Bitner Vineyards in Caldwell, Idaho recently became the first vineyard in the state to earn LIVE (Low Input Viticulture & Enology) certification. Dr. Ron Bitner is an Idaho native and internationally known bee biologist who planted his sixteen acre vineyard in 1981. After learning about LIVE from Executive Director Chris Serra at a meeting of the Idaho Wine Commission in 2010, Dr. Bitner decided to place his vineyard on the requisite two-year path toward certification through the Salem, Oregon-based non-profit organization. Bitner Vineyards underwent a rigorous third-party inspection process, verifying that the vineyard is farmed using ecologically sound and science-based pest management practices, workers are treated fairly, and waterways are being protected from agricultural activities. Each LIVE grower has a different reason for participating in the certification, and Dr. Bitner’s centers around protecting the bee activity in his vineyard. Numerous bee-friendly practices are employed on the vineyard, including native plantings that attract various species of bees.
Moya Shatz Dolsby, Executive Director of the Idaho Wine Commission declared, “Having a LIVE certified vineyard in Idaho is yet another way we can show the world that the Idaho wine industry has arrived and has begun to be seen as an impressive winegrowing region to watch. We are very proud of the Bitners’ achievements and hope to see more Idaho vineyards become certified in the future.”
LIVE is a 501(c)3 organization that independently certifies environmentally and socially responsible winegrowing in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in Oregon in 1997, LIVE recently expanded its geographical boundary to promote and certify sustainable practices in the wine industries of Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. LIVE uses third-party inspectors to verify internationally accredited standards and is widely regarded as the leading certification for the Northwest wine industry.