2 Stag's Leap Vineyards on Track to Organic Certification in 2024

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars has just completed the first year of a three-year Organic Certification for the historic FAY and S.L.V. estate vineyards, which encompass 114 acres. The estate vineyards are on track to be certified organic in 2024. FAY and S.L.V. became certified transitional by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) on November 15th.

The winery’s Danika Ranch in the Oak Knoll District will also be certified organic in January 2025.

“Our impact on the environment doesn’t stop at the fence line,” says Kirk Grace, Vineyard Director at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. “What we do in our vineyards has impact downstream. We have to be good neighbors and good stewards of the land and we want to do the right thing for our grapes, our workers, our consumers, and the planet.”

To achieve organic certification, the focus in the vineyards is on soil health and integrated pest management while ensuring that every material used in the vineyard is recorded and approved. When it comes to soil health, vineyard practices include sheep grazing, cover crops, improving soil microbiology, and the elimination of herbicides. For integrated pest management owl and blue bird boxes are used, as well as bio fungicides, pheromone disruption, and the release of beneficial insects.