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Many people assume that wineries are sustainable by the mere virtue of being an agricultural business. This is not the case. While winemaking is a low-emitting sector, the wine production process can require large amounts of water and electricity. Over six gallons of water are typically needed to produce one gallon of wine! In some winegrowing operations, widespread spraying of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides also contaminates groundwater and degrades the soil. Over time, these practices can have detrimental effects on the environment.
At Sequoia Grove, we are dedicated to protecting the delicate ecosystem we call home and reducing our environmental impact at every opportunity. From the towering Sequoia trees by the Tasting Room to each bug, lizard, and bird that lives among the vines, we recognize the value of nature and are investing in a sustainable future. If you’d like to make more sustainable wine purchasing decisions, check out our tips and how Sequoia Grove is committed to making a difference.
#1: Look for Accreditation
As much as it is up to a winery to communicate the good work they do, it is also up to a wine consumer to seek out and support green initiatives. When you’re in your favorite wine shop, look for accreditation seals and stickers on the bottles, case box, or website. By purchasing wines certified by NAPA GREEN WINERY AND LAND, or other accreditations such as CERTIFIED CALIFORNIA SUSTAINABLE VINEYARD AND WINERY (CCSW), SIP, or CERTIFIED GREEN (THE LODI RULES), you will encourage more producers to get with the program. As of now, 40% of all of the certified sustainable wineries in California are in Napa County – and that number keeps growing. We are proud to be among them.
#2: Quality > Quantity
Wine isn’t a cheap product to produce. With only one shot a year to get it right, the costs of farming, production, storage, transport, and marketing add up. You can’t pay $10 for a bottle of wine and expect every part of the value chain to benefit! The truth is that eco-friendly alternatives such as solar panels cost more when there is less demand for them. So if you want to buy sustainably-made wine, you’re going to have to be willing to pay a little extra. We’re not saying you need to buy the most expensive bottle on the shelf, but try to support wineries that are open with their information. It also helps if a winery has a traceable history of its wine production from vineyard to cellar to shop.
#3: Ask Questions
Remember: There are no stupid questions! When you visit a winery, don’t be afraid to ask your host about their environmental practices. When you’re at a wine store, ask the owner which bottles are sustainable or which winemakers focus on protecting the environment. Don’t see sustainable options at your local wine shop or favorite restaurant? Ask for them!
Sequoia Grove is working hard to become a Napa Valley leader in sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices. Here are some of the agricultural practices and initiatives we are committed to:
Napa Green Vineyard certification provides a pathway for growers to improve soil health, become carbon neutral to negative within six to nine years, and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community. To achieve this certification, Sequoia Grove sacrificed plantable vineyard land to the “Rutherford Reach” project to restore the flow and natural habitat of the Napa River. Our viticultural team also uses deficit irrigation, cover crop, and mulching programs to control vine vigor naturally. This reduces fertilizer needs. We also mulch vine waste instead of burning it and immediately remove vines showing any sign of disease to limit exposure to neighboring vines. To manage pests, we hand weed and use clove oil instead of using harmful sprays to manage pests. To build up soil health, we plant specific cover crops to each of the soil types in our vineyard and practice either alternate-row tilling or no-till. This increases carbon sequestration and encourages soil regeneration.
Napa Green is one of only four sustainable wine-growing programs nationwide, offering comprehensive soil-to-bottle certification in the vineyards and winery. To qualify for this rigorous certification, the Sequoia Grove team monitors all water usage monthly for possible leaks and unusual patterns. We have planted drought-tolerant landscaping and installed drip irrigation to provide precise watering on flowers and grasses. We also redirect stormwater to a bioswale for natural reabsorption into the aquifer.
From a recycling perspective, Sequoia Grove uses recycled paper and cardboard materials made with 50% to 100% post-consumer waste. All wooden pallets, cardboard, natural cork, capsules, and accepted plastics are recycled, and we compost spent grape pomace and other landscape trimmings.
Sequoia Grove Winery is 100% powered by renewable energy through the Deep Green program with Marin Clean Energy. In terms of energy savings, Steven Bowden, Vice President of Consumer Sales & Marketing, states:
“We are committed to taking action to conserve resources and prevent pollution. That’s why we use energy management software that efficiently tracks cellar and tank heating and cooling. Our lights and outlets are computer-controlled to make use of ambient light, lights automatically dim in unused spaces, and passive electrical loads like unused chargers and power supplies turn off when not in use.”
1% for the Planet® was founded to prevent greenwashing, certify reputable giving, and provide accountability. The 1% for the Planet® certification is given to businesses that meet the commitment to donate 1% of annual sales to environmental causes. Through our membership in 1% For the Planet®, we contribute a portion of our sales annually to Save the Redwoods League to preserve habitat for new and old-growth redwood groves.
For Sequoia Grove, the Sequoia sempervirens coastal redwood trees are more than just our brand icon – it’s a symbol of persistence and fortitude. These magnificent trees represent a true sense of place along a narrow strip of the California coast and are currently under threat. Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has protected more than 200,000 acres of redwood forest and helped create 66 redwood parks and preserves.
Does buying sustainable wine make a difference?
In short: yes! The best way to create change is by voting with your time and money. That said, as a consumer, be aware that sustainability is not all or nothing. Wineries may be sustainable in some ways and not so much in other facets.
