Wine Sediments

If a winter spent sipping wine by the fireplace has left you pining for exercise — with a bit of wine-tasting mixed in, of course — Kunde Estate in Kenwood, California is offering a new activity which fits the bill. Designed for hiking and wine enthusiasts, the winery’s “Eco-Tours” and “Sustainable Winegrowing Hikes” enhance public awareness of sustainable wine-growing practices through two unique activities.

Kunde’s “Eco-Tours” cost $75.00 and require pre-registration. Led by fourth-generation winegrower Jeff Kunde, the treks take you through the estate’s vineyards, starting off from the Sonoma Valley floor and peaking in the Mayacamas Mountains. These four-hour hikes feature a wine-tasting session and gourmet lunch overlooking the Sonoma Valley from an altitude of 1,400 feet.

Complimentary “Sustainable Winegrowing Hikes” with Sonoma Valley docent Bill Myers have also been scheduled. Guests should bring a sack lunch, and will finish their hike at a less vertiginous destination: the winery’s tasting room.

Both activities allow the participants to learn about the concept of sustainability in the wine industry.  “Our focus on sustainability has greatly increased over the last 10 years as this type of wine-growing has come to the forefront,” said Marcia Kunde Mickelson, Kunde marketing manager, in an interview with Wine Sediments.

When asked about the difference between organic and sustainable wine-growing, Mickelson explained that organic certification is too narrow and restrictive to work well for Kunde’s operations, even though the estate uses many organic farming methods.  “We’re not simply managing a plot of corn or lettuce,” she remarked. “We are stewards for a ranching operation, which entails 1,850 acres of not only vineyards, but wildlife areas, chaparral, woodlands, watersheds and grasslands.”

“The greatest highlight of our new tours is that this is the first time that we are letting the public see what an incredibly beautiful piece of property the Kunde estate is,” she concluded. “The other wonderful highlight is that our guests get to see exactly what sustainable farming is all about.”

Four “Eco-Tours” and eight “Sustainable Winegrowing Hikes” are planned for 2007. For more information or to sign up for a tour, visit the estate’s website.