Discover the Pure Delight of Organic & Biodynamic Wines – Nurturing Your Palate and the Planet

April was Earth Month, and May is Oregon Wine Month! What a great time to celebrate the beauty of Oregon wine country and renew our commitment to protecting it for future generations.

If you’re a wine lover, there’s no better way to celebrate than by exploring the sustainable and environmentally friendly wineries in Newberg, Oregon. Here are some local wineries & farms that are leading the way in sustainable winegrowing practices:

What is a LIVE Certification?

LIVE Certified:

The LIVE acronym stands for Low Input Viticulture Enology, and it supports environmentally and socially responsible wine growing through third-party certification and education. Their roots are in the Pacific Northwest, and their standard is internationally accredited and recognized. Learn More

SALMON Safe:

Salmon-Safe works with west coast farmers, developers, and other environmentally innovative landowners to reduce watershed impacts through rigorous third-party verified certification. Learn More

Adelsheim Vineyard – Adelsheim has been a leader in the Chehalem Mountains since its founding in 1971. In addition to being a LIVE Certified Sustainable and Salmon Safe winery, they are a seven-time Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery.

Alexana Estate – Entirely farmed by hand, Alexana’s Revana Estate Vineyard uses a variety of sustainable farming practices to promote soil health, encourage consistent and exceptional grapes, and ensure the longevity of its small vineyard. These include cover crops, integrated pest management, being LIVE certified, being Salmon-Safe, and having a Gold LEED-certified tasting room.

Ambar Estate – As the first Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyard in the Willamette Valley, Ambar Estate believes great wine is born from a thoughtful collaboration between science and nature. It is also Salmon-Safe, Bee-Friendly, and LIVE certified. Its tasting room and production facility are solar-powered, and it uses lightweight bottles to reduce its carbon footprint even more.

ArborBrook Vineyards – ArborBrook Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery that has been certified by LIVE and Salmon-Safe. They use only sustainable, organic farming practices and have implemented many environmentally friendly practices in their winemaking operations. In January of 2022, Arborbrook was acquired by Cooper Mountain Vineyards, a family-run pioneer of organic and biodynamic viticulture in Oregon (est. 1978). This new chapter passes the property from one Oregon family to another, and brings Arborbrook under the management of Cooper Mountain Vineyards, which now farms over 200 acres of Willamette Valley soil organically and biodynamically.

Brick House Wine Co. – This winery has been practicing organic farming since its founding in 1990 and is a Demeter certified Biodynamic® farm. It uses no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, and its vineyards are LIVE certified. It also uses renewable energy sources and has implemented many other sustainable practices throughout its operations.

Chehalem Winery – Chehalem Winery is committed to sustainable farming practices. Ridgecrest, Corral Creek, Stoller, and Chehalem Estate vineyards are LIVE and Salmon Safe certified. They do not use herbicides; weeds are controlled by hand and mechanization, and vineyards are dry farmed whenever possible to reduce the stress on groundwater sources.

Compris Vineyards – Their 12.5-acre estate offers expansive views and meticulously cared-for vines. The vineyard and winery are LIVE Certified and Salmon-Safe, and the winemaking and vineyard management teams embrace their roles as stewards of the land.

Penner-Ash Wine Cellars – Lynn and Ron built their LIVE-certified sustainable, gravity-flow winery in Newberg, surrounded by a picturesque 15-acre Estate Vineyard. They also hold Salmon-Safe certification.

Rain Dance Vineyards – Rain Dance Vineyards owns five estate vineyard sites totaling 120 acres, 80 of which are currently planted. With generations before them living on and loving the land of the Willamette Valley, Ken and Celia are committed to growing and producing wines that honor the legacy of a family and a region. In keeping with the love and respect of nature, all of Rain Dance Vineyards are dry farmed using sustainable practices and are Salmon Safe & LIVE Certified.

Trisaetum Winery – Trisaetum Winery, along with Brixeur Spirits, is a family-owned winery and distillery dedicated to sustainability. Each of Trisaetum’s estate vineyards preserves at least 50% of the natural habitat since a vibrant, healthy ecosystem creates a healthier vineyard and more complex wines.

Vines may self-pollinate, but there is a whole living and breathing ecosystem that sustains them. Bees can’t survive the cocktail of chemicals and the constant tilling of soils often used in modern viticulture.  In 2020, Trisaetum launched a 5-year project with Bee Girl to sponsor research to help prove the link between the quantity of happy native bees and the quality of fine wine. 

Raise a Glass to the Future of Sustainable Winemaking when you visit these eco-conscious wineries and more during your next visit to Newberg.

LINK TO VIEW ALL SUSTAINABLE WINERIES IN NEWBERG