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Sustainability is based on using resources today without compromising their availability in the future. In other words, acting with a conscience and thinking about those who will come after us, the next generations. It is a commitment of all of us, which involves us as a society, which is why it has to be based on three fundamental pillars: economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Even more so in the case of entities as closely linked to the land as ours. That is why we are committed to the viability of all our processes. Because our commitment is not only to you, but also to all those who are yet to come.
Do you know how we link everything we do to sustainability?
Let us tell you about it with specific cases. At Familia Martínez Bujanda, after a century-long history linked to the highest quality Rioja wines, we wanted to diversify and make wines in other production areas. They had to be vineyards with a series of characteristics that made them really special. All the conditions were met at Finca Antigua, which is now 20 years old, with vineyards at an altitude of over 900 meters above sea level, and in an extreme environment for growing vines. There was no doubt that this was where we wanted to settle, what steps did we follow and how was sustainability a fundamental part from the beginning?
Finca Antigua, an example of a natural and sustainable environment
The first step was to safeguard the whole area, not only the area occupied by the vineyard, 421 hectares, but also its entire perimeter, made up of Mediterranean woodland with its holm oaks and holm oaks standing out among the predominant scrubland. In total, 1,000 hectares of land that we had to take care of and preserve.
That is why the architectural studio 3,14 (Management and Development) was commissioned to design a winery based on respect for the environment and the purity of the materials: steel, stone and concrete, as a sign of identity, for facilities that would blend into the landscape.
Water scarcity in a dry climate
The next concern was access to water, both for its intrinsic importance to any crop and for the different processes that take place in the winery. In the case of Finca Antigua, the need for water was even greater, given the particularly dry climate of the region, with an average rainfall of barely 300 mm, practically half the average rainfall in Spain. The initial solution was based on the construction of a reservoir, with a capacity of 40,000m3, to cover the water needs both for irrigation and for the facilities themselves. Not only that, the design sought to ensure that the slope supporting the irrigation reservoir, which was covered with limestone from the estate itself, would act as a natural reservoir, providing optimum relative humidity levels, complemented by a cooling system that maintains a stable temperature of between 14 and 17 degrees Celsius throughout the year in the winery.
Innovation at Finca Antigua, an essential issue
We all know that water is an increasingly scarce commodity. That is why we have always looked for ways to make the most of this resource. The solution was nanotechnology, thanks to a system that acts on the water by emitting a quantum that interacts with hydrogen bridges. As a result, the size of the groups of molecules is reduced, which increases the water’s capacity to penetrate the soil. This increases its dissolving capacity and reduces both its boiling point and its permeability. It sounds like science fiction, we know, but the reality is that, thanks to this system, Finca Antigua has managed to save 150 million liters of water per year and, as if that were not enough, at the same time we improve the quality of our grapes.
The sun as an ally
Sustainability has to be linked to efficiency and, if we talk about energy, there is nothing better than self-consumption. If it also comes from renewable sources, we achieve the goal. To take advantage of the hours of sunshine, we have set up a photovoltaic installation that, in addition to covering more than 20% of the winery’s annual energy needs, avoids the emission of more than 50 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year. The savings in energy consumption are also due to the orientation in which we build our wineries.
Wines of solidarity
All of this not only contributes to the conservation of the environment, but also to the economic sustainability of our projects. But what about the social aspect, the third pillar mentioned at the beginning of this article? It is clear that a reduction of energy consumption and an improvement of the environment benefits us all but, from Familia Martínez Bujanda, we know that we have a responsibility towards the most in need.
From this concern and in collaboration with the NGO Coopera, CoNparte was born. A solidarity wine, made in our Viña Bujanda winery, with which we wanted to do our bit, aligning ourselves with the values of Coopera and helping them to fulfill their mission, improving the quality of life of their beneficiaries and contributing to reduce poverty and injustice in the world, supporting Education as an engine of progress.
CoNparte, a great crianza wine, with a little play on words (“with part” of the price of this wine, specifically 1.80 € per bottle is destined to the solidarity projects of the NGO), is a single varietal Tempranillo with twelve months of aging.
And all this because, for us, nature rules and, if we have learned anything in these more than 130 years, it is that taking care of it, even pampering it, is the main guarantee of the future of our vineyards and, therefore, of Familia Martínez Bujanda.
