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Associate Member of   
Winter/Spring 2013
Following the exceptional 2012 season, the winter rains have already charged
the soil with nearly the average annual rainfall. This bodes well for the
coming year. Pruning has begun in some vineyards depending on variety.
Weed control, trellis repair, brush clearing, equipment maintenance and other
off-season tasks are being attended to.
Cooper-Garrod Alfaro
Heart of the Mountain
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Silver Mountain
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Burrell School
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Muns
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Meetings & Events
- Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity
Conservation Practices for Your Vineyard - How You Can Benefit,
Saturday, February 23, 9:00-2:00:
Loma
Prieta Community Center, 23800 Summit Rd., Los Gatos 95033
(at the Loma Prieta Elementary School)
Numerous scientific studies and
practical experiences have shown that biological diversity is a crucial
factor in maintaining or increasing the sustainability and stability of
farming systems. Biodiversity in agricultural systems recycles
nutrients, helps manage undesirable organisms, and more. This program will
address habitat conservation and reasons for it; conservation of ponds and
streams; native vegetation as cover crop; protection of native wildlife;
hedgerows and other native planting; soil biodiversity; sheep, goats, etc.
for weed control. Sustainable practices are good business practices. This
program and workshop brings you several very knowledgeable speakers
illustrating how you can apply and benefit from these practices, and the day
ends with a tailgate visit to Rhys Vineyards.
There is no charge
for this program. You will
receive a complimentary copy of the new, 3rd edition of the
CSWA’s Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Workbook. Bring a laptop if you want
online access. Lunch will be provided.
AGENDA
8:30am:
Registration and sign-in
9:00am: Program
-
Kent
Reeves, ecology consultant,
The Whole Picture Consulting.
Kent
will address different vineyard habitats and the benefits of managing those
habitats to encourage beneficial species.
Kent manages and administers natural
resource projects for ranchers, farmers, and various agencies. He was
previously with the Alameda Co. Resource Conservation District, and a
co-author of the biodiversity chapter of the CSWA workbook. Clients include
the Lodi Winegrape Commission; Sierra Nevada Conservancy; Ecology Action
(Livestock & Land Program); Placer, Monterey, and San Benito County
Resource Conservation Districts; Hollister Ranch; and is on the Advisory
Board for Cal Poly's Center for Sustainability.
Kent espouses the concepts of Cowboy
Conservation.
-
Ann Thrupp, Ph.D.,
Manager of Sustainability and Organic Development at Fetzer and Bontera
Vineyards. Ann will talk about a study done in
North
Coast vineyards on Biodiversity as Part of
Ecosystem Management in Sustainable Winegrowing. The goals of the study were
to
• document the benefits of biodiversity and habitat protection in
California vineyards, and
• identify practices for conserving or enhancing biological diversity in and
around vineyards.
In her capacity at Fetzer, Ann develops partnerships with growers,
scientists, government agencies and other stakeholders involved in
sustainability initiatives. Ann was the Managing Director of the CSWA from
2005-2007, and serves on the joint technical advisory committee. From
1990-1998, she was Director of Sustainable Agriculture at World Resources
Institute. Ann has over 70 publications, and has served twice on committees
of the National Academy of Science, to co-author books related to
sustainable agriculture. You can read more about Ann
here.
-
Rich Casale,
District Conservationist,
NRCS,
Santa Cruz
County. Rich will address the
cost-sharing programs available through the NRCS for growers to implement
programs that support habitat diversity.
Rich is a Certified Professional Erosion and Sediment Control Specialist
(CPESC #3), a program sponsored by the International Erosion Control
Association and the Soil and Water Conservation Society. He has been
instrumental in erosion control and watershed management programs at the
local, state and national level, and has been involved in more than a dozen
NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection programs during his career assisting
property owners throughout
California following storm, flood, fire and
earthquake disasters.
-
Lunch
-
Tailgate session
at
Rhys Vineyards with a talk and tour with Javier Meza, winegrower.
