A Hopland grower keeps his vines alive while the vineyards around him go wild

MENDOCINO CO., 6/14/26  — Steve Amato is still out working his 38 acres of cabernet off Feliz Creek Road. He prunes. He sprays. He suckers the vines. He mows the grass between the rows so a stray spark has nothing to run on, and when the cold comes the frost sprinklers still kick on. The diesel for his tractors runs him close to $8 a gallon.

What he’s stopped doing is the expensive part. He won’t spend another $10,000 or $20,000 this year tying every vine up tight and pretty the way he did when buyers were still calling for his fruit.