SIP — SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE

SIPby Madeleine Vedel

estled between Torch Lake and Lake Michigan, in the township N of Kewadin, Michigan, WaterFire Vineyards is a destination for wine lovers, and the ecology minded. Outside of the three nearest wine trails and two nearby AVAs, Chantal Lefebvre, winery owner, manager and chief wino, has carved out a niche of her own where she grows nine acres of white vinifera for her estate-grown wines. Passionate in her convictions, she has combined her education in environmental science and her love of all things wine.

Shady Lane

Chantal and her husband Michael Newman purchased this former 26-acre cherry farm in 2008, already convinced – after only a year in the wine industry – that she wanted to farm and make her own wine, and to do so in a sustainable manner, respectful of the environment, doing her part to improve this corner of the world, and perhaps more widely. After much research, she landed on SIP, Sustainability in Practice certification based out of Atascadero, California. At the time, SIP was a California-based and California-focused program with members located within the Western state’s borders. Chantal changed that.

She reviewed the focus of this viticulture specific program, its three Es: economic viability, environmental stewardship and social equity, all of which aligned with her personal values. She then investigated the numerous requirements for certification: fourteen chapters with over 200 elements that include both absolutes, and a point system that allows for measurable improvement over time. These include:

Vineyard Conservation and Enhancement of Biological Diversity, Vineyard Acquisition, Establishment and Management, Winery Facility Establishment and Management, Vineyard Soil Conservation and Surface Water Quality, Water Conservation and Quality, Energy Conservation and Efficiency, Pollution and Waste Purchasing, Recycling and Waste Reduction, Social Equity, Pest Management, Grape Sourcing and Fruit Quality, Continuing Education, Business Management, Year End Water and Nitrogen Use Reports.

Chantal dove in, relishing her conversations with Beth Vukmanic, Executive Director at SIP. They discussed the terroir of Northern Michigan’s fresh coast, that Chantal would not be irrigating (as her California colleagues must do), that her worries tended to focus more on invasive insects such as the rose chafers, not on forest fires and droughts, and much more:

“I wanted to focus on nature friendly practices, to consider air quality, water conservation and bio-diversity. We are a no-till operation. We don’t stir up the soil in any way (which would release carbon into the atmosphere). We maintain plant cover. We sequester carbon. Our little tiny farm plays its role in reversing climate change. If we could get enough farms to do this, we could have a big impact as farmers in reversing climate change.”

Leaving fields fallow, planting native species to create corridors for local insects, birds and more (though hoping the deer will opt to detour around the property); waiting to mow till the ground nesting birds have fledged and departed; measuring energy use (and the quantity of diesel expended each time the tractor and/or sprayer takes a pass through the rows) and investing in alternative energy sources such as solar and wind; offering competitive wages and continued education opportunities to her employees. These are all either happening or in the works at WaterFire.

FIRST SIP-CERTIFIED IN MICHIGAN

In 2017, WaterFire became the first SIP-certified winery outside of California, and de facto, the only one in Michigan. Five years into it, Chantal is content with her choice of SIP certification over USDA Organic or Certified Naturally Grown. As of 2020, her colleagues at Shady Lane Cellars in Leelanau County have followed suit. Andy Fles, vineyard manager and Kasey Wierzba, vintner, learned of SIP through a conversation with Chantal and found it fit their values, providing a path towards improved vineyard management, as well as a testament to beliefs and actions they could stamp on their wine label.

Andy and Kasey, both graduates of Michigan State University Agricultural and Viticulture studies, with stints on the University’s sustainable farm, arrived at Shady Lane in 2013. She spent the intervening years honing her wine making skills in California, he on Old Mission Peninsula. Upon their meeting they immediately felt an affinity in their values and goals:

“One huge thing we had in common as we began to work together and collaborate, with him [Andy] stewarding the vines and my making the wine, was a parallel desire for organics, for working for the natural world around us, borrowing from and collaborating with Mother Nature.” Kasey says.

