Down to Earth: 4 Sustainable Wineries
Sustainable wine practices protect the earth, including the soil, air, and water. There are many ways to be sustainable, including water or energy conservation, pest management, green building, and land conservancy. As grapes are grown, harvested, and made into wine, the environment and its future are prioritized by these local winemakers.
Tabeaux Cellars
Wise Villa Winery
4200 Wise Road, Lincoln, 916-543-0323, wisevillawinery.com
Why is sustainability important to your winery? Wise Villa is a three-generation family business, so we’re keenly aware of the importance of having a healthy ecosystem at the vineyard and the land surrounding it. We want to pass on a healthy, functioning agricultural enterprise to many more generations.
How is your winery sustainable? The most impactful sustainable method is a bio-friendly wastewater treatment system: biofiltro. It’s utilized for the winery’s wastewater and is a blend of modern science and Mother Nature; the wastewater is gravity-fed into a two-story recycled cargo container and undergoes a process of percolating through wood shavings and sand as well as passing through a chamber of millions of earthworms, which consume remaining suspended solids. The naturally cleaned water is then reused for irrigation. Wise Villa is one of only seven wineries in California to employ this practice and also uses natural bio-fertilizers, mows weeds instead of spraying herbicides, utilizes owl boxes instead of pesticides, and preserves the soil’s natural microbes by eliminating the practice of tilling it between crop rows.
What is your winery known for? Wines with lower alcohol levels and fruit-forward characteristics that pair well with food.
What is your winery known for? Wines with lower alcohol levels and fruit-forward characteristics that pair well with food.
Tell us a fun fact about the winery. There’s also a restaurant at the vineyard! For weekend trips, be sure to arrive before noon for a table on the lawn or on a private landing. The restaurant also offers a to-go menu for enjoying at the vineyard or lawn picnics. For dinner, don’t forget to make a reservation!
Tabeaux Cellars
10201 Tabeaud Road, Jackson, 860-455-6706, tabeauxwinery.com
Why is sustainability important to your winery? Tabeaux Cellars believes that if a farm can’t support itself, then it isn’t built to last. We aim not only to support the land but leave it better than we found it.
How is your winery sustainable? The farm and winery are both fully solar powered and highly conscientious about water usage and conservation. The winery was built using reclaimed construction items and milled lumber from fallen trees on the property.
What is your winery known for? The wine, regardless of the grapes used, is always fermented on its native yeasts. We also practice minimal intervention—no additions or adjustments, just sulfur for stabilization. One year, a wine club member on the East Coast sent us a freshly dumped Kentucky bourbon barrel and asked if we could do something with it. For fun, we aged a portion of the 2017 Primitivo in it. Now it’s a customer favorite: Californy Reserve.
Tell us a fun fact about the winery. The winery was named after a lake near its 40-acre organic permaculture farm.
Narrow Gate Vineyards
4282 Pleasant Valley Road, Placerville, 530-644-6201, narrowgatevineyards.com
Why is sustainability important to your winery? When our family, the Hildebrands, moved to the land and began farming, we embraced the entire farm as our backyard. We wanted to make it safe, not just for us, but for all the wild animals living within it. Biodynamic farming ensures not only responsible and safe farming but enriches the farm’s vitality and fertility for generations to come.
How is your winery sustainable? After four years of practicing organic farming, we became certified biodynamic producers and processors in 2010. Biodynamic farming is considered a “closed farm” system where, to the best of our ability, all the inputs to the farm come directly from the farm itself. We even make our own fertilizer! The entire 86-acre farm, winery, equipment, and winemaking process is inspected and recertified annually.
What is your winery known for? All our wines are grown in soil that’s free from herbicides or chemicals and made without additives. One favorite is the flagship wine called Dunamis, made from estate biodynamic grown Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. It’s a Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rhône-style red with dark cherry and baking spice flavors, plus a raspberry and dried rose petal aroma.
Tell us a fun fact about the winery. As of 2020, Narrow Gate Vineyards is the only certified biodynamic winery within a 100-mile radius.
Lava Cap Winery
2221 Fruitridge Road, Placerville, 530-621-0175, lavacap.com
Why is sustainability important to your winery? Lava Cap is a third-generation family business. We evaluate all decisions with the goal of preserving the land so that the next generation can continue to produce world-class wines.
How is your winery sustainable? Lava Cap is a certified Fish Friendly Farm, meaning that we conduct viticulture and winemaking with the goal of minimizing our impact on critical watersheds. The vineyard straddles several steep hillsides overlooking the deep American River Canyon, and these hillsides and unique soil mean that the vineyard is susceptible to erosion during intense winter rains—ultimately disrupting the fragile aquatic ecosystem downriver. To lessen the impact, we practice minimal tilling agriculture, use only drip irrigation (which also conserves water), and plant cover crops to encourage a healthy diversity of plants and animals while increasing soil stability. Inside the winery, water is conserved whenever possible, and all the water used in the winemaking process is captured and reused for agricultural purposes.
What is your winery known for? The Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the two most popular wines, noted for their balance, structure, and intensity.
Tell us a fun fact about the winery. The winery gets its name from the volcanic soil that the vineyards are planted in. At 2,700 feet, these are some of the highest elevation vineyards in California! As a result, the wines develop unique intensity and richness while maintaining vibrancy and structure.
Tell us a fun fact about the winery. The winery gets its name from the volcanic soil that the vineyards are planted in. At 2,700 feet, these are some of the highest elevation vineyards in California! As a result, the wines develop unique intensity and richness while maintaining vibrancy and structure.
by Luna Anona
Main photo by Ross Franquemont. Bottle photo by Anne Doupnik of Heirloom Photography. Tabeaux Cellars barrel and bottle photos by Mike Battey; grapes and working photo by Julianna Boggs. Other photos courtesy of their respective companies or organizations.