[Randall Grahm] Is Eco-Wine better? Getting through the maze of organic wines...

[enobytes]

Randall Grahm (Bio) will kick off our topic this month: "Is Eco-Wine better? Getting through the maze of sustainable, biodynamic and organic wine, is green better when it comes to enjoying wine and what does it all mean?"

This discussion begins Monday, December 8, and will end Friday, December 12. Please register for an account to post your question.

[Andrew Glazier]

I recently toured the Mike Grgich and Grace Family vineyard and noticed the bio dynamic vines were incredibly healthy and vigorous and his neighbor who sprays and uses non organic methods seemed less vigorous. The vines were the same age and it seemed proof enough. It seems while fertilizers have N-P-K and minor nutrients covered, they don't address other things such as microorganisms, mycelium and other lower life forms whose benefits aid in plant growth.
My question is this. In this economic downturn, is there still a desire on the part of the public to support bio-dynamic farming or is cost king?

[VinRaptor]

I recently toured the Mike Grgich and Grace Family vineyard and noticed the bio dynamic vines were incredibly healthy and vigorous and his neighbor who sprays and uses non organic methods seemed less vigorous. The vines were the same age and it seemed proof enough. It seems while fertilizers have N-P-K and minor nutrients covered, they don't address other things such as microorganisms, mycelium and other lower life forms whose benefits aid in plant growth.
My question is this. In this economic downturn, is there still a desire on the part of the public to support bio-dynamic farming or is cost king?

  Howdy, Andy; welcome to the monkey house - grab a glass, have a seat, and join the fun - we're glad to have you aboard. As a longtime Oenophile, I've always phound that tough economic times have only a peripheral ephect on wine sales (I used to sell 'em myselph), since when times are tough, pholks drink to either commiserate or phorget, and when times are bountiphul, we drink to celebrate. And to Randall: Welcome, welcome! I've enjoyed your excellent releases for years, and have long believed that your choice of Ralph Steadman as resident Label Lunatic was truly inspired, as well. Be well; Carpe Vinum!

[Randall Grahm]

     Is Eco-wine better?  The question restated is: Better for what and are all eco-wines created equal? Is biodynamic more interesting than organic and if so why?   Should I be worrying about sulfites in my wine?  Should I be worried about additives?  Should I be worried about vineyard treatments?  This truly is a maze and a bit of clarification and explanation is in order.  Firstly, some explanation of the difference between organic, biodynamic and conventional farming methodology would be helpful. (We'll leave "sustainable" to fend for itself for now, but the quick explanation of "sustainable" is that it is trying one's best to be organic without significant economic onus.  Then there is the related question of how the produce is grown - what sort of farming techniques, independent of organic or conventional practice?  How does this fit into understanding the wholesomeness and desirability of the wine that is produced?

     Conventional farming is pretty self-explanatory.  It is what is normally done.  One farms using standardly accepted practice and does what one imagines is best to bring one's crop to market.  You are permitted to use pesticides and inorganic fertilizers but have to follow state-approved guidelines and there is, of course, a system for reporting and monitoring the products that are used.  The bad news is that least in European wine and presumably in American wines as well (though I can't say this with certainty), there are still very significant residues of toxic material present in our wines, which originate primarily from vineyard pesticide treatments.  It is my guess that the presence of toxic residues in American, especially California wines would be somewhat (or perhaps significantly) less than in their European counterparts, because the disease pressure in California is significantly less.  

     Organic products are produced under the imprimateur of a certifying agency, such as CCOF (this is a good thing) that is monitoring whether synthetic materials - pesticides (fungicides, miticides, insecticides, etc), fertilizers, soil amendments etc. are used in the production of our foodstuffs.  The "organic" pesticides (even organic vineyards, orchards and farms encounter pests) are far more benign than the synthetic materials and should not pose any real health risks.  A good organic farmer will also try to rely upon natural controls - insectary rows to encourage presence of beneficial insects, timing of treatments to maximize their effectiveness and so on.  It is a safe bet to say that organic products "do no harm..."  Now, here is where it gets a little tricky.  In the U.S. "organic wine" has a very special meaning and that is:  It contains no added sulfites.  This can either be a very lovely thing.  Or not.  If you don't add any sulfites to your wine, while it is possible that your wine may be quite brilliant, and indeed some of the greatest wines in the world are made with either low levels or no levels of sulfites - I think of Thierry Allemand's Cornas "Sans Souffre," which is arguably the best Syrah ever made - more likely, the scenario is that the wine without sulfites will either be oxidized (if white), and or a Major Science Fair Experiment Gone Terribly Wrong (if red).  That is to say, there will likely be elevated levels of volatile acidity and almost certainly a barnyardy, sweaty saddle-like character that arises from the rampant brettanomyces activity.  "Organic wines" have, in fact, given wines made from organic grapes a somewhat checkered reputation and some producers who use organic grapes are very discreet in their mention of that fact.  Pity.  Certainly wines made from organic grapes and even "organic wines" are likely healthier for you than conventional wines; whether they taste better is determined by many factors, not least the skill of the wine-grower and where and how the grapes are grown.

