It's not easy being green
This week we’re highlighting wine producers that go that extra mile to be green, in and out of the vineyard and the cellar. The environment of the vineyard and the ecosystem of the cellar impact the taste of wine. When producers use more natural processes, terroir, which encompasses the land, culture, tradition, and climate, is put on center stage. Terroir ensures a wine will shine because the connection between grape and place makes the experience for the wine drinker even more enjoyable and impactful. Alright, enough philosophy! Let’s talk green!
James Erskine (owner/winemaker) and Fiona Wood (farmer) of Jauma organically farm vineyards in McLaren Vale and Clarendon in deep Southern Australia. They care for their plants, roots to leaves, by introducing 26 different cover crops in their cherry orchards and grape vineyards for soil diversity, and spraying the fruit, leaves, and stalks with a crazy aerated compost tea. The nutritional fungi in this tea, which is brewed for two days, replaces potentially harmful fungi on the plants from former copper or sulfur spray.
Jauma uses zero additions of any kind, nor do they filter their wine or use any harmful settling agents. 2020 Jauma Why Try So Hard is made in a complicated process of combining three different grape varieties - Chenin Blanc, Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains, and Grenache - that are all made in different ways, and then combined to create a final, delicious wine. Also, rather than adding purchased CO2 to initiate fermentation like most wineries, Jauma adds 50L of fermenting Chenin Blanc to displace any oxygen present in the closed tank full of grapes, and thereby limits any potential bacterial growth. Full of guava and orchard fruit notes, with a chalky, saline mid-palate, we’re really glad the folks at Jauma tried so hard because this wine is fantastic!
The Tatsis family farm, established in 1924 when they immigrated from Bulgaria, is now in the hands of the third generation, brothers Stergios and Perikilis. They started organically farming in 1998, a time when many Greek vineyards turned towards conventional winemaking. A few years later, they became one of the first fully biodynamic farms in Greece, exemplifying the idea that the farm is a complete organism bringing science and spirituality together at Domaine Tatsis. When you stand amongst their vines you can hear buzzing bees, chirping tree frogs, singing crickets, and squawking birds. Biodynamics makes all aspects of the farm come alive!
The Tatsis vineyards are dry farmed, grapes are all hand harvested, and vintners use only the bare minimum of additional sulfur. In the 2019 Domaine Tatsis Limnio, they don’t use any sulfur at all! Limnio is one of the oldest grape varieties ever recorded, as described by Aristotle in an ancient text. The wine is medium-bodied with notes of bay leaf, red cherry, and black pepper, and a refreshing Kalamata olive zing on the finish.
Biodynamic farming has always been the foundation of Meinklang. Run by Anneliese and Werner Michlits, the Meinklang farm is located in the town of Pamhagen on the border of Austria and Hungary. Meinklang translates to ‘my sound,’ which represents the Michlits’s philosophy of their land being in harmony with nature as they harvest and raise animals within the regions of Burgenland (Austria) and Somló (Hungary). Today, Meinklang farms over 2000 hectares of land and is managed by the entire Michlits clan including three sons, Werner, Hannes, and Lukas. They use compost as fertilizer for the whole farm from their own cattle, Mangalitsa pigs, chickens, and sheep. They also rely heavily on crop rotation, and regularly change the crops they grow to keep they soil healthy.
Their wines, each with a cut out of a cow on the label, are known for their vibrancy and complexity of aromas. This is partially because of the wild landscape where the Michlits let their grapes grow freely. A great example of the ingenuity of these biodynamic winemakers is their 2019 Meinklang Mulatschak Weisser. This still orange wine is a skin contact blend of Traminer, Grauburgunder, and Welschriesling and sings with complex aromas of peach and oregano.
This St. Patrick’s Day, enjoy all things green - including natural wine! Sláinte!
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