Berebio, the New York stop, is part of a larger roadshow for these wineries and will be held at Altacucina’s Epicurean Center on May 24 from 3pm to 8pm.

 

An organic wine show is somewhat rare when speaking about Italian wines. Italy tends to be behind its’ French counterparts in terms of certified organic wines. Italian producers say that the difficulty of obtaining official certification is one the reasons that it is not more common. Another is the perception of consumers that organic wines are not as good or as well made as non organic wines. Nothing of course could be further from the truth. Organic wines are very well made and producers who make them tend to be even more attentive to how the wines are created.

 

Luckily, organic wines are becoming an evermore important part of the US wine market and therefore perceptions are changing. One reason for the confusion about organic wines is that there are many definitions floating around about what makes an organic wine.

 

Organic wine in Italian is usually called biologico. This is the umbrella term in Italy, just as natural or organic wines would be in the US.

 

Both vineyards and grapes can be organic. When speaking about grapes, this means that they have been grown without using any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Wineries in Italy and other places in the world that consider themselves organic do use treatments of sulphur and copper (zolfo and rame).

 

From here, the definitions become a bit more complicated.. When speaking about methods used in the winery, organic winemakers tend to use ambient or natural yeasts that are found on the grapes as opposed to using selected or cultivated yeasts. They try to use very few processes which can strip the wines of their flavors and aromas such reverse osmosis and heavy filtration.

 

Winemakers that make these types of choices are labeled organic. Wineries that aren’t certified organic whether by choice or because they don’t adhere to the government rules may not be labeled organic in the United States. The term sustainable means that the wineries are looking to use as few chemical treatments as possible but these wineries cannot be certified sustainable,

 

A third and very important category are wines that are biodynamic. These winemakers follow the teaching of Rudolph Steiner, an Austrian professor. His philosophy incorporates many disciplines such as astronomy, astrology, biology and chemistry and looks at the vineyard as an ecosystem unto itself. This is a very holistic approach to the winery and the vineyard and is quite rare in Italy although some of the producers at the event are biodynamic.

 

This event promises to offer many interesting stories as well as delicious wines of course. Here is a list of the participating wineries: Stefania Pepe, Antica Masseria Venditti, Piera Martellozzo, Donato Giangirolami, I Pampini, Tenuta Ca' Boffenisio, Saladini Pilastri, Fiorano, Castello di Tassarolo, Tenuta San Pietro, Cascina San Lazzaro, Meloni Vini, Cantine Foraci, La Salceta, Il Cerchio,La Selva,San Quirico, Sorelle Palazzi, La Busattina, Sassotondo, Fattoria Castellina, Casale, Montenidoli, Badia a Coltibuono, Cavalierino, I Botri di Ghiaccioforte, Fattoria La Traiana, Consorzio Vintesa, Durante Le Contrade, Consorzio Vignaioli Biodinamici.

 

 

-Susannah Gold