International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has announced 12 new applicant members, bringing its total membership to more than 20 wine companies spanning seven different countries and five continents.
By joining the IWCA the new members commit to tackling the severity of the climate crisis by taking immediate action to reduce their carbon emissions. They join the initiative’s two founders, Familia Torres and Jackson Family Wines, and the eight founding members, Spottswoode, Symington Family Estates, VSPT Wine Group, Yealands, Alma Carraovejas, Silver Oak, Matarromera and Cullen Wines.
The IWCA’s 12 new applicant members are:
- A to Z Wineworks (Oregon, USA)
- Cakebread Cellars (California, USA)
- Château Troplong Mondot (Bordeaux, France)
- Constellation Brands (Fine Wine Portfolio, California, USA)
- Crimson Wine Group (California, USA)
- Gloria Ferrer (California, USA)
- Herència Altés (Catalonia, Spain)
- Hunt Country Vineyards (New York, USA)
- Medlock Ames (California, USA)
- Ridge Vineyards (California, USA)
- Sula Vineyards (Nashik, India)
- Yalumba Family Winemakers (Barossa, South)
‘When Katie Jackson of Jackson Family Wines and I co-founded IWCA in February 2019 as a working group, we wanted to act and move beyond conversation around the urgency of climate change,’ said Miguel A. Torres, President of Familia Torres. ‘We hoped our initiative would work as a boost for other wineries to accelerate or start their carbon emissions reduction programmes. It is therefore great to see that now with 12 new applicant members joining, we have more than 20 wineries worldwide. We are convinced that this will have a multiplier effect.’
The IWCA also announced it has onboarded a secretariat from the Meridian Institute, a non-profit consultancy, to support daily operations and help execute the organisation’s strategic goals.
The IWCA
Founded by Familia Torres and Jackson Family Wines in 2019, IWCA is a collaborative working group that addresses climate change through carbon reduction strategies and is open to any wine company who views climate change as a serious threat. IWCA’s objective is for all members is to commit to becoming Net Zero by 2050, ensuring constant reductions to meet intermediate targets by 2030, within the scope of the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign the organisation is a member of.
The IWCA will publish an annual report in October 2021 showing progress on its member wineries’ GHG emissions status and goal as required by Race to Zero.
French pioneer
Château Troplong Mondot is the first French winery to join the IWCA, the latest in a series of sustainable initiatives that the Bordeaux Premier Grand Cru Classé estate has unveiled since relaunching in Summer 2020, following a major renovation project.
Troplong Mondot banned the use of herbicides in 2000, insecticides in 2010 and of fungicides in 2018, and uses resident horses to plough more than 80% of its vineyard – resulting in 15% less emissions compared to typical tractor use. In 2019, the winery pioneered a solution to repurpose shoots from vine pruning, by transforming them into pellets to fuel the estate’s entire heating system. Troplong Mondot works with experts, namely microbiology scientists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon, to identify ways of preserving biodiversity and breathing new life into the vineyard’s soils.
