A Vineyard Odyssey: The Organic Fight to Save Wine from the Ravages of Nature [Hardcover]

A Vineyard Odyssey is a fascinating saga of winethe journey from vine to bottlethat takes the reader on a travelogue of the many hazards that lie along the way. John Kiger tracks the nefarious denizens of the vineyard world: the host of insects, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, along with the feathered and furry critters, that lurk in vineyards. All are capable of sabotaging a promising vintage right under the nose of an unsuspecting grower. Rather than responding with toxic chemicals, Kiger follows an organic approach to cultivation, explaining how natural and biological controls can conquer or at least contain these vineyard saboteurs. Highlighting the many hazards of nature that lie hidden in any vintage, the author tells the story of a winegrower and an organic philosophy that guides the annual struggle to coax great wine from a steep hillside and a few thousand vines. Combining history, science, technology, and personal experience, this book vividly brings to life the hard-fought battles behind the wines we savor.John Kiger left a successful high-tech career in Silicon Valley to follow his passion for fine wine by becoming a full-time winegrower. He and his wife, Deb, own and operate Kiger Family Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, where they follow organic and sustainable winegrowing practices.

Although the strategy of raising wine grapes organically appears to be simple enoughno man-made chemicalsexecuting these principles in a vineyard, particularly one under threat from fungi such as powdery mildew, may prove daunting. As the French discovered with the nineteenth centurys phylloxera, whole vineyards can perish from the effects of a single pest. California vintner Kiger was determined to see his wines handled under organic protocols from vine through bottle. Leaving his Silicon Valley career, he and his wife took some courses and decided to personally husband a vineyard through all its seasons save for the actual harvesting, when they would hire pickers. They atl'