Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/619725
January 2016 WINES&VINES 71 saignée juice is drawn off without water re- placement, the resulting wine will be darker perhaps, but the texture will be off with harsh, concentrated tannins. Q The Merry Edwards Winery website stresses your commitment to sustain- able practices. Please give us a few ex- amples of your practices. Also, why have you chosen not to farm organically? Edwards: Over the years, we have focused on choices that are both sustainable and economi- cally viable. Early on, we chose not to fumigate land prior to planting, even when that was still legal. Meredith was an abandoned apple or- chard on which many young oak trees had grown up. I found a company that moved some 36 trees, live, and recycled them as landscape elements at high-end home sites. It took four workers three months to build boxes around the root balls and then lift them carefully with a crane onto transport trucks. The holes were filled with reserved subsoil and then layered with topsoil from the construction of the pond on site. We took the funds we would have spent on fumigation and thoroughly cleaned the soil of the remaining roots to reduce the likelihood of oak root fungus attacking the vines. We have not chosen to farm specifically organically because for some viticultural chal- lenges there is no current viable "organic" solu- tion. An example of this would be the current sharpshooter infestation resulting in wide- spread and severe damage from Pierce's dis- ease. In general, we feel that a sustainable approach is best, allowing us to use a mix of techniques, some of which might be considered organic. I do need to allocate the time to work on our sustainable certification. During construction and then expansion of our winery facility, we maxed out the entire south-facing roof surface with solar panels. We could not afford both the solar system and the cost of LEED certification, so we chose the former. This allowed us to become nearly 100% solar-powered. My feeling is that for sustain- ability to be successful, it needs to be both environmentally and economically sound. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 35 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for more than 21 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2000. WINEMAKER INTERVIEW " I am unsure of exactly what is behind this current insistence that all wines must be under 14% to be 'balanced.'" Tired of etched wine glasses? 800.991.9380 proinfo@mieleusa.com 8 www.miele-pro.com • Quietly cleans glasses in just 15 minutes without etching or residue • ADA compliant and NSF certifed, fnal rinse temp. of 185º F • No rinse aid required for a fawless fnish • Accommodates commercial baskets Miele's PG 8061 is the ideal solution for your tasting room and winery: A one of a kind dishwasher for your one of a kind winery. Email proinfo@mieleusa.com to request a free brochure.