In Vino, Veritas

The sustainability movement has literally taken root in Oregon wine country.  A recent Saturday afternoon amble through one of Oregon’s six appellations left no doubt about the transformation of Oregon’s viticulture. 

From competitive marketing to heightened certification – today’s wineries are taking sustainable agriculture and development to the next level.

Many of the Oregon’s legacy winemaking establishments have long been proponents of farming that respects the soil, environment, plants and people, but some profound innovations catch the attention of tourist, technology and palate at once.

Of note, WillaKenzie Estate’s distinction as the first winery to receive the new Low Input Viticulture and Enology (LIVE) winery certification and also the first winery to be awarded Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) designation for its 2008 vintage wines.

LIVE’s stringent standards address sustainability inside the winery, and include winemaking practices, energy use, responsible water usage, recycling, and worker health and safety. 

The Oregon Wine Board is also stepping up attention with the creation of a certification to help consumers easily identify and purchase sustainable wines – you can locate the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) logo on many of the best wineries, and get more information from the web site.

Another unique partnership between the Oregon Wine Board and the Oregon Environmental Council brings us the Carbon Neutral Challenge Initiative – with 27 local wineries vying for business bragging rights to achieve Carbon Neutral status by zeroing in on greenhouse gas reductions.

Stoller vineyards lays claim to being the first LEED Gold certified winery in the U.S. – with gravity-flow winemaking techniques, energy-efficient heating and cooling, and waste-water reclamation –not to mention those fancy solar panels framing sunrise over Mt. Hood.

Lemelson is another beautiful find – employing simple, traditional organic farming techniques and a commitment to community, composting and cover cropping.

And, oh yeah, all of these wineries just happen to make some of the best Pinot in the world!