The Land

MOLLY FREY: Welcome to the seventh episode of the Frey Vines podcast, telling the story of organic wine. Today’s spotlight is on the land stewardship that is part of our way of life at Frey Vineyards. Since the 1960s, the Frey family has made a home in Redwood Valley. Located in Mendocino County, in Northern California, the wild landscape above the Tomki road winery is filled with redwood groves, oak woodlands, and open meadows near deep woods. This land is home not only to the Frey family, but also to a diverse population of wild animals who also belong here. 

Over the years, we have had the privilege of tending to the land. Not only do we grow organic grapes on the flatlands, but we are committed to protecting the wild lands that surround the Frey properties on the hillsides and forests. This has helped ensure that our wild neighbors are able to live their natural lives without any toxic chemicals ever coming into contact with their native environment. About twenty-five years ago, a large portion of the wild lands were put into a land trust. Katrina and Jonathan Frey helped to make sure that the wild lands surrounding our family property would be protected in perpetuity from logging as a conservation easement with the Mendocino County Land Trust. 

The Frey ranch borders neighbors who are also very invested in the protection of the wildland habitat surrounding our rural homes. With stewardship in mind, we made the decision to set up some “critter cams” around both the Frey ranch and our neighboring wildlands. Our neighbors also like to set up these critter cams because it provides helpful insights as to who is out there and how the populations are doing on the land. 

One of our neighbors is an avid naturalist. Cathy Monroe has lived next to the Freys since the 1960s. She’s on the board of the Sanhedrin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), and has been gracious in allowing us to also set up several critter cams on her family’s property.