With everything from a heat dome to harsh winters to wildfires dominating the British Columbian wine conversation, the topic of sustainability both in business and in farming practice has recently taken centre stage.

To get a clearer picture of our local landscape through that lens, driver magazine sat down for a roundtable chat with Vancouver’s first-ever official MICHELIN Sommelier of the Year, Jayton Paul of Published on Main, which has had its own MICHELIN star for two years running. Joining him was Ross Wise, a winemaking Master of Wine who is at the helm of viticulture for the Andrew Peller Limited vineyard and winery properties throughout British Columbia. He is currently navigating Black Hills Estate Winery through the various curveballs offered by climate change.

With so much evolution and change occurring in British Columbia's wine industry, let's begin with the term sustainability, which seems at once very popular, important, and yet a little ambiguous as to what it actually means.

RW:

To me it's used very liberally, so you need to approach it with caution, with a bit of a critical eye. I think there are great certification programs out there that are meaningful with a holistic approach to managing farms and businesses in a much better way than perhaps they would be without that oversight. But I also think in general, it's an overused word and it deserves a lot of scrutiny.

JP:

Sustainability for me as a buyer is at the forefront of what I want to bring in. What I like to see is examples like South Africa. Since 1999, they've had the Integrity and Sustainability seal that has a tracing from every bottle number, and an opportunity to follow up on the product and make sure that not only is it sustainable in the farm, but people are getting paid appropriately and fairly as well; it's really incredible.

It's interesting because there are various bodies around the world providing sustainable certifications, yet sustainability itself is such a malleable term. As a baseline, what do you think the people should expect when they see there's a wine that's certified sustainable?

RW:

I think there aren't always parallels between certifications, but what it shows is that the producer has had a look at themselves with an inventory of their production and their footprint. So, to be certified sustainable means you have to go through the process of measuring what you're doing, whether that be water use or emissions or diesel consumption in the vineyard. Obviously, anything that encourages you to improve every year and to reach high standards. It's a starting point.

JP:

Yeah, I think of it as a holistic approach to taking care of the environment around you. I see it as being one with your ecosystem, and hopefully giving back.

Catch the full interview with Jayton Paul and Ross Wise.

This story has been edited and condensed for clarity. Read the original version in the Fall/Winter 2023 edition of driver magazine.

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