Wine alliance wins award for environmental efforts

Gov. Jerry Brown has lauded a wine industry effort to make its products without stomping too hard on the environment.

The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance received the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award this week, one of 12 presented in Sacramento.

It was the third such award since 2004 for the alliance, which urges water and energy conservation, wildlife protection, waste recycling and other measures in vineyards and at wineries.

“It covers everything from grape to glass,” said Chris Savage, senior director of global environmental affairs at E.&J. Gallo Winery in Modesto. He led the alliance from 2009 to 2011 and remains on its board.

Wine is among the state’s top-grossing farm products, and much of it is made at Gallo and other large companies in and near Stanislaus County. The alliance, based in San Francisco, was created in 2003 by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

Savage said the alliance has certified about 1,900 vineyards and wineries, representing about 70 percent of the state’s acreage and volume. The group gets the word out through workbooks, meetings, videos and other means.

The measures in the vineyards can include irrigating just enough to produce quality grapes, growing cover crops between rows to enhance soil health, or encouraging natural enemies of pests to reduce pesticide use. Some companies do even more. Gallo, for example, has long helped preserve wildlife habitat near its lands.

Winery operators might install solar panels, use energy-efficient refrigeration or turn the grape stems and seeds into compost that goes back into the vineyards.

The alliance also stresses social measures, such as the welfare of employees and neighbors, along with the need to be profitable.

“We are honored to be recognized with the governor’s award,” said Bobby Koch, president and chief executive office of the Wine Institute, in a news release. “There is growing interest in sustainability, and CSWA is helping us to be the world leader in producing high-quality grapes and wine using sustainable practices.”

The Lodi Winegrape Commission received another of the awards this week for its own efforts on sustainability. No other recipients were in the Central Valley.

This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Wine alliance wins award for environmental efforts."