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At our February meeting Curtis Peterson and Gerard Van Steyn presented an excellent program on the vineyard practices.
As a supplement to that meeting, Gerard has made available notes and links to many of the issues that were discussed. A PDF file with this information is available by clicking the link below.
Gerard & Kathryn van Steyn
have a Cabernet-
ve a Cabernet-
based Bordeaux
vineyard, along with
an orchard of 60 fruit
trees in their 1.4 acre
Lafayette, Bay Area
home. Gerard has
been making wine
since 2005. For the
first eight years he
had the good fortune
to source Cabernet from Mt Veeder in Napa.
As good as the grapes were, they had the growing
sense that the wine could have been even better if
they could oversee the entire process from vine to
bottle. In 2013 they planted 600 vines.
In 2021 they purchased property in Nevada County, In 2021 they purchased property in Nevada County,
planting a second vineyard. In preparation they
added 12 different organic minerals to remineralize
the soil. As a grape grower Gerard subscribes to
the regenerative ag philosophy of farming believing
that the diversity of microbial life in the soil is
hugely important to the health, vigor, and flavor of
the resulting grapes.
“In the way we’re learning about the healthy
benefits of diverse gut bacteria, we’re learning it’s
the same for soil. It’s all about creating a healthy
and diverse menu for the roots in the ground.
That’s what matters,” he emphasized.
Here is some reference information, as a follow up to topics discussed at the meeting: Click here
