Organic Vineyards Have Appeal in California

Organic Vineyards Have Appeal in California

Wine Tributaries
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

Americans, and more specifically Californians, have been regarded as health fanatics by most of our European counterparts. However, when it comes to producing organically grown grapes and wines we are the current leaders in the field. The French are obsessed with their "terroirs" (soil) and have been pursuing a course to outlaw the use of synthetic chemical products in farming. These products still are being analyzed to discover their full extent of degradation and contamination to the soil. The quality of the soil has a direct impact on the quality of the grapes a grower grows. Many of the subtle characters in a wine such as berries, spice, vegetative or earthy characters are extracted from the earth in which the vine is planted. Herbicides and pesticides are at the root of the harm for organic farmers who ban their use in organic farming.

The department of food and agriculture released last month its "preliminary organic materials list" which identifies what may and may not be used for the production of organic crops (not just grapes) in California. It is a 12 page list from A to Z of what is allowed, prohibited or restricted and far too lengthy to get into, but it points out that there are many natural applications available to today's farmer. In order to be a certified organic vineyard, compliance to certain standards must be upheld. The most important, not to mention difficult of which, is to provide documentation that chemical pesticides and herbicides were not used in the vineyards for a period of three years. Use of natural fertilizers and the development of a natural ecosystem for pest control are also part of the process.

The increase of public awareness has not gone unnoticed by the farming community. California's certified Organic Farmers have seen a steady increase in their membership in the last ten years. Organic grapes and the process of not adding any extra chemicals has been around for a long time and has recently become more and more a sought after commodity by the new breed of wine connoisseurs. There are a limited number of vintners employing these methods, but here are the names of a few in California: Chance Creek Vineyard, Vigil Vineyard, Fetzer Bonterra Wines, Frey Vineyard, Frogs Leap and Hidden Cellars.

There is a misconception that many people believe about organic wines being free of any sulfites. Sulfites occur naturally in wine and therefore are present in organic wine to some extent. It is the addition of sulfites to wine for the purpose of stability and shelf life that many organic enophiles question the need for. Sulfites are a problem in wine for those people who are allergic to them or if they happen to be asthmatic, but for the majority of the consumers out there it is harmless.

The question remains, if organic farming and organic winemaking are so much better for our environment and our health, why is it not more widely practiced throughout the industry? Is it that the organic process requires more time and effort for the grower? Perhaps one consideration is the length of time it takes to convert to be certified as an organic vineyard. In general, the tonnages are much lower and create the need for higher prices for the grapes to offset the yields. Additionally, the wines tend to be unstable and short-lived. Prices are higher for organic wines than commercially produced wine and need a specialty section to market them. We do not have the answer, but besides being labor intensive, they are a viable alternative to conventionally produced wines and you should give them a try yourself.

Ultimately, each consumer must make choices about how he or she wants a final wine to be in taste, but each consumer must decide how much tolerance he or she has for the use of chemicals. Yet, another consideration is that chemicals do not necessarily equate to detrimental effects on the environment or on the wine. We suggest a taste test using one of the organically produced wines against wines of similar varietal, vintage and appellation.

(For a copy of the Dept of Food and Agriculture Preliminary Organic Materials List, send a self-addressed envelope and $1.00 for postage to: Wine Tributaries, PO. Box 432, Healdsburg CA 95448)

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