Beyond Organic Wine

As we continually strive to move our winery, Centralas, in the direction of becoming a more ecologically thoughtful and environmentally beneficial winery, I became convinced that prickly pears need to be an important part of what we do and what we promote as Los Angeles based winery.Prickly pears are native to Los Angeles and other parts of the South West, and have been tended and used here for thousands of years. The entire cactus is useful and edible. I foraged and picked them this year from natural areas all around LA, including some within walking distance of my home in South LA. Prickly pears thrive in marginal land without irrigation or chemical inputs of any kind. These are the kinds of fruits that we can build an environmentally positive and ecologically integrated local beverage culture on. A culture that isn’t imported, but that represents the unique local flavor of this land.As you can tell, I couldn’t be more excited about the potential of incorporating prickly pears into wine. Austin Glasscock, our guest for this episode, shares my enthusiasm. He’s making wine from prickly pears, and other wild fruit, in Sonora, Texas with his brand new winery called Wild Texas Wines. Austin is a marine who got into winemaking as a hobby after his military service, and found not only a love of fermentation, but a great excuse to get out into the natural world.I was delighted to hear Austin talk about how he gathers fruit by hand, without equipment, with some serious risk, so as to move through the landscape as an animal would and leave a light footprint. I was inspired by his vision of staying small – wanting only to make a living and maintain a lifestyle that allows him to interact with nature daily.The most amazing part is how much the wines Austin makes embodies his love of nature in every aspect of his process. The contrast to how we tend to make wines here in California is stark, and makes me thrilled to be able to share this unassuming and understated winemaker’s perspective.We get into some pretty detailed technical specifics about making wine from prickly pears, which I hope will be part of a growing body of shared knowledge that others can learn from and add too. I hope that Austin and I and a few others are just the early adopters of what will become a much more popular kind of thinking about making wine ecologically from locally available wild fruit here in the South West where the summers are long, the sun is hot, and the water is more precious than gold.In truth we aren’t early adopters at all. We’re the rediscoverers and revivers of a very old tradition.https://www.wildtexaswines.com/Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode we get a comprehensive step-by-step how to make sparkling cider from Autumn Stoscheck and Ezra Sherman of Eve’s Cidery. This is Cider Making 101, from the folks who have achieved OG status in the New York cider world because they’ve been at this for over 20 years and have mentored and collaborated with many of the folks who now have successful cideries of their own.I don’t want to over-hype them, but learning cider making from Autumn and Ezra is the equivalent of learning winemaking from Paul Draper, or Bernard Noblet, or Lalou Bize-Leroy. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Autumn and Ezra make some of the best ciders in the world. They are farmers and foragers who turn nature’s bounty into some of the most true-to-place and also refined ciders you can drink. From sparkling ciders made from pears foraged from the Fingerlakes National Forest, to site-specific apple ciders from their own certified organic single orchard, Eve’s Cidery produces uniquely high quality ciders that are some of the best I’ve personally ever had, and that have at times moved me to my core and haunted my dreams.Okay maybe I do want to over-hype them.Because I think the quality that is exhibited in their ciders comes from their deeply thoughtful approach to farming and living in the land. In addition to teaching us how to make cider, some of the highlights of this episode are learning about Autumn’s conversion to organic farming, how foraging can reconnect us to the land, our community, and our dependence on nature, as well as inform the potential for reparations to those who were removed from the land. And we even get a glimpse of how to move into the future of growing fruit organically, even on the east coast where the fungal and pest pressures are extreme and complex.https://www.evescidery.com/Bibliography:The Finger Lakes Region: It's Origin and Nature by O. D. Von Engeln - Cornell University Press 1961Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/Thanks:Smithsonian Folkways Recordings This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

Steve Selin is the proprietor of South Hill Cidery in Ithaca New York, where he farms apples organically and makes beautiful cider and music.Wendy and I stumbled upon South Hill Cider on a recent visit to the Fingerlakes region, and I was just so impressed by the quality of the ciders that I returned to get a chance to chat with the person who was responsible. After a brief 5 minute conversation with Steve, I knew I wanted to interview him, and I think you’ll see why.As I was getting to know Steve via this interview, I was delightfully surprised by the many unexpected and fascinating turns that this conversation took. It’s always a strange and special experience to find that someone far away living a different life is thinking about many of the same ideas that you’re contemplating.One of the topics we cover is how “local” is as important as “organic” when looking at the big picture of our ecological footprint.Yes, this presents some immediate compromises to my values, but I think it is the long term way to have the greatest positive impact. At this point in American history I think one of the most important things we can do is cultivate friendships with people with whom we disagree.https://www.southhillcider.com/Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

How does the way we grow and make and drink wine fit into a historical and ecological perspective? What is the importance of organic or biodynamic or regenerative ways of farming grapes? How are we related to grapes, and what does that mean for our relationship with all of nature? Is the climate crisis really a cultural crisis? And what are the solutions to the cultural climate crisis that now threatens both our wines and our lives?These and many other questions are addressed in this special anniversary episode in which host and creator Adam Huss gives a retrospective and introspective review of the things we learned in the last year on the Organic Wine Podcast.Books referenced include:The Unsettling of America, by Wendell BerryThe Overstory, by Richard PowersThe Half Has Never Been Told, by Edward E. BaptistDirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, by David MontgomeryTending The Wild, by M. Kat AndersonBraiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer Sponsor:Centralas Winehttps://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

