International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is proud to announce that two of our members – Spottswoode Winery (California, USA) and VSPT Wine Group (Chile) – have achieved our prestigious Gold Member status.
"Congratulations to our newest Gold Members!" said Charlotte Hey, IWCA's Executive Director. "Our rigorous, science-aligned certification is the leading standard in the industry for wineries who are serious about climate action. Spottswoode Winery and VSPT Wine Group’s persevering efforts to reduce their emissions have paid off and we are delighted that more and more wineries are pushing toward Race to Zero targets."
Spottswoode Winery and VSPT Wine Group bring the total number of IWCA Gold Members to five, alongside Alma Carraovejas (Spain), Familia Torres (Spain), and Jackson Family Wines (California, USA).
Walking the Walk: Tangible Progress Towards Net Zero
To achieve IWCA Gold Membership, the wineries met our rigorous standards for climate action, including:
conducting regular third-party verified greenhouse gas emissions inventories across Scopes 1, 2, and 3;
ensuring that at least 20% of their winemaking operations are powered by onsite renewable energy; and,
demonstrating a consistent reduction of emissions per liter of wine.
As IWCA Members, the wineries have committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 across Scopes 1, 2, and 3 and meeting intermediate targets by 2030 in alignment with the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign, of which IWCA is a Partner.
Global Leaders in Climate Action
Spottswoode Winery and VSPT Wine Group were among the first wineries to join IWCA in 2019, when the organization was founded. Both wineries have been leading voices in the global wine industry calling attention to the climate crisis.
"Since joining IWCA in 2019, our ambition has been to achieve Gold Membership," shared Beth Novak Milliken, President and CEO at Spottswoode Winery. "Our commitment to the health of our natural environment runs deep, from our organic, biodynamic, and regenerative organic certifications, to being a B Corp since 2021 and 1% for the Planet members since 2007, to being close to 100% solar powered, and so much more."
She continued, "IWCA is an amazing organization, using science to measure our greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring that each member winery decreases its footprint over time. We in the winegrowing world have every reason to do all we can to be responsible stewards of our environment, both through direct action and through inspiring others, as the future of our industry is at risk due to climate change."
Carolina Gotuzzo, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director at VSPT Wine Group, shared, "VSPT Wine Group is honored by this recognition of our efforts. We are a large group with complex processes and operations in the most renowned valleys in Chile and Argentina. Being an IWCA Gold Member certainly encourages us to continue making progress on this great challenge of climate change, which involves commitment from all those who are part of VSPT and the value chain."
Achieving IWCA Gold Membership is not an end point, she emphasized – it's an exciting milestone that fuels further progress: "The recognition lends a sense of urgency to our continued efforts to improve and innovate regarding our decarbonization strategy by setting increasingly ambitious, challenging goals from the vineyard to the bottle." And, concluded Carolina: "We hope to inspire others to join."
Join the Movement
Taking on the climate crisis demands action from all of us – as individual wineries transforming our businesses to reduce our carbon footprint, and as a collective whose strength grows as our coalition grows.
Contact us to learn more about how to join IWCA. Follow our efforts by signing up to our newsletter and finding us online @iwcawine.
Read the full press release announcing Spottswoode Winery and VSPT Wine Group's achievement of IWCA Gold Membership here.