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QUESTION: non-globalized wine

Submitted by Anonymooose on Sun, 05/20/2007 - 9:32am
question / pregunta: 

I am interested in a source of information on non-globalized wines, that is, wines from old, non-corporate wineries that don't try to make wines for popular tastes. Any country's wines are ok.

Answers

Answer posted by: MRM

Here are some resources and articles on non-corporate wine for you. Other terms you might want to search for, should you wish to delve further, are "socially responsible," "fair trade," "organic," "biodynamic," and some phrase with the word "family."

A good starting (and finishing, even) place is Co-op America's National Green Pages, where you can select the category "Wine/Beer" and click search. As of 5/24/07, there are 14 results (some of which are listed elsewhere in this answer).

Co-op America also has an article from February 2007 on fair trade wine. Mentioned there is Etica, which distributes fair trade wine, both reds and whites.

Frey Vineyards claims to be "the oldest (since 1980) and largest purely organic winery in the United States, family owned and operated from the start."

Organic & Sustainable Wine Production Expanding Rapidly in California is an article reprinted on the Organic Consumers Association website. One winery discussed is "Coturri Winery in Glen Ellen[, which] boasts 370 acres of organically certified vines. It has long been considered one of the local vanguards of environmentally and socially conscious winemaking." The Viansa and Benziger vineyards are also mentioned.

Another resource for non-corporate U.S. wines is the Family Winemakers of California (though, judging by their 2006 tasting sponsor list, they are certainly corporation-friendly). Check out their member list of wineries.

A search in the Academic Search Premier database (likely available through your local public library) found the following articles that should also point you in some good directions:

Title: VIRTUOUS VINO.
Authors: McLaughlin, Lisa
Source: Time; 3/5/2007, Vol. 169 Issue 10, p76-76, 3/4p, 2c
Abstract: This article reports on the label of biodynamic as it applies to wine. Biodynamic farming is a combination of organic farming and numinous practices like harvesting according to the location of moon in the sky. One biodynamic vintner claims that playing Mozart helps his vines to grow. The author alleges that organic wine is better for the planet and a healthier alternative for wine drinkers. Organic vintners such as Dinaube Marcel Deiss of Alsace and Emindo Pepe are mentioned.
Covers, rather snarkily (well, it's a mainstream publication), the latest efforts in organic and biodynamic winemaking.

Title: A Fine Nose for The Family Business.
Authors: Schine, Eric
Source: Business Week; 1/8/2007 Issue 4016, p66-68, 2p, 1c
Abstract: The article discusses the winemaker Maison Joseph Drouhin, which has succeeded as a family-run vintner through four generations. Despite financial and political pressures to sell their vineyard to outside investors, the Drouhins, overseen by patriarch Robert Drouhin, have worked hard to run the organization as a family and compete with a globalized corporate market.

Title: Organic Grapes, Organic Wine.
Authors: Gleason, Paul
Source: E Magazine: The Environmental Magazine; Nov/Dec2006, Vol. 17 Issue 6, p34-39, 6p
More about organic winemaking and labeling issues.

Title: A Family of Vintners.
Authors: Rice Lamb, Yanick
Source: Essence; Oct2003, Vol. 34 Issue 6, p208-213, 4p, 2c
Profiles the Browns, an African-American family that owns a winery in Northern California. An inset lists other African-American vintners in California.

And, in case you're now highly interested in environmental aspects of winemaking:
Title: Terroir.
Source: New Scientist; 2/24/2007, Vol. 193 Issue 2592, p54-54, 1/2p, 1c
Abstract: The article focuses on the concept of "terroir" in wine-making. Terroir traditionally refers to a geographic region and its microclimate. Oenologists and viticulturists who advocate a broader definition say terroir should reflect other factors including cultivation method, the fruit itself, and production of the wine.

Answer posted by: MRM

The questioner responded with clarification:

"While I think fair trade and organic are good concepts, it's not the main thing I'm interested in. I'm interested in the concept of terroir, which is a concept in winemaking that says the place that the grapes are grown, the specific place, and also the history of the winemaker and their traditions, is all-important. It is a French word, and it is French winemakers above all who believe this. Newer winemaking regions have had less time to develop their terroir, and rely more on a "science" of wine, where they hire international wine consultants who know how to process the wine to appeal to global tastes (as defined, primarily, by wine spectator magazine, which really likes certain things and not other things, has a very specific taste that is homogenizing the wine industry). So these very highly paid wine consulting companies work for hundreds of wineries and help them make wine that tastes kind of the same. It works for them - the wine sells more and commands higher prices, because it gets higher ratings in wine spectator magazine. Some winemakers, and not others, are resistant to this based on the concept of terrior. Most, perhaps, are in France, but some are other places, too. I believe there are distributors who specialize in these types of wines, but you can't buy directly from a distributor. I am hoping to shop online for this kind of wine."

Sadly, my lack of wine knowledge is hindering my ability to properly search for where to buy wines created by vintners who embody the values you describe. The concepts of "terroir" and "non-globalized" (unlike, for example, "fair trade") are nebulous enough that searching on them for a purveyor is not easy/possible. Talking to a trusted wine shop employee may be the best way to actually obtain some of the wines you want. If you're in NYC, you could try Appellation (though they do focus on organic and biodynamic wines and would likely interpret your query along environmental lines). I can offer some other resources...

Take a look at Terroir-France: French Wine Guide, which also lists wine grades, including the highest, the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée).

It sounds like you've seen the Jonathan Nossiter documentary "Mondovino," and you may want to read some reviews of it: in the Nation, in Reason, in Cineaste, and on indieWIRE, among many other publications.

Other articles:

"Tradition, Territory, and Terroir in French Viniculture: Cassis, France, and Appellation Controlee" by Daniel W. Gade
Association of American Geographers. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Washington: Dec 2004. Vol. 94, Iss. 4; pg. 848, 20 pgs


Is the Earth of France The Mother of Wine? by Michael Steinberger. New York Times, Apr 14, 2001. p. B.7

Wine. by Roger Scruton
New Statesman; 2/7/2005, Vol. 135 Issue 4726, p56-56.
"If I had to recommend a grower, it would be Bruno Clair, who inherited from his father, Bernard, the ability to distil the marly soil of Marsannay into its vinous essence. Bruno's red, white and rosé are all obtainable cheaply from Justerini & Brooks."

You may be interested in "The Institutionalisation of Terroir" by Adam Feil, a "report on the influx of institutional capital into the world’s vineyards." ("While many have sought these sublime terroirs in pursuit of producing the pinnacle of libations, others have begun to position themselves from a capitalistic vantage point, trading the rent rolls of office buildings for the tonnage of Cabernet.")

Global Landscapes: A speculative assessment of emerging organizational structures within the international wine industry", by D.K. Aylward at the University of Wollongong (Australia), is a lengthy academic paper covering this topic (the author also criticizes the dilution of the AOC grade).

And here are some books, some published and some forthcoming. All are about "terroir" in some way, though some are focused on the environmental/geological aspect. Some are not widely held in libraries, so inquire at your local library about interlibrary loan.