Sustainable
Winemaking
Ontario
Program Overview
November 2008
Ron Giesbrecht, Winemaker
Henry of Pelham Family Winery
Ontario, CANADA
Wine Council of Ontario
Are there vineyards in Canada?
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Yes, certainly!
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Why Sustainable Winemaking
Ontario?
 In Ontario there is a comparatively young wine industry that is
expanding rapidly, competing with other land uses, challenged by a
rapidly changing regulatory framework, and very interested in
environmental sustainability.
 By late 2003, members of the WCO decided that the wine industry in
Ontario needed to have a proactive environmental program to help
the wineries identify and adopt Best Practice environmental
stewardship.
 Sustainable Winemaking Ontario is this proactive program created to
address this industry-wide interest and to help the wine industry
identify new environmentally sustainable opportunities and comply
with existing regulations which are changing rapidly.
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Goals for the program
 The members of the WCO were also clear – go “beyond the
rules”
 Continually push for improved industry environmental
performance.
 The documents and workshops, are tools designed to assist the
industry in the continuous improvement of its environmental
performance.
 After extensive consultation with the industry, the goals of
Sustainable Winemaking Ontario were set as the following:
 improve the environmental performance of the wine industry in
Ontario
 continually improve the quality of wine growing and winemaking in
an environmentally responsive manner
 provide a way to address consumer and resident questions in
relation to the environment and the wine industry
 add value to the wine industry in Ontario.
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Major ecological features within
the Ontario Wine regions
Niagara Escarpment
The Great Lakes and various Rivers
including the Niagara River
The Ontario Greenbelt
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The Bench lands
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The Niagara Escarpment
 The Niagara Escarpment, running for over 700 km
through Ontario, is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve,
designated for its unique landform characteristics and
the presence of a provincial land use plan to guide
development in its area. It is one of only 15 biosphere
reserves in Canada, and is part of a network of 531 in
102 countries.
 The limestone rock that forms the Niagara Escarpment
and forms part of the soils around this geological
feature also makes the surounding soils ideal for
viticulture.
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The Great Lakes
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The Great Lakes
 The close proximity of Lakes Ontario and Erie, 2
of the largest bodies of fresh water on earth
and within the system of 5 Great Lakes, makes
the activities of those who live and work
around them of great importance and
responsibility. Our vineyards frequently border
directly on these lakes and the Niagara River,
so this responsibility falls on us as
viticulturalists to an even greater extent.
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Greenbelt: Preserved agriculture,
natural areas, sustainable activities
and indigenous species
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The Ontario Greenbelt
 Ontario's Greenbelt is 1.8 million acres (720,000 Ha) of
protected countryside, including some of the most
valuable agricultural and viticultural land in Canada,
providing perfect conditions for growing awardwinning, world-class wines. We believe this is
something to celebrate. 91% of central Ontarians want
to buy local food and wine.
 People who choose 'local' are people who know that
living well doesn't have to cost the earth. That they can
enjoy refined, sophisticated tastes without
compromising their values or the environment.
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Sustainable Winemaking: Benefits
to the industry clear
 Sustainable Winemaking Ontario aims to deliver the
following benefits to the wine industry:
 a framework including Best Practices that protects the
environment while delivering economic efficiencies
 a format of continual improvement to assist companies that
operate with a goal of improving their operational practices
 tools for measurement, analysis, feedback and reporting to
allow the industry to continuously benchmark its performance
 information on emerging regulatory changes that is easily
accessible to winemakers and viticulturalists
 assistance in ensuring access to international markets
 an increased assurance of food safety.
 Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario addresses the
environmental, economic and social aspects of
sustainability.
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Extensive Supporting Documents
developed for Industry use
Sustainable Winemaking Ontario: An Environmental Charter for the Wine Industry

Eco-winegrowing 101

Environmental Best Practice for Wineries

Environmental Best Practice for Winery Hospitality Services

Viticulture Pilot Addendum to the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan

Energy Best Practice for Wineries

Developing Energy Benchmarks for the Ontario Wine Industry

A Newcomer’s Primer — The Environment and the Wine Industry in Ontario

Reducing Waste and Making Money. A Concise and Practical Guide to Pollution Prevention in Wineries
Additionally

Sustainable Winemaking Ontario — Environmental Best Practice for Wineries and Sustainable Winemaking
Ontario-Environmental Best Practice for Winery Hospitality Services have also been developed as an interactive
spreadsheet, allowing businesses to instantly receive feedback on their scoring and progress over time.

