By : Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/OregonLive
Never pass up the opportunity to walk a vineyard at sunrise, especially when spraying chamomile tea is involved.
My invitation came from Sofia Torres-McKay, the co-owner of Cramoisi Vineyard in Dundee. Torres-McKay explained that she would be spraying a mix of concentrated chamomile tea and water on her vines to combat the stresses that go hand-in-hand with a hot, humid summer.
“The chamomile tea helps my vines relax from the heat and gives them back the potassium that they are sweating out due to the heat. The spray also acts as a natural sulfur to prevent diseases,” Torres-McKay said. She called the spray treatment “a healer and a booster.”
The recipe Torres-McKay uses to make her foliar spray comes from a book by Monty Waldin titled “Monty Waldin’s Biodynamic Wine Guide 2011.” Waldin is an award-winning author and biodynamic viticulture consultant who holds that chamomile spray contains several minerals that can alleviate vineyard damage done by things such as heat stress and diseases like powdery mildew.
I stood in Torres-McKay’s kitchen at 6 a.m. as she poured fresh-brewed chamomile tea concentrate into a gallon jug. The room quickly filled with soothing aromas of Golden Delicious apples, straw and perhaps a bit of dried pineapple. It felt like I had stuck my head into a giant mug of Sleepytime Tea.
The sky was turning pink as the sun rose over the hill, eager to outshine a retreating full moon. Torres-McKay said early morning was the best time to apply the chamomile tea elixir. I couldn’t tell if the timing was to increase the spray’s efficacy or capture a moment with the beautiful sunrise.
Elaine Heide, the wine director for The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, joined us in the vineyard. Heide and Torres-McKay filled their three-gallon spray packs with highly concentrated chamomile tea mixed with water and headed out to spray.
Torres-McKay uses one liter of chamomile foliar spray per acre to give the leaves a light spritzing. According to the recipe found in Waldin’s book, she could use less, but Torres-McKay said a liter per acre works best for her vines.
After completing just one row, I can attest that spraying chamomile tea is a strenuous workout. If you doubt me, just strap a three-gallon pack filled with water to your back, then walk up and down steep vineyard slopes while holding one arm above your head. Torres-McKay and Heide worked harder than I did, covering every other vineyard row with foliar spray in approximately four hours.
Torres-McKay said it typically takes her 8-10 hours to hand-spray the entire vineyard. “Not all biodynamic farmers use this practice, but it is my favorite, and every time I spray, it gives me the opportunity to check on my vines,” Torres-McKay said. She likened the spraying to giving her vines a “spa treatment.”
It wasn’t just the vines getting the spa treatment. We were soon coated with chamomile tea spray, with Torres-McKay predicting our skin would have a healthy glow by the time we finished – and she was right.
The hot air balloons that suddenly appeared overhead did nothing to dispel the festive nature of the spraying. There’s also no denying that the leaves, vines and fruit in Cramoisi Vineyard look healthy and happy. So “cheers” to chamomile tea.
Torres-McKay and her husband, Ryan McKay, planted their first vines on Worden Hill Road in 2012. They farm their seven acres of pinot noir and chardonnay without pesticides and herbicides, with a nod to the biodynamic teachings of Rudolf Steiner.
Torres-Mckay is also the co-founder and vice-president of the Asociación Hispana de la Industria del Vino en Oregon Y Comunidad (AHIVOY). The nonprofit organization empowers vineyard stewards by providing education, resources and opportunities to advance their careers in the Oregon wine industry.
By appointment only, 8640 N.E. Worden Hill Road, Dundee, cramoisivineyard.com or 503-583-1536.
