Good Partners

Rocca delle Macìe’s story began in 1973, when film producer Italo Zingarelli bought a 93-hectare property in Chianti Classico. After decades of growing the business and establishing a strong worldwide reputation for their wines, the Zingarelli family began to explore how to operate in ways that were kinder to the land.

Their sustainability journey began in 2000, with VIVA certification achieved the following year. The VIVA program is run by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and measures sustainability in the four pillars of air (climate footprint), water (water footprint), vineyard (impact of agronomic management practices) and territory (socio-economic and cultural impact).

In the vineyard, the team at Rocca delle Macìe employs strategies such as pheromone mating disruptors and predatory insects like the mealybug ladybird to control pests without insecticide. They use organic fertilizers and cover crops, recover rainwater and waste water, and have photovoltaic solar panels on their winery buildings to provide them with emissions-free energy.

Now the third generation of the Zingarelli family to farm the vines have set their sights on a new goal: organic certification. They began the process of organic conversion for all their wines in 2023, with the first harvest planned for 2026. It’s an exciting development for this very successful producer, showing that the eco-friendly path doesn’t diverge from the one to commercial gains. At Rocca delle Macìe, a commitment to sustainability is a commitment to many more years of producing the best wines they possibly can.

Whether it’s supporting the arts or exploring the benefits of Canadian oak, Featherstone keeps it local.

A star of the Niagara wine scene, Featherstone has been making award-winning, eco-friendly wines since 1999. It’s also a positive force in the community through fundraising for local arts organizations like Chorus Niagara. “Chorus Niagara does all kinds of really great things with the community, such as building children’s choruses and introducing new talent through performances premiering Canadian composers,” says Featherstone co-founder Louise Engel. “Our winemaker [and Featherstone co-founder], Dave Johnson, sings in it, and has done for more than 10 years.” Is Engel another member of the 100-voice choir? “I cannot carry a tune in a bucket. I am an enthusiastic listener, however.”

When Engel and Johnson heard about two retired McMaster doctors who were dedicating themselves to making wine barrels from Canadian oak, it struck a chord. “The opportunity to put your wine in barrels from trees that grew in the region is really unique and relatively rare. They do that in France, and it obviously works very well,” says Engel. “We were one of two or three wineries that were intrigued by this and got on board with it early … The first barrels [coopered in the US] they made were from staves they lugged across the border in a hockey bag. How Canadian is that?”

Featherstone’s Canadian Oak Chardonnay is made from Featherstone’s own grapes, put in Canadian-oak barrels to ferment in the sun with the ambient yeast of the vineyard. The harmonious wine that results is “the ultimate local product,” says Engel. Sounds good to us!

Speaking of good, the new owners of Featherstone, George and Rayla Myhal, have recently contributed $1 million to the Canadian Ukrainian Foundation to support winterization efforts in Ukraine. It’s one way Featherstone is taking their local philanthropy global.

At LCBO, we’re focused on building a more sustainable future through our Spirit of Sustainability initiative, which celebrates trade partners who work to promote diversity and inclusion, community investment and sound environmental practices. Learn more at LCBO.com/sustainability.