Wine For Normal People Radio: Episode 14, Organic, Biodynamic, and Sustainable Wines - Do you care?

Ok, even if you don't care, it's still important to know the difference between "organic", "biodynamic", or "sustainable" on a wine label because they seem to be the terms du jour these days. Everyone from wine shops to wineries to wine nerds throw around these fashionable terms and it's good to know the differences between them.

In this episode, we define these terms and explain the differences, and maybe get just a little snarky about some of the marketing BS behind things.

WARNING too...I did use a few naughty words in this episode, so please don't listen with the kids in the car...

And some deets on the show...

• Shout-outs - Some great Twitter replies, comments on the blog, iTunes reviews, and Facebook posts
• Main Topic - Organic, Biodynamic, and Sustainable Wines
  1. Sustainable - Not certified... but maybe it should be
  2. Organic - A certification for certain winegrowing practices
  3. Biodynamic - Definitely some weird science going on - a must listen!
• Let Us Know (on Facebook) - Does "organic", "biodynamic", or "sustainable" matter to you?
• Grape of the Week - Grüner Veltliner (GROO-nah velt-LEEN-ah)
• Next Week - Terroir and Pinot Noir -- How the grape is different around the world!

Also to follow up on some things we mentioned... Here's the post on which this 'cast is based: Organic/Biodynamic Wines And some great recent vintages for Grüner...2006 and 2007 were outstanding, 2008 and 2009 were pretty darn good. Try to find out what the style of the wine is before you buy it -- fruity v. peppery and buy accordingly. And as I said in the 'cast, don't give up on it. You may need to kiss a few frogs before you find your Grüner prince!

Here's the link:

Ep 014 Organic, Biodynamic, and Sustainable Wines - Do you care?

To listen, download the podcast from the iTunes store (and if you like it please add a comment or rate it so we can make sure to stay on the radar, which helps other folks find us easily that would be great!), click the link above, or use the player below! Thanks for listening!

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Big increase in French organic viticulture

I'm still flat out on the current book project but thought I'd post this link to a report in The Drinks Business on the latest figures on the extent of organic viticulture in France which now accounts for nearly 6% of total wine production.

More interesting is the rate at which the rate of conversion is speeding up. According to Elizabeth Mercier of France Agence Bio at Millésime Bio in Montpellier last week Languedoc-Roussillon’s organic vineyard coverage increased by 51.9% from 2008 to 2009 (the last date for which statistics are available), Rhône-Alpes by 50.8%, Aquitaine by 45.2%, Burgundy by 43.2% and Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur by 34.6%.

The report points out that growth was slower in the Loire and Alsace (7.1% and 13.5% respectively over the same period) but doesn't take account of the fact that those regions already have a significant number of organic and biodynamic producers.

There are also current figures for Italy and Spain.

Whilst on the subject of France I've found a new site, Club du Vin Authentique which has a very interesting - and alarming - feature on the level of pesticides in conventionally produced wine. (In French, I'm afraid) Readmore »»

Organic/Biodynamic Wines: A Tasting and An Overview

I had the awesome opportunity to attend an organic/Biodynamic wine tasting at the Atlanta Botannical Garden on Tuesday (thank you to Eric and Michael at Empire!). It was a gorgeous setting with some fabulous wines...and it provides a reason to talk about Organic and Biodynamic wines, which I get asked about all the time.

I've mentioned it before, but to dispel any ambiguity -- I LOVE organic and Biodynamic wine (and food for that matter). Perhaps it's because I was raised by a hippie mom (I knew what macrobiotic meant by the time I was like 5) or maybe it's because I'm an earth sign, but actually, I think it's because the wines taste amazing and they do so without polluting my body or the environment.

Now before I get started on talking about organic and Biodynamic wines, I should define what they heck they are. I'll try be brief, but it's a little complicated...

