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Spanish wineries band together to embrace renewables, sustainability

A group of Spanish wineries has signed a declaration vowing to fight climate change through the use of renewable energy and the implementation of strategies to reduce energy consumption and farm in a more sustainable manner.
Spanish wineries band together to embrace renewables, sustainability

The signing of the declaration was the centrepiece of the Wineries for Climate Protection conference held recently in Barcelona.

Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile and now UN special envoy for climate change, chaired the meeting.

Also present were senior figures from the Spanish wine community, including Miguel Torres of Miguel Torres Winery, Mar Raventós of Codorniu Winery, the world's largest producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine, and Pablo Alvarez of Vega Sicilia Winery, considered by many the most prestigious wine producer in all of the country.

Representatives of several Spanish consejos reguladores (wine trade bodies) also participated, as did members of the OIV (the international wine organisation) and the FEV (Federación Española del Vino).

The agreement, formally known as the Barcelona Declaration, sets out ten criteria wineries must adhere to in order to produce wine in a genuinely sustainable fashion.

In addition to the use of renewable energy whenever possible, these criteria include adoption of sustainable building techniques on the vineyards that reduce the use of natural resources, the reduction of emissions, limiting the use of chemicals, optimising water use, and using more energy-efficient transportation in all parts of the production and delivery process.

To date about 1,000 Spanish wineries, large and small have signed the declaration.

At least 1000 Spanish wineries have signed.

Miguel Torres, one of the document’s authors, told reporters that the declaration would be rolled out across Spain over the next few years, and that eventually, the hope is that it will become a cornerstone of an international, sustainable wine production movement.

Wineries signatories urged the Spanish Wine Federation and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine to establish a protocol of actions to be taken by the wineries, and to develop the appropriate supervisory systems to ensure compliance with commitments acquired with the signing of this manifesto.

Torres, for one, said such a program could be undertaken by the consultancy of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, which was one of the corporate sponsors of the conference.

Those who signed the declaration in Barcelona pledged to reduce their carbon footprint per bottle by 20 percent by 2020, as specified by EU guidelines.

For additional information:

Wineries for Climate Protection

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