The Western Cape Feature

As romantic as vineyards seem, wine farming is a monoculture and generally not that eco-friendly. The Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) is a pioneering project in the Cape Winelands working with committed wine farmers to set aside highly threatened natural habitat on their farms for conservation, while ensuring that the members of the BWI farm in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way. A label featuring a protea (the country's national flower) and a sugarbird identifies members. Each month, more wine farms sign up, and to date the total land conserved among the BWI members is 279,542 acres—more than 100% of the current vineyard footprint in the Cape Winelands (the rest is set aside for future expansion). So, when you're wine tasting and buying, look for the BWI label. By supporting these farms, you'll be making a significant contribution to the long-term conservation of critical natural habitats and species in the Western Cape Winelands.