Sweetwater Sustainable Land Co

Toward a more sustainable wine...
Our family lives and works on these estate vineyards, where grapes are sustainably grown and harvested entirely by hand. We have worked in conjunction with nature for nearly four decades in the Russian River Valley, where our vineyards are known for producing wines of exceptional balance and character.


		Toward a more sustainable wine... Our family lives and works on these estate vineyards, where grapes are sustainably grown and harvested entirely by hand. We have worked in conjunction with nature for nearly four decades in the Russian River Valley, where our vineyards are known for producing wines of exceptional balance and character.



*Our Wines* About Us Sustainability Our Vineyards Distributors Events Sales Tools Contact Us	About Us On 375 acres situated in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley, our vineyards produce cool climate grapes widely recognized as some of the finest in the world. Grape growers of the early 1900's recognized the sites of our vineyards as being uniquely suited for wine grape growing. Building on their knowledge and experience, we have matched the soil and climate of each parcel with the varietals most likely to achieve its full potential. PRESERVING OUR HOME Sweetwater Sustainable Land Company is committed to keep Sonoma County environmentally sound. We do a number of environmentally friendly things for no other reason than to preserve the county that is our home. We have included 118 acres of our vineyards properties in the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. These properties include an oak woodland, which unlike many parts of Sonoma County are regenerating well. Along with our infant oak trees, we do not cut down healthy, mature oak trees, we simply make them an integral part of our vineyards. A number of years ago we started an oak tree nursery to provide an in-house source of native oak trees to be used in our environmental projects. In dealing with the animals that share vineyard land with us we have implemented a number of creative and environmentally conscious techniques such as barn owl boxes and raptor perches which promote natural predator-prey relationships and reduce the need for environmentally harmful pest control techniques. We practice integrated pest management and use only the most environmentally safe products, those that kill the pest and do not affect any other life form. We make a special effort to preserve our most important agricultural resource, water. We are constantly vigilant of the creek, stream and river ways and their ecosystem, never allowing the vineyard edge to impose on them. We take steps to avoid the contamination of waterways with soil, sediment, or pesticides. Sweetwater Sustainable Land Company has taken a number of steps not only to preserve but also to promote the natural environment of Sonoma County. Soil Sterilization We do not sterilize soil when developing new vineyards. Soil is a very complex environment from which vine roots obtain water and nutrients. It is only as a complete, healthy, balanced ecosystem, that grapevine roots can effectively use soil. This means we do not 'mess' with nature, we encourage her. Owl Boxes We construct owl boxes and place them in vineyards with a gopher problem or young vineyards that will be at risk from gophers. Owls are, fortunately, relatively common residents of Sonoma County. They are very effective predators at night, the time when gophers feel safe to come above ground. We provide nesting choices by building nesting boxes that are snake and rodent proof, suspending them from living tree limbs close to and in our vineyards. This ensures the population of owls will be able to find nesting sites in a vineyard where there is plenty to eat. Thus, we are cultivating a natural predator (owls) - prey (gopher) relationship. Raptor Perches At Sweetwater Sustainable Land Company we construct raptor perches and erect them in our vineyards that have a bird grape-feeding problem. The perches are 3-inch diameter dowels at 12 feet height positioned at the end of vine rows and within the rows. Perches attract raptors (birds of prey) for their superior visibility. They make vineyards a very desirable place to hunt. A vineyard that is attracting raptors will be a very undesirable place for small birds such as house finches and starlings that can consume every grape berry on a vine. Bird Netting Another method of protecting grapes from birds is the use of bird netting over vine rows; which is called an exclusionary practice. We choose this method of bird prevention so that we do not need to use noisy propane cannons or other noise producing devices to frighten away birds. Integrated Pest Management We practice integrated pest management, which means we monitor our vineyards' health closely and only change our cultivation practices where a pest, disease or weed is determined to be damaging. This means some vineyard areas may require an application of environmentally safe product, while other areas will remain untreated. We use only the most environmentally safe products. Oak Trees Oak trees, particularly the grand, valley oak, are one of Sonoma County's characteristics native beauties. We do not cut down live, mature oak trees in order to replace this beauty with grapevines. We simply make them a healthy part of our vineyards. We have been fortunate this year and with previous years to be witnessing an acorn (oak seed) fertility extravaganza. We took advantage of this event a number of years ago by starting an oak tree nursery so that we have an in-house source of native oak trees to be used in our environmental efforts. The dominant trees in the oak woodland, include coast live oak, black oak (Quercus kelloggii), blue oak (Q. douglasii) and Oregon oak (Q. garryana). There are also Madrone and Blue Elderberry. Unlike many parts of Sonoma County the oak woodland on this property is regenerating well and includes a range of size classes of oaks from seedlings through mature trees. Water Our most important agricultural resource is water. We are constantly vigilant of creek, stream, waterways, and their ecosystem. We manage these riparian corridors by not allowing the vineyard edge to impose upon the natural flora and fauna of this ecosystem. We are very careful not to contaminate waterways with soil or sediment. Good Neighbors The Sweetwater Sustainable Land Company farms in the Russian River Valley along with many other wine-grape growers in a very diverse community including residential areas, schools, businesses and nurseries. Often other members of our community border our vineyards, so in addition to being excellent stewards of this rich land, producing wonderful wines from the fruits of the land, we also practice being good, conscientious neighbors. Boundaries We leave wildlife trails for deer and other mammals intact fencing our vineyards only when neighbors require a clear demarcation.