Stewards of the Land : Caring for the Land
California’s wine-grape growers are committed to making sure their growing practices are mindful of the environment, resources and people that support the state’s vineyards. Being responsible about the way they do business is the right thing to do, and it also produces superior grapes.
Integrated Pest Management
An environmentally sensitive approach to minimizing harmful pests using predator insects and other methods with the least impact on people, property and the environment.
Our Code
California’s sustainability movement started at the local level, with wine-grape growers and vintners implementing a variety of environmentally, socially and economically responsible practices at their farms and wineries. As regional efforts gained steam, more growers and vintners realized that responsible winegrowing was not only the right thing to do – it led to better wine quality. In 2002, the California Association of Winegrape Growers and the Wine Institute joined forces to create the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices.
The code is a ground-breaking program that both teaches and measures growers’ and vintners’ sustainable practices from ground to glass. The code’s results can be viewed at www.sustainablewinegrowing.org.
To date, more than 1,100 wineries and 900 growers have assessed their operations using the 550-page workbook developed for this program, and thousands more have attended workshops on subjects ranging from energy efficiency to integrated pest management. Now administered by the nonprofit California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, the code has won awards from the California Environmental Protection Agency and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and offers an inspirational model for other agriculture sectors in California as well as wine regions in other states and abroad.
Check out our sustainable winegrowing practices fact sheet (PDF) for more information on our growers’ commitment.
