Icellars Estate Winery

50 acres615 Concession 5 Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S1J0Adnan Icel

It is a part of our organic farming and net energy zero building practices

Products

  • Organic Wine

Regenerative Practices

  • Minimize soil disturbance
    • No-till (direct seeding, zero-tillage) 
      The soil is not worked at any point throughout the season. residue from the previous crop is left on the soil surface, and its root system is left intact. the following crop is seeded directly into the soil without tillage.
  • Keep the soil covered and maintain living roots year-round
    • Cover crops 
      Plants grown alongside, preceding, or following cash crops with the purpose of increasing soil fertility, reducing soil erosion, and suppressing weeds.
  • Protect and enhance biodiversity
    • Diverse crop rotations 
      Planting crops with different characteristics in sequence on the same field over time
    • Pollinator buffers 
      Patches or rows of diverse flowering vegetation that provide pollinators with permanent habitats and food sources. they can be planted as intercrops or at the edge of fields.
    • Habitat conservation/creation/restoration 
      The conservation, creation, and restoration of ecosystems to improve habitat value for wildlife. forests, prairies, riparian areas, or wetlands can be restored along farmland.
  • Optimize input use
    • Compost 
      Organic matter that has been recycled through a composting process into a form that can be used as a soil amendment.\r\ncompost is the stable, nutrient-rich product of decomposed organic matter—such as plant residues, manure, or food scraps—that has been biologically processed under controlled aerobic conditions.
    • Compost tea 
      A water-based compost that undergoes a fermentation process (with or without oxygen).
    • Manure 
      Manure (also known as livestock manure) is a type of soil amendment rich in nitrogen that integrates soil organic matter back into the soil and feeds the soil food web.
    • Biostimulants 
      Any substance or microorganism applied to plants or soil to stimulate the plant’s ability to assimilate applied nutrients or provide benefits to plant development. biostimulants include amino acids, chitosan (biopolymers), seaweed extracts, and humic substances.
    • Minimal to no use of synthetic pesticides 
      Any product, device, organism, substance or thing that is manufactured, represented, sold or used as a means for directly or indirectly controlling, preventing, destroying, mitigating, attracting or repelling any pest (health canada, 2024).\r\nin canada, the most used pesticide active ingredient types are glyphosate, 2,4-d, glufosinate ammonium, and mcpa (all herbicides). then, there are also insecticides and fungicides such as chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, or chlorothalonil.
    • Minimal to no use of synthetic fertilizers 
      Fertilizers that are derived from synthetic sources. \r\nas plants extract nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur are the four most important nutrients) from the soil during every growing season, they must be replenished through fertilizers, manure, legume cover crops (through nitrogen fixing), and compost added to fields annually.
  • Preserve and restore natural ecosystems
    • Maintain living roots year-round (agroforestry and perennials)
      • Perennial crops (grasslands) 
        Crops that regrow each year in a specific climate without needing to be reseeded.
      • Windbreaks 
        A single row or multiple rows of trees and shrubs to break the force of winds.
      • Riparian buffers 
        Mixed woody and non-woody species planted along the edges of bodies of water (streams, rivers, lakes, or ponds).
    • Improve water cycles
      • Rainwater harvesting 
        The practice of collecting and storing rainwater from roofs, surfaces, or landscapes for later use in irrigation, livestock watering, or other on-farm needs.
      • Water conservation 
        The optimized use of water for crops and trees, or strict water use during critical periods of crop stages.
      • Wetland restoration 
        Reestablishing the natural hydrology, vegetation, and ecological function of a wetland area that has been drained, degraded, or altered.

    Observations

    • The soil is less compacted and more permeable with a higher water infiltration rate.
    • Organic matter is increasing every year based on soil tests.
    • Plants are more resilient and robust to weather events and disease pressure.

    Certifications

    • Organic (Ecocert)

    How to buy

    • Winery retail, LCBO, online
    Contact
    icellars.cainfo@icellars.ca2894795969
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