OEC Member Profile: Bill Sweat, Co-Owner and Founder, Winderlea Vineyard and Winery

“Second careers, a well-planned next chapter, the pursuit of a shared passion” – this is how Bill Sweat describes his life in Oregon as co-owner of Winderlea, a boutique winery specializing in the limited production of pinot noir and chardonnay.

Bill and his wife, Donna, fell in love with pinot noir in the early 1990s. They found the characteristics they most loved about it in Oregon’s pinot noir, and relocated from Boston to Dundee in 2006.

Along with their passion for wine, the couple shares a dedication to sustainability. This dedication can be seen right from the moment you drive onto Winderlea’s property, where you’re greeted by a sleek building covered in rooftop solar, and two electric car chargers out front.

“People aren’t going to buy electric vehicles until the infrastructure is in place; the more business owners who help create the infrastructure, the more people will be willing to buy,” says Bill. “EV (electric vehicle) chargers are a demonstration project. They’re visible. Just like when hybrids first went on the market, the more you saw them, the more normal they became. We need to cultivate that same awareness with electric vehicle technology. The more people see EV chargers, the more they’ll feel comfortable buying an electric car. We’re doing our part to add that visibility.”

Winderlea is part of a unique EV tourism program called Plug & Pinot, an effort to illustrate how a full day exploring Oregon’s Wine Country can be done by EV. The Plug & Pinot Program extends from Gaston to Dundee, from Dayton to Salem, and all the way to the town of Elkton. Several of the program’s members were among the first wineries to plant vines in the Willamette Valley over 40 years ago.

Winderlea is also a certified Benefit, or “B” Corporation; a benefit corporation operates with the same authority as a traditional corporation, but is required to consider the impact of its decisions on society and the environment.

“I feel good about the conscious decisions we’re trying to make, and every year we try to do better,” says Bill. “We like the B-Corp certification process; they raise the bar every time you get recertified, so we have to continually improve if we want to retain our certification” Bill told us that three of the first four wineries in the world to become B certified are located right here in Oregon.

Bill utilizes clean energy wherever possible, from solar at the winery to heat the facility’s water, to a solar array on his home. The residential solar results in monthly checks as high as $300 from Portland General Electric, thanks to the power he is able to give back to the grid, and Winderlea’s solar panels help keep utility costs low. What the solar panels don’t cover, he pays PGE to purchase power through their Green Energy Program. “It’s only about a penny per kilowatt hour. We subsidize fossil fuel companies, so why not subsidize clean energy? There’s no compelling reason to not support alternative energies. There’s just not.”

Winderlea utilized many LEED energy management practices as part of the building’s construction; it’s sleek, slab floor and dramatic overhangs are more than aesthetically pleasing — they’re designed to collect heat and give it back to the building throughout the day, a warming effect in the winter. They’re also designed to contain heat, a cooling effect in the summer.

Winderlea also embraces this philosophy in its agricultural practices. They are one of 200 Oregon and Washington vineyards that have achieved a Salmon-Safe certification, an innovative sustainable agriculture initiative that recognizes vineyards and wineries for their sustainable agricultural practices. Winderlea is LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) certified; each year, LIVE members verify that they have met a series of sustainability goals specific to winegrowers. Winderlea is also Organic and Biodynamic® certified.

Bill Sweat is an example of a business owner doing everything he can to be a steward to the environment.

“The future of Oregon’s wine industry depends on a stable climate and a healthy environment. I do what I do because it’s the right thing, but also because I want Oregon’s wine legacy to exist for many generations to come,” said Sweat.

Bill Sweat is a member of Oregon Environmental Council. You can join OEC for as little as $5 per month, or $35 per year, by clicking here. Your gift helps protect Oregon’s environment for generations to come.

