“Sustainable,” is the new sexy when it comes to the wine industry, with “Certified Organic,” “B Corporation,” and “Biodynamic,” acting as designer labels for vintners’ creations.
“Sustainable,” is the new sexy when it comes to the wine industry, with “Certified Organic,” “B Corporation,” and “Biodynamic,” acting as designer labels for vintners’ creations.
For Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery in St. Helena, this go-for-the-green mentality encouraged the company to invest a whole bunch of time, energy and money to pursue all of these certifications, including biodynamic “Demeter,” credentials.
“The goals of all of them are great, but there’s not a lot of overlap,” said Spottswoode’s winemaker and vineyard manager, Aron Weinkauf.
Spottswoode earned its organic certification in 1992, acting as an early adopter alongside one other vineyard in Napa Valley. Weinkauf’s predecessor and his crew then started farming biodynamically “loosely” in 2008, and after Weinkauf joined in 2015, the winery ultimately got its Demeter certification in 2020. The company is also certified with the local program Napa Green, and is currently pursuing a “TRUE” zero waste designation.
But as a lesser-known certification program compared to the others, the idea of biodynamic agriculture is not well understood.
In the case of Weinkauf and Spottswoode, he said that day-to-day operations did not differ much between organic and biodynamic farming.
“Within the Demeter certification, in order to be certified you have to have your organic certification already, so I kind of look at that as that does a whole lot of the footwork already,” said Weinkauf. “And then on top of that, it’s kind of just a mental shift … It doesn’t need to radically change what somebody who’s already farming organically does.”
The Demeter certification goes all the way back to 1924 Germany, and stems from the ideas of philosopher and researcher Rudolf Steiner. In an effort to paint farms as living, breathing ecosystems rather than factories, Steiner gave a series of lectures on biodynamic agriculture, and within five years, the first Demeter co-op had over 1,000 member farms.
But we are in 2021 California, not post-WW I Germany, and according to Weinkauf, Steiner never intended for his lectures to be taken as gospel.
“The roots of some of Steiner’s prescriptions are pretty out there on many levels, and they absolutely were one man’s suggestions on how to address the failing conventional farming practices of the time,” he said.
As a result, some of these ideologies have been compromised.
“What Steiner wanted was sustainability within a single farm and really nurturing that ecosystem in a single farm, which is not as practical nowadays,” said Weinkauf.
While Spottswoode has a well onsite and installed a solar array in 2007, a fully closed, self-sustaining ecosystem isn’t feasible.
Instead, Demeter-certified wineries and vineyards have other requirements to achieve a more modernized version of Steiner’s teachings. Hand-harvesting is preferred — even better if you follow the biodynamic farming calendar for harvest dates — grape pomace must be composted, imported yeast is forbidden, and acid and sugar levels must be left untouched, to name a few.
Here in California, there are 18 certified biodynamic wine businesses, three of which are in Napa Valley. Alongside Spottswoode, the Smith-Anderson Wine Group is certified, and importer Dalla Terra sources from the biodynamic winery Alois Lageder in Italy. However, due to its philosophical nature, the way that biodynamics actually comes to fruition in the vineyard is on a case-by-case basis, and the Demeter certification team assesses applications as such.
“Basically, biodynamics is nothing more than the use of experiences that farmers have made for thousands of years,” said Alois Lageder representatives. “As people of the 21st century, we have often forgotten how to intuitively grasp the interrelationships of nature. Whereas a farmer used to keep hens, pigs and cows on his farm and cultivate cereals, vegetables and perhaps wine, today this farm economy has given way to large monocultures.”
Spottswoode tends to agree with this logic.
“People ask me what biodynamics is, and I kind of look at it like modern science was very bottom-up oriented and they tried to tease out singular variables and try to analyze them in isolation, and because of that modern science struggles within larger ecosystems where there are almost infinite variables,” said Weinkauf.
“The cool thing for me about biodynamics is it’s to me much more top-down oriented, where it’s looking at big pictures, looking at whole systems and trying to make general prescriptions.”
Weinkauf says that he sees a disconnect in generational farming practices, and believes that the Demeter philosophy lends itself to some of these traditions. Rather than trying to curate a highly-specialized and unnatural environment for their vines, Spottswoode tries to study the estate and its needs without intervening too much.
“It’s still farming,” he said. “You still have to roll with the punches, you still get a ton of variability from Mother Nature, and you still struggle with the same bugs and mildew and floods — They don’t just disappear.”
Weinkauf deems himself a “firm believer” in all of these different sustainability certifications (hence the reason Spottswoode has acquired nearly all of them) but is, in particular, a fan of the revamped Napa Green project for its multi-faceted approach.
“The new Napa Green is really one of the more dynamic, holistic certifications that are out there,” he said.
“It’s always funny … You go to school to be a winemaker, we have zero business management practices, but at the same time, I definitely always knew this was part of it, [and] I think it’s good for people to speak up and try to be proactive, especially when we’re talking about ecosystem health.”
