This is the final installation in my ‘blog series’ about the rise of organic and biodynamic practices in the world of wine. Want to learn more? Join me for my upcoming Yoga & Wine retreats to Napa & Italy which feature visits to some of the wineries that I discuss here in person.
From Sky to Earth
Many winemakers, both in the US and abroad, are taking organic one step further and embracing biodynamics, the viticulture system based on the teachings of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the early 1920’s. The methods, like burying cow horns filled with dung in the vineyard and planting based on the cycle of the moon, have certainly raised eyebrows. While proponents of biodynamics swear by the results, critics call the heavy reliance on astrology and the odd methods pseudoscience, voodoo or simply a hoax. (more…)
This is part two in a 3 part ‘blog series’ about the rise of organic and biodynamic practices in the world of wine in honor of Earth Day! Check in later in the week for more about this growing trend. Want to check out some of these wineries for yourself? Join me for my upcoming Yoga & Wine retreats to Napa & Italy which feature visits to some of the wineries that I discuss here in person.
Daydream Believer
Farming organically was not a marketing decision for self-described “daydream believer” Robert Sinskey, owner of Robert Sinskey Vineyards in the Napa Valley. More natural techniques just seemed to fit with his dream of making beautiful wines in a place where his children could play in the vineyards without exposure to pesticides. “We began farming organically as a reaction to the phylloxera blight of the 1980s.” says Sinskey. “We looked at our naked, compacted soils and decided conventional farming was flawed on many levels. We felt it was just plain irresponsible to work with toxic materials when homes are so close to vineyards. I live in the vineyards with my family and I did not want to fear for the health of my children.” (more…)
This is part one in a 3 part ‘blog series’ about the rise of organic and biodynamic practices in the world of wine in honor of Earth Day! Check in next week for more about this growing trend. Want to check out some of these wineries for yourself? Join me for my upcoming Yoga & Wine retreats to Napa & Italy which feature visits to some of the wineries that I discuss here in person.
Bottled Poetry
It’s a crisp morning in early spring at the northern end of the Napa Valley. The vineyard floors form a steep amphitheater, blanketed with yellow mustard, and the air is cold enough that I can see my breath. Jerry Seps, the down to earth proprietor of Storybook Mountain Vineyard, is dressed in jeans and a cowboy hat and standing in front of me at the edge of a row of still dormant vines. As he talks about the vines the pride in his land is evident on his face. (more…)
“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.” -Ernest Hemingway -’A Moveable Feast’
One of my favorite stops when I am in the Bay Area is the Hog Island Oyster Company for a dozen of their plump, sweet oysters. They have two oyster bars, one at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and a newer location at the Oxbow Market in Napa, as well as a picnic location at Tomales Bay where they are harvested. They offer oysters grilled, baked and fried as well as clam chowder and oyster po’boys but I prefer them plain and on the half shell. Not even a squeeze of lemon to get in the way of their briny deliciousness. (more…)
Early spring day in St. Helena.
It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
I think that every wine lover has secretly dreamed of owning a little vineyard somewhere. Every now and again I find myself day dreaming about tending rows of vines at sunrise and lovingly picking grapes by hand at harvest. While the fantasy is a lovely one, the reality of vineyard work tends to be much less bucolic. In fact, growing grapes is back-breaking work that demands a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge. On a recent trip to Napa I got to experience a taste of this for myself as I took part in a hands-on pruning demonstration at the historic To Kalon vineyard with Matt Ashby, director of vineyard operations at Robert Mondavi Winery. (more…)
One of my favorite winery stops this weekend has been Robert Sinskey Vineyards on the Silverado Trail. I wanted to learn a bit more about natural winemaking and Robert Sinskey Vineyards is one of the very few wineries that is both certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic. While organic basically means ‘nothing but the grapes’, biodynamics is all about creating a balanced, whole ecosystem. In biodynamic agriculture, you recognize that the soil is alive and do everything in your power to keep the soil happy and balanced. It is based on following the rhythms of nature, including planting according to the position of the moon and stars and using homemade natural preparations instead of fertilizers and pesticides. Is this something new? Pseudoscience? Not at all. It is really just a ‘back to the basics’ approach to winemaking. (more…)
One of the best parts of our Yoga and Wine retreats is getting to know the fun, eclectic people that inevitably become part of our community of yogis and wine lovers. We met up at the hotel and hung out a bit, enjoying a bottle of 2006 Pinot Noir from Hope & Grace vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands before heading to Ubuntu Restaurant & Yoga Studio in Napa for our first dinner.
Upstairs, the yoga studio offers students daily opportunities to twist and bend their way to better health and spiritual enlightenment. Downstairs, the acclaimed restaurant offers vegetarian cuisine that offers even non-vegetarians culinary enlightenment. The food is really less about the absence of meat and more a celebration of great fresh produce and we were all looking forward to seeing what the chef had in store for us with our ‘family style’ tasting menu.
The meal started with (completely addictive) lavender sugar and sea-salt dusted marcona almonds, Castelvetrano olives and chick pea ‘fries’ served with a romesco dipping sauce. (more…)
I don’t know what it is about Napa but everything just tastes a little better here. It could be that chefs here have access to the best of everything, from amazing wines to the freshest fruits and vegetables. It could just be that everyone here cares passionately about food and wine and won’t settle for less than the best. Any restaurant serving something less than the best just won’t make it for long out here.
I arrived today, a little bit ahead of the rest of the group, for our Yoga and Wine retreat in Napa and just in time for a quick lunch at The Bounty Hunter Wine Bar and Smokin’ BBQ, always one of my favorite stops in Napa. Originally a J. Peterman style wine catalog specializing in hard-to-find wines and provisions, the Bounty Hunter recently opened a casual and fun wine bar and restaurant in the town of Napa. With over 40 small production wines by the glass, over 400 rare wines by the bottle, great sandwiches and the smells of barbecue wafting through the air….the Bounty Hunter is a find. There are lots of great dining experiences in wine country, but not alot of places where you can get a great sandwich and then open up the wine list and be totally blown away by one of the best wine lists in the country. (more…)
As David and I plan for our upcoming Yoga & Wine Weekend at Ubuntu in Napa on May 23-24, I am getting more and more excited for a spring getaway to wine country. It seemed like the perfect time to share my Top 10 Napa Valley experiences with you. Enjoy! (more…)
