Vitis & Ovis Farm

We are a multi-generational Swiss-American-Ethiopian family working off a small farm in northern California. Gisèle and Hans run the farm, and Barbara keeps the books. Henok lends a hand on various projects, especially carpentry. Jacob (2 years old) also participates, driving his play tractors up and down compost piles and immersing his whole body in berry-tasting.<br /><br />Our small farm is located in the beautiful Capay Valley of northern California, halfway between the Napa Valley and Sacramento.We bought this land 36 years ago, when it was an abandoned almond orchard that had been stumped so many times, the trees were not producing. We removed them and planted a 1.2-acre vineyard, along the lines of Bordeaux blend: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. We have just replanted the vineyard this year, so it will take some time to come back into production. We are also now in the middle of a big farm redesign.