In 2019, the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWGB) certificate of the organisation Wines of Great Britain was launched. Now the first wines with the label are hitting the shelves in the UK. A total of ten wines from four producers have achieved SWGB certification:
- Gusbourne Guinevere Chardonnay 2019, Pinot Noir 2019 and Pinot Noir Rosé 2020
- Henners Vineyard Gardner Street Rosé 2020
- Three Choirs canned wine range: sparkling, white, rosé and red
- Yotes Court On the Nod Bacchus 2020 and Best Turned-Out Pinot Meunier Rosé 2020
There are now a total of 61 members of the SWGB scheme, representing around 33 percent of the UK's vineyard area. They include large wine producers, growers, and boutique wineries, as well as contract winemakers. Of these, a total of 31 wineries have achieved SWGB certification to date.
To receive certification, wines must be made from grapes harvested in the same years from which the vineyards and wineries sourced their testing dates.
Currently, all of the wines listed above are still wines, as most sparkling wines produced in the UK require a longer maturation period.
The certification process includes an annual self-assessment to monitor progress against the guidelines set to meet SWGB targets.
All certified members must additionally measure their carbon footprint each year using the WineGB Carbon Calculator, a tool developed specifically for the UK wine industry that measures both carbon sequestration and emissions.
Every three years, compliance is audited by an external body, in this case the environmental consultancy Ricardo PLC. aw
