Organic Wine and Food Matching

Central Otago, New Zealand. Incredible Pinot Noir from a land that time – and still, most wine lovers – forgot?  That’s Central Otago, located in the southern reaches of New Zealand’s South Island; a setting so spectacular, it rivals only Hawai`i in its usage when cinematographers need scenes of other worldly, primordial beauty (re The Chronicles of Narnia  or  The Lord of the Rings ). As a grape growing region, Central Otago is like France’s Burgundy (the home of the Pinot noir grape) upside-down: Intersecting the 45 th South Parallel (Burgundy is just north of the 45 th North Parallel) and marked by an icy Alpine climate, and optimal, well drained, sloping terrain (schistous sandy, silty loams). All adding up to Pinot Noirs of effortless grace, silky textures, snappy acidity, and deep flavors defined by billowing perfumes of varietal spice and flowers. Kawarau Estate owners Charles and Wendy Finny So if Central Otago Pinot Noirs are so great, why aren’t they...

Tres Sabores' Julie Johnson. Julie Johnson, winemaker/proprietor of her own Tres Sabores estate, located at the foot of the Mayacamas Mountains in the prestigious Rutherford Bench AVA of Napa Valley. Original co-founder of Women for Winesense . Former president of ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers). One of Napa Valley’s pioneers of certified organic grape growing (going back 25 years to her former association with Frog’s Leap Vineyards).  What has Johnson not done? Frankly, I can’t say, as she’s already inspired a generation of women and men devoted, as she is, to producing wines that express the “voice” (i.e. terroir ) of vineyards; but even more amazingly, without a drop of self-consciousness, and with a ton of levity. Perfect example: Johnson’s 2006 Tres Sabores ¿Porqué No? (about $20). The question, why not? , asked because, to Johnson and her cellar crew, it makes perfect sense to blend some of her certified organic estate grown Zinfandel (dominating this bot...

Marc, Manfred and Antoine Kreydenweiss For the price (around $15), you would be hard pressed to find a red wine from anywhere in the world with as much dense yet perfectly rounded, juicy fruit, and fresh, earthy qualities, as the 2006 Marc Kreydenweiss Perrières , Costières de Nîmes . The beauty of all this is that this smooth yet gutsy red is made by a winemaker who, for most of the past twenty years, was universally acclaimed for the quality of his white wines, made from grapes like Riesling and Pinot Gris. The first turning point for Marc Kreydenweiss began in 1989, when he committed to transforming all of his estate owned vineyards in Alsace, France to principles of biodynamic viticulture; which he did with the clear purpose of breathing renewed life into his soils, and magnifying grape flavor and vineyard expression. Simply put, naturally healthy soils produce not just healthy grapes, but also more intense, naturalistic wines more likely to express  terroir , or “...