Organic Winemakers: Napa Valley’s Stewards of the Land

The story of ZD Wines is a family saga—a family as principled about the environment as it is dedicated to wine making.

It’s evident as soon as you pull into the parking lot, where, you’ll note, everyone on staff drives a hybrid. “Except our CEO,” Dustin Moilanen, the vineyard’s hospitality director, explains. Winemaster Robert deLeuze’s car is all-electric. “He plugs it in at his solar-powered home, so his commute to work is completely ‘green.’ ”

For the ride home, he can charge up at the winery, where 712 solar panels generate more electricity than the entire facility can use. “The excess is returned to the grid,” Molainen assures his visitors….

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The New Deal Supper Club – A Moveable Feast

The New Deal Supper Club on July 15th was sweeter than a song.

This time, the ladies of Rabbit Mafia and Sweet Potato took their awesomely sophisticated show on the road to Brooklyn’s hinterlands (I mean, Williamsburg). The trip to BRIDGET Tasting Room felt like an updated Mission Impossible scene. Only this time, the instrumentals were the introductory bars to the infamous 1987 hit, Smooth Criminal…

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Hall Wines St. Helena Earns LEED Gold Certification

You’re out to dinner with friends, ready to order a glass of wine with your meal. You look over the wine list, considering your options: White or red? Dry or sweet? Domestic or imported? Organically grown or not? And on and on… But it’s a good bet that you never stop to wonder whether the wine you will choose was produced with energy-savings in mind. For most of us, energy savings don’t spring readily to mind when we’re sitting in a restaurant. But starting today, there’s another factor to consider when choosing a wine…

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Winter Wineland at Truett Hurst Winery

Truett Hurst Winery will host a Winter Wineland event January 17 and 18, 2009. Guests will have an opportunity to sample wines and see the progress of this young, biodynamic winery. Blue Planet Green Living featured Truett Hurst Winery in a recent article, Birth of a Biodynamic Winery.

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My 5: Chris Donatiello, C. Donatiello Winery

Blue Planet Green Living asked Chris Donatiello, CEO of C. Donatiello Winery in Healdsburg, California, “What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?”
DONATIELLO: There are a few things I really think need to happen, in this country especially, but also throughout the world.

* Reduce dependency on fossil fuels. We’re harming the environment. We’re taking something out of the earth — not putting it back in, then burning it and hurting the atmosphere. It’s a one-two punch.

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Birth of a Biodynamic Winery

At Truett Hurst Winery, a new addition to the fine wineries of Sonoma County, we not only have decided to forgo pesticides and herbicides, we also have begun to farm biodynamically. Simply put, biodynamics is a form of farming that strives to be self-sustained, self-contained, and harmonious with nature.

We have embarked on a three-year program to adhere to the rigid standards set by Demeter, an international certifying body, whose standards are said to exceed those of the National Organic Program. We are confident that the winery we are creating will be sustainable both in farming practices and economically, and will produce world-class wines.

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Organic Farming Yields the Finest Wines

Walk through the garden gate at C. Donatiello Winery, and aromas of raspberries, peaches, and fragrant flowers waft to your nose. Take your time. Stroll along, sipping from a glass of Maddie’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, made with organic grapes grown nearby. Savor the experience. You’ll soon understand why owner Chris Donatiello treats the land and the grapes in his vineyards with the care of a loving parent.

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Green Wine Summit

No matter what your role in the wine industry, if you’re going green, you’ll want to attend the Green Wine Summit in Santa Rosa, California, December 1-2, 2008.

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