Explore every episode of the podcast Climate Talks by Porto Protocol

April and May, New Generations: Leading Sustainability in Wine brought together the next generation of leaders from family wine businesses to explore how they are driving sustainability and climate action from within.

The series features four country-specific talks — France, Italy, Portugal, and the United States — each held in its native language and bringing together next-generation voices from the same country. These conversations create space for honest dialogue about what is changing inside family businesses, what tensions or challenges emerge, and how sustainability and climate decisions unfold across generations.

Each session will open with a short workshop-style introduction by family business conflict specialist Arnaud Daphy, who will frame the discussion through the lens of intergenerational dynamics and sustainability. His contribution sets the stage for conversations that go beyond technical solutions, addressing the human and leadership dimensions behind long-term change.

The focus is on real experiences, practical shifts, and the evolving role of new leadership in shaping a more sustainable future for wine.

This special international edition will bring together three voices from different regions of the world, offering a broader, global perspective on these shared challenges.

Visual designed by: Paul Jürgens

Throughout April and May, New Generations: Leading Sustainability in Wine brought together the next generation of leaders from family wine businesses to explore how they are driving sustainability and climate action from within.

The series features four country-specific talks — France, Italy, Portugal, and the United States — each held in its native language and bringing together next-generation voices from the same country. These conversations create space for honest dialogue about what is changing inside family businesses, what tensions or challenges emerge, and how sustainability and climate decisions unfold across generations.

This particular session is focused on new generations from the UK market, featuring Martin Reyes as the host and Diana Snowden Seysses (Snowden Vineyards, and member of Porto Protocol’s Global Steering Committee), Rory Williams (Frog’s Leap) and Alice Anderson (Âmevive).

The focus is on real experiences, practical shifts, and the evolving role of new leadership in shaping a more sustainable future for wine.

World Refill Day Climate Talks

Exploring Reusable Bottles in Wine: Lessons, Challenges, and Opportunities.

This World Refill Day, in partnership with Lanchester Wines (UK), join us for a special edition of the Porto Protocol Climate Talks dedicated to one of the least-understood topics in wine packaging, yet widely promoted and discussed within the Porto Protocol community: reusable bottles. Refill and reuse systems are well established in some beverage sectors, regions, and companies. In wine, however, two realities coexist. For a handful of regions and producers, reusable bottles have been part of the business model for decades. For most of the industry, however, reuse remains an ambitious concept—an evolving conversation often perceived as too complex to implement at scale. Yet this is beginning to change. Around the world, pioneering producers, governments, industry organizations, and reuse operators are testing new models, building infrastructure, and exploring what it takes to make bottle reuse work in a sector known for its diversity, fragmentation, and deep-rooted traditions. Through three focused conversations, we will bring together experts and practitioners from across the value chain to share practical insights, real-world experiences, and lessons learned. From national refill systems and successful models in beer to pioneering wine bottle schemes and wineries already embracing reuse, these discussions will offer a realistic view of where reusable bottles stand today—and where they may go next.

4:00 PM GMT+1A Perspective Beyond WineTo understand where wine could be heading, we begin by looking beyond the sector itself. Join Henriette Schneider (Pro Mehrweg, Germany), Tiago Brandão (Super Bock Group, Portugal), and Mehdi Besbes (Adelphe, France) as they share insights from markets and industries where refill and reuse systems are more established. From Germany’s longstanding reusable bottle culture to experiences from the beer sector and national initiatives supporting circular packaging systems, this session will provide valuable context for understanding what makes reuse work—and what wine can learn from those experiences.

4:30 PM GMT+1Perspectives from Reusable Wine Bottle Schemes

Reusable bottle initiatives in wine are developing at different speeds around the world. In some regions, such as Austria, reuse systems have a longer history and stronger institutional support. Elsewhere, organizations and producers are working to establish new models and build the infrastructure needed to make bottle reuse viable.Hear from Marie-Pierre Khann (La Bande Verte, France), Adam Rack (Revino, USA), Ingrid Winter (State Government of Styria, Austria), and Fanny Courtial (Château de l’Éclair / SICAREX, France) as they share experiences from different reuse programs and initiatives. Together, they will discuss infrastructure, logistics, stakeholder engagement, policy support, challenges, and the practical realities of creating and expanding reusable bottle systems.

5:30 PM GMT+1Perspectives from Wine Producers

What does bottle reuse look like from the producer’s perspective? In our final session, Marta Mendonça (The Porto Protocol) will moderate a conversation with Janie Heuck (Brooks Wine, USA), Catherine Cuchon (Henri Cuchon, Switzerland), and Benoît Merchier (La Famille K, France).

These producers have already embraced reusable bottle schemes and will share their motivations, experiences, successes, and challenges. From operational adjustments to consumer engagement and collaboration across the value chain, they will offer a candid look at what it means to put reuse into practice.

Transport is one of the most significant contributors to emissions in the wine value chain, making it a critical area for climate action. In this Climate Talk, the Porto Protocol brings together key voices from across the sector to explore practical approaches to reducing emissions. The discussion will focus on improving efficiency, identifying scalable solutions to decarbonize logistics, from vineyard to consumer. By sharing real-world experiences and challenges, this session aims to inspire collaboration and accelerate progress toward a low-carbon wine industry.

