Friday, December 29, 2023

What You Read | The Top Blog Posts of 2023

Organic trends, two notable passings (Paul Dolan and Mike Grgich), and a bit of Slow Wine news were among the stories that attracted the most attention this year. 

While I have happily been doing much more writing for WineBusiness.com along with Grape and Wine magazine (see my regular site's archive for those), I did find a little time to write more about some specialized topics here. 

STORIES ABOUT ORGANICS

• California's Organic Wave: Wine Grape Acreage Increases By 1,774 Acres in Last 12 Months - Napa Increase is 1,000+

This story got 9,000+ page views thanks to the fact that it was picked up by WineBusiness.com and published as a headline in its main site, not just in the blog section. It's also unique since it would appear that nobody besides me pays attention to or compiles organic stats.

Napa Grows Organic Production: Up 33% From 2020-2022

Napa's organic registrants goes up, up, up. (Later on, I counted it as 14% of the county's planted vineyard acreage.)

FEATURED WINERIES

• GunBun's Jeff Bundschu "How Wedded to the Earth Clock We Are" | Heartfelt Humble Bragging Talk Opens Global Buyers Marketplace

This story probably got a boost from social from GunBun and maybe the Global Buyers Marketplace. It was a really stellar, heartwarming speech which is, more or less, about why wine matters.

• Meet Napa's Third Largest Organic Vineyard Owner, Jackson Family Wines, and Its Organic Napa Estates

Chris Carpenter achieved his quest to convert to organic farming and certification on the family owned wine company's Napa treasures, including its prestigious mountain estates. 

(See my article in Grape and Wine magazine for more on this story.)

• Fancy an Organic Dry Creek Winery? Quivira's For Sale | $24 Million Price Tag

Historic Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc star producer seeks new owners. 

• Oregon Wine Board Founders Award for Dr Robert Gross; Second Major Award Win for a Biodynamic Producer in Oregon

I have so much admiration for the Gross family and their wine accomplishments and for being a benchmark for affordable and excellent wines all from a large and expanding biodynamic estate. Well deserved kudos. They've been a great role model for the region.

HISTORIC PASSINGS

• Grgich 100th Birthday Celebration July 1 Brings Out the Fans

Croatian dancers served Croatian style sausages, the local priest officiated, and Chardonnay was downed in celebration of the master winemaker's 100th birthday. 

(See my WineBusiness.com story about the winery's grand tasting of his historic wines in his honor here.)

• Paul Dolan In Memoriam 

A senior statesman of wine who performed economic miracles for Mendocino County's wine growers and an evangelist for the biodynamic and regenerative farming, Dolan was one of the kindest and most generous men in wine. (And a friend of mine who I ran the International Biodynamic Wine Conference for Demeter with).  I also wrote his obit for WineBusiness.com here

SLOW WINE 

• Slow Wine Guide 2023 Book Review on YouTube: 98 Points! Thank You, James the Wine Guy

It was lovely of James to feature our book, the product of so many minds, and the collection of oh so much data. Few people see that the data alone is worth the price of admission, but James did. Thank you! 

But of course, the winery profiles, curation of included wineries and wine and winery awards are fabulous. Buy the new 2024 guide here.

• Slow Wine USA Tour: Better Together - American and Italian Wineries Pour at SF Tasting

This week Elin McCoy of Bloomberg published her 50 best affordable wines of the year list (gated content) and called out Italian producers as the place to look for the best values.  Many wineries on this annual Slow Wine tour (coming up in early 2024 again in SF and four other US cities) would probably agree. 

ROUNDUP HERBICIDE

• Must See Movie INTO THE WEEDS Gets 100 Percent Thumbs Up Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: Critic Calls It "Compulsively Watchable"

It's educational, it's illuminating, and it's a hot topic in the wine world today as recent stories in Napa (see my coverage for WineBusiness.com on Napa Green and Napa Valley Grapegrowers) point out. The bad press from court cases has led consumers to ask questions about the herbicide's safety. 

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Sonoma's Organic Vineyards Growth Slows Dramatically | Hovering at 4 Percent

PERCENTAGE OF ORGANIC VINES IN SONOMA

I was delighted to be on Sam Coturri and pals' most excellent podcast last week, and Sam asked me what percentage of vineyards in Sonoma are organic. So I decided to tally it up today.

My unofficial count (better than nothing because the govt. does not count organic wine grape acreage, sadly) showed a total of  2,332 acres. Out of 57,000 acres (2022 county crop report number), that means Sonoma's organic acreage is 4 percent. 

It's gaining, but nothing like in Napa, where it's closer to 14 percent, adding close to 1,000 acres this year alone thanks to Jackson Family's Napa conversion of 667 acres (which has not been replicated at scale in Sonoma).

