Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I am not an expert on wine, so I was thrilled to discover The Organic Wine Company. In the past, I was always nervous in buying wine because I was afraid I might be choosing something that, frankly, didn’t taste very good.

Every wine I have ordered from The Organic Wine Company has been superb, and I know that I can count on them. The fact that so many of the wines are organic makes buying them all the more gratifying. --

Laurie Graham, Pittsburgh, PA.
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Thank You, Laurie!

Monday, October 29, 2007

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I also wanted to mention that we have very much enjoyed all of the wines you have sent monthly - great quality at a good price, and you do a great job. I'm so happy I found the Organic Wine Company! Organic wine is not easy to find, and you have a great selection. I also appreciate the obvious care with which you select the wine to include with the monthly sampler.

Andrew B. , WA

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No Comment!
I have a question about the 2003 Veronique I received last week. I had a
bottle this weekend, very good, but I noticed some residue in the glass
when finishing the bottle. Is this normal for Veronique? I have not
noticed this in other bottles.

This is not a complaint, just a question.

Thanks for your great wines.

Ken, WA
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Hi Ken,

I do notice from time to time some residue on different bottles, on Château Véronique or others. It depends on various physical factors like the temperature (cold) reached during the winter or the time spent in the bottle but mostly the temperature after the wine has been bottled. If it goes down further than during its stay in the cellar, then a certain amount of components will precipitate and give this residue without consequences other than visual.

Sincerely

Dr Mic

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Dr. Mic,
I'm asking specifically about ORGANIC pesticides, not synthetic ones. Organic/natural pesticides are permitted in certified organic gardening/farming. Yesterday I had some organic grapes that gave me a bad reaction. So, needless to say, I'm concerned about organic pesticides as much as I am synthetic ones.
I'm still in the process of tracking down food allergies. So, knowing specifically what I'm being exposed to will help me to track what is causing a reaction. I know for a fact that I have allergies to legume products, which would include the natural pesticide rotenone. There are a couple of other pesticides from other food groups that may also be causing me trouble. Are any of the pesticides listed on the following website used in organic wines? If so, which ones, please? http://www.ghorganics.com/Page44.html Also, if you know that a certain vineyard doesn't use specific natural pesticides or herbicides, it may help me to try wines from that vineyard to see if I can tolerate the one or two other pesticides that may be used.
Thank you for you help.

Mary H.

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Hi Mary,

Indeed Rotenone is a plant extract therefore not considered to be synthetic. It is toxic to some animals (fish) and is used in vineyards to get rid of specific worms that attack the fruit early in the season. However its efficient life is very short as it degrades in the sun fairly quickly and therefore should certainly not be present as such on the grapes you eat.
I assume BT on your list is Bacillus Thuringiensis, a bacteria used to combat caterpillar/butterflies. Could not really be counted as a chemical! And there is no known toxicity.
Pyrethrin and its derived products are also a seed extract, easily biodegraded in the sun with low or no toxicity to humans. It is commonly used as an insecticide when needed.
Essential oils can be used too without any known possible harm to humans.

To tell you which winery is using or not a specific product is a real trick as conditions change every year and what is true now may not be next year. So many factors come into play: quantity used, time of spraying, repetition, climatic conditions, nature of soil, type of grapes and then harvest conditions, the winemaking style etc it's a very complex assessment!

On the other hand if you are eating grapes I do not know what is permitted to use as a conservative since this is a different story than wine grapes (few varietals are accepted and growing requirements are different). Usually SO2 (sulfurous gas) is used to keep fruits from rotting.
I hope this helps you!

Dr Mic

Friday, October 19, 2007

Could you please verify that your organic wines are indeed pesticide-free? I've been doing some research in dealing with allergies and have found that a product being organic does not mean that it is pesticide-free, as there are several pesticides that are certified for use by certified organic farmers. I happen to have allergies to a couple of those pesticides.
Thank you in advance for your response.
Mrs. Hitt
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As far as I know there are no synthetic chemicals authorized for use in organic growing in France. In the case of vineyards we are allowed to use Sulfur and Copper Sulfate which are 2 ancient mined products that do not qualify as "chemicals". Moreover they are working by contact which means they are carried away by the wind and washed out by rain. Do you have any specific name in mind?There are up to 300 products that can be chosen from in the conventional winemaking process and those could also create problems. With organic production you have none of that.
Dr Mic