HOST: Jihany Brecci (Stella Pietro, Brazil)GUESTS: Mimi Casteel (Hope Well, USA)Alpha Lo (Climate Water Project, USA)Introduction / DescriptionIn this Climate Talk, organized in partnership with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, on the theme of “Regenerative Hydrology.”This talk goes beyond viticulture as we zoom out to explore the broader disruptions in global water cycles.We’ll dive into the principles of regenerative hydrology—maximizing water infiltration, building healthy soils, and restoring natural water flows. Then we’ll examine how common vineyard practices, such as irrigation, can disrupt these cycles—and how regenerative approaches can begin to repair them.Real-world examples will be shared to show how vineyards can become more resilient to drought and erosion.The talk will be hosted by Jihany Brecci (Stella Pietro, Brazil), and will feature Mimi Casteel (Hope Well, USA) reimagining viticulture, and Alpha Lo (Climate Water Project, USA) rethinking our relationship with water.

How can vineyards go beyond sustainability and actively restore the land?

Join host Jamie Goode for an inspiring deep dive into regenerative viticulture. Featuring Noël D’Egidio and Jean-Marc Lafage, this conversation explores how vineyard practices can improve soil health, boost biodiversity, and create more resilient ecosystems in the face of climate challenges.

Learn how regenerative approaches are redefining the future of wine—turning vineyards into thriving, living systems that give back to the environment.

The Saving Every Drop in Wine Report brings together science, lived experience, and practical solutions to help the wine industry better understand and manage water—from vineyard ecosystems to winery operations.

What to expect:
✨ Keynote remarks from leading voices in wine and sustainability

• An exclusive presentation of the report
• Guest speakers sharing real-world approaches to water stewardship in wine

This is more than a launch—it’s a moment to spotlight collaboration, innovation, and the shared responsibility to protect one of wine’s most vital resources.

Be part of this milestone moment.

Throughout April, New Generations: Leading Sustainability in Wine brings together the next generation of leaders from family wine businesses to explore how they are driving sustainability and climate action from within.

The series features four country-specific talks — France, Italy, Portugal, and the United States — each held in its native language and bringing together next-generation voices from the same country. These conversations create space for honest dialogue about what is changing inside family businesses, what tensions or challenges emerge, and how sustainability and climate decisions unfold across generations.

Each session will open with a short workshop-style introduction by family business conflict specialist Arnaud Daphy, who will frame the discussion through the lens of intergenerational dynamics and sustainability. His contribution sets the stage for conversations that go beyond technical solutions, addressing the human and leadership dimensions behind long-term change.

The tone is informal and candid — focused not on perfect answers, but on real experiences, practical shifts, and the evolving role of new leadership in shaping a more sustainable future for wine.

Throughout April, New Generations: Leading Sustainability in Wine brings together the next generation of leaders from family wine businesses to explore how they are driving sustainability and climate action from within.

The series features four country-specific talks — France, Italy, Portugal, and the United States — each held in its native language and bringing together next-generation voices from the same country. These conversations create space for honest dialogue about what is changing inside family businesses, what tensions or challenges emerge, and how sustainability and climate decisions unfold across generations.

Each session will open with a short workshop-style introduction by family business conflict specialist Arnaud Daphy, who will frame the discussion through the lens of intergenerational dynamics and sustainability. His contribution sets the stage for conversations that go beyond technical solutions, addressing the human and leadership dimensions behind long-term change.

The tone is informal and candid — focused not on perfect answers, but on real experiences, practical shifts, and the evolving role of new leadership in shaping a more sustainable future for wine.

Old vines have survived heatwaves, drought, disease pressure, and shifting markets — often with fewer inputs and remarkable consistency. Their resilience isn’t theoretical. But what, exactly, can we learn from them?In this practical Climate Talk, our guests will share concrete lessons from managing old vineyards under climate stress.

We’ll explore how deep root systems enhance water resilience, why natural vine balance reduces intervention, what genetic diversity offers in terms of adaptation, and how decades of site knowledge translate into smarter decisions today.

HOST

Sarah Abbott - Old Vine Conference, UK

SPEAKERSAntonella Manulli - Fattoria La Maliosa, Italy

Rosa Kruger - Rosa Kruger, South Africa

Carolina Martínez Origone - Consejo Regulador DOP Jumilla

As climate change continues to challenge traditional viticulture, the need for sustainable, water-efficient practices has proven more urgent than ever. In this Climate Talk, we explored how dry farming can help vineyards adapt to rising temperatures and increasing water scarcity—preserving both vine health and the character of the wines they produce.We were honored to have with us a distinguished panel of experts: Linda Johnson-Bell, wine author and climate commentator; Guillaume Eicholz, viticulture consultant and researcher; David Fonseca Guimaraes, winemaker and advocate for dry farming Port Wine production; and Kees van Leeuwen, renowned scientist in viticulture and terroir.Together, they shared valuable insights, research, and experiences on how innovation and tradition can come together to strengthen climate resilience in vineyards around the world.

Old vines have survived heatwaves, drought, disease pressure, and shifting markets — often with fewer inputs and remarkable consistency. Their resilience isn’t theoretical. But what, exactly, can we learn from them?

In this practical Climate Talk, our guests will share concrete lessons from managing old vineyards under climate stress.

We’ll explore how deep root systems enhance water resilience, why natural vine balance reduces intervention, what genetic diversity offers in terms of adaptation, and how decades of site knowledge translate into smarter decisions today.

Hosted by Marta Mendonça - The Porto Protocol

Join us for a dynamic talk on decarbonizing wine packaging, featuring diverse perspectives from alternative packaging innovators, the glass industry, a reusable bottle scheme, and a retailer. This discussion brings together key stakeholders to explore real solutions and actions driving the wine industry toward a lower-carbon future.

Speakers

Madalena Moreira - Encirc (UK)

Katahrina Kleiner - Weincampus Neustadt (Germany)

Ciaram Dickson - Frugal Pack (UK)

Marcus Llhe - Systembolaget (Sweden)

Who’s who at the talk?

