Lake Moodemere Estate first to be certified sustainable in North East

Lake Moodemere Estate vineyard and farm manager Joel Chambers said the certification was important.

"To have something to certify ourselves under, something to publicly say we care about the land and we care about sustaining the land was really big for us," he said.

"We're hoping that being the first ones in Rutherglen and the North East, that's a real flagship moment for the region, it shows all the other wineries they can do it too."

The certification recognises the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the business.

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Mr Chambers said the vineyard had relied on years of documentation to show its sustainability practices.

"You have to fall back on your records as back up to prove that you really are following the rules of Sustainable Winegrowers Australia," he said.

"We've made a lot of changes in the last five years and every single one of them falls in line with sustainability actions."

Mr Chambers said the vineyard had improved its water efficiency by replacing old drip lines and laid straw around the base of the vines to create an ecosystem which helped vines stay cooler during heatwaves.

"Another thing we were already doing was just cover cropping," he said.

Mr Chambers explained cover cropping was the process of planting wheat, triticale, oats and barley between the rows of vines so sheep would graze and help with weed management.

"The cover crops are huge for biodiversity," he said.

"[They] create an ecosytem of their own within the cover crop, bringing in all of these beneficial bugs and wasps and bees.

"Doing all of these sustainable viticultural practices they all benefit the vineyard."

The Australian Wine Research Institute manager for sustainability and viticulture Dr Mardi Longbottom congratulated Lake Moodemere Estate.

"Joel has taken it by the horns and really run with the program," she said.

"He quickly found areas in their business where they could improve their processes and I think he's found that pretty beneficial.

"As he already says, it's about giving him a different way to engage in the region and help others to go along that certification pathway."

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