SONOMA ORGANIC VINEYARD TRENDS

After a few years of significant growth in which several 200+ acre vineyards in Sonoma went organic–including Gundlach Bundschu and Donum Estate–2023 saw a tiny increase in organic acreage in the county with just 40 acres of newly certified organic vines. 

In 2021, Donum added 202 acres to the county's organic acreage followed in 2022 by GunBun with 264 in 2022.

But in 2023, only 40.5 new acres were added - or roughly just 20 percent of the new growth seen in 2021 and 2022. 

Furthermore, many vineyards surrendered their organic certifications. 

2021
Donum202
Hanzell46
Hobo + WINE12
Mendoza4
264

2022
DesForges5.5
Grist68
New Puli1.9
Abbots Passage40
Vineburg LLC dba Gundlach Bundschu Winery264
379.4

2023
RAEN7
Bazzano15
Fifth Hill (Ned Hill)13
Sophie James5.5
40.5

DECERTIFICATION

While a wet year in 2023 might be blamed for suspending organic certification in 2023, only four growers or wineries –Bartholomew, Benovia, Bucher, and Cassata–left organic certification in 2023.   

2020-2023
Brereton           NA
Charlie Smith           NA
Bucher Farms38
Bartholomew22
Cassata Sonoma21
Amapola Creek (in 2020)20
Benovia Winery (Cohn Vineyard)18
Larson Family Winery15
Belli Vineyards12
146


Two steps forward, one step back?

Meanwhile, Ridge Vineyards continues to hold the top spot with 266 acres of organic vines, followed by Donum and GunBun.

Other major organic players include Benziger and Eco Terreno each with 100 acres and Hamel which has 97. 

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Talking about Slow Wine, Roundup, and Lots More | With Sam Coturri and Friends on their "The Wine Makers" Podcast | AKA "The Car Talk" Of Wine

 

It was worth the drive up from Oakland to Sonoma in the pouring rain on Monday the week before Christmas to meet up with Sam Coturri (of Winery Sixteen 600) and his merry band of podcast brothers– Brian Casey (former somm at Girl and the Fig), Bart Hansen (winemaker and owner of Dane Cellars) and host John Myers (a radio professional)–to talk about Slow Wine, Cal recycles, Roundup herbicide and so many other things on their podcast The Wine Makers.

You can hear the episode here.  

I'd say they are the "car talk" of wine–with the jokes whizzing by, conversation, questions and a totally unpretentious vibe. 

Remember how the two Magliozzi brothers made you feel? Even if you had never popped the hood on your car or never added oil to your car yourself, you wanted to listen just to laugh.

These four guys asked intelligent questions, made silly puns, and drew out a lot of information in the course of an hour and 22 minutes.

This free ranging conversation covered a lot of territory and I am sure many listeners might want to know more. 

So Here Are The Show Footnotes. (Not to be confused with Sam's very well done show notes on the podcast.) 

Slow Wine USA is where to find more info about Slow Wine and the 2024 guide. See some of our "bell ding" worthy deets and rave reviews. (The second edition will be out in January 2024). 

WineCountryGeographic.com is my own site and my blog is linked from there. (You're on the blog now if you're reading this). 

Into the Weeds is the link to the Roundup film. 




• Pesticide use map - glyphosate used on wine grapes (at Tracking California)

Data from Pesticide Use Report, California Department of Pesticide Regulation (aggregated) and from county ag commissioners (individual site data available upon request by county)




• Winery Brands Going Organic at Scale…



• Bob Kremer, veteran USDA glyphosate researcher 
“It interferes adversely with the soil mycorrhiza… Some beneficial groups can be depleted or decreased considerably…and some other plant detrimental types would be increased.” 



2018 Austrian study: three leading herbicides–flazasulfuron, glufosinate, and glyphosate–“reduced grapevine root mycorrhization on average by 53 percent compared to mechanical weeding.” 


• CRV 



Labeling is actually required 18 months from Jan. 2024 AND THAT IS July 2025 -  NOT BY JAN. 1 2024 (erroneously stated in podcast)


• Global Glyphosate Study from the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna 


• Tiny amounts of Roundup genotoxic at low doses - (I meant to say the Shikamate Pathway) The Guardian |  People exposed to weedkiller chemical have cancer biomarkers in urine – study
Dose to risk studies still being researched but preliminary announcements at Global Glyphosate Study say regulators' approved doses are not safe, based on latest research



• Where Roundup is banned (scroll down down down on that page for California towns)


That's it for now. Enjoy the holidays with a nice glass of Slow Wine!


