Slow Wine, Explained features Forge Cellars and Bethel Heights

In a recent Wine Enthusiast article about the Slow Wine movement and publication by Sophia McDonald Bennett, two of our numerous eco-friendly brands were featured.

Forge Cellars in East Seneca Lake, New York:

Rick Rainey, managing partner of Forge Cellars in the Finger Lakes region of New York, says that the cold, wet climate makes it difficult to grow grapes through organic means. Plus, as a relatively small region, it’s hard to charge prices that would support organic farming.

He uses his vineyards as a sort of demonstration to local growers that there are plenty of things they can do to have a lesser impact on the planet. That includes less frequent spraying, the use of biological alternatives to conventional sprays (such as an insecticide made with giant knotweed extract) and building soil health through compost and cover crops.

“If you use certain methods of organics and biodynamics, you need to go into the vineyards a lot,” he says. Some of these required sprays must be applied with more frequency than their conventional counterparts.

“That leads to greater soil compaction and more carbon emissions from tractors,” he says. “That’s why we’re focused on how we can create a system that enables us to have good prices and farm in a way that is good for the earth.”

Bethel Heights Vineyard in Willamette Valley, Oregon:

Ben Casteel, co-owner and winemaker at Bethel Heights Vineyards in Oregon’sEola-Amity Hills, says all the company’s employees, including the work crew it shares with two other vineyards, receive full health benefits.

“We’ve had the same crew since I was a kid,” he says. “I’ve grown up around a lot of these people. It’s very important for us that our workers feel taken care of and are paid a living wage.”

To read the entire article: click this link.