Kunde Family Estate honored for sustainable practices

The state’s highest environmental honor, the 2008 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, was presented to the Kunde Family Estate at a ceremony in Sacramento on Nov. 25.
Jeff Kunde, fourth-generation winegrower and leader of the Kunde Family Estate’s “Green Team,” received the award, in the category of Sustainable Practices, from Scott Harvey, Chief Deputy Director of California State and Consumer Services Agency, for the family’s “pioneering efforts toward integrating environmental values and conservation into long-term decision-making and management of its 1,850 acre estate.” That sounds complicated, but for Kunde, it’s a natural way of working.
“A lot of things we’ve done here, we’ve been doing for many, many years,” he said in an interview about the award. “Going back to my father’s time – you’ll see we leave oak trees on every knoll top – it’s working with nature instead of against it. We want to preserve the land while keeping it beautiful and productive.” To him, as his father and grandfather before him, the land is part of the whole community, and he feels a responsibility that extends beyond his product, which ends up enhancing his product, as well.
The original property was bought in 1904 by Kunde’s great-grandfather. Then his father and uncle added to it in the 1970s.  Kunde explained that to be sustainable means to be environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically feasible. He practices all three aspects in his business. He explained that while he is not 100 percent biodynamic or even organic, he uses some of the same principles. “The whole property is 1,850 acres,” he said, “and so it does have an impact on the land around it. We want to do the best we can do to take care of our land.” It’s an approach to things. “It’s all sustainable.”
Nick Frey, president of Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, said the Kunde Green Team has taken part in programs that demonstrate commitment to sustainable production. “In their farms, they’re doing some unique things toward environmental restoration,” he said. “They have owl boxes to keep down rodents. They’ve done stream bank restoration and replanting vegetation along some streams on their property. They lead ‘eco-tours’ where people can see the practices they employ. And they’ve opened up their facility for school kids as well, to teach about habitat conservation and those kinds of environmental things that are important to stewardship activities.”
At the awards ceremony, Kunde expressed appreciation for the honor. “Today our philosophy of sustainability extends from the family and beyond, through all that we do, including the vineyards, winemaking facilities, and open lands, and through our efforts to educate visitors and the local community on sustainable practices.”
Governor Schwarzenegger said he was proud to honor this year’s recipients. “Tonight’s honorees have shown extraordinary leadership in modeling environmental stewardship with long-term goals in mind. California’s long history of environmental leadership is due in large part to the companies and organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to preserving our natural resources.”
The Kunde Family Estate brand, launched with the completion of the winery in 1990, has reached 100,000 cases annually, with distribution throughout the United States. Today, the Kunde family sustainably farms more than eighteen grape varietals from their 750 acres of estate vineyards.