Each month, the sender of the best Gallery photograph will win bottles of wine from Fetzer Vineyards
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| At work on the vineyard
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'Fetzer is the only winery in California to run on 100% renewable green energy.'
Post on the Gallery to win!
Each month the sender of the best Gallery photograph will win three bottles of Fetzer Valley Oaks wine: Syrah Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio from Fetzer Vineyards. All you have to do is upload your garden photographs to the
Gallery and remember to vote for your favourites using the voting button while you're there.
The story behind Fetzer
Fetzer believes its earth-friendly practices are more than just good for the planet, they also produce healthier vines and wines with richer flavours.
Fetzer is the only winery in California to run on 100% renewable green energy. All tractors and trucks are run on bio-diesel and the company provides commuter vans for its staff to help reduce the use of fossil fuel. The wine bottles are made from 40% recycled glass, and cardboard packaging is produced from recycled waste. As a result, Fetzer has reduced its waste production by over 90% at the winery.
No synthetic pesticides are used in the vineyard. Instead cover crops are grown between the vines to enrich the soil with organic matter and to encourage friendly beneficial insects such as wasps, ladybirds, lacewings and spiders, which eat unwanted pests.
Fetzer also composts tons of leftover seeds, stalks and grape skins from previous harvests and uses the compost to nourish the soil. Vines, as well as earthworms, thrive on it. In addition, it cares for hedgerows and riverbanks around the vineyards, and plants trees and shrubs which help prevent the soil from entering and silting up the river and supports fish populations. This, in turn, attracts bird colonies and birds of prey including blue herons.
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| Californian vineyard
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Fetzer at Chelsea
If you visited Chelsea this year, you may remember the
Fetzer Sustainable Winery Garden with its rustic winery and windmill, which won Gold for designer Kate Frey. See images of the garden on the
Gallery. The sustainable practices adopted by Fetzer were the inspiration behind the garden and these focus on:
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| Californian poppies
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* Appropriate planting – teaming up the right plants with the right place.
* Green power - energy conservation and efficiency.
* Reducing, reusing and recycling.
* Water conservation and irrigation.
* Wildlife conservation.
Top 10 Californian wildflowers in the Fetzer Sustainable Winery Garden
1. Californian poppies (
Eschscholzia californica).
2. Goldfields (
Lasthenia glabrata).
3. Poached Egg Flower (
Limnanthes douglasii).
4. Crimson clover (
Trifolium incarnata).
5. Scarlet flax (
Linum grandiflorum rubrum).
6. Quaking grass (
Briza media).
7.
Ceanothus 'Skylark'.
8. Desert bluebells (
Phacelia campanularia).
9.
Calendula 'Touch of Red'.
10. Bishop's flower (
Ammi majus).
Look further
For an information sheet on
Gardening for Wildlife, Creating your own Californian Wildflower Garden and
How you can Make a Difference, please email your name and address to
Limm Communications. To find out more about Fetzer and its wines
click here.
More member prizes
Don't forget – one new member to join the site each month will win the current
join prize, and we're offering
Dr Hessayon Expert books to two Forum contributors of the month.
You need to be a member to post on the Forum and Gallery. If you're not, simply JOIN HERE. It's free and takes just a minute of your time. Good luck!
denotes Subscriber-only content | Friday 9 May 2008 | Help | Glossary 
