Grape Harvest 2009 Comes to a Close

Harvest 2009 at Frey Organic Vineyards finally came to a close when the last gondola of organic Cabernet dumped into the crusher at 10PM, October 27th. During harvest, the cellar crew (affectionately known as "cellar rats") stayed up late each night making sure all the tasty grapes got crushed and pumped to the tanks for fermentation. 2009 is proving to be good year for organic winegrapes, with nice yields and delicious fruit – a welcome change for all of Mendocino County as last year many grape growers lost a significant percentage of grapes to severe frosts in the spring. This year's quality grapes are sure to produce some fantastic wines. Harvest might be wrapped up, but organic & biodynamic winemaking continues fast and furious until the end of the year. We should be releasing the first of the 2009 vintage white wines early next year.

Oct 27, 2009 at 12:52 PM Permalink

"Skinny Bitch" book recommends Frey Organic Wines!

#1 New York Times Bestseller Skinny Bitch recommends Frey Wine. This very popular book is a “no-nonsense guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!” The book details the benefits of a vegan diet and exposes some of the dangerous hidden chemicals and cruelty in many of the foods we eat, including the dangers of sulfites and other synthetic preservatives added to wine. Give Skinny Bitch a read today!

Oct 26, 2009 at 12:58 PM Permalink

Vegan Vixens!

Frey Vineyards is proud to sponsor the Vegan Vixens! This group of gorgeous gals describe themselves as “four talented ecotainers who care about the future of our world.” They educate the public about health and fitness, animal issues, planet stewardship, and climate change – and they make it fun and exciting. Check out their website at www.veganvixens.com and remember that all Frey Organic wines are 100% vegan friendly and Vegan Vixen approved!

The Vegan Vixens showing off their favorite vino!

Oct 26, 2009 at 12:54 PM Permalink

New sheep in the vineyards

In the last several years we have grazed sheep in the vineyards to give back to the soil, and to help create a biodynamic farm, replete with animals. This October our new flock of sheep await the end of the grape harvest to explore the tastes of the Mendocino terroir.

Also, two draft horses joined our family farm this past season. Ready to pull a plow, they are enjoying eating home-made biodynamic hay, baled on our property. Fueled by a sustainable source of Horsepower, they also hope to graze in the vineyards after the harvest.

Oct 12, 2009 at 4:37 PM Permalink

New Apiary Addition

This past spring, Katrina and Marie added an innovative type of hive box construction to the ranch apiary. Both hives are thriving in their specially designed homes, and the engineering of the boxes allow the beekeeper to be less invasive and more observant, while fostering natural comb building tendencies of the bees. For more information on biodynamic beekeeping, and the "golden" one-room hive design, check out the Melissa Gardens of Healdsburg, California.

In the photo above, Marie's bees dwell at the entrance to the winery, welcoming one and all to Frey Vineyards. Situated between an Asian pear tree and a small orchard of hardy lemons, the bees are across the road from the winery weigh station for grape gondolas.  The bees find themselves "helping" out with the wine grape harvest by tapping the grape juice flowing in during this season. We wonder if we can tell the grape honey from the other floral creations the bees provide throughout the year.

Oct 12, 2009 at 1:43 PM Permalink