Attempting to de-confuse Organic wine and sulfites

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Green is good this much we know but defining what makes a product sustainable, organic or even biodynamic is a topic that is difficult to understand. All these terms have at least one “easy button” in common, they are all farming the best way they can to respect the earth, the vine, the grapes, and the future of their vineyards. These practices ensure that you get a natural expression of “terroir” with minimal intervention by the winemaker.

To give you an example of how confusing the term “organic” is (and this is based on CA definitions, every state and country has different laws)....the most recent regulation of organic wine and the labeling of organic wine dates back to 1990 when congress passed the National Organic Foods Act. The goal of the Organic Foods Act was to protect producers, handlers, processors, retailers, and consumers of organic food by assuming that foods labeled as organic were in fact organic. The Organic Foods Act put the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in charge of establishing regulations for organic foods and food products. They in turn established the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) to advise them. Since fermented beverages were included in the Organic Foods Act, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) which regulates wine labeling also became involved. Then we have the National Organic Program (NOP), also part of the USDA. Whew and that still doesn’t cover it!

See why this is so confusing and completely frustrating to explain to not only the consumers but confusing to grape growers, winemakers and the like. So lets just break down some basics of Sustainable, Organic, Organic grapes or Biodynamic and what these winemakers are aiming to achieve.

Sustainable

The inherent concept is that the product has been made in such a manner that it will allow the vineyards and environment to continue to produce an undiminished product for all future generations. The main threats to sustainability are the issues of soil depletion, erosion, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, ecological impacts, resistance to pests and chemical dependence. Sustainability looks at the environmental system as a whole. In the vineyard, it may incorporate manmade products or “natural” products, and it will likely use integrated pest management (IPM) techniques. In the winery, minimal-additive winemaking philosophies will always be present.”

Sustainable winegrowing is the balance of economic, environmental and social practices. Unlike other farming practices, sustainable winegrowing is all encompassing in its approach, with concern for all surrounding environments and areas – not just with the crop that is grown. Every department—from vineyard management to winemaking to administration to hospitality—is responsible for maintaining and introducing new conservation programs. In short, it is an ever-evolving commitment to improve environmental practices throughout all winery operations.

Organic

For a wine to be labeled “Organic” and bear the USDA organic seal, it must be made from organically grown grapes and give information about who the certifying agency is. Organic grape growing avoids the use of synthetic chemicals and uses natural methods like crop rotation, tillage and natural composts to maintain soil health as well as natural methods to control weeds, insects and other pests. In the USA, strict rules govern the winemaking process at all stages of production including harvesting, the types of yeasts that can be used during fermentation as well as storage conditions. These rules are applied for all imported and domestic wines that acquire USDA certification. You can add sulfites but they have to be less then 20 parts per million.

Made with Organic Grapes - or Made with Organically Grown Grapes

The wine in this category must be made from organic grapes, but it can include added sulfites.
Sulfites are used to kill bacteria and also as a preservative. Without sulfites a wine may have a shelf life of only 6 months without the addition of sulphor dioxide.

Biodynamic

Finally, there is biodynamic viticulture, which was first advocated by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920′s and it gave rise to the organic wine movement. It utilizes a holistic approach to farming and views the vineyard as an interrelated unit by placing emphasis on the balance between the soil, vines and animals in a close self-nourishing system. It places high importance on composts and manures without the use of chemical fertilizers. The principles and practices of biodynamics are based on his spiritual/practical philosophy, called anthroposophy, which includes understanding the ecological, the energetic, and the spiritual in nature. Instead of bagged fertilizer, weed killer and pesticides farmers will rely on composting, natural predator-prey relationships, cover crops, and the animals that live on the estate, to keep the vineyard healthy and balanced. There are no silver bullets in Biodynamic winegrowing. When you eliminate all the artificial crutches, you learn to trust your instincts and to trust nature’s ability and capacity to make a great wine.

Lets talk about Sulfites

What seems to further complicate the subject of organic wine is the subject of sulfites. Sulfite or sulfur dioxide is used as a preservative in wines. It has strong antimicrobial properties and some antioxidant properties. The health effects or consequences of sulfites are debatable though a minute percent of the population does suffer a sensitivity reaction to them. No Added Sulfites means that the winery did not add sulfites to the wine but there may be naturally occurring sulfites in the wine which is a byproduct of fermentation.

