"Beaver Creek Vineyard has survived the Middletown fire. Part of our vineyard burned but we are one of the few businesses still standing.
If you would like to support us during the regrowth of Middletown, please visit our winery or join our wine club.
The tasting room will reopen Thursday Sept.. 24th from 11-6 pm."
NASA Image of Valley Fire
I can highly recommend their 2012 Fairytale Cabernet ($29) - a real gem of a Biodynamic Wine (no additives except a limited amount of sulfites)...which I recently had the pleasure of tasting in San Francisco. Out of 100+ wines, it was one of my favorites.
Beaver Creek Vineyard proprietor and winemaker
Martin Pohl in August at a tasting at Yield Wine Bar
I am planning to stop by on Tuesday when I will be in the area to visit Hawk and Horse (another Biodynamic vineyard in Lake County), too.
Two of the great weekday wines featured in Portland Magazine's roundup of Oregon's Top 25 Wines Under $25 and under come from some of my favorite Oregon producers - or really, just some of my overall favorite producers.
Both of these wines are featured in a book I am currently working on: Under $20: Top 100 Wines from Organic Vines.
Both are whites:
Rudy Marchesi (right) of Montinore
at a recent SF tasting
• Montinore's white Alsatian blend Borealis ($16). The blend varies year to year, but this is just always an intrinsically interesting wine - and as Portland magazine points out, great with anything spicy. The grapes are Biodynamic and organic; it's made in a certified organic and Biodynamic winery.
Montinore makes 40,000 cases a year of mostly affordably priced wines (although it has excellent small lot reserve wines, too) from its 210 acres of biodynamic vines in the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley.
Dai Crisp at a recent SF tasting
• Lumos Wine Co.'s Rudolfo Pinot Gris ($18). This comes from the 10 acre Logsdon Ridge vineyard near Corvallis. It's full of melon, spiced apple and nectarine notes on the nose.
Lumos Wine Co. is the winery of Dai Crisp, vineyard manager extraordinaire, who is famous for farming Temperance Hill vineyard, one of Oregon's finest. Appreciation for his own wines, including a Pinot Noir from Temperance Hill, is rapidly growing.
From Oregon, Temperance Hill Vineyard's Pinot Noir is looking picture perfect! This gorgeous hilltop site, with 100 acres of planted vines - among the most coveted among Willamette Valley winemakers - is farmed by vineyard manager and Lumos Wine proprietor Dai Crisp (who provided this photo on FB).
These grapes go into more than 10 single vineyard designate Pinots produced by Oregon's top vintners (Adelsheim, Bergstrom, Brooks, Evesham Wood, St. Innocent, and many more).
Dai Crisp also makes an outstanding bottling of his own, too - look for it under his Lumos Wine label. (A word to the wise - order some now. I can't say why but it's probably going to all be snapped up soon.) And on top of that, it is only $38 (versus those $75 Sonoma Coast Pinots). But of course cost is not the reason you want it - pleasure is!
Wine & Spirits released its list of 2015's top 100 wineries. A few of the regulars - with organic vines - who made the list again this year are:
• Frog's Leap
• King Estate (just three of its wines are solely from organic vines but it has 500 acres of organic vines on its estate)
• Storybook Vineyards
Both make only organically grown estate wines. Storybook labels its "Ingredients: Organic Grapes" on the bottle.
There's also newcomer Drew Wines, a tiny Mendocino Ridge AVA winery in Elk, whose first release from its organic estate vines is coming in 2016. It also grows organic apples.
Several wineries on the list also make at least one single vineyard designate from organic vines, including:
• Nickel & Nickel (Rock Cairn Cabernet)
• Radio Coteau (both its Pinot Noir-Terra Neuma and Syrah-Dusty Lane are from organic vines; the Pinot is also a Demeter certified Biodynamic Wine)
As someone who comes from the world of real journalism (my mentor was a New York Times editorial board member and I have several journalism awards, including one from the New England Press Association), the world of wine and wine writers has been something of an ethical mystery to me.
In my early days, I reported on nuclear power plants and citizen attempts to close down the local plant. It taught me a lot about consumer perception of dangers that, to many, are largely invisible.
Later in my career, I learned about "tech journalism," from the other side of the fence, while freelancing a lot for Apple. (I made most of John Sculley's videos and wrote countless presentations along with 13 books for Apple.) One veteran event producer I worked with was fond of making fun of the computer press. "They're just ducklings, and we feed them bread crumbs," he said.
The wine world is hardly known for rigorous journalism - and more's the pity. While no paper in the U.S. covers the pesticide issues connected to wineries, there's a lot of money to be made from puff pieces about the wine scene and wineries, which the wine industry paints as drivers of the local economy. (If they are such drivers, you wonder why you rarely if ever see a piece about the local economy and wine in the business section in a regular California newspaper - only in the North Bay Business Journal or wine industry press.)
