If you’re ready to combine your appreciation for wine with your passion for sustainability, there are numerous tempting destinations to add to your list. Each offers exciting and informative tours designed to teach about locally based efforts to make the wine industry as green as possible. 

Broadly speaking, sustainable wine-growing practices involve prioritizing water conservation, facilitating soil health improvements and reducing pesticides. However, as you’ll soon see, some practices in the regions detailed below are highly specific to individual properties. 

1. Collio, Italy

Collio is one of Italy’s wettest wine-growing regions, making it particularly tricky for growers to keep their crops free from pests. It also represents a relatively small segment of the country’s wine sector. 

If you’d like to stay on-site at one of the region’s sustainable vineyards, look no further than Borgo San Daniele, which has three guest rooms. Its ethos involves growing without synthetic products, adopting a green pruning method and planting a high density of crops per hectare to reduce environmental impacts. The site’s tours include samples of several wines and you can contact the winery to arrange personalized group tours. 

Alternatively, check out Venica & Venica, where respect for the environment and a commitment to only using natural products for winemaking define the process. This winery holds certifications from organizations that contribute to its sustainability. 

2. Douro Valley, Portugal

In this Portuguese region, wine growers have adapted their techniques over generations to suit the area’s particular climate and work with its terrain. While visiting it, you can tour hundreds of historic wine estates. Doing so will show you, although the Douro Valley initially had a reputation for fortified wines, it has diversified with additional memorable beverages. 

Quinta Vila Rachel has more than six generations of history, ensuring you’ll learn numerous fascinating tidbits during a wine tour. Its staff follows artisanal methods of organic and natural winemaking, giving visitors a glimpse into practices perfected over the years through a family-centered business model. 

The tours here last two-and-a-half hours and include a stop at the property’s private viewing area, where you can see a surrounding natural park. While strolling through the winery grounds, you’ll learn about wild agriculture, polyculture and other topics of interest to eco-minded guests. 

Alternatively, consider booking an all-encompassing winery tour that covers several of the region’s sites. Professional guides lead these, making them ideal for those who love knowledgeable insights about the area and its produce. 

3. Sonoma Valley, California

Wine is a $276 billion industry in the United States and nowhere reveres wine quite like Sonoma Valley.

Years ago, wine growers in Sonoma Valley realized it was time for bold, sustainable changes and they committed to participating in them. That decision launched a five-year effort to drastically reshape the industry in favor of better sustainability. 

Now, Sonoma Valley is the world’s most sustainable wine-growing region, with 99% of the applicable acreage certified as sustainable by a third party. Consider stopping at the Rodney Strong Vineyards and Winery during your tour of this beautiful region. It emerged as an early adopter of sustainability by receiving the highest possible sustainability certification in 2004. Wine tours include a behind-the-scenes look at each production step and conclude with a tasting. You can book a tasting alone, but this option is by appointment only. 

There’s also the St. Francis Winery and Vineyards, with its award-winning offerings and picturesque, sustainably-certified grounds. Step aboard a pedal-powered trolley and immerse yourself in an up-close experience of the careful and finely crafted techniques to make unforgettable wines. You can also sign up for a food and wine experience which includes a five-course meal in an elegant estate dining room. Exciting possibilities like these help you learn more about the process in unforgettable ways. 

4. Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Although people once knew this region as the area they passed through en route to their Spanish holidays, it has developed into a well-respected wine-growing destination. As you pick potential places to start your wine tours, consider Vignobles Bonfils. 

The variety of wines made here ensures you’ll find several to delight your palate. A significant part of the sustainability commitment on these estates centers on limiting ecosystem disruption, allowing nature to thrive. 

You may also prefer to book one of several full-day tours that let you explore the lovely countryside and idyllic villages, while letting someone else create the itinerary. Most of these possibilities include time at several wineries, introducing you to the region’s diversity and the various eco-friendly practices employed by those in the wine industry. 

If you’re up for something providing a bit more flexibility, browse the numerous self-driving tours which allow you to decide how much time to spend at each location. At the other end of the spectrum are private tours, where someone with deep knowledge of the area and its history will share facts to expand your wine knowledge. 

Preparing for an Unforgettable Trip

These are some of the top places to wander through eco-friendly wineries and learn about the specific practices that get outstanding results, while respecting the planet. Before diving into the trip-planning process further, consider some foundational details, such as the total number of travel days and how much you can afford to spend. This information will make it easier to narrow down the options and tailor the trip to your specific interests.