ampelos goes green

Peter, Rebecca, Lindsay and Don share a commitment to the environment which is reflected in their vineyard and winery practices as well as in their personal lives. As a wise Amish proverb says “We did not inherit this land from our fathers. We are borrowing it from our children”.

Bio-Dynamic Farming

ampelos cellars practices and promotes biodynamic farming in the vineyard. Biodynamics embraces all aspects of organic but takes the notion further by holistically treating the entire vineyard as a living organism. Additionally it uses "forces" to determine when to apply its unique substances or preparations to the vineyard as well as when to plant, prune, water and harvest. It is as much a philosophy of life as it is a farming method, which is why it has influenced the thinking of so many who initially explored the concept only because they wanted to grow better grapes. While to some biodynamics may seem like voodoo viticulture, to us not only has it changed the way we grow our grapes, but it has gotten us to think more about the importance of balance with nature, the land and our farming practices. When you do something good for the land it also streams through to other aspects; like our everyday lives.

Environmentally Responsible Practices

At ampelos cellars we are very concerned about the environment and try to employ as many environmentally friendly practices in both our winery as well as in the vineyard. Some of these practices are:

• Growing grapes and making wine is a CO2 footprint negative process – we absorb more CO2 than we develop.
  
• Our compost is based on manure from our horses and green cuttings from our ranch.
  
• We plant fava beans and sweet peas as part of our cover crop in the vineyard which improves the soil as well as provides an environment for insects.
  
• We have special areas dedicated as insect sanctuaries; when we are working in the vineyard they have a safe place to go.
  
• We avoid letting the skins, stems, seeds and lees go down the drain in the winery and instead carry it back to our vineyard for composting.
  
• We do a lot of our work in the winery by hand or by using gravity thereby reducing our need for power. We press our grapes in a basket press by hand and only pump our wines once during their 16 months in the cellar. All of this minimizes the electricity we use.
  
• We never clean our barrels, floors, racks, equipment or anything for that matter with bleach or other chemical products.
  
• We avoid the use of harsh chemicals in all of our practices – especially winemaking.
  
• We use 100% recycled newspaper pulp for our shipping box inserts. The jury is still out on Styrofoam, some camps believe it will sit in a landfill indefinitely.
  
• We have eliminated purchasing bottled water after learning that it takes approximately 1,000 yearsfor the bottle to decompose in the landfill. Instead we provide our workers and visitors with reusable water containers and bring in water from a service company.
  
• Vineyards are improvements to Mother Nature. This improvement is not only aesthetic (take a look at the fava beans and sweet peas we have in our cover crop) but vines promote oxygen in the air we breathe as well as reduce CO2.

Small things we can all do to “go green”

The four of us try to carry “greener living” into our personal lives. While there are hundreds of things we can all do to be more eco-friendly, here are a few tips on simple, everyday things we do in our own lives to build a better tomorrow that you can do as well:

• Replace your existing light bulbs with fluorescent ones. Not only do fluorescents have a longer life they now have soft white versions that give off the same light quality as your current bulbs.
  
• Bring your own canvas/cloth bags to the grocery store. Plastic makes up the most waste in all of America’s landfills. If you do use plastic grocery store bags please do not throw them away, use them again and again.
  
• Turn down your water heater. Besides your furnace, your water heater uses the most electricity of any appliance in your home. Turning down the dial to 120°F will not only save energy but may also reduce your monthly electricity bill.
  
• Use cloth napkins at the dinner table. This not only eliminates paper waste but it adds a touch of elegance to every meal.
  
• Start a compost pile. Instead of throwing your kitchen scraps away begin a composting program in your yard. Even if you are limited on space there are many options out there to aid you in getting started (plastic bins, countertop containers with filters).
  
• Plant a tree. With the amount of deforestation rising every year across the world we place the planet in constant peril. By planting a tree or two in your own yard, you not only reap the aesthetic benefits they provide but remove CO2 from the air we breathe as well as produce oxygen and help to fight global warming.