Thanks to Alice Feiring for finding it.

I spend most of the day with Paul Chartrand, a Maine importer of wines made from organic grapes. Paul, his northeastern distributor “Sam” and I made the rounds tasting plenty of wines and talking to current suppliers and tasting wines Paul may wish to carry in the future.

I was hoping to interview a couple of more people yesterday but I found the experience of tasting with a veteran wine buyer too valuable to pass up.

We started our morning with a lengthy session (maybe 30-45 minutes, for this show a long time) with Perlage of Soligo, Italy. Perlage is one of, if not, the leading organic producer in Italy. Perlage is located in Prosecco, Italy’s northeast region opposite Piedmont.

We tasted through several wonderful Prosecco sparkling wines all made from organic grapes. Though not a huge fan of sparkling wines, I’ve always found Prosecco among the most enjoyable. These were outstanding examples.

We chatted with family estate General Manager Ivo Nardi and his sales manager Marcella Callegari. Ivo speaks limited English so we conducted a short interview with Marcella acting as interpreter.

I learned a lot from Paul as he charted wine prices using a spread sheet to add shipping costs, his margin, and what he could sell the wines per case to U.S. distributors. Paul works in a certain price point. He takes the organic wine world seriously having been involved in food and wine issues since his college days.

And, you do get every winemakers full attention as a U.S. wine journalist. But when you have a U.S. wine importer along, that doesn’t hurt either.

I should note for readers close to my home in Indiana, that Perlage is available in Indiana and many surrounding states. Friend Derek Gray of GrayBull Wines is Paul’s Indiana distributor.

The Rest of the Day …

Yesterday was the final day of Millesime Bio, the organic wine trade show, here and what a full day!

I spend most of the day with Paul Chartrand, a Maine importer of wines made from organic grapes. Paul, his northeastern distributor “Sam” and I made the rounds tasting plenty of wines and talking to current suppliers and tasting wines Paul may wish to carry in the future.

I was hoping to interview a couple of more people yesterday but I found the experience of tasting with a veteran wine buyer too valuable to pass up.

We started our morning with a lengthy session (maybe 30-45 minutes, for this show a long time) with Perlage of Soligo, Italy. Perlage is one of, if not, the leading organic producer in Italy. Perlage is located in Prosecco, Italy’s northeast region opposite Piedmont.

We tasted through several wonderful Prosecco sparkling wines all made from organic grapes. Though not a huge fan of sparkling wines, I’ve always found Prosecco among the most enjoyable. These were outstanding examples.

We chatted with family estate General Manager Ivo Nardi and his sales manager Marcella Callegari. Ivo speaks limited English so we conducted a short interview with Marcella acting as interpreter.

I learned a lot from Paul as he charted wine prices using a spread sheet to add shipping costs, his margin, and what he could sell the wines per case to U.S. distributors. Paul works in a certain price point. He takes the organic wine world seriously having been involved in food and wine issues since his college days.

And, you do get every winemakers full attention as a U.S. wine journalist. But when you have a U.S. wine importer along, that doesn’t hurt either.

I should note for readers close to my home in Indiana, that Perlage is available in Indiana and many surrounding states. Friend Derek Gray of GrayBull Wines is Paul’s Indiana distributor.

The Rest of the Day …

We made many more stops throughout the day and in the afternoon Paul went into “power tasting” mode. We rushed from stand to stand but once Paul arrived at each customer’s table he gave them individual attention and took the time to appreciate their wines.

We tasted outstanding whites from the Loire region, some more Italian, and a large range of Languedoc wines. Paul even took a suggestion from me and visited a producer I liked. We were rushing up until 5 p.m. when it was time to catch our buses back into the city.

Thursday

Today may be the best day for photos and learning more about Languedoc. I’m spending the day at three wineries and talking to the current AIVB president and past president. We’re having lunch in a small village and visiting wineries and wine cellars. Friends, it just doesn’t get any better than that itinerary for a day in Southern France.

We made many more stops throughout the day and in the afternoon Paul went into “power tasting” mode. We rushed from stand to stand but once Paul arrived at each customer’s table he gave them individual attention and took the time to appreciate their wines.

We tasted outstanding whites from the Loire region, some more Italian, and a large range of Languedoc wines. Paul even took a suggestion from me and visited a producer I liked. We were rushing up until 5 p.m. when it was time to catch our buses back into the city.

Thursday

Today may be the best day for photos and learning more about Languedoc. I’m spending the day at three wineries and talking to the current AIVB president and past president. We’re having lunch in a small village and visiting wineries and wine cellars. Friends, it just doesn’t get any better than that itinerary for a day in Southern France.

There are 587 wineries from around the world participating in the 19th Millesime Bio here and there seems to be just as many stories.

Men of 70 and 80 years old with domaine and chateau names which just sound historic are plentiful. But you also see the young guns. There are a substantial number of 30-something and even 20-something year old winemakers. Some are following in their father’s footsteps while others sought out the life of vineyard work and winemaking on their own.

Cyril Bonnet is a very young winemaker with a very long history. He is the seventh generation to make wine. Most of that history is in Champagne where his father and family still live making the iconic bubbly at Chateau Bonnet-Ponson. But Cyril wanted to go out on his own and now has Chateau Bonnet in Villaudric, just northwest of Toulouse.

Bonnet is one of those 587 producers trying to make a name for himself. He grows an odd little variety most outside of Southwestern France have never heard of before. He blends Negrette with other more common varietals and even makes a 100 percent Negrette wine.

Being a young winemaker at 28 with an obscure grape means marketing is important. He also is a believer in organic practices and is fully certified.

“It’s very, very important, to be exported to the clients and be here at Millesime Bio,” Bonnet said. “If you can’t come to this type of fair it’s impossible to make contact to customers. My father told me this one is important because it’s very professional, very simple and we love it.

“Maybe 30 years ago it was possible to make it just working in your vineyard with what you sell there at the farm. But now maybe 50 percent of the work is to go to find customers and the other 50 percent is to make a good wine.”

Bonnet is serious about organics and grew up knowing nothing else. His father started organic practices in Champagne in 1979. “My father is very sensitive to all ecology and puts more of an emphasis on being all organic. I agree with this position, but I don’t like the extreme side when it goes toward biodynamic.”

The wines were interesting. I liked the Negrette grape and it definitely has a different flavor profile. The wine was light on the palate and it made for very drinkable red table wine. Bonnet is producing about 2,200 cases of wine each year.

I was able to do 6 interviews and get a lot done today for future blogs, Palate Press, and the newspaper column. I am getting together with U.S. importer of organic wines Paul Chartrand, who works out of Maine, to taste our way through more wineries Wednesday.

*Antica Enotria *- Luigi Di Tuccio was handing the pouring, sales, and marketing chores mid afternoon at his family winery’s table. He could also be described as a young guy. He was worked every aspect of the business with his father. His father was one of first in Italy’s Puglia to make the move to organics and became a leader in the region.

The winery has some great varietals that aren’t household names – Nero di Troia, Aglianico and white wine grape Falanghina. His wines are available on both coasts. The family makes approximately 8,000 cases annually.

Other stops …

Romain Bouchard – Two young brothers with no real family history in the wine business decided to buy a winery that had gone out of business in the Chablis region. They are now making two Chablis and have found some success with wines being exported to New York.

Chateau de Fosse Seche – This fun young couple are making wines in trhe Loire Valley’s famed Samur region. I tasted their Samur Chenin Blanc and found it not as light as others I’d enjoyed but sure tasty. They also had a very nice Cabernet Franc.

Sitios De Bodega – This started out as a case of mistaken identy. I was looking for a winery I would find later then the language barrier with a Spanish woman and my confusion gave us a laugh. I ended up tasting and liking her first vintage of Verdejo which I liked very much. Export manager Alejandra Sanz was a good sport, with pretty good English, in telling me about the new effort.

Domaine de Picheral – Boxed wine in France seems a pretty ridiculous opposites attract kind of thing. But I’ve seen lots of boxed wines at the fair. I approach with my typical Tew Parl Ongleah? “Do you speak English?” to get two shaing heads and plenty of laughs for the three of us. What the heck, we used hand signals and pointing – a universal language – to taste a pretty darn good Rose, and a rather forgettable red. It was fun.

Ploder-Rosenberg – Austrian winemaker Freddy Ploder was the most congenial host of the day. The short, stout man was an enthusiastic wine tour guide through is tasting. Sharing just the right amount of wine geek talk, history, and good humor. I liked the entire line. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc … with several of he wines done in different winemaking styles.

Looking for a salsa bowl made out of a Patron bottle? Bottle Crafters is a new site that sells unique glassware made from recycled products. Check them out at bottlecrafters.com.

Date: Friday & Saturday, March 9-10, 2012
Time: 1:00–7:00 pm
Place: Marriott Grand Ballroom – Convention Way – Anaheim, CA

Mountain Peoples Wine & Beer Distribution is one of the leading organic wine and beer distributors in the industry. Our goal is to provide our clients with the highest quality and largest selection of organic wines and beers available. Our mission is to promote and champion a more sustainable wine and beer industry through organically produced wines and beers. We carry USDA Organic Wines and Beers, Wines Made with Organically Grown Grapes and Demeter Certified Biodynamic Wines. Our products are distributed and available to a wide variety of consumers via supermarket chains, natural food stores, cooperatives, specialty wine shops and on-premise locations, and we are continually striving to broaden our reach. We currently distribute in California and Oregon.

We are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with New Hope 360 and Natural Products Expo West to bring you the 2012 Beer, Wine & Spirits Marketplace in Anaheim, CA in March. This year’s new format is a two-day event that allows ample time for quality tasting and education. This is a wonderful opportunity for all Retail Buyers, Wholesalers and Distributors to come together to meet the brewmasters and the winemakers, discover new products and place orders on site. Most importantly, there will be show specials and promotional offers available throughout the event.

Several of our wine and beer vendors will be there to speak to the benefits of organic wine and beer as well as pour samples of their products.

• South American Wine Importers
• CalNaturale
• Casa Barranca Winery
• Frey Winery
• Honeyrun Winery
• LaRocca Vineyards
• Natural Merchants
• New Planet Beer
• Chacewater
• Lammsbräu
• Girasole Vineyards

The best part is that admission is free for all retailers with registration completed on or before February 3rd online at: https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/ar?evt_uid=380.

Please call the Mountain Peoples Wine Dist. office for assistance with registration, if necessary. We can be reached at (530) 265-0300.

More Information about the expo can be found online at:

http://www.mpwwine.com/Events/

http://www.expowest.com/ew12/Public/Content.aspx?ID=1017177.

I visit arguably the most important wine country in the world and two of the three best wines I tasted today were Italian. What are the odds?

The three-day Millesime Bio opened today with thousands of buyers, importers, more than 100 press people and nearly 600 wineries presenting wine. The 19th annual gather here on the Mediterranean coast has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

Part of my day was taken up by a couple of interviews, technical problems, and getting my laptop somewhat functional. I still managed to stop by 8-10 different winery booths. Picking up printed brochures, taking notes and photos is just one of the ways to remember details.

My first stop was at the table of Casina Di Corina of Tuscany’s Italy region. The winery and family estate is located near the south central city of Siena. I spent a good bit of time with Julien Luginbuhl who just returned to his family wine-making business.

Julien’s father bought the property in 1979 and immediately began organic farming practices in the vineyards. “It was just his way of thinking then and it’s still the same now,” Luginbuhl said. “It’s my way of thinking.”

That wasn’t always the case because Luginbuhl initially decided he would make his name in different forms of agricultures and went off to university. But just this year he returned to the family land is now living in one of the guest houses and working the family winery.

He worries though that the family’s small property won’t be big enough as his older brother and he slowly take over the business. The winery currently produces a modest 2000-3000 cases a year. Julien is thinking the brothers might have to look at buy more hectres for grape production.

The two wines I tasted were his Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico, both from 100 percent Sangiovese. Beautiful cherry fruit and understated acidity made these as good as any $10-$20 Chianti I’ve tasted. No regular wine drinker could pick them out as “organic” or anything else.

And that’s really the point of this gathering. The organic farming practices are very important to these world leaders in the organic grape growing business. But the first thing they have to do with each vintage is make great wine. No one will listen to anything about organics, not to mention buying a bottle, if it doesn’t taste good.

These Chianti wines were great examples of good Italian wines.

Nice Wines from Italy’s Piedmont.

The other stop at an Italian table was with gentleman winemaker Alessandro Uslenghi of Nouva Cappelletta. I’ve tasted more good to great Chardonnay this trip than I ever expected. Cappelletta’s Chard was light but rich in Chardonnay flavor, mild acidity, some nice pear on the nose. I also enjoyed his Cortese, three Barberra wines (one without sulfites) and a wonderful Rose.

Nebbiolo is many wine drinkers favorite grape and certainly one of mine. Monday I tasted my first Nebbiolo Rose’ and it was fabulous. It was my “suprise” pick of the day. It had wonderful structure and acidity and intense fruit on the nose.

Allessandro’s single vineyard Barbera, Minola, was just great wine. I’ve never drank a lot of Barberra but this one could change that habit.

Other stops …

Domaine Virgile Joly – Every region has its up-and-coming star, even if not everyone agrees on who that might be. Virgile Joly s certainly one of those rising stars (if not already established as a leading winemaker) in the Languedoc.

He joined us for inner on Saturdayt night and I tasted through his wines Monday. He has a new Grenache Blanc that’s wonderfully interesting and light white wine. I plan to sit down with Virgile today or tomorrow for an interview.

Domaine des Cedres – This Cotes du Rhone winery has solid Cotes offerings. Frankly, nothing spectacular but very solid representation of the region.

O’Vineyards - Here is a great story I’ll be writing in in more detail in near future. Ryan O’Connell and parents moved from Florida to Southern France in 2004 and opened a winery. Beside the unusual migration, Ryan is setting new standards for social media and exploring ideas of wine tourism that are fresh for the area. His blog “Love That Languedoc” is a big hit.

Best Wine of the Day – But the very best thing I tasted all day was a traditional Languedoc blend from Carle and Courty and wine maker Frederick Carle. His Cuvee Marion (his daughter) was rich, nice acid, great balance, and lingering finish red wine. It’s a blend of 70 percent Syrah, Carignan, and Mouvredre. It won a gold medal at this year’s Millesime Bio competition.

Odd and ends …

I certainly did taste more wines …. and more wineries. Those were some of the highlights. I’m hoping to catch up with importer Paul Chartrand today. Tomorrow he’ll show me around to some of his favorite winery tables.

Cutting to the chase, you may or may not realize this, but we, the certified organic wine makers of old, are currently caught between the “N.S.A.” (No Sulfite Added) winemakers and the “sustainable” winemakers, which sit all the way on the other side of that pendulum, obeying no third party verified standards that I’m aware of. To simplify, on one hand we have the nothing-goes crowd and on the other we have the anything-goes crowd. It’s sort of like being caught between the Baptist Church and the Flower Children- you know what I mean, no insult meant to either of these groups.
 
I like to think of myself and my company as someone who tries to follow the Golden Rule, I do my homework and I weigh my decisions carefully for collateral benefits and damages. The golden path is precisely where the wines that we have chosen to import since 1980 and the movement that we have pioneered lies: right in the middle on that Golden Path. This is not a matter of political or financial convenience, but a matter of deliberate conscious choice. Currently however, our style of organic wines manages the extraordinary feat to be at once “not pure” enough (by NSA standards) to deserve to be called organic and get the USDA Seal of approval and “too pure” by sustainable standards. This is a pretty remarkable accomplishment.
 
To add or not to add sulfites into a wine that’s then called “organic” is indeed the question. Commercial and noncommercial entities have taken positions on this (non) issue, largely based on misinformation not facts. Based on the results, it is hard to feel respect for these entities. Indeed, after five decades of dedicated organic farming and of obeying the rules, we, makers of wine made with third party certified organic grapes, we are being squeezed out of the game. On very arguable grounds our wines are only allowed the lesser label ” made with organic grapes.” We the elders, are being treated like useless, aging parents. We are the have-beens of the movement while never really having “been” in the first place! It is quite a tour de force, as we say in French, I didn’t realize that something or someone could be at once ignored, opposed and diluted… I thought that this happened sequentially to trailblazers…. But no, I found out that this can also happen simultaneously, it sure has with us.
 
I find this situation offensive, harmful to everyone and disrespectful to the pillars of organic viticulture, the mensches on whose shoulders we now all stand, incredibly courageous people who, as far back as 1965, decided to convert their small 20 acre family property to organic farming practices. Keep in mind that at that time, going organic wasn’t sexy, cool or lucrative. To the contrary, it was very risky: financially, socially and otherwise. These guys are real pioneers, the unsung heroes of our industry and they are currently being disregarded and disrespected by the labeling practices and by the new crowd which includes the Holier-Than-Thous, corporate hypocrites, well meaning but misinformed bureaucrats and nuevo-greens…. that evident disrespect is annoying and plain wrong. Honor Thy Parents, It says, and there are many good reasons for that. One of them being that it’s hard to honor yourself, if you do not honor where you come from.
 
Rather than merely expecting divine justice, I decided to take matters into my own hands and went searching for writers who would be interested in exploring the truth behind the hype, the sulfite hysteria and all manners of myth alive and well in our industry. “The Truth shall make us free.”

Stay tuned! I ended up connecting with a substantial number of wine journalists and I feel incredibly rewarded by their support and interest in our story.

The press trip for the Millesime Bio got underway tonight with a dinner at Plaisirs des Mets in the old part of downtown Montpellier.

We had three winemakers join us for dinner and pour their wines. I’m not sure if the dinner was typical French cuisine but the group found it interesting. The group is just as interesting. We have a five Danish journalists, several from Germany, one from Finland, and a British wine writer who splits time between London and the Loire Valley.

Dinner was every bit as interesting as the wines. We started with what most of us thought was some deviled crab in crispy shells – much like an egg roll. It was on some greens with a bit of sauce.Our choice of entree was simple fish or veal. I opted for the fish and it was great. The skin was crispy the white fish was really delicious and the bones were pretty easy to deal with. I didn’t eat the head – just couldn’t to it.

The dessert was off the charts. There were two rolled, crispy pastry shells filled with a chocolate grenache. One was a bit more bold than the other.

There was also a nice small foam and an uber-sweet, homemade vanilla ice cream. Some had coffeee and some did not after dessert. We all had more wine.

The wines were uneven, all organic, but for the most part very nice.

Joining us for dinner was Jean Paul Cabanis of Domaine Cabanis, who sat across form me. Marie Teisserenc of Chateau Du Luc and Virgile Joly of the winer that bears his name. Again, all are producing wines from organically grown grapes.

These are truly small producers. Cabanais, as example, makes about 8000 cases of wine annually. His Mouvredre-based wine was the best of the night for me and a couple of others. It comes from south of Nimes and the southern most appellation in the Rhone Valley. He does all the aging in cement. The wine had a delightful nose, a bit of tartness on the finish and beautiful balance.

I had Jean Paul’s wine with my fish and it was awesome. The Mouvredre blend also won a silver medal at this year’s Millesime Bio.

Jean Paul got the evening started with perhaps the most unique offering. He poured his white claret wine, a grape almost always used for red wines. It had a nice tartness to go along with a unqiue nose and finish. He sells alot of this wine to Japanese buyers to pair with Sushi.

Joly had the best white of the night for my taste. His wines were the most consistent of the night as well. His new Grenache Blanc was light and refreshing. It had light citrus and beautiful blance.

Teisserenc’s wines had prominent oak and in a couple of instances too much oak. But her ’09 Vigonier was certainly different than many you’ll find. It’s fermented and aged in oak and comes out an unusually dark yellow for this grape. It’s also an unusually high 15 percent alcohol.

Her best wine was a 2010 Chateau Coulon from Corbiers that was light with a blend of Carignon, Syrah, and Grenache. The grapes are all hand picked and handled in a manner her father started years ago.

Ok, so these producers won’t be easy to find. But it makes a point I’ve made over and over again. Seek out smaller producers and you often find outstanding wines. The wines we tasted Saturday night didn’t have any of the negative characteristics sometimes associated with organic wines – thin on the palate. Some were certainly better than others. But if I poured most wine drinkers the best of what we had tonight they would never haven known whether they were organic or not.

The Well Daily, a site that aims to be “your ultimate guide for creating health and happiness,” has listed Organic Wine Journal as one of their favorite sites. Be sure to check them out as well.