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A truly dynamic topic
Enjoyed your article on Biodynamics ("Uncovering Biodynamic Wine," Rudi Graeter, December). As a Biodynamic wine producer in Central Otago, New Zealand, we obviously have a vested interest. You mentioned labels that say "wine produced from organically grown grapes" and you seemed puzzled by the reference.
There is no internationally agreed standard of what organic wine is, or what constitutes organic winemaking. Indeed, in many parts of the world, you cannot label wine as organic for this reason. The U.S. standard for organic wines is different from all others, so there is no ability to standardize.
However, there is international agreement on organic farming standards. Hence, the description above is internationally permitted and valid labeling, while "organic wine" is not. That is why you see it on wine labels. It is rather unfortunate that the U.S. always creates its own standards, rather than take part in international consensus, which means that people exporting are unable to comply with everybody.
Lastly, there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as Biodynamic wine. Steiner was a teetotaler, who never even considered the possibility of adding wines to his philosophy, so never contemplated what a Biodynamic wine might be. There is, however, wine made from Biodynamically grown grapes.
Nigel Greening
Felton Road Wines
Bannockburn, New Zealand
Nice to see a non-goofy article on Biodynamic wineries. I just wanted to pass on that I've compiled the most accurate list of such wineries in the world. See it at: forkandbottle.com/wine/biodynamic_producers.htm.
Producers from around the world e-mail me to be added to my list. This is about the extent of publicity they want, though.
Jack Everitt
Fork & Bottle
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Basic biology
I just got around to reading your September article on yeast and alcohol production ("Inquiring Winemaker," Tim Patterson). Sad to say, I too was one of those misguided winemakers wistfully longing for the good old days when yeasts just weren't so darned efficient. Oh well, even a good UC Davis education sometimes isn't enough to prevent a misguided interpretation of some pretty basic biological facts. Thanks for the interesting and informative article.
Barry L. Bergman
General manager
R.H. Phillips Winery
Esparto, Calif.
Doin' it in the city
Small winemakers are applauding your article "Urban Economics" (Tim Patterson, October).
Six years ago my husband and I opened the first winery in the city of Campbell in an industrial building site. Were we crazy? Not really.... Almost seven years later, we have doubled our facility size, built an outdoor crush pad, bought our second forklift, crafted gold-medal-winning wines and started a custom crush business. Our winery has now helped to launch three more bonded wineries in Campbell.
Never say never!
Marie Pinder
Pinder Winery
Campbell, Calif.
Never too late for a kind word
I am finally catching up with my reading and saw your story in the July issue on pitching stories to wine trade pubs ("Marketing Matters," Tina Caputo). That little story was a great service to those of us in PR, who do try to communicate relevant and interesting news.
Thank you for taking the time to put that story together. It was great to hear from the editors about what they are looking for.
Jane Rogan
Marketing director
Summit Engineering
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Enjoyed your article on Biodynamics ("Uncovering Biodynamic Wine," Rudi Graeter, December). As a Biodynamic wine producer in Central Otago, New Zealand, we obviously have a vested interest. You mentioned labels that say "wine produced from organically grown grapes" and you seemed puzzled by the reference.
There is no internationally agreed standard of what organic wine is, or what constitutes organic winemaking. Indeed, in many parts of the world, you cannot label wine as organic for this reason. The U.S. standard for organic wines is different from all others, so there is no ability to standardize.
However, there is international agreement on organic farming standards. Hence, the description above is internationally permitted and valid labeling, while "organic wine" is not. That is why you see it on wine labels. It is rather unfortunate that the U.S. always creates its own standards, rather than take part in international consensus, which means that people exporting are unable to comply with everybody.
Lastly, there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as Biodynamic wine. Steiner was a teetotaler, who never even considered the possibility of adding wines to his philosophy, so never contemplated what a Biodynamic wine might be. There is, however, wine made from Biodynamically grown grapes.
Nigel Greening
Felton Road Wines
Bannockburn, New Zealand
Nice to see a non-goofy article on Biodynamic wineries. I just wanted to pass on that I've compiled the most accurate list of such wineries in the world. See it at: forkandbottle.com/wine/biodynamic_producers.htm.
Producers from around the world e-mail me to be added to my list. This is about the extent of publicity they want, though.
Jack Everitt
Fork & Bottle
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Basic biology
I just got around to reading your September article on yeast and alcohol production ("Inquiring Winemaker," Tim Patterson). Sad to say, I too was one of those misguided winemakers wistfully longing for the good old days when yeasts just weren't so darned efficient. Oh well, even a good UC Davis education sometimes isn't enough to prevent a misguided interpretation of some pretty basic biological facts. Thanks for the interesting and informative article.
Barry L. Bergman
General manager
R.H. Phillips Winery
Esparto, Calif.
Doin' it in the city
Small winemakers are applauding your article "Urban Economics" (Tim Patterson, October).
Six years ago my husband and I opened the first winery in the city of Campbell in an industrial building site. Were we crazy? Not really.... Almost seven years later, we have doubled our facility size, built an outdoor crush pad, bought our second forklift, crafted gold-medal-winning wines and started a custom crush business. Our winery has now helped to launch three more bonded wineries in Campbell.
Never say never!
Marie Pinder
Pinder Winery
Campbell, Calif.
Never too late for a kind word
I am finally catching up with my reading and saw your story in the July issue on pitching stories to wine trade pubs ("Marketing Matters," Tina Caputo). That little story was a great service to those of us in PR, who do try to communicate relevant and interesting news.
Thank you for taking the time to put that story together. It was great to hear from the editors about what they are looking for.
Jane Rogan
Marketing director
Summit Engineering
Santa Rosa, Calif.
| Write Us Please send us your opinions on wine industry issues, or your reactions to any of our articles. E-mail to edit@winesandvines.com or fax to (415) 453-2517. Items may be edited for clarity and brevity. |
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