Russian River, Organic Farming, Marimar Estate

<html> <HEAD> <title></title> </HEAD> <body> <H1>About Us</h1><br> <h2>Organic Farming</h2> <br> <h2>Marimar Estate</h2> <h3>Organic Farming at the Don Miguel Vineyard</h3> <br> <b>April 2003 marked the conversion to all organic farming methods at Marimar Estate’s 60-acre Don Miguel Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, the exclusive fruit source for the Estate's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.</b> <br> "After experimenting for about four years with a few blocks of vines, we finally decided to make the jump to the entire vineyard," says winery founder Marimar. “The whole idea is to create an ideal balance between the vines and nature. The vineyard will be ecologically healthier, and the grapes a higher quality. That’s our long-term reward.” Organic certification is a three-year process, at the end of which a winery can note on the label that its wine is made from organic grapes. Marimar believes conversion to organic farming practices is better for the life of the vineyard in the long term."The old idea was that a vineyard had to be clean and bare with no weeds. But today, for the overall health of the vineyard, we want to promote the growth of cover crops,"she says. The Don Miguel Vineyard’s cover crops are a mixture of peas, vetch, bell beans and oats – some of them edible greens with edible flowers. "Cover crops are essential for organic farming because they provide a habitat for beneficial insects, such as lady bugs and spiders, which natural predators for harmful pests like leaf hoppers and mites", adds Marimar. Cover crops also help winegrowers manage the vigor of grapevines. In areas where vine vigor is weak, tilling or spading incorporates oxygen and nutrients into the soil. In the vigorous areas, cover crops can be mowed to help devigorate the soil. Marimar expects as well that the move to organic farming will diminish water use in her vineyard. "Tilling cover crops improves soil conditions and retains moisture," she states. To avoid using herbicides, the winery is also creating a "carpet" of clover under the rows of grapevines that competes with and eliminates unwanted weeds. Another benefit of cover crops is erosion control. Recycling waste in an efficient manner, the winery is creating its own compost to use in the vineyard. The mixture of grape pomace, cow and horse manure, and green waste is turned and actively decomposed for use as a natural fertilizer. Both the cover crops and compost replenish the soil without the use of synthetic materials. Organic materials are also used as protection against mildew, botrytis and phomopsis. A further benefit of organic farming is that it eliminates the workers’ exposure to chemicals and herbicides. "The organic materials are expensive now, but over time costs will go down because as we get into using compost, we won’t need to buy them any more," says Marimar. "And once the clover carpet is established, we won’t have to cut the weeds, which will save on labor and machine costs." Marimar notes that changing to organic farming methods is a huge shift in the way to grow vines. "It takes a lot to change your whole way of thinking," she says. "Yet everyone here is excited about it because we have already started to see results in the organic blocks. Once the compost, cover crops and clover are established, things will be easier – and we will have better grapes and better wine." <br> <h3>Composting</h3> <br> Fall is the time of year when we lay the foundation for the upcoming growing season with organic practices like making our compost. In an area designated for this purpose we pile up the grape pomace (stems, seeds and skins left over after pressing the grapes) together with the horse manure from our equestrian center in Freestone, the straw from the stables, cow manure, recycled saw dust from a nearby enzyme bath spa, and apple pomace from a neighboring apple cannery. In early November we mix up all the piles and start the composting process. The resulting pile will be turned and monitored throughout the winter, covered with a tarp to protect it from the rain and wind. <H2>MARIMAR ESTATE</H2> <h3>Torres Family Vineyards</h3> <br><br> <a href="biography.php">About Us - Biography</a> <a href="history.php">About Us - History</a> <a href="organic_farming.php">About Us - Organic Farming</a> <a href="don_miguel_vineyard.php">About Us - Don Miguel Vineyard</a> <a href="dona_margarita_vineyard.php">About Us - Dona Margarita_Vineyard</a> <a href="don_miguel_vineyard_pinot_noir.php">Our Wines - 2001 Don Miguel Vineyard Pinot Noir</a> <a href="cristina_selection_pinot_noir.php">Our Wines - 2002 "Cristina Selection" Pinot Noir</a> <a href="don_miguel_vineyard_chardonnay.php">Our Wines - 2001 Don Miguel Vineyard Chardonnay</a> <a href="chardonnay_dobles_lias.php">Our Wines - 2002 Chardonnay "Dobles Lias"</a> <a href="club_marimar.php">Club Marimar - Club Marimar</a> <a href="join_now.php">Club Marimar - Join Now</a> <a href="visit_the_winery.php">Visit The Winery</a> <a href="country_kitchen.php">Marimar Cookbooks - Catalan Country Kitchen</a> <a href="spanish_table.php">Marimar Cookbooks - Spanish Table</a> <a href="spanish_table.php">Marimar Cookbooks - Marimar's Favorite Catalan Menu</a> <a href="news_and_events.php">Vineyards News</a> <a href="events.php">Upcoming Events</a> <a href="us_distributor_list.php">Find OUR Wines - US Distributor List</a> <a href="where_to_find_our_wines.php">Find OUR Wines - Where To Find Our Wines</a> <a href="wine_trade.php">Wine Trade</a> <a href="contact.php">Contact Us</a> <a href="salmon_creek_stables.php">Salmon Creek Stables</a> <a href="http://www.pfv.org/">Primum Familiae Vini</a> <a href="http://www.torres.es/">Torres</a> <a href="http://www.vinium.com/">Creation Vinium Business & Design</a></body> </html>