In the vineyard, Harvest 2023 has come! Here's our vineyard/harvest report from the vineyards. September 12th was our first day crushing grapes and we celebrated with a brief blessing and sips of sweet Sauvignon Blanc juice from our Road I Vineyard. We like to take a moment to appreciate the bounty of nature which is the backbone of all we humans create, ferment, and enjoy. Harvest represents the culmination of a year’s work, from pruning through bud break and frost season, flowering and fruit set, veraison, and ripening.
You can read more about "veraison" in this recent post from Molly Frey.
We are excited to bring fruit into the cellar and transform it into wine, a process that is straightforward scientifically but evokes alchemy and magic when the finished product is released. The winter months brought dozens of inches of desperately needed rainfall to inland Mendocino County, totaling 70+ for the season. Dormant grapevines love lots of water and cold temperatures. Early 2023 also brought much more snow than average. The cold temperatures delayed bud break and we sailed through frost season (when tender buds and shoots are susceptible to frost damage) with mild temperatures. Our overhead sprinkler frost protection systems didn’t get used much. Wet soils also delayed tractor work such as mowing, under-vine tillage, and cultivation, making early spring a slower season than normal for vineyard crew members.
Summer has been clear and warm, with relatively mild temperatures except for a few heat waves in the triple digits. Growers were expecting harvest to be greatly delayed due to the cold spring, but the grapes caught up. Usually, grape ripening in California progresses from southern AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) and moves slowly and steadily north. This year Mendocino is ripening before or alongside southern AVAs like Sonoma, Napa, and even Lodi.
Grapes aren’t the only fruit crop that loved all the winter water. We are jamming, basking, and baking in the glory of peaches, plums, pears, and apples. The olive crop is looking robust as well. This last month has been spent catching up on the maintenance of machinery to be used for harvest, irrigating vines as needed, and having a little downtime before the hustle and bustle of harvest. We thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about what we are up to and wish you all a healthy and prosperous Autumn. Cheers from the vineyard!
This past month, as I was walking in the vineyards, I stopped to enjoy the fruits from the blackberries in the hedgerow. Each month I want to share about a different plant that is an integral part of our home biodynamic ranch ecology at Frey Vineyards. While we cultivate grapes, we also have a vast biodiversity reserve spanning over hundreds of acres. Between the wild lands and the cultivated grape vines, we have transitional hedgerow zones bordering all the vineyards. And while we didn't plant them there, we have a tremendous amount of blackberries in the hedgerow zones in between the different vineyards.
These hedgerows are a crucial part of the Biodynamic Certification because honoring wild spaces is a large part of what ensures sustainable futures for our farmlands. We will be choosing plants that are found all over Frey Vineyards, to help give a sense of the diversity in the ecosystem that we tend to on the Frey home ranch. When you uncork a bottle of biodynamic Frey wine, you are also partaking in the diverse ecological network of all the wild lands surrounding our vineyards. We grow grapes, but we also foster the growth of countless other species with our biodynamic farming methods.
Looking at the hedgerow plants gives an unique perspective into the natural wealth we have in our regenerative farming. While the blackberries in the hedgerow usually peak in August, the cooler temperatures meant that I was still able to harvest blackberries on my birthday, September 1st! So, to start off our biodynamic featured plant series, September's herbal highlight from the hedgerow is the wildly advantageous blackberry.
A member of the rose family, the genus Rubus actually contains many hybrid species that have adapted to all kinds of ecosystems. In Mendocino County, we even have a native black cap raspberry, “Rubus Occidentalis” which thrives deep in the wild woods of the land. While non-native blackberries are generally considered an invasive species, they may just be our favorite rebel hedgerow plant. Because blackberries provide food for humans and all the other animals, and because they are hard to remove once established, there are an abundance of blackberries in most so-called wild spaces throughout Northern California.
Their tangled brambles provide excellent habitat for birds, bunnies, and other small animals in the vineyards. Their leaves offer a nutritious meal for visiting deer and our own herd of grazing goats. The roots of blackberries can be harvested and used in medicinal herbal preparations as well. And of course, there are few other volunteer plants with such consistent, delicious, and abundant low-hanging fruit for all to enjoy. Just as the blackberries reach their peak in the home vineyards at the end of the summer, the grapes begin to come into their fullest sweetness as the cool of fall sets in.
