tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76495947629504084862024-03-15T18:13:02.034-07:00Organic Wines UncorkedThe Delicious Revolution Will Be Vinified: News and Views on Organically Grown WineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-10369935674753498932024-03-14T16:33:00.000-07:002024-03-15T13:57:06.526-07:00Do Organically Grown Wines Need to be Labeled? Safeway's MW Says Consumers Want That | Yet 71 Percent of U.S. Wines from Organic Vines Do Not Label Organic on the Bottle (When They Legally Could)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4ujHSa-Z5zvxLDBWQCjPIEGcNr_isvE4PvR5dr0rtC5Z26Ovi0FTlNHeFXTsH_5r0-8GNtAZMhlL_h_hjaOFi1e29jluLoIb3OwMQ1N-7GU3rayGFU3j6rlYP6PL9T3qaAn6ua8pe1eXqQtv2b-WxyUWMgD-CkrHp-b2AVMNyQ143M8NwKfKWdSaMoLu/s1282/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%204.34.39%E2%80%AFPM.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1282" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4ujHSa-Z5zvxLDBWQCjPIEGcNr_isvE4PvR5dr0rtC5Z26Ovi0FTlNHeFXTsH_5r0-8GNtAZMhlL_h_hjaOFi1e29jluLoIb3OwMQ1N-7GU3rayGFU3j6rlYP6PL9T3qaAn6ua8pe1eXqQtv2b-WxyUWMgD-CkrHp-b2AVMNyQ143M8NwKfKWdSaMoLu/w640-h484/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%204.34.39%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>A prominent wine buyer, Curtis Mann, MW, group vice president of alcohol for Albertsons Cos.–he buys wine for Safeway, among others, <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/277078" target="_blank">as well as for its online Vine & Ccllar store</a>–is telling the industry it needs to help consumers better understand when their wine grapes are certified organic or biodynamic.</p><p>Many in the industry do not seem to understand that it is illegal under federal law to use the word organic unless you are legally certified. Distributors and producers commonly say their vines are "practicing organic" or just "organic."</p><p>In an article in <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/284458">WineBusiness.com</a>, Mann is quoted as saying:</p><blockquote><b>Producers...need to do a better job of clarifying terms such as organic and biodynamic, </b>rather than leaving them up to interpretation. </blockquote><blockquote>Much like with nutritional information,<b> if it’s not clarified on the label, consumers will assume or be confused</b>. </blockquote><blockquote>Mann encouraged producers to be more aggressive with these labels and regulations, or to <i>come up with a new way</i> to designate organic wines, so that it’s clear to the customer what they are buying. (<i>Italics mine</i>). </blockquote><p>I couldn't agree more, except with the bit about coming up with a new way. (Note: organic and biodynamic are legal certifications and not officially open to interpretation.)</p><p>Too many times people have repeated the misinformation that sulfite caps are required for organic labeling. Or that the organic wine can't have added sulfites. Not true.</p><p><b>THE "NEW" OLD WAY TO LABEL WINE: USING THE "INGREDIENTS: ORGANIC GRAPES" LABEL</b></p><p><b>There is a great way</b> to label wine that contain only organic grapes–it's called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes"–but most wineries do not use it. </p><p>Many do not understand that they have the option to put the words <b>"Ingredients: organic grapes" on the back label without having to change anything about their winemaking processes.</b></p><p>------</p><p>Let's dive in.</p><p>There are two issues here–one is certification, and the other, for those who have certified vines, is labeling.</p><p><b>CERTIFICATION COSTS FOR VINES: $11 An Acre in Monterey County; $40 An Acre in Napa</b></p><p>The industry has a long history of describing wines as "practicing organic" when grapes are not certified. The usual excuse is that it costs too much to be certified. However, most people who say that have no idea what certifying <i>wine grapes</i> <i>actually costs.</i> </p><p>In fact, certification of vineyards alone costs about $11 an acre in Monterey County and $40 an acre in Napa, according to <a href="https://winebusinessanalytics.com/features/article/161456/What-It-Costs-to-Be-Certified-Organic-or-Biodynamic" target="_blank">this 2015 article</a> from Wines and Vines (which I wrote way back when). The rate is based on the value of the grapes. In addition the <a href="https://www.ccof.org/page/organic-certification-cost-share-program#:~:text=The%20Organic%20Certification%20Cost%20Share%20Program%20will%20refund%20up%20to,maximum%20of%20%24750%20per%20scope." target="_blank">government pays up to $750 in rebates</a> for certification fees.</p><p>So let's say wine grape prices have gone up since 2015, but by how much? If these were the costs in 2015, it shows that organic wine grape certification is not costly. </p><p>The record-keeping that goes along with certification may be more time consuming, but veteran growers say once you have done it the first time, it is not hard to keep up. They also say the information asked for is what a good grower should be keeping track of anyway. </p><p>Natural winemakers are often quick to say the grapes they use are organic but few use certified grapes. Some are committed to changing that, but their numbers are few and far between. </p><p><b>FOR THOSE WHO HAVE CERTIFIED VINES: </b><b>IS GOVERNMENT MISINFORMATION THE PROBLEM?</b></p><p>Could wineries be confused because the USDA itself obscures this "ingredients: Organic Grapes" information in its handouts? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eNQxtyYtigSZeVGMFKv6rw3oZndoJKb15ckwjQ8haR_JH0aJVxAMUB4-mT-IHHAFngcrC55_QFLbt6HfO57MKsT4SHqdssxCqy1e-9EXc1dH3U3MeZn64AQ26lsf6egcE3RqS59xvXxVIZ7-RIIzheFFzwZ3qmHURHE8hu6QLrXz4LQw50D1VJkS7_FR/s2522/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.01.34%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="2522" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eNQxtyYtigSZeVGMFKv6rw3oZndoJKb15ckwjQ8haR_JH0aJVxAMUB4-mT-IHHAFngcrC55_QFLbt6HfO57MKsT4SHqdssxCqy1e-9EXc1dH3U3MeZn64AQ26lsf6egcE3RqS59xvXxVIZ7-RIIzheFFzwZ3qmHURHE8hu6QLrXz4LQw50D1VJkS7_FR/w400-h146/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.01.34%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Misleading information from USDA Organic Program </b></div><br />Google "ingredients: organic grapes" wine and you find this <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Organic%20Wine%20-%20Oversight-Labeling-Trade.pdf" target="_blank">misleading pdf</a> from the USDA<p></p><p>It mentions only TWO of the THREE ways organically grown wines can be labeled according to the USDA. </p><p>Their overview speaks only to the two types of certified organically grown wines that require winery certification. These are "Organic Wine" and "Made with Organic Grapes" wines. </p><p>Those two categories also require higher fees and stiffer regulations, requiring both the winery and any additives to meet certification rules. </p><p>Here is <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/01/08/organic-101-organic-wine" target="_blank">another top search result</a> (from albeit from 2013), also from the USDA. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGmTYcRUDK3xxTDHiG3ARSx6cRJu_ODg0B9UAJVJg6xueZjtyG_P36HhcLb4xKxHK-5_cIPoWRjH0Gq8s1L4NuOHXQTg77bMPFHQNo6noEdohkgn4c-1bwEBlGAsDaVhgDDUCONbR7fN3_oI8YugqcXrAa7GIjNTIh6U7ZKwxieczJAMfM2o_arXAKWFQ/s2034/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.05.05%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="2034" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGmTYcRUDK3xxTDHiG3ARSx6cRJu_ODg0B9UAJVJg6xueZjtyG_P36HhcLb4xKxHK-5_cIPoWRjH0Gq8s1L4NuOHXQTg77bMPFHQNo6noEdohkgn4c-1bwEBlGAsDaVhgDDUCONbR7fN3_oI8YugqcXrAa7GIjNTIh6U7ZKwxieczJAMfM2o_arXAKWFQ/w400-h88/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.05.05%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>More misleading information from USDA Organic Program </b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On the Organic 101 page (which explains little about the specifics) there's a link to another page and that <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5101613" target="_blank">linked to page</a> has no content. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0dkiRtDvATdce2ni2DCzhQDdn5qlaWq6EkOVrrawyDxrKFqU_CtfSnXn9-7K2xITYlzBzez_Hipgk3mp_Nt8LI35ARx4lEZBZJTp9c4fQIDwSFvYIi_A2ANHt7iP0aqYThEKLX5Z3lbCUUK8zZXtb0UqvgQJL7POTCNFJTQvNPdr_xmXF0aIj51Li-sn/s1440/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%204.54.24%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="608" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0dkiRtDvATdce2ni2DCzhQDdn5qlaWq6EkOVrrawyDxrKFqU_CtfSnXn9-7K2xITYlzBzez_Hipgk3mp_Nt8LI35ARx4lEZBZJTp9c4fQIDwSFvYIi_A2ANHt7iP0aqYThEKLX5Z3lbCUUK8zZXtb0UqvgQJL7POTCNFJTQvNPdr_xmXF0aIj51Li-sn/w270-h640/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%204.54.24%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TTB Labeling for Organic Wine Categories<br />Example shown for "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" <br />displays <i>full ingredient</i> labeling <br />(which is not a USDA NOP requirement for "Ingredients: Organic Grapes")</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The <a href=" https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/wine-labeling-guide.pdf" target="_blank">TTB website</a> fares only marginally better, but is very confusing in the way it provides too many illustrations of label minutiae and not enough on farming or winemaking requirements. It is also misleading in that the one example label shows a full list of ingredients, which is not a USDA NOP guideline. <p></p><p>But it's really not the TTB's job to define the requirements–that is the USDA's NOP's job–and the USDA's online site does not provide sufficient details. </p><p><b>WHERE TO FIND ACCURATE INFORMATION? FROM CCOF</b></p><p>At least one certifier, CCOF does the job well, <a href="https://www.ccof.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/Organic_Wine_Labeling.pdf" target="_blank">explaining "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" wine</a>, providing a pithy, bulleted lists overview of the USDA NOP regulations. It does so accurately, alongside the farming and wine requirements for the two certified wine categories ("Made with Organic Grapes" and "Organic Wine")as well as the "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" category. It's easy to compare the various standards on this one page handout. </p><p>But even the CCOF document is is slightly confusing because the "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" label can only be displayed if the contents are 100 percent from certified grapes. (If it's less than 100 percent, the percent must be displayed. However I have never encountered this on a label. I can only assume it might be more common for a food product.) </p><p>All certifiers are licensed by the NOP and <b>must</b> <b>follow the same USDA NOP regulations</b> on wine labeling. Since CCOF certifies more wine grape vineyards organic than any other certifier in the U.S., it makes sense that they would do a good job of describing the standards. (But why doesn't the federal government?)</p><p>The key difference between the two certified wine categories and the third category of "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" is whether or not the winery is certified organic (not required under the "Ingredients: Organic Grapes") and what additives are permitted. Sulfite caps are also required for certified wines, but not for the "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" which must simply follow the same winemaking regulations as other wines. </p><p> (The "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" wines are not "certified wines" because they do not require the winery to be certified and do not require higher payments but they still allow wineries to say the word "organic"–but only on the back label.)</p><p>Certified wines must pay certification fees on the value of the wine. Ingredients: Organic Grape labelers pay fees only on the value of the grapes. Big difference. </p><p><i>FYI: "Made with Organic Grapes" is very close to what the EU definition of Organic Wine. </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9m2xnVbsSf6R6sFV5rOXKvy8SSv2lPs78a-JPXjp4r3lIBfvzGpCCGmDTUpV3LSAs4YZ6P4pBcANVd1IM6FBGhyphenhyphen0o-i9GHdQsV7KpPi3EvUQnHel9kvMnpmSDe724mBQoT8R3PrbwHHZ6xHjIJHHVFfO6ci7-YBFAmtW6_cF8ClElbDos4pv8498twBOQ/s2486/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.13.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="2486" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9m2xnVbsSf6R6sFV5rOXKvy8SSv2lPs78a-JPXjp4r3lIBfvzGpCCGmDTUpV3LSAs4YZ6P4pBcANVd1IM6FBGhyphenhyphen0o-i9GHdQsV7KpPi3EvUQnHel9kvMnpmSDe724mBQoT8R3PrbwHHZ6xHjIJHHVFfO6ci7-YBFAmtW6_cF8ClElbDos4pv8498twBOQ/w640-h165/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.13.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>And this is it:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_wIG0sZ8NFyllPYeKJ_7FVxzJWOhrquzoieUCpJYcRciMTPWL6Dte1DhUNXFUtyAlJJhqTPx0kMvq7XQYWhxX7SWzrjALezGNDZ7p6Izul36nmy8oAEu9jkOmjNuBRpxIq2klemZS14ic_2WzcgLIJmZj62I30QtCj83ZmYsn___Jo-0bR3R02Ev-Sol/s2562/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.18.