Vineyard Sustainability Heroes

There are many vineyards practicing the art of sustainability, but why don’t we know about them? Is the average consumer aware of these earth conscious wineries? Would this knowledge make a difference in the consumers wine selection? I would like to think so.

I always get excited when I learn about a winery that has adopted sustainable practices, even more excited if it is in my backyard, on the Central Coast. As a member of the wine industry I am fortunate to hear word of mouth news about the sustainability forefront and its effect on the wine industry. But how is the rest of the world going to know about the investment wineries are making in our future and the future of wine? And how can we reward them if there isn’t a simple way to identify them? Did you know that Castoro Cellars, in the Paso Robles Wine Region, has recently received its organic certification for their Cobble Creek and Bethel Road Vineyard? Also, did you know that all of the tractors used on Wolff Vineyards, in the Edna Valley Wine Region, are run on bio-diesel?

My point is that, when wine bottles are placed on the shelf, there is no identifying factor that separates our vineyard heroes in sustainability from the rest. Even if a vineyard is certified organic, that does not mean the wine itself is equally certified. The reason stems from one main ingredient, sulfite. In order for a wine to preserve in the bottle to the utmost quality, sulfites are added during the winemaking process. Yes, sulfites are already a naturally occurring ingredient in wine, but not enough is naturally produced to support a wines aging process. With the addition of this ingredient, the certified organic nature of the grape is lost, and therefore that organic green stamp at the bottom of the wine label is lost as well. In fact, a certified organic label on a wine bottle will make some winemakers shutter, as it will depict a wine that will not preserve well. So, as you see, this issue of organic certification is a double-edged sword.

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture on vineyard sustainability practices at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. The discussion was lead by Paul Dolan, the previous president of Fetzer Vineyards and current owner of Parducci Vineyards. Paul has revolutionized the idea of vineyard sustainability in many ways. For example, Parducci Vineyards recently became the first carbon neutral winery in the United States! Jason Haas from Tablas Creek Vineyards, Brian Talley from Talley Vineyards and Jean-Peirre Wolff from Wolff Vineyards were also included in the panel. Each one of these individuals is using different aspects of sustainability to improve their vineyards and decrease the ecological impact of their production. The sustainable methods are astounding, yet each winery has a different reason for their actions. Whether the eco-friendly investment is for the increased quality of wine, economic sustainability or simply to decrease the ecological impact to the land, these vineyards are heroes in our industry.

This is yet another example of why we need to be educated, pro-active consumers. The next time you taste at a winery, simply ask why type of sustainable practices are used in the vineyard and during the winemaking process. You might be surprised. Or, simply try some of the wine mentioned above and know that you are rewarding local vineyards that choose a sustainable way of farming. I assure you, with this knowledge in your back pocket, the wine will taste better!