RSVP is requested:
For a pdf of this program, click
here.
Please note:
No alcohol or smoking at the Community Center.
This program is sponsored by
The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.
 
From
the CSWA’s Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Workbook: Agricultural systems
and the environment are intertwined, dynamic, and often symbiotic.
“Ecosystem Management” applies ecological science
to resource management to promote the long-term sustainability of landscapes
(our vineyards) and the delivery of essential goods and services produced in
them (our winegrapes). These “ecosystem services” include clean water and
air, storing and cycling nutrients, pollination of crops and natural
vegetation, generation and maintenance of soils, detoxification and
decomposition of wastes, and natural beauty. The long-term viability of
California’s wine community is linked to the
long-term stability of ecological processes, which are constantly changing.
The primary goals of an ecosystem management approach are to:
Maintain
ecosystem integrity
Sustain
biodiversity at a regional scale
Incorporate
distinct community values in the design and implementation of a
sustainability strategy.
- Pinot Paradise, March 22-24: The annual celebration of
Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir!
- Friday, March 22 (all events at The Mountain Winery:
- The Technical Session: Minerallity- Taste vs Terroir; Unlocking
the secrets of Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
Speakers include:
- Josh Jensen, Calera Wine Company
- Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Dept. of
Viticulture & Enology, Director of the Viticulture & Enology Research
Center, CSU Fresno.
- and a panel and tasting of Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noirs with
local winemakers, moderated by David Glancy, Master Sommelier, founder of
the
San Francisco Wine School
- VIP Reception
- Winemaker Dinner
- Saturday, March 23:
- Pathway to Pinot Paradise - a self-guided tour and tasting of Santa Cruz
Mountains Pinot producers and vineyards
- Winemaker Dinner in the evening, at Shadowbrook in Capitola
- Sunday, March 24:
- The Grand Cruz Tasting, at Villa Ragusa in Campbell.
Tickets are available from the SCMWA
here.
- Energy and Resources Conservation, April (date TBD):
(Program details to be announced)
- Organic Wine Trail, April
20-21, 2013: In recognition of Earth Day, three Santa Cruz
Mountains wineries will showcase their CCOF-certified organic vineyards and
practices with a wine trail and vineyard tours: Alfaro Family Vineyards;
Silver Mountain Vineyards; Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards. Learn more about
growing organic winegrapes. See the
website. Additional CCOF-certified vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains
include: Big Basin Vineyards; Kathryn Kennedy; Portola Vineyards in Portola
Valley; Four Gates Vineyard in Santa Cruz.
- Membership
Application: Membership dues for 2013 are due at the beginning of
the year. Dues paid for 2012 will cover your membership for 2013.
Membership is open to those sharing an interest in viticulture in the Santa
Cruz Mountains. Annual dues are $50 paid each calendar year. Renewals
should also include the membership application to convey any changes of
information.
Latest News
- Annual EQIP Funding through the NRCS: Prior to the deadline you need to:
- Fill out and sign a standard
Request for
Assistance form, and submit it to the county-appropriate NRCS
representative listed below. This will initiate the scheduling of a site visit
and resource assessment.
- Then you will need to contact and meet with the USDA Farm Services Agency
in Salinas to start the eligibility determination process. Contact Vivian
Soffa, 831-424-1036, ext. 108
There is EQIP funding in every CA county:
- In Santa Cruz County:
Rich Casale, (831) 475-1967
- In Santa Clara County contact Bob Rohde
or Athena Pratt at (831) 637-4360.
- In San Mateo County contact Jim Howard at
(650) 726-4660.
For more information about EQIP, read this
program description provided by Rich Casale.
- "Discovery
of European Grapevine Moth"
- The Santa Cruz Mountains is "the finest place within California to grow
Pinot. It is interesting to see such a small area have such an impact on this
varietal."' - Scott Clemings, Epicurean Traveler, in a video interview
at Pinot Paradise. See the
interview on the VASCM YouTube Channel.
