Organic September

Blog | 26 September, 2022

This September, join us as we raise awareness of organic wine and the benefits it can provide for our climate. Organic works with nature, to support healthier soils, more wildlife and most importantly, our planet. 2022 is the year we must start listening to nature.

We spoke to Alliance Wines, one of the leading wine importers to the wine trade in the UK, that aims to produce high-quality products, using methods that benefit our whole food system, from people to planet, planet health to animal welfare.

The sustainable living movement is rapidly growing, with systems change initiatives and striving to live more organically, but how can organic actually help our planet?

“A reduction in the use of harmful chemicals and implementing winegrowing practices that restore soil health reduce both environmental pollution and risk to vineyard workers. Whilst an increase in the level of organic matter also acts as a carbon store below the ground, whilst during photosynthesis plants capture CO2 and store it in their leaves, stems and roots, some makes its way into the soil where it is captured for decades and sometimes millennia. This makes our soils one of the most significant carbon sinks on Earth: healthier soils literally translate into a healthier planet. Consequently, practices such as organic or regenerative agriculture provide a real solution to our environmental problems”.

Organic farming attempts to improve the health of the entire vineyard and therefore the health of the grapes. Alliance Wines informed us that, “healthy soils with the right amount of organic matter help prevent erosion, have better water retention, and are home to a diverse population of microbes, bacteria, and mycorrhizal fungi … one teaspoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people on the planet and without them, there would be no terrestrial life on earth! Plants are better able to access nutrients and thrive; producing more authentic wines, in harmony with the environment and something that we should all be seeking out.”

As it is Organic September, we would like to highlight the fantastic work our members do for our planet.

• Cambridge Wine Merchants have over 400 wines in their range that are organically grown or certified organic. Their main drivers for the development of sustainability stem from supporting producers as they transition to organic and adopting lower energy resources across their procurement and operations.
• Alliance Wine are working on the creation of a system of ‘eco-design standards’ to evaluate the impact of wine packing and see how we can make improvements in the wines that they produce and the bespoke products that they plan to roll out with the coming vintage. They are also working on the creation of a zero waste event protocol to put into action across their wine tastings and other events. Finally, they have officially started the process to become carbon neutral with a date for their pre-audit already scheduled in!

So, what are you waiting for? It is clear that by maintaining soil, preserving fertility, and minimising chemical usage, the quality of the grapes and wine will be improved – give organic wines a go!