LIVE Extends to Facilities

Low Input Viticulture and Enology, Inc. (LIVE) has officially extended its independent third-party sustainable certification program to winery facilities. The new winery standards mirror the same principles of its vineyard certification, but addresses sustainability in the winery, including winemaking practices, facility energy and responsible water usage, tasting room issues, and worker health and safety concerns. Since 1997, LIVE’s mission has focused on minimizing off-farm inputs, such as chemicals and fertilizers; and maximizing biodiversity and belief of a whole-farm system through sustainable-vineyard certification.

Over an eight-month period, between 2007 and 2008, LIVE worked with the South African Integrated Production of Wine Cellars Manual to develop its standards and subjected the certification rules to peer review, as well as State and Federal agency review. The certification’s pilot program consists of 17 wineries, which account for more than 30 percent of Oregon’s total case production.

The first LIVE-certified wineries include: A to Z Wineworks/Rex Hill Vineyards, Adelsheim Vineyards, Amity Winery, Anne Amie Vineyards, Argyle Winery, Bethel Heights, Chehalem, Cristom Vineyards, Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Firesteed Cellars, Panther Creek Cellars, Ponzi Vineyards, Stoller Winery, WillaKenzie Estate, Willamette Valley Vineyards and Wooldridge Creek.

“This is a milestone for LIVE,” said Chris Serra, program manager for the organization. “As our acronym implies, we are committed to promoting sustainability in both the vineyard and in the winemaking process, and with this new certification offering we are realizing the entirety of our original mission.”

Implementation of LIVE’s winery certification program may result in long-term cost savings for businesses through a decrease in expensive chemicals and additives, as well as a goal of a per-case reduction in energy usage. A sustainable winery certification, either through the LIVE program or another similar certification program, is required for participation in Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW), an educational program launched by the Oregon Wine Board in 2009 to increase awareness, communicate the importance and guarantee of certification and encourage distribution of sustainable wines so consumers can access them. 

For more information about LIVE, visit www.liveinc.org . ◊