The Herència Altés winery becomes Silver Member of the International Wineries for Climate Action association

It is a recognition of the environmental commitment to organic farming, biodiversity, energy self-sufficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

Herència Altés will explain its experience linked to sustainability in two round tables within the framework of the Barcelona Wine Week

As of this week, Herència Altés is a Silver Member of the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA). IWCA is a collaborative, non-profit working group that brings together wineries committed to sustainability to create strategies to curb climate change and promote the decarbonisation of the wine industry. Today the entity is
made up of 27 wineries from around the world, 13 full members (including Herència Altés) and 14 Applicant Members.
For Núria Altés, co-owner of the winery, "being part of the IWCA is recognition of a job well done, work that respects the environment and sustainability." “Healthy soils and a robust ecosystem will perpetuate viticulture. It is our duty to maintain a good balance between agriculture and biodiversity”, she concludes.
To be recognized as a Silver Member of the organization, Herència Altés has had to draw up a minimum inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emitted by the winery (in accordance with the GHG Protocol of the World Resources Institute and ISO- 14064), verified by an external audit. In addition, a commitment to continue reducing emissions per liter of wine produced has been signed to comply with the 50% reduction in 2030 and reach zero emissions in 2050, as established by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.

Herència Altés has been working for years in terms of sustainability and respect for the environment, so in 2018 it expanded its photovoltaic installation. In this way, between 2018 and 2020, the winery reduced emissions from electricity consumption by 26% and improved self-sufficiency by generating 80% of the total energy it consumes. “We are committed to tackling the severity of the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions. In fact, we are analyzing new measures to reduce them even more, such as the use of lighter bottles”, explains Rafael De Haan, co-owner of the winery. In addition, since 2013 the winery has been using organic farming practices in all the vineyards and, today, 100% of the vineyards have organic certification. Part of this commitment has materialized in the environmental project of the Lo Grau de l'Inquisidor estate, where the winery is located. Trees, native bushes and plants have been planted, nest boxes have been installed and a pond has been built to reproduce the natural habitat of the species in the area. All this must be added to several hackings due to the reintroduction of autochthonous species in decline such as the Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) or Kestrel. All these actions favor the protection and proliferation of native fauna and flora and attract insects and birds that fight diseases of the vineyard through the ecosystem itself.

In 2021, Herència Altés also joined the Catalan Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (CBMS), a butterfly monitoring and identification network, which apart from censusing and studying habitats and species, allows the environmental quality of the environment to be analyzed using butterflies as climate bioindicators , vegetation and land uses. In addition, the winery is beginning regenerative agriculture and experimenting with new practices, such as the use of plant covers in the vineyards, which favor the optimization of rainwater, which is especially important in a dry area such as Terra Alta.

Due to this environmental commitment, Herència Altés will participate in two round tables within the framework of the Barcelona Wine Week, in an edition of the contest that will orbit, among others, around the environment and the challenges to face climate change. One of the sessions, organized by the IWCA and entitled "IWCA, towards the decarbonisation of the wine sector", will be held on April 5 at 11:30 a.m., in the Sala Príncipe at Fira Barcelona. The other entitled "Ecology and sustainability: the new centrality" (April 5 at 1:30 p.m., Speaker's Corner) will deal with the bet and good practices of the wine landscape and the new generations. In both cases, Rafa De Haan and Núria Altés, respectively, will provide their point of view on the challenges and current opportunities in the wine sector and will share the experience of the winery in sustainable development.