Christopher Strong – Bicycle Gourmet’s Organic Wine
Christopher Strong – Bicycle Gourmet’s Organic Wine
Organic Wine, like Cryptocurrency, is on everyone’s lips. However, Wine grown organically, is definitely much more pleasing to have on your lips than a bitcoin. N’est ce pas?
The Popularity of Organic wine, is the result of a general trend to more natural, chemical/pesticide free products.
As evidenced by the label “organic” on virtually everything you put on or in your body.
The producers of organic wine verify that their grapes were grown naturally. Without chemicals,pesticides and/or fungicides. And, equally importantly, without “flavoring” yeasts added in the vinification process.
Does this mean that organic wine tastes better than wine with sulfites?
Depends on your taste buds, doesn’t it?
But with organic wine, you’re assured that, assuming you do like the taste, that nothing in it should have a negative effect on your health.
Another variety of wine cultivation that could be described as “Organic on steroids, is “Biodynamic Wine.”
This is wine that shares all the positive qualities of organic wine, but is grown using a variety of esoteric practices that are not found in Organic wine cultivation.
Such as planting and nourishing the grapes by the phases of the moon,(Something farmers have done for centuries.) and treating the soil with various natural mixtures. Such as a duiluted solution of cow manure.
The concept of Biodynamic agriculture comes from the (late)German intellectual Rudolph Steiner. Best known outside the World of Biodynamics as the founder of Waldorf Schools.
The “big man” on the International “Bio” wine campus, is Loire vigneron Nicolas Joly.
Often referred to as “the Pope of Biodynamics” for the number of vignerons he’s “converted” to the “gospel” of Bio.
His flagship wine –Clos du Coulee de Serrant, produced from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes, retails somewhere north of $100.(USD)
(Hint: If you order this in a restaurant, bring plenty of bitcoins.)
Curiously here in France, “Organic” and “Bio” are synonyms to those outside the World of Bio wine.
At any French Saturday market, if you ask if the veggies were grown organically, the response will be: “Oui, c’est bio.”
Bottom Line: Organic Wine or Bio wine? To paraphrase Billy Joel’s lyric:
“A bottle of red, a bottle of white, it all depends upon your preference.”
Get a chemical free taste in THIS VIDEO
THROW ME A BONE HERE PEOPLE
WHAT ARE YA THINKIN’?
Bg – I,M thinkin’ you gave us a heads up on organic/bio wine!
well done! looking forward to more informative wine posts like this one
any confusion i might have had Re: Organic and Bio – has just been expertly blown away. kudos!
thanks for the heads up on mr joly’s wine price. i WILL be taking lots of bitcoins if i order it on a restaurant!
Your distinction between and explantion of the differences between the two related method of wine cultivation was noting short of masterful.
while your post is excellent – the video really “puts a face on it.” very cool.
with ya 110% bill – the video definitely takes an already great post to the next level.
what i like about this post..actually all your posts..is that you strike a perfect balance between humor and information.
You took the words(almost) right out of my mouth Daphne!
got a big chuckle out of mr. joly’s nickname. Maybe i could be the “pope of auto mechanics?”
eddie – anything is possible for someone with determination,lots of grease and a great set of wrenches. may the force be with you!
ha-ha! thanks for your inspiring words barry!
Biodynamics seems like an interesting agricultural method – but i don’t think it’s caught on as much here in the states. Anyone care to prove i’m wrong.
hey dave – my wine comes in a box – so i’m really not qualified to jump into the ring with you on this one. Butyou’re probably right.
good explanation for those of us(like me) who don’t have a clue and just buy whatever we bought before that tastes good! will be checking out organic/bio next time. many thanks!
Inga – i’ve tasted some organic wines and, at least for me, you can rerally tell the difference.
hey thanks for the inspiration Fran! Definitely got it on my “must try” list now.
Hey BG – thanks for the heads up about BIO/organic thing at the french markets. no less thing for me to to screw up with my phrasebook french!
Had heard about biodynamics before briefly – but never Rudolph Steiner. Checked him out. Interesting guy with some equally interesting ideas.
hey ralph – there was a pbs doc on steiner a while back. if you dig around you should be able to find it. worth watching.