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Sustainability in the Winery

 

Our wind turbine, installed in July 2017, stands tall above the local countryside with blades that reach 396 feet into the sky. It generates 100% of the power needed to run our winery and bottling operations, plus power for an additional 125 local homes with renewable energy. It is the ideal power source to utilize the inexhaustible winds of the Salinas Valley and is more effective than solar as wind turbines generate electricity at night and don’t lose efficiency due to dust.

 

Certifications

  • California Green Medal

  • 100% Powered by Wind

  • HACCP

  • BRC (British Retail Consortium)

Our state-of-the-art winery was designed to reduce energy usage and cut waste. Skylights throughout the winery reduce our electricity usage dramatically, as well as provide a more comfortable environment for our employees. The latest lighting technology, with automatic light sensors that turn on and off as needed, means no one has to remember to “turn off the lights”. Our tanks are all designed for maximum efficiency, with insulating jackets that reduce heating and cooling energy needs. We compost 100% of the grape pomace, stems and seeds and spread it back into the vineyards, and we recycle 100% of winery water through our wastewater irrigation ponds and reuse it on our vineyards. Our winery location just off of Highway 101 and less than a few miles from the majority of our vineyards, means fewer trucks on the highway.

CCSW Certified California Sustainable

Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing is a statewide certification program that provides third-party verification of a winery’s commitment to continuous improvement in the adoption and implementation of sustainable winegrowing practices. We achieved certification of our estate winery in 2018.

BRC BRITISH RETAIL CONSORTIUM

BRC is arguably the most rigorous, internationally accepted standard for food safety. With 25,000 auditors in 130+ countries, BRC is among a small group of accreditations recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative. GFSI defines best practices throughout the entire food supply chain to ensure food safety for consumers. After 21 months of education, preparation and implementation, we achieved BRC certification in December 2016.

HACCP

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is an internationally recognized system for reducing the risk of safety hazards and ensure farm-to-table consistency and protection. We became HACCP certified in January 2015.