320: Pioneer California Biodynamic Winemaking + 100 Adorable Sheep with Chris Benziger

What was it like to move to biodynamic wine farming at a time when hardly anyone was doing it? What crucial role do 100 adorable sheep play at the Benziger winery? How do biodynamic preparations that might seem a bit “woo” actually benefit the vineyard? What are the benefits of biodynamic farming practices for vine health and wine quality?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Chris Benziger, winemaker with the Benziger family wines in Sonoma, California.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

 

Giveaway

Three of you will win one of three bottles of the superb Benziger wines. This is open to Canadian residents because shipping alcohol across borders is still bound-up with prehistoric laws. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [e-mail] and let me know that you’ve posted a review of the podcast. I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

 

Highlights

How did Chris’ grandfather transform his alcohol-importing business during Prohibition?

How did the Benziger Family Winery get started?

What does Chris love about the Benziger family property, and what fascinating history does it have?

How does the geology of the area influence Benziger wines?

What challenges did the Benziger family face during their first harvest at the new winery?

Why did the Benziger family transition to biodynamic farming practices years ahead of mainstream sustainability trends?

What crucial role do Dorper sheep and Highland cattle play at the Benziger winery?

How do biodynamic preparations that seem “woo” benefit the vineyard?

What are the benefits of biodynamic farming practices for vine health and wine quality?

 

Key Takeaways

The Benzigers were biodynamic pioneers in California. He quotes Gandhi: “First they ignored him, then they laughed at him, then they fought him, but then he won.” Today, in every single winery, particularly in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Monterrey, and the counties that have very high prestige, every one of these wineries has some form of a sustainability program today.

The Benziger family eventually realized that sheep were the answer to their challenges. They got a big flock of a special type of sheep called a Dorper. Their little cloven hoofs push debris down, like leaves, eliminating mildew pressure, so no mildecides. They eat the grasses underneath the vine, eliminating the need for herbicides like RoundUp. And they fertilize as they go which helps with microbial growth. 

Chris says that even though it sounds odd to be putting cow dung in a horn and burying it in the ground, they're making a plant probiotic. That manure attracts microorganisms in the soil, and they're just small enough that they can fit through a cow horn. This is unbelievably healthy for the plants.

In conventional farming, you water and feed the plant from the top. You're delivering everything at the surface so the roots stay at the surface. Biodynamics tells the vine, Hey, you’ve got to earn a living. We don't water or fertilize it. Now the roots do what they want to do, and go down into those different layers, find their own sourc