Our commitment to ecological values and leadership…
is a reflection of our deep and binding respect for our community of producers, clients, and our own families. Our agricultural philosophy is rooted in a systems ecology approach, encompassing not only the health of the vineyard and its produce but also the health and prosperity of each community of growers and their surroundings. This includes the financial prosperity of the people from each village, affording the progressive farming ideals which require more than rhetoric to maintain. Our philosophy is based on adaptive generational change and improvements to the functionality of these systems in order to address the heart of the issue, which is often economic. Fair and consistent economic partnership over decades is the fuel that stokes the fires of responsible agriculture.
This is a core tenet in our quest to work thoughtfully, share authentic culinary and cultural experiences from our producers, and leave things better than we found them. We are continually working with our partners, many of whom are leaders in their region for biodiversity, organic farming, and regenerative and low-impact production, with the goal of revitalizing the land through permaculture and ancestral farming techniques.
This is a broad-based approach that does not favor any particular commercial dogma. Rather, it is rooted in our deep respect for each individual vigneron, their work in the vineyard, and their unique cultural and gastronomic identities. First and foremost, we seek to represent a transparency of approach for each winery and their circumstances. Farming is a necessarily complex and nuanced subject, one that is not easily reduced to categories.
Our motivation has always been respect for the farmers who respect their lands. Dogma has no place on a farm; what does matter to us is hard work and truth within that approach. Placing judgment upon the minutiae of various approaches to life on a farm is neither helpful nor intellectually honest.
Each of our farmers employs various organic practices; some are E.U. certified organic, while others have pursued biodynamic certification. We understand that agriculture is a craft, and we support the decisions that our producers make to leave their lands and communities better for the next generation. This communal, family-centered exchange fosters continual improvement and is at the heart of the European farming ethos, one we wholeheartedly endorse.
The spirit of our portfolio lies in the conscious choice we have made to put our back label on wines produced by vignerons and viticultores. These terms champion winemakers who not only have a connection with their land but who are authentically of their land and place and carry an important cultural distinction. Strong and abiding knowledge of local environments and terroir is an essential and connecting attribute of our producers. This connectedness to both land and culture is one of our primary concerns when choosing producers for our portfolio, as quality often comes hand-in-hand. Our producers’ ability to manage their production from grape to bottle affords transparency and traceability, which is our end goal to communicate to our customers.
Always being guided in the belief that we can add value through the work we do; that we can leave our home a better place than how we found it. This sentiment is true for us as well as of all our producers who believe that by improving the quality of the environment enables the following generation a better and healthier future.
The following is a glossary of farming practices employed by our producers. It is helpful to keep in mind that for most producers whose production is in constant motion and subject to weather variations, innovation is ongoing. A fluid approach means that more than one of these categories may apply to a particular winery or vintage.
Ecological Farming (Ecologic)
Vineyards are farmed with respect for the ecosystem with minimal inputs, utilizing low-impact techniques and whole system ecology to promote biodiversity and a healthy community. These vineyards may fall short of textbook organic agriculture, yet work in a way that makes sense for their circumstances and with respect for their environment. Given that Spain does not yet have an equivalent HVE certification similar to France (see below), many wines listed as Ecologic follow similar vineyard management practices to HVE in France.
HVE
In 2011, the French Ministry of Agriculture developed a new category called “Haute Valeur Environnementale” (HVE). This classification, which translates to ‘high environmental value,’ is rapidly being adopted by farmers from various disciplines across France. It is administered and regulated by the French government and is becoming a very important new program to help consumers make purchasing decisions by certifying producers that maintain their lands and ecosystem. As our producers start to use this new certification, we will also begin incorporating it as one of our categories.
High Environmental Value (HVE) corresponds to the highest level of a more general scheme of environmental certification for farms in France. This certification is a voluntary approach that promotes environmentally-friendly practices by farmers. HVE covers four key areas: biodiversity conservation, plant protection, management of fertilizer use, and management of water use. Certification offers a guarantee that the pressure applied to the environment (air, water, soil, climate, biodiversity, and/or landscape) by farming practices is kept to a minimum.
Certification in the program consists of three levels. The top level, simply named “high environmental value,” is based on performance indicators and is regularly monitored by the French Ministry of Agriculture. Its certification enables farmers to label their products with a value statement “from farms certified as having high environmental value,” guaranteeing a farm’s high level of environmental performance. The HVE logo can only be placed on finished products containing at least 95% of raw materials from farms certified as having high environmental value.
Carbon Neutral
Wineries who operate with a net-zero carbon footprint.
Practicing Organic
Wineries that practice organic farming techniques, based on local or international standards, yet do not, or do not yet, hold certification from an accredited organization. Practicing Organic farming means no synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or antibiotics.
Organic
These wineries hold a certification for organic farming practices from an accredited organization. Organic farming means no synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or antibiotics.
Biodynamic
These wineries utilize certified or other* biodynamic agricultural techniques in their vineyards. Biodynamic vineyards are integrated, whole, living organisms and involve principles that are also referred to as “Regenerative Organic”. The philosophy embodies many interdependent natural elements, of which the vineyard is only a part. Biodynamic farmers work to harmonize and encourage these elements, managing them in a holistic and dynamic way to support the health and vitality of the whole through healthy soil.
Vegan
Wines labeled as Vegan signify that no animal products were used during its production. This definition does not include traditional animal husbandry in the vineyard or natural animal fertilizers, which are common across Europe.
