Remembering Eileen Crane | Who Also Made Domaine Carneros Organic for a Time

 Sharing some special moments from a 2013 interview I did when founder Eileen Crane led the Carneros sparkling wine house to organic farming and certification.

See this post with PHOTOs here.

In 2011 when I was first getting into wine, and focusing producers who farmed organically, I was very impressed to find Domaine Carneros as the sole French founded sparkling wine producer with organic grapes.

I was inspired to start a blog and launch apps - Organically Napa was one (no longer available) – and it was around then that I visited Eileen Crane and tasted with her. What a treat! I am glad I still have a recording and transcript of our interview which I dug out of my archives to share with you to honor her recent passing at the age of 77.

PHOTO of Eileen Crane with Julia Childs on Child’s 90th birthday in 2002 opening a bottle of Domaine Corneros’ Frivolites sparkling wine. Peggy Loar (then ED at Copia) looks on.

As so many have said, Eileen was most gracious and welcoming. I will never forget her interview with me and her kindness in seating me next to her and her husband at one of the winery’s famous lobster dinners.

Now, years later, I appreciate her for her rarely mentioned organic legacy as well as her many other accomplishments and her warmth and patience.

Today only Gloria Ferrer (the other winery she originally founded and ran) is now farming organically (certified) and has recently certified 300 acres in Sonoma.

Interview highlights:

• When Domaine Carneros opened in 1990, its historic French chateau look was criticized by some locals.

• At the grand opening, the plan had been to dress in historic French costumes, but no one could fit into the rented gowns as they were too small.

• In the year 2000 as the world marked the millennium, founder and owner Claude Taittinger celebrated at his famous Parisian hotel by serving his 500 guests Domaine Carneros’ Le Reve, which he chose because he said the most significant thing in 1000 years was the discovery on “making wine in the New World.”

• The journey to organic was a passion of Crane’s. (Sadly a retreat followed due to mildew pressure). Crane said it cost only 4 percent more to farm organically.

The Interview

PHOTO Chief Bubblehead

Crane | We started trying to go organic in 91, 92, but it was really hard back then. You were kind of on your own. Nobody else was doing it. And there’s something about getting a group of people who can share information and who are more knowledgeable, in that you don’t have to do all the research yourself.

We had some successes and some failures.

We went for organic certification in 2004. Got it in 2007. The winery was certified just before harvest in 2009. So now we have more bottles that say organic on the organic label.

But sparkling wine is such a long process. We have one wine that between harvest and its release takes seven years.

[Around 2013, the winery ended its organic certification and became sustainable certified].

So this culture of being interested in being organic – where did that come from? Did it come from France? Did it come from the corporate ownership? Where does it come from?

Well I’ve always been interested in it – sort of innate. To me. I don’t know why. Like the solar panels I learned about in graduate school and that just sort of made so much sense to me. I love beauty and nature so I have a real bent towards, just wanting to be and participate in beautiful things, I come to work here every day – five days a week for the last 26 years, and people stop and look around so it was a nice area, but it wasn’t gorgeous like this. So to me beauty is just a value and you only keep things beautiful by preserving them, taking care of them.

Maybe that’s probably a funny thing to have organic and solar panels as a love of beauty but it’s a concern for the earth and keeping it this magical place that it is.

I am also interested in sparkling wine buyers...cause I don’t really know much about them as a subset of wine buyers. What can you tell me about the people who buy bubbles?

The bubbleheads?

I’m the chief bubblehead. I should put that on my card. When I met the guy who runs Semifreddi’s – the bakery – and his card said Chief Bootlicker, I thought I could have mine say Chief Bubblehead.

As soon as people get into the category, they learn the most important thing is balance. That is a wine that when you smell it, what it tastes like, what the finish is like – all works in concert – and nothing’s overwhelming.

So we do know that a lot more women drink sparkling wine in this country than men.

That tends to be…but that’s not always the case. There are certainly many men who love sparkling wine.

I think it’s also people who have traveled more. Like when you go to Europe, if you eat in a white tablecloth restaurant in France, and not even in a fancy restaurant. A lot of regions will have their sparkling cocktail.

For instance, in Normandy it will be a sparkling wine with a little bit of maybe Calvados in it, and some apple or something. The kir royal is a little bit of cassis and sparkling wine.

Go to England and you’ll see people in pubs ordering bottles of Champagne. In pubs. And so they’re eating pub food but that doesn’t prevent them from enjoying a bottle of bubbles.

So I think that with this European experience, in the United States, we’re surprisingly backwards about sparkling wine and its use.

I do see that our biggest market is by far in California and the West Coast. There are many good restaurants that will serve a good sparkling wine.

We’ve had so much of that “wedding wine” in this country. The caterers say you want to buy the cheapest because nobody will drink it. Now there’s a self fulfilling prophecy. You buy the cheapest of any wine and people are not going to be very happy about drinking it.

Also sparkling wine often gets served with the wedding cake. And that’s not good…that comes from a historic trend – champagnes and sparkling wines used to be very sweet.

So talk to me a little bit about what it’s like to be owned by a French company.

The family – the Taittinger family – it’s a family owned winery – they’re Champagne based…and traded on the Bourse, the exchange in France, but it’s been family controlled forever. It’s one of the last Champagne houses of any size that’s still family controlled. And they grow far more of their own grapes, like we do.

We didn’t actually talk about our certification. We have 300 acres of grapes and 100 percent of them are CCOF. Cause a lot of wineries will show you the 10 acres out of their 200…

Or they say they’re organic and yet they have only four acres that are organic.

What did you do before wine?

My graduate work at UConn was in nutrition and biochemistry. I lived in New Haven, Connecticut which is where the Culinary Institute of America was located. I’d always been interested in wine, because my dad had a wine cellar in the 1950s. And in my early 20s, I was very interested in winemaking.

When I found out you could study winemaking in California, I moved out here, gave up my tenured track at UConn and took classes for several months and started working at Domaine Chandon. I was there six years in the laboratory mostly, and then became the assistant winemaker eventually, and then I was hired at Gloria Ferrer.

I was there three years and then the Taittingers hired me to do the construction and build this winery.

We started Domaine Carneros in 1987.

So how is it working for French companies. Have they settled if there’s an American or Californian sparkling wine style?

There isn’t just one American sparkling wine style and there’s not one French sparkling wine style either – they’re all over the place.

THE ART OF CHAMPAGNE

I went through eight interviews before they hired me. They tasted their wine, tasted my wine.

I was hired by Claude Taittinger (1927-2022), who was an art collector – he’s now retired [in 2013] , but he was an art collector.

Taittinger has a very decided style and so do I. So it was pretty much a marriage of style.

Claude Taittinger said to me, “Great things are always originals, they’re never imitations.” The analogy he used was Picasso would have been unknown if he had been trying to imitate Renoir. So now as Domaine Carneros, you must be an original style.

Most of the other French houses had sent over a winemaker for a week to do the blends. Taittinger has never done that. We’ve always made them here. So it’s very much – we are our own shape, form, evolution.

Art is a good analogy because people say, ‘Well, do you still produce the same wine you did?”

I say Picasso went through a blue stage and a rose stage and Picasso went through different stages, in his artistic career and winemakers do that, but you can usually see the relationship at different stages.

We get better every single year.

Though people who had our wines maybe 5 years ago or 15 years ago, still recognize the style, the style has evolved more. And we also make several more different styles of wine than we used to.

As a winemaker, I know great wines are always wines of a place.

You can make very good wines if you buy from various locations around, but it takes a winemaker a long time to get to know their vineyards because you only get one crop a year.

I’ve been making sparkling wine for 36 years. I’ve only made sparkling wine 36 times. A chef might make their famous dish 36 times a night.

In the wine business, experience counts for much more than almost any other industry because it’s a slow process that takes a long time.

So having your own vineyards and really being able to hone in on how you adjust – how you prune them, how you manage them, how you harvest them. Having your own grapes is enormously important.

So is Taittinger organic in France?

No, you know, because of the conditions. They have rain all summer long. And we’re very blessed with a dry season. So there are people in France who are going organic or biodynamic. Champagne is very northerly so I think it would be very hard to do that.

[Subsequently, people have tried but few have succeeded.]

Because?

Because they get rains and often they’re harvesting very late in the season when it’s cold and they’ve been rained on, cause they have such a slow ripening…you keep waiting.

Whereas we always get ripeness and if we get an unexpected rain in the summer, it’s very breezy right through here and we get dry very quickly. I’ve only seen rain damage in sparkling wine once in 36 years.

Taittinger grows more than 50 percent of their own grapes which in Champagne is extraordinary. The fact that we do 96% of our own is extraordinary.

You never get the quality from vendors that you get from having your own grapes. The grower has a different incentive than the winemaker does.

I didn’t actually find out agewise what type of person is attracted to sparkling wine? Who are the bubbleheads, agewise?

I’m not sure that there’s an age group. I think the 20-30 age range that’s coming along right now [this was in 2013], we have a lot of enthusiastic supporters in that age group but we also have a wonderful wine club. We do a lot of social events and we have a beautiful outside space you can sit in.

But we have people who come and show us that they just turned 21 and we have people who are in their 80s drinking bubbles…or 90s…we have people from Topeka, Kansas who come here every summer and come here and sit out on the terrace everyday that they’re here and drink bubbles. It’s actually a group of gals – it’s four gals who come and they call this home. And they usually come for the Le Reve and lobster party we do in the middle of the summer. And then there are neighbors who come and sit on the terrace.

Chateau de la Marquetrie PHOTO

So let’s talk a little bit about the decision to make the building look like what it looks like. How did that come about?

Well, the Taittingers own a historic chateau called the Chateau de la Marquetrie..and we’ll do a little walkaround and I will show you a picture of the Marquetrie…and the Taittingers have always been interested in historic architecture. So when they took over in the mid 1930s, they started acquiring some historic buildings, and the Chateau de la Marquetrie was one of the first of them.

