Planet Oregon Wines are made with sustainable growing practices and bottled in our certified sustainable winery. We rigorously document, reduce, mitigate and offset all carbon accounted for in our onsite production methods. Our Planet Oregon wines have a name and a purpose intended to make clear that our mission beyond making fabulously affordable and great drinking Pinot Noir is to give back to this very place that helps make it possible.

As part of 1% for the Planet, 1% of all Planet Oregon wine sales are donated to the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC). For 50 years, OEC has been a leader in protecting the water, air and land we all share and love.

We have partnered with the OEC since the conception of Planet Oregon in 2009. Their work ensures Oregonians live healthier lives because our air, water and land are cleaner; our food is sustainably produced; and the products, energy and transportation we rely on are safer for our environment.

This desire to be an advocate and ally in the fight against climate change is what brought us together. Through the years we have donated over $130,000 to the OEC, and to safeguarding the future of our planet.

From The Founder

The Yamhill Community Action Partnership (YCAP) was founded in 1980 as part of a nationwide network of social service agencies designed to help improve the lives of low-income people and strengthen communities. They assist the residents of Yamhill County, diligently focusing on four primary service categories: Client Services and Housing, Energy Services, the regional Food Bank, and Youth Services. Over ten years ago, Michelle Soter began a partnership with the YCAP food bank that has grown into a life-long collaboration. Today, Soter partners with YCAP in a variety of creative ways to give back to our local community.

Each year at our annual Summer Solstice Celebration, we host a charity raffle for YCAP and we match all proceeds raised. We also directly donate food from our farm, and monetary contributions collected in our tasting room and events, year round.

Three years ago, YCAP began the Preservation Project which is an incredible example of community collaboration. We donate our Biodynamic marionberries to the Republic of Jam, who donates their time making and canning delicious jam. Volunteers at YCAP label the jars and sell them for $8 each. All proceeds go back directly to the food bank. Lastly, we participate in the Willamette Cares Food Share, a region-wide food drive spearheaded by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, where we collect money and non-perishable food items during the holiday season.

Over the last 10 years, we’ve donated more than $90,000 dollars and over 9,000 lbs. of food to YCAP. That equates to about 237,000 meals for families and individuals in need in our community.

What does the B Corp Certification mean?
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. 

This certification marks a departure from conventional shareholder-centric models, acknowledging the importance of prioritizing all stakeholders: employees, customers, communities, and the environment. Through a rigorous certification process, we commit to ongoing improvement within a framework that demands regular assessment and verification every three years, ensuring alignment with evolving standards informed by expert input and continuous refinement. 

While B Corp Certification doesn't imply perfection, it signifies participation in a global movement striving for economic systems change. Soter Vineyards embraces this journey, pledging to uphold elevated standards for social and environmental performance, contributing to a collective pursuit of a more sustainable future.

We want what we do in this world and on this planet to matter. We want our actions to be healthy and not harmful, for ourselves, other people, other creatures, and, of course, the planet. Our business managers are always looking for ways to connect with our community, to collaborate, and to give back. This includes initiatives like cleaning up our local roads, creating an employer match donation program where employees can strengthen their charitable contributions, and supporting employees to take leadership roles in our community, working for programs and projects that are individually meaningful.

Our company supports and has supported a diverse group of charities including the Oregon Environmental Council,

Yamhill Community Action Partnership, Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), the Portland chapter of the Urban League, Ahivoy, Habitat for Humanity and more.

Our employees are working together to strengthen our practices surrounding diversity and inclusion, which includes things like implicit bias training, space to discuss issues of race, gender, and equality, auditing of internal practices, and the creation of a bilingual experience in our Tasting Room.

We want our work to be delicious, fun-loving, regenerative, worth doing, worth sharing, worth sustaining. Every facet of our business embodies the conscious choice we all have to endorse and support truly sustainable practices.