On September 12th, we started the crush for the 2023 Harvest! We harvested the first fruits from our Sauvignon Blanc vineyards here in Redwood Valley, California. Our family and staff gathered as the truck, loaded with grape bins, rolled up to the winery. Katrina Frey also celebrated her birthday today, so we had lots of reasons to celebrate. The festive energy brought smiles to everyone's faces as the first grapes went into the winery cellar for juicing. Over the course of the many moons to come, these grapes will turn from organic juices into the organic WINES that you love.
Daphne, who works in the Frey Vineyards office, brought handouts of a blessing of the grapes for each of us to recite together as the first fruits arrived.
"Spirits of Sun, Earth, Water, and Air
Ye have made this world so fair
Singing bird and flowering tree
Ye have blessed all things that be.
For this place be blessing, too,
In all we think and speak and do.
Beauty here with courage keep,
Banish fear. For falling, weep.
Spirits loving, good and wise,
Love and joy bring to our lives.
Thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us;
Thanks to the rivers and streams and their water;
Thanks to the grapes and the grain fields that feed us;
Thanks to the herbs which protect us from illness;
Thanks to the wind and the rain for their cleansing;
Thanks to the bushes and trees and their fruiting;
Thanks to the moon and the stars in the darkness;
Thanks to the sun who looks ever earthward.
We thank the Great Spirit for all Goodness."
We each partook of a glass of freshly pressed juice to seal the blessing and taste the first sweetness of the harvest season. Crush 2023 is particularly exciting because we've been waiting longer than usual for the sugars to develop. Now, the grapes will be streaming in steadily for the next several months, giving us our 2023 vintages for you to enjoy in the near future!
Across all our home vineyards, the grapes are going through something called “Veraison.” It’s the time when the development of the fruit really starts to peak, as the sugars send their sweet flows through the vines to help the grape mature. In medieval times, this experience was celebrated in France, and as modern Californians, we’re looking to share about this ecological phenomenon in the viticulture world here on our winery blog.
From an agricultural point of view, this mark of grape growth lets the winery manager, Derek Dahlen, know that crush is just around the corner. Because nature has a timing all of its own, the maturation of the grapes changes annually. This past year, we experienced a longer-than-usual winter and cold spring. As snowfall occurred well into April in the vineyards, the grapes have taken more time than usual to mature. Most years, harvest would have begun by August. Instead, we’ve enjoyed a period of relative calm. We expect the grapes to start coming in later in September, once the fruits have all developed into their fullest sweetnesses.
From an aesthetic perspective, Veraison shows us a visual narrative about the life cycle of the wine grape. The red wine grapes in particular transition from small green orbs, full of potential, to deep reds and purples, juicy and ripe. The contrast shows up as clusters of artworks, combining the promise of the new fruits with the realization of the full grapes. Veraison combines these two stages in a gorgeous juxtaposition, the becoming and the fruition together, all rolled into one cluster. Our biodynamic home vineyards are full of these visibly stunning fruits.
I've always loved living on the Frey ranch where many of us are weaving in and out of the vineyards on a daily basis. Whether we're just taking in the fresh air, or in my case, walking the goats to graze and fertilize the vines, living so close to the grapes we grow provides us with a kind of natural rhythm to our year. Just as the last flush of blackberries are being enjoyed and the weather begins to change from summer's fullness of heat to a preview of fall's cooler times, the grapes too reach their final phase of growth, preparing for the harvest season ahead.
For over forty years, my family has been tending to this land, supporting a flourishing relationship with the vines here. Just as we tend to the grapes, the grapes, in their own way, contribute to our connection with the natural world around us. I can see why Veraison historically became a cause for celebration for those inextricably intertwined with grapes, marking another successful year together. In gratitude to the grape, enjoy these beautiful images of Veraison in full glory taken by photographer Yvonne Bard of Ranchomatic.
If you'd like to see firsthand what Veraison looks like at the Frey Ranch, you can visit our YouTube channel.
Winter Squash Delight
This recipe was inspired by my mother’s old-fashioned baked yams that we enjoyed every Thanksgiving while growing up. But instead of yams, I used winter squash for this easy to make recipe, and most any variety of winter squash will work. The only hard part is cutting the squash in half and scooping out the seeds. Please be careful with the knife when splitting the squash.
