Winegrape News
May 6, 2010Welcome to the Lake County Winegrape Commission newsletter, a publication dedicated to keeping our members informed about industry happenings and the Commission's work, meetings, and other events.
To find additional details on many of the topics covered here, as well as other useful information, visit the Lake County Winegrape Commission website, www.lakecountywinegrape.org.
As always, you are invited to comment on the newsletter, the website, or any of the programs of the Commission. Call the Commission office, 707-995-3421, or send an email to shannong@lakecountywinegrape.org.
Energy Efficiency Workshop Scheduled
Thinking about attending? There's still time to sign up!
KELSEYVILLE -- A free workshop exploring energy management, renewable energy opportunities, and energy planning strategies for wineries and vineyards is set for Wednesday, May 12 at Moore Family Winery, 11990 Bottle Rock Road. Presentations will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until 2:00 p.m.
The Lake County Winegrape Commission, partnering with the Wine Institute, the California Association of Winegrape Growers, and the Lake County Winery Association, joins the workshop sponsors, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and PG&E, in presenting the "Lake County Winery & Vineyard Energy Efficiency Workshop."
Pre-registration for the free event is encouraged by the Winegrape Commission. Individuals may complete an online registration form at www.sustainablewinegrowing.org/workshopcalendar.php, the website for the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Those without access to the Internet should call Lisa Francioni, 415-356-7545, prior to the workshop.
Augmenting the sustainable winegrowing self-assessment workshops and additional education presentations on subjects such as integrated pest management, the energy efficiency workshop is part of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program to assist winegrape growers and vineyard operators.
Designed for managers of winery and vineyard facilities, operations managers, and chief financial officers, seminar topics will include energy evaluation and planning strategies, best practices for energy management, renewable energy opportunities, and development of an action plan to improve practices and scores in the energy efficiency chapter of the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Workbook. There will also be information on PG&E programs including free winery energy audits, equipment rebates, technical support services, and new resources, according to a flier announcing the event.
Working with partner organizations and its own Research and Education Committee, the Lake County Winegrape Commission sponsors and presents numerous workshops throughout the year, many of them free of charge to the area's winegrape growers, vineyard managers, and winery operators. The Commission's Board of Directors has made a commitment to assist winegrape growers with their efforts toward improvement of sustainable winegrowing practices.
For more information on the Lake County Winegrape Commission, Lake County vineyards, and Commission events and workshops, visit the Commission website at www.lakecountywinegrape.org.
New 'Stars' Appear Throughout County
By Susan Mesick, Contributing Writer
The Lake County Winery Association is proud to announce the 2010 People's Choice Wine Awards. This second annual competition exclusively showcases wines that specifically state a Lake County AVA on the label. Growers of Lake County wine grapes are urged to encourage their customers to enter their Lake County wines.
The competition will commence August 17 at Langtry Estates & Vineyard where a prestigious panel of wine experts from across the country will blind-taste and judge more than 300 wines to select the top three finalists in each category.
Ray Johnson, author, wine writer and wine educator will preside as Tasting Director for the judges segment of the competition.
Participating wineries are asked to submit their entries by the July 1 deadline. All Lake County wines made in and outside the county using at least 75 percent Lake County grapes are encouraged to enter. For more information on entry parameters, visit the website, www.LakeCountyWineries.org, or call 707-994-5817.
Following the professional judging, a consumer tasting event will be held at Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, in Lower Lake, on September 26, where the 'people' will taste and vote for their choice among the judges' top picks. Winners of the People's Choice Wine Awards will be announced at the conclusion of the event. Advance purchase tickets are $25 per person or $30 at the door. To order tickets go to www.LakeCountyWineries.org.
There is also an opportunity for growers to promote their vineyard businesses while supporting Lake County and its wines by sponsoring one of the 20 wine varietal categories. For more information, please call 707-994-4068.
