Statement of Sustainable Practices

Today is Community Day at Zenaida Cellars, and part of being sustainable is supporting local businesses that have interest in being sustainable and also educating the community about being sustainable. Following is a definition of sustainability supplied by the Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT) website and also some things we do at the winery to promote sustainable farming and winemaking.

The CCVT is an organization dedicated to supporting, promoting and educating about sustainable farming practices. Zenaida Cellars is a proud member and I encourage you to visit their web site. http://www.vineyardteam.org/ .

Sustainability: Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance. Sustainable farming systems are biologically-based and designed to be productive in both the short- and long-term.
Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals—environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity. Because it is more a philosophical approach to agriculture than a set of farming practices, the specific practices that can be called sustainable vary depending on the crop and the specific environmental and social issues important to a region. Therefore, it is important that all those interested in making agriculture more sustainable—consumers, growers, environmentalists, farm workers, processors, retailers—educate themselves on the related issues.
*Provided by CCVT: promoting sustainable farming practices. http://www.vineyardteam.org/

What kind of sustainable practices do we utilize at Zenaida Cellars?:

In The Vineyard: Perennial grasses- Perennial grasses planted in vine row middles help to:

1. Prevents erosion
2. Provides habitat for beneficial insects. Biologically based farming methods help to manage pests in the vineyard, so harsh synthetic chemicals are not needed.
3. Controls dust to improve air quality, also inhibits pest such as mites to disperse.
4. Adds an organic source of nitrogen as “green manure” or as nitrogen fixers such as clovers.

Water Quality/Conservation

1. Drip irrigation allows water to be placed only where vines need it at a controlled rate, preventing soil erosion and promoting water conservation.
2. Strategic run-off inhibitors. Preventing runoff in the vineyard is done with the use of perennial grasses and strategically placed straw bales.
3. Chemicals used for weed control that are known to travel through soils and infiltrate water supplies are not used.
4. Use of water tensiometers or pressure bombs help to avoid over watering causing run-off, and helps in water conservation when deciding when to irrigate the vineyard.


Biologically Based Farming Practices:
1. Habitat encouraged for beneficial insects such as green lace wings, parasitic wasps, and other pest predatory organisms. Vine middles are mowed high part of the year to allow habitat for beneficials.
2. Owl boxes. Numerous nesting sites for Barn Owls are located throughout the vineyard to encourage barn owl to take residence. Barn Owls eat and feed to their babies an unbelievable amount of rodents including gophers and mice every night.
3. Hawk perches. Tall perches are located in the vineyard. Predatory birds will utilize high lookout perches to hunt for prey. Hawks presence will also deter birds that damage crops.

At The Winery: Recycled Materials: All promotional materials such as; newsletters, stationary, and business cards are printed on recycled paper. Even paper towels and TP are made of recycled paper.
1. Our wine shippers are made from recycled material, and are completely recyclable.
2. All winery waste water is recycled. We collect and distribute all waste water back into the vineyard.

Sustainable practices:
1. The wine cellar is naturally cooled using “night-air” fans.
2. The Loft and Cellar-Master Suite utilize organic cotton sheets and towels.
3. Only sustainable products are used, such as Aveda biodegradable shampoos and amenities.
4. Organic or sustainable raw materials are sought out for any construction or re-modeling.
5. The Big Blue Bin; we recycle all glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, wood products that pass through our doors. Items we can’t recycle we donate to habitat for humanity or other organizations such as Am-Vets or Salvation Army.
6. All cleaning products used at the winery are “green” or sustainable products.
7. Tank-less, on demand hot water heater, saves energy and resources.

Mulch: Recycled Grapes: Even the stems, seeds, and skins are re-used. We recycle our grapes into mulch, adding local non-synthetic fertilizer (chicken manure). We tend our blend to make super high grade organic mulch/fertilizer and then spread it back in the vineyard. Benefits include:
1. Improved soil health, (healthy soil means a soil which contains mychorrizal bacteria, earthworms, and other beneficials) which leads to …
2. Improved vine health, (Vines not isolated in sterile soils dependant on synthetic fertilizers) ,and ultimately …
3. Improved wine quality .

Future Plans: We are always trying to raise our level of sustainability and plan to add wind powered generators and eventually solar power to offset our dependence on fossil fuel generated power.
1. The Gap Fueled Wind Powered Winery
2. Sun Powered Solar Fel
3. Off the grid guest accommodations (wind and solar powered cabanas).

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