Organic
Organic farming is about keeping soil healthy and controlling vineyard issues by using naturally occurring stuff to fight off maladies. For example, organic farming means you use compost instead of chemical fertilizer, and introduce natural predators into the vineyard to eat pests that eat grapes (spiders, hawks to eat rodents). Any sprays are made from ingredients that occur in nature, not that are made in a lab. It's back to basics farming. There are three ways a wine can be labeled if it's organically farmed (in the US, definitions from The Daily Green):

• 100% Organic has the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) seal. This wine can contain only naturally occurring sulfites (or sulfur dioxide, an antimicrobial substance) in less than 100 parts per million.
• Organic has the USDA organic seal and indicates the wine has 95% organically grown ingredients (the other 5% must not be available organically). The wine has the same sulfite requirements as 100% organic.
• Made with Organic Grapes or Made with Organic Ingredients means the wine contains at least 70% organic ingredients. It can have artificial sulfites added, but it may not contain more than 100 ppm. (It does not have the USDA organic seal.)

This labeling is hotly contested mostly because the USDA has decided that the use of sulfites (which are organic) to preserve wine prevents them from being organic, even though they are farmed that way. I think the issue is elegantly addressed by The Organic Wine Company, a great resource,

“an organic wine is defined as "a wine made from organically grown grapes without any added sulfites". By this unfortunate restriction, the vast majority of what you and I have been calling organic wines can now only be referred to as "wines made from organic grapes" (or organically grown grapes), since they are allowed to contain up to 100 ppm of added sulfites...the truth is that wines without added sulfites are very few in number and very unstable in quality, giving the public a negative perception Organic Wines in general (Organically Grown I mean!)! The wine industry has the dubious honor of being the only one that cannot call its product "organic" even though it is made with more than 95% of organic components.”

I'll let you decide what you think on that subject.

Biodynamic
Biodynamic viticulture is a little out there, but whatever they're doing they're doing right because Biodynamic wines really are outstanding. Again, to quote The Organic Wine Company:

"...The great 20th century philosopher Rudolf Steiner is the originator of this approach. He taught that growth was influenced by a flow of energy radiating from the moon, stars and planets. According to Steiner, the position of the moon and the stars within certain constellations influenced the growth of leaves, roots, flowers, and fruit. Biodynamic farmers plant their crops accordingly. They employ various methods for nourishing the soil, as do organic grape growers. However, biodynamic growers put a greater emphasis on the vines and since they believe that plants respond to all the various forces of nature, they also time their activities in accordance with the cycles of the moon, planets and stars."

So these are the different philosophies. There are differences, but both are adamantly against the pesticide movement that's been afoot for the last 100 years.

Amen, I say.

If I may dork out for a second, archaeologists believe wine was first made from grapes as early as 6000 B.C. (ironically, in Iran, which now essentially bans the stuff). I may be going out on a limb here, but I don't think there were chemical pesticides back then. For millennia, wine has been made with nary a chemical in sight...and it's been pretty fabulous. In fact, it's evolved to where it is today without this crazy ass chemical warfare on the vines we see today. I will concede that new pests and vineyard nastiness have evolved (mold, fungus, etc), but when there are wines in the market that have proven they can make kick-ass wine without poisons, I get my back up in arguments against organic and Biodynamic wine.

You may be wondering why, if it's just basic farming (and seems cheap), all wineries don't just become organic. Pretty simple. The green god. Cash money. It's expensive to convert vineyards back to a more natural state. Sadly, it's cheaper to use polluting chemicals than to farm organically. That said, once you destroy the land with chemicals the cost of cleaning up groundwater and restoring vineyard soils is pretty high too, but like politicians, business folks tend to be short-sighted.

Getting back to the tasting, I enjoyed it but I have to say I was a little disappointed because it didn't feature any European wines. Germany, Spain, Portugal, and certain parts of France are making great strides in organics/Biodynamics, and it would have been nice to experience the wines from those producers. That said, the event was a nice look into some of the producers in the New World (meaning anything except Europe) who are forward thinking.

I'll list the Biodyamic and organic wines here, since people are always asking me for producers, and I'll highlight the few that I found outstanding. What I won't do -- list wines that call themselves "sustainable." Beware of that term. There really is no set definition and more often than not, it's just large companies trying to bandwagon onto our shifting sentiment that we don't want to drink things that have been sprayed with poison. Most "sustainable" companies do things like introduce hawks into the vineyards, but most still use pesticides and they are much less concerned with soil and vine health. Last I checked, Wal-Mart says it's sustainable too, but it's responsible for more waste than any other company in the world. All relative, I guess.

