Around 200 Austrian wineries belong to the area protection association Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus (Vinea Wachau) – and they are all to be awarded the "Sustainable Austria" seal simultaneously as part of a joint project. In a meeting, the association decided: By 2023, all members are to be allowed to use the seal on their bottles. The Austrian sustainability certificate distinguishes wineries that work in a particularly environmentally friendly way, economically and with consideration for social components.
The plan is a step-by-step approach, with the smaller wineries in particular to be supported in the conversion. The producers' association would be the first to undertake such certification as a group.
"It is the continuation of a common path. The sustainability we live by will have an effect that goes beyond the individual wineries and, last but not least, will have a formative influence on the further development of our entire Wachau region," says Emmerich H. Knoll, chairman of the association.
"I am proud that we are probably one of the first wine-growing regions in the world to go down this path united and as a community."
"Sustainable Austria" is the Austrian sustainability seal. It was introduced in 2015 and assesses more than 340 work steps and key figures in the winegrowing business, all of which must meet the specified standards. aw
