Historic first step towards a National Vineyard Register

A National Vineyard Register for Australia's grape and wine sector is one step closer.

The register was identified in the recently released One Grape & Wine Sector Plan as a priority for rebalancing supply and demand within the sector.

Wine Australia has commenced work on this important resource which will collate national data on the area of bearing and non-bearing vines, the age profile of vines, varieties planted and location by geographical indication.

The project is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, as part of its $3.5 million Grape and Wine Sector Long-term Viability Support Package to support the grape and wine industry’s response to the oversupply of red wine.

Dr Martin Cole, Chief Executive Officer, Wine Australia, said that the register will provide an essential foundation for improved decision-making for the sector by providing an accurate read of the vineyard base in Australia.

“The register will be an incredibly important tool to help manage supply and demand and to support a profitable, resilient and sustainable grape and wine sector” Dr Cole said.

“It will enable data-driven planning, provide transparency across the supply chain, and foster greater sector collaboration. It will also support biosecurity efforts, sustainability goals, and strategic growth initiatives for the Australian wine sector.”

A framework for the register is expected to be delivered by June 2025 and is the current focus of Wine Australia’s efforts. Subject to the feasibility of the proposed framework, the build phase is scheduled for completion by June 2026.

Industry consultation and input will be critical in assisting the design process, and on guiding the elements of the register and options for data collection. As such, Wine Australia will consult widely with the sector, and will establish an industry advisory group to test ideas and provide feedback regarding the requirements of the National Vineyard Register.

“There are some organisations already providing this type of service at a state and regional level, so we know the benefits it can provide. Our first task is to identify models that already exist both in the wine sector and in agriculture more broadly, so we can learn from and leverage existing knowledge and systems to build the best model for the future needs of our sector,” Dr Cole said.

Dr Cole explained that various challenges will need to be resolved, including how best to collect the data, protecting data security, tracking annual changes in plantings and recording the spatial location of plantings.

He noted that the success of the register in identifying supply-demand imbalances and supporting grower decision making would depend on having a complete census of all vineyard plantings nationally.

Wine Australia will be seeking input from the sector before the end of 2024 and will keep stakeholders informed of progress via regular briefings, communications and webinars.