Letters to the Editor
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Mantonat, thanks for proving my point.
Something more smug and self-cocking, I couldn't have written if I was Bill O'Reilly myself. And speaking about "style," it's a pity that you missed that particular typing class where they introduced the carriage return.
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Organic Wine is Responsible Hedonism
At the Organic Wine Journal, we celebrate what we call "responsible hedonism." People should drink wine for pleasure and taste, and that is what organic winemakers wish to be known for; the quality of their product. Their organic and biodynamic methods are secondary. It is what they believe leads to a superior wine.
Many of the world's top wines are already organic, which is simply the way wine was made for thousands of years until chemical farming became the norm in the last century. The majority of wine drinkers have probably had organic wines already, since many wineries do not even put it on the label.
Organics is now mainstream, so the attitude is starting to change, but for many reasons the wine world is the one place where "organic" seems to have a negative connotation. One reason is absurd statements like "generally the taste of organic wines isn't very good" by Andy Waterhouse of UC-Davis. That's like saying Italian restaurants are bad, you should stick to Spanish.
Wine that is organic doesn't have any particular taste, other than the skill of the winemaker, the grapes and the soil. Mr. Waterhouse, however, represents a school of thought that science can make better wine though chemicals, packaged yeasts and a host of other tricks that aim to manipulate what made wine special in the first place; the unique flavor produced by the right fruit in the right place.
That's the very idea the organic winemakers rebel against. Wine is not Coca-Cola. You shouldn't be able to chemically reproduce flavors wherever you wish and make the product more consistent for marketing purposes.
Sulfites are debated within the organic winemaking community, and they do not define organic wine. The US government did that. What is true is that an unsulfited wine must be stored properly, and the lack thereof will lead to an unpleasant experience. But that's a hardly a reason not to seek out and try some of the most exciting wines out there. Try a Zinfandel from Sonoma winemaker Tony Coturri and you'll be talking with your friends about flavor and passion, and not crying over missing sulfites.
"Wines made from organic grapes" can represent the same commitment from winemakers, who simply have no problem adding sulfites. Paul Chartrand, a leading importer of organic wines, wishes there could be just one category of "Organic Wine" and the labels could tell consumers whether or not they contained sulfites. These are simply government definitions, and change from country to country.
What is consistent is the quality of great organic wines, made from every grape in every country. There are bad ones out there, just as there are bad conventional wines. But if you want real flavor, terroir and fruit, start asking for more organic and biodynamic wines.
Adam Morganstern
Editor
The Organic Wine Journal
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Organic Wine Journal
Thanks. I did not know. We have a neighbor who takes Blueberries and puts a Blueberry Merlot label on a green bottle.
There is a 2000, 11% By Volume bottle with a uncorked real cork. He really does know how to brew.
His daughter is married to a South East Asian gentleman. It's a simple family hobby. He doesn't sell, and if he makes more than 250 gallons, he doesn't tell. They have a small greenhouse and nursery in Washington County, Maryland.
There is so much beauty. You wonder what some people sip that is so nasty? Gads, and on a daily basis. The bottle I've in front of me will be shared with my family in the valley. The same 2,000 year it did win a Blue Ribbon at the Maryland, Timonium State Fair. After today. I am not wanting to boast. Nature did it. Rain. Earth. Sun. Moon. Care. And with some Fortune and Luck, all get Blest. Blueberry Merlot is not from a rot gop-gut-winery.
Cheers.
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Tomreedtoon, why so angry? Honestly.
Your angry header directed at me made me sad, until I read your whole response. WOW! You really must be one bitter person to think that EVERYONE that has an interest in organic wine also drinks cappuccino and wears Old Navy, and is a pretentious schmuck. If you're trying to piss me off, you have only succeeded in making me laugh! Thanks, it feels good to have joy in my heart (do you know what that's like?). To let you know, I actually cut caffeine out of my system a few months ago, and now I have no problem staying awake when I need to. I've never even considered Old Navy an option for my wardrobe. And who are you to comment on how I live my life? You have no idea who I am, what I am, and why I am.
It really sorrows me to think you've had your head so far up your rear for so long that everything just seems like dung. Ask yourself why you hate people so much, just because they're different from you. Just because they choose to live a life not according to your world view. Perhaps if you spent less time criticizing people and really just listened and watched and understood the vast arrays of human interaction and psychology, you might actually find that folks aren't that bad. You might also find that none of this really affects your life. Don't you wake up everyday, even though Jack and Jane next door want to eat a carrot free of pesticides? If you directed all the animosity you have displayed in this forum into something creative and worthwhile, you might find it isn't so bad if your neighbor drives a Mercedes, while you prefer a bicycle (I prefer bicycles actually, but not for my line of work). Your neighbor may wear Tommy jeans while you wear used Wranglers, BUT WHO CARES!!!
But hey, I'm just a pretentious schmuck that doesn't think about anybody but myself, and my money, and my cappuccino, and my Old Navy, and my really obnoxiously over-priced organic wine. Right?