California’s Central Coast, stretching from Santa Barbara to Monterey, with Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo right in the middle, includes some of the best grape-growing regions in the country - and Liberty School works with some of the best vineyards and viticulturists on the Central Coast.

Over the years, Liberty School has built long-term relationships with the people whose grapes fill the bottles, frquently family-to-family relationships in a business that is too often corporate and anonymous. Winemaker Jason Diefenderfer works with more than two dozen vineyards in an average year; he tries to spend as much time as he can in the vineyards, at least six or seven visits a year, in order to help make the fruit better. The collaboration stretches throughout the year, from winter pruning to the fall harvest.

"These are mature vineyards," says Jason, "and experienced winegrowers who know their business-we aren't there to train them." The reason for all the attention is to be successful together, to match vineyard practices with the Liberty School wine style. One key focus is careful limitation of crop yields to ensure concentrated flavors; another is spotting trends in the vineyards early-too much vegetation, too little water, pest and disease issues-and reacting swiftly to make corrections. Information on every vineyard block is collected each year, along with photographs, to make comparisons as each new vintage progresses.

Liberty School’s outreach to its growers includes a commitment to encouraging sustainable winegrowing practices—techniques that promote vine health, raise wine quality, and ensure that growers can remain profitable over the long run. Spraying is done when it’s needed, not on a calendar, and never after August first; the number of tractor passes through the vineyards is kept to a minimum, saving money and keeping the soil from getting compacted. Liberty School works actively with the Central Coast Vineyard Team to promote best practices and utilizes the self-assessment tools put together by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (a workbook called the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices) to gauge progress and identify areas for improvement over time.