilience while reducing erosion and building organic matter.
