Doing better by the land, the people and the future.
At DMG, sustainability is a responsibility we take seriously across every brand, every site, and every decision.
DMG manages sustainability through a structured, annually reviewed framework applied across all brands and operating sites. Our approach is built around three pillars -environment, people, and responsible packaging – with each brand contributing to group-wide goals through their own site-level action plans. We don’t treat sustainability as a compliance exercise. It is a core part of how we operate, how we invest, and how we measure success. Handpicked Wines leads the way as the first Victorian producer to hold both Sustainable Winegrowing Australia and organic certification – a milestone that reflects years of deliberate, on-the-ground work across our owned vineyard sites.
Handpicked Wines
Our Actions
Across our vineyards and wineries, we are actively reducing our footprint in land, energy, water and waste. At Capella Vineyard in the Mornington Peninsula, Handpicked Wines is trialling cover crop seed blends through an MPVA-funded understory experiment to return carbon to the soil and reduce compaction — with soil organic matter and carbon trended over a five-year monitoring program.
Composted grape marc is returned to the earth to naturally boost soil biology without synthetic inputs, and insectariums are being planted across all sites to promote beneficial predatory insects and reduce the need for chemical intervention. On energy, solar installations are now complete at both Pipers River and Capella wineries, all winery lighting has been converted to LED, diesel tanks are fitted with per-vehicle usage meters, and small engine power tools are being transitioned from two-stroke to battery across the estate.
Waste is managed with equal rigour — all applicable chemical drums are disposed of through the national Drum Muster recycling scheme, and we maintain APCO membership across all packaging and logistics operations with annual reporting and continuous improvement targets.
Our Future
Our sustainability work is ongoing — and intentionally so. Native trees have been planted along the Pipers River corridor, and we are working with NRM on a Landcare grant for dam restoration at Auburn Road vineyard in Tasmania.
Soft plastics recycling is being investigated across vineyard and winery sites, an LPG forklift is being transitioned to electric during vintage operations, and organic management continues to roll out across all Handpicked vineyard sites.
Each July, our Sustainability Action Plan is reviewed, updated and built upon – adding new initiatives, raising existing targets, and ensuring our commitments keep pace with what the land needs from us. The list of actions grows every year, because it has to.
"Sustainability isn't a program with a finish line — it's a direction. Every year, through our brands and our people, we aim to do a little more, measure a little better, and leave the land in a stronger condition than we found it."
- Ben Bussell, Group Viticulturist
