Tucked away in Lake County, along the shores of beautiful Clear Lake, Jim Fetzer has taken sustainable agriculture to lofty heights. Well-known for his organic farming practices at the helm of Fetzer Vineyards in Mendocino County, Jim is perfecting sound farming practices using biodynamic and organic methods to produce quality grapes.
From the outsider’s viewpoint, some biodynamic practices seem more like witchcraft than sustainable farming. It’s an approach that includes traditional organic farming practices, as well as a belief that you must embrace the life forces that regulate the growing processes of the plants. You work with the forces of nature. The light and cosmic rhythms of the sun, moon, and stars contribute to the life, growth, and form of plants. These rhythms are used to time the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of crops. “On the dark of the moon you want to rack the wine,” advised Jim Fetzer.
Biodynamic recognizes that soil itself can be alive, and this vitality supports and affects the quality and health of the plants that grow in it. The more easily understood specifics of biodynamic farming include:
- No use of chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fumigants, no hormones, antibiotics, growth regulators or GMOs.
- Basics of crop fertility is compost, manures, green manuring, and crop rotations.
- Weeds are controlled by similar means, by cultivation and by other mechanical methods.
- Composting materials, transplants, and animal feed imported from off the farm are very limited in quantity and must be of good quality.
- A certified biodynamic farm meets all the USDA and California standards for organic agriculture
Farm animals also play an important role in the health of the vineyard and farm. The Ag-mobile transports chickens around the property to help with bug populations. And a herd of wooly sheep are living a good life as four-footed weed whackers.
Ceago Vinegarden is not the run of the mill vineyard – organic or otherwise. The sprawling 220-acre lakefront property has heart-stopping views. The Mediterranean-style gardens and winery buildings will have you dreaming of lazy Tuscan afternoons. You can unwind at the Courtyard Café with a sampling of artisan cheeses and organic Ceago olives and olive oils, or maybe a hot dog…made with 100% sustainable grass-fed beef. Or stroll the length of the pier out over Clear Lake. And, of course, there’s the tasting room. After all, biodynamic farming is all about the highest possible quality. Enjoy the taste of wine and aromatic smell of dried lavender; all from the biodynamic richness of Ceago Vinegarden.
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