Acknowledgement of Country 19 Jan, 2021
More Australian producers are working to acknowledge the traditional Indigenous owners of their sites on wine labels. But opinion is divided on whether this is the way forward.
Acknowledgement of Country can be given by anyone and recognises the traditional Aboriginal owners and ongoing custodians of the land. Since being adopted at government events in the early 2000s, these official acknowledgements have gained a growing acceptance in the wider community, with wine producers among those warming to its use.
There is a connection, if not a compatibility, between the act and an industry that depends on farming, tradition and history to sustain it. That relationship is a deep and resonating force in the vineyard throughout the year, culminating with harvest.