Marta Mendonça

With nearly two decades in Marketing & Sales, Marta Mendonça has worked across diverse industries, from telecommunications to wine & spirits. In 2016, she founded her own consultancy, promoting sustainability and climate advocacy. Since 2019, she has led The Porto Protocol Foundation, driving global collaboration on climate action in wine. She holds degrees in International Relations, Marketing, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Madalena Moreira

A Portuguese oenologist with global experience, Madalena Moreira ensures wine quality at Encirc. Having worked in top wine regions worldwide, she specializes in sensory analysis and bottling precision. Passionate about sustainability, she strives to make the drinks industry more efficient and environmentally responsible.

Katahrina Kleiner

working with Marc Dressler at Weincampus Neustadt as a research assistant, before I worked in the wine industry with a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Enology and Master of Arts in International Wine Marketing.

Ciaram Dickson

Ciaran is the Commercial Manager for Machine Systems at Frugalpac, the company behind the innovative paper Frugal Bottle. He is responsible for overseeing the international sales of the Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine, supporting their mission to decarbonise the wine and spirits industry.

Marcus Llhe

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the early 1990´s, complemented by post studies in International Marketing and Trade. After university he has been working for various private and public organizations, with focus on sustainability from the start. Among other things he has been involved in research of substitutes to freons, ecolabelling, plastic collection and recycling, development of international sustainability standards like ISO 14001 and ISO 26000. At Systembolaget Marcus focuses on the environmental impact and performance in the supply chain, from the farm level to the shops.

Hosted by Fran Draper from Fran Draper Consultancy & Porto ProtocolThree winery owners and winemakers will share practical insights on how you intertwine sustainability & profitability, implement a holistic strategy across the business, and overall inspiration to other company leaders of every size.SpeakersAntonio Mendonça - Soalheiro (Portugal)Belinda Jackson - Lawson's Dry Hills (NZ)Miriam Mascarenhas - Herdade dos Grous - (Portugal)Wines to tasteSoalheiro Primeras Vinhas Alvarinho 2023Sauvignon Blanc - Lawson's Dry Hills (NZ)Herdade dos Grous Tinto 2023Who’s who in the talk?Fran DraperUK-based communications consultant specializing in PR, copywriting, and digital marketing. She supports charities, cultural organizations, and creative projects with strategic storytelling and media outreach. With a strong community-focused approach, she helps clients amplify their voice and impact. Fran brings clarity, creativity, and purpose to every communications project she undertakes.Antonio MendonçaBorn in Porto, António Mendonça is an agricultural engineer with extensive experience in the wine sector, from Port to Vinho Verde. Passionate about viticulture, he joined Soalheiro in 2024 and owns a small vineyard.Belinda JacksonBelinda’s passion for wine began in Bordeaux in the 1980s, leading to key sales and marketing roles in the UK and NZ. She has sourced wines globally, managed brands, and developed marketing strategies, also founding two major NZ wine competitions. A published author and former Radio NZ wine commentator, she joined Lawson’s Dry Hills in 2014.Miriam Mascarenhas: Graduated in Chemistry from the University of Évora. She joined the Herdade dos Grous team in 2011, where she currently works as Quality and Sustainability Manager. Being responsible for implementing the Quality and Environmental Management Systems, the Sustainable Production certification from the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program, the National Sustainable Wine growing certification and the ISO 14064 for carbon footprint and GHG emissions inventory.

In this episode, Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership, shares the story behind founding The Porto Protocol — the wine industry’s climate action network. From his non-traditional start in wine to leading global sustainability efforts, Adrian reflects on the initiative’s biggest successes, the power of collaboration, and the urgent priorities ahead. Recorded live at ProWein, this conversation dives into how businesses can engage with climate action, the challenges of keeping it top of mind, and the value of joining a network committed to change.About Adrian Bridge:Adrian is CEO of The Fladgate Partnership, which owns renowned Port houses like Taylor’s and Croft. A driving force behind wine tourism in Porto, he also spearheaded the creation of The Yeatman Hotel and the cultural district WOW – World of Wine.Prof. Dr. Simone Loose has led the Institute for Wine and Beverage Business at Geisenheim University since 2015. With a background in economics, she has conducted research in consumer behavior, wine marketing, and market research methods in Germany, Australia, and Denmark. She has held academic positions at the University of South Australia and Aarhus University and is an Adjunct Senior Research Associate at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. A recognized expert, she has published extensively on wine and food marketing.

This was the first of a series of talks in partnership with Etienne Neethling that engage with leading scientists to explore cutting-edge research on wine, sustainability, and climate change. In this 1st edition, we’ll interview Stefano Poni, a renowned expert on sustainable viticulture from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Piacenza, Italy.

This climate talk is hosted in partnership with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation (RVF) and is titled Natural Predators in Vineyards: From Bats to Insectivorous Birds of Prey, this session will explore how the remarkable biodiversity of vineyards can be harnessed to control pests naturally. From bats and rodent hunters to mealybug destroyers and insectivorous birds, we’ll dive into the vital roles these predators play in supporting ecosystem balance while reducing the need for chemical interventions. Together, we’ll uncover actionable insights on fostering biodiversity and creating healthier, more resilient vineyards. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how nature’s allies can transform vineyard management!

As vineyards face climate challenges and biodiversity loss, agroforestry offers a promising way forward—blending trees, shrubs, and diverse flora to enhance soil health, biodiversity, and resilience. Yet, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, and much remains uncertain.

This second edition, in partnership with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, deepens the conversation, sharing insights, case studies, and ongoing learning in the journey toward climate-conscious, sustainable wine growing.

