Vineyard view at Villa Maria in Marlborough, NZ

Update: As of March 11, 2015, the PE International AG company name changed to thinkstep AG.

New Zealand winegrowers are serious about sustainability practices in their vineyards. There was so much concern about the importance of sustainability that about 2,000 New Zealand vineyards and wineries from both North Island and South Island signed up for Wine Industry Sustainability Engine (WiSE.) WiSE is a scorecard for sustainability.

According to a press release this week, “The New Zealand wine industry is already seen as a driving force in sustainability with over 94% of the vineyard producing area certified under an independently audited sustainability programme, and WiSE is set to bolster this reputation.”

Philip Manson noted, “WiSE will make it easier for members of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand to record, manage and report on their sustainable activities, and continue to improve their practices.”

WiSE is not a paper and pen recording system. Instead, PE International (now thinkstep AG) developed special software in 2014. The software SoFi has been adapted to work with the wine growing industry. SoFi is also used in other industries including manufacturing and construction.

More information about SoFi is available on the thinkstep AG website. If you want to discover more about the New Zealand wine industry visit their website.

We were fortunate to be able to visit and write about some of the wineries in New Zealand in 2010. Photos and articles from the visit are available on Wine Trail Traveler. It would be lovely to return for another visit.

Cheers!
Kathy