Drink And Be Inspired

There are awards that acknowledge greener operations and perhaps one of the clunkier sounding ones are Best-of-the-Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award.

This was recently awarded to Fetzer Vineyards pioneering leadership in sustainable environmental practices, by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Far easier to ‘wrap’ one’s mouth around the title is WRAP (Waste Reduction Award Program), an accolade that the California Integrated Waste Management Board gave to Fetzer for reducing landfill waste through innovative recycling and waste reduction programs, allowing the winery to be a zero-waste facility.

Fetzer first earned the EPA award in 2002 in recognition of its banning during the 1990's of methyl bromide, an ozone-depleting soil fumigant, in Viticultural practices. Methyl Bromide is known to erode the ozone layer, contributing to global warming.

Fetzer's award notes the phasing out of methyl bromide, and the winery's broad use of sustainable practices including organic farming of estate vineyards, integrated pest management, use of cover crops, composting and related vineyard practices, solar and other renewable energy usage, reducing waste and other Earth-Friendly practices. The citation also acknowledges Fetzer's leadership in sharing information about sustainability broadly.

"Sustainability remains the cornerstone of the way we do business," says Tim Nall, General Manager, Wine Operations for Brown-Forman, parent company of Fetzer Vineyards. "While these practices are a way of life for us, we do appreciate and honor the acknowledgement of the US EPA and California Integrated Waste Management Board," he added. "We're inspired each day to rededicate our sustainable efforts as we craft Fetzer's Valley Oaks wines."

Brown-Forman, located in Louisville, Kentucky, is a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality consumer products, including Fetzer, Sonoma-Cutrer, Bonterra, Jekel, and Five Rivers California wines; Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Tequila Herradura, el Jimador Tequila, Canadian Mist; Bolla Italian Wines and Korbel California Champagnes.

Let us drink and be inspired, if not by the liquid, then by how it is made.