Trendspotting in Mill Valley: Organically Grown Wine Sightings On The Rise

On the little side street in Mill Valley which gave birth to such trendy spots at Tartine Bakery lies a wonderful pizza eatery - it's called Small Shed Flatbreads.

Enjoying a light pre-theater holiday meal with friends there the day before Christmas (and then tooling down the little lane to 142 Throckmorton Theatre around the corner to see our stage designer friend's sets for A Christmas Carol), I was shocked to see no less than 4 organically grown wines on the wine menu - 3 of them certified (Ceago Rose of Syrah, Jeriko Pinot Noir and Chance Creek's Sauvignon Blanc) and one that I am not sure if it's certified - Zero Manipulation - from Tollini. All are grapes from Mendocino and Lake County.

That is 4 out of 14 wines or 28%.

I am still looking for a restaurant that has more than 50% but at least the numbers are creeping upward.

After the play, I sauntered over to the Mill Valley Market, the village's foodie heartbeat, where I saw no less than 10 organically grown wines for sale - ALL PROPERLY LABELED (save one). I spoke to the wine guy on duty Christmas Eve and asked him if he had many customers asking for organically grown wines. His answer was not very clear or to the point, but he did say he tasted a lot of them and mostly didn't find the quality he was looking for. However, he may have been presented with USDA no sulfite wines. I told him about my The Map and gave him a card, so he could find this blog and The Map to further his options.

On sale in the store are the usual suspects with good distribution - Grgich Hills (estate only), Frog's Leap (not CCOF because they blend in some uncertified grapes they purchase), Qupe (estate only), and a few others.

So...it may be only a matter of time now that organically grown wine becomes The Thing To Do.



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