DrinkTheEarth.com Blog

The city that never sleeps now has an organic watering hole to contribute to its ongoing insomnia.  Last month, Manhattan’s GustOrganics opened a bar inside of its Greenwich Village restaurant, featuring a menu entirely comprised of organic beers, cocktails, wines, and liquors, as well as fresh organic fruit.  Impressively, the bar makes the claim as the first to be certified organic by the USDA.

Taking its commitment a step further, GustOrganics also features a wind turbine on the roof (must be an interesting sight in NYC), and menus made from 100% recycled paper and soy ink.  For those not able to live in the big city, we hope this is a sign of a new nightlife eco-trend to come.

DrinkTheEarth.com recently interviewed Ivo Jeramaz, Grgich Hills Estate’s VP of Vineyards & Production.  The Rutherford, California winery has been certified organic since 2006, and Demeter-certified biodynamic since 2007.  Ivo answered a host of questions ranging from why Grgich Hills decided to go biodynamic, to which of Grgich’s wines is his favorite (a question he artfully dodged).  Check out the interview in its entirety here.

Lisa Averbuch of organic spirits maker LOFT Liqueurs was recently featured on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.  The founder of the Emeryville, California company was part of a segment entitled ‘Million Dollar Ideas’, in which three entrepreneurs had thirty seconds to pitch their idea to a panel of experts on Deutsch’s show.

Competing against the inventor of something called the Rah Bra, and a children’s furniture company, Cartoon Furniture, Lisa made her case for why America is ready to seek out eco-elixirs.  Reaction to her pitch was mixed, with two of the three panelists dismissing the value of organics to the average bar patron.  However, a third panelist did reference the successes that biodynamic and organic wines have had, and suggested that it was time for organic liqueurs to have their day as well.

Definitely worth a watch (note: LOFT’s pitch starts at about the 3:00 mark), although in the end, the panelists chose whimsical children’s furniture over organic liqueurs as a better financial bet.  That’s OK, Lisa.  Even if part of Madison Avenue isn’t quite ready for organic liqueurs, we’re still with you.

Our Tour Guide, Johnny, lines up a generous tasting of Sauvignon Blanc

If you’ve spent any time at all in the Napa Valley, it’s pretty easy to become jaded by the many mega “trophy” wineries that have sprung up in the last 10 years.  So, even though we knew when we made the tour appointment that Frog’s Leap Winery was supposed to be different, we still weren’t sure what to expect (although, based on the Frog’s Leap’s website, we really should have known better).

Arriving for our tour at the Rutherford, California winery on a cool day with moody, low-lying clouds threatening overhead, we pulled into the gravel parking lot, where the newly-certified LEED Silver hospitality center and administrative office stands just off to the side.  Surrounded by olive trees and gardens, the building, as modern and eco-friendly as it is, still appears to have been built to complement the land, rather than dominate it.  Besides being LEED certified, the center also uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling, and the entire winery is run on photovoltaic energy, a type of solar power.  In fact, according to the Frog’s Leap website, the winery produces so much energy from solar that they are actually able to sell the excess energy produced back to the power company for credit.  In other words, Frog’s Leap is actually an energy provider!

Inside of the hospitality center, visitors are greeted by the aptly-named winery cat, Terra, who has the complicated and surely exhausting job of being petted and cooed over approximately eight hours a day.  The tour then begins in a window-filled room off to the side of the house, at what is really a long dinner table that’s able to seat everyone scheduled on the tour, in this case, a full house of approximately 16. 

Our host for the next hour was Johnny, and we didn’t know it at the time, but we were in for the most fun and least formal tour of any we’d had in Napa.  And, unlike most tours, it’s completely free. 

And have I mentioned the tour also includes tasting?

We started out with generous pours of the 2007 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, which was lovely, crisp, and seemingly very food-friendly, and fermented in 100% stainless steel.  After a few minutes of discussion about the wine and the history and philosophy of Frog’s Leap, Johnny grabbed another bottle, we grabbed our glasses, and headed out for the tour. 

