Thinking Like an Organic Farmer: Bob Cannard

If there was a Nobel prize for organic farming, it might well go to Bob Cannard. This Sonoma legend is the source of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse vegetables, as well as the teacher/mentor/genius to many. His Petaluma piece of heaven is called Green String Farm.

My friend Deborah Garcia has a new film coming out now - Symphony of the Soil - and because she and her team couldn't fit all the goodies they shot into the 90 minute film, the project has released many snippets in weblet form. She's calling them "Grace Notes."

 Luckily for us, there's a grace note featuring Bob Cannard. One look at this and you will begin to understand why organically grown wine grapes would be so much better than plants grown with pesticides and other chemical oddities of "conventional" agriculture.

But don't listen to me. See Bob for yourself and then you'll get an inkling of what makes agriculture, done right, such a rich and magical brew that satisfies both us and the plants:

  "

For more soil-loving videos, check out Symphony of the Soil's blog.

And remember to look for organically grown wine!

Mark Moffett on Colbert Report on Bees

I had the pleasure of seeing Mark Moffett today at a conference at U.C. Berkeley today. The Indiana Jones of insect researchers, the National Geographic photographer and Smithsonian bug expert appeared recently on the Colbert Report.

Of course, wine pesticides are endangering bees...here more about why we need bees:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Mark Moffett
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

For more, see here: http://www.pollinator.org/

Storybook Wine: Zin Superstar Winemaker Turns 75

Dr Jerry Seps turned 75 last week. He's won every Zin award in the book.

For more info, see here.

This is a good moment to raise a glass - here's to Storybook's Zin, in its many manifestations.

Oh - and a reminder - the winery's annual summer lamb BBQ is coming up soon - July 15. RSVP now.

Calera Viognier: LA Times Wine Pick of the Week!

Burgundy lover Josh Jensen is one of the smartest winemakers in all of California, and his Calera winery is famous for its Pinot Noir. Jensen has France in his blood.

His chosen site - in limestone soils on high windy ridges inland and far away from any other vineyards - has paid off in spades over the years.

Therefore it's no surprise that his lovely Viognier vines, planted in 1983, continue to produce vibrant floral aromas that enticed the Los Angeles Times wine critic S. Irene Virbilia to select it as the Wine of the Week last week.

See her glowing comments here.

An aside: Sherry Virbilia is my old neighbor and friend - she sent me off on my first wine country trip in 1990 with her guidebook in hand.

Upper Five Debuts First Tempranillo Release in Future Tasting!

Organically grown tempranillo is not easy to find (the only one I know of in the U.S. is Verdad's), but Talent, Oregon's certified organic Upper Five vineyard is arcing toward its first estate-vinified tempranillo.

Get in on the futures tasting coming up in Ashland - Saturday June 16, 2 pm, at Liquid Assets Wine Bar in Ashland - a good weekend to get up to Ashland!

Futures will be selling at 30% off the list price.

Upper Five has been working with Cowhorn where Upper Five's organically grown Sauvignon Blanc is made. The Tempranillo marks Upper Five's first foray into winemaking on its own.

For details check out the winery's Facebook page.

Cowhorn 2011 Wine Releases

Cowhorn Wine celebrated the release of two of its new wines yesterday at a wine club party at the winery  (in southern Oregon).

You can order the 2011 Spiral 36 and the 2011 Sullivan Steele Sauvignon Blanc starting now. Both are highly recommended.

Spiral 36 ($28) - a white Rhone blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne - tends to sell out, so be forewarned and belly up to the bar now if you want to be sure to get some. Food & Wine magazine called it one of Oregon's top wines.

In contrast to its famous, northern Pinot Noir cousins, southern Oregon doesn't get much attention and Cowhorn is one of the few to grow Rhone varietals. However the climate is California-like with hot, dry weather in the area near Jacksonville, an hour drive northeast of tourist mecca Ashland.

The Sauvignon Blanc ($22) is a collaboration with a grower/neighbor Terry Sullivan in nearby Talent, Oregon, who grows organically grown Sauvignon Blanc.

All Cowhorn wines are made from certified biodynamic grapes.

Like me, Wine Spectator wine critic Matt Kramer is a big fan of Cowhorn's wines.

For more on Cowhorn, check out this post from 2011 or visit their web site.

New! First Rose from Cooper Mountain

The inaugural release. Get it here.

Kudos to Cooper Mountain! A Wine & Spirits Top 100 Best Buy Wine!

Cooper Mountain's biodynamically grown Cooper Hill Pinot Noir ($15) is one of the Top 100 Value Wines of the year, says Wine & Spirits magazine.

(I already knew, since it's in my forthcoming wine app, but it's nice to spread the word.)

