Interview: Hilary Graves of Mighty Nimble

I have wanted to include more interviews on this blog for some time. I will admit that laziness on my part along with how to go about doing that were the hurdles I faced. Then I realized that it didn’t have to be that difficult. One way in which we can do interviews without having to schedule time to meet, take video, edit video, and all that stuff was to conduct email interviews.

I like this idea because it allows the person to be interviewed some room to properly answer questions and the time to go over them so they feel they are properly expressing themselves. The first one we did was with Jennifer Porter, Executive Director of the PRWCA.

This one is with Hilary Graves of Mighty Nimble. We’ve known Hilary for many (I say many because I don’t know the actual number) years now and I can honestly say she is one of my favorites here in Paso. She has always been kind, knowledgeable, open, and easy to talk to. She happens to make great wine as well. I think this website has heard enough of my opinion and deserves to start hearing the opinions of those that ARE Paso Robles. Hilary is a great farmer and winemaker to start with.

So let’s dive in!

Matt: How long have you been in Paso?

Hilary: My husband and I moved to the Central Coast in 1999.

Matt: How long have you been farming? (Side note: are you a farmer & rancher? If so let’s include that info & also whether you are first generation farmer or second, etc.)

Hilary: I am a fourth generation farmer.  My  great-grandparents farmed in Arkansas and Oklahoma.  During the dust bowl they traveled across the country harvesting whatever crops were ripe.  These people were the original migrant farm workers known as “Fruit Tramps” (I named one of my wines after them).

Matt: What all do you farm?

Hilary: Now my family grows cotton, melons, alfalfa, and other crops in the San Joaquin Valley.  I am the first farmer in my family to grow wine grapes, and I also raise all-natural grass-fed beef and a critically endangered heritage breed hog, the Gloucestershire Old Spot pig.

Matt: How long have you been making wine?

Hilary: I’ve been making wine since 2002.

Matt: How many cases do you make?

Hilary: Because I grow my own grapes, my production varies based on the crop that Mother Nature gives us, but it is usually somewhere in the 500-800 cases a year range.

Matt: How can people get your wine?

Hilary: Customers can purchase my wine and pasture raised meats (beef and pork) by reaching out to me athilary@mightynimble.com or (805)674-1686, or by joining my mailing list at mightynimble.com.  I do tours and tastings by appointment only and my wine and pasture raised meats are sold to my Ranch Club as available.

Matt: I know you have written and/ or spoken about the water issue in Paso, can you briefly describe your thoughts?

Hilary: I first shared my thoughts about managing the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin on my blog.  You can find that entry here:

https://hilarygraves.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/where-i-stand-on-the-paso-robles-groundwater-basin-controversy/

At the time I felt that the Urgency Ordinance was not well thought out.  I still feel that it was put in place with no means of enforcement.

I am passionate about preserving the culture of the family farm in America and the values and work ethic that farmers bring to our rural communities and our nation as a whole.  I believe that our farming heritage is very important to the identity of our country, and water availability is integral to the success of all family farms.

Many people move to rural areas because they want to enjoy the open landscapes, rural lifestyle and grounded sense of being that comes with rural living.  It is very important to remember that rural areas only stay rural if farmers can make a living off their land.  Most of us are not able to simply purchase a large piece of property and look at it, particularly here in the Central Coast where land prices are so expensive.  We have to make that land make money, and the way that most of us do that is by farming crops or raising livestock.  If land is not farmed, it will be developed into homes and stores, resulting in urban encroachment.  To a farmer, land is everything!  Farmers are conservationists by nature.  We must protect and preserve our land in order to maintain our way of life.

In addition, the agriculture industry drives the economy here on the Central Coast.  It is an important source of jobs for our county.  These are all important things to keep in mind as we move forward with protecting our water.

My thoughts on how to manage the Basin are constantly evolving as I learn more about California water law and engage in conversations with people who do not share my same viewpoint.  I make a very sincere effort to see the issues from all perspectives.  Right now, I believe:

1.  To paraphrase John Muir, if we want to protect the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, we must protect the watershed that feeds it.  (John Muir is said to have made a similar statement about protecting Yosemite Falls, although I was not able to find a source to cite.)  I believe that in order to manage the Basin, we must manage the entire watershed.

2.  All wells should have a flow meter.  How can you conserve if you don’t know what you are consuming? We have been monitoring our wells for 6 years now.  We have found the data to be useful in our conservation efforts, not an invasion of our privacy.

3.  The cities within the watershed must be included in the boundaries of the Basin, and all rules that apply to managing the Basin should apply to them as well.

4.  We need a way to manage the health of the Basin.  Whether that is through the currently in place Flood Control District, or a new water district as proposed in AB2453 remains to be determined, but a management plan for maintaining the health of the Basin is needed in order to preserve our quality of life and ensure our ability to support our families and the economy of our County through farming.

Matt: Although I don’t think it’s pervasive, what are your thoughts on the west side fruit/ wine vs. the east side fruit/ wine?

Hilary: I grow grapes on both sides, so this question is something that I have given a lot of thought to over the years.  In my opinion, it all boils down to farming practices.  The inputs (cultural practices) directly correlate with the quality of the outputs (grapes).

My east side vineyards that are farmed meticulously yield A grade fruit, and my west side vineyards that are farmed meticulously yield A grade fruit.  Some clients don’t have the money to spend on high-end farming practices and their vineyards, whether located on the east side or the west side, show it in the way the vines look and the quality of fruit the vines produce.  It is important to remember that a vineyard manager can only do what the client will pay for.

Some contracts call for lower grade fruit for lower priced bottles of wine.  For those contracts I spend less money farming, which means less meticulous practices, because my farming costs must be lower since I am being paid less money per ton for the fruit and I am not in business to break even.  There is a very important place for these products in the market!  Not everyone drinks $55+/bottle wines with dinner every night.

It is true, there are differences in topography and rainfall, but different does not equal better.  Instead of encouraging the east side vs west side mentality, I prefer to promote the Paso Robles region as a whole and to tell everyone who will listen why wines from Paso Robles are great.  I’m so proud to be able to say that I work with amazing colleagues in this town who share a special kind of camaraderie that is not found in other wine growing regions.  We promote each other, support each other, learn together, experiment together, all in an effort to make better wines and do a fantastic job of representing Paso Robles.  I think we are doing a great job so far!