There is a new certification now, available for Wineries and one local winery has now become the very first such in our area to have completed their rigorous program.

SIP Sustainability in Practice Certification evolved from a set of programs dedicated to sustainability developed by a California group, The Vineyard Team in 1994. They pioneered an innovative and award winning Positive Points System which helped educate and guide growers
to adopt practices that would protect both humans and natural resources. First used by California Vineyards and other agricultural
industries to develop self assessments, it soon began receiving national recognition by government and environmental groups. By 2002 the program had begun to shift from one of self assessment to third party certification that would be measurable and verifiable and by 2008 a rigorous set of Standards had been developed and the Vineyard Program piloted. But because sustainable winemaking does not end with the vineyard, the next eight years were spent developing similar standards for winemaking and the certification program for wineries was launched
in 2016. It took many years to develop these standards in part because they had to be reviewed
independently by over fifty environmental, regulatory and academic representatives, but the
program, which found almost immediate favor among California winemakers, has now gained national attention.

And now, our very first local winery Waterfire Vineyard in Kewadin has become the first vineyard in Michigan, indeed the first vineyard
outside California, to be certified by this program, one of the most rigorous in the country. Congratulations to Waterfire are in order. In order to achieve this, they not only had to follow organic and biological growing practices, they also have to follow an assortment of additional requirements, including water and air conservation, energy efficiency, soil and fruit quality, social responsibility, community relations
and more. Perhaps a celebration of that achievement with one of their wines would be in order…