California
Wente Family Estates Honored with Wine Institute’s California Green Medal Leader Award – Wine Industry Advisor
“On behalf of Wente Household Estates, we’re honored to be introduced with this award from the Wine Institute,” stated Niki Wente, Fifth Technology Winegrower and Director of Winery Operations. “It’s no coincidence that – 5 generations later – our household stays stewards of the identical land that my nice, nice grandfather first planted. The funding we’ve made in our Livermore Valley group goes again simply as far. We all know firsthand that the important thing to our property’s longevity is our household’s multigenerational custom of pushing the envelope in defining and redefining how sustainability is practiced and measured. As we speak, we congratulate our complete devoted crew for his or her dedication to this essential mission.”
Sustainably farmed since its 1883 founding, Wente Household Estates has remained dedicated to upholding founder Carl H. Wente’s perception that sustainability isn’t solely good for the surroundings and group, however that it produces the most effective wine attainable. The Wente household maintains that the eye to element required to be sustainable enhances wine high quality whereas making multi-generational possession economically possible.
As we speak, Wente Household Estates is a licensed sustainable winery and vineyard from the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CCSW). Fewer than ten % of wineries maintain each the winery and vineyard certifications, and Wente Household Estates is proud to be counted amongst them. The certification is verified yearly by a 3rd celebration on over sixty vineyards and forty-one vineyard conditions. Yr after yr, the wineries underneath its umbrella should exhibit steady enhancements and implement motion plans for the next yr’s initiatives, going effectively past what’s required to keep up the certification annually.
Wente Household Estates’ sustainability efforts instill the significance of inexperienced initiatives and environmental justice. These are ongoing to attenuate waste, scale back their carbon footprint, and shield the surroundings. The corporate implements regenerative farming practices to construct and preserve wholesome soils and maintain carbon within the floor. Wente Household Estates sustainably manages roughly 1,600 acres of open-range land not planted to vine, cultivating native grasses and different helpful flowering species to keep up an ecological steadiness the place pests are naturally managed.
Below Niki Wente’s route, the crew practices a no-till system to not disturb the soil and reduce tractor emissions. Cowl crops are planted to the particular block and soil kind to advertise biodiversity, helpful bugs, enhance microbiological life and soil construction. Sheep graze the winery weeds within the winter to get rid of the usage of tractors and chemical compounds, whereas built-in pest administration (together with a full-time falconer throughout harvest season) is carried out to regulate winery pests with out chemical compounds all year long.
Within the vineyard, a BlueMorph UV gentle system replaces the usually chemical-and water-heavy rinse cycle throughout vineyard sanitation, saving roughly 150,000 gallons of water per yr. All water used within the manufacturing facility is reused to drip-irrigate the vineyards (and solely when wanted because of circulation meters and evapotranspiration sensors that allow exact allocation). Funding in a STARS (Selective Tartrate Elimination System) Filtration unit reduces power load in the course of the chilly stabilization course of within the vineyard. This protects 90% of power in comparison with conventional strategies (and vastly improves circumstances for staff, who now not should work in frigid temperatures).
The Inexperienced Medal Chief Award comes on the heels of an essential packaging refresh for Wente Vineyards, the flagship vineyard underneath the Wente Household Estates umbrella, that places its Sustainable Winery and Vineyard certification center-stage on all entrance labels whereas transitioning to lighter, extra carbon-neutral glass for its bottles. This lighter-weight glass reduces gas utilization for transport, thus reducing carbon emissions from the provider to the buyer. To additional improve power efficiencies, a brand new bottling line is at present being put in and can be in operation by early 2023.
Wente Household Estates’ sustainability dedication additionally consists of worker and group wellbeing. Past the winery and vineyard, the corporate is dedicated to positively impacting its communities and crew members. Wente Household Estates workers 151 full-time workers and 53 part-time workers. The general common tenure is ten years for full-time workers, a report that speaks to the corporate’s honest practices and by which its household management takes nice satisfaction.
In 2018, Wente Vineyards launched a groundbreaking initiative known as Make Time, aimed toward inspiring its workforce and clients to unplug from digital units and redirect extra time towards family members and private growth. All full-time workers obtain extra paid hours to “make time” in addition to paid volunteer hours to place in the direction of influential group organizations.
In its efforts to assist the local people, Wente Household Estates established the Wente Basis for Arts Training, with the mission to lift cash for artwork education schemes within the Livermore Valley and Bay Space. In December 2021, it crossed a milestone threshold, donating over $1,150,000 to arts education schemes since its inception in 2012.
Lastly, Wente Vineyards lately unveiled a web site refresh that features a new web page highlighting a whole listing of the property’s ongoing sustainability practices – up to date often with essentially the most present enhancements and initiatives to assist make their efforts extra clear to the buyer.
“Our work doesn’t finish with this recognition,” stated Niki Wente. “With the fifth technology of Wente winegrowers more and more transferring into management positions inside the firm, we’re actually solely simply getting began.”
The Inexperienced Medal Chief Award is in an elite class of recognition and is given to the winery or vineyard that excels within the three “E’s” of sustainability. The Wine Institute issued awards in 4 classes this yr: Chief, Atmosphere, Group and Enterprise. Study in regards to the 2022 winners and their efforts in sustainability at www.greenmedal.org.
Extra details about the Wine Institute and Eighth Annual California Inexperienced Medal Awards will be discovered at www.greenmedal.org.
About Wente Household Estates:
Based in 1883, Wente Household Estates has been celebrated for its industry-wide contributions to innovation because the oldest constantly operated, family-owned vineyard within the nation, now owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente household, with ladies main the cost from grape to glass. The vineyard attracts from licensed sustainable property vineyards within the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay, and Arroyo Seco, Monterey appellations to create an impressive array of tremendous wines distributed in all 50 states and over 70 nations worldwide. In 2010, it joined the highest 10% of California wineries that meet all three tiers inside the Licensed California Sustainable Winegrowing codes and designation for each their property vineyards and vineyard. The Wente Household Estates portfolio consists of Wente Vineyards, Murrieta’s Effectively, Angel’s Ink, Ravel & Sew, Hayes Ranch and Kalyana.
Positioned simply east of San Francisco within the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards – the flagship Wente Household Estates model – is acknowledged as one among California’s premier wine nation locations. The vineyard is moreover identified for its management function in sustainable employment practices, together with its longstanding mission to encourage workers and company to find time for private {and professional} growth. This mission is realized via Wente Household Estates’ household stewardship, excellent wines, and wine nation experiences. For extra info, go to wentevineyards.com.
