Vineyards Recognized for Sustainability

Editor's Note: This article was written by Lisa Finn. It was posted by Brendan J. O'Reilly.

Local vineyards in Sagaponack and Bridgehampton have made great strides toward going green and embracing sustainability.

Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing announced this week that for the first time 10 vineyards on East End, with more than 400 acres of vines among them, have earned certified sustainable status. And on the South Fork, Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton and Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack were chosen.

To mark the milestone in the 40-year history of Long Island wines, a celebration will be held on June 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue.

To earn sustainable farming certification, the 10 vineyards successfully implemented a comprehensive checklist of nearly 200 sustainable grape-growing practices that included thoughtful vineyard planning and numerous ecological management options. 

The goal of technical farming standards is to aim for and maintain healthy farmland soils, conserve Long Island’s delicate maritime and estuary ecosystems, and protect ground and surface waters from leaching and runoff, according to a release sent out by Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing.

In addition to implementing a comprehensive technical checklist, certified sustainable vineyards signed a vow to abide by 15 important sustainability guidelines that were created to foster stewardship of Long Island’s historic farmlands for future generations.

A hallmark of the Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing certification program is the use of an independent, third-party inspector; Allan Connell, a former district conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, was chosen for the task.

For his work, Connell used the New York VineBalance Grower Workbook as a roadmap; the VineBalance Workbook is recognized and endorsed by the Agricultural Environmental Management Program of the New York State Soil & Water Conservation Committee and New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets. 

Seven other Long Island vineyards joined Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing in 2013 and are "in transition" toward future certification.

A core working group of Long Island wineries participated in the inception of Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing, including Bedell Cellars, Channing Daughters Winery, Martha Clara Vineyards and Shinn Estate Vineyards. The founding partners worked in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County to write and codify specific sustainable grape growing guidelines.

Sustainable winegrowers have implemented similar programs in Oregon and California — but Long Island's ecosystem has been recognized as especially fragile due to the proximity of creeks and bays.

One of LISW's principle tenets is that wineries should work in harmony with the natural world to build a community between vineyards, workers and the land.

“We have worked to create a pathway and a process for dialogue among viticulturists interested in maintaining our clean water and air, a healthy workforce, healthy soils and healthy vines,” said Larry Perrine, the CEO and a partner of Channing Daughters Winery. “Throughout this process we have enhanced the viability of our vineyards through certification standards that are rooted in an integrated ecological system. By achieving certification today, we have demonstrated that we can produce the highest quality fruit possible, on par with world class standards for quality, while also being good stewards of our land and economically viable over time.”

Many viticultural “best practices” have been embraced among the area's grape growers since the first plantings in 1973.