Contrast that with organic foodie-ism - a huge topic in newspapers - and maybe even fracking. Sunset magazine does pieces on both of these topics. (See its latest piece on fracking here.) But pesticides in wine? Don't look for that anytime soon. Sunset looks to be in bed with the wine industry - in a newer and bigger way.
Sunset magazine wine editor Sara Schneider starring in the Napa Valley Vintner's latest video production
Sunset's just partnered with the Napa Valley Vintners, having Sunset wine editor Sara Schneider star in a new series of videos produced by the powerful regional association of the country's richest wineries. That's what I call a "brand smooch" - i.e. let's build bigger audiences by leveraging your audience and mine. The two companies logos are flashed on the screen at the beginning of each segment.
Sara Schneider "covers" harvest in a day, appearing in a series of videos posted on the vintners site. It's (allegedly) a "behind the scenes, day in the life" video of harvest. After viewing the video, which takes place in short segments shot across the valley, one has to wonder - is this "coverage" or a "commercial"?
What's in the video:
• Stops at five wineries, three of which are owned by giant wine corporations, including two based outside the U.S. (Italy, Spain)
• A casual, friendly, folksy feeling (not like areal harvest which is one of a lot of stress and moving of equipment, grapes, machines and people - all making for big hubbub)
• "On message" interviews, highlighting green practices and vintners' "love of the land" and love of preserving the land for future generations
• Pretty pictures of white people, not the hardworking Mexicans who actually harvest the grapes (although there's one Latino vineyard manager who appears very briefly in the first segment)
What's left out:
• Corporate ownership
Two of the wineries featured are owned by large, global corporations headquartered outside the U.S. Another winery - featured one that's Napa Green certified - is owned by a family that is the main contractor for the tar sands oil drilling projects in Canada.
• Toxics and water use
All of the featured wineries - Napa Green certified or not - use pesticides and herbicides, including an assortment of bee and bird toxins (boscalid), reproductive and developmental toxins (myclobutanil), and carcinogens (glyphosate/Roundup). None talk about the amount of water it takes to make a bottle of wine and where that water comes from. ARTESA
In the first segment, Sara visits Artesa, where she meets the winemaker and vineyard manager and finds out why grapes are picked in the night.
She's curious why they pick by hand - which might make you wonder how she got to be the wine editor of a major food and wine magazine? Surely she knows the answer why before she made this video. Therefore, we might not really be sure whether to trust this host or not... Corporate ownership - Artesa: Spanish-based Cordoniu/Raventos, founded in Catalan and one of the world's largest producers of the Spanish sparkling wine cava. It owns wineries on 5 continents, including 7,400 acres of its own vineyards. It employs 800 people globally.
Toxics: 46 gallons of Roundup - the carcinogen you can no longer buy in a French store - on estate vines; more on purchased grapes from other growers.
CLIFF LEDE
Next stop: Cliff Lede where Sara meets the viticulturist and the enologist where she learns what happens in the winery, and asks, "I understand that Cliff Lede is Napa Green certified. What exactly does that mean in the vineyard?"
Then we get a non-answer from the Cliff Lede enologist: "We're committed to the land and to future generations."
The Cliff Lede staffers go on to say that 90% of the energy that they use in the winery comes from solar panels on the property (subsidized by energy tax credits provided by California taxpayers).
They also talk about the wine caves used to store their wine barrels. "The cave system requires minimal amounts of energy for cooling," the Cliff Lede employee says. Gee, what a modern technological marvel - since caves have been in use to age wine for as many as 8,000 years.
"We collect our water and we use reclaimed water to irrigate our vineyards and our landscaping," they say, without saying what volume of water that amounts to and how much water they use to produce a bottle of wine.
Ownership of Cliff Lede: Cliff Lede created his winery backed by his days working in the family business, Ledcor, an Alberta construction company. Ledcor is the leading contractor for the Canadian oil tar sands project. Toxics at Cliff Lede: lots of Roundup and the bee and bird toxin, boscalid, are used on its 47 acres of estate vines, in addition to toxics applied to grapes it buys from other growers.
ANTICA
Then it's on to Antica, on Atlas Peak, where a "typical" harvest luncheon is served. It looks more like a Sunset magazine shoot for the perfect beef industry promotional meal. Plates with heaping portions of steak are passed around as Sara "interviews" general manager Glen Salva, who looks like he just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad, about the activities at harvest time.
In the video, there are plenty of shots of young, white people in winery positions in the cellar. A quick reference is made to the harvest crew - but we don't see or hear from any of the (Mexican) vineyard workers.
Salva talks about the owners - the Antinori family, an Italian wine dynasty - and their commitment to "passion, patience and perserverance."
Pesticides aren't on his P-words alliteration list.
