Encore Careers and Family Satisfaction – More Reasons to Grow Wine Grapes in El Dorado County

When we first started this line of questioning among the members of the El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association, the ready answers were those that you’d expect from those who have been farming as a family enterprise for some time.  But here below are some other views, from grape growers who looked at the prospect of “encore” careers – careers for the next stage of their lives.

Don Lahey, Kingsgate Farms, has been rewarded beyond his expectations… but cash is not the motivator.

“I certainly had no clear cut plans to grow wine grapes when I bought my property 20 years ago. There were a few things I knew: I didn't want to live in the Bay Area any longer, I liked the Foothills area and thought gardening would be a fun retirement activity. Little did I know how much work a vineyard would become, especially when almost all of the work would be done by me.

“The rewards have been more than I expected.

“There are constant challenges to growing grapes that keep me connected to daily weather, best practices and networking with neighbors and fellow farmers. The money we make is nice but it's not a big issue - it's not why I get outside every day regardless of the weather.

“Oddly, I'm not at all interested in the end results of the grapes. I don't drink wine but I certainly like the way the vineyard looks. I guess it's an extension of the past 40 years I spent in the product design business. I had a passion for design, and still do. There's a satisfaction in creating a graphic pattern with the vineyard that is pleasing every time I look at the grape rows.

“This life style sure beats sitting on the couch with a TV clicker in my hand,” Lahey said.

Early days in the Baiocchi Vineyard

Greg Baiocchi followed his heart from careers in business, music and skydiving to  El Dorado wine grape growing in El Dorado County.  Together with wife Sharon, he created Baiocchi Family Vineyards;  their first vintage was 2009.  Greg’s reason for starting a family vineyard is short, sweet, and resonates with so many other grape growers:

 “Passion, Passion, Passion to farm winegrapes that will craft premium wines, the kind of wines that I had become accustomed to drinking,” said Baiocchi.

 Paul Bush of  Madroña Vineyards enjoys a benefit that quite a few El Dorado wine grape growers mentioned – time with his spouse.

Paul and Maggie Bush and their children

“The ability to work with my wife, Maggie, every day is one of the highlights of owning a family business. The final decision is ours, both with the benefit and the risk. When a person tastes one of our wines, we have a sense of ownership from the grape to the final product. There are few businesses in this world as diverse and fully-integrated as the wine industry. And the ability to work in the vineyard in the morning, the winery in the afternoon, and then enjoy our own wine at the nicest restaurant in town that evening is an amazing feeling,”  Bush said.

Appellation El Dorado – Family Grape Growers Feature More Offerings to Consumers and Trade at 2013 Family Winemakers of California Tasting

There it was, proudly denominated in the tasting program, “Appellation: El Dorado”.  More wineries than ever before featured wines made from El Dorado grapes. With a tradition of families involved in El Dorado wine grape growing (see recent blogposts on this topic),   it just seems right that they’d be pouring their wines at the Family Winemakers of California tasting.  Among the El Dorado wine grape growers/winemakers who featured their wines were  Auriga Wine Cellars, Lava Cap Winery, and Madroña Vineyards.

And then there were the sleepers.  Taste taste taste and then I’d make an inquiry:  “Did you use any El Dorado grapes to make this wine?”    The El Dorado sense of place is distinct, flavorful and unmistakable.  Kudos to the winemakers at  Frog’sTooth Vineyards, and Urban Legend Cellars, among others.

FEATURED WINES from El Dorado Grapes

 

Diane Stading, Auriga

Diane Stading of Auriga Wine Cellars poured their 2010 Zinfandel among other wines.  This wine, made from grapes grown on 35 year old vines on the ridge of the Sumu Kaw Vineyard near Placerville, features an intense fruitiness.  The Stadings work closely with the Sumu Kaw Vineyard manager, Diane noted.   David and Sheila Bush, also El Dorado WineGrape Growers Association members, own this well-known vineyard.   The Auriga 2010 Zinfandel is $24 the bottle.