We are grateful for the strong foundation laid by our founders and our family ownership over the past four decades. To build on that strength, we have invested in comprehensive initiatives to protect the environment for future generations. But change takes time. With patience, not only will these improvements benefit the environment – they will continue to improve the quality of our world-class wines.
Making the commitment to third party certification takes time and effort, but it is worth it to demonstrate our commitment to the community and to protect our watershed, our land and the air we breathe.
🌿 Did you know that less than 3% of philanthropic donations go to environmental work?
Please consider donating to Napa Green this giving season with one of several ways at any level!
Head to the link in our bio for details!
With gratitude and joy, we wish you a beautiful day & start to the holiday season from all of us at Team Green!
- Ben, Meghan, Anna, Marissa, Sierra & Megan
‘If not here, where? If not now, when?’
“The onus is on us as a world class wine growing region to be leaders in sustainability & climate action.”
- Executive Director of Napa Green, Anna Brittain
It’s been a big week at Napa Green and we want to take a moment to raise a glass to salute you all.
We are overjoyed to see so much support and invigorated interest in our mission towards sustainable practices and regenerative agriculture in the wine industry.
We have many more details, paired with educational & financial resources that are already up and rolling on our website. We will continue to share them all, one by one and in great detail here on socials as well.
For now please plan on joining us at our upcoming Town Hall meeting on Dec 7th at @stsupery. You can find more details at napagreen.org.
Cheers and Happy Friday Napa Valley. We are so proud to be a part of this amazing community!
⚠️ Important Announcement
Napa Green becomes the first sustainable wine growing certification to require the phaseout of Round Up.
Please find the link in our bio for the full press release and full suite of info & grower resources.
Join us on December 7th for our Napa Green Town Hall at @stsupery.
You’re invited to join us for a very special day at @dominusestatewinery on November 30th.
We’ll be briefly interviewing our speaker @nikki_silvestri right here on Instagram today at 2:00pm PST to hear more about what to expect at this event. See you then.
Curious to learn more? Join us at @dominusestatewinery on November 30th for a rare event and luncheon. Link in bio for details.
GREEN is the new black this season!!
Head to the link in our bio now and get your shirts, help a good cause and be an honorary part of Team Green this season! 💚
Let’s hear it for our Executive Director of Napa Green, the incomparable Anna Brittain for being named a 2023 Wine Industry Leader by @winebusinessmonthly!!
In their Sustainability Stewards section (which we love to see) we find Anna named in good company with inspired fellow leaders!
Head to our stories or the link in our bio for free access to the full November issue.
Cheers to the great work of our visionary Director Anna Brittain!!
Join us for the Soil & Shadow Implicit Bias Training on Thursday, November 30th at Dominus Estate with @nikki_silvestri.
‘Exploring what Regenerative Farming Systems can teach us about Regenerative Social Systems.’
This is a rarely-available, full-day leadership opportunity. For anyone who joined us for our 2022 & 2023 THRIVES/RISE Climate & Wine Symposiums and heard Nikki Silvestri speak our guess is that for you, like us, 60-minutes wasn’t enough.
Soil and Shadow works with C-Suite executives, leaders and teams to build the relational and professional development skills for high performance, diversity, equity and inclusion.
One of the elements that makes the Soil and Shadow expertise so relevant and valuable for Napa Green leaders is that their frameworks use living systems to model healthy social systems.
Napa Green will be covering half the cost of the tickets to this event. Register asap at the link in our bio.
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📸: Laine Kuehn
Congratulations to Napa Green Certified @boeschenvineyards on being featured in @pressdemo as a first to offer hazard pay and disaster insurance to seasonal agricultural workers! Read on for more and find the link in our bio to the full story..
“To Boeschen, committing to this small safety net in times of emergency isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the way labor relations are headed in the wine business.
When vineyard crews showed up for this year’s harvest at Boeschen Vineyards, a small winery that operates largely out of a cave dug into a pretty hillside off Silverado Trail just north of St. Helena, they were asked to listen to a three-minute presentation.
Doug Boeschen, the business’ owner, informed these seasonal agricultural workers, among the most economically vulnerable in the North Bay, that the winery was now offering them a combination of hazard pay and disaster insurance.
Boeschen will provide an option to its workers — including the seasonal labor that pours into the region’s renowned vineyards for just a few days or weeks at a time. If the Air Quality Index climbs above 150, Boeschen’s workers will be able to choose between receiving time-and-a-half to remain on the job, or to take paid time off.
Boeschen will also pay its laborers if they are forced to leave a worksite under an evacuation order.”
This article also features other notable efforts on behalf of larger companies and regions working towards the same end. We highly recommend you read the full article!
Sierra is our Soil & Climate Specialist at Napa Green and her ask this year is that everyone consider donating to our small but mighty Team Green for Giving Season!
Here is more from @regenwithsierra:
“🎃 Happy Halloween Eve everyone! Today is my birthday, and I would be beyond thrilled if you would consider a donation to @napagreen to support a nonprofit focused on climate action in the wine industry 🍷🍾
@napagreen has the leading set of standards for sustainable practices, from soil to bottle. I am most proud of the work we do with winegrape growers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices in their vineyards.
Please consider supporting us in our mission! Click the link in bio for more! “
Thank you for having us @visitnapavalley! We had a great time talking to visitors about the many sustainability practices our Napa Green wineries and vineyards employ!
Stop into the Visit Napa Valley Visitor Center in Napa to learn more!
