Organic Wine Update

Just a quick update on the two wines I recently reviewed - each bottle was stored in my refrigerator on Thursday evening, and on Saturday I was shocked to find each was harboring small colonies of bacteria on the top of the wine. The splotches aren't really clear enough to take photos, but they are visible when looking through the bottle in person. Just a reminder then that organic wines, or wines that don't have stabilizers added to them should be opened and drunk immediately. I'm going to give both a couple more days to see what they do, as I'm intrigued by such rapid growth, especially in a cold place like the fridge!

Also, I should clarify a little more than I did in my post about the "sulfite issue." While I did make note that sulfites are naturally occurring, there is a whole body of regulations surrounding labeling a wine for sulfite content. If no sulfites are added, or the present natural levels are below a certain amount (parts per million) or are "undetectable" then the wine can be labeled a variety of ways. "Sulfite free," "No sulfites detectable," or "No added sulfites" are all ones I've seen. Each statement is governed by some level of regulation that I personally can not speak about in much depth, but the links included in my last post will provide good starting points for any of you that are curious to learn more.

What I do know though is that the concept of sulfites as a bad thing is more than likely misunderstood by many consumers. Some people may have legitimate allergies, though I think more often than not sulfites are used as a scapegoat. If you think you might be allergic to sulfites think back to the last time you had any sort of dried fruit - these usually contain more sulfites in a single serving than a whole bottle of average red wine.

I've certainly not written off wines that fall into the organic camp though - I picked up a bottle of Zinfandel made with organically grown grapes that I'm anxious to try. Also, check back soon for posts about picking ice wine grapes in NE Ohio and on a dry Muscat from France's Bordeaux region

Cheers!

giving organic, sulfite "free," vegan-friendly wines a chance

California Viognier (2007)
Lodi Syrah (2007)
Orleans Hill Winery

It should be noted that I'm going into this with severe bias against what I'm going to taste. I'm not an "organic" wine advocate, but admittedly only in theory. Wines that claim to have "no sulfites" I think - how is that even possible? Fermentation produces sulfites. And if there are no added sulfites, then how long can the consumer be sure their wine is going to be stable to drink? And these bottles honestly say "Vegan Friendly." Well, no isinglass or egg whites here!

That said, I'm setting aside my preconceptions, and I'm going to give these two organic, vegan-friendly California wines a shot. Like any other wine, they deserve to at least be tried. Here are my notes on each.

California Viognier (bottle notes "Contains Sulfites")
Appearance: Clear, with a beautiful vibrant golden yellow color. Think of fresh straw or hay in the Fall. Also, there was a noticeable amount of foaming when I poured. This was consistent even after the first pour, so maybe it has something to do with the production?

Nose: Clean, and very aromatic. Youthful aromas including apple, citrus, stone fruit, and floral. Yellow apple and floral at the top of the glass, with the apple changing from green to more yellow deeper into the glass. Also lower distinct notes of earthiness or minerality, and a hint of malolactic fermentation or oak.

Palate: Dry with medium alcohol and body. Flabby acidity that almost instantly fell away, and very subtle flavors. I really had to stretch to get even the most basic apple and citrus found on the nose, and there was a little bit of grassiness. Length was very short, lasting only a couple seconds.

Lodi Syrah
Appearance: Clear with medium intensity - I could see text through the wine, but it wasn't very clear. Eye-catching ruby color that was very bright in the glass and had a definite purple hue.

Nose: Clean with moderately intense youthful aromas - red fruit, spice, and oak. Cherry and cinnamon were very noticeable above the glass. Deeper in there was more pepper, clove, nutmeg, and fruit that was almost reminiscent of red licorice.

Palate: Dry wine with medium alcohol and body. Very flabby acid and light tannins. Flavors similar to aromas, but much more subdued: spice, pepper, and oak. Fruit was cherry with a little plum. Also herbaceous notes on the finish - short as it was - like eucalyptus or mint.

Overall I'm going to say both of these wines had awesome color and really great aromas, but both also fell short on the palate. With the pronounced floral and apple aromas of the Viognier, and the spiciness of the Syrah I was really expecting a lot more, but was sadly disappointed. Intensity of flavor, acidity, and length were all severely lacking in my opinion. In all fairness though I can't say this is because of their organic/vegan-friendly status; maybe it was a poor harvest.

Looking at the winery's website I found some more information on organic wines (and the difference between those and wines made with organically grown grapes) as well as insight on the whole sulfite topic. They address some key points regarding the shelf-life of their wines as well as describing how sulfites are measured. Further information on the regulations put in place by the government on organic products can be found at the Agricultural Marketing Service's homepage

I'm totally impressed by the passion these guys put into their product and think the idea of growing organic grapes is cool. With the boom in the organic/natural/chemical-free lifestyle we've been experiencing in the U.S. they certainly have a place within the market. Unfortunately, I just don't care for these two wines, but that's not to say that someone else won't enjoy them - and at $9.99 a bottle I would recommend at least trying them or other wines in this category.

Cheers!