Vintner finds market for eco-friendly wine
Solar panels cut vineyards' electric bill by thousands
10:23 a.m. Monday, August 11, 2008
At Shafer Vineyards, one of Napa Valley's premier wineries, grape growing just isn't what it used to be. Back then, the idea of a beautiful vineyard was nothing but dirt, just flat as a pool table.
Doug Shafer enjoys showing off the overgrown vine rows -- the dead and dry remnants of the winter's cover crops. Instead of herbicides, Shafer plants clover, oats, peas and mustard as a natural way to control weeds. These plants also become a natural fertilizer, helping add essential nutrients to the soil.
"We're making a more natural product here, and we're making better wines," he said.
To control the population of rodents attracted to the cover crops, Shafer has a chemical-free solution. He also enlists the help from hawks and barn owls.
"It was a matter of putting out perches in the vineyard, and they would eat these gofers and moles," he said.
One of the most striking features of the vineyard is the vast array of solar panels, covering the many roofs and hills that help Shafer reduce its energy consumption.
"We used to pay maybe $40,000 to $50,000 a year on power, and basically we pay $1,500 now. And on very sunny days, the meter even runs backwards," Shafer said. "This arrow here means we're producing more than we're using so anything extra is going out to the grid."
His "green" processes is reducing the vineyard's carbon footprint by farming sustainably.
Shafer says his wines have improved, and his customers appreciate it, and that's good for business
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Aug. 25, 2008 at 9:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)ingysurf (anonymous)
From such a renowned Vineyard, I commend your commitment to the environment and for producing such fabulous wines. You have shown that everyone is responsible for their carbon footprint regardless of personal or financial situations. We can all make a difference. Thank you for leading the way!!!
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