Organic wine in Australia
To label wine as "certified organic" in Australia, your vineyard and winery must be certified by an approved certifying organisation (ACO, NASAA, etc.) under the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce. The certification process requires detailed records of all inputs, processes, and traceability from vine to bottle.
What certifiers need
During annual audits, your certifier will request:
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Input register | All chemicals, fertilisers, and processing aids used |
| Spray diary | Application records with products, rates, and dates |
| Cellar book | All winery operations and additives |
| Traceability records | Vine to bottle chain for every lot |
| Purchase records | Proof that inputs are approved organic products |
| Harvest records | Tonnes received, segregation from conventional fruit |
Cepaos maintains all of these records digitally and exports them in auditor-friendly formats.
Step by step
1. Configure organic status
Go to Settings > Certifications > Organic. Enter:
- Certifying body: ACO, NASAA, OFC, or other.
- Certificate number: your organic certification ID.
- Certification date and expiry date.
- Scope: which vineyard blocks and winery operations are certified.
2. Tag vineyard blocks
In Vineyard > Blocks, mark each certified block as "Organic" or "In Conversion". This tag flows through to all harvest records and cellar book entries from that block.
3. Maintain the input register
From Settings > Chemicals, ensure every product in your register has the correct category:
- Organic-approved: listed by your certifier (e.g., copper, sulfur, approved biological agents).
- Restricted: allowed under specific conditions with certifier approval.
- Prohibited: conventional products not allowed on certified blocks.
When you log a spray diary entry, Cepaos warns if you select a prohibited product for an organic-certified block.
4. Log processing aids in the cellar
When adding inputs during winemaking (fining agents, SO2, etc.), Cepaos checks each product against the approved list:
- Green: approved for organic winemaking.
- Yellow: restricted (requires documentation of necessity).
- Red: prohibited (will break organic certification if used).
Each addition is recorded in the cellar book with the product name, batch number, and quantity.
5. Maintain segregation records
If your winery processes both organic and conventional fruit, Cepaos helps maintain segregation:
- Tag vessels as "Organic Only" or "Conventional".
- The system warns if you attempt to transfer organic wine into a vessel that last held conventional wine (without documented cleaning).
- Parallel processing records are maintained for audit.
6. Generate audit pack
Before your annual audit, go to Compliance > Organic > Audit Pack. Cepaos generates a comprehensive document set:
- Input register: all chemicals and processing aids used on certified blocks and lots.
- Spray diary extract: filtered to organic-certified blocks only.
- Cellar book extract: all operations on organic-tagged lots.
- Traceability report: vine to bottle for every organic lot.
- Non-conformance log: any instances where a restricted or prohibited input was flagged.
- Harvest segregation records: proof that organic fruit was kept separate.
Export as a single PDF bundle or as individual documents.
Alerts
Cepaos generates automatic alerts for:
- Certification expiry: 60 and 30 days before your organic certificate expires.
- Prohibited input: immediate alert if a prohibited product is logged against a certified block.
- Conversion period: reminder when an "In Conversion" block reaches its required conversion period (typically 3 years).
- Audit due date: reminder to prepare the audit pack.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cepaos support biodynamic certification?
Yes. The workflow is similar. Tag blocks as "Biodynamic" and configure the approved input list according to your certifier's standards (e.g., Demeter).
What if I lose organic status on a block?
Update the block status in Cepaos. All future records from that block will be tagged as conventional. Historical records retain their original organic tag for traceability.
Can I track organic certification for purchased fruit?
Yes. When registering a third-party block, enter the grower's organic certificate number. Cepaos includes this in the traceability chain.
Is the audit pack accepted by all Australian certifiers?
The audit pack contains all the information required by the National Standard. Format preferences may vary by certifier, so check with your certifying body.