More Bordeaux Vineyards Converting to Organic

Increasing numbers of vineyards in Bordeaux are switching to organic methods of production, after lagging behind other French winemaking regions.

According to Patrick Vasseur, vice president of the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture, there are up to date figures available, but anecdotal evidence indicates that around 300 vineyards a year are converting to organic.

 

“It’s quite simple, everyone is switching over” winegrower Philippe Carrille told Vitisphere. His 23-hectare Château Poupille in Castillon Côte de Bordeaux has been certified since 2008.   This surge of new converts, “can only be cause for rejoicing”, added Gwénaëlle le Guillou, director of the New Aquitaine organic wine producers’ organisation (SVBNA). She pointed out that until recently, Bordeaux had trailed well behind other regions, with only 11% of vineyards committed to organic, compared to a national average of 14%.

 

“There are currently significant price differences between organic and conventional, but this will not last,” said Phillipe Cazaux, director of the co-operative group Bordeaux Families.  “Well-deserved added value will remain, though, due to the technical commitments and the risk incurred by the supply side. This year the group has 105 hectares certified organic and 551 hectares in the conversion phase. “Initially, small areas entered the process, but then gradually the larger areas followed suit”, said Cazaux, who plans to convert a fifth of acreage to organic within five years, with a longer-term goal of 1,000 hectares by 2027.

 

Éric Hénaux, director of the Tutiac co-operative group, is adopting a more cautious approach and waiting for the current 620 hectares to be converted by 2022 before making any further plans. “We will see how the market stabilizes,” he said. “A lot of organic wines came on-stream, and prices fell. We have to be careful not to produce more volumes than we have the capacity to sell. The objective is not to sell on the spot market, but to focus on bottles and three-year contracts”.

 

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#wine #redwine #whitewine #bordeauxwinelovers #winelovers #instawine

Spring has finally arrived and so has the arrival of Sperling Vineyards “Spring Releases”

This vintage marks the third year of certified organic wines from Sperling Vineyards. Sperling Vineyards is British Columbia’s oldest heritage vineyard, and home of Canada’s leading organic and biodynamic winegrower Ann Sperling.

Ann Sperling and her family are pioneers, first in the history of agriculture in the Kelowna region, and in both biodynamic and organic viticulture, and winemaking practice. The proof of their success is in the long lineup of awards. Taste for yourself!  Their wines are known to be wines of elegance, texture & authenticity.

Sperling Vineyards Blueprint

Location: Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Established: Four generations: 1860s – land was cleared, settled and the farm was officially established in the1920s

 First vintage: 2008

Winemaker:  Ann Sperling

Viticultural Practices: Organic and Biodynamic

Estate: 45 acres

This anticipated release includes the following wines, with tasting notes.

Organic Market White 2018

Aromas of peach and orange with hints of honeysuckle;
soft on the palate with flavours of apple, apricot, grapefruit and pear; nice long and fresh finish
89 Points

Organic Pinot Gris 2018

This lovely estate-bottled PG has a nice weight; aromas of white fruits, on the mouth beach and honey, lingering with clean mineral flavours; refreshing acidity.
89 Points

Organic Natural Amber Pinot Gris 2018

Aromatically this orange wine has hints of earl gray tea, jasmine, and stone fruits; while the palate is fresh and long with texture and finishes fresh.

From the Vision series, this lovely orange wine is made from 40% whole cluster, 40% whole berry and 20% pressed juice from hand-picked Pinot Gris. Natural yeast and malolactic fermented, this wine has had nothing added and nothing taken away (no sulfites, or additives, and no fining or filtration). Being unfiltered it is slightly cloudy.
90 points

 Organic Pinot Noir 2017

This light ruby wine has some notes of spicy strawberry on the nose;
I found it to be a medium-bodied wine that is dry with some strawberry flavours and fresh acidity; excellent length.
91 points

