Thursday, January 10, 2008

Hi Michel,

About the wine (Cartagene), I would like to exchange it if possible for something different. I didn't realize that there was going to be stuff floating at the bottom of the bottle, and it doesn't even look like wine. I have never purchased dessert wine before. I don't want to open the bottle, I would rather do an exchange or a refund. Please let me know what can be done.

Thank you
Lisa
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Hi Lisa,

This is due to the nature of this wine and the way it's produced. Cartagene is made from grapes soaked in alcohol for a year then pressed and decanted. Since there is no fermentation it is not a wine, as you observed. For this product there is no filtration nor added sulfites to keep it as natural as possible. This is intentionally home made style! Therefore there are light particles that can condense in the bottle and float around particularly after the bottle has traveled and been shaken.

Let it stand in the fridge for a while and everything will deposit at the bottom. The product will clarify in the bottle and in your glass. If still bothersome you can take care of it by putting it through a simple coffee filter. In any case this is purely natural, like you can get unfiltered apple juice for instance, and is not detrimental to the taste.
Cartagene is an absolute delight and you should give it a try. I am pretty sure you'll love it! If you don't, just give it away and I will gladly refund your purchase.

Dr Mic

Monday, January 07, 2008

hello:
I just read your article about the term "organic wines" and was wondering if you could explain the requirement to add sulfites to wine. Is it a government decision or the wine industry's? And if you can buy hundreds of wine in Europe without added sulfites, why is that not the same in the US?

Personally, I would prefer totally organic wine (and everything else) and am willing to pay for it; however, when I go to traditional stores where I can purchase wines, I don't seem to have that choice. I would love to understand the discrepancies that constantly appear between European rules and those in this country. Maybe I'll move to Europe!

Where do you market you wines? Thanks for any info you can supply.

Sue
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HI Sue,

You can access some info on sulfites through the following links:
http://www.theorganicwinecompany.com/sulfites.php
http://www.theorganicwinecompany.com/news/january_06nws.php
which should provide most of the answers you are seeking.

In a few words though:
Sulfites act as preservatives in wine, vintners have used them for a long time as the best (and certainly least bad) way to keep wines from turning to vinegar.
Making wine with a little amount is possible, with none at all it is extremely risky. Quality of no sulfites added wines is generally under par unless you put a high price for it!
I would be hard pressed to find even 50 wines without sulfites in all of Europe, I know maybe 10 at the moment. Europe had simply no obligation to state sulfites on the label because it was not seen as an issue. Due to international harmonization, this has been enacted on Jan 1 2007.

In most cases going 98% organic is attainable while 100% is out of reach and creates unmanageable complications. Techniques you can use and things you can do in your own kitchen are sometimes not scalable for entire industries!

We market our wines in a few states other than CA (CO, FL, NY, MT, TX, IL, WI, AL) but the bulk of our sales happens now through the Internet at:
http://store.theorganicwinecompany.com

Hoping to see you there sometime I wish you a Happy New Year!

Dr Mic

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

I am allergic to the oak barrels that wine is normally distilled in. Could you tell me if you have a wine that is distilled only in the steel barrels? Or could you recommend an alternative?

Thank you for your help.
Tana
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Wines are not really distilled in oak barrels unless you are talking of spirits (alcohol extracted from wines) but I understand what you mean. Wines meant to be kept for a longer time, usually of a higher quality, are put in oak barrels for 6 to 12 months and the tannins extracted from the oak are what you are allergic to. The small barrels are thrown out after 3 to 5 years because they have given all their tannins away. A lot of the wineries still have huge oak casks to store wine before bottling but in my opinion these are very old and do not release any tannins.

Therefore I believe that in your case (depending on your personal sensitivity obviously) practically all young wines and low priced wines (since barrel aging is expensive) should work for you. Focus on recent vintages and light, fruity and inexpensive wines. You can also consider white or rosé wines since 95% of them are made in stainless steel.

Dr Mic