Let's Talk Sustainability

There’s just no way around it, we all have to get on board and save the planet. The first step is easy, in these days of severe drought, SAVE WATER • DRINK WINE! I know I’m doing my part for sure, but we are also taking steps on the vineyard. 

For the past 3 years we have been dry farming one block of our land (we are not irrigating this block). So far, so good because the fruit from that block has been terrific. However, it comes with its own pound of angst given that it takes away an element of control from us. This block of vines is simply getting the water it needs from the earth and sky. We are attempting to do this with the other blocks as well, but as we progress we are certainly putting less and less water on the vines – it comes down to a balancing act because we certainly don’t want to compromise quality.

This year we have also taken additional steps with an eye towards sustainability. We have always used natural corks, but in the face of ever-increasing packaging costs, we revisited the idea of less expensive synthetic corks. In spite of cost, we are sticking with natural corks because they are an inherently sustainable resource, both renewable and biodegradable. This year we also changed over to lighter weight bottles; it benefits you because shipping costs are less, and it benefits the planet because there is a savings on raw materials used, with a reduction on the release of carbon dioxide into the environment. In addition to that, we are ordering cloth wine carrying bags to replace our existing ones and asking our Wine Club Members to bring them with you when you pick up your wine.

AND NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP! We want to try an experiment, but we can’t do it without you-we’d like to reuse our wine bottles instead of having them go into recycling or the trash. Here in Jackson County, Oregon, they no longer allow glass bottles to be included in the recyclable trash! If you live locally, we’d like to pick up empty FENCES wine bottles once you’ve gone through a case of our wine, or better yet, you can drop them at our door (even a few at a time) if you’re passing by the vineyard and save on unnecessary gas usage. It will be difficult for us to maneuver this use of bottles, but we’re willing to try if you are. Shoot us an email and let us know if you’d be on board because this endeavor will definitely take a village!!!