Grape expectations: are you keeping adequate records?

Specific records must be made upon grape intake – irrespective of whether grapes are ‘estate grown’ or grower supplied. This is necessary to establish a complete audit trail for the Label Integrity Program (LIP), which is a legal requirement. Records must be in writing and contain:

• The supplier’s name and address
• The receiver’s name and address
• The date grapes are received
• The quantity of grapes received
• The vintage, variety and geographical indication (GI) of the grapes

Although the above components are mandatory, including optional information like a receipt number or any other intake reference aids traceability.

Abbreviations should be avoided, but if used, you should maintain a key to decipher them to avoid future confusion. For example, recording GI as ‘MR’ (rather than Margaret River) and variety ‘PIN’ (rather than Pinot Gris) may not be easily understood by others.

If grapes are sourced from a sub-region, you should reference the sub-region rather than the region. If you don’t, you won’t be able to refer to the sub-region on your label.

Growers are also required to provide records

Growers have record keeping obligations too. If you receive grapes from a grower, they must supply a written record showing the date, quantity, vintage, variety and GI on the day they bring grapes. Alternatively, LIP requirements can be met by sharing your intake record – provided it was both made and shared with the grower when grapes were received.

For record keeping enquiries, including requesting templates, please contact our Regulatory Services team on (08) 8228 2000 or audit@wineaustralia.com.