California winemakers offer an inspiring taste of sustainability in action
CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY
By Paul Dolan
Partner, MendocinoWine Co.
Author, True to Our Roots, Fermenting
a Business Revolution, 2003
In September 1987, I experience an “Ah ha!” moment in my life. I was walking through a vineyard of Sauvignon Blanc in Mendocino County. As a head winemaker, I was tasting grapes to check for ripeness to determine the best date for harvest. Sauvignon Blanc is usually crisp, refreshing and bright, and I was excited to find this fruit to be expressive, interesting and balanced. As I moved into the next rows, just 15 feet away, the fruit changed; it was bland, less expressive and disappointing. The first block I tasted was part of an experiment and was being farmed organically, while the second block was being farmed conventionally, using petrochemicals and fertilizers.
I didn’t know it then, but my entire way of thinking was about to change.
From that day on, I approached grape growing with a new perspective; my understanding and approach to soil nutrients, balanced vines and terroir shifted to better realize that this place and these vines are a whole organism.
This belief in the health of the whole organism as the greatest sign of quality expanded over time to ultimately redefine my approach to business.
Over the years, California’s wine industry has had its own “Ah ha!” moments. Through the work of many individuals and organizations, we have seen the powerful positive environmental impact of sustainable winegrowing and the exceptional quality increase it brings to our fruit and wines.
As a result, the California wine industry has been on the forefront of sustainability in both business and agriculture, seeing the immeasurable value it brings to our environment, wines and communities. This industry continues to grow its commitment to communities and the world at large through a range of creative and innovative programs that now penetrate every area of our businesses and communities. Yet, we recognize that sustainability is not a destination, but a continuum that we choose to move down. The more we learn and experiment, the more ways we find to improve our practices.
California was the first major winemaking region to adopt a Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, providing a measuring stick for wineries and vineyards to assess their sustainability. There has been participation from over half of the wineries in California to date that are engaged in limiting their chemical use in vineyards, improving farming practices to reduce erosion, recycling and reducing waste, investing in solar power, using compost in lieu of petrochemical fertilizers, building energy efficient buildings, contributing financially to community fundraisers, and restoring ecosystems along the way.
Addressing many areas outside of the vineyard, the code recognizes that sustainability cannot be compartmentalized, a comprehensive approach that has helped position California’s wine industry at the forefront of sustainable business and winegrowing.
While California has led the way in these very important business practices, other very powerful wine communities are joining in.
We in the wine community greatly value the place we live and grow grapes. Our livelihood depends on our ability to fully express the unique place we have nurtured in the world through the quality of our wines. If our environment is compromised in any way, we have lost what we hold so dear, the unique expression of taste from our appellation, the place we call home.
In the years since I first experienced the positive power of sustainable practices it has been a long journey of discovery. I know that we can transform California, through viticulture, agriculture, business and community. By demonstrating the viability and value of sustainability, we hope to not only produce the world’s finest, sustainably produced wines, we also hope to continue to inspire others to seize this new opportunity, take responsibility and help contribute to a thriving and sustainable world for all.
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