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Below is the link to a recent Wine Specator article that addresses the contamination to wines that can occur from the use of pressure treated supporting structures in a vineyard. 

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44646

Captain Vineyards is Contra Costa County’s first and only certified green winery. They strive to produce top quality wine that is local, green, and sustainable. Captain Vineyards is located adjacent to Saint Mary’s College in Moraga and their tasting room is open by appointment only.

Susan Captain, President and head grapegrower at Captain Vineyards is pleased to announce that she will once

again be offering her popular classes in viticulture through the Moraga Parks and Recreation Department. 

Click here to download the information about the classes (This link will take you to a secure site, mediafire.com,

where you can download the document.)

To sign up for the classes, please visit http://www.moraga.ca.us/moraga_parks_recreation.php

 and click "Register Online."

As Captain Vineyards concludes their 2010 harvest, they are happy to share a recent article published by the Lamorinda Weekly that highlights the challenging grape growing conditions this season. The article, "Challenging Conditions for Lamorinda Grapes" is written by Sophie Braccini and published in the November 10th issue of the locally owned, independent newspaper. 

Click the link below to be taken to the article on the Lamorinda Weekly website. Additionally, the article is listed in it's entirety below.

"Challenging Conditions for Lamorinda Grapes" @ www.lamorindaweekly.com

As the French prepare to release their 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau on November 18th, Lamorinda winemakers are releasing their own 2010 production. But it has been a very difficult year for local vineyards and wineries. 
 Spring was very wet and summer never really settled in; grapes took longer to mature and develop acceptable sugar content. The wet spring seemed to foster an explosion of wildlife – raccoons and birds devastated some vineyards. Areas that stayed damp were challenged by powdery mildew, a fungus that dramatically impacted the yield. 
 However, producers are optimistic. The 2010 production should be unique, probably with a lower alcohol content (low sugar), but boasting great elegance and flavor. "The wines are going to be very good, well balanced and easier to drink," says Dave Parker of Parkmon Vineyards, "people's taste will become more refined. 2010 will be a year to remember and keep."
 "The slow ripening this year will develop a deeper flavor," agrees Susan Captain of Captain Vineyards in Moraga, "Every year is different, each bottle tells the story of what happened that year." Captain says the ideal sugar level is between 22 and 24 percent. "The higher the grade the higher the alcohol level," she says, "for me 22.5 percent is good, I'm not looking for big alcohol, I'm looking for flavor." 
 Mildew was also a problem for many vineyards this year. "I should have harvested three times the grapes I ended up picking," says Peter Cacioppo, who owns Eagle Hill Vineyards and Winery, "the powdery mildew prevention was not done enough times; we are all learning as we go." Cacioppo has a manager who does the maintenance for him and sprays the fungicide. 
 Cold weather and fungus were not the only threats to grapes this year. "When talking to some of the other members, it seems that there are some common issues being faced by the growers, such as: raisining/bunching of some of their crop, raccoons, birds, disappearing fruit on rows," wrote Lafayette grower Bill Scanlin of Deer Hill Vineyards, on the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association blog. 
 Carol Haag of Moraga says that she lost 60%-70% of her crop to raccoons. The only way she found to get rid of them was to leave a radio on all night near the vineyard. Cacioppo has a different strategy, "I leave my two German Shepherds out at night the last three weeks before harvest, "they keep raccoons at bay," he says.
 Parker said he would not let his dog out, but that he had raccoons trapped last year and that kept the population close to his property under control. Other growers consider the raccoon problem to be so severe that they contacted the Department of Agriculture in Concord and will consider trapping them. "We live in a semi-rural environment with plenty of the natural habitat for the raccoons in between our vineyards," says Parker, "it's normal to see so many of them."
 "A lot of people dream of being a grower, but it is a lot of work and worry," says Captain, "each year gives you a different story, and in the end it's also a lot of fun."

Captain Vineyards was featured in the "Business Briefs" section of the Lamorinda Weekly. Look for the article in the October 13th issue of the Magazine. The text from the original article and the link to the web version of the article can be found below.

Winery Receives Sustainability Award
 Captain Vineyards of Moraga has received a Sustainability Award from the non-profit Sustainable Contra Costa; the award "honor[s] businesses, government programs, community groups, non-profits, and individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to sustainable practices," according to the organization's website. Captain Vineyards was selected from a group of ten business nominees, and received formal recognition from the California Senate and Assembly for its efforts in utilizing green and sustainable practices in its operation. "We feel a responsibility to produce the highest quality wines, and respect our neighbors and environment," says co-owner Susan Captain, whose business also recently became the first and only certified green winery in Contra Costa County and received the Water Smart Business award given by EBMUD (recognizing the vineyard's dry-farming efforts.) "We are doing what we believe in, namely conserving our precious resources, and we're fortunate enough to be recognized for those efforts," says co-owner Sal Captain. For more information go towww.captainvineyards.com.

http://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0416/business-briefs.html

Moraga, California- September 29^th, 2010-

Captain Vineyards of Moraga receives sustainability award from local non-profit, Sustainable Contra Costa, at the annual awards banquet held at the Pleasant Hill Community Center.

