5-14-10

TREE PEOPLE

FOOL ON THE HILL

FOGGY NOTION

The vast majority of grape growers, similarly to the majority of all fruit, vegetable, and meat producers, do not farm organically. As such, unless following organic principles or being certified organic, these farmers are spraying their crops with undesirable additives in the form of chemicals. An organic farmer must utilize intellectual and physical prowess to maintain a healthy farm, whereas conventional farmers need only rely on fossil fuels and chemicals to do the hard work for them. These chemicals vary, but they are designed to reduce the amount of weeds and pests that may interfere with a plant's growth. These harmful chemicals do more than kill annoying weeds and bad bugs: they seep into all plants and thus leave a residue in the food and wine we consume, as well as exterminate the good microorganisms and bugs along with the bad. Le Vin grows grapes organically and thus produces organic wine, which means there are no added sulfites in any of their wine.

There are naturally occurring traces of sulfur in wine that act as a preservative and aid in aging wine and keeping it from spoiling. However, nearly all wine makers add additional sulfur in the form of sulfites to act as insurance that their wine won't go bad or contain harmful bacteria. Does adding the extra sulfites compromise wine the same way that adding chemical fertilizers negatively impacts the quality of the food and animals we consume? We are uncertain of the answer.

Organic wines are usually hard to find and we've tried several over the years, and they often disappoint. Is it because the wine makers aren't experienced in making organic wine? Or is it possible the vinters making organic wine just aren't the best wine makers out there? We have had some exceptional organic and even biodynamic wine, which tells us good wine can be made using organically grown grapes and bottled without the addition of sulfites or other chemical preservatives. Le Vin's wine is good, but we don't know how much it costs. During the course of this coming week, we intend to learn and research more. But in the end, if it costs $60, it would be a hard choice between this and a bottle of Brunello. It really makes us think: although Brunello is delicious and we've never had a bottle that was less than exceptional, the grapes that are crushed into that wine may or may not be grown organically. The standards in Europe are different, it's very possible those grapes are grown according to organic principles, but we are not certain.

When we think about it, is there are difference between eating food sprayed with chemicals and drinking wine that had grapes sprayed with chemicals? Is the chemical residue reduced after it sits in a bottle for 6, 7, or 8 years? Grapes, like all fruits and vegetables with soft skin, are more susceptible to chemical permeation. Some defend that organic grapes and apples are safer to eat, yet consuming foods with a hard exterior or shell may be ok to eat without being organic, as less of the chemicals penetrate the hardy fruit or nut shells. But then again, there are allowable organic pesticides and insecticides that may be just as toxic as their conventional counterparts. It's all extremely confusing and very hard to know what the best and safest choice is. It's really hard to make any generalizations because small organic farmers are often using very different practices than large agribusiness organic farmers. Ultimately this is just one more reminder that we have so much more to learn before we are able to make an educated decision. For now, we'll have to rely on taste, smell, and common sense.