CRUSH:
GRAPE FIELDS FOREVER
October
2006
A
cover crop of clover at Wild
Horse Winery adds nitrogen to
the soil and helps protect soil
and water quality.---->
Considering
the challenge of applying the principals of sustainability
to our individual lives, it is a wonder that
an entire industry could move in that direction.
If there is any group for whom sustainability
is critical, it is the farmers – in this
case, grape growers – whose livelihood
relies on the soil, water, and weather. If you
are a wine lover who values sustainability, then
you’ll sleep better at night knowing about
the Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT) and their
commitment to improving the natural resources
that are part and parcel to the wine industry.
Created in 1995 by a group of grape growers, CCVT has evolved from a small
grassroots organization with the primary goal of reducing pesticide use, to
a significant industry force that helps solve issues from water conservation
and soil management to habitat restoration and worker safety. Member growers
represent more than 60,000 acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey
counties.
Vineyard owners and managers
participate by taking a self-assessment
test called the Positive Points
System – a 1,000-point questionnaire that helps growers
determine their level of success in sustainable farming. According to Executive
Director Kris O’Connor, “The process of self-assessment leads to
change. Each grower is able to improve at their own pace in those areas that
apply to their vineyard.”
Founding member Bob Thomas
of Mesa View Vineyard Management
stresses that the educational
aspects of the organization
are open to all interested
growers – members
or not. “You have to respond to certain issues year to year,” he
points out; a new pest on the scene or a difficult weather pattern makes ongoing
research and education for growers critical if they want to proceed in a sustainable
manner.
 Barn
owls at Kynsi Vineyards control rodents.----->
Jean Pierre Wolff of Wolff Vineyards in San Luis Obispo is a member who has
embraced sustainable practices at every level on his 125 acres. He highlights
the four key components: soil management, water management, the reduction of
chemicals, and the balance of the overall ecology of the vineyard. “The
meaning of the word terroir has been oversimplified,” Wolff says. “True
terroir includes everything, not just soil and climate, but the entire surrounding
environment: bugs, birds, even the creeks and trees nearby.”
Wolff has gone beyond the fundamentals. In addition to utilizing cover crops,
organic soil amendments, and integrated pest management, he has a program of
habitat conservation and restoration for quail, kestrel, red-tail hawk, and
barn owls, as well as a fish-habitat restoration program that includes erosion
control, re-vegetation, shading, riparian repairs, bio-engineering alternatives,
and groundwater percolation improvements. Why is the habitat of frogs important
to the sustainability of his wine business? “They are the canary in the
coalmine,” he says. “Healthy frogs are an indicator of a healthy
environment.”
Stasi Seay of Diageo Estate Wines adds several points to the argument for environmental
responsibility. The first is about the continuing question of fruit quality,
which she believes improves with sustainable practices, especially where water
management is concerned. “Water management is about timing and balance,” she
says. “You are constantly monitoring the situation, the soil, and the
weather. Obviously, the better managed the vines, the better the fruit.”
Seay, who comes from a farming family, is also concerned with urban encroachment,
and the increasing instances of vineyards next to housing developments. “We
need to be good neighbors, and many of these practices are better for those
who live nearby.”
As she points out, prospective homeowners may love the idea of living in wine
country, but living next door to a vineyard, a working farm, often brings its
own share of chemicals, pests, and noises that may make the proximity less
appealing. While a residential community may applaud the sustainable principle
of eliminating pesticides and sprays, other such earth-friendly alternatives
are, unfortunately, not so community-friendly – such as the use of cannons
and noisemakers to deter starlings. Attracting or releasing beneficial insects
such as ladybugs to combat harmful pests, while controlling rodents, starlings,
and other large vermin with predatory birds, are a couple of mutually satisfying
solutions.
Sustainability is not a simple equation. As Seay points out, you can’t
even have the conversation about it without considering the economic viability. “It
has to be financially sustainable, or it isn’t sustainable,” she
says. In other words, sustainability, in the greater sense of the word, can
only be achieved when all elements of a business can be upheld in the long
run; therefore, the most nature-friendly business model must still be affordable,
successful, and socially acceptable. So far, the balance seems to be holding,
and Seay is optimistic about how almost all the growers she encounters are
employing some sustainable practices.
Bob Thomas also points out that it isn’t always easy to recognize what
the net result of a sustainable step may be. For example, if you reduce the
use of chemical sprays for weed control, but in the process increase the use
of diesel fuel by a quotient that negates the reduction of chemicals, or the
alternate method causes increased erosion, then what has been gained?
Fortunately, the CCVT helps growers navigate this scientific fine line. Kris
O’Conner makes it clear that each vineyard owner has unique circumstances
to deal with, and the goal of the organization is to help each find the solutions
best suited for them.
And while the solutions are not simple, they are available and made easier
through the shared experiences of the CCVT members. All these components add
up to practices that result in a healthier environment for the community, a
higher-quality product for consumers, a high-functioning vineyard for the grower,
and a longer life for the planet.
THE CCVT MISSION STATEMENT
The Central Coast Vineyard
Team will identify and promote the most environmentally
safe, viticulturally and economically sustainable
farming methods, while maintaining or improving
the quality and flavor of wine grapes. The team
will be a model for wine grape growers and will
promote the public trust of stewardship for natural
resources.
www.vineyardteam.org
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