Walking out to the wrap-around porch, we headed down into the vineyards.  Pouring us all another tasting, this time a pretty, tart, 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay loaded with minerality and only the slightest bit of oak for balance (not your typical Napa Chard, for sure),  it was explained to us that Frog’s Leap uses a process called “dry farming” on their 200 acres of certified organic vines.  In their opinion, the benefits to this are two-fold.  The first is that it is believed that deep rooted vines produce grapes, and therefore wines, of greater and more distinct character.  Basically, the vines have to work harder to stay alive.  The second is that it conserves water and promotes healthy soil.  Yet another way that Frog’s Leap is, pardon the pun, greener than the average winery.

With a third pour, the 2006 Napa Valley Zinfandel, in hand, a field blend that doesn’t overpower, we continued our tour, passing the chicken coops and gardens (with Head Gardener, Degge Hays, digging away in the dirt), and headed into the Red Barn, which houses the wine-making facility (and a basketball net-the purpose of which will be explained to us in a few minutes).  We toured the barrel room and the fermentation area, at which time Johnny pulled out yet another bottle (he keeps them “hidden” around the path of the tour, so as to not have to try and carry 4 bottles of wine around for an hour or more).  We were treated to a tasting of the 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a fragrant, intensely flavored wine, as we made our way upstairs to the “party room,” which is often used for staff gatherings, and has a beautiful view of the grounds.  At this point, the official tour was finished, and it was time to mingle with our “tourmates,” ask any questions that we may have about the wines and tour, or just enjoy the atmosphere.

Corralling us back together, we were eventually lead back down the stairs, all of us thinking that the tour was done.  But we were sorely mistaken.  The basketball net and small make-shift cement court lay between us and the door.  Johnny pulled out the ball, and we came to the true end of the tour: a free-throw contest! 

Needless to say, my husband and I did not win (or even make our baskets).  And I now know that wine and basketball do not mix.  Like the saying goes, you learn something new every day, and at Frog’s Leap, I can honestly say, we learned a lot.

As promised, we’ll be publishing the next article in our series from last month’s Sonoma/Napa visit shortly (a review of the Frog’s Leap Winery tour is coming soon).   In the meantime, we wanted to share some news from a wine region we’ll be covering in a bit more detail early next year.  Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Southbrook Vineyards announced yesterday that their hospitality pavilion was recently granted LEED Gold certification.  Located in Ontario, Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake is an up and coming wine region probably best known for producing world-class icewine from producers such as Inniskillin and Hillebrand Estates.  At last visit several years ago, my wife and I discovered some very good Canadian whites, in particular many wineries who were doing quite well with German-style varietals such as Gewurztraminer and Riesling.

Southbrook just officially opened in June of this year, and more recently received their biodynamic certification from Demeter.  They appear to be the only winery in Canada at present to receive this distinction.  Achieving LEED Gold and Demeter certification just months apart is a double-feat you don’t see very often in the industry, so we pass along to them our congratulations.  We’ll be featuring more Canadian organic and biodynamic winemaking efforts in the first-half of 2009, so stay tuned.  Incidentally, Southbrook informed us that they hope to offer U.S. distribution for their wines early in 2009 as well.

LEED Gold-certified Southbrook Vineyards Hospitality Center (copyright Southbrook Vineyards; used with permission).

For More About Organic and Biodynamic Wines, Visit DrinkTheEarth.com

The other night, my wife & I enjoyed a great organic Sauvignon Blanc from McFadden Vineyard of Mendocino County, California.  They’re a small producer known more for selling their fruit to other wineries including Robert Mondavi, Chateau Montelena, Navarro, Fetzer, Piper Sonoma and several others.  We bought a bottle of their 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (the first year they made one) on a wine trip a couple of years ago without knowing much about them.  Mendocino is quickly becoming another hub of small organic producers, similar to the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.  A couple of months ago MSNBC.com published an article reporting the rise of organic winemaking in Mendocino, giving recognition to both McFadden Farms and Sterling Vineyards, the latter being another large wine label that buys some of its grapes from McFadden.

