2009 is proving to be a challenging year in the vineyard so far.  Early and heavy rains in October are playing havoc with the harvest this year.

This summer after a three year process Puma Springs Vineyards finally gained the coveted Demeter Biodynamic® and USDA certification for the grapes grown at the farm.

This summer we finally received our formal notification of our obtaining both Demeter Biodynamic® and USDA Organic certification.  This process began with a decision we made when we purchased the vineyard to farm the vineyard sustainably.  That evolved over the first couple of years as we worked with the Benziger Family Winery to the point that our goal would be to farm the vineyard in accordance with Biodynamic® practices and obtain certification.

So beginning in 2004 we stopped the use of all non-organic fertilizers and pesticides and concentrated on compost, compost teas, and nitrogen fixing cover crops as the primary means of feeding the soil and the vines.

Then after much research in 2005 we decided on a method of under vine weeding that would allow us to eliminate the use of non-organic herbicide (Round-Up) and use mechanical tillage under the vine to control weed growth. That allowed us to apply for certification in early 2006.  Since then we have had annual inspections of the vineyard and our farming practices by Demeter® USA to ensure compliance with all aspects of Biodynamic® farming in how we run the vineyard.   Demeter® USA also works with the Benziger Family Winery to audit the Benziger growers as part of their unique sustainability program “Farming for Flavors” and we have also been certified by Benziger as sustainable.

Gearmore Under Vine Tiller in Action.

For more information on Biodynamic® farming  go to:-
demeter-usa.org/about-biodynamic-agriculture

For more information on “Farming for Flavors” go to:-
www.benziger.com/farming/index.php

After winning a Gold Medal at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair the Benziger Family Winery the 2006 vintage of the Puma Springs Cabernet quickly sold out. The wine was a 700 case limited production bottling available only at the Benziger Family Winery tasting room in Glen Ellen and on-line

With weather reported directly from our vineyard and updated several times a day.