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="2562" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_wIG0sZ8NFyllPYeKJ_7FVxzJWOhrquzoieUCpJYcRciMTPWL6Dte1DhUNXFUtyAlJJhqTPx0kMvq7XQYWhxX7SWzrjALezGNDZ7p6Izul36nmy8oAEu9jkOmjNuBRpxIq2klemZS14ic_2WzcgLIJmZj62I30QtCj83ZmYsn___Jo-0bR3R02Ev-Sol/w640-h232/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%201.18.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>ONLY 71 OUT OF 1,654 WINES BOTTLE LABEL "INGREDIENTS: ORGANIC GRAPES" IN USA</b></p><p>A few years ago, Vivino, the world's largest wine app, licensed my database of estate wines grown from certified organic and biodynamic grapes, with the intent of publishing it in their app. Their plans changed under new management, despite their initial desire to publish it after consumer focus groups showed it was a top ask.</p><p>In my database of 1,654 wines:</p><p>• 71 were labeled "Ingredients: Organic Grapes"</p><p>• 298 were labeled "Made with Organic Grapes"</p><p>• 109 were labeled "Organic Wine"</p><p>----</p><p>• 127 were labeled "Made with Biodynamic Grapes"</p><p>• 108 were labeled "Biodynamic Wine"</p><p>----</p><p><b>That means 1,176 wines (out of 1.654) </b>vinified only with certified organic grapes could have used the word organic on the label–but did not. <b>That is 71 percent of wines in my U.S., organic certified vine wines database. </b></p><p>(For wine uber geeks only: I did not include single vineyard wines from wineries who purchased organic or biodynamic grapes from a named certified organic or biodynamic vineyard–only wines from wineries with certified organic estates were included.)</p><p>Note: In using the "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" category, under a USDA NOP regulation, it is not then necessary to list <i>all</i> the ingredients. </p><p>Wineries with certified organic vineyards who do use "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" language and labeling on the back of the bottle are:</p><p>NAPA </p><p>• Beaucanon Estate (which also lists ingredients)</p><p>• Elizabeth Rose (Napa Wine Co.)</p><p>• Ghost Block (Napa Wine Co.)</p><p>• Oakville Winery (Napa Wine Co.)</p><p>• Volker Eisele (on applicable bottles)</p><p>SONOMA</p><p>• Canihan </p><p>• Crazy Flower in Napa and Sonoma</p><p>SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS</p><p>• Silver Mountain (on applicable bottles) in Santa Cruz Mountains </p><p>OREGON</p><p>• Croft </p><p>CALIFORNIA </p><p>• Ridge (on applicable bottles) (also lists ingredients)</p><p><b>A THIRD HURDLE: TTB LABELING APPROVAL</b></p><p>I have heard it countless times: "Our grapes are certified but the TTB won't let us label "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" on the back label even though our certifier says we should be able to."</p><p>Amigo Bob, the great organic leader who founded CCOF and EcoFarm, said he heard from many wine producers over the years that it really depended on who at TTB was handling your label approval. </p><p>Speaking at the TTB hearing online last week, <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/284180?cms_prev=64" target="_blank">consultant Jemma Jorel Lester</a>, of San Francisco based Proper Pour Co., voiced similar complaints about inconsistencies regarding label approvals. "I get varied responses back even on a very consistent set of labels,” she said, adding that getting a label approved for an orange wine (not made from oranges) was denied. </p><p>Colleen Willams (Seps) from Storybook Mountain Vineyards in Napa has been labeling her wines with "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" on the back label (where regulations permit it) for years but says each year she has to educate the TTB person reviewing her labels about the category, showing them the regulations.</p><p>How does this get corrected? Is it time to contact the TTB? (Maybe try the Organic Trade Association? <a href="https://www.ota.com/contact-ota">https://www.ota.com/contact-ota</a>)</p><p><b>THE FOURTH HURDLE: WINE EDUCATORS, WSET PROGRAMS, MASTERS OF WINE AND MASTER SOMMELIERS</b></p><p>How many wine professionals are taught organic and biodynamic wine certifications? </p><p>Course after course, teachers present the labels, which detail so many attributes of the wine's origins, but I have never seen one dive into organic and biodynamic labeling and certification or at least not accurately. </p><p>Let's hope it's just a curious circumstance that has only happened to me, but I would say it is pretty much the norm. The amount of misinformation I see–even printed in 2023 books from world famous authors (I'm not naming names)–is common. One new mega volume even said organic wine could not contain added sulfites. (Very old trope–and inaccurate). </p><p>If this information is not in your wine professional certification program or curriculum, please update your curriculum. These are facts that every wine professional should know. </p><p>Wouldn't it be nice to give consumers the information they're looking for?</p><p>And producers, if you're not certified but say you farm organically, please reconsider. Your public is waiting. You could win brownie points for certification. Especially with Millenials, Gen Z, etc. as well as most medical professionals (who often do care about pesticide free farming). Stand out for all the good reasons. Proclaim your virtue.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-47540721590033383742024-03-01T10:44:00.000-08:002024-03-01T13:14:38.629-08:00March is Women's History Month! Celebrate Paradigm, An Under the Radar Napa Classic: Marilyn Harris on the History of Napa Valley (Podcast)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUVYy8-FMyozl6tWHjriJWX9eneGg9rWrJ_C-YsOeBj3D2aO9Fo2zKNCmtCbB4UMmSXV1Oobr9s-PA4v4sbt-ue3Mtq4HkpgeRU5Hiqp2EF-na_dLVIv85FvSOJLyZ94XPV8fbfQRxmY43DyF56njq5x4fl1RLT44hR5BJ9p9w6sa3QrZv5ss5HnHDJFX/s970/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.33.01%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUVYy8-FMyozl6tWHjriJWX9eneGg9rWrJ_C-YsOeBj3D2aO9Fo2zKNCmtCbB4UMmSXV1Oobr9s-PA4v4sbt-ue3Mtq4HkpgeRU5Hiqp2EF-na_dLVIv85FvSOJLyZ94XPV8fbfQRxmY43DyF56njq5x4fl1RLT44hR5BJ9p9w6sa3QrZv5ss5HnHDJFX/w456-h640/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.33.01%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">To say that Marilyn Harris and her husband Ren Harris are deeply embedded in Napa wine history would be an understatement. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Celebrate Women's History Month!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">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. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyn5pBUwXH9WHhuzyJBGewFplbbwy4FXj-aKh7WZTr_8FMzWOh2POw_GZFjaR9LUp7yZmjDus___GnWCGGlmAgswYNndhcQR3GvC7GRHzutYQUfQWV6REXAS9OLqgyxLucYOyT-1nFP7HFlJyVoR_Np5NSgOBRC34M9bc-9vqkpgY1C0yh0SXqMjzaOnL/s1066/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.50.18%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1066" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyn5pBUwXH9WHhuzyJBGewFplbbwy4FXj-aKh7WZTr_8FMzWOh2POw_GZFjaR9LUp7yZmjDus___GnWCGGlmAgswYNndhcQR3GvC7GRHzutYQUfQWV6REXAS9OLqgyxLucYOyT-1nFP7HFlJyVoR_Np5NSgOBRC34M9bc-9vqkpgY1C0yh0SXqMjzaOnL/w400-h326/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.50.18%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren and Marilyn: Married 59 Years</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Hear this fascinating history of Napa Valley and its wine history from Marilyn, who's lived it all. <div><br /></div><div>Listen here: <a href="https://blisterreview.com/podcasts/crafted-podcast/paradigm-winerys-marilyn-harris-on-napa-valley-the-making-of-a-modern-wine-mecca-ep-30" target="_blank">Podcast</a>.<div><br /></div><div>But wait - there's more: Visit Marilyn and Ren's fabulous <a href="https://paradigmwinery.com" target="_blank">Paradigm Winery</a>–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. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>As one of Napa's most famous winemakers, Barrett is one more reason to celebrate Women's History Month!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XWty8lx8-h07OJra8er9NKqNHkQ8mAzNgPWztSBkZ9pRXJbO968W89GKSsaJa2AFR6dggVkgGLxTTiVBR3-BTS3SB2UzWE4c7IUauTpAvCsu58_Pk-dWBa9CD8g32HSI7POk4ep9O7kNwJCzKnwj0gG5Pm9gUcz9ciTZUbhskDAjTO-xLudg2JJb32oL/s1038/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2011.02.48%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1038" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XWty8lx8-h07OJra8er9NKqNHkQ8mAzNgPWztSBkZ9pRXJbO968W89GKSsaJa2AFR6dggVkgGLxTTiVBR3-BTS3SB2UzWE4c7IUauTpAvCsu58_Pk-dWBa9CD8g32HSI7POk4ep9O7kNwJCzKnwj0gG5Pm9gUcz9ciTZUbhskDAjTO-xLudg2JJb32oL/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2011.02.48%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFiq479Ci0W4E14PCkaINAygYNWIsW1sgLWh4EyfaMSpgeYIYopGAcE5a4_8qDcCLf5JxjD6nngSh8SZ3JqytJjIWxHOcrC9cdDLXSAgnnfoISwTwdEHQL4CnhLixFbwCcnfc2SIu0-kfVcA_VLugEfEv2OxrMFgohsqDZ5WxwNh87HrFHxmcCjIVqhq7/s1176/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.53.13%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1034" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFiq479Ci0W4E14PCkaINAygYNWIsW1sgLWh4EyfaMSpgeYIYopGAcE5a4_8qDcCLf5JxjD6nngSh8SZ3JqytJjIWxHOcrC9cdDLXSAgnnfoISwTwdEHQL4CnhLixFbwCcnfc2SIu0-kfVcA_VLugEfEv2OxrMFgohsqDZ5WxwNh87HrFHxmcCjIVqhq7/w351-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.53.13%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="351" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Marilyn and Ren in 2023</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>PS Paradigm is also one of the great wineries in <a href="http://slowwineusa.com" target="_blank">Slow Wine Guide USA</a>. We awarded them Slow Wine's most prestigious award - the SNAIL. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><i>The winery also belongs to 1 Percent for the Planet.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-2533257063818444262024-02-28T07:44:00.000-08:002024-02-28T10:59:42.309-08:00News from Slow Wine Fair 2024: "Chianti Classico Now More Than 50 Percent Organic'<p><i>Slow Wine Fair features more organic producers every year. Enjoy these remarks from FederBio's president, Maria Grazia Mammuccini on the progress and strategy underlying organic viticulture. </i></p><p><b><a href="https://slowinefair.slowfood.it/en/news-en/why-only-organic-farming-can-promise-us-a-future-interview-with-maria-grazia-mammuccini/" target="_blank">Read more from her Slow Wine Fair interview here</a>. </b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpkmu35nOpyr_vOv_dwjz2f3D0yJLIcAwOMasvcUJzeD-yC30GsGfpeQLGhnNhEI9Nxc9QnUHKLZd74b-vYxSv3IBcb6HWxiiRIrmeq8SHvhTEBJH3kXQj7F2PW3iqlMrZrLwxR8fvYpahsaBfPMKG706eRFPU-nF5-DEAlm9tvz8fHd_2FPvN3_8y1MP/s1328/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%207.39.52%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1328" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpkmu35nOpyr_vOv_dwjz2f3D0yJLIcAwOMasvcUJzeD-yC30GsGfpeQLGhnNhEI9Nxc9QnUHKLZd74b-vYxSv3IBcb6HWxiiRIrmeq8SHvhTEBJH3kXQj7F2PW3iqlMrZrLwxR8fvYpahsaBfPMKG706eRFPU-nF5-DEAlm9tvz8fHd_2FPvN3_8y1MP/w400-h286/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%207.39.52%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="400" /></a></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">“In the last 10 years, organic vineyard surface area has increased by 145%,” emphasizes Maria Grazia Mammuccini, President of FederBio. “Organic viticulture covers an area of almost 136,000 hectares, 19% of the entire national vineyard area, with peaks reaching 38% in some highly suited regions such as Tuscany, where in <b>Chianti Classico, organic vineyards now exceed 50% of the total. </b></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">Organic viticulture is an excellent example of resilience and adaptation to the climate crisis, which simultaneously contributes to preserving soil fertility and ecosystems. It represents a virtuous model capable of combining the value of the territorial identity of our country’s designations of origin with that of organic sustainability.”</p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 11.5px;">“At Slow Wine Fair, which consolidates our partnership with Slow Food and BolognaFiere, we have organized an event dedicated to organic viticulture as a production method to address climate impacts. During this event, we will present concrete examples of <b>biodiversity monitoring and soil quality</b>. These examples allow us to <b>design an agronomic strategy to create a ‘vineyard system’ capable of responding to climatic shocks.</b> This allows us to adopt innovative solutions based on agroecology that are capable of increasing the <b>resilience of plants in their environment.</b>”</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-22393550406426315582024-02-27T13:07:00.000-08:002024-02-28T10:31:41.281-08:00Thank you to our READERS! Just Reached 1 Million Page Views!