California has the most widely adopted green winegrowing and winemaking program in the world, one that has earned the state’s top environmental award. The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, established by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers, has released a new video to show highlights of its program’s earth-friendly practices embraced by the state’s vintners and winegrape growers.

“Consumers are interested in knowing where and how their wines are grown and made, and the California wine community has responded by becoming a progressive advocate of environmentally conscious practices,” notes Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, President and CEO of Wine Institute. “As our sustainable program develops and expands, we’re seeing how responsible sustainable practices have a positive impact on the environment and in our communities.”

The term "sustainability" has a specific meaning for California’s vintners and winegrape growers. "Sustainable practices include the way we preserve and protect the land, water, and air, and how we responsibly interact with employees and local communities," says Karen Ross, former President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. “We also want to ensure that winegrowing families have viable businesses to pass on, and provide consumers the value they’ve come to expect from California wines.”

At the heart of California’s sustainability movement is the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, a 16-chapter workbook that lays out best practices for soil, ecosystems, air quality, pest control, water conservation, recycling, energy efficiency and wine quality, among many other practices. The Code has formalized socially and environmentally responsible ways to farm and make wine from the ground to the glass.

For more information about California's Sustainable Winegrowing Program, go to www.sustainablewinegrowing.org, www.cawg.org, www.wineinstitute.org, or www.discovercaliforniawine.com.

Registered journalists can access video, audio, text, graphics and photos for free at http://www.thenewsmarket.com. Please give still photo credit to “Wine Institute of California.” Photos should be used to illustrate California wine. For more photos and/or higher resolution photos, contact communications@wineinstitute.org.

Image Captions
Image 1: Logo for the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
Image 2: California winegrowers use nesting boxes in the vineyards to attract owls and other natural predators of rodents that cause tunneling damage.
Image 3: Winegrowers harness California’s sunshine with solar energy panels that provide power for the vineyards and wineries.
Image 4: Sheep are often used by California winegrowers to naturally mow down weeds and cover crops in the vineyards.
Image 5: California has the most widely adopted green winegrowing and winemaking program in the world.