Sustainability Report: Round table In partnership with The Wine People

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 31 May, 2024

With organic accreditation widely understood, Andrew Catchpole invited a panel to debate whether this could be a useful ‘in’ when set against the confusing profusion of differing sustainability certifications.

The panel

Greg Andrews, director, D Vine Cellars

Stefano Girelli, owner, TWP (The Wine People)

Yuri Gualeni, head sommelier/wine buyer, Louie Restaurant

Elizabeth Kelly MW, buyer, Majestic

Marloes Klijnsmit, brand manager/sustainability champion, Jeroboams

Rebecca Murphy, sustainability manager, North South Wines

Andrew Catchpole, moderator and editor, Harpers Wine & Spirit

What is the relationship of organic to sustainability?

Rebecca Murphy: Organic is an important part of sustainability and biodiversity. But organic obviously doesn’t encompass all the sustainability stuff, because it’s one aspect in a big mix. I do think organic is relatable and understood by the consumer and there is now a real association of organic with quality, which sustainability doesn’t necessarily have yet.

Marloes Klijnsmit: Consumers know the word organic so well, they will reach for it. But the words I’m hearing more and more in the wine world seem to be ‘regenerative farming’, but there’s no certification for that. And without certification it’s such a minefield as someone working in a business trying to make [aspects of sustainability] clear to consumers or customers.

Greg Andrews: I think there is a significant amount of confusion out there, you start trying to define sustainability, or regenerative agriculture, and it’s very difficult. As a retailer, for me, it’s about getting the facts and building on what the producers themselves are doing. Is it truly sustainable… or is it just marketing? Some ‘organic’ producers make an organic wine, but in a vat right next to a couple million litres of something else. So you have to get the facts and make a judgement.

How important is accreditation in organic and/or sustainability?

Elizabeth Kelly: We have about 70 organic wines in our range and it’s part of a customer purchasing decision rather than the main one. As a retailer you’ve got to be working with your producers, understanding what they’re doing and making sure it’s the right thing. The accreditation is kind of a guarantee to the customer. And if there is a specific sustainable accreditation that our store staff can talk about on the label, that’s great, because that’s proving that producers have done something, rather than just saying they’re doing it.

RM: We got B Corp certification last year and it’s business-wide, recognised across the country. The thing with organic is it’s applied to food and many different products. But within wine, there’s lots of [organic and sustainable] certifications that are going to be more confusing for the consumer.

Yuri Gualeni: For the on-trade, I think the word is ‘confusion’. I have a lot of customers who want organic, or biodynamic, and I know where the wine is from – say, [importer] Les Caves de Pyrene, so they are under that umbrella – but a lot of smaller producers aren’t certified. You know they are sustainable, creating good soils, working towards stuff, but I find myself in that grey area of saying ‘I know that they work organically, sustainably’, but this is hidden because they might not have the certification.

GA: Some accreditations are more stringent than others. So how as a consumer are you meant to judge?

What of the producer’s perspective?

Stefano Girelli: When we decided to go sustainable we had to choose the body that was going to give us the specification. And I was exposed to 20 different people offering the service. And it’s difficult to select the ones that are serious and internationally recognised. The real problem is that today there is not one definition, like we have in Europe for organic. So maybe from your side, what you should be thinking about is what is a reliable body that will certify this.

A lot of people are talking sustainable, but they don’t care. They do whatever they want. So our strategy and philosophy is that you need to have somebody certify who is internationally recognised to be considered serious. That’s why we chose Equalitas, because it is very serious, so our standards are high level. We also all have to follow our responsibility all the way through [to the end retailer]. We buy grapes and say to the growers we will give them a good price for good grapes, but if the market won’t pay, if we kill the producer, then the growers suffer too. The whole supply chain needs to be responsible for who actually grows the grapes.

RM: You have to have this attitude of improvement, you have to sign up to consider all your stakeholders, not just shareholders, and kind of a new business. And for us, with all of the suppliers we work with, large and small, it’s all about the kind of attitudes behind them. It’s not about what they’ve achieved now, but what they want to achieve in the future.

There’s now a lot more pressure for this to be the business’ responsibility, because the consumer now expects the retailer or the business to be dealing with that, because it’s too big for consumers to understand. And there is definitely a lot more pressure on the big retailers to meet their sustainability targets. People are also doing it because it’s the right thing to do as a business.

Given all the complications we’ve thrown up, is organic then the most useful ‘in’ to sustainability?

GA: When organic is mentioned, people’s perception is automatically that the wine is more sustainable. They can actually digest ‘no fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides’, whereas the other elements of sustainability can be more difficult to understand and the consumer doesn’t necessarily have the time for that.

MK: So, whether a consumer is drinking in a restaurant or buying in any retailer, the real challenge is communicating ‘what is sustainability?’. Something that is not greenwashing, in a very clear way, in a very succinct way. Consumers need to be able to trust the people who put the sustainability message out there. And if the consumer has a few seconds to make a decision, we need to create a word or concept that is as recognisable as ‘organic’. But how do you do that with such a variety of sustainable elements in this industry?

SG: A possible [trade-wide] accreditation would be great. If somehow, the trade here would get together to say “this is our accreditation, that we trust, and we believe, and you recognise”, that would be fantastic.

