Peter Work is the co-founder of Ampelos Vineyard and Cellars, the first winery in the country to be certified, organic, biodynamic, and sustainable. After a canceled meeting at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, he and his wife Rebecca Work decided to quit their corporate jobs and pursue their dreams of growing grapes in Santa Rita Hills.
Peter comments, “My wife and I make wine, and we’ve been doing this for a good 15 years now. When we first started, we had no idea what this all entailed. We bought a piece of land in Southern California and started making wine.”
Work’s vineyard “Ampelos,” which is the Greek word for vine, produces approximately 5,000 cases per year and focuses on growing organic grapes and creating well-crafted wines. Moreover, the vineyard grows biodynamically in a holistic approach to the land.
We focus on being an organic farm, and we are very conscious about our farming practices and how we produce wine.
Work was contacted by Jess Barron from LIVESTRONG.COM to speak at SXSW, alongside Jeff Chean from Groundwork Coffee and Sarah Endline from Sweetriot.
“We want to talk about our philosophy and becoming more conscious about what we put in our bodies. I connected with Jess and everyone at LIVESTRONG.COM. She came up with the idea to come out to SXSW.”
During his upcoming panel The Biggest Threats to Your Brain and Health, Work will be examining the major threat pesticides pose to our brains and health. Due to pesticide exposure, approximately 16.9 million IQ points are lost among consumers every year.
“The main focus of the panel is to discuss pesticides in what we eat and drink. We want to make participants aware of the many pesticides we are consuming, as well as in all kinds of farming. This can have a great impact on the food and drinks we consume.”
Work explains how supermarkets do not mention these pesticides in their products’ labels. Two of the most pesticide-ridden crops are coffee and wine. These pesticides cause risks, so it is essential for consumers to take the necessary steps to avoid such exposure.
“We want people to become more conscious in their decisions when they go to the supermarket.”
Work hopes consumers will become more aware of what they are consuming and raise questions, not only in supermarkets but restaurants as well. Farmers will then see the demand for higher quality products.
To learn more, follow Ampelos Vineyards and Cellars on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Wednesday, March 14
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
JW Marriot – Salon C
Find out more: The Biggest Threats to Your Brain and Health
Featured image: Ampelos Vineyards and Cellars