If you’ve been staying up to date with the news lately, you know that the effects of climate change, and what we can do to mitigate them, are front and center in peoples’ minds - and the wine industry is taking note.

The winemaking industry is undergoing a significant revolution, with focus shifting towards sustainability. This revolution encompasses the entire winemaking process, incorporating modern eco-friendly practices, benefiting not just the environment but also the quality of the wines produced. Winemakers from all over the world are stepping up their game by making eco-friendly, sustainably certified wines, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using lighter packaging.

This article will comprehensively dissect sustainable winemaking—its practices, certifications, and benefits. Get ready to delve into the fascinating world of sustainable winemaking.

Definition of Sustainable Winemaking

The term 'sustainable winemaking' refers to winemaking practices that are eco-friendly and contribute to reducing our carbon footprint. These practices have a focus on maintaining the biological diversity of vineyards, enhancing soil health, and optimizing the winemaking process.

Sustainable wines are made by conserving resources and protecting the water, soils, and animals in and around the vineyard or winery. Sustainability is also about taking care of people, ensuring social responsibility and economic viability in the long term. Wine sustainability certifications, including USDA organic and Demeter biodynamic, allow producers to signal to consumers that they take this stuff seriously. And research shows over and over that the number one way wineries can be more sustainable is by using less or lighter packaging.

Grape Growing

To start with the obvious, making wine requires growing grapes. In this sense, wine is an agricultural commodity just like apples or potatoes. The practice of grape growing for winemaking, also known as viticulture, can be especially damaging to the environment. Grapes are finicky things - not enough water and they’ll produce shriveled fruit, too much water and they’ll be prime targets for mold. To combat these issues, many conventional (i.e. non-sustainable) winemakers will use tons of water to irrigate their fruit in dry climates like California. Along the East Coast, they’ll use fungicides and pesticides to fight mold and other grape diseases that flourish in humid climates.

Being sustainable in the vineyard is primarily about reducing environmental harm due to excessive water consumption or chemical sprays. There are many ways this can be achieved, but the main eco-friendly vineyard practices can be grouped into the following categories: sustainable, organic, and biodynamic. 

Sustainable, organic, and biodynamic: what are the key differences?

Sustainable Winemaking

     

What it means for you: If you see one of these sustainable certifications, you can be sure that the wine is made by treating the environment, the workers, and their communities with care. Just keep in mind that these certifications do not prohibit certain wine additives common in winemaking, and the grapes don’t necessarily need to be grown organically.

Organic Winemaking

Organic wine is made from grapes that were farmed without synthetic chemicals, the same way all organic fruits and vegetables are farmed.

In the United States, certified organic wines will have the USDA organic label - but there’s a catch. In order to carry the USDA organic label, the wine must also be made without any added sulfur, a common wine additive used to protect against oxidation and microbial spoilage. If the grapes are farmed organically but the winemaker adds sulfur to the wine, the bottle cannot carry the USDA organic label. Instead, it must be labeled as “Made with Organic Grapes.” Plus, the rules for organic wine differ between the U.S. and Europe. In Europe, they’re a little more lenient; the wine just has to be made with 95% organic materials, and low doses of sulfur are permitted.

While you may have heard that sulfites are public enemy number one, don’t fret! Wine made from organically grown grapes containing a little bit of sulfur is actually a win-win. The wine stays fresher for longer, and you can be sure that the grapes were grown with care for the environment. Plus, the notion that sulfur causes headaches is a myth. Dried fruits usually contain over 40 times the amount of sulfur as the average wine, and we don’t hear people complaining about headaches after polishing off a bag of Trader Joe’s dried mango.

What it means for you: If you do buy wine with the USDA organic label, it will be farmed without synthetic chemicals and weird additives like Mega Purple, and won’t contain any sulfur. Once you open it, drink it quickly, since there is nothing protecting it from oxidation! 

Biodynamic

Picture this: you bury cow manure in a cow horn for the winter. In the spring you dig it up and mix it with rainwater. Then you spray it on the vines, but only in the evening when it’s overcast. If the moon’s orbit around the earth is intersecting with the earth’s orbit around the sun, the vine won’t be receptive to the spray. You’ll have to wait until the stars are not aligned.

It might sound a little kooky, but the biodynamic way has gained a lot of popularity in the last decade. Biodynamic viticulture is based on the teachings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who believed that a farm is a “single, self-sustaining organism that thrives through biodiversity, the integration of crops and livestock and the creation of a closed-loop system of fertility,” according to the Biodynamic Association.

According to Happy DIY Home, who published an extensive guide to Biodynamic Farming, "[there's] a strong focus on soil health that aims to leave the soil in better health year after year. It’s considered one of the first sustainable agriculture movements that emphasize the interrelationships between all aspects of the living farm, with a spiritual and mystical outlook embedded in its core." With a major focus on soil health, studies show biodynamic farming can create more nutrient-rich produce and a decrease in soil erosion, reduction in harmful agricultural run-off, and more CO2 capture from the air. 

