Achieving Sustainability: Reininger’s Purple and Green World
“It is the way we have always made wine because it is the good and right thing to do.”
Chuck Reininger
Chuck Reininger, the Tuckers, and the Reininger Winery family have always maintained a high level of social and environmental responsibility. We strive to create the best wines possible using only local fruit while using methods and practices that impact the environment in the least possible way. In addition to keeping our sweaters on for nine of the twelve months while at work, here are a few of the ways we continue to lower our environmental impact:
In production:
- Use recycled glass for our bottles, manufactured by an environmentally responsible company (http://www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com/about/Sustainability.asp)
- Reduce the need for mechanical cooling by using specially sized fermentation bins that allow the natural heat from the fermentation process to dissipate without refrigeration
- Source fruit from sustainable and Certified Salmon Safe vineyards where possible (grapes from Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills, and Stillwater Creek go into our Walla Walla and Columbia Valley Syrahs, Malbecs, Cabs, and Merlots)
- Use of grape pomace from harvest — skins and waste — as mulch at our winery compound
- Use natural light via skylights in lieu of electric lighting in the production areas of our winery
In storage and the tasting room:
- Utilize nighttime cooling fans to capture our chilly night air instead of 24/7 mechanical cooling
- Tasting room and production areas were created by redesigning two preexisting potato sheds, and taking the reclaimed wood from the walls and laying it as flooring
- Recycle used corks via the ReCORK Program (http://recork.org/)
- Recycle all capsules as tin at our local Recycling Center
The great thing about the so-called “Green Movement” is that it is allowing people with a long-standing passion for the environment to make their voices heard on a much, much bigger platform. I often feel bombarded by the hefty claims made by many companies about how ecologically friendly they are. There are so many conveniences that we take for granted but have disastrous effects on the environment; we tend to chalk it up to the Industrial Revolution and the natural evolution of how we as humans want more things at a faster rate and a better price, which all makes sense until you really stop to consider just how much of a footprint we are leaving behind. While we want to make an impact with our delicious wines, we hope to leave the smallest impact possible on our planet.
Please visit Vinea, the Winegrower’s Sustainable Trust, to see more of the ideals that we support in our wine making practice at http://www.vineatrust.com/.
Washington State is Great for Merlot
The Reviews are in and Reininger Merlots are Winners
2006 Reininger Merlot Walla Walla Valley The Wine Advocate awarded this wine 91 points describing it as, “Dark ruby-colored with aromas of spice box, tobacco, violets, and cassis, on the palate it is silky-textured, concentrated, and lengthy. Give it 1-2 years to fully unwind and drink it from 2012 to 2021.”
2007 Helix Merlot Columbia Valley Wine Spectator awarded this wine 90 points: “Firm in texture, with a cigarlike tobacco note weaving through the currant and pear skin flavors, mingling effectively on the focused, refined finish. Best from 2011 through 2015.”
2005 Helix Merlot Stillwater Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley Wine Enthusiast Magazine awarded this wine 92 points saying it is, “A beautiful evocation of Washington fruit, it has concentration, balance and structure, and the clean berry/cherry fruit is amplified by polished tannins, bright acids and light splashes of peppery spice. This is one of the finest pure Washington Merlots to be released in many years.”
Merlot grapes grown in Washington State, as well as Walla Walla, benefit from a long, even growing season, cool nights during harvest and some higher elevation vineyards. I agree with Letie Teague of Food and Wine Magazine when she says “the best Washington Merlots combine the ripe, lush fruit of the New World with the structure and acidity of the Old World, resulting in complex, well-balanced wines.”
Our Reininger and Helix Merlots are great with a variety of foods. Try them with beef tenderloin, duck, rich beef stews, meat sauces with red and dark fruits, onion soup, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, and dark chocolate.
