Photo by Mary Fish

For Quivira, an estate producer of small-lot artisan wines, Biodynamic farming practices align with our goal to create quality wines that truly reflect the character of our vineyards and the people who make them. We believe that Biodynamic farming is the purest pathway to that end.

What is Biodynamic farming?
Biodynamic farming is holistic branch of organic farming treating the entire ranch as an integrated whole; striving to make it both self-contained and self-sustaining to create and maintain its individual health and vitality, without any external and unnatural additions.

Quivira started farming using these principles in 2002 and received its organic and Biodynamic certifications in November of 2005. The 2006 vintage will be the debut vintage for which all our wines are made from certified organic and Biodynamic grapes. Winemaker Steven Canter and Alan York, a noted Biodynamic and Viticultural Specialist, pruning vines at Wine Creek ranch on Quivira’s 90- acre estate.
We have an integrated pest management plan which controls weeds and other Invasives by non-mechanical means exclusively. Perennial Calendula and Wild Oats planted amongst the rows of Petite Sirah vines to encourage Beneficials- the "good" bugs which destroy the "bad bugs"
Quivira uses only organic fertilizers and absolutely no synthetic chemicals. We compost all of our winery waste for use in our vineyards to promote biodiversity in and around our vineyards. Cow horns are filled with organic cow manure and buried at Winter Equinox. They are dug up at Summer Equinox and the dehydrated, powdery mixture is used to create a fertilizer "tea" for the vineyards.

More about Certification
Quivira Demeter Certified Biodynamic® Farm Certificate (PDF)
Demeter Association
Quivira Organic Certificate (PDF)
Om Organics: www.omorganics.org

©2007 Quivira Vineyards    4900 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448    707-431-8333    800-292-8339