Sustainability is everywhere. Environmental concerns permeate every corner of our lives and our industry, from vineyard to cellar to marketing. This was the impetus for my film project, Sustainability: Countdown to 2030, which I created with the cinematographer Ben Dowie. We used the Master of Wine lens of critical analysis to unpack and interrogate the subject of sustainability across the entire value chain of the global wine industry. With our project as a case study, this article explains how the MW approach can be applied beyond the exam hall and in the field, regardless of one’s ceartification status or goals.
Our five-film series is based on the five MW theory papers, covering the value chain from grape to glass. Each film includes the components of an MW essay: clear themes, global examples, balanced arguments, and a conclusion that answers the question “So what?”
If I had to distill critical analysis to one MW-ready sound bite, it would be “Tell us about the why.” It’s not enough to know what, where, who, or even how. MW examiners want students to dig deeper, weigh conflicting evidence, challenge assumptions, and incorporate multiple perspectives into a logical conclusion. This requires evaluating information, not just reporting it; interrogating evidence, not just accepting it; and considering counterarguments, not just assuming consensus. It demands judgment, curiosity, and the ability to integrate contradictory perspectives into a clear, structured argument. That thinking became the north star of Sustainability: Countdown to 2030, driving early planning, research, interviews, and final editing.
MW Antony Moss worked with me as researcher on the project. He was given the brief to throw a net over the global wine industry and report not only what people were doing but also why they were doing it. What did it cost? Where were the bottlenecks? Were consumers ahead of producers, or vice versa? We spoke to everyone from vineyard