Environmental Management of Denbies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmental Management of Denbies - Essay Example The Black Death of 1348 also served as a setback as many wine estate workers were killed. In the revival of Cardiff castle in 1875, vineyards were re-established and production continued until 1920. Today, some 410 vineyards exists in Britain growing the German Muller Thurgau variety so that by 1995, a total of 7.7 hectolitres were sold equivalent to 4836 million of which English wine accounts to one percent. Denbies, with a vineyard of 265 acres produces about 400,000 bottles of English wine per year making it the largest vineyard in England (Denbies, 2007). Situated at South East England, Denbies is a part of the North Downs with a total land area of 635 acres collectively called as the Denbies estate. Following strict planning permission, the estate's historical landscape has been preserved including use of old name of plantations such as The Dell and maintenance of paths and tracks around and through the estate consisting of seven miles of vineyard trials accessible to the public (Denbies, 2007). This report shall deal with Denbies' environment management program as well as its current wine tourism industry. Culture, tourism and agriculture sectors are all involved in the wine tourism industry but it was emphasised that three sustainability pillars: environment, economy and society must be embodied (Poitras and Geiz, 2006). Likewise, in a broader concept, the four political, economic, sociocultural and ecological pillars are proposed in the context of competitive destinations (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003). Wine tourism has been defined as visits to vineyards, wineries, attending wine festivals, and wine shows for which grape wine tasting as well as experiencing wine production and other attributes of a grape wine region are the prime motivating factors for visitors (Hall and Macionis, 1998). In evaluating the environmental management of Denbies, all of the above shall be incorporated, but most specifically, the environment considerations as well as impact of Denbies' activities with regards to its environment and its surrounding area shall be pointed out in consideration of conserving the natural resource base in wine regions requiring collaboration and sound planning not only by management but by many partners that include the community (Williams and Dossa, 2003). Strengths: Denbies as an environmentally conscious organisation maintain programmes both for the vineyard and the visitor centre. Environmental strengths of Denbies amongst others include: Chemical use is taken into account (selective chemical use). Use of chemical spray is every 28 days cycle- enough to protect the wine against frost damage. No pollution problems around the area. Cork is 100% natural. Recycle its glass and uses virgin glass. Use of preservatives in wine is very minimal. The only waste is from yeast. Chemical store is far away from the vineyard to ensure safety. Does not need to irrigate. Has natural drainage. Offers training for its staff. Very good in health and safety. Does its own plant maintenance. Natural fertilization from pips and skins spread on the vineyard after pressing. Changing to natural gas from diesel. Cardboard recycling for its packaging. Composting grape skin. Using old oaks from barrels. Reuse spray from