And then in the center of France, Reims, they own an old house, a mansion, of the Count of Champagne.

And then they have these historic cellars – based on an old abbey. So they’ve got this great interest in historic architecture, preserving it and repurposing it so it can stay alive.

So when it came time to build a winery, the Taittingers convinced the other partners that new winery in Carneros should be a chateau based on their Chateau de la Marquetrie.

Domaine Carneros PHOTO

Their argument was that they expected to produce world class wines here and they wanted something that said “world class” as far as a statement.

When this Domaine Carneros building was first built, there were a lot of people who were horrified and said this doesn’t fit in with the territory, etc.

But if you look at Mondavi, for instance, Mission style is basically a form of what came out of North Africa. But it came here by way of Spain.

And so what would fit in with the territory? Would it be tipis? I don’t know.

The Taittingers wanted to do something that would clearly say ‘world class.’

And they loved their Chateau de la Marquetrie and they wanted this recreated in the U.S.

So I was at the Napa Historical Society last weekend and I saw these photos from when the winery opened when it first opened – people dressed up in the French costumes.

Yes, the Grand Opening.

Do you still do costume things or?

Well for the Grand Opening, it turned out that the costumes from the Dangerous Liasons show had just come off of a year long loan, like two days before the Grand Opening. So we were able to use them.

There was just one problem. They were all these gorgeous costumes, but the waists were very tiny.

We were very heart broken; we were sure we were going to wear them.

So we went to the high school and tried to get people who were size 8’s but they couldn’t…The costumes were like size 4’s.

BEST MOMENTS - THE MILLENIUM MARKED AN AUSPICIOUS TURNING POINT

Eileen: I had Le Reve on the millennium. It was exciting. Befitting.

Claude Taittinger served it to 500 of his closest friends. He owned the Hotel de Crillon in Paris at the time.

I asked him why they chose that? Because, he said, it was making wine in the New World, which he said was one of the most significant things in the last 1,000 years.”

Have you noticed anything different since you started growing organically?

The quality of the grapes is just phenomenal. I mean originally we did it for the guys and gals working in the vineyard. And it was really thinking that it would be a much healthier environment, but the vines just look so much more vibrant and healthy and the fruit that you get has so much more body and finish. Every year, they get better because the soils get better because we’re not spraying herbicides.

The soils keep getting richer and better all the time, and the vines look healthier and the grapes get better. A lot of people don’t do it because they think it’s too much work or they think it’s going to be too expensive and it is more expensive, but it’s not. I think we figured out it costs us 4 percent more to farm organically than non organically.

Well some people say ‘we’re organic but we’re not doing the paperwork.’ Well going organic is this much work [big] and the paperwork is like this much work [tiny].

People steal our (CCOF) signs all the time. So that’s why I put out those certificates. To show that we’re actually real. Cause a lot of people just steal the signs.

I’ve always been mystified by people’s denial about the value of certification. They all say ‘oh the paper work, oh the cost.’

For one place it was like 4 cents a bottle, cause the government gives you back the fees…like half or three quarters.

Do you have a consultant?

No, we’ve done it in house and the CCOF people are helpful. I mean it’s some work but it’s not onerous.

Take us through these next wine– so the rose is named for Madame Pompadour…the Cuvee de la Pompadour…[now called simply their rosé]

So the rosé – part of a rosé’s identity is its color and it’s really the only sparkling wine that has a color identity. They can be almost red. Some sparkling wines are red. But then they can just be an off gold. But this actually has a little more color than most of the rosés, but I like this sort of soft peach color. We make a rosé by leaving it in contact with the skin.

Most people add red wine back to the cuvee. In Champagne they don’t get enough color from the Pinot Noir grapes, so they have to add red wine, but we leave it in contact. About 20 percent of the Pinot Noir we bring in, we leave in contact for the rosé, with the skin.

It has a very interesting finish.

It’s our prettiest wine, but it’s not sweeter. A lot of people actually think this is drier than the Brut.

So how are French people finding the wines when they come?

They respond pretty favorably. A lot of the Champagne producers are concerned because California sparkling is generally less expensive than Champagne. So you can get a heck of a good bottle here for a lot less.

So what part of the process do you love? What part do you get sort of little high about?

Harvest. The grapes come in and the grapes smell good. The aromas keep changing. When you first press the grapes, you get the aroma of this fresh juice and then as it ferments in the cellar, the fermentation smells change during the fermentation. And then you have the new wines to taste. But I also like the cuvee blending.

I was going to ask you about that –isn’t that kind of where the magic happens?

If you did your job right during harvest, that’s where the magic happens, but you have to…it’s like a chef in the kitchen.

The grapes, or your ingredients, have to be just right.

And how you handle the early phase is like preparing a meal – in preparing a meal, it has to be just right. The assemblage is putting all those properly produced elements together.

The assemblage is a great challenge because you haven’t done that job for a whole year.

At harvest, if you make a mistake in the first couple of days, it’s a big one.

Often sparkling harvest is only 10 or 12 days long. You have to get your mind to kick in really fast and think ‘Okay.’

Because I’ve worked with these vineyards and before, for another ten years, in Carneros. I have this mental inventory.

‘Oh, I remember this happened in 1984…and this was the situation and this was how we handled it and it worked.’

And you pull out from this rolodex or piles of information from past years and that didn’t work out… let’s see how we’re going to handle this.

And we had one clone here–we still have it–and the very first year when I picked it, it has a very muscaty, very over the top quality and I just thought ‘Oh.’

Of course I wasn’t anxious to tell my brand new employers that we were going to have to pull it out…a young healthy block of vines. So the next year I thought, ‘Why don’t we try harvesting it several days earlier, before it’s really ripened.’ And I did that and it was better. Actually it’s now one of the backbone clones in the Le Reve. And I don’t use a lot of it. But in the Le Reve there’s usually 5-7 percent of it.

I love our wine with shellfish. Scallops is probably the most perfect match. We do a fun party in the summer with members called Le Reve and Lobster. Which is very casual. It’s just lobsters, out on the tables, and blueberry pie. With a slab of vanilla ice cream.

So Maine [where I used to live].

With a shooter of clam chowder. It’s informal. It’s fun. We hand out bibs. It’s silly and fun and delicious. We do those all summer long. People really love it.

Maybe you would like to come to one.

Yes. [And I did…and I will never forget it. Thank you, Eileen. And may there be more lobster dinners in heaven with your wines.] PHOTO

The Cool Kids Are Gathering in One Epic Afternoon Tasting in Cambria: SLO Coast Hosted at Parr Wines June 28

The most amazing collection of wines and wineries. With gas prices gone wild, you can stop having to drive hither and yon and just come to this one big beautiful tasting.

Many of California most beloved indie wineries will be pouring June 28 in Cambria at the SLO COAST & FRIENDS 2026 event. Tickets are $50.

Tickets on sale here

• From the North Coast: Drew Family, Jaime Motley, Matt Taylor Wines, Pax, Preston

• From Oregon!: Johan Vineyards

• From the SLO Coast: Lady of the Sunshine, Scar of the Sea, Parr Wines 

• From the Central Coast/Paso: Lone Madrone, Stirm

• From SBC: Amevive, Ojai

Almost all of these wineries have appeared in Slow Wine USA. You can order a copy on Amazon.com or Bookshop.

Hope to see you at Raj’s. It’s definitely worth the drive

Former Esprit Exec Turned Environmental Leader Peter Buckley, Founder of the David Brower Center in Berkeley, Dies After a Long Life Devoted to Good Works

He and his wife Mimi Buckley started Front Porch Farm, the family's organic farm and vineyard in Healdsburg, among other things. 

Click here to read more about his contributions, which included starting the Brower Center in Berkeley, a hub for nonprofit environmental groups and Berkeley's first LEED Platinum building. 

The Buckley's have a 12 acre vineyard and make some wine, too, but mostly they grow food and flowers, flowers, flowers. Their farm U-pick dates are coming up...click here for more info.

Remember The Real Carlo Petrini (1949-2026), Slow Food Founder, in this Rousing 2012 Speech at the Heirloom in Santa Rosa | It's All About Pleasure and Change

Petrini's gifts to us were many and his presence in Sonoma County giving the keynote address at the National Heirloom Expo in 2012 was just one of them. Slow Food, Slow Wine, Slow Wine USA, Terra Madre of the Americas–Let us count the ways he expanded our worlds. 

Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, died, from prostate cancer, and bios of his life and times are everywhere.

I was looking for an old photo taken in 2012 that exists–somewhere–in my photo archives of me and Carlo, when he came to speak at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. I was so thrilled to get a selfie (something I rarely do but for a photo with him, I was willing to make an exception!) I had no idea I would come to work as editor of Slow Wine USA later in my life.

But due to my excellent filing system (LOL), I cannot find that photo. Maybe I will get lucky someday and Facebook Photos will pop it up randomly. But I found something much better–video of Carlo in his prime, giving a moving speech. I filmed these two videos in 2012 at the National Heirloom Expo.

Click here to see the post with videos.

The 1976 Paris Tasting: My How The Farming Has Changed - Out with OBG's DDT, Atrazine and Paraquat and In with Biopesticides, Oils and Organic Farming

Farming has changed a lot since 1976 when harsher and more toxic chemicals were more commonly used. (Even though many disease-related agrochemicals are still used today.) Six winners are now organic.

So see this post as it was published - with charts and photos - please visit https://organicwineuncorked.substack.com/p/the-1976-paris-tasting-my-how-the

PHOTO Stephen Spurrier, who organized the tasting with Patricia Gallagher

As the wine industry approaches the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris (the historic blind tasting that redefined California wine), many wineries involved in the tasting are celebrating with exclusive dinners, parties and celebrations across the country.

Here is Patricia Gallagher, who suggested the tasting to Stephen Spurrier, and organized it with him, as she reminisces about organizing the event. (Video filmed at a memorial to Spurrier several years ago).

