Sip This: Center of Effort Pinot Noir

Center of Effort Pinot Noir 2012: Coming from a Sustainable in Practice, or SIP, certified estate vineyard in the heart of the Edna Valley, Center of Effort’s eponymous pinot noir features up to 40 small lots fermented separately with native yeasts and then aged separately for 20 months in French oak, too.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Certification Beyond Organic

Ever buy a bottle of wine that featured a little red circle that looked like it was left from a wine glass with the words "SIP Certified" written inside, and then wondered what that logo meant? SIP is short for Sustainability in Practice, and it's the brainchild of a group called the Vineyard Team, based in Atascadero.

What began as a self-assessment system in 1996 turned into third-party certification in 2008. Kris Beal, executive director of the Vineyard Team, puts it this way, "There was definitely a sense of wanting to have an independent, trustworthy, and verifiable certification. Buyers, that is both consumers and retailers, were asking about a company's sustainable practices and wanted a way to back up that claim."

Want to read the rest then do so at the KCET blog.