Organic Viticulture and Biodynamic Viticulture

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Organic Viticulture

The terms "organic" or "ecological viticulture" can briefly be explained as a method which does not use any mineral fertilizer, chemical-synthetic and systemic pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides). As a result, it may be assumed that these substances, most of which are carcinogenic or suspected of being so, will not be present in wines from organic or ecological cultivation and will also not be in the ground water.

It would however be naive to believe that this means that all the organic wines on the market are of a superior quality. This can only be made possible with the help of further quality-oriented steps in the vineyards and the wine cellars.

Biodynamic Viticulture

Those restrictions in respect to the use of chemicals which apply to organic wine apply to biodynamic viticulture as well. From an anthroposophical viewpoint, agriculture, and hence a vineyard as well, can be seen as an individual entity which has its very own biotope with as large a diversity of animals, birds, insects and plants as possible. This means that many different plants should be cultivated and that hedges and trees should be planted at the sides of the roads. The effective treatment and the fertility of the soil is facilitated by the farm animals which are kept, consisting mainly of ruminants (cattle, but sheep and horses as well) proportional to the area being farmed. The manure from the farm animals is composted, along with any other organic substances which have accumulated, and used as fertilizer. In exceptional cases, it is permissible to buy and use manure from other farmers who also use ecological methods.

Whereas the changeover from conventional viticulture (using chemicals) to organic viticulture takes two and a half to three years, the period stipulated for biodynamic viticulture is six to seven years. It is not until this time that the chemicals used in the soil have decomposed and the soil has obtained the desired vitality with sufficient microorganisms. The reason for this long changeover period can be attributed to a theory developed by Rudolf Steiner, an anthroposophist and the founder of biodynamic agriculture, which maintains that fungal diseases of plants (which cause the most damage in viticulture) are the result of an imbalance between the soil and its environment. In order to restore the balance and to obtain a healthy soil fertility, the farmers use 8 biodynamic compounds, most of which they produce themselves. They are numbered from 500 to 507 and consist of the following components:

500 Horn Manure - Cow manure is put into a cow horn and buried in the ground during the winter, in the spring it is mixed with water and stirred making a vortex movement (this process, known in homeopathy, is called dynamization) and sprayed onto the vineyard in small homeopathic doses in order to improve the soil.

501 Horn Quartz - Finely ground quartz is put into the horn of a cow and buried in the ground during the summer. During the next stage of vegetation it is dynamized with water and sprayed onto the vines to improve the photosynthesis.

Compounds 502 -507 are based on compost, to which the blossoms of yarrow, camomile, dandelion as well as oak bark or the juice of valerian blossoms are added in order to increase the activity of the microbes in the compost.

Furthermore, in biodynamic viticulture all the work done in the vineyards or in the wine cellars is carried out according to the pattern of cosmic rhythms and the position of the stars. Maria Thun's lunar calendar, with its days for sowing and planting, is also taken into account.

What organic viticulture and biodynamic viticulture have in common is that in both systems it is permissible to use small amounts of copper and sulfur to combat fungal diseases.

It has been our experience that many winegrowers change from conventional viticulture to organic viticulture to begin with and then switch to biodynamic viticulture. However very few of them have become as intensely involved with Rudolf Steiner's theories, anthroposophy and biodynamic viticulture as Nicolas Joly has. When such well-known names as Madame Bize-Leroy from the Domaine Leroy, Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leflaive, Château Beaucastel, Domaine Marcoux, Peter Sissek, Perez Palacios, Bertrand Sourdais embrace the concept of biodynamic viticulture and proclaim openly that this method has continuously raised the quality of their wine, it would be very foolish to allege that their reasons for this are of an ideological nature. It is for the same pragmatic reasons that our winegrowers practice biodynamic viticulture. The wineries to which I am referring are Fuchs-Jacobus, Sander and Stutz in Germany, the Domaine Eugen Meyer, Domaine Zusslin, Domaine de l'Ecu, Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, Domaine Jean-Claude Rateau, Domaine de Marcoux, Château Romanin, Cazes, Château Falfas, Château Vieux Pourret in France, the Fattoria Cerreto Libri in Italy and the Nikolaihof in Austria. They are members of the Demeter Assocation or of "Biodyn", the Association for Biodynamic Viticulture.

