National Vineyard Register Project Update February2026

A Request for Proposal to build the National Vineyard Register was released in late October 2025. A vendor was selected and appointed in late January.

The build project will kick-off in early March 2026 with a discovery and design phase. A core group of volunteer growers will assist with input to the design, while stakeholder groups will be consulted along the way. This phase is expected to be completed by the end of April, with the build to be finished and the platform operational before the end of 2026.

Once the platform is built, we will be able to start populating it with data, demonstrating the benefits for growers and reporting on the data. Building support to the point where we have an accurate and up-to-date picture of the plantings in Australia is expected to take at least two years.

Be inspired – get behind the National Vineyard Register!

The National Vineyard Register has the potential to be a game-changer for the Australian wine sector. With the support of growers, it can provide an accurate, digital foundation dataset of our vineyard locations and plantings by variety, which can then be used for numerous benefits both directly to each vineyard owner and to the broader sector, in terms of increasing productivity, consumer acceptance, access to markets, efficiency and international competitiveness.

As one of the respondents to the consultation process wrote:

“A National Vineyard Registry is essential for the future of our industry. As the saying goes, ‘You can’t act on what you can’t measure.’ For an industry of our maturity, this tool should have been in place long ago – it might have even helped us avoid the critical challenges we face today. Beyond its immediate purpose, an NVR has the potential to deliver numerous unforeseen benefits that will strengthen the industry in ways we have yet to imagine. The need for an NVR is urgent and clear. This initiative is for the collective good of the entire industry, and adopting it reflects the clarity of thought and collaboration required to secure a sustainable and prosperous future. Now is the time to act.”

What do you think?

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions to pass on to the build team, please email [email protected] or contact the Project Manager, Sandy Hathaway directly, at [email protected]. We encourage you to get back to us by Friday 5 December, so that we can incorporate your feedback into our decision-making around the next stage of the project. However, feedback any time after that is also most welcome.