Winery Adopts Lightweight Bottles and Eliminates Capsules for a Smaller Carbon Footprint
September 10, 2025 (Sebastopol, CA) — Freeman Vineyard & Winery–named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Top 25 Wineries in Sonoma–has earned 100% organic certification through the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) for its Gloria and Yuki estate Pinot Noir vineyards. Set adjacent to the winery in the Green Valley of Russian River appellation, Gloria is planted to eight acres of vines. The 16-acre Yu-ki vineyard sits above the town of Occidental in the West Sonoma Coast appellation.
“Akiko and I care deeply about the environment and about leaving the world a better place for future generations,” Ken Freeman said. “We live amid the Gloria vineyard, so that gives us even more reason to care about what goes into the soil.”
Freeman has also made significant changes to its packaging to reduce the winery’s carbon footprint, switching to lighter-weight glass bottles and eliminating tin capsules from the bottle necks.
Glass bottles typically account for one-third to one-half of a winery’s total greenhouse gas emissions due to the energy required to manufacture the glass, and the transport of the wines. Freeman’s new bottles weigh 25% less than standard bottles and allow Freeman to ship more cases per pallet—reducing the product’s carbon footprint in transit. The lighter bottles have no negative impact on wine quality or integrity.
Freeman also did away with tin capsules. Hundreds of years ago, protective sleeves were necessary to keep the tops of the bottles clean and prevent rats from gnawing at the corks. However, with modern sanitation practices, they are no longer needed. Most capsules ultimately end up in a landfill, Freeman noted. “Capsules are very environmentally unfriendly,” he said, “from the digging of the ore to the production, which uses tons of energy.”
The Freemans have long championed environmentally conscious practices. When they purchased the land for the Yu-ki Vineyard in 2007, they donated 25 acres of old growth redwood forest to the Bodega Land Trust to ensure that the trees will never be cut down. That same year, Ken joined the board of the Sonoma Land Trust to help with the organization’s conservation efforts.
The winery also supports Russian Riverkeeper and donates 5% of the proceeds from its Friends of Freeman wine club to local charities including LandPaths, which helps send kids to summer camp in the forest.
About Freeman Vineyard & Winery
Ken and Akiko Freeman founded Freeman Vineyard & Winery in 2001 with a focus on cool climate Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. Drawn to the complexity of wines from these rugged, ocean-influenced regions, the Freemans established their winery and developed vineyards on the cool western edge of the Russian River’s Green Valley appellation. Today, Freeman’s estate vineyards include Gloria and Yu-ki, both certified organic by CCOF, along with the newly planted nine-acre Ko-fu Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills—which will enable Freeman to produce 95% estate-grown wines. As winemaker, Akiko guides each vintage of Freeman’s expressive and elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The winery produces about 6,000 cases annually.
