The Vineyards

Steele Wines owns about 15% of the acreage that supplies the winery. All of the Steele Vineyards are farmed using sustainable techniques. Cover crops are planted to protect against erosion from winter rains. Some of the acreage uses a “green manure” cover crop of bell beans, peas, and barley to enrich the soil as well as holding it in place. Our dry farmed Pacini vineyard uses annual ryegrass for its quick growing, fibrous root system for enhanced erosion protection on this hillside location. Daikon radish is used in specific spots to help loosen compacted areas. We utilize integrated pest management practices like low levels of nitrogen fertilization to avoid the likelihood of insecticide spraying. While dry farming requires annual cultivation to remove competition for soil moisture, this practice is performed after the risk of heavy rain is over for the season.

All of the Steele vineyards use sustainably produced minerals like sulfate of potash-evaporated from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Gypsum is applied to the soil and through the irrigation systems to supply much needed calcium and sulfur. Deficit irrigation is practiced on all of the irrigated vineyards to maintain leaf viability while not promoting excessive canopy growth.

Some independent growers for Steele are certified organic like Lolonis; others are organic without being currently certified, like DuPratt. Some growers are experimenting with biodynamic techniques, but at this point none are certified biodynamic. All growers for Steele Wines practice sustainable farming, with special emphasis on water and soil conservation. As agricultural systems go, even conventionally farmed vineyards tend to be low level users of pesticides. Through the introduction of sustainable practices, those levels are reduced even more.

Check out a Google Earth tour of our Lake and Mendocino Counties vineyard sites (must have Google Earth 5.0). A condensed tour is shown below.