Bees swarm, spring sun warms

Our Warre beehive swarmed today! We gathered to watch as the buzz intensified, rose up into the air, and found a place to rest in a tall redwood tree.

Honeybees swarming!

Life on the farm is full, as baby goats, little lambs, and spring plants take in the warm sunshine and thrive in the lush green landscapes of the farm and vineyards. This past weekend the Frey family hosted an Earth day celebration with foods from the land, to honor the abundance of life in the spring, and to appreciate the land that we all are grateful to be working with.

In biodynamic news, our preparations went to the BD prep-making conference in Colorado the first week of March along with Luke Frey, the farmer who made them. His preparations were judged to be the best of the conference for their substance, smell, and texture in a panel comparison of all the different preparations being made domestically. Go Luke!

Apr 26, 2012 at 10:26 AM Permalink

New Release! Frey 2010 Organic Tannat

We are pleased to announce the release of our first vintage ever of Tannat wine, from our West Road Vineyard. (Very limited production, available only at the winery or you may order online.)

First-time release of Frey Organic Tannat! Available online.

For those of you who love a rich, full-bodied tannic wine, you must try our Organic Tannat!  It is rarely found in the U.S. today. We like it because of its intense fruity mouth-feel, sumptuous tannic structure and spicy finish.  The 2010 production is limited to just 180 cases and Frey Wine Club members will enjoy a pre-release bottle with their April shipment.  For more information about our Wine Club that offers specialty wines and year round discounts, please check here.

We planted one-acre of Tannat in 2007 and it’s been a thrill to work with this new grape.  Tannat berries are thick-skinned and inky colored.  It’s one of the most tannic grapes available, similar to a heavy Cabernet or Syrah.  The color and depth of the resulting wine is impressive and the flavors are heightened with exposure to French Oak and some aging.
 
Tannat’s homeland is in the Basque region of southwest France in the appellation of Madiran near the Pyrenees Mountains, grown since the 17th century and highly prized.  It is also the national grape of Uruguay and called Harriague by the Uruguayans, and the wine is softer and lighter than its French and American counterparts. 

Tannat was first introduced to the US in the late 1800’s by the University of California at Berkeley and was primarily used as a blending grape for Meritage blends, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.  It is now grown in California, Arizona, Virginia and Oregon and gaining increased notoriety as its own varietal.

We look forward to many delicious vintages of this unique wine to come.

Apr 16, 2012 at 11:02 AM Permalink

Frey Vineyards participates in Millésime Bio 2012, France

In late January 2012, Katrina and Jon Frey attended Millésime Bio 2012, the world’s largest organic wine show at Montpellier, France. Jon Frey noted “It was an awesome showing of the whole spectrum of organic wines. Organic viticulture is growing rapidly in Europe.” 

Millésime Bio organic wine convention hall in Montpellier, France.

The show featured wines from Europe, Eastern Europe and beyond, with 470 wineries represented. Katrina Frey said, “As the only US winery there, and coming straight from our NOSB victory to maintain the definition of Organic Wine in the US as wine made with no added sulfites, it was gratifying to meet so many European Winemakers who are experimenting with making non sulfited wines.”

We look forward to continue our participation in this event, to share notes and collaborate with more European winemakers as their non-sulfited wine movement expands.

Check out this video from Millésime Bio 2012, including a short interview with Katrina Frey at the end.

Apr 15, 2012 at 11:17 AM Permalink

Make your own organic herb infused wine

The practice of infusing wine with herbs goes all the way back to ancient times, and today it’s still a fun and tasty way to enjoy and enhance the flavors of your favorite wines with the benefits of herbal extracts.

Organic white and red wine infused with herbs.

Herbal infused wines have a long history throughout the world.  The Egyptians used wines as a carrier for herbal remedies. Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania analyzed ceramics from Egyptian wine containers and found herbal residues dating back to over 5000 years ago!  The herbs they identified included lemon balm, coriander, sage and mint.

In tenth century Europe, Saint Hildegrad Von Bingen recommended herbal infusions in wine and vinegar for a variety of ailments from weak heart to congestion. Many contemporary North American Herbalists recommend wine infusions as a simple and enjoyable way to incorporate herbs into your diet.

If human beings made herbal infused wines for millenniums, we had to try it too!  Infusing a wine is very simple. Harvest a small handful of herbs for each bottle of wine to be infused.  Make sure the herbs are clean and dry.  Roughly chop them and blend together.  Place herbs in a clean glass bottle or jar and pour in the wine and close lid tight.  Let sit for 5 to 14 days in a cool dark place.  The wine can last for up to two weeks once infused. 

The wine takes on the flavors and characteristics of the herbs very quickly.  I recommend trying the wine after one day, and continuing to try it over the course of a few days to see how it tastes and how the concentration of the herbs increases over time. When the taste is right, strain out the herbs and enjoy.  You can also pour off a portion of the wine and leave some in the herbs to extract more flavor.  Don't overdo it with the number of herbs for each infusion.  Keep it simple and find out what you like best. 

After the wine has been strained you can store it in the refrigerator or a cool dark place.  I think it’s best to drink the finished product within about two weeks of infusing.

It's simple, healthful fun and the results were wonderfully tasty!  Below are more pictures of the steps we took.

The herbs laid out, ready for chopping up, and some fresh lemon zest.

Oregano and rosemary for the red wine, lemon balm and fresh lemon zest for the white wine.

Pouring Frey Biodynamic Cabernet Sauvignon into oregano and rosemary. Five days later, a tasty herbal infusion!

Apr 15, 2012 at 10:39 AM Permalink