<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifofjokUNB-EcivX3o4M0rCJRNUbtpCJXqVZ726HWz3OHYYqrYcKeLVYeyTQXVwgdr2ZWTNRuRZTxhCHCSXI0ppO7uE4WDgdrua7rLDVtHS13qOz0xtRzl_25GzvGzhhxATvGnWyCIxdInc_SOKg-q_6n5qlutvWoLzyNKx17Fqi6Su6-gIWczY9e4z4HC/s1780/Screenshot%202024-02-27%20at%201.06.41%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1780" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifofjokUNB-EcivX3o4M0rCJRNUbtpCJXqVZ726HWz3OHYYqrYcKeLVYeyTQXVwgdr2ZWTNRuRZTxhCHCSXI0ppO7uE4WDgdrua7rLDVtHS13qOz0xtRzl_25GzvGzhhxATvGnWyCIxdInc_SOKg-q_6n5qlutvWoLzyNKx17Fqi6Su6-gIWczY9e4z4HC/w640-h300/Screenshot%202024-02-27%20at%201.06.41%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div>When I started this blog, back in May of 2011, I did so after a career in health information and specifically as editor in chief of DNA.com, working on cancer genetics with hot shot scientists from blue chip institutions. A company founded to search for new genetic tests, it was the brainchild of Jim Clark, an A List venture capital maverick. DNA Sciences was funded and created to marry the Human Genome Project and the internet. The first day I arrived, the company was on the front page of the New York Times. High profile. </div><div><br /></div><div>Clark had earlier started WebMD (as well as Netscape), so I became the editor of all things genetic health on WebMD as well as DNA.com, where we had a deep bench of amazing scientists on staff as well as colleagues from many prestigious institutions. For example, DNA discoverer James Watson was on the board. No pressure, Pam, LOL. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my work there, I wrote cheatsheets for doctors, worked with the American Medical Associations genetics leaders, and launched online radio shows with celebrated experts. </div><div>Experts told me, "Genetics aren't the main engine of cancer; non-genetic factors, including the environment, are."</div><div><br /></div><div>So when that editorial position ended (in the mayhem so typical of Silicon Valley ventures), I started to look around for what was next. </div><div><br /></div><div>A trip to Napa with a friend who lived in Calistoga at the time led to interest in wine. </div><div><br /></div><div>Morning coffee with cancer research friends from <a href="https://www.commonweal.org" target="_blank">Commonweal</a> let to my discovery of the Pesticide Use Report, which transfixed me. It was like a secret X-Ray into the soul of wine country, a soul that was pretty dark at that time. Regenerative ag was not yet a thing. And Roundup was not yet in the vocabulary of wine writers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember meeting many WSET types, who reminded me of my art history classes in college. Learn about 50-100 adjectives, and repeat. I never met anyone who had heard of glyphosate or who read the <a href="https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/purmain.htm" target="_blank">Pesticide Use Report</a> (PUR). (I recommend revising the WSET courses and MW and MS tests to remedy that gap.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Back then I was enamored of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkw4EBFJxk4" target="_blank">Huey Johnson</a>, a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m59I8JXIZcs" target="_blank">"green plans" environmental leader,</a> and when I learned his former staffer was working on making the wine industry more sustainable, I wanted to know more. </div><div><br /></div><div>I went on a tour at a winery owned by a Napa Green president, where I was told of bird boxes and other green initiatives. </div><div><br /></div><div>Imagine my disappointment when I looked that winery up on the PUR and saw it used bird and bee neurotoxins. I had help from a wonderful scientist, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-kegley-01967ba/" target="_blank">Susan Kegley</a> (who was chief scientist for Pesticide Action Network at the time), who generously identified the chemicals of concern in Napa and Sonoma and further afield. She even took me to a high level PUR meeting in Sacramento where power users conferred with the PUR database guardians to improve features. </div><div><br /></div><div>I spent countless hours on <a href="https://www.omri.org" target="_blank">OMRI</a>, learning which of the lovely chemical products were approved for organic use and which were not. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am grateful for teachers like Susan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another person who was a great help to me was <a href="https://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2015/01/napa-vintner-and-environmental-leader.html" target="_blank">Volker Eisele</a>, proclaimed as the "lion of land preservation," and featured in James Conaway's Napa books. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was delighted to see <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780395468807" target="_blank">Jack Davies in the first</a> of Conaway's trilogy (<a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780618067398" target="_blank">link to second book here</a>). Davies was my father's roommate at Harvard Business School way back when. </div><div><br /></div><div>I learned more about deeper environmental history roots and the <a href="https://napaagpreserve.org/ag-preserve-about/" target="_blank">history of the ag preserve. </a></div><div><br /></div><div>It seemed odd to me that people in the wine industry looked upon organic viticulture as a surefire way to lose money. The more I looked into it, I dropped my "Debbie Downer" phase (so many pesticides!) and saw other wineries doing great work, winning above average awards and scores and succeeding in their businesses. It was a curious gap in perceptions. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I dug into what was happening in the wine industry, I felt there needed to be a newsy site to track the names of people doing good work under organic certification and to give voice to these wineries who didn't seem to have any association or organization. (They still don't in the U.S.) It's been quite an education–and involved a lot of wine education and wine drinking and new friends and colleagues. It also coincides with the pleasure of tracking improvements in the industry. As well as the greater impacts of climate change. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I think back on 12 years of writing in this blog, I am amazed at the distance we've come. The world is indeed changing. The wheel is turning. That's a good thing...and something to celebrate. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for all the clicks.</div><div><br /></div><div>And for all those wineries doing great work promoting soil health and employee health – A Great Big Thanks. </div><div><br /></div><div>May it continue.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-84564039296042865112024-02-20T19:12:00.000-08:002024-03-11T08:52:58.056-07:00Napa Powerhouses V. Sattui and Castello di Amorosa Both Go Organic on Their 350 Acres of Estate Vines<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKTqP-Rnd0H_cvu1YBr8NJggMaog_Me1kcntBkmrXpr9oHsvO105O_T0QkyotZxQ_piFsdCXMSuCTJuKgM3Sbs3ECNXgf-jDaRYT_sc-mXo_0_H3L3Mzjm1WXYAuxOcB4a1xjFLr7YWXrsXk7pH372vTnilTR_q8u2I4jr_2qX_NK-BM0ZAZ6n9DDZm6E/s1176/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%207.03.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1176" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKTqP-Rnd0H_cvu1YBr8NJggMaog_Me1kcntBkmrXpr9oHsvO105O_T0QkyotZxQ_piFsdCXMSuCTJuKgM3Sbs3ECNXgf-jDaRYT_sc-mXo_0_H3L3Mzjm1WXYAuxOcB4a1xjFLr7YWXrsXk7pH372vTnilTR_q8u2I4jr_2qX_NK-BM0ZAZ6n9DDZm6E/w640-h388/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%207.03.29%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></p><p>After 43 years of business in Napa, Dario Sattui and Tom Davies, winery president, made their move to organics on all 350 acres of estate vines. They grow 26 varieties in four counties. </p><p>Everything is sold direct to consumer, and they're proud to announce to all their customers that they've gone organic.</p><p>They got climate change religion, too, after hearing a U.C. Berkeley business school professor explain carbon to them and now offer their employees money to carpool to work. Among other things. </p><p>Read the article in the current issue of <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pzmLUR4M-QweKI1tXesKPxhq_jD017ms/view" target="_blank">Grape and Wine</a> magazine.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-44988918129780832542024-02-12T10:45:00.000-08:002024-02-13T07:59:21.967-08:00The Bordeaux Club's Classy Gents in New Academie du Vin Book: Could These Old School Influencers Become the Next Masterpiece Theater PBS Series?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLjJ8YM5y8EJs1x3HeEegCoUjoN6S4u3JhnMekA5wUTtL7otRwCqPO9KA17qXY7a7th_GijkeJt17r0V7uS9-L6_xDGP2iPRlKwp-NE80jx1jyy79-8e8lg4qW0MnKvj4DPvgq8b1ilBfav2usH8GQSf3aM-RNLgl_zl_uzN3rdzjGMc9SjuouNjNMgJR/s1162/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%209.50.55%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLjJ8YM5y8EJs1x3HeEegCoUjoN6S4u3JhnMekA5wUTtL7otRwCqPO9KA17qXY7a7th_GijkeJt17r0V7uS9-L6_xDGP2iPRlKwp-NE80jx1jyy79-8e8lg4qW0MnKvj4DPvgq8b1ilBfav2usH8GQSf3aM-RNLgl_zl_uzN3rdzjGMc9SjuouNjNMgJR/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%209.50.55%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="227" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b>The Sanctum Sanctorium of the Classy Gents</b><br /><div><br /></div><div>As the wine loving historian Andrew Roberts (not a club member) writes in his introduction, "Imagine a fictional claret society, in which six distinguished Englishmen meet thricely in black tie at their stately homes, 18th century London clubs or Oxbridge master's lodges, in order to drink, discuss and rate the greatest wines ever produced."</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, thanks to Neil McKendrick, Hugh Johnson and the Academie du Vin Library, you can visit the inner sanctum sanctorium of seven of wine's most highly esteemed Classy Gents in a new book <a href="https://academieduvinlibrary.com/products/the-bordeaux-club" target="_blank">The Bordeaux Club: The Seventy Year Story of Great Wines and the Friends Who Shared Them</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meeting thrice a year in luxurious settings–Hugh Johnson's garden, where they sip Champagne by his apple orchard, at Oxford's prestigious halls, or in wine merchant's splendors–they sample the best of what the post World War II era had to offer, spanning the years from 1949-2019 when close to the last of their breed had died out. </div><div> </div><div>Roberts tells us "...each member competes subtly to serve better food and wine than his five fellows." </div><div><p>He also says, "Associations and societies such as the Bordeaux Club are the very acme of civilization." Hyperbole? Perhaps. (It says something that only Bordeaux is in scope, for the club, an historical fact that shows how much the world of wine has changed.)</p></div><div>While these stories offer their own unique pleasures, they also shed light on the history of Napa and the direction our local wine industry–spanning from low wine to high wine culture–chose to go. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Napa-Bordeaux Connection</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Napa went from jug wine coop for Gallo's Hearty Burgundy to wealthy wine enclave and boomtown, a la a mini-Medoc. The reason is connected to these influencers of the post War era. I call them the Classy Gents and you'll recognize them at once. </div><div><br /></div><div>They're not Robert Mondavi, raised in an Italian immigrant family in Lodi, seeing the prices for Bordeaux wines. But after seeing Bordeaux's economic success, it's no wonder he led the Napa region to commercial and wine success by aping, mimicking and in some cases surpassing (or at least partnering with) the favorite wine of Classy Gents–Bordeaux First Growths–when he launched Opus One, a co-brand with a First Growth–Lafite. </div><div><p>Due in part to England's global wine trade and its long ties to Bordeaux in history (as well as geographic proximity), Bordeaux–and the grape varieties it grows–have been elevated to top dog in world wine prices (until recent decades) as well as dominant grape variety status. Cabernet is a bet Napa made–and won.</p><p>The English authors, merchants, upper class and businessmen so aligned with Bordeaux–and the prices it commanded–indirectly led to Napa's reinvention of itself as a satellite of Bordeaux, catering to marketing for both affluent lifestyles and elitist wine for the wealthy. (Proximity to wealthy San Francisco and Silicon Valley helped).