The Green Movement in Wine

Anyone can see that "green" is the new statistical mean. This is playing out in innumerable ways that I have to believe will be better for our planet.

How does this affect wine? In the rarified world of wine, it is easy to forget that wine is at its core an agricultural product that is brought to market and sold. In that sense it no different than a head of lettuce (although Gary Pisoni, the well known Pinot Noir grower in Santa Lucia Highlands, famously asked his father, when his father complained about the high price of a vineyard and said that he should have stuck with lettuce, whether his father had ever heard of a lettuce tasting? Twenty some odd years later we know who was right on Gary's crazy planting vines idea).

There are a mutltude of implications and consequences of the green movement. On the bottling end, we are seeing lighter weight bottles that use less materials and can be shipped more inexpensively. The conversion to screw caps from cork is becoming widespread, even on the higher priced wines. We will probably start seeing other types of containers for quality wines. I think we will see better wines sold in the box format.

This is anethema to some but I say let's have at it. I don't think there is anything magical about heavy glass and cork. Wine, properly sealed and stored, will taste delicious out of other containers.

In the vineyards, sustainable viticulture is now widely practiced. Organic has gone mainstream and is practiced by top vineyards with excellent results. The more avant garde are now adopting biodynamic viticulture, which goes well beyond organic. Some of the biodynamic practices appear sound and some seem mystical and superstitious. One can imagine what the wine scientists at UC Davis are thinking about this latest trend.

As for the eat and drink local movement to increase freshness and reduce the use of fuel in trasporting, well, wine is different and here we have reached the logical limitations. While there are wineries in every state now (yes, even Alaska has a winery but they import the juice to make the wine) the buy local movement is not going to extend to the point of convincing people to swap Cabernet for Muscadine. I'll buy local lettuce and I'll buy some local or regional wine- North Carolina and Virginia are producing some good wines- but for the vast majority I will look to the West Coast for wine for personal consumption and for the grapes that will become Calicaro wines that we make in California.

As to other green measures, Calicaro will try to be an early adopter of green practices within the constraints of what can be done and what is available to Calicaro in the marketplace. In many instances we believe this will be good for both the wine and the planet.

Cheers,

Dave
Calicaro Wine