Winery L.I.V.E. Certification
Our approach as a small business has always been pragmatic regarding our efforts to practice both fiscal and environmental sustainability. In the past we have not over-emphasized the green aspects of our wines, viticulture and winemaking protocol in our marketing literature because consistent and responsible environmental practices always seemed natural here at Penner-Ash. Our estate vineyard has been certified L.I.V.E (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) since 2007. We are now pleased to announce that our winery joins our vineyard in L.I.V.E. certification.
From design to our recent winery LIVE Certification, our commitment to environmentally conscious practices continues to evolve. L.I.V.E. uses international standards of sustainable viticulture and enological practices in both wine-grape and wine production. These practices are based on an independent 3rd party verified checklist system consisting of required and prohibited elements, as well as numerous ecological options. As a staff here at Penner-Ash, we are beginning to understand the foundation of sustainability is based on paying attention to detail and creating good habits. The fiscal impact on the business has been minimal, and in some cases we’ve actually experienced a cost savings. Case in point, we have switched to a lighter bottle for our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, saving the winery bottling expenditures and our customers shipping cost. We have also traded out our environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam shippers to a biodegradable pulp material shipper. Both easy changes that have an immediate and positive impact on both our business and the environment. We will continue to explore new opportunities. |
