International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is delighted to announce that leading Spanish wine producer Bodegas Ramón Bilbao has achieved the coveted status of Silver Member of the IWCA.
SANTA ROSA, CALIF. & VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDES, SPAIN. 20th February 2025) – Spanish winery Ramon Bilbao, which has just celebrated its centenary and today produces wine in both Rioja and Rueda, has just become a Silver member of IWCA .
Technical Director and Chief Winemaker Rodolfo Bastida comments: “As winemakers and viticulturalists, we rise to environmental challenges every day. Sustainability and our climate are no longer ‘new’ things to think about, but simply things you do think about and this milestone matches our ambition to lead positive change in the wine industry”.
IWCA is a rapidly growing collective of 50 wine producing companies present in 13 countries across the globe. Representing approximately 3.5% of global wine production, its members form a unified voice for change, promoting reduction in carbon emissions and setting the standard for decarbonization internationally. The organization’s certification is recognized globally with retailers and industry professionals and authenticates winery action to promote emission reduction.
Ramón Bilbao membership of IWCA consolidates their efforts towards sustainable practices, implemented in recent years, Bastida adds, “We were one of the first in Spain to ensure our winery uses 100% renewable energy, and we now have several wines in 40% lighter weight bottles, almost the total of our waste is recyclable or recoverable (99%), we reduce the use of water considerably in the last years, and also we exponentially increase the certified organic vineyards. Precisely, vineyards are key for us, and we implement a lot of initiatives around them in order to contribute to the ecosystem. For example, we avoid the use of herbicides by applying natural treatments to the vines, we contribute to habitat creation and respect local wildlife, we use the precision viticulture practices, we also plant trees and key vegetation for the vineyards, or we partner with professional beekeepers to install beehives during flowering periods of wild vegetation. But our most ambitious goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050”.
“We are delighted to welcome Bodegas Ramón Bilbao into IWCA,” said Katie Jackson, President of IWCA and Vice President of Sustainability at Jackson Family Wines. “As one of Spain’s largest wine producers, its joining comes to reinforce the presence of IWCA in Spain and Europe. As vine growers, we are severely suffering from the consequences of climate change, our duty to future generations is to act now. We hope that many more wineries, inside and outside our country, join our cause to accelerate the decarbonization of the wine industry.”
Join the movement
IWCA actively invites wineries interested in its mission to contact us. The organization is open to any wine company involved in the production process from winegrowing to bottling that believes in taking strategic action to accelerate innovative climate solutions.
Visit www.iwcawine.org to learn how your winery can apply to join this organization. A Spanish-language version of the website is available at es.iwcawine.org.
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