- Recent Press on Santa Cruz Mountains wines made from our winegrapes:
"The Varied pinots of
the Santa Cruz Mountains", by Laurie Daniel, San Jose Mercury News,
April 15, 2009
- Rusty Gaffney MD, The PinotFile,
in his March issue has completed an extensive and enthusiastic
review of Santa Cruz
Mts. Pinot producers and Pinot
 Noirs.
Included are: Thomas Fogarty; Clos de la Tech; Black Ridge; Mount Eden; David
Bruce; Mountain Winery; Burrell School; Loma Prieta; Muns Vineyard; Silver
Mountain; Clos Tita; Hallcrest; Heart O'the Mountain; Wines of Vine Hill;
Martin Alfaro; Pleasant Valley Vineyards; Windy Oaks; Plus: Clos la Chance;
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (Bailey's Branciforte Ridge); Salamandre (Meadowridge).
- New Sub-regions for the Santa Cruz Mountains: VASCM has worked with
AppellationAmerica.com on a series of tastings evaluating Santa Cruz Mountains
wines produced from our vineyards, and in the process we have defined five
subregions characterized by distinct flavor profiles. They are: Skyline; Los
Gatos/Saratoga; Summit; Los Ranchos (Hwy. 17 corridor to Santa Cruz);
Corralitos/Pleasant Valley. Read more about the subregions and their flavor
profiles here. Read more about the subregions
and flavor profiles of the three varietals we evaluated -- Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon/Bordeaux -- on the
AppellationAmerica.com website.
- World of Pinot Noir (WOPN) Panel Presentation on the Santa Cruz
Mountains: A group of local winemakers and growers showcased Santa Cruz
Mountains Pinot Noirs in a special regional wine tasting and provided an
introduction to the new subregions on March 6 at WOPN in Shell Beach. Speakers
were: Jeffrey Patterson, Mount Eden (representing the
Saratoga/Los Gatos subregion); Ed Muns, Muns Vineyard and
Jerold O'Brien, Silver
Mountain (representing the
Summit subregion); Nathan Kandler, Thomas Fogarty (representing the Skyline
subregion); Sal Godinez, Wines of Vine Hill (representing the Los
Ranchos/Santa Cruz Coastal Foothills subregion); and Joe Martin, Martin Alfaro
Wines (representing the Corralitos/Pleasant Valley subregion). Plus, David
Bruce was there and contributed his observations on the 'spicey and mineral' character of
Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. Patrick Comiskey of Wine & Spirits Magazine
moderated the session. Read his
posting about the session on WineReviewOnline.
- Light Brown Apple Moth: local vineyardists have reported inspections at
their vineyards sites near Soquel and Santa Cruz.
- "One Nation Under Vines"
- A PR campaign initiated by the California Assn. of Winegrape Growers (CAWG)
"highlights how California's growing conditions, experience and sustainable
growing practices make a difference in creating world-class wines." The VASCM
has been working with CAWG to make sure that the Santa Cruz Mountains is
included as part of this campaign.
Members of the Viticulture Association of the Santa Cruz Mountains (VASCM)
are premium winegrape growers in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation.
Meetings are held bi-monthly with topics that promote quality winegrape
production.
Our Mission
To serve the common interests of all Santa Cruz Mountains appellation
winegrape producers, and to enhance the quality, profitability and
reputation of winegrape production in the appellation through promotion
and education.
Association Profile
President: Mary
Lindsay
Vice President:
Rachel Ormes
Secretary: June Salsbury
Treasurer:
Bruce Manildi
Past Presidents: Prudy Foxx,
Bruce Manildi
Contact Information
- Media Contact
- Mary Lindsay
- Telephone
- 408-984-7242
- FAX
- 408-353-6107
- Postal address
- P.O. Box 8092, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-8092
- Electronic mail
- General Information:
info@vascm.org
Webmaster:
webmaster@vascm.org
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Viticulture Association of the Santa Cruz Mountains
