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As I said last week, there is no such thing as organic wine, but just wine made from organic grapes. Organic grape growing, or viticulture, aims at creating a healthy, balanced soil with a complex web of life. Synthetic herbicides and pesticides are largely banned and fertilisers should be non-synthetic. Natural sprays of Copper and Sulphur are allowed for mildew and rot, but in lesser quantities than in conventional viticulture. Growers are also encouraged to plant cover crops between rows of vines and have more natural, wild areas around their vineyards than the standard 5%.
The advantage to you and me is that fewer chemicals get into the bottle and we know that the grapes have been grown nicely – that there are lots of lovely bugs and fluffy animals happily skipping around the vineyard and everyone has a lovely smile on his or her face. We also know that the soil is being looked after, so that our children can enjoy lovely wine as well. Importantly, a vine is in the same spot for decades, compared with most plants we eat, that are merely there for a few months, after which the soil can be ploughed and improved before the next year’s crop. Right, enough gardening, on with the wines.
Our favourite wine was expensive and didn’t compare well economically with the others. Zind 2003 is made at Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and is £13.99 at Waitrose. I thought is smelt exactly like lime pith would, if you caramelised it. Very inviting. It was very sweet in the mouth, almost like a dessert wine, which we thought could be tricky if you had bought it for a savoury course. Plenty of richer food would be delicious with it, but salad or plain grilled fish would be vile. The taste was rich and spicy and Dianne found it honeyed.
Sainsbury’s SO Organic Chardonnay Vin de Pays d’Oc 2004 is £4.99 and is a refreshing little number. It had a light, lemony smell and a bit of texture in the mouth, which we liked. It had quite a rich colour and was just off dry, without being anywhere near medium.
The Co-op’s Chardonnay/Sauvignon Vin de Pays d’Oc 2005 is also £4.99. Alex picked up the smell of jelly tots. The wine was full and balanced and lasted very nicely, with something like spicy marmalade on the end.
Canorgue 2002 is a Viognier and is £9.99 from Centurion Vintners in Stroud (01453 763223). It smelt sweetly tropical, but we wouldn’t have known it was Viognier. The taste was dry and savoury and reminded us of grapefruit juice, which we liked very much. I kept the bottle and enjoyed it very much the next day.
Chateau Richard, Bergerac Sec 2004 is £6.32 from Centurion Vintners. It smelt of sulphur – like a box of unstruck matches. It had a nice, tangy taste of grapefruit pith. There is a gentle suggestion that less sulphur should be used in the winery for organic wines and so this one shouldn’t have had excess.
Our least favourite was Domaine de Pontcher Sauvignon 2005 from Majestic. It had a light, peardrop smell and was watery. During the evening the taste evolved into something reminiscent of Ralgex.