Today you will find stories related to the environment from the perspective of winemakers, wine producers, and those around the wine tourism ecosystem.
Champagne Telmont sustainability goals.
Bourgogne and why you should discover this wine region.
Full conversion to organic at the Hospices de Beaune.
Telmont Champagne House Partners With UN Ambassador for Peace and Climate Change Leonardo DiCaprio to Convert to Fully Organic Production
Telmont Champagne House is a leading voice in the Champagne region for sustainability in wine production, they are addressing their carbon footprint in packaging, from bottles to shipping, they have also launched a campaign "Telmont – In the Name of Mother Nature" to bring together partners, ranging from organic winegrowers to chefs to fishermen, in a joint effort to address global warming.
The Telmont Atelier in Damery, France, will host conferences, screenings, and provide space for organizations that want to drive change in viticulture.
Founded in 1912, the Telmont Champagne House has a long history of commitment to environmental sustainability. The House aims to be Climate Positive by 2030 and Net Positive by 2050, with initiatives already underway to reduce environmental impact.
I spoke with Ludovic Du Plessis, CEO of Telmont Champagne about their transition to organic viticulture, preservation of biodiversity, and reduction of carbon footprint.
We also spoke about the partnership with the American actor Leonardo DiCaprio, UN Messenger of Peace for Climate Change, who is a shareholder of Telmont Champagne, founder of Rewild, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation that supports conservation projects around the world to protect fragile ecosystems and biodiversity.
Mr. DiCaprio serves on the board of several environmental protection organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pristine Seas and Oceans 5.
The UN Secretary-General appointed Mr. DiCaprio as a Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change in 2014 to catalyze and galvanize climate action towards a global climate agreement in 2015.
Watch my interview with Champagne Telmont CEO, Ludovic du Plessis.
Bourgogne
Wine Charity Auction Brings $25 Million to Hospitals
The 163rd Wine Charity Auction to benefit the Hospices de Beaune brought in €23.3 Million ($25.4 Million), to benefit hospitals in the region, the second highest total in its history. Proceeds from the sale of the charity barrel will be given to the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) and the Initiative de Recherche pour une Longévité en Bonne Santé (IRLB) that are dedicated to research in longevity and healthspan, living longer and in good health, according to the Hospices Civils de Beaune’s pledge to support research in healthy ageing.
Sotheby’s has, for the third consecutive year, managed the auction, reaching collectors and merchants all over the globe that want to invest in wines from the region, as they are, as an asset class, superior in returns to other investments, in many instances.
Fine wine is also an investment in pleasure, as Steven Spurrier used to say.
If you have never visited Bourgogne November is a great time of the year to go, as the leaves turn golden, and the smell of wood burning from chimneys takes your mind to a slow, kinder time. There are also many wineries to visit, and restaurants to experience. We recommend Le PiquBouef in Rue d’Alsace, and the Biz’Tro at Place de Madeleine, both serve choice cuts and exquisite menus, have superb ambiance, a great wine list, and dishes are prepared with locally sourced, organic, produce.
We interviewed the winemaker of the Hospices de Beaune, Ludivine Griveau, who manages the vines that are tended to by 23 employees. It is important to know that the vineyard is very fragmented, with 117 plots, each one requiring careful attention.
The Hospices’ estate is a mosaic of vineyards, managed in a sustainable way, and will be fully converted to organic in 2024, said Ludivine Griveau, watch my short interview with her at the historic Hospices de Beaune.
We also spoke about adapting to climate change and what the future of wine production holds for the region, watch.
UN World Tourism Organisation
UNWTO Global Conference Brings Wine Show TV Star Joe Fattorini
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of La Rioja and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of Spain, organized the 7th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism on 22-24 November 2023 in Logroño (La Rioja), Spain, under the theme 'Inclusive, sustainable and digital wine tourism: Building stronger territorial cohesion'.
The annual conference brings experts from across the growing field of wine tourism to work together to find concrete solutions to make tourism an enabler of the way forward towards a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient future for communities.
Watch Joe Fattorini at the UN World Tourism Organisation Global Summit speak about wine tourism and how to reach out to 100 million + audiences.
For those who have not yet watched, check the YouTube channel of The Wine Show.
In case you missed
WTO
The Future of Wine Trade
WTO Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam was in Dijon, France, at the Vine and Wine World Trade Forum, early October, where he gave a keynote speech on the implications of the global system of trade for the wine industry.
He spoke to wine producers on the changes afoot and that international trade has a new narrative based on geopolitics, climate and sustainability.
While there is fragmentation, there is also opportunity for cohesion and harmonisation of trade norms, and green technologies will support the energy transition of the wine trade economy.
In their latest report, the organisation behind the Wine World Trade Forum, says they have seen the “overall value of global wine exports is the highest ever recorded in the past year”.
“In the past 20 years the share of internationally traded wine has more than doubled, from 20% to 41% of the total production.”
ITA: Italian Trade Agency
Top Wine Producers Still Want to Enter UK Market
With Brexit making it even more expensive to import European Economic Area wines into the UK, the Italian Trade Agency created a special BREXIT Office to support Italian wine producers that want to export to the largest consumer and trade market in Europe. Italian winemakers produce excellent wines at very reasonable price points.
A couple of weeks ago it showcased some of the top producers from Tuscany, at the Museum of Science at Imperial College, in London, to boost exports. ITA works with other sectors as well as supports those interested in investing in Italy.
A trend observed: wineries are turning to organic, sustainable methods of production and trying to reduce their carbon footprint by adopting environment-friendly packaging.
Here are the highlights in photos.
Winemakers from Tuscany were the focus of this edition, presenting many well-established producers that were seeking representation the UK market. Brexit has increased costs to import in the UK, so Im told. Italian winemakers have help from ITA to understand the new rules for export. Wine tourism is also in the scope of their activities, as many wineries have tasting rooms.