Ok, ok, the wines...here are 6 highlights and then the list:

1. Robert Sinskey. No one mentions Biodynamic and organic American producers, without mentioning Sinskey. This guy is a pioneer and his shop proves that every vineyard, when farmed purely, can make outstanding wines. I tried 5, each were great but my three favorites follow.

The 2009 Abraxas ($34) is a blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Blanc. It smells like a gardenia and an herb garden, and has a round, refreshing character that tastes kind of like Italian parsley, a tobacco leaf, and a honeysuckle. This is unequivocally a halibut or shellfish wine.

2007 Three Amigos ($56) is a beautiful light ruby color. I didn't need to stick the beak in too far to get a big hit of cherry, red raspberry, and spice. This is a classic Cali Pinot. It was pretty silky, but with good acidity and red cherry, red raspberry, cinnamon and blueberry flavors. All yum.

2005 Marcien Red ($65). The story goes that Robert Sinskey decided to grow Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in the cool Carneros region where everyone grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and all his neighbors called him a martian. Traditionally those grapes are grown in the hotter part of Napa. Beam me up, Robert. This tastes like a Bordeaux. An excellent balance of blackberry, black raspberry, and black plum is balanced with coffee and cinnamon flavors. This is more like a Bordeaux than a Napa wine. If this is wine on mars, I'm volunteering for the space station.

2. I love Tablas Creek so much and have already done an extensive post on their Chateauneuf-du-Pape style blend, Esprit de Beaucastel. Tablas Creek adopted the traditions of the Rhone Valley, arguably the hottest hotbed for organic agriculture in France and they've got amazing wines to prove it. The 2008 Cotes-de-Tablas ($24) was light and fruity with lots of super-ripe cherry flavors. It had a slightly bitter finish, but was pretty delicious and lightly acidic to give it a little sizzle. Tablas Creek rarely lets me down.

3. I am so excited to recommend an Australian wine. I feel like Australia is out of style-- like it's the acid-washed jeans of the wine world. Well, I don't think acid-washed jeans are coming back (then again, I didn't think florescent colors would either but I see them all the time and am horrified), but I think Australia is coming back and Yalumba is part of the reason. Not all their wines are organic, but the Organic Viognier ($16) is and it needs to go on your list for fabulous summer wine. It's really restrained -- it doesn't beat you over the head with aromas or flavors like many other Viogniers do but still has lovely floral and ripe peach flavors. It's got great acid, which is rare for a Viognier. Big thumbs up.

4. McFadden from Mendocino County in California is organically farmed. Totally new to me. I've never even heard of them. They remind me of my favorite Mendocino producer (whom I can't get in Atlanta), Navarro Vineyards. The 2006 Pinot was awesome. It smelled like red cherries and dusty country road. It kind of tasted like that too with just the slight hint of some barnyard and hay in it. Mendocino makes Pinot like no other region in California, and I think it's amazing.

5. Casa Lapostolle from Chile had two great Carmeneres. They are made biodynamically and have a carbon neutral winery. Feel good about drinking their wines! The base wine wwas good, but thier Cuvee Alexandre for $14, which is made from 100 year old vines (on average), is great Carmenere. In my last post on carmenere I complained about the wines that tasted sulfured or vegetal. This is not either of those things. It was velvety, rich, and tasted and smelled like red raspberry, blueberry, and red plums, with a little cinnamon and leather thrown in. Fabulous.

6. Last but not least, DeLoach showed their Nova Zinfandel. DeLoach has gone biodynamic and this Zin seems to really like that. A huge wine from the rarely used Lake County appellation, this is all the spicy, raspberry briar patch, vanilla, coconut goodness you expect in a Zin. Delicious.

As promised, here's a list of the other Organic an Biodynamic Wines featured. I'm also attaching a few links on these farming/winemaking practices and ideas of more wines you can buy (I will always tell you in my post if the wine is organic or Biodynamic, FYI!):

• Bonny Doon Wines: Le Cigare Blanc, Vin Gris de Cigare, Ca' del Solo Albarino
• Bonterra Wines: I only tried the Sauvignon Blanc and was very impressed.
• Pacific Rim: Their Wallula Vineyard Riesling 2007 is farmed organically. I absolutely love dry Riesling (if you've only had sweet, try this -- great with lighter foods or for sipping).
• Rubicon Estate: CASK -- Farmed organically.

