Jun 30, 2021
Oregon’s Troon Vineyard earns Regenerative Organic Certification
Troon Vineyard recently announced it’s the first farm and winery in Oregon to receive the newly launched Regenerative Organic Certification (R.O.C.).
Troon Vineyard in Oregon‘s Applegate Valley is located on the Kubli Bench, high above the Applegate River in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon. It is a biodiverse farm of almost 100 acres. Life on the farm includes cider apples, a vegetable garden, re-wilded honeybees, sheep, chickens, wildlife, dogs, humans and, of course, grapevines.
Purchased in 2017 by Texas natives Dr. Bryan and Denise White, and helmed by industry veteran Craig Camp, the trio set out to reinvigorate Troon by transforming the farm into a Demeter Biodynamic Certified vineyard and winery deeply committed to regenerative agriculture, according to a news release from the company. Troon has rapidly evolved by replanting their vineyard with ideal varieties and intertwining cutting-edge agriculture science with biodynamic practices to craft viticulture that best serves the land and their wines. Becoming Regenerative Organic Certified was the next milestone in the process.
“At Troon we do not simply consider ourselves environmentalist, rather stewards of the planet. The basic principle of regenerative farming is restoring the ecosystem of our vineyard back to a place of natural balance,” White said.
Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming that reverses climate change through rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring biodiversity. First, to even apply for the R.O.C. certification you must be certified organic by the USDA. Then there are three pillars of the Regenerative Organic Certification that producers must achieve to be certified: soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness. “We seek to be an organization where all of our co-workers can expand their knowledge through education, participate in our organization’s trajectory and planning, and be part of the holistic approach that defines regenerative farming,” said White.
“The focus on regeneration is what is key to me. We have to put back more than we take to establish a natural food growing system. As the R.O.C. slogan says, ‘Farm like the world depends on it” — because it does. My search for a framework for regenerative viticulture soon transformed into the broader view of the “whole farm” concept that defines biodynamics. Practicing regenerative agriculture is more than simple organic viticulture. Biodiversity creates more biodiversity and is the key to regenerative agriculture,” Camp said in the news release.
Troon Vineyards is also Demeter Biodynamic Certified, a rigorous holistic farming certification that is used in over 50 countries to signify the highest standards and practices when it comes to natural farming and winemaking, according to the news release.
To further showcase Troon’s commitment to biodynamic and regenerative agriculture, it has redesigned its labels to show the biodynamic preparations produced from essential botanicals used to enliven soils, vines, and wines. White wines are now adorned with biodynamic preparation 502, yarrow; amber “orange wines” feature biodynamic preparation 506, dandelion; and red wines highlight biodynamic preparation 507, valerian.
“Our vision since the beginning is to produce the exceptional, individualistic wines in a regenerative way that gives back to the earth. By choosing to include our biodynamic processes on our labels now, we are hoping to bring an even greater focus on these practices to help spread the word and, in turn, help heal the earth one farm at a time — farm like the world depends on it,” Camp said in a news release.
