Bodegas Nodus, first winery in the Valencian Community to obtain the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP) certificate

At Bodegas Nodus we are committed to sustainability, caring for the environment and making wine in an environmentally friendly way. Now, all this effort has been rewarded with the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection – SWfCP – certification, the first and only specific certification for wineries in terms of environmental sustainability. Nodus is, in fact, the first winery in the Valencian Community to obtain this prestigious seal.

The main objective of the SWfCP certification is to align even more closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to adapt to more demanding standards. To achieve this, the certification incorporates social, economic and governance sustainability criteria, which are in the DNA of Bodegas Nodus, and which make Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection the irrefutable proof of Bodegas Nodus commitment to sustainability.

Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection

Bodegas Nodus has been inspected and found to be in compliance with the requirements of the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP) Regulation and Assessment Questionnaire. The audit has analyzed matters such as vine cultivation, winemaking, wine ageing, barrel ageing and bottling of white, rosé and red wines.

By meeting the criteria of the SWfCP seal, Bodegas Nodus has obtained a favourable verification report based on the evaluation criteria of the regulation and which defines us as an environmentally sustainable winery. The certificación certification is aimed at the continuous improvement and sustainability of wineries, acting on four fundamental pillars: environmental, social, economic and governance.

The SWfCP seal, developed by the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) with the technical support of AENOR, is the first certification created by the wineries for the wineries themselves, more specifically for the wine sector, which demonstrates in a solid and quantifiable way the sustainability of a winery.

In a global assessment of dozens of items, the environmental dimension includes clearly measurable magnitudes such as Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, energy efficiency in production processes, water management, soil conservation and biodiversity. Aspects from the social dimenssion are also assessed, in which relations with the workforce and supplier companies, local culture and the territory are audited, as well as the commitment to the health and safety of workers.

In the economic dimension, the SWfCP assesses the efficiency and resilience of the business, while in relation to corporate governance, the ethical behaviour of the winery, the management and communication of sustainability and the company’s relationship with stakeholders related to its daily activity are assessed.

Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection SWfCP: A sustainable bet

Obtaining the Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection (SWfCP) certificate is a clear commitment by Bodegas Nodus to sustainability that continues the company’s work in this area as part of its global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy. Furthermore, this seal, is a challenge in which the entire structure of the company is involved and which, to date, only 64 wineries in Spain have achieved.

Among the advantages for Bodegas Nodus of obtaining this seal we find the fact that it rigorously and measurably demonstrates the sustainability of the winemaking activity it carries out, as well as its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. The SWfCP seal is a distinction recognised by national and international distribution that implies economic savings in the medium and long term thanks to the improvements established in the production processes to obtain it. It also allows the wineries that obtain it to achieve better scores in the Wine Sector Support Programmes.

The impact of obtaining the label can also be gauged in the differential value it adds to the brand in the wine market. It, likewise, facilitates direct and agile access to the National Carbon Footprint Register of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).

Hand harvest and wine tourism

Among the practices that raise awareness of the importance of sustainability in winemaking and that reinforce the social aspect of Bodegas Nodus are activities related to wine tourism, such as hand harvesting, which is offered to the general public on the very land where the grapes are grown and that later will be transformed into Nodus wines and vermouths.

‘Come and harvest at Bodegas Nodus’ is a wine tourism experience based on the art of the grape harvest from a fun and relaxed point of view at the Finca El Renegado, located in Caudete de las Fuentes, the headquarters of the Valencian winery. The experience is designed for all those who want to know how the harvesting of the fruit is carried out and the subsequent winemaking process that leads to the wine.

The proposal also includes a tasting of Bodegas Nodus wines, which is combined with an on-site experience of the steps that must be taken to go from the strain to the bottle, raising awareness of aspects such as caring for the land, highlighting the importance of each process and getting to know in detail the entire process that the wine follows until it reaches the table.

Moreover, this wine tourism experience also includes activities for the youngest members of the family, who can enjoy, just like their parents, a unique natural environment and the particularities of the production of a millenary product such as wine.

Other options related to wine tourism and its relationship with the region of Utiel-Requena is the possibility of staying at the Hotel Entreviñas, located in the old farmhouse of the Finca El Renegado, which covers more than 500 hectares. The house has been restored respecting its original configuration and is, without a doubt, a recommendable option if you are looking for peace and quiet and a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

In addition, Bodegas Nodus also carries out unique activities such as the ‘Stars Tasting’, a night dedicated to the combination of wine tasting, gastronomy, and observation of the celestial vault in a privileged setting, without any light pollution, which significantly increases the observation capacity. With the naked eye or with telescopes, always with the help of astronomy experts, the youngest members of the family are also welcome at this special tasting, who will be offered activities adapted to their age, as well as dinner and the chance to stay at the Hotel Entreviñas.