When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world."
- John Muir
Philosophy
The earth is on loan from our children. Well, we don't have kids yet, but you get the idea. In a world of increasing species lost, planetary warming and incredible waste - our aim is to make wine at the least cost to the environment. Our sustainability philosophy was formed by countless experiences around the world and amazing people including, Wendell Berry, David Brower, Peter Cuming, Amory Lovins and Yvon Choinard.
As we operate, we are honest with ourselves that we produce waste, consume resources and take for granted an earth that we have inherited. That said, we see ourselves as more than just a wine business. Thus, it's our responsibility to examine all of our impacts - production, transport, packaging and more.
To help mitigate our impacts, we carefully weigh the earth costs of each decision, execute creative alternatives to waste issues and choose to work with businesses that share our sustainability mindset and standards. In short, a commitment to sustainability is not a policy or a framework, it's part of our DNA, and as such the commitment influences every decision we make.
One Percent for the Planet
As a member of 1% for the Planet, we choose to contribute 1% of sales directly to several grassroots environmental organizations. As a result we get to hear about and help out as these groups are helping the world progress towards a positive, more sustainable future.
Farming and Production
We looked at every aspect of what goes into producing our wine and how we could minimize or eliminate our impact on the environment. With respect to farming, we have chosen to work with viticulturist that practice sustainable farming in manor that is both environmentally friendly and economical. With a commitment to practice sustainable winemaking, we are working with wine production facilities that are members of the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). As an example, the winery contributes a significant amount of its wine waste products to the Green Energy Network, a bio-ethanol company in Northern California. We have also eliminated packaging, pushed for green alternatives, reduced overall transport of raw materials and generally partnered with other companies that share our sustainability ethic.
FSC Certified Corks
We are really excited to announce that in partnership with Cork Supply, we are one of the first wineries in America to use FSC certified corks. Our corks are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Soil Association Woodmark (Woodmark) as sustainable corks made from responsibly managed forests. The FSC is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. The FSC's rigorous criteria are the only internationally valid standards for responsible forest management that place equal emphasis on social, environmental and industry interests. We are glad to know that our wine has been sealed with a 100% natural, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable cork that was sustainably grown and harvested from a responsibly managed forest.
Materials Transport
When you plot where your raw materials, such as cork, bottles and labels, originate from on a map, the game becomes clear - get as many dots as you can closer to your production facility and your customers (Click the red dots on the map above). As a result of this examined approach and a simple mapping exercise, we decided to source more materials from California where we produce the wine. In the end, there were only two raw materials that went into the finished product that did not come from within California. They were our corks and foils (cover the top of the bottle) and here is why we made the decisions we did. When we weighed the environmental costs of shipping corks from Portugal, it was more important to us that the corks came from a sustainably harvested forest. There were no FSC certified corks being produced within the United States, so we decided to use the environmentally friendly corks from Portugal. The blue tin foils came from a world class facility in France; the producer does an amazing job and we did not want to compromise quality. That being said, we are continually pushing our suppliers in California to produce the quality tin foils we need within California. In the end, we feel good about the materials selection and transport choices we have made for Miracle One and would love to hear your feedback on how we can improve.
Wine Storage
After we produce our wine it is stored in a climate controlled warehouse. We chose to partner with Sonoma Wine Company because of the commitment they have shown in reducing their environmental footprint and support of their local community through resource conservation. Some of their green business practices include rainwater catchment and diversion, on-site water treatment and re-use and a comprehensive water use policy in their facilities. In addition, they are a member of the Sonoma County Green Business program and through the EPA Climate Leaders meeting pledged a 15% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2010. Read more about Sonoma Wine Company's sustainability efforts...
Wine to Consumers
Perhaps the largest saver of waste in our production cycle is through the innovative packaging created by our shipping partner, New Vine Logistics (NVL). Through NVL, instead of shipping our wine in oil-based styrofoam packaging, we use WineAssure, which is 100% bio-degradable and recyclable temperature controlled packaging.