For anyone wanting to learn more about biodynamic viticulture, I recommend Nicolas Joly's books entitled "Wine From Sky to Earth", "Biodynamic Wine Demystified" and "What is Biodynamic wine ?"

Erich Hartl

hartl@weinpur.de

www.organicwinepure.com

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Le FIGARO awards the Jas d'Esclans rosé the Coup de Coeur

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Le FIGARO publishes regular reports on outstanding wines produced in France, as do all the other French daily papers, and these are written by Éric Beaumard, the best sommelier in France, whose full-time job is managing the restaurant in the famous Hotel GEORGE V in Paris.

In the October 27, 2009 issue, Éric Beaumard presents 13 of his favorite wines (Coup de Coeur). One of these is the Côtes de Provence rosé from the Domaine du Jas d'Esclans. Since we have been selling the wines produced by the Domaine for many years, we are not surprised, but are delighted that other experts have confirmed our opinion of these wines.

The new vintage of this wine will be available again starting April 2010.

Erich Hartl

hartl@weinpur.com

www.organicwinepure.com

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Why do some of our organic wines contain the fragrances of macchia or garrigue?

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When we describe the fragrance and the aromas of our organic wines from the Mediterranean area, from time to time we use the terms "garrigue" or "macchia." This almost impenetrable vegetation, typical of the entire Mediterranean area, is 2 to 3 meters tall, and consists of gorse, rosemary, rockrose, tree heath, greenbrier, arbutus and myrtle (in Sardinia there is a liqueur made of myrtle). Around noon and in summer, when the temperatures are high, this vegetation exudes a multitude of fragrances which are known as the very distinct, spicy-resinous, dry scent of the macchia or the garrigue. Those vines and grapes which are grown quite close to this vegegation seem to take on the scent of this fragrant "perfume," which makes it very slightly discernible in the wine later on, giving it a pleasant taste. The following wines are good examples of this:

La Chapelle de Romanin

Seguret, Clos du Joncuas

Côteaux du Languedoc, Domaine de la Triballe

Erich Hartl

hartl@weinpur.com

www.organicwinepure.com

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Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG, 2007, Torre alle Tolfe

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We allowed this Chianti to age for more than one year in our cellar, since we wanted to wait for it to reach maturity and for it to become more refined. During this time, we tried it occasionally, but did not recommend it for sale, since to us it seemed to be still too young. However, this wine has now exceeded our expectations and has proven to be more than worth the wait. This organic Chianti, made from 80 % Sangiovese, 10 % Canaiolo and 10 % Colorino, is now demonstrating all the typical characteristics of a very, very good wine from Tuscany, a wine which is even surpassing its predecessors.

Its fragrance is characterized by ripe berries, cherries, vanilla, wood, spices and herbs, with mineral components; dense, dry, fresh, it expresses the typicity and spirit of the Sangiovese. As far as taste is concerned, this Chianti also has a lot to offer: The warm, succulent cherry, the powerful structure and the hearty, spicy bite make it ideal when paired with a juicy roast and a tasty sauce.

Serve it now at a temperature of between 15 to 17 degrees centigrade, or store it until 2012.

If we had not known Sergio Lo Jacono for many years before he ok over the management of Torre alle Tolfe, we would have thought it would be impossible to change the characteristics of the wines which they had been producing in such a short time.

As important as the "terroir" is for good wine, it is the work in the vineyard and in the cellar which have an even stronger impact on the wine. Apart from this, we would have been suspicious of all the awards received in just as short a period of time, since there is a lot of talk about "purchased wine evaluations," which in practice are difficult to trace.

However, what was written about the 2005 vintage in the journals DER FEINSCHMECKER and VINUM was confirmed by a panel of wine tasters during Italy's largest wine fair, VINITALY, which gave the 2007 vintage a "GRAN MENZIONE."

1st place in VINUM in a test comparing 180 Tuscan wines: the best Chianti with the highest evaluation.

2nd place in DER FEINSCHMECKER (of 69 Chiantis tested).

Erich Hartl

hartl@weinpur.de

www.organicwinepure.com

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MONICA DI SARDEGNA SUPERIORE “KREU”

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We knew for many years, that Meloni Vini from Sardegna is producing excellent wines, otherwise we would not have them in our selection.

