Lazanou Organic Wine Farm

It’s stiflingly hot out in the valley, but that’s where the grapes seem to like it. In Joseph Lazarus and Candice Stephanou’s organic vineyards, Lazanou, there’s a compact pocket of sustainability. Lazarus himself is modest and confident, like the wines he produces, and quietly passionate about the lifestyle he has chosen.

The grapes grow in neat rows of different cultivars, splaying up the hill from the main farmhouse, which is tucked away behind hibiscus, bougainvilleas, plumbago and other plants next to a hundred meters of dam. The dam supplies all the water for the vineyards, while a borehole supplies the domestic water for the inhabitants. In fact, apart from electricity (and coffee, Lazarus laughs) the farm is almost entirely self-sufficient.

There’s one cow and two calves, Gertrude, Margarine and Charlie Black. Lambert and Rosemary the sheep, and geese, chickens and ducks. The cows provide milk and butter, and meat, although not at the same time- as Lazarus points out. For the family there are olives, cheese, eggs and honey, and also herbs and vegetables from an ambitious vegetable garden. He plans to start an earthworm farming project soon.

The label “organic” is taken very seriously. It’s not enough to just avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In order for the vineyard to be able to export wines under the label organic to the European Union, the farm must undergo an audit of the practices used bi-annually, and in this way retains certification. Lazanou wines are sold to several EU countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark; Germany being the world’s biggest consumer of organic products.

It’s a small operation, producing around 35 thousand bottles per year, but apparently doing well in this niche market. They no longer have to market overtly: the demand coming from exporters and the restaurant trade keeps the wines selling. The farm has been featured in Wine Magazine as winner for the Nedbank Green Wine Awards, and the wines have also won other awards in competition with non-organic wines.

Lazarus is amused with the way that his operation has achieved success. It takes some getting used to for a farmer to allow weeds to grow in between the vines, but this is partly what helps to control pests and produce nutrients. He insists that organic farming is the best way to keep the soils going, as nothing is taken from the soils that is not replaced.

Some of the bigger vineyards have started going the organic route, too. Mostly they are experimenting with one or two cultivars, but it is anticipated that this will become an industry norm, as sustainability becomes the watchword in farming practices.

You won’t find Lazanou wrestling with the bigger operations for space on the Wine Route, but this small, charming family-run operation is a real model for biodiversity-farming, and is having a huge impact on the neighbouring farms just by keeping the operation entirely organic, and managing to survive the challenges, whether they are the weather or the market.

~ Scott