Discover Sonoma’s Diverse Range of Agriculture from the Heart of Quivira’s Organic Vineyard & Farm

By Ainsley Schoppel | Excerpts from interview by Sasha Frate

It’s no secret that wine is one of the oldest beverages known to humans—archeological samples and residues date back thousands of years across several cultures. One of the oldest known complete wineries was discovered in a cave in Armenia, dating back to 4100 BC. This site contained a wine press, jars, fermentation vats, and even drinking vessels. The Mediterranean was also an ancient center of wine production between 6000 and 5000 BC, with wine-making technology only improving during its tenure with the ancient Greeks. In fact, ambrosia was the Greek Gods’ drink of choice as it was a sweet and magical wine thought to impart immortality. It was so revered at the time that it was prolific in classical Greek poetry. By the end of the Roman Empire, common cultivation techniques throughout Europe were established that we still use in the present day.

Today, the U.S is among the world’s best producers of wines, with regions in California, Washington State, and Oregon leading the way in number of top vineyards. With breathtaking views of Mount St. Helena, organically farmed vineyards and gardens, a relaxing atmosphere in the heart of Dry Creek Valley, and a location only moments from downtown Healdsburg, Sonoma County’s Quivira Vineyards is one of these outstanding wineries.

Family owned since 1981, Quivira Vineyards believes in intentional winegrowing and a commitment to organic farming. Proprietors Pete and Terri Kight purchased Quivira in 2006 from its founders, Henry and Holly Wendt, after being captivated by the winery’s historical location at the confluence of Wine Creek and Dry Creek. They were also moved by Henry’s vision for better wine through improved vineyard management and the use of biodynamic and organic farming techniques. Since becoming the new owners, Pete and Terri have rallied the Quivira team around a strong sense of purpose and the guiding principles of the ways in which a sustainable, holistic approach to grape-growing can yield distinctive wines.

The winemaking style at Quivira emphasizes balance and transparency of terroir—the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including soil, topography, and climate—utilizing low-input winemaking to produce wines that proudly showcase their varietals and origins. This task falls on Quivira’s winemaker, Hugh Chappelle. With a prestigious resumé making cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, Hugh brings critical experience to Quivira in developing a Zinfandel and Rhône program. After conducting research at UC Davis in Viticulture and Enology, Hugh operated in the Sierra foothills with these two varieties before working on the Sonoma Coast and in the Russian River Valley. Piqued by Quivira’s unique terroir, Hugh became winemaker in 2010 and uses his warm and cool-climate experience to unconventionally deliver wines with bold varietal character that demonstrate balance and finesse. With an extensive understanding of international benchmarks for fine wine, Hugh is thoughtfully committed to maximizing the vine’s potential and farms for the Quivira hallmarks of balance, freshness, and complexity. It’s Quivira’s belief and focus that farming this way is the best thing for the quality of the wines as well as the surrounding community.

The winemaking style at Quivira emphasizes balance and transparency of terroir—the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including soil, topography, and climate.

The diverse range of agriculture in Sonoma County, including breweries, cider producers, cheese makers, artisan ranchers, olive oil producers, small farms, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), farmers’ markets, and a vibrant culinary scene. ‘There truly is something for everyone—not just the wine drinker’ says Hugh.

With the location of the winery being critical to its appeal, it’s no wonder Sonoma County is home to many vineyards. “Sonoma County is incredibly diverse,” notes Chappelle. “Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean buffers it much more from climate change than Napa Valley, and the climatic influence of the Petaluma Wind Gap gives the southern and southwest part of the county great potential cooler climate varieties.” This geological advantage is evident in the diverse range of agriculture in Sonoma County, including breweries, cider producers, cheese makers, artisan ranchers, olive oil producers, small farms, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), farmers’ markets, and a vibrant culinary scene. “There truly is something for everyone—not just the wine drinker,” says Hugh.

