STRONG recommendation for book on sustainable farming (attn wine lovers!)

This was triggered by the GM thread in general discussion; this post may be better suited to that forum instead of the lounge, but what the heck...I'm putting it here anyway.

One of the tangents in that very long thread was a discussion about organic farming. As some of the best evidence that organic farming can be both good for the environment AND profitable, I highly recommend the new book True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution.

A bit of background--the Fetzer winery, one of the largest in the country, has pioneered organic and sustainable farming practices for the last ten years. To everyone's surprise, they found that their profits were strong and the wines tasted better (gee, who'da thunkit without all those chemicals!). Fetzer's solely organic label is Bonterra (http://www.bonterra.com), whose wines are available widely on the west coast. I recommend the wines even more than I recommend the book--they're fantastic. If you can get your hands on a bottle of their organic chardonnay, marsanne or viognier, you're in for a treat.

Paul Dolan, Fetzer's CEO, was behind this revolution, and their success as well as their power as wine industry players is now pushing other wineries to adopt the same sustainable (and labor-friendly) practices. Here's an excellent article the San Francisco Chronicle did a few weeks ago (an excellent read!):

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/11/06/WIG1I2Q9371.DTL&type=printable

Dolan, then Fetzer's chief winemaker, was walking the vineyards at harvest when he tasted a delicious Sauvignon Blanc grape -- lush and complex. Fifteen feet away, Dolan tried another grape and was shocked at the difference: This Sauvignon Blanc was bland and undistinguished.

There was only one difference between the two vineyard blocks. The first block was part of a small experiment in organic farming in which the grapes were tended without chemicals for one year. The second block was farmed the conventional way, using herbicides and pesticides.

Dolan had believed the chemicals were robbing the soil of precious microbes. The problem was surely worsening with each new round of poisons, he reasoned.

Tasting the grapes validated his suspicions, and Dolan went on to spark a revolution in the California wine industry. Because of Dolan and a handful of other leaders, California vineyards and wineries are converting to environmentally friendly techniques at an extraordinary rate.

Much, much more...it's a great piece. And here's a link for the book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1576601501/qid=1068838222/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0870924-4847810?v=glance&s=books

(edited to clarify subject line)

I hardly ever visit the Lounge... glad I saw this on the main forums page!

Thanks for sharing this!!!!
:D

It is the best place on DU.

:)

A bit overstressed... I'm sure I'll relax more after the primaries are over. And when (if?) my financial situation improves.

It really is a fascinating story, especially if you happen to be a wine fanatic like I am.

Several of their Fetzer label wines are now organic (in addition to the excellent Bonterra label). If you ever have the opportunity to visit their winery in Hopland (on the Sonoma-Mendocine County border), definitely do. They have breathtakingly beautiful organic gardens to wander through (and sample from), where they grow--in addition to grapes--several kinds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs.

And it's especially exciting to see that they're using their considerable business clout to get the California wine industry as a whole to switch to these farming practices.

Another snip from the article that DUers might find interesting:

Many ideas for sustainable practices have come from Fetzer employees, who as part of Dolan's broader mission have been empowered to put their ideas into action. Dolan didn't know about the move to biodiesel, for example, until after workers drove a biodiesel fueled tractor up to him and told him about it.

As part of its social justice initiative, Fetzer offers English classes during work hours for its largely Latino workforce.

Another initiative eliminated managers, all of whom were Caucasian, from the bottling line. The bottlers, all of whom were Latino, were then allowed to choose a "coach" from among their own ranks to help them with problems.

Fetzer employs 350 people and its annual turnover rate is just 1 percent.

That turnover rate among employees is incredible. Good folks, those Fetzer people. ;-)

Anything related to that I find fascinating.

IMO this is the key to making our future brighter, in all ways! :D

You say 'several ... Fetzer label wines' -- do you mean appellations under the main Fetzer label, or other labels that Fetzer bottles? Either way, have any recommendations on reds?

Hubby and I buy lots of low- and mid-priced reds, mostly at Trader Joe's. I'd like to buy local, but our local wine store got its knickers in a twist and encouraged people to boycott the French stuff back when we went into Iraq, even going so far as to throw a sheet over the French wines for a week or so -- we quit buying there. Their loss for choosing to make a political issue of it -- they may have noticed a drop in their bottom line. We found it no hardship to shop Trader Joe's instead, and we had no trouble finding Bourdeaux there.

I had read something about Dolan before -- I'm thinking it was in Utne Reader, though the article could have been from anywhere originally, since Utne does print articles from other publications. I was impressed with the effect he seems to aspire to, not only on sustainable agriculture but -- one can hope -- on labor practices.

Good stuff, too. I'm not sure which specific wines under the Fetzer label (as opposed to Bonterra) are organic--Fetzer produces a huge variety of wines, but anything organic that they make will be prominently labeled as such.

on edit: the Five Hills Blue organic cabernet sells for $5.99 a bottle, and they often also have the Bonterra cabernet and chardonnay (and those sell for around $9 a bottle). The chardonnays coming out of Sonoma county the last few years have got me drinking whites more than I used to--they've finally gotten away from that beat-you-over-the-head-with-oak habit, and the wines are definitely better for it.

We just bought a case this week, so it'll be at least Monday before we go back (just kidding, but the cashiers do tease us because we buy cases there -- we don't buy wine anywhere else much, so they ring the manager for the 'case key' as soon as they see us coming). We'll have a look for them.

cuz Shakey said so! Nice recommendation!

KICK!!!

:D

:kick:

and thanks for the recommendation.

I used to shy away from "organic" produce at the supermarket; because it was usually bug-eaten and rotten. I now suspect this was the supermarket's way of discouraging consumers from buying organic.

Then an excellent store called My Organic Market (MOM) opened up not far from here. I was floored by the fact that I could taste my foods again. Fruits, veggies, dairy products, and even pastas are more flavorful.

:kick:

Thanks!

:evilgrin:

:kick:

good stuff, keep it up!

C'mon...you guys are SLOOOOOOW. I figured you'd be all over this and have it up to 50 hits for the donation by now.

:hi:

Donation details here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=408700

I grow a chemical-free vegetable garden every year, but it certainly couldn't be classified as a farm.

I like wine :)
thanks for the recomendation

There's another buck in the bank.

:kick:

:kick:

for you.

interesting.....

who is starting up a vineyard, he'll appreciate this.

and :kick: ka-ching!

dp

:kick:

Very interesting stuff! :toast:

Thanks for your generosity Shakespeare! Long drives through the Napa, Sonoma, or Anderson valleys -- visiting wineries, tasting, etc. -- is a great weekend excursion. Ever been to a spot near Russian River (Santa Rosa) called Dry Creek Road? That's one of my favorite routes.

The Shakespeare donor challenge here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=408700

:kick:

Check it out Lounge Lizards.

:-)

Kick

Kick

Kick to punch Bush!

:kick:

"O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil."

hic,
dp

kick!

:kick:

Here's my kick for both you and DU!:kick:

Not the kind of thing to build a Friday-night party around, but more appropriately, to build our future upon.

A kick for interest -- :kick:

:kick:

I'm making a $35 donation to DU (35 kicks after the initial 8 posts, when I decided to do a "sponsor my thread" challenge)--can't really afford it at the moment (in the process of moving in a few weeks, so I'm broke till I get settled), but I'm happy to give what I can to DU.

Thanks for making this fun. :hi: