As we wrap up Black History Month and head into Women’s History Month many wine writers are profiling black owned wineries, and initiatives in the industry to increase diversity and equity for all stripes of people, especially BIPOC and women. A new research project looked at the use of drones and insect attractants to deliver predatory insects to reduce spider mite and mealy bugs populations, with encouraging results. A great overview of Fairtrade wines through the eyes of Kingsland Drinks, a UK importer who imports ~40% of UK Fairtrade certified wines. The Wall Street Journal examines how the business model of biochar companies has changed thanks to the carbon credit market. A fascinating look back at how biodynamics gained a foothold in the US, through a California base and spawned the earliest proponents like Frey, Benziger and Bonterra.
Diversity & Equity
US: For Decanter Liz Thach, MW chronicles the history of black winemaking in the US.
The first documented mention of Black people making wine can be found in 1888, in Virginia, detailed in the book, Southern Sketches from Virginia, where author, Orra Langhorne describes visiting the home of Robert Scott, the grandson of a slave, and tasting a very good wine that he had made from his own grapes.
Dr Monique Bell, author of Terroir Noir: 2020 Study of Black Wine Entrepreneurs, notes there are many anecdotal accounts of black winemaking in the southern US, just not documented.
Per Bell Woburn Winery in Virginia is thought to be the first African American-owned and operated commercial winery in the US. The winery was quite successful, producing up to 19,000 liters of wine from 4ha of hybrid and native Labrusca grapes from 1940-1970.
Phil Long, president of the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV) and founder of Longevity Wines in Livermore, CA, notes: ‘There has definitely been a trickle of growth. But building a pool of up-and-coming Black wine professionals takes time. Most of AAAV’s impact has occurred in the last few years.’
Bordeaux, France: Jane Anson’s Inside Bordeaux has announced the second edition of the Bordeaux Mentor Week .
A not-for-profit five-day education and mentorship program in Bordeaux to open up knowledge & access, and increase diversity & inclusivity in the wine world.
The week will be offered to seven participants. All accommodations and transport within the region will be covered for attendees. There will also be several travel bursaries available for those who are not able to fund travel to the region.
Applications open from March 2, 2023 through March 31, with scholars announced in April 2023. Email at hello@janeanson.com for an application.
US: Kathleen Willcox examines how and why more wine brands are looking to build a more diverse workforce. Wine Industry Advisor
Many well-meaning wine leaders who want to grow a more inclusive workforce haven’t found it easy to find and attract a diverse pool of candidates.
To bridge the gap many wineries are creating internal apprenticeship programs or reaching out to organizations designed to boost inclusion.
Programs profiled include: Our Legacy Harvested, a program designed to link up ambitious BIPOC candidates with wineries eager to find them. In 2023, Our Legacy Harvested selected four interns from across the country to come out to Oregon and work for four months at a winery, with the goal of trying out every aspect of the industry, from vineyard to sales.
Dream Big Darling was created to empower the next generation of women leaders in the wine and spirits industry. In 2021, founder Amanda Wittstrom-Higgins teamed up with Rona Millinger of The Millinger Group on a scholarship program designed to coach and mentor emerging women leaders in the business. It is being funded by Jagermeister for the next six years.
Asked if there are any LGBTQ+ establishments that he’d shout out for worthwhile mixology programs, spirits expert Camper English replies tersely: “No.” The author and longtime Bay Area local adds, “There’s a lot less flavored vodka on menus than in the ‘90s, but as much as I’d love for it to be the case that gay bars were keeping pace with the rest of cocktail bars, I guess ultimately the quality of the drinks is not the main draw; it’s more about community and opportunity.”
Some advances to bring ‘nice’ places to the scene include grotto, a pop-up bar in Manhattan by Austa Somvichian-Clausen. A sapphic cocktail bar concept, meaning its primary focus is serving WLW [women loving women] members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Somvichian-Clausen explains. “Another tenet of grotto is providing a safe and inclusive space for trans and non-binary folks, who typically get left out of the equation of your typical gay bar.” grotto features elegant décor, and cocktails like mezcal-based Espresso Martinis.
