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Lori Zaino | Winetraveler.com
If youโre going to sip, why not sip sustainable? You certainly wonโt be alone in your eco-drinking endeavors.
With sustainability on the rise, itโs no surprise that wine drinkers are willing to pay more for sustainable wine according to aย survey by Forbes. But the differences between sustainable, natural,ย organic and biodynamic winemaking practicesย (and wine) can definitely be confusing for drinkers. But you shouldnโt feel intimidated. Winetraveler has cleared up any confusion regarding the terms, which arenโt exactly interchangeable:
Biodynamic:ย The biodynamic winemaking process is more spiritual, delving deep into each vineyardโs specific ecology. For example, a biodynamic winery may plant or pick grapes during specific lunar cycles or use methods such as adding herb-infused compost to vineyards.
With sustainability on the rise, itโs no surprise that wine drinkers are willing to pay more for sustainable wine according to aย survey by Forbes. But the differences between sustainable, natural,ย organic and biodynamic winemaking practicesย (and wine) can definitely be confusing for drinkers. But you shouldnโt feel intimidated. Winetraveler has cleared up any confusion regarding the terms, which arenโt exactly interchangeable:
Biodynamic:ย The biodynamic winemaking process is more spiritual, delving deep into each vineyardโs specific ecology. For example, a biodynamic winery may plant or pick grapes during specific lunar cycles or use methods such as adding herb-infused compost to vineyards.
Natural:ย Natural wines are typically made without adding additional chemicals or ingredientsย โ things like sulfur, sugar, and acid.
If youโd like to get a better sense of what sustainable wine is all about, be sure to visit or try wine from a sustainable winery, or better yet, a sustainable wine region. These are areas where a number of winemakers/wineries are turning to more sustainable practices. In honor of Earth Day, here are 8 sustainable wine regions to visit and taste around the world.
While the eastern European country of Moldova may seem obscure, Moldova is advanced when it comes to winemaking. The country is investigating how to make its wines more sustainable by opening experimental plots within three of its wine regions (Codru, Valul lui Traianย andย Stefan Voda) to test how grapes react to soil, water, and temperature change.
After hosting the massiveย Climate Change Leadership Porto: Solutions for the Wine Industryย event in 2019, itโs clearย Portoย is at the forefront of sustainability. Many wineries within the region adhere to eco-friendly practices: reusing wastewater, using alternative fertilization methods, and implementing cork waste management systems.
The Australian Wine Research Institute has recently set up theย Sustainable Wine Growing Organizationย in theย McLaren Vale region. Nearby wineries are following many of the associationโs best practices, including using sustainable pest, disease, water, and waste management methods as well as hiring local workers and supporting local businesses.
Severalย wineries in Napaย are certified byย Napa Green, one of the most prominent sustainability programs in the region. Initiatives include restoring the Napa River watershed, reducing waste, saving energy/water and supporting the local community. A number of the regionโs wineries also hold LEED certification, indicating that the winery is operated in an ecological manner.
The Canary Islands are one of the most sustainable island archipelagos in the world. One of its smallest islands,ย El Hierro, runs almost entirely on sustainable energy. The islands are home to wineries that seamlessly interact with nature, using the volcanic terrain to protect their grapevines from wind and dryness.
Much of France is moving towards sustainable winemaking. For example, winemakers in theย Beaujolais regionย are using more sustainable carbonic maceration practices to conquer the granitic terroir.ย Champagneย is one of the most advanced regions when it comes to sustainability. Using a carbon plan put together back in 2003, the area has reduced its emissions by about 20% in the past few years. Future plans show how the region aims to use zero herbicide products by 2025.
Thanks to this South American countryโs mostly hot, arid climate,ย vineyards in Chileย donโt suffer from many diseases or pests, allowing grapes to grow without the need for harmful pesticides. According to theย Sustainability Code of the Chilean Wine, over 75% ofย Chilean wineย producers are certified as sustainable. Eco-friendly wine practices arenโt novel in Chile, either. For hundreds of years, winemakers have adapted naturally to more sustainable methods that better suit the countryโs environment.
Many wineries in the Western Cape region (such as Franschhoek andย Stellenbosch) are dedicated to sustainable winemaking and are part of theย Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, which helps vineyards preserve endangered vegetation in the Cape lowlands. These wineries have adopted more sustainable practices such as using recycled glass for bottling and setting aside part of their land for conservation.
About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more atย https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
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Wondering what this sign hung outside of the winery that you work at means? Want to be able to talk more about what it means to be @napagreen certified??
Join the Napa Green Ambassador training at Clos du Val on Wednesday, June 25 from 9-11 am to learn the answers and more.
Tickets are free but space is limited so reserve your spot from the Workshops & Events link in our bio.
#climateaction #napagreen #napagreencertified #climatesmartwinery #regenerativeag #regenerativefarming
๐ Do you want to learn more about what it means to be a Napa Green Certified Vineyard or Winery?
๐ Do you have new team members who still arenโt sure what that Napa Green Certified sign hanging out front actually means?
๐ Are you curious about this term thatโs suddenly popping up everywhere โ regenerative?
๐ Want to know what exactly does it mean to be climate smart?
Join us Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @closduval to learn how to talk about being @napapagreen certified.
