Organic Wines Uncorked: In Search of Balance: A New Film Exploring Health, the Microbiome in Your Gut, and Soil

Thursday, September 17, 2015

In Search of Balance: A New Film Exploring Health, the Microbiome in Your Gut, and Soil - Connected?

At last week's Heirloom Expo I barely had a chance to get through the large indoor hall of exhibits. But in the 100 degree heat wave raging outside, the hall offered a haven - at least temporarily.

I did a quick scan of the exhibitors, many of whom I had stopped to explore in depth in previous years. One new booth caught my attention - a new film about health and balance. I only had time to grab the postcard.

This week I've been downloading my expo info, and looked up the film on its web site In Search of Balance. I was impressed to see the trailer and the film's brain trust. One of the participants is Daphne Miller, whose 2008 book The Jungle Effect: The Healthiest Diets From Around the World attracted my attention.

(Full disclosure: In 2008 I talked to her about making a film based on her diet book, but things never quite jelled, which is not at all unusual, since it takes a lot of time and money to make a documentary happen.)

SCREENINGS AND DVDS

Home screenings and DVD sales are coming soon - check the web site for details.

FACEBOOK FOLLOW

You can also follow this film on FB - click here.

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Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

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Thursday, September 17, 2015

In Search of Balance: A New Film Exploring Health, the Microbiome in Your Gut, and Soil - Connected?

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