MORE than 40 McLaren Vale vineyards are now a step closer to receiving certification for their sustainability.
The McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association last week released the first round of results from its Generational Farming program, which measured the sustainability of 41 member vineyards.
The program aims to encourage grape growers to use more eco-friendly practices to improve McLaren Vale’s longevity for food and wine production.
Vineyards were given scores for areas such as pest and disease control, soil and weed management, and water usage.
Individual results were released only to the vineyard owner, while overall results were made public (see fact file).
Association CEO Elizabeth Tasker said growers would need to produce high-level results over three years and be audited by a third party before they could receive sustainability accreditation.
“The results help to put McLaren Vale on the map for sustainability,” she said.
“Global research shows consumers are more likely to chose the wine made from a more sustainable vineyard. It’s not unlike fair trade for coffee.”
Chalk Hill viticulturalist Jock Harvey said the program was a first for a wine region in Australia.
“We didn’t want a situation where people just stuck a label on their bottles with words like `sustainable’ or `eco-friendly’ to increase sales,” Mr Harvey said.
“Generational Farming is a credible program which will allow only the most sustainable vineyards to gain certification.
“And the aim is not really about marketing - it’s about maintaining this area as a wine and food region for years to come.”
(Messenger newspaper; 28 Sep 11 by Katelin Nelligah)
