SUISUN VALLEY VINTNERS & GROWERS   ASSOCIATION

4160   Suisun Valley Road

Suite   E   PMB 141

Suisun Valley, CA 94534

SVVGA   presents to our members at no charge:

Grower   Seminar

“WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT ROOT STOCKS”

DATE:   JUNE 12, 2012

TIME:   10:30 AM

PLACE:   WOODEN VALLEY WINERY

BOX   LUNCH SERVED AT 12 NOON.

1:00PM   PM DEPART

PLEASE   ADVISE IF YOU ARE ATTENDING AND WITH THE TOTAL NUMBER OF GUESTS SO WE CAN   PLAN FOR SEATING AND LUNCH.

CALL   BY JUNE 8^TH TO 707-864-0730 OR EMAIL TO www.woodenvalley.com

Ph.D., Genetics, University of California at Davis

Office: 2152 RMI North Building
Phone:   530-752-0902
Fax: 530-752-0382
Email: awalker@ucdavis.edu

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Treatment timing for 1st generation  applications in 2011

After vineyards have been treated for the EGVM first generation, please:

• Notify me either by telephone at  707-784-1310 or by email at lpinfold@solanocounty.com shortly after you have completed treatment of your vineyard(s) for EGVM.
• Submit Pesticide Use Reports that include your treatments for EGVM no later than the 10th day of the follow month after the treatment.

It is critical that we receive your Pesticide Use Reports for EGVM treatment as we must ensure timely reporting to the USDA. To date, we have had a total of eleven EGVM finds in Solano County, all of which occurred in 2010. Due in part to your efforts in participating in vineyard treatments within 500 meters of the 2010 EGVM finds, we have had no further  finds in Solano  County since 2010. Neighboring us, Napa  County caught a over 100,800 moths in 2010, with 99,000 moths caught in the first  generation.  In 2011, Napa County caught 113 moths, with 96 moths caught in the first generation. Please keep in mind that in 2011 there  was a find in Napa County just north of the Solano County border off of Gordon Valley Road  that may likely impact potential future quarantine adjustments when considering the TWG recommendations discussed below.

So far for 2012, there have been only 4 moths caught on three sites over the past two weeks in Napa County. The EGVM Technical Working Group (TWG), which is composed of a panel of scientists from around the world who have expertise in controlling EGVM, convened in Sacramento in  mid-December to discuss the 2011 year’s program activities and to make  recommendations for the
program’s continued progress in 2012. In late January, the TWG provided a finalized written report of recommendations for regulatory policy and management practices for EGVM in California.

The following TWG recommendations apply to Solano County and are adopted for  2012:

• Reduce quarantine areas throughout the State from 5 miles surrounding detections down to 3 miles from detections.
• Those portions of  Solano that are  over 3 miles of any find site that occurred in Napa County, could potentially be deregulated (removed from quarantine) as early as August 2012 provided  that:
  • trapping levels within 500 meters of  detections made in 2010 are conducted at 100 traps/square mile for the first  two generations with no additional finds, and
  • grape vineyards within 500 meters of  detections made in 2010 around find sites (500 m) are treated for EGVM at  least the first generation of 2012.

Continued participation in ensuring treatment of vineyards within 500 meters of EGVM finds for at least the first generation in 2012 is important in the goal our  eventual exit strategy from quarantine for Solano County. Provided we do not find  any more moths, we will not ask you for the second or third EGVM generation treatment. If you have any  questions pertaining EGVM, including treatment and quarantine requirements, please feel free to call or email me.

Best  regards,

Linda  Pinfold Deputy  Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer
Weights & Measures Solano County  Agriculture Department 501 Texas Street
Fairfield,  CA 94533 Phone: 707-784-1310  Fax: 707-784-1330
____________________________________

From:  mlycooper@ucdavis.edu
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 9:29  AM
To: Pinfold, linda
Subject: New Issue of  European Grapevine Moth Available 1st flight  and 1st generation treatment  update:

It is time to treat for the 1st generation of Lobesia larvae. Ideally treatments should be applied between cluster elongation and the beginning of bloom. Applications should be made before 5% bloom. Starting May 7, in Napa Valley and a week later in cooler areas, treatments can be combined with fungicide sprays anytime during the next 3 weeks. Hillside vineyards that are behind Oakville vineyards can be treated at the later end of the 2-3 week period, depending upon cluster development. Organic growers will need to make multiple applications, at 7 to 10 day intervals. We are inferring that the peak of the 1st flight of Lobesia in Napa occurred during the week of April 23. This is based on recent trap catches, degree-day model calculations, and our experience with Lobesia over the last 2 years.

