California is a well-known hub for wine and farm-grown specialty foods, yet artisan products made by Native American communities are only now coming into the spotlight. 时山, in Yolo县的意思’s bucolic Capay谷, is one delicious example. Owned and run by the Yocha Dehe (pronounced “YO-cha-DEE-hee”) Wintun Nation, ssamuka Hills生产葡萄酒, 橄榄油, 野花蜂蜜, 五香坚果, 牛肉干, and more—all available for sampling at two 品尝的房间 within an hour’s drive of 萨克拉门托.
的 时山 name—Séka means “blue” in the native Patwin language—honors the rolling hills of Capay谷, which has been the tribe’s traditional homeland for thousands of years. 今天, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation 农场和牧场超过25个,这一地区有1000英亩的土地, 在保留地内外都有, growing 14 different crops and ranching 800 head of Angus cattle.
的 Capay谷 estate holds particular significance for the Yocha Dehe. 在20世纪初, the 美国 government forced the tribe from its village and moved it to a reservation in Rumsey, about a dozen miles from its current holdings. Dry and barren, the land proved a poor location for farming and tribal citizens struggled to survive. 几十年后, the tribe won the right to move to a more hospitable piece of land near Capay谷, 在20世纪80年代, some of the Yocha Dehe’s ancestral lands were finally returned to them.
In 2003, shortly after announcing plans to build the 卡什克里克赌场度假村 on its property in Brooks, the tribe hired Jim Etters as its director of land management. 是艾特斯, working closely with the Yocha Dehe tribal council, who helped develop the 时山 agricultural enterprise from scratch.
“Everything in the 时山 lineup is produced on tribal land, and that's something the tribe is very proud of,埃特斯说。. “的y have complete control over how those crops are cared for, 它们是如何收获的, 以及它们是如何被处理的.”
That includes grapes for the 时山 wines, grown on nine acres planted on the reservation, along with 20 acquired acres in the Capay谷. 的 tribe launched the brand in 2012 and now produces seven wines, 包括长相思, 席拉, Tannat, and an easy-drinking blend called Tuluk’a, 在帕特温语中是“红色”的意思.
“Being a small grape-grower allows us to put a lot of attention into the vineyard,” Etters says. “Through our different cultural practices we’re maximizing the flavor and the quality of the fruit.”
Environmental stewardship is a key element of the 时山 farming approach, not only in the vineyards but across the operation. This includes the use of beneficial insects for pest control, 滴灌节约用水, and cover crops to prevent soil erosion and provide nutrients. Of the 3,000 acres currently being farmed on the estate, 250 are certified organic.
“We have been really focused on planting native pollinator plants and wildlife habitat,埃特斯说。. 保护宝贵的地下水, the tribe also utilizes surface water from Cache Creek, 哪些流经房产. “Surface water is a lot more sustainable than continuing to pump water out of the ground year after year.”
参观ssamuka山
游客可以品尝ssamuka山的葡萄酒, along with the tribe’s lineup of specialty food products, 在其 品尝的房间 在卡佩谷和克拉克斯堡. 每个城市都有自己独特的体验.
在卡佩谷橄榄磨坊 & 布鲁克斯的品酒室, guests can follow the 橄榄油 production process each fall from the time the olives arrive at the mill through pressing the fruit and packaging the oils for market. Visitors can also drink in views of the Capay谷’s rolling hills from the tasting room and patio while sipping 时山 wine and enjoying salads, 三明治, 还有现场熟食店的熟食.
的 时山 Clarksburg Tasting Room, located at the 老糖厂 just 15 minutes from downtown 萨克拉门托, has a more urban vibe. 的re, visitors can see where the 时山 wines are made while tasting the latest vintages. 时山 is joined at the 老糖厂 by 13 other local wineries that operate 品尝的房间 inside the historic building.