When these wines are judged positively by a neutral jury and rewarded with a gold medal, we are very happy about, because it is a confirmation form our own quality criteria and judgement.

Our wine MONICA DI SARDEGNA SUPERIORE “KREU” was awarded with a gold medal on February 19/2009 at the GALA ITALIA in New York.

Erich Hartl

hartl@weinpur.com

www.organicwinepure.com

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KOSTI, a blend of Cannonau, Monica di Sardegna and Bovali

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It is not surprising when wines from Meloni Vini in Sardegna are continiously awarded with medals. The wine KOSTI, a blend of Cannonau, Monica di Sardegna and Bovali, after winning a silver medal at the contest MUNDUS VINI in Germany, could again win a silver medal at the CONCOURS MONDIALES in Brussels.

This is a nice confirmation for our selection and a guarantee for our clients.

Erich Hartl

hartl@weinpur.de

www.organicwinepure.com

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Château La Canorgue

. High-Quality Wines - Wines with a Soul

The note "wine made from ecologically grown grapes" is not necessarily a guarantee of a particularly good quality. Martin and Jean-Pierre Margan were aware of this when in spite of their limited financial resources they decided 30 years ago to revive the winery which had not been farmed by Martine's parents for 20 years. At that time, winegrowing was not a very profitable activity in this region, since the Luberon wines didn't have a very good reputation, and organic winegrowing was practiced by very few people at that time. Thus a great deal of effort was necessary in order to make this project a success.


However Jean-Pierre, who is an enologist, was able to rely on his own positive assessment of the soil in the vineyards, which had not been polluted with chemicals. The soil as well as the location provided the outstanding prerequisites for ecological winegrowing.

Martine and Jean-Pierre's first meeting was the stuff of which romantic films are made - Jean-Pierre was the guide on a hike in the mountains, and Martine was one of the hikers. After their wedding, they made plans, calculated expenses, and worked hard. At the beginning, Jean-Pierre sold insurance in the mornings, Martine worked as a nurse, and from the afternoon on until late in the evening they worked in their vineyards. Of the original 30 hectares of winegrowing area, almost all of which were on low vineyard terraces called "restanques", only 2 hectares contained vines. They are surrounded by bushes, and pine trees tower above them, not only protecting the vines from the cold mistral but also giving birds and insects a habitat, thus making sure that pests do not get out of hand.


When we visited the Château La Canorgue for the first time in the mid-1980s, the first thing that impressed us was a large wrought iron gate, which prevented us from entering the courtyard of the old manor, built on the foundations of a Roman villa. Huge sycamores, which have been in the courtyard for 400 years, provide shade close to a spring-fed pond built by the Romans 2000 years ago and channeled here underground. Some years later, we had the pleasure of enjoying the view of the vineyard terraces, which are designed in the shape of an amphitheater and which slope up in the direction of Bonnieux, from the south side of the house during an unforgettable Provencal dinner.

Today, 20 years later, the Château La Canorgue still irradiates the pristine aura of days gone by. However, anyone who knows the estate as it used to be will notice the enormous changes. The makeshift wine cellar was relocated to a remodeled annex and modernized. The salesrooms, the office and storage room for the bottles have also been relocated to a remodeled, modernized annex. Nathalie Margan, who is being increasingly integrated into the management of the entire operation and who will be in charge of it in the future, now also lives in a house belonging to the Château. Martine and Jean-Pierre only live here in the summer, and in the winter they prefer to live in a heated apartment nearby, since winters in the Provence can be quite cold.

Today, the vineyards encompass an area of approximately 30 hectares. They are cultivated according to organic farming methods and to the extent that this is possible according to biodynamic agricultural methods, and the care they receive is exemplary. It goes without saying that no artificial fertilizers or synthetic chemical pesticides are used. Special care is given to the vineyard soil. This is porous, well-aerated, contains many roots and thus is able to absorb moisture. Anyone who picks up some of the soil and smells it will notice the spicy aroma of fresh mushrooms. The soil is fertilized with composted horse and sheep manure.

Combined with a limited harvest - per hectare only 30 - 35 hl, the careful work done thinning out the vines by hand in summer, in this case also removing grapes which are not growing well, a manual harvest at the right time, as well as skillful winemaking, this guarantees wines whose quality has been consistently high for many decades.Margan Nathalie Margan und Uschi

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.organicwinepure.com

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A Wine Journey along the Loire

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Two weeks earlier than usual, our return journey took us from Nantes along the Loire and the Cher (a tributary of the Loire), where we were able to visit some of our wine-growers.

