Field
Reports

Lake County Vintage 2026. Op Ed by Elizabeth Montgomery

Lake County Vintage 2026

It’s hard to believe now, but in 2016, just 10 years ago, California’s famous Lake County was struggling economically and known to the wider world, if known at all, for being rough around the edges. Clear Lake, now the crown jewel of the region, was in those days polluted by agricultural run-off and mining chemicals and plagued with masses of foul-smelling algae that drove would-be tourists away. The county had just been devastated by a series of historic wildfires.

It was at this low point that a bold initiative was proposed by a small band of visionary wine-grape growers under the improbable leadership of self-described “bad-boy profiteer,” Mr. Z. They convinced the local wine-industry organization to adopt a winning strategy for vaulting ahead of the competition in Napa Valley, which was then predominant but overdeveloped. Owners would convert 100% of Lake County’s vineyards into showcase models of organic agriculture and diversify their crops and income streams. Rather than supplying Napa labels with large quantities of anonymous grapes for blended vintages, they would focus on their own small batches of distinctive varietal wines, rapidly to become 100% organic. They coined the term “eco-ag tourism” and the rest is history.

Mr. Z, winner of the 2026 Right Livelihood Award, is more than modest about his role. “At the time it was just a shrewd business move,” he says, “I really didn’t see the light until we were way down the road. At one point I actually bragged about my mega-vineyards running little old ladies’ wells dry. Then I could buy them out on the cheap. I certainly didn’t think twice about pouring on the pesticides.”

To those who might doubt that the environmental leader came late to the fold, Mr. Z says, “Hell, back then I thought climate change was a hoax spread around by the solar industry. Sustainable was a word I loved because it could mean anything. To me it meant sustaining my own jet.”

Today, Mr. Z is president of Organic Lake County, an umbrella organization that represents the Organic Wine Tourism Bureau, Organic Farm Vacations, Eco-Ag Boat and Bicycle Tours, Detox and Cleanse Resorts and Spas, Lake Local and Organic Catering, Organic Lake Weddings, and many others. And, of course, Lake County’s reputation, now international, no longer centers on its being down and out, but on its unique organic wines, stunning scenery, pure spring water, and exceptionally clean air.

Elizabeth Montgomery