Formed in 2007, the Lake County Winery Association is a nonprofit organization of wineries that aims to promote Lake County as a wine tour destination. The association hosts several wine events throughout the year that encourage visitors and locals to explore the wines of this up-and-coming region. Annual events include the Lake County Wine Adventure, scheduled for July 24-25, this year. For more information visit www.LakeCountyWineries.org.
Growers Learn Tips for Ridding Pests and Weeds
LOWER LAKE -- Within the first few minutes of meeting Mitch and Tracey Hawkins at their Lower Lake ranch, I knew I had encountered two people who love their Lake County home, the horses in the nearby pastures, and the chance to show off their vineyards and other ranch property. We met on a very rainy day, but the clouds parted long enough for the couple to give an extended tour of their historic land.
Hawk and Horse Vineyards at Diamond B Ranch is family-owned and operated. Famed New York attorney David Boies, who is Tracey's step-father, owns the property; and the Boies and Hawkins families are partners in the award-winning wine business.
Located on the historic 900 acres formerly known as "El Roble Grande Ranch" off Highway 29 near Lower Lake, the Hawkins' vineyards are situated in Lake County's Red Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area). The couple is passionate and dedicated to every aspect of the winegrape growing process and wine making practices, from careful selection of ground cover and placement of special habitats for owls to keep their vineyards clear of pests to the old-world winemaking practices they employ.
Operating vineyards that are Demeter Biodynamic and certified organic, the Boies/Hawkins family has owned the ranch property for over 20 years. "We knew what we were looking for -- the best growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon," says Tracey Hawkins. The couple developed and planted the vineyards, primarily in Cabernet Sauvignon, in the year 2000. More recently they have added a small planting of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Petite Sirah to be used for blending or small boutique bottlings, according to Tracey.
"Here we have pristine air, natural spring water, and beautiful red volcanic soil, with vineyard elevations between 1,800 and 2,200 feet. In addition, it is a place of history and exquisite natural beauty," she adds.
"Our aim in wine making is to bring forth the unique terroir of our site," says Tracey. "It takes a very special place to give the winemaker exactly what he is looking for directly from the vineyard with minimal intervention in the wine making process. Lake County offered us that. Lake County is in a unique position to offer wine growing conditions that cannot be outdone anywhere in the new world or old. Our high altitude vineyard is producing wine that has won international gold medals on every release to date.
"We have been blessed with one of the most beautiful and pristine sites in the North Coast, and we intend to keep it that way," says Tracey. They've incorporated various sustainable practices and techniques in their 5- and 10-acre vineyards. Plans are in the works for adding winegrape acreage.
Taking pride in the methods used in their winegrape production, the Hawkins say their goal is to "work in harmony with nature," feeding the land as they farm it. "The grapes from our property -- and thus the wines -- are a unique and genuine expression of this place and of the highest natural quality the site and year can produce. Growing this way is time consuming and detail oriented but we feel it is simply the best way to grow wine grapes of world class quality. This is what we mean when we say we are passionately dedicated to quality from the ground up, starting with the best kind of earth and paying particular attention to every aspect of the wine growing process."
The ranch was formerly an equestrian facility. The pastures are now home to American Saddlebred horses and American Quarter horses used for ranch work and Scottish Highlander cattle which provide valuable compost for the vineyard. Tracey reports they have become "very enmeshed" in the Lake County rodeo and equestrian community with their two youngest daughters competing in the regional rodeo and gymkhana events. The family also grows olives, herbs, and vegetables for private use.
Another old-world aspect of Hawk and Horse Vineyards, say Mitch and Tracey, is that visitors are met, in person, by one or both of them. The in-person approach is used for telephone calls and inquiries, too, says Tracey.
Additional information about Hawk and Horse Vineyards and the wines may be found on the business' website, www.hawkandhorsevineyards.com. The couple invites calls to 707-942-4600 "if you would like to purchase Hawk and Horse Vineyards wine - or just talk with Mitch or Tracey about horses, farming or wine."