Posted
by Adam Morganstern
on Apr 2, 2013
in Features
Dan Rinke – Winemaker, Johan VIneyards
“Why would you go to school to learn how to make wine? You should learn how to grow grapes.”
After working for restaurants, wine stores and distributors, Dan Rinke developed an interest in organic/biodynamic wines and enrolled in winemaking courses at Fresno State in California. He attended a dinner with Michel Chapoutier and spoke about his intentions. “Why would you go to school to learn how to make wine? You should learn how to grow grapes,” said the famous Rhone producer. Dan soon switched his major to viticulture.
He worked as an assistant winemaker while in school and then answered an ad placed by Dag Johan Sundby – a Norwegian who after traveling the world, and serving as a UN rifleman on the Israeli/Lebanese border, decided he wanted to open a winery in Oregon. Dan says both he and Johan consider it advantageous to be new players in the established wine scene. “We’re a small winery with nothing to live up up to. We can be adventurous and try new things.”
Johan was completely open to Dan’s desire to transition their vineyards to organic and then go further and practice Biodynamics. Their vineyard was certified Biodynamic in 2010 and the winery was certified in 2011. They are producing around 3000 cases annually and sell the excess grapes from their 63 acres to other Biodynamic wine producers. Dan would like to see them double their own wine output in the future, but says selling grapes to other wineries will always be part of their business. They’re even looking into keg wine sales; Oregon is about to pass a growler law for wine sales at restaurants and stores.
They are producing two brands; Johan Vineyards is the flagship label and Farmland is their more affordable line. Their next goal is trying to create their own AVA. Johan Vineyards donate a portion of their proceeds to help lobby for small family farms and help other small producers.
The Johan Vineyards 2009 Nils Reserve came from a hot vintage in the Willamette Valley. “We harvested about two weeks after everyone else.” Great acidity with low alcohol and fruit-friendly. “It’s filtered, which I don’t normally do unless it really needs it.” About 70 cases were made and bottles retail for $45. “Nils” is a family name, which they trade off with “Johan” every generation.
Learn more about Johan Vineyards at johanvineyards.com.
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Posted
by Susannah Gold
on Apr 1, 2013
in Features
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The Vineyards
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Father and son.
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Sea Fossils found in the vineyard soil.
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The founder.
Winemaker Pasquale Petrera strongly believes in the aging potential of his Primitivos. He’s carried out vertical tastings of 10 vintages of his own “Fatalone Riserva” showing off the quality of this varietal from the Gioia del Colle DOC in Apulia. Pasquale is the fifth generation of his family to run this small winery on a rocky hilltop 365 meters above sea level and located 45 kilometers from both the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south.
The winery was a founding member of the Consorzio di Tutela del Vino Gioia Del Colle DOC, and they were the first winery, in 1987, to bottle Gioia del Colle DOC using Primitivo as a monovarietal. Their limited production wines are also made with another indigenous grape, Greco.
Organic practices have always been important to the family, according to Pasquale, who says the winery has been practicing sustainability and respect for nature for five generations. “Getting biologically certified was only a way to put a seal on our work.” The company received certification in 2000.
The practices in the vineyards have now moved to focus more on sustainability in the winery as well. Music therapy is used to help with the aging of their barrels. “We use the energy from sound waves to help push air, delicately and rhythmically, onto the surface of the barrels. In this way, the natural process of micro-oxygenation is even more effective,” says Pasquale.
“Our wines sell very well internationally, in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. 85% of our wine is exported. Not everyone understands our wines and that is okay. What we want is for our wines to express our land, the grape varieties, our particular practices and our personality,” he said. ‘In one word, an expression of our roots.”
Apulia is known for its long, dry season and Pasquale says their main problem is not parasites or insects, but lack of water. In the vineyards they only use the Bordelaise mix of copper and sulfur. “Our production process is 100% sustainable: without the use of irrigation and with zero carbon emissions. The winery is powered only by solar energy.”
What isn’t a problem is that the grapes they use all grow right around the winery and there is no need to transport them anywhere, saving on emissions and time. They also put all of the compost from the winery such as cuttings, clippings, and the like back into the property.
In terms of climate change, Pasquale said that they are seeing more drought conditions, earlier harvests and a reduction in yields because some of the grapes are drying on the vine on account of the heat. This inevitably makes the wines fruitier.
Like many winemakers, Pasquale hopes that Italy will focus on preserving its land and the specialness of individual terroirs, protecting their 3000 indigenous varietals and traditions of the land that constitute an inestimable cultural, environmental and societal patrimony.
