Organic Wines Uncorked: March is Women's History Month! Celebrate Paradigm, An Under the Radar Napa Classic: Marilyn Harris on the History of Napa Valley (Podcast)

Friday, March 1, 2024

March is Women's History Month! Celebrate Paradigm, An Under the Radar Napa Classic: Marilyn Harris on the History of Napa Valley (Podcast)

To say that Marilyn Harris and her husband Ren Harris are deeply embedded in Napa wine history would be an understatement.

Celebrate Women's History Month!

In 1898 Marilyn's ancestors came to Calistoga in a vineyard, farming with a horse and plow. In Depression in 1936, her parents (the Pelissa's) bought a large property in Yountville and Oakville where they farmed plums and more. Born in 1942, she grew up as a country girl in Yountville. They saw what happened to ag in San Jose and grew alarmed. The Ag Preserve was their answer.

Ren and Marilyn: Married 59 Years

Hear this fascinating history of Napa Valley and its wine history from Marilyn, who's lived it all.

Listen here: Podcast.

But wait - there's more: Visit Marilyn and Ren's fabulous Paradigm Winery–certified organic vineyards, 100 percent estate–to taste their superlative wines. Where else can you get a Heidi Barrett made (with Mark Fasi), terroir driven, Oakville wine for under $100? But the price is not the most salient point. This is a true hidden gem in Napa Valley.

As one of Napa's most famous winemakers, Barrett is one more reason to celebrate Women's History Month!

Marilyn and Ren in 2023

PS Paradigm is also one of the great wineries in Slow Wine Guide USA. We awarded them Slow Wine's most prestigious award - the SNAIL.

The winery also belongs to 1 Percent for the Planet.

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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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Friday, March 1, 2024

March is Women's History Month! Celebrate Paradigm, An Under the Radar Napa Classic: Marilyn Harris on the History of Napa Valley (Podcast)

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