What Drinking Organic Wine Really Means

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Howard in Uncategorized, Wine Education/News/Updates

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organic wine, The Organic Wine Company, Veronique Raskin

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Late last year I met one of the real iconic figures in importing organic wines to the U.S. Veronique Raskin has been fighting the good fight in the name of organics since 1980. She helped arrange my inclusion on a January press trip to France’s Millesime Bio trade fair in Southern France. I got to meet Veronique during a March trip to California. She has written this piece about organics. So for the second time in a week, I’ll share this as a guest column.

Veronique Raskin, The Organic Wine Company – You have been eating organic food faithfully all these years but, you may not have yet added to your organic meals what many cultures do: a glass of wine. The time may have come.

When you go pick up a bottle of organic wine to accompany your organic meal, part of your problem may be in not knowing exactly what an organic wine is. With all these terms getting thrown around like eco friendly, “NSA”, sustainable, green, natural, truly organic, etc., who could blame you?

Having founded The Organic Wine Company in 1980, I am certainly one of the elders of the organic wine movement. I have been actively involved in the developments of organic wine standards and even I am frustrated and confused, so I can imagine that you are just about ready to throw in the towel. So, let me offer some pointers for you based on thirty years of observation and experience in this industry.

Veronique and I during a delightful lunch meeting in her home.

What is really critical for all of us in choosing an organic wine is to make sure that they’re made with certified organically grown grapes. That’s the key. Inspect the label and be sure that an agency has certified the vineyard’s organic practices. Do not be content with vague terms like sustainable, natural, and green; they can be misleading). When it comes to your health, the workers, and our planet’s longevity, 100% certified organic grapes should be your number one criterion. The rest, in my opinion, is well-meant misinformation, poor science or straight up propaganda for commercial purposes.

If you wish to buy wines that promote the health of our planet and every creature on it (including yours), then the clear choice is a wine made from third-party certified 100% organically grown grapes. The rule of thumb is that if it doesn’t say it on the label, don’t buy it. Organic wine, like organic carrot or orange juice, is made from grapes grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.

In the USA, the two types of wines typically bundled in this category are “Wines Made With Organic Grapes” and “No Sulfite Added Organic Wines.” Wines made with 100% organic grapes are made with just that and an additional preservative (elemental sulfur dioxide), so the wine has structure enough to last the journey to your table. No Sulfite Added wines (or NSA wines) are produced without this preservative and are made by only a handful of winemakers. In Europe and Canada, organic wines are called “vins biologiques”; they are made with certified organic grapes and may contain up to 100ppm added SO2.

We want to bring to your family table highly drinkable, affordable wines, with structure, character and personality. Wines that are reflective of their terroir(a deep and mostly untranslatable word describing the soil and land in which the grapes are grown.) Wines that are pleasurable to your palate and promote the health of your body, the workers and our planet. I am extremely proud to say that our portfolio represents the work of many passionate, deserving wine makers from around the world and include vegan and biodynamic wines.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Celebrate Earth Day With Organic Wines

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by Howard in Organic

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The Organic Wine Company, Veronique Raskin

As we delight in warmer springs, stay surprised by drier winters, and brace for blistering summer, it makes one wonder what we’re doing to Mother Earth!

Earth Day, celebrated on this date annually, is a time to reflect and think about the products we eat and drink and how they’re produced. After attending in January the Millesime Bio in Montpellier, France, I’ve become a fan. I’m not a fanatic but a big fan of the wines, the Languedoc, and the importance of buying food products – and wine – from producers who care about what they’re doing to their soils, steams, and air.

Organic wine does not use chemicals – pretty simple isn’t it?

You can find organic wines in the U.S., mostly from California along with biodynamic wines. In your wine shop you might have to make an effort to find a bottle. Too often the organic wines are stuffed in a corner with Kosher wines, state wines, and “other” bottles.

French wines are labeled “made with organic grapes.” The French do add minimum sulfites while U.S. producers do not.

That is a discussion for another time and you can read more about it in the story I wrote for Palate Press after returning from France.

But for today think about organic wines. Try a few. If you have trouble finding them then I’ll direct you to my friend Veronique Raskin’s wonderful The Organic Wine Company website. The Bousquette, Mas Janiny, and Ventoux wines are a great starting point. Keep your eye open for wines imported by Paul Chartrand, also a friend, and one of the leading organic wine importers in the U.S.

Frankly, I’d challenge you to set up a blind tasting and see if you or your friends can taste any difference.

Most organic wines are wonderful. And, they’re wonderful for Mother Earth.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Organic Wine Story Up on Palate Press,

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by Howard in California, France

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organic wine, Palate Press, The Organic Wine Company

Palate Press has published my story about organic wines, organic wine regulations and reflections of French winemakers on the controversies.

The story went up overnight and will be on the site about one week. The piece was a result of my week-long visit to Montpellier, France, and the 19th annual Millesime Bio – organic wine trade show.

Here is a direct link to the story.

