San Mateo County Times
February 12, 2006

Does the county need winery environmental regulations?

by Laura Ernde

The fermenting dispute at Clos De La Tech winery has prompted San Mateo County environmentalists to renew their call for vineyard regulations. But wine industry experts question the need to regulate an industry that's already so small and has a slim chance of catching on here.

San Mateo County doesn't have any regulations that are specific to wineries.

Instead, wineries have to follow standards that apply to all types of farming. Wine-makers who want to make more than 2,500 cases of wine need to first get a variance like the one Clos De La Tech is pursuing.

Environmentalists say the steep-slope concerns raised by residents of nearby La Honda are proof that it's time for the county to adopt winery regulations.

Lennie Roberts of the Committee for Green Foothills approached the Board of Supervisors earlier this month and asked them to consider regulations mirrored after the wine-rich counties of Napa and Sonoma.

While wineries can be a great way to protect land from development, the county needs to make sure the vineyards don't harm streams or wildlife, the group says.

Like Sonoma County, San Mateo County should limit the steepness of the slopes where grapes can be grown, they say.

Steep slopes pose a challenge, but Clos De La Tech winery manager Rex Geitner maintains that grapes can be grown there without harming the environment.

Mountain-grown grapes benefit from rich soil conditions but can be difficult to manage because of erosion concerns, said Jon Frederickson, a wine industry consultant based in Woodside.

"It doesn't make a lot of business sense," he said.

The county's warm flatlands are ideal for grape growing, but nearly all of it has been consumed by development and any remaining pockets are too valuable for housing, he said.

"It's not like everybody's looking at San Mateo County as the future of the California wine industry," Frederickson said.

There are only a handful of wineries in the county that account for a very small amount of the wine grown in the state, according to the California Wine Institute.

But environmentalists say the fact that most of the county's wine-growing is in the steep Skyline Hills is reason enough to consider regulations.

The Committee for Green Foothills first asked for vineyard regulations back in 2002, after Alpine Road Vineyards was cited for illegal grading in the Tarwater Creek watershed.

Supervisor Richard Gordon said he believes it is time to take a look at winery regulations.

He said he would like to see the Planning Commission, which has had the issue on its study list, to consider making it a priority.

Staff writer Laura Ernde can be reached at (650) 306-2428 or lernde@sanmateocountytimes.com

Page last updated February 12, 2006 .