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Sustainable Winegrowing Australia

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING AUSTRALIA?

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is Australia’s national program for grapegrowers and winemakers to demonstrate and continuously improve their sustainability in the vineyard and winery through the environmental, social and economic aspects of their businesses. The program takes a holistic approach to managing, supporting and promoting sustainability. It fosters stronger relationships between growers, wineries and their regions. It also provides authority and confidence to customers, who receive reliable certified produce to address growing global consumer demand. No matter where a grapegrower or winemaker is on the journey, the program is relevant and user-friendly.

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is a voluntary program designed with flexibility to suit the changing goals and needs of all Australian grape and wine producers. It informs and contributes to the identification of priorities for wine industry research, development and extension activities and can be used by members for benchmarking. The program is administered by the Australian Wine Research Institute with governance, endorsement and active support from Australian Grape & Wine and Wine Australia. The program is modelled on global best practices and aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with progress towards these monitored annually. **

Joining is easy and membership is available to all Australian grapegrowers and winemakers. Vineyards, wineries, and/or wine businesses must hold separate memberships because the data provided by each part of the business is different. There are two membership categories (members and certified members). Members can choose the category that best suits their needs.

MEMBERS

  • Members of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia must annually report the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia business metrics and complete the self-assessment workbook. Members do not require an independent audit. Becoming a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is a pathway to becoming a certified member.

CERTIFIED MEMBERS

  • Certified members of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia choose to be certified by undergoing an independent third-party audit against the approved certification standards for viticulture and wineries.**

HOW TO JOIN SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING AUSTRALIA

  • To sign up to the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Program please CLICK HERE.

Once a year, during July/August, members are required to report their business metrics and submit the self-assessment workbook to the AWRI through the member database. The workbook contains multiple choice questions covering major elements including energy, water, biodiversity, air, waste, land and soil, fertiliser and soil additives, chemicals, business, community impact and sustainability action planning.**

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia members wishing to become certified must complete an independent audit against the Australian Wine Industry Standards of Sustainable Practice (AWISSP) for Viticulture and Wineries. To maintain certification, a successful audit must be undertaken every three years by an approved certification body.

  • peace of mind that your sustainability claims have been independently verified
  • use of a certified trust mark - an assurance to customers and consumers of how the product is produced
  • enhanced international marketing through Wine Australia’s marketing program
  • integration of sustainability stories into Wine Australia’s education and content for customers and consumers**

SUSTAINABILITY IN MCLAREN VALE TIMELINE:

For further information on McLaren Vale's sustainability timeline please CLICK HERE.

Sustainability Timeline Mc Laren Vale

  • McLaren Vale has 134 Members of the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Program (127 vineyard sites and 7 winery sites), an increase of 15 Members from the previous year.
  • McLaren Vale has 30 Certified Members; 6 vineyards and 4 wineries completed an independent audit against the Australian Wine Industry Standards of Sustainable Practice (AWISSP) for Viticulture and Wineries. This is an increase of 13 Certified Members from the previous year.
  • 579 hectares in McLaren Vale has been set aside for biodiversity; an increase of 27 hectares from the previous year.
  • 4008 total vineyard heactares are included within the McLaren Vale Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Program. 1182 vineyard hectares are certified. This is an increase of 63 hectares from previous year.
  • 15,937 is the total tonnes crushed for McLaren Vale Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Members. 11,365 tonnes were crushed in certified wineries.


**Source: Sustainable Winegrowing Australia

Photograph (C) Wine Australia