Visit to the Organic Gardens at Frog's Leap Vineyards

The following is a photo essay on a trip to Frog's Leap vineyards where the mission is to "Produce wines that deeply reflect the thoughtfully chosen soils and climates from which they emanate".

Excuse the funky formatting... blogger doesn't seem to like this many photos.

The grouds surrounding the property have been recently renovated. All of Frog's Leaps gardens, along with their vines, are grown organically.

As more and more wineries seem to be doing recently, Frog's Leap aims for as green and as natural a growth and harvest of their vines as possible. Their vines are grown by "dry farming" (no irrigation), a method that harkens back to the old Italian manner of wine production in California.

In order to successfully dry farm, Frog's Leap chose the Saint George (Vitis rupestris) root stock which grows under a custom cover blend of peas, oats, and vetch. Apparently, through dry farming, the grapes at Frog's Leap achieve maximum flavor at only around 23 brix as opposed to the more common 28 brix harvest mark for irrigated vines. This lower sugar content allows lower alcohol wines and greater sense of terroir with each crush.

A field of photovoltaic solar panels, accompanied by geothermal power, produces all of the energy that the winery needs.

The vegetable and flower gardens are a bonus attraction for those visitng the vineyards. Visitors can take home much of the day's vegetable harvest for free.

In addition to visual interest, the gardens promote biodiveristy and attract beneficial insect species such as this monarch butterfly caterpiller.

Frog's Leap maintains an apiary in order to increase pollination in the garden and vineyards. Every year, the bees produce about three gallons of honey. In the foreground of the picture, one of Frog's Leap's bountiful olive trees can be seen. Last year one ton of olives and thirty five gallons of olive oil were produced from these trees.

Two chicken coops are kept, one for eggs (and tourist amusement) and another under the solar panel field where the chickens can keep weeds at bay. There's more agri-tainment to come to Frog's Leap with the future addition of some dairy cows.

Fruits of the garden...