With 65, and soon 70 acres planted in vineyards on the 150 acre farm, they had a relatively large (for Michigan) property to manage. A first step was compost teas, using compost to build and enrich the soil beneath the vines as a foundation to growing healthier plants and better fruit. Spraying this microbe rich tea on the vines supports the plants’ defense mechanisms, and encourages them to develop their own tolerance of and ability to fight disease.

As Chantal does at WaterFire, so too is Andy working to enrich the habitat for local vertebrates, tending insectary plots of native grasses and flowers to provide shelter and homes for bees, other pollinators and beneficial insects such as dragon flies, lace wings, and butterflies. “When you create such an open space with native plants and diversity, they show up.” says Kasey.

Caring for the people who work at the winery falls squarely inside the SIP directives as well. Though many wineries find it difficult to employ their vineyard staff all year long, they can communicate with neighboring fruit farms, cherry growers and apple orchards, where skilled agricultural workers to prune and harvest are needed. With a handful of farms joining forces to employ them, there is sufficient work to permit living locally and enrolling kids in the local schools.

Kasey Wierzba

A last element that rendered this choice more feasible, was connecting with former Leelanau Peninsula organic winery owner Stan Silverman (based in Northport). Already a USDA Organic certifier, he got SIP certified to review their practices, documentation , and to walk the property, observing and testifying to their adherence to the SIP standards. Stan getting on board has saved both wineries the cost of flying out a specialist from California.

And the wines? Does it really make a difference in the quality of the wines? Is it worth all the effort? All the paper work and the third party certification? Make that an affirmative.

I am not alone in being impressed with the quality of WaterFire’s Estate wines (made by noted wine maker Bryan Ulrich of Left Foot Charley, mentor and former boss of Chantal from 2008-2011). Proudly served in the best local establishments including Traverse City’s The Cooks’ House and Trattoria Stella, Chantal’s Grüner Veltliner shines with bright notes of tart green apples, Meyer lemon, honeydew melon and a surprisingly creamy mouth feel; as you savor the glass, second notes of peach and vanilla emerge in this Austrian inspired wine. Though there was some frost damage last spring, her yield in 2021 was higher than in 2020, due to the longer growing season. So do come to taste her Grüner, Dry Riesling (a favorite in a crowded field) and her Michigan grown, bubbly Brut Cuvée Blanc. And do make the trek to her beautiful tasting room, opened in 2017. While there, take a walk around the property and take in the beauty and fresh scents of land well-managed. FYI, your dog is welcome too.

At Shady Lane Cellars, where Kasey makes one of my favorite Cabernet Francs in all of Leelanau Peninsula (though not every year), judge for yourself how healthy and rich soil comes through in the fruit, before or after a ski amidst the vines. Discussing the Cellars’ wines’ evolution since putting these practices into place, Kasey says she finds:

“There’s a good balance where the vine puts energy into the fruit maturation and into the canopy. Creating a diverse, sustainable soil as the foundation helps to set that path. We see a lot more consistency in quality, even year to year, even with the variability of weather from season to season. It’s showing up in the quality of the flavors that come through. We had a lot of rain this past year, and I was surprised by the flavors that came out of the vineyard, even with all that water. Sure some of our fruit is noticeably lower in brix, but we’re seeing such great aromatics coming from the fruit – I attribute that to our farming practices.”

Michigan Organic and SIP Certifier Stan Silverman summarizes, “SIP covers broader issues than organic: farm, community, systems, water management, workforce training, insurance for your workforce. It has a communal interest focus rather than just crop growing.”

Now that these two award-winning wineries have tested the waters, may others follow behind.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Madeleine Vedel was introduced to the world of wine by her parents, who had a small, but prized wine cellar. While married to a French chef in Provence, she ran food and wine tours for nearly 20 years. She is currently based in Mancelona, honing her cheese, chocolate and pastry skills and happily consuming both local and international wines within her budget.