SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 11, 2026--
The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance has been awarded a 2026 V d’Or Business Award for Sustainability, recognizing its Climate Action Toolkit as one of the most impactful and responsible initiatives addressing environmental challenges in the global wine and spirits industry.
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Presented on the eve of Wine Paris, the V d’Or Business Awards acknowledge leading initiatives in the wine and spirits sector, spanning innovation, sustainability and education. Administered by Vinexposium, the organizer of Wine Paris, the awards spotlight projects that advance meaningful progress for the industry and encourage continued innovation and collaboration.
The Best Sustainability V d’Or award honors an interprofessional organization or initiative addressing environmental challenges relevant to the future of the sector. The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance was recognized for its Climate Action Toolkit, which strengthens long-term climate resilience by providing winegrowers with structured, science-based guidance to identify climate risks, prioritize climate-smart practices and track progress.
Developed in collaboration with an advisory group of industry leaders, scientists and sustainability professionals, the Toolkit anchors the Alliance’s approach to climate planning and action. It delivers step-by-step guidance to help winegrowers and vintners assess climate risks and move decisively from commitment to implementation.
“This award reflects decades of collaboration across California’s wine community, grounded in planning and science and focused on preparedness and enduring stewardship,” said Alliance executive director Allison Jordan. “We appreciate Vinexposium’s recognition of California’s sustained leadership in this work, and its relevance to the challenges facing wine regions today.”
The Climate Action Toolkit builds on the Alliance’s stewardship of the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, one of the most widely adopted sustainability frameworks in U.S. agriculture. The program emphasizes continuous improvement and equips wine businesses with credible, practical tools to respond to current and future climate impacts.
The 2026 V d’Or nominee field reflected the breadth and depth of sustainability initiatives underway across wine regions worldwide. The Alliance’s selection for the V d’Or underscores the importance of planning, technical rigor and collaboration in preparing agricultural systems for a changing climate, as well as the value of shared tools that enable progress at scale.
Explore California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s Climate Action Toolkit at cswaclimatetoolkit.org.
About California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) is a nonprofit collaboration established in 2003 by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) to advance sustainable winegrowing in California. CSWA stewards the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, co-developed by Wine Institute and CAWG, and leads the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program. Introduced in 2010, the certification provides annual, third-party verification that vineyards and wineries have adopted rigorous sustainable practices and are committed to continuous improvement across environmental and social responsibility areas.
About the V d’Or and Vinexposium
The V d’Or recognize the most impactful and responsible initiatives in the global wine and spirits industry. Led by Vinexposium, organizers of Wine Paris, the awards celebrate committed players who combine economic performance with social impact and environmental responsibility. Open to all professionals in the sector, the V d’Or shine a light on inspiring projects and embody a sustainable, human and forward-thinking vision for the future of wine and spirits.
The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Climate Action Toolkit provides information and implementation guides for wineries and vineyards to create climate action plans to build resiliency and the ability to thrive in a changing climate.
Allison Jordan (center), executive director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, accepts the 2026 V d’Or Business Award for Best Sustainability Initiative in the Wine category, recognizing the organization’s Climate Action Toolkit.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Polls opened across Bangladesh on Thursday for voters to cast ballots in a parliamentary election seen as a critical test of the country’s democracy after years of political turmoil.
After a slow start, crowds came to polling stations in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere by midmorning. Balloting will continue through Thursday with results expected Friday.
More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in Bangladesh’s first election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed in 2024 after weeks of mass protests. Hasina fled the country and her party is banned from the polls. She is living in exile in India.
Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a leading contender to form the next government. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London. Rahman has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law and revive the struggling economy.
Challenging the BNP is an 11-party alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, which was banned under Hasina but has gained prominence since her removal. The conservative religious group’s growing influence has fueled concern, particularly among women and minority communities, that social freedoms could come under pressure if they come to power. Bangladesh is more than 90% Muslim, while around 8% are Hindu.
Shafiqur Rahman, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, expressed optimism after casting his vote in a polling station.
“It (the election) is a turning point,” he told The Associated Press. “People demand change. They desire change. We also desire the change.”
The vote is taking place under an interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has said it is committed to delivering a credible and transparent election. As part of that effort, around 500 international observers and foreign journalists will be present, including delegations from the European Union and the Commonwealth, to which Bangladesh belongs.
Bangladesh’s Parliament has 350 seats, including 300 elected directly from single-member constituencies and 50 reserved for women. Lawmakers are chosen by plurality and the parliament serves a five-year term. The Election Commission recently postponed voting in one constituency after a candidate died.
The election could reshape the domestic stability of Bangladesh, a country whose post-1971 history since gaining independence from Pakistan has been marked by entrenched political parties, military coups and allegations of vote rigging. Young voters, many of whom played a central role in the 2024 uprising, are expected to be influential. Some 5 million first-time voters are eligible.
“I think it is a very crucial election because this is the first time we can show our opinion with freedom,” said 28-year-old voter Ikram ul Haque, adding that past elections were far from fair.
“We are celebrating the election. It is like a festival here,” he said. “I hope Bangladesh will have exponential change.”
Thursday’s election is a critical test not just of leadership but of trust in Bangladesh’s democratic future. Voters can say “Yes” to endorse major reform proposals that stemmed from a national charter signed by major political parties last year.
If a majority of voters favor the referendum, the newly elected Parliament could form a constitutional reform council to make the changes with 180 working days from its first session. The proposals include the creation of new constitutional bodies and changing Parliament from a single body to a bicameral legislature with an upper house empowered to amend the constitution by majority vote.
The BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami both signed the document with some changes after initially expressing some dissent. Hasina’s Awami League party, which is a major party, and some of its former allies were excluded from the discussion. The referendum has still been criticized for limiting the options put before voters.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, centre, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Bangladeshi people stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
An army official announces to the voters to maintain discipline in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladeshi women stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
People ride on three wheelers on a street ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Security personnel arrive to collect ballot boxes and voting materials at a distribution centre ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
An official stands near ballot boxes and voting papers before its distribution to various polling centers ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
