Better Than Organic: Sustainability and Wine

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No matter how much people make fun of Millennials and Generation Z, they’ve been handed a pretty raw deal for several reasons. For one, both age-groups are entering the world during the worst recession (coined the Great Recession) since World War II and secondly, there is now reliable evidence that the conditions of life-as-we-know-it on Earth will continue to get worse over the next 30 years due to climate change. As these heavy realities hang over the heads of our future generations, they (we) can choose to do one of two things:

1. Blue Pill: Put our Beats by Dre on, say “Ffff you!” and ignore the problem until we can’t…
2. Red Pill: Realize the only way to create sea change is by voting (in mass) with our time and money…

Those of us who’ve accepted this (the red pill), think a lot differently about how we spend time and money. Where older generations would expend gas to travel miles in order to shop at the discount store Costco and ogle at discounts splashed in yellow highlighter, the new shopper questions the source and cares a lot more about where their money goes (if they spend it at all). Even if we can barely afford it, we’re shopping at local markets, seeking out organic foods, and paying attention to excess waste in our lives. This brings us to the topic of wine…

How does one support sustainability in wine?

There are a myriad (read: hot mess) of certifications in wine. In an attempt to make sense of sustainability in wine, here is a guide to some of the most commonly used wine certifications and what they mean.

The Basics: Organic

USDA Organic

Wines are made with organically grown grapes, all additives (fining agents, yeast, etc) are organic, no GMO’s (or other prohibited ingredients) are allowed including sulfur additions (sulfites). Despite how good this all sounds, there aren’t that many US organic certified wines due to the fact that sulfur is, at the moment, the best available natural preservative for wine. Because of this, you’ll find that most USDA Organic wines have a much shorter shelf life and aren’t meant to age. So, if you buy USDA Organic wine, store them in your fridge/chiller (both reds and whites) and don’t be surprised if they don’t cellar well.

READ UP: The real deal about sulfites in wine (they’re not as bad as most people think)

“Made with Organic Grapes”

The next step away from USDA Organic is much closer to the European organic certification. Wines made with organic grapes also have organic additives (fining agents, yeast, etc) and are also non-GMO’s. The one caveat to this certification is that wines are permitted to have up to 100 ppm sulfites. Because of this caveat you’ll find “made with organic grapes” to be more popular with forward-thinking quality wine brands. Just so you know, this level of US organic wine is not allowed the USDA Organic seal, so you’ll need to seek out the words “Made with organic grapes” or “Made with organically grown grapes” on the label.

EU Organic

Since the 2012 vintage, the EU has implemented defining regulations for organic wine (prior to 2012, wines were labeled only with “wine made from organic grapes”). The new EU organic certification means wines are made with organically grown grapes, all additives (fining agents, yeast, etc.) are organic, and no GMO’s (or other prohibited ingredients) are allowed. Sulfur additions are limited to 100 ppm in red wines and 150 ppm in white/rosé wines (with a 30mg/l differential where the residual sugar content is more than 2 g/L).

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Beyond Organics: Sustainable Wine

Beyond organics is where sustainability comes into play with resource management in terms water and energy efficiency in the vineyard and winery. Sustainability will grow in importance in people’s minds as climate change continues to become a reality. Of course defining sustainability is a bit complicated because of the unique environmental stresses of different wine regions. This is why you’ll see a myriad of different sustainability certification programs. Here are some of the most common sustainability certifications and what they mean (as well as where you’ll see them used).

EMS Environmental Management System (ISO 14001 / ISO 14004)

International
The International Organization for Standardization has a family of standards (the 14000 group) that provides practical tools for companies and organizations looking to manage environmental responsibility. The goal of this program is to identify and reduce environmental waste as well as plan for continual improvement in waste reduction. Because ISO continually updates and revises sustainability guidelines and compliances (which is why ISO changes overtime–14000, 14001, 14004, etc) it’s a good international baseline for sustainability. Several wine regions including Bordeaux (in France), Chile and Australia use the ISO standard.

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Certified California Sustainable Vineyard and Winery (CCSW)

California
In 2002, members of the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) introduced a practical self-assessment workbook for both winemakers and wine growers that encompasses three areas of sustainability: Environmental Soundness, Economical Feasibility and Social Equality. The metrics for CCSW include over a hundred criteria which are ranked from 1–4 in water use, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrogen use. This means a winery can become CCSW certified with a lower rank (with plans to improve). Today, to become fully certified with CCSW, a third party is required to audit the assessments.

