Just 45 minutes south of San Jose, Hollister is increasingly populated by more than farmworkers these days. Nearby is the "green basket," with a high concentration of organic greens producers, gated communities of retirees and others willing to pay $700k for a new home in modern, dense, suburban developments. The city (population 40,000), is looking to approve more than 4,000 new homes by 2031.
But drive a little further south of Hollister and you're soon in another time and place. The tiny hamlet of Paicines, about 10 miles south of the bustling town, makes you feel like you are lost in a deeply rural part of California. Near the Gabilan Mountains, San Benito County is still home to some of the oldest vines in the U.S.–Enz and Derose vineyards come to mind right away.
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| Mike Kohne and helper at Crave Wine Bar in Hollister recently hosted a 50th anniversary celebration of Calera wines |
And for those of you attentive enough to notice, the Drops of God series on Apple TV, which recently won the International Emmy for Drama, features only one American wine–a Sandlands Mataro (Mourvedre) wine from sandy soils of San Benito County.
(Note: Hey would be viewers - watch the series! I bypassed it early on thinking it was too much somm, but it turns out my initial impression was wrong, wrong, wrong and I'm not ashamed to admit that. It turns out to be a compelling family, character driven drama and you really do not need to know anything about wine to become drawn in. And happily a season 2 is on the way.)
Paicines Ranch
Once upon a time, Paicines Ranch was the largest vineyard in the state, owned by Mirassou. Before 2004, it was to be developed for a large housing enclave. But the county decided against its development, and a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Sallie Calhoun with her husband Matt, bought it, preserving it as a model farm for cattle ranching, sheep grazing, and growing crops. After Sallie read Allan Savory's book on holistic management (integrating sheep), she converted the ranch to these practices and became an evangelist for holistic management.
In addition to the grazing, the team at Paicines currently has 550 acres of row crops and 25 acres of vines. It also sells its pastured beef, pigs, lamb and poultry (which you can order online). Read more about its fascinating history here: https://paicinesranch.com/ranch-history-families/
More on the history of the ranch under Sallie's management: https://thesustainablesweetandsavorygourmet.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/welcome-to-paicines-ranch-paicines-ca/
As many vineyards, particularly in Mendocino County, were developed from former grazing land, it's exciting to rethink that paradigm and question whether integrated sheep grazing and wine grape growing could be a smarter choice. Shannon in Lake County is also a pioneer in this field, although it uses a more traditional trellis system. It has sufficient land to graze its 900 sheep flock year round.
PAICINES RANCH LEARNING
The ranch is a beacon for educating growers and farmers on why and how to implement no till vineyard management and offers a popular, two day regenerative viticulture class that typically sells out.
The next class is coming up is a two day immersion in regenerative vit including a half-day workshop on regenerative vine pruning techniques led by Simonit & Sirch.
I visited the ranch last week after attending the organic farming conference, EcoFarm. just to get a preview of the place before I return for the Feb. 20-21 class. I came home with great memories from a fine dining experience, plus a hefty bag full of pastured meat (maybe a year's supply for a person like me) that I will certainly enjoy drinking with red wines from my cellar. I also got excited about the upcoming regen vit class, set on this majestic 5,600+ acre site.
Get the picture of the course here: https://paicineslearning.org/events/viticulture-immersion-25/
Who should attend?
According to the website, "This immersion is designed for winegrape growers, wine producers, wine merchants, graziers, vineyard managers, students, educators, and anyone who have a passion for growing ecosystem health."
A unique aspect of the course is teacher Kelly Mulville's sheep integration approach. As the website says, "The vineyard at Paicines Ranch is a uniquely designed polyculture with a partial overhead trellis system that allows for grazing of the vines throughout the year. This eliminates the need for tillage, mowing, herbicides, suckering, hand weeding and encourages high biodiversity of plants, insects, birds and soil biology."
There are very few places in the world and in the U.S. for regen vit education. Come find out what it's all about!
OTHER WAYS TO ENJOY THE RANCH
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| A recent dinner at the Overlook dining room was sold out. That's Sallie, with the big smile. |
Paicines offers lodging, special events and hosts weddings and more. It's a great place for a family reunion, or just to bring kids. Casual cabins and rooms are available to rent. They have yoga onsite. Sallie has built a wonderful dining hall, and has a great chef and culinary team. Here's the menu from a recent event I attended last week.
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