Vinewise took root when a USDA grant was awarded to the Washington Wine Industry Foundation at the request of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers.
 
The first efforts focused on risk management, with checklists of questions by topic for growers and vintners, created by teams of growers, vintners, WSU extension agents and researchers, making the effort an industry-wide grassroots program.

The initial programs grew to become Vinewise.
 
WHY FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY?

With the Washington state wine industry growing rapidly, ensuring the future of the industry and growers’ and vintners’ businesses is increasingly important to everyone. 

The Vinewise guide provides growers and vintners with the tools to evaluate their business practices to ensure those practices will carry them into the future.

Sustainability is the key.

Sustainable viticulture ensures economically viable, socially supportive and ecologically sound businesses for growers and vintners in Washington state.

By following sustainable practices, growers can ensure that the interdependent environment, community, industry and their businesses are more likely to be viable for the long term. 

Most people know sustainable agriculture protects the environment. But it’s equally important to know that sustainability ensures a grower’s business is sustainable. Growers must have businesses healthy enough to grow and develop, allowing them to focus on all of the other aspects of sustainability.

Most Washington wine grape growers practice some form of sustainable viticulture, with pest management, soil and nutrient management and water management practiced most frequently. However, the scarcity of knowledge, education and resources is a challenge for Washington growers wanting to improve their sustainable practices.

That’s where Vinewise comes in.

WHAT IS THE VINEWISE GUIDE?

The Vinewise Guide is a series of self-assessment evaluation forms for grape growers, covering specific sustainable viticulture and business topics.

The topics cover the spectrum of sustainability – vineyard practices, the community, the environment and business management. Vinewise will continue to be developed, with the list of topics increased and expanded each year.

The forms are designed to allow growers to rate themselves on a scale to evaluate what they are doing now –vs– what they should be doing to be as sustainable as possible within the confines of their vineyard and business plan, then formulate a plan of action to make the recommended changes.

WAWGG provides seminars and classes for growers to learn how to use the Guide to evaluate their practices.

Vinewise topics cover the spectrum of sustainability – the environment, the community and business, with new topics introduced each year.

Vinewise Topics:

• Business Plans        • Human Resources             • Vineyard Establishment
• Marketing Plans      • Soil & Site Properties         • Pest Management
• Contracts                • Soil Surface Mgmt              • Water Management
• Lending                   • Soil Management
• Crop Insurance       • Vineyard Site Selection

Topics completed and being loaded include:

Community Neighbors, Viticulture, Whole Farm Ecosystems