We found a number of great organic tequilas for our recent Huffington Post article, and we were especially impressed with Tequila Alquimia produced by Dr. Adolfo Murillo, an optometrist from Oxnard, California. We spoke with him find out more about his fantastic tequila.

How does a doctor from California wind up in the tequila business?

I’ve been in private practice for 28 years, and have a BA in Biological Sciences. I never imagined that I would be returning to my family ranch in Jalisco, Mexico. But 18 years ago I became the third generation to take over, and the first to grow agave.

From the beginning we used the ranch as an outdoor laboratory to study our organic protocols and then used it as a classroom to teach other growers our organic methods. Not just for agave, but for different crops for different states. We taught farmers how to match our methods to their own soils and crops.

We have avocado growers using our methods, as well as citrus, strawberries garlic and chile farmers. All of our teaching is for free. Once they learn our methods, and see the results, they turn around and teach others. I can only do so much myself, but if I can recruit others we start to really see more and more acreage going organic throughout Mexico.

What made organic so important to you?

I thought about the way my grandfather used to farm. He had great respect for the earth and grew crops that other people weren’t able to grow. He did it all using the most natural methods possible. Using his natural methods and my scientific methods we have the best combination of organic and modern techniques.

Agriculture in Mexico is very chemical intensive. They rely heavily on toxic pesticides and herbicides. All those chemicals will grow crops, but do it artificially. It kills off all the activity in the soil. We take soil samples from our ranch and analyze them in our lab. We see the affects in our plants. They are better able to defend themselves since we eliminated toxic pesticides.

Our plants are so healthy.The average weight of our agave is much higher than those throughout the state if Jalisco. In a really good harvest theirs will weight maybe 60-80 pounds. Our record setter weighted in 304 pounds. So we have the size, but what about the quality? The sugar content is a good indicator. Average in a good harvest is low to mid 20s (measured in Brix). We’re averaging about 42. Our agave develops a better root system. It brings up traces and elements that make our tequila more complex.

Ever thought of being the first Biodynamic tequila?

Absolutely. A lot of what they do is what we do in our fields. I have memories of my grandmother who taught me the affect of the moon when you plant, when you harvest. We planned our planting around the cycles of the moon, bringing into use my grandmother’s beliefs. It may seem hocus-pocus, but once we saw the affects of everything we do in our fields, I don’t know if you can argue against it.

How hard was is to get U.S. certification?

Our products had to be certified by USDA, so we follow their regulations and it is a long and expensive process. We have to go back and submit years of documentation, show them everything we do in the fields. As a usual practice they don’t leave the country, but they did send inspectors down to our ranch, to do a physical inspection. They also inspect the distillery, to make sure once our agave gets there it is not contaminated by any other non-organic product. At our first inspection we passed with flying colors, and exceeded the requirements.

How long have you been farming agave?

18 years. The first few crops we sold to other producers. By the fourth harvest, as we improved our soil, our yields were superior. It was getting too good to sell to other companies. We decided to complete the cycle, create the Tequila Alquimia brand according to our own specifications. My wife and daughters helped me to design the labels and bottles, which are made from recycled glass. A local family makes the bottles for us. Almost 4 years ago we imported our first tequila, and we received USDA certification 3 years ago.

Organic and quality go hand in hand. Some folks don’t realize the sheer volumes of chemicals that go into producing crops in Mexico. This is part of our education process. If you grow agave with chemicals, they can grab their essential nutrients on the surface of the soil. They have no incentive to go down deep. We appeal to both markets; folks that want a high quality tequila and those who appreciate organic practices.

When I went to optometry school in Berkeley, we’d go up to Napa Valley and do wine tasting tours. As students, it was hard to turn down free wine. I became enamored of having a house on the hill, surrounded by vineyards. I came close. A house on the hill in Jalisco, surrounded by tequila.

I just returned from Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany where I participated in the judging of the MUNDUSvini BioFach International Organic Wine Awards. There were 555 wines from 18 countries entered in the event, with the majority hailing from Italy, followed by Spain and Germany. The 42 judges came from 17 countries.

Divided into groups, each section tasted over 100 of the wines over a two day period. After filling out tasting notes on each wine, they were scored on a 100 point scale and capable of winning Grand Gold, Gold or Silver medals.

Judging Wines at the Saalbau

In addition to meeting some great wine people from around the world, we had a wonderful at dinner Hofgut Ruppertsberg, a restaurant that grows their own organic produce and raises many of their animals, and toured the nearby Weingut A. Christmann, a member of the VDP association.

The awards will be handed out at BioFach 2011 (World Organic Trade Fair) which is held in Nürnberg this February. Many thanks to all our gracious hosts, and organizers Susanne Denzer and Daniela Mattern.

Terry Theise is a leading U.S. importer of German and Austrian wines, and a James Beard Award winner. In his new book, Reading Between the Wines, he delves into his passion for wine and the aspects of winegrowing he considers most important. In the first part of my interview with him, we discuss his thoughts on organic and biodynamic practices.

