Aloe Vera Protects Cabernet, Too, Says Quintessa Winemaker

Quintessa winemaker Aaron Pott has no intention of allowing seasonal heat spikes to take a toll on the prized estate vineyard he oversees. Early mornings he is found mixing up solutions of algae and aloe vera he and his team mist on the leaves and fruit zones of Quintessa's principally cabernet sauvignon vineyards.

"We're always looking for practical solutions to the farming problems we face," explains Pott. "For us biodynamic farming is fundamental." Pott is somewhat baffled by the literal approach some of his colleagues take to the biodynamic farming practices documented in 1924 by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. "We're not farming in Slovenia," says Pott. "In the Napa Valley, we don't have a problem getting our fruit to ripen or bringing heat to our vines. Steiner wrote about a Northern European idea of farming; he devoted a half a page to wine grapes. The rest is up to us."

At Quintessa, vineyard owner Valeria Huneeus and Aaron Pott employ the biodynamic philosophy to learn from nature. In this case, they found that just as aloe vera enhances fibroblast function responsible for collagen function in our skin, both soothing and cooling, so it acts on the skin of grapes to protect and soothe the dried surface cells.

Aloe vera is packed with vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E, Folic Acid and Niacin and minerals that include calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc that are taken in by the stomata in the leaves and with surface applications act to strengthen cells. Aloe vera also contains eight essential amino acids that enhance the health of the vine.

Algae produces a unique compound, dimethylsulfonio-propionate (DMSP), which is converted into dimethylsulfide (DMS), a sulfur gas that helps clouds form in the atmosphere. By producing this DMSP we think that applications of marine algae can help our vines weather drought conditions. Also, these organisms that live in shallow water or at the beach where they are exposed to extreme UV radiation produce the most powerful UV-absorbing substances in nature.

"The grapes for Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon face the same summer sun exposure dangers that concern bikini-clad sun bathers," says Pott. "We're all aware of the benefits of algae and aloe vera in protecting ourselves from sun damage. We simply took that evidence into the vineyard."

The Quintessa Estate consists of 280 acres of undulating land, 180 acres of which are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is at once a vibrant and scenic property and one of such extraordinary diversity that it demands particular attention to each of its different 24 vineyard blocks.

Because the property was not farmed prior to the Huneeus family's founding of Quintessa, Valeria Huneeus was confronted with a variety of new challenges, according to Pott. "She solved problems by observation and reasoning," he says. "For example, she saw that a particular stretch of vineyard along the river was attractive to leafhoppers who can only fly to a certain altitude. She constructed a 25-foot-high, 300-foot-long nylon fence. The leafhoppers can't get through or fly over."

Source: RedOrbit

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