Central Otago winery Terra Sancta achieves a New Zealand first following a decade of pioneering regenerative organic farming, guided by the belief that exceptional wine begins with healthy soils. A decade of experimentation, setbacks, and an unwavering belief that exceptional wine begins with healthy soils and a thriving vineyard ecosystem has culminated in a New Zealand first for Bannockburn winery Terra Sancta.
Terra Sancta has become New Zealand’s first vineyard to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified® status – marking a milestone in its commitment to organic and regenerative agriculture.
Governed by the nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), Regenerative Organic Certified® is a rigorous international agricultural certification that requires both organic certification and a separate Regenerative Audit. The Regenerative audit encompasses three fundamental pillars: soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness, and covers both the vineyard and also winemaking to ensure that the final product is fully regenerative.
Achieving this certification recognises a farming story that began in 2013, when, concerned by extremely low yields in our Riverblock Chardonnay, Terra Sancta began digging soil pits to find out what was going on beneath their feet. Discovering poor soil structure, low biological activity or other soil deficiencies was quite a shock – and it led to a fundamental revision in Terra Sancta’s approach to farming. The decision was then made to make soil health the key focus of their farming system
By 2016, Slapjack and Jackson’s Blocks were being farmed organically and without cultivation – developing an individual approach to building healthy, living soils. Over the following years, this approach evolved to incorporate diverse cover crops, composting and reticulation of wastewater, no-till farming, and flocks of chickens and grazing sheep – including our much-loved and overcoddled flock of Babydolls.
There was no manual to follow, and plenty of lessons along the way, including a disastrous 2020 season when their enthusiasm for cover crops got a little out of hand and nearly overwhelmed the vines, and you’ll still see them wince
Sarah Eliott, co-founder, explained: “There have been moments of enormous satisfaction, but also some very difficult lessons. What makes this recognition so meaningful is that it acknowledges over a decade of genuine experimentation, determination and belief in what we were trying to achieve.”
For Terra Sancta, whose name means sacred earth or special place, we believe healthy, living soils produce exceptional fruit and, ultimately, give us the chance to make distinctive, site-expressive wines.
This is particularly true of the winemaking approach: 100% Natural ferments, native yeast on the skins of the grapes that takes on the influence of the ecosystem and soils in which they grow. This approach, combined with genuine regenerative practices, results in very site-specific flavors and textures in the wine.
Terra Sancta believes that its regenerative farming helps each vineyard express its individual character, structure and flavour. In his review giving Terra Sancta’s Slapjack Block 100 points last year, James Suckling said “ I was awe-inspired visiting [Terra Sancta’s] vines
Mark Weldon, co-founder, explained:”We have learned that great wine starts in the vineyard, and that the health of the soil is fundamental to the quality of the fruit we grow. We felt avoiding cultivation would preserve the soil structure – and that being truly regenerative was the best system for us. We believe that regenerative farming is the foundation of our most exceptional wines.”
Today, Terra Sancta’s vineyards are home to an interconnected ecosystem of vines, cover crops, insects, chickens, sheep and the countless organisms living beneath the soil.
Its Babydoll sheep, first born on the property in 2020, have now reached their fourth generation, becoming both an integral part of the farming system and much-loved members of the Terra Sancta family.
While becoming New Zealand’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® winery is a milestone worth celebrating, the ambition remains unchanged: to keep improving the soil, keep learning, and create great wines that express Terra Sancta’s very special place in Bannockburn.
About Terra Sancta
Located in Bannockburn, Central Otago, Terra Sancta is a premium New Zealand wine producer renowned for its distinctive Single Block Pinot Noirs and commitment to organic and regenerative farming. Home to Bannockburn’s earliest planted vines, including the Slapjack Block established in 1991, Terra Sancta produces wines that celebrate the unique character of its vineyards.
Its Slapjack Block Pinot Noir 2024 received 100 points from James Suckling, while Jackson’s Block and Shingle Beach Pinot Noirs each received 99 points. In 2026, Terra Sancta became New Zealand’s first winery to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified® status for its vineyard farming.
Website: https://www.terrasancta.co.nz
About Regenerative Organic Certified®
Regenerative Organic Certified® is an agricultural certification overseen by the nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). Building on organic certification, the standard encompasses three pillars: soil health, animal welfare and social fairness. The Regenerative Organic Alliance develops and promotes regenerative organic agricultural practices that rebuild soil health, respect animal welfare and create social fairness. Further information: http://www.regenorganic.org