The Longevity of Sustainable Vineyard Practices

Joelle Ainsley (name disguised at her request), a vineyard manager in California’s Central Coast, was concerned with the environmental impact of the conventional farming techniques used at her vineyards. She wondered if she could make her vineyards sustainable and leverage the increase in consumer demand for organic products. Considering that sustainability might be more expensive and time consuming to execute than conventional farming, Ainsley brought on a research team to examine the effects of sustainable practices. The team attempted to quantify the environmental and wine quality benefits. With data in hand, Ainsley must decide how to balance her desire to farm sustainably with the increased costs and unknown benefits of doing so. This case examines sustainable farming practices, looks at the cost and quality of sustainably grown grapes compared with conventional farming, and explores consumer attitudes toward organically produced wine. The case includes preliminary data that indicates increased soil health but no discernable increase in quality to the fruit or wine chemistry.