Ukiah, Calif.: America’s greenest winery and a whole lot more
If the 2010s see Wine Country gentrification take a firm hold in this deep valley, the 1960s brought a wave of back-to-the-landers and anti-war activists, environmentalists and counter-culture types, and their continuing influence explains a lot more than the pot growing. It’s led to a consciousness that emphasizes doing good for your neighbors and doing right by the land.
Ukiah Farmers’ Market: want a friendly smile with your organic preserves?
There’s a sweet little downtown farmers’ market on Saturdays year-round, for instance, where most of the growers and artisan producers of cheese and preserves use organic methods. The vibe is ’60s commune meets today’s eco-conscious backyard farmer. Just a few blocks away, Ukiah Natural Foods radiates similar good vibrations every day of the week. Since 1976 it’s been run as a coop owned by its customers (now numbering 6,300+), and it’s simply one of the best natural grocery stores in California.
It’s a consciousness that suits Tim and Tom Thornhill. Though originally from Houston, it’s been a decade now since they brought Parducci back to its former glory—and beyond—after a stretch of being owned by some industrialists, according to our Ringmaster, whose name is Spencer Brewer, a local legend (artist, musician, composer, wine guy) who maestroes the winery’s direct-to-consumer sales. “Tom’s our CEO and the finance expert, Tim’s our COO and a horticulturist who did landscaping and built all kinds of other things for Disney,” he says. Today a total of eight extended Thornhill family members work at the winery and vineyards, and it’s their dedication to producing the best wines with the smallest environmental footprint that has made Parducci the country’s first carbon-neutral winery.
It’s even been honored as the most sustainable winery on the planet!
Take the tour
Parducci’s old growth redwood aging barrels: a tidy forest of giants
But don’t take anyone else’s word for it. Take the tour. The tasting room is surprisingly low-key, not at all like the McMansions of Napa. It has the feel of an Italian lodge, which makes sense since Tuscan immigrants Adolfo and Isabella Parducci bought the original acreage in 1921. Their sons John and George Parducci helped to launch the winery in 1932 (officially, though wine was made here through most of Prohibition), making it the oldest winery in Mendo county. The historic nature of Parducci is most evident where the wine is made, just up a rise from the tasting room. There, 78 aging tanks made of old-growth redwood, some holding 20,000 gallons, stand in rows like a tidy forest of giants. They impart no taste to the wine, Brewer notes. “They’re completely neutral. It’s one more opportunity for the winemaker because the juice ages in wood without adding taste.” We also see steel aging tanks, which we learn are glass-lined and came in the 1950s from Howard Hughes, after he shut down a beer-making venture.
The green nature of the winery isn’t as readily apparent, but it’s mega-impressive. The winery is built into a hillside, so part of it is naturally cooled. But it’s all run totally off the grid, a combination of solar- and wind-power. Ninety-seven percent of all materials are recycled. Vines on the 110-acre home ranch are farmed organically and biodynamically. Cover crops are planted between the rows to support biodiversity and enrich the soil. Habitat is created for beneficial insects and birds which act as natural pest control—every dozen or so row is designated an insectiary and there are lots of osprey and barn owl nests. “A owl eats 32 pounds of rodents a year,” Brewer says. Sheep and chickens fertilize the soil and eat weeds and bugs. Beehives and twenty acres of organic vegetable gardens add to the home ranch’s biodiversity (and Parducci workers get free veggies twice a week).
As we cruise the vineyard in an electric golf cart, the smell of compost is in the air. Leftover grape skins, seeds and stems from the winemaking become “pumice” that return to the vineyard to naturally feed the vines. A hallmark of all farming operations in California (where it typically does not rain in summer and fall) is that it takes a lot of water, and winemaking needs even more, for hosing down and rinsing out—water that is typically flushed down the drain. At Parducci this waste water is completely reclaimed. Along with captured rainwater, the winery waste water flows to a constructed wetlands area that is fish-friendly certified, a haven for turtles, migratory birds and plant life and supplies a nutrient-rich, sustainable source of irrigation for the vineyards.
Parducci wetlands: habitat for plants and animals, a natural way to make reclaimed water into a nutrient-rich source for vineyard irrigation
Tasting time
There’s much more to the Parducci green story, but now it’s time to get down to it. Tasting time.
Harvest is at full tilt during our visit, an exciting time at a winery, and many of the vines we see on our tour still groan with fruit. It’s going to be a good year for wine, Brewer says. He has us stop on a knoll, at a row of zinfandel. The clusters are heavy, the grapes a deep purple and plump. We pop a few into our mouths. The sugars are almost overwhelming, the flavor profile jammy and rich. Amazing. Then he points to another row. Here the grapes are much smaller, in tight little clusters. When we try these, they fairly explode in our mouths, with a depth and complexity the zin lacked. These are petite sarah, Parducci’s signature varietal among the 15 or so they grow or purchase.