</p><p>It also affected everything in California from the fine wine market–including our internationally celebrated Ridge Vineyard–to the cheapest wine grape vineyards. A fifth of California's vineyards are planted to Cabernet. So the book is highly relevant to our local scene. </p><p>Napa could not command the tasting fees and wine prices it currently does were it not for the Classy Gents and their Bordeaux precedent. </p><div>In 2022, Napa's wine growers produced close to a billion dollars worth of grapes, with Cabernet leading in price per ton at $8,819. French wine professors leading Napa tours for their business school students are astounded by Harlan's Promontory prices–$1,200 for a 2018.</div><p>And today you can <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/want-top-wines-from-napa-buy-from-bordeaux" target="_blank">find Napa wines</a> for sale–Inglenook, Favia, Promontory–at the prestigious La Place de Bordeaux alongside LaTour, et al. </p><p><b>An Intimate Peek</b></p><p>But enough about class and economics. Let's get to the story and the deliciously rendered hedonism, please.</p><p>The volume is a hefty, condensed brick of a book (2.4 pounds, 383 pages) featuring some of wine's most eminent personalities–Hugh Johnson, the notorious historian John Plumb, Michael Broadbent, Simon Berry (yes, of THE Berry Brothers), and Steven Spurrier (of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_(wine)" target="_blank">Tasting of Paris</a> fame, the 1976 contest that brought Napa wines to the world stage). It is rich in content. </p><p>Author and historian <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_McKendrick" target="_blank">Neil McKendrick</a>, once a student of Plumb's, is the club member who took notes for the club which now form the basic backbone of this book–that historical archive will please Bordeaux collectors–along with biosketches of the more illustrious and newsworthy members. Menus of their meals are included along with photos that make their world come to life. </p><p>McKendrick is a good writer, starting off the chapter of the history of the club with, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a wine in possession of a good reputation must be in need of a club." </p><p>Furthermore he writes, wine collectors have wine cellars full of treasures to be shared. A club must be fun, too, he says.</p><p>He writes, "It greatly helps if they (the club members) are colorful, distinguished and interesting characters–and no one can doubt that the Bordeaux Club members were an arrestingly (in some cases alarmingly) colorful crew.They make for very good copy."</p><p>I agree, and thanks to McKendrick, the book is very good copy indeed. There are no technical notes on the wines, with the emphasis on a well rounded picture of the people, places and pleasures. </p><p>In my mind, it seems likely that some U.K. production company might see this club as the perfect subject for a new Masterpiece TV series, don't you think? It's got all the right stuff.</p><p>Thanks to McKendrick, now almost 90, for a shining a light on the pleasures of wine among friends and for sharing it more broadly with us. </p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-60509809770442100052024-02-06T11:12:00.000-08:002024-02-06T11:12:33.042-08:00Slow Wine USA Guide Book Party Featured in Somm Journal! <p>Thanks SOMM Journal for this fabulous coverage of our book launch party in December.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwzLKkPYrA_7qRNXVP-Hd-vZqTRnXRm00KQPYqHa4TKVxHkplaTW37N1ripS0Dt9rkTCCvxtvxUChW6Uw9cJuepxmSJeDndu_wdn7WS_cEjWj8EEJ_9fXeQg7kUhy7momCz0YaVVwiivvLaye938POu3X54bhg9tY4KAr0DEfpAkrgdNaAygVwuiq_xwe/s1324/Screenshot%202024-02-06%20at%2011.09.54%E2%80%AFAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1324" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwzLKkPYrA_7qRNXVP-Hd-vZqTRnXRm00KQPYqHa4TKVxHkplaTW37N1ripS0Dt9rkTCCvxtvxUChW6Uw9cJuepxmSJeDndu_wdn7WS_cEjWj8EEJ_9fXeQg7kUhy7momCz0YaVVwiivvLaye938POu3X54bhg9tY4KAr0DEfpAkrgdNaAygVwuiq_xwe/w640-h614/Screenshot%202024-02-06%20at%2011.09.54%E2%80%AFAM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Read the whole article about the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fiJUcgQDp4iv5gBO20qU1YMAwkNITukE/view?usp=share_link" target="_blank">book launch party here</a>. <p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-11816510811811276542024-02-06T10:09:00.000-08:002024-02-06T10:42:52.487-08:00New Porto Protocol Video Launches - International in Scope<p>Of all the international sustainability groups that I have come across, the one I admire most is <a href="https://www.portoprotocol.com/our-story-purpose/" target="_blank">Porto Protocol</a>, which, in my mind, is kind of like Wikipedia for winegrowers and climate change. It's more of a neighbor to neighbor approach and does not require participants to pay a membership fee. It's focused more on a peer to peer dynamic. </p><p>It has frequent webinars with practicing experts from around the world, comparing notes on its You Tube channel. </p><p>It's now come out with a new 41 min. video (just the thing to watch on nights when California is being drenched yet again with another atmospheric river) which you can watch here.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G9V0mUwP6_M?si=J1OC7e_zibQYV-7n" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-2726297613865493672024-02-01T09:48:00.000-08:002024-02-01T09:48:00.140-08:00Biodiversity Winners Honored at Millésime Bio's Vitis Bio Competition<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmHeDXAUEIRoY7sCDUiuPDv7NIt6Ey1uchmJrJFOmbDpeyqGjIPOUOMJ-B9K9hkf2xGRA5q7GftMVeddv9U1uVg5ATVL4dEakVoPm5KU9BYvhE7ZYwW8ZYOSKXxd5MQg7n1nBpAAuTj1CpAQLFKzgEqb7v5rg5XZcThuWgjHg4MW7bIn0mKBzOB04Sy0j/s826/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2010.10.12%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="826" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmHeDXAUEIRoY7sCDUiuPDv7NIt6Ey1uchmJrJFOmbDpeyqGjIPOUOMJ-B9K9hkf2xGRA5q7GftMVeddv9U1uVg5ATVL4dEakVoPm5KU9BYvhE7ZYwW8ZYOSKXxd5MQg7n1nBpAAuTj1CpAQLFKzgEqb7v5rg5XZcThuWgjHg4MW7bIn0mKBzOB04Sy0j/w489-h137/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%2010.10.12%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="489" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9Fe95JVH93v3I8lQk9m7lufLrKAWt-UhNRP-FENS1yBCIatnmhtLxr8-rddiUEwmwUinMgum3ElKackjAxsthQUdJl90jepEfIU2rvHDKO8RsOnM4qrIFLny76g0T2A_D3h5QINu7cgQ5zGlt8QzsgnG-8awrRC1WFqYmYeql4NgU7RleoUjoXH7DdCl/s1456/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%209.48.03%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1456" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9Fe95JVH93v3I8lQk9m7lufLrKAWt-UhNRP-FENS1yBCIatnmhtLxr8-rddiUEwmwUinMgum3ElKackjAxsthQUdJl90jepEfIU2rvHDKO8RsOnM4qrIFLny76g0T2A_D3h5QINu7cgQ5zGlt8QzsgnG-8awrRC1WFqYmYeql4NgU7RleoUjoXH7DdCl/w640-h420/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%209.48.03%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />The organic wine magazine <a href="https://www.vitisbio.fr" target="_blank">VitisBio</a> and Millésime <a href="https://www.vitisbio.fr/actualite/concours-vitisbio-millesime-bio-la-biodiversite-cest-mon-domaine-remise-des-prix-le-29-janvier/" target="_blank">launched</a> a biodiversity competition for organic wineries. <div><br /></div><div><div>The group wrote, "To participate, winegrowers must be certified organic, exhibitors at the Millésime Bio show on January 29, 30 and 31, 2024 and justify, through a complete form, their actions on their estate for the benefit of biodiversity. </div><div><br /></div><div>They are thus questioned about their approaches in favor of grassy areas (inter-rows, headlands, embankments, fallows, etc.), hedges and wooded areas, other habitats such as ponds, low walls, scree slopes, hollow trees, shelters and shelters installed for wildlife. </div><div>Another point investigated, their choices linked to the diversity at the estate: size of the plot, various grape varieties, productions other than vines, animals in the vineyard, but also the limitation of phytosanitary products…"</div><div><br /></div><div>116 applications were submitted.</div><div><br /></div><div>The jury was made up of the Vitisbio editorial team, managers of Millésime Bio, two wine merchants from the Federation of Independent Wine Merchants and biodiversity experts from the LPO and the Hérault Chamber of Agriculture.</div><div><br /></div><div>Around 30 nominees were selected.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Prizes were awarded to:<p></p><p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); font-size: 14px;">🥇</span>Gold Medals: <a href="https://www.vignedecocagne.fr" target="_blank">Vigne de Cocagne</a>, <a href="https://lesvignoblesdexea.com/5466PY47UL?l=en" target="_blank">Exéa Family</a>, <a href="https://www.carrierepradal.fr" target="_blank">Domaine Carriere Pradal</a></p><p> 🥈 Silver medals: <a href="https://www.lanye-barrac.fr/en/accueil" target="_blank">Lanye-Barrac Vitifarm</a>, <a href="https://www.domaine-campaucels.com" target="_blank">Domaine De Campaucels</a>, <a href="https://en.chateau-lapeyruche.com" target="_blank">Château La Peyruche</a></p><p> 🥉 Bronze medals: <a href="https://domaine-roquenegade.fr" target="_blank">Domaine De Roquenégade</a>, <a href="https://www.mwines.com/Producers/chateau-de-fosse-seche/" target="_blank">Chateau De Fosse Seche</a>, <a href="https://www.le-loup-bleu.com" target="_blank">Domaine Le Loup Bleu</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10vkMFjo0reWMklDxRml4kC2GNokAFuNxiWpkjLJpE-sDfyqQJEMlQaPB7JISh4-ceeYCuBZjYYmfSGZ0Jn83yfdBIBZIxuxKc0REb-AnFzvdPgosbxFbDfOM7hhqhnW4UYB1udhh9bE6htBRt6wxe0Bipg8eIGTS4DUbgJXBisGOLuh0p7aldLrp3ff9/s1032/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%209.50.29%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="846" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10vkMFjo0reWMklDxRml4kC2GNokAFuNxiWpkjLJpE-sDfyqQJEMlQaPB7JISh4-ceeYCuBZjYYmfSGZ0Jn83yfdBIBZIxuxKc0REb-AnFzvdPgosbxFbDfOM7hhqhnW4UYB1udhh9bE6htBRt6wxe0Bipg8eIGTS4DUbgJXBisGOLuh0p7aldLrp3ff9/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%209.50.29%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="262" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-76998411144553901252024-01-31T09:42:00.000-08:002024-01-31T09:42:23.728-08:00Update from the World's Largest Organic Wine Fair: Millésime Celebrating Its 31st Anniversary <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTXeYo4QSLMtkIn_CQuMLthjoJroX9421JXnLo1TbbFnPkHAs_ZS2H6qPWRK1dRjfx_zirhuemC18PBqXyTZa6Q7Mq-fXwnCFDQeQT7-xzCnCtT3QcKnY4SQWsKLQ__zdSFb5mop19Dh7aluIgQEL4e4zSft7SFXTvcRvUxR1qPiZywm1DvAj_D-Bdxa5/s1712/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%209.36.56%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1712" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTXeYo4QSLMtkIn_CQuMLthjoJroX9421JXnLo1TbbFnPkHAs_ZS2H6qPWRK1dRjfx_zirhuemC18PBqXyTZa6Q7Mq-fXwnCFDQeQT7-xzCnCtT3QcKnY4SQWsKLQ__zdSFb5mop19Dh7aluIgQEL4e4zSft7SFXTvcRvUxR1qPiZywm1DvAj_D-Bdxa5/w640-h421/Screenshot%202024-01-31%20at%209.36.56%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>Held in Montpelier this year, its usual location, the largest organic wine fair in the world was a success yet again as the market for organic drinks across different alcoholic beverage types expands.</p><p>Here's what the group posted on its <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/millesime-bio/" target="_blank">LinkedIn page</a> today:</p><p>"Despite the agricultural movement, visitors were there with nearly 10,000 visits in three days...</p><p>2024 was a great edition that demonstrates the dynamics of the show with new features such as a common area for organic alcohols, spaces in the wine library for biodynamic wines and bulk wines or the "Biodiversity, it's my domain!" competition which rewarded 9 winegrowers who had implemented an approach aimed at strengthening the resilience of ecosystems..." </p><p>Jeanne Fabre, President of SudVinBio's Organic Millésime Commission</p><p>Having just attended the vineyards and biodiversity conference in Avignon, sponsored by OIV, I look forward to sharing more of the biodiversity efforts going on in the EU.</p><p>Bravo to Millésime for carrying the flag forward and educating buyers about the importance of good farming practices for the health of all.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-47033504307922707572024-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:002024-01-09T10:46:29.758-08:00GunBun Drops New Video on its Regenerative Organic Certification <p>Telling the story is important. And you can so feel the difference here in this video between a family owned winery and one owned by a corporation. </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yFTSdOphFxM?si=ZIPebRVfS895ct56" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Thank you, GunBun, for including your vineyard manager, too!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-48600362770783322012024-01-06T09:56:00.000-08:002024-01-06T10:03:16.616-08:00Biodiversity and Ecosystem Approach at Chateau Galoupet <p>As I get ready to head to Avignon for the second Vineyards and Biodiversity conference Jan 18-19, thoughts of the first one are running through my head. At that time, Mathieu Meyer, Estate Director of Château Galoupet, presented what their impressive team of scientists and viticulturists are doing to restore native ecology on the estate, which is dedicated to (organic) rosé.