Demystifying Natural Wine

Rudolph Steiner, creator of Waldorf Education, gave a series of lectures in 1924 that were in response to approximately 100 farmers having problems from the use of pesticides & fertilizers. The resulting practices are now known as Biodynamic® Farming. Wineries have recently adapted these practices in a way that is reshaping what organic and natural mean in the fine wine world. Get ready to jump into the magic!

We will cover a lot of terrain, starting with:

• What does “natural” actually mean for wines?
• Demystifying sulfites
• The true causes of wine headaches
• How our habits dictate our preferences

Farming and Agriculture:

• Agriculture in the modern world
• Monoculture vs polyculture
• Defining terroir
• Biodynamic® farming overview/introduction
• What gives to the environment & what takes from it

The Winemaker's Role:

• The human factor: winemaking options & styles
• Practices that make wine not quite as natural as one might expect

Finding Conscious Wineries:

• Info on picking ConsciousWine picks from around the globe

Most wines used for this class are made from Biodynamically® grown grapes. Some examples are Cowhorn Vineyards (Applegate), Resonance (Willamette), Quivira (Dry Creek, CA), Benziger (Sonoma), Porter Bass (Russian River), and Grgich Hills (Napa).