Mendocino grape growers urged to capitalize on world interest in natural, unaltered ag products

UKIAH - To secure a niche in an increasingly competitive wine industry, Mendocino County grape growers were urged Wednesday to ride a global wave of recognition as the first county in the United States to ban genetically engineered crops.

To underscore his point, vintner Paul Dolan, former Fetzer Vineyard president and now a partner in Parducci Wine Cellars, recalled a recent visit to France.

Dolan said he met with a leading French winemaker, but they didn't talk winemaking techniques. They talked about genetically modified organisms and a growing global debate over their use in agricultural productions.

"He wanted to know about Mendocino County, and why its citizens voted in favor of the GMO ban," said Dolan.

That conversation further convinced Dolan that local growers should capitalize on the worldwide publicity surrounding Mendocino County and Measure H, and growing consumer demand for organically grown agricultural products.

About 25 percent of the 15,500 acres of vineyards in Mendocino County are farmed organically, the highest percentage in the state.

"That is our future. That can be our niche," said Dolan.

Dolan spoke during a seminar and luncheon for about 150 local growers and winery representatives hosted by Tim Thornhill at his family's LaRibera Vineyards along Old River Road between Hopland and Ukiah.

Dolan and the Thornhill family purchased the foundering Parducci winery last month from Chicago financier Carl Thoma.

The return of the historic winery - the second largest in Mendocino County - to local ownership has created a buzz in the region's wine industry.

Ultimately, Parducci plans to purchase only organic grapes for wine production, Dolan said.

"I'm not going to say when that will be completed, but that is where we are going," said Dolan.

During Dolan's tenure as Fetzer Vineyards president, the Hopland-based winery announced that by 2010 only organically produced grapes would be used in its wine production.

The conference examined the future of Mendocino County's wine industry, which is taking innovative approaches to marketing itself in a crowded market.

In September, Mendocino County vintners plan to establish a business improvement district funded by a voluntary assessment on sales at winery tasting rooms, said John Enquist, executive director of the Mendocino Winegrowers Alliance. A 1 percent assessment on over-the-counter sales at winery tasting rooms would generate almost $75,000 annually to promote Mendocino County wines, Enquist said.

Next month, Mendocino County vintners will debut a new brand designed to promote one of the county's signature wines, zinfandel.

In an unusual project, eight wineries have agreed to follow common standards while making a blend of zinfandel and other red varietals, Enquist said. While each winery will produce its own individual blend, the wines - priced at $35 a bottle - will be marketed through a common label, named Coro Mendocino, a reference to the Spanish and Italian words for "chorus."

"It pretty much exemplifies the grapes and winemaking talents of Mendocino County," Enquist said.

Richard Thomas, viticulture professor emeritus at Santa Rosa Junior College, urged Mendocino growers to learn from the mistakes of their neighbors.

Thomas said Mendocino County's wine industry is today where Sonoma County's was a decade ago.

"We had the grape quality, but no one knew who we were. It was always Napa, Napa, Napa," said Thomas.

Thomas chastised Mendocino County growers for following the Sonoma County wine industry by creating individual appellations, rather than promoting county wines as a whole.

"Don't fragment. You've got to get the name 'Mendocino' out there," said Thomas.