
Remember the old Head & Shoulders commercials that said “you never get a second chance to make a first impression?” Apparently the people at Quivira Vineyards also remember those commercials because the evening Katie and I spent at Quivira for Sonoma Wine Country Weekend made an unforgettable first impression. The entire evening felt very intentional. From the moment we parked and set foot on property to the last sip of the Petite Sirah Port, Quivira put thought into creating an unforgettable experience for each of its guests.
We got to Quivira around 6:00pm as the sun was just about to set behind the mountains. Immediately greeted by Meghan who serves as the Tasting Room Manager, she poured us a glass of their 2009 Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. There was still time before d
Dinner was outside and consisted of two long tables, seating approximately 20 people each, situated in between the gardens, animal pen, and the chicken coop. The ambiance was set by the warm air, glowing sunset, and a solo guitarist providing the musical entertainment for the evening. Our fello
Prepared by chefs from The Green Grocer using food grown right at Quivira, each of the five courses was paired with a Quivira wine. Normally not a big fan of beets, I was apprehensive diving into the first course of beet and goat cheese ravioli’s with candied walnuts. The pairing with the Sauvignon Blanc we were greeted with was very refreshing. The sweetness and crunch of the walnuts and the creaminess of the ravioli was complemented by a crisp fruitiness of the wine. The food and wine pairing in our
When we were given the opportunity to attend one of these winemaker dinners, I chose Quivira Vineyards quite arbitrarily. I didn’t know much about them except they were into sustainability and organic farming and I passed by them once on a bike ride. As the evening went on and Farm Manager Andrew Beedy explained more about their beliefs and practices, I became increasingly fascinated by their biodynamic vineyard-farm. As described to us by the Quivira staff, biodynamics is a philosophy and guide on farming practices. Different from organic, which tells you what you can’t do (use pesticides, etc), biodynamics prescribes actions that must be done to create a self-sustaining system that recycles back into the earth. Quivira is doing things that no one else is doing in the area and the planning that must go into biodynamics requires each person at Quivira to be involved in many aspects of the process. It requires each person to have true buy-in to the winery and the Quivira philosophy and that passion is apparent when you talk to anyone at the winery.
A visit to Quivira is a must, not only for the great wines, but also to learn about a place that is an innovator in the wine industry. Because of my interest in their practices and the explanation I gave in this post does not do biodynamics justice, I am already planning a second visit in the near future where I can sit down with the staff and learn much more about the winery. Plus, their wines are just that good and worth a second visit. Keep checking back to The Oregon Wine Blog for a more focused entry about Quivira Vineyards.
Cheers!
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