Abadía Retuerta: A Spanish Legacy Preserved by Sustainability

Hotel, winery, natural estate, wellness spa and gastronomy destination, Abadía Retuerta blends all of life’s rich experiences into its own unique ecosystem.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 10, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Hotel, winery, natural estate, wellness spa and gastronomy destination, Abadía Retuerta² blends all of life’s rich experiences into its own unique ecosystem. Celebrating their second successive year of Green Globe¹ certification, Abadía Retuerta CEO, Enrique Valero declares, “Sustainability is an intrinsic part of Abadía Retuerta: what could be more sustainable than reviving the historic legacy of a 12th-century abbey, and an ancient vineyard. At Abadía Retuerta we are working hard to enhance our heritage so that we can share it with future generations, leaving it in the best possible condition.”

At the day-to-day operational level, Abadía Retuerta can now proudly look back at the practices, technology and investments that have delivered a hospitality enterprise in perfect synchronicity with the nature, heritage and people of rural Spain.

With regards to boosting digitalization and the circular economy, Abadía Retuerta launched its own “Plastic-Free” project in 2019 and completed in 2022. The aim was to phase out single-use plastics in all areas of the business, and also cut down on the use of paper and thus encourage the digitalization of their workflow.

Abadía Retuerta also implemented an active Woodland Management Plan to strengthen the biodiversity on their estate. Four charging points were installed for electric vehicles, and the estate also offers electric bikes for guest use.

Furthermore in 2021, ISO 14001 certification was obtained, which scrutinizes the environmental management of all operations. An exhaustive audit was carried out, looking into various different aspects such as the monitoring of emissions, waste management and environmental protection. Also, the estate’s commitment to environmental sustainability and care for the hotel’s surroundings has meant that, the Wineries for Climate Protection (WfCP) certification has been renewed year after year. This endorses Abadía Retuerta as an eco-friendly winery.

Further progress was made last year; for example, the hotel’s complementary bathroom products now come in sustainable packaging. Also, the Protel Voyager app has been redesigned, to streamline the customer experience, and a digital press reader app is now offered, so our hotel guests can read newspapers from around the world, in line with our paper-free policy.


In 2019, the estate’s organic, biodynamic and sustainable vegetable garden was completed, spanning 1,200 m2. In the last year, a total of 10,323 kg of produce has been harvested from the garden, providing ingredients directly to the various restaurants on site. In 2020, the Calicata Terroir Bar was opened. This venue is an open-air terrace designed with sustainable materials and a menu showcasing seasonal and locally-sourced produce, including ingredients from their own garden. That same year, Refectorio, the flagship restaurant, set up a support network based on local produce and suppliers, from the region surrounding Abadía Retuerta. Today, the Refectorio team work with 35 suppliers from 30 towns and villages in the nine provinces of Castilla y León, all of whom offer the finest local riches. This particular working dynamic, very much focused on the land, helped Refectorio win its first Michelin Green Star in 2020, which was renewed in 2022.

Abadía Retuerta have brought renewable energies into the running of the company: these are cleaner energy sources, with lower environmental impact.

For the winemaking operations, it was decided - in cooperation with Iberdrola and Enerpal - to install a self-supply system at the estate’s winery. 500 photovoltaic solar panels (a total of 165 kWp) were placed on the south-facing roof, without affecting the building’s aesthetic. It is estimated that, in the next 25 years, this measure alone will prevent 2,250 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. It also generates over 200,000 kWh of energy per year, equivalent to the average consumption of 60 households and 30% of the energy used by the winery.

To monitor the workings of this new installation, the photovoltaic modules have high-performance power inverters with connected, built-in sensors. This technology allows online monitoring of the fundamental parameters of the apparatus. This intelligent solution also comes with an application that shows, in real time, the energy being consumed and produced on site.

Meanwhile, for the operations of the hotel Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine, an investment in geothermal energy has been made as an alternative of producing heat energy. The hotel now has three circuits which, by using water from the hotel’s own well, dissipate any energy that cannot be absorbed by the heating system when the machine is working in cooling mode (and by the cooling system when the machine is working in heating mode), thus reducing the amount of electricity used for air conditioning.

The hotel also has a free-cooling system, which makes use of the cold air from outdoors. This is a natural resource, and is available nearly all year round on the estate given the huge swings in temperature, from day to night, within the continental climate. All the air-conditioning units that can use this system (depending on their function or location) have this technology built-in and automated, thus saving electric energy.

Moreover, solar thermal panel have been installed, which preheat the hot water supply both in the hotel and in Santuario Wellness & Spa. This way, there is further reductions in fuel consumption.

Another activity which is now totally integrated into the estate’s work dynamic is the management of water resources. By using the existing meters, water consumption is monitored and controlled in the winery and hotel. The water extraction is divided into four parts: vineyard, crops, winery and hotel. For the vineyard and crops, two surface-water harvesting installations are used, in the river Duero and in the Duero canal (watering is carried out via drip irrigation, the most efficient system for it). For the winery, underground water harvesting is used. For the hotel, apart from one underground harvesting point, the water is taken from the general water supply network of Sardón de Duero.

For more information about the remarkable accomplishment in sustainable operation and management download the latest Abadía Retuerta Sustainability Report.

Contact

Patricia Garvía Soler
International Communication Coordinator
Mobile +34 610 468 604
Ledomaine
Abadía Retuerta
Sardón de Duero - Valladolid - Spain
patricia.garvia@abadia-retuerta.es
www.abadia-retuerta.com

About Abadía Retuerta

Abadía Retuerta is located less than a two-hours’ drive from Madrid, right at the heart of the Duero Valley, near Sardón de Duero (Valladolid). It is home to a 5-star hotel and winery, set in a 12th-century monastery that was originally founded by the Premonstratensian Order in Spain. The property spans over 700 hectares, with 180 hectares of vineyards, while the hotel has over 8,000 m2 for 30 exclusive rooms (27 double rooms and three suites) with full butler service. The resort offers unique experiences, related to wine, gastronomy - its flagship restaurant, Refectorio, holds a Michelin Star, a Michelin Green Star, and two Repsol Suns - nature, art and wellbeing. Santuario Wellness & Spa, the estate’s shrine to wellbeing, was named the “Best Luxury Historical Spa” in Europe at the 2022 World Luxury Spa Awards, in a further endorsement of Abadía Retuerta as a unique destination of experiences.

Abadía Retuerta is also considered one of the most sustainable resorts in the world, as proven by its Green Globe certification. In turn, the estate’s winery now has its own Protected Designation of Origin: this seal of approval, granted by the European Union, endorses Abadía Retuerta’s wine as a product of guaranteed origin, quality and tradition. Furthermore, the estate is now regarded as one of the world’s Top 50 resorts for wine tourism, having featured at number 29 in the 2022 edition of the World’s Best Vineyards. It is also one of the most innovative wineries in Europe: its wine has received multiple international accolades, such as being named in Wine Spectator magazine’s Top 100 Wines in the World.



Bradley Cox
Director Communications
Green Globe Certification
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Phone: +1-310-337-3000 ext. 105
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bcox@greenglobe.com
www.greenglobe.com

About Green Globe Certification
Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). For information, please visit www.greenglobe.com

Bradley Cox
Green Globe
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¹ https://greenglobe.com
² https://www.abadia-retuerta.com