ProWein & Sustainability

ProWein 2023 is done! It's incredible to think we're almost into April now.

It was a busy fair in Düsseldorf this year, with a truly international gathering of wine, beer and spirit producers from around the globe, including Ireland! These large wine fairs present a wonderful opportunity to catch up with our clients from around the world and it's always interesting to catch up with our wine maker friends from France and beyond. There was some great excitement in the French halls, as superstar Kylie Minogue turned up and the French ambassador to Germany also made an appearance. It must be said that he had an equally impressive entourage!

There was a noticeable focus on sustainability at many stands this year at ProWein. It's encouraging to see this urgent issue become part of the everyday in the wine world and, although there's still a long way to go, the focus on eliminating herbicides and pesticides in the vineyard and a growing awareness of water and energy management creates a sense of optimism. We firmly believe that the industry must work together to mitigate against the potentially devastating effects of climate change. By sharing knowledge and insights on how to reduce our carbon footprint the wine industry can help to protect our planet for future generations.

Taste of France did a great job by promoting the recycling of corks with their "cork harvest" and it was very easy for producers to participate. Cork collectors wandered the aisles in their French costume and there was a visible and accessible cork collection bin, which highlighted the quantity collected. Making it easy is an important part of success with any recycling initiative, and we congratulate the team at Taste of France on a job well done. There is more to do when it comes to making events sustainable, but the progress over the last few years has been encouraging.

With most of the wine fairs completed for another year, our focus goes back to the vineyards at Cazal Viel and Auzines, as the growing season for vintage 2023 begins! Alors, au travail!