If I sell a small batch directly to a customer without formal records, do I still need LIP documentation?

Yes. Every supply of wine goods, regardless of volume or buyer type, requires a documented record created within three days. A direct sale to a consumer or local restaurant still requires your record to include the buyer's identity, date, product description, volume, and vintage/variety/GI details. The law makes no exception for small or informal sales.

Can I use email exchanges or WhatsApp messages as my LIP records?

Email and messages can support your records if they capture all required information and are retained for seven years in an auditable format. However, Wine Australia recommends formal documentation: purchase orders, delivery dockets, production logs, and stock registers. Informal communication alone is insufficient if an audit is conducted. Create a formal written record as primary documentation, and use emails as supporting evidence.

What happens if I discover a mistake in my vintage or variety claim after wine has been bottled and sold?

Contact Wine Australia immediately. If you made a claim that cannot be supported by your records, your options are limited: relabel the product with a corrected claim (if possible), withdraw the product from the market, or report the error to Wine Australia and the relevant authority in any export market. Attempting to hide a labelling error makes the situation far worse and exposes you to fraud charges. Wine Australia's approach is educational; disclosing errors demonstrates responsible stewardship.

Compliance17 June 2026·9 min read

Understanding the Wine Australia Label Integrity Program: The Winemaker's Essential Compliance Guide

The Label Integrity Program (LIP) is a cornerstone compliance obligation for every Australian winery, requiring rigorous record-keeping and audit readiness for vintage, variety, and origin claims on wine labels.

Cepaos Team · Wine compliance

In short

Seven-year record retention: Keep all supply, receipt, and production documentation for seven years in an auditable format.
Timing matters: Create records within three days of any transaction, transfer, or winemaking process step.
Claim verification: Every vintage, variety, and geographical indication claim on your label must be supported by documented evidence tracing back to the vineyard.
Audit expectation: Wine Australia can select your winery for remote or in-person LIP audit at any time; auditors will examine supply records, receipt documentation, and production logs.

1What Is the Label Integrity Program and Why It Exists

The Label Integrity Program operates under Part VIA of the Wine Australia Act 2013. Its single purpose is to protect and strengthen the reputation of Australian wine by ensuring that every statement about vintage, variety, and geographical indication on a wine label is truthful and can be verified.

Australian wine commands premium pricing worldwide because buyers trust the accuracy of label claims. The LIP enforces that trust through mandatory record-keeping and audit authority. When a customer buys a bottle claiming 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, Wine Australia's inspectors can require your winery to prove it, following an auditable trail from the vineyard through blending, production, and bottling.

This is not optional compliance. Every party in the wine supply chain, growers to distributors, bears the same obligation. If you make a claim on your label, you must be able to document it.

2Your Record-Keeping Obligations: The Core Requirement

The LIP imposes three types of essential records on every winery.

Supply records. When you release wine goods to a customer, distributor, or another winery, your written record must capture the recipient's identity, the date of supply, the product type, the quantity, and critically, the vintage, variety, and geographical indication of the wine shipped. This record must be created within three days of supply.

Receipt records. When you receive wine goods from a supplier or grower, document the sender's identity, transaction date, product type, quantity received, and the vintage, variety, and GI claimed by the sender. Again, three-day creation window, seven-year retention.

Production records. Every winemaking step that affects label claims must be documented: transfers between vessels, amelioration steps, racking, filtration, blending, additions, and volume changes. Record the vessel identification, the date, what was done, and any composition modification. If you blend a 2021 wine with 2020 fruit, your records must show the proportions and dates.

Wine Australia provides templates and guidance documents to help standardise your record-keeping, and several commercial software platforms support LIP compliance. Records must be maintained in a form that allows an auditor to trace a wine product back to its source vineyard and forward to its customer.

3The Audit Process and What Inspectors Look For

You may be selected for a Label Integrity audit at any time. Wine Australia appoints and authorises inspectors to carry out audits under section 39ZA of the Wine Australia Act 2013. The inspection may be conducted remotely or in person, and auditors have the authority to collect samples or request samples be mailed to them.

