To promote Tinhorn Creek's wines, which have won 250 medals worldwide, Ms. Oldfield, two sales staff and the winery's general manager host wine tastings in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton. The marketing trips boost the winery's profile, but also add to its carbon footprint due to the air and car travel involved.
In May, the winery will host its first Web tasting. Participating restaurants, with Tinhorn Creek wines in front of them, will log-in to the Web tasting where they'll see Ms. Oldfield, outside in the vineyard, ready to discuss the wines and answer any questions.
While there are thousands of videos online about wine, live virtual tastings are a recent development thanks to websites such as tastewinesonline.com and Crushpad's brixr.com. Earlier this month, the LCBO hosted its first virtual wine tasting, which focused on three wines from Argentina.
For Web tastings, Tinhorn Creek needs to buy a video camera, microphone and tripod, but the expenses, about $2,000, will pay for themselves within a year. Thanks to Web tastings, Ms. Oldfield will cut at least three marketing trips each year. That will reduce Tinhorn Creek's travel-related emissions and save the winery $3,000 a year. Some marketing trips will still occur.
“There is a certain amount that has to be done. You can't be virtual forever,” Ms. Oldfield says.
With 130 acres of vineyards, it takes a lot of water to feed Tinhorn Creek's vines. That's why the winery turned its attention to water efficiency. Beginning this spring, Tinhorn Creek is switching from overhead sprinklers to a water-efficient drip irrigation system that puts “water right on the vines that need it,” Ms. Oldfield says.
Installing the new system isn't cheap – it costs about $1,000 an acre – but the expense is worth it, Ms. Oldfield says. After the first 30 acres have been switched this year, the winery will save $1,600 in water bills. The savings will climb to $4,000 annually when all 130 acres have the drip system.
In total, when all the eco-changes have been made, Tinhorn Creek will save about $42,500 a year.
“It has been a good cost-saving measure to go through,” Ms. Oldfield says.
Shrinking water and energy bills are two bonuses of going green. Marketing benefits are another. The winery's eco-initiatives are mentioned on its Website and at tastings. “We're tooting our own horn a bit,” Ms. Oldfield says.
As a result, Tinhorn Creek is becoming a green landmark. Staff lead hikes through the vineyards and discuss the various conservation projects. The winery hosted a seminar on restoring vineyard habitat, which was organized by environmental organizations including the South Okanagan Stewardship program and the Land Conservancy. Winemakers in British Columbia and California have asked Tinhorn Creek questions about greening a winery.
“Some business owners may tune out when they hear the term ‘green strategies,' but business owners love hearing about efficiency,” Ms. Oldfield says. As Tinhorn Creek discovered, “the two are often the same thing.”
