California Ag Network

Tag: CSWA

  • Sustainability Implemented at Scale Across CA Wine Sector

    The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) recently released the 2025 California Wine Community Sustainability Report, which finds that sustainability is being implemented at broad scale across the state, with approximately 70% of California wine grape acreage certified to a sustainability program and more than 90% of California wine produced in a certified sustainable winery.

    Published every five years, the report draws on aggregated vineyard and winery performance data and provides an update on CSWA’s education, outreach, certification and partnership efforts. The latest findings document measurable progress since the 2020 report, including improvement in 65% of the vineyard sustainability criteria evaluated and 53% of the winery criteria.

    “Sustainability has long been part of the heart of California wine, and this report shows how that commitment is translating into meaningful action across the state,” said Allison Jordan, CSWA executive director. “We are proud of the progress growers and vintners have made to conserve natural resources, strengthen their communities and build more resilient businesses, while continuing to look for ways to do even better.”

    Sustainability Participation Continues to Grow
    Participation in sustainability assessment has continued to expand across both vineyards and wineries.

    Since 2021, growers farming 2,745 vineyards covering more than 350,000 acres have used the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing to assess their operations. That represents a 19% increase in participating vineyards and a 34% increase in acreage.

    During the same period, 282 wineries producing approximately 210 million cases annually have used the Code to assess their operations, representing a 23% increase in winery participation.

    The report’s appendix includes aggregated data for the 144 vineyard and 105 winery best practices in the Code, which helps California winegrape growers and vintners evaluate their sustainability performance and identify practical opportunities for continued improvement.

    Measurable Progress Across Vineyards and Wineries
    As participation has grown, the data also show meaningful improvement in how sustainable practices are being implemented across vineyard and winery operations.

    Vineyard sustainability performance improved in 65% of the evaluated criteria compared with the 2020 report. Highlights include:

    • Soil health: 99% of growers allowed resident vegetation to grow in the vineyard, used cover crops and/or applied compost to encourage nutrient cycling and protect soil structure.
    • Energy efficiency: 97% reduced energy use through water-pump improvements, one of the largest energy-saving opportunities in vineyard operations.
    • Pest management: 85% used cultural practices to manage pests naturally and reduce the need for pesticides.
    • Water efficiency: 83% used micro-irrigation systems that enable targeted irrigation and more efficient water management.

    Winery sustainability performance improved in 53% of the evaluated criteria compared with the 2020 report. Highlights include:

    • Sustainable business strategy: 98% integrated sustainability into their business strategy.
    • Water efficiency: 97% measured and monitored water use to manage it responsibly.
    • Energy efficiency: 96% conducted an energy audit of their winery operations within the past five years to identify savings, control costs and improve operational performance.

    The report also demonstrates the ways growers and vintners are supporting employees, neighbors and local communities:

    • Neighbors: 100% of growers provided neighbors with contact information and responded to community concerns.
    • Contributions: 97% of vintners volunteered or made other contributions to enhance their local communities.
    • Wildlife: 94% of growers allowed resident or native vegetation to grow near local waterways, helping protect water bodies and surrounding habitats.
    • Employees: 90% of vintners encouraged employees to recommend ways to improve operational efficiency and sustainability.

    Expanding Tools, Education and Industry Engagement

    Supporting that progress is an expanding network of tools, education and outreach designed to help growers and vintners put sustainable practices into action and continue improving over time.

    From 2021 through 2025, CSWA expanded its efforts to help vineyards and wineries document, measure and strengthen their sustainability performance. Key accomplishments included the launch of the California Vineyard and Winery Climate Action Toolkit and publication of the fifth edition of the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing. To date, more than 19,300 participants have attended CSWA educational events.

    CSWA also broadened access to California wine sustainability information through an updated Sustainable Winegrowing Ambassador Course, a redesigned CSWA website, a website highlighting California wine’s sustainability milestones and a consumer-facing certification website.

    The report also reflects several important milestones, including CSWA’s 20th anniversary in 2023, the 15th anniversary of Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing and the 10th anniversary of the California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards.