RM: The Sustainable Wine Roundtable is working towards that, and I think it’ll be a really useful thing. It’s interesting, I think now there’s a real perception of organic quality, when it comes to fruit or vegetables or wine. Whereas at the moment, sustainability feels like there’ll be a compromise somewhere, or it’ll be more expensive. But if we can get our sustainable wines out there with the same quality as good organic products, it’ll change perception of sustainable wines. But as with organic years ago, this takes time. I think we are in this transition period, as businesses are learning what sustainability means and the whole approach to it.

MK: We should also look at the bigger picture. A lot of smaller producers may or may not be able to make, and then certify, organically and sustainably made wine. But the majority of wine consumed around the world is the more mass-produced, cheaper stuff, that may or may not be produced in a sustainable way. The really big players can make a real difference.

GA: There are also two sides to it. There’s the viticultural aspect, where we all want to see better quality fruit and better quality wines from getting the sustainability right. But then you have the bottle making and transport, which I’d like to see more focus on in terms of sustainability – that’s the elephant in the room.

A final word?

SG: There’s a long way to go, a lot of work to be done, to fix something we’ve done wrong for 50 years. I think the first step is for the trade to be very selective and start with a list of accreditations that are allowed and credible.

And then put pressure on suppliers to be accredited. The trade in the UK and all around the world has a great responsibility to be selective in what they do. And there is no better way to influence the producer than evaluating for price/quality, which sustainability helps deliver.

The Tasting

Sparkling

Santa Tresa Il Vino Spumante NV, Vittoria, Sicily, (Grillo), £13.95-£14.95: Fine bead, gentle nose, floral and orchard fruit, some yeasty notes, delicately textured palate.

Santa Tresa Il Spumante Rosé Brut NV, Vittoria, Sicily, (Frappato), £13.95-£14.95: Lively raspberrry/strawberry nose with hint of basil, beautiful texture on balanced palate.

Whites

Purato 2023, Trapani, Terre Siciliane IGP, (Catarratto/Pinot Grigio), £10-£11: Fresh, citrus, pithy, light, bright, but with some nice texture. Refreshing.

Santa Tresa Rina Ianca 2022, Vittoria, Sicily DOC, (Grillo/Viognier), £11: Slightly exotic aromatic lift from Viognier, good balance and length.

Cortese Nostru 2022, Vittoria, Terre Siciliane IGP, (Carricante), £12.50: Citrus purity on nose, softer fruits through palate, good texture, lively acidity.

Cortese Vanedda Bianco 2019, Vittoria, Terre Siciliane IGP, (Cataratto/Grillo/Fiano), £17.95-19.95: Showing minerality, floral and peach fruits; fresh, with good acidity.

Rosé

Santa Tresa Rosa di Santa Tresa 2023, Vittoria, Terre Siciliane IGP, (Nero d’Avola/Frappato), £10-£11: Aromatic rosé, with gentle red fruits, good core of fresh acidity, pleasing finish.

Reds

Integro 2022, Salento, Puglia IGP, (Primitivo), £11-£12.50: Mulberry and ripe plum, subtle spices, incredibly fresh, fleshy and smooth.

Cortese Nostru 2022, Vittoria, Terre Siciliane IGP, (Nerello Mascalese), £12.50: Red and dark fruit, soft, medium bodied, silky texture, attractive wine.

Cortese Nostru 2022, Vittoria, Terre Siciliane IGP, (Frappato), £14.95: Cherry and raspberry-fresh, beautifully light but with refreshing tension, delightful.

Santa Tresa Cerasuolo 2021 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico DOCG, Sicily, (Nero d’Avola/Frappato), £11.50-£13.50: Red fruit and cherry, rounded with hints of spice, fine balanced tannins and fresh core.

Purato 2023, Trapani, Sicila DOC, (Nero d’Avola), £10-£11: Fresh, bright, intense, with good acidity, ripe sour cherry body-weight, good length.

Purato Siccàri Appassimento 2022, Vittoria, Terre Siciliane IGT, (Nero d’Avola/Syrah/local varieties), £10-£11: Rich and concentrated, lovely long length, fruit density with a smooth finish.

Santa Tresa Cerasuolo 2021, Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico DOCG, Sicily, (Nero d’Avola/Frappato), £11.50-£13.50: Fresh strawberryish Frappato meets more intense, darker Nero fruit in winning blend.

Integro 2022 Salento, Puglia IGP, (Negroamaro), £11-£12.50: A ripe, full-bodied yet well-balanced example, with some spice to its long finish.

Cortese Sabuci 2021, Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico DOCG, (Nero d’Avola/Frappato), £21-£23: Delicious, lovely leathery spice, medium bodied, soft tannins, red berry fruit and great length.

Santa Tresa Avulisi 2018, Vittoria, Sicilia DOC, (Nero d’Avola),£40 (approx): Hints of salumi, oak-spice and dark-fruit intensity define this old vine hit.

Santa Tresa 2020, Vittoria, Rosso Terre Siciliane IGP, (Orisi), £50 (approx): Full-bodied, concentrated, savoury spice, complex, finishing long.

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