Ask your server which wines are from Farmstead. Ask your local retailer to point out the Farmstead wines. Look for the Farmstead seal.

When you select a Farmstead bottle you will get a wine that is not only delicious, well balanced, and pure, but one that meets a list of exacting criteria. Much like farmstead cheeses, which are made by the same people who keep the animals that produce the milk, Farmstead wines are made by the same people who grow the grapes. In other words, they are cheeses or in this case, wines "from the farm."

1.   Small, family farm – We know each farmer personally and have inspected the vineyards and cellar carefully. An ideal partner produces a maximum of 200,000 bottles, preferably less.

2.   Wine is grown, not made- Our farmers concentrate their efforts in the vineyards and then take a handcrafted, non-manipulative approach to winemaking.

3.   Vinaroon – all Farmstead Wines are made by the same people that grow the grapes. Vinaroon is old English for vigneron, the French word inseparably meaning farmer and winemaker.

4.   Naturally farmed– We certify that all Farmstead wines are naturally farmed. Our farmers work in harmony with nature. No synthetic chemicals, no herbicides, no pesticides and no irrigation.

5.  Delicious. The wine itself is balanced and harmonious with a focus on depth and complexity of flavors. It delivers value for its price.

As a chef, I had tasted a lot of olive oil, but none so rich, buttery and pure. I had to bring their oil to North America. Other top chefs and restauranteurs agree- Angus An at Gastropod, Jeremie Bastien at Boneta, Kurtis Kolt at Salt, Neil Taylor at Cibo and Melissa Craig at Bearfoot Bistro. Andrey Durbach is using it to finish dishes at all three of his restaurants, Parkside, La Buca and Pied a Terre. Renato and Milva’s love of farming and the land presented them a unique opportunity just over the Langhe hills in Liguria. In 2007 they acquired an olive grove at the foot of the Mediterranean Sea and began the work of organically farming olive trees, the oldest dating over 400 years. Their single varietal extra virgin olive oil is made with handpicked Taggiasca olives. A tiny olive with extremely low yields makes a truly limited amount of very flavorful oil. Just 1000 unfiltered bottles were made of the 2008 vintage. Contact us at info@farmsteadwines.com to order yours today.

 The Fenocchio family settled in the Barbaresco region of northwestern Italy at the turn of the eighteenth century.  For four generations, Fenocchio’s have tilled the earth, cultivated grapes and hand-crafted beautiful wines – the land becoming apart of the family.  In 1993, the Fennochio family vineyards in Nieve, Italy were turned over to Renato and his wife Milva.  Much like his forefathers, Renato Fennochio carries on the winemaking traditions unique to the region and the family.

Our certification standards go beyond merely being a "product of organically grown grapes." A big part of sustainability is reducing outside and artificial inputs. More to come on this topic in the coming weeks, but an article in The Telegraph caught my eye this morning. You can read it here.

Do you care about avoiding additives in your food? What about wine?

Watch the video of UBC Farm below. Get excited about supporting the farm (yes, Gavin is good-looking) and look at 3  ways you can support the farm below. 

Great video from the folks at Savoury City about UBC Farm. If you want fantastic, sustainable catering in Vancouver, please check them out.

 Bid on a 5 course meal by Barbara-jo McIntosh and Anthony Nicalo paired with Farmstead Wines in your home.

Enjoy a splendid night of gastronomy. On September 20th, West, Gastropod, Cru, Fuel, Chow and La Quercia will each set a table for six and serve dinner on the house in honour of UBC Farm’s contribution to this city. Before sitting down to their specially-designed five-course menu, paired with Farmstead Wines, the participating Farm patrons will meet at UBC Farm for wine, canapés, and a farm tour.  Tickets for this event are $250.00. Attire is farm-formal. Please call Books to Cooks at 604.688.6755 to purchase your seat now. 100% of the net proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will be entrusted to the Save the Farm Campaign.

Sign the online petition to save the Farm.

Agricola Marrone’s wines are beginning to get some muchdeserved attention. I am sure that in a few months from now, the corporate media will begin to write about this "up and coming winery." The truth is that Gian Piero is the 3rd generation vinaroon running the farm, with his three daughters all beginning to show the continuity of the 4th generation. The lovely ladies of FullBodied have now written about two of Marrone’s wines. The latest raves about their Arneis. Have you tasted the Arneis? What did you think?

A company that specializes in helping winemakers add all sorts of things to wine has just launched new calculators. They are handy for deciding how much water or sugar one might want to add. Not to mention acid additions – ( tartaric, malic and citric acid addition ) fining and oak addition – ( clarification & oak wood chips addition )

No farming needed.

It is too bad there isn’t a way to track who uses the calculators, then you would know which wines to avoid.