Wines are available in a number of different types and organic wines are one type that is getting more and more attention these days. Organic wines are processed from grapes which are grown without the use of synthetic fungicides or fertilizers. In vineyards where biodiversity is encouraged, vines are grown with the help of living soil i.e. soil full of worms and bacteria which helps to draw the maximum level of minerals from soil. The wines which are grown in living soil have good resistance to disease. Biodiversity also creates an eye catching landscape.

Grape growing is organic by origin but not all vineyards are organic. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in charge of regulations for organic food products. USDA defines organic food as ‘the food which is produced by farmers with the help of renewable resources and by conversion of water and soil which enhances the quality of environment for future generations’. Organic farming is done without the use of harmful pesticides or fertilizers or any ionizing radiation. Before declaring the farm as organic the government inspects the farmland and checks that the farmer rules of to meet the standards set by United States Department of Agriculture.

The Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) did not give permission for wines to be designated as organic. This decision of ATF was challenged by Hallcrest Vineyards. Since then few of the wineries have become certified processors of organic wines.

Organic wines are of four types:

? 100% organic: Produced with 100%organically grown grapes and contain no added sulphites.
? Made with organic ingredients: They have at least 70% of organically grown grapes and may contain sulfite.
? Organic: They contain at least 95% of ingredients from certified sources.
? Some organic ingredients: Thus, before buying organic wine one must know the difference between the four categories of organic wine.

The wine which is processed from organically grown grapes and which also gives information about its certifying agency is labelled as organic and is sealed by United States Department of Agriculture as ‘organic wine’. Such wine does not contain any added sulfites but can consist of natural sulphites which must be less than 20 parts a million. Sulfite is a preservative of wine which is commonly known as sulphur dioxide. Sulfite has antioxidant properties and also some antimicrobial properties. It is a controversial topic whether it is possible that wine could be sulfite free. The producers of organic wine have to undergo various inspections by the organisations to get the organic certification.

Reconversion is the process by which conventional vineyards are converted to fully organic vineyards. The whole process takes up to 3 years to complete. The use of non organic treatment is strictly prohibited in the organic vineyards. As per law all the organic claims of wine are to be mentioned on the label so that one can read the label and can come to know about the contents of the bottle. Organic wines are a gem of ecosystem. Organic wines do not contain any harmful ingredients as the conventional wines.

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Product Description
“Take this, Miles”
- Wine Spectator

“In the post – Sideways years, Merlot lovers have barely been able to show their faces. But filmmaker Rudy McClain unveils his strong cinematic rebuttal – Merlove, a documentary defending the grape…”
-San Francisco Chronicle

“As a documentary for wine lovers, its essential viewing…a lighthearted, philosophical odyssey…Merlove is a guaranteed treat.”
-The Seattle Times

“After Sideways: Merlot movie to redress the balance”
-Decanter

Merlove is a documentary celebrating Merlot wine in response to the movie Sideways. Have the courage to embark on your own wine adventure. Merlove will help you learn more about wine, but it is your own experience that will guide your personal journey. As you try new wines you will gain love and appreciation for the gifts that wine can bring. Like anything in life, wine can be enjoyed and enhanced by sharing it with others. The bottom line is good wine is good wine … More >>

Merlove ~ a Documentary About Merlot Wine

Photos about wine industry

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Remember me? Ten years ago red-blooded men like a red-blooded Cabernet, but the palette is now a whole lot broader, writes Tim James. Changes are taking place in the traditionally white-dominated wine industry, albeit slowly.

Read more on Mail and Guardian

Riesling is an aromatic little white grape, which is full of flavour, sugar and acid. It really takes on the conditions of its surroundings, meaning that the wines reflect the environment in which they are grown, be it the soil type, the climate or how the grapes are treated. Riesling wines come in a variety of styles from very dry through to lusciously sweet.

Styles Of Riesling

Riesling will happily grow in cool climates and where it does the wines have green fruit flavours with floral, and sometimes mineral, notes. In warmer regions, the wines will typically display more tropical flavours, with hints of mango, pineapple and peach. Riesling is rarely oaked, although its high levels of acidity and intense fruit helps develop honey and toast like aromas when aged. The key thing about Riesling is that it is so versatile. So if you have tried Riesling before and didn’t like it, try another style and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Riesling Regions

Germany is the home of Riesling. In the past, much of this has been exported as Liebfraumilch or Piesporter and, as a result, Riesling has gained a somewhat negative reputation for being sickly, sugary and tasteless. However, German Riesling is not all like that – far from it. Wines range from light to full-bodied, dry to sweet and with green fruit through to exotic and citrussy fruits.
Across the border in Alsace, the long dry autumns provide ideal growing conditions for medium bodied Rieslings, although fuller bodied versions are also produced here. Riesling is also big business in Austria where the wines typically have citrussy, stone fruit flavours with minerally aromas and medium to high acidity.

But it’s not just the Old World that is suited to the growing of Riesling. Australia produces some fantastic quality Riesling, typically with tropical, citrus flavour fruit and sometimes smoky aromas. Eden and Clare Valleys in particular are the key Riesling growing regions.

