André-Michel Brégeon 2009 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine

Tasting a delightful Muscadet from Biodynamic producer André-Michel Brégeon

An Argument for Natural Wine: Part 3

We have now followed the progression that has led to the current state where wines have largely lost their individuality and their ability to express their unique sense of place.  The problem, we have determined is more fundamental that just a shift in tastes, but begins with industrialized processes that have stripped soils of their ability to grow healthy, happy vines and thus healthy grapes.  The deficiency in quality of the fruit must then be made up for in the wine-making process by employing all sorts of mechanical and chemical dressing-up.  So, what's wrong with that you may ask, as long as we are getting a consistent product?  Well, I for one am not willing to give up the wonderful living, characterful qualities of wine that come from living soil for consistency.  And yes, I am willing to accept the occasional funky or downright nasty bottle in the process.  Consider my opening paragraph in part one of this article.  If wine is created through hundreds of chemical reactions of over a thousand compounds, just think what kind of havoc every bit of human intervention can wreak in that process.  Just think about how much of a wine's natural character is lost.  There is no way a grape's natural depth and complexity can shine when we start with fruit that has been robbed of it's natural chemical integrity through sterile, artificially nurtured soils, and then treated with mechanical and chemical processes in the winery that further upset the natural progression towards what wine should be.  

But, you may ask, is it realistic to expect wine makers to turn back the clock and forgo the benefits of modern technology and risk loss of profits?  Maybe not.  At least not in the short-term.  But I do think that the clock has begun to turn back in subtle ways as consumers have begun to discover the beauty and depth of naturally produced wines.  One thing I am definitely not in favor of are the superficial marketing ploys of some large producers who claim to be "organic," "Biodynamic," or "green," but do not fully buy in to these principles in practice.  Some of these producers may even have good intentions, going part or all the way towards keeping vineyards free of chemicals, but still feel the need to manipulate their wines in the cellar in order to please today's wine palate.  Some make the argument that large-scale producers cannot afford to take the risk or the higher production costs of going all in on natural wine production.  This may be true for large-scale producers who are interested only in creating marginal wines for the masses, and I suppose there is a place for that.  But in the end I am not interested in those wines and my goal is to prove to the world that there is no reason to drink such mass-produced plonk.  I have tasted plenty of truly exciting wines in the value price range that are naturally produced and I want to get others to experience them.  That is the main mission of this blog.  My experience and my intuition tells me that when people taste naturally produced wines, nine out of ten will have no problem breaking their allegiance to today's boring fruit and oak bombs. 

So, I think the answer to the acceptance and return to naturally produced, terroir-driven wines lies in what has already begun to happen in the wine world.  Over the past few years small producers have begun to realize that the way to break into and compete against the globalized big-wine industry is not by mimicking and amplifying the accepted international wine styles, but with a return to authenticity.  At some point, I suspect, big producers will have no choice but to accept the reality of new, refined consumer palates and will make the shift towards more costly, labor-intensive practices.  This process may take it's sweet time, but my guess is that it will happen.  In the meantime, there is the wonderfully exciting prospect of an ever-growing number of small producers all over the world working in concert with nature to grow healthy grapes and allowing them to do their thing with minimal intervention in the cellar to create superbly unique and truly wonderful wines.  Here on the Grapes of Rand we will continue to seek out these wines and to profile their producers.  We will continue to follow the natural wine renaissance in its seminal hotbeds such as the Loire Valley, Alsace, Burgundy and Austria, as well as places such as Oregon, Southern France,  South America, and New Zealand, where exciting natural wine producers are popping up like cover crop.  I hope you will continue to join us on our journey and spread the word to those still swimming the seas of industrial wine.

Quiz & Quote #20

"A man will be eloquent if you give him good wine."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Notables' Potables

Match these celebrities and world leaders past and present with their wine of choice. (Answers at bottom of page)

1. Richard Nixon
Penfolds Grange Chateau Margaux Beaulieu George de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Dom Perignon
2. Joseph Stalin
Pol Roger Chateau Petrus Chambertin Khvanchkara
3. Marilyn Monroe
Blue Nun Liebraumilch Chateau Calon-Segur Dom Perignon Chateau Cheval Blanc
4. Thomas Jefferson
Chateau Latour Chateau D'Yquem Romanee Conti Chateau Margaux
5. Elvis Presley
Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame Chateau Lafite Blue Nun Liebfraumilch Chateau Mouton Rothchild
6. Winston Churchill
Pol Roger Khvanchkara Dom Perignon Romanee Conti
7. Keanu Reeves
Ridge Monte Bello Sassicaia Chambertin Penfolds Grange
8. Napoleon Bonaparte
Romanee Conti Chateau D'Yquem Chambertin Chateau Latour
9. Johnny Depp
Roederer Cristal Rose Chateau Calon-Segur La Tache Opus One
10. Ronald Reagan
Stag's Leap Cabernet Chateau Margaux Beaulieu Geaorge de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Ridge Monte Bello

Answers:


1. Chateau Margaux  2. Khvanchkara  3. Dom Perignon  4. Chateau D'Yquem  5. Blue Nun
6. Pol Roger  7. Penfold's Grange  8. Chambertin  9. Chateau Calon-Segur  10. Beaulieu GdL Cabernet

Azienda Agricola COS 2008 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico

Come along as we travel to Sicily and taste our first wine of 2012 here on The Grapes of Rand.  Biodynamically produced by friends who set out 35 years ago to make wines in the traditional way from indigenous grapes the way their ancestors did it, this is also the only DOCG designated wine on the island.  

Encouraging Signs for 2012

Well, it is 2012, and I am excited and optimistic on many fronts to start this new year.   As I will continue to introduce you to the kinds of wines that thrill me and that I think will make your wine drinking experience more rewarding and exciting, I am particularly optimistic that consumers will continue to move away from the boring fruit, oak, and alcohol bombs of the past couple of decades and to re-discover the joys of more delicate, complex, terroir-driven wines.

As I read through my first article of the new year to post here on the Wine News, I couldn't help but smile a little.  Here, in commenting on Washington State's 2011 vintage outlook, a wine writer seems to actually be looking forward to the prospects of as he calls them "Euro-centric wines...with nuanced flavors."  He writes of lower alcohol, higher acidity, and subtle varietal characteristics such as pepper, smoke, herbs and spices, as something many wine enthusiasts will actually appreciate.

We can thank nature for providing many American wine regions in 2011 with the conditions for more exciting wines.  Now it remains to be seen how consumers will respond.  If I am right, the trend toward appreciating subtlety, nuance, and varietal expression in wine will continue, and 2012 should prove a great year for wine lovers to continue their discovery of more naturally produced, terroir-driven wines.  Here on The Grapes of Rand we will enthusiastically continue to do our part to further this trend, and I hope you continue to join us on our journey.

Here is a link to the story.
2011 Washington Grape Harvest Holds Promise of Subtle, Food-Friendly Wines