Two great evenings at Teddington and Richmond allowed us to explore the for some appealing, for others contentious, topic of Organic and Biodynamic wines, with a couple of Natural wines (which do not have to be either organic or biodynamic) thrown in for fun.
I was keen to encourage a spirit of open-mindedness in our approach to these wines. I personally do not think that these very sustainable practices in vineyard and winery guarantee superior tasting wines, although their focus on vine health, soil fertility and conservation of natural resources is to me a sensible approach. And the increased use of these practices by top winemakers in prestigious areas including Bordeaux and Barolo suggests that dedicated winemakers feel they have much to add, even if they do not necessarily claim certification and put that on their label. But I am always struck by the contrast between people’s views. Some feel almost affronted, particularly by the homeopathic and lunar cycle beliefs of the biodyamic movement, while others are almost spiritually drawn to them.
Luckily, the wines we tasted were all of high quality and gave us a good opportunity to engage in our discussions enjoying lovely flavours and some good food.
We kicked off at each event with a blind tasting of Sancerres from 2022, one organic, the other not. We certainly could not identify any difference in quality, though the organic Berthier was somewhat more mineral in character while the Domaine Sauterau tasted at Teddington was more fruit driven, and the Lucien Crochet at Richmond more complex (but also more expensive).
Another Sauvignon Blanc, the Animalia from Vina Emiliana in Chile gave some of us an opportunity to indulge in memories of our visit there back in 2015 – read the blog to find out about our amazing visit. This was our natural wine, whole grapes fermented on their skins in concrete eggs, with minimal fining and filtration of the finished wines.
Vina Ijalba in Rioja last year make a white wine made from the very rare Tempranillo Blanco – the Ruiz family actually discovered it when some regular Tempranillo mutated in the vineyard! A super foody wine, with great oak influence.
I had just returned from two tours in Sicily, where we visited the DOCG region of Cerasuolo di Vittoria, and the organic wine from Tenuta Bastonaca shouted all the vibrant cherry fruit so characteristic of this style. In the windy, Mediterranean climate of Sicily organic practices are widespread, thanks to low humidity and relatively infertile soils.
Our Shiraz comparison revealed contrasting styles of winemaking rather than sustainability. The Dandelion Lionheart of the Barossa was richer and more alcoholic, while the organic wine from Cowra in New South Wales was more elegant. Whether anyone could tell it was made ‘naturally’ ie with no added sulphur is up for debate!
A big treat was the 2018 Barolo Camparo. Mauro Drocco is a pioneer of organic practices in Barolo, and this wine was a super elegant example.
Our final wine was a Malbec, but this was not Argentine Malbec as we know it, Jim. Made like port, with fermentation stopped by the addition of grape spirit, leaving plenty of grape sugar in the finished wine, it went brilliantly with blue cheese at Teddington.
At Teddington the team did the usual great catering job with cottage pie followed by cheese, while the Britannia at Richmond provided a super chicken liver parfait and fishcakes.
For details of the wines, please visit the Wines we have tasted page.
