Wine Culture Magazine

For these somms, the future of wine is organic, regenerative and delicious

At the award-winning, organic Grgich Hills Estate in Napa Valley, regenerative farming practices include planting cover crops between the vines. Photo courtesy Grgich Hills Estate

If you walk into a wine bar in any major metropolis, chances are the trendiest pour is something new and naturally inclined: a colourfully labelled bottle with whispers of funk and wondrously virtuous practices. These bottles are born from vineyards dotted with grazing sheep and blooming wildflowers and made by winemakers who wax poetic about biodynamic practices and the benefits of compost.

“I love these wines! You can taste when a wine has been fermented naturally or when biodynamics are at play in the vineyard,” says Renée Sferrazza, the Toronto-based sommelier and owner of Wine by Renée. Her 26,000-plus followers on Instagram agree. “When I start a conversation about sustainable wines on television, writing or social media, I get so many interactions.”

And this new guard of eco-minded wines is infiltrating the country’s drinking destinations. They’re commandeering the menu at Halifax’s Ostrich Club. They remain the raison d’être at Vancouver’s Bar Tartare and Toronto’s Grape Witches. I’ve found glasses of fizzy Frontenac at dive bars and sipped biodynamic white Burgundy at Michelin-starred spaces. The passion for natural, low-intervention wine has hit a fever pitch.

This growing interest in green wines isn’t confined to Canada. Noted wine critic Karen McNeil, the Napa Valley-based author of The Wine Bible, recently announced she would no longer review heavy bottles in an effort to reduce carbon outputs. Meanwhile, Bordeaux allowed new varieties into its fold in an effort to future-proof against climate change.

“I’ve seen interest in sustainable wines rise consistently over the last five years,” says Ali Khan Lalali, owner and sommelier of Toronto’s General Assembly Pizza. He finds that guests are inquiring after sustainable production, farming techniques, recyclable packaging and support for marginalized workers. “And, over the last three years, several wine shops have opened specializing in natural and biodynamic wine—it’s helping to fuel accessibility, awareness and access to the category.”

Andrew Forsyth, head sommelier at Vancouver’s L’Abattoir, notes that consumers are thirsty for sustainable wines, but confused about current terminology and labelling. Photo courtesy of L’Abattoir

A Healthier Sip

Rebecca Pettigrew, the sommelier at plant-minded progressive restaurant Ten in Toronto, reckons that the increased interest is due to a wider-spread health movement. “As people become increasingly conscious of what they consume—whether it’s the food they eat, the cleaning products they use or the makeup they apply to their bodies—it’s only natural that they also want to understand more about what they drink.”

Now she exclusively lists wines that are sustainably made, organic or biodynamically certified, or adhere to natural winemaking practices. “As a sommelier, I feel a sense of responsibility to offer beverages that steer clear of pesticides and other harmful chemicals—many wine consumers aren’t even aware of these concerns,” she says. “I try not to get too preachy, but I find that most guests are keen to hear about naturally made wines.”

Others disagree. In Toronto, Geoffry Fleming, the sommelier for Sunnys and MIMI Chinese, thinks that thoughtful practices are a passing fad. “I find people are more concerned with the final product than they are with the social and environmental factors,” he says. “Will the wine pair with the food? Are guests getting great value for their money?”

The wariness around the category is warranted—responsible winemaking can be a convoluted subject. “There’s a fair bit of confusion surrounding this topic—and understandably so,” says Pettigrew.

There are dozens of different sustainable certifications within the industry, offering approvals on everything from biodynamic vineyards to fish-friendly production methods. Among the most familiar are USDA Organic, Demeter, Napa Green or Regenified. All have their own verification process and sticker.

On top of that, Pettigrew points out that commonly used  terms like “sustainable” and “natural” lack any legal definition. “It leads to huge misconceptions and adds so much complexity for consumers,” she says.

“People crave these wines, but I find consumers always ask: ‘Why isn’t there a universal sustainable sticker on the front of a bottle?’ ” says Sferrazza. “There are many things that consumers love about sustainable wines. However, there’s a huge disconnect between what they are asking for and the information the market provides.”

It also leaves the wine industry rife with greenwashing—brands using buzzy terms like “natural” or “sustainable” while distorting the definition to meet their needs.