Here are some links on Biodynamic wines:
The Daily Green
Wine Anorak ( A great wine blog, FYI -- here is a list of Biodynamic wines from around the world on this site)
Demeter, the Biodynamic Certification Agency

And on Organic Wines:
The Organic Wine Company
Organic Wine Journal
Readmore »»

The Locavore Movement and Wine (aka Wine & Environmental Stuff)

Recently, on a chat board on LinkedIn, I became involved in an impassioned discussion surrounding the "locavore" movement. Although I generally review wines on the blog, I thought it may be interesting to discuss this hot topic, which is sweeping the food and wine world at the moment and is steeped in controversy. In addition, I have recently received a lot questions on the topic because I am co-organizing a wine event focused on organic and biodynamic wine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (details to come!). Hopefully this is of interest and is not just pontification (if you think it is, don't worry, I'll post a review by the end of the week. My cold is gone so I can drink away!).

So the first question that you may have, is what the hell is a "locavore?" It sounds like someone who exclusively eats locusts or possibly feasts on crazy women, if you speak Spanish. Good guesses, both, however according to the all-powerful and ever-accurate Wikipedia:

"A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles"

The movement is really kind of neat. Its basic tenet is that if you eat foods that are local, you can reduce environmental impact (less transport), eat healthier (smaller farms usually use fewer pesticides), and provide economic support to your local farmers. It's really a back-to-basics movement -- think "Little House On The Prairie" and Ma selling eggs to the Olsons at the General Store.

In my opinion, eating local food is a great idea for the reasons mentioned above. But taken to the extreme, it's a tough row to hoe. Should I never eat a kiwi? An orange? Must I give up pineapple? And, more importantly, what about wine? Should I only drink wines from Georgia because that's the only option less than 100 miles away for me? Die-hard locavores would probably say yes to all of that.

I resoundingly say, not so much.

For me, the sustainability/environmental movement is about doing a little better than what we all did before -- incorporating changes into our daily lives that collectively make a huge impact. Part of that is driving less, shutting off the water when we brush our teeth, and choosing products whose producers are mitigating their impact on the earth.

The last point is particularly relevant to wine. I personally don't think we need to give up wines from other parts of the world and only drink from our back yard. Maybe instead of buying only local wines, we can try to support companies who are making their wineries greener, and figuring out alternative transportation methods that decrease their carbon footprint and negative impact on the environment. On the East Coast, we may want to drink more European wines, as the transport to get them here has a smaller footprint. On the West Coast perhaps they should consume local wines to do the same. Or we could all help support organic and biodynamic producers worldwide who are trying to preserve the earth in their winemaking, lessening their impact on the planet and doing a lot better than many non-sustainable wineries that destroy the earth, use more than their fair share of resources, and pollute the environment.

Ultimately, what concerns me about going extreme with the locavore movement is that taken literally, it does not recognize that we live in a wonderfully interdependent world and although it's important to constantly and relentlessly mitigate our impact on the planet and help support local businesses where possible, it's also essential that we don't become insular.

The cost of only "drinking local" is that we become limited in our ability to appreciate the history, tradition, and culture of wine regions around the world. Part of the enjoyment of wine, in my estimation, is the cross-cultural learning that comes with tasting things from diverse areas. I personally have learned so much about the traditions, geography, food, and history of other cultures through wine and although I very much support local farming, I think that taking an extreme position on the localvore movement where wine is concerned cuts us off from appreciation of other cultures, which is essential in an interconnected world. Further, if we only care about our own backyard, we may be devastating someone else's local economy by cutting off our support of their wine trade, which can have global financial implications on us all.


So there you have it. Although I will try to always do a little better -- compost, recycle more, buy products from ethical producers, for me, cutting off wines from other regions of the world is not worth the price. Readmore »»

Carménère: Not All Are Created Equal

Last week, I told my sister that I was doing a live blogging event with Wines of Chile. She was really excited for me. Then I told her I'd be tasting 8 Carménères. Her tone changed. Sympathy city.

