Jansz vigneron Jen Doyle is a finalist for Viticulturalist of the Year in the Australian Women in Wine awards.
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Ms Doyle works between Jansz’s three vineyards in Pipers River, Coal River Valley and Forcett and is one of three finalists for top viticulturalist.
The awards are run by The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society to shine a light on women in the wine industry.
Ms Doyle welcomed the industry acknowledgement, saying there were not many women in agriculture.
“I think it’s recognition of our competence and even highlights different ways around managing a vineyard to get similar, or different, results,” she said.
Her “soft approach” to managing wine grapes and the environment has won Ms Doyle accolades, but she said it was natural for her.
“I live my life from that perspective so it makes sense I work that way too,” Ms Doyle said.
“I have a multi-faceted approach and don’t want to use too many chemicals that I wouldn’t use myself,” she said.
Under Ms Doyle’s management, Jansz controls its chemical load for herbicides and pesticides.
“We encourage under vine cover crops as opposed to always using herbicides, and are always looking at ways to reduce chemicals,” Ms Doyle said.
“We also use the environment around our vineyards for pest management. For instance, there are native predators for light brown apple moth in the bush that control those pests for us,” she said.
The other viticulturalist finalists are Brooke Howell from Yalumba and Melissa Brown from Gemtree Wines, which are both in South Australia.
Sharyn Stagg from Josef Chromy Wines is also a finalist in the cellar door person category.