Sustainable, Organic & Biodynamic Wines

Wine is as old as civilization itself, with some of the earliest evidence of winemaking equipment and residues dating back nearly seven thousand years. Sometime after that but certainly at least 4,000 years ago, people were cultivating grapes specifically for wine production, laying out the first vineyards. With monoculture though, come pests that can spread rapidly from one vine to the next, particularly fungi and insects. For thousands of years, theses pests had evolved alongside the vines and were simply accepted as natural hazards of viticulture, as everpresent and accepted as the weather.

With the globalization of communications and trade, the host-pest relationship changed. New pests crossed the oceans infecting man, beast and a wide variety of crops. From smallpox to chestnut blight, the world has seen over four centuries of unintended consequences.

In the late 19th Century, Professor Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet of the University of Bordeaux was seeking a cure for downy and powdery mildews, both of which had recently been accidentally imported from America along with the terrible phylloxera vasatrix vine louse. He noticed that mildew was absent from the vines nearer to the roads, where they had been sprayed with a mixture of copper sulfate and slaked lime. This mixture became known as Bordeaux Mixture, the worlds first chemical vineyard treatment. Ironically the reason the roadside vines were sprayed in the first place was to make the grapes taste terrible so that passers-by would stop grazing on the grapes!

The 20th century saw the industrialization of viticulture, along with the explosive growth of the agri-chemical industry. Synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides to eliminate weeds, and pesticides were all widely adopted as “wonder chemicals” that increased yields and eliminated all manner of pests…

…along with sterilizing the soil, killing off virtually all beneficial insects, poisoning the water, and most recently causing mass collapse of bee colonies, without which much of the world’s food supply will simply vanish. Many of these chemicals persist and enter the human food chain where they can cause a wide range of health issues including heavy metal poisoning, thyroid disease and cancer.

What to do? Produce wines the old-fashioned way; the way all wine was produced until some 150 years ago, that is to say, make “organic wine.” The meaning of this term and its many near relatives varies with context, but in essence, we. believe that the right way to make wine, the best way to make the best wines, is to work as cleanly as possible, minimizing or eliminating the use of agrichemicals. Our collection of growers believe the same, and most work as close to naturally as possible. Here are a selection of our producers, most devoted to organic principles:

Carol Shelton (california)

Carol, the doyenne of California Zinfandel, makes her flaghip “Wild Thing” zin and her Rose of Carignane off the same organic vineyard up in Mendocino. Both are superb wines, rich and complex with intense fruit and great length. Carol also makes a range of other wines from around California, several of which are certified organic. For more info…

Aguijon de Abeja (Argentina)

Spanish for “bee sting,” these wines from the famed Durigutti brothers of Argentina are their fully organic line. Each varietal comes from a different region; the Bonarda from Catamarca, the Cab Sauvignon from Salta, the Cabernet Franc from San Juln, and the Malbec from Petegonia. All are terrific. For more info…

Lovely Chenins from some of Savennieres’ finest vineyards, and an amazing Anjou Cabernet Franc! For more info...

Working with Chardonnay and smaller amounts of Pinot Nor (but no Meunier0, this coop producer crafts some of the finest Champagnes in the Sezanne, from their superb Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut to their Autolyse which spends a whopping 15 years sur lie before disgorging! For more info…

Nestled in the mountains of the remote district of Bierzo on the northern border of Portugal, the vineyards are guarded by the Castro Ventosa- the Fortress of the Four Winds built by the Romans to protect their gold mines in the region. The winery was founded in 1752 by the Perez family, who continue to farm the land organically as they have always done. Their Bierzo range, made from the indigenous Mencia grape are the standards by which this region is judged. For more info…

Generation 26 of his family to produce wines from the family vinyeards in Kremstal, Moser speializes in Gruner Veltliner for white wines, and Zweigelt for red and rose. We carry oa range of his wines, from the value-priced “Green Eyes” Gruner up to amazing single-vineyards Rieslings and Gruners. His sparkling Zweigelt Rose is not to be missed. all Moser wines are fully organic, as they have been for hundreds of years. For more info…

Michael Cooper, orignally a California boy, fell in love with his (now) wife, her homelan of Campo de Borja, and the amazing ancient vineyards filled with Garnacha varieties that dominate the region. Having now relocated to Spain, his focus is on the indigenous Grenache vines, expressing the full potential of these dry-farmed, organically grown vines. For more info…

The family that owns this estate on the north side of Sicily arrived here 1000 years ago, with the Norman Invasion (of Sicily- they got around!). As stewards of the land, they’ve always worked it organically, and continue to do so today. Superb sines from both indigenouss varieties (Perricone, Grillo, etc) and internationals (Syrah, Cabernet). For more info