With its proud history as Australia’s oldest familyowned winery, Yalumba is putting the future front and centre with its new collection of organic, sustainably-produced wines, Yalumba GEN

Consisting of three wines currently in the UK market – a Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz (with Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay also being produced) – Yalumba GEN has serious shelf-appeal, an eye-catching brand image reflecting its status as 100% wild fermented, 100% Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certified, and 100% organic certified, meaning the wine is crafted with no chemical fertilisers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in the vineyard or winery.

“Yalumba is a generational wine producer and we can clearly demonstrate our motivation to better ourselves for future generations,” says chief winemaker Louisa Rose, pointing to Yalumba’s impressive track record on sustainability over its 173-year history. “This journey is one of continual improvement for us. Low-intervention winemaking has been and will continue to be at the heart of our sustainability programme as we reduce inputs and our environmental footprint. Sometimes in winemaking the best decision is to do nothing and let nature take its course.”

The sustainable approach to Yalumba GEN is holistic: in the vineyards, soil health and biodiversity are the priority, with native salt bush planted between the rows of vines to enrich the soil, permanent grasses are grown to keep the ground cooler, natural clay is used to provide ‘sunscreen’ for the grapes and a ‘brewed tea’ made from native plants is applied as a pesticide, with such practices also shared by Yalumba’s valued long-term grower partners.

Naturally-occuring yeasts are responsible for the fermentation process, while solar power is utilised for around 20% of the state-ofthe-art winery’s energy requirements, with waste water retained and treated before going into irrigation, and even the organic vineyard waste has a second life, turned into mulch to support the vines.

Sustainable thinking also extends to the production line and well beyond, with the recyclable glass bottle made from around 30% reused material, while lighter-weight glass is used where possible and the goal is to move exclusively to such material over the next year. Even the labels come from postconsumer waste and FSC-certified paper and the cardboard cartons can also be recycled.

Though organic methods are nothing new for Yalumba, which has been making organic wine since 2005, Yalumba GEN’s striking logo is designed to chime with a new generation of wine lover, drawing attention to the organic and sustainable message while also representing an understanding that actions taken today will have far-reaching effects into the future for the planet.

“For every single hectare of vineyard that we own, we preserve or plant one hectare of native vegetation, promoting natural biodiversity, allowing nature to work its magic with minimal intervention,” says Rose. “It’s the assurance that when you choose Yalumba GEN, you choose a better future for generations to come.”