Panelists:

🍇 Anne Jones (Regenerative Viticulture Foundation)

🌿 Emmanuel Bourguignon (LAMS-21/France)

🌿 Katia Nussbaum (San polino/Italy)

🌿Olga Barbosa (Universidad Austral de Chile)

The water footprint (WF) of a product is an indicator of the consumptive use of water resources along its life cycle. Water scarcity is recognized to be a major global challenge. As such, the evaluation of the WF of agro-industrial products is key, as they are widely known as having a significant footprint on water resources.

 According to the Water Footprint Network The global average water footprint of grapes is 610 liter/kg. One kilogram of grapes results in 0.7 liter of wine, so the water footprint of wine is APPROXIMATELY 870 liters of water per liter of wine. This means that one glass of wine (125 ml) costs 110 liters (a). Even knowing that the vine has a capacity for survival and resilience to austere climates, as we speak, the increased production of grapes and wine, combined with droughts and climate change, sore than ever, water needs to be used efficiently. Therefore, there is a need to understand where and how we can improve water management in the wine life cycle, reduce it, or even eliminate it.

THE DISCUSSION

This Climate Talk addresses this issue and tries to identify the major challenges to the use of water throughout grape and wine production in this warming climate. In this conversation, we will analyze the importance of efficient use of water and explore the best technologies and practices available both in the field and on the wineries. To do so, we will count on different guests from around the world.

GUESTS

Michele Manelli (Salcheto, Italy)

Andrej Razumovsky (Alpamanta, Argentina)

Aaron Schreiber-Stainthorp (Jackson Family Wines, USA)

HOST

João Barroso (WASP - Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme, Portugal)

Our first one-to-one Climate Talk will be a discussion between Greg Jones (Climatologist and CEO at Abacela) and Etienne Neethling (Head of the international master program in vine, wine, and terroir management at the Ecole Supérieure de L’Agriculture and an OIV expert within the ENVIRO group).

They will be exploring what wine regions are similar in its various dimensions, from soil to grape varieties.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

What is a climate analogue?

Which bioclimatic indices are specific to grape and wine production and how do we calculate them?

Which wine regions have similar climates?

Is climate change a major environmental challenge for the wine sector?

Can European wine regions draw on viticultural lessons from warmer and drier wine regions in countries like South Africa or Australia?

What are the opportunities and challenges for emerging cool wine production regions or regions?

Click HERE for the presentation

https://youtu.be/FsgmBONlkEU

Our partners at The Regenerative Viticulture Foundation challenged us to open our climate talks space for their trustee, Caine Thompson (O'Neill Vintners & Distillers). Caine will share in detail O’Neill’s transition toward regenerative organic practices and the findings from their three-year comparison studies. This is an unmissable presentation and discussion! GUESTS: Caine Thompson (Head of Sustainability, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers | Managing Director, Robert Hall Winery) Emmanuel Bourgignon (Porto Protocol Living Vineyards’ Leading Teams) Charlie Dubbe – Agrology HOST Anne Jones (Regenerative Viticulture Foundation)

We are thrilled to invite you to the official launch of the long-awaited Unpacking Wine Guide: A Practical Journey Through the Environmental Landscape of Packaging! The Unpacking Wine Guide is a game-changing resource designed to empower wine producers and professionals to make informed packaging decisions while minimizing environmental impact. To access the Guide: https://www.portoprotocol.com/product/unpacking-wine-guide/ What to expect: ✨ Keynote remarks from Jancis Robinson and Adrian Bridge – An exclusive presentation of the guide – Inspiring guest speakers sharing their packaging journeys and how this guide can drive change in the industry, namelly: GUEST: Valentina Lira (Concha Y Toro) Geraldine Dubois (La Tetue) Ana Bousquet (Domain Bousquet) Simon Mason (The Wine Society) Arthur Erdem (IPEF GmbH) Anne Bousquet (Domaine Bousquet) Moderation: Marta Mendonça (The Porto Protocol) Rita Gama Rocha (OMDesign) This event is not just a launch—it’s a celebration of innovation, collaboration, and the shared commitment to reimagining wine packaging with purpose. Be part of this moment!

Moderated by Jihany Brecci, founder of Stella Pietro Vineyards, this special research edition of the Climate Talks features Dr. Kees van Leeuwen, Professor and Researcher at Bordeaux University’s Institute of Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV), Dr. Hervé Quénol, Geographer-Climatologist of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Helena Ferreira Manuel, Head of Agriculture Management and Sustainability at Herdade dos Lagos.  This was an extremely insightful talk, bridging research with wine producers. For Additional resources from this talk and on the topic: https://www.portoprotocol.com/solution/water-in-vineyards-research-edition/

As vineyards face climate challenges and biodiversity loss, agroforestry offers a promising way forward—blending trees, shrubs, and diverse flora to enhance soil health, biodiversity, and resilience. Yet, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, and much remains uncertain.

This second edition, in partnership with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, deepens the conversation, sharing insights, case studies, and ongoing learning in the journey toward climate-conscious, sustainable wine growing.

January 16Th

🕔 5pm London | 🕕 6pm Paris | 🕘 9am California

Panelists:
🍇 Anne Jones (Regenerative Viticulture Foundation)
🌿 Emmanuel Bourguignon (LAMS-21/France)
🌿 Katia Nussbaum (San polino/Italy)
🌿Olga Barbosa (Universidad Austral de Chile)

This was the first of a series of talks in partnership with The Regenerative Viticulture Foundation! It focused on the topic of Agroforestry in Vineyards. In a nutshell: how to combine trees and vineyards to benefit soil health, ecosystems, and wine quality. As always, we’ve gathered a fantastic panel that bridges the Old World and New World of wine. Caro Feely will serve as our host and moderator, bringing her experience in fostering biodiversity at Chateau Feely, to guide the discussion and explore with our panelists how agroforestry can (or can’t) be applied in a vineyard context. Panelists: 🍇 Caro Feely (CHATEAU FEELY/France) – Host 🌿 Ted Lemon (Littorai Wines/USA) 🌿 Juliette Combe (Château Cheval Blanc /France) 🌿Alain Canet (BHBZ Agroforestry Strategy/France)

In this Climate Talk we will be decoding and exploring the concept of managing ecosystems, with vineyards at its core.

