Started in 2011, the De Bortoli Method is a circular approach to sustainability as it takes a waste product and recycles it for reuse.

The De Bortoli Method aims to significantly reuse the chemicals used to clean winery tanks and machinery, while improving wastewater and soil quality at De Bortoli’s wastewater farm. It uses a form of electrolysis to recover potassium from spent winery wash-water to produce a potassium hydroxide (KOH) cleaning solution. As a result in 2016, De Bortoli wines was recognised by the Department of Environment and Heritage as a Platinum project holder, being the first company to be recognised for this achievement.

Ongoing research is underway to produce a commercial unit for De Bortoli Wines. The ultimate goal for De Bortoli Wines is to be a ‘Zero Waste Winery’, which the business has been working towards over the past 15 years, through wise water management, energy efficiency and improved waste management.