In 2018, Biale was proud to be one of the wineries in Napa Valley to receive both the Land and Winery Green certifications where our Zinfandel vines grow in the Oak Knoll District. We feel strongly that abiding by sustainable practices in both our farming and winemaking is the responsible thing to do and is beneficial to our environment, our community, our employees, our business…and our wines! https://napagreen.org/about/
As Bob Biale puts it, “It took us three years of refining our farming and winery practices to finally achieve our official certifications, but in the end it was all worth it!”
Being a winery and vineyard that is Certified Napa Green, how does it affect the day-to-day winemaking?
Tres: “Being a Certified Napa Green Winery and Vineyard affects the day-to-day winemaking in many ways. The first and most impactful thing that we do is to reduce water consumption in both the vineyard with our watering regime and in the cellar with our cleaning techniques. In the vineyard, we are using high tech soil moisture sensors which show us when and where and how much we need to water the vines. This saves us a lot of valuable time and helps us to not unnecessarily water or over water. In the cellar, we are using steam to clean our equipment and barrels. This saves us thousands of gallons of water per month.
Some of the other ways in which we have adapted our day to day procedures include seeking products that have reduced environmental impact because of the way they are made, used, transported, stored, packaged, and disposed of. It means looking for products that do not harm human health, are less polluting, and that minimize waste, maximize use of recycled materials, conserve energy and water, and reduce the consumption or disposal of hazardous materials.”