Sustainability at Round Pond Estate

People | Place | Purpose

For over 40 years we have had the pleasure and the privilege of being stewards of Round Pond Estate, and sustainability has always been, at the heart of who we are. This is why we’re constantly working on new ways to be conscious of how we utilize our resources, and we are excited to share what we have done and will be doing to ensure sustainability is front and center in all that we do. By focusing on sustainability from the soil to plant, grape to glass, we’re ensuring the ability to produce these wines for generations to come.

 

These are a few of the pillars of sustainability that guide us in our efforts of being mindful stewards of our land and reducing our environment impact in all areas of our business.

People

Diversity | Equity | Balance

Our dad always said, “People are everything” and this is a tenet we honor to our core. Our people, our teams, and our guests mean everything to us. We strive to create an equitable, diverse environment for our employees and honor their work and life balance. We hope to provide an educational, inspiring, and engaging environment for all of our guests who visit. We honor the work of our teams and thank them for helping us to preserve this land and business for the next generation.

Place

In the Vineyards

No Round Up | Low-Till Farming | Waste Composting

Sustainable wines begin in the vineyard. Our Napa Green Certified vineyards are treated with the utmost respect to ensure the fruit we grow is the truest expression of place. We practice a low to no-till system to not disturb the soil and instead, we have established a permanent cover crop of native grasses that nourish our soils and preserve the habitats for native bees & wasps. We utilize sheep for weed management instead of tractors or harsh pesticides, which have lower carbon outputs while boosting the soil health and fertility with their droppings. After harvest we compost the grape pomace and utilize it to replenish our vineyard soils, closing the circle on vineyard waste.

On the Estate

Natural Pest Management | Beneficial Insects  | Culinary Gardens

Integrated pest management is a key promoting the natural life cycles in our vineyards, olive groves, and gardens. We have nesting sites for predatory owls, hawks, and swallows all around the property and have preserved the natural riparian habitats throughout the estate. Our extensive gardens and beneficial blooms bring in valuable insects and support our beehives that help pollinate the local flora and fauna. Our renowned culinary gardens help to diversify our agricultural land usage and are thoughtfully and intentionally planted in accordance with the seasons so our culinary team always has access to the most local, seasonal ingredients.

Water Conservation
More Efficient Equipment | Less Water Use | Wastewater Treatment

We have introduced more efficient equipment to reduce water usage in winemaking. Our new automated pumpover machines, larger presses, and a larger destemmer mean that we don’t need to wash and sanitize the equipment multiple times in the winemaking process and we can reduce our crush and press days, all of which help reduce our overall water usage. We’re currently in the process of installing a BioFilter wastewater treatment system that employees earthworms to purify the winery wastewater so we can reuse 100% as landscape irrigation water.

Facilities & Packaging
Energy Efficient Swaps | Energy Use Monitoring | Using Clean, Renewable Energy

We’ve upgraded our light fixtures throughout the winery and administrative offices to LED energy-efficient bulbs, to reduce our kilowatt-hours by 14% and are continuing to find additional ways to reduce this usage across the property. We’re also working to evaluate the energy usage of our barrel room with a goal to enroll in the Deep Green Program which will enable us to source all of our energy from clean, renewable sources.

Purpose

Community | Alzheimer’s Awareness | Mission

We know that sustainability goes far beyond farming and conservation, sustainability also means supporting the community you are in and for us, that is through our mission to end Alzheimer’s. Our Dad lost his battle with Alzheimer’s on May 18, 2021 and our family knows all too well how shattering it is to watch a loved one struggle with the disease. We hope to honor Dad, and the 50 million people living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia worldwide by doing our part to bring awareness and funding to help find a cure through our work with the Alzheimer’s Association®.