Wine & Spirits also gave impressive scores to two of Cooper Mountain Vineyards higher end Pinots with Mountain Terroir (list: $45) taking a 92 point rating and "Life" (sold out) garnering 90 points.

I am a big fan of Cooper Mountain and Cooper Hill. The latter brand name is its line of wines sold through distributors only, while the Cooper Mountain wine is available from the winery.

Congratulations, Cooper Mountain! Well done!

A Top 100 Value Wine of the Year

Cooper Mountain along with other Oregon wineries will be putting on a party all weekend Memorial Day weekend. More info available here.

You can probably pay for airfare for a winery weekend in October on the savings in tasting room fees (over Napa, for instance).

Online you can pick up a bottle of this outstanding Pinot Noir (Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator is also a fan) for $13-15. See here.

Stay in the know about all things Cooper Mountain (the only budget brand that's biodynamic all the way) by liking them on their Facebook page.

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Masut's 2010 Pinot Noir Release Party in Photos

Last weekend, along the northwest side of the Hopland-Ukiah corridor, high above Route 101, Pinot lovers made their way up a windy road up to Masut Winery for the debut of its 2010 Pinot Noir. 

In general great Pinot Noir isn't found in this valley, but high up enough and with maritime influences, Pinot pioneers here are giving their rival Anderson Valley to the west reason to keep an eye on things. Masut's 2009 release got great reviews from prominent wine critics.

Masut, run by the younger generation from the Fetzer family, is only open to the public this one day of the year, serving pizza, snacks and wine while a live band played Spanish-influence music.

Uncle Jim Fetzer (who owns and runs Ceago) came along to celebrate the occasion as did many others, as you'll see in the photos. 

Driving up the road to Masut's hilltop site

You pass through a beautiful barn bridge

Reaching the winery at the top of the hill - the ridge top views are stunning (sorry, no photos).
It was cool in the shade of the barn.

But the best views were from outside...

Where magic happens!

The Fetzer clan had a happening table!

View from the party

Inspired by the view and the wine, one could be singing Jesse Colin Young's old song, Ridgetop, all the way home.

Mendocino Wine Lovers Mecca

There's a nice article in the Press Democrat on longtime Hopland wine bar proprietor (and organically grown wine provider)  Bernadette Bryne, of Sip! Mendocino. The former Fetzer PR person opened her own wine bar in Hopland in 2007 and has been a great source of information for locals and visitors alike.

If you're passing through Hopland, stop in and get acquainted. Sip! Mendocino is the perfect place to start your tour and it's the most convenient place (besides the Ukiah Food Coop) to find organically grown wines.

Pairs Well in Paso: Pizza Parties, Gourmet Burgers and Sheep Tours

Paso Robles, no bastion of organically grown wines, offers its annual Paso Robles Wine Festival this coming weekend (May 18-20).

Of the 150 participating wineries, just three have organically grown wines.

If you're going, seek out:

• Castoro Cellars


One of the earliest wineries in the region, Castoro has a certified organic estate vineyard - Whale Rock. Look for bottles made solely from grapes from Whale Rock (ask).

I've heard that the winery will be labeling their organically grown wines sometime soon (when they stop blending them with non organic grapes).

Castoro will be doing a pizza party Friday night with live music, along with wines ($37.50 per person).

Saturday and Sunday they'll be offering live music from 12-4 pm with food available for purchase. Tasting is $5.

(Note: most of their wines are not organically grown).

• Lone Madrone

Run by the winemaker from legendary Tablas Creek, Lone Madrone has a few organically grown wines. (Ask). On Sunday, Lone Madrone will be serving gourmet burgers, hosting live music, and putting local craftspeople in the spotlight with a crafts fair.

• Tablas Creek

The high point of any trip to Paso Robles is this French-founded Rhone wine powerhouse, beloved by Robert Parker (and many of the rest of us who do not necessarily share his likes/dislikes).

Friday night Tablas will be hosting a dinner at Thomas Hill Organics in town ($89 per person) - 5 courses, and 5 wines.

Tablas will be doing tastings in town at the park (festival location) Friday and Saturday as well as offering tours all weekend, showing their new sheep, alpacas and chickens in the vineyards.

Their new rose will also be on offer. (Won't last long).

With the exception of their Patelin wines (a blend of their estate grapes as well as purchased grapes from non-organic neighbors), all of their wines are organically grown.

Other Destinations

Although they're not listed as official participants, I would also seek out and visit organically grown wines made by winemakers at Ambyth Estate and Giornata/Luna Matta.

The Pinot Festivals are Coming, the Pinot Festivals are Coming!

Let no grape be without its own tribute - and that means festivals! While the Zin crowd has ZAP, Pinot Noir has three upcoming starring roles.

