USA TODAY 10 Best
  • 10Best Home
  • Travel Guides
    • Featured Travel Guides
      • Dallas, TX
      • Nashville, TN
      • Orlando, FL
      • Seattle, WA
      • Charleston, SC
      • Amsterdam
      • Paris
      • Savannah, GA
      • Berlin
      • Houston, TX
      • Miami, FL
    • United States (89)
      • Mid-Atlantic (9)
        • Baltimore, MD
        • Buffalo, NY
        • Gettysburg, PA
        • Long Island, NY
        • New York, NY
        • Philadelphia, PA
        • Pittsburgh, PA
        • Washington, DC
        • Williamsburg, VA
      • Midwest (9)
        • Branson, MO
        • Chicago, IL
        • Cincinnati, OH
        • Columbus, OH
        • Detroit, MI
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • Kansas City, MO
        • Madison, WI
        • St. Louis, MO
      • New England (3)
        • Boston, MA
        • Newport, RI
        • Portland, ME
      • Pacific (15)
        • Big Island, HI
        • Honolulu, HI
        • Kauai, HI
        • Los Angeles, CA
        • Maui, HI
        • Napa Valley, CA
        • Orange County, CA
        • Palm Springs, CA
        • Portland, OR
        • Sacramento, CA
        • San Diego, CA
        • San Francisco, CA
        • San Jose, CA
        • Santa Barbara, CA
        • Seattle, WA
      • Rocky Mountains (6)
        • Boulder, CO
        • Denver, CO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Reno, NV
        • Salt Lake City, UT
        • Tahoe, NV
      • Southeast (35)
        • Asheville, NC
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Birmingham, AL
        • Boca Raton, FL
        • Charleston, SC
        • Charlotte, NC
        • Columbia, SC
        • Daytona Beach, FL
        • Destin, FL
        • Fort Lauderdale, FL
        • Fort Myers, FL
        • Greenville, SC
        • Hilton Head, SC
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Key West, FL
        • Knoxville, TN
        • Lexington, KY
        • Louisville, KY
        • Memphis, TN
        • Miami, FL
        • Myrtle Beach, SC
        • Naples, FL
        • Nashville, TN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Orlando, FL
        • Outer Banks, NC
        • Palm Beach / West Palm Beach, FL
        • Panama City, FL
        • Pensacola, FL
        • Raleigh, NC
        • Savannah, GA
        • Space Coast, FL
        • St. Augustine, FL
        • St. Petersburg / Clearwater, FL
        • Tampa, FL
      • Southwest (12)
        • Albuquerque, NM
        • Austin, TX
        • Dallas, TX
        • Fort Worth, TX
        • Galveston, TX
        • Houston, TX
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Santa Fe, NM
        • Scottsdale, AZ
        • Sedona, AZ
        • Tucson, AZ
    • Canada (7)
      • Edmonton, AB
      • Montréal, QC
      • Niagara Falls, ON
      • Québec City, QC
      • Toronto, ON
      • Vancouver, BC
      • Victoria, BC
    • Mexico (2)
      • Cabo San Lucas
      • Cancún
    • Central America (1)
      • Costa Rica
    • Caribbean (6)
      • Aruba
      • Jamaica
      • Nassau
      • Saint Martin/Sint Maarten
      • San Juan, PR
      • U.S. Virgin Islands
    • South America (3)
      • Buenos Aires
      • Lima
      • Rio de Janeiro
    • Europe (21)
      • Amsterdam
      • Athens
      • Barcelona
      • Berlin
      • Brussels
      • Copenhagen
      • Dublin
      • Edinburgh
      • Florence
      • Frankfurt
      • Lisbon
      • London
      • Madrid
      • Munich
      • Nice
      • Oslo
      • Paris
      • Prague
      • Rome
      • Stockholm
      • Vienna
    • Asia (6)
      • Bangkok
      • Beijing
      • Hong Kong
      • Mumbai
      • Osaka
      • Singapore
    • Australia & Pacific (1)
      • Sydney
    • Middle East (1)
      • Dubai
  • Readers' Choice
    • Current Contests
      • Best BBQ in North Carolina (2019)
      • Best Beans & Cornbread in West Virginia (2019)
      • Best Brunswick Stew in Virginia (2019)
      • Best Burgoo in Kentucky (2019)
      • Best Chicken & Dumplings in Georgia (2019)
      • Best Cultural Festival (2019)
      • Best Emerging Festival (2019)
      • Best Film Festival (2019)
      • Best Fried Catfish in Arkansas (2019)
      • Best Fried Green Tomatoes in Alabama (2019)
      • Best General Food Festival (2019)
      • Best Gumbo in Louisiana (2019)
      • Best Hot Chicken in Tennessee (2019)
      • Best Hot Tamales in Mississippi (2019)
      • Best Music Festival (2019)
      • Best Shrimp & Grits in South Carolina (2019)
      • Best Specialty Food Festival (2019)
      • Best Stone Crab in Florida (2019)
    • Recent Contest Results
    • All Contest Results
      • Attractions (256)
        • Tours & Activities
        • Nature & Outdoors
        • Sports
        • Theme Parks & Water Parks
        • History & Culture
        • Zoos & Aquariums
        • Shopping
        • Parks & Gardens
        • Casinos
      • Destinations (220)
        • North America
        • Regional
        • Caribbean
        • International
      • Food & Drink (196)
        • Dining
        • Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries
        • Nightlife
      • Gear & Tech (39)
        • Gift Guides
        • Apps & Websites
        • Travel Gear
      • Holidays, Seasons & Events (157)
        • Summer
        • Winter
        • Festivals & Parades
        • Holidays
        • Fall
        • Spring
      • Hotels (69)
        • Hotels
      • Transportation (87)
        • Airports & Flight
        • Cruise
        • Land Travel
      • Traveler Type (169)
        • Family-Friendly
        • Adventure
        • Luxury
        • Romance
        • Budget
        • Business
  • Interests
    • Explore
    • Tips
    • Gear & Tech
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • Hotels & Resorts
    • Health & Wellness
  • Food & Drink
    • Food Culture
    • Food & Travel
    • Drinks
    • Recipes
  • Arts & Culture
    • Festivals & Events
    • Galleries & Venues
  • Follow 10Best
  • Like 10Best
USA TODAY 10 Best
  • Home
  • Travel Guides
  • Readers' Choice
  • Interests
  • Food & Drink
  • Arts & Culture
search
  • Follow
  • Like
close
Food & Drink
Food Culture
Food & Travel
Drinks
Recipes
 
