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50 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 Beginning with the 2016 harvest, the Ri- boli family diverted production to its new winery in the heart of Paso Robles: an area in which they've developed a particu - lar specialization when it comes to sustain- able winemaking. This gave their company an opportunity to build a winery from the ground up with this sense of "long-term sustainability" dictating all major decisions, Anthony says. It's a team effort that's seen considerable contributions from Head Winemaker Arnaud Debons and Paso Robles winemaker Ben Mayo. From installing solar panels to serve as the winery's primary energy source to repurposing grape waste as cattle feed, the Riboli family opted to invest in technology that would prove effective for decades to come—a nod to their multigenerational business model. A wastewater-treatment process allows water used in the win - ery to safely irrigate vineyards, a handy preservation technique in drought-prone California; to date, the winery has yet to release any of this treated water into the sewer system. The facility's barrel room, meanwhile, is also designed for nighttime air cooling. The effectiveness of this energy-saving method is optimized in an area like Paso Robles, which is known for its dramatic temperature drops as warm days give way to cool nights. Beyond helping to preserve limited natural resources, these techniques also boost efciency: Anthony notes that the new winery requires less labor than other wineries of its size. "Being sustainable is good for the environment and the earth, but it's also sound business," he adds. "For example, the initial investment of solar power is high, but it makes sense if we will pay it off in ve years." Vineyard Philosophies Evolve While available technologies like waste- water treatment and air cooling are being increasingly integrated at other winemak- ing facilities, it would be tempting for a company with a track record of success to simply continue operating as it always has. Fortunately for the longevity of the industry, the Riboli family doesn't agree with that mindset. "It's important for us to evolve," Anthony says. "If you don't evolve, that's when you become stagnant and stop maintaining success. We as a family have never wanted to sit back and do it the way it had been done before." This holds true in the family's vine - yards as well, which stretch from Napa to Monterey to the company's new home base of Paso Robles. Their company has only owned vineyards since the 1980s, as it previously purchased grapes from individual growers. However, the family felt that vineyard ownership, like winery ownership, was essential to improving its ability to craft high-quality wines. Beyond increasing its control over the viticultural techniques behind its releases, the Riboli family and their Vineyard Manager, Lee Alegre, found they could fully integrate sustainable philosophies into the core tenets of their business strategy. Methods like drip irrigation and cover crops now hold priority in the vineyard, promoting soil health while helping native ora and fauna to thrive. Seemingly small yet consequential assets like ponds, bird sanctuaries, and sheep pastures also serve to encourage biodiversity, which improves overall vineyard health. While many of these concepts seem like common sense today, that's hardly been the case in the industry's past. "In my grandfather's day, these things were unheard of—wine-grape growers would just smother everything with herbicides," Anthony notes. "It's amazing how some - thing as simple as that has come full circle." While he acknowledges that some leaders in the industry feel it's difcult to scientically prove the superiority of sustainably farmed wines in terms of taste, Anthony believes healthier vines nurtured in their vineyards of origin subsequently create higher-qual - ity grapes and wines. He also asserts that sustainable farming lengthens the life of a vineyard, which is important as Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery turns the page to its second century of operation. As awareness and technological advancements make strides in tandem, winemaking techniques will also invariably evolve over time. By adopting a forward- thinking mindset that revolves around sustainability—and the distinctive wines this environmentally conscious approach gives rise to—Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery is primed for more success in the decades to come. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAN ANTONIO WINERY Pictured at left, the Riboli family's state-of-the-art treatment plant has processed more than 1 million gallons of winery wastewater, which is reused for irrigation rather than released into the sewer. At right, solar panels cover the entire roof of the winery and provide 100 percent of its electrical power.