         Biodynamic farming differs from organic farming in several important aspects.  While on the surface they resemble each other - neither allows for the use of synthetic materials in the vineyard and both really focus on improving the health and diversity of the microflora of the soil, biodynamic practice takes a rather different tack.  It really insists on a much lighter touch as far as intervention in the vineyard; one would generally not be looking at making significant soil amendments.  (The only real amendment that is done on a substantial basis is the biodynamic compost and this is needed at least in part to replace the micro- and macro-nutrients that are extracted when the fruit is harvested.)  What biodynamics really strives to do is to focus on "awakening" the plant through the use of the biodynamic preparations, some of which are administered through the compost, some of which are sprayed either on to the foliage of the plant or the soil itself.  These preps might be thought of as a form of agricultural homeopathy, stimulating the plant to more efficiently perform one of its own natural processes - photosynthesis, assimilation of nutrients, water conservation, etc.  Biodynamics also really thinks about the vineyard, not so much qua vineyard, but rather as a unitary organism - really more as a farm, with a diversity of plants and the presence of farm animals, which are used to help improve the fertility and health of the soil.  (Appropriately managed livestock on fields improve basically everything on the site.) The aim with biodynamics is not so much to bring the farm to a certain minimum standard of performance, but rather to help the farmer/grower really discover its originality, its individuated aspect (yet another name for terroir.)  Biodynamics would also suggest that the earth and its inhabitants - animal and plant - interact with the cosmic bodies, and that the position of the celestial bodies has a bearing on how the plant behaves, whether one part or another - root, leaf, flower, fruit - is favored.  Going with the flow, as it were, with the celestial rhythms may be thought of in a sense as free cosmic fertilizer and the biodynamic calendar is an important tool.  

      There are certainly extremely good wines made conventionally, sustainably, organically and biodynamically.  By purchasing an organic wine (or wine made from organic grapes) or even a biodynamic wine will not assure you that the wine is great, or even good, merely that it won't make you sick.  But, I would argue that at least in the New World, organics and biodynamics are really the first step in the evolution of the consciousness of the grower, and it is likely that organic and biodynamic growers will be a lot more clever than their confreres.  As organic and biodynamic farmers, we are creating healthier soils and this has a very real effect of making the wine more wholesome.  More diverse microflora in the soil actually help the plant take up minerals (this is the magic of mycorrhizae, the fungal symbiotes that grow on root-hairs.)  But we still need to be smart farmers and that means growing grape varieties in the location appropriate to the variety, with a culture (spacing, trellising, rootstock, etc.) that is also optimal.  (Hint: if as a winemaker you are compelled to make major changes in the chemistry of your grape must, viz. adding acid, or water or indeed anything, you are probably not growing the right grapes on your site, or you just don't have a site that is ideal for grapes.)  Here's an idea:  Ideally, very ideally, even in California where it doesn't rain, even w/ the reality of global warming, you want to be able to grow your grapes without irrigation and this makes a huge difference!  (Full discosure:  At our own vineyard in Soledad, owing to the scanty annual rainfall and extremely windy conditions, we are compelled to irrigate.)  Vines grown without irrigation, or at least without drip irrigation range more fully through the soil profile, extracting more minerals.  Keeping yields down to an appropriate level is also extremely useful - overcropping delays maturity, alters the wine balance, and dilutes mineral and flavor content.  

