Restoring Forests with Wine

The Browne Forest Project started as a deeply personal mission, as the Browne Family watched forest fires and climate change devastate the ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest that made their winemaking possible, according to Andrew Browne, co-proprietor of Browne Family Vineyards.

“The accelerating effects of climate change on our industry and communities require everyone to take decisive steps to counter the shifts, and reforestation is one way Browne Family has identified we can help,” he says.

“Working with my children to plant new trees and rebuild a forest is a powerful experience and very empowering.”

In their exploration of how to raise money to protect the forests, they started small by offering their inaugural Shaw Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively through their tasting rooms. After this wine sold out in one month, they realized their customers shared their desire to support the fight against climate change. This support gave Browne Family Vineyards the validation to create a full portfolio of wines as a small way they could make a difference.

One Tree Planted and the Browne Forest Project

In 2023 Browne Family Vineyards launched this venture in partnership with One Tree Planted, an environmental 501(c)(3) that plants trees around the world. Both shared the goal of restoring forests, creating habitat for biodiversity, and making a positive social impact. Donating to this cause is simple. For each bottle of Browne Forest Project wine sold, a tree is proudly planted to help restore forests in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

To date, this venture has raised enough funds to plant 400,000 trees over a quarter of all U.S. states with the goal of planting a million trees. This translates into 3,000 acres planted. Their Pacific Northwest tree planting initiatives with One Tree Planted include: the Elmo Fire Restoration (Montana), Statewide Wildlife Restoration (Oregon), and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Reforestation (Idaho). Also, they work with the Orca Initiative to plant trees along the rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest to restore marine habitat for endangered orcas.

Their current Forest Project wine offerings feature a cabernet sauvignon, red blend and a white blend, along with a merlot and malbec from their Conservation Collection. The grapes for these wines are sourced from Washington’s Columbia Valley. Other wines in the Forest Project lineup include a pinot noir from Oregon and a chardonnay and cabernet sourced from Paso Robles in California. Recently, they added to this portfolio an American Single Malt Whiskey made by Browne Family Spirits in Spokane, Washington. They chose to offer these products at a moderate price point to encourage more people to enjoy a Pacific Northwest sip while supporting the forests that made their drink possible.

Other environmental initiatives connected with this project include using bottles that are 31 percent lighter than standard wine bottles, reducing the energy required for transit and production, sourcing shipping cartons from responsibly managed forests (per the Forest Stewardship Council) and using a label-free design on the bottle, a move that so far has saved more than 2.2 million paper labels in the first three years of production, as well as ensuring their bottles are recyclable.

How to Support the Browne Forest Project

Browne Forest Project wines are available across all their Browne Family tasting rooms in Walla Walla, Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Spokane, along with select national retailers and their online store at brownefamilyvineyards.com. Follow their social media channels for the most up to date information on planting milestones and new releases.