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.”