    “These programmatic accomplishments and industry-wide implementation and certification of sustainable practices demonstrate meaningful progress toward CSWA’s vision of vibrant businesses, stronger communities and a healthier environment,” Jordan said. “They also underscore the California wine community’s leadership and resiliency in addressing today’s most pressing sustainability challenges.”

    — Story contributed by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance

  • California Association of Winegrape Growers Announces California Compost Tax Credit Legislation

    California Association of Winegrape Growers – As the second year of the 2023-24 legislative session is now in full swing, Senator Monique Limón, (D-Santa Barbara) has introduced SB 1135 to establish the California Compost Tax Credit Fund. This legislation seeks to incentivize sustainable agricultural practices, undertaken by winegrape growers and other ag producers, by offering a tax credit for the utilization of compost to enhance carbon sequestration efforts. This legislation is co-sponsored by the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG).

    “I am proud to author SB 1135 to establish a tax credit for California farmers, ranchers, and landowners who maximize carbon sequestration through the use of compost on natural and working lands,” said Senator Limón. “This legislation will help incentivize the utilization of compost to aid in natural carbon sequestration while also aiding the effort of the state to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.”

    “The commitment of wine grape growers to sustainability is evident through the enrollment of over 60% of the state’s wine grape acreage in certification programs,” said Natalie Collins, CAWG President. “Sustainable wine growing prioritizes practices to enhance soil health, such as planting cover crops and composting, which facilitate carbon sequestration. While these practices can entail significant investment for growers, they yield invaluable environmental benefits for the state, the nation, and the planet at large. CAWG extends its gratitude to Senator Limón for her leadership in recognizing the far-reaching impacts of these efforts and for championing this important legislation.”

    Established over 20 years ago by the collaborative efforts of CAWG and Wine Institute, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) has been a leader in promoting sustainability within the California wine industry. CSWA is a nonprofit organization which serves as a platform for vineyards and wineries, offering resources, education, and certification programs to support environmentally and socially responsible practices.

    California is home to the world’s most widely adopted sustainable winegrowing programs in terms of both winegrape acreage and case production. Producing 80% of the nation’s wine and ranking as the fourth-largest wine producing region globally, the widespread adoption of sustainability practices yields substantial benefits for the environment, employees, communities, and, naturally, the grapes and wine themselves.

  • Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Achieves Highest Level Equivalence in Global Sustainable Ag Benchmark

    Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing — a third-party vineyard, winery and wine certification program administered by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) — is the first sustainable winegrowing certification to achieve Gold Level equivalence against the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) version 3.0. FSA provides a globally recognized framework for sustainable agriculture certification and a consistent approach to demonstrate and validate alignment.

    CSWA joins over 100 sustainability programs that have been benchmarked against the FSA. Only 20%, now including CSWA, have achieved Gold Level equivalence.

    “Congratulations to the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance for achieving FSA Gold Level equivalence for Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing,” said Joe Iveson, FSA Manager at SAI Platform. “This is a great achievement that reflects a strong commitment to promoting sustainable winegrape growing and ensuring alignment with global best practices.”

    The FSA was developed with experts from inside and outside of agriculture, including leading NGOs, universities, farmers and their representative groups. The benchmark was carried out by SureHarvest, an FSA-approved consultant that determined the Gold Level Equivalence based on rigorous analysis. Vineyards certified to Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing can also be recognized at FSA Gold Level Equivalent, and count towards any other FSA users’ sustainable sourcing targets.

    The FSA includes a set of over 100 questions covering 11 sustainability topic areas: Farm Management and Community, Plant Material Selection and Propagation, Soil Management, Nutrient Management, Crop Protection, Waste Management, Water Management, Biodiversity, Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Labor Conditions and Integrated Pest Management. To achieve Gold Level equivalence, a program must address 100% of essential criteria, 100% of intermediate criteria and 75% or more of advanced criteria.