See https://organicwineuncorked.substack.com/p/the-1976-paris-tasting-my-how-the

While the wineries who participated in the 1976 Paris Tasting have a lot to celebrate, celebrations should also recognize the enormous farming improvements in Napa and across California, reducing the number and type of toxic chemicals applied to wine grape vineyards.

Six wineries from the 1976 event have converted their vineyards to organic farming and certification.

That said, the state continues to trail European wine producers in the percentage of vineyards that are organic (and do not use synthetic chemicals).

4 versus 20

In California four percent of vineyard acres are certified organic. In Italy, France and Spain, 20 percent of vineyards are certified organic.

A lot has changed–for the better–in wine grape farming since the early 1970s when DDT was banned and the most commonly used herbicides in California then became (gasp) atrazine and paraquat–both extremely toxic, declared carcinogenic by scientists and banned in Europe. Over the decades, the state of California and growers (with pressure from the state) phased these out. (Chinese owned Syngenta, which makes paraquat, announced it will no long manufacture it as of this year.)

Unfortunately corn farmers in Iowa have not stopped using atrazine and the state, sadly, is a leader in cancer cases. (Note: it was U.C. Berkeley star scientist Tyrone Hayes who researched atrazine’s toxic effects and who survived the then Swiss-owned Syngenta’s extreme smear campaign against his research).

Many growers have replaced those carcinogens with biopesticides and mineral oil sprays, but the world has not yet found a non toxic herbicide alternative.

Organic growers remove weeds mechanically. Some say that results in a more costly and economically unsustainable operation. Others say it costs about the same to farm organically as conventionally. It is an ongoing debate. (See here and here.)

Celebrating Farming Changes

But on to the celebration part.

The prestigious 50th anniversary is shared across a small group of Napa Valley wineries (there were 30 in all at the time). Six of the top winners (including five from Napa) have now transitioned to organic on their estates:

Organic Certification

Regenerative Organic in Napa: Grgich Hills Estate (100%), Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (partial)

Organic in Napa: Heitz Cellar (100%), Mayacamas Vineyards, Freemark Abbey (estate only)

Organic in Other Locations: Ridge Vineyards (Sonoma and Santa Clara Mountains) (estate only)

Other Winners (Not Certified Organic)

Napa: Chateau Montelena, Clos du Val, Spring Mountain Vineyard, Veedercrest (no longer producing)

Other Locations: Chalone (Monterey County) and David Bruce (Santa Cruz Mountains)

Pesticide History | 50 Years Ago

Curious to know what vineyards were sprayed with, I asked Chat GPT for a rundown on what pesticides were used in Napa in 1973.

Here is what it told me (verified with a few local experts to make sure it was accurate):

1) Organochlorine insecticides (declining but still present)

• DDT – widely used in U.S. agriculture through the 1950s–60s and still lingering into the early 1970s [and today] before its 1972 ban

• Dicofol – a DDT-related miticide used on grapes (notably for spider mites)

• Other chlorinated hydrocarbons (varied by site)

Evidence from vineyard sediment cores shows a peak of DDT residues around ~1970, consistent with heavy use just before the ban.

(My Note: Although DDT was banned in 1972, historic illegal DDT dumping in the ocean, primarily in Southern California, continues to be a toxic hazard for birds who eat marine mammal prey who have eaten DDT. Officials discovered some of the major dump sites as recently as in 2020.)

2) Organophosphate insecticides (replacing DDT-era chemicals)

• Parathion (very toxic, used on fruit crops)

• Malathion (less toxic alternative, widely used)

These became common in the late 1960s–1970s as DDT was phased out.

3) Early herbicides (beginning of “clean vineyard floor” era)

• Atrazine – used in vineyards by the late 1960s–70s

• Paraquat – widely used in California agriculture in the 1970s

This period marks a shift toward bare-soil vineyard management, which increased erosion and pesticide runoff .

4) Early synthetic fungicides

• Captan (introduced 1950s, widely used by 1970s)

• Mancozeb (introduced early 1960s)

These supplemented sulfur/copper for disease control.

What this means specifically for Napa in 1973

A typical Napa vineyard in 1973 would likely have used a mix of:

• Fungicides: sulfur, copper, captan, mancozeb

• Insecticides: dicofol, malathion, possibly residual DDT-era compounds

• Herbicides: paraquat and/or atrazine

• (Possibly) highly toxic organophosphates like parathion

The exact mix varied by grower, pest pressure, and vineyard practices—but this combination reflects mainstream California viticulture at the time.

Important context

• 1973 sits right at the transition:

◦ DDT had just been banned (1972), but residues and some use persisted briefly.

◦ Organophosphates and herbicides were expanding.

• Compared to today, pesticide regimes were often:

◦ More toxic (acute toxicity)

◦ Less regulated and less precisely applied



Wine Grape Pesticides Today

Across the state, things have gotten better over 50 years, but toxins still remain as regular sprays in vineyards.

Glyphosate is now known with even more certainty to be harmful to human health but is still widely used, even in fine wine regions. In 2026, scientists proved that a key 2000 study Monsanto and Bayer relied on to say that glyphosate was safe to use was, in fact, based on falsified data by scientist collaborators paid by Monsanto. The study was, at last, retracted.

Glufosinate-ammonium, a neurotoxin, is a suspected endocrine disruptor and reproductive toxin.

With the exception of Napa Green, sustainability certifications do not prohibit herbicide use.

This 2023 data below comes from the California Department of Pesticide Regulations. More recent data has not yet been released in a summary report format.

See https://organicwineuncorked.substack.com/p/the-1976-paris-tasting-my-how-the

You can see the full list of what is applied to wine grapes in Napa here.

See https://organicwineuncorked.substack.com/p/the-1976-paris-tasting-my-how-the

Find the Celebration of Your Choice

But let’s focus on the positive. Raise a glass to salute the vineyard managers who led the teams that converted these vineyards to organic:

• Ivo Jeramaz, Grgich Hills Estate

• David Gates, Ridge Vineyards

• Guillermo Perez, Stag’s Leap

• Phil Coturri (and company), Mayacamas Vineyard

• Mark Neal, Heitz Cellar (now Martha’s Vineyard)

—These wineries are holding individual celebrations as well as participating in wider festivities.

Grgich Hills Estate | May 2 (Chardonnay Masterclass) | May 30 | Video from the 40th Anniversary

Ridge Vineyards | May 17 in Napa | Video 2026 | Video 2022

Stags Leap Wine Cellars | June 13 and more in the fall

—COPIA is offering an event encompassing all of to the participating wineries.

COPIA | Napa All Events

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Groundstar Vineyard & Estate Expands Buys Historic Williams Ranch in Sta. Rita Hills Corridor

The deal expands Groundstar’s stewardship to over 320 acres

Press Release

Groundstar Vineyard & Estate, founded by Chiara Shannon and Joseph Brent, announces the acquisition of the historic Williams Ranch, a 247 acre property located at 7630 W. Highway 246 in the Sta. Rita Hills corridor. The transaction officially closed on February 13, 2026, marking a significant step forward in Groundstar’s long-term commitment to extend its regenerative land stewardship into a broader, integrated agricultural ecosystem.

Situated along one of Santa Barbara County’s most iconic agricultural corridors, the addition of Williams Ranch expands Groundstar’s stewardship to over 320 acres—a rare opportunity to implement regenerative farming at scale, prioritizing soil health, biodiversity, water resilience, and ecosystem vitality.

“This acquisition represents a large step forward for our work at Groundstar,” said Shannon. “Our focus is on farming in a way that supports the health of the land and, ultimately, the people and communities connected to it. With the Williams Ranch, we now have the opportunity to expand that work by integrating regenerative grazing, enhancing water systems, restoring native habitat, and supporting a more complete and resilient landscape.”

Expanding a Regenerative Framework

Groundstar’s approach is rooted in its regenerative organic farming principles, and is pursuing its Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC) status. The Williams Ranch acquisition extends that commitment beyond the vineyard. Goals for the Williams Ranch include:

• Regenerative grazing to improve soil health, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem balance

• Water management strategies to support retention, biodiversity and drought resilience

• Wildlife conservation and habitat restoration, including native plant and ecological renewal

• Integrated agricultural systems aligning livestock, land, and long-term stewardship

The acquisition allows Groundstar to manage the vineyard and surrounding rangeland as one connected agricultural property, with vine cultivation, grazing, water retention, native habitat, and soil health practices supporting each other across the landscape.

A Legacy of Ranching and Local Connection

The acquisition carries personal and regional significance. The Shannon family brings decades of ranching experience, having operated a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. The Williams Ranch creates an opportunity to carry that experience forward in Santa Barbara County.The property itself carries a deep-rooted local history. Long held by the Williams family, the ranch reflects the agricultural heritage of the Santa Ynez Valley and the Sta. Rita Hills corridor. Rodney Williams, from whom the property was acquired, is a well-known local rancher.

Chiara’s father, Mike Shannon—a Los Angeles native who helped lead the Shannon family’s former Texas cattle ranching operation and was pivotal to the transaction—is a member of the Rancheros, a historic group connected to the region’s ranching heritage. His involvement reflects a multi-generational ranching tradition that connects family history, regional relationships, and a shared commitment to responsible land stewardship.

“This project carries forward a family tradition of ranching, organic and regenerative agriculture, and care for the land” said Chiara Shannon.

Looking Ahead

Groundstar supports broader efforts to advance regenerative agriculture, including the MINDSET: Regeneration and Resilience Symposium, which brings together leaders across agriculture, science, and wine.

To learn more about Groundstar Vineyard & Estate, upcoming initiatives, and future gatherings, visit groundstarvineyard.com and sign up for the newsletter to stay connected.

About Groundstar Vineyard & Estate

Groundstar Vineyard & Estate is a regenerative, organic, and biodynamic vineyard and ranch estate in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County. Founded by Chiara Shannon and Joseph Brent, Groundstar is dedicated to farming practices that prioritize soil health, biodiversity, and long-term ecological resilience, while cultivating premium Pinot Noir and Rhô ne varietal grapes grapes for thoughtful winegrowers. The estate also hosts curated gatherings that bring together community, agriculture, and a shared connection to the land.

