To make our April wedding affordable, Arann and I did what we could to barter our talents. During the planning days, one of my bestest friends, Lindsay, suggested that I trade my photography for wine at Parducci Winery. And, lucky for us, they were into the idea, so I traded one full day of photographing for lots of amazing wine.

Not only is their wine extremely yummy, but it is also… local, family owned, organic and the very first winery in the country to be carbon neutral. This means they are doing lots of really cool things such as… solar installation, an energy-efficiency audit in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), using biodiesel in company vehicles and farm equipment, converting from incandescent to fluorescent lighting in the winery and a local tree planting program.

They also use chickens in the vineyards to eat pests and mix up the soil; they have owl boxes all over the winery; they are recycling extensively, and they have created a wetland habitat with reclaimed water.

And to top it all off, they are wonderful people. It was such a huge compliment that they wanted to trade wine for photos, and it was lots of fun getting a sneak peek behind the scenes at such an ecologically responsible business. I definitely recommend this wine for any and all occasions.