- The wine industry is focused on environmental sustainability.
- Whitehall Lane Winery planted 100 acres of Oakville bluegrass, a cover crop that fights erosion.
- The winery also plans to use sheep to chew up weeds and fertilize its eight vineyards.
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As the industry responds to changing consumer values, wineries are focusing on sustainability, and one winemaker is taking a proven approach: sheep.
The heart of America’s wine country is California’s Napa Valley, where the Leonardini family purchased the small St. Helena Winery in 1993. whitehall lane winery has eight vineyards, six in Napa Valley and two in Sonoma Valley.
Production is overseen by Jason Moulton, director of winemaking and viticulture. He started looking into sustainability practices when he joined the team in 2016. He told Business Insider that winemakers are leaning toward regenerative agriculture, practices that restore soil health and biodiversity.
Jason Moulton. whitehall lane winery
“We’re seeing a shift from herbicides and no-till to no-till,” Moulton says. “The public doesn’t want glyphosate in their wine or vineyards.”
While some wineries rely on artificial intelligence to deal with the ups and downs of the industry, Whitehall Lane Winery is hopeful that sheep and bluegrass can get the job done.
Sheep grazing is a centuries-old practice that allows you to mow weeds and add natural fertilizer.
Wineries that graze sheep may seem trendy, but American Sheep Industry Association Sheep and other livestock have been grazing plants “for centuries,” he said.
Moulton said studying abroad in New Zealand on Lincoln University’s Viticulture and Enology program opened his eyes to the potential in the mid-2000s. New Zealand has many wine regions, including Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.
“We have cattle and sheep scattered all over the country,” Moulton said of the 9.6 million cattle and 26 million sheep that live there.
Sheep are grazing in the vineyard. Photo Alliance/Getty Images
Mr Moulton said he hoped acquiring sheep would help phase out traditional tillage, which rids the soil of weeds and unwanted pests. Tillage destroys topsoil, releases carbon dioxide into the environment, and can contribute to the climate crisis.
“This loss of soil carbon can reduce productivity within the soil profile,” Moulton said. “You actually have to add more synthetic fertilizer.”
Moulton said the soil must have rich biodiversity, or in other words, be “alive.”
“We want the soil to be vibrant and allow beneficial insects such as earthworms to move around the root zone,” Moulton said. “If you till it, you’re just killing it every year. It’s a constant cycle of life and death.”
He said sheep graze the vineyards and destroy weeds. Natural fertilizers will also remain.
“Their byproducts will be spread throughout our property, and we won’t have to supplement our vines with synthetic nitrogen,” he said.
Whitehall Lane Winery. Whitehall Lane Winery.
Mr Moulton realized that other vineyards in the area were using sheep and hoped to welcome flocks to the Whitehall Lane Winery vineyard in December or early 2025, before budding. He added that he wanted to.
This process usually involves working with a shepherd who can provide and supervise the flock in the vineyard before budding. Moulton said one of the shepherds he has spoken to is based in Nevada. Prices for such services vary, but Moulton said one estimate he has seen is $210 per acre.
But sheep alone won’t solve the problem. Moulton also began using a cover crop called bluegrass in his Oakville vineyard.
How Oakville Bluegrass Can Make a Lasting Impact on Vineyards
Cover crops are plants that offer several benefits to your vineyard. Cover crops suppress weeds, slow erosion, improve soil health, repel pests and diseases, and increase water infiltration.
Moulton introduced about 100 acres of Oakville bluegrass to the Whitehall Lane Winery vineyard over a five-year period. This special cover crop lasts for 10 years, which is a key selling point for Moulton.
Whitehall Lane Winery uses Oakville Bluegrass in its vineyards. Whitehall Lane Winery.
Oakville bluegrass competes with weed growth, requiring less herbicide use and requiring fewer tractor trips. Tractor passing is the process of moving tractors through rows of vineyards for tasks such as sowing and tilling.
“It’s labor, money and diesel fuel,” Moulton said. “We’re trying to sequester carbon, so we’re doing that by reducing tractor traffic.”
Moulton added that Oakville bluegrass may also be able to compete with the three-corner alfalfa hopper, an insect that spreads red blotch virus.
“By removing the insect’s ability to even live in the vineyard, we just extended its lifespan,” he says.
Are sheep and bluegrass a concrete solution? Moulton thinks so.
Moulton wants to eliminate herbicides and tillage from his winery regiment between 2026 and 2028.
He added that Whitehall Lane Winery is working with sustainability partners to set benchmarks and could potentially achieve its goals by utilizing long-lasting cover crops and sheep. .
“I think it’s going to be absolutely necessary to achieve what we’re aiming for,” he said.