Carbon Shiraz

Carbon Shiraz is a soil carbon sequestration project developed by Temple Bruer Wines Pty Ltd, a prominent organic winery in South Australia. The project is an aggregated undertaking situated across three distinct viticultural regions: Langhorne Creek (approximately 50km southeast of Adelaide), Eden Valley (near Angaston in the Barossa region), and the Riverland (near Loxton and Moorook). Registered in August 2022, the project covers approximately 125 hectares of vineyard land.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits landholders for increasing soil organic carbon stocks through changes in land management. Standard requirements for this method involve establishing a baseline of soil carbon through testing and then implementing "new or materially different" activities to sequester more carbon over time. For Carbon Shiraz, specific activities include the application of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, the use of gypsum to manage sodic soils, and the rejuvenation of pastures. In a viticultural context, "pasture cropping" typically refers to the management of mid-row cover crops (such as legumes or cereals) between vines to improve soil structure and biomass.

Given the geographic spread of the project, the environmental conditions vary significantly. The Riverland sites are located in a semi-arid zone characterized by low rainfall and sandy loam soils over limestone, relying heavily on irrigation. In contrast, the Langhorne Creek site sits on alluvial sandy loams associated with the Bremer River floodplain, while the Eden Valley location experiences a cooler climate with higher rainfall and rocky, sandy soils. Temple Bruer is well-known for its certified organic and carbon-neutral practices, and this project appears to be a formalization of their regenerative farming efforts to enhance soil health within their vineyards.