Growing Green, The Emerging Trend in Winemaking

Going Green has become the catch phrase of the decade and the wine industry is seeking to define itself in this growing movement of earth friendly practices. Many wineries are touting themselves as sustainably farmed, organic or biodynamic. So what do the terms means and do they really have and effect on the wine? We've been exploring this subject tastings and articles lately but have decided to take it one step further. Read on and see what Swirl is doing to help you make educated choices concerning your wine selections at the shop.

Sustainable Farming
According to the University of California, Davis: “Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance. Stewardship of human resources includes consideration of social responsibilities such as working and living conditions of laborers, the needs of rural communities, and consumer health and safety both in the present and the future. Stewardship of land and natural resources involves maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base for the long term.” A great and wordy concept however, there are no hard and fast rules that define the term, it’s up for interpretation by the winery as to what procedures and processes they will use to id entify themselves as “sustainable”.

One of our producers, Fog Alley, defines themselves as such and has defined three indicators of Sustainable Agriculture:
1. Environmentally Sound
2. Economically Feasible
3. Socially Equitable
Some specific practices implemented by Fog Alley growers include:
-Natural Biological Control -- encourages natural predators to control rodents Soil Welfare -- by using a variety of cover crops to protect and enhance the productivity of the soil
-Recycling of Natural Resources -- reclaims water used by facility through a series of ponds that is later used to irrigate the vineyards
-Improving Wildlife Habitat -- directs the run-o_ of rain water to the natural wetlands nearby
-Education -- developing demonstration vineyards used for regular vineyard management training and education of customers

Organic Farming
Organic farming is very well defined when compared to sustainable agriculture. There are nationally sanctioned organic practices that must be complied with in order to label products as "certified organically produced," making it very clear what certified organic means.

In the vineyard organic means cultivating the soil and planting cover crops, instead of applying herbicides. It means using natural fertilizers, such as composted animal manure, versus chemical fertilizers. As for not using pesticides, the organic alternative is to encourage natural predators of insect pests instead of using poisonous insecticides. Organic farmers promote "biodiversity" and allow plants other than vines to grow in and around the vineyard.

In the cellar, "organic" suggests minimal processing and no use of chemical additives. Organic winemakers pay particular attention to three factors: the use of yeasts, the filtration/fining method, and the use of sulfur dioxide. The need for cultured yeasts in organic winemaking is reduced by the farming practice itself, for wild yeasts remain present, unperturbed by weed killers or insecticides. Therefore their use is limited to difficult weather conditions which would threaten the harvest. The physical treatment of the wine (like filtering and fining) is kept to a minimum. Minimizing the use of sulfur dioxide as an antioxidant is stringently observed. It's rather difficult to make a wine that will keep well without adding at least some additional sulfites to those naturally occurring.

Tablas Creek defines their organic vineyard practices as: "Our organic vineyard practices following the lead of our Beaucastel estate in Chateauneuf du Pape. Like Beaucastel, we use no herbicides or systemic pesticides in the vineyard. We rely on cover cropping, hand hoeing, burning, and mulching to suppress weeds in the rows. Cover crops minimize erosion, host beneficial insects, and return nitrogen to the soil. We use extensive composting, and use compost tea to control mildew in the vineyard and reduce our need for sulfur." All of their wines have been organic certified since in January, 2003.

Biodynamic Farming
Biodynamics, goes well beyond the stringent guidelines of organic growing. It's about believing in the self-sustainabilty of the vineyard as well as viewing the practice of biodynamic farming in a holistic manner. Biodynamics mixes sustainability with more celestial beliefs and takes a spiritual as well as mystical approach to conventional farming methods.

The practice of biodynamics views the vineyard in its entirety as a living system. And, it's not just about the vines and grapes. It's also about the soil, compost, insects, and other vegetation and animals that inhabit space in the vineyard, all working in harmony to bring you some incredible tasting wines.

The concept of biodynamic farming dates back to the 1920s and Austrian philosopher, scientist and anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner. In a sense, biodynamics is an extreme form of organic farming, which avoids inorganic substances and chemical fertilizers and relies only on “natural” techniques. Biodynamic farming is associated with practices such as over-wintering manure in cow horns, fermenting flowers in stags’ bladders, or timing procedures with the phases of the moon. But while these techniques sound eclectic and obscure, they’re in fact “a way of life, a philosophy of farming that’s thousands of years old,” according to Bruno Allaire, president of Dynamic Imports, an importer and distributor of wines made exclusively from biodynamic or organically-grown grapes.