The practices you admire in your book are also at the root or organic and biodynamic winegrowing. Do those labels turn off you off?

No. It’s only when they are wielded as doctrine that I get a little skeptical. To my way of thinking, doctrine is always dangerous and the only defensible and sustainable doctrine is to eschew doctrine altogether. You see a lot of hate being made right now by people who are waging sort of an organic jihad against wines that they deem to be impure and unnatural. To me the question is far more interesting, intricate and complex to be reduced to those kind of bullet points.

I’m in enormous sympathy with people who employ organics and especially biodynamics. I’m agnostic about the practices themselves, but i have an enormous degree of admiration for the people who do it. I like what it is they feel they are getting at.

Do you think certification is important?

Organic is a brand, and its a very attractive brand to people who wish to consume in a certain way and who wish to make political and ethical decisions as consumers. I see growers who don’t like being pinned down, because they realize how complicated viticulture is. And as soon as it’s reduced to a purity test it raises their hackles.

Then there are the type that do work organically and don’t say anything about it. In some cases they are just really modest, the virtue is its own reward. In other cases they are temperamental lone-wolves, not interested in joining associations. Then there are others who just hate doing paperwork and don’t want to fill in the forms. I finally arrived at the decision – if they’re not willing to certify then they are not entitled to the brand. If they like to wrap themselves in the feel-good aspect of organics then fill out the fucking forms, man.

What do you see in the future for organic and biodynamic wines?

I think there’s going to be more and more of it. Particularly in the places where I work, as there is a generational transfer going on right now and young vintners are very much pushing in green directions. All of which i encourage and applaud. I feel that as a long time partner and friend and fellow wine lover that I want to provide all kinds of loving support for every move they make in an organic direction. But I don’t want to shame them for the moves they don’t feel they can make.

It would be arrogant of me to dictate to a Mosel producer “why aren’t you organic?” when their production costs are already eleven times higher than someone working in flat vineyards in the Pfalz, and they have locally humid microclimates that make it nearly impossible to get a commercial crop without using fungicides sometime during the season. They just can’t go out there every four days and spray with copper unless the consumer is willing to endure a price increase for the wine.

I have a couple of producers in my portfolio who in the past several years have completed the transition to organic and biodynamic, and whose prices have risen accordingly and understandably. Their sales, however, have not. At least not among my customers. So unless these wines are bad, which I don’t think they are, I’m looking at a phenomenon where a lot of people are strutting their green credentials, and telling everyone who asks how much they want organic wines, but I also have evidence they’re not willing to pay the upcharge.

I’m a little less confident about biodynamics, because I think at some point – and this is just me holding a wet finger to the wind, no scientific basis – there is going to a Steiner backlash. I’m not talking about the scientific community or internet boards. I think even among the practitioners of biodynamics there’s going to be a generalized backlash against some of the mysticism of the whole thing. But to me that is immaterial. I don’t think it’s going to make the earth any less healthy or the wines worse. It’s going to be part of a very sensible debate about some extremely provocative and unprovable ideas.

Feast on the flavours of organically grown Highland cow and pig matched with biodynamic wines of Urlar. Travis Clive-Griffin of Bar Salute and Angus Thomson of Urlar Vineyard join forces to present a wonderfully biodynamic six course degustation.

More info.

Cold Peach and Mango Soup Shooters
Pair with Gewürztraminer
From “100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy with Wines You Love” by Jill Silverman Hough (Wiley, 2010)

This soup is just charmingly fun. It’s pretty, it’s tasty, and it’s easy to make. A gulp or two, served in a little glass, makes for a quick, refreshing treat.

For best results, make it in the summer when fresh peaches are in season. In a pinch, you can use frozen fruit, but make sure it’s unsweetened.

Serve the shooters at a standing-and-eating sort of party or as an amuse-bouche between courses. You can also serve the soup as a first course, which would be a great way to kick off a summery dinner party. If that’s your plan, double the recipe for six one-cup servings.

Makes 12 shooters (1/4 cup each)

• 2 limes
• 1 ripe freestone (the flesh doesn’t cling to the pit) yellow peach, pitted and cut into chunks
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or more to taste
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 12 fresh cilantro leaves

Zest the limes. Set the zest aside. Juice the limes to yield 3 tablespoons of juice. In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, peach, mango, buttermilk, orange juice, salt, and cayenne and process until very smooth, scraping down the jar or bowl as necessary (you may have to do this in batches). Transfer the soup to a container and chill for at least 2 hours. (You can prepare the soup up to 3 days in advance, storing it covered in the refrigerator.)

Taste, ideally with your wine, and add more lime juice and/or salt if you like. Serve the soup chilled, each serving garnished with a cilantro leaf and some of the lime zest.

