Services
Designing your program.
Biodiversity Restoration
First and foremost, Rhizos is dedicated to restoring degraded soil biodiversity. We work with you to find the problems, form your program, then instill practices in maintaining balance to optimize the health and quality of your fruit through regenerative practices for years to come.
Our methods are 100% organic, using ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers that incorporate animal waste and nitrogen-balancing cover crops to regulate the health of soil microbes.
Vineyard Management
Rhizos is seasoned in full vineyard management, offering long-term partnerships informed by Ken’s history in managing over 100 vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley. Our vineyard management is comprehensive, inclusive of but not limited to: vineyard development, irrigation analysis, canopy management and vine training, repairs, cover crop establishment and maintenance, soil and plant tissue analysis, fertilizer and compost application, netting, harvesting, and pruning.
Vineyard Design and Installation
We design vineyards to thrive in harmony with the elements specific to your location, while working with you to accelerate your business goals. Understanding what your grapes are intended for will define fundamental decisions in the design process. Whether you’re a farmer diversifying your business by adding new scaled crops to sell on the open market, or growing as a wine producing brand, we’ll map and build your vineyard around the demands of the fruit, climate, and equipment you’ll need to operate efficiently.
Production and bottling
There are five stages in transforming your hard-won grapes into wine: harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, then aging and bottling. Countless possible variations and interventions within these stages, make each wine exciting and unique. Whatever your needs, Rhizos will work closely with you to fine tune your signature characteristics.
Rhizos is accomplished in achieving quality in modern production, employing sophisticated and trusted wine making techniques. We are able to help you with red and white production lines, manual or mechanical harvesting, above or below ground aging and storage, and the checks and balances of fermentation. Once your product has matured, Rhizos will guide your through the packaging process.
Team
Rhizos works closely with seasoned members of the agricultural community. We can bring in our expert workers to implement and manage your program indefinitely, or train and/or build the team you’ll need to maintain biodiversity within your own infrastructure.
À la Carte Services
Vineyard Development
Land assessment and preparation, trellis installation, grape variety, clone and rootstock selection, planting, upgrades and repairs.
Pruning
There are several phases of pruning. Whether you need seasonal help, or as part of a larger partnership, our team will prepare your vines between growing seasons.
Harvesting
Hand-picking is the traditional method for harvesting wine grapes. This trusted practice enables a more precise grape selection, while protecting the juice content from compromised skin oxidation. Rhizos recommends manual harvesting.
Pest Control
Our pest-control practices are 100% organic. Certified Organic grapes are grown without herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. Rhizos practices integrated pest management (IPM); a strategy in managing diseases, insects, weeds and other pests utilizing a wide range of preventative balances through biodiversity. The result of this strategy is not eradication, rather to prevent pests from reaching health compromising levels, with the least risk to the environment.
Irrigation Analysis
Effective irrigation is a fundamental factor in vineyard success. Standard methods include overhead sprinkler, drip, furrow, and micro-sprinkler. Irrigation systems should support vine growth while minimizing soil erosion and water loss. Rhizos will assess your type of soil and soil depth, the leaf area of your vines, the rate at which they are losing water, as well as land formation and other variables. Using our findings in combination with your operating cost goals, we will form a strategy for achieving the water balance needed for optimal vineyard health.
Soil Survey
Soil influences grapevine productivity and wine quality as a product of environmental factors such as physical, chemical and biological variables. The human influences of irrigation, vine varieties, and vineyard management practices, introduce added levels of complexity in determining how soil quality can shape the maturation of your fruit. Rhizos will perform a soil survey, then advise on the action steps needed to realize your specific fruit quality goals.
Smoke Damage
As we continue to encounter an increase in annual wildfires, many vineyards will ultimately experience some degree of impact on their fruit, sometimes even for years to come. Ken has been navigating vineyard health and grape quality within the California native environmental elements for over fifteen years.
Get Started
We’ll walk you through every step of the process.
