Good Wine, Healthy Planet: How Soter Vineyards is Moving Sustainable Viticulture Forward

In 1965 - just three years before the founding of Oregon Environmental Council - the first Pinot Noir variety was planted in the Willamette Valley by David Lett. At the time, Oregon wine was commercially non-existent; the climate in the region, skeptics thought, was far too cold and wet to produce the quality grapes necessary for quality wine. Lett didn't know just how wrong his viticultural experiment would prove them to be.

A lot has changed in the 60 years that followed Lett's first harvest. For one, the industry has unquestionably boomed - going from zero vineyards in the early 60s to over a thousand today, producing some of the highest quality Pinot Noir and other varieties in the world. At the same time, winemakers have faced ever-increasing challenges. Hotter summers, changing rainfall patterns, drought, and wildfires all pose greater threats to the industry today than they did in its formative years.

With the impacts of climate change mounting, sustainability has become an increasing necessity - and responsibility - for the Oregon wine industry. To see what sustainable viticulture looks like in practice, you need look no further than Soter Vineyards .

Soter - a longtime partner of ours, whose Planet Oregon wines benefit OEC - has been championing sustainability before the term was a marketing buzzword. Their holistic approach to grape-growing - rooted in biodynamic farming practices, soil health, and long-term ecological resilience - shows what's possible when sustainability is built into the farm from the start.

So what does Soter's certified organic, sustainability-centric approach to farming look like in practice? We sat down with their Viticulturist, Emily Rozga, to find out.

A Holistic Approach to Farming

Central to Soter's operation is the view that farming is a deeply interconnected system - not a collection of isolated practices. That philosophy is at the heart of biodynamic agriculture.

Whereas conventional farming systems tend to focus exclusively on crop production and yield, biodynamics incorporates surrounding forests, grasslands, pollinators, animals, and soil into the overall health of the vineyard. At Soter's Mineral Springs Ranch property, large portions of land are intentionally left uncultivated. Forested areas, oak savannas, and restoration projects exist alongside the vineyard itself, creating habitat for beneficial insects, wildlife, and native plants.

"It's a really special place," says Emily Rozga. Emily moved from Sonoma County, California to Oregon to live somewhere rainier ("People always think I'm joking when I say that, but I'm 100% serious," she says), and has been working at Soter Vineyards since 2023.

"Biodynamics is all about integration," she explains. "A conventional farmer might say, 'I just want my plants and the soil, and that's it.' But biodynamic farming recognizes that you need all of this surrounding biodiversity to keep the system healthy and in balance."

Animals and ecosystems play an important role in that system. Cattle are rotated through parts of the property for land management, and native plants provide a healthy habitat for beneficial insects and microbes, while nutrients generated on-site are reused whenever possible - part of the biodynamic philosophy of "closing the loop" and minimizing outside inputs.

Healthy Soil

As Oregon's summers have gotten hotter and drier over the years, soil health has become one of the vineyard's most important tools for climate resilience.

The soil used in viticulture is key to promoting quality grape vines, and quality wine. But it's also fundamental for environmental health. Healthy soil retains water, reduces erosion, stores carbon, and helps vines better withstand environmental stress.

To protect and enrich the soil, Soter plants cover crops - like legumes, grasses and grains - throughout the vineyard during the rainy season. These crops help hold soil in place through the winter weather, while also contributing organic matter back into the ground. The vineyard also minimizes tillage whenever possible in order to preserve soil structure and microbial life.

"We try to keep the ground covered as much as possible," says Emily. "Cover cropping helps build organic matter, supports soil microbes and fungi, and ultimately helps create healthier, more resilient vines."

That focus on soil health relates to Soter's biodynamic practices as well. One example is BD 500 - essentially a "compost tea," made from burying cow manure underground in the winter, and digging it back up in the spring to utilize its nutrient-rich properties.

"We spray it on the soil to help inoculate the soil with good microbes. It makes the plants more resilient, and gives the whole farm a boost."

Soter also makes around 400 tons of compost every year. A key ingredient to their compost is carbon-rich pomace - the grape skins, seeds, and stems leftover from the winemaking process that most wineries dispose of. They include other on-site materials as well, including animal bedding from their animal program, and food scraps from their commercial kitchen.

"Since the compost includes materials from our property, we are cultivating the indigenous microbes from the site and helping to inoculate them back into the system," explains Emily.

The vineyard is also exploring other ways to build soil health and carbon sequestration over time, including plant extracts, biochar, and other regenerative farming techniques.

Adapting to a Changing Climate

Many of the challenges shaping Soter's current approach stem from broader climate impacts already affecting vineyards across the West Coast. Emily, who previously worked in California wine regions during severe drought years and the devastating 2017 wildfire season, experienced these challenges firsthand - watching farms fight over groundwater, picking grapes through thick smoke, and even being forced to evacuate with her family. Nearly 50 community members died in the California wildfires that year, and thousands more were displaced.

"The experience sparked a realization in me that, both as a society and as an industry, we weren't managing this situation well," she explains.

Emily carried that experience with her to Oregon, where she's kept managing the growing threats of climate change front of mind in her work. At Soter, adaptation has taken several forms. The vineyard uses a rainwater catchment pond to irrigate vines without relying on groundwater. Additional water catchment systems are being explored to capture rainfall from barn roofs for future irrigation use.

The team is also rethinking how vines themselves are managed during extreme heat events. Historically, vineyards often removed leaves during summer to expose grape clusters to sunlight and encourage ripening. But with rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves, Soter has shifted toward leaving intentional canopy coverage in place. Instead of exposing grapes directly to the sun, vineyard crews leave "umbrellas" of leaves to provide shade and reduce heat stress on the fruit. During especially intense heat events, the vineyard may also apply a clay-based sunscreen spray to help protect grapes from sun damage.

"It's really about minimizing stress on the vines wherever we can," Emily explains. "The healthier and more balanced the plant is overall, the better it can handle added climate stressors."

The Future of Sustainable Winegrowing

The work to make the winemaking process more sustainable from start to finish isn't over at Soter. They're paying close attention to emerging innovations that could further reduce agriculture's environmental footprint in the future - including drought-tolerant rootstocks that may be better adapted to Oregon's warming climate, and other innovations.

There's no silver bullet for sustainability at Soter, or at any other vineyard. It's an ongoing process, centered on continually evolving and exploring new farming practices to strengthen ecosystems, protect workers, conserve resources, and build resilience for decades to come. That long-term perspective and willingness to experiment are central to the industry's ability to adapt to - and fight against - the environmental threats we face.