The SPRINT team were recently lucky enough to visit the Saint Emilion region of Bordeaux, France, where we learnt about how winegrowers here are prioritising the environment through mandatory certification.
Since February 2023, growers who wish to use the reputable ‘Saint Emilion’ name on their wine have to take part in a certification process which proves that they are meeting certain environmental standards. This system is tiered, with growers able to pick which accreditations they would like to follow. Once they either reach level 2 or become fully organic, they are then able to use the prestigious name, thus making their wine more attractive to customers.
In addition, there are 6 pillars involved in the Saint-Emilion environmental approach, each of which affect, or are affected by, pesticides:
- Soil biodiversity
- Biocontrol
- Living landscapes
- Water use and quality
- Climate change
- Human intervention
Read more about the vines of Saint-Emilion here.