These Pinot Noir festivals should be on your radar screen - Anderson Valley's and the touring Pinot Days Festival.

The Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival - held May 18-19 - has been the Big Kahuna of Mendo-grown mainstays for 14 years. Tickets for the grand tasting on Saturday are almost sold out, as are tickets for the "technical session" on Friday.

Personally I would make it a high priority to attend the technical session's morning presentation (if I could) to hear one of my favorite speakers Glenn McGourty, who is the UC Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor for Mendocino and Lake Counties. He'll be presenting "The State of the Pinot Noir Union."

Glenn is a great speaker and while he won't be addressing this specifically, he's also one of the state's leading experts on organic viticulture in particular.

The event will be moderated by Greg Walters of the Pinot Report.

At the Grand Tasting: look for this following organically grown Pinot (which, unfortunately, are few and far between - what's with that Pinot crowd when it comes to pesticides?):

• Handley Cellars' RSM Pinot Noir ($52)

This organically grown Pinot - the RSM - comes from the winery's best vineyard, located right on the estate. It's named in honor of proprietor and winemaker Milla Handley's late husband Rex Scott McClellan and the wine is a fitting tribute. It's not made every year - just when it's good enough!

The 2009 won a Gold Medal at the SF Chronicle Wine Tasting Competition.

Says Pinot File: "A first-rate wine of uncommon charm that is terrific now and will age gracefully."

Wine & Spirits selected it for its April 2012 article on the best pinot noirs giving it a 93 point rating.

Pinot Days is June 9-16 in San Francisco, with small events scattered through the city, followed by the Grand Tasting June 16 at Fort Mason.

Organic producers whose wines will be available to taste include:

• Big Basin (selected Pinots)
• Masut (only one Pinot and it's organically grown)

For more on the Masut Pinot Noir, see the post below. I'll be posting pictures from the Masut 2010 Pinot release party (it was Saturday) soon.

I look forward to seeing a list of more of the participating wineries from the Pinot Days web site. I'd expect to see more of the organically grown wines represented when the list is published.

Sonoma's Russian River Pinot Passport event takes place June 9-10.

DeLoach is the only participating winery with some organically grown Pinots.

Masut 2010 Pinot Noir Event - May 12

Masut, up and coming makers of organically grown Pinot Noir, is hosting an open house and wine release party May 12 at their winery north of Ukiah.

The event will take place from 1 to 5 in the afternoon.

Visitors will get a chance to sample the 2010 Pinot Noir, which sells for $40 a bottle.

Their 23 acre site is part of what could be a new AVA named Eagle Peak. Proprietors Ben and Jake Fetzer, along with their neighbors, have petitioned the TTB for this new appellation.

The Masut 2009 vintage won a Top 100 Wine from Wine Enthusiast while the 2010 has just won rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune.

The May event will feature live music, artisan pizza and wine! Admission is $35 per person or free with purchase of 6 or more bottles.

The winery has been certified organic since 1997.

Qupe/Verdad Spring Whites Wine Tasting and SALE!

"Verdad" and "Qupe"...with son- one of tbe great His and Her winery couples of California!

Saturday May 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm - join the Qupe/Verdad team for a white wine tasting! Limited to 30 people - and priced quite reasonably at $15 a head - join one of Santa Barbara County's most illustrious wine couples for a special tasting of their Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, and a new Albarino from Paragon Vineyard.

They're even throwing in light appetizers.

The event takes place at their Los Olivos tasting room.

If you're into whites, you should know they make both superstar Spanish whites - Verdad's Albarino is renowned (whether from the organic Ibarra Young vineyard or Verdad's own biodynamic Sawyer Lindquist estate vineyard) and Qupe is a Rhone master par excellence (so the Ibarra Young Viognier is outstanding).

And did I mention there will be special discounts on wine for attendees only?

That ought to clinch the deal.

Their organically grown wines come from Ibarra Young vineyard (organic) or their own Sawyer Lindquist estate (biodynamic).

Send me your photos if you're lucky enough to attend!

Info here www.qupe.com/purchase/products-page/merchandise/maywhites 

Last Call at the Oasis - 28 Gallons of Water to Make 1 Bottle of Wine

I spent a lot of time during the past two weeks seeing outrageously great films at the SF Film Festival. including this outstanding film on the coming (and current) water crisis.

The film - Last Call at the Oasis - is both upper and a downer.

While I had heard about the scary pesticide atrazine and its gender-bending qualities, I'd never seen the main research behind it (even though he teaches at U.C. Berkeley) and I hadn't known that Erin Brocovich was still on the job (as it were).

The film comes to theaters this month - don't miss it! Here's an insightful overview of the film from Reuters. And another good piece (an interview with Brocovich) in the Washington Post.