 

Charlie Jones, LavaCap

 

Charlie Jones of Lava Cap found that their Petite Syrah and Grenache were popular with tasters.

Richard and Paul Bush,
Madrona

Among the Madroña wines poured by Paul and Richard Bush was the 2012 Riesling “Hillside Collection”.  A delicious wine, just introduced.  At $14 a bottle, it was a hit with the crowd.

 

Larry Aderman and taster,
Frog's Tooth

Larry Aderman of Frog’s Tooth Vineyards, Murphys, CA, poured the 2010 Zinfandel made from grapes sourced from El Dorado’s Gold Hill Vineyards.  $26/bottle.   He also sources grapes for his Barbera from Gold Hill Vineyards…but this is sold out. “I like the grapes from El Dorado,” Aderman said.  “The volcanic component of the soil gives them a dramatic flavor.”

Marilee Shaffer,
Urban Legend Winery

Marilee Shaffer of Urban Legend Winery poured a 2010 Dolcetto made with grapes from the LBS Ranch/Lava Cap vineyards.  The first Urban Legend Dolcetto made with El Dorado grapes was the 2009 vintage.  This 2010 Dolcetto, of which 125 cases were produced,  sells at $25 a bottle. 

The Family Winemakers of California annual tasting in San Francisco is a first-class tasting event, with many good contacts made and old friends greeted.  I even saw a bottle of Lava Cap Barbera pass over the table en route to a late summer Taste-Off at the Wine Coop with members of the Bay Area Wine Society.  I bet they will be thrilled. 

p.s.  I particularly enjoyed the quip shared with me by an out-of-county winemaker who employs a harp player for events.  Said harpist has a trucker husband who hauls grapes during crush.  The trucker said: ”There’s a lot of El Dorado Old Vine Zinfandel that turns into Napa Old Vine Zinfandel as soon as it crosses the county line.”  Sounds like magic to me!

Family Grape Growers Tell What Family Enterprises Mean to Them: Part Two

It's that time in San Francisco, the weekend of the important Family Winemaker’s tasting.  Family Winemakers, Family Grape Growers...there is a kindred spirit here.  We asked El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association members “What’s a family enterprise mean to you?”.  Some of the key words from the replies that keep coming in:  risk, reward, daily involvement, soul, vulnerability, thrill, self-reliance.

Linda Neal of Mellowood Vineyard bought 25 acres in the Fair Play area of El Dorado County in 2000 and promptly proceeded to carve out 9 acres and in 2002 planted Zinfandel and Syrah.  The first wines were bottled in 2008.  Her mission at Mellowood is to create delicious wines that would bring you to the incredible Sierra Foothills with each sip.

Linda Neal in vineyard
in winter

"When I think of a family enterprise, it is a business where only the money of the family is at risk and they take an active role in the day to day operations of the business," said Linda.

"Why am I a farmer? I don’t think one can rationalize being a farmer. There is just something in your soul that has drawn you to the earth. The risks are very tangible, your vulnerability to the market, weather, the equipment, labor shortages and government regulation are high. You can lose everything you have worked for in the blink of an eye. 

The vineyard
in spring

"The rewards are less tangible, feelings that range from the quiet peace of communing with nature on a beautiful spring day, when you are suckering alone, to the pride you feel walking through the vineyard in late harvest as the leaves begin to turn and you start sampling grapes to time harvest, to the thrill of the working with a crew at harvest as they run and sing while working a fever pitch to get the grapes in. And yes, even the juice of fear is part of the draw, like drawing nearer to the cliff edge as each of the dangers approaches and is battled. 



"No sane person does it," she said.

HER PATH TO FAMILY FARMING/GRAPE-GROWING

"I started on the path to becoming a farmer in High School, when I enrolled in FFA and Ag Classes, because it looked like fun. FFA changed my life and I knew that somehow I must pursue a career in agriculture. 

While still in college, I got my PCA license. Right out of school I got a job managing a retail store of ag products, then I worked for an almond grower/processor in Madera. I became the northern California sales representative for Rhone Poulenc, an international manufacturer of Ag Chemicals. 

