Congratulations to Wirra Wirra Viticulturist Anton Groffen who has been named the winner of the inaugural Vinehealth Australia Biosecurity Champion Award.
Judged by Sam Scarratt (Vinehealth Australia), Suzanne McLoughlin (AWRI) and Robyn Dixon (Wine Australia), entries were assessed on biosecurity and farm-gate hygiene knowledge and activities across multiple categories, including pest and disease management and prevention.
“We were impressed by Anton’s comprehensive biosecurity activities to keep Wirra Wirra vineyards safe from pest, disease and weed threats,” Sam said.
“Congratulations on a very well-rounded application which demonstrated the integration of biosecurity practices into daily operations. Anton is a worthy winner and a leader in biosecurity, especially in consumer-facing biosecurity management.
“Overall, Wirra Wirra’s biosecurity practices are robust, well-aligned with industry standards, and present opportunities for enhanced scalability and innovation.”
Wirra Wirra is a leader in biosecurity in the McLaren Vale region. A viewing ‘jetty’ was built more than 15 years ago to allow visitors to view vineyards without touching the soil. There are two gates to the jetty: the first is public access and allows visitors to view the vines. The second enables access to the vineyard for VIP tours and staff, which has a locked gate.
“There is no access to the vineyards from the public-facing side of Wirra Wirra,” Anton said. “And the vineyard is fenced and gated along the main road.”
Biosecurity signage is in place at the jetty and at the back entrance to the winery, to remind people not to enter the vineyard.
The company is committed to only planting on rootstock, and sources material from accredited vine nurseries.
A rigorous staff training program is in place at Wirra Wirra. With vineyard staff, training covers why biosecurity is important, machinery and equipment cleaning and movement, and record keeping for cleaning and sanitation. Cellar doors staff are trained in biosecurity basics, why the jetty is important, and why visitors should not enter the vineyard.
Contractor training includes an induction for Onside, Wirra Wirra’s visitor tracing app, as well as questions about interstate and international travel and the need for sanitation record keeping. All Wirra Wirra’s McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills vineyards are also geofenced to assist with visitor tracking.
“We survey visitors at all our sites before they go into the vineyard to ensure they haven’t been interstate and that they have clean shoes. If they have been interstate, we put them through a chlorine footbath for 60 seconds,” Anton said.
“At all of our vineyards, whether at Wirra Wirra, Ashton Hills or remote sites, we have signage on gates that includes the Onside QR code for visitors to scan.”
The vineyard team conducts regular pest and disease morning every two to three weeks during the growing season, with notes taken to ensure any problems are followed up.
“This is just a taste of Wirra Wirra’s comprehensive biosecurity program, and we’re thrilled that Anton has won the inaugural Biosecurity Champion Award,” Sam said.
“We thank the other entrants for their outstanding applications, and we encourage members of the South Australia grape and wine community to enter in 2025!”
