Organic Event SELLS OUT at Fort Mason | S.O.R.B.E.Tasting Hopes to Bring Future Tastings to Los Angeles

Morgan Twain Peterson (Bedrock) and MJ (aka Black Wine Guy) podcasting from the inaugural vintage
 of the S.O.R.B.E.Tasting

Zin pioneer and Ravenwood founder Joel Peterson has a new groove–promoting organically farmed wines in his Once and Future brand at festival organized in part by his son Morgan.
He was one of several O. G.s pouring at the 30 winery event at Fort Mason.

And they're just getting going.

More than 30 Sonoma Valley wineries poured an incredible variety of top tier wines Sunday August 17 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. 

It was the "inaugural vintage" of what organizers hope will become an annual event as well as one that travels to other cities. Organizers were overjoyed to see the event, a sort of proof of concept, sold out its maximum number of tickets (230 at roughly $75 a pop). 

It was the first wine tasting I've seen that was both regional and about organic farming. Yet another first for Sonoma Valley.

S.O.R.B.E.T. stands for Sonoma Organic Regenerative Biodynamic Educational Tasting. (See previous blog post here for a list of wineries who participated). Since its first event was successful, organizers now say they'd like to bring it to Los Angeles.

Event organizers say the valley has 2,500 acres of organically grown vines out of 25,000 planted acres. Overall the county has roughly 60,000 acres planted. 

Sonoma Valley is the area in the county with the longest history of wine grape growing and a culture of organic that far outpaces the rest of the county which has poured millions over the years into marketing "sustainable" wine growing that uses synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

While most of the wine industry is experiencing harsh downturns in sales, organic is up 2 percent.  

Scenes from S.O.R.B.E.Tasting

A rare appearance by another O. G.–Will Bucklin of Old Hill Ranch, one of Sonoma. Valley's great old vine treasures (first planted in 1852).

Enterprise Vineyards' head of viticulture, Spanish born Mireia Domènech Lopéz, at a table for wines from Rossi Ranch grapes made by a variety of producers. 

Katie Bundschu (left) of Gundlach Bundschu winery at the Gun Bun table. 

The winery has now certified its winery as well so it's just started making wines labeled "Made with Organic Grapes." Huzzah.

A table displayed educational materials about the various "shades of green" in wine farming systems as well as the history of chemicals in grape growing in the region.

Southern Sonoma has four wineries certified Regenerative Organic. 

Silver Level

• Donum Estate (Carneros and other sites, too)

Bronze Level

• Bedrock Estate vineyard (Sonoma Valley, 111 acres)

• Gundlach Bundschu Estate + Abott's Passage Estate (Sonoma Valley, 164 acres)

• Ram's Gate (Carneros, 28 acres)

MJ, aka The Black Wine Guy, recording his Beats podcast live from the tasting with guest and organizer Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock.

The event also had a commemorative teeshirt created by Living Roots, friends of Raj Parr who run a wineshop in North Carolina. They attended Raj's wedding in India, where they connected with an organic regenerative cotton company who makes the shirts. 

Teeshirt gets the award for Best Tasting teeshirt for putting farming first.

Podcast Highlights: 

• Chris Cottrell on how markets (like back East) are starting to ask not just what kind of oak, yeast, etc. etc. but NEW - how the grapes were grown.

• Morgan on how he and Sam Coturri noticed "sustainable" vintners in Sonoma posting pictures of sheep eating herbicided weeds in the vines. (Major ick.)

• Jason Jardine of Hanzell on how he got his start with Tony Soter (one of Napa's organic pioneers who went on to found his winery in Oregon) and how today he and others need to be role models for the next generation of wine growers and vintners. 

Here's the PODCAST LINK.

PS Yours truly makes a brief appearance at about 3/4 of the way in. 

MJ and Winery Sixteen 600's Sam Coturri