Across the water in New Zealand, there are some lovely fruity Rieslings being produced, especially in Marlborough and Nelson. Alternatively, try Riesling from Chile and Argentina where it is often blended with other white grapes such as Viognier or Chardonnay.

Rotten Grapes

It might sound strange but rotten Riesling grapes produce great dessert wines. Natural fungus called Botrytis is encouraged to grow on the grapes. In turn, this sucks the water out of the grapes, concentrates the sugars and creates its own sweet, honeysuckle flavour, which is then bottled as dessert wine. Try it next time you serve a dessert and see for yourself.

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What is Champagne? Lets start with the fundamental question of what Champagne exactly is. Champagne is a sparkling wine. Simply put, a wine that has bubbles or is carbonated. Thus, Champagne is after all wine. Champagne is actually a northern region in France. It is here that Champagne is made and bottled for the world to enjoy. In fact, only if the wine is from the Champagne region, can it be called Champagne. If it is manufactured any where else in the world, it is known as sparkling wine.

Origin Of Champagne The origin of Champagne like almost anything else is disputed. The most common folklore is that a monk with the name of Dom Pérignon introduced bubbles into the wine by mistake. However, he then went on to clarify and improve the drink dramatically and it came to be liked by French aristocracy. This led to the royal image of Champagne. The other theory however is that sparkling wine was first commercially produced in the region of Languedoc in the 1530s.

The English also claim that they helped the drink. This is actually an interesting angle. There was a significant and strong trade of French wines to the British aisles. Most wine was fortified with a bit of brandy and sugar to help the wine along it arduous journey. However, Champagne, was much closer to the aisles, yet a certain amount of sugar was still added to them, as the British liked their wine sweet. Now the early bottling which left a small amount of yeast in the bottles with the added sugar, caused the carbon dioxide that is emitted during fermentation to be trapped inside the bottle. This led to fizzy wines. Now fizzy wines are supposed to be fun and enjoyable. At least that is what the marketing efforts in those times lead us to believe. And since then, Champagne has been used in all celebrations around the world.

Whatever be the case, “Champagne” was born around the 1700s. Method Of Production methodé champenoise is the traditional method used in the making of Champagne. A primary fermentation of the wine occurs first. Pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay are the grapes used in the manufacturing of the wine. Now while bottling this wine, a few grams of yeast and a few more grams of rock sugar are added. This induces the secondary fermentation which produces the bubbles in the wine. As the yeast begins to consume the sugar, alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced. Since the carbon dioxide is not allowed to escape, it is absorbed into the wine. Thus, when we open the champagne bottled, we are welcomed with tiny streaming bubbles.

How To Serve Champagne Champagne should be served in Champagne flutes. A flute a slim glass which tapers slightly inwards towards the top. This helps in containing the bubbles for a longer period of time and hence, allows you to enjoy your Champange to the fullest. Champagne is usually stored at 55 F in a dark damp location at an angle, like most other wine is. You must chill the Champagne for a few hours to bring the temperature down to 45 F before serving. Popping open a Champagne, though fun, leads to wastage of the drink and if you are paying $100 upwards for a bottle, you wouldn’t want that to happen. Hence, Champagne must be sighed opened, but gently uncorking it at an angle of 45 degrees. This allows more of the champagne to remain in the bottle.

Innovate With Champagne Champagne can also be enjoyed when mixed with other things as well to get some very smooth and refined cocktails. Mimosa’s are a great way of having champagne. It was invented in 1925 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Add equal measures of champagne and orange juice in a champagne flute and garnish it with an orange slice to enjoy this lovely drink. Add 1/2 measure of Campari and make it a Grand Mimosa. Another great way to have champagne is to add 1/2 measure of crème de cassis to champagne. Garnish it with a twist of lemon peel. You can now enjoy the Kir Royale. Lastly, for the love of beer, you can have your champagne with stout too. Add chilled stout (preferably Guinness) to a chilled white wine glass and half fill it. Now add chilled champagne to top the glass. Incidently this drink was invented to mourn the death of Prince Albert, Husband of Queen Victoria). Hence the name, Black Velvet.

More About Champagne There are different kinds of Champagne. These vary in their dryness and sweetness. The driest of all is the Brut. This is a standard Champagne. Next in line is Extra dry. If you prefer sweeter wines, then sec and semi sec are sweeter in that order. You also have the blanc de blancs which is made only from chardonnay grapes. and blanc de noirs, made from either or both pinot meunier and pinot noir.

While the French like the Champagne to be young and youthful, the English prefer their Champagne to be rounder and mellower, hence they prefer aged wines. A little aging of wines in a dark cupboard is recommended for most champagnes. Atleast 6 months for regular wines and a minimum of 8 years for Vintage wines.

A Vintage Champagne is one on which the year of the harvest is printed on the bottle. This is an unblended wine from a single harvest in that year. They are generally considered superior and hence, also carry a premium. Recent great vintage has been in the years 1990, 1995 and to some extent 1996.

Champagne’s are rated on a 100 point scale by experts. They each publish their findings independently. There is variation, but of a very small order.

Some of the great brands of Champagne are Dom Pérignon, Taittinger, Krug, Moët & Chandon, Bollinger and Laurent-Perrier. You can safely pick any one of them and enjoy the rich flavours of France in all its glory.

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