Organic Winery Archives - Wine Country Getaways

Quivira Vineyards A Very Biodynamic Winery

July 23, 2015 by Joe Becerra

We have reposted this article that was published a few years back. Our photos were lost in the “Cloud” so we needed to redo the photos and publish again.

This winery has been on West Dry Creek Road since 1986 when just a handful of wineries were located on this beautiful backroad in the Dry Creek Valley. In 2005 the winery became biodynamic, and in 2006 the winery’s original owners sold the winery to Pete Kight who had made it big in the high-tech business. Everyone waited with bated breath to see what changes would take in place at the idyllic winery. Pete Kight has not disappointed the Dry Creek wine community. Since the acquisition, the winery has added a beautiful and extensive vegetable garden of 120 raised beds, goats, a pig, and even a chicken “condominium.” Many of the vines have been replanted and additional acreage has been acquired. The winery has also added an extensive solar panel system atop its winery building. Quivira is one of the pioneer wineries in sustainable farming practices.

Respected winemaker Hugh Chappelle is currently the head winemaker at Quivira Vineyards. In an effort to improve quality, the current production of wine has been reduced from over 20,000 cases of wine per year to 13,000 cases. The vines are thinned more, and much more of the crop is dropped to produce more complex wines. If you walk the vineyards you will get an idea of the replanting and see many examples of biodynamic farming. New acreage has been purchased in the western hills of Dry Creek and new vineyards are being planted with mostly Rhone varietal grapes. The best may be yet to come at Quivira.

Biodynamic vineyards at Quivira

In the tasting room, the staff is friendly and accommodating. When we visited on a busy Sunday, the three Quivira staffers were welcoming a constant flow of visitors with ease while maintaining a festive atmosphere. Until Steven Canter took the realm as winemaker, Quivira flagship wines had been the Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and the Dry Creek Zinfandel. These wines are still good, but the two wines we thought were more impressive were the Sauvignon Blanc Barrel Complete and the Wine Creek Zinfandel. The Sauvignon Blanc has been barrel fermented, and that gives a totally different character to this varietal. It is wine with more structure and it is delicious but on the pricey side at $28. The Wine Creek Zinfandel was the favorite of our tasting, a very delicious and balanced Zinfandel.

If you visit Quivira, ask the staff if you can take a walk to view Wine Creek. Quivira Vineyards, along with other agencies and neighbors, has been involved in the restoration of this creek and the return of Steelhead trout and Coho Salmon. The winery has taken several steps to provide the correct environment for these fish to travel from the Pacifica Ocean up the Russian River to Dry Creek, and then to spawn in the pools of Wine Creek. What a wonderful endeavor.

Green Manure at Cedarville Vineyard

March 6, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Green Manure at Cedarville Vineyard in El Dorado County

Green Manure Cover Crop Cedarville Vineyard – Zinfandel

Around this time of year, it is easy to spot the vineyards that are practicing sustainable and organic farming. The telltale signs are the rows of green plants growing in between the vines. These are called cover crops or green manure. Their purpose is to provide nitrogen to the soil, so the vineyard growers do not need to add chemical fertilizers. I aways wonder why this is not a practice among all vineyard managers and growers. We made our annual trip to Amador and El Dorado Counties last week. For the 12th year in succession, we visited Cedarville Vineyard in the Fair Play AVA. We always thoroughly enjoy a visit with the husband-wife team of Jonathan Lachs and Susan Marks. They met at the U.C. Davis Enology program and have been a great team since, producing delicious Cedarville Vineyard wines. They planted their vineyards in Fair Play in 1997 and in 2010 switched over to organic farming. A large part of their organic farming is the use of green manure. Janelle and I were astounded at the lush growth of cover crops thriving at Cedarville, and in particular amid the rows of the head-pruned Zinfandel. I recorded this short video of Jonathan explaining the use of the green manure. Not only does it provide fertilizer to the soil but, in these drought conditions, the manure also enhances the moisture retention in the soil. Watch and listen to Jonathan as he clearly describes the use of the cover crops and what plants make up his mix of green manure.

Cedarville Vineyard is one of 19 wineries in the Fair Play area. It is open by appointment, so call ahead if you don’t want to miss tasting Cedarville wines. Several other Fair Play wineries have visiting days and times, so you can make a day of tasting and enjoying the Fair Play AVA. Check the Fair Play Wine Route for additional winery information. We like to stay in Sutter Creek, so it is about a 45-minute drive northeast to Fair Play. The ride up to Fair Play is stunning this time of year.

