Winery management

Improve how your winery uses energy, water and resources

Find practical ways to improve day-to-day winery operations, from lean production and refrigeration efficiency to electrification, water management, waste reduction and recycling.

Winery operations and sustainability

Running an efficient winery means making the best use of energy, water, materials, equipment and people while reducing waste, costs and environmental impacts.

Wine Australia provides practical information and resources to help wineries improve operational efficiency and build more sustainable businesses. Explore guidance on lean production, energy efficiency and electrification, refrigeration, water and wastewater management, recycling and other opportunities to improve resource use across winery operations.

Improve operational efficiency

Small changes to winery processes can reduce unnecessary activity, resource use and operating costs.

Lean production provides a systematic way to identify and eliminate activities or production steps that do not add value. It can help wineries simplify day-to-day tasks, improve decision-making, reduce expenditure and rethink how existing operations are organised.

Reduce energy use and improve efficiency

Energy is a significant input in winery operations, particularly for refrigeration, pumps, heating, cooling and other processing equipment.

Explore opportunities to understand and reduce energy use, improve equipment and process efficiency, and consider renewable energy and electrification when upgrading or replacing winery infrastructure.

Improve refrigeration efficiency

Refrigeration can account for 50–70% of winery electricity consumption, making it an important opportunity for efficiency improvements.

Wine Australia-funded resources provide guidance and case studies covering refrigeration system operation, plant shutdowns, storage temperatures, night-time cooling and other opportunities to reduce electricity consumption.

Manage water and wastewater

Water use, wastewater treatment and water reuse need to be considered together. Activities in the winery can affect wastewater treatment requirements, while the quality of treated wastewater determines how it can be reused or discharged.

Our resources can help wineries:

• improve processes to reduce wastewater and treatment requirements
• understand wastewater treatment options
• manage wastewater for its intended purpose
• recycle appropriately treated water for vineyard irrigation
• understand other recycled water sources and discharge options.

The Winery Wastewater kit provides practical information, principles, business considerations and operational guidance for wineries and viticulturists.

Reduce waste and use resources more efficiently

Look across winery operations for opportunities to reduce waste, recover or reuse resources, improve material efficiency and make better use of equipment and infrastructure.

Considering energy, water, materials and waste together can help identify opportunities that may be missed when each is managed separately.

Build more sustainable winery operations

Sustainability is broader than any single technology or operational improvement. It means considering how decisions about energy, water, waste, materials, infrastructure and production processes contribute to the long-term environmental and economic sustainability of the winery.

Use Wine Australia’s information and resources to identify practical improvements, assess opportunities and make sustainability part of everyday winery decision-making.