Wineries Vilarnau have started operating a biomass boiler that uses organic waste from the pruning of the vines as a source of renewable energy. Officially launched by Jordi Ciuraneta –Head of the Agriculture Department in the Catalonian Autonomous Government, this boiler will eliminate the use of the fossil fuels (25,000 litres of diesel per year) used in the generation of heat energy, which amounts to 22% of the total consumption of Vilarnau’s cava wines. Likewise, pollutant emissions will be reduced and therefore not contribute to the greenhouse effect.
For obtaining biomass, Wineries Vilarnau use "pre-pruning" machines that cut surplus shoots off the vines, crush them and then place them in deposits. According to energy demand, this biomass will be consumed by combustion using the boiler inside the winery.
The result is the production of heat energy that is sustainable and free of smoke, ready to be used in the water systems for the sterilisation of materials and at the bottling lines (which use water at up to 80 degrees Celsius, a major energy consumption), the cleaning of filters, barrels and the stabilisers of cuvees, as well as in the heating circuits of the winery’s facilities.
This "Vines for Heat" measure is part of the European programme Life.
#VilarnauSustainable
Vilarnau, producer of artisan cava wines, goes one step further to become 100% sustainable. Since its establishment, Vilarnau has based all its activities on the respect and protection of the environment, the soil and nature, to offer cavas made with the least possible impact on the environment.
According to this principle, Vilarnau applies a number of measures for self-supply of water through a system of deposits that collect rain water and then recycle it using a purification system. It also encourages the use of natural cork, by raising awareness in consumers about the use and recycling of this material through the campaign "You recycle, Vilarnau Transforms". Finally, Vilarnau never forgets the importance of the recovery and preservation of the traditional ecosystem around the estate, which provides a natural habitat for herons and wild boars.