Corporate ownership of Antica: Italian wine giant Antinori, one of the world's largest wine companies, owns vineyards and brands across the globe, including in Hungary, Roumania, Spain (Malta), and Chile, as well as Napa and Washington State. It is a part owner (along with Washington-based Ste. Michelle Wine Estates) of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in Napa. Toxics used at Antica: 20 gallons of the bee and bird toxin boscalid; 21 gallons of the developmental and reproductive toxin myclobutanil (one of the more toxic pesticides, it's labeled a "Bad Actor" by the EPA) TRINCHERO
Then, because Sara needs a caffeine break by now, it's on to coffee in St. Helena with Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home fame. Trinchero, a winemaker in Napa since 1960, is the guy who created White Zinfandel, now a $6 billion business.
He reminisces about how he got his start in 1960, when there were only 15 wineries in Napa Valley, where his family was already in the business. You'd be forgiven for not knowing he's also one the country's biggest vintners, because it's never mentioned. You know, he's just an old timer from when Napa was a folksy, intimate place.
Corporate ownership: Trinchero Family Estates, the 5th largest winery in the country, owns 30 wine brands, including Sutter Home. It just opened a state of the art mega-facility in Lodi, where it can make all of its annual production of 20 million cases and can store up to 4 million at a time in the 850,000 square foot facility. Toxics used: with 30 brands, toxics used are too numerous to count.
SCHWEIGER
Then it's back to the grapes - this time, Napa's signature varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, which hasn't ripened enough to be picked. Sara visits Schweiger Vineyards, the only winery in her day in the life that actually is a small family winery. It has 35 acres of vines on Spring Mountain.
"What do you think makes this an attractive place?" she asks the proprietors Fred and Andy Schweiger. Their answer? "We do this because you [sic] love working with the land and putting into it."
Toxics: feeling "the love" of the land and putting into it 13 gallons of the carcinogen glyphosate
HARVEST PARTY
The video concludes with a big harvest party (even though most of the wineries haven't picked their Cabernet yet).
Sara's at the party, holding a glass of wine and saying, "You can keep the magic going the next time you open a bottle of Napa Valley wine."
ETHICS
I'm not sure the New York Times would allow Eric Asimov to mouth these words to camera, nor would the Wine Spectator, even. But one does wonder - what rules are being followed here in terms of Sunset's editorial policies?
The American Society of Magazine Editors does have some rules. Its rules say, "Editorial content of any kind should not be submitted to advertisers for approval."
Didn't Sunset staff and the magazine's logo appear in the videos? Yes. And did the magazine edit the videos? In all likelihood, no.
With Sunset having announced its relocating its test gardens and kitchens to Sonoma (and its offices to Oakland's Jack London Square), we can anticipate where this brand is going - i.e. deeper and deeper into wine country. But can we ask Sunset to be accountable for its editorial content and policies - and to let us know those policies? After all, it's owned by Time, Inc. And they should know something about journalistic ethics.
Personally, I don't blame the NVV for putting out a promotional video - it's a great piece of advertising for their brand. They are doing what great marketers do - deliver consistent, high quality messaging about their brand.
But I do think that Sunset should watch what it's doing. While they're no environmental watchdog, they do have a brand to protect - one based on home, family, food and travel.
Credibility is based on editorial ethics - and Sunset's are, at the very least, questionable.
ADDENDUM (Sept. 27)
The data on pesticide use quoted here was not meant to single out these particular vineyards and wineries, as more than 80 percent of the vines in Napa Valley use one or more of these toxic pesticides (and others). Enumerating just some of what was used was to point out the disparity between vintners who proclaim themselves to be green (and spend millions promoting that marketing messaging) and the actual facts of their farming practices. Consumers are very confused about what the wineries are doing, which is precisely the point of the wineries' green marketing efforts.
Saying you have a love of the land and want to preserve it for future generations is a media talking point, and wineries and their staff are rehearsed in media trainings to provide that quote over and over. Many - maybe even most - staffers do not know the actual facts of what is used at their wineries.
I'll be posting an updated list of the countywide quantities of toxics used in Napa, and Sonoma, and Mendocino and statewide in a future post so you can get a sense of how pervasive and widespread the use of toxics is. But for starters, Napa Valley growers applied more than 50,000 pounds of Roundup (glyphosate) in 2013 over 34,000 acres (out of 40,000 bearing acres in the county), according to the state's pesticide use reports.
Sunset is carving a deeper niche in the wine space, in an effort to promote its role as the voice of authority for wines from supermarket aisles to fine wine departments - as well as wine tourism. The current issue's cover focuses on "The Best of Wine Country," a feature focusing on Napa, Santa Barbara County and Southern Oregon.
The Napa wineries feature a number of wines from $85-150 - pretty pricey for what I would expect to find in Sunset magazine.
