Listen to Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines on At the Root of It with Erin Fitzpatrick

]]> http://www.farmsteadwines.com/press/2010/03/farmstead-wines-on-the-heritage-radio-network/feed/ http://www.farmsteadwines.com/reviews/2010/02/what-is-biodynamic-farming/ http://www.farmsteadwines.com/reviews/2010/02/what-is-biodynamic-farming/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:23:49 +0000 anthony http://www.farmsteadwines.com/?p=1344 Good video synopsis of biodynamic farming from OrganicNationTV. I think that extending these principles into the cellar, i.e a self sufficient farm is vitally important to making great wine.

Some of my thinking on biodynamic farming and wine here.

For more information on biodynamics and wine, check out Geoffrey Finch’s In Vino Veritas

1 Large Leek, diced
1 Small fennel bulb, finely diced
1 Shallot, minced
4 Parsnips, peeled and diced
1 Cup of White Wine
1 Cup of Whole Milk
1 Pound (454 grams) Mussels, rinsed and cleaned
1 Tablespoon Fresh Tarragon, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt

Sweat leek, shallot and fennel over low heat in a little bit of olive oil. When the vegetables begin to soften and turn translucent, turn up the heat to medium and add the parsnips. Saute for a few minutes until all vegetables just begin to colour and add the mussels. Add the white wine and cover until mussels are nearly cooked. Remove lid, add milk, tarragon and season to taste. Serve with crostini or crusty bread.

Lots of white wines will work for pairing, but for a real wow, try a young, vibrant red. The earthiness of the parsnips and the anise notes of the fennel and tarragon will really shine when matched with a young Austrian red. Austria is more famous for their Rieslings and Gruner Veltliners, but the red wines in a region known as Burgenland are outstanding. A favourite is a fresh and lively blend of two native varietals (Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent) from Claus Preisinger called “Basic 2007.”

UPDATE:

Dr. Steven Lund, Assistant Professor of Viticulture/Plant Omics at The University of British Columbia, shared his thoughts via email:
“Dear Mr. Nicalo,

This morning, I forwarded to our project team Mr. Mitham’s interesting W&V article on the social sciences aspect of our grape and wine genomics research. One of my lab’s graduate students followed up by navigating to your website whereupon he discovered your most recent blog posting. While I absolutely respect everyone’s entitlement to his/her opinion, your October 22 blog content is way off the mark with respect to its implications regarding the research targets of our project, and it unfortunately further sensationalizes genetic modification through factually incorrect information. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of our social sciences research in this project will be to foster education about applications of genomics research in grapevine to the wine industry through biomarker development, which has absolutely zero to do with commercializing genetically modified grapevines and wines.”

I appreciate Dr. Lund’s concerns. My aim is not to sensationalize his work, merely to get people to begin thinking about the process of winegrowing and making. We have been pushing for people to consider wine in the same respect as their food for years. To be clear, I do not think he is trying to support GMO wine. My point is simply that it is time to begin carefully considering the process behind the wine we drink in the same way as food.

I do not believe that his wine research encourages genetic modification of grapevines and wines directly. It does seem to support a genre of reductionist scientific research that has proven dangerous and shortsighted for agriculture at large.

The language the UBC team uses to describe their research suggests significant overlap with the efforts to improve the chemical composition of our foods. Dr Lund writes, “We are also using comparative biochemical genomics to advance our understanding of the antioxidant capacities imparted by vitamin C and anthocyanin flavonoids with the goal of developing molecular tools for marker assisted breeding in raspberry and engineering improved anthocyanin compositional chemistry in wine grapes.”

What are your thoughts? What do you think of wine in our larger food system? What do you think of chemical-technology driven approaches to agriculture versus skilled farming combined with scientific knowledge? Do you think biomarkers will be used primarily by industrial winemakers or artisans? Please share your views in the comments below.

We need to work together to improve health and nutrition, reduce pesticides in our water and ensure safe food. These are just a few of the problems of our runaway food system, but you can help. Join us at Farm to Table.

Finch believes that chemical farming methods are impacting nature’s inherent equilibrium and explores how a powerful movement to more natural farming methods may have implications for the survival of the planet. His film takes us to the heart of biodynamics and discovers why a growing number of winemakers are adopting biodynamic methods. How does biodynamic farming differ from organics? Have we seen any specific evidence that biodynamic farming increases soil biodiversity and encourages deeper rooting? Is there a link between biodynamics and quality? These are examples of the questions that Finch attempts to answer throughout the film.

Here is 20 minutes of teaser footage from ‘In Vino Veritas’ in two parts: