Sustainable Wines - Frei Brothers

A little while ago I sent our a request on ProfNet, the PR Newswire journalist informational request service, for any wineries that would like to talk to me about sustainable practices. I got a few responses, but one that stuck out to me as one of the most interesting were the Frei Brothers.

In one of the documents that the Frei Brothers' PR representative sent me the first line was this:

"Frei Brothers is driven by the overriding principle to conduct business in a manner that will protect and preserve the environment."

The document went on to list how many animal shelters and homes are on the winery's land, how they not only meet, but exceed government regulations, that for every acre of land planted to vine they set aside one acre of land to protect the natural environment in which indigenous animals live.

As I said before, I think sustainable farmers and organic farmers are a breed unto themselves.

However, to get on their website (www.FreiBrothers.com) I had to actually scroll to find my birth year on the landing page. That made me feel a little old.


But the wines were fresh and youthful. I tasted their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 and the Reserve Chardonnay 2006. The Chardonnay was oaked, but balanced, and showed wonderful pears and apples on the nose and taste. The Cabernet was rustic, a little dirty, but very pleasing. Dark fruits of plum and cassis came through, enhanced by an overall earthiness. The Cabernet grapes came from the Alexander Valley and the Chardonnay grapes came from the Russian River Valley, both within Sonoma.

Both very tasty and well worth finding!

I sent Jim Collins, the Chief Viticulturist for Frei Brothers a few questions and below is his response:

RB - Could you please delineate the practices that make Frei Brothers sustainable?

JC - Sustainability forces you to make choices across a wide range of issues from decisions as simple to use or not use chemicals to more complex decisions like determining the role of fuel standards for the tractors that you buy and use. Sustainability is a big umbrella. Organic and biodynamic practices fit under the umbrella and can be easily defined. Sustainability goes even further and, in fact, is harder to commit to than being organic or biodynamic. We make choices that take into consideration our overall carbon footprint, and try to close the loop on all processes. When we buy steel for the vineyards, we buy recycled rail steel, instead of the cheaper imported steel. We try to take fewer passes in the vineyard, conserve water, reduce waste and energy usage and maintain good cover crops…carpool when we can, etc. We are very connected with the community and always keep the “big picture” in mind – we all live here and want to keep our home vibrant!

RB - What made you decide to create wines using sustainable practices?

JC - In a family-owned company, it is very important to ensure that the needs of future generations are not compromised. The Frei Brothers vineyards have been farmed since the 1890s; it is our tradition to take care of the land and honor its heritage. Not to mention, it is the right thing to do…better for the earth and the wines.

RB - How old are the vines? How long has the winery been in operation?

JC - The vines range in age from 20-years-old to newly planted, but the vineyards have been farmed for 119 years.

RB - How large is the winery's production? How many cases a year on average?

JC - We produce and sell approximately 200,000 cases a year.

RB - With all of the great areas to make wine in the world, why choose California?

JC - Why California? Because it is home to Sonoma County, which is one of the most unique places to grow grapes. There are over 41 different microclimates within Sonoma County – its diversity and its terroir is truly unique.

TasteCamp - Shinn Estates

Something wonderful happens to a person when they make the commitment to live and act in a way that best suits the environment. I noticed this phenomenon when I was in Chile last August at a seminar on organics. There was such camaraderie apparent among the winemakers. I thought that it was just a function of having the man that created the organic/biodynamic movement in Chile in the room with us, but perhaps it goes deeper than that. I wish I had been able to take the opportunity to meet Nicolas Jolie when he was in New York.

When we arrived at the Shinn Estates Vineyards the sky was grey and dark and it had been raining. We were greeted with a fantastic lunch spread, duck, fresh spring greens, and so much more. When I went up to get some food, Barbara Shinn, one of the proprietors at Shinn estates, and I chatted for a short time. When I mentioned the weather she looked outside and said that the sun would be out at 2:00 that afternoon. Whether she had a sixth sense about the weather or had simply looked at a weather report right before we arrived, I am not sure. However, the effect was very impressive.

The food was delicious and the wines that we tasted were equally impressive. My favorite wines from the lunch were the Shinn Sauvignon Blanc 2008, the Macari Rosé 2008, and a barrel sample of the Cabernet Franc 2007. The Cab Franc was awesome; I was almost upset that it was not a finished wine that I could buy there and then.