Obviously we totally need to change our approach to agriculture. The fact that Napa's running dry so that growers can raise overirrigated grapes which later have to be adjusted by winemakers is just nuts. But the worst is that most of our wine is grown in the Central Valley, a desert, with an insane amount of water - and all just to make jug wines that benefit mainly four old Italian families. Doesn't quite make sense, does it?

In Europe, it's not really kosher to pour on the irrigation...makes terroir an irrelevant notion, according to their way of thinking, when you put the grapes on irrigation. Their roots are shallow so there's no sucking up the minerals in the soil.

Thanks to those who dry farm and are organic...

There's a lot of great information in the film about pesticides as well.

Don't miss this - coming to theaters soon!

Napa Valley Historical Atlas Featured in NYTimes

This week the New York Times covered the release of the new historical atlas of Napa. (See here).  While I'm waiting for my copy to arrive, I thought I would let you know that a. this is a great project and b. if you want to see what a lot of Napa used to look like, visit the Hopland-Ukiah corridor. Many areas are filled with valley oaks, the likes of which Napa can only make historical books about.

I will probably be posting about it later.

The first weekend in May is also Hopland Passport - when all those made-with-organic-grapes wineries spring to life and offer amazing deals.

Of course if you really want to go back in time, this beautiful book is your best bet. And enjoy its companion video:

Wine Grape Insecticide Imidacloprid Linked to Bee Colony Collapse

If you have been following the news lately you might have heard about scientists' discovery linking bee colony collapse to an insecticide named imidacloprid. 

Good recent coverage of this linkage can be found in the current New Yorker article Silent Hives by Elizabeth Kolbert (read it here). You can also listen to the Living on Earth podcast coverage with Harvard professor Alex Lu who conducted one of the definitive experiments.

Further underscoring the cause and effect relationship, Lu and other researchers note that bee colony collapse coincides with the introduction of Imidacloprid in the 1990s.

Imidaclorprid is widely used, applied to more than 140 food crops.  According to statistics collected by California's Dept. of  Pesticide Regulation and published in their annual reports, California wine grape growers have been increasing their use of this neurotoxin dramatically. 

The 2010 report on pesticide use by commodity shows that this insecticide was the second most widely used pesticide on wine grapes. (First place went to oils, which are generally non toxic.)

In 2009, some 34,000 pounds of imidacloprid was applied to 182,000 acres of wine grapes - about 36% of vineyards.

Bayer, the maker of most Imidacloprid, is disputing the three studies (a British one and a French one in addition to the Harvard study).

UPDATE - MAY 3, 2013

The EPA and USDA's recent study concluded that this and other neonicotinoids are implicated as one of many factors contributing to bee colony collapse. However, among nations in Europe where these insecticides have been banned (Italy, Germany and Slovenia), Italy has reported that bee populations were restored to normal balances after banning the neonicotinoids.

Imildacloprid is a common insecticide in the U.S. and in California. It is used in California on a number of crops, including wine grapes.

UPDATE DEC. 2013

New research has now linked imidacloprid to negative effects on child development.

Followup on Does Argentina Have Better Pesticide Protection Than We Do?

Goldman Prize winner Sofia Gatico of Argentina

A few days ago I posted about Goldman Prize winner Sofia Gatica and her fight against Roundup spraying of soybean crops. I asked Paul Towers from Pesticide Action Network to weigh in on the question of whether or not Sofia's efforts meant that Argentina was now protecting its citizens against Roundup than in the U.S..

In an earlier interview with Paul, he said that the Wine Institute in California has been fighting against pesticide buffer zones and aerial spraying bans (successfully, alas, enough to kill legislation).

Here's his response (bolding mine) to the question of whether Argentina now does a better job at protecting against pesticides in light of Sofia's efforts:

"To be clear, Sofia and her mothers group helped pass a buffer (health protection) zone in only one municipality and are working to expand to other municipalities and the entire country. This buffer is larger (~8,200 ft total) than most buffer zones used in agriculture in the United States. Pesticides like Roundup must be applied according to their labels (the "label is the law" -- this is how EPA regulates pesticides), and a quick scan of a couple Roundup variations suggest that most national aerial application buffers are about 100 feet.

In addition, in states that can impose greater protections, there are additional buffers for specific regions or crops. Sutter County, e.g., has 4 mile buffers for prunes (from this short report I co-authored). However, since I don't believe Roundup is a "restricted use" pesticide, meaning that it is considered more hazardous by EPA, it is more difficult for state or local governments to impose any additional restrictions like buffers. 

In short, the comparison isn't exactly apples to apples, but it is fair to say that one Argentina municipality has instituted some of the strongest protections for residents from aerial applications of Roundup."

