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Margarita Vineyard of Ancient Peaks Gains SIP Certification
Ancient Peaks Winery’s estate Margarita Vineyard is one of the latest to earn SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certification in recognition of the vineyard’s numerous sustainable viticultural practices. “We are proud to have met the rigorous standards of the SIP certification process,” said co-owner and vineyard manager Doug Filipponi. “This certification recognizes what we are doing to ensure natural quality in our wines, and it reflects our passion for being good stewards of the land.” Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles appellation, nestled into the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain range just... [Read more...]
Kudos to Niels Udsen of Castoro Cellars
It was great to see Niels Udsen of Castoro Cellars recently honored by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance as their 2009 Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year. A longtime supporter of Central Coast Vineyard Team and the SIP program – some of Castoro’s vineyards are SIP certified, as well as being certified organic – Niels started as a local cellar rat back in 1981, when no one knew what a Paso Robles was. He and his wife Bimmer launched Castoro (Italian for Niels’ nickname: “Beaver”) in 1983, and over the years, it... [Read more...]
Pacific Vineyard Company Takes Lead on Summertime Worker Safety
With chilly winter temperatures gripping much of the nation, it may be an odd time to think about the dangers of heat stroke to farmworkers, but such was the topic of a recent story on the Capital Press website. A Napa Valley businessman has laudably developed and patented a first aid/cooling station for farmworkers. The portable trailer offers pop-up shade, water, etc. and we hope it will catch on with vineyard owners and managers, even if their only motivation is avoiding litigation. We’d like to point out, however, in the summer of 2009 a local... [Read more...]
SIP Seal Gaining Some Buzz
Judging from the standing room only crowd at the SIP Roundtable breakout seminar at CCVT’s 2009 Sustainable Ag Expo, there’s certainly a lot of buzz about the SIP program, and – we think – rightly so! CCVT Executive Director Kris O’Connor spoke about the success of the fledgling program, now only in its second year, but already with 30-plus members and about 11,000 certified acres. She also noted that all the first year members renewed, many with expanded acreage. She stressed that although much of the certified acreage is from the counties of Monterey, San... [Read more...]
CCVT Garners Green Award from Chamber
Central Coast Vineyard Team was one of six businesses recently honored with Green Awards from the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. There were over 70 nominees for the award, which celebrated companies dedicated to saving energy and reducing their waste. Keynote speaker was Deborah Lyons, an environmental sustainability specialist for Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, the largest information technology company in the country and recently named as the greenest company in America by Newsweek magazine. Read More >> [Read more...]
Sustainability at the Forefront at Monterey Bay Aquarium
I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium recently, after far too much time away. The visit was prompted by the juvenile great white shark they have on exhibit for a limited time – a stunning creature, but the jellies were no less fascinating, and the seahorses were just downright mesmerizing. One other thing that struck me, however, was the depth and breadth of information throughout the entire facility about sustainable seafood. Read More >> [Read more...]
There’s Lots to See at Halter Ranch
In April, Adam the Wine Guy visited the Central Coast to attend the Third Annual Earth Day Food & Wine Festival. We could not let him set foot on the Central Coast without getting his boots out to a SIP Certified Vineyard. Adam was fortunate enough to explore Halter Ranch with Mitch Wyss, Vineyard Manager turned Tour Guide (he actually used to be a river guide back in the day). The two of them looked at insectary gardens, soil types, fish-filled resevoirs, champion oak trees, and of course vines. Mitch even let Adam drive the... [Read more...]
Adam The Wine Guy Visits Halter Ranch
Adam "the wine guy" Leemon, blogger and wine critic, travels the world searching for powerful, exotic, and amazing wines. Last week, he visited Halter Ranch where owner Mitch Wyss gave him a taste of the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Halter Ranch is certified sustainable through the SIP Certification Program. Check out his video posted below. It's monkey time! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brphE3OlR_k&feature=channel_page] [Read more...]
Finds From Fancy Foodland
Once again, an entire pavilion at the annual Fancy Food Show in San Francisco was dedicated to “Natural and Organics” … but that’s only part of the good news. The rest is the huge number of natural and organic products that could be found throughout the whole trade show. This segment of the food world has definitely blossomed beyond its roots in obscure health food stores, tie dye, and incense. Read More >> [Read more...]
SIP Wines Are Spot On
The recent 12th Annual Great Wine Escape Weekend presented by the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association offered the chance to taste some of the region’s best, especially when it came to stellar cool climate varietals such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and even Syrah (yes, Syrah, but more about that in a minute). There were several standout wines at Sunday’s “Grand Finale” event, and some of CCVT's SIP Certified vineyards were definitely in the mix! The 2005 Paraiso Vineyards Eagles Peak Chardonnay was probably the best Chard of the weekend, showing spot-on crispness and acidity... [Read more...]