But biodynamic farming isn’t just an agricultural method. To Steiner and his followers, it’s a holistic philosophy of life forces that treats all of cosmos as a living system and emphasizes factors like energy, lunar cycles and planetary forces. Basically the idea is that everything in the cosmos—people, plants, animals and stars—are interconnected, influencing each other. While this sounds ecologically responsible but somewhat lofty, the reasons for more and more vintners going biodynamic have to do with the fact that the biodynamic method really brings out the terroir of a wine. And that's what it's all about, right?

So how can Swirl help you make educated choices concerning your wine selections at the shop? Over the next few weeks you'll be seeing a new bottle tag that will indicate whether a winery is applying any of the above practices. Just look for this special tag and you just might find out that one of your favorite wines is already "growing green"!

Into Shrooms?

We had a very productive trip to the Crescent City Farmers Market last week. Not sure how much winter produce would be available, we were pleasantly surprised to find the most tender and delicious broccoli, dark leafy kale, cauliflower, lots of locally grown citrus and incredibly fresh shiitake mushrooms.

Mushrooms are one of those products I've been thinking about growing at home. There is a lot of information out there about home growing kits and I was surprised to find the vendor at the market not only sold the shrooms, but also the kits. The traditional way of growing shiitake mushrooms is with shiitake grow logs. However, many companies are now using a blend of sawdust and nutrients in a grow bag that can give you 6-7 good crops of mushrooms, around 2lbs., with little work or space, and all for under $30!

Mississippi Natural Products, the vendor at the CCFM, sells the kits online at http://www.naturalmushrooms.com/
or, visit them at the market where you can first buy some mushrooms from them and see what you think! We found them incredibly fresh and tasty and created a wonderful pasta dish. I've tried to recreate the recipe below, but since I don't measure much the quantities might be a little iffy...but you'll get the general idea!

Pasta with Fresh Shiitakes and Bacon
serves 2
1 T. butter
1/4 lb natural smoked bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic sliced
5 oz. sliced fresh shiitakes
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. white wine
pasta of choice
1/4 c. pasta water (reserved from cooking your pasta)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. grated piave cheese (similar to parmesan, but younger, softer)
sea salt
pepper
pepperoncini (red pepper flakes)
good quality olive oil (I used the Mandranova oil I wrote about in last blog)
fine bread crumbs

• Put your pasta on to boil with just a sprinkle of salt. I used a whole wheat angel hair for this
  
• Throw the butter and bacon in a big fry pan and on med to high heat, fry 'til the edges start to brown.
• Move the bacon to the sides of the pan and throw in the garlic. Add a little more butter or some olive oil if the pan seems to dry. Fry 'til the garlic is soft.
• Throw in the mushrooms, and mix them around with the bacon and garlic to coat them with butter and bacon fat.
• Add chicken stock, wine, pasta water, a little sea salt and half of the parsley. Bring it to a quick boil and then reduce to a simmer until the liquid reduces to about half.
• Add your drained pasta to the pan, pepper and pepperoncino and gently mix with the other ingredients.
• There should be a good amount of liquid in the pan, so add some of the bread crumbs to help thicken the sauce. This is one of Lidia Bastianich's tricks that I've been using lately.
• Simmer for another minute. Turn off the heat and add a couple of gulps of good quality olive oil drizzled all around the pasta, and sprinkle with half the cheese.
  
• Garnish each serving with a good sprinkle of parsley and cheese.

Buon Appetito!

The Delightful and Charming Clovis Taittinger

We had the honor of meeting and dining with the youngest of the Taittinger family at the Ritz Carlton last week. The most humble of French aristocrats, Clovis presented 6 of his exquisite bubblies in the true European style of a four hour lunch. He also paid a visit to the shop on Saturday where he again shared incredible wine, cheese and conversation for a few hours before trotting off to his tasting at Ric Hoppers. We have always loved the Taittinger wines, but are now fans for life! Thank you to Penny Kelly, Kobrand and Clovis for the great wines and fabulous company! Taittinger at Swirl: La Francais (750’s and 375s) Prelude and Rosé (one of our absolute favorite Rosé bubblies ever!)

Mandranova, Sicilian Olive Oil From the Gods

Located only 90 miles from the coast of North Africa, Sicily's summer sun is relentless which gives Sicilian produce an intensity of flavor that is not found in the north of Italy.

