Organic farming is inherent in the culture here in Oregon. Our state is among the top five states in number of certified organic farms. Even more farms utilize organic practices, but don’t go through the costly certification process. Instead, they farm organically because it’s the right thing to do.
Generally speaking, organic farms are those which do not utilize synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. At Youngberg Hill, we take it a step farther by using a biodynamic philosophy when growing our grapes. This means we do not poison our soil with synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Instead, we consider the farm from a holistic perspective. We look at the balance of our ecosystem and work to generate health and fertility naturally – within the farm itself.
There are a number of grasses and other local plants growing on our farm. These give a home to local insects, which feed local birds. These plants give and take nutrition from the soil. Their lives and their deaths enrich the ground in which our vines grow.
We don’t use chemical fertilizers to pump up tired soil. Instead, we work to maintain the rich soil nature provided us with when we first came to Youngberg Hill.
Why do we take so much care to create a natural environment in our farm? There are two reasons:
1st: We want our wine to tell the story of the land in which the grapes were grown and how nature affected each and every grape. We believe in letting nature speak for itself in the clarity and flavor of our wines.
2nd: Youngberg Hill is a family owned and operated farm. Our girls are growing up here. We want to raise our grapes in the same healthy environment in which we are raising our girls.
Our philosophy and way of farming has kept our family happy and healthy – and has made us able to produce award winning wines year after year.
Have you heard of Holistic Farming? What are your thoughts on this with regard to wine?
