Technical Notes Robert Mondavi Winery was the first to formally adopt a natural farming approach to the cultivation of estate vineyards. This approach extends beyond rules and strictures of organic farming and considers overall wine quality and the impact on the greater environment.

As a joint effort in 1995, the Robert Mondavi Winery and the Napa County Resource Conservation District created the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group (NSWG). The NSWG holds several annual workshops on current topics in sustainable winegrowing such as water conservation, quality improvement, cover cropping, erosion control and the latest in Integrated Pest Management techniques. During the past decade, Robert Mondavi Winery has undertaken further experiments in natural farming and in 1998 became the only winery to date to receive an “Innovator” award from California's Environmental Protection Agency.