</p><p>You can see how far they've come today here:</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NA9_dFESA4I?si=2F06ejSdRxTpk-oG" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>For more info, <a href="https://www.lvmh.com/talents/immersion/first-person/jessica-julmy/#:~:text=In%20this%20sixth%20episode%2C%20Jessica,with%20our%20LIFE%20360%20program." target="_blank">visit their site</a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-54990363323749947352024-01-03T11:37:00.000-08:002024-01-05T11:13:19.408-08:00Author Picks: Favorites I Wrote About for Wine Business in 2023<p>Here are some of my favorite stories from the year that was–they were stories that I learned the most from researching and writing or that reflected BIG trends in the wine industry. </p><p>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/280273" target="_blank">Napa Valley Grape Growers Cut Roundup Use in Half, Evaluate Weed Control Strategies Amidst Shifting Consumer and Community Opinions</a></p><div>Who knew (until the Napa Valley Grapegrowers' data analyst presented the numbers) that the county's growers had cut their Roundup use in half in the last five years. </div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/279829" target="_blank">Fire Insurance Expert Panel Tells Wine Execs - "Mitigate, Mitigate, and Then Mitigate Some More"</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Wine Industry Financial Symposium each year presents an outstanding program of business-oriented topics and this was one of the best of the 2023 event. There is hope –and action–by telling your story. I was impressed by what local agents are doing to persuade insurers to rethink the numbers.</div><p>• <a href="• Supermarket Giants Safeway and Albertsons Enter the World of Online Fine Wine with Direct Shipping" target="_blank">Supermarket Giants Safeway and Albertsons Enter the World of Online Fine Wine with Direct Shipping</a></p><div>For most people, the supermarket IS their wine store, so how exciting to see the megachain taking its wine marketing muscle to a broader audience. It will be interesting to see how successful Safeway et al are. Since most wine is sold at supermarkets, wineries should be excited, too–a big opportunity to increase upsell. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/277205" target="_blank">The California Race to Stop the Invasion of the Dreaded Spotted Lanternfly</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>It sounded like sci fi but it wasn't. Until the international biodiversity report on invasive alien species came out I, like most wine writers/journalists (and I'm sorry to say this) have not paid attention to the fact that most chemical agriculture exists to counteract the impact of invasive species. And then in the country's sites–the potential scourge of the spotted lanternfly is on the horizon. While industry leaders bemoan declining wine sales, the lanternfly threat is far more serious, if less immediately apparent. It could wipe out the entire wine industry in a flash. Let's hope, of course, that it doesn't get that chance. Some scientists are focused on solutions.</div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/276328" target="_blank">Nonalcoholic Wines: Emerging Innovators and Big Guns Enter the Growing $56 Million+ Category</a></div><div><br /></div><div>This story seemed to have hit a nerve, as it showed up as the most popular one on WineBusiness.com for days and days after it was first posted. Once dismissed as irrelevant and for teetotalers only, this segment is grow grow growing. And for reasons, people didn't usually think of–like, I want to keep drinking with my friends, I have to drive home, but I'll just make my third glass of wine NA. </div><p>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/270708" target="_blank">From Wood Chips and Mushroom Extracts to Vintner Coalitions: Government Funded Ecosystem Restoration Projects Enhance Vineyard Resilience</a></p><p>A fire remediation story no one has written about, but everyone should be writing about. Let's chart a better roadmap to resilience than the conventional "wisdom" offers. </p><p>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/267353" target="_blank">California Pesticide Regulators Set a New Course to Reduce Toxic Chemicals</a></p><p></p><p>In keeping with the international move to safer conventional farming, California's collected a diverse group of what I call "the lambs and the lions"–i.e. a wide spectrum of opinions and needs on conventional farming chemicals. This groundbreaking consortium laid out policy recommendations that the ag industry can expect to see implemented. Subsequent signaling from DPR shows that fumigant reduction tops the list. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-21657759281938076332024-01-03T10:51:00.000-08:002024-01-03T10:52:46.459-08:00Just a Cool Video<p> I wish we saw more thinking (and videos) like this in the U.S. This is a very cool bucket list. </p><p><br /></p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NDyad4BqhsA?si=KCmIXjfpYPpQu_Cu" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-48830734316399252312023-12-29T11:24:00.000-08:002023-12-29T12:01:27.627-08:00What You Read | The Top Blog Posts of 2023<p>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. </p><p>While I have happily been doing much more writing for WineBusiness.com along with Grape and Wine magazine (see my <a href="https://winecountrygeographic.com/wine-journalism" target="_blank">regular site's archive</a> for those), I did find a little time to write more about some specialized topics here. </p><p><b>STORIES ABOUT ORGANICS</b></p><p>• <a href="https://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/08/californias-organic-wave-wine-grape.html" target="_blank">California's Organic Wave: Wine Grape Acreage Increases By 1,774 Acres in Last 12 Months - Napa Increase is 1,000+</a></p><p>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.</p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/07/organic-grows-in-napa-organic-estate.html" target="_blank">Napa Grows Organic Production: Up 33% From 2020-2022</a></p><p>Napa's organic registrants goes up, up, up. (Later on, I counted it as 14% of the county's planted vineyard acreage.)</p><p><b>FEATURED WINERIES</b></p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/11/gunbuns-jeff-virnig-how-wedded-to-earth.html" target="_blank">GunBun's Jeff Bundschu "How Wedded to the Earth Clock We Are" | Heartfelt Humble Bragging Talk Opens Global Buyers Marketplace</a></p><p>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.</p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/09/meet-napas-newest-and-biggest-organic.html" target="_blank">Meet Napa's Third Largest Organic Vineyard Owner, Jackson Family Wines, and Its Organic Napa Estates</a></p><p>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. </p><p>(See my article in Grape and Wine magazine for more on <a href="https://issuu.com/myaglife/docs/gw_january_2024_e" target="_blank">this story</a>.)</p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/09/fancy-organic-dry-creek-winery-quiviras.html" target="_blank">Fancy an Organic Dry Creek Winery? Quivira's For Sale | $24 Million Price Tag</a></p><p>Historic Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc star producer seeks new owners. </p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/03/oregon-wine-board-founders-award-for-dr.html" target="_blank">Oregon Wine Board Founders Award for Dr Robert Gross; Second Major Award Win for a Biodynamic Producer in Oregon</a></p><p>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 <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2021/12/cooper-mountain-vineyards-continues-its.html" target="_blank">expanding biodynamic estate</a>. Well deserved kudos. They've been a great role model for the region.</p><p><b>HISTORIC PASSINGS</b></p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/07/grgich-100-birthday-celebration-july-1.html" target="_blank">Grgich 100th Birthday Celebration July 1 Brings Out the Fans</a></p><p>Croatian dancers served Croatian style sausages, the local priest officiated, and Chardonnay was downed in celebration of the master winemaker's 100th birthday. </p><p>(See my WineBusiness.com story about the winery's grand tasting of his historic wines in his honor <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/271774" target="_blank">here</a>.)</p><p>• <a href="https://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/06/paul-dolan-obituary-plus-quote-from.html" target="_blank">Paul Dolan In Memoriam</a> </p><p>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 <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/273179" target="_blank">WineBusiness.com here</a>. </p><p><b>SLOW WINE</b> </p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/05/slow-wine-guide-2023-book-review.html" target="_blank">Slow Wine Guide 2023 Book Review on YouTube: 98 Points! Thank You, James the Wine Guy</a></p><p>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! </p><p>But of course, the winery profiles, curation of included wineries and wine and winery awards are fabulous. Buy the <a href="http://slowwineusa.com" target="_blank">new 2024 guide here</a>.</p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/03/slow-wine-usa-tour-better-together.html" target="_blank">Slow Wine USA Tour: Better Together - American and Italian Wineries Pour at SF Tasting</a></p><p>This week Elin McCoy of Bloomberg published her <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-28/50-best-wines-under-50-from-expert-elin-mccoy-who-sampled-3-243-in-2023" target="_blank">50 best affordable wines</a> 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. </p><p><b>ROUNDUP HERBICIDE</b></p><p>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/12/must-see-movie-into-weeds-gets-100.html" target="_blank">Must See Movie INTO THE WEEDS Gets 100 Percent Thumbs Up Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: Critic Calls It "Compulsively Watchable"</a></p><p>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 <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/280618" target="_blank">Napa Green</a> and <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/280273" target="_blank">Napa Valley Grapegrowers</a>) point out. The bad press from court cases has led consumers to ask questions about the herbicide's safety. </p><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-51880088914595637212023-12-28T16:17:00.000-08:002023-12-28T16:21:25.012-08:00Sonoma's Organic Vineyards Growth Slows Dramatically | Hovering at 4 Percent<p><b>PERCENTAGE OF ORGANIC VINES IN SONOMA</b></p><p>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.</p><p>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<b> 4 percent. </b></p><p>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).</p><p><b>SONOMA ORGANIC VINEYARD TRENDS</b></p><p>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. </p><p>In 2021, Donum added 202 acres to the county's organic acreage followed in 2022 by GunBun with 264 in 2022.