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Snooth: The 10 Most Common Wine Questions
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History shows that ALL of the great wines of the world for the last 600 years have been made with added SO2. The Dutch figured this out long ago. Not only do sulfites protect the wine, but more importantly, they bind aldehydes, which taste nutty - like tawny port. Without sulfites, all red wine will taste like tawny port in a hurry. It is a matter of taste and quality.
Plus the idea that sulfites are an added chemical drives me crazy. sulfites (SO2) occur when one burns Sulfur. Dig up a rock, set it on fire, let the wine have contact with it, and now it is unnatural? This is like saying that melting sand to make glass and letting the wine contact the bottle is unnatural. ????
But drinking wine is about pleasure first, about conviviality, about the art of conversation, about atmosphere, about opening the senses - Making wine is about the Land, the ancestral traditions, about intuition, intention, a sense of alchemy.
And yes, everybody is different, some wines on one side of the world are well tolerated by some of us, while most wines from the other side are not. This is a matter of fact, not a debatable opinion. It just is happening this way for many. And regarding the quality of the added products used in wine making, sorry, but the Europeans still lead the way. This innate sense of quality when it comes to food and wine is anchored in the Europeans genes since centuries. It is like a sixth sense.
It is interesting to read how uptight and righteous so many people are on this post - relax and have a good glass of wine!
excellent wines. Mendocino also has farmer's markets every week where one can get fresh, organic fruits & vegetables and other things at reasonable prices for "organic".
No, I am not with the chamber of commerce. I grow most of my own organic veggies. Shop and buy locally.
http://www.freywine.com/no-sulfites-added.html
Some naturally occurring in everything, but no synthetic added
signed by a wine guru- gs---------------
But, still has 'sulfites" I've given up on "organic" produce because it's 5x more expensive than regular.
I now drink "boxed wines" (never thought I'd do it) "Black Box" is good and Monthhaven too.
They're cheap, about $20. for 4 box that holds 4 btls.
Get this: Kendal Jackson Chard in Maui Hawaii sells for $10.99 on Sale at Safeway. In Nashville, it's $19.99 and you cannot buy wine in groceries. But, you can carry a gun into a tonky-tonk!
I live pretty much in the heart of California's wine country and I have to say, organic wine just isnt there yet. Its drinkable and there are some bordering on very good but these are all priced out of their value and age poorly. The majority of the land and the best blocks in the best vineyards in the best appellations are not organic/going to organic wineries and with the money they are getting for the grapes that isnt likely to change. The whole dynamic of elite wines is creating ones that show amazing characteristics but also age extraordinarily well. You cant lay down a case of an organic cab and pull a bottle a year to see how it develops.
The last organic winery I tasted at the people were friendly, they were only pouring 7 wines. I struck up a conversation and I had an equal number of their library wines. They missed a lot more than they hit, some of their wines barely showed any of the characteristics of the style. Even the hits were 15-20 more than they should have been (taking into account the markup you pay in a tasting room). I'm not going to pay 40 dollars for a 20 dollar bottle of wine, especially when I can ride my bicycle to a local winery and actually get a 40$ bottle or 2 20$ bottles for 40 bucks.
Vieux Telegraphe
Retief Shiraz
Haut Garrigue
Zind Humbrect
Sanford Pinot Noir
Serge Faust
Sokol Blosser
Eugene Mayer
I could go on, there are many wineries across the globe producing organic or biodynamic world class wines, some are new visionary mavens but many have vinified in this manner for nearly centuries.
I do agree there's a veritable sea of bland insipid organic juice on the market, especially from California.
However there is excellent organic vino available, ranging from cost prohibitive to shockingly reasonable.
Vieux Telegraphe -- organically grown grapes but not organic wine
Retief Shiraz – not organic wine (they use sulfur), biodynamic
Haut Garrigue -- organically grown grapes but not organic wine
Zind Humbrect -- organically grown grapes but not organic wine
Sanford Pinot Noir – no, but Richard Sanford/Alma Rosa does make organic wines
Serge Faust -- organically grown grapes but not organic wine
Sokol Blosser -- organically grown grapes but not organic wine
Eugene Mayer -- -- organically grown grapes but not organic wine
"Tree-hugger" is a disparaging name for those who give a she it about the fate of the planet. If you want to write clever copy, that's great. But the first step is to use your brain, instead of spouting foolish chatter like this.
Also, Brooklyn, NY, is populated by 2.5 million people of all races and religions, and every imaginable economic status. What sort of half-baked generalization are you trying to make about them?