<!–[if !mso]>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]–>
![]() |
Veronique and I during a delightful lunch meeting in her home. |
Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com
12 Tuesday Jun 2012
<!–[if !mso]>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]–>
![]() |
Veronique and I during a delightful lunch meeting in her home. |
Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com
22 Sunday Apr 2012
Posted Organic
inAs 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
01 Thursday Mar 2012
Posted California, France
inPalate 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.
![]() |
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’.
![]() |
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.
Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com
26 Thursday Jan 2012
Posted France
in![]() |
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