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| Frey Vineyards>Articles>"Direct Success" | ||
 Direct Success By Chris Lewis Excerpted from the Capital Press, March, 2003 |
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| Nobody needs to hear more bad news about the "grape glut," so let's look at some success stories from several small-acreage vintners and wine makers that have managed to differentiate their products and thrive in time of over-production and low prices. Hampton Bynum, of Davis Bynum Winery in Healdsburg, California, and Paul Frey, of Frey Vineyards in Redwood Valley, California, are two such people. I learned about their family wineries at the Ecological Farming Conference in Asilomar, Calif., last month. Both Hampton and Paul presented information about their efforts to produce quality wines from small acreage vineyards managed with a variety of sustainable farming practices. In addition to ecological benefits, both wine makers said they find these practices help to increase the marketability of their wines. The Ecological Farming Association, which sponsors the annual conference, selected Frey as one of this year's "Successful Organic Farmers." He told me his fami1y winery was the only one in the United States making certified organic wine when they started back in 1980. In 1996, they also began producing Biodynamic® wines, certified by the Demeter Association. Biodynamic agriculture embodies a production philosophy similar to organic, but older and originally from Europe. Frey and Sam Tanahill, an Oregon winemaker I interviewed for this month's column, noted that the Biodynamic® label helps with marketing wines in Europe because of its familiarity there. Much to my surprise, Frey told me 2002 was his family winery's biggest year, with orders for about 10,000 cases more than the typical annual volume of 35,000 to 40,000 cases. The extra orders, he said, helped them to support three to four additional small acreage vineyards that most likely would not have found a market for their grapes. Frey Vineyards usually purchases certified organic grapes from 10 to 12 other small acreage vineyards to supplement the production from the hundred or so planted acres on their 221-acre ranch. Frey pointed out that being certified organic expands a vintner's market to about 10 additional wineries in California compared with conventional growers. He noted that their wines do not contain added sulfites (a preservative) and that this feature has turned out to be as popular a selling point as the organic certification. In addition to increasing the biodiversity on their ranch through cover cropping and other organic and Biodynamic® soil manage practices, Frey Vineyards is home to Mendocino Organics, a community supported agriculture farm that supplies subscribing families in the area with a variety of certified Biodynamic® produce. Many of the vegetables are intercropped with the vines, growing in the space between rows. Paul said this works well, especially in new vineyards during the first three years before grape production begins. Crops like garlic, which is planted after the fall grape harvest, also work well between the rows. Paul said his favorite intercrop is watermelons, planted next to each emitter on drip lines that irrigate the vines. "We have never bothered to sell them because they are so popular with the crew in the summer." Five hundred miles to the north in Oregon's Willamette Valley, another premium wine maker and vintner has begun to explore the value of eco-labeling and crop diversification on his farm. Like Paul Frey, Sam Tannahill and his wife Cheryl Francis, of Francis Tannahill Winery in Dundee, have sought to go “beyond organic,” pursuing a Biodynamic® approach to cultivation and land stewardship. They have joined Oregon's LIVE certification program (Low Input Viticulture and Enology). LIVE provides vineyards and wineries with official recognition for sustainable agricultural practices that are modeled after international standards. Tannahill told me there are "surprisingly few organic labels in Oregon" -- a fact that helps wines like theirs stand out in a market already swamped with new labels. He also said that despite the grim forecast for even greater overproduction this year, he feels this current trend will ultimately improve the industry "that is in need of more sophistication. Winemakers will need to focus more on quality at a lower price.” Because there are already so many labels out there, Tannahill told me he hopes small vintners will work cooperatively to produce wines under one label. Tannahill and Francis, for example, make their wines at the new Carlton Winemaker's Studio, just southwest of Portland. Other ways Tannahill expresses his cooperative spirit include sponsoring classes on Biodynamic® agriculture for vintners at their farm and working with a local organic dairy to produce compost for their vineyard. All of these ideas not only strengthen the rural communities that host these vineyards and wineries, but also differentiate the wines themselves. That improves the likelihood for them to stand out in an over-crowded market. Chris Lewis is a post-graduate researcher with the University of California Small Farm Cernter at Davis. |
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Home - Order Here - Winning Medals - What is Organic & Biodynamic®? No Sulfites Added - Our Wine Selection - Photo Tour - History - Articles - Links Frey Vineyards, 14000 Tomki Rd, Redwood Valley CA 95470 U.S.A. Email us at info@freywine.com Tastings by appointment only. copyright Frey Vineyards
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