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Oregon Eco-Friendly Wine: Leading the World in ‘Green’ Wine

Clive Michelson, a management consultant and the founder of the Malmö Wine Academy, offers a beautifully photographed book on the Oregon wine country; the author captured many of the images himself. For many readers, the book will serve as a solid introduction to a wine region growing both in the numbers of vineyards and wineries and in the international recognition it receives. Designed for a popular audience rather than a scholarly one, Oregon Eco-Friendly Wine purports to stake out for Oregon a dual position in global viticulture. “If Oregon is the “New World’s” answer to Grand Cru Burgundy—Oregonians are, without doubt, world leaders in organic, biodynamic, sustainable agriculture and low-energy friendly wineries. This eco-friendly state is leading the way for all others” (p. 8). The first section of the book identifies the various formal and informal programmes that are dedicated to sustainable farming in Oregon and available to wine producers there. These programs include LIVE (Low Input Viticulture & Enology); Vinea (by the Winegrower’s Sustainable Trust); Oregon Tilth (a nonprofit group with an urban-rural perspective); the Demeter Association’s biodynamic certification; and LEED (the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for green buildings. The author identifies the general goals of these different programmes. For example, he writes of LIVE standards, “They provide assurance of fruit quality and the practices used to achieve this quality. The basic goals of LIVE are to minimize off-farm inputs such as agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, and to maximize biodiversity” (p. 14). The second section of the book identifies the American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) within Oregon. The third section profiles selected wineries and vineyards in the state, highlighting the eco-friendly innovators, although it is unclear how these wineries have been organized. The book adds a brief discussion of common grape varieties grown in Oregon before ending with a glossary and a directory of Oregon wineries by AVA. There is an important story to be told about sustainable viticulture and this book provides a basic introduction to the subject. This book will work better for casual readers rather than serious scholars. Curious readers, however, may become frustrated with the author’s failure adequately to explain important concepts. While there is a brief definition of AVA in the glossary, for example, it fails to capture the complexity of the designation system. The text itself reveals nothing about the different methods by which AVAs may be delineated. Serious scholars will probably want greater detail than appears in this coffee-table book. For instance, Michelsen mentions the goals of various programmes but never identifies the specific ‘green’ practices that are employed by Oregon vineyardists to Journal of Wine Research, 2010, Vol. 21, Nos. 2–3, pp. 229–230