Sustainability has everybody buzzing – preserving the beauty of our planet is increasingly important among consumers when it comes to many of their purchases, and wine is no exception.
These eco-friendly beliefs are sparking a revolution among winemakers worldwide, pushing them to adopt cutting-edge, responsible practices to meet soaring demand, while visionary producers who adopted sustainable practices early are now reaping the rewards.
So, what separates sustainably made wine from conventional wine? The greatest differences predominantly lie in the vineyard, not in the winery.
I’m often asked to recommend an ‘organic’ wine without people understanding the concepts at hand and the influence of how a wine is made on cost of the final product. Firstly, we must establish terminology. To most of us, sustainable, organic and biodynamic agriculture all sound similar.
To a viticulturist or winemaker, they can mean different things, although all share the common goal of reducing soil and water pollution and promoting biodiversity in the environment.
Sustainable agriculture does not prohibit the use of synthetic chemicals to control pests or diseases. Compared to the regimented schedule of spraying conventional wineries adhere to, sustainable wineries spray sparingly, using it as a last resort in challenging vintages to combat pests, disease and rot.
To promote biodiversity, cover crops (often native grasses, flowers, herbs or legumes) are planted between the rows of vines and natural predators of pests are introduced for pest control. In essence, sustainable agriculture takes the ‘less is more’ approach when it comes to man-made chemicals.
Organic agriculture encompasses most of the concepts in sustainable agriculture. However, only a limited number of traditional sprays are permitted to combat pests and diseases.
Some producers go a step further and farm biodynamical, incorporating philosophy and cosmology into their practices. They do this by viewing and treating their vineyards as one organism, coinciding with the cycles of the planets, moon and stars, as well as providing homeopathic “preparations” to the soil.
This may seem a bit fanciful in the science and tech-heavy modern era, however, many of the great producers of burgundy, barolo, champagne, and many more throughout Europe, have been following these practices for centuries, considering it an important stage in production and integrating it with modern techniques.
Wineries may choose to display their wines as biodynamic or organically certified with one of the many governing bodies throughout the world. It does cost though, and there are several small-to-medium-sized producers following these principles without official certification, so it pays to know your producer – or take your business to shops with knowledgeable staff.
Marco Lubiana is a producer from Tasmania who embodies sustainable practices and is one of Australia’s best young winemakers. He is the son of winemaker Stefano Lubiana, who heads up one of Tasmania’s most iconic wineries and is the first certified organic and biodynamic producer on the island. Marco has been immersed in the philosophy of eco-friendly wine from a young age.
Marco plants vines at higher densities, which produces lower quantities of high-quality grapes and nurtures the land through traditional methods and by manually tending to the vineyards. This includes the planting of cover crops to increase biodiversity in the vineyard and naturally fertilising the soil by composting and allowing flocks of sheep to roam through the vineyard in the winter.
In contrast, conventional vineyards are often planted in lower densities, producing larger quantities of lower-quality fruit, machine prune and harvest, and synthetic fertilisers and chemicals, which often leave a vineyard with a scorched appearance. For Marco, this combination of traditional practices and meticulousness, blended with innovative eco-friendly techniques to produce wines with a sense of time and place, is the hallmark of next-gen winemakers taking Australia by storm.
Sustainably made wines often come at a cost, and for good reason. Firstly, there is a great deal of manual labour involved. Since these producers avoid synthetic chemicals and automated processes, the vineyard must be in top-notch condition and constantly maintained to manage pests and disease. Most smaller production winemakers practically live at the winery with the amount of time they dedicate to their craft.
There are often lower yields per vine, as there is a greater emphasis on quality over quantity and a greater degree of vintage variation, as there is less a winemaker can do in bad vintages to preserve and protect their fruit. In contrast, the wines produced in good vintages give you an outstanding sense of the region or vineyard’s terroir.
Sustainably made wines are produced in almost every Australian wine region, in an incredibly diverse range of styles to suit every palate. Although they may cost slightly more, a sustainable bottle can be found for every occasion and price point. Try looking for wines hailing from Australia’s lesser-known wine regions for bargain buys.
As sustainability takes centre stage, choosing organic and sustainable wines allows you to drink well and do good for the planet.
Matt O’Brien is a wine writer with a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines (Distinction).