Chapel Hill is committed to continual improvement of its already significant program of environmental and sustainability projects.

We have recently adopted the Global Reporting Initiative which takes an holistic view of business reporting and encompasses not only financial reporting but embraces environmental, sustainability and social measures.

Emerging as a major impact over the past decade has been the changing global position regarding resources and the impacts of climate change and emissions. As a member of the local community, wine industry and the broader global community Chapel Hill has a responsibility to be aware of the impacts of our actions in relation to our business.

Climate change is influencing the growing conditions in our sensitive grape producing regions resulting in drought, heatwaves, water shortages and compacted vintages. To counteract these influences we must be aware of our environmental impact.

We must pursue environmentally responsible and sustainable practices across all aspects of our business. Initial steps have been taken to develop sustainable viticultural practices in our own vineyards and if proven successful we will work with our grower group to further promote the practices. The initial steps are with bio-dynamics and a focus on resource use, emissions and waste impacts.

Energy consumed has a significant influence on our direct and indirect greenhouse emissions. It is also a major expenditure for the business. Monitoring and reducing our energy consumption will reduce our environmental impact as well as producing significant savings

By nature of our location water is a very limited resource. Unfortunately we are a water hungry business. The quality of our grapes and wine is dependent on our water supply.

The water we use for irrigation of our Chapel Hill Vineyard comes from WBWC. WBWC sources effluent water from Christies Beach waste water treatment plant which stops it being pumped out to sea.

We are also working on improving bore water quality with a Hydrosmart system and increasing rain water catchment and holding capacity. All water outputs are now metered and winery waste water runs through a series of reedbeds to purify the water which is then re-used to irrigate our vineyards.

Reducing chemical inputs etc will result in better quality water

Total weight of waste is recorded by type and disposal method. Marc is composted to vineyard.

We are also aware we must encourage biodiversity which involves management of land adjacent to protected areas and strategies to manage impacts on biodiversity, ie salt and introduction of pests (flora & fauna) to ensure healthy production of quality grapes for our wines.

A new project at our Kangarilla vineyard has included revegetation of a creek line with native species which at the same time creates a wildlife corridor.

Overall we attempting to introduce a culture of understanding and care with the environment and look for long term sustainable practices that will at the same time bring measurable improvements to the quality of the wines we produce and soils we manage.

Chapel Hill Winery and the Environment Awards

• Chapel Hill Winery is entirely in the Hills Face Zone and in 1990 briefed environmental consultants to advise re development in this sensitive rural preserve. We obtained planning approval from the Minister for Environment and Planning in 1991 and built the winery in 1993.
• In 1994 the winery received a commendation for '…a development sensitive to the environment in the Hills Face Zone'.
• In 2003 we obtained planning approval to build the Retreat, a residential cooking school and conference facility. Set into the hillside, constructed of stone in browns and greys, using recycled materials, the Retreat construction is cognisant of minimising its impact on its vineyard environs.
• In 2005 the company received a merit award in the Nature Foundations Environment Award. Download a copy of our entry.
• In October 2005, Chapel Hill was recognised by the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association for dedication to the environment with 2 new awards…
  • The first — Recognition of Wine Industry Environmental Innovation in recognition of Wine Industry Environmental Innovation in the McLaren Vale Wine Region and
  • The second — The Winery and Environment Award for demonstrating Environmental Best Practice in winery wastewater management in the McLaren Vale wine industry

For more information on the construction and operation of The Retreat with respect to its impact on the environment visit the winery environment page .