</p><p>But in 2023, only 40.5 new acres were added - or roughly just 20 percent of the new growth seen in 2021 and 2022. </p><p>Furthermore, many vineyards surrendered their organic certifications. </p><p><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" data-sheets-root="1" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="177"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2021}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>2021</b></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Donum"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Donum</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":202}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">202</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hanzell"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hanzell</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":46}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">46</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Hobo + WINE"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Hobo + WINE</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Mendoza"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Mendoza</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":4}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">4</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUM(R[-4]C[-1]:R[-1]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":264}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">264</td></tr></tbody></table><p><google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></p><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" data-sheets-root="1" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="177"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2022}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>2022</b></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"DesForges"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">DesForges</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5.5}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5.5</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Grist"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Grist</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":68}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">68</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"New Puli"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">New Puli</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":1.9}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1.9</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><br /></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Abbots Passage"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Abbots Passage</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":40}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">40</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Vineburg LLC dba Gundlach Bundschu Winery"}" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: normal; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: normal;">Vineburg LLC dba Gundlach Bundschu Winery</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":264}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">264</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUM(R[-5]C[-1]:R[-1]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":379.4}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">379.4</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><google-sheets-html-origin><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" data-sheets-root="1" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="177"></col><col width="100"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":2023}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><b>2023</b></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"RAEN"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">RAEN</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":7}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">7</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bazzano"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Bazzano</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">15</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Fifth hill (Ned Hill)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Fifth Hill (Ned Hill)</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":13}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">13</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Sophie James"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Sophie James</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":5.5}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">5.5</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUM(R[-4]C[-1]:R[-1]C[-1])" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":40.5}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">40.5</td></tr></tbody></table><div><google-sheets-html-origin><br /></google-sheets-html-origin></div><b>DECERTIFICATION</b></google-sheets-html-origin><div><br /></div><div>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. <div><google-sheets-html-origin><br /></google-sheets-html-origin></div><div><google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" data-sheets-root="1" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; table-layout: fixed; width: 0px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><colgroup><col width="226"></col><col width="100"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"2020-2023"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-weight: bold; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">2020-2023</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Brereton"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Brereton</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"?"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"> NA</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Charlie Smith"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Charlie Smith</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"?"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"> NA</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bucher Farms"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Bucher Farms</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":38}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">38</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bartholomew"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Bartholomew</td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":22}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">22</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cassata Sonoma"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cassata Sonoma</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":21}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">21</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Amapola Creek (in 2020)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amapola Creek (in 2020)</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":20}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">20</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Benovia Winery (Cohn Vineyard)"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Benovia Winery (Cohn Vineyard)</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":18}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">18</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Larson Family Winery"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Larson Family Winery</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":15}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">15</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Belli Vineyards"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Belli Vineyards</span></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":12}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">12</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td data-sheets-formula="=SUM(R[-9]C[0]:R[-1]C[0])" data-sheets-value="{"1":3,"3":146}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-weight: bold; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">146</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Korbel"}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><br /></td><td data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"handling "}" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin><br /></google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></div>Two steps forward, one step back?</google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></div><div><google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin><br /></google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></div><div><google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin>Meanwhile, Ridge Vineyards continues to hold the top spot with 266 acres of organic vines, followed by Donum and GunBun.</google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></div><div><google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin><br /></google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></div><div><google-sheets-html-origin><google-sheets-html-origin>Other major organic players include Benziger and Eco Terreno each with 100 acres and Hamel which has 97. </google-sheets-html-origin></google-sheets-html-origin></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-83477120866536506012023-12-24T17:01:00.000-08:002024-01-03T10:28:40.029-08:00Talking about Slow Wine, Roundup, and Lots More | With Sam Coturri and Friends on their "The Wine Makers" Podcast | AKA "The Car Talk" Of Wine<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6RW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="1520" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6RWVTxLtdJWSeg9BAb_-iURspfQSac9GNaDvcttlvCN9q3a38QQD6cgyxZqtpefbgIlkRPqDKntZepVFQPaWWjGgv-utBDvlVtxbQTCRDCHzb0uSCRbKmexSeEAUqMI_Jz5nqDaxscf574gaw2xHCzB07hWRvjrrBhb68RcKMV34EZYnMyjIie7-nMcs/w640-h421/Screenshot%202023-12-24%20at%201.39.27%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>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 <a href="https://www.winerysixteen600.com" target="_blank">Winery Sixteen 600</a>) and his merry band of <a href="https://radiomisfits.com/twm303/" target="_blank">podcast </a>brothers– Brian Casey (former <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sonomawinelover/" target="_blank">somm</a> at Girl and the Fig), Bart Hansen (winemaker and owner of <a href="https://www.danecellars.com" target="_blank">Dane Cellars</a>) and host John Myers (a radio professional)–to talk about Slow Wine, Cal recycles, Roundup herbicide and so many other things on <a href="https://radiomisfits.com/twm303/" target="_blank">their podcast The Wine Makers</a>.<div><br /></div><div>You can <a href="https://radiomisfits.com/twm303/" target="_blank">hear the episode here</a>. <p></p><div>I'd say they are the "<a href="https://www.cartalk.com" target="_blank">car talk</a>" of wine–with the jokes whizzing by, conversation, questions and a totally unpretentious vibe. </div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div><div>This free ranging conversation covered a lot of territory and I am sure many listeners might want to know more. </div><div><br /></div><div>So Here Are <b>The Show Footnotes.</b> (Not to be confused with Sam's very well done show notes on the podcast.) </div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="http://slowwineusa.com" target="_blank">Slow Wine USA</a> is where to find more info about Slow Wine and the 2024 guide. See some of our "bell ding" worthy deets and <a href="https://www.slowwineusa.com/press" target="_blank">rave reviews</a>. (The second edition will be out in January 2024). </div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="http://WineCountryGeographic.com">WineCountryGeographic.com</a> is my own site and my blog is linked from there. (You're on the blog now if you're reading this). </div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2023/12/must-see-movie-into-weeds-gets-100.html" target="_blank">Into the Weeds</a> is the link to the Roundup film. </div><div><br /></div><div>• Lower birthweight babies in heavy Roundup use areas | <a href="https://medicine.iu.edu/news/2022/10/environmental-health-glyphosate-exposure-study#:~:text=In%20the%20study%2C%20published%20recently,have%20conducted%20with%20significant%20findings." target="_blank">Study: high exposure to glyphosate in pregnancy could cause lower birth weights in babies</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• Last month lawsuit $1 billion | <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/bayer-ordered-pay-156-billion-latest-us-trial-loss-over-roundup-weedkiller-2023-11-19/" target="_blank">Bayer ordered to pay $1.56 billion in latest US trial loss over Roundup weedkiller</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• New U.C. Berkeley study (Idaho) <a href="https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/research-highlights/childhood-exposure-to-common-herbicide-may-increase-the-risk-of-disease-in-young-adulthood/" target="_blank">Childhood exposure to common herbicide may increase the risk of disease in young adulthood</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• Pesticide use map - glyphosate used on wine grapes (at <a href="https://trackingcalifornia.org/pesticides/pesticide-mapping-tool" target="_blank">Tracking California</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div>Data from Pesticide Use Report, California Department of Pesticide Regulation (<a href="https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/pur21rep/21_pur.htm" target="_blank">aggregated</a>) and from county ag commissioners (individual site data available upon request by county)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OPrdBC6It6d4Ls3RTEYSNQpWZcrBLiGzDL96wFTDygTSe1UG7y9XYNpkeu5luvEPjEheDdcckl0zZA6_LP6mWfXjxuJGtjx7qf-DBiN2e_2NQjpQzY7n1w3QpGKJVG6H-YU8W3IkHYrMrgWybDI4jFRLTojTuqwfiq5fqmO512Y1ExPvkaA6MJF6_slI/s1432/Screenshot%202023-12-24%20at%202.20.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="1416" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OPrdBC6It6d4Ls3RTEYSNQpWZcrBLiGzDL96wFTDygTSe1UG7y9XYNpkeu5luvEPjEheDdcckl0zZA6_LP6mWfXjxuJGtjx7qf-DBiN2e_2NQjpQzY7n1w3QpGKJVG6H-YU8W3IkHYrMrgWybDI4jFRLTojTuqwfiq5fqmO512Y1ExPvkaA6MJF6_slI/w632-h640/Screenshot%202023-12-24%20at%202.20.