A New Book Explores An Italian MW's Notion of Italianity. Italianity?

A Texas based wine writer and an Italian MW explore Italy and its wine regions–in a coffee table-esque book uniquely crammed with personal insights and rare candor.

To see this post with accompanying photos, click here.

At first this coffeetable book, suitable for gifting, struck me as indistingishable from the Italy and Italian food and wine books put out by publishers looking for another easy sell. Throw in a few photos of red Vespas, good looking models by fountains, and yet another ragu sauce recipe. (None of which are present in this volume). But as I started to read the two voices writing in tandem with each other in this hefty volume, I began to see candor and nuggets I would not have found elsewhere–at least not in an attractive, photo filled wine book.

Lonardi is unusual in the rarified ranks of MWs as he has been in the business as a producer, holds a degree in agronomy, and knows how to sell wine in New York. His is not solely a sensory path. (Though you gotta have those chops for sure to become an MW.)

Triumphs and Failures

In the book Lonardi shares experiences of hits and misses. Once, he refined viticulture for the better, harvesting at staggered intervals, not all at once, as a Chianti Classico estate previously did. As he describes it, the winemaker “was skeptical of vineyard work.” (A bygone era perhaps, as trends change.) With Lonardi’s intervention, “parcel by parcel harvesting became a cornerstone of our work.” 

But he’s not afraid to acknowledge his own cringeworthy mistakes–they’ll horrify you if you are a lover of old vines. Arriving in Sicily in the early 2000s, with the ambition of “bottling Sicily’s greatness,” he cast aside “the old Sicilian model of bush trained vines and resilient local varieties,” opting to plant EU subsidized Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet, in VSPs and using Bordeaux winemaking techniques.

‘We planted continental models–dense rows of vines on weak rootstocks, trimmed and irrigated, arranged not for beauty or belonging, but for efficiency,” he writes.

“And so, we began the great uprooting. Old vines, deeply established in culture and climate, were torn out, We didn’t experiment. We just imitated, confident that quality would come from patterning ourselves on others.”

“I’d been chosen for my job because I had studied abroad, in France and California–the places we looked to for answers. Our guiding principles? ‘This is how the French do it.’ ‘This is how you make quality wine.’ ‘This is how you mechanize and save money.’”

But he writes, “after just a few years, Sicily spoke back. It subverted everything we believed.” Cover crops did not help, trimming in heatwaves stalled the vines, high density led to increased labor. In the end, he finds, the vineyard “improvements” failed completely and the wines were mediocre. 

In the end, he finds that the Sicilian model did not need replacing–”It needed reclaiming.”

Starting in 2022 that’s what he did, championing the old vines of Marsala with his two MW co-learners 

In a chapter on Friuili, Lonardi profiles Friuli born Marco Simonit as “A Shaman Among the Vines,” and admires his work on shifting wineries from hard to gentle pruning. 

Although the concept of Italianity remains somewhat elusive, at least to me, a hint comes from Lonardi when he talks about Valpolicella and his growing desire to let the land speak with more transparency. At first he calls his idea Pinosophy, a word he says means “rooted in lightness, tension and truth”…based “on clarity of place, precision of flavor, harmony between fruit, acidity and texture.” 

Now, “there is a world chorus singing in this key,” he says, concluding, “Lightness is not the absence of substance, it is the art of embodying depth with grace.”

MISSING PHOTO (click here for story WITH PHOTOS)

Celebrating the book’s release at a May 5 luncheon, Robin Shay, export manager for Marilisa-Allegrini’s Villa Della Torre, and auctioneer and broadcaster Liam Mayclem, KCBS Foodie Chap, with Shelley Lindgren at A16 

Lonardi is now the COO of Marilisa-Allegrini’s new company, Villa Della Torre, where he is reshaping the vision, including a negociant approach by integrating old vine vineyards in Soave into the portfolio, and mentoring Marilisa’s two daughters who joined the business six years ago.

The Montalcino estate is certified organic and releases its wines in both Italy and the United States (as Made with Organic Grapes.)

Author Insights from Dupuy

Speaking at the luncheon, co-author Jessica Dupuy, shared the saga of the book publishing journey, saying that they self published the book after her agent could not find a publisher willing to release it as a bilingual publication. (Each chapter is presented in both English and Italian.) 

Peppered with people profiles from start to finish, Lonardi introduced it as more timeless book about character building and career legacy lessons from role models. 

“This is not a wine book,” he said. “This is a book of life, and it is a book especially for young people to understand how we can build our success, our professional career, and learn from all these people who are special.”

Biggest Surprise: The Role Mondavi Played in Italian Wine Leaders’ Inspiration

Said Dupuy, “One thing that, as a California connection, that I thought was fascinating was when we interviewed Gaia Antinori, Vittorio Moretti (who is the owner of Bella Vista and a number of other labels) and others–all of them, when I asked them, well, ‘who are some people that influenced you, who are some people that helped you in your career path?’ And without knowing that anyone had said this, all of them answered, Robert Mondavi.”

“It’s crazy. I just stopped in my tracks. Because I think as American–I work in wine, I have been writing about wine, I know Robert Mondavi. Of course we know that brand and many of you know everything he’s done, but I think I’ve kind of taken them for granted personally, and that really made me pause.” 

“In fact, we had no plans to write about Robert Mondavi in this book, but after listening to them, there is an essay about that, and it’s because each one of them said it’s because of Robert Mondavi the first time I met him. 

“For Angelo Gaja, Piero Antinori, Vittorio Moretti–it made them realize that Italian wine was possible on the tables of Americans, that Italian wine was possible and that people wanted us. If pizza and pasta are part of the American menu once a week at a minimum, then Italian wine can be, too, and it gave them license to move beyond and push through. And so it’s because…I can’t believe it, but because of Robert Mondavi, we have this story in front of us. So I think that’s really beautiful, that that was the inspiration. And I just wanted to share that story, because you’re going to find a lot of these in the book.”

Your Next Dose of “An Ethos of Sanity in What is an Insane World”| Slow Wine USA Debuts 2026 Guide

 The 2026 Record Setting Guide is now available! Out of 409 fine wine wineries, 256 have certified organic vines or are in transition to organic, biodynamic or regenerative organic certification.

SEE PHOTO ON ORGANICWINEUNCORKED ON SUBSTACK

Slow Wine Guide party for 2026 guide field contributors (writers), editors and wineries held at Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles in 2025.

As the 2026 Slow Wine Guide USA launches this week, the creation of a dedicated team of wine writers, wine judges and other wine professionals, the book has reached its biggest numbers ever with a record 409 wineries, up from 380 in 2025.

As its managing editor (working closely with my work bestie, national editor Deborah Parker Wong), I can say it’s a pleasure to have seen our illustrious team grow to 21 field contributors who help us fulfill our mission of in person, on site visits for each winery.

We’ve been buoyed by past praise…SF Chronicle’s beloved wine writer Esther Mobley said we were the best place to find out if a wine was farmed with Roundup, while US born, Catalunya based wine expert Miguel Hudin said we had created “An Ethos of Sanity in What is an Insane World.” That latter phrase rings truer than ever in this current moment when so many lies abound and misinformation floods the zone.

The Most Transparent Wine Guide on the Planet

Slow Wine USA has been a force for transparency indeed, and that, above all, makes me so proud to have contributed to the only wine guide–yes, in the U.S.–that follows the format of showing the fertilizer, the weed control, the plant protection and other wine farming facts that no other wine guide publishes. It is a brilliant format and I salute our Italian sponsors at Slow Wine Italy for coming up with it. In addition, it lists pertinent winemaking facts as well–what types of yeast (native, etc.) as well the type of aging vessel, case production and more for more than 1,200 wines (three per winery).

We also salute all the producers in the guide–who respond to our inquiries and share more of their farming and winemaking facts with us than other reviewers.

It is simply the best and most comprehensive guide to eco friendly wines, valuing both farming and wine quality in equal measure.

Many wineries who forgo herbicides still use fungicides, but that disqualifies them for Snail consideration.

Our USA guide was the first to say “we do not review wines farmed with Roundup or other synthetic herbicides.”

A winery can make other wines farmed with Roundup. They are just not the ones we review.

Aside from concerns about human health, Roundup is most definitely a soil killer, and one would be hard pressed to say a wine is a “wine of terroir” if the soil is treated with synthetic herbicide. 
(Although hundreds of wineries do say that, including fine wine wineries.)

This year, the Italian Slow Wine Guide followed suit on the herbicide prohibition, that we in the USA started first.

May it continue.

Many Things Are Left Unsaid

It can be awkward for some wineries to follow the Slow Wine guidelines, for there are wonderful and famous wineries in long term contracts with Roundup dousing old vine vineyards (even the head trained ones) who prefer not to be in the guide lest someone discover the brand reputation is not wholly defined by their certified organic estate (obscuring from view that they purchase grapes that are not as pure as the driven snow).

There are many instances of mistaken identity in other Green Wine designations (I think of the Robert Parker green award). Unless a winery is all estate, which is unique in the U.S., green is a wine by wine determination, not necessarily a winery category.

Call it the hybrid producer problem–wineries that have very green estates but buy from additional wine grapes from growers who do not. Some famous names would appear here if not for my discretion in shielding them from view.

The same hybrid producer problem goes for unnamed natural winemakers who just need to buy more grapes and don’t really want anyone to know they’re buying grapes sprayed with synthetic fungicide for instance. It’s not illegal, but many of those fungicides are bird and bee neurotoxins.

Or a winery can have sheep grazing in the fields and still use herbicide–i.e. have their rented sheep munching among recently sprayed, herbicided grasses. A agro-non-ecological nightmare.

When the founders of Sonoma Valley’s SORBET group observed this happening, much to their consternation, it spurred the organic folks to form a collective to combat that type of greenwashing deception.

