The Regenerative Viticulture Association (AVR), driven in 2021 by Familia Torres, Clos Mogador, Can Feixes, Jean Leon, and AgroAssessor, has thoroughly reviewed its international certification for regenerative viticulture in order to raise its environmental requirements and consolidate a "more solid, transparent, and easily understandable" system.
In a note released this Thursday, the organization details that this review comes at a time when regenerative viticulture is gaining prominence in the media, starting to occupy space on shelves, and establishing itself as a selling point for a growing number of consumers. This rise has led to various interpretations of the term, some of which include the use of synthetic inputs.
The most relevant adjustment of the update is the incorporation of organic farming as a "starting requirement," so that, in order to initiate the certification process in regenerative viticulture, it will be an indispensable condition that the vineyard already has organic certification.
The president of AVR, Mireia Torres, has pointed out that the goal is for the wines that achieve this seal to come from organic vineyards, contribute to regenerating the environment, and promote the biodiversity of the vineyard.
"With these changes, we reinforce the environmental rigor of the system, provide clarity to the sector, and facilitate that the market and the consumer can more confidently identify the viticulturists and wineries that are genuinely committed to regeneration," she emphasized.
The new version of the standard also updates the structure of the 'Organic Regenerative Viticulture Alliance' labels, which will now be articulated in two levels of certification: the standard level, ORVA, and the advanced level, ORVA+.
Furthermore, the evaluation of the climate impact of the vineyards is intensified through the inclusion of specific soil analyses aimed at calculating carbon fixation, along with an exceptional annex to consider situations arising from adverse climatic episodes.