Sustainability
Oregon's winemakers are stewards of the land with a collective
passion for growing fruit and making wine in a sustainable
manner.
Indeed, thirty-eight percent of Oregon's vineyard acreage is
certified as sustainable, organic or biodynamic. Even among the
many Oregon vineyards that aren't officially certified,
sustainability is both a priority and a lifestyle. And the benefits
are two-fold: the practices are gentle on the earth and many
winemakers believe they result in brighter, more flavorful wine
that better reflects the characteristics of the land from which
they are grown.
Below are organizations associated with Oregon's sustainable
wine industry. No doubt, you'll be hearing about them for many
years to come-especially as they relate to Oregon wine.
Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine
In
partnership with certification agencies throughout the state, the
Oregon Wine Board has created a unifying platform and certification
logo to help consumers easily identify and purchase sustainable
wines. The brand is Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine® (OCSW)
and the effort was launched in early 2009 with the goal to
communicate these practices in an understandable manner, highlight
shared principles among the various certification philosophies and
forge relationships with consumers who make environmental awareness
or action a priority.
Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine® does not recreate the wheel
for certification, but rather offers wineries currently holding and
maintaining one of the certifications the chance to use the OCSW
brand on their label. This logo guarantees that the wine in
that bottle was made using responsible agriculture and responsible
winemaking, both certified by an independent third party.
LIVE
Low Input Viticulture
& Enology (LIVE) is a program that certifies vineyards and
wineries according to international guidelines for environmental
stewardship, social responsibility, and economic accountability.
LIVE also provides education and resources to winegrowers
interested in sustainable farming.
Demeter Certified Biodynamic®
In a word, biodynamic farming is rigorous. It means growing
grapes and making wines completely free of synthetic
pesticides and fertilizers. A step further than
organic, Biodynamic farming means managing the entire farm (or
vineyard) as a living organism, with a high degree of
self-sufficiency.
The
Demeter Association is the world's leader of Biodynamic
certification and awareness. It has a long history of
promoting sustainability, dating back to 1928, when it was
founded to support and promote the Biodynamic agricultural
methods of Rudolf Steiner. The U.S. Demeter Association
certified its first farm in 1982.
Oregon Tilth Certified Organic
Many of Oregon's wineries are certified organic through Oregon Tilth, which
has been a leader in certification since 1974. Oregon Tilth is an
internationally recognized organization of organic farmers,
gardeners and consumers who are dedicated to biologically sound and
socially equitable agriculture. Their goal is to educate people
about the need to develop and use sustainable growing practices
that promote soil health, conserve natural resources, and prevent
environmental degradation while producing a clean and healthful
food supply.
Salmon-Safe
Founded in 1995 by an Oregon-based river and native fish
protection organization, Salmon-Safe has become one of the nation's
leading regional eco-labels. Erosion and runoff from hillside
vineyards can bring silt into streams, reducing the ability of
native salmon to survive. That's why Salmon-Safe has partnered
with LIVE, VINEA, and Oregon Tilth to work with pioneering
wine grape growers to protect Oregon's important
salmon watersheds. Since first certifying vineyards in the
Willamette Valley more than a decade ago, Salmon-Safe has
certified 110 Oregon vineyards representing a third of
Oregon's wine grape acreage. Look for the Salmon-Safe label on
wine and you'll know that your purchase helps keep rivers
clean so that salmon can spawn and thrive.
Vinea, The Winegrowers' Sustainable Trust
The
Winegrowers Sustainable Trust is a voluntary group of
winegrowers who have embraced environmentally friendly and
socially responsible viticultural practices. Their mission is
to develop a sustainable vineyard management program that will
be internationally recognized for its strict environmental
standard and high quality farming practices.