Finca La Emperatriz has completed a photovoltaic project with an output of 80.22kW, with a total of 191 solar panels that will produce 96,200 kWh per year, achieving savings of 26.4% through energy self-sufficiency.
This means an improvement in the carbon footprint, with a reduction of 65,151 tonnes of CO2 per year that will no longer be emitted into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of three million trees planted and growing for a year.
Another step forward in the winery’s constant commitment to sustainability and the search for efficiency, in addition to other achievements already made, such as the ISO 14001 environmental management certification (which accredits the control of the company’s operations and the implementation of practices to minimise its impact on the environment), the installation of new, highly energy-efficient refrigeration equipment in 2017 and the renovation of the purification plant with a state-of-the-art MBR membrane ultrafiltration system in 2020.
Regenerative viticulture and organic vineyards
This year also saw the completion of the organic certification process for the 32 hectares of the oldest vineyard at La Emperatriz, also recognised as Viñedo Singular. A process based on 15 years of work in the regenerative viticulture model, with practices that contribute to the regeneration of the soil and the fight against climate change, which are naturally applied in all the vineyards.
Practices that include, among many others, the planting of vegetation between the rows of vines to encourage the presence of indigenous fauna and help the soil’s microbiota, the use of pest and disease control methods that are exclusively natural and biological – such as the use of pheromones instead of pesticides – or the use of the crushed remains of pruning as organic fertiliser.
In addition, Eduardo and Víctor are committed to promoting biodiversity in their vineyards through a variety of native plants, including the planting of more than one hundred almond trees, a traditional tree in the region, at Finca La Emperatriz. This plant diversity improves the retention and availability of nutrients in the soil, contributing to its fertility by reducing the need for fertiliser.
This means an improvement in the carbon footprint, with a reduction of 65,151 tonnes of CO2 per year that will no longer be emitted into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of three million trees planted and growing for a year.
Another step forward in the winery’s constant commitment to sustainability and the search for efficiency, in addition to other achievements already made, such as the ISO 14001 environmental management certification (which accredits the control of the company’s operations and the implementation of practices to minimise its impact on the environment), the installation of new, highly energy-efficient refrigeration equipment in 2017 and the renovation of the purification plant with a state-of-the-art MBR membrane ultrafiltration system in 2020.
