GOLDEN STATE CASHING IN ON SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable Winegrowing Program looks beyond grape, considers larger scale impact
A large portion of the California wine industry was in Vancouver this week to kick off a countrywide tour under the 38th California Wine Fair banner.
The Canadian landscape has changed dramatically since those early days when California was the leader of New World wine producers, led by the incomparable Robert Mondavi. Back then B.C. was still a decade or more from producing its first VQA, or 100 per cent locally grown wine, and Europe (read France) dominated import wine sales.
The Californians were all about the grape in those days, and the legacy of its “varietal” wine (wine made from predominately a single grape variety) remains an important calling card for the Americans. Despite a weak Canadian dollar that makes buying difficult, retail sales in Canada set a record in 2016 topping 6.5 million cases and $1.1 billion. A Golden State indeed.
Of all the achievements to come out of the last generation of California winemakers perhaps the most laudable and supportable is the Sustainable Winegrowing Program (SWP).
The program lays out a comprehensive set of practices that are environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically viable. The goal is “to conserve water and energy, maintain healthy soil, protect air and water quality, enhance relations with employees and communities, preserve local ecosystems and wildlife habitat, and improve the economic vitality of vineyards and wineries.”
Since the first sustainable workbook was issued in 2002, 2,091 vineyard and winery organizations have participated in the SWP self-assessment program. These organizations represent over 421,000 acres or 69 per cent of California’s wine grape acreage, and more than 212 million cases, 79 per cent of cases produced. Water is hot button issue in California.
Under the current SWP, now in its third iteration with each successive revamp incorporating what has been learned previously, water use in the wine business has declined significantly. Today 98 per cent of growers have developed water management strategies for grape growing before the growing season.
Termed “a more holistic, whole-site approach” it is a better way to manage water. Growers are also keenly aware of their total usage thanks to flow meters, or various calculation methods which allows them to compare the efficiency of different watering techniques.
Even better news is that the days of coffee table books featuring picture-perfect vines growing in essentially dead soil, is over.
Today, 95 per cent of growers using SWP encourage soil nutrient cycling by allowing resident vegetation to grow in the vineyard, using cover crops and/or composting.
There is so much more to the program, including a comprehensive workbook and other resources that provide how-to information on sustainable wine growing for any interested producer. The latest developments include a third-party certification program related to the highly successful SWP.
The goals of Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (Certified Sustainable) are to “enhance transparency, encourage statewide participation and advance the entire California wine industry toward best practices in sustainability.” Getting certified is a voluntary option above and beyond SWP.
In addition to meeting the minimum sustainable practice requirements, all certified vineyards and wineries must demonstrate continuous improvement in the adoption of sustainable practices on an annual basis. The good news for consumers is Certified Sustainable status will allow participating wineries to display a new logo on their labels.
Too often we get caught up in writing about wine quality and what to buy without thinking how a special piece of land can sustain a yearly production of thousands of bottles of wine for generations. It starts with an idea like sustainability on a very singularly level in a meeting room where individuals decide to embrace continuous improvement.