Sustainably Made Wine
Our Commitment To Sustainability
Our commitment to growing grapes and making wine in the most environmentally conscious ways possible is an ongoing journey that is woven into the fabric of who we are as a winery. Knowing that the quality and character of our wines is intrinsically tied to the health and vitality of our four historic Napa Valley estate vineyards, we are constantly striving to refine our green practices to be ever-better stewards of the land. As part of this commitment, we have analyzed data and established trends and baselines for water and energy usage from year to year so that we can see what’s working, and where we can improve.
Sustainably Certified Vineyards
Embodying our commitment to the environment and to the Napa Valley community that has been our home for almost half a century, our four estate vineyards and winery were certified Napa Green from 2013 to 2022, and have been Certified California Sustainable through the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance since 2022. This rigorous certification, which includes annual third-party audits, requires adhering to 60 vineyard and 41 winery prerequisites and more than 200 best practices while tracking all key metrics.
“One of the things that drew us to the California Sustainable certification was the requirement that we show continuous improvement. With this in mind, Markham has established ambitious goals, including recycling 80% of our water by 2030, reducing water usage by 50% by 2035, and being carbon neutral by 2040.”
– Sara Lanning, Sustainability Manager
Soil Health & Organic Farming
At Markham, our four Napa Valley estate vineyards are farmed without the use of any chemical herbicides, and we practice minimal or no-tilling where possible, which benefits soil health, reduces erosion and increases water holding capacity. Additionally, we utilize cover crops in all our vineyards to build soil health and employ sheep for rotational grazing, which builds microbial life in the soil.
We also produce our own biochar, which we mix with compost and use in our vineyards for water retention and soil health. Because we are always striving to explore new ideas, several years back we began trialing organic farming at our Hopper House Vineyard, which was certified CCOF organic in 2023.
THE NEXT FRONTIER
Regenerative Viticulture
In addition to farming our Hopper House Vineyard organically, our Viticulturist Taylor Abudi has begun trialing several regenerative farming techniques at the site. “After Organic certification, Regenerative Organic is the next step and will play an important role in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” says Taylor. “While sustainability is important, we want to do more than just sustain our vineyards, we want to make them better, healthier and more productive for generations to come. That’s the view regenerative farming takes.”
Renewable Energy & Energy Conservation
We partner with Marin Clean Energy (MCE) to purchase renewable, fossil-free wind and solar energy, which is used to power all of our energy needs. MCE is a not-for-profit public agency and California’s first Community Choice Aggregation program providing fossil-free electricity service to businesses in Napa County. In addition to exclusively using clean energy, we are constantly using new techniques and state-of-the-art equipment to reduce our overall energy, resulting in an 8% reduction between 2023 and 2024.
Water Conservation
In both our vineyards and winery, we are constantly working to conserve water. This includes reclaiming and processing all water used in the winemaking process in ponds which are then used for irrigation. We also employ weather stations, irrigation monitoring and efficiency testing which provides invaluable data that allows us to target irrigation exactly where it’s needed. As a result of these and other practices, between 2023 and 2024 we reduced our total water usage by 20%.
Why Sustainability Matters
Choosing sustainable wine isn’t just about enjoying a great glass—it’s about supporting practices that protect the planet, empower local communities, and preserve vineyards for the future. As a certified sustainable winery in Napa Valley, Markham Vineyards is proud to lead by example and deliver exceptional wines with purpose and integrity.