Napa Going Organic

Filed in archive California Wines on October 24, 2006

Organic produce has already got a large foothold in most grocery stores these days. You may even have an organic farmer's market or whole-foods store near you, but even the smallest and oldest of food markets now seem to boast at least a little organic munchies.

I have not turned to organics yet. Too often, the price is high and the quality seems questionable to me. But, you can't deny organics are growing every year, and that now includes wines as well. Many vineyards, especially those in California which is one the movers and shakers in the turn toward organic foods and drink, are switching gears and going organic.

Here's more from Winemakers go organic in bottle but not on label:

"The organic market, in general, is booming. But wine is actually a little bit different," Mondavi said, because many consumers consider all wines, or those produced by small producers, to be "natural products," whether or not they're certified organic.

Also, many Napa wines are made from grapes grown organically, even if they haven't been certified, because of the complexities of getting that designation. For example, Mondavi's company hasn't sought organic certification for its production techniques, Mondavi said, because "you have to keep (organic and non-organic) grapes totally separate and you can't cross over equipment, without significant record keeping."

But despite the complications, producers like Fetzer, Kenwood Vineyards, Niebaum-Coppola Estate, Spottswoode Winery and Livermore's Wente Family Estates are also taking the organic route, using organically grown grapes in some or all of their of their wines. And the San Francisco-based Wine Institute, which represents the vast majority of california wineries, says producers responsible for 40 percent of the state's annual production of 260 million cases have identified themselves as using sustainable agricultural processes.