Stateways

J. Lohr has embraced sustainability on a wide scale, including an aggressive water conservation program as well as the use of solar panels. mal impact on the environment. This could mean that the grapes are grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides, or perhaps that the final product is packaged in environmentally friendly materials. Usually, sustainable wine producers have opted not to go all the way with organic certification either because of the high costs and rigorous process involved or simply because they don���t want to be bound to the certification���s restrictions. For example, a winery may very rarely if ever use pesticides, but still prefer the flexibility to do so in a season that requires it without fear of losing their organic certification. As a happy medium, some wineries, like Bodegas Luz��n in Jumilla, Spain, hedge their bets by going organic for only a portion of their production. Bottlerocket carries both Luz��n���s organic Monastrell and its non-organic version ��� and is proud to sell them both, says Geniesse. N Easy Being Green ew Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), the organization for New Zealand���s grape and wine sector, is unique as far as national or regional wine associations go. It mandated that by 2010, all member companies had to have an accredited sustainability program in place. From small-production family vineyards to large million-case wineries, nearly every New Zealand wine producer has taken efforts to minimize its impact on the environment. ���The idea is not to say what they���re allowed to do or not do,��� says Philip Manson, general manager of sustainability at NZW, which has partnered with research facilities on studies examining water, waste and energy usage. ���It���s about engaging our members, getting them to think about how they���re growing grapes and making wine, and how that compares to their neighbors.��� Yealands Estate, which bills itself as the largest, most sustainable privately owned winery in the world, was the first to be certified carbon-neutral since its inception, meaning that it offsets all greenhouse gas emissions. It uses spent grape vines both as a renewable energy source and a natural fertilizer, and has a fleet of Babydoll miniature sheep roaming its acres of vines as living, breathing mowers and weeders. Yealands is not alone in its belief that sustainability is as good for the earth as it is for the bottom line. Winemaker Andrea Leon of Lapostolle in Chile, which was certified organic in 2011, points to the use of energy-efficient technology in Lapostolle buildings and facilities, recycling organic matter from the winemaking and agricultural processes for composting, and sustainable packaging made from recycled materials that are 15% lighter and therefore cheaper to ship as green but also cost-effective practices. For Matthew Cain, founder of Yellow+Blue, providing consumers with sustainable wines was only part of the equation. His business model is based on the premise that organic and sustainable producers agree to distribute their wines under his label, packaged in eco-friendly Tetra Pak, and that the American consumer is savvy enough to buy quality wine in what looks like one-liter juice boxes. Yellow+Blue equals green: get it? ���Carbon footprint-wise, ours is about half of what it would be if we bottled and shipped the wine from the wineries,��� says Cain. ���We���re trying to build the 21stcentury business model of the wine trade. We don���t own vineyards, but we only work with growers who farm organically or sustainably��� Is it really right to bottle it at the source, ship it halfway around the world only to have the end consumer drink it and throw the bottle away? In the U.S., only 15% of bottles get recycled. 85% go into landfills.��� Cain admits that his demographic trends younger. For Wente Family Estates has long been comitted to ���sustainability.��� In 2010, Wente received the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing designation for its efforts, covering all parts of its business, from vineyards to relations and interactions with its employees and the local community. 42 StateWays I www.stateways.com I March/April 2013

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• From the Editor
• Dateline
• Growth Brands
• Responsibility Initiatives
• Scotch
• Drink Green
• Products & Packaging