Since the last time I blogged I’ve been hard at work continuing to put together my list of producers we carry that are organic, sustainably grown and biodynamic. While this is quite the time consuming task, I believe that it’s important. From talking with customers in the store it becomes clear that I’m not the only one who wants to know how and where our food is grown. Nor am I the only one who is frustrated with the lack of precise information on wine labels. It takes a lot of background research to distinguish between the heroes and the exaggerators; there are a lot of wineries that advertise green, but don’t go into any specifics about what their practices are. Alternatively, there are wineries that don’t list any of their amazing work on their labels but are sustainably farmed and most of them are organic as well.  Here is a short list of such wineries and while I’m not going to go into any specifics this time, if you’re thirsty for more information please link to their respective websites:

·         Cline www.clinecellars.com

·         Francis Ford Coppola www.franciscoppolawinery.com

·         Trinity Oaks www.trinityoaks.com

·         Montevina www.montevina.com

·         Ridge www.ridgewine.com

·         Seghesio www.seghesio.com

Last but not least, I’d like to talk about biodynamic farming, which I like to call über organic. Developed in the 1920s, biodynamic agriculture is based on the theories of Austrian philosopher and founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner. They see the land as a self-sustaining, self-nourishing organism with a deep connection to the elements, both terrestrial and celestial. There are nine compost preparations listed by Steiner; the two main types consist of filling the horn of a cow with either manure or crushed quartz which is then left to decompose in the soil. The belief is that these preparations will transfer cosmic forces into the soil, and as a result they aid in plant growth and vitality, as well as preventing fungal diseases. This is just the cliff notes version, for more information on biodynamic agriculture and winemaking check out: www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics

There have been a lot of studies done to see the difference of soil quality between conventional, organic and biodynamic farmed vineyards. The overriding evidence has shown that while biodynamic vineyards have superior soil quality compared to conventionally farmed vineyards, they are often comparable in quality to ones that are organically farmed; this has to do with the fact that they are both dedicated to composting. Because of their attention to detail, biodynamic farmers have a greater connection to their land, which some experts say results in a wine with a greater expression of terroir.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the quality of wine you have in your glass. You can be the judge. Biodynamic wines we currently carry include:

·         The Hedonist Shiraz

·         Benziger Tribute

·         Joseph Phelps Insignia

·         Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon (375ml)

As I write this I know that I will continue to learn about more wineries that are employing environmentally sensitive practices; this is an on-going, never ending project.  My hope in doing this is to open up a discussion in the store where both customers and staff can become more knowledgeable and aware of what has transpired behind the scenes from the vineyard to your glass. Cheers!