SA Wine industry introduces world's first sustainability seal
Afrikaans volg onder.
The South Africa wine industry has launched the world's first sustainability seal as a guarantee of eco-friendly production. Issued by the Wine and Spirit Board, the seal, intended for bottled wines only, is backed by a sophisticated tracking system in which bottle contents can be traced back to source at every stage of the supply chain to confirm the integrity of their production.
Every seal carries a unique number, through which the wine's provenance can be tracked from vine to bottle.
Effective from 2010, the voluntary system is available to those wineries to have passed the accreditation of the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) set of sustainable principles, at farm, winery and bottling levels. IPW covers a range of issues such as integrated pest management, the health of workers, the conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The seal is the result of collaboration between the Wine & Spirits Board, IPW, as well as the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) and Wines of South Africa (WOSA) with the generic marketing body responsible for the worldwide launch of the concept as part of its Brand South Africa campaign.
WOSA CEO, Su Birch, speaking on behalf of the initiative, says it is expected to give another boost to the country's already widely recognised international lead in the production integrity of wine. "Although other countries are introducing similar initiatives on a limited scale, at this stage South Africa is the only country to have the means to implement and certify the concept across the entire wine industry.
"The seal is a continuation of the local wine industry's pioneering approach to sustainable wine growing and winemaking. The launch of IPW in 1998 was an important international benchmark for environmentally responsible wine production. This was followed in 2004 by the establishment of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative that seeks to reserve land within the Cape Winelands for protection and rehabilitation to indigenous habitat.
"From this year's harvest, producers who have been audited will be entitled to use the new seal as a visual guarantee of their commitment to environmentally-sensitive winemaking," she says.
"Linked to the existing Wine of Origin system that already guarantees the source of the grapes, their varietal and vintage, it gives a further guarantee of production integrity and sustainability.
The credibility of the seal rests on its ability to track every stage of the supply chain. Whereas the original Wine of Origin system, introduced in 1974, traces the bottle of wine all the way back to the vineyard, the new seal links the vineyard to the growing practices in that vineyard. This is a highly sophisticated tracking system that is being universally applied across the South African wine industry."
Regular spot-checks by independent auditors are conducted to ensure these guidelines are complied with at all levels, she says, and that the production information supplied by the participants is accurate.
The original seal certifying origin, vintage and varietal will still be available to those producers not yet compliant with the guidelines for the new seal.
To date, well over 95% of the South African wine industry has been following sustainable wine-growing and winemaking principles and Birch expects about 50% of the country's producers to take the next step by making use of the new seal from the 2010 vintage. Projections are that about 80% of the industry will be able to make use of the new seal from the 2011 vintage.
As the seal will be applied exclusively to wines bottled in SA, Birch believes it should act as a disincentive to producers to bottle their wines off-shore. "Those who export in bulk will not have the benefit of an easy-to-recognise message to consumers that their wines are made with respect for the environment."
For further information, visit http://www.swsa.co.za/.
DATE APRIL 12, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS)
ON BEHALF OF WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA)
QUERIES
SU BIRCH, CEO, WOSA (021) 883 3860, 082 563 0677
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690, 082 579 2358
SA WYNBEDRYF STEL WÊRELD SE EERSTE VOLHOUBAARHEIDSEËL BEKEND
Die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf het pas die wêreld se eerste volhoubaarheidseël bekend gestel. Dit waarborg dat ? wyn op ? omgewingsvriendelike manier geproduseer is. Die nuwe seël, wat deur die Wyn- en Spiritusraad uitgereik word, kom slegs op gebottelde wyn en word gerugsteun deur ? gesofistikeerde opsporingstelsel waarmee elke stadium in die produksieketting van ? wyn met behulp van ? unieke nommer nagespoor kan word.
Die vrywillige stelsel, wat met die 2010-oesjaar in gebruik kom, is tot die beskikking van daardie wynmakerye wat op plaas-, kelder- en botteleringsvlak voldoen aan die volhoubaarheidsriglyne soos deur die Geïntegreerde Produksie van Wyn (IPW) neergelê. IPW dek ? verskeidenheid van areas soos geïntegreerde pesbestuur, die gesondheid van werkers, die behoud van biodiversiteit en die verlaging van kweekhuisgasse.
