SIP CAPAROSO RANDY PHOTO: CERTIFIEDTHE STATEWIDE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM IS CREATING A SUSTAINABLE QUALITY REVOLUTION IN CALIFORNIA VINEYARDS BY RANDY CAPAROSO The best wines, it’s always been said, are made in the vineyard. That doesn’t make winemakers superfluous, because they, too, make decisions that determine how grapes are grown. But if wine really is made in the vineyard, then most of the reason why California wines have attained such high levels of critical success over the past ten, fifteen years is because of improved performance in the field. Because of farmers, if you will—not winemakers, who often reap most of the glory. In the Central Coast wine region—stretching from San Francisco County all the way down to Santa Barbara County, accounting for some 90,300 acres of planted wine grapes (15% of California’s total)—there is a common thread running through the most presti- gious vineyards. The commonality? They are all farmed according SIP Certified standards, the statewide certification that is generally considered the country’s strictest program of sustainable grape growing. As of 2016, over 40,000 acres of California vineyards have been SIP Certified—reflecting dramatic growth since SIP’s inception in 2008, when 3,700 acres were first certified. What makes SIP—an acronym for Sustainability in Practice—significant for the wine trade? That is, what is it about SIP Certified that makes a direct impact on the quality of the wines we buy and sell in the market? Harvest at Ancient Peaks in Paso Robles. ANCIENT PEAKS OF COURTESY PHOTO SIP Certified means that employees are offered competitive wages, benefits and training. 104 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 Somm Journal Aug/Sept_102-148.indd 104 7/27/16 2:46 PM PHOTO: RANDY CAPAROSO RANDY PHOTO: A Look at Some SIP Certified Vineyards and Their Wines Our conversations with winemakers and growers on how SIP Certified directly impacts their business, and ultimately the quality of wines that come to the wine trade. Halter Ranch Tucked among the coastal mountain slopes of Paso Robles’ Adelaida District AVA is a 2,000-acre estate called Halter Ranch. Only 281 acres of the property have been planted to grapes, and there are zero plans to plant more. “Halter Ranch,” says Winemaker Kevin Sass, “has always been a conservation project. Our owner, Hansjörg Wyss, bought the property 15 years ago specifically to preserve it. We’re actually one CAPAROSO RANDY PHOTO: of his smaller projects. The Wyss Foundation has spent over $175 CERTIFIED A sign in the Santa Lucia Highlands million to preserve and protect denotes a SIP Certified vineyard. some 14 million acres in various other parts of the U.S.” How Sustainability Correlates v By adhering to SIP Certified with Quality protocols, Halter Ranch was When you see a SIP Certified/ recently recognized for its sus- Sustainability in Practice seal on a bottle, tainable program with a 2016 it is indeed a re-assurance that grapes California Green Medal Award going into the wine have been certified presented by the Wine Institute Winemaker Kevin Sass in a head-trained Grenache to meet a full range of meaningful stan- and several other grower asso- block at Halter Ranch dards, including: ciations. Says Sass, who formerly made wine for Justin Vineyards before joining Halter Ranch six years ago, “I’ve worked Social Responsibility: Employees offered with a lot of vineyards in Paso Robles, but there’s something about a healthier vine- competitive wages, benefits and training. yard when you walk through them. The ground is not rock hard, there’s more energy Water Conservation: Soils, plants, in the soil, air and plants. You can feel the difference.” weather monitored regularly; vines irri- Adds Sass, “It starts with the basic premise that healthy vines produce better grapes, gated as needed. leading to wines with a stronger sense of place. Even before I joined Halter Ranch, it was producing tons of its own compost and had completely eliminated chemicals like Clean Water: Grasses are grown to preemergents (herbicides) that can get into the ground and hinder build-up of micro- reduce erosion and filter storm runoff. organisms that help create biomass. All the things we do—dry farming, establishing Safe Pest Management: Introduction of gardens of native species, planting vines around oak trees which serve as habitats for beneficial insects, raptors and cover crops raptors and other birds, moving armies of chickens around in a mobile coop to help adding organic matter to soil, leading to with pest control, even moving away from so-called soft herbicides like glyphosate healthy vines. [aka Roundup] by going to under-vine Clemens tillers—all these things help us meet Energy