Italy's Top Organic Producers Pour at Slow Wine USA Tour in San Francisco

Slow Wine's USA Tour featured dozens of top flight Italian and U.S. producers. (I wrote about the organic American producers who poured at the San Francisco event here a few days ago.) 

Here are five of the stellar, organic Italian wineries I was able to taste with at the event. 

The Piedmontese producers had the highest rate of participation in the five city tour (which is funded by EU marketing budgets). 

IMPORTER AND DISTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Slow Wine has just published a list of the importers and distributors for the Italian and U.S. brands who participated as well as the list of wineries looking for importers. Get that list here. 

Some of these producers are organic.

ATTENDEES

San Francisco and New York had the most attendees from trade and media. 

Attendees: 

New York: 459

San Francisco: 445

Miami: 236

Seattle: 214

Dallas: 153

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TASTING NOTES

I wasn't able to take down tasting notes in order to get through these major producers (time limitations), but overall, I found the quality to price ratio on these terroir driven wines extremely appealing , as compared to comparable quality from U.S. producers. 

A side note: 18 percent of Italian vineyard acreage is certified organic. That is compared to about 4 percent in the U.S. (though regions like Napa have about 11 percent certified organic acreage). 

LANGHE 

Elvio Cogno

A classic Barolo producer in the Langhe. Elvio Cogno regularly also places in the Wine & Spirits Top 100 and is often present at that SF tasting. In the Slow Wine tour, Elvio Cogno poured in both San Francisco and Miami. The winery has converted to organic practices and is in the three year transition period required for organic certification. 

• Tech sheet for the Ravera

Daniele Conterno 

Today run by Daniele, the fourth generation of the family's vintners, the family run estate decided to become organic in 2005 and became certified in 2015.

PIEDMONT AND LANGHE

G. D. Vajra

The first estate to farm organically in the region, in 1971, the Vajra family today continues that tradition with certified organic vines. In addition to Barolo, it produces Riesling and Barbera and recently also started to make a Langhe Nebbiolo. The winery also makes two wines from heirloom varieties including Dolcetto and the lesser known (and rarely grown) Freisa.

Good background reading on Vajra: https://grapecollective.com/articles/giuseppe-vaira-of-gd-vajra-championing-an-organic-spirit-in-barolo

It poured its highest altitude Barolo - Bricco Delle Viole (DOCG) - along with its celebrated Baudana (50 year old vines from a tiny, historic vineyard at high elevation) and the Freisa Kye (DOC).

TUSCANY

Felsina

Felsina completed organic certification in 2000, among the first in Tuscany, and is a powerhouse producer in the southeast edge of Chianti Classico. The single vineyard The Rancia Reserva (DOCG) comes from a small vineyard of only 6 hectares. The Fontalloro is IGT, as it comes from vineyards in two areas: Chianti Classico and the Chianti Colli Senesi, which lie at different elevations.

Good background reading comes from my colleague and friend Monty Waldin: https://chateaumonty.com/felsina/

LOACKER TENUTE

Another organic pioneer, the family certified its first estate organic in 2004 and, as a biodynamic producer, is a member of the Renaissance des Appellations. It has three estates including this one in Maremma, near the sea in Tuscany. 

The wines are truly affordable, but I was unable to find them for sale online in the US. I have contacted their export manager for more details.

(Slow Wine includes both organic and non-organic wineries, but the ones featured here are organic since this blog is about organically grown wines from certified vineyards.)