There’s Wine & Then There’s Wine

2-Booze Tiramisu

In conversation with Kevin, the wine merchant and founder of La Vini Culture; a natural, biodynamic and organic wine shop in Sliema. Created in 2014, the inspiration for the project came from a passion for wine of course, but also all the agricultural components that are involved in winemaking. Considering himself a ‘fervent protector of the environment’ striving to encourage the organic movement, Kevin shares that it was their main reason to introduce the natural wine culture to Malta.

What was your introduction into the world of wine?

It can be a bit cliché but as French wine is part of our culture, but it can sound silly but most of the French have no wine culture but I was always fascinated by the joys brought by opening a bottle of wine, dinner with family, meeting with friends, date night etc. Wine is something that has always been intriguing to me as well as it's also a product that people aren't aware of how it is made.

In your own words, how would you describe the different methods of winemaking?

To facilitate the understanding I'm going to explain the four types of wine that exist. Those are conventional wines, then we have organic followed by the biodynamic and finally the natural wines. It is very important to understand the difference between them and it might not please everyone to see that but from an ethical and health perspective it is very important to understand what you are consuming.

Conventional represent 95% of the wines produced in the world, those wines are full of phytosanitary products such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides (analyses have been conducted on conventional wines and around 15 different types of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides have been found, even neonicotinoid - a pesticide called "bee killer” supposedly forbidden in the wines). Those products are used in the vineyard and end up in the wine and in your body.

But beside those chemicals (which are recognised as carcinogens) you will also find what we call a "cocktail" of oenological products allowed in Europe as "additives" to the winemaking. Around 50 additives can be used (some of which are very allergenic), such as yeast (more than 300 different types to be able to create a fermentation and give flavour to the wine) as if you used fungicides the natural yeast present on the skin of the grape called "indegineous" are destroyed and if you want the wine to ferment... you need to add industrial yeast. But also Egg albumin (Ovalbumin), gelatine, fish glue, gum arabic, sucrose, acids, little pieces of wood etc etc. On top of that, the levels of sulphites are extremely high between 120 to 200mg/L and the sulphur used is mainly coming from the petrol industry. Once the wine is "ready" after being fixed and filtered it is sterilised with ultraviolet rays so it can be stored anywhere, transported everywhere and kept for years without respecting storage conditions.

- Organic wine means everything and nothing. It isn't the same as with fruit and vegetables, as it is something transformed from a fruit into a final consumable product. The European laws for organic wine production are extensive. An organic wine has to come from an organic viticulture, meaning you won't find any pesticides, herbicides or fungicides in your bottle so you are protected from those chemicals. But from the 50 additives allowed in conventional winemaking, 38 are still allowed in organic winemaking, which are mostly the same as the conventional but they have to be organic. Such as organic Egg albumin (Ovalbumin), gelatine, fish glue, gum arabic, sucrose etc.

Then we move to the methods that truly have the protection of the environment and our health in mind - biodynamic agriculture.

- Biodynamic agriculture is very strict. Firstly you need to be organic in your methods, meaning no chemicals are used in the vineyard. Then it is all about permaculture; the development of an ecosystem in the vineyard, introducing animal life, planting trees, plants, herbs etc - this will all help nature to develop its own protection against disease and basically give back what humans have taken from it. It is also based on the moon calendar and the use of essential oils to protect the vines.

Then we move to winemaking. From the 38 additives allowed in organic production, we end up with only 5, which are: Egg albumin (Ovalbumin), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Bentonite, Oenological charcoal and Sucrose (Sugar). Those are the only products allowed by the regulators, however it’s important to note that 99% of the producers will never use egg and sugar as it’s against their philosophy.

- To conclude we have Natural wines. Natural wines are organic and biodynamic so all the vineyard is conducted without phytosanitary products and following the biodynamic principles. Then during winemaking from the 5 additives allowed in the Biodynamic method, we end up with 1 which is sulphur at a homeopathic level and of a natural source (coming from a volcano). A natural wine will have between 10 and 30mg/L of sulphites while organic wine will be the same level as conventional and biodynamic wine - between 70 to 90mg/L.

Do these constitute as natural wines or is that some different?

Organic wine is commonly used as a marketing tool by the producers, but neither organic wine nor biodynamic wine is a considered a natural wine. However, natural wines are both organic and biodynamic. This is why all around the world you find natural wine specialists where you will only find those types of wines.

*Be aware of the label*

A wine which has on its label written "Natural wine, no sulphites added" isn’t necessarily a natural wine. I know it can sound confusing but there are no regulations for natural wines so companies are using it as a marketing tool to increase the sales as they know that more and more people are looking for natural wines but aren't informed about it.

What are the benefits of drinking wine made in these styles?

To be honest if you drink only organic wine the benefits of ingesting pesticides are reduced by 100% but not the risk of developing an allergy or having a headache. Then drinking biodynamic wines you reduce by 90% all the risk and with the natural wines by 100%.

If I have to give advice, yes drink natural wine as it's good for your health (with moderation) and by doing that you are also contributing to a massive ecological improvement. So by drinking natural wine, you help artisanal producers, you develop nature and the environment, you reduce the carbon footprint and you feel good.

Is it a myth that organic and biodynamic wines won't cause a hangover?

No it isn't a myth for the biodynamic wines and natural wines but it is for organic (see above).

What is your favourite organic wine of the moment?

For a white, I’d say Papillon of Henri Milan and Coup d'Vime of Barouillet, and for a red, Esprit Attila of La Sorga and Tradition of Clos Fantine.

What food pairing would you suggest with this wine?

I am not a fervent protector of the notion “wine should be paired with food" especially as 99% of the people drinking wine aren't wine and food experts, they drink mostly for pleasure. So as long as you enjoy the wine, that's the most important thing. The beauty of a wine is that it can make one of the most simple dishes an extraordinary one. I am mostly vegetarian and I can assure you that red, white, rosé or orange wine go perfectly with everyday home cooking - isn't it what we are all having after all?

What country, region and producer are you most interested in at the moment?

I specialise in French wine so 100% of my products are from France. We have a lot from the Languedoc/Roussillon region for example. Also Bordeaux, Rhone, Provence, Cahors, Bergerac, Loire, Auvergne, Jura, Savoie, Nantes etc.