We definitely plan to replace our ‘05 as soon as possible, which at $16, is only slightly more expensive than similar large-production wines you can get in your local grocery store.  We enjoyed our bottle with a variety of cheeses, including brie, goat, sharp cheddar, and beemster, as well as some roasted garlic.  The wine seemed to hold its own relatively well with all of them, but was an especially good pairing with the brie and roasted garlic together.

Entrance to Robert Sinskey Vineyards, located in Napa, California

Having regrettably never made it to Robert Sinskey Vineyards in previous visits, my wife and I sought out this Napa institution which has been farming organically since 1991, and more recently received its Demeter biodynamic certification.  Our pleasant tasting experience was chaperoned by Susan, who started working for the winery earlier in the year.  Somewhat unique to many of our other winery visits, Sinskey offers an hors d’oeuvres pairing to go along with each wine on their tasting menu.  You can purchase the aptly-named ’Gluttonous Flight’ for $20 ($15 is refunded with a two-bottle purchase), which on this day included four wine and food pairings.  The pairings are heavily influenced by Robert Sinskey’s wife Maria Helm Sinskey, a well-known chef and cookbook author.  Susan explained to us that Sinskey wines are made from nearly 200 acres of vineyards in the Carneros region of Napa, located in the southern part of the county.  Most of their vines are not actually in the immediate area surrounding the majestic tasting room facility, built into a beautiful hillside off Napa’s famed Silverado Trail.

As the tasting menu was dominated by reds on this day, we started our experience  with the 2006 Los Carneros Pinot Noir, which Susan explained was the most widely distributed Sinskey wine made and produced from a blend of grapes farmed across multiple vineyards.  We followed the ‘06 Los Carneros with the 2005 Four Vineyards Pinot Noir, which is aged in French oak.  Perhaps due to being a year older, we preferred the Four Vineyards to the Los Carneros, although both appeared well suited to pair with a good wild salmon steak.  Susan explained that they try and stay away from high alcohol levels, opting for more acidity to pair with food.  Next, we tried the 2005 Los Carneros Merlot, which we found very light and fruity, especially on the nose.  We ended the tasting with the 2005 Marcien, a proprietary red that is aged for 20 months in French oak.  Intrigued by our liking of the two Pinots we tried, we opted to blindly buy a bottle each of 2005 Capa Vineyards Pinot Noir, and the 2005 Vandal Vineyard Pinot Noir, neither of which were being poured in the tasting room that day but were recommended by Susan.

The final day of our trip happened to be Thanksgiving, and following a recent tradition, Healdsburg’s Porter Creek Vineyards was one of only three wineries open for business on that day.  Their modest, rustic tasting room was nearly filled with those getting an early start to the holiday festivities.  Guided by Mike, our tasting room experience started with the 2007 Timbervine Ranch Viognier, one of the few Viogniers we had a chance to taste on this particular trip.  We also tasted their 2006 Estate Pinot Noir against the 2006 Fiona Hill Pinot Noir, the latter of which is named for the 5 1/2 year old daughter of Alex Davis, Porter Creek’s winemaker.  While we liked both, we slightly preferred the Fiona Hill.  While teasing us by pouring an otherwise unavailable 2004 Zinfandel, we asked Mike about the vineyards located out the back window of the tasting room.  He explained that they in fact belonged to the massive E&J Gallo Winery, and were not part of their estate.  Since Porter Creek is certified biodynamic and Gallo does not practice organic farming methods, Gallo is required to maintain at least a small separation between their vines and those of Porter Creek.  Mike also explained that Gallo is not permitted to spray pesticides or other chemicals when the wind speed is above a certain threshold, a situation Porter Creek understandably monitors closely.

We left with a bottle each of the Viognier, as well as the 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel, which Mike assured us is likely on the same tasting path as the 2004 we tried (we hope he’s right!).  If you’re looking for a biodynamic producer with a versatile lineup of very good wines, Porter Creek is a great stop.  We look forward to getting back when there’s less of a crowd to spend more time asking questions about their winemaking practices.

Organic farming sign as posted outside Porter Creek

Next Up: Details of our tasting room visits to certified-organic producers, including Frog’s Leap Winery.

For more about biodynamic and organic wines, visit DrinkTheEarth.com.