Di Giovanna Winery, hybrid of a German a Sicilian, tucked away in the green hills of Sicily, the family owned Di Giovanna Winery grows its grapes 800 feet above sea level producing both red and white wine. This soil gives the grapes (and the wine) a mineral quality and a specific taste. Gunther (featured here in the video) and his brother Klaus operate the wholly organic vineyard. He takes the commitment to organic farming seriously; Di Giovanna does not use any herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. As he also lives on the vineyard, Gunther’s attitude is to respect himself and the environment around him. If you asked Gunther his favorite Di Giovanna wine, he’d reply “I can’t pick a favorite. Each one is a part of me. I cultivate all of the vineyards with the same love.” According to the Bio Fach International Wine Award, the Nerello Mascalese is the best red wine of 2009. This Di Giovanna red earned the Gold award last year, which totals 13 awards the winery has earned over the last five years.
Located near Napa in Dry Creek Valley, Unti Vineyards puts the focus on the grapes and leaves out the additives to bring an authentic taste of Italy to California.
GOCA is the Guaranteed Organic Certification Agency responsible for most of the organic certifications in Southern California. Charles Heerman is a long standing advocate for biodynamic farming with roots in the food revolutions of the 1960′s in Berkeley, CA. We are putting together a longer documentary portraying the overall benefits and drawbacks of organic versus traditional agriculture.
We decided to go down to GOCA’s headquarters and hear what Mr. Heerman had to say. This is just a taste, but the takeaway is pretty amazing. Turns out, people have been farming organically for thousands of years and only recently have we decided use chemicals and other shortcuts to get more yield. This new “traditional” agriculture is amazing at delivering high yields of single crops, but falls short when looking at the important elements of nutritional content and the sustainability (and toxicity) of the soil.
While Palmina Winery creates its wine with the Italian varietal tradition in mind, the Santa Barbara based winery does not wish to emulate its European counterpart. Rather as Chrystal Clifton explains, Palmina strives to “understand and dedicate [themselves] to the grapes always showing a sense of place.” Its Southern California location provides enough sunlight, a moderate temperature and the soil retains a certain amount of acidity that allows their grapes to thrive. In addition to creating excellent varietals, Palmina focuses on the personal benefits of wine—having fun, drinking wine with friends and family and being part of a community.
