Sustainability Statement
At Riverwood Winery we are firmly committed to sustainability and environmental preservation. While we always strive to make a big impact on those who visit us, we leave as little impact as we can on our planet. Producing wines, even on a smaller scale, provides abundant opportunities to take responsible action, from how we grow our grapes to maintaining our facilities year-round. We are proud of the steps we have taken and look forward to taking more as we grow. Here are just a few examples of the things we do to foster sustainability and environmental preservation.

The Tasting Room and Gift Shop

• The first thing that many guests of Riverwood notice is that our winery building is a repurposed schoolhouse. Built in 1954 as part of the Weston School District, the building has been saved and modernized. We use natural sunlight as a light source in many rooms, as well as energy-efficient LEDs throughout and motion sensors in the bathrooms to reduce electricity consumption.
• We reduce paper waste with our paperless receipt policy. All receipts for purchases at the winery are offered through text or email, unless specifically requested.
• The property surrounding the schoolhouse is also quietly contributing to conservation. 
  
• In the back quarter of the Tasting Room grounds we are in the process this year (2021) of establishing a native grass and wildflower planting. This area tends to become saturated during periods of heavy rain (especially in the spring and fall) and cannot be mowed during these times. We spent last year eradicating the existing non-native grasses and weeds, and over the winter seeded the ground with a variety of grasses and flowering plants that thrive in naturally wet areas (flowering plants such as New England Aster; White Beardtongue; Black-eyed Susan; a variety of Coreopsis plants; Marsh Milkweed; Slender Mountain Mint; Blue Vervain; Shining Blue Star; and grasses such as River Oats; Nodding Bullrush; Fowl Manna Grass; a variety of Sedges; among others). During this first year of growth the planting will be mowed to six inches periodically to suppress the weeds. During the second and subsequent seasons the planting will be burned or mowed during the dormant season. We will maintain walking paths throughout the planting so you can wander the area and look for different flowers and enjoy the insects, butterflies, bees and other pollinators attracted to the planting.
  
• ​Riverwood is officially listed as a Monarch Waystation by the University of Kansas Monarch Watch organization. This means that the native wildflowers (especially milkweed) which we have planted around the Winery provide a haven for these endangered butterflies (and many other native pollinators) as they make their annual migration to Mexico.
• Riverwood is not only a popular destination for humans, we are visited by a wide variety of native and migratory birds including bald eagles, snow geese, trumpeter swans, bluebirds, meadowlarks, and many more! Indeed our Tasting Room location and Vineyard location are both situated squarely within the Iatan/Weston River Corridor Important Bird Area, as designated by the National Audubon Society. This Important Bird Area encompasses 100,000 acres of restored marshes and bottomland forests located along a key corridor for migratory birds. The Area also supports significant wetland species such as Least Bittern, Common Moorhen, Marsh Wren, and Virginia and King Rails. The Area is one of the most critical migratory flyways in the country and contains the largest surviving tract of old-growth bottomland forest on the entire length of the Missouri River, known as the Weston Bend Bottomlands. Learn more about this important area at mo.audubon.org/important-bird-areas-5 and at www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/iatan-weston-river-corridor-27.   

​The Vineyard

• Our Vineyard is located three miles from the Tasting Room in the bluffs above the Missouri River. Our grapes and Asian pears do not grow there alone; they are joined by over one hundred undisturbed acres of meadows, native wildflowers and grasses, and second-growth woodland. This allows the ecological diversity of the Missouri bluffs to continue to thrive while we use just a small piece for cultivating fruits.
• At our Vineyard location in the bluffs above the Missouri River, we currently have twenty-two acres of ground devoted to native grasses and wildflowers providing habitat, nectar, nesting area and cover for a variety of birds, wildlife, butterflies, bees and other native pollinators. This area is joined by an additional fifty or so acres of undisturbed meadows into which we periodically sow native wildflowers and grasses, and about forty acres of second-growth woodland. This past winter we undertook a forest improvement project in our woodlands involving extensive thinning of excessive understory growth and girdling of other larger trees. The girdled trees will remain standing after they die and provide great habitat for birds and insects. The result will be more sunlight on the forest floor and more shrubby growth which provides food, habitat and shelter for a wide variety of birds, insects and other wildlife. ​​
• In our vineyard we grow only grape varietals that are uniquely suited to the Missouri climate, such as Norton, Frontenac, and Marechal Foch. Given our emphasis on providing healthy habitat for native butterflies, bees and pollinators, we use no synthetic insecticides on our grapes. Japanese Beetles can be somewhat of a problem during the summer and leave the vines looking pretty ragged, but the bugs typically do not kill the vines.
• Between our vine rows we maintain grass strips which we mow and which prevent erosion on the sloped vineyards. In the past we have used herbicides beneath the grape trellis wires to control the grasses and weeds which, uncontrolled, can grow up quickly and interfere with the vines. This year, however, we are working to eliminate the use of herbicides beneath the trellises. We are keeping the grasses mowed close to the vine trunk, and are using a flamer to burn down the grasses and plants which the mower cannot reach. This accomplishes several things: it eliminates our exposure, and birds’ and insects’ exposure, to harsh, synthetic chemicals; it returns the nutrients contained in the burned grasses back to the soil and the grape vines; by maintaining more plant growth beneath the trellises rather than a bare strip of dirt it moderates the aggressive growth of the vines resulting in better fruit quality.
• The vineyard is also home to our owners, who live in the restored ante-bellum farmhouse in the heart of the hills – like the winery building another example of the ultimate in recycling. The enterprising builders of the house utilized old-fashioned energy saving techniques, such as “two bricks thick” walls which keep cool air in during the summer and warm air in during winter. The owners have taken advantage of modern green technologies as well, such as geothermal heating and cooling, Energy Star appliances, and a hybrid car.​  

​Wine Production

• Since 2007, Riverwood Winery has been producing delicious premium wines and ciders. In 2016 we expanded our wine production capabilities with a 2400 square foot facility which was built around sustainability.
• The production facility was simply and sturdily constructed by local Mennonite builders and uses safe, high-efficiency insulation to keep heating and cooling impacts to an absolute minimum. All overhead lighting is provided by LEDs to further reduce our carbon footprint.
• The production facility includes a rooftop grid solar array which provides well over thirty percent of all energy used to operate both the Tasting Room building and the production building.
• Waste water and byproducts of wine production are disposed of via floor drains which lead to a septic system, meaning the lees from our wines feed the flowers outside!
• Recycling is a foundational element of sustainability. All spent bottles are taken to local recycling facilities, so our guests can enjoy themselves, knowing that their fun will not lead to pollution.
• For wine closures we use natural cork rather than artificial closures. Natural cork is 100% renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. Cork production is eco-friendly and sustainable, as the cork is punched from the renewable, responsibly harvested bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber) -- no trees are cut down in the process. Corks have the smallest carbon footprint of any standard wine closure, and the forests their use preserves provide our planet critical ecological services, reducing CO2 greenhouse gasses from our atmosphere while sustaining an abundance of fragile habitat and wildlife.​

We at Riverwood believe that even small businesses can be leaders in the sustainability movement. Part of our business model is promoting and practicing responsible stewardship of our environment. By learning about these practices and supporting sustainable businesses like Riverwood, you too can contribute to a healthier planet for future generations to explore and enjoy!