The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

Well, where do we start with this? Aveline and other ‘clean’ and ‘natural’ wines serve to raise the blood pressure of various wine experts like almost no other issues. But natural marketing is an old game, and so shouldn’t the wine industry just live with it, and focus on the best ways to do real, meaningful communications about wine, its provenance and impacts? Our panelists discuss.

Speakers:

• Richard Bampfield MW

Moderator:

• Erica Duecy, chief content officer, Emetry

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

This session takes a look at how three different wine producers are tackling protecting and enhancing biodiversity. Our panelists discuss their approaches to encouraging and promoting biodiversity in their vineyards, how to collaborate effectively with partners to make progress happen and how to measure it, the value of certification in encouraging biodiversity (Haute Valeur Environmentale, for example), and more.

Speakers:

• Belén Iacono, chief agronomist, Adrianna Vineyard, Catena Zapata

Moderator:

• Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

So what should a circular economy approach in a sustainable winery look like? How do you define circular and what does it look like in practice? Some wineries are capturing Co2 from fermentation and turning it into potassium bicarbonate. This is an important innovation, but what else constitutes circular approaches in the vineyard? Florence Cathiard and Fabien Teitgen from Smith Haut Lafitte discuss.

Speakers:

Florence Cathiard, president, Smith Haut Lafitte

Fabien Teitgen, winemaker, Smith Haut Lafitte

Moderator:

• Anna Chilton, wine and sustainable supply chains expert

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

Bubbles and silos exist everywhere in business. Ask a palm oil expert about cotton, and they most likely won’t know much. Wine is no exception and much can be learned from other industries. Many of these have been heavily exposed to negative campaigning, consumer pressure, and legal and regulatory pressures, often as a result. So which lessons can the wine sector learn about sustainability from other industries? Our panel of non wine but very much sustainability experts, debate.

Speakers:

•  Dr. Simon Lord, independent palm oil and sustainability expert

Moderator:

• Ian Welsh, editorial director, Innovation Forum

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

In this plenary session our panelists discuss what big wine producers can do to have a material impact on climate change beyond the significant task of bottle weight reduction. Is the biggest and most urgent climate issue in the sector helping grape growers cope? Or is it changing how packaging works for retailers and pushing for better recycling and circular economy approaches? 

Speakers:

Adrian Bridge, CEO, Taylors Port & Fladgate Partnership, Porto Protocol

Miguel A. Torres, 4th generation and President Familia Torres

Joanna Griffiths, global food community director, BSI

Moderator:

• Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

Regenerative agriculture is all the rage across a wide variety of different crops, but what actually is it? With no common definition, many say it simply re-badges sustainable agriculture with a new, trendier name. However, proponents argue its primary focus on soil health focuses efforts on what is below ground, and that has major benefits for both carbon fixation, soil health, yield and ultimately all aspects of grape farming sustainability. Our panelists discuss how they define regenerative agriculture, whether it should replace other approaches (organic, biodynamic, etc.), what results they have seen so far from it, and more.

Speakers:

Neil Collins, winemaker and vineyard manager, Tablas Creek

Franco Costantini, managing director, Control Union UK

Gabriel Bloise, winemaker, Chakana Winery, Mendoza, Argentina

Facundo Bonamaizon, agronomist, Chakana Winery, Mendoza, Argentina

Moderator:

• Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

Sustainablewine.co.uk has interviewed more than a hundred winemakers in the last five years. All of them say climate change has, at the very least, increased weather volatility in vineyards. This is well known to be dangerous for quality of harvests, yields and indeed economic viability for smaller vineyards. Technology can, and is, playing an increasing role in climate change adaptation, with more and more data, tools and early warning systems available. In this breakout session our panelists talk about their approaches to sustainability and climate change. 

Speakers:

Marta Terrado, science communication specialist & postdoc researcher at the Earth Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center

Joan Esteve Julià, director, Celler Raimat (Catalonia, Spain)

Albert Hereu, general manager, Catalan Cork Institute Foundation

Moderator:

• Miquel Ros, independent consultant and writer

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

In this breakout session Elena Carretero Gomez, corporate affairs and sustainability director at Vina Santa Rita, discusses how large and small wine businesses can get better at community engagement and youth empowerment, vitally important issues in the communities surrounding wine businesses. Elena shares the initiatives at Vina Santa Rita, how these work, what they cost, and the business and social benefits.

Speakers:

Elena Carretero Gomez, corporate affairs and sustainability director, Vina Santa Rita

Moderator:

• Anna Chilton, wine and sustainable supply chains expert

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

Low carbon innovation can help wine businesses reach and keep loyal, a whole new group of customers. Similarly a technology enabled business that features and promotes sustainable producers at low cost can prove both economically and socially/environmentally viable. In this session two entrepreneurs with disruptive business models discuss the future of wine delivery, in an interactive dialogue, with audience participation.

Speakers:

Anton Mann, owner, Xisto Wines

Richard Ellison, founder and buyer, Wanderlust Wine

Moderator:

• Richard Bampfield MW

The Future of Wine Forum, 26-27 November 2020

Are social issues in the vineyard an “Elephant in the room” for the wine industry? Well not so much any more given recent news, from modern slavery in Europe to labour challenges in South Africa and across Italy. In this session our panelists discuss how a wine business can consider supply chain social issues, from grape pickers to other vineyard workers, to contract labour and other areas.

Speakers:

• Anna Chilton, wine and sustainable supply chains expert

Moderator:

• Toby Webb, co-founder, Sustainable Wine