Sonoma County wine growers set goal of 100% sustainability

This came in from one of our co-host on the radio side, Jim Murphy from Rhode Island College. Our thanks to Jim and to the wine growers in Sonoma County for their dedication to sustainability and new practices of growing wines.

We will work to get them on a future show.

In the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County, a worker prunes some cabernet vines for the winter. Sustainability also helps the workers get health insurance Tuesday January 14, 2014. Sonoma County vintners are announcing that winemakers here will be completely sustainable within five years, making it the first wine region in the country with such a designation.

 Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Stacy Finz/SF Gate

Updated 6:18 am, Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The Sonoma County Winegrape Commissionwants every vineyard and winery in its domain to be certified sustainable in the next five years.

The plan, which will be announced Wednesday, could make Sonoma County the first wine region in the nation to be 100 percent sustainable.

It's a tall order, given that it's difficult to get 100 percent compliance in any voluntary program, but in particular, farmers tend to be an independent lot. Then there's the problem that the word "sustainable" is used so often that no one really knows what it means.

Yes, the commission's president, Karissa Kruse, acknowledges that "sustainable" has become a buzzword in the market. But to growers the tenet of sustainability is fairly simple: good farming practices and living as light on the land as possible.

"It's being a good steward, a good employer and a good neighbor," she said, explaining that it comes down to using fewer chemicals and less water, and preserving the natural resources of the land.

Given that 85 percent of the 1,800 vineyards in Sonoma County are family owned, there should be a strong commitment to keeping them healthy and viable to pass on to the next generation, Kruse said. There's also a financial incentive. Consumers - whether they know what it means or not - are demanding products produced sustainably. Big-box stores such as Walmart have even begun to ask wholesalers for information on their sustainability programs, Kruse said.

'Exhaustive approach'

For those reasons most of the growers and winemakers in the region have already rolled out sustainability programs, many having third-party certification, Kruse said.

"What makes this new is the exhaustive approach we're taking," Kruse said, adding that she hopes the push will entice small growers, who might have been reluctant to pay $1,500 to $2,000 in third-party certification, to make the investment.

Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, said that while other regions are deep into promoting good farming and winemaking practices - including the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance - which helped develop the "Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Workbook," Sonoma's plan is the most ambitious.

"What's unique about Sonoma is the goal of 100 percent participation within a set time," she said. "It's pretty bold to have that level of commitment on a county-wide base system."

Phil Coturri, a longtime grape grower who runs a large organic vineyard management company in Sonoma, said he's dubious that the region will reach 100 percent.

"It's impossible," he said. "We're a free country, and we support individualism. But even if we get 80 percent, it's raising awareness. It if reduces unnecessary spray, if it reduces the use of chemical fertilizer by 5 percent, it's a huge step for the preservation of the environment.

"As a lifelong organic farmer I think it's a good step," he continued, but cautioned, "Let's not destroy the word 'sustainable.' "

Eager to participate

Duff Bevill, a Sonoma grower who also owns a vineyard management company and is one of the founders of the commission, said he doesn't think getting 100 percent participation will be a problem.

"Sure it's a lofty goal," he said. "But we got 90 percent to sign up to form the commission. And that required a half-percent fee on the gross sales of each grower's grapes. Nowadays you can't afford to be independent. It's just not economical."

Katie Jackson of Jackson Family Wines, which includes such labels as Kendall-Jackson, La Crema and Murphy-Goode, said the winery has already begun certifying its vineyards. But an initiative to get all the county's grape growers and winemakers on board will have a huge impact in the community and in the marketplace, she said.

"It means taking care of the land for the long term," Jackson said. "And it's something that we know consumers, both internationally and domestically, care about."

Stacy Finz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: sfinz@sfchronicle.comTwitter: @sfinz