The term ‘sulfites’ is an inclusive term for sulfur dioxide (SO2). SO2 is a preservative and widely used in winemaking (and in most food industries), because of its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. SO2 plays a very important role in maintaining a wine’s freshness. It naturally occurs in the winemaking process as a by-product of fermentation but is also added to ensure that the wine has a shelf life for more then just a few months and that bacteria will not spoil the wine.

Consumption of sulfites is generally harmless, unless you suffer from severe asthma or do not have the particular enzymes necessary to break down sulfites in your body. The amount of sulfites that a wine can contain is highly regulated around the world. Any wine containing more than 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur dioxide must affix to the label ‘contains sulfites’ (10 parts per million is miniscule compared to the likes of say orange juice)!

Added Sulfites = headaches

Medical research is not definitive on the relationship between sulfites and headaches. There are many other compounds in wine such as histamines and tannins that are more likely connected to the headache effect (not to mention alcohol!).

The Noble Grape we will be tasting these fun and interesting wines on Thursday from 6pm - 8pm and are featuring 10% off all Organic/Sustainable/BioD wines and spirits starting this Wednesday through Friday, stop in and sip the earth!

Dry Creek Zinfandel

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Zinfandel has long been considered California’s “own” grape varietal. The truth is that all of the grape varietals we know today, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and so on, are all European imports. We previously believed that Zinfandel was an actual American varietal, and claimed it as such, but after tracing its roots back for the past decade or so, we have other possible origins to consider. Zinfandel was thought for some time to actually be Primitivo from Umbria Italy, and now it allegedly has Croatian roots, as an offshoot of the grape Crljenak Kaštelanski. Whatever it might be (it’s hard to keep up), I do believe that California does best with this varietal, and the best place to locate the “Zen of Zin” is the Dry Creek Valley AVA in Sonoma.

I can’t speak about Red Zinfandel without mentioning its evil twin White Zinfandel. Yes, it’s the same grape, but White Zinfandel spends less time on the skins (which gives wine its color) and rather than fermenting it dry like most wines, sugar is left in the wine. White Zinfandel was made famous in the 70’s by Sutter Home…it was created by accident when Bob Trinchero was making a rosé from Zinfandel and the fermentation stopped, leaving more sugar in his wine. Bob decided to put some of this juice aside, tasted it a couple weeks later, and decided to sell it. BOOM! Thus began the White Zinfandel craze, and it hasn’t stopped since! Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a hater to anyone drinking White Zin! I started there just as many other people have and will continue to do in the future. It’s a perfect gateway to start developing your palate for wine.

Let’s get away from the “non-serious” Zinfandels—those with the clever, over-the-top names or the wild, eye-catching packaging; I’m want to spotlight the people that are making crazily complex Zins in their sacred home in Dry Creek Valley. Famous names include Dry Creek Vineyards (a pioneer in Dry Creek), A. Rafanelli (only available on fine wine lists) Dashe, Seghesio, Pezzi-King…and the list goes on. These are not the over-heated, super-ripe wines of Lodi, these are the complex, nuanced, fine wines of a cooler climate. The morning fogs from the Pacific help retain the acidity in the wines, yet it’s still warm enough here to get the grapes fully ripened without being “overcooked.”

The Dry Creek “Beeson Ranch” Zinfandel has such an explosion of potpourri, pepper, anise, damp earth, black and red fruits on the nose and has even more of these on the palate. It keeps evolving and surprising you with each sip you take. Finding wines like this for a $35 price point can be difficult, especially when you think of the Cabernet family and how much you’d normally have to spend to get this kind of complexity. Next time you are thinking of BBQ ribs, for example, pick up a bottle of a Dry Creek Zin, then sit back and let the magic happen!

Wine and Cheese 101

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Wine and cheese have shared a harmonious relationship for thousands of years, almost since the very invention of wine. They are soul mates, meant to be…you won’t find a 51% divorce rate here! Although wine and cheese understand how exactly they belong together, for us on the outside, looking in, the question of how to choose a certain cheese to pair with a certain wine can often make us dizzy.

As with food and wine pairing in general, there are rules, but rules are meant to be broken…everything has an exception. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon traditionally pairs with Sharp Cheddar. However, this doesn’t mean that all Napa Valley Cabs or French Bordeaux taste the same from every producer and every vintage. At the same time, Brie will have many different possible tastes, depending on that particular Brie’s origins. Wine and cheese are living, changing products, which is why people all over the world are fascinated by these delicious partners.

