In 2018, we will continue to strive to be a Responsible Company!

The sky’s the limit!

We at Maison Gabriel Meffre base our working lives on the 4 values that have been our guiding light right from the start: passion, respect, innovation, and sharing.

Quite logically, 15 years ago we decided to contribute to sustainable development as much as possible. As our state of mind is reflected in our actions, we have constantly worked to uphold our citizen-centred vision and environmental convictions as best we could.

Thus, in 2015, Maison Gabriel Meffre was officially recognisedas a “Responsible Winery”for its voluntaryCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, and attained “level 3 – experienced” out of a total of 4, pursuant to its AFAQ 26000 assessment.

As the CSR quality label assessment is carried out every 3 years, in 2018 we’ll be aiming for the highest category, “level 4 – Exemplary”. To achieve this, our company has launched several new projects:

Exceptional biological diversity

Because we are fully aware of the great bounties of our land, we have launched a diagnostic analysis of the biodiversity of the territory in which Gigondas wines are grown, in close connection with the wine-growers of the Appellation.

As it turns out, 90% of the biodiversity in the Gigondas territory is found within close proximity of the vines. And what treasures there are! 208 different species of insects, mammals and reptiles… 129 protected animal species and 537 plant species… The extraordinary environment in the Dentelles de Montmirail area is the main reason for such a thriving ecosystem.

In 2018, we intend to assess each plot, and determine how our wine-growing methods are having a positive effect on biodiversity. The aim being to uphold it, and whenever possible, to extend it.

An incredibly light bottle…

Another project that was close to our heart and which came to fruition in 2018, was developing an environmentally-friendly bottle.

Questioning the quantity of the glass we use in our activity is an inevitable step. We had already worked on a light bottle some years ago but wanted to go even further. We therefore discussed the possibility of continuing reducing the weight of glass used to produce the screwcap bottles most used for export. The idea being to curb our carbon footprint!

How could we substantially reduce the quantity of glass used while preserving the aesthetics, quality and raised coat of arms of our bottle? A real challenge taken on by glassmaking company O-I, with whom we worked in partnership for over a year, to achieve the ideal thickness and distribution of glass without making bottles fragile. As a result of this, our embossed bottle is now the lightest on the market, weighing just 410g that is nearly 20% lighter than the previous bottle!

For an annual volume of 2.5 million bottles traded through export, this represents a saving of 250 tonnes of glass and 178 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This will have a strong environmental impact and we’re delighted to have been able to take our environmentally-responsible approach so far!

Domaine de Longue Toque goes organic

To close this chapter, we’d like to focus on Domaine de Longue Toque in Gigondas. In 2001, it was awarded the environmental and sustainable Terra Vitis certification for its responsible agricultural production methods. In 2017, the Domaine converted to organic farming. This means using a horse on the most sensitive plots, more work in the vineyards throughout the year, the eradication of all chemical weed killers and the use of exclusively organic fertiliser. After a 3-year conversion, the Domaine should qualify for “Organic” certification in 2020.

As is obvious, our passion for our vines and terroir is the driving force of top-quality production, which goes hand in hand with our deep concern for our planet.

Our wish for 2018 is to be able to share our love of mother Earth with you more than ever before.