Sustainable Wine

From vineyard to community: Sustainability at Journey’s End, Stellenbosch

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable Member Interview podcast, I’m joined by Rollo Gabb, CEO and owner of Journey’s End Vineyards in South Africa’s Stellenbosch.

We discuss the wide-ranging sustainability initiatives underway across the business, including energy efficiency, water conservation, lighter-weight bottles, soil regeneration and biodiversity protection.

Rollo also shares Journey’s End’s commitment to supporting its local community through the Journey’s End Foundation. Established in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide meals for people who had lost their incomes, the food program has since continued to grow, recently surpassing seven million meals served. Rollo reflects on the impact the program has had within the community and provides insights into the local partnerships and infrastructure behind its success.

Five years of SWR: Reflections and roadmap

In this From the Roundtable episode, I’m joined by SWR's Toby Webb, Dr Peter Stanbury, and Delaney Sheridan to reflect on SWR's fifth year anniversary. We reflect on our progress to date, looking back at where we started and what we set out to do, and how that has evolved over time. With a focus on our key action areas, we review our achievements so far and discuss what's coming next.

Sustainability in the vineyard: From regional insights to a global baseline

In this From the Roundtable episode, I’m joined by SWR's Dr Peter Stanbury and Delaney Sheridan. This month's conversation is largely centered around the importance of regional specificity in sustainability. From a brief update on our latest work in Standards Benchmarking, to the launch of SWR's Sustainable Vineyard Practice Survey, we discuss why granular, region-specific insights and feedback loops are critical to making sustainability happen.

A trial version of this survey has just gone live. It is anonymous and is open to all interested participants. You can find it here: Sustainable Vineyard Practice Survey

It'll take just 15 minutes to complete, and all responses will feed directly into the upcoming Sustainable Vineyard Barometer, giving the whole industry a clearer, more honest picture of modern vineyard sustainability.

How Alileo is changing minds about boxed wines

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable Member Interview podcast, I’m joined by Antonio Bertone, CEO and co-founder of Alileo Wines. Alileo strikes an interesting balance between old and new, offering natural wines produced using traditional methods, but packaged in a less conventional way. Their Sicilian varietals such as Grillo and Zibibbo are available in both bag-in-box format as well as 20L one-way kegs.

We talk about the packaging decision-making process, the trade-offs that come with alternative formats, and how Alileo is working to change perceptions around boxed wine. With their bold slogan of 'Boxed Wine is Not a Crime', Antonio shares the unique storytelling opportunity packaging can offer and insights into effective consumer engagement.

Learnings from Bordeaux: A collaborative approach to labour standards

In this From the Roundtable episode, I’m joined by Dr Peter Stanbury who provides an update on his recent visit to Bordeaux, where SWR and CIVB co-hosted an event focused on seasonal employment in the wine sector. We discuss Bordeaux's collaborative approach, practical actions other regions and vineyards can replicate, and how this feeds into SWR’s broader work on labour standards.

From blossom to bottle: A natural alternative to sulfites

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable Member Interview podcast, I’m joined by Filipe Carvalho, head of business development at Tree Flower Solutions (TFS), a Portuguese biotech startup that develops natural preservatives for the agri-food industry.

We discuss Chestwine, TFS’s innovative sulfite alternative made from chestnut male flower tannins. Filipe addresses common misconceptions about sulfites, explains why natural alternatives matter, and shares insights into the unique properties and R&D process behind Chestwine.

From the Roundtable: How can we make more informed packaging decisions?

In this From the Roundtable episode, I’m joined by Dr Peter Stanbury and Luke Mobley to discuss SWR’s work in packaging. We cover why packaging is such a big topic when it comes to sustainability in the wine industry, the recent global policy developments driving change, and how SWR’s Packaging Choice Tool can help producers with their packaging strategy and decision-making. A foundational report and draft framework for the Packaging Choice Tool will be published this May.

Luke also introduces the new Action Area Overview, a document we put together that outlines SWR’s 2026-7 plans and activities, and how you can get involved.

 

Making audits count: How can we move beyond box-ticking to meaningful impact?

ISO Certification might not be a popular dinner party topic for most people, but if anyone can convince you otherwise, it's managing director Jose Bishop from A Good Certification Group (formerly Certification Oceania).

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable Member Interview podcast, we explore how ISO management systems can move beyond box-ticking to drive real improvement. From the role of ISO standards in the wine industry to common auditing challenges and the approach at A Good Certification Group, Jose shares how audits can be a force for good and help deliver meaningful change.

From the Roundtable: A more efficient approach to vineyard sustainability

In this From the Roundtable episode, I'm joined by Toby Webb and Dr Peter Stanbury to discuss SWR's recent decision to combine some efforts from our Labour Standards and Sustainable Viticulture Protocol workstreams under the umbrella of The Sustainable Vineyard. The existing work and plans in each action area won't change - rather they will work together where relevant and appropriate.

This approach reflects the realities on the ground: social and environmental issues are often intertwined and managed  by the same small teams in the vineyard. Peter and Toby explain what this means in practice and how collaboration can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and drive more impact.

 

Is product carbon footprinting possible at scale? Insights from Systembolaget

In this Sustainable Wine Roundtable Member Interview podcast, I’m joined by Gad Pettersson, head of sustainability and product quality at Systembolaget. As part of its ambitious decarbonisation plans, the Swedish alcohol monopoly is leading a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) initiative. The aim is to be able to measure, compare, and ultimately reduce the climate impact across its full product range.

A successful pilot last year demonstrated the feasibility of collecting primary supply chain data on a large scale. Gad shares the key learnings, insights into the data collection process, next steps for the project, and more.

If you as a producer or grower within Systembolaget’s supply chain would like to get involved, please reach out to your Swedish importer.

If you as a retailer or other major stakeholder in the alcoholic drinks sector would like to know more, please reach out to linda.johansson@systembolaget.se