Deloach Vineyards Collaborates With Kingsborough Community College To " Build A Garden In Brooklyn "

DeLoach Vineyards announced today its collaboration with Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York to help launch the Kingsborough Urban Farm, the college's first project of this kind. The project, Build a Garden in Brooklyn, will be integrated into the school's academic program and will provide students with the opportunity to grow and harvest healthy, organic produce. The new culinary arts program, student-catering firm, and college cafeteria will use the food produced from the Urban Farm to feed and educate students. DeLoach, with its commitment to organic farming and education, was thrilled to contribute to a program that helps create environmental awareness.

DeLoach Vineyards has long been a leader in sustainable practices, innovative "green" technology, beginning its conversion to organic and Biodynamic farming practices in 2004. It achieved organic certification from CCOF in 2008 and earned Demeter certification for its Biodynamic vineyard practices in 2009. The 2010 harvest is the first as a Biodynamic-certified estate and the first since the award-winning 2004 vintage (Wine of the Year, Wine Enthusiast). Many years ago, DeLoach converted its winery horse pasture into a half-acre organic and Biodynamic garden of seasonally fresh produce that DeLoach chefs use to prepare meals for winery visitors and employees year round. In addition, DeLoach emphasizes sustainable farming and the conversion to organic and Biodynamic farming with its grower partners, helping, for example, the Maboroshi Vineyard convert from conventional to Biodynamic practices. Furthermore, DeLoach uses renewable energy, and reduces its water usage through implementation of an innovative membrane bio-reactor that relies on micro-organisms to purify water used in the winemaking process so it can then be used for landscaping and vineyard irrigation, saving up to two million gallons of water per year.

The partnership between DeLoach Vineyards and Kingsborough Community College complements DeLoach's efforts in farming and gardening, allowing it to help educate a new generation about leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Jean-Charles Boisset, proprietor of Boisset Family Estates, explains the enthusiasm with which DeLoach Vineyards joins this project: "As stewards of the land, our responsibility lies not only in fostering best practices within our own methods, but also in sharing the breadth of our knowledge with our communities. We're happy to participate in the Kingsborough Urban Farm as it helps educate young people about what we have so passionately believed in for years at DeLoach Vineyards."

To spotlight this new partnership in the public domain, bottle neckers, made of seed paper with annual and perennial wildflower seeds, will be placed on DeLoach bottles in stores throughout New York City. Beginning in November, $0.50 from every bottle of DeLoach wine sold in the City, up to $5,000, will be donated to help jumpstart the Kingsborough Community College Organic Urban Farm. The sales-focused program will continue to run through January 2011. Stuart Schulman, Executive Director, Center for Workforce Development and Economic Development confirms the benefit of this partnership: "We are very excited about our partnership with DeLoach, a leader in sustainable agriculture. Their support will help us to provide our students with the tools to learn to eat healthier food, live in a more sustainable way, and find new career pathways. Our students in nursing, childhood education, biology, and our new culinary arts program will benefit from having the Urban Farm on campus, and they will take this experience with them as they go out into the workplace."

About DeLoach Vineyards
DeLoach Vineyards has been a pioneering producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Z