SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA (UNITED STATES) & VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDES (SPAIN). — The winery Abadía Retuerta Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), located within the Spanish “Golden Mile of Wine” near Sardón de Duero (Valladolid), is now a member of International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), a collaborative working group that seeks to tackle climate change by means of innovative carbon-reducing strategies.
The incorporation of Abadía Retuerta DOP into IWCA highlights all of the company’s efforts and hard work, in terms of sustainability, over the last decade and beyond. This iconic hotel and winery, situated right at the heart of the Duero Valley, has introduced and endorsed numerous measures in this regard: they include high-impact tourism, optimal management of natural resources and raw materials, the protection of biodiversity, energy efficiency via renewable energies, circular economy, ecological vineyards, sustainable gastronomy and artistic patronage, to name but a few.
For Enrique Valero, CEO of Abadía Retuerta, “Joining IWCA represents a further step forward in our long-term project, one that is committed to sustainability and ESG aspects in general, as well as mitigating the effects of climate change. We have a clear vision, based on protecting the natural environment and supporting both the local community and Abadía Retuerta’s own teams”. Sustainability is vital to Abadía Retuerta: “We look after two legacies: a natural heritage, spanning 700 hectares in a unique valley dominated by the Duero River, as well as a cultural and historic heritage. Our mission is to pass these legacies onto the upcoming generations, in even better conditions. We share this vision and philosophy with our collaborators, stakeholders, associates and guests, who all play an active role in this endeavour.”
Miguel A. Torres, President of IWCA, hopes that the addition of Abadía Retuerta DOP into this international collective, which features over 45 winemaking businesses from all around the world, will pave the way for even more wineries to join the initiative. “In Europe, we have just had the hottest summer on record, so we need more wineries to follow the example of Abadía Retuerta and assist in our efforts to speed up the decarbonisation of the wine industry”, notes Torres. He adds that “Spain is the second-placed country in terms of the number of wineries that have signed up to IWCA, just behind the United States. Each new member strengthens our commitment to climate action and the sustainability of the wine industry.”
From today, Abadía Retuerta DOP is now part of IWCA, along with eight other wineries and numerous international entities such as Opus One (USA); Château Troplong Mondot (France); Jackson Family Wines (USA); Famille Perrin (France); Sogrape and Symington (both Portugal). Together, the participating businesses seek to encourage change, reduce carbon emissions and establish a global standard for decarbonisation. Since 2022, IWCA has had its own official certification scheme for affiliated companies, and it has thus become a leading organisation in the wine industry’s fight against climate change. IWCA’s seal of approval is recognised internationally by the sector’s key retailers and professionals, and the organisation actively invites wine-related businesses (i.e. those involved in the production process, from winemaking to bottling) to take strategic measures in order to accelerate the development and uptake of innovative climate solutions.
Join the movement
IWCA actively invites all wineries interested in its mission to get in touch. The organisation is open to all those wine-related businesses — from winemaking itself to bottling — which believe in taking strategic measures to help speed up the discovery and uptake of innovative climate solutions.
Visit iwcawine.org to find out how your winery can apply to join this organisation. A Spanish-language version of the website can be accessed via es.iwcawine.org.
Charlotte Hey, Executive Director, IWCA
E-mail: charlotte.hey@iwcawine.org
Abadía Retuerta Communications Department:
Alejandra Pedros/Laura Caurín
Tel: +34 610 275 207 / +34 663 212 202
E-mail: comunicacion@abadia-retuerta.es
About IWCA
International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) was founded in February 2019 by Familia Torres (Spain) and Jackson Family Wines (United States), two leading winemaking families deeply engaged with environmental management and with a profound passion for protecting the world’s great viticultural heritage from the effects of climate change. IWCA is a collaborative working group that seeks to tackle climate change by implementing innovative carbon-reducing strategies. IWCA’s objective is to ensure that all its members become Net Zero by 2050 in Scopes 1 and 3, by guaranteeing consistent reductions in order to meet the intermediate targets by 2030. IWCA was named the Wine Enthusiast Social Visionary Wine Star for 2019, and the organisation also won the 2021 prize for best green initiative by The Drinks Business, in recognition of its leadership in terms of driving collaborative climate action across the whole wine industry.
IWCA is an affiliate of the UN’s Race to Zero campaign, the largest ever alliance working to ensure net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest. IWCA, which joined this campaign in 2021, became the first facilitator and climate champion, within the wine and agriculture industries, to boost and support immediate solutions that can help wine producers and vineyard owners take positive measures to protect the environment.
About Abadía Retuerta
Abadía Retuerta has a deeply-rooted winemaking tradition. Wine has played a key role on the estate ever since the time of the Premonstratensian monks, who used to produce it on site, over eight centuries ago. In 1996, renowned winemaker Pascal Delbeck set out to revive that legacy, and he founded the new Abadía Retuerta winery. Ángel Anocíbar is the winery’s current oenologist and director, and he leads the expert team as they endeavour to make wines with all the distinct personality of the local terroir, reflecting its unique character. Within Abadía Retuerta’s 180 hectares of vineyards, there are 54 distinct plots, mainly differentiated due to their soil composition, and each one is planted with a single grape variety.
In 2022, the winery was granted its own Protected Designation of Origin: this seal of approval, granted by the European Union, endorses Abadía Retuerta’s wine as a product of guaranteed origin, quality and tradition. It is one of the most innovative wineries in Europe, and its wine has received multiple international accolades, such as being featured in Wine Spectator magazine’s Top 100 Wines in the World. Recently, in June 2023, Abadía Retuerta was ranked at number 27 in The World’s Best Vineyards 2023.
At this iconic winery, in the Duero Valley, guests can learn all about the world of wine. They can enjoy a stroll among the vineyards, explore every nook and cranny of the winery, learn about its history and see all aspects of the winemaking process. They can also discover the barrel rooms, where the wines are aged to acquire their bold, fine and smooth flavours, and guests can take part in guided and personalised wine-tasting sessions. They are also welcome to stay at LeDomaine, the estate’s luxury hotel, where wine plays a central role at the world-class restaurants as well as at Santuario Wellness & Spa, a shrine to wellbeing.