Herbicide Free Wine

I think after all we have been through to create and adhere to this criteria at Slow Wine, a little bragging about the criteria of herbicide free wines is ok.

Asking marketing directors at hundreds of wineries if the wines they represent are farmed with Roundup, fungicides, conventional fertilizer, etc. has been an education for those we’ve crossed paths with in the course of writing this guide, year in and year out.

People are now more familiar with these attributes.

It goes far beyond “does it have sulfites” and natural winemakers saying “We did nothing” over and over.

Proud to Honor Our Snails | Wineries That Use No Synthetic Chemicals in the Vines

Napa - 25


Oregon - 21

Sonoma - 17


Williamette Valley - 15


Paso Robles - 9


Santa Barbara County - 8

Slow Wine USA also lists certifications where they are used, and also includes the uncertified, recognizing that good farming requires a clean Pesticide Use Report, not a certification certificate. Our Italian Slow Wine leaders created this criteria and it enables us to be much more inclusive than if we were an organic only guide.

An Educational Journey

We spotcheck the uncertified California wineries, using our state’s fantastic pesticide use reports, in the hopes that we can encourage and validate transparency. Of course, we are not omniscient so we do have rely on what wineries tell us, but cross referencing official spray reports gives us some degree of confidence. Would that every state had mandatory pesticide use reporting like California does.

We also require wineries to report the percentage of grapes they purchase–a very revealing and useful indicator, as most people have no idea wineries buy grapes or in what quantity. Often it is a surprise to consumers and even to wine professionals. Clearly more education is needed in the industry among wine educators, retailers and wine professionals.

The Love In These Wines

In the end, what matters most is being able to say to our readers, this guide encompasses 409 great wineries and more than 1,200 wines you might want to try. They range in price from $16 per bottle (Folk Machine’s White Light, also available in 3L boxes for $42) to the luxury tier stratosphere (Adamvs at $425, for instance).

Every one of the Snails, in order to be a Snail, cannot use synthetics, whether they are fungicides or herbicides, insecticides or conventional fertilizer.

This year we have a record number of Snails.

Price is, uniquely, one of the criteria, for a Snail should not be overly costly.

Bravo for the fine quality of our wineries who meet these high standards. And for all the shoe leather guide writers put in and the many hours the production staff in Italy devote to this endeavor.

2025-6 A Banner Year, A Turning Point

Aside from all this, the past year was a banner year, with the launch of the first full fledged Terra Madre USA in Sacramento. which included more than 100 of our wineries engaged in panels and tastings.

PHOTO: see on substack. Regenerative organic pioneer Caine Thompson, then general manager of O’Neill’s Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles, giving a talk on agroforestry at the inaugural Terra Madre of the Americas held in Sacramento

Buying the Guide

Interested in buying a copy of the guide? It’s a fitting tribute during Earth Month and a show of support to our stellar team (and the wineries) who provide so much value in this amazingly thorough and comprehensive guide.

Get your 2026 guide on Amazon or from Bookshop here and get to know “all the best people”, and their wines” and wineries.

Makes a great gift, too, so buy a few copies for friends.

Thank you for supporting Slow Wine USA.

Earth Day | Organically Grown Wine Conference in Oregon Launches Its First Two Day Conference

Press release

Attendees can expect farmer-led learning and collaboration geared toward growers, producers, media, buyers, and other stakeholders who care about quality, sustainability, and authenticity. (Courtesy image)

WILLAMETTE VALLEY, Ore. — Join us for two immersive days of connection, education, and tasting at the 2026 Organically Grown Wine Conference—a gathering at the intersection of organic viticulture, winemaking, market innovation, and the people who are shaping the future of wine.

Building off the successful inaugural 2025 conference, attendees can expect farmer-led learning and collaboration geared toward growers, producers, media, buyers, and other stakeholders who care about quality, sustainability, and authenticity.

DATE: April 20-21, 2026

LOCATION: Willamette Valley, Oregon

For more info, click here.

Day 1 of the Organically Grown Wine Conference is geared towards trade, buyers, media and industry members, but open to anyone who is curious about organic wine farming.

The full day conference includes:

Panel Discussion, Lunch + Technical Tasting at Linfield (McMinnville)

Field Tour at Soter Vineyards (Carlton)

Shuttle transportation will be offered from Portland.

Day 2 of the Organically Grown Wine Conference is geared towards growers, viticulturists, winemakers, and those transitioning to organic practices - trade and media are welcome.

The full day conference includes:

Panel Discussion, Lunch + Technical Tasting at Chemeketa Eola (Salem)

Field Tour at Chemeketa Eola (Salem)

Happy Hour After Party (McMinnville) - details will be sent to attendees.

Business of Organic: Avaline Surpasses Josh and Bonterra in Sales at Sprouts

How did the all organic brand Avaline catapult into 2025-6's list of wineries achieving double digit growth wineries? Is organic resonating with consumers? If well made and marketed...yes.

Please see this post with the photos we published with it. Go here.

Founded by actress Cameron Diaz, a Hollywood star, and Katherine Power, an entrepreneur with several hit brands in beauty and fashion, in 2019, Avaline imports organically grown wines and brands them with Avaline branding, while also crediting the wine’s producer source (on its website under each wine description).

The fast growing brand is widely available at Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Total Wine and many other retail outlets.

At Sprouts, Avaline recently surpassed Sprouts’ sales of Josh, a conventionally grown wine that is a top seller nationally. It also surpassed Bonterra in sales at Sprouts, Avaline’s CEO Jen Purcell said.

In May of 2025, Business of Drinks podcast host Erica Deucy interviewed Avaline CEO Purcell about the company’s success, pointing out in her introduction that “Avaline is more than a celebrity-backed brand. It’s a category-shaping brand. In 2024 alone, Avaline sold 213,000 cases.” That earned it a Hot Brand from Shanken News Daily.

But the following year was even better. Avaline hit 300,000 cases in sales.

Said Deucy, “We’re talking nearly 50% growth in a category that saw contraction.”

“What’s driving this growth?” Deucy continued. “It is a radically different approach to wine. It’s about simple and transparent labeling, the use of organic grapes, and messaging that is wellness-forward and frictionless.

“The label itself doesn’t focus on terroir. It tells you the ingredients and what the wine tastes like. And it’s the brand’s willingness to really distance itself from traditional and staid wine language and harness the signifiers found in beauty, wellness and modern food brands.”

Its target demographic? “Tech savvy, health conscious women between 35 and 54,” Purcell said. It takes its cues in branding from fashion and wellness trends, leaning into female buyers.

Listen to the full interview in the podcast. 63: How Avaline Became a $33M Wine Powerhouse with CEO Jen Purcell - Business of Drinks

Avaline’s Brand History

Avaline initially launched in Sprouts in 2020 and in 2021 began its DTC, ecommerce channel. The vast majority of sales are still in retail outlets.

Avaline’s investors include Greycroft (which funded Powell’s other ventures), Marcy Venture Partners (co-founded by Jay-Z), H Venture Partners, Plus Capital, and Sonoma Brands. Angel investors include Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Richie. By 2021, it had raised $14.6 million from investors. Today it has reached more than $33 million in sales.

Avaline’s two bestselling wines; rosé and an unconventional white blend from Spain

What makes Avaline different from the biggest domestic organic brand, Bonterra?

Avaline’s branding is more upscale and fashion forward, but it also lists ingredients (transparency), messages “no added sugar” (often 0 grams total), displays nutrition facts and emphasizes “no unnecessary additives.”

And all of the winemakers are in the EU –where the organic wine market and organic acreage for organically grown wines is 4-5 times bigger than in the U.S. with a wide selection of producers to create private label wines.

Unconventional Marketing for the Wine Industry

A lot of Avaline’s strategy is born out by current market research–listing ingredients, messaging low calorie and no sugar, ingredients transparency–but no one had ever put all of those things into play in the marketplace with the added attributes of fashion and film celebrities who can appear on TV talk shows.

On the other hand, market researchers have consistently been saying that these consumers were asking for these attributes, but wineries did not appear to be listening.

“Better for you” brands were a halfway step-but not organic. Domestic wineries did not cultivate this demographic with well made and well marketed wines. And major retailers like Whole Foods never fully embraced organically grown wines, apparently since few domestic brands had the capacity to scale nationally.

In Berkeley and Oakland, where I live, one can hardly find an organically grown rosé (from any country) at a local Whole Foods.

Finding enough organic grapes and really good organically grown wine in the U.S. may have been a hurdle for domestic producers as growers are often resistant to growing organically, fearing it is financially risky. Though warmer wine growing climates are often similar in California and the three main EU wine grape growing countries, European producers have a different culture and mindset, with 20% of wine grape acreage certified organic in France, Italy and Spain.

Organic in Lodi?

At the same time, a few U.S. growers see organic as a path to prosperity. Giant Vino Farms in Lodi has found it can charge 2-3 times more for certified organic grapes, while its farming costs rise only around 10 percent for organic. It’s also fueling a new, all organic Avivo brand as well as selling grapes to many artisanal, boutique wineries whose consumers value organic certification.

CEO Purcell: “Avaline was really founded out of their need (for the founders) to understand what they were putting in their bodies and something that they were consuming, a fair amount of, which was wine.”

Avaline’s founders, Purcell said, “realized they didn’t understand anything about what was being put in that bottle. I think that when we first launched, a lot of traditional wine buyers were a little bit confused. They’re like' ‘why aren’t you putting the vintage on the bottle?’

Or why aren’t you talking about where this wine is from, or their terroir, or anything like that?”

“But we were like, well, the research that we’ve done has shown that research that we've done has showed that the consumer doesn't care [about those things]…the consumer does care about what they’re putting in their body, what this wine is made out of. And they have no idea what that is for any other wine. And so I think that really has differentiated us in the market-leaning into those messages.”

