Spottswoode Estate Winery & Vineyard is a second generation, family owned winery in St. Helena, California. Organically farmed since 1985 and biodynamically farmed for the past 10 years, the team at Spottswoode is deeply committed to creating meaningful change and doing our part in tackling the climate crisis. We reuse, recycle or compost 95% of our waste – which means that only 5% goes to landfill. Since committing to TRUE Zero Waste in 2021, we have worked with our local disposal and recycling company to make sure we have the correct-sized bins, with vendors to help educate them on the zero waste movement, and internally to create a sustainability handbook for our employees, among other initiatives. Tracking waste is a high priority at Spottswoode, as you cannot manage what you do not measure.
In 2022, we reduced the weight of our Cabernet Sauvignon bottles by 30%. This reduces material use, glass cost, shipment weight, emissions, and post-consumer waste. We eat a chef-cooked lunch together every day provided by the business - moving to a chef vs buying out at restaurants has reduced our waste to landfill significantly. Waste reduction, diversion from landfill and emission reductions has permeated the culture of our business. We are committed to the idea that environmental and social leadership are compatible with the highest quality and contribute to build a more robust and resilient business.
"For us here at Spottswoode, we believe in the power of third party certifications and the rigor that is involved with the their acquisition. It is one thing to say you want to track and reduce your waste, it is another thing entirely to become TRUE certified. Completing the TRUE application with the intention of achieving Gold forced us to take a real look at what was coming in and what was going out of our business. We had to rethink internal policies, redesign systems that were not efficient and focus on upstream practices to prevent waste, rather than figure out what to do with the waste once it was already here. Going through the TRUE application brings about structural, cultural and internal change - it is this change that we believe in, and we are very proud to be TRUE Gold certified."
- Molly Sheppard, Educational Winemaker & Sustainability Manager of Spottswoode Winery & Vineyard