Wintertime Sustainability

After harvest, wines are put away in the cellar, life in the vineyard slows down, but your sustainability efforts still continue. SIP Certified’s Seasons of Sustainability calendar reminds us all of the tasks at hand during these winter months and that keeping your vineyard and winery sustainable never takes a rest.

These kinds of practices are important in your certification and worth sharing with your consumers to tell that block-to-bottle story. Use these activities to create blog posts, social content, and tasting room talking points. It’s this type of content that captivates and educates.

Here are a few activities you can do to stay sustainable during the winter months:

• Plant cover crops to prevent erosion, help rain penetrate, and provide natural fertilizer.

• Spread compost to release fertilizer and inoculate the soil with beneficial microorganisms.

• Prevent erosion with straw or hay bales. 

• Compare water bills and look for increases or anomalies.

• Taste and top tanks and barrels, update post-fermentation analysis, and regularly monitor Free SO2 and Volatile Acidity levels.

• Schedule bottling and begin blending trials.

Give Thanks

One of the most important things you can also do during these months is to give thanks and show gratitude to your hardworking employees. The last two years have proven that employees at all levels of organizations have endured some of the hardest years of their lives. It’s vital to the sustainability of your business that you recognize the value of these people.

One study on top performance motivators found that 37% of employees feel most encouraged by personal recognition. Think about this as you plan for holiday gifts, end-of-the-year parties, and for the year ahead. Engage your employees in planning the year ahead, set goals for departments in order to motivate and inspire.