Improving the environmental sustainability, profitability and competitiveness of Western Australia’s wine industry is the focus of several initiatives being delivered in partnership by Wines of Western Australia, the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Wine Australia.
The initiatives include:
The appointment of an engagement officer to build the state’s reputation as a sustainable wine producer by driving adoption of sustainable practices in vineyards and wineries.
Renewed support for the sustainability and industry development program manager role to continue developing state specific programs to improve sustainability and promote a Lightweight Bottle Charter.
“These initiatives are squarely aimed at strengthening the knowledge and practices of Western Australian grape growers and wine producers to improve their future profitability and sustainability,” said Larry Jorgensen, chief executive officer of Wines of WA.
“We want to encourage them to be innovative, motivate them to make changes to their businesses practices and promote their sustainable initiatives.
“This includes supporting grape and wine producers to achieve accreditation through Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) — a national program that provides a pathway for producers to achieve certification which they can use to showcase their commitment to sustainability.”
Martin Cole, chief executive officer of Wine Australia, said embracing sustainability was a priority in the One Grape and Wine Sector Plan, a strategy developed through sector wide consultation to strengthen the resilience, sustainability and profitability of grape and wine businesses.
“The Plan has sustainability at its core which recognises that our sector’s ability to continue to produce quality grapes and wine depends on protecting our natural resources, improving efficiency and adapting to a changing climate,” said Cole.
Wines of Western Australia has appointed Lucy Nankervis as sustainability engagement officer, while Eloise Jarvis will continue as sustainability and industry development program manager.
Nankervis’s responsibilities include strengthening the state’s reputation for producing responsible, quality wine and supporting growers and wineries to adopt more sustainable production methods by facilitating regional collaboration and forming producer groups.
A key responsibility of Jarvis’ role will be to encourage statewide adoption of Margaret River’s Lightweight Bottle Charter, which has seen wineries in the region commit to lowering their greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the average weight of 750 ml still wine bottles to below 420 grams.
The partnership between Wines of Western Australia, DPIRD and Wine Australia will also result in the relocation of the WA Vine Improvement Association germplasm collection from the DPIRD site at Manjimup to the University of Western Australia’s Shenton Park facility in Perth. The collection, which includes more than 130 varieties and 180 clones, has been quarantined since the detection of Diaporthe ampelina, a declared pest in WA.
Although options to eradicate the pest from the Manjimup site were investigated, relocating the collection to Shenton Park was deemed the best long term solution to ensure the WA wine sector retains access to high health, verified grapevine material.
Nankervis and Jarvis’ positions and the relocation of the germplasm collection are funded through Wine Australia’s Research and Innovation Fund, part of the Australian Wine Future Fund, which is matching the Wines of Western Australia and DPIRD investment with non levy funds from the Commonwealth Government.
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