Last summer, during our whirlwind tour of Portugal, we had the rather unique experience of touring a cork factory. With the all the debate raging about cork versus screwcap, we jumped on the opportunity to meet the Marketing and Communications Director of Amorim, the largest cork producer in the world to find out why TCA is an issue, what Amorim’s position was on the situation, and what steps they were taking to prevent it. What we never considered during our visit with Carlos de Jesus, was the cork oak’s positive effect in sustainable development, other than the company’s efforts to obtain 45% of their energy from renewable sources.

Now, almost a year later, we find out that Amorim sent Carlos de Jesus as a speaker at the conference on the role of cork in CO2-retention, preserving biodiversity and combating desertification. Who knew?! Alright, in all fairness, we did have a pretty good idea that the vast forests of cork oaks throughout Spain and Portugal were positively effecting the planet, but we didn’t know to what degree. Both in his speech and in his interview, Carlos brings to light some additional statistics on how cork can aid in the fight against climate change, providing us even more questions to ponder once the conference was over.

Although we haven’t chatted a significant amount on Catavino about cork’s role in sustainable development, we understand that you may have several questions about this issue. Therefore, please feel free to leave any questions you have below, and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Cheers,
Gabriella

Video content from the conference was produced by Richard Gillespie please contact us if you are interested in hiring Richard for your next project.

This past weekend, I not only had the opportunity to meet some incredibly important people in the wine industry, but I also was able to understand how climate change will affect wineries both today and well into the future. Led by Pancho Campo, a man with an environmental mission, I was excited to see his enthusiasm and passion for this subject. What I also appreciated was his frank, pragmatic nature. Talk to Pancho and you will never hear that the sky is falling or that doom and gloom is right around the corner for the wine industry. Instead, you will encounter someone who acknowledges change is near, and regardless if you believe him or not, you will be effected. This is why I felt very disappointed by the lack of participation by Spanish wineries. Though we had a few Spanish climate experts speak, and Pancho himself is Spanish, the only voice that really stood out was that of Miguel Torres. Sure there were some Spanish wineries pouring their wines outside the conference during our breaks and at lunchtime, but very few. And of those handful of Spanish wineries that attended, when asked, “What are you doing about climate change”, answered, “nothing”. Now to be fair, there were wineries representing four to five different countries, and some of the these wineries had the same response; but seriously, if you’re going to pour wine at a Climate Change and Wine conference, I would think you might have a better answer than, “nothing”.

All this aside, what was even more shocking and disappointing was the lack of representation from Spain’s wine regions and historic wineries. Not one person I saw or spoke to was …

After Gore’s speech, the keynote speaker at the II International Conference on Climate and Wine in Barcelona was allotted a certain amount of time dedicated to questions and answers. One question fielded by Pancho Campo and asked of Al Gore was, “what is the responsibility of the wine industry in relation to the climate crisis?”

After I had watched this clip for the umpteenth time, it dawned me that his passionate speech about brand loyalty as it relates to trust is really no different than what makes a blog successful. Trust is the key to any successful relationship and the foundation for future growth. It is because of trust that you choose to read and interact with us. It is because of trust that we come to many of you for advice and clarity. Without this trust, without this dynamic relationship, you would not share our site with your friends, nor would they with theirs. I say this because web 2.0 is the new marketplace, where friends tell friends about products they adore, sites they appreciate and companies they respect. I love this clip by Gore because it not only enforces a long held belief Ryan and I have lived by for years, but it give it a tangibility that it didn’t have before. Wineries who place conservation as a priority and the life of their consumers as a focal point is a winery that will have a better chance of succeeding in the future. Interesting thought, is it not?!

Video content from the conference was produced by Richard Gillespie please contact us if you are interested in hiring Richard for your next project.

First, I’d like to give you just a quick idea of what the following few weeks will consist of on Catavino. This Sunday, we leave from Barcelona to Rioja for a week long adventure of visiting wineries, horseback riding, museum hopping, and of course, a great deal of eating! Throughout the week, our intention is to keep you up-to-date with a handful videos, some live blogging and a ridiculous amount of pictures. Then, from the 5th-9th of March, we’re off again to an enormous tasting in Oporto, Portugal, called Essencia do Vinho. Located in Palácio da Bolsa, in the very heart of Oporto’s historic district, the programe will include a series of tastings, dinners and bodega visits featuring wines from Quinta de Covela, Quinta do Ameal, Luis Pato, Casa de Cello, Quinta dos Roques, Domingos Alves de Sousa, Adega Cooperativa de Santa marta, Adega Cooperative de Favaios, Uniao de Adega do Dao, Niepoort, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vale D. Maria, Quinta do Vale Meoa and Quinta do Vallado. Tired yet? You best perk up, because following our return, we’ll head over to Alimentaria in Barcelona, where we’ll be checking out food and wine from across Spain.

That said, what are our thoughts on the II International Conference on Climate and Wine? Overall, it was a huge success, mostly as a result of the passion and dedication expressed by people such as Pancho Campo, Richard Smart, Tony Sharley of Banrock Station and Miguel Torres of Bodegas Torres. Interestingly, of everyone who spoke, it was both Tony Sharley and Miguel Torres who blew me away with not only the amount of time and effort they’ve dedicated to sustainable winemaking, but the amount of money they have invested in international programs dedicated toward …

The second day of the Cambio Climatico y Vino is starting off to be a take on what wine makers are experiencing, and how they are adapting to what appears to be a foregone conclusion on the question of climate change and wine.

GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM AL GORE’S SPEECH

More moisture leads to more storms and downpours, which in turn, create more flooding.

More drought and more flooding has been predicted in the future.

Many refugees are having to move as a result of rising sea levels.

Sea level increases could be much higher in the next decades than we’ve ever seen in the past decades

A 6 meter increase in sea level would lead to 450 million refugees, and in turn, to massive political, social and economic difficulties.

What is the truth? Our generation is being asked on behalf of future generations of bearing a large responsibility of changing our habits.

3 Causes that have Contributed to Climate Change in the last 100 years between both Humankind and the Planet

1. We have seen a quadrupling of population. Consequences: major impact on the planet’s resources.

2. Technology has impacted climate change by aiding in human longevity, and therefore, increasing population and stressing resources.

3. Attitudes have been numbed because CO2 is tasteless and odorless; hence, humans haven’t reacted promptly, because CO2 isn’t tangible. Coal, oil and natural gas have been pulled out of the earth; whereby, adding to higher CO2 levels.Example: The temperature of Venus is 455 degrees Fahrenheit,as a result of CO2 floating in its atmosphere. Earth will continue in the exact same path, as we draw fossil fuels out of the ground and into our own …