DrinkTheEarth.com Blog

As noted in this space on many occasions, numerous wineries are taking steps to embrace sustainability efforts in all aspects of the business.  While this is obviously not one in the same with pursuing organic certification for their wines, it certainly is indicative of a growing desire within the winemaking trade to be leaders in environmental stewardship. 

We recently reported on the efforts of Sonoma’s Gundlach Bundschu, who has made significant investments in solar energy and other initiatives in an effort to become carbon-neutral.  Along those same lines, in announcing its new releases this week, Sebastopol, California’s Merry Edwards Winery dedicated a two-page report not to the virtues of their latest Pinots’ (which are certainly worth the words!), but to the sustainability efforts underway at their facilities.  While Merry Edwards reports to have been using eco-friendly methods such as composting for years, this initiative has spread to other parts of the operation with the construction of a new winery facility.  Their vertical trellis system actually uses stakes derived from recycled car bodies, while the end posts previously served in another life as drill stems in oil wells (as a native Midwesterner, it’s nice to know there may be a little Rust Belt magic in the terroir!).    A solar system now powers a substantial part of all winery electricity needs, and hot water is produced on-demand by energy-efficient heaters.  Their offices are also free of chemical-laden paint, and instead are coated with green certified Tobias Stucco. 

Are there other benefits to wineries for pursuing sustainability efforts than simply knowing their actions are having a more positive impact on our planet?  Absolutely.  A little upfront investment can create efficiencies and cost savings that will pay handsomely over time.  It also doesn’t hurt to have a compelling story to tell when selling a product that is often more likely to be purchased based on romance and perception than more pragmatic considerations.  Whatever the driver, we applaud the efforts underway, and look forward to hearing similar stories from others in the future.

Yes, DrinkTheEarth.com has joined the estimated 10 million+ user base of Twitter.  We’ll be sending out quick updates (in 140 characters or less, of course) on the happenings in and around the organic beverage industry.  To ‘follow’ DrinkTheEarth on Twitter, find us here.

Many thanks to Elizabeth Candelario, Marketing Director for the Philomath, Oregon-based Demeter Association, for sending us an updated list of certified biodynamic wineries.  New wineries achieving certified vineyard status in recent months include:

Beckmen Vineyards (Santa Ynez Valley, CA)

Qupe (Los Olivos, CA)

Radio-Coteau (Sebastopol, CA)

Reeds Lane Vineyard (Lyle, WA)

Wildridge Vineyard (Yakima, WA)

Reeds Lane & Wildridge join Grandview’s Wallula Gap Vineyards, and Walla Walla’s Cayuse Vineyards as the only Demeter-certified biodynamic wineries in Washington state.  Good to see the biodynamic movement in the U.S. grow beyond California’s cornerstone regions of Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma.

(ABOVE) The gravity flow winemaking process in use at Moshin Vineyards, Healdsburg, California

While it’s important to draw a distinction between wines that are made organically from those that aren’t, it is equally important to recognize sustainability methods that fall outside the actual process of growing grapes.  One such technique that increases the energy-efficiency of the winemaking process, and perhaps the flavor of the wine itself, is gravity flow winemaking.  Gravity flow involves the grapes starting at a certain height and working their way down through the wine production process, rather than be put through the stress of pumping or pushing.   First popularized in Europe over the course of many centuries, it is especially relevant to making wine from very delicate grapes such as Pinot Noir, which thrives in France’s famed Burgundy region, as well as in many parts of California and Oregon.  It has only recently begun to make a comeback here in the U.S., in part because of the upfront expenses involved.

One U.S. winery that is using gravity flow to make wine that we’ve visited is Healdsburg, California’s Moshin Vineyards.  While not organic, the winery believes in following sustainability practices and optimizing energy efficiency, as also evidenced by their use of solar power on the winery grounds.  Owner and winemaker Rick Moshin counts George Davis, of biodynamic producer Porter Creek Vineyards, as one of his mentors.  Moshin utilizes a four-tier gravity flow process in which the grapes are sorted and de-stemmed on a crush pad, before dropping below into fermentation tanks.  Pressed wine then drains from the fermentation tanks into barrels for aging in the cellar, before eventually making its way to the fourth and final stage, the bottling level. 

During our November, 2008 visit to Sonoma County we briefly met Rick in the Moshin Vineyards tasting room, who on Thanksgiving Day was busy happily greeting visitors and signing bottles for patrons (including a bottle of the 2006 Molinari Vineyard Pinot Noir for us).  If you’re in the Healdsburg area and curious to see a modern-day gravity flow process in action, we highly recommend a stop here.