But despite my “no rules” policy, there are general guidelines to use when you go shopping:

•White wines generally pair well with soft cheeses and stronger flavors
•Red wines pair best with hard cheeses and milder flavors
•Dessert wines match best with blue cheeses and pungent flavors
•Using these guidelines will help you get past the intimidation you might feel from wine and cheese pairing. You’ll also feel freer to experiment with different wines and cheeses. Both the wine and cheese together are supposed change each other’s tastes, thereby heightening both experiences. I recommend tasting the wine before the cheese, and then tasting them together so you can clearly notice the differences in both when they are paired.

To be even more specific:

•Sauvignon Blanc & Chenin Blanc: Try goat cheese (Chevre). The high acidity and mineral undertones of these wines from Loire Valley (and beyond) love the richness and earthiness of chevre.
•Chardonnay: Taste this with Brie, Camembert, Gouda, or Provolone. The full-bodied, rich Chardonnays work well with washed rind cow’s milk cheeses as well as many cow’s milk blue cheeses. The apple, pear, and citrus flavors of this grape usually meld with the acids found in goat’s milk cheeses as well.
•Champagne: In my opinion, champagne can pair with anything and everything! Its high acidity cuts through rich and creamy cheeses such as triple-cream Brie but also pairs perfectly with Edam and Gruyere.
•Pinot Noir: If you have a “stinky” wine then pair it with a stinky cheese! Pinot Noir from a region such as Burgundy is heavenly with Epoisses (pronounced ay-PWAHSS). Epoisses has a pungent flavor and washed rind, and comes as spoonable, silky paste. Spread onto a French baguette and enjoy!
•Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon: These wines tend to favor cow’s milk cheeses. The high acids in goat cheese tend to clash with the tannins in these wines, making for an unmemorable experience. Try hard, aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Stilton, aged Gouda, Parmesan, or some milder blue cheeses.
•Port: Port with Stilton is one of my all-time favorite combinations. This sweet wine seems to cut through the creaminess and saltiness of the cheese and classifies this pairing as a rule-breaker in every sense of the word. For dessert wines, the more pungent cheese flavors pair best.

Cheese and wine should act as a symphony playing in unison—delicate cheeses go with lighter wines, strong cheeses with more powerful wines. Experimentation is key. Try multiple cheeses with multiple wines and see what you like best.

Dessert wines for Valentines Day!

by Maggie Bernat Smith

If you seek pleasure in life and wine; then you should not miss out on dessert wine. This red-headed step child of the wine world rarely gets the attention it deserves anymore. Once the wine of kings is now rarely indulged by us. Valentines day is the perfect time of year to get reacquainted with this lost soul of the wine world. This Valentines day why don’t you skip the heart shaped box of chocolates and pour some tawny port over some ice cream (or whatever your delight). Lose the over-priced roses that are predicted, expected and show the utmost unoriginality and go for a bottle of Eiswein and serve it with some Humboldt fog blue cheese instead.

Dessert wines are deliciously high in alcohol, and high in sugar content. They are heavenly on their own but really shine when paired with cheeses or desserts. Although the common misconception is that they are cloyingly sugary sweet, the fact is the high acidity in these wines is what makes them glide across the palate, make your mouth water and crave sip after sip. Here’s just a few examples to entice your palate:

• Moscato d’Asti - Moscato d'Asti is a unique wine where the beautiful aromas of the grapes are enhanced by a crisp, nice acidity, a light fizziness and the sweetness of the natural residual sugar. The low alcohol content makes it a very easy, pleasant wine perfect to finish a meal with dessert, or alone as a nice mid-day break.


• Eiswein or Ice Wine - A German term meaning "ice wine," referring to a rich, flavorful dessert wine. Eiswein is made by picking grapes that are frozen on the vine and then pressing them before they thaw. Because much of the water in the grapes is frozen, the resulting juice is concentrated-rich in flavor and high in sugar and acidity The resulting wines have tropical fruit, peach or berry overtones. Older eisweins suggest caramel or honey


• Tawny Port - Tawny Port is a sweet or medium-dry dessert wine made from red grapes grown in Northern Portugal’s Douro Valley, fortified with grape neutral spirit (brandy) and aged in wood casks. Prolonged wood aging is the key ingredient that differentiates Tawny Port from Ruby Portt. It is vital to start out with excellent grapes in order to withstand the rigors of extended wood-aging, maintaining fruit flavors and supple structure. As a Tawny Port oxidizes in cask, the color of the wine slowly evolves from a purplish-ruby color to a lighter topaz-amber-brown. With this process you can expect this dessert wine to taste like pecan pie, roasted nuts, toffee and raisins.
  