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUjo3VyiB3l_sdSdMflACQ5zonmDh6o-PvywDP9-PNIJI-gBCDZ07hVi4OJIGqvH1OjPPxtan_GTloUKOzY7ABMG6MHJmr-8kz5wZwLwCoBU7Veksvr9ZeLRTCxTIaAjjXB_QbZ39DMnLEggt5WyZLQAmPT6sbgepvvTypzWHciZFH8dw6TlE_5HXLOro/s1424/Screenshot%202023-12-24%20at%202.22.01%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="1414" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUjo3VyiB3l_sdSdMflACQ5zonmDh6o-PvywDP9-PNIJI-gBCDZ07hVi4OJIGqvH1OjPPxtan_GTloUKOzY7ABMG6MHJmr-8kz5wZwLwCoBU7Veksvr9ZeLRTCxTIaAjjXB_QbZ39DMnLEggt5WyZLQAmPT6sbgepvvTypzWHciZFH8dw6TlE_5HXLOro/w634-h640/Screenshot%202023-12-24%20at%202.22.01%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="634" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><div>• Lodi and Ledbetter | <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/279323" target="_blank">Organic Farming Costs: Craig Ledbetter Offers Insight Into Fertilizers, IPM and Clients Who Prefer Handpicking</a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">• Winery Brands Going Organic at Scale…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">---Scheid Vineyards' new organic brand | <a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2023/01/18/scheid-family-wines-introduces-organically-grown-grandeur-brand" target="_blank">Scheid Family Wines Introduces Organically Grown Grandeur Brand</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">---Shannon | <a href="https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2023/03/29/shannon-family-of-wines-releases-their-first-ccof-certified-organic-wines" target="_blank">Shannon Family of Wines Releases Their First CCOF Certified Organic Wines</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://cafnrfaculty.missouri.edu/rkremersoilhealth/" target="_blank">Bob Kremer</a>, veteran USDA glyphosate researcher </div><div>“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.” </div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/280618" target="_blank">"It Goes Against Our Focus on Soil Health" - Napa Green Phases Out Synthetic Herbicides (including Roundup)</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>• <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/280273" target="_blank">Napa Valley Grape Growers Cut Roundup Use in Half, Evaluate Weed Control Strategies Amidst Shifting Consumer and Community</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6096560" target="_blank">2018 Austrian study</a>: three leading herbicides–flazasulfuron, glufosinate, and glyphosate–“reduced grapevine root mycorrhization on average by 53 percent compared to mechanical weeding.” </div></div><div><br /></div><div>• Organic and Biodynamic Scores | <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/241973" target="_blank">French Critics Rate Organic and Biodynamic Wines 6-12 Points Higher in Scores Compared to Conventional or Sustainable Wines, Wine Economists Find</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• CRV </div><div><br /></div><div>---Winebusiness.com | <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/274455" target="_blank">Nickels and Dimes: Wine Industry Prepares for California's New Bottle Bill Redemption Requirement</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>---<a href=" https://calrecycle.ca.gov/BevContainer/BevDistMan/" target="_blank">State CalRecycle site for alcoholic beverage producers</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Labeling is actually required 18 months from Jan. 2024 AND THAT IS July 2025 - NOT BY JAN. 1 2024 (erroneously stated in podcast)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>• Wastewater | <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rjsD6pYKprIeYLAda9M1ZKEuZv-EjHIE/view?pli=1" target="_blank">New Winery Wastewater Order: Regulatory Overkill or Ecosystem Essential?</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://glyphosatestudy.org/press-release/global-glyphosate-study-makes-leukemia-data-publicly-available/" target="_blank">Global Glyphosate Study</a> from the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna </div><div><br /></div><div>• Polls in EU on Roundup Link | <a href="https://www.pan-europe.info/blog/almost-300-scientists-100-profs-call-government-belgium-and-netherlands-vote-no-glyphosate#:~:text=A%20clear%20majority%20of%20citizens,environmental%20impact%20of%20pesticide%20use." target="_blank">Almost 300 scientists - 100+ profs - call on the government in Belgium and the Netherlands to vote no to glyphosate</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• Tiny amounts of Roundup genotoxic at low doses - (I meant to say the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15012217/#:~:text=The%20shikimate%20pathway%20links%20metabolism,and%20many%20aromatic%20secondary%20metabolites." target="_blank">Shikamate Pathway</a>) The Guardian | <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/20/glyphosate-weedkiller-cancer-biomarkers-urine-study" target="_blank">People exposed to weedkiller chemical have cancer biomarkers in urine – study</a></div><div>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</div><div><br /></div><div>• U.C. San Diego Study | <a href="https://health.ucsd.edu/news/press-releases/2019-05-14-herbicide-linked-to-human-liver-disease/#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20glyphosate%2C%20the%20primary,of%20nonalcoholic%20fatty%20liver%20disease&text=%E2%80%8BGlyphosate%2C%20the%20primary%20ingredient,liver%20disease%20in%20animal%20models." target="_blank">It’s in the Weeds: Herbicide Linked to Human Liver Disease</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/bayer-to-pull-glyphosate-from-stores-due-to-cancer-lawsuits/#:~:text=Bayer%20announced%20it%20would%20take,chemicals%20potential%20to%20cause%20cancer." target="_blank">Bayer to pull glyphosate from stores due to cancer lawsuits </a></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.wisnerbaum.com/toxic-tort-law/monsanto-roundup-lawsuit/where-is-glyphosate-banned-/" target="_blank">Where Roundup is banned</a> (scroll down down down on that page for California towns)</div><div><br /></div><div>• The Guardian | <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/06/weedkiller-pregnant-women-near-farms">Pregnant women near farms had higher weedkiller levels during spraying season</a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>• The Guardian - EPA whistleblower | <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/15/epa-failing-public-health-pesticides-chemicals" target="_blank">Former EPA official says agency fails to protect public from toxic pesticides</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://careygillam.com" target="_blank">Carey Gillam</a> articles and books including</div><div><br /></div><div>---<a href="https://islandpress.org/books/whitewash" target="_blank">Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science</a>, winner of the 2018 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award</div><div><br /></div><div>---<a href="https://careygillam.com/books/the-monsanto-papers" target="_blank">The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man's Search for Justice</a></div><div><br /></div><div>• <a href="https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/idaho-study-people-living-near-farms-have-greater-exposure-to-common-potentially-harmful-pesticide-during/article_fadd4f30-93ab-11ee-baed-9fc398b922a6.html" target="_blank">Idaho study: People living near farms have greater exposure to common, potentially harmful pesticide during spray season</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>That's it for now. Enjoy the holidays with a nice glass of Slow Wine!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-53522552427198044472023-12-21T10:25:00.000-08:002023-12-21T11:31:16.466-08:00Slow Wine Guide 2024 USA Is NOW SHIPPING | A Great Holiday Gift! And The Best Source for Organic or Biodynamic Wines From Certified Vines<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrDoUVwYD6wgg-etO6TiVHCzVF6BI0UZ3I88bznKkzEapt4fRuKKqNV8sbYBGzw491vgIIqy2dIohEnzKCgiW38gI99zHTtpjFelV9BEairag0nTcvQoT5sYYZ817vtsqB-L_uwUc_hcaWHrFl6k8WLXJ0rXL0npzLHJJoVb0DThaJwna7u2p8NTeIIpt/s2648/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%2010.27.56%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2648" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrDoUVwYD6wgg-etO6TiVHCzVF6BI0UZ3I88bznKkzEapt4fRuKKqNV8sbYBGzw491vgIIqy2dIohEnzKCgiW38gI99zHTtpjFelV9BEairag0nTcvQoT5sYYZ817vtsqB-L_uwUc_hcaWHrFl6k8WLXJ0rXL0npzLHJJoVb0DThaJwna7u2p8NTeIIpt/w640-h348/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%2010.27.56%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />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. <p></p><p>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. </p><p>(The Italian version has long been the best selling wine book in Italy.)</p><p>Perfect for holiday gift giving!</p><p>Visit <a href="http://SLOWWINEUSA.COM">SLOWWINEUSA.COM</a> to learn:</p><p>• Who writes Slow Wine Guide? </p><p>• What are the criteria to be in Slow Wine Guide? </p><p>• How can you find "affordable" artisanal wines? (Answer: using the Everyday Wine category in the book.)</p><p>See an excerpt from a past guide (2022) <a href="https://issuu.com/oro_editions/docs/slow-wine-look?fr=sM2JkYTQ5MjQ3MjY" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>You can use the guide for trip planning, too, as the wineries are now listed within region chapters.</p><p>A NEW REVIEW - SEE WHAT SIP MAGAZINE SAYS</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23AXLqF_D3bSpHthaz4KyGenMoYvy5PqtuN__xTGqVq5qD0M8yg-JRNuflW_i6yT4oB-QNZatE3tWECFQAW0VvRXDyZ1-VxVTKtC-G1-8whz6AflIHrB2bjPS4djTo98fGXzziMEisOb3YU73FfkeeIqsm5YyNy7dRTbTs1RAPP_CK_oTSVS6eVeS6FqJ/s1420/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%2010.56.30%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1420" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23AXLqF_D3bSpHthaz4KyGenMoYvy5PqtuN__xTGqVq5qD0M8yg-JRNuflW_i6yT4oB-QNZatE3tWECFQAW0VvRXDyZ1-VxVTKtC-G1-8whz6AflIHrB2bjPS4djTo98fGXzziMEisOb3YU73FfkeeIqsm5YyNy7dRTbTs1RAPP_CK_oTSVS6eVeS6FqJ/w640-h346/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%2010.56.30%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>ECO CERTIFIED WINES</p><p>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.</p><p>---BIODYNAMIC</p><p>• 157 (of the 406) wineries have estates that are either biodynamic, converting to biodynamic, or source grapes from certified biodynamic vines.</p><p>---ORGANIC</p><p>• 253 (of the 406) have estates that are either organic, converting to organic, or source grapes from certified organic vines</p><p><b>NEW THIS YEAR</b></p><p>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. </p><p>(However, the nonprofit Slow Wine USA receives the most benefit and support when you purchase <a href="http://slowwineusa.com" target="_blank">on our website here</a>.) Thank you for your support.</p><p>Discounts of 30% offered with minimum purchase of 6 books.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7_Q89VUHFRBdCBQ0wP36moyOX2tmaBIBk9WIRQFQIb4N4plK1M8ZAiCHSjRnhjnIKg-aWfCC93yLsTanQw8-R0_o1aUYG2Fo-DwEuJjoh7UwmHuBXuagY4j3Nb3J-Fgep3bs79mmOKWVyMY-Tsag6IftUvOdZAsiAEzqMCIcVQ5KTYAaet3NkOD8XFzk/s1112/Screenshot%202023-11-30%20at%209.00.04%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="936" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7_Q89VUHFRBdCBQ0wP36moyOX2tmaBIBk9WIRQFQIb4N4plK1M8ZAiCHSjRnhjnIKg-aWfCC93yLsTanQw8-R0_o1aUYG2Fo-DwEuJjoh7UwmHuBXuagY4j3Nb3J-Fgep3bs79mmOKWVyMY-Tsag6IftUvOdZAsiAEzqMCIcVQ5KTYAaet3NkOD8XFzk/w538-h640/Screenshot%202023-11-30%20at%209.00.04%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="538" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-68940891704395234492023-12-18T09:06:00.000-08:002023-12-18T18:07:09.974-08:00Must See Movie INTO THE WEEDS Gets 100 Percent Thumbs Up Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes: Critic Calls It "Compulsively Watchable"<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AEWr98SBoJM?si=55aQb2zoCy-51JU9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p>The Monsanto (now Bayer) hype machine has been misleading millions for decades, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/15/epa-failing-public-health-pesticides-chemicals" target="_blank">corrupted government officials</a> into approving what early and <a href="https://glyphosatestudy.org/news/" target="_blank">new research</a> 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. </p><p>TRAILER: </p><p>Click here for reviews and ratings: <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_weeds">https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_weeds</a></p><p>Variety says…</p><p></p><blockquote>"Provides another illustration of coldblooded corporate denialism in the face of widespread harm."</blockquote><p>NYTimes says.... </p><p></p><blockquote>"[These] stories illustrate the breadth of the ecological and agricultural challenges that remain."