This also represented the launch of our project “Living Vineyards”

Cristina Crava (The Porto Protocol) will talk to Emmanuel Bourguignon (LAMS21), Nuno Gaspar de Oliveira (Natural Business Intelligence) and Tom Croghan (The Vineyards at Dodon, USA).

Within the New York Climate Week, Porto Protocol, in partnership with the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (Boldly NY), bring you various players and countries to discuss the topic: Saving Every Drop: Water Management and Conservation Strategies in Wine Production.

During this Climate Talk we will identify the major challenges in the use of water throughout the production cycle of grapes and wine in our warming climate. During this conversation, we will analyze the importance of efficient use of water and explore the best technologies and practices available in the vineyard and the winery.

Kenn Pogash (The Porto Protocol) will host the talk with Caro Feely (Chateau Feely), Sebastian Trámon (Emiliana Organic Vineyards), Robin Ross (Arrowhead Spring Vineyards).

Within the New York Climate Week , Porto Protocol, in partnership with the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (Boldly NY), bring you various stakeholders of the value chain to discuss the topic: Seeding the Future: Building Paths to Sustain Wine Legacy and Production for Future Generations.

In this Climate Talk we will debate the why and the how of internalizing climate change in wine businesses: Where do you start? How does this materialize into a balance sheet? What are the fundamental changes this decision will bring into the modus operandi of the business? What barriers may one encounter? What opportunities arise from it? What are the risks? How does it affect your relationship with your stakeholders, from employees to providers? How do you address it and communicate it? How do you pass it on to your consumers? We will seek to present practical approaches to these questions by players from the industry worldwide that have decided to address climate emergency in a proactive fashion, committed to build a path to sustain their wine legacy for generations to come.

Justin Jackson (Boldly NY) will host the talk with Adrian Bridge (The Fladgate Partnership), Cecilia Pasqua (Pasqua Wines), Shannon Brock (Silver Thread).

This discussion will explore regenerative viticulture’s impact on water conservation in this engaging webinar. Learn from experts as they share strategies for saving water in vineyards. Discover innovative approaches that promote sustainable water management while maintaining wine quality. This webinar inspires vineyard owners, winemakers, and enthusiasts to embrace regenerative viticulture for a sustainable future, preserving water resources and ensuring the wine industry’s longevity.

Jessica Villat will host the talk with Elizabeth Whitlow (Regenerative Organic Alliance), Mimi Casteel (Regenerative Viticulture Foundation) and Francisco Font (Associación de Viticultura Regenerativa).

This Climate Talk is a Business Edition, in which we explore how sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand, through the voices and best practices of different representatives of the wine trade, such as importers, distributors, retailers and traders.

Steven Campbell (from Campbell Kind Wines), Melissa Monti Saunders, Master of Wine (from Communal Brands) and Dom de Ville (from The Wine Society) talk about embracing Sustainability, social impact, packaging, and the benefits in the long term.

More information here

Also available on YouTube

Dans le contexte du changement climatique, les cépages jouent un rôle important dans les solutions adaptation. Sachant que selon l’OIV, il existe 6000 cépages et que 13 d’entre eux couvrent le tiers des vignobles, est-il nécessaire de considérer les hybrides? Alors que certains ont la certitude que les hybrides vont jouer un rôle positif dans le futur, d’autres prônent l’exploration des cépages existants et de leurs clones ainsi que des recherches plus avancées sur les porte-greffe. INVITÉE Michelle Boufard - Tasting Climate Change - Canada Lilian Bérillon - Pepiniere Berillon - France Yiannis Paraskevopoulos - Gaia Wines - Greece Michael Marler - Vignobles Pervenches - Canada

This Climate Talk was hosted by Mimi Casteel from Hope Well Wine with Claudia Kammann from Hochschule Geisenheim University, Hans-Peter Schmidt from Ithaka Institute and Antoine Lespès from Domaine LAFAGE as guest speakers.

In the ever-expanding ocean of sustainability technologies, you have undoubtedly heard the term biochar. Once relegated to fringe-conversations, biochar has now gained a strong foothold in mainstream academic and applied research, and its use is being studied for everything from climate change mitigation to restoration of soil carbon stores, recovery of soil structure, nutrient cycles and function, soil remediation and detoxification applications, bioenergy production, and more.

Biochar is a specific form of charcoal produced through pyrolysis, which is the conversion of organic materials (biomass) under very high temperatures (greater than 500*C) to black carbon in the absence of oxygen. This form of Carbon is incredibly durable and resistant to decomposition that it can be a long-term storage form of Carbon in soils. The production techniques used in making biochar are commensurate with its potential benefits, and anyone considering biochar should become fluent in the best practices for its production. However, given the almost unfathomable sources of feedstocks, from animal manures to thinning of forest biomes for fire mitigation, to crop residues, biochar is a very exciting topic and its potential benefits in the climate crisis are myriad.

For farmers and land managers, biochar is exciting for a number of reasons, which we will get into deeply today. Its alkalinity can naturally lower acidic soil pH, can help hold soluble positively charged cations like Calcium and Potassium, it can decrease soil bulk density in compacted soils, increase aggregation, aeration, reduce leaching, bind and sequester toxins, and perhaps most importantly (at least to me), biochar has an unparalleled potential in the campaign to rehydrate soils most at risk for desertification. I’ve seen this benefit myself, and I am really looking forward to exploring all of these topics with our panel of experts.

