?Organic? wines

In an attempt to avoid the topic of Sideways and pinot noir and forget the fact that at some point in my life I have pontificated about wine in similar fashion, this edition of the Wine Club Newsletter will focus on one of the other hot-buttons of wine ? the role of Organics and sulfites in wines and winemaking.  I have decided to do a little research into the topic to better educate myself, and you, on some of the finer points of natural winemaking. I?m certainly no expert on the matter, so please form your own opinions, but it is definitely a topic worth discussing, and any and all feedback is appreciated. And if anytime I become too verbose like our pinot loving friend as I sometimes tend to do, please let me know!

Organic is good.

Organic foods are always my produce of choice (when I can manage to swing the high price tags) and I consider myself devoted to the principal, the cause, and the flavors. Eating something fresh and pure that is produced in an environmentally friendly fashion ? that above all tastes better - will always be a winner in my book.

Therefore it?s only natural for me to head straight for the organic wine section of my favorite wine shop (Attrezzi, of course) and seek out preservative-free organic wines, right?

Unfortunately not so. Everything seems to have its place in our world, and organic wine, for the most part, has had very little place in mine ? I have found most of it to either be imbalanced, ripe with off flavors, or oxidized. In simple terms ? not that good. I admit, I love the concept, a chemical and preservative free wine that happily coincides with nature but the fact of the matter is that much of the truly organic wine really isn?t all that good. (Organic winemakers can send samples and comments here) Spending more time researching (translation ?  tasting) organic wines will hopefully sway my opinion and I believe that winemakers, as they return to natural winemaking styles, will begin to improve organic wines with time. One winemaker in particular has actually has managed to make me a (huge) fan, but we?ll get to that later.

What makes wine ?organic??

Essentially we have three types to consider when discussing naturally made wine:

Type A: True Organic Wines

These are wines that receive little to no artificial intervention whatsoever. Grapes are grown without the use of chemicals and pesticides, and wines are not supplemented with preservatives of any kind. Some wineries even go so far as to include environmental cues such as lunar cycles (called biodynamic wines) to ensure the grapes are ?ready?. A theory on biodynamics is as follows:

Development of vines is more than simply the flow of matter, it is a flow of chemical energy that radiates from the moon, stars, and planets, derived from the breakdown of organic matter. The position of the moon and the stars within certain constellations influences the growth of leaves, roots, flowers, and fruit. Biodynamic farmers plant their crops to maximize these effects.

Makes sense, right? So why don?t all wineries practice this philosophy? According to New Zealand?s James Millton: ?To be a good biodynamic farmer one has to be a very, very good farmer.?

In other words, it?s probably not as easy as it sounds, and likely is economically challenging for the average winery to follow. Lunar cycles don?t break down, tractors do!

Finally, a truly organic wine has no additives or sulfites are introduced to the final product, keeping it truly natural every step of the way.

The Pros: great concept, and the sustainability factor on the environment is a definite plus.

The Cons: Many organics have not proven to be that good ? especially if they tout their organicness on the label. However I believe this will change as time goes on and farmers begin to return to their natural roots.

Type B: Wines made from organically grown grapes

 (much more common)

This category includes a large number of European (especially French) wines that may in fact make no claim to having anything to do with the organic moniker ? they just do it because that?s how it?s done. No one really wants extra chemicals in their wines, now do they? To fall into this category, vines are treated with utmost care without the use of artificial and chemical controls, allowing the grapes to come to their full potential naturally. The organic ?caveat? is that once the grapes have done their natural job, the juice is treated with sulfites or the occasional additive (like egg whites) to produce a top quality wine.

A visit to some Napa Valley wineries taught me a brief lesson about organic grape growing and the issues associated with it. From what I was told, California strongly encourages the use of some form of pest controlling methods to control the spread of a serious threat to vines - The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter ? an insect that carries a nasty bacteria that?s lethal to vines. To accommodate the need for some form of pest controls, some winemakers use end posts on the rows of vines that have been treated with pesticide, that way there are some controls but the grapes and vines themselves are left in their natural state. Creative solutions are always the best.

The Pros: The environment is treated with respect, fewer chemicals make their way into the environment, and the wines are generally more interesting and complex. Some really nice wines fall into this category, but it?s likely you may not know it as many don?t expressly state it on the label.

The Cons: Those sensitive to sulfites and wine additives are out of luck, and these wines are inherently more expensive because of inherent risks of pest and fungal damages.

Type C: We have science, why go Natural?

This is the largest category and offers the most polarity, from small boutique winemakers that rely on chemicals to keep their limited supply of vines healthy to the producers making seas of juice to sell in package stores for rock bottom prices. The fact is that using chemicals and additives give grape growers and winemakers control over their products. Control is very important in winemaking and leaving things up to chance is not always the best idea (think of your first attempt at home brewing or Uncle Seymour?s special homemade wine).

Fact: Grape vines are one of the heaviest sprayed crops there are

But fear not, the EPA has ruled that wine can not contain residues of any pesticides or other chemicals that are not registered specifically for wine grapes. So the logic here is that as long as that pesticide is registered, it?s Ok to consume it?