Four years ago, the magazine launched its own wine competition, and brings together an all star panel of judges to judge the wines.
Like most wine competitions, the results can sometimes be surprisingly odd, making you wonder...
• Barefoot Cellars $7 Cabernet (from Argentina) getting a gold? Higher than the $125 world famous, Fay Vineyard Cabernet from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, which only got a silver?
• There were almost no wines from Oregon producers (despite the fact that the magazine included a special on touring southern Oregon wineries)
• There's no mention of the number of wines submitted and how many awards were given, so you don't really know how many wines did not win any award or how much wineries had to pay to have their wines considered.
But never mind.
Here are the organically grown wines that took top awards and gold or silver medals. A few of these are personal faves. I've underlined those.
TOP AWARDS Red Blend
Oakville Ranch - 2012 - Field Blend ($55) WHITES ALBARINO
After three days of judging last week, the 2015 Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition results were announced today.
With just 1,409 acres of organic vines in the county (out of 58,280 total), or 2.4% of the total vineyard acres, the organically grown wines represented 5% of the Best of Class awards.
BEST OF CLASS
Cabernet Sauvignon
Medlock Ames, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon - Bell Mountain Estate (Organic Vineyard), Alexander Valley, $45
Out of 315 gold medals (out of 1,189 wines total), the organically grown wines numbered ten, or 3 percent. Cabernet Sauvignon
Benziger Family Winery, 2012 Obsidian Point (Biodynamic Wine), Sonoma Valley, $60
Benziger Family Winery, 2012 Three Blocks (Biodynamic Wine), Sonoma Valley, $49
Benziger Family Winery, 2012 Tribute (Biodynamic Wine), Sonoma Mountain, $80
Petroni Vineyards, 2010 Cabernet (Organic Vineyard), Moon Mountain District, $75 Chardonnay
DeLoach, Chardonnay, Estate, (Biodynamic Vineyard), Russian River Valley, $50
Pinot Noir
Benziger Family Winery, 2013 Bella Luna (Biodynamic Wine), Russian River Valley, $49
DeLoach, Pinot Noir, 2012 Maboroshi (Biodynamic Vineyard), Russian River Valley, $50
Merriam Vineyards, 2013 Three Sons (Organic Vineyard), Russian River Valley, $75
Red Blend
Medlock Ames, 2013 Snake Pit - Bell Mountain Estate (Organic Vineyard), Alexander Valley, $60 Zinfandel
Fogline Vineyards, 2013 Grist Vineyard (Dry Creek AVA), $38
OVERALL
According to the Press Democrat newspaper, which covers Sonoma County, 55 of the 80 wines that won gold medals were from wineries owned by one couple - Ken and Diane Wilson - who own Wilson, Matrix, Mazzocco, Pezzi King, Soda Rock and St. Anne's Crossing (none have any wines from organic vines).
For a complete list of all of the winners, see the full results here.
For us Northern California types, the heat at the National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa this year was absolutely sweltering but that did nothing to dilute the value of the presentations, where farmers and scientists gathered to share information and knowledge about the good, the bad and the ugly.
THE GOOD
Trendspotting - What's Hot: Plant Based Food
For the first time that I have ever seen, there was just about no line at the burger food stand - the longest food lines were at the food booth for Plant Based Food. I think this might be a trend? Certainly it's nice to see that Amy's offers an all veg, fast food, burger alternative drive through in Novato...and Sonoma-ans seem to be embracing unique gourmet foods made from plants.
In olden times (yesterday) we called such food vegetarian (or vegan, depending on the particulars). Today it's more chic to say plant based. Now you know.
The longest food lines were for the plant based cuisine.
Sonoma's great grain breads from Revolution
Wines from Biodynamic producers were on display at
the Demeter Lounge, which, as usual, provided comfy
couches and a shaded place to sip some cool Yerba Mate
and escape the heat
More Demeter certified wines...nice to see so many
all in place (outside of my house)
THE BAD
Carol Grieve of Food Integrity Now (podcast, which I have appeared on)
put together a panel of the all star scientific experts on Roundup (Glyphosate) and GMOs;
I will be writing a more in depth post in the coming weeks on the content the science
panel shared
The panel included Don Huber, retired Purdue University professor, and one
of the few in the academic establishment who has been constistently
tracking scientific research on the dangers of GMO foods
Retired USDA scientist Robert Kremer (now a professor at the University of Missouri in
soil microbiology) is an expert on the effects of glyphosate; he visited Napa last year
and mentioned that he saw the tell tale signs of Roundup's effects on
vine leaves (more on that in a future post). (We know Napa uses 30,000 pounds of
Roundup every year, according to California state data; Sonoma uses even more and
usage across the state on wine grapes amounts to 450,000 pounds per year.)