What auditors examine:

Supply documentation: Does each shipment record identify the buyer, date, product, volume, and vintage/variety/GI?
Receipt records: Do you have proof of purchase or supply agreement for every wine lot received?
Production logs: Can you trace every blending decision, processing step, and vessel transfer?
Labelling accuracy: Do the vintage, variety, and GI claims on your finished bottles match your production records?

Auditors also verify compliance with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, including maximum residue limits (pesticides, additives), and check for any technical trade barrier exposure in your records.

The LIP operates on documented proofThe inspection authority is strict: if your records are incomplete, inconsistent, or missing, you will be non-compliant, regardless of whether the actual wine is truthful. The LIP operates on documented proof, not good intent.

4Geographical Indication Claims: Special Rules and Requirements

A geographical indication (GI) is a registered name identifying where wine grapes were grown. Only wine made from grapes grown within the defined GI boundary can use that GI label claim.

If you wish to label wine with an Australian GI (such as Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Hunter Valley, Adelaide Hills, or any of the 140-plus registered Australian GIs), you must:

Source at least 85 percent of the fruit from within that GI boundary (if claiming a single variety within a GI).
Maintain receiving records proving the origin and identity of all fruit delivered to your winery.
Retain proof of the suppliers' vineyard locations and harvest dates.
Document any blending that involves fruit from multiple GIs (noting the proportions and sources).

Wine Australia enforces GI claims through LIP audits. When auditors select your winery for inspection, proving GI compliance is a core focus. If you claim Margaret River Chardonnay but cannot document the vineyard source of the grapes, the wine cannot be exported and may be withdrawn from the domestic market.

5Penalties and Enforcement Consequences

Non-compliance with the Label Integrity Program carries severe consequences.

Criminal liability: Offences under the LIP include failing to keep a required record, knowingly making a false or misleading record, making a label claim unsupported by records, or refusing to provide a copy of records when supplying wine goods. Penalties are up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to 120 penalty units (currently approximately AUD 18,240 as of 2026), or both.

Commercial enforcement: Beyond criminal prosecution, Wine Australia can:

Suspend or cancel your export licence.
Require you to relabel and restock affected products.
Prevent the export or sale of your wine goods until claims are substantiated.
Issue public notices of non-compliance, damaging your market reputation.

Non-compliance is treated seriouslyThe regulatory approach emphasizes prevention and guidance, but non-compliance is treated seriously. A winery found to have fabricated vintage or variety claims faces not only fines and imprisonment but also export prohibition, loss of market access, and reputational damage that can be irreversible.

6Practical Compliance Strategy for Your Winery

Implement clear systems. Designate a compliance officer or warehouse manager responsible for creating and maintaining LIP records. Use a documented process checklist for every transaction: receiving, blending, bottling, and shipping.

Choose software or templates wisely. Wine Australia publishes compliant templates on its website at wineaustralia.com/labelling/label-integrity-program/records. Several commercial winemaking software platforms (such as Vintrace) have built-in LIP functionality that automates record creation and retention.

Set a three-day reminder cycle. Records must be written within three days of a transaction. Set a standing calendar reminder or system flag to ensure no receipt, supply, or production step is missed.

Verify every label claim before printing. Before you submit a design for label approval or printing, cross-check the vintage, variety, and GI claims against your production records. If a claim cannot be documented, remove it or revise it to match what you can prove.

Retain all documentation beyond seven years if possible. The law requires seven years, but older records can be invaluable if a question arises about fruit sourcing or blending history. Consider archival storage for records beyond the mandatory retention period.

Prepare for auditOrganise your records in chronological order by transaction type (supply, receipt, production). If contacted for an audit, respond promptly and make records available without delay. Cooperation with auditors demonstrates good faith and transparency.

Keep reading

GuideGeographical Indication claims, sortedHow to document the vineyard source and proportions behind every Australian GI label claim.GuidePreparing for a Wine Australia auditWhat inspectors look for across supply, receipt, and production records, and how to be ready.

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