Wine Adventures in Hopland – Mendocino County

May 1, 2012 by Joe Becerra

Is the Hopland Wine Country on the rise? There are some interesting happenings in this little wine country town about 30 minutes north of Healdsburg. Janelle and I have been visiting Hopland at least once a year since 2000. We have seen the area go through its ups and downs, but on this last visit it looks like things could be jumping in Hopland.

The most notable change is the redo of Lawson Station Hotel by husband-wife team Gary Breen and Anna Beuselinck. They have reopened the hotel, which was closed shortly after it opened in 2007. The hotel, including its restaurant, has been given a facelift and the new digs are called Piazza del Campovida. Full operation is set to go any day now.

Gary and Ann also purchased the Fetzer Valley Oaks Center that has been closed to the public for at least five years. The new name is Campovida, and the grounds and tasting room are first class as are the Rhone wines produced here. Gary and Anna are hoping Campovida will not only attract a huge following of wine lovers but are also optimistic that it will become a popular venue for weddings and conference events. There is a set of cottages on the property that can accommodate folks for events and that is a big plus for the area. Campovida is located east of the town, about one and a quarter miles on Highway 175. Tasting room is open daily 11 to 5 pm. This is the perfect spot for a picnic lunch.

The Bocce courts at Campovida

Biodynamic Farming Montemaggiore Winery in Dry Creek Valley

May 3, 2010 by Joe Becerra

We have a great five-minute video of how biodynamic farming is implemented at the vineyards of the Montemaggiore Winery near the town of Healdsburg. We interviewed winery owner Vince Ciolino as he walked us through his hillside vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. Vince along with his wife Lise are the owners of this beautiful winery. Lise is the winemaker and Vince is the vineyard manager. The wines are Rhone style wines and the emphasis is on Syrah. The winery is open only by appointment, but don’t let that stop you from visiting. If you are looking for something very different from the standard tasting room fare, then you will find a visit to Montemaggiore an exciting diversion.

One of the coolest and most unusual biodynamic practices at Montemaggiore is the use of chickens. The winery has 15 chickens that live in a chicken coup on wheels. This little chicken habitat is an exact replica of the winery. Vince can move the chicken coup to various locations on his estate vineyards to do their work. The chickens leave the coup periodically to roam the vines in search of insects. They scratch the soil with their claws to find the bugs. That scratching helps mix in the natural compost that Vince has applied to the vines. The chickens eat tons of insects and that removes many an insect pest from the vines.

Watch the video to get an idea of what goes on at a biodynamic vineyard.

Will Smoke Taint be an Issue with the 2008 Vintage?

June 4, 2009 by Joe Becerra

On June 21, 2008, we attended a Maurtison winery outdoor dinner for wine club members at one of their Rockpile Vineyards deep in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. This is an amazing area of deep hillsides and rough terrain. We took a tour of the vineyards that sit high above Lake Sonoma. The air was clear and breezy and the views terrific. Two hours later during dinner, it was a completely different story. The entire area was filled with a haze of smoke. A wave of lighting strikes had set forest fires in Mendocino County and the winds brought the smoky air to the south. The smoky air lingered there for days as far away as the San Mateo Peninsula, but in Mendocino Country and parts of Sonoma County the smoky air was there for three weeks.

Rockpile before the fires

Two hours later the smoke filled air

The 2008 vintage will begin to emerge soon with white wines. These wines should not have a problem with smoke, because in the winemaking process the juice is squeezed from the grapes and the skins discarded. In the case of red wines, the skin is in contact with the juice, and hence the greater chance for smoke taint. The 2008 reds are in barrels now and I imagine the vintners have a good idea of how these wines will taste.

Jeriko Winery in Hopland Trader Joe’s Connection

May 27, 2009 by Joe Becerra

If you read our last couple of blog posts, you will know that we were in the Hopland area last week for our Bocce tournament. As you might imagine we stopped in at several wineries and tasting rooms in the Hopland area including the Jeriko Estate Winery. This wine area is beautiful and has much to offer to the wine country lover. You certainly won’t find any crowds up here in southern Mendocino County, and the area has much to offer in terms of peace and solitude and most importantly some very good wines.

Danny Fetzer owns the Jeriko Estate winery. The Fetzer Family made a fortune when it sold the Fetzer label to Brown-Forman Wines, and later many of the family members went on to establish their own wineries.

More on Dry Creek Valley, The Trip Planner, & Robert Mondavi Summer Concerts

May 5, 2009 by Joe Becerra

We recently blogged about Montemaggiore and Quivira wineries, two biodynamic wineries in the Dry Creek Valley. There are at least four other wineries practicing sustainable and organic farming in the Dry Creek Valley. If you are interested in touring the sustainable wineries of the Dry Creek Valley, I have outlined a suggested two-day tour of these wineries on WineCountryGetaways.com. One thing that is very nice about visiting wineries in the Dry Creek Valley is that most of the wineries are small and family-owned. If you visit during the week, you might even find the winemaker or owner in the tasting room.

