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Pam Strayer | Wine Industry Advisor
On April 5, 2023, the world’s most famous wine writer, Jancis Robinson, made a rare in-person appearance in St. Helena, Calif., at Napa Green’s Napa Rise sustainability event, highlighting her pet peeves in packaging, green solutions and insights into global wine trends.
Pending anti-greenwashing measures in the EU, reducing carbon emissions in wine packaging and growing more hybrid varieties that reduce the need for fungicides all got her thumbs up. Napa is uniquely positioned to influence consumers and the industry on sustainability, she said, given the high profile visitors and tastemakers it attracts.
“Sustainability is increasingly important…[and it] can attract the interest of younger consumers, too,” she said. “It’s all very well with people as old as me saying it’s important, but then, you know, we know we’ll die before the planet goes up in smoke. But I think the younger you are, the more concerned you are…I don’t have to tell you how important it is that we open up the wine world to as many young people as possible.”
Dirt doesn’t lie
Soon greenwashing may be tempered, she said, with new measures pending in Europe. “I thought you might be interested that the EU recently has submitted a proposal to police claims of sustainability…rather than just letting companies go greenwashing to their heart’s delight, there’s a proposal to actually rap them over the knuckles if they’re promising something that’s not true.”
Robinson said wineries that farm well should educate consumers on what healthy soil looks like. She shared an example from New Zealand’s Quartz Reef where the winemaker presented her with a glass containing a sample of conventionally farmed soil and one from his organically farmed vineyard.
“I don’t know how many of you have actually shown consumers, demonstrating to them what the real difference is between a dead soil and an alive one. And honestly, it’s just such a dramatic contrast and it’s so simple,” she said.
Packaging matters
Known for her strong views on the unsustainability of heavyweight wine bottles — she includes bottle weight in many of her wine reviews and showed the audience her bottle scale — she told the crowd that glass bottles account for “a good 40%” of wine’s carbon emissions.
Her first visit to a glass bottle factory was a revelation, she said. “I was amazed by how hot those furnaces are, and you can’t turn them off. So they have to be kept at 2700°F 24/7, 365 days. And you can imagine how much energy that is using, quite apart from the energy used to transport something as relatively heavy as glass.
“It really is time that we break the connection between heavy glass and wine quality which we know is completely spurious.”
“The last time anyone did any formal research into consumer attitudes to packaging, it suggested that it was mainly neophytes, newly coming to wine, who were impressed by heavy bottles,” she added. “So that’s another thing to get across to the public.”
Lighter weight bottles have become far more attractive, she said. “What’s good today is that lighter bottles are no longer necessarily looking light. There was a time when the lighter bottles looked cheap, but I can tell you in my experience, bottle designs have gotten a lot better and I’m no longer able to guess from the look of a bottle whether it’s going to be light or heavy. And actually I’m getting pretty bad at guessing even lifting it up.”
Cost savings are another reason to switch to lighter bottles, too, she said, citing the example of Tablas Creek Vineyard (Paso Robles, Calif.) which reports that, over a period of 14 years, it saved $2.2 million by using lighter bottles.
The veteran wine critic said that, for her, using non-recyclable packing materials for shipping wine was a deal breaker. “I won’t taste it if it comes in styrofoam,” she said, “because that, of course, goes straight into a landfill.”
She praised cans, bag in box and new recyclable, flat, plastic wine bottles as better alternatives for the majority of wines.
The Napa Rise series continues this month with five more days of experts on additional topics in sustainability.
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 at https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
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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.
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Uniquely, Napa Green isn’t just a roadmap of leading practices. Napa Green provides an expert, boots-on-the-ground consulting team that develops:
✅ Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
✅ Irrigation Distribution Uniformity Assessments (to maximize water efficiency)
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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.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Napa Green’s 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 vineyard’s goal is to become carbon neutral (or negative) and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📷 @soilrainandhope
📍 @tressabores
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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.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Forests are not only our largest terrestrial carbon sink, they are also home to 80% of the world’s 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.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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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 $$$.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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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 it’s the equivalent to offsetting the emissions from driving over 1.5 million miles in a typical gas-powered car!
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” 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.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📍 @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 aren’t present to encourage these animals in the vineyard. These measures are part of a broader commitment to sustainable and regenerative farming practices.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📷 @soilrainandhope
📍 @tressaboreswinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #biodiversity
While vineyards don’t directly require pollination, pollinators still play a vital role in the overall health of our ecosystems. Increased biodiversity leads to better soil health, water retention and can attract beneficial insects. Plus, pollinators are friend shaped! 🐝
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📷 @soilrainandhope
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Join us @earthdaynapa tomorrow, April 12 at the wine booth to try some sustainable wines!
All proceeds for to the Environmental Education Coalition of Napa County’s Field Trip Bus Grant Program and the Darcy Aston Scholarship.
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✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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Green teams offer a multitude of benefits, ranging from enhanced employee engagement and a culture of sustainability to cost savings and improved environmental performance.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
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📍 @charleskrugwinery
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Napa Green Vineyard members located along waterways maintain and enhance riparian areas for wildlife habitat, erosion control, creek/river health and carbon storage.
✅ Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with “21 Days, 21 Ways” counting down to Earth Day.
📷 @briana_marie
📍 @dominusestatewinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
