Entwine & Freshcare Accredited Sustainable Practices
Sidewood Estate is the largest fully Entwine Accredited sustainable winery in the Adelaide Hills. The accreditation through the Australian Wine Research Institute and Freshcare reflects Sidewood’s dedication and commitment to sustainable practices across the entire vineyard portfolio. Entwine Australia was set up to support growers and winemakers demonstrating and improving sustainability in their business practices through the Australian wine industry’s sustainability program.
To become a more sustainable and environmentally friendly grower Sidewood implemented practices that include:
- SHEEP: Running sheep through the vineyard over the Autumn / Winter maintains pasture, removes hard to kill weeds and returns organic fertiliser back to the vineyard. This also reduces chemical input, machinery operations and labour to manage these areas over the winter months.
- CHEMICAL SELECTION: Continually changing products and using softer products that have minimal / no effect on the environment
- IRRIGATION PRACTICES: Implementing different practices in timings and monitoring etc.
- CANOPY MANAGEMENT: Mulching prunnings back into the vineyard after pruning.
- PERMANENT PASTURES: Maintaining permanent pastures for increased insect biodiversity.
- FERTILISER SELECTIONS: Organic/natural products vs synthetics and manufactured products.