Regenerative farming enhances ecosystem services, improves watershed and community health, and yields higher-quality wine. Regenerative practices – such as cover cropping, composting, reduced tillage, lower synthetic input use, and habitat restoration – boost soil health, water retention, biodiversity, and vineyard resilience while sequestering carbon. 

Leveraging Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies turns nature into a key partner. Natural pest control is supported by planting cover crops to attract beneficial insects, releasing species like ladybugs, and installing bluebird boxes, owl boxes, and raptor perches to deter insects, rodents, and grape-eating birds, such as starlings. Embracing wilder vineyard aesthetics requires rethinking our approach to “weeds,” which are a social construct.

Here are some examples of other ways sustainable winegrape growers are limiting or eliminating the use of synthetic pesticides:

• Napa Green has developed a “Weed Management Toolkit,” established a pool of matching funds that growers can apply for to support phaseout, and has a series of training workshops to assist members in this transition
• Using mechanical and cultural tools (as in muscle with shovel) to clear weeds
• Growers using regenerative practices (e.g., cover crops, compost, reduced tillage, reduced pesticide and fertilizer use) to maximize soil and plant health have seen increased resilience to viruses
• Introducing rotational grazing of sheep, who serve as natural lawn mowers and add nutrients to the soil 
• Planting insectaries, preserving and restoring riparian and forest habitat, and other ways of increasing biodiversity in the vineyard
• Strictly eliminating the use of rodenticides, which harm non-target wildlife and pets