Regenerating our Vineyards

Since we launched our 2030 ‘Good Times from a Good Place’ sustainability strategy in April 2019, we often refer to it as our ‘grain to glass’ strategy as this truly encapsulates the importance of embedding sustainability and responsibility into every step of our production.

It’s true that often the ‘glass’ part gets a lot of attention, as it relates to our products once they are beautifully wrapped as iconic brands that then play a central role in moments of convivialité and enjoyment. However, it is also true that we talk less frequently about the ‘grain’ part, without which none of our brands would exist - this relates to natural ingredients that all our products are derived from. For this, we rely strongly on nature’s global web to source these high-quality raw ingredients – grapes, wheat, barley, agave, sugar cane, aniseed - that give our brand their unique taste and character.

We recognise the importance of safeguarding and nurturing these natural ingredients as well as the ecosystems and communities that help them to thrive. That is why we are committed to our journey towards regenerative agriculture – our 2030 target is to pilot regenerative agriculture schemes in our own vineyards and share this knowledge further with 5,000 farmers. What does Regenerative agriculture mean? For us, it means that we want to move beyond a conventional approach to a more integrated systems approach, creating greater positive impacts on the land by mimicking natural processes, much like farming of the past.

As part of this ambition, we are currently running a pilot initiative on regenerative agriculture in our Marlborough vineyard in New Zealand. This trial provides the local viticulture team with the opportunity to explore regenerative techniques like planting different crops between the vines to increase the health and vitality of the soil - the healthier the soil, the stronger and more resilient our vineyards – while at the same time exploring other projects related to the surrounding ecosystems. The results from this pilot will then be shared more widely with our other vineyards.

Whilst at our Scotch whisky sites, we ensure that 100% of the barley purchased is certified to “Scottish Quality Cereals” or “Red Tractor” standards. In Cognac, our Martell brand has been working with 1,200 winegrowers on sustainable wine growing practices for generations. Through local partnerships we are currently exploring many initiatives, including trialling climate adapted grape varieties, which will help us to continue to produce our high-quality Cognac for generations to come.  

We know our consumers are looking more and more for brands that care: care about showing respect for the environment as well as being transparent about the origins of their ingredients. Nature’s web is an intricate and delicate one and although we do not have all the answers yet, pilot programmes like these will help us all to learn and share best practices as we collectively progress on our journey towards a more sustainable future. For us, convivialité is all about sharing – not just between human beings, but also with nature.