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Certification Requirements


Certified wineries and vineyards must meet the following requirements each year, verified during an annual independent third-party audit:

✔   Evaluate Practices Annually:

Wineries and vineyards start with an annual assessment of 144 vineyard and 105 winery best practices using the comprehensive California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing. The Code includes 16 chapters and a built-in system with metrics to measure performance.
 


Auditors verify that all self-assessment scores (Category 1‐4) accurately reflect on-the-ground practices during the annual audit. Practices included in Category 1 meet existing regulation, where relevant, with practices increasing in sustainability from Category 1 to 4.

✔   Implement Required Practices:

There are 60 prerequisite practices for vineyards, and 41 prerequisite practices for wineries. (While prerequisites specify minimal scores, certified vineyards and wineries often score above these minimum practices.) For a list of required practices, see our Prerequisites List - 4th Edition.

✔    Exceed Overall Score Threshold:

To ensure general fulfillment of all sustainable practices addressed by the Code, 85% of the total scores must be Category 2 or higher by Year Two of certification. Practices included in Category 2 and above are considered sustainable practices in the industry.

✔    Responsibly Manage Vineyard Pests and Disease:  

Certified vineyards must have a robust Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach that minimizes risks to people and the environment. They must also comply with prohibitions or restrictions on crop protection materials that are “restricted” by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and/or the US Environmental Protection Agency.*

✔    “Measure to Manage” Water, Energy, Nitrogen and Greenhouse Gases:

Vineyards must measure and record water use and nitrogen applied annually by Year Two of certification. Wineries must measure and record water use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions annually by Year Two of certification.

✔    Continuously Improve: 

All certified vineyards and wineries must also demonstrate on-going improvement in the adoption of sustainable practices on an annual basis. Written action plans that address priority areas are created, executed and audited to document the implementation of additional sustainable practices each year.

✔    Verify Certified Sustainable Wine:

Wine bearing the certification logo or claims must be made in a certified winery, using at least 85% or higher grapes from certified vineyards and 100% California grapes. A winery that uses a certification claim or logo on a wine label is required to complete a Chain of Custody audit to ensure it meets program standards.
 

*All of these requirements are in addition to the rigorous regulatory environment in California that determines the materials that may be used in winegrape cultivation, who can apply them and what training/licensing they must have. California is also the only state and wine region to require mandatory reporting of all pesticide use to ensure adherence to strict regulations.

 

About CSWA


The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) is a leader in promoting sustainable winegrowing practices within the California wine industry. Created by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers in 2003, CSWA is a nonprofit organization that implements the educational California Sustainable Winegrowing Program and administers Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing. CSWA provides the industry with a robust collection of sustainability resources that include the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, a workbook that enables growers and vintners to evaluate over 200 sustainable practices from grapes to glass against industry best practices and provides a clear path to integrating sustainable practices into their operations.

Upholding International Standards


The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance utilized internationally recognized best practices for sustainability certification programs to develop and maintain a credible and meaningful program. CSWA underwent an extensive oversight evaluation conducted by a neutral third-party, SCS Global Services, a leader in third-party sustainability certification standards development. Upon completion of the oversight evaluation, SCS Global Services confirmed that Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing adheres to internationally recognized standards for certification programs (including ISO/IEC Guide 59:1994, ISO/IEC 17065:2012, and ISEAL Credibility Principles), ensures program integrity by following auditing best practices, and measures and reports on the positive impact to sustainability.

 

Meet the Winegrower


Meet some of the leaders in the California sustainable winegrowing community and learn about the work they do to produce high quality grapes and wine, protect the environment and enhance the communities in which they live and work. Recipients of the prestigious California Green Medal, these vineyards and wineries demonstrate daily their belief that sustainability matters. They are enterprises on a mission. Explore now.


Not Deep Enough?


Learn more details about the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program.
 

Become a California Sustainable Winegrowing Ambassador

Take this free one-hour course to learn about sustainable winegrowing — now offered in English and Spanish.

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