The creeks and riparian corridors— unique plant communities consisting of natural vegetation growing near a river, stream, lake, lagoon, or other natural body of water— provide tremendous diversity to the landscape. They are also home to coho salmon and steelhead trout during spawning season. Quivira is committed to integrating plants, animals, and microbes into their natural surroundings to create perfectly balanced self-regulating systems. This approach ensures the health and vitality of the vineyards and aligns Quivira’s farming practices with production of fine wines. One of the principles of sustainability is biological diversity—a commitment Quivira has made for many decades. “This was a sustained, multi-year effort that continues to this day and was started almost thirty years ago,” Hugh explains. “Our founders, Holly and Harry Wendt, were avid outdoor lovers who were contacted by the Department of Fish and Game to collaborate on helping restore native steelhead trout and coho salmon populations in Wine Creek, which runs through our property and feeds Dry Creek [and then] the Russian River.” Holly and Harry were keen to help, and when Pete and Terri took over, the collaboration continued, fuelled by Pete and Terri’s passion for the outdoors and land stewardship. “This restoration involved reengineering parts of Wine Creek to better support spawning and survival of fish hatchlings,” continues Chappelle. “This work continued for about fifteen years, only wrapping up about ten years ago.” Quivira was the first Dry Creek winery to devote resources to creek restoration, and many neighbouring properties have followed suit—the restoration now spans fourteen miles down Dry Creek and serves as a model for public-private partnerships in ecological restorations.

Quivira also utilizes a fifty-fivekilowatt solar installation, has removed a half-acre of vines to make room for a five hundred cubic yard compost pile, and is innovating with water conservation. “The solar panels generate a significant portion of our power during the non-harvest months,” Chappelle remarks. In fact, it has supplied over half of Quivira’s energy needs since 2005. With the goal of being completely selfsustaining, Quivira limits off-farm inputs by composting winery pomace and estate livestock manure. “Our composting program began in 2000… and has actually grown and is now slightly larger than a half-acre,” Hugh continues. “Spent grape pomace, animal manure, estate organic matter from the gardens and landscaping, shredded vine prunings—all are incorporated.” When the compost is ready, it is then distributed throughout the estate based on the exact needs of each area. “This makes a difference for us by simply being more self-sufficient and needing to bring less ‘in’ to the property,” he notes. “The more we can manage our soil health and fertility internally by managing our ecology, the better. When you look at your estate as a closed ecosystem, it makes so much more sense to have a diverse agricultural base, even if you have one primary crop like we do, which is grapes and wine.” They are also home to a beautiful and diverse garden— including peaches, pears, and an olive grove—that is open for guests to enjoy. Quivira even houses beehives for pollination and nine breeds of range chickens. And, although vines are self-pollinating, everything else on the estate relies on insect pollination—the key to closing the self-sustaining circuit on the property.

The chickens are fed from the garden waste and provide eggs for Quivira’s employees. All the preparation herbs and flowers are grown onproperty and the vineyard’s animals produce nutrient-rich manure. By using extensive cover cropping in the gardens and vineyards to support fertility and soil health, the farm is strengthened as it moves away from monoculture. Biodiversity attracts wild animals, birds, insects, and plants that are all integral to a healthy and sustainable farm. By following the lunar calendar, Quivira brings the right timing and balance to their vineyard applications to create healthier fruit. Instead of depleting resources from the vineyards, Quivira is becoming healthier and more hospitable with each passing year as nutrients are naturally replenished back into the soil. (Nourished grapes make better tasting wine!)

Beehives in the garden encourage pollination of Quivira’s genetically diverse openpollinated produce varieties.

Even though Quivira is no longer Demeter-certified Biodynamic (a guarantee for consumers that products come from biodynamic agriculture), they still employ most of the same soil practices. “We no longer pack and bury cow horns nor pursue the more ‘mystical’ techniques just to check a box,” Chappelle clarifies. “We’ve retained what we’ve found to work over a ten-year period of being certified Biodynamic, and now hang our hat on CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) certification.” With a rigorous composting and cover crop rotation program specifically designed for each vineyard block, soil and plant analysis is paramount. “In short, we practice our own personal hybrid of Biodynamic and organic farming that we’ve developed and honed over the last twenty-three years,” shares Chappelle.

