Tehama - The Magazine - Red Bluff Daily News
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/32392
V Vine to Wine ineyard firmly rooted in nature Alger Vineyards 31636 Forward Road, algervineyards.com, (530) 474-WINE By Jadda Miller Tucked into the east- ern upper corner of Tehama County is a winery with a landscape as diverse as the wine flavors it grows. Alger Vineyards stands out from the herd because it has managed to elevate the simple grape to something that transcends a mere drink and enters the realm of an extraordinary experi- ence; by use of biodynamic farming prac- tices, absolute attention to detail, over- whelming views, sensational wines and warm hospitality, all set to an intimate yet natural tune. Within the 35 acres of land you can find six varieties of grapes, including Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Orange Muscat. When tasting the wines no matter where you are, you can get a sense of where this wine was grown; amongst volcanic cinder cones in the near distance, beside the rolling golden foothills, and below the breath taking Sierra Nevada mountain range, all adding to the unique blend of palat- 8 Tehama - the Magazine, May 2011 able flavors, which win awards at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition year after year. An additional factor contributing to flavor is Alger’s use of biodynamic farming practices, which far exceed just being organic. Biodynamic farm- ing is a “lifestyle for the Earth, vine and wine.” If we break the word into two parts, we have bio meaning life and dynamic meaning energy. Biodynamic farming utilizes Earth’s natural resources to produce the highest quality product pos- sible. It is a tech- nique that assesses the individual piece of farm land and gives back to the environment what it needs, without using harmful ingre- dients to do so; thus creating a self-sus- tained environment, and bottled poetry in every sip. Bob Marr is Alger’s artisan wine- maker; his exten- sive career in the wine industry has brought him much success and praise along with numerous awards from Continued on page 10