Showing Some Rizz

The brand’s growth earned Avaline a spot in Fast Company’s Brands That Matter 2025. That year Avaline “launched a wine with Stella McCartney, celebrating the limited-edition rosé with a cocktail party that had Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Andy Cohen in attendance,” the magazine wrote.

The Stella McCartney rose

“Those activations have helped the brand grow online, especially on Instagram, where Avaline is the most followed U.S.-based wine brand globally with 240,000 followers (a number that grew 8% year over year in 2024),” the magazine continued.

“Think Different” | A Unique Start

Avaline’s earliest wine hits were not the usual varietals marketers lean into–Cabernet and Chardonnay. The original four wines were a sparkling, a red blend, a white blend and a rosé.

Today, they’ve expanded into those common varieties and more, launching red sets, white sets, welcome sets and more. They offer a six bottle wedding set. The brunch set is positioned as “a curated way to bring ease, beauty, and organic wine to any spring table.”

Beauty. Another differentiator.

The Goal? Be a Top 10 Brand

The brand’s emphasis on integrity, organics and authenticity puts it in stark contrast with other celebrity brands.

• Sarah Jessica Parker’s Invivo X, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, now sold with Jalapeño with Natural Flavor

• Snoop Dog’s 19 Crimes (Treasury Wine Estates)

• Dolly Wines, Dolly Parton’s new brand

One other celebrity driven, supermarket priced wine with organic grapes is Whoopi Goldberg’s DOCG Prosecco launched in 2025. It sells online for $23 a bottle online. So far it is the brand’s only wine.

Seeking Even More Growth

In 2025, Avaline switched from RNDC to a national partnership with Southern Glazer’s, aiming to continue its strong retailer growth.

In her podcast interview Purcell said the brand wants to become one of the top 10 wine brands in the country. “That is our ultimate goal.”

As a brand that leans into lifestyle marketing and good wine, with solid financial backing, it appears to be headed in the right direction–at a time of down markets for wine. Will the industry pay attention to these consumer trends?

Seismic Shifts, Part 2 | Four Trends Defining the Future of Wine Growth | Wine Data Guru Danny Brager's Take on Trends, Where Wine's Falling Behind And How It Can Get Its Groove Back Again

It is simple math...and yet, so many miss these points.

Danny Brager is the wine indsutry’s favorite data geek and for good reason. In this second part in a series, we share highlights from his Wine Market Council research conference talk on trends that could fuel growth in the wine industry.

Brager talked overall about overall trends…

• Whites are doing better than red

• Single serving containers a huge success (but not yet in wine)

• On premise price jumps hurting wine in consumers’ decision between cocktails and wine

• Fast casual eateries (serving more ethnically diverse food) outpacing fine dining which is in decline

1. It’s White Wines for the Win (But Only Some Whites Make the Cut)

Used with permission. Thanks to Danny Brager.

Just like the Bar Lucia wine menu (mentioned in Part 1), whites are in, and reds are…declining, according to this SipSource data.

In addition, Brager said he gets calls from journalists about the impact of tariffs, so he looked at the data and found that “imports are doing better than domestics.”

Partly that’s because more than half of the imports are whites, he said.

“When you look at the percentage of imports versus percentage of wines in Washington, California, Oregon, and the color of the percentage of imports, 55% are whites. It’s harder to chase growth when you’re largely invested in varietals that just aren’t doing as well overall, from a consumer perspective,” he said.

Read the full story over at our substack where all the informative charts are displayed. 

https://organicwineuncorked.substack.com/p/seismic-shifts-part-2-four-trends

Champagne's Herbicide Nightmare

I am posting a link here to Caroline Henry's truly shocking videos of herbicide use in Champagne. See the video here.

Her video of the spring season spraying shows the undeniable truth - yellow row after yellow row, where Roundup has been used.

She notes that "grapes coming from these blank sprayed vineyards will make their way into most houses' non-vintage cuvees, especially since these same houses have been heavily investing in regenerative practices in their own vineyards. Why bother at all if everything will be blended together in the end?"

Earth Month Kicks Off | Robert Hall Winery Launches Two Wines from Regenerative Organic Grapes | Whole Foods Exclusive

Bold, clear regenerative organic labeling makes them a standout. The two wines-a red and a white-will be available nationwide and sold only at Whole Foods. Scroll down for the tech sheets and labels.

It’s been in the works for sometime, but today’s the day! The project former Robert Hall general manager and regenerative organic evangelist Caine Thompson started with Jeff O’Neill years ago is finally on the launch pad and lifting off in Whole Foods nationwide.

The winery is releasing a red–a Cabernet–and a white–a Sauvignon Blanc–today.

Labeling

One thing I really love about this launch is the prominent branding for regenerative organic labeling. As the press release says, “With Robert Hall ROC® wines, we moved the Regenerative Organic Certified® and B-Corp Certified seals to the front of the wine label, creating a clear, consumer-facing expression of purpose.”

Here’s what the bottle looks like: GO TO OUR SUBSTACK TO SEE THE STORY WITH VISUALS. 

Closeup of the neck:

Hopefully this will achieve its purpose: helping consumers to find eco-friendly wine at the supermarket.

Press Release

OBERT HALL WINERY LAUNCHES REGENERATIVE ORGANIC CERTIFIED® WINES

IN EARTH MONTH EXCLUSIVELY AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET

Paso Robles, Calif., April 2, 2026 -- Robert Hall Winery, a pioneer in the Paso Robles AVA and a Regenerative Organic Certified®estate, today announces the launch of two Regenerative Organic Certified® wines exclusively at Whole Foods Market, 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, SRP $29.99.

Robert Hall Winery, an O’Neill Vintners & Distillers B Corp Certified winery, has produced the first Regenerative Organic Certified®commercially available wines in distribution at retail in honor of Earth Month, a groundbreaking achievement for the future of wine.

Regenerative farming is a future-forward approach that addresses global challenges created by conventional agriculture by restoring soil health and sequestering carbon. Paso Robles has emerged as a leader for regenerative organic viticulture, and Robert Hall Winery is among a small group to achieve Regenerative Organic Certification®(ROC®). This rigorous standard, built on the foundation of organic certification, sets the bar across three core pillars: soil health, animal grazing integration, and worker fairness. The alignment between Robert Hall Winery and Whole Foods Market is rooted in a shared belief that the future of agriculture must be regenerative and transparent. Together, they are redefining how climate-smart, values-driven products reach consumers, meeting at the intersection of quality, integrity, and environmental stewardship.

Jeff O’Neill, Founder & CEO of O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, has been an environmental champion for more than two decades executing on an unwavering belief of “farming for the future,” cementing O’Neill as the leader in at-scale sustainable viticulture. What began as a long-term commitment to better farming for O’Neill has become a defining mission that culminates in bringing Regenerative Organic Certified® wines directly to the everyday consumer.

“For over 20 years, we have believed that farming isn’t just about what we produce today, it’s about what we leave behind for the next generation,” said O’Neill. “Regenerative agriculture is the most important evolution of that belief. We are proud to bring that to the everyday consumer, making it more accessible in the marketplace and at an approachable price point, so anyone can choose to walk with us on this journey.”

As consumers increasingly make purchasing decisions shaped by values as much as quality, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP Luxury at O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, Maeve Pesquera, recognizes the opportunity is no longer just to produce differently, but to communicate differently, making purpose visible at the exact moment choice is made. “Consumers are not just asking what is in the bottle; they are asking what it stands for,” said Pesquera. “Our role is to make that answer immediate and intuitive at the shelf, where trust is built in seconds. With Robert Hall ROC® wines, we moved the Regenerative Organic Certified® and B-Corp Certified seals to the front of the wine label, creating a clear, consumer-facing expression of purpose.”

This commitment extends beyond packaging into education and engagement, with Robert Hall ROC® wines featured in the Whole Foods Market employee “WINE 201” curriculum hosted by Wine Folly, equipping Whole Foods retail teams with a deeper understanding of regenerative agriculture and empowering them to speak clearly and confidently to consumers about its impact on wine quality, land stewardship, and long-term sustainability.

The Robert Hall ROC® 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, made by Winemaker Amanda Gorter, are available at Whole Foods Markets nationally, SRP $29.99.

About O’Neill Vintners & Distillers

O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, a Certified B Corporation, is a family-owned, vertically integrated wine and spirits company dedicated to crafting exceptional wines and spirits while setting a new standard for sustainability in the industry. Founded in 2004 by visionary Jeff O’Neill, the company has emerged as a true leader in environmental stewardship-proving that scale and sustainability can go hand in hand. O’Neill has earned some of the highest honors in the field, including B Corp Certification, Regenerative Organic Certified® status, and the prestigious Green Medal Leader Award from the California Wine Institute. These accolades reflect not only a deep commitment to regenerative farming and climate-smart practices, but also a bold vision for the future of wine and spirits. With winery estates in Sonoma and Paso Robles and a winery facility in Parlier, O’Neill’s diverse portfolio includes Ram’s Gate Winery, Robert Hall Winery, Line 39, Wines of Substance, FitVine Wine, Harken Chardonnay, Rabble Wine Company, Charles Woodson’s Intercept, No. 209 Gin, and BrandyLab. To learn more, visit www.ONeillWine.com.

Tech Sheets on the Wines Head Over to Our Substack to read them

Note each is blended with 14-15% of a second varietal.

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Grgich Hills Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Paris Tasting with Rare Chardonnay Masterclass May 2

50 years ago, at the historic Judgment of Paris, the world of wine was changed forever. At the forefront of that revolution stood Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich, the winemaker behind the famous 1973 Chardonnay that beat the very best wines of France for the first time in history. You’re invited to join Grgich Hills Estate President Violet Grgich and veteran winemaker Ivo Jeramaz as you're guided on a tasting journey through the decades, to learn more about the varietal that gave rise to Grgich Hills Estate.

A curated selection of Chardonnays past and present will be showcased, including rare library vintages unattainable elsewhere. Attendees also have the distinct privilege of being among the first to taste a brand-new release: our 2023 Paris ’76 Chardonnay, a 97-point masterwork described by Lisa Perrotti-Brown as “Elegant and beautifully poised, yet with intense zesty and savory layers… Absolutely stunning!”

