Mr Macdonald said the Vineyard Identification System would produce a more comprehensive record of vineyard locations throughout NSW and enable a quick and effective response to disease incursions.

"Biosecurity preparedness is a vital component of all our primary industries today, and our valuable wine industry is no exception," Mr Macdonald said.

"By establishing better systems for recording location and size of vineyards in NSW, it enables Government and industry to better prepare for and respond to a serious pest or disease situation."

The NSW DPI and the Rural Lands Protection Boards are working with the NSW Wine Industry Association to help gather information about local vineyards.

The new scheme will be based on existing systems used to identify and trace livestock, based on property identification codes (PICs) and RLPB annual returns of land and stock.

"The PICs provide a unique number for every registered property together with details of the land and contact details for the owner/occupier," Mr Macdonald said.

"Annual RLPB returns provide a means of collecting and collating data about how that land is used for agriculture – in this case for winegrape production."

He said this year's RLPB rate return includes an additional question relating to total area of land planted to grapevines. Returns are currently being sent in.

"If, however, you are a small landholder with winegrapes, and not already paying RLPB rates, a PIC can be obtained for free for a limited time from your local RLPB office," he said.