A Moth's Work is Never Done

Meet the European Grapevine moth, code name:  Lobesia botrana.  Although initially discovered in Napa in the fall of 2009, it has been spotted in several areas of Inland Mendocino recently.  The latest, trapped in eastern Hopland just last week.  Grapes are the primary host but olive flowers are a secondary host.  Local county agricultural commissioners’ offices should be contacted about monitoring this new pest.  For additional details go to http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/EXOTIC/eurograpevinemoth.html

We now resume with regular scheduled programming.

Upcoming Event

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Mendo Scene Join us at Yield on Saturday, June 5th starting at 7pm for an evening filled with the wonderful sights and sounds – and sips! – of Mendocino. There will be an art show featuring Mendocino-born artist André Karpov's latest watercolors and works on wood. Gwyneth Moreland (Mendo born and raised) and special guests will be playing live Mendocino-inspired music. And finally, Jim Milone, the winemaker at Terra Sávia, will be pouring his certified organic wine from Mendocino County. The art is free to look at, the music is free to listen to, and tastes of wine will be free from 7-9pm. Find out more and RSVP at the Facebook event page. Cheers! Chris Follow Yield on Facebook and Twitter! 2490 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 chris@yieldsf.com • 415.401.8984 • www.yieldsf.com

Why We Love Redwood Trees.

Can the redwood forest sing?  We heard its beautiful song for the first time when we stopped last Friday on our way back from  a windy afternoon at the Mendocino Farmers’ Market.  A steady wailing sound startled us as we walked down to the Navarro River. Was it Elk from the Lost Coast? No, no, we were too far south and deep in the forest. All of a sudden, the constant rocking motion suggested it was the wind at play.  We looked up to see several large redwood trees swaying in the breeze.  The eerie sounds as mysterious as a whale’s song invited us to just pause, look and listen.

From the Winemakers Desk Part 2

We are starting to do our spring cleaning on the chardonnay. See the before and after photos. By thinning chutes now we direct growth to the area’s most beneficial for fruit production and open up the canopy for better are circulation. New bunches are starting to form. These bunches will flower and each flower that is pollinated………… with the help of our little Bee friends, will become a grape. Got a long way to go but they look good so far.

So this is how things look from my desk this time of year. Can’t be sniffing, gargling and spitting all day long……………… had to get out meet the new neighbors.

JM

 

From the Winemakers Desk Part 1

Spring has sprung at Sanel Valley Vineyards and we have a few new residents. The Honkers are back again and have set a new record with hatchlings. They really have taken to the raft we supply as a nursery. Seems they have even landscaped (note tree) looks like they are in to Bonsai.

It adds a lot of traffic for the commute to work but at least they know when to use their horn.

More than I can say for the Mocking Bird who has taken up residency outside my bedroom window. It seems they have a proclivity for singing at night…………..like 2am. Oh well, sounds better than the frost alarm (that’s a whole other story)

JM

 

Passport Followup

Now that part one of the bi-annual Hopland Passport weekend is over it's on the madness of kicking the cats off the desk as we fill orders, sift through piles of emails, bottle oil, and attempt 1000 other to do's that were neglected for half of last week and all weekend.

It's interesting to see The Hopland Passport grow for us every year. When we started participating three years ago we were just a warehouse sitting on a rather barren plot of land surrounded by a vineyard, only able to do olive oil tastings due to a liquor license still being in process. Things have changed; now there is a healthy garden, greenhouse, a warehouse/tasting room filled with art and beautiful handcrafted wood furniture, and a liquor license to do wine tastings.
With each one of these events we seem to experience more and more people stopping at Terra Savia with many making it a priority stop on the Passport Shuttle route. Those people seem to be sending quite a few over from other wineries which leaves us with an ecstatic feeling that our hard work is paying off.
All in all, the event was a success even though attendance was a little lighter than the Fall Passport event. As always, we enjoyed hanging out with all those who graced us with their presence and look forward to seeing you in October, or sooner if you come visit!

Sincere thanks to the Hopland Passport organizers, those who volunteered their time to provide some much-needed assistance, and of course the event attendees!

Upcoming Events

We are working tirelessly around the clock to supply you with the quality wine and olive oils you deserve. Here are a few events coming up in May and June we will pouring at. The tirelessly part was a joke though, we get pretty tired from working around the clock.


May 21st – Monterey Bay Aquarium \ Cooking For Solutions
The 9th annual event which you can come learn more about how our food choices affect our environment.
7:30pm – 10:30pm at the aquarium.
Tickets are on sale in advance via the MB Aquarium.
More information


June 11th – CCOF Annual Organic Beer and Wine Tasting
Pruneyard Shopping Center, Campbell, CA
5pm-9pm
More information

Slow Food San Francisco 7th Annual Golden Glass!
June 12th - Fort Mason Center, The Festival Pavilion
GENERAL ADMISSION 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Trade & Press Review 11:00am - 1:00pm
More information