Add the SIP Certified Logo to Your Wine
It’s evident that conveying your brand values on your label is crucial to stand out on the shelf. According to a recent Neilson Study, "...brands that are able to strategically connect (sustainability) to actual behavior are in a good place to capitalize on increased consumer expectation and demand. Sustainability claims on the packaging must also reflect how the company operates inside and out.”
It’s important to create a narrative on the bottle that speaks to the emotive why your brand chooses the sustainable path rather than belaboring consumers with complicated technical reasons. Grab customers in that split second when they look at labels since you can’t be there to talk in detail about your sustainable practices.
Whole Foods head wine buyer Doug Bell encourages wineries to boast their environmentally friendly practices front and center on their label:
“If you guys depend on Whole Foods to solely tell your message, we’re going to fail. We can’t do it by ourselves. We will never move the needle until these environmentally and socially conscious practices are touted in the labeling and the messaging.”
How Certification Works
- Certify any wine made with at least 85% SIP Certified fruit (estate or purchased).
- Wines can be certified at any time.
- Inspector reviews block to bottle documentation for 20% of the applied-for wines.
- Add the logo to your label and help your customers find your sustainable wine.
Email whitney@vineyardteam.org for assistance with certifying your wines.
What to Work on this Month
Update your certification a little each month to prepare for your March 15 - July 15, 2022 inspection. Login to the database to read each specific Standard as you implement and document them. Update this month:
- 5: Water Conservation & Quality
- 6: Energy Conservation & Efficiency
*Unless noted, documentation should reflect practices from Dec. 1, 2021, to June/July 2022.