Sustainability at Stargazers
Our wines begin in the vineyard where we use natural fertilizers and foliar nutrients so the vines can withstand disease and weather. We hoe between vines and mow between rows, turning weeds and grass into green manure. Because of our humid climate we must use fungicides, but we try to use low impact materials to the extent possible.
Our efforts at sustainability extend beyond the vineyard. We capture rain water in cisterns for spraying the vineyard and winery washing. A nine kilowatt photovoltaic array provides all the electricity for the winery and the needs of our passive solar home.
Wine-growing starts in January with pruning for balanced yields and continues through careful canopy management to the culminating point - the timing of harvest. Fermentation, with carefully selected yeasts, then turns juice into wine in our cellars, which are built into the earth so we do not need additional heating or cooling. Fermentation temperature is controlled with water from our cistern. When getting the wines ready for bottling, we believe that minimal manipulation and filtration maximizes flavor, freshness and finesse.