We drink a lot of wine
Around the world, between 253 and 263 million hectoliters of wine were produced in 2020—enough wine to fill over 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools! Though the U.S. is by far the largest consumer of wine, consumption is widespread. But the same can’t be said about where wine is produced.
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, just 30 countries (of 195 globally) produced 84% of the world’s wine last year. This is because the grapes used to make wine are so sensitive that they need very specific and predictable weather and climate conditions.
Unfortunately, for this same reason, they’re vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which could bring catastrophic weather events, shifts in air and water temperatures, flooding in some places while there’s drought in others and more.
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A changing climate leaves our precious wine grapes vulnerable
While climate change-related warming has enabled some countries like England to enter the wine game, its pushing others to their limits. In California, climate-associated wildfires in 2020 wreaked havoc on their vineyards, whether from smoke damage, heat over-exposure or simply by fire. And drought and brushfires in Australia prevented grape harvesting in areas, leading to an 11% decline in wine production from 2019.
Knowing how climate change is altering the industry, some winemakers are experimenting with grapes that love the heat and others are pivoting entirely. In fact, one winemaker from California told Wine Enthusiast Magazine, “Cabernet Sauvignon may no longer be relevant in Napa Valley in 2040, ’50, ’60, ’70.”
So, with such selective conditions required to produce grapes for wine, is it possible that the most egregious and omnipresent threat to our planet—climate change—could make wine production in the future impossible? Will we soon be looking at a world without wine?
Enter the sustainable wine movement
Yes! A movement for wine!
To help tackle climate change, many makers of wine have set out to make their processes as environmentally friendly as possible. From grape growing and sowing to bottling and distribution, they’re incrementally improving their eco-footprint to do their part toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are worsening climate change’s force.
Spain-based Familia Torres and California-based Jackson Family Wines teamed up to form the International Wineries for Climate Action, which is currently rallying wineries to commit to their science-based approaches to reducing carbon emissions.
Further, there are organizations dedicated to certifying wine, vineyards and wineries as “sustainable,” based on a rigorous review process.
The Napa Green Vinyard program–a non-profit organization serving Napa County, California–focuses specifically on climate action, regenerative farming, and social equity, justice and inclusion, with a goal of providing a pathway for growers to become somewhere between carbon neutral and carbon negative within six to nine years.
While Napa Green is focused on Napa, many other certifying bodies focus on regions around the globe.
- Sustainable Australia Winegrowing reviews vineyards in Australia.
- Bodegas de Argentina established protocols for sustainable winemaking in Argentina.
- Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand covers wineries and vineyards in New Zealand.
With the makers of wine coming together to ensure their practices consider our planet’s future, our ability as consumers to take climate action is made easier simply by supporting winemakers doing better by the planet today—just by drinking their wine!
Look for sustainability certification when you're picking up a bottle
Next time you’re perusing the wine store looking for your next bottle to try, take time to review each bottle’s label for a sustainability certification symbol or wording. For example, over 80% of Chile’s wine exports are labeled as a “Certified Sustainable Wine of Chile” after being assessed on 346 different factors, such as evaluating their carbon footprint. So if you find a Chilean wine, you’ve most likely found a sustainable wine, but check the bottle before you buy! You can also explore your favorite wine’s website for their sustainability commitment in advance of shopping.
By being an eco-conscious consumer, you can help ensure businesses taking big leaps for our environment surge ahead of others and set the standard for how we should treat our blue planet.