French Camp Vineyards
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Viticulture, Wine grape production |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Miller family |
| Headquarters | San Luis Obispo County , United States |
Area served | Paso Robles Highlands District appellation, California |
Key people | Hank Ashby (Vineyard Manager) |
| Products | Wine grapes |
French Camp Vineyards is situated in San Luis Obispo County, California, positioned to the east of Paso Robles, California within the Paso Robles Highlands District appellation.
History
The land now known as French Camp Vineyards was once part of the San Juan Ranch before becoming incorporated into the Camatta Ranch. In 1968, the Miller family purchased Camatta Ranch with the intention of cultivating various crops, including vineyards for wine grape production. They initially leased sections of the property to evaluate factors such as climate conditions, soil quality, and irrigation feasibility, subsequently planting roughly of wine grapes in 1973.
The expansion of French Camp Vineyards has been driven by a cooperative effort involving viticulturists, business professionals, sales personnel, and strategic planners. This teamwork has enabled the vineyard to grow to an area exceeding .
Vineyard mechanization
Hank Ashby, Vineyard Manager at French Camp Vineyards, has partnered with Dr. Justin Morris (Director of Food Science & Engineering at the University of Arkansas) and OXBO International to introduce a mechanized approach aimed at producing more uniform and well-balanced grape crops.
The Morris-Oldridge canopy management technique employs mechanization for pruning, shoot thinning, and fruit thinning processes, achieving yields that are within 10% of predetermined targets. This mechanized system facilitates multiple crop adjustments throughout the growing season—an approach that would be financially unfeasible if conducted manually.
Because vineyard yields can fluctuate by as much as 50% annually, forecasting budgets and production volumes becomes challenging. Collaborating with Paso Robles Wine Services, French Camp has demonstrated through experimental trials that this mechanized balanced cropping method frequently results in superior fruit quality compared to traditional hand-farming practices.