Join us for the ultimate organic wine and food feast. Winemaker Tony Coturri will pair his wines with a Nose-to-Tail suckling pig feast at Resto on May 11th at 7pm. This dinner, part of a series sponsored by the Organic Wine Journal, highlights that responsible wining and dining are as much about pleasure as they are about practices.
For more than 30 years, Coturri Winery has been making “real wines” using organically grown grapes, natural yeast fermentation, and no additives. Robert Parker has called his wines “some of the most intriguing I’ve ever reviewed.”
Resto Restaurant has received rave reviews for their Large Format Feasts from the New York Times, Food Network and Time Out New York.
Vegetarians – don’t feel left out. We’ll work out some great food for you if you let us know advance.
Reservations can be made through Resto at 212-685-5585 or by email
Date: Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Time: 7pm
Price: $75pp (not including tax/tip)
Resto
111 East 29th Street New York, NY 10016
212- 685-5585 Restonyc.com
Organic Brandy is now available from Harris Organic Wines in Perth’s Swan Valley.
The brandy – certified by the body Australian Certified Organic (ACO) – is distilled and matured in oak casks on the premises at Harris Organic Wines.
Being certified organic means that there is no other brandy like this in Australia. Matured into a smooth high quality cognac style with flavours of almond, coconut, fig, vanilla, apricot, hazelnut, caramel and nutmeg.
“Most brandy sold in Australia is imported, so this brandy is very special for many reasons” says Duncan.
Duncan and Deborah believe that organics is indeed the best way to go in any food operation, not only from the point of view of human health, but just as importantly the health of the environment and so sustainable production practices.
“It is important that our customers get the assurance from an independent certifying body about the organic integrity, as well as the quality of our organic wine” says Duncan.
“Although our vineyard and winery is very small, the organics movement itself is part of a larger world-wide realisation that we have to become conscious consumers – to give something back to the lived environment. Informed consumers want to know what is going into their goods and foods, and the reassurance that production has not been harmful to the environment – and more power to them!”.
The CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) have handed out awards to Benziger Family Winery for their closed loop water system and Fetzer Vineyards for their waste reduction.
CCOF certified Fetzer Vineyards has been recognized for the 13th year by the 2009 Waste Reduction Award Program (WRAP) of the California Integrated Waste Management Board for their outstanding achievements in reducing, reusing, and recycling. Fetzer reduced its landfill waste by 96 percent in 2008. Part of that success was achieved through Fetzer’s recycling initiative, which recycles more than 968 tons of glass, cardboard, paper, plastics, metal, pallets, barrels, and other items. In 2008, Fetzer underwent a major packaging change that converted its entire line of wines to light-weight bottles. The conversion reduced the per bottle weight by an average of 14 percent, resulting in a savings of 2,173 tons of glass per year.
Also in the wine industry, CCOF certified Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, California, recently gained attention for creating an almost completely closed loop water system for their winery. The closed loop system works by filtering water through three ponds, which begin with water containing grape sediment and other organic materials and ends with water nearly clean enough for human consumption. The ponds use natural resources such as organisms living on plant roots in the ponds to filter out impurities. In a normal year, Benziger Family Winery is able to completely irrigate their land without drawing any irrigation water from the ground, an impressive and innovative feat. Benziger has also been nominated for “Best Sonoma Winery” for the 2010 Best of the Bay List.
Napa Valley, CA, March 31, 2010 – HALL Wines, the premier 21st century vineyard and winery, announces today that it has received Organic Certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), one of the nation’s oldest and largest organic certification and trade associations in North America. This achievement reinforces HALL Wines’ steadfast commitment to sustainability following HALL St. Helena’s Gold LEED® Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in July 2009.
“One of the greatest benefits to practicing organic farming methods is that we spend more time in the vineyard,” said Don Munk, Director of Vineyard Operations at HALL Wines. “This allows us to really pay attention to what is happening naturally. Organic farming utilizes preventive methods as opposed to corrective activities, allowing HALL to create a healthier soil for our vineyards which, in return, increases the longevity of the vines and the overall health of the land.”
