Even for casual wine drinkers, sustainability should be a priority. Strictly from a quality perspective, wine made using sustainable techniques tends to be the best tasting vino. Biodynamic farming practices that treat the health of the soil, animals, and crops as one system produce abundant harvests year after year, which in turn helps wineries stay in business. Sustainable, biodynamic and regenerative farming all share the same goal of preserving the planet and reducing human intervention so that the earth and all the organisms it supports can continue to thrive for years to come.
It is not easy to predict the future of winemaking as we know it depends on how the farmers choose to grow their vines today. Look beyond cookie-cutter labels like “organic” or simply avoiding pesticides and instead focus on deeper changes, such as holistic farming practices that seek to restore soil health through cover crops, no-till farming, rotational grazing and composting. Many manufacturers are also implementing strategies that reduce their overall carbon footprint, such as switching to lightweight bottles, using solar energy to avoid using fossil fuels, and prioritizing extensive water recycling.
Winemakers who practice regenerative agriculture don’t just make better wine; they are doing their part to preserve the planet for future generations. At Bouchaine Vineyards in Carneros, for example, winemaker Chris Kajani knows that San Francisco’s proximity has the potential to influence the city’s climate.
“At Bouchaine Vineyards, we are a full structure and we live and breathe grapes and wine, but we also live in this dirt, breathe this air, and drink this water,” he says. “We’ve been here for over 40 years, right next to San Francisco Bay, and anything we do in our vineyards can affect the natural environment.
Seeking out small wine labels and independent producers who focus on sustainability is one way to help push the entire industry in these directions. Because just as the wine world has recently bent to eco-friendly standards, there is still a lot of work to be done. Commercial winemaking is notorious for using additives and pesticides, and greenwashing is rampant, meaning labels pretend to be environmentally conscious while hiding their harmful practices behind names.
At the other end of the spectrum, some labels are dedicated to reorganizing their world. Will Henry, owner and winemaker at Lumen Wines in Santa Barbara County, goes above and beyond industry standards. “At Lumen, it starts with farming, and sustainable farming doesn’t go far enough to describe what we do,” he says. “We are certified organic, but we also use regenerative methods. The main goal is long-term soil life. We don’t use chemical sprays and we have to do a lot of work by hand.”
Lumen also takes care of the animals that graze the vineyards and compost them. “We use wine waste—skins, stems, etc.—and food waste in our restaurant. Almost no waste is produced by the vineyard or our winery; almost everything is recycled,” he explained.
California accounts for 85 percent of America’s wine production, with Oregon and Washington not far behind. A large number of West Coast manufacturers, in particular, have taken steps to use sustainable practices as the regions here grow taller. Ahead of Earth Day, here’s a selection of bottles from winemakers who prioritize the health of the planet while making delicious wine in the process.