Since winter squashes come in different shapes and sizes, I don’t use exact measurements for this recipe. Add the unsalted butter, sugar and cinnamon to your taste. If you like butter, add more! If not so much cinnamon, add less.
Ingredients:
Any variety of winter squash
Unsalted butter (coconut oil for vegans)
Coconut Sugar (maple syrup or brown sugar also works)
Cinnamon
I recommend pairing it with Frey Organic Sauvignon Blanc.
We tried this recipe with several varieties of winter squashes and each had a delectably distinctive taste and texture. Try different varieties and explore which ones you prefer. We used:
Kabocha
Acorn
Butternut
Honeynut
Spaghett
Pie pumpkin
Delicata
Red Kuri
Procedure:
Cut winter squash in half. Careful with the knife! Scoop out seeds.
Place squash halves into a baking dish, flesh side down.
Add ½ inch or so of water. Bake in 400F oven for approx. 45 to 55 minutes. The larger squashes like kabocha and butternut take a little longer. Smaller squashes like acorn, delicata, and honeynut don’t take as long to bake.
Meanwhile, prepare another baking dish. Coat the bottom and sides with a generous amount of the unsalted butter. Sprinkle generously with coconut sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
When the baked winter squash is tender, remove from oven to cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into the butter-lined baking dish.
Top generously with unsalted butter pats, more coconut sugar, and lots of cinnamon. Bake 20 minutes or so at 350F or until it’s all bubbly, aromatic and appetizing.
Serve with vanilla ice cream and another splash of cinnamon. Enjoy with a glass of Frey Organic Sauvignon Blanc!
Spreading out the butter
Adding the cinnamon
By Chef Tamara Frey, Frey Vineyards
Copyright 2022
This three-part dish is seasonal and delicious, consisting of:
1.) Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce
2.) Roasted Honeyed Carrots and Potatoes with Chili Flakes
3.) Rubbed Kale Salad
Serves 4
My son and his fiancé went to a nice restaurant in Montreal recently. Cauliflower steaks were on the menu, the latest trend. They loved the dish, and this recipe was inspired by their memorable Montreal culinary adventure. The dinner is broken down to three quick and simple recipes that pair beautifully with Frey Organic Malbec, making a balanced, delicious, and satisfying vegetarian meal.
First prep the Cauliflower Steaks along with the roasted Honeyed Carrots and Potatoes. As they are roasting, start on the Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce, and finish off with the Rubbed Kale Salad.
1.) Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce
For the Cauliflower Steaks:
1large head of cauliflower
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Procedure:
Heat oven to 400F.
Cut the head of cauliflower into 1 inch slabs. (Like a steak).
Place on roasting tray and drizzle on both sides with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Roast for approximately 15 minutes (but keep an eye on it as ovens vary) until golden and beginning to soften. (Not too soft, nor too hard).
For the Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce:
1 pound thinly sliced portobello mushrooms
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped sage
1/4 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, adjust to taste
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup Malbec
1/2 cup minced parsley for garnish
Procedure:
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Sauté the sliced mushrooms and onions in the butter until juices evaporate and the vegetables become slightly golden in color. When the mushrooms and onions are nice and golden, deglaze with the Malbec and add the chopped garlic and sage. Cook down until the wine is more concentrated and the alcohol is cooked off. You can tell by the smell. The essence of the wine will emerge in the scent. Add the cream. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Place the Roasted Cauliflower Steak on a plate, top generously with Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce and garnish with minced parsley.
2.) Roasted Honeyed Carrots and Potatoes with Chili Flakes
(It is best to put this in the oven with the Cauliflower Steaks. Start on the Malbec Mushroom Sauce and the Rubbed Kale Salad as they’re cooking.)
Ingredients:
5 large carrots-cut into sticks
12 small potatoes-cut in half. Can use 4 large potatoes cut in 1 inch cubes.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to your taste
Chili flakes to your liking
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400F
Place the carrot sticks and the cut potatoes in a roasting pan and sprinkle on the olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Toss and roast approx. half hour. Meanwhile whip up this simple and delicious Rubbed Kale Salad.
3.) Rubbed Kale Salad
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, finely chopped. (I used curly leaf and Dino.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
The juice of 1/2 or 1 lime, to taste
Salt, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 large tomato, halved and sliced
Procedure:
Put the finely chopped kale in a salad bowl and add the olive oil, garlic, lime juice, and a pinch or so of salt. Rub and massage the kale with your clean hands (they are your best tools). Taste for seasoning and set aside. When placed on the plate, garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese and the halved sliced tomatoes. Enjoy!