Wine is first and foremost an agricultural product, extremely vulnerable to climate change. Its impact is being experienced by vintners in a variety of ways, as extreme weather events, from droughts to heat waves, from out of season hail to floods, are impacting yields, phenology, wine quality and taste and vines health. Harvests have been lost and new regions have arisen because of it. 

But just as wine production is affected by a changing climate it also contributes to enhance it in a variety of ways, may it be through the choice of packaging, viticulture practices or transportation.  

In this Climate Talk we’ll seek to understand how key education institutions around the world are changing their curriculums to prepare a new breath of future vintners, viticulturists, and wine business managers to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to address the new reality they will encounter and ultimately protect the wine industry.   

GUESTS: 

• Hans Reiner Schultz, President at the Geisenheim University / Germany 
• Jeremy Cukierman, MW and Director at Kedge Wine School / France
• Dario Cantù, Professor and Chair at the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UCDAVIS; Executive director of the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center/ USA and Chile 

HOST: 

• Greg Jones / Abacela winery / USA (Climatologist and former-Professor at Lindfield College)

In this podcast episode, you will listen to Anna Brittain (MD at Napa Green), Marja Aho (Sustainability Manager at Alko Oy) and Polly Hammond (MD and Founder 5Forests) representing 3 different stakeholders with tremendous experience in sustainability in wine to share their expertise and experience with the audience.

This panel was part of the hybrid event at the Instituto Politécnico de Viseu on December 13th, where we presented the results of a study in partnership with 5 wine regions that represent in total 38% of Portugal's wine (volume and area), that resulted into an "immersion" into sustainability in these wine regions.

We spoke and got to know dozens of wine and grape producers, their practices (the sustainable and not-so-sustainable ones), their challenges, and their needs to, ultimately, bring together a characterization of the status of sustainability in these regions and routes to prepare a sustainable development path for the future. We also invite you to see the documentary on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPyUNJPJY2Y

This Climate Talk is a Research Edition, dedicated to the work generated by academia. 

We counted with different experts and researchers from distinct European Universities, who will share the result of different studies, carried out from different perspectives, around the world of vineyard microbes.  We seek to understand how our practices influence the health of our vineyards, the environment, and the wine, exploring the structure, function and management of the vineyard microbiome.  

It took place in the form of a hybrid event, with a live audience of students from UTAD (Trás-os-Mosntes University).  

HOST 

Tom Croghan, The Vineyards ad Dodon / USA 

GUESTS 

Kees Van Leeuwen, Bordeaux University's Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin / France 

Andreia Figueiredo, Science Faculty of Lisbon University / Portugal 

Alex Gobbi, University of Copenhagen / Denmark

In this Climate Talk, the words reduce, reuse and rethink will be on top of the discussion. We’ll explore why and how a circular approach can provide the way for (wine) companies to establish waste management initiatives for inorganic and organic waste that enable them to close the loop.  Our guests and host will share practical examples to help us understand how to apply circular economy in our daily practices, reduce waste streams in the wine industry and rethink the way we approach the word “waste”.  

HOST: 

Marta Juega / Alliance Wine / UK  

GUESTS:  

Michele Manelli / Salcheto / Tuscany, Italy   

Patricia Berardi / Textura Wines / Serra da Estrela, Portugal   

Stephanie Barger / Zero Waste / True Certification / California, USA

Global wine consumption has not been steady, but the risks associated to climate change have grown significantly. Consequently, so have the number of discerning drinkers looking for evidence of a sustainable approach from their favorite wines.  Retailers are a key stakeholder of the wine value chain. They can impact, even determine, the entire supply chain, from production to bottling choices, from logistics to transportation and, therefore, the climate impact of a wine.  But ultimately, the most effective pressure for change is likely to come from consumers, who are being bombarded with Climate Change reality and calls to action way before reaching a supermarket shelf. This puts retailers in a unique position to educate and influence them in their so-called FMOT (First Moment of Truth), that is, in the 3-5 seconds time span in which they take their ultimate purchasing decision.  This virtual round table is about understanding how the retail industry is playing its role as part of the solution to mitigate the wine industry’s climate impact, influencing consumers and producers alike.  

GUESTS: 

Marcus Ihre / Systembolaget (Sweden) - www.systembolaget.se/  

Carmel Kilcline MW / Marks & Spencer (UK) - www.marksandspencer.com 

Scot Case / National Retail Federation (USA) 

HOST: 

Marta Mendonça / Porto Protocol -  www.portoprotocol.com/

The use of grazing animals in vineyards seems to be of increasing interest and use around the globe. The information available indicates that it is a vineyard management tool that finds compatibility with regenerative, organic, and biodynamic farming practices.  This discussion will focus on the many benefits to this technique of vineyard management.  You will gain information from vineyard managers about their experiences and the reasons for their choice of animals and the how and why they integrated this tool into their vineyards along with results of their decisions.  Finally, we’ll discuss how animals enhance carbon sequestration, soil health and biodiversity and offer reduction in the use of herbicides and chemicals. This is a unique opportunity to learn about and understand this growing trend that has been around for centuries and pose questions to our guests from around the world.  

