I am giving a talk at Berkeley City Club March 12 where consumers can learn more about why farming matters and compare the difference from a unique trial where EVERYTHING BUT THE FARMING WAS THE SAME.
NOTE: I am mostly now publishing at my Substack, mainly because Google Blogspot changed their technical something or other and it will no longer let me post visuals!!! Please checkout the substack here if you're interested. I will sporadically post the headlines over here from time to time from the Substack but do not count on it.
Would you like to see for your self if the way a wine is farmed affects the taste or flavor? It’s difficult to have the opportunity, but in the last four years, Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles conducted a ground breaking study designed to compare how conventional/sustainable farming versus regenerative-organic farming affects flavor, yield and costs.
The results have been dramatic both in data collected and in wine taste and price. And you can now find out for yourself by tasting these wines at a special event hosted at the Berkeley City Club March 12.
“The remarkable three-year study compared yields, costs, wine quality and more in a conventionally farmed vineyard and a regenerative organic one (supplemented with biodynamic herbal and mineral sprays and compost). The results show a dramatic difference in water retention, soil respiration, soil carbon, wine quality and yields,” I wrote in this article for Grape and Wine Magazine in Dec. 2024.
I first tasted the farming comparison wines side by side on site in the fall of 2024 at the invitation of Caine Thompson who was then general manager at Robert Hall and the impetus behind the trial. (He had conducted similar trials previously in New Zealand comparing conventional to biodynamic farming there.)
The difference between the conventional wines versus the regenerative wines was not subtle at all.
I am not one to use super flowery adjectives like many of my colleagues in writing about wine, but I do not think anyone could miss the difference in this tasting comparison.
Here is what was used on each comparison vineyard. (See substack version for this data and visuals).
The tasting side by side was an extraordinary experience that so impressed me that I then brought a team of the 15+ wine writers for Slow Wine USA (who all write for the annual book I edit on eco friendly wines under the auspices of Slow Food’s Slow Wine) along with me to a winery-hosted tasting with Thompson (who conducted the study). Some of the country’s best fine wine writers (including my close friend and colleague and sensory professor Deborah Parker Wong, co-editor of Slow Wine USA) were in attendance and could see the wines beginning to change even in Year One of the three year trial.
Image of the 48-acre trial site at Robert Hall Vineyard and Winery in Paso Robles, California. Five of these acres make up the conventional "control" blocks in the comparison trial. The other blocks are all regenerative organic.
The study used Agrology’s soil sensor technology to measure some of the soil carbon and temperature differences. You’ll find charts and more info in the article.
More info is also in a followup article in Wine Business Monthly by my good friend Bryan Avila.
The comparison vineyard soil types were the same.
The vinification was the same:
• Native Fermentation
• Add 30ppm KMBS at crush (keep at 20ppm)
• No enzymes added
• No oak added
• No tannin added
• Pump-over once per day
• No inoculation for MLF
• 100% French oak
Here are some of the study highlights:
• Regenerative blocks were cooler than conventional blocks (important to combat heat spikes as well as be more resilient in climate change)
• The winery found a 10 percent in increase in farming costs, but it turned a site with hardpan, dead and dry soil producing a $20 Cab into a now regeneratively organic certified wine it will feature nationwide at Whole Foods for $45.
• Locals could attend quarterly Field Days open to all to observe and ask questions. (Now as an indirect result of the trial, the Paso region has 50+ growers in a One Block Challenge group where they are implementing many of the soil health practices and no longer using herbicides).
A study on the financial aspects of the trial will be presented at the WiVi conference March 12 in Paso.
I have a new article coming out in Wine Business Monthly (in April) presenting three wineries’ case studies on regenerative farming.
EMAILED EVENT COPY
Eco wines are taking center stage these days and growing in popularity. From affordably priced every day wines to collectors’ treasures, there are pesticide free wines for all. In this talk, we will explore some of the reasons why eco wines matter (climate change resilience, taste and flavor, and water retention), certifications to look for, and recommended wines and wineries. We will also briefly explore tour options to learn more about local producers.
Bio
Pam Strayer is a freelance wine business journalist as well as a specialist in organic, biodynamic and regenerative wines. She writes for the wine industry at WineBusiness.com where she covers the latest eco developments. She also writes for consumers and the trade about ecofriendly wines at Slow Wine USA, writing for and editing the major consumer guide to U.S. wines-Slow Food’s annual Slow Wine USA guide, the only source that provides transparency about producers’ wine growing combined with wine expert recommendations.
She also offers trip planning in wine country and leads ecowine tours.
Pam was formerly the editor in chief of Dr. Dean Edell’s health website and later editor in chief for cancer genetics discovery company DNA Sciences led by Silicon Valley pioneer Jim Clark, where she also launched cancer genetics content for WebMD, fueling separate portals for consumers and for clinicians. She has also worked with Stanford Medical School.
A Silicon Valley veteran herself, she has also worked with Apple extensively, produced videos for the UN (its UN50 event in SF) and consulted to leaders at environmental groups, including Huey Johnson’s Resource Renewal Institute as well as 50 environmental directors under Earth Island Institute’s umbrella.
At this event, you’ll hear more about the 2026 Slow Wine guide (covering 400+ wineries and 1,200 wines) and learn why ecofriendly wines matter. Also covered: how wine is changing to adapt to new trends from organic and regenerative, options in non alcoholic or low alcohol wines and why boxed wines really are better (and how to find the best ones).
Enjoy reading her published industry articles at winecountrygeographic.com or her blog Organic Wines Uncorked (1.4 million page views and counting) or better yet at this substack (OrganicWineUncorked.substack.com). (I am no longer publishing new articles at my blog.)
My new articles are only on Substack.
You can also follow me on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/strayer/
The evening will feature:
• a 45 minute presentation
• followed by a meal served at small tables of six
• a question and answer session over dessert with tea or coffee
UPDATE: We will also taste new Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Robert Hall (with certified regenerative-organic farming) that will be in Whole Foods nationally. A representative from Robert Hall will also be present at the event.
Registration closes Monday, March 9 at 5pm.
If you would like to attend, please contact me directly to be put on the guest list. (You CANNOT book directly on the Berkeley City Club site.)
The fee to attend both talk, dinner and tasting is $37.
PS If you are coming from out of town and would like a hotel room, the Berkeley City Club also offers accommodations (which include the use of a famous Julia Morgan designed swimming pool).
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