The Future - Sustainability

In an effort which took 12 months of monitoring and close record keeping, Seifrieds is proud to be Nelsons first winery to achieve Sustainable Winegrowing accreditation.

As exports of New Zealand wine continue to grow, the call for sustainability within the wine industry has become more important, both from a production and marketing point of view.  Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) gives a framework for viticultural and winemaking practices that protect the environment while efficiently and economically producing premium wine. 

Defined by a set of industry “best practice” standards, Sustainable Winegrowing has been developed in an effort to provide a framework for companies looking at protecting the environmental integrity throughout their wine production. 

“SWNZ (Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand) is a holistic approach to grape growing, which sets a framework for companies to continually work towards, improving all aspects of their performance in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability in both the vineyard and the winery.” (SWNZ) 

Working towards SWNZ accreditation has meant a heightened focus on the way our business is run.  Because it covers all areas of winemaking, from the vineyard, to staffing issues and machinery operation, as well as water and energy use and winemaking procedures in the cellar, there is a greater awareness of how the different choices made can have a flow-on effect.  To gain this accreditation confirms that Seifrieds are working in a sustainable manner, and adds an extra string to our bow, particularly for our overseas customers who are very aware of New Zealand’s reputation as a ‘clean, green land’. 

This accreditation was granted after a rigorous audit process, where all areas of the winery’s business were reviewed.   

For more information about Sustainable Winegrowing in New Zealand and a list of other accredited wineries, see http://www.nzwine.com/swnz/