TASTE
Chateau Davell wines are vegan , but aren ’ t marketed in that way .
For more than three years , Shake Ridge Ranch has farmed entirely organic ( though it is not certified due to the time restraints to undergo the process , Kraemer says ), and its efforts are attracting buyers . Kraemer sells organically grown grapes to 34 winemakers , many of them emerging entrepreneurs in the Napa and Sonoma region . “ They really want to be able to tell their consumers … what our farming practices are ,” she says . “ And they feel they need to now that their consumers are much more demanding .”
When Frank Hildebrand and his wife , Teena Hildebrand , moved to the foothills in 2000 , they dreamed of planting a vineyard and opening a winery on raw land . But with two small children playing outdoors , he quickly realized he couldn ’ t use the chemicals and conventional farming methods he ’ d learned at UC Davis .
“ We started this back in 2001 , when we first planted our vineyard , so there was no trend at all when we started ,” says Hildebrand , owner of Narrow Gate Vineyards in Placerville . “ So for us , it was a matter of stewarding our land and protecting our family .”
Hildebrand began farming organically and transitioned to biodynamic farming , which meets organic standards but requires more rigorous farming
practices for environmental health and farm fertility . In 2010 , Narrow Gate Vineyards became the only biodynamic farm in the Capital Region to be certified by the Demeter Association , the biodynamic certifying body in the U . S .
Biodynamic farming strives to create an ecosystem within a farm that ultimately will take care of itself , explains Evrett Lunquist , director of certification at the Demeter Association . That includes practices such as integrating livestock on the farm when possible to produce manure to create compost for soil fertility and designating a minimum of 10 percent of a farm ’ s land to attract biological diversity to attract beneficial insects and wildlife that promote a healthy food web and naturally control pest populations , explains Lunquist .
Demeter also evaluates irrigation and water-conservation practices , the level of microbial life in the soil , the use of cover crops , and animal welfare , some of modern agriculture ’ s greatest challenges . But some farmers struggle with what is perceived as the offbeat practices of biodynamics , such as ripening compost in a bovine ’ s horn buried in the earth before it ’ s applied to the soil as a spray .
When a Demeter-certified farmer sent his ripened horn manure to a microbiological testing laboratory , “ the material came back off the charts ,” says Lunquist . “ There were so many microbes in that material … the lab had never seen anything so potent before .” Soil microbes are fundamental to soil health .
Hildebrand says it ’ s up to each farmer to figure out their own value in what they ’ re doing . His own passion inspires his team in the tasting room , and that translates into the sales the winery makes .
Before the pandemic , Hildebrand led tours of his farm for groups of 50-60 of his wine club members , introducing them to the fundamental principles of biodynamic farming .
“ We have a tolerance to understand that nature ’ s nature . Whether the birds are stealing our grapes or whether there ’ s a deer on the property or whether ( the vines ) have mites or something ,” says Hildebrand , “ we have to allow ( for ) the community of nature to be involved , and we want that involvement . That ’ s what makes our soils unique , our land unique , our wine unique in the end .”
Jennifer Junghans is interim special sections editor of Comstock ’ s . She holds degrees in biological sciences and horticulture , and writes about food systems , wildlife and conservation . More at www . jenniferjunghans . com .
30 comstocksmag . com | November 2020