Organic farming certification requires that HALL adhere to strict standards in order to maintain soil fertility and crop nutrition. The practice of farming organically produces one of the smallest carbon footprints of any agricultural process, maintains the diversity of plants, and ensures the presence of native species to establish the long term health and fertility of the soil; thereby allowing for increased longevity for vineyards. With the focus on natural products, HALL Wines does not use chemical fertilizers, synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Instead, HALL Wines creates a habitat for natural predators and plants cover crops to help build healthy matter in the soil. The HALL Team, dedicated to the art of handcrafted winemaking, spends an immense amount of time in the vineyards, diligently monitoring water stress, vine health, vine balance and grape maturity to guarantee that the grapes are nurtured to their highest potential.
The organic farming certification process spans three years and each of HALL’s six estates located throughout Napa Valley and Alexander Valley in Sonoma County follow the strict guidelines set forth by the CCOF. To date in 2010, 355 acres owned by the HALL’s have been certified organic. The last of the estate vineyards, known as the Hardester Ranch with 145 planted acres, will receive its organic certification on August 18, 2010.
Kathryn and Craig Hall, Owners of HALL Wines, made it a long-term mission to become a leader in earth-friendly California winegrowing and serve as stewards of the land. HALL St. Helena is the first Gold LEED® Certified Winery in the State of California, making HALL Wines a pioneer in the use of green buildings in the wine industry. HALL St. Helena maintains one acre of solar panels on its roof and uses 100% recycled water throughout its processes. HALL further extends their environmental responsibilities to their general operations via the use of bio-diesel in their farming equipment in addition to their fish–friendly farming techniques, which aids to protect the waterways and sustain and support the environment. Furthermore, all of HALL estate vineyards are enrolled in the Napa Green program, the wine industry’s most comprehensive “best practices” in land-use and wine production focusing on building environmentally sound, sustainable practices.
We were fed up with wine. It’s a bold statement for two people who are as passionate about wine as myself and Jonathan Russo, our OWJ publisher. But on a recent cold night, that’s why the two of us found ourselves at Resto, in New York’s Gramercy neighborhood, where we were about to have a beer experience like no other.
Resto is not your average Belgian mussels and frites joint. In fact, it so thoroughly changed my perception of Belgian cuisine that I have been telling anyone within earshot that they need to grab a seat at the bar, put your stomachs in their hands and enjoy the ride.
Several days before our meal, I called and asked owner Christian Pappinacholas if he had any beer that was made with natural yeasts or in a manner that would deem them worth reviewing. This is a common ploy I use to get Jonathan to pay for the meals. Little did I know, however, that owner Christian has an armada of “natural” beer. This is a tough job people but someone has to do it.
We started with something called Deus. Christian explained that it was a beer from Flanders made in the Methode Champenoise – the Champagne Method for those playing along at home, which simple means the secondary fermentation happens in the bottle. It was made with natural yeast and had a wonderful hazelnut aroma and was slightly spicy. It was a great way to start our decent into oblivion… I mean, tour of fine Belgian beers.
Up next was t’Gaverhopke Singing Blonde. This beauty had a whopping 9.8 % alcohol content and was very fruity on the nose, nicely balanced and was slightly sweet. By now, our blood alcohol level was quickly rising so we were very happy when our Chicory Salad arrived, complete with crispy pigs’ears, yellow beans, soft egg and a warm guanciale vinaigrette.
How a proper critic takes notes on beer.
With things heating up and a mad scientist look in Christian’s eyes, we moved on to an ale that was 100% organic, 10.5% alcohol and was called Piraat or “Pirate.” This was crazy, and I mean crazy in a good way. It smelled like bananas on the nose but was finely balanced between being rich, bitter and just extraordinarily tasty. This was the highlight of the night – or so said my scribbled notes when I recovered the next day – see the photo. This beer paired perfectly with the house made pappardelle, made with a warm porky ragu. Yes, I said porky.
Next up, we drank Orval which was another 100% organic beer made by Trappist monks in Luxembourg. It had a very floral and sweet nose that smelled like baked bread. Christian explained that the beer was made with brettanomyces (wild yeasts) that gave this beer a very unique and complex taste. With this naturally delicious beer, Christian rolled out their killer frites plate, complete with 10 different dipping sauces for the fries. It was just in time because my giddiness and dizziness was extremely happy to meet a plate of fried potatoes complete with their own sauces.