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SIP Certified (Sustainability in Practice)

California
SIP certification also adopts the three “E’s” of sustainability–economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social equity with a points system. A winery or vineyard needs 75% of the total possible sustainability points which also include a Prohibited Materials List (various pesticides). Beyond gaining points, vineyards and wineries must also create a sustainability plan which includes documentation, reporting, and examples of how that vineyard/winery is complying to SIP certification. SIP certification is also verified annually through a third party. One strange piece of language in the documentation of SIP is that wines labeled SIP Certified only need to contain 85% SIP Certified wine to be labeled as such.

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Certified Green (The Lodi Rules)

Mostly Lodi, California
The Lodi Rules include six areas of focus: 1) business management, 2) human resource management, 3) ecosystem management, 4) soil management, 5) water management, and 6) pest management. As of 2013, the six areas of focus have 101 criteria which are all scientifically measurable. One of the unique features of Certified Green with Lodi Rules is a pesticide assessment system that rates a vineyard’s pesticide use on everything from farm workers’ health to wildlife risk. Wineries and vineyards must also meet one of the three areas of sustainability laid out in CCSW: Environmental Soundness, Economical Feasibility and Social Equality. Finally, certified vineyards have to pass an annual independent audit to verify the certification.

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FACT: By 2019, the entire Sonoma wine region will be sustainable.

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LIVE Certified (Low Input Viticulture and Enology)

Oregon, Washington and Idaho
Wineries and vineyards must perform a yearly checklist of practices along with reporting to verify sustainability practices have been met for LIVE. The checklist includes a great number of opportunities to improve sustainability including planning and planting vineyards, fertilizing, required crop biodiversity, irrigation standards, and winemaking standards. LIVE is specifically tuned to the climates of the Northwest including the cool-climate areas in Oregon and the dry and sunny-dry climate areas of Eastern Washington and Idaho.

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Salmon Safe

Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, California and Idaho
Regions with fragile riparian areas that support salmon populations in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, California and Idaho have the opportunity to become Salmon Safe. This certification focuses on water management with special attention paid to managing run-off into streams and rivers. With a holistic look at run-off, wineries develop long-term soil conservation techniques which may include creating buffers of natural vegetation inbetween farmlands and streams, and paying close attention to waterways on farm properties.

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Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ)

New Zealand
Wineries and vineyards in New Zealand can expect an audit every 3 years for Sustainable Winegrowing NZ. This program focuses on a wide range of factors including crop biodiversity, soil, water and air standards, energy use, chemical use, vineyard and winery waste, social impact, and sustainable business practices. The program also recognizes other environmental-based certification programmes, including ISO 14001, organic, and biodynamic wine production. Wineries and vineyards must have a plan and metrics for each of the 7 areas listed with a goal to continually improve and perhaps adopt organic/biodynamic certification. Joining any SWNZ programmes is voluntary, but in 2012 about 94% of all NZ vineyards were SWNZ certified.

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FACT: Nearly 100% of New Zealand vineyards are certified sustainable.

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Certified Sustainable Wine of Chile

Chile
Chile also adopts the three “E’s” of sustainability–economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social equity. Wineries and vineyards are reviewed every 2 years and given scores for their compliance standards where they must meet or exceed the baseline standards given that year. Chile has several certifying bodies that are used to verify whether a winery is compliant including BioAudita, NSF, SGS (which uses the IMO 14001 standard), IMO Chile, and DQS Chile.

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Integrity & Sustainability Certified

South Africa
Sustainability in South Africa means vineyards and wineries have health and safety requirements for their workers, reduced usage of chemicals and pesticides, use natural predators to combat pests, and reduction in water usage and creation of waste water systems. Vineyard farms and wineries are audited every 3 years and if they pass the minimum requirements they are allowed to use the Integrity Sustainability seal on their wines. Wines of South Africa intends to support this sustainability measure across 100% of their wines and, in 2011, 85% had passed the minimum compliance.

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FACT: Nearly 100% of South African wines are Integrity & Sustainability Certified.

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Sustainable Australia Winegrowing (SAW)

Australia
Sustainable Australia Winegrowing is one of 3 certification programs of Australia’s EntWine program (whose goal is to foster environmental custodianship and continuous improvement). SAW is a set of practices that winegrowers use to become sustainable. The program is for vineyards only (not winery facilities) and requires metrics be provided by growers each year.

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Bodegas de Argentina Sustainability Protocol

Argentina (no certified labeling yet)
In 2013, Bodegas de Argentina launched a sustainability protocol which was created after a 4-year study at Catena Wine Institute. The protocol was modeled after the Certified California Sustainable Vineyard and Winery (CCSW) system and modified to fit Argentina’s unique climate and growing conditions. For the time being, the protocol exists but there are not certifications to verify compliance.