    “CSWA uses internationally recognized best practices for sustainability certification and verification programs — such as the FSA — to develop and maintain a credible and meaningful program,” said Allison Jordan, CSWA executive director. “We’re proud to be the first winegrowing certification to achieve Gold Level Equivalence.”

    Introduced in 2010, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing provides annual third-party verification that a winery or vineyard has adopted and implemented stringent sustainable winegrowing practices based on the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing and has committed to continuous improvement in those areas. In addition to implementing required practices that address the environmental and social responsibility aspects of sustainability, companies must determine the areas in which they need to improve and focus their resources to help meet their sustainability goals year after year. Currently, 80% of California wine is made in a Certified California Sustainable Winery and more than 2,500 vineyards, totaling 38% of the state’s winegrape acres, are certified sustainable.

    CSWA is committed to alignment with international standards for sustainability certification programs. In 2017, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing underwent an extensive oversight evaluation by SCS Global Services, a leader in third-party sustainability certification standards development. SCS Global Services confirmed that the program adheres to international best practices in certification including ISO/IEC Guide 59:1994, ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and ISEAL Credibility Principles. Benchmarking to FSA is another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to a global framework for sustainable agriculture.

    • Visit the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing website or email CSWA to learn more about Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing.
    • To learn more about the FSA benchmarking and to access scoring for benchmarked schemes, see the FSA Benchmark Overview and FSA Benchmarking Results.About California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance  

      CSWA is a leader in promoting sustainable winegrowing practices within the California wine industry. Created by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers in 2003, CSWA is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that implements the educational California Sustainable Winegrowing Program and administers Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing. CSWA provides the industry with a robust collection of sustainability resources that include the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, a workbook that enables growers and vintners to evaluate over 200 sustainable practices from grapes to glass against industry best practices and provides a clear path to integrating sustainable practices into their operations.

  • CA Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Certification Report Shows Continued Growth

    Marking a decade since the launch of Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing and nearly two decades since the release of the 1st Edition California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Workbook (the Code), the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) issued the 2020 Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Annual Report and published the 4th Edition California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing containing over 200 best practices.

    “Transparency and continuous improvement are two of the mantras of sustainable winegrowing in California,” said Allison Jordan, CSWA’s Executive Director. “The 2020 report provides statistics and demonstrates progress in adoption of sustainable practices by a growing number of certified vineyards and wineries over the past year. CSWA considers the Code a ‘living document’ that is regularly updated to reflect the latest sustainability best practices.”
    2020 Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Annual Report

    The California wine industry’s commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by the incredible growth in vineyard and winery participation in Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing over the past decade. Commemorating the program’s 10-year anniversary, CSWA released the 2020 certification report, the 4th annual publication, which illustrates California’s global leadership in sustainable winegrowing, with the most widely adopted sustainable winegrowing programs in the world in terms of both winegrape acreage and case production.

    As of December 2020, 171 wineries producing 80% of California’s total wine production (255 million cases) and 2,247 vineyards farming 32% of California winegrape acreage (204,122 acres) are Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing. The total statewide certified vineyard acreage is nearly 50% based on the additional 15% of California vineyard acreage certified to other state sustainability programs, including Fish Friendly Farming, Lodi Rules, Napa Green and Sustainability in Practice (SIP). The program was updated in 2017 to allow use of a new logo on labels and 6.2 million cases (76 million bottles) bear the logo, showing that the wine was made in a Certified California Sustainable Winery with 85% or more of grapes from certified vineyards (including Certified California Sustainable, Lodi Rules and SIP) and 100% from California.

    View a list of current Certified California Sustainable vineyards, wineries and wines here.

    View the Annual Report here and companion appendix here, which includes more comprehensive reporting of the adoption of sustainable practices by certified vineyards and wineries.

