2012 Crop Reports Say Organic Vineyards Up in Napa, Sonoma

Regions with the highest reputation for wine are increasingly becoming organic, according to crop reports from the Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

In Napa acreage for organic vineyards was up 500 acres, or 17%, putting total certified organic acreage at 9% of all county vineyards. The 2011 organic acreage was 3,536; that's now up to 4,032 in 2012.

In Sonoma acreage for organic vineyards increased from 678 acres in 2011 to 1,163 acres in 2012 - an increase of 58%. Sonoma's recent increase put it at about 2%, just under the statewide average (2.7%), with its 58,300 acres of vineyards.

In Mendocino, the Ag Commissioner's office reports 3,735 acres now, down from 2011's 3,994 acres. In 2011, 28% of vineyards were certified organic or biodynamic.

Preliminary figures from the state show that statewide organic vineyards were about 12,700 acres, give or take (I'm waiting for clarification on some numbers that seemed inconsistent to me), or about 2.7% of the state's 462,023 acres of wine grape vineyards.

Overall, Napa supplies 32% of the state's organic wine grapes, Mendocino 31% and Sonoma 9%. The three counties combined account for 72% of organic vineyards in California.

Lake County had more than 500 acres of organic wine grapes in 2012, according to the California Dept. of Agriculture.

Using the state's data, organic wine grapes accounted for $72 million of wine grape sales in 2012.

$5 Biodynamic Cab and Syrah! Shopping the Bargain Bins - 2007 Mendocino Farms Cab at Grocery Outlet

A rich friend who's good at stretching his funds told me the secrets of his wine cellar last night - Grocery Outlet's wine department. This super budget grocery chain has stores in both Berkeley and Oakland (and elsewhere), so today I was anxious to check it out, based on my friend's advice, and see if there could possibly be any organically grown wine for sale.

Boy oh boy - what a doozey. Right there - with a giant endcap display - was all the 2007 Mendocino Farms Cabernet you could imagine - for $5 a bottle. $5. This is at least a $25 bottle of wine...and it still sells on the internet for as much as $40 a bottle.

This wine, dear readers, was lovingly grown at several of Mendocino's most beautiful, precious, Biodynamic  vineyards - Heart Arrow Ranch and Fairbairn.

The famous Morry's wine store in Los Angeles, waxed enthusiastically about these wines, just a short while ago.

And they sell online at 1000corks.com for $488 a case.

But you can get it for $60 for 12 bottles at Grocery Outlet. Hurry!

The selection includes the 2005 and 2007 Cabernet and a 2007 Syrah. Unbelievable. I can't wait to open my three bottles to sample and then head back for more.

Grocery Outlet is open throughout California and a few nearby states. See the map here for store locations.

Falls News Roundup

In the fall, the calendar starts to fill up with new books appearing, a last round of warm weather wine tours, and more.

Here's a roundup of what's new and notable:

1. A New Rachel Carson Biography: On a Farther Shore by William Souder

Rachel Carson is a true environmental heroine, a close tie in my mind with Huey Johnson, John Muir, and David Brower. Her life history is an amazing and little known story.

How she came to be the Queen of the Anti-Pesticide Forces is an unlikely and fascinating story. It first came to my attention on the radio, in fact, as I listened (while crossing the Bay Bridge) to the incredible play by Kaiulani Lee's Sense of Wonder (you can hear it on the Living on Earth radio show web site).

William Souder's new biography of Rachel Carson, released this week, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her death, sounds like a winner, given the praise lauded by the back of the book jacket:

“William Souder’s On a Farther Shore is one of those rare and extraordinary biographies that are at once brilliant portraiture and important environmental history. The great Rachel Carson comes alive again in these vivid pages—honest, committed, brave." (Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and New York Times best-selling author of Wilderness Warrior)

“Rachel Carson changed the way we live now, and in William Souder she has a biographer who has given us a powerful portrait of a woman and of her work. Anyone interested in the intellectual, political, and cultural life of the past half century should read this fine book." (Jon Meacham, New York Times best-selling author)

“Rachel Carson is the great green heroine, the first person to combine her love of the natural world with a penetrating glance at industrial modernity. William Souder captures her importance in this engaging biography.” (Bill McKibben, environmentalist, best-selling author, and journalist)

Kirkus Reviews calls it, "a poignant, galvanizing, meaningful tribute."

I've just ordered a copy. Happily it's also available in audio, for people like me who sit in a lot of traffic and love to listen.

2. Organic Viticulturist (Grower) and Vintner Charlie Barra featured in SF Chronicle's California Wine special section

I don't know why it should take a lifetime for Charlie Barra to get some recognition in our local paper, but it's great to finally see some photos of him there and some mention of his wines, too.

3. Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini to Speak Tuesday Night in Santa Rosa

Foodie rockstar Carlo Petrini, who famously took on McDonald's and sparked a global agricultural movement, will speak Tuesday night at 7 pm in Santa Rosa at the Heirloom Expo, billed as the world's largest pure food fair. I am planning to make it to hear Petrini in person and will write more about it after the event. The expo is begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday.

If you can't make it, you might enjoy Petrini's 2011 Berkeley talk online here.

Sensitive Crystallization Workshop

I'll also be checking out the biodynamic booth, from Demeter USA (the biodynamic certification agency in the U.S.) and attending a session on Wednesday on Sensitive Crystallization at 2:15 pm. (Details here.)

Crystallization of
Conventional Wine 

Crystallization of
Biodynamic Wine

The session is with biodynamic consultant Philippe Coderey, from Provence, France. He is a partner in Grow Biodynamic Consulting. This is the technology that underlies the fascinating images you see here on the left and right, showing the energies contained in these substances. For more images, the GrowBDC.com web site gallery and click on the small images there to see the images larger.

You can also download Coderey's paper on Crystallization from the Fall 2009 Biodynamics magazine here.

He formerly worked with Bonny Doon, which is the one winery that uses the crystallization images on the wine bottle labels. Cool.

This appears to be the most wine-related event at the expo.

(You can learn more about the food goings on in the LA Times story here or visit the event website.)

Deborah Koons Garcia's Symphony of the Soil Film Screens with the Filmmaker

I also highly recommend checking out the soil film of films, Symphony of the Soil with filmmaker Deborah Garcia who will be there in person. It screens Wednesday at 12:15 with a 40 minute Q & A scheduled afterward with the filmmaker. (Disclosure: she is a friend of mine - but I can say the film is great!)

Here's a brief video of Deborah from YouTube with the Soil Association.


Let me know your feedback and thoughts if you partake!

New French Wine Film on Biodynamics

For a complete list of biodynamic wineries in the U.S. (California and Oregon) see here.

For a map, see here.


View Organic/Biodynamic Wineries: list compiled by Wine Country Geographic in a larger map