Keeping things green

Our green credentials - making sustainable wine

The GreenHeads Movement

We might be RedHeads by name, but did you know we’re GreenHeads by nature?

As we rebuilt and renovated our winery, sustainability was at the heart of every decision. We asked the Environmental Protection Authority to get involved in our vision for a sustainable winery. Could other wineries follow in our footsteps and create the sustainable winemaking industry Australia deserves?

What began as a no-nonsense commitment to creating a more sustainable future for our winery has now become GreenHeads Movement – and we’re not the only ones involved with sustainable wine.

Following our win at the 2020 Drinks Business Green Awards, Patrick Schmitt MW, the Editor-in-Chief of The Drinks Business, said:

“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 takes to achieve that goal, including an extensive audit of its carbon emissions.”

Timeline of our green revolution

March 2022

RedHeads Winery received NASAA Organic Certification

September 2021

RedHeads awarded Environmental Excellence Award by the South Australian Wine industry Association.

December 2020

RedHeads won a commendation for its work on renewable energy at the 2020 Drinks Business Green Awards.

September 2020

Signed up to GreenPower for 100% renewable Energy

July 2020

Joined Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and working towards certification

December 2019

RedHeads won the top award for Water Management in Wine at the 2019 Drinks Business Green Awards

Our green pact to making sustainable wine

There’s plenty to be done to help save the planet while making delicious small-batch, sustainable wine.

Here’s some of what we do.

Water Management

We collect and reuse as much wastewater and rainfall as possible, then use it across our vineyard. Our state-of-the-art system is designed to keep water use as efficient as possible across the site, including a wastewater dam and sieves on all the drains. We’re looking at 2.7 million litres of water saved in an average year’s rainfall!

Smart Irrigation

We dug up all the old irrigation pipes inherited in the vineyard to reduce water usage and installed a new smart system. Soil probes measure temperature and moisture levels in the soil at three depths because sustainable wine starts from the ground up.

Power Management

Everything on-site is powered by solar and battery power – from the winery to our office to the Studio Bar. The goal is to become self-sufficient and 100% powered by sustainable energy, and we’re not far off.

Protecting the bees

The bees are an important part of the planet’s ecosystem and the sustainable winemaking process. We’ve planted extra native shrubs and trees throughout our vineyard to support bees and other insects that pollinate our vines and help them thrive. Plus, they make great company.

High, Pitched Roof

Our lofted, pitched roof is designed to allow a lot of heat to rise up and out of the way. This reduces our need to use more energy to cool the tanks and the building; plus, it collects rainwater that we can reuse around the site.

Manageable Tanks

As we work with a variety of grapes, keeping the tanks clean is a priority. We’ve built them big enough to clean by hand with biodegradable cleaning agents, keeping harmful chemicals out of the equation.

Keeping it local

To minimise transport and keep our carbon footprint low, we source locally. The sheet metal for the winery was manufactured close by, our glass bottles are locally produced, and all our eye-catching labels are printed a brisk stroll down the road.

Waste management

Making sustainable wine goes beyond what happens in the tanks. All our waste by-products are recycled, from cardboard to grape stalks and leaves that are turned into garden mulch and feed local sheep.

Other cool stuff

To restore the walls of our 1888 cottage, the oldest building on-site, we made our own clay. Yes, really. We also send our waste grape skins and seeds to the local distillery down the road and use LED lights across the site and in the winery for minimal energy waste.