Organic Wines Uncorked: Another Wine "Discovery" at Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting: Eyrie's Pinot Meunier

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Another Wine "Discovery" at Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting: Eyrie's Pinot Meunier

Amy McCandlish Esper,
national sales manager
at Eyrie Vineyards

As I walked away from the Eyrie table after sampling two Eyrie Chardonnays, Amy McCandlish Esper, national sales manager at The Eyrie Vineyards, reminded me there was one more wine I needed to try: their 2018 Pinot Meunier. I am eternally grateful.

This ethereal, light bodied wine, used to be produced in tiny lots (100 cases?) and now there are 356 cases which means you can actually buy some. Just $45.

It's a perfect wine for Thanksgiving, IMHO. Delicate flavors of wild berries, with a tangle of bright flavors, and no aging required.

While the Chardonnays and the Pinot Noirs and the Pinot Gris and the sparkling wines and the old vine wines can tempt and distract you, do not lose focus. Pinot Meunier is a lovely ticket to somewhere.

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Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

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Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Another Wine "Discovery" at Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting: Eyrie's Pinot Meunier

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