Sustainable Wine Roundtable

We are thrilled to announce that the Catena Institute of Wine has officially joined the SWR Bottle Weight Accord. As a founding member of SWR, and a leader in sustainability, Catena continues to demonstrate its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint. Their latest efforts focus on light-weighting bottles and shifting consumer perceptions that equate heavier bottles with higher quality. As Dr. Laura Catena notes,  “Heavy bottles look fancy, like perfume and cognac bottles, but few consumers know that they have a higher carbon footprint.” Catena’s commitment is already yielding impressive results. Their bottles now average 416g, with a further reduction to 380g for key Malbec brands, cutting over 1,200 metric tons of glass per year. The SWR Bottle Weight Accord is an agreement from retailers and producers to reduce the average weight of the 750ml still-wine bottles they sell from the current average of approximately 550g (about 1,300g for a full bottle) to an average bottle weight below 420g (1,170g full) by the end of 2026. With 18 participating members globally — including major players like Tesco, Systembolaget AB, Lidl GB, and Endeavour Group —the Accord covers the production and sale of over 1.2 billion bottles of wine annually. Our Research Director Dr Peter Stanbury says: “We are delighted to welcome Catena Institute of Wine to the Bottle Weight Accord. The Accord was initiated by a number of our retail members, so getting producers on board too demonstrates the importance of bottle weight to the whole wine supply chain. Having a producer of the stature of Catena demonstrates without doubt that even the finest wines can be presented in environmentally friendly light-weight bottles.” Looking forward, Laura Catena is committed to continued change: “My personal objective is to convince consumers that the beautiful wine they love is just as beautiful in a lighter bottle. For this to happen, we need an industry-wide shift, with campaigns from retailers to consumers.” If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Delaney Sheridan delaney@swroundtable.org

Hats off to top Argentinian wine producer Bodega Domaine Bousquet for sharing their Sustainability Impact Report publicly - a wonderful example of the spirit of collaboration which will help producers of all sizes work out their own path to greater sustainability. With admiration from Sustainable Wine Roundtable and, I am sure, IWCA - International Wineries for Climate Action https://lnkd.in/eRcYJi3z

We’re looking forward to exploring The Role of Sustainability Standards in Wine with our members later today in our online webinar. Will you be joining us? Register for this free event via the link below. See you at 4pm (GMT+1) Zoom link: https://lnkd.in/eTDs8v6d

EPR regulation and fees... have you heard of them? Well they are coming very soon... EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility and it's all about encouraging producers to reduce the amount of packaging waste. For glass, it's estimated that, if you qualify, you'll be paying between £130 and £330 per tonne. Now, even at the Sustainable Wine Roundtable's reduced bottle weight of 420g, that means there's an extra tax of up to 14p per bottle of wine to pay, plus more for the secondary packaging (cardboard boxes, etc) and the capsule, closure, etc. Might be worth looking into lighter-weight alternatives, such as ecoSIP from The Online Tasting Company? At as little as 15 grams to pack up 6 x 125ml portions (750ml total), there are significant tax savings as well as carbon footprint reductions! Give us a shout today...

Join us next week as we take a deep dive into the role of sustainability standards in shaping the future of the wine industry. We’ll be joined by industry experts William Drayton (Treasury Wine Estates), Linda Johansson (Systembolaget AB) and Kate Venugopal, (Wine Institute) and the discussion will be moderated by Dr Peter Stanbury, Head of Research at SWR 🔗 Register for the free live event here: https://lnkd.in/girKtb3i See you there!

SWR’s Research Director Dr Peter Stanbury was thrilled to speak at recent conferences organised by two of our Scandinavian members. Every two years, alcohol monopolies from Scandinavia, Canada, and the USA gather to address key challenges in the sector. This year, Systembolaget AB hosted in Stockholm, focusing on the growing impact of climate change. As a keynote speaker, Peter shared insights on the challenges for the wine sector and the work SWR is doing to tackle them. The event highlighted the importance of collaboration through SWR to combat climate change. The following week, Peter spoke at Alko’s supplier conference, where the focus was on sustainability in the wine value chain. Alko Oy is prioritising biodiversity in vineyards and supports SWR’s new Sustainable Viticulture Protocol, which aims to enhance biodiversity. We, along with Alko, encourage suppliers to adopt this Protocol when it launches this Autumn. Well done Peter and thank you to those who joined!

Would you buy wine in an aluminum bottle? 🍷 I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jody Bogle from Bogle Family Wine Collection. Their new wine label, Element[AL] launched earlier this year in a first-of-its-kind aluminium wine bottle. Not a can, but a full-size wine bottle. Jody shares why they chose aluminum, what the process from inception to bottling looked like, and insights on consumer perceptions and marketing. Listen via the link below!

We are delighted to welcome two new members to SWR: 🍷 Accolade Wines - A leading international producer and distributor renowned for their exceptional quality and global reach. Accolade Wines Emma Gibson 🍇 Carriere Pradal - A cherished family-run vineyard from the South of France, dedicated to regenerative practices and sustainable winemaking. Baptiste Carriere-Pradal Welcome aboard!

Congratulations to one of our leading members, Tesco, on their new innovation, "Tesco Finest Floreal." We are proud supporters, read more about it below!

Congratulations to one of our leading members, Tesco, on their new innovation, "Tesco Finest Floreal." We are proud supporters, read more about it below!