Viticulture
Washington State: New research indicates that releasing natural enemies by drone, paired with an insect attractant, may improve control of spider mites and grape mealybugs in Washington wine grape vineyards. Good Fruit Grower
The findings stem from a one-year demonstration project led by David James, Washington State University entomologist, and was conducted in a commercial wine grape vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA.
Two beneficial insects obtained from a commercial insectary were released by drone: Cryptolaemus beetles, commonly called mealybug destroyer beetles, and the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus.
The trial had four treatments: untreated control, drone-released beneficials, drone-released beneficials plus attractant and attractant only.
Spider mite populations were substantially reduced in all treatment blocks compared to the untreated control. The lowest numbers of spider mites — less than 25 mites per leaf — were counted in the methyl salicylate blocks, with and without drone application of beneficials. But the drone application blocks — averaging 60 mites per leaf — also were well below the number of spider mites in the untreated blocks, which averaged around 240 mites per leaf.
The number of mealybugs on sampled leaves was lowest in the drone treatment blocks, at 22–25 per leaf, and greatest in the methyl salicylate and control treatments, at 30–34 per leaf.
US: A fantastic, impressively detailed account by Samantha Cole-Johnson on how biodynamics came to take a foothold in the US. Jancis Robsinson
It largely centers on Alan Chadwick, an Englishman who was tutored by Rudolph Steiner, who developed a teaching garden at University of California at Santa Cruz in 1965.
Chadwick, a revered biodynamic practitioner (though he never used or taught preparations) focused on observation, crop rotation, composting and conservation of resources.
Two of his former students, Jonathan Frey and Katrina Van Lente (who later married and started Frey Vineyards), joined a garden project in Covelo, California, 1976.
While there they met Alan York, who had been living in a commune in Santa Barbara where Chadwick occasionally lectured during his time at UCSC. Today, Frey Family, still family owned and run, farms 350 acres (142 ha). They were the first winery in the US to certify under Demeter in 1996.
Alan York meets Jim Fetzer. Fetzer’s family had founded Fetzer Vineyards in 1968 and had begun implementing organic practices under Michael Maltas (who had worked with Ehrenfried Pfeiffer) in 1986.
After the company sold to the Brown-Forman Corporation in 1992, Jim Fetzer started his own project called Ceago Vinegarden (now known as Bonterra). The story moves from California to Chile and Oregon and reverberates around the world.
Carbon Sequestration
Global: A close look at biochar and how carbon credits have revolutionized the business to be profitable. Wall Street Journal
Biochar is a black substance like charcoal that when buried underground sequestering carbon dioxide.
It has been used to improve soil in South America for thousands of years, They found it helped the soil retain water and nutrients.
Pacific Biochar Benefit Corp, a California start up works with biomass power plants to produce biochar, then sells it to farmers.
The business wasn’t profitable at $600/ton, that changed in 2020 when they started selling carbon credits for about $150 per ton; they were able to cut prices and sales grew.
Most biochar is made using pyrolysis, which heats up organic matter (like grape vines) while restricting levels of oxygen, so it smolders rather than burns and produces a charcoal-like material. It traps the carbon. The length of time the carbon is sequestered through biochar can vary.
Marketing
UK: Kingsland Drinks, a major importer of Fairtrade wines in the UK, assesses the challenges and opportunities of the certification. The Buyer
Since its launch in 1992, the Fairtrade Foundation has grown to encompass tea, sugar, flowers and fruit, cotton, nuts, grains, rice and of course, wine.
Four countries subscribe to Fairtrade labelling for wine: South Africa, Argentina, Chile and more recently, Lebanon has emerged as a new supply market; with South Africa by far the world’s largest producer of Fairtrade wines.
Kingsland Drinks accounts for 43% of Fairtrade wines imported into the UK; one of the largest markets for Fairtrade wines, Sweden is another key market.
To become Fairtrade accredited, wineries must go through an audit process that is managed by FLOCERT, the global certifier for Fairtrade. There are regular follow up audits on accredited wineries and their supplier partners. For every liter purchased, there is an agreed Fairtrade Premium that is paid direct to the Fairtrade Trust that is set up for each winery.
