Green/Organics

Red, White, Sparkling and “GREEN?" Yes, earth-friendly wines, made with certified organic grapes. And, in every wine store or on every wine bar shelf, there will be several for you to choose from, now that Eco-friendly is becoming more and more fashionable. First let's define what an Organic Wine truly is in order to help you make the right purchasing decisions for all those up and coming events.

Organic wine is defined as "a wine made from organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites". Well, just to let you in on a little secret, the only organic wine is not even a wine, it's a fortified grape juice, the famous Cartagene, which contains no added sulfites at all. The truth is, wines without added sulfites are very few in number and very unstable in quality. Thankfully, there is the sustainable approach, namely, organic farming. And the cornerstone of organic farming is the soil. So, an independent body of certification, of the USDA, has the responsibility to control each winegrower, one to two times a year to verify their adherence to the standards of organic farming. First and foremost organic wine is produced using only organically grown grapes. NO pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, synthetic fertilizers or chemicals are allowed on the vines or in the soil.

The fundamental idea behind organic wine is that making wine from grapes grown without chemical fertilizers, insecticides, weed killers, and other synthetic chemicals is better both for the planet and for the wine drinker, ultimately protecting the environment and the people that work in the vineyards from adverse effects of these chemicals. There is absolutely no question that organic farming methods are better for the earth and all of its inhabitants.

The organic alternative to wine production is to allow the weeds to grow, and mow them periodically so that the cut weeds rot back into the ground, consequently providing organic fertilizer. Organic farming also means using natural fertilizers such as composted animal manure. As for not using pesticides, the organic alternative is to encourage natural predators of insect pests instead of poisonous insecticides and to promote "biodiversity", allowing plants (other than vines) to grow in and around the vineyard. This helps to regulate the vineyard soil by attracting beneficial insects, spiders and predatory mites. The alternative crops or plants provide shelter and food (pollen & nectar) to beneficial bugs, replacing the need for insecticide or pesticides. And finally, in order to minimize the amount of stress or damage to the vine, fruit or soil, many organic vineyards hand pick their grapes, rather than using mechanical pickers. This also allows only the ripest and healthiest bunches.

So okay, you say, organic viticulture is better for the earth and probably for me, but are the wines any good? Well, of course they're good, what would be the point of producing something, organic or not, that no one would drink? So RELAX, many organic wines are every bit as good as their conventional counterparts, just as affordable, feel cleaner and coincidentally (no headaches here) have very few side affects should you and your friends decide to "step out and live a little". Cheers!

The HOT List - Organic Vineyard

Welcome to Mendocino County…Home of Organic Wines.

Today, Mendocino County has more certified organic wineries (15), than any county in the nation, making it home to more than a third of all certified organic vineyard acreage in California. By acreage, Mendocino has 2,820, Napa has 1,686, and Sonoma trails with 565.

The attention is welcomed by Mendocino Growers who experiment with every grape variety, from Navarro Vineyards, spicy gewürztraminer to Jeriko Estate’s Brut, the nation’s first sparkling wine produced from organically grown chardonnay grapes. In 2006, Jeriko beat other premium sparkling wine producers in the state by winning Best of Show at the prestigious Orange County Fair wine competition.

The oldest organic winery in the nation is operated by the Frey family of Redwood Valley, www.freywine.com. Founded in 1980, the winery remains a family operation. We are honored to present Mendocino County on thehotreportonline, the epicenter of Organic wines, where new organic farming techniques and good traditions are proudly touted.