     All in all, it is a very tricky business.  But in the end, the wines that we drink, indeed everything that we consume, should nourish us on multiple levels - physically, spiritually, aesthetically.  One really good indication that you are drinking healthy wine is that you should feel well after you consume it.  (I have a bit of an unconfirmed hypothesis regarding the wholesomeness of wine.  Apart from wanting your wine to be absent of toxic residues, you also really want it to be well stocked with minerals.  Drinking an alcoholic beverage tends to dehydrate our bodies and robs us of minerals.  But, if you drink a wine that is rich in minerals, you are consuming the poison and antidote at the same time.  Unless you are fortunate enough to have a well equipped analytic lab in the privacy of your own home, you can do a real simple test to know whether the wine you drink is reasonably rich in minerals.  It won't oxidize rapidly, that is to say, if you drink a few glasses from the bottle, put the cork (or better screwcap) back in it,  it should be good to drink for three, four days, even a week.  If the wine remaining in your bottle is DOA the following morning, chances are this is not a particularly healthy wine.

      There is so much wine out there, that as a consumer you can really afford to be very, very fussy.  Yes, well-made organic and biodynamic wines are more expensive.  But they are well worth seeking out.  The deep enjoyment and satisfaction that you can get from them is worth paying the premium.  Drink a glass or two instead of the better part of the bottle; you will be as satisfied.  I think that I've said rather enough for now....

    

[Randall Grahm]

I recently toured the Mike Grgich and Grace Family vineyard and noticed the bio dynamic vines were incredibly healthy and vigorous and his neighbor who sprays and uses non organic methods seemed less vigorous. The vines were the same age and it seemed proof enough. It seems while fertilizers have N-P-K and minor nutrients covered, they don't address other things such as microorganisms, mycelium and other lower life forms whose benefits aid in plant growth.
My question is this. In this economic downturn, is there still a desire on the part of the public to support bio-dynamic farming or is cost king?

Andrew - Would that I knew the answer to that.  I have heard anecdotally that Whole Foods Market sales are down and that some people are returning to Safeway.  Further, that McDonald's is doing better than ever - rather a depressing thought.  I do know that when people feel fearful or threatened, they do tend to revert to playing it safe, and certainly for some, playing it safe is saving money.  As I suggested, making do with a little bit less, but with better is still a very reasonable strategy in these times.

[johnj]

Randall, thanks for your participation! I read somewhere how Biodynamic viticulture is the ultimate endeavor to realize terroir. What seems to really ring true and make sense to me about Biodynamic practices is a quote by Nicolas Joly, “Avant d’etre bon, un vin doit etre vrai”; in other words a wine should ultimately be true to itself - this is the “morality of terroir.” Does Biodynamic winemaking really help in this aspect, to essentially showcase the terroir?

And as for winemaking practices, is there a set list for which all winemakers practice (I found this list) or is there more too it than this, and do winemakers pick and choose which practices they want to use and follow?

[Randall Grahm]

John,

Thanks very much for your post.  I am d'accord w/ Nicolas Joly on his assessment that the beauty of a wine is essentially a function of its trueness to its terroir.   It is a real pity that much of the American wine criticism does not really appreciate this, and is more focused on the more superficial aspects of a wine's presentation.  The biodynamic practice truly does enhance the expression of terroir - this is a very logical outcome of healthier vines and healthier soils, but as I said one's practice, especially vis-a-vis irrigation and holding yields down to a dull roar is also critical in helping terroir to express itself.  As far as which biodynamic practices one employs:  Your vineyard or farm can be biodynamically certified and this is a function of maintaining certain practices - the use of preps and biodynamic compost, as well as strictly eschewing inorganic materials.  But one does not have carte blanche, nor is the certification a permanent state of affairs.   Demeter, the certifying body insists that one's practice actually deepens, that one gradually incorporates more biodynamic practice.  As far as the winemaking end of things, there is a set of winemaking criteria that one must strictly observe to obtain certification and the certification must be obtained for each and every wine that one seeks to label as biodynamic.  This would involve maximum levels of acidulation, eschewal of enzymes, cultured yeast, copper sulfate, organoleptic tannins, wine "ameliorants" such as Mega-purple and so on.  The aim is to produce a wine that is more "natural", less obviously manipulated.  Myself, I would like to see the use of new oak strictly regulated, as I think its use can deform a wine as much as anything else.  But that aint gonna happen.  As I had said, biodynamic practice in and of itself will not necessarily result in a vin de terroir, but it will help to amplify the signal that is coming from the vineyard.  You still want a vineyard that is itself well selected for the grapes that you are growing and one's practice must itself be thoughtful.

