In Honor of Earth Day, the Leading French Wine Brand Showcases Its Commitment to Effective Methods Focused on Reducing Carbon Footprint.
New York (April 20, 2022) – In honor of Earth Day 2022, Barton & Guestier (B&G) – the oldest winehouse still in operation in Bordeaux – announces its dedicated sustainability strategy to protect the planet. Since 1725, Barton & Guestier has been creating high-quality French wines and sharing memorable experiences with wine lovers worldwide.
In 2021, the importer and market of B&G, BGPL USA, officially incorporated the principles of the United Nations Global Compact within its Corporate Social Responsibility. BGPL USA’s first goal is to obtain the necessary environmental certifications for all winehouses and brands within its portfolio, including Patriarche, Listel, and Veuve du Vernay. The second priority is reducing its brand’s overall carbon footprint through responsible product development and purchasing.
“Since inception, Barton & Guestier has been looking after our global environment,” says Philippe Marion, Deputy General Manager. “During this increasingly crucial time in focusing on sustainability, we have taken proactive steps to formally write our processes, identify where we can improve, and finalize our strategy and goals for the years to come.”
With a goal of benefiting the environment, employees, and communities, the brand is conducting the following measures for continuous improvement:
Health and Environment
B&G’s long-term commitment to sustainability started back in 1979 when the company bought Château Magnol, located alongside the Nature Reserve of Bruges. Today, the property and flagship is conducted as an organic vineyard and certified as High Environmental Value.
B&G made important investments in vinification and barrel cellars to preserve the environment and resources, including water and energy. Nebulizers are used to disinfect the tanks and an ion exchange washer is used for the floor, allowing to save water and avoid cleaning products.
Château Magnol
B&G purchased Château Magnol and the surrounding areas in the 1970s. During that time, the land was threatened by the construction of a highway cutting through the middle. B&G objected to the project, which was finally abandoned after thirty years of proceedings, due to the unexpected presence of a small, threatened turtle, called Cistude. To protect the turtle, the road project was abandoned, and the marshland became a Nature Reserve. With its sensitive neighbors, B&G has never stopped working to protect its environment, promote biodiversity and produce wines without the use of phytosanitary products.
Château Magnol is committed to a sustainable development approach, rewarded by an ISO14001 certification obtained in 2013 with the Environmental Management System for Bordeaux Wines. In 2017 the Château obtained the High Environmental Value certification, which attests that the elements of biodiversity are present on the estate and that the pressure on the environment is reduced to a minimum.
Practices Include
- The soil is tilled by hand once or twice a month
- The company does not use herbicides or insecticide
- Nesting boxes for bees, which are the better indicators of air and soil, have been installed
- Soils are fertilized naturally with organic compost obtained from green waste
Partnership with Chouette
B&G has teamed up with French start-up Chouette (the French translation for the words nice and owl), which specializes in precision viticulture and vineyard mapping by drone. Chouette also has its own artificial intelligence software that is being used by the Château Magnol team to handle disease detection, the counting of missing plants and analyzing the vigor of the vines. The drone autonomously flies over the vineyard and can perform multiple analyses in a single flight, providing precise data to the winemaking team. By broadening their understanding of the vineyard, the company can better focus on necessary implementations.
Objectives
Head winemaker at Barton & Guestier, Laurent Prada, looks to maintain Château Magnol’s winemaking methods for all B&G wines while elevating its sustainability practices and implementing new techniques to combat climate change. B&G’s goal is to receive environmental certifications for all its wines between now and 2024.
Wines with High Environmental Value Certifications
- Château Magnon Barton & Guestier
- Sancerre “Les Caillottes”
- M de Magnol Haut-Médoc
- Thomas Barton Réserve Privée
- M Bordeaux Blan
- Thomas Barton Réserve Privée (as per its 2020 vintage)
- Barton & Guestier Côtes du Rhône “Les Galets”
B&G also gives great attention to its new product development efforts, with the objective to reduce its overall carbon footprint. The winehouse favors the so-called “right-weight” bottles, the right mix between lightweight and tasteful, and uses DIAM corks, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) on most of their wines. B&G works with organic ink for the printing of the FSC-certified labels and uses unbleached cartons as much as possible during the packaging process.
B&G takes pride in being an ethical wine brand that remains conscious of the overuse of Earth’s resources and natural energy. With a long road ahead, B&G, along with the other winehouses under the BGPL USA portfolio, prioritize sustainable practices in an effort to support a healthier environment and preserve Earth’s precious habitats.
About BGPL USA
The importer and marketer of Barton & Guestier, Patriarche and Listel brands in the U.S., BGPL USA offers a comprehensive portfolio of French wines for the US market. Barton & Guestier is the oldest winehouse of Bordeaux, with three centuries of winemaking history and award-winning wines sourced from almost 200 winegrowers in France. Based in Beaune, Patriarche is a Bourgogne winehouse specialized in the Charmat Method and Traditional Method sparkling wines as well as still AOC wines. Patriarche’s underground cellars, the largest in Europe, age 3 million bottles and welcome about 45,000 visitors each year. Listel is the maker of the best-selling rosé wine sold in France. Social Media: @bartonguestier_france, @veuveduvernay, @listelusaofficial; Website: www.bgpl-usa.com
