I'd add a few notes:
1. "Biodynamic® Wine" (a certified wine category) are the only certification that guarantees NO additives other than sulfites. There is no "natural wine" standard or certifier.
Most "natural" wines made in the U.S. are not from certified organic vineyards. (There are a few exceptions - AmByth wines, Cooper Mountain's LIFE Pinot Noir, and Preston's new organic Syrah - all of which have no added sulfites.)
Frey Wines' Biodynamic Wines are also made according to "natural" wine tenets - i.e. no added sulfites, native yeasts, etc. - but the natural wine movement has shied away from embracing them because they are not as artisanal as other "natural" wines.
2. Organic Wine and the USDA
We do not have only one wine standard in organics. We have three organic wine standards - Organic Wine (no added sulfites), Made with Organically Grown Grapes (up to 100 ppm of sulfites), and Ingredients: Organic Grapes (0-350 ppm of sulfites - like all other wines).
But the main issue with organics is not sulfites - the main issue IS pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
3. Many organically grown wines are in fact NOT LABELED. In fact, most organically grown wines (from certified vineyards) from top producers in our best wine regions are not bottle labeled with certification.
4. Contrary to what you might think, brand stories about organics may be misleading as much as the LACK of a brand story about organic grapes. If you get my drift.
You have to look, wine by wine, at what producers actually make from organic vines. Some tell a big story but only make a few wines. Some tell no story and make 100% organically grown wines. (That's why you need to get my apps!) But now you CAN find them.
5. The info graphic should be completely changed, in my view, into two pictures - one about organics and one about "sustainability." One is about not using poison and one is about economizing and trying to be a good citizen (while using poison).
Here are some comments [in brackets] on your notes:
ReplyDelete1. "Biodynamic® Wine" (a certified wine category) are the only certification that guarantees NO additives other than sulfites. There is no "natural wine" standard or certifier. [Comment: a Biodynamiic certification relates only to the viticulture itself and does not address what happens after the recolte. A separate certification in available from Demeter for the vinification - therefore a biodynamic certification does not mean that there are no entrants in the wine)]
Most "natural" wines made in the U.S. are not from certified organic vineyards. (There are a few exceptions - AmByth wines, Cooper Mountain's LIFE Pinot Noir, and Preston's new organic Syrah - all of which have no added sulfites.) [Comment: do not understand what you are saying here - all natural wines would normally use organically grown grapes - that is one of the basic criteria that defines these wines]
Frey Wines' Biodynamic Wines are also made according to "natural" wine tenets - i.e. no added sulfites, native yeasts, etc. - but the natural wine movement has shied away from embracing them because they are not as artisanal as other "natural" wines. [to clarify, in natural wines making, sulfites are not added as part of the vinification but a small amount is added by a lot of producteurs after elevage in bottling to stabilize the wine]
2. Organic Wine and the USDA
We do not have only one wine standard in organics. We have three organic wine standards - Organic Wine (no added sulfites), Made with Organically Grown Grapes (up to 100 ppm of sulfites), and Ingredients: Organic Grapes (0-350 ppm of sulfites - like all other wines). [Comment: the US differs from the EU in that in the EU the AB (i.e.,"organic") designation applies only to the viticulture, while in the US it also regulates some of the vinification]
But the main issue with organics is not sulfites - the main issue IS pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. [Comment: if you are talking about the future of life on this planet, this is correct, but as far as wine, not so much. But agree that sulfitage is sort of a straw man and not the main issue, which are all the other taste adjusting additives put into wine in industialized wine-making as practiced in the States (and elsewhere). In fact most of the wine produced would best be described as a "grape juice based beverage" - this is what the natural wine movement is trying to change]
3. Many organically grown wines are in fact NOT LABELED. In fact, most organically grown wines (from certified vineyards) from top producers in our best wine regions are not bottle labeled with certification. [Comment: that is probably because they blend using non-organic grapes and/or their vinification practices (e.g., entrants added) would disqualify them from using the designation]
4. Contrary to what you might think, brand stories about organics may be misleading as much as the LACK of a brand story about organic grapes. If you get my drift. [Comment: Yup, sadly true - but that is not a reason not to search out the good ones - which, as you point out, is where you come in]
5. The info graphic should be completely changed, in my view, into two pictures - one about organics and one about "sustainability." One is about not using poison and one is about economizing and trying to be a good citizen (while using poison). [Comment: Not a black and white issue, people who need to make a living off their land sometimes feel the need to use these tools to address special problems, but the default should be that they are not used - the problem partly one of education; a whole generation of growers has been propagandized by the chemical industry to believe that these poisons are good and necessary - it is hard to change peoples minds (don't a majority of Americans still believe that global-warming is a fiction?)]