Thursday, December 21, 2023

Slow Wine Guide 2024 USA Is NOW SHIPPING | A Great Holiday Gift! And The Best Source for Organic or Biodynamic Wines From Certified Vines


Want to know about 400 artisanal, boutique and eco-friendly wineries and their wines? Slow Wine Guide USA's 2024 edition is the ticket. Resolve to drink better in the coming year and support worthy wines and wineries. 

With 14 field contributors and 2 ace editors (including Deborah Parker Wong and yours truly), Slow Wine Guide USA is the most complete list of the people you want to support for good, clean and fair. 

(The Italian version has long been the best selling wine book in Italy.)

Perfect for holiday gift giving!

Visit SLOWWINEUSA.COM to learn:

• Who writes Slow Wine Guide? 

• What are the criteria to be in Slow Wine Guide? 

•  How can you find "affordable" artisanal wines? (Answer: using the Everyday Wine category in the book.)

See an excerpt from a past guide (2022) here.

You can use the guide for trip planning, too, as the wineries are now listed within region chapters.

A NEW REVIEW - SEE WHAT SIP MAGAZINE SAYS

ECO CERTIFIED WINES

Slow Wine Guide does not require wineries to be certified organic or biodynamic but an amazing number are, making it the most complete (and pretty much the only) guide for these categories in the U.S.

---BIODYNAMIC

• 157 (of the 406) wineries have estates that are either biodynamic, converting to biodynamic, or source grapes from certified biodynamic vines.

---ORGANIC

• 253  (of the 406) have estates that are either organic, converting to organic, or source grapes from certified organic vines

NEW THIS YEAR

We are also proud to be carried by the prestigious Academie du Vin Library, now the world's largest distributor of wine books. We're in good company. 

(However, the nonprofit Slow Wine USA receives the most benefit and support when you purchase on our website here.) Thank you for your support.

Discounts of 30% offered with minimum purchase of 6 books.




Monday, December 18, 2023

Must See Movie INTO THE WEEDS Gets 100 Percent Thumbs Up Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: Critic Calls It "Compulsively Watchable"

The Monsanto (now Bayer) hype machine has been misleading millions for decades, corrupted government officials into approving what early and new research shows they should not have, and resulted in thousands of people getting cancer. That story is well told in this new documentary praised by movie critics and highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes. 

TRAILER: 

Click here for reviews and ratings: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_weeds

Variety says…

"Provides another illustration of coldblooded corporate denialism in the face of widespread harm."

NYTimes says.... 

"[These] stories illustrate the breadth of the ecological and agricultural challenges that remain."

You can stream the film on Apple TV, Spectrum, Vudu or on XBOX, Google Play and Amazon Video. 

Friday, December 15, 2023

Mike Grgich's 100th Birthday Celebration: Reprise


In honor of Mike Grgich's passing, I am posting a link to the story I wrote about his 100th birthday party for WineBusiness.com. 

Read it here. 

I also recommend reading the lovely piece Blake Gray wrote here

Come to the South of France | Vineyards and Biodiversity Conference Set for January 18-19 in Avignon


In May 2022, I had the pleasure of traveling to Avignon for the first Vineyards & Biodiversity conference, which was the best gathering I have attended in professional wine circles. Now the conference is back from a second time and is being held January 18-19 in Avignon again with simultaneous French-English translation.

Here's the post I wrote after attending the first one. That one drew 150 participants from five countries. (I think I was the only American, except for American born Nicole Rolet, proprietor, with her husband Xavier Rolet, of the nearby Chene Bleu.)

This time I will be joined by four Californians–Julie Johnson (and spouse) of Tres Sabores (where Julie is participating in interesting vineyards and birds research with Humboldt ), Ben Mackie from Napa Green and Deborah Parker Wong, my colleague and friend and co-editor with me on Slow Wine Guide. 

This next conference promises to be equally informative and thought provoking with original and engaging thinkers from a variety of disciplines.

See the program here

The 2024 conference will cover:

• Pragmatic topics: hydroecology, the principles of agroforestry, the oil revolution, the circular economy, new ways of combating powdery mildew and downy mildew, the benefits of animals in and around the vineyard, bio-indicator plants, ecological corridors and more.

Who can attend? Winegrowers, unions, wine professionals, scientists, researchers and students with a link to the subject. 

Birte says it will feature: 

• 12 top-flight lectures by international speakers

• A half-day case study of a vineyard in symbiosis with biodiversity

And it will address:

• How can we change the winegrowing model?

• How can winegrowing practices be transformed into "virtuous cohabitation and

collaboration," with mutual benefits for both man and nature?

• How can we link theoretical research with field experience?

More from Birte: 

Considering nature, fauna, flora and the soil as free and inexhaustible resources, adopting the role of "exploiter," is now proving to be a dead end and limits our understanding of the environment in which winegrowing takes place. 

