The art of wine making is well known for requiring great skill with wine connoisseurs judging every aspect of the wine from appearance to flavour. Increasingly wine lovers are considering another characteristic – whether the wine was produced sustainably with minimal environmental impacts.
Being dependent on the natural environment to create a good quality product, the wine industry is recognising the importance of implementing sustainable practices. Combined with consumer demand for environmentally friendly products and recognition that green business practices can result in cost saving and operational efficiency and the argument for wineries to implement green business practices is a strong one.
Of particular importance to wine makers is ensuring the land used for grape growing is managed sustainably. Reducing the use of chemicals on the land and avoiding over irrigation improves the long term viability of the land in turn increasing its market value. Often cost savings are realised through the reduced use of pesticides, herbicides and water. Further cost savings can be realised in the wine making process through capturing, treating and reusing water and using organic waste as fertiliser for vines.
The packaging and transport of wines is an area of considerable cost to the industry and has a significant impact on the environment. Innovations in wine packaging has led to the use of both thinner glass bottles and plastic bottles for everyday wines designed to be consumed in the short term rather than being cellared for years. A United States company, Envino, is producing plastic wine bottles which weigh less and take up less space than traditional glass bottles reducing the environmental impacts of transportation. A number of wineries are trying out these innovations, particularly with commercial clients such as restaurants, to gage the acceptance of these new forms of packaging.
Along with the spread of sustainable viticulture, some wineries are also looking at green construction to reduce their environmental footprint. From straw bale construction to the use of local recycled materials, many wine makers are to varying degrees making their new construction green with a number of wineries now certified under the US Green Building Council’s LEED program. These new buildings are designed with energy efficiency in mind and use renewable energy technologies such as solar panels to meet energy needs. This year it was a winery that took out the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Awards in the small to medium business category. Yealands Estate in Marlborough which is also certified as carbon neutral was noted for its installation of solar panels, insulated tanks and wind-powered electricity generators.
There are an extensive range of practices a winery can implement to reduce its environmental footprint. Aside from potential cost savings, wineries that look to go green now are better placed to meet the increased consumer demand for green products and may avoid future regulatory problems from increasing controls placed on the use of natural resources.
Related posts:
