Working with and caring for our small corner of the planet is a big responsibility, but it’s also one of the most rewarding parts of being wine growers and makers. So, while we’re wrapping up a successful 2025 harvest, settling our wines into the cellar, and starting plans for 2026, we’re also taking a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, not just this year, but throughout all our 43 vintages. Every season has its memorable moments, of course, but the one thing that always rises to the top for us is the pride we feel in giving back to nature.
From the start in 1982, we’ve taken inspiration from the way natural systems work in harmony. So, it’s been clear to us that sustainability isn’t just about the soil in our vineyards but also the people who work it, the animals we share it with, and the air and water that nourish it. We consider ourselves stewards of the land, and in a small way, the whole planet. Taking a holistic approach to winemaking, with all elements in balance, is central to success for our wine, the land, and our community.
Etude is French for “study.” Our founder, Tony Soter, set out to study the many nuances of Pinot Noir, a notoriously finicky grape, and capture it perfectly in his wines. All these years later, Pinot’s still our passion, so you know our teams are remarkably patient people. It’s a quality that’s also very helpful in our relationship with nature.
Like creating a remarkable vineyard, sustainability isn’t something that can be achieved overnight. It’s a continuous process of study and growth. For example, we installed our first solar panels over 10 years ago and with the completion of our new solar array this year, we are now 100% powered by renewable electricity, with over 90% of that generated right here on our property. That’s one huge step forward. But a lot of our sustainability goals are achieved through a combination of hundreds of small, subtle changes that, together, add up to a bigger overall impact.
One of the key systems in place to help us track our efforts, learn, and plan for future actions are the programs developed with third-party sustainability organizations. To earn certification, vineyards and wineries agree to meticulously measure themselves according to strict requirements and continuous improvement. To stay certified, every year we implement changes, collect data again, and report against an updated set of goals, always moving the standard by which we’re judged forward. As you can imagine, this takes a great deal of commitment from our teams. But we know it’s worth it. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Or in our case, the wine. And we don’t just maintain sustainability across all our operations, we also encourage and support our grape grower partners and community members in doing the same.
So, this is where we are today. We’ve been Certified California Sustainable, Fish Friendly Farmers, and a Napa Green winery for quite a few years. And we recently earned our Climate Adaptation Certification. In four decades, we’ve come such a long way, but we’ll never stop striving for even better. Our wine, and the planet, deserve it. We can’t wait to share updates with you later!
CALIFORNIA GREEN MEDAL LEADER AWARD
We have been awarded the 2023 California Green Medal Leader Award for our leadership across the full spectrum of sustainability – environmental protection, social equity, and economic viability.
CERTIFIED CALIFORNIA SUSTAINABLE
The program emphasizes environmentally sound growing methods, such as biodiversity, soil revitalization, and Integrated Pest Management that help us cultivate grapes with more character, flavors, and aromas. In the winery, the program requires us to measure water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. To use the CERTIFIED CALIFORNIA SUSTAINABLE wine logo on our back label, we must source at least 85 percent of our grapes from certified vineyards, and 100 percent of our grapes must come from California.
FISH FRIENDLY FARMING
The Fish Friendly Farming Certification Program offers farmers access to expertise on problems such as erosion and soil loss, stream bank failure, and water quality degradation. Fish are ideal indicator species for the health and resilience of the surrounding ecosystem and watershed. Etude is proud to be one of the earliest supporters of the program.
NAPA GREEN CERTIFIED WINERY
Napa Green is one of only four sustainable winegrowing programs nationwide offering the opportunity for comprehensive soil-to-bottle certification in both the vineyard and winery. As part of this program, Etude implements more than 120 sustainability and stewardship standards.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION CERTIFICATION
Grace Benoist Ranch is part of the Sonoma County Winegrowers and California Land Stewardship Institute Climate Adaptation Certification program. The Climate Adaptation Certification program seeks to calculate the vineyard’s carbon balance, from tractor emissions on one side to carbon sequestration in healthy soil and hedgerows on the other. It focuses on proven scientific concepts that growers can implement without compromising their farming practices.