In its continued commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, HALL and WALT Wines, a portfolio of wineries and tasting rooms in Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, has received the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE) designation by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA). The certification applies to all eight HALL proprietary vineyards, and three WALT vineyards.
Launched in January 2010, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE) aims to advance the wine growing industry as a whole by serving as a catalyst for continuous improvement and encouraging vineyard and winery companies of all sizes to participate in sustainable growing practices. The certification helps maintain the California wine industry’s leadership position on sustainability and increases transparency to ensure confidence and credibility. The long-term mission for the Sustainable Winegrowing Program includes:
- Establishing voluntary high standards of sustainable practices to be followed and maintained by the entire wine community
- Enhancing winegrower-to-winegrower and vintner-to-vintner education on the importance of sustainable practices and how self-governing will enhance the economic viability and future of the wine community
- Demonstrating how working closely with neighbors, communities and other stakeholders to maintain an open dialogue can address concerns, enhance mutual respect, and accelerate results.
To become CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE, wineries and vineyards must meet all prerequisites and other certification requirements established by the CSWA, such as an annual self-assessment, Sustainability Performance Metrics for Water, Energy, Nitrogen and GHGs, 58 required prerequisite practices for vineyards, and 37 required prerequisite practices for wineries. Participants are granted certification once all requirements are met and verified by a CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE Accredited Auditor.
HALL and WALT Wines own over 500 planted acres in Napa County, Sonoma County and Mendocino County, all of which received the certification. In addition, five of the 11 estate vineyards are California Certified Organic Farmers. HALL St. Helena was also named the first LEED Gold-certified winery in California.
HALL and WALT proprietor Ambassador Kathryn Walt Hall will be a featured speaker at a panel called “Fire and Rain: Climate Change and the Wine Industry” at Vinexpo Bordeaux on June 18th to discuss the wineries’ achievements in sustainability.
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