So, one wonders, why does the Wine Institute tell us they're green and sustainable and yet fight against protections against pesticides that even third world countries have?

Italy in Paso? A Mille Grazie for Giornata

Brian and Stephy Terrizzi

Italian wine in California for years has meant Zinfandel. But Zinfandel plays almost no part in wines in Italy.

There the big red grapes are Nebbiolo (which makes Barolo and Barberesco), Dolcetto, Aglianico, Sangiovese (which is the grape in Chianti), and international varieties (Cabernet, etc.) along with others.

Experimenters here in California have cultivated Cal-Italian varieties - see cal-ital.org for a list - but without hitting many home runs.

Among the organic producers, Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon did Malvasia, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo (which he is only offering library vintages of now) but seems to have backed out of all (except Muscat).

Pavi wines in Napa also offers a few great Italian varietals - organically grown Dolcetto (a medium-to-light bodied red wine) and Pinot Grigio. But for the most part, growing and making the big Italian reds have been abandonned.

Along comes Giornata, the brainchild of Brian and Stephy Terrizzi, in Paso Robles.

Paso Robles is a region famous for its Zins - and there are very few organic producers in the area (Castoro, Lone Madrone, Ambyth, and Rhone-growing Tablas Creek).

This makes the Terrizzis all that much more unique in the region, which they came to after visiting a nursery in Santa Rosa to find Nebbiolo vines (rarely grown in California), which lead them to a unique vineyard here in the Paso area.

They were astonished to visit the Luna Matta vineyard here, one of only three sites growing nebbiolo. The owners had no market for the grapes. They were happy to let the Terrizzis tend them and later buy the grapes.

The Terrizzis were excited - they'd found calcium in them thar limestone hills - which they say is a close match to the soils of Piedmont where Nebbiolo excels. Nebbiolo famously likes fog (the word Nebbiolo comes from the word "nebbia" which means fog in Italian.) The vineyard is located not far from the Templeton gap in the hills that passes cooling marine influences along.

The Terrizzi's are growing certified organic Nebbiolo ($40) in Luna Matta vineyard, which became certified organic last year. They also produce a Sangiovese ($30) and an Aglianico ($30).

The couple are a unique partnership - she's the vineyard manager and he's the winemaker - which seems like the perfect combination (and one I haven't come across before).

Stephy, a graduate of Santa Rosa Junior College with a degree in viticulture, worked in Napa previously. She grew up on an organic farm in Wisconsin and is a passionate local expert in Paso on organic viticulture, sharing her knowledge with locals. She is also a certified master sommelier and conducts wine tastings locally. She is committed to polycultural approaches and growing her own family's food on the property. The Luna Matta vineyard also has an extensive walnut grove.

Brian, a graduate of Fresno State, in enology, also studied winemaking in Tuscany, and toured Italian wineries - including on Sicily, where he has distant relatives. The two love Italian wine and decided to make them their professional passion.

Read more about them in this recent Wine & Spirits magazine article - or just check them out in person. Visitors (by appointment) are welcome.

Their wines are available from their web site at: http://www.giornatawines.com. You can also find some of them at Arlequin Wine Merchants in SF. The organic ones are those from the Luna Matta vineyard, pictured above.

I for one look forward to visiting their vineyard soon!

Does Argentina Have Better Pesticide Regulations Than We Do?

On Monday night environmentalists gathered from around the world to honor winners of the Goldman Awards, one of the world's highest environmental prizes. Among them was Argentinian Sofia Gatica who won the prize for the continent of South America for her work in documenting the devastating effects of Roundup (which contains glyphosate) in her local community.

This is, of course, the same toxic herbicide California wine grape growers spray 400-450,000 pounds of annually on state vineyards.

Gatica herself lost a daughter, who lived only 3 days, before asking other mothers in the area about health problems in their families. When the group of mothers found that their area had more than 41 times the number of birth defects as was normal in Argentina, 16 of the mothers formed the Mothers of Ituzaingó to organize against the indiscriminate use of the pesticide in Argentina where 50 million gallons are used annually, mostly in soybeans.


In the U.S., $5 billion is spent on the Monsanto-produced herbicide, more than a quarter of global sales by  price. In 2007, the EPA estimated that 180-185 million pounds of it were used in the U.S. It can be applied by hand-sprayer or in aerial spraying.





Argentinian scientist and researcher Carrasco (featured in the video above) has documented the harmful effects of glysophate in Argentina, including birth defects.

Gatica and allies worked to pass legislation outlawing the aerial fumigation of glyphosate and other dangerous agricultural pesticides and herbicides. Legislation also does not allow spraying within 2,500 meters of residents.