While driving through the Muscadet region, we noticed that the soil of the wine-growing areas which are farmed conventionally was not "naked," as it usually is, but that it was covered with reddish brown plants. Guy Bossard, a Demeter wine-grower, explained this to us: The large increase in the price of herbicides has caused those wine-growers who use conventional methods to spray the herbicides 3 to 4 weeks later than usual. This means it was not possible to prevent the first growth of grass and "weeds," and that these were not destroyed until they had grown 10 to 20 centimeters high. While the grass and weeds are dying off, they take on a reddish brown color. All in all, these wine-growers are trying to reduce the number of times they spray the herbicides each year in order to limit costs. We found the state of the wine-growing areas a disgrace for the entire Muscadet region, in which there are only two wine-growers who produce organic wine.

Guy Bossard, who had announced our arrival by telephone to Virginie Joly (Clos de la Coulée de Serrant), told us how it is possible to preserve the environment and to grow wine using organic methods. He knew that she had planted young vines along a stone wall and advised her to collect the snails which were hiding in the wall and which would emerge when it rained before they were able to eat the shoots of the young vines.

All of the wine-growers complained about the bad harvests in 2007 (constant rain and peronospora) and in 2008 (a heavy frost on April 7 which froze the young shoots), both of which threatened their existence. They are able to cope financially with one bad year, but 2 years is more than they can handle, and they are hoping that 2009 will be a good year.

We had actually intended to visit a "new" wine-growing estate in the Appellation Vovray, but it wasn't important enough for us to want to walk through the vineyards in the pouring rain without rubber boots.

Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet at the Clos Roche Blanche have already rented out half of their vineyards (9 hectares) and are planning to retire within the next few years, if they are able to find a successor. The Dauny family in Sancerre has no worries in this respect, since their oldest son is presently assuming responsibility for their wine estate.

To sum up our trip: It's a good feeling to be working with wine-growers who are quality-oriented and environmentally aware and who provide us with high-quality, pure wines with strong characters. These are organic wines which we like to drink ourselves and which we can offer to our customers with a clear conscience.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.com
www.organicwinepure.com

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Natural Cork, Screwcaps, Plastic Corks or Glass Corks

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A Never Ending Story

For more than 20 years, the wine trade has been debating on the best way to close wine bottles in order to avoid so-called cork taint. There is no question that this happens repeatedly, and it spoils the enjoyment of the wine. The unpleasant musty taste is caused by trichloroanisole, a chlorinated, aromatic hydrocarbon.

The following theories on this subject, published in various media, are exaggerated and presumably depend upon who publishes them or on whose behalf they are published. The choices here range from producers of plastic corks, screwtops, glass corks, the natural cork industry to environmentalists.

- Natural cork is affected by trichloroanisole because of improper handling (drying).
- 10 to 20 % of all wines have cork contamination.
- Plastic corks are just as suitable as natural corks for wines which are stored for many years.
- Plastic corks contain "softeners" which can enter the wine if it is stored for a long period of time and which can cause health problems.
- Wine cannot breathe and mature if glass corks are used.
- Environmental associations are afraid that the cork oak forests in Spain, Portugal and Sardinia will disappear.

None of the publications of which I am aware have claimed that the increase in cork contamination is connected with the way in which the cork oak forests are managed. Whereas 40 years ago the bark of the cork oaks was stripped at intervals of between 12 to 14 years, this has now been reduced to between 8 and 9 years with the help of strong artificial fertilization. In order to protect the cork oaks from fungal decay and mold, it is customary today to use fungicides containing chlorophenol, which presumably produces trichloroanisole during its biological decomposition.

After considering the advantages and disadvantages of the individual systems, which wine closures a wine-grower uses and which ones the wine drinker favors still seems to be a question of personal preference today.

If the owners of the cork oak forests were to switch to biological farming methods, they would be able to produce flawless corks once again.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.organicwinepure. com


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Natural cork or alternative wine closures?

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This is an issue which is becoming increasingly important for organic wine-growers, since a wine which tastes of cork will not satisfy the customers and will mean increasing costs for the wine dealers if they have to replace cork-tainted wines.