SOME MORE GOOD
Cannabis growers cultivating medical marijuana Biodyamically may soon be able to receive Demeter biodynamic certification. This could be a significant factor for those who use medical cannabis as serious medicine.
Currently there is a lot of testing for pesticides and other harmful substances in cannabis by distributors and edibles manufacturers, but no organic certification is available.
Back in the Demeter classroom, there was an in-depth panel on Biodynamic
cultivation of marijuana with several presenters
Colum Riley, of Malibu Compost (Biodynamic compost), and a farming consultant,
provided in-depth tips on Biodynamic medical cannabis cultivation
Time magazine (and other media) reported this week that Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, is currently receiving more tax revenues from marijuana taxes than from alcohol taxes. According to the report, Colorado's revenues from marijuana taxation this year were $70 million, compared to $42 million for alcohol taxation.
It's Sept. and that means the Wine Spectator's annual video contest is ON.
Check out the entries - and pay particular attention to two from organic producers in Spain and Italy (where 10 times as many vines are certified organic as in the U.S.).
At last week's Heirloom Expo I barely had a chance to get through the large indoor hall of exhibits. But in the 100 degree heat wave raging outside, the hall offered a haven - at least temporarily.
I did a quick scan of the exhibitors, many of whom I had stopped to explore in depth in previous years. One new booth caught my attention - a new film about health and balance. I only had time to grab the postcard.
This week I've been downloading my expo info, and looked up the film on its web site In Search of Balance. I was impressed to see the trailer and the film's brain trust. One of the participants is Daphne Miller, whose 2008 book The Jungle Effect: The Healthiest Diets From Around the World attracted my attention.
(Full disclosure: In 2008 I talked to her about making a film based on her diet book, but things never quite jelled, which is not at all unusual, since it takes a lot of time and money to make a documentary happen.)
Hedges Family Estate released its estate Cabernet Sauvignon (available in magnums only) this year, becoming the first producer to make a certified Biodynamic Cabernet in the state of Washington.
Get an up close and personal view of this wine in their entertaining video:
Have you wanted to support organic wine grape growers and the winemakers who use these grapes, but haven't known how to visit them or buy these wines?
We've spent years researching wines, wineries, experiences and wine clubs for the 300+ wineries in the U.S. that make wines from organic vines. We don't expect you to have to do that in order to enjoy these wines. So we're announcing the launch of new services that help you visit or buy from these wineries.
All of our services cover only wines or wineries that make wine from certified organic or biodynamic vines. That includes 100-300 wineries and 1,300 wines in the U.S.
TRIP PLANNING PACKAGE: $100
While we offer "do it yourself" tasting and touring apps, life can be simpler when you have a personal trip planner.
We are happy to share our knowledge, for a fee, and help you plan the perfect trip or outing to wineries that offer the best wines and special experiences.
A basic package of a custom itinerary for 1-2 days costs $100.
That includes an initial phone consultation with you to understand your travel and wine preferences and a list of recommended winery experiences. Consulting services are available for longer trips as well.
Looking for a great gift? Gift someone a trip planning package.
ORGANIC OR BIODYNAMIC WINE SPECIALIST - GUIDE SERVICES
Are you interested in having a tour guide take you on a tour?
We offer guide services, bringing you to wineries we'll select together (in advance) and helping you learn about the organic producers, region, and history of wine growing regions in California and Oregon.
Pricing for guide services is available on a project basis. We are happy to include transportation options (basic or luxe; van, limo or bus) and/or catering and private tastings.
Looking for a perfect gift? Think about gifting guide services.
PERSONAL WINE BUYER PACKAGE: $100
Interested in finding the best organically grown table wines for your table? Planning a party? Want to get a year's worth of wine? Or stock your cellar with collectibles? We can help.
A Personal Wine Buyer Package includes an initial phone call to learn about your wine preferences and budget and delivers a list of recommended wines. We look for the lowest prices available, and may suggest recommended wine clubs, as well. If you are buying a case of wine a month, this service should pay for itself in a year's worth of recommendations.
Looking for a special opportunity to taste wines from a wide variety of producers? We can create a private tasting (in your home or other location) for you and a select group to learn about and enjoy organically grown wines from top producers.
This also makes a great gift. Email us for a custom event quote.
LINKS
More information about these services is available on the tabbed pages at the top of our site.
Last year the state of California recognized Guinness McFadden, who has been growing organic wine grapes in Mendocino's Potter Valley for 40+ years, for his good agricultural works.
McFadden runs a 160 vineyard, on a 500 acre farm tucked away at the headwaters of the Russian River (northeast of Ukiah). The grapes go into some of Napa's best labels (Chateau Montelena's riesling is entirely sourced from McFadden's vines, for instance.)
In 2003, McFadden founded his own wine label and began selling his grapes bottled on their own. He later added a second label (identical wines) called Blue Quail for East Coast distribution.
