BLOGS
Zero-Zero Wines
Zero-Zero Wines are made with zero added yeasts and zero added sulfites. Frey Biodynamic wines are “zero-zero” wines under this definition. While not all certified Biodynamic wines are required to be made without sulfites, all our Frey wines are made with no sulfites added.
Poison Oak Hedgerow
Our October Highlight on the Frey Ranch Nature Reserve is the Poison Oak Hedgerow. A native plant found in abundance, poison oak provides food and shelter for many animals throughout the year. Additionally there are medicinal and ecological benefits to this amazing but often maligned plant.
In The Vineyard
In the vineyard, 2023 harvest is upon us! At Frey Vineyards, the Fall is perhaps the most exciting time of the year as all the grapes are harvested and crushed to be made into the Organic and Biodynamic wines that we adore.
Blackberries in the Hedgerow
Blackberries in the Hedgerows of the Frey Vineyards home ranch provide shelter and food for local animals. Although a non-native plant, blackberries are a favorite invasive because of their sweet, delicious fruits. Our goat herds absolutely adore them, and we humans think that they’re a pretty great way to enjoy the summer too!
Crush 2023
Crush 2023 began with the first Sauvignon Blanc grapes coming in!
Veraison
Across all our home vineyards, the grapes are going through something called “Veraison.” It’s the time when the development of the fruit really starts to peak, as the sugars send their sweet flows through the vines to help the grape mature. In medieval times, this experience was celebrated in France, and as modern Californians, we’re looking to share about this ecological phenomenon in the viticulture world here on our winery blog.
Summer Veggie Galette
Here’s a recipe for a summer veggie galette that we think you’ll love featuring fresh ingredients from the garden!
Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary
Welcome to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary at Frey Vineyards! Some of the most engaging aspects of gardens are the visiting butterflies, birds, and other wildlife they attract. About ten years ago our friend and neighbor, Cathy Monroe, inspired and educated us about the importance of gardening for monarch butterflies with her California Naturalists capstone project. Katrina Frey has been an adamant supporter of establishing native milkweed plantings and providing habitat for these regal fluttering beauties and we have planted out several small pilot project gardens in the Frey vineyards. In the winter of 2020 and ‘21 we built a greenhouse and shade house and began propagating California native trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and bunch grasses for our one-acre butterfly and pollinator garden.
Winter Squash Delight
Try chef Tamara Frey’s Winter Squash delight! This recipe was inspired by her mother, Beba’s, old-fashioned baked yams that she enjoyed every Thanksgiving while growing up. But instead of yams, she used winter squash for this easy-to-make recipe, and almost any variety of winter squash will work.
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce
Try Chef Tamara Frey’s Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with a Malbec Mushroom Cream Sauce using the Frey Organic Malbec! This vegetarian meal is delicious, filling, and pairs well with a glass of Frey wine! YUM!
April Amelioration!
April Amelioration is a weather report of the grapes and vineyards from Spring 2022 at Frey Vineyards by Eliza Frey
Lemon Meringue Pie on Graham Cracker Crust
Tamara Frey’s Lemon Meringue Pie on a Graham Cracker Crust
With Strawberries and Cream. Lemon meringue pie is a tasty and refreshing dessert classic. She prefers using Meyer lemons and fresh farm eggs, and she’s always loved lemon meringue on graham cracker crust, paired with a Frey organic white wine!
Harvest Report, 2021
Birdhouses in the Vineyard, 2021
With so many birdhouses in the vineyard, 2021 has been the biggest year for birds occupying the houses we placed yet!
Maple Apple Crumble
Maple Apple Crumble inspired by a recent trip to the East Coast by Chef Tamara Frey
Native Plants for Native Insects
Frey Vineyards is working to reestablish native vegetation on a large berm at the new winery: a landscaping project to support native plants for native insects. The berm will be part of a nature trail where visitors can enjoy the beauty of our vineyard nestled in the surrounding oak woodland, learn about key plant communities and the wildlife that they support.
Azolla
Late last fall after the grape harvest, members of our vineyard crew, spent a week harvesting azolla from one of our ranch ponds. The azolla began proliferating on this pond about five years ago. At first we were quite concerned about the rapidly spreading carpet of reddish plants – until we learned that it was very beneficial. Azolla is a tiny aquatic fern that floats on top of still bodies of waters and occurs throughout most of the temperate to tropical regions of the world. Our native California species, Azolla filculoides, has coevolved with a nitrogen-fixing cyanobactrium called Anabeana azollae for millions of years. Together they merge into a superorganism that holds much promise for mitigating greenhouse gases caused by human activities because of its ability to sequester enormous amounts of atmospheric CO2. Only legumes which are widely used as organic cover crops share this capacity.
More Than Just Grapes
More than just grapes are growing at Frey Vineyards! Over the years we’ve shared lots of details on the ins and outs of growing grapes and the seasonal flow of work in the vineyards. This drought year is moving things ahead in the vineyard in full force. Pruning is wrapping up this week and cultivation and frost protection are ongoing. But this time around I’d like to share about more than just grapes.
The Art of Grazing
The art of grazing requires a return to land based understanding and wisdom. In a modern society that is growing to be detached from the land, we are fostering a more intimate connection with the cycles and rhythms of this place. Frey Vineyards is located near the headwaters of the Russian River watershed, and we tend several hundred acres of organic and Biodynamic vines here.
Sourdough Starter Guide
Here’s a Sourdough Starter Guide to get you going with sourdough! As we look ahead longing for cool rains here in California my mind turns to the cozy season ahead and fresh, homemade sourdough bread. Simply stated, sourdough starter is a stable culture of yeast and lactic acid bacteria in a flour and water mixture. Yeast strains present in sourdough starters are usually species in the genus Saccharomyces or Candida. The bacterial component is most often a strain of Lactobacillus, and there are many different strains. The beauty of making your own starter is that the specific strains of yeast and bacteria in your kitchen and their proportion to each other will be unique and yield one of a kind flavor.