Apart from its origin, cork, which is a natural product, is no longer environmentally friendly if you consider how it is produced using fertilizers and fungicides on the oak trees and how the bark is turned into a finished cork for a bottle of wine. The production of "natural corks" and pressed corks, which are made from waste products of natural cork, involves processes such as boiling, bleaching, coloring and sizing, which are not exactly beneficial to the environment.

In addition, these products also cause problems for getting rid of household waste, which is no longer brought to a garbage dump but is now burned, and the burning of these requires a great deal of energy. On the other hand plastic corks, made of polyethylene, produce more energy when they are burned than is required to ignite them.

Environmentally conscious wine-growers use unbleached and uncolored natural corks for their high-quality organic wines, and plastic corks are also no longer taboo.

Environmentally conscious wine drinkers do not put their natural corks into the household waste; they have them recycled as insulation material. If there is no collection point where you live, you can send us the natural corks you have accumulated.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
www.biowein-pur.de

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Château La Canorgue - consistently at the top for 15 years

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Since we started working with the Château La Canorgue almost 20 years ago, we have always valued the unfailingly high quality of their wines. The quality of a winery and a vintner is not proven with one single good wine from an exceptional vintage; it becomes evident in consistently high-quality wines in continuous vintages, as is the case with the Château la Canorgue.

Medals and rewards

1993 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Elected Wine producer of the Year by the Guide Gault-Millau

1994 Silbermedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris

1995 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours des Vins de France in Macon

1996 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Elected Best Rosé de France by L’Officiel des Grands Vins

1997 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Wine Exibition in Orange
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio
Silbermedal fort he Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Wine Fair in Orange
Bronzemedal for the Viognier at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture biologique

1998 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours des Vins de France in Macon
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Wine Fair in Orange
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio

1999 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Wine Fair in Avignon
Bronzemedal for the Chardonnay at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture biologique

2000 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris

2001 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio
Silbermedal for the Concours des Vins de France in Macon
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé beim Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio

2002 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal für den Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Wine Fair in Weinmesse in Orange

2003 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Wine Fair in Orange

2004 Goldmedal for the Côtes du Luberon red at the Concour National des Vins issus de l’Agriculture bio

2005 Goldmedal for the Vin de Pays red bat the Concours General Agriculture de Paris
Goldmedal for the Chardonnay at the Fair Biofach in Nuremberg

2006 Silbermedal for the Côtes du Luberon white at the Concours General Agriculture de Paris

2007 Silbermedal for the Côtes du Luberon rosé at the Concour General Agricole de Paris
Coup de Coeur for the Viognier by the Guide Hachette


Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.com
http://www.organicwinepure.com/

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WEINWELT 4 ORGANIC WINE TEST

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For its April 2008 issue, Weinwelt (Wine World) tested 395 organic wines.
Only 29 of these received 3 stars.

The Ribera del Duero DO, Roble from the Bodega Basconcillos, which we submitted for testing, was awarded 89 points and was judged to be a very good wine. It was described as follows:

"Extremely dense and juicy, with rumpot fruits, plums, a fine spicy roasted flavor, woody, but with fine tannins."

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
http://www.organicwinepure.com/

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WEINWELT 3 ORGANIC WINE TEST

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For its April 2008 issue, Weinwelt (Wine World) tested 395 organic wines.
Only 29 of these received 3 stars.

The Coteaux du Languedoc Gres de Montpellier 2005 "La Capitelle" from the Domaine de la Triballe, which we submitted for testing, was awarded 89 points and 3 stars and judged to be a very good wine. It was described as follows:

"Spicy, sensual, with a mineral backbone throughout (give it some air), demanding tannins, very strong!"

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
http://www.organicwinepure.com/

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WEINWELT 2 ORGANIC WINE TEST

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For its April 2008 issue, Weinwelt (Wine World) tested 395 organic wines.

The Clos de la Bergerie, Savennieres Roche aux Moines 2005, which we submitted for testing, was awarded 85 points and judged to be a very good wine.

It was described as follows:
"Somewhat irregular, must; forest soil, floral, sherry, but then with great mineral vigor..."

My comment to this description: It is not Nicolas Joly’s intention, to present that is comparable with any other wine.

Erich Hartl
hartl@weinpur.de
http://www.organicwinepure.com/

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