The Drinks Business reports that labour standards in viticulture and wine supply chains are becoming a more urgent industry issue, with sustainability consultant Anne Jones arguing that producers and retailers need both incentives and enforcement to improve practices. The Wine Society has developed a five-step human rights due diligence guide, translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and aims to have 160 own-label and key suppliers complete the first four stages by the end of the year.
Sustainability
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Alternative Wine Demand Grows, but Barriers Remain
Wine Industry Insight led its Daily News with IWSR findings that regular wine drinkers are showing growing interest in alternative wines, including natural, organic and sustainable products. The same item flags barriers including limited choice, weak perceptions of value and lower engagement among older consumers, suggesting the category has momentum but still needs clearer positioning and broader availability.
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IWCA Roundtable: Climate Change Poses ‘Existential’ Threats to Wine
Harpers reports, in a subscriber-only roundtable preview, that climate change is transforming the way wine is made and may sweep away long-established agricultural rhythms in some regions altogether. Even from the limited public text, the message is stark, adaptation and sustainability remain front-and-centre in wine-sector thinking, and climate risk is being discussed not as a future issue but as an immediate structural threat.
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Wine-Making Waste Helps Recycle Battery Metals
Chemical & Engineering News reports that researchers have found a way to use tartaric acid, a grape derived, wine industry by product, to separate cobalt and nickel during lithium ion battery recycling. The research matters beyond the cellar because the method is presented as simpler and more sustainable than conventional solvent based extraction, and the team says it recovered metals at high purity while cutting energy and chemical costs by roughly an order of magnitude.
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Western Australia Wine Sector Rolls Out Sustainability and Profitability Partnership
Winetitles reports that Wines of Western Australia, the state government’s DPIRD, and Wine Australia are rolling out collaborative initiatives aimed at sustainability, competitiveness and future profitability, including a Sustainability Engagement Officer role and renewed support for a Sustainability and Industry Development Program Manager. The story highlights practical levers such as encouraging accreditation through Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, pushing wider uptake of Margaret River’s Lightweight Bottle Charter, and relocating the WA Vine Improvement Association germplasm collection to a new site to safeguard access to verified grapevine material, with funding support via Wine Australia’s Research and Innovation Fund and matched investment.
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Croxsons Unveils Sovereign, A British Made Sparkling Wine Bottle
Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News reports that Croxsons has launched “Sovereign”, a new sparkling wine bottle designed for English and Welsh producers, aiming to cut transport miles by replacing bottles typically sourced from factories in France, Germany and Italy. The bottle uses amber glass rather than the traditional green, is made with 77% recycled glass and weighs 835g, with Ridgeview Wine among the producers cited as welcoming a domestically manufactured packaging option that supports provenance and sustainability.