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Bonny Doon Vineyard

Bonny Doon Vineyard Description

Check out their new tasting room and cafe.

The staff is knowledgable about the winery’s unique philosophy of grape growing and winemaking. Bonny Doon goes beyond organic by growing their grapes and making their wines using an integrated holistic agricultural practice known as Biodynamics.

Biodynamics seek to harmonize farming practices with the subtle forces of the Universe partly by following the astronomical calendar of the moon, planets and stars. Using this cyclical rhythm, they perform agricultural activities in accord with the energetic tendencies of the plants to get the very best fruit for their wines. The practice includes specialized composting (something to do with lactating cow manure and cow horns) to bring the vineyard into balance with its soil. The practice has a certain quasi-mystical aspect to it, but its proponents, of which there are many, praise its results.

The winemaking, as you might guess, is done very deliberately, also using Biodynamic methods. The use of indigenous yeasts, whole-cluster pressing, excessive stirring of the lees, and fermenting in open-topped vessels are just the starting points for this distinctive method of winemaking.

What does all this produce? Wonderful, rich Rhone wines including their Le Cigare Volant blend, Syrah, Albarino, Pigatto, and Sangiovese, as well as a dry and a sweet Riesling.  There are always things to do in Boony Doon.