Most eggs  are laid during the peak flight period. We expect these eggs to hatch in 118 DDF. From April 25 to May 2, we accumulated 93.22 DDF in Oakville. Once most eggs start hatching, there will be a window of 2-3 weeks to control small larvae. For those following degree-days, here are historical numbers for Napa (Oakville CIMIS) for the peak of the 1st flight:

• 2010: April 19 (485 DDF)
• 2011:  April 19 (572 DDF)
• 2012: week of April  23 (588 DDF).  _Download and view the newsletter here. (Click)

HTML  Link: _http://cenapa.ucdavis.edu/?newsitem=43077_ (http://cenapa.ucdavis.edu/?newsitem=43077)
____________________________________

Pre-Viticulture

Originally from Oakland, Roger King moved to the Lake Tahoe area in 1972, where he experienced a formidable marketing career in the ski industry. All of this happened before becoming a grape grower in Suisun Valley. What brought him to Suisun was one of the companies that he worked for had a home office in the East Bay of California. He moved to Suisun Valley in 1988, which allowed for him to live more conveniently between Tahoe and Lafayette, as he carried on his work.

He began growing grapes in Suisun Valley, while continuing in the ski industry.

King’s ski mountain resort work involved hotel management in the following states: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and California.

• Director of Marketing at Kirkwood Ski Resort
  • During this time, served as president for Ski Lake Tahoe trade organization in the 1970s
• Worked for the South Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureau
• Manager, Tour and Travel Development for the Nevada Commission on Tourism
• Vice President of Marketing for Village Resorts, ski and golf properties
  • CA, CO, UT, NM, AZ, WA ~ 10-14 properties
  • HI ~ 7 properties.
• An owner of Encore Resorts
• Owned small ad agency

So, what does any of this have to do with farming?

While it may not seem like a logical segue, once someone has grown a product, knowing how to market it gives that person a tremendous edge. And, Roger King is one of those people.

• He understands marketing concepts.
• He knows how to execute.
• He knows how to run a solid advertising campaign.
• He also knows how to do collective marketing.

He came to Suisun Valley at the right time, because there were people in Fairfield’s government who wanted to preserve agriculture in their verdant Suisun Valley. Among the five Fairfield council members were Jack Batson, Karin MacMillan, Harry Price, Marilyn Farley, and John English. It was finally decided, between the city of Fairfield and the Solano Irrigation District, that an infusion of more than $1,600,000 would be spent to promote the marketability of valley produce and to create other mechanisms to preserve and enhance Suisun Valley agriculture, that would continue past 2010.

Meanwhile, both the ski industry and the grape growing industries were experiencing economic collapse. Roger was at the right place at the right time for all Suisun Valley grape growers. He wrote a set of goals and objectives that led to the formation of Suisun Valley Grape Growers Association, later to become Suisun Valley Vintners and Growers Association. Collectively the group tapped into those revenues for the good of the valley. Roger was viewed by the group as a natural leader, so they elected him to be their president in 2002, a position that he still holds to this very day.

Knowing how to leverage funds from the town of Fairfield and SID, as well as putting the right team in place to carry out all of the outsourced tasks, has kept Roger at the successful forefront for all of their marketing efforts.

Viticulture

So, let’s get back to the land and the man who loves to grow grapes. The following is a Q&A with Roger about his wine grape growing.

What made you choose certain varieties to grow?

“Wine Business used to publicize Nielsen scan data. I studied it and saw that Merlot was doing really well for sales. It was the Merlot rocket ship era. I also had a mentor back then, Dan Capp. He helped me to understand how to grow grapes. Some of my Merlot is now blended into my Cab wines, but when I started it was simply ‘supply and demand.’”

What other varieties are you also farming now.

