According to current studies, the use of grazing animals in vineyards is a vineyard management tool that complements regenerative, organic, and biodynamic farming practices. The use of grazing animals also have a bearing on soil quality helping to improve the level of organic matter. This makes it possible to mitigate climate change, and make the wine sector more resilient.
Organic and biodynamic vine-growing share some standards and practices, but both agricultural concepts present primary differences that are important to understand so as to implement them correctly in our vineyards.
When it takes to take action on sequestering GHGs, wine companies have had the option to do offsetting, which is based on the idea of buying carbon credits to protect or enhance land/forests in various places around the world. Nevertheless, recent studies on carbon accounting rules for land use are encouraging what is called insetting based on the idea of compensating our emissions through a carbon footprint mitigation project within our own value chain.
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants, and microorganisms, we cannot have healthy ecosystems for growing vines and creating great wines.
When it comes to adaptation strategies to climate change, vineyards in the wine sector play an important role. The efforts of the wine industry to find solutions to adapt vines to changing climate conditions should be taken into consideration in combination with mitigation and positive impact initiatives to start doing not only less bad, but things right from the beginning.
Regenerative agriculture is gaining more importance in the wine industry. It is based on holistic thinking that opens a wide array of possibilities for economic and social improvements within the sector.
The use of copper is common practice in worldwide vineyards to protect them from fungus attacks. Given how the excessive use of copper can have a negative impact on the soil, the research of more sustainable options is crucial to completely forego the use of copper.
Sustainable alternatives to synthetic herbicides are necessary to preserve soil fertility and vegetative balance