The most famous biodynamic certifier is called Demeter International, which offers a paid certification, just like the USDA organic logo. 

What it means for you: Biodynamic wine takes organic to the next level. When you buy biodynamic wine, you can be sure the soil and vines are well tended to. Expect to pay a similar price as organic wine. Sulfur is allowed in biodynamic winemaking, but check the bottle, since some producers choose to omit it anyway. 

Sustainable Winemaking in the Winery

Taking care of the grapes and the land is only part of the eco-friendly equation. Being sustainable in the wine cellar means using as little resources and creating as little waste as possible. Some examples of this include carbon capture, and repurposing grape skins.

Carbon Capture

One of the biggest byproducts of wine fermentation is carbon dioxide (CO2). And we’re not talking about a little bit of CO2 here. Even in the smallest family winery, we’re talking about enough to kill you if you get stuck in the wine cellar with fermenting tanks and no ventilation. Not only is CO2 a greenhouse gas, it’s a dangerous part of winemaking.

Thankfully, some wineries have started to capture that carbon and turn it into products for reuse. In Napa Valley, Trefethen Family Vineyards has partnered with the Texas-based company Earthly Labs to repurpose and sell their CO2. Since the aftermath of Covid-19 has most things in short supply these days, there is high demand for CO2 at breweries, wineries, and even marijuana grow houses.

Torres, a Spanish company, has pledged to reduce carbon emissions per bottle by 80% in 2045 compared to 2008 standards. They’re doing this by investing in a smart energy system that transforms CO2 from the fermentation process into methane to fuel the winery’s forklift trucks. 

Repurposing Grape Skins

If there’s one thing French people got right, it’s drinking wine and looking beautiful while doing it. At Château Smith Haut-Lafitte in Bordeaux, France, they’re partnering with Caudalie to turn used grape solids and into skincare and makeup products. When you’re growing nearly 200 acres of fruit, you have literal tons of grape solids to discard.

Rather than throwing away those rich, antioxidant-packed grape skins, Smith Haut-Lafitte has figured out how to turn them into a value-added product. It’s a win-win.

Packaging

Packaging is the number one way wineries can be more sustainable. Glass bottles filled with liquid are extremely heavy to ship. Research shows that manufacturing the glass bottles, transporting them to the winery to be filled, and then shipping those bottles to consumers is the leading source of carbon emissions in the wine industry.

Clearly, the wine industry needs to start innovating in lighter, bulk packaging. Enter Really Good Boxed Wine. 

Why choose boxed wines?

Boxed wines contain 4x the wine as a standard glass bottle, but have a whopping 84% lower carbon footprint. Most wines are meant to be consumed quickly, which means they don’t need to spend time aging in a cork-sealed bottle.

According to a New York Times op-ed, if we put the 97% of wines that are meant to be consumed within one year into boxes, it would be like removing 400,000 cars from the road for an entire year in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

At Really Good Boxed Wine, we’re proud to be doing our part in making the wine industry more sustainable. Our recyclable cartons contain 3 liters of wine in a single food-grade bag and are shipped in a lightweight cardboard box. Compared to traditional bottles, this reduces the packaging costs by almost 90% and the weight by 50%, making shipping wine a lot better for the environment and your wallet. Plus, we’re working with certified sustainable producers based in California, and we’re convinced this is the way all wines should be made.  

Check out our available wines today to buy one of the most eco-friendly wines on the market.

The Benefits of Sustainable Winemaking

If you haven’t already noticed by reading this far, there are many benefits to sustainable winemaking, such as reducing our carbon footprint. Here are even more benefits of sustainable winemaking: 

Enhancing Biodiversity in Vineyards

Sustainable winegrowing programs aim to maintain or enhance biodiversity in the vineyards via strategic pest management and the use of cover crops. An example is the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program that endorses practices such as certified organic pest management. 

This approach not only reduces direct emissions from pesticides but also benefits the local fauna and enriches the ecosystem.

Improving Soil Health and Grape Quality

Adopting sustainable methods in the winemaking process tends to improve soil health, leading to higher quality grapes. For example, organic grapes are cultivated without synthetic fertilizers, while biodynamic certification requires following lunar cycles and natural preparations, enhancing soil fertility. 

As a result, certified sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines generally have superior taste and quality.

Economic and Marketing Advantages

Being green certified - such as the Green Business Bureau certification - can not only lower costs, but also boost the brand's image and marketability, enhancing a winery's profits tangibly. For instance, research shows consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable and organic wines.

The Future of Winemaking: Sustainability at its Core

Sustainability is not a passing fad, but the foundation of future winemaking. The future of the winemaking industry lies in energy-efficient winemaking processes and innovative packaging techniques that help the environment.

Here at Really Good Boxed Wine, we are proud to be ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainable winemaking, and we know that our consumers can be confident that they are choosing wine that is both high quality and environmentally friendly.