$95 per person, $76 for members. 

https://www.exploretock.com/grgich/event/602583/chardonnay-masterclass-with-violet-grgich-and-ivo-jeramaz

Paso Robles Emerges as Global Epicenter of Regenerative Organic Viticulture

Future-Forward Farming Practices Raise New Standards for Environmental Stewardship in a Changing World 

Press Release 

 Mar 31, 2026 PASO ROBLES, Calif.

The adoption of regenerative agriculture around the world over the last five years has been one of the most encouraging developments in sustainability. Within this movement, one wine region is setting the pace for viticulture: the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) on California’s Central Coast. Of the few dozen U.S. wine brands with Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) estate vineyards, six are based in Paso Robles. The six certified Paso Robles wineries—Booker Vineyard, Halter Ranch Vineyard, Le Cuvier Winery, The MAHA Estate, Robert Hall Winery, and Tablas Creek Vineyard—are now working collaboratively to expand the reach of regenerative organic viticulture. 

Starting with a media tour in April, their collective aim is to inform the global wine community and inspire other wineries to pursue regenerative organic viticulture. “Paso Robles has always been a place where growers and winemakers work together to push the industry forward,” said Joel Peterson, CEO of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. 

“The leadership shown by these six Regenerative Organic Certified® wineries reflects that spirit and shows how innovation and stewardship go hand in hand in our region. We’re excited to welcome media this spring to see firsthand how regenerative organic practices are shaping the future of our vineyards.” 

 Turning Back the Clock 

 While there are multiple certifications devoted to regenerative viticulture, Regenerative Organic Certified is the most rigorous, requiring organic certification and setting elite standards for the required pillars of soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. 

 In the words of the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), the governing body of ROC, “Forecasts have predicted that global topsoils will deplete in 60 years at our current rate, while studies have proven that conventional, industrial agriculture contributes up to 25 percent of the emissions driving the climate crisis.” 

 Regenerative organic agriculture aims to reverse these trends by rehabilitating farmland soils and sequestering carbon through practices such as no-till and cover cropping. Corollary tenets of ROC include respecting animal welfare, improving the lives of farmworkers and building healthier communities. 

 “We are proud to see the way the Paso Robles wine region has embraced the Regenerative Organic Certified program,” said Christopher Gergen, CEO of the Regenerative Organic Alliance. “The vintners and winemakers dedicated to maintaining their land and producing their wines under these standards display a commitment to the Regenerative Organic Alliance’s three pillars of soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. With efforts like the one-block challenge and the growing interest in regenerative organic among the region’s wineries, Paso Robles is emerging as one of the most exciting ROC regions globally.”  

Creating Common Ground 

 It is no surprise that the Paso Robles AVA has emerged as a global epicenter of regenerative organic viticulture. 

The region is home to the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified estate vineyard, and it is also home to the organizers of the “One Block Challenge,” a globally recognized program inviting and enabling grape growers to test regenerative practices on a single block for a year to learn key practices and outcomes. The intention is to inspire participants to continue and expand these practices throughout their vineyards and earn certification. The One Block Challenge originated in Paso Robles and has expanded globally to include programs in Napa, United Kingdom, South Africa, and New Zealand. 

There are now over 40 growers participating in the One Block Challenge within the Paso Robles AVA. The result is a growing group of Paso Robles leaders who are driving the adoption of sustainable, climate-resilient farming practices in the region. Le Cuvier Winery is the latest local winery to achieve estate vineyard certification, bringing the total number to six. 

 In that spirit, the Paso Robles region’s ROC wineries are banding together to shine a light on regenerative organic viticulture and create pathways for even further adoption across the industry. The tour promises to be the first in a series of trade and consumer activations dedicated to sharing how the Paso Robles AVA is a leader in regenerative organic viticulture.   

 ABOUT PASO ROBLES WINE COUNTRY ALLIANCE The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is the official trade and marketing organization that represents wineries, growers, and businesses in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area. Centrally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles on California’s Central Coast, Paso Robles Wine Country encompasses more than 40,000 vineyard acres and 250 wineries. For more, visit pasowine.com or download the free Paso Wine app.

Video: "Definitely harmful" — Scientists Issue Warning on Glyphosate Impacts to Human Health

 

The scientific findings are only growing more alarming as more research is conducted.

Seismic Shifts, Part 1 | Wine Data Guru Danny Brager's Take on Trends, Where Wine's Falling Behind And How It Can Get Its Groove Back Again | + All Organic Brand Avaline Shows Double Digit Growth

 This is part one of a two part series.

TO SEE THIS POST WITH THE ESSENTIAL CHARTS INCLUDED GO TO ORGANICWINEUNCORKED.SUBSTACK.COM

Some countries are fueling wine growth. Some wineries are doing okay. Some producers are actually growing.

Keeping abreast of how to sell wine in a world that’s in a lot of flux is a full time job.

That’s why so many people in the industry flocked to hear wine data guru Danny Brager speak to an audience of leading wine producers at the annual Wine Market Council (WMC) conference held March 25 at COPIA in Napa.

The story represented a tale worlds apart from the usual handwringing over “younger people are drinking less,” replacing it with a data driven narrative of an industry that lost its way by not paying attention to where consumers (of all ages) are going. That is to white wines, lighter reds, single serving sizes, alternative formats, flavor-first wines and wine cocktails (Stella Rosa’s pineapple and chili wine, for example) and fast casual restaurants serving a variety of ethnic cuisines.

As if to highlight these trends, next door at the Oxbow Public Market, a bartender vigorously shook a cocktail shaker at Bar Lucia, in a corner across from the former location of the Oxbow Wine and Cheese merchant (which closed its doors on Dec. 31). Ilustrating Brager’s remarks, on its by the glass wine list, Bar Lucia serves frosés, five rosés, five sparkling wines, seven white wines–and one Napa Cab.

Reflections on “If You Build It, They Will Come”

Brager opened his talk with a slide from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, and its famous motto, “If you build it, they will come.”

“Field of Dreams [the movie] was back in 1989…but I feel like this is kind of where we have been–in the past, right? We built the industry to make wonderful wine, and still do, and people came and bought it and we saw years and years and years of continual growth.

And the issue now that we’re living with is what happens if they don’t come. They’re not coming as many, and they’re not coming as frequently as they as they did. That’s the world we’re living in now.”

Brager went on to identify where the cart went off the road and where it could get back on track. The picture that emerged was a contrast in both dark and light.

“We’re living in a time when things are expensive,” he said, quoting data that groceries are now 30 percent more expensive than in 2020. And yet, “Somewhere between around 30% of brands seem to be growing.”

One All Organic Brand, Avaline, Showed Spectacular Growth

Brager’s list of the fastest growing wine brands puts the all organic, imports brand Avaline (sales of 33MM in 2023) in the top segment of brands of $10MM brands growing in double digits. (The order in which the names display below is simply alphabetical, Brager said). (More on what’s behind Avaline’s dramatic growth in a future post).

Avaline is the only all organic brand and is growing at double digits. (Used with permission.)

Availine is now available at Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Total Wine and many other outlets.

On Trend: The Explosion of Ready to Drink (RTDs), White Wines, Mini Sizes, Alternative Formats

The ready to drink cocktail wave is now up 23 percent since last year, he said, and has more than doubled since 2021, going from $1.5 billion in sales to $4 billion in the last 52 weeks, according to NIQ data. But wine has not played much of a role.

“It always amazes me that 27% of spirits volume now is accounted for by spirit based RTDs–bigger than vodka. It is bigger than whiskey and gin…I think there's lessons there to be learned from what's working in that segment.”

The pandemic brought about a revolutionary new category. Wine has yet to find its voice in it.

And although Barefoot and Josh wines each outsell Gallo’s hard seltzer High Noon, White Claw sales (though declining) dwarf them all.

But XXL wine, wine based RTDs BeatBox and Stella Rosa and spirits based BuzzBallz are outpacing traditional table wine in attracting sales from non-white and 21-34 year olds.

Price is one driver. “The price of a can of a spirit RTD is like $2.50,” he said. “If you have to do all the math, it’s probably $15 or $20 on the equivalent 750 basis,” adding that consumers probably do not go through all that math.

Brager also pays attention to flavor trends, noting that some products are supersizing flavors, while mini-sizing packaging.

“In my opinion, it's flavors driving a lot of that growth,” Brager said. “It's format–smaller containers. It's function, which could be the convenience of like an RTD. It's all mixed for me.”

“It’s also the container, it’s also the marketing. Some have done a really great job of creating communities–concerts, events and so on and so forth…When you look at some of the data on a consumer level, they have certainly shifted table wine, mainstream spirit dollars and spending to these sorts of brands,” he said.

“We need to be creative, innovative and solid, but perhaps there's an opportunity for us to play in that space.”

TO SEE THIS POST WITH THE ESSENTIAL CHARTS INCLUDED GO TO ORGANICWINEUNCORKED.SUBSTACK.COM

In Part Two: restaurant trends, varietal trends, format and packaging size trends…learn what’s winning.

Scientists Call for Urgent Action on Glyphosate, Citing Strong Links to Cancer

US and European regulators should take urgent action to more tightly regulate glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weed killer, in light of strong scientific evidence that the pesticide can cause cancer and other health problems, a group of international scientists said on Friday.

The scientists, who gathered at a “glyphosate symposium” in Seattle March 25 – 26 to examine a range of research conducted over the last decade, determined that evidence showing glyphosate herbicides can harm human health “is now so strong that no additional delays in regulation of glyphosate can be justified.”

The group affirmed prior findings linking exposure to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and warned that harmful health impacts are being found at levels of exposure consistent with current use patterns.

“Agencies should act without further delay to limit their use, or eliminate them if legally required, to protect public health,” the scientists said in their statement.

