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Charlie began farming grapes in the mid 1940’s and in 1954 purchased Redwood Valley Vineyards. The micro-organisms in the soil allow the vines to utilize the nutrients efficiently.Ĭharlie followed his father and maternal grandfather who migrated to Mendocino County from Piedmont, Italy in 1906. Crop covers of bell beans, red clover and peas are planted between the rows of vines and when flowering are then turned back into the soil for nutrients for the vineyards/grapes. Charlie’s favorite saying is that he had been farming organically for over 55 years! Organic certification requires the vineyards are maintained without conventional pesticides or herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation. His vision was remarkable.īARRA of Mendocino has been CCOF for over 20 years and took 3 years of inspections prior to becoming complete. In his words “ Yes it’s more work (annual audits/certifications, paperwork, labor requirements), more risk (crop devastation from pests) and not necessarily a bigger payout, buts essential to the well-being of this planet”.

A very brief explanation, when Charlie Barra started the winery almost 40 years ago, he undertook a Herculean task of making it organic on his terms. In order to understand the winery, it is essential to understand what organic farming and certification is all about.

Martha Barra, winery owner and co-founder stated “ A powerful icon in our vineyards, the oak tree represents wisdom and knowledge, strength and endurance, stability and honesty”.Ībout CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers)

On the back of the bottle it states it is symbolic of their 70 year history making wine as in “Like an old oak tree, our roots run deep”. It is both a foiled oak and grape leaves, embossed on a black background. It is in honor of a historic oak tree found on its home ranch on the Redwood Valley Vineyards. BARRA of Mendocino has a new label for their line of Reserve wines which are all CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers).

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