</blockquote><p>You can stream the film on Apple TV, Spectrum, Vudu or on XBOX, Google Play and Amazon Video. </p><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-7290923472859816802023-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:002023-12-21T14:25:29.012-08:00Mike Grgich's 100th Birthday Celebration: Reprise<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgU9pd7QLigqN93CQejW_nbpFsXGoR8ODWi7grpwhwHxkrJ8mBXFWyYgluT56ZoPIi59Apxz73szKYMmxv1OR1Ws3xwJuynPivhldLmehuFerPUuQcF_wgoYGdxXuaOazy64mKm0kbZ_Q_msciQwgL4mLJzuhyphenhyphen0tA4aW-N1L5ZSlvhLtAawuKkf_2Eqm9/s1412/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%202.23.07%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1276" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgU9pd7QLigqN93CQejW_nbpFsXGoR8ODWi7grpwhwHxkrJ8mBXFWyYgluT56ZoPIi59Apxz73szKYMmxv1OR1Ws3xwJuynPivhldLmehuFerPUuQcF_wgoYGdxXuaOazy64mKm0kbZ_Q_msciQwgL4mLJzuhyphenhyphen0tA4aW-N1L5ZSlvhLtAawuKkf_2Eqm9/w361-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%202.23.07%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="361" /></a></div><br />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. <p></p><p><a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/271774" target="_blank">Read it here.</a> </p><p>I also recommend reading the lovely piece <a href="https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2023/12/mike-grgichs-long-road-to-paradise" target="_blank">Blake Gray wrote here</a>. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-75905797923866196242023-12-15T11:28:00.000-08:002023-12-18T18:59:27.121-08:00Come to the South of France | Vineyards and Biodiversity Conference Set for January 18-19 in Avignon<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApoT07VPDU-Inh9xBipfH35uPyMMhSkwxaWUiq8Xd-0EGPqtiU1TZO4FKpMDsZ49PRLdGfKgWyN1sng-6wMxPLgyVocWuUb24HVn5pBTUOEozNeaqKu6osJMT_7_E8YGrTzqJBWshxs1MifyAlfG-CgghSUMCajQKgzAys0O4ANwrM14iuudiuD2x6JZm/s1490/Screenshot%202023-12-18%20at%206.58.47%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1490" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApoT07VPDU-Inh9xBipfH35uPyMMhSkwxaWUiq8Xd-0EGPqtiU1TZO4FKpMDsZ49PRLdGfKgWyN1sng-6wMxPLgyVocWuUb24HVn5pBTUOEozNeaqKu6osJMT_7_E8YGrTzqJBWshxs1MifyAlfG-CgghSUMCajQKgzAys0O4ANwrM14iuudiuD2x6JZm/w400-h205/Screenshot%202023-12-18%20at%206.58.47%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />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.<p></p><p>Here's<a href="http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2022/12/french-conference-highlights-vineyards.html" target="_blank"> the post I wrote</a> 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.)</p><p>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. </p><p>This next conference promises to be equally informative and thought provoking with original and engaging thinkers from a variety of disciplines.</p><p><a href="https://vignoblebiodiversite.com/en/program/" target="_blank">See the program here</a>: </p><p>The 2024 conference will cover:</p><p>• 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.</p><p>Who can attend? Winegrowers, unions, wine professionals, scientists, researchers and students with a link to the subject. </p><p>Birte says it will feature: </p><p>• 12 top-flight lectures by international speakers</p><p>• A half-day case study of a vineyard in symbiosis with biodiversity</p><p>And it will address:</p><p>• How can we change the winegrowing model?</p><p>• How can winegrowing practices be transformed into "virtuous cohabitation and</p><p>collaboration," with mutual benefits for both man and nature?</p><p>• How can we link theoretical research with field experience?</p><p>More from Birte: </p><p>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. </p><p>Preserving biodiversity not only requires a rethink of agronomic approaches, it also means going beyond the boundaries of land registry. </p><p>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.</p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-7500168627170399682023-11-07T06:51:00.014-08:002023-11-16T21:53:06.329-08:00GunBun's Jeff Bundschu "How Wedded to the Earth Clock We Are" | Heartfelt Humble Bragging Talk Opens Global Buyers Marketplace<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxzmeSfU6KOzPhCSLvT4ZT3spR0NhMGnZXskvqId77psKpaAS-YDGtotIwbVq9i9X8PdccHAvq9THFHbk8eClV0A-ZbRsbx2z2Dt1DpV2w5J2brPGMj-lhBLIIYGWCAPBPJdYMfw6LsfrjNG909eQC7hdQLa0iWbfRXNc6sffJxosQ4xyI62ttJ4LqdZK/s8256/Wine%20Institute-DSC_7996-Enhanced-NR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxzmeSfU6KOzPhCSLvT4ZT3spR0NhMGnZXskvqId77psKpaAS-YDGtotIwbVq9i9X8PdccHAvq9THFHbk8eClV0A-ZbRsbx2z2Dt1DpV2w5J2brPGMj-lhBLIIYGWCAPBPJdYMfw6LsfrjNG909eQC7hdQLa0iWbfRXNc6sffJxosQ4xyI62ttJ4LqdZK/w640-h424/Wine%20Institute-DSC_7996-Enhanced-NR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff Bundschu, CEO, <span style="text-align: left;">Gundlach Bundschu<i> (aka </i></span>GunBun), at the opening night dinner of the <br />California Wines Global Buyers Marketplace</td></tr></tbody></table><i><br />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. </i><p></p><p><i>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. </i></p><p><i>Here is his heartwarming speech which is, more or less, about why wine matters.</i></p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjZsjG_4RXgp30oJO5qpP0oLT52ArvV_KeFY7DQGjGlTeFdC8jxLYbIAdOdFTVc7EdyO9wbutOUQAVuuny_TqE_MgrSRV6bI-PtIicZx1b-aiEgRLMCJz8JSMg941CLLcWmesKQDrN6d4uFjAaMJN80lDaoP5qmC8K-gX-WlUvBERunuP3NZclPikruu_/s8256/Wine%20Institute-DSC_7868.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjZsjG_4RXgp30oJO5qpP0oLT52ArvV_KeFY7DQGjGlTeFdC8jxLYbIAdOdFTVc7EdyO9wbutOUQAVuuny_TqE_MgrSRV6bI-PtIicZx1b-aiEgRLMCJz8JSMg941CLLcWmesKQDrN6d4uFjAaMJN80lDaoP5qmC8K-gX-WlUvBERunuP3NZclPikruu_/w640-h424/Wine%20Institute-DSC_7868.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>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.</p><p>The worst thing that happened to me today was that I looked at the guest list. </p><p>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. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwMjEn5Yj3xE0ysljRYiNiJSiFKBD_s2bEngchuSnCKZfOmPH6OZ_ABjlD-cjXdGjz4YGyrjmdD8FOnth7UNRfPmgyATCrAUA6OtQEM7zBO1tmap21VVwicoAiA-FmYJ1NbDv-vrFyHFN0HP97yX7lSSrl5Kkte9p_pzQJ0giQS-QU2fUwK7q_idId0U8/s8256/Wine%20Institute-DSC_7941-Enhanced-NR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwMjEn5Yj3xE0ysljRYiNiJSiFKBD_s2bEngchuSnCKZfOmPH6OZ_ABjlD-cjXdGjz4YGyrjmdD8FOnth7UNRfPmgyATCrAUA6OtQEM7zBO1tmap21VVwicoAiA-FmYJ1NbDv-vrFyHFN0HP97yX7lSSrl5Kkte9p_pzQJ0giQS-QU2fUwK7q_idId0U8/w640-h424/Wine%20Institute-DSC_7941-Enhanced-NR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />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. <p></p><p>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. </p><p>---</p><p>I started thinking like, why are we here? </p><p>I mean, like, really, why are we in this business, doing what we do?</p><p>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? </p><p>That's the question. What's the purpose? </p><p>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. </p><p>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?</p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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...</p><p>But that's what essentially brought me back. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>I have to sell it, I have to meet nice people. </p><p>But things changed as I got older. And I started to see that trait about wine as a superpower. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p><b>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. </b></p><p>We take it for granted that we should do this. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>And in this industry, we grew up in, it's all we know. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p>[WILD APPLAUSE]</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-53928949612233783882023-11-02T09:35:00.007-07:002023-11-16T22:27:57.668-08:00Lodi's Leading Vineyard Management Company Sees Organic as a Path to Profitability<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EnJ1SDEF4rxMWDVNYnhtNA_scTxlMmooHfWxRJRWGfe0KFlRdgq38e1YNUxM_Tvy_kLgO_vTxRBwyu3zZXo5tTRDZiWs5pPmGJLQXVe-Sb5bN5wo4LBS2NCKW8Ds2BxrOb78TvkCUvRKQR6ff_7mvAtxBkqD4_pskVaLyzsPFgHS3brzarQmjEaYPtrV/s1270/Screenshot%202023-11-02%20at%209.48.57%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1270" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EnJ1SDEF4rxMWDVNYnhtNA_scTxlMmooHfWxRJRWGfe0KFlRdgq38e1YNUxM_Tvy_kLgO_vTxRBwyu3zZXo5tTRDZiWs5pPmGJLQXVe-Sb5bN5wo4LBS2NCKW8Ds2BxrOb78TvkCUvRKQR6ff_7mvAtxBkqD4_pskVaLyzsPFgHS3brzarQmjEaYPtrV/w400-h293/Screenshot%202023-11-02%20at%209.48.57%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />“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.<p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;">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.</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;">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.</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;">"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."</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;"><a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/278888" target="_blank">Read the article here.</a></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;">UPDATE</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.2px;">Part two of the interview is now online - <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/279323" target="_blank">find it here.</a> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-25898479505033475822023-10-06T09:15:00.007-07:002023-10-23T11:24:40.875-07:00Invasive Species Lead to Chemical Farming<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4VPcB15kZF56U-gCUh2waDoImA0UhCFh-eao-_QsVUVuadDdIw7w9H0iy8Kso43C7rggyaHIogVW6maxSKfIPtnt0lT9NbGQtIxkbnr1YDhqN0KaNf3AmP-OC2-IW71mPqT2-4bwH_mIGL0dsPFp5V9XxuS0MzMiQS5VzqCeKHbsfMVp9cJL4-gMLn7s/s1276/Screenshot%202023-10-06%20at%209.01.18%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1276" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4VPcB15kZF56U-gCUh2waDoImA0UhCFh-eao-_QsVUVuadDdIw7w9H0iy8Kso43C7rggyaHIogVW6maxSKfIPtnt0lT9NbGQtIxkbnr1YDhqN0KaNf3AmP-OC2-IW71mPqT2-4bwH_mIGL0dsPFp5V9XxuS0MzMiQS5VzqCeKHbsfMVp9cJL4-gMLn7s/w400-h329/Screenshot%202023-10-06%20at%209.01.18%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>So many invasives, so many chemical sprays. <div><br /></div><div>Read the latest on what global scientists said is the first ever global invasive species report and <b>what it means for California's wine grape growers</b>, after the state cut funds combatting invasives in 2010 <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/277637" target="_blank">in my latest article</a> for WineBusiness.com. <div><br /><h3 class="font-wb-alt" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 2.15rem; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Next: Don't Missing the Thrilling Story "<span style="font-size: 2.15rem;">The California Race to Stop the Invasion of the Dreaded Spotted Lanternfly"</span></h3><p>And...there's a Much Bigger Bug waiting in the wings...(also written by me) <a href="https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/277637" target="_blank">read it at WineBusiness.com</a>. Featuring robots, lantern fly sniffing dogs and more...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBj7Di3ekX9BHFH00kJECkMID3xJ_j4BKyRJIhKhmpSa8m4LW2117IW_rbTHKrvS8XDQWD_O-5Kp-dUJy8aobbD0Ixtr4GdKSv2YissfOOGkoOBzkZWN9EGwwiLcCnW3CFtNlyG67pTX43OC_bgsi0lbQ3QGBcw-fZPBzW-EzAg-nTKuCE646VjyXf05eI/s1280/Screenshot%202023-10-06%20at%209.14.36%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1280" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBj7Di3ekX9BHFH00kJECkMID3xJ_j4BKyRJIhKhmpSa8m4LW2117IW_rbTHKrvS8XDQWD_O-5Kp-dUJy8aobbD0Ixtr4GdKSv2YissfOOGkoOBzkZWN9EGwwiLcCnW3CFtNlyG67pTX43OC_bgsi0lbQ3QGBcw-fZPBzW-EzAg-nTKuCE646VjyXf05eI/w400-h355/Screenshot%202023-10-06%20at%209.14.36%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">UPDATE: The Daily Show just did ANOTHER video on another invasive species in Florida. <a href="https://youtu.be/KoA53GRV6RU?si=QEIQXchOKJzgkLbq" target="_blank">Watch it here. </a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649594762950408486.post-14179467850626447012023-09-26T19:43:00.002-07:002023-09-27T17:19:14.214-07:00Fancy an Organic Dry Creek Winery? Quivira's For Sale | $24 Million Price Tag<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2LlqDB4onn5lOzXOZbRTXoLHzcj1_YG_M99cVCU4-SqsP2pHVePJUNGZkP_pABUuP7Kc1XOPEM5-23P8kkcTH0ojApYHtoy9YJDx-Sh7VGJ99CYD0_3YDav-72nn-IEUgh6yPLLBNXmXi3nKIWXG-gq5Bwm1URS3eul_Z2pa5wI1Ggkfkh0lq052O8Mu/s1344/Screenshot%202023-09-26%20at%207.40.11%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1344" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2LlqDB4onn5lOzXOZbRTXoLHzcj1_YG_M99cVCU4-SqsP2pHVePJUNGZkP_pABUuP7Kc1XOPEM5-23P8kkcTH0ojApYHtoy9YJDx-Sh7VGJ99CYD0_3YDav-72nn-IEUgh6yPLLBNXmXi3nKIWXG-gq5Bwm1URS3eul_Z2pa5wI1Ggkfkh0lq052O8Mu/w640-h421/Screenshot%202023-09-26%20at%207.40.11%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>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. </p><p>The deal includes the winery and 62 certified organic vineyard acres. </p><p>See the details <a href="https://vanguardproperties.com/RESI-B-323905054.php" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">on Zillow</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0