Organisers of the first American wine competition judged solely by women have announced the first contest open only to organic or biodynamic wines.
Founders of the first annual Green Wine Competition to be held May 5 in Sonoma, California, say the competition is meant to be a roadmap for consumers looking to drink green.
'This is an exploding category,' said Lea Pierce, competition director. 'There is tremendous interest in green products. But it's hard for wine lovers to find these wines, to know what they're getting, and to know which ones are great.'
The competition has 100 entries so far, and organisers say they expect between 200 and 1,000 entries. First-year wine competitions typically garner 200-400 entries.
Producers need not be fully organic or biodynamic but can comply with a range of US sustainable certification programs such as Lodi Rules, Oregon LIVE and Certified Salmon Safe.
'We feel this will help people keep moving to full-tilt organic and biodynamic,' Pierce said.
The competition is organised by the same group as the National Women's Wine Competition, judged by women in the wine industry. Now in its second year, it had 1900 entries last year.
Pierce, a wine marketing consultant, created the women's competition based on the knowledge that women buy 60-70% of the wine sold in the US. She said results would help professional wine buyers and consumers identify wines that women enjoy.
Judges for the Green Wine Competition include Robert Parker biographer Elin McCoy, Jean-Charles Boisset of Boisset Family Wines and Peter Marks MW, wine curator at Napa's Copia wine centre.
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While we certainly appreciate the recent article publicizing the International Green Wine Competition™, as a Director of the competition, I'd like to clear up misconceptions generated by Ms. Fuhrman's piece.
First, the judging will take place in Santa Rosa, CA, not Sonoma.
Second, you will also not find the use of the word, “sustainable” anywhere in our lexicon for this competition. Please check out our website at www.greenwinecomp.info for full rules, definitions, and details. We are well aware the term “sustainable” has little or no meaning when it comes to organic farming practices.
Furthermore, we consulted for months with the acknowledged leaders of the Biodynamic and Organic viticulture movement in the United States prior to launching this competition.
Finally, we do indeed require third party certifications and proof of certification must be sent along with each entry.
We have four classes of entry. They are:
Certified Biodynamic® – Wines made from grapes grown in certified Biodynamic
vineyards. Acceptable third party certifying agencies include Biodyvin (France) and Demeter certified Biodynamic® (international).
Certified Organic – Wines made from certified organically grown grapes. Certification must be given by an accredited third party agency such as USDA, CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), Oregon TILTH, or France's ECOCERT.
Transitional - Wines made from grapes grown in vineyards transitioning to organic or biodynamic certification. Also acceptable in this class are U.S. Wines made from grapes certified under Lodi Rules, Oregon LIVE and Certified Salmon Safe. A copy of the certification must accompany the entry.
Natural – Wines made from grapes farmed without the use of chemicals. Open only to international imports and intended for those that have traditionally farmed without the use of chemicals, but who have not sought certification often because no such third party certifying agency exists in their country.
All interested parties can go to www.greenwinecomp.info. We can also be reached at 707-568-3900 or info@greenwinecomp.info and welcome all questions. De-Anna Alba, Director, International Green Wine Competition
I find it a bit ironic and comical to see that after over 85% of decanter.com readers (myself included) decided that marketing wines to women was patronising, to read "She said results would help professional wine buyers and consumers identify wines that women enjoy."
Dave Marra, Ireland
I would like to express my dismay that the "Organic and Biodynamic" wine competition is open to many producers who are not certified organic or biodynamic. The inclusion of producers who are in compliance with any one of many programs touting "sustainability" is a slap in the face of those of us who actually go through the years of compliance, inspections, and additional labor that it takes to obtain and maintain organic certification. The current trend towards labels such as "sustainability" and "fish friendly" are primarily marketing tools with no accountability. As a viticulturalist and winemaker in Sonoma County, I have attended these workshops and received the pieces of paper that proclaim my vineyard and winery operations to be "sustainable". So have representatives of Gallo, Kendal Jackson, and many of the other corporate wine enterprises that care primarily about their bottom line. Touting the label of sustainability without paying a living wage, or providing for basic human needs, in addition to using massive amounts of chemicals is an empty claim.
So give the competition some validity. Restrict the entries to those wines that are made from grapes that are truly grown by people who care for the soil, the environment, and the health and welfare of those toiling in the fields.
John Mason, Viticurturist and Winemaker, Emtu Estate Wines, California, USA
As a winegrower whose vineyards have been certified organic by independent agencies since 1990 and certified in compliance with Demeter's North American Biodynamic standards since 2005, I want to join John Mason in expressing my dismay at the criteria for this tasting.
