the wine : organic / bio bbbvbb

Yes, we are a vegetarian restaurant and all of our wines are vegetarian or vegan, as well as organic or biodynamic. A lot of people ask us about these methods so here’s a little tutorial.

A note on Organic and Biodynamic viticulture…

Before we engage in any lengthy discussion about the nature of these practices, let it be known that organic and biodynamic farming aren’t anything new—most of the top producers of Old World wines have been practicing these arts since viticulture began. It is only in the last 50 years or so that chemicals began to be used widely on crops. We at Terre à Terre are hopeful that through the support of these practices we can rediscover the roots of fine food and wine. That is Terre à Terre: Earth to Earth, Down to Earth, Back to Earth... Read on…

Agents in the fining process

Fining agents used in the production of wine include:

Bentonite (clay—vegan)
Gelatine
Chitosan
Casein
Polycar
Egg Albumen
Isinglass
Carbon
Sparkolloid

The following fining agents are derived from animal / fish products:

Gelatine
100% animal derived gelatine. Produced from cooking / controlled partial hydrolysis of fibrous insoluble protein collagen found in bone, tendons, skin and connective tissue.

Egg Albumen
Egg whites, usually dried or frozen

Casein
Sodium or potassium caseinate which is the primary protein in milk. Both are obtained through the precipitating action of acid on milk.

Isinglass
Made up of collagen fibres derived from the air bladders of certain fish, usually the swim bladder of the sturgeon.

Chitosan
Derived from the shells of shellfish and crustaceans.

Wines that have not been fined using gelatine, isinglass, casein, egg albumen or chitosan are suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. They are marked VG on the menu. Wines that have been fined using casein or egg whites are simply not marked but are nonetheless vegetarian.

How does Conventional Viticulture differ from Organic Viticulture?

Conventional agricultural practices, adopted in large part over the past 50 years, have stripped from the soil the minerals which are essential for healthy crops, justifying in turn the increasing use of artificial help to replace what has been lost. In fact, according to conservative estimates, seventeen insecticides, fumigants, and herbicides are currently being used in conventional wine grape production.

Many consumers are not aware of the fact that grapes are one of the most heavily sprayed crops around, and that when pesticides are sprayed on the grape skins to protect them from disease, they end up as residue in the wine (by being washed from the grapes as they are pressed or put in the vat). In addition to contact pesticides, there are also systemic pesticides which penetrate the plant and end up in the grape pulp, and inevitably as residue in the wine. A number of these chemicals are of great concern because they are suspected carcinogens.

The cornerstone of organic farming is the soil. Maintaining a healthy, biologically active soil is the main objective for an organic farmer. In the vineyard it 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. Organic growers use no synthetic growth-regulators (such as Alar). As for pesticides, the organic alternative consists in encouraging natural predators of insect pests instead of using poisonous chemicals.

Organic farmers promote "biodiversity" and allow plants other than vines to grow in and around the vineyard. Biodiversity helps regulate the vineyard soil by attracting beneficial insects, spiders and predatory mites, as well as provide shelter and food (pollen, nectar and other bugs), and replaces the need for chemical pesticides or insecticides. What cannot be fully controlled through biodiversity can still be managed organically, through the use of naturally occurring plant or mineral extracts, which leave no residues in the soil.

To answer the problem of weeds, conventional farmers use chemical weed killers. The organic alternative is to allow the weeds to grow, and mow them periodically so that the cut weeds rot back into the ground, thus providing organic fertilizer.

There is no doubt that growing under organic conditions protects the environment and the people that work in the vineyards from the adverse effects of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. Organic is more than simply a way of farming. It is also a philosophy. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "We did not inherit the Earth from our forefathers, we are borrowing it from our descendants."

What about Biodynamics?

It is helpful to think of biodynamics not primarily as an agricultural system, but rather as an altered philosophy or worldview that then impacts on the practice of agriculture in various ways. In other words, to farm biodynamically, first you have to think biodynamically.

It has its roots in a series of lectures delivered by Austrian philosopher–scientist Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Steiner’s life mission was to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds through the philosophical method. To this end, he created the ‘spiritual science’ of anthroposophy, which he used as the basis of the Waldorf school system that persists to this day.

It was only quite late on in Steiner’s life that he turned to agriculture: his eight lectures, entitled Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, were delivered just a year before his death, but they remain as the foundation of biodynamic farming. Modern biodynamic practice is built on top of Steiner-inspired theories, but it is important to emphasize that there are a number of growers who practice biodynamics but who would distance themselves from Steiner’s beliefs and teachings.

Key to biodynamics is considering the farm in its entirety as a living system. To this end, biodynamic farms are supposed to be closed, self-sustaining systems. Biodynamics also sees the farm in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic practitioners. Instead, they use a series of special preparations to enhance the life of the soil, which are applied at appropriate times in keeping with the rhythms of nature. And disease is seen not as a problem to be tackled head-on, but rather as a symptom of a deeper malaise within the farm organism’: correct the problem in the system and the disease will right itself.

Who is doing it?

It's hard to get an accurate picture of just how many wine producers are employing biodynamic methods. For a start, it's a method of cultivation that is rapidly catching on among wine producers—in particular in Burgundy and Alsace—so the list is growing rapidly. And besides those who are certified biodynamic, there are also those who dabble in it, or who are experimenting with part of their production. It is a rapidly changing picture, and definitely on the rise in the whole of the industry.

We believe that our list reflects the best of the organic and biodynamic wines available today—a small but representative sampling. However, some names are bigger than others, and carry more influence. Albet I Noya and Casal Dos Jordoes (Spain); M. Chapoutier and A. Stentz (France); Viniculturas Orgánicos Emiliana—or VOE (Chile); J. Millton (New Zealand); Fasoli Gino (Italy); Meinklang (Austria); these are just a few of our award-winning producers.

Furthermore…

Some of our wines have caused suspicion with our guests because of the presence of tartrate crystals. They appear as shattered glass in a white wine, and in a developed tannic wine they will be distributed amongst other richly sedimented material.

In both cases the crystals usually adhere to the underside of the cork and are made visible once the bottle is opened. Tartrate crystals are not to be feared! They are the harmless residue of an important wine acid, tartaric acid, and although they can be removed through modern methods, some wine makers prefer to avoid such aesthetics. They prefer to handle their wines as little as possible and assume that the passionate and knowledgeable wine lover (that’s now you) is more likely to reckon tartrate shards as evidence of a deeply caring attitude than the reverse. You will most likely find these crystals in our Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer.