The global wine industry is showing growing interest in sustainability as the impacts of the climate crisis intensify and consumer concerns increase, according to a recent study in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute’s Sustainability Journal. To increase resilience and protect the planet, vintners are introducing more grape varieties more resistant to extreme weather, introducing regenerative agriculture practices, and exploring new packaging alternatives.
“Across the industry, we recognize the imperative of implementing more sustainable production practices to protect wine as we know it,” Maxwell Howland, Enologist at Monterey Wine Company in California, tells Food Tank, “and we are coming together as custodians of the land to figure out a viable path forward.”
Howland says that changes in weather are already affecting the wine industry because the grapes are sensitive to the seasons and the environment. In response, vineyard practices are adapting in different ways. Growers are planting more heat and drought-resistant grape varieties and implementing cover crops in vine rows to decrease soil water loss.
Monterey is also working to reduce its environmental footprint by altering water management practices and adopting alternative packaging. “We push California wine production to zero carbon through treatment and recycling of contaminated wastewater that would otherwise flow to fresh waterways and offer it back to the city for municipal use,” Howland tells Food Tank.
The International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) helps producers with the implement practices to measure and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. To speed up the shift towards a climate-friendly wine industry, IWCA raises awareness about cutting greenhouse gasses in viticulture and hosts workshops to share emission reduction strategies.
“Our main goal is to share best practices that mitigate the impacts climate change has in vineyard and winery operations so that we can act collectively to decarbonize the global wine industry,” Miguel Torres, President of IWCA, tells Food Tank.
Charlotte Hey, Executive Director of IWCA tells Food Tank that the coalition includes 45 wine companies across 11 countries, representing 139 wineries. “Each of these companies has set the ambitious goal of reaching net zero by 2050, and they are concretely leading the charge towards this goal,” Hey says. “IWCA’s members are regularly measuring their GHG emissions, mobilizing their teams to instill a culture of sustainability across their business units, investing in renewable energy, installing new equipment and infrastructure, shifting their agricultural and business practices to reduce their carbon footprint, and much more. This is crucial in mitigating the effects of climate on viti- and viniculture.”
Bonterra Organic Estates, for example, is focusing on regenerative practices to heal the earth while adapting to a changing climate. “We have been long time organic farmers on the vineyards, and became regenerative organic certified with our 2020 harvest,” Jess Baum, Senior Director of Regenerative Impact at Bonterra Organic Estates tells Food Tank, “and we really believe in the power of regenerative agriculture to sequester harmful atmospheric carbon and transform it into helpful slow organic carbon, increasing the fertility of our soil as well as mitigating climate change.”
“IWCA’s members are regularly measuring their GHG emissions, mobilizing their teams to instill a culture of sustainability across their business units, investing in renewable energy, installing new equipment and infrastructure, shifting their agricultural and business practices to reduce their carbon footprint, and much more. This is crucial in mitigating the effects of climate on viti- and viniculture,” Hey continues.
Monterey Wine Co. uses similar zero carbon efforts. “We push California wine production to zero carbon through treatment and recycling of contaminated wastewater that would otherwise flow to fresh waterways and offer it back to the city for municipal use. Most importantly, we are also a U.S. partner of Frugalpak, an alternative recycled paper packaging option which aims to reduce the massive carbon footprint associated with the production and transportation of glass bottles,” Howland tells Food Tank.
And some wineries are moving beyond solely adapting to or mitigating climate change; instead, they’re emphasizing regenerative practices.
“We have been long time organic farmers on the vineyards, and became regenerative organic certified with our 2020 harvest,” Jess Baum, Senior Director of Regenerative Impact at Bonterra Organic Estates tells Food Tank, “and we really believe in the power of regenerative agriculture to sequester harmful atmospheric carbon and transform it into helpful slow organic carbon, increasing the fertility of our soil as well as mitigating climate change.”
At Bonterra Organic Estates, regenerative organic agriculture can be seen in practice diverse cover cropping, bringing sheep on the vineyard to mow for part of the year, applying compost, planting for biodiversity, and using integrated pest management, according to Baum.
Last year, Baum says that their practices helped to ensure they didn’t lose a single vine, even during periods of difficult weather.
“The future of wine is sustainability,” Baum tells Food Tank.
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Photo courtesy of Maksym Kaharlytskyi, Unsplash
