Our Sustainability Initiative

Earth Day is April 22nd, a time when we demonstrate support for environmental protection. At Andis, we believe in honoring that demonstration and make it a mission to be as environmentally-friendly as possible when it comes to winemaking and viticulture. 

Here's how…

Cover Crops

Cover crops are a great way to have a large impact in the vineyard naturally. In between the rows of vines, we plant a variety of cover crops to help the soil with water retention and erosion. The added vegetation attracts healthy insects promoting ecological balance in the vineyards. In the spring, we till the cover crops into the earth, adding much needed nutrients back into the soil.

Owl Boxes

As part of our integrated pest management program, we have built owl boxes to attract our feathered friends. By providing a safe place for the owls to reside in our vineyards, we can help to increase the declining barn owl population in our area.

An owl family can consume up to 2,000 rodents per year, which also helps lessen our use of pesticides and chemicals.

Pomace

We use pomace, the skins left over from winemaking, to keep dust down from our vineyard roads. By controlling dust, fine particles are prevented from becoming airborne, which can cause health issues or damage vegetation.

Our Winery    

Our winery is built with a green design that is solar powered. We positioned the building on an East/West axis so the hot summer sun is only on the roof.

Lighter Bottles & Reusable Carafes    

We are currently switching to lighter weight bottles to help lower waste in packaging. Our "Wine on Tap" program is another way we try to reduce waste by using refillable bottles. 

Recycling

We also recycle everything we possibly can. This includes bottles, boxes, corks, capsules and foils ~ some of which are taken by local artists for different projects.