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Italy's wine industry is facing mounting pressure from extreme weather events that threaten vineyards and harvests. As one of Europe's largest wine producers, climate impacts in Italy ripple across the continent's supply chains. The piece highlights why growers are increasingly investing in climate adaptation strategies to protect their crops and preserve their regions' wine-making heritage.
Winemakers in France's renowned Bordeaux region are facing significant pressures that demand a shift in how they operate. The article explores the adaptation strategies these producers are employing to keep their businesses viable. It's a reminder that even the world's most celebrated wine regions aren't immune to the challenges reshaping the modern wine industry.
Decanter's sustainability editor is reflecting on what 'ethical drinking' really means, beyond just enjoying what's in the glass. She's exploring wines and producers from France that challenged her thinking on everything from farming standards to labour practices and environmental impact, examining how our wine choices can make a difference. It's a thoughtful look at how consumers and the industry are rethinking responsibility in wine production.
As climate change reshapes growing conditions across Europe, wine producers are facing tough questions about whether traditional appellation systems can survive. The article explores how protected designations, which have long defined quality and authenticity in wine regions, might need to evolve to keep pace with warming temperatures and shifting growing seasons. It's a critical conversation for both established European wine areas and newer UK producers navigating their own place in a changing climate.
Just as English and Welsh vineyards are celebrating their best harvest on record after the driest summer in decades, a tiny pest called spotted wing drosophila is emerging as a growing headache for growers. Unlike other fruit flies, SWD can actually pierce grape skin to lay its eggs, creating entry points for rot rather than just exploiting existing damage. The insect has quietly established itself across vineyards in the region and industry leaders are now starting to develop strategies to manage what could become a significant threat to future vintages.
Vineyard owners are exploring agrivoltaics, a clever farming approach that combines solar panel installations with grape growing on the same land. This dual-use strategy allows wine producers to generate renewable energy whilst maintaining productive vineyards, offering a practical solution to rising energy costs and environmental concerns. It's an innovative way the wine industry is adapting to climate challenges whilst diversifying revenue streams.
Tim Etherington-Judge, the founder behind Healthy Hospo and Avallen Spirits, has launched Alkatera, a new digital sustainability tool designed to help drinks brands manage their environmental impact. The platform acts as a sustainability operating system for the drinks industry, offering a way for producers to track and improve their practices. It's a significant move for the sector, as sustainability credentials become increasingly important to consumers and retailers alike.
The International Wine Carbon Accountability organisation has released the first industry-wide benchmark for measuring soil carbon in vineyards. This development could be significant for UK and European winemakers looking to quantify and improve their environmental footprint, as it provides a standardised way to measure and compare vineyard soil carbon levels across the industry.
A winemaking family in southern France has developed a natural alternative to copper fungicides using essential oils to fight downy mildew, one of the biggest threats to organic vineyards. With French authorities recently restricting copper use, Château l'Ermite d'Auzan's breakthrough could offer a game-changing solution for growers across Europe battling increasingly unpredictable weather. The estate is sharing their findings freely, suggesting this innovation could transform how producers tackle fungal diseases without relying on potentially harmful chemicals.
The International Wineries for Climate Action has released its first comprehensive analysis of soil organic carbon sequestration projects across the wine industry. This compilation compares various vineyard soil carbon initiatives, providing the sector with valuable insights into how different regions and producers are tackling climate change and building soil health. It's a significant step in standardising and measuring the wine industry's environmental progress on a global scale.
The Sustainable Wine Roundtable has welcomed five new signatories to its Bottle Weight Accord, an initiative aimed at reducing the environmental impact of wine packaging. The growing commitment from industry players shows that European winemakers are taking tangible steps to cut their carbon footprint through lighter bottle design and more sustainable packaging practices.
A European scientist is working on solutions to protect vineyards from mildew, one of the wine industry's most persistent problems. Mildew damages vines and has traditionally required heavy use of fungicides, so innovative approaches to tackling it could benefit both winemakers and the environment. It's a reminder of how European research is helping the wine industry adapt to its biggest challenges.
Packamama, the packaging firm behind the distinctive flat plastic bottles stocked by retailers like The Wine Society, is switching to a new eco-friendly material called polyethylene furanoate (PEF). The company claims this newly patented material outperforms traditional recycled PET plastic, marking an industry first for wine packaging.
The wine industry is increasingly turning to lightweight bottles as producers seek to reduce their environmental footprint and operational costs. These bottles use less glass and energy to produce while maintaining quality, making them an attractive option for wineries looking to improve sustainability credentials. It's a practical example of how the industry is adapting to meet both consumer expectations and commercial pressures.
The Drinks Business explores how empowering workers to drive sustainability initiatives is actually getting results across the wine sector. They chat with folks like Champagne Canard-Duchêne and Lanchester Group about how genuine, sincere environmental programmes resonate better with staff and how one UK bottling warehouse hit 92% recycling rates when their team felt they had real ownership of the goals.
Tom Bruce-Gardyne's piece in The Drinks Business highlights something that's getting lost in all the sustainability talk: growers actually need to make money. It's a fair point - English wine producers and estates across Europe are investing heavily in organic certification and better farming practices, but the market hasn't caught up, so the premiums have basically disappeared. The piece features voices from Greyfriars in Surrey and the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, all pointing out that environmental and social sustainability mean zilch if producers can't stay afloat financially.
Santorini's wine industry is facing what Decanter's calling an extinction-level crisis – vineyard acreage has collapsed from 3,000-4,000 hectares to just 1,000 over recent decades, with climate change and tourism development now squeezing what's left. The island's famous Assyrtiko is being pushed out by drought, heat, and developers converting vineyards into hotels and villas, forcing harvests earlier each year and production to record lows. It's a cautionary tale about what happens when a historic wine region gets caught between climate stress and tourism pressure.
Galicia's wine region got absolutely hammered by wildfires last August – the worst in years – with producers like Trasdovento losing entire vineyard blocks and others having to abandon harvests. The real issue is that climate change is making a traditionally wet region dangerously hot and dry in summer, and rural depopulation means less managed land to act as firebreaks, so it's looking like a growing headache for Spanish winemakers going forward.
The Buyer dives into regenerative viticulture and why winemakers should be talking more about soil health as part of their story. It's a solid piece on how soil management practices are becoming a key differentiator for producers across the UK and EU who want to appeal to increasingly conscious consumers.
A devastating landslide has destroyed Borgo del Tiglio, a respected family winery in Friuli, Italy, killing two people and burying much of the estate under mud and debris. The disaster—triggered by over 300mm of rain in just a few hours—has sparked conversations about climate resilience in the wine industry, with the winery's owner using the tragedy to highlight how extreme weather will increasingly affect small traditional producers across Europe.