That would appear to be better than we have it in here in California. In a recent interview I conducted with Paul Towers of the Pesticide Action Network, Towers said the Wine Institute has opposed Californians' attempts to pass legislation creating buffer zones and to restrict aerial application of pesticides.


You can, of course, help grow California's organic viticulture movement (where no Roundup can be used) by buying wines made with organic grapes.

Watch Gatica's story here (below in the video) or read more on the Goldman Prize site here:

Gatica with mothers, studying chart of diseases and birth defects in their neighborhood

Photo of tumor caused by glysophate in Argentina, from Dr. Graciela Gomez

I've contacted a pesticide expert to find out more specific information on dosage comparisons and will followup with a post later.


The Ecology Center has a good, succinct fact sheet on Roundup.
• Factsheet

The GLS Bank of Germany has a good review of the scientific literature on Roundup.
• GLS Report

First Ever Release: Bonny Doon's Banana Slug Roussanne! Benefits UCSC Arts Students

Judging from the bottle labels/covers, you may have thought Bonny Doon's previous wines were art student oriented, what with their flashy graphics and all. Well now it's official - there's a Bonny Doon wine to benefit (in part) the arts students at UC Santa Cruz, named, appropriately enough, Banana Slug Roussanne.  Of course the designs also come from the students. (The banana slug is the official mascot of U.C. Santa Cruz.) The 2010 vintage, sourced exclusively from the winery's estate Beeswax vineyard (100% biodynamic), sells for $16. (Wine club member price is $13.60). Only 600 cases made - get some now! For more info about the project, see here.  Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon with UCSC Arts Dean David Yager UCSC student Louise Leong designed the winning label - runner up art work will be on display at the Bonny Doon tasting room

$18 Bottle Sale - Yorkville Cellars (Secret Website)

Yorkville Cellars is celebrating its 18th birthday on April 18. You can celebrate with $18 a bottle wine now through April 18.

Or get the assortment of 6 bottles for $108 - $67 off.

You'll save more than $10 a bottle, including on shipping.

Check out the secret url here.

Greenhorns Night in SF's Hipster Heartland (The Mission)

The Greenhorns presented two short films, a three person panel, community Q and A, and social time tonight. I learned about Napa bees from Rob Keller, Mendocino Organics from Paula Manalo, and Little City Gardens (for-profit urban farm) from Brooke Budner, all embodying novel and innovative approaches to agricultural issues.

From the wine/vinelands perspective, Napa Valley Bee Company works with wineries and local municipalities to reintroduce bee-friendly plants into the landscape, where monoculture has decreased their numbers. Rob Keller, proprietor and bee expert, talked about his mobile bee education lab (in a converted Airstream) which invites public participation - and fascination.

He is currently working on breeding bees particularly suited to the local conditions.

Stanford-educated Paula Manalo, one of the editors of the new Greenhorns Book, highlighted what she and her partner Adam Gaska, a Redwood Valley native and local farmer, are doing on vineyards in Redwood Valley and Potter Valley in Mendocino (both places near and dear to my heart). The two are Mendocino Organics, which is sort of "infill" agriculture (my made-up terminology), bringing livestock and poultry into symbiotic relationships in vineyard fields. They also grow vegetables, primarily at Heart Arrow Ranch, a biodynamic vineyard and farm. Mendocino Organics is the couple's CSA, providing locally raised meat and vegetables to 22-40+ members seasonally, as well as supplying Bar Agricole, a restaurant in SF, with produce, lamb and pork.

Brooke Budner of Little City Gardens talked about her 1 acre SF garden, which is a for profit company that grows vegetables for sale. She distinguished it from other urban farms, which are run by educational or nonprofit organizations. Brooke was instrumental in getting the city to overturn and rewrite ordinances that prevented people from growing food (as a business) in residential areas.

Here's the night in pix:


The Greenhorns also released their new book (a DVD was already available) - which you can find out more about here:

Bonny Doon in Photos

For those of you who drink Bonny Doon's wines, or enjoy Randall Grahm's perspectives and dazzling marketing, or may just be heading to Santa Cruz, here's a virtual tour of the Bonny Doon tasting room and restaurant, which occupy a large warehouse-y space in a little gourmet ghetto in Santa Cruz.

 

Santa Cruz Tasting Room Scene: The Organics Among Them

As I mentioned just a short bit earlier, I finally got to Bonny Doon's tasting room and restaurant in Santa Cruz last week - a hip, trendy spot with lots of fun wine graphics and ambience. I was there on a mission - to visit "mainstream bohemian" wine mecca Bonny Doon as well as to answer the question, hopefully once and for all, as to which Bonny Doon wines actually are organically grown (having failed to find answers via traditional channels - i.e. calling and emailing).

