Sustainable Wine

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Member Interview podcast Toby Webb talks with Dom de Ville, director of sustainability and social impact at The Wine Society.

The Wine Society recently published a carbon footprint report. In this podcast Dom gives a breakdown of the Society's carbon footprint calculations, their reduction targets, and how the Society is planning to achieve these. Toby and Dom discuss the importance of bottle weight reduction, the potential of insetting, the ambition of becoming nature-positive, and more.

This is a recording of a panel session from the SWR Global Conference Series 2023 "How to turn climate mitigation and adaptation into business opportunity"  conference from 1st February 2023.

Alternative packaging formats and social acceptance

Alternative packaging is a broad spectrum for consumers. Some of it is really appealing, whilst some looks straight out of the 1970s. Design will be key in driving consumer demand but so will ‘choice editing’ and preferential shelf space by retailers, along with other consumer marketing efforts. So what are the latest numbers on sales, and how do/will sales scale and impacts (recycling) be tackled?

Speakers:

• Barry Dick, BWS Global Bulk Wine Sourcing Manager, Waitrose & Partners

Moderator: Joe Fattorini, Marketing Consultant

This is a recording of a panel session from the SWR Global Conference Series 2023 "How to turn climate mitigation and adaptation into business opportunity"  conference from 1st February 2023.

Bottle weight reduction

Bottle weight reduction is happening, but not nearly fast enough. So how are groups such as SWR accelerating the process? What are some timescales and upcoming requirements from retailers? How can change be supported across the value chain? How will reduction plans be best aligned with alternative packaging approaches?

Speakers:

• Nick Kirk, Technical Director, British Glass

Moderator: Dr. Peter Stanbury, Research Director, Sustainable Wine Roundtable

This is a recording of a panel session from the SWR Global Conference Series 2023 "How to turn climate mitigation and adaptation into business opportunity"  conference from 1st February 2023.

So you understand the need to tackle emissions: How do you get started?

Climate strategies must be part of a holistic sustainability strategy, which is more than a few web pages featuring babydoll sheep, alternative packaging pilots and diversity initiatives. Starting with climate change is a good way into broader sustainability strategies. So how can you learn from wine businesses trying to lead in the space. Specifically:

• What are the tools and off the shelf approaches that help you set a baseline?

Speakers:

• Julien Gervreau, Founding Board Member, International Wineries for Climate Action

Moderator: Dr. Peter Stanbury, Research Director, Sustainable Wine Roundtable

This is a recording of a panel session from the SWR Global Conference Series 2023 "How to turn climate mitigation and adaptation into business opportunity"  conference from 1st February 2023.

Strategy in action: Real life examples of climate innovation creating business opportunity

The science and impacts of climate change are clear, and do not need debating here. What we do need to urgently consider is how wine businesses can turn mitigation and adaptation into opportunity. In this session, we’ll discuss:

• Is there too much doom and gloom? Do we need to change the climate narrative in wine?

Speakers:

• Kim Forsberg, Sustainability Manager, Vingruppen

Moderator: Toby Webb, Executive Director, Sustainable Wine Roundtable

In this Sustainable Wine podcast Toby Webb sits down with Franck Bijon, president of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc.

Located in the Médoc in Bordeaux, France, around 250 châteaux are part of the classification, with most of them family-owned. Looking ahead to the future of sustainable wine in the region, Franck shares the sustainability targets of the classification. They discuss labor issues, organic viticulture, QR codes on wine bottles, consumer engagement, and more.

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Member Interview podcast Hanna Halmari  talks with Magdalena Pesce, general manager at Wines of Argentina. 

They discuss the biggest sustainability challenges and opportunities in the country, and how Wines of Argentina is helping wineries navigate the changing landscape. They also highlight the important work of the Women of Argentina Platform. Magdalena shares how the organization is working to advance equal opportunities and strengthen the role of women in the sector.

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) Member Interview podcast Hanna Halmari talks with Marie Fourure, CSR manager at Famille Perrin, a leading organic wine grower in the Southern Rhône Valley in France.

They discuss the family's global sustainability strategy, how climate change is affecting the their vineyards and wine making processes, the renovation work taking place at Château de Beaucastel, and more.

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable podcast Tom Owtram speaks with David Gates, Senior VP of Vineyard Operations at Ridge Vineyards in California.

Ridge Vineyards is the largest grower of organically certified grapes in Sonoma County and in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. David shares an overview of the winery's farming philosophy and why they decided to transition to organic farming in 2008. They discuss the key challenges in the conversion, the impact of climate change in the vineyards, and how Ridge is adapting to a warming climate.

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable podcast Tom Owtram speaks with Randall Grahm, winemaker and founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard in California. Grahm has recently purchased a vineyard site in San Juan Bautista, which he calls Popelouchum, (the Mutsun word for “paradise").

Randall shares his journey in wine and how he began working with the Rhône varieties that he helped make so popular in California. They discuss Randall's philosophy in the vineyard, his definition of sustainability in the vineyard, and more.