Wine Startup: An Interview with Artemisia Farm & Vineyard (Part 2)
Does this look different from “regular” wine? That’s because it is!
Virginia wine is on the move, and when we found out that an innovative new maker joined the Farmers Market in our neighborhood, we asked if we could chat with them. Artemisia Farm & Vineyard grows grapes and much more, makes botanical wines, and works on their farm every single day. We are especially curious about what wine makers are doing in our backyard here in Virginia to anticipate how weather could change in the future and what they might need to do to keep making the juice they love. Artemisia had thoughts about all this and more.
In part one of our conversation, we chatted about their origin story (how they came to wine), why they think Virginia is a badass place to make wine, and how they think about their wines. Below is part two of our conversation, where we dig a bit deeper on what they’re doing for the planet.
Miki from GoodWine: What made you want to grow hybrid grapes to use in your botanical wine? Do you think your part of Virginia is a good site for hybrids? (Simply put, hybrid grapes are the crossing of two or more species of grapes and are different from the typical grapes you find in wine. A little more technically speaking, they aren’t the typical European grape (Vitis vinifera) but are married together with another species of the same genus.)
Kelly from Artemisia: We are staunchly dedicated to sustainability in our vineyard and in our winery. We see this as a non-negotiable option for any agricultural venture given our current climate challenges. Hybrids are just another part of our overall philosophy. With their combined European and American genetic heritage, hybrids are resistant to our local disease pressures, requiring less chemical support.
Virginia is classified as a sub-tropical zone. [Editor’s note: This is news to me!] We deal with a lot of humidity, erratic and sometimes intense rain, high heat, and substantial mildew pressures. [Ok, that I know all about.] As the world continues to warm, we expect our summers to become increasingly tropical in nature. This is quite counter to the Mediterranean preferences shared by most grapevines. Mid-Atlantic vineyards will either have to spray ever-more chemicals to compensate, or transition to more sustainable varieties. Hybrids are a solution.
Virginia is still less than ideal in terms of grape growing, but we believe that there are and will continue to be solutions well-adapted to our region.
GoodWine: Were there any factors that influenced your choice to grow hybrids besides sustainability?
Artemisia: Hybrids often show high levels of acidity. Some wineries would find this difficult to work with, but given the nature of our products, acid is preferable. Our botanical infusion process tends to raise the pH of our wines, thus lowering the overall acidity. Beginning with a strong acid profile is key to maintaining balance throughout our winemaking process.
GoodWine: What does sustainability mean to you as a small farmer, and do you have any specific things that you do to conserve water or energy, reuse materials, or reduce inputs (aka things you need to make your stuff)?
Artemisia: Sustainability, for us, is always at the forefront of our minds. Working the land affords us the opportunity to experience climate change directly. In our lifetimes alone, we’ve seen dramatic changes in our regional weather patterns. To witness that level of change in a single life points to just how rapidly our world is shifting.
We do a number of things on our farm to compensate. Our irrigation systems are solar powered. A number of our vegetable plots are completely dry-farmed. We compost our crop waste and grape skins and must. We recycle as much as we can and use compostable bags, cups, and dishware for all of our events. Our gardens are mulched with hay instead of plastic mulch. All of our crops are heirloom varieties chosen specifically for their tolerance for disease, heat, drought, and humidity.
Everything is defined by a sense of stewardship for our land and for our shared planet. We could hardly celebrate our work as farmers and winemakers without practicing a level of respect for our environment. Anything less is little more than profit-driven usury.
Kelly (on the right) and their partner in botanicals, Andrew.
GoodWine: Have you encountered any particular challenges (or pleasant surprises!) that you would want to share as advice to others who might want to head in the direction of growing hybrids?
Artemisia: We intentionally planted our vineyard with a wide variety of hybrids. The intention was to learn firsthand what varieties are best suited to our region. While we expected a certain level of variation, we’re seeing a surprising difference in tolerance from one variety to another.
Our advice to growers considering hybrids is to talk to other growers in their region doing the same. Ask what worked and what didn’t. Many of today’s hybrids were developed in the north, and their capacity to endure the heat of our summers is sometimes unresearched. Unfortunately, the internet can only give us so much. The rest, we have to learn through shared experience and sheer grit.
GoodWine: Why are you sold out of your sumac bitters on the site? (Kidding.) Last real question: What are your favorite plants to grow and use for your botanical wines?
Artemisia: We love growing lavender. It’s a minor player in our botanical wines, but it’s such a joy in so many ways. The blossoms are filled to the brim with bees and wasps and butterflies. It’s easy to harvest and to dry, and wherever it is, the air around it smells like the most beautiful perfume. Lavender doesn’t struggle with any of our local diseases, and it competes well with the weeds. It’s a pleasant companion in the garden and in the winery.
Like what you’ve read here? Become a member of our first wine club in collaboration with our dear friends at UnWined Alexandria! We’re creating a wine community for those that care about people and planet, and if you’re in the Northern VA area (or DC or MD), join us!