Australian grapegrowing and wine production is going from strength to strength, with the official launch of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, Australia’s national sustainability program for the grape and wine sector.
Sustainable Winegrowing Australia provides a unified sustainability framework for all Australian grapegrowers and winemakers to demonstrate their sustainability credentials, benchmark performance and identify opportunities for improvements.
The program, which is managed by The Australian Wine Research Institute, was launched on July 21st 2019 following a workshop on sustainability held as part of the 17th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference, at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Chief winemaker from Yalumba, Louisa Rose, delivered the official launch speech to an audience of growers, winemakers and representatives of industry organisations, highlighting the importance of sustainability to her own company and to the Australian wine industry as a whole.
AWRI senior viticulturist, Dr Mardi Longbottom, who manages the program, said “The launch of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia represents the culmination of several years of hard work and cooperation between a large number of wine sector people and organisations. The AWRI looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to support the program and grow its membership and its global impact. The program will continue to develop, with background research projects already underway and new modules and expanded scope under consideration.”
Membership of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is now open for 2019-20. Grapegrowing and winemaking businesses interested in joining the program can visit www.sustainablewinegrowing.com.au or contact Dr Mardi Longbottom on [email protected] or 08 8 313 6600.
About the program: Sustainable Winegrowing Australia was developed by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and McLaren Vale Grape and Wine Tourism Association (MVGWTA), with support from Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine, building on the strengths of the previous Entwine Australia and Sustainable Australia Winegrowing (SAW) programs.
