Sustainability
Farming to Reveal Vineyard Character
At Hartford Family Winery, our legacy is firmly rooted in the land that inspires us.
We’ve dedicated ourselves to sustainable practices that enhance soil health and biodiversity, while preserving natural habitats. These practices ensure the long-term health of our lands, yield the highest quality grapes, and help reveal the distinct character of each vineyard site through the wines that we craft.
Sustainable
Land Practices
Family Vision
Our family believes quality winegrowing and care for the land must go hand in hand. This commitment to environmental responsibility shapes every decision we make in both our vineyards and winery.
Through our sustainable and regenerative farming practices, water conservation efforts, commitment to renewable energy, and stewardship of our lands, we strive to be a conscientious member of our global community and protect our natural resources and wildlife habitats for generations to come.
Certified Sustainable
All our estate vineyards are certified sustainable through the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) and Sustainability in Practice (SIP) programs. This means we adhere to rigorous, annual third-party standards covering more than 200+ best practices, from water and energy efficiency to pest management, biodiversity, and employee policies. We also employ regenerative farming practices such as livestock integration, cover crop management, composting, and the use of organic-based herbicides to enhance soil and vine health.
Land Stewardship
65% of the land at Hartford is comprised of natural habitat, from redwood forests to salmon-spawning creeks. These healthy, native ecosystems are our legacy to maintain for the future.
Solar Efficiency
Solar panels produce over 300 MWh annually, offsetting close to 50% of our winemaking and operational electricity use.
Water Management
For decades, we have focused on increasing water efficiency and watershed management to protect salmon-spawning within the Green Valley Creek, which runs through our estate. Our water conservation efforts extend to winery operations as well. We were the first winery to pilot an innovative barrel washer that recycles water up to three times. Numerous wineries throughout Sonoma County now use this system.
All these efforts have helped decrease our water use by over 79% since 2008, resulting in over 3.7 million gallons of water saved. That’s the equivalent of filling more than 5 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Zero Waste Winery
We are a zero-waste winery with almost all of our waste (97%) being composted, recycled, or reused each year.
Commitment to Our Global Community
We are proud to be part of the International Wineries For Climate Action (IWCA). This organization, open to any winery in the world that commits to becoming climate positive by 2050, takes a science-based approach to reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change.
Farming for
Quality
We carefully select the most interesting, expressive vineyard sites to make our wines. Every decision, from budbreak to bottling, is made to amplify the character of the grapes, and that intention shines through in the finished wine.
Our Viticultural
Practices
Regenerative farming practices such as compost, cover crops, and conservation tillage are employed in the vineyards to maximize soil health and ensure the wines fully express the flavor characterized by each unique vineyard site.
Soils
We employ sustainable and regenerative farming practices—including composting, cover crop management, conservation tillage, livestock integration, and organic-based herbicides—to maximize the health of our soil and vines. Based on in-depth soil analyses, we have mapped our vineyards into small blocks to tailor farming practices and rootstock/clonal selections to specific environmental conditions. Our goal is to allow each individual block to express its most distinctive character.
Less is More
We believe that limited intervention promotes the expression of distinctive vineyard personality and adds to our belief in sustainable farming. For example, nesting boxes give protection to owls and raptors that provide natural pest management in the vineyards.
Vine Spacing
The vines are planted tightly spaced (from 4 by 6 feet to 5 by 8 feet, depending on location). We believe that tight spacing encourages competition among vines, promotes smaller cluster and berry size, and accentuates the intensity of our wines.
Low Yields
We believe low yields generally produce more intense, concentrated flavors and textures. Our vineyards typically yield from as little as .75 tons per acre to 3 tons per acre.
Dry Farming
Several of our established vineyards are not irrigated. We feel that over-watering of vines produces more crop but dilutes flavors.
Harvest by Taste
At Hartford Family Winery, we harvest our grapes at night to take advantage of cooler temperatures. Our harvest decisions are based on flavor rather than relying solely on Brix readings or laboratory testing. While we find technical measurements valuable, we ultimately decide to harvest only when our tastings confirm that the sugars, tannins, acids, and flavors have reached their optimal balance.
