Welcome to the National EcoVineyards program!
Program Partners
What is the National EcoVineyards program?
Winegrape growers throughout Australia are being supported in their actions to enhance soil health, establish ground covers and increase functional biodiversity in their vineyards through the National EcoVineyards program.
Through EcoVineyards, growers have access to new region-specific resources, regular events, the establishment of up to four demonstration sites in each participating wine region and access to Regional On-ground Coordinators (ROCs) to support growers. There are many learning opportunities and strong regional collaboration to help future proof fruit quality, production, and the resilience of Australian vineyards.
The National EcoVineyards program is funded by Wine Australia with levies from Australia’s grape growers and winemakers and matching funds from the Australian Government. The program is delivered by Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd with significant support from regional communities.
Following the national ‘open call’ in late 2022, we announced the new intake of EcoGrowers in each participating region in early 2023. You can read more about each EcoGrower here. They are establishing a diverse range of demonstration sites to provide practical insights to questions in the field around the topics of soil health, ground covers and functional biodiversity.
Join us on Facebook and Instagram to hear regular updates about the program and tag us to share your insights. @EcoVineyards.
The Directory
Did you know we have a user-friendly directory? You can use it to access our comprehensive library of resources and easily filter resources by topic, resource type or region.
Snapshot
The National EcoVineyards Program assists wine growers to accelerate ecologically based practice change and adoption.
Gardening Australia
Our progress
160+
Partnering businesses
are working in collaboration with the common purpose of fostering environmental stewardship.
76
Demonstration sites
have been established across Australia featuring a range of ecological practices and tailored EcoVineyards signage.
240
Microbat boxes
have been installed across Australia (in collaboration with Seaford Rotary).
75
Predator perches
and 75 photo points have been designed, manufactured, and installed (in collaboration with Ocvitti Australia/Ocloc).
75+
Grower events
field days and networking events (twice per year over 5 years in 8 major wine regions).
1,500
Attendees
at grower events over the last 4 years.
100,000+
Native insectary plants
grasses, forbs, woody ground cover, shrubs and trees have been planted in the last 5 years.
68
EcoGrowers profiles
have been completed.
37
Case studies
have been completed.
12
Supporting information
12 articles that provide scientific research about native insectary plants and the arthropods found in association.
14
Native plant community lists
a summary for each participating region across Australia.
80 page
Booklet
‘Natural predators of vineyard insect pests’ written by Dr Mary Retallack, Retallack Viticulture.
45
Fact sheets and videos
comprising 400 pages have been developed showcasing a broad range of topics, visit the knowledge hub to search by topic, resource type or region.
13
Signage templates
EcoVineyards signage templates x 3 large and x 10 small format for native insectary plants and the arthropods found in association have been produced.
800+
Facebook followers
Facebook has all the latest EcoVineyards news and events notiifcations.
1,250+
Instagram followers
Instgram has all the latest EcoVineyards news and events notiifcations.
Testimonials
Lacey Viticulture
“Our EcoVineyards experience has been a thoroughly satisfying one, with our thriving planted area sitting proud, right in the midst of our vineyard. We are excited to watch the new plants grow, increasing the biodiversity of our site, and to watch new birds and insects that will be attracted to the area go to work.”
Andre Bondar, Bondar Wines and Ben Lacey, Lacey Viticulture, McLaren Vale
Katnook Estate
“The EcoVineyards program has made me realise how critical it is to use biodiversity as a tool to improve our vineyard management especially of current and emerging pest threats.”
Chris Brodie, Katnook Estate, Coonawarra
Windsong Wines
“I have never seen a program with greater interest and uptake by growers.”
Heather Webster, Windsong Wines, Langhorne Creek
Acknowledgments
The original EcoVineyards program was funded via the National Landcare Program Smart Farms Small Grants program with the Wine Grape Council of South Australia (WGCSA) and Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd working in partnership in South Australia from May 2019.
The National EcoVineyards Program is funded by Wine Australia with levies from Australia’s grape growers and winemakers and matching funds from the Australian Government.
The program is delivered by Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd with significant support from regional communities.
EcoVineyards proudly acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and their ongoing cultural and spiritual connection to this ancient land on which we work and live. As the Traditional Custodians we recognise their wealth of ecological knowledge and the importance of caring for Country. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Enquiries
Please direct all enquiries to the National EcoVineyards Program team via [email protected]
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to find out more @EcoVineyards