Inside ICI


Benziger Family Winery: The Love You Take is Equal to the Love You Give


during the harvest when the grapes are hanging down, colorful and ripe. Right now it’s pruning season at Benziger Winery and the branches are all trimmed by hand and then placed on the ground. “Those will be mulched and returned to the ground right where they are,” my tour guide, Nate explained. “All part of our philosophy of biodynamic farming.” “What does that mean? Do you


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mean you don’t use any pesticides in your farming?” I asked. “Yes. But it’s more than simply just using natural ingredients,” he answered. Nate continued to drive our electric tram over a dirt path up and through


12 ❘ February 2018 ®


azing out at the neatly lined acres of vines before me, I tried to imagine what they look like


a labyrinth of grape vines. “When the Benziger family first bought the winery in the 70s, they did what everyone else was doing. They killed every weed and got rid of every pest. And they weren’t always getting the best results. Now we look at the whole picture.” he continued. The Benzigers soon discovered


biodyamics and realized not only was it the right thing to do by giving back to the land naturally, but it was also the way to grow the best harvest. “Look around you. Instead of just


focusing on the end result, we look at every plant, every insect, every animal... Do you see those sheep over there? They will eat all the overgrowth of the crops, deposit fertilizer and till the soil throughout the vineyard.


sheep don’t need to be sheared. Their wool sheds naturally and then the birds use it for their nests. The birds here are natural prey on smaller animals that can eat our vines. They also help pollinate the vineyard by carrying seeds. Every creature... down to the smallest bug is on staff here,” he explained. I looked around at beauty that


surrounded me and smiled, “Makes sense. You get what you give.”


Note: Spring Management Meeting And those


attendees can attend the tour of Benziger by registering online.


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