Symington family first to gain Portugal’s Sustainable Winegrowing Certification

Symington Family Estates has achieved Portugal’s new Sustainable Winegrowing Certification, making it the first winery in the country to gain the independent seal.

This new certification was created by Portugal’s wine governing body, the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV), and promotional association, ViniPortugal. The objective is to establish a clear, robust, independent, and internationally recognised certification framework that guarantees Portuguese wine producers’ commitment to sustainable, high-quality wine production.

The framework covers all aspects of sustainability across 86 themes, from corporate governance to the impact on the final consumer. Every area of Symington Family Estates was assessed in a comprehensive and demanding audit that lasted three days, conducted by LRQA – one of the leading global independent certification organisations.

“The fact that there are countless sustainability certifications is a challenge, but without third party frameworks, we are just left with claims made by companies,” said Rob Symington, director, Symington Family Estates.

Continuing, he said, “People are rightly sceptical and want to see words backed up with proof. I’m proud that Symington Family Estates is the first wine producer in Portugal to achieve this certification, having been instrumental in asking for it to be developed. Like most companies, we are far from perfect in terms of our impact on the environment, but we are taking responsibility for it and we are committed to continuous improvement.

Concluding he commented, “We believe that the best way to ensure we are moving in the right direction is to subscribe to certifications that oblige rigour, progress and certain baseline standards for entry. We have done this through our B Corporation certification (2019), achieving membership of International Wineries for Climate Action (2020) and now, Portugal’s Sustainable Winegrowing certification.”