Is There Room for Organics in Mainstream Fine Dining Restaurants?
Over the past few months I've been focusing more on organic (as well as biodynamic, vegan and variations of sustainably produced) wines; although as a longtime restaurateur (over thirty years) and like so many others in the business, up until recently I've never really given credence to the fact that a wine may (or may not) be organic, as I've carried on my selection process.
In fact, if anything, many of us in the on-premise industry have been wary of organics for the simple reasons that
1. Organics also mean riskier, and thus less stable or predictable, wine products (at the point of sale, servers hate suggesting unpredictable wines of any sort).
2. We're not sure guests (especially in high-end restaurants) really give a damn.
However, anyone with two eyes and a brain can see that organic foodstuffs is now a huge, zillion dollar industry with seemingly limitless growth potential; and now, wines specifically labeled as organic (and of course, biodynamic and vegan) are making significant headway in the retail markets.
Question is, does the success of organic foods and wines in retail markets indicate the time has come for more emphasis of the same in mainstream fine dining restaurants? What is your opinion... should it be done... or better yet, why hasn't it really been done (apart from in organically themed restaurants)? Is this something you even give a damn about?
In fact, if anything, many of us in the on-premise industry have been wary of organics for the simple reasons that
1. Organics also mean riskier, and thus less stable or predictable, wine products (at the point of sale, servers hate suggesting unpredictable wines of any sort).
2. We're not sure guests (especially in high-end restaurants) really give a damn.
However, anyone with two eyes and a brain can see that organic foodstuffs is now a huge, zillion dollar industry with seemingly limitless growth potential; and now, wines specifically labeled as organic (and of course, biodynamic and vegan) are making significant headway in the retail markets.
Question is, does the success of organic foods and wines in retail markets indicate the time has come for more emphasis of the same in mainstream fine dining restaurants? What is your opinion... should it be done... or better yet, why hasn't it really been done (apart from in organically themed restaurants)? Is this something you even give a damn about?
Views: 4
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rick DeGolia on -
Rebecca:
Thanks for the link. Randy's link didn't go through for me. I make wine in the Saratoga Hills. Martin Ray, the long tooth for our vineyards, never used sulfites or cultured yeast. In general, we follow the routine that you seem to; however, our preferred ppm of S02, unless there is a high spoilage year, is 20ppm. Our wines seem to be extremely long lived (as were Martin Ray's with no sulfites added). This year, our cab came in so clean that we decided to test Martin Ray's preferred approach (he's been dead for many years). We'll see how it turns out, but the fermentation definitely didn't get stuck.
Great discussion, Rick DeGolia
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Permalink Reply by leslie van cleave on -
no.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Milone on -
Hello Everyone,
I am a little late to the game here but I just joined the 2.0 site............
I have been part of the organic movement in Mendocino for quite some time, mainly growing grapes organically and for the past 8 years wine as well. There are producers that firmly believe that wine made organically is not only better for you but higher quality as well. After 30+ years of making and selling wine commercially here is what I think:
Wine should not hurt to drink it .............. and it should taste good!
Organic or conventional is a personal and professional choice made by the producer. Some are about marketing and trends (the Big Guys), most do it as a lifestyle choice. I for example live in the vineyard and drink wines daily soooooooooo knowing all that can and is done to the beverage and its major component (and having been inspired by the late Martin Ray as well) I do as little as possible to both grape and wine. I do not believe in making wine without the use of S02. Some varieties and vineyards (mostly heavy reds) you can get away with it. White wines??????????? Good luck. even with the low level S02 wines in the organic category it would be quite challeging to make commercially acceptable wines without the modern refrigeration technology we have (not so green).
Wine needs to stand up in the bottle and (in this market especially) be a good value. If it happens to be organic........ Great!
So without writing a book here.......... there is a whole lot going on with this new (old) trend.
Happy to divulge more,
JAM
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Permalink Reply by Randy Caparoso on -
Thanks, Jim!
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Permalink Reply by Alana Gentry aka GirlwithaGlass on
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Organic, biodynamic wines are definitely still new in many circles and IMHO, a rapidly-growing trend. I was told by an insider that a group of vintners in Dry Creek Valley are trying to establish the first biodynamic appellation.
I dismissed organic wines a few years ago, but now that so many wineries I visit are switching to less is more farming, it's exciting. I am enamored by tasting wines that are backed by fab winemakers that are handled gently and allowed to be as natural as possible.
As far as restaurants go, they can lead now or get on the band wagon later; I think it will matter more and more, especially with Wine 2.0 "the new consumer."
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Grimes on -
Alana: Eagles Nest Winery has pursued sustainable farming not from a "look at me I'm Green" standpoint but from a "it makes good business sense standpoint." We also mulch all of our vineyard and winery waste, returning nutrients to the soil. Restaurants will follow if consumers demand it. Regardless we are committed to sustainable farming and winemaking.
We're blessed with excellent grape growing conditions in the Ramona Valley AVA near San Diego and were it not for vision-less local government land use policies - the area's pre-Prohibition wine industry would have recovered following the repeal - but that's whole 'nother story.
We use Olde English Southdown Baby Doll sheep for weed control in our vineyards and on our property. Aside from a daily treat of "Sweet Grain" a sheep version of dry granola and molasses (which the lovable creatures bleat their hearts our for at day's end) they live exclusively on weeds.
Our healthy vines are disease free obviating the need for pesticides, and the sheep relieve the need for both very expensive manual weeding labor, or the use of herbicides. Our Vacation Villa guests love the periodic visits by the roaming sheep - if we could only potti-train the cute critters.
Dry Creek is a beautiful area. I wish them well in implementing their sustainable projects.
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Permalink Reply by Wino on -
I does not matter to me. If there are other reasons, price, taste, quality, etc.. then I would be interested.
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