A fairly new compost called, "Four Course" that uses food scraps, plate scrapings and other compostable materials from San Francisco and Oakland restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops as well as from thousands of homes seems to improve the vines, the grapes and increase water retention in the soil. Grape growers responsible for 30 vineyards in northern California have used Four Course, some of them for three consecutive years.

A report from the company quotes Remi Cohen of Napa's Bouchaine Vneyards. "The 2003 vintage year will be first time Bouchaine has an estate-bottled Pinot Noir and an estate Chardonnay, and I attribute the quality to o our composting program. We've seen noticeable improvement in the vines, enhanced water retention and increased microbial activity. And we've done this without using synthetic fertilizers because of the high quality of nutrients in the compost."

Kathleen Inman, proprietor of the familly-owned Olivet Grange Vineyard and Inman Family Wines is quoted as saying, "I truly believe that good wine is made in the vineyard...It's important to maintain moisture and nutrients in the soil. Four Course serves both purposes. I use it as a top dressing to maintain moisture and as a soil re-conditioner to complete a balanced program crucial to growing healthy vines and grapes."

Four Course does add nitrogen to increase leaf growth and succulence, phosphorus to promote a strong root system, and potash for the growth of plant tissues and increase disease resistance.

The compost program uses three companies in their operation; all are subsidiaries of Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., an employee-owned company with headquarters in San Francisco. Golden Gate Disposal & Recycling Company and Sunset Scavenger Company collect the compostable material. Jepson Prairie Organics ( www.JepsonPrairieOrganics.com ) is a composting company that receives the material and produces the finished product.