A Fine (and Sustainable) Wine: An Interview with Tim Thornhill of Parducci Wine Cellars

As the first carbon neutral winery in the United States, Parducci has become a leader in environmental sustainability for wineries. Founded in 1932 and bonded in 1933, Parducci is the oldest winery in the Mendocino County and in recognition of their continued dedication to social responsibility and environmentally sound practices, Parducci received California’s highest environmental award, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in 2007 & 2009. Owner Tim Thornhill, who will be the Luncheon Keynote during next week’s Good And Green®-The Green Marketing Conference, gives us some insight into the brand’s environmental mission, what exciting things are on the horizon and what—if he absolutely had to choose—are his favorite Parducci wines of the moment.

Patti Minglin: Tell us a little about Parducci and your mission of sustainability.
Tim Thornhill: When Paul Dolan, Tom Thornhill and I purchased the historic Parducci Wine Cellars, all of us – farmers, cellar workers, winemakers – committed ourselves to responsible land stewardship, sustainable viticulture and green business practices that yield superior wines while protecting the environment. Our sustainability initiatives here at the winery include being family owned and operated, utilizing grapes from local family farms, employing sustainable farming practices using 100% green energy (on-site solar and purchased wind power), choosing earth-friendly packaging and being the 1st US carbon neutral winery.

We believe that Parducci is creating a model of quality and environmental sustainability for other wineries to follow. To educate the industry and consumers, we published the Green Winegrowing Handbook, an in-depth overview of sustainable, organic and Biodynamic® winegrowing practices in 2008. The handbook is available on our website.

We are always mindful that our primary goal at the winery is to produce premium wines using the best grapes, farmed in a way that protects the local environment. Our efforts are garnering quite a bit of attention, from 90+ point scores in the Wine Enthusiast to Forbes.com suggesting we could be America’s Greenest Winery.

Minglin: Wow—that’s quite an accomplishment. You were also recently awarded the Climate Champion Award. Can you tell us a little about your involvement with the California Climate Action Registry and what this award means to you and the entire Parducci brand?
Thornhill: In April of this year, Parducci received the Climate Champion Award from the California Climate Action Registry, a leading international thought center addressing climate change issues. We were one of the first wineries to partner with the Registry to calculate our emissions of greenhouse gases. After having a solid understanding of what we were emitting, we were able to then develop an internal mitigation plan and then offset our remaining footprint.

Our mitigation practices include installing 10,000 square feet of solar panels, conversion to bio-diesel in company vehicles and farm equipment, an energy-efficiency audit in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), a lighting retrofit, replacing old equipment and a tank insulation program. We view our onsite mitigation and being carbon neutral as an important step toward our goal of true, long term sustainability. We are communicating our efforts and commitment to the consumer by including the Climate Action Leader logo on the back label of the Parducci wines.

Minglin: What exciting things are you working on right now?
Thornhill: Of all our sustainability efforts, I’m particularly proud of our ongoing project to conserve and reuse water, a valuable resource for our community.

Here at the winery, water is essential in almost every operation and it’s my personal mission to ensure its responsible use. Grape leftovers (seeds, stems and skins) are used in our vineyards as mulch to retain soil moisture. Vineyard wide, moisture levels are continuously watched by tensiometers and electronic data monitors. This information allows us to water according to the needs of each location rather than with an arbitrary, potentially wasteful schedule. With this information we were able to reduce the water used in some of our vineyards by 25% in some locations.

100% of the water used in our winemaking facility for activities such as barrel and tank washing is captured, cleaned, and run through our on-site wetland for polishing. Here reclaimed water moves slowly through a vegetative maze of native grasses. Wetland mechanisms, such as slow, shallow flows and diverse plant life, trap sediments further purifying the water. Plants, animals, micro-organisms, and the environment-sun, soil, air—all interact to improve water quality. By working with nature we are able to reclaim water for later application in our vineyards and use significantly less energy than conventional water treatment facilities to do so.

Our wetlands also provide a diverse habitat for local wildlife such as egrets, fish, turtles, frogs, and dragonflies. It’s all about balance. If we create habitat, the wildlife comes for food, water and shelter, especially during breeding season. Wildlife contributes to our vineyard by providing biodiversity and a natural system for managing vineyard pest populations.

Minglin: Just for fun...do you have a favorite Parducci wine?
Thornhill: Choosing an absolute favorite Parducci wine is like asking me to pick a favorite child. However I can say the two wines I enjoy the most right now are the Parducci Sustainable White and the Parducci True Grit Petite Sirah.

Minglin: Sounds delicious—and sustainable! Thank you, Tim. I look forward to hearing more from Parducci during Good And Green®.