FRESH VOICES: Producing for the People and the Planet by Caitlin Burdick

Featured in The Somm Journal | June/July 2022

IN 2016, I graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in viticulture and enology. There, I was taught traditional, conventional methods of winemaking and vineyard management. The impact that those practices could have on our environment didn’t cross my mind until an incident occurred while I was still in school involving local cotton farmers who were using a certain chemical in their fields; one windy day, their spray ended up destroying a neighboring vineyard. I recall seeing on the news how devastating the effects were for area wineries. It was astonishing to me that someone’s carelessness could so heavily impact the livelihood of a next-door neighbor, and for the first time I realized that there is something seriously concerning about the chemicals we have access to. If they could damage a plant in this way, what could they do to the animals sharing the land? What could they do to us as consumers?

After working for a few years in various parts of the wine industry, I was lucky enough to join a company that shares my values—a company that, one, prides itself on building partnerships with producers who are passionate about alternative agricultural practices that take our planet into account and, two, strives to educate its team members and customers on the importance of doing better for the environment and our bodies. It was here where my passion for sustainability in the industry started to grow.

Biodynamic “tools” at Château Ferrière in Margaux.

In my visits to wine regions across the world, the first question I ask producers is “What sustainability efforts are you making?” Over the years their answers have varied: While some stick to vague claims, others point to organic, biodynamic, and/or regenerative certifications. There are enough of the latter out there to make your head spin, but the fact that a rising number of producers are transitioning to more conscious practices is truly inspiring.

So, what can we wine-industry folks do to keep this movement growing? Let’s encourage our partners to move toward organic, biodynamic, and regenerative agriculture and production by putting more sustainably made wines in our stores and on our menus. And let’s encourage our customers to branch out by reading labels, researching how wines are made, and finding new favorites.

Change isn’t easy, and sometimes it’s hard to get started. Many of these practices can be expensive, labor intensive, and higher risk—but they will pay off year after year. As an industry, we can do better together. Planet Earth and our future generations deserve it!