    4th Edition California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing

    Beginning late 2019, CSWA undertook a significant review process in preparation for the publication of the 4th Edition Code, which was published in December 2020. Each chapter was reviewed extensively by staff and consultants, the Sustainable Winegrowing Joint Committee (a group of over 50 California growers and vintners) as well as subject matter experts, in addition to a public comment period. Updates include several new criteria addressing topics such as diversity, soil carbon sequestration, virus management, vineyard solid waste, as well as new prerequisites and educational content. The 4th Edition is available free-of-charge to California vineyards and wineries via the CSWA Online System, or via a publicly available and downloadable PDF. (Learn more here.)

    The Code is the centerpiece of CSWA’s educational and certification programs, covering a broad range of sustainable practices used in vineyard and winery operations. Within its 15 chapters, the Code addresses best practices from grape to glass: sustainable business strategy, viticulture, soil management, vineyard water management, pest management, wine quality, ecosystem management, energy efficiency, winery water conservation and quality, material handling, solid waste reduction and management, sustainable purchasing, human resources, neighbors and community, air quality and climate protection.

    Building on major trends and successful regional efforts, including the first five viticulture chapters of the Lodi Winegrower’s Workbook and the Central Coast Vineyard Team’s Positive Points System, the Code was first published in 2002 to help all California vintners and growers continuously improve and adopt sustainable practices. (The 2nd Edition was published in late 2006, and the 3rd Edition was released in January 2013.) In 2010, the Code became the basis of Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, with independent auditors annually verifying that vineyards and wineries are using required practices and meeting an overall score threshold, as well as the accuracy of self-assessment scores.

    About the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance

    The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 2003 by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers. CSWA’s mission is to encourage adoption of sustainable winegrowing practices and communicate the California wine industry’s global leadership through education, outreach, certification and partnerships. The result of this work will be a healthier environment, stronger communities, and vibrant businesses.

  • Consumer & Trade Research Shows Increased Demand for Sustainably Produced Wine

    The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) along with co-hosts from California, New York, Oregon and Washington hosted a webinar June 5, 2020, sharing the latest consumer and trade perceptions on sustainable wine. Over 500 webinar registrants from 19 U.S. states and representing all aspects of the wine industry attended, confirming strong interest in this topic.

    Two wine industry research experts, Lulie Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligence based in London, and Christian Miller, proprietor of Full Glass Research in Berkeley, presented new data and insights from recent consumer and trade research on perceptions of sustainable winegrowing, certification and practices. Their research indicates increasing market demand for sustainably produced wine. As the value of sustainability in the marketplace flourishes, growers and vintners across the U.S. are increasingly embracing sustainable winegrowing practices. 

    Lulie Halstead presented updates of a survey, first presented at the inaugural U.S. Sustainable Winegrowing Summit in June 2019, where focus groups explored national and international consumer perceptions, which was updated in January 2020. “Younger consumers of legal drinking age are significantly more engaged with sustainability and view it as increasingly important to protect future resources. Communicating sustainability values is vital in helping to raise awareness of the wine industry’s significant efforts,” Halstead offered.

    Wine Intelligence research on consumer perceptions of sustainable winegrowing (particularly by Millennials and Gen Z) included a high interest in purchasing sustainably produced wine in the future, a favorable perception of sustainable certification programs and certification logos and a willingness to pay more for wine that has been sustainably produced.Key insights on Consumer Perceptions:

    • While organic wine is more universally understood, sustainably produced wine has the highest future purchase consideration, with 71% of U.S. wine drinkers (surveyed in January 2020) indicating that they would consider buying sustainably produced wine in the future.

    • Millennials lead the way in purchasing from the range of sustainably and environmentally produced wine, and nine in 10 are “willing to pay” more for sustainable wine. Among all U.S. wine consumers, $3 was the average extra value that consumers indicated they were “willing to pay” for a sustainably produced wine.

    • Younger consumers (Millennials and Gen Z of legal drinking age) are significantly more engaged with sustainability, view it as increasingly important to protect the future, and have a strong affinity towards sustainable wine certifications..

    • Consumers seek easy ways to find and identify sustainable wine such as clear and simple visual cues or clearly identified sections in a store. Sustainability certifications for wine provide transparency and reassurance.

