L-R: Chris Molineaux, Nicholas Schirripa, John Casella and Joey Sergi with the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Signage at Casella Family Brands’ site in Yenda. Image courtesy Casella Family Brands

The Australian winery best known for producing Yellow Tail has announced the certification of its winemaking sites, vineyards and grape supply under the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) scheme.

Casella Family Brands (CFB), which also produces Peter Lehmann Wines, Morris of Rutherglen, Baileys of Glenrowan and Brand’s Laira Coonawarra as well as Yellow Tail, contributed 12% of Australia’s entire annual winegrape crush in 2024. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is Australia’s national program for grapegrowers and winemakers committed to making sustainable wine.

The CFB-owned Riverina, Barossa, Rutherglen, and Glenrowan wineries are now certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. From the 2025 vintage release, wines from [yellow tail], Peter Lehmann Wines, Brand’s Laira, Morris of Rutherglen, Baileys of Glenrowan, Casella Family Wines and Atmata will be Sustainable Winegrowing Australia-certified.

Sustainability manager Joey Sergi said the certification was a significant step in the company’s sustainability journey. “After investing in installing our large-scale solar farm last year, we’ve focused on achieving Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certification across our wineries and grower base. Consumers are increasingly choosing brands that prioritise sustainability, and with Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certification, they can trust our wines are produced with environmental care,” said Sergi.

Casella Family Brands said it has supported its grower base in achieving vineyard certification. Nic Schirripa, grower services manager and senior winemaker, acknowledged the “enormous effort and commitment” to obtaining the certification from the winery staff and the company’s grower network.

“We’re incredibly proud of the dedication to sustainability demonstrated by all those involved in this process,” said Schrippa. “This program formalises our current operations by providing a structured framework to document sustainability practices. It helps us identify risk areas and uncover opportunities for improvement, and we look forward to advancing our efforts in this space.”

As general manager of industry development and support at the Australian Wine Research Institute, Dr Mardi Longbottom manages the technical aspects of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.

“We are encouraged by the momentum and increasing ambition of our growing membership and are confident we will achieve world-leading recognition,” said Dr Longbottom. “By purchasing wines from a certified producer, consumers can feel confident that they’re supporting sustainable-minded growers and winemakers, who are on a journey to shape the Australian wine community for good.”

Jade Rogge, viticulturist and winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines, said that the certification was “an important future step” for the brand.

“We recognise the time and investment in the training and auditing process; however, it is an important future step for all of our brands as we progress our sustainability journey,” said Rogge. “At its core, the program is about adopting innovative, sustainable practices to safeguard the land we depend on and ensuring that it remains healthy, productive, and valuable for future generations.”

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