Green Emblem (pic: Wine Advocate)

Green Emblem (pic: Wine Advocate)

Twenty four wineries have been awarded Wine Advocate’s newly launched Green Emblem to recognize “the most extraordinary cases of sustainable efforts" in wine industry, the wine publication has announced.

Twenty four wineries including Champagne house Louis Roederer and Italy’s Tasca d’Almerita have been awarded Wine Advocate’s newly launched Green Emblem to recognize “the most extraordinary cases of sustainable efforts” in wine industry, the wine publication has announced.

The new recognition follows consumer trend to demand more transparency in wines beyond a 100-point scale for wines that demonstrate environmental preservation efforts.

WA has also adopted organic and biodynamic filters to its wine database, and the Green Emblem according to the publication is a step further. It is awarded to “producers/wineries that have achieved outstanding levels of sustainability. It is very rarely given out, and only after careful consideration of firsthand reviewer knowledge,” it explains.

However, the distinction is not set for life. It could be revoked if changes that are considered contrary to sustainable efforts were made, according to the publication.

Green Emblem (pic: Wine Advocate)
24 wineries are recognized for their sustainable efforts and are given the Wine Advocate Green Emblem (pic: Wine Advocate)

“Obtaining the Robert Parker Green Emblem is a source of great pride and joy for our Champagne House and all our employees. It is also a real encouragement for us to continue along this demanding and rewarding path towards a type of family viticulture whose objective, beyond those of organic and biodynamic practices, is to preserve biodiversity and to seek ever more vibrant flavours and expressions in our grapes and wines,” said Frédéric Rouzaud, CEO of Louis Roederer, after being given the distinction.

The Champagne house has embraced biodynamic vitulcutre and 50% of its vineyards has already been converted to biodynamic farming.

The Tasca d’Almerita family in Sicily is among the three Italian wineries recognized for the new Green Emblem, the others being Salcheto from Montepulciano in Tuscany and Alois Lageder in Alto Adige.

Founded in 1830, Tasca is headquartered in Regaleali and has made wine for eight generations.

All vineyards follow SOStain protocols. At the Regaleali estate, Tasca d’Almerita has organic, biodynamic and conventional sustainable vineyards. The Capofaro property on the island of Salina, Tascante on Mount Etna and Sallier de la Tour in Camporeale see organic and biodynamic farming according to the vintage. On the island of Mozia, where the Grillo grape is planted among the ruins of an ancient Phoenician city, farming is certified organic.

The action by Wine Advocate also comes after Italy’s biggest biodynamic winery Avignonesi wrote an open letter to advocate wine critics to recognize winery’s environmental efforts in their wine ratings.

The winery’s Chairman told Washington Post  that wine critics should pay as much attention to how a wine is made as to how it tastes.

He pleads that “wine critics must assume responsibility and contribute to the preservation of the environment.”

The full list of wineries that have received the Green Emblem are:

Alois Lageder

Cullen Wines

Decendients de Jose Palacios

Domaine Bruno Lorenzon

Domaine Leroy

Ernst Triebaumer

Eyrie Vineyards

Gerard Bertrand

Henschke

Horsepower Vineyards

Larmandier-Bernier

Littorai

Louis Roederer

Milton

Pontet-Canet

Reyneke

Ridge

Sadie Family

Salcheto

Spottswoode

Tasca d’Almerita

Valentin Zusslin

Thierry Richoux

Weingut Odinstal

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