Miami, FL, May 9, 2024 – Domaine Bousquet has just released its first ever 2023 Sustainability Impact Report, prepared in consultation with the Terra Institute in Italy. The report is publicly available on the Domaine Bousquet homepage (www.domainebousquet.com). Updates to this report will be issued annually, in keeping with the winery’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“The report is both a milestone and a reflection of our company culture, which is to be 100% transparent with our consumers and suppliers. We also hope to inspire: Take our report as a model and practical guide to move the sustainability needle,” notes co-owner Anne Bousquet on the rationale for making the report public.
A comprehensive sustainability “state-of-the-union” address from Domaine Bousquet, the report covers internal operations and collaborations throughout the supply chain, coordination with suppliers on issues ranging from packaging and transport to agricultural inputs, plus engagement with retailers and consumers for a more complete understanding of the impact and lifecycle of Domaine Bousquet wines. The report details short-, mid- and long-term goals, with strategies to achieve them and evaluation tools to measure success. (Report highlights are summarized below.)
Other new initiatives from Domaine Bousquet include development of a robust wine industry carbon lifecycle calculator to be made available to all South American wineries. To that end, Domaine Bousquet co-owner, Anne Bousquet, has instigated a buy-in from five Argentine and Chilean wineries to foot the costs of adapting the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) calculator to South American regional emission factors. This tool has been successfully used in several regions around the world and leveraging a common methodology will lead to more transparent and meaningful results across South America.
Family-owned Domaine Bousquet in Argentina’s Uco Valley has been 100% certified organic since its first vintage in 2005 and ranks among the top five organic wine brands sold in the U.S. (165,000 cases annually). Accountability through third party certification has always been a priority. Among a growing list of certifications, in 2023 Domaine Bousquet became the first winery outside the U.S. to earn Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)™ status, and one of the first 24 wineries worldwide to attain B Corp certification.
With 27 years of sustainably minded operations under its belt, Domaine Bousquet can point to a long list of accomplishments. These include recycling 96.8% of waste, 74% of acreage under drip irrigation and the first winery outside the U.S. to introduce a USDA-certified organic, no-sulfites-added wine with the launch of their Virgen Vineyards range in 2021.
Domaine Bousquet Sustainability Impact Report 2023 highlights:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions every year with the objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
- A pioneer of lightweight glass in Argentina since 2007; currently over 71% of all Domaine Bousquet wines are packaged in lightweight (420 g and under) bottles. Further carbon reductions have been brought about via in-market bottling in the U.S., UK, and Europe.
- No vineyard tilling. This change protects the delicate balance of beneficial microbes, helps with water retention, and protects captured carbon from being released into the atmosphere.
- Domaine Bousquet has actively helped convert over 2,000 acres of partner vineyards to organic cultivation, offering both practical training and financial assistance.
- Ensuring labor rights, fair wages, and equitable economic distribution are also critical considerations for Domaine Bousquet.
- 70% of employees are local, including, unusually, all harvest pickers. The winery’s restaurant chef was sent to NYC for training and their head of purchasing started straight out of high school.
- Grape suppliers receive a partial, advance payment of at least 30% of the grape price for the previous year, fostering economic stability. 75% have been supplying the winery for more than five years.
- A program in partnership with Tupungato municipality, (“ENLAZADOS”) offers job training to those unemployed and without benefits.
Domaine Bousquet
A leading pioneer in the organic wine category, Domaine Bousquet has been a member of the B Corp movement since 2022. That same year, it also became the fourth wine estate (and the first outside the U.S.) to earn Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)™ status. Vineyards planted in virgin terrain, starting in 1997, have been certified organic from the get-go. The home high-altitude vineyards, at over 4,100 feet, are in Gualtallary in Mendoza’s Uco Valley. Today Argentina’s largest exporter of certified organic wines, Domaine Bousquet is owned and managed by husband-and-wife team Labid al Ameri and Anne Bousquet. https://domainebousquet.com/
Terra Institute and the report
Founded in 2010, the Terra Institute is a group of international consultants specializing in sustainable management. The Sustainability Impact Report methodology aligns with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) guidelines. The report covers agriculture, climate change, water stewardship, ecosystems, circularity, transparency and quality. For each area, scope and key stakeholders (where appropriate), management approach and action plans, including short, medium- and long-term goals. are discussed. www.terra-Institute.eu
