NEW! Wine columnist: Organic & biodynamic wines

New to Tempo Toronto: regular feature on wine

Allow me to introduce this new column in Tempo Toronto: this one is about all things wine – food, books and travel, but mostly wine. I’ll keep you informed on the best wines, noteworthy restaurants and occasionally, I’ll talk about a great book or neat travel destination. All things I am passionate about. As a former investment banker, I had the good fortune to be able to switch careers and became a certified sommelier here in Toronto. This has led me to get involved with the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and I am now the President of the Ontario Chapter (www.capsontario.ca)

Thanks to this, I am able to taste many wines at many occasions and I would love to share with you some of my finds. Anne Popoff

Sommelier’s take on organic wines

I attended BioVino Eco-Friendly Wine Tasting in April. It is Canada’s first annual biodynamic, organic and sustainable wine exposition and was held at the Green Living Show. BioVino featured up to 150 wines from over 40 different wine-makers ranging from Organic to Carbon Neutral Certified.

Organic wines are wines made from organically grown grapes, which means that the usual industrial chemical sprays are not used to protect the grapes against various diseases. Instead, growers use natural methods, such as careful pruning to keep the grapes dry and healthy; if any chemicals are used (against fungi and other vine diseases), they are only the old-fashioned type such as copper sulphate and lime (also known as the Bordeaux Mixture).

Biodynamic wines are one step beyond organic, they are based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, whose philosophy and ideas, also known as anthroposophy, predate even the organic movement: this is about understanding the ecological, the spiritual and the energetic in nature. Biodynamic viticulture allows the grape to grow in its most natural state, with help only from nature, the seasons, the moon – the resulting wines are flavourful, true to their soil and unadulterated in any way.

So, after some theory, back to the actual wines tasted at Bio Vino. There were many levels of wines available, but two organic wines from Italy, in Tetrapak no less, stood out for their quality/price ratio, not to mention their very convenience!

The two wines I tasted – Ciao Sangiovese Organic Carton (LCBO # 29090) and Ciao Chardonnay Organic Carton (LCBO # 29074) are readily available at the LCBO for $12.45 (per litre!), so very good quality/price ratio. They are both made by Cantine Luigi Sgarzi near Bologna. Their alcohol content is 13.2%. I recommend chilling the white (of course), but also the red! Believe it or not, in the warm southern countries of Europe, reds are often chilled a little – to reduce the heaviness of the wine on the palate and for the alcohol level, which is usually quite high at 13% and over, to feel less overpowering.

Try the Chardonnay (un-oaked) as a patio sipper, at the cottage after the drive up, a refreshing reward after setting up that campsite, or when you have raised the sail and are ready to enjoy the boat. It is fruity (apple and pear, some tropical notes), with good acidity – not a complicated wine. This wine will match perfectly with your freshly caught fish, or a roasted chicken or any nice salad. The Sangiovese – dry, red fruit, a hint of oak – will accompany the sausages, steaks and burgers on the BBQ with pleasure. Salut!

(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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