The Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council (LCGWC) are pleased to announce an exciting project taking place the Limestone Coast Wine Zone. The LCGWC are calling for applications to their ‘Soil Stewardship’ program, a year long program that will take participants on several regional study tours and assist in the development of highly skilled grape and wine industry leaders.

The LCGWC Chairman, Mr Brendan Provis, said, “This project will give 4 members of our viticulture and winemaking community a unique opportunity to study soil related issues in other parts of Australia, and evaluate how those learnings can benefit our own soil environment.”

Dr Mardi Longbottom, AWRI Senior Viticulturist and recipient of the 2012 Limestone Coast Sustainability Leaders Award said, “The aim of this program is to build the capacity and expertise of the group which will support adaptation and sustainability in the Limestone Coast. It is a fantastic opportunity for the leaders of the region to experience innovation in practice in other regions and in other industries.”

“The Limestone Coast has a wealth of talent and resources in its people. This program will assist them to take their skills to the next level,” Dr Longbottom said.

The Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council Technical Sub Committee is the peak research body for the Limestone Coast Zone. The main endeavour of this group is to facilitate the growth of technical knowledge in viticulture and winemaking. The Soil Stewardship program will support a group of passionate individuals to travel to Western Australia, Adelaide, the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek to experience innovative soil management practices with the potential to benefit the Limestone Coast. The group will also participate in leadership activities which will assist with the adoption of the learnings in the Limestone Coast.

The LCGWC ‘Soil Leaders’ program is available to 4 people in the Limestone Coast grape and wine community. The program is being funded through the generous support of the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation Regional program.

For further information contact Ulrich Grey-Smith on 0429 499 355 or email: tech3@limestonecoastwine.com.au