Participating scientists included experts affiliated with multiple US universities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, as well as experts from Europe and Canada.

Experts gathered in Seattle in March 2026 to evaluate scientific evidence on glyphosate health impacts.

The full findings of the group, which included specialists in epidemiology, toxicology, cancer and risk assessment, will be detailed in a peer-reviewed paper the group hopes to publish later this year.

Glyphosate is widely used by farmers and landscapers and others, introduced 50 years ago by Monsanto and marketed as a uniquely safe way to kill weeds.

But evidence has grown over the years linking glyphosate to an array of health and environmental health harms.

The work at the Seattle symposium comes a little more than a decade after the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) conducted an extensive review of scientific literature on glyphosate prior to 2015, determining that the chemical was “probably” carcinogenic to humans.

The Seattle review of more recent science affirms and strengthens that classification, the scientists at the symposium said. Many are now convinced that there is no longer room for doubt about the carcinogenicity of glyphosate.

“It’s clear the evidence has changed and become stronger since 2015,” said Christopher Portier, a former US government scientist and an adjunct professor at Emory University, who was a participant in the Seattle symposium and also the 2015 IARC glyphosate review.

Additionally, the scientists said there was evidence from human and/or animal studies that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides increase the risk of multiple adverse health problems, including diseases of the kidney and liver. Research also shows impacts to reproductive, endocrine, neurological, and other metabolic systems. Children, infants and fetuses are the most susceptible, the scientists said.

The scientists focused on research conducted since 2016, including reviewing data on how and where people are exposed, statistics on the pervasive presence of glyphosate in household dust in certain agricultural areas and the prevalence of glyphosate in urine samples.

The scientists further warned that other pesticides are also not being adequately evaluated and regulated, and approval processes globally should be “fundamentally revised” to protect human health. Preventive measures to reduce human exposures should be implemented without delay while research continues, they said.

Glyphosate is not the only chemical in which regulators are failing to follow and act on scientific evidence of harm, though it is a key example, according to the scientists at the symposium,

“There is a huge contrast, conflict, between the scientific consensus and the regulatory perspective,” said Lianne Sheppard, symposium organizer and professor in public health sciences at the University of Washington. “This [glyphosate] is the starkest example of that.”

The scientists are proposing an overhaul to the regulatory system, requiring scientific data from independent laboratories and organizations free from conflicts of interest, with the costs of that research work being borne by the pesticide industry. Regulatory agencies should base pesticide approval decisions on “unbiased” health effects data, rather than relying heavily on unpublished data submitted by the companies seeking approvals of pesticide products, the scientists said. For pesticide products on the market, regulatory agencies “must closely monitor use, exposure data and harmful outcomes, especially for susceptible and highly exposed groups,” the scientists said.

Ultimately, pesticide use must be reduced overall, the group concluded, and “eliminated to the extent possible.”

“This is imperative for the health of humans, ecosystems and future generations,” the group said in their statement.

Tracey Woodruff, a professor at Stanford University, participated in the symposium.

“It’s hard to get the government to change, particularly because the industry spends a lot of money lobbying Congress to make sure the laws favor their point of view,” said Tracey Woodruff, a professor at Stanford University and former senior scientist for the EPA’s Office of Policy who participated in the symposium.

“People are really mad that they are getting sicker, their families are getting sicker, and they’re being exposed to toxic chemicals. It is universally agreed … that people don’t want to be exposed to toxic chemicals.”

Germany-based Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018 and inherited the glyphosate-based Roundup brand and other glyphosate-based herbicides, is currently embroiled in litigation in the United States brought by tens of thousands of people who allege that exposure to the company’s glyphosate herbicides caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Bayer maintains that its glyphosate products are safe and do not cause cancer or other health problems, but several research studies challenge that position.

A 2022 study, for example, found that glyphosate can have neurotoxic effects at doses lower than levels considered safe by regulatory agencies. And a 2023 study linked childhood exposure to glyphosate to liver inflammation and metabolic disorders.

Last month, a review of 15 years of published studies confirmed that human exposures to glyphosate herbicides have been associated with numerous adverse health outcomes that not only include cancers, liver and metabolic problems, but also reproductive and endocrine-system effects, and disruption of the microbiome, among others.

Bayer is trying to settle the litigation, and is pursuing an appeal before the US Supreme Court that could limit future lawsuits.

Bayer did not respond to a request for comment.

When asked for comment on the new scientific statement on health harms associated with glyphosate, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it has a clear goal to “protect children, support farmers, and ensure that decisions are driven by science, not politics or special interests.”

The agency is “unequivocally committed to gold standard science in this review and will proceed with any appropriate steps informed by the review’s findings,” the agency said in a statement.

The agency further said: “This year, EPA will undertake a comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous scientific review of glyphosate to evaluate its use and ensure decisions are fully aligned with the best available science as well as human health and environmental protections. That review will include expanded public access to underlying data and science, analysis of independent peer-reviewed research on potential cancer and developmental risks, evaluation of opportunities to reduce exposure, and coordination with USDA, HHS, and states to promote integrated pest management and alternative weed control strategies where feasible. EPA will also work with USDA and HHS to develop a research and evaluation framework for exposure across chemical classes in the food supply, while strengthening monitoring of residues in food and water in coordination with federal partners.”

Republish this TNL article for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

For more on organically grown wines, visit organicwineuncorked.substack.com

A Great Oregon Pinot Noir Sale: Lemelson's 2022 Thea's Now $30 (Usually $40)

On SALE now for a limited time while supplies last.

Thea’s Selection is our house cuvée.

Dig deeper though and discover that Thea’s is so much more!

We start with organically grown Pinot Noir sourced from Lemelson’s estate vineyard sites.

Regular release price: $40 | On sale this month: $30 (won’t last long!)

A softer touch of new oak allows this wine to be enjoyed at a younger stage than our Single Vineyard releases.

Enjoy the distinct characteristics of the Willamette Valley in an easy to drink, dynamic package, ideal for any night of the week.

Year in and year out Thea’s over delivers!

Shop now

Wine Industry Innovation Conference Cites Two Organic/Biodynamic Producers Among Top 10 Innovators

Wine Market Council unleashed a treasure trove of data and promoted wine industry innovation in annual conference held at Copia in Napa on Thursday, featuring some organic and biodynamic innovators.

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At Wednesday’s annual research meeting of the Wine Market Council (WMC), a leading research group for wine producers, WMC President Liz Thach saluted ten wineries who were innovating to increase visitation and revenues.

In a time of shrinking direct to consumer revenues (down 6% last year, according to Wine Business Analytics data), she said wineries have to innovate to gain market share.

Bringing the Community In | Brooks Winery

She praised Willamette Valley’s Brooks Winery in Oregon.

“They’re focusing purely on community engagement and building within the community,” she said.

“They’re one of the very first wineries to offer zero proof tasting alongside their regular wines. They’re the first to launch a reusable bottle program that’s really resonating in Oregon with locals. They are doing really deep DTC analytics, creating a quiz on their website so people can figure out what kind of wine they want.”

The 17,000 case winery has 18.5 acres of organic and biodynamic estate vines which make up about 20 percent of production.

“Another cool thing they’re doing is using their tasting room for community events, inviting the community to come to do lectures, to have discussions, whatever, and, of course, having some wine available,” Thach added.

Lower the Barriers, Be More Inviting | Baldacci Family Vineyards

Thach also called out Napa’s Stag’s Leap District family owned winery, Baldacci Family Vineyards, as an innovator, saying the family decided they wanted to attract newer wine lovers.

The 8,000 case winery has 46 acres of certified organic vineyards.

Said Thach, “They decided to start just refocusing on what they could do to attract the younger generation.”

“They started one of the first actually affordable library programs,” she added.

In a followup phone call, general manager Kellie Duckhorn explained the new library vintages wine program introduced this year.

Typically older vintages are marked up but under the Baldacci program starting this year, they are not.

“Our 2015 Napa Stag’s Leap District Black Label Cab ($125) sells for the same price as our current 2022 of the same wine ($125),” Duckhorn said. The new program encourages sales of library vintages.

Baldacci also now offer wine subscriptions with varying benefits and customizable wine selections. A subscription sounds “a lot less frightening for younger people to sign up for,” said Thach.

“One of the most successful things is their 15 minute concierge, where anybody can just online and get an answer to any question,” Thach added. Consumers can schedule a 15 min. video appt. online with one of their wine educators whose photos and profiles are also listed on the site.

Who calls? Duckhorn said the most common users are people who are new to Napa or second timers. A common question which of the many visitor experiences at Baldacci should they sign up for.

Other Trends

Other trends in the top 10 innovators list included:

• Lower calorie wines

• AI used to create new wine in half the time (Treasury Estates)

• Spritzes with real fruit juice and monk fruit sweetener (Saint Spritz) in cans

• Rosé, rosé, rosé

• A dog friendly, tasting room in a rural area with an outdoor patio that’s open in the evenings with campfires for guests to gather around and enjoy wines

In closing, Thach said academic experts analyzing economic data from all over the world looked at the future of wine back in 2023, using data from “every single country, on wine sales and consumer sentiment.” She said their work helped to predict the structural issues the wine industry is now facing, illustrating her point with this slide.

1. Traditional wine…”always there. There’s always a place for the small family vineyard connected to the land, but we see this whole new world of wine.”

2. Light, refreshing wines “that are more wellness focused, easy drinking, including soft reds with light tannins, chillable reds, and wines that are lower in calories–just refreshing.”

3. “Soft” Drinks (with Wine). “This is where we see wine cocktails and everything else growing up.”

“So this is an interesting study they did,” she continued, “and they literally have this quote at the end:”

‘The global wine industry is at a pivotal transition point, requiring a strategic response to evolving consumer preferences to maintain its market share.’

“They wrote this in 2023 literally not knowing how fast this would happen. The rate of change now is just incredible, and so the future warning is already happening right now.”

More coverage of the Innovation conference highlights to come in upcoming posts.