Preserving biodiversity not only requires a rethink of agronomic approaches, it also means going beyond the boundaries of land registry. 

Because of the complexity of living organisms, biodiversity necessarily becomes a project of collective dimension, touching on aspects of cultivation as well as cultural and philosophical ones.

The evolution of practices must take place at the heart of the vineyard, taking into account the complexity of the running of a wine estate and its economic, technical and human needs. 

Networking between researchers, winegrowers, experts and economic players is not only essential at regional and national level, but also at European level, in order to give ourselves the best chance of tackling these global challenges.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

GunBun's Jeff Bundschu "How Wedded to the Earth Clock We Are" | Heartfelt Humble Bragging Talk Opens Global Buyers Marketplace

Jeff Bundschu, CEO, Gundlach Bundschu (aka GunBun), at the opening night dinner of the 
California Wines Global Buyers Marketplace

It was rainy and dark but the lights were bright at Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma Valley as busloads of international buyers and California winery export staffers descended on a rustic barn filled with the spirits of grape growers past. The property here has grown grapes since the 1850's. 

After a reception, with mingle time that gave participants time to meet and greet, dinner was served. And GunBun CEO Jeff Virnig welcomed the crowd with a speech that elevated both the vibration and the meaning of the gathering. 

Here is his heartwarming speech which is, more or less, about why wine matters.

If I were to do my job, I would be here to welcome you. And I would be simply humble bragging about the fact that you're at a winery that has been producing wine from the same piece of property from the same family since 1858. 

That's almost the 165th consecutive harvest of this property in the same family. If I were to humble brag, I would talk about the fact that we just got all 300 acres plus that we farm certified as Regenerative Organic.

And, of course, if I were to do my job, I'd be thinking and wanting to especially thank Honore (Comfort) who knows from the bottom of her heart how excited I am to be here tonight. Thank you Honore.

The worst thing that happened to me today was that I looked at the guest list. 

I barely even knew what was happening. And that's the normal state of my existence. I'm the oldest in my family and technically have the title CEO but everyone here really does all the hard work. And I just get to take the credit. 


But I looked at that guest list. And I kind of fainted, and I said, oh boy, there's a lot of you here who are very important in the wine world. A lot of people around the world, and a lot of people around our neighborhood. And it's an honor to have you here. 

But in the tradition of my upbringing in this business, when there's opportunity to have so many people of influence under a roof, and somebody has something to say, it's a good opportunity for them to say, especially if it's their winery, and they have the microphone. 

---

I started thinking like, why are we here? 

I mean, like, really, why are we in this business, doing what we do?

Why do we love to make wine, growing and making it? Why do we love sharing it and why do you love to buy and share it with your customers? 

That's the question. What's the purpose? 

I've been asking myself that for my whole life. Before I even knew that I was gonna be into wine. I had an inkling that was a chance I could be born and die within five mile radius like our grandfather, and our great grandfather. 

And so I took off and went around the world...And on that trip, I was asking, like what is it that I want to do?

I obviously have this great legacy that I knew about here. But we have a big family with a lot of opportunities. And it was a big role. And I'm curious and who knew. But through that trip, through a lot of exposure to people around the world, I came to really appreciate that what I love is obviously the place we live in. I didn't really know about wine per se– what was in the bottle–but I certainly knew... that the people I grew up around...they were the people that I wanted to be around. 

It was..my family but also the other people attracted to the industry that I was lucky enough to be born into. And that was enough for me to come home and say I'm gonna hang my hat here, because I like those people. 

Later on, I got to understand about the wine itself and how it is, like, delectable, how it can inspire the senses and continue to keep people like us excited. Whether we're brand new or have been doing it for decades. 

I love how intellectual it is because behind every sensory experience is a story that will challenge your knowledge of the world, your knowledge of history, your knowledge of biography, biology, maybe in chemistry...

But that's what essentially brought me back. 

And what I didn't know, when I got here, what I didn't appreciate was how wedded to the earth clock our product is. 

And what I mean by that is that it's an annual cycle. The vines grow, they ripen. When they're perfectly good to taste, you take them off and bring it into the cellar, let the yeast do their work at their own timeline. Let the barrels impart their flavor, as well as breakdown as soon as the acids in those barrels, and it's all on their time and that time is slow. 

In my youth, I was very upset about that, because we're here in Silicon Valley, where Moore's Law says you just keep getting bigger and doubling and going faster and faster. And all my friends that were doing that were moving at high speed. 

And here, it was another–another vintage its taken a whole year to get there. And then, whoa, I can't like stream it on Spotify, like the music I love. 

I have to sell it, I have to meet nice people. 

But things changed as I got older. And I started to see that trait about wine as a superpower. 

