Bringing Home the Green

Environmental stewardship is incredibly important to us at St. Supéry, and we strive each day to “walk the walk” in our vineyards, in the cellar and even in our business offices. That’s why we were so excited to be named last month as a California Green Medal winner!

Each year, as part of the Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards, a panel of leading wine and sustainability experts presents medals in four different categories, including Environment, Community, Business and Leader. There’s only one winner for the entire state in each category, which makes receiving the Environment award an incredible honor for St. Supéry.

Green Medal recipients convened on April 11 at the California State Capitol in Sacramento for an awards ceremony, and our winemaker, Brooke Shenk, was there to represent the St. Supéry team.

So what does it take to win a Green Medal for environmental stewardship? Here are just a few of the ways in which we help preserve and protect our natural resources here at St. Supéry:

• The winery’s rooftop solar panels generate 80% of our electricity.
• We recycle all winemaking, bottling and winery materials, and have a strict policy of purchasing glass and paper products made with recycled materials.
• Two-thirds of our 1,595-acre property is left in its natural state to promote biodiversity and preserve the land for future generations.
• We’ve reduced our water use by 50% in the winery by introducing new barrel pressure washers
• We compost our grape pomace and use it to enrich vineyard soils with organic matter.
• Our vineyard team uses natural methods to combat pests. More than 100 bird boxes placed in and around our vineyards encourage the habitation of hungry bluebirds and barn owls that devour vine-destroying insects and gophers.
• Supéry employees receive incentives for carpooling to work, and 65% of staff members participate in the program.

With an estate of this size, there is a lot to manage, so our Green Team helps everyone stay on top of St. Supéry’s sustainable practices. The team also keeps an eye out for new eco-friendly practices and technologies, so we’re always improving.

We couldn’t be prouder of our Green Medal award, and are more inspired than ever to continue leading the way for the sake of future generations. It is just the right thing to do.