SUSTAINABLY GROWN WINE
Ted Casteel, co-founder of LIVE and of Bethel Heights Vineyard, is fond of saying that sustainability is a journey, not a destination. It sometimes makes us uncomfortable to say that our wines are "certified sustainable" when it is so clear to all of us that there are many aspects of sustainability that we have not even addressed yet, let alone achieved. On the other hand, we are proud of the progress towards sustainability that has been made at Bethel Heights and in the Oregon wine industry since we arrived here in 1977. When we say "certified sustainable," the commitment to continual improvement is of the essence, and the commitment to certification is what keeps us from trying to fool ourselves along the way. Bethel Heights estate grown wines have been certified LIVE since the 1999 vintage, and certified Salmon Safe since the 1997 vintage. Ted Casteel talks about the original vision behind the LIVE program, in a 2009 interview here: http://bit.ly/irYRw Mimi Casteel discusses the difference between sustainable and organic farming and winemaking on Artisan Vineyards. The significance of the LIVE program in the context of "West Coast Green Revolutionaries" is discussed in a comprehensive 2007 article in Wine Spectator Online. Beginning with the 2008 vintage, all Bethel Heights Estate Grown wines carry the new Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine logo on the back label. The very first Oregon wines released with the OCSW logo were our 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay and 2008 Estate PInot Blanc, released In April 2009
BASIC PRINCIPLES of LIVE
LIVE VINEYARD CERTIFICATION LIVE vineyard certification is a three-year process, and the whole farm must be certified, not just the crop. Certain specific practices are prohibited; some are required. A point system for ecological options was developed and growers are required to obtain at least one-half of the available points to become certified. The grower submits a completed scorecard annually, and regular third party inspections are required to maintain certification. For more information: www.liveinc.org LIVE is certified internationally by the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC), which sets an international standard for sustainable agricultural practices. www.iobc-global.org LIVE WINERY CERTIFICATION Continual improvement is one of the basic principles of LIVE. Building on the basic requirement of sustainable viticulture, In 2008 LIVE launched a new program for winery sustainability certification that examines, among other things, energy use, enological practices, worker health and safety, and waste and water management. Members are inspected by a third-party in the winter and certification determinations are made the following spring. Bethel Heights was one of the first wineries certified under this new program. We took a big step towards reducing our carbon footprint in 2010, with the installation of a 60kW-electric system built by Solar Nation. This system will supply approximately 40 percent of the electrical energy needs for the entire winery and vineyard operation, as well as the two homes on the property
SALMON SAFE CERTIFICATION Bethel Heights Vineyard was one of the first vineyards to be certified "Salmon Safe" in 1997. Established by the Pacific Rivers Council, Salmon Safe encourages and recognizes farming practices that help keep Oregon's streams and rivers clean. Salmon Safe certification is now incorporated into the requirements of the LIVE program and the OCSW program. More information about Salmon Safe at www.salmonsafe.org. OREGON CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE WINE www.ocsw.org
In 2008 the Oregon Wine Board launched the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) program to communicate the shared principles of the Oregon Wine industry's commitment to responsible, sustainable vineyard and winery practices. Oregon's wine industry has long been committed to continual improvement in sustainability. At latest count (February 2009) about 29% of Oregon's 19,300 vineyard acres are certified sustainably farmed by one of the approved independent third party organizations, including Low Input Viticulture and Enology (LIVE), USDA Organic, Demeter Biodynamic®, and Food Alliance. Many more acres are in process of becoming certified, in a probation period that takes two to three years to complete. Shared Principles and Independent Third Party Certification There are interesting differences among approaches to sustainable farming and winemaking practices embodied in the three major certification programs commonly found in Oregon vineyards, LIVE, Organic, and Biodynamic. But in practice they are as much like each other as they are different from old-style conventional agriculture, in their fundamental approach to farming. And they all share the commitment to independent third-party certification, which guarantees adherence to highest standards and saves us from falling into the pit of greenwashing.
Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine
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