  • facebook share
  • twitter share
  • pinterest share
  • linkedin share
  • Flipboard
graphic

Most Popular 10Best Lists

  • #
    Dallas: Dallas Does Romance: Ten Ways To Wow Your Lover
    View This List
  • #
    Atlanta: 10 romantic restaurants in Atlanta that combine a sexy ambiance with impeccable eats
    View This List
  • #
    Dallas: Get into the Groove at Dallas' Go-To After Dark Playgrounds
    View This List
  • #
    Portland: 10 Best Luxury Day Spas in Portland, Oregon
    View This List
  • #
    Honolulu: 10 Best Places in Honolulu to Shake, Shake, Shake Your Booty
    View This List
graphic

Most Popular 10Best Articles

  • #
    These are the favorite chocolates of the best chocolate makers in the world
    View This Article
  • #
    The most epic meal in Philadelphia is 40 courses and lasts 9 hours
    View This Article
  • #
    These products make it easy to travel safer, lighter and smarter
    View This Article
  • #
    How to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel
    View This Article
  • #
    Why the islands of the Pacific Northwest are fantastic in the off-season
    View This Article
 
10bestlogo
facebook twitter instagram pinterest
  • About 10BEST
  • 10BEST Local Experts
  • Sitemap
SHOW MORE INFORMATION
  • Food & Drink
  • //
  • Drinks
Save This Page +

Benziger of Sonoma, Where Good Earth Makes Good Wine

Best organic wine in Sonoma
Tom Molanphy

April 5, 2012 // By Tom Molanphy

By Tom Molanphy
San Francisco Local Expert April 5, 2012

 

For some businesses, "green" is just a hook for a faster buck. Not so with Benziger Winery. They aren't green as a gimmick; they're green because it makes fantastic wine. 

And this family-owned and operated Sonoma winery in the town of Glen Ellen goes beyond simply eliminating the chemicals that other wineries use for weed and bug control. Their biodynamic wines are fully integrated into the natural cycle of the earth. For those who think this sounds like California hippy hogwash, consider this: do you really want Ortho in your glass of zinfandel...?

Benziger VineyardsBenziger Vineyards — Photo courtesy of Benziger

The beauty of biodynamics - and what makes a trip to Benziger winery so memorable - boils down to this: take care of the land, and the land will take care of you. When the Benziger family started this vineyard in 1985, they followed the industry practice of squeezing every drop of wine out of every square inch of available land. They eventually bucked that trend and went for quality over quantity; today, only 41 out of the estate's 85 acres are devoted to vineyards. The rest of the land is used for the insectary, the recycling ponds and the composting area. And its these three features that make Benziger so unique.

The Insectary

Once you decide not to use insecticides to protect your vines, the bugs don't simply walk (or fly or crawl) away. In order to protect their vines but respect nature, Benziger grows plants that attract birds that feed on insects harmful to their vines. It takes years to develop this healthy predator/prey balance, just one of the many investments this vineyard has taken to produce truly natural wine.

InsectaryInsectary — Photo courtesy of Benziger

The Recycling Ponds

Finding a pure and sustainable water source is a real challenge anywhere in California. Instead of shipping in water or diverting natural resources from elsewhere, Benziger has a series of recycling ponds that naturally refine and purify the water they use.

Recycling pondsRecycling ponds — Photo courtesy of Benziger

The Composting Area

Finally, in order to control the very microbes that help produce the wine you'll drink, Benziger has its own herd of Scottish highlander cattle that produces incredibly rich fertilizer for its vines. 

Newborn calfNewborn calf — Photo courtesy of Benziger

If this seems radical, it's radical in the original, best sense of the word: getting back to the root of things. A visit to Benziger winery, and a taste of their 29 diverse and eclectic wines, will reveal how everyone benefits when the land is truly respected. Or, as winegrower and general manager Mike Benziger puts it, "Our job is to take this beautiful scenery, fold it up into a bottle, and serve it to our guests."

Benziger familyBenziger family — Photo courtesy of Benziger

x

Next Up

Visit Jericho Canyon Vineyard in Napa

Read More »


Tom Molanphy

About Tom Molanphy

Tom Molanphy lives and works in San Francisco but roams beautiful Sonoma County every chance he gets.

Read more about Tom Molanphy here.

Connect with Tom via: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest


Share

Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Flipboard
×

×