By major winery standards, production here is small: some 165,000 cases yearly. The diverse geology, geography and climate of Mendocino County is perfectly suited to Parducci’s artisan, small lot approach to winemaking. Much of it is priced under $20 a bottle, and the most expensive—the 2012 Isabella Cabernet Sauvignon, lovingly made with hand punch downs and other special attention—is only $55.
Harvest time: Parducci zinfandel clusters, juicy and jammy
Parducci is a great green success story, and we encourage a visit. Yet as much as we like everything we taste at Parducci, there’s much more to be tasted hereabouts—Ukiah is centrally located to more than 30 tasting rooms. But, sometimes, you’re in the mood for a beer—so we’re off to America’s first organic brewpub.
Organic suds and more
In the heart of downtown since 2000, Ukiah Brewing Company was the very first certified organic brewpub and the second certified organic restaurant in the United States. UBC, as the locals call it, is your classic, super-friendly and super-casual brewpub with a major twist: all its hearty, robust and unfiltered ales and lagers are 100 percent organic, and the seasonal food menu is based on what local organic farmers, ranchers and fishermen provide. No GMOs or hydrogenated oils. Everything made from scratch, including sauerkraut, salad dressings and ice cream. The fare is mostly traditional pub grub—from garlic cheese fries to barbecue chicken pizza to sandwiches, burgers, fish-and-chips—but at how many places like this can you also get steamed veggies or a tempeh burger? And, yes, this is wine country, so there’s an extensive selection of organic and local wines, plus a full bar.
UBC: a rockin’ night at America’s first certified organic brewpub
We go for one of the night’s specials, Mediterranean chicken. And, like we said, a beer is definitely indicated—it just hits the spot when we’re a little wined out. Our server recommends the Navarro Yarrow, made without hops. It tastes, she promises, “almost like a wine.” She’s right, and it inspires us to go whole hog. Soon we have sampler sizes of all brews on tap that day, a dozen in all. A pilsner to ales to stouts and a porter to a dark wheat doppel dunkel; and then the ultimate, the Emancipator, a sweet and malty Bavarian doppelbock with 10.4 percent alcohol.
And did we mention that an eclectic range of live music is featured nearly every Saturday night and some Fridays? A gypsy-folk group is on tap tonight. My, this beer is good. We could be settling in for the evening….
Organic beer sampler: set ’em up!
Green dining in a former grocery
The following evening we discover another reason why Ukiah should be on your Wine Country itinerary. It’s on West Standley Street downtown, in a building that was home to the town grocery store for more than a century. Now it’s the finer dining restaurant in the Ukiah environs. It’s called Patrona, and it’s been owned and operated since 2003 as a nexus of sustainable fare with flair by two former winery chefs.
The dining room is discreetly lit, with nice art on exposed brick walls and handsome tables made by local artisans. There’s an intimate, inviting-looking bar. The mood is warm, welcoming.
“Our menu changes are based on today’s catch from the gardens, ocean and local purveyors,” proclaims their website. And we quickly learn this seasonal, locavore philosophy extends even to cocktail mixology, as we opt for a rosemary pear martini and a “one in the hand” made with a tangy ginger shrub handcrafted by Jules, our obliging server.
Green Wine Country dining at Patrona: honey-steamed veggies
On to the food. A beautiful garden salad of organic greens, fennel, carrots and beet curls with a sherry shallot vinaigrette fairly sings fresh from the garden. A risotto of Mendocino chanterelle mushrooms is creamy, dense, intense. A local rock cod, light and slightly crispy, with a golden beet salsa is the perfect accompaniment. The kitchen continues to delight us with a flourless chocolate tart and one of the best espressos we’ve had outside of Italy, served with a small glass of sparkling water.
Burger or vegan
You can have your burger at Patrona, if that’s what rings your bell—it’s made with organic beef. But on the same menu there’s a vegan tofu plate with jasmine rice and stir-fry veggies and plenty of gluten-free choices. There’s a weekend brunch (in addition to daily lunch), and if you’re in town on a Wednesday night, don’t miss Patrona’s $20 prix fixe dinner created with all local ingredients.
Patrona: a delight for every taste
Did we mention wine? Wine Spectator calls it one of the most wine-friendly restaurants in the area. By the glass, you can choose a very decent house red or white for only $5.
So here’s our overall skinny on Ukiah: As a Green Wine Country destination, it exceeds our expectations. And as a big-hearted town that warmly invites you to discover its charms, it’s world class. Pass it on….
