Viticulture: The Art of Sustainable Winegrowing

 

"...My primary goal in sustainability is to achieve a balance that emphasizes preventing the problems from initiating and therefore avoiding as much of the treatment as possible."

                       - Amy Warnock, Viticulturist

This quote reveals the forward thinking that is just now being adopted by modern practitioners of the ancient grapes-to-wine craft. Pahlmeyer's viticulturist, Amy Warnock, has embraced this holistic, rather than aggressive, approach and has seen the results. Growing balanced, ultra-premium winegrapes while incurring the least amount of environmental impact is the core mission of Pahlmeyer's sustainable winegrowing.

Pahlmeyer uses cover crops to nurture their vines in an environmentally-conscious way. Planting carefully-selected grasses, grains and legumes between the rows helps achieve the ideal soil moisture. The permanent cover decreases erosion and dust, which in turn mitigates mite populations and the need for insecticides. These non-grape plantings are also a perfect habitat for beneficial insects that discourage mite populations. When these crops decompose their nutrients infuse into the soil, benefitting next year's growing season. In specific areas that require additional nutrients, Pahlmeyer employs cover crops and organic compost rather than synthetic fertilizers. This metered approach to soil health creates balanced vines with healthy canopies and small berries, as opposed to overly-vigorous vines with pumped-up berries, which can result from synthetic fertilizer applications. Intricate canopy management takes advantage of sunlight and air currents to decrease disease pressure, decreasing demand for pesticides.

Water conservation also comes into play. Water consumption is dramatically reduced with the use of customized irrigation systems and individual drip lines. Only the most stressed section of a block is irrigated rather than watering the entire block; this reduces water usage while increasing uniformity and quality. Natural predators of gophers and other root-feeding pests are encouraged to create habitats in Pahlmeyer's vineyards through the use of bird boxes and perches. Jayson's award-winning pumpkins, Paige's fruit trees, a vegetable garden and wildflowers add to the property's biodiversity.

To the wine enthusiast, this common-sense growing philosophy might seem strikingly simple. However, achieving the intricate and fragile natural balance in the vineyard is the challenge for even the most qualified viticulturist. Working in tandem with the elements has always been the grower's best bet and is the viticultural secret behind Pahlmeyer's successful grape harvests and vintage releases.