McFadden's makes Chardonnay you can afford to drink everyday (especially if you are a wine club member) and sparkling wines that have been chosen the best in the state - and not just once. They've won in competitions against much more expensive ones made by French owned Champagne houses here in the U.S. (Roederer and Taittinger's Domaine Carneros are some examples.)
To discover McFadden's is to reconnect to wine that just makes you happy - happy about the land and the care it's been given, happy about the people you're giving your nickel to, and happy when you drink it.
I've sung the praises of McFadden's sparkling wines, dessert wine, and other wines over the years, but have never shared the lovely short video that shows you the man and the place.
After the summer travels and county fairs abate, it's time to celebrate the harvest.
For heirloom fruit, veggie and livestock lovers - or food lovers in general - the National Heirloom Exposition is "The Place" to gather. Advertised as the world's largest pure food fair, this remarkable gathering is fueled by those trying to reinvent the food system. It's known as the "World's Fair" of the heirloom industry.
The first time I went to this festival, the big draw for me was to hear Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Foods, in what was a mesmerizing and powerful speech. Little did I know that I would end up returning for each of the following days to partake of the knowledge offered up by an astonishingly intelligent group of people who are walking the walk and making farming better (along with making better food).
And isn't it appropriate for this to take place just down the road from Baker's Seeds in Petaluma (a major sponsor of the event) and in Santa Rosa, the home of that great seedsman and plant breeder Luther Burbank? (You have to think that he's be proud to see this event happen in his own home town).
This year's headliner is the electrifying food, seed and anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva who is the most public face of the international effort to save seeds. (She'll also be speaking, along with agro-ecology expert Miguel Altieri, at the Soil Not Oil Conference in Richmond on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-5.)
At past expo's, I've ended up spending much of my time at the Demeter USA Biodynamic lounge which offers free biodynamic farming classes from the very best experts. But there's so much to see and learn (and eat) - this is truly a cornucopia of an event.
DEMETER CLASSES - HIGHLIGHTS
TUESDAY
• The Future of Biodynamic Cannabis with Jim Fulmer and panelists (Tues. at 3:15 pm)
WEDNESDAY
• Drought and Resilience (Wed. at 3:15)
• Biodynamic Preps session with Luke Frey of Frey Vineyards, the first winery to have certified biodynamic vines in the U.S. (Wed. at 5:15)
THURSDAY
• A session with Daphne Amory, a biodynamic consultant who is the vineyard consultant for a number of Sonoma's biodynamic wineries (Thurs. at 2:15)
MORE SPEAKERS
There are also dozens of other speakers during the three day event. Click here for the speaker schedule.
Highlights I plan to check out are:
TUESDAY
• Bryan Welch on B Corporations (a new social responsibility certification program) (Tues. at 4 pm)
• Food activist Andrew Kimbrell, from the Center for Food Safety, on "Creating a New Food Future" (Thurs. at 5 pm)
WEDNESDAY
• Filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia (Symphony of the Soil, The Future of Food) showing clips from the film in progress Agrarian Elders, a documentary about 2 dozen of the leading founding fathers of the organic farming movement in America (Wed. at 2 pm)
• A panel on water with local food and farming advocates (Wed. at 3 pm)
• A photographic project focused on Monsanto from Mathieu Asselin (Thurs. at 6 pm)
Of course, the expo has more than a 100 exhibitors, great displays (the display hall is a mind-baggling display of biodiversity) and lots of, would you believe it, amazing food and drinks. Don't miss it!
The vintners of Willamette Valley staged a trade tasting today - mainly Pinot Noir with a side of Pinot Gris, and a touch of Riesling - showing off their 2012, 2013 and 2014 Burgundian reds and Alsatian whites at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco.
California Pinot producers are rarely organic or biodynamic (Ampelos, Benziger, Calera, Porter Creek and a few others are the exceptions) but Oregonians, given their Burgundian focus, have taken more cues from their French counterparts. A number of the best French Pinot Noir producers farm organically or biodynamically and, in an effort to make the best wine possible, many Oregonians do, too. The Oregonians also get certified.
Oregon has just 20,000 acres of vineyards, but the Willamette Valley, its largest wine producing region, has more than 800+ acres of certified vines, most of which is biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir.
No other region - not even Napa, Sonoma or Mendocino - has such a wealth of biodynamic vines.
Oregon not only has the fine wines covered - it also has table wine priced Pinots ($20-25). When people are looking for value, I recommend some of my favorites from Oregon.
2012 was a stellar vintage in Oregon for Pinots, and at Wednesday's tasting each of the wineries offered three wines (plus a library wine) to try. Though the emphasis was on selling larger production wines, there were plenty of special single vineyard or estate wines to sample, too.