Fairtrade certification for wine ensures that farmers, workers, pickers, packers and producers receive a fair price, have health and safety standards, are paid a living wage, and have their rights protected. It also goes to support and invest in essential services in the community such as sanitation, education, healthcare, and construction projects, as well as eco and sustainability initiatives.
The Fairtrade Foundation says sales of Fairtrade wine grew 10% in 2019, and further growth is forecast. The challenge for is the consumer appetite and demand for the wines; obtaining Fairtrade status can be costly and time consuming, Fairtrade wines are often more expensive on shelf.
Increasing the awareness and interest in these wines in more wine-drinking nations is needed to create greater demand.
Australia: A new report released by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA) revealed 67% of those surveyed want to purchase only sustainably made wine. Australia’s Wine Business Magazine
54% of global wine drinkers indicated they only trust sustainable wine that is officially certified.
The report also highlights how members are working to achieve its 2050 net zero carbon emissions and waste targets.
Sustainability
US: X Châteaux podcast interviews Katie Jackson who leads the Sustainability Team at Jackson Family Wines. The excellent show notes include great data on some of their initiatives including:
Carbon/climate change - most difficult goals - 50% reduction by 2030, climate positive by 2050
Invested $18.5M since 2015 on sustainability initiatives. Biggest spend in renewable energy (primarily solar - powers ~30% of winemaking needs, installing a new wind turbine which will generate ~5% of needs)
Generated $19.5M in savings and gov't grants
Lightweighting of glass has saved $1M/year in glass and ~$500k/year in transportation.
Solar initially had a 6-year payback
No set corporate threshold for sustainability investment ROI
They have 2 full time sustainability team staff, with ~80 people in 9 working groups volunteer ~3-4 hrs/month to work on sustainability initiatives.
On waste reduction - Achieved <2% to landfill at wineries; the rest recycled and composted; Have not yet gotten certified Zero Waste due to cost, instead investing in other areas
Greenwashing
Global: Can greenwashing be proven empirically? Maybe. Anthropecene
A new study used information from various existing databases on corporate climate-change initiatives, the presence or absence of board sustainability committees, greenhouse gas emissions, and market value for 592 firms operating in 35 countries between 2002 and 2019.
They used a mathematical model to examine the interrelationships among these various factors – the first study to comprehensively do so. It’s also one of the first studies to analyze corporate responses to climate change at a global scale.
The largest amounts of data come from firms in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The industrial, materials, and consumer discretionary sectors are the most heavily represented parts of the economy. “The yearly average of carbon emissions shows a declining trend from 2003 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2010, followed by a stable pattern between 2010 and 2014, and again a further reduction from 2015 onwards,” the researchers report in the British Journal of Management.
The prevalence of corporate climate-change initiatives has increased over time. Firms with corporate climate-change initiatives tend to have higher market value. So do firms with board sustainability committees.
In other words, the market smiles on companies that are doing something about their climate impact. But - companies with corporate climate-change initiatives also tend to have higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers found. And the presence of a board sustainability committee has little effect on greenhouse gas emissions.
Legislation
Scotland: In the ongoing Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) saga in Scotland, small drink producers may be granted a one-year exemption. The Drinks Business
Set to go into effect this August, consumers will pay a 20p deposit when buying a drink in a single-use container made from plastic, glass, steel or aluminum, sized between 50ml and three liters.
The deposit is refundable by the drink’s producer when the container is returned for recycling to one of 30,000-plus centers across the country.
All relevant businesses needed to contact Circularity Scotland, the scheme’s administrators, by February 28, last week.
St. Emilion, Bordeaux: Environmental protection is now mandatory in the Saint-Émilion AOPs. Meininger’s Wine Business International
The new requirements for the Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Lussac Saint-Émilion and Puisseguin Saint-Émilion appellations stipulate that producers must have level two environmental certification or organic certification by 1 January 2023.
Level 2 certificates are, for example, the labels HVE, Terra Vitis, Agriconfiance or also SME de Bordeaux.
According to the Conseil des Vins de Saint-Émilion, almost 90% of the estates are now certified or involved in at least one environmental certification. 45% of the certified estates have a HVE (High Environmental Value) label.
The proportion of organically farmed vineyards is 20% of the winegrowing area.