Friday, September 30, 2016

125 Cowhorns: That's What It Takes to Fuel Montinore Estate's 200+ Acres of Biodynamic Vines



Montinore Estate's Rudy Marchesi (second from left) and friends packed cowhorns full of manure last week and then buried them in the ground to make the Biodynamic preparation known as 500.

In six months or so, they will dig them up, when the manure will have fermented, and broken down into fine particles which are then diluted with dynamized water and sprayed over the vines.

How does it affect the soil?

A team of Italian scientists studied the molecular composition of 500 spray and found it to be "enriched of biolabile components and, there, potentially conducive to plant growth stimulation."

Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research, which, if you're interested, you can read (on the U.S. PubMed web site) here.

Montinore Estate is located in Oregon's Willamette Valley and grows Alsatian varietals and Pinot Noir.

Founder Rudy Marchesi's winemaking days date back to his Italian family, in New Jersey, where home winemaking was part of family life. Before moving to Oregon, he ran a successful winery in New Jersey for many years.

Montinore Estate has been Demeter certified Biodynamic since 2008. It has more than 200 acres of vines.

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