BLOGS
Rose Hedgerow
January's Biodynamic herbal highlight is the Rose Hedgerow on the Frey Ranch, featuring both cultivated and naturalized rose bushes from the Perennial Mother Garden in Redwood Valley, California
Madrone Hedgerow
December’s herbal highlight from is the Madrone Hedgerow on the Frey Ranch Nature Reserve. Biodynamic farming requires that we maintain 10% of our land base for maintaining native plantings. While we far exceed that number, we created this series to show the ecosystem that our grapes are growing in. Our Northern California terroir shines amidst a diverse array of indigenous and cultivated plantings.
The Perennial Mother Garden
The Perennial Mother Garden at the Frey Ranch serves as a home to both roses, cultivated for their healing properties, and a wealth of other plantings that are being propagated to all the gardens that we maintain at Frey.
November Wine of the Month Recipes
Our November Wine of the Month recipes featured our organic Cabernet Sauvignon with an Italian-inspired dinner menu. Lemon chicken, creamy risotto, and a fresh salad featuring sprouts and greens from Mendo Grass: we ate very well for our November wine of the month dinner party!
Olive Hedgerow
November’s highlight is the Olive Hedgerow we planted between two vineyards. This year’s crop brought more olives than we’ve ever harvested before! What a treat to see these trees grow, fruit, and thrive at Frey Vineyards!
October Wine of the Month Recipes
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.
Pene Pasta with a Leek and Jalapeno Cream Sauce
This Pene Pasta with a Leek and Jalapeno Cream Sauce dish was inspired by a trip Chef Tamara Frey recently took to Baja California where she had a wonderful plate of tequila jalapeno cream sauce with shrimp and scallops. Here, she’s created a vegetarian version using leeks instead of seafood and Frey Organic Chardonnay in place of tequila. It turned out very tasty!
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!
