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. 

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
Donum	202
Hanzell	46
Hobo + WINE	12
Mendoza	4
		264

2022
DesForges	5.5
Grist	68
New Puli	1.9
Abbots Passage	40
Vineburg LLC dba Gundlach Bundschu Winery	264
		379.4

2023
RAEN	7
Bazzano	15
Fifth Hill (Ned Hill)	13
Sophie James	5.5
		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 Farms	38
Bartholomew	22
Cassata Sonoma	21
Amapola Creek (in 2020)	20
Benovia Winery (Cohn Vineyard)	18
Larson Family Winery	15
Belli Vineyards	12
	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. 

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. 

• Lower birthweight babies in heavy Roundup use areas | Study: high exposure to glyphosate in pregnancy could cause lower birth weights in babies

• Last month lawsuit $1 billion | Bayer ordered to pay $1.56 billion in latest US trial loss over Roundup weedkiller

• New U.C. Berkeley study (Idaho) Childhood exposure to common herbicide may increase the risk of disease in young adulthood

• 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)

• Lodi and Ledbetter | Organic Farming Costs: Craig Ledbetter Offers Insight Into Fertilizers, IPM and Clients Who Prefer Handpicking

• Winery Brands Going Organic at Scale…

---Scheid Vineyards' new organic brand | Scheid Family Wines Introduces Organically Grown Grandeur Brand

---Shannon | Shannon Family of Wines Releases Their First CCOF Certified Organic Wines

• 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.” 

• "It Goes Against Our Focus on Soil Health" - Napa Green Phases Out Synthetic Herbicides (including Roundup)

• Napa Valley Grape Growers Cut Roundup Use in Half, Evaluate Weed Control Strategies Amidst Shifting Consumer and Community

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

• Organic and Biodynamic Scores | French Critics Rate Organic and Biodynamic Wines 6-12 Points Higher in Scores Compared to Conventional or Sustainable Wines, Wine Economists Find

• CRV 

---Winebusiness.com | Nickels and Dimes: Wine Industry Prepares for California's New Bottle Bill Redemption Requirement

---State CalRecycle site for alcoholic beverage producers

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

• Wastewater | New Winery Wastewater Order: Regulatory Overkill or Ecosystem Essential?

• Global Glyphosate Study from the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna 

• Polls in EU on Roundup Link | Almost 300 scientists - 100+ profs - call on the government in Belgium and the Netherlands to vote no to glyphosate

• 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

• U.C. San Diego Study |  It’s in the Weeds: Herbicide Linked to Human Liver Disease

• Bayer to pull glyphosate from stores due to cancer lawsuits 

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

• The Guardian | Pregnant women near farms had higher weedkiller levels during spraying season

• The Guardian - EPA whistleblower | Former EPA official says agency fails to protect public from toxic pesticides

• Carey Gillam articles and books including

---Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science, winner of the 2018 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award

---The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man's Search for Justice

• Idaho study: People living near farms have greater exposure to common, potentially harmful pesticide during spray season

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

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.

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. 

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.