Wines for a Warming Planet: SIP Certified

In the past few decades or so, as the effects of global warming/climate change started to become more apparent, many wineries, realizing that their vines were being directly impacted by the changes in the environment, started implementing more responsible farming.

Along the same time, several organizations were created to help farmers make the transition to more earth-friendly practices as well as create certification programs to help consumers understand which wineries were undertaking the hard work to make a difference.

Today, there are dozens of organizations worldwide that have been established to certify that wineries are producing wines that are less impactful on the planet. While most people likely understand the concept of “organic wine”, fewer, perhaps could explain the concept of “sustainable wines.”

Sustainability not only addresses what products are used in the production of wine, but it also considers how much is used, particularly in the case of water, a resource of increasing scarcity, particularly in California. Perhaps of equal importance, sustainability also considers the human aspect of grape/wine production–how employees are treated and compensated.

One of the leaders in the sustainability field in the U.S. is Sustainability In Practice  (SIP) Certified, a certification organization in California. Simply (very simply) put, SIP Certified concentrates on the “Three P’s of Sustainability: People, Planet, Prosperity.” The goal is to ensure that both the environment and the employees are protected and supported while understanding the need for wineries to turn a profit.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will dive a bit deeper into sustainability and SIP Certified wines while tasting through some wines made under the organization’s strict requirements. Here are the first few wines that I have tried.

Check out more info on some SIP Certified favorites, here.