11 minute read
Organic Spirits & Wine
Organic, Sustainable and BIODYNAMIC
WHAT DOES IT ALL REALLY MEAN?
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WORDS BEN DAVIDSON AND HANNAH SPARKS
ORGANIC SPIRITS
In a world that is hell-bent on advancements in technology and improving efficiencies, there will always be an appreciation of things that are done a little slower, or perhaps a little more traditionally. Historically speaking, the ‘Arts and Crafts’ movement in the late 1800s was a reaction to the rise of the Industrial Age of machines, when artisans and craftsmen wanted to re-establish the lost art of doing things by hand. Similarly, the continuing rise in the appreciation of organic foods has been a groundswell against the growing toxicity in the environment and the artificial acceleration of the growth cycle of plants and food.
The current trends in the influential restaurants of today are driven by the ethos that locally sourced produce is better than imported produce from far away. It’s also about selecting produce that is in season now, as well as the effort to source ingredients that are foraged from the surrounding local environment. These trends support the use of organic produce from nearby, giving the cuisine a sense of place, integrity, transparency and honesty.
We have long known about the advantages of growing foods, using only natural fertiliser and good soil. There is anecdotal evidence to prove that they look better, smell better and ultimately taste better. It’s only natural for the same philosophical approach to be taken to purity in food and to also apply to beverages, be they beer, wines or spirits. Organic spirits are a growing trend, driven by the growth of the ‘craft distilling’ movement whereby smaller producers are able to make a choice on the type and origin of the raw materials they use in production. All spirits today are derived from agricultural raw materials, and it’s at the growing stage where the organic practices can be put into effect.
As it turns out, there are some raw materials better suited to organic practices than others. Wild-harvested agaves for the making of mezcal are invariably organic, whereas wheat, barley or rye grain harvested for the making of vodka is much harder to get organically unless it’s sourced from one particular farming estate.
For spirits, to be able to use ‘Organic’ as a labelling term there must be an officially recognised certifying body to qualify that it is made from raw materials grown under organic practices. For grain spirits, like whisk(e)y and many vodkas, there is a reliance on a large supply of grain and for many producers, the organic certification isn’t an option.
The benefits are that organic raw materials don’t carry with them the residue of pesticides, herbicides or have a build-up of salts or toxins from excessive chemical fertilisers that can enter the production process and remain through the fermentation and distillation processes. Although spirits are effectively sterilised through the distillation process, many complex organic and inorganic compounds are passed through the still and into the final spirit, even if it may only be trace amounts.
The benefits of consuming an organic spirit are more secondary rather than primary. That is to say, there are no known health benefits of consuming an organic spirit compared to a non-organic spirit (apart from the possibility of consuming trace chemicals, which may or may not be present). The secondary benefits come from supporting a more ethical approach to consumption and the knowledge that your choice, as a consumer can, support particular ways of doing things. Sometimes having peace of mind about what we drink is as good as having the drink itself!
The following are a few examples of spirit producers who have taken the organic approach.
BLIND TIGER GIN
Blind Tiger is one of the first that comes to mind when we think of organic spirits. It is a London dry style gin, produced and bottled at the brand’s distillery in Renmark, South Australia.
Blind Tiger is proud of the ingredients used to make its gin. This includes an exotic blend of organic botanicals such as juniper berries, coriander, angelica root and summer savory. The organic juniper berry provides the backbone of the spirit’s fresh citrus and forest notes, enhanced by coriander seed, which adds a slightly spicy, citrusy, earthy character, while the angelica root gives a delightful aroma of musk. The handpicked botanicals are distilled in a traditional small gin still. This creates an aromatic infusion that is carefully blended with organic wheat spirit and makes for an elegant gin.
People often wonder why Blind Tiger is concerned with being organic, to which the brand responds, “Gin is truly a product of the Earth.” And by using quality ingredients only from certified organic sources, Blind Tiger Gin ensures that the flavours from the earth remain pure.
The use of certified organic ingredients also has the added benefits of knowing that the botanicals are free from artificial herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers. This ensures that Blind Tiger minimises its impact on the environment.
If this sounds like the perfect gin for you, we recommend you try it over ice or in a spiritforward cocktail like the Negroni.
ANTIPODES GIN
The Antipodes Gin Company takes pride in not only being an amazing tasting gin, but also the first Australian gin that is both certified organic and supports carbon neutral.
“Getting organic certification and being carbon neutral was a mindful decision for us, we wanted our business to have less impact on the environment, to promote sustainability and we also wanted to work alongside like-minded, ethically motivated suppliers. Being Australian Certified Organic means that as a business we are continually working smarter. Certification has challenged us to think carefully about every practice and process in our business and to make sure that everything we do is beneficial on a number of levels.”
The gin itself embodies flavours that are quintessentially Australian. Having origins in Mildura, there are prominent notes of sweet orange peel and lemon oil flavours, as well as, native lemon myrtle. Giving the gin its signature spicy notes are Tasmanian pepperberry, which features alongside the essential juniper berry hit.
WAHAKA MEZCAL
village in Oaxaca, Mexico. Artisinal mezcal is a traditional spirit that involves a very rudimentary production process that is not mechanised and the use of the fertilisers or pesticides is nonexistent.
