For some wine enthusiasts, the topic of sustainability is not top of mind, but for others a wine’s sustainability story – or lack of one – helps them choose one bottle over another. Sustainability often comes across as a complex conversation, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
According to a 2021 Kerry Group research study of 14,000 customers in 18 countries (including Canada), 49 percent of consumers consider sustainability when buying food and drink. A 2022 report from IWSR – the global alcohol beverage trends analysis firm – concluded that 48 percent of alcohol drinkers in the US say their purchase decisions are positively influenced by a company’s sustainability or environmental initiatives.
Read Also: 5 ways wine consumers can combat climate change
Luckily, there are several credible sustainability certification organizations to help us wine lovers distinguish truth from spin. The SAQ, Quebec’s government-run liquor provider, recognizes more than 40 certifications. Many wines sold at the SAQ are sold across Canada, so there’s a good chance you will find some delicious certified sustainable wines at your favourite wine shops.
These certifications help tell us a wine’s soil-to-bottle story. But what does each certification contribute to that story? To get you started, here’s a rundown of two Canadian certifications plus two more often seen in the Canadian market.
Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario (SWO)
This is a certification for wineries and vineyards located in Ontario. The Ontario Craft Wineries trade association describes SWO as an assurance that the liquid in the bottle travelled a sustainable path throughout the grape growing and winemaking process.
A SWO winery must follow eight principles ranging from water and energy efficiency, having a sustainable supply chain, and using lightweight bottles, while a SWO vineyard must implement nine principles focused on viticulture such as healthy soil practices, encouraging biodiversity, and enhancing wildlife habitat.
Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia (SWBC)
SWBC is a recent arrival on the scene. Launched in 2020, it certifies both wineries and vineyards located in beautiful British Columbia. As the Times Chronicle newspaper put it, this “far-reaching standard covers everything from waste management, water and irrigation issues, carbon emissions, soil nutrition, and crop spraying, to safety issues, human resources, social equity, and even succession planning”.
In other words, SWBC has an expansive interpretation of sustainability. Expect to see more and more bottles displaying the distinctive SWBC logo in the years ahead.
Napa Green
Napa Green is one of several sustainable certifications for Californian vineyards and wineries. Napa Green is on my radar because so many people have a soft spot for Napa wines and because Napa County is home to 40 percent of California’s certified sustainable wineries.
A Napa Green winery meets 120+ sustainability and stewardship standards from water and energy efficiency to not using harmful pesticides to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Plus, these wineries aim to be carbon neutral or negative within six to nine years after they have received their certification. A Napa Green vineyard meets 100+ standards concerning climate action, regenerative farming, social equity, and much more.
B Corp
All kinds of businesses can become B Corp certified, not just wineries and vineyards. Even some wine shops have B Corp certification.
Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna, British Columbia became the first Certified B Corp winery in Canada in 2019. At the time I write this, there’s Certified B Corp wineries in the USA, South Africa, Portugal, Italy, France, England, Chile, Australia, and Argentina.
To receive B Corp certification, companies are evaluated on factors such as how they benefit their employees, environmental management practices, and the business’s impact on the communities in which they operate, hire, and source materials.
None of these certifications are one and done exercises. The certification organizations audit wineries and vineyards and can revoke their certifications when they fall out of line. Three cheers for accountability. And three cheers for credible information about a wine’s soil to bottle story.
Craig Haynes is a part time instructor in the sommelier program at Algonquin College (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and a director with the National Capital Sommelier Guild. He holds the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Level 3 certificate in Wine with merit, as well as the Wine Scholar Guild’s French Wine Scholar with honours, Italian Wine Scholar with highest honours, and Spanish Wine Scholar with highest honours. Craig is fascinated by the stories behind the bottles he presents at private tastings and uncorks for friends and family. Vacations usually involve visits to vineyards.