"I had a vineyard management company in the Napa Valley for over 20 years, during which time I purchased and developed a vineyard in Oakville and later another in Fair Play. I held a Farm Labor Contractor’s License. At the time I left vineyard management, I ran a crew of 100 over 1000 acres. 

"I now only farm for myself and produce wines from both the Tierra Roja Vineyard in Oakville, Napa Valley and the Mellowood Vineyard in Fair Play, El Dorado."

Harvest at Mellowood Vineyard! 
Making it all worthwhile

Family Grape Growers Speak Out on What Family Enterprises Mean to Them: Part One

In a run-up to the important FamilyWinemaker’s tasting this next weekend in San Francisco, we asked El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association members “What’s a family enterprise mean to you?”.  Some of the key words from the first replies:  family, work ethic, generations, vision, standing together, quality goals.

Here’s one detailed reply from Ann Walker Johnson of Walker Vineyards, which planted grapevines in 1968 on their one-hundred year old family farm situated above the Cosumnes River at 2100’ elevation.  Today they grow Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Barbera, Petite Sirah and Merlot on 21 acres in El Dorado’s Oak Hill Agricultural District.

Old Barn on the Ranch

“A family enterprise means uniting behind a shared vision and goal. Growing up on a ranch that has been in the family for over 100 years, we have a long standing tradition of working the land.

Zinfandel

“I watched my mom and dad begin their vineyard in the early 1970's and as a member of the family I was expected to contribute to the process. (As the youngest of four daughters, that initially meant carrying a water jug until I was old enough to graduate to disbudding vines and helping with portable irrigation pipe.) We all worked together to take care of the vines.

Ann Walker Johnson
at Harvest

"Now, some 40 years later I'm back on the ranch sharing that vision again. Why come back? For me it was an opportunity to really get to know my dad on a different level. I've learned a tremendous amount about viticulture from him ... but I have also shared many moments (sometimes humorous, sometimes not) from repairing the 6" pipeline to learning exactly which fittings you need to lubricate on the mower.



Sorting out grow tubes

“I also have my own family working with me. Is it my 16 year old daughter's first choice to be up at 6:00 AM the one day of week she could actually sleep in since high school is back in session? No! But, she does understand that a family pulls together when work needs to get done and I think imparting a sound work ethic is one of the best things we can do for our kids.



Son Josh and friend
smile after a long day
of planting vines

“So a family enterprise means just that... family. Working together through the good times and the stressful times and standing together behind a goal, which for us is to grow the highest quality wine grapes we can.”

Great Wines are Made with El Dorado Grapes: Tempranillo and Tempranillo Blends, for example

Image courtesy
WineAccess.com

Our kudos to Baiocchi Wines & Vineyards for carrying the El Dorado Grape torch to the Grand Tasting "TAPAS" in San Francisco in midsummer. Baiocchi was the only winery pouring our El Dorado grapes in the form of Tempranillo.

This tasting is an extremely well-promoted event in the wine world, attracting a large media contingent and lots of follow-on publicity. TAPAS, which is short for Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society, also has other El Dorado members. They have recently instituted a Wine Trail on their website at http://www.tapasociety.org/trail/sierra .   

Several other El Dorado Wine GrapeGrower Association members proudly grow Tempranillo in their vineyards.  They are:

• Alvarez Vineyards
• D’Artagnan Vineyards
• Grace Vineyards
• Kingsgate Farm
• Pasto Vineyards
• Pineoak Vineyard
• Shadow Ranch
• Shaker Ridge Vineyard

 

We'll talk more about El Dorado tempranillo growers in future posts, why it's grown in El Dorado, and how it fares...besides making good wine of course!

For the TAPAS tasting, Greg poured his G minor, a blend of Grenache-Syrah-Tempranillo, and his Orellana, a blend of Tempranillo-Grenache.  He also used this opportunity to pour two Grenache-only Baiocchi wines, Sharon's Vineyard Grenache and Neophyte Rose.  All Baiocchi wines are produced from estate fruit.