Most artisanal mezcals are organic, but only a few have gained USDA Organic Certification - Wahaka being one of them. The owners take great pride in their efforts to produce an ethical and sustainable approach to making mezcal by extensively promoting agave replanting programs in local areas for the future. The recent growth in the appreciation of these hand-crafted and complex flavoured spirits is exacerbated by the fact that some of the agaves take upwards of 20 years to grow to maturity before they can be harvested and turned into mezcal. As a result, there are serious agave shortages on the horizon.
ORGANIC WINE
The number of wine producers that are implementing sustainable practices in Australia is growing. Among the most recognised are organic, biodynamic, sustainable and natural. Many more people are also becoming more concerned with how their produce is grown. This is shown with the growth in organic wine sales over the last few years.
But how many of us actually understand the benefits of purchasing organic and biodynamic
produce, and what do terms like sustainable and natural mean? explore DRINKS spoke with experts Benjamin Hasko, Director at Cru Wines; Tony Ingle, Chief Winemaker at Angove Family Winemakers; and David Bruer, winemaker and owner of Temple Bruer.
Cru Wines is a large importer and distributor of organic, biodynamic, sustainable and natural wines, while Ingle and Bruer are both experienced organic winemakers. In fact, Bruer has been described by some in the industry as the “godfather” of organic winemaking in Australia. Each brings a unique perspective to the table, from what these different approaches mean and the benefits for not just the consumer, but also for the vineyard and environment.
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable and natural all represent how the grapes in the vineyard and winery have been treated, from using no synthetic chemicals at all to some being used when necessary. Organic, biodynamic and sustainable are internationally recognised approaches and are governed by regulations, certifications and bodies. Natural winemaking, on the other hand, isn’t defined by any regulations and is considered more of a style than a designation that takes a minimalist intervention approach to winemaking. Benjamin Hasko told explore, “There’s not a formal definition for what natural wine is and there’s not an international body or any sort of regulations that would certify what a natural wine is.”
Biodynamic winemaking is guided by moon cycles and energy flows which dictate when activities such as fruit picking, vine planting and pruning should take place. Hasko explained, “Biodynamic winemaking is more about looking at a vineyard as a holistic ecosystem. The idea behind it is that if the ecosystem is healthy then a vineyard is less likely to be affected by pests and disease, and is better able to defend itself.” There are several bodies that provide biodynamic certification in Australia, which can cause some confusion, but Demeter is the body best recognised globally. Sustainable winemaking takes a more pragmatic approach to biodynamic winemaking. The concept first came about around the 1960s, when in areas that were prone to disease and rot, farmers began to work with a calendar that provided a routine for when to spray chemicals on the vineyard. However, this meant that chemical sprays were being applied more often than they were necessary and the biodiversity of these vineyards was impacted.
Therefore today, “sustainable winemakers advocate that they will still use chemicals, but they will use the minimal amount they can and only when it is necessary,” Hasko added.
Angove’s Renmark cellar door
Two programs in Australia that support sustainable winemakers are Sustainable Australia Winegrowing (or SAW) and Entwine. Organic stipulates that no synthetic chemicals can be used on the vineyard and in the winery. Winemakers must abide by strict regulations in order to label their wines as organic and certification are only given to vineyards where no chemical sprays, including pesticides and herbicides, have been used for at least two years.
Hasko believes certification is important for winemakers that are using these approaches. “People sometimes argue that it can be political or tedious going through the administration, but I think that the certification side is important. With natural wine for example, since there is no certification, people can call themselves natural without any evidence or proof.”
While today a number of local wine organisations are helping to tackle the cost of such certifications, organic wines have in the past faced scrutiny over their price inflation.
Winemakers like Bruer and Tony Ingle, however, are working to challenge that perception, setting the price of their organic wines from a recommended retail price of just $15-$17.
“Our wines are fairly priced and don’t go above much more than a non-organic priced wine,” Ingle said. “We’ve seen that in the past and, certainly when we started getting into organic production in 2006/07, organic wines were relatively expensive. That’s when Angove decided to set a limit for itself.”
Hasko believes that it pays to go organic or biodynamic, and argued that often a higher price reflects better quality and care in handling the fruit and wine. Hasko also said that the quality of organic wine has improved from several years ago. “Five to 10 years ago, if you bought organic wine from a bottle shop, there was a chance that it was going to smell and taste pretty funky, whereas now I think the assumption is that a wine that’s biodynamic or organic is going to be good.”
Bruer shared a similar sentiment and added that Temple Bruer customers have noticed some interesting benefits to drinking organic wines. “The wines are clean or much cleaner than conventional wines,” Bruer said. “People say to us that they don’t get a headache when they drink our wine, and that’s because our wines don’t have all of the residues of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. I’m not a doctor, but I know those can’t be good for you.”
Ingle said that organic wine also tastes better. “The reason why we started making organic wine was to make the wine taste better. [Being organic] makes you look down the rows more; it makes you spend more time in the vineyard; it makes you react to what’s happening as opposed to just sticking out sprays.”
