Organic Wines Uncorked: Part 2 of 3: Holiday Party Wine Recommendations: Whites and Bubblies

Monday, December 5, 2011

Part 2 of 3: Holiday Party Wine Recommendations: Whites and Bubblies

White and Sparkling Wine "Party Wine" Picks

1. Let Them Drink Chardonnay!

Terra Savia's Chardonnay, $12 a bottle
Terra Savia's Reserve Chardonnay, $15 a bottle (by the case - ON SALE)
Usually available at Whole Foods
Always available from the winery

A fourth-generation Chardonnay growing vigneron. Need we say more? They know their Chard. And they are all about being organic.

2. Arise O Riesling!

Bonterra's Riesling, $12-14 a bottle
For an everyday, affordable house Riesling, Bonterra's a great pick. Their Riesling took a double gold prize a few years back at the Mendocino Wine Competition. We drink it by the case at my house.

Bonterra is a company you want to support. Historically it has done more than any other U.S. vintner to promote organically grown wines, has a well earned reputation for excellence, and has worked with hundreds of growers to help them go organic.

Available in better supermarkets and wine stores everywhere, or, if you're like me and can't find it around town, just buy it online from the winery. Online here or call 888.618.0535.

3. Bankable Bubbly!

You don't have to pay for Champagne (like bankers) when it comes to sparkling wines.

While others are flitting between expensive imports (if you can afford it, fine, but that wine did have to get here all the way from wherever), savvy shoppers in search of affordable luxury, go for the McFadden Brut or the Terra Savia Blanc de Blancs, both of which have tied with Roederer's Brut in the past two years of the Mendo Wine Competition. (Since that's a 400-year-old, Champagne, France-owned California winery, being in the same league is high praise indeed.)

Join the McFadden wine club and the Brut can be yours for $17 a bottle (or thereabouts, depending on the current deals of the month). The Brut includes a hefty amount of Pinot Noir - 50%.

McFadden Brut
• Order it online at www.mcfaddenvineyard.com or through McFaddens tasting room in Hopland. Call: 707.744.VINE.

Terra Savia Blanc de Blanc
• Terra Savia's all Chard sparkler is about $23 at Whole Foods. Or order from the winery directly ($20.70 a bottle) and have it shipped to your door.

This is 100% Chardonnay.

Here's winemaker Jim Milone (before winning the Gold at the Mendo Wine Competition) on this wine:

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Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Part 2 of 3: Holiday Party Wine Recommendations: Whites and Bubblies

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