Château Mercian Mariko Vineyard Officially Selected As An Approved Site For The Ministry of The Environment’s 30by30 Alliance For Biodiversity
- CSV
October 6, 2023
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
TOKYO, October 6, 2023 -Kirin Holdings Company, Limited’s (Kirin Holdings) subsidiary Mercian Corporation’s (Mercian) Mariko Vineyard (Mariko Vineyard), based on the results of joint research with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (https://www.naro.go.jp/english/about-naro/index.html) (NARO), officially has been selected as an approved socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes*1 (SEPLS) site for the Japanese Ministry of the Environment ’s 30by30 Alliance For Biodiversity*2 (30by30).
*1: Areas where human-nature interactions have created dynamic mosaics of land/sea uses that contribute to human well-being and biodiversity conservation at the same time.
*2: See Japanʼs 30by30 Roadmap (https://policies.env.go.jp/nature/biodiversity/30by30alliance/documents/3030emap.pdfPDF：833KB) (English)
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment is conducting experiments to certify areas with high biodiversity owned by the private sector and local governments as SEPLS sites in order to achieve the 30by30 target adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) held in December 2022. Beginning in 2023, SEPLS are scheduled to be certified as OECMs*3 if they are deemed to be worthy of certification through the experiment.
*3 Abbreviation for Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures
Preserving “Secondary Nature”
There is a type of nature called "secondary nature" that is preserved only after human intervention, and grasslands are a typical example. Since 2014, Kirin Holdings has been conducting an ecological survey of the Mariko Vineyard in cooperation with NARO. Through the research, Kirin Holdings has learned that converting idle, devastated land into vineyards for Japanese wine with hedge planting and grass cultivation creates high-quality, vast grasslands and fosters a diverse ecosystem, including endangered species listed in the Ministry of the Environment's Red Data Book.
With the vision of "making Japan recognized as one of the world's foremost wine regions," Mercian is expanding the vineyards it manages to sustainably secure high-quality grapes with the aim of consistently producing world-class quality wines. Kirin Holdings believes that the Mariko Vineyard is the only vineyard that produces agricultural products among the participants in the experiment, and is recognized as an example that leads to "Nature Positive"*4 through the project.
*4 The goal of halting and restoring biodiversity loss by 2030, as agreed on in the G7 2030 Nature Compact.
Related Efforts: Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, TNFD LEAP
In July 2022 Kirin Holdings disclosed information related to natural capital*5 on a trial basis, based on the TNFD LEAP Approach as reported in Kirin Holdings’ Kirin Group Environmental Report 2022PDF：204KB. In March 2023, by request from TNFD, Kirin Holdings conducted a trial natural capital*5 scenario analysis with New Belgium Brewing (Colorado, United States) and TNFD members. Kirin Holdings disclosed integrated environmental management information based on the TCFD and TNFD proposal in Kirin Holdings’ Kirin Group Environmental Report 2023. In addition to addressing climate change, Kirin Holdings will accelerate its efforts related to natural capital, including biodiversity, by actively contributing to these efforts. In addition the Kirin Group will work in an integrated manner to address the four issues listed in the Kirin Group’s Environmental Vision 2050 (biological resources, water resources, containers and packaging, and climate change).
*5 Natural capital is the stock of natural assets that provide society with flows of renewable and non-renewable resources and ecosystem services.
About the Mariko Vineyard
In 2003, Mercian opened a 29-hectare vineyard in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, where eight varieties of grapes, including Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc, are hedged- and grass-cultivated. The Château Mercian Mariko Winery, where visitors can observe everything from grape cultivation to winemaking, opened in 2019 on top of a small hill in the vineyard. It is dedicated to high-quality grape cultivation and winemaking under the theme of coexistence with the local community, nature, and the future. Wines produced at the Mariko Vineyard are highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad, and have been used at official government events in Japan.
In addition, the Mariko Vineyard was ranked 38th in the world and The Best Vineyard in Asia in the World's Best Vineyards 2023, an award announced in July that recognizes the world's best wineries engaged in wine tourism. Mariko Vineyard is the only Japanese winery to be selected for four consecutive years.
About the Château Mercian Mariko Vineyard
https://www.chateaumercian.com/en/our-wineries/mariko/
Main Wines Produced at the Mariko Vineyard
● Château Mercian Mariko Omnis 2017
● Château Mercian Mariko Merlot 2018
● Château Mercian Mariko Syrah 2020
● Château Mercian Mariko Rosé 2021
● Château Mercian Mariko Chardonnay 2022
● Château Mercian Mariko Sauvignon Blanc 2021
About Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
* Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large