The superpower is that in a time that hasn't slowed down, since I was younger–it's actually sped up. That the fact that we have a product that we all love, and represent, that slows us down and opens us up. 

That sort of says, wow. It's kind of what the world might need right now. A chance to slow down and open up...A chance to slow down and open up.

You know, everybody in this room knows what happens when you open a bottle of wine and table. And how you ask the questions you might have others because you've been too nervous otherwise. That you answer more honestly... And you know what that does. And you know, that what really boil down when that happens is empathy. 

And empathy happens beautifully with people that you don't know, or people that you do know, because you're sharing wine and meals with those people all the time. 

But a night like this... where you don't know the people, you open up that wine and you let it work its magic and lo and behold, you know more a whole lot more about the world, even without a bunch of people from around the world just by listening when the wine is opened and poured. 

So the science, of course, says being together is what makes people happier, even makes us smarter. Who knew when you're eating dinner as a group, you can eat better, that's proven. And we believe I think in this room in our industry, we know that. 

So this is where the ask comes in..it's a call to action. You're going to spend the next week or few days here. tasting great wines. Like hopefully we started tonight, learning a lot about soil, a lot about grape stories and a lot about production, a lot of technical things. You're gonna learn a lot about what makes California incredible. And why those of us who are lucky enough to be here, rarely leave to when it's up here is overpopulated and the world doesn't like us. But it's really nice to be here. 

But you have a bigger assignment and that's to notice what happens around the edges–at dinners like this, on the bus, in between the meals, before, in between the lectures between the studying. 

You're gonna notice how much you grow with people that you didn't know when you got here, from places all over the world, and here in California. 

So I want you to think about ways that import or export back–to magically sitting together, learning from one another, exploring and provocative laughing and laughing at the absurdities. 

Your real opportunity is not to share the work you do to make a living, but share the living you get to do because of your work. 

We take it for granted that we should do this. 

Most of the people that aren't in our business, we can't bet that they understand what happens when this happens–how you can break down barriers and walls and misunderstandings, just by opening a bottle and sharing a meal at the table. 

And I really think in a world where everybody's looking for giant saviors to come in and sort of make big changes, so we all live happily ever after. What really matters is one on one engagement. Right across the table, we have a saying that one plus one equals three, maybe five, when you're around the table when it comes to understanding and loving one another. And we get to do it. 

And in this industry, we grew up in, it's all we know. 

But it's occurred to me, as this world's gotten faster and these kids–especially I pay attention to kids–don't know and are going so fast that we have an antidote to that an antidote we have we know what it's like to share and grow. 

And when you go home from this, this trip, which is going to be technically your day job  you know and love what you're creating. The other opportunity is to make those changes to people that don't know what we know. And one at a time, one table at a time, I think we can make the world a better place.

[WILD APPLAUSE]

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Lodi's Leading Vineyard Management Company Sees Organic as a Path to Profitability


“We're doing organic because I see an opportunity, and the writing on the wall is there… I've started working with enough wineries now where I see there is opportunity there,” says Craig Ledbetter, who leads one of the state's biggest vineyard management firms. The Ledbetters' Vino Farm manages 17,000 acres of vines in the state.

It was a pleasure to interview Ledbetter on this topic and then to share his story with the industry in this WineBusiness.com article that ran today.

I also researched the newest stats from Nielsen IQ and the data shows an ongoing positive direction in organic, while the industry as a whole is facing slight declines.

"According to NielsenIQ, prices for organically grown wines are at an average of $13.47 compared to non-organic at $9.14. Dollar sales for organically grown wines grew 4.8% from Sept. 9, 2022, to Sept. 9, 2023. Revenue for organically grown wines grew during the four-year period Sept. 9, 2019 to Sept. 9, 2023 from $126 million to $182 million–a 44% increase."

Read the article here.

UPDATE

Part two of the interview is now online - find it here. 

Friday, October 6, 2023

Invasive Species Lead to Chemical Farming

So many invasives, so many chemical sprays. 

Read the latest on what global scientists said is the first ever global invasive species report and what it means for California's wine grape growers, after the state cut funds combatting invasives in 2010 in my latest article for WineBusiness.com. 

Next: Don't Missing the Thrilling Story "The California Race to Stop the Invasion of the Dreaded Spotted Lanternfly"

And...there's a Much Bigger Bug waiting in the wings...(also written by me) read it at WineBusiness.com. Featuring robots, lantern fly sniffing dogs and more...


UPDATE: The Daily Show just did ANOTHER video on another invasive species in Florida. Watch it here. 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Fancy an Organic Dry Creek Winery? Quivira's For Sale | $24 Million Price Tag

 

Dry Creek Valley's Quivira Winery is for sale. It's been famous for its delicious rosé and Sauvignon Blanc for decades, not to mention its Zinfandel. 

