A Forward-Thinking Vineyard That Would Make Al Gore Proud

This week’s article started with a simple recommendation for a big Zinfandel.  But after doing a little research, Quivira Vineyards turned out to be much more than your typical wine operation.  What flourished with fruit orchards during the prohibition years has since returned to become one of the landmark regions of California wine.  Located in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, Quivira takes advantage of the valley floor where the Dry Creek and Wine Creek come together. 

In addition to the geographic features that make this winery so special, the growing techniques used by their vineyard manager and wine maker, Steven Canter, are sure to catch the attention of those who support green technology and industry.  In 2002, Quivira Vineyards started farming using Biodynamic principles, before becoming organic and Biodynamic certified in 2005.

As explained on their website, “Biodynamic farming is a philosophy that treats a farm - in our case, a vineyard farm - as a self-sustaining system responsible for creating and maintaining its individual health and vitality without external or unnatural additions.” All synthetic chemicals and processes are replaced by materials that are either natural to the vineyard or a by-product from any of the number of the vineyard processes.  For instance, goats take part in both the weed removal and fertilizer processes.

Biodynamic farming is more complex than what I offer here, and I encourage you to check out their website—www.quivirawines.com—for more information. 

They grow several different grapes; I, of course, went for their 2004 Zinfandel, of which 6,372 cases were made.  One word describes this wine: ripe.  This bottle is ready for the picking.  However, I do not mean this in a sweet, fruity-overload kind of way, but the dark cherry and blackberry flavors do feel rather mature.  This wine is full without being dominated by oaky or fruity tones.  In addition to being balanced, it tends to sit high on the tongue, which leaves a hint of sour in the swallow, but this is not a bad thing as it brightens up the flavor. 

I like Zinfandels, but this is no ordinary zin.  I did not pair this with food; the wine was the main course.  A friend and I enjoyed this over a casual winter’s evening, and it stood up to the task and performed well.  The full flavors allowed for us to enjoy it over an extended time because the flavors pleasantly lingered, which made it ideal for a nice slow drink.

I do not foresee this becoming a typical Tuesday-night wine, as it costs a little more than usual (though still under $20), though I do look forward to drinking it again.  As for Tuesday-night wines, I’ll look into those for next week.