“Grenache blanc, Cabernet, Sangiovese, Albariño, Syrah, Zin, Barbera, Petite Sirah, and Petite Verdot.”

Are you still managing other people’s properties?

“Not so much anymore. When I went to work for Appellation America, I had to cut back about 95 percent.

“I have one vineyard that I still work with. It’s a mountain property, up about 2,000 feet. It’s called Loomis Family Vineyards. We planted Rhône varieties. There are blocks of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Counoise, as well as Grenache Blanc, and Viognier. The family wanted to have a vineyard that would be a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

What are your wine grape growing philosophies?

“Minimal intervention… Let the vine do what it wants to do naturally. It’s a reflection of what’s going on with the vine, without additives. If the vine is struggling, cut it back to even only two spurs; and, if the vine has a full cordon on a six foot plant, don’t try to jack it up.”

Any new innovations that you like?

“Yeah, the old trellis systems. What’s evolved in California works for California, versus chasing technology for some other regions; i.e., French vertical shoot positioning… The way they use this system, if used in California will produce sun burned grapes. My old friend Russ Oles used to say, ‘No more science projects… I’m going to put stakes in the ground and plant my vines next to them. When the stakes fall over, the vine had better damned well stand up on its own.’ Which means, when the stake rots away, the vine had better be well established.”

What are your challenges?

[Laughing] What isn’t a challenge?

From Grower to Winemaker to Wine Producer

“In 2004, I began making wine, but that first vintage wasn’t from my own grapes. Then, by 2005 I decided that after growing grapes for 17 years and selling them to others, I wanted to capture my own vineyard’s nuances and see what unique qualities winemakers were getting from my own grapes. They were receiving high scores from wine critics, and that made me very curious. The first vintage of Suisun Valley wine was from my 2005 King Andrews Vineyards Suisun Valley Syrah. When it came time to name my company something that would reflect who I am, I decided to use our last name of ‘King,’ and my wife Carol’s maiden name of ‘Andrews.’”

King Andrews wines are featured and only sold in the Suisun Valley Wine Co-op.

“I enjoy being featured at the Suisun Valley Wine Co-op, where I pour my small production wines on weekends. It’s very rewarding to share these wines with people who stop by. I enjoy educating customers about winemaking details, and getting their reactions. My wines include a flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and an Albariño.

It’s as clear as freshly cleaned glass that Roger King stays in Suisun Valley because he’s continually challenged by his multifaceted career. It has more depth and opportunity for growth that someone with his skill set thrives upon. To go from grape grower to winemaker to wine producer is the stuff that dreams are made of, and this man is living the life that most people could only dream of having. While “It’s challenging every day I get out of bed,” admits King, it still is what he wants to do for “the rest of my life.”

Proprietor Don Johnson purchased the property known as Gordon Valley Farm in 1977. Already planted with grapevines, Don began his Winterhawk Winery in Suisun Valley with the idea of applying a stewardship approach to his land. According to Don:

“Respect for the grapes and land is a very important reason why I’m here. In fact, I chose the name Winterhawk to pay homage to the Red-Tailed Hawks that live in our valley, due to the crucial role that hawks play in the grape-growing process. It all starts in the vineyards.”

Respect for the land and the life that’s supported on it is paramount to Don Johnson. Don knows that birds allows his vineyard to thrive naturally. They’ve placed owl houses in the vineyards for Barn Owls. A few of the other bird species that you’ll typically see thriving at the winery are Red-Tailed, Swainson’s, Sparrow, and Northern Harrier hawks. Particularly in the wintertime, when the only activity in the vineyards is pruning of the vines, the hawks are their vineyard sentinels. As a predator of gophers, the hawks and barn owls hunt gophers naturally, controlling the population without the use of bait or chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

Although not a predatory bird, finches also nest alongside the winery in the Italian Cypress trees, because the area is so naturally conducive to all types of natural habitat.

Next you see winemaker Matt Smith attending to “Bunny Box” milk cartons, a natural deterrent from having new vines ravaged by vineyard pests.

