The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is thrilled to announce the successful completion of a pilot program for VineBalance sustainable vineyard certification. Participating grape growers from across New York State performed a vineyard self-assessment using the VineBalance 2022 workbook followed by a third-party inspection from a NYWGF Vineyard Inspector. Growers evaluated their vineyard sustainability against 144 action items addressing input reduction, soil health, water protection, resources and waste, energy conservation, ecosystem health, climate resiliency, continuous improvement, and social equity. Each action item was measured on a scale from 1 (least sustainable) to 4 (most sustainable), and growers had to earn an average score of 3 to pass the workbook. Of the 40 participating grape growers, 35 passed the workbook and inspection, making them eligible for certification in 2023.  

Concurrently, the NYWGF is working with a marketing agency to develop a trust mark for special labeling so consumers can easily identify certified sustainable wines from New York. Vineyards who achieve certification in 2023 will be permitted to use the logo on wines made with certified grapes. A complete list of growers who passed the sustainable vineyard certification pilot program is below: