Organically Intoxicating (5)

Vineyard

Wine country is where I go when I need to escape the fast paced insanity of big-city life. Vineyards, as far as the eye can see, peppered with shabby chic, and some simply chic, homes, is a landscape that, for me, embodies serenity. The smells of gravid grapes, damp dirt roads and budding blossoms suffuse the fresh dewy air. Though only an hour or so out of the city, I feel as though I have entered Eden.

Grape Sorting

While the environment, as a whole, is positively pacifying, some of the individual wineries are contributing to an upsetting accusation. According to a recently released report, wine and table grapes are charged with expending more agricultural chemicals (nearly 60 million pounds per year) than any other crop in California. Suddenly my lovely landscape seems shaded and gray, as its halo begins to melt away. Thankfully, not all wineries are created equal, as several vineyards are taking a stand against the polluting of this fertile soil, and going green- organic, that is. Many wine makers believe that their wine is defined by their terroir. Decidedly against their wine being infiltrated by chemically infused terroir, they have turned to harvesting organically and biodynamically grown grapes, nourished by the richness and life force of the soil and its incredibly complex microbial world.

Bottle of Organic Wine

Some wine enthusiasts are tainted by the misconception that organic or biodynamic wine means compromised taste, appearance and cost. But, in fact, the opposite is true. According to John Williams, Frog’s Leap winemaker, “I believe that growing a healthy vine organically is much like taking care of your personal health. Experience has taught me that having a balanced and nutritious diet, getting regular exercise and burning the candle at one end instead of two, contributes to good personal health in a way that modern medicine could not even begin to duplicate. The same holds true with the grapevine. Organic growers say ‘a healthy soil produces a healthy vine’ that resists disease and pests. By returning cover crops and compost to the soil, the soil remains alive. Dripping fertilizer and water to your vines is like feeding your kids coke and candy bars- the initial energy response may be impressive, but the long-term results are less than encouraging.”

Vineyard

What is Biodynamic?
Valeria Huneeus, a yogini and Quintessa vineyard master, decided to go biodynamic because, “It is basically the old world way of farming. You are taking information from the cosmos as to when to plant and when to cultivate. Plants are very aware of the energy that surrounds them, while we have lost touch with it. I traveled to Europe, because a lot of the vineyards are biodynamic. It is also part of natural farming in India. They have never lost touch. But in the United States, you might add a chemical and stop a pest, but we don’t see the long-term consequences of that. We are inadvertently creating an equilibrium that is completely out of balance. Napa turned into a monoculture with pretty much only vineyards. Biodynamic helps to introduce diversity. It is a more wholesome way of farming.”

Just something to think about next time you toast “to health” over a glass of wine…

It seems as though organic could be the wine industry’s clean little secret. From small cult favorites like Quintessa, to huge wine conglomerates like Fetzer, it seems like most of our favorite wineries are growing grapes organically, and may have never even known it. Below are a few of the best that you may recognize… or not (but should).