tour the winery See what makes Ceago unique

Grape Expectations Ceago Vinegarden, a model of biodynamic farming, is a lovely getaway north of San Francisco. By Mia lJunGBErG

tHE ClEanESt air in CaliFornia. The state’s largest freshwater lake. Now there’s another reason to visit Lake County—Ceago Vinegarden. A day at the winery is a chance to sample its wares, enjoy the scenery, eat lunch at a café on the grounds, and learn the ins and outs of biodynamic farming.

The family-run business is owned by Jim Fetzer, former president of Fetzer Vineyards. The connection between earth and the seasonal cycles for growing food and making wine has been important for the Fetzer family ever since they started producing organic and biodynamic wines in the early 1980s. When they sold their winery in 1992, Fetzer Vineyards was growing 1,200 acres of certified-organic grapes. The following year, Jim and his three children—Andraya, Katrina, and Barney—established Ceago in northern California’s Mendocino County. They moved to their current location on the shores of Clear Lake in 2001.

From the beginning, Fetzer intended the operation to be a showcase of biodynamic farming and viticulture. The vineyards are certified biodynamic by Demeter Association and the wines are certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers. Ceago produces only 8000 cases of wine annually, made with grapes from the estate. Popularized by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, biodynamic practices rely on compost, manure, special herbal fermentations, and crop

Located on the shores of California’s Clear Lake, Ceago Vinegarden grows lavender, vegetables, and fruit, in addition to grapes. Biodynamic practices treat the vineyard as an ecological whole.