External funding was obtained to undertake research and present workshops to the industry around energy
efficiency. As a result, tow additional documents were added to the initiative



Altech Environmental Consulting and Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement, Developing Energy
Benchmarks for the Ontario Wine Industry, for the Wine Council of Ontario.
Narelle Martin, Energy Best Practice for Wineries, for the Wine Council of Ontario.
In addition, Niagara College is developing training programs for people currently working in the industry, as well
as including more emphasis on environmental requirements and expectations for curriculum for new industry
participants.
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Response to date
 International interest in the initiative
significant
Requests from Australia, Europe, United States
 Canada
British Columbia is currently looking at developing
their own charter
Opportunity to develop a Canada-wide module
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Sustainable Winemaking Ontario
 Pilot Project in 2007
Piloted in conjunction with Niagara College
 Active engagement of Environmental Management
students in evaluations and recommendations
17 wineries onboard and self audited
Wineries have been submitting data since late
2007
 Year 2
Currently collecting data fro 2008 participants
Goal of 40+ wineries to participate
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Key tool – Interactive Spreadsheets
Menu - Click on the section you wish to complete.
Hospitality
Section
Done
Date
Initials
Time
Pct.
1. Water and Wastewater
Water Quantity Tracking and Recording
Water Quality Tracking and Recording
Wells
Waterways
Watersheds
Wastewater from Hospitality
– Part 1: Wastewater Treated by Municipality
– Part 2: Wastewater Treated Onsite
– Part 3: Wastewater Trucked Offsite
Stormwater
Water Use and Conservation: General
Water Use and Conservation: Landscaping
Max
Min
Score
Time Required: 08:01
Yes
11/21/07
0:01:34
0%
90
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:47
0%
0
-10
0
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:22
0%
0
0
0
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:11
0%
0
0
0
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:19
33%
30
-10
10
-
-
-
-
-20 #VALUE!
-
-
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:13
0%
0
0
0
Yes
11/21/07
0:02:27
78%
90
-90
70
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:04
0%
0
0
0
Yes
11/21/07
0:01:20
50%
60
-60
30
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:24
33%
30
-30
10
Yes
11/21/07
0:00:19
67%
30
-10
20
 Data easy to input
 Time tracked for analysis of ease of use, reality check on time
commitments to participate in the program
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Question page
Jump to
Menu
Review Fast Facts
2
Water Quality Tracking and Recording
Do you know whe re your wate r is supplie d from?
2-1
Yes / No /
N/A
Your Comments
Yes
Quick Fixes
Score
0
Do you have wate r supplie d for drinking wate r and
2-2
ope rations from pipe d municipal supplie s?
######
Do you have wate r trucke d in from municipalitie s for
2-3
######
drinking wate r and wine ry ope rations?
Are you aware of the changing re quire me nts for wate r
2-3-1 te sting of drinking wate r that will affe ct you?
######
Do you have wate r supplie d from we lls or surface
2-4
######
wate r for drinking wate r?
Are you aware of the changing re quire me nts of wate r
2-4-1 te sting and drinking wate r that will affe ct you?
######
Have you te ste d the quality of wate r use d in
2-5
######
production?
Have you ide ntifie d pre tre atme nt options for
2-6
production base d on the outcome of the wate r te sting?
######
Have you installe d pre tre atme nt options base d on the
2-7
outcome s of your inve stigation and monitoring?
When you have completed
Return to your
the Menu
answers,
Screen
click here to FINISH
Your Score:
Minimum Score:
Maximum Score:
Percentage:
Please answer all questions to tally your score.
-50
50
0.0%
######
Scoring
-20 Unsustainable.
This practice has significant negative
environmental and or economic impacts, and
may also be contrary to the legislation. Any
score in this area is a red flag for the need to
undertake a priority correction.
-10
Is likely to have negative environmental or
economic consequences.
0
If for a no: An indication that the activity is
preferred but if not undertaken immediately
no major immediate consequences.
+10
Indicates good environmental practice and
incorporating sustainable winemaking
practices.
+20
Indicates leadership in environmental
practice and excellence in environmental
performance in this area.
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•Maximum score of
2570 possible,
though highly
unlikely
•Also possible to
score in the
negatives
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Phase 1 Total Scores
Total Environmental Sustainability Score
• Data compiled and
presented as a
histogram
A
B
C
D
• Phase 1 data is
strictly confidential,
participating wineries
are told which letter
represents them
E
F
G
H
I
•Reports to wineries
will include
recommendations for
areas of improvement
individual and industry
as whole
J
K
L
M
Average Score
-400
-200
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1600
1400
Total Score
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Analysis by category ongoing
 Wineries were presented reports and
benchmarks by category
 Niagara College students researched best
practices
 Categories analyzed

