Ponzi Vineyards
Founded in: 1970
Website: ponziwines.com
Specialties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Arneis, Riesling and Dolcetto
What’s in your compost pile? Alpaca poop. The best item in the pile comes from our adorable, cuddly friends – we have three of the nicest camelids you’ll ever meet.
Who do you most admire in the sustainable world and why? Nancy and Dick Ponzi because, as usual, they’ve been at the forefront of the sustainable movement and continue to drive it and inspire the rest of us.
Second Generation Wine Family Protecting Land for Future Generations
The Ponzi family, one of the Oregon wine industry pioneers, landed in Oregon and started farming in 1969. Since the beginning, the Ponzis have instilled a strong belief in respect for and responsibility toward the Earth.
“That’s how we were raised – we had an organic garden and animals growing up, living off the land and recycling when I was a little girl,” said Maria Ponzi, daughter of Dick and Nancy Ponzi. “My mother, Nancy, helped with the Oregon Bottle Bill in the 1970s and was an organizer of the Consumer Food Council in the 1970s to launch legislation for ingredient labeling. So the concept of how things are grown and where food comes from has been with us from the very beginning.”
When the agricultural community introduced pesticide and herbicides for farms and vineyards, the Ponzis say they tried them but soon found that the organic practices they were using from the beginning were the preferred method.
“We tried them but quickly found they were more harmful and quickly reverted back to our original practices – things like hand hoeing to be gentle with those little vines,” Ponzi said.
And when Ponzi Vineyards recently embarked on the construction of a new winery in the Chehalem Mountains, they designed the space with green building measures in mind.
Ponzi Vineyards is committed to ensuring that these early philosophies guide the next generation.
“We now have children of our own running around, and we have a commitment as a family and an Oregon wine community, to the Earth and future generations. We take pride in practicing these values, and in knowing that our industry colleagues are doing the same.”
Looking forward, a challenge for Ponzi Vineyards will be exploring and reducing their carbon footprint.
“We are a brand that sells nationally and internationally and strives for superior quality in the wine that we make. How far you travel, where barrels come from, where wine is being shipped to… these are all challenges for a business our size and one that has ambitious plans to grow.”
And Ponzi Vineyards is excited to be a part of OCSW, a program that Ponzi says unifies what the Oregon wine industry has been about for the last 30 years.
“It’s a symbol that acknowledges the promise we have made to the market about our products,” she says. “As a marketer, defining LIVE and other terms to the public and marketplace was sometimes cumbersome. We welcome the idea of a simple, unifying message. We believe that the cost of sustainability does pay off in the quality of the wine. Our hope is that we’re showing the market that investing in the Earth can create some of the best products in the world.”
Order Oregon Certified Sustainable Wines
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Arneis
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Chardonnay Willamette Valley
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Dolcetto
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Riesling
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Tavola Pinot Noir
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir
2008 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve
2008 The Slanted Door Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir
2008 Ponzi Vino Gelato
2009 Ponzi Vineyards Arneis
2009 Ponzi Vineyards Chardonnay
2009 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Blanc
2009 Ponzi Vineyards Riesling
2010 Ponzi Vineyards Arneis
2010 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Blanc