Wines:
Priimitivo Riserva Fatalone ages for two years, one of which must be in oak, Slavonia usually. The soil is calcareous with a planting density of 3000-3500 vines per hectare. Full bodied and velvety with red fruits and oak notes on nose and palate, this wine can age for 10 years but is balanced when released.
Primitivo Fatalone is their base wine with many of the same characteristics as the riserva, full-bodied, red fruit and a velvety mouth-feel. They use open vat fermentation with manual stirring, frequent pumping over and without added yeast.
Greco Bianco Spinomarino is made from 100% Greco grapes and is a very floral wine with hints of white flowers and grapes.
Primitivo “Teres” Fatalone is also made using the Primitivo grape. This wine though is almost made like a white wine, meaning it spends little time on the skins.
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Posted
by Organic Wine Journal
on Mar 20, 2013
in Features
What is that “organic taste” that, apparently, most organic wines suffer from? The writer from examiner.com doesn’t go into detail, but thank God that Grgich Hills avoids it:
Looking for a good organic wine that doesn’t have the “organic” taste? Grgich Hills has some of the very best selections of wines that come from certified organic & Biodynamic vineyards. They won’t make you feel guilty for spending a little more on vino and are great alone or with certain foods.
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Posted
by Organic Wine Journal
on Mar 13, 2013
in Features
From The Guardian:
Forty Hall vineyard is the brainchild of Sarah Vaughan-Roberts, a Hackney resident who studied viticulture and became determined to create an organic vineyard in London. Eventually, she discovered the Jacobean mansion of Forty Hall, owned by Enfield council. Its organic farm, run by Capel Manor, the local horticultural college, had some underused, south-facing slopes with, crucially, light, gravelly soils, unlike the unsuitable heavy clays of most of London. With added lime to deliver the perfect pH, this soil could grow grapes.
Creating London’s first organic wine for 500 years or so has not been straightforward. An acre of bacchus grapes planted in 2009 failed to grow. “Planting was done haphazardly by students and volunteers. We were all learning,” says Mark Mendes, a former science teacher and volunteer. “The second field was much more successful.”
This field, poised to deliver its first crop this year, was planted in 2011 by a German team with laser-guided equipment, funded by lottery money and other grants. (The day after, the Germans headed off to Windsor to plant some vines for the Queen.) “You can see the straight lines on Google Earth. It’s fantastic,” enthuses Mendes.
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Posted
by Organic Wine Journal
on Mar 1, 2013
in Features
Lyle Fass, one of our contributors at Organic Wine Journal, is starting up Fass Selections, where he will be selling fine wines online through special email offers. We asked Lyle to tell us about his new venture:
What made you decide to open Fass Selections?
I’m 38 years and it was time I did my one “great thing.” I was tired of working for other people and not being able to fully express myself. Combine that with my experiences traveling in Europe and always getting asked by growers how they can sell more wine to America; the pieces were in place. The one thing that was not in place was money. Opening a wine store is expensive due to the numerous regulations, but that changed when California started issuing new licenses that enabled me to import/distribute and e-tail (sell wine on the internet) without a physical space.
I jumped at this opportunity as I could open my own business and help the countless growers who want more wine sold in America. Their wines will be cheaper to the consumer as I cut out 2 of the traditional distribution tiers, have almost no overhead and can be in total control. There are so many great wines in Germany that do not get exported to the US. I want to change that and I will.
How does the site work?
Come to the website, sign up for the email list and boom, you are all set. Emails will start off twice a week but may ramp up as time goes on. Each one will feature no more than 2-3 wines. We may also offer multiple formats, such as mags and 1/2 bottles, but we want to concentrate on a few quality selections each time.
How are you picking the wines?
The short answer is hard work. I travel to Europe frequently and meet winemakers and taste their wines.
The longer answer is that I have a terrific network of friends in the winemaking community. I have introduced many of them to the New York market and they are willing to return the favor by introducing me to up and coming winemakers in their regions. Some of these winemakers may have productions that are too small for traditional importers. I have three winemakers who have full time day jobs and make wine as a passion. I have another who works for another winemaker during the day and tends his vines at night. They are all making incredible wines but no importer has picked them up.
Will I completely ignore wines that are sold through the traditional 3-tier distribution system? Of course not. Some of them are purchased by the importers at prices that make them appealing, even with the three tier markup. I will also buy some older wines from collectors’ cellars if I think that they represent good value. I am a rebel but not a complete ideologue. My job is to sell great wines at fair prices and I will do that in any way that makes sense
Will there be organic/biodynamic/natural selections?
Yes, but I am not tied down to any ideology. Of course, I would love all my winemakers to make wine in the cleanest way possible with minimal intervention, organic viticulture/biodynamic if they choose to and natural if they can. At the end of the day, though, each of these growers is a small business unto themselves and they have to make decisions based on their own situations and not what I demand or expect.
If you’re interested in being on Lyle’s email list you can sign up at Fass Selections.
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Posted
by Susannah Gold
on Feb 25, 2013
in Features
While organic and biodynamic viniculture is more widespread in Italy than people realize, most producers who follow these practices still do not get certification. One winery bucking this trend is Gualdo del Re in Suvereto, a lovely town in Southern Tuscany, not too far from the Mediterranean coast. On a clear day, you can even see the island of Elba in the distance.
Teresa and Nico Rossi, the owners of Gualdo del Re, have always worked the land using organic methods, but felt that certification was a further seal of approval recognizable by consumers who want to be certain they are purchasing “natural” products. After completing the three year process for certification, they received approval in 2011 for two of their white wines: Eliseo Bianco 2011 and Valentina 2011. Their red wines will be certified by the start of 2014.
Gualdo produces a classic line-up of wines from Valentina, a Vermentino, an award winning Merlot, L’Rennero, made from 100% Merlot and aged for 36 months; 15 months in oak barriques and 21 months in the bottle. There is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon called Federico I and an interesting 100% Aleatico from Elba DOC called Amansio. Valentina and Federico are the names of their children.
A forward-looking pair in all ways, Nico and Teresa hired a top female enologist at a time when women in the cellar were pretty rare. Barbara Tamburini, has been with Gualdo for about 13 years. She started her career working with noted Tuscan enologist Vittorio Fiore.
Val di Cornia, where Suvereto is located, only recently received its denominazione d’origine controllata e garantita (DOCG). Yet the Val di Cornia became a DOC in November of 1989. There are only six towns that may use this legislation for wine labeling and that includes Campiglia Marittima, Piombino, San Vincenzo, Suvereto, Sassetta and Monteverdi Marttimo. These towns are located in the provinces of Livorno and Pisa.
Nico and Teresa have been singing the praises of their area for years, well before the DOCG recognition. A wine industry expert said he felt the area was similar to Pomerol in terms of the terroir and growing potential of certain grapes. Gualdo del Re also cultivates olive trees and makes grappa. The soil is a mixture of limestone, sandy, and clay. This area of Tuscany has a mild climate due to the tempering influence of ocean breezes. The wines exhibit their terroir and are minerally with salinity from the sea breezes. The grapes are very healthy as well because of these constant breezes.
The woods where Gualdo del Re’s 25 hectares of vines are located were a King’s retreat in the Middle Ages. There are numerous medieval towns with ancient ruins in this Etruscan Coast area. Nico and Teresa have created a “piccolo paradiso” in this lovely spot complete with delicious wines, a fine restaurant and a bed and breakfast set amidst pine woods and olive grows. They also have an agriturismo nearby where they are very careful with their use of water. The entire area is one viticultural park.
During my visit, Teresa was furious because hunters had wandered onto her land. Wild pheasant and rabbits frolic in this area, usually untroubled by man. Part of the environmental vision that Nico and Teresa have also pertains to animals and how healthy the area is for them. Nico and Teresa also breed ducks in their pond and grow vegetables in an orchard.
While Nico and Teresa noted that they haven’t seen much excitement in Italy over organic wines, especially because of the difficult economic situation that most people are facing. However, the pair remain convinced that they are absolutely certain that this is the direction for them and for the future of their wines.
Susannah Gold is a wine writer, publicist and certified Italian sommelier.
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Posted
by Organic Wine Journal
on Feb 20, 2013
in Features
EXCELL laboratory in Bordeaux tested more than 300 French wines from the 2009 and 2010 vintages and found that around 90% of them contain pesticide residues. While we’re getting our hands on the report you can see a wrap up of more info at Decanter. Obviously we’re curious about how may organic wineries were included and, if so, what the statistical difference between those and conventional wines were. A previous study of European wines found pesticide residues in all conventional wines tested and, with one exception, none in the organic wines they sampled.
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Posted
by Organic Wine Journal
on Feb 19, 2013
in Features
Will he remember his old friends now that he’s hit the big time? Tony Coturri does a Q&A with Nils Bernstein at Wine Enthusiast.
Our teaching universities say you gotta add sulfites, chemicals, get these ‘balances.’ Historically grapes were the fruit you did this with ’cause of the natural acidity, sugars, all the other goodies, it’s all there. I’m considered a radical, that my wines are unstable, if you buy them they’ll blow up, all that is just a lack of basic education.
See the full article.
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