Rodale

Newsroom

Organic Gardening Partners With DeLoach Vienyards In Weekend Getaway Sweepstakes

DeLoach Vineyards Collaborates with Organic Gardening Magazine to Offer a Chance to Win a Weekend Getaway for Two at DeLoach’s Private Guesthouse in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley

Celebrating DeLoach’s first harvest from its estate vineyard since receiving CCOF and Demeter Biodynamic® certifications for its farming practices

Russian River Valley, CA – June 23, 2010: The 2010 harvest will mark DeLoach Vineyards’ 35th vintage in the Russian River Valley, and will be the first harvest from its estate vineyards since achieving certification for organic and Biodynamic® farming practices in 2008 and 2009, respectively. To celebrate this milestone and commitment to sustainable farming, DeLoach, in partnership with Rodale Inc.'s Organic Gardening magazine, is offering the chance to win a weekend getaway at the winery’s private guesthouse retreat. The sweepstakes runs now through November 9th, 2010. Consumers can enter to win (it is free to enter, and no purchase is required), and learn more about DeLoach and its commitment to sustainable winegrowing, at www.organicgardening.com/sonomasweeps.

Free airfare for two, gourmet meals prepared by the DeLoach chef, and a VIP tour of the DeLoach winery and its highly-acclaimed portfolio of small-production, vineyard-designate wines are but accoutrements to the opportunity to learn about Biodynamic® winegrowing from one of the Russian River Valley’s pioneering producers of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel. Sweepstakes winners will arrive at DeLoach with perhaps an appreciation for wine and a need for a vacation, but will leave well-rested, well-fed, and with a greater understanding of responsible, sustainable farming methods and their effects on both the wine world and the environment as a whole. DeLoach is part of a small community of like-minded wineries that have made the commitment to seek Demeter certification for Biodynamic® farming practices. Currently, there are just sixty-eight wineries and vineyards in the U.S. that have or are seeking Demeter Biodynamic® certification.

A vital foundation of the Biodynamic® farming philosophy is to treat the vineyard as a living organism, self-contained and self-sustaining, responsible for creating and maintaining its individual health and vitality. In harmony with this fundamental principle, the DeLoach property boasts a half-acre garden first planted in 1995 (also certified organic and Biodynamic®), and supports a thriving, balanced eco-system: sheep and chicken reside beside the garden’s seemingly endless variety of fruits and vegetables, while a colony of honeybees pollinates the flowers and produces estate honey sold in the tasting room. The garden includes over 60 raised beds producing a collection of herbs, vegetables, edible flowers, and diverse plants intrinsic to Biodynamic® farming practices, and is an important contributor to the winery’s kitchen, nourishing guests, friends and winery employees.

DeLoach’s garden, philosophical approach and partnership with Organic Gardening magazine touches an important vein among Americans today, who have progressed far beyond simply recognizing the benefits of buying and supporting locally-farmed, organic and/or Biodynamic® garden produce and are now looking to their own backyards as a potential and viable resource. Gardening in general is a pastime with little overhead and high return, allowing people to participate in a low-cost activity while simultaneously creating an enduring food resource, which can save money, gas, and perhaps future trips to the doctor. In 2009, 43 million U.S. households planned to grow their own fruits, vegetables, berries, and herbs, reporting their motivations stemmed from the desire to grow better-tasting, higher-quality food, save money, and satisfy an overwhelming desire to “get back to basics.” DeLoach’s efforts in farming and gardening appeal to this new “green generation” of educated, connected, and affluent consumers who have made a commitment to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

The 2010 harvest and weekend getaway sweepstakes signify DeLoach’s commitment to responsible farming, and solidify its role in educating consumers about responsible viticulture and business practices that are inherent to the health of the industry and the environment around us. The relationship with Organic Gardening unites it to a partner with a common cause – one of the leading voices espousing healthy, sustainable living from the garden to the table. Enter the sweepstakes and learn more at www.organicgardening.com/sonomasweeps.

About DeLoach Vineyards
DeLoach Vineyards has been a pioneering producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley since 1975. DeLoach seeks to produce exceptional wines that spotlight the singular personality of the Russian River Valley, with its rare and bountiful convergence of the sea, the soil and the stars. The Boisset family of Burgundy purchased DeLoach in 2003, bringing the techniques and approaches of Burgundy to the Russian River Valley, which they believed to be California’s most expressive terroir for cultivating Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Under Boisset, DeLoach has grown its small-lot vineyard designate wine program, converted to organic and Biodynamic® farming practices, and implemented traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques such as open-top wood fermentors, native yeast fermentations, and hand punch-downs. Wine & Spirits magazine named DeLoach Vineyards a Top 100 Winery for the tenth time in the winery’s history in 2009. Located at 1791 Olivet Road in Santa Rosa, the DeLoach Vineyards tasting room, picnic area and organic garden are open to the public daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.deloachvineyards.com.

About Organic Gardening
For 70 years, Rodale's Organic Gardening, the leading magazine resource for living a healthier, more environmentally conscious lifestyle, has been empowering its readers with the most trusted, eco-friendly news and information. With the mission to “work in harmony with nature,” its editorial landscape leads the charge toward a sustainable future, delivering the safest and most natural approach to health, home, food and garden. In 2009, the magazine experienced doubledigit gains in ad sales, newsstand sales and total circulation, further reinforcing the power and growing vitality of the green movement. In 2010, Organic Gardening earned the #8 spot on AdWeek's prestigious "Hot List: 10 Under 60."

For media inquiries, please contact Abigail Gierke at Charles Communications Associates: Abigail@charlescomm.com, tel: 415-701-9463, or Erin Miller at Organic Gardening: erin.miller@rodale.com, tel: 212-573-0378. For more information about Biodynamic® agriculture or products, please visit www.demeterusa. org.

# # #