See Saw Wines founders Justin and Pip Jarrett win triple gold at NSW Wines Awards

Firstly it's to change tired systems in positive ways, wherever you can. The other is to leave the world knowing you helped your kids become "better people" while you were here.

Founders of See Saw Wines, partners Justin and Pip Jarrett are still celebrating a big win, picking up one of 18 trophies for the state's top bottles of vino at the 2022 NSW Wine Awards.

Grabbing consecutive gold in Best Organic Wine for the third-year running, this triple victory is a particularly mean feat for the 30-year business.

Because 15 years ago, it made the move to organic-only products.

While not only feeling "on the right path" with their sustainable-centric company, this particular win has also given the Jarrett couple a big boost of emotional clarity.

That's because they're doing exactly what they said they would, both in business and in life.

"Pip and I did Ag-Science back in the 80s and we were a really money-focused decade back then - big hair, big music and big bucks," Mr Jarrett said with laughter.

"But really, for us it wasn't about having all of the money or the biggest stuff in the world, because if you looked far forward enough, there were just so many other important things."

Wanting to run things "differently from the conventional systems", Mr Jarrett said it's hard to be judged as an organic business

Though with three years of the same award across three different wines - and with three separate sets of judges - said it's also fantastic, because they know they're "on the right path" for them.

"I guess it gives us this sense of conviction in a way, that what we had planned, really thought through and wanted to do ... we know it's working," he said, "so we are feeling proud to be where we're at today."

From past studies, working with Landcare and hefty ag-experience under the belt, Mr Jarrett said they'd learned over the years that while people had the desire to leave their farms in better positions, the "economics just weren't there" at the time.

After noting the industry's slow depletion of natural resources, it occurred to the couple that they wanted to change the "system of taking" - reduce harmful chemical use, invest in their own soil and give back to the earth.

"You're always going to make a footprint," Mr Jarrett said, "so it becomes about when you do make it, to make sure there's both a social and economic cost to your footprint that you can cover by what you sell."

But most of all, they wanted to transfer these values onto the family they'd created.

They wanted the best possible futures they could give to their now-adult children, who help with operating and managing the vineyard today.

"We wanted them to have more than what we had, from both an environmental and happiness point of view, and I think that whole process of doing things differently really did help us to form our thinking," Mr Jarrett said.

"As a parent, you want to raise your kids to have better opportunities than you did, to teach them better ways than what you were taught, to just be better people; and after realising we could farm differently, we just said 'okay, then let's all do it better'."

This penny initially dropped at a holistic management course some moons back, where things shifted the couple's perspective Mr Jarrett said.

It was here where they were faced with an unusual, yet life-changing question.

"We were asked to write down what you wanted someone to say at your funeral about your life and we thought well hey, when we die and someone writes that epitaph, we want it to say 'they left the farm in a better position'," he said.

"I remember my father once said to me that his one job to me was to help me be a better father to my kids than he was to me, and I thought geez ... if we all took on these attitudes, the world would just be a better place."

For the award-winning couple to feel fulfilled in the family and company departments, they'll continue balancing the seesaw of life.

Where whatever rock of knowledge they turn over, they'll make sure to keep giving it to their kids.

"We'll always want to know that we're raising our children to know better, to know the things that we know now," Mr Jarrett said.

"You want your kids to have more opportunities than you had, you want them to be better people than you were and whenever we go, we'll know we gave them the best we knew at the time.

"That's what's important to us."

See Saw's newly-released 2022 Organic Riesling took it home this year, which also features in the company's latest Invergo range.

The Riesling joins predecessor See Saw champions the 2021 Marge and the 2020 Organic Sauvignon Blanc.

For more information. head online to the See Saw Wines website.

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