The Bordeaux vineyard, a lever for sustainable development

In 2022, more than 75% of the Bordeaux vineyard area has a certified environmental approach (vs. 35% in 2014). Bordeaux brings together a diverse range of properties and production and protection methods. Within this great diversity, the best-known environmental labels exist side by side. Some properties have multiple certifications.

For instance, 23% of the Bordeaux vineyard area is farmed organically and 50,000 hectares (approx.) are certified HVE (High Environmental Value) or nearly 50% of the vineyard area.

A vineyard that adapts

The climate is a major parameter for wine quality. It has an impact on the terroir, the vintage effect and the size of the harvest. Until now, the change in the climate has had quite a positive effect on the ripening of Bordeaux grape varieties. However, uncertainties over the changes still to come have led the vineyard to anticipate and adapt.

How?

• Adapting for example the grape varieties with new varieties authorized in the production of Bordeaux AOCs, with respect for the typical character of the wines.
• Adapting through new practices like rethinking plot location to reduce exposure to the sun, delaying pruning, using grass cover…
• Reducing the Bordeaux wines carbon footprint (-39% between 2007 and 2022, target - 54% by 2030).

Agroforestry is also a concrete example.  Looking at the Bordeaux vineyard from above, the landscape is a patchwork of greenery: rows of fruit trees alongside rows of vines, hedges bordering vineyard plots, shrubs between two vines... Trees and shrubs are making a comeback in or around vineyard plots. In Bordeaux, many wine estates have made investments in this field. A large-scale movement that is growing significantly. A lot of advantages like the growth of biodiversity, the carbon sequestration, the creation of a micro-climate, reduced drift of crop sprays…

A committed vineyard

For more than 20 years, the Bordeaux vineyard has been committed to preserving the environment. Bordeaux has already come a long way in environmental terms, but the sector also faces social, societal and economic challenges. Contributing to a more sustainable and fair society, continuing to innovate, attracting talent, ensuring the region’s livelihood... the vineyard is committed to all these aspects of CSR. Since May 2021, the Bordeaux wine industry has been deploying a structuring collective approach to serve all members of the sector in terms of CSR: Bordeaux Cultivons Demain.

The 4 pillars of this approach:

• Helping to make the sector attractive: integration, job creation, training, sustainability…
• Ensuring the livelihood of our region: local jobs, solidarity, living well together…
• Preserving the environment: renewable energies, biodiversity, carbon reduction…
• Cultivating dialogue: ethics, traceability, responsible consumption and procurement…

Biodynamics, draught horses, ecological corridors... The estates open their doors to let you discover these new practices in the heart of the vineyards and in the cellars, during guided tours.