Die seël is die resultaat van die samewerking van die Wyn- en Spiritusraad en IPW asook die Biodiversiteit & Wyninisiatief (BWI) en Wines of South Africa (WOSA), die generiese-bemarkingsorganisasie wat verantwoordelik is vir die wêreldwye bekendstelling van die konsep as deel van sy Handelsmerk-Suid-Afrika-veldtog.
Su Birch, WOSA se uitvoerende hoof, het namens die betrokke instansies gesê die nuwe seël sal na verwagting verdere impetus gee aan die land se reeds wyd erkende leierskap internasionaal in die produksie-integriteit van wyn. "Hoewel ander lande besig is om soortgelyke inisiatiewe op ? beperkte skaal van stapel te laat loop, is Suid-Afrika in hierdie stadium die enigste land wat so ? konsep landwyd oor die hele spektrum van die wynbedryf kan implementeer en sertifiseer."
"Die seël is ? voortsetting van die plaaslike wynbedryf se pioniersbenadering tot volhoubare kweek van druiwe en maak van wyn. Die instelling van IPW in 1998 het ? belangrike internasionale toetssteen geskep vir omgewingsverantwoordelike wynproduksie. Dit is in 2004 gevolg deur die totstandkoming van die Biodiversiteit- en Wyninisiatief wat grond binne die Kaapse Wynland vir bewaring en die herstel van inheemse plantegroei identifiseer.
"Van vanjaar se oes sal produsente wat geouditeer is, die nuwe seël kan gebruik as ? visuele waarborg van hul verbintenis tot omgewingsensitiewe wynmakery," het sy gesê. "Dit is gekoppel aan die bestaande wyn-van-oorsprongstelsel wat reeds die herkoms van die druiwe, die kultivar en die oesjaar waarborg, maar bied daarby ? verdere waarborg van produksie-integriteit en volhoubaarheid.
"Die geloofwaardigheid van die seël berus op die feit dat aan die hand daarvan elke stadium van die voorsieningsketting nagegaan kan word. Waar die wyn-van-oorsprongstelsel , wat van 1974 dateer, ? wyn tot in die wingerd naspoor, identifiseer die nuwe seël die praktyke wat van die wingerd tot die bottel gevolg is."
Sy het gesê gereelde steekproewe word deur onafhanklike ouditeure gedoen om te verseker dat op alle vlakke aan die riglyne voldoen word en dat die produksie-inligting wat deur deelnemers aan die databasis gelewer word, korrek is.
Die oorsprongseël wat herkoms, variëteit en oesjaar waarborg, sal steeds tot die beskikking wees van produsente wat nog nie aan die vereistes vir die nuwe seël voldoen nie.
Meer as 95% van die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf volg reeds volhoubare wingerdbou- en wynmaakbeginsels. Birch verwag dat sowat 50% van die land se produsente van die 2010-oesjaar van die nuwe seël gebruik sal maak. Die gebruik daarvan sal na verwagting volgende jaar tot sowat 80% aangroei.
Aangesien die seël sal verskyn slegs op wyn wat in Suid-Afrika gebottel is, glo Birch dit mag produsente ontmoedig om hul wyne in die buiteland te bottel. "Diegene wat hul wyn in stortmaat uitvoer, sal dus nie die voordeel geniet van ? maklik herkenbare boodskap vir verbruikers dat hul wyne met eerbied vir die omgewing gemaak is nie."
Verdere inligting is te vind op die webwerf http://www.swsa.co.za/.
DATUM 12 April 2010
UITGEREIK DEUJR DKC (De Kock Kommunikasie)
NAMENS Wines of South Africa (WOSA)
NAVRAE
Su Birch, uitvoerende hoof, WOSA (021) 883 3860, 082 563 0677
Tessa de Kock / Marlise Potgieter, DKC (021) 422 2690, 082 579 2358