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 guarantee of eco-friendly production for bottled wines and 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 IPW set of sustainable principles, at farm, winery and bottling levels. This 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.
"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," says Birch. "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.
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 offshore. "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 www.swsa.co.za.
