There’s a lot to be grateful for here on the Central Coast. Picturesque landscapes, fresh local food at our fingertips, award-winning wines, and now, certified climate.

In 2019, when the team at Tablas Creek Vineyard was approached by the Regenerative Organic Alliance, they were already farming organically and biodynamically. But that didn’t stop them from participating in a pilot program for a brand new certification, one that puts ecological and social responsibility at the helm. Tucked away in the rolling hills of Adelaida, in northern San Luis Obispo County, Tablas Creek is one of only 10 farms worldwide, and the very first winery, to be Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC). One of only 10 farms — in the world.

This brand new certification is spearheaded by the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a partnership between Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s, the Rodale Institute and other key individuals and establishments — farmers, business leaders and experts in soil, health, animal welfare and social fairness — working together to effectively set the gold standard for an all-encompassing effort to “farm like the world depends on it.”  

So, what is regenerative agriculture? A comparison of the agricultural practices used when making conventional wine versus organic wine versus “regenerative organic” wine helps explain it.

In the making of standard-issue wine, the grapes are likely grown in a “conventional” manner. Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides are all used to boost crop yields, which ultimately compromise the health of the soil, the water, the grapes and yes, us humans, too.

Truly organic wine indicates the fruit was cultivated under strict certification guidelines from the USDA, which bans the use of synthetic inputs. To gain the USDA’s Organic Certification, farmers must use non-toxic ways to deal with pests and fertilization.

Regenerative organic wine means the agricultural methods used go one step further than those encompassed in other certifications and organic and biodynamic farming standards. “It is those additional pillars that we find so inspiring: resource use reduction (so farms use less nonrenewable power, and less water), carbon capture (building healthier soils and pulling carbon out of the atmosphere), animal welfare and farmworker fairness,” says Jason Haas, Partner and General Manager of Tablas Creek.

Regenerative farming requires big picture thinking, and at Tablas Creek, they’re doing it on a planetary scale. The team incorporates organic and biodynamic practices into their operations that focus on capturing carbon in the soil, which in turn increases its water-holding capacity. Further, cover crops, composting and rotational grazing reinvigorate their soil, year after year. Their award-winning wines come from their much-loved vines grown with the whole system, from the upper atmosphere to the deepest water table, in mind.

Can we solve the challenge of climate change without agriculture? Jason doesn’t think so. “There is too high a percentage of the earth’s surface dedicated to producing food,” Jason says, “but that’s also an opportunity. Plants are the natural engines that pull carbon out of the atmosphere. If through some combination of permaculture, cover crops, reduction in tillage, replacement of chemical fertilizers with compost, integration of animals, biochar or any new carbon-fixing processes, we can turn farms from net producers of carbon into net consumers, we’ve got a shot.”