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W i n e s & V i n e s M A R C H 2 0 1 4 33 G R A P E G R O W I N G of the reasons it is difficult to compare a prac- tice-based program with one that is process- based, because in a process-based program it is difficult to figure out exactly what practices are required for certification. The process of certification is also an important element to consider in evaluating a certification program. Lodi Rules and Oregon LIVE are both third-party certified programs. This means that the growers being certified have no relationship with the certi- fier other than an agreement with the third party to be certified by them. The other regional wine-grape programs are considered second-party certified because either the growers being certified are members of the organization doing the certifying or their organization has appointed the advisory board that oversees the certification. Theo- retically, a third-party program provides the most credibility. With second-party pro- grams, there is a potential conflict of interest between the growers being certified and the certifier. However, in reality I feel the second- party certified-sustainable wine-growing programs in the U.S. are very credible, so on some level this is more of an intellectual dis- cussion. Nevertheless, it is an element of cer- tification that one needs to be aware of. Are there too many regional certification programs? While I was helping the Lodi growers develop Lodi Rules certification, people often asked me why we were creating the program. They argued that there were already too many certification programs in the marketplace, making it confusing for the consumer. My answer was and still is, "What confusion? There are almost no wines bear- ing logos indicating they are certified sus- tainable." What I do see a lot of is messaging on labels, cases and websites claiming sus- tainable practices are used to grow the grapes with no process in place for verifying these claims. The regional programs play a very important role in providing credibility to sustainability claims. The Leonardo Academy states that one of the reasons for developing a national sustain- able ag standard is to unify the confusing array of sustainable farming standards being used by various programs. I think this argument is self-serving because, besides wine grapes, there are not that many U.S. sustainable-certifica- tion programs to confuse people. One ques- tion that is worth asking, though, is does it make sense to create one set of farming prac- tice standards for all crops across the entire United States? Wine-grape growing is a very complicated enterprise involving many differ- ent practices, some of which differ signifi- cantly between regions. Therefore, I think it makes sense to create regionally focused farm- ing practice standards for wine grapes to address the sustainability issues related to growing them in each region. I think the many regional sustainable wine- growing certification programs provide win- eries a verified and credible story that can be used to promote their labels and region, offer incentives for growers to implement sustain- able farming practices and instill in consum- ers confidence that winegrape growers are striving to farm in a way that is environmen- tally sound, socially equitable and economi- cally viable. Dr. Cliff Ohmart is vice president of profes- sional services for SureHarvest and author of "View from the Vineyard: A practical guide to sustainable winegrape growing," due to be published this month by Wine Appreciation Guild. Previously he served as research/IPM director at the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission. He has been writing about sus- tainable winegrowing issues for Wines & Vines since 1998. TasTing Room supplieRs sell to your target audience with the Wines & Vines enewsletter Tasting Room Focus (866) 453-9701 • winesandvines.com/advertise