Persimmon Creek Vineyards: Polyculture makes for good wine
A visit to a sustainable winery in Georgia proves to be very educational.
In addition to the varieties of grapes that are grown for the wines, there are patches of vegetables all throughout the farm that get rotated from year to year. The Hardman's 15-year-old son has a couple of corn crops growing. He is planning on turning the corn into ethanol with help of his science teacher. 
The Hardman’s also raise sheep that graze on a various spots of the farm. They are in the process of creating cheese out of sheep’s milk that they will age in an old existing stone structure on the farm’s property. The creek runs right under the stone structure, making it a natural food storage facility.
I found flowering plants of all kinds at each turn on the farm. The diversity of plants brings in the beneficial bugs (which farmers simply call beneficials). Mary Ann has planted zinnias in honor of grandmother who loved them, and these colorful flowers attract the butterflies. Butterflies are natural pollinators.
Sure all of this biodiversity and polyculture is good for the earth, but is it good for the wine? I’d have to say yes because the wines that Persimmon Creek produces are really fine. Here, Mary Ann opens a bottle in the tasting room after giving a private tour of the vineyards.
Finally, a small peak at the cottage I stayed in. I only wished I had been there two weeks later so that all the leaves had changed outside that picture window in the bathroom. Can anyone say, “honeymoon cottage?” I stayed in one of three cottages on the property that are unplugged, isolated, and full of sustainable touches like organic, fair trade, bird friendly coffee and biodegradable toiletries.MNN homepage photo: Persimmon Creek
| Previous Post How to roast pumpkin seeds | Next Post Kitchen recycling tip: Pumpkins |



