Olive oil is almost synonymous with Italian cooking, and nearly every region in Italy has its own homemade variation. Sicilian olive oil, however, may boast the oldest lineage, dating back to the 5th century B.C. when colonists from Greece were probably the first to plant olive trees in Sicily, starting around 500BC.

Sicily currently has four certified DOP (designation of origin) olive growing regions and is waiting on certification for two other areas. Sicily commits thousands of acres of land to growing olives and the high quality olives produced are a result of fertile, volcanic (in parts) soil. While Carolea, Nocellara, and Biancolilla are the most widely cultivated olive varieties in Sicily, one can also find Crasto, Ogliarola Messinese, Cerasuola, La Minua, La Cavaleri, Tonda Iblea, Moresca, and Castiglione.

The Mandranova Olive Oils come from Southern Sicily, near Agrigento. They focus on preserving the particular quality of each type of olive. Their extra-virgin olive oils are "monocultivar", sort of like single varietal, and their methods of pressing the oil vary according to each variety of olive. An accurate control process of each stage of the productions makes it possible to obtain products of highest quality, which has been recognized by several prizes awarded at both national and international level.

The oils are incredibly fresh, just pressed in October and are absolutely delicious! We are sharing samples of them with a few of our wholesalers to see if they would be interested in bringing them in to the United States for us. Keep your fingers crossed because if you are nuts for great olive oils like we are, trust me, you want these in your pantry!

This is a great video filmed by the Culinary Media Network demonstrating the proper way to smell and taste olive oil from Sylvia di Vincenzo of the Mandranova Estate in Sicily.

Mandranova is also an Agriturismo Resort and is a must visit for any trip to Sicily. Check out their site at http://www.mandranova.it.

Ciao!

The Gavi in the Bottle

As with everyone who has experienced it, it's the bottle that grabs you first. Shapely, seductive, it calls out to you and says "come on, taste me". But once you look past the packaging, you get to what really matters, the Gavi in the bottle. Gavi has a long history in Piedmont and celebrated most of its success in the 1960s. The white wine is named for the town of Gavi, located in the southeast province of Alessandria. Gavi is produced from the Cortese grape, a varietal which has been grown throughout the province since the late 1600s. The Villa Sparina is what Gavi should be; rich almond and honey notes coat the palate, leaving you with a crisp mineral acid finish, ahh the best of both...It is available at Swirl and is our white wine pick of the month for "club swirl", our discount wine purchasing club.

I cooked a shrimp dish using fresh Louisiana Gulf shrimp we bought at the Crescent City Farmer's Market today. The God Mother of Italian cooking, Lidia Bastianich has a recipe from her native Istria called Shrimp Buzara style...it is simple and fabulous with a light tomato and white wine sauce that leaves you scraping the bottom of the pan with anything you can find in the kitchen! Divine! Go to Lidia's website for the recipe: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/appetizers/ap01.

Not the most fabulous pairing ever, but both stood exceedingly well on their own and complimented nicely.

Definitely a wine and a dish for future endeavors!

Contemplating Chickens

It's been brewing for a while now, our plan to take more control over our what we eat. We've always had a relatively healthy diet and are fully aware of the risks associated with eating the "American way". But lately it's taken a different turn as the economy's downward spiral makes the trips to Whole Foods happen less often. We've started to take advantage of our local produce at the Farmer's Market, Kerry is growing micro greens and sprouts and my next project is to plant herbs and vegetables, and possibly find us a few citrus trees. We'd like to become more self sufficient, sustainable. We're even contemplating chickens....

We also both love to cook and want the freshest, healthy ingredients possible. We are moving back to the old ways when people grew their own food and lived off their land. It's a very "old world" way of life and with all of the turmoil of the present, it seems like a more simple and gentle path.

We also both love wine and are always seeking that perfect pairing that happens when an incredible dish and a delicious wine make the meal sing. We're picky about restaurants and wine lists and most of the time we'd rather eat and drink at home. Great food and wine are important to us and we're trying to find a way to make a living out of it!

So I've created this blog to document those wine and food experiences that you don't want to forget. Be it at home, at dinner party, a little osteria in Italy or a hole in the wall diner in NewYork, I'm in pursuit of the perfect pairing and unforgettable dining experiences. Right now this is just for me, but who knows where it will lead....