Geyserville winery named 2017 Sonoma County Harvest Fair Sustainable Producer/Maker
The Sonoma County Harvest Fair has announced that Francis Ford Coppola Winery is the Sustainable Producer/Maker for 2017.
“I’m thrilled to receive this award. Sustainability is such an important part of our business and our team has put so much dedication and hard work into accomplishing our goals,” said Corey Beck, Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s President and Director of Winemaking. “Sustainability is about being a steward of the land as well as the community, and enhancing the lives around us. It’s our commitment to preserve the land for future generations so that our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to embrace this beautiful land.”
According to a statement from the Harvest Fair, the estate vineyards are farmed using innovative water conservation practices such as aerial imagery, weather stations, soil monitoring probes and drip irrigation. Each drop of water used by the winemaking facility is captured, cleaned and recycled for vineyard irrigation. The winery’s farming practices have been certified through the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance (CSWA) since 2012 and promote biodiversity in the vineyard. CSWA along with other area sustainability partners recently bestowed the Leader Award upon Francis Ford Coppola Winery, one of only four recipients of the prestigious California Green Medal Awards.
Their integrated pest management system utilizes alternative methods for pest control. Diversified plant species are incorporated into the soils through cover crop trials and two beehives on the property are host to over 10,000 pollinators. Barn owls are encouraged to live amongst the vines in owl boxes and perches to help protect the land from gophers and encourage natural mammalian pest control.
According to the company’s website, there are also bluebird boxes in the protected part of the vineyard to give the insect feeders a home. “With the active presence of these beneficial insects, owls, raptors, bluebirds and soil fauna to combat pests of grape wines, biodiversity in the vineyard has flourished.”
Two “blue line” creeks flow through the property, according to the company’s website, that are part of the Russian River watershed. These farming practices benefit the Russian River watershed fish habitat, and Coppola was certified as a Fish Friendly Farm through the California Land Stewardship Institute in 2007, helping provide an improved habitat for migrating steelhead and Coho salmon.
The winery has a sustainability department and in addition to providing training opportunities for staff, their volunteer “Green Team” meets regularly to identify new ways the company can innovate and improve their footprint. According to the statement, caring for the land has not only been a top priority for the Coppola estate, but area growers are encouraged to farm sustainably.
“Our sustainability efforts have been an anchor initiative in our business for decades. Each year we make more progress. Last year, we made the commitment to source 100 percent sustainability certified grapes by 2019. We offer our growers advice on innovative vineyard techniques and financial assistance in helping them achieve certification,” Beck said.
Helping to support the development of renewable energy, the winery has been an EPA Green Power Partner since 2015 and was certified with the Bay Area Green Business Program in 2012. The winery sources 36 percent of its electricity use from renewable sources like geothermal and wine power.
The wine production facility uses sustainable materials wherever possible and works with suppliers to reuse packaging and reduce waste. Renewable, natural corks are used on the bottling line because they are biodegradable and recyclable.
Wine bottles and corrugated wine boxes are made using a portion of recycled materials when possible. Since 2012, the winery has distributed over 7,000 reusable kegs for wine on tap programs, an emerging trend in alternative packaging.