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Biodynamic Wine

There is a small subset of sustainability called biodynamics that focuses on maintaining soil health and timing planting actions with lunar cycles. Biodynamic wines must also practice low-interventionist winemaking to insure wines become a reflection of biodynamic vineyard practices. Some of the practices in biodynamics appear strange, such as using bizarre soil preparations made with herbs and bones (so they’re not exactly vegan). And, while biodynamics aren’t necessarily based in hard sciences, followers challenge that the processes produce remarkably consistent results of improved soil quality and overall vineyard health. To date, there are two programs that certify biodynamic wine internationally: Demeter and Biodyvin.

READ UP: Find out exactly what goes into Biodynamic wines.

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Last Word: Look for These on Wine Bottles

Once a winery takes the plunge to making their wines sustainable, the efforts become integrated into how that wine business (and its surrounding community) operates. Sustainability is time-consuming and it does cost money, so you’re likely to see certified sustainable wines cost a buck or two more than the alternatives. The plus side is that you know your money is going directly to businesses making smart agricultural practices all over the world. Yeah, we got this.

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May 18, 2016 at 03:29AM

Dishwasher-safe glasses – ask Decanter – Decanter

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May 18, 2016 at 02:06AM

Reaching for Wine Ritual | Drinking Out Loud | News & Features | Wine Spectator

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May 17, 2016 at 01:29PM

Krug releases Clos du Mesnil 2002

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Krug, the LVMH owned luxury Champagne house, has released its 2002 vintage Clos du Mesnil blanc de blancs

Krug offered its Clos du Mesnil 2002 to guests during a special dinner at Clos du Mesnil itself during the Krug World Festival.

The 1.84ha, Chardonnay-planted, Clos du Mesnil vineyard produced 13,278 bottles and 500 magnums of the 2002 vintage.

This month’s launch follows the release in January of Krug 2002, described by Champagne expert Michael Edwards as ‘in another league’.

Also revealed for the first time last week was the Krug Collection 1990. Collection wines are released by the house’s chef de cave, Eric Lebel, when they have ‘entered their second life’ from extended bottle age. Just 1,000 bottles of this fêted vintage are left.

The 2002 Clos du Mesnil (like the 2002 vintage) was released a year after its 2003 counterpart due to its superior ageing potential, the house said.

Krug’s suggested retail price for Clos du Mesnil 2002 is £541 for a 750ml bottle, but with the Clos du Mesnil 2003 already retailing at £600-£960, it’s likely this price will escalate.

• First Taste: Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002

Prices have already risen above the estate’s recommendation with some merchants. Millesima in the UK was offering the Clos du Mesnil 2002 for £700 per 75cl bottle. In the US, it was being offered by Sotheby’s in New York for $945 excluding sales tax, and by K&L Wine Merchants in California for $899.

Lebel said 2002 was one of the best Champagne vintages since 1990 and 1996, and the best in its decade. ‘It was a year of serenity, when everyone had a smile on their face,’ he said.

His tasting note describes it as being ‘precise, pure and fresh with tension and vivacity, with aromas and flavours including citrus fruits, white pepper, toasted nuts and liquorice’.

Guests at the Krug World Festival were also the first to discover the blend of the 171st edition of Grande Cuvée. Based on fruit from 2015, it will be released in 2022 after seven years on its lees.

The backbone is 45% Pinot Noir, bolstered by 36% Chardonnay and 18% Pinot Meunier. It has 58% of 2015 fruit with the remaining 42% from 131 reserve wines from 12 different years, the oldest being 2000.

Krug released the fourth edition of Clos d’Ambonnay, this time from the 2000 vintage, in July 2015. Just 5,158 bottles were made and priced – if you can find them – at £1,200-£2,000 a bottle.

Krug was founded by Joseph Krug in 1843. It remained a family business until 1999 when it was bought by luxury goods company LVMH, which also owns Champagne houses Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. Olivier Krug, son on Henri Krug, became director of the house in 2009.

The post Krug releases Clos du Mesnil 2002 appeared first on Decanter.

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May 17, 2016 at 03:06AM

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May 17, 2016 at 11:38AM

Dropping The Mic On Online Wine ROI (TMRW Engine’s 2016 Digital Wine Report)

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So much of the material upon which 1WD was built consists, essentially, of opinion pieces (in fact, four or five years ago I sat on a panel focused specifically on opinion writing alongside Lettie Teague and Jon Bonne, about which I imagine both of whom are still scratching their heads).

