Penedès is aiming to be the first protected designation of origin (PDO) to be 100% certified organic. "By 2025, organic farming will certainly be mandatory. If you're not farming organically, you can't be part of DO Penedès," said Joan Huguet, President of the Catalan DO, speaking to The Drinks Business. He explained that organic farming is very easy due to the Mediterranean climate and is further facilitated by climate change.
"By 2025, organic farming will certainly be mandatory. If you're not farming organically, you can't be part of DO Penedès,"
According to the DO Penedès website, currently, over 60% of the wines produced here are certified organic. The DO also states that Spain's first certified organic wines were produced here over 40 years ago. According to Huguet, they assist producers in transitioning and have already conducted numerous training sessions. The DO will also financially support small producers during the conversion process.
Penedès would be the first PDO to mandate organic certification in its specifications. Similar considerations are being made in Saint-Emilion. Here, an "environmental certification" has been introduced as a requirement. However, this does not have to be an organic certificate; an HVE (High Environmental Value) label suffices. Currently, twenty percent of Saint-Emilion's vineyards are cultivated using organic methods. VM