Part 2 of the quest answered (in this here post). And now onto the next frontier - visiting Bonny Doon and the Other Wineries with Organically Grown Wines in the vicinity. Turns out Bonny Doon's location is now a little Mecca village of its own - with several other winery tasting room adjacent in the same shopping/warehouse area.

The two of interest to The Organically Inclined are Silver Mountain with three organically grown wines (now) and Vine Hill, which will be offering its first certified organically grown wines in 2013.

Here are the winery tasting rooms in photos.

Silver Mountain

From the Pinot region of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Silver Mountain offers the following organically grown wines:

• 2007 Pinot Noir Miller Hill Vineyard ($38)
• 2007 Pinot Noir Estate ($38)
• Chardonnay Estate (not listed on website)

The winery/vineyard in the Santa Cruz mountains is open 12-5 on Saturdays (or other times by appointment). The Santa Cruz tasting room is open 12-5 Thursday through Sunday.

Vine Hill

Starting in 2013, Vine Hill will be releasing organically grown wines (now aging in the barrel). Stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy these photos of the Vine Hill tasting room, around the corner from Silver Mountain and Bonny Doon.

Tonight - Last Chance to Catch Our Land Wine Land Tour in Bay Area!

See here: http://thegreenhorns.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/our-land-wine-land-tour-starting-march-24/

Heller Organic Wine in Photos

I met friends from LA at Big Sur last week and traveled with them up the coast to Santa Cruz via Monterey. I stopped off in Carmel Valley to check out Heller Organic Wines. Here are some photos of the winery's tasting room (open to the public daily).

The vineyards themselves are not open to the public.

I'll add more notes about the visit later but am sharing these photos for now.



I've added five of their wines to my app!

Bonny Doon: The Definitive Organic Versus Not Organic List?

Last weekend marked my first trip to Bonny Doon, the mothership of Santa Cruz wineries. I wanted to get to the bottom of what has been a difficult quest - to understand exactly which wines were sourced from organic grapes (because, despite its green-friendly image, many of its wines are not).

I have repeatedly called and emailed the winery for answers, but haven't gotten any responses. Since I was traveling in the area with friends, I decided an in person trip to the tasting room might be the best approach to getting answers. At least the bottles might have certification seals.

After a long and complicated Q and A process with tasting room staff, the "final" tally of organically grown wines (100% certified grapes), as best as can be determined by tasting room staff, is as follows:

Biodynamic
Whites
• Albarino Ca del Solo (2009 only; 2010 vintage is not)
• Grenache Blanc (2009 only)
• Le Cigare Blanc (white Rhone blend of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne) (2009)
• Muscat Ca del Solo (2009)
• Paso Robles Viognier (sourced from Chequera)
• Vinho Grinho Ca del Solo

Reds
• Dolcetto Ca del Solo (current release - 2007)
• Nebbiolo Ca del Solo (current release - 2007)
• Syrah from Bien Nacido X Block (all)

Dessert
• Vinferno (dessert wine from Grenache Blanc and Roussanne) (2008)
• Le Vol des Anges (dessert wine from Roussanne) (2007)

In transition to Biodynamic:
• Imagine (a Freisa/Sangiovese cuvee)

In the future
Look for Alamo Creek sourced Syrah.

So less than half of Bonny Doon's output is organic/biodynamic - most is not.

What is not (100%) organically sourced: Cigare wines (including the Vin Gris rose), Grenache, Carignane, Vino Rosso, Contra, Rose, Moscato, Riesling, Mon Doux Mourvedre, Viognier Port, Cuvee ET and more.

This one is sourced from Biodynamic grapes and has a Demeter seal on the front label

This one still has the water crystal image but is not sourced from Biodynamic grapes and does not have the Demeter seal on the label

Of note: the Albarino that is NOT biodynamic still carries the crystal on the cover, which is a symbolic analysis typically associated with biodynamics. There is a danger in using this kind of imagery for this meaning, when, in fact, not all the grapes inside are biodynamic. It might be good for Bonny Doon to think this through. I, for one, am tired of seeing biodynamic imagery extended to non-biodynamic wines (Paul Dolan uses more overt biodynamic symbols as branding - three cowhorns - when in fact the wines they apply the symbols to are not biodynamic versus Cowhorn Winery - a brand where every wine is always biodynamic).

We need that clear labeling of "Made from Organic (or Biodynamic) Grapes" on the front of every bottle to be mandatory so it's simple for everyone. For now, check the seals!

CPB Stands for Corporate Publicity Bonanza

It's a sad day when CPB funds a pro-Big Ag show without mentioning dead zones, pesticide issues, or other issues - AND then sells DOW Chemical ads on the show web site. 