GUESTS: 

- Kelly Mulville. USA - Paicines Ranch (California) - https://paicinesranch.com/  

- Lígia Santos. Portugal - Caminhos Cruzados (Dão) - https://caminhoscruzados.net/  

- Johan Reyneke. ZA – Reyneke wines (Stellenbosch)-  reynekewines.co.za   

HOST: 

- Tom Croghan. USA – The Vineyard at Dodon (Maryland) -  https://www.dodonvineyards.com/

This Climate Talk is dedicated to sharing different practices that make a winery more efficient and less impactful from an environmental standpoint, exploring topics such as the choice of building materials, solar exposure, energy and water management of and waste minimization.  As usual, we will have excellent guests, who will share several of their experiences, from the construction of a LEED building and the challenges behind its certification, to the use of alternative building materials (hemp) as a smart solution for a winery, to the balance as a whole between efficiency, environment and quality in wine production.  HOST - Wendy Cameron (University of Melbourne and a member of our Expert Panel)  GUESTS - Hugo Azevedo – Symington family Estates - Portugal https://pt.symington.com/- Robert Eden Chateau Maris - France - https://chateaumaris.com/- Victoria Gonzalez- Gordon (Gonzalez Byass) - Spain - https://gonzalezbyass.com/en-gb- Sion Bra- Gordon - Lawsons Dry Hills - New Zealand - https://lawsonsdryhills.co.nz/

This Climate Talk is moving past the “low-hanging fruit” and reaching for the stars – showcasing wine bottle reuse. The bottle accounts for 50% of a wineries’ CO2 emissions, due to the amount of heat required to melt glass along with transportation. Recycling decreases total emissions however, the CO2 budget of a bottle made from recycled glass is still very high, and much of the world’s recycling infrastructure is dysfunctional, leaving a huge proportion of wine bottles buried in landfills. For the wine industry to reach zero emissions and continue to use the very best, inert recipient for bottle aging, the only solution is bottle reuse.  Four companies, from different countries, join us to share their experience with bottle reuse so that we can revive this once widely practiced tradition.  HOST - Diana Snowden Seysses – Winemaker at Domaine Dujac, Winemaker and Proprietor at Snowden Vineyards and member of The Porto Protocol’s Global Steering Committee 

GUESTS 

- Melissa Saunders MW - Wine Director at The Goods Good - USA 

- Muriel Chatel - Managing Director of Borough Wines & Sustainable Wine Solution – UK 

- Bertrand Grafé - Owner of Grafé Lecocq - Belgium 

- Lise Rolland - Marketing and communications director for Oé - France

In this Climate Talk we explored what an Operations Executive needs to consider to implement strategic changes across the whole value chain: From logistics, packing to warehousing and offices; From waste, water and energy management, to tracing hidden wastes and looking at the whole product’s life cycle. From reevaluating transportation to organizational culture, customer and workforce motivations as well geographical differences.  

GUESTS
Richard Lloyd (Accolade Wines) - https://www.accoladefinewines.com/- 

Nicolas Quillé (Crimson Wine Group) - https://www.crimsonwinegroup.com/- 

Mafalda Vasques (Herdade dos grous) - http://www.herdadedosgrous.pt/

HOST - Marta Mendonça – The Porto Protocol

In this Climate Talk, organized in cooperation with The Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, we will explore the importance of soil health in vineyards, and the new challenges which arise when managing that soil health using regenerative practices.
What is the importance of soil health in a vineyard? What are the essentials of soil management? What changes are observed with a more regenerative approach?

As usual, we are joined by producers and consultants from different parts of the world that are already leading the way in regenerative viticulture to share what they are doing and what outcomes they have witnessed.

HOST

STEPHEN CRONK - CO-FOUNDER OF MAISON MIRABEAU AND FOUNDER TRUSTEE AT REGENERATIVE VITICULTURE FOUNDATION - FRANCE 

GUESTS

In this Climate Talk we debate the why and the how of internalizing climate change in your wine business: Where to start? What are the fundamental changes this decision will bring into the modus operandi of the business? What barriers may you encounter? What opportunities arise from it? What are the risks? How does it affect your relationship with your stakeholders, from employees to providers? How do you address it and communicate it? How do you pass it on to your consumers?   

GUESTS 

 Caroline Thompson-Hill - Accolade Wines  - UK (https://www.accoladefinewines.com/) 

 Michele Manelli – Salcheto – ITALY (https://salcheto.it/)

 NICOLE SIERRA-ROLET - Chêne Bleu – FRANCE (https://www.chenebleu.com/)  

HOST: 

 Marta Mendonça – Manager at The Porto Protocol Foundation (Portugal) - https://www.portoprotocol.com/about-us/

This Climate Talk addresses the state of art of circular innovation in wine, by bringing together different players from the wine value chain, but also from other industries with in-depth knowledge and approaches to circular practices. They explore how the wine industry can connect the dots of its value chain in a circular way, bringing examples tested with by-products of the wine production, as well as the applicability and suitability, from big to small practices, across different regions and realities.  

GUESTS Rosa Prati (Caviro Winery) - ITALY 

Valentina Lira (Concha Y Toro) - CHILE 

Zach Lawless (Good Goods) - USA  

HOST  Miguel Cachão (AVIPE) - PORTUGAL

For this Climate Talk on energy management throughout wine production, we have invited Charles Perry (Sustainable Future for All) to host a conversation between Adam Black, (Head of Energy at Lanchester Wines) Anna Brittain (Executive Director at Napa Green) and Ron Runnebaum (Assistant Professor In Viticulture & Enology And In Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at University of California, Davis).

From irrigation pumps to winery lighting, a company’s car fleet, mechanization in the vineyard, to energy used for packaging production and transportation, no matter what stage of wine production you may look at, energy consumption and management is at the core of the problem as well as the solution to #climatechange in general and the impact of wine production on the environment.

These three stakeholders will cover a variety of #energymanagement approaches, strategies, from simple to complex solutions (such as UC Davis' Platinum certified #LEED winery), to different sources of #renewableenergies (solar, wind and geothermal).

This approach with players from different stages of #wineproduction will enable us to dig deeper as we bridge the knowledge and challenges generated by academia and producers.

