Wineguys Radio and Chris Leamy
Listen Now Segment 3 of 4
Keith welcomes Chris Leamy, winemaker at Terra d’oro (www.terradoro.com). California native Chris Leamy received his degree in Biological Sciences in 1991 from the University of California, Davis. Chris joined Terra d’Oro Winery as Assistant Winemaker in 2000, honing his winemaking skills under the tutelage of then Winemaker Jeff Meyers. In 2004, Jeff Meyers assumed the role of Vice President and Chris was promoted to Winemaker. Chris is deeply committed to Amador County as a premier California growing region, particularly for Zinfandel and Syrah. He brings skill, passion and commitment to his role.
Sustainable agriculture integrates three goals: environmental health, economic profitability and social and economic equity. Reducing the need for pesticides, for example, helps achieve the first two. A little ingenuity can replace a lot of nasty chemicals. That’s why the “weeds” between vine rows are actually carefully selected and seeded cover crops like clover, oats, peas and vetch. These leguminous plants help fix nitrogen from the air to “fertilize” the soil and grow tall enough in the spring to attract good bugs that feed on bad bugs harmful to newly budded vines. We’ve also built owl boxes to encourage these nocturnal hunters to stick around and keep down the critter population.
The Land
Amador County has been the home to superior Zinfandel for over a century. Zinfandel came to Amador County in the wagons of Italian immigrants during the California Gold Rush. The Mother Lode was rich with gold and teeming with thirsty pioneers. After the boom, Amador’s population numbers collapsed like an old mine shaft and many of Amador’s Zinfandel vineyards were replaced with prune and walnut orchards. Luckily, there was enough demand for Zinfandel that some of the original vineyards remain today. Read more at www.terradoro.com
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