    • While winery websites and wine tasting events are more effective at communicating wine sustainability, wine labels and peer recommendation are more frequently used sources.


    Christian Miller explored perceptions of sustainability among the trade through focus groups and a survey of 425 respondents from the 4,700-member Wine Opinions Trade Panel. In newly released findings, Miller noted, “Our research found that large majorities at all levels of the trade felt familiar with key concepts of sustainable wine production, and do recommend sustainably produced, organic and biodynamic wines to their customers.” The research also indicated “strong support for clear and reliable certifications that can be communicated to the trade and consumers,” according to Miller.

    Wine Opinions Trade Panel Respondents

    The Importance of Sustainable Practices to the Trade in Choosing Wines—2019 vs. 2016

    Key insights on Trade Perceptions

    • Protecting natural resources and addressing climate change impacts were perceived as the two leading goals of sustainable production, with 86% and 79% respectively agreeing that they were necessary requirements of sustainability. In a similar 2016 survey, the responses were 77% and 62% respectively.

    •Sustainable practices are frequently (32%) or occasionally (50%) a factor when choosing a wine to market or sell to customers. Only 3% responded “Never.” In a similar 2016 survey, responses were frequently (21%) and occasionally (52%) and Never (4%).

    •Sustainable practices were a factor due to a combination of personally caring about sustainability (84%), increased consumer demand (71%) and as a useful selling attribute (68%). In the 2016 survey, 71% indicated that their personal support was a factor.

    •In terms of the market outlook, 73% feel that the demand for sustainably produced products has increased over the past five to 10 years; and 76% think it will increase in the next five to 10 years. In 2016, responses were 66%/73%, respectively.

    •“All things being equal” (in terms of the product), 71% would purchase a sustainably produced wine over one that is not.

    •The promotions or actions that were seen as most useful in supporting the category were “clear and highly visible labeling” on wine packages, back label information and tastings or seminars promoting sustainably produced wines to consumers.

    The hour-long program concluded with a question and answer session along with tips for communicating sustainability to trade and consumers, presented by CSWA Executive Director Allison Jordan. Jordan noted, “It is CSWA’s long-term mission to promote adoption of sustainable practices. We’re thrilled to see a growing interest in sustainable practices from trade and consumers, while seeking marketplace opportunities for wineries and winegrape growers that are implementing these practices.”

    Webinar co-hosts included Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing, Oregon Wine Board, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Washington State Wine, Washington Winegrowers and LIVE. Watch the webinar HERE.

  • Updates To CSWA Documentation Requirements

    Santa Rosa, Calif., (August 2, 2017) – New changes in the California Sustainable Winegrowers Association (CSWA) Code require documentation on new items for growers, such as Nitrogen input into the soil, water tracking and weekly monitoring of pests during the growing season. CSWA isn’t requiring growers to show less use of water or nitrogen, or even their exact measurements, they just want to see a tracking protocol in place. Here are a few easy ways to document these new requirements and complete continual improvement plans:

    • Measuring Nitrogen input into the soil – CSWA has developed new tracking software to help calculate applied nitrogen. Tracking and improving the efficiency of amounts applied as fertilizer or other nitrogen-containing additives is important to save money, meet vine needs and avoid environmental problems. Check out CSWA’s measuring tools at www.sustainablewinegrowing.org/performance-metrics.php.
    • Measuring Water – Did you know about 20% of energy consumed in California relates to water? So, reducing use saves energy and money, reduces emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and reduces reliance on constrained supplies. If you don’t want to use the online measure tool through CSWA, you can manually calculate your water. Just divide acre-inches applied by acre to calculate water per acre, or calculate acre-inches applied by ton of grapes to calculate water per tons of grapes. The auditor just wants to see your calculations for the year, nothing more.
    • Weekly monitoring for pests, and other events in the vineyard – Have a designated notebook in your truck documenting weekly significant pest sightings, pheniological events, viticulture activities and pesticide applications. Some weeks you may not have any significant pest sightings or pesticide application, just put an (X) to show your auditor you walked through the vineyard that week.