At the Emidio Pepe winery in Abruzzo, Italy, regenerative farming practices are used to grow the grapes for its highly regarded Montepulciano and Trebbiano wines. Photo courtesy of Emidio Pepe

Wine, Redefined

If you are considering drinking greener, here’s what to know. “Organic” labels require a winery to use certified organic grapes and skip synthetic chemicals and sulfites (additives that make a wine shelf-stable, but may have detrimental effects on health).

Bottles labelled “biodynamic” can seem a bit woo-woo—producers farm by the astronomical and lunar calendar—but have practical draws: pursuing biodiversity in the vineyards, using natural compost and eliminating nefarious chemicals.

“Regenerative farming” doesn’t just soften the damage done by winemaking, but betters the land by planting cover crops, forgoing herbicides and improving the microbiology of the soil. Regenerative practices also extend to the people: Does the winery pay their employees a fair wage based on their community’s cost of living?

“I find guests are still stuck trying to figure out what sustainability means,” says Andrew Forsyth of L’Abattoir in Vancouver. “Some are confused by ‘natural’ wines and think that the terminology—like natural, orange, organic and biodynamic—is mutually exclusive and indicative of style.”

And then there’s “natural wine.” Loosely defined, natural wine is more of a philosophy than a strict set of guidelines. Consider it a collective of winemakers looking to express their land in its rawest form by interfering as little as possible. In recent years, natural wine has become synonymous with hip bottlings of orange or chilled red wines, piquette or pétillant naturel.

They’re not for everyone. Many of the new-guard natural wines inspire tasting notes like funky, musty, hazy, stinky or kombucha-y. Often adopted by the hipster set, these wines tend to embrace characteristics that are considered faults in classical winemaking: brett, volatile acid or mousiness. Naysayers will argue that these wines are more spiritual and expressive than correct.

“Sometimes you can really like a musician and what they stand for, and then they drop a real clunker of a song,” says Fleming. “The same is true in the wine world. Responsible agriculture is great and the world needs more of it, but you need to be able to still make a good wine.”

This argument could play out for ages, but one thing is certain: Natural wine has helped welcome in a new guard of wine drinkers. Once upon a time, wine was for the elite—suit-and-tie collectors with deep pockets and big cellars. Now the average wine-bar customer is scene-y, soigné and sporting stick-and-poke tattoos. These weird and wonderful wines? They’re democratizing the industry at a time when wine sales are lower than ever.

Ontario’s Rosewood Wines is all about biodynamic farming. Photo courtesy of Rosewood Wines

Naturally Good Wines

Sustainably minded wines don’t need to be esoteric or odd in flavour profile. There are category-changing wines that are clean and classic in profile, but responsible in practice.

In Abruzzo, Emidio Pepe produces age-worthy Montepulciano and opulent Trebbianos from a farm deeply rooted in regenerative practices. In Napa Valley, Matthiasson and Grgich Hills Estates produce precise, ethereal California Chardonnays while pursuing high levels of organic and regenerative production. In Champagne, Billecart-Salmon‘s viticulturists are committed to sustainability and their bruts have become sommelier darlings. Domaine Faiveley makes some of the most admired wines in Burgundy that just so happen to be organic. And, in Anjou, biodynamic winery Clau de Nell produces Loire wines that sing with expression and flavour.

Here in Canada, Tawse and Rosewood in Ontario are keen biodynamists and organists, as are B.C.’s Sperling Vineyards and Summerhill Pyramid Winery.

“Given the current climate in the B.C. wine-making industry, people are definitely on board with the idea of responsible farming practices and environmental stewardship,” says Forsyth. “I’m a big fan of pointing to this when introducing guests to wineries like Tantalus (LEED certified), Synchromesh (holistic farming), and Le Vieux Pin (SWBC).“

“Wine really reflects a global need for sustainability,” says Sferrazza. “We can see it in the recent vintages—look at the Okanagan—but beyond that, it’s also a pollutant-heavy industry that needs to change. And for consumers, change means giving back to the world through better farming, giving back to communities with better jobs, and looking to the future with better practices.

“Ultimately, if the wine is good and comes with some extra sustainable benefits to match, it is a solid pick in my books.”

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