A Wine Pioneer in Sustainable Farming

As a strong advocate of sustainable farming, Concannon was honored to help pioneer the development of the Wine Institute’s “Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices.” This collection of best practices establishes a set of sustainable standards for all California wineries that also ensures third-party verification and a cycle of continuous improvement.

In 2009, Concannon participated in the CSWA “Certified Pilot Program” as one of the seventeen California wineries selected to test the certification requirements and offer feedback for introducing a statewide certification program.

On January 5, 2010, Concannon became one of the first 13 wineries to earn this rigorous certification by meeting a set of 58 prerequisites among 227 best management practices in environmental stewardship, conservation and socially equitable business standards.

Each year, Concannon must demonstrate sustainable practices; positive economic, environmental and social impact; and “continuous improvement” by third-party verification to maintain certification. As a founding member of the Wine Institute, Concannon is committed to encouraging sustainable winegrowing throughout California and helping change the way growers around the world think about their winegrowing and farming practices.

During the 1980s, the Concannon family was very concerned about the level of urban development that was rapidly threatening to overtake much of our valley’s vineyard and farm lands. For over a decade, Jim Concannon worked closely with the South Livermore Valley Planning committee towards developing a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public benefit corporation “to preserve and protect important agricultural and open space lands.”

In 1994, the “South Livermore Valley Agricultural Land Trust” was established, and Concannon was honored to be first to place our winery’s 220 acres of land under easement. Concannon Vineyard is in a key location as our land goes right up to downtown Livermore, so we are thrilled that our historic vineyards are protected and will remain farmland in perpetuity.

In 2003, the “South Livermore Valley Agricultural Land Trust” became the “Tri-Valley Conservancy” to include an expanded geographic area of neighboring communities. We’re excited not only for the tremendous enthusiasm and participation of area growers, but also that Tri-Valley Conservancy has become a role-model and successful example for other winegrowing regions in California and across the nation.

“The Tri-Valley Conservancy land trust means preserving a way of life through respect of the land. Our winery and family are strongly committed to sustainable farming, so we believe that Conservancy is essential for preserving our precious land resources for future generations to come.”

Winegrowing Initiatives at Concannon

The Concannon Research Vineyard
Our winery’s research vineyard is a dynamic place where our winemakers and viticulturists experiment with different grape varieties, pruning, watering and trellising. Winemaking and viticulture technology is changing every day at a rapid pace.  As a result, we are constantly pursuing those ideas and techniques that will improve our wine quality while also reducing our carbon footprint.

This block allows for extensive testing before we go live at a larger scale.  At Concannon, we are always looking at different methods to advance our quality and efficiencies to ensure the best quality wines to wine lovers everywhere.

Improved Water Sourcing

We are installing a self-contained water treatment system. We look forward to sharing more about this new project soon.