Summer Veggie Galette
Serves 4 to 6 as a main or 8 as an appetizer or side dish
Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter
1/4 tsp table salt
8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Filling:
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
¼ yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow summer squash, diced
1 ear corn, kernels cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 bundle scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water, for the glaze
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
For the Pastry: Whisk-stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of the butter over the dough and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt or sour cream, lemon juice and about 1/4 cup water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
For the filling: In a sauté pan heat olive oil, add onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant then add tomatoes and salt, cover and heat over high heat. Roll the tomatoes around from time to time so that they'll cook evenly. When most of the tomatoes have burst from the heat remove the lid, turn the heat down to medium and add the zucchini and squash chunks. Sauté until they soften, about 2 minutes. Add the corn and cook 1 minute. Add the scallions, just stirring them in, then turn off the heat. Transfer the mixture to a large plate and spread it out so that it will cool faster. (You want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.)
Assemble the galette: On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the onion-garlic-tomato-zucchini-corn mixture with half of the Parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. If any liquid has puddled in the plate, try to leave it there as you spoon. Sprinkle with almost all of the remaining Parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush the crust with the egg yolk glaze. Sprinkle the glaze with the last pinches of Parmesan.
Bake until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate.
Bon appétit!
Frey Vineyards Native Plant Garden
By Carolyn Brown, Lead Gardener at Frey Vineyards
Some of the most engaging aspects of gardens are the visiting butterflies, birds, and other wildlife they attract. About ten years ago our friend and neighbor, Cathy Monroe, inspired and educated us about the importance of gardening for monarch butterflies with her California Naturalists capstone project. Katrina Frey has been an adamant supporter of establishing native milkweed plantings and providing habitat for these regal fluttering beauties and we have planted out several small pilot project gardens in the Frey vineyards. In the winter of 2020 and ‘21 we built a greenhouse and shade house and began propagating California native trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and bunch grasses for our one-acre butterfly and pollinator garden.
The garden is located at our new winery on a 12’ tall berm. In addition to providing wildlife habitat, trees and woodland shrubs, it will provide a living privacy screen for our neighbors and the chaparral plantings on the sunny southern side will create a seasonally changing landscape for the winery. The garden has plantings of three of the four species of milkweed that are native to Mendocino county. Milkweeds are the sole food of monarch butterfly caterpillars. As the successive generations of monarch butterflies make their annual northern migration they rely on finding stands of milkweed to rear the next round of caterpillars. In addition to milkweeds, the adult monarch butterflies need a seasonal supply of floral nectar and pollen to fuel their long journeys.
Our garden has a wide variety of drought-tolerant California native plants that bloom throughout the season. The garden also provides habitat and forage for native bee species and other beneficial insects. Many species of these insects are, in turn, foraged by birds such as swallows, chickadees, and bluebirds who rear their young in the dozens of vineyard nesting boxes. A few years ago, Nathaniel Frey began building and hanging birdhouses in the vineyards and hundreds of birds have successfully fledged in them. Both of these projects exemplify the Frey family’s commitment to fostering biodiversity in their vineyards. Farming in ways that support biodiversity is a foundational premise of both Biodynamic and organic farming. Biodiversity creates a complex web of microorganisms, insects, and animals which contribute to a fertile and resilient farm ecosystem. Biodiverse farms are better able to withstand environmental stressors, pests, and diseases than conventionally farmed mono-cropped systems. Also, they are so much more fun to visit and work in!
In 2015 the National Wildlife Federation launched The Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, a national campaign asking mayors and heads of local governments to commit their cities to specific actions that support habitat for monarch butterflies and other wildlife. At the program’s inception, Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said, “If we all work together — individuals, communities, farmers, land managers, mayors and local, state, and federal agencies — we can reverse the monarch decline and ensure every American child has a chance to experience amazing monarchs in their communities.” Ukiah’s former mayor, Juan Orozco, signed the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge in 2021. Frey Vineyards has donated many of our plants to several local monarch garden projects. When you come out to our new winery, plan on taking some time to walk through and enjoy our butterfly and pollinator garden. You may even get some ideas for creating your own monarch sanctuary at home.