Efficiency:Tractor use minimized the goals ingrained in Mr. Wyss’s basic philosophy of leaving properties in better shape to reduce carbon footprint, and use of than how we found them.” alternative fuels and energy sources such as solar and wind. Halter Ranch 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Adelaida District–Paso Robles 13% Malbec, 9% Petit Verdot Habitat: Establishment of wildlife cor- ridors giving animals access to traditional Possessing all the qualities that have distinguished the best Paso Robles watering holes and food, and land usage Cabernet Sauvignons in recent years: lavish concentration of floral, cassis- contributing biodiversity. like fruit and velvety, musclebound finesse, finishing in a blaze of PHOTO COURTESY OF ANCIENT PEAKS OF COURTESY PHOTO soy-glazed, roasted/charred meatiness. Third Party Audit: Third party verifica- tion of SIP standards through documen- Halter Ranch 2013 Syrah, Adelaida District–Paso Robles tation and on-site inspections. 5% Viognier Improvement: Annual updates and peer Extravagant, floral violet/raspberry perfume; tightly wound, full, layered reviews to incorporate latest science, feel; the flowery fruit lit up by palate-ringing natural acidity and filled technology and research. out by moderately grippy tannin. v { SOMMjournal.com } 105 Somm Journal Aug/Sept_102-148.indd 105 7/27/16 2:46 PM PHOTO: RANDY CAPAROSO RANDY PHOTO: According to Mike Sinor, Director of benefit of oury employees and long term Winemaking at Ancient Peaks in Paso success of your business.” Robles, “Unquestionably, sustainable Another Paso Robles winemaker, Kevin grape growing results in grapes that are Sass of Halter Ranch, explains the “people” not just more expressive in fruit charac- element of SIP Certified in these terms: ter, but also with stronger sense of place, “You can’t over-emphasize the social equity or typicity. For Ancient Peaks, this means aspect of SIP. We have ten tractor drivers we can compete by offering wines with who get paid vacations and benefits like their own unique structure and flavor— 401(k)s, the same way as admin and wine- differences our customers can grasp and making staff. For seasonal workers, we offer appreciate. It’s no secret—more vivid quality housing, car pools, etc. SIP awards wine equals increased sales. That’s the points and bonus points for all of this, and entire purpose of sustainability—to make in the long run we benefit from the skill a long lasting impact on your environ- level. As much as the grapes in the field, The SIP Certified seal on a Halter Ranch v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v vment v and qualityv ofv your product,v v to the v or vhow wev conserve v power v through v skyv- Syrahv bottle. v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v Bien Nacido Vineyards PHOTO: RANDY CAPAROSO RANDY PHOTO: Along the eastern slopes of Santa Maria Valley, where Santa Barbara County winegrowing first began in the mid-1960s, Bien Nacido’s Vineyard Manager Chris Hammell put down his guitar long enough to talk about SIP Certified’s impact on this iconic vineyard: “You can be Romanée-Conti, and be blessed with the perfect vintage, but you’d still fail if you’re missing the right people—they’re the ones who make sure your vineyard is not inundated with mildew, oidium, botrytis, etc. You need people to make the right decisions about when and how to prune, drop fruit, pull leaves, cultivate healthy soil necessary for quality grapes. One of the unique things about SIP is the way it’s written, where people are just as important as the other two major concerns: planet and profitability. “That’s why Bien Nacido was committed to sustainable practices even before I got here 15 years ago. In the beginning there were guidelines with fewer specifics, but SIP has helped establish best Vineyard Manager Chris Hammell at Bien Nacido Vineyards. operating procedures down to every last detail—little things that I might often miss, because there’s always so much to think about. You can ask yourself the basic question: If we go through all this trouble, soil and leach into the water that our kids and neighbors drink, are stop looking for easy ways out with pesticides or herbicides, does never a good thing. Damn right, SIP is important!” this actually make better wines? But if you want to be SIP Certified, the question is moot. Shortcuts are never an option—and there’s Bien Nacido Vineyards 2013 value in that kind of discipline.” Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley Nicholas Miller, fifth-generation owner of Bien Nacido and nearby Crafted from Bien Nacido’s oldest, Solomon Hills Vineyards, adds, “Our family has always strived to own-rooted plantings (Wente Clone make sustainable decisions for future generations.