Sokol Blosser and Soter Vineyards table
Great Green Pioneer 1. Sokol Blosser
One of the first Oregon vineyards to certify its all of its estate vines organic (in 2005), today Sokol Blosser makes 8,000+ cases (out of 80,000+) from its 104 acres of certified vines.
At this tasting, Sokol Blosser poured two contrasting estate wines: the 2012 Orchard Block Pinot ($70), a beautiful, light, translucent Pinot ("more feminine") and the 2012 Big Tree Pinot Noir ($70), at the other end of the Pinot Richter scale. The latter was far more intense, on the "masculine" side of Pinot's range, and suitable for aging.
Boutique, Under the Radar and Worth Getting to Know
1. Thistle Wines
You'd have to be a bit of an Oregon Pinot geek to know Thistle Wines. It's one of those Oregon wineries that Oregonians keep to themselves.
The Jennison family has 27 acres of vines in the Dundee Hills (that's the Beverly Hills of Oregon Pinot Noir country, where the earliest producer, Eyrie Vineyards is located) and mostly they sell their wine grapes.
Joe Jennison of Thistle Wines; it's hard to believe he
was a banker in a previous life
Proprietor Jon Jennison makes something on the order of 700 cases a year under his own Thistle label. His 2012 Pinot ($32) weighs in on the ethereal side of Pinot Noir. It's a gem.
2. Lumos
Another winery that's under the radar in terms of Californians' view of Oregon Pinot is Dai Crisp's Lumos Wine Co., another premier producer of Pinot Noir that's a secret not shared with those of us who are "south of the border."
But this tiny, artisanal producer is better known in the higher echelons of those who run the International Pinot Noir Conference. Lumos has been one of only 30 Oregon wineries selected to participate in two of the last three years. Selection is based upon the decision of the IPNC judges. (Wineries can only participate every other year.)
The 2012 Lumos Pinot Noir ($38) from Temperance Hill - one
of the Oregon wines featured at this year's IPNC
Many Oregonians know Lumos' proprietor Dai Crisp as the vineyard manager of one of the state's most famous vineyards - Temperance Hill. (Thanks to his efforts, all 100 acres of this renowned Eola-Amity Hills vineyard are certified organic.) Many of Oregon's top wineries make a single vineyard designate from the site.
Last spring I toured the vineyard with Dai and was amazed to see how vast it was and how varied the site, soils, exposure and terroir are. Since then, I've been working my way through the various wineries' single vineyard designates from Temperance Hill - including, today, the one from Dai's winery Lumos.
Dai Crisp with the 2012 Temperance Hill Pinot
Wine & Spirits rated the 2012 94 points. It's full of black cherry, black raspberry and pomegranate notes - and a whole lot more.
The 2010 Temperance Hill Pinot Noir
Even though the 2012 was a stellar vintage, I fell harder today for the 2010 Temperance Hill - a lighter, elegant wine that's had time to integrate.
The Biodynamic Powerhouses 1. Maysara
Maysara lays claim to being Oregon's largest organic and biodynamic vineyard, with 250 acres in vine. It's the source of many vineyard designate wines (look for the Momtazi name). Moe Momtazi founded the winery with his wife; today it's run by the couple and their three daughters in a gorgeous, huge stone building made from on site materials.
Marketing director Naseem Momtazi poured Momtazi's 2014 Pinot Gris, a beautiful and lively wine, made, as are all of Maysara's wines, by her sister Tahmiene Momtazi. All of Maysara's wines are certified "Biodynamic Wine," a standard that means there are no additives (other than low levels of sulfites used to preserve the wine).
Maysara's wine range from the very affordable to the very indulgent in price and have gotten a lot of rave reviews.
Naseem Momtazi with the 2012 Jamsheed Pinot Noir ($25/30),
one of Maysara's most affordable wines
2. Montinore Estate
Every other year or so, Eric Asimov from the New York Times writes a piece on "20 Wines Under $20." And every time he writes it, Montinore's Red Cap Pinot Noir ($20) is on the list. It's also on a lot of restaurant lists, particularly in New York.
Proprietor Rudy Marchesi's Forest Grove winery Montinore Estate, in the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, is the largest biodynamic producer in the country. His 230 acres of vineyards fuel an annual case production of 30,000-40,000 cases of wine each year, all from biodynamic vines, although much is bottle labeled "Made with Organic Grapes."
Rudy was pouring the 2013 Almost Dry Riesling, a properly viscous riesling that hovers right on the edge between dry and sweet with just a hint of sweet. (I wish I had it to drink right now with my Sichuan Chinese takeout.) A very "yum" Riesling.
Montinore was also pouring the impressively elegant 2013 Montinore
Reserve Pinot Noir ($35)
Montinore Estate's with national sales manager Tom
Champine (left) and proprietor Rudy Marchesi (right)
Montinore was also one of the 30 Oregon wineries chosen to participate in IPNC as a featured winery in 2015.