I also provided a quick summary of what I thought were the top wineries I tasted during the show. Unfortunately, due to space considerations that section was cut. Here is it below:

The opportunity to sample the wines of 587 growers was a unique three-day experience. Sometimes wine writers and other professionals forget consumers seldom get the opportunity so sample so many great wines. I went to the Millesime Bio on a press trip open minded but not knowing what to expect. While a certain number of wines were certainly sub-par and undistinguished, the vast majority were great wines. No consumer, nor few experts, would have any idea these are organic wines or feature substantially lower sulfite levels. Additionally, the Languedoc wines are generally great values.

Most of the labels mentioned below are imported to the U.S., but not all. Most of the sites have an “English option” but not all. A few of the best labels I tasted and consumers might seek out include:

Joly

Domaine Joly – The wines of Virgile Joly were the most consistent I tasted. He is a rising star in the Languedoc and is a great spokesman for organic wines. For my palate, Joly’s 2011 Grenache Blanc was the top Languedoc white blend of the show.

Domaine Carle Courty – Frederic Carle’s Cuvee Marion, named after his daughter, was the best red blend. It was a beautiful combination of 70 percent Syrah, 10 percent Grenache Noir, 10 Carignan, and 10 percent Mourvedre.

Cabanis

Domaine Cabanis – Jean Paul Cabanis poured his wines one evening at dinner. His property dates back to 1932, not old in Southern France but with a delightful history. He produces three reds, two whites and a Rose’.

Chateau de Cazeneuve – The wines from this beautiful Chateau setting, near Montpellier, are more rustic than many I tasted and at a slightly higher price point. Andre Leenhardt’s 100 percent 2008 Mouvredre was a fabulous bottle of wine at 35 Euro.

Bojanowski

Clos Du Gravillas – John Bojanowski, a Louisville native, and his wife Nicole are championing Carignan at his St, Jean de Minervois region winery. He does a 100 percent bottling of the Southern France grape that is a knock out.

A few more options include: Mas Janiny, wines from Terroirs Vivants, Mas Laval, Italys’ Perlage label, Chateau. Bonnet, and two more from Italy – Casina Di Cornia and Antica Enotria.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

The Wine World Through a Buyer’s Eyes

26 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by Howard in France

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Languedoc, Millesime Bio, organic wine, Paul Chartrand, The Organic Wine Company

Importer Paul Chartrand and Perlage GM Ivo Nardi

MONTPELIER, France – Yesterday was the final day of Millesime Bio, the organic wine trade show, here and what a full day!

I spend most of the day with Paul Chartrand, a Maine importer of wines made from organic grapes. Paul, his northeastern distributor “Sam” and I made the rounds tasting plenty of wines and talking to current suppliers and tasting wines Paul may wish to carry in the future.

I was hoping to interview a couple of more people yesterday but I found the experience of tasting with a veteran wine buyer too valuable to pass up.

Marcella and I share a Prosecco toast!

We started our morning with a lengthy session (maybe 30-45 minutes, for this show a long time) with Perlage of Soligo, Italy. Perlage is one of, if not, the leading organic producer in Italy. Perlage is located in Prosecco, Italy’s northeast region opposite Piedmont.

We tasted through several wonderful Prosecco sparkling wines all made from organic grapes. Though not a huge fan of sparkling wines, I’ve always found Prosecco among the most enjoyable. These were outstanding examples.

We chatted with family estate General Manager Ivo Nardi and his sales manager Marcella Callegari. Ivo speaks limited English so we conducted a short interview with Marcella acting as interpreter.

I learned a lot from Paul as he charted wine prices using a spread sheet to add shipping costs, his margin, and what he could sell the wines per case to U.S. distributors. Paul works in a certain price point. He takes the organic wine world seriously having been involved in food and wine issues since his college days.

And, you do get every winemakers full attention as a U.S. wine journalist. But when you have a U.S. wine importer along, that doesn’t hurt either.

I should note for readers close to my home in Indiana, that Perlage is available in Indiana and many surrounding states. Friend Derek Gray of GrayBull Wines is Paul’s Indiana distributor.

The Rest of the Day …

We made many more stops throughout the day and in the afternoon Paul went into “power tasting” mode. We rushed from stand to stand but once Paul arrived at each customer’s table he gave them individual attention and took the time to appreciate their wines.

We tasted outstanding whites from the Loire region, some more Italian, and a large range of Languedoc wines. Paul even took a suggestion from me and visited a producer I liked. We were rushing up until 5 p.m. when it was time to catch our buses back into the city.

Thursday

Today may be the best day for photos and learning more about Languedoc. I’m spending the day at three wineries and talking to the current AIVB president and past president. We’re having lunch in a small village and visiting wineries and wine cellars. Friends, it just doesn’t get any better than that itinerary for a day in Southern France.

I will definitely get something posted tonight, maybe a photo album if nothing more. But it will be early to bed to catch a 5:45 a.m. taxi to the airport and head home.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com