The West Coast Wineries Taking Sustainability Seriously

Even for casual wine drinkers, sustainability should be a priority. Strictly from a quality standpoint, wine made using sustainable techniques tends to be the best-tasting vino. Biodynamic farming practices that treat soil health, animals, and crops as a single system produce bountiful harvests year after year, which in turn helps wineries stay in business. Sustainable, biodynamic and regenerative farming all share the common goal of preserving the planet and minimizing human intervention so the land and all the organisms it supports will continue to thrive for years to come.

It’s not a stretch to say the future of winemaking as we know it relies on the way growers choose to farm their vines today. Look beyond cookie-cutter labels like “organic” or simple avoidance of pesticides and instead focus on deeper changes, like holistic farming practices that seek to restore soil health by using cover crops, no-till farming, rotational grazing and composting. Many producers are also adopting techniques that reduce their overall carbon footprint, such as switching to lightweight bottles, implementing solar power to avoid using fossil fuels, and prioritizing extensive water recycling. 

Winemakers who practice regenerative farming aren’t just making better wine; they’re doing their part to preserve the planet for future generations. At Bouchaine Vineyards in Carneros, for example, winemaker Chris Kajani knows the estate’s close proximity to San Francisco has the ability to impact the city’s climate. 

“At Bouchaine Vineyards, we’re a fully estate property and live and breathe grapes and wine, but also live on this dirt, breathe this air, and drink this water,” she says. “We’ve been here for more than 40 years, right next to the San Francisco Bay, and anything we do in our vineyards can affect the natural ecosystem. We’re committed to sustainable and fish-friendly farming, water conservation, using beneficial insects and sheep to mow in the vineyard, and a focus on green vineyard and winery standards.”

Seeking out small wine labels and independent producers who focus on sustainability is one way to help push the rest of the industry toward these methods. Because as much as the wine world has recently bent toward eco-friendly standards, there’s still a considerable amount of work to be done. Corporate winemaking is notorious for using additives and pesticides, and green-washing runs rampant, meaning labels pretend to be eco-conscious while hiding their harmful practices behind buzzwords. 

On the other end of the spectrum, some labels are devoted to rewilding their land. Will Henry, co-owner and winemaker at Lumen Wines in Santa Barbara County, goes above and beyond industry standards. “At Lumen, it starts with farming, and sustainably-farmed doesn’t go nearly far enough to describe what we do,” he says. “We’re certified organic, but also use regenerative practices. The ultimate goal of which is long-term soil health. We don’t use any chemical sprays and have to do much of the work by hand.”

Lumen also cares for the animals that graze the vineyards and makes their own compost. “We use winery waste—skins, stems, etc.—and food waste from our restaurant. There’s almost no waste that our vineyard or winery produces; almost everything is recycled back into the system,” he explains.

California makes up 85 percent of American wine production, and Oregon and Washington aren’t far behind. A great number of West Coast producers, in particular, have taken steps to implement sustainable practices as the regions here grow in stature. Ahead of Earth Day, here’s a selection of bottles from winemakers who are prioritizing the health of the planet while also making fantastic wine in the process.