Since 2005, Captain Vineyards has been growing acclaimed grapes for wine production on a Moraga hillside. While their 3,500 vines make them the largest vineyard in the Lamorinda area, their continuous efforts to be green and sustainable also makes them one of the most responsible.

The sustainability award, given annually by Sustainable Contra Costa, “Honor[s] businesses, government programs, community groups, non-profits, and individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to sustainable practices,” according to the organizations website. Captain Vineyards was selected from a group of 10 nominees, and received formal recognition from the California Senate and Assembly for their efforts in utilizing green and sustainable practices in their operation.

“Local, green, and sustainable.” Those are the three words that grape grower and co-owner Susan Captain uses to describe the vineyard and winery. “We feel a responsibility to produce the highest quality wines, respect our neighbors and environment, as well as fun a financially healthy business.” Susan adds that, “Being sustainable also means that we include members of the community in our business. We provide internships to local high school and college students. Our current marketing intern, Matt LeBel of Saint Mary’s College has been with us since May and is doing a great job of promoting the vineyard.”

In addition to the most recent Sustainable Contra Costa award, head winemaker and co-owner Sal Captain is quick to point out the other recognition that Captain Vineyards has recently received for their efforts to be green and sustainable. “We are doing what we believe in, namely conserving our precious resources, and we’re fortunate enough to be recognized for those efforts. We are the first and only certified green winery in Contra Costa County, we are very proud of that. In fact this year we dry farmed our vineyard, and since the only time the vines get watered is after harvest; all water used in the wine making process is recycled back into the vineyard.” Dry farming efforts to reduce water usage netted the vineyard with a Water Smart Business award by EBMUD.

Captain Vineyards is located adjacent to Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. Captain Vineyards wine is sold exclusively through the vineyard. Their tasting room is open by appointment only. Appointments for tasting can be made on their website, www.captainvineyards.com

Captain Vineyards was the focal point of a recent article written by Thomas Black, a local photographer and contributor to the Lamorinda Patch website.

In the article, Black looks at the many different facets present in the Lamorinda growing region. Interviews with several members of the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association (www.Lamorindawinegrowers.com) members revealed the efforts being made to legitimize Lamorinda as viticulture area, like Napa or the Livermore Valley. The article also looks closely at the 3 bonded wineries in the region, Captain Vineyards, Parkmon Vineyards of Moraga, and Deer Hill Vineyards of Lafayette. 

Please click the link below to read the full article:

"Wineries, in Lamorinda? I'll drink to that!"

Captain Vineyards is Contra Costa County’s first and only certified green winery. They strive to produce top quality wine that is local, green, and sustainable.

Captain Vineyards is pleased to share a recent article which was published in the Lamorinda Weekly. The article, written by Sophie Braccini was published in the September 15^th copy of the paper. The article highlights the efforts that owners Sal and Susan Captain have been making to produce quality wine that is local, green, and sustainable. Captain Vineyards is pleased to share a recent article which was published in the Lamorinda Weekly. The article, written by Sophie Braccini was published in the September 15^th copy of the paper. The article highlights the efforts that owners Sal and Susan Captain have been making to produce quality wine that is local, green, and sustainable. 

Please click the link below to view the article in its original form:

Captain Vineyards – A New Commercial Winemaker in Lamorinda

Captain Vineyards is Contra Costa County’s first and only certified green winery. They strive to produce top quality wine that is local, green, and sustainable.

June 8th, 2010

In a ceremony held at the East Bay Municipal Utility District's (EBMUD) headquarters in Oakland, Captain Vineyards and 6 other local businesses were recognized in the inaugural presentation of awards to WaterSmart business customers. Captain Vineyards was the only business recognized that had no association with a city or branch of government.

As the first green winery in Contra Costa County, Captain Vineyards qualified as a WaterSmart Business by using just 253, 572 gallons of water for personal and vineyard use in 2009. That number represents a savings of over 67% when compared to the amount of water consumed by a vineyard of similar size that uses traditional, non- conservative methods.

Captain Vineyards largely attributes the water savings to its technique of "dry- farming." Dry farming is unusal. While there is an overall trend towards using less water in California, dry farming refers to a practice of relying most heavily on natural annual rainfall for growing grapes. Traditional grape growing methods often call for over 20 gallons of water to produce a single gallon of wine. Captain Vineyard's method of slow drip irrigation has trained their vines to grow much deeper into the soil and consume less water.

In addition to dry farming, Captain Vineyard's use of organic compost and mulch on top of the soil has allowed for increased water retention within the soil.

Captain Vineyard's recognition as an EBMUD WaterSmart Business showcases how good water management can translate into big savings that help both their bottom line and the environment. In addition to recognition at the board of directors meeting in Oakland, Captain Vineyards is a certified WaterSmart Business until 2012, and will be recognized in EBMUD industry and stakeholder reports during the Fall of 2010.