Deanna and Alfie Alcantara don’t like to see wasted potential. And they see lots of potential in the wealth of America’s endemic grape species. Not only potential for new vines that are adapted for the climate in which they’re grown, don’t need to be sprayed with chemicals, and make wines that truly reflect their land, but also potential for engaging and involving all kinds of people, especially those who might feel excluded or marginalized by the dominant Euro-centered wine culture.
So Deanna & Alfie have started a project to revive, refine and re-define the native grape and wine cultures of America. They found a piece of property in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and they’ve begun planting vines from grape species that contain native DNA – some new varieties that aren’t even named yet, and others with names like Black Eagle and America, and still others that they found growing wild on their property.
They are at the beginning of a project that can take many, many years to begin to see the impact of their efforts. I think there’s something brave and hopeful about starting something that can take longer than the years you’ve been given on this earth. And I think these are the kinds of projects we need desperately now, so I hope Deanna & Alfie will inspire us to think about what is important enough for us to give our lives to even if we know we won’t see the results.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, their name for this project is “Dear Native Grapes.” Maybe that’s where they get their inspiration. Because what they’ve started is something much more meaningful than a business plan. They’ve started writing a love letter.
@dear.native.grapes
Sponsor:
https://www.centralaswine.com/
Eric Shatt - Redbyrd Orchard Cider & Cosmic Connections
Brian McClintic - Rethinking Wine, Letting Nature Lead
Drew Herman - Microbial Democracy for a Healthy Vineyard & World
Michael Juergens - Developing Bhutan’s First Ever Wine
Tim Graham - Local & Wild Fruit with Left Bank Ciders
Greg La Follette - How Wine Is Made In The Vineyard
Brady Shepherd - Mortgage Banker for Vineyard Real Estate
Bardos Cider - Gleaning Fruit From Abandoned Orchards
Gabriela Fontanesi - Vineyard Worker & Force of Nature
Organic Sucks & Natural Wine Will Save The World
Jack Sporer - Fres.co Wine and Magnolia Wine Services
Darek Trowbridge - Old World Winery, Soil Carbon Management Co., & Pastoral Winemaking
Jerry Eisterhold & Jean-Louis Horvilleur - TerraVox, American Native Wine Grapes in Missouri
Ian Thorsen-McCarthy
Jason Kesselring - The Only Vitis Riparia Vineyard in the World
Martha Stoumen - How To Make Natural Wine
Stephen Hagen and Andrew Smith - Antiquum Farm & Grazing-Based Viticulture
Christopher Renfro - The Two Eighty Project
Is The Cost of Organic or Biodynamic Certification Worth It?
Martin Bernal-Hafner - Alta Orsa
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