Sustainable viticulture: certified vineyards reach a record number of hectares
Almost 12,000 hectares of vineyards are now cultivated in compliance with the extensive and independently controlled viticultural programme “Sustainable Austria” (Nachhaltig Austria), corresponding to 27% of Austria’s total area under vine. This is a remarkable development, given that the certification programme was only launched ten years ago. At an international level, Austria also leads the way in organic viticulture, with 25%* of the country’s area under vine being certified as organic. (*preliminary figures, as of November 2024).
“Sustainable Austria”- certified vineyards are cultivated by 655 wineries and represent 11,925 hectares, which corresponds to more than a quarter (27%) of the country’s total area under vine. Since 2019, this figure has more than doubled, while the number of wineries is almost three times higher. Other environmental certification programmes are also common in the Austrian wine industry. For example, 25% of the area under vine is certified as organic, making Austria the global leader in this respect. More than 1 in 10 organic vineyards are also cultivated using biodynamic methods. These figures are testimony to the importance of environmentally conscious viticulture in Austria.
“The ‘Sustainable Austria’ certification is a recognised sustainability label on the global wine stage. It plays a significant role in Austrian wine being perceived as particularly environmentally friendly,” explains Chris Yorke, CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (Austrian Wine). “It’s not just the environment that benefits from this. Environmentally conscious certification is a key selling point in many markets, including Scandinavia, Canada and the USA. Some of our wineries even hold several certifications, e.g. ‘Sustainable Austria’ and ‘organic’.”
Measurable results and continual improvement
“Sustainable Austria” was launched in 2015 after being developed over a number of years by the Austrian Winegrowers’ Association (Österreichischer Weinbauverband) in association with a group of scientists. During the certification process, around 380 measures implemented by a winery are assessed in terms of their sustainability. An assessment of the data provided by 655 wineries provides clear, quantifiable results. 77% of the area under vinecertified by “Sustainable Austria” is cultivated without using insecticides. Furthermore, glyphosate is forbidden on all “Sustainable Austria” vineyards, 83% of which are grown without any other herbicides. Two-thirds of all producers own root cellars, or buildings classified as A, A+ and A++ in terms of energy efficiency. 23 producers are completely self-sufficient in terms of the energy they use.
The certification process encourages producers not only to work in an environmentally conscious manner, but also to continually improve their practices. Over the past five years, the adoption of certain measures has seen a significant increase. For example, 83% of vineyards are herbicide-free today – a rise from 70% in 2019. More than three-quarters of all producers (77%) use renewable sources of energy, e.g. photovoltaics, biomass and green electricity, compared to 56% in 2019.
“Sustainable Austria” certification at a glance
The certification process involves the assessment of all of a winery’s production measures over the course of a year, including work carried out in the vineyard, the wine production process and social aspects such as employee development. This equates to around 380 measures across nine different sustainability categories: quality, social factors, economic factors, climate, raw materials, energy, soil, biodiversity and water. All of the measures relating to a particular winery are recorded in a scientifically developed tool, where they are evaluated on a scale between -10 and +10. The programme then determines an overall score for each of the nine sustainability categories, rating each one using a traffic-light system of green, yellow or red. To achieve certification, a winery needs to have a green score in at least seven of the sustainability categories, with a maximum of two yellow scores. The measures that have a particularly strong positive or negative impact on the corresponding sustainability category are set out in detail in the official Transparency Paper.
If a winery meets the criteria, it will be certified by an independent external inspection body (LACON or agroVet/Austria Bio Garantie – Landwirtschaft GmbH). The winery also receives specific recommendations on how it can become even more sustainable in the future.
About Austrian Wine
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board (Austrian Wine), based in Vienna, is a national service body for the Austrian wine industry. It was founded in 1986 with the aim of strategically supporting, coordinating and maintaining quality and sales. The company’s goal is to maintain the high share of Austrian wine on the domestic market. At the same time, it is also aiming to grow wine exports with a focus on value creation.