As a sidenote to the Orval, Christian opened a bottle of Westmalle Trappast ale and told us that Westmalle was the benchmark ale for all Trappast ales in Belgium. It was a stinker, full of skunk-like hops and very bitter notes but when you drank it, there was a very clean and sleek taste that just seemed to cleanse your palate and make you want more. I love drinks like this when eating rich food so it made perfect sense to have at towards the end of this killer meal.
Finally, Christian went above and beyond and opened a bottle of geuze from a producer called Cantillon. For those not familiar with geuze, it’s essentially a cross between beer and wine which is made from blending lambics that are 1 year old with ones that are 2-3 years old. This particular bottle was from 2005 and was called Iris. Jonathan noted that it smelled like “sour pumpkins” and I thought it smelled like an attic or more appropriately, like my Grandmother’s attic. It was musty, funky, dirty, and entirely unique. We were told that it was fermented from 100% barley and aged in oak casks and that this particular property had spiders that lived among the grounds to keep it free of certain pests. In a sense, this was the closest thing to biodynamic beer I would ever have.
As for the taste…? Honestly, I can’t remember. By this point, I was so thoroughly full and, um, happy, that anything else was just icing on an already sudsy, salty, fried delicious cake. I guess this means I’ll be going back to Resto in the near future and making sure to order the Cantillon first before things get too out of hand.
When I read a recent article about the new flash extraction machinery at Monterey Wine Company, I did a double-take. I thought it had gotten mixed in with all of those April Fools Day blog posts.
But no, it seems they are quite serious about utilizing this new wine technology and are proud to spill the beans about it as well. After reading about what this process does to the grapes, I am not so confident that their client wineries will be quite so forthright about using flash extraction.
Here is a quote from the article, lest anyone think I am exaggerating:
Flash-Détente, which translates roughly as “instant relaxation”, involves a combination of heating the grapes to about 185ºF, then sending them into a vacuum chamber where they are cooled. The cells of the grape skins are burst from the inside, allowing for better extraction of anthocyanins and skin tannins. Flash-Détente creates steam that goes into a condenser, and the condensate is loaded with pyrazines and other aromatic compounds, like the aromas associated with rot or mold. (The heating process also sterilizes the grapes.) Bayle acknowledged that some fruit aromas are also found in the condensate. “You smell the green first, and a tiny part of the flavor,” Bayle said of the condensate.
Because vapor has been removed, the sugar level is increased in the remaining must. The winemaker can either work with the higher Brix level; add back the condensate; discard the condensate and add water; or a combination.
Apparently the color is much darker with the ‘flashed’ wines. But I ask, is color a problem that needs to be fixed in California Zinfandel? Also, big surprise here, it was noted during sampling the resultant wines, that the ‘flashed’ wines had lost some of their varietal flavor characteristics.
Monterey Wine Company states that this process is best used on “substandard, low quality and problematic grapes”. Sounds delicious. This is another perfect example of why there has been a growing interest in natural wines over processed wines.
Organic wines from Egypt? This is what I bumped into at the Millésime Bio 2010 in Montpellier, France. Held this year on January 25 – 27 at the parc d’exposition in Montpellier, it is the only trade show worldwide exclusively dedicated to organic winemaking. Now in its 17th year, the event has grown from a small local trade show, organized by winegrowers of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, to global participation with 489 exhibitors and 2700 visitors.
While about 80% of the winemakers were from France, thirteen other countries were also represented. Spain and Italy were in the lead, though there were some more surprising finds like the Egyptian International Beverage Company (EGYBEV) which grows a nice Jardin du Nil blanc and Jardin du Nil rouge on terraces along the Nile River; exactly what people were doing in that region five thousand years ago in the time of the Pharaohs.
Champagne
The first day of tasting I concentrated on white wines, starting with champagnes. At the booth of André & Jacques Beaufort I had my first eye opener. Their champagnes are handcrafted with a complete devotion to a natural wine making process. The 1996 Brut Millésime Grand Cru, made from 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, was extraordinary, simply out of this world. A fantastic nose with an elegant aroma of honey and yellow fruit, a big wine but with a tension between delicacy and boldness.