  These are just a few examples of what to expect in dessert wines. They truly are a practice in decadence. The Noble Grape is having a sale this weekend, Friday through Monday, for Valentines day. Stop in, the knowledgeable staff there can answer any questions you have. Dessert wines come in all colors and flavors, depending on your fancy, it guarantees a good time!

Left Bank Bordeaux

by Maggie Bernat Smith

There’s not a lot of easy lessons about French wine, their labels are confusing and who knows what you are taking home to drink that night. Here’s the “easy button” for French wines.

• Red wine from Burgundy is Pinot Noir, the white is Chardonay



• Red wine from Bordeaux will be a Cabernet or Merlot dominated blend, the white is a Sauvignon Blanc blend



• Red wine from the Rhone valley will be Syrah or Grenache based. Their white wine is Viognier



• Languedoc is no rules, anything goes, but most times they will label which grape type you’re drinking

This is just the basic of the basics of French wine, there’s a multitude more to learn about each village, soil type, where the vineyards are located, who is making the wine, and you can just keep going. We are going to just focus on the left bank of Bordeaux today.

When a red wine is labeled Bordeaux, this means it’s a blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and possibly seasoned with some Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot or Malbec. The grapes can come from anywhere in the entire Bordeaux Region and can range from disappointing quaffs to great bargains so unless you know the reputations of the thousands of producers, then you just have to taste your way through them (or go to a small reputable wine shop who knows their wines). If you see Bordeaux Superieur on the bottle this means that the wine needs a minimum of .5% more alcohol which can translate to a fuller bodied style and they generally will use better plots of land with older vines to make a wine with more complexity then just your basic Bordeaux. A traditional basic Bordeaux will have characteristics such as red fruit, black currant, pencil lead and should be a soft easy-drinking wine. Great with warm weather braised dishes. If you are interested in these basic Bordeaux check out a wine shop like The Noble Grape, they have a great selection of these value wines.

Now when you hear about the Bordeaux wines that are the greatest wines created on earth, there are just a handful of producers and communes within Bordeaux that they are talking about. On the northwest part of the Gironde River running through the heart of Bordeaux is the Haut Medoc, within this region are communes (basically small geographical areas) that produce most of the First Growths (the best of Bordeaux wines). Here they are, you may have heard some of these names on Frazier over the years:

Chateau Margaux
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
Chateau Latour
Chateau Haut-Brion
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild

These are the prized, most expensive, rarest wines of the world. If you don’t have several thousand dollars to drop on these wines that don’t reach their full potential for a couple of decades -- the key is to seek out the great second growths that have over the years proved themselves worthy of First Growth status but it’s just too hard to change laws in France so we call them Super Seconds. Although these wines generally start in the low hundreds, they are worth every penny. Some of the names that make this list are:

Chateau Leoville-Las-Cases
Chateau Leoville-Barton
Chateau Pichon-Longueville-Baron
Chateau Cos d'Estournel
Chateau Montrose
Chateau Palmer (although actually a third growth but it is so well respected that it is included on this list)

This is just a basic Bordeaux lesson that covers the Left Bank of the Gironde River. We will do another to provide you with a Right Bank lesson. Too much information can overwhelm when you are trying to learn about French wine. If you want to partake in the splendor of these great wines then go to Binny’s. They have a reserve room under lock and key for these wines. I recommend asking for a manager to really guide you through these at the time of purchase or just email me, I can help you sort through the magnificence in these bottles.

Napa Valley Wine

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Napa Valley is Napa Valley is Napa Valley. Unfortunately this is what the general consensus is when talking about the wines that come from here. But that is wrong and is comparable to saying that Chicago is the same wherever you go in this great city. Napa Valley is divided into 15 sub AVA’s (equivalent to neighborhoods in Chicago) with each “neighborhood” having its own personality, style, depth, longevity, and price tag. They range in prices from thousands of dollars to the low teens. So what is the difference between them? Take the fish they serve at Laurent Gras’ L20 compared to a fish fry at the local American Legion. Laurent buys and prepares fish that inspires and overwhelms people and changes the way they think about such a simple creature. The American Legion will buy the cheapest most basic fish that is edible and serves it in masses to the community; there is a price tag associated with each experience.