Don’s vineyard manager is Jim Parr. Quality of life is his driving force, and Jim is confident that the way he farms has a huge impact on a lot of people and animals in a much larger sense. Jim takes great pride in their vineyards. Sustainable agriculture for Winterhawk’s wine grapes and olive ranches, along with the inclusion of predatory wildlife is an important part of his vineyard management plan. For instance, red-tailed hawks and owls are capable of eating up to 1,000 gophers and rodents a year in their vineyards. Managing their vineyards with this type of integrated pest management system means much more natural vineyards and local environment.

FISH FRIENDLY FARMING (FFF)

Also involved the Fish Friendly Farming program for Napa, Mendocino, Solano and Sonoma counties, Winterhawk is committed to this program. It offers important one-on-one technical assistance to vineyard managers and owners who have completed the Farm Conservation Plan. Jim Parr has participated in the workshops, and as a result qualifies for free technical assistance. The advantage of this programs means that participants receive funding for soil conservation, road and erosion site repair, habitat restoration, stream bank stabilization, and other natural projects. Certified growers can add the FFF logo to their labels. This also requires approval by the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Solano’s Winterhawk Winery was the first to do so under the FFF’s guidelines.

From Don Johnson:

“When we labeled our 2008 Winterhawk Winery’s Sauvignon Blanc, we were the first winery in the United States to put the Fish Friendly Farming logo on our label. It’s just my way of telling people how much I love this land.”

Quality wine grapes come from Winterhawk, because it starts in the careful planning and concern for the environment of Jim Parr, that then makes its way into the vineyards.

Linda and Steve Tenbrink have farmed in Suisun Valley for most of their adult lives. They came to Suisun Valley as newlyweds with absolutely no experience in farming, but they had a dream. They bought their first five acres, where the winery now stands, and at the urging of winemaker Abe Schoener they decided to build their winery. Once they had set aside a barrel of our own wine to see what it would taste like, they knew that they were also going to be making wine in Suisun Valley. Their first vintage was in 2006, and they’ve a lot of fun making wine ever since.

Their Farm

Over the years, they’ve continued buying farmland, which now includes about 60 acres for vineyards. They also have another 52 acre farm. This one is planted with walnuts, a variety of fruit trees, and an heirloom tomato patch. They grow several hundred varieties of tomatoes each year, and their clients include many Napa and Bay Area fine dining restaurants, like the French Laundry and Bistro Don Giovanni’s.

Their Winery

Their winery is a red barn, which they’ve added to the remnants of a100 year-old redwood barn They don’t have a tasting room yet, but they host a lot of private events by invitation, only.

Their Winemaking Style

They know the importance of great wine beginning in the vineyards. Steve controls the quality of the grapes during all the seasons, knowing each vine intimately. He use both traditional and new methods of winemaking to craft wines that are uniquely his own. Because they’re farmers first, they decided to use a shovel on their label, because “it’s a perfect icon,” according to Linda Tenbrink.

Stephen Tenbrink is a soft spoken, quietly self-assured grower. He and his wife Linda operate Tenbrink Vineyards in Suisun Valley; Steve the humble farmer, and Linda his promoter in all things related to their businesses. Steve began farming:

• at first with cherries, peaches, apricots and prunes
• followed by a farmers market garden with 100′s of heirloom tomatoes
• segueing to a walnut grove
• and finishing with a vineyard project by 1996

They got themselves over the Suisun/Napa mountain range to sell those tomatoes, headed toward a most opportune relationship.

That moment came with one of their clients, the talented and quirky winemaker Abe Schoener (former professor of Ancient Greek philosophy, so you can only imagine where he’d take winemaking). Abe was buying their tomatoes for a dinner party. They nudged him to come to their vineyards to see the promise that this might also hold for him… And he finally did it, changing the course of all of their lives.

Abe became fascinated. So fascinated, in fact, that Linda happily relates:

In 2002, we managed to convince Abe to visit our vineyard. He was very reluctant. However, once he took sight of the vineyards he said, “I knew that I was going to buy some of those grapes before I even got out of the car”. We were so happy that as a present to Abe we gave him some of our Petite Sirah grapes, which became the foundation of his Scholium Project – Babylon.

Things grow rapidly around us – and so did the Scholium Project. At Abe’s urging we built a winery, as he had outgrown the facility he was using in Napa. Once again, entering the winery business completely naïve – (probably a good thing we didn’t know) headfirst with no experience at winemaking .