It brings to mind a comment by a fellow winemaker a few years ago who explained to a group of consumers that her vineyards were, "afterall, virtually organic." Is that akin to being "virtually forthright"..."virtually honest"..."virtually pregnant ?"
In like manner, it was equally amazing to see the phalanx of "organic" claims on the shelf-talkers of several wine shops during a recent visit to New York...none of which was backed up by labels which supported those claims.
In the United States, the federal government requires that all such claims on wine labels be supported by an extensive paper trail of documents culminating in certification by an independent, federally recognized certifying agency.
Short of that, merchants and consumers are left with little more than the self-interested claims of producers and marketers who now want to be seen as "green" in order to sell product.
The criteria for the tasting in question appear to further blur the lines and obscure the truths behind the labels. As well meaning as the Green Wine Competition's organizers may be, their skirting of organic and/or Biodynamic certification as a requirement for participation does not serve the interests of consumers and wine
lovers of all stripes.
Doug Tunnell, Winemaker/Proprietor, Brick House Vineyards, Newberg, Oregon USA
It does seem a shame that the competition organisers felt the need to include a category for 'natural wines', where producers can enter their wines by merely signing a form promising that they do not use chemicals in their grape growing. The rules state: 'Wineries found to misrepresent themselves under these guidelines will be disqualified.' This is interesting. I wonder how likely is it that anyone will be checking up on these promises - especially as this option is only available to the so-called 'international' (ie, non-US) wines entered for the competition. Can we expect to see the Sonoma green police in Europe some time soon?
Beverley Blanning MW, London, UK
I agree with the comments about truly determining who is and who isn't organic or green, you can't be half pregnant being a favorite analogy. However, we must make an allowance for a winery like Chateau Musar, known to be perhaps the most natural wine in the world. Being that it is in the middle of a battle field in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, they have always had difficulty getting Agencies to come and observe them to see how Organic indeed they are. This wine isn't even exposed to stainless steel tanks in the winery!
Bartholomew Broadbent, San Francisco, CA, USA
As an importer of certified organic wines I agree with the comments of the winemakers above. I go through many steps with the winemakers, label makers, and our federal government to have the words "made with organic grapes" on my labels. This is organic legitimacy. I am continuously disappointed to see wines in the "organic" section of many retailers nationwide where a majority of their wines are not certified and make no organic claim. Have you seen "Cono Sur" Pinot Noir from Chile? The label claims "grown according to sustainable agriculture practices." What rubbish!
Paolo Mario Bonetti, President, Organic Vintners, Boulder CO, USA
I am the president of the Board of Directors of the organization (California Land Stewardship Institute, Napa, CA) that administers the Fish Friendly Farming® (FFF) Environmental Certification Program. To say our certification lacks accountability is completely incorrect. Our certification requires the completion of a farm conservation plan with a 100 page inventory of all aspects of the farm including chemical use. In northern California, none of our waterways are listed by EPA as impaired for agricultural chemicals. The pollutants of concern are fine sediment and high water temperatures. The FFF program directly and effectively changes agricultural land management to reduce erosion and to have larger stream corridors which are planted with native species. In Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Solano Counties our certification is recognized by environmental groups as the highest level of environmental protection and totals nearly 80,000 acres.
We have a third party certification completed by three regulatory agencies: National Marine Fisheries Service which is responsible for endangered salmon, the Regional Water Quality Control Boards which are responsible for state and federal Clean Water laws and the County Agricultural Commissioners who are responsible for state pesticide laws and groundwater protection. No one receives our certification without a substantial level of review by agencies whose only interest is environmental protection.
It is unfortunate that the organizer of this tasting has not done their due diligence in evaluating the various certification programs. Requiring certification programs to have both a third party review along with a rigorous set of practices that address more than chemical use on the farm should be a requirement. Beverly Wasson, President, California Land Stewardship Institute
Paolo Mario Bonetti, President, Organic Vintners is dismissive of the 'sustainable agriculture' claims made by Cono Sur in Chile, calling them rubbish. Having visited the property 2 years ago with winemaker Aldolfo Hurtado, as well as their sister venture Bodegas Organicos Emiliana, I must disagree with Mr Bonetti most strongly. I was most impressed by the work being done at Cono Sur, which does not claim to be organic, but shows a real commitment towards honest and responsible practice in the vineyards, as well as making some very impressive wines! BOE goes even further, in as much as it is fully bio-dynamic, in the capable hands of Alvaro Espinoza and José Guilsasti. Martin Lam, Chef-proprietor, Ransome's Dock Restaurant, London
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While we certainly appreciate the recent article publicizing the International Green Wine Competition™, as a Director of the competition, I'd like to clear up misconceptions generated by Ms. Fuhrman's piece.