Use the event link in our bio to register.
#climateaction #wineindustry #wineindustryleadership #climatesmart #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #regenerativevineyard #regenerativeag
๐ข Attn Wineries!! Today is last day to sign up for the Cheers to Climate Smart Wines this July!
Email winery@napagreen.org to sign up today!
Thank you all for making RISE Climate & Wine Symposium a success! We 70 powerful speakers and 650 guests across the six events, dozens of commitments to action, and a flood of positive, heartfelt feedback.
Letโs keep the momentum going!
๐ธ: @briana_marie
Congratulations to Napa Green Certified @cliffamily for winning the RISE Leadership Award for Supply Chain & Waste Management Excellence!
Clif Family attended our first conference & committed to reducing their bottle weight and waste. They set upon an inspiring journey to change their packaging based on their outdoors loving and mountaineering inspired founders. They were able to..
โข lighten the weight of a case of their wine by almost 8 lbs!
โข reduce their carbon output by 42 metric tons!
โข institute fully recyclable, bio based shippers that keep wine cool!
โข eliminate all foils!
โข eliminate all plastic & metal moving fully to renewable cork enclosures!
Their customers responded with absolute enthusiasm.
โThis story is not just about wine packaging or supply chain decisions. Itโs about how we do business. Itโs leading with values. Itโs about remembering that the best way to climb higher.. is to carry less.โ - Sarah Richmond, Clif Family Winery.
Take action this Earth Month with Napa Green. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in achieving your climate action goals for both your vineyard and winery, no matter where you are in your sustainability journey.
๐ฅ @robot_productions
#earthday #earthdayeveryday #earthmonth #climateaction #sustainabilty #climatesmart #regenerativeag
๐ดWednesday April, 23rd is the day NOT to miss lunch at @cliffamily!!
Come enjoy delicious food while supporting Napa Green! See you there.
Uniquely, Napa Green isnโt just a roadmap of leading practices. Napa Green provides an expert, boots-on-the-ground consulting team that develops:
โ
Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
โ
Irrigation Distribution Uniformity Assessments (to maximize water efficiency)
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Integrated Resource Assessments (to reduce energy, water, waste and emissions in production)
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Action Plans for continuing improvement (tailored to the opportunities and goals of each vineyard or winery)
Additionally, we support soil sampling and analysis, provide resource assistance, run practical training and education workshops throughout the year, and provide valuable, hands-on guidance in meeting your climate action goals.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @buddsocial
๐ @tressabores
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Napa Greenโs vineyard team is trained to develop regenerative, whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs). These plans review all of the current beneficial practices that are increasing soil and ecosystem health and storing carbon, and identify additional opportunities to regenerate the soil and vineyard ecosystem and simultaneously maximize carbon capture in a given property. Each vineyardโs goal is to become carbon neutral (or negative) and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @soilrainandhope
๐ @tressabores
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Clear pathways for employee advancement are essential for a thriving workforce and driving success. They boost retention, job satisfaction, productivity, and attract top talent. Napa Green Certified members develop pathways for growth, discussing career goals and progress with employees during reviews.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @briana_marie
๐ @dominusestatewinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Forests are not only our largest terrestrial carbon sink, they are also home to 80% of the worldโs on-land diversity. We need healthy forests, which means a balanced density of native trees and plants. Healthy forests experience lower intensity fires with less tree mortality, meaning higher carbon retention and ecosystem function.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @abrittain
๐ @seaveyvineyard
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Napa Green Certified Wineries benefit from an on-site Integrated Resource Assessment (IRA) led by our experienced engineers and winemakers. This IRA evaluates resource metrics, monitors progress, and identifies areas for improvement to increase efficiency and save $$$.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ @materrawines
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
All of our members are committed to using at least 60% renewable energy, whether through on-site solar and other renewable sources or by working with @mcecleanenergy to access clean power through the grid. The impact? Over 1.2 million pounds of CO2e saved by wineries and vineyards in just one year. To put that into perspective itโs the equivalent to offsetting the emissions from driving over 1.5 million miles in a typical gas-powered car!
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @love.dream.breathe
๐ @corisonwinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #renewableenergy #greenpower #greenenergy
As part of their commitment to sustainability, Napa Green Certified Winery members collaborate with key suppliers and utilize their purchasing power to support eco-friendly practices. In the same way, we can make a difference at home by choosing materials made from post-consumer recycled materials, and selecting reusable, recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, and non-toxic products.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #greenpurchasing #supplychain
Napa Green Certified Vineyards implement climate-smart burn practices, such as Conservation Burning, Flame Cap Kilns, and Air Curtain Burners. These practices reduce smoke and emissions and create biochar. Biochar is re-fossilized wood that provides long-term carbon storage. Even more compelling, when inoculated and applied with compost, biochar aids in water retention and increases water and fertilizer efficiency.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ @gloriaferrerwinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Napa Green Certified Vineyards implement practices to create habitat for beneficial wildlife, including bluebirds, owls, bats, and raptors. Members may also install boxes and perches if trees or other natural perches arenโt present to encourage these animals in the vineyard. These measures are part of a broader commitment to sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @soilrainandhope
๐ @tressaboreswinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #biodiversity
