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DaVero Farms & Winery

Updated: Jan 12


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Ambiance

  • Back when I taught kindergarten…

  • (Yes, I did in fact teach kindergarten for 5 years!)

  • Anyways, back when I taught kinder, the BEST field trip of the entire school year was….

  • Heading to Hidden Villa Farm.

  • I was more excited about heading to a farm than my students.

  • Something about farm animals, growing veggies to eat, and walking around in muddy boots made my soul happy.

  • The same feeling came over me at DaVero farms.

  • NO kindergarteners in tow this time!

  • Just me and my three favorite wine drinking gal pals.

  • Chickens, pigs, and sheeps oh my!

  • This is for sure a taste and stroll the gardens type winery.

  • A peaceful spot.

  • Consider even scheduling a tasting appointment and having a picnic.

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Cost: 

  • Tasting $20 per person.

  • Tasting fee is not waived with purchase.

  • You may have to buy up to 3 bottles for a tasting to be waived.

  • Wines range from around $32-$75

Appointment Needed? 

  • By appointment only

  • This is a very Club focused winery. Almost all of the wines are only available to wine club members only.

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Wine Pick

  • I’m not a DaVero wine club member so that seriously limits wines I can purchase.

  • Bummer!

  • I really wish I could get my hands on the Altobasso Rosato and the Dolcetto.

  • I DID go home with a Pollo Rosso Jug.

  • A non-vintage, non-varietal blend.

  • Mystery Wine!

  • I guess this is a common practice in Europe.

  • Costs $26 but can be refilled for only $12.99.

  • Word on the street is that proceeds of the purchase might go to local charities.

  • Be sure to ask.

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Dog Approved

  • Yes.

  • Well behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.

Social Media Worthy

  • DaVero is the perfect winery to visit if you love taking photos.

  • Use the portrait mode on your iPhone and get up close and personal with:

  • Wildflowers

  • Farm Animals

  • And your wine glass.

Feel Good Vibes

  • This might be a wordy and longer section than most.

  • Lots of juicy info. Buckle up!

  • Before I even made my way to the DaVero tasting room, I stumbled upon Michael Presley.

  • I was mystified by this copper pot he was fiddling with.

  • It looked like something out of a Wizard Of Oz movie.

  • He also had a table set up with different varieties of seeds to take.

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  • Michael is DaVero’s soil keepeer.

  • He has been gardening and farming in Sonoma County for 40 years.

  • On this particular day he was distilling herbs and extracting a little essential oils.

  • Lemon Verbena and Sonoma Sage to be precise.

  • He described the process like making espresso.

  • You put the steam up through the plant material.

  • Then the steam goes through a condenser.

  • What comes out is a concentrated infused water with a little film of essential oil on top.

  • You may cook with it, drink it, put it in the bath, for your face, skin…

  • Hydrosols are aromatic waters.

  • Less concentrated and more mellow than essential oils.

  • They have all the medicinal properties of the plant plus all the aromatic properties for your nervous system.

  • I chatted with Michael for a half-hour!

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  • At one point my friends hollered over at me, “WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!?”

  • I completely lost track of time.

  • Michael took time to teach me so much about the winemaking process.

  • Here are the nuggets I snatched from him:

  • The more nutrients and microbes in the soil the more the grapes fully express their phenols and aromatics.

  • Wine tasting is predominantly aromatics.

  • DaVero grows their grapes biodinamically and organically.

  • They also grow Italian Varietals because those particular varietals WANT to be grown here due to the climate.

  • All the ferments DaVero uses consist of wild yeast.

  • No comercial yeast.

  • The yeasts are all in the air.

  • Michael’s a bread maker and collects his sourdough yeast from the earliest plums.

  • It’s the yeast that forms on all of our grasslands that stick to the skins of plums that become the yeast he uses.

  • Michael explained, “These are ancient arts that are so appropriate now.”

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Wine Nerd Facts

  • I’m a Podcast listener.

  • You too?

  • I listen to podcasts as I commute to and from my day job.

  • My new wine Podcast discovery is Sommtalks with Laura Levy Shatkin.

  • She interviews Ridgely Evers. (SEE PIC RIGHT ABOVE)

  • Ridgely is farmer, owner and wine(maker) at DaVero.

  • I met Ridgely myself while tasting at DaVero during Passport.

  • He was at a station pouring some of his 2017 Altobasso Rosato.

  • Poor guy was on the brink of losing his voice from spending two full days of passport talking about the farm and the biodynamic practices happening on the property.

  • This podcast walks through the journey of DaVero.

  • From when Ridgely first purchased the property to evolving it into the vibrant land it is today.

  • Producing olive trees, Italian Varietal vineyards, fruit trees, citrus, lavender, produce, and some farm animals!

Wine Club?  Fun Events? 

  • It’s critical to note that DaVero is Wine Club focused.

  • Most of the estate wines you taste will be available to wine club members only.

  • An annual event that DaVero is known for is their TDAT Party.

  • The day after Thanksgiving.

  • If you’re not about Black Friday shopping madness and would rather hang out at the farm.

  • All ages welcome and no reservations required event.

  • You can bring your turkey left overs and picnic while drinking DaVero wines.

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 Sheila’s Tasting Notes

  • Happy

  • Happy wildflowers.

  • Happy bumble bees and insects buzzing around.

  • Happy Michael inspecting and caring for the DaVero soil.

  • Happy owner, Ridgely.

  • The mastermind and orchestrator.

  • So proud that his living organism of a farm is thriving.

  • Opening a bottle of DaVero is connecting straight to Mother Nature.

  • Opening a bottle of DaVero means you are drinking wine infused with all the happiness floating around the farm.

  • Pour me some DaVero.

  • Happiness in a glass please!

DAVERO FARMS & WINERY

#Dolcetto #Vermentino

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