[johnj]

John,

Thanks very much for your post.  I am d'accord w/ Nicolas Joly on his assessment that the beauty of a wine is essentially a function of its trueness to its terroir.   It is a real pity that much of the American wine criticism does not really appreciate this, and is more focused on the more superficial aspects of a wine's presentation.  The biodynamic practice truly does enhance the expression of terroir - this is a very logical outcome of healthier vines and healthier soils, but as I said one's practice, especially vis-a-vis irrigation and holding yields down to a dull roar is also critical in helping terroir to express itself.  As far as which biodynamic practices one employs:  Your vineyard or farm can be biodynamically certified and this is a function of maintaining certain practices - the use of preps and biodynamic compost, as well as strictly eschewing inorganic materials.  But one does not have carte blanche, nor is the certification a permanent state of affairs.   Demeter, the certifying body insists that one's practice actually deepens, that one gradually incorporates more biodynamic practice.  As far as the winemaking end of things, there is a set of winemaking criteria that one must strictly observe to obtain certification and the certification must be obtained for each and every wine that one seeks to label as biodynamic.  This would involve maximum levels of acidulation, eschewal of enzymes, cultured yeast, copper sulfate, organoleptic tannins, wine "ameliorants" such as Mega-purple and so on.  The aim is to produce a wine that is more "natural", less obviously manipulated.  Myself, I would like to see the use of new oak strictly regulated, as I think its use can deform a wine as much as anything else.  But that aint gonna happen.  As I had said, biodynamic practice in and of itself will not necessarily result in a vin de terroir, but it will help to amplify the signal that is coming from the vineyard.  You still want a vineyard that is itself well selected for the grapes that you are growing and one's practice must itself be thoughtful.

Thanks for clarifying Randall. I find your comment about restricting new oak interesting. I have found many wines that are oaked to death and I think many consumers would appreciate, support and consume wines with less oak. Do other winemakers share your thoughts on this direction?

[Randall Grahm]

John,

The problem, if I may be so bold, is that many winemakers feel that they must do what is economically expedient, and the flavor of oak, whether it derives from barrels or oak chips is believed (erroneously, in my opinion) to confer some aspect of "quality," read higher price, to a wine.  You have a slightly dysfunctional feedback loop, where winemakers are chasing customers, who think that big oak must be a great thing, as so many wines seem to possess it.  When I am tasting wines in Europe of late-comers to the wine game, I almost always asked to be spared the privilege of tasting the more expensive "reserve" bottlings, which have been subjected to some tenure in new oak.   

[winesmith]

Biodynamics really thinks about the vineyard, not so much qua vineyard, but rather as a unitary organism - really more as a farm, with a diversity of plants and the presence of farm animals, which are used to help improve the fertility and health of the soil.  (Appropriately managed livestock on fields improve basically everything on the site.) The aim with biodynamics is not so much to bring the farm to a certain minimum standard of performance, but rather to help the farmer/grower really discover its originality, its individuated aspect (yet another name for terroir.)     

Hi Randall!  I have always looked to you as a beacon at the forefront of inquiry into wine's true nature and how it relates to human nature.   To get beyond generalities and give us a handle on you personal journey with biodynamics, could you share some very specific tales of discovery on your Soledad property which derived from Steiner's mothods?  What have you learned so far about that piece of earth?  Tell us some stories...
                                                                                 -Clark Smith

[eyedoc47]

Randall,thank you for your clarification of sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines. Your explanation answered many of my questions.
Do you feel that some AVA's and specific grape varietals lend itself better to biodynamic farming practices than others?  Are,biodynamic practices on the increase here and in Europe? Also, you talked about sulfites reducing Brett. Are there enough naturally occurring sulfites in organic/biodynamic wine to reduce Brett? Is it acceptable to add some sulfites in the winemaking process and still be organic/biodynamic. Thanks again for your time and explanation.
                               Eyedoc

[Randall Grahm]

