Did you know that Ancient Peaks wines are not only made by hand, but powered by Santa Margarita sunshine?

It’s true! We have two solar arrays on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, home to our estate Margarita Vineyard. These arrays generate more electricity than the vineyard consumes, substantially reducing our carbon footprint.

Our solar arrays feed power into the electric grid to help our local utility serve customers during periods of peak consumption. Meanwhile, the vineyard’s irrigation facilities and other electrical demands are run largely during off-peak hours. The result is a net gain in energy—and another key component of our commitment to sustainability.

We have also converted irrigation pumps from propane to electric power, further minimizing the vineyard’s carbon footprint. All pumps have been outfitted with new variable frequency drives for enhanced energy efficiency. Other vineyard additions include wind machines for frost protection—a more efficient and sustainable way of keeping our grapes safe during deep freezes.

As we’ve said before, sustainability is not just a buzzword to us. Rather, it is something that produces measurable benefits for our vineyard, our wines and the environment—which is a pretty cool thing to consider the next time you enjoy a glass of Ancient Peaks wine.