Sustainability is an issue that is important to me and when I buy wine or go wine tasting I actively try to choose wineries that are committed to sustainable practices. I know it can be confusing to tell which wineries are sustainable as there are many different certifications with different criteria.
[Please note that while this blog post is sponsored by SIP Certified, all views are my own.]
SIP Certified makes it easy to spot vineyards, wines and wineries that are sustainable, just look for the SIP Certified logo. SIP Certified provides an independent, rigorous third-party verification that a vineyard, winery or wine has implemented sustainable practices across the 3 P’s of Sustainability – People, Planet, Prosperity.
During the month of February, if you are a wine club member of a participating SIP Certified Winery, you get complimentary tastings at other participating SIP Certified wineries for ReSIProcal February. It’s a fun opportunity to try new to you wineries that share the same commitment to sustainability of your “home” winery and it’s also a great excuse to plan a wine tasting weekend.
We have 3 wineries in Monterey County participating – Morgan, McIntyre and CRU WIneries. There are also wineries located in Santa Barbara County, Madera County, San Luis Obispo County and even in two Michigan that are participating in ReSIProcal February.
See the complete list of participating wineries on the SIP Certified website.
CRU Winery – Monterey Wine Trail
CRU Winery is located on the recently renamed “Monterey Wine Trail,” which consists of the wineries located on River Road between Salinas and Gonzales (and Scheid Vineyards, which is along the 101 in Greenfield.) The Monterey Wine Trail is a little out of the way if you’re visiting Monterey or Carmel, but the views and the wine make it worth it.
CRU Winery is the furthest south of the tasting rooms on River Road, but in my opinion, it has the best view. It’s the only winery on the Monterey Wine Trail on a hill and has beautiful views of the Salinas Valley. They also have a small demonstration vineyard outside their tasting room, which makes for vineyard photos without leaving the tasting room.
CRU also sources their Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Maria Valley – one of the few local wineries offering single vineyard Pinot from outside the Monterey area. CRU is dedicated to sustainability and only sources grapes from vineyards that are certified sustainable by either SIP Certified or CCSW.
McIntyre Family Wines – Carmel Valley Village
Formerly located in the Carmel Crossroads shopping center, McIntyre Family Wines has moved their tasting room to the Carmel Valley Village, and since they acquired Bookenogen Wines in 2024, you can now taste both labels at their tasting room.
Carmel Valley is a popular spot for wine tasting, with over 15 tasting rooms in the greater village area. It’s only 20 minutes from Carmel-by-the-Sea, but the weather is noticeably warmer since it is further inland.
McIntyre has a history of sustainability, as founder Steve McIntyre is also one of the originators of the SIP Certified program. Last year they started incorporating Biochar, a component made from recycled agricultural waste, into their vineyards to improve the soil carbon content and moisture retention.
McIntyre specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands but also produces other wines, including Merlot. My favorite wine at McIntyre is their 2022 Rose of Pinot Noir, made from 50 year old vines, and 15% of all bottle sales go to the Breast Cancer Assistance Group of Monterey County.
Mogan Winery – Carmel Crossroads
Morgan Winery‘s tasting room, Taste Morgan, is in the Crossroads Shopping Center off of HWY in Carmel. The Crossroads has plenty of parking and some great restaurants and fun shops. Taste Morgan is a pretty tasting room with lots of natural light, bar seating and a comfy couch.
Morgan specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and produces some clone-specific varieties.
In wine, a clone is a genetically identical grapevine initially taken from an original plant, the mother vine, for specific traits. You may have seen single-variety wines, such as Pinot Noir, labeled with the clone name, for instance, Mount Eden or Martini. I am a big fan of Morgan’s 12 Clones Pinot Noir which features over 12 different clones varieties.
While not SIP Certified, Morgan’s own Double L Vineyard is certified organic and sustainably farmed. Morgan does produce a wine from SIP Certified grapes, the 2022 McIntyre Chardonnay using grapes from McIntyre Vineyard is SIP Certified.
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While you can visit these wineries at any time, if you want to take advantage of ReSIProcal February, you have until the end of February 2025. Check out the SIP Certified website for an up-to-date listing of participating wineries. To claim your tastings, you must show the ReSIProcal February postcard or email you received from your home wine club. Some wineries may require you to make a reservation beforehand, so please plan accordingly.
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