"That stuff tastes like shit," I think were her exact words. I couldn't exactly argue with her, nor could I concur. In my past experience the wines have been all over the map -- some are great, and some are really, really, really freaking awful. I entered the tasting with some trepidation.

Chile is a fabulous country for wine. The Sauvignon Blanc kicks ass, the Cabernet is delicious, and the Chardonnay beautiful. But the big deal in this little sliver of a country is a rare grape originally from Bordeaux, Carménère. They used to blend it into the fine wines on the Left Bank of Bordeaux to add some red fruit and spice notes to the mix. The problem with the grape is that it was a pain to grow. It's fragile, susceptible to rot and fungus, and frankly didn't thrive in its native home. In the late 1800s there was a giant pest infestation in Bordeaux and when the growers replanted they decided to let Carménère go the way of the dinosaur.

The thing they didn't know is that somehow vine clippings made their way around the world to Chile. The Chileans grew it and thought it was some weird strain of Merlot, labeling it that way when they began making wines in earnest and exporting them to the US. I'm not sure how they confused the two grapes, since Carménère is kind of weird and Merlot is really straightforward, but hey, we'll give them a buy on it (I mean growers in California blend 25% Syrah into Pinot Noir and call it Pinot Noir, so I guess it's not too far off from that...).

Now the Chilean wineries are pushing out Carménère and are doing PR around it (hence my event). In my personal experience and in the blogger event I found tremendous variability in the wine. I usually say that if you don't know what you like, remember a region you like and try stuff from there until you get bored. Here, I feel pretty strongly about that and about the fact that you need to find the right producer and seek them out too. Because although the wines in the blogger event were all well-made, there were some that tasted so off to me that I could barely drink them.

After the tasting I realized that I definitely prefer Carménère from the Rapel Valley, specifically from the Colchagua Valley sub region. The other regions produced wines that tasted like green pepper, V-8 juice, and mothballs/old lady (I swear. M.C. Ice can vouch). The second thing I will say is that Carménère is a huge wine. It stains your teeth, it's flavorful and spicy, and it can be fabulous. Because this post is so long, I'm going to mention my three favorites with a short explanation on why they are kick-ass wines that you should have ASAP.... here goes:

1. Vina La Rosa, La Capitana Carménère 2008. This wine is one of the most delicious reds I've had in a LONG time. It smelled like incense and was multi-layered with red berry and blueberry undertones and gorgeous flavors of oregano, cigar, and an unbelievable balance of tannins and acids. This wine is phenomenal. For $18.00 this drinks like a $40 bottle and it was the only one of the 8 that we finished. This is everything that Carménère should and could be.



2. Cono Sur Vision Carménère, 2007 (clever pun on the name, no?). Don't drink this right out of the bottle. It needs to sit in a glass or a decanter for a minimum of 30 minutes. After that you will get a rush of black tea, blueberry, black pepper, and coffee up the nose. The wine tasted like roasted nuts, violets, and coffee and the tannins were thick and juicy. I love this wine because it's delicious but also because it's organic and it proves that organic wines can be as great as those farmed chemically. For $15, this is well worth seeking out.




3. Santa Carolina Reserva Carménère 2008. This wine could also use a little mellowing in the glass or decanter. If you do that you'll get rid of the tomato-like flavors that are hanging around when you first open the bottle (I think this is typical of Carménère, and frankly, I don't like it.). With some time, it's a solid wine -- lighter and simpler than the others with plum, blackberry, and blueberry flavors and a hint of sage and brown butter. The tannins are soft and for $10, this is the most unbelievable deal you are going to find on Carménère.

On food...All Carménère will pair best with brown food (you know, like meat and mushroom stuff). Anything red and it will taste tomato-y, anything green may bring out the green pepper, and it will annihilate anything light colored.

So ends the exploration for now. Go out and try these and don't give up if you've had a nasty Carménère in the past. These wines have great potential and they don't all taste like old-lady, green peppers, and V-8.

Enjoy and tell me what you find!

Disclosure: Wines of Chile sent complimentary samples to me, but I only reviewed those I loved! A full transcript of the event is here. Readmore »»