This Vintage from Ampersand Estates Winery Protects the Future of Australian Wine
Climate change is rapidly shrinking wine-growing regions worldwide. According to a study, a global temperature increase of just 2°C could render 56%* of current growing regions unusable.
Without action, many of your favourite wines could go extinct. Here’s how one winery is working to save them.
Boutique Australian winery Ampersand Estates, with help from the Wildlife Land Trust, created Tomorrow’s Vintage: the first-ever wine that comes paired with an official Conservation Agreement. When scanned, bottles invite people to sign the agreement with the Wildlife Land Trust – to protect their land against environmentally-harmful activities. Which in turn, helps conserve the many ecosystems that support Australia’s wine-growing regions.
To launch, Ampersand Estates also created 2040, 2080, and 2100 bottles of Tomorrow’s Vintage Shiraz that only come partially filled. The 2040 bottle is only 86% full, because only 86% of wine-growing regions are projected to still be usable by that year. The 2080 is only 56% full. And the 2100, a mere 44%.
“Many of us equate climate change with rising sea levels, floods, and bushfires. This is a far less abstract reminder of what we can expect,” says Ampersand Estates co-founder, Corrie Scheepers. “If we don’t do something, good wine is one of the things we’ll lose.”
2040, 2080, and 2100 bottles of Tomorrow’s Vintage are now on display at tasting events and at select locations of Australia’s largest liquor retailer, Dan Murphy’s. Fully-filled 2021 bottles are also available for sale.
“We worked closely with Melissa and Corrie at Ampersand Estates and the Wildlife Land Trust for the better part of a year to make Tomorrow’s Vintage a reality” adds Zachary Richman, associate creative director.
“This is our way of saying the glass is still half full,” says Melissa Bell, Ampersand Estates co-founder. “We hope that Tomorrow’s Vintage prompts thought and action. And it starts with protecting land today.”
