Butterfly Creek Winery in Mariposa, California
April 13, 2022 - SACRAMENTO – To focus awareness on California’s world-renowned wines and its leadership in bringing sustainability to the state’s $57 billion wine industry, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, co-chair of the Senate Select Committee on Wine, on Tuesday announced his proposal to designate the month of April as “California Wines: Down to Earth Month.”
“Not only do we make the greatest wines in the world but we do it a way that is environmentally sound, economically feasible and socially equitable,” said Sen. Dodd. “It has led to impressive progress in conserving water and energy while protecting habitat, employee well-being and air, water, and soil quality. Clearly, when it comes to wine, we are global leaders in ensuring the industry is sustainable for generations to come.”
Senate Concurrent Resolution 88 makes the April designation in perpetuity. Sen. Dodd’s co-chair on Senate Wine, Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, is co-author. They are joined by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, who chairs the Select Committee on Wine in the Assembly.
California’s 4,200 wineries and 5,900 winegrape growers are predominantly family businesses with a long-term commitment to the health and vitality of their communities and to preserving the land for future generations. In 2001, Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers created the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing and the vast majority of the state’s vineyards and wineries have since embraced the code, making it the most widely adopted sustainable winegrowing program worldwide in terms of winegrape acreage and wine production.
- 80% of California wine (255 million cases) is made in 178 certified sustainable wineries
- 55% of California’s vineyard acreage is certified sustainable
- 2,402 Certified California Sustainable winegrowing vineyards farm 204,857 acres -- or 33% of California winegrape acres
- Another 22% of California winegrape acres are certified to other sustainability programs
The California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, managed by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, is composed of over 200 best practices for vineyards and wineries that benefit the environment, employees, neighbors, and the production of high-quality wine. Wineries that produce a vast majority of California’s wine are Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, the third-party certification program added in 2010.
Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd
Source: Senator Bill Dodd