Greg Baiocchi supplied this info on his Vineyard’s Tempranillo Specs:

 

1 Acre

Clone - FPS 02

Rootstock - 101-14

Soil - Decompsed Granite, well draining

Trellis - VSP North/South

Spacing - 4X7

Training - Unilateral

Attitude - West

 

Baiocchi stated:  “Tempranillo is a vigorous varietal that loves sun / heat and well drained soils. The vines will produce up to 6 tons an acre if allowed. Our site in Fair Play at 2300' has all of the Terroir to resemble sites in Spain in which it’s a native.

 

"The decomposed granite, rootstock, training & spacing was all designed to de-vigorate the vines. We challenge them, stress them a bit and create an environment where they will produce superb wine grapes. We train them to do what we as winemakers want them to do, instead of just re-producing as they were bred to do...

"We do our best to crop this acre at 2.5 tons, which creates much handwork thinning the shoots and clusters at specific times during the growing season. With this management, though, we are able to harvest fruit with incredible concentration of phenolics and flavors.

"Tempranillo's personality and character is dark and brooding. Great fruit is complemented by earth and leather which makes for a great partner blending with Grenache and Syrah = GST,” concluded El Dorado grape grower and vintner Greg Baiocchi.

The One That Got Away: Growing Wine Grapes in El Dorado

WHAT A DIFFERENCE TEN YEARS MAKES!  EL DORADO WINEGRAPE TOTAL CROP VALUE INCREASED 67%

It’s a lot like my other “shoulda” investments.  You know, the ones that got away.  Why didn’t I invest dollars and time in vineyards in El Dorado County ten years ago instead of going to conferences and tastings and deciding to write about the wine industry?  Dummy me.

HERE’S THE SOURCE OF MY REGRET:  Not only did bearing acreage of vineyards in El Dorado County, CA, increase more than 40 percent over the ten year period 2002-2012, but so did the total crop values.   They increased 67 percent.  To repeat: El Dorado county wine grape total crop value increased 67 percent!

The El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association website has references to the Gold Rush days in El Dorado county;  after all, the Gold Rush began in 1848 at Coloma on  January 24, when James Marshall discovered gold in the tailrace at Sutter's Mill.  But it appears from these basic figures on wine grapes that there is a new kind of gold in the vineyards of El Dorado County.  Pretty much, although wine grape cultivation began here before the Gold Rush, the Wine Grape Gold Rush began in earnest in 1967.

Over the course of this blog, I’ll talk about some of the pioneering vineyard owners, their victories and travails as they work the sometimes-challenging Sierra Foothills terroir, the wineries that use these grapes, the wines, what wine grapes are for sale right now (click here for a quick peek) and why these El Dorado wine grapes are worth a premium price if you are intent on making good wine.

The chart below is courtesy of statistics gleaned from the El Dorado County Ag Commissioner.  These folks, along with the farm adviser from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources group, work hard in the wine grape sector.  You can dig deeper if you want into decades of Annual Crop Reports at the Ag Commission website: click here   

WHAT’S THE FUTURE HOLD?

Well, I’d say, more of the same.  In just the past year statistics show that in 2012 the El Dorado wine grape industry continued to grow and increased its total value from $5.1 million in 2011 to $7.8 million in 2012.   And what I’m hearing about the 2013 harvest … Whoopee!  Stay tuned!

By the way, wine grapes are a significant contributor to the financial picture of El Dorado County: in 2012 they were 16.5% of the total gross agricultural value of the County.  Pretty impressive.  And pretty important.

	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	2002
Total Acreage	2404	2282	2207	2007	2220	2147
Bearing Acreage	2060	2010	1946	1760	1901	1464
Production per Acre (tons)	2.75	2.12	2.40	2.93	2.20	2.77
Production Total tons	5,675	4,269	4668	5165	4182	4060
Value per ton (avg price, all varietals)	$1322	$1295	$1279	$1267	$1265	$1199
Total Value  Per Crop Values reported in the El Dorado County Wine Grape Surveys	$7,823,538	$5,137,223	4,494,612	5,885,447	$5,229,088	$4,680,000