Keeping things green

Green Creds

OUR SUSTAINABLE COMMITMENT

We might be RedHeads by name, but did you know we were GreenHeads by nature? Throughout the building and renovation process, sustainability was at the core. We engaged the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in our vision and they got excited about it – could we become the model for other wineries to follow? We hope so as Australia needs it!

In 2019 we won the Drinks Business Green Award for our Water Management.

In 2020, we were given a special mention and commendation for our work in renewable energy at the same awards.

 

 

At the 2020 Drinks Business Green Awards, Patrick Schmitt MW, Editor in Chief, the Drinks Business commented;

 

“We felt this company  deserved commending for being 97% powered by self-generated and stored renewable energy from solar and storage batteries, leading to a saving of 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. We also admired its ambition to be carbon neutral, and the steps it is taking to achieve that goal, including an extensive audit of its carbon emissions”.

 

We created the Greenheads movement, our environmental pact; 

  • Water Management
  • Smart Irrigation
  • Power Management
  • Bees
  • Efficient Space
  • Manageable Tanks
  • Keeping it local

Water Management

We collect and re-use as much wastewater and rainfall as possible then share it back around the vineyard. It’s a state-of-the-art system designed to keep us efficiently using water across the site. A saving of around 2,700,000 litres per year!

Smart Irrigation

To reduce water usage, we dug up all the old irrigation pipes we’d inherited in the vineyard and installed a new system, complete with soil probes to measure temperature and moisture levels at three levels.

Power Management

We re-wired the winery and cellar door so that everything is run from solar and battery. We are working towards being 100 percent sustainable and self-sufficient. Watch this space!

Bees

Bees are very important around the world. Not just for their honey… but the vines need them too. Luckily for us, there is a bee hive right here on-site to pollinate our vineyard!

High, Pitched Roof

Our high, pitched roof is designed to allow a lot of the heat to naturally rise up into the roof. This reduces our need for additional cooling of the tanks and the building in general

Manageable Tanks

Because we work with so many different varietals and source fruit by the vineyard (or row!), we need to be able to move tanks around to clean them without harmful chemicals.

Keeping it local

To minimise transport and over overall carbon footprint, we try to source locally. The sheet metal for the winery was manufactured close by, the glass for our bottles is locally produced, even our coffee beans are from a roaster just 5km down the road. 

Other cool stuff

To restore the walls of our 1888 cottage, we actually made our own clay.
We send our waste grape skins and seeds to the local distillery down the road and our stalks are recycled into garden compost and to feed the local sheep. Minimal waste here!