“The more philosophical question that I asked myself is, ‘Can we rethink agriculture in a way that doesn’t destroy the ecosystem?’” she says. “Can we have an agricultural system that lives in harmony with the rest of the land and humans and animals?” At Solminer, the answer seems to be yes. And it all starts with the soil. “It’s almost like an immune system,” Anna says. “We foster the soil life just as much as we steward our vines.” To do so, Solminer nourishes its soil with a homemade compost and sheep grazing among the vines. “Integration of animals is really important for a functioning farm,” Anna says. Solminer also embraces biodynamic preparations, such as cow horns filled with manure (which are buried in the soil for months) and horsetail tea, which prevents mildew in the growing season. Avoiding pesticides is key to maintaining soil health as well — even if it means sacrificing crops that get impacted — though Solminer has largely been able to combat pests naturally by planting habitats for predatory insects that eat their prey. “It’s a change in mindset,” Anna says of the chemical-free approach. She adds that with a regenerative model, “there’s some give and take” and it’s not about maximizing profit and crops at all costs, but rather serving the land as well as the animals and people around it. That ethos hasn’t slowed Solminer down, however. The business produces about 2,000 cases of wine each year, with half coming from Solminer’s own grapevines and the remainder from other local, organic vineyards. As well as its popular Grüner Veltliner, the winery sells a number of other white, red, rosé, orange, and sparkling varieties, which come in light bottles sealed with just a cork to minimize waste.
THE STORY OF SOLMINER began in 2009, when Anna deLaski, an Austrian expat in Los Angeles, met her now-husband David and they visited the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara wine country.
Struck by the region’s beauty, they returned to the Central Coast for their honeymoon in 2011, where they tasted some Grüner Veltliner in a restaurant, and saw on the label of the bottle that the white-wine grape, popular in Anna’s native Austria, had been grown in the area. It was then that she and David thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to make one barrel of Grüner?”
“The more philosophical question that I asked myself is, ‘Can we rethink agriculture in a way that doesn’t destroy the ecosystem?’”
SOLMINER LOS OLIVOS, CALIFORNIA
photographs courtesy of Solminer
In 2012, the deLaskis went back to Santa Barbara County to buy four acres of land — including two acres of vineyards — in Los Olivos where they began growing their own grapes. Without professional experience in wine (Anna worked in wood engineering, and David in the music industry), they began taking winemaking classes at UC Davis. Then in 2016, the couple bought the horse farm next to their land, expanding their estate to 12 acres — including five acres of vineyards. “My passion with whatever I did was to do it as sustainably as we can,” Anna says. She’s brought that approach to Solminer, with a commitment to regenerative farming practices and biodynamics.
Visit SOLMINER.COM to learn more.
Top to bottom: Anna at harvest time with grapes destined for one of Solminer’s delicious varieties. Healthy grown grapes start with the soil. Chickens double as both fertilizer and pest control.
Top to bottom: Solminer avoids pesticides even if it means sacrificing crops. Don’t miss a drop with Solminer’s wine club. Anna, David, and their mini donkeys.
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ISSUE 01
TRACING THE WINE WORLD’S NEW REGENERATIVE PATH
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