And this experience has led to some delicious wines—Quivira Vineyards is a leading producer of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and Rhone varietals. In 2019, Quivira even appeared #31 on Wine Spectator’s list of Top 100 Wines of the World and secured #26 in 2020 with its Fig Tree Sauvignon Blanc, and #31 in 2019 with its Alder Grove Sauvignon Blanc.“Quivira is most famous for Sauvignon Blanc,” Chappelle notes, “and we might be so bold as to say nobody in California is currently making it better.” The Zinfandels are a classic, old-school, claret-style that age beautifully, while the Southern Rhone red(s) comprise a unique portfolio based around Grenache. “For the connoisseur, my top picks would be our Queue Collection Sauvignon Blanc fermented and aged exclusively in Acacia wood puncheons, our Anderson Ranch Zinfandel, and our distinctive and age-worthy GSM (Grenache-SyranMourvedre),” Chappelle offers. If you’re newer to wine, Hugh suggests a tasting beginning with Quivira’s Fig Tree Sauvignon Blanc to sample the extraordinary offerings of a Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc, and then an elegant Grenache that is crafted like a Pinot Noir. And finally, finishing with the Black Boar Zinfandel will offer an experience of rich opulence with impeccable balance and finesse. “A typical [tasting] experience is led by one of our highly trained hosts who is intimately familiar with our history, farming practices, and wines, and can adjust the tasting as needed to the interests and knowledge of the groups,” Chappelle explains. “We take great pride in being friendly and non-pretentious, yet at the same time very proud and passionate about our estate, farming practices, and wines.” Education is a key theme in Quivira tastings, and the information is presented in a fun and interactive way where facts are never simply recited to guests. It’s Quivira’s goal that guests leave the vineyard having learned something while discovering a new wine that they had previously never tried.

In crafting all the wines at Quivira, Hugh uses a light touch with the raw materials. Though this may sound like a hands-off approach, it is far from it. Rather, any manipulation is intentionally and thoughtfully minimized to only those operations the wine truly needs. In fact, this method requires even more engagement through more frequent observation and tasting to know when to intervene. Hugh and Quivira also take great pride in the fact that all their wines are very low in sulfites—an additive of increasing concern for consumers. “For a

CCOF-certified organic wine, the upper limit is one hundred parts per million,” Chappelle clarifies. “All our estate wines routinely go into bottle at approximately half of that—fifty to fifty-five parts per million. They are fresh, clean, and built to reward significant further aging.”

If you were hoping to visit Quivira, see their sustainability in action, and taste some delectable wines, you’re in luck. “We embrace the European version/idea of agrotourism and how it emphasizes all the connections that agriculture has to the community,” says Chappelle. “As we get more detached from the land that sustains and nourishes us, agrotourism strives to re-establish that connection.”

Currently, Quivira offers tasting experiences, and over this secondhalf of 2023, they plan to re-start estate tours, both self-guided and staff-led. “Over time, we plan to add on-site and off-site vineyard tours which will dive deep into the geology and terroir of our vineyard holdings as well as our farming practices,” Hugh states. And, for the hungry visitors, Quivira is currently investing heavily in their commercial kitchen and gearing up to expand estate culinary offerings including food and wine pairings, estate food products, and more regular food-wine events at the winery. ymore info: www.ecofarmfinder.com/quivira-vineyards

From creek to vineyard, garden to kitchen, and grape to bottle, Quivira Vineyards lives up to the standard they set for themselves of making intentional wines the natural way. Biodiversity, ecological restoration, renewable energy, and a selfsustaining ecosystem all contribute to clean grape growing. And while it may not lead to immortality, the wine at Quivira Vineyards is unforgettably delicious.

Hugh develops complexity in the wines by using a short list of techniques: blending, co-fermentation, phased harvesting, and oak and acacia wood barrel aging.