When we talk about sustainable wine, we usually talk about vineyard practices. And while farming with care is a large part of the story, there is also more to it.
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
In other words, sustainability can and perhaps should encompass environmental, social and economic considerations. Many New York wineries are managing this delicate balancing act quite well.
Educational Opportunities for Employees
Wineries are finding that offering their employees the ability to grow within and beyond their roles helps their teams but also creates a more cohesive and consistent workforce.
At Romulus’s Buttonwood Grove Winery vineyard manager Mark Wentzel says that they enroll their two-dozen-plus full and part time staffers in educational seminars, workshops and roundtables provided by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYW&GF), the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance (FLWA) and other partner organizations. They have also subsidized WSET certification for several employees.
“As a Certified Sustainable Vineyard, we are passionate about our commitment to preserving the land,” Wentzel says. “Socially, we encourage a collaborative work environment, seeking to create a diverse staff where every voice matters. The physical and emotional health of every employee is always a top priority.”
At Anthony Road Wine Company in Penn Yan, co-owner and tasting manager Elizabeth Castner has seen first-hand what a difference a confident and educated staff member can make in the tasting experience of visitors.
Full-time staffers get a complete reimbursement on WSET courses. But Castner also wants—perhaps counterintuitively—team members to get out and meet other industry pros. Instead of seeing it as a threat, she sees it as an asset for all.
“We want them to have opportunities to network,” Castner says. “Our winemaking team participates in wine judging events and winemaker tasting groups. We give them enough freedom in their schedule to that, and we pay them for it.”
Hosmer Estate Winery in Ovid is also paying it forward with opportunities for their staff that the Hosmer family believes will benefit all.
“We provide a living wage, allow a good work/life balance and have a welcoming work environment,” says vineyard manager Tim Hosmer, who explains that winemakers and tasting room staff are given the freedom and a financial boost to participate in tasting groups, WSET trainings and other educational opportunities offered through the NYW&GF and FLWA.
General manager Brooke Hosmer adds that their assistant winemaker is currently working a harvest in Australia, and worked another in New Zealand last year.
“She came back with so much more knowledge and experience,” Brooke says. “To us, that’s priceless.”
Nourishing the Surrounding Community
Supporting the local community surrounding their wineries, beyond “just” managing their usage of chemicals and water in the vineyard, has become foundational to the ethos of many New York wineries.
Local organizations, including the Skaneateles Education Foundation and Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research, are frequent recipients of donations, but they also host events like the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library Gala, Wentzel explains.
At Anthony Road, they support a diverse range of organizations, from the Geneva Theater Guild Playwrights to the Keuka Outlet Trail, while also managing aid stations at the Musselman Triathlon, presenting seminars in sustainability and hosting a glass recycling station that is open to all for the FLX Craft Beverage Environmental Coalition.
“We provide acreage for research with Cornell and the Finger Lakes Community College, and serve on their boards,” Castner says. “We see social sustainability as about more than the bottom line. It’s being neighborly and engaging with staff about their extracurriculars that involve community organizations. We also have frequent staff dinners at the winery, which encourages an environment of welcome and friendliness.”
Hosmer partners with a range of local events that benefit the community, including Wine at Center Ice, Savor the Flavor and Taste of the FLX.
“We lose count of how many bottles we donate for fundraising efforts,” explains Brooke. “We really do try our best to take care of our neighbors, our land and our employees, who honestly feel more like family at this point.”
Training the Next Generation
Investing in the next generation of winemakers helps ensure a sustainable future for the individual businesses and the industry overall.
“We always take on interns from all over, sometimes with no experience, during harvest,” says Brooke. “And Cornell experiments are conducted in our vineyards, and we frequently have Cornell students coming out here to get tours from [co-owner Cameron] Mr. Hosmer himself. Anyone with the last name Hosmer isn’t known for saying ‘no’ to anyone who asks for help or knowledge.”
At Anthony Road, Castner says that they lease space in their production building to winemakers without the resources to build out their own space.
“It is a great way to use the space more efficiently,” Castner says, adding that it’s a financial benefit for everyone involved. “Plus, that means there are four winemakers there asking questions and learning things from each other.”
We all want to sip more sustainably, and that comes in many different forms. In addition to supporting wineries that actively give their employees and community members a leg up, you can also focus on simply drinking more New York-made wine.
One easy way to do that is by supporting local winemakers, and other food and drinks producers. Research shows that for every $1 spent at a local business, about $0.67 stays in the local community, which means it gets recirculated in the local economy, contributing to income and tax boosts.
