Now there was a time when organic wines were regarded as the preserve of well-meaning amateurs. Not too long along, mentioning organic wines tended to lead to wine buffs raising their eyebrows to heaven and uttering phrases involving the words ‘rough' and parts of a bear's anatomy.
That has all changed in recent years with more and more serious players in the wine business going organic. While the EU has not yet agreed on a standard definition of ‘organic wine' there are a couple of guidelines which organic producers follow:
• They use organically grown grapes (this IS defined and controlled)
• They use no artificial chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides, using natural substances and methods of control instead. Hence organic vineyards tend to have grass growing between the rows of vines as opposed to non-organic which have a ‘scorched earth' approach and are usually completely bare.
• They use significantly less sulphites than most non-organic producers. Sulphites are more or less essential in wines as a preservative. They have been used since Roman times. If you take them out completely, the wine becomes unstable and the quality cannot be guaranteed. This also applies to other foods and drinks such as dried fruit. However organic producers are using less and less. At Cases, we do have a few wines that use no sulphites at all but they are a bit of an experiment and quality and consistency cannot be guaranteed.
We have 25 organic wines in stock right now, covering a huge range of styles. Drop in this week and we'd be happy to talk you through them.
Oh, and if you're coming along to our Spanish Wine Class on Thursday, we'll be sampling a few organic wines then.
The following are our current organic wines:
Sampler As part of a
bottle mixed case
RED: La Coccinelle de la Grolet, Cotes de Bourg, France €13.95. (€11.95) Classy, medium-bodied Bordeaux
Domaine de L'Ancien Courrier, Corbières, France €12.45. (€10.95) Lovely, grown-up fruit and spice from the south of France
Domaine de Fondreche, Cuvée Nature, France €15.95. (€13.95) This one is sulphite free. Complex wine - need to drink it in one go!
Domaine de Fondreche, Cuvée Fayard, France €15.95. (€13.95) Naturally fermented, full of fruit, herbs and spice. 88 pts Robert Parker.
Domaine des Anges, Archange, Ventoux, France €18.95. (€16.45) As good as many Chateauneufs at twice the price.
Domaine des Anges, Ventoux , France €12.75. (€10.95) Recommended by Tomas Clancy in the Business Post yesterday
Domaine des Anges, Cabernet Sauvignon, France €16.45. (€14.45) A ‘class act' accornig to wine critic Oz Clarke
Osoti Crianza, Spain, Rioja, Spain €16.95. (€14.95) Lovely, medium-bodied Rioja
Añ, Falanis, Mallorca, Spain €36.95. (€32.95) Stunning, full-on food wine using indigenous Mallorcan grapes
Añ/2, Falanis, Mallorca, Spain €19.95. (€17.95) Extraordinarily complex red
Feudo Arancio, Nero d'Avola, Sicilia, Italy €13.95. (€11.95) A favourite at Cases. Plump, easy, ripe savoury fruits
Promessa Syrah/Merlot, Puglia IGP €10.95 (€9.95) Juicy, medium-bodied, fruit-driven
Finca Simonassi, Malbec Reserva, Argentina €10.95. (€9.95) Our most popular Malbec. So easy drinking!
Finca Simonassi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina €11.95. (€10.95) Powerful red meat wine
Battle of Bosworth Shiraz Viognier, Australia €22.95 (€19.95) 93 points from Australian wine guru James Halliday.
Battle of Bosworth Shiraz, Australia €22.95 (€19.95) Gorgeous rich, spicy Shiraz. Good now, will age well if you can resist!
Battle of Bosworth Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia €22.95 (€19.95) Loganberries, red cherries, plums, cedar and dark chocolate. Mmmmm.
WHITE: Chateau Gaillard, Touraine, France €13.95. (€11.95) Great value Loire Sauvignon Blanc
Domaine de Caylus, VdeP de Gascogne, France €11.95. (€10.45) Mouth-watering lime and yellow apples
Domaine des Anges, Archange, Ventoux, France €18.95. (€16.45) Rich citrus, floral, herbal, honey and spicy notes. Wow!
Domaine des Anges, Ventoux, France €12.75. (€10.95) Creamy pears and khoneysuckle. Screams for a roast chicken.
Albet i Noya Lignum Blanc, Penedes, Spain €14.95. (€12.95) Sauvignon/Chardonnay blend. Grapefruit and peach.
Anima Negra, Quibia, Mallorca, Spain €15.95. (€14.45) ‘Tropical aromas and peaches with a hint of white pepper. Gorgeous.' Lar Veale, in the late, lamented, Sunday Tribune
Battle of Bosworth Chardonnay Viognier, Australia €15.95 (€13.95) Spice, sandalwood and citrus peel. Long, long wine.
Battle of Bosworth Sauvignon Blanc, Australia €15.95 (€13.95) What?! A good Sauv Blanc from Australia?! Cut grass, passionfruit and lime.
And we also stock the St Peter's Organic Ale, Shepherd Neame's Whitstable Bay Organic Ale and Fuller's Honey Dew Organic Ale for sale by the case. Have a good week and mind that wind,
Peter