Environment

Elderton has become a leader within the Australian wine industry in its environmental sustainability. We have proactively implemented a number of initiatives into the day to day operations of the winery, in order to minimise our environmental footprint and to promote a sustainable, clean and environmentally responsible work place. These initiatives include:

Carbon Neutral

Elderton was the first winery in South Australia to use Trees for Life's Carbon Neutral program www.carbonneutral.com.au. Our accreditation through Carbon Neutral means that we have considered our carbon footprint in line with the Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, National Greenhouse Energy Reporting Act and measured all of Eldertons Wines Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions. This includes emissions associated with company vehicle (fuel) use, and electricity usage. We have also chosen to measure domestic and international plane travel (Scope 3 emissions). We have then offset all of these company emissions by planting a set number of trees. In 2007 we planted more than 4,000 trees. This will be an annual commitment. To view a planting report for the site we have contributed to, click on the following link http://www.carbonneutral.com.au/plantingprojects.htm and look for site 107 in the planting year of 2008.

    Elderton Wines have also been commended in the Australian Government Greenhouse Gas abatement program, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 37 million tonnes over the life of the Greenhouse Challenge Plus program. See attached Link.
      Greenhouse Challenge

      Water Recycling

      Elderton winery's effluent system has been upgraded so that 100% of the water that goes through the system is recycled to a quality level so that it can be used back on the vineyard. We expect to save the equivalent of around half our existing water allocation by recycling; 10–20 Mega Litres, or equal volume to that of approximately 15 Olympic sized swimming pools.

      In 2008 we also increased the tank storage that we have on site to harvest more rainwater off the numerous buildings that we have in Nuriootpa also adding to our water self sufficiency. We are looking to increase this storage capacity in the near future.

      Solar Power & Water Conservation

      Our cellar door cottage is now combining the use of solar power for its electricity source. Along with this, we have specially designed water-wise bathroom facilities and infrastructure in place for the utilisation of rain water stores. We are aiming to develop one of the most environmentally sound cellar doors in Australia.

      Bio-Dynamics

      Increasingly Elderton is turning to bio-dynamic farming techniques in our own vineyards. 2007 was the first year that one block of old vine cabernet and one block of old vine shiraz will be trialled using these methods. Based on the results of the wine we will then look to convert the rest of our estate holdings.

      Look out for our first biodynamic wine released that will be released in mid 2009 from a 2008 shiraz block. It already looks stunning.

      North Para River Regeneration

      In conjunction with the Barossa Council and the Adelaide & Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board, Elderton is regenerating the banks of the North Para River at Nuriootpa. Stage 1 was finished in April 2008. This involves the planting of various natives to enhance biodiversity on the Elderton Estate, and will begin to bring the waterway back to its former state. Stages 2, 3, & 4 will take place over the next 4 years.

      Organic Certification

      Elderton's winery has recently gained certification from the Australian Certified Organic Organisation. This means we have the capability to make organic wines for our contract winemaking clients or in the future for our own.

      Green Ochre

      In addition to the above initiatives that have been implemented, Elderton Wines have recently employed the services of Green Ochre, who conducted a walk through audit of our winemaking facilities to see if there were any other areas where we could further improve on what we are already doing to make Elderton an environmentally sustainable business. Richard Furler, Director of Green Ochre had the following comments.

      “It is very rare to walk into a facility and find few energy saving opportunities with respect to operational issues. Richard Langford, chief winemaker, understands the relationship between winemaking and energy consumption. For example, equipment that could be turned off was turned off (such as lights, air conditioners, pumps and compressors). Natural ventilation and lighting are utilised to minimise heating, cooling and energy requirements. There was no evidence of over sizing of equipment. Even the process of fermentation has been optimised to minimise the peak cooling requirements for the chillers.

      Recently, the roof had been upgraded to make full use of natural lighting. It is estimated that this has resulted in a reduction of lighting operating hours of 2,250 hours per year. As a consequence, it is estimated that electrical consumption has reduced by 12,500 kWh per year. In turn, this has reduced carbon emissions by 10.6 tonnes per year and cost savings of over $1,500 have been achieved. This is equivalent to taking two Ford Falcons off the road, each travelling 20,000 km.

      Green Ochre would like to congratulate Elderton Wines on their high level of understanding of energy efficiency in wine making.”

      Richard Furler, Director, Green Ochre Pty Ltd, can be contacted on 08 8354 3498 and their website address is www.greenochre.com.au