We know that sometimes the last thing you want to have to worry about during vintage is record keeping – especially if you haven’t already got a system in place.
However, your system doesn’t need to cost thousands of dollars…quite simply, you just need to make and keep a record.
The Wine Australia Act requires any entity that deals with wine goods to make and keep records of specific matters relating to the processing, manufacture, packaging, sale and storage throughout life of the wine goods
Grape intake requires specific records to be made, 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) – a legal requirement. While the format isn’t prescribed, 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, and
- the vintage, variety and geographical indication (GI) of the grapes.
While the details above are mandatory, including extra information like a receipt number or another intake reference helps traceability when you link it to other wine processing records. For the avoidance of doubt, Wine Australia also recommends steering clear of abbreviating GIs and varieties where possible.
At vintage, record keeping can be made easier by:
- making a list of what’s going to happen at the start of the day
- ticking the operations off once the record has been made. This includes dates, vessels, volume, gains and losses
- vintage, variety and GI all start on the day of fruit receival and it’s essential there is full traceability through your record keeping system to show this, either by coding that links the intake of fruit to the product, or physically writing it out on each record.
We don’t prescribe how exactly you should keep your records but there are certain things you must be recording. As a guide, Wine Australia provides LIP statement templates, record keeping templates and a record keeping guide.
Growers record-keeping obligations
Don’t forget – growers have record-keeping obligations too. If you receive grapes from a third party, they must supply a written record showing the date, quantity, vintage, variety and GI on the day grapes are delivered. 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. Wine Australia has developed a brochure on record keeping for grapegrowers that can be accessed here.
For any questions about record keeping or to request hard copies of the grower brochure, please contact Regulatory Services at (08) 8228 2000 or audit@wineaustralia.com.