E. & J. Gallo Winery is one of the largest wine-producing companies in the world.
Fortunately, considering the amount of acreage it farms, it also takes its stewardship of the land seriously.
“As a family-owned winery, it is important to us that future generations can enjoy the natural resources we take pleasure in today,” says the Gallo website.
“Our commitment to the environment started in the 1930s with co-founders Ernest and Julio Gallo. Julio Gallo introduced an innovative approach to land conservation known as the ‘50/50 Give Back’ plan in Sonoma County. For every acre of land planted in vineyard, Julio set aside one acre of property for wildlife habitat. This is a practice we continue today.
“E. & J. Gallo Winery took the lead in drafting the Code of Sustainable Wine Growing Practices as part of a collaborative effort with the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers. We were also the first winery in the U.S. to receive the International Organization of Standards ISO 14001 certification for our implementation of an environmental management system to enhance our efforts to protect the environment.”
As Gallo has shown with its sustainable practices, in the world of wine, “big” isn’t necessarily “bad.”
