Pol Roger Portfolio partners with The Drinks Business Green Awards 2022

Pol Roger Portfolio managing director James Simpson MW understands the importance of projects like The Drinks Business Green Awards in supporting producers who “care about making outstanding wine and passing it on to the next generation”.

Fighting for environmental sustainability is not just about taking the moral high ground; it’s also about ensuring the future of winemaking.

Few know this quite so well as James Simpson MW, managing director of Pol Roger Portfolio. “It’s abundantly clear that climate change is an immediate issue,” he says. “We’re not talking about something that is going to happen in 35 years time, we’re seeing tumult in the vineyards in the here and now.”

Earlier flowering, later frosts, hail – these climatic changes are occurring in the present day, and have been for a while.

“What this all means is that we need to do our bit to highlight the issues and support those who are making great strides in the industry,” he says.

Having joined the team in 1993, the man steering the Pol Roger Portfolio is passionate about supporting brands whose mission is to “prioritise the wine they are making as much as the land on which they grow their grapes. That’s why supporting The Drinks Business Green Awards is so very important,” he says.

Now in its 13th year, the Green Awards is the only initiative to reward those operators in the drinks sector taking a eco-minded and sustainable approach to their business operations.

Pol Roger Portfolio has been sponsoring the event since 2019, encouraging wine producers both within and outside of its own family of brands to engage with environmental sustainability on a fundamental level.

“If we don’t, who else is going to?” Simpson asks.

He is conscious that it is not an easy thing to do to make wine sustainably: large water consumption, land use, and packaging materials all contribute to making the wine industry vulnerable in the face of global climate change.

“A growing number of producers are adopting organic and biodynamic principles, be they certified or not, and sustainability is at the heart of the reason why,” he explains.

In the Portfolio, individual brands are making great strides. Most, if not all, the agencies in the Portfolio are biodynamic, “though many don’t shout about it”, Simpson notes.

Brands such as Robert Sinskey Vineyards are leading the way in California, with plenty of wild spaces left in the vineyards, using solar power, and an integrated farm that supplies the onsite restaurant. Seasonal produce and sustainable practices are the names of the game for the brand.

On the other side of the spectrum is Domaine Vacheron in Sancerre, which has been officially biodynamic since 2005. Founded 120 years ago, Vacheron has “just as much of an eye on the future as the past, and wants to do ensure the health and productivity of its land”, Simpson says.

“For them, sustainability is almost a by-product of the way they make their wines. All they care about is making outstanding wine and passing it on to the next generation, and these are the kind of people we want to directly support.”

Pol Roger Portfolio’s latest recruit, California’s Cornell Vineyards, confirmed its commitment to organic practices amid the rugged terrain of the Mayacamas in 2014, when it was certified California Certified Organic Farmers.

Now comprising 20 hectares of cultivated vineyards, the estate is also home to wild spaces and species, with an insectary adjacent to the vineyards.

Biodynamics
Napa’s Bryant Estate also sits alongside the stable of family-owned producers from the famous Californian valley that are represented by Pol Roger Portfolio, namely Staglin Family Vineyard, Abreu, Gallica, Kinsman Eades, and Tor.

Bryant Estate began integrating biodynamic farming practices in 2018, with an “approach to farming that encompasses the entire ecosystem”, co-proprietor Bettina Bryant tells the drinks business.

Talking about the estate’s partnership with Pol Roger Portfolio, she says: “We admire their deep commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices in relation to the environment, philanthropy and community. These are ideals we hold in high esteem.”

This deep commitment to sustainability is buoyed by a secondary bonus, says Simpson: “Not only is it key to be sustainable in this day and age, but the wines are also simply better.”

Luckily, this commitment continues to be a fundamental part of Pol Roger Portfolio’s ethos. Simpson adds: “As a family-owned enterprise, we are focused on making sure that the next generation can continue to make great wines.”