Sustainability is more than a buzzword for the vintners of New York State. Although there is no legally binding definition of “sustainability,” for the purposes of the New York Sustainable Winegrowing program, sustainable farming entails not just the way a vineyard is farmed, but a system of farming that can be maintained and supported over time. In a vineyard where the same soil nourishes plants year after year, environmental sustainability is imperative.
Earlier this year, New York implemented this program which includes an official certification process for vineyards who are seeking to advance their environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Vineyard managers that choose to embrace the program are guided by the VineBalance workbook that includes sustainable standards as well as guidance on how to put them into practice and earn certification and have the option to put a Trustmark logo on their wines.
The benefits of the new program in vineyards are not yet measurable, but many of New York’s wineries aren’t starting from scratch. A sustainability movement has grown for decades in the state, and the wineries that have joined it—who have also chosen to continue to improve by joining the new certification program—can attest to the improved vineyard health and grape quality that result from being good stewards of the land.
The Pendulum Was Already Swinging
On Seneca Lake, Wagner Vineyards grows grapes on the same land the family has owned for more than 100 years. Wagner took part in the pilot group for the new sustainability program, helping to formalize the VineBalance workbook.
“I don’t know that we are going to be the stereotypical winery that has done the program,” says Wagner. “We have felt that we’ve been sustainable for 50 years, but there was no recognized program that really checked.”
He’s seen the region attempt to get a sustainable, third-party certification off the ground for a few decades now and is glad that the process is now in place. He’s certainly seen the benefits at Wagner’s vineyards.
Source: newyorkwines.org
Photo Credit: pexels-nataliya-vaitkevich
Categories: New York, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables, Sustainable Agriculture