More Organic Wine Tasting

August 26, 2008 by Joe Becerra

Continuing to taste the organic wines I purchased at Whole Foods in their “Eco Friendly”wine section, we paired a Frey Vineyards Sangiovese and a Parducci Sustainable Red with herb roasted chicken with a pasta and vegetables. The Frey Vineyard Sangiovese is labeled an “Organic Wine”because it was made from certified organic grapes and no sulfites were added in the winemaking process. The Parducci was also made from organically certified vineyards but to better preserve the wine, sulfites were added. For this reason, the term “Organic Wine”cannot be placed on the label. However, it is allowable to put “Made from Organically Grown Grapes” on the label.

Frey Vineyards Petite Sirah

August 23, 2008 by Joe Becerra

After attending the Commonwealth Meeting in San Francisco on “Wine: Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic – What Does it All Mean?,” we purchased several bottles made by Frey Vineyards and Parducci Winery. Jonathan Frey of Frey Vineyards and Paul Dolan of Parducci were featured speakers at this Commonwealth Meeting.

We found the wines at Whole Foods in San Mateo on a shelf marked: “Eco Friendly Wines.” The first wine we tasted was the Frey Petite Sirah. We paired this wine with a pork tenderloin prepared with a spice rub and grilled on the BBQ. The Frey Petite Sirah was labeled “Organic Wine.” This means that the grapes were farmed organically and no sulfites were added to the wine. We like the big bold flavors of Petite Sirah. This wine was a little lighter than most Petite Sirahs. What we noticed most was a distinct aftertaste. It is hard to describe but it is definitely there and is a taste that I did not care for. I wonder if this aftertaste is common to “Organic Wines.” I also purchased the Frey Sangiovese, an organic wine as well, and I will try that next. We rate the Frey Vineyards Petite Sirah a 3.25 on our 5 point rating system.

Wine: Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic. What Does it All Mean?

August 22, 2008 by Joe Becerra

Last night we had the opportunity be present at the Commonwealth Club meeting in San Francisco to hear winemakers Paul Dolan, Jonathan Frey, and Phil Larocca enlightened us on this very popular and important topic in the wine industry today. Each of these three individuals is considered to be a pioneer in the field of “green”practices in farming vineyards and making wine.

Paul Dolan is one of the most influential leaders in the field of sustainable and organic farming. Paul spent 27 years at Fetzer Vineyards and under his vision, Fetzer moved to organic and sustainable farming practices. Paul is currently one of the principal partners of the Parducci Winery and the Mendocino Wine Company. Parducci is the first and only winery to be designated as “Carbon Neutral.”

Winemaker Paul Dolan

Jonathan Frey and his family own Frey Vineyards also in Mendocino. They are the first winery in California to practice organic and Biodynamic farming. Frey Vineyards is one of the few wineries that are able to use “Organic Wine”on their label.

Phil Larocca is the owner and winemaker of Larocca Vineyards in Sutter County. Phil’s approach to his winemaking is to make wines that are healthy for the individual. This means the Larocca wines do not contain preservatives or chemical residues.

One thing is clear about each of these individuals. They care deeply about the environment and are very passionate about promoting their ideas to the wine community.

Some of the key points of the program:

Organically Certified and Biodynamic certified to carry the most stringent of regulations. Any winery that has achieved this designation must meet strict requirements and must be inspected annually.

Sustainability does not have a certification board and is a less-defined term. In general, the term means to farm so as not to deplete the soil and to sustain the land for future generations. Sustainable practices include the use of solar energy, biodiesel fuels, and organic farming. It also includes “green”packaging of the wine from the bottle to the box. Sustainable practices include the use of heavy composting. Composting gives back to the soil.

These three winemakers believe that farming organically provides better flavors in the grape, more nutritional value. and greater grape yields.

Frey Vineyards and Larocca Vineyards do not add any sulfites to their wines. Parducci farms the vineyards organically but adds sulfites in the winemaking process.

Less than 1 percent of the wineries in the world practice organic and sustainable farming. However, there is a growing awareness among the industry that these methods are important for the environment and it is the “right thing to do.”

The following day after this very informative program, we shopped at our local Whole Foods store. On a shelf in the wine section labeled “eco-friendly wines,” we found several of the wines from Parducci and Frey Vineyards. We purchased a few bottles of each and will try them out over the next couple of weeks.

If you would like to hear the entire program, the Commonwealth Club provides a podcast of this event. You can find it at the Commonwealth Web site.