Gleason Family Vineyards goes sustainable, adds farming to winemaking operations | Local News

He shifted grape-harvesting practices and began composting all vegetative winery waste, such as grape pomace, from both Roblar Winery and Refugio Ranch. As a result, waste from the 2021 harvests was used for farming operations and vineyard waste-hauling contracts were cancelled.

“We’re building an agricultural team here, incorporating the vineyard and farmlands into one regenerative system,” Vining said.

As part of the overall efforts, Roblar’s produce farm was upgraded to 3 acres, up from 2, as a way to include a “market garden.”

The seasonal field bears more than 40 varieties of vegetables and herbs which go to supply the Gleason Family Vineyards kitchens. The garden also helps stock the newly enhanced Roblar Farm stand, which sits at the entrance to Roblar Winery and Vineyards, on the corner of Roblar Avenue and Refugio Road. The stand regularly carries eggs and produce pulled directly from Roblar Farm for purchase by locals and visitors.

In addition to Roblar’s fruit and vegetable bounty, the Gleason Family Vineyards team is also raising more livestock.

According to a company spokeswoman, Roblar Farm recently added a herd of Babydoll Southdown sheep, as well as Duroc-Hampshire pigs, to positively influence the farm’s soils. The sheep, she said, act as a natural weed abatement.

Beehives also dot both Roblar Farm and Buttonwood Farm to drive pollination for the Gleason Family Vineyards’ farming system and supply honey to the property kitchens headed up by Executive Chef Peter Cham.

Just steps from his kitchen, Cham has access to fresh produce destined for his dishes, the spokeswoman said, including fresh beets, lettuces, radishes and eggs. Through sustainability efforts, Cham crafts farm menus for winery visitors, as well as private menus for events at both Roblar Winery and Roblar Farm.

As an extension of the company’s sustainability efforts, 26 acres of the 415-acre Refugio Ranch were cover-cropped — planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested — and a herd of sheep was introduced for grazing prior to the 2021 growing season. The operation was led by Cuyama Lamb, a local sheep business that specializes in the regeneration of native California grasslands and the sustainable production of ethically raised food and fiber.

Vining said use of the term “sustainable fertility” explains what the team is trying to do with the land.

“We’re using organic methods to fertilize the soil, aiming for sustainable plant growth and optimal crop yields, while keeping our environmental impact at a minimum,” he said.

Over the course of the next year, the spokeswoman said that the Gleason Family Vineyards team has plans to reinvigorate Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard in Solvang. The 42-acre estate vineyard boasts 10 acres of farmland, a 2-acre orchard and a small hop yard.

Over the next several years, the vineyard trellises will be updated while the team works closely with vineyard management to monitor each block to better manage growth and yields in an effort to produce the best possible fruit, she said.

The agriculture team also tends to Buttonwood’s farm crops that include peaches, olives and pomegranates, which are sold in the tasting room area along with sweet corn and popping corn, watermelon, squash, Asian pears, plums and apricots.

Vining noted that the set of initiatives “isn’t just about now,” but instead about the future.

“We are a company founded on family. And we want these lands for which we’re now stewards to thrive, for our own families, for future generations and for the entire Santa Ynez Valley community,” he said.