Sustainable Wines? Yes, Please!

What makes a vineyard or winery sustainable? is it that a vineyard employs a clowder of feral cats to dispatch the varmints and a flock of ducks to eliminate the pests that would harm the grapes and cut down on the use of chemicals to accomplish this? Is it that a winery applies energy efficient practices to their business? Read on and find out how three sustainable wineries achieve this Earth-friendly goal!

Red wine is ooured from a bottle into a wine glass. Pixabay

Hey, Christie!

Thank you for all your help in planning our wedding! You are amazing!

I have another question: A friend mentioned there are organic and sustainable wines we could serve at our reception. Could you tell me the differences and where I might find them?

Thanks in advance!

–Molly, Mystified in Molalla, Oregon

Hey, Molly!

We enjoy working with you two and are looking forward to your fabulous wedding!

Those are great questions! Certain wines allow you to make a statement.

Without getting too deeply into the subject, I’ll give a few definitions so that we are all on the same page:

  • A vineyard is where the grapes are grown.

wine grapes rowing on a vine in the sun Pixabay
  • A winery is where the grapes are processed into wine. Most wineries purchase grapes from other vineyards.

  • An estate winery bottles ONLY grapes grown in that winery’s vineyard.  Estate wineries are exceedingly rare: According to one survey, out of over 550 wineries in the esteemed Napa Valley in California, only 12 are estate wineries.

  • An organic wine is made from organically grown grapes.

  • Sustainable wines are produced when the focus is on the long-term health of the vineyard and the vitality of the winery’s ecosystem.

Clear Creek red wine grapes

While there are a number of sustainable wineries in the U.S. and around the world, I will focus on three in the U.S. These are organized alphabetically by state.

The first one, Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery, is an estate winery,  They produce the award-winning Rio Claro Wines.

That’s a photo of their grapes to the left.

 

1. Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery

Camp Verde, Arizona

(Verde Valley)

(602) 859-7418

https://clearcreekwineryaz.com/

Rio Claro wine label from Clear Creek Vineyards & Winery
Clear Creek's white wine grapes

Founded by an engineer who studied wine making (and engineering) in college, Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery is nestled along the pristine Clear Creek in Northern Arizona.

When Ignacio Mesa started his wine making, he did so with the intention of being sustainable and energy efficient to protect the environment.

 

In 2015, Mr. Mesa won  the Sedona Sustainability Award—the first winemaker in the entire state of Arizona to do achieve this recognition!

Sedona Sustainability Alliance Award given to Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery
an orange butterfly sits on a green leaf

To be a sustainable winery, Mr. Mesa keeps a flock of ducks, chickens, and geese which eat the snails and other insects. This reduces his use of insecticides.

He feeds and provides vetinary care for a clowder (a group) of feral cats, giving them employment as mousers to keep the vineyards free from furry pests.

He has two large Great Pyrenees dogs who protect the flocks and the clowder from harm.

With a USDA grant, he installed a solar array on top of the wine tasting room which produces electricity, lowers his electricity bill, and gets him off the grid. 

He builds his grape trellises from recycled wooden beams. 

 

Clear Creek Vineyard's photo of rows of grapes in AZ
Clear Creek Vineyard Ignacio Mesa and his grapes

From West Clear Creek, he built a gravity-powered irrigation system to water over 70% of his vineyard, thus lowering his use of electricity to pump water to the grapes.

By focusing is on the long-term health of the vineyard and the vitality of the winery’s ecosystem, Mr. Mesa has a sustainable winery!

 

Each of his wines has a story behind it and has a name in Spanish to reflect his family’s heritage.

The romantic story of the Terciopelo red wine is perfect for a wedding!

 

 

Clear Creek red wine grapes in clusters
Clear Creek's Rio Claro wine label for Tercioelo

When he was a child, Ignacio’s father would lovingly embrace Ignacio’s mother and sing to her while dancing with her to the love  song, “Terciopelo” (“Velvet”). The love that his parents expressed for each other and for their children is blended into thos wine!

Clear Creek Vineyards is source of the grapes for Rio Claro’s   Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tawny Port, White Port, Petit Sirah, Viognier, Chardonel, and several blends.  

2. Silver Oak Cellars

Rutherford, CA (Napa Valley)

(707) 942-7022

https://silveroak.com/about/

 

Dedicated to energy efficiency and sustainable building practices, Silver Oak was the first LEED certified winery in California.

They utilize a solar array, reclaimed water, and recycling to reduce their impact on the environment.

They specialize in Cabernet Sauvignon.

red wine splashes in a glass Pixabay
red wine pours from a bottle into a class on a table Pixabay

3. Sokol Blosser Winery

Dayton, Oregon (Willamette Valley)

(503) 684-2282

https://sokolblosser.com/

A pioneer in energy efficiency, this winery built the first LEED-certified cellar in the U.S. Since 2002, their wines have been certified as organic.  They produce a well-known Pinot Noir and a variety of red, white, sparkling, and rosé wines

If you have additional questions, please reach out to me.

Your friend in the wedding business,

Christie Shyne

 

Images in the Clear Creek Vineyard section are courtesy of Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery. 

All other images above are courtesy of Pixabay.com.

The images below are from the Ainsworth House & Gardens wedding gallery.

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