This week The WineBirds headed up north and made a visit to one of our favorite “hidden” gems — Porter Bass Winery. This is the last winery you’ll find on Highway 116/Gravenstein Highway before arriving in the town of Guerneville. But…you’ll have to look a bit before finding it. There are no signs for the winery and the cell reception is spotty, so you need to know where you are going. Take a turn down Mays Canyon Road, make your way through the majestic redwoods, then suddenly you’ll find a clearing with steep hills of grapevines.
There, you will also find this unassuming little winery. The tasting “room” is located in the front yard under a large walnut tree — a wine-barrel bar with a few chairs and a bench overlooking the gorgeous vineyards. This is a small, family-run winery, and the tasting experience reflects that — you’ll be led through the wines either by the vineyard manager (mom) or the winemaker (son).
Porter Bass uses organic and biodynamic principles in its 16 acres of estate vineyards. There are diverse plants throughout the property which protect the vines from wind, guide the fog, and attract beneficial insects (the winery’s logo is a bee and a grasshopper). Corporate wineries are starting to offer pricy reservation-only vineyard experiences where they brag about bringing on expensive consultants to implement biodynamic practices. Porter Bass has been farming naturally since it resurrected its turn of the century vineyards in the 1980s, so it doesn’t need to brag. Simply setting foot on the property is an experience in natural farming and terroir.
The WineBirds 