The deal includes the winery and 62 certified organic vineyard acres. 

See the details on Zillow

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Congratulations to Corison! Now CCOF Certified Organic in the Vineyard

 

Cathy and William’s daughter Grace Corison Martin

Corison announcement on their FB page: 

"Our Kronos and Sunbasket vineyards are officially certified organic! After 25 years of farming with these methods, we are beyond excited to be certified. Happy Autumnal Equinox!" 

Getting credit for what she already does. Hurray. All 19 acres on both sites were certified 06/12/23, according to the CCOF website.

Corison wrote in an email announcing the certification: "We have always farmed using these sustainable [and organic farming] methods, and are proud to support organics with this certification. "Our soils are wildly alive!"

When I first started writing this blog, I had the loveliest visit with Cathy - that was back in 2011. I was writing my app Organically Napa at the time. (Not currently available). 

She took me up to her second floor porch and we looked out across the neighboring vineyards on the bench. She pointed out the "extra greeny" ones, obviously using synthetic fertilizers (not allowed in organics). She discussed the water problems that were already happening at that time, saying some neighbors' straws were coming up dry. 

Though she was farming organically, at the time, she didn't see the need to certify back then. Unfortunately I could not include her in my app, which I had limited to only certified organic vineyard sourcing. 

I am so happy to see the tide has turned and then next generation has taken things in hand and gotten the Corison family on the other side of the certification fence. Could this be a shining example to others?

Note: Corison is one of the 289 eco friendly wineries you can read more about in Slow Wine Guide USA 2023. Copies are available here.

Friday, September 8, 2023

Azolla!


Aquatic carbon sequestration or vegan fertilizer? Just two more of the reasons to learn about Azolla, a native plant that one wine grower uses for his farm's fertility. Learn more on  WineBusiness at https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/276393

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Meet Napa's Third Largest Organic Vineyard Owner, Jackson Family Wines, and Its Organic Napa Estates

It's amazing that in one fell swoop, Jackson Family Wines has become, almost overnight, Napa's third largest organic vineyard owner with 480 planted acres certified organic in 2022-23. (Note: these figures were updated Oct. 31. 2023).

Where are its newly certified organic vines located? 

The organic certifier CCOF has now shared this information. which is part of winery's public client profile. Though the total is 663, the winery in its press release said 480 acres were planted.


Analysis

The data shows that the largest certified organic Jackson owned parcels are clustered in various AVAs and specific types of terrain, with mountain vineyards predominating. No surprise as it's well known that these were Jess Jackson's favorites.

Largest Organic Vineyard Holdings - 50-200 acres

Four sites are responsible for 452 acres. All except the Oakville site are on mountain areas. 

1. Potelle, Mount Veeder AVA | 202 acres

2. Keyes, Howell Mountain AVA | 109 acres

3. Cardinale, Oakville AVA | 80 acres

4. Veeder, Mount Veeder AVA | 61 acres

------

Vineyards - 10-50 Acres

5. La Jota, Howell Mountain AVA | 41 Acres

6. Rhyolite Ride, Diamond Mountain District AVA (?) | 39

7. Atalon, Calistoga AVA | 30 acres

8. Wurtele, Spring Mountain AVA | 27 acres

9. Lokoya, Spring Mountain AVA | 24 acres

10. Wilson, St. Helena AVA |  14 acres

11. Ho, Mount Veeder AVA | 11 acres

12. Wallis, Diamond Mountain District AVA | 10 acres

Historic Sites - Fewer Than 10 Acres

This group is tiny but prominent, as it's historic sites surrounding Freemark Abbey. 

13. VanZ, St. Helena AVA | 5 acres

14. Ahern in St. Helena AVA | 4 acres (at Freemark Abbey)

15. Freemark Abbey, St. Helena AVA | 2 acres

------

Here's another slice of the data:

---------------------------------------------ACREAGE BY AVA

GROUP 1 - MOUNTAIN AVAS

---Mount Veeder AVA - 274 Acres

Potelle, Mount Veeder AVA | 202 acres

Veeder, Mount Veeder AVA | 61 acres

Ho, Mount Veeder AVA | 11 acres


---Howell Mountain AVA - 150 Acres

Keyes, Howell Mountain AVA | 109 acres

La Jota, Howell Mountain AVA | 41 acres


---Spring Mountain AVA - 51 Acres

Wurtele, Spring Mountain AVA | 27 acres

Lokoya, Spring Mountain AVA | 24 acres


---Diamond Mountain AVA - 10 Acres

Wallis, Diamond Mountain AVA | 10 acres


---Calistoga AVA - 39 Acres (Hillsides)

