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6 WINES&VINES December 2015 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President & Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 Northeast Marsha Tabb marshatabb@comcast.net (215) 794-3442 East Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Manager Christina Ballinger ads@winesandvines.com DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. CONNECT WITH US Linda Jones McKee has been covering grapes and wine since she co-founded Wine East magazine in 1981. In this issue, the editor of the Wine East section contributes a Technical Spotlight article (page 48) about Michael Shaps Wineworks in Charlottesville, Va., and a story about the New York Grape and Wine Foundation's role in the emergence of New York as a world-class wine region (page 86). It's called the "wine business," but we give much more attention to the "wine," and not enough to the "business." On page 28, contribu- tor and industry consultant Andy Starr writes about the importance of creating and using a coherent winery business plan. He has 30 years of industry experience building wineries, wine technology start-ups (Neocork synthetic stoppers, innovative wine yeasts) and clean-tech ventures. His company StarrGreen provides business plan, marketing, strategy and business-development services to early stage and growth-phase companies. A specialist in American wines from organic and Biodynamic vine- yards, Pam Strayer is the author and publisher of seven apps and new websites for consumers. Her report on page 68 examines the cost to winegrowers of certifying their vines and wines. Strayer has studied wine at the North American Sommelier Association, the Uni- versity of California, Davis, and the UC Berkeley Extension. A former environmental and health journalist, she also has produced dozens of films for Apple, the UN, PBS, Turner and others. She runs a blog, Organic Wines Uncorked, which addresses the environmental impacts of vineyard farming practices. ON THE COVER This month, for the second time, the editorial staff of Wines & Vines revisited the top news and wine industry metrics from the past year to create a "Best of" issue. Starting on page 37, we look at the top varietals, regions and flash sites for wine sales. Then, using reader metrics, we picked the top stories of 2015. QUESTION FOR DECEMBER: What are your most important sustainability practices? Mimi Casteel Bethel Heights Vineyard Salem, Ore. The most critical step we've made toward sustainability is recreating and rehabilitating habitat for vertebrate, insect and botanical species. The resilience of our landscapes, resource base and way of life is wholly tied to maintaining connectivity and diversity; it is the immune system of our land base. This function cannot be borne by public lands and wilderness areas alone. Cheryl Murphy Durzy Vice president-sales/marketing Clos LaChance Winery San Martin, Calif. Considering the drought situ- ation in California, I believe the extensive water conservation efforts put into place have been the most important part of our sustainability program. Utilizing wastewater ponds for vineyard irrigation and changing winery sterilization techniques have both made a big impact in Clos LaChance's overall water usage. Sean McRitchie McRitchie Winery and Ciderworks Thurmond, N.C. We remodeled our tasting room and winery from existing buildings using repurposed local materials. We chose natural materials and use natural lighting when possible. We use low-impact farming methods and try to maintain a healthy tolerance for insects and other pests without compromising fruit quality.