Studies in Sustainable Wine: Benziger
“To make and sell the best wine we can for as long as we can, while remaining good stewards of the land so it will continue to produce great grapes long into the future.”
Benziger Family Winery, and its sister winery, Imagery Estate Winery, are big names in the region. In 1995 they began transitioning from conventional farming to Biodynamic®, and in 2000, Benziger’s Sonoma Mountain Estate was officially certified as a Biodynamic® Farm by Demeter.
Benziger Biodynamic® Pyramid
The Benzigers describe their farming practices as a pyramid.
At the base of the pyramid is “Personal Connection to the Land, Observation, Anticipation – A deep, personal relationship with the land heightens our ability to anticipate and avoid problems in the vineyard while encouraging conditions that promote quality.” This is vigilant, involved farming. It means knowing, for example, where a plant might get mildew in certain conditions and cutting it back before the mildew spreads to the rest of the vines.
The next level is “Biodiversity and Estate Farming – Cultivation of a polyculture in and around the vineyards is as important as healthy grapevines. This diversity is reflected in the individuality of the wine." This is really the idea that the terroir of the site will speak in the wine if the farmer doesn’t try to completely destroy the natural habitat.
Next on the pyramid is “Self-Regulating Systems – A healthy and diverse habitat of plants, animals, and micro-organisms leads to a self-regulating system of predator/prey relationships, honoring the idea of reciprocal maintenance.” At most wineries, you might see cover crops between the rows of grapevines or a small garden at the visitor’s center; the Benzigers have taken this to the extreme by planting connecting insectaries in pockets of the vineyard to give predatory bugs an incentives to range into all parts of the vineyard, providing extra defense against disease-causing insects.
Next, because the property is certified Biodynamic®, it is a “Closed Nutrient System – All organic waste is recycled through composting, encouraging the growth of indigenous yeasts and bacteria that ultimately contribute to farm individuality.” This means that the vineyard composts everything, and that no outside compost will be added.
Figure 2 Biodynamic® Preparations; Courtesy of The Josephine Porter Institute
The last two pyramid planks and the pyramid’s apex are where Biodynamic® farming really differs from organic farming. “ Biodynamic® Preparations – The eight preparations regulate and stimulate the life processes in plants and grapevines, connecting them to a site.” Biodynamic® Preparations are often what people cite as the only thing they know about Biodynamic® farming. According to Demeter USA, the certifying organization for Biodynamic® farms in the United States, Biodynamic® preparations made from a variety of herbs, mineral substances, and animal manures are used in field sprays and compost inoculants applied in minute doses, much like homeopathic remedies are for humans.
“Working with the Rhythms of Nature – All plants evolve with an intimate connection to their environment, including the movement of the sun, seasons, and lunar cycles.” Practicing biodynamics is all about working with nature, not against it. As Mike Benziger told us, “the Biodynamic® Preparations and timing are vitamins and medicines for the vines and soil.”
At the tip of the Benzigers’ pyramid is “Spirit – Through awareness, practice, and intuition we connect with the spirit of a place.” Although less tangible, you definitely feel Spirit on the property. The Benziger’s stamp is everywhere, in the way they do business with their employees and customers, and in the way they make their wine.
The company also differentiates itself by its level of community activism, which at other wineries ends with donating wine and tasting room visits to auctions. Benziger goes beyond that, with its greatest philanthropic commitment being to Jack London State Park. The winery donates its tasting room profits to the Park during Earth Day weekend each year, and sends paid vineyard workers to the park for trail restoration and campground clean ups. The winery is also the signature sponsor for the Park’s Broadway Under the Stars series.
Benziger is also a leader in the area of water conservation, so much so that in 2010 the National Resources Defense Council named Mike Benziger the “Water Steward of the Year.” The Benzigers began to really look at their water use when their wells started to run dry. They did two things to conserve quickly. First, they removed underperforming grapes that need frequent irrigation; second, they built wetlands to recycle water using planted hollow reeds as a filter.
The Benzigers also water differently. Instead of using scheduled drip irrigation to water the grapevines, they watch the weather closely and use drip irrigation a few days before a hot spell to keep the temperature around the vines cool so that the grapes don’t overheat.
History of Benziger Winery
The Benzigers began farming operations in the late 1970s and quickly discovered that the wine business is capital intensive. They solved their cash flow problems by starting a high-volume, jug-wine brand called Glen Ellen Winery.
The inspiration for Imagery Estate struck in 1984, when Joe Benziger and Sonoma County artist Bob Nugent met at a wine tasting event. Nugent agreed to design those first labels, and 20 years of collaboration later, Imagery has become home to a unique art collection that fills the tasting room and can be found on the bottles they produce. Nugent still serves as curator of the Imagery art collection, commissioning hundreds of international artists to design one-of-a-kind artwork for Imagery labels. Imagery Winery is dedicated to crafting rare wines from uncommon varietals and character-rich vineyards, focusing on interesting varietals like Malbec, Tempranillo, Barbera, and Lagrein.
In 1989, Benziger, including the Glen Ellen brand, would sell 3.2 million cases for a gross revenue of $90 million. Shortly after reaching this milestone, Mike met a man named Alan York, an expert in Biodynamic® farming, and everything about his winery changed.
Until this point, Mike farmed his winery conventionally. He sprayed grapes according to a calendar, one part of the year spraying pesticides, another, fertilizers. “The earth didn’t look as rich as it once had,” said Chris Benziger. “Things seemed drier and harder and quieter.” Mike and Mary, following Alan York’s lead, began to realize that maybe the conventional way wasn’t the best way to grow grapes. They stopped spraying their vines, created havens for good insects, and began composting. Slowly their vineyard came back to life.
Although the decision to become a Biodynamic® winery had less to do with green marketing than with keeping the 85-acre property healthy, once Benziger became Biodynamic®, people began asking about the wine they were producing from purchased grapes. Was that wine Biodynamic® as well? Since the Benziger property was the first in Sonoma County to become certified Biodynamic® by the Demeter Foundation, the answer was “no.” In fact, most of the wine the winery produced was still farmed conventionally. In 2001, Mark Burningham, Benziger’s VP of winegrowing, created his own certification process for sustainable grape farming called “Farming for Flavors.” As of 2007, Benziger would only buy grapes meeting the Farming for Flavors criteria.
Benziger Winery
1883 London Ranch Rd,
Glen Ellen, CA 95442