Clark,

It is always lovely to hear your voice, even in this somewhat disembodied form.  To answer your implicit question, everything we do, all of our actions, whether they be planting vineyards or taking out the garbage are reflections of ourselves, capturing some aspect of our sensibility, our beliefs, attitudes, indeed, of our soul.  My interest in biodynamics may on some level be thought of as a form of my own self-work/psychotherapy/self-medication.  My problem, in a word, is that I am a Luftmensch, someone whose head is largely in the clouds, abstracted much of the time, socially disastrous, more at home with ideas and concepts than with concrete realities.  I tend to skim over things; I am generally not what a spiritual practitioner would call "present."  The vineyard, my vineyard, any vineyard, seems to be my only little wormhole/portal to the spiritual, to my being more or less present, to the extent that is possible for someone as borderline Asperger's as I am.  My Soledad vineyard is a bit of a verkahkte (Yiddish for "crappy") vineyard - the Salinas Valley is not where anyone should grow grapes.  (There are too many "non-sustainable" aspects to growing grapes there - mostly a function of inadequate precipitation, and slightly saline irrigation water.)  But it is my dysfunctional vineyard, and over time I've grown to if not love it, at least become quite fond of it.  More to the point, and mostly due to the efforts of my colleagues, I've figured out how to grow some really cool grapes there.  Now, returning to a biodynamic story:  I am a biodynamicist manqué.  I get the ideology, I watch, I kibbitz, I occasionally stir some preps.  But I'm generally not the guy on the ground walking the rows, in exquisite communion with his grapes.  At least not most of the time.  And yet - I am occasionally capable of searingly acute insights, or maybe better, intuitions about the vineyard.  It is said that as one practices biodynamics, one's intuitive talents grow deeper.  Whether I am channeling Rudolf or not remains to be seen, but here was one great insight I had:  Years ago I had a short consulting gig in Rias Baixas in Galicia.  The place is very, very cool - best seafood you will ever eat.  But it's windy, foggy and often moist.  You can smell the salt in the air.  So salty it is, I was told, that no metal is used in the vineyard as it would corrode.  (The end posts and vine stakes, such as they are, are made of granite.  Vines, b/t/w are trained up on pergola.)  We had been growing some riesling in our vineyard in Soledad that was actually very, very good.  My reasoning was: If riesling works well and if there is perhaps some occult connection between albarino and riesling and if you add the other element of a little sodium chloride to the mix, maybe albarino will perform brilliantly.  Well, I'm here to tell you that albarino is one of those grapes that just sings, at least in our vineyard in Soledad.  It is a wine that we don't have to mess with - no acid, no yeast food, no cultured yeast. It seems to have both real albarino character and a quality that makes it slightly different from the Rias Baixas examples - maybe even more minerality.  But, best of all, it has life-force, that is to say, an ability to tolerate oxidative challenge.  You can leave it half filled (w/ a screwcap bottle of course) for the better part of a week, before it begins to break down.  In future, I am hoping to change my life such that I am not so abstracted, not traveling so much, where I can actually spend a few hours every day in a vineyard.  This, in fact, is my only hope for salvation.  Lovely to hear from you. 

[Randall Grahm]

Dear Eye Doc,

Thanks very much for your post.  There are definitely certain AVAs that conduce to biodynamic practice, but I would suggest that it is individual vineyard sites that make the difference, rather than larger areas.  You want a site that is just brilliant for grapes - a deep soil with good water holding capacity but not with excessive fertility.  Since it doesn't rain in the summer in California, I think that you generally need about 5-6' of rooting depth.  You will want to plant your vines far enough apart to make sure that they can get the moisture that they need.  Again, as I have intimated, dry-farming is really the best (maybe only) way to go to get real expression of terroir, and to allow the vines to really be themselves.  But, at the end of the day, you want to get real congruence of variety/culture and site, such that the grapes come in in most years well balanced and don't require heroic levels of intervention - either chaptalization, acidification, or alcohol reductase (that's a little inside winemaking joke involving so-called Jesus units.)   As far as sulfites and Brett, for conventional wines, or put another way, wines lacking in sufficient concentration and life force (read minerality), they will generally need sulfites to ward off rampant brett (much as patients in hospitals need antibiotics to protect them from hospital-transmitted opportunistic infections - a brilliant trope from Clark, b/t/w.)  I think that I more or less agree w/ Clark on the point, that if a wine has sufficient minerality/concentration and is fermented and raised in the cellar in such a way to allow for nutrient depletion (i.e. you want to keep it on a really lean diet of nutrients and make sure ferment goes to real dryness), you may well be able to get away w/ minimal sulfite addition.  I think that an understanding of this phenomenon is still  in its infancy.  I've tasted more than my share of non-sulfited biodynamic/organic wines that were just too funky for my taste.  But, as I mentioned, the best syrah I've ever had was made w/ no sulfites at all.  Hope that this is useful. 

[eyedoc47]

Randall, Thanks so much for your reply. Your ideas and insights are thought provoking,especially as I'm sitting and reading your responses and enjoying a bottle of 2005 Siduri Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir. I just read your article on Appellation america.com:" The Phenomenology of Terrior." I recommend this article for all of you to read. It definitely solidifies your quest for terrior in the  wines we drink and for this I thank you.
                                  L'Chiam,
                                       Eyedoc