SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – June 26, 2023 – Symington Family Estates, producers of some of the finest Ports in the world for five generations is proud to announce that it has achieved Portugal’s new Sustainable Winegrowing Certification. The certification has recently been created by the national wine associations to assess producers against a wide range of sustainability criteria. Symington is the first winery in the country to receive the certification and has achieved the highest grade on the assessment scale.
This new certification was created by Portugal’s wine governing body, the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV), and promotional association, ViniPortugal. The objective is to establish a clear, robust, independent, and internationally recognized certification framework that guarantees Portuguese wine producers’ commitment to sustainable, high-quality wine production.
The framework covers all aspects of sustainability across 86 themes, from corporate governance to the impact on the final consumer. Every area of Symington Family Estates was assessed in a comprehensive and demanding audit that lasted three days, conducted by LRQA – one of the leading global independent certification organizations.
“The fact that there are countless sustainability certifications is a challenge. But without third party frameworks, we are just left with claims made by companies.
People are rightly skeptical and want to see words backed up with proof. I am proud that Symington Family Estates is the first wine producer in Portugal to achieve this certification, having been instrumental in asking for it to be developed. Like most companies, we are far from perfect in terms of our impact on the environment, but we are taking responsibility for it and we are committed to continuous improvement.
We believe that the best way to ensure we are moving in the right direction is to subscribe to certifications that oblige rigor, progress and certain baseline standards for entry. We have done this through our B Corporation certification (2019), achieving membership of International Wineries for Climate Action (2020) and now, Portugal’s Sustainable Winegrowing certification.” – Rob Symington, Director, Symington Family Estates
About Symington Family Estates
The Symingtons of Scottish, English and Portuguese descent have been Port producers in northern Portugal since 1882. For five generations they have combined their passion for producing fine wines and Ports with a deep commitment to the region’s land and people. Today, ten Symingtons work across their four Port houses: Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s and Warre’s, as well as their Douro wine brands – Quinta do Vesúvio, Quinta do Ataíde, Altano and Prats & Symington (of Chryseia fame). In 2017 they launched a new venture, Quinta da Fonte Souto, in the Alto Alentejo. Symington Family Estates is a leading premium Port producer and the leading vineyard owners in the Douro valley, with 26 Quintas covering 2,462 hectares and 1,114 ha of vineyard. All their vineyards are sustainably managed under a minimum intervention certification and 130 ha are organically farmed, the largest area of organic vineyard in northern Portugal. The family has invested significantly in viticulture R&D to adapt to climate change and have an ambitious sustainability plan, with a series of goals under the banner of Mission 2025. In 2019 the company became a certified B Corporation – the first wine company in Portugal to take this step – joining a global community of businesses audited for the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility, committed to using business as a force for good. www.symington.com