Thankfully, California's laws are even stricter, allowing no residual pesticides in wine. So while the pesticides may not make their way into your bottle in large quantities, trace amounts are apparently still possible. Yuck.

Pros: Lots. They can be more affordable because there is less risk of vine damage and spoilage. Winemakers deliver a more consistent and quality product through the use of these controls.

Cons: The use of chemicals and additives can have negative effects on the environment. Subtleties in flavors can be diminished by not letting the grapes ?do their thing?.

So which is best?

Honestly, it?s a matter of personal (and political) opinion, and above all ? personal taste.

If you learn nothing else from this newsletter ? learn this ? wine does not age gracefully without the addition of preservatives.  Wine plus oxygen = vinegar. Which leads me to the next topic of discussion - the dreaded S-Word.

Sulfites

Though ?sulfite? seems to be a dirty word, we can thank them for making sure our favorite glass of juice does not have hints of balsamic dog food on the nose. Not only are sulfites natural (nearly all wines contain traces of sulfites, they naturally occur on grape skins) they are truly beneficial in keeping wines fresh and at their prime ? and have been an essential component of winemaking since Roman times. Sulphur?s purposes range from inhibiting bacteria and wild strains of yeast and helping prevent oxidation (turning wine to vinegar) to brightening the color of red wines by encouraging the extraction of compounds from the grape skins during maceration.

In the form of potassium metabisulfite crystals, liquid sulfur dioxide, or sulfur dioxide gas, sulfur dioxide is an effective and safe preservative, antioxidant, and antimicrobial agent that has been used for millennia to facilitate the winemaking process. It is a respiratory irritant in high concentrations, so it should always be handled with care. Usual levels of free sulfur dioxide in table wines is about 20 to 40 parts per million.

The Feds allow up to 350 parts per million (ppm) of sulfites in wine, but most contain significantly less. It is the winemaker?s choice on how much they feel is necessary to deliver a quality product but the general school of thought is ?less is better.? Any wine that contains more than 10 parts per million must contain a warning on the label, as a minute percent of the population is quite allergic to them.

So how do you know if your wine choice contains them? Simple, it probably does. Since wine yeasts naturally produce 10 to 20 parts per million of sulfites, the 10 parts per million threshold is exceeded in virtually every wine produced in the USA and abroad. This is why one nearly always sees the words ?contains sulfites? or ?sulfites added? on the label. The one exception to this rule leads me to my favorite organic wine, Coturri Wines, a true organic operation in every sense. According to owner/winemaker Tony Coturri, some of his wines have been tested by the FDA to prove that there are not enough sulfite compounds in parts-per-million to warrant a warning. Thus, a true sulfite free wine does exist ? there just aren?t many of them out there!

And now for a game:

Sulfite Truth or Fallacy

Question 1: Red Wines have more Sulfites than whites. True or False?

I believe I can honestly say every customer who has ever had an interest in sulfites has always posed the following statement to me: red wines contain more sulfites than whites. However, everything I am led to believe and have studied proves the opposite ? white wines are fresher and more delicate than reds, and contain less natural tannin and preservatives, thus benefit more from the addition of sulfites. A quick call to Nat Saywell of RP Imports (who enjoyed the question) started a chain of calls within his organization, finally ending with a message on my cell saying ?Mr. Collins, you are correct, white wines generally contain more sulfites than reds.? His research led him to Mr. Bruce Neyers of Neyers Vineyards, who agrees that white wines generally contain 10-25ppm more sulfites than reds.

So where does this notion come from? I believe that theory is derived from the ?headache factor? ? the fact that some folks develop headaches after drinking red wines and attribute it to sulfites. According to Bruce, these headaches may be coming from an entirely different compound known as arachadonic acid cascade just one of many intriguing components of wine more prevalent in reds.

Question 2: Europeans are sulfite free, true or false?

I also frequently hear from customers that the Europeans generally don?t add sulfites to their wine, it?s only us pesky Americans. This is simply not true, just check the labels on most European wines on American shelves ? they too are required to place sulfite warnings on the labels. This certainly doesn?t mean that all wines in Europe contain sulfites, but I think it is safe to say that a majority exported to the US do. Europeans actually pioneered the craft, burning sulfite smudges into empty barrels to condition the wood, though the preservation qualities at that time may or may not have been fully understood.

The Bottom Line

To choose organic, or not ? that is the question. I leave the decision to you, the consumer, to decide in the fate of the organic wine. I encourage you to taste, enjoy, and come to your own conclusions!

I do encourage you to try the Coturri Wines from Sonoma County for an outstanding example of what can be done organically. Having had the pleasure to speak with Tony Coturri ? head chief at this family owned, organic winery, has really opened my eyes to organic winemaking principles. His wines are some of the most powerful, subtle, and elaborate wines I have had occasion to sample in quite some time. They are very different from the norm and need to be approached with an open mind, but his Organic Syrah, Merlot, and Zinfandel are quite amazing. Here?s the scoop on their winemaking process. Pick up a bottle of his Syrah next time you are at Attrezzi and see for yourself!

Until next time,

Rich and all your friends at Attrezzi.