Organic Vision Chardonnay 2017

Beautiful bright gold; on the nose, aromas of fresh apples, pear, and quince; while tasting I found it had a good weight with flavours of baked fruit and some spic; well-balanced acid keeps it fresh with a long finish.
89 Points

Organic Old Vines Foch Reserve 2017

Deep ruby colour; with a nose of plum and hints of spice; I found the wine to be medium-bodied, dry, with plum and cherry flavours; fresh and lively in the mouth with a long finish.
91 Points

Sperling Vineyards is also offering FREE SHIPPING across Canada right now, with some other tempting promotions – Market Series wines: buy 5 get the 6th free or spend $75 and we’ll include a gift with purchase.

Check out their website for details https://sperlingvineyards.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainable, Organic, Lower-alcohol and Alternative Wine go Mainstream

A recent Sola Report from Wine Intelligence highlights that there is a huge opportunity for the industry to produce more alternative wines.

The Sola Report is an acronym for the alternative wines sector, which includes sustainable, organic, lower-alcohol and other alternative wines. The Sola Report tracks how the alternative wine market changes from year to year, and includes an opportunity index, which crosses 11 markets and 12 sub-categories – this determines where Sola wines have the greatest chance of success.

Emily Carroll, who compiled the report for Wine Intelligence, said the “prominence of the organic movement continues to be evident: organic wine tops the Sola wine opportunity index for the second year in a row, most likely due to the popularity of organic food across the world.

“Following closely behind is Fairtrade wine and generic concept wines ‘sustainably produced’ and ‘environmentally friendly’— all three types associated with a blend of social, economic and environmental responsibility.”

She said increasing awareness among consumers for alternative wines was the result of a “fundamental shift in consumer attitudes, led by the younger generation. What was once seen as ‘hippy’ is now the mainstream, with many consumers, particularly those under the age of 45, adopting socially, environmentally and economically responsible habits. This requires companies to act more ethically responsible and more transparent, which naturally also applies to the wine industry”.

She added that “younger wine drinkers present the most opportunity for alternative wines due to their open-minded attitudes and willingness to invest time, education and money into their health. Young wine drinkers are not only more likely to purchase alternative wines such as organic, Fairtrade or sustainable wines compared with older drinkers, but are also more willing in general to pay a premium for wine in the off- and on-trade”.

However, she said, the challenge would be to “engage this cohort with the alternative wine category, as younger consumers are very much attuned to other drinks categories, like craft beer and gin, and also are less likely to be participants in the alcoholic beverage category to begin with”.

She also said there is “less appeal for alternative wines with more complex titles including orange or skin contact wine as well as biodynamic wine. Interestingly, even though veganism and vegetarianism is on the rise, these two Sola wine categories rank the lowest in the 2019 global Sola wine opportunity index”.

The first Sola report was released in 2018. It surveyed consumer sentiment towards 12 alternative wine types in 11 key wine markets, looking at awareness, purchase intent and affinity towards alternative wines. The 2019 report has been expanded to include vegetarian wine and five new markets and is “now representative of 250 million regular wine drinkers from a broad spread of geography, culture and economic development”.

Wine Review: Southbrook 2014 Organic Connect White

IMG_0262-2
Bottle size:
 750 ml

Alcohol: 9.9%

Sweetness: Medium Dry

Type: White Wine

Style: Off-dry & Fruity

Winery: Southbrook Vineyards, Niagara

Certification:  Organic – ProCert

LCBO#: 249078   |   $15.95

Drink: 2016-2020

 

 

Tasting Notes:

A blend of odoriferous varietals include 58% Vidal, 21% Chardonnay, 12% Riesling, and 9% Sauvignon Blanc; nose is a fruit-driven bouquet of melon, peach and apricot; The palate is soft and round with hints of peach, apple and pear – slightly off-dry with refreshing acidity – flavours linger through to medium finish.

Rating: 89/100

Review by Liz Palmer
www.liz-palmer.com

LizPalmer_
@Lizpalmer_