Sunday, October 23, 2011

Why Is It Just Plain Wrong? "Discover California" Wine Map Missing Most of the Organic Among Us

Bad Data.

The Wine Industry of California, voice of the industry, recently undertook an update of its wine map and told me it would be correcting the wineries listed as organic. That was about 6 months ago.

I visited the site today hoping to see that what the map brings up for organic might turn me on to a few new places. Instead, I was dismayed to find uncertified wineries coming up - as well as all the certified wineries NOT on the list - more than 17 wineries. (I suspect some of them are members of the Wine Industry.)

I would therefore not recommend using the Wine Industry map since it is inaccurate and not comprehensive at all.

Here are a few screenshots that paint the picture.

Napa Organic Wines/Wineries

Wine Industry's Map of Wineries with Organic Wine - Napa

According to this map, there are 13 wineries that are organic, but I know that 2 of these are not: Outpost and Viader are not certified. Frog's Leap, although a leading light, cannnot label any of their wines organic because they buy fruit from noncertified wineries (they say the wineries are "practicing organic") that is blended into their wines.

Then I went to compare my map to their map.

View this map (without red circle) in Google maps by clicking here

On my map there are more than 30 Napa wineries that are organic. Granted, the Wine Industry list is meant to support tourism to wineries and is not a buying guide. So I have only listed wineries belowthat invite visitors. Still that's 17 wineries that weren't on the Wine Industry's Napa map.

Tourable Wineries with Organically Grown Wine Not Featured on the Discover California Map


Adastra
Casa Nuestra
Domaine Carneros
Elizabeth Spencer
Hagafen Cellars
Hall
Joseph Phelps (they don't like to tell people they are organic or biodynamic but they are certified)
Madonna Estate
Monticello
Neal Family
Neyers
Peju
Robert Sinskey
Rutherford Wine Co.
Sterling
Storybook Mountain
White Rock

When are the wineries that are making organically grown wine going to stand up and announce themselves? When are they going to form an association and tell us their stories? And the truth about pesticides in the wine industry?

Until then, please use The Map - and tell your friends to use it too.

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