![]() In the new HVE certification requirements, which will be applicable from January 1, 2023, soil health and soil life has become more prominent, hence the reduction in application of herbicides as well as a reduction of fertilizer usage (needed after herbicide application to make up for erosion). It may be interesting to point out here that herbicides cannot be upcycled in the circular economy, they hamper the biodiversity, pollute the water, erode the soil and emit chemicals back into the air, and thus add to the carbon footprint and they have become a barrier for the renewed Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) certification. It is almost as if Champagne wants to forget it ever made this commitment so it cannot be held accountable in spring when the regions vineyards turn bright orange again. However, the zero-herbicide policy, which was one of the most mediatized commitments until the beginning of this year, is not mentioned anywhere anymore. The CIVC's new website mentions several ecological commitments, such as integrating elements of the circular economy, reducing the water footprint, increasing the biodiversity in the vineyards, reducing the region's carbon footprint, and a sustainable certification for 100 percent of its vineyards by 2030. This may be the reason why the zero-herbicide policy has been put on the back burner, or maybe even completely canned. Nonetheless, the CIVC leadership (a bit like the COP27 participants) assured us that it maintains its support for a greener future for Champagne.ĭavid Chatillion, president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC) and co-president of the CIVC, told Wine-Searcher in May that "Champagne and the Champagne Houses remain fully focused on the region's ecological transition." However, he added that "the subject is extremely complex when considered in its entirety and therefore it cannot be dealt with unconditionally". Moreover, although the November and December sales figures are also expected to come in lower compared to 2021, they would need to plummet completely for Champagne not to meet its 325 million bottle target it set in July.Īnd this most likely implies the region's vineyards will be nuked again with herbicides next spring – similar to what happened this year – especially as, so far, no formal action has been taken to dissuade growers from scouring their soil again next spring. And indeed, provisional October sales figures may have come in lower than in 2021, but the export-driven sales boost in the first quarter still shows November 2021 through to October 2022 sales totaling 334.8 million bottles, which amounts to a 9.4 percent year-on-year increase. The rumor mill is already in full speculation about next year's commercial yield being at least as big as this year's 12,000 kg/ha, if not bigger. This year was all about volume, and it is likely next year will be the same. Its greedy quest for ever more will eventually, just like a boomerang, will come back and smack its producers right in the face.įor now, however, everyone's eyes are on the booming sales figures, and the need to satisfy future Champagne demands. It is also the reason why Champagne remains one of the world's most polluting and polluted wine regions. It has been the reason why "our planet is still in the emergency room", to quote UN Secretary General António Guterres in his remarks on the Cop27 conclusion. Related stories:Īnd even if there is no denying that our economy is what underpins our societies and ultimately our lifestyles, when profit becomes our sole focus, things tend to spin out of control. While everyone knows that the current production processes and methods are unsustainable in the long term, world and CIVC leadership alike seem frozen in time like deer in car’s headlights, blinded by short term economic goals. Just like the world leaders have been tiptoeing themselves out of initial commitments to have their countries' carbon emissions max out in 2025, the leadership of the Comité Champagne (CIVC), has slowly waltzed away from its "zero herbicide" goal, originally also set for 2025. It seems that political figures everywhere like the limelight of big, near-impossible-to-achieve announcements, only to later silently shuffle them back in the most inconspicuous ways possible. © Wine-Searcher | The soils of Champagne are increasingly damaged by herbicides and over-application of fertilizers.Ĭhampagne's ecological transition is a bit like the resolutions coming out of the COP 27: a lot of good intentions, oodles of positive spin and little or no action to prevent further ecological decline.
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