Learn more about the talk and our guests here: https://lnkd.in/dnTQgBfY

In this Climate Talk we will debate the why and the how of internalizing climate change in your wine business: Where do you start? how does this materialize into a balance sheet? What are the fundamental changes this decision will bring into the modus operandi of the business? What barriers may you encounter? What opportunities arise from it? What are the risks? How does it affect your relationship with your stakeholders, from employees to providers? How do you address it and communicate it? How do you pass it on to your consumers? We will seek to present practical approaches to these questions by players from the industry worldwide that have decided to address climate emergency in a proactive fashion.

GUESTS

§ Carlo Mondavi - USA . Chief Farming Officer and COO at Monarh Tractor (https://www.monarchtractor.com/); CEO at Raen Winery (https://www.raenwinery.com) and Continuum Estate (https://www.continuumestate.com/)

§ Paulo Azevedo - Portugal . Chairman at BA Glass (https://baglass.com/en/index.php) and Sonae (that is, an international Glass bottle producer) and - https://www.sonae.pt/en/media/blog/post/letter-from-the-chairman/

§ Rowena Curlewis. AUSTRALIA . Co-Founder & CEO at Denomination Drinks Design (https://www.denomination.com/)

HOST:

§ Marta Mendonça – Manager at The Porto Protocol Foundation (Portugal) - https://www.portoprotocol.com/about-us/

This Climate Talk is an initiative of Dr. Richard Smart, renowned International Wine Grower and Consultant. 

Dr. Smart challenged Porto Protocol to organize a webinar about mitigation (vs adaptation), on reducing the carbon footprint of the grape and wine sector. In his own words, mitigation is more of an ethical decision than an economic one, and the focus is on avoiding the causes of the climate crisis so that it does not happen. According to him “it is a decision that an industry can take to help ensure its future, in the same spirit in which this decision is being taken by countries and states, communities and families”.  

This session was the first “Research Edition” of our Climate Talks by Porto Protocol, a slightly different format from what our community is used to: we will have a series of presentations, each focused on different research themes, either from a scientific or market approach, on different components underlying the decision to mitigate:  

- Kieran Hirlam (AWRI) will present Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and carbon footprint to demonstrate that the 750ml glass bottle is an important component of the industry's carbon footprint. 

- Heena Panchasara (Central Queensland University) will describe how pyrolysis enables the industry to convert waste streams from vineyards and wineries into energy.   

- Richard Halstead (Wine Intelligence) will discuss how the glass bottle can be replaced by alternative packaging and how wine consumers can react.   

These presentations were followed by a debate moderated by Tiago Alves de Sousa (Alves de Sousa), Producer and Professor (UTAD), who will bridge the gap between the conclusions resulting from the investigation of each guest and their adaptation to the day-to-day life of the vineyard and wine sector.  For those in the grape and wine industry who see a response to the climate crisis beyond adaptation, we hope this digital conversation will serve as an incentive to contemplate mitigation.

In this Climate Talk we will debate how wine tourism businesses are dealing with the climate challenges and what is the role it can play on adapting and mitigating it. We will gather different players from the wine tourism sector to discuss the major changes wine tourism needs to address a green transition. We’ll explore what have been the consumers' demands and expectations regarding this topic, and, in a very practical way, what are the measures they have been implementing to turn their wine tourism operation into a more efficient and environmentally friendly one.   We will also approach what are the fundamental changes this path will bring into the modus operandi of the business? What are the barriers and the opportunities that can arise from it and risks involved? How can wine production values be aligned with the wine tourism operation?  

GUESTS 

 Adrian Bridge, CEO of The Fladgate Partnership & The Porto Protocol Foundation (Portugal) - https://www.taylor.pt/pt;  

 Caroline Feely, Co-owner and Director at Chateaux Feely, (France) - https://chateaufeely.com/

 Heidi-Newton-King, Sustainability Director at Spier (South Africa) - https://www.spier.co.za/  

HOST: 

 Catherine Leparmentier, Managing Director at Great Wine Capitals - https://www.greatwinecapitals.com/

n this Climate Talk we will debate the why and the how of internalizing climate change in your wine business: Where do you start? how does this materialize into a balance sheet? What are the fundamental changes this decision will bring into the modus operandi of the business? What barriers may you encounter? What opportunities arise from it? What are the risks? How does it affect your relationship with your stakeholders, from employees to providers? How do you address it and communicate it? How do you pass it on to your consumers? We will seek to present practical approaches to these questions by players from the industry worldwide that have decided to address climate emergency in a proactive fashion.  

GUESTS 

 JASON HAAS . USA - Partner and General Manager at Tablas Creek -https://tablascreek.com/​  

 ANTÓNIO LUÍS CERDEIRA. PT - CEO at Soalheiro- https://www.soalheiro.com/en/home​  

 JOAN ESTEVE. SPAIN – Manager at Raimat -  http://raimat.com/es/raimat​   

HOST: 

 Marta Mendonça – Manager at The Porto Protocol Foundation (Portugal) - https://www.portoprotocol.com/about-us/​  

You can find more about each other here: https://www.portoprotocol.com/the-business-sense-of-internalizing-climate-change-ii/

In this Climate Talk we will discuss the various issues around the glass bottle, the element that contributes the most to the carbon footprint of wine.   As we bring to the table various stakeholders from the wine value chain, we will try to understand how producers, trade and consumers are perceiving and addressing this elephant in the room.  

HOST

• Martin R. Reyes MW, Owner of Reyes Wine Group 

GUESTS 

• Jancis Robinson MW - Wine Critic, Journalist, Writer and Founder of Jancisrobinson.com 

• Charles Bieler - Owner at Bieler Wines and Co-Founder of the Gotham Project 

• Laura Varpasuo - Sustainability Manager at Alko (Finland’s Alcohol Monopoly)