| Green Wine Summit |
Harboring any lingering doubt that “green” is joining “red” and “white” as a wine category? Or that eco-friendly wine and winemaking are becoming mainstream in the wine industry?
You would have become a believer at the 3rd annual Green Wine Summit held recently in Santa Rosa, California. This two-day event drew an eclectic mix of 200+ attendees from the ranks of winemakers, soil engineers, sales and marketing types, wine club managers, wine bloggers, media moguls and academics. The overarching thread that connected us all was the premise that sustainable vineyard practices are indeed good business, and that green wine is certainly here to stay.
Perhaps this is a good time to define what I mean by sustainable. It seems everyone has his or her own definition. Here is one I heard at the summit that I liked: “Sustainability is the process of going green and is a reward in itself, rather than the final result. It is ongoing and never ends.”
Green honor role
Some of the familiar names in wine and hospitality that participated in the summit included: Benziger Family Winery, Jackson Family Wines (the parent company to Kendall Jackson and several other wine brands) , Hess Collection Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Hall Wines, Mumm Napa, Rutherford Wine Company, Mendocino Wine Company, Kunde Family Estate and Ravenswood Winery, to mention but a few.
All of these companies are committed to the concept of sustainable growing and winemaking practices and deserve our recognition and patronage. They represent a very positive force in promoting green wine tourism.
The underlying tone of the meeting was quite positive. Speaker after speaker extolled the benefits of a three-tiered business model made up of social responsibility to one’s workforce and community; environmental stewardship to promote a healthy environment; and sustainable profitability. Yes, they said, you can turn a profit and still be green! Good news for us … and green wineries.
We can do better
One of the stats from the summit that really sticks in my memory came from Clay Gregory of the Napa Valley Destination Council. In a recent survey of potential visitors to the Napa Valley, 87% said they were environmentally conscious, but only 12% said they decided where to spend their dollars based on environmental considerations. Better information and more consumer education, all agreed, is key to boosting the number of eco-conscious wine tourists who walk the talk.
GTG readers are in a perfect position to help drive the growing demand for tourism in Green Wine Country. We’re talking about a total travel experience that includes food and wine, eco-lodging choices, shopping tips, local cultural events and educational opportunities with hands-on visitor participation.
I say, vote with your tourism dollars and with your corkscrew. Vote green.—Roger Archey, Contributing Editor
Roger Archey is Green Traveler Guides’ chief sleuth in Green Wine Country. He can be reached at: roger@greentravelerguides.com.
