We made the strategic decision to develop a sustainable vineyard. What this means is that our grapes will benefit from natural fertilization, natural weed control, and natural pest control. No chemicals or poisons. We will use cover crops to (1) choke out weeds, (2) attract beneficial insects who hunt insects harmful to the grapevines, and (3) flatten the annual cover crops to create a bed of fertilizer for the next season. This also develops the microbes in the soil and invites the worms! We believe it is responsible, wise, and cost effective. One of the plants in our initial cover crop is the sunflower. Image a field with lots of sunflowers. We also plan to attract American Kestrels. These are the smallest hawks known and are native the North Carolina. They have two functions. First, they eat big bugs including grasshoppers. The sharpshooter grasshopper carries a parasite harmful to vines that causes Pearson's Disease. Pearson's Disease left unchecked can completely destroy a vineyard in a few years. Second, these hawks hunt small birds. Small birds are notorious for eating ripe grapes (sorry Tweety Bird). We will produce tasty, healthy grapes by taking care of the soil.

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