SIP Certified: Vineyards Setting the Sustainability Standard Since 2008
San Luis Obispo, Calif. – Since its launch in 2008, Vineyard Team’s SIP Certified® program has recognized vineyards and wineries that go above and beyond in their commitment to sustainable winegrowing. These businesses uphold rigorous standards that protect the people, planet, and prosperity of their business. Today, we proudly recognize the growers who have earned SIP Certified every year since 2008.
Hahn Ste. Phillipe and Ste. Nicholas Vineyards (Monterey Pacific)
Both vineyards are in the Arroyo Seco appellation within Monterey County, and both earned SIP Certified together in 2008. Today they are under the vineyard management of Monterey Pacific.
Steve McIntyre, owner of Monterey Pacific (1992), is a founding member of Vineyard Team. Members of his team have continued to stay involved through Vineyard Team’s Board of Directors, and by sharing their expertise on various committees and at grower lead events.
Be sure to catch Jeff Lehar, Director of Mechanization and Equipment at Monterey Pacific, at this year’s Sustainable Ag Expo! He’s delivering a presentation on successful vineyard mechanization integration.
Castoro Cellars
Niels and Bimmer Udsen share a deep respect for the land and a desire to encourage stewardship of the environment. Their vineyards have been SIP Certified since 2008 and are also CCOF Organic certified.
They launched Castoro Cellars in 1983 with a laid-back, warm, welcoming style that showcases their emphasis on community.
Castoro Cellars is home to the Whale Rock Disc Golf course and the annual Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival, which donates proceeds to the Templeton High School Band.
Templeton Preserve Vineyard (Mesa Vineyard Management)
The Merrill Family has been growing grapes on California’s Central Coast for at least 8 generations. They hold a strong belief in community and industry involvement.
Dana Merrill is a founding member of Vineyard Team, and his son, Matt Merrill, has served on Vineyard Team’s Board of Directors and various committees over the years.
Dana Merrill founded Mesa Vineyard Management in 1989. He purchased Pomar Junction vineyard in 2002 and worked diligently to earn SIP Certified in 2008.
Today, Strongwater Viticultural Investments LLC, a partnership between three leaders in the Central Coast’s wine industry (Anthony Bozzano, Andrew Jones, and Michael Testa), is part-owner of the vineyard but the Merrill's are still very much involved with daily operations.
Jackson Family Wines Vineyards of Monterey
Jackson Family Wines' vineyards have been in the program since the beginning, and the team continues to be involved with Vineyard Team on an organizational level to this day.
Denise Shurtleff, VP of Production for South Coast and Bart Haycraft, VP of Farming for South Coast have both served on our Board of Directors and in various committees, and both have hosted educational and collaborative meetings.
Today, all the Jackson Family Wines vineyards in California have earned SIP Certified.
Laetitia Vineyard & Winery
At Laetitia, sustainability goes beyond the vineyards. Their 900+ acre estate is permanently protected by the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, guaranteeing that it will always be preserved.
In 2024, long-time winemaker and general manager Eric Hickey, along with partners Ejnar Knudsen and Jeff Nicholson, purchased the estate and are continuing its history of sustainable practices.
Orcutt Road Ranch (Pacific Coast Farming)
Pacific Coast Farming has been farming vineyards since the first Edna Valley planting in 1973 and certifying with SIP Certified since the program began in 2008.
Orcutt Road Ranch was one of the first Pacific Coast Farming vineyards that earned SIP Certified.
Vineyard Manager Erin Amaral has shared her time and expertise through serving on Vineyard Team’s Board of Directors and speaking at the Sustainable Ag Expo. She also serves on the SLO County Farm Bureau's Board of Directors.
Wolff Vineyards
Jean-Pierre Wolff is a long-time supporter of Vineyard Team, has a long history of board membership with several local, State and Federal agricultural organizations on California's Central Coast, and is constantly seeking innovation and efficiency in his own vineyard. In 2017, he decided to convert a portion of Wolff Vineyard to drought-resistant rootstocks and plant them three feet into the ground.
Initially, this was a way to increase water efficiency by reducing evaporation. But he found the benefits extended to reducing pest pressure!
Water and fertilizer are applied through PVC pipes that lead directly to the root systems, so weeds with shallow roots can’t access these resources.
And vertebrate pests don’t typically dig to the depths at which the roots lie.
Wolff Vineyards is host to many applied research projects with Cal Poly and State Agencies.
Cheers to many more years of innovation to come!
Congratulations!
We honor the dedication of these SIP Certified vineyards and their ongoing efforts to shape a more sustainable future for the winegrowing community. Their leadership and commitment inspire others to join the movement and continue raising the bar for what it means to farm with care and integrity.
About SIP Certified
Sustainability In Practice (SIP) Certified ® is a sustainable certification program for winegrowers and winemakers. The program evolved from the first sustainable vineyard self-assessment (Positive Points System) developed by Vineyard Team which helped growers evaluate their sustainable practices on every level, from habitat to water, soil to human resources. Today, nearly 41,000 vineyard acres in California, Oregon, and Michigan, six wineries, and more than 65 million bottles of wine have been SIP Certified.
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