A friend of mine taught me a new word last night: pribble.
A pribble is a problem of the privileged. This made me laugh as we discussed our pribbles over a Wilfred Rousse Chinon rosé and some Brazilian food.
There have been some recent storms in the wine industry teacup over how to define natural wine. This also seems a bit of a pribble to me. While I do support the use of native yeasts and therefore the expression of specific terroir in wine, as well as very prudent usage of additives like So2....oops, back to pribbles, again.
What I mean is that these are philosophical discussions whereas the issue of organic farming is a public health issue.
And not just for those that are consuming the wine but much more importantly for those who either work in or live near the vineyards. (Actual pesticide residue present in finished wine appears to be minimal.)
I arrived at my love of natural wine via my search for wines that were made organically. This search eventually led me to small, artisanal wine producers both in Europe and California, some of whom fall into the natural wine camp.
I think organic wine is a bit easier to grasp and more immediately necessary to support. Or at least, wine made from organically grown grapes. No toxic petro-chemicals are used in the grape farming. What is legally referred to as 'organic wine' in the United States is not only made from organic grapes but also has no added sulfites.
I have read two articles just this week that show why organic farming matters.
One article lists the 'dirty dozen' of fruits & vegetables that have the highest residue of pesticides (yep, grapes are on the list).
Another article tells us of a carcinogenic pesticide that is about to be approved for use in California. This pesticide is also known to cause neurological and fetal damage.
This report talks of the damage to our nervous systems from pesticides, specifically linking ADHD in children to pesticide consumption.
But hundreds of wineries from around the world, both large and small, have already proven that one does not need to use toxic pesticides and herbicides to produce stellar wine grapes.
And here is some proof that the consumption and production of organic wine is increasing due to consumer demand.
If we demand change, it will come.
Or we could just keep on drilling instead.....
Thursday, June 17, 2010
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6 comments:
It may not be the norm, but in Cahors we rain into a producer (Clos Seguier) that had natural wines dating back 20+ years, and these were still lively and viable wines. It *can* be done without creating vinegar :-).
Amy you've nailed it. We use organic growing methods at our vineyard more out of respect and concern for our workers and neighbors than for any other reason.
It is astonishing that the California DPR is considering registering methyl iodide, considering that it is nearly as toxic as methyl bromide. The economy did not collapse after methyl bromide was banned, in spite of the direst predictions of the strawberry industry and the CDFA.
But to be clear, methyl bromide was not used to treat grapes in the field, nor will methyl iodide if it is registered (in spite of the science and negative public comment). Back in the day methyl bromide was used to fumigate the soil before planting a vineyard.
Given what we have learned about the importance of soil microflora to grapevine health it is hard to imagine that anyone would ever again want to fumigate before planting - in spite of the strongest marketing efforts of the pesticide industry.
Good new word: "pribble" - I like it and will try to use it, as there's a lot of it about!!!
Cutting to the chase, I argee entirely that there's abosolutely no need to use chemicals in the vineyard or bodega to produce good wines, especially potentially harmful ones like methyl bromide. Like I said in another post, when you're in a hole, the first thing to do is to STOP DIGGING, so we shouldn't be approving new chemicals when the environment is already awash with chemical runoffs from the last 50 years both in agriculture and in industry.
Salud y buen vino! ("Health and good wine")
I agree entirely with the organic farming and wine but unfortunately everybody wants to make more money and have their cultures faster.So I thing the moving needs to proceed from the buyer. What do you think about that ?
After listening to an interview on KPFA a few days ago I went to my local grocery store to see just how many of the wines offered were either organic or sustainably farmed. I found only a couple of each. However, all the "organic" wines contained sulfites, so I am confused about your comment that if it is organic it won't have sulfites? What is the actual law and is there a certifying organization who's name must appear on the label?
Anon: If the label says 'organc wine' there are no added sulfites. If the label says 'made with organic grapes' then sulfites can be added.
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