WBW #29 Biodynamic Wines

I'm not a regular participant in the now infamous WBW (wine blogging wednesday). My tendency to procrastinate in combination with my impulsive wine consumption makes it hard to plan and execute such a time coordinated review. I find myself reading the other WBW blogs though and thinking that there's always next month. This month's topic, Biodynamic wines, hosted by The Fork and Bottle, is an interesting one because it seems that it's definitely a buzz word in the industry these days. One can walk into most wine boutiques here in NYC and find an ever expanding selection of organic, sustainable, or biodynamic farmed wines. I'm all for it unless it doubles the cost of a bottle.

This week I got lucky. Yesterday I was reading the master list of certified biodynamic producers and found one that I was already planning on mentioning this week. I did not even know it was a biodynamic wine. Once again I must give a hat tip to Jay over at the Wine Chicks for the recommendation. I was going to give you some background on the winery and winemaker but it's easier just to point you to Vinography's recent article on one of Nigl's Rieslings.

Nigl Gruner Veltliner Kremser Freiheit 2005
Kremstal, Austria ($15)

Pale straw color. Faint aromas of citrus and green vegetables. The palate is fairly neutral with that textbook minerality of a gruner veltliner. The flavor isn't too citrus based as it lacks the acidity I would expect from a dry white wine. Apricots and peaches come to mind but in a diluted fashion that takes a back seat to the stoniness. The finish is pleasant and extremely food friendly. It is the "cleanest" wine I've ever tasted. I can only assume that the practice of biodynamic or organic farming only contributed to the fresh and natural flavors here. For around $15, this is a total bargain. My grade: A-

So far my experience with environmentally friendly wines has been positive. I wrote about an organic Cab Franc from Loire last year that was like no other I've had. The sustainable Shinn Estates on Long Island has become one of my favorite wineries to visit when I'm out east. My trip to the only certified organic winery in Ontario, Frogpond Farm Winery, was an epiphany in which I realized how well a small 10 acre farm could produce wine up in the Niagara area. I'm pretty much sold on the sustainable farming theory and someday I hope I can be a part of the movement.

Comments

[Jay]

I blush. :-) Hey, I can turn you on to a roster of kick-ass organic/biodynamic wines. Working at Chambers Street Wines in Tribeca was an epiphany, and there's no going back!

[WaterIntoWino]

I went to a few tastings at Chambers recently. There's no going back to places like Astor Wines after that. Vino Italian Wines has a great tasting as well.

[Brooklynguy]

I really like this Nigl wine, a great value each year. After enjoying a few bottles of the 04, I got up the nerve to try the Nigl Privat Gruner, an amazing wine, but twice the price of this one. If you feel like taking the next Nigl step...And yes! to Chambers Street. My favorite wine store..period.