Alsace
Beautiful rolling hills, ascending from the banks of the Rhine River, make for wonderful, unique white wines. Alsace has alternated between French and German rule throughout history, and this is reflected in its winemaking styles. German winemaking is based more on the concept of varietals whereas the French tend to favor the concept of terroir. Fortunately, both have found common ground with organics and biodynamics.
I tasted the portfolio of Eugène Meyer, a winemaker from the town of Bergholtz and a great advocate for organic and biodynamic wines. The winery was established in 1620 and is now certified organic and biodynamic by Ecocert and Demeter. Their Rieslings, Muscats, Pinot Blancs, Gewürztraminers, Edelzwickers, and Sylvaners all showed the distinctive characteristics of their respective grape varieties, all produced with great mastery.
The wines of Domaine Marcel Deiss, in the Alsatian town of are more reflective of soil, climate, and micro-climate of their vineyards. Most wines are field blends of different varietals. By old world standards this is a relatively new winery, founded after World War II, although the family Deiss has been involved in winemaking since they settled in Bergheim in 1744. Domaine Marcel Deiss became certified by Ecocert and Demeter in 1998. All the wines I tasted showed stunning complexity and intense minerality. My favorite was the 2008 Grand Cru Schoenenburg; full bodied with an incredible long finish.
Loire
Contrary to most winemakers in France, Philippe Delesvaux cannot look back on a family history of winemaking. He studied agriculture, then moved from Paris to the Loire to work on a farm. It was still possible then to find unexploited land there, with great terroir for planting vines. In other prominent wine regions, such as Burgundy or Bordeaux, the great terroirs have already been planted many centuries ago, and remain in the hands of family wineries or big estates.
His exposure to the wines of the Loire ended with such a fascination that he decided to establish his own winery in 1983, and received biodynamic certification by Ecocert in 2000. This has been great news for the Chenin Blancs lovers of this world. The Philippe Delesvaux Coteaux du Layon Sélection des Grains Nobles 2008 is a 100% Chenin Blanc produced from botrytised grapes, finished in barrique, with an earthy, musty bouquet. It still comes across as crisp and lightly fruity due to a good backbone of acidity.
Germany
Weingut Zaehringer is owned by winemaker Paulin Koepfer, who is also president of the Baden chapter of Ecovin, the association of organic wine producing domaines in Germany. Since 1844 the estate has been making wine in the Markgraeflerland, located in southern Germany across the Rhine River from Alsace. This region benefits from lots of sunshine, a good terroir, and a mild climate that favors varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinots.
I tasted the entire portfolio of the Zaehringer wines; a beautiful sparkling wine, the Chardonnay, the 2008 Gutedel, and of course the Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Fruehburgunder (there is not really a translation for this varietal, one could call it a Premature Pinot Noir). They all showed the earthiness, boldness, terroir, and elegance only detectable in natural, handcrafted wines.
Languedoc
Moving onto the reds, I started with Domaine Pierre Clavel from the Languedoc region. Pierre Clavel is the owner and winemaker, and his domaine became certified organic in 2007. Since 1992 he’s made his top quality Copa Santa, a very special wine from grapes planted on the terroir of La Méjanelle. It’s a blend of Syrah from older vines, Syrah from newer vines, Grenache and Mourvèdre. The 2007 Copa Santa was gorgeous with a lot of sensuality and spirituality.Velvety in the mouth, prominent tannins, a beautiful body and a long finish.
Irouléguy
Peio Espil of Domaine Ilarria.
I was overjoyed to stumble across Domaine Ilarria. I’ve been hooked on their wine since the first time I had a glass of their Irouléguy at a restaurant on the Basque of southwest France. The bouquet was stunning; lots of cassis, blackberry and a touch of chocolate. This wine was wild, earthy, mysterious with a luscious mouthfeel. Tasting the wine again, the Irouléguy Rouge 2007, a blend of 70% Tannat, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, tasted just like what I remembered. Now I understood what makes this wine so appealing to me. It is the harmony of the complex soil on the steep slopes, the mountain climate of the Basque Pyrénées, and a winemaking culture staying true to organic production principles since the first vines were planted in the eleventh century.
Spain
The de Novas from Bodega Dionisos.
