The California wine industry has been selected as an outstanding' example of a conservation partnership' by the US government, which invited the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) to showcase their work during a conference at the White House last week.
According to Karen Ross, president of the CAWG, the explosive growth in the region's population had forced the industry to recognise 'the need to adopt innovative practices that use resources more wisely and with less impact on their neighbours and surrounding wildlife habitats'.
The CAWG introduced a 496-page workbook, The Code
of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices, in 2002, and so far, more than 1,250 participants have assessed their winery
and operations.