Food and Wine Tip:

If your fruit is particularly sweet, you might notice that the soup makes your wine seem a little sour. To fix this, just add more lime juice, a teaspoon or two at a time, until the soup and the wine nicely complement each other.

Copyright Jill Silverman Hough. All rights reserved.

You’ve finally learned which dishes go well with a Chardonnay, Riesling or Zinfandel, so where do you go from there? Evan Goldstein is out to raise your food & wine IQ even further with Daring Pairings – A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs. The book presents in-depth profiles of 36 lesser-known, but widely available, varietals and gives guidelines on what to eat with them.

You’ve never heard of Xinomarvo? No problem. You’ll soon know it means “acid black” and while you’d love it with shellfish it shouldn’t go near anything with hot chili peppers. Goldstein’s strength is providing a lot of information without being overwhelming. Readers can breeze through basic rules, such as “acidic wines lessen the perception of salt,” or go more in-depth about the two different styles of Chenin Blanc. The layout makes it easy to jump around and find something that captures your attention, it’s not necessary to read the book in order.

Each wine also contains its “Daring Paring” – a recipe from a top chef. The dishes are practical and accessible, meant to showcase the wine match, not make you wish you had gone to culinary school. Dan Barber’s Roast Rack of Lamb with Creamy Rice Parsnips is something you’re actually capable of eating tonight with a glass of Tempranillo – you won’t have to stare at the photo just dreaming about it. Charlie Trotter’s Salad of Cornish Game Hen with Shiitake Mushroom Vinaigrette, served with a Gamay, and Kate Zuckerman’s Sherry-Roasted Figs with Crispy Streusel and Cremé Fraîche, served with Sémillon, are among the other delicious choices.

Daring Pairingsis available online at Amazon.com.

Sam Ward came from a distinguished New York family, was the brother of Julia Ward Howe (author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic) and was the best friend with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Author Kathryn Allamong Jacob traces his rise to becoming the “most influential lobbyist of the Gilded Age.”

King of the Lobby: The Life and Times of Sam Ward, Man-About-Washington in the Gilded Ageis available online at Amazon.com.

Ettore Ciancico of La Salceta

Claudio Pierino of Cascina San Lazzaro

Maria Fagiuoli of Montenidoli

Participants:

Stefania Pepe
Piera Martellozzo
La Selva
Cascina San Lazzaro
Tenuta San Pietro
Fattoria La Traiana
Badia a Coltibuono
Casale
La Salceta
Montenidoli
Sassotondo
Sorelle Palazzi
Durante
Casa Wallace
Tenuta Selvadolce
Orsi-Vigneto San Vito
Masiero

We’ve dealt with this problem since we started the Organic Wine Journal. There are many fantastic certified organic and biodynamic wines out there, but you have to know the names yourself because you won’t find it anywhere on their labels. This leads to confusion not only among wine drinkers, but also with sommeliers, servers and the workers at your local wine store. Thankfully, the balance is shifting, and organic and biodynamic wines are being perceived as higher quality in general, but until the top winemakers come out of the cellar, so to speak, the findings of this study don’t surprise us.

Although the Drouhin vineyards have been organic for years, official regulations require a three- year “conversion” period during which the rules of organic production are applied and verified in the vineyards. The certification process began in August 2006 with a lengthy application to Ecocert, one of several registered companies documenting organic production.

While 2009 is the official vintage year for organic certification, Philippe Drouhin, one of the four siblings running MJD and the one in charge of the company’s 73-hectare (182.5-acre) estate, including 38 hectares (just under 93 acres) of Chablis, now known as Chablis Drouhin Vaudon, began introducing organic practices back in 1990, shortly after joining the family firm. His father, Robert, had already returned to “culture raisonnée,” more traditional viticultural practices, in the late ’70s, but, as he says, “Philippe went further than I.”

Since he took over, Philippe has moved away from all but the most simple and natural treatments of the vine toward a non-interventionist approach and, beginning in 1997, has instituted many of the practices of biodynamie. Considered a leader in the field by fellow Burgundians, Philippe’s credo – and that of the entire family and company – is to bring natural responses to natural problems. Some vineyards are plowed by horses in the steepest areas; grass grows between vines to keep down weeds, fertilization is with natural compost; and treatments are done with herb infusions.

While many wine marketers trumpet organic and “green” credentials with seals, stickers, neckers and brochures, Maison Joseph Drouhin, in its principled and understated way, will confine its achievement only to press releases and web site information. Consumers may be assured, however, that beginning with the 2009 vintage, wines from Joseph Drouhin vineyards, most bearing the words “propriété de famille” on the label, are officially organic – as they actually have been for the past 20 years.

Known and appreciated for their elegant, refined style, the wines of Joseph Drouhin are imported into the U.S. and distributed nationally by Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., based in New York City, whose mission as an importer is to maintain loyalty to all that is special about family-owned and
-operated wineries.