Garret Miller is one of the people responsible for Finger Lakes Cider House just a few minutes outside of Ithaca, New York. Nestled in the narrow strip of land between the two largest finger lakes, Finger Lakes Cider House is at the epicenter of the new cider renaissance in the North East US. Garret’s farm is using regenerative organic polyculture to produce organic fruit and veggies, and making some of the tastiest ciders and local farm to table food you can find.I’ve wanted to talk to Garret for a while. Not just because of the beautiful farming he’s doing, but because Finger Lakes Cider House is responsible for blowing my mind. I stumbled on them on a visit to the Finger Lakes to taste wine. All I can say is that after trying their ciders I forgot all about fermented grapes and began seeking out the elixir that is possible when apples and pears are given the quality of attention they deserve. It was some of Garret’s work that convinced me that Cider, good cider, is America’s champagne.Garret dropped out of high school to start farming, and he’s been learning ever since. We leave dogma behind in this interview and really dig into some of the nuances and compromises and complications that are a reality in the world of agriculture. I’m very grateful to Garret for his candid answers to some difficult questions.If there’s a theme to this episode, I’d sum it up as “We have a lot to learn from farmers.” We talk a lot about the understanding gap between those who are doing the farming and those who are consuming farm products… that is, everyone who isn’t a farmer.http://www.fingerlakesciderhouse.com/Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

Deanna and Alfie Alcantara don’t like to see wasted potential. And they see lots of potential in the wealth of America’s endemic grape species. Not only potential for new vines that are adapted for the climate in which they’re grown, don’t need to be sprayed with chemicals, and make wines that truly reflect their land, but also potential for engaging and involving all kinds of people, especially those who might feel excluded or marginalized by the dominant Euro-centered wine culture.So Deanna & Alfie have started a project to revive, refine and re-define the native grape and wine cultures of America. They found a piece of property in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and they’ve begun planting vines from grape species that contain native DNA – some new varieties that aren’t even named yet, and others with names like Black Eagle and America, and still others that they found growing wild on their property.They are at the beginning of a project that can take many, many years to begin to see the impact of their efforts. I think there’s something brave and hopeful about starting something that can take longer than the years you’ve been given on this earth. And I think these are the kinds of projects we need desperately now, so I hope Deanna & Alfie will inspire us to think about what is important enough for us to give our lives to even if we know we won’t see the results.Oh, and I forgot to mention, their name for this project is “Dear Native Grapes.” Maybe that’s where they get their inspiration. Because what they’ve started is something much more meaningful than a business plan. They’ve started writing a love letter.@dear.native.grapesSponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

Chiara Rose Shannon is a California-based advanced sommelier, certified yoga instructor and mindfulness practitioner, and she’s also known as The Yogi Sommelier. Her unique approach to Mindful Wine™ tasting and combining the principles and practice of yoga with wine have been featured in The Wall Street Journal.Chiara believes in wine as part of a healthy, balanced and meaningful lifestyle. Her wellness-informed approach to wine education integrates principles of yoga, mindfulness and traditional sommelier training on top of a deep, working knowledge informed by many years in the industry. An advocate for environmental sustainability, Chiara has niche expertise in organic, Biodynamic and natural wines and sourcing sustainable alternatives within the three-tier system.What is the connection between yoga and wine, you may ask? Well, the word ‘connection’ is actually the key to answering that question. As we talk, I think you’ll find that the way Chiara approaches this question provides a perspective that is much broader and deeper than either yoga or wine.https://www.theyogisommelier.com/Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

Zaitouna Kusto is the Managing Sommelier at Esters wine shop in Santa Monica, CA.Zaitouna exemplifies what I think are some of the best qualities in wine sales – someone who listens carefully and doesn’t impose their own preferences and judgements on what others want.This has led Zaitouna to have some unique and interesting perspectives and observations on wine, and I think this conversation will give everyone something to think about, react against, and be both challenged and entertained by.I always enjoy talking with Zaitouna, which should also be apparent from this interview, and I hope you’ll be as charmed and delighted as I clearly was.Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

I'm delighted to share this conversation with two of the most lovely winemakers and winery owners in California. Based in the Central Coast, Gina & Mikey Giugni are the owners of Lady of the Sunshine and Scar of the Sea - two wineries that share the same winegrowing philosophies and the same space, but which reflect their two different personalities and winemaking choices. The Giugnis are committed to growing grapes organically or better, and have certified the Chene Vineyard, which they lease and farm for Lady of the Sunshine, as biodynamic. They see the best viticulture as integrating vineyards into the natural landscape, and they approach wine from a minimal intervention, natural style, that sees wine as a living thing with annual variations that reflect the land it came from. This interview covers a lot of ground, including:- The challenges of farming a small vineyard- Mikey's homestead cider making in the central coast including cider co-ferments with mondeuse, and another with gruner veltliner & lime leaves- Why lees are your friend in natural winemaking- Why new oak can sometimes be necessary in natural winemaking- Why farming your own grapes changes the way you think about winemaking- What a healthy vineyard should look like- The importance of biodynamic and organic certification- Wine packaging & ingredients labeling- How to handle problem wines using the limited tools of natural winemaking...and so much more. Enjoy!https://www.ladyofthesunshinewines.com/https://www.scaroftheseawines.com/Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe

Allow me to introduce you to Supergay Spirits!This episode features Tom Jackson, one of the co-founders of Supergay. We have a fun conversation about the premium vodka made from organic corn that is Supergay’s first spirit, and the dedication to excellence that is masked by their playful branding. Supergay is a great example that we don’t have to take ourselves too seriously to cause seriously good changes in the world. It’s a pleasure to highlight people that are having fun doing something they enjoy that is also positive and uplifting.Tom lifted my spirits, and I wasn’t even drinking his vodka. His brand seems like just the thing we need as we head into this post-pandemic summer of 2021. We’ve grown, we’ve changed, we’re maybe a little wiser, maybe a little more awake. But there is hope. We need to smile. We need to spread some joy. We need a little Supergay!https://www.supergayspirits.com/Sponsor:https://www.centralaswine.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondorganicwine.substack.com/subscribe