De Bortoli makes bid to go organic

Published: 24 September, 2008

Australian winery De Bortoli is to embark on a major five point plan in a bid to make its wine production more environmentally friendly.

Australian winery De Bortoli is to embark on a major five point plan in a bid to make its wine production more environmentally friendly.

The winery says it will increase organic production, develop water and waste management techniques, reduce packaging and invest in research and education as part of a plan to offset carbon emissions and create a "fully sustainable" business.

In a first step towards fully organic production, the winery is developing biological farming techniques throughout its holdings, which it says will lead to certain estate grown vineyards being certified organic within five years.

Also included in the plans are a commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging by 65% by 2011, by introducing a range of new packaging systems. It has also installed a low-energy waste-water treatment facility at its Bilbul winery and introduced a '17 Trees' programme - whereby 17 trees are planted for every company vehicle, in order to offset their emissions.

Commenting on De Bortoli's environmental policies, Mark Wilson, general manager for UK national accounts, said: "As a family owned and managed company, we have always been respectful of the environment.

"In recent years, our environmental and vineyard management teams have made huge strides in reducing wastage and improving biological farming processes respectively.

"Not only is this work improving the quality of our wines even further, it also makes sound financial sense too. We are now focusing on our five key areas and exploring new ways of making the business as sustainable and environmentally efficient as possible."

With an increasing number of wineries going green, is it as good for the quality of the wine as it is for the environment? Debate the issue in our forum area.

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