Sustainability in McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale is the most environmentally sustainable wine grape growing region in Australia, leading the way in organic practices, water management and climate-appropriate plantings.*

In 2011 McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association (MVGWTA) introduced the Sustainable Australia Winegrowing Program (SAW) which was a result of a series of initiatives developed by MVGWTA since the early 2000’s. SAW was developed to maximise grower and regional overall sustainability, and aimed to minimise environmental impacts. The data captured and reported provided growers with the best management tool to demonstrate their performance against their regional peers and recognised best practice. The Program assessed sustainability through the triple bottom line approach (environment, economic and social) and focused on continuous improvement of the grower and the region’s results over time.

The SAW Program ran until early 2019 by which point, 72% of McLaren Vale’s area under vine used the SAW Program to assess and improve practices. Following a global review of the sustainability landscape, MVGWTA and The Australian Wine Research Institute, with support from Wine Australia and Australian Grape and Wine worked together to develop a single national sustainability program, building on the strengths of the then existing Entwine and SAW Programs.

For further information regarding Australia's national sustainability program Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, please click here.