Water and Wastewater

Integrated Pest Management

Solid Waste Management

Public Relations

Material Handling

Industry Standards

Energy Efficiency

Expansions and Renovations
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Water & Wastewater Management
 Water must be managed to reduce
environmental impact and comply with
legislation
The criteria includes:
 Water Quality
 Water Consumption
 Waterway Impacts
 Drainage
 Water Use and Conservation
 Treatment of Wastewater
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Wastewater Management Analysis
Wastewater Management
A
B
E
G
H
C
F
D
J
K
I
L
M
Average Score
-200
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Total Score
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Energy Efficiency
Ensuring proper energy management
practices
The criteria includes:
Monitoring
Refrigeration systems, tanks, lines
Lighting
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Sustainable Power Sources
Alternative Vehicle Fuel Sources
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Examples of Best Practice:
EastDell Estates
 Installed a biofilter
system that imitates
cattail marshes to treat
the winery’s wastewater.
The system has drawn
considerable attention
for its environmentally
friendly efficiency that
treats the wastewater
simply, naturally and
relatively inexpensively.
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Example of Best Practice:
Flat Rock Cellars
 Flat Rock Cellars uses
a geothermal system
to heat and cool all
the tanks in the
winery as well as the
winery and retail
store building. This
has reduced hydro
use by 70% and
lowered costs
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Winery Initiatives at Henry of
Pelham
Low volume, high pressure water for
cleaning, including barriques, steam
sanitizing.
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High efficiency, auto on/off
lighting
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Expansion of new cellars
underground
Reduces use of cooling and heating
Reduces exterior footprint of buildings
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Insulation of all refrigerated
tanks, ugly but effective
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Installation of Biofilters for water
drained from the vineyards
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Planting of native vegetation in
areas of the vineyard, as
wildlife buffers
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Moving forward
 Continuation of program with end goal of ALL Ontario wineries
participating
 Ongoing training and workshops
 Debriefing ease of use of spreadsheet tools, analysis on time investments
required
 Assisting wineries one-on-one if required
 Increase sustainability through education
 Develop from analysis the current gaps training programs to assist wineries for
improvement
 Continuous improvement
 Research other regions best practices and sustainable programs such as:
 Biogas generation,
 carbon labelling/footprinting
 Participating and sharing information on other wine industry initiatives
 Canadian Vintners Association developed a generic HACCP Plan (Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point) for wineries in Canada in conjunction with
Ontario wineries and Guelph Food Technology Centre
 OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs) program
similar to Environmental Farm Plan for food and beverage processors
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Future of program
 Options for future
Certificate program
 Develop the program to be a certification for participating
wineries
 Raise the bar higher
Branding opportunities
 E.g. identification on labels
Communication to wineries
 Newsletters
 Workshops
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Conclusion
 Continuous improvement takes time
 Challenge to incorporate good environmental
practice into business
 Good environmental practice is good business
 Ontario’s Wine Industry is committed to leading the
way and is already seen as a leader in this field
within Ontario agriculture and industry
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Thank you for your interest in
our Sustainable Winemaking
Initiative
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