Sustainable Winegrowing

Global Leaders in Sustainability

California vineyards and wineries are dedicated to the land and strive to maintain a healthy and beautiful environment for themselves, neighbors and wine-country visitors. These mostly family-owned businesses make decisions for the long term to pass on thriving businesses to future generations.

In 2003, we partnered with the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) to create the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), building on the industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility, as well as major trends and successful regional efforts. CSWA implements the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program (SWP), a robust collection of educational resources that includes the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing and administers Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW), a third-party certification program.

As the fourth largest wine-producing region in the world, California has one of the most comprehensive and widely adopted sustainable winegrowing programs in the world, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and leadership in sustainability.

What is Sustainable Winegrowing?

Sustainable winegrowing is a comprehensive set of practices that are environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically viable. Sustainable winegrowing is being used by winegrape growers and vintners throughout California to grow and make high quality grapes and wine. These sustainable vineyard and winery practices conserve water and energy, maintain healthy soil, protect air and water quality, enhance relations with employees and communities, preserve local ecosystems and wildlife habitat and improve the economic vitality of vineyards and wineries.