Wine drinkers are turning to the fledgling biodynamic wine market, writes Haydn Shaughnessy
The theory of how wine improves health has a compelling simplicity. The health ingredient in wine, resveratrol, is created when the vines come under stress, typically towards the autumn after a dehydrating summer.
Resveratrol activates enzymes called sirtuins and, in laboratory conditions, sirtuins actively repair the damaged cells of yeasts and prolong their lives by 70 per cent. So, the theory goes, we are the beneficiaries of these tiny acts of cellular A&E designed to heal the grape as the summer heat beats down.
We reap those acts of charity in handy 75 cl bottles.
Of course, wine increasingly does not suffer on our behalf. Modern viniculture places less emphasis on naturally aged grapes. In the appellation districts of France, watering vines is not allowed, nor is the addition of sugar, so boutique wine-growers are opting out of the appellation rules. In the New World, adding sugar is permissible, vines are watered, and the long haul to Europe encourages the use of more preservatives.
In addition to changing viniculture techniques, there are other concerns with wine and health. Though pesticide residues in wine are negligible, their effect on the life within soils is not. Many vineyards are therefore moving back to a less destructive form of agriculture to recapture the sense of wine as a living drink.
Organic wine - or "wine made from organic grapes" - accounts for only 0.4 per cent of total production globally but is growing in popularity.
Unfortunately, there are over 130 organic certification bodies in Europe alone - each with potentially different criteria for what constitutes "organic".
Differences in labelling and certification laws between Europe and the US create further confusion. Wine made from organic grapes in the US can contain as little as 70 per cent organic content, according to American biodynamic winemakers
Into the organic grape mash, winemakers can add a number of ingredients - not least, sulphur dioxide - to give the wine shelf life. Even organic wines contain non-organic additives.
The consumer who is not confused by these developments will surely be the exception.
For those of a purist inclination, biodynamic wines take the uncertainty out of buying.
Biodynamic certification is a step beyond organic. A biodynamic farm has to be more or less self-sufficient, as well as organic. Crop rotation and the use of on-farm animals for fertilisation are integral to biodynamic farming. The certification process is rigorous.
Wine is a very personal experience. My own contact with biodynamic wine came through the Azienda Agricola Nuova Cappelletta in Italy.
Nuova Cappelletta mixes wine-growing with rearing thoroughbred Piedmontese cattle and organic grain. This combination keeps the soil alive and leaves everything under the grower's direct control.
Of the Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese 2003 and the Barbera del Monferrato 2002, I recommend the latter, but I urge the Grignolino onto strangers. It is a different wine experience. Slightly sour at the edge of the tongue, it has a delicate, light aroma that you need to search for and a pleasing, warm aftertaste. And no ill-effects the next day.
Nuova Cappelletta uses only enough sulphur dioxide to bring the content up to a natural level. If there is enough sulphur in there naturally, it adds none.
Some consumers fear organic for all the reasons set out above and because it has a reputation for not being as robust as normal wine. To test these fears, we brought together three experienced Irish food producers and several bottles of wine
Anthony Creswell runs Ummera smoked salmon in Timoleague. Cloddagh McKenna is a well-known chef with her own pâté production business. Richard Graham-Leigh runs RGL Patisserie in Bandon. We were hosted by Ruth Healy at Urru, Bandon. Wines were provided by Bubble Brothers, Cork.
First up, we tried a non-biodynamic organic Catalan wine from Casamonfrare. Though strong at 13.9 per cent, it appeared at first to taste less than the big pungent New World wines. These have become so popular in Ireland that they now take over 50 per cent of the market.
Cloddagh McKenna thought the Catalan wine was weak but acknowledged that wine needed a story to make it attractive. In the absence of knowledge, wine seems less attractive.
"We've been very brand-driven," added Ruth Healy, making the point that Irish consumers have been inducted into wine drinking through the marketing campaigns of the big New World wineries. The Catalan wine, by contrast, was subtle and perhaps needed a different philosophical approach - and a good narrative.
We moved on to an Alsace Riesling from Eugene Meyer. This wine has a strong taste of alcohol, almost like a spirit, yet it has a mere 12 per cent alcohol content.
Everybody agreed that it has a cleanness that is not evident in most conventional wines. Anthony Creswell recommends this wine with his smoked chicken, though McKenna once again found it insipid, at first. Julian from Bubble Brothers called it lush - which goes to show how much the taste buds have to adjust to these wines.
A Cremant d'Alsace (also from Eugene Meyer and priced at €22) was so good that it evoked audible appreciation. "Delicious", "lovely", "terrific value". A bubbly wine that would go well with patisserie, according to Richard Graham-Leigh.
Finally, a Vacqueyras from the Rhone Valley. The makers of the Vacqueyras, a robust 14 per cent alcohol, are so fastidious they refuse to put bar codes on their labels for fear of any damage that an infrared scanner might cause. This wine, according to Healy, would tick all the boxes for her customers.
Here then were four wines produced from grapes with no chemical pesticide or herbicide, minimal additives and a holistic philosophy.
How would these wines fare in competition against the market leaders?
The Vacqueyras seemed to clinch things for the biodynamic wines. Along with the Cremant, it was judged better than most supermarket wines. Each has the health benefits that resveratrol brings, but with the added benefit that the grapes are grown in nutritionally rich soil.
As we are buying more and more wine (volumes increased by 50 per cent between 2000 and 2003) and the health benefits are less and less controversial, a question arises: to what degree can health take precedence without compromising on taste?
Re-educating the nose and palate seems to be a prerequisite.
The tippler has to be prepared to think twice about their initial contact with wines that tend not to create the strong sense of anticipation that the full bouquet of conventional wines might.
With those reservations in mind, our tasters agreed that these wines should be very much part of the modern Irish wine - and health - adventure.
Bubble Brothers' range of biodynamic wines can be seen at www.bubblebrothers.com. For further information, e-mail info@bubblebrothers.com or tel 021 4845 198.