Bodegas Aroa vill ha CO2 neutralitet

Bodegas Aroa ligger i DO Navarra, Spanien. Som ambition vill de vara ett hundraprocentigt CO2 neutralt vinhus. Arbetet är i full igång och just nu byggs ett nytt vineri.

Som ett led i konsumenternas ökande miljö-intresse ser vinindustrin alltmer på det egna miljöarbetet som en del av företagets marknadsföring och goodwillarbete. Insatsen må vara hög men omställning till smartare lösningar, genomgående och för hela vinframställningen är fullt möjlig. Flera är de vinhus som redan utnyttjar returvatten, värme, kyla m m i återanvändnings- eller hållbarhetssyfte. Exempel som dyker upp direkt är Allegrinis anläggning San Polo i Montalcino eller Angelo Gajas Ca'Marcanda i Bolgheri, för att nämna två.

Bodegas Aroas ambition är att bli Europas första CO2 neutrala vinhus. Till sin hjälp har de utarbetat ett program för att nå sitt mål. Egendomen är på 20 hektar och liggerpå sluttningarna av bergen Urbasa och Andía. Ursprunget är Terra Estella i DO Navarra. Aroa bildades redan 1998 och har fram till 2010 producerat vin i samarbete med Bodegas Lezaun. Det råder Medelhavsklimat på plats även om Atlantinfluenserna är starka. Atlantklimatet ger området förhållnadevis kalla vintrar. Skillnader i temperatur mellan dag och natt är också stor vilket leder till en god fenolisk (smak) mognad i druvorna.

Samma dygn som jag mailade mina frågor kom ett långt svar. Det visade sig vara så mycket mer än jag någonsin kunde förvänta mig. Därför vill jag gärna föra Txus Macias Santaolaya tankar vidare. För mig visar det att enskilda människor kan göra skillnad och att engagemang är en drivkraft långt över det vanliga. Spännande! Txus Macias Santaolaya ursäktade sig för sin ”dålig” engelska, något som knappast är ett problem här. Intressant är även hans ingång till diskussionen om den alltmer förekommande businessen runt CO2 kompensation. Kan man köpa sig fri med utsläppsrätter även om man därigenom bidrar till att göra gott?

Mina frågor löd enligt följande:
- When will this project be finished?
- When will you be able to call yourselves the first European CO2 neutral winery?

Txus Macias Santaolaya svarade:
"Regarding your questions, it is a pleasure to share with you our philosophy of work that takes us to be consistent not only with "what we do" but also with" how we do it".
In response to your first question, When will this project Be finished?
This project never ends, there are always opportunities and issues for improvement, the project is in itself a commitment "for all life."

This may seem a contradiction, but I assure you it is not. Carbon neutrality does not exist, never becomes neutral.
(Well, yes, you can buy bonds for its neutrality, but that is a shortcut that we do not take in on our way!) Pay for pollute is respectable but it´s not the way. The way, our path is what we can improve our efficiency, introducing elements of constant improvement every day, in every action. To get to where we can.

The title of First CO2 Neutral Winery serves for people becomes interested in what we do, the importance of producing clean. In all our actions ... far as it is our responsibility, hoping that our example, along with many others, take the same path to others, individuals, companies, etc.,
Small we have the obligation (internal) to be seen. Visibility as an example that other reality is possible.

We are, to our knowledge, the first winery that takes this commitment, from the start point. Not only in the vineyard, not only in production, not only in our processes, if not overall the entire project, from raising the building to put our wines and bottles ready to drink.
With the limitation of our abilities and resources of course. We don’t want to deceive anyone. Become first, would be worthless if were the only one ... or with traps.

We clearly explained our commitment to whole society , AROA Bodegas is in the way of efficiency in energy consumption, environmental impact correction and responsible management of our waste.

We had the invaluable opportunity to begin, a special situation, the construction of the new facilities and therefore we takes this, as “ start point ” (initial).
One of the differences is that this commitment is not just only in our way of working the vineyard and create our wines.

Regarding your second question.

We have initiated a study in the year 2009, along with a certification agency from Basque Country and with support of the innovation department of the government of Navarra, which consists of three phases. The first is the realization of "The inventory of emissions of greenhouse gases. This inventory begins in this "Start point" from the very beginning of the construction.

The winery has already incorporated sustainability concepts into its build, materials and in the own project . It is made with the same philosophy that the old "guard vines. " Buildings constructed over 100 years ago by farmers in the field ,to keep his tools, food and themselves in front of the inclement weather . Were and still are simple but efficient buildings, with a north-south orientation, partially buried in the north, and with a vegetable cover. This was an easy way to optimize the resources they had then. We have followed this approach, the orientation of the winery is north to south, allowing us to have a lot of hours of natural light without direct sun. We build 75% buried (100% of the spaces of creation, make and save the wine).

To make not a long too the explanation, of all power generation options, we have chosen as the most appropriate biomass, for energy and climatization, that mean 90% of consumption, we´ve a management system of the rainwater and we have incorporated elements of control for electric consumption.
After the inventory to be held during the year 2011, to be compared with the estimates, will appear the main sources of CO2 generation of our activity. The study will incorporate the effect of having our 20 hectares of vines (probably will be small) but also contributes for our favor.

The second phase (very important) will implement measures to reduce these emissions.
We are not interested in the outcome of the study, we are concerned, but we do not take care about numbers. We sincerely believe that consumers could be more concerned about if we're doing something active and positive to improve, than by the final number that may appear.
We concerned improve our efficiency, the numbers are and will be subject to interpretation.
Finally the third stage would be "Compensate" investing in actions involving counteract the production of Co2, normally in diferent projects wich exist around the world.
It's something that we've been doing since 1994, working with reforestation projects in El Salvador (Central America) when we returned to live and work with communities there.
The carbon footprint is important, but we are more concerned about the intention and develop of actions to be efficient, accountable and reduce our impact on the environment.
I have children, and that at least for me, this explains a lot.
I think after all this explanation, if you want you can also say, perhaps, when, we could call our winery, the first European CO2 neutral winery? ".

Bodegas Aoras viner finns hos:
Helsingborgs Vinhus
och snart även hos Vinomatik