Ramón Bilbao is one of the 46 founding members, and the only Spanish winery on the founding committee of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable initiative, which aims to respond to the sector’s growing interest in sustainability and the very grave consequences of climate change. This represents another step forward in the winery’s sustainable policy, having become the first in Spain to receive Wineries for Climate Protection certification for its facilities and vineyards alike, and launching its first wines from ecological vineyards this year.

Among the founders of SWR, who hail from all over the winegrowing world and from different sectors of the wine industry (production, auxiliary industry, promotion and information), we encounter the likes of the Chilean bodega Concha y Toro, the Portuguese cork processing group Amorim, the British review and information portal jancisrobinson.com and the leading Swedish enterprise Systembolaget. SWR brings together all kinds of experts, Masters of Wine, ambassadors and consultants, and is the only global, independent, interprofessional and non-profit coalition designed to involve the whole sector, from producers to consumers.

Forest fires, rising temperatures, droughts, and torrential rain that destroys whole vineyards are just some of the problems that make the reality of climate change clear. Global warming and its consequences are affecting the wine growing sector more and more, and it is becoming increasingly necessary to find solutions for the sector from the point of view of sustainability, so as to slow down these tragic effects.

“Our commitment to sustainability is firmly cemented within the company, and the founding of this particular initiative takes it one step further; we are very proud to be taking part. We can no longer turn our backs on the issue of climate change and its consequences, which are affecting crops worldwide, and we hope for SWR to provide a point of overlap for organisations from all over the planet to contribute to building a better world, a world that is more sustainable and respectful of nature”, states Ramón Bilbao’s managing director, Rodolfo Bastida.

Thus, there is a clear need for initiatives like Sustainable Wine Roundtable, which in 2022 will open its doors to more agents from within the sector wishing to join forces in the quest for sustainability. SWR’s mission statement imagines the creation of a world that produces, promotes and consumes high quality wines in such a way that the entire process conserves and regenerates the environment, protects and defends human rights, equality and inclusion, and is capable of generating prosperity and an enhanced passion for excellence.

The SWR initiative is open to all, and is intended as an inclusive and apolitical platform for discussion, networking, ideas exchange and collaborative projects. Furthermore, it seeks to give all of its members equal opportunity for expression, learning, commitment, sharing and action.

One of the aims of the SWR is to establish a global reference standard for sustainability in the wine sector, based on the work carried out at regional and national level so far. Work groups will be set up to seek better processes and tools in favour of sustainable practices, with the defense of the wine industry at the centre of their efforts.

SWR is run by Sustainable Wine Ltd, a non-profit organisation set up to promote sustainability across all areas of the winegrowing sector.

SWR will be open to new members, be they companies, organisations or individuals, from January 2022.

The 46 founding members are: Ahold Delhaize, Alko, Alliance Wine, Amorim Cork, BLB Vignobles, British Glass, BSI, Catena Institute of Wine, Château Léoube, Cloudy Bay, Concha y Toro, Diversity in Food and Beverage, Domaine Bousquet, Dr. Loosen, Enotria&Coe, Equalitas, Famille Perrin, Fish Friendly Farming, Food Alliance, Grupo Avinea, Hochschule Geisenheim University, International Wineries for Climate Action, JancisRobinson.com, Journey’s End Vineyards, Napa Green, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, North South Wines, Preferred by Nature, Ramón Bilbao, Schenk Group, Ste Michelle Wine Estates, Sustainable Agriculture Network, Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia, Systembolaget, The Co-op UK, The Fairtrade Foundation, The Porto Protocol, The Wine Society, Treasury Wine Estates, Vingruppen, Vintage Wine Estates, Waitrose & Partners, Whole Foods Market, Wines of South Africa, WWF South Africa.