This is the same concept that goes along with Napa Cabs, Merlot, Pinot Noir and all wine that we consume. Take for instance the rugged terrain of the hillside or mountain fruit that comes with those higher price tags. There is limited space to plant vineyards up there, it’s more difficult to farm, these vineyards are generally hand picked and cared for because you can’t use machinery up there, you don’t get as many grapes per vine as you do in the valley so your production is lowered; however the grapes that you do get, and the wines that are produced from them, are the most tannic, structured, intense, concentrated, flavorful, has the longest ageing potential and arguably the best wines in the valley and therefore are priced higher.

If you buy one of these wines they are meant to be aged typically about 10 years before consumption. This lets those big tannins soften, flavors will develop and become more complex. It’s the equivalent to picking a flower before it has bloomed to enjoy it. Now if you want to enjoy your investment right away then buy a decanter and let it breathe for a couple of hours before consuming (just opening the bottle and letting it sit does nothing contrary to popular belief). The wine has to get out of that bottle and let oxygen hit most of it, that is why decanters have such large bases on them, its so the majority of the wine sees oxygen. This speeds up the ageing process and will show much more flavor then just pouring it into your glass, consuming it and wondering why you just paid all that money for this wine.

The reason that there are 15 sub AVA’s within the Napa Valley is that there had to be a proven difference between each area and that it will express itself in the wine (it’s what the French refer to as terroir). There is a flavor difference between a wine labeled Rutherford and one labeled Oakville. It’s up to us wine professionals to taste thousands of wines a year to really observe these differences and to pick up these flavors no matter how subtle and figure out the best value and which wine represents that region well (it’s a rough job). Since you probably don’ want to memorize each flavor and style profile each region or winery has just go into the smaller more boutiquey wine shops that are hands on, know their wine, and can advise you on the differences and pick out a special wine for whatever price and mood you may be in that day.

Stags Leap Napa Valley

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Since moving to Napa, I wanted to explore the different “neighborhoods” in the valley. In a previous article I had written about Napa, I compared it to different neighborhoods in Chicago. There are 15 sub AVA’s in Napa and I’ve decided to taste my way around them and compare notes and report back (I realize what a terrible life I have by the way). Yesterday I drove down the Silverado Trail which is off of the main highway 29. If you look to the east, Silverado Trail is the road right before the Vaca Mountains start to rise up. While traveling down this path, you will recognize the wineries that pepper both sides of the road are known for amazing quality. Wineries such as Clos du Val, Chimney Rock, Shafer, the list of historical wineries go on and on. If you are planning a trip to the valley and want to visit some of these places, I suggest calling ahead. A lot of these wineries are by appointment only and are in the pricier range for tasting (but worth the experience).

While grapes were planted in the valley mid-1800’s, the focus was not on European varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay – basically all the wine we drink and know today,) there were missionaries from all over settling here and planting their native grape varietals. Although this was a time when it was discovered that Napa’s volcanic soil was ideal for grape growing, it wasn’t till the 1960’s and 1970’s where the global recognition came and was hailed as a top quality growing region for Cabernet and Chardonnay. The infamous 1976 Paris tasting (see the movie Bottleshock) was a huge turning point to get not only California noticed but also the Stags Leap district. As you may know a snooty Englishman who had a snooty wine shop in Paris wanted to increase his sales of French wine so he organized a blind tasting pitting our relatively new California wines against the best wines of France. Well history was made, nine French judges awarded first place to the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon over first growth Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild and Haut Brion and guess what ten years later when exactly the same wines were tasted a second time, the winner was yet another wine from the Stags Leap District: the 1972 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon!

So tasting my way through this historical district I came across mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Cabernet’s while they all tasted different, each winemaker puts their own stamp on the outcome, were very soft and elegant. I didn’t see the harsh tannins that you can find when tasting in this price range (Stags Leap wines generally are around the $75 price point). I tasted mainly the 2007 current releases which is what you will find in the stores right now. The wines from Stags Leap seemed to have a lot of expression and were really enjoyable at such a young age. Although ageing them for 5 years would be my recommendation you certainly don’t need to. I saw generally dark fruit notes (plum and black berry) with mocha, tobacco and were elegantly spiced. I am seeing more French oak on these wines then traditional American which is more subtle and not overpowering on the palate. I especially loved the Chardonnay’s I tasted, again the movement away from American oak is such a happy change for me. They are much more Burgundian in style (soft and dreamy). I am hoping people will revisit Napa Chardonnays, they are not what they used to be (at least in Stags Leap, I’ll update you on my travels to what I find). When looking for wines in the stores from Stags Leap, go to the Napa Valley wines, they will be labeled Stags Leap if at least 85% of the grapes come from that district. Happy drinking!