The union of Abe and Steve has given the Tenbrinks an advantage of having a winemaker who’s brave, innovative, and daring to inspire their own winemaking style. And, he loves media attention. Together, they’re sharing the world of wine in a very close relationship.

[This image was taken during Passport Weekend, April 2009, for a Wall Street Journal story.]

The intent of making their own wines to showcase the potential for the excellent quality to price ratio that exists from Suisun Valley, and their connection to Abe Schoener, has done a lot to demonstrate that quality from vine to wine…

[Another photo from their Passport event. Steve is in the center in the beige shirt.]

Abe has had three really high profile stories in the last month alone:

SF CHRON: N.Y. takes a new look at California wines, by Talia Baiocchi, November 7, 2010:

“… Abe Schoener, proprietor of Scholium Project, found New York to be more receptive to his uncategorizable efforts, like skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc. ‘I don’t fit into this new category of natural winemaking in California,’ Schoener says, ‘Nor do I fit into this old category of high-alcohol, extracted wines. Being in that no-man’s land has been a lot easier for me in New York than it has been in California.’ Indeed, two-thirds of Schoener’s mailing list is made up of New York residents.”

Esquire Magazine, Abe Schoener: Renegade Vintner, by Robert Willey, December 2010

“Last summer… an aspiring young French vintner on a two-week research tour put an unwashed, streaked glass to his lips. He was silent for a moment, this man schooled in the classic flavors of grapes now standing in a workshop cluttered with hydrometers and refractometers and lined with copies of Darwin, Gibbon, and Borges. And then he burst out laughing. This sauvignon blanc rocketed beyond its usual harmony of melon and citrus into an earthier realm of … mushrooms and cheese?! This petite sirah was — how do you say in English? — violating his mouth?!”

Wall Street Journal also had a story featuring Abe in November. Napa’s Retro Dudes, by Jay McInerney:

“”A former professor of Greek philosophy, Mr. Schoener is the proprietor of Scholium Project, a winery that makes deeply eccentric (mostly white) wines beloved by sommeliers and geeks. He looks a little alien here in his sharp black suit and his tinted Utopia LA glasses, but it’s clear that he’s part of the gang.”

Linda takes great pride in what they’re all achieving. She recent wrote:

I suggest that you follow Abe Schoener on Facebook, especially the last two weeks. He’s been in LA and was received favorably at Four Seasons; and is now in Chicago where every top end restaurant is throwing a reception for him.

Most of the publicity for the Tenbrink’s Vineyards is coming through Abe’s efforts, but Linda also enjoys important wine placement in companies like Dean & Deluca. They know they’re coming of age, with tie-ins from outside of their valley that are solidly placing them “on the map.”

Abe Schoener’s wines demonstrate the prices that a vintner is able to get using Suisun Valley fruit:

• 2007 Tenbrink Vineyards Bricco Babelico ~ Petite $45 (Suisun Valley, but not on the label as the AVA)
• 2008 Tenbrink Vineyards Babylon ~ Petite Sirah $75 (Suisun Valley, but not on the label as the AVA)

Hardy Wallace wrote about Suisun Valley and Tenbrink Vineyards: A Day at Tenbrink Vineyards by www.dirtysouthwine.com.

“Last Sun., my buddy Tripp and I headed over to Fairfield, CA / Suisun (so-soon) – for a Sunday afternoon trifecta–Getting to hang and walk the vineyards with Linda and Steve Tenbrink of Tenbrink Vineyards and Winery, to taste barrels with Abe Schoener of Scholium Project and then to tuck into a ridiculous feast of pig-tastic proportions (Linda can cook like a maniac)…”

The first 15 Vintners to respond will be pouring at this special Suisun Valley Food & Appellated Wines Event. If you are interested, please Email Jo Diaz jo@diaz-communications.com.

Suisun Valley Vintners & Growers Association
Presents
Wine & Food ~ A Love Story
(Restaurants will be present in balance to wineries)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
Tasting is from 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
At the Fairfield Center for Creative Arts

Sponsored by Fairfield Mainstreet Association

The following video is a retrospective, and introduces this upcoming event.

Enjoy!