But over the years, I’ve tempered (well… by my standards, anyway) the opinion-heavy pieces here in favor of conclusions that can be drawn from data. The older that I get, the more I want to see opinion bolstered by something other than the biased, fallible memories of people’s experiences (including my own).

Which is why I get royally pissed at the the wine world’s penchant for defaulting to the data-devoid opinions of entrenched personalities, particularly when it comes to denying the return on investment (ROI from here on out) of wine online (usually with the concept of social media directly in the cross-hairs).

While it seems common sense that their must be at least some ROI for wine brands in talking directly with their consumers (which is part and parcel of what social media online can catalyze), remember that data trump opinions, even when those opinions align perfectly with common sense.

Fortunately, the wine world now has some compelling data that demonstrate a plausible link between online social interactions and ROI. Yes, in terms of real people actually spending real money on wine…

The data come to us via the 2016 Digital Wine Report, an effort by TMRW Engine (a sort of successor to Vintank), Vin65, Wine Direct, and W2O Group. I’ve been given access to the full report, and there’s too much great information in it to distill into a single blog post (even one as long as I’m apt to write). However, we can focus on the mic-dropping, money-shot ROI portion, which is a manageable load (see what I did there?… sorry…).

First, here’s why the results of the report matter; the volume of data analyzed is significant (when I asked Paul Mabray about the timeline of the data, he estimated that the majority of it spans five years):

 

Second, the methodology employed for distilling the data looks pretty legit:

Here’s the statistical breakdown from the report, for the more geekily-inclined among you:

“To understand customers and brands, we analyzed the interactions that wine customers were having with wine brands on every major social channel. Using TMRW Engine, we were able to put a dollar value against customer engagement on social. Findings were synthesized based on results observed from Pearson correlations, linear multiple regressions, and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U, and Kolmogrov-Smirnov tests”

Good so far? Ok, let’s talk about the why for a second. Ok, more like for a minute. Or three.

I’ve long said that when it comes to wine, we live in the single most competitive time in the centuries-long history of the product. The TMRW Engine report does a nice job of summarizing the particularly thorny challenge that this competition represents:

“There is NO OTHER consumable consumer good product that has wine’s level of selection. This competition will continue to grow as the US adds more wineries (we now exceed over 8500 US wineries and approximately 17K US brands) and as the industry is seen as an inviting target for foreign wineries/brands due to our continual consumption and growth.”

In other words, if you have wine to sell, it’s very, very, very difficult to get that wine noticed. And, not to throw our wine biz friends into a deeper pit of depression, it’s not going to get any easier according to TMRW:

“The top 5 wholesalers in the US (Southern, Glazers, Republic-National, Charmers, and Youngs) together have revenues of roughly $23 Billion… So to put that in context, that means that to get meaningful distribution, over 150K products are vying for meaningful mindshare from 2-5 wholesalers per state who also sell beer, liquor, and other items.”

If you want to get noticed in that level of competitive mess, you either need a billion-dollar marketing budget, or you’d better be good at guerilla marketing. Actually, one could argue (god knows that I have) that guerilla marketing is one of the only viable tactics available to small wine brands, and the use of social media is, essentially, guerilla marketing.

This is why the results of the TMRW Engine report are, for me, so compelling; their analysis of all of that online social wine-related data showed the following juicy tidbits:

Put another way, if you do social right when it comes to wine, you do, in fact, sell more wine. Customers who engage with wine brands on social media even in amounts as small as ONE interaction can see that customer uptick their sales.

Now, more work would need to be done on all of these findings to get any deeper insights into causalities and the quality of the interactions, including which ones work best, etc. The report suggests as much:

“If brands seek to effectively leverage social as a marketing tool for increasing customer value, wine brands need to engage 1:1 with their customers in order to cultivate deep engagement.”

But the bottom line – and it’s an exciting one, especially for smaller brands – is that engaged online wine customers spend more money on wine.

I repeat: THEY SPEND MORE F*CKING MONEY and the spend it BUYING F*CKING WINE.

I suppose that the lesson here is that any wine brand that doesn’t want to see an uptick in spending for the general online wine-buying populace should remain dismissive when it comes to the ROI potential of social outreach.

Have fun with that, guys.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2016. Originally at Dropping The Mic On Online Wine ROI (TMRW Engine’s 2016 Digital Wine Report) from 1WineDude.com
– for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

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May 17, 2016 at 12:16AM