We then listened to the winemakers talk about their wines and their vineyard practices. All of the winemakers were very well versed in their own practices as well as their neighbors. It was as if everyone was looking for the right way to make wine as naturally as possible and were willing to share their experiments with the world. It was so refreshing to listen to.

In the midst of talking about their growing practices, Barbara Shinn passed around a small planters pot. In the pot was a hunk of poop. Barbara said, “Most people think that wine comes from the grapes or the land. Great wine comes from a horse’s ass.” Probably the most quoted moment among the bloggers of the entire weekend.

After tasting and lunch we went out to look at the vines. This was classic wine country visit procedure, and I am glad we got a chance to do it. The vines were just ending their bud break cycle and had begun to sprout the shoots that will eventually become the vines the grapes hang from. The plot of vines was beautiful, with thousands of dandelions and billions of clovers.

After that we went into the barrel room of the winery and found ourselves faced with another wave of wine, with representatives from most of the other wineries that we were not going to be able to visit waiting for us with a few of their wines. While there I was able to taste Borghese, Bouké, Harbes, Lieb Cellars, The Old Field, Palmer, and Sparkling Point.

Of those I enjoyed:


Harbes Merlot Rosé 2008
Harbes Old Barn Merlot 2005
Lieb Cellars Pinot Blanc 2007
The Old Field Blanc de Noir 04
Sparkling Point Brut Seduction 2000 (although I might have been influenced by the VERY attractive pourer)

On our way out, the sun was shining, I had the Harbes Rosé still in my mind (second rose I have liked this trip!) and a delicious chocolate brownie in my hand. This was a great visit.



And the story continues…

Remembering that yes, we live on this Earth

Today is Earth Day, the day where we all consider changing the way we live in order to better preserve the Earth.

There is really no question that most people, myself included, do not really change their lifestyles to help the earth. Sure we might contribute money to a “save-the-planet” organization or bring out own bag to the grocery store, but eventually we will forget to bring that bag again and when the non-profit comes back to us for more money we may decide not to contribute.

So today I am going to announce that for the next month I am going to write at least one post a week reviewing and honoring those that make the extra effort to produce wine that do not talk about being green once a year but instead live it every day. The wineries I am going to write about grow their grapes in a way that leaves the least negative impact on the Earth. Often they will have their wines certified as organic or biodynamic. However, if a winery does not wish to go through the costly process of certification, I will not hold it against them.

The details of what makes a wine organic somewhat elude me, as the laws are very different in each country. I know that there are very strict U.S. laws in terms of wines being labeled organic. I think the bureaucratic process might take several years, a rain dance, repeated offerings to the labeling gods, a roll of duct tape (because really, what can you not do with duct tape?) and a lot of luck.

Biodynamic agriculture takes organics to the next level. Biodynamic agriculture is defined on wikipedia as:

“Biodynamic agriculture, a method of organic farming that has its basis in a spiritual world-view (anthroposophy, first propounded by Rudolf Steiner), treats farms as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a closed, self-nourishing system. Regarded by some proponents as the first modern ecological farming system, biodynamic farming includes organic agriculture's emphasis on manures and composts and exclusion of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical sowing and planting calendar.”

A fuller definition of both organic (and labeling laws) and biodynamic can be found here.

Every biodynamic winemaker that I have met approaches the practice a more of a religion than a practice. These winemakers are so passionate about their belief that biodynamic is the best that you cannot help but appreciate their fervor. I am not convinced that one must only harvest on certain days and should only plant when the moon is at a particular point in the sky, but I think there is no question that the attention to detail shown by these winemakers are what really makes these wines truly special.

Which brings me to the Cooper Mountain Vineyards in Oregon, a state with one of the highest standards of naturalism in the U.S. Dr Robert Gross and his wife, Corrine, established this winery in 1987 with plantings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The vineyards were certified organic in 1995 by Oregon Tilth (the state’s certifying body) and certified biodynamic in 1999 by Demeter, the worldwide biodynamic certifying organization.

One thing I would like to mention is that Cooper Mountain has a great website. It is extremely helpful, especially to bloggers such as myself looking for information.

I was sent a bottle of the Cooper Mountain Pinot Gris 20th Anniversary Reserve 2007 to taste. I found it very refreshing, with lovely floral notes and lemon zest. Really, the perfect wine for spring and a great way to enter Earth Day.