About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more at https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
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🍷 Our last itinerary for Cheers to Climate Smart Wines and it’s a good one! Thank you @frankfamilyvineyards, @aubergedusoleil & @seaveyvineyard!
Follow this itinerary for a stunning day in Napa!
Book your tastings at @napagreen certified @chimneyrockwinery @etudewines and @domainecarneros and stay at the luxurious @carnerosresort for a day that will delight all of your senses!
#visitnapa #winetasting #winetastings #winelover #sustainablewine #wineandfood #winecountry #winecountryliving
If you missed last night’s amazing climate smart wine tasting @klwines you can join us tonight Thursday, July 24 for another great lineup of @napagreen certified wineries @dominusestatewinery @chimneyrockwinery @domainecarneros and @beringervyds
You won’t want to miss this! Ticket link in bio.
#winetasting #winetastings #climatesmartwine #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery
📍Phifer Pavitt Wines in Calistoga!
A gorgeous family winery & vineyard that goes above and beyond in climate smart practices and quality of wine! 🍷
Can’t make it to Napa? Experience climate smart wines @klwines in downtown San Fransisco.
Join us Wednesday, July 23, 2025 to taste wines from @napagreen certified members @spottswoodewinery @pineridgewine @etudewines and @frankfamilyvineyards
You won’t want to miss this! Ticket link in bio.
#winetasting #winetastings #climatesmartwine #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery
Come join us this week at @klwines!! Tickets can be found at the link in our bio. Cheers! 🍷
😍 This one is a gem! Book your tastings at Napa Green Certifed @mummsparkling & @spottswoodewinery and enjoy a stay at the incredible @solageauberge!
Sustainability & Luxury truly make a great pairing. Cheers to Climate Smart Wines! 🍷
🎙️: @mvino1
⚠️ Don’t sleep on this one! Get your $15 tickets to taste INCREDIBLE wines from @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery and many more at @klwines in San Francisco on July 23rd & 24th!
You know where to go ➡️ link in bio or www.napagreen.org. See you there! 🍷
📣 Calling all wine lovers! We’re partnering with some amazing wineries, restaurants and resorts to celebrate Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month and we’re giving away an incredible ‘Experience Napa Valley Day’ to one lucky winner! 🍷
The winner will receive:
✨A one-night stay at @solageauberge
✨Wine tastings at @seaveyvineyard and @rutherfordhillwinery
✨A gift certificate to @charlies_nv
How to Enter:
1️⃣ Make sure you’re following @napagreen & @visitnapavalley
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Tag your favorite wine lover in the comments.
🙌 Bonus Entry: Share this post to your stories and tag us!
Giveaway ends Friday, July 18th. Winner will be announced here and contacted via DM by Monday, July 21st.
Legal Terms:
Must be 21+ and a legal resident of the U.S. to enter. Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be selected at random and must respond within 48 hours to claim the prize. Travel and additional expenses NOT included.
Good Luck! 🥂
Sustainability is beautiful 🌼
Experience this wine tasting itenerary for yourself on your next trip Napa Valley! 🍷
#sustainabletravel #winetasting #winetrip #napavalley #napawine #climatesmart #winelovers #cheers
Fairy tale like settings? Delicious, ethically & sustainably produced wines? Yes please! 🌸
#visitnapavalley #napavalley #fairytale #winetasting #sustainablewine #cheers #winelovers #winetrip #magicmoments
🎞️: @mvino1
🎟️$15 wine tasting with the winemakers!? Join us at @klwines in San Francisco July 23rd & 24th tasting @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery, @etudewines and many more from 4:00-6:00pm.
Pick up your tickets asap at the link in our bio!
⭐️ Steal this itinerary!
Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month is back this July and we couldn’t be more excited!
We have built some truly fabulous and sustainable experiences which you can find on www.napagreen.org and this year we have included hotels as well!
Tag us in your posts when you visit our amazing Napa Green Certified wineries so we can share your Green adventures!
Team Green is thoroughly enjoying visiting a few of our Napa Green Certified wineries today! 🌱
Pictured here are the STUNNING new Sky Lofts at @rutherfordhillwinery. We strongly recommend a visit, it’s spectacular!
Wondering what this sign hung outside of the winery that you work at means? Want to be able to talk more about what it means to be @napagreen certified??
Join the Napa Green Ambassador training at Clos du Val on Wednesday, June 25 from 9-11 am to learn the answers and more.
Tickets are free but space is limited so reserve your spot from the Workshops & Events link in our bio.
#climateaction #napagreen #napagreencertified #climatesmartwinery #regenerativeag #regenerativefarming
🍇 Do you want to learn more about what it means to be a Napa Green Certified Vineyard or Winery?
🍇 Do you have new team members who still aren’t sure what that Napa Green Certified sign hanging out front actually means?
🍇 Are you curious about this term that’s suddenly popping up everywhere – regenerative?
🍇 Want to know what exactly does it mean to be climate smart?
Join us Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @closduval to learn how to talk about being @napapagreen certified.
Use the event link in our bio to register.
#climateaction #wineindustry #wineindustryleadership #climatesmart #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #regenerativevineyard #regenerativeag