Page 16 - Terroir_2014

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St. Supéry Estate Vineyard & Winery CEO Emma Swain points to a
bluebird box, one of 150 that were put up around the vineyards two years
ago. The birds feed on bugs that have an affinity for vines; don’t they
deserve a home for all their hard work? Building bird boxes, raising bees
to encourage floral diversity, and growing 1,000 heirloom fruit trees—
fruit that makes its way into the kitchens of lauded local chefs—on its
properties so that it’s not wall-to-wall grapes are just a few of the ways
St. Supéry keeps its vines, and ultimately its wines, healthy. “Choosing
sustainable practices in both our vineyards and at our winery is simply
the right thing to do,” Swain says. “We are family-owned and want to
preserve the land for generations to come. In doing so, we are also better
neighbors and a better employer.”
St. Supéry has the benefit of vast acreage. Their Dollarhide Ranch
includes more than 1,500 acres, but only a third of those are planted with
vines. Josh Anstey, VP of vineyard operations, has carefully maintained
and encouraged the natural diversity. Under his watchful eye, the wildlife
has flourished along with the grapes. In fact, the Dollarhide Ranch has
so many native birds that the National Audubon Society makes an
annual visit as part of their bird census. “By keeping the entire ecosystem
healthy and in balance, we aren’t overstressing the vineyard in one year to
suffer in quality in a future year, allowing this property to continue this
way into perpetuity,” adds Swain.
But it’s not all about what happens in the vineyards. “On the winery side,
we were using many sustainable practices when it came to large-impact
items, but as we went through the Napa Green Winery certification
we found a number of areas we could improve upon.” From lightbulbs
to how tanks are warmed, Swain looks at each improvement as a chance
to “create a culture at our winery where we think about the long-range
effects of our business decisions, rather than short-term cost and
benefit.” Involving everyone is a positive team-building exercise, and
today St. Supéry has an environmental engineer on board to monitor
and manage their water and power usage. “From installing solar-power
systems to new energy aerators in our waste ponds, there is always room
to improve.” w