Healthy rivers and other waterways contribute to healthy environments. Healthy environments contribute not only to healthy people, but also healthy winegrapes. And healthy winegrapes are necessary for the production of high-quality wines.

So it was good to learn yesterday that work is moving forward on the Napa River’s restoration project. It’s a project that wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of numerous wineries, including the three mentioned in yesterday’s press release—Cakebread, Laird, and Nickel & Nickel.

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Climate change and sustainability have become big issues in Australia, where the Australian Wine Research Institute is working to provide information and programs for grape growers and vintners.

As an example, opportunities exist to add value to winery processes and waste streams through renewable energy technology such as biomass electricity, liquid biofuels and solar thermal systems.

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A news release issued on Sunday—a strange day of the week for news releases, not to mention the fact that it was April Fool’s Day—caught my eye because of the ever-growing emphasis on sustainability.

More and more grape growers are finding ways to give back to the land, rather than simply take from it. Back in the 1960s, that could have been considered a “hippie” idea. But today, with the world’s population now exceeding 7 billion, sustainability no longer is a concept that can be ignored.

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The Sanford name is among the most famous in California’s Central Coast winegrowing region.

Richard and Thekla Sanford have founded multiple successful winegrowing enterprises over the past 30 years, most famously the Sanford Winery. But in 2005, differences in business philosophy prompted them to part ways with their namesake estate, and they founded Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards.

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The United States isn’t the only winegrowing country that’s taking the protection of the environment seriously, as we detailed in yesterday’s blog here on Vinesse TODAY (see here).

Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand is an industry initiative directed through the New Zealand Winegrowers organization. With a growing trade and consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, it provides an important platform to promote the New Zealand wine industry as a world leader in clean, green wine production.

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Dozens and dozens of winegrape growers and winemakers have embraced “organic winegrowing” over the past 30 years or so.

That’s good for the world of wine, and it’s good for the world in general.

But what does “organic winegrowing” really entail? For most of those three decades, it has meant different things to different people. Some farmers may embrace one set of earth-friendly practices, while others may opt for other practices

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“Green” grape growing takes place under a number of names — including sustainable farming, biodynamic farming and so on.

But the movement toward more Earth-friendly practices really got its start during the 1970s, when “organic wine” became all the rage.

Charles L. Sullivan recalls that time in his book, A Companion to California Wine:

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We’re not sure how many trees it will save in the short term, but over time, we could be talking forests.

It’s a more eco-friendly approach to the traditional restaurant wine list, and it’s catching fire in Las Vegas.

At a number of fine-dining establishments in Sin City, the printed, leather-bound book has been replaced by an iPad, which enables guests to sort not only by wine type, but also by price and region.

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Parducci Wine Cellars may be the oldest winery in California’s Mendocino County — founded in 1932 and bonded a year later — but it is at the forefront of environment-friendly practices.

Of its 340 certified acres of vineyards, 160 are Biodynamic and organic, 40 are organic and in transition to Biodynamic, 60 are organic and utilize fish-friendly farming, and 80 already use FFF and are in transition to organic.

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A press release arrived in my email Wednesday that made my day.

It made my day for two reasons:

1. It dealt with a winery that Vinesse has featured numerous times in club and CyberCircle shipments through the years.
2. It had to do with said winery being an outstanding steward of the land.

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