SIP Certified Welcomes New Members to Its Growing List of Sustainable Wineries and Vineyards
(Atascadero, CA, October 6, 2021) SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certified recently welcomed over fifteen new properties to its family of certified sustainable vineyards and wineries. The new members cover Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kings County and join nearly two hundred and fifty other SIP certified companies in California and Michigan.
“Seeing the growth of our members and the enthusiasm for the program grow and expand is truly a victory not only for our program, but for sustainability efforts across all sectors,” said Program Director Beth Vukmanic. , “With growing consumer demand for transparency and sustainability, SIP Certified ensures a level of accountability that modern consumers have come to expect.
The SIP Certified program works with the values of:
- Social Responsibility – Competitive salaries, medical insurance, training and education.
- Water management – Reduced / recycled water in the vines and the cellar.
- Safe Pest Control – Introduce beneficial insects, attract raptors, and plant rewarding cover crops to keep vineyards healthy.
- Energy efficiency – Alternative fuels and energy sources such as solar and wind; minimum use of the tractor; reinforced insulation in the cellar.
- Habitat – Create wildlife corridors and preserve open spaces.
- Businesses – Ethical practices; treat employees and the community with care and respect.
- Always Evolving – Evolve as new science, technology and research become available.
Matt Brady, Winemaker of Samsara Wine Co, is excited about their new certified cellar: “Samsara is really thrilled to be a new cellar member of the SIP Certified program! Santa Barbara is the birthplace of the American environmental movement, and as a Santa Barbara-based winery, we feel a strong commitment and obligation to maintain practices that align with our deeply held personal and community values of environmental stewardship.
The SIP Certified registration period for 2022 begins December 1, 2021. For more information on how to certify your vineyard or winery or to learn more about the program, please visit www.sipcertified.org.
ABOUT CERTIFIED SIP
Sustainability in Practice (SIP) certification is one of the oldest and largest third-party assessment programs in the wine industry. It uses an integrated block-to-bottle management approach, enabling farmers, wineries and winegrowers to preserve the environment and protect human resources. SIP Certified claims strict, non-negotiable requirements and standards based on science, expert input, independent verification, transparency and the absence of conflict of interest. SIP Certified launched its pilot program in 2008 with 3,700 acres of vineyards between Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. Today, there are 42,000 acres of vines in California and Michigan, five wineries, and over 49 million SIP-certified bottles of wine.