Related Posts
Filter by
Post Page
Policy Featured Climate Protection Transportation Solutions OCAP News OCAP-Page Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Living Green Toxics-Free Environments People
Sort by
Climate Protection Program - New CPP Rules Coming Soon

OEC and Allies Push Back Against Fossil Fuel Industry in Climate Battle

As we eagerly await the release of the final rules for Oregon’s Climate Protection Program (CPP), OEC and our partners in the Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice extend a sincere “Thank YOU” to everyone who took the time to submit public comments to help restore this vital program. Together, we’ve taken critical, local action in the global fight against climate change. The Power of Our Colle
October 22, 2024, 2:21 pm
mcadmin

9

KGW Good Energy Team

OEC featured in KGW’s Good Energy!

OEC is thrilled to be featured in KGW’s Good Energy, a partnership with OnPoint that’s all about the benefits of clean transportation, converting to clean renewable energy, and supporting organizations that are committed to protecting Oregon’s environment. The OEC Team had a blast riding e-bikes, sharing our work on EVs, and leading a green cleaning workshop with the OnPoint Team!
September 20, 2023, 4:46 pm
mcadmin

9

Catch up with OEC’s Emerging Leaders Board (events, summer getaways, and more!)

Guest blog by ELB Member Jessie Kochaver Between planning three awesome events coming up this fall (don’t miss the details at the bottom of this page!) and exploring Oregon’s incredible natural places, OEC’s newest Emerging Leaders
July 27, 2023, 10:11 am
mcadmin

9

Maria Castañeda-Cervantes

Welcome Maria Castañeda-Cervantes, OEC’s newest summer intern!

Maria is OEC’s 2022 summer Marketing and Membership Development Intern through The Contingent’s Emerging Leaders Internship (ELI) program. ELI removes barriers to access by connecting talented students of color with leadership-track, paid internships at top companies throughout the Greater Por
July 14, 2022, 8:13 pm
mcadmin

9

OEC’s Youngest Member – Welcome!

One of OEC’s newest members, Greyson, will be 30 in 2040, when Oregon transitions to 100% renewable electricity, fuels produced in-state will be more eco-friendly than ever, and climate pollution from oil and fossil-fuel gas utilities will be cut almost 90%!
March 8, 2022, 6:32 pm
xanthiawoeconline-org

9

E-Bike Events this Fall with OEC

At OEC, we believe that a high-quality transportation system is one that offers people healthy and safe choices to meet their transportation needs. Electric bicycles and other kinds of small electric mobility devices, like scooters and skateboards, are potentially transformative because they can meet many of the same needs as a car, but with fewer costs, and a lot less
November 8, 2021, 7:31 pm
saraw

9

Windmills over green terrain

OEC & Partners Advocate to Strengthen the Climate Protection Program

July 16, 2021 Governor Kate Brown Office of the Governor 900 Court Street NE, Suite 254 Salem, OR 97301-4047 Director Richard Whitman Department of Environmental Quality 700 NE Multnomah St. Suite 600 Portland, OR 97232 Cc: Chair
August 3, 2021, 7:55 pm
noraaoeconline-org

9

OEC and partners call on ODOT to consider climate and equity

July 14, 2021 Oregon Transportation Commission 355 Capitol Street, NE MS 11 Salem, Oregon 97301   Dear Chair Van Brocklin and members of the Oregon Transportation Commission: Our organizations write this letter as communities around the state are reporting dozens of deaths in the wake of a record-breaking heatwave while preparing for another summer and fall of destructive wildfires. Climate change is already bringing enormous human suffering to
July 15, 2021, 3:57 pm
saraw

9

Say no to fast fashion, say yes to sustainable shopping

Sustainable Fashion and OEC’s Newest Impact Partner

As Oregon emerges from 16 months of shut downs and people begin to return to stores and restaurants with a sense of safety, we at OEC want to bring some more good news for the Summer. We are thrilled to have been chosen as the Impact Partner for the next 6 months with a local Portland, OR boutique called Foundation: Fashion and Philanthropy.
July 8, 2021, 1:05 pm
jamie-pang

9

Board Member Profile: OEC Board Chair Phil Wu

In 2020, after three previous years of service on the board, OEC welcomed Phil Wu as its newest Board Chair. As a
June 9, 2021, 3:48 pm
teke

9


1 Reply to "OEC Member Profile: Bill Sweat, Co-Owner and Founder, Winderlea Vineyard and Winery"