The Organic And Biodynamic Issue
Me, cycling through the Ontario wine region of Prince Edward County on a recent trip with my man.
Dear Subscribers, the moon in Gemini which manifests itself by the need for changes and spontaneity. This is the O&B Issue baby!
While many of us are familiar with and may purchase organic and biodynamic agricultural products like rice, flour, eggs, and poultry, we may still be left wondering what exactly these terms mean when we see them on our wine labels.
We must first understand that viticulture (the cultivation and harvesting of grapes for wine) is farming. Therefore producing organic grapes for wine is a form of organic farming. Regulators for the certification of organic products apply the same qualifying criteria to wines seeking this certification as they would all other agricultural products.
Certified organic wine cannot be made using pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizer. Organic wines must also be non-GMO. This means that they would rely strictly on ambient yeast (that which is found naturally in the air) rather than adding a GMO yeast strain to kick-start the process of fermentation.
Organic certification is a prerequisite to pursuing biodynamic certification which means necessarily that biodynamic wine is also produced without the use of chemicals and GMOs. Here's where it diverges from organic: biodynamic agriculture takes the view that animals, plants and even the solar system are interrelated systems that, when present on a farm ultimately impact the vitality of the soil. Whereas traditional farming practices typically deplete a soil's nutrient content biodynamic principals aim to enliven the soil through the application of homeopathic (mineral and herb-based) solutions that also act as pest-repellants. Astrological elements are also incorporated. The founder of biodynamics, Rudolph Steiner, believed that the phases of the moon have an effect on growing, planting and harvesting, much like how the moon affects the tides.
For this reason, complex stellar calendars were created for biodynamic farmers to follow. These calendars chart the cosmic movements that might influence the crop.
To be sure your wine is certified organic, look - literally - for a stamp of approval from a certifying body. This will be accompanied by a written statement such as "Organic Wine/Vin Biologique" most often on the back label.
Be wary of terms like 'made with organic grapes' which means only that a minimum of 70% of the grapes used were farmed organically. While these are all great practices, "sustainable", "sustainably farmed" and "eco-friendly" wines do not on their own qualify as organic.
Southbrook Vineyards was Canada's first biodynamic winery. Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake they are owned and operated by Marilyn and Bill Redelmeier, a husband and wife team nicknamed the "biodynamic duo". Lead winemaker, Ann Sperling, is a highly-awarded winegrower and was an early champion of the movement toward organic and biodynamic viticulture in Canada.
This is their 2016 Organic Triomphe Chardonnay certified by Pro-Cert. For those of you who say/think you don't like Chardonnay because of its overwhelming oak, this Chard is for you. It's so subtle. It's what people who spend too much time judging wine call 'elegant'. Its fruit is also quite muted, sophisticated. I get lemon and Bosc pear, stewed yellow apple and a hint of cinnamon spice. The Chardonnay grape is known for its neutrality of flavour and aroma. That's why winemaking technique (oak aging, amount of skin contact, etc.) have such an influence on the finished wine. This wine's oak influence manifests in soft notes of brioche and just a faint touch of vanilla.
Imagine this: it's a cool, Autumn Tuesday night and you're opening this bottle alongside a heaping plate of grilled chicken fettucini alfredo with fresh parsley and parmesan. Magic, or what? I should also note here that this wine is vegan, meaning it is not filtered using egg white (yes, that's a thing) so, if you're vegan, NONA makes some great pasta sauces that would make a terrific substitute to a traditional alfredo.
Psst: I have an exciting Okanagan Chardonnay and Ancient Vines Mendozan Malbec in the forthcoming Nouveau and Splurge issues of SWP. Both of these wines were also produced by winemaker Ann Sperling. She's a very knowledgeable, detailed, experienced winegrower that I have had the absolute pleasure of corresponding with while lining up these wines for review. I am very excited to share them with you so please, stay tuned!
The 2016 Momo Organic Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand is certified by BioGro.
I always get excited when I see anything other than Sauvignon Blanc in the NZ section at the LCBO. That doesn't mean it's not good stuff. I just get tired of it. But, I'd be remiss not share that Momo does, in fact, produce and organic Sauv. Blanc and it is also currently available in Ontario.
This wine gives up its fresh, dark fruit aromas and flavors first. You'll note blackberry, acai, black currant, black plum, and blueberry jelly. I also got a lot of new leather on the nose accompanied by tobacco and cherry cola aromas one would typically associate with the employ of American oak barrels in the production process.
Pinot Noir is typically described as earthy. This earthiness comes in varying degrees via a variety of aromas and flavours that range from earth, (meaning dirt, soil) to manure (nope, not kidding) to wet leaves, mushroom, and vegetation. In this particular PN I would describe the earthiness as medium in intensity with aromas of freshly turned earth and wet Autumn leaves. Does that make sense? If not, pick up this bottle and look for those notes. I promise, its entirely pleasant! And, for $19.95 not too big of a risk if you disagree with me.
Food pairing? Well, this wine has some good structural alcohol, 13.5%. For that reason, grilled lamb chops with salsa verde with a side of mashed potatoes and sautéed button mushrooms would do quite nicely.
Bonterra Winery was a pioneer of organic winegrowing in Mendocino County and went on to become California's number one selling organic wine brand. Their mission statement is as follows:
To provide the purest wine of the highest quality, honoring our respectful collaboration with the land.
I don't know about you but that really warms my heart. In fact, in all the research and of course, tasting I've done for this issue, I can't help but hope that the number of wineries who make the transition to organic and biodynamic viticulture continues to grow. These transitions are not without their challenges and are indeed very costly. That said, with the consequences of climate change looming ever nearer I can't help but wonder what really is the higher price to pay.
I digress.
The 2017 Bonterra Viognier [VEE-on-yay] is just one of many organic, varietal wines currently available at the LCBO from this producer. It's certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers or CCOF. On the nose, I noted fresh ripe peach and chamomile. These aromas were matched on the palate accompanied by white pepper, lychee, and a slightly honeyed waxy note.
Overall my impression was that this wine was quite floral, fresh and a bit spicy, sort of like a Gewürztraminer. I'd pair this wine with spicy shrimp in a coconut curry sauce over rice or grilled halibut with mango salsa.
I inquired with Bonterra about the 'contains sulfites' statement on their label because I was under the impression organic wines could not contain them. Not so it turns out. A representative from the winery informed me as follows:
Small amounts of sulfites (SO2) occur naturally in the fermentation of grapes. In addition to the naturally occurring sulfites, small amounts are added as a combatant to "wild" yeast at the grape crushing stage of winemaking and again, as an antioxidant or preservative, just prior to bottling. This preserves the fresh, fruit character of the grape. Over the years, our winemakers have been able to drop the levels of sulfites to the lowest possible level without compromising the quality and shelf-life of the wine.
The USDA “Made with organically grown grapes” certification, allows a maximum of 100 ppm of sulfites in wines made with organic grapes. Typically the average total sulfites for Bonterra wines are between 70 to 90 ppm.
I'm really excited to try more wines from this producer. Look for reviews on my Instagram feed @ashley_drinking_wine