Mayors and other heads of local and tribal government are taking action to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose eastern populations have declined by 90% and western populations by 99% in recent years. Through the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Pledge, U.S. cities, municipalities, and other communities are committing to create habitat for the monarch butterfly and pollinators, and to educate residents about how they can make a difference at home and in their community.
Flowering lupines, olive trees and budding organic Zinfandel grapevines at Frey Vineyards
April Amelioration!
Early in the season it looked like we were set to get average rainfall with heavy storms in October and December. Those early rains got cover crops jumping out of the ground and brought us a good portion of the way towards our needed rainfall. Things were looking good!
That changed with record dry conditions in January and February. The dry spell sent cover crops into flower and stalled growth earlier than usual. We went forward expecting a very dry spring and rushed through work that is often done in April and May. Late winter made for wonderful working weather but was concerning as two of our normally wet months were as dry as summer. We hardly had any pruning rain-out days and are far ahead of schedule on vineyard tractor duties because of workable soil conditions. Pruning just wrapped up this week, as early as ever due to fair weather through the winter months.
Unexpectedly, the rain gates opened in April with the “April Amelioration,” as meteorologists have dubbed it. With our most recent storms this week we are approaching average annual rainfall for Redwood Valley. The doom and gloom of our dry winter have given way to saturated fields and flowing streams. The groundwater combined with longer days is giving a new growth flush to remaining cover crops.
Wet April conditions have helped to quelch the fear brought on by record breaking spring heat waves. February and March both saw 90 degree days, causing early bloom in many fruit varieties. This caused problems later as late February brought a cold event that damaged fruit set in plums, peaches and almonds across the state. Gladly, grapes were still dormant at that time and should move forward unaffected.
Bud break on all varieties came right on schedule, middle to late March. All of the vines are happy and healthy and growing strong and enjoying the water this week with more rain in the forecast. Expectations are high for an average to above average crop after last year which was the smallest harvest seen in decades due to drought conditions in our region.
Although we feel relief from the recent weather, the sporadic and unseasonable patterns illustrate increasing unpredictability in farming conditions. Plans for new plantings have been delayed because of water insecurity. We are starting another growing season without water from the Redwood Valley Water District irrigation, which was cut off last year and has yet to become available again. We are limited to stored water from on-site reservoirs for frost protection and irrigation through the season.
Despite these difficulties and insecurities we are grateful to be growing grapes here for another season. April showers bring May flowers; we are looking forward to abundant grape flowers next month!
Frey Syrah grapes, Spring 2022
Gnarly ancient Cab vines with moss!
Budding organic Syrah grapes
Syrah grapes budding out
LEMON MERINGUE PIE on a GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
With Strawberries and Cream
Lemon meringue pie is a tasty and refreshing dessert classic. I prefer using Meyer lemons and fresh farm eggs. I’ve always loved lemon meringue on graham cracker crust, paired with a Frey organic white wine!
Makes one pie
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Mix:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon zest
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Mix thoroughly and press into a pie pan.
Bake 15 minutes and set aside.
For the filling:
Mix in a medium saucepan:
1¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons corn starch
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons finely chopped Meyer lemon zest
Mix until smooth: 1 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
Stir in: 4 large beaten egg yolks (save whites for the meringue)
Add: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
Add slowly and stir constantly:
1 ½ cups boiling water
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about a minute until smooth, thick, and creamy.
Remove from heat and pour into your baked pie shell.
Set aside.
For the meringue:
Make sure meringue bowl is very clean and dry. NO egg yolk should be in the egg whites. A glass bowl is best.
Beat 7 egg whites (the 4 egg whites you saved, plus 3 more) on medium speed until foamy.
Add:
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar. Beat a minute, then increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form-about 4 minutes.
Add:
½ cup superfine sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt.
Beat at high speed one more minute and add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon finely minced Meyer lemon zest
Beat at high speed another minute until shiny stiff peaks form.
Spread onto the pie filling, forming peaks and bake in at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let it cool for an hour or so, then into the fridge to cool another few hours.
Serve with Maple Vanilla Cream and sliced strawberries!
To make the Maple Vanilla Cream:
Use whipping cream. Whip until almost done, then add maple syrup and vanilla to taste. Finish whipping, put in a bowl, lightly sprinkle with Meyer lemon zest finely minced.
Pair with your favorite Frey organic white wine. Enjoy!
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