Rhyolite Ride, Calistoga AVA (?) | 39

GROUP 2 - VALLEY PROPERTIES


---Oakville AVA - 80 Acres

Cardinale, Oakville AVA | 80 acres


---St. Helena AVA - 25 Acres

Wilson, St. Helena AVA |  14 acres

VanZ, St. Helena AVA | 5 acres

Ahern in St. Helena AVA | 4 acres (at Freemark Abbey)

Freemark Abbey, St. Helena AVA | 2 acres


---Calistoga AVA - 30 Acres (Valley)

Atalon, Calistoga AVA | 30 acres

The Bigger Picture

Jackson also owns or controls as much as 50,000 acres, if Wikipedia is to be believed. Older stats said it owned 15,000 acres including 13,000 in California. (It has recently purchased vineyards in Oregon and Washington.)

So 663 acres is a good start. 

Lower Price Tiers: New Producers with Organic Paths

It's often hard for people to get their head around the fact that a company and its various brands are often not consistent in their certifications. Indeed, even within one brand, some wines may be organically grown while others are not. 

Jackson's coastal vineyards are not farmed organically–farm from it–and its Napa wines are costly. But its decision to go organic on its high end Napa vines is a notable shift and a major commitment.

On the other hand, brands with wines in the same price range of some of KJ's coastal vineyard wines, which are often farmed with dangerous chemicals, are on an organic path. 

Scheid has announced its plans to certify 3,000 acres and has already completed certification on 667 acres (in Monterey County). In Paso Robles, Castoro Cellars already has 1,400 acres of organic vines with another 200 in the pipeline. 

A Canadian pension fund backed grower, Kylix Vineyards (affiliated with Grapevine Capital Partners, which has previously represented Harvard's endowment investments) has recently certified 485 acres of vineyards organic in Paso's San Juan Creek AVA. And the Riboli Family (Stella Rosa is one of their brands) is making headway with 60 acres newly certified organic and another 100 acres in the pipeline in Paso westside holdings.

Giant Trinchero, a CCOF designated "new applicant," has 183 acres in Yolo County in the organic certification pipeline, according to the CCOF website.

Wine Business ranks Jackson Family Wines as the ninth largest winery in the U.S. with    production of 6 million cases. Now it's taking its first giant step into the organic sector. 

NOTE: Lawrence Family is a first in organic acreage in Napa, with  633 acres currently certified organic and biodynamic and 18 more acres in the three year transition period. That does not include Martha's Vineyard (33 acres) which it sources from but which is owned by a different family.  

UPDATE: Oct. 31: Jackson Family Wines' company press release says only 480 acres are planted, out of the 663.

Monday, September 4, 2023

This is depressing...

Market research says organic is most attractive to younger consumers...but...
There is not one organically grown wine among this Top 100 List, is there?

The cheapest organic option typically is Shaw Organic ($4 at Trader Joe's), but that is not showing up here.

But who can blame younger consumers–distribution of organically grown wines is so very limited.


 

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Oregon's Organic Wave: 72 New Acres of Vines Certified in Last 12 Months

Though not as impressive in its more recent organic growth as California's (1,774 acres in the last 12 months), Oregon already had a much higher percentage of organic vines than California, so it's less surprising the its pace is slower.

Here are the four vineyards in Oregon that received organic certification in the last 12 months. All are in the Willamette Valley:

• J. K. Carierre in the Chehalem Mountains AVA - 26 acres

• Open Claim Vineyards in Dallas in the Mount Pisgah AVA - 21 acres

• Ambar Estate in Newberg in Dundee Hills AVA - 12 acres

• Keegan/Thirsty Boots in Dundee Hills AVA - 3.2 acres

-----UPDATE 10/17/2023

• Beckham Estate Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA - 20 acres (certified in July)

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

California's Organic Wave: Wine Grape Acreage Increases By 1,774 Acres in Last 12 Months - Napa Increase is 1,000+


Driven by four major producers, California's added 1,774 acres of certified organic wine grape vineyards in the last 12 months, according to data from the USDA Organic Integrity Database. 

What's remarkable is that the biggest properties–four groups of properties with a total of 1,370 acres or 77 percent of the new acres–getting certified are large wineries who represent a mix of family owned (Jackson, Halter Ranch, Stolpman) as well as big corporations (Constellation). 

1. SONOMA COUNTY 732.95 Acres

CORRECTED: 67.95 Acres

Jackson Family 664 Acres - NAPA COUNTY - SEE BELOW

The biggest new addition was 664 acres in Sonoma at Jackson Family. Sonoma County added 732.95 acres, including Jackson. ***CORRECTION THESE ARE IN NAPA according to the winery. CCOF does require Jackson to provide property addresses for the certified properties but had originally listed them under Sonoma administration address. The address for Jackson provided in the USDA Organic Integrity Database has now been changed to Napa. The more detailed view of the properties is a public client profile record that CCOF provided to me upon request. See Sept. 6 blog post.

