Revitalize the Planet through Agriculture
This is the story of our evolution,
of our understanding,
of our journey into this thing called wine.
As we tasted, visited, and did research, the world of wine opened up, even as we found ourselves instinctively drawn in a specific direction.
We found ourselves drawn to biodynamic vineyards and wineries. The wines they produced were just a step ahead in taste and nuance, and we wanted to discover why. We got a few books on biodynamics and read up to understand the history. Then we started pursuing interviews with biodynamic wineries. Tablas Creek, Montinore Estate, Syncline, Wilridge, and Hedges Family Wine were all early on our list. We found ourselves drawn to their sites, the way they expressed themselves, the way they looked at not just their vineyards but the planet.
When we traveled to Australia with the Wine Media Conference, we visited Krinklewood and Lowe wines. Back in the United States, in the Applegate Valley, we discovered Troon and Cowhorn. In the Willamette Valley, we found Johan. More recently, we discovered Marcel Zanolari, Cirelli, and Emidio Pepe in Italy.
Visiting these vineyards and tasting their wines only reinforced the belief that farming biodynamically and applying the extra effort to make the soil and ecosystem better were, in FACT, making these wines better.
Biodynamics & Regenerative Organic Farming
This project started to evolve and come into focus when I wrote an article for Jancis Robinson’s Wine Writing Competition on “Regeneration.” We met wineries like Youngberg Hill who are all in on no-till agriculture, and other wineries who, while they may not have the certifications, practice the same methods and are seeing and reaping the results.
All of this comes down to respect for the land. For centuries, small farms had immense biodiversity. There were native plants and animals, crops, livestock and of course the humans, all working together and sharing space. This kept balance on the land. When we started larger farms, the biodiversity was lost. Land became places for crops or livestock and the human connection with the land grew more distant.
Biodynamics, began as a way of closing this gap. Regenerative agriculture is the modern day answer to getting back to this biodiversity, and enriching our soils to create healthier foods and mitigate climate change.
Our Story
After having a year off during the pandemic to research and explore a path of our own appeared. We started to develop a clear vision of the approach we could take in helping to get these stories and the message on this type of agriculture out to people.
All this coalesced in Michael’s head forming an idea for a project with immense possibilities.
We have been in the entertainment world for over 30 years, and have been doing this wine adventure for over 15 years part time.
It’s time to add another chapter, or book in this sense, and start paying it forward by telling these stories and providing a path for the next generation to help provide a healing change, by developing their own Global Eco System.
We developed a website and concept a few years ago to share stories on a wide range of subjects. Life got busy and we shelved the concept about 3 years ago, to spend more time focused on Crushed Grape Chronicles.
The site was called Floatingboats.org. It was to be a launching point for new ideas.
We are relaunching Floatingboats.org. This will be the start of an adventure which helps build an ecosystem of like minded people, businesses, and solutions.
We have seen there is a growing movement and we want to help tell those stories.
So we have developed a grandiose plan to help to promote educate and implement this idea on a much larger scale.
The plan
This is not a new concept, people have been using these farming methods in various ways, and there are others out there sharing this story, but still, too few people are aware of these methods of agriculture that could save the planet. We need a big solution going forward to help reduce carbon and increase the fertility of our soils. We need farmers and vintners to adopt these methods. We need consumers, businesses, organizations, and governments to support them. In the end, we could save the planet, and as a bonus, we have tastier, healthier food and better wine.
We will be creating a multilevel plan, a series of stories, and educational platforms. We will need help funding this adventure, and we are working through several sources, funding checkpoints, and next steps.
The long-term Goal is to start a 501 (c3) foundation to fund these and other projects or find one that supports our goals that we can partner with.
There are several steps along the way, but the time to start is now (well, it was yesterday or the day before, but…). Follow along over the next several weeks and months. Follow our progress on Floating Boats.org.
We believe that life is too short. Work and play can go together when you are doing something meaningful, something that you love.
Stay tuned, so much more is coming up! Watch for video’s introducing our plan for this project on Crushed Grape Chronicles YouTube.
Watch for ways you can help us fund this journey and become part of the solution. Maybe you will even find a new and rewarding career path.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
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