Green Wineries: Three Eclectic Examples

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERIES GO ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE AND BIODYNAMIC

From large to small, northern California wineries are starting to color their operations green, whether by organically growing their grapes, practicing sustainable activities or creating biodynamic environments.

The three categories of viticultural conscience can be summarized as follows:

- Organic is what you DON’T do: don’t use synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fungicides in the growing process, and don’t add sulfites during winemaking. Sulfites are compounds that contain the sulfite ion SO32−, added to prevent oxidation.
- Sustainable is what you DO do: set up your growing area so it is self-sustaining. Plant cover crops that will be ploughed under to add nutrients back into the soil, and attract beneficial creatures to eat destructive wildlife.
- Biodynamic is also what you DO do: create a self-contained ecosystem that not only allows your vines to thrive, but benefits all the other inhabits of the network.

Full organic certification of wineries is difficult to obtain and rarely sought, due to the sulfites rule. Although sulfites develop naturally during the winemaking process, most wineries add the industry standard of 30 parts per million to prevent spoilage. Winemakers compromise by getting certified at the vineyard level, so they can state that their wines were made with organically-grown grapes. The umbrella organization that certifies most growers is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) which develops, implements and administers national production, handling and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. Fifty-five domestic and thirteen California USDA accredited sub-organizations award certifications by following guidelines set forth by the NOP. Click here for more information.