Aaron Fishleder, Vice President of Operations at Cakebread Cellars
Cakebread Cellars is an iconic, forward-looking Napa Valley winery, founded in 1973, that blends trusted quality and a welcoming spirit into each bottle of wine that it produces. The Cakebread Cellars team continues to evolve its winemaking practices, leveraging new technology to further quality and sustainability, from vineyard to cellar.
In what ways is your business considered eco-friendly? Since the 1970s, the family-owned winery has embraced environmental responsibility with green practices that range from sustainable and organic farming and diligent water/energy conservation to extensive recycling operations. In fact, Cakebread Cellars was only the second California winery to achieve the honorable Napa Green certification in 2008. Most recently, in 2021, Cakebread Cellars became the newest applicant member of the International Wineries for Climate Action, furthering its sustainability initiatives.
What inspired you to become an eco-minded entrepreneur? Organic farming and sustainability is so important to us at Cakebread because in order to keep making quality wine, we have to take care of our surrounding environment. We have been making wine for nearly 50 years, and we want to ensure we can continue to do so for the next 50, which is why it’s so crucial for our family to pass on this dedication to the next generation.
For readers who want to be more eco-conscious in their everyday lives, what do you recommend? Readers should continue to support brands that align with their values and share the wine they love with friends and family around the table. Keep asking questions, whether it’s about organic farming, business practices or certifications. Find resources and mentors, ask somms and wine educators.
What are your long-term goals for Cakebread Cellars and its impact? We are really thinking long term when it comes to sustainability. We are working on our carbon emissions audit to become a member of the IWCA this fall and map a plan to reduce our emissions across the winery. We are also exploring new ways to reduce water and energy use both in the vineyard and cellar. Our winemaking team started employing UV light to sanitize our equipment as a way to reduce our water use so we are rinsing out tanks less often. Our team is exploring more sustainable packaging alternatives and building up our composting at the winery. This is just an example of how our teams are continuing to make our winery more sustainable and green, inside and out.