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Red, White and Green? Sustainability in Wine Production
by Mike Supple
published: 16 Sep 2009 | Comments
Have you ever been to a place where every corner you drive around makes you gasp in wonder at the beauty? Northern Oregon is that kind of place. And after almost running my car off the road - and into oncoming traffic - many times while trying to navigate twisty mountain roads with a video camera in one hand, a still camera in another and the GPS in my lap, I gave up, pulled over and just stared.
Every clearing in the trees yields a new angle on a spectacular view of rolling green hills, fruit and nut trees, alpaca farms and acres of vineyards. And if that's not good enough for you, the backdrop to all of this is a hazy distant mountain range with the looming Mt. Hood watching over it all. Perhaps it is this stunning, almost pristine environment that seems to be inspiring so many Oregon wine producers to go green.
As I cruised from winery to winery, something became more and more apparent to me: wineries in the Willamette Valley are committed to the environment. It's not just one little farmer here and there using it as a gimmick to sell his wines - everyone, from small to large, has a keen interest in minimizing their impact on the earth while at the same time making outstanding quality wines. If you have any doubt that a world class wine can be made without scarring the earth and ecosystem, then pick up a Pinot Noir from northern Oregon. You don't have to be a hippy to enjoy this region's great wines.
"Organic" and "biodynamic" are becoming quite the buzz words around the globe right now, with major corporate powerhouses like Wal-Mart even jumping on the green wagon. While the alcohol industry usually avoids topics about being on and off the wagon, this is one trend worth standing behind. The wineries are not alone in their efforts; they have the full support of the state of Oregon behind them. In August 2007, Governor Ted Kulongski, the Oregon Environmental Council, the Oregon Wine Board and 15 wineries (and counting) pledged to work towards carbon neutrality by 2010.
There's no one method of green wine production that suits every situation, and this is definitely true in Oregon. What strikes me as most interesting is the diverse manner in which each winery attempts to minimize its impact on the earth. Whether it's through sustainable, organic or biodynamic farming, working with organizations like LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology), Salmon Safe, or LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), placing solar panels in the winery and vineyards, using biodiesel fuel, or encouraging the recycling of corks, Oregon wineries are clearly role models for the rest of the global industry.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few wineries I visited, along with some details on the efforts they are making in the field of sustainability:
- Recycling - Offers consumers a 10 cent redemption for each bottle returned to their tasting room, as well as a dollar for each container used to ship their wines.
- Cork - Devoted to using cork in their wines rather than other closures because cork is a sustainable natural product, and because the farming of cork trees is good for both the planet and for the international economy. WVV is the first winery in the world to use FSC certified cork. The winery is also helping to start a major nationwide cork recycling program: Cork ReHarvest.
- Biodiesel fuel - Biodiesel is used in their delivery vehicles, tractors and the cars of some employees.
- LIVE, Inc and Salmon Safe - The vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE and Salmon Safe since 1997.
- Organic - The Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir plantings were certified in October 2007 by Oregon Tilth.
- LIVE, Inc. - Both the vineyard and the winery are LIVE certified.
- Solar panels - Built and maintain the Oregon wine industry's largest array of solar panels (pictured to the right).
- Organic farming - 8-10% of the vineyards are currently farmed organically, and they are working on increasing this number. They have not gotten the certification for this, nor do they plan to. They farm organically out of respect for the land rather than as a method of gaining publicity. (This is similar to their practices with their properties in Burgundy, France as well. The Clos des Mouches vineyard has been biodynamically farmed for 5 years yet they do not plan on getting certification.)
- Solar power - When designing his winery, Bill Stoller felt it was his responsibility to be a warden of the area around him. As part of this effort, he had solar panels installed on the roof of the winery's tasting room. While these panels would supply around 50% of the energy needed to run the winery, Stoller instead sells the energy to PG&E and purchases back energy that is 100% generated by wind. In this manner, they maintain a winery that runs completely on renewable energy.
- LEED - Working with their architect in designing the building, Stoller Vineyards went well beyond solar panels to design an energy efficient winery with the goal of being carbon neutral. LEED certifications are given based on a point system, and Stoller Vineyards became the first Gold LEED certified winery in the United States.
- LIVE, Inc. and Salmon Safe - Both the winery and the tasting room are LIVE and Salmon Safe certified.
Rex Hill Winery / A to Z Wineworks
- LIVE, Inc. - Rex Hill and A to Z use fruit from other growers as well as grapes from their own vineyards. They work with the LIVE organization to help their independent growers farm more sustainably. They have a staff member whose job is to monitor (and improve) their own sustainability, and they make her available to all of their independent growers as well.
- Biodynamic farming - Many acres of their vineyards are currently being farmed biodynamically, and they are going through the process of becoming certified by the international group Demeter.
- Water use/waste - In January 2007, they examined their energy use and waste systems. All of the power, water and waste systems were rebuilt and, in the first month, they saw an immediate reduction of water use by a third.
