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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 43rd Annual Conference, which will take place on August 14-16, 2019 in Washington, DC. Our guest author is Allison Jordan, who—along with Mollie Battenhouse, MW—is co-leading a conference session entitled “The California Table – Wine Leads the Way in Sustainable Agriculture.”
Consumers, retailers and restaurants are increasingly interested in how their food and wine is grown and made. In fact, 2019 consumer research by Wine Intelligence – commissioned by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and partner organizations from New York, Oregon and Washington – indicates high interest in purchasing sustainably produced wine in the future, a favorable perception of sustainable certification programs and certification logos, and a willingness to pay more for sustainably produced wine, particularly by Millennials and Gen Z. For instance, Millennials lead the way in purchasing from sustainably and environmentally produced wine, and nine in 10 indicated that they are “willing to pay” more for sustainably produced wine. U.S wine consumers indicated they would be “willing to pay” an average of $3 extra value for a sustainably produced wine. In addition, younger consumers (Millennials and Gen Z of legal drinking age) are significantly more engaged with sustainability, viewed as increasingly important to protect the future, and indicate that sustainable wine certifications have a strong appeal.
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But do consumers even understand what sustainable winegrowing is? How do sustainable practices impact wine quality? What role does certification play? And can wine educators and trade explain it in less than 30 seconds?
For nearly two decades, California vineyards and wineries have been leaders in the sustainable agriculture movement, with 85% of California wine now made in a Certified California Sustainable Winery. Other specialty crops in the state are also embracing sustainability. Join Allison Jordan and Mollie Battenhouse as they share insights about the sustainable wine and food movement in California and beyond; explore the link between sustainable practices and wine quality; reveal new domestic and international consumer research findings; and convey trade tips for communicating sustainability to consumers.
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California food and wine’s commitment to environmentally and socially responsible agriculture is documented in a new book, Wine Country Table – Recipes Celebrating California’s Sustainable Harvest, which provides a culinary tour of California by region highlighting the state’s vintners and farmers, their amazing stories, commitment to land stewardship and sustainable practices, along and 50 recipes paired with wine. Mollie and Allison will also lead a tasting of wines from a half dozen wineries featured in Wine Country Table:*
- Handley Cellars │ 2016 Brut Rose Estate Vineyard
- Tablas Creek │ 2017 Cotes de Tablas Blanc
- Cambria Estate Winery │ 2017 Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay
- Chamisal Vineyards │ 2017 Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir
- Ridge Vineyards │ 2017 East Bench Zinfandel
- Turley Wine Cellars │ 2016 Turley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
*Each member of the audience will receive a complimentary copy of Wine Country Table – Recipes Celebrating California’s Sustainable Harvest, written by Janet Fletcher with photography by Robert Holmes and Sara Remington and published by Rizzoli New York in 2019.
Allison Jordan, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
About the speaker: Allison Jordan: Allison Jordan is Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Vice President, Environmental Affairs for Wine Institute, where she is responsible for oversight of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program and Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE). Jordan represents Wine Institute on the National Grape Research Alliance board of directors and the California Environmental Dialogue Plenary. Previously, she was a Senior Associate at SureHarvest and Vice President and Acting Executive Director of Resource Renewal Institute. Jordan holds a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at UC Berkeley and a Psychology B.A. from Allegheny College, and is a fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s American Marshall Memorial Fellowship program. Jordan and her husband are founding partners of Giordano Bros., a San Francisco restaurant group.
Mollie Battenhouse, MW, Jackson Family Wines
About the speaker: Mollie Battenhouse, MW: Mollie Battenhouse graduated cum laude from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, but the pace and energy of restaurants beckoned, and she made it her mission to assemble a stellar resume. She enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America and graduated at the top of her class. She would go on to work at acclaimed restaurants like Payard Patisserie and Bistro and Pondicherry in New York City. Battenhouse’s move into wine began with a part-time job at Joshua Wesson’s Best Cellars wine shop in Manhattan. Battenhouse found her home in wine at the store; what started as a part-time gig turned into an eight-year tenure. She returned to the restaurant world to work as head sommelier at Tribeca Grill, where she was responsible for maintaining a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list.
Following Tribeca Grill, Mollie moved to the distribution side of the business, and became the Director of Sales and Business Development for V.O.S. Selections in New York and New Jersey. The Education side of the business came calling, and Mollie went to work for Jackson Family Wines in 2016, where she is currently the National Director of Wine Education.
“Sustainable Winegrowing in California” will be presented on Friday, August 16, 2019, at 3:00 pm as part of SWE’s 43rd Annual Conference, which will take place on August 14-16, 2019 in Washington, DC.