Vine Renaissance
Winemakers are turning their focus to holistic sustainability
At Grgich Hills Estate, a winery in California’s Napa Valley known for its award-winning chardonnay, sustainable winemaking has always been a priority. All 366 acres of its vines are certified biodynamic and organic, and the winery runs almost completely on solar power. Distinct from organic farming, which emphasizes viticulture without the use of artificial pesticides and fertilizers, biodynamic farming focuses on the fertility of the soil and a natural balance in the ecosystem, resulting in healthier soil and plants, clean water, and a self-sufficient operation.
“We believe that environmental sustainability is the only realistic long-term way to maintain healthy, productive vineyards and excellent-quality grapes,” says Ivo Jeramaz, Grgich Hills’ vice president of vineyards and production.
All over the world, winemakers like Jeramaz tout the benefits of making wine that’s easy on the planet. “Producers are shifting their philosophical outlooks,” says Tyler Colman, PhD, author of Wine Politics and the blog DrVino.com. “Organic used to be the big trend, but there’s a huge aspect of wine that has been overlooked: its carbon footprint.”
Now, through its production, distribution, and marketing practices, the wine industry is adapting to a global economy that values eco-friendly business practices and sustainability.
Making It Better
As far as production goes, wineries have plenty of room for going green. In Healdsburg, Calif., Scott and Lynn Adams of Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves dug out a 6,700-square-foot subterranean cellar, with 55 percent humidity and a constant temperature of 59–61 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than age their premium zinfandels in a temperature-controlled building above ground. Bella sales and marketing director Tim Nordvedt calls the cave a multigenerational investment in alternative energy. “The cave is about early adoption of green technology, even if the numbers don’t pencil out in the present,” he says.
Frog’s Leap, another Napa winery, has also gone green; it is 100 percent solar powered and uses geothermal cooling and heating in its business offices. These measures have enabled Frog’s Leap to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by the equivalent of 1,600 tons a year.
Thinking Inside the Box
According to a study co-authored by Colman, packaging and transport account for the bulk of wine’s carbon footprint. Glass, although 100 percent recyclable, is heavy and requires more fuel for shipping than bulk wine, which is shipped in large steel containers and bottled at the point of sale, or other types of alternative packaging.
Matthew Cain, president of J. Soif Inc., a Pennsylvania-based wine importer, sells a new line of wines called Yellow + Blue that comes in an aseptic package. “I’ve been in the wine business a long time and watched the folly of packing up nine liters of wine in a 40-pound box, then shipping it halfway around the world where 80 percent of it is drunk within a week,” Cain says. “I wanted to find an alternative way to do the same thing.” He bought a premium malbec from a producer in Argentina and shipped it in bulk to North America.
Colman estimates that shipping wine in bulk, in a 24,000-liter insulated steel container, produces about half the greenhouse gas emissions that shipping the same wine in bottles would generate.
Other winemakers see the wisdom in box wines, once shunned by serious oenophiles. Banrock Station in southern Australia’s Riverland sells several of its wines in a lightweight 3-liter box. Banrock also invests in wetlands sponsorship on its property and around the world. “Some people buy our wine because it’s a great value,” says manager Tony Sharley, “and others buy it because they want to help contribute to our conservation work.” With boxed wines, environmentalists can do both.
Tasting the Waters
Proponents say biodynamic wines often taste better because of their unique terroir — in other words, the combined effect of the local soil and climate and the vines’ history. For example, a French Syrah might taste of green olives, while an Australian one will be fruitier. “Biodynamic farming allows the uniqueness of the site to show in the wine. The soil is alive, and we make wines that are alive,” Jeramaz says. Boxed wines also score on the flavor scale: they keep fresh for several weeks because of the vacuum seal.
The problem is, most consumers have no idea if their wines are produced or shipped sustainably, and they don’t know what to look for. Some winemakers are trying to change that. In Oregon, starting with the 2008 vintage, the state wine board will offer sustainability certification that wineries can stamp on bottles. Winemakers in several regions are measuring their carbon footprints. Vignobles Lacombe, a French producer near Bordeaux, has already begun to market “climate neutral” wines, touting official certification that all its CO2 emissions are offset. That may not influence the wine’s taste, but you may be enjoying the green effects for years to come.
— Gretchen Roberts
Drink It In
Try these four wines with environmentally friendly roots and fabulous flavor.
Bella Zinfandel Alexander Valley Two Patch 2006 ($35):
Balanced and complex, this well-made zin is aged in a natural underground cave.
Grgich Hills Estate Napa Valley Chardonnay 2006 ($42):
This biodynamically farmed chardonnay epitomizes the flavor of the grape and the land.
Yellow + Blue Mendoza Malbec 2007 ($11.99/1 liter):
What’s not to love about a plummy, earthy, organic red in environmentally friendly packaging that retails for about half the price of many bottled malbecs?
Miguel Torres Priorat Salmos 2005 ($32):
This Spanish red blend, a best seller for environmentally friendly Torres, is an elegant example of sustainable practices that are in good taste. — G.R.
