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.
“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