The Bodega Dionisos, from the Castilla-La Manche region in Spain, pursues the philosophy of making wines respectful of cosmic rhythms. Karina de Nova, the German-born hostess, explained that in view of the harsh conditions in the region – difficult soil and very dry climate – traditional wine making techniques combined with observing the lunar calendar produce the best results.
I tasted their portfolio: four wines made in the classic organic tradition and three produced following the lunar calendar. The latter three were the 2006 Pagos del Conuco, a 100% Tempranillo, the 2004 Vinum Vitae, also a 100% Tempranillo aged 12 lunar cycles in barrique, and the 2003 Ego Primus, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Shiraz. These wines showed more fierceness, and boldness than their organic counterparts. My favorite was the Ego Primus. This wine had a gorgeous spicy bouquet, lots of tannins, a powerful body and a lasting finish.
South Africa
Jo Lazarus and Candice Stephanou from Lazanou.
One of the newly established wineries present at the Millésime Bio was the Lazanou organic vineyard from the Wellington Valley in South Africa. This winery was founded in 2006 and is fairly small, with just 5 hectares. Jo Lazarus and Candice Stephanou, the charming owners, pursued organic winemaking and planted varietals conducive to the soils and microclimate conditions of their terroir.
I tasted the 2009 Unwooded White Wine, a blend of 59% Chardonnay, 39% Chenin Blanc, and 2% Viognier. The nose was beautiful, heavy with honey, the body full without being overpowering and the finish was long and memorable. The 2008 Unwooded Chenin Blanc was absolutely wonderful with a gorgeous fruity nose, lots of minerality, a good structure and a perfect balance of acidity and a hint of sweetness. This wine won first prize for best organic wine in South Africa. The two reds, one 2008 made from 79% Syrah and 21% Mourvèdre, and the other one a 2008 100% Syrah were also very nice and promising, considering their youth. I particularly liked the Syrah with a typical smoky bouquet, lots of tannin, density, and a long finish.
California
Frey Vineyards of Mendocino County, California was the sole American exhibitor. The winery was established in 1980 by the Frey family, who pioneered organic winemaking in the United States. In 1996 Frey Vineyards was the first American winery to become certified by Demeter USA for biodynamic wines. The wines they presented were very young. The Organic Zinfandel 2008 had just been bottled after being aged in french oak. The bouquet carried lots of black fruit notes; the wine was smooth, juicy on the palate and almost ready to drink. This was a typical New World wine, a blend from grapes from five organic vineyards, among them grapes sourced from outside their estate.
There are many winemakers in the United States, who just produce the wines and leave the agriculture part of growing the vines and harvesting the grapes to others. In my view this is a distinctive difference with old world wines where traditionally the vineyard and the cellar is in the same hand, and terroir plays an important part in the philosophy of winemaking. Paul Frey, the winemaker, held a workshop explaining the sophisticated technical process of preserving and stabilizing the wines without adding sulfites. During fermentation small amounts of naturally occurring sulfites appear but this is usually not sufficient for preserving the wine, hence other methods of preservation need to be applied.
Bordeaux
At the Château Beauséjour table, a heated discussion arose on the subject of how to preserve wines. Gérard Dupuy, the owner, defended the European tradition of allowing a limited amount of added sulfites in organic and biodynamic wines. He explained the challenge for small wineries wanting to become organic of having to bow to rules that require certain technical procedures. Château Beauséjour is in Puisseguin in the Saint Emilion region of Bordeaux, and has always refused to use chemical treatments on the soil and vines since Alain Dupuy, Gérard’s father, adopted a winemaking procedure respectful of protecting nature in 1947. For fermentation autochthonous yeast strains for many centuries adapted to the environment are used. The vineyards are planted with 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. I loved the wines; they were clearly children of the terroir with a typical Merlot bouquet, a hearty soul reflecting the chalky soil, a substantial body and a lingering finish.
A Great Event
My days at the Millésime Bio in Montpellier were well spent and I enjoyed every minute of it. My tasting experience leaves me with the conviction that the organic wine lovers have a lot to look forward to. More and more people are realizing how wonderful it is to produce and consume tasty, sensual wines that are in harmony with their surrounding ecosystem. I am looking forward to the 18th Millésime Bio next February to again please my taste buds with even more fantastic organic and biodynamic wines.
