As a wine connoisseur, I have always enjoyed the sweet taste and fragrance of a Muscat, the crisp, fruity flavor of a Chardonnay, and even the aroma of currant and cedar with each sip of Merlot. Thankfully, I live a short drive away from a local gem – the Temecula Valley Wine Country.
Today’s Inspiration: Pairing sustainability with a great glass of wine at Ponte Winery in Temecula, CA. From their green restaurant to green weddings to encouraging customers to be green at home, Ponte Winery has even developed an ambitious list of advancing their sustainability efforts.
Green Restaurant
Ponte Winery has partnered with the Inland Valley Community Supported Agriculture – to which they have pledged to purchase a portion of local farm’s harvests, covering a farm’s yearly operating budget in exchange for regular supplies of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the season. Ponte Winery’s Smokehouse Restaurant has partnered with Sage Mountain Farms, where they receive a majority of their organic greens.
Additionally, the restaurant serves as a CSA pick up location every Tuesday from 2-5 pm.
According to the Ponte Winery website, their kitchen uses a pulper – allowing kitchen waste to be added to their vineyard compost. They even save all coffee grounds to use as compost in their flower beds!
Green Weddings
Ponte Winery is committed to supporting environmentally conscious couples by incorporating sustainable elements into their “big day”.
Their Vineyard Pavilion was built using high quality insulation, carpet tiles, low VOC paint, and reuse old windows and concrete slab. They promise “90% of a typical green wedding menu has ingredients that are sourced locally”. Additionally, their green wedding package includes food, beverage, tables, linens, chairs and silverware – eliminating unnecessary fuel emissions to transport items from other locations. They even suggest using their lush picturesque setting so as to minimize on centerpieces and other decorations. With the expenses of a grandiose wedding, it’s great to save green by being green.
Other Sustainability Efforts
Launched in 2007, Ponte Winery’s Recycling Program allows customers to bring in empty Ponte wine bottles for recycling. In exchange for your due diligence, the Winery offers a $1 per bottle voucher which is valid on wine purchases.
With every fine bottle of wine, comes the cork. It is 100% recyclable, natural and biodegradable – they can be recycled into flooring tiles, building insulation, and even sports equipment. Ponte Winery has taken it another step by accepting corks for their ReCork Program. This program allows the Winery to send their used cork to be recycled by companies to be repurposed into innovative products. The Winery hosts a disposal station in front of their Tasting Room where customers can drop off their used corks.
For more information on Ponte Winery and their sustainability efforts, please click here.
