thumbprint cellars is committed to making great wine with minimal environmental impact by applying sustainable practices in all aspects of our craft.
Founder and winemaker, Scott Lindstrom-Dake, actively seeks partnerships with growers that farm their grapes to organic standards. Winemaking starts with attention to detail in the vineyards and strong relationships with our grower partners. This sustainable approach means a better overall product in your glass and better care for our land.
We value our Team! So it makes sense that we pay them a living wage. Additionally, we provide full-coverage medical, dental and vision insurance coverage to our full-time employees. We also offer a SIMPLE investment plan and match a percentage of our employee contribution. Assembling a strong Team is vital to provide the level of customer service we encourage. Taking care of our Team is an essential aspect to keeping them. This is our top sustainability goal!
We strive to bring a unique approach to all that we do and when it comes to sustainability, doing our best to make sure that no detail is overlooked and seeking to be sustainably significant with every aspect of our product. Here are a few examples of how we have reduced our carbon footprint:
Our corks are fully recyclable (they make great art, too!). Let use know if you’d like us to save you some.
• We partner with a glass company right here in Northern California with production facilities in North America, eliminating the need for overseas transport. This also contributes to more jobs in the US, less waste and less transportation costs.
• Our new high-tech closures are made from molasses! These are designed to minimize resources and provide a superior closure and have an even smaller thumbprint (literally printed on each end). We are moving away from the black plastic closures as plastics have become more difficult to recycle. This does not reflect any quality issues. DO NOT throw out your wines with the black closures – I’ll Drink them! 😉 They’re still perfectly amazing
• We up-cycle empty wine bottles and have them repurposed into candles, platters and tumblers which are available for purchase at your regular savings.
• We’re not ‘foiling’ around! No foils on our bottles? Nope – don’t need them and otherwise end up in a landfill. Look for Scott’s thumbprint through the neck of the bottles.
• Using plant-based dyes to screen print our labels equates to fewer materials needed and less waste.
• To keep you updated with everything thumbprint, we send an e-newsletter to further reduce paper waste. Join us at info@thumbprintcellars.com.
Our goal is to craft our wines with the smallest carbon footprint possible. You might even say we’re as efficient as a well-placed thumbprint!
• We use night air fans when possible to pull in the cool coastal-influenced air for cooling our cellars.
• Our barrel steamers use .5% of water than traditional barrel cleaning systems and protect our wines better during aging.
• Our lighting has been transitioned to LED using a fraction of the energy as traditional lighting.
• All of our MOG (Material other than Grape) and lees are used as compost to enrich the vineyard soils.
• More upcycling: Our older, unused barrels are repurposed into furniture by a local artisan or sent to club members for them to use.
These are a few of the efforts we make in order to maintain sustainability and maintain sensitivity to environmental concerns in all that we do. We are always looking for more ways to improve our standing as global citizens and investigate the latest and most innovative approaches to improve our sustainability. We are currently exploring using solar technology at the winery, as well as looking to have a complete line of American-made retail items.
A message from winemaker/owner Scott Lindstrom-Dake.
As a gorgeous dragonfly rests on my welcoming hand I am reminded that I am a steward of the earth. These precious karmic moments never go unnoticed nor unrewarded. “Give back, not take from,” is a constant mantra of mine. Sustainable Vineyard practices are only the ‘root’ of thumbprint’s earth-friendly philosophy. Working with sustainable grape growers are about building relationships. We work together to grow the best wines possible.
Winery practices are also streamlined for efficiency, not for short-cuts. Harvest is a crazy marathon that finishes as quickly as it starts and our passion for winemaking keeps us in balance during the frenzy. We do this because our ‘sustainable passion’ provides our thumbprint family the great tasting wines they desire.
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