Big Ag's Answer to Food, Inc.? America Revealed: About Food

Only collusion at CPB with some big bucks in agriculture could possibly have given us the new PBS series America Revealed's first episode on food. Perhaps they took a cue from the old series In Search of Excellence playbook (covering "brilliant" CEOs in the 1980s) that made American capitalists look like rock stars.

Today, Big Ag gets its closeup in this series. Here's the trailer:



We get glowing aerial video postcards of pesticides being sprayed over cornfields, an industrial-scale farmer from California's Central Valley talking about how high his water costs are, and a tour of a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) in Colorado.

There are NO pesticide experts in the film, just an ag pilot who tells us how the chemical arsenal has grown from 1-2 chemicals in his predecessor's time to 50 products today. There are NO water experts in the film - just glossy aerials of the host flying over Shasta Dam (with no mention of how the combination of ag's profligate water consumption and agricultural pesticides have killed off the salmon).

There is one comment by a large-scale beekeeper on bee colony collapse being linked to pesticide use, but the narration tells us "the jury is still out." There is no mention made of groundwater depletion by big ag in the Central Valley (see NYTimes map and coverage here) and not one scientist or alternative point of view about the destruction of our soils, water and environment by industrial ag fertilizers or chemicals.

Though there are whizzy graphics showing how much transportation is built into the entire food system, there is no discussion about the carbon costs of such a system.

This show is a perversion about everything we know as responsible journalism. This is not a documentary - it is a love letter to Big Ag - with a few pretensions at covering the local and organic/urban ag/farmers market scene.

You can watch the full show on PBS.org. The sponsored ad on the PBS.org web site on the series home page is for DOW Chemical.

May the (Ladybug) Force Be With You: Join the Earth Day Celebration at Yorkville Cellars

Yorkville Cellars will celebrate Earth Day Sunday April 22 with a three-hour tour and tasting with owners Edward and Deborah Wallo.

The owners will be celebrating 26 years of certified organic growing (1986-2012). 

At noon participants can "be a farmer for the day" and join in releasing hundreds of ladybugs.

Vintage wines and organic food will also be served.

Get more info here.

And enjoy this recent interview with Edward Wallo on Organic Wine Review (part 1 of 2).

Gayot.com's Top 10 Organic Wines List: NOT

Gayot.com's list of top 10 organic wines sparked my interest a few weeks ago when I was researching a wine mentioned on it that's a wine in my iPhone app...but then I started to notice something fishy.

Some of the wines in the top 10 are not organically grown.

I emailed the editor and then we spoke on the phone. I told him which wines weren't organic.

It's two weeks later and I just casually circled back to see if the list had been updated. It hasn't.

So here, for your information, are the wines on the "Gayot.com Top 10 Organic Wine List" that aren't (according to the wineries themselves):

#3 Sokol Blosser Evolution (totally not organic)
#4 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc* (they buy fruit from "practicing organic" vineyards)
#5 Benziger Chardonnay (not listed on their site as organic)

So...Gayot.com doesn't care?

It brings up a common problem - the three brands listed here have made being organic and/or biodynamic such a big part of their brand that they have skillfully branded nonorganic wines as organic.

There is however no certifier label on the bottle saying they're organically grown, however, which should at least have prompted a call to the winery to double check.

I look forward to the day when things are clearer and brands protect against that perception - hopefully by offering only organically grown wines.

Personally I try to support the ones who are ONLY organically grown. That way I don't have to keep up with so many niggly details.

Brands that make their entire line of wines from 100% organic or biodynamically certified grapes include:

Atrea
Barra of Mendocino
Beckmen
Bonterra
Ceago
Fitzpatrick
Grgich Hills
Horse and Plow
Madonna Estate
McFadden
Montemaggiore
Patianna
Paul Dolan
Porter Creek
Preston
Saracina
Spottswoode
Staglin Family
Terra Savia
Volker Eisele
Yorkville Cellars

Video of the Day: The Ultimate Corkscrew

Do you visit friends' houses and not quite "get" how to open a bottle of wine using the host's corkscrew? Then consider gifting them this Rube Goldberg gadget:


 

U.S. Lags in Organic Viticulture

Europeans are leading the way in organic viticulture, according to a statement released early this month at the Prowein conference in Dusseldorf.

In France, the report says, organic viticulture is 6% of the total acreage. The Alsace region in France is the leader at 9%.

Compare that to California, where only 2-3% of vineyards are certified organic.

There are more than 2,800 wineries in France that have organic viticulture. The number I have found so far in the U.S. is a roughly 200. (See the map for the list).

All countries have many vineyards which practice organic viticulture but are not certified.

This was the first year Prowein had a separate exhibition area for organically grown wines. Can we hope that the U.S. will follow suit?