ADELSHEIM VINEYARD

Founded in: 1971
Website: adelsheim.com
Specialties: Pinot Noir and distinctive white wines
What is an example of a small change we could all make to make the planet a better place? Put flexible solar films on every possible exterior surface to charge all the electronic junk we have.
What’s growing in your garden? An incredible array of flowers, thanks to the previous owner, who clearly devoted her life to ensuring that something was in bloom out every window for as many months of the year as possible.

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Industry Pioneer Believes Sustainability is a Requirement for the Future

“In ten years, being sustainable will be a requirement of business,” says David Adelsheim, owner of Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg, Oregon, and one of the early pioneers of the Oregon wine industry. “Everyone will need to be sustainable and also prove it. Sustainability is a small piece of who we are, but our passion for raising the bar is still a major part of what we do.”

Since the first plantings in 1972, Adelsheim Vineyard has grown to include nearly 200 planted vineyard acres. From the beginning, sustainability was inherent to the company’s business choices.

“As vineyards grew and as formality of sustainability grew, we looked at other avenues and looked for a program that addressed the whole farm as opposed to individual spray regimes. Programs such as netting to prevent bird damage and cover crop management in the vineyards. As vineyards get older and roots get deeper, you can leave more cover crop, which translates to fewer passes and touches through the rows.”

But the sustainable practices hadn’t been formalized.

“Formalization and third-party certification is in response to the obvious interest among consumers to know what we’re doing and we were looking for a concise way to say what we are doing,” Adelsheim says.

Moving forward, Adelsheim says that carbon neutrality – what it is and what we do about it – will be the next greatest issue. With 200 acres of vineyard, the use of diesel and other outputs creates challenges. His company has developed a sustainability committee to tackle these types of issues as they arise.

“Within our organization, there seems to be a growing understanding of the need to be sustainable and to discuss it, make it obvious,” Adelsheim says. “We still need to address some sustainable packaging issues like Styrofoam shippers, and wine bottle and cork recycling programs.”

Order Oregon Certified Sustainable Wines

2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot blanc
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Willamette Valley Auxerrois
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Boulder Bluff Pinot noir
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Bryan Creek Pinot noir
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Calkins Lane Pinot noir
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Quarter Mile Lane Pinot noir
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Ribbon Springs Pinot noir
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Winderlea Pinot noir
2008 Adelsheim Vineyard Willamette Valley Syrah
2008 Adelsheim Zenith Vineyard Pinot noir

2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Boulder Bluff Pinot noir
2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Bryan Creek Pinot noir
2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Calkins Lane Pinot noir
2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Quarter Mile Lane Pinot noir
2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Ribbon Springs Pinot noir
2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Willamette Valley Auxerrois
2009 Adelsheim Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot blanc
2009 Adelsheim Zenith Vineyard Pinot noir