Andrew was the cleanest farmer I had met in a while, but after I took a closer look at his callused hands and listened to his perspective on Bulgarian-Italian mixed wild pigs, rye grass, and soil, I knew he was the real McCoy.
Quivira is an exceptional, certified biodynamic winery on Old Dry Creek Road, one of the best windy roads for a Sonoma road trip. British-born Andrew Beedy, trained in both organic, and the Rudolf Steiner method of biodynamic farming, tends to everything but the grapes. He explained that without a complete system of plants, and without a focus on healthy soil, not only would the wine suffer, but the environment as well. Andrew works closely with winemaker Steven Canter, and viticultural specialist Alan York to promote healthy growth on the land. The orchard of blooming apple trees keeps the bees busy; the aforementioned rye grass, and red-crested clover, pumps up the biomass of the soil, the chickens create enough manure for the rest of the garden plus they lay eggs on their own time table for restaurants like Barn Diva, the pond and creek filter waste water for reuse… everywhere I look there is healthy participation.
I sip a refreshing, and well-priced Grenache Rose and follow Andrew to his newest, most exciting project – his rescue pig Ruby. On Quivira’s single off-site vineyard in the Sonoma hills, he found this 200-pound darling, what Andrew estimates is a Bulgarian mix, but something wild. We rounded the bend, through a scented orchard, and the moment she and her shed mate pick up Andrew’s presence they bolt for him with glee. Her wraspy black hair and long eyelashes endear me to her, and when I find out she’s pregnant I am even more smitten. She was caught in some fencing on a lone mountain, and lives the plush life now at beautiful Quivira – one Sonoma winery that goes above and beyond. The working farm helps ensure that this county doesn’t become a mono-crop of wine grapes, rather that the wine grapes are supported by a diverse ecosystem, buzzing with life.
There’s another benefit to having a farm at your winery – tasty produce. Quivira’s “Farm-to Table” dinner series features the latest and greatest from their gardens, which you can tour before or after you sup. Come July 15th, October 10th or Feb 13th, next year, to sample the season. And if you ask nicely I’m sure you can give Ruby a nice head scratch before she turns in for the evening.
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