------ The other wineries' vineyards below are in Sonoma: 

• Abbot's Passage - 40 (on top of 264 at Gundlach in July 2022)

• Barton/Ernest - 17

• RAEN - 6.8

• Sophie James - 5.5

Sonoma has traditionally lagged way behind Napa, formerly with about 3 percent organic vineyards in the past. 

2. NAPA COUNTY 430 Acres + 664 Acres (Jackson - correction Sept. 6, 2023) = 1.094 Acres

Jackson Family Wines: 

The winery says: 
"There are 15 estate vineyard properties that are now certified organic in Napa Valley ranging from valley floor vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford, to esteemed hillside and mountain estates in Mt. Veeder, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain. 

These vineyards are the primary source for some of our most sought-after wines from Cardinale, Freemark Abbey, Lokoya, La Jota, Mt. Brave, and Caladan, among others."

Constellation's To Kalon 331 Acres

Constellation added 331 acres, while overall Napa's total increase was 430. (MacDonald's portion of To Salon was certified.)

Other newly certified vineyards in Napa County include:

• Kelham (bordering To Kalon) - 48

• Corison - 19

• Dickerson - 13

• Brand - 12

• Saltiel - 6.5

Napa has formerly had around 12+ percent certified organic acres. (USDA and CDFA do not count organic acres). 

3. PASO ROBLES | SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY 260 Acres

Halter Ranch 200

The 2,700 acres Adelaida District property certified 200 acres of wine grapes.

Other newly certified vineyards in Paso/SLO include:

• Loma Seca - 35

• Yerba Buena - 25 (including walnuts)

Chamisal's Edna Valley estate is in transition and anticipates certification soon. 

Near Avila Beach, the 30 acre Bassi Vineyard is expected to become Demeter biodynamic certified this fall.

Others in the include SLO organic certification pipeline–Gallo owned Robert Hall in Paso. (Booker [also owned by Gallo] was already certified in 2022.) 

4. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 198.5 Acres

Stolpman 175 Acres

Stolpman Vineyards in Ballard Canyon certified 174 out of 198.5 in Santa Barbara County.

• Grimm's Bluff - 17

• Boschne - 7.5

5. LODI 52.9 Acres

Vino Farms 52.9 Acres

One big surprise is that organic numbers (though very tiny) in Lodi acres are increasing. 

In the state's biggesting wine growing region (110,000 planted acres), two properties farmed by the Ledbetters' Vina Farms are now certified organic with 52.9 acres added in the last 12 months.

NOTE

FarmTogether 230 Acres (Not Just in the Last 12 Months)

Another 88 acres at previously certified Hidden Oaks in the Clement Hills AVA was recently purchased by FarmTogether, bringing the company's total in Lodi to 230.

PRESS RELEASE: 

Hidden Oaks Organic Vineyard is FarmTogether’s second wine grape deal. The property is located a short distance north of the town of Clements in San Joaquin County, about 15 miles east of Lodi and 40 miles southeast of Sacramento. It is situated in the Clements Hills AVA, a sub-appellation of the broader Lodi AVA, one of California’s growing wine-producing regions.

The property consists of 88 planted acres of mature vines, all of which were planted in 2015 to Cabernet Sauvignon— one of the region’s more popular varieties among growers and the most widely grown grape in California. 

ABADIE Agriculture and Land Company, LLC is a minority investor in FarmTogether’s Hidden Oaks Organic Vineyard offering. 

FarmTogether buys and sells farmland and partners with local operators, negotiates service agreements, and ensures sustainable farmland practices to provide investment opportunities with the potential for long-term income generation.

----

In 2022, FarmTogether bought the Vista Luna Organic Vineyard in the Borden Hills region of Lodi from Bokisch. It has 142 planted acres which were already certified organic. 

Sources said Farm Together's Lodi grapes are sold to Bonterra.

6. MONTEREY COUNTY 

Scheid continues to grow its organic acreage as well, with 666 acres now certified. The winery has announced plans to certify a total of 3,000 acres.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Bulk Wine Expo Experts: A Potpourri of FREE and Sage Advice from the Front Lines of E-Commerce, Retail and Restaurant Buyers


The International Bulk Wine & Spirits Show, held in South SF in July, featured panelists on a wide variety of topics, all central to wineries of all kinds. I wrote three articles for WineBusiness.com featuring their sage advice.

E-COMMERCE EXPERTS

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/274904

RETAILER PANEL

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/275181

RESTAURANT CHAIN BUYERS PANEL

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/275179

Enjoy.