Dr Mary Retallack
Agroecologist, Viticulturist, Educator, Managing Director
Mary is highly regarded in the wine, agroecology and agribusiness sectors and is focused on growing resilience, profitability, and fruit quality by finding tailored, practical, timely and ecologically focused solutions.
Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd (trading as Retallack Ecology) offers a broad range of agribusiness and agroecological consulting services throughout Australia and overseas.
Mary is the founder and manager of the award winning EcoVineyards program which champions practical ecological solutions for a broad range of production systems.
As an experienced agricultural scientist, agroecologist and third-generation viticulturist, Mary brings a wide range of skills and experience from practical, research, teaching, extension, consultancy roles and is recognised internationally as a Chartered Agriculturist (CAg).
These skills have been gathered over the past 30 years along with a PhD in Viticulture and Plant Protection and tertiary qualifications in Conservation and Park Management, Natural Resource Management, Education, Viticulture, and Arbitration. Mary is a recognised leader in the field of functional biodiversity enhancement in agroecosystems.
Her PhD studies focused on the role of native insectary ground cover plants and measurement of their functional biodiversity benefits by assessing the predatory arthropods found in association. She is also an adult education extension specialist.
Mary has published broadly on the topics of native ground cover species and functional biodiversity enhancement in vineyards and given numerous presentations both in Australia and internationally.
Recent examples include keynote WSU Ravenholt Lecturer at Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVE), Richland, USA; Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Marlborough, NZ; 21st GiESCO International Meeting (Group of international Experts for Cooperation on Vitivinicultural Systems) in Thessaloniki Greece; the 42nd Congress of Vine and Wine, International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in Geneva, Switzerland; the 18th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference in Adelaide, South Australia; and the Bragato Research Institute Grape Day.
She is also a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) Viticulture Commission, Enviro and Protec groups, and The Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker Journal Editorial Panel.
Mary’s leadership and excellence in science have been acknowledged through numerous awards including an Australia Day Award for Active Citizenship; inducted on SA Women’s Honour Roll; winner SA Environment Awards (innovation category); Gourmet Traveller WINE Len Evans Award for Leadership; The Australian inaugural list of 100 Green Power Players; Bob Hawke Landcare Award Finalist; RIRDC (now AgriFutures Australia) Rural Women’s Award (national winner); Emerald Grain’s list of 100 Women in Australian Agribusiness; Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame; a Women in Innovation finalist; and as a participant in the National Farmers’ Federation inaugural Diversity in Agriculture Leadership program. Her work has been showcased on the ABC’s Gardening Australia program.
Mary is an ambassador for PIRSA’s Women Influencing Agribusiness and Regions, and Great Wine Capitals Knowledge Exchange initiatives. She is a Stepping into Leadership program and ARLF Drought Resilience Leaders Mentoring Program mentor. She lives on a small vineyard and apple orchard surrounded by native insectary plants in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maryretallack
ORCiD: orcid.org/0000-0003-4442-1408
Australia Day Award for Active Citizenship, 2025
Gardening Australia, Plant to protect, 2024
SA Environment Innovation Award Winner, 2023
Bob Hawke Landcare Award Finalist, 2022
The Australian’s inaugural list of 100 Green Power Players 2022
Gourmet Traveller WINE Len Evans Award for Leadership, 2020
RIRDC (now AgriFutures Australia) Rural Women’s Award, SA and National Winner, 2012
Connecting people through our extensive networks in the Australian wine community
I am interested in unlocking the potential of people within the wine sector
Mary has had numerous roles in the wine and agribusiness communities
Board Positions:
Managing Director / Viticulturist, Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd (2009 - current)
Director, Wine Australia, Chair Remuneration Committee, Member Research, Development and Adoption Committee (2018 - 2021)
Director, Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA), Audit and Risk Committee (2020 - 2021)
Director, Australian Grape and Wine Authority (2015 - 2018)
Non-Executive Director, Australian Wine Research Institute (2015)
Director, Wine Communicators of Australia (2012 - 2013)
Non-Executive Director, Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (2008 - 2011)
Council, editorial, advisory panel and steering groups:
Viticultural Commission, Enviro and Protec Groups, International Organisation of Vine and Wine (2019 to current)
Editorial Panel, The Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker Journal (2012 to current)
Rural Women’s Award Alumni Advisory Panel member, AgriFutures™ Australia (2019 - 2021)
Strategic Investment Council member, Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre (2019 - 2021)
Wine Alumni Steering Group member, The University of Adelaide (2010 - 2020)
Advisory Board Member, Women of the Vine Global Symposium (2014 - 2017)
Ministerial Advisory Council Member, South Australian Wine Industry Council (2013 - 2014)
Advisory Group Member, National Rural Women’s Coalition 'Networking the Networks' (2013 - 2014)
Decision Support Network Inaugural Member, Wine Grape Growers Australia (2012 - 2015)
Adelaide University Wine Alumni Steering Committee (2011)
Scholarships, awards, and grants
Australia Day Award for Active Citizenship, Adelaide Hills Council (2025)
SA Environment Award finalist (conservation science category), Conservation Council SA (2025)
SA Women’s Honour Roll, SA Government, Office for Women (2023)
SA Environment Award winner (innovation category), Conservation Council SA (2023)
National EcoVineyards Program, Wine Australia ($2.2 M) (2022)
The Australian’s inaugural list of 100 Green Power Players, The Australian newspaper (2022)
Bob Hawke Landcare Award Finalist, Landcare Australia (2022)
Regional Showcase Award Finalist, Solstice Media (2022)
South Australian Landcare Awards, Finalist (2022)
Smart Farms Small Grants Round 4, National Landcare Program in conjunction with the WGCSA ($100K) (2021)
Len Evans Award for Leadership, Gourmet Traveller WINE (2020)
Scholarship, Food and Beverage Development Fund (2020)
Smart Farms Small Grants Round 2, National Landcare Program in conjunction with the WGCSA ($200K) (2019)
Great Wine Capitals Knowledge Exchange, PIRSA (2019)
Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program, National Farmers Federation (2018)
Winnovation Award Finalist, Women in Innovation (2018)
Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame, HerBusiness (2017)
Women Influencing Agribusiness and Regions Ambassador, PIRSA (2015)
The Len Evans Tutorial, Len Evans Foundation (2014)
100 Women in Australian Agribusiness, Emerald Grain (2014)
GREENHOUSE 2013: NRM Scholarship, SA Government (2013)
SARDI Women's Suffrage Centenary Bursary, SARDI (2013)
AgriFutures (formally RIRDC) Rural Woman of the Year, South Australia and national winner (2012)
Australian Postgraduate Award, University of Adelaide (2012)
Postgraduate Biodiversity Grant, Adelaide Hills Wine Region (2012)
Australian Rural Leadership Program (Course 15), ARLF (2008)
Wine Industry Future Leaders Program, WFA, WGGA, GWRDC, WBM (2007)
Pathways to Rural Leadership, DAFF (2007)
Phylloxera Board Viticulture Study Tour of France and Spain, GWRDC travel grant (2006)
Elephant Weevil impact and control in vineyards - Stage 1: Literature review, GWRDC grant (2003)