The "New Kids" in Biodynamics: Soter Vineyards and Winderlea
Both Soter Vineyards and Winderlea are in the process of getting Demeter certification and were pouring wines from their in transition vines at the event.
Soter Vineyards
Tony Soter, one of Oregon's top Pinot Noir winemakers, has been dedicated to the pursuit of both organics and Pinot Noir since his time in Napa. He helped Spottswoode go organic in the 1980's; and he ran Etude, a Carneros Pinot Noir winery, for 21 years, before selling it and creating Soter Vineyards in his native state of Oregon.
Michelle Cover, national sales associate
for Sother Vineyards, with the 2013 Mineral
Springs Ranch Pinot Noir ($60)
The estate has 30 acres of vines on a large parcel that's teaming with biodiversity.
I'm just getting acquainted with Winderlea, which has one of the few biodynamic estates I have not yet visited in Oregon. (I have driven down the road it sits on, though.) The site is in what's known as Oregon's "Gold Coast" - the red hills of Dundee (in the Dundee Hills AVA), whose red, volcanic soils have stolen the hearts of many a Pinot lover.
Bill Sweat and Donna Morris of Winderlea
Winderlea's proprietors, Bill Sweat and Donna Morris, moved from Boston to Oregon in 2006, buying an historic, acclaimed vineyard - known as the Goldschmidt Vineyard from 1998 till 2006 - a 20 acre site of old vines (planted in 1974). The location is in one of Willamette Valley's most prestigious Pinot Noir neighborhoods - Worden Hills Road, west of the town of Dundee. The estate is on track to receive its Demeter certification this year.
It was that rarest of birds - a wine tasting where everything was organically grown. The wine distributor Mountain Peoples Wine Distributing held its first ever San Francisco tasting at Pause Wine Bar yesterday, bringing together more than a dozen vendors to display their wares.
There at the end of the front room was Ed Fields, Natural Merchants, with an extensive lineup of Greek, Italian, French, Spanish and Austrian wines. Fields' company, based both in Oregon and Spain, sells a lot of imported, organically grown wine to Whole Foods. In fact in 2014 Whole Foods' awarded Natural Merchants with its top supplier of the year award in the wine and beer category.
Ed Fields of Natural Merchants
Fields says the latest LOHAS ("Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability") research shows that consumers now place more emphasis on non GMO than on organic, so he has added non GMO labeling to all of the wines he imports.
[In response to the popularity of non GMO criteria, CCOF and others have now created a new organic label that explicitly states that organic is Non-GMO.]
Martin Pohl with his Fairytale Cabernet (Biodynamic)
- one of the top wines I tasted
Chacewater is a bright spot in Lake County, as well, and has been a rising star in recent years. Its Merlot ($21) is outstanding and won a much deserved Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle's Wine Competition this year.
Chacewater was also pouring the inaugural release of its Muscat Canelli - only 200 cases (of half bottles) made this year. It was very refreshing. Sweet, yes, but not too much. Another of my favorite wines of the day.
There was also a great Moscato from Italy courtesy of Natural Merchants. Pizzolata offered two Prosecco's as well. All three are available at Whole Foods.
From Hopland in Mendocino, Jeriko makes duos of Chardonnay and of Pinot Noir. One (the lower priced) is from organic vines (beige label); the other is from Biodynamic vines (black label).
There were many restauranteurs and grocery and liquor store owners who came to the tasting. After reading Nora Pouillon's book My Organic Life, a memoir about starting the first certified organic restaurant in the country, last week, it was a surprise and a pleasure to meet chef Niko Eftimiou and general manager Fred from an organic Greek restaurant Pathos in Berkeley The stylish eatery opened this summer. It's is currently in the process of finding out if and how it can meet the requirements to become a certified organic restaurant.
Pathos' general manager Fred and chef Niko Eftimiou
Coming full circle - Ed Fields imports this Sofos white (below) as well as a Sofos red wine from Corinth, Greece that Pathos serves - thanks, in part, to the good folks at Mountain Peoples Wine Distributing, based in Nevada City, who hosted the tasting.
A label that's seeing a lot of steady growth is the Cal Naturale line of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon sold in tetrapaks (sold in 500 ML and one liter containers). The "go everywhere" organically grown wines are perfect for hikes and the beach.
The winery sources the Chardonnay from Mendocino and the Cabernet from Paso Robles. Of course, the main selling point is that these are excellent wines - some of the best out-of-bottle experiences
Sales have doubled annually going from 2